Open [Red Diamond] Speaking of Spelunking

[Garran Frostfawn]

Spring 18, 513 AV Bad weather was in no way a rare occurrence in Avanthal, and therefore no excuse to give up on the task he had set himself for the day. Besides, horses in the far northern reaches of the world had to be trained to handle whatever was thrown their way – snow, sleet, ice, extreme cold. The people too were well used to being outside in just about anything, their gnosis marks helping them to adjust to and withstand even severe blizzards. But Garran had to admit, when he could barely see his hand in front of his face, trying to get the three year old he was just breaking to saddle to move boldly forward despite the still not-quite-familiar weight on his back into the bite of the wind was asking a lot. The colt skitted and crow hopped – no horse liked to face into the wind – and Garran could hardly blame him. The snow was like fine sand, stinging exposed skin and making him squint to the point that he could hardly keep his eyes open. So, despite his plan being to work with the young horse until the sun set, well…one could hardly tell that the sun was still up there, somewhere, above the amazingly low cloud cover. He had decided to hang up his spurs, so to speak, earlier than he had planned, and had restabled the colt, telling one of the grooms at the stable to give him a good rub down and some warm mash for dinner. Garran was a bit peckish himself, and thought that a good mug of ale might go down well. Making his way from the White Elk, he trudged through the near blizzard down the familiar frozen streets of the city, heading towards the pub he tended to favor. Even in such conditions, his coat and boots kept him warm enough and his sense of direction, in the city, was ingrained. In a quarter of a chime, he was pushing his way through the heavy wooden doors, to be greeted by a wave of warm air. Immediately, he was pulling off his coat, hanging it on a peg on the wall, and looking about. There was the regular crew, those who frequented the pub almost every evening. Garran threw up a friendly hand in greeting to those he knew and nodded and gave some affable hello's and hi's and hey's. Then he stepped to the bar counter and took a seat, ordering a mug of ale and holding off on the dinner part until he’d had a first drink. Directly to his right were a group of men. Garran recognized several of them as fellow Frostfawns, hunters all, and he smiled in greeting at their welcome. He moved his stool a bit closer and was soon engaged in a conversation that covered a multitude of topics but soon enough came around to what apparently the hunters had been discussing before Garran joined in. Garran listened with a desultory interest – the men had found an ice cave, to the east of the city, on the coast. Some of the group were talking about retracing their steps at some point and checking it out. Apparently the group had not wanted to go exploring without the proper equipment. Some of the others shook their heads in doubt, claiming it was too dangerous – who knew when the ice might shift again and either open up a crevasse under a man’s feet, or send huge icicles crashing down on his head, or even press an opening back together and make Vani jelly out of him? One of Garran’s friends turned to him and asked, “What about you, Garran? You’d be up for something like that, right?” The other Frostfawn smacked Garran in the upper arm. “You wouldn’t be afraid now, would you?” His friend smiled at him in an encouraging way. Or was it challenging? Garran took a hasty swig of ale while he pondered the question. Or was it an invitation? Or possibly…a dare?

[Sliver]

oocFigured I'd take you up on your invitation. Never been spelunking before!

In recent days Sliver had tried to recall what it felt like before she was blessed by Morwen's Gnosis. The gift their Queen had given her in the Fall was a great one, for which the Kelvic was infinitely grateful. She enjoyed testing the limits of the cold repelling qualities of her Ice Reaving from day to day, in ways that some who had lived their whole lives with the mark simply didn't need to do. Today, despite the inclement weather, the Kelvic had performed her guard duties with a small smile constantly on her features, and she was significantly more personable when moving through the city than anyone truly had a right to be. She inquired as to the state of wares, the harvest in the carefully maintained Winterflame gardens, and even poked by the Menagerie on her rounds, a place the Kelvic tended to avoid for her own animal reasons.

But now she was seated in the Red Diamond, her hood pulled up over ever lengthening hair, finger brushing against a nose ring as she sat with a cup of tea that was more honey than anything. Every sip of the wonderfully sweet liquid sat well with the guard, for warm things were so much more enjoyable in contrast to the cold.

She was off duty now, but it did not mean that her senses were not primed. The wolverine was a wary individual, and apart from it being her job, Sliver enjoyed watching the happenings of the bright and cheery Vantha that graced the bustling tavern.

She took note of the gathering hunters, her curiosity piqued at what they were discussing, though at present she was too far away to properly hear. When another of their ranks entered the Red Diamond looking red faced and weary, their voices raised for a moment in inquiry.

Much like a feline Sliver simply couldn't hold back her intrigue in the matter. Downing her honey with tea she lifted the mug from the table and walked towards the bar for a re-fill, the action serving as a dual purpose mission.

A cave of ice upon the coast? She wondered what they wanted to find within, or was it simply the challenge of a anew and undiscovered location that drew the hunter's interest? Either way Sliver cleared her throat and pulled back her furred hood, revealing her lengthy mohawk and strange braided and beaded lengths of hair. Beneath dark mahogany eyes hung a much pierced face.

"Have you thought of including the Icewatch on your adventure? They might be able to provide assistance." She saw a few eyes dim with disinterest at involving the authorities and smiled apologetically. "Or...I could come along. I don't really climb, but it might be helpful to have one of us on hand."

Presently she wore a yellow band that marked her as the Winterflame division of the Icewatch. Since she was unbonded the color changed on a bi-weekly basis, but it helped when identifying Icewatch in the City, and would identify her purpose and intent.

[Jesslyn Skyglow]

Jesslyn had once again found herself at the Red Diamond and was starting to wonder if this was a good thing or a bad thing. She had only ordered some water every time she came and would sometimes get a lunch or dinner but no longer did she even know why she was here. Maybe she was trying to chug down her vision and actually get herself a mug of ale. Or even to just check up on the gossip. She hadn't decided. But today, it seemed, she was doing the later. Her dull grey eyes peered lifelessly over to the group of what sounded like hunters. Someone had just walked in the bar and took the seat to her right, not even bothering to say hello or anything, and ordered a drink. Holding off on the wonderful dinner she was currently ignoring. She listened. And her thoughts were to simply tell the men they were fools for wanting to explore a cave. Who knew what was down there? And if they took fire? 'Ha go ahead. Kill yourselves along the way. See what I care.' But Jesslyn really did care. She loved her people and didn't see the use of them traveling into a cave at times like this. That's all the people around here needed, more gossip to spray off the truth and say another Hold killed the group of hunters. 'Garran', as it appeared, had moved away from her and was currently moving in a fashion that could only be seen as taking a drink. Jesslyn grimly guessed that he was ignoring the guy as he had done to her. Jesslyn was getting ready to turn herself back to her slightly less hot food when the clearing a throat stopped her. Using her hearing Jesslyn turned her body to face the source of the sound and grimly let herself try to pick up their vibration. Jesslyn sighed when she realized she could only see their feet and a little bit of their legs as they were too far back. Jesslyn let a sly smile appear on her face when she heard the, it was a woman she realized, person try to get the authorities involved. But it went away when she felt the mood the the men change. They didn't want the help of the Icewatch. They really were stupid. And the woman appeared to go along with it! Jesslyn shook her head in disappointment and turned back to her food. Mumbling under her breath, "Bunch of idiots just feasting for frost to take them away. If the ice doesn't first." Apparently it wasn't quiet enough. One of the hunters closer to her turned their vibration to her and snorted, "And what would the blind 'Whitevine' mess-up know of adventure?" A couple other nervous hunters growled in agreement. Jesslyn realized who the voice belonged to and simply kept her mouth shut. Well as shut as it could when she was eating. She kept to herself until she felt him move, "I asked you a question." Jesslyn set down her spoon and turned to face him, "How about having to hold in the insides of someone who thought it was a good idea to go looking for a heard of FrostFawn deer only to get speared and almost die. Or having to help cauterize a mans leg after he fell from a cliff side and had only the skin to hold is leg together." Jesslyn's eyes shifted to a heated red as she stared the hunter down, "Now go sit your ass down and leave me alone to my opinions. Go on your adventure but don't come to me when your injured." Jesslyn hated cursing but this guy had always teased her. Even as a kid. As soon as the words Jesslyn knew she had set herself up. She wasn't a Whitevine anymore. He seemed to pick up on her mistake, "Even if you could see I wouldn't take it to you. You were a fail as a Whitevine and your not any better as a Skyglow." Jesslyn really wanted to hit the guy but settled to turning back to her food and slowly picking her spoon back up. Jesslyn didn't return to eating until she felt his vibrations sit back down after a growl of, "That's what I thought." Jesslyn was seething but other than that kept her words to herself. The men grumbled a little bit more wearily after her talk of losing limbs or getting speared and Jesslyn had to smile a little bit at that. At least some of them would not go. OOCSo Jesslyn might actually go with he exploring just because I think it would be a good experience for her outside of the city. And it would also let me play more with her 'sight'.

[Garran Frostfawn]

OOCAwesome Sliver - I haven't been caving either, so we can die together And welcome Jesslyn - blind cave exploring - you're a braver soul than Garran lol Garran had been unaware of the newcomer specifically, though when she spoke from behind him, he then realized the genesis of the glances of those across from him. The raised eyebrows were an additional impetus for him to turn slightly on the stool, taking in the young female as she was, hood lowered and smiling in a somewhat…contrite manner. Her physical appearance was curious – her hair and the piercings on her face – but her eyes were even more arresting, with irises so dark they appeared almost black. The band about her arm told the tale of her vocation – Icewatch – though bear or human…or other…he couldn’t possibly say. Her words reinforced the visual badge, as she suggested to the group of hunters that Morwen’s guard be involved in any planned venture to the newly discovered ice cave. Garran at first said nothing, for it wasn’t his place to reply. He was only a horse trainer and no explorer, no warrior, no great adventurer. The question put to him a moment before by his friend still hung in the air, unanswered due to the arrival of the young woman. But Garran wasn’t complaining for the interruption. He still had no ready answer, and the thought of flitting off on some rather insane expedition like the one being proposed seemed just that – a bit insane. His eyes, which peaked at a luminous golden amber of interest, without any great display of passion, flicked from the girl, to the hunters, and then back. It seemed most of those gathered here in this little discussion group weren’t quite thrilled with this suggestion of inclusion of the Icewatch. But the guard had appended a possible variation on her first foray, offering her own accompaniment, and Garran thought this was a fair proposition. He waited to see what the others might say in response, but instead of addressing the Icewatch guard directly, Garran’s friend said instead, “See? We’ll have the protection of the Guard, Garran. She’ll save your skin if you start to fall down a crevasse.” The fellow smirked a bit, for the guard was on the short side, though she looked pretty sturdy. One of the others, though, spoke up. “Well, I don’t know as we’d need the Icewatch along. It’s not like we’re like to encounter any thieves or brigands or miscreants out there. As long as we have enough rope, and some pitons, maybe some opalgloams – well, wouldn’t that be enough?” Garran’s brow furrowed a bit. “Seems like it couldn’t hurt – and wouldn’t our queen want to know what’s out there, if anything?” His gaze switched to the young guard. “You’re trained in wilderness survival, right? And rescue?” He turned his attention back to the other hunter. “Surely you wouldn’t turn that down? A few extra sets of hands, or paws? Couldn’t go amiss, I’d say.” His friend patted him on the back. “Don’t worry, Garran. You can stay with the horses. And maybe one of the bears, just so you don’t get scared.” He laughed. “I know you wouldn’t want to go. I’m just pulling your leg, man. You stay here, with the women and children.” Garran’s frown deepened. He wasn’t sure he wanted to go cave exploring. But he didn’t like to think anyone would think the less of him for not going. Whatever reservations he had, though, were pushed to the edge of his thoughts when all of a sudden there seemed to be come confrontation brewing between one of the hunters and another girl sat along down the bar. Whatever had started it, Garran missed, and he just heard the hunter jumping down the young woman’s throat and bristling up like a porcupine. The girl though gave back as good as she got, at least for the first go round. Garran had no idea what the two were going on about, but apparently the hunter called her on what she flung back in his face, and the girl seemed to sink back into herself, ending the little verbal skirmish. Even as obtuse as he was to the underpinnings of their acrimony, Garran certainly got the jist of what the girl had said – a roster of gruesome injuries that might await those who did venture out on such an expedition. It underscored what he was already thinking, yet he knew that these hunters faced many such dangers, every day. So did the Icewatch, often enough. That was life – and a man couldn’t spend his entire existence sat by his hearth, waiting for death to creep into ancient bones that had never stirred from home. He glanced down at this second young woman, who was quite settled back to her dinner, noting the way she moved and recalling what the hunter had said to her – she was blind? But she had some experience as a healer. Well, that was novel, he thought.

[Ronan Dugal]

A late addition to the party, Ronan pushed the door of the Red Diamond open, the cold wind and snow of the blizzard quickly pushing past him and into the warmth of the building. Taking his time, just to spite all the people who were sitting in the warmth of the fire comfortably, he closed the door behind him. His face was hidden in the hood of his outfit, half covered in snow and soaking wet. He brought his hands up, dusting off snow and water from his cloak and outfit, grumbling a little to himself, something about snow and blizzard. Usually, Ronan would be found in the Rancid Reindeer on days like this. More homely and less fancy people around. But with the blizzard storm outside the Reindeer got a little chilly, even inside, and Ronan could use some proper warmth from a fire. Besides, it was always nice to pick up some gossip from a different type of people. Unlike the Avanthalians gathered here, Ronan kept his entire outfit on, as it was too cold for him. He didn't have a godly protection against cold and had to do with what he could buy and wear. They light flicker of eyes spying across the room appeared from under the hood, which kept most of his features hidden as he walked to the bar, sitting himself down on one of the bar chairs. "What'll it be." Great. Fancy people with fancy manners. "Something hot and sweet. Tea and honey?" Ronan spoke as he pulled the hood down, revealing his raven black hair and his soft southern features, which were considered quite handsome where he came from. He was obviously not from Avanthal. Sitting at the bar, Ronan picked up some chatter behind him from a group of people, working each other up about some cave. The woman standing right next to them seemed to have joined them afterwards and they were talking about going to explore it. The little party was interrupted when one of the guys turned his attention to a woman sitting alone at the next table. A little verbal jousting later, the woman seemed to shrink and ignored the man. Now, now. Ganging up on a lady wasn't very nice. Ronan shook his head as he motioned to the waiter to double his order. With both teacups in hand, Ronan slipped from his barstool and moved over to the table of the woman. He sat himself down on the chair next to hers and placed the second tea in front of her, next to her plate of food. "I hope you like honey." Ronan smiled at her before taking a small sip of his own tea. It sure sounded like he knew her. Not that he had ever seen the woman before in his life. Or not that he could remember, anyway. Cupping the cup of tea with both hands, Ronan warmed his hands. The remaining snow on his outfit slowly melted and started dripping down onto the ground, creating a small puddle around his chair. Placing the cup down, Ronan took of his cloak and hung it over an empty chair next to him, all the while watching the woman at the table and the people on the next table over, listening to them as they messed with one of their own, calling him a woman and a coward. At least the coward of the group would be able to greet his grandchildren someday. Probably. His interest in the whole endeavor was piqued because of the mentioning of an unexplored cave. Unexplored meant to Ronan that all the things that were worth anything would still be in there, ready for the taking. Depending on how he played his cards here, Ronan could gain quite a bit from this little piece of rumor. Dividing his attention between the woman at his table and the men at the other table, Ronan listened.

[Sliver]

Sliver was entirely unsure how a Whitevine could 'mess-up', but she was completely sure she did not like this man's attitude. Eyes hardened like gemstones as the verbal debate between the blind woman and the Frostfawn ensued. Sliver made sure to bite her tongue. After all it was none of her business, at least not entirely.

But when another Frostfawn insulted the newcomer, the tall and muscular one with the eyes nearly yellow now, she simply couldn't keep her growing ire within. "As one of the women potentially aiding you on your excursion, I would prefer it if you didn't imply that I was weak or cowardly."

That stopped the fellow up short. Sliver stood at attention, her back straight, a single arm placed at the base of her spin while the other clutched her mug of empty tea, eyes burning. "In a City of Holds, where everyone relies on one another, I see only fools who make enemies of Holds they are apart from, as well as insult the one's they share a name with." Her lips split apart slightly, revealing teeth a bit too sharp for a human mouth. "Let's hope it's not you I'm holding as you descend into the caves, aye? Easy to slip."

Shifts in eye color occurred in an instant, but Sliver was no longer paying attention. She turned to the bar and ordered another honey with tea, the bar maid smiling in amusement at her phrasing. She placed the 2 coppers on the bar and retrieved her new warm mug, addressing the only one who seemed to have any sense, the one she did not yet know as Garran. "If you indeed wish to depart, I will be at my table."

The words were not unkind, at least not to him, though she threw a heated glare at the rest of them before stalking off to a shadowed corner, peering curiously at the strange foreigner who now sat with the blind woman, his angular face and abundance of clothing catching her attention. She sat back down in her chair with a frustrated huff, knowing she had over reacted again, but she simply couldn't fathom this rivalry so many Vantha held with each other. Goddess, what was the point?

She took a sip of the scalding liquid, nearly cursing the way it burnt her tongue, and settled with blowing on the liquid to allow it to cool, silently seething.

Ledger- 4 CM, 2 cups of tea!

[Garran Frostfawn]

Well, the metaphorical fur was flying, it seemed, as the Icewatch guard took some umbrage with Garran’s friend’s mocking words, which seemed to embrace her as well as him due to her gender. And the young woman was well within her rights to be a bit pissed, for it was clear the hunters weren’t very taken with this idea of assistance from official, or even unofficial, quarters. More fools them, Garran thought, as he watched the banded guard return to her own table. It seemed as if all of Avanthal still reeled from the events of the Winter just past, and there was little love lost amongst the various Holds – and that was idiocy in and of itself, was it not? Didn’t they all need one another? Wasn’t survival here in the far North hard enough even when they worked together? What good would divisiveness serve, other than to make everything more difficult? These thoughts ran through the trainer’s mind as he watched the young woman, silently. His friend, though, snorted in amusement and nodded towards her retreating back. “Shyke – did you see those teeth?” he gave a mock shudder. “I’d rather not have to put up with that one’s bark - or her bite.” He laughed at his own wit. “Good riddance.” The Frostfawn hunter turned back to the others, who had begun the discussion again. Garran, though, kept his eyes on the guard for a moment longer, and then rose. Walking easily, he crossed to her table, taking his ale with him of course. He gave the guard an affable smile and said, “I’m not pulling on my parka and snow boots just yet, but …do you mind…?” He gave a pointed look at the chair across from her. She had already basically extended an invitation, but he thought that might be only in terms of heading out the door that very night to go spelunking. And he was far from certain that he wanted to go icecaving ever. But he was intrigued, nonetheless, due to the young woman’s vehement admonition about the acrimony that still seemed to linger amongst the Holds. He wondered which she belonged to herself – for the yellow band wasn’t any indicator of her own origins. “I thought you might be OK with some company, while you drink your honey and tea.” Like the barmaid, Garran smiled, amused by the guard’s obvious sweet tooth – at least when it came to her drinks.

[Levhanti]

OOCI seem to have missed all of the fun, but I would like Levhanti to be included in this. So, here is my attempt to show up late. Wish me luck.

Levhanti left work a little later than usual that day. Just as he had finished feeding the last of the horses, one of the more senior grooms passed him on his way out, asking him to rub down and feed one last horse. Levhanti didn't mind, he liked the little horse. Still young enough to have that innocence about him. Later, he would be an ass like every other male horse becomes. Levhanti did not rush, he had no real plans. The sun had moved even farther down by the time he left the stables.

It was a bit of a walk, and Levhanti was in high spirits. He said hello to everyone on his way, winking at a few of the girls, and all in all just trying to spread his cheer onto the general public. Admittedly, it was met with grumbling, but once or twice he saw someone walk a little lighter as he walked by, and that was all he needed.

Levhanti did not barge into the bar. That was a great way to get thrown out. But he wasn't too far off as he pushed through the doors, getting him a disapproving frown from the woman behind the bar. Levhanti smiled apologetically as he walked up to the bar. He noticed Jesslyn and made a move to wave at her, but realized that was silly. Besides, she was talking to another guy by the looks of it, so Levhanti instead just ordered himself something warm to drink.

As he took the drink, apologizing one last time for his rude entrance, Levhanti had a weird feeling. He shrugged at off at first, taking a sip of his ale, but the feeling just wouldn't go away. He took a look around, glancing quickly at the patrons...

And then his gaze landed on a woman at the far end of the room, glaring at him. It only took a moment for the calculations to work in his head, and they did not come out to his favor. He looked around quickly for help, and not far away stood the groom from earlier. In two quick strides, Levhanti was standing beside his table.

"I hate to interrupt, especially if this is a date or something, but I am far more afraid of whatever she might do to me if she catches me alone, so I am hoping you will let me join your conversation over here? Especially since I took care of that horse for you earlier."

Levhanti pleaded with his eyes. He didn't point at her, but it would probably be obvious should either of the couple try looking around.

[Jesslyn Skyglow]

Jesslyn felt better now. Definitely didn't feel better. She could still hear the man and didn't quite like his attitude. All she wanted to do right now was use her staff, which she didn't have, and hit him in the shins a couple times. But she kept her temper in check. Just as Jesslyn was starting to work herself up again a blur coming towards her peaked her curiosity. And then when a glass was set near her food, sat down, and then spoke with her she felt her anger slowly seep away. This stranger had come near her even though she had gotten in a verbal fight and then forcibly lost it. Not that people knew that. Jesslyn set her spoon down and slowly tapped the tabled and she worked her fingers along the table until she had a better picture of the glass. Picking it up Jesslyn slowly brought it up to her face. Giving it a small sniff Jesslyn slowly brought it to her mouth and took a sip. It was hot. Defiantly hot. Quickly setting it down Jesslyn blinked. "It's good. I'm Jesslyn." Jesslyn gave a small smile and turned back to her food. Picking her spoon back up Jesslyn finished her meal quickly before turning her body to the man. Slowly grabbing her tea as she did. Careful not to spill it she took a sip and then 'eyed' his blur curiously. Her eyes slowly fading back into their normal purple. Still small streaks of red shone but not as much, "What bring you here? Your voice definitely doesn't sound anything close to our accent." Jesslyn gave a test to her common. It rolled off her tongue but felt bland to her.

[Ronan Dugal]

It had been a good idea to come to the Red Diamond today. It was busy, which was to Ronan's liking as it blurred the difference between him and everybody else just a little. Ronan continued to listen to the hunters as he turned to the woman who's table he had hijacked. "Glad you like it. Dugal, Ronan Dugal. A pleasure." Ronan extended his hand, palm pointing up towards the ceiling of the room as he focused on her for a moment. Even when she was sitting down she seemed tall. Her hair was a dark brown color to him, the fire in the room, making it look more red. He smiled back at her. His attention moved back to the hunters as one of them stood up and removed himself to meet with the woman who had offered to join the hunters. She had moved as well, sitting herself down at a separate table, away from the hunters. Perhaps it would be better to get involved with them, rather than these boisterous and drunk hunters. Ronan shifted in his seat, leaning back against it as he sipped from his hot tea. It was indeed well flavored. What brought him here? Hmm... "Here in this estab... place? The warmth. Here at this table? The company of a beautiful woman." Ronan responded, utilizing his broken Vani speech, which didn't sound nearly as musical as that of the locals. Due to his lack of vocabulary he often had to swap words out for simpler ones. He smiled at the woman, not realizing that she was blind. Ronan was quiet for a moment, observing and looking around. It didn't seem like anything was happening further with the hunters, who seemed to have finished their cave talk. Too bad Ronan never got the location. Once more shifting his attention back to the woman at his table, he spoke again in his simple Vani. "I couldn't help but overhear your little... discussion earlier. It sounded like he didn't like you very much. What was it all about? " Ronan knew sort of what it was about but it never hurt to look more innocent then you really were. Besides, you need certain tactics when interrogating someone while not letting them know you're interrogating them. From the corner of his eyes, he saw another person joining the two at the far table, or attempting to join them at least. From where Ronan was sitting, he didn't seem very relaxed.