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Post by songsofinfinity on Apr 2, 2017 0:10:37 GMT -6
- Welcome Aboard -
Characters Eshana, Ithran
Location Western end of the Narrows
Time of Day Early morning, about an hour after dawn
Weather Clear skies, warm and a little muggy
ITHRAN Vagabond | Vindicator
"A wise man fears three things: the sea at storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man."
Ithran walked through the woods near the Narrows, practicing stealth as he slipped from tree to tree. He'd just gotten back from his trip to Nariah and was relieved to find Dinah wasn't upset with him, even though he'd returned from his trip to Nariah a day later than he'd intended to. Just some bad luck, that, he'd been forced to weather a storm in Shadow Point. Thankfully, he'd been able to meet back up with one of Dinah's messengers, who'd told him of a new member in their ranks, a slave Godric had brought out of Aodh when he'd escaped, and had said Dinah wanted him to keep an eye on her. Ithran wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he'd asked one of the other residents of the camp to meet him in a clearing a few yards away from the main camp.
Ithran stepped into a clearing not far from one of the Vindicator's temporary camps. Birds chirped in the tall pines, and through it ran a small creek that turned and ran south through the main camp before emptying into the Narrows. He'd decided to show up a little early in case she tried to do the same thing. It wouldn't look good to be late to their first meeting.
What should he show her first? There wasn't much to see around camp, and she'd probably seen most of that already. Depending on what she'd been in Aodh, she might need to be brought up to speed on some of the general wilderness survival tips he'd picked up or been taught by other Vindicators. There were sure to be plenty of interesting things he could show her, and he was certain he could find some things to show her or tell her about.
Cinder jumped down from a pine branch a little above his head, swooping down, membranes catching the air like a parachute, to land on his back and curl up, chittering contentedly. The squirrel liked being back with the Vindicators. It was probably something about security in numbers that the squirrel enjoyed. Ithran walked over to the creek, taking a quick drink before turning to wait for their newest member.
Word Count: 418
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Post by Mad-Manx on Apr 3, 2017 15:34:03 GMT -6
Eshana | Mare | Vindicator {Eshana delicately stepped amongst the trees, weaving in and out as she made her ways towards the appointed meeting spot, keeping a careful eye on Taran as he flitted through the branches just above her. It seemed the little blue jay was just as an inconspicuous sight as he was among the streets of Valore, a fact that suited her just fine. Though she at last walked as a free horse, for the first time in several years, she would be lying if she said the quiet forest put her at ease. It didn't help that the Vindicators insisted on basing themselves out of Onea, a herd well known for shipping outcasts and Vegabonds south into the waiting hooves of eager slave traders. She has spent all too long trapped within the confines of Valore, and she would be damned if she ever found herself there again. Unexperienced as she was, every shadow and bush seemed a suiting hiding spot for a potential adversary, and even Taran's watchful eye could not quell the tight sensation that took hold of her chest when she walked those paths alone.
The realm of the Vegabonds still spooked her, the simple vastness of the land of Hireath still a wholly unexplored land marked out only by the extent of her own imagination. She had heard stories of the other herds, of course, but the facts and figures listed in books could only do so much to paint the landscape that existed beyond those winding tunnels of Sirith. Eshana had only gotten the opportunity to see a fraction of Sirith's upper crust before she was whisked away into the city of fire, trapped in it's unspoken underbelly for nearly four long years. There was a pang of bitterness that cascaded through her mind when she realized that she had seen more of the world in those few short weeks following alongside Godric than she had within her entire lifespan. It would take time to make up for those lost years, to visit the family that was surely stricken by her loss, and to finally make good on her wish to travel the lands.
Giving her head a quick shake -feeling pleased with the slight movement her mane gave, having finally begun to grow out after years of being shaven down to nothing- Eshana forged onwards, doing her best to take note of her surroundings. The meeting place couldn't be far now, could it? One of the more senior members of the Vindicators had pointed her in the right direction, giving a few, in her mind, vague instructions, and saying that she would be meeting up with another of their ranks, a stallion by the name of Ithran if she remembered correctly. What they were doing exactly in this little session was beyond her, although it was probably safe to assume it was training of some sort. She was painfully under qualified for the position she had thrown herself in, a fact she was only now truly aware of, lacking both experience in combat and almost any form of wilderness survival skills. Godric had done his best to part with her some training as they travelled together, but she knew his teachings were brief at best. It would be a fair amount of time until she was ready to truly assume the role of an active Vindicator, yet all the same it was a day she eagerly awaited.
Just ahead the tall pines seemed to finally part, giving way to a small clearing, and given the soft gurgling sound there was a creek of running water not far off. The description she had been provided with seemed to fit the bill, and with ears perked forward curiously, Eshana made her way to the edge of the clearing. Sure enough, the shadow of another equine was visible mere paces from her position. Ducking her head almost nervously, the slashed remainder of her horn still far to prominent of a reminder of her past for her liking, Eshana stepped from the tree line into what was surely within the stallion's line of sight.
"I take it you would be Ithran?" Eshana spoke, doing her best to remove the uncertainty in her voice.
Post 1 | Words: 704 |
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Post by songsofinfinity on Apr 3, 2017 22:45:57 GMT -6
[/div] ITHRAN Vagabond | Vindicator
"A wise man fears three things: the sea at storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man."
He spotted the mare before she saw him, which was surprising considering she was on high alert. She hesitated a moment in the shadow of the trees, probably nervous for her first day of training. He nearly laughed; that feeling was all too familiar for him.
He was able to see her more clearly as she stepped into the clearing. Her mane was cropped short, a style that looked quite nice on her, and she had a small horn of a beautiful rich blue that matched her eyes. Her tail was long in the unicorn way, and the hair was cropped short there as well. A practical style choice for a Vindicator, certainly. They wouldn't have to go over ways to keep her mane out of the way, which was good considering his lack of experience in that area.
As she stepped closer he could see scars along her neck, a slightly darker grey than the fur around them. That wasn't unusual among the Vindicators - he had his share of small ones - but it did remind him that she had been a slave. He glanced back at her horn and realized it wasn't short, it had been cut. Another crime to ascribe to those rich monsters in their filthy city. He fought to keep any signs of anger from his face, not wanting to give her the wrong impression.
Instead, covering his anger, he smiled. "You'd be right. I'm Ithran, and this is Cinder," he said, nodding to the squirrel on his back. "Well, you have the advantage of me, seeing as you know my name but I don't have the pleasure of knowing yours."
Frankly, he wasn't quite sure where to start training her. He knew quite a bit about combat and woodcraft, but beyond teaching her the basics of how to hide herself and find signs of others in the woods he didn't think that was the best place to start. Perhaps he should just get to know her first? That seemed the best place to start, for the moment at least. Later, once he knew what she needed to learn, he could move on to more complicated ideas.
Casually, he wondered where she came from. Aodh, obviously, but was she an unlucky citizen of that herd? Or was she former War-Forged, like himself? With that horn she very well could be. Or, perhaps, she was from Breim or Serora. Somehow he doubted she came from the desert herd, though. She didn't seem to have their... ties to the natural world. In fact, she seemed fairly uncomfortable out in the woods, though that could be due to a number of reasons. That seemed as good a place to start training as any.
Word Count: 479
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Post by Mad-Manx on Apr 4, 2017 12:13:19 GMT -6
Eshana | Mare | Vindicator {Eshana took a long moment to study the stallion before her, adding his description into her memory. The past few days had consisted of a whirlwind of new faces and names thrown her way, and she would be lying if she said she was keeping on top of all of them. A few of the more prominent ones stood out- Godric, of course, and his mate Beartooth, as well as the Vindicator's leader, Dinah- but Eshana knew it would take time before she could recite all of them without fail. After all those years of making a point of ignoring those that went about their daily lives in her presence, it was proving to be a difficult transition to actually do her best to remember every individual. Ithran at least seemed to have a rather distinct look to him, the light and dark brindle that arched across his body a rather prominent display on his dark coat. The unusual yet altogether lovely markings made it all the more easy to commit his appearance to memory, internally reciting his name along with it.
"I'm Eshana, and that," she began in reply, tilting her head towards a branch above them where a little blue jay was perched, regarding them with watchful black eyes, "is Taran."
Silence stretched for a moment after her words, and Eshana shuffled slightly, realizing her reply may have been slightly more abrupt then she intended. She would fully admit she was still becoming accustomed again to a more social lifestyle. The camaraderie that was found within the Vindicators was not unlike that which existed in her little mining village on the outskirts of Nariah, a realization she had come to only days after joining them. It was a stark contrast to the life of an Aodhian slave, where often times it would best just to keep to one's self, keeping what few interactions there were to be had brief and to the point. That life was thankfully behind her now, but rather apparently there were still some adjustments to be had. Ithran seemed like a patient enough stallion, an impression she was developing even after those first few words, and with just the two of them there it seemed a good a time as any to push herself a tad farther.
"As I'm sure you've heard... I accompanied Godric back here after we escaped Valore with a few others," Eshana admitted almost hesitantly. "I'm afraid I don't have much experience with, well.... Anything. Been with Aodh for nearly the last four years, and prior to that I can't say I did much travelling."
Post 2 | Words: 435 |
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Post by songsofinfinity on Apr 5, 2017 21:21:02 GMT -6
[/div] ITHRAN Vagabond | Vindicator
"A wise man fears three things: the sea at storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man."
"As I'm sure you've heard... I accompanied Godric back here after we escaped Valore with a few others," Eshana said. Her voice was quiet, and she didn't sound very sure of herself. His heart went out to her. Being a slave in Aodh couldn't be good for anyone's confidence. "I'm afraid I don't have much experience with, well.... Anything. Been with Aodh for nearly the last four years, and prior to that I can't say I did much travelling."
He nearly laughed. He'd said almost the same thing about his lack of experience to Dinah when he'd been recruited, munis the bit about traveling. "Godric's a brave stallion. I have a lot of respect for him, especially since he managed to bring you and others out of that place.
"It's all right that you don't have much training. Perfect, actually, it means you don't have any bad habits to break," Ithran said with a smile. "We all start off without experience, and it shouldn't take too long for you to pick up the basics."
He paused, turning to face the side of the clearing he'd entered from. "Let's start with a simple tracking lesson, since we're already out here and you've probably already seen most of camp. Well, not so much tracking as general woodcraft. Can you tell where I came into the clearing?" He'd not been very careful, he'd half-crushed a small section of brambles. He half-laughed at his carelessness, flicking his tail half in amusement, half in frustration. He should have known better by now. "One of the interesting things about forest travel is that inexperienced people, or careless experienced people, tend to leave very obvious trails and signs that they're in an area. Once you know some of the tricks, though, you can hide yourself easily, so no one can tell you're there."
Conversationally, he continued talking, half-aware that he was flooding her with new information. Shaping a new Vindicator was a fun process, but you had to be careful and not throw too much at them at once. "You said you hadn't done much traveling, right? Well, that's certainly going to change, now you're a Vindicator. I know I travel a lot, I actually just came back from a trip to Nariah. I hadn't been there since I was a teenager, it was as beautiful as I remembered. Have you ever been to Nariah?"
Word Count: 459
Post: 3
OOC: Ithran's a bit of a chatterbox, sorry cx |
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Post by Mad-Manx on Apr 13, 2017 18:42:57 GMT -6
Eshana | Mare | Vindicator {Eshana's ears flicked forward at the mention of one of the few fellow Vindicators she could actually remember the name of, nodding slightly in agreement to Ithran's words about Godric. His actions in Valore would never earn enough of her praise, leading them to freedom as he did. Although there was still a part of her that wished they could have convinced more to join their cause, or even of those freed to accompany them back into the Vindicators, she couldn't exactly blame those that had been wary of standing beside them. Despite the nearly ideal outcome they had managed to find themselves in, their plan had not been without risks, the consequences for which were more than likely death. There would never be a day she could walk the streets of Valore without fear; although, Eshana would fully admit she had no desire to ever step hoof in that wretched city again, unless it meant burning it to the ground.
Ithran's following words aided in easing her initial nervousness, and with the instruction of finding the area through which he entered, she proceeded to glance around the clearing. Godric had given her the briefest of lessons in tracking and travel, and with her cyan eyes flickering blankly about the surrounding plants, she racked her mind to recall his words. Something about unnaturally crushed foliage, was it? At first glance the clearing looked untouched, nearly pristine, and Eshana strained to spot anything amiss with her surroundings. There was broken branches, certainly, but that was true with any forest. Off to the side there seemed to be a few brambles that were oddly arranged, but even then she couldn't be quite sure as she fixed the spot with a rather uncertain gaze.
The continued conversation served as a bit of relief for the mare, taking her attention away from her painful lack of skills, and involuntarily her heart leapt suddenly at the mention of her old home.
"Been there?" Eshana snorted softly, her turn to nearly laugh at the comment. "I was born and raised in Nariah, lived there until I was eighteen. My family is still there, at least to my knowledge."
Post 3 | Words: 362 {OOC; Ha, no worries! Eshana needs it at the moment |
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Post by songsofinfinity on Apr 17, 2017 13:18:20 GMT -6
[/div] ITHRAN Vagabond | Vindicator
"A wise man fears three things: the sea at storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man."
He watched her closely as she looked around the clearing, focusing on the spot where he'd pushed through some brambles to enter the clearing. She had a sharp eye. That was good, and would help make her training easier. He listened as she replied. A native of Nariah? He looked more closely at her. You certainly couldn't tell a member of a herd by their looks, but she did seem a bit like the native Breimans he'd met. He liked their reserved attitudes, and he'd found them to be a trustworthy, thoughtful people."You're from Breim? I have to say Nariah's a beautiful city, though they certainly don't like outsiders very much."
She did seem a little overwhelmed by what he'd asked her to do and he sighed. He'd have to figure out this 'teaching' thing as he went. It was only two years since he'd been the one learning from Dinah and Godric about wood craft. It seemed an age ago.
"Well, you seem to have a good eye for this. Those brambles are where i came in, you can tell because the brambles around them are less broken and are more upright."
"That's one of the great things about learning to read the woods. You can almost always tell when someone's nearby, and with some practice you can learn to vanish before they know you're there. It's quite a helpful skill to have." He walked over to the brambles, pointing out the place he'd walked through. As he did so he glanced at her familiar, a pert little bluejay who was watching him from a branch above their heads. "You can see the brambles have been shoved aside a bit from the way they originally sat, and there are more broken parts here than in the rest of the patch." He reached out with his telekinesis, pulling the brambles back into place so they looked less disturbed and a bit closer to their original shape. It worked fairly well, or, at least, it was harder to tell an animal as big as a horse had come through the patch. "It doesn't usually work so well as it does here, but sometimes you can cover your tracks by doing something like this. Generally, though you're better off avoiding brambles and things that'll mark where you've been."
She was doing well for a beginner, very well. He didn't want to ask her to do anything more complicated than some basic tracking, but maybe he could take her back along his trail through the woods and teach her some of the more obvious signs that someone had passed through. He remembered that she'd said she was from Nariah. It was a lovely place, if a little xenophobic. "You said you're from Nariah, right? Maybe once all this mess with Aodh has died down I could travel down that way with you. I love Sirith, the landscape is beautiful. There aren't many places that could beat it, even down in Sedo or up north. I mean, maybe Mount Skeldr could give it a run for its money, but I'm not sure."
Word Count: 545
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Post by Mad-Manx on Jul 22, 2017 15:22:52 GMT -6
Eshana | Mare | Vindicator {"No, can't say that they do," Eshana mused, remembering with some regret the way her parents fretted over her decision to roam beyond their little underground home. They had never wanted her to leave, fearful for the safety of their eldest daughter right until the day she left. "Or I suppose more accurately, the Old Generation is not."
Her ears pivoting to catch his next words, Eshana gave a quick nod in acknowledgement, though felt some of the tension melt from her stature at the correct answer to his inquiry. She had to admit many of her skills were tied into the theoretical knowledge lent by books and schooling from her younger days, rather than the physical, and at least here, far more practical abilities required by those who lived off the land. The recognition of her getting something right, even if as small as finding the direction from which one came, gave her a small sense of accomplishment, a confidence that perhaps she wasn't quite as hopeless of a pupil as she first assumed. Looking back on her younger days though, she had to admit she was woefully unprepared for the life a traveller. In another life, with different choices, perhaps everything would have turned out far differently.
In quiet concentration she followed after Ithran as he strode forward, pointing out the specifics of the landscape before them as she studied the brambles. Knowing where and what she was looking for, it seemed far more obvious what he was talking about. Still, Eshana realized it would be some time before such meticulous scanning of her surroundings became natural. Any other day she would never have spared the slightly crushed foliage a second glance, let alone connected it to the presence of another large creature. Practice was certainly going to be a necessity.
"I would love to go back," Eshana replied after a moment, almost wistfully. "It's... Been years since I've been home. I always did want to travel, but, well, that's what got me this," she added, attempting to keep the bitterness out of her voice as she cocked in head in gesture to the broken horn that graced her skull.
"What about you, always been part of the Vindicators, or have you lived elsewhere too?" Eshana inquired after lasping into silence for a long moment.
Post 4 | Words: 387 {OOC; Ahhh, I apologize this is so long overdue! ^^; |
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Post by songsofinfinity on Aug 18, 2017 1:31:48 GMT -6
w
__________________________
"A wise man fears three things: the sea at storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man."
__________________________________I T H R A N
Vagabond | Vindicator "I know how that is. I'm from Onea, originally. This is the first time I've been home in... wow, twelve years. I, uh... hadn't realized it'd been that long. Onea's my homeland in a lot of ways, but I've spent more time in Sirith - aboveground, that is. I do know how it is to want to go home again." As he talked, he poked around in the brush, looking for some trail to follow. Why did I have to start with tracking? I'm awful at tracking. "I traveled with a Bard for a couple years, learned a lot from her. Was about to become a Bard myself, actually. A few years ago we... uh... we were separated. Not sure what happened, but I haven't seen her since. I joined up with the Vindicators after." He trailed off and glanced back at Eshana, ears flicking back for a moment in embarrassment. Kaia's mane, he making a fool of himself. He usually wasn't such a gushing font of words. "Sorry. You probably didn't want my whole life story there. How about you? If you don't mind my saying, you were in Aodh, weren't you? You escaped with Godric?"
He poked around for a moment before finding some crushed ferns that pointed towards a faint deer trail. Maybe they'd find something down there. If not, well, that would be an equally good lesson in how tracking wasn't exactly a science. Maybe it was for some people, but for him it was mostly guesswork, backed up by a little experience. "There's a trail here, I think. If you look at the ferns you can see they've been crushed. A deer or something lay down here, sometime in the last day or so." Well, that wasn't vague at all. "I'll be honest, Eshana. I'm terrible at tracking. It's not something I've used a lot as a Vindicator, and knowing the basics has been more than enough for me most of the time." Honesty was the best policy. Most of the time. Definitely in this case. Cinder, perhaps sensing his uncertainty and wanting to tease him, scampered off his back, through the brush, and up onto Eshana's back, where he chittered sarcastically back at Ithran, as if he were making fun of him. Ithran flicked his tail in mock annoyance. "Sorry, Eshana. He's an annoying little tree rat sometimes." Post Count: 5 | Word Count: 432
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