Completed Winding the Way

Karin feels restless and tries to get some fresh air, but realises that she's afraid of heights...

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role playing forums. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

Considered one of the most mysterious cities in Mizahar, Alvadas is called The City of Illusions. It is the home of Ionu and the notorious Inverted. This city sits on one of the main crossroads through The Region of Kalea.

Winding the Way

Postby Karin on August 17th, 2015, 1:50 pm

Image
5th day of Summer, 515 AV, the streets of Alvadas


"Mother. I'm going out. Bye." Karin pushed herself up from her bed mat with the obvious limp of someone who had been sitting down for a while, turning on her heel to pull open the door with a screech of warped wood and rusted hinges that was customary for Karin's front door. With the hint of her mother's guiltily relieved smile as she left imprinted into Karin's mind, she huffed an angry sigh, breathing in the constantly shifting scents of Alvadas. This city where Karin lived was always one for surprises, and although she usually enjoyed them, it always took a while to adjust whenever she stepped foot outside the door. Unfortunately for Karin, Alvadas was apparently sinking into a pit equalling her mood, and the streets wound down beneath her with a spiral that Karin would be able to appreciate if she wasn't so irate. She sighed, although being out of the oppressive atmosphere of her house had already alleviated her mood somewhat. I need to get higher, find some clear air, and... and think. And plan. She fumbled in her pocket, and to her relief she found her house key residing there, amongst a couple of mizas of different values and a length of rough twine. With this in mind, and with the twine wrapped around her fingers, she started to wander upwards, with the summer sun warming the top of her blonde head.
The streets had been like this since the start of summer, and although Karin's birthday fell on the first day of summer, usually resulting in a better mood than usual, Karin had been feeling full of pent-up ire for a while now. She'd had an unpleasant encounter with an unpleasant individual a couple of days ago, which had resulted in Karin's parents forbidding her from going outside. To her, this move was completely insane, not to mention paranoid in the extreme. However, today was a new day, and Karin realised that her parents were less worried than usual, so she'd escaped. Which was a relief really, for both her and her parents; the mood in the house had gone from bad to worse as Karin's anger simmered like the blistering, molten-red iron from her father's forge. The restless energy filling Karin's limbs propelled her to find a way upwards. It feels like the city's cursing me. Ugh. I don't need this right now Alvadas. She inwardly cursed the city which had held her since childhood. Thoughts and ideas clashed and swirled inside her head, and she turned to a path which looked like it might be heading in an upwardly direction. Brushing against people who threw irritated glances at the young, restless woman causing such streetly destruction, she followed the lane as it wound past tunnels and caves carved into rock-faces. Although Karin knew that the houses weren't usually in cave form, she hardly paid attention to this new illusion of Ionu. She was letting her mind unravel from its wound-up state. She needed to get her thoughts arranged.
Without realising it, the path was getting narrower and narrower. And narrower again... Karin's foot slipped on some scree and her heart rushed underneath her tongue in fright as the pebbles tumbled down the slope to another path far below. She quickly stumbled backwards, and rested her back again the solid, reassuring wall of warm rock. Well... that was stupid. She cursed herself for not looking where she was going, and slid down the rock face, so she was sitting on the floor, her knees up and her hair in her hands as she contemplated how petching rubbish her day had been so far. Lost on a seeming cliff face wasn't really the best place to think, at least not to think clearly, which is what Karin needed. Of course, the 'cliff face' wasn't nearly as bad as Karin thought it was. She was simply afraid of heights, something which she had apparently not realised before. I cannot believe this. What... how... UGHH!! She let out a low sob of frustrated emotion and clenched her fists shut. What a ridiculous situation.
She hadn't expected the day to go like this. Having realised that the city was curled up in this pit, she'd thought that she might go to the very top and find some fresh air. Obviously, life wasn't having any of it. So, now she was stuck. Her head, already full of angry and confused thoughts, now swirled with fear too. To be honest, she was not having a good summer. She gazed at her feet, refusing to look over the edge, skittering like a frightened horse at a trickle of pebbles that a passer-by accidentally kicked over the edge. What in petching Ionu's name am I going to do now? Frustration welled again inside her, and a few hot, angry tears spilled out from under her lashes. On all the gods and goddesses, please please make it go away.

Word Count :
826
Image

10/7/17- All my threads are marked [open] and as such are open to all. :)
User avatar
Karin
Ocean gazing
 
Posts: 568
Words: 384298
Joined roleplay: July 7th, 2015, 10:05 am
Location: Riverfall/Syka
Race: Human, Svefra
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 2
Artist (1) Overlored (1)

Winding the Way

Postby Karin on August 22nd, 2015, 6:50 pm


The young woman that sat on the path was ignored, on the most part, by the people who walked past. The summer sunshine shone gloriously all around, and it truly was a stunning day. However, to Karin, that was not the case. She was feeling utterly miserable. Life recently had this knack of spiralling out of control, and she was the one left behind, trying to grasp at the strings. She sighed. Refusing to look over the edge was one thing, but she knew she would have to move at one point. She gazed fearfully over the edge, curious... and instantly felt horribly queasy, in the pit of her stomach. Mmmm. Maybe not. She thought for a second, wondering what to do. In a stroke of brilliance, she realised if I close my eyes, I won't be able to see the edge, so it won't frighten me! She was grasping at straws really. Obviously, anyone in their right mind would realise that walking blind next to a precipitous drop is not a sensible decision, but Karin's fear addled mind immediately jumped to the closest conclusion. Hesitantly, with her eyes screwed shut, and her heart pounding uncomfortably in her chest, the girl stood up. She huddled her back against the cliff-face, her hands pressed to the reassuring warmth behind her. With the sunlight beaming onto her face, her eyelids were lit up with a red glow. Her kneecaps were locked together, and her posture was huddled and crooked. Karin was completely petrified. She'd never felt a fear like it, and although she knew it was completely irrational, she just couldn't talk herself out of it. A child's laughter in the street below caused her to flinch, every sound amplified by the lack of sight. She quietly edged her hand along the rock-face, shuffling her foot tentatively along the edge. Anyone walking past would see that the girl had a decent amount of foot space in front of her, and they might laugh at the sight of a young adult in such a state, if they were so inclined. But Karin would be impervious. All her thoughts and efforts were concentrated on her own survival in the face of this phobia. Chimes passed. She'd made a little progress- she was now one footfall away from her original starting position. In a slightly detached manner, Karin realised that her breathing was shallow and panicky. Every breath in her throat was making a funny, high-pitched hee-hawing noise, and she was close to tears. She punched her right hand with her left hand, and flinched again at how hard she'd punched. Gods, that was stupid. When will I learn to realise that here's no point being afraid? What have I got to look by opening my eyes? I'm not going to come to any harm. However, she was hesitant still. Who knew what would happen if she opened her eyes and... The girl bravely took a peek from under her eyelashes. The sunlight was warm on her cheeks, and she peered down at her feet. The distance from the edge of the path to her feet was promising, and she peeked a little more, her eyes opening wide, her eyelashes blinking. Aah! Karin was overjoyed. As long as she didn't look over the edge, she should be okay. She moved her feet along the edge, kicking small stones and debris with her shoes. In the distance, the path curled around the edge of an outcrop, and the path looked like it wasn't so tall there. Karin paused for a moment, and planned her path ahead. The planning and thinking distracted her further from the panic at the edge of her brain, and she stuck at it bravely. So, if I go... down there, and then turn at that slight right bend, and hopefully... it'll be safe. She was full of optimism, but it was a fleeting optimism as she kicked another rock over the edge, watchingas it fell over the edge, and... petching petching petching petch! There was the gap, and there was the fear and there was the tumbling and rushing to her death... She firmly closed her eyes again, trying desperately to push the images of her carcass tumbling down the cliff out of her mind. She edged along the edge cautiously, with her eyes decidedly shut. Hopefully she'd get home sometime.
Word Count :
729
Image

10/7/17- All my threads are marked [open] and as such are open to all. :)
User avatar
Karin
Ocean gazing
 
Posts: 568
Words: 384298
Joined roleplay: July 7th, 2015, 10:05 am
Location: Riverfall/Syka
Race: Human, Svefra
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 2
Artist (1) Overlored (1)

Winding the Way

Postby Karin on August 25th, 2015, 9:11 pm


It was some time later. The girl had just about gathered her courage, and felt relatively safe and sure in herself. Her heart was a-fluttering in her chest as she once more opened her eyes. The light of Syna washed over her in the clear Alvad air. It was, judging by the sun, mid afternoon now. Karin cursed quietly to herself, and breathed deeply. Right. Time to start. The girl tentatively edged her feet forwards, concentrating hard on not looking over the edge. The footpath curved reassuringly under her feet as she kept a steady hand on the wall beside her. Chanting a mantra to herself as she walked, Karin concentrated on not letting her fear in. Mostly she did this by thinking of other things. That pretty rock, or maybe going for a reassuring swim later. Before she'd even realised it, she was at the curve in the path. She smiled to herself victoriously, grinning a sharp smile as she ventured to look forwards again. The winding path was now broadening out into a stony avenue, the caves less threatening and the edge, well... the edge was hardly a threat at all. Karin's pace quickened, but she made sure not to be too hasty. Her walk down the hill was levelling out, blessedly, as Karin thanked Ionu under her breath. There was a small patch of scrubby, parched looking grass on her right, with a couple of trees. As the time wasn't too late, and as she was feeling a little more secure, the girl decided to sit down for a bit. It had been one shyke day today. Stretching out, the sunlight dancing on the tree leaves above her, Karin considered everything that had been happening. Her mind kept tugging her back to think about that day, ten days before her birthday. Everything that her mother had said to her. Some of the things she'd said, she just couldn't believe them. Her mother being sick of being a Svefra. Of living on the ocean waves. Karin idly traced her fingertips over her left shoulder, searching for her Laviku mark. To think she'd never known what that was too. She sighed, deeply. Her anger, which had been boiling and blistering inside her for days suddenly felt stale. There was all this knowledge about her past that she knew nothing about. Why her mother decided to take her here, she would never understand. Although the girl couldn't remember any of her time living on the sea, she was truly a creature of the water. Ever since she'd been able to, she'd pestered her mother to take her to the sea, or a lake, or even a pond. But most especially the sea- she felt most at home there. So, knowing that her mother had lived on the sea most of her life, and had still decided to live on the land baffled her. Karin knew, deep down, that she didn't belong here, wearing restrictive clothes, living under a roof, having stone and earth surrounding her instead of planking and sea spray.
A sudden thought crossed her mind, and Karin shuffled backwards a little to rest her back against a tree trunk. She reached and slid the sleeve of her top up her arm. The material was long and clung a little to her arm stubbornly, but with a few yanks and tugs, it was rolled up all the way. She gazed at her shoulder, her blonde hair luminous, her blue eyes bright and wondering. Her mark, blue and turquoise with little flecks of white, stood as a testament to her Svefran heritage. She felt a swelling of pride in her breast, and blushing, she rolled her sleeve down again. My father, she thought suddenly. My real father. He... must be out there somewhere, surely? The girl's eyes widened in surprise as she considered this new fact. An ache for exploration filled her, her emotions getting the better of her as her thoughts whirled in a dervish dance. Father... the Suvan... Svefrans... my pod, my family... the freedom... Karin sat there, under the trees, the sunlight playing on her outstretched legs, her eyes wide. A glorious plan had come to her. Right now, she lived with her parents. But recent events had clearly painted a picture to her, a picture that spelt out that she no longer wanted to live there. So, logically, she should move out. But why move to another house in Alvadas when a boat on the Suvan could do just as well? There's nothing keeping me here. No reasons, I can find the pod that Ma told me about, I can find other people like me! I can go to the sea. The girl felt epiphanic.
The rest of the day passed in a blur as she plotted and planned what she would do, day-dreaming about all the people she'd meet and all the things she would discover. The reality of funding and other such adult things had yet to hit her, these things would come. But for now, she was content and happy, truly happy for the first time in a long time. There was a certain satisfaction to be had from indulging in fantasies and wishes and plans. And the girl really did have a plan, which she was intent on following through with. This girl, seventeen years of age only recently, with long, blonde hair and a limited view on the world, knew what she wanted so clearly that she could picture where she'd be in the future as if she was already there.

Afternoon faded to early evening, and the first rays of Leth's light crept gently across the ground. Karin shivered as the summer air chilled, and realised that she'd have to go home at some point, sighing as she swept her hair back from her face. Everything had clicked into place. Of course, there would be difficulties along the way, and the way would truly be winding and treacherous, but she would get there eventually. And that was the biggest relief the girl had right now. One which she kept close to her heart as she wearily trudged home, to wake up to another, new, brighter day.

Word Count :
1036

Image

10/7/17- All my threads are marked [open] and as such are open to all. :)
User avatar
Karin
Ocean gazing
 
Posts: 568
Words: 384298
Joined roleplay: July 7th, 2015, 10:05 am
Location: Riverfall/Syka
Race: Human, Svefra
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 2
Artist (1) Overlored (1)

Winding the Way

Postby Fable on August 30th, 2015, 10:14 pm

Image


Grade Awarded!


Skills

    ➢ Land Navigation +2
    ➢ Intimidation +1
    ➢ Acrobatics +1
    ➢ Observation +3
    ➢ Tactics +3
    ➢ Wilderness Survival +1
    ➢ Climbing +1
    ➢ Philosophy +1
    ➢ Planning +2
    ➢ Meditation +1

Lores
    ➢ Meditation: Distraction One's Thoughts
    ➢ Climbing: Don't Look Down

Comments
    Nice thread over all! I'm interested to see where Karin is going to go these coming seasons. ;)

    Just a couple things though: If you could separate your paragraphs by keeping an entire line of empty text between them, that would help me read things immensely! Also, when you're using codes, try to keep everything in order. For example: (style)(color)(b)(/b)(/color)(/style). If you do them out of order, it can mess up the board. :)
User avatar
Fable
A yarn is spun from many strings.
 
Posts: 327
Words: 267393
Joined roleplay: January 12th, 2015, 6:17 pm
Location: DS of Alvadas
Race: Staff account
Office
Medals: 1
Featured Contributor (1)


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests