Shienvien

The Prophecy

Jack's turn in the IC on this side. Currently waiting for @cthulu in the collab.

The Prophecy

Domhnall MacRaith

He listened in silence when Iridiel haltingly explained about their home ... diverse as it was in terrain and climate, it was indeed perhaps not the most densely populated. One could only begin to picture the contrast between a small mountain town or a jungle village and what those folks here considered a city. Even though Domhnall was the one more comfortable with strangers out of the two, he would probably feel quite out of place indeed. But at least the trade was wont to be good ... Zerul City would not be as derelict as many of the lesser settlements, one could at least presume. Only once they see the life or lack of it in a truly big place would they be able to gauge how many had truly been lost to the terrible plague these people evidently hunted.
The scene changed quickly, though, when Aemoten and Jaelnec approached - against his suggestions and assurances, Angora's nerves got the best of her and rather than stay and explain herself in her own words, she effectively fled the scene. Not too surprisingly, the warrior's voice cut through the air, commanding the woman to halt as he held out a hand, as if to reach after her. The human man's expression hardly changed, though there was this slight ... clenching of his jaw, maybe? Yep, probably not too pleased with this course of events. Whatever negative reaction he had, though, the warrior appeared to repress those immediately, opting to inquire about the success or lack of it instead.
Back to business, ey? The leader of those people really did not come across as the sort to dally about and make small talk when there were things to get done... Wasn't the one to always use the simplest of terms, either, although he, too, was supposedly a foreigner - by his general features, and slight accent, which made the Rodorian words seem less fluent, somehow harder and more distinct. The male forestfolk figured the man must have been living in those lands for far longer than he and Iridiel had traversed them.
He did not interject as Iridiel - who appeared to have taken the newcomer to heart - tried to explain what she could in her broken Rodorian, only occasionally quietly clarifying what Aemoten was saying when he chose less than obvious manner to express his thoughts. (He is just tired and worried, I think, not angry, and doesn't want anyone dead. He wants to know whether there are others who have been possessed, like Angora was, and whether you could subdue the ... thing again, if need be. He also says he wants to ensure the safety of his people first, especially after ... whatever happened earlier today. He'll be thankful if you talked to Angora.)
Once Iridiel had gone her way and the man announced he and Thaler would be going ahead, he was left in a bit of a predicament. Absently scratching his neck, he stared off in the direction his companion and their new acquaintance had gone off to.
Should he inform him of Angora's intentions in her stead? If he was going away for a while and leaving his squire in charge, it would only complicate things further, no? How did she even expect to serve out the dept she had proclaimed if she was going to flee at the sight of - evidently the higher-ranked - half of the group? In the end, he decided it was not a matter he wanted to discuss when the individual it pertained most was not even present.
"Think no'," the latter finally noted, looking back at the stern warrior. And so off he and his hellbeast went, leaving the younger black-eyes standing there. He half-expected for the guy to speak up, but the silence that followed was effectively long enough to yield some ground to awkwardness. Eventually, it was the older black-eyes who spoke up.
“We should probably gather a bit of firewood or something, you know? Maybe get some food ready. All this talking about eating has gotten me a bit hungry, I think...” It appeared the squire agreed with te notion, if only because it would help them get ready sooner.
Domhnall shrugged. "Coul' do with firewoo', I s'pose. Guess we're movin' camp again, ra'her than goin' back tae the ol' one?"

The next couple of minutes were spent assembling his supplies and picking up his spear again, followed by gathering up an armful of twigs and a large handful of dry lichen and what appeared to be an old long-abandoned nest of some small bird, suitable for starting fire. All of those were deposited quite close to the stream Angora had referred to, near to where Iridiel had seated herself, the spear and his bag leaned against a tree, the rest just dropped by an mostly-bare patch of land. He avoided looking in the direction of the stream itself, though - it had been made clear that the local people were quite shy, and there was little reason to assume that Angora would be any different now that she was back to her human manners.
Some more time was taken up by him going back to gather up even more food for fire - this time mostly larger fallen branches that would take a bit more time to burn up. Twigs had been quite easy to find, what with all the shrubbery concealing their path to the spot when they had first encountered the gray brute, proper firewood, with large trees being sparse over here, had been a bit more difficult to get together a meaningful amount of. By the time he returned to where Iridiel had been left, Angora had already returned (one could only imagine she had hurried up cleaning herself up as much as possible, lest she became too numb to feel a thing all over), now much cleaner and wearing Iridiel's cloak and seated seated next to the highlander herself, who had begun trying to get a fire going.
Without further ado, Domhnall dropped his pile of bigger branches next to the pile of twigs, and took seat on his companion's other hand.

PSA: CloudFlare Data Leak - Roleplayerguild, Discord, Minecraft Communities, Etc.

@GoddessSophia Just use the "Forgot password?" link at the bottom of the login window.

PSA: CloudFlare Data Leak - Roleplayerguild, Discord, Minecraft Communities, Etc.

First, clear all cookies and cached info associated to the affected sites from your browser. Then log back in and change your password. This should take care of your account being a "weak link".

A possible evil-doer would, in this instance, gain access to the still-vulnerable account - so all you could do, they could.

Backuping is always a good idea - might not be an attack, might be server problem, might be anything - easiest for shorter RPs might be to just make an arbitrary dedicated folder on your computer, and then right click on each page of your RP - "save webpage as". HTML works.

PSA: CloudFlare Data Leak - Roleplayerguild, Discord, Minecraft Communities, Etc.

Aha, good, this is now here, too - was not sure whether to post my original notice in bugs/issues or straight in the official news.

This is the CloudFlare official blog notice again: blog.cloudflare.com/incident-report-on..

I can confirm that yes, RPG is affected, and as it lacks some of the additional security features, perhaps even more so than the general leaked resource. There is no possibly about it; most what protects the users of this site is predominantly that it's not "critical" in terms of having transaction info or similar going through on any regular basis - it's not a profitable target, in essence. If someone wanted to pull off a mess just because, not much stopping them.
(Didn't have the time to do more digging in the morning, so just remarked that RPG uses CloudFlare then and thus falls under the broad category of affected resources ... checked that there are bits and pieces out there if you go looking now, though it's pretty much a given with any crawled CloudFlare site at the time being.)

The github link is by no means complete. The number of affected sites runs much, much more higher than that. The github link just lists some of the most prominent ones.

CloudFlare leak - as RPG uses CloudFlare, may be of concern

Official statement: blog.cloudflare.com/incident-report-on..

Your passwords here and any other sites using CloudFlare may also have been leaked.

The Prophecy

Jack next on that side, I think ... followed by me with Domhnall and then Legion again. I'll also be collabing the Aemoten/Thaler meeting with Nessa (whether it's one post or several as we go depends on how long it would end up being, I think).

The Prophecy

Aemoten

The savage - though it was perhaps no longer entirely appropriate to designate her as such now that her demeanor had undergone a drastic change - looked at him and Jaelnec as she picked up on their approach (or rather, had them pointed out to her), apprehension and fear briefly showing on her countenance as she swallowed, taking in his and Jaelnec's appearance.
By the time he had halted by the small group, though, she had acquired a smile of some description - though more likely one of embarrassment and nervousness than any gladness or relief at the sight of them. Made sense, he figured - Jaelnec had but a dozen minutes ago questioned Olan's assurances over sparing her life (though the squire had to no small extent been influenced by a rather personal kind of pain), and he bore the grim mask of duty. What little signs of improved mood he had shown when he was conversing with Jaelnec in private had once more become overshadowed by weariness, pain, sense of urgency and the ever-present air of duty, of had to over wanted to.
Just may this be quick for once... An one-syllable word was all he gave to encourage them to reveal what they had been discussing - especially as it seemed it somehow involved him, judging from the patterned guy's notion of 'the one in a black coat' and the accompanying hand-gesture ... and Olan chiming in with "Yeah, the hatless one, you know?"
"H-Hi there..." their new acquaintance stammered over her words before his gaze. "I, uh... I'll be just cleaning myself up, actually... best not wait much longer, right?"
Clean herself up... One could not say she did not direly need it. Furthermore, he could relate - how many times during the last two weeks alone had he himself been the first to bid for warm water and a chance for clean cloth as soon as his and his companions' relative safety had been established and the worst wounds closed. And whatever settlement or location she had heired from - if it were not a solitary farmstead, her appearance was sure to gather quite some attention.
On another side ... delay upon a delay, obstacle upon obstacle. Did she expect them to wait? Or just let her off without making sure whether she was still a threat, to herself or others? Was it gone? He was not sure whether there was still a faint trace of it left, or it was just his own natural physical condition speaking. If he could just be sure she was safe for the time being, he supposed Jaelnec could even linger for an hour or two, have her find some water and make use of it and a washcloth. They would still make it to Zerul in the evening this way, after or with Thaler and him. If the thing was still within her, maybe someone there could figure out what it was... Much more reasonable now that she was not rampant.
Before he could formulate all those thoughts, and his plans for the group as a whole, though, the young woman let out a half-hearted laugh and proceeded to see herself off with nary a chance for him to get a word in. He tensed, his free hand automatically shooting out, as if to reach after the woman.
"Wait."
His voice was louder than before, if closer to his normal speaking volume than anything else. Before, the weariness and scraping in his throat had significantly diminished his usual mannerisms in speech. He was not angry, though, but forceful. Yet, it had no effect. Off she went. She would not get far if they so willed, but nevertheless.
A muscle by the corner of his jaw twitched as he slowly let his raised hand drop again, his eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly as a minuscule amount of emotion seeped away from his gaze.
No. He cannot let ire over small accumulative things take over again ... not so soon after he had made himself to let go. Was it unfair to expect that a person who had - though not truly through a fault of her own - added injury to all too many open wounds, yet had been spared, to be cooperative enough to at least speak with the person standing at the head of the people who had quite probably had saved her? Or at the very least let him finish a sentence...
He sighed, expression once more assuming more neutral lines. Yes. He did not look the most approachable. But he was also visibly unwell and all but using another person as a crutch. Some questions were important ... like where had she picked that thing up. Were there more? Did they have a nest somewhere? Were they infecting people, and could there a dozen more Angoras leaping shrieking at people from bushes? He did not know.
The prospect of a dozen or more other possessed ... it was more than scary. Especially considering that Thaler had just wandered off on her own, already injured. The foreign warrior could feel an odd coldness settling in his chest, and his limbs feeling strangely weak, more so than they had from common weariness. For a moment, his gaze became empty, his face blank rather than stern. Hurry, his feelings demanded.
He was not a match against one for the time being ... but Etakar could probably take upon several, if need be. Jaelnec better still stayed with Olan, the hunter and the healer ... the last of whom looked quite exhausted herself after her multiple feats.

"Is it gone?" he suddenly inquired, eyes moving from Olan to Iridiel, briefly flickering to Domhnall.
Iridiel watched as Aemoten tried to stop Angora from leaving the group, and shook her head ruefully as his hand fell back to his side. Mustering up what she knew of Rodorian, Iridiel tried to explain as best she could. "I think... she feels threatened? Aye, threatened. You both... frighten her. Both of you. She thinks you still want her dead, or at least hand her over for murder."
The Lower Sekalyn's eyes fixed on the female Éireannach, confused.
"She didn't attack us. It did. Before it? I wouldn't know if, why and how. I was wondering whether it was gone ... and if there are more like her." Somewhat unexpectedly, his tone had shifted to one that was just patient. He closed his eyes. "I'm not - I don't want anyone dead. Too many things have happened; I'm weary, worried, and have to devote more mental energy to just staying upright than a man should. It would be a welcome change if things were to progress smoothly for once."
Iridiel took out her dagger and twirled it around in her hand as Aemoten explained his own standpoint on the situation - she didn't understand everything, but she was slowly getting better at comprehending Rodorian... Iridiel shrugged and nodded at the question - if only because it was the easiest thing to do in response.
"Angora is... herself again. I think the thing inside is still there, but not in her head. It's inside her, but not in control." Iridiel stopped for a moment. "I think... she trusts me. I can talk to her if you want."
Still there. Not good. That would have been too easy, would it not? With yet another sigh, the foreign warror opened his eyes, observing Iridiel's face.
"Do you reckon you can keep it at bay, should it try to take over again?" At least until there is some decision on what to do next. He, like most Seklayns, had very unusually intense gaze; his people did not often look people directly in the eyes, lest it was to intimidate or make a very strong point. "You must realize, I'd rather no more needless harm came to my people - least of all today, which has proven more than painful enough. I shall take them on their word on what they can still endure. If you can talk to her ... it would be much appreciated. To find out how it all came to be, whether there could be more people that might be affected. Things like that."
Iridiel found Aemoten's eyes to be very... overpowering, and yet she couldn't bring herself to try and break away from his gaze, and she nodded in acknowledgement.
"I was not the one to break it. You must look to the Mother for that... and the Mother always provides for her children." Iridiel gave a small dreamy smile and turned away, looking over in the direction in which Angora had traipsed off, whilst the Celtic cross marked on her back began to tingle with a strange warm feeling, almost as if two large arms descended on her in a warm embrace. "I think Angora will be fine, but I should go and check on her."
"Do so," he affirmed with a nod of his own, finally shifting his eyes away from Iridiel as she went after the woman, and onto Olan and Domhnall.

Olan rubbed the back of his neck as he shot a look in Angora's direction, concern and uncertainty discernible in his expression. That expression remained mostly unchanged when he turned back to Aemoten, licking his lips as he pondered what exactly to say about what had transpired here with their new acquaintance.
"I can tell that the being inside her is still there, you know," he said hesitantly, taking his hand off his neck to make a vague gesture at nothing in particular. "And it seems more... dormant, I think? Like it's more at peace, almost assimilating into Angora herself. I have no idea what happened, but I think it worked, you know?"
This confirmed what Iridiel had assumed, and made an attempt to convey him in her broken Rodorian. Unexplained as Olan's abilities were, they had proven true in the past, and his trust in them was quite unwavering. In addition, he did not think a person would be able to pull off an act as convincing as Angora's change evidently was. It was - or had been, an actual affliction.
"I do believe the change in Angora's demeanor was a genuine one; the question is, then, is it going to last, and if, then for how long?" He sighed. "This, however, will have to wait for now."
And with that, he let go of Jaelnec's shoulder and walked a couple of steps over to Etakar and leaned a hand on the nape of his neck instead. Yet again, he halted, pausing to gather his thoughts and figure out how much of the situation was up for sparing.
"I - as well as Etakar and Thaler - will be going ahead for now. We might yet meet on the way to Zerul City; if not, we'll meet in the city, tonight or tomorrow. Food and accommodation should be arranged for us there, by one William Devian - we expected to be there by the evening." Technically speaking, they had been in a slightly different composition back when the arrangements had been made, but the number was about right, so it would have to do. "Jaelnec will be taking over for me for while I'm gone. Any last questions?"
His eyes shifted between Olan and Domhnall, the latter of whom appeared hesitant, looking vaguely in the direction Angora and then Iridiel had gone to and absently scratching his neck.
"Think no'," the latter finally noted, looking back at him. Neither Olan nor Jaelnec spoke up.
"Very well, then," he concluded, "If we do not meet again before Zerul City, I wish you a safe trek."

And just like that, he brought his right leg over Etakar's back and wrapped one hand in his mane, patting the noble beast's shoulder blade with the other to signify that he was ready - which caused the mighty creature to stand. One final nod in Jaelnec's direction, and the dekkun turned away, picking up a pace as the foreign warrior asked him to follow Thaler's trails.

The Prophecy

Um... Nessa? Aemoten has left to find Thaler a long, long time before the end of Legion's latest post. He is not going to stay there any longer, but would rather be after her in about 20 minutes IC, counting from when she wandered off... In other words, Legion's post ends after Aemoten has already found Thaler. About half an hour after Aemoten has found Thaler, by my estimate. Maybe longer.

The Prophecy

There, a post. Sorry for the delay ... been slightly dead these day. I estimate one or two, maybe three posts from me before Aemoten goes off to find Thaler. (Depending on what gets saying and whether or not any collabing over Skype or similar takes place.

A new character to be met this day IC, huh? Could go many ways (expect people who are weary at the very least if you want to be met at the gate, though ... might also be still injured; daren't make predictions over mood, but suffice to say any suggestions of converting would most probably not be well received). On another note, Legion figured her and Angora might get along quite well...