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 Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 8:37 am
Mnyiri - 5
Mnyiri couldn't believe it. There was simply no way any of their warriors could have just disappeared without a trace? And yet...that is exactly what the matron was trying to get her to believe.
Maybe it was a desperate attempt to wrap her mind around it, but Mnyiri's mind was already working over new plans. There had to be certain areas that needed a second look, perhaps some stones still left unturned, or tree bark that mind have scraped just enough skin to catch blood-
"What?!" Yansa's statement had surprised her enough to rip the outburst from her lungs. Mnyiri had traveled on her own for years because no other sister would go with her, so why should she believe they suddenly cared about her? Revisiting her research around others who only wanted to focus on the color of her hair instead of the work she'd poured so much time into was frustrating enough to think about, let alone allow into practice-
She turned her attention to Dyakida and puffed her cheeks. "They're trying to trap us, Kida, because they're scared. If we could all just band together and look just a little longer..." She was getting antsy and it always showed in the little ticks her body made.
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 4:23 pm
Danika - 4
So it was true then. Their sisters were missing and there was no trace of what was taking them or even how. Danika's antenna flicked in concern as she glanced around. Not everyone was taking to it so calmly. As to be expected considering an Alkidike's pride as a warrior race. A faint flicker of a smile crossed her features despite her growing worry. At least it seemed that the majority were being brave about things and that at least gave her some comfort.
I just wish there was something more I could do...something to help. But all she could do for now was keep a brave face and hide away the building emotions that were twisting her heart. Fear of the unknown and stories crossed her mind but Danika only straightened her shoulders and kept her gaze high.
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 6:19 pm
Chapter 9: Grave Expectations
|| IC ||
 Yansa pursed her lips at the outrage. Her sisters were always so independent, and she knew some would grow angry at such a demand and regulation from them. But she gave her law, and she didn't need to remind them that if they wished to refuse their rules they could just walk over the border. If only they still controlled their lands, the lands where Aisha's roots stretched from sea to sea, then she could ensure everyone was safe.
Even with her frustration, she didn't want anyone foolish and stubborn to suffer the fate of their sisters.
She switched her focus at the voice of Votzhem, and silently looked over the hybrid with a bit of a frown. There were a few hybrids that stood out, their skin and hair striking, but she wasn't one to judge them beyond their half status. They were here and were at risk. Plus, they were dedicated to the Great Mother, which was enough when they needed to call to arms.
"We cannot dedicate our own force to go beyond our borders. However, if anyone would like to volunteer to reach out to our sisters who are missing from the gathering, we will not stop you. All we can do is reaffirm that you must travel with another..."
Taking a breath at the arguments once more, Yansa nearly snapped out a sharp, "You are sisters. We are sisters. It is the way of the Alkidike-" She paused, the wound still tender even years later. Their sisterhood was already broken once, she would not let any more sisters get taken away.
As the sisters began to offer to hunt for others on the mainland, a few grew angry at the idea. They scorned at the few who offered to go hunting, and one walked forward to speak up, "It's probably the Earthlings, those crystal cralwers that are attacking our sisters!"
"No, it's probably those traitor sisters.The traitors across the sea want to come back and take over...with their disgusting spawn from the b*****d tree of theirs!"
Murmurs came up as the topic on everyone's mind was brought up yet again. Other sisters began to shout out in outrage, about how they stole from Aisha, about how they were plotting to raise an army, and probably that they were trying to come back and kill not only them, but the Earthling and hybrids that were related to some of the sisters.
Yansa, and even Eshe, began to to look around with confusion as voices rose above what they could control. It was reminiscent of the meeting all those years ago when the Extremists marched to war. The voices rose, the sisters argued, but this time it was out of fear and confusion, and not in rage and anger. Either way, the voices began to echo off the trees around them.
|| OOC ||
||. If your character is not signed up for their thread, they may not participate. You can PM Suhuba for late entries.
||. Please limit to up to 2 posts between NPC posts (these should be spaced out by responses from others to your post, no needless posting just to get more points).
||. The next NPC post will be on Friday.
||. If you have any questions, please post them in the Main Thread.
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Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2017 10:28 pm
Dyakida
Post: 6
Location: With Mnyiri!
--------------------Look a little longer? Dyakida wasn't sure that she understood what Mnyiri meant. "You think there might be clues? Clues that others missed?" Not that Dyakida could help with that at all, but discussing it quietly was helping her not break down. Her hands tightened, teeth gritting, as her Sisters voices reached her ears. Her eyes were shut, tight, as if that would somehow stop the inevitable. Its happening again. It's happening again...Dyakida wanted to cover her ears. "Our Sisterhood cannot crumble so easily." she said, shaking her head. Why were the elders losing control? Why were their sisters so turbulent? What can I say to make this stop?Nothing. The answer was nothing. She was not a warrior, nor was she a fit and able alkidike. She was a crafter, and that amounted for something, but if she spoke up... would anyone listen? What could she say?
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Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2017 11:00 pm
Votzhem
Post: 5
Location: Speaking Up
--------------------Ah, look, someone listened to him. "Very well." he said, it was not an answer he liked, but he wasn't sure how far he could push it. At this juncture, anyway. I will push when the time is right, when hearts are ready to recieve it... Which could be soon, if he said the right things. The voices of the crowd were interesting - the accusations thrown about were typical, but the concerns that were being voiced about the safety of loved ones outside of the tribe... that was new. That was reassuring. He glanced over at the elders as they began to lose control of the meeting, frowning. If they were faltering, then someone had to step up and support them. And it might as well be him, since, by the goddess, he was not going to be silent. "SISTERS." he boomed, with all the deep resonance that Aisha had given him when she made him. His voice, when he used it, carried well, and he had the lung capacity to really make it toll like a bell. "Sisters, we do not have enough information." He steeled himself against their attention. For better or worse, he was going to speak. "Without more information, we cannot know anything for sure. But, I doubt that it is the Elaria. First, have you seen any that have wandered from their poisonous island? I have heard that they were spotted in Sauti, but they seem content to avoid us and to remain in their lands. If they were to invade, the Earthlings of Yael would be the first to feel their bite." Logic. Reason. Strategy. These were what Votzhem lived by. They ordered the world. But would it sway others? "It also is unlikely to be the earthlings. Those of us who live near them, or have earthling or partblood kin, have surely heard the same rumors about disappearances among their number. I have heard it among the Shifters of Jauhar, from my wife's kin in the Tale, and from my own kin in Zena, this same rumor." He gestured, trying to make his point, "And, tell me, could an extremist or an Elaria somehow ambush, defeat, and leave no trace of one of our warriors? I doubt it. Could an earthling or a group of them? I doubt it. I have seen the aftermath of bandit raids and kidnappings." he tried not to shiver at the memory. "I feel I can speak for experience that, in either case, there would have been evidence. They would have wanted to leave evidence, in the interest of causing fear. They would have left evidence, out of sheer carelessness. That there is no evidence means that something is different." One he had started talking, he found it hard to stop. One thing rolled into the other, into the other, into the other, building into one final point that he simply had to make. "This is why we must come together. As Sisters..." he hesitated, just a moment. Hmm. He was proud of his maleness, but should he say as much? He decided against it. Things were better now, but that particular swamp needed to be treaded in with care. This was not the time. "As a family, connected by our great mother, bloomed from her boughs. Let us stand together, by our Sisters. Let us each join blades and bows and spears, and show a unified face to the world." He couldn't talk about misplaced pride. He couldn't insult the Sisters, not at this vulnerable moment. Instead, he had to play to that pride, turn it to good. "Some of you feel affronted at the recommendation to travel in groups, but I ask you this: Is that not the way of the Alkidike? We are warriors, strong on our own, stronger than any other tribe in this vast land. But together, in concert, we are unstoppable."Nervousness wormed its way into his heart, its quivering growing slowly and threatening to choke him. "Sisters, I ask you, is that not the face you want to show the world? This unknown threat? That we band together, that we cannot be defeated, that we will stand firm against any threat from the outside?" He tried to give that a moment. He tried let that sink in. "That is what I believe." he said finally. He looked at the fellow partblood who had spoken up, at the Alkidike with him looking him over, and sought their approval. He looked over at the Elders, at the mystic, and sought their support. He looked at the great tree beyond, and prayed. Great Mother, I pray that I did not just make a terrible mistake...
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Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2017 4:31 pm
Mnyiri - 6
"People don't just vanish. There has to be something they've missed-" She was getting bratty and she knew it, but Mnyiri was getting riled up. Who had the Matron sent out to look? Were they even trying, or were the sisters who were missing just women they wanted to sweep under the rug?
She was so wrapped up in her own emotions that she was failing to notice how this was effecting Kida. Maybe she would have even gotten loud herself, had Votzhem not spoken up, and she raised her voice to join his.
"I WANT ANSWERS." Mnyiri hardened her tone and raised it loud enough so that as many could hear her as possible, "And if that means I have to travel with others to get them then so be it. We can bicker over who took them later; right now we need to focus on exactly which sisters went missing, where they were taken from and see if any of the the details match up. There has to be something to connect them."
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Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2017 7:03 pm
Chapter 9: Grave Expectations
|| IC ||
The response to the hybrid calling for attention sent outrage through the camp. Who was he, a lesser, to tell the great sisterhood to calm as if he knew what they faced?
"You are a fool, blinded by your so called love with those lesser Earthlings across the sea. Enough, you should be humbled by us allowing you here, but you should not forget your place." A sister spoke up, one of those who blamed the earthlings. She hissed at him, and others seemed to agree as they turned away and continued to argue, continued their conclusions.
Yansa, from her perch, rolled her eyes but did nothing to stop the words. Despite the fact that Extremists moved far away, the Alkidikes were still proud, and still held opinions about those who were not pure of blood and bloom. She was not one to shake things up, and while she appreciated a word of support, she did nothing to encourage him to say more.
Instead, Eshe was the one to move forward, to bypass the young Mystic with a soft brush of her hand across Danika's arm.
As she neared the front, a hush spread while the same angry sister rushed forward, "Tell me, great Mystic, has the mother not spoken her answers?"
Eshe leaned forward, brushed fingers across the young rambunctious sister's face. She knew this Alkidike, knew her pain from losing family to the wars of past. The pain spread through all, and Aisha knew of the pain. Eshe smiled softly, her eyes drifting away as she looked back toward the group. Her eyes passed by the hybrids, the full bloods, and she didn't rest her wandering gaze on a single one.
"Together as sisters, we must stand as one." She repeated slowly, but the young girl huffed and moved away. The girl walked away from the group, toward the side and past the young mystic. She ignored the looks of the warriors, concerned about her temper, and began to leave the area. Eshe, forlorn, stepped back as others began to cry out for answers.
"Mystic, what can we do?"
"What has the Great Mother said!?"
"Elders, we deserve answers! You cannot trap us with silence!"
Eshe tilted her head as a soft breeze played above their heads. The winds seemed to answer the cries, but she simply turned and moved back toward Danika. Her hand reached out, her fingers brushing against the young mystic's before grabbing tight just as a putrid rip filled the silence. It sounded like torn flesh, static and a muffled scream, and it came from the area where the rebellious girl had stomped off.
There, at the edge of the clearing, under the shadow of Aisha, the sister who was walking away let out a scream of horror as the air seemed to rip in two. Clicking filled the silence, a buzzing filled the air as warriors rushed through the crowd to catch sight of the sister being grasped by a caped figure. A hand quickly covered the girl's mouth and cut off her scream as the figure held her closer and began to drag her back to the portal it opened.
Yansa ran past the mystics, her finger shaking as she held onto her spear. Her teeth ground as she shook her head in awe.
"Great mother say it isn't so...The Dretch have returned."
Suddenly, the warriors pushed forward from the crowd, ready to save the girl as Eshe pulled herself in front of the young mystic in an effort to protect her as needed.
|| OOC ||
||. If your character is not signed up for their thread, they may not participate. You can PM Suhuba for late entries.
||. Please limit to up to 2 posts between NPC posts (these should be spaced out by responses from others to your post, no needless posting just to get more points).
||. The next NPC post will be on Friday.
||. If you have any questions, please post them in the Main Thread.
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Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2017 9:28 pm
Vermina- Post 3
The prentice hugged herself tightly, eyes darting through the crowd. Conflict within the family.. Could they not just talk calmly about this? Could they not just come to a conclusion without shouting? They needed facts; not theories.
Watching the angry girl storming off, her eyes saw the air seem to rip open. Her heart jumped into her throat as the creature emerged and grabbed their sister. Her own scream filled the air, terrified of what she had just seen. Her hands went to her hips, but there was no weapon lashed to her today. With her breath trapped in her chest, she reached out toward her struggling sister. She just had to slow the.. the.. thing... for those who had their weapons.
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Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2017 2:28 am
Rishima - Post 6 Rishima's head was spinning over the voices that he heard around him. It was all things that just made his heart ache. People were going as far as to blame the Earthlings for what was going on, as well as the 'traitors' from across the sea. Surely they must know that there were people present that had lost family when some of their sisters had been banished? It was a wound that Rishima felt was as raw as ever for Rishi himself given the loss of the young mystic that he'd once given aid to. He'd tried so hard to talk to her during the war but it wasn't to be... she'd ended up being banished along with many others. He knew he'd likely never see her again unless those from the other tree, the 'b*****d tree' as one so bluntly said, came back across the ocean all the way to Jauhar. They were lost to Aisha and to those that loved them because of their decisions. It was something that Rishima thought might quell the distaste for those like himself but it seemed that such feelings were still alive and well. Another like himself spoke up, trying to talk reason into those around them. They were speaking of others who'd disappeared, who it may or man not be who were taking their sisters... and instead of hearing reason he was insulted. Those that the man loved, that Rishima loved, that Jerarda loved, they were called 'lesser' by one of the sisters that he'd spent his life trying to keep safe at at the sacrifice of many things. Those who weren't pure Alkidike lived with many extra rules after all... and those that didn't chose the path of the Alkidike weren't even considered by some even worth mention. All that aside that weren't even considering protecting those outside of the Chibale Isles even though there were many of their sisters that lived in Emeka and Andile. Was it because they wanted to focus on keeping Aisha safe and therefore they'd focus on keeping the isles safe first and foremost? His head was echoing with the various words he'd heard around him and it took him a moment to realize that something had gone wrong. His antennae gave a violent twitch at a scream, something that dragged his attention out of his thoughts and to the scene playing out before him. A big beast of a... thing. A bug like monster, something that had grabbed hold of their negative sister that had moved away from the group. It was like something out of a scary story, the way that the thing had just... appeared like that. It meant that not even the Chibale Isles were safe if they could make it here like that, even with so many sisters gathered. It seemed that they weren't cowed by anyone or anything, they were daring, and he didn't care for that in the least. Taking a couple steps forward he found himself raging on the inside. These were the things that were stealing people away then? These were the things that caused him to come here and leave Gerr at risk. They would have to see to dealing with this on, to save the sister if she wouldn't do the same for him, and then he would go home so he could protect the one he loved. Gerr was no lesser being and he would keep him safe, even if that meant having to taking up a weapon again for a time.
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Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 8:51 am
 Post 5 To hear so many words of disdain for the earthlings brought her blood to a boil, after all she was mated to one, had children with one and the people she cared for dearly were hybrids. True that in her past she sported the same opinions as her other sisters today, but a wealth of experiences had taught her love and understanding.
About to raise her voice at these people she instead turned her attention to Rishima who looked...unwell. Perhaps it was more his worry than anything, but then there was chaos something bright had opened up in the air on the outskirts of the crowd and before even the closest of the sister could react...a girl was grabbed...Dumbfounded was the best word to describe Jerarda, for though she suspected that these things could pop into thin air...to actually see it happen as shocking. Growling she leapt forward trying to push her way through the crowd of people. She was so far away though, the complete opposite side of the occurrence but her only benifit was that she had her weapons on her hands and she could punch that thing if she could get to it. orpheus solon sorry for the late reply @_@;
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Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 10:03 am
Votzhem
Post: 6
Location: Shutting up
--------------------Calm was quickly becoming elusive. Votzhem's jaw clamped shut on the words he was starting to really want to throw at her. Humbled?! Sister, I have earned every step I have taken, every second I stand here before our Great Mother. I crossed the entire land to be here. I crossed it twice as a prentice, again as a Blade, and I took my first steps as a warrior beneath the weight of an avalanche. I hunted bandits. I was sent to die. I survived.He knew his story was not unique. Hybrids, especially young and eager ones, were sent to do impossible things. Things that their elders, the people they trusted, hoped would kill them. They survived. Call me lesser, sister? Tell me that I should know my place? Well, then, Sister, have you truly earned yours?!But he kept his mouth shut, because he had respect. He had dignity. He had the will to keep his mouth shut, and to tread where he wasn't welcome. That was what he told himself as he clenched his fists and took deep breath after deep breath. I have said my piece. he thought to himself, trying to close the wound her words had made, If they do not listen, they do not listen.And it seemed that he was not alone in this. Even when the Mystic spoke, she was ignored. The sisters wanted a different answer than the one she gave, than the one the elders gave. They would accept no other answers. If they do not listen, he amended, They are fools. But there is nothing that can be done about that. He had tried to stop this, and he would be 'rewarded' with suffering and blood and rejection. He still believed that it was worth it, to be among his tribe. Aisha's call was too strong to resist, to make any other option viable. He was Her son, and he always would be, but Chi's breath this was frustrating.And then everything became crystal clear. A girl - the one that had behaved so poorly to the mystic, though that was irrelevant - was being captured, and everything else before that was meaningless because the threat was right there. He assessed the situation. I am not ranged. I cannot attack from afar.
I am nearby.
There is a prentice trying to help
That is where I must go. To support my little sister.His course was set. His blades were free of their sheaths in an instant and he was heading for the creature. "Stay back!" he said to Vermina. Let the warriors handle this.
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Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 10:01 pm
Rishima - Post 5 Rishima's mismatched eyes went a bit wide as Jerarda was suddenly moving away from his side, growling as she went lunging forward toward the Dretch. His antennae went to twitching rapidly for a moment, his hands clutching tightly on the magic staff that he held, before he started after her, "Jerarda!" He called out, worried that she might get in over her head if she went forward alone. He didn't know much about the Dretch meaning he didn't know dangerous they actually were, not to mention he didn't know if the one that was attacking was alone or not. He didn't want to fight anymore, he'd had his fill given all of the wars he'd been through in his time. In this moment though that didn't matter, what mattered was Jerarda. He didn't want her to get hurt by those things or jumped if there were more then the singular creature. He'd back her up as much as he could... or at least as much as he could in a manner that didn't cause him to get in her way. So long as they both got home to their families he'd be happy, so he'd do his best to see that happen.
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 10:37 am
Dyakida
Post: 7
Location: With Mnyiri!
--------------------
It really did feel far too familiar. The conflict, the voices of reason being silenced... was no one listening to the elders? Did the Sisterhood care what the elders thought? What the mystic thought? If so, they were such empty titles, and Dyakida could do even less then them.
Dyakida flinched back at the sound of the chaos. "What is it?" she asked, her voice tinny with anxiety, "What's happening?" she wasn't completely in the dark - someone was screaming, there were strange sounds, the Dretch were mentioned, and...
What if someone is being taken right under the shadow of our mother tree?
Are we under attack?
She felt so vulnerable. "Who is screaming? What is it?!"
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 10:50 am
Mnyiri - 7
For a moment Mnyiri could barely gather her thoughts. The young guardian's mouth gaped open, her dark eyes widening as the sight of a sister being grappled right before them played out.
"Some...some hooded thing showed up, a Dretch I-I guess, and grabbed a sister. It's trying to take her through a portal! Can those things even use magic-? Not important, not important." Even as she said it her voice was rising in pitch, matching the intensity of the moment. One arm tightened around Dyakida while the other prepared her spear for an assault.
"The warriors are moving to take her back and Eshe is guarding the mystic." It felt strangely calming to give a play by play; as if by just saying what was happening in the chaos, in describing it to Kida, she was helping to work through it herself. "You're going to be fine - We're going to be fine. Nothing's going to take you while I'm here."
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 5:13 pm
Dyakida
Post: 8
Location: With Mnyiri!
-------------------- "A dretch?! H-here?!" Dyakida knew of them. She'd encountered them with... with Yitzah, so long ago, oh Goddess... those two Sisters... "They... Yes - they can." she said. Oh did she know it. Oh did she remember it. The heat. The fear... She pressed herself to Mnyiri, clinging, nodding, swallowing back her fear. Warriors were coming for their Sister. The mystic was involved. No one was alone. She wasn't alone. The warriors would handle this. I just need to not be in the way...
Oh goddess, let them beat it back.
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