RP:Caltarok mapping the Frostmaw Region
Somewhere in Venturil Region Caltarok determined to finish one task and eager to begin his training with Khitti had barely taken to resting in his room in Semper Vigilanti after Jessie had guided him there, to the library, and even to the roof access for fresh air. He was looking forward to this meeting and learning from Khitti, the Flare Guardian of the Warrior's and Auxilia Veneficus of the Mage's guild. Though he knew little of the titles, he understood from how Lionel mentioned them that they were impressive indeed.
Caltarok had came to Semper Vigilante in hopes to secure training in how to properly wield a sword at almost any cost. He had not only accomplish this task by joining the guild, but also possibly gained himself a teacher in the magical arts. He was ecstatic at the prospects and the chance it would afford him to learn not only combat and magic… but to learn of the other races and shape history as well. He waited till the note Lionel had promised was slipped under his room's door and a little after before taking his leave through the front gates.
Caltarok walked for a few hours till he was sure to be out of the eyes sight of keep and hidden in the crevice of the surrounding lands. He began weaving a wind veil to keep himself hidden as he released the transformation spell on himself. His human form is quickly replaced with that of a dragon with white scales in the early daylights. Shaking to release the cramps caused to some of his muscle from the spell, Caltarok takes to the northwest aiming first to deal with the strange invitation that he had found and the results wherein.
Sombra's House
Caltarok :: A week after leaving Semper Vigilanti finds Caltarok once more in the wilderness of Frostmaw. His trip to Vailkrin and Mesdoram's party was frustrating to say the least and had revealed just how little Caltarok understood of the 'outside' world or the other races. A few days had spent from the skies getting the lay of the forest west of the Frostmaw city. He stayed well above the sight for most beings using the wind magic he had shown Lionel to take close account of the surroundings of the forest noting where the Royal Academy sat just past the chasm and where the Icey spanned it.
Once again, he stood in the spot where he had met Meri, a strange woman in his perspective and one that gave him a task to map the Frostmaw region then to return the map to the Adventurer's Museum. Before heading into the forest, he decided to set camp in the cave to the south marked with a sign as Sombra's final resting spot. He figured Sombra wouldn't mind having since passed this world and though little creatures like rabbits and deer had been in the area; Caltarok found no signs of anything larger like he did in the other cave that rest closer to the forest. This was all he could ask for, so he could finish his preliminary work noting what he had seen overhead. Tomorrow would be when he ventured into the forest and began the task to note the game trails, the plant life, and commit other things to his map via a his own journal notations cause he wasn't going to half-do anything and whether it would be good enough to get him admittance or not didn't matter…. It was the pride and sake of the work.
Frostmaw Forest
Caltarok :: Early that morning, Caltarok quickly broke camp from the cave of Sombra. In tribute and thanks to departed one, he made sure to leave some tribute of food for the small critters. The spices he burned through the night would just have to be enough for the dead. Having paid his respects, he sets to the north to begin the mapping of the forest.
Caltarok was glad that the weather was cooperating with him today. No strong… well… no wind in fact which gave him slight pause as he set foot into the forest. At least there would be no risk of a white-out on him or a blizzard to make this task any more difficult. After an hour or so in, he found a hunter's lodge which he quickly traded some gossip and game in for supplies. He hoped the hiking and mapping wouldn't be more than a couple of days…. But he didn't want to risk being caught in a blizzard while out in the forest either without fresh supplies.
Just before leaving the lodge, he found a map about the location of the lumberjack's camp nearby. Quickly jotting the location down, he figured this be his next quick stop to note the size of the camp for his maps and anything nearby before the lumberjacks begin their work once more on this ancient forest. Pulling up the hood of the winter-wolf gear, he ducks back out in the mild cold trying to make as much progress as possible in this peaceable and favorable weather.
Caltarok spent the next few hours of the day quickly taking shorthanded notes of the lumberjack's camp, the some ruins of a battle (with all the bloody details that he observed and the weird message noted nearby so that he could later research and write the name of the place in memory of those that died there), and finally Lake Frysta. It is at Lake Fysta that Caltarok decides to call camp by resting in one of the ice-fishing huts that was vacant. He ate a lite, but cold meal not wanting to risk a fire on the ice-covered lake. Only after finising his meal; did he begin transcribing his notes of the last six hours or so to the already begun map of the region. Denoting the key features with markings that refer back to exact pages of his notes for additional information. For when he left the region, he planned to leave the adventure's guild a detailed map of key locations while keeping a personalized one for himself to denote varying plant-life and wildlife for future use should he be in the region.
Two days later having gotten lost a little due to a blizzard and being forced to camp under a large tree for the worse of it; Caltarok comes across the blue-iron gates with a warning sign. Slowly, he walks through the gates and into another set of ruins of what he could only imagine being a desolate city. Caltarok pauses to take in the ruined buildings all around him. Sylphrena and Pyra both appear before Caltarok and press urgently against him. Sylphrena being the only one of the two able to do, speaks urgently, "We must leave this place… something isn't right here you big oaf. Can't you tell it? I know your magic is newly awakened and you haven't been taught anything. But surely you are not so thick-skull that you cannot tell what those with no-mind can tell"
Glaring at Sylphrena , "Bite your tongue about them… but no I didn't notice it at first. I was pre-occupied trying to get this done. Now that you mention it though… yes. I feel the strangeness of this place. Now may not be time, but we are going to need to find out more about this place and see what can be done. It seems that even nature herself avoids this place and only the snow dares venture here."
Sylphrena borrowing a humanish form nods with approval to Caltarok. He blinks at the gesture and her chosen form. She really is different than the flame sprite he bound… she was a wind sprite, but so full of her own personality and now this.
Setting the actions and oddities of the wind sprite aside to ask someone with more arcane knowledge about; Caltarok quickly heads through the ruins at a brisk pace wearily watching out for any attack. Although the air had been chilling all this time, the chill he felt was something more primal in aspects. The absolute lack of life or even wind gave this place a sense that life itself was unwelcome among all the carnage… he wondered absently if it was a soulless that caused all this havoc… or no-mind as Sylphrena called them, the bestial dragons that roamed the land.
Sylphrena dodging in and out of his feet in irritation that despite her warning to her charge to get out… he proceeded deeper into the ruins at a brisk pace at least and without dawdling to search through the ruins and bring the wraith of the wandering spirits here. Finding a break in the wall to the west in order to drive Caltarok out of the ruins, Sylphrena gives Caltarok a bit of a tug. Not daring to risk calling winds and upsetting the greater spirits in this area. They already allowed them in deeper and without issue, so she wasn't going to dare laugh in their face and call up any sort of wind in this unnatural place.
Caltarok followed the tugs and urges for Sylphrena came to a break in the wall and moved as quickly as he dare. The stones and crevices tear the fabrics of his wolf skin gear and in a couple of spots broke skin in his haste to get through the pathway. The cuts though not bad force him to break and treats the wounds. Caltarok calls upon the fire sprite to sear the wounds close as he can't take the time in this wilderness to do more.
Sylphrena turns on Caltarok with her hair flowing behind her and standing midair upside down, "You deserve those cuts for being such a fool, Cal. I think you went deeper in this forest than some have in years. I swear sometimes you don't think at all. I know you’re a dragon, Cal and not as weak as some other creatures. But Cal… you choose to walk around as a frail human regardless of the perils. Come on Cal… let's turn back and fly to that peaceful village in the mountains."
Caltarok sits listening to Sylphrena as he tries to deal with the rents in his clothes to avoid frostbite. She was right he knew. There really was no reason for him to continue his charade walking around as a human. They hadn't seen another soul since the first day entering the forest. But he was growing accustom to this form and going by Caltarok Dawntide in the human villages versus his actual name Caltarok ban Oiorerua. His family was gone and he wasn't sure there was any more celestial dragons… most were hunted years back and killed being mistaken for their kin. "Come on Sylphrena … You know as well as I. I was asked to map the forest then return to the Adventurer's Museum by Meri."
Sylphrena crosses her arms, "Hmph!" She glares at him, "And do you always have to follow through everything regardless of your life? What about that party that I had to help hide you in? Did you have to go to that, Cal? You too curious for your own sake and you don't even know how to protect yourself. I have been trying to teach you, but it isn't enough. Not yet. You need a true tutor."
Caltarok waves his hand in the air. "I know, Syl. You tell me all the time. Lionel has sent me to Khitti… she knows magic too. Maybe she can help. I just have to finish this first…" He watches as the wind sprite dissipates in another huff of anger in front of his eyes. Another repeat of the same fight they had for past few nights. He felt slightly guilty though knowing she was right. He really needed to get somewhere safer. Hunting around the lodge of the cliffs leading to the forest was fine… the pray wasn't too dangerous. But this trip had gone rather smoothly and whatever he felt in the city was powerful. He was going to have to change back and fly out of here, if he planned to stay alive.
After another few days of fighting through storms and dodging frost giant patrols; Caltarok had gotten to another war torn fields. Sylphrena hadn't been in contact with him at all during those days. He knew she was safe because of the pact and that she was still furious at him. Well he had finished most of survey of this area and could see something moving out amongst the plains before him at the edge of the forest. The plains lead straight to another mountain range with deep cloud coverage overhead. The forest was mapped fully to the best of his ability and he drew out the plains calling it plains of war as he could see siege engines scattered about even from this distance.
Casting a small spell, Caltarok could see a large series of souls made of ice it would seem touching the engines and loading them as if they still worked. He shuddered at those poor soldiers, whose souls have been trapped in this land. He noted this to make another study of the Frostmaw region to determine what was the cause of this war, but that was a mystery for another time. He allowed his form to slide back into the white-scaled body of his true form. Between the white landscape around him and his own white scales, Caltarok was naturally hidden from sight of all living and unliving things that may be nearby. He let out a deafening roar in salute/honor to the souls laid out before him before taking flight. As he rose, he caught sight of solitary tower briefly hidden among the mountain one second and gone the next. He would later denote this too on the map as the unknown tower just west-northwest of the life warded ruins on his map.
He flew silently across the skies as the last light gave way to a night sky. He head towards the Xalious mountains off to seek the Adventure's Museum. He had an inkling of where he would find to the south east of the Xalious mines. But for now, he flew precisely towards Pey's tower so he could land unobserved and traverse down the mountain.