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Post by Elvira, Wandering Cleric on Dec 30, 2023 20:53:25 GMT -5
Deep in the forests just outside of the Moonveil Village, Elvira was trekking over the fallen leaves, branches, and logs. The robed cleric looks around, hidden eyes peering across the forest. She leans down and inspects a batch of berries before grabbing a handful and popping one into her mouth.
The moon was high, its light washing in in small rays through the canopy and filling the forest. Small animals scurry through the treetops, chirping, chittering, and calling out to each other. Elvira even spotted a predator stalking in the treetops, chasing after a smaller prey.
A small opening allows her to rest momentarily. She sits and looks up to the moon, soaking in its energetic light. With a smile, she takes off the robes. Her hair, now free, falls down to the small of her back. The intense blue eyes nearly glow in the night, looking around the clearing. She decides to begin to settle for the night. She starts to sing aloud to herself while gathering tinder for her fire. The song was angelic, and slow. One might recognize it as a lullaby from the Moon Elves, written by a priest of the Temple of the Moon.
"Lay down your head and I′ll sing you a lullaby
Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay
And I'll sing you to sleep, sing you tomorrow
Bless you with love for the road that you go May you sail far to the far fields of fortune
With diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet And may you need never to banish misfortune May you find kindness in all that you meet
May there always be angels to watch over you To guide you each step of the way To guard you and keep you safe from all harm Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay"
She hears a twig crack behind where she stood, causing her to freeze. She slowly looks over her shoulder and flips her hand as a dark, smoky aura begins to float out of her fingers and blackened claws extend outward from the fingertips.
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Post by Grid on Dec 30, 2023 21:32:40 GMT -5
Grid's face met hers as they stopped in their tracks, looking at the woman. Their hand slowly reaching to the battle ax slung around their back. They raise their other hand, motioning for her to relax. They pace slightly to the side, revealing the dog that was following them. On his back, a small pouch that carried an assortment of small game furs. Larger ones were wrapped around their belt.
They finally speak, their voice deep, a thick northern accent biting into their words. "I heard your singing. It's dangerous to make that much noise at night." They chuckle, relaxing. "Thought I'd get here before the dire wolves did."
As they step forward from the treeline, Zabriel, the husky that accompanied them, stayed tight at their side, his eyes focused on the light of the moon, illuminating the forest bed. Finally, in the illumination of the moonlight, you see their entire body, barely 5'10'', but built like an orc. Grid's enormous muscles and chiseled abs are obvious even in the dim light. They are adorned in loose fitting furs, save for the tight fitting bra on their chest. Across their body, an assortment of jewelry crafted out of animal bits, feathers, and other accessories covered them. It was obvious what they were now - a Northern tribeswoman. Which begged the question - what was a Northerner doing so far south?
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Post by Elvira, Wandering Cleric on Dec 30, 2023 23:03:13 GMT -5
Elvira eyed the longbow sitting near where she had placed her bag before inspecting the approaching person. Seeing that they didn't mean any harm, she softened her gaze. The look, however, was still cold. She felt naked without her robes. However, something did catch her eyes. "Oh my stars, what a beautiful creature that stands before me! Hello, my four-legged friend!" It was clear that it took her the entirety of her willpower not to run up and pet the dog. She smiled so wide one would think her jaw would detach. It took a moment for her to remember that she was in the presence of a Northern warrior. "Apologies, edelō.1 Might I ask what brings you this way, Northerner? It's not often we see one of you along the 'Glade." She turns as she speaks, continuing to gather supplies the fire. A moment of gathering is followed by her happily skipping to where she was starting the fire.
It only took a few moments after she had laid out the wood to get a decent, roaring fire. She began to pull some meats out of the bag, individually wrapped and covered in salt to preserve the meats. "Do you hunger, faron?2 I have snail and spider meat if you'd like to try a regional food. I believe I may have something from the North too? Let me see... ah! Meats of the Emperor Akhlut, if you'd like a taste of home. Your choice!"
1. Traveler 2. Hunter
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Post by Grid on Dec 30, 2023 23:35:58 GMT -5
Grid stops and takes a spot near the fire, grunting as they place themselves neatly on a log. Zabriel finds a spot resting at her feet. Digging through the pouch on Zabriel, they remove a rabbit's leg, tossing it to the woman. "This is more my palate." They laugh, a deep, hearty laugh, that bellows deep, and raspy. "I come from a different north than you are probably familiar with. Clan Rothnir." They sit up, Grid looking with a sense of pride now. "We lived off the land, fed ourselves with wild game. Traded with local villages. I believe your kind here would call us raiders, pillagers. That used to be the case. Couldn't tell you why we stopped."
They relax once more, leaning forward close to the fire. "The locals needed a hunter. I answered the call, simple as." Grid looks down at Zabriel, petting his fur coat, before looking back at the elf. "This is Zabriel. A friend of mine gave him to me as a gift. He's a good dog, a good hunter, and a great companion." They smirk, reaching their hand across. "And I, am Grid. What might your name be, elf?" They say with a grin.
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Post by Elvira, Wandering Cleric on Dec 31, 2023 0:38:54 GMT -5
With a dramatic flourish she stands up, raises her hands, and gestures to herself. "I am Elvira, Wandering Cleric from the Temple of the Moon. I have been traveling for years now in search of greater knowledge of the gods. Especially Lunala, for she teaches us joy, love, and intimacy." Smiling, she unravels a bedroll before she lowers herself back to the ground onto it. She begins to work on a rudimentary spit to cook the meats, only stopping to occasionally toss a piece of meat to the husky across the fire from her.
After getting the spit to work, she passes a tin bottle filled with water to the newfound ally and dons a weakened smile. "I would offer a finer drink to a new friend, but I tend to only carry the essentials in case the need to quickly abandon what I have arises, it makes it easy to replace and removes weight. As for the banter, I am rather curious. Does your Clan have a religion, or even deity that they tend to align more commonly with? To be quite honest, I know rather little about the North and their tribes. It has become much too treacherous of a path to travel since the rise of Vulcadreaus. In fact, the Northwestern city of Darkveil has been toppled due to Vulcadreaus. I was just there, it's rather... well..." She shakes her head, a somber look in her eyes. "Many families had been torn apart. Mothers and fathers lost children, children lost mothers and fathers. There were many an innocent soul that begged to be returned to their bodies. It was... difficult. Perhaps the worst undertaking I have partaken in. The past few nights have been restless, lest I see their faces once more."
It was now that she realized she had dumped a load of trauma upon a new visitor. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts and laughs. It was a dry, forced chuckle featuring a fake smile. "Forgive me, I ramble easily. Tell me about yourself, Grid. What was your upbringing like? Do you perhaps have any desires for the future?"
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Post by Grid on Dec 31, 2023 1:06:07 GMT -5
Grid laughs at the offer of the drink, their expression transforming into a deeper remorse as she continues. Finally, Grid nods, gazing off deep into the fire. "We seem to be two direwolves in a cave, hm? Both of us walk through trails of bodies." They laugh, sliding their massive fur coat off of their body now, as they lean closer into the fire. "My story does not deserve to be told." Their expression shifts. "But, for you. I can make an exception."
Grid takes a breath, closing their eyes. "We stuck to ourselves, mostly. Our tribe was tightknit. Each man and woman knew the face, the name of the other. To say we were family would be... overselling it, but... we were close enough to it." They smirk. "My father would tell me stories of where we came from. Further north than even the northern lands here. Where gods dueled and fought, tearing the land asunder. The Allmother, Svala, however, saw the violence and desparity that plagued those lands. She wanted nothing to do with it. She stole the heart of one of the other Gods, using it to forge us, the Northern Clans. It was my people, Clan Rothnir, who left, and made their holding in this new land. Svala gave us everything. Every kill, every meal, every drink. Is her gift to us."
They frown, slightly. "And so... the hunt is very important, in our culture. I led my first hunting party at sixteen. Barely a teenager, let alone a woman. But those were the customs." Their hand clenches slightly. "We... wandered too far, and were ambushed by bandits. I returned to the tribe, the only one left." They shook their head, motioning with their left hand to the markings upon their face. "I was marked an exile. Sent off, back into the winter. I would've frozen, too. Had it not been for a new friend, finding me there. Frozen in an abandoned cave."
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Post by Elvira, Wandering Cleric on Dec 31, 2023 13:17:09 GMT -5
Elvira sat and listened, occasionally turning the meats on the spit. Shaking her head, she looks to the huntress. "Nutaa naityalë.1 Archaic customs caused your clan to lose a rather powerful warrior, as I can feel the raw energy emanating off of you."
Silently, she pulls the meats off of the spit. She passes the rabbit to the huntress and looks up to the moon once more. "I lost my parents when I was 10. Similar to you, they were in a hunting party which had wandered too close to a goblin encampment. When the search party found their bodies, they had brutalized so badly that they couldn't identify them for days on end. It took them searching through their personal effects do determine the identities were of my parents. I had to be raised by the Temple priests and priestesses for the rest of my childhood." She takes a bite of the meat, tilting her head from side to side from the internal dialogue that ensued. "I consider myself lucky to have had a society to lift me in a time of dire need and unbearable loss. I... well... I cannot imagine how it had felt to have been marked an exile and left to rot."
She looks around the clearing, eyes darting to the small sounds of critters skittering about. "Has it been good hunting? I recently picked up this bow for defense and hunting. I've... never really been one for violence, but I figured I could save weight and lower the chance of being held at the wrong end of a blade by living off the land rather than carrying a large pouch of coin."
1: "Damn shame"
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Post by Grid on Dec 31, 2023 14:01:20 GMT -5
"I've not found much big game, if I'm being honest. Hardly a deer in sight. Mostly small game, rabbits, wild birds, the like. I've been on the trail of a bear the past few days, but... the trail vanished recently." They lift the rabbit's leg up to their mouth, taking a big chunk out of it, savoring the bite. They slip the fur coat that hung around the shoulders off, letting it fall to the ground with a fwump, and revealing all the scars and wounds Grid had built up over the years.
"And you. What have you been up to in the area? You seem a bit out of place, not travelling with a caravan." Their gaze lifts towards the cleric as they take another bite, chewing as they continue to speak. "Y'know," they begin, swallowing the chunk of rabbit meat. "I could always venture with you, if you like. I don't just hunt game, you know." They rip off a final, large chunk of rabbit meat, offering it to the dog at their feet. "Besides, you seem like you could use the company." They toss the empty bone into the fire, smirking as the fat drippings that remained on the bone, cause it to flare slightly.
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Post by Elvira, Wandering Cleric on Dec 31, 2023 21:50:10 GMT -5
Hearing of the bear caused her pointed ears to perk up, much the same as the dog's when Grid had offered the rabbit meat. "A bear? That certainly would account for the food for travel. We should see if we could catch the trail of this beast when possible." Her eyes glowed an intense blue in the night as she thought of the hunt. How thrilling it would be for her to take down something as powerful as a bear, something that could take her down in one fell swoop should it so desire.
When Grid asked about why she was out on her lonesome, she gave a strange look. It was a long story, how could she condense this down in to a more favorable version for herself? "Why don't I travel in a caravan? A peculiar question, to be rather honest. To be transparent, it's a long story. Most of the Temple priests were not willing to travel with me, as they consider me... well... a liability. Being raised by the Head Clerics will do that to one. I suppose working with the thin balance between life and death has much to do with it, also."
"I could always venture with you, if you like. I don't just hunt game, you know. Besides, you seem like you could use the company."
This statement completely caught her off guard. It must have been obvious from the look she gave Grid. She had met many adventurers in her life, from the great to the... well... not so great. None of them had asked for her company. Most of the time, she only showed up when someone had died or been gravely wounded. Nobody wants a reminder of one of their most dire circumstances, she supposed.
None of them except Grid and Tatalia. What was wrong with these two?
"I... well. I suppose, but I wish not to be a burden on you, Grid. I must ask, though. What makes you wish to join me?"
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Post by Grid on Dec 31, 2023 22:23:03 GMT -5
"I must admit, I'm a curious person, and it has very much got the better of me in this case. You're a very peculiar woman, Ms. Elvira." They remove the necklace around their neck, holding it tight in their grip. "I made a promise to help others." They say with a nod. "You seem to need help, whatever that may be. Svala asks us to help those in need. That's why I was put in exile. Because I didn't help." They twist the pendant in their hands. "Besides. I've been travelling on my own for the last... I don't know how long. I could die in a cave and nobody would notice. Zabriel would stay by my side, and that's it." Zabriel whimpers slightly, as though he felt the shift in the air around their words.
"You'd be no burden to me, for what it's worth." They smile, slipping their axe off of their back, planting it in the ground. "Besides. Svala's fate weavers brought us here for a reason. Would be a mighty odd coincidence otherwise, for two people with paths as similar as ours to collide. I for one, wouldn't want to get on the bad side of the strings of fate."
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Post by Elvira, Wandering Cleric on Jan 2, 2024 19:23:59 GMT -5
Elvira allowed a smile upon hearing she was "peculiar," as the hunter had put it. At the mention of traveling alone, however, she nodded her head with understanding. She knew exactly what it was like to be able to pass away without anyone noticing. The thought of the dog standing guard at Grid's body nearly broke her, though. She had a soft spot for animals, and this one in particular was extraordinarily sweet.
Upon hearing that she wouldn't be a burden, she seemed to relax slightly. "Very well, you may journey with me if you'd like. I rather look forward to having companions, in all honesty. Have you got a bedroll? If not, I can travel in to the nearby town to pick one up. Otherwise, I believe it might be a fine time to rest. I'm sure Zabriel is weary too." She walks over and kneels near the dog, gently petting and caressing his head. A warm smile cuts across her face quickly as she adds a hand to scratch the underside of his chin.
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Post by Grid on Jan 4, 2024 15:47:07 GMT -5
Zabriel brushes his head against her, the dog smiling as he gets a scratch under his chin. Grid shakes their head. "Zabriel will rest, but I will keep watch, for a time. This forest attracts a type of person. Robbers, murderers, thieves. I for one, prefer my throat to go un-slit. When the fire dies, and I am sure that we will not be found, I will rest. The fur of my cloak has served me as a bedroll before, it will continue to do so."
Their gaze doesn't shift from the crackling flame, a hint of nervousness having crept into their voice. Their venturing had been mostly alone, save for being accompanied by their mentor, or with Zabriel. Now, they finally had a friend once more. An ally, in the truest of the sense.
Not since their exile, had they truly been apart of something. They were a guard for merchant ships, a warrior for armies, and militias, a hunter for those who had a need. But for all that, they had never once, made a true ally. Even Ragnvald, despite all his great facets, used them as a bodyguard, a body to carry more artifects. Zabriel, was their only ally. And he was not one for conversation.
Now, however. They found themselves, forging an allegiance. They dwelled on that. Their father, who'd pushed them to speak to those outside their culture, to learn more than what they had learned growing up in the long winters, and the short summers. Though he himself, had argued for their exile, they knew, he would be proud of them. For not just surviving in a world they did not understand, but thriving.
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