[FIN] Hag's Insight (Baba,Briinah)

[Elf Princess Flannery]

RP between Baba and Briinah





Location: Briinah is in Coeld heading north to Etine (Baba lives outside of the settlement)

 

[Elf Princess Flannery]

Briinah had gotten the ride to Coeld well enough. It had been a long and uncomfortable ride in the merchants cart. She was glad she had been thoughtful enough to get a coat, thermal leggings and snow boots. Her old boots had been worn through and she was appreciating the soft coziness of her new ones. The falling snow had gotten her a little damp but she was still warm.

Coeld's trade was well established so it had been easy to get a direct ride. Getting to Etine however would not be as convenient. Fortunately, the small settlement was not far north. The weather had cleared and she hoped the locals would help her in the right direction.  

[Elf Princess Flannery]

Baba had little patience today. She had just finished moving most of the snow off of her home. She was sore, her hands had blisters, and she had actually started to feel the chill. She went back into her hut to warm up and organize some of the journals, tomes and papers that had gotten tossed about. At a glance it would be difficult to tell the difference between a cooking recipe and an alchemical one, so she would have to sort through them carefully. This process would likely take weeks but it was safer than mistakenly making the wrong thing.

She picked up a log from the corner and tossed it into the fireplace. It plopped into the crackling logs in a satisfying way and puffed out a bit of soot. There was a chair and a trough of water near the fireplace. She grabbed an armful of books and papers and set them on the floor next to the chair. She sat in the wooden chair and pulled the trough in front of the fire with her feet. She dropped her black stained feet in the water as she began to thumb through the pages.  

[Elf Princess Flannery]

She had asked around with some of the trade carts of any of them were headed to Etine. None of them were, she had been informed that the Etine settlement was fiercely self-reliant. It sounded like a bunch of icelings being typically bull headed and prideful. Briinah grew up around traders and caravans. She often ran off with them just to see something new and meet new folks. The ones that rooted themselves too deeply were more reluctant to change than was healthy.

Briinah only hoped the people would be open to strangers. She didn't have the time to be fussing around with snowed in ice folk. She had come all this way to speak to their local witch. She hoped she could find something to trade in exchange for information about the Dread Sermal. Any texts or accounts to confirm what she though she knew about it; or how to defeat it would be highly valuable to her. From what she understood from grandpa's retelling, it could not be killed by conventional means. If hunters tried to slay it, its spirit would simply jump into the one who killed it. It was a vicious cycle, she would need some sort of enchanted weapon or spell to lift the curse.

She found herself at the local tavern/inn and inquired to the bartender about the best route to get to Etine. He warned her that the recent snow might make travel slow on foot but that the trail was well marked with road signs.  

[Elf Princess Flannery]

She sunk deeper into the chair as her feet thawed. Baba let out a relaxed sigh and her eyes got sleepy as she continued to look through and mark the papers and texts. Her page markers were bits of sting she had dipped in soft wax. She had come up with this little system a few years ago and had made a huge difference in regards to her studies. She could color code the stacks with different colored wax. Green for restorative; black for poisons, hexes, and curses; red for cosmetic or illusions, white for general food and drink. As she worked through the unorganized stack, four little piles formed around her on the floor. She didn't have a marker for things like stories, legends, or journals. She made a general "histories" pile under her chair and figured she would further sort them later.

She held on to hope that she might accidentally find some of mother's pages or journals hiding in plain sight, or hidden in another cover, but she had not found anything of such interest yet. While the chance of finding something kept her working thorough the stacks, it was inevitably making her very sleepy and it didn't take much longer for her slumped posture to turn into a snoring Baba.

".....zZzZz..."

 

[Elf Princess Flannery]

The bartender in Coeld had not been wrong about the snow, but it was not as difficult as she had imagined. The road markers were just colored posts with bits of tattered string or fabric tied to them. They didn't hold much information and did not give any indication of direction or distance to Etine. She noticed some of the posts had been etched by travelers, some of the symbols looked strange and she was not aware of their meanings. Most of the etchings were just "so-n-so was here" or "person + person" surrounded by a heart. She could relate to these. Everyone wanted to be remember some how, or declare their love to the world even if it was just in a small way.

Briinah simply kept walking without thinking about much of anything. She stayed focused on looking out for the next marker and then inspecting it briefly before continuing on. She wasn't sure of how much timed had passed, but before she knew it she could see signs of the settlement. The homes were sparsely distributed around a cleared area where a log longhouse resided. She figured it was the recreational/town hall building. She hesitantly approached the building and pushed the door open slightly to peer inside. Warm light poured out and she could see a handful of ice folk inside.

They all were older men and appeared gruff and were covered in furs. They looked to be leaders of the settlement and they were standing around a table full of food, trinkets and baskets. Some of the items had flowers tied to them and looked like gifts or part of some kind of ritual.

"Excuse me," she started "I hope I am not interrupting any thing I am just looking for directions."

The men looked at each other and the oldest one approached her. His hair was grey and he had a long beard. "What can I assist you with?" he sounded genuinely kind and she was surprised at how helpful he seemed.

"Oh! Well, I was looking for directions to the local witch. I know she is in this area I just need to find her hut." The man looked at her suspiciously.
"Please, I believe she has some information that could help me end a terrible curse."

The man stepped back and looked to the men by the table, they seemed to communicate without speaking because they nodded to each other. Briinah began to worry if she had made a mistake in coming here, or if they would be any help at all. The other men put the gifts into a basket and one of them brought it over to her. "If you truly have need of her she will reveal herself to you." He handed the basket to her. "Take these offerings as trade for information if she wishes to give it. If you do not find her before sunset, leave the basket in the woods and go home. She only makes time for those she deems worthy."

She was a little taken aback buy the specific instructions, she had so many questions as to what, and why it had to be done this way. She took the basket without question and the men hurried her out of the building before she could inquire more. "Head north and enter the woods there, if you see signs of her, follow the spirits. They will guide you." is all the old man said to her before he shut the door. Briinah was perplexed as to the nature all of this would play out. "Would I be looking for signs of ghosts or fetishes scattered throughout the woods?" She did not know, but decided to go as instructed before fear convinced her otherwise.
 

[Elf Princess Flannery]

Her nap did not last long before it was interrupted. One of her little birds woke her up with its scratching at the window. Her nasally snore turned into a gasping noise when she brought her head up, only barely alert. She caught the page that had been slowly slipping out of her lap before it fell into the fire. That was close. She got up to investigate the window. As soon as she cracked it open the bird flew in and dropped a twig on the desk. Baba picked it up and snapped it in half. She discarded the pieces out the window and shooed the bird out.

"Alright go on" she said to it. "I'll see what the villagers have brought me." She walked over to a cupboard and pulled out some jars and crystals. She crushed them up with a mortar and pestle and grabbed a fistful of the green shimmering dust. Baba walked outside and began to sprinkle the dust around her perimeter. When that was done she clapped her hands together and went back into the hut. She gathered a few more herbs from the shelf and tossed them into the fire. The house filled with a fine smoke and an earthy aroma filled the air. It billowed up through the chimney and caught the wind. The smoke created an illusion around the house but it also functioned as a signal for villagers. They only had to follow their nose.  

[Elf Princess Flannery]

The path into the woods looked as if it had been used recently but it quickly disappeared under fresh snow. She hoped she wouldn't get lost in the thick, there wasn't much for her to rely on for markers. Briinah started to break small branches so they would droop or hang, just in case she never found the witch. She hoped it wouldn't come to that. She needed more information about her targeted prey, she knew she stood no chance against it otherwise.

Just as her arms began to ache from the weight of the basket, something caught her eye. Something... odd, was glimmering between the trees ahead. Briinah proceeded with caution. The glimmering thing was moving and darting around the branches of the trees. She wasn't sure of what she was looking at. Her palms began to feel clammy and she gripped the basket handle tightly with anticipation. As she crept closer the light appeared to reveal itself as a bird. It was looking at her, perched on a branch she could almost reach. It chirped and fluttered at her, its wings shimmered.

Briinah leaned in, "Are you my guide?" she asked in a whisper. As if the bird had responded it flit off to another branch further in. It stayed there until Briinah got closer and it moved again. She followed the odd shimmering bird and as she did she started to smell something like incense. The smell was old and earthy, like dead flowers. Following the bird and the smell lead her to a clearing. In the clearing was a shabby hut surrounded in an eerie green mist. She had never seen anything look so haunted. Chills ran up her spine.

She approached the house and stopped before she entered the yard. It was loosely fenced by little wooden stakes, some of them had skulls on them. She could have sworn the eyes were glowing in them, staring at her. She placed the basket in front of her and called out to the house before going further.
"H-hey there! Witch! Are you home?"  

[Elf Princess Flannery]

Baba watched the girl approach the house from the window. She was surprised to see a wind girl this far east. She looked out of her element; she also looked scared out of her wits. Baba smiled, her little stunt had payed off. Her little "effect" primed the girl to expect some powerful wicked witch. She liked it better that way, they didn't feel as strong a need to negotiate. She could always refuse them if she didn't like them anyhow.

She eyed the basket the girl was carrying. It was the one she demanded from the villagers every month. It was their "payment" for her keeping their animals healthy and their crops growing and so on and so forth. It was a nice system. They brought her supplies and gifts in exchange for playing veterinarian and fertility doctor. Most of their requests were pretty domestic and hardly trouble for a witch like Baba.

She was curious as to what this stranger wanted. It was obvious she didn't know the locals and their customs, perhaps she would request something interesting. She waited and uncomfortable amount of time before responding to the girls call. When she was visibly shaking Baba opened the front door slowly.

She stepped out from the dark of the house and into the fading daylight. Baba stared at the girl with a disdained look on her face. "You do not even bring your own gifts" she scoffed. "Are you the village errand girl?" Baba pointed to the basket. "Why have you disturbed me?"  

[Elf Princess Flannery]

As the door slowly creaked open Briinah froze. Her eyes were wide and her breath held. She half expected to see a ghost standing in the doorway or nothing at all. The gnarly looking ice woman was not exactly a welcome sight. She jumped slightly when the witch snapped at her. She finally remembered to take a breath.

"Ah, Th-They asked me to bring this to you a-as an offering!" This encounter was not off to a good start, now she was stammering to explain herself!

"I have traveled from Sauti to ask some wisdom of you. I wish to know all I can about the Dread Sermal" She picked up the basket and placed it further towards the house. Briinah quickly looked down at her feet. She could feel the witches cold eyes on her and it gave her the chills.

➸ reminder to have Baba demand a lock of Briinah's hair in payment

 

[Elf Princess Flannery]

Baba had a devious look in her eye. She was reluctant to share her knowledge with anyone let alone this wind stranger. Off hand she didn't know much about the Dread Sermal so she would have to look it up in her histories pile.

"Hmmmn," she mused in a bored tone "It has been a long time since anyone brought up that spirit. What business do you have with it?" perhaps she wouldn't have to dig out the information if she would be satisfied with surface knowledge. It was essentially an old forest spirit meant to discourage over hunting.

Baba stepped down from her house to inspect the basket.  

[Elf Princess Flannery]

Briinah stiffened when the witch started to approach. She took a few steps back in response. She was wary enough to keep a good distance but remained close enough to talk at a comfortable volume.

"It has cursed my family. It has brutally taken my mother from me and I wish to banish it for eternity." she informed her. "My name is Briinah. The beast is tied to half of my blood through my mother Ah'brii."

Seeing her close up, Briinah was surprised to see how young the witch appeared to be. She had grey in her hair and here eyes had an ancient deepness to them; yet her skin, and body looked remarkably youthful. She was curious as to what sort of witchcraft could result in such a thing. She could only imagine it came at a wicked price; Brrinah didn't want to know.  

[Elf Princess Flannery]

She eyed the girl suspiciously. If the Dread Sermal had truly awakened she imagined she would have heard about it. In its true form it was enormous and destructive. She was unsure as to how it could awaken in an earthling after been asleep for so long.

Baba shook her head as she picked through the basket. It was filled with provisions and some handy things like thread and other tools. It was also filled with herbs and even some jewelry. The villagers really had put a thoughtful basket together this month, she hoped that wouldn't give them the idea to ask more of her.

She lifted the basket on her arm and stared blankly at Briinah. She doubted her story about being cursed. The girl had probably been frightened by an animal or a bad fairy tale after a long night of drink. Despite her doubts, Baba inquired further.

"What is the nature of this curse? How did its burden befall your family?"  

[Elf Princess Flannery]

Briinah took a deep breath and tried her best to remember what she could.
"My mother was with an outsider before she married my father, she had a child from this union. My grandpa realized the child was cursed when he saw its eyes. He said when a man is possessed by the Dread Sermal he obtains the eyes of a wild cat. The child had bright round eyes and the whites were black like an animals. My grandfather determined it was because of my mother's union with an outsider that she was being punished." She crossed her arms and her posture relaxed a bit.

"My mother never forgave herself for it. She had nightmares that the beast inside the child would one day burst forth and kill her. She left it with the father to escape her fate but it was all for nothing. Once the boy was strong enough he became possessed by the spirit and attacked and killed my mother in her home. "
She took in another deep breath. She was fighting back tears. Her poor mother didn't deserve this. She only hoped she could find a way to make it right and prevent it from happening again to anyone else.  

[Elf Princess Flannery]

So the boy killed its mother? Baba thought this story was sounding more like a domestic issue rather than anything supernatural.
"Did you actually see him as the beast? What did it look like to you?" she inquired.

As far as the boy's eyes being black, Baba hadn't heard about that detail in her version. Perhaps the Sauti tribes have their own variations?, She shifted her weight as she pondered. From what she understood the beast's spirit would possess the hunter that slain it. She had never heard of a person being born possessed. There were some maleficent spirits that did that, but not this one. She was beginning to wonder if this would be worth any of her time. She had to nail down if this client would require witch skills or snake oil.