Rum looks curiously at Kazek, loping over and starting to reach his paw out to it, but deciding not to. “Curious”, he says, titling his head to the side. “Um, hello Kazek”.
He looks back to Ro. “Well you are here, summoned I suppose, as the rest of you seem to have been”, he says looking a little sheepish. “That means you must be a hero, friend Ro”, he continues, patting Ro on the back, and looking at Lelith for approval of the term friend.
“And if you have a talking book, I guess a smart one. The road it is”, he says and clambers up onto the bench at the front of the cart and picks up the reigns.
Ro smiles at Rum, appreciative of the compliment. He walks over to his warhorse mount, Penelope, placing one foot onto the saddle's foot rest before hoisting the rest of himself up and onto the steed. "I'm ready to go."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Ooo! Ooo!" Tuto grunts as he reaches into his pouch. An incredible jurney lies ahead, and what would any journey be without a little background music. With a triumphant yelp, he holds his flute to the sky. It's a third his height, and looks beaten to all hell, but that doesn't matter. What matters is a song for all of his new friends.
There was a clearly marked south leading road, Riverwood Route, that lead away from the Ivory Tower and into the southern forests and riverlands of Fantasia. The road was well kept and frequently traveled, and they passed trade carts and travelers half a dozen times as people went north to south and vice versa on the major trade lane that Riverwood's proximity to the Ivory Tower provided. The forests were dense and lush and the fields were thick and green. Life was plentiful.
(OOC: You guys can travel as far as you want for a little bit, making sure you account for time. So, if you take two days to travel, for example, just notate it when you post. Make sure the band is agreed on time spent traveling. Don't forget to track any sort of self improvement activity your character took along the way. I'll be posting a map for this region tomorrow.)
Rum flicks the reigns and calls to each horse in turn, “Walk on Herbs, Walk on Spice”, and the cart slowly moves through the bustling streets around the Ivory Tower. As the crowds recede and they head onto the Riverwood Route, he has a quick look around to make sure Yam and Ro were keeping pace on their Warhorse and Racing Snail, before flicking the reigns again and shouting, “YA, YA”. The horses increase speed and their journey begins in earnest.
During the morning he keeps a steady pace, trying to get good speed without making it an uncomfortable ride for those in the cart. He slows as other travellers pass, giving each a wave and greeting those who reciprocate.
He talks amiably as they travel. “Well I don’t know about you all, but this is quite the adventure for me. I very rarely get to visit the mainland, except for the occasional delivery to local towns”, he says patting the barrel behind him. “I have been at the monastery on Dragonclaw Island as long as I can remember”.
He goes on to explain about life at the monastery, the early starts for morning meditation, his job brewing the Dragonclaw ale and helping out the cook’s in the kitchen, and the physical training and teachings. He speaks a little of the Great Dragon whose teachings they follow, trying to reach a place of mental and physical harmony and enlightenment.
“Of course that can take a lifetime and some do not even reach it. The legend though, is that those who truly find enlightenment transcend their physical form, and ascend, becoming one with the Great Dragon”, he says matter of factly. “It hasn’t happened in living memory though, and I have a long, long way to go”, he finishes nodding his head slowly.
Greko smiles and replies to Rum "Greko....Sorry I suspect that we will be doing a good deal of traveling. Greko has seen all over in my younger years, but now I live in the Farron Forest. This will be the most traveling Gr...I have done in ages. If we survive this you may transcend and find your enlightenment."
Kazek speaks aloud as Ro steers his mount, “Before all this, Ro and I have been traveling up and down central Hylia. I’ve been training Ro in the arcane arts while he’s been trying to prove himself. We’ve dealt with a few baddies before, but nothing near as big as this one.”
As the conversation continues, Ro remains silent. When it came to speaking logistics or making decisive choices words would come naturally, but Ro was never one well-versed in small talk. His only contributions to the conversation being: “That is a beautiful legend,” in response to Rum and then to Greko, “Don’t feel the need to change your speech. We are allies on this journey and I will not judge you.”
Yam enjoys the riding on the racing snail, as is clear to all. She's very carefree, barely bothering to slow down in turns or when passing by others. What does one this old has got to lose anyway?
As she hears the other talk, she asks the snail to get closer so she can listen. That's right, she hasn't been "steering" the snail. She doesn't really know how to, either. When she wants to accelerate, stop or turn, she just talks to the snail. Gary, she calls him, simply because she likes the name.
Yam doesn't feel there's much worth sharing, but if she's asked, she'll answer: "Me? I was trained as a warrior to protect my clan. At the moment of truth, however, I found swinging swords and smashing hammers to be ineffective. Instead, I decided to talk, and surprisingly, people listened. Eventually, the conflict was solved with no blood drawn. I realised what my life mission is, and have been working on keeping things peaceful in my area for a long time."
Lelith looked to be hesitant for a few seconds before taking her hood down for the first time in Hyboria, revealing her elfin traits and an otherworldly appearance. A strong fragrance of lilac flowers was exposed to the air. Her eyes even appeared to be slightly glowing. It was useless to try to keep her distance from her companions in arms as she would more than likely be spending many months with them, she may as well open up her own conversations with them. She approved of Yam's ways. "Eniwa. I have noticed too often that few give words their proper worth here."
She did not elaborate as to where 'here' referred to exactly. She brought the subject back to enlightenment. "From where I hail, enlightenment is but a step we will all eventually reach with sufficient time. A soul, mind, and body which detaches itself from the flow of time. All material concerns fade away. You no longer feel sadness, worry, love, hate, fear, or happiness. You only feel contentment, satisfaction, and acceptance. Your heart does not waver from change, rivers may dry, mountains may break, empires may fall, but you alone will stand unmoving as a spectator as if a pillar of the universe. It is quite an extraordinary state."
"In the centuries I've lived, I haven't spent more than a few hours outside of the forest of colours, yet this w..." Lelith trailed off, never has she worn such an exaggerated expression before as she saw the sun gradually set into the horizon. Her pupils contracted into a pinprick while her smooth jaw hung open slightly.
Something became clear as the day came to an end. It was getting hotter. The already hot and humid air of the equatorial region of Fantasia was becoming sweltering, stifling.
A whippoorwill begins to call in the forest as the sun starts to set, its song fleeting and broken, a few calls here, a pause, a few more calls. A bug drones in the grass, solid for awhile, and then its song becomes a screeching, intermediate falsetto.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"ooooo....." Tuto could feel himself melting in his own clothes. Hoarse gasps for breath adding itself to the common sounds of nature. He tried to catch a quick glance at the sun, and was punished for it. The sun shown in Hyperborea, but it was never this hot! Without looking, he reached into his pouch, fished out the waterskin, and drenched his head. The shift in temperature perked him up, for the moment at least. Well, for successfully avoiding sun stroke, that deserves a song. With a huff, he pulled out his flute again. A song should let him forget about the heat. Or he'll faint, whichever comes first.
Rum listens carefully to the conversations of his companions as he drives the cart, knowing that their paths were intertwined for the foreseeable future and wishing to learn more about them. He stays respectfully quiet as each shares a little about themselves, taking a moment to consider their words.
Greko seemed wise and full of experience, someone whom Rum could learn from whilst they were companions on this journey. Respect for ones elders and their knowledge was a big part of life at the monastery. And he is from the forest the unicorns live in, he might have useful information about the forces arrayed against them.
It is still a bit odd hearing the book, Kazek, converse with them but it seemed the book and Ro had been together for some time trying to do good in their region. This is encouraging.
“Hylia? That is where we are going is it not? Maybe you could tell us about it later when we camp? It would be good to hear about this Great Deku Tree”, he says to Ro and Kazek.
Yam seems full of life and youthful exuberance despite her age, and when drawn on her story, it seemed her love of life extended to others as well. Preferring to avoid conflict rather than engage. Another whose experience and viewpoint Rum can learn from.
“Avoiding conflict and pursuing peace is a noble way to spend your time. I only hope we are given the opportunity to try this peaceful approach on our current mission. Do you think that the dark forces we are arrayed against will listen?”, he asks Yam, very doubtful himself but not letting it show.
Tuto he would need to talk to more directly later. The diminutive gnome did not say much at all, just the odd sound, but Rum truly enjoyed the music he played from his large flute. It helped the miles pass more quickly.
He listens most intently to Lelith, who seemed a little withdrawn from the party at first, but when she removes her hood and he gets that scent of lilac his focus seems drawn to her. Even more so as she speaks of enlightenment and the forest of colours. And she had lived for centuries! As Lelith stops talking mid sentence, Rum turns to see the setting sun, a normal sight to him but seemingly not to Lelith.
“It seems we have run out of daylight, best look to set up camp”, he says, and when they find a nice place to stop he veers the cart off the road. He jumps down and unhitches the horses, walking them over to the river to drink. The heat had intensified, and even he was finding it a bit overbearing, and he usually enjoyed basking in the warmth.
When the horses finished drinking, he walks them back to the cart and ties them to it, giving them slack to walk a little and graze. He takes a look for horse feed in the cart, assuming they would have provided that at the stable.
Greko spent most of his traveling making small talk with his companions but also pointing out the various birds of the region. He was especially excited to find an Eastern-Whip-Poor-Will. He talked extensively about its habitat, mating rituals, food, and other various tidbits of information. He paused talking about the bird due to the stifling heat.
"Yes, making camp to cool off and allow the animals some rest before finishing our journey tomorrow seems like a good idea"Greko nods in agreement with Rum
"Will they listen? It's never possible to tell. I hope they will, for otherwise, future awaits neither them nor us. There are dangers greater and more pressing than letting the lord of Darkness hold on to the alicorn." Yam is gravely serious as she says all this, and seems genuinely worried.
Outside the caves that rooted deep inside hills and mountains, it was always warmer, as the sun's warmth didn't get blocked by more than a few metres of rock. Yet, now was warmer than even that, and inside the metallic armour, trapping all heat inside, Yam was reminded of the furnaces she worked during a short period in her life, many years ago. "You might be right. Whose turn was it to make dinner?"
Lelith looked unsettled by the loss of the sun over the horizon but she persevered on regardless in this strange land she will now have to live in for the foreseeable future. She now realized that she hadn't truly seen Hyboria for what it had to offer, at least not from the crystals of the forest outside normative space or in Hyboria itself for merely a short amount of time. Her motivation in protecting its beauty when she had not truly seen it was ironic and foolish. She supposed that this was an opportunity to remedy that, even if she only realized it quite late.
"I will cook dinner for us." Lelith declared before setting herself on the task. She gathered the remaining rations of the day from everyone. The rations were merely dried herbs ground into paste or thin strings of salted meat. Gustatively, it was atrocious but they were a very practical choice for long travel. The best she could do with her utensils while cooking them is to add some spices from her magical pouch. Rumble had offered his help seeing her frown at the rather average result. Although, she already did not expect much from rations. Ultimately, though, their clashing cultures and foreign way of cooking led to a slightly worse result for the second serving.
"It was worth the attempt." Lelith faintly smiled with exasperation. She was slightly annoyed, partially at her companion, partially at the limited ingredients at hand. She did not hold it against him, however. Perhaps, some next time they may do better.
As the party settles for the day, Ro grabs his portion of dinner and finds a spot near his bandmates to sit. Heeding Rum’s earlier request, Ro finds a pause in the casual chit chat and begins to speak about Hylia, “I know very little about The Great Deku Tree, but it worries me that the Lord of Darkness has taken it over. He is extremely close to Hyrule Castle which serves as one of Hylia’s biggest military and economic hub. Not to mention that the Temple of Time rests within Hyrule Castle’s walls, and inside it is the legendary Master Sword. If the Lord of Darkness ever gets ahold of the castle, I’m afraid there would be little we could do alone to stop him.”
Ro takes a bite of the ration and does his best not to recoil from its rather unique flavor. Although, his dislike of the meal is apparent on his face. Ro waves his hand over his food and speaks a few arcane words. Soon, his ration begins to smell like a nice steak and Ro proceeds to eat his meal without issue. Being sure to swallow his food before talking, Ro continues to speak, “King Hyrule is the present ruler of the castle. You would like him Yam, he is one who prefers discussion in times where many would be quick to take to the blade. And then there's The Lonely Mountain which presides north of the great tree. Many dwarves, such as myself, call this mountain home. And it is there where you can find some of the world’s most advanced forges.”
Rum sits with his back against a tree finishing his meal. It had proved futile trying to make something delicious out of the rations, but he had enjoyed the simple act of cooking all the same. It was a slice of normalcy in the midst of this unusual situation.
“I think we might want to do some hunting and foraging along the way tomorrow, if any are capable”, he says as his sharp teeth make easy work of a bit of salted meat.
“Yam, you mentioned a greater danger on the road, if that is the blight you were speaking of, it is a concern of course. But we have to focus on one thing at a time, our task is finding the alicorn and ensuring that it’s power is not abused. We should trust the other bands with their tasks, and that the Empress knows what she is doing”, he says staring out of the camp into the distance, wondering how the others would fare on their tasks. He turns back to Yam with a smile, "That you are with us gives hope that peace is an option".
He listens as Ro explains about the area around the Great Deku Tree, and about his concerns. “Thank you friend Ro, it is helpful to hear of such things”, he says with a bow of his head.
He is introspective but listening as the conversation continues, but eventually rises and heads over to clean up after cooking, stopping before Lelith as he passes. “Thank you for cooking”.
When everything is clean and tidy he collects his staff and makes his way back down to the river and jumps up onto a large rock he finds there, the top of which is barely large enough for him to place his feet. For the next couple of hours he can be seen exercising, firstly in a series of slow, graceful movements as he deepens his breathing and reaches a calm centre. After this his movements speed up in what appears to be a mixture of dance and martial arts. He concentrates particularly on fast strikes to his sides with staff, fist and foot. He finishes with more slow, graceful movements and deep breathing before jumping down from atop the rock.
He wanders back to camp to see if any are still awake. “Have we decided about setting watch? I am happy to take any hour”, he asks if any are awake, or settles to take first watch if not.
"I can take the first 2 hours of your semi-conscious meditation to provide watch. I can transform myself into a giant spider, perch myself on that tree and watch."
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Rum looks curiously at Kazek, loping over and starting to reach his paw out to it, but deciding not to. “Curious”, he says, titling his head to the side. “Um, hello Kazek”.
He looks back to Ro. “Well you are here, summoned I suppose, as the rest of you seem to have been”, he says looking a little sheepish. “That means you must be a hero, friend Ro”, he continues, patting Ro on the back, and looking at Lelith for approval of the term friend.
“And if you have a talking book, I guess a smart one. The road it is”, he says and clambers up onto the bench at the front of the cart and picks up the reigns.
“Are we all ready?”
Greko smiles and nods as he proceeds to get into the cart
Ro smiles at Rum, appreciative of the compliment. He walks over to his warhorse mount, Penelope, placing one foot onto the saddle's foot rest before hoisting the rest of himself up and onto the steed. "I'm ready to go."
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
"Ooo! Ooo!" Tuto grunts as he reaches into his pouch. An incredible jurney lies ahead, and what would any journey be without a little background music. With a triumphant yelp, he holds his flute to the sky. It's a third his height, and looks beaten to all hell, but that doesn't matter. What matters is a song for all of his new friends.
Performance: 19
There was a clearly marked south leading road, Riverwood Route, that lead away from the Ivory Tower and into the southern forests and riverlands of Fantasia. The road was well kept and frequently traveled, and they passed trade carts and travelers half a dozen times as people went north to south and vice versa on the major trade lane that Riverwood's proximity to the Ivory Tower provided. The forests were dense and lush and the fields were thick and green. Life was plentiful.
(OOC: You guys can travel as far as you want for a little bit, making sure you account for time. So, if you take two days to travel, for example, just notate it when you post. Make sure the band is agreed on time spent traveling. Don't forget to track any sort of self improvement activity your character took along the way. I'll be posting a map for this region tomorrow.)
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
DM of Legacy of NIMH
Rum flicks the reigns and calls to each horse in turn, “Walk on Herbs, Walk on Spice”, and the cart slowly moves through the bustling streets around the Ivory Tower. As the crowds recede and they head onto the Riverwood Route, he has a quick look around to make sure Yam and Ro were keeping pace on their Warhorse and Racing Snail, before flicking the reigns again and shouting, “YA, YA”. The horses increase speed and their journey begins in earnest.
During the morning he keeps a steady pace, trying to get good speed without making it an uncomfortable ride for those in the cart. He slows as other travellers pass, giving each a wave and greeting those who reciprocate.
He talks amiably as they travel. “Well I don’t know about you all, but this is quite the adventure for me. I very rarely get to visit the mainland, except for the occasional delivery to local towns”, he says patting the barrel behind him. “I have been at the monastery on Dragonclaw Island as long as I can remember”.
He goes on to explain about life at the monastery, the early starts for morning meditation, his job brewing the Dragonclaw ale and helping out the cook’s in the kitchen, and the physical training and teachings. He speaks a little of the Great Dragon whose teachings they follow, trying to reach a place of mental and physical harmony and enlightenment.
“Of course that can take a lifetime and some do not even reach it. The legend though, is that those who truly find enlightenment transcend their physical form, and ascend, becoming one with the Great Dragon”, he says matter of factly. “It hasn’t happened in living memory though, and I have a long, long way to go”, he finishes nodding his head slowly.
Greko smiles and replies to Rum "Greko....Sorry I suspect that we will be doing a good deal of traveling. Greko has seen all over in my younger years, but now I live in the Farron Forest. This will be the most traveling Gr...I have done in ages. If we survive this you may transcend and find your enlightenment."
Kazek speaks aloud as Ro steers his mount, “Before all this, Ro and I have been traveling up and down central Hylia. I’ve been training Ro in the arcane arts while he’s been trying to prove himself. We’ve dealt with a few baddies before, but nothing near as big as this one.”
As the conversation continues, Ro remains silent. When it came to speaking logistics or making decisive choices words would come naturally, but Ro was never one well-versed in small talk. His only contributions to the conversation being: “That is a beautiful legend,” in response to Rum and then to Greko, “Don’t feel the need to change your speech. We are allies on this journey and I will not judge you.”
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
Yam enjoys the riding on the racing snail, as is clear to all. She's very carefree, barely bothering to slow down in turns or when passing by others. What does one this old has got to lose anyway?
As she hears the other talk, she asks the snail to get closer so she can listen. That's right, she hasn't been "steering" the snail. She doesn't really know how to, either. When she wants to accelerate, stop or turn, she just talks to the snail. Gary, she calls him, simply because she likes the name.
Yam doesn't feel there's much worth sharing, but if she's asked, she'll answer: "Me? I was trained as a warrior to protect my clan. At the moment of truth, however, I found swinging swords and smashing hammers to be ineffective. Instead, I decided to talk, and surprisingly, people listened. Eventually, the conflict was solved with no blood drawn. I realised what my life mission is, and have been working on keeping things peaceful in my area for a long time."
Varielky | Emma
Lelith looked to be hesitant for a few seconds before taking her hood down for the first time in Hyboria, revealing her elfin traits and an otherworldly appearance. A strong fragrance of lilac flowers was exposed to the air. Her eyes even appeared to be slightly glowing. It was useless to try to keep her distance from her companions in arms as she would more than likely be spending many months with them, she may as well open up her own conversations with them. She approved of Yam's ways. "Eniwa. I have noticed too often that few give words their proper worth here."
She did not elaborate as to where 'here' referred to exactly. She brought the subject back to enlightenment. "From where I hail, enlightenment is but a step we will all eventually reach with sufficient time. A soul, mind, and body which detaches itself from the flow of time. All material concerns fade away. You no longer feel sadness, worry, love, hate, fear, or happiness. You only feel contentment, satisfaction, and acceptance. Your heart does not waver from change, rivers may dry, mountains may break, empires may fall, but you alone will stand unmoving as a spectator as if a pillar of the universe. It is quite an extraordinary state."
"In the centuries I've lived, I haven't spent more than a few hours outside of the forest of colours, yet this w..." Lelith trailed off, never has she worn such an exaggerated expression before as she saw the sun gradually set into the horizon. Her pupils contracted into a pinprick while her smooth jaw hung open slightly.
Something became clear as the day came to an end. It was getting hotter. The already hot and humid air of the equatorial region of Fantasia was becoming sweltering, stifling.
A whippoorwill begins to call in the forest as the sun starts to set, its song fleeting and broken, a few calls here, a pause, a few more calls. A bug drones in the grass, solid for awhile, and then its song becomes a screeching, intermediate falsetto.
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
DM of Legacy of NIMH
"ooooo....." Tuto could feel himself melting in his own clothes. Hoarse gasps for breath adding itself to the common sounds of nature. He tried to catch a quick glance at the sun, and was punished for it. The sun shown in Hyperborea, but it was never this hot! Without looking, he reached into his pouch, fished out the waterskin, and drenched his head. The shift in temperature perked him up, for the moment at least. Well, for successfully avoiding sun stroke, that deserves a song. With a huff, he pulled out his flute again. A song should let him forget about the heat. Or he'll faint, whichever comes first.
Performance: 12
Rum listens carefully to the conversations of his companions as he drives the cart, knowing that their paths were intertwined for the foreseeable future and wishing to learn more about them. He stays respectfully quiet as each shares a little about themselves, taking a moment to consider their words.
Greko seemed wise and full of experience, someone whom Rum could learn from whilst they were companions on this journey. Respect for ones elders and their knowledge was a big part of life at the monastery. And he is from the forest the unicorns live in, he might have useful information about the forces arrayed against them.
It is still a bit odd hearing the book, Kazek, converse with them but it seemed the book and Ro had been together for some time trying to do good in their region. This is encouraging.
“Hylia? That is where we are going is it not? Maybe you could tell us about it later when we camp? It would be good to hear about this Great Deku Tree”, he says to Ro and Kazek.
Yam seems full of life and youthful exuberance despite her age, and when drawn on her story, it seemed her love of life extended to others as well. Preferring to avoid conflict rather than engage. Another whose experience and viewpoint Rum can learn from.
“Avoiding conflict and pursuing peace is a noble way to spend your time. I only hope we are given the opportunity to try this peaceful approach on our current mission. Do you think that the dark forces we are arrayed against will listen?”, he asks Yam, very doubtful himself but not letting it show.
Tuto he would need to talk to more directly later. The diminutive gnome did not say much at all, just the odd sound, but Rum truly enjoyed the music he played from his large flute. It helped the miles pass more quickly.
He listens most intently to Lelith, who seemed a little withdrawn from the party at first, but when she removes her hood and he gets that scent of lilac his focus seems drawn to her. Even more so as she speaks of enlightenment and the forest of colours. And she had lived for centuries! As Lelith stops talking mid sentence, Rum turns to see the setting sun, a normal sight to him but seemingly not to Lelith.
“It seems we have run out of daylight, best look to set up camp”, he says, and when they find a nice place to stop he veers the cart off the road. He jumps down and unhitches the horses, walking them over to the river to drink. The heat had intensified, and even he was finding it a bit overbearing, and he usually enjoyed basking in the warmth.
When the horses finished drinking, he walks them back to the cart and ties them to it, giving them slack to walk a little and graze. He takes a look for horse feed in the cart, assuming they would have provided that at the stable.
Greko spent most of his traveling making small talk with his companions but also pointing out the various birds of the region. He was especially excited to find an Eastern-Whip-Poor-Will. He talked extensively about its habitat, mating rituals, food, and other various tidbits of information. He paused talking about the bird due to the stifling heat.
"Yes, making camp to cool off and allow the animals some rest before finishing our journey tomorrow seems like a good idea" Greko nods in agreement with Rum
"Will they listen? It's never possible to tell. I hope they will, for otherwise, future awaits neither them nor us. There are dangers greater and more pressing than letting the lord of Darkness hold on to the alicorn." Yam is gravely serious as she says all this, and seems genuinely worried.
Outside the caves that rooted deep inside hills and mountains, it was always warmer, as the sun's warmth didn't get blocked by more than a few metres of rock. Yet, now was warmer than even that, and inside the metallic armour, trapping all heat inside, Yam was reminded of the furnaces she worked during a short period in her life, many years ago. "You might be right. Whose turn was it to make dinner?"
Varielky | Emma
Lelith looked unsettled by the loss of the sun over the horizon but she persevered on regardless in this strange land she will now have to live in for the foreseeable future. She now realized that she hadn't truly seen Hyboria for what it had to offer, at least not from the crystals of the forest outside normative space or in Hyboria itself for merely a short amount of time. Her motivation in protecting its beauty when she had not truly seen it was ironic and foolish. She supposed that this was an opportunity to remedy that, even if she only realized it quite late.
"I will cook dinner for us." Lelith declared before setting herself on the task. She gathered the remaining rations of the day from everyone. The rations were merely dried herbs ground into paste or thin strings of salted meat. Gustatively, it was atrocious but they were a very practical choice for long travel. The best she could do with her utensils while cooking them is to add some spices from her magical pouch. Rumble had offered his help seeing her frown at the rather average result. Although, she already did not expect much from rations. Ultimately, though, their clashing cultures and foreign way of cooking led to a slightly worse result for the second serving.
"It was worth the attempt." Lelith faintly smiled with exasperation. She was slightly annoyed, partially at her companion, partially at the limited ingredients at hand. She did not hold it against him, however. Perhaps, some next time they may do better.
As the party settles for the day, Ro grabs his portion of dinner and finds a spot near his bandmates to sit. Heeding Rum’s earlier request, Ro finds a pause in the casual chit chat and begins to speak about Hylia, “I know very little about The Great Deku Tree, but it worries me that the Lord of Darkness has taken it over. He is extremely close to Hyrule Castle which serves as one of Hylia’s biggest military and economic hub. Not to mention that the Temple of Time rests within Hyrule Castle’s walls, and inside it is the legendary Master Sword. If the Lord of Darkness ever gets ahold of the castle, I’m afraid there would be little we could do alone to stop him.”
Ro takes a bite of the ration and does his best not to recoil from its rather unique flavor. Although, his dislike of the meal is apparent on his face. Ro waves his hand over his food and speaks a few arcane words. Soon, his ration begins to smell like a nice steak and Ro proceeds to eat his meal without issue. Being sure to swallow his food before talking, Ro continues to speak, “King Hyrule is the present ruler of the castle. You would like him Yam, he is one who prefers discussion in times where many would be quick to take to the blade. And then there's The Lonely Mountain which presides north of the great tree. Many dwarves, such as myself, call this mountain home. And it is there where you can find some of the world’s most advanced forges.”
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
Rum sits with his back against a tree finishing his meal. It had proved futile trying to make something delicious out of the rations, but he had enjoyed the simple act of cooking all the same. It was a slice of normalcy in the midst of this unusual situation.
“I think we might want to do some hunting and foraging along the way tomorrow, if any are capable”, he says as his sharp teeth make easy work of a bit of salted meat.
“Yam, you mentioned a greater danger on the road, if that is the blight you were speaking of, it is a concern of course. But we have to focus on one thing at a time, our task is finding the alicorn and ensuring that it’s power is not abused. We should trust the other bands with their tasks, and that the Empress knows what she is doing”, he says staring out of the camp into the distance, wondering how the others would fare on their tasks. He turns back to Yam with a smile, "That you are with us gives hope that peace is an option".
He listens as Ro explains about the area around the Great Deku Tree, and about his concerns. “Thank you friend Ro, it is helpful to hear of such things”, he says with a bow of his head.
He is introspective but listening as the conversation continues, but eventually rises and heads over to clean up after cooking, stopping before Lelith as he passes. “Thank you for cooking”.
When everything is clean and tidy he collects his staff and makes his way back down to the river and jumps up onto a large rock he finds there, the top of which is barely large enough for him to place his feet. For the next couple of hours he can be seen exercising, firstly in a series of slow, graceful movements as he deepens his breathing and reaches a calm centre. After this his movements speed up in what appears to be a mixture of dance and martial arts. He concentrates particularly on fast strikes to his sides with staff, fist and foot. He finishes with more slow, graceful movements and deep breathing before jumping down from atop the rock.
He wanders back to camp to see if any are still awake. “Have we decided about setting watch? I am happy to take any hour”, he asks if any are awake, or settles to take first watch if not.
"I will take watch. My trance only lasts about four hours." Lelith declared. "Even then during them, I am half-conscious."
"I can take the first 2 hours of your semi-conscious meditation to provide watch. I can transform myself into a giant spider, perch myself on that tree and watch."