[Miniwyvs] Excursions Into the North! (Roleplay!)

[Miniwyvs]

The Miniwyv Expeditons Roleplay



Tents for the ongoing Miniwyvs Expeditions are still set up, but there is more hustle and bustle now. Packs are being organized, and hardy, sure-footed horses in all sizes are being saddled, as well as a few stranger, less equine animals, as well. People dart here and there, organizing to leave for the big excursion.

Saturn emerges from the crowd, looking slighlty disheveled, with a clipboard in hand. She spots you, and hurries over.

"We'll be leaving soon," she states, a bit breathlessless. "We're journeying north to find some more unique Miniwyvs. And who knows what else we may see along the way! Will you come?"

Without waiting for an answer, she continues on.

"If you're interested, you can join one of the three groups heading out. They'll all be branching off in slightly different directions. We'll be letting people head out as they arrive, so you don't necessarily need to travel with friends, though you'll be checking in with one of my helpers here and there. Just let me know if you'd like to join us and head out to search, and we'll set you up with a supply pack!"

Please note, new faces are still welcome to join in!

[Miniwyvs]

Rules & Info:

• 1. You may sign up as yourself or a character.
  2. Pick an area to explore, and you'll be directed out.
  3. Posts for you will be headed with your name in bold, in the color associated with the path you're taking.
  4. You can potentially find Miniwyvs, items, etc! There isn't necessarily a limit to what you might find... but creative, thoughtful roleplaying will help you! You can make this as basic or as intensive as you'd like.
  5. Somewhere out there, some 'milestone' (500th, 600th, etc) Miniwyvs are waiting to be captured. This is also the only current way to get the newest pose!
  6. As you will be 'on your own', you don't necessarily have to wait for anyone (besides me) to post. However, there's a chance for you to come across others that might be searching the same areas.
  7. Occasionally, I might ask you to roll some dice.

--

Three paths are available to take, each organized by one of Saturn's helpers. These are your choices on where to go.

Shadyra's Expedition
Posts will appear in purple if you choose this path.

Shaydra will be exploring the snowy mountains directly north of the base camp. The landscape is cold and hard, but preliminary scouting has shown some intriguing caves dotting the rocky landscape.



Neskadessa's Expedition
Posts will appear in red if you choose this path.

Neska will be heading out with her explorers northwest of the base camp. This landscape is dotted with boulders and ravines, and strange vents that billow steam into the air. It seems a dangerous terrain, but there are a lot of places that Miniwyvs would potentially be drawn to.



Cavaiya's Expedition
Posts will appear in green if you choose this path.

Cavaiya will be directing her helpers northeast of base camp. It's a heavily forested area, mainly pine and hardwood, and it's hard to tell what could be hiding within. Preliminary exploration has shown some majestic views and a handful of streams.


--


To participate, post the following form. You can get started right away-- well, as soon as your expedition leader posts for you after noting down your form! Remember to take the asterisk out of the dice roll.

Code Select Expand

Name: (Either you or the character you'll be using)
Shot Description: (Of you/character. Race, general attributes)
Expedition: (Choose from Shadra's, Neskadessa's, or Cavaiya's)
Starting Pack Items: [*roll]6d10[/roll]

[Miniwyvs]

Findings & Pickups

Ember

(Silver Giftbox)

(male)

(female)

Kahlira

(male)



YLO

(female)

[Miniwyvs]

You may post

[Ember]

Name: Ember
Short Description: Ember's about 5'5", with chin length fiery red hair, hazel eyes, and a relatively slim build. She's not particularly athletic and prefers to take her time going about things and listening before speaking. She's surprisingly observant about things that don't concern herself. She knows herself well, certainly, but what others think of her? She has no clue!
Expedition: Cavaiya's
Starting Pack Items: [blockquote]Rolled 6d10 : 10, 1, 7, 5, 5, 8, total 36[/blockquote]

[Saturnalia]

Ember

Cavaiya, a large, black dragonborn speckled with neon green on her neck and near her eyes, is organizing packs and people. As Ember approaches, she looks up, head tilted slightly, and reaches for a pack.

"Hello," she says, the slight trace of a hiss in her voice. "You'll be venturing into the forest?" She glances up at the sunny sky. "A nice day for it, though it can be dark in the trees. Anyway, here is your pack."

The pack contains the following items: Some shiny trinkets, a butterfly net, some strips of linen cloth, two packets of crackers, and a flashlight.

"Be careful. I might catch up with you at some point, but try not to take any unnecessary risks that you can't get yourself out of." She gives what would pass for a reptilian smile. "Good luck!"

Venturing down the path Cavaiya indicates, Ember finds a pleasant pine forest. Not too far down, there is a fork in the path, one towards the left and one towards the right. They look about the same.

[Kahlira]

Name: Kah
Shot Description: A short plump woman who feels older than her age. Brown hair and brown eyes. Over reacts to just about everything. Likes to walk though, and feels it might be fun. Always looking for fun times is this crazy Kah lady. So long as it's not too hard.
Expedition: Well, much as I like snow, (Which I've seen enough of these last few weeks) And dangerous places don't seem like much fun to me either, but a nice forest? How much trouble can I get iinto in a pretty forest with beautiful views! Cavaiya's Expedition is the way for me.
Starting Pack Items: [blockquote]Rolled 6d10 : 10, 7, 2, 10, 3, 7, total 39[/blockquote]

[Saturnalia]

Kahlira

Cavaiya is pleased to see another explorer coming her way. She greets Kah, gesturing to the forest that lies ahead. "Ready to see what the trees have to offer?"

She selects a pack from a nearby table. Inside, there are the following items: many shiny trinkets, many strips of linen cloth, a hunk of dried meat, and a full waterskin. Hopefully, they'll be useful somewhere down the line.

Cavaiya directs Kah into the woods on a slightly different path than Ember had taken. The trees here are shrubbier and sparser, though ahead lies the forest proper. Though there's a faint track on the ground, it also wouldn't be hard to wander elsewhere amid the short trees and bushes leading up to the forest ahead.

[Kahlira]

"Thank you," Kah says to Cavaiya, as she graciously accepts the backpack. A quick look inside shows her what she's beengiven. A bit distracted, she runs her fingers through the shiny trinkets. "These might be fun for me," she says with a small laugh as she begins down the very faint path which lies before her. "Dried meat is good too, if I get hungry, and water is very practical. Cloths can always be used to bind or make pretty bows." Again she laughs, her mirth echoing through the trees. She is most amused by the shiny trinkets though.

After a while, the path seems to be harder to see, but Kah doesn't feel lost, not at all! It's as if... Well she couldn't put her finger on it, but it was as if she'd been here before, which was utterly ridiculous. Kah is not one to wander aimlessly in the woods. Turning around, she realized she might be hopelessly lost. "Should have marked your trail, silly." she mumbled. A bit too late now, she spies a tree ahead and stops to take a short rest.

[Ember]

Ember is slightly startled by the large woman known as Cavaiya. As a somewhat diminutive woman herself, she gets a little shy around much larger individuals. She follows the woman's gaze to the sky a smiles a bit. "It is a lovely day," she agrees warmly, taking the offered pack.

She smiles again at the warning to be careful but only nods to indicate she has heard Cavaiya. Within moments Ember is wandering down the path into the pine woods. She takes a deep breath as she walks, unconcerned at first with what's in her pack until she comes to a fork in the path. Taking a break before deciding, Ember pulls everything out of the pack to inspect what she's got.

Well, a flashlight is always good. She said something about dark paths, right? Ember thinks idly. Dunno what these little baubles are for, but at least I got a bit of a snack for later and some other useful things. Finished taking stock of her things, Ember glances between the two paths curiously before shrugging and heading left.

[Saturnalia]

Kahlira

The short trees are feathered with pine needles, and a carpet of them lies on the ground, as well, making for a good place to sit. Larger trees are getting closer, a dense treeline sometimes visible through gaps in the shrubbier evergreens. Small birds flit around near Kah, chirping, and occasionally a squirrel is visible scampering about.

All in all, it's a fairly peaceful area, with nothing too out of the ordinary. There are no sign of Miniwyvs, but that's not extremely surprising, as they would be more likely to live in the denser trees.

Near where Kah rests, tiny pink flowers bloom.

[Saturnalia]

Ember

The path Ember chooses is peaceful and serene, though there isn't much in the way of wildlife to be seen, and no sign of Miniwyvs. Still, not being very far into the forest yet, this isn't entirely surprising. After all, wyvs can be shy.

The path winds gently around the trees, and the canopy is broken up enough to allow shafts of light to fall here and there. Recent rain has left a few wet spots on the earth, but, thankfully, no giant mud puddles. In one of the softer, damp areas, though, hooved tracks can be seen, likely from deer.

Up ahead, the sound of water can be heard. Ember comes to another fork in the path, though the sound of water seems to be faintly heard in both directions. The path to the left slopes upward slightly, and to the right seems to have a bit of a downward incline.

[Ember]

Ember's enjoying her jaunt in the forest, eager to enjoy the peace and quiet for once. She pauses for a bit to look at a bunch of tracks. She traces a finger just above one of the hoof marks curiously, just barely not touching the slightly muddy ground. She's almost curious enough to follow where they lead but she continues on to another fork in the path instead.

"Oh, water. Water's good," she mumbles, hearing the gurgling sound of water a ways ahead. She dismisses the path with the upward incline and heads down the other one. Water, after all, flows downwards with gravity!

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

The slope of the ground is pretty gentle, and, before long, the gurgling of running water grows louder. The trees thin out a bit, and glimpses  of water, looking to intersect the path at an angle, can be seen through the pine needles.

Soon enough, the trees open up, a path through them broken by a stream about ten feet across. It is maybe three or so feet deep, and flowing downstream at a good pace. The water looks clean and clear, and more hoofprints on the bank show that it is very likely the watersource for many of the forest inhabitants. Perhaps even Miniwyvs?

There are a series of half-submerged stones large enough to use to cross the stream, and it looks as though the path through the forest continues on the other side. Alternatively, there's a smaller game trail running alongside the water, heading downstream.

[Ember]

"Aha! I knew camping would teach me something good," Ember exclaimed upon seeing the river. She hums happily to herself, going right up to the water's edge and cupping some of the clear water in her hands. "Pity I don't have anything to put it in."

Ember stays there for a moment to drink some of the water - maybe not the safest option but it does at least look clean enough! - and take in the sights. She could continue going the easy route along the path if she crosses the river or...

Or she could take that oh-so-interesting game trail! Grinning, Ember decides to follow the river's course. Might be best to stick near the water anyway.

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

The water tastes pure enough, and it's certainly refreshing! Before Ember stands back up, though, and leaves to follow the game trail, something catches her eye in the water. The glitter of metallic silver can be seen, obscured by the ripples. Reaching in, Ember manages to grab the small object.

It's a tiny, silver giftbox! How strange that it was just in the stream, nestled among the pebbles at the bottom.

Tucking it into a safe spot, Ember continues on and follows the game trail alongside the water.

Up ahead, a large, fallen tree intersects the path. Half of it is submerged in the stream, and the rest of it blocks the way, extending out into the forest for a ways, as well. Looks like it's either up and over, or around!


((Congratulations; you've found a brand new item! During a breeding, the Silver Giftbox can be presented to ensure that an egg will have a random accessory.))

[Ember]

Ember's still mostly thinking about the curious little giftbox when she comes across a giant fallen tree. She stares at it for a moment curiously. Well then, this is different! She decides that she'll try climbing over it, rather than going around.

((Eee! Item!))

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

The tree is a bit tougher to scramble up than it first appeared. Still, there are enough broken branches to use as handholds, and it isn't long before Ember is perched atop the fallen log.

Ember is about to shimmy down the far side when she notices it. The huge, tightly-knit spiderweb strung between two of the tree's branches. But that isn't the interesting part; it's what's caught in the web.

Stuck to the web is a fairy. He's clad in clothes made of leaves, and appears to be unconcious. He moves slightly, causing ripples in the spiderweb, so at least it's clear that he isn't dead. But he's certainly stuck fast to the web. At least there's no spider in sight...

[Ember]

"Mmoomph!" Ember's not too impressed at this point with her choice to climb over the tree. Still, she's a bit stubborn when the occasion calls for it so she pushes on anyway. Once she's up she grins even though she has to take a moment to catch her breath.

That's when she spots it. A big old spider web! Eek! If there's one thing that creeps her out more than spiders, it's their webs. They're okay to look at but to touch...ick! She's about to be relieved she didn't touch it on her way up and ready to scramble down and away from it before a spider comes along when she really notices what's in the spider web.

What? A tiny...person? She wonders silently. Ember shudders as she thinks of how gross the web will feel but she can hardly leave the little guy there. The hairs on her arms stand on end as she gently wraps a hand around both the fairy and the spider web. "Ew, ew, ew, ew, ewwww," she mutters, wondering what to do next. Maybe getting to the water to wash off the web? Yeah, that seems like a good plan.

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

The fairy does not wake when Ember removes him from the web, though he does stir slightly. It's not quite clear how he ended up stuck, but bits of bark cling to his hair, and it seems likely that he somehow had also knocked himself out.

Thankfully, the nearby water is useful in removing the remnants of the sticky web, and also seems to revive the fairy. Slightly.

His eyes flutter open, and he mumbles something incoherent. He doesn't seem to comprehend where he is as he looks around from the palm of Ember's hand, blinking, and swaying slightly.

[Ember]

"Poor little guy," Ember says softly as she sees the fairy's eyes open. He doesn't seem to be in a good way to her and a frown pulls at her lips. She keeps him cradled in one hand or the other as she shrugs off her backpack to dig into her supplies.

She settles him into her left hand as she pulls out one of her strips of cloth and a pack of crackers. First she soaks the linen thoroughly and turns her attention to the fairy. "Hey there, sorry I don't have anything better for you to drink from, but if you suck on this or squeeze it water will come out," Ember tells him, offering the corner of the rag to the fairy.

She settles the rag in her hand as well so she can use her free hand and her teeth to rip open the packet of crackers and offer him some form of food as well.

[Kahlira]

"Well," Kah mumbles to herself, "No rest for the wicked." She smiles to herself, absently playing with the pink flowers by her hand. "Well, I think there's room for a couple of these in my backpack!" She plucks a couple, which looks liked they needed a bit of pruning, plus it would help the plant in the long run, or so she'd been told.

Kah gets to her feet and carries on, walking a bit further off the safety of the path. She bursts out into song, perhaps scaring everything in sight with her way off key wailing. "The hills are aliiiiivvvveeeee with the sound of muuuuuuusic!" She bit her lip, thinking perhaps she shouldn't be so loud, but knowing it would perhaps scare anything large away from her.

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

The fairy blinks at the sound of Ember's voice, and peers up to her face. At first, he doesn't quite seem to understand her words, but then he reaches out for the rag and squeezes a drop of water into his mouth. After a moment, he squeezes another onto his face, closing his eyes and letting the water drip down his pointed chin.

At the sight of the crackers, his eyes brighten and he reaches out to break off a crumb.

"Not going to eat me, are you?" he manages to say around a mouthful of cracker. His voice is quiet but musical, and though the question is, perhaps, not exactly cheerful, he's either too woozy to actually care or he's not very concerned about the possibility, as he stays sitting in Ember's hand as he works on the cracker crumble.

[Miniwyvs]

Kahlira

Though she had strayed from the path, it isn't long before Kah finds herself nearing the taller, denser trees. It probably isn't quite where Cavaiya had inteded for the woman to enter the forest proper, but at least there seems to be a small game trail leading into the bigger pines.

Before she can enter the trees proper, though, a small sound comes to the woman. It's a quiet sort of keening, from somewhere to the left. Every so often, it's accompanied by a louder thrashing of brush.

Meanwhile, to the right, there's the faint sound of something moving through the underbrush, away from Kah. It would still be close enough to catch up with, probably.

[Bunraku]

Name: Ranka
Shot Description: Long silver hair falls in a gentle ripple past green slitted eyes. Black wings fold against strong shoulders, ruffling gently as the man moves. He emits an air of quiet confidence, yet the wildness of youth can still be seen in his eyes, a glimpse of a feral nature lying beneath his stillness. Though his features seem still, he is quick to smile if something amuses him, as if his stoic appearance is merely a learned habbit.
Expedition: Neskadessa's
Starting Pack Items: [blockquote]Rolled 6d10 : 3, 7, 7, 9, 4, 3, total 33[/blockquote]

[Ember]

Ember's pleased the fairy seems to be recovering, if only little by little. She's rather curious how he got into his predicament in the first place, if she's being honest, but first she needs to help him and not pester him with questions.

She blinks in surprise at the musical little voice when the fairy speaks before letting out a quiet snort of laughter. "Helping you seems a little counter productive to the goal of eating you," Ember answers, tone light and amused. "What's your name? I'm Ember."

[Miniwyvs]

Bunraku

Neskadessa, a dark elf with blue-purple skin and pale, white-violet hair, is leaning over a table full of maps, her violet eyes narrowed slightly, lips pursed. She looks a little out of place, in her red and black leather armor, which seems to fall somewhere between functional and ornamental.

She looks up at Ranka's approach, not bothering to hide the appraisal in her gaze. A quirk of her mouth suggests that she likes what she sees.

"Well, it's about time someone showed up. Are we feeling lucky today? Lured in by the thrill of adventure and discovery?" Her voice holds a hint of sarcasm, but it's not entirely unfriendly.

She saunters over to a pile of packs, grabbing one at random and tossing it to Ranka, not bothering to actually check if he catches it. "This should help. Maybe. Path's over that way; don't get yourself killed." She gives him one last thoughtful look before returning to her maps.

The pack contains two full waterskins, many strips of linen cloth, a long length of sturdy rope, and a small sack of gold coins.

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

"Good point," the fairy replies as he catches a tiny crumb that falls from his mouth. "I doubt I'd be particularly delicious, anyway." He finishes up the little piece of cracker.

"I am Virington Tesland Jayth Leafirion the Third. A pleasure to meet you, Ember." He drinks up another droplet of water. The food and drink seem to be reviving him more and more, and his gaze grows more alert. Quite suddenly, his eyes narrow and he casts some quick, darting looks around, but apparently does not see any causes for concern and relaxes once more. He looks down at his clothing, brushing off some small bits of bark, and takes stock of himself. A look of disappointment briefly flickers across his face as he holds up a strand of woven vine attached to a belt he wears; whatever must have been attached to the strand is gone.

He returns his focus to Ember. "I thank you for rescuing me, though." His cheeks redden slightly. "So embarassing, to have ended up so indisposed." He slowly stands, giving a bow, and stretches his translucent wings. "I won't trouble you more, though, I'll just be on my way--" he attempts to launch himself into the air, but his wings apparently haven't quite recovered, nor has his slightly concussed head, and seconds later he is sitting once more in Ember's hand.

"Um... nevermind. Can I travel with you for a little while?" he asks meekly.

[Kahlira]

"So I like to wander, yeah, I'm so random..." She pauses as she hears a noise coming from the left, a keening. "Sheesh," she mumbles, " I didn't think my singing was that terrible." But maybe the keening was someone needing help? Followed by a rustle and a thump! Why, probably a silly old bear who couldn't reach it's berries. Off to her right she hears a rustle, which she immediately thought of as a snake. Hmm.. So bear or snake? she asked of herself. Figuring it's probably better to be mauled to death by a bear and nowhere near a snake, she follows the trail to the left, praying silently to whatever Gods chose to be listening that she wasn't about to get mauled by a bear...

[Ember]

Virington Teslawhat? Ember thinks incredulously. She's just heard his name and already she can't remember! She quirks a smile anyway and watches in confusion as he's suddenly tense and looking around. She takes note of his expression upon looking over himself but she's a bit too shy to ask what's wrong just yet.

"Umm, it was no trouble," she says when he thanks her, trying not to smile at the blush on his face. Ember's about to protest that he was any trouble at all and ask if he would keep her company when his wings fail to keep him in the air and he's settled in her palm once again.

She chuckles a little at his subsequent question. "Please do! I'd love the company. But...uh...could I call you Virington? 'Cause your full name is a bit of a mouthful," Ember asks shyly. "And...uh, are you alright? You looked...disappointed earlier? When you looked at that string?" In for a penny, in for a pound.

[Saturnalia]

Kahlira

Before long, Kah finds the source of the keening and scrambling. Lying in a clearing of trampled shrubbery is a strange creature. It's similar to a deer, but with a lone horn on it's head, reminiscent of a unicorn. It's fluffy, though, like a sheep. And pink. It's a lovely shade of cotton candy pink.

It's also injured, with gashes all over it, apparently from a predator. Maybe the singing did scare something bad away, after all! The poor pink sheep-icorn's one leg is tangled in exposed roots, trapping it where it is.

Upon seeing you, its eyes go big, startled, but it stops thrashing. It stares at you, sniffing the air, and you get the distinct feeling that the odd creature is judging you. Even so, you can see pain in its eyes from the injuries scattered across its body.

Finally, with a huffed out exhalation of breath, it lays its head back down on the ground, watching you and waiting.

[Kahlira]

If anything Kah's eyes go bigger upon seeing, quite possibly the most adorable animal ever to live! A pink fluffy sheep! With a unicorn horn on it's head? A sigh of relief that it wasn't a bear washes over Kah as she slowly walks to the creature. "Easy there, easy," Kah starts to coo, not sure if the creature could understand her, but hoping her tone conveyed friendliness, if nothing else. She knelt beside the creature, almost within touching distance, "Hey there little one," Again the cooing voice, hoping it wasn't afraid of her, "I'll just try to untangle you from these nasty wasty wittle vines. I won't hurt you, I promise." She set her bag beside her, pulling out some of the cloths as she did, as well as her water bottle.

Ever so slowly, she tried, as gently as possible to remove the vines from the poor critter's legs. "If you'll hold still a bit longer, I can wash those wounds." Kah pours a bit of water from the waterskin onto one of the strips of cloth, and dabs, ever so gently on some of the nastier looking wounds. "There! Now the worst ones... This might sting a bit. But as a distraction, look at the shiney trinkets!" Kah pulls a shiny thing from her backpack and put it in front of the sheep-i-corn's nose, hoping to distract it as she tied tight one of the linen strips on the very worst of the wounds.

She hoped she had done her best to take care of the sheep-i-corn. All she could do was send a silent plea to the powers that be that the critter would be ok.

((OOC: And by the way, that critter sounds epically adorable!))

[Saturnalia]

Ember

"Certainly You can shorten it to Vir, even, if it's easier. I don't expect anyone to call me by my full name. And thank you. I don't want to impose, but I seem to be fairly helpless for the time being." He sighs.

At her last question, he looks back down to the string dangling from his waist. "They took my pouch. With what remained of my inheritence." He lets out another sigh, this one longer. "'They' being some... rivals of mine. And the reason that I was unconscious in a spiderweb in the first place." He smiles ruefully up at Ember. "I'm afraid I might not be very well-liked in this part of the forest. Fairy clans can be... territorial."

He casts another set of glances around, but doesn't seem quite so wary, at least.

"In any case, what sort of adventure are you going on? I'm not certain I'll be much help, but I can certainly try to be halfway-decent company!"

[Ember]

"Vir it is, then! And you're definitely not an imposition. A bit unexpected, certainly, but not unwanted."

Ember frowns at her new friend's explanation. The others certainly don't sound very pleasant. The thought is a little scary because she's not entirely sure Vir would have survived had someone not intervened. 'Territorial' might be a bit of an understatement. "I'm sorry," she says softly, knowing full well that there was likely nothing she could have done. "I'm not sure if I'll be of any help, but if we happen to run across them maybe I could...I don't know, talk to them?"

"Oh! I'm supposed to be looking for miniwyvs, though I'm really more or less just exploring at this point. I'm not much of a tracker, really, though this seems to be a game trail and sticking close to water might be a good idea. I may not end up seeing any but it's a lovely day out and I met someone new, so that's cool...and I am totally rambling, sorry," Ember answers hastily. A blush creeps onto her face in embarrassment.

[Bunraku]

Ranka regards Neskadessa with a slight widening of his eyes, cat like gaze glowing faintly in the heat of the steam rising off of the stones. His hands rise almost automatically to catch the thrown package, it seems he has swift reflexes despite his uncertainty, and faint jingle of coins can be heard as he hefts in in one hand, blinking. Lowering it, he pulls at the strings that hold the pack shut, peering inside with undisguised curiosity. Picking at the linen cloth and the water skins, he frowns slightly. Nothing to eat, but if push comes to shove at least he has the necessary materials for rudimentary first aide.

"I wasn't planning on it." he says dryly, quirking a brow at the drow "Thank you for your consideration." Its hard to tell whether he's being sarcastic or honest as he holds up the pack and shakes it slightly in her direction. "I'm sure the contents will come in handy at some point."

Slipping the pack over his shoulder, he casts Neskadessa one last doubtful glance, quickly diverting his gaze when her eyes meet his. Reaching up to push a lock of silver hair out of his face, he begins moving along the rocky path ahead of him, booted feet picking their way carefully through the rubble.

[Saturnalia]

Kahlira

The sheep-i-corn seems quite trusting of Kah, and stays still through the ministrations, just peering at the woman with its big eyes. When Kah pulls out a trinket, it reaches forward with its delicate nose, nudging the bauble slightly and sniffing, but then turns again towards Kah's pack, sniffing the air and reaching its neck out towards the pack.

It flinches slightly as Kah binds one of the more painful wounds, but doesn't resist, and when the woman is done, it breathes out what seems to be a relief sigh, and then returns to sniffing purposefully towards the bag.

((Hee I'm glad you like it! Alas that my art skills are not better or I'd draw it, lol...))

[Saturnalia]

Ember

Vir tilts his head to the side, listening to Ember, a smile on his face as she finishes.

"Thank you. The other fairies won't bother you, at least; there's an agreement concerning humans. And hopefully that means they won't bother me if I'm with you." He laughs, but then looks a little sad. "This is what I get for falling in love with the wrong maiden," he sighs. "Her brothers... did not approve. I've heard that her father is a more reasonable man, but I've no hope of impressing him now since his sons took my gems." He broods for a few seconds, but then brightens.

"Ahh, Miniwyvs!" Fairies often keep the 'wyvs as mounts and companions, so this is, potentially, a fortuitous meeting indeed for Ember. "I've glimpsed some not far from here, so I think you're on the right track." At her blush, he pats her nearby thumb. "And not to worry; I've been known to ramble as well."

He peers down the path. "This track heads towards where I've seen wyvs, if I'm remembering correctly."

[Saturnalia]

Bunraku

Neska doesn't fully turn to watch Ranka go, but from under half-lidded eyes she marks his departure.

The path around Ranka is rocky, the soil a dusty red-brown. It's been tramped down here, close to the camp, but no doubt that will change farther out. All around, large, grey and white boulders lie strewn across the ground, some taller than the man, some just rocks at his feet. There isn't a huge quantity of steam yet, but enough to lend a bit of an eerie look here and there as it wafts through the air. The only plants are scrubbing and tough.

Before long, Ranka comes to a three-way fork in the path. The left-most one seems to head towards a higher concentration of steam, the middle continues on through a landscape similar to the one he's just passed through, and the right-most heads towards a higher concentration of large boulders.

[Bunraku]

Lifting his head as he comes to a fork in the path, Ranka pauses to consider his options. The rough terrain has been no challenge to him thus far, a strong, lightly muscled build allowing him to move easily around any obstructions on his path. Shaking his hair out of his eyes once again, he peers down the left-most path. Perhaps it makes little sense in view of his own safety, but the steam obscuring his line of sight draws his curiosity more than the landscape of the other two paths.

The long coat hanging loosely about his shoulders stirs slightly in the heat rising off of the rocks as he takes one last look towards the other paths, then turns to make his way down the left-most path, his tall form swallowed by the fog.

[Ember]

Vir's explanation is rather heartbreaking. "I don't think you can ever fall in love with the wrong person," Ember says, perhaps a little naively optimistic. "I have some little trinkets and a weird little giftbox I found, maybe those will help? Or we might find something even cooler!"

"Ohhh, really? Good, good, good! I may just see some, yet," she replies, grinning in excitement. "Onwards down this path, then!" Ember starts walking down the trail once again. She's careful not to let an excited bounce into her step for Vir's sake. So much bouncing probably wouldn't be too comfortable for him.

[Saturnalia]

Bunraku

Heat and humidity increase, the farther Ranka goes down the left-most path. Now and then, a vent in the ground is visible, spewing forth the steam, though the path skirts carefully around these vents. Even the ground seems to emit some heat.

It's hard to see much ahead, since the steamy mist is thick, and growing thicker. The path is only visible by the tramped-down texture, but it's getting crumblier, and threatens to vanish at any point. Sounds are also strangely muffled, but come to Ranka through the fog.

Finally, the path seems to disappear altogether, leaving Ranka on his own in the mist.

Though it's hard to tell for certain, there's a steady drip coming from somewhere to the left-- maybe? And a different sound, more of a roar, that possibily originates towards the right. And, of course, going straight is also an option.

[YourLoveOnly]

Name: Nona
Shot Description: Nona is a 5'5'' 21 year old girl with dark brown curly hair and brown eyes. She's very outgoing and not afraid to speak her mind. Usually she doesn't do many things all by herself, but she's a very curious person who loves to learn new things so she couldn't pass up a chance at this expedition, even if it intimidates her a bit.
Expedition: Shaydra's
Starting Pack Items: [blockquote]Rolled 6d10 : 3, 10, 6, 5, 7, 9, total 40[/blockquote]

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

Vir's eyes light up at the mention of trinkets. "You do? And... you'd be willing to part with one, maybe? Perhaps my love life won't be so hopeless after all," he laughs, cheered immensely. "If I managed to gain her father's blessing, Maevelia's brothers would have to leave me be." His eyes unfocus slightly for a few seconds as he contemplates a potential future with his lady love, then, he shakes his head and his eyes clear. "In return, of course, I'll do anything in my power to help you find and tame a Miniwyv!"

Though his wings seem shaky, Vir proves to have decent climbing skills, and manages to shimmy up Ember's arm to perch on her shoulder as they travel down the path. It's a pleasant temperature underneath the canopy, and sunlight streams down from the gap in the trees created by the stream.

A little farther down, the stream splits in two. The right fork is shallow enough to wade across, and the game trail continues on the far side of it, following the larger, left-most fork of the waterway. A smaller trail follows the right fork.

"Hmm," Vir muses. "I'll leave this decision up to you. I'll admit that I can't quite recall where precisely I was when I glimpsed the wyvs."

[Bunraku]

Silver brows furrow as Ranka moves through the mist, his sense of direction gradually fading as the fog seems to close in about him. He seems to have no sense of urgency concerning his current situation, however, and he glances about himself with interest, pausing only when the path ahead is completely obscured. He frowns, tilting his head slightly, the silver hair now slightly damp with mist clinging to his cheeks, the dense fog around his face tinted with a faint green incandescence due to the light that seems to emanate fourth from the back of his eyes.

Although sound is distant, muffled, a roar off to his right is partially responsible for his inability to hear clearly, yet his curiosity is drawn towards a soft, barely audible drip. Although he cannot quite distinguish where the sound is coming from, he peers through the mist in an attempt to locate the sound. To his left...perhaps... Shrugging, black wings stirring lightly against his shoulders, the feathers slightly uncomfortable in the heat, he begins walking in the direction of the drip, hoping he doesn't end up with his foot stuck at the bottom of a geiser along the way.

[Ember]

Ember laughs lightly at Vir's sudden enthusiasm. "That I do. I don't know if they're worth anything but you're welcome to have one if you think they'll be of use to you," she says cheerfully. She hopes it works out for him and Maevelia. She lives vicariously through others' romances given a lack of them in her own life.

As they reach another fork Ember listens to Vir admit he's not sure which one to take. "Well, I don't mind getting my feet wet, but miniwyvs are rather small, in comparison to a human anyway..." she trails off. "We'll go this way! We can always double back if we need to."

Ember takes them down the path with the smaller trail.

[Miniwyvs]

YLO

Shaydra, a large, black leopard cat-woman, is directing helpers around to different areas when Nona approaches. She smiles brightly, her feline tail flicking back and forth behind her. "Ahh! An adventurer! Perfect!"

She gestures to the mountains behind her. "There's a lot to be found out there, and we don't quite have the personnel to search it ourselves, so I'm glad for the help. Hope you brought your winter boots!" She, herself, is barefoot, but her cat-feet seem immune to the frosted ground of the base camp.

She hands Nona a pack. It contains: a full waterskin, some shiny trinkets, a pocket knife, a packet of crackers, strips of linen cloth, and some rope.

Shaydra directs Nona to a path heading up into the mountains. The dirt is hard-packed, and heads up towards the moutains at a slight incline. Gray slate stone and pine bushes stretch to either side.

[Miniwyvs]

Bunraku

Carefully navigating the fog is slow going, but worth it to avoid stepping in the wrong place. Slight hisses tend to warn of the steam vents, at least.

The mist seems darker up ahead, until Ranka draws close enough to see that there's a wall of rock. It's maybe twice the height of him, and, instead of the grey boulders he'd previously passed, the rock is a dark red-brown, veined with something metallic, resembling gold.

The face of the rock is damp, with droplets of condensed steam running down it. The dripping, however, comes from droplets falling from the arched edge of an opening in the rock. It appears to be a dark tunnel right into the stone, and there's a glow farther down inside the narrow cavern. It's hard to see what could be farther in, though, as more steam drifts around inside the chamber, and heat emanates from the mouth of the cave

From on top of the rocky wall, a steady bubbling sound can be heard. There doesn't seem to be a clear path up to the top, though, and the rock face is rather sheer.

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

Vir thanks Ember for the generosity. "Maybe, if we rest later, I'll peek through them and see if there's a suitable bauble," he says brightly.

At the fork, he agrees that the small trail seems a good choice. They travel down the narrow path, and up ahead, the musical sound of falling water can be heard. Approaching, the little stream seems to disappear, but upon closer inspection, the water vanishes over a tiny waterfall, into a rocky chasm. The echoing sound of moving water underground drifts up to their ears from outside the hole.

The chasm wouldn't quite be big enough for Ember to climb down into. Vir peers towards it, leaning over from Ember's shoulder to get a better vantage. "Perhaps, if my wings agree, I can take a look and see what's in there, if anything?"

[Ember]

Ember's little find of a mini waterfall has her excited, though a bit at a loss until she discovers that there's more to it. She looks into the chasm curiously, aware of Vir's interest in it as well. At his offer she hums thoughtfully.

"Well...if you're up to it, sure. Without you I wouldn't be able to see what's what in there anyway..." Ember trails off for a moment. "If you're able to and you think it's safe enough, go ahead."

[Miniwyvs]

Ember

Vir nods, and experimentally hops up in the air, fluttering his wings. They hold him aloft, though he perhaps is not as steady as he would normally be.

"My night vision is a bit lacking, so hopefully some light filters in."

He flutters to the rocks at the edge of the hole, next to where the water flows past. He peers in, some droplets from the spray of the gentle stream finding their way onto his hair.

"Well, in I go! I'll call out if I find anything."

With that, he disappears into the chasm, leaving Ember above-ground.