Ьȴʊє Ͻ a r a v a n 🚙 🚙 🚙 (new thread!)

Favorite Character Poll Round 10!

Lucien Balthazar Mchale - Vicious hunter of humans and dragons.	27.3%	[ 3 ]
Vasul Calim Shahrad - Crown Prince of Shahrazad and righteous eagle among a flock of vultures.	9.1%	[ 1 ]
Lorelei 'Ellie' Katerini - Knight Errant and Defender of Justice who will kick your butt!	18.2%	[ 2 ]
Inyri Ven - Sharp-minded beauty and budding lady of wares.	18.2%	[ 2 ]
Eriol Epheis - Mysterious man with an eye for the prize.	27.3%	[ 3 ]
Total Votes:			[ 11 ]

This poll closed on November 27, 2014.
No longer accepting new votes.

[anais nighteyed]

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artwork by Rain, from Midnight Inks Illustrationsxxx

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The arrival of Nesa seemed to dispel the tension in the air. She’d approached the fire at an opportune moment, and her efforts proved to be a balm for Willa’s distress. The merchant was quite relieved, and she nodded absently as Nesa spoke reassuringly to Willa. Though she did not hesitate to show her agreement, Kemun’s thoughts were elsewhere. She was considering the arrangements that would have to be made, her mind drifting to the imminent. “There is time yet,” she said, her tone gentle. “Have we a midwife among us?” It was a natural question to ask. Because of their circumstances in the caravan, these matters had to be discussed.

Her attention was drawn away from the pair when Velius seated himself beside her, commenting on the soup’s aroma. “Flattery will get you nowhere,” she told him, only half in jest. “It will be ready soon, and that’s all you need to know. Nesa will be served first.” To emphasize her point, she gave the wooden spoon a flourish. Waving it in warning, Kemun meant to convey that she would to strike the knuckles of any hand that dared go near the pot. Needless to say, she would give him no quarter. She was not accustomed to preparing meals for so many, and the hoped the soup was to everyone’s liking. The spices were not too strong, she was certain of that.

She glanced sharply at Velius when he tried his hand at comforting Willa. His intentions were not lost on her, but she found his methods questionable. “Don’t frighten her,” she said quietly, ready to banish him from the fireside if he brought her to tears. Kemun fell silent, forgetting to chide the man for his choice of words when he told Willa she was taking tears from her unborn child. Lips pursed, she stared into the fire, evidently bothered by this reasoning. Her fingers were wrapped tightly around the handle of the spoon. Then she pulled herself from her thoughts, drawing a breath. Her shoulders sagged in a way that made her appear weary. She returned to stirring the contents of the pot, a flicker of sadness in her eyes.

Velius went on to mention a planned performance for the evening, settling beside Willa. He urged her to demonstrate her own talents. Willa was hesitant, even going so far as to ask if anyone would mind her use of magic. “No,” Kemun said, confused by the question. She couldn’t fathom why anyone would mind it, unless Willa’s talent was destroying wagons at will. Kemun wondered if she would be expected to take part in the show as well; her feelings about this were mixed, and she was not certain she would enjoy having many eyes on her at once. But this party was for Nesa, and she supposed she could bear it for her sake.

Intrigued, she looked on as Willa retrieved the pail of water and led Nesa away. She waited patiently, curious to know what these proceedings would lead to. When Willa beckoned, Kemun rose to her feet. She did as the woman asked and went to peer into the pail, not knowing what to expect. Kemun gave a start when she saw a face peering back at her. She covered her eyes with her hands, suspecting it was a trick of the light, but the image remained when she looked again. “Goodness,” she breathed, in awe. “How did you do that?”

[BallDrogo]

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Fatima’s proposal had Maria nodding in response, the idea of going after a bounty that Fatima had been chasing made sense. Wander into the woods with Sadie and them just make a break for the nearest town. She doubted Nasrin much cared for them, thinking they probably left town or were killed in the forest if they were just up and disappear in the middle of the night. Maria didn’t mind that, she just wanted to get away from the group.

Before she could respond to Fatima, she turned her head ot face the group at the fireplace, watching them converse among each other. Nasrin and Elijah were gone, she last saw them go into the forest, probably to scavenge for food or to look around for the nearest town so that they could have a warm bed and even warmer food. She was tired of sleeping on the ground/against a tree. Not having to take watch for a night would be great, just fall asleep in a nice, warm bed and eat a meal that didn’t compose of berries. She did want some venison or boar meat, something to give her more nutrients than fruits.

Sebastian and Tobias were talking amongst themselves, discussing travel plans and where they would or would not go. Talks of mountain cities and such. Maria had never been to a mountain, having only seen the snowcapped peaks when traveling by road. She heard they were terribly cold and her and cold weather did not mix well. Even back home, she found herself freezing when the temperature dropped to sixty, having to wrap herself up in a cloak to keep herself warm.

“We’ll can leave soon, tell them that you are going to track a bounty you been pursuing and that you want someone to help subdue him,” she whispered into Fatima’s ear, cupping with her hand so that the others did not hear them.

Where to next though? Heading in the same direction with Nasrin’s group was terrible, they would be found instantly and face repercussions. “Where to? We can’t go in the same direction, how about North?” she asked. South would be terrible idea, she wasn’t allowed down there anymore, her name becoming a curse. She was banished, never to return at any point in her life, not that she wanted to go back


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[Watervoir]

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xxxxCaden AlinarixxxxGuard
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Caden crossed his arms and shrugged. "Well, I suppose I can't deny that I had thought about ending it right then and there," he answered with a contemplative roll of his eyes, which finished in a small wink. "But then I thought about the people that might miss him in this life and decided to give him another chance," he said, effectively glazing over the details. Aiden had done it himself, but Caden figured the man's explanation was genuine that he could let it slide. He still didn't completely trust this man, but he didn't think that the stranger was anything malicious. If Aiden was setting him up for an ambush, it certainly didn't seem like it, Caden was confident that he would have known. And on the other hand, if he was friendly and they could get along, Aiden might even be – as Velius might have put it, useful.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously when the sack was thrown to him, and they flickered to the blond with a demand for an explanation. Upon Aiden's prompt, he lowered on one knee to inspect the goods. He made not a sound, but his eyes widened at the sight. Caden was no poor sap, but no self-righteous man could not be in awe of the stranger's small fortune. He reached a finger and picked up a silver coin from the collection. Its unfamiliar minting had not gone lost to him, but it didn't linger in his hand for long before it was traded for a tiny but finely cut ruby. He then rustled a little further, digging perhaps for a hidden weapon amongst all the treasure, but came upon no such luck. "I suppose you could be coming out to bury it for a few of your friends to come here and find later," he offered. Aiden certainly seemed clever enough for that sort of tactic. "You really didn't kill anyone for this?" he asked in a joking tone and a light grin.

He knotted up the package and straightened so that he could pass it back to Aiden as he listened to the adventurer's next words. A town? Caden looked at the man, studying him in a new light in terms of his backstory and not his level of threat. Could this man possibly have been in search of Lenti? He couldn't imagine Lady Luck smiling upon that venture, not if that strange barrier was still up from when the caravan fled the miserable town. "I'd say I'd be interested in hearing that tale of yours later," he said with a rub of his palms. "I can show you to a caravan that might suit your fancy. But first we need to find the fellow I was hunting with." He took a few strides towards the trees that Oliver had disappeared towards and waved for Aiden to follow before turning his eyes to the forest floor in search of footsteps and other clues.

From a corner of his mind bloomed an image of Phedre, and he hoped that she was having better luck with the hunt.

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[anais nighteyed]

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artwork by Midori Foo, from Book of Picturesxxx

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She idled in the threshold, illuminated by light spilling in from outside. Elijah had been considerate enough to caution her before she entered, and while she was flattered by his concern she doubted there was cause for worry. What did unnerve her was Elijah’s demeanor in the presence of these folk, because she knew he would only draw trouble to them if he came off as anything less than pleasant. Still, instinct told her to remain vigilant, and so she did as he requested. Dazed by the sun, a hand was raised to shield her eyes and her greeting was tentatively given to draw out the wagon’s occupants. Not knowing what to expect, Nasrin waited for a response.

Movement within the gloom drew her gaze, and she discerned a figure behind the counter turning to face her. The woman who stood there proceeded to address her, welcoming her inside. Nasrin drew nearer, encouraged by the woman’s smile. “You can see I am not of the West?” she inquired, considering this. The hair of the shopkeeper was black as night, and this roused Nasrin’s suspicion. Eyeing her, Nasrin ready to spring at a moment’s notice when she saw the woman’s eyes were just as dark. The sight heartened her.

Allowing herself to relax, she shifted her focus to the items on display. Her curiosity was sincere and unrestrained, but she was careful to show proper respect for the woman’s wares. “I did not expect to find travelers here,” Nasrin admitted as she wandered away from the counter, intrigued by the charms on the shelves. “You sell medicine?” Her tone was friendly as she tried to strike up a conversation with the shopkeeper, hoping to glean information on the area. It did cross her mind that Elijah could find something of use inside the wagon, but it wasn’t her job to mind him. If he wanted to stay outside, that was entirely his affair. “My companions and I were heading for a settlement not far from here, a town called Lenti. Do you know of it?”

[Watervoir]

Ѵeȴɩus Kɩɾʈɑ
ɳoble

His eyes flickered over to Kemun for a second as she withdrew, but soon his attention was back on Willa. "Oh yes. Definitely drink more water." One couldn't die by drinking too much water, could they? Best to be safe. "But it's really no use if you're just going to spew it all out again. Everything in moderation, my dear." Though he wasn't sure they would catch it, he gave a other two women a wink nonetheless, to indicate to them that he wouldn't be responsible if the woman ends up passing out from, say, diarrhea.

"Oh, no one would mind at all," he purred. Meaning, if he was willing let Oliver get away with putting a hole in his side, he was more than willing to be equally kind to a woman with a moon for a belly. Such peculiar reservations this woman held, but he couldn't blame her. He wasn't one to show off to the world about his own abilities either, and each time he'd lie about his powers, he'd be reminded that he never really did figure out if it was because he was being sly or if his city's authorities had actually managed to beat that smidgen of hesitance into him. Outside of his cage, he was a free bird, but one that was still scared to fly. Perhaps this woman was a bird of a feather. Which would have been strange because she was not from his city and of noble birth as well, assuming the doctor's words were credible. As far as Velius was aware, no other cities in Albrind treated their magic folk as deplorably as they did in Shahrazad. It just didn't connect, or perhaps times had changed.

All was gone like smoke however when Willa finally agreed to a demonstration. Velius found himself grinning like a Cheshire cat as he followed the two off with his eyes. "What is she up to...? Is this really what happened at the tavern...?" he was more so thinking aloud than really asking Kemun any questions. Besides, Willa had shuffled back before there was much of any time for her to give him an answer that was as adequate as he would have wanted.

He mirrored Kemun's actions of peering into the pail and lips perked in a smirk. "How marvellous..." he whispered, entranced by Nesa's image dancing in the water. He carved out a series of ripples with a swirl of his finger and sniggered at the marring he gave to the dancer's face. "Can she see us?" He tried giving the image in the water a little wave.

[Dayum We Roll Hard]

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BOOMfwoooozzzmzam!

It was a sound that was loud enough to carry for miles. A single lightning strike, gold and blue, appeared out of the cloudless sky. It burned a streak through the forest, carving at the ground with the fury of a tornado and the precision of an arrow, and leaving behind a fire-brimmed path.

Leaves were singed and branches were snapped. The forest was quieter now, as if all life in it was collectively holding its breath. The lightning bolt had connected to a spot no more than three yards from one of the hunting parties – Phedre's, and its crooked course ended at the foot of the entrance to the spring. It was almost like a path, pointing the way.

At the deep end of the spring, a steam-like haze began to form. It blurred the background like a ghost might, and as only a strong clustering of magic could.

[Manuscripts and Pince-Nez]

Sleep with the devil and then you must pay

✿

The woods were getting more beautiful the further they went in. The three tops weren’t as thick with leaves to block the sunlight out completely, but they still filled Phedre with a sleepy atmosphere. If she wasn’t on a task, no doubt the blond would have found herself a nice place to take a nap, surrounded by the smell of moss and dead leaves.


She spotted some fine birds keeping watch on the higher branches (they didn’t seem to be terribly interested in the intruders, which worried Phedre a bit) and a few squirrels jumping from limb to limb. Cute, she thought, with their fuzzy tail and beady eyes. Some nobles used to make clothes out of them, as far as she could remember.


“I don’t know many independent, traveling doctors. Whatever tale you tell, dear Good Doctor, will be interesting to me. I’ve meet plenty of other kinds of doctors!” Including, but not limited to the ordinary ones with their own offices, field doctors and scammers who sell rose water to people, pretending it’s the potion of everlasting youth.


Phedre regretted her apathy to geography now. She could imagine where the places her two party members mentioned could be, but wouldn’t be able to show it on a map. She was sure it would bite her in the a** one day, but Phedre simply didn’t believe that she would ever need to leave her homeland.


As the men exchanged information, the blonde’s gaze caught some foxglove plants growing in the shade of a tree. She crouched down and carefully, holding her dagger as gentle as a feather, she cut whatever parts she needed.She worried a leaf between her thumb and index finger, watching as the glove got stained. Her gaze fell on her missing finger. Ohedre frowned and bit her lower lip.
She remmembered the taste of blood on her tongue, like iron. She remembered skin breaking, bones crunching on teeth and the blood that stained skin and tissue. It was a taste she was always reminded of, when the weather was just right (or wrong), the same way her bones ached before the rain.


Pocketing the herbs in a pouch, she stood up


“Never mentioned where I was from, my dear man. Maybe you confused me with someone else? I’m from up north. ” She said with a smile “You could say that I’m a tourist of a kind here. My caste doesn’t travel much to other provinces, unless they’re wearing full war regalia. And that’s not a nice sight, believe me”


Her smile turned mischievous, showing just a bit of teeth “You must be quite forgetful, for I remember you saying about hunting a drake for years. I was under the impression that you’ve seen those beasts ‘like our caravans stacked on top of each other, was it?” Letting the man simmer over that for a while, Phedre looked at the path ahead.



“You must have…keen instincts.” Phedre said.
Grawes might have been a better hunter than her, to notice prey before she did. Or the blonde was too deep in thought and failed to notice potential food. She stretched her back, put her hands on her hips and looked at the two males in an expectant manner.
“Yes? What are you waiting for? I want to see what you’re made of!” The blonde expected a good show.


“You can’t expect me to do all the work. Grawes, what did you see? I hope it’s somewhat decent. I do not feel like carrying bags of squirrels.”




EDIT
The words were barely out of her mouth, when a loud thundering sound ripped trough the peaceful atmosphere. Phedre's reaction was to give an exasperated sigh and roll her eyes.
'Of course.' she thought, 'Why did I ever think that we could have a nice, relaxing hunting trip. Always some doom or the other lurking behind the corner, or bush in this case'. She was noticeably getting angrier. Phedre moved to the front of the small group while preparing her crossbow. She was a protective person by nature and whatever thing they would possibly face now would have to go trough her first. She didn't really think about the possibility that Grawes or Oliver could protect themselves just fine. She was a guard for the caravan and she would act like it.
"Get behind me, son" Phedre whispered as she finished tuning the great black crossbow. It was like the one she used for demonstration back at the camp. Maybe a bit of an overkill, to carry a war weapon for a hunt, but Phedre liked being flashy; she was a knight after all.
"Ready your weapons.By the Blood Vulture if this is the doing of a mage..." She trailed off and began walking where the ominous looking bolt lead
"

Sleep with the devil;
The devil will take you away

[ChinchiIIin]

Dae'elis Baequirretyn

The man's immediate submissive behavior once he saw the fire made Dae's wariness of him subside a great deal. Even if he had done something wrong or was a bad person he was smart enough to realize that he stood absolutely no chance against against magic. At the very least he was an intelligent fugitive. It was then Mei decided to begin dressing herself. The elf had noted the length of the girl's glances increasing, however, likely due to hearing the spell she had cast around the man. Perhaps she wasn't as airheaded as Dae originally thought.

Her attention turned back to the man as he began to speak though. She had to consciously keep herself from blinking at his fast pace; he was even spouting out names as though she knew where he had come from and of these people. Despite this she listened to all he said. It was clear to her, at least for now, that he had meant whoever this Velius woman was no harm. Yet despite this, whoever this Caden man was clearly cared about her enough to view this meek man as a threat. Of course, the elf had no idea that this Velius was a lord from Shahrazad and Caden his loyal body guard. Instead her mind thought of a woman, injured by an accident of some sort, and a man who cared for her wanting to avenge this injury. “Slow down,” she said with a sigh, almost shaking her head as she realized this man could hardly be considered a threat.

However, just as she was preparing to end her spell, the roar of a lightning bolt ripped through the air. The sound alone was near deafening but the silence that followed was sobering. Dropping her spell around the man, she glanced to ensure Mei was actually clothed before turning to look down at where the path carved by the bolt had ended. There were no storm clouds near enough for it to be natural, and even if there had been, lightning did not moved after connecting to the earth. It struck one place and that was it. This face alone alerted the elf to the presence of magic in these events. However, more concerning to Dae was the mist forming in a much closer proximity to where they were. “Get behind me, both of you, and move slowly,” she said, moving between them and the forming mist, “This is magic at work and I cannot ascertain what sort yet.” She could only hope they would be willing to listen without questioning her. Though her skin prickled with the power of it, she couldn't help but want to get closer to it, wanting to know exactly what it might be.

[Agent Of Dreams]

Aiden Hale

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Remember the past, live in the present, and fight for the future.

Yeh know what I feel like?: Tracking
S'nothing that I haven't dealt with before: Prefect
They're not so bad...: Dark Haired Bowman

Yeah, I've been around. Yeh wan' to hear about it?
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Aiden nodded his head in reply to the mans explanation, noting that he didn't really give any details about what had happened. Of course, neither had Aiden, so he didn't hold it against the man. Whatever was going on, it didn't really need an explanation now. Aiden knew that the man had to be sizing him up, deciding whether he was some kind of threat or not. Perhaps his vagueness hadn't helped, but what mattered was that, for now, it seemed like he was not overly suspicious of him. Which was good, because Aiden was trying to be as truthful as he could without boring the man with the details of how he had got here and why he had stepped in.

The man opened the sack on the ground, and though he made no sound of any kind, Aiden knew that he was impressed with what he saw. He rummaged through the bag, pulling out first a silver coin, one of the ones of unusual minting, then a small cut ruby. After that, he dug through, seemingly looking for something else, but he found nothing else of interest. He stated that he could be here to bury for some friends coming by later, but Aiden just shook his head. "Not really, no. It's all for me, or whoever offers me the best price." he said. Aiden chuckled at the mans next comment. "The only things that were harmed in getting these were some monsters and my pride."

The man tied the bag back up and handed it back to Aiden. Aiden's mention of a town seemed to spark something in the man, though what it was, Aiden couldn't tell. The man said he would like to hear his story later, and Aiden nodded his head. His next words satisfied Aiden pretty well. He told him he knew of a caravan that might be able to use him. This was great news to Aiden. Even though he knew where he wanted to go, and it was unlikely that the caravan would be heading in that direct right off, they would eventually head there. It might take awhile, but they would get there eventually. "I'd appreciate it if yeh could." He finished by saying that they should find the man that had run off before, and Aiden nodded his head. He slung his pack over his shoulder, and held his crossbow loosely at his side. The man waved him over, and Aiden came over as the man started to look for tracks.

Because he was such a good aim, Aiden had pretty sharp eyes, and these came in handy when tracking. While the other man looked around for clues on the floor, Aiden looked around at the bushes and tree sides as well. It wasn't long before he spotted something. "Look here." he said, pointing towards a bush that had a few snapped twigs on its side. He hustled over and looked at the ground underneath the snapped twigs, and sure enough, there was an imprint there. It must have rained earlier, because the ground was soft enough to leave a clear imprint of a footprint. A Human footprint. He smiled. "Our man went this way." he said, and started off in the direction of the footprint.




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[azora natashi]

☤ ☤ ☤ Ӎ ε d ɑ у σ ☤ ☤ ☤

☬ "The skin is so important and potent a organ, however it also creates and living record of the life it encases. Brown skin, like baked honey, not weather worn by the sun and still supple speak of natural colouration. Yet it is not undamaged, is not milk coddled and coveted, is that not the mark of someone who must lift their hands for the sake of living?"

Medayo stepped from behind the counter, hands clasped in front of her, she was not afraid of someone reading her hands or skin. They would find it strange and confusing, just like this shop, just like her person, and if they didn't, well that was fine too. She was not so humble, but even she knew she was no one of outstanding importance.

"Many things in this world are not what we expect, but we yield to those uncertainties, lest the heavens bend to the will of mortals." Boldly the witch stood next to the blonde woman, straddling the line of polite attentiveness and uncomfortable closeness, though whether by choice or by cramped quarters is up to speculation. "You smell of," inhale, "unknowable secrets."

The rumblings of a god's might striking the unready earth shook the little wood wagon on its axles. The whole forest stood silent in awe of such power. The smell of burning vegetation fought its way through the apple.

"I gave you one favour, but I will lend you another as well, because you are the first to take step into my parlor undaunted. If you continue that way, you shall come across an insurmountable obstacle. Anymore and you shall be in my debt, this establishment is a business my dear, everything can be given a price. Now come, something strange is amiss and I must attend to it." ☬

[artfreek]

~~~~Nesa Cormec~~~~


Nesa hadn't thought about a midwife. They had a doctor. Would he be able to deliver a baby? Nesa hoped so. Her thoughts of planning were dispelled when Kemun berated Velius for wanting some of the food. She gave him a smug smile as Kemun said the birthday girl was to be served first. She thought about saying it was his birthday too, but she thought against it. She wasn't sure he wanted that known. And she wanted the glory of being served before him.

Nesa grimaced as Willa believed Velius. She would talk to him later. He needed to be more aware of his words and who he says them to. “Don't worry there will be plenty of tears for the little one.” Nesa said giving a smile. She was happy s Kemun told Velius off. He needed that every once and a while.

Nesa shook her head agreeing with the other two that showing her magic would be fine. Willa was okay to go by herself. “Of course,” Nesa said quickly getting up and moving with Willa when she asked for help. She did as she was instructed without a fuss, crouching over the water. She wasn't entirely sure why she was doing it, but she assumed it would be explained.

[Watervoir]

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xxxxCaden AlinarixxxxGuard
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"Monsters?" He chuckled and turned his eyes to the other man's forehead. Might that be where he got that scar from? Caden had a number of scars of his own, some with a tale to tell, and other's whose origins were long forgotten. Aiden's scar didn't look to Caden to be quite as fresh as his riches, however. "There's no pride lost if no one's left to tell the tale," he said with a shrug. It hadn't occurred to him yet that Aiden might not have been the only one who had partook on the adventure that granted him such wealth. He was sceptical enough that these woods could yield such fortunes. And they said Shahrazad was the Jewel of the Desert.

He had his eyes to the horizon, ready to do a mental ping of the surroundings in case Oliver had wandered in circles and was possibly closer than expected, but Aiden's words brought him to a halt. Caden gave the footprint a look over and listened closely. The man was bringing to words the very thing that was bubbling forth in Caden's mind. "Looks like we're on the right track," he said with a tiny smirk and a nod before heading off in search of more prints and other signs. Caden was impressed with Aiden's tracking skills, and it showed on his face. He was happy that it seemed the stranger wouldn't be slowing him down.

As he did with most magical sources, he felt the lightning before he saw it, only the only thing he felt was a gathering of power that was unlike anything that he had ever seen – or felt. "Get down!" He warned before ducking down next to a tree. Its thickset trunk reminded him of the bellies of the desert merchants, though a lot safer. There was a deafening cackle, and the ground shook where they hid, a display of the power and proximity of what they were facing. Caden had to squint to make out anything in the light show. The electricity blazed passed the two of them from no more than three yards away, carving into the general direction that Oliver had fled to. Its magnitude chilled Caden to the bone. He was no stranger to thunderstorms, but this was the first time that it was just an inconvenient light show. The cloudless sky and the immense surge of magic he sensed right before the flash was reason enough that the situation was no mere coincidence.

He waited for a few moments for the dust to settle before stepping out of his hiding space. All trace of the magic that had came to be was now gone. The cinders that remained were purely natural, in the crudest sense of the word. Still, it was with the utmost caution that he approached the cinders to investigate. He raised a finger, with the double meaning to indicate his noticing of something and to request for a moment of time. It was then that he could confirmed it. A familiar presence. It was his sixth-sense at work, but to any onlooker, it would seem as though he might have merely heard something interesting.

One thing led to another. His first strides were slow, but as he got closer, he got surer, and so did his footsteps. He didn't pay attention to whether or not Aiden was following, but he waved a motion for him to kneel down anyway as they approached the spring. It was unlikely that anyone had spotted the two men yet because no one had yet came into their view, but Caden knew that Oliver was not the only being in the clearing.

He knelt in the shade of a large oak and held a finger to his lips. The direction of his gaze gave away his intentions to listen in on the conversation before jumping into the fray.

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[WanderingMercenary]

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{{ϜᾳϮϊϻᾳ Ȧʅ'ᾳῳɧᾳɗϊ}}

Bounty Hunter

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indentFatima nodded at Maria's addition to the plan. It was reasonable, plausible, but with a chance to backfire. If they were indeed outlaws, they might decide to react to the fact that she was a bounty hunter. She was going to think about the other possibilities, but stopped herself. If she spent too much time thinking and not enough time acting, things were never going to get resolved.

indentShe walked away from Maria towards the fire. She stopped a comfortable distance away from the pair. "This is where we part ways. Before we ran into each other, I was pursuing a bounty. I believe he may be in the area, and as such, am going to pursue him. Maria's coming with me, for two is usually better than one in situations like this. I wish you both luck, and may we meet again on the road." she said. With that, she turned, and headed towards Sadie.

indentJust as she heaved herself onto her horse, a loud crack resonated throughout the forest. It sounded like a lightning bolt striking, but that couldn't be true. There were hardly any clouds in the sky, and there was no sign of a storm. She gripped the reins, and called out to Maria. "Maria! Hop on!"

[Leelee_Mraz]

Whitnee sighed internally as the lady present expressed that she would be interested in any story he might have to offer. The truth was that he really didn't have many to offer. There had been a fair bit of adventure since the doctor had left Belorner, but Whitnee was a private person. He preferred since his departure to keep his adventures to himself. He tried to think of a way out it it and found it suddenly easy to engage the self proclaimed hunter in their party. He had been in the area mentioned only briefly and in passing but he did recognize the name. The place that the woman said she was from he had yet to venture. Whitnee found it very interesting the way in which the man was pursuing dragons. It reminded him very much of his own curiosity about magic. the difference being only that he had seen magic for the first time at the tavern. Unfortunately it didn't make the make any less curious. After a moment Whitnee found that in his musings, his worry about the competition had faded and he was feeling a lot more comfortable. Distraction was an easy tool. He smiled and followed the hunter’s eyes as he noted that they were no longer alone on thier quest.


At first, Whitnee could not spot the animals in question. He thought that the hunter, whose name had already escaped him, must have very good eyes, but after a bit of focus the small group of animals came into focus. Whitnee smiled and looked down at his cross bow. “ What luck.” He said brightly and began to form a course of action. As stated before, he was no master hunter. His general philosophy was just to be quiet and aim well. He thought that one of the rabbits would be a good choice. His crossbow was really meant for small game, unless he intended to poison the meat.He suddenly hoped that he hadn't made a mistake in not bringing the sleeper arrows. Whitnee loaded up three arrows into the crossbow on his wrist and moved to lean against a tree to aim at a rabbit, peacefully nibbling on something that the goat had missed. With the squint he focused his aim.


BOOMfwoooozzzmzam!

The blast not only scattered the targeted animals, . but it also startled Whitnee into firing the arrow he had waiting in his crossbow. Whitnee turned on his heel toward the sound. “ What on earth?!” He said looking confused and rubbing at the new ringing in his ears. He then took a step back as the fearless woman stepped in front of the two men for their protection. Whitnee raised an eyebrow. He that that the action was hardly necessary. They didn't even know what they were dealing with yet. By the blood vulture? What? Whitnee shook his head and heightened his awareness. Should he be expecting an attack. After all, all he had seen was a queer patch of mist after the the sound. Perhaps it was just a strange chemical reaction of some sort. “ Either of you know exactly what we are readying our weapons for?”

[Leelee_Mraz]

Willa Odette Wilafax

"I am not fat!"

" Oh that?.......is just....a...watermelon I stole..."

After the magic was revealed Willa grew shy. She watched the image of Nesa with a small smile at her success. She shrugged and swayed slightly at Kemun’s question. “ I am not sure. I learned how to do it when I was little. That way I could see when the farmers were coming. They never really liked me to do it though. “ She said looking at the group and scratching her head. She wondered how these people could be so fine with the magic when the farmers had taken such offense to it. The farmers would beat her for what seemed like hours if they even suspected that she had used it. She suddenly wanted to be very quiet. Why was the world so confusing?


A giggle escaped her when Velius made little waves in the water, rippling Nesa’s image on the surface. “ No. She can’t see us. “ She said looking down and frowning as the image began to fade. The water must be sinking into the earth. “ I didn’t dig a very big hole.” She said sighing. “ but if we go to the stream I could show you more.” She brightened back up. She stood to her feet and stood next to the bucket. She looked down and called to the water in the bucket. The water formed into an orb and began to float up toward Willa. She made it wizz around a bit then fumbled a bit. She lost focus and the water lost it’s shape dropping to splash at their feet. “ Sorry.” WIla said looking down at her nice wet feet. She blushed and played with her fingers. “ I could use some practice.” Willa looked up at Kemun, a latent question coming to the fore front. “ Kemun?” She said scratching her head. “ What is a midwife?” Willa let out a rogue belch and quickly put her hands over her mouth and blushed. She then straightened up and looked on waiting for her answer.

"You put that hand on my belly.....you are not getting it back."