Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
2
Renown
Moonglade
69 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Galvynn Ostwick on Mar 8, 2024 22:46:47 GMT -5
Galvynn enjoyed his walks along the beach of Sol City, but being so close to the walls never felt right. Something about all of that stone made it feel cold...unnatural. He wasn't the type of radical environmentalist that called for the destruction of cities, but he didn't enjoy them. There wasn't much the druid could do about it anyways, destroying a town would hurt too many people and nature had learned to adapt. He rests a hand on Bucky's head, the giant rune badger following beside him as they walked. The badger received some well-earned scratches on the head as Galvynn smiled. Curiosity is piqued when the pair watch a group of crabs scuttle across the beach. Cute. He'd never seen a group of crabs move in such a coordinated way. The druid crouches down to get closer to their level, "Hello friends, what is going on? Am I missing something?" The crabs furiously clack their claws together before continuing their scuttle away. Galvynn stands and looks confused as they wander off. Soon another group of crabs comes and does the same thing. What are these crabs getting up to? He shared a confused look with Bucky who was also at a loss for words.
Quest Name: Crabs Again? Participants: Two or more Location: Sol City Post Requirements: 5 posts per person, 200 words per post Reward: +1 Renown Description: Last year, an unexpected and still unknown event caused thousands of wild crabs to descend upon the city, terrorizing locals. Thanks to a handful of brave adventurers, the situation was handled and crabs dispatched. However it would seem that while on the island many of the crabs laid eggs, marking the capitol as a normal nesting ground for the crabs. Now, thousands of new crabs have made their way to the island to also lay eggs, which had only served to further Sol City as a normal nest. We need help in ridding the city once again of this infestation before they can lay more eggs. Lend a hand by removing the hundreds and hundreds of crabs from the city the best way you can. [/spoiler/
|
|
Tradesfolk
IS OFFLINE
8
Renown
Crescent Isles
ring ring ring ring ring ring ring, BABY CROWS
326 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Rena Brighteyes on Mar 9, 2024 1:52:56 GMT -5
Rena trills softly, savoring the weight of the sword on her back, of the gift from her husband she’d long thought lost providing a comforting pressure where its weight is distributed by the scabbard’s strap. She savors the scent of the roses along the hilt as their color changes to match her eyes - silver at the moment, though there are a few flecks of white - much as she savors the feeling of her husband’s hand in hers. She observes the twins darting along the beach, the pair of siblings giggling and laughing and shrieking in the way that only crows can as they race after eachother, and the feathers around her beak ruffle in an avian smile.
Bell lets out a quiet chirp, his own smile ruffling the feathers around his beak as he watches the waves…and the crabs scuttling from the waves…hold on… ”...ah…to’bi?1 didnae the city ‘ave a crab problem last year? I, ah, think they might be back…”
His wife blinks, silver eyes shifting to examine the scuttling crustaceans…then the vanishes, reappearing in the same instant several meters away, crouching down to examine a crab as it creeps by, “...these definitely match the description, though I’ll admit that what we heard was more akin to a mirror’s reflection…” Rena trills softly, then straightens and lets out a high, piercing whistle that carries across the beach.
The twins freeze mid-wrestle, then scramble to their feet - though Loci has to retrieve his - and dart toward their mother, ruby and emerald eyes flashing with curiosity they pass the druid on their way.
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
2
Renown
Moonglade
69 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Galvynn Ostwick on Mar 9, 2024 11:27:24 GMT -5
The twins would get a staredown from the rune badger, startled by their sudden appearance. Bucky raises his hackles and growls before it is cutoff into a chirp when Galvynn puts a hand to his back. The badger flicks his eyes and looks up to Galvynn.
"Just more children like yourself Bucky, don't worry." Galvynn laughs softly as Bucky retorts with more chittering noises. "They are playing...though I assume the whistle was their mother."
As they watch the pair of chicks run across the beach, Galvynn has a gentle smile that slowly fades. A group of crabs have started to exit the waters and chase after the chicks. Galvynn and Bucky were far too big to take one, but those small meals? Perfect.
They don't get too far though. Galvynn holds out a hand as tall tufts of pampas grass start to bloom and rise from the sand.[1] It's not enough to completely stop them, but the dense grass certainly slows the crabs down. Angry snips and snaps can be heard from inside the grass as the crabs try to navigate.
"What has them so riled up? I have never known crabs to be this aggressive. Something must have them upset."
1. Plant Growth
|
|
Tradesfolk
IS OFFLINE
8
Renown
Crescent Isles
ring ring ring ring ring ring ring, BABY CROWS
326 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Rena Brighteyes on Mar 9, 2024 17:33:04 GMT -5
Rena glances up, silver eyes narrowing and burning to a cold, bone white as she feels Loci’s warning through the link maintaining his shell. A pair of slender bayonets falls into each of her hands, black frost1 already tracing patterns over the blades, thickening into razor sharp coatings of dark ice2 as she Blinks over to a point several meters above her children, bone white eyes zeroing in on the pursuing crabs mere moments before she flicks her wrists to send two of her blades lancing down to drive a pair of crabs into the sand, pierced through and flash frozen by the icy power coating her bayonets. She reaches up over her shoulder, letting out a low, angry hiss as her feathers ruffle in rage, drawing her sword and pressing a specific thorn with her thumb to switch its form.
Bell lets out a low, rumbling growl that would be more at home in a beast far larger than his own three and a half foot frame, already darting forward as he resists the instinct to release his aura, opting instead to check over Whistle and Loci. No injuries on Whistle, no damage to Loci’s clothes - seems the grass formed before the crabs could reach them - but it’s the principle of the matter. Finally, he glances up, the feathers around his beak ruffling in an avian smirk as he spots the pair of bayonet hilts sticking up from the grass.
Whistle spins around as soon as her father is finished fussing, a bayonet sliding from each of her sleeves, the hilts settling in her palms as she darts into the fray, cutting two crabs in half before falling back once more. Hit and run, just like she was taught. Hit…and run.
Loci stretches a little, bones clicking as he watches the fight for a moment…then he charges into the fray, more than happy to get in the way of a crab going for his sister. He takes the hit easily, not even registering any pain as the crab attempts to cut and pierce the bone of his leg with its pincers.3
1 - Permafrost 2 - Cold Touch - Sharpened Variant 3 - Necromancer - the Undead Servant specifies that minions granted by the Necromancer Prestige Class cannot be killed
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
2
Renown
Moonglade
69 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Galvynn Ostwick on Mar 10, 2024 0:56:58 GMT -5
"Wait, no no no!" Galvynn dives into the taller grass to start grabbing crabs. He is more than willing to catch the wrong end of one of Rena or Whistle's attacks.
Of course, he can't get to all of them, but he at least pulls the one off Loci. By the time the chaos of the flurry of action starts to calm Galvynn has an armful of crabs. Some of them snip and hold on to his clothing while other wriggle in the crab pile on his arms. The small cuts along his hand and arm didn't seem to bother him at all.
The druid lets out a sigh as Bucky crunches down on a crab in the sand, "Don't eat the shells Buck..."
He looks to the group of avianfolk with a sheepish expression, "Sorry, it just seemed like you were hurting the crabs and not hunting them. If you want to make these meals, I can sent them back down. Something is bothering them though, I just haven't been able to talk with one of them."
Galvynn has long since giving up on caring whether or not people see him as weird. No one else seemed to know how to talk with nature like he did, so he had to just step in regardless of what people thought of him. Even if it meant holding crabs who wanted to snip at him.
|
|
Tradesfolk
IS OFFLINE
8
Renown
Crescent Isles
ring ring ring ring ring ring ring, BABY CROWS
326 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Rena Brighteyes on Mar 10, 2024 3:54:03 GMT -5
Rena tilts her head, bone white eyes seeming to pierce into Galvynn’s very soul as the black feathered aviankin considers the stranger before her for a long moment before speaking, her voice soft and almost disarming, an utter contradiction to the violence that had just taken place, ”...agitated or not, they attempted to bring harm to my family, and for that their lives are forfeit. I’ll not permit anything, be it spirit, nature, man, or creature, to take from my family a second time. The Reaper itself could not keep my son from me, and I have every intention of wresting his frozen siblings from that figure’s frigid grasp”
It’s then that Loci pushes to his full height, all three feet of it. He stands…short, his bones slender and polished, utterly undamaged despite the efforts of the crabs. He tilts his head, much like his mother, emerald eye lights boring into the druid’s own orbs as he considers the stranger, the lights in his unnaturally shadowed sockets briefly flickering a toxic, acidic green as he prepares himself to go into a frenzy should the need arise…
Bell straightens up, a full six inches taller than his undead son, smoke wafting off his spectral form and quickly dissipating in the light, the embers in his feathers pulsing like a heartbeat as his amber eyes focus on the rune badger, his head cocked like a curious bird.
Whistle lets out an angry trill, stepping up beside her brother and coming up a full foot shorter, eyes shining a caustic scarlet as she sends her twin bayonets through a continuous cycle of rotations against her palms.
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
2
Renown
Moonglade
69 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Galvynn Ostwick on Mar 10, 2024 12:47:13 GMT -5
"Yes, but, ow, did you ask, ow ow, did you ask if, ow." Galvynn holds up his hand to stare at the crab that has attached to his hand. "Can we relax for a moment little one? I promise I am trying to help you." After a beat, the crab releases and plops into the sand before scuttling back towards the water.
"Thank you.....Did you ask them why they were upset? You may have accidentally gotten to close to their kids, maybe they are just protecting themselves as well." Galvynn crouches down to release the rest of the crabs he was holding. The ones hanging on to his coat are picked off and sat down.
Bucky has fully laid down to chew on crab bits, working to pick out any meat that he could. For as big and imposing as he looked, it seemed like the badger was more of a pushover than anything. He just wanted to eat. Neither of them seemed to give a second thought to the nature of Rena's family, though given the situation Galvynn hasn't fully processed it all.
In the ocean behind them, the water starts to froth and foam a bit. A large mass of something was moving underneath the waves, but what it was couldn't be seen at the moment. Galvynn dusted the sand from his hands as he stood back up.
"They are defending something....or being driven out by something...I just don't want to see them needlessly hurt when it could just be a misunderstanding. If only I could calm some of them down enough to talk, I might be able find out what's wrong."
|
|
Tradesfolk
IS OFFLINE
8
Renown
Crescent Isles
ring ring ring ring ring ring ring, BABY CROWS
326 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Rena Brighteyes on Mar 10, 2024 21:06:22 GMT -5
The crow tilts her head, bone white eyes flashing with the motion as black frost spreads along the blade of her sword, the roses decorating the hilt having burned to a cold, frozen white that matches the change in her eyes, ”...I am no druid, child. The land has no care for one such as I, and I have no desire to listen to the voice of a world that allowed the Hag to destroy my home with her black bargains,” those pale eyes flick away from Galvynn then, focusing on the thing moving beneath the waves, ”...but perhaps it would be better to take out the problem at its root, than to attempt to eradicate the symptoms…Loci,” the skeleton perks up, pivoting over two birdlike steps to glance back at his mother, ”remember the rule. Something tries to take us as prey, we bite back”
”y-yep yep. An-anything the-that tries it-it’ll have t-to get through m-me,” the little skeleton’s voice is low, resonant and sepulchral, his emerald eye lights hard and sharp with determination and what can only be spite.
Bell trills softly, cracking his neck and considering the turbulent water for a long moment as he listens to his family confer amongst themselves. A moment passes before the ghost begins to stride toward the sea, a determined set to his shoulders as he walks across sand without leaving footprints, the waves passing through him like he isn’t even there, and Rena’s husband vanishes into the ocean without even a ripple. The dark has little effect on him, much like the cold, much like the lack of air. His eyes burn with amber light as he strides down toward the source of the turbulence, intent on discovering whatever it is that his family might be better informed on how to deal with the apparent cause of the crabs attacking his daughter and son.
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
2
Renown
Moonglade
69 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Galvynn Ostwick on Mar 10, 2024 23:47:53 GMT -5
"The land has no care for anyone." Bucky chitters at Galvynn. "Right sorry, that's not comforting to people.....right....I just mean that nature is...nature it was no malice. I am sorry you're home was destroyed and you've lost so much, but the land didn't do that....She didn't do that, a hag did."
He pauses a moment to pat Bucky's head and look towards the water. This was going to be a difficult bridge to build, but a good reminder of why he wanted to travel and meet more people. Rena and her family seemed particularly...violent though.
"They are not problems and we are not eradicating symptoms...Your anger is misplaced and all this is going to do is create meaningless violence. Maybe hard headed people trying to kill all the crabs is what upset them in the first place!"
The druid normally held such a gentle tone, but the animosity on display had him on edge. Typical of the people from 'civilized places' to treat anything outside of their norm with violence. Why reason with something when you can kill it? It's just a crab after all, it made him furious.
Under the water is an untold fathom of crabs. They seem to scuttle towards a specific cave in the water, almost drawn their by some unknown power. Inside the cave is a crab shaped idol roughly the size of a pumpkin and covered in gemstones and recesses where gemstones used to be. The crabs treat it with a strange reverence, though for Bell it will be hard to determine anything more than that.
|
|
Tradesfolk
IS OFFLINE
8
Renown
Crescent Isles
ring ring ring ring ring ring ring, BABY CROWS
326 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Rena Brighteyes on Mar 11, 2024 14:32:41 GMT -5
The crow tilts her head, one feathered eyebrow raised, frozen mist jetting from her beak with every exhale despite the warm weather. She considers Galvynn’s words for a moment before speaking once more, ”...perhaps my husband and I are too used to needing to fight tooth and nail for every little thing. Perhaps I’ve grown jaded at seeing how much more fortunate others can be, while my family and I are forced to survive on spite and malice toward those who’ve wronged us as much as actual desire to live,” she tilts her head, letting out another breath of icy fog as she trills, ”...there’s a place hidden among the mountains on the other side of this ocean. It used to be beautiful. Some might say it still is, for the bones of my people, those who would remember the true beauty of the Valley of Crows, have been buried under the crushing weight an eternal winter brought about by the fae bargains of a single Hag”
Whistle and Loci listen to their mother’s words as calmly as they can. It helps that this is far from the first time she’s spoken of their ancestral home, far from the first time she’s mentioned the fae creature that damned that ancient valley to a frozen death that would bury the generations of blood and hate and recrimination. Even still, Loci’s bones quiver and Whistle’s feathers ruffle, both wishing they could have at least seen the Valley before the snow came…
Bell tilts his head, examining the idol from afar for a long moment before turning and heading back up, water flowing through his ghostly, smoky form as he passes through it on his trek back up to the beach. When he makes it back, he glances between his family and the…druid. Hm. Poor fellow wouldn’t have lasted a day back in the Valley…not for the first time, Tolling bell finds himself grateful that they managed to escape that wretched place before it could sink its hooks into their children. ”looks like they’re being drawn by an idol. Thing looks damaged, though. Personally, it’s probably wiser to see about repairing or moving it further out to see. Maybe both”
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
2
Renown
Moonglade
69 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Galvynn Ostwick on Mar 11, 2024 15:19:56 GMT -5
"Believe me I understand the pain of losing a home...there are hundreds of little ones across this world that have been forced out of theirs because of people." He touches the bear jaw necklace he wears a moment. "There is a balance to be found, but many don't want to seek it....I guess I should say, I don't fault you for the reaction to the crabs, you seem like a great mother. I would probably do the same even with my preferences."
He offers a small smile as a little bridge towards a sort of truce. Galvynn was already feeling the anxiety in his finger tips as that rush of adrenaline faded. Direct confrontation with humanoids was not something he was used to. Finding the confidence to defend the natural world as he so wished was going to be difficult, especially when it comes to people like Rena and her family who have been wronged.
This train of thought is derailed when Bell came out of the water. An idol? That was certainly unexpected. What sort of idol would cause a mass psychosis among crabs? If you are trying to get an army of minions, then crabs are certainly an interesting choice. As far as sea creatures go, Galvynn would not have gone with something so tasty.
"I can retrieve it, moving it is probably going to upset the crabs, but if it is OK with you, Bucky can stay and help keep your family safe." The badger lifts his head, mouth full of crab meat. Certainly not the most imposing of figures at the moment, but a large creature the size of a young bear with sharp claws is certainly a good ally to have.
If Rena is all right with that, Bucky will ready himself at the side of the family for whatever may come. If not, then he will keep his distance from them. Galvynn turns to the water and starts to head out shifting into a jaguar[1] before bounding into the water.
1. One With Nature
|
|
Tradesfolk
IS OFFLINE
8
Renown
Crescent Isles
ring ring ring ring ring ring ring, BABY CROWS
326 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Rena Brighteyes on Mar 11, 2024 19:04:41 GMT -5
Rena watches, her eyes slowly fading from unnatural, frozen white to a warmer silvery color, the roses decorating the hilt of her sword performing a similar change as she trills softly. She sheathes the blade, idly summoning1 the bayonets she’d thrown back to her hand before slipping them back up her sleeves. She lets out a soft chirp, a pair of ice coated chains slowly rising from their place buried in the sand and slithering through the air to begin orbiting around her. The crow’s eyes flash white as she glares at the physical reminders, the physical manifestations of her curse.
Bell lets out a soft, comforting chirp, gently pulling his wife into a hug, his feathers ruffling as she wraps her wings around him. She’s gotten colder over the time since she made that deal with the Hag, her body putting out less heat every day, but that really accelerated when she delved into necromancy…
…who knows how cold she’ll be by the time she’s got the next of their frozen children up and about, let alone all of them…
…the crabs start getting agitated, then, scuttling from the water and swarming toward the family and the badger, claws clicking and clacking as they advance…
Whistle lets out an angry chirp, slipping her own pair of bayonets from her sleeves as she gets into a fighting stance, and Loci cracks his neck, eye lights flickering a toxic, acidic green as he steps up beside his sister.
1 - Summon: Possession
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
2
Renown
Moonglade
69 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Galvynn Ostwick on Mar 11, 2024 22:21:45 GMT -5
Galvynn is not all that surprised when his presence in the water sends the crabs out. Whatever the thought they were protecting had a pretty decent hold of them it seemed. Bucky charged and brought his heavy paws down on the first set of crabs. He may seem timid, but the rune badger was more than ferocious enough when it came to helping protect people.
Of course, he is only one badger and crabs do slip past him. Bucky puts his focus on protecting the kids who aren't joining the fight and keeping crabs away from them. Shells crunch and crack under his claws with ease, thankfully they are just normal crabs with an abnormal attitude.
Under the water, Galvynn uses his new found paws to help power his swimming. They also serve as great methods of pushing crabs out of the way as they try to snip at them. When he gets face to face with the idol under the water a strange sensation flows past him.
Something inside the idol attempts to exert its will over him, likely assuming it is also a regular animal and a apex predator is a great addition over crabs. Unfortunately for whatever this is, Galvynn both isn't an actual animal and the flower crown he carries protects his mind.
He puts his paws to the statue and it starts to shake and rumble.[1] The water bubbles around him until cracks start to form in the statue until it finally breaks and shatters. The crabs on land suddenly cease their attack on anyone, looking as confused as a crab can look.
Eventually, Galvynn returns to shore in his human form with a handful of jewels in his hands. He gives an exhausted smile to the group as he shakes the water from his hair like a dog.
"Whatever you found Bell...thank you. It seems someone or something was trying to take over animals...it tried on me, but despite all appearances I am apparently not that feral." A small and sheepish chuckle leaves him.
"Oh...these are for you all....as thanks for not ignoring me like so many others do. I um...I don't have much use for jewelry or coin, your willingness to help here is more than enough for me."
1. Rumbling Tremors
|
|
Tradesfolk
IS OFFLINE
8
Renown
Crescent Isles
ring ring ring ring ring ring ring, BABY CROWS
326 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Rena Brighteyes on Mar 12, 2024 21:51:33 GMT -5
Each crab that slips past the rune badger receives a bayonet between the eyes from Rena or Whistle, simply gets crushed by the foot or fist of the acid eyed skeleton1 as the family defends itself. One crab manages to get close enough to snap at Rena, only for one of her chains to take the hit2. the length of chain shatters upon the hit, dissolving into smoke yet maintaining its shape even as the crabs become docile with their idol’s destruction mere moments later.
Rena huffs out a sigh of frozen mist3, slipping her bayonets back up her sleeves before cracking her neck and moving to check over her children. Whistle has a few ragged and tender feathers where the crabs nearly got her, while Loci’s bones still quiver with rage, the young skeleton’s eye lights burning a toxic, acidic green as he glares at the scattering survivors of the attacking force.
Rena trills softly, placing a gentle hand atop her son’s skull and gently rubbing the cold bone as he instinctively leans into the touch, “...ye did good, lort’yrlr ‘no4, but the fight’s over now. the threat’s gone. ye c’n calm down now”
Loci shudders, the quivering in his bones slowly stilling, though his eye lights remain that acidic green as they flick up to meet his mother’s silver orbs.
Bell trills softly, stepping forward and breaking away from his family as he moves to meet with the returning druid. He listens to Galvynn’s words, burning amber eyes thoughtful and the feathers around his beak ruffled in an avian smile, “...t’os n’hil5. I was simply doing what I could to mitigate the damage of my wife’s zealous approach to protecting our family. as for the control…it is good, that you are possessed of enough awareness, even in a more feral form, to maintain your Self. it…my wife and son both have abilities that are similar, if only from certain perspectives. ka’to’bi4 used to have trouble maintaining her Self when she took her other shape,” there’s a sadness to those amber eyes of his now, “...though I’m glad she’s found peace with her Hunger, I can’t help but imagine what might have been, had she found that balance sooner. after all, it was when the Hunger first overwhelmed her that the stage was set in such a way that she will need to sacrifice her very life to reunite with myself and our children''
The phantasm tilts his head slightly when the druid proffers the jewels, then chuckles and gently shakes his head, “...no, no, we’re hardly hurting for resources. there’s plenty who’re willing to pay or barter for my murder’s skills. that’s part of why we were in Sol, actually. just finished a quick job and figured some time on the beach might be nice, since we were here anyway…”
1 - Undying Frenzy 2 - Dancing Chains - one chain consumed 3 - Drake Gland - Ice 4 - Ravenstongue - small/little/young one/singular/individual 5 - Ravenstongue - it is as not/nothing/void/abyss
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
2
Renown
Moonglade
69 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Galvynn Ostwick on Mar 12, 2024 23:19:39 GMT -5
Bucky is happily cleaning out the remnants of the crabs until he can get his fill. The switch from ferocious beast to docile goof was almost instantaneous. He was an odd badger to be certain. Galvynn still set the jewels down for the family to take or leave, pushing the hair back from his face.
"I wish I could have been there to help, I am sorry to hear that. I don't say this as a way to gloat or take anything away from them, it's just never been something I've struggled with." He smiles softly and rubs the back of his head. "Her voice has always been so clear in my head, the line between man and nature is wider than many think....though I understand how strong the primal pull can be."
He lets out a sigh as he trudges through sand to reach Bucky and give his head a few scritches. His fat and happy companion rolled over into the sand ready for a nap. Galvynn sat in the sand beside him with a smile.
"Well if you don't take the jewels, I want to give you something as thanks...that is what human folk do right? Exchange things as thanks? I can't imagine either of you would want me to lick at the corner of your mouth like wolves." He grins wide. "I can carve or weave something...Do your children like music? I can make something for them."
|
|