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| Search for the Beast | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 12 2012, 08:39 PM (1,086 Views) | |
| Guenever | Dec 12 2012, 08:39 PM Post #1 |
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Frustrated by the lack of success she had within the kingdom of the plains, Vitalli traveled to the Outlands in search of the beast that had destroyed her childhood. She had heard rumors that all sorts of beasts residing in these swamps, and wished to test her fate. Maybe here she could find some clue, some lead, on the beast's origins. Besides, in the swamps, no one ever misses a missing corpse. She would search for the beast here. Follow the legends, look in the darkest reaches, hoping to find its shadowy trail. And in her spare time, she could experiment on the dead wildlife. |
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| Vinterblod | Dec 12 2012, 09:14 PM Post #2 |
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The swamplands of Serphantakii was a treacherous place to be walking through. To not watch ones step here could be the difference between life and death. With this in mind Vitalli continued forward deeper into the uncharted lands of the Serphas. For a newcomer to the place she was actually doing fairly well, there were a lot of stories of people who had barely taken one step on the ground here before they sank to the bottom. There was a feeling over the place that grew stronger the further she walked through the swamp though. It was hard to put a finger on it, but it was a feeling that someone might be looking at the lonely Asalin from a distance. If it was a animal or not she could not tell, neither if it was something else. Whatever it was she had to continue onwards to find the truth even if it meant she had to dive to the depths of the swamp itself. |
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| Guenever | Dec 12 2012, 09:29 PM Post #3 |
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Curiosity peaked, Vitalli continues forward. Having dealt with death many times before, she is wary, but the stories of the swamps depths do not deter her. She ventures forth, trying to find just whose eyes lie upon her. She does however take a second to take her trusty scythe out from the back strap that it had previously hung from. While she shows no obvious signs of fear, she does not wish to be caught off guard again, as she was so many years ago. |
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| Vinterblod | Dec 12 2012, 10:00 PM Post #4 |
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The further she walked the stronger she could feel that strange gaze staring at her from a distance. It intensified, slowly crept closer for every step she took on the rough path beneath her feet. Further along the path Vitalli could suddenly hear an almost inaudible whisper, constantly switching direction from where it came. No matter where she went down the paths she didn't seem to come closer nor see anyone that might be following her. Soon she also noticed that the path she was going down seemed a bit familiar, almost like she had walked down it just a couple of minutes ago. There were several distinct trees and roots that she was absolutely certain she had seen before. Rather quickly she realized that that was in fact the truth of it. Somehow she had been walking in circles for god who knows how long. |
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| Guenever | Dec 13 2012, 02:32 AM Post #5 |
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Vitalli stops to look around, frustration furrowing her brow. "This isn't right" she mutters as she looks around. She lets out a deep, audible sigh, then marks the ground with her scythe. She then searches for a path to take that doesn't seem familiar. She takes her time with this, trying to discern any aspects that might tell her which paths she has already taken. |
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| Vinterblod | Dec 13 2012, 09:15 AM Post #6 |
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Vitalli continued down a new path that lead on a completely different way than before. It was impossible for her to walk in a circle this way since she was just moving forward now. Things looked up. The ever closing feeling of someone watching and the whispering she couldn't understand didn't seem to bother her either, at least not yet. However after about 5 minutes of walking straight forward she was back where she had marked the ground with her scythe. It was impossible for it to have happened, yet it had. The whispers now seemed to have changed tone, and for all she could tell it sounded like they were mocking her. Laughing at here silently in the distance. |
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| Guenever | Dec 13 2012, 04:53 PM Post #7 |
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"Well," she thinks to herself, "Whatever is here seems to want me in this spot. I guess there is nothing to do but wait here." Vitalli starts to search around the spot for somewhere relatively nice to sit upon, a rock or a tree stump or the like, then sits down on it, holding her scythe firmly between her hands. She then speaks aloud "You know. This game is probably going to get pretty boring if I don't move from this spot, huh?" |
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| Vinterblod | Dec 13 2012, 10:35 PM Post #8 |
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The silent laughing stopped as soon as Vitalli ended her sentance. The complete silence continued for a couple of minutes, and then some more. After about ten minutes of just silence the paths around her crumbled and disappeared into the depths of the swamp. Now only the small piece of land that Vitalli herself was sitting on remained. There was no escape. Another 30 minutes passed without a sound of the voice nor a new path appearing to the Asalin. The presance that had been watching her grew tired of this foolishness. The swamp around her started to boil and the earth began to shake furiously. The last bit of land that remained, the one that Vitalli was sitting on now also started to crumble into pieces and slowly became devoured by the foul waters beneath her. The whisper did not return, and into the swamp she sank. She could soon open her eyes again, as she felt a scaly hand upon her forehead. She had waken up in a room she did not recognize The one the hand belonged to was a snake looking creature, obviously one of the Serpha themselves. It was clad in very distinct leather robes which pretty much indicated that is was a shaman of some sort. In the end of the room she could see another one of the Serpha sitting in a throne, staring at her with piercing yellow eyes. As Vitalli tried to move she would notice that she had been tied firmly to a pole. |
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| Guenever | Dec 13 2012, 11:09 PM Post #9 |
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Unsure if these people spoke her language, Vitalli spoke up in her own tongue anyways "I Mean you no harm. I was simply looking for a beast. One made of shadows. I heard that many beasts reside within your swamps. I thought that that one might reside here as well. That was all I came to look for." Vitalli keeps her head up, seemingly unphased by the situation. Inside, though, all she can think of is how horrifying she must look to them.. and how they might decide to do away with her solely based on that. Her hopes were that the shaman might have similar beliefs about death and thus be merciful, even though the bone around her neck would be obvious to all. Given her current predicament, mercy or understanding were really her two routes out of this mess. |
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| Vinterblod | Dec 14 2012, 09:08 AM Post #10 |
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The Serpha sitting in the throne suddenly looked irritated and disgusted when Vitalli opened her mouth to speak. He looked over to the shaman and nodded slowly and then turned his yellow eyes back at the Asalin. "We do not negotiate with humans." he firmly stated and once again turned his head to the shaman. As he spoke to the shaman Vitalli noticed that they were now talking in another language, and she could understand it as well. They were clearly speaking in the scarvus tongue. "Drown her in the swamp, Sarkani. Feed her body to the ancients. The humans are not to be trusted." The shaman, Sarkani, simply nodded and turned back to Vitalli. |
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| Guenever | Dec 14 2012, 01:17 PM Post #11 |
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Vitalli spoke up loudly, in the scarvus tongue, and said "I am Not human. Do you see these feathers? They are attached to me. This hair? These eyes? Neither are colors that would occur naturally in a human. Besides." she pauses hastily, "I am quite a bit older than the average human, I have seen more, and am wiser. It might be advantageous to Not drown me in the swamp." |
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| Vinterblod | Dec 15 2012, 08:40 AM Post #12 |
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The serpha at the throne raised his hand quickly for the shaman to stop as Vitalli started to speak in the scarvus tongue. He stood up and walked over to the tied up Asalin. He examined her narrowing his eyes as he did so. "The lady of the forest speaks the truth" he said and turned to the shaman. "Release her at once, we are not to settle her fate." The Serphan shaman quickly picked up a knife and cut the ropes that tied up Vitalli. The crown clad Serpha reach out his hand and bowed "Forgive my judgment, mi lady. Of course the noble Fahrabuhr are always welcome in our humble lands. The years must have clouded our minds." He said with a tone of full respect in his voice. "I am Sorokrinn, king of the swampland tribes, I welcome you far traveler." |
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| Guenever | Dec 16 2012, 06:41 PM Post #13 |
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Vitalli is confused by the term 'Fahrabuhr' but decides it would be wiser to let it go then to question it. She takes a quick look around the room, trying to spot her scythe, then speaks up. Still in the scarvus tongue, she says "Thank you, King Sorokrinn." she pauses and curtseys slightly, the continues "as I mentioned before, I am on a quest to find a beast. This beast destroyed all that I held dear. I have spent the last 90 or so years of my life looking for this beast, but to no avail. I came to your land because I had heard tales that many beasts reside within this swamp. Have you ever come across a beast made of shadow within your swamps?" She knows that she is repeating herself, but this time, she has some hope that they might actually listen to her words. |
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| Vinterblod | Dec 16 2012, 08:46 PM Post #14 |
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Vitalli could not see her scythe anywhere in the throne room. Maybe they had confiscated it somewhere else, or left it wherever they had picked her up before putting that strange illussion over her. Sorokrinn listened to what Vitalli had to say this time. He nodded and listened intently as he looked like he was thinking deeply about every single word that escaped her mouth. "There are many strange creatures that reside in our kingdom, noble Fahrabuhr. There is none who know which are truth or just far tales." the king pondered for a little bit, looking a bit unsure what he should tell the guest that they had treated so baddly. "There are however tales of a creature that lurks in the shadows. Steals the souls of the living and eats the flesh off their bones. Few have seen it with their own eyes, most only tell the story, but out there in these swamps it is said to hide when not on the hunt for new victims." The king walked back to his throne and sat down. "If this truely is the beast you are seeking, traveling through our swamps is indeed a dangerous task on its own. If you please you will be given an escort to help you on your journey. As a guest in our village you are allowed to stay for as long as you need. It is the least we can do for our rude introduction." he gave a nod toward the shaman who nodded back and quickly left the throne room without a sound. "If there is anything else you need I will gladly help you in whatever way I can madam. You need only to tell me." |
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| Guenever | Dec 16 2012, 09:11 PM Post #15 |
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Vitalli nods politely, then speaks "That sounds much like the creature I seek. I have only seen the creature once, but assuming it is the same one, I must find it." Vitalli pauses, unsure whether she wants to tell them what she is about to speak, then decides it would be for the better. "This bone around my neck is all that remains of my sister. The beast took the rest of her from me, and left me with this scar" She traces the scratch marks from the start all the way to the mutilated feather as she says these words. She looks at the king, trying to discern if his words are true, then continues "I thank you for your offer of hospitality, and I would gladly accept an escort. I would prefer to leave soon, though. I am eager to continue my search. There is one thing that I would like though.. I came here with a bladed staff of sorts. It is the one weapon I know how to protect myself with. If you did pick that up when you brought me here, I would like that back. Besides that, there is nothing else I require." |
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| Vinterblod | Dec 16 2012, 10:19 PM Post #16 |
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Sorokrinn nodded in understanding as Vitalli spoke. "We are terribly sorry for your loss, for we do also know the suffering of losing those who are closest to us. We can see why the death of this creature is etched into your fate forever." the reptile king did seem sincere and was definietly showing respect toward the Asalin's choice of devoting her life to finding this creature and ending it. These people were clearly warriors of old, the kind that was not common these days, and strangely the ones that seemed to understand her the most. "Ah yes, your weapon..." the king said and seemed to be pondering what to say next. "Your escort will bring it with her. We will make sure that it is in perfect condition for your journey, trust us mi lady." A somewhat crooked smile appeared on his face, though the strangeness of it might have been because of his reptilian nature, something Vitalli had never seen with her own eyes before. Funny how one could live for almost one hundered and twenty years and the world was still full of things to see. "Your escort will meet you by the village entrance. She will be following your wishes, she will be your sword and your knowledge of these lands. I hope we will meet again, noble Fahrabuhr, and may you find what it is you seek." He stood up and bowed deeply one last time. |
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| Guenever | Dec 18 2012, 05:56 PM Post #17 |
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"Thank you. Then I shall take my leave, if that is ok with you." The asalin then curtsies and searches for the way out. She pauses waiting for his reply, but assuming there is none, she leaves for the entrance to the village. |
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| Vinterblod | Dec 18 2012, 07:53 PM Post #18 |
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Vitalli left the king's hut and entered the village. It was nothing like the cities of the kingdom of the plains, nor even like the smaller villages of where she came from. The wooden huts were small and simple to say the least, much like the way the Serpha lived there. Some of the villagers gave the Asalin a few strange looks as she walked passed them. It was understandable though, as most people traveling here probably did not get to actually leave the villages with their head still attached to their bodies. You could hear them whisper things to each other as you passed. By the gate a Serpha warrior was already waiting for her. She was tall and wore a leather tunic with a hood, and tied around her waist was a belt with various knives and bottles attached to it. In her hand she was holding Vitalli's Scythe. |
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| Guenever | Dec 18 2012, 08:07 PM Post #19 |
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Vitalli approaches the warrior, then begins to speak (in scarvus, of course) "You must be the escort the king was speaking of. I am Vitalli. Have you been told at all of what it is I search for here?." She pauses as if she is done speaking, but after a few moments, she looks as if she has just remembered something forgotten. She speaks to the warrior once more, "Ah. Where are my manners.. What is your name?" |
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| Vinterblod | Dec 18 2012, 09:52 PM Post #20 |
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The female Serpha warrior bowed to Vitalli, just like the king had done before back in the throne room. "Lady Vitalli, it is an honour for us to stand before your kind. I am Gurnashka, humble warrior of the marchlands." she said and stood up firmly again. "We know more than enough of the beast you seek. My blade is yours to guide, we will follow you even into death, noble Fahrabuhr." Gurnashka handed over the scythe to Vitalli. The scythe felt strangely different from before as Vitalli placed her hands around the grip, like it had changed somehow. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she could have sworn that it was feeling a bit lighter in her hands. Might just have been her imagination though. Loot
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