[Lhavit Quest] Bringing it back to soil (Aselia)

by **Elhaym** on March 24th, 2011, 8:07 am

Lhavit is a beautiful city, it's nightlife famous among those who have witnessed it's splendor. The crystal buildings that illuminate it's streets are worthy of song, and it's people are loyal to their land and deity. Yet, Lhavit owes much to those who live far below it's grandeur, endlessly working in the fields that litter the valleys beneath. If not for these farmers, the exquisite city would be without it's primary food source; rice. Such a simple grain, yet it is the pillar of Lhavitian cuisine. Without it, the poor would starve and the rich would find their delicate economy on the brink of collapse. Rice. For the city to survive, it was essential that these crops flourish and find their way into the city. Thus, great care is taken to ensure the safety of those who perform this mundane and essential task. Nothing must threaten the delicate balance of life in Lhavit...

37th Day of Spring, 511 AV

Pain had slept far too late, but she had been exhausted by the previous night. Her first night spent with Kota and their subsequent union compounded with the physical and magical strain of using projection had left her fatigued beyond anything she could recall. She had slept throughout the entire day, waking only shortly after night fell upon Lhavit once again and the population began to stir. She was on a brief leave from her studies as an Acolyte, as were her peers. Every so often the Acolytes would be given a period of rest and relaxation, and Pain had done little than lounge about Kota's (and her own!) home for a few hours. Boredom had taken it's toll however, and before long she had descended the stone stairway to the city below in search of her friends. Pain had located her former roommates Rei and Hashin, fellow Acolytes, and inquired about their plans for the day. With Kota busily tending his duties as a fully fledged Shinya, Pain had little to do. Surprisingly, Rei had something of substance to talk about. Word had spread to the city that one of the largest rice farms below Lhavit was in some sort of trouble. Apparently, the seasonal Shimobe laborers had all grown ill, many which had died. Worse yet, the foreman of the farm was befallen by the same malady. The Twilight Family was investigating the matter, but as of yet no one had any concrete details as to what had transpired there.

Pain knew next to nothing about rice farming, nor did she know anything about medicine. What she did know was that she had an increasing feeling of devotion to her city, and the notion that these men and women were in plight made her uneasy.

"Do you think we could help?" Pain asked of her friends, both lifting their heads to the stars and contemplating the notion.

"Well... we do have three days until we report back to the Pavilion. It's only a half day journey to the fields, and another half day back. I'm sure we could help somehow if we went." Hashin said thoughtfully, running a hand over his bald head and nodding to Pain.

"I think we should go. The Shinya are not only warriors; we are protectors. What good are we, as Acolytes, if we are not willing to give up our free time in order to help those in need? It would honor the Shinya, and Zintila, for us to help." Rei added, her voice unusually serious. Rei was generally very jovial, but the plight of the poor farmers below seemed to have struck a nerve with her. Pain's eyebrow rose at her friend's strange behavior, but she had little time to react before Rei continued. "If we go, we should prepare and leave in a few hours... the farmers below don't live by our time. They are active during the day, and sleep at night. We would arrive in the morning, which would be best to help them."

The three Acolytes nodded, and parted ways for the time being. It seemed like a good idea, and a noble one at that. After the previous night, Pain would miss Kota's touch... but she couldn't deny that she felt a civic duty to uphold in Lhavit, even if she was a mere Acolyte. As Pain returned to Kota's... no, her home in the Shinyama Monastery, she began to gather some supplies for the journey. As she stuffed the random wilderness supplies she had leftover from her journey to Lhavit into her pack, Pain was struck by the memories of her travels. As her mind wandered, she thought of someone whom she'd completely lost track of, but cared very much for.

Ever since joining the Shinya her first day in Lhavit, Pain had completely lost track of Aselia Timandre, her traveling companion. The thought hit her like a sack of bricks. An idea slowly formed in Pain's mind, and she scrambled around Kota's unfamiliar belongings to find a quill and paper. She hastily composed a letter to Aselia, detailing her plans for the excursion and requesting that she come with her. Pain wasn't sure if Aselia would be able to join her on such short notice, but she grew excited at the thought of catching up with an old friend. Pain slung her pack over her shoulder and began the long trek back to the city once again, handing the letter off to a Viraya she passed by to be delivered to Aselia's home.

Adressed to Aselia Timandre :

***

Two bells later...

Pain stood by the Amaranthine Gate, hoisting her massive pack on her shoulders. She was dressed in her Acolytes robes, as were her companions. Curiously, Pain noticed that a fourth Acolyte was present; apparently, her class rival Tomo had agreed to accompany them as well. Pain had no qualms with this, as Tomo was a very skilled and intelligent Acolyte. They had their differences, but their rivalry was the absolute basis of their friendship. Rei and Hashin stood idly by, awaiting Pain's mysterious Konti friend. Everyone was itching to go.

Just as Pain thought that Aselia may not have been able to come, she caught a glimpse of a familiar form traveling towards her. The milky white complexion and innate beauty were unmistakable. Aselia had come! Pain yelled out in greeting to her friend, beckoning her over. Aselia might not have even recognized Pain for her much longer hair, tanned skin and Acolyte's uniform. As Aselia came closer, Pain made a move that would probably draw another odd reaction out of her friend. She moved to embrace her in a hug.

"Aselia... It's been so long. I'm glad you could come!" Pain near squealed, absolutely delighted to see her favorite Konti.

by **Aselia Timandre** on April 18th, 2011, 8:33 pm

Ever since entering Lhavit, Aselia had been busy with carving out a life of her own in a foreign city, working at Piramba’s to earn money and working at home to transform a part of the house she had purchased into a mews for her beloved falcon lady. Holuri couldn’t fly around the entire house and leave feathers and less pleasant remains all over the place forever. So Aselia worked hard, forgetting to eat and sleep once in a while just to get the worst done as soon as possible.

When the letter reached her, she had just returned from her shift and was busy with cleaning up after Holuri once again. Armed with a shovel and a cheap cotton bag she usually used for animal trash, she chased after what her bird had left during the night and went through the entire house. When the Viraya knocked at her front door, she stretched and took a deep breath. The stench of bird excrements would greet the visitor. Aselia thanked them in Common and opened the letter.

The words caused her memory to stir and scenes from the past to appear before her inner eye. How could she forget? In fact she had never forgotten about Pain, Elhaym, her traveling companion, the fighting girl from back in Syliras with the refreshingly exotic speaking pattern and the wounds and scars on her body. Pain had been the first friend she had found in Syliras, rather late, and then they had traveled all the way on board of the Azure Lady and through the Kalean Mountains and climbed the way up to Lhavit. At the gates, they had last sight of each other. While getting used to her new job, finally working with birds and raptors, Aselia had thought of Pain every now and then, wondering where she was and what she did, and also worrying a bit. She even wished Avalis had granted her with a second mark already, so she could see the Pain’s current situation. But no. Instead she found herself looking for a familiar figure on the streets of Lhavit, but without success. What she did realize was that most people bore a striking similarity to Pain when it came to facial features and basic body structure.

So she rejoiced when the familiar voice of her friend resounded in her head as she read the letter. It carried Pain’s signature, although it felt a bit foreign as well. Change spoke from the words. Nevertheless, Aselia was eager to respond to the invitation. She didn’t bother with scribbling an answering note; instead she ran for her backpack and threw everything she deemed necessary into it. Last but not least, she dressed in comfortable and practical clothing and collected her white hair in a ponytail. Of course, it was a messy one, with a few strands coming loose here and there.

Next, she visited Piramba’s, knowing that Fai would still be there, and explained the matter. “Our Konti is friends with the Shinya? Well, who am I to interfere? Let’s just say you’re using up the free days you were supposed to have later.” Aselia turned the grimace into a smile and nodded. “That’s, uhm, all right, thank you. It is really important for the city.” Fai dismissed her quickly, and Aselia returned to her home.

The last few bells she spent cleaning up the rest and bringing things in order for a bit. Then she made sure that Holuri would stay inside and prepared enough water and food for the entire time of her absence. She would have visited the stables at the corner for a short while and talked to Whitewind, but she knew that there wasn’t enough time anymore. Two bells had already passed, Aselia guessed.

Running across Surya Plaza, she felt excitement welling up inside her. She’d reunite with Pain, and above all, get informed about everything she had experienced since their separation! Even the bits and pieces in the letter had made her curious.

When Pain came in sight, dressed in foreign-looking Shinya clothing and with two Lhavitians at her side, Aselia could almost not believe it. And when she was hugged, she believed it even less. “Pain... Elhaym”, she muttered and froze in place, without a clue as to how she should react. Hugging was nice among family and common among Konti, but with others...? Aselia lacked the experience to know what to do in such a situation. “Indeed, it’s awesome to see you again! Now tell me everything”, she finally demanded.

Before the conversation could be continued, however, she freed herself from the hug and bowed to her friend’s companions. Slowly, but surely she was getting used to Lhavitian etiquette...

by **Elhaym** on April 23rd, 2011, 8:23 am

Each of the other Acolyte's in Pain's company bowed courteously to her, though one of the two males seemed a bit off put by her presence. Despite, they were all affable enough. The tallest male introduced himself as Tomo, but he was the one who seemed ill at ease with her addition to the group. The other, shorter and a bit rounder but every bit as bald as other was called Hashin. His smile was pleasant, though maybe only in comparison to the neutrality of Tomo's face. Rei introduced herself excitedly, citing that any friend of Elhaym's was a friend of hers, and Lhavit's. Her excited happiness was infectious; even Pain seemed to relax and smile when she spoke. Plainly they were all friends and peers. Yet, greetings soon gave way to the need to get on with their short journey, and the group walked through the main gate with large packs weighing on their backsides. The other Acolyte's took the lead on the narrow and treacherous road, while Pain hung back with Aselia.

It was only a short distance from the gate that the ambient light that saturated Lhavit's night seemed to vanish. Oil lanterns were produced, and shaky light illuminated their path. It seemed almost madness to travel this path in such conditions, but the Acolyte's ahead seemed at ease and surefooted, though Pain nervously eyed the edges of the path.

"It's been a long time since we traveled together." Pain said in a soft voice as if the night were listening. "Those were good times, the road from Alvadas to here." At that, she let out a low stream of words, detailing her life for the past months. She mentioned the training with the Shinya, and went into detail about her ancestry that had been traced to Lhavit with the help of the Shinya. Aselia may or may not be surprised to find that Pain's ancestor was somewhat of a legend, a high ranking Shinya who had traveled to Syliras as an ambassador and fell victim to a plague while on foreign soil. Her face was illuminated by the swaying light of the lantern she held before her as she spoke, still keeping a watchful eye of where she stepped. The others were smudges of bluish gray ahead of them, but still visible.

"I also found a, err... lover, I guess? His name is Kota, a Shinya here. I live with him now." Pain said, and her cheeks seemed to flush a bit in the wavering light. "Anyway, soon we will break off from the beaten path. Ah, here."

Pain had barely given Aselia time to react to that last bit before speaking up, and seemed happy for the distraction. Ahead the Acolytes seemed to be descending down the path to a lower ledge that led to a rougher path. As Pain approached, she held the lantern aloft to give Aselia a better look. At several points they would have to climb, or jump down considerable distances. Rei was last to hop down, but they all seemed just as at ease as before with their path.

"It's rough going, but I know you better than they do. You're tougher than you look, anyway. It's up to you though. We can go down this way, or we can stay on the main road here and loop around on an easier path about bell's walk from here. We'd be a bit behind, but i'll go whichever way you're comfortable with."

Aselia would note the steep path the Acolyte's slowly disappeared down, hopping down out of view. It would be steep, with crumbling rock and treacherously narrow paths. The main road had been uncomfortable enough, usually only traversed on the back of an Okomo if one could help it.

"Hey, uhh, if that's too much, you know," Pain said swung her lantern back towards the road, "We wouldn't miss much..."

Apparently the others trusted Pain to get there on her own, as they were completely out of sight now. Aselia and Pain stood alone overlooking the path, eyes squinting in the darkness. Pain would await her decision, and allow her to go first should she need help descending.

by **Aselia Timandre** on May 15th, 2011, 8:16 pm

As Pain’s companions introduced themselves, Aselia paid close attention to remember their names. Tomo seemed a bit cool to her, but Hashin, the other boy, and Rei seemed open and nice enough. It seemed so normal and so contrary to the life Pain had lived in Syliras. Aselia felt a bit alienated, although she told herself she had to get used to a lot of things first. Lhavit was new, her home and her job were new. It was only natural that Pain’s circumstances had changed as well and she with them.

Soon they started and walked past the gates. Despite the backpack, Aselia’s steps vibrated with energy as they started following the path leading down the mountain. Cities were exciting and lively, but nothing compared to the wilderness of nature! Sometimes Aselia missed Mura, the small town surrounded by trees and grass and the lake, but when she was out and about, she almost felt the connection to the isle again. She breathed deeply and enjoyed the stone under her feet and the darkness of the night.

Of course, she also listened to Pain’s story. And again, surprise overwhelmed her. So much change! Like water flowing down a river: It looked the same, but it was different water. Life was constant change, and Aselia was abruptly reminded of it. Her eyes widened in awe when her friend spoke of her Lhavitian ancestry and her blood connecting her to the Shinya. It seemed that she had found a place she belonged to and was comfortable at. When Pain concluded that she lived together with a man, Aselia grinned. “How exciting! Is he good-looking and does he treat you well? He seems to, since your life has obviously changed for the better. I’m glad for you... and I’d love to meet him one day.” Her words were sincere, and she felt good. Speaking with a friend, telling them what she really felt, had become a rare enjoyment these days.

In exchange, she provided Pain with a short breakdown of what she had done. Her story wasn’t as impressive as her friend’s, so she kept it simple and precise. What kind of place she lived at. That she worked at Piramba’s Pet Shop and trained raptors. How she had left Whitewind at the stable around the corner. Suddenly she remembered something. “By the way, how’s your dog... Tanny? Do they care for him?” She was ready to offer taking Tanny. The house she had purchased was too big, and too empty.

Then she saw their companions disappearing from the path. Where had they gone? As Pain and she approached, Aselia could discern a steeper and more dangerous path, little more than a couple of narrow platforms and loose rocks. Konti Isle was pretty flat, but traveling through the rough mountains of Kalea had been a hard training. Aselia loved to wander and climb anyway, and she loved high places, so she considered herself a better climber than most. Still, she stopped and thought about the decision for a while.

Eventually her features lit up. “No, I want to try it! Kalea is rough terrain, and I want to get used to the lands I’m living in now.” With that being said, she adjusted her backpack and stepped down first. Slowly she felt her way down the path, facing the rock wall and clinging to it with her hands as she went. Taking one’s time and making sure the path was safe seemed to be the key there. Aselia tried not to step on loose rocks or platforms that weren’t firmly connected to the ground. Slowly, ever-so-slowly, she descended.

However, although she paid attention, it didn’t take much even for experienced climbers to slip, fall or lose balance. And it was pretty dark without the city lights, after all.

by **Elhaym** on June 10th, 2011, 9:44 pm

Elhaym held her lantern aloft as Aselia descended, silently praising her friend's determination. There were many people who thought Elhaym bold—sometimes she wondered how she had quickly gained that reputation—but she knew Aselia was as courageous as any woman she had met in her travels. Once Aselia had made her way down, Elhaym hooked the lantern onto a protruding hook from her pack and crouched down to scale the small drop. With a thud signalling her successful descent, she unhooked the lantern and continued.

"Tanny is doing okay. Honestly I thought the Monastery would be a good place for him, but I think those Viraya are running him ragged. Not to mention he's getting fat... I think they're feeding him more than ground grain behind my back. He's too old for sweets." She shook her head as she spoke, letting a little of her motherly side show through for just a moment. She loved her old dog, but he was old and she didn't much like that he was getting overweight.

The drops came and went, some larger than others and some slightly more precarious than Elhaym thought she remembered. Each time she would hoist her lantern over the edge to illuminate Aselia's way before descending herself. More than a few muttered curses escaped her lips when her fingertips were bloodied by rocks that felt sharp as a barber's razor.

"Faugh! I swear..." She yelped, waving her right hand and jamming one of her fingers into her mouth. Not a horrible cut, but compounded with the dirt and grime on her hands it did seem to sting more than normal. "We're probably pretty close by now."

The sky hung darkly above them, penetrating the rocky surroundings of the mountainous terrain. Only the wavering light of their lanterns let their eyes be of use at this point. She paused for a moment, not ashamed to say that she was near wheezing with the effort of climbing down so far.

Just a little farther...

***

The undergrowth was thick, barely held back by a thin tree line rooted in rocky soil. Elhaym strode alongside her fellow Acolytes, shouldering her pack from side to side uncomfortably. The straps were to chafe her skin, after all. It wasn't that it was heavy. Certainly not that! She put on a calm face, ushering the weariness to the back of her mind. Her companions all seemed no less disturbed than if they had just stepped from their rooms in the morning, much less climbed down a steep mountain path. A flash of blue appeared before them in the distance, and slowly the distance shrank until a uniformed Shinya stood before them with his arms clasped behind his back.

"I had not heard that the Pavilion was sending anyone else to aid me. What business do a group of Acolytes—and a civilian—have here?"

"We've come to help, in any capacity we can." Rei, the other female Acolyte sounded without hesitation. She turned and motioned to the others, including Aselia. "We have no duties for three days, and Aselia here has offered to help the city resolve this as well. Surely we can be of use?"

The Shinya peered over the group, penetrating eyes that almost made you pass over the wrinkled lines extending from their corners and creasing his face. His hair was flecked with gray, an oddity for the Shinya. Most simply did not love that long, yet he was not frail in his older age. His uniform was impeccable even so far from the city, every fold immaculate and fitted perfectly over his lean frame. After a moment, he nodded.

"You may call me Osuin. I will not turn away aid, especially from the young Konti." He said, bowing forward but while maintaining his hands clasped behind his back. In truth, he seemed most interested in her help. Many knew that the Konti were talented in ways that humans could not dream of, but Elhaym surmised it was her assumed skill in the art of healing that piqued the Shinya's interest. Either way, he continued before the lapse of silence allowed for anyone to speak.

"The situation here is... not good. Many of the laborers have grown seriously ill, all in the same capacity. I have several theories, but I assume nothing until I have more information. Acolytes, you will assist me and Miss...? Oh, a lovely name. Pardon me. You will assist Miss Timandre in her endeavors as well as myself. Miss Timandre, I'd like you to take a look at some of the laborers inside the base camp, and see if you can make anything of their illness. If you please, you may have two of the Acolytes accompany and assist you. The others will go with me to interrogate the unaffected Shimobe and discern what we can from their accounts."

From anyone else, the whole spiel may have sounded a bit pushy, but Osuin's words rolled off his tongue with the perfect air of command and respectfulness. Along the way down, Elhaym had described her friends well to Aselia. She would know Tomo was calculating in his approach, but not unjust in decision making ability. He was also a formidable warrior perhaps equal to Elhaym, though there was no immediate need for those skills so it would seem. Rei was a very friendly person, and her pretty face and smile put most at ease. She was good at smoothing over situations, as well as handling the quarterstaff she doubled as a walking stick. Hashin was a very blunt fellow, perhaps more so than Tomo though he managed it in a jovial manner. He was constantly focused, perhaps the benefits to his intensive forays into meditative states. He was also skilled with herbs and small surgeries, having grown into somewhat of an unofficial medic for Acolyte's with wounds too minor to request time intensive healing. His abilities in a fight however were a bit lacking. Aselia knew Elhaym's strengths, but it seemed she did not have much to offer here.

They waited patiently, even Elhaym calmly accepting that Aselia seemed to have been bumped a spot higher on the food chain than they by the elder Shinya. Whomever she chose would accompany her, and the others would likely bring back and share any useful tidbits they acquired. Whatever was in the air here, it seemed a bit heavy for a simple sickness. Something seemed... wrong.

Aselia's Task :