RP:The Ice Witch & her Pet Dragon
Part of the The Ice Plague Cometh Arc
Northern Wilds
Hildegarde's hummingbird was nothing if not insistent. The little thing was just about as stubborn as the woman who cherished it, hounding the woman who made it! It would flutter away whenever it was dismissed or ignored, only to return within an hour or the next day if the dismissal had been particularly full of annoyance or irritation. The bird would even go so far as to attempt to land upon Satoshi, so it might pass along the little script it carried, warning of serious losses, wounds, casualties and the rise of a certain dead Jarl. The script itself was bloody, the hummingbird speckled with dried in blood that was distinctly Hilde's.
North of Frostmaw territory, Satoshi is where magic can't follow. Which includes her ermine companion, Aeron, thus leaving him waiting outside the entrance where he's perpetually hounded by Hildegarde's icy hummingbird. The little bird, after all, has no means of telling Satoshi and Aeron apart, as the two bound creatures have identical magical signatures. Yet in turn, Aeron has no means of receiving the hummingbird's letter, and so he must put up with its determination while he waits for Satoshi to return. Miserably, the ermine looks toward the cavern where he'd last seen Satoshi, lost to his sight and senses the moment she'd passed through the amber-hued barrier. That had been a week ago.
The hummingbird would never give up! Never surrender! It flew away and then flew back, battering its tiny glass body against Aeron's in an effort to catch the attention of what it recognised as Satoshi, due to the magical signature. The icy bird sang loudly and persistantly, determined to pass along its dreadful message. For a moment it dropped to land in the snow, taking a momentary break.
Aeron leaps upon the opportunity by... leaping upon the hummingbird when it lands in the snow. Small the ermine might be, but he's a number of sizes larger and heavier than the little bird, pushing it deeper into the snow as his fangs chitter in anger. Claws dig into the feather-shaped ice, beginning to draw fissures in the bird's sculpted body, before Aeron is interrupted by a voice. "Hellfire, Aer. Is this what you do when I leave you alone? Torment helpless birds?" Standing in the cave's threshold is Satoshi. The magus is battered, bloody, ragged, and drained, yet a triumphant grin curls her whiskers and gives the amber flecks of her eyes a feral gleam.
The humminbirg may well have squeaked with distress as the ermine leaped! Burried deeper and deeper into the snow by the ermine's paws; claws screeching slightly against the ice. But at Satoshi's voice - the one that so happened to make the ermine stop in his tracks - the hummingbird popped up from the snow, wings fluttering to shake off the snow before zipping before Satoshi's face to finally deliver its long awaited note.
Without thought, Satoshi's hand comes up in a flash, rune-marked palm serving to capture the zooming hummingbird midflight. "Hm?" As tiny wings beat against her hand, the magus blinks down at the creature. She recognizes it, of course, as one of her constructs, and the one she'd given to Hildegarde. But why does it have dried blood on its feathers? Fumbling, Satoshi retrieves the bird's note and reads over it once before shooting a look at Aeron in alarm. "How long has it been here?!" The ermine heaves a human-like sigh and glances away. It's answer enough for Satoshi, yet leaves more questions. Why had the letter been sent to her? When Satoshi had left to see to this quest, she had ordered Tharn to stay behind and handle matters in her stead. He should have been receiving all notes and reports. He would have informed Hildegarde of this. So why is the hummingbird here, so far from Frostmaw? And where is Tharn, if not overseeing the city?
The hummingbird had been instructed to deliver the note to whomever it could find in a position of authority. When it could not find Tharn, it sought out its own maker; someone whose magical signature it could recognise in a flutter of its icy wings. The bird waited patiently in Satoshi's hand, obviously waiting to see what exactly she would do.
Satoshi releases the bird from her grasp before fingers clench into a fist, the magus' face set into a snarl. "We're going home, Aeron. Now." No further words are needed, the ermine nodding once and then racing up Satoshi's leg and side, to disappear within her coat amid a blaze of azure. The blue-tinted light continues to grow, enshrouding Satoshi as her form ripples and shifts, changing from her small humanoid shape to that of a large fox-like beast. Clad in silken white fur, the vulpine creature stands tall on slender legs as it turns its sharply pointed muzzle south, toward Frostmaw. Around its neck and half-buried in the thick mane of fur hangs a thin golden chain that ends in a small, burlap bag. Satoshi pauses to gaze at the bag, eyes narrowed as if pained by its presence, before she sniffs, determined, and launches herself forward in a distance-devouring lope. As the vulpine's paws become illuminated with the azure light of Satoshi's magic, each step freezes the air it touches, producing stepping stones of ice and carrying her upwards into the clouds. After all, clouds are nothing more than water vapour, an ideal highway for a cryomancer tha needs to travel as swiftly as possible. Satoshi will reach Frostmaw's gates in a matter of hours, and if the hummingbird is as quick as it was made to be, it will reach Hildegarde ahead of Satoshi.
Frostmaw Gates
Hildegarde had stationed herself at Frostmaw's gates to help oversee the importation of some fresh water from the Xailous well and the Sage forest that weary travellers had brought up to help those they knew in Frostmaw. Friendship was a nice thing to have; helpful and reassuring in a time of war. The knight stood in battered blue iron armour, leaning heavily on her halberd as she assisted Drargon with checking how much water was coming into the city, the source of said water and who delivered it. "We thank you humbly for your assistance, kind friends. If you would see yourselves to the tavern, you will find a warm meal waiting for you and a roaring fire," she said, noticing the hummingbird as it landed in her gorget, nestling against her cold skin with a near affectionate chirp. "You're home?" she asked, wondering why the hummingbird had decided to return after so long.
Despite her haste, Satoshi knows better than to drop from the clouds directly before Frostmaw's gates. Instead, she checks her speed and descends near the outskirts of the forest. As she lands, a flurry of snow is kicked up from the impact, momentarily shielding the foxkin from sight until the snowdust settles and Satoshi is once more in her proper form. Aeron sits perched upon her shoulder, fur bristled with the pair's unspoken anxiety. The magus' stride carries her toward Frostmaw's gate, yet her voice reaches them first thanks to her magic carrying the sound through the chilled air, "Where is Tharn!?" The guards jump in alarm and grab for their weapons before they realize it's their queen approaching from the woods. Both giants exchange a glance and shrug in answer. They hadn't seen the Queensguard captain. "We thought he left with you, lassy, he's been gone as long as you have," Drargon calls, voice raspy from the cough that's been plaguing him all day. The words are enough to stop Satoshi in her tracks. He's not here? "He was supposed to be here... I left him in charge..." Murmured to herself, the magus' confusion goes unheard--except by perhaps Hildegarde, being a keen-earred Silver.
Hildegarde jerked at the voice, obviously alarmed by it just like her fellow guards. But at Drargon's words, she is unsurprised yet also worried: knowing full well her brother in the Queensguard had not been present, but she too had assumed he must have been off with Satoshi wherever the two of them had been. Her scale tipped ears jerked and she motioned to the guards and Drargon, "Help our friends here move the water to the fort where it may be properly rationed and dispersed amongst the people," she said it with a courteous smile and terribly polite dip of her head, waiting until they began to move before slightly limping over to Satoshi. Her voice is quiet, "Tharn has not been with you," she said, knowing full well it was true. "I had thought he was, my lady. I can lead a search party," she offered.
Like a lost child, Satoshi stands unmoving, eyes pleading as they look up toward Hildegarde. Dried blood cakes the foxkin in patches across her entire body, clothes bearing ragged tears and burns, with only her hair pristine in her otherwise chaotic state. "I sent him to assist you. At the lake. Before I left. I... I.... I went to find a way to undo the illness." Satoshi's left hand clenches over the tiny bag hanging around her neck, as if it holds the key. A hiss of steam issues from beneath the magus' hand then as she releases the bag, face drawn in pain. "He has to be somewhere between here and the lake. Something must have happened, before he could come to your aid. ...How many did we lose, Hildegarde?" Satoshi's not sure if she's asking how many died in the ambush, or how many have died of the sickness. She's not sure if she even wants to know. With every report to death, Satoshi can feel that tide of black rage rise higher, threatening to wash away reason, and bring back Asorial's awakening.
The knight could not tear her gaze away from Satoshi's eyes, not as they were looking up at her in such a pleading manner. She had never seen Satoshi in such a way, never felt so relied upon in all her days, really. "I never saw him, my lady, but it is possible that he was caught up in the ambush outside of the City Gates," she said factually. "If that is the case, Eliason is the one to talk to or Lady Josleen. But we'll find him, you can be assured of that." The Silver tried to make it not look so obvious that she was checking over Satoshi's appearance, the ragged tears, the burns, the clenching hand that became full of pain. "All my squad is gone," she said, voice breaking only for a very brief moment, "but the priests survived unscathed. "As for illness... More fall ill by the week and two have so far succumbed to the illness. Animals are falling as well, which is proving more difficult as it means our food source is beginning to recede." She was saying things that the Queen probably was aware of, save the actual number of casualties. The knight shifts her weight to her other leg with a wince of pain, sighing after with some relief. "The people should not see their Queen like this, Satoshi. We need to get you back to the fort. Cleaned up and looking as formidable as ever," se said, offering her a little smile.
"No." Where seconds before, Satoshi's eyes had been those of a child uncertain, they have since hardened into the glacial gaze befitting her title as Lady Frostmaw. "I don't care what my state of appearance is currently. I have the means to stop the spread of this illness, and I will see it put into effect immediately. Frostmaw comes first. I must get to the lake." Again Satoshi's hand grips the bag, this time her hold not slackening despite the steam that snakes out from between her fingers. "Will you come with me, Queensguard? Who better to act in your Captain's stead, than the finest knight Frostmaw has to offer?"
Hildegarde smiled a little bit at Satoshi's flat out refusal to go back and clean up, to disregard her appearance for the sake of the people. Of course, it would reassure the people to see Satoshi back to her usual self but the people's health came first. "I would be honoured," she replied solemnly. She had checked in on the lake from time to time, trying her hardest to ensure some kind of stability within Frostmaw. The knight even offered her arm to Satoshi, so they might walk to the lake. "It might be best to let your people see you," she suggested quietly, "let them know the Lady of Frostmaw is home."
"Oh, they'll know I am home soon enough. War looms and Frostmaw will be ready." Satoshi places no more than a hand upon Hildegarde's offered arm, with no weight put into it. She'd seen the knight limp and wince already. "Tell me what happened," she says quietly, turning their footsteps toward the lake. By now, Satoshi has learned how hard Hildegarde takes battles, especially if any of her men were lost. While Satoshi is no empath, she knows the knight's heart weighs heavy from such things, and that she'd blame herself for it all. A venomous emotion like that must be removed. Speaking of it is the best method, Satoshi has found. The Silver's deadliest enemy is her own self.
"Frostmaw has fine protectors, even though we have lost some," she replied fondly. She took a step forward once the Queen placed a hand upon the offered arm, maintaining a relatively calm pace mostly due to her uncertainty of Satoshi's condition and then her own leg. "Gunjar died at the lake ambush," she said, "and Onjar's heart was broken. The love between siblings is an unbreakable bond," she siad with a faint smile, knowing full well how strong that kind of bond was, "so he swore revenge and as his friends; his comrades, we could not abandon him to do it alone." The knight sighed gently, continuing with the story, "His search led him out to that icy bridge in the west but we ran into a contingent of well-armed exiles. Better armed than I have ever seen," she said icily. "Tormund's throat was torn by a crossbow bolt and Onjar went down fighting." The knight raised her hand to tap her temple, showing the healing red line that was caused by a speeding crossbow bolt. "They mutilated their corpses. Stole their weapons to further dishonour them, then left me for dead when I could do nothing." Hilde's heart had been so heavy with the death of Sabjorn, but with the death of all of her men? She could not blame anyone but herself. The stinging sensation of incompetence followed her everywhere, her inability to serve. Svilfon had called her Frostmaw's protector, but her venemous self-doubt screamed otherwise. Indeed, the woman was so guilt-ridden and heavy-hearted over their deaths, she overlooked what happened to herself.
Claws skitter against the blue iron encasing Hildegarde's arm, Satoshi having flexed her hand involuntarily as the story was told. She should not have been gone so long. More have fallen in her absence. If only she had been quicker in her trials, perhaps Satoshi could have gotten back in time... No. She can't blame herself. She did not control the exiles and devils who attacked. "Tell me, Hildegarde. Did you personally slit the throats of each of your men? I do not think you did. And so I do not think you can put the weight of their deaths on your heart. They were warriors of Frostmaw. We face and fight our enemies without faltering. We go to war knowing we will die, and still we charge on. Death is not the end for Aramoth's children. And their blood stains only the hands of those who slew them. Should I blame myself, when my citizens die, be it from combat, accident, or illness? Only one person in all of Frostmaw has anything ill to say about how you lead your men. Do you know who that person is?"
Her stormy eye glanced down as those claws rasped against her blue iron, not remarking on it as it wasn't really necessary. "I did not," she answered, "but I... I did not protect them either," she couldn't help but add. But she shook her head just as quickly, "I know, my lady, I know. I accept that fully, I understand and I do not run from combat. I just still cannot bear their loss," she confessed, which might mean she was definitely in the wrong career choice! "Me, by any chance?"
An exhaled huff comes from Satoshi, something of a wry laugh. "Yes, you. Do not misunderstand me, I do not think it is wrong that you carry their deaths with you. But they should not be used as weights to slow you down. If you let doubt hold you back, how can you expect to protect others in the future? Take the raw lumps of metal that their deaths seem to be, and forge it into armor. Shield yourself with them. Let them bolster and protect -you-, so that you can protect other lives in their name. Do not insult their memory by letting them become shades that smother your heart. I did not make you Queensguard out of charity or pity. Remember that."
The Silver chortled for a moment, obviously amused that she was right about being her own worst enemy. It was blatantly obvious, of course. However, her face fell solemn again as she listened to Satoshi. It was true, she always took the words of the Queen to heart; always listened to Satoshi with rapt attention and an open mind. Her answer, on the other hand, was an odd thing. She was angry, proud and indignant to begin with, faltering into uncertainty and pain, "Your - no, our enemies believe differently. They have dubbed me your pet," she remarked, glancing down at her gut for a moment. "They say they weep for Frostmaw if I am its protector."
Satoshi, of all things, laughs as if Hildegarde has just told her the most wonderful of jokes. "Truly~? Is that all they have, cheap heckling and ambushes? Hellfire, the tavern sees battle with more tact than these exiles have to offer. Maybe they should scuttle off to Cenril, where their kind is welcomed?" Again the magus laughs as she shakes her head. "Honestly, Mithril, what makes you think anything they say is worth heeding? They are exiles for heinous acts, not because they are all-seeing wisemen or unstoppable warriors. Nothing they say or do is a true threat to Frostmaw. Do you know why? Because the 'Ice Witch' the exiles hate so much has a 'pet' Silver championing all of the city. There is no finer, or more untouchable, treasure, than one that is guarded by a dragon. They weep, because they know their attempts are futile."
Hildegarde shook her head, "Their words are wind, I know, but seeing them bring back a dead jarl? It is enough to make me suddenly question it." The Silver frowned, "I know I am not a native of Frostmaw, but I did not imagine that necromancy was part of it or even something Aramoth smiles upon." That said, she looked to Satoshi and smiled faintly, "Dragons would rather die than let anyone else touch their treasure, you know. Svilfon called me protector of the city," she said a bit more quietly, "but I doubt a protector is meant to limp like an old-aged warrior or raise her arms with a wince!" she was trying to inject just a tad of humour.
Satoshi's expression darkens. Necromancy? Then that amulet of Vakmatharas was no mistake. Piece by piece, the puzzle is clicking into place, but Satoshi still can't quite make out the picture. Yet when Hildegarde looks toward the magus, she'll find an smile waiting despite the brooding thoughts beneath the fur and whiskers. "I trust in the might of dragons, especially a Silver such as you. And believe me, when the wizard calls you something, it is the purest of truths. He does not waste time with lies or pretty titles. I think a protector that is limping and wincing is one that has been doing her job to its fullest." To emphasize her words, Satoshi glances down at herself, injured as she is. She'd earned each and every one in the name of obtaining the remedy to Frostmaw's illness, and she'd do it all again in a heartbeat. "Don't you think~?"
The Silver smiled as Satoshi did, nodding along in agreement. "As bedraggled as you look, you *do* seem to make it look... acceptable," she said, chortling away. "Warrior Queen of Frostmaw, tamer of dragons, wizard whisperer and mistress of ice!" she mused, just as they reached their sought out destination. "The Lake awaits," she said, glancing to the cool waters. The knight hadn't made a huge fuss out of it but she had given up her own water ration for the good of the other people. She knew she could find water elsewhere.
Satoshi waggles a finger at Hildegarde as she disengages from the knight and steps toward the lake's frozen shore. "You forgot the most important one: Wife and student of Kasyr. And I've learned some tricks from that one. Like how to plan ahead~." As the magus' boots crunch into the shore's ice, she dips fingers into the bag dangling from her neck and plucks out a single shard of glistening amber. Once, the shard had been part of a full stone, the centerpiece to an obsidian necklace crafted by the Time Lord. Given to her by Cerinii, Satoshi had used Asorial's hellspawned blade to break the magic-cancelling item, causing the amber stone to shatter into three pieces. One had been shoved down Ishataulak's throat, to unravel the magic holding the dragon's body together. One had been given to Kasyr to guard. And the last had been hidden away by Satoshi in case of emergency. She'd since retrieved it from hiding, and through a series of trials this past week, increased its ability to dispel magic while likewise splitting it into five shards. Its power won't end the illness that's already taken hold, but it will stop it from spreading further, by undoing the foul magic of Bozrah's ice that's infesting the lake. In Satoshi's grasp, the shard glows mutely, waiting, and turning the arcane ice of the magus' fingers to steam with its contact. "The Leech's own creature shall undo the curse of another of his creations. How fitting." With the flick of a finger, Satoshi sends the shard sailing to land out in the lake's waters, where it's swallowed up and can begin its work unimpeded.
Hilde smiled, nodding in agreement. She didn't know Kasyr well enough to pass judgement, but she believed in her words. However, her instinctual curiosity took over as the Queen took hold of the pouch and withdrew the shard of magic-cancelling stone. As she drew it, the dragon barely prevented the deep rumble that left her throat, stepping back as her body disagreed with it. It felt wrong, unnatural and like a threat. It put her at unease, put that inner beast ill at ease. She watched the shard go, asking quietly, "What was that...? How did you find it?"
"Magic's bane, in its purest form. It will unravel the effects of the Wraith's ice, and thus prevent the illness from spreading." Satoshi rocks back on her heels then with a weary sigh. While her injuries are certainly taxing on her energy, it's being in the presence of the amber shards that drains Satoshi most. Not to mention having spent a week on the other side of an anti-magic barrier. The little elemental has next to nothing left in her reserves, but at least she saw her task through to the end. And so, it's with an exhausted by bright smile that Satoshi turns to Hildegarde and extends a hand. "Come along, Mithril. Let's go home." And then, send out a search party for the missing Tharn.
Hilde made a disgusted kind of face, obviously quite displeased with the idea of something that was anti-magic. Being a dragon meant she basically consisted of the stuff, so... there was obvious reason as to why she'd be uncomfortable! But the knight smiled, offering Satoshi a curt bow, not thinking about her wounded gut as she did. Her arm extended to meet Satoshi's hand, prepared to escort her Queen back, "As my Queen commands." Suffice to say, the knight was very happy that the Queen was back.