[center][h1][i][color=39b54a]Lasis[/color][/i][/h1] [img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/146572ed-ee3b-477b-a1cb-fbd6adb87448.png[/img] [color=96512B][h3]Gerrik Far-Teacher[/h3] [b]Level 9 Hain Hero 20 Khookies[/b][/color][/center] [center][i]Collaborated with WrongEndoftheRainbow and BBeast[/i][/center] Once more Dibbler's white giant was parked by the village of Tallgrass. The townsfolk were unloading goods such as dyes and ores in exchange for food and finished products, as well as some of Elword's prototype informational art, depicting the process of farming (or a simplified portion thereof) on some clay pots. Dibbler and Gerrik stood aside, watching the process. All the major trades had already been agreed upon. Dibbler would sort out private trades later. For now, the two talked. "What's the news from along the trade routes, Dibbler?" Gerrik asked. "Well, there's been rumours of a strange being roaming the south. A wooden artist with a cursed paintbrush. The tales say that if she sees you, she will paint a copy of you which will seek you out and kill you," Dibbler said. Gerrik angled his head back slightly from Dibbler, and his tone dripped with scepticism. "Let me guess, you have some kind of magic charm or potion or something that can ward off this evil spirit?" Dibbler put a hand on his chest and said, "You offend me Gerrik, claiming I would make up such a story for my own profit. But no, I don't have any charms or potions for this. This is what I've heard." It wasn't a lie for profit, so the rumours were actual rumours. Gerrik telepathically probed Teknall for information, but got only a shrug in return. Gerrik would need to determine the veracity of these tales himself. "If these stories are indeed true, how many people have actually been killed?" Gerrik asked. "Uh, well, um, some, probably. I don't actually know anyone who has," Dibbler conceded. Either Dibbler's information was woefully sparse, there had only been a very small number of victims, or the rumours had no substance. "What does she look like," Gerrik inquired. "Ah, this the stories do say. She is made of wood, about the size of a child, has a flat head like a human's and two large eyes for staring at you." A physical description. That provided some substance to the rumours. "Thank you for forewarning me, Dibbler. I shall be sure to keep a lookout." [hr] Lasis walked through the light woods, her satchels creating a small racket as the various items within clattered and clanged against each other with every step. She hummed a small tune. Not knowing where exactly she was going, she just continued to walk on. She had no destination in mind, so it didn't matter what direction she went. Nearby, a hunter had been tracking a rabbit. However, once he heard the racket from the satchels, the rabbit startled. He took leave from the hunt to see what was making the noise. The sound was easy to triangulate -- and easy to avoid crossing paths with. He carefully peeked through some underbrush after some short travel, seeing the wooden satchel-bound creature. Gerrik had told them to keep an eye out for this creature, and he went back to hiding rather quickly to avoid being spotted. Turning, he began to run back to Tallgrass, to warn the town. The landscape was familiar and he moved much faster than the creature. Arriving with time to spare, he called out to the townspeople, "I need to talk to Gerrik!" Gerrik was already there, alert from the moment the hunter had ran into town. Eenal Bow in hand, Gerrik stepped forwards. "What is it?" "The creatue you warned of," the hunter began, "it is coming! It was near the southern paths, about ten minutes out at its rate!" Gerrik nodded. Calmly, Gerrik announced, "I will confront the creature and discern its intentions. I will return when I am done." He adjusted the quiver around his waist then headed out in the direction the hunter had come from. He walked at a brisk pace through the forest for a few minutes before finding Lasis, meandering along the forest path without a care. Gerrik stepped into view a couple dozen paces ahead of Lasis and hailed her. "Hello there," he said. The wood-and-feather creature froze for a moment, unsure of how to act at first. After the moment had passed, she dived off the path into some undergrowth, clearly in a panic. Gerrik could hear the uncorking of a bottle. Gerrik walked a few steps closer, although kept his distance. "I won't harm you if you're peaceful." "And how do I know you won't just loose an arrow into me if I come out?!" she cried out. Gerrik considered his options for a few moments. Then he removed his quiver, with all his arrows in it, and threw it into the undergrowth near Lasis. He then held up his hands, showing one empty hand and one hand holding a bow with a distinct lack of arrows. "There, no arrows. Will you come out now?" She thought on it for a moment, looking at him, scanning for a sword. Upon seeing none, she slowly corked the bottle, peeking her head out so that he could see. "What do you want?" she asked, suspiciously. "I've heard rumours about you, or a creature matching your rather unique description, and I wish to determine whether they are true or not," Gerrik said. "Look, I don't know of any rumours. All I know is nobody comes to me unless they want to kill me. What makes you different?" Lasis responded. "I doubt any of those people tried to talk properly to you first," Gerrik retorted. When he was met with silence, Gerrik asked, "What do those paints do?" "They're just paints, why do you want to know?" Lasis questioned, still peeking her head out. "If they were just paints, you wouldn't have been trying to use them when threatened. Unless it is the brush instead that is special," Gerrik said. "It allows me to paint in the air, and the results can move if I deem it what I want. Why do you want to know?" Lasis answered, then asked. "The rumours mention your ability to create living paintings," Gerrik answered. "What do you normally paint?" "Just," she paused, thinking, "anything that comes to mind. That's all." She said. Gerrik thought for a few moments, then tried a different line of questioning. "When was the last time you came to a village?" "A while ago. I avoided them when everybody hid from me." She responded. "What did you do at that village?" "I just walked through. Why do you want to know?" came the response, as she continued to peek out at Gerrik. "Because I'm trying to determine whether the rumours are true," Gerrik said. "How about when people started avoiding you? Was there a particular event which coincided with that? Had you painted anything unusual immediately before that?" "No," she said, "just one day, people started avoiding me." Gerrik considered this for a few moments. "Was there anyone that you know of who did not like you before then?" "A few people, sure, but I didn't ever keep track of them." came the answer. "Any idea why they didn't like you?" "I don't know, I never did anything to them! They were always leaders, though." She responded. "Leaders..." Gerrik repeated quietly. It reminded him of his encounters with Shammik, leading to his ostracisation from Fibeslay. Either this creature was telling the truth, or it was a very good liar, and its wooden expression made it difficult to tell the difference. An urtelem would have been useful about now. "Before this happened, what did you do in the villages?" Gerrik asked. "I painted, that's all. I painted on the walls of huts and the sorts. Taught people how to do the same, that sort of thing." She said. "How did the regular village people respond to you back then?" "They were eager to learn. They seemed more independent." She answered. Gerrik thought for a couple moments more before he announced his conclusion. "I think I know what happened. Some leaders would rather people serve them, not think independently. When someone new walks into the village and teaches people to think freely, some leaders feel threatened. I know this; I've dealt with such people myself. Sometimes these leaders might respond with force, and physically banish you from their village. Sometimes, they slander your name instead. Leaders have influence, and a skilled leader can tell people what to believe. "In your case, these people who didn't like you spread rumours. They warned their people and the people of villages around them of this strange being made of wood and the size of a child, with the ability to create living paintings. They [i]claimed[/i] that if this creature saw you, it would paint a copy of you which would hunt you out and kill you. This story quickly took root; it was already three quarters true, and you are such a bizarre and unique creature that people would be receptive to such myths. Of course, the story falls apart if you try to ask who exactly has been killed in this manner, because no one has been, as far as I can tell. But ordinary people think emotionally, not logically, so this myth was spread along the trade routes and whispered as a spooky story around the campfire. In this manner those leaders who did not like you ensured you were ostracised wherever you went and in that way reasserted their dominance. "At least, that is the conclusion I have come to," Gerrik said. "I wouldn't know. Why did you seek me out?" She asked. "Because you're travelling to my village, and I wanted to figure out what you might do when you arrived," Gerrik stated. "I don't know of any village in this area. I was just walking." Came the response. "I didn't say you knew. But you were heading towards Tallgrass," Gerrik said, "And since the rumours about you seem to be false, you are welcome to visit." "What would I even do there?" She responded, in a defeated tone. Gerrik considered this for a moment, then suggested, "I have a job for a painter to do. I think you might like it." She paused for a moment, before hesitantly responding, "Okay. What do you want me to do?" "I am a teacher, and my apprentice recently came up with the idea that we could spread knowledge along the trade routes using art. The hand of a skilled artist would be quite useful. It would also be an opportunity for you to spread a positive reputation for yourself," Gerrik said. She nodded. "Alright, lead the way." Gerrik slung the bow over his shoulder and turned to go along the path. "Pick up my quiver, please." This time she obeyed, corking up her paint bottle again and grabbing the quiver. She moved alongside Gerrik once she had hoisted the quiver, keeping a fair distance from him. As they walked, Gerrik said, "We haven't properly introduced each other. My name is Gerrik Far-Teacher." "I'm Lasis," she responded simply, "I've been travelling for well beyond my memory." "I have also spent a long time travelling. I have since settled down in Tallgrass," Gerrik said. The path soon led them out of the forest, and the town of Tallgrass came into view. Around the village were tidy farm fields, a violet slug enclosure, and some rows of fruit trees. The village itself was made from a mixture of earth huts, wooden shelters and tents. A river ran alongside the town and its farms. Dirt paths were worn into the ground from foot traffic. As they entered the village, the hain living there gave strange looks at Lasis, some out of fear, some out of curiosity, although since Lasis was escorted by Gerrik none dared to confront her or make a scene. They soon came to a number of craftshain and artists who were working under a shelter made from hides on a wooden frame. "Elword," Gerrik called, "I have found someone who can help in your task." Elword stood up and looked to Gerrik and Lasis. Before Elword could speak, Gerrik answered his question. "I have found no truth in the malignant parts of the rumours, which seemed to have been spread by those whose authority felt threatened by her work as a teacher. Lasis is a skilled artist, from what I've heard, and is willing to help." "Ah, well then," Elword said, then nodded to Lasis, "Good to meet you, Lasis." "Hello," Lasis responded simply, nodding to Elword, "it is nice to meet you. What exactly would you have me help with?" She looked in her satchels, taking out various vials of paints and the sorts. She also had multiple paintbrushes she had refined the usability of over the years. Once it was all laid out, she took count, making sure she had everything. "I have been trying to teach people how to craft things, or about other useful skills or knowledge, using art," Elword explained. He picked up a clay pot with a half-finished sketch of hain planting seeds in the ground and nurturing the seedlings and handed it over to Lasis. "Something like this. The intent is to distribute it along the trade routes so they can teach distant people we'll never otherwise have a chance to meet." Lasis nodded. "It's a great start." She turned the pot over in her hands, carefully giving it a once-over. She looked up at him, then down to the pot again. "When it comes to curved items, it's best to take its shape when flattened out and put your art on that, then apply it to the pot. If you'll look here, the proportion's off somewhat on the pot. It's harder to keep the art correctly-sized when your canvas is circular like that." Gerrik watched as the two started conversing. He slung his bow over his shoulder. "I'll leave you two to it. I'll take my quiver, thank you." Gerrik reached out his hand. Lasis handed over his quiver unceremoniously, more interested in the art. Gerrik turned and left. Elword made mental note of the exchange, but made no comment. He would ask about it later. He turned his attention back to the art. "That's a good point. That would indeed make things easier." He looked around to see if there was anything flat and flexible that could be painted on nearby, although found nothing. "Get us some fabric," Elword said to one of the craftshain. Then he turned back to Lasis. "I've got numerous ideas of what subjects we can paint. There's techniques in farming like this one. Metal-working is another one. We could do some on the more nuanced techniques in carpentry and weaving. And then there can be some identifying plants and herbs which are good for eating, or for treating particular ailments. There are lots of things we can do, but ideally we want to be able to make a lot of copies and we need them to be realistic and precise yet also simple enough that people will understand them without an explanation." "The first thing we'd need to do then is have a long-lasting paint. I've got a few paints like that, when I was experimenting with mixtures. I've come up with an animal oil paint that's long lasting as long as you don't expose it to extreme heats," Lasis responded, "so I can teach you how to make them, if you want. As an advantage, the paint can be stored without spoiling like most milk paints -- which in turn is better than the dyes and soils you're using now." "Milk?" The word was a rare one to the hain. Elword was vaguely aware of the existence of such a substance, which was a way some animals fed their young, but otherwise knew very little about it. Another thing to ask about later. Elword got back to the topic at hand. "Better recipes for paint are much needed. Of course, painted pots aren't the only medium I've been considering. We can also create art by weaving coloured threads into fabric- although, admittedly, the plant-based fibres we have access to don't take on our dyes very well." "I've experimented with fibers before, but not much. Have you considered placing a bounty on plants that make good fibres?" Lasis responded, looking over her paints. "And have you been soaking the fibres in the dye, agitating the dye with a stick for a while, then drying the fibres quickly?" Elword nodded. "Soaking the fibres was a straightforwards innovation. The main issue is that we haven't identified a very wide selection of useful materials. I've told the traders that we're looking to buy such materials, although if we could identify locally available materials then that would be of considerable benefit." "Look for white, fluffy plants. White will take on dyes easier and fluffiness will allow it to soak in better," Lasis said matter-of-factly. She reached into another satchel, producing some dyes. "I made these dye with a vinegar solution -- you can make vinegar by leaving a pot or bottle of fermented hops in a dark, warm place for a few weeks. It helps them apply stronger." "We know about vinegar," Elword said, "Although I hadn't heard of that use." The craftshain that had been sent to grab some of fabric returned, and placed the coarse material before Lasis and Elword. Elword gestured towards it. "How about you paint something for us. Could you draw some of these white fluffy plants you speak of?" "Of course," Lasis responded, escewing the fabric in its entirety. Taking her Jvanic paintbrush, she proceeded to paint -- in mid air -- a [url=https://img1.etsystatic.com/067/1/10640956/il_340x270.779408077_7kni.jpg]cotton plant.[/url] She painted this way for upwards of 30 minutes, neatly painting with vibrant whites, light greens, and whatever colors she needed. "They look like this," she said. Elword and all the other hain in the shelter were enthralled. One or two had shuddered briefly at the sight of the paintbrush- something about it unsettled some deep instinct within them- but this was overwhelmed by the marvel that was being performed before them. Magic was not unheard of by them- at minimum they all knew of Gerrik's longevity and the awesome power of the Eenal bow, and of elementals- but that made this display no less incredible. When it was finished, Elword gingerly reached out a hand to touch the painted flower. That only got him a smudge of wet green paint on the tip of his finger; the painting obviously wasn't dry yet. Elword asked the question all the hain were thinking. "How did you do that?" "It's a special paintbrush, given to me as a gift. It allows me to use any paint and the world as my canvas. Now, this isn't a real plant, and it will never feel like or act like a real plant, but painting in the air is something I can do with this paintbrush," she spoke. The hain were filled with wonder. Elword was the first to regain his sense. "It is a very realisting looking painting. Perhaps you could start by teaching us some of your painting techniques," he suggested. "Well, it's important to get proportions right. The simplest way to do this is to compare it with another object. Is it apple-sized? Is it man-sized?" Lasis said. Lasis taught the hain for hours, imparting to them a tiny portion of her artistic skill. [hider=Summary] Malicious rumours about Lasis and her being a serial killer have reached Tallgrass. Specifically, that a small wooden artist/creature/spirit (matching Lasis' description) has a cursed paintbrush (almost true), and she paints a copy of anyone she sees which then goes to hunt down and kill the original (totally false, unless WrongEnd is withholding information from us). These rumours are probably fairly widespread in this region and any other region Lasis has travelled in by now. This puts Gerrik on edge, although he's quite sceptical. One day Lasis is spotted along a forest path approaching Tallgrass, and Gerrik moves in to intercept. As soon as Lasis sees Gerrik, she dives for cover- turns out people who have met her recently have all tried to kill her. Gerrik just wants to talk (for now, at least), and to reassure her Gerrik throws her his quiver of arrows, so that she'd believe that Gerrik was disarmed. Gerrik interrogates Lasis for a while. It transpires that Lasis is unaware of the rumours, only of how she has been scorned, ostracised and hunted for a long while now. On deeper questioning, Gerrik detects the falsehood in the rumours, and deduces that these rumours were started by leader-type people who felt threatened by Lasis going around teaching people art and empowering them to think independently. Satisfied that Lasis probably isn't a serial killer, Gerrik invites her over to Tallgrass. He tells her that they have an art job which could probably help build a positive reputation for Lasis. Lasis is handed over to Elword, who is busy with his project of trying to make informational art. They immediately dive into discussions about art, paint, fabrics, and so on. Lasis has a lot of knowledge to share in this field. The hain gracefully accept her art lessons. [u]Far-Teacher Khookie Summary[/u] [i]Start:[/i] 20 Khookies [i]Spent:[/i] None [i]Earned:[/i] 10 Khookies (18,000+ character post) [i]End:[/i] 30 Khookies [/hider]