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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Jan 1, 2024 13:20:36 GMT -5
As much as Sylvari wanted to just summon a servant to deal with the headless corpse, she couldn't. For one thing, Rena needed to understand the duality of their existence: their curses weren't a thing to be afraid of, yet they had real consequences for others and extreme self-control was required to exercise their powers properly. Furthermore, the children in the taproom still stared at the pair, eyes wide as dinner plates. It wouldn't do to subject them to necromancy on top of the other horrors they had witnessed.
The justiciar sighed, moving to the barkeep with an apology and funds to cover the damage caused. She also ordered a few sweet treats for the children. After delivering them and offering what solace she could, Sylvari exited the small inn and began saddling the horses.
Upon seeing Rena, returned Sylvari offered a small smile. "I think it's time we were on our way. We can talk more as we ride, but right now, distance is the best medicine. The quicker we can get you somewhere safe, the better you'll be. Here, this one is yours."
The vampiress led a bay mare by the bridle and presented it to her friend, then promptly swung up onto her might frosty steed.
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 1, 2024 15:58:04 GMT -5
Rena nods, frowning at the corpse left in the mud for a long moment before taking a running leap up onto the bay mare, "...good bit bigger'n I'm used to...but I'll make due..."
The crow glances back at the tavern, silver eyes pensive as she hums thoughtfully, "...p'raps I could've 'andled that better...not let me beast out 'n all..." she sighs, eyes flicking forward and up toward the skies, talons twitching as she hums a soft, lilting melody...it sounds almost like a lullaby...
...the song continues, and before the pair know it they're a ways out, horses still plodding along as Rena hums and trills and chirps, sometimes glancing to her egg-satchel with warm silver eyes, sometimes gazing out upon the road with a pensive expression, sometimes glancing to the woods with suspicion...
...and then they encounter the roadblock. More bandits, from the look of things, armed rather pitifully, but still more than enough to intimidate most with sheer numbers. Rena's gaze sharpens, her eyes twisting to bone white as she tenses subtly, those pale eyes flicking across the blockade and tallying the numbers she sees as she hums, then glances over to Sylvari, "...words or blood, are ye thinkin'?"
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Jan 2, 2024 11:01:30 GMT -5
As Rena mused about the situation in the tavern, Sylvari reached out and placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "Rena, dear, take it from someone with experience: doubts and regrets only saddle you to an impossible standard and make you miserable. What happened is done, and no amount of agonizing can change it. Learn from the experience, and use it to shape future interactions. The best we can do for those we've failed is to become better for the next interaction."
Despite the somber mood, the ride was a lovely time. It was a gorgeous morning, with a light breeze that provided refreshment without frigidness. At least, Sylvari estimated this, given her undead flesh was rather resilient to changes in temperature. It was lovely, that is, until they rode into the roadblock set up by bandits.
To Sylvari's trained eye, this was the operation of a matter of weeks rather than from a more experienced band of highwaymen. She counted 15, most of them amongst the boughs of the nearby trees or hiding among the brush, a number that was threatening to a small caravan, despite their likely novice criminal skills.
Sylvari leaned over to Rena and began in a low tone, "You take the lead here. Consider an opportunity to use the lessons you have garnered to this point. I will back you up in your decision."
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 2, 2024 11:25:23 GMT -5
Rena tilts her head, eyes flashing white as she hums, "...I think...they'll jus' cause more trouble if'n we pass peacefully...but they could 'ave family they're tryin' t' feed...but then, they might try and take mine, and that overrides most else..." she sighs, cracking her neck and staring dispassionately at the bandits as they move to surround the pair, "...but really, it depends on how reasonable they are...let's try the peaceful route, then spare anyone who runs or surrenders if it comes to blood..."
The nearest bandit, who'd been close enough to hear, sneers, "...whot you gonna do, birdie? ain't no weapons on ye, and I only see one 'ammer on the pale bi-" he's cut off by a bayonet through the throat, Rena gazing grimly at the corpse as it falls, then sweeping those bone-white eyes across the others.
"...well? one o' ye chose blood. do the rest o' ye care t' follow 'im?" two more bayonets slide from her sleeves to settle in her palms as she slips down from her horse to settle into an offensive stance, bayonets held wide as she stares grimly out at the bandits, frost crackling along the blades, sharpening and reinforcing and slightly lengthening them as she channels the ice of her curse.
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Jan 2, 2024 12:36:12 GMT -5
"Gods. Can't any of you lot come up with something more creative than 'Birdie'? It's really not that cutting of a dig." At the moment of her speaking and dismounting from Mercy, two of the bandits rushed Sylvari, only a rusty sword and makeshift spear between them.
Quick as lightning, Sylvai dropped to the ground, sweeping the legs out from under the spear-wielding bandit, then rising and conjuring her cursed claws [Eldritch Claws]. The sword-wielding bandit was too committed to his charge to stop, so the justiciar merely sidestepped his painfully telegraphed blow and held her sharpened fingers out at eye level with the man. His forward momentum caused the vampiress' outstretched claws to dig harshly into his eyes, causing them to bleed profusely and eliciting a scream from the man. A harsh boot came down on the first bandit, crushing a few of his ribs, and knocking the wind out of him.
With a terrifying calm, the justiciar leaned down and spoke in low tones to her attackers. "Fools rush into the unknown." She shifted her gaze to the man still screaming, clutching his eyes. "If your eyes cause you to commit evil, it's better that they be plucked out. Rejoice that I have taken only your sight and not your life."
Sylvari leveled a glare at the presumed leader, standing shocked before them. "So what will it be? Will you clear the way like good lads, or do my friend and I here need to remove the problem from the root?"
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 2, 2024 16:59:34 GMT -5
The bandits falter, eyes wide with fear and terror as they stumble to a disjointed halt. the leader gulps, staring at his newly blinded comrade, then at the corpse with a bayonet sticking out of it's neck. he shudders, dropping his weapons and raising his hands before beginning to back away.
Rena smiles softly, sheathing her drawn blades before moving to retrieve and clean the blade she'd left in the bandit's throat before slipping it up her sleeve with the others. One that's done, she begins to softly hum to herself as she leaps back onto her mount.
The crow waits for the vampiress to get astride her own mount before gently kicking the bay mare's sides to get her going once more, the bandits having already cleared the roadblock away.
"...well. that could've gone worse..." Rena murmurs, trilling softly as she sighs and relaxes a little, "...not as much blood as my curse wanted, but it's satisfied for the time being, so it shouldn't get in the way anytime soon," silver eyes track along the road, tracing every little detail that she can make out as she hums and gently sways in the saddle, that lilting lullaby hanging in the air once more as she sings.
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Jan 2, 2024 20:16:21 GMT -5
Sylvari graced Rena with a proud smile as they rode. "Well spotted, dear. Unfortunately, there are those that only respond to force, but by controlling our urges and engaging in precise violence, the greater whole was spared. You grasp well what initiates of my order are taught over years. My own personal sentiments are to give chances for redemption, but unadulterated justice is found in meting out punishment for evil. You must find a balance within yourself that can keep you whole and at ease. Doubt and regret are the enemies of a mastered mind, so it benefits you to think about your responses in advance. You aren't always given the luxury of contemplation in the moment."
The justiciar spurred her horse on. With Rena's good skills in the saddle the pair were able to make good time, reaching the coastline by the darkness of night. Sylvari took the opportunity the water presented to doff her armor and take a quick dip to bathe her traveled form. She no longer had to worry about sweat, but the wind and dust of the road still marred her hair if uncared for, and it was the one point of pride the woman still took in her appearance.
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 2, 2024 21:46:51 GMT -5
Rena smiles softly, trilling with a little pride as she settles into her saddle, wincing a little as her crippled wings flex and flare. The crow sighs, letting out a quiet chirp and glancing at her friend, "...'s not easy, holding back. the beast doesn't want precision, it wants to inflict pain and suffering. it doesn't care about collateral damage-" she pauses, frowning, "...no, that's wrong. it wants collateral damage. 's like...it's like these things feed off the pain they inflict almost more than anything else..."
The crow winces again when the mare's gait jostles her wings, shuddering a little as she bites back a curse, "...need to get these things fixed..." Rena sighs, letting out a resigned trill as she re-settles.
"...thank you, though...I'm glad I was able to control myself that well...I was afraid I'd lose it again like I did at the tavern...as it stands, I'm glad my beast seems to tire itself out with each transformation, elsewise there'd be nothing to keep it from going on a rampage until I got put down..."
She shudders again, holding her clutch-satchel close to her chest as though trying to ward the image away, "...even more glad I can influence the beast while it's out...can't imagine what I'd do if'n I woke up from one o' those hunts standin' o'er my eggs, broken an' emptied..."
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Jan 3, 2024 10:58:33 GMT -5
As Sylvari returned from her bathing, still gently wringing the water form her silver hair, she noted Rena's injured wing with a frown. "Rena..." the vampiress began, almost reproachfully, "Why didn't you tell me you were hurting? Did you not see the healing light of my patron to tend to your little ones? Please let me ease your pain as well. You needn't suffer from such an uncomfortable injury while I have the power to remedy it."
With her hair still slightly damp, the justiciar came to sit beside her friend, flexing her fingers and preparing her incantation of the holy magics that would channel the power of her patron. A gentle golden glow covered her pale hands as they were placed with utmost gentleness on Rena's wing. The holy positive energy quickly flared much brighter, illuminating the entire little hollow that the pair found themselves in, as waves of healing reverberated through the injured appendage [Celestial, Holy Gifts (Massive Healing)].
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 3, 2024 11:55:11 GMT -5
Rena flinches at the touch on her crippled wings, biting back yet another curse as the mangled appendages flex under the vampiress' hands...she shudders, letting out a low, pained whine as the crooked bones break apart and shift and mend, finally leaving her wings as whole as the day she was born...
she gasps when the healing light fades, her wings flaring wide and flapping a little as she lets out a wet laugh, "...'m sorry, my friend, I...I wasnae thinkin'. just...so used to the pain, 'twas easy to forget for a while...just sort of accepted it, after a little while..."
she sighs, stretching her wings out and letting out a pleased trill as she shakes herself, savoring the feeling of being properly whole for the first time since being cast from her birth clan, "...I...thank you for that...even the Blackfeather clan's healers werenae able t' fix me wings...that or they didnae want t' fix the mark o' an outcast..."
The crow shifts a little, wings flapping a couple more times, "...gonna need t' start gettin' back into shape..." she murmurs, trilling softly and smiling as she shifts to gently hold her egg-satchel close, "...mama's gon' be able t' fly with you lot, little ones..."
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Jan 3, 2024 12:18:22 GMT -5
Sylvari smiled fondly as Rena cooed over her little ones. It filled her heart with happiness to be able to enact such positivity and hope in the world. Too often, her mission for justice was an esoteric, soul-grinding fight, a foray into darkness that never allowed her to see the light she was fighting for. Thus, the justiciar cherished little moments like this: proof positive her continued existence was a worthy one. Thank you, Lady Ellyria, for granting me the power to help those in need.
The vampiress did not get a response from her celestial patron, who still maintained a degree of silent watchmanship over her champion, but Sylvari was suffused with a flood of warmth and approval. She was glad to have honored her patron.
"You are most welcome. For those who are granted healing hands, among the greatest evils they can commit are to shy away from sharing their gifts with people in need. By the light of my patron you have been healed, and it is my prayer and sincere hope that you will bring joy to others as well, with your newfound wholeness." Unable to restrian herself from the well of emotion within her heart, Sylvari drew her friend into a tender hug that lasted for a few seconds before pulling away, a fond smile still gracing her lips.
"Well, our journey today has been long and eventful. I daresay it's time for you to rest. We've quite a way to go yet."
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 3, 2024 13:39:46 GMT -5
Rena trills softly, wings fluttering a little as she hugs the vampiress back, chirping happily as the hug breaks, "...sounds like a plan..." the crow murmurs, smiling softly and glancing around for a good place to rest for the night.
There's a...slightly less burnt grove nearby that looks relatively cozy, and the crow zeroes in on it immediately, darting over and beginning to inspect the area for grasses and sticks suitable for nest-building. Soon, she has a little cushioned nest-thing for her to settle down in, and she sort of curls up around her clutch, trilling softly as her body heat bleeds into the eggs.
She sighs softly, trilling and yawning a little as she settles in, curling a little tighter around her clutch as silver eyes drift shut and she slowly begins to fall into slumber. The grove is...quiet. peaceful, almost. nearly silent, save for the gentle sounds of a sleepy crow, chirping insects and the occasional wild animal.
it's a peaceful night spent in the wilds of the Ash Lands, one of many more interspersed along the two friends' journey across the land of Charon toward the Crescent Isles.
And eventually, they've made it through the marsh flats, across the sea and onto the isles themselves...
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Jan 3, 2024 14:54:02 GMT -5
Sylvari sighed happily at the emergence of her and her companion to the place of her birth, stretching her arms back and letting out a joyful little exhalation. Despite all of the bad memories that took place on the Crescent Isles, returning here always felt like a homecoming, like a little piece of her was back where it belonged, despite her exile.
"No place like home. Especially after the dreadful Marsh Flats. How did you fare with the ship travel Rena? Being packed in that close must have surely been a trial, but I think you handled things very admirably."
The justiciar moved forward, dismounting her steed with a small spring in her step, leaning down to gently caress the grasses beneath her feet. "So lovely to be back," the vampiress whispered, wearing a small smile that was for her alone. Her mission was a wearying one, and while she was determined to pursue it, Sylvari could not protest the fact that she needed little moments of relaxation every now and again to continue functioning as was expected of her.
"My home is just a little farther, perhaps a half day's journey into the woods, dear. I certainly wasn't expecting that merchant to show his gratitude so ostentatiously, but I must say, the place is growing on me."
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Post by Rena Brighteyes on Jan 3, 2024 16:02:07 GMT -5
The crow smiles softly, wings fluttering and flaring as she drinks in the fresh air, "...stars, it's good to be out o' that bloody ship. no room t' stretch my bloody wings in there, I tell ye..." Rena casts a sidelong glance over her shoulder, one white eye narrowing in on one particular sailor, "...still want t' gut that bugger what tried t' confiscate the wee ones..." and slowly, deliberately slides the pair of bayonets in her hand back up her sleeve, making sure the bugger in question can see the blades disappearing.
There had been...a close call early on in the ship's voyage. The sailor who had checked the two friends' bags had found the three eggs, and had promptly accused the two of trafficking aviankin eggs. Rena had reacted...poorly to this, nearly gutting the poor man when he'd tried to take the eggs to the dock guard.
She turns back to her friend, chirping brightly and sweeping silver eyes over the sights before her, "...stars, it's beautiful here...the Ash Lands were like the valley after Fimbulwinter with all that white ash...but this...this is like before..." the crow murmurs, clicking her beak a little as she takes a few steps forward, wings flaring a little to feel the breeze as she visibly relaxes from the long voyage.
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Jan 3, 2024 17:50:11 GMT -5
Sylvari's brows knit together in comforting concern, moving to gently pat her friend's back. Now out of the view of commoners, she removed her veil to reveal her pure crimson eyes, twinkling with kindness for Rena.
"A simple misunderstanding, dear. I appreciate your restraint. It would have been quite an uncomfortable voyage if you had killed him for that." The creeping edge in the justiciar's tone implicated her own disapproval were such actions to occur. "But now we are here, and my home shall be your sanctuary for as long as you want it. We need to get your beast under control before the little ones arrive. It wouldn't do to have their mother lose control in front of them."
Sylvari blushed slightly, feeling quite out of place giving maternal advice to Rena. For as solidly grounded in her morality as Sylvari was, she was still greatly estranged to the concept of family, ever since her ignominious departure from her people. As such, any advice she gave in terms of familial relationships felt hollow and ungrounded.
The vampiress sighed. It was too much for her to believe she would ever get to experience that sort of kinship again, but she would do her best to fill the void with dear friends.
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