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Post by pastels on Feb 4, 2019 4:44:25 GMT
As someone used to telepathically alerting her allies to observed dangers, the elf gave no sign that she received Citrine’s message. She continued on, slender hands poised above her rumpled scroll, with a steely gaze leveled on their contact. After a breath, she closed her eyes, a crease appearing on her brow, and turned her head towards the firebird. “Fine. Please tell me your last name so that I can address you by it.”
Astra paused, her familiar a deathly quiet specter atop her shoulder, as her flat, ore-tinged eyes traced every detail on the mayor’s form as she brought the meeting to a close. The baggy apparel which sagged in places—not because of wear and tear, which she herself dealt with on a daily basis—and the furtive, hurt motions when the death count was brought up. That, and what the firebird brought up: her shortness with her answers gave the impression that Vanalika was not who she claimed to be.
But…
“Yes, I suppose you know that from personal experience,” Astra said, voice soft with surprise. “You survived.”
It wasn’t accusatory; the entirety of Seldarine, in their wisdom and divinity, knew that of all people, she knew how it was to survive where others fell. Perhaps the mayor even felt as she did, on her worst days: as though the exchange was unjust. But this was not a mourning house. She kept her tongue still. Platitudes and condolences were poor, meaningless words in the face of this truth. Astra recognized Vanalika’s business-like demeanor from the start, felt it mirror the unrelenting grind which fueled her own actions, and thought that emotion was no way to deal with this sort of problem. Not for either of them, in any way. The initial surprise wore off. She kept her face devoid of pity—and, unknowingly, sympathy—for those were the expressions she detested seeing around her during her time of grief.
Keep it professional.
“Thank you for your knowledge and time, then,” the elf stiffly added, whole body shifting away in a wordless bid to detach from the conversation.
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Arikarka
Approved
Linked Characters: Citrine, Gigi, and Rhia
Posts: 316
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Post by Arikarka on Feb 5, 2019 20:50:54 GMT
Huh. Well… she supposed that was another potential reason for the why she looked. Survivor indeed. Nodding with a 'didn't think of that' expression on her face Citrine gave Astra a nod of well done. Was it a negative that she automatically assumed the worst? Deals and devils and contracts were a way of life, after all, for a large number of politicians. Or perhaps it was just her upbringing and life experiences that lead her to assume an otherworldly or underhanded plot. She'd not apologize for the potential slander she had messaged to her companions, but she would acknowledge that the cause for her appearance Astra mentioned had a much more grounded in potential reality than her own. "Aye, thank ye Mayor." The firebird bowed politely, though perhaps not as deeply as one would or should to someone who was in fact a mayor. "We'll let ye knae what we find out." Strange too, she thought, that the survivors seemed to have no rhyme or reason behind the success. Following Astra, playfully humming a li' bird whistle under her breath - she'd not forgotten the second question of her last name. In this moment? It was like she was back home, teasing and taunting Holly with a piece of information - seeing just how close to the line of agitation and annoyance could go. That of course brought up the memory of the last time she'd tried to keep information from her sister… and the headache that had caused. Sitting there at a table in the closest thing she had to a home, Citrine was sitting there balancing on the back two legs of a chair, talking animatedly with her sister, one Holly Frost Taylor, and anyone else who wanted to join their table. Conversing animatedly might have been a stretch, as there was no back and forth right now (Citrine was easily going on and on about some random topic) and animatedly would imply the recipient was listening with a similar rapt attention in a similar manner in which she was being spoken too. Holly, freshly back in the flesh, would be putting a true face to names as she sat and observed everything going on around her. Having only relied on her sister's thoughts to paint a picture with, the Sage Sorceress was eagerly taking in the visuals around her. And on that same topic… hadn't her sister been a kitsune last she knew? Instead now her sister had wings, feathers, talons, and was significantly shorter than before. The two sisters were a towering range of heights now - Citrine at 4 foot and change comparing to Holly's stature towering at a near 7 foot tall of half-elf grace? The white-blond realized she had missed quite a bit. And she was determined to understand, quickly and efficiently, what had happened during her… time away.
"Rain. Sister. Enough of your chatter. Now, please. Tell me - what happened to you after your extremely poor decision to wander off on your own, barhopping with some whore who caught your eye, and not checking your drinks before consuming them." She was staring intently at Citrine, her sapphire blue eyes blazing with a furious cold. "You were a kitsune last I knew. What. Happened." Her voice, heard mostly by Orin - but the others would have once or twice before, sounded much like Citrine's did when she wasn't keeping up her accent. Posh, clear, and crisp the sorceress enunciated each word exactly and with purpose.
"Oi! Ye leave Evelyn outta this all. Et wasn't 'er fault she got caught up en all tha.'" Her phoenix wings cut from the smell of the sea to a spicy burning nutmeg - the appendages drooping to hit the floor at the same time her hair feathers deflated, even as Citrine's voice was sharp and hot. "An' how can ye not knae what happened?! Ye were there en teh scarf the whole time until teh end!" Citrine's voice cracked a bit, not believing that Holly knew nothing from the point of her blackout onwards. Holly, from her perspective, noticed the sudden extreme change of scents - it was impossible not to - which sent her mind into a symphony of evaluation and considerations. There was something more going on here beyond her sister changing into a new race ahead of schedule.
Bottle at her lips Citrine took a swig before setting it in the air… only for the bottle to start falling. A cool wisp of blue caught the glass bottle before it could shatter and re-set it on the table - Holly's own mage hand. The sorceress was staring intently at her sister now, strained composed worry taunt throughout her posture. There were too many things wrong with this picture now, she thought, her ability to wait for Citrine to talk had passed. "Citrine. Rain. Redbriar. What happened?" Holly's voice was demanding, but the redheaded sister would hear the worry and concern deep in the undertones, causing Citrine to lift her head and meet Holly's eyes. "You don't have your mage hand. How do you not have your mage hand. How is it I smelled sea breeze since I was brought back early, only for it to change to nutmeg. How is it you traded in your ears and tail for wings and feathers. Tell me." Those questions and more were delivered one after another, no pausing in between, and with each question? Holly was casting. Lock Gaze. Mindlink. Mindscape. Sow, Anticipate, Detect, Seek Thoughts. Psychic Asylum. These would all be spells someone might have used to describe the effects Holly was creating with deft quick finger movements, but none of them would accurately summarize the spell Holly was actually crafting. She was a master of manipulating spell energy to suit her needs and whims. And in this case? She absolutely had every intention of extracting every bit of information from her sister in the quickest, most efficient way possible.
Citrine, on the other hand, though nowhere near the spell prodigy as her sister was quite well aware of what was happening the moment she heard the demand in Holly's voice. With a resigned sigh she looked deep into the dark sapphire eyes and offered no resistance at all to the mental compulsions and divinations the sorceress was pulling out of her mind. Really it was easier this way. She would have ended up dismissing some stupid small detail that Holly would have found to be the most important thing ever. Everything came from her perspective, starting with the memory of… Everything. The exchange of mental information lasted nearly a half hour, the two sisters locked in an unblinking staring contest, a near impossible to see ripple of power connecting the two looking like swirling mist. When the connection finally snapped, the mist condensing down to snow to drift and melt on the floor, Citrine shook her head and grabbed for the bottle again.
"Fuckin' 'ell 'Olly. Shit. Tha' hurt." She grumbled as she pressed the relatively cooler glass bottle to her head. "Aye would have told ye everythin' eventually." "Yes, and eventually would have taken days." "Ye don't knae tha'!" "I know you well enough. So yes. Days." "Ef ye'd waited Aye could have given ye teh emotions with et, but ye're just tae impatient" "Honestly I don't care." "Lier." "Hrump." Holly crossed her arms and Citrine stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes.
By the Goddess her head was in a fog, Citrine thought as she looked at the defensive stance Holly held herself. She ran her hands through her hair and feathers... she did have to admit, at least to herself, that yes this way had been faster. Less fun, less annoying, and less social… but faster and effective. "Alright, nae tha' ye'll be sortin' through all o' tha, Aye'm gonna get ye ah drink, Aye Aye knae, nothin' strong. Aye'll get ye ye borin' grape juice." The firebird stood up then and was about to pop away up to the bar when the cooler arms of her sister wrapped around her shoulders, halting her advance. "That. Was the foolish, most reckless, ill-thought through, asinine path you could have taken. Honestly Citrine. And then you get rewarded for it…. Herald…. Honestly." Citrine patted her sister on the shoulder blade, a sassy reckless grin on her face. "Aye, well, what can Aye say ta' that? Ye ain't wrong Lass. Oi! Whatchye doin!"
Holly had begun tugging on Citrine's shirt, the scar she had noticed earlier but not thought much of until she knew better, pulling the fabric so the whole scar could be seen. "Hrmp. Amateur. Mine never left such a soul scar. I pity your gravestone." The white-blonde woman released her sister then, but Citrine's hands covered Holly's. "Aye knae. But Aye got through et an' et's en teh past nae." She softly cooed, trying to settle her sister's worry - the show of indifference not fooling the phoenix at all. Burning leaves enveloped them as her wings shifted from the annoyed bergamot smell to something a little more melancholy. "Aye'll get ye ye're wine." Popping the short distance from the table to the bar Orin would suddenly have someone sitting next to her. The grin on her face staggered a bit when she noticed all the empty bottles, head cocking to the side to take in Orin's rather solemn profile. "'Lo Captain. What seems ta be teh matter Lass?" She had an inkling of what was going on in her Lass's mind, but she'd wait to see what Orin would say first. Blinking back from remembering so long ago Citrine masked it by a trill and shake of her crest feathers. "Ask me ah third time an' maybe Aye'll tell ye Astra." She teased, wings fluttering behind her as she sorta skip-jump-fluttered to keep up with the woman's quicker pace. All while teasing the elven woman Citrine kept a glance out for interesting or new sites that would be good to look into. Any buildings that may look like their destination. Anything of note that seemed more out of place then the already out of place village was.
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Post by enchilada on Feb 14, 2019 22:40:45 GMT
The town was mostly grass, a few muddied dirt roads were made by constant footfall, notably culminating outside the first tavern visible as one entered the walls of the settlement. The buildings were largely wooden frame and nondescript, and quite far apart towards the gates; the tavern nestled itself on your right as you enter through them, and other than that, there seemed to be a clear patch of grass used perhaps in better times for sports and safe play, a very open area near guard posts, plus on the opposite of the tavern was a taller building, where the guards seemed to swap out for shifts. A few people seem to mill about near a well, rather near the centre of town, past a stone floored area, intended for markets. It hadn’t been used for a while.
The guard tower and the tavern have a number of buildings also next to them, lining the wall, but not touching it. It’s hard to tell if the wall or the buildings came first. There is a bakery, a butcher shop, a bookstore focused on mundane things such as fiction and cookery, rather than the arcane, and a general store, among others. It seems that other than the bookstore, the town is planned to have more perishable goods towards the gate, so it’s easier to stock more often, as other kinds may have one large delivery in a month or less, these shops required frequent, smaller packages.
On the right, just past the market area, or perhaps next to it, is the temple, where multiple guards stand, keeping the perimeter. Here, there is obvious destruction caused to the wall. It’s splintered and ruptured, despite it being made from thick, sturdy wood. The temple itself is largely built of stone, and has no discernible markings or features that set apart the exact god, although you know it. The entrance is blocked off by crates dumped in front of it, but the graveyard is easily accessible. The graves are dug up and empty, and there is one, lighter stone crypt-type building directly at the back of the temple. Opposite this, on the other side of the market area, were a few houses and a single shop. The interior appeared to be full of shelves lined with bottles of various shapes, but it’s just too far to see much else about it. Just before the shop was a stone building, seemingly whitewashed. It had a fair amount of traffic given the dark mud surrounding it - this is where Vanalika walked off to. The building itself had a large red double door, but otherwise was plain.
Further, towards the back, houses pretty much take over, but you can just about make out a few more shops or services. People seem to mostly be in their homes.
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Post by pastels on Feb 19, 2019 9:25:52 GMT
Astra ran her hand down the scarred side of her face and sighed, “I would rather not invest in ‘maybes.’” Was this how she sounded like when she was younger? …No. Add in an obnoxious heap of pride and conviction in self-immortality, then a healthy dollop of idealism. She contemplated on whether or not she was too hard on her past self, but… Astariel deserved it. Really. What she wouldn’t pay the Seldarine to concoct a time travel spell so she could hop in, wipe the constant smirk off of that child’s face, then hop out. No wonder Valin was annoyed most of the time. The comparison served a purpose; she couldn’t muster a real lick of irritation with Citrine, now that she knew she was far more… difficult at a point in her life. At least this was friendly ribbing, and that she could handle.
Mitja threw itself off her in an ungainly lurch, before spreading its wings and taking to the skies above the barricaded church. Astra glanced at the guards keeping watch around the area, taking note of their appearances. Next, she observed the obvious signs of structural damage in the vicinity. She unfurled her scroll. “Not to be quite obvious, but we’re here…and I would like to study the graves. I suppose we must talk to those watchmen to let us in.”
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Citrine
Approved
6 Wild Blooded Sorcerer+ 1 Celestial Warlock
Posts: 328
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Post by Citrine on Feb 19, 2019 15:28:42 GMT
The clear dismissal of her games wasn't enough to dissuade Citrine from walking around Astra, hands behind her back, not trying to fight back her grin at the teasing. "Aye, ye might rather nae't want tae invest… but will ye?" She asked, having to keep a few wingbeats to increase her speed to keep pace with the elven woman. Her short lil' bird legs were like a gnome's or drwarf's - they'd never keep up in a pure footrace. "Just ask me again, an' Aye'll tell ye Lass." Giving up on quickening her footwork Citrine hovered into the air where she was much more mobile and dexterous.
It was only then she let more space hang between her and Astra, mostly for the politeness of her wing buffs to not muss and disturb her party mates too much. Fully extended - their 12 foot span took up quite a stretch of space. Airborn now, the phoenix hovered above the party's heads so as to not be in the way… physically at least. Vocally? Not so much.
"Aye'd ne'er noticed we were here without ye, Astra." The tease never went out of her voice, but the tone did droop slightly when she noticed the destruction of the wall beyond the temple. A low whistle added onto her statement before she whispered an oath. "The sea take me… look a' tha'." The wooden beans were all torn, broken, with splinters thrown about. It took either extreme feats of strength or a large punch of magical power to do that sort of destruction to wood.
Ignoring the rest of the party, enraptured by the wall damage, Citrine glided to hover then land near the wall, close enough that she could reach out and touch the splinters. She'd seen wood destruction of all types; cannon fire, masts falling like giant trees, shredded hulls that turned to powdered dust - yet the feelings experienced from seeing the destruction still managed to send a shiver down her spine. Turning around to look at everyone else, Citrine called out - no doubt interrupting a conversation with the watchmen. "Aye'm gonna take ah look frum up above, see ef Aye can spot any sort o' trail from 'ere tae teh woods o' whatnae."
Rising quickly into the air - it was clear her speed was found in the skies then her awkward bird steps on the ground - Citrine climbed 20, 40, 60, 80 - 100 feet into the air, then another 20 for good measure. From up here? She could see the entire village layout, see the graveyard crawl in the back of the village, see the market, and eye the homes even further away from the central well. Hovering Citrine shielded her eyes from the sun and peered around. If only she'd thought to bring her spyglass! Next time she'd have to tie it to her belt and keep it there.
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Post by 3personal5me on Feb 20, 2019 0:14:44 GMT
Stephen was silent, and lost in thought. Upon arrival at the church he began a slow lap around the building. He wanted to see everything there was to see outside before even trying to find a way in. His fingers trailed along the stone wall as he walked. He had no magical experience, unfortunately. Hopefully he wouldn't need it to solve this case. He mulled over what little information he had. Whatever it the plague was, it almost certainly wasn't used to kill certain targets. It would be extremely difficult to ensure a particular target perished, and even harder to avoid civilian casualty. It was likely either an accident, or a malicious attack on the community. He sighed and shook his head as he was about to round the last corner and return to the group.
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Post by Malakbel on Feb 20, 2019 15:47:35 GMT
Malakbel smirked silently as he followed the group. When the elf, Astra, mentioned doing some talking he figured she said let Red do the talking, he had learned from experience that it was probably not a good idea to let him be in charge of sensitive topics when other people were around. They had a tendency to get upset or shocked at his way of handling dialogue. As the firebird rose up to the sky, the Yuan-ti watched in amazement with a smile upon his lips, and improvising a cone with both of his hands he shouted at her.
"What do your hawk eyes see?"
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Post by pastels on Feb 28, 2019 3:01:00 GMT
When Citrine flew up in a sudden rush of wingbeats, Malakbel calling after her, Astra shook her head and glanced away. The guards surrounding the temple were a dull bunch, some bearing eyes heavy with sleeplessness and fatigue. Yes. She supposed one would feel rather stressed if there was a massive gash to the protective wall surrounding one’s town. The temple of Kelemvor was unassuming, as well—a positive sign. It would be worrisome if the place was festooned with riches…
“Greetings,” Astra raised one hand in a brief gesture as she approached a young-looking guard. “We’re the investigators hired by the mayor. Can you tell me more about what happened, and will you permit me to inspect the graveyard?” She could easily walk in on there, sure, but guardsmen were ornery about their territory. That, and it was simple conduct.
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Post by enchilada on Feb 28, 2019 21:55:17 GMT
He startled slightly, then looked at Astra, then the graveyard, then Astra. His eyes slowly wandered over the group assembled, then he nodded his head. “Of course! The mayor said there’d be people. We can’t look cause we’re too busy with uh, the wall being gone. Go right ahead.”
The guard scratched his head under his poorly fitted helmet, as it rattled around on his skull. “Anything in particular, miss? I’m not sure how much we’d know that you don’t if you already talked to the mayor.” He was leaning against his sword, stuck in the ground. He seemed like he was a little daydreamy.
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Post by pastels on Mar 1, 2019 11:50:28 GMT
“The giant wall does need watching,” Astra affirmed with a raised eyebrow. Her eyes glinted with a teasing light, like the glimpse of antique jewelry half-buried within a sunken ship, though the shine swiftly disappeared when she mulled over her options. Her notes stated that the bodies buried in the graveyard surrounding the temple rose up, then clawed their way through the barrier. That would imply then that more of their kind would be out and about?
She tilted her head up at the sky, watching Mitja circle the silent temple. “Any updates on the risen dead?” Shambling corpses rarely had any rhyme or reason left in their brains—they were but flesh sacks animated by magic—and it was this emptiness, replaced by a ravenous hunger for carnage, which made them so dangerous. A small town like this may be unfamiliar with the problem, but back in Silverymoon, undead were regarded as a threat on its own level. Their arrival might come from magical accidents, which were numerous in the laboratories and academies of the Southern Conclave, or worse… Often worse. Even the newest recruit in the Silverwatch and the Moon Garrison received basic lessons on how to deal with their kind.
(Once the exchange is done, Astra would like to investigate the graveyard—search for clues on the undead rising. Was the attack coordinated? Were the bodies revived en masse? If there was a culprit, did they leave any evidence? So on and so forth. Anything that would help bring more insight about the event, really.)
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Post by enchilada on Mar 1, 2019 12:42:20 GMT
“Well they got up and went towards that hill, just straight ahead.” The guard points to a hill. “They didn’t turn or nothin, just straight. There ain’t been no more since they left, though.”
Make an investigation check when you do.
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Post by pastels on Mar 1, 2019 13:11:35 GMT
Investigation: Xx5MlOts1d20+41d20+4
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Citrine
Approved
6 Wild Blooded Sorcerer+ 1 Celestial Warlock
Posts: 328
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Post by Citrine on Mar 1, 2019 14:33:19 GMT
Perception, to see more across the area
E8dHC3Fg1d20+51d20+5
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Post by enchilada on Mar 1, 2019 15:13:16 GMT
To the east, in pretty much parallel to the graveyard and exactly across from the hole in the wall, Citrine spotted a hill. It’s not very wide but it’s quite steep. Around it is a fence, wooden. There’s no real path up the hill. Inside the fence is a figure, although from this angle and distance she couldn’t determine any particular features of the person. There are brown spots in the hill, likely holes in the ground. The whole area is a grassy plains-type, and there is little in terms of other undulations. A while away still is a forest. In terms of the town, nothing of note picks up in her vision, other than the roof of the mayor’s building which is in need of retiling, and the full extent of the graveyard, which is completely ruined. Gravestones moved all over, barely any grass. Wooden caskets splintered and destroyed.
The investigation check reveals the following:
>the corpses dug their way out of the ground, they weren’t dug up >there’s a kind of tomb that has been broken open too >all the mud seems to be from the same time, as it is in the same degree of settling and drying.
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Citrine
Approved
6 Wild Blooded Sorcerer+ 1 Celestial Warlock
Posts: 328
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Post by Citrine on Mar 2, 2019 20:20:32 GMT
Seeing all she was probably going to, Citrine snapped her wings to her back to go into a freefall before halting her fall with a dramatic opening of her wings and curling in a tight whirlwind cyclone like decent to then pirouette on her claws once she touched down with her feet. There was a bunch of nervous and excited energy in her that it needed some sort of antics for a release. Like cracking knuckles in your hands. Or fiddling with a trinket.
"Aye spy with me lil' bird eyes, ah fenced en hill tha has someone snoopin' around. Dug up holes, on me guess, but nathing strange towards teh forest way. Can confirm tae? Teh graveyard es ah shipwreck o' destruction. … OH! An teh mayor's place needs some work tae." She added on, just to be complete in her observations.
Spotting Astra and Stephen over by the guard she started her way there, beckoning Malakbel to follow. Waiting patiently for Astra to finish her conversation and begin investigating the area. She shared her skyline observations casually, dodging the debris of the graveyard with a ballerina like grace. Just like a young child who couldn't keep still Citrine had nervous energy 'fidget' out by never standing or staying still.
"Ye see anything with those careful eyes o' yours Stephen?" She asked the investigator, spending some of her wandering around time bothering the investigator. She was sure to share what she saw in the air, so by now everyone had heard about the fenced hill.
Like a fighter or a barbarian in a library (a place she'd never find herself in - ever) the phoenix languished at the 'boring' investigation of the graveyard. Her attention span was short today, and seeing the same splinters and dug out graves did little to keep her focused.
((Citrine, if it wasn't clear, is sure to share her observations to everyone - but it felt like a waste to have her say it more than once.))
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