☽Location☾ The Salt Runner
☽Time☾ Morning
☽Mentions☾ Arlen @Silverpaw



Sea life had not favored Sirena. It had taken some time for her stomach to get used to the crashing waves but once it didn’t she started to feel a bit more comfortable… with the ship that is.

The other crew mates of the Salt Runner certainly were kinder than most she would meet however she felt their eyes on her. Constantly watching, trying to see what it was she would do. At least they weren’t whispering about how disgusted they were, at least not close enough that she could hear.

She sat amongst some cargo, finding a box that she rather favored as it allowed her to see the beauty of the sea. It created a natural chair with the way they were stacked and kept her relatively sheltered and away from the main crew as they went along their days.

Though the one they called Arlen would constantly be keeping his eye on her. She could feel his glance as she tried to ignore them but they would not. “ Hear him…see him…sense him.” “ He is watching “ “ Always watching “ “ Can you blame him... Disgusting fairy” Shutting her eyes she tried to drown the voices with the sounds of the waves crashing against the ship but the voices continued to get louder. She watched as the man nodded towards her as he spoke to the women she had helped earlier. She watched as a woman followed Arlen around, constantly watching over him…protecting him. A mother? A sibling? Why did it matter, they were always so quick to judge when Sirena could see their history haunting them without them even knowing.

Everyone had a story. Including her…

Her attention fell back on the ocean as a voice pulled her from her meditation. “Best not fly around too much. A bad stray wind catches you, you’ll be like those,” Her eyes moved to bellowing sails as he walked over to attend them. She pulled her cape over her shoulders tighter as she crossed her arms. “ I d-Dont…” She took a deep breath mustering the courage to talk “ I don’t use them.” She replied before looking back out towards the ocean. Her eyes fell onto the water “ I won't use them..” she whispered to herself. “A fae with no wings..” the voices mocked as they broke out into laughter.

Sirena's legs were tucked tightly into her chest as the water continued to mock her. Reminding her of being trapped on the ship with the crashing sounds as it smashed against it. As long as she stayed away from it, it could not hurt her. As the water crashed again, standing a splash towards her Sirena nearly fell off the crate as her body sprang back to avoid its touch. Sirena fell off the crate she sat picking herself quickly off the deck before climbing back onto the seat reluctantly. "I can't hurt me..." she whispered. “They will drown you” "They won't trust you" " Toss her overboard!"

Time: Evening
Location: Forest clearing, campfire
Interactions: Aurora @mole Zora @13org
Mentions: None
Equipment: Longsword and Plate Armor

---

He had officially joined this so-called rebellion, but things hadn't picked up much. A lot of this happened to just be camping, surviving in the wilderness and getting to know each other. Only one of it he considered to be part of what a rebellion should be. The rest felt rather weird, considering there was no shortage of supplies or amenities if they just headed back into Riverbloom. They said they were up to some sort of training, but he hadn't seen it yet.

"Hmm." His breathing festered into a long hum, as he slowly gaze over the two elves and this strange lady. "You said you are a traveler from a distant land." He directed his first question towards Zora. "Who are you exactly? You have no features of the creatures of this land."

They said they were tasked of training this lady. For what exactly though? To become a leader? A fighter? For someone who didn't look like they come from this land, why were they in this rebellion in the first place.

"As for this rebel group of ours." Now he eyed over Rowan, with an occasional glance to Aurora, both of them seemed like they held a position of power to some degree. "What leads you to join this little rebellion? Who is in command of this whole movement?"

If he was to shed blood for these fellows, it might be worth hearing more.

_{T I M E : One Week After Human Arrival
L O C A T I O N : Riverbloom, The River
I N T E R A C T I O N S : @13org, @Conscripts
T A G S : @13org , @Conscripts
E Q U I P M E N T :}




The afternoon had taken a tremendously long time to ride itself into the sunset. At least, for Aurora, even if not much had occurred.

She was sitting by the campsite, staring blindly into the simply lit fire. She could make out the energy eating away at the wood, but everything else was rendered dark aside from the souls of her companions.

Perhaps, it was the worry that was burdening her. There were several needless thoughts or worries that immediately transgressed her mind. Whatever they were, a good night’s contemplation and rest would surely ease her discomfort.

As she listened to Barrock, she felt a gentle need to answer for Zoe’s, but she stopped herself. Had she become too protective over the human?

Her milk eyes looked downcast from the fire and met the blank canvas of where her palms should be resting, peacefully in her lap. Other than Barrock, the surroundings were quiet and tranquil for a nighttime forest. The wind was could not have been any less disturbing.

Perhaps, it was a good thing she had agreed to intercede for Zora’s wishes to her dear brother. And they even had a new recruit, so it seemed.

Everything was going smoothly…

…Why the worry?

“The Light Elves,” Rowan answered concisely. His swift eyes jetted from the fire to Barrock. “Or rather, The New Dawn, as we formally call ourselves. The Dark Elves have been destroying with their tyranny…” He looked back at the fire and a serious breath puffed through the elf’s chest. “As I am sure you are already aware?” His eyes were suddenly back on Barrock.

A smile broke on his face, “Tell me, my friend, what brings you, an Orc to Riverbloom?”

Rowan was more than eager to steer the conversation away from Zara’s grasp for the time being. He already felt she was in debt for the lack of training they practiced today.

He believed if he gave her any more leeway, she might as well be given the title Leader, and he could not even gather enough healthy humor to laugh silently about such a thing.

It did not matter what his beloved sister believed. Today’s happenings would not become a regular occurrence. He had been made the leader of this group for a reason, and while he truly appreciated and cherished his sister’s input and in no way wanted to disrespect her insight, today would simply be scheduled as a special occasion.

“And, cheers to you, my friend, for our happenchance meeting to bring us all together. May this be a a good and bright sign for The New Dawn.” He raised his drinking canister in the air briefly and noted the other three before taking a swift sip of the cool water.

Time: Evening
Location: Campsite outside Roshmi City
Interactions: Scathael @Apex Sunburn, Aerilyn @Alivefalling, Mari @princess, and Thraash @funnyguy

---

For the longest time, for someone to keep their word, as Five understood it, was a promise that would never be broken, that whatever duty behind its establishment would be upheld regardless of temptation. When Five agreed to not try to kill Mari and Thraash anymore, it was more of an official statement regarding a newly forged contract made on the spot. The Warforged, however, being an individual incapable of lying and typically the truthful sort, was set on carrying out and accomplishing the deal he had made, an order he had both created and determined to follow.

And yet Five was already regretting calling off his hunt, and the urge to murder his former quarry boiled within him.

It wasn't long after the newly assembled group had departed The Nest, now in tatters; Five's mechanical body had become a sudden topic of concern. The problem in question was how his right arm had finally succumbed to the wear and tear of battle and the ongoing weeks without upkeep. As they strode away from Roshmi City, Five could only speculate that a gear or a piston, perhaps both, maybe even two or more, simply cracked and snapped. The occurrence resulted in a near-catastrophic breakdown of his limb, with the clockwork assembly within his armor shell seizing up and falling apart. Everyone around him heard the pops and pings and the troubling blackened steam coming out of him from all the grinding metal. Thraash has a good laugh of the scene where Five's arm finally came loose and landed into the earth with a thud. Five himself awkwardly stared at the disabled and literally disarmed limb for a solid minute before he realized the vocal concerns being presented to him.

Since then, Five had settled at the party's campsite and worked for the last several hours trying to repair his arm. Five, however, was confident there was no real way to fix the damaged internals, not with his repair kit anyway. A professional would've been needed to repair the individual components, if not replace them if the goal was to make his limb and its connection to his body 'like-new' again. Instead, he had to come up with a bypass of sorts - a very complicated and complex procedure of removing redundant or damaged assemblies and rigging the remaining components through a new reconfiguration framework. As tedious as it would be, Five could certainly pull it off himself, provided he could retain his composure while using only the other functioning hand, and a large one at that, to complete the task. Going about the process, however, for Five was like operating on a person with a wrench. His hand was too massive to access his construction, and even manipulating the smaller parts with the tips of his claws was a process of trial and error where said pieces slipped from his grasp despite his precise movements.

Killing Mari and Thraash and getting his money to pay for that long-awaited tune-up would have avoided this mess, and that compelling option to carry such a deed out was still there. But Five had already accepted the deal, and the misfortune was now upon him. All he had to do now was work through it the best he could.

<<DAMN,>> muttered Five as a bolt slipped through his claws.

Eventually, Mari stumbled into the campsite excitedly, “Guysss! Guess what! Totally caught word of someone who can help Five. Apparently their name is Scathael and they-”

Five's eyes shot towards Mari, interested in her explanation of how this, Scathael could render assistance. However, the Light Elf had apparently blanked a moment later, distracted by the stew Aerilyn had brewed. The Warforged patiently waited for Mari to return to the topic she presented, only to find her taking a spot at the camp and preparing to fill her belly. Crimson hues glowed from Five's armor while steam shot out from various vents. He didn't take kindly to being ignored, especially in such a dimwitted fashion. Setting his tools down, his left arm extended over to where Mari sat while his claws hovered over head. In a quick but delicate motion, his hand went down and plucked her off the ground by grasping the back of Mari's shirt using the rubber pads on his fingertips. The scene would have played similarly to how a cat owner would lift their pet to scold them. He pulled the light elf closer to his face in that same motion, where all three optics peered at her.

<<SCATHAEL. "THEY"? CONTINUE,>> ordered Five.

Time: Evening
Location: Forest clearing, campfire
Interactions: Aurora @mole Zora @13org
Mentions: None
Equipment: Longsword and Plate Armor

---

Cutting through the wordy descriptions, the one bit of information that triggered in him even more sense of curiosity: Humans. The Dugmaghords didn't have written records of much, and for as long as he lived there, there had been no contact with any human whatsoever, only the fact that if seen, they would be killed onsite. It was only through elven records that one way or another fell into his hands that he knew the existence of these...he would call walking magic tower. It's also no secret that the ones who wrote about these towers also despised them. And yet here is one, in the flesh, walking around, in this rebellion, bonding with the two elves. While he had little preconceived biases against them, the fact that this 'New Dawn' rebellion were using them says a lot about their power, which is not much at all.

Hearing what Rowan said about this group, he wasn't exactly surprised. He pretty much answered the question without revealing much details at all. Though it could simply be because of secrecy. A new guy wouldn't get the information that easily.

Word for a word, it was his time to answer the question.

"Work." He replied. "I go where the coins take me. The clan does not welcome me anymore, nor do I welcome them."

He took a sip of water in solidarity with Rowan too, before looking over to Zora.

"What is to happen anyway?" He said, having decided to ask straightforwardly. "Where are we going, now that I have joined the cause?"

ᴛɪᴍᴇ | Sunset
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ | Northbound on the Eastern Sea
ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Mister Luum @FunnyGuy
ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ | Bardulf @Lava Alckon
ᴇQᴜɪᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ | Travel bag with essentials (money, rations, first aid, etc), sapphire pendant, twin daggers.

---

Before Zeva knew it, she was on a ship sailing north with the strangers she had met just the days before, gazing upon the calm seas from the perimeter of the vessel’s deck. The pink sunset hues washed the boat’s exterior with a tint as warm as the gentle breeze, carrying with it the smell of salt and algae from the sea. The heavens themselves painted a serenity across the skies that seemed to only emphasize the anxiety that Zeva was feeling within.

She leaned against the wooden rail, elbows perched upon its edge. A defeated sigh escaped her lips. As the ship rushed further into the vast seas, it was finally sinking in that Zeva had really left her life behind on somewhat of a whim. Her gaze lingered on the silhouette of Roshmi City, ever diminishing into the horizon. There was no turning back now. A blizzard of thoughts swarmed in her head – would her family be worried? Did it make sense to disappear from school and work? Surely her face would be plastered around town on missing person posters until they got word of her whereabouts.

There was a glimmer of excitement past the turmoil, however. Zeva contemplated how much stronger she could get on this journey, eager to fight dark elves and monsters alike. Her hands gravitated towards the new daggers holstered on her back. With a swift motion, she unsheathed one of the blades, admiring it before her. It was a custom-made demon core dagger, costing a sizable chunk of Zeva’s savings, but it was a huge upgrade from the orc steel from her parent’s collection that she had been using prior. They were on the longer side, enough to almost be classified as swords, as Zeva preferred. An intricate pattern was carved close to the hilt of the blade that resembled wings wrapping both the blade and handle. Black leather was tightly wound around the handle for grip, and a small decorative metal feather hung at the blunt end of the weapon.

Across the deck, Zeva caught a glimpse of Mister Luum admiring the sunset, just as she had been. She sheathed her weapon and walked towards him. Many of her questions had still been left unanswered, and she gambled on the chance that the peculiar elf may be more forthcoming now.

“You almost seem like quite the reliable guy when you’re quiet like this,” Zeva teased, chuckling slightly. She took a spot on the banister next to him, leaning her back against it. Her hands found a strand of hair to twiddle with. “Anyway, can you tell me more about all of this, now that I’m here? I’m all for rebelling against Malthemoor, but there’s not much I know about what all of you are doing. And Bardulf- what, is it exactly, did he do earlier? With all the lightning and everything…never seen anything like it.”

_{T I M E : One Week After Human Arrival
L O C A T I O N : Riverbloom, The River
I N T E R A C T I O N S : @13org, @Conscripts
T A G S : @13org , @Conscripts
E Q U I P M E N T :}




Rowan’s body tensed when Zora began speaking. He thought to interrupt her but decided against it. Aurora had been so adamant that he try to be more civil. How could he not listen to his dear sister? And her, the more the human began speaking, the more he cursed himself for taking his sister’s advise.

Barrock was someone they could trust. He was certain of it. However, the Light Elf wished that he had been the one to introduce Zora as a human. If there were any flaws in his strategy, Zora was certain to find them. It was irritating how unruly she could be.

Alas, he let out a deep breath. He would be minding the situation better from here on out. The biggest obstacle was not relenting his sister, which at many times was seemed more daunting than the task ahead of them.

“I can’t quite answer where we are headed at the moment, my friend.” Rowan glanced at Zora and Aurora. “For the time being, we are training Zora. Within her is the affinity of water magic. We must cultivate and train her powers.” Rowan sighed again. “It’s been quite the challenge… but in the mean time, we also need to introduce Avalia to her, let her get used to this land.” His left hand raised in the air, showing off the darkness around them.

His hand landed on his knee. “Your clan does not favor you? I can see you are not like most orcs, as we have already determined, my friend. Please, tell us, was there something that happened?”

As Rowan spoke, Aurora turned quietly towards Zora. Her milky eyes looked tired, as if having been looking at something despite their inability to see. “I feel I just have needed the break today, perhaps more than you did. Suddenly, I have sensed something coming… or perhaps…” she shook her head and turned her attention to Rowan. He was watching them now.