RP:The Path Home (Part 2)
Note: Solo RP
Synopsis: Raevyn starts her journey through the Barrows and has a close call with a pair of wraiths.
Date: Nov. 23rd, 2017
Traveling East Of The Barrows
Mist lies heavily here, distorting the world into nothing more than a sea of silhouettes and shadows. Voices whisper from every direction, calling, shrieking, screaming for mercy that was never granted them. The impenetrable haze lightens somewhat in the south, revealing an opening where the road continues on along the rapidly descending ground. To the east, the shadow of a broken structure can be seen through the mists. West of here, the mists thicken even further, and the cries and other voiceless, formless noises continue, raising soundless barriers. Corpse of a dead youngling dragon is here.
The gentle clop of hooves against the soft earth were, for some time, the only sounds Raevyn seemed to concentrate on as she follow the oft traveled road to the east. It had been only a little while before she passed what she suspected was the Cairn that Mick spoke of; A sense of hope and pride filling the young necromancer as she felt like she was making some sort of progress. It wasn't until she hit the barrows however, that she began to feel anxious. A thick mist began to settle all around her that made navigation damn near impossible. Sounds of shrieks and wailing filled air, whilst the quick pitter-patter of scurrying seemed to come from all directions. Reaching down into one of the saddlebags, Raevyn pulled free the lantern Fran had tucked away, her neophyte ability of pyromancy used to ignite the oil within. "Whoa... easy Tempest. It's okay.." she said, stroking the horse's mane. The terrifying sounds all around the misty graveyard seemed to be spooking Tempest, and she was quite afraid that he would go into pull panic and buck her off as he had before. "Okay, boy, we're friends now, right? So as friend, we're in this together, okay? So, let's get through here as fast as we can." she spoke, as if the steed could understand her common tongue. "Okay, just like Mick said." Raevyn began to squeeze the horse's flanks firmly, and she pushed forward in the saddle, indicating that she wanted him to pick up the pace. Tempest responded positively to het confidence and began to trot. Again, she squeezed and his trot evolved into a full on gallop. She might have a handle on this!
The pair weaved through the graves and tombstones, everything she could make out whipping by in a flurry. She did not care to know what was in this fog, or why there was so much screaming and wailing in the air; She just had to keep moving. Like some sort of ghastly visage she would appear on the outer edge of the fog, she and Tempest exploding forth from the wall with a determined fury. Now, she would put Mick's final lessons into practice and attempt to at least slow the horse to a trot. Weight down. Firm pulls and releases. Confidence in your voice. You can do this. The young girl bore down and gave the reigns a firm tug, "Whoa, Tempest. Whoa." A releases. A tug; And just like that, he came to slow his pace until he was gently trotting along. As if to reassure the animal that he did well, she stroked his neck and smiled. "Good boy..." Feeling that the pace was slow enough, Raevyn unfurled the map she had been given and tried to reference the directions Mick had provided. At this point she should be turning onto the causeway just north of her position. She looked up and spied a wonderfully constructed road made of white stone, several monuments of warriors fallen lining each side of the pathway like some sort of hallowed shrine. As she made directed Tempest in the direction she were meant to go, something else seemed to catch her eye. it was a rather large corpse of a great lizard; No, a dragon. yet this was not as big as Gheneroc. She suspected it to be quite young comparatively. What bothered her most however, was the fact that its innards had been torn asunder in a most jagged way. What sort of beast could do such a thing? She wasn't going to stick around to find out.
Desolate Lands
The ground here is littered with stones of various shapes and sizes, and pitted with places once occupied by boulders. The earth itself is cracked in many places; the desperate need for water far too evident. The wind shifts suddenly and often, tossing particles of reddish dust into the air and bringing with it the strong scent of decay. Boulders break the flat terrain, fallen from the sullen mountains to the east. Stones hang loosely from the cliffs above, ready to fall at any moment, making the way northward dangerous. To the south, a white road can be seen.
The venture on the causeway had been long and arduous, the inclined rocky path making it a bit of a chore for Tempest to push through. Still, the horse had a stubborn drive and nothing would stop him. Thus far, aside from nightfall, nothing eventful had happened in some time. They rode as hard and as fast they could, occasionally taking breaks so that Tempest could eat and keep up his strength. She had no plans on spending the night out in the middle of a territory she were so unfamiliar with. After some hours, the causeway seemed to end into a more desolate land of flat and cracked earth that seemed like it had been parched for decades. The smell of death hung in the air and its putrid strength caused Raevyn to pull her cloak over the nose and mouth to prevent the girl from gagging. She figured, maybe if she just rides as fast as possible, she could pass whatever was making that smell- And then she saw them.
Up in the distance, just far enough that they hadn't yet noticed the girl, a pair of wraiths blocked the path she were supposed to take. One sat upon a steed that seemed ful of decay; Surely a mount for the damned. The other, billowing like a disembodied cloak, was hunched over a fallen traveler, feasting upon some sort of azure energy that it pulled from what Raevyn presumed was the wanderer's soul. "Oh no no... By the Gods, no. What do I do?" she asked herself. There was no way she could just pass them. There was no way that she could fight them. It seemed that the road split off, but even then, approaching that fork would have her close enough to draw their attention. Suddenly, she had an idea. The hood of her cloak was drawn up over he head, pulled so low that hid her human features. She reached back then, and untied the scythe from the saddlebags, wielding it against her shoulder with one hand, while the other gently snapped the reins in unison with the gentle squeezed of her heels. It was a longshot, but maybe the hellspawn would mistake her for one of their own once they saw the evil-forged item in her grasp. Raevyn leaned forward and pulled her cloak tightly around the rest of her frame, head lowered toward Tempest's neck so fully conceal her features. There was little resistance from the horse as it trotted along, almost as if he could sense the girl's daring intentions. The pair rode closer to the wraithen entities, the one feasting barely looking up. The other however, aimed that pitch black void of its hood in Raevyn's direction the entire time, silently watching the girl pass. She couldn't believe it! Her idea was working! ... Until she decided to look in their direction.
Raevyn had just passed the wraiths without incident. She was on the home stretch of getting away. Then, she turned to make sure that she weren't being followed. Those dead eyes locked onto that shadowy black void where the wraithen rider's face should have been, and that black void locked onto her eyes. It let forth a vociferous shriek, a signal that sent both it and its disembodied companion tearing after the young necromancer with all of their hellish fury. "Go, GO, GO!" the girl yelled out loud as she squeezed Tempest's sides. The stallion didn't have to be told twice, he seemed to instinctively know that it was time to run. Her heartbeat thudded deep in her chest, and she began to sweat profusely. Raevyn saw what sort of horrors these things had wrought on the battlefield near Chartsend- She did not want to know what they would do to her when she was alone. Across the dusty desolate lands they raced, predator and prey, the awful wailing and shrieks of the wraiths beginning to close in. Not far in the distance she spied what appeared to be some sort of gateway in a mountainside, and she knew then that she was so close to where she needed to be. 'Go Tempest, go!" the woman urged the ebon steed, now ignoring Mick's advice and giving her equine companion a good firm kick in the sides. He seemed to respond and pushed as hard as he could. Raevyn looked back, just as the disembodied wraith had caught up to them, the blackened void of its hood merely inches away from her face. Suddenly she began to feel weak, tired, almost as if the creature was sucking the very life force out of her frail flesh. This was it, she thought. Death was upon her. Yet, before the wraith could complete its feeding, it abruptly disappeared into a blackened mist, the rider behind suddenly rearing up on its steed's hind quarters; The border between the desolate lands and the kingdom of the Dwarves seemingly enchanted to prevent such monstrosities from tormenting the innocent civilians.
Main Square
This square is brightly lit by some a few glowing stones, all hanging from the ceiling and set in great chandeliers. People walk all around you, some hurrying to get places, others walking casually involved in conversations with others. To your north there is a door, from which you can hear some very loud voices arguing and yelling. To your east, a sign tells you, is Mine Road, while to your south begins Trader Street. The sign also says that East Road is, well, to your east. More people seem to be walking to the west than east, telling you that there must be more shops to your west then east.
Raevyn hugged Tempest tightly around his neck, thankful that the horse was able to run so fast and keep them out of danger. She was also a little more thankful for the fact that he did not buck her off for that panicky kick, although, given the situation they were in, maybe he didn't notice. Although they were now into the recess of a large cavernous city, it wasn't hard to tell that it was extremely late into the evening. Travelers seemed few and far between, with many business and homes windows bathed in darkness. It was when she came upon the main square of what she assumed was Craughmoyle that she had Tempest come to a halt so that she could consult her map. This seemed like the crossroads she were meant to be at, if the tavern to the north was any indication. It would not be far from home from here.
With a good bit of rest, Raevyn tugs the reins gently to steer Tempest toward the south, a gentle walk along what appeared to be some sort of trader's street. The shops on this row were all well lit, with many merchants coming and going as they made attempt to peddle their wares. As she rode along, Raevyn noticed that she were getting a few odd looks and pointed fingers, hushed whispers causing her to shrink back into her hood nervously. What was so interesting? Surely they have seen a human before? At the end of the road she came upon a large set of stairs that Mick told her would lead out and into the open world again. She dismounted Tempest and gradually lead him up the staircase side by side, encouraging him all along the way.
Path Through the Hills
A small path running along the side of the hill leads to the north. This area is a little barren, and only a bit of grass grows here. But the view from here is quiet for it is rather large, more like a small mountain, and looks out over other such hills, eventually leading to the mountains to the far north. From here it seems like the entire sky is visible from every direction, as if it were a dome that rose up from the land to cover you. Looking over the top of the hill, to the west is a small ravine, impossible to climb down to the bottom of, and even harder to climb up from. South are more hills, but there is no path that leads there, so nothing interesting could be in that direction. To your north the path looks like it is going to get a bit harder, and to your east you can see a nice meadow.
By now, Raevyn was thoroughly exhausted. She had made fairly good time, but it wouldn't be long before the sun would be on its way up to say good morning to the stars. She had mostly let Tempest wander along at his own pace, while she lay forward, resting her head against his mane. It had been such a long and terrible journey that she just wanted it to end. She wanted sleep. Raevyn was just about to give up for the evening, but as she finally looked up, there was a realization as to how close they had actually been. Not far in the distance, over the hill ahead, Raevyn could see the top of the Mage Tower. Despite how Tempest felt, she figured that it couldn't hurt to have him give one last sprint to their destination. Sitting up, the young necromancer pushed forward and commanded the horse to gallop, cutting the remaining time to their destination in half. She beamed brightly as her favorite building came into view, the dismount from Tempest's back sloppy and hasty- She almost fell.
Dormitory
How bland, you think to yourself as you take in your surroundings. All around you are small cots, with cheap blankets and white sheets. They are all well cleaned though, and the cots look comfortable despite their size. At the base of each cot is a small trunk for each person to store their things in, and at the side of the bed is a small table with a candle and some individual items for each person. There are many windows, all with thin blue curtains that blow gently in the breeze through open windows. All this makes it seem as if they don't spend very much time in here. To the east is a door leading to the mage tower, and to the south is a small door heading towards the library.
---
With Tempest hitched for the evening and her journey over, Raevyn wanted nothing more than to crash into a bed to sleep. She was almost afraid to do so, as this would be the second time she had woken up somewhere completely out of the way. So far, neither location made any sense as to why she'd even be there, but strange enough neither location had been uneventful in any regard. In fact, each time, she seemed to come home with some sort of strange souvenir. The door of the dormitory lazily creaked open when Raevyn pushed through, her favorite cot empty and waiting for the young woman's tired body. She removed her shoes and crawled under the covers, her mind so full of questions that once again would go unanswered. Although tired, she just couldn't help but contemplate and worry as to what all of this could mean. Then to make matters worse? She couldn't help but to feel all alone in this world. She missed her family and friends. She missed her home. And then, when she looked over to Diryon's empty cot, everything came crashing down. Raevyn's eyes watered, and she quietly sobbed to herself to sleep.