"It's time." He says it out loud, even though there's no one nearby. He's been preparing for what he considers a reclamation of what's been lost. In every port of every city he's been to recently, there's talk of exodus, of glory, of pushing back the wild that still dominates the continent.
He knows what used to be here, even though so much has been forgotten-- not just by the common folk, but by his own order. There was scant detail in the libraries and even less in what's been passed down to him over too much ale. But he put enough together to know that this home isn't meant for criminals and exiles. It's meant for what it once was-- a land rich in people, kingdoms, knowledge and magic.
It took his all to arrive here, and it's a fine spot to start. A pebble beach leads up to a small ravine above which tall bluffs overlook the sea. It's level there, trees, other vegetation-- even a little waterfall from a stream up the hill. As good a place as any to put down a stake, however temporary. He places his bag on the ground and begins an incantation, careful not to amplify it too much for fear of.... He just needs a little bit of time to establish an outpost. After that, he'll get to work on his true purpose.
And he knows he won't be alone for long...
TheWizard
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The water continues to thicken, the shape of a fox beginning to form, still the cool blue of the riverwater with flecks of foam pooling at the end of a tsil.
Dozens of people must have noticed this name by now, with the few Darggie has noticed, he knows more must be in the area. Trusting in his skill to not be noticed will do him little good, if he stumbles onto someone who he didn't notice.
Darggie slowed, and stepped with purpose, breaking his stealth intentionally. That way, any who wishes to remain unseen, could slip out of his path. Pulling berries from a passing bush, he breaks the treeline.
There are times for stealth, and times to be noticed, but there are always times to gather a story. Darggie never knows if this mans story is the one he is searching for, the story that will be told for eons, etching his name in history as the herald of a great story. Could this be that story, or will this be another of the same? The same common tale, just in a different place, with a different cast? The only way to know is to check, and the best way to check is to abandon stealth and hesitation.
Will it cost him his life? Will this man, or any of those hiding in the woodlands behind him decide that he was worth less then his belongings and attempt to get them from him?
Did he care? No he decides, the story is always worth the risk. A story never learned, is a story never shared. A story never shared, is a tragedy, and this world has enough tragedy in it already.
He straightens up as the others enter his sense of presence. He then smiles-- these are those he'd hoped for, not the ones he'd feared. This is good-- there will be difficult days to come, once the long-ago intruders to this place notice humanfolk settling in the area. He hopes it will be long enough to establish this outpost-- maybe a stronghold, maybe a home. He knows there are a few more centers of humanity around the continent, along the coast, but this is a ways from those. He suspects there are more further inland, but there's been no communication for eons. He's counting on his own skills and wits as well as those of who he hopes will be friends.
His staffs glows softly as he spreads his arms to show he means no harm. "Hello there," he calls out. "I have a little bit of food, and there will be shelter soon."
From below the waterfall, he feels one of them stir. Another is by the shore and still another is on the edge of the wood. His spell, now in effect, will no doubt draw others.
"Come on then-- we have much to do!"
I'll SMITE you
This puts Darggie back on his heels, the materials are moving on their own. The man then looks towards the woods, and calls out "Hello There!, I have a little bit of food, and there will be a shelter soon."
Taking a deep breath, muttering under his breath, "this has to be a trap, this has to be a trap, this HAS to be a trap..." He takes another hesitant step forward. "Every story is worth the risk", he repeats to himself in his mind.
Darggie walks about halfway between the treeline and the man before stopping. Darggie looks over his shoulder, to see if any of the others he noticed, or even those he didn't, join him on the plain.
He hopped down from his perch in the tree. "I'll take that offer. It's always good to have shelter from the storm."
At the man's words, it draws back into a hunched defensive position. For only a moment, a small globe centered on the base of the waterfall shimmers, the air, water, stone and earth all glimmering a faint roiling red.
One stops and stares as the bits and pieces his spell is gathering start to form into piles.
"I wish this would take us all the way to having shelter, but it only gathers the materials. We'll have to work together to get anything up before the weather moves in." He unravels one of his bound packages to reveal a rough set of tools. From the forming pile of wood, he grabs a few solid logs and digs out a place for a fire.
He beckons to the two emerging from the woods and the one who appeared as if from up in the woods. He decides to give the one near the waterfall a moment to observe and get comfortable.
"I suspect I'm here for the same reasons as you. We'll be safe here for a bit, so let's gather ourselves. Sit by the fire?"
With that, his hand gestures toward the wood and it alights.
I'll SMITE you
"I have a little food to share, if anyone is interested. It is safe, I promise." He takes a few bites of the meat and eats a berry or two to prove his point.
Hesitantly, for this man seems to one of power. He speaks toward the robed man, "You were kind enough to share a fire with many strangers, in a dangerous land, might we learn your name? I'm Da...." He hesitates, unsure of how much information is safe to reveal around these people. "I'm one of the Heralds, gathering stories and spreading news."
He looks around at the gathering group, carefully evaluating everyone, and quickly realizing he might be outmatched in straight combat with many of these people.
He glanced around. "Sometimes the wind has the most bizarre taste. Oh well. It's an adventure, eh?"
"Let us sit! And your extra food is a welcome addition, Herald Da--" He grins with a wink. "This land's folks simply call me Wizard, as that is my calling. There are many like me further into the wildlands, in what was once our glorious civilization, but alas, most of them are lost to the Others or driven to isolationist madness from their constant siege."
"It's time for us to reclaim the goodness still here. And no better place to start than this bluff. It is unknown to most of the newcomers to the North and we should have some time to establish a foothold before we're contacted by Endmore or its surrounding villages."
"The danger is in the Crossed Over. Those from beyond the Breach. They won't be looking for us, but if they wander out here at some point, we're going to need to be ready. Which is why we must build!" With that, he makes a quick flourish, and a few of the logs by the fire stack up neatly."
"I can do some 'heavy lifting,'" he winks again. "But tell me-- have you any skills to help us establish ourselves?"
I'll SMITE you
Darggie raises an eyebrow at this robed man. He seems to know more then he lets on about, holding himself with knowledge and confidence. The best stories, are the ones that have to be coaxed out of people, so he decides to help out and see what he can learn.
"Well, I don't have a lot of skill in building... But I can scout the surrounding area for anything trying to sneak up on us, check the cliff side to ways to climb up, and study our foothold for weaknesses and ways to sneak in."
Darggie runs his finger across the spine of the book in his bag, wondering if he should ask the robed about it... but decides to hold off for the moment.
(I'm not sure how much Darggie knows about everything, he's probably been here a little while at least, so I don't know what questions he would need to ask
"I'm known for being to craft anything out of anything. Tools, weapons, you name it." He grinned. "And if you're really lucky, you might even be able to tell what they're supposed to be."
"This, for example," he added, pulling out an unholy mass of bones, wood and leather, "is actually a crossbow. Go figure, right?"
They all arrange themselves around the fire.
"Darggie, a scouting would be much appreciated. Stay silent as you leave the openness of the bluff and venture into the wood beyond. I'm hoping none will sense your presence. But now, let's eat and drink and plan our tomorrow."
He produces a plucked bird from a canvas sack near the edge of the fire pit and begins the process of putting it on the spit.
"There we go. Now, Darggie-- I see that book you've been fretting about-- don't worry, I see things I perhaps shouldn't from time to time. But I think I can help make sense of a few things for you.
He gestures toward the book. "May I?"
I'll SMITE you
Darggie reaches into his bag and pulls out the book, as well as a small pouch. Handing over the book, he opens the pouch and passes it around.
"I also have a small pouch of Salt, if you guys wanted to Salt your meat. Once the sun starts to set in earnest, I'll make a scouting around the woods."
Kjel glanced around, hoping for some confirmation he was wrong. But the wind was chill, and held no comfort. "I travel with the wind, but it's never been this insistent before. With the powers you've shown... trivial, no? So, what is it you want? What is it you are? I believe in coincidences. But I don't believe this is one."
Must be careful its been awhile since it all happened should I really believe he's back or is it one of there tricks to finally track down the few that escaped them but its been so long ........
Well played @Kjelfalconer. I shall give some direction to the arc here in a few days. @helpicantfly, are you "nearby" us in the scene?
I'll SMITE you
Noting the smell of smoke and meat. Takes a measure of the wind and lumbers in the direction of the smells.
He reaches a clearing and sees three figures sitting around a fire. He starts to stand to his full height when a forth joins the group caring fresh meat, causing him to stop and come back down to all fours.
"Hmm, only two smell of blood, and only one is fresh, and that is game meat." he thinks to himself, "And they are all small, four should be easy."
The large bear ROARS across the opening and rises to his full height before grabbing the nearest man sized tree in one paw, and starts swinging it around like a club.
Drinking good beer!