RP:Soul Survivor - Part One

This is a Devout's Guild RP.

Summary: Sargaso and Kailani have been partnered together to try and solve the mystery of an ashen woman seen around a near-dry riverbed in Venturil.

Fallen Star Inn / Along Fengoth River -- Venturil

Kailani received the request to met with one of her fellow guildmates and the request was not ignored. However, the druid is not the best at keeping exact time and thus ends up waiting at the Inn far earlier than she would have liked to. For the first few minutes, the blue-haired druid would loiter around the front of the building in an awkward fashion. After earning a few stares her direction, the druid attempts to make herself slightly less conspicuous and in the way of everyone by claiming a seat for herself at a table near the entrance. She was not entirely sure who she was looking for, having never met Sargaso, but she inwardly wages that he'll have an easier time spotting her than she will him. Surely someone probably told him that he's looking for the girl with blue hair prior to sending him all the way out to Venturil? Kailani can only hope and wonder this detail while she waits.

A few months ago, Sargaso found himself waist deep in lady trouble in Cenril and needed to get out of dodge for a little while. He turned to the Devout Guild for some work abroad and they sent him to Gualon to deal with an Aramoth fanatic who was in the middle of a serial killing spree. Though the sailor wouldn’t admit it aloud, he enjoyed having a purpose, being someone’s hero, doing a little good. And so he reached out to the Devout Guild again to see if he can get another hit of the do-gooder high. That’s how he finds himself in Venturil for the first time in his life. He enters the inn five minutes late and considers himself early. Cenrilis aren’t known for being punctual, the sailors less so. He looks for the blue-haired woman and is briefly taken aback by the druid’s stand-out look. “Hey,” he says cooly as he approaches her table and gestures towards the chair opposite her to see if it’s okay to sit. “I’m Sargaso. You can call me Sarge.” He scans her a few times over, trying his best to ignore the fact she’s a babe and focus on what else her attire says about her, as in her skills, interests, lifestyle.

Kailani is sure to lose babe points based on her manner of dress, but that's something that the druid is okay with. She would definitely have to rethink her reclusive nature if babe points were something she cared about. Kailani has long been of the mindset that she should dress for preparation rather than for fashion, and so she is adorned in armor. It's the norm for her. The armor is not metal, but hardened and blackened leather. She's also armed, with her preferred and only weapon being a pole-arm. Specifically a ranseur. Sarge's 'hey' is met with an oh-so-charming lift of the brow and based on her expression, it does not seem like she is initially open to joining her at her table. His introduction changes that and her reaction to his presence is tempered, expression softening. "Sarge," the druid repeats, finding her manners. "I'm Kailani. Though I suspect you know that." The druid gives the sailor a once over, but only to assess that she's being sent someone capable for this little adventure they're about to embark on. "So I guess we're off to search for a dry river bed. Are familiar with your way around Venturil? Or will I be leading that charge?"

Sargaso looks like a total rookie next to Kailani. He wears dark leather traveling pants, hard leather boots, a stone blue tunic, and a disarming smile that’s proven to be as effective as a shield. He did come a little prepared for this quest, however. From his belt hangs a sheathed dagger, a rigging knife, a bit of rope, and a canteen of water. See? Adventurer. You can tell by the canteen. “I am not familiar with Venturil, but I, uh…” He scratches the stubble on his chin. “I went to the library and did a little research on its rivers.” He eyes her expression to see how many cool points he lost with that little admission. “There’s a lot of waterways in this area, guild wasn’t too specific about where to go. Figure a colorless woman would stick out like a sore thumb. We could ask around.”

Kailani will just go ahead and give Sargaso the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the capable department. A brow is lifted when Sargaso mentions he has read about rivers in the area and the druid smirks just a bit, proving that she at least has some amount of humor in her. A questionable amount, but something is better than nothing. "Correct, I can think of three. One of them I have been to recently, so I am not sure that it's the dry riverbed that we are looking for....but I could be wrong. It has warmed since I was there last. I would speculate it is either Foregengan River or Fengoth River. " Summer does that. The druid crinkles up her nose at the prospect of asking around, as that meant talking to numerous strangers. While she was making an effort to be more social, baby steps, you know? "Why don't we make a deal. You do the asking," she makes a vague motion around the building, "And I will get us to the river in one piece."

Sargaso smirks a little at Kailani’s reluctance to talk to strangers. “Deal.” He rakes his fingers through his thick black hair, scans the room, then rises from the table and heads over to the bar. From Kailani’s perspective this is what she sees: Sargaso talks to the old barmaid who is well past her prime. Initially the older woman’s posture is defensive and skeptical of this outsider who smells of brine, beer, and a little cologne. But within a minute, she’s giggling and looking at Sargaso bashfully like a schoolgirl. She nods her graying head towards a big burly fellow at a table in the corner. The burly man is surrounded by 3 other tough-looking labormen, all wrapped in furs despite the summer heat, with callouses so thick they double as body armor. The men laugh and stomp their feet, a little drunk already despite the fact it’s just before noon. Sargaso leaves a tip at the bar then heads over to the group of men. They stiffen when they see him and Sargaso keeps his hands out and visible at all times. Something he says to break the ice, though Kailani is too far away to hear just what. The men listen to his questions and shake their heads as they look to each other and discuss whatever it is Sarge wants to know. The burly man jabs a fat thumb over his shoulder and out the window behind him as he talks to the sailor. Sarge thanks them, then heads towards the door. He holds up five fingers from across the room at Kailani and mouths the words ‘Five minutes.’ He’s gone out the double-swinging doors. About 15 minutes later (also known as five minutes in Cenrili time), he’s back with a pink-painted box in his right hand and a swagger in his step as he approaches Kailani. “Fengoth.” He hands her the pink box for her to open as if his evidence would be in that box. It’s assorted chocolate truffles. “She hasn’t come through Venturil, but there’s rumors of a wild colorless woman who goes into Diernebyrg for food. That’s near Fengoth. The chocolatier told me about her. He gets his raw cocoa from Diernebyrg. That man wouldn’t tell you the time for free. I had to buy something. I got the assorted set. Is there an orange one in there?” He grabs the lid to read the truffle guide painted on the back then swipes a chocolate truffle shaped like a lute and pops it in his mouth. That’s the orange one. “Mm-mm,” he says approvingly. Apparently, it’s good chocolate.

Kailani would not have had those results. She would have approached someone and just laid out her inquiry as plain as day and hoped for the best. Sarge clearly had a way with people that most people did not. Kailani's attempts would have probably been cut short right at the barmaid, she does not even want to think about how she would have fared with that table of men. The druid is definitely watching Sarge, as she's trying to figure out just how he's able to talk to people with such ease. What is he saying? She doesn't know. Which means she notices him indicate that he'll be back in five, surprisingly she does not really notice when five is really fifteen. She'd have to actually own a time piece for that, eh? When Sarge returns and with chocolate, Kailani just releases a bit of a "huh". Kailani was secretly a little envious of Sarge's obvious ability to converse and charm when he wanted to. Emphasis on secretly. This is what she actually says, "It's probably better we had that direction. Foregengan would take us directly through the wildlands. I think you might talk to much for that trip. We'd be eaten." Without further adieu the druid collects hers and her own, more then eager to depart the four walls of the inn. The further they get outside of the city, the more relaxed the druid gets...Well, relaxed as far as Kailani goes. That is to say she's not completely tense in the shoulders anymore. The conversation still probably leaves much to be desired. But! At some point while they are out there in the middle of the open plains of Venturil, traveling north west toward their river of choice, Kailani actually thinks to ask a question. It's a brilliant question at that. Very deep. "So. Guild mate. Any deity in particular?"

Sargaso grins at Kailani’s joke at his expense. “That’s probably true.” He’s heard about the dinosaurs in the wildlands, but never seen them, and doesn’t care to. He takes in the fresh, crisp scent of grasp and sun in the plains. In Cenril, he typically smells either the unwashed funk of the urban crowd, or the salty brine of the sea (his preference, no doubt). Rarely does he enjoy forests, plains, mountains. Perhaps these little adventures are good for the soul. He’s been thinking more about that lately. There’s got to be more he can do with his life than serve the sea and chase skirts. Although he is able to enjoy the scenery, he remains on high alert against magical beasts. The library books on Venturil had long passages about the abundant man-killing fauna of the hazy barrows and deep forest. “Selene,” he replies. “My mother was a devote worshipper and she instilled in me a deep appreciation for Selene at a young age. The other gods are alright, but none keep it as real as Selene. And you?”

The upside about traveling through the rolling plains is that, short of a mist match here and there, both would have clear vision of anything approaching them. Sarge was on guard, as was Kailani. Her blue eyes were constantly traveling the horizon, and she was sure to take pause to look over her own shoulder, fully aware they could also be approached from behind. Despite being on guard, Kailani manages a smile of approval upon hearing the name Selene. "As a druid," one who absolutely abhors Cenril, "..it seems fitting to dedicate myself to not just Selene but also Zaytor and Hind." The druid drops her voice to a whisper, as if the gods might smite her for her favoritism, "But Selene is my favorite." Be it because of the path the druid has selected for them or out of sheer luck, they do not encounter any of these creatures Sarge has read about. Soon the open plains give way to forest, at first the trees are sparse and living...but they're soon moving through a dead forest and shortly after find themselves standing upon the banks of a river. Or at least, what would be a river were the season different. It's not completely dry, there is still a slow trickle traveling through it...but surely both can see that. Kailani's gaze travels along the path of the river, searching for a hint of this ashen woman. The druid squints at some movement noticed far off in the distance. Was it human? Was it animal? Whatever it was, it was too far away for her to clearly tell...but "it" was in the right location. Her ranseur is taken into grasp, just in case, and she uses the tip of her weapon to point out this distant being to Sarge.

Sargaso drops his hand onto his dagger’s scabbard and pops off the safety strap. His hand rests on the hilt as he squints in the direction of Kailani’s ranseur. Without losing sight of the distance figure, he kneels on the dry river rocks and dips his fingers in the weak stream. He prays to Selene for guidance and trusts the water to ferry back her message to him. This clairvoyance relies on water as a conduit, but the signal he receives is felt deep within his body like intuition illuminated by the divine. He has no way of knowing whether or not that figure is the colorless woman, but the message is clear: go to the figure, that’s the right path. He approaches the figure slowly, taking care not to spook the creature which they soon discover is not the woman at all. It’s a man dressed in a long tunic depicting the swirling, multi-colored vortex of Cire. “He must be one of the cultists!” Sargaso whispers to the druid. The cultist is focused on the river bed, searching for something in particular. Sargaso breaks into a sprint and shouts, “Hey you!” at the cultist, who spooks like a deer at a watering hole and looks ready to run. “Stop!” He refastens the safety strap on his dagger and instead grabs the short rope on his hip. “Don’t let him get away!”

Kailani observes Sarge in silence, listening to his prayer and watching him commune with Selene. The druid is keenly aware that the sparse water is being used as a conduit, if only because of her close connection with the elements, especially water. They approach, but when they realize it is not a woman at all? Kailani takes a very different approach than Sarge. She definitely plans on not letting him get away, but she's not going to accomplish this by giving chase and shouting commands. The ground immediately surrounding this cultist becomes saturated and overly soggy. If he had hoped to run, he missed that chance by standing there like a deer caught in headlights, for the first step the cultist takes will have him sinking into muddy earth up to his knees. The poor cultist will not have much of a chance pull himself out of the mud pit he finds himself in, for druid is able to will the earth dry as quickly as she was able to saturate it. The cultist is left trapped in the dry dirt and Kailani approaches at her leisure. Sarge and all his sprinting probably beat her to the cultist, but when she is close enough she inquires, "Do you think you will be able to make this one talk like you did the others?" That question perhaps sounded more sinister than Kailani meant for it to come out....maybe. She doesn't seem to care enough to correct the implications, so maybe not.

Sargaso was ready to use his bit of rope in cool, nautical ways to capture the cultist, but Kailani’s spell beats him to it. He nods with respect and appreciation for her quick thinking, then turns back to the trapped man. The sailor catches on to the druid’s sinister undertone and quickly adopts the good cop role to complement her bad cop approach. “Well that’s not my decision to make. Our new friend here,” he claps the cultist on the shoulder as he circles around behind him, “gets to decide whether or not he’ll cooperate with us, because that’s all we want, a little cooperation.” He stands in front of the cultist and smiles as if he just promised the man the winning lottery ticket. “Why don’t you start with something real simple. Your name.” The cultist spits on the ground near Sargaso’s feet. “Screw you.” Sargaso kicks the spit-slick rock to the side. “Alright, Screwyou. And what are you doing here, Screwyou?”

For someone that takes pride in being a neutral being and has often spoke of the balance between things, Kailani falls into the roll of bad cop quite naturally. It wasn't too hard though, all she had to do was speak the truths of the cultists current situation. "I don't think you fully comprehend the situation you are in. I would answer the man's questions with a bit more honesty, or else he and I will turn around and leave you...exactly where you are. Do you think you will be able to dig yourself out before nightfall? I would hate to think about what manner of creatures may visit the river in the cool of the night." Kailani plants the butt of her polearm into the earth and leans her weight into it while she talks, a smile creeping across her lips. "Or do you have friends that you are confident will come and visit you? Right now, the way I see it, the quickest way out is to make the man..." she motions vaguely to Sarge, "Happy with the answers that you give him. And then I will let you go."

The cultist’s heart rate quickens as Kailani’s threats sink in. He is not certain that his friends would come find him before a wharg or erlkin did. Sargaso and Kailani are also in luck, or perhaps just blessed by Selene, as the cultist soon explains in a panicked tone, “Alright, alright. I’m just an initiate, okay? They sent me to find more river rocks. They tell me they need rocks with lots of granite in it, dark rocks. I’m just the new guy, alright?” Each time Screwyou looks at Kailani, his voice grows increasingly pinched with terror. “I don’t do anything, I swear! I mean, I don’t have anything to do with the souls. I haven’t hurt anyone! Please don’t hurt me, oh gods. I’m, like, the intern, okay? I don’t… oh gods,” he starts crying and it’s suddenly clear to Sargaso that this man is actually a teenager, no older than 17. “I just got in with the wrong crowd, okay?” He’s full blown sobbing. Sarge pats the teen on the back and says, “I believe you. My friend here believes you, don’t you?” He looks up at Kailani and nods until she nods. “See? Just tell us where to find the cult and you can be on your way.” The teen sniffs hard but it’s no use, a booger is distending towards the ground like a bungee cord. “They’ve taken up headquarters under the Lost Throne in those crystal chambers. You know, where people say kamis live? That’s where they do it.” He looks between Sargaso and Kailani desperately, hoping that’s enough. He just wants to go home and end this hare-brained teenage rebellion fast.

Kailani is unperturbed when the cultist looks toward her and his the pitch of his voice only fills with more fear. If this cultist was actually innocent of any involvement, Kailani would feel more guilt over the fact that he was currently scared of her. Right now, she only feels a pang. He claims to not be involved, yet there is clearly a connection to the cultist which means that he enables and supports them. Still. Kailani is not a violent person by nature and is not inclined to bring about harm to a person without very good reason. Not even checking to see if Sargaso is satisfied with the answer, Kailani determines that she is. Said cultist was speaking honestly, even if it was out of fear. The earth that traps the cultist grows soft again and then almost seems to spit him out. "Run along then. Pick better friends, make smarter choices, yada, yada." And run the cultist does. As he does so, the druid looks toward Sargaso and heaves a sigh, as they've still got their work cut out for them before this case is solved.