Could I take over the NCR please since the player left?
Already mine, but I'm losing interest; you can take it if you want. You'll probably have to use what I left behind, though.
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Already mine, but I'm losing interest; you can take it if you want. You'll probably have to use what I left behind, though.
The Great Pines, Mountain Territory
The elders of the various tribes lingered, their escorts keeping a close eye on the outside world. Several of the elders of the lesser tribes were getting impatient. What if a Justinian raider party found them all? Such a meeting would easily draw an army, to cut the head of the tribal structure.
Finally, the Macnamiar tribe arrived. With a delegation consisting of Abelard, the wielder of the Spear of Adalgar, and three Adalgar’s Lodge hunters, eliciting a reaction from Oielan. He said, “You are late, Abelard! What kept you? Every second we remain together is another second risking discovery!”
Abelard responded, “Raiding parties marred my path. I had to take care to avoid gathering their attention. It took much longer than I expected to avoid being followed by them,” as he folded in his wooden magically-tuned wings. In one hand he carried his trademark spear. He walked to the rest of the delegation, motioning for his fellow hunters to stay back.
“You should see to it that you are not beaten to the confederation gathering by Iuoes,” muttered Jealon, a grumpy snort emanating from the seeker. Abelard simply waved him off. Now that they were all present, each eldest from each surviving tribe, Oielan began the meeting with a few sharp movements.
Ulysei began, “The Aberys raiding parties, those wretched noble houses, have increased as of recent. My tribe has killed off many, but they are a flood. We need more people in the steppes,” he paused, looking at Abelard, “I hope you can provide?”
Abelard hesitated, thinking for a moment, before accepting with a, “Very well, as long as the hunters I send are well-fed. The days grow shorter and the cold seasons will soon be upon us; we cannot afford to lose more of our kin to such a menace as simple cold.”
Ulysei nodded, and Zealon spoke up next, saying, “There are bad omens in my tribe, our enemies surround us, and I fear that the monsters below may become more active. Should Jealon fall, then we all will fall as well. I believe these are the end times for our tribes.”
Oielan cut him off, “There is no place for doomsaying in this confederation, it only separates us further. We will stand together or fall apart. We will persevere, and we will keep our homeland. No matter how many raiders come for our heads. If they send an army, they will lose much; we will assure that.”
Watching from a fair distance, an out-of-place and posh-looking gentleman watched the gathering ahead, hidden by the tall trees and bushes, behind the man was several dozen soldiers, all carrying the colors and banners of House Nudden, one of several contributors of troops in the Northern Campaign, and the same house of this young man, Phillip Nudden, Heir to the House and its lands.
One of the more well-armored soldiers moved ahead by the noble's side. "Great Justice, never seen this many Artiuns in one place..."
Philip grinned. "Heh, all the more tempting Captain." He said, his pompous tone and arrogance ever present. "Ready the archers, I won't let this chance slip through my fingers."
"Yes, my lord." the captain responded as he turned to face the rest of the crouched troops, signaling for the archers to advance forward, before long, twelve archers moved ahead into position, and were ready to rain death upon the heathens.
To the men watching, the Artiuns spoke in guttural gibberish, however, to themselves, they were perfectly understandable. One of the Adalgar’s Lodge warriors tensed, with the thought of having heard something, but he didn’t do anything yet. Meanwhile, the meeting continued as the elders argued with each other.
They spoke of various things, ranging from current events to their tribe’s individual histories. The archers, when they got closer, could clearly tell it was getting heated between the Artiuns, but beyond that they were unable to grasp the language the creatures spoke.
Philip drew his blade, ready to charge at any moment's notice, and in that very moment, he gave the order. "Fire!" He screamed as the archers let loose their arrows upon their unsuspecting enemy. "Charge!" he quickly ordered as he rushed out from the trees, quickly followed by his troops as they emerged from the forest.
The moment the order was loosed from Philip’s lips, the Adalgar’s Lodge hunters dove into action, with several sharp cries of warning as they flew to intercept the arrows with their wooden shields before they could reach the elders.
The elders, meanwhile, took to the air, some of them rapidly flying away from the situation. However, Ulysei and Abelard stayed behind, joining the elite hunters’ ranks. They took to the air as well when Philip’s men charged into the clearing, and Abelard, with his hunters, shot past the heads of the soldiers, intent on the archers.
The rest of them remained in the air, flying over to the soldiers and beginning to jab at them from the air with their spears.
The Archer line was quick to break once the hunters struck, scattering as several of them fell, literally as the hunters would impale them and drop from up high. Back in the clearing, once the Artiuns took flight and begun their assault, the spearmen among the raiding party's ranks begun tossing their own spears up into the air, with some hope of striking down one of the hunters. The Captain and a select group of swordsmen stood close by the Nudden Heir, keeping his head where it should be.
A few hunters fell to the spears, but many more of them remained, blocking the spears with their shields. They struck down the spearmen who had thrown their spears quickly, before they could draw another weapon. They began to surround the raiding party, with Abelard and the three other hunters coming up from behind after dealing with the archers.
Abelard shot through the lines, attacking the swordsmen around the heir. One of them attempted to parry his spear, the slash of the spear cutting right through the sword. He yelled, in Elvish, “Surrender or you will all be killed!”
"Damned Savage!" Philip shouted out, tearing away a sword from one of his guards and once again made an attempt to fruitlessly thrust the blade towards Abelard's gut out of desperation.
The blade was met with another slash of the spear, this time at the base of the sword, chopping off Philip’s fingers. He then batted away the swordsmen with the end of the spear, causing them to jump back in fear from the tip as he waved it in their direction. He yelled, again, in Elvish, as he suddenly rose the spear to Philip’s throat, “Call off your dogs or this will be your last sight!”
In that brief moment, as his fingers fell to the ground, the young prince screamed in pain, clutching his bloodied hands, the Artiun was not one for sympathy as it appears, suddenly being held at spearpoint as he raved in elvish. Philip couldn't afford to care to clearly understand what the savage spoke of, but he clearly could see he no longer had the upper hand here. "S...s...stand down!" He struggled to get a word out.
In that instant, the surviving soldiers dropped their weapons. The hunters quickly surrounded the surrendering soldiers, holding them at spearpoint as well. Abelard said again in Elvish, “Do you understand me, boy? Does anyone in your party speak Elvish? Speak up!” he looked around as he held the spear to the prince’s throat.
“Oh..I can understand you, savage.” Philip responded, his eyes seething with pain and anger towards this heathen. The Artiun narrowed his eyes, keeping the spearpoint at the man’s throat as he said, “Then you and your remaining raiding party will carry this message; this material realm, while its life ebbs low in the furnace of war, will be delivered by our tribes. Heed these warnings, for ruin will come to those who bar our way.” with that, he barked an unintelligible order to the hunters.
Each of the surrendering warriors was grabbed, a single swipe of the spear removing their fingers similar to the prince’s. A cacophony of screams filled the air, and after it was finished, Abelard continued, “We will fight for her, our mother’s survival. Tell your wretched, sneering kinsmen of that.” with that, he barked another order at the hunters, who all took to the air. Within moments, they were out of sight among the trees, leaving the raiding party alone with their dead.
Without much to be said, besides the cries and moans of pain, Philip and his surviving men made their trek back to the frontline encampment, a journey that would take three days. Unfortunately, over the course of time, one by one, the number dropped as soldiers collapsed and eventually died from either blood loss, infection or were picked off by local predators. Those that persevered through the pain were the fortunate ones.
The few that remained finally returned to the camp, fallen at the entrance as healer clerics rushed to their aid. A group of soldiers started to encircle the scene, much to their shock and horror. Philip was quickly under the care of one of healers as he grew more aware of his surroundings. "By Justinian...what happened?" One soldier muttered. "Savages...." another muttered.
"Those monsters took my fingers...that bastard dared laid his heathen hands on my pure flesh...he will burn for this..this whole realm will burn for this..."
The Tribes of Artius
A tribe in battle.
Aegis Risk Management
Lasis didn’t sleep like the Tedar. She didn’t need it, and she wouldn’t pretend she did. After all, if you don’t need sleep, that’s all the more time to make art. She worked all night as the Tedar slept, their herd in the back of the cave. She completely covered the cave wall in various paintings, made crudely out of crushed flowers and plants, as well as a few sparkly minerals here and there.
She didn’t expect the minerals would last long, but preserved, the rest of the paint would. The paint stuck to the cavern walls much better than the minerals. She hummed peacefully as she continued to draw. There were paintings of the Tedar, their herds, both of them at the same time, herself, the landscape outside, the moon, the sun, and anything else she could think of. It created a wonderful visual story.
It came naturally to her. She just kept painting and painting, letting time flow away from her. After all, who needed time when you were busy creating art? She worked on and on, until the Tedar eventually woke again. Luk and Giik looked upon her art approvingly. They conferred a breakfast of various rocks, Luk even producing some wood. Lasis did not have any, for she did not have a mouth.
She continued to paint as they watched on, amused. They ate their rocks and wood slowly, to give themselves time to appreciate the vast canvas Lasis had painted. Eventually they did finish, however, and Giik began to speak, “Are you a prophet of Ilunabar?”
Lasis shook her head.
Giik looked at Luk, and shrugged. “Why not?” Luk asked. Lasis responded with a simple, “I don’t know who Ilunabar is.” The two Tedar fell silent for a little bit, clearly thinking that over. When they finished, they responded again. “I think Luk should take you to towns while I tend the herd. I think they would like your pictures,” Giik said. Luk nodded in response.
“I’d love to,” Lasis responded. She just wanted to create art. It sounded like an excellent idea to her. Luk held out his hand, beckoning for her to climb up. She climbed up his arm, sitting down on his shoulder. He was hunched over due to the size of the cave, which made it a bit harder, but she did it nonetheless. It’d be easier to sit on Luk’s shoulder when they were out of the cave, surely.
Several hours later, with a lot of farewells from Giik, they were well on their way. They were moving north, towards the nearest settlement the two Tedar knew of. There would be friends there, the Tedar knew, as they stopped there every once and awhile to gift the settlement some of their herd; to make sure it didn’t get too large to handle.
Eventually, they reached the small village. It had a little herd of its own, tended to by the goblins. They looked up from their daily duties to see Luk, and a universal smile spread across the whole village. There were maybe about twenty people in all living in the village, sustained by the herd of sheep that the two Tedar had given them over the years. Luk and Giik were very much welcome, and a friend of them ended up being a friend of the village. This included Lasis.
They greeted the village, making Lasis dizzy with the amount of names she was bombarded with. She wasn’t particularly social. She just wanted to create art. Once the greetings were over -- not that Lasis would be inclined to remember so many names -- Luk told them she was an excellent picturemaker. That she made magnificent colors out of plants, and arranged them beautifully. They all looked upon her curiously, offering to help where they could.
So she got her hands on some bowls, a pestle, and various plants. She selected several plants, grinding them up in bowls. She cleaned off the pestle with water from a nearby stream, and then mixed up paste in the bowls, the crushed plants giving the paste vibrant colors. She took it to one of the hut walls, and, after instructing them on making simplistic brushes, took some brushes and began to paint. She painted a beautiful mural of a sunset in the mountains, then moved on to the next hut.
She painted Luk, Giik, and their herd on another. And yet another picture on another hut. For the next few hours, she worked on various paintings on the huts, moving back and forth between them and improving them where she could. She painted brilliantly, much to the awe and entertainment of the goblins. They’d never seen such vibrant paintings before.
Once she had finished, it was just about night. She was given a bed to sleep in, but she didn’t sleep. So instead, she continued her painting through the night, improving on the now colorful huts where she could. She would leave them with the best paintings she could make. After all, they treated her well and were friends of Luk.
Just like in the cave, throughout the night she continued to paint, covering every hut in the substance. Once every hut was covered, she made adjustments to her paintings, perfecting them as best she could. When she was finally satisfied, it was early in the morning. She took her paints into the hut room they gave her, placing them on the ground. She waited.
When they woke up a few hours later, she moved on with Luk. Onto the next settlement. The ones in the village directed them towards the next grouping of goblins, and bid them farewell. Instead of drab and brown, their huts were brightly colored and they had been inspired. When Lasis was gone, they experimented with paints on their own. They drew their own paintings on bark and stone. She had successfully spread her art.
A day later, the Tedar and the false demigod came up to another town, just as small as the first. They didn’t know the two, but nevertheless they welcomed in the travellers. Their huts were just as bland, and so Lasis got to work. They gave her the simple tools she needed -- but they did not collect the plants. She got to work, picking various flowers and flora.
Then she mashed them together, making more paste to supplement her existing stocks of paint. She then went to a flat rock just outside the village, and began to paint. She did not lack in inspiration, something coming to her. She began to paint from one of her dreams from before the first time she woke up, near Giik and Luk. She painted a boat on a body of water. A sea? She didn't know what a sea was, but it came to her.
She painted this boat, it was a simple design. It used oars for moving, much like a galley. It also had simplistic sails. It floated on a serene sea, with light clouds in the background. It was an overall peaceful scene. She finished it, and then she moved on to a hut. They didn't stop her, after seeing the rock.
She began to paint various scenes on their huts as well. She continued this throughout the day, watched by the various villagefolk. They came and went with their various duties, but Lasis just continued to paint various scenes. She worked hard on the art, occasionally stopping to restock her paints with more paste. She kept her brushes from the previous village.
Eventually, after Luk had rested, it was time to move on. She had not covered the entire village, but she had inspired the people in the village to do it themselves. She knew that much. Eventually, several hours after they departed, Luk spoke to her, “Are you enjoying yourself?”
Lasis responded quickly, looking up at the bright blue sky. “I am. I enjoy this kind of work. I’m glad to have done it.”
Luk nodded. “You make beautiful pictures.”
“Thank you,” Lasis said back. She rested against his head, perched on his shoulder still. Tracing lazy circles in the air, she awaited the next town. On her back was a small satchel, holding her paints and brushes. It was a peaceful day, and in the mountains there were no people to be found. It was just them, a serene quiet over the landscape. Every once and awhile the quiet was broken by birdsong or an animal in the undergrowth. Everything seemed rather perfect.
And it was, for a while.
Luk looked up, then to the sky, though the last thing to move had been a tenrec in the shrubbery. There wasn't much sign that something could be amiss, but he knew when the animals were uncomfortable.
"They say there's a monster near Willowbrook," he said to Lasis. "That's the town we're going to."
"I'm sure we won't run into a monster," responded Lasis.
"Me too," said a voice from nowhere in particular.
Luk jolted, just a little, and calmed himself with a firmer grip on his crook. "Is somebody there?" he said into the quiet. There was a slight echo from the mountains. "Hello?"
"Why yes, up here," said the voice from the dirt, cryptically. "No, not down there. Not there, either," said a shrub. "Goodness, aren't you dense?"
Luk stopped glancing around and breathed deeply. "...If you don't have any business with us, we'll just be on our way, thank you."
"Oh pooh," said a rock, and from then on nothing more.
It was a few minutes before the birds went back to chirping, and they continued on their way after that. Luk kept an eye on the horizon. "They call him Longfellow," he explained. "He plays tricks, but sometimes he steals children. Naughty children, but no child should have to spend a week in the woods for stealing fruit."
"I'm sure it's just a myth," responded Lazarus, continuing to look out ahead. "Whatever that was, it was probably just somebody playing a trick on us."
A wholesome laugh. "That's the spirit, Lasis!"
In the next few hours they found Willowbrook's eponymous stream, and the road that followed its banks. There wasn't enough traffic to make for a distinct path, but the kindly townsfolk had made a habit of leaving markers painted on the trees. Lasis, along the way, beautified these markings, leaving artistic renditions in their place rather than the plain marks that used to adorn the willows. Still, there was plenty of ground to cover.
Luk remembered the rush of introductions they'd had in the last village, and made the decision to sleep on the road rather than arrive late in the night. Lasis didn't sleep, but he certainly did, and he was still very much in the habit of resting those in his care. It's no good to meet fresh faces with a dour one, thought the Tedar.
"I'm going to rest now," he explained. "We'll leave before sunrise, so you won't have to wait long. Try not to wander." He looked thoughtful. "Or try not to wander too far. The brook is a safe place to walk, as far as I know."
Lasis simply nodded, sitting down by Luk and waiting for him to go to sleep. When he finally did, she got up, looking through her satchel of art supplies. Her eyes glowed in the darkness, providing a source of light. She, eventually, however, got bored and began to walk away. She followed his instructions and stayed by the brook, however.
Longfellow, it seemed, had not been around to hear Luk's modest warning.
"My, my, little girl," said the voice from the murmuring waters, darkened now but for the scattering reflection of Lasis's gaze. "I would think it's past bedtime by now."
A new sound, like sticks rattling softly over a dry ribcage. It came from everywhere.
"Who's there?" Lasis asked, looking around rapidly. Her eyes cast a pale blue light wherever she looked, and she used this to its full effect as she examined the area around her. It didn't take long for the sounds to turn visible. Longfellow was closing in.
There was an unfriendly smile on his face, and his hands were folded under his chin. He'd be almost normal if his skeleton hadn't been turned inside out.
"A stranger, Lasis," said Longfellow, clicking his tongue against layers of teeth caging in his skinless face.
The bogeyman trailed belly-first over pebbles and branches, toothy bones clicking on them as he moved. He circled Lasis, dragging along a torso that never seemed to end, even when it looped and closed circle around her. Ribs chattered and gnashed.
"You shouldn't talk to strangers."
"Then tell me who you are!" she cried out, entering a defensive stance due to having nowhere to run.
Longfellow grinned all over and the world exploded into "BAH-HAHAHAHAH!"
Sweeping down, the toothy fingers grabbed Lasis and tossed her somewhere deeper into the willows, and the rattling resumed with the laughter, chasing now. "Guess my name, little girl!"
Lasis began to run, yelling back at Longfellow, "No! You won't get away with this!"
"You won't get away from me!" returned the cry. Branches broke somewhere beside and just behind her, racing. Longfellow was heavy for something so fast.
Lasis continued to sprint, at a respectable speed despite her stature. She eventually, however, began to slow down when the sound of chase began to end, leaving her running in relative silence. She slowed to a stop, looking back.
Mumbles, distant. The voice was Longfellow's. For a little while there was the occasional crack of wood, but wherever he was, the forest monster wasn't moving.
Finally there came a grumbled "You owe me one," and then silence.
"...Lasis?" said a new voice, close again."Are you there?"
"Hello?" Lasis asked, looking around herself, her bright gemlike eyes still glowing in the darkness. She continued to track any sources of noise, the feathers on her head gently swaying in the ambient breeze.
"Hello," returned the voice. "Stay where you are for a moment." There was a distant sound, then Longfellow's body came crashing down from the canopy head first. About fifty metres worth of torso shortly followed, looping up into a pile as it fell, finally putting voice and ventriloquist back together again.
A light laugh from under the mountain of ribs.
"I see you've met my student," said the newcomer.
Lasis flinched as the body fell from the canopy, as she looked on in morbid curiousity at the sight. "I guess I have. Whom do I have the honor to speak to?"
More chuckles. Longfellow's head untied itself from himself, and clapped his hands together. "No one in particular. A dead girl. Call me Jvan; The honour is mine." Jvan stretched her arms as she unravelled, the body rapidly acclimatising to her.
"I owe you an explanation, no? Longfellow here is a folklorist. He travels the world, starting legends. Guardians, tricksters, ghosts... Fae things. You happened to wander into a story with a bad ending. Exciting, is it not?" Another laugh. "We're all artists! Me, Longfellow, and... You." There was an implicit question there somewhere.
Lasis continued to stare at Jvan, in Longfellow's body, falling silent for a little bit as she parsed the information given to her. "I'm.. Lasis. I'd prefer not to be the victim in a story, thank you. I just want to make beautiful things."
Jvan cocked her head, resting a finger on her smile. "Oh?"
The loan-body arched back, suddenly corkscrewed, ribbonlike. Jvan delicately reached into some bony part of Longfellow and pulled out a leather satchel, popped its clasp and showed her charcoal and a sheet of paperbark.
"And what kind of beautiful things?" asked she, already knowing the answer.
Lasis took the sheet of paper and the charcoal, not responding verbally but instead working quickly on the paper. She was very much a natural at it; she knew just the right places to mark and she rapidly began building up an image. When she was done, she held it out. A stylized rendition of Longfellow, drawn in the black of charcoal.
The Sculptor body put its hands together and gasped. "Excellent! I love it." Jvan looked off into the trees, then the stars. "And you've been doing this... Everywhere? We found some trail markers earlier. Say..." The faintly purple Lexlight glinted in her eyes. "That satchel full of pigments. You made them yourself, mm? I know you did. It's a time-consuming business; I think we'd both rather you'd be out there practicing."
"I try to make a habit out of charity. How about I save you some time, and some paints? It wouldn't be difficult, not for one such as I."
Lasis looked at the Sculptor, saying, "I don't know. I feel like experimentation with paints is one of the pleasures of being an artist. You get to experiment, find what suits you. At least, that's been my experience with making paint."
Chuckle. "Duly noted," said Jvan, smug this time. "Very well, your gift is pending. Check the side of the road when you leave in the morning. And did I mention how cute I find that answer? You're a sweet little thing, Lasis." She stretched.
"Alas, I cannot stay. Do you know the way back from here?"
Lasis responded simply, "Follow the trail markers, I suppose. It depends on where you're going," she paused, thinking, "unless you don't have a destination in mind. Then I suppose any direction will take you where you're going."
Jvan smiled, and looked deep into the stars. "That's true, Lasis. Thank you." Then she stopped being cryptic and gestured into the trees. "Keep Auricolor to your left until you find the brook, then head upstream. You're not that far from the wagon. Farewell!"
Lasis nodded, giving Jvan a 'thank you' before departing. She did as instructed, until she once again came across Luk once again. She decided against telling him about her little escapade, and eventually morning came, and he woke up.
Just as promised, on the side of the trail, she found a gift. Some kind of brush, which seemed to have a slot for paint. In its side was a tiny eye that winked at her when she picked it up, and the handle seemed to be a kind of shell. She figured she would try it out in the next village.
She didn’t expect the minerals would last long, but preserved, the rest of the paint would. The paint stuck to the cavern walls much better than the minerals. She hummed peacefully as she continued to draw. There were paintings of the Tedar, their herds, both of them at the same time, herself, the landscape outside, the moon, the sun, and anything else she could think of. It created a wonderful visual story.
It came naturally to her. She just kept painting and painting, letting time flow away from her. After all, who needed time when you were busy creating art? She worked on and on, until the Tedar eventually woke again. Luk and Giik looked upon her art approvingly. They conferred a breakfast of various rocks, Luk even producing some wood. Lasis did not have any, for she did not have a mouth.
She continued to paint as they watched on, amused. They ate their rocks and wood slowly, to give themselves time to appreciate the vast canvas Lasis had painted. Eventually they did finish, however, and Giik began to speak, “Are you a prophet of Ilunabar?”
Lasis shook her head.
Giik looked at Luk, and shrugged. “Why not?” Luk asked. Lasis responded with a simple, “I don’t know who Ilunabar is.” The two Tedar fell silent for a little bit, clearly thinking that over. When they finished, they responded again. “I think Luk should take you to towns while I tend the herd. I think they would like your pictures,” Giik said. Luk nodded in response.
“I’d love to,” Lasis responded. She just wanted to create art. It sounded like an excellent idea to her. Luk held out his hand, beckoning for her to climb up. She climbed up his arm, sitting down on his shoulder. He was hunched over due to the size of the cave, which made it a bit harder, but she did it nonetheless. It’d be easier to sit on Luk’s shoulder when they were out of the cave, surely.
Several hours later, with a lot of farewells from Giik, they were well on their way. They were moving north, towards the nearest settlement the two Tedar knew of. There would be friends there, the Tedar knew, as they stopped there every once and awhile to gift the settlement some of their herd; to make sure it didn’t get too large to handle.
Eventually, they reached the small village. It had a little herd of its own, tended to by the goblins. They looked up from their daily duties to see Luk, and a universal smile spread across the whole village. There were maybe about twenty people in all living in the village, sustained by the herd of sheep that the two Tedar had given them over the years. Luk and Giik were very much welcome, and a friend of them ended up being a friend of the village. This included Lasis.
They greeted the village, making Lasis dizzy with the amount of names she was bombarded with. She wasn’t particularly social. She just wanted to create art. Once the greetings were over -- not that Lasis would be inclined to remember so many names -- Luk told them she was an excellent picturemaker. That she made magnificent colors out of plants, and arranged them beautifully. They all looked upon her curiously, offering to help where they could.
So she got her hands on some bowls, a pestle, and various plants. She selected several plants, grinding them up in bowls. She cleaned off the pestle with water from a nearby stream, and then mixed up paste in the bowls, the crushed plants giving the paste vibrant colors. She took it to one of the hut walls, and, after instructing them on making simplistic brushes, took some brushes and began to paint. She painted a beautiful mural of a sunset in the mountains, then moved on to the next hut.
She painted Luk, Giik, and their herd on another. And yet another picture on another hut. For the next few hours, she worked on various paintings on the huts, moving back and forth between them and improving them where she could. She painted brilliantly, much to the awe and entertainment of the goblins. They’d never seen such vibrant paintings before.
Once she had finished, it was just about night. She was given a bed to sleep in, but she didn’t sleep. So instead, she continued her painting through the night, improving on the now colorful huts where she could. She would leave them with the best paintings she could make. After all, they treated her well and were friends of Luk.
Just like in the cave, throughout the night she continued to paint, covering every hut in the substance. Once every hut was covered, she made adjustments to her paintings, perfecting them as best she could. When she was finally satisfied, it was early in the morning. She took her paints into the hut room they gave her, placing them on the ground. She waited.
When they woke up a few hours later, she moved on with Luk. Onto the next settlement. The ones in the village directed them towards the next grouping of goblins, and bid them farewell. Instead of drab and brown, their huts were brightly colored and they had been inspired. When Lasis was gone, they experimented with paints on their own. They drew their own paintings on bark and stone. She had successfully spread her art.
A day later, the Tedar and the false demigod came up to another town, just as small as the first. They didn’t know the two, but nevertheless they welcomed in the travellers. Their huts were just as bland, and so Lasis got to work. They gave her the simple tools she needed -- but they did not collect the plants. She got to work, picking various flowers and flora.
Then she mashed them together, making more paste to supplement her existing stocks of paint. She then went to a flat rock just outside the village, and began to paint. She did not lack in inspiration, something coming to her. She began to paint from one of her dreams from before the first time she woke up, near Giik and Luk. She painted a boat on a body of water. A sea? She didn't know what a sea was, but it came to her.
She painted this boat, it was a simple design. It used oars for moving, much like a galley. It also had simplistic sails. It floated on a serene sea, with light clouds in the background. It was an overall peaceful scene. She finished it, and then she moved on to a hut. They didn't stop her, after seeing the rock.
She began to paint various scenes on their huts as well. She continued this throughout the day, watched by the various villagefolk. They came and went with their various duties, but Lasis just continued to paint various scenes. She worked hard on the art, occasionally stopping to restock her paints with more paste. She kept her brushes from the previous village.
Eventually, after Luk had rested, it was time to move on. She had not covered the entire village, but she had inspired the people in the village to do it themselves. She knew that much. Eventually, several hours after they departed, Luk spoke to her, “Are you enjoying yourself?”
Lasis responded quickly, looking up at the bright blue sky. “I am. I enjoy this kind of work. I’m glad to have done it.”
Luk nodded. “You make beautiful pictures.”
“Thank you,” Lasis said back. She rested against his head, perched on his shoulder still. Tracing lazy circles in the air, she awaited the next town. On her back was a small satchel, holding her paints and brushes. It was a peaceful day, and in the mountains there were no people to be found. It was just them, a serene quiet over the landscape. Every once and awhile the quiet was broken by birdsong or an animal in the undergrowth. Everything seemed rather perfect.
And it was, for a while.
Luk looked up, then to the sky, though the last thing to move had been a tenrec in the shrubbery. There wasn't much sign that something could be amiss, but he knew when the animals were uncomfortable.
"They say there's a monster near Willowbrook," he said to Lasis. "That's the town we're going to."
"I'm sure we won't run into a monster," responded Lasis.
"Me too," said a voice from nowhere in particular.
Luk jolted, just a little, and calmed himself with a firmer grip on his crook. "Is somebody there?" he said into the quiet. There was a slight echo from the mountains. "Hello?"
"Why yes, up here," said the voice from the dirt, cryptically. "No, not down there. Not there, either," said a shrub. "Goodness, aren't you dense?"
Luk stopped glancing around and breathed deeply. "...If you don't have any business with us, we'll just be on our way, thank you."
"Oh pooh," said a rock, and from then on nothing more.
It was a few minutes before the birds went back to chirping, and they continued on their way after that. Luk kept an eye on the horizon. "They call him Longfellow," he explained. "He plays tricks, but sometimes he steals children. Naughty children, but no child should have to spend a week in the woods for stealing fruit."
"I'm sure it's just a myth," responded Lazarus, continuing to look out ahead. "Whatever that was, it was probably just somebody playing a trick on us."
A wholesome laugh. "That's the spirit, Lasis!"
In the next few hours they found Willowbrook's eponymous stream, and the road that followed its banks. There wasn't enough traffic to make for a distinct path, but the kindly townsfolk had made a habit of leaving markers painted on the trees. Lasis, along the way, beautified these markings, leaving artistic renditions in their place rather than the plain marks that used to adorn the willows. Still, there was plenty of ground to cover.
Luk remembered the rush of introductions they'd had in the last village, and made the decision to sleep on the road rather than arrive late in the night. Lasis didn't sleep, but he certainly did, and he was still very much in the habit of resting those in his care. It's no good to meet fresh faces with a dour one, thought the Tedar.
"I'm going to rest now," he explained. "We'll leave before sunrise, so you won't have to wait long. Try not to wander." He looked thoughtful. "Or try not to wander too far. The brook is a safe place to walk, as far as I know."
Lasis simply nodded, sitting down by Luk and waiting for him to go to sleep. When he finally did, she got up, looking through her satchel of art supplies. Her eyes glowed in the darkness, providing a source of light. She, eventually, however, got bored and began to walk away. She followed his instructions and stayed by the brook, however.
Longfellow, it seemed, had not been around to hear Luk's modest warning.
"My, my, little girl," said the voice from the murmuring waters, darkened now but for the scattering reflection of Lasis's gaze. "I would think it's past bedtime by now."
A new sound, like sticks rattling softly over a dry ribcage. It came from everywhere.
"Who's there?" Lasis asked, looking around rapidly. Her eyes cast a pale blue light wherever she looked, and she used this to its full effect as she examined the area around her. It didn't take long for the sounds to turn visible. Longfellow was closing in.
There was an unfriendly smile on his face, and his hands were folded under his chin. He'd be almost normal if his skeleton hadn't been turned inside out.
"A stranger, Lasis," said Longfellow, clicking his tongue against layers of teeth caging in his skinless face.
The bogeyman trailed belly-first over pebbles and branches, toothy bones clicking on them as he moved. He circled Lasis, dragging along a torso that never seemed to end, even when it looped and closed circle around her. Ribs chattered and gnashed.
"You shouldn't talk to strangers."
"Then tell me who you are!" she cried out, entering a defensive stance due to having nowhere to run.
Longfellow grinned all over and the world exploded into "BAH-HAHAHAHAH!"
Sweeping down, the toothy fingers grabbed Lasis and tossed her somewhere deeper into the willows, and the rattling resumed with the laughter, chasing now. "Guess my name, little girl!"
Lasis began to run, yelling back at Longfellow, "No! You won't get away with this!"
"You won't get away from me!" returned the cry. Branches broke somewhere beside and just behind her, racing. Longfellow was heavy for something so fast.
Lasis continued to sprint, at a respectable speed despite her stature. She eventually, however, began to slow down when the sound of chase began to end, leaving her running in relative silence. She slowed to a stop, looking back.
Mumbles, distant. The voice was Longfellow's. For a little while there was the occasional crack of wood, but wherever he was, the forest monster wasn't moving.
Finally there came a grumbled "You owe me one," and then silence.
"...Lasis?" said a new voice, close again."Are you there?"
"Hello?" Lasis asked, looking around herself, her bright gemlike eyes still glowing in the darkness. She continued to track any sources of noise, the feathers on her head gently swaying in the ambient breeze.
"Hello," returned the voice. "Stay where you are for a moment." There was a distant sound, then Longfellow's body came crashing down from the canopy head first. About fifty metres worth of torso shortly followed, looping up into a pile as it fell, finally putting voice and ventriloquist back together again.
A light laugh from under the mountain of ribs.
"I see you've met my student," said the newcomer.
Lasis flinched as the body fell from the canopy, as she looked on in morbid curiousity at the sight. "I guess I have. Whom do I have the honor to speak to?"
More chuckles. Longfellow's head untied itself from himself, and clapped his hands together. "No one in particular. A dead girl. Call me Jvan; The honour is mine." Jvan stretched her arms as she unravelled, the body rapidly acclimatising to her.
"I owe you an explanation, no? Longfellow here is a folklorist. He travels the world, starting legends. Guardians, tricksters, ghosts... Fae things. You happened to wander into a story with a bad ending. Exciting, is it not?" Another laugh. "We're all artists! Me, Longfellow, and... You." There was an implicit question there somewhere.
Lasis continued to stare at Jvan, in Longfellow's body, falling silent for a little bit as she parsed the information given to her. "I'm.. Lasis. I'd prefer not to be the victim in a story, thank you. I just want to make beautiful things."
Jvan cocked her head, resting a finger on her smile. "Oh?"
The loan-body arched back, suddenly corkscrewed, ribbonlike. Jvan delicately reached into some bony part of Longfellow and pulled out a leather satchel, popped its clasp and showed her charcoal and a sheet of paperbark.
"And what kind of beautiful things?" asked she, already knowing the answer.
Lasis took the sheet of paper and the charcoal, not responding verbally but instead working quickly on the paper. She was very much a natural at it; she knew just the right places to mark and she rapidly began building up an image. When she was done, she held it out. A stylized rendition of Longfellow, drawn in the black of charcoal.
The Sculptor body put its hands together and gasped. "Excellent! I love it." Jvan looked off into the trees, then the stars. "And you've been doing this... Everywhere? We found some trail markers earlier. Say..." The faintly purple Lexlight glinted in her eyes. "That satchel full of pigments. You made them yourself, mm? I know you did. It's a time-consuming business; I think we'd both rather you'd be out there practicing."
"I try to make a habit out of charity. How about I save you some time, and some paints? It wouldn't be difficult, not for one such as I."
Lasis looked at the Sculptor, saying, "I don't know. I feel like experimentation with paints is one of the pleasures of being an artist. You get to experiment, find what suits you. At least, that's been my experience with making paint."
Chuckle. "Duly noted," said Jvan, smug this time. "Very well, your gift is pending. Check the side of the road when you leave in the morning. And did I mention how cute I find that answer? You're a sweet little thing, Lasis." She stretched.
"Alas, I cannot stay. Do you know the way back from here?"
Lasis responded simply, "Follow the trail markers, I suppose. It depends on where you're going," she paused, thinking, "unless you don't have a destination in mind. Then I suppose any direction will take you where you're going."
Jvan smiled, and looked deep into the stars. "That's true, Lasis. Thank you." Then she stopped being cryptic and gestured into the trees. "Keep Auricolor to your left until you find the brook, then head upstream. You're not that far from the wagon. Farewell!"
Lasis nodded, giving Jvan a 'thank you' before departing. She did as instructed, until she once again came across Luk once again. She decided against telling him about her little escapade, and eventually morning came, and he woke up.
Just as promised, on the side of the trail, she found a gift. Some kind of brush, which seemed to have a slot for paint. In its side was a tiny eye that winked at her when she picked it up, and the handle seemed to be a kind of shell. She figured she would try it out in the next village.
<Snipped quote by WrongEndoftheRainbow>
It'll be finished real quick if you reply to it yo
I'm busy okay
<Snipped quote by WrongEndoftheRainbow>
It took me several minutes to find the name, but I'm pretty sure that hero is Mesera.
I found it in this post.
Looks right!
Lazarus is a deadbeat mom who neglects all her various semi-children.
She's also a librarian and a scientist. Maybe more of a philosopher? idk.
Lazarus is also kinda like the neighborhood psychopath. Nothing matters to her unless it's useful to whatever thing she's up to right at that moment.
Among her group of children she's horribly neglected: Lasis (the collab involving her will be finished someday I swear), Altair (may he rip in peace), those two heroes that Ilunabar gave me that I can't remember the name of (currently somewhere with the angels), and the demigod of the dead.
Lasis just wants to make art, promise. She's a naive teenager basically. Innocent and pure.
Cinead is the quarterback of the Galbarian high school.
Elspeth is the doctor who's maybe a little too eager to see Lazarus recreate the nazi's plans for living space for germans.
Albert is the resident Mattis.
Douglas is literally Uncle Iroh.
Andrew is your local friendly mortal architect.
Baern is the local town preacher who screams about hell and stuff. Crazy dude.
She's also a librarian and a scientist. Maybe more of a philosopher? idk.
Lazarus is also kinda like the neighborhood psychopath. Nothing matters to her unless it's useful to whatever thing she's up to right at that moment.
Among her group of children she's horribly neglected: Lasis (the collab involving her will be finished someday I swear), Altair (may he rip in peace), those two heroes that Ilunabar gave me that I can't remember the name of (currently somewhere with the angels), and the demigod of the dead.
Lasis just wants to make art, promise. She's a naive teenager basically. Innocent and pure.
Cinead is the quarterback of the Galbarian high school.
Elspeth is the doctor who's maybe a little too eager to see Lazarus recreate the nazi's plans for living space for germans.
Albert is the resident Mattis.
Douglas is literally Uncle Iroh.
Andrew is your local friendly mortal architect.
Baern is the local town preacher who screams about hell and stuff. Crazy dude.
In
Of Crosses and Collapses: A Crossover Adventure of Survival on a Patchwork World.
→
7 yrs ago
Forum: Advanced Roleplay
@WrongEndoftheRainbow Perhaps. I need some time to look into the game, but I think it should work out. You and Griffon might be the last players I let in though since things are starting to get pretty full.
Message me on discord, WrongEnd#3931, and I can help set up the EYE loot tables and etc for you, as well as explain the EYE universe.
In
Of Crosses and Collapses: A Crossover Adventure of Survival on a Patchwork World.
→
7 yrs ago
Forum: Advanced Roleplay
@Crosswire may I make a character from EYE Divine Cybermancy? Normally that'd be hella OP but I can go through 50 mags of ammo in a single mission, so with supply scarcity I think it could be balanced out.
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