Expendable

Caravan: An Episodic Fantasy with Worldbuilding! [Always Accepting]

Granny Siri

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She'd just taken a batch of cookies out of the oven when Siri heard the rattle outside.

"Now what foolish thin' is goin' on?" the old woman demanded, but a glance through the magic eyes around the wagon didn't show anything. Stepping through the doorway to the wagon, then opened the outside door to peer out. It didn't seem like an attack, everyone was looking away from the road at a plume of smoke.

"What foolishness is this?" she wonders scratching her jaw, then steps back inside and going to her desk, pulling open the drawer to pull out a heavy velvet bag and a stand. Undoing the knot, she pulls out a small crystal sphere and sets it on the stand, then peers through it anxiously.

Someone was staring back.

"Get out of the way!" Siri barks, and the startled eye blinks, but draws back. "Damned peepers. Ah, let's see..."

It looked like a metal tower had fallen over... but there was no metal towers in the Emerald Forest! Peering closer, she could see there were two fuzzy shapes inside, but something about the tower was preventing her from seeing anything closer.

"Ah, I'm goin' ta have ta walk over," she grumbled, putting the crystal ball back in its pouch and tucking it and the stand back in its drawer. Grabbing her black medicine bag and a basket, Siri peeked into her larder and threw in a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine, three leather jacks, a couple of fresh cookies, then sighed.

"No cheese," Siri said, shaking her head slightly, "I'm goin' ta have ta see Gru..."

Grabbing her hat from a peg and pulling out her cane, she stepped out the back door onto her tiny porch, closing the door behind her.

Climbing down, she made her way to the front of the wagon where the Scarecrow sat limply.

"Pilot!" she yells, nodding with satisfaction as it jumped up and saluted her. "Where's Gru's Cheese wagon?"

The construct pointed ahead and to the left, which made a few kids giggle.

"Aye, thanks. Mind da store, will ya?" Granny Siri asked, turning away as it saluted, much to the giggling delight of the children. She let a small smirk curl her lips.

"Gru!" Granny Siri calls out, working her way pass the rescued lumberjacks to stare sternly up at the cheesemonger. "I need a wedge of farmer's cheese, or gouda. And don't try ta gorge me on the price!"

mentions

@Lugubrious

OUTLAW SPACE

Well, a couple of characters come to mind.

J'nkai - alien mechanic, blue-skinned humanoid with multiple limbs, got stranded on a world with a long abandoned mine and no way to get outsys until they got rescued a decade later.

His silent partner (they're mute) calls herself Seven. She's a human and very good with guns, blades, even her hands. J'nkai believes she's a Wilder - a sect of humans who claim they were the first to leave the long lost mythical Earth. He actually found her in an active frozen berth in the wreckage of one of the orbiting ships.

An adventure in a sci-fi setting

I have a race I used from time to time called the Valkyrii.

They're clones, always female, produced inside cloning units called "Mothers", accelerated to a biological age of 16 (expected life span of 60 years). Each comes out trained to be an infantry soldier. They're also uniquely telepathic in that they can only communicate with one-another. Only a few are born each cycle able to reach an alien mind through touch-contact. For other races, it's like listening to static when they try to mentally communicate with a Valkyrii. They also have a small pair of wings on their back, utterly useless in anything over 33% of standard gravity.

The planet is poor, so their only exports are mercenary units and Zero-G construction battalions. When they're older, having completed their service requirements, may ask for the right to fly (explore).

Biologically, they're very close to Human (standard), and can eat rations safe for humans. TravelRation and Searres Human rations are fine.

Advertiser - EliteJacket

You have an advertiser in your introductions forum - roleplayerguild.com/topics/191677-why…

An adventure in a sci-fi setting

Looks like fun. Mark me as interested.

Caravan: An Episodic Fantasy with Worldbuilding! [Always Accepting]

When those eyes reached Ilyana, a deep chill ran through her soul. Like the ocean drawing out all her heat, making her heart flutter for a moment.

"So, uh, I guess that's the one we have to fight?" she asked quietly. Prison and boarding actions quickly taught you to save your pain - falling apart would have to wait for later.

"Sorcerer?" she asked, trying to figure out if there was anything she'd got that migh work.

Introduction | Local Fish Arrival

Welcome to the guild. Without new people, we'd have nobody at all.

Caravan: An Episodic Fantasy with Worldbuilding! [Always Accepting]

@Tortoise - I've reworked Siri from before. She's a retired apothecary (witch) now working as a Wanderer cleric. I don't recommend snitching a cookie without leaving a copper in the donation box after service. Boxing your ears would be the least of your worries.

Granny Siri

Name: Siri

Race, Age, Time in the Caravan:
Human, 67, 5 years

Appearance:
This woman puts you in mind of a mysterious raven. She has narrow, dark, disapproving eyes that are like an upright executioner's axe just before it falls. Her thick, straight, salt & pepper hair is worn in basic bun. She is very tall and has a wiry build. Her skin is like alabaster - to her shame, she has never managed to grow so much as a wart on her nose or a hairy mole on her chin. She has hollow cheeks.

History:
A country farm girl who became an apothecary under the tutelage of Esmeralda Le Blank. She's spent fourty years as an apothecary before deciding to become yet another penitent soul joining the Pilgrim's Caravan - and a new profession, as a Wanderer cleric, companioned by her raven Zephyr and her black cat Spooky.

Not that she seems to be all that penitent. Or priestly, wearing a black skirt instead of breeches, and giving anyone asking why the hairy eyeball. You get the impression if the Wanderer himself showed up, she'd do the same to him. But she does maintain the boxes and shelters set up by the previous Wanderer, and holds services on every rest day. However, if you want a cookie after the service, remember to leave a donation in the box. It'll help you sleep at night....

Nor does she walk the road like the other Wanderers. She'll hold up her cane, and tell you a wagon makes sense for an old woman to have (despite never seeing her so much as stumble) - but there's a lot of strangeness about her wagon.

For a start, it's pulled by four jet-black horses with glowing red eyes, who look more carved than born. And in the front seat is a scarecrow with a painted face, but its eyes glow red, too. Sometimes, she gives the reins to the scarecrow while she goes to tend to something in the back - and it's a better driver than she is. The wagon is also carved like a stone fortress, with carved and painted eyes on the front, sides, and back (nobody seems to notice the one on top or below the dromedary box).

Rumors in the caravan says late at night, the scarecrow climbs down for a stretch. Of course, they also say Zephyr can grow as big as a horse and Spooky is sometimes a panther. It doesn't stop there, of course. Some who've been inside claim the inside is bigger than the outside, with all sorts of rooms. But if you ask Siri, she gives you the hairy eyeball and demands to know what you've been drinkin' of late that you'd listen to such tom-fool stories like that? She's just an old country apothecary and it's just a plain old wagon needin' a lick of paint. And why would she want more to clean inside?

But iffen you need any doctorin', medicen', birthin', marryin', dyin', or prayers, let her know.

Personality:
Siri seems to have a vast knowledge of a lot of things and places, with an over-abundance of common sense and old-fashioned wisdom and personal opinions she's willing to impart as needed. Nor is she afraid to be blunt or to knock anyone down a peg, but will when necessary keep private matters private.

The knockin' of heads (or parts lower), she remarks, is a free service she provides on an at-needed basis. But if you use your head first, you'd might not be needin' it.

Motivation:
She's seeing the world and tending to her ever-changing flock, with the occasional late night visitor.

Skills, Strengths and Weaknesses, and Tools:

skills

Animal handling - has a way with animals
Apothecary - Master in the art of combining various medical herbs into pills, powders, and tinctures.
Cooking - a five-star chef in the kitchen. Might be best to wait a few days before asking what it is you ate?
Fortune-telling - it's almost like she's got a direct line with Fate, with a very large collection of Tarot cards.
Herbology - knows many uses for many plants, always eager to examine new ones.
Knitting - it may not be the prettiest sweater or whatever it turns out to be, but it will be warm with room to grow.
Medicine - a master at the craft of tending to illness and injury, can perform surgery.
Mimicry - she can make realistic animal calls.
Needlework - keeps her fingers nimble.
Orphic Line of Ikalis - a master in the Orphic Laws of Sacrifice (these spells often have some nasty costs) - Automata, Dowsers, Elementalism, Familiars, Furies, Wyrd Tech, Poltergeists.
Orphic Line of Idaqiohne - a master in the Orphic Laws of Sympathy (like calls to like) - Basic, Battle Magic, Constructs, Golems, Magic Eyes, Rune Magic, Wards, Zombies.
Painting - Don't touch the paintings, sometimes they touch back....
Potion-making - a master in the creation of potions, explosions are rare.
Singing - good singer, knows a lot of songs.
Violin - very good musician with the violin.

°Strengths
- Clever
- Dedicated
- Caring

°Weakness
- Fondness for alcohol and sweets
- Sense of duty
- Blunt

°Tools
- Four Horse constructs that pull her wagon
- "Scarecrow" construct that drives her wagon
- Fortified & warded living wagon that uses glyphs and other magic to allow itself to expand its interior as needed; only people she names can enter - not even if they try the cat flap.
- Magic eyes around the exterior of the wagon that allows her to observe what's going around it.
- A small library of books, maps, and papers (she is not a lending library, some of these are chained for a reason.)
- A small library of unique Tarot decks
- A moderate library of glyphs
- Painting easle, brushes, canvases, and various jars of paints in trays
- Knitting basket with balls of yarn and long knitting needles of wood and bone
- Needlework basket with various threads
- Black medicine bag
- Small distillery
- Potion brewing stand
- A large apothecary chest
- A small crystal ball kept in a padded box or covered when not in use to prevent fires (and peeking)
- Orphic reservoir
- a pet cat and a pet raven
- various boxes with various impliments like trowels, hand saws, hatchets, etc.
- a kitchen
- a small stove
- other fittings that might be found in a living wagon (bed, etc)

Optional: Extra Details

What They Most Want:
Knowledge and new horizons

If They Had a DnD Alignment, It Would Be:
Neutral Good

Three Likes:
- Books
- Music
- Alcohol

Three Dislikes:
- Needless violence
- Abusers of the weak
- Stubborn stupidity

Do They Follow Their Heart or Their Mind?:
Their head. If she uses her heart, there could be a lot more craters in this world.

Worst Fear:
To be trapped

Favorite Color:
Red

Most Like The Animal:
A Raven

Favorite Time of Day:
Sunset

How They Dress:
- A green cloak, patterned like bricks, with eye-shaped cloak clasps. Pockets can be seen on the inside.
- A tan tunic
- A multi-colored scarf (it's warm)
- A dark skirt (breeches? Aren't you the odd bird, wantin' ta see an old woman wearin' those.)
- Sandals
- Socks (needs to keep me toes warm)
- A slouched, wide-brim pointed leather hat that's seen better days, with willow-reinforcement inside to protect the head. The embroidered hat band is magic eyes, allowing her to see all what's around her.
- Walking stick with a brass ferrule. Some claim if she thumps it hard on the ground, it makes sparks...
- A Calabash pipe and a pouch of tobacco.

Favorite Season:
Spring, the renewal of the world

What Gods/Spirits/Whatevers They Worship (If Any):
The Wanderer (You have to wonder when she's preaching if his ears are burning)

Children of the Otherworld - An Isekai Story

There were four of them, grayish in this half-light. Was this what she was, now? Why? Why would anyone bring her here and make her look like that? And for what reason?

The fallen pebble didn't distract them at all, fortunately. They were watching... gelatin? Well, it might look like gelatin, but it was waving tentacles and flashing a weird light, over and over again. Dit dit dit, dah dah dah, dit dit...

She moves without thinking, landing quietly behind the four and dashing between them, scooping up the gelatin creature in her free hand as she pivots, pointing her tiny blade at the four.

"Mine," Sam snarls, baring her teeth at them. A challenge, yes. Would they understand her? She couldn't be sure if she spoke English or whatever they spoke. Or if what she did was safe. Was this thing going to try to eat her? Maybe the four of them were staring with surprise at her for doing something so incredibly stupid.

But it flashed an SOS. If that man turned her into this, maybe he turned someone else from Earth into this light-blinking gelatin!

So what were these four going to do about it?

No, what was she going to do about it?

"Oh god, I hope this was worth it...?" she said, bolting for the nearest tunnel with her prize.

Children of the Otherworld - An Isekai Story

So, just to be clear, how far am I allowed to go to take care of the other goblins?