LadyAnnaLee

Ravenloft, The Curse of Strahd.

@JJ Doe

I hope that was okay. It was just to good a chance to pass up. I can change it if you like.

Ravenloft, The Curse of Strahd.

Katrina Valance needed work and she needed work badly. Even throwing out the fact that she and Rolf needed to eat just taking care of all her weapons was a costly endeavor. She never had enough money. It didn’t help that she was trying to stay discreet. There were certain people that she didn’t want to find her. So, she didn’t take jobs that she knew she could handle easily simply because they were too high profile. She found herself chasing off practically harmless monsters from farmers’ fields. Well, the warrior supposed that wasn’t completely true. The monsters were harming people’s livelihoods, and Katrina truly didn’t mind assisting them They just couldn’t pay much, and she felt bad for taking more gold than the job was honestly worth. At least the farmers and their families wouldn’t let her and Rolf leave without full stomachs.

Which brought her to now. She had heard tales of werewolf harrying people. Well that just wouldn’t stand. So she had strapped on every blade and weapon she had and made the trek. Katrina was not the only warrior that had heeded the calling for fighters. She looked around at the people assembled in curiosity. That one looked like a child, and that one looked like a vagabond pretending to be something he wasn’t. There was a Leonin, several Half-Elves, what looked like a Half-Orc, and more than a few humans. It certainly was an odd bunch. She was far from the oddest one here.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t odd. She was decked out in riding leathers, steel armor, and just about every type of weapon imaginable. That wasn’t even an exaggeration. She had more than enough knifes, at least five different types of swords, a bow and arrows, a whip, and those were the ones that were easily spotted. She also had a ball and chain around her neck, a poisoned ring on her finger, and each hair stick in her tightly braided halo of chestnut brown hair doubled as a sharp pointy thing. There were also countless knifes hidden in her boots and coat. She wasn’t the tallest one here, but she still felt like she towered over the, with her solid form and perfect posture. Her grey eyes were hard, unrelenting, and unforgiving. She had clearly some for a fight.

She listened to the Duchess’s captain as she twirled a silver edged dagger around and around and around over and over again. Her eyes were not on her dagger or on the speaker. Instead they were on the forest that contained the threat. Her already hardened eyes narrowed at the fact that the werewolves were also kidnappers. That had not been in the information her contact had given her. This whole thing just kept getting better and better. Katrina scowled. Why were they wasting time on chitchat when there were children in danger?

Finally, they were cut loose form the talking. Katrina headed into the forest as she let out a soft clear single note whistle. Rolf, her great hawk, soared from the trees to sink his talons into the leather shoulder pad designed for that purpose. He was clearly a warrior’s bird. He had on a breastplate that matched Katrina’s. What could she say? She was a fighter and a monster hunter first and foremost. She was also a woman, and was vain enough, and self-aware enough, to like looking good and put together. So,if it meant Rolf matched, the bird would have matching accessories.

It wasn’t long before the group actually encountered the natural wolves that the werewolves had somehow dragged into their pack. Katrina scowled at the distraction, but she still fought as if her life and the lives of others depending on it. She had drawn the rapier from her hip and was using both the silver dagger and the sword to hack and slash her way through the pack. It wasn’t an easy fight at all, but it wasn’t difficult. It was mainly just tedious. From the corner of her eyes she could see others fighting their own wolves. Just how many of them were there?

Then from the corner of her eye she saw one of her companions in trouble. She planted the rapier in the ground, reached into the pouch on her thigh, and threw the throwing dagger in one fluid motion. The knife embedded itself in the side of the wolf. Another whistle from her and a pointed finger had Rolf diving at the wolf’s eyes with his talons. Katrina yanked the rapier out of the ground and practically stalked towards the three wolves circling the small warrior messing around with an instrument. The fighter could only hope that he was a music-based mage of some sort. She kicked a wolf with a grunt as she stabbed the creature with her knife.

She planted herself between the person who barely came to her knees with her sword held in front of her face and wisps of hair escaping her braid, “Get that fixed!” Her voice was harsher then she intended as she order, “Now!”

@JJ Doe

Ravenloft, The Curse of Strahd.

@Lady Selune

I have to agree. I'm not sure what to make of it.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Darin scowled, but didn’t argue when Ridahne mentioned not covering up her Seed-Chained mark completely. This was just going to have to be one of those things that Darin let go of. She didn’t like that. She didn’t like it one little bit. She supposed that she could force the issue to resolve her way because she was The Seed-Bearer, but Darin had already basically bullied Ridahne into creating a new Ojih mark. The human didn’t want to abuse her power, especially in regard to her friend. That didn’t mean she had to be happy about it. Because she wasn’t. Still she would let it be and not bring it up again.

Instead she continued to scowl as she pulled the stack of papers towards her. Darin had vague ideas of what a quill was. That didn’t mean she knew how to use one. When learning to write the elder that taught the children her age had created sticks by missing charcoal and tallow and then wrapping the shaped sticks in fabric and twine. Darin had never advanced to quills. It hurt to hold the thin sticks for too long and her page always wound up covered in black marks and her face was the same. Looking back that may have been the first time then elders decided that she was going to be difficult. Darin grew morose as she thought about it. She had really tried to get it right. She tried as hard as she could. She had wanted to impress her teachers. She hadn’t and while that wasn’t the last time, she tried to impress the elders it was certainly the last time she tried that hard.

Apprehensively Darin watched Ridhane and her long graceful fingers to see how it was done. Then, hesitantly, Darin copied the movements. She knew that this was going to be a disaster the moment she picked up the quill. It was even thinner than the charcoal sticks that she was used to. Her hand already hurt. She gritted her teeth as she dipped the quill into the inkwell before moving it towards the page. A heavy droplet of ink fell on the page to create a stark black blot. Darin wouldn’t let that defeat her. She placed the quill tip on the page to draw out a line, only to press to hard and tear the page. Okay, this was not going well. Darin carefully put the ruin page to the side before moving to redip the quill. Only she moved to fast and her arm bumped the inkwell and sent it toppling over. Letting out a shout of panic she lunged for the inkwell and set it upright to prevent more ink from spilling. Then, seeing where the ink was heaing, Darin let out another shout and quickly dive for the book that was in peril. The blank pages went flying. The inkwell landed on the ground, and Darin’s shirt wound up covered in ink. The books were all safe though.

Darin quickly began to stutter, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry.”

Unbidden a thought came to her mind. ”You know the elders say Martian Left cause of something Talia did. I bet they’re wrong. I bet it’s you fault. I beat her couldn’t stand having a clumsy daughter that can’t even dance without stepping on toes or walk without tripping.”

There she had gone again, being a clumsy fool, knocking over inkwells, falling off cliffs, tripping over things that weren’t there. It was made worse by the fact that the ink had to be ruining the table and the floor. At least the books weren’t hurt. Darin carefully book the book with the traitors’ mark in it to the side as she got gone to the floor to try and contain the damage. Tears pricked at her eyes and she tried to blink them away. She wasn’t going to cry in front of Ridahne. She wanted the Elf to like her, to be impressed with her, to think she was worth something, anything. She didn’t want the Elf to leave. Not like him. Her apologies had yet to falter.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

discord.gg/fHbQEK

I think.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

I do. I have no idea what it is. Give me a minute.

Ravenloft, The Curse of Strahd.

Meh. Give Katrina a week with Olo and she'll probably kill anything that threatens him. If she doesn't kill Ronan of Fayren first. So we might be okay. Maybe.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

This is what I had in mind. Sort of. I'm not an artist. I figured it would be east to tattoo or embroider or male into jewelry. They would all be black except the Seed-Chained one which would be white. I imagined the apple as filled in, but if you want to make it more Azurein, it would make sense. It just needs to be clear that it's an apple.

Bad Art

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

From her temple to the top of her jaw. It would be a tree branch with small leaves coming from it. Then, just for Ridahne, for the Guardian mark, a small ampple hanging from the bottom. Darin would love for the Guardian mark to be green too, but since Ridahne practically had a heart the last time Darin suggested a new color she won't bring it up again.

I figure the number of leaves could indicate if one was Seed-Chained, Seed-Friend, or Seed-Cursed.

What do you think?

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Is Ridahne's Oijh symmetrical? Because I'm looking at the picture you sent me, forever ago, and it's in profile. If it's not symmetrical I have an idea for both the Seed-Chained mark and the Guardian mark.