"It's a valid question," Namura smiled, quickly clambering up behind him. She felt instantly at home in the tree, although she found herself a tad surprised at how easily Lero had reached the top. She joined him on a nearby branch, smiling as the sun dipped below the horizon.
"Part of what I do is the hunting-nature bits, but the other part is tapping in to the raw Aether here in the forest," she said. "That's how I see where the demons are. You know how to use a sword, so our first lesson is going to be to teach you how to just feel the Aether. In the cities, they catch it and refine it and hold it captive. But out here, it's wild and free." Namura smiled. As the stars began to come out, so too did the streams of raw Aether dancing like ribbons through the night sky.
"I'd spend hours outside at night staring at the sky around me on the Rising Aether. Its always been a breathtaking sight." Lero sits on his perch in silence as he watches the strands of aether floating about the sky. Eventually he breaks the silence, "So do you just... try to move it with your mind or something?"
He concentrates hard on the aether stream and sighs in frustration when nothing happens. "I don't know Namura, I feel kinda stupid."
"Don't feel self conscious, there's no one here but me," Namura smiled. She closed her eyes and breathed in the sheer energy around her. A small cloud of fog formed between her fingers, spilling out of her hands and onto the forest floor below.
"A minnow cannot try to change the direction of a river," she said. "Just as you cannot try to 'move it with your mind.' You have to become a part of the Aether, and let it move you."
Namura's display made him hold his breath. He lifted his goggles to better see her in the glow. The aether seemed to just flow through her fingers as if she had tamed it, and the light glow lit up her silhouette and reflected from her eyes. Beautiful.
Lero concentrates on his perch, eyes closed as Namura did. He can hear the sounds of the forest around him. He concentrates on the wind blowing through the branches and the insects as they sing. He can hear Namura's steady breathing and tries to mime it. After a few long moments of concentration he opens his eyes again.
He whispers, "You, Buama, Flux, Kraith, Duncan, and even that Quill guy all seem to just be able to manipulate aether. I've only ever used it for my own gain - powered things with it while admiring its wonders from afar. How do I connect with it without ever spending my life trying to?"
"I told you I would not be a good teacher," Namura sighed, the fog dissipating. "When I was little, I had a lot of free time at night. Elves don't sleep nearly as much as tigers, so I would climb up as high as I could and just let the Aether surround me. I never learned how to use it, it just happened."
"But I'm not giving up until I can teach you, ok?" The ranger said earnestly. "We'll come out here every night if we have to."
"If you want to see some bad teachers you should join the Consulate Navy." Lero smiles, and as the night goes on he continues practicing the exercises that Namura taught him.
He's never felt like a person that had a connection with nature before, but watching Namura he has a much larger respect for it. She's able to look beyond what Lero sees. The trees, sky, grass, and creatures all seem to be one living, breathing entity to her... perhaps that's what the great conduit actually is. They break to eat the salted elk he had prepared before continuing their meditative exercises.
Few words are exchanged during these exercises, but Lero can't help but sneak a peek at Namura occasionally. Sitting atop a massive tree, being exposed to the sky, reminds him of his time on the Rising Aether. It's comfortable up here. Namura looks like a goddess of the woods as she meditates; like one of those Peema Dryads explorers talk about after an expedition in Peema. It's almost as if the tree is cradling her. Lero could have sworn the branches weren't bent that way before.
Eventually she declares it is time to return to camp. As much as these exercises drained Lero, he was sad to have to end them. Whether it was the time spent with Namura or the idea of learning something new and mysterious, he was looking forward to the next night.
"Thank you again Namura. You know my intentions are purely selfish, but you're helping me anyway. I don't think there's any way I can repay you for that." He hugs Namura, letting the embrace linger for a few moments before separating and preparing his bedroll. Lero had a lot to think about, but he found himself drained as if he had been in a massive battle. He fell asleep quickly.
Duncan was surprised by Buama's question. "Umm I mean I can cook, not well, but enough to feed us." With that he set to work preparing the meal. After an hour or so the food was ready and while it wasn't the greatest it was still edible. "Well....eat up! I hop you like it." He gave some to Buama and sat down. Turning himself away from everyone so that he may pull down his mask to eat. However if anyone asked him anything he would quickly pull up his mask to converse with the group.
Buama looks at the cooked meat noticing it had no apparent appeal by looks, but it smells really good. She took a bite and nods her head. "Not bad for camp food. I would have had it burnt on the outside and raw in the middle." She chuckles.
She did not move to try to see his face, but it made her really make note of how he really hid himself. So how had he managed to drink tea with them around a fire and not be seen. She really hadn't paid attention the night before when he made some tea of when and how he drank it. She had missed the tea party at the crash site trying to fix the ship.
"You know, I'm not going to try to see your face, but it's possible I will before we are done with this adventure. Something to think about in the future of life." She smiles before walking off chewing on her meaty dinner.
She spends some of the time before going to sleep setting up some alarm devices on the perimeter to alert when something comes near the camp. She makes sure they are turned on after Lero and Namura come into the camp. While waiting for their return after have things set on the ground, she tinkers a bit on Elto's lifecraft noting it appears to have heard everything and maybe even digested it. She smiles seeing it still appears to be more alive inside after the time Elto had spent with Lero. She finally fell asleep quite content.
One by one, the non-Aetherborn fall asleep, as the three Aetherborn keep varying degrees of vigilant watch. The night passes uneventfully, and the party all awakes with the rise of the sun. With breakfast consumed and their camp packed, the group heads out across their last stretch of terrain before reaching the docks.
About an hour into their journey, the group comes across the path connecting Gonjibil and the docks. Following the path, you make your way east for about 15 minutes until you come across a group of about two dozen humanoids, all dressed in flowing white robes, and veils, covering their faces. They walk in two files of twelve along the north side of the path. You distinguish them as elves by the high points on the veils their ears create underneath it.
Lero gestures for everyone to get down, and they observe the figures as they pass. (Group stealth successful)
Lero is silent as they pass, watching them and assessing their clothing and demeanor. He can't make out any weapons under the robes, but that doesn't mean they aren't dangerous. He waits until they pass completely before giving the all-clear.
The elf pilgrims pass by the group's hidden location. Their movements are fluid, yet somehow rigid... It's almost as if they just glide along the ground. There is an eerie silence that follows them. It's as if they're in the world, but the world doesn't recognize them as such. But they pass, and continue on their way towards Gonjibil.
Turning east, you continue heading in that direction. As you travel down the path, a thick fog begins to settle in, limiting your vision past fourty feet. Soft glows of color seem to cling to the fog, as if it was nighttime and the forest glows were all around you. Soon after entering the fog, you hear the lapping of water against the shore, accompanied by a low drone of buzzing. It would seem that you've reached swamp.
Quill looked about and nodded. "I have most certainly been here before. I believe that we went... That way." Quill pointed out into the swamp water. For a moment, he stared at the party, expecting them to begin traversing the water. Then he remembered; "Not everyone here can fly, can they?" Quill sighed, and fiddled with some of the spheres on his belt. Finding the one he wanted, he set it at the water's edge, and pressed a button on it. A shimmering Aether message was visible that read "Boat" in Veldalken. A rowboat unfolded from the sphere, creating seating for four of the party members. He then assembled his flying device, muttering something about "the annoyance that is a lack of a name" before sitting astride it. He turned to the party once more, saying, "Do we require any other means of transport?"
Namura sat down on the ground and began to concentrate on fiends once more. She missed the entire conversation about transport and boats, lost as more pings on her mental radar sprung up. The ranger gasped as she opened her eyes, color draining from her face. "I've never seen that many..." she stuttered. Every time she blinked she saw the tsunami of red demons surrounding them. "There are 126 demons, all two milesnorth."
Lero raises and eyebrow, "At least we know we're at the right place. This is what we came here for." He looks around at everyone, "We're here to cleanse the Dark Site of these fiends and bring it back to working order, are you all ready for this?"
Kraithee cannot hide the surprise and apprehension it feels when Namura tells them the number of fiends, but that is what they need to do so, it will be done.
with resolve and determination Kraithee says it is ready while placing its hands in its components pounch.
"Trying not to calculate our odds, but I'm here to help get the site back online properly." Buama tried to look positive and even tried a chuckle, but it died on her lips as she gazed northward.
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PbP - Beregost Blues - Portia Starflower, Half Elf, Cleric, Life Domain PbP - Tome of Annhilation - Vistani Mocanu, Human, Bard
"The fiends are also all underground, perhaps..." Namura's voice began to trail off as an idea struck her. The logistics of taking everyone across the swamp by boat (or flying object) made her head spin, but scouting was something she could do. "Maybe there's a tunnel? I can go searching while you lot figure out how these boats work."
Lero was thinking the same thing. Someone had to scout and right now there was only one person that could do it on the ground. The others wouldn't know what to look for and Namura would be safer and quicker on her own. He approaches her and whispers quietly in her ear, "Be safe. One notion that you've been spotted, lead them back here for us to deal with. No hunting alone... it'll make me jealous." He gives her a smile before seeing her off.
Quill performed a quick head count while the others were discussing the logistics of demon location. He sighed seeing that there were far too many people to fit on the boat, and he doubted Buama's Aetherdrake could hold more than one person. "And even if I merge with Allen instead, there's the problem of you..." Quill muttered, standing in front of Flux's tiger. The mechanical beast seemed to yawn, unconcerned with Quill's dilemma. "You definitely cannot swim. Too much metal. So instead of finding a boat-" Quill materialized a black greataxe in his hands. He stepped up towards a tree, and if he had a mouth, he would be smiling. "-we make one." Turning to Flux, he called for assistance in the eventual shaping into a raft or boat or whatever watercraft they needed.
As Quill cut down the tree, he felt a rumbling beneath his feet. "Uh-oh... Everyone! Be on your guard-" Suddenly, he noticed that Namura was missing. "-Wait, where's the scary one?" As he looked for Namura, the rumbling stopped. Quill seemed to blink as best he could as an Aetherborn. "I suppose we're in the clear? But again, where's Namura gone?" As he spoke, the tree came down with a very wet splash as it hit the water. Quill was drenched with most of the water. "Fantastic."
"You know me, always cautious," Namura gave Lero a half smile before disappearing into the forest.
It took quite a bit of searching, but eventually she found it. A huge chasm, with steps cut into the stone. It was only a mile and a half northwest of their position. Namura counted dozens of humanoid footprints leading right up to the stairs. The lone ranger portion of Namura's mind urged her to continue downward, for she knew that she was on the right track, but she also realized that she had been gone for much longer than she originally had planned.
Armed with new information, the elf made her way silently through the forest. She reached the rest of the party about forty minutes after she had left, announcing her presence as she stepped out from the shadows. "I found the tunnel entra- what the jukkete?" Namura's triumphant return was halted as she noticed the freshly cut tree. "Why did you kill that tree?" she said angrily.
"It's a valid question," Namura smiled, quickly clambering up behind him. She felt instantly at home in the tree, although she found herself a tad surprised at how easily Lero had reached the top. She joined him on a nearby branch, smiling as the sun dipped below the horizon.
"Part of what I do is the hunting-nature bits, but the other part is tapping in to the raw Aether here in the forest," she said. "That's how I see where the demons are. You know how to use a sword, so our first lesson is going to be to teach you how to just feel the Aether. In the cities, they catch it and refine it and hold it captive. But out here, it's wild and free." Namura smiled. As the stars began to come out, so too did the streams of raw Aether dancing like ribbons through the night sky.
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
"I'd spend hours outside at night staring at the sky around me on the Rising Aether. Its always been a breathtaking sight." Lero sits on his perch in silence as he watches the strands of aether floating about the sky. Eventually he breaks the silence, "So do you just... try to move it with your mind or something?"
He concentrates hard on the aether stream and sighs in frustration when nothing happens. "I don't know Namura, I feel kinda stupid."
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"Don't feel self conscious, there's no one here but me," Namura smiled. She closed her eyes and breathed in the sheer energy around her. A small cloud of fog formed between her fingers, spilling out of her hands and onto the forest floor below.
"A minnow cannot try to change the direction of a river," she said. "Just as you cannot try to 'move it with your mind.' You have to become a part of the Aether, and let it move you."
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
Namura's display made him hold his breath. He lifted his goggles to better see her in the glow. The aether seemed to just flow through her fingers as if she had tamed it, and the light glow lit up her silhouette and reflected from her eyes. Beautiful.
Lero concentrates on his perch, eyes closed as Namura did. He can hear the sounds of the forest around him. He concentrates on the wind blowing through the branches and the insects as they sing. He can hear Namura's steady breathing and tries to mime it. After a few long moments of concentration he opens his eyes again.
He whispers, "You, Buama, Flux, Kraith, Duncan, and even that Quill guy all seem to just be able to manipulate aether. I've only ever used it for my own gain - powered things with it while admiring its wonders from afar. How do I connect with it without ever spending my life trying to?"
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"I told you I would not be a good teacher," Namura sighed, the fog dissipating. "When I was little, I had a lot of free time at night. Elves don't sleep nearly as much as tigers, so I would climb up as high as I could and just let the Aether surround me. I never learned how to use it, it just happened."
"But I'm not giving up until I can teach you, ok?" The ranger said earnestly. "We'll come out here every night if we have to."
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
"If you want to see some bad teachers you should join the Consulate Navy." Lero smiles, and as the night goes on he continues practicing the exercises that Namura taught him.
He's never felt like a person that had a connection with nature before, but watching Namura he has a much larger respect for it. She's able to look beyond what Lero sees. The trees, sky, grass, and creatures all seem to be one living, breathing entity to her... perhaps that's what the great conduit actually is. They break to eat the salted elk he had prepared before continuing their meditative exercises.
Few words are exchanged during these exercises, but Lero can't help but sneak a peek at Namura occasionally. Sitting atop a massive tree, being exposed to the sky, reminds him of his time on the Rising Aether. It's comfortable up here. Namura looks like a goddess of the woods as she meditates; like one of those Peema Dryads explorers talk about after an expedition in Peema. It's almost as if the tree is cradling her. Lero could have sworn the branches weren't bent that way before.
Eventually she declares it is time to return to camp. As much as these exercises drained Lero, he was sad to have to end them. Whether it was the time spent with Namura or the idea of learning something new and mysterious, he was looking forward to the next night.
"Thank you again Namura. You know my intentions are purely selfish, but you're helping me anyway. I don't think there's any way I can repay you for that." He hugs Namura, letting the embrace linger for a few moments before separating and preparing his bedroll. Lero had a lot to think about, but he found himself drained as if he had been in a massive battle. He fell asleep quickly.
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Duncan was surprised by Buama's question. "Umm I mean I can cook, not well, but enough to feed us." With that he set to work preparing the meal. After an hour or so the food was ready and while it wasn't the greatest it was still edible. "Well....eat up! I hop you like it." He gave some to Buama and sat down. Turning himself away from everyone so that he may pull down his mask to eat. However if anyone asked him anything he would quickly pull up his mask to converse with the group.
Buama looks at the cooked meat noticing it had no apparent appeal by looks, but it smells really good. She took a bite and nods her head. "Not bad for camp food. I would have had it burnt on the outside and raw in the middle." She chuckles.
She did not move to try to see his face, but it made her really make note of how he really hid himself. So how had he managed to drink tea with them around a fire and not be seen. She really hadn't paid attention the night before when he made some tea of when and how he drank it. She had missed the tea party at the crash site trying to fix the ship.
"You know, I'm not going to try to see your face, but it's possible I will before we are done with this adventure. Something to think about in the future of life." She smiles before walking off chewing on her meaty dinner.
She spends some of the time before going to sleep setting up some alarm devices on the perimeter to alert when something comes near the camp. She makes sure they are turned on after Lero and Namura come into the camp. While waiting for their return after have things set on the ground, she tinkers a bit on Elto's lifecraft noting it appears to have heard everything and maybe even digested it. She smiles seeing it still appears to be more alive inside after the time Elto had spent with Lero. She finally fell asleep quite content.
PbP - Beregost Blues - Portia Starflower, Half Elf, Cleric, Life Domain
PbP - Tome of Annhilation - Vistani Mocanu, Human, Bard
One by one, the non-Aetherborn fall asleep, as the three Aetherborn keep varying degrees of vigilant watch. The night passes uneventfully, and the party all awakes with the rise of the sun. With breakfast consumed and their camp packed, the group heads out across their last stretch of terrain before reaching the docks.
About an hour into their journey, the group comes across the path connecting Gonjibil and the docks. Following the path, you make your way east for about 15 minutes until you come across a group of about two dozen humanoids, all dressed in flowing white robes, and veils, covering their faces. They walk in two files of twelve along the north side of the path. You distinguish them as elves by the high points on the veils their ears create underneath it.
Lero gestures for everyone to get down, and they observe the figures as they pass. (Group stealth successful)
Lero is silent as they pass, watching them and assessing their clothing and demeanor. He can't make out any weapons under the robes, but that doesn't mean they aren't dangerous. He waits until they pass completely before giving the all-clear.
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The elf pilgrims pass by the group's hidden location. Their movements are fluid, yet somehow rigid... It's almost as if they just glide along the ground. There is an eerie silence that follows them. It's as if they're in the world, but the world doesn't recognize them as such. But they pass, and continue on their way towards Gonjibil.
Turning east, you continue heading in that direction. As you travel down the path, a thick fog begins to settle in, limiting your vision past fourty feet. Soft glows of color seem to cling to the fog, as if it was nighttime and the forest glows were all around you. Soon after entering the fog, you hear the lapping of water against the shore, accompanied by a low drone of buzzing. It would seem that you've reached swamp.
Quill looked about and nodded. "I have most certainly been here before. I believe that we went... That way." Quill pointed out into the swamp water. For a moment, he stared at the party, expecting them to begin traversing the water. Then he remembered; "Not everyone here can fly, can they?" Quill sighed, and fiddled with some of the spheres on his belt. Finding the one he wanted, he set it at the water's edge, and pressed a button on it. A shimmering Aether message was visible that read "Boat" in Veldalken. A rowboat unfolded from the sphere, creating seating for four of the party members. He then assembled his flying device, muttering something about "the annoyance that is a lack of a name" before sitting astride it. He turned to the party once more, saying, "Do we require any other means of transport?"
Namura sat down on the ground and began to concentrate on fiends once more. She missed the entire conversation about transport and boats, lost as more pings on her mental radar sprung up. The ranger gasped as she opened her eyes, color draining from her face. "I've never seen that many..." she stuttered. Every time she blinked she saw the tsunami of red demons surrounding them. "There are 126 demons, all two miles north."
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
Lero raises and eyebrow, "At least we know we're at the right place. This is what we came here for." He looks around at everyone, "We're here to cleanse the Dark Site of these fiends and bring it back to working order, are you all ready for this?"
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Kraithee cannot hide the surprise and apprehension it feels when Namura tells them the number of fiends, but that is what they need to do so, it will be done.
with resolve and determination Kraithee says it is ready while placing its hands in its components pounch.
Check out the many mes here!
"Trying not to calculate our odds, but I'm here to help get the site back online properly." Buama tried to look positive and even tried a chuckle, but it died on her lips as she gazed northward.
PbP - Beregost Blues - Portia Starflower, Half Elf, Cleric, Life Domain
PbP - Tome of Annhilation - Vistani Mocanu, Human, Bard
"The fiends are also all underground, perhaps..." Namura's voice began to trail off as an idea struck her. The logistics of taking everyone across the swamp by boat (or flying object) made her head spin, but scouting was something she could do. "Maybe there's a tunnel? I can go searching while you lot figure out how these boats work."
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
Lero was thinking the same thing. Someone had to scout and right now there was only one person that could do it on the ground. The others wouldn't know what to look for and Namura would be safer and quicker on her own. He approaches her and whispers quietly in her ear, "Be safe. One notion that you've been spotted, lead them back here for us to deal with. No hunting alone... it'll make me jealous." He gives her a smile before seeing her off.
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Quill performed a quick head count while the others were discussing the logistics of demon location. He sighed seeing that there were far too many people to fit on the boat, and he doubted Buama's Aetherdrake could hold more than one person. "And even if I merge with Allen instead, there's the problem of you..." Quill muttered, standing in front of Flux's tiger. The mechanical beast seemed to yawn, unconcerned with Quill's dilemma. "You definitely cannot swim. Too much metal. So instead of finding a boat-" Quill materialized a black greataxe in his hands. He stepped up towards a tree, and if he had a mouth, he would be smiling. "-we make one." Turning to Flux, he called for assistance in the eventual shaping into a raft or boat or whatever watercraft they needed.
As Quill cut down the tree, he felt a rumbling beneath his feet. "Uh-oh... Everyone! Be on your guard-" Suddenly, he noticed that Namura was missing. "-Wait, where's the scary one?" As he looked for Namura, the rumbling stopped. Quill seemed to blink as best he could as an Aetherborn. "I suppose we're in the clear? But again, where's Namura gone?" As he spoke, the tree came down with a very wet splash as it hit the water. Quill was drenched with most of the water. "Fantastic."
"You know me, always cautious," Namura gave Lero a half smile before disappearing into the forest.
It took quite a bit of searching, but eventually she found it. A huge chasm, with steps cut into the stone. It was only a mile and a half northwest of their position. Namura counted dozens of humanoid footprints leading right up to the stairs. The lone ranger portion of Namura's mind urged her to continue downward, for she knew that she was on the right track, but she also realized that she had been gone for much longer than she originally had planned.
Armed with new information, the elf made her way silently through the forest. She reached the rest of the party about forty minutes after she had left, announcing her presence as she stepped out from the shadows. "I found the tunnel entra- what the jukkete?" Namura's triumphant return was halted as she noticed the freshly cut tree. "Why did you kill that tree?" she said angrily.
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation