puddingpunter

Exodus

Je'Nai bowed her head in respect to the prince. "Of course. I look forward to being able to serve you, your Highness. Until next time." She stood to leave but not before politely curtsying to General T'vor and General Azurael as well despite the former's obvious distaste towards her (he gave the pretense of seeing her career as practically useless but a teeny tiny part of her wondered if it was some inborn distaste to her bloodline). However just as Je'Nai was on her way her path was blocked by Asmod. She tried to side-step him when suddenly the demon began shouting and she twitched in start. It took a second for her to realize he wasn't yelling at her. Je'Nai followed Asmod's gaze to Azurael.

---

"No, they can't" Ma'ai confirmed. "At least not without the assistance of their technology. But it doesn't seem to bother them. They have other means of transportation and appear to be well off. Guess you can't miss what you never had." He had to shrug then. Before Ma'ai was sent off to spy on mankind, he wondered the same thing as Chrissa and even felt a little bad for the humans too. But not, seeing what they were capable of and how they survived, he didn't pity them so much anymore.

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Cleyo was a no-nonsense kind of guy and he liked to keep it that way. Keep it simple. Made things a lot easier that way.

The hybrid prowled to the door with the liquid grace of a snake maneuvering though the water. A predator stalking after prey. He had one job and one job only; protect the Khyrsopos. Everything else came after, whether that be Auium's comfort or her happiness (unfortunate as that was). So when Cleyobanthal had opened the door it was with full intent on chasing off whoever it was standing behind the door at such an hour. Be it someone looking for trouble or someone looking for shelter, he couldn't care less -deal with them and send them on their way. Perhaps years ago he would have had the heart to consider taking in lost wanderers, stragglers, travelers who needed someplace to hold out for the night, that sort, but not anymore. He couldn't, wasn't permitted so. The sword at his belt was a heavy reminder of that.

Cleyo was a no-nonsense kind of guy and he liked to keep it that way. Tonight would not be one of those nights.

"Prince Alastor?" Eyes widened, the shock in his voice was evident. Otàe may be a land without rulership but that didn't mean its residents did not know king from peasant. Well, in this case, prince. Auium was Cleyo's ward and although her care was his primary concern, by law he was not permitted to harm any royalty on her behalf unless there was absolutely no other choice. As of this very second that was not the case. Turning a the visitor away suddenly no longer felt like an option; if Alastor froze to death or succumbed to some other fate on the land then part of the responsibility would be on him. Cleyo looked from the prince to the white-haired stranger standing behind him, and eyed her warily. "What are you doing here?" He'd barely finished the question when a familiar voice piped up from behind.

"Cleyo, let them in!"
He could hear her little hooves scraping against the castle's marble flooring. He didn't turn around and instead put am arm up against the frame of the threshold, effectively blocking any possibly entry or exit without his interference. "Auium, go back to bed" he warned, tail twitching in agitation. But the echoes of her footfalls continued on closer.
"I had another vision!"
The hairs along the back of his neck stood on end and Cleyo went rigid, but still refused to turn around. Auium came along and peeked out at their two new guests from under Cleyo's arm. He spared her a precursory glance, then resumed staring down the strangers.
"Well don't just keep them standing there! Quickly, before someone sees."
Cleyo didn't bother pointing out that aside from the occasional traveler, there wasn't supposed to be anybody on the island but them. He flicked an ear.
"Are you sure about this?" Her visions' uncanniness still unnerved him to this very day. They were rare, far and apart, but whenever they did make themselves known they were never wrong.
"Yes, now move aside before they both melt in the rain." If you didn't count her horns, Auium only came up to Cleyo's chest, yet she was trying to push him out of the way with all her small might. Cleyo relented and pulled the door open.

As much as he didn't like this, Cleyo knew he had to trust her judgement. Auium was no child and understood the importance of her duty, of her roll in the universe. He would go along with this for now but if either of the two threatened her in an way then he would halt this immediately and suffer the consequences of his own actions later. Auium moved out of the way with him, granting their guests entry, and Cleyo bowed at the hip in welcome. "Your highness."

𝔻🇷🇦🇬🇴🇳'🇸 ℂ🇷🇴🇼🇳

𝔻🇷🇦🇬🇴🇳'🇸 ℂ🇷🇴🇼🇳

First things first; Mira needed coin. Or at the very least some valuable goods they could barter along their journey. Since Sparhawk would be taking care of transportation and Sorren the supplies, Mira figured her contribution would be more useful later on in the long run once their inventory ran low and their horses (she shuddered at the thought) grew weary. Mira might be able to steal some stuff they'd be needing during the adventure but things like a place to stay or a bathhouse to get cleaned up at required actual payment. With Ludwig cozily draped across her neck, Mira strolled towards the marketplace in confidence. Some of the town's locals gave her funny looks -was it the weasel or her newfound fame from today's chase?- but she paid them no mind. She snatched an apple and began perusing from a distance.

----- ----- ----- ----- -----

Hours later, Mira had managed to red-paperclip her way up until she found herself in the possession of a pair of gold bangles. It wasn't easy but completely worthwhile. However, saying she had accomplished such a feat through pure skill and persistence alone would be a lie for the pirate woman had tipped the scales in her favor by 'borrowing' some items along the way. A silk scarf here, an earring there... Thank the gods at least some wealthier-than-average folks lived in this town or Mira would have never been able to get this far. If this had been Lorebeaux, that last port she and her crew visited, at best she'd have ended up with a fancy cow. The sky was getting dark by the time Mira was done, and Ludwig had gone to sleep in one of her pockets. Hoping Sparhawk and Sorren hadn't left (in her defense, Sparhawk said that they would be leaving 'tonight' but he had not gotten anymore specific than that), she headed for the rendezvous point where the trio was supposed to be meeting up. The Grand Vale tavern stood unassuming in the distance and Mira quietly entered it. Mira spared a perfunctory glance around and took a seat.

Shortly after, Sparhawk appeared and, approaching Mira's table, one could see that he was holding the hand of a little girl.
"So we're just waiting on the elf, then," he commented, taking a seat. The little girl climbed up into his lap and unabashedly stared at Mira with a stern expression.

Mira couldn't consider herself the type of person who was great with kids, nor did she actually have an interest in them. Except... this was Sparhawk's kid. Or was it? But more importantly, she wanted to know why he'd brought the little girl here and why did this kid look so damn displeased with her? Mira waved awkwardly at the child and reached into her pocket to wake her furry translator.

"Are you being serious right now, Sparky?"

"Well, we are waiting on the elf, aren't we?"

"No, I meant the kid. What did you tell her? She looks mad at me."

"Who, Vella? Oh, she's probably just looking into your soul. It's her new favorite pastime."

Mira blinked at that and turned her attention to Vella. Magic was uncommon yet not unheard of; although she wasn't sure if Sparhawk was joking or not. "See anything interesting?"

Vella tilted her head. "They're going to make you ride the horse," she replied decidedly.

Mira had to laugh there. An odd, breathy, wheezing noise escaping her tongue-less mouth but a laugh nonetheless. "No." Mira didn't even need to sign that response out, just vigorously shake her head as she attempted to compose herself. She would walk or sail all the way if that's what it took to get to the bloody dragon but she would rather stab herself in the leg than go horseback.

Vella shrugged. "It's what the image shows." She looked up at her father.
"You were friends when you were my age?"
"Something like that."
"You braided her hair like you braid mine."
"I suppose I did."
"So you had lots of practice. You must make the best braids," she decided.

Years after Sparhawk had left, when Mira reached the conclusion that he was never coming back, she had let go of those memories in order to be free to move on. She'd still missed her friend, yes, but she didn't think back much on it. Vella was bringing many of those fond memories back and the mute pirate couldn't help but smile warmly. Sparhawk being a noble knight was going to make him a royal pain in the butt of course but now she was realizing that she was looking forward to catching up with him. Speaking of which, that brought Mira back to the matter at hand. "As cute as your daughter is, why did you bring her?" Annoyed with having been rudely awakened for this conversation, Ludwig freed himself from Mira and sat atop the table to groom himself.

"You can see for yourself, she's got this uncanny knack for reading people. The chapterhouse where I trained for knighthood is on the way, so we'll be dropping her off to get evaluated by my mentor in the arcane arts," Sparhawk explained.
"Can I learn magic too, father?"
"I wouldn't mind, but your mother wouldn't have it."
A small sigh. "I should like to learn magic. Then I could go with you!"
"You're far too young to be going on adventures, little lady."
"I think I could be useful. I'm already seeing so much! I'd more than make up for your eyes, father. Can't I go?"
"Not this time, Vella."
She wore a slight pout.

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Sparky. You and I were younger than her when were were off doing our own crazy things. She can tag with us for a little ways, can't she?"

"A little ways, Mira? And drop her off where, in some town with no means for her to get back home? Absolutely not. At least she's safe at the chapterhouse and one of the knights can take her back."

It had started as a joke but now she was going to finish this. "Then you can bring her back while Sorren and I collect our bounty." Mira grinned like she'd just told the greatest joke. But really though, what was wrong with Vella coming? If it was the dragon part then the solution was simple -leave her somewhere safe until they can get the damn crown. Then everybody can go home all happily ever after. How long was that supposed to take? Assuming there was even a dragon. Probably dead by now. Or maybe just some scary legend people passed around to make things more interesting. She wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

Sparhawk either didn't hear her, or was purposefully ignoring Mira as his attention veered back to Vella, who was climbing down from his lap.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm hungry."
Without waiting for a reply, the little girl ran up to the tavernmaster to acquire some food.

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Kerebos, it was eventually concluded, would not be returning that evening. Perhaps tomorrow or maybe even the day after next... There was no telling for sure but they had no reason to worry as of yet. Cleyo mentioned that Kerebos was likely out to check whether their supplies had been dropped off yet; they were supposed to be here last week but the political issues overseas had been causing delays recently. (It wasn't as much a problem as it was an inconvenience since both Cleyobanthan and Kerebos knew how to live off the land if push came to shove.) So, Auium and Cleyo settled on having a quiet chat for the rest of their night. The crackling fireplace and rumbling thunder provided a sort of charming background ambiance and soon enough the pair dozed off. Eventually Cleyo roused and padded off to bed with a sleepy 'goodnight' and Auium promised she'd follow shortly. Alone with only her thoughts to keep her company, Auium decided she wanted to delay sleep and simply enjoy the quiet for now.

Then came the banging on the door.

At first Auium thought maybe she was imagining it. Maybe that was the thunder or the wind knocking something over. Surely that wasn't Kerebos, was it? No. Her ward knew there would be no need to knock and could enter or leave as she pleased. Auium considered ignoring it but the chill running up her spine, which in turn caused the hairs along her back to raise on end, prompted further action. Cautiously, Auium rose. "Cleyo" she hissed. Why was she whispering? There would be no way anyone outside would be able to hear her but for some reason the idea of a stranger wanting to come in frightened the little cervitaur. Auium tip-toed back to the bedroom and shook her companion awake. Cleyo slurred something along the lines of "I'm awake" and yawned but didn't stir much.

"There's someone here" Auium told him. The hybrid opened his eyes but did not stir.
"What do you mean?" he slurred.
"At the door."
"Are you sure?"
"Cleyo."
"Alright, alright. I'm up."

Auium had never once been afraid her companions. Sure the both of them were there to watch over her, keep her safe and make sure she was properly cared for. But she'd only ever really seen them as family. Feeling ashamed during a proper scolding wasn't the same as shying from an intimidating stranger screaming at you. It hadn't ever quite sunk in that Cleyo was here to protect her until this moment. Cleyo's sphinx half granted him his lithe build and graceful movements, while his elf half added height and sharpened features. He wasn't particularly frightening at first glance. However now Auium could really see the bulk, the sinuous cords of muscle forming his frame as he rose with purpose to investigate the issue at hand. "Stay here" he told her, then stalked off. Auium didn't need to be told twice and sank to the mattress much like a doe awaiting its mother's return.

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The Khrysopos' day started like any other.

Her guardian and companion, Cleyobanthal, (she liked to call him Cleyo for short) had woken before her and could be seen already reading in his usual spot by the bedroom's main window seat. The cervitaur groaned and stretched, noting how the empty spot beside her on the bed was now cold. "Good morning" Cleyo called out whilst turning a page in his old book. He didn't turn around to look at her but he did flick an ear back in her direction, causing an earring to jingle lightly. "Is it really?" Auium inquired playfully. Cleyo paused and straightened his posture, then looked out the window. "I think yes. Today's going to be the first rain of the year." That caught her attention. Auium sat up.

"Really?" That earned her a confirming hum in response.
"What makes you say that?"
"There's a breeze. Plus the birds have stopped singing."
"Where's Kery?" Another nickname, for her other guardian although this one's intended secondary purpose revolved more around keeping her contained than happy.
"Your dog is sniffing about. She suspect's today was going to be unlucky and couldn't sit still. I am under the impression she will not be returning soon."
"You know she doesn't like being called that." The other guardian had made her complaints quite clear but Cleyo never seemed to care. He didn't respond.

So that was how her morning began; waiting in anticipation for both her friend and the storms.

Auium dined on a light breakfast and then went to read alongside Cleyo in the garden. Later on they romped a bit, played some chess, she taught herself a lesson in the art of penmanship, they filled their bellies with a warm lunch, another reading session, and then she went to go lie down for a quick nap. Boring couldn't even begin to describe her daily struggle. Some days were better than others but there were only so many things one could do when prohibited from leaving the property. She would have asked to go for a walk but knew she would be denied as long as Kerebos was out. But by nightfall when the rains finally arrived it certainly lifted her spirits. Auium loved the rain.

The structure's thick walls did well to protect against the cold outside but Cleyobanthal had decided to light the fireplace anyway and laid on the fur rug before it. Kerebos still hadn't returned and although neither Cleyo nor his ward were particularly worried they waited up anyway. Auium curled around her companion and settled down comfortably to watch the fire. The crackling logs and rumbling thunder made for a very nice background.

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_{Ｔｏｕｃｈ ｔｈｅ ｄａｒｋｎｅｓｓ ａｎｄ ｙｏｕ＇ｌｌ ｂｅ ｓｕｒｅ ｔｏ ｆａｌｌ ｉｎ．．．．}

What You Need To Know

• King Axthelion of Craulannen and King Lucarious of Ostrar are the two rulers currently waging war on each other. They both also happen to lead the largest armies and each hold considerable allies. Everyone else is caught in the middle.
• The Khrysopos is hidden away somewhere on southern Otàe regions, a no man's land. This information is only know by royalty.

Lore

Map

{credits}

Key:

large yellow names = islands
large white names = kingdoms
small white names = capital cities

Kingdom Histories, Rulers, & Diplomatic Standpoints

• Filler...

Customs & Religions

• Hair

Species

Taurs

• Centaur {horse}
• Cervitaur {deer}
• Lamia {snake}
• Sphinx {big cats}

Humans

• Shortest lifespan.

Elves

• Longest lifespan.

Mythos

• Deity; worshiped among many religions and shunned by others.
• Dies to give way to the new generation so age varies.
• Can "see death" and heals injuries of varying severity with its bare hands.

The Khrysopos is a sacred being, identified at birth by its bright yellow eyes and clean white hair/fur. It is a mysterious creature with ominous foreshadowing abilities and can be born from any of the known intelligent species that walk this planet. None of the kingdoms are allowed to keep it. The first and only war which involved all kingdoms was when it was discovered that one was keeping a Khysopos in secret. That kingdom no longer exists.

Order of the Unicorn

• Originally there were 27 unicorns in existence. The lands were divided accordingly and therefore each kingdom possessed exactly 1. Their numbers now are unconfirmed and rumored to be extinct.
• Dangerous albeit loyal creatures; most commonly used to protect the royal king and queen but also kept simply as a show of wealth and power.
• There are 4 cases in history where one was used to pursue and execute a highly dangerous criminal who'd escaped custody. None failed.

The truth is that there are no unicorns. They never existed and that is the reason a peasant had never laid eyes upon one, not even in the wild. It's all a front. The Order Of The Unicorn is a highly trained, highly elite category of knights who carry out classified tasks in the name of the king. They all ride on horseback and carry custom-made spears to perpetuate rumors of unicorn sightings/killings and disguise their existence. {x}

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<sub>「ᴀᴜɪᴜᴍ」 「ғᴇᴍᴀʟᴇ」 「ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ﹣ᴇɪɢʜᴛ」「ᴄᴇʀᴠɪᴛᴀᴜʀ」 「ᴛʜᴇ ᴋʜʀʏꜱᴏᴘᴏꜱ」
「ᴘʀᴏғɪʟᴇ」 「ʙᴏᴅʏ」

「ᴄʟᴇʏᴏʙᴀɴᴛʜᴀʟ﹐ꜱᴏɴ ᴏғ ɢʀᴀᴋᴀɴᴅᴀꜱʜ」 「ᴍᴀʟᴇ」 「ɴ/ᴀ」「ꜱᴘʜɪɴx/ᴇʟғ ʜʏʙʀɪᴅ」 「ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴏʀ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋʜʀʏꜱᴏᴘᴏꜱ」
「ᴘʀᴏғɪʟᴇ」

「"ᴋᴇʀʙᴇʀᴏꜱ"」 「ғᴇᴍᴀʟᴇ」 「ɴ/ᴀ」「ᴇʟғ」 「ᴋᴇᴇᴘᴇʀ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋʜʀʏꜱᴏᴘᴏꜱ」
「ᴘʀᴏғɪʟᴇ」 「ᴜɴɪғᴏʀᴍ」

「ꜱɪʀ ɴᴏɪʀ ᴅɪɴᴅʀᴀᴜɢ﹐ꜱᴏɴ ᴏғ ʀᴏʜᴀɴ ᴅɪɴᴅʀᴀᴜɢ」 「ᴍᴀʟᴇ」 「ғᴏʀᴛʏ﹣ᴏɴᴇ」 「ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ」 「ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴɪᴄᴏʀɴ」
「ᴘʀᴏғɪʟᴇ」 「ᴀʀᴍᴏʀ ﹠ ᴅᴇꜱᴛʀɪᴇʀ」

「"🇹​🇭​🇪​ 🇫​🇴​🇷​🇪​🇸​🇹'🇸​ 🇸​🇭​🇦​🇩​🇴​🇼​"」 「ɴ/ᴀ」 「ɴ/ᴀ」「ʀᴜᴍᴏʀᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀ ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴ ᴡᴏʟғ」 「ɴ/ᴀ」
「ᴘʀᴏғɪʟᴇ」</sub>

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_{This is a private, 1x1 role-play between Shiva and puddingpunter. Do not post without explicit permission.}

The Johnson Gang

She was almost uncomfortable with the stretched silence and began to feel the warmth of a blush dust her cheeks. But then Angel asked about the origins of her second language and Céline was able to relax now that the creepy vibe she was getting from his disappeared. 'Oh', she thought. His tease had also helped and she couldn't help but chuckle with him. She hadn't realized how much she missed home until now, it was nice to be able to speak her language again. Sure Céline was fluent in English but it was not her first language nor was it the primary tongue spoken in her household. That would depend on which parent she was speaking with but English was only really ever used during formal conversations around guests or for the servants.

Angel's answer was a relief to hear. Céline had assumed as much but it felt good to have some sort of confirmation; it was a small reassurance albeit enough to soothe her nerves. As long as nobody killed each other then it would be relatively easy for her tolerate regular outbursts such as these. Céline supposed that, considering the type of people this group consisted, this was a small price to pay. 'Almost too easy' she mentally noted. "My name's Céline, sir. I am sorry to disappoint but my father was the Spaniard of the family so the mystery dies there." Truthful enough; hopefully Angel would be satisfied with that information. "What about yourself? Any secrets I should be wary of?"