RP:The Path Home (Part 1)
Note: Solo RP
Synopsis: After having woken up on the outskirts of Chartsend and surviving a war, Raevyn seeks help from the locals of the town in finding a way home.
Date: Nov. 23rd, 2017
The Slippery Eel
If you want to meet local people this is the place to be. Everyone from the lowest field hand to the e Tenebris themselves frequent the inn. Smoked eels hang from the ceiling, their preparation a closely guarded local secret, something to do with the dark, warm places they are cured. You are most likely to find friendly wenches serving drinks, keen to earn the extra gold. There's a jovial air to the inn apart from the darkest corner where a group of men, who look like smugglers, talk quietly, heads together. Two off-duty guardsmen occasionally glance at them from their seats at the bar. A door lies at the back of the inn. This leads to a large square with buildings running off it and a sandy track winding South. A battered board gives some messages posted about the local area.
Raevyn's eyes flutter open as her arms stretch out to the sides, a long drawn out groan signifying that she was not exactly a morning person. Although the bed itself was comfortable, there was very little in the idea of rest and relaxation once she realized that she was still in the town of Chartsend. Not long after the battle had ended, Raevyn found an establishment by the name of the Slippery Eel, where the owner was more than kind enough to put her up for the night. Bare feet slipped over the edge of the bed and fell upon the cool wooden floor, her heavy lids held open with everything the girl could muster as she took a look out the window on the opposite side of the room. It was raining.
Raevyn's boot heels clicked as she made her way into the main open space of the Slippery Eel, a gentle wave offered to Cara, the Slippery Wench as she approached the counter. "Good morning, Cara. Nice to see you again. Are you free to answer some questions?" The newly acquired scythe in the girl's possession was leaned against the nearby wall and she slipped into an empty seat. She hadn't had much of a chance to ask about the town of Chartsend the evening prior due to an overwhelming exhaustion brought on by the sudden war being waged just outside the town's limits. "What do ya wanna know, darling?" the waitress asked. "Well... what can you tell me about this town? Where in the world of Lithrydel are we? And umm.. how far are we from the village of Xalious? I can't seem to find any reference of the town on my map." Upon the table her trusty encyclopedia is set, the pages fanned open to display a map of the known world.
Cara looks a bit puzzled and takes the offered book to look at, the features of the map browsed with interest. Once the barmaid had figured out what exactly was wrong, she chuckled with reply, "Ah, I see now. This book is a bit outdated, darling. This is before Chartsend came to be. I'm not sure exactly when the town was founded, but it was within the last decade or two." Cara props her elbow on the table, chin nestled in her palm. "A woman. half-elf. Mahteth. She fled the Eastern lands when someone wanted her head. She and some settlers set the foundations in motion, but... she was murdered some years back. Her mother, Alicia took over the town and helped it thrive to the humble little lovely place it is today." Cara thought for a moment, brow furrowed as she added, "Well. Until she disappeared."
Raevyn was more than intrigued at the history of this town, her tiny frame leaning forward to rest both arms on the table as she listened in. "Once Alicia was gone, the town sort of fell into a downward spiral. The streets were left to rot. The local guard abandoned their posts. It was a real mess. Until Wilhelm intervened, that is. It took some time, but that man saved our town. Thanks to him, we now have schools and fully staffed clinics, and life is right as rain! Well, if you don't count that nasty bug going around." Cara looked out the windows and groaned, "Speaking of rain." When the woman turned back toward Raevyn's book, she placed her finger upon the sketch of Xalious. "So this is where you were. And thiiiiiiis.." She now points off the page and onto the table, signalling that the youth was pretty far west, "..is where we are now. It's a two or three day journey by foot. Maybe a day and a half or less by horseback, if ya ride real fast."
There was a look of bewilderment plastered all over Raevyn's face. Two or three days?! How is that possible? She owned no horse to speak of. She does not recall having walked. In fact, the last thing she remembered before waking up on that plain where the war had taken place, was studying in the Mage Tower well into the evening. And yet, she was there, on that battlefield, when night washed with the new dawn sun. The time between falling asleep and waking up was far less than three days. Far less than even a single day. Something did not add up. "Is there some sort of carriage that travels east from here, by chance?" Raevyn asked.
Cara shook her head. "Not today, I'm afraid. We aren't expecting any form of delivery from the east for at least three days." She could sense the young girl's disappointment and offered some sort of hope at the least. "There's a corral not far from here, though. Where the townsfolk and soldiers keep their horses. You might get lucky and someone will give you a ride back home. Or if ya have some gold coins, they might even sell ya one. Just turn right when ya exit the Eel and head south some ways. You'll see the training grounds on your left, and just past that, the corral. You can't miss it." Cara places her hand atop Raevyn's and squeezes gently. "You'll be alright, I'm sure, darling. Look, I gotta get back to work, but if you need anything, just ask. Okay, sweetie?" With a wink, the waitress rises to her feet and goes on to tend to a few newly arrived patrons.
With a sigh, Raevyn closes her book and places it back into the satchel resting on the floor, a few gold coin then set in its place. It wasn't much, but it was at least enough to show Cara that she was thankful for her time. The chair the young woman sat in screeched as it was pushed across the floor and nested into the table, the scythe that rested against the wall now heaved upon shoulder. She bobbed that jet-black crown in Cara's direction and soon exited out into the rainy streets.
The Corral
Both the warriors' steeds and townspeople's horses are kept here. There are also unbroken foals, caught on the plains and waiting to be trained. It's a communal area with militia and civilians working and laughing alongside each other as they groom and feed the beasts. However, a small troop of guards are here constantly to protect the animals from theft or slaughter.
The walk down to the corral was a relaxing one, despite that she once again saw that undead shambler following from a distance. In fact, she enjoyed it far more than anything she had experienced in the last year- including reuniting with Artia. The rain was to thank for that. It was quite warm and smelled so clean. The sound of it drumming against the rooftops was soothing. Where most might scramble to rush indoors on a day like this, Raevyn was more inclined to run headlong into the torrential downpour. She loved rain more than any other weather in all the world. By the time she arrived at the training area, she was soaked from head to toe, her hair flat and sticking against her face. She hadn't bothered to lift her hood the entire walk, instead often looking up to catch drops upon her tongue.
The sound of blades clashing quickly drew Raevyn's attention; and In her dead blue gaze she saw several armor clad warriors in the throes of practice, despite the pouring rain. It seems that even bad weather were not enough to stop their motivation for perfecting their skill-set. Raevyn turned toward them and began to walk, the scrutiny of a gruff, brown-haired, bearded warrior drawn in her direction. "Lass! Can I help ye with something? Ye really shouldn't be out here in weather like this!" The ebon dressed woman removed the matted hair from her face, the weapon she carried soon shifting shoulders to share the load. "Yes... hello. I was told that someone here may be able to help me? I am very far from home and I wish to get back as soon as possible. I seek transportation to the east- To Xalious."
Disbelief settled onto the warrior's face as the woman explained what her motivations were, his head shaken in answer. "Sorry, lass. I can't spare a single man away from this post. We're in the middle of a war, and we can't be shorthanded in case of another attack." He eyed that terrible weapon she carried and lifted a brow. "Where in the hell did ye get that? I'd think twice about carrying the weapon of a fallen hellspawn. Ye never know what sort of rot they carry for mortal folk." It was a bit strange to see- Here, stood this tiny frail woman, carrying a strange, intricate malachite scythe that was bigger than herself. A scythe once wielded by none other than a hellspawn Wraith. Could she even use the thing without falling over?
Raevyn shrugged first at the notion that the scythe carried some sort of 'rot'. She didn't feel ill. She didn't feel any different than she had the night before. "I like it. I found it after the battle. It's nice." the young necromancer replied. Then as she processed his refusal to aide, she looked fairly disappointed. "Please, sir... I do not know the way back. My map is out of date. I do not have a horse. I do not know of the dangers out there. Someone with the skill and ability like yourself would be ever so helpful. Please?" For good measure she put on a bit of a show with pouty lips and wide, watery eyes. She tried hard not to smile when he sighed.
"I'll tell ye what. I can give ye a new map, and I can sell ye a horse. Because ye look like you could use a bit of good fortune, I'll even give it to ya for a discount. Thing's a bit temperamental, but it'll get ya to where yer going." he replied. Turning toward the corral, the warrior began his traverse along the muddy pathway, two fingers waved as indication for the woman to follow."Aye, Michael!" he called out to a rather young warrior-in-training. "Go an' fetch me a map. make it quick, lad!" Then to the woman, he asked, "Ye got a name? I'm Mick. What are ye doing so far from home?" When they entered into the main stable area, Mick whistled sharply and a woman quickly came out from one of the stalls. "Fran, fetch Tempest."
Raevyn watched as Fran walked off and into the farther end of the stable, a rather large stallion soon lead out of the gate. He was black from mane to tail with a healthy, shiny coat; And his eyes held a fiery defiance as he resisted Fran's pull. The thing was terrifying to look at, and the young girl was now having second thoughts. "Here you are, sir." Michael said, returning to Mick with the requested map. The seasoned warrior unrolled the piece of parchment atop a nearby barrel, fingers showing the girl a set path that she should follow. "Alright, lass, pay attention. This here's Chartsend. Yer gonna want to head east until you hit the cairn. Follow Northeast through the barrows, and I can not stress this enough, ride fast. There's a lot of devilish nasties around this area, so ye don't want to take any more time then necessary. If ye hit a town, ye went too far south- That's Venturil. Anyhow, once you're through the barrows, you'll be traveling the causeway all the way up until you hit the mountainside. You're going to want to go in and through the Dwarven city of Craughmoyle. You'll come upon an intersection in Craughmoyle, just before a tavern- Head south from there. Eventually ye will come out of the other end of the city and out into the open world again. Follow the path until the fork in the road, and head north. It'll take ya right into the town of Xalious." When Tempest was finally presented, Mick looked to Raevyn and asked, "Ye know how to ride?"
There was a definite pause in the girl's answer as she looked up and stared upon the horse known as Tempest. He did not look all that friendly; That was made evident when she reached out to touch his nose and he snapped his head back away from her touch. Raevyn flinched. "Don't be scared of him, lass. He ain't gonna bite. Might buck ya off, but he won't bite." Mick teased. "I'll take it from the way you're scared of the brute that you're not very well versed in riding, so we'll give ye a quick lesson. Though, first, I need payment. Twelve hundred gold, to be exact." While the girl was rummaging through her satchel, Fran fitted Tempest with a dark brown leather saddle and bridle. When Raevyn finally counted out the coin, it was promptly handed over to Mick and he set to work in helping her first mount the stallion. "I don't know about this..." Raevyn protested, finding the height of the horse to be a little intimidating. "Nonsense, lass. You'll be fine. Just pay attention and don't fool around. Just gotta show'em who's boss." Mick lead Tempest and his new rider out into the corral, which was now slick and muddy from the pouring rain. "Alright, so first you want to get him walking. Gather the reins, hold firm, and give then horse a squeeze with your lower legs. At the same time, yer gonna want push your seat forward slightly to give the cue." Raevyn nodded and held her breath, worried that she was about to do something wrong. She followed Mick's instructions just as he described, and soon, the horse was on his way to walking! However, the lesson was not over yet.
They would go through the motions of the easy steps. From walking, to trotting to canter and slowing down. Steering and working the horse out was proving pretty easy- Although next would be something a bit more advanced for the young necromancer, something she probably wasn't ready for. Did she really have much a choice at this point? She really wanted to get home. "Alright, we're going to try a galloping and stopping. If ye don't pay attention, you could find yerself in a world of hurt. Are ye ready?" Mick asked. Raevyn nodded and sat up in the saddle, ready to follow along with Mick's instruction. "Alright, get'em into a canter again. From there, you're going to want lean forward and apply more pressure with yer legs. Don't kick. Tempest don't like to be kicked. Again, keep the reins loose, and give him a vocal cue. Raevyn looked pretty determined, and just like before she followed along with Mick's instructions carefully. In no time, she had Tempest at a full gallop and was confidently doing laps round the corral. The only problem was, she didn't quite know how to stop and that was beginning to make her nervous. "Alright, now you're going to want to loosen your legs and bear your weight down. Give the reins firm pulls and releases a few times and tell'em to whoa. Keep calm and you should be fine." Keep calm, however, she did not.
Raevyn began to frantically try to follow Mick's instruction. Loose legs. Weigh down. Firm pulls and releases. Instead, she yanked the reins backward quite hard and squeezed the horse's flank with her knees while she screamed at him "WHOA", sending Tempest into both confusion and frustration. The horse bucked wildly and threw Raevyn forward, the young woman losing her grip on the reins and tossed off of the ebon stallion's back. She fell face first into the mud, sliding a few feet forward due to the slick surface. Tempest whinnied and snorted, his head thrown back in defiance. He showed her. Mick of course began to bellow and laugh, as did many of the warriors and stablehands that had been watching. Needless to say, but Raevyn was quite embarrassed. "Ahahaha, don't sweat it lass. Yer not the first one to be thrown off that bastard's back, and I'm sure ye won't be the last. Are ye okay?" Aside from a bruised sense of self pride and a mud bath, she didn't feel much pain. "yes... I am fine.." she muttered. "Well, then get back up there and try again." Mick replied. Raevyn looked at the guy like the was out of his mind. There was no way she was getting back up on that creature! It obviously didn't like her. "But.." she started, before Mick cut her off. "No buts. ye paid for him. Yer gonna learn to ride him. Like I said, you gotta show'em who's boss. Don't let one fall deter ye. Ya had a good thing going."
The pace of the rain had greatly slowed by time noon approached. Raevyn had been practicing riding Tempest now for a few hours, and she was already showing promise. While she still lacked complete confidence, what the girl knew now would at least get her home. Mick and Fran helped outfit the Stallion with saddlebags and a few provisions to help Raevyn have a fighting chance through the more dangerous parts of the land, complete with a makeshift tent should she need to rest for the night- Something she wanted to avoid if she could help it. "Ye all set?" the bearded warrior asked. "Yes, I believe so." Raevyn replied. "Thank you Mick, for all that you've shown me today. I will not forget your kindness, and if I should find my way out here again, will one day repay you. I wish you and your brigade well, and I hope that the battle upon the plains was the last you'll see out this way. Take care of yourself, okay?" Mick offered the girl a hearty grin and a proper respectful salute. "You as well, lass. Safe travels." With those final words, Mick slapped Tempest on his hindquarters, sending the horse and its rider on their way.