Warlord and a Skill Seeker [hr] [@Crimson Paladin][@VitaVitaAR] [hr] The group of hunters were silent, frozen with obvious fear as Nobunaga would determine their fate, and soon, their fates were handed down. Novak would move swiftly. They all had ropes on them as some sort of standard gear it seemed, likely for snares, tying living prey to restrain, and nets and the like. The hunters would not resist being restrained, and soon with their hands tied and any dangerous items on them gone, they would be completely at their mercy. It was just for a moment, but the group could feel the wind slowly shifting, as though it had calmed itself. “...It seems you two have this handled.” Akando would say, nodding to the two. “As chief, Enli will decide their punishment. I don’t know how it is done where you two are from, but…exile, is likely what he will choose.” The hunter would sigh, shaking his head. “I’ll let you take care of them. Donovan asked to meet me at the old ruin on the cliff just outside the city.” Unless stopped, he would swiftly leave and make his way there. The rest would merely grumble - and assuming Nobunaga had nothing else to say or do with them, they would quietly follow her back to the village. A little secret [@Crusader Lord] [hr] “T-the hag?” The hunter would frown. “B-but the hag-they-left!” The hunter would say as he would be untied slowly. “W-well vanished! We don’t know…but when the old man came to us again, and he said the hag was dead…” He would get to his feet, wincing a bit in pain as he’d tell Leannah this. “If you’ve been in contact with them - then…why? And where?” That was probably not what she was expecting to hear. Regardless though, she wouldn’t be able to interrogate him for long if she wanted to keep up with Donovan before he was gone. The Oni would frown at the request, not really wondering why he was being made to be a courier, but ultimately didn’t want to take the chance of upsetting Mie’s apparent guest. He’d walk off to find the recipient not long after she would bolt after Donovan. [hr] [@PKMNB0Y] [hr] As Mie left to do business with Narkissa, Lazhira would seemingly relax a bit, leaning back in and holding her body up with her arms as she’d look to the ceiling. She’d frown, seemingly thinking about a few things. Understandable, really…the girl probably had a lot on her mind all things considered, but soon she’d be grinning and looking over to Misaki. “Things, huh…Hey, maybe I can help ya finish?” She’d ask the fox girl. “In return…you can let me touch your tail!” Misaki should have probably been expecting her to make an attempt to at some point. Of course, she could probably get her to help even without that condition. Her Majesty [hr] [@Click This] “Well, Misaki…perhaps you we can discuss more of these projects at length once we’re on the road, hm?” Mie would however, turn her attention back to Narkissa. She would motion for the other woman to follow her out of the tent as she’d go over the things she wanted from her. She’d hold a hand to her chin, narrowing her eyes as Narkissa finished. “Brimstone…Niter. Now why would you…” Mie would cut herself off with a smirk. “Well, first things first. Lets get you those. its none of my business what the customer does. Luckily for you, the one who wrote that knew why to send you to me.” She’d continue moving through the camp, moving to one of the storage tents that seemed to have a bit more security than the others. She’d tell one of the guards to go fetch her a bag of Charcoal before motioning for Narkissa to wait outside for a few seconds while she disappeared within, though wouldn’t keep her waiting for long. Soon she’d come out with a medium sized box of Sulfur. “I keep some on hand for…reasons.” She’d open it, and Narkissa would be greeted with the smell of rotten eggs. The box was about a foot tall, and about six inches tall. Inside were about a dozen pieces of sulfur wrapped in what seemed to be some sort of plant fibers. “Satisfied?” Assuming Narkissa was, she’d hand her the box and disappear back inside though would soon bring out another box of similar size and hand it to her. Inside, of course, was Saltpeter. “Do be careful with this stuff. It can be…well, If he’s giving you that I’m sure you know.” By now the Oni would return with a gallon sized bag filled with charcoal. Perhaps not quite the wholesale size Narkissa was used too, but considering the technology and how long this stuff would take to produce otherwise and Mie was on the last leg of her journey, this might be the best she was going to get for now. “And there’s your charcoal. As for the final thing…just after nightfall…actually, no. I’ll come and get you. I’ll send Ayumi to fetch you. Don’t worry, you’ll know her when you see her.” [hider=Goddess note] Items Recieved: Crate of Sulfur: A small crate of sulfur about a foot long and six inches tall. Small compartments within are filled with individually wrapped pieces of the substance. Smells of rotten eggs as expected. Crate of Sulfur: A small crate of Saltpeter about a foot long and six inches tall. Small compartments within are filled with individually wrapped pieces of the substance. Bag of Charcoal: A gallon sized bag of Charcoal. [/hider] “I’m not sure what tools you’ll need. I’m fairly certain we’re not using this for the same things.” Mie would continue. “But…you can find the tools over there. Otherwise, ask the Oni. I’ll let them know its paid for.” Seemed simple enough now that she had things going. “Excuse me, Lady Mie. One of your guests allies wanted me to deliver a message.” A second Oni would walk up to the pair addressing Narkissa. “The Bastelian said something about ‘retrieving something beyond the village where it all began.’ and also wishing you safety.” A Traveler [@PaulHaynek] [hr] The torch would hit the leaping hound in its skull with a resounding thump. The power of the blow would send the hound reeling back, falling into a pile of snow as flames and ash sparked into the air and leaving a burn mark upon the bone where the impact occurred. The second hound would soon give chase, following after Nick…and it would soon become apparent that the hounds were far faster than ordinary flesh and blood dogs. The red hooded figure in question would turn their head briefly - they were too far away to really get a look at them, but upon seeing Nicholas they would seemingly give a small gasp of surprise and start running away from him, rather than away from the hounds. They didn’t seem to be particularly fast, as they’d dart through the snowy ground - he could easily keep up with them if the hounds were dealt with. And speaking of the undead mutts… One had leaped into the path in front of him, before quickly turning on its feet and launching itself at him again. The one he had struck earlier was now pincering him from behind, and the moment Nicholas would make a move to defend or attack the first one, it would make an attempt to latch its jaws onto his ankles and drag him to the ground. The Roma Mob [@ERode] [hr] “May the Goddess watch over your endeavors, Isidore.” The Queen would say as he’d make to leave, Octavia trotting along behind him. It was relatively easy finding what he wanted to purchase, and would run him no more than a few silver coins in the end. As he’d make a plan and prepare the gear, Octavia would munch happily on the bone - perhaps a little too happily, all things considered. By the time he was ready to leave, she’d have eaten everything. Bone and all. Time to leave, then. Finding the gate that led deeper was easy enough. The guards could point him in the right direction, should he choose to ask. Otherwise, it was just a matter of seemingly finding the lowest point in the city, where the crowds had thinned out.The conversation with the guards would be brief - they’d give him a little grief and sass for being human, but they seemed if nothing else willing to do as their queen said, and allow him pass once they’d be shown the ring. He’d be given the timepiece, too. The gate itself was simple - a large slab of stone, flanked by two large mushroom towers that overlooked the road to it and blocked off the large passage completely. Likely to ensure demonic incursion would readily be intercepted. The stone gate itself was simple of construction, with a simple engraving of a moon and star upon it, and at their owners behest would start opening. The large slab would creak and groan, straining under its weight as massive chains slowly raise it. Isidore would immediately be met with hot, dry air as it would rise fully. He’d be urged to quickly step through, the guards not wanting to leave the gate open for longer than needed. Beyond was a massive cavern that would slowly slope downwards. The stone was oddly smooth here beyond the gate, almost something like a glassy texture as though the rock had been blasted by intense heat. Further down Isidore would go, the large cavern’s ceiling eventually disappearing overhead as he went further, and further inside the earth…he’d reach his destination. [h3][center]-Old Naraheim-[/center][/h3] [center]-The Deserted First Circle-[/center] Stepping out of the cavern, he’d find himself in a sprawling, impossibly large cavern. In fact, this entire place looked like it couldn’t even exist if traditional physics were applied. He seemed to be standing at the far end of a large, rocky field. The floors and rocks were smooth as the entrance to the place, perhaps a side effect of the lava? Who could say, really. Said Lava seemed to pool in various places, bubbling away intensely hot creating numerous small lakes and puddles, while it seemed a large river of lava was formed nearby from a waterfall of it, snaking along a far wall as it would slowly extend far beyond Isidore’s sight range. What seemed to be metal pipes extended from the ground, belching what seemed to be steam at irregular intervals. They completely littered the ground, and even seemed to come out of nearby metallic structures that the Prince had mentioned. Were these the ‘Metal Roots’ he had spoken of? Speaking of those metal structures…were his eyes deceiving him, or were those simply large almost modern day to earth looking buildings? Or rather, at least, buildings he may have perhaps seen in the 19th century, though scaled up massively. The only difference was it almost looked like [i]somehow[/i] they had been completely flipped upside down, right from their foundations and then sunk into the earth as though the earth was merely some sort of jello before it hardened again. They were scattered and few and far between in the rocky field, but further on he could see a larger concentration of them against what seemed to be a small mountain - wait, no…rather than a mountain, behind the upside down city, seemed to be a gargantuan tree. It was sitting a little higher than the city itself, in a large hollow within the wall behind it. The fact he could see it from here was telling of its size at least. The round trunk would slowly rise above the city into the ‘skies’ of this underground place, until it would seemingly be abruptly cut off - perhaps less a tree, and more a stump then, but a massive stump nonetheless. How a tree survived down here and wasn’t burned to cinders was anyone's guess. Following the sight of the tree, he would soon find what remained of the trees roots. They would snake along the ground, intertwining with the overturned buildings. Oddly, more roots seemingly would come down from the ceiling in occasional places, big as the average redwood trunk back on earth, slowly snaking down before abruptly stopping. He couldn’t see any that directly made contact with the earth, but to his east was where a seemingly large concentration of them were coming down from the ceiling where their endpoints would be obscured by a large, cavernous wall. So, to his North east, an old Demonic City, further a gargantuan tree stump, and to his east likely where he could find the roots where these so called Silk Weavers lived. To the west, the earth seemed to slowly slope upwards, though it remained otherwise featureless beyond what seemed to be a large statue of some sort buried halfway in the ground. Octavia would sniff the heat laden air, growling lightly as she’d keep her eyes on the city. Was something over there? [hider=Goddess Note] Items Received: Goggles: A pair of goggles dwarves typically like to use in both mining and forging. Helps protects the eyes from heat and other debris. Work Gloves: A fairly standard set of tough, leather working gloves. Should offer decent protection from the elements and minor cuts and bruises. Lantern: A simple lantern. Has enough oil to last about four hours in total if used constantly. Pickaxe: A standard Pickaxe. Sharp, durable. Useful as a weapon if needed. Hourglass: A fairly ornate looking hourglass. Surprisingly sturdy looking, with the hourglass itself being secured within a blue colored circle, with the top and bottom of the hourglass serving to be where it could be stood up. About the size of ones fist and can be used to measure time in intervals of an hour. Can loop around ones belt for safekeeping and easy access, or stored easily in a bag. [/hider] [hr] The Builder [@Guy0fV4lor][@Crusader Lord] [hr] “...Honestly Don, I don’t got a clue to what ya talkin’ about.” The dwarf would respond with a neutral expression. “...though, come to think of it…the Obelisk looks like one we got back in the hall of records…the Scholars there really don’t like people gettin’ near it.” She’d look up at the Obelisk curiously, but ultimately would go back to minding her business and checking on the animals as Donovan would sit and start to Meditate. It was easy, in theory to do this. He’d inhale, then exhale, then in and out. In and out. Eventually he’d work into a steady breathing rhythm. A bit like a slow, ticking clock himself. As his breathing steadied and began to turn his senses inwards, he’d become aware of the energy as he had intended and began attempting to observe this energy. At first, he’d have trouble really seeing it, this being the first time he did such a thing. Soon though he could ‘feel it’. It was an odd feeling, feeling something flowing through him, but not unpleasant. As he would observe and feel this flow of energy he was labeling ‘magic’ he would slowly find that it would eventually all flow through his chest near his sternum. However, the energy didn’t linger nor settle. It would flow through, seemingly replacing the energy that was already there with new while the old would eventually be circulated out with each exhalation he’d make. It was small amounts, but it seemed that simply breathing normally would slowly replenish ones energy. Once he began attempting to store this energy though, he would notice something a bit odd. Channeling his own through the emblem would indeed change this magical energy into something divine…however, it did not seem to want to go back into Donovan. It was easy to guide his own it seemed, but this Divine energy seemed to actively resist his attempts to store it within himself. Every time he’d attempt to guide it into him, it would ‘slip’ from his control and seemed to find the fastest exit it could from his body as though it was actively resisting him. In fact, the more he tried this, the more his own magical energy seemed to diminish, tiring Donovan himself out. Though his efforts were not completely in vain. It was hard to tell how long he’d have sat there, in quiet meditation while Eirhild went over and inspected everything, but eventually he would manage some small success. It took a great deal of his own magical ability, but he managed to store just a little bit of Suthainn’s divine energy within his core. [hider=Goddess Note] Ability Gained: Magical Stockpile (Lesser Divine) You’ve learned how to better stockpile Divine energy from your patron deity. Normally novices must rely on emblems, crests, prayers, idols and faith to convert their own magic into deific magics. Those learned, though, can become wellsprings of their deities power themselves, no longer needing such things to cast miracles. You will need to meditate to replenish this power frequently at your level, but at higher levels such a thing won’t be needed. (OOC: Effectively, this makes casting all spells stemming from Suthainn easier briefly.) [/hider] “Donovan!” Akandos voice would bring him out of his meditation, as the hunter would run up. “The Kyrnith has been pacified, I think. The other two are taking the hunters to the village…” Nearly immediately afterwards, Donovan would hear the familiar voice of Leannah soon following Akando’s, and he’d easily see the cat girl waving at him in a friendly manner. “...oi whose the cat?” Eirhild would ask Donovan. “Didn’t fancy you for a cat lover.” There was some minor bit of hostility in the dwarfs voice, but she didn’t make any overly hostile moves. [hr] [@Pyromania99] After finishing her training session with Sorcha, Augusta was understandably bruised. Both in ego and body. Understandably so, really. Still, unless she wanted to be late with Rullphana, she couldn’t take too long. Just enough to clean herself off a bit and get the sweat off and adjust her clothes. She’d hurry along to Rullphana’s tower, where she’d be let in though not without a small harrumph from the guard present. “Well, look who decided to join us.” Rullphana would say as Augusta would walk in. “I assume the Storm Bearer ran you ragged, hm? Certainly looks like it.” Raelzel was currently muttering something to herself while she was currently poised over a few herbs and what seemed to be alchemical devices. Leuca was currently hold her hands in front of her as she’d focus on a small mound of earth. “Steady Leuca. As a Sirithen, you have a connection to the Fey and Nature. Making a plant grow should be easy for you.” [hr] Send Feet Pics [@Cu Chulainn] [hr] [i]“No? Well don’t blame me if she bites your beak off.”[/i] Ayumi would say with mildly mocking tone as she’d watch Donovan leave, her vixen eyes keenly watching as he’d make his way out of the village. It was easy enough to spot him and where his destination would end up taking him. He’d follow the path south out of the village, back to where they’d all have arrived in this world from. [i]“Pushing your responsibilities onto someone else? Heh, alright whatever. And I don’t need such a tool to kill.”[i] The small fox would respond, a grin forming on its muzzle. [i]“Poison is good for discretion…but a knife to the liver, heart, lung, or skull tends to work just fine. See ya, beak-face!”[/i] She’d say, before scurrying off and following after Donovna, the prospect of apparently getting food enough to get her to move sooner rather than later. So Nomura would soon end up watching Donovan as well, focusing his magic to his eyes. It seemed at least, this was indeed possible. As he’d focus he’d initially strain his eyes a bit, a sound of crackling energy as he’d be able to just see a bit sharper, and a bit clearer and he could certainly make out images further away than he could have before. Like the bird mask he wore - he had a keen eye that could see much further than normal and even pickout Eirhilds compass from afar. [hider=Goddess Note] Ability Gained: Enhanced sight (lesser) A simple ability that enhances ones visual acuity and perception. Does not allow one to see supernatural or unseen things, just allows one to perceive things more clearly and notice more details. [/hider]