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 Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 6:21 pm
The Broken Hammer - On World Chapter 1 Two days had passed since he had spoken to the Spirit Guide and Numbers... it was time to embark on the journey to recover Forge's lost gem. Glyph had taken pains to dress as covered as possible and felt quite silly as he stood waiting for the others dressed in what might have been sheets. Draped in a pseudo-toga fashion to accomodate his physical shape, Forest looked like a blend between ancient Greek olympians and the wild celtic deities of the British Isles.
At his feet a traveller's pack sat stuffed full of supplies - dried fruits and vegetables, jugs of water, blankets, and other necessities. Attached along the outside of the pack were strings with pouches hanging off them, filled with seeds. He hadn't known if any life would remain on the planet in a dormant or not and decided to bring along seeds to begin anew if needed. Secured to one shoulder was a pouch that contained the mirror and fabric of that Tien had given him, close at hand for inspection should they need it.
In his branches sat a pair of Crows, one dozing, one watching with obvious interest. Glyph himself was sitting on a bench, mentally running over the lists of things he'd brought. The pack itself was relatively light for him - had be embarked will still partially mortal... the pack would have be nigh on impossible for him to carry.
All that remained was to wait for the others to gather and they could be off. He presumed they would be travelling by Gate now that the sky had returned.
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 2:10 pm
 "Well, Glyph's here." Cosine smiled as she and Ankou made their way across the grass. She too had dressed in preparation for the desert. One of her usual floaty dresses with a cloak of sorts made from a pale blue, lightweight fabric to cover her arms, it was wrapped around her in such a way that she could pull it up to cover her head if need be. In her arms she carried a couple more, borrowed from Isra, for Xun and Tien. It seemed that Glyph had come up with his own solution.
In a bag on her back she carried a large notebook, more water, supplies her Aoide had gathered. as well as some remedies from Isra's husband. Infinity sat perched on her shoulder and gave a loud caw of greeting to her brethren as they approached the Orator's walk.
"Hello." Cosine gave a small wave to the forest god as they approached.
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 4:30 pm
"At least it looks like we are not late ?" He had never been that good with time, and recently... Well, keeping track of it was even more of an effort than it usually was, with only the cycle of night and day and Cosine allowing him to keep some bearing.
The moment he had nothing to focus on, it was almost too easy to get lured by the countless voices, to simply give in and attempt to follow them, find them...
To anyone who was not paying attention, Ankou might have looked simply like a white shadow trailing Cosine. It was a start contrast with the black he usually adorned himself with, but well.. Black was not exactly desert-friendly. The white robes concealed most of his body, and the scarf he wore also held a similar purpose than the fabric his lover carried - easily coiled over his head if there was a need for it. Not that he expected that there would be, but the less distractions, the better, at the moment. The Spirit Guide carried a bag of his own, mostly made of heavier supplies.
The crows perched on top of Glyph's branches did get a smile out of him, as his hand wandered up to gently ruffle Infinity's feathers before he stepped on the Orator's Walk proper.
While Cosine was definitively thoughtful, bringing extras would not quite be required, in Xun Jiang's case at least. He knew deserts - well, at least Illisia had. Thankfully that meant that he was not completely and utterly clueless.
He was running a little later than he would have liked - Lindita was worried, and he had to spend the time to calm his aoide down, with Aysu's help. When that had finally been achieved, he had gathered the last of his things and headed toward the Orator's Walk. His clothing was covering, but light - both in color and actual thickness - along with a hood that was currently down. It would come to no surprise that Lifewater was carrying... well, water. He knew his lover had the food more or less covered. And not just any water, no - his own waters, which had meant a long time sitting by that tiny wellspring and filling various gourds and vials. Some had been looped in his belt for easy, quick access, with more hidden in the bag slung at his side.
...And poor Glyph looked ridiculous. It took so much willpower to simply not laugh, but he more or less did keep his poker face on as he stepped along stairs. "Good day." He nodded at Cosine and Ankou. He knew little of either, but they were friend of Glyph's and he trusted his lover's judgement fully.
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 6:10 pm
Tien had been nearby the whole time, having arrived just after Glyph had. She had simply been off by herself, making sure everything was in order before heading up to meet the others. The closest this goddess had ventured to a desert was New Mexico when she was still her host-self. Thankfully she had chosen her clothing well. It was all made up of light and airy fabrics, with sturdy boots and of course a mask as usual. What she had forgotten however was something to cover her face and head should the need arise. Well, there was little she could do about that now. So she simply shouldered her pack and headed up to the Orator's Walk shortly after Lifewater.
Trickery was shapeshifted as she nearly always was when she visited the Pantheon. Today was a special occasion so that called for a new form, just for them! At first she had debated an animal form but decided against it, as it meant they would have to wait for her to change once she shifted back. So instead she wore the form of what might be described as a wild elf- deep red brown hair, dark eyes and skin that looked like it had seen some sun. Glyph was the only one who had seen her true shape of the group, though Lifewater might figure it out as he had seen her more than once before.
"It seems I am the one who is late."
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 2:07 am
Attention turned inward, Forest looked up as the others arrived and smiled to each of them, earnestly glad for their company.
"Hello! And no, I don't think you're late, Tien." By process of elimination he assumed the red headed elf was Trickery and took a moment to look the diguise over, "Dressed for the occasion? As we all are." He chuckled softly, obviously a little uncomfortable in his foreign garb.
He reached a hand out to greet Xun when he arrived, quirking a brow at his lover as he watched the mirth play across the dragon's gaze and shook his head. "What? I'm not dashing enough?" The bobbing motion of his laughter upset the crows and they squawked their irritation.
"I believe some introductions are in order..." Glyph stood alongside Xun, hand pressed against the small of the dragon's back and nodded towards those assembled, indicating each one in turn, "Xun, this is Ankou, Cosine, and Tien. Ankou, Cosine, Tien, this is Xun. Tien, Ankou and Cosine. And I certainly hope you all know who I am, otherwise this is awkward."
He rolled his shoulders and smiled, "Are we all ready? We are headed to the planet of Daelyth - I assumed we would travel by Door for ease of transport?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 1:39 pm
Cosine smiled as the crows got aggitated. Such particular creatures, how dare a God move and upset their perch. They reminded her of cats in that way, not that she would voice that to them.
Tien she did not recognise of course. Her name she remembered, though it had been Lien she met and that had been several years before.
"I bought some robes, like this one. isra said they would help shield the sun and provide protection from sand storms." She held out the cloth. "I will leave them here if you feel you do not need them?"
As introductions were made the goddess nodded her head in turn and glanced to Ankou. She knew he was not always comfortable around groups, though this was business.
"Doors would be best I think." She agreed, they were a mix of strengths and Infinity could not world walk.
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 5:24 pm
The first to come after himself and Cosine was definitively Xun JIang. The scales, tail and wings quite easily marked the quite feminine god as one of the Dragon Kings, through he could not imagine those wings being anything but bothersome, especially at their current location. That might be something worth bringing up if Tian Yue tried to tease him about having three pairs again.
But that was neither here or there.
The second was a redheaded elf, who quite clearly had the feel of the divine to her, even if she did not quite look the part. But this was Trickery, so it made sense, at least to him. If that was indeed shapeshifting, then he could appreciate the ease she seemed to hold over it - which was not something he had seen often with the gods reborn.
"Pleased to meet you both." Indeed, he felt just the slightest bit like a fish out of the water, but at least he was making an effort at being social.
"Yes, I figured a Door would be best." He nodded. "I could handle that, if you would like ?"
"Oh, you look completely and utterly dashing." It was impossible to hide the amusement in his voice. Really, poor Glyph looked like he'd just rolled himself inside a bed sheet and decided to go for it. But really, what other options did he have ?
Of course, his personal preference for his lover's clothing definitively was along of the line of less being more, but he was trying to behave, since they were on quite a serious trip, as well as with others.
But oh, behaving was hard.
"I should be fine." The Dragon King nodded toward Cosine. "But thank you." It was rather thoughtful of her to think about weither or not the rest of them had been prepared. The pale god at her side seemed a little tense, but he was not completely certain why. Hmm.
And Tien. Oh ho ho ho~ Well. Now that was unexpected. Of course she wore a different guise, but Glyph had mostly refered to her by her domain before now, so he had not quite made the connection. "Quite pleased to meet all of you as well." He did wink at Tien, but did not explain himself - she'd understand, certainly. He'd try to be good and not mention how many time she had eaten floor in dragonshape.
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 8:24 pm
"Who are you again?" Really, she did try to sound serious but it did not work well as intended. A giggle escaped her lips before she stifled it and attempted to put on a serious face again. "It is nice to meet you all." Tien noticed Xun's wink and grinned. So, he had put two and two together finally? It was a shame, that game had been fun!
"I could probably make use of one, Cosine, with my luck I will end up with sunburn." Better safe than sorry, even if she did not end up using it. The last she wanted to return from this trip red as a lobster. That would make all manner of things uncomfortable for days, or even weeks, if the burns were severe enough. No fun at all.
The name of the planet did not ring any bells, but the mention of Doors did. One of the easiest ways to get in between worlds, though she could not remember how they worked.
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 8:47 pm
"I attempted to prepare my own, just in case you found only enough for Xun and Tien," Glyph said by way of explanation for his garb, smiling as he spoke, "If there is enough for a head wrap, that may be useful." Arranging the headwrap, however, would prove most interesting if he were to attempt it.
"Would you Ankou? I've been through them only twice." He gestured for the Spirit Guide to lead the way before he bent to pick up the bag. The fall of his leaves seemed to shuffle with the movement of the bag and fall over the pack without much discomfort. Rolling his shoulders and bouncing the pack, he gave a nod of readiness, casting an impish grin at Xun, "I'll keep that in mind."
When they set off, he gestured at his bag, "I've also brought scroll paper and inks for recording and a few tools, there's a pick and some hand shovels as well." About his neck jangled the necklace Xun had given him, the bright blues and browns shining in the light as they walked. "I don't have much plan as for direction once we get there... I thought you could take a look at the mirror on-world and we'd decide then, Ankou."
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 2:14 pm
Cosine watched their interactions with interest Xun seemed quite jolly as was Glyph, which made them well matched. Even if Glyph had said nothing of their relationship it was clear from the way they bantered and the looks between them. Tien too, as she would imagine of Trickery had a glint of mischief in her eyes though she attempted to keep a straight face.
"Here." She handed the cloak to Tien with a smile. "I will show you how to wrap it when we get there. You too Glyph, I will help you I am sure we can work something out."
At Glyph's mention of note taking tools Cosine gave a sheepish smile.
"I also bought writing material. I will catalogue the journey for the records in the library. I can help with navigation too perhaps. I have not had much practice but plotting out position according to the stars should be simple enough." At least she hoped so. "If we can see them of course."
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 2:44 pm
"Of course." Ankou nodded, and then started heading back toward the main building, certain that the rest of the group would follow. Through perhaps he could teach Glyph more about it once they came back, if he was uncertain...
"It will be much easier for me to try to feel her out once we do get there." He confirmed. "I have only managed to follow a spirit trail leading off-world once... But another god's influence had also been involved." Best to simply wait until they were there than to try to overplan things... Of course, Ankou's usual idea of a plan was, well... no plan at all.
He would have liked to try opening the Door himself, actually, as Lindita had showed him how to do it... But it would probably be better not to do such a thing. Ankou seemed experienced in such thing, and he had to wish to get everyone lost... or worse, stranded somewhere off-world.
Another time, hopefully. He saw no need to say what he had brought - the many gourds and vessels hanging at his belt made it a little obvious, really.
Xun Jiang waited for Glyph to catch up with him before he started walking to follow the Spirit Guide, scaled tail waving back and forth behind him like a curious cat's might have. This was more or less his first journey as himself, but Illisia's experience did temper his excitement a bit, to a point where it might be less obvious.
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 9:35 pm
Tien took the cloak and folded it over her arm for the time being. "Thank you." At least that solved the problem of having something to cover her face if the need arose.
When Ankou started heading back toward the main building she turned and followed after him. Something about this one was vaguely familiar, but she was not quite sure what it was. She was quite certain that she had never met him before today. It was something to ponder during the journey but she would not broach the subject with him unless she was reasonably sure about why he was familiar.
She paused a moment, glancing back at Xun and Glyph. Even if they had tried not to be so obvious, it was clear enough those two were a pair. Interesting information to file away for teasing Lifewater later.
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 9:54 pm
"Thank-you," Glyph responded to Cosine, grateful for the offer of help. "If you're able to chart our course as we move, that would be exceptional. Considering it's a desert, I would be surprised if we could not see the stars." In truth, he had no idea regarding their destination and rather hoped it wouldn't be a maelstrom of a desert.
"I am hoping my experience with giving out gems will come in handy as well. I am not as in tune with the dead as you are but hopefully my skills will prove enough." Glyph chattered to Ankou, nodding as he walked and subconciously held back a little to walk beside Xun, casting a glance at the other. He seemed excited, of all things, and it made Forest smile warmly at his lover.
"Have you travelled in the desert at all, Tien? Or is this your first time?" He directed the question to Trickery, honestly curious as to where their experiences lay.
They continued to walk and when the stairs to the level with the numerous Doors were mounted, he paused to look down the hallway with interest. As with much of the Pantheon, the space inside defied the space apparent from the outside, and it the hallway itself looked normal enough. He doubted he'd ever forget his first glimpse of the Doors while still a gem, when they were whirling vortexes of mana in infinitely complex patterns - it had been mesmerizing.
"If I remember correctly... it's pick a Door, any Door, right?" He chuckled and gestured for Ankou to start them off.
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 11:11 am
Cosine gave a nod. Of course she would do her best. She wanted to be as useful as possible, as all of them did. Infinity would be able to help her. She could judge distances well from the air.
They stepped up into the Pantheon and made their way to the hall of doors, some occupied, some not. She smirked at Glyph's joke and nodded.
"Well, as long as it's not occupied. I don't hink any of the other gods would appreciate us all barging in on them. Not that it wouldn't be amusing." Full of curiosity Infinity made a half flap half jump from Cosine to Ankou's shoulder, eager to watch him open the door to this new place.
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 5:56 pm
"If there are severe storms, then I can probably fly above them to see the stars." Xun Jiang did offer. It probably would not be too bad if he was wearing scales, and if the storms were too bad, Cosine's crow might not be able to make it through. And he knew how to locate himself, so he could simply bring the information down to have it noted.
He remembered Tananis had it's moments... But of course, this desert could be completely different. This was the only example that came to mind, through, and what he would have to stick to that mental image until he saw otherwise.
"But I bet there's treasures on the other side..." Was the teasing comeback he gave to Cosine's statement. No, he did not really plan to break in into anyone's living space, of course, but it did not mean he could not be silly about it.
"Any unmarked Door, yes." Ankou expended on Cosine's explanation, if only for the benefit of the rest of the group. If they did not know how to open and operate Doors, well, it would be good for them to learn. The familiar weight on his shoulder had his arm rise to ruffle Infinity's feathers once again as he made his way up the stairs. "And you need to know where you wish to go. A city name works, but takes more time." And might have multiple worlds, actually. Of course he rarely did use Doors on his lonesome, and rarely did have a precise destination in mind...
The Spirit Guide stopped in front of the first blank Door he came across, and reached out to rest one pale hand on top of the smooth material. His eyes closed and he sent his consciousness inward to look, and... It did not take as long as he thought it would have taken him. He found Daelyth almost too quickly, and runes stared to etch on the Door only seconds after he first touched it.
One push was enough to open it, and he waited for the others to walk through. He liked to come in last, when the Door was his - he found it easier to keep track of everyone and keep it open that way.
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