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 Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 1:17 pm
THE BARTHAVOS DESERT
INTRODUCTION - DESCRIPTION - DIFFERENT PARTS - CLIMATE - FLORA - FAUNA - RESOURCES Lying in the southernmost part of the Gaian continent, this great desert occupies most of the land. Though there are some wetter places in the south like the Cloud Forest, the peninsula and the plains, the desert is the main and dominating feature of the south of the continent. To the east and south are the coastlines of the sea, and on the west the Gambino Sea. It is unknown whether or not there are settlements in this region of land. The most prominent features are the volcano, the mountains, containing the famous Oasis, the Great Sand Dunes in the east, and the Salt Pans in the middle near the mountains. Though in most parts very arid, the desert has an abundant wildlife and is by no means lifeless. Both animals and plants are adapted very well to the conditions there. Other races are not known yet to live there. Introduction:
Unforgiving heat over vast sands rises in ripples against a pale, cloudless sky. The desert birds, using the ascending hot air, circles with motionless wings over a land which stretches for ever, coloured with light yellows and soft browns. There is no visible water to reflect the eggshell blue sky and bring a sparkle to the landscape. At this height the wilderness is frightenly flat, though a white peak is visible in the misty distance as well as the promise of an abundance of water in the other direction. The bird is soaring higher, lonely in the emptiness of an endless sky over the Barthavos...
Deep down in the sands yellow lidless eyes are waiting patiently, hour for hour in the heat of the day; covered with hot sand the serpent is waiting for a passing prey. Then suddenly there is a movement the surprised eye can barely follow. White fangs blink in the light of the sand and death has come to a careless animal. - There is a scampering - high pitched noises can be heard - maybe the eye catches a glimpse of brown fur. The mice have witnessed the death of the bird and are striving for their safe burrows.
Grey storm clouds race overhead and the hot winds swirl beneath the darkening sky. Sand grains are whirled around, lightning flashes and thunder rumbles in the approaching black heart of the clouds. In the distance the rain is white. Birds are tossed around like leaves from a far shore. Suddenly it is quiet and calm and the rain falls. As the clouds move on a rainbow appears, the storm has passed and it is soon hot again.
Description:
The desert covers most lands south of the plains, except the wetter regions and the cultivated plains, the cloud forests and a small piece of coast. The whole region is arid to a varying extent and rainfalls occur in most places only occasionally. All types of deserts can be found here; the half arid lands with perennial rainfalls and open water availably the whole year in some places, to truly arid regions with nearly no rainfall at all.
All life in the Barthavos has to be adapted to the arid conditions. So the animals have either developed a complicated migration system if dependent on a open water source or can survive without water at all. Aestivation or dormancy is a common means to survive longer drier periods. The plants usually meet the needs of the animals and often a single individual provides a whole ecosystem for several different animals.
Different Parts. The Barthavos consists of the following different parts, which are listed below:
The Mountains
This mountain range covers the whole north and reflects the diversity of this province. Not only are the mystic and enchanted Cloud Forests part of it, it also encompasses the harsh beauty of the volcano with its special climate and the nearby parched region. Apart from the volcano, it also has the highest mountain tops of southern Gaia in it's central region, which change over to lovely hills. Between the Cloud Forest and the central mountain stock the grounds surprise with a diversity of plant and animal life. But nothing matches the famous Oasis, the lush waterfalls there, the wild river which cascades down in the swamp, an inland delta of which the myths say that this is the place where the gods let their dreams of plenitude came true.
The Grounds
The Grounds represent a central highland valley north of the mountain stock. It is a half arid region with low-moisture adapted plant and animal life, most can only be found here due to the special climate conditions of very hot days and extremely cold nights, the occasional abundance of water and the persistent dryness.
This region is also the main mating ground of animals. There is also rumour of a secret route to the south, only possible from the north through a hidden canyon. Gets drier and more hostile the more southerly one travels.
The Central Mountain Stock
Highest elevation after the volcano on the southern Gaian Continent. It is the barrier for most of the clouds coming in from the Sea. Most of the rains fall there, creating a huge water reservoir for the dry desert on both of its sides. Thanks to the height some of the precipitation is stored as snow or ice and so available over a longer time span.
The Oasis
In the very heart of the Mountains an oasis of unexpected, overwhelming beauty can be found. The water of a circular lake with unknown depth supports a fauna and flora which is restricted however to a small space only. Steep mountain slopes falling directly into the lake don't allow much room for plants to grow. But the limited space is countered by the plenitude and beauty of the flowering vegetation. It is here that a old temple in the middle of the lake can be found, which can only be seen fully when the water level falls to its deepest point in winter. It is rumoured that also here the rare mineral can be found which is coveted by many weapon smiths . The water of the Oasis escapes through a narrow outlet and forms the River which cascades down in the swamp.
The Swamp and the Flood Plains
The Swamp is an inland delta formed by the river, which expands periodically covering the sands of the Barthavos and bringing life to the central desert and the Salt Pans. While the delta always retains a certain amount of water and never falls dry, the floodplains are dry the greater part of the year.Only after the spring rainfalls they fill up gradually with water. A grassland evolves till the water is fully evaporated and the landscape falls dry again.
The Volcano
At eleven thousand feet the highest and dominating elevation on the southern part of the Gaian continent. It is active most of the year and a permanent threat to the region. Its altitude and its eruptions are the reasons for special climatic conditions and natural phenomena like the saline terraces, the hot springs, the lava tubes and other such uncommon features. Fauna and flora is as exceptional as the mountain itself. It is home for a species of drakes only found there.
The Lands of Pain
The Lands of Pain are the most hostile part of the Barthavos. Here rainfalls are extremely rare, the heat rises to its maximum. Nevertheless it is a fascinating landscape. The lesser volcanoes next to the main Volcano are part of it, as well as the high, steep rocky red pillars with the endless sandy plains between them. Despite the hostile environement, a few animals and plants can be found here, but it is a hard life, even for the the giant rock snake.
The Hills
A small area of lovely hill, at the foot of the Mountains and at the edge of the desert. The special sand/clay mixture called Aerth which is used for pottery can be found here.
The Open Woodlands
The Open Woodlands are located south of the plains, stretching nearly to the east coast, is a unique forest. It is denser near the mountains due to more rainfalls, with widely spread trees farer east. To the west the fine clay soil supports the denser forests, which are the most widespread and important. Farer east, they give way to the trees and other which grow in deep sand. Because of their clay soils, the woodlands have pans which hold water well into the dry seasons when the rainwater of sandy regions has long disappeared.
The Great Sand Dunes
Region stretching from the rim of the Mountains to the Sea in the east, covering the whole east of the Barthavos , down to the Salt Pans and even further. This is desert in its purest form, hot sands, merciless sun - and blue-green jewels of desert lakes in the very midst.
The Dunes
Here the desert sands build up into huge dunes, up to five hundred feet high over which the wind blows constantly, driving them forward so that they migrate like slowly-moving waves. But even this seeming barrenness will surprise the traveller: Where rainfalls occur sometimes, they are partly covered with shrub trees, whereas the valleys between may only have a cover of seasonal grass, giving evidence to occasional flooding.
The Dry River Beds
The valleys between the big sand dunes show often some vegetation, grass at certain times of the year, some trees with deep reaching roots which show that there has to be some water flowing in the soil buried deep under the sands. These features are mostly found in the northern parts of the Great Sand dunes, and are probably due to water coming from the plains and running underground.
The Seven Jewels
The so-called Seven Jewels are a miracle in the midst of the hot desert: Lakes with relatively fresh water, with a very small rim of green around. This water is usually rather brackish, although drinkable, but at some times of the year quite salty due to the permanent evaporation, so only few salt resistant plants can survive at the borders of these lakes.
The Salt Pans
With one edge lying close to the Swamp, the Salt pans are regularly flooded. Run-off from the River or occasional rainfalls will fill them up considerably. The evaporating water leaves behind spectacular crystals and cakes of salt, creating (when dry) a nearly lifeless region in the middle of the Barthavos. Flooded however they are exploding with life, being a feeding ground for the abundant wildlife, and thus to the wildlife's predators.
The Mesas
Strange rock formations, up to 500 feet high, consisting out of white and yellow granite, stretching nearly vertical to any path leading from the northern part of the desert and forming a kind of labyrinth. Hence everybody needs a guide to find through, because these rocks proceed into the sea forming there dangerous shallows which make it impossible to simply take a boat to get around them. At the southern rim water is found which vanishes soon in the desert sands.
Climate:
All the rain, all the precious water, which enables life in the Barthavos, comes from the northeast with the winds from the Sea, be it with the yearly rains, or as an occasional heavy thunderstorm drenching a region which haven't seen water for years.
Most of the clouds coming in release their water at the tops of the Mountains or the Volcano. Rains fall gently over the hills and the plains during the winter months, but some clouds drift farther on over the open woodlands, building up into threatening heights, and may release their rain over the Salt Pans or the Jewels in the east or just pass on and leave the thirsty soil unrelieved.
According to the availability of the rain the regions in the desert differ in their dryness:
Semi-arid regions are the Grounds and the Mountains with perennial rainfalls, but these regions stay dry half of the year.
Arid regions with perennial rainfalls are the Open Woodlands south of the plain and the Volcano region: The volcano itself is partly wet due to the special weather conditions.
Arid regions with no or only occasional rainfalls: Salt Pans, the Lands of Pain west of the Salt Pans, the south with the Mesas, the east with the "Jewels", the desert lakes of the desert and the whole region of the great sand dunes east and south of the Salt Pan. Part of these regions however benefit from water transported in the underground from wetter regions where former riverbeds may have existed.
Permanent water is found in smaller oasis throughout the desert at special hidden places. Best known is the Oasis with the adjacent Swamp. The only permanent flowing water system is the River rushing down from the Oasis to the Swamps building an inland delta there.
The desert conditions - the changing availability of open water and food - force both, animals and human alike, to move forward to use the sometimes scarce resources wisely and avoiding their exploitation to destruction.
So migration paths have developed; the desert beasts, which depend on open water have to look for the remaining water holes in a seasonal wandering, the others not dependent on open water have to change grazing grounds nevertheless to find new unused pastures. Thus the grazers follow the growth of grass from one place to the next, and with them their hunters.
Flora:
There are many familiar trees and plants in the wetter regions of the desert mentioned above, though the Cloud Forest might still hide some surprises. But the true plants of the desert are those adapted to the aridness of the landscape. They have all one thing in common; they have developed something which enables them to keep their water or prevent the loss of it or both. So they either can store it for several years - or they have reduced their surface area to prevent water loss and thus have nearly no leaves. Where water isn't this scarce or the roots are reaching deep, leaves with sun protection of different kind are seen as well.
Fauna:
Despite appearances and expectations, the fauna of the desert is plentiful. There are first the big deer-like beasts, which mostly wander around following the seasonal pattern of available food and water. Following their prey are the big hunters. Other, smaller mammals which are independent of open water sources may move around as well for the search of new food sources - some, however, stay at the same place all year round.
But these animals are only the most prominent ones. The smaller may be even more abundant, like the striped mole living near forests or the whole family of the rodents with all its relatives, the mice, the lizards, the snakes and other odd desert creatures.
Then the birds: There are thousands of them, either permanent guests or just visitors on their way to the colder north, resting in the water filled salt pans and fishing for food. The greatest number of individuals, though, are the insects, the base of the food chain.
The desert animals have different means to cope with the lack of water. Most beasts hunt or graze only at dawn or by night and rest during the heat of the day. The big predators get most of the needed fluid over their prey; the grazing animals who depend often of dry grass are able to concentrate their urine so as not to lose much fluid. So the sand mouse, for excample, doesn't urinate at all but eliminates just a few damp drops. The most adapted beasts go into aestivation during the hottest and driest weeks, reducing so their need for food and water by slowing down their body functions.
Resources:
Talking about resources depends always on the special perspective of who asks and what that individual considers valuable. So the plants, for example are very interested in the resource water, but not interested in the jewels lying under their roots. There might be a rare mineral lying buried in the mountains, that would be valuable for the Northern dwarves for hardening their weaponry, but not for the nomads with their armour made out of the skin of the giant rock snake.
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Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 3:00 pm
~Endless Grains [Half dead, Half lost, Is it worth it?]~
Providence brought destruction---- Vahn delivered salvation.... But at what cost?
Even from the southernmost regions, their had been reports of a series of lights in the northern horizon. The old ones were reminded of battles long since come to pass, while the younger ones were simply transfixed by this spectacular display, unawares that it all had come with a very hefty price.
Two spectators in question, were currently atop a low ending ridge that went along, joining into the maze of Mesas beneath them. Here- on this highest point, both figures stood staring to the flash of colors in the eastern sky.
"Nahara... what do you think?"
"What am I supposed to think Hibon?"
"Good point..."
The soft scuffling followed by a low buzz was heard next, as one of the figures seemed to move forward a little bit. Looking down, it would appear as if both of them were mounted... on large beetles. Lurker's to be exact.
Their mounts were very large insects, and like all beetles they had six legs and a very hard exoskeleton, a super dense carapace - one of the strongest natural armors in the known world. Both beetles were black in color with two large violet stripes down their back. The wings, which would flap out every now and then, were covered by two large armored sections when not in use. There were two sets of wings, similar to the wings of smaller beetles - except for size and weight.
Both beetles had large powerful mandibles, although they are longer and thicker than yor average beetle, capable of crushing bone. The one that Hibon rode, being younger, had three bloodred eyes located on the forehead in a triangular pattern.
The mounts that they had secured to the beetles, were very much like one would have on a horse, stirrups and all. Behind them, and tied securely, were small leather packs, and rolled up woolen blankets, of a dark brown color.
As for the riders themselves, both were swathed in blue-black, and raw white as main colours. There was some green within the embroideries, but not as a colour a whole piece of clothes.
Nahara wore a white shirt with long sleeves, closed at the wrists and the neck. This ensamble was accompanied by wide trousers of the same material, a cloth made out of the fluffy cover of tree seeds. The trousers are laced up at the ankles as well to prevent heat and sand intruding. Hibon was without the shirt, as he did not mind too much sun or sand.
On top of this however, the both of them wore a kind of tunica, traditionally made out of a cloth mixed with the fiber of a more durable nature. The tunica's were colored blue and reached down to the middle of their upper legs, the entire material showcasing intricate patterns.
A broad belt around their waist held the tunica, which has no seam on the side, together, but that was not its only purpose. A various amount of bags were fitted to it which held different things, what ever the either of them might need. This belt was made out of the most valuable material found in this desert, the skin of the giant rock snake. The varying colours of Hibon's and Nahara's belts showed in which part of the desert the rock snake lived.
Upon the both of them, a big, light cape which is sometimes not more than a piece of cloth of the right size helps to avoid the burning sun. They each had a blue one which is slightly thicker and is of the same material as the tunica, thoroughly made, with a hood shading the face. A headscarf was also worn over both their heads. It was simply a long piece of white cloth wrapped around the head. The both of them were barefoot, their feet secure in the stirrups of the beetles.
"Nahara..."
"What?"
"Um... there's something you should see."
"Is it a Rock Snake?!"
Nahara turned her head to stare towards Hibon, the reins of her Lurker held tightly as she turned the beetle to the side as well, its wings fluttering madly for a moment.
"Well... not exactly."
"Then wha---"
She could see the man staring past her and up into the sky itself, and for a moment she thought he was still transfixed with the faraway lights from the NorthEastern region, again- about to yell at him, when the shadow fell upon them both. Her eyes seem to widen slightly, as if fearing that a Rock Snake had indeed seemingly wandered into the Mesas, and somehow learned to fly and was now going to slam atop them both.
However, as the girl turned her head upwards, what greeted her eyes was something entirely different altogether. The rush of wind, and the faint shimmer of heat trails, and the wind that came with it-- if it were not for the coverings she had on, she would have been blinded.
Whatever it was that she saw, flung itself overhead, past the both of them, and continued on in an arc, only to slam with a jostling force directly into one of the high peaks of the mesas, the very earth trembling for a moment.
"What in the name of Falis?!"
"No- no, thats the light one, you wanna go with the one in control of the air."
"Dammit, Hibon, I'm in no mood for your pantheon zeal--" Her beetle reared up, the mounts more than shaken out of their wits by what the hell just happened. "--We have got to see what that thing was!"
"It looked like a bird.. but I've never seen one that big before."
"A bird of fire?"
"No... no, I'm pretty sure they don't like being set on fire."
"Gah... idiot!"
Nahara steadied her mount, before giving a short tap of her heels to its side, uttering a quick word in a foreign tounge. Without another moment of hesitation, the beettle suddenl began scampering forward, before taking flight, a distinct low buzzing heard. Hibon followed suit, right behind her, as they followed the distinctive trail of the flaming bird: the rocks were slagged and smoking, and a the faint glow not too far away which slowly began to ebb away.
~~
Smoke was everywhere... so dense that a considerably thick haze of smoke covered the entire area in 'mist', making it hard to see, but it was apparent where the 'landing' took place. A deep furrow within the mesas hard rock, melted clean through was seen.
Farther up ahead, it ended and there, in all the smoke-- three things were visible. Two of them bodies, the other, a sword of some kind.
Buried the deepest within the melted rock, as if a coffin had been created around him, was a man with numerous wounds all over his body, from what was visible of it anyway, a very distinctive scar going between his eyes.
Not too far away from where this man lay 'entombed' was the other body, belonging to a red-headed youth, who bore just as many, if not serious, scars and wounds as the other man.
And even a bit further away from this body, lay embedded in the ground, what appeared to be a rapier of sorts.
Surrounding all three, was seen a now faintly receding 'aura' of red, before completely dissipating. From the skies, as both Hibon and Nahara flew in, as they stared down, and the smokey mist began to clear, they stared in wonderment... the entire ground had been melted into and indented... the shape of large wings extending out where the many lay within the earth, Not too mention that all three, aligned and formed the shape of a triangle... it was eery to say the least... as both bodies had apparently fallen out of the sky.
"Where... Where is the bird?"
"Forget the bird... why are there two nakes guys laying there!?" Nahara exclaimed, as she steadied her beetle, in midair, her cheeks slightly flushing as she stared; for the both of them were inf act very much nude, and suffering burns.
"W-What are we going to do?" Hibon asked, hsi eyes shifting to Nahara as he was quite unsure how to go about this exactly. For all he knew, these men could be dangerous...
"We... We should see if their alive..." She said, a little apprenhensive, but then again, it was understandble really. The both of them descended downwards, their lurkers landing nimbly upon the ground, fidgeting about for a while, as the ground was still apparently cooling off from the extreme heat that had just been here.
Regardless of that, Nahara slid off her mount, and still barefoot, crept closer towards both men. Hibon was not too far behind, as he began pulling back the cloth about his head, and on the hood of his tunica. Nahara was doing the same-- reaching the body of Sunstrike first.
Their coverings removed, more of their features were now visible. Reddish hair, though still dark, was apparently common with these two, who seemed to be a mixture of races. The red hue in their hair was however not natural, but dyed with the colour gained from the leaves of the a certain bush. Colourful symbols were also painted on their hands and feet, in the same hue of red, in a tribal fashion. The both of them were tall, slender and well built. Due to their long wanderings through the desert their bodies had been trained. They had been taught, regardless of boy or girl, to stay fit and therefore they had foudn themselves constantly in competitive games like running over long distances, climbing a tree quickly or catching a stripped mouse with bare hands for fun. Hibon was slightly smaller than Nahara, though this wasn’t noticed easily for his greater compactness and viriness of his body. They both had deep tanned skin, and the colour of their eyes were a light grey-green.
Whoever these two were, they obviously hailed from a people that called this desert home.
"Nahara... be careful!"
"I know..." She replied, as she knelt onto the ground, and timidly reach forward with a hand, to touch against Sun's shoulder...
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Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 3:55 pm
Vahn Kyonuske "Nahara... be careful!" "I know..." She replied, as she knelt onto the ground, and timidly reach forward with a hand, to touch against Sun's shoulder... On closer inspection the boy would appear very strange to the young woman. Long pointed ears stuck up to frame a sharp face, streaked in a red substance that could only be blood. The mouth that was open slightly, wheezing as he fought for air from severely damaged lungs, showed a few teeth just a little sharper then normal. Through the blood stark, dark brown marks the shape of twisted sun's marred intensly pale skin. And to top it all off, even though he seemed to be in great pain, his blood was the only liquid on him, not a drop of sweat to be seen, even though the heat had risen significantly in the area that wasn't exactly cool to begin with. The hand, very close, was neatly intercepted by the damaged ravages of his own hand, holding tightly as his foot comming around automatically to sweep her off balance. The truth was that he'd been in and out of consciousness since the other two had arrived, but had not heard anything of what had been said through his tortured breathing. He had just been gearing up to move when the female had come that close. Two strange eyes opened and then focus startingly clear upon her own light green eyes, this was suddenly from above as the damaged boy crouched over her, holding tightly to the captured arm, but not hurting her, just securing. Red, orange, and yellow glowed and moved like lava pools when he focused, and dimed as the haze of pain, confusion, and no little fear rocked through them. Fresh blood dripped for a moment as he collected himself enough to scout quickly. "Kas?! Kas, godsdamnit, where the hell are you?!" His voice was sharp and harsh with pain. His eyes widened as he saw the other man moving towards his friend. He let go of the girl and promptly fell over in that direction, his arm out as if willing himself closer. "Wh-" Choke..wheeze...cough...gasp. "Who the hell are you?" Leave him alone!! Don- Don't hurt him!" He pulled himself forward a bit but was wracked with another coughing fit. Forcing him to curl in on his body, hugging his damaged chest. Where were they?! This wasn't the stadium...dust, sand, rocks, heat...it wasn't right...who were these people?! He didn't recognize them at all! Were they with Tenma?! Panic raced through him, because he was practically helpless...and Kas...Kas wasn't even moving!
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Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 5:41 pm
So strange... how did he get like this? She continued reaching out, her own breath slowing, and then the sudden movement. "Gw-- w-wait, WAIT!"
"Nahara!"
She suddenly found herself on the ground, falling onto her back and letting out a groan. Hibon, was already unsheathing the curved dagger he had tied to his belt, ready to protect Nahara, as Sunstrike stared her down. Her eyes were unblinking, even if she was slightly shaken and feeling her heart skip a few beats.
"Naha--"
"It's alright!"
Hibon never moved, only a few feet away from where the other man lay, and was wondering if he could risk charging, when the voice of the one atop Nahara caused him to pause.
"W-Wait.. we're not here to hurt you!" She exclaimed out, seeing him move himself, even in that condition, and then promptly fall.
"Nahara... what are we going to do... these guys.. their--"
"Their badly injured Hibon... we need to get them back to the City..."
"To the City?! Are you crazy? Grandfather would never even let us hear the end of it!" Hibon, let go of his dagger, turning his head to look at the other one. "How the hell are we supposed to even move that one. I think the ground wants him there."
"Hibon... don't be such a jerk right now." She brought herself back up to her knees and reached out with a hand again, to press against Sunstrike's back soothingly.
"We're not here to hurt you or your friend... Please, let us help you."
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Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 5:53 pm
Vahn Kyonuske "We're not here to hurt you or your friend... Please, let us help you." He jerked at the soft touch, as if he weren't expecting it to be very nice, and winced as it pulled overstressed muscles and wounds. Bracing himself and listening to her words, he shook and sat himself up. Pausing and panting for a good while, never taking his eyes off where his friend lay and the other man stood. Finally he gave her an ironic look. "Sorry....force of-" And he fell over again, out cold...as his body took over for his mind.
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Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 7:48 pm
"Nahara... is it really ok if we take them abck with us?" Hibon moved torwards the body that was inside the ground, scratching the top of his head. "I mean... we don't know anything about them!"
"We're not going to leave them out here, and that's final. Grandfather can foam at the mouth all he wants, but we're not barbarians." She traced a hand along Sunstrike's forehead, a little sad.
"Alright, alright-- don't go gettting all teary-eyed on me." A sigh escaped his lips, as he half turned towards her and pointed with both hands at the ground. "But what about him?!"
"We'll just break him out..." She stepped up and began walking towards the one within the rock's grip. "Get that one onto the Lurker while I get this one free."
"Yea.. sure thing." He moved to the side, watching her as he went towards Sunstrike. She was nowhere as near as good as the old man.. but a mage was a mage.
By its nature, the element of earth is among other things that which holds things together, solidifies and binds. The Break spell allows the caster to reverse the effect, breaking things permanently apart. Naturally, a mage dealing with earth does not have the power to sever elemental connections directly, and therefore this spell can only mainly objects dominated by the innate magical properties of earth.
The effect of the spell is achieved by forcing the portions of the element of earth within the object, which we assume is equally distributed in the target to form a solid structure, apart. This creates a new form that has almost no dominating earth force at all. Thus we have successfully seperated the important element from dominating the structure which will finally cause the splitting of the object, and part of it will break off.
The dynamic of the breaking often shows in whirling circles of energies rotating in front of the object when the former elemental connections get into disorder, being rearranged by the caster.
Which was happening right now, as Nahara was bent on one knee, her hands touching the ground around the body. The circular waves of art were visibly seen, as well the ground cracking open, further and further. The spell took about three seconds to actually be cast but the breaking takes some time. All in all, it would take about two minutes.
"Hibon... help me lift him out now." Beads of sweat lined her forehead, which he wiped away with the sleeve of her tunica. Casting art always drained her stamina quickly, but she still could move, as she bent in and took hold of one arm, Hibon taking grasp of the other side.
"Alright.. now... easy-- easy does it... LIFT!" The both of them struggled, and with some effort, the girl and the man managed to lift the nude and damaged body out of the ground... which caused an eyebrow to raise on Hibon's face.
"He's... He's still wearing his boots."
"I can see that... along with.. that..." She said, her cheeks flushing once more.
"Alright, alright-- be mature, this guy could be dead for all we know!" Grumbling, Hibon took hold of the body, and slung it over his back, staggering towards his Lurker.
"Did you tie them securely?"
"Of course."
"Well... let's go then." She slid her legs over the beetle's carapace and secure herself in, Sunstrike's body nestlsed against her securely, and looked to Hibon. "What's wrong? Is he too heavy?"
"No... It's just-- what about that?"
"What?"
Hibon gestured with his hand to where the rapier lay embedded within the ground. "I think it belongs to one of them."
"If it is then they can get it back later... I don't think it's going anywhere."
And with that, both beetles took off, wings shimmering in the setting sun, as both Stratanians made their way back to the city... The City of Strata.
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Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 8:23 pm
He awoke again when touched, though he decided to feign unconsciousness as he was placed in a saddle...he really had to choke back a bit of surprise as he saw what the two were mounted on through hooded eyes. Bugs? ...I hate bugs XP
His discomfort was lost as he watched carefully what the other two did to his friend, Kas didn't seem dead, the way they were treating the body, though he had to let out a low chuckle at the obvious discomfort of the girl x.x then he realized that he hadn't exactly been clothed either. sweatdrop These things happend...he guessed. He'd just have to apologise later.
When everyone was settled and riding off, he watched as the sword receeded into the dusk...knowing how irritated Kas...Vahn would be when he noticed it gone, he sighed softly. He hoped it was him that had to deal with that and not their hosts...although he really doubted the other man would be that impolite. They'd just have to go and get it back eventually. Right now he was comfortable, not willing to make the riders stop. Even though he had no idea where they were going, he had spontaneiously decided that he was a little beyond caring at this point.
Deciding to finally speak he looked up at the person, the girl holding him.
"Thankyou for all the trouble your going through..." The sunset was nice, and he looked at it as he got his breath back. "We're a bit half dead...but ...we'll make it up..." He clenched his teeth in frustration...wishing that he could talk better to his rescuers. He was getting better...the small amount of sun had done that much, in the least...but it was waaaaay to early for deep wounds to settle...
No...no Best not to worry. The sunset and view darkend, and sleep took over his mind.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 1:26 pm
~Hidden Treasure in the Ruins [Adventure!...?]~
3 Hours Later:
"Hey, are we there yet or what?" The heat was unforgiving, as usual, and the fact that it wasn't even the afternoon yet, was not helping. "Those ruins should be close, right?" Hibon's voice ran out from the Mesas, as three lurkers, made their way out from the maze of canyons and rock, exiting into what began as an endless sea of sand.
"Yeah. They should be..." Nahara replied, half of her attention spent absorbed into the map she held out in front of her. The trio, consisting of Sunstrike, Nahara and Hibon, had set out from Strata, after a trip through the Market, picking up supplies and other items of interest. Nahara had to admit she was torn between having liked the nude Sunstrike, or the clothed one better...
They'd managed to rent out their Lurkers for the day (those huge a** beetles) and even gotten one for Sunstrike.
"Ahh. Well, the adventure's finally begun, hasn't it?" Hibon said outloud, reclining his head as he stared up to the cloudless sky.
"Yeah, it has..." Nahara said once more, still paying attention to her map.
"Heh." Hibon grinned to himself, as his right hand lowered to his waist. "I can hardly wait..." His hand closed around the hilt of a sword, sliding it free from it's leather scabbard, which was tied in with the belt of cloth around his waist, dyed red locks swaying about his face to heighten the drama. "Cuz I'm prepared for this journey..." He slid the blade free and brandished it in a dramatic pose before him. "And for any situation that might require this!!"
He promptly slid off the back of his beetle, landing on the ground in a huff, his lurker indifferent and dragging him along, since his foot was still caught in the stirupps.
"We're there, Hibon. C'mon!" Nahara gave an exasperated sigh as she nudged her own Lurker forward, and off the 'path' leading to the side, where in the dunes, was a old and decrpid mass of stone structures, not quite lost to the sands of time yet.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 1:39 pm
Sunstrike couldn't help but laugh aloud at Hibon as he fell straight off the back of the lurker. Turning around in his own mount, docile to the extreme and content just to follow Nahara and her mount, he balanced himself and grabed the other boy by the collar, giving him a hand back up onto his own beetle.
He was pleased to notice that his ribs ached a lot less then he expected when he pulled the stunt, which meant that he could probably stand to swing a weapon fairly well. Unlike Hibon, who looked as though the sharpest weapon he'd ever wielded was a bread knife, even if he was in the local militia...
He studied the odd stone formation critically as they approached. He was really uneasy about the whole thing, if he wanted to be honest...you never quite knew what was lurking and living in places like this...
"Nahara," he sidled up next to where she finally stopped. "What are we here for again?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:19 pm
Nahara dismounted from her beetle, finally putting away the map, and smoothing out her tunica. She tied the lurker down, using some stray large rocks as anchor against the leash, although the Lurker's really weren't going to go anywhere-- they were pretty loyal, for bugs anyway.
"We're here because my grandfather heard a rumour that there's still actually some Odea Moss in these ruins. Long ago, this place wasn't all sand-- just like my grandfather said. She picked her way through the rubble, skipping lightly. "A whole ancient civilization used to be located here... but they wiped themselves out apparently. Not much is known about them..."
"Waiiit!!" Hibon came stomping after them, huffing and trying to keep his new sword secure to his body.
"Yeesh, he so noisy." Nahara said, leaning down to inspect some of th enearby foliage.
"Whoa----..." Hibon stared forward, and saw what was indeed, the remains of some sort of building. Rock and marble, as well as stone were all thrown together in rising slabes, and sharp breaking points jutting out dangerously. "There's treasure left in ruins like this?" Hibon raised one foot and rested it atop a small rock, looking at what was before him. "I mean, it's all so close to the main road. And the place is just flaling apart..."
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:30 pm
Sunstrike chuckled again. "You'd be surprised what's treasure to some people, Hibon. Thing's most of us take for granted, could be priceless to the right being. I mean hell, this whole place could be valuable to something trying to get out of the heat of the day." Speaking of the heat, Sunstrike was practically purring within it. Noon sun was rising and this was just his cup of tea. Waves of the stuff made things in the distance wavey and distorted.
While Nahara inspected the plants he wandered over to the front of ruins, looking for some kind of a door to have a look see. Followed, to his amusement, by Hibon. Shadows escaped under the rock, as well as a few creatures that had been out basking, snakes and tiny lizards.
His fingers reached out and dusted off a piece of the slab, tracing the almost dissappearing glyphs he found underneath, sandblasted nearly to oblivion. "At one point this place was a treasure to someone...everything has some value...sometimes it just gets lost along the way..."
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 4:23 pm
Nahara grinned and got back up, skipping forward, and moving past Sunstrike and Hibon, grasping the rasied edge of the larger portion of the ruins with one han. "There's nothing left on the surface." She said simply, as she raised herself up and over the edge. "Up we go!"
"She's nimble." Hibon said, cleaning out his ear with a finger, watching his sister as she landed softly on the top. Walking a for a bit, she stooped down again.
"Sometimes when ruins are so close to civilization, people assume there's nothing left to find. Lesse..." Brushing her hand over a jutting slab, in the same way Sunstrike had earlier on the one found at the ground, she uncovered a glyph. "Hey! There it is!"
Hibon raised an eyebrow as he attempted to pull himself up and onto the ledge, scambering over with one leg, again and again.
"In these particular ruins, there's a door that leads to an underground level. That door is beneath this rubble... and it's there I hope to find the Odea Moss."
"Really? It seems like gramps did his homework on this place." Hibon said, as he managed to crawl his body up and over the ledge like a spider.
"Grampa told me, an adventurer came here to take care of a ghost that had been haunting the ruins. Some theives he'd hired found this hidden door, but they never told the Adventurer about it. Instead... they sold the secret to our grandfather at a super high price." Nahara said, as beads of sweat ran down her cheek, as Hibon fell backwards in disbelief.
"That old man! He'd buy anything and everything if it weren't for us to watch him! Gweh... isn't that called fraud...?"
"Anyone who'd trust a thief-for-hire has to be an idiot." Nahara said, with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"Sunstrike, you're not a thief, right?" Hibon asked, rubbing his chin as he immediatly looked to the red hed, in the most comical fashion.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 5:05 pm
Sunstrike yanked himself up to follow the other two. Which was a little bit much for his wounds, and he ended up holding his chest and taking a few quick breaths, when he'd succeeded. He recovered quickly, though, and made his way over to them just as Hibon was asking the question.
Taking a big chance, he once again sidled up to Nahara. Softly he took her hand and spun her around and dipped her cheezily. Cheerfully he answered. "The only things I steal are hearts, and I don't sell them afterwards." Then he laughed, setting her upright and blushing a little embarrassed.
"Sorry, that was uncalled for. Basically I do what I need to survive, if a situation calls for stealing, sometimes you have to take it." Same could be said for killing, but he didn't say that out loud. "Sometimes you gotta make rough decisions to get what's best for yourself in this life. Now, there was something you said about a door?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 5:32 pm
"Alright, alright-- will you two quit your babbling?!" hibon drew himself up and strode forward, holding the hilt of his sword. "There's a door here that nobody before us has ever opened... Enough said."
"In that case..." Nahara smiled broadly and clasped both hands together. "Please do a good job getting that rubble cleared away!"
"what, you mean on my own?" Hibon stared at his sister, arms drooping.
"Yes!" Her smile never left her face, as Hibon just stared at her, before taking off the upper portions of his tunica, laying his sword down and bending over to pick up one of the large rocks.
"Well, I don't really mind doing physical stuff, but..." He turned his head to see Nahara peeling an apple, handing half of it over to Sunstrike. "You could at least give me a little encouragement..."
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 5:51 pm
Taking the apple gently Sunstrike grinned and got up. He took a bite, and handed the rest over to Hibon. "No worries, I'm not diseased or anything." He laughed as the boy gave him a hesitant look.
Then he calmly began to help, not lifting anything too too heavy, mostly digging through...then he had a thought.
"Nahara? Doesn't your magic cover shifting stones?" He looked at the girl wryly, covered in red dust over his pale complexion.
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