the Rift


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Canaan Posts: 18
Aurora Basin Phantom
Stallion :: Equine :: 15.2 :: 5
Silk
#1

Canaan
Screams of the Innocent

Continuing on, my increasingly wearied form carried me to the beginning of a strange looking land. It wasn't terribly different from the steppes that I had just come from. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground, melted in some areas, and the lush grass of summer poked through from underneath. As I neared what I presumed to be the entrance, I noticed two towering equine figures. I found myself intimidated just by their sheer size, and I peered up at them as I approached. I stopped at the base of their granite enormity and reached my dark muzzle forward to brush the frost-covered stone. I wondered at their presence and construction. Were they present here from the world's making? (Of course I had no knowledge that magic existed in this land or that somehow these humongous stones were possessed to defend the herd land.)

My snow-spattered hooves carried me past the statues and into a clearing that was presumably the Aurora Basin. After all, that's what lay before me - a basin. My footsteps were quiet and it seemed there was no one nearby. That being said, I was sure that I would be practically ambushed soon, as had happened in the threshold. I shook my skull and neck, snorting as I lowered my nostrils to the ground to sniff the scents there. There wasn't much to pick up - there were many scents and I couldn't separate them without knowing who they belonged to. Besides, what seemed like fresh snow obscured the confusion of it even more.

Lifting my head I continued forward, wandering through a small copse of pines and breathed in their scent. It was refreshing and invigorated my senses. In my travels the mud had dried, the exercise had warmed me, and I no longer felt the chill that I had in the steppes. I stopped there in the spaced trees, wondering how long it would take for anyone to find me if I stayed quiet. I whinnied to no one in particular, then stood in silence to listen to any returning calls. Who might come? Did it matter?

"blah blah blah."


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Rikyn the Puppeteer Posts: 549
Aurora Basin Lord atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 4.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 4 HP: 70 | Buff: SWIFT
Duir :: Royal Cerndyr :: Earth Spirit Bunnie
#2

next mother fucker gonna get my metal


Duir is watching the archway from a stone overhang which overlooks the fore of the valley. The late afternoon casts the entryway into the valley in golden light, the long shadows of the falling Sun reaching in from the west, in a black, jagged line that suddenly swallows the golden radiance of that which is illuminated; the Sentinels, bronze and gleaming, casting bright beams from their rounded figures, and the deer, as much as he is keeping an eye out for arrivals, particularly strangers, watches those radiant beacons dance on the snow, where they are bold enough to reach.

The movement of a dark figure draws his eyes, though, and upon realizing he doesn’t know the mud covered stranger, he projects the image into my mind, with a rude abruptness, his voice ushering in behind it softly: wake up.

I’d been dreaming, the sun warm on my back, and the tendrils of the hot springs reach across my dark skin; with bleary blinks, I look towards the archway, and grumble, stretching each limb in turn, before arching my neck and back with rolling gestures that rouse pops and a pleasurable groan. Even as I burst forward at an easy gallop, though, the dream lingers, teasing me with the images that are there, seemingly easily grasped, but, like smoke, dance out of the way when I reach for them.

There isn’t time to wonder further, however, the well traveled paths of the Basin leading me swiftly to the fore of the land, and the stranger huddled near the pine wood. Glancing for others as I ease back to a canter, my buck joins me with bounding steps, and we both come to a bouncy stop not far from the rather dirty individual in the shade of the trees.

"Afternoon," I greet, wondering if it really is so, or if this hour is technically the evening, but not dwelling on it long; with a casual inspection of the follow, I find him hornless, and wingless, which draws, most immediately, a frown to my lips. Another? Is my immediate thought, but Duir, warily watching alongside me, quietly asserts that your feelings don’t matter. So, I do my best to see what else there is – which is mud, a lot of it – and two differently colored eyes peering out from that filth slaked skin. Blind in one, maybe? I wonder. Putting on my leadership smile, I continue on. "I am Lord Rikyn, and this is my companion, Duir."

Looking about for his escorts, and finding none, I try, instead, to place him in the history of this land; had he been here before? I wonder, but can’t recall him. With a brow rising quizzically, I add a question:

"You found your way here on your own?"




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@Canaan

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Wessex Posts: 149
Aurora Basin Haruspex atk: 5.0 | def: 8.5 | dam: 7.5
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16.3 hh :: 3 HP: 68 | Buff: NOVICE
Astor
#3
for there are many ways to kill a man they say
Old habits die hard - or in this case, they seem to linger piteously on, refusing to give up while there’s still oxygen in the air. What does being Haruspex even mean? She’s still Wessex, still half-moose (or half-tank, depending on who you ask), she’s just acquired a pretty mirror and is supposed to talk to a God. That doesn’t change the fact that she likes to fight, or finds her zen place while patrolling by herself. It doesn’t change her emotions or her thoughts, the way she looks at life (at least, not yet). Supposedly, she has other responsibilities, but there’s no one around to brief her on said tasks, no guide (Where’s Ode?) to light the way - and the Spark only jested that she might use the Mirror to her sexual advantage.

So you see, the only thing she can think to do is try to hurry the Herd Quest along, but that would require everyone to actually be around, and the Basin is notorious for hiding wandering members from sight.

A loud call rings through the snow-flecked hills, loud enough to disturb whatever birds are left, sending them caw-ing into the air with very little grace. With a shrug, Wessex turns and heads towards the summons, letting her tail swish idly behind her. At least the weather brings fewer flora to snag her spikey little mace on. On first sight, she sees Rikyn and Duir have already found the visitor - who is nothing more than a grayish-brown shape from that distance. Unseen as she is, Wessex might have turned around, but she’s in a ‘fuck it’ sort of move and ends up idling towards the trio, curiosity piqued.

Does he want something? She imagines that most will avoid the Basin come winter, and even now it is too chilly for some. Her eyes narrow ever so slightly, before she introduces herself. “Wessex. Who are you?”


I am Iron and I Forge Myself


@Canaan  
@Rikyn
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Canaan Posts: 18
Aurora Basin Phantom
Stallion :: Equine :: 15.2 :: 5
Silk
#4
It isn't long at all before I am quickly greeted by a dark-hued stallion. He and a deer of some sort appear from the trees surrounding me, their hooves cloven and whole sending small amounts of dirt and snow into the air as they bounce to a halt. I lift my head in return greeting as the ebony and gold stallion utters his hello. I keep my attention on the stallion as he introduces himself as Lord Rikyn. Apparently the alpha stallion around here in the Basin. He introduces the deer as Duir - his companion. So this stallion with a horn upon his head as well - and I think I will refrain from calling him a rhino - called this deer his companion. I stare at it for a moment, not noticing the evaluating look that Rikyn is giving me.

Of course my appearance means nothing and I forget that some put appearances so high on their priority list. Vain, self-absorbed creatures, if you ask me. But then everyone has to have their flaws and I certainly have my own. Rikyn asks how I got here, if I came with anyone. I realize that perhaps he is not used to having visitors enter on their own, and I am about to explain my presence when someone else appears. I turn my gaze upon her, and stare stoically - though my mind is racing. After all, not only does this grey mare have a horn upon her face, she is decorated by many horns. One upon her muzzle, several laterally from her skull, and yet more on her tail which is more like a lion's than a horse's.

Well. Okay then. I guess everything is possible.

It's now that I make a conscious decision to accept that in this land everything is possible, and I should stop being surprised by the strange creatures that I meet. She introduces herself as Wessex. A strange for a woman, it seems more like a male name, a warrior's name. But then she appears as a warrior, the fierce appearance she presents. Who am I to judge? No one. I clear my throat to answer her question, and that of the lord. I am Canaan. I was greeted in that.. threshold.. by Noah, and Nora. I separated from them on the journey here, but found my way. The most I've spoken in ages, and I wonder if that will satisfy their curiosity. Will they tell me more about the Basin without my asking, or should I summon more words from the vault?

the
Aurora Basin
sneak

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Rikyn the Puppeteer Posts: 549
Aurora Basin Lord atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 4.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 4 HP: 70 | Buff: SWIFT
Duir :: Royal Cerndyr :: Earth Spirit Bunnie
#5

next mother fucker gonna get my metal


The arrival of the steel toned mare should be expected, at this point; though she had been given perhaps the largest cave in the herd land with, most certainly, its most valuable object within it, she chose, instead, to wander about the perimeter of the realm, as she always had. Glancing over my shoulder at the Haruspex, still somewhat bewildered by the differences between this one and Erebos’ mysterious dam, sinister Zikar-Sin, and soft-eyed Ashamin; of all of them, she was the least suited, built for pummeling, not finesse.

Maybe that was why she had been chosen. The rest, hand selected for their knowledge and insight into the realms of Gods, had failed, or simply turned their backs. Maybe it was the notion that Wessex was a warrior, and thereby had a warrior’s honor, that had lured the Spark into the idea. If nothing else, she would tell us she was to turn her back on us, before she did so. We wouldn’t simply be left groping after her shadow, as we had so many others.

You just mad cause she hurt you, Duir intones, my ears falling back. She didn’t, I coldly reply, barring any further discussion of the matter by turning my attentions back to the stranger, who answers Wessex’s rough greeting and my inquiry.

"Welcome, Canaan. Good sense of direction – good to know," I say without much luster or flair; he doesn’t seem keen on it, either, and it seems better to just cut it out. Assuming he’s here to stay, if he was sent ahead on his own, I add in the rest of the usual getting to know you exchange. "It would serve you well among the patrol groups, if soldiering is of interest to you. Or the spies have need of more in their ranks. Healers and scholars don’t travel as much, as I've noticed anyway. You will have to have other skills to do well there."






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@Canaan @Wessex

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Wessex Posts: 149
Aurora Basin Haruspex atk: 5.0 | def: 8.5 | dam: 7.5
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16.3 hh :: 3 HP: 68 | Buff: NOVICE
Astor
#6
for there are many ways to kill a man they say
Noah. Nora. The names sound familiar, but the Haruspex has never actually met the pair. But if Rikyn thinks she’s going to spend her time ‘protecting’ the mirror (really, who the hell would be able to haul it out of the cave and through the Basin without being seen? No one, that’s who), he’s in for a rude awakening. What she aims to style herself as is a Warrior Priestess… but half of that plan is still to be determined/work in progress/wtf does a warrior priestess do without a Warrior God?

All wonderful things to think about while she’s alone in her cave - with the mirror.

Her initial thoughts about ‘getting separated’ aren’t particularly kind, but as Rikyn doesn’t seem to have his spidey senses activated, Wessex decides to stand down, but as she is now in charge of the ‘scholar’ group instead of the fighting group, is rather out of helpful things to say. And yet there is an awkward silence…

Wracking her brain for something constructive to add to the narrative (without much to go on, it’s hard to know what is new information or not…), all she can come up with is, “Interesting. Welcome. Did they tell you much about the Basin, or would you like an introduction?” She’s slowly learning things (at least about the recent past), enough to play tour guide for more than a hot second. “I assume you’re staying, right?” It’s a somewhat stupid question, because there really isn’t any reason for anyone to venture this far north just for a vacation.

If he is, there’s much to do before the real winter sets in.

I am Iron and I Forge Myself


@Canaan  
@Rikyn
Idk what this shit is.
-- please tag in all posts! --
-- magic and force allowed, no death or permanent damage --

Canaan Posts: 18
Aurora Basin Phantom
Stallion :: Equine :: 15.2 :: 5
Silk
#7
I feel relief as the lord and strangely decorated mare reply - they are both short and to the point. There is no need for me to pry information out for they are willing enough to provide it. I listened to Rikyn describe some different possibilities that are available for me while I am an Aurora Basin member. Of course one is not allowed to be a freeloader in the herd - that is reserved for cripples and foals. (Though of course by cripple I'm thinking more of legless or permanently broken. Not counting my own disability at all.) I note them down as he speaks. Soldier... no. I don't mind fighting - and I'd rather not admit to myself the bloodlust that lurks deep, deep inside me - but I would not find myself suitable for a fighting job when I can only see half of the world around me.

Spies.. I don't know how sneaky I am but my willingness to appear as just a part of my surroundings may lend me to succeed there. Healer - no. I have no immediate desire to heal anyone, certainly not on a regular basis. That is much too wholesome. Scholar? No. I have no desire to be a fount of knowledge either. My thoughts wonder back to 'spy' as Wessex speaks and I turn my head to gaze at her.

Aye, I'm staying. As a spy, perhaps. I throw a glance back at Rikyn, nodding my agreement that I would like to choose that path. I know little to nothing of the Basin. Except that it is here and it is a herd land. I felt heat spread to my cheeks as I reckoned with the embarrassment I had at knowing so little of the place I had come to. From her town it was clear that I was supposed to know more than I did. Oh well... a home is a home, right? I let out a gruff cough in agreement with myself.

the
Aurora Basin
sneak

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@Rikyn
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Rikyn the Puppeteer Posts: 549
Aurora Basin Lord atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 4.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 4 HP: 70 | Buff: SWIFT
Duir :: Royal Cerndyr :: Earth Spirit Bunnie
#8

next mother fucker gonna get my metal


I can almost hear Wessex’s butthole clench shut at the thought of someone having come up here unaccompanied; it defies tradition, breaks all the rules. The perfect sort of thing to piss someone like her off, I guess, because she’s suddenly silent and crackling with the energy that speaks silently of a woman keeping her tongue still. I’m glad she decides to not speak her mind about whatever she thinks of Canaan’s bold arrival and Noah and Nora’s candid ways.

I personally mind very little for how anyone gets here, so long as they are willing to work with everyone else already here. For some of us, me included, it was easier to go about your own path. It likely had not been any more the lover’s fault that the stallion had arrived here alone than it was his; some people just wanted to go ahead, on their own. Can’t blame a fellow for having his own drummer, right?

Wessex’s question earns a glance, before it tilts back to Canaan. Accepting a temporary, perhaps permanent, position among the spies, I nod, and take in his answer to the former Corporal, as well.

"Imogen is Thief, at this time. She’s a brown roan pegasus mare, wears a cloak. Probably is gonna look like she’s judging you, or smells something bad. At least with you she’ll have a bit of an excuse," I tell him with a smirk, drawing my former co-worker to mind (I can’t help but like the bitchy ones, for some reason), I add in a bit more information about the herd, aside from just one Council member, "Wessex here is the Haruspex – which is also the name of the Artifact she keeps an eye over. It’s over there, in that cave."

I gesture across the entry paths of the Basin, which run alongside the lake. From here, the opening to the Haruspex Cave is a distant, dark opening in the mountainside.

"Occasionally, the Time God steps through it," I continue, looking back to Canaan, wondering if he had Gods in his homeland, "he is the patron God of this realm, one of four Helovian Gods, if you don’t count the current imposter running amok. You don’t have to worship them, but it’s probably best to be polite to your landlords. Especially when they are of Divine status."






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