RP:A Voice in the Wilderness

Part of the What You Leave Behind Arc

Summary: Following Kahran's orders, Chisel seeks a mysterious tribe of self-exiled Frost Giants, where she meets Mulgrew (the strange woman who offered Rorin prophecy several months ago) and learns to harness her newfound powers.

The Real North

A Bear. No one wanted to mess with that for sure, but it is quite odd that there is a forest bear currently trying to get into Frostmaw, its fur isn't typically built for such harsh climate... Another odd thing about it is that it is walking like a man, Waltzing straight into Frostmaw. The guards didn't even bother talking to it sure as the large beast passes by. Sixteen leagues... north by north west. She doesn't have the time, the longer she stay away from her forests. The weaker she feels. Within the suit is Chisel, with her is that accursed lantern. Something which she cannot leave without. Aside from the risk of causing death and destruction to anyone unluckly enough to meet her during the night, She also uses it to combat the cold. The metals upon her body tend to freeze up, lock up in place. Hiding inside the bear suit also covers the dryad from sunlight which in the past does result to unwanted behavior. She hasn't been up in Frostmaw before, the country is far too frozen for her liking. Does the sun even shine here?? Or is it just the thick snowy clouds all the time? She might not get enough sunlight here making the lantern more important than ever.

Far beyond the City of War, where the harsh climate turns harsher still and the sun only comes through in thin piercing beams through the overcast sky, ancient spires dot the land. Long before Frostmaw, when the Frost Giants still lived in caves and migrated with winter’s loom, some forgotten civilization stretched across the land. How its people dealt with the chill in towers so cold is a mystery lost to time. They’re gone now, their towers broken and the crystalline statues of their gods broken and splintered and shattered. Some of those gods bear a striking resemblance to a more familiar pantheon, but it’s difficult to say how reliable that resemblance truly is with their faces faded so. Others are alien, unlike anything the dryad will have ever seen. Sixteen leagues she travels, north by northwest, across the tundra and through an icy forest with a wide, eerie circle at its center where no vegetation can grow or will ever grow again. The remains of Síocháin, Lionel O’Connor’s stone keep upon that dead circle. Some of the wreckage still smolders even now. Past the forest and historic Lake Frysta, frozen over completely this time of year, Chisel will find a few further spires followed by a larger, primeval forest. As she steps through the forest, a rich variety of wildlife will pass her by, from elk to bison to wolves and real bears. Nightfall approaches, but light flickers from deeper into the trees. She’s almost arrived. Once she reaches that light, Chisel will find a well-organized encampment with multicolored tents for a perimeter and several sturdy oaken watchtowers just past the tents. Frost Giants clutching wicked spears, dressed in darker fur than any Frostmawian tribe, will watch her from above -- whether she’s still a ‘bear’ or otherwise -- but they will not act. After the tent line, several columns of thatched huts will be found, and a middle-aged Frost Giant with a thick white beard will step out from one of them and bow but remain silent. Chisel will need to be the first to speak.

Lost? Perhaps. Even without the harsh weather from outside, she could feel shivers down her spine. Its too far, too far. She can't hear her forests anymore. And the trees here are different, different. She have been walking for nearly a day now. Following the vague-est instructions she could ever get, let alone knowing that it was through a dream, one may think that actually doing such is insanity... but the dryad deals with that daily... this is nothing new it seems. Deeper and deeper into the uncharted territory of Frostmaw, one began to have thoughts of retreat. 'There is nothing here, go back... return to your garden... this is no place for a forest dryad such as yourself... whatever war this is, its for mortals to sort out, this isn't your problem...' Lingering in her mind each step she moves farther and farther from home. Animals are running away as... not a good sign and yet she pushes on. Finally she found a camp, is this what she is looking for? as soon as she enters, Frost Giants are alerted about her presence. Holding onto their weapons as the intruder enters their camp. She kept on walking, she would not stand a chance here, should her suit get damaged and lantern taken away, she'll freeze almost instantly, there are no forests here to protect and help her. This is clearly a bad idea. As the Elder one finally shows himself and bow toward her, she slowly reached for the bear's snout and pulled it up, revealing her face, Soon she reached from a pocket inside the bear and revealed the lantern. Glowing brightly as ever. "The hooded man has sent me." does these people even speak common? only one way to find out.

The Frost Giant slams his left hand upon his chest and bows. A pregnant moment passes as several more Frost Giants, in similar garb, emerge from tents and huts. They stare at Chisel, especially the children, yet none have fearful eyes and few could be said to look intrigued. It’s a harsh, vigilant stare. Then the moment passes, and the children scurry about at play, and the rest of them go about their business. The tribe springs to life with tree-cutting and blade-smithing and cookfires, spinning to the sounds of a deeply-secluded village at the edge of the known world. It is as if it had always been in motion, as if they weren’t all inside their places of residence until just seconds ago. “Aye, that he did,” Chisel’s blunt conversation partner finally responds. He waves a meaty hand, signaling for her to follow. “You’ll be wanting to rest. There be a reason none can find us, and it ehnt because of magic. Give a man a reason tuh look this far north, and ten times out o’ ten, he’ll give you a reason tuh stay home.” He’s led her across the camp, and into a large and spacious hut with a robust fire burning in a pit. A few Frost Giants are quietly going about their meals, great big horns of fermented goat’s milk and ale in their hands. They watch Chisel just as carefully as the rest had, but say nothing. “Help yerself tuh grub and drink. A bed’s in the back. Do as ye like. You’ll see the elders in the morn.” Seems this fellow’s just the go-between.

She kept the lantern close, slipping it back to her bear suit as she listened to this.. thing. She has met giants before but not from these parts and therefore has no idea how would they react. Even the 'chilren' is as tall as a grown man. The rest of the giants returned to their duties, giving the weird visitor a glance once in a while but no one bothered to speak with her apart from this one. "I am no mortal and therefore do not need food nor rest. Though it seems your kind does require it, I could only assume that the elders I need to speak with is now resting. I guess I could stay in a tent somewhere till the next daylight." A whole night without the guardian... She has tasked every being under her control to protect the forest, mostly the ancient trees as she could never stretch her control that thin. Concentrating her powers on the most precious first, she asked the Elves of the sage to keep watch and the pixies of the enchantment to stand guard.... Technically they were already guarding their own territories without her telling them, but now they knew that the boundaries of the land is no longer protected by her, the bandits may return. The city of Larket, though having its own military, the forests surrounding it tends to be lawless at times... she'll need to clean that up... when she get back. "Do ask however... how long would this take? Not sounding impatient but I have lands to take care of." quietly following this man, eventually reaching the tent.

While the Frost Giant opens his mouth to answer, another male with hair as white as snow steps inside the hut carrying a pointed spear held like a walking cane. His face is weathered with the passage of years, wrinkled almost to distortion, and he’s shorter -- but still quite tall, of course. “Teklan, I will take our guest from here.” Teklan must be the name of that first Frost Giant, for he kneels in silent reverence whilst the older man waves his hand and guides Chisel to a plain wooden bench. “If you do not require rest, you shall not be given it. This clan’s ambitions are vast, and that vastness costs us a great deal of time. So we shall dive straight into it.” The man’s voice is crisp despite his age. “I am Elder Aram. Shortly, you will be presented to the Council of Elders on which I sit. Beforehand, please present to me the lantern you were gifted, that I may imbue it with newfound talent. Your training begins immediately.”

The room itself was massive, entering the tent, it was towering, higher than two floor houses and yet these people are just using it for simple accomodation. Looking upon the two giants as one was soon sent away, listening to the slouching elder.. slouching and yet he is taller than her. Chisel does hate it when some mortal is far stronger than her, this old man's size alone is already trying to rub against her pride, trying her best to conceal it ofcourse. "Aram." trying to remember the name, "I am known as Chisel." she slowly slipped her hand out of her costume and test out the temperature, it is still cold but not as harsh as outside, hopefully her body survives. She cannot appear before a council wearing a bear. Slowly sliding out of it then placing it to her side, lying against the bench as she pull out the lantern and shows it to the Elder. A vine soon grow from her wrist, extending the object toward him, he is too tall to begin with, she would prefer not going tip-toe-ing just to give it to him.

Aram is placid while he waits for Chisel to remove her strange costume. His cold blue eyes study her briefly before staring off into a collection of purplish poultices and multi-colored potions. “We’ll need fresh erehb root,” he instructs Teklan. “And six stems of the iifa tree. Hurry, now. The weather will soon be unseasonable for it.” It seems Aram would prefer not to waste a single moment while he waits. Matters of the tribe must go on. “Yes, Elder Aram.” Teklan fetches a well-crafted wooden spear from its hold near the door and departs. Aram takes a seat, hunching his back and groaning softly. Nevertheless, his arms look fit to wrestle orcs. He extends a big hand to grace the lantern, but he does not move to take it from Chisel’s grasp. The lantern’s glow transforms into an eerie pale blue, followed by darkest black, then red. A power will pulse through her now. Something strong, rich, vibrant. Something new. It will enhance Chisel’s mental clarity as well as her sense of vision. Whatever she had before -- even if it was extraordinary -- will be all the more impressive. Her hearing will become crystal clear, and her awareness range of all the flora in Lithrydel will either increase to its maximum if it has not already, or, if it has, she’ll be able to control the growth and health of vegetation from almost anywhere. Even now, she’ll feel what the forest feels back in Larket. “There is one more thing,” Aram says after a momentary silence, as if aware of what Chisel is feeling. “Come. I shall show you while we are en route to the Council of Elders.” He’ll guide her down the hall, through a narrow stone corridor and into a training room filled with red-painted woolen targets. Chisel will sense the burgeoning ability to destroy every single one of these targets -- nearly 30 in all -- effortlessly and in tandem. She need only will it, and a great pillar of flame will claim them all.

Erehb and Iifa. She could probably.. make that. It is rare for a dryad to actually be 'unaware' what a plant is, however they do respond to her as soon as she makes contact with them, But ofcourse that doesn't mean she knows all of them. Nature does grow, expand and evolve to the point that plant-life began to flourish outside the boundaries of the forest, beyond the limits of her power. Making them alien to her. As the old giant places his blessing onto the lantern, she could feel energy flowing down her vines onto her body, the light radiating from the lantern begins to send ripples of energy toward her system. At first she felt stuck, rigid as her joints suddenly lock up in place, unable to move. Soon after she blacked out. The life in her eyes vanished as various energies enter her system. Confusion came in first, she felt distant from herself as if her own mind was separated from her body, shattering into millions of pieces, breaking apart and slowly piecing back together. Though her form remained intact, standing within that tent, her mind was experiencing what one may think as torture. But it was something else, it was like finally escaping a cage or a chain. She could see further and further, hear and see every forest and beyond her limits of power. As she return to the world of the living, she began to inhale deeply, with the lack of lungs it was kind of awkward as various openings on her body began to open and close, venting air here and there. She pulls the lantern back toward herself, watching it. It appears as if she was gone for mere few seconds but it felt like she had been gone for a lifetime. Looking at Aram as he lead him to the next room to get to the council. Finding herself near a training ground, she raises her hand towards it and red mist began to flow out from her wrist. She have never heard of this plant before... but with her new found knowledge, she could use it. A flower that lives by a volcano. Its pollen was sent out of her hand and onto the group and training dummies before violently detonating with a single snap of her finger. A powerful explosion came out first before burning the rest, ofcourse it was getting out of hand so she extends her other and called in another mist, white this time. Flora found in a glacier had to find ways to reproduce.. including flying their pollen through a snow storm, gathering ice on the process. The cold mist eventually extinguishes the flames. Turning to Aram, "Apologies."

Aram chuckles. It seems almost uncanny, given his grim visage and straightforward demeanor up until now. But Chisel’s demonstration has elicited some small degree of amusement in this tired old man, and for that he appears grateful. “No need to apologize. You have done well. Your powers are growing at a faster rate than I’d expected, and in fashions I had not anticipated. This is well. Now, come.” Should she follow, Aram will lead Chisel down the great hall ever further, and into a hallowed meeting room filled with dimly-lit candles and wooden statuettes wreathed in a wide array of plant life. Chisel will recognize all these plants, and she’ll know better than most just how rare many of them are. They seem well-tended, and they snake and weave their way across the expansive room a comfortable distance from the candles. It’s a veritable treasure trove of nature on display in here. At the far end, seated upon simple but sizable redwood chairs that look less like thrones and more like humble accommodations, two Frost Giants watch Chisel’s entrance with anticipation. One of these three chairs is empty, but not for long; Aram comes forward and takes his place beside them. “Allow me to introduce Mulgrew and Ysiri,” Aram intones, waving a hand to the other elders. Mulgrew has a regality to her which cannot be found as readily among her companions. Her long hair is white like Aram’s, but braided beautifully. The feathers she’s attached to her attire are exotic with the colors of many plumages, and the attire itself is so well-woven as to seem right at home in a king’s court despite its tribal simplicity. More than anything, however, it is the royal gleam in her eyes, that lock-jawed and straight-faced countenance seen in queens and empresses, not Frost Giants at the far edge of the known world. Ysiri is younger than either of them, with her flowing brown hair left unbraided and a warrior’s cunning upon her face. She leans forth in her chair more, and she seems rather judgmental of the new arrival. She doesn’t bother hiding a scoff. “Welcome, child,” Mulgrew speaks, and her voice is just as queenly as the rest of her. How Chisel will take to being labeled ‘child’ despite her immortality… well, that remains to be seen. “You’ve traveled far. Yet I am told you do not require rest. Tell me: why are you here?” Maybe ‘because I was told to come here’ won’t be enough for this Mulgrew. Maybe she’ll want something more.

The dryad listened and nodded at the man, following him toward the next room. It was so massive that one may think it was already a grand hall but with the Giant's size, it could've just been a broom closet for all she know. Glancing every now and then at the rare flora living within these walls as Aram finally sat down with the two. She stood before the three of them, closing her eyes as she savors the new powers within her. "Mulgrew, Ysiri." Nodding at them. She has to remember these names. The dryad have the habit of repeating someone's name out loud because she barely care about them to keep such to memory. Listening to Mulgrew... barely. She was more interested on the plants behind her, she kept glancing at them and held this awkward silence for at least twenty seconds. "Oh wait. You were talking to me..." glancing back at Mulgrew before saying, "I have lived long before your entire race even existed little one... Probably why I failed to realize that you were talking to me." That is not entirely true, however as dryads do live long enough, no one can actually prove what she say is false, besides dryads tend to refer themselves as immortals, their lives tied with nature and therefore have lived since the first seed and would only die when the last flora falls. She extends her hand onto the ground and right away a plant began growing through the floorboards, piercing through the wood and carpet (if there is floor and carpet at all). The vine continued to grow and expand, weaving onto itself till eventually it became a chair. Sitting down and placing the lantern on one of the arm rest. "Power. With all these mortals running around like a loose animals, I need power to protect my lands. I currently claim to various forests and there are far more territories to be had." Greed? Yes.

Lionel | The irritation plain on Ysiri’s face is palpable. Her jaw goes slack to the tune of Chisel’s arrogance. By the time the dryad has finished her reply, the youngest of the three Frost Giant elders looks almost on the point of blows. Every part of her is rigid, and her left hand clutches a slim and deadly halberd. But she does not rise. Ysiri remains seated, even if she looks ready to break her seat upon Chisel’s face at the earliest available opportunity. Aram is pensive as well, although his eyes are watching Mulgrew, not this upstart new arrival. He seems far more concerned with how she will react than anything Chisel has said to upset Ysiri. Even Ysiri winds up studying Mulgrew instead despite constantly flickering back to Chisel with contempt. And as for Mulgrew… she laughs. It’s a hearty laugh, but a dismissive one, made all the more so by the casual wave of her wrists whilst she stands and steps toward Chisel with a slow, steady traipse not often found among Frost Giants. In that moment, with her rare yellow eyes and haughty gaze and ladylike motions, Mulgrew might perhaps seem less like a Frost Giant than Chisel has ever encountered. “You don’t lack for confidence, girl, although you know far less than you presume. About me,” she points to her chest, “about this place,” she wags her arm around, “about anything. But we sculptors work with the clay the earth has given us, and at least this clay is entertaining, isn’t that right, Ysiri?” The younger woman hisses distaste, to which Mulgrew’s laugh only grows. “It’s decided, then. For the next fortnight I shall train you for the cause. Whose cause? Kahran’s, I suppose, although it’s an awfully trite thing if you stop and think about it. Which I assume you’re capable of doing -- thinking -- or else he wouldn’t have hand-picked you to be here. As you don’t appear to enjoy dialogue spanning over half a sentence, I shall initiate you immediately. Do us both a favor, girl, and don’t lag behind. I have a life as well, you know.”

Lionel | Mulgrew and Aram do indeed spend the next 14 days and nights training Chisel in a grueling string of challenges fit for nothing less than immortal resolve. Again and again, she’s made to raze man-made constructs: two of the ancient towers that she passed, a few of the huts back at the village, and even an old stockade. She must fight at every instance, first against goblins galore in one tower, then against ghouls and hellhounds and a vile necromancer at the second, then against Ysiri and her compatriots in the huts and finally a veritable horde of barbarian slavers who have taken up residence at the stockade. Ysiri will likely prove little match against Chisel; she’s all bluster, that one, but uncannily good at healing herself to prolong the conflict. She’ll be made most wroth upon defeat, and Mulgrew’s damnable laugh will return. But Chisel’s training isn’t confined to battle, nor is battle its primary purpose. For the bulk of the dryad’s stay here, she will be shepherded by Mulgrew into unlocking even faster and more astounding regenerative ability and an even better grasp of flora. It may at first seem unthinkable to Chisel that she can somehow become so much more adept in this field, but Mulgrew has a way of revealing just how much is left to learn. The woman cannot possibly be mere Frost Giant, to have such grasp over something that Frost Giants are not known to possess. On the seventh night, Mulgrew implores Chisel to resurrect all the dead trees in the primeval forest surrounding the village, but then to extend her power all the way across the vast white expanse to the first of the two forests that she passed -- near Lionel O’Connor’s burned-out husk of a residence, Siochain -- some 90 leagues away or more. Chisel will be able to feel every plant from afar, to resuscitate it despite the distance. And if this seems already a simple feat for the dryad, it should be said that her connection to everything evergreen across Lithrydel will no longer seem faint with distance. It will feel absolute. Chisel is being given a force of floral energy so great that it veritably defies expectation. Mulgrew has it too, or at least, it seems like she does. Mulgrew will even show Chisel the many strange plants growing through the village, and Chisel will come to find that the toxic specimens are more capable of widespread poisoning than any plant she’s previously found whilst the restorative specimens could nurture men assumed dead back from the throes of the grave.

Lionel | And so the fourteenth day passes, and on the fourteenth evening Mulgrew acknowledges Chisel’s newfound strength. “Your time here is near its end.” She folds her arms as Aram and Ysiri join her on either side. A huge hearthfire roasts meat nearby as the several dozen Frost Giants who call this outcast settlement their home gather around to witness Chisel’s graduation. “You have this one chance to ask any questions you might have, or to otherwise surprise us in any way you might have planned. On the morrow, you shall leave this place, more powerful than your enemies will have foreseen.”

Chisel :: Fourteen Days. She does not speak unless spoken to, not because she is far too busy with the task at hand but mostly because of apathy, She could not care less about anything that does not involve anything with her training. The hordes upon hordes of beasts thrown at her way were simply annihilated as she went through them, Whenever something comes to her way, she would stand firm and tank it, healing her body soon after. Poor planning it might have been but it is pretty difficult to focus when one's mind is stretched far and wide. Various life connected to the forest itself giving her far more interesting knowledge than what these frost giants could offer but of course she has to play along, she is a guest here after all. During the fight against Ysiri, she was... well... distracting. There was a point where the dryad finally stopped browsing her realm and ultimately focused at the task at hand. There is so much power in her and she could feel it tremble within her system. During all these training, she has expanded her reach far and wide, giving little care to her surroundings. But as soon as she focused on Ysiri something else happened. Typically, Chisel could summon creatures of the forest when only there are dead flora around her, trees to help her replicate various flora but even in the center of a frozen tundra, Flora colossi soon began erupting from the earth below, Climbing out of the rocks as the very ground breaks and tremble as these monstrosities emerge. She isn't in a forest so these colossi would be weaker than normal and was easy prey for Ysiri. That was the plan all along. Now scattered around their little battlefield is chunks of flora for the dryad to work on, vines from every direction, as one end of it attempt to hold down the frost giant, the other end digs into the earth, anchoring itself. Vines almost strong as steel, wrapped around the giant as Chisel walked forward and brought out a knife, pointing it to the giant's neck. It was over the moment it started. She only toyed around with the giant, kiting and enticing Ysiri around while having flora colossi killed left and right, fueling the giant's rage while changing the battlefield to her whim. Forests around the camp were revived, an easy task for the dryad. Soon, at the final day she sat down as people gathered about for her 'graduation' it seems. As always, she is absent minded. She might need to train herself better for that part, something that the giants failed to focus on, They only empowered her but didn't really tell her how to control it. Something to be expected on a rush job she assumed. Recalling herself back to reality, she listens to Mulgrew as she spoke, turning her head to Aram and Ysiri although she couldn't care less about the last one, hate does indeed seep from the giant and Chisel couldn't be bothered to give a damn about it. "Questions... Who are you?" facing Mulgrew, it was clear to Chisel that this person is different. "I would assume Aram knows already." she simply added.

Lionel | “Aram knows exactly as much as he needs to know,” Mulgrew responds coyly. “Which is more than most, but less than a choice few. Who I am is immaterial. What matters is that you and I will meet again. I sense something in you which piques my interest more than these Frost Giants.” She doesn’t self-identify as one. Curious. “It piques it more than Kahran. You have a destiny about you, oh hallowed champion of the trees.” She laughs at her own phrasing. “And I specialize in destinies.” Mulgrew ponders for a moment and then waves her hand gingerly toward Aram and Ysiri, the former bowing and the latter scoffing. “Walk with me, dryad. Allow me to bid you farewell personally.” Mulgrew leaves the other elders behind, leaves the rest of the tribe behind, leaves the main hut and all its festivities behind. Into the cold night she goes, and if Chisel should follow, they’ll walk to the very edge of the village. The beautiful foliage Chisel has brought to the land is in full bloom and multicolored, and fireflies gather in droves. Some of the fireflies swirl around Mulgrew, revealing themselves to be something more magical as they paint her in ethereal light. Her hulking Frost Giant form is gone, replaced with the similar face of a woman past her prime but absolutely majestic. Mulgrew’s yellow eyes remain, and she uses them to good effect, watching Chisel with interest. “Kahran’s methods are harsh, but I have sided with him out of present necessity. He is powerful, but not so powerful as he believes. You and I share a love for nature, dryad, and for that I do mean what I said. ‘Tis fate we’ll cross paths again, and when we do, enough will have transpired that I will tell you who I am for true. You may not believe it now, but I do believe you’ll find my answer… useful.” She reaches into her pouch, offering Chisel a very old intricately-carved ocarina. “Do me a favor and hang on to this until then. This Frost Giant tribe has a terrible end in store for them, and soon. I’d rather not see one of the last artifacts of my people destroyed in the wars to come.” Whatever ‘people’ to which Mulgrew refers, they must be long gone from this world.

Chisel smiles, she knew it. It was a question that has been lingering in her mind for a while now, how could a simple Frost Giant know so much and be so powerful... or maybe because Chisel is just racist and thinks everything else is beneath her, who knows. She simply smiles at Mulgrew, bowing a bit toward the elders and finally walking outside. The lantern is still at her side, sitting prettily upon its tall holder that Chisel usually carries around. "I have little use for loyalty and therefore does not care what would happen to these giants... However I am a person of my word. Power has been given to me and therefore I have to repay my debt. Kahran called me and I will do what is asked of me." she looked at the woman in the eyes and said, "However... War tend to ruin much of nature, wood is collected to fuel their foundries, earth, poisoned to set up their camps and same goes with the water. This is not counting the destruction they leave behind as soon as they attack various territories, Burning forests as if they were acceptable casualties of war." She will pay for her debt but it doesn't seem she'll stay for the long haul. Looking down as the woman passes the instrument to her, "Okaaay..." confused at first, reaching out for it and listening to the woman's tale, it did piqued her interest, "The last time I accepted an item from a stranger, Nothing good happened. But I'll hold on to this." she pockets the instrument within her clothes, nodding at Mulgrew.