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 Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2024 7:41 am
Yngvara ll 1
It had been well over a decade since Yngvara had traveled further than Sauti. The last time she had gone so far from home had been when her parents trip to Matori had resulted in a much longer stay due to her mother's unforeseen pregnancy. She'd been much younger then, barely old enough to have a mount of her own, and yet Yngvara had flown the entire way to those southern shores in a saddle she'd helped craft. It had been a moment of pride and one she'd happily shared with the rest of her family.
Now that she was older she found herself less and less willing to leave the familiarity of those snow capped mountains. Life in the north was harsh, harsher still in the winter, but Yngvara flourished under stress. If anything she'd been preparing all summer for the cruelties this winter was sure to bring them and when a trip to Jauhar had been brought up she'd immediately shot it down. There was too much to do, too much to finalize and get ready for, especially if she was going to do another pilgrimage -
-but ultimately it had been her mother, of all people, who had commanded her to go.
"There is more to life than duty."
And that's how she found herself in the back of a cart, moving through a well worn jungle path while creatures skittered and cried out in the trees above her. Every instinct she had was pulling on her nerves, but Yngvara held herself steady.
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2024 7:53 am
Rhidian ll 1
Unlike her eldest sister, Rhidian had been eager for the adventure. The furthest she'd ever traveled from home had been a few trips to the border with their father so the prospect of going beyond lit a spark in her heart. Jauhar? That's where the shifters lived - where her father had come from - and now they were going there. In her eyes it was akin to hiking the mountain path back to where the original Ild'vann village had stood, but instead of a memorial site it would be villages, people and things.
Maybe it was her youth shining through, but Rhidian had been positively glowing from the moment they passed Sauti all together. Even if riding in the cart was annoying and her legs were sore...and her butt was sore...and her shoulders were sore...if everything was sore...
"Hey, Rhi-," She scooted a little closer to her twin, "-did you bring your scarf?" Without their head scarves it was fairly easy to tell which twin was which, but covered up...Well, they could play a few good pranks while they were here. Especially since the material was breathable enough to do that here.
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2024 9:53 am
Zyphire 1
Take some of the family to Jahaur, let them experience their father's homeland...Zyphire closed his eyes at the thought, the Shifter's opinion on this decision changing with every moment of the journey. At least he had Yngvara and Ziya to keep an eye on the twins, the ones who worried him the most as they went from Zena all the way towards the warmer climate of Jahaur. And admittedly it would be nice to have family with him for a season instead of the Shifter traveling solo to gather supplies this year. And so as the cart continued bumping them along, Zyphire tried to point out familiar sights and such that followed the merchant's path. "On the way back we can gather some fruit from that orchard there. It'll be in full bloom by the time we come back and I can make those jams you like." Followed by him pointing out a herd of aldabuck and a sailscale flying past and the like as they continued forward.
Today they would finally arrive in Neued and they could settle there for the week to shop around and just explore the local area. He had reserved an inn with Yngvara sharing a room with the twins while he shared one with Ziya. Though I wonder if I should have kept the girls with me? His silver gaze went back towards the troublemakers, Zyphire's smile faltering as he noticed Rhidian scooting closer to her sister. That never fared well for them, not when the twins kept to themselves like this. The very thought brought a soft sigh from him before he addressed the family. "We should be in Neued within the hour. Anyone have anything in particular they would like to see first? We're gathering supplies for back home and trading some of the Ild'vann materials here, but we're also here to relax a bit too. Don't forget that~" Mostly for Yngvara's sake, as much as he knew she hated leaving Zena and her duties, and Zyphire was determined to get her to try and relax a bit for once.
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2024 10:00 am
Ziya 1
"Could have been the ocean, but I suppose the jungle is nice too." Murmured Ziya, leaning against Yngvara as he tried to get her to relax a smidge. It was fairly obvious that every movement in the trees made her shoulders tense and so he tried his best to offer support. Though it was getting a bit harder with how his body screamed at every bump of the cart. His muscles were tired and tense from the long ride despite their various stops as they explored the wilderness of other countries and stopped in smaller villages for rest and supplies along the way. Not that Ziya could rest much when he was intent upon exploring and learning more about the local flora and fauna they encountered along their route, just in case any of it helped with the animals back north. And then there were the two wild ones in the cart with them that kept him on his toes as well, the twins getting his attention even as their father spoke up about Neued.
"I think tossing our things in a room and getting food, together, is ideal." Replied Ziya with a smile towards the twins, nudging Yngvara one last time before moving so that he could place an arm over their shoulders. "You guys want to try something crazy spicy or keep it light and sweet? I heard there's some good curry in town since it's a busy marketplace with plenty of foreigners around." An Oban curry? His father had recreated some before but it would be interesting to see if it was any different when prepared by someone actually from Oba that lived in Neued.
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2024 10:08 am
Rhiannon 1
Rhiannon had mixed feelings about traveling ever since their one experience that night in Sauti, but she would be lying to say that she wasn't mostly excited about the opportunity. Where most of their siblings preferred staying in Zena there was part of the girl that wanted to explore the world and see all of the sights that her father talked about whenever he came home for the season. His stories were always enthralling and she could only imagine finding herself in some exciting situations one day as well. It always helped having Rhidian with her too, the girl nodding at the question as her lips curved upwards into a small grin. What was she planning? Whatever it was, she was definitely interested and more than likely to play along. They had to keep this trip exciting somehow, right? Especially when it had been a while since their last stop in a village...
Though Ziya's sudden attention made her flush slightly, the girl shrugging lightly as she looked over towards Rhidian. Either would be fine with her and Ziya knew that. He was just getting close to be nosey, even she understood that much as quiet as she was in comparison to her chattier siblings. Still though it would be nice to have a meal before any mischief, Rhiannon's stomach rumbling at the very thought.
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2024 10:49 am
Rhidian ll 2
When she caught sight of her twin's nod, Rhidian's mouth curled at the edges and she gave her sister a little bump against her shoulder before Ziya moved in. She gave a chuff of annoyance, not even bothering to be subtle when she stuck a tongue out at him. 'Brothers'. Even just the one was more than enough for her. Still, it ended in a smile when she caught Rhiannon's expression and eventually she settled with his arm around her shoulder. At least he was easier to deal with; if he actually caught anything - not that she'd give him the chance - he'd be nicer about dealing with it. Yngvara would push her nose in the dirt.
"We've had food together every day for weeks. A few hours won't kill you-" She raised a hand and poked his nose. "Or are you just scared to be on your own?" Curry did sound good though. She may not have been able to handle spice well, but Rhidian loved the challenge of it.
When the jungle started to thicken up around them and the landscape of Tale vanished Rhidian had started to piece together her father's stories. It was like having bits of fantasy come to life in front of her. "Far, do people really walk on rope bridges here? Do you think they'll have them in Neued?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2024 11:02 am
Yngvara ll 2
Being away for an entire season...and without her mount at that. Her mother had kept the chiavi away from Yngvara for the sole purpose of deterring her daughter from sneaking away - yet again - to go off on her own. Not that she couldn't find a way back to Zena without him, but the message had been clear; 'Spend this time with your family and only come back in the spring'.
Jams and jellies, orchards and candied grass, bits of terrain that hadn't existed for her until this trip...Yngvara wasn't sure what to feel. The biggest part of her mind felt guilty for leaving when she was needed most, but she'd been told to go so why couldn't she relax and let it go? She'd even tried walking behind the cart for a while, hoping that the physical exertion would tire her out, but even that had fallen flat.
And then there were the twins. So much for relaxing. She very nearly said something to Rhidian that would either cause a fight or at the very least make things tense so instead Yngvara offered, "I want to find some maglardilla and eat them. I've heard their legs are easy to pry apart and their shells can be made into armor."
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2024 12:19 pm
Zyphire 2
Zyphire could only shake his head at his children's interactions. Their time in Neued was already off to a great start and he wondered how much more things would develop the further into Jahaur they went. "You can hunt maglardilla when we get further into the jungle, but we'll have to make sure to not wander into Chibale by mistake." He warned Yngvara. Losing his daughter to some furious Aishans would be the last thing he needed, or even more likely threatening another another war because his daughter defeated some angry Aishans...yeah, he definitely needed to reinforce the boundaries if they went that far into Jahaur. "Neued is a bit too noisy for the bigger prey to linger around so it'll be a bit before we see any, unless it's already been caught and cooked." Zyphire made a slight face, even though he had eaten it before and knew that others enjoyed the taste of maglardilla it was strange to see the bug before it became a meal. "As for curry, I do know a place in the markets that we could try out today."
He paused, thinking about their options as the cart continued bumping along the path, the foliage growing thicker and the sky becoming less visible as the trees started to take over. Glowing crystals though were starting to appear along the path, the strange formations that clung to the ground and trees lighting the way in place of the sunlight that they had relied upon before entering this new territory. They were already so close to the city then, Zyphire thinking about the main reason for staying in Neued for the full week instead of simply roaming about. Serin was an important goddess for Shifters and he wanted to share some of their traditions with his family by allowing them to experience a yearly festival that took place over several days within the jungle. It would celebrate the moon goddess and they would host multiple performances here with music and dancing along with local foods and games to pass the evenings. And already he could hear the faint chime of the decorations that would be swinging from the trees, the crystal chimes and the like decorating the whole city for the festival. "The festival for Serin begins tomorrow night, so we should settle into our rooms and get food first before anyone disappears." Zyphire decided, glancing over at the twins in particular. "I want everyone to have a great time and it would be a shame if I have to invest in harnesses or bells before the festival even begins." They all knew he had no concerns about the opinions of others, he would drag his family along in a conga line if necessary to avoid any issues or potential complications.
"As for ropes and bridges?" Zyphire grinned. "Well, I think you'll see soon enough."
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2024 12:28 pm
Ziya 2
Ziya simply smirked at the questions from Rhidian. "I'm terrified." He replied mockingly with a shiver. "And see? Yngvara will want to hunt down a whole forest of bugs if we don't eat together. I don't think we want to carve up some giant bugs just yet." He teased with a smile towards the huntress before leaning back against Rhidian and Rhiannon a bit more. "Curry it is then~" Though he was also curious about the bridges. "It'll be interesting to eat up in the trees, if that's where the restaurant is. Surely we don't have to try to balance on those while eating, right?" Now that would be a fun challenge! He had only walked across a rope bridge once, and even that had been a bit more difficult than expected. Ziya was more confident that even if they had to walk across those bridges that the buildings at least were stable in the trees.
"Speaking of which though...I think we do have to worry about rope bridges, lil systir." Even though they were still a distance away from the main buildings it looked like there were indeed swaying bridges in the distance, the cluster of trees and buildings jutting out around the high upper branches showing the higher levels of Neued while the path twisted downwards into deeper jungle where the lower markets and merchant trails went.
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2024 12:32 pm
Rhiannon 2
Rhiannon simply pursed her lips as she listened to both her brother and father. Though Yngvara's suggestion was interesting, especially with her far's warning about the Aishans, the girl wanted to enjoy the town before they found adventure in the wilderness of Jahaur. The stories though! Her gaze lit up at the thought before she found herself wondering about the festival. Was Serin so important that they would really celebrate for days here? Her far had told them a little bit, but even Rhiannon was curious to see exactly how everything would play out. And already she was finding herself fascinated as the buildings came into view. There were so many bridges crossing the upper branches of the trees! Could they travel them all and see the whole city within just a few days? She turned towards Rhidian, a flurry of questions dancing in her bright gaze.
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2024 12:48 pm
Yngvara ll 3
Yngvara pursed her lips. She knew enough of boundaries to be wary of them after the latest stunt her hunting party pulled. Getting caught poaching off a rich Zenan's land was one thing, but getting involved with Aishans...That could be tricky. Having the Ild'vann at her back meant something in Zena, but here anything she did would come back on her alone and as much as she wanted to see what an Alkidike was capable of she didn't want to push it. If she found one in Neued though there might be a 'friendly' wager made on just who was the better hunter. No one would fault her for that, right?
And now that she knew it was too 'noisy for bigger prey' Yngvara felt her skin crawl. Just how many people lived there? And then there was the fesitval...Her hand fluttered to the pin of Serin she wore on her leathers. Despite the heat she'd kept them, just in case, and now that she was in Jauhar the little trinket she'd gotten as a child suddenly had meaning. With the crystals reflecting light all around them it was easy to see why it had been so expensive at time; because, just like the crystals, the metal took on an iridescent quality too. Like it was welcoming them.
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2024 12:57 pm
Rhidian ll 3
"She's lying, right? You're just trying to mess with us." Rhidian looked over her shoulder at Yngvara, who just gave a cool shrug before going back to sharpening her blade. When their father all, but confirmed it as being true Rhidian felt her gut drop. "Okay, but - we're not - I'm not eating that. You can, but I'm not." There was no way! If they were desperate then maybe, it wasn't as if she hadn't eaten weirder back home, but this was a trip! They had gold for a reason!
Harnesses and bells? What did they look like, toddlers? Like she wouldn't try cutting through them or silencing the bells. If they'd been home she might have teased him about it, but out here she knew he meant it. Far would wrap their hands together if he had to; she'd learned that much in Sauti.
Instead of focusing on the 'heightened security', she looked to Rhiannon and caught her twin looking at the structures above them. "We'll make it happen," she whispered. "Even if we have to bring them with us, we'll see it."
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Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 1:46 pm
Zyphire could only chuckle a bit at Rhidian's reactions to the maglardilla. "Then it's probably best if you never ask what was in that one mystery stew." He teased before the cart finally stopped, the entrance of Neued fully coming into view with a crowd of people checking in. A few merchants with their caravans were bringing in supplies for the markets, others like Zyphire and his family were simply travelers coming in to see the festivities and the rest were locals who traveled in and out of the city to venture into the jungle during the day. It was a hub of excitement and one that made him glance warily over at his own children, the Shifter trying to do his best to keep an eye on them all before a pair of them disappeared into the crowd.
"Rooms first." Zyphire gestured towards the path as he handed over his travel parchment and greeted an older Shifter, one of several who were greeting visitors and guarding the main path from potential threats. Festivities were a beautiful time, but also one that kept others vigilant especially those that still hadn't forgiven Aishans for their Extremist sisters despite the decades since the war. "See that bridge over there? We'll be climbing it with our supplies and settling into an inn that's nestled in the tree. I got two rooms and it's good placement so that we can look over the markets and easily slip in and out of the festival." It was a bit of a walk from the main entry area, but it was closer to the center of the city where the markets flourished. Zyphire usually stayed there in the large inn with its stained glass windows and wooden walls that twisted into the natural grooves of the giant trees with rope bridges connecting the inn to a tavern and to other homes nearby before going back into the markets. A bit pricier, but it gave them perfect vantage of the whole city and nestled them a bit higher than other places to help dilute the noise from the city when things would get even louder with the evening events. Stretching his arms, Zyphire grabbed his own travel bags and looked over the rest of the family. "Ready?" The sooner they settled into their rooms, the more time they had to grab food and then explore.
Zyphire 3
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Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 1:56 pm
Ziya 3
"Hey who knows, maybe you can find something else to hənt in the city. Mor would be really happy if you brought a man though. Think those are huntable out here?" Whispered Ziya playfully to Yngvara since their mother would be delighted if either of them expanded the family, as much as Ziya was nowhere ready for such things. He could only shake his head as he hopped from the cart and started gathering everyone's bags, picking out his own from the rest and thanking the cart owner who had helped them travel. The pair of quhar that they borrowed along the way would be much more comfortable at the stables along the edges of Neued, the gentle giants unable to climb the trees to the inn where they would be residing for their stay. They would be there though again when the family was ready to return, Ziya relying on the cart to help them carry any gifts and supplies that they would bring back to Zena.
"And that mystery stew is why I'm going to inspect our curry." Joked Ziya as he looked over the twins, lingering in case they needed help with their bags. "I'm ready as I can be. What do they do during the festival anyways? I heard that there's special singing and dancing, with different types of celebrations within the festival." That being some ceremonies reserved for a more mature and dedicated crowd that gathered in the depths of the jungle to worship Serin. Some rare plants and what not to really enhance the moonlight experience to see Serin were used from what he had gathered from other travelers' stories, not that his father probably wanted them to do such things but it was an interesting thought. Ziya wasn't certain how much of it was true, but at least it would be fun to see how the local dances and songs differed from those up north.
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Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2024 2:02 pm
Rhiannon 3
Rhiannon reached out and squeezed her twin's hand in appreciation. She believed in Rhidian and her promises, so surely it would happen. For now at least they were finally able to touch the ground again with their own feet, the girl's legs aching from being tucked away during their long ride into Jahaur. It took her a moment to get her bearings, the younger hybrid glancing around at the various structures that she could see so far and watching her far at the same time to make sure he wasn't going to just disappear on them either. And then when he came back for bags, the girl simply took her own from Ziya with a thankful smile before heading back to Rhidian."Strange ceremonies?" She whispered quietly, her head tilting with curiosity. That curiosity often led to her disappearing to investigate things and it probably would play another role during their week long stay in the city, the girl curious about Shifters and whatever strange habits they might have when it came to their festivals. But the memory of her far's threat about the bells made her straighten up, Rhiannon shoving the thought aside for the moment as she grabbed Rhidian's bag and handed it towards her sister so that they could start forward through the city.
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