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Post by Jennycallie on Jan 2, 2019 19:46:35 GMT -6
Hello Starborn, and welcome to War-Forged Plot 704: Whose Woods These AreTeam Leader: Hemlock (NPC) Participants: Skoal, Veresk, Bridget, Amber, Kathra, Siglavy Please keep the following in mind!- Posts must be a minimum of 175 words. There is no maximum!- No strict order is enforced, but there must be at least two posts between your own character's.- No god-moding or reading characters' minds (unless your pony is a literal telepath, anyway)
- Always get consent before harming another character!- Your team is precious. Try to interact with everyone. <3- Have fun! Even if your pony isn't. 8'D
Prompt: The War Lord’s kirin child Grigori is still missing, after having been kidnapped by Cultists in the Spring. Refusing to believe him dead, Hira has not rested in her search for her son, but she cannot be everywhere at once, and nor can she spend all of her days searching the forests and mountains while she has a herd to run. In desperation Hira has offered generous rewards for those who volunteer their free-time to continue the search. Finding yourself in such a group, you set out into the forest, moving away from Skeldr-proper and into the true wilderness. With a scout, a raider, and some valkyries, you should be perfectly safe, right? Location: Forests south and west of Skeldr Time of Day: Afternoon Weather: Rain, with a storm rumbling in the distance You do not have to wait for your leader to post!
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Post by IcefireStarfire on Jan 4, 2019 2:15:36 GMT -6
S I G L A V Y
... ...
The ground was soggy from the recent rains and so was he, but the proud creature was slowly learning to love the scents given off by the goddess of the earth after living here for so long. In the distance, he could hear thunder, with the ominous clouds overhead hinting at more to come. Behind him though, the quiet chatter of several equines could be heard above the noises of hooves squishing through mud. He had to suppress a sudden flash of disgust--it was getting easier to deal with his feelings, but sometimes he still had moments where old habits shone through. The last few months had been a total mess, and he no longer knew where his allegiance stood, but it had taken him so long to get to this point. Surely he could wait just a little bit longer to figure it out.
Siglavy shook those thoughts from his head. Right now he had to focus on the task at hand, which was searching for a missing child. And not just any child--the War Lord's young son. From what he understood, the kindling had been stolen away by a group of lawless equines called Cultists. Although most Cultist behavior results in deceased victims, his mother didn't believe he was dead. Normally Siglavy wouldn't have cared--after all, Grigori was not his son--but as the child was also a kirin, he felt like he had some kind of obligation to assist in this case. He wasn't sure he cared about the War Lord's finder's rewards, but anything that took his mind off his problems was a welcome respite.
......
Word Count: 275
Post #1Code by War-Colt |
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Post by Jennycallie on Jan 5, 2019 15:41:13 GMT -6
Hemlock
Stone Circle Hemlock was having difficulty disguising his relief.
The emboldened attacks of the Cultists and the theft of the true-born Kirin child were serious issues, and make no mistake. Hemlock was deeply unsettled by the climate of fear and discord that was sweeping across his beloved herd like a summer storm. So much was wrong, so much seemed to balance on the edge of choices not quite yet made but soon, but soon…
No, the farmer-turned-politician did not relish the how and the why of his current trip into the forest… but he could not deny that he was happy to be here, out in the wilds with his hooves digging into sodden earth and the distinctive scents of the pine trees filling his nostrils, his lungs. His soul.
Hemlock may have retired from his years of tending the fields, but he was a farmer at heart, and not meant for spending his days walled behind stone, pushing paper and watching as others came and went, the memory of wind and earth still fresh in their manes.
It was necessary work. It was duty. But, well. He was a farmer.
So the old stallion walked through the forests with a high head and bright eyes, and perhaps just a slight lack of proper decorum. Certainly, his gaze rested on the Kirin Siglavy frequently, and with frank interest, though the Kirin seemed at least for the moment determined to ignore the others. Hemlock’s gaze traveled sideways, rested upon Veresk.
“Do you know this area well?” Hemlock asked the scout mildly, heedless of his plumed tail as it snagged momentarily on a bush. “I have heard stories of traps laid, to catch travelers unawares…” Hemlock did not sound particularly afraid, or even angry. Just curious. He inhaled the scents of the damp forest again, eyes sliding closed for a moment.
Post 1| 309 words
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Post by moonlightwalk on Jan 5, 2019 17:03:39 GMT -6
Amber | valkyrie
Amber held her mouth shut as she walked as far away from the stallions in the group as possible. Even with the forest around them, Kaia could not protect them from the rain that fell down from the sky, Cascade crying over one thing or another, perhaps for the young foal that was missing and family that so dearly missed him. As it were Amber’s mane and coat were soaked and the only reason she wasn’t freezing was because they were still walking. All in all she was not loving the situation.
She tried to remember what she -and no doubt the other valks- was here for. Grigori. A young colt whisked away from their land. As far as Amber was concerned nobody touched kin, kin was sacred. The valks were kin to her more than her own family and by extension so way Grigori... even if he was particular in breed.
She snuck a glance at another one particular in breed. Why was he even here. The reward no doubt. Why had their warlord not gotten rid of these filthy miscreations yet? What did they contribute? “What do you even do here?” she felt herself asking, voice not particulary friendly a she looked at the kirin. What he was doing to sustain the herd or why he was here looking for Grigori. Amber wasn’t sure which one she wanted answered herself, but she was already turning her head away as if she didn’t care for the answer. She shouldn’t.
In the distance thunder rumbled. She sighed, looking at Kathra and wondering if she could turn into something small to hide from the rain.
What she didn’t do for others. This was going to be great...
Post 1 | 286 words
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Post by alphaspice on Jan 5, 2019 19:11:48 GMT -6
SKOAL
Medic
The settling scent of petrichor and the distant snarling of thunder was calming to the unicorn's nerves as he followed along after the other equines. He tried to focus on the lush scenery around him, naming herbs to himself as he passed along; he hadn't been in this part of the forest before, or at least not as often. Leaving the comfort of his facility in Skeldr Town to the care of his mother, Delythe, was something that he had initially been worried about doing; but now that he was out here, breathing in the fresh smell of the woods, Skoal could easily say that he was having an alright time right now.
He had been summoned by the War Lord, as well as the others here, to find her missing son. It sounded to the stallion that he had been taken by Cultists, and although a pressing worry in his stomach told him that he couldn't have possibly survived, he also wanted to trust her word that he could be. And Skoal was prepared to do whatever he could to ensure the young colt's well-being, even if that was just patching up any injuries he might have sustained. The same applied to the rest of the equines here.
Feeling a quiet sigh escape him, Skoal lifted his gaze from the ground of herbs to look at the towering trees and the gray sky overhead. He personally loved the rain, for it healed the earth and soothed his mind. He wasn't as sure about the others, though. Either way, Skoal took to quietly listening in for now, not calling any attention to himself for this moment.
Post 1 :: 278 words |
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Post by sweet-like-the-storm on Jan 5, 2019 23:39:55 GMT -6
Veresk - Scout
The rain was beginning to soak Veresk quite thoroughly. Water rolled down his mane and dripped off his whiskers. The leather straps around his forelock would likely soon fall loose and he would have to waste precious time re-tying them rather than accompanying this band of misfits through the forest. This was his job after all - he was a scout. It was his job to go out and find horses that had went missing. It had nothing to do with riches that Hira could offer him, although it would be nice to see if he could build a nice little greenhouse out back, or maybe buy a few more books… “...stories of traps laid, to catch travelers unawares…” Veresk finally twitched an ear to listen to what the old unicorn had to say - he was more focused on listening to the wilderness around him. Any whisper, any tiny hint of a disturbance…? Nothing. Dammit.
“That is the least we have to worry about,” the young stallion replied with a small huff. “You can get out of traps,” he forced himself to recall first setting eyes on the poor decimated town of Holmsa again, its buildings half-submerged in the earth, not a body or a living soul in sight. He was not sure if that had involved them, but he wouldn’t be surprised at all if it had. “I doubt you can get out of whatever those Cultists may have in store for us.” He kept his eyes forward - cursing the rain. The heavy splatter of drops on branches made it much harder to tell what was really moving and what was not. This is a lost cause. Rumors spread far and wide, the horses they were trying to find know how to cover their tracks, and now it’s raining - no scent, no trail? No point. “But, to answer your question, yes, I am quite familiar with these paths,” Veresk lied. He didn’t want to get undermined now. He had only heard about it from his uncle. Apparently this was the route that his parents had taken when stealthily delivering their illegitimate son to someone else’s doorstep, so it couldn’t have been that heavily patrolled; that’s all he knew. “It’s a popular route with lone ‘vagabonds’ - but you know the common folk; a suspicious figure can be anyone - be they an actual vagabond or some other creature; and if we’re going to have the chance of catching anyone unawares it’s going to be out here.” Stop lying, stop lying, stop lying! Veresk tried to tell himself. He took a deep, shaky breath as soon as he finished speaking. If we have a chance of being caught by anyone unawares it’s going to be out here. With the military expertise of the Valkyries and the medic on board, nothing should go wrong… right? What these horses didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them - maybe some of them had even been here before. Maybe they’d end up at the Black Market or something and quickly apologize and book it. They wouldn’t get lost - Veresk had been a scout too long to let that happen - the knot in his stomach being so tight had nothing to do with the possibility of not knowing where to go. Kaia, forgive me if anything goes wrong - he prayed silently, nervously tugging at the pouch of earth on his chest, too nervous to even press it to his lips in fear of anyone noticing.
WC: 583 POST #1
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Post by Idiosyncrasea on Jan 8, 2019 19:24:12 GMT -6
Bridget | Valkyrie
Bridget trotted briskly, trying hard to keep at the front of the group in the hopes of being among the first to find any clues or to face any dangers, though she had to keep her relatively short legs very fast to stay ahead of some of those with longer limbs. She kept looking around as she went, half listening to the sounds of the wilderness around them, and half listening to her companions. She felt herself growing nervous, but did her best to surpress it and to try to seem mostly brave.
She was irritable a lot of the time, especially at a stressful time like this. She overheard the scout and a stone circle member, and although she knew that it was probably unnecessary for her to pipe up, she was still struck by an urge to do so anyway.
“Well I’ve been assuming we all knew what we’re getting into before we volunteered for this…” she huffed. “And surely we’re all decent enough at travelling through the wilderness and at surviving its dangers; who would actually try to go on a mission like this if they thought they were too likely to die before they can get their reward?!” Well, she knew that she, herself, might, but she wanted to seem more confident than she felt.
As soon as these words spewed out, Bridget realized that she might’ve been a bit too rude… but she was too prideful to say anything to try to take them back or soften them, and she’d been ruder in the past.
Post: 1 | WC: 260
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Post by Silverfallingstar on Jan 8, 2019 19:38:51 GMT -6
 Cloven hooves beat rhythmically against the muddy trail as Kathra marched along, her face set into an expression of grim determination. Aside from the initial greetings to her fellow valkyrie at the start of this, along with a respectful nod to the member of the circle, the young mare had been silent. This was a mission that was more than personal for her. For one, it was more cultist bullshit, and she'd had enough run ins with cultists that wanted her throat cut on their blades for her to take any issue with cultists personally. Secondly, the cult had captured her baby cousin, the warlords son Grigori. And that, that would not stand.
But if Kathra was being entirely honest, she was hoping to find signs of her girlfriend too.
She had been missing for a while now, and while some were trying to convince her she'd never find Twitch at this rate, she refused to give up. No, Twitch was not dead, and Kathra would find her. Even if it meant tearing the entirety of Valore up to find her in the slave markets. The thought of her being culled was enough to make her blood boil. If she ever found who'd done this... well, her axe was always freshly sharpened.
Something about her fellow valkyrie's words snapped her out of her focus for just long enough for her to snap her head around and send a look that was probably much more aggressive than intended. "That reward can be tossed into the deepest chasm in Kaia's earth for all I fucking care. A child's life is worth more than shards, and if it means trading my own so that Grigori can be reunited with his family again, then so fucking be it."
She swung her head back
around and continued onwards, ears pinned back against her skull as she
looked for signs of cultists that she'd gotten all too used to being
able to pick out.
Post #1 | Word Count: 326 |
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Post by alphaspice on Jan 8, 2019 21:12:13 GMT -6
SKOAL
Medic
Skoal curiously broke away from his silent contemplation as conversing broke out among the group. His eyes found themselves warily wandering about the equines in front of him, deciding that it'd be better to not give his two cents, only speak if spoken to; there was no need to draw attention to himself. All he wanted to do was help.
Though, a noticeable aura of respect appeared in his eyes when he listened to one of the Valkyries, Kathra, speak. Truly the most important issue at hand was ensuring that the child be reunited with his family. I would be scared as shit if I were in his place too. Reflecting on his own sickly youth, and his mother working tirelessly to keep him alive and well - Skoal felt a new energy rising in his chest. Yes. That was why he became a Medic: to help others, like now!
Still, he may as well not hang around at the back of the group, even if he wasn't going to talk right this moment. Sauntering along behind everyone looked pretty sketchy, and there was no need for that, wasn't there? Looking around again, the unicorn recognized the face of Veresk, a stallion he had met at some point at his facility. No need to treat him like a stranger. Trotting up to the Scout, Skoal found his pace matching the other's.
Post 2 :: 230 words |
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Post by Idiosyncrasea on Jan 9, 2019 9:53:10 GMT -6
Bridget | Valkyrie
Hearing the response of one of the fellow Valkyries, Bridget was silent for a moment, eyes widening and ears automatically pinning back in alarm. Now she was starting to actually regret her choice of words, and in that moment she worried if that fellow valkyrie, and the others who’d overhead, might tell others, and she wondered how far rumours might spread about her caring more about shards than about a child’s life. But then she thought of a comeback.
“Well, I don’t care that much about the reward money, I mostly just want to do this for the sake of doing it! Just succeeding is enough of a reward for me! Probably some of us do care about the cash, I dunno, but anyway, I do care about the child too though! But I’m pretty sure that kid needs at least a few of us to stay alive to get him home!”
Then, with a twitch of one ear, she turned away from the others, trying to focus on the surroundings. She wondered if any of the others were going to say something in retaliation, besides this valkyrie. She mentally braced herself for it.
Post: 2 | WC: 194
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Post by sweet-like-the-storm on Jan 11, 2019 19:22:28 GMT -6
Veresk - Scout
This is why you don’t bring mares, Veresk’s blood began to boil as he listened to the chatter of the mares. They always found something to complain about - be it among themselves or about what the stallions were doing. The young stallion glanced at Skoal, who had just walked up next to him - he gave his peer a small smile, recognizing him, and thanking Kaia that he was now mostly in the company of stallions, yet the Valkyries’ voices began to grade against his ears. Why did they have to bring up this bullshit now? No one cared about why they were here - what was important was that they were looking for this kirin kid - period. The mass of horses around him made Veresk feel like he was being swallowed up - like he wasn’t on a seldom-trodden forest path anymore, but he was in a tight, spinning room, surrounded mostly by strangers. He didn’t know whether he was soaked with rain or if his coat was just sleek with sweat, and he longed to break out into a dead run and rush past the kirin ahead of them and do this entire damn assignment himself. Pinning his ears and tightening his jaw, Veresk tried to pretend like it didn’t bother him. They all seemed silent now - they all could look for signs of any kind of strangers. Veresk suddenly ground to a halt, completely still. The rain still pittered and pattered around them, and the sound of hooves on soft earth was ever present but there was something else. There was a stuffy stillness to the whole area, and it sank through each tree much deeper than just the humidity. I know I shouldn’t have chosen this place.
There was a new, odd scent in the air - something unbelievably unfamiliar - and it was no wild animal, on the prowl for an unsuspecting member of the herd; no, nothing would approach a group as big and loud as this one... At least, as far as the scout was concerned.
WC: 345 POST #2 |
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Post by moonlightwalk on Jan 14, 2019 16:35:02 GMT -6
Amber | Valkyrie
Amber was quickly annoyed by the scout’s blabbering. She liked actions, not words, but it seemed this stallion preferred the opposite. She was quick to take that feeling and redirect it at Bridget as she listened to Kathra’s interpretation of her words. She was quick to agree.
“Anyone who’s here for the reward might as well walk away now, because clearly we can’t trust you then. You gonna let them keep the kid if they offer a higher reward? Gonna ditch us at the slightest sight of danger. Cultists are no walk in the park.”
And did she know. She had a scar on her face as reminder and the mental scars of fighting a mere child. She hated them with a passion. Mentally she encaged the whole lot of them in ice, burned them, crushed them with rocks and then let the wind sweep away the dust that remained. She would gladly hunt down children nappers and make them suffer for ever having thought about it.
She sometimes forgot the little colt was Kathra’s family. It must be hard on here. She imagined Nathaniel being taken again and shuddered.
“You know, he’s a though kid...with the scales... and all.” She coughed awkwardly, trying another approach. “I’m sure we’ll find him.” By the divine family, was she bad at this.
Post 2 | 217 words
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Post by Idiosyncrasea on Jan 14, 2019 18:47:24 GMT -6
Bridget | Valkyrie
It seemed that Bridget hadn’t braced herself enough for someone else to angrily react to her poorly thought out words. And it had to be another valkyrie, no less. She winced, then swung her head around and glared. And once again, she was quick to verbally lash back in defense.
“Hey, I already said I don’t really care about the reward money, I just want to succeed at this mission! I just assumed that there might be at least one or two among us who might care about the money, and... ugh, okay, okay, I chose my words badly when I first spoke up... And I already said I care about the kid too! If you don’t believe me, then hmmph, so be it! And whether you believe this or not, I do know that cultists are dangerous, I’ve faced one before!”
And she had. One nearly three times her height… though still only one cultist. And though she’d managed to defeat this cultist, it was a very close call, a miracle she’d managed not to get hurt enough to lose the fight. Against more than one cultist, she probably wouldn’t be as lucky. At least not by herself. But oh, how she was longing to distance herself from this group, for at least a little while, even if that might be risky.
As she turned away, she noticed a strange new smell, and, as she glanced at some of the others, she noticed the way the scout was looking; it seemed that he might’ve noticed the scent, too.
“I’ll go look ahead, and see if I can get a glimpse of what that strange scent might be! I’ve been in the wilderness on my own plenty of times before, I’ll be fine!” she told the others, and then she galloped several feet ahead and started looking around.
Well, although she had been in the wilderness on her own many times before, it was never entirely safe. Especially not somewhere like this. It would be better to stick close to the group, but she still wanted to seem confident to the others, even though she was quite nervous. Her pride, and longing to be a distance from them after putting her hoof in her mouth.
Post: 3 | WC: 375
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Post by Jennycallie on Jan 16, 2019 17:46:57 GMT -6
Hemlock
Stone Circle By the stars and stones, but this is a prickly bunch, isn’t it? Hemlock mused to himself, his brown eyes flickering between the individuals with mild interest and absolutely zero rancor. Had he done something to offend them? He didn’t think so but then, it was hard to predict the actions of children (and to the aged farmer, almost all of the equines he encountered were little more than children). Hemlock kept his mouth shut as they continued, listening with one ear to the swirling debate and another to the heartbeat of the forest, of the earth. “It does not seem cowardly to me, to do things for which you will be rewarded,” Hemlock observed finally, in response to Bridget. “Especially if by receiving a reward, you can then use it to do more useful things.” The unicorn, unconcerned with whether or not his words were being heeded, turned his head instead to eye Veresk, who had stopped dead. Hemlock eyed the Scout curiously, before his eyes moved to track Bridget’s angry movements. “I do not smell anything strange,” Hemlock offered, very helpfully. He followed Bridget, lowering his head when his horn threatened to snag on low-hanging branches. He continued past the Valkyrie, nostrils flared and eyes bright in an effort to discern what might have (further) upset the members of his group. But he had missed the obvious. Because even as Hemlock wandered deeper into the gloomy forests, a grim tableaux had been revealed at Bridget’s hooves. A rib-cage lay spread, almost tenderly against the base of a great Silverwood tree. Mushrooms and other fungus already curved around the bones, though they were… fresh, relatively speaking. That was evident by the scent, if nothing else. Above the bones, carved into the luminescent trees, was a message. Who was I?
Wrong question.
Friend or foe?
Wrong question.
What will I be?
Right
Question
We Are the Change You Seek Blood stained the tree, and the trampled ground around it. Around the words, several crude eyes had also been carved, and seemed to stare down balefully at the assembled group.
Post 2 | 354 words
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Post by IcefireStarfire on Jan 17, 2019 0:26:07 GMT -6
S I G L A V Y
......
Siglavy kept feeling eyes upon him, but whenever he looked out of the corner of his eye, the culprits had already glanced away. With some difficulty he tuned out the bickering of the mares--they were supposed to be women warriors, Valkyries if he remembered correctly, but they argued like mere children and housewives. He couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed at their apparent lack of discipline. If anyone had acted like that in his former platoon, they would be swiftly put back in their place... The smallest one of them seemed to be having a bit of trouble controlling her tongue, and he couldn't help but feel as if some of her comments were low-key directed at him. At least the oldest of the group, a Stone Circle member he currently didn't remember the name of, was still sensible.
No matter, he thought to himself. Their opinions are below my concern. The main thing that mattered right now was finding the child. If the others were going to be this way about it, the War Lord's reward was just a convenient bonus.
Off to the side, the group's scout abruptly came to a stop. Suspicious, Siglavy turned in their direction and quickly edged around the startled councilman. An unfamiliar stuffy scent hit his nostrils as he laid eyes upon the strange scene before him. The details of the carnage really didn't make sense to him at all--how was there so much fungus growing already? Even with all the rain, it was unreasonable. And the message carved into the tree trunk? What did that mean?
The eyes gouged around the message were particularly unnerving. If he didn't know any better, he would've said they reminded him of Argus and his extra eye--but these eyes, despite being carvings, held a certain menace to them that he didn't believe would be a product of the Arcane God.
"Hmph, Cultists," he swore in disgust.
......
Word Count: 329
Post #2Code by War-Colt |
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Post by sweet-like-the-storm on Jan 20, 2019 17:50:22 GMT -6
Veresk - Scout
Veresk stared at the tree in complete and utter horror. The cryptic riddle sent chills down his spine, his coat breaking into a cold sweat. He wanted to run now more than ever. He wanted to drop his hindquarters to the ground, spin, and disappear the other way. But what would I be running from? he thought to himself. Maybe that had been the dilemma of the rabbit that he had seen that cold spring morning - perhaps if he did run from nothing, he would end up just the same, inevitably caught by something or other and thrown into the ground, left to be discovered by another passerby. He studied the etchings on the tree - they were fresh, and clearly imbued with some kind of magic or blessing - no matter which way he craned his neck, the eyes seemed to be locked onto his. The various fungi that grew around the tree were more to his interest, however, no matter how unnerving the disturbance in the bark may have been. Veresk pushed aside a few of the horses wordlessly and knelt around the bones - they had been cleaned, rather than eaten - stripped away of the flesh rather than gnawed off, the rib cage still in flawless condition. The mushrooms also appeared just as strange to him - they did not belong here, and certainly not around a carcass - they were something Veresk could not recognize, much like the flowers that had grown around Holmsa. “Skoal, you’re the true herbalist here - what kind of mushrooms are these?” Veresk called over the young medic. Nothing seemed to be adding up. He stood up and looked around. The foreign smell did emanate from this little site - it was whatever these bones had been stripped of flesh with and whatever stench these mushrooms could project that gave it away. “Somebody knows we’re here,” he said just loudly enough for the horses around him to hear. Yet there were no sounds coming from the musty forest, not a single branch seemed to be disturbed by anything other than the occasional heavy drop of rain.
WC: 356 POST #3 |
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Post by Idiosyncrasea on Jan 26, 2019 14:21:42 GMT -6
Bridget | Valkyrie
At least the nearby stone circle member apparently hadn’t minded what she’d said; he’d said a rather nice-sounding response that didn’t even sound patronizing in some way (at least not until he said he couldn't smell something strange, in a way that sounding maybe a bit patronizing). She was about to thank him, when she noticed him making his way ahead of her. She snorted slightly, irritated, and was about to try to race past him to try to stay at the front of the group… but then she switched her focus from fellow horses to her surroundings, and with a gasp, she reared up in alarm before stopping dead in her tracks, staring in alarm at what was in front of her.
“A rib cage…?! W-well… hopefully this isn’t... the child’s…”
She also noticed what appeared to be words carved into the trees… but she didn’t know how to read, and although being illiterate was fairly common in Onea, she was still too proud to admit that she had no idea what this said. She hoped that it wasn’t too important. But at least the words being here were still a hint.
“Bones, and also these mushrooms, right under a strange message, and strange eye carvings… Though maybe wild animals just coincidentally dropped them here, that would be a pretty strange coincidence... Probably really is cultists! And maybe they’re still nearby!”
She started trotting briskly ahead and looking around.
Post: 4 | WC: 240
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Post by moonlightwalk on Jan 27, 2019 16:06:11 GMT -6
Amber | Valkyrie
Amber was about to call after her fellow valkyrie. Of course if the warrior felt that her words applied to her, then the proverbial horseshoe likely fitted as well. She scoffed, wanting to make a comment but what one of the others found made her hold her tongue. And breath.
She made a disgusted noise, eyes wattering as she got a better look at the display.
From the bones to the mushrooms to the carved text. Her ears flattened, taking in the eyes. Eyes, a symbol of the trickster god of Arcane. Amber had been taught well to aways distrust what was related to him. “Argus,” she hissed, trying to decipher the message, but with litte succes.
“Are you serious?” she asked Bridget, a little annoyed. What was she doing making claims like that? Soon those foolish males for sure think they were incompetent. “Of course no animal left this here.”
She looked over to Kathra, confused if not a little unsettled. “Why would cultists let themselves in with Argus? What does that message even mean? A scare tactic?”
She wondered who ‘we’ was and what did they mean become? What change they sought?
Post 3 | 194 words
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Post by alphaspice on Jan 27, 2019 18:18:51 GMT -6
SKOAL Medic
Skoal's wide-eyed gaze fixed itself on the sight before him, feeling the scout beside him tense up. He passed him a worried glance before returning his eyes to the odd message and fungus-ridden carnage before the equines. Fear was not his first feeling - though, the eyes staring scrutinizingly back at him did send a visible chill up the stallion's spine - but instead, he was more curious. Who on earth left this for them?
"Is it making an example, perhaps...?" He mused, half to himself, but he wasn't concealing anything either. The suggestion of Cultists leaving this behind for them would have been Skoal's first assumption too. However, would they know that they were after them? He glanced again at Veresk. He could think of no other possibility at this moment. He did not think it was a wild conclusion to come to that... they, whoever they were, knew they were here. After all, it wasn't necessarily private news that Kaia's son had gone missing and horses had been ordered to look for them. But what exactly their motivations were, Skoal could not decipher himself.
"I am... not sure. I would assume it is just your regular forest mushrooms." It was an honest answer, at least. "Besides... I believe we have a more important matter before us."
post 3 :: 216 words |
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Post by Idiosyncrasea on Jan 27, 2019 19:50:54 GMT -6
Bridget | Valkyrie
Bridget had just started marching on further when she heard what one of the other valkyries had just said. With an angry snort, she stopped and whipped her head over her shoulder to glare.
“Of all the things I said, that’s what you choose to focus on?!” she snapped. “Did you even hear the rest of what I said?! I was just saying maybe, there’s a chance that it might just be coincidence, maybe just wild animals. But only maybe! I said it was improbable, that it probably is cultists!”
She swung her head away, and started looking around again.
Why had she thought she might have more luck fitting in among valkyries than elsewhere? Well, these were just two valkyries, Bridget supposed, but Bridget still couldn’t help but wonder how many other valkyries she’d rile up, and how often, and how much alienation that would turn out to be, and if she’d get better at getting along with fellow valkyries in the future or not… Bridget was already wondering if it might turn out to be a mistake for her personally to have tried to join the valkyries rather than just remaining a scout, or perhaps even becoming a vagabond instead. Well, she supposed she still could become a vagabond, sooner or later, at least then she’d have to worry about social issues less of the time… But for now she’d remain a valkyrie, and she’d try to focus on the task at hand.
Then she heard what the scout had said about the mushrooms, and a thought sprung to her mind. She turned and looked at the medic. “Well, what about the bones? Do you know what kind of bones these are? Or at least, if they’re not foal bones?” She glanced over at the others. “And even if you, medic, don’t know what bones these are… do any of the rest of you know?” She turned away again and started looking around at the surroundings again, staying put as she listened to the others but still hoping to spot more possible signs of cultists soon.
Post: 5 | WC: 348
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Post by Silverfallingstar on Jan 27, 2019 20:08:39 GMT -6
So lost in her own thoughts she was that she'd ignored the rest of the group. She was aware of what was going on, of course, but she wasn't really listening. Something about how the small valkyrie's words had been taken out of context, more arguing, someone stomping off ahead, Kathra didn't really care.
And then the whole air of the situation seemed to shift into a place that was far more sinister. What was that smell? Earthy, with just a hint of rot, and then there was that sickly sweet smell of decay. Instantly the Valkyrie's position stiffened, and the well worn axe slid out of it's holster as her purple eyes zeroed in on the ribcage sticking out of the ground. With sure determined steps she plodded over, already beginning to suspect the unfortunate possibility of what happened here.
She recalled the two previous run-ins with this group she'd had. How both times it involved an ambush. In her opinion, this was not about to be much different.
Someone suggested that the eyes were Argus's. No... no they couldn't be. She knew vaguely what Argus worship looked like, her friends and Edmond worshiped the god of arcane. No, this... this was far more sinister.
"These eyes are no Argus eyes, it's far too sinister for a worshiper of the arcane god. Everyone, weapons out. If I know anything about cultists from my previous encounters, they won't miss the opportunity to attack."
She began to search the immediate area, weapon held poised in her purple teke for any potential ambush.
Post #2 | Word Count: 261 |
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Post by Jennycallie on Jan 28, 2019 18:41:46 GMT -6
Hemlock
Stone Circle Immersed in the scents and sights of the forest (and with the thoughts in his own head) Hemlock was slow to notice the shift in the group’s energy. At some point (around when weapons started leaving sheathes) the stallion’s attention returned to the present, and he turned around, pacing back towards the now very tense group. ‘Cultists’, the farmer heard, on it seemed every pair of lips. The unicorn shook his head, feeling suddenly very weary.
“What is the commotion about?” he asked, his gaze from each of his companions to the next, his brows raising each time until they threatened to disappear into his forelock altogether. Finally the other stone seemed to drop, and Hemlock turned his head slowly, until he was staring at the corpse and tree with its grisly message.
Hemlock’s nostrils flared, and then he stepped forwards slowly, head dropping towards the bones as he kept a vague ear on the continued conversation (the group still couldn’t quite seem to get along, honestly, young people these days-)
“I fail to see how a decomposing corpse- and it is not the child Grigori’s, it was older I think- is a scare tactic,” Hemlock said, lifting his head to look at Amber, before moving a quizzical gaze to Kathra. “And how, by the stars and stones,” he asked, sounding for the first time a bit irritated and flustered, “do you all think Argus is involved in all this? Death and the flora belong to Kaia, as does this land we stand upon.” He shook his head, wincing as he felt a headache coming on. Drat. He was really quite tired.
“I think we all need to take a deep breath and stop jumping at shadows,” Hemlock said firmly, while the dappled light of the forest cast his shadow upon the blood-spattered, message-carved tree.
Post 3| 311 words
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Post by moonlightwalk on Feb 6, 2019 10:19:25 GMT -6
Amber | Valkyrie
Amber rolled her eyes at the other Valkyrie, deciding she was above answering the outburst -even though she was really itching to-. Though she did no better when the stone circle old carrot decided to pick on her suggestion of it being a scare tactic. "It's not because it's not scaring us, that it is not some kind tactic. Did we not stop and look at it? These cultists love mind games, believe me." Her tone was bitter, looking away from him. She tried to school herself, telling herself she was mature, sophisticated. They were here for Grigori, that was what mattered. "The earth belongs to Kaia but eyes have always been the symbol of the trickster god Argus. Perhaps we are looking too closely into this though, perhaps it is a distraction. They might know we're hunting them to get one of ours back." Her eyes moved from the unattractive smelly display to the world around her, searching for other signs, clues were the maker of this might have gone. She was more a fan of action than words either way so standing around and speculating tended to get on her nerves. "See if you can see anything else out of the ordinary."
Post 4 | 202 words
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Post by IcefireStarfire on Feb 13, 2019 0:36:54 GMT -6
S I G L A V Y
......
Siglavy hardly needed any encouragement from the Valkyries--already, he had tendrils of his teke cautiously gripping the hilt of his borrowed weapon like soft tongues of flame. It flared for a moment with a familiar flash of frustration, making his mind wander. Once, he had a set of armor fitted to call his own, and shining swords all smithed to perfect balance to use at his leisure. Now he had none of those things, and for all he knew they were buried deep in the earth, warped and smashed to glittering pieces. And he missed them dearly.
He shook his mane stiffly. Now was not the time for this.
The others seemed as divided as he was on the origins of the grisly message, which was mildly concerning as they were clearly distinguished citizens here, and he wasn’t. He had assumed that they would know more than he did, but maybe he overestimated them. And perhaps he also underestimated their enemy. But the old councilman spoke sense--there really was no point in jumping at shadows. That would wear them out faster than anything.
“The way I see it,” he said, “we have two choices right now. We can either ignore this and keep searching the vicinity, or we can go right back and tell the War Lord we got scared by some pretty fungus.” He eyed the other equines up and down in turn, but with no real malice.
“Well?”
......
Word Count: 248
Post #3Code by War-Colt |
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Post by Jennycallie on Feb 13, 2019 20:06:18 GMT -6
Hemlock
Stone Circle Again they brought up Argus! Hemlock’s tail twitched in a show of agitation, his heavy gaze moving from Amber to Siglavy as each spoke before returning to the rib cage. These glorified foals, lecturing him about Kaia and Argus! Hemlock made an effort to control his irritation, which was made more difficult by the headache that continued to pound against his skull. I’m too old for this, he thought again.
“Ignore what, a decomposing corpse?” Hemlock asked Siglavy, though his eyes were still on the bones in question. “I fail to see how this could involve the arcane, or cultists, or be anything other than one of many corpses in these woods! I know everyone is on edge following recent events, but overreacting will help nothing.” The old farmer blew out a breath. “We do not even know if these bones are equine, for a start.” Hemlock narrowed his eyes; the pain in his head (not to mention the squabbling of the others) was making it difficult to focus. “The fungi… do seem odd,” he added, some interest returning to his voice.
The unicorn leaned his neck down, reaching out to the fungi with his plant manipulation even as the glow of his teke touched the bones carefully, lightly.
Several things happened at once.
The world shattered into a white, deafening haze as a bolt of lightning slammed into the tree… and the tree exploded. Shards of bark whistled through the air like missiles, and for several moments the surrounding area was punctuated by the sounds of the tree hitting the ground (and often taking bits of other trees with them along the way).
As the noise faded and the air cleared, the smoking remnants of the tree stood forlorn and defiant, a jagged stump. The rib cage was gone, likely obliterated. But ringing the ground where it had been was a perfect semi-circle of tree fragments… each one containing a carved eye.
Hemlock swayed, blinked several times. His eyes slid over the eyes, again and again, drawn to them yet not seeing, not registering. Blood was running out of his nostrils, and he turned glazed eyes to the others.
“Did you hear something?” he asked, tone as mild as ever.
Then he collapsed. The tip of his horn rested inside the semi-circle of eyes, which smoked and hissed as they cooled.
Probably.
Post 4| 396 words
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Post by Silverfallingstar on Feb 18, 2019 1:25:46 GMT -6
Kathra gave an impatient snort towards the stone circle member. "No. I do not think Argus, nor any other god, had a hand in this." Did he really misinterpret her words to think that she believed the god of arcane was behind this? She bared her teeth and looked away. It would do no good to lose her temper at someone in the circle.
"I'm not about to run back to Hira, tail tucked, and say that we were too intimidated by a fucking SKELETON to keep moving." She spat at the kirin, and was about to turn to search the vicinity for cultist activity when lightning struck.
Barely having time to duck her head as the lightning smashed into the tree, she saw her vision go white and for a moment, heard nothing. She felt a few of the wooden shards sail past her, some scraping against her armor but none doing any significant damage. As the dust settled she looked up just in time to see Hemlock keel over into the circle of freshly carved eyeballs.
Well this day couldn't get any weirder now, could it?
Worried that the lightning strike had killed the old stallion, she marched over and bent her head down, attempting to feel out a pulse with her teke. Found it.
"He's alive."
Post #3 | Word Count: 219 |
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Post by Jennycallie on Feb 20, 2019 16:28:34 GMT -6
Hemlock
Stone Circle At Kathra's touch, Hemlock's eyes flew open, but they were... not quite right. White shone all around, his pupils constricted down to pinpricks.
"Alive," he gasped, repeating Kathra's words but in a hoarse, guttural tone. "Alive, and I see- I see-" the stallion's words cut off as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, only the whites showing, and he began to thrash and shudder violently.
And then- he was still, his body rigid. Frozen, save for those rolling eyes.
"We should not be here," he hissed, and his words were still rough, almost violent.
Then the stallion's body seemed to relax, the tension flowing out of him. Familar brown eyes slid open, and he peered around the group.
"Ouch," he said, mildly. In the distance, the storm rumbled as it broke.
PLOT COMPLETE
20 AP and 20 CS to everyone!
Stay tuned for the wrap-up journal! |
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