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 Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 6:31 am
 Although he was still wholly devoted to his mother's cause, desiring above all else to help her gain the power and control that she so wonderfully deserved...BlackIce had petitioned for the chance to expand his mind and learn more of the world beyond his mother's territory. Since his reasons were sound - he could well bring back a new variety of poison or other useful knowledge - he had been granted his request, though BlackIce was still not entirely sure that his mother was completely happy with the arrangement. His mother was a hard one to read.
None the less BlackIce had set out some time ago to explore the world, to learn and experiment to his hearts content. Thus far ... he was sorely disappointed. In his travels he had yet to find a single interesting creature, plant or place that was worthy of spending some time with. Granted he was only know beginning to come into new lands but he had expected his explorations to be a touch more exciting then this! Why he almost missed that dreary dull mountain he called home and snorting in dismay he stalked through the forested path, somewhat annoyed by the way all the leaves dripped morning dew upon him like perpetual irritating rain. Scourge was not very happy about it all either, squawking and fluffing his feathers with each drop as he sat huddled on BlackIce's back. At least Plague had the sense to fly overhead and avoid the drops.
"Dumb Bird." The stallion muttered, though his voice was not without some affection, as stupid and limited as Scourge was the fact that he had even survived the foal hood experiments BlackIce had subjected him to was enough to earn the beast at least a fraction of respect once in a while.
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Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 6:46 am
 It wasn't often Erasto left his swamp home to venture out into the rest of the land. But some of his supplies were running low and they were the type that could not be found in the swamp. Normally he relied on others to bring him these materials, they would trade he what he wanted for some potion or other thing he would concoct to help them find love, grow strong or just about anything else they thought of. His potions didn't always work, but sometimes they seemed to, and so he would get repeat customs. Sometimes his customers came him through sheer curiosity from hearing stories about the masked stallion who lived in the swamps and made potions. But the number of customers had dwindled recently and so Erasto was forced to venture out of his familiar area and look for what he needed himself. He brought Seela, his devoted lizard familiar, with him because she could reach into small spaces to retrieve items that would otherwise be out of reach to him. Of course Seela wasn't a perfect helper, but it was the best he had to work with for now.
"Damn it Seela!" The stallion grumbled as the lizard ate a grasshopper. "How many times do I have to tell you, don't eat the grasshoppers Eat the crickets, I have no use for cricket!" Grasshopper parts were ingredients in several of his formulas but if Seela kept eating them he would be left with nothing to work with...of course it course also lead him to finally getting his hands on another lizard tail for a particularly strong potion. He wasn't the type to pass up an opportunity like that if the lizard kept eating his supplies. "And keep a look out for more mushrooms, those really small ones." Those were not easy to come by either, but luckily he didn't need them very often, but if he was out here gathering one thing he better make the most of his time and get other items that he might need in the future.
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Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 7:00 am
It was Plague who alerted him to the presence of another nearby, swooping down to land between his ears the pied raven whispered to him tales of a masked and feather adorned Soquili. As this was the first stranger he had come across who sounded even remotely interesting - he had already passed up meeting a doe colored mare lounging by a watering hole, as well as several others doing mundane things like grazing or chatting - he decided to investigate.
"Lead the way Plague." He told the pied raven who took off in a flurry of feathers, leaving BlackIce to break into a trot in order to keep up, ignoring the protests from Scourge who was jounced along on his back. As promised it was not a long journey, Plague coming to land upon a tree branch alongside a pathway where BlackIce could hear the grumblings of a being. Something about Seela..and eating grasshoppers. Funny "Sounds like he has one of you Scourge." He told the fat dimwitted bird on his back.
Stepping onto the path BlackIce laid his eyes upon the stallion in the tree's. He was intriguing to look at - Plague had not let him down in that regard, though looks were not all the stallion was interested in. "What need have you for these grasshopper things?" He called out, having overheard that part and being unfamiliar with grasshoppers. Still if this stallion had a use for them then BlackIce was interested in what for, to see if he himself could have use for them.
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Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 7:10 am
Erasto halted in his search for an herb when he heard another Soquili's voice. Great just what he needed interruptions. He turned his gaze towards the source of the voice. When his eyes settled upon the other stallion he couldn't help but take a moment to take in the unique features of the creature standing before him. Claws were not something seen very often in the Soquili he met. Normally through his business transactions he met your average breeds of Soquili with average needs and wants. But just looking at this stallion Erasto could see he was not your average Soquili and he liked didn't act like one either. Interesting, very interesting. Even more so were the two birds with him, well the one more than the other. The raven he looked over quickly enough but it was the other bird on the branch above that made him curious. He had never seen such a bird before and was caught pondering for a moment if he could take it from the stallion and what it's parts could be used for.
When he was done thinking it over, his gaze turned to Seela who was staring at the other stallion. "Back to work Seela." He commanded the lizard and waited for her to comply before looking at the stallion again to answer his question. "Grasshoppers are good for a number of things. I use them in my potions." Normally he wasn't so willing to give out free information but for this intriguing beast he made an exception.
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Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 7:04 am
The mention of potions was all that was needed to entice BlackIce's further interest, or at least to keep him from walking off in search of more interesting company as he had done numerous times in the past. What could he say - he simply had no interest in the typical everyday lives of those he met. "Intriguing." He replied
"I too create potions though where I come from grasshoppers are not a typical ingredient." He told the other stallion, watching the lizard in her work for a few moments he was able to deduce that these grasshoppers were not a plant but some sort of bug. "Spiders are commonly used however...and some beetles." He went on, knowing that he would be unlikely to gain any more information without displaying a willingness to share some of his own. BlackIce did not mind sharing with those who lived so far away from his herd - it was unlikely they would ever be competition or enemies with one another and as such the potential knowledge gained was worth far more then anything he might reveal.
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Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 8:35 am
It had been a long time since anyone had shown any interest in his work. And that one word uttered from the other stallion showed that he was interested. Perhaps the strange looking beast was worth running into. Wasn't that half the reason why he lived in a swamp so far from anyone else? Because so few understood what he did, but even then they came to him now and then looking for a cure or a love potion or some other ridiculous thing and more often than not he would provide that idea for them. He could only assume that his potions worked since he rarely had anyone return to ask for a refund or to complain about his products.
As the stallion spoke of creating his own potions Erasto felt himself relax just a bit. He honestly didn't like speaking with others, but if it was on the common ground of potion making then he didn't mind so much. "They can be quite useful depending on what you are making." He told the stallion. "They are particularly good in a potion I make that helps cure swamp rot." He wasn't sure if this other stallion had seen a swamp or knew what swamp rot was, but Erasto knew all too well how annoying the stuff was and so grasshoppers were an essential part of his potion making process. "Spiders can be quite useful as well..." He agreed with a bob of his head. "...though I find the poisonous ones more fun to work with." An odd smile crept on his face. Sure he made potions that could help others, but he was also fond of creating nastier concoctions. "Beetles, however, are not easy to come by where I live, so I do not use them all that often."
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Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 8:55 am
BlackIce found himself relaxing further as the other stallion spoke - it was easy to tell that he knew what he was talking about and BlackIce was further impressed when the other admitted to not shying away from the creation of poisons rather then simply dealing with cures. It was easy to find healers willing to share knowledge on their concoctions but far less easy to find those willing to share less savory knowledge.
"There are many poisonous spiders when I come from, one must be careful in collecting them but the venom is worth the risk when used properly. I have not heard of this swamp rot you speak of but my home has no such environments so that it not surprising. I have heard that swamp algae can be useful in both cures and poisons depending upon the type used." BlackIce had yet to actually find any such algae - truthfully he had yet to even find a swamp but he had heard of them and gleaned at least a passing knowledge on what to expect there.
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Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 9:24 am
It took a lot for Erasto to be happy, especially when around others, but hearing the other stallion speak of using poisonous spiders made Erasto happy. He was more than glad that he took the initiative to leave his swamp home to venture forth into the less familiar to collect what he needed. Perhaps he could learn a new potion or two from this stallion if the beast was willing to share, and of course Erasto would share something with him in return. "There are only a few where I come from, but they are indeed well worth the effort it takes to collect them and their venom." He had been bitten many times in the past, but with more experience he found the bites less and less frequent. "I come from the swamp, so I know swamp rot all too well. Nasty stuff, can kill you if you don't tend to it quickly enough." He had seen a few die in the past from it, but in the end it was their fault, for they had refused to pay for his services and thus suffered a rot induced death.
"That is true." He said with a bob of his head. "But the good kind can also be manipulated into poisons with the right combination of ingredients. It is harder of course, but comes in handy when the poisonous kind is not easily accessible." He wanted to speak with the stallion at length and perhaps learn something new from him. "And where is it that you dwell, if there are no swamps to be found?" He couldn't imagine not living in the swamps but he knew many found the idea revolting and he was okay with that, since it helped to keep trespassers and wanderers at bay.
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 8:33 am
The more he talked with the stallion the more BlackIce became intrigued, for once approaching one of the outsider Soquili had payed off and he wasn't trapped in some pointless conversation about the weather, local sight seeing or whatever herd drama was on the wanderer's mind. This stallion seemed to nkow what was actually important in life.
"I come from a Mountain herd - it requires a bit of traveling to get certain ingredients but also offers unique ones that cannot be found elsewhere." He told the stallion when he inquired on where he hailed from - BlackIce didn't mind telling the stallion that he lived on a mountain but he wasn't about to go into great detail about it, he still had his herds safety to consider - although he was sure that this one lonely stallion would not be much of a threat despite his profound knowledge.
"It is interesting how plants tend to react to different ingredients, with one mixture it is a cure with another a poison and yet the basis for both is the same thing, sadly there does not seem to be many like us, those whose interests lead us towards learning such things."
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 8:47 am
From the mountains. Now Erasto could see why this stallion had never been to the swamps before and didn't have access to the plants that grew only in those areas. They were oddly similar in many ways, such as how the lands where they lived offered unique plants that could not be found in different areas. "Your mountain is much like my swamp then. What I find in my home does not grow within yours and we must travel to get those items that are not easily grown or found in our home lands." Normally Erasto didn't like talking with strangers, but this stallion was like a kindred spirit, one that Erasto was glad to know...speaking of which, it was time to find out this beasts name. "I am Erasto and it would give me great pleasure to know your name as a fellow mixer of poisons."
Erasto gave his head a bob. "Indeed. It seems that we are a dying breed of sorts, though perhaps between the two of us we can share and spread the knowledge so that such practices are not lost." He didn't like the idea of competition per say but one day he would no longer be around and he would like to know that another had taken his place to provide these things to others. And perhaps there was another benefit to knowing this stallion. "We can also help each other acquire what does not grow in our homelands. I can trade swamp plants for some of your mountain plants. This would allow us to make even more potions than we could before, spending less time looking for them and more time making them."
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 9:14 am
Erasto, it was an interesting name but it did not grab BlackIce's attention the way the stallions other comments did. It must have been fate that he had run across this stallion who now offered him exactly what he had set out to learn. Learning and also sharing his own knowledge with this stallion would be far easier then trekking about trying to figure it all out on his own that was for sure, it would take him countless experiments to figure out what this stallion could likely teach him in an afternoon.
"I am known as BlackIce...and I think, Erasto, That it would be greatly beneficial to the both of us if we were to share our knowledge with one another, surely our interests will not overlap into each others territory considering how far apart our homes are...but the shared knowledge and expanded inventory of stock would be quite a upgrade I think."
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 9:44 am
It was a strange name, BlackIce, but certainly not the strangest he had heard. And really the stallions name didn't matter, what mattered was the potential for shared knowledge and resources to further both of their potion making abilities. For once fate was smiling upon Erasto in a good way and it was obvious that he would not squander the opportunity. In fact hearing BlackIce confirm that this was a good idea made the stallion smile.
"I agree. This can only benefit the both of us. It will mean spending less time experimenting and more time perfecting what we both already know." Oh he would still experiment, after all that was half of the reason why he did this, to see what would happen when certain ingredients were mixed, but he wouldn't have to spend days or weeks trying to get the right combination for a certain potion is BlackIce had already learned it. The distance between their homes would really be the only barrier, and even that could be overcome. "If we met regularly, to share our stocks and recipes then we would expand our knowledge greatly in a relatively short period of time."
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Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 6:46 am
This single meeting was enough to make his entire foray into the world outside his homelands worthwhile, all those pointless conversations with locals, all though irritating mares and stallions who wanted nothing but to chatter on about local drama or ask questions about what he looked like or coo at his dumb birds - finally, finally he had managed to make a worthwhile contact.
Considering the lands between his herd and this place BlackIce attempted to come up with a decent meeting place, somewhere that wouldn't be too inconvenient for either of them. "There is a river about halfway between my home and this place, if one travels due north from here, along the river I spotted a waterfall which would make a good point of reference and meeting place ." The stallion suggested, though he was open to suggestions if this older stallion knew the lay of the land better then he did.
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Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 6:54 am
Erasto nodded his head as BlackIce laid out a possible meeting place. It sounded simple enough to find and sine Erasto knew the swamp more than anything else he could think of no other place off the top of his head to meet without having one of them travel to the others home. This meeting place was about half way and would work out well enough. But mostly he was excited at the prospect of learning new things. In all his years he had yet to meet someone who sparked his interest like BlackIce did. Now he could truly expand his creations without wasting too much valuable time on the experimentation phase of it. "That sounds like a suitable meeting spot." He finally said after a short pause.
"Shall we saw one week from today we will meet there. We will both bring plants and other supplies that can only be found in the areas in which we live and then we will show each other how those ingredients work to make various mixtures." He would need to make sure he had enough of some of the harder to find swamp based ingredients that he would still have plenty left at home but would also be able to give some to BlackIce in exchange for some mountain plants. He was already making a mental list of what to bring and what he would need more of.
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Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 7:10 am
BlackIce bobbed his head once in agreement before shaking his pelt to rid himself of the dampness that had settled upon it as he spoke, ignoring that the action made the bird on his back tilt dangerously and squawk in annoyance before righting itself. "That sounds acceptable - it will be enough time to harvest the necessary ingredients and materials." He agreed, his own mind already working through a list of things he would need to gather.
It meant that he would need to return home straight away but considering the possible knowledge to be gleaned from this transaction he figured that cutting his wandering short would be more then worthwhile in the end. "After that meeting we can discuss a suitable time for a second if we desire." He stated knowing that there was much to learn and one meeting would unlikely be enough time to commit it all to memory.
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