Open [The Sanctuary] A New Bloom

[Kavala]

Kavala looked a little haunted at the Drykas girls words. It wasn't as if they were entirely untrue, but it was uncanny to know the rest of the people on the Sea of Grass knew something of your own and spoke of them in close whispers. "Things die here too. We can't hold Dira at bay. The reason animals walk away unscathed here is because our healers are very well trained and battle hardened one and all. If you stay here and join us, even as a simple herbalist. you will see bloodshed. Its not because we openly seek it out, but because the world is dangerous. I don't allow my healers to go untrained in the arts of war, so you'll have to pick up weapons skills along the way, maybe even unarmed combat. You need to be able to protect yourself as you move around the world healing and crafting medications. Even going out to gather herbs and supplies for your craft, you'll need to know how to survive. Its a rough life." Kavala said, glancing at Caelum, knowing the other healer was as scarred both on the inside and outside as she was.

"And don't let looks deceive you either. We might be non-traditional in that we don't move, but the Denusk Pavilion is as traditional as can be in most ways. Vanator is Ankal here. You will have to meet him and be accepted by him to stay as well. He's also our Armsmaster, so he can help you choose a weapon and learn to use it. I want your riding top rate as well, so there will be lessons in that. And everyone helps with horses, cows, chickens and anything else we have here. It's just a matter of getting to know the livestock. The more you know about them the easier it is to work on their health." She said, looking thoughtful and studying the girl.

"If you stay with us, you'll live with us. Your salary includes room and board, though the accommodations are flexible can be decorated in your tastes. You will be expected to do your normal duties as either a herbalist or healer or both, but then you will have chores as well. We're doing are best to put up a greenhosue orangery here this winter, so as someone accustomed to plants, I'd like to see you start thinking about planning what to plant in it and what you want to maintain year round. I suspect your duties will include chores within its confines as its built, if the work suits you." Kavala said, her words softened by a smile. Then, and only then, she paused and let Faryon reply to all that she'd said so far. They hadn't discussed salary, but Kavala wasn't worried about it. She truthfully paid a bit more than anyone in town because she wanted her people loyal and happy. Faryon looked as if she'd be both, and perhaps more.

Kavala glanced at Caelum, wondering what the Eth thought of the girl and her potential. So far, the Konti really liked the girls attitude and what she had going on with herself. She was confident, but not overly so, and knew what she wanted. That knowing translated into a bravery that was hard to deny because she'd marched into The Sanctuary and asked for a job. That took guts as well.

"One more thing as well. Most of us here are mages of one kind or another. I myself am a geomancer and I've inducted most of my family into reimancy. I want everyone inducted if they are suited towards it." Kavala glanced at Caelum once more, her words a special message to him. "How do you feel about that? If reimancy doesn't suit, there's always auristics and webbing and all the other stuff us Drykas are so fantastic about. The choice is yours. But I want our people here to be well rounded, know their craft, and to be dangerous in a fight. The more power we hold, the more effective healers we can be. We are, after all, The Denusk Pavilion of the Sapphire Clan. Each and every one of us are mages, to a man woman and child." The Konti said, meeting Faryon's gaze again and awaiting her response.

[Caelum]

While Kavala replied to Faryon, Caelum ambled over to the horse. After dunking his hands up to the elbow in the water bucket marked with Rak'keli's purifying gnosis powers, he sank to a crouch near the horse's head. One hand settled gently on his neck and he watched the rise and fall of his ribs for some time, all the while listening to Faryon and Kavala. He felt more than saw Kavala's glance at the mention of it being a rough life, and he looked over at them with eyes that suddenly did not seem so bright. Behind all of their shine, there was a wealth of shadow and sorrow. His smile quirked, a little wry, and he inclined his head. "Kavala speaks true, Faryon," he said. "I was one of those who made the mistake of failing to properly train in combat, and I've paid for it dearly. I began my studies some years ago, but I'm still not strong in them. Do you know that the quickest, deadliest man I have ever seen was a priest of Rak'keli? Thrice marked, narrow, and not anywhere near the impressive muscle and stature of an Akalak. But he could move quicker than the wind. He refused to raise a weapon. He had a lot of strange thoughts. But he would raise his fist, and it would be the last thing you saw. We had a few adventures together, he and I, and he's the one who began my training in unarmed combat." His smile now grew to a smirk. "He was annoying as hell as a teacher, but he was good." Caelum ducked his head to carefully check the horses gums and eyes, knowing that there would be signs there telling him how the horse favored. He didn't at all doubt Kavala. He was simply being a good physician. He heard Kavala's unspoken message to him, and looked up again after a time, smoothing one hand over the place where Kavala's incision had been and Rak'keli had granted the grace to sew it back up. He was checking for flaws, because, again, that was what a good doctor did. "Projection," he supplied quietly to Kavala, an eyebrow rocking quietly up. That was probably unexpected. They had spoken about Static, but he did not know its use nor did he have any intention of learning it. He wanted to know of it, and keep it as secret as possible. He had reason for his fears. "And if you want me to learn reimancy, I will learn. It seems to be a theme among the Sunsingers." If he dreaded it learning magic, he did not chose to say so in front of Faryon who was a stranger to him still. But he meant what he said, if Kavala wanted him to learn, then learn he would. It was a rough life, and he was starting to gather again people within it he was willing to defend to the death.

[Faryon Whiteflower]

Faryon sat in silence as she listened and pondered over what Kavala began to tell her. It was a lot to take in but she could not expect anything less. Of course they would have rules here and perhaps slightly different ways of doing things. Her brow furrowed at the mention of death and Dira. She knew everything had its time but didn't mean the teen wished to see it. Death was part of life but it was hard on her. The Drykas hope the bloodshed that the Konti woman spoke up would not grace anyone here anytime soon. Faryon was also unsure how she felt about picking up a weapon art. She understood the necessity of it, these were hard and dangerous times. The young girl would have to think about which weapon though, maybe the quarterstaff. Caelum's voice easily carried over from where the horse laid. Faryon tried not to let the shock register on her face at the mention of Caelum's teacher. A priest of Rak'keli punching people? She just couldn't vision a holy man doing such things. The teen could perhaps see it in self defense. She held to the strong belief of healing and helping not waging violence. She was going have to change her views here it seems and was unsure how she felt about that exactly. Faryon was unsure why she was relieved to hear that the Denusk clan still held the traditions of the horse people even if they weren't nomadic. The whispers gossip amongst the women, who had nothing better to do with themselves, always spoke of silly things. The teen never believed of their creditability but it might have one pondering about them, none the less. The thought of meeting Vanator had the girl's stomach in knots, it would be rude not to announce her presence to the Ankal of the pavilion. The teen didn't voice her thoughts any further but listened to what her duties would entail and what was expected of her. She haven't realized that there would be more than horses at the Sanctuary. It was sounding like one giant farm and the thought excited her. Even though she had come here for a job she oddly have never thought about salary in all of it. Faryon had only rushly packed and made the long trek here. She didn't care what she got paid as long as she could do her part to help. The excitement carried over at the mention of a greenhouse and to start thinking what she would like to put in there. The girl could barely continue to listen as her mind whirred with ideas but it wouldn't matter the Konti had paused to let Faryon speak up. "I'm unsure of what weapon to pick up and I don't think I could throw a punch but I will find something to train in so I wont be completely useless in a time where such arts and skills are required. I'm excited about seeing and learning about all the animal here, I thought there was only horses on the grounds. But I think I'm more excited about the greenhouse" Faryon chuckled. Nothing like the smell of plants and dirt. Faryon had thought the conversation was coming to an end but Kavala piped up again. The subject though was not one she had expected, magic but shouldn't have been such a shock. They are of the Sapphire clan where most of the magic users of Drykas hailed from. "To be honest, I have never entertained the thought of magic outside of my gnosis. Thinking about it now though.. hm.. shielding and air reimancy peaks my interest.. but with you being a geomancer can you teach me another element?"

[Kavala]

Kavala watched Caelum look over the horse and some sort of peace settled in her gut. He’d watch over the animals here at The Sanctuary just fine, better than fine in fact, because he treated the horse like a Drykas would – with dignity and honor and all the concern of a parent. Kavala’s blue eyes flickered to Faryon and listened to the girl put herself down verbally, undermining her strength and ability. It was an attitude that smacked of defeat or misunderstanding for the girl growing up.

Kavala smiled. That could be corrected.

“My son’s father is six foot eleven and just shy of three hundred pounds. I am five foot six and just over a hundred pounds not packing this child. I look like a child next to him but I can throw him on his ass if he lets his guard down or tries to manhandle me in any way. I can do that because my body is trained, Faryon. It has nothing to do with size or strength. It has everything to do with how you use the body you’ve been given. I can kill with a punch, anyone can, and not because my fist is the size of someone’s head. I can kill with a punch because my fist knows how to utilize force and how to land a dangerous blow to a vulnerable area.” The Konti said, nodding at Faryon’s body.

“You can say the same thing with enough training and practice. We can’t make you as big and strong as an Akalak, but we can make you deadly affective, and that’s what we will require.” Kavala said, shifting and stretching out her long legs, letting her stomach rest where the baby was snugged up against her ribs. She stroked the roundness of her form and smiled slightly. “Someday you will have children of your own or at least people you will care about. And you will not stand quietly by and let this world hurt them if you have the means to protect them, Faryon. Caelum won’t either. No one here will. We all are healers and mages, but that doesn’t make us weak or victims.” The Konti said, looking thoughtful and serious all at once.

“You’ll need a melee weapon, a far ranging weapon, and unarmed.” Kavala made it sound like this was final and without question, though the ultimate decision was Vanators and his alone. He was the Ankal and in charge of everyone’s safety. But at least Faryon was prepared. She was ready to go see Vanator without being too shocked at what he might say.

“As for the magic… I can induct you but you can’t determine what your strength is going to be and what elements you gravitate towards. We have books on shielding, but as far as reimancy is concerned, you have no control. You get what you get. I’m a geomancer, but I know air and water. Vanator knows fire. We could all help. But I promise there will be one element you will be really really good at and that won’t ever change… if you can learn it at all.” Kavala said, knowing it was not set in stone.

“I don’t mean to make you shy away with all this talk of learning combat and magic. We are medicine heavy hear and day in and day out that’s what you will be doing. We are also fairly self sufficient. Other than some grains – rice and wheat – and some fruit and wines, we grow most of our own food and make sure all our needs are met in case there’s other trouble that comes … trouble like the Valterrian.” Kavala said, pausing in her speech to stroke her stomach again and assess what Faryon was now thinking of all of this.

[Faryon Whiteflower]

Faryon tried to imagine Kavala beating up someone twice her size and just quite couldn't. Perhaps because all the Drykas could see in her minds eye was as the Konti woman was now, round and quite pregnant. However Kavala definitely didnt seem like the type to be anyone's welcome mat. If this woman could take on a brutish looking man or anything for that matter so could she. Kavala was right though, she would try to protect those she cared about furiously. She didn't like feeling weak or helpless and being well rounded would definitely help if the time ever arose. Faryon remembered how useless she felt as she watched her mother die before her. The child then had sworn to herself, she would never be in such predicament ever again if she could so help it. With new conviction, Faryon was determined to learn some form of weapon skill. Then Kavala told her the girl had to learn melee and ranged weapons as well as some form of unarmed combat. So much to pick up and sounded daunting at first but the Drykas figured she didn't have to become a master over night so it was doable. Faryon wondered what Vanator would choose for her. She looked back behind her at Caelum, glancing at his tenderness to the horse. She already knew how he felt about the weapons but wondered what he chose to learn outside of a staff. The conversation somehow drifted back to magic and Faryon probably should have been paying more attention but she was lost in thought. It wasn't until Kavala mentioned what her strength if at all would be completely random. "I'm okay with that a bit of mystery never hurts." Faryon smiled but in reality it was alot to take in. "What happens if I don't show an affinity for Reimancy? Would you be ok with me learning shielding and another craft of magic?"

[Caelum]

Caelum's eyes rested on the horse's sides, counting silently to himself the length of time between breaths. He shifted on his knees and for the first time ceased to listen to Kavala and Faryon's conversation. Instead he spread his hands against warm hair and then stepped right over the horse's torso to take a knee on the side his spine faced. It was a far safer position for someone to kneel next to a horse who could soon be coming confused out of a drugged sleep. Caelum did not want to get clipped by a flailing hoof and force Kavala to fix him too. Once he was settled safely, he bent low to rest his ear against the curve of the horse's ribs, eyes grazing shut as he focused on the deep, steady drum of a heartbeat and then stretched his senses beyond that to pay attention to sound of air coming in and going out again. All seemed to be well and, after a chime, he smiled slow as daybreak and straightened back up. He shoved shards of hair out of his face and blinked over at the women, catching only the last bit of their exchange. "Have you been exposed to many different types of magic, Faryon?" Curiosity was plain in his eyes, in the somewhat distracted crook of his smile. The shadow behind his eyes lingered, but there was little to be done for it at the moment. Caelum, personally, did not like magic. He was, however, both intelligent enough and experienced enough to recognize that his disinclination toward it was based in irrational emotional reactions to previous bad experience with it. Of course, he was not all wrong. Magic wasn't good. It just wasn't bad either. It depended not only on the type of magic, but on the magic wielder themself. "He's going to wake soon," he added absently. "Faryon, think you can lend me a hand?"

[Kavala]

Kavala watched Caelum work with the seme stallion, glad the man was here and able to deal with the big horse coming out of his sedation. Kavala was still coming to terms with what she could do and what she couldn't do. Though it was ironic to her that saving the big horses' life was well within her capabilities, but helping it come out of its induced sleep was not.

The Konti turned and looked at the Drykas teen, smiling at her gently. "You are wise to plan for contingencies and alternatives for nothing is set in stone. I will be more than okay with you learning anything you'd like that will help in your defense. That is the whole point in this conversation. Now lend Caelum a hand. I have no issues hiring you, especially if you can work with this gentle giant like he deserves to be worked with. Then after we get him awake and comfortable, maybe chewing a bit of food and taking a drink of water, I'll assign you some quarters and give you a tour. " The Konti said, keeping her answer short and sweet, letting the healer work on the horse while she rested a few moments. She hated to face it, but Kavala needed the rest more than she cared to admit.

[Faryon Whiteflower]

It was somehow enduring to watch Caelum fond over the stallion and make sure he was okay. She continued to watch him as he stepped over the horse and kneeled down to listen to what she assumed his breathing and heart beat. When he was done, he sat up and a smile was across his face. Faryon wondered what the Eth had heard that made him smile. His question was sudden and she hoped he didnt notice her staring so. "To be honest not much, a few Reimancers but mostly webbing especially from my father. Other than that the Whiteflower might see the occasional person due to serious over giving. My mother used to talk about shielding so that's the only reason why I know about it." Faryon decided at a later date she would get around to seeing what other forms of magic there are and read up on them. With Caelum's request and Kavala's gently urging, the Drykas got up and went over to the unconscious horse. "What do you need me to do?"

[Caelum]

"Let's not forget the divine magics." Caelum was curious to murmur, half to himself and half to the women. Interested eyes wandered over to the teenage healer, an eyebrow winging up. World magic and personal magic may not have been his forte, but the ethaefal knew more than one small thing or two about the gods. Moreover, he had far more than one small opinion or two about the pantheon as a whole. Of course he had noticed Faryon's mark from their shared goddess, Rak'keli, but something, perhaps the soft murmur of Nikali deep within, warned him that now was not the hour to pry after Faryon's meeting with the goddess of the healing. Though Rak'keli was a gentle goddess, the nature of her divine department provided what was often a harsh and sometimes tragic experience for her marked to come to her. When Kavala opted to rest for a few minutes more, he flashed her a wide smile. It was approving, and it also told her that he knew he was presently out of the reach of her smacking hand for his teasing. He tipped a wink at his friend and then beckoned Faryon over with a long fingered hand. "Our goal here, Faryon, is to keep the horse calm while he comes out of his sleep," he explained, his voice mellow and easy, pitched purposefully to direct and calm. He was not trying to soothe the horse, but also to guide Faryon. Severity was a harsh teacher, but competent leadership and instruction could be found equally in gentler settings. "We don't want him to buck or struggle, but rather to follow his natural instinct in a calm manner so that not only will he not hurt himself in his weakened condition but also won't hurt us." Golden eyes lifted again to Faryon, weighing her preparedness, and when he perceived her competence, he tilted his head in a gesture for her to join him where he crouch on the floor by the horse's head. The horse's hide rippled in a reflexive twitch, breath snorting softly out. Caelum wrinkled his nose reflexively and slid a flat hand up the horse's muscled neck, murmuring a few wordless things in the deeper, half lost language of his memory. "Alright," he said and lifted the end of the rope, offering it to Faryon. The other end was attached to the cloth bridle. "Keep this loose. I'm keeping his head still for now, but I want you to be ready to guide him. Up." He canted his chin in punctuation. "We want him on his feet quickly, but he's likely to flail a little at first. He won't know which was is up and which way is down like anyone coming out of an unusual stupor, eh? Keep in front of his nose. Don't go anywhere near his hoof end." He gave her a wry smile, knowing he was likely advising a Drykas far too much. Faryon probably already knew all of these things, but Caelum did not care to take chances either with her or his patient wherein the potential for damage was present. Right about then, the horse huffed a harder breath, snorting with clear equine confusion. Caelum slipped around to the horse's back shoulder side quickly, keeping one hand on the broad muscle there.

[Edreina]

Kavala

 

Skill Points

Skill	Points
Teaching	+4XP

 

Lores Gained

• Fayron Whiteflower: Help from Above
• Rumor of the Magical Denusk Pavilion
• Fayron: Possible Future in the Sanctuary
• Fayron: Unexposed to Magic

 

Notes

Wow. o.o Your descriptions of what was wrong and how you went about healing it were amazing (Though I'm sure I should expect nothing less from Maxed out skills)! I actually learned a few things, which is always a nice perk to grading.

If you feel that anything was neglected, please feel free to shoot be a PM concerning the matter and I'll review the thread!

Caelum

 

Skill Points

Skill	Points
Investigation	+1XP
Socialization	+1XP

 

Lores Gained

• Fayron: The Little Assistant
• Fayron: Unexposed to Magic
• Rumor of the Magical Denusk Pavilion

 

Notes

Great job! I really love the way that you liken aspects of Caelum to the sun at all times in your descriptions. It really helps to deepen the reader's understanding of your character in a way that normal descriptions would not. It's a true pleasure to read.

If you feel that anything was neglected, please feel free to shoot be a PM concerning the matter and I'll review the thread!

Fayron - Should you return and like your part graded, please update your CS then shoot me a PM and I'll be sure to do so.

~Please be sure to edit your grade request!~