Solo or RP Format Counts as 5 RP growth Points Solo word minimum is 750, RP post minimum is 7
Fears are meant to be overcome, but often are hard to do so. What are the fears that plague your character at night? How long have they dealt with these fears, and where did they originate from? How do they deal with their fears, and how does it impact their life and relationships? And will they ever work to overcome it?
[ Spend this World Event working through the fears of your character, either on their own or with some moral support of a friend ]
DRUND (pl. Drunds) - The Drund live in small groups of two to five and live in the mountains and cliffs of Sauti. Their large, low bodies are covered in hard rock-like skin and are known to constantly bask in the sun for warmth. Their mouths contain a thin forked tongue that produces a toxic venom that can kill its prey from the inside out. It will strike and then wait for its victim to die before eating.
Sol had forgotten how much he actually enjoyed travel. After so long in the comforts of his Zenan cabin he'd forgotten what a rush life on the road could provide. After the initial adjustment of figuring out what he could and couldn't do, Sol had started to use his magic on a regular basis as his second 'eyes'. It helped him to pinpoint living beings, though as to what those beings were he couldn't tell. Sometimes he thought they were Koril's companions, bounding across the craggy landscape but today....
Today he'd been fooled.
Sending out a spray of fire, Sol jumped at the last second and felt, rather than saw, the air beneath him fill up with something. He reached behind him, felt the side of the stone and tried to pull himself up but not before something clamped it's jaws onto his leg, yanking him down onto the ground. He could heard large, low bodies scraping against stone as they closed in around him and while the fire was keeping the majority away the one who had attacked him was sitting square on his leg, tearing into his flesh with jerky shakes.
Sol let out a scream and without his walking stick (because goddess only knew where that thing had landed) was forced to raise his other leg just to kick the beast. It took a few tries, but finally it landed with enough gumption to knock it off him.
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 6:05 pm
With so much happiness and hope filling his life as of late, something was due to disturb the peace. Koril could hear it in his father's voice in his head. While Dexurn was by no means a negative man, he had grown up with the need and understanding to be prepared for what could go wrong and was earnest in making sure his children were alert as well. Koril smirked at the voice and shook his head, tipping his face up to the warmth of the sun.
A barely perceptible scolding sounded in his head as well when a scream stabbed into his thoughts and shattered that peace. "Sol?" With the sound bouncing off of the angled rocks, the first hint he was able to spot for a direction was the fire reaching up. Koril burst into a run without a second thought.
Skidding to a halt at the ledge, he found himself looking down and feeling his heart leap up into his throat. Sol. Multiple drunds. Blood. Had Sol been..? "Sol!" He knelt down and reached out his arm. Sol wasn't too far below him, but it could be a problem if the other was injured enough. Add on the remaining pressure of the drund threat, and the this could go wrong were innumerable. "Sol, up here!"
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2021 11:54 am
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"Koril?!" Sol tilted his head upward in a unconscious effort to seek out his partner. The moment he did another drund chose to strike and he felt another pair of solid, jagged teeth tear into his torso. Thankfully the leather vest he wore blocked out the worst of it and with a burning palm placed flat on the creature's jaw it was left a shrieking mess.
While he had no idea if it was safe enough to reach up, Sol knew that Koril would only guide him if he thought there was a chance. The hybrid quickly raised both of his arms, waving them a bit until he connected with Koril's and grasped tightly.
"Can you pull me up? I can't make it on my own!"
Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2021 7:14 pm
The shriek of the drund tore at Koril's gut, but the sight of Sol's peril was worse. He gripped Sol's hand firmly. "I've got you!" He strained to pull the taller man up, panic nearly winning over adrenaline in making his muscles feel weak. The other drunds were approaching to add their venom to the blood of their feisty dinner...
He could remember part of the reason they had come this particular way. He had been interested in getting another look at the very creatures that were attacking. While the drund were common enough, there had not been much research into their habits and abilities that he could find; more what observers could see from a safe distance. Their toxins were potent, and he had wanted a few more notes for his book.
He hadn't meant for Sol to be the bait though! It was a literal nightmare playing out before him. The adrenaline kicked in, and he dragged Sol up over and away from the ledge. He might have dragged the man the whole way back to the little campsite if Flana hadn't suddenly jumped in front of him. "Flana! Fetch pack! Pack," he ordered, mostly certain that Flana would remember the order and grab the correct item for him. He turned his attention to the various bite marks. He didn't see blood on the torso, but that bloody leg made his skin crawl. "How's it feel? Anything?" he asked quickly, unable to keep the fear from his voice. He ripped the torn pant leg open up to the knee to get a look at the bite, wincing at the sight.
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2021 5:03 pm
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Sol helped as much as he could, but in the end he was extremely limited. Even the slightest bit of pressure caused his leg to buckle, but he pulled through his reserves to get out as quickly as possible. He could hear the drunds at his side, almost as if they were biting at the air itself in an attempt to get to him, and the last of his flames would only hold out for so long...
Even when he made it over the edge Sol didn't calm. He pulled himself across the ground until he could no longer feel the wind pulling at his antennae. Their cries of outrage echoed in his ear, and for a moment Sol thought they might come after them. What predator wouldn't at least try? Logically he knew they were safe, but that didn't slow the near panic in his blood.
Or was that something else causing his heart to jump?
Sol's right leg lay at an odd angle before him and even though he couldn't see it he could certainly feel it. "It burns. A lot." He hissed through gritted teeth. Remembering what he should do first was tricky when he was the patient instead of the healer. The area around the bites had already started to swell and darken. Stay calm; slow your breathing, keep your heart above the bite."I need to clean it-" Wincing, he raised his hand to his torso and furrowed his brows. Why was it wet? "-clean them. Were you bit?"
Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2021 1:40 pm
As much as he knew he needed to approach the situation calmly, he certainly had never had such an emergency with someone he was close to. All he could think was how scared he was, one arm around Sol's shoulders to keep Sol more upright. Sol was a healer though, and Koril had his own skills. They could beat this.. They had to. If his curiosity hurt the man he loved...
"Me?" He was momentarily puzzled, but quickly shook his head. Why was Sol worrying about him? "I- no- no, I'm fine. Your leg.." His eyes shifted to peer again at Sol's torso and the punctures in the leather. "Flana's coming with my stuff. Try to focus on pushing the poison out, or destroy it, or whatever!" He grumbled and turned to look back for Flana. He needed to calm down more. Thankfully, Flana was eagerly hurrying toward them with the pack dragging along the ground beside her.
He did feel his trembling hands calm a little more while his fingers rifled through the various bottles. His medical pack was one of the few parts in his life that was organized to a fault for the very purpose of easy grabbing in emergencies. Even in his worker-up state, his fingers knew where to go. Cleanser, pain relief, antitoxins... There! "Take this narrow bottle first. It's the antivenom. Then this wider one is for the pain." He pressed the bottles into Sol's hand, and then scootched down to clear the blood from the leg bite. Blotting the cloth and cleanser over the puncture wounds, he winced again and shook his head roughly. "It doesn't look so bad," he said out loud to convince himself and encourage Sol as well. "How much can you do, Sol?" Drund venom tended to move quickly once in the body, making Koril worry about how long Sol would be able to focus efficiently. He could already tell the other's pulse was racing, and the burning had to be spreading up that leg by now.
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2021 7:14 pm
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"That's not how this wor-" Sol exhaled and shook his head. Fussing over it wasn't going to solve the problem and was only going to make him even more nervous than he already was. His head was already feeling off and he was sure that if he'd had his vision it would be wavering. The taller hybrid was definitely using his boyfriend for support more now than he had initially and the muscles in his thigh were starting to ache from the constant tension in his calf. It was as if his body were trying to pull away from the bites themselves, but without anywhere to go they were starting to cramp.
Narrow bottle first, then the wider one for pain. He didn't need to be told twice. He drained the narrow bottle first and was about to start on the second when just the bare touch of Koril applying the cleanser to his wound made him cry out. Up until that point he'd done well enough to keep his pain to himself but the surprise coupled with the burning sensation got the better of him.
Hurriedly he drained the pain reliever. "Could have fooled the hell out of me." He groused. "I can do enough to slow it's spread, but I can't get rid of it. We'll need another healer for that. All I can do is buy time." Which he was already doing. He'd started to lean forward, pressing one flat palm against the side of the bite and imbuing his body with a faint glowing light. It was either focus on pain relief or keeping his leg, so the sensation was far from pleasant.
Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2021 9:02 pm
Koril was chewing hard enough on his lip to cut into the tender skin, but was too intent on Sol's condition to pay attention to his own. All he needed to think about concerning himself was if he could take care of Sol. Right, another healer. Sol's magic and his medicine could only do so much. "There was a clinic in the last town we passed through." He gave a sharp whistle for Sandstorm while he wrapped the ragged bite. "We'll leave our stuff out here so Sandstorm can get you to town quicker." Talking out the plan was helpful, but his heart was still in his throat. He slipped off Sol's boot as well so that his foot get stuck with swelling and tore more of that side's pant leg open to raise the bandaging up over the knee. Perhaps not necessary, but it was an action he could take..
The sound of large feet smacking the ground marked Sandstorm's arrival, the creature giving a concerned squawk at the scene he arrived to find.
Koril patted the ground to get the xaraan to lower itself to make getting Sol on its back easier. "We'll get you settled, and you'll be okay, and I'll come back and get our things, and we'll rest in town for a few days, and you'll be okay." Right? Right. Gods...
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2021 5:38 pm
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Sol didn't dare to stop the magic coursing through him. At this point he wasn't sure how much good it was doing, but anything was better than nothing. He was convinced that the moment he stopped the venom would overtake him and that was just enough fear to push him forward. The last town they'd passed through wasn't as close as he would have liked, but it was still a far better option than trying to fix this on their own. If he could just keep his magic up until they got there then he should be fine.
Right?
He wasn't even fully aware of Sandstorm's arrival. One moment Koril was whistling for him and the next he was being urged onto the xaraan's back. Everything about it was disorienting and that in itself was enough to give him pause. "Koril..." Rather than risk losing his focus by touching his lover, Sol leaned back against him. "It's...it's going to be okay..." And if it wasn't...well, he wouldn't be around to know.
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2021 7:44 pm
"I know. I know it will." It had to be! What would he do if it wasn't okay? After he stifled a terrified sob, Koril nodded and hugged his arm around Sol's waist securely. The other gripped at Sandstorm's harness and patted the xaraan's side roughly to encourage him forward. "Go on, Sandstorm. Fast as you can!" He held tighter when Sandstorm lurched into action, only barely aware of Flana hurrying alongside them. Sandstorm should have been outrunning Flana with no problem... If he could have let Sol ride alone for a faster trip, he would have.
He made sure they paused for nothing, and started yelling for help the moment he saw the town in the distance...
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Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2021 1:11 pm
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The ride back to the settlement came as a blur to Sol. He tried to remain as focused on his work as he could, but after a point the sounds around him started to phase out. His magic pulled from a well of subconscious thought and kept trickling out, however weak it was, right up until the point where they came across the healer.
"Bring him in, quickly!"
As soon as the older windling woman had been made aware of their situation she'd sprung into action. Several of her apprentices moved forward to take Sol from Koril and bring him inside her hut where she got to work as fast as possible. By the time she started his breathing was already labored and his skin clammy with a cold sweat. One of the apprentices was focused on calming his heart just enough to slow the spread of the venom while the others assisted her in flushing it from his veins with specially prepared anti-venom. The hybrid was stripped completely so that every bite could be washed and tended to, and by the the time the moon was high in the sky they were finished.
"He'll have a fever for a few days; that's normal. His body depleted itself of magic and the stress of his ordeal exhausted him. After that I would suggest resting for two weeks at the least and seeing how it goes from there." She lifted a cool, damp cloth to his forehead and pressed it against his clammy skin. "You're lucky. If you'd a moment later and if he hadn't been a healer he wouldn't have made it. Oh; he's waking up."
Sol furrowed his brows and leaned toward the healer's touch with a little groan.
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2021 7:04 pm
Koril could only follow along, his arms hugging around himself so that he wouldn't fall apart now that he had nothing to keep him busy. He had done what he could. It was all in the hands of the healers, and it was gut-wrenching.
He had remained as close as he could be, but hearing that Sol was waking up.. he was suddenly afraid to move closer. He forced himself forward though, trembling with a mix of relief and stress. "Sol. I told you.. it'd be okay. ...See?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2021 6:40 pm
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Sol made a non-committal hum under his breath. He was still far too out of it to really get a grasp on the world around him, but hearing the tremble in Koril's voice cause him unease.
The hybrid reached out with a slow moving hand toward his lover's voice. He may have fumbled for a bit if the healer hadn't lifted his arm and placed it closer to the other hybrid. "Doesn't sound...okay..."
Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2021 4:33 pm
Koril bit down on his lip again to try steadying himself. There had been plenty of times that had shaken him, but something about this was different. A deeper fear than other fears was eating at him. He could hear his father's voice telling him that lessons came from such nightmares like this, but he was still too rattled to focus on what that lesson might be. For now.. he was only just stopping the self-blame from sending him running out of the room in shame.
Instead, he let out a breath and climbed onto the table to stretch out at Sol's good side. The healer adamantly voiced disapproval, but Koril only raised his hand to rest in on Sol's chest, the other hand still linked with Sol's fingers. "It will be okay," he insisted softly, really more to himself than anything else.
