Log 02 Jyslin Andie Syval Journey Day 01
<OOC> Vanya says, "There we go."
<OOC> Jyslin Brenlas says, "Hiya. :)"
<OOC> Vanya says, "Long time no see."
<OOC> Vanya says, "Hmm, so where should we start this next one?"
With all of that arranged and some rather fun verbal sparring, Jyslin gathers up the backpack in her lap -- wait, wasn't there a small dragon creature there a moment ago? -- and drapes it over her shoulders as she gathers Andie more by gaze than any physical contact. There definitely seems to be a close connection between the two incredibly unusual women, both vibrantly exuding competence and power, with ludicrously long hair for humans and no visible weapons at all.
"Have a good evening, Syval. We will meet you at Eastgate Plaza an hour after dawn on the morrow. Obviously, I recommend you head to the market for any supplies you do not already have, as the market will not open that early." Jyslin offers, even though she has already made it clear she barely knows this city and has not been here. Still, that's just not how things operate.
That arranged, Jyslin and Andie head towards the stairs of the inn, making their way up with no sign of Neosodos at all.
Later that night, upstairs, the two women converse. "So, obviously he's special." Jyslin comments to Andie. "Enough to make your Talent wake up and respond. And Neo likes him."
The Eldritch Wyrm gives an almost purring trill of sound. "Yessss. Lonnnnng time sincccce one like himmmmmm."
Andie continues to run her hairbrush through the ashen blonde locks of her companion. "Yes, he is special. Just as you are. As I am. And none of use the same way. And yes, he is tied to draconic magic, though he clearly does not know that himself. Not yet."
Jyslin sighs contentedly. "Alright. And I assume, given how you spoke to him, that we shouldn't tell him, until he figures more of it out for himself?"
Andie answers, "I believe that would be best. I think he is closer, now, than he has ever been to those answers. And from what I have Seen, I believe he will find those answers - or the beginnings of them in earnest - during our journey."
Jyslin nods only slightly, so as not to get more tugging than she can tolerate to her hair. "Usual rules for what we tell him of us? Or more?"
The witch chuckles. "More. But we will play that by ... ear."
"OK. Clearly this was why you wanted to stop over in the city." Jyslin responds.
Andie shakes her head. "No. Actually, I came into the city to leave a message for my sister, and to consult the locals for information from the South. Because of his nature, I did not know Syval would be here, until he was."
That settled, they sack out contentedly with one another.
<OOC> Jyslin Brenlas leaves it there, so that you can put in anything from Syval's perspective that you wish ahead of them meeting up in the morning.
<OOC> Vanya feels like he should consult a +sheet with an inventory now!
<OOC> Vanya @_@
<OOC> Vanya says, "I forgot how large this sheet was oh my god."
<OOC> Vanya says, "I am viewing 4 pages wide and it still took scrolling to reach the bottom wow. XD"
<OOC> Vanya says, "Though I think I understand now why DM screens are a thing. 4 pages wide is a lot more information at a glance."
<OOC> Jyslin Brenlas just kinda assumes Syval might want like consumables, like rations and filled water bottls and the like.
<OOC> Vanya says, "Doesn't look like I ever finished filling out my inventory section either, so this is appropriate timing."
<OOC> Vanya says, "Oh sure, you're not wrong. I would only be stocking up on what I need for the trip. Supplies are more expensive when they're for a trip."
<OOC> Vanya says, "Dang and this almost sent me down a rabbit hole looking up ways to turn fresh foods into preserves for home cooking, like dehydrating apples in the fall or making pocket soup."
<OOC> Vanya says, "I am pretty sure pocket soup will be among the rations Syval procures, incidentally. Parched corn too if this were the American east coast. Pocket soup is a handy but tedious food stuff."
The next morning finds the treelike mercenary walking alone through the dawn streets to the town's eastern gate. Roused by the sun the town is already stirring with the baker preparing bread and other morning chores being attended to, but it's far too early for merchants or other travelers to arrive from the roads. Overnight travel is reserved for the wealthy coaches of nobles and the unscrupulous outlaws after all. Dressed much the same as he was yesterday the brawny young man has added for himself several supplies but the pack on his shoulders has neither the expanse or bulk that would be due a journey of such length. It might perhaps have been intended for shorter journeys of a few days. Then again, to fully provision for the long journey that was proposed last night would take a cart to itself for supplies alone. With this trip, speed will be sacrificed for foraging.
Turning his face to the wisp of a breeze that passes through the gaps of the wooden palisade, Syval pulls his waterskin and takes a sip before looking around - for his traveling companions or a comfortable spot to lean while waiting. Towering in equal height and shining on its freshly sharpened edge, his bardiche is grasped like a walking stick and, given the chance, rested against one of the bark-stripped logs.
By this hour, the gates are just beginning to open, and when they do carts are rolling in, being inspected, and then allowed to pass carrying foodstuffs gathered from the outlying farms. Merchants will only have started moving with dawn, and will be hours away from arriving, but the local farmers are closer and more immediate. They make up the bulk of the traffic in the Eastgate Plaza at this hour.
The guards' interest is in those who try to enter, and no real thought is given to those who are queuing up to leave. Nevertheless each is checked out of the city, the guards gathering stamped metallic tags from each for the animals they take with them. When one merchant tries to get an early start and leave, he is held up when he apparently does not have tags for two of his horses. The guards eventually quote him a fee, and he pays it to gain two more metal tags, which are then turned in for those animals so that he can depart.
As Syval watches, his heightened senses will pick up the approach of the two women he is waiting on, as they make their way winding through the crowds rather effortlessly. Neither is all that small, nor appears especially nimble, yet they seem to flow naturally into the gaps between others, almost as if their approach subconsciously beckons for such gaps to be created and some talent of theirs tells them in advance where the gaps will be.
But that couldn't be. Could it?
Andie carries a simple and unadorned ash wood stave in her hands and is wearing a backpack not dissimilar in relative size and stature to Syval's choice, while Jyslin herself carries nothing at all in her hands but does wear a larger backpack, one curiously framed and built out for ease of carrying and long distances. Both women wear those simple, homespun robes they wore the day before and lead no animals. As when they left the night before there is no sign of Neosodos, but Syval's nose is convinced the Eldritch Wyrm is with them.
"Good morning." Andie offers to Syval. "All ready?" she asks, as Jyslin smiles and follows along. With no (apparent) animals, they are allowed to exit without contest. Almost immediately Jyslin moves to take the lead, if not by a great margin, and moves off the road as they move into the grasslands.
<OOC> Vanya returns from making a nice mess of her kitchen counter canning dry powders.
<OOC> Vanya says, "Milk powder is easy but the ground flaxseed I buy is all clumpy. It likes to make a mess. >.<"
<OOC> Jyslin Brenlas yuckies @ mess. Thankfully it's all dry mess so just a few quick wipes to clean.
<OOC> Vanya says, "Miss..."
<OOC> Jyslin Brenlas says, "I just hate waste."
<OOC> Vanya says, "That's what gets me too more than the cleanup, yes. Not trying to feed my trash can."
<OOC> Vanya says, "And please remind me, Jyslin is the blonde who turns tiger-y and Andie is the raven-haired witchy woman?"
<OOC> Vanya says, "Granted both of you give off a witch vibe as-is."
<OOC> Vanya says, "If I remember Jyslin did mention her tiger nature during out conversation, but I can't remember exactly what she did and didn't reveal now. >.<"
<OOC> Jyslin Brenlas says, "Yes, they both give off witchy vibes. Andie is auburn-haired, green-eyed, which is CLASSIC/stereotypical Shaaren 'witch-colored'."
<OOC> Jyslin Brenlas says, "Jyslin didn't //quite// mention it. She was very oblique. But Syval can smell it, so that helped him put the pieces together."
The approach is a curious one by any normal standards but with how peculiar the pair were the night before, and given the rumors of how they arrived, Syval takes the preternatural advance calmly. If he's worried about becoming an internal blood sacrifice for them on the next full moon... well that's what the bardiche is for.
"Well met. At your leave," he greets warmly and seems, despite the hour, just as ready to put the comforts of the city behind them with no last-minute inspections or questions about their packs. It might be a compliment that Syval isn't treating the two women with escorting kid gloves.
The trio range ahead on their particular path for quite a few hours without much in the way of interruption, or much need to talk. They may point out this or that thing as they pass: a particular bird on the wing, or sign of animal passage other than horses or the like. Even the two women seem to have no need of conversation; a mere glance at one another seems to be enough for them to decide how they will adjust or respond to any given stimuli.
Those first hours of journeys, of course, are largely moving amongst the outlying farms, which stretch at least a day's journey from the outer walls and gates of the city. The travelers will see signs of those in the fields, perhaps harvesting from one field while planting in another. In other spaces they may see livestock being raised or watched over. And there will be outlying orchards as well, though they do seem to be the furthest out of the farms. But as odd as this trio is, they get little attention from those who see them; unless they do something to demand that attention, they are simply allowed to pass, as their passage does nothing to interrupt the work that must be done.
The further the group travels from town the more Syval seems to relax and loosen up. Warmed by the walk even his journeying stride devours land and his sandals fall smoothly through the short brush and dirt wagon trails between farms. Rather than departing civilization, it's more like the young man is retreating into nature. The grasslands that border the Withering Heights will make a welcome change.
Luckily perhaps, the guard doesn't seem much for conversation either and the women receive little more than occasional glances to ensure they're both in good order while walking.
<OOC> Vanya stripped out a chunk of pose and saves it for once we leave farmland. He got a little ahead of himself at first.
The women move with efficiency and ground-eating pace that would be astounding to most, but given what they told Syval yesterday, he is likely at least less shocked; they are keeping up with him handily despite shorter strides. As such, they manage to actually cover the entire outlying farm region before full nightfall. The Weathering Heights remain days yet in the distance, but they can be clearly seen without interruption from farm outbuildings or trees at this point.
And that means those with truly exceptional sight might be able to pick out the sight of some rather large somethings circling in the heavens above and about those mountainous peaks.
At this range from the city, the group has roved beyond any protection the city guard might be able to offer, and they are wandering into areas that most normal travelers would only attempt in caravan strength. That does not mean they will somehow be instantly beset by the like of gnolls or minotaurs. But that could be the case at any time, as they lope along at such a ground-eating pace through the tall grasslands. Even more interestingly, though of course Syval was aware of this before now, they are veering gradually northward, rather than veering southward to where a road actually skirts those mountains.
<OOC> Vanya checks. PER 7, no passive enhancement magic for it anymore. Decent but not exceptional.
<OOC> Vanya says, "Aww cute! Google's roll has a dice graphic now, appropriate to the dice you ask it for."
<OOC> Jyslin Brenlas says, "Neat."
With the sun dipping out of sight at their backs, the grassy stalks sway in amber-tinted waves and the beck of the cooling evening breeze. Syval takes another drink from his water skin and weighs this one's contents in his hands. He'll need enough for dinner and so far there's no water source in sight. "This heading leads to Daer-Calt. How wide a berth are you giving the mountains," he cautions gruffly. It's late enough to stop and make camp, too late even with the dwindling sunlight and firewood and water both to be gathered, but again Syval leaves the obvious questions unasked. It is after all only a day's journey from Delzimmer. He could easily turn around if forced to.
<OOC> Vanya says, "*at the beck of the cooling..."
<OOC> Vanya says, "*mountains?"
"We won't be going anywhere near that far north." Andie answers calmly when Syval speaks up. "We will simply cleave to the edge of the northern foothills, all along the Toadsquats." So, not a lot of a wide berth, but they aren't going expressly into those foothills. Hence the challenge of this journey.
Another hour of travel, and then finally the women seem ready to stop. They do not bother with formally setting up a camp, or a tent. They do pull out and unroll their bedrolls beside one another. But then Andie raps the foot of her stave against the ground, and a campfire circle is instantly created there, the earth upturned, stones erupting from the ground. And with a pass of her hand, a fire simply appears, sans any fuel.
Jyslin kneels down, pulling out a pot from her backpack and then a wire frame that she can implant into the ground to support the pot in the flame. Now, it's time to pour in water and other ingredients, and begin stirring. Here comes a meal, in a bit. And still all of this comes without a word spoken.
As the group doffs their packs and unpacks for the night, the magically summoned campfire illuminates the look of surprise on Syval's face with its suddenly-crackling embers. After getting past a moment's shock, all the bodyguard can do is chuckle softly and turn back to his own supplies. His own bedroll is prepared a short distance away and downwind. "If this is what it's like traveling with witches I could get used to this," he jokes, breaking the silence. Syval's own contributions to the communal stew are bits of meat cut into bits with his knife along with a handful of veal glue and flower greens the pair will likely recognize from the earlier roadside. It's as much as Jyslin and Andie add together, suggesting the man might be hungry enough for half. "Can your staff summon food or water?"
<OOC> Vanya is good to pause wherever in here for sleep.
<OOC> Jyslin Brenlas smooches. "OK. We can pause here and continue later." :)
<OOC> Vanya says, "Deal. ^_^"
<OOC> Vanya says, "I settled back into this more than I expected. Granted, lots of notes to review so sorry for the slow these first few sessions."
<OOC> Jyslin Brenlas doesn't mind slow, hon. :)
<OOC> Jyslin Brenlas snuggles.
<OOC> Vanya hugs.
<OOC> Vanya says, "Do you have descs for Jyslin and Andie that I could use for reference?"
<OOC> Jyslin Brenlas says, "Uhm. I should have one for Jyslin. Give me a sec."
<OOC> Vanya says, "And I think it's you to pose next. :)"
Andie glances towards Syval, a merry twinkle in her eyes reflecting the fire's light. "My staff? No. But spells can do so. Jyslin is better at those than I."
The ash-blonde woman smirks. "For some variation on 'better.' I am much better at hunting for dinner and preparing it traditionally." Jyslin seems to feel no concern whatsoever at playing-down her magical abilities. And she seems happy to do the stirring of the stew as it heats and its parts hydrate together and blend their flavors. "I expect we'll want to take watches. Most wizards I know prefer to study their spells first thing in the morning. You can take last watch, if you like. I prefer to pray for my spells during the dark of night." Moonpriestess, after all.
<OOC> Vanya snickers. "Oh right, the burliest wizard in the Shaar. I keep mixing up my build with the original Syval."
<OOC> Vanya says, "Thank goodness for this sheet. I had the other one for years so I guess it imprinted a bit."
"Then that's two of us," Syval agrees to the young woman, patting his spellbook as he pulls it from his pack. As full and thickly-bound as that of any novice wizard's, it should be oversized for how many spells it most likely contains, but the spine seems to fit comfortably in the sandy-eyed mage's large hand. Flipping it open as he settles in by the fire, the young man leafs through a few pages, then begins to skim, turning back and forth a few times to look for one in particular.
"I will take the last watch but before that, perhaps we should compare spells?" he suggests.
Jyslin glances up from the pot she is stirring towards Andie at Syval's suggestion; she hasn't gone adventuring with anyone but her since really coming into her own as a priestess, so she's not used to discussing her spell selection with anyone. Andie always just knew what needed to be known.
"I suppose we can, if you like?" Jyslin answers. "I do not carry many on a given day. My usual complement includes the usual smattering of blessings and benefiting spells, healing, a few minor divinations, and a pair of largely defensive combat spells."
Andie settles down and is currently petting Neosodos in her lap, feeding him tiny berries. "Given my magicks are those of a witch, I imagine they would largely mean little to a wizard. Nevertheless, I can tell you I have quite a few fire spells, both offensive and defensive. I have a little bit of healing, but not much. Beyond that, I have some divinations." How these two have managed to survive and even thrive across such long journeys in trackless wilderness seems bloody unlikely. But Syval is sure they are not lying.
Syval smiles at the reply he gets and a little interest creeps into his eyes even as they reflect the firelight with the parched yellow hue of desert sand dunes. "Fire and defensive magicks are good. I confess the journeymen were never so impressed with my combat magicks, but my bardiche has always made up for that," he assures with what can only be the confidence of experience. "Anything we find along our travel, I'll step in front of." Then closing the book almost shut except for a finger left inside as a page marker, Syval turns to Andie and asks, "Do witches also use a spellbook?"
Since Syval seems to be done with questions for her at the moment, Jyslin goes back to stirring the stew.
Andie watches Syval curiously, her interest piqued as he decides to ask her about a witch's magic. "Mmm. Some witches do write down spells or formulas. Scrolls and tomes, like yours, perhaps." she explains. "But for most witches, they get their spells directly from their patrons. It can be a means of meditation, not entirely unlike prayer. Perhaps a focus object assists. Or, like myself, their familiar might be ennobled by their pact, and communing with ones' familiar might serve the same purpose as your perusal of your tomes."
After a few moments, Andie does decide to speak up. "Just in case, Syval, I would recommend that you be prepared to adjust your normal melee tactics. Jyslin does not like to brag, but she was a roamer for several years before she took to the path of the moonpriestess. She has been known to engage our enemies in melee, or to produce a bow and shoot at them." Interesting that Jyslin does not bring it up ... and that there seems no sign of a bow, or ammunition, let alone a melee weapon of any kind save Andie's simple ash wood stave.
Armed as he is with a bardiche and a dagger besides, the green-haired young man turns a questioning look to Jyslin's unassuming form by the fire. "A roamer at your age? It must be a sight how you accomplished that. I can't guarantee your safety if you charge ahead of me, but I suspect I can swing over you without great difficulty. My pole is more for cleaving bandits before they get too close, but it should work for that as well. Fire freely with a bow if you're skilled with one."
"Is that something else tapping your staff summons?" he questions back to Andie, perhaps this time in jest.
"I grew up a roamer." Jyslin offers by way of explanation, without providing details about things like her father the half-elven ranger, her mother the human druidess, or Wynesboro community. "Then things changed." She doesn't seem defensive, but she's not being very forthcoming with details.
Andie chuckles softly at Syval's comment, apparently catching his intended humor rather than missing it. "Oh, no. Jyslin's bow is tucked away on her person, not my own." Not that she explains where.
The Eldritch Wyrm stretches himself out across Andie's lap, regarding Syval directly. "Sssssyval sssshould rrrrrememberrrr ... the nosssssse knowssssss." Andie chuckles and scritches against his scales. "Ah. Yes. As you have seen, Neo tends to hide very effectively. He has been known to sneak up on even the most devastating physical threats unnoticed, and then stab them with his tail."
The draonnet grins toothily, that barbed tail tip swishing about tauntingly.
"Your little tail is that much of a danger?" Syval wonders. A wyrm Neo might be, but he's also a small one. No new question is made back to the women about Jyslin's phantasmal bow o her background. The young man's gotten used to half-answers, or perhaps he's just leaving them for later. They do have a long journey after all.
Neosodos' answer is one word, drawn out in his usual fashion. "Poisssssssonnnnnn." And apparently quite a deadly one.
Andie smiles at the question but lets Neo answer for himself. With no further questions forthcoming, she lapses into silence, watching both the young wizard and her priestess companion with interest, awareness and some small amount of pleased amusement.
Jyslin speaks up after maybe another fifteen minutes. "I'm ready for bowls." MMmm. What a delicious smell, coming from the fire without apparent fuel.
<OOC> Vanya deleted the follow-up "Magick or poison?" too. XD
"Enough to handle grassland wildlife," Syval assesses of their little group with a satisfied smile before casting his eyes upwards to the evening stars peeking out of the sky. "I wonder what else we'll encounter..."
The call for bowls pulls the young man back from his thoughts and, after some brief rummaging, he produces a wooden bowl from his pack and gives it a quick wipe before offering it towards Jyslin.
The little dragonet purrs quietly as he accepts his due adoration from Andie. No comments at all about what they may encounter, or quite what Neo can kill with that poison stinger of his.
When Jyslin accepts the bowl, she smiles and ladles in plenty, offering it back to Syval. By the time she is done that Andie is handing over her own bowl - wooden as well, and then helpfully Jyslin's. In short order, all three can be eating. And Jyslin clearly knows how to cook well; seems she even added a few spices to the mix just to enhance the flavors without impeding them at all.
The ladies each eat only a single bowl of the stew, leaving three for Syval. Hopefully that will be enough. When done, Jyslin cleans up quite thoroughly, and without using a drop of water. She just waves her hand over the collected bowls and pot, and they are cleansed utterly. Then she hands back the bowls and puts her own and her pot away.
Before long, the ladies are stretched out side by side, nestled close together, while Neosodos lies between them. He seems to be the one on watch, though it should be Andie's turn.
There are no interruptions during the night. When it comes to Syval's turn at watch in the waning hours of the morning before dawn, he is gently awoken by a loud yawn from very close by, just across from the extinguished fire pit.
Where Jyslin's bedroll was, right beside Andie and Neosodos, there is now a very large tiger, yawning big enough to swallow Syval's head and shoulders.
<OOC> Vanya hits pause on his side for tonight. More later. :)
<OOC> Jyslin Brenlas snugs.
<OOC> Vanya hugs. :)
<OOC> Vanya settles back in and considers an appropriate response.
<OOC> Jyslin Brenlas yawns @. :D
<OOC> Vanya also shakes to get OC out of her head a bit.
