[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/CcdMqvc.png[/img]
[h1] [color=f7941d]Bardulf Siegfried[/color] [/h1]
[b]Time:[/b] Morning
[b]Location:[/b] North Pass
[b]Interactions:[/b] [@princess]Annya, [@Th3King0fChaos] Ismael, [@FunnyGuy] Kaleb, [@Potter] Rue, [@Helo] Bowyn, [@Tae] Eris, [@Gingerboi123] Bron, [@Kazemitsu] Kharne
[b]Equipment:[/b] Leather armor over smallclothes, tooth necklace, halberd, and [hider=Rucksack]
One bedroll
a mess kit
a tinderbox
a waterskin
2000 amas
[/hider]

[hr]

Just as soon as Bardulf had entered this strange new world, he found himself shoved onto a ship to travel to who knows where. The early morning rise did not bother him much, as he typically woke up at first light anyway. The journey across the sea was new, he had never seen ocean waters before, nor felt the rocky waves against the hull of a ship. His feet would wobble on occasion, and his stomach would lurch at the uneven territory he had found himself in. He would soon grow accustomed to it, as best as he could, while also learning and meeting so many new faces from several different backgrounds. He found himself practically overwhelmed from all the interactions, every day he chose to only speak or meet one or two people a day to best acclimate himself to this very close and social-heavy environment.

An elf princess, whose actions somewhat reminded him of his mother back in his teenage years, the way she would scold him into being more outgoing and talking to more folks within his village. Another human, Ismael he believed was his name, stood about half a foot taller than Bardulf. He seemed to have a rather nice disposition, always taking on most issues with a level head and working with the others in such a natural way. Then there was a half-dragon creature, that Bardulf noticed seemed to be a rather nice friend to Ismael. His name is Kharne, and at first glance Bardulf found him to be similar to himself, keeping to themselves and mostly leaving socializing to the others. The final human to complete the trio of them in their group was Kaleb, someone Bardulf had met in Riverport. He had a rather fiery and upfront personality, something to match the powers he had seen displayed if only for a moment. 

Further down the list of group members were Eris, Rue, Bowyn and Bron. Bowyn proved to be the most unsettling to Bardulf of the previously mentioned 4. Bardulf learned early on of his distrust for the dark elves, their atrocities, and all he planned to do in recompense. Bardulf did not like to confront this notion of thinking, as he didn't even know the whole story. It did not, however, stop him from shrinking away once his own opinions were called upon. Eris, an elf he hadn't even noticed around, definitely caught his attention when she did finally show up. He was rather envious of that otherworldly level of stealth, and would see if he could somehow mimic that same level of shadow-skulking during his hunts. Bron was an interesting person to Bardulf, consisting of very similar backgrounds albeit a few twists and turns here and there. He found that they enjoyed similar hobbies and still had something to show one another. Rue, a rather petit female fairy as he had learned to address her as, whose social anxiety rivaled his own. He would find quite some amusement in how he would notice them both shy away from topics they'd rather not speak on, or how they would stick to the edge of crowds during gathering, a small common factor that would become a particularly wholesome way for them to relate with each other.

[hr]

After reaching the settlement of North Pass, Bardulf immediately noticed the biting cold weather, to which he found some winter clothes to help fight back the white-tinged weather that he remembered from the more harsh winters from his homeland. The next few weeks would prove to be a little taxing, putting him back into the more physical lifestyle he was used to. But it was honestly exactly what he needed, something to take his mind off of all this change and the hardships he had faced last month. He worked hard to hone his skills with his halberd, and just as hard to improve his electrokinesis, which he found to be quite the power. It was something that stroked his more creative side as he found himself brainstorming various ways for him to use this newfound elemental magic. He would also do just as Annya instructed, practicing meditations in the morning and keeping a journal to express his emotions, which he found rather therapeutic. All the feelings he usually kept to himself he found himself pouring over the page. With all this new routine, Bardulf found a new surge of enthusiasm, and went to make a few more close friends during his stay.

Firstly was Annya, who upon reading his journal entries about the death of his late wife and the pain of losing his father still weighing on his mind, found it imperative for her to talk with him about how he felt. He learned about the factor of emotional control and how it played into his magic. He took her lessons to heart, seeing that she did in fact care, and was genuine in her concern for her new...friends? Soldiers? Family? It was still up in the air to him, but he would take these interactions one step at a time, not wanting to make her worry anymore about him. He would let her know he could handle the emotions he felt, not letting them simply take over, but controlling them, much like the magic powers he had acquired.

Then there was Bron, a much more stout figure he learned to be a dwarf that still carried as much power as someone twice their size. While he had moments of aggression and boldness, which Bardulf could find rather intimidating, Bron carried a lot of similar passions to himself. They shared stories of hunting from their homeland, Bron being from a snowy mountain and Bardulf from a forestland. They were able to share some interesting hobbies and skills of theirs, with Bron showing Bardulf some more physical training and even showed him the art of throwing axes, something Bardulf found very amusing. Bardulf on the other hand, would show Bron a few agility exercises and stretches he would do back home, and even showed off some of his woodcarving skills to Bron, giving him a look at what his downtime is usually filled with when he isn't making money for his family.

Rue proved to be a pleasant surprise amongst the group. In the midst of several go-getters and Type-A personalities, it was certainly nice to see another shy one in the group. He often found them both skulking towards the back of any group huddle or training session, sometimes sharing a coincidental shrug when conversations proved too much for them in the moment. It would be her creativity and ways with magic that Bardulf would begin to also stem out with different ways of bending his electrokinesis. They would even start to form their own combination moves as a form of learning together, which he rather enjoyed. From coating ice arrows to electricity, to creating a lightning shield around himself or her, Bardulf found his magical prowess really flourish during their training sessions.

The most curious of the bunch to Bardulf was definitely Eris. He wasn’t even aware she was around until she decided to show herself, which was an interesting trick that Bardulf wished he could repeat. She couldn’t show him that trick, but she did help him hone the strength of his magic to where he could make more potent versions of things he already had practiced. Not just this, but her knowledge of the war and state of affairs in the land of Avalia is what helped him gain some extra perspective and knowledge on both sides. During one particular night, she shared with him a story about the first ever dark and light elf couple that she believed sparked the start of the war and set the twins on their dark and twisted path. It was talks like this that Bardulf typically enjoyed, with the other person talking much more as exposition was dumped onto him, answering the several questions buzzing in his head, and creating several more. In return, he would share his own stories with her, something he hadn’t really had a chance to do. He would tell her of his own loss, and the hardships he faced and why exactly he enjoys staying “hidden” more than most.

[hr]

The training and routine had grown to be rather ordinary to Bardulf. Ordinary didn’t mean he wasn’t a fan, just that he had grown used to the physical and mental strain of his newfound combat training. It was a bizarre feeling, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. It had been such a long time since they had started to get to know each other, Bardulf had a sudden idea creep into his head one night. They had been going at the same regular routine, that he felt some changing up would be in order, so he took the time to get some parchment and ink, and wrote a special note to each of his new friends in North Pass. He rarely did such social gatherings like this, but he felt it would be a true testament to the less physical aspect of his teachings. For each person staying in The North Pass Inn, a hand-written note addressed to each of the group was given, likely slipped under their door in the night, that reads as follows:

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[h3][color=f7941d][i]Dear Friends [/i][/color][/h3]

[i][center][color=f7941d]
I think we’ve come to enjoy our time here, and I would like to have us all have a fun day tomorrow. If you would like to come, please meet me and whoever else is attending outside the Odds and Ends shortly after 2pm. I know it’s our day off but I think this will be fun. We can go shopping for some new gear, and then I was thinking of having us all go on a little hunting trip outside of town. We could even make it a friendly competition! Whoever brings back the biggest kill wins! Or we can just do it for fun, really whatever everyone fancies. I look forward to seeing you all!
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[color=f7941d][i]
Sincerely,
Bardulf
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