1. Cloakwood

Catsqui1688 Inactive forever!

Ida gingerly takes the book and carefully wraps it in cloth "Thank you. I will give you time to think if you do have any questions or would like some company I would be happy to have you."

Ida helps those who are struggling and weak fashioning walking sticks and supporting those who cannot walk any further. She provides water and food to help moral up as the forest looms menacingly

Last edited January 24, 2024 3:01 am

Runeson

Jan 24, 2024 4:06 am

On the way out of the destroyed mine, I take a louder tone and ask, "any who desire to learn how to do a little bit of woodworking, just let me know and I’ll teach you a few pointers while we’re on the road. This could be a helpful skill that could change your lives either through the craftsmanship itself or by giving you a skill for your future endeavors."
From my bag I pull out a small wooden horse that I have been working on.

OOC:

If I get a good group of people I proceed to show them safety first, blood circles, different tricks and tips of how to hold the wood and knife. The different tools and how to use them. I also make a mental note to buy more woodworking tools in the next town we go to.

I continue,"for those more interesting in learning horsemanship, I am more than willing to teach you how to ride and tips on how to keep you and your horse healthy and happy.

With a slight flourish, I summon Tulco and give a small display of my horsemanship. Somehow coming off as expert but not showing off more than I have to.

OOC:

For horsemanship I will show them how safety, saddle and equipment maintenance and repair, some horse training exercises and how to tell if a horse is healthy or not.

Last edited January 24, 2024 4:13 am

Jan 24, 2024 6:34 pm

Stella casts her eyes down slightly at Aiwë's question. "I think so, yes." She grimaces. "I could have stopped Ajantis' escape...I think I had a premonition of it. But I misread it. I'm certain this power will be useful, but...it's frustrating how much confusion it caused me...and everyone else...and how little I understand how to use it."

She opens her mouth to say more but shuts it and exhales. Parts of her mind kept drifting back to the comforting numbness of the Shadowfell and the lethargic daze she was in during her conversation with Viconia. She broke out of it, but...there was something strangely appealing about it. She didn't want to worry Aiwë more than she already was, however.

"Thanks for watching out for me. And never giving up on me," she says instead, giving a genuine smile. She glances over to Aiwë. "How are you doing? You've seemed a little more...terse lately. Not that there's anything wrong with being terse or tense or anything...! Just, um...You know. You're so strong in every way. I just hope you're not hurting yourself by trying to carry your own pack and everyone else's."

Jan 24, 2024 7:12 pm

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"It's frustrating how much confusion it caused me...and everyone else...and how little I understand how to use it."

"It's so new, I'm sure you'll get more comfortable." Aiwë slings her arm around Stella and gives her a side hug as they walk. "You're not a burden or a bother, I'll always be there for you."

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"You're so strong in every way. I just hope you're not hurting yourself by trying to carry your own pack and everyone else's."

Aiwë releases Stella for ease of movement and sighs. "Ugh, Aldous said something like that to me once. It's just—Stella!" Aiwë knocks hard on her drum. "Koveras proposed—or something!" She groans. "I don't know, he wasn't clear about anything except that he was self-consumed. I'm so—so!" Had they been more alone, Aiwë might have shrieked. Instead she grabs Stella's hand.

"It's... been a hard set of tendays."

Jan 24, 2024 8:30 pm

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"Ugh, Aldous said something like that to me once. It's just—Stella!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I—"

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"Koveras proposed—or something!"

Stella blinks, then widens her eyes incredulously. She scrunches her face for a moment to exaggerate her confusion with her next word. "...What?"

Stella starts at the drum beat and winces as Aiwë grabs her hand tightly. She lowers her voice to almost a whisper and cranes her head to look at Aiwë. "Isn't he, like, twice your age? I mean, Arannis was like, ten times Saki's age when they got married...but I feel like it's a bit different for elves..."

She shakes her head and places her other hand on Aiwë's and meets her eyes. "He's gone through a lot the last couple of tendays as well. Many intense emotions. That can heighten feelings of connection. I've...had a bit of that too..." she says nodding her head to the side and smile sheepishly. "He's found hope in you. And you are pretty amazing." She raises her eyebrows to emphasis "are". She shakes her head again. "So it makes sense. But Snapple Gobs...that does sound...uncomfortable...what did he say? And what you do?"

Last edited January 24, 2024 8:41 pm

Jan 24, 2024 9:04 pm

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"Isn't he, like, twice your age? ... I feel like its a bit different for elves..."

Aiwë laughs lightly, but it's strained. "Yeah, my parents have a similar age gap. But no, he's not got more than half a decade on me, I don't think. You're not used to the orc blood, or the fact that he never smiles." She mutters the last under her breath.

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"What did he say? And what you say back?"

"He said I was a 'beauty enough to make e'en a siren sigh.' How fortunate he must have felt about that fact, because he followed it up by saying I was his only option." Aiwë grinds her teeth.

"I told him he was confused, that I wasn't what he wanted. He said I make him 'want to be more.'" Her laugh is frenzied. "Of course of I do! I make everyone want to be more! It's my whole job!"

She drops her voice low and gesticulates sharply in front of her. "I bang my drum in battle, encouraging everyone to be strong and brave. I soothe them at night so that they can sleep and wake up better. I tell stories to inspire and give uplifting examples. I persuade captives to give up their old ways and proclaim judgement when they will not." Aiwë swipes her hand like a falling axe. She swallows hard.

"I keep myself in control as best I can, so my example is not contradictory. So I don't besmirch our family, and what they've worked so hard for. So that I don't burden those I am working to uplift." Her hands fall loose finally, no rhythm or movement left.

"I'm glad I gave him hope. It's what I wanted. It's what Im supposed to do. But I'm not the path to it. Not a prize at the end of it. Still... if he only saw the story I told, and not me... then that's not his fault. I did my job. A bard shouldn't be more prominent than her tale. I'm invisible by design."

Last edited January 24, 2024 9:07 pm

Jan 24, 2024 9:33 pm

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But no, he's not got more than half a decade on me, I don't think. You're not used to the orc blood, or the fact that he never smiles."

"Oh, okay...I suppose not. Ah..."

Stella faces forward and falls silent. She draws her lips to a line, surprised at Aiwë's tirade.

Stella remembers how harshly Aiwë backlashed when Stella and Calliope and suggested they lay low and Aiwë avoid performing. Stella hadn't been sure what she wanted to be. Meanwhile Aiwë knew exactly what she wanted to be...and couldn't afford herself to be anything less.

But...if Aiwë got what she wanted in giving him hope, and she managed to speak her mind...why was she so upset?

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Still... if he only saw the story I told, and not me... then that's not his fault. I did my job. A bard shouldn't be more prominent than her tale. I'm invisible by design."

"You...think he's not really seeing you." Stella states tentatively. "You're...always putting on a show. You have to." She looks softly at Aiwë to gauge her reaction, her eye-stars a soft violet.

Last edited January 24, 2024 9:34 pm

Jan 24, 2024 9:43 pm

Aiwë rubs her eyes. "Yeah..." she admits quietly. "It's not just him, he just... said the wrong words at the wrong time. Everyone has their head so consumed with their own problems, they don't see anyone else's. I... I can't be mad they didn't see what I hid from them."

Jan 25, 2024 1:42 am

Stella puts an arm around Aiwë as they walk. "I mean...you can. But it wouldn't help anything. Talking about it might, though. Thanks for telling me. I'm...sorry if I haven't been there for you. Thank you for being there for me."

She pauses for a moment. "...May I ask what you have been 'hiding'? What you want to let people see, but can't?"

Jan 25, 2024 3:25 am

Aiwë leans into her gently. "I feel out of place here, sticking my nose into someone else's war. The only Blood here is Koveras and he's not sure what that means for him yet. And the Blacksheaf's moonblade hates me! I shouldn't care but I do. It's practically family. Maybe that's why Xan left so soon. I can't think about it too much, everyone needs me strong. You're all dealing with your own problems, someone needs to help." Her voice falls to a whisper.

"But mostly... Every time I close my eyes I see Keggruk's face over my shoulder, dead and lolling with Gruumsh's Mark. Who next? What if I can't carry them to safety next time?"

Last edited January 25, 2024 5:51 am

Jan 25, 2024 6:00 am

"I'd say it became our war when they sent assassins after us for just showing up in Candlekeep..." Stella replies. "I still don't understand why..." she muses.

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And the Blacksheaf's moonblade hates me! I shouldn't care but I do. Maybe that's why Xan left so soon.

Stella frowns. "Why does the moonblade hate you? Mixed blood?" she guesses.

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"But mostly... Every time I close my eyes I see Keggruk's face over my shoulder, dead and lolling with Gruumsh's Mark. Who next? What if I can't carry them to safety next time?"

Stella frowns, processing the event with a clearer head now than when it happened. People knew they were coming to Candlekeep...Kreggruk's book paid their price of entry. Whoever they faced on the road that night certainly wasn't any normal group of bandits, especially given the fact they left Gruumsh's Mark...it seemed so specific and intentional.

She thinks over what she heard about Rieltar and Koveras.

Was Rieltar...trying to make it seem like Gruumsh hadn't been defeated by the Avatars of the Triad? That orc-kind hadn't actually been freed from his influence? Publicly display a half-orc being embraced into society. Lure in the man who wrote the book on the Cagebreakers. Drive him out into the woods with an assassin after his almost-daughter. Mark him. Call the book a bunch of lies whether he stays dead or not. Send assassins after the young adults to stop them from more meddling. What would be next? Stage or stoke orc aggression, sow fear, and rally people against them? They could spin Koveras' betrayal to that end too...and...What about the orcs back home? Would the mark sow doubt in the orc-blooded there?

If...enough people believed in a god, did that bring them back to power? Were there any connections between Bhaal and Gruumsh?

Stella reels slightly, blinking several times from all the jumps in logic her mind. She was probably just ice fishing for connections that weren't there...but some of those things could be possible. Either way, she was starting to regret how she purposely avoided religious studies growing up.

Aiwë sees this, that something she said has gotten Stella thinking deeply. The white-haired girl shakes her head as if to clear it, however. Aiwë needed someone to listen, not spout theories right now.

"That's...that's horrible." she says finally. "I'm so sorry. How do you even sleep?"

Last edited January 25, 2024 9:12 pm

Jan 25, 2024 7:25 pm

"The ancient heirloom blade of the elven Blacksheaf line considers my orc-blooded self an abomination." Aiwë watches the thoughts race through Stella's mind.

"Ada showed me how he trances. It doesn't work the same way for me, obviously, but it puts me to sleep when I'm anxious. Nightmares end when the morning comes." She shrugs. "Mostly." Aiwë sighs and rights herself.

"Thanks for listening. I do feel a bit better. I do want to hear all those thoughts you've had spinning just now. Maybe this afternoon." She stretches her hands and some rhythm begins to return to them.

"I'm ready to talk about something else for a bit." She looks at Stella sideways.

"On a scale of one to ten where one is 'barely acquainted' and ten is 'the stuff of ballads,' how in love with you would you say Aldous is?"

Last edited January 25, 2024 7:25 pm

Jan 25, 2024 9:29 pm

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"Thanks for listening. I do feel a bit better. I do want to hear all those thoughts you've had spinning just now. Maybe this afternoon."

Stella smiles. "Of course. Then frowns and draws her lips to a line. "Ah, yes...we can do that."

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"On a scale of one to ten where one is 'barely acquainted' and ten is 'the stuff of ballads,' how in love with you would you say Aldous is?"

Stella grimace-smiles, eye-stars shifting to pink and giggles. "I don't know...That's quite the scale. If you mean how infatuated is he, maybe a seven? Five or less would be disinterest...He's definitely interested, but not quite ballad-level. I mean...maybe protecting him from a thrown tree and helping to rescue him from mercenary imprisonment...I don't know, is that ballad level?"

She contorts her face in thought. But those don't describe his level of 'in love'-ness. I..." She laughs. "I'm sorry, I don't understand this scale is supposed to work."

Last edited January 25, 2024 9:29 pm

Jan 25, 2024 9:36 pm

Aiwë laughs, face brightening significantly. "You're right, it wasn't a good scale. How about one is 'not interested' and ten is 'making marriage plans.'"

Jan 25, 2024 9:55 pm

"Ah! We can work with that," Stella smiles. "Ajantis had bet he'd propose by the end of the tenday. Thankfully, that didn't happen...So I'm thinking maybe a seven or eight? He's so...open and genuine! At least I think so..." she frowns, thinking about how good of a liar he was in front of Stephan. She shakes her head and blinks a few times. "He compliments me on so many things. We connect well, I think. And he seemed so worried about and caring for me last night." She shrugs. "So yes, I suppose a seven or eight might be fitting. Let's say seven and a half."

Jan 25, 2024 10:08 pm

"After his rescue, I would have agreed with Ajantis," Aiwë laughs, "but he and I had a talk about focusing on the task at hand and not getting stabbed or running into danger because he can't stop looking at you. He seems to have taken it to heart. He's impressed me lately." Aiwë walks into Stella, bumping her slightly with her hip, expression mischievously innocent. "I'd rate his affections a solid ten."

Jan 25, 2024 11:35 pm

Stella stumbles a bit in her pace and raises both eyebrows incredulously, eye-stars speckled pink, yellow, and green, a strange mix of embarrassment, elation, and curiosity. "You had to talk him out of looking at me so much?" She blinks a few times. "Wow. I...did not expect that. Well...thank you!"

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"I'd rate his affections a solid ten."

The yellow and green eye-stars mix to sickly green and she inhales and covers her face. "Nooo, stop...He isn't...!"

She moans quietly then slides her hands down and off her face and whispers. "Those plans had better be after we're done trying to stop a war and have a chance to actually court..." She did not want to explain to him...and did not want Aiwë to point out how Mama and Papa met and got married in a concerningly short time also while trying to fight and stop a war.

Jan 25, 2024 11:51 pm

"I had to talk a sense of self-preservation into the man. No more tears from you over him! I felt like I was talking to a wall for a while there, but such are your charms." Aiwë pats her back comfortingly.

"I think he has a bit more sense now about timing and such things, buuuut when we first met I sang him the ballads about our parents and, well..." Aiwë catches the look on Stella's face and ceases that train of thought.

"He'll probably be annoyed like I'm ratting him out or something, but I have to warn you: he's been fighting to earn my blessing to marry you and, well..." Aiwë grimaces apologetically. "Last night I gave it." She holds up her hands defensively. "I told him he didn't need it, that you could and would make your own decisions regardless of what I thought, but since I'm your only family around he was pretty determined about it." She laces her arm through Stella's.

"I thought you should know. It's not a judgement from me on whether you should or not and if so, when, or anything like that, just that I think he's a good man." She nods. "A good man."

Last edited January 25, 2024 11:55 pm

Jan 26, 2024 12:07 am