Prelude - The Pit: Ashes and Cinder
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Re: Prelude - The Pit: Ashes and Cinder
Vren seems to be content with that explanation, or perhaps just with having changed the topic.
She waits for the four kids to pick up their share, until she also takes some of the hard bread. But there seems to be something troubling her, the longer she has time to think about it, the clearer it shows.
Only after the kids have run off again, Vren speaks up.
"Listen. We got to talk. " There is some tension in her voice. She glances over to the playing kids, as if to make sure they're out of earshot, then focuses on Ellsbeth again.
"Nessa. You saw her hands?" Indeed, if Ellsbeth has been paying attention to those details, the girl's fingernails were blueish-black, and not just from dirt or bruises like one might first think. Also, the veins running from the back of her hand to the wrist are darker and more prominent than they should be, almost like black tendrils conjoined with the child's skin, under all that grime and dirt.
"It's the taint. "
Vren stares at the older woman, challenging her to meet her eyes. She's half expecting, half fearing a negative reaction, and bracing herself for that, but her stance makes it clear that she's ready to defend Nessa. She offers no further explanation. For her, it's obvious what the taint is and that it will be met with suspicion, fear, or hate by many people. So she waits for an reaction, just letting those three words sink in.
She waits for the four kids to pick up their share, until she also takes some of the hard bread. But there seems to be something troubling her, the longer she has time to think about it, the clearer it shows.
Only after the kids have run off again, Vren speaks up.
"Listen. We got to talk. " There is some tension in her voice. She glances over to the playing kids, as if to make sure they're out of earshot, then focuses on Ellsbeth again.
"Nessa. You saw her hands?" Indeed, if Ellsbeth has been paying attention to those details, the girl's fingernails were blueish-black, and not just from dirt or bruises like one might first think. Also, the veins running from the back of her hand to the wrist are darker and more prominent than they should be, almost like black tendrils conjoined with the child's skin, under all that grime and dirt.
"It's the taint. "
Vren stares at the older woman, challenging her to meet her eyes. She's half expecting, half fearing a negative reaction, and bracing herself for that, but her stance makes it clear that she's ready to defend Nessa. She offers no further explanation. For her, it's obvious what the taint is and that it will be met with suspicion, fear, or hate by many people. So she waits for an reaction, just letting those three words sink in.
- Vardaen
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Re: Prelude - The Pit: Ashes and Cinder
Nessa and the kids are out chomping away on the bread laughing and playing in the grass, even little Jak seems a bit more happy than normal. Tomorrow you should reach Falcon's Hollow, a good things since you are about out of food.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
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Re: Prelude - The Pit: Ashes and Cinder
As the group walks on throughout the day Ellsbeth continues to get to know her new friends. "I do not know what can be done for Nessa. Has she shown any other signs besides the physical ones?".
The afternoon wanes and Ellsbeth soon calls a halt to the day's journey. She begins a small fire and checks on the children's wounds as well as her own. Dusk is an eerie time, reminding the group of the area surrounding the great pit. So the paladin attempts to draw the children's attention, by reciting Junil's prayer as she prepares the youth's for bed. Then she opens her bedroll and gives up her blanket, expecting them to share as she takes up a position to guard the others near the fire...
The afternoon wanes and Ellsbeth soon calls a halt to the day's journey. She begins a small fire and checks on the children's wounds as well as her own. Dusk is an eerie time, reminding the group of the area surrounding the great pit. So the paladin attempts to draw the children's attention, by reciting Junil's prayer as she prepares the youth's for bed. Then she opens her bedroll and gives up her blanket, expecting them to share as she takes up a position to guard the others near the fire...
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Re: Prelude - The Pit: Ashes and Cinder
Vren is not sure what to make of this reaction, or better the lack thereof.
"She's done no wrong, if that's what you mean. But people will blame her... they always do. " Vren shrugs, remembering the numerous quarrels and clashes that Nessa's presence had caused. She can't believe that Ellsbeth doesn't seem to share the common aversion against the taint, or even acknowledge the problem, which is awfully obvious to her. So she maintains her somewhat aggressive defensiveness, trying to find out if Ellsbeth honestly doesn't see the point, or is playing the fool for some reason.
"Right after Nessa and Gunner - they're twins - were born, their own father wanted to abandon her, saying 'that demon-spawn' had cursed his son, drained his life-force... 't was just their mother's soft heart that saved her from being left in the ruins to die. And it's been like that, ever since... people don't want the tainted ones around. They say their blood calls out to the demons, their touch makes folks fall ill, brings bad luck... so.. will Falcon's Hollow even welcome her? "
The black-haired girl crinkles her nose, with all the defiant arrogance of youth.
"'Cos if the don't, they can go hang for all I care... bath or not. "
"She's done no wrong, if that's what you mean. But people will blame her... they always do. " Vren shrugs, remembering the numerous quarrels and clashes that Nessa's presence had caused. She can't believe that Ellsbeth doesn't seem to share the common aversion against the taint, or even acknowledge the problem, which is awfully obvious to her. So she maintains her somewhat aggressive defensiveness, trying to find out if Ellsbeth honestly doesn't see the point, or is playing the fool for some reason.
"Right after Nessa and Gunner - they're twins - were born, their own father wanted to abandon her, saying 'that demon-spawn' had cursed his son, drained his life-force... 't was just their mother's soft heart that saved her from being left in the ruins to die. And it's been like that, ever since... people don't want the tainted ones around. They say their blood calls out to the demons, their touch makes folks fall ill, brings bad luck... so.. will Falcon's Hollow even welcome her? "
The black-haired girl crinkles her nose, with all the defiant arrogance of youth.
"'Cos if the don't, they can go hang for all I care... bath or not. "
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Re: Prelude - The Pit: Ashes and Cinder
Ellsbeth has seen a few people bearing the marks of the taint and knows that they were hunted down by vigilante's in and around Peptine. The mobs of misunderstanding men and women blaming every catastrophy that came along on the unfortunate souls. However, she also knows that very few ever manifest truly to become evil. Of course few get the chance...
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Re: Prelude - The Pit: Ashes and Cinder
Vren leaves the matter of the taint at that. She's not reassured at all by Ellbeth's thoughtful silence, but has made it clear that she will protect Nessa, so what else is there to be said. As for Falcon's Hollow, she decides to hope for the best, and prepare for the worst.
In the evening...
When Ellsbeth sets up camp, Vren sets out to do some foraging, She's used to this, that's how the kids got their food back in the ruins, hunting small animals with the bow, catching lizards, setting up slings, digging out roots and tracking down rats' nests in the ruins. But the environment here is quite different, so a lot of her old tricks don't work and she is forced to adjust those tactics to the new conditions.
Coming back, she is a bit grumpy, because of the meager successes.
When the kids go to sleep, she joins Ellsbeth at the fire, wrapping her own blanket round her shoulders.
In the evening...
When Ellsbeth sets up camp, Vren sets out to do some foraging, She's used to this, that's how the kids got their food back in the ruins, hunting small animals with the bow, catching lizards, setting up slings, digging out roots and tracking down rats' nests in the ruins. But the environment here is quite different, so a lot of her old tricks don't work and she is forced to adjust those tactics to the new conditions.
Coming back, she is a bit grumpy, because of the meager successes.
When the kids go to sleep, she joins Ellsbeth at the fire, wrapping her own blanket round her shoulders.
- Vardaen
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Re: Prelude - The Pit: Ashes and Cinder
There is a sudden rumbling under the ground not too far away from camp, perhaps thirty yards or so, fairly close to where the kids are playing. The ground rumbles and then there is a burst of water high into the air. Jak screams in terror at the sight of the gyser. The super heated water blasts into the air and comes showing down on the kids who all take up the screams as they come running back toward the camp!
This whole area is home to strange geothermal activites, and up until now the small group has managed, by the luck of Junil, to simply avoid the various mud pits and gysers. By the grace of Junil you have managed to not fall into one of the hidden mud pits or discover the gysers in the most dangerous manner. Now however you are more than aware of the situation of where you are camping!
This whole area is home to strange geothermal activites, and up until now the small group has managed, by the luck of Junil, to simply avoid the various mud pits and gysers. By the grace of Junil you have managed to not fall into one of the hidden mud pits or discover the gysers in the most dangerous manner. Now however you are more than aware of the situation of where you are camping!
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
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Re: Prelude - The Pit: Ashes and Cinder
Vren is up is a moment, sword in her hand, ready to fight or flee.
It takes her a moment to realize that the water blasting up in the air seems to be a natural phenomenon.
When she's sure it doesn't come any closer, and they are in relative safety for the moment, she checks on the kids. Tension turning into relief, Jak gets a friendly nudge on his head.
"Now don't get careless. Stay close, you hear?"
She looks from Jak, to Griet, Gunner and finally Nessa, to make sure they're paying attention.
"That still holds true when we reach Falcon's Hollow. Especially then. "
Vren is still uneasy about how they - Nessa in particular - will be received there, and if the happy ending they are hoping for isn't yet another delusion.
It takes her a moment to realize that the water blasting up in the air seems to be a natural phenomenon.
When she's sure it doesn't come any closer, and they are in relative safety for the moment, she checks on the kids. Tension turning into relief, Jak gets a friendly nudge on his head.
"Now don't get careless. Stay close, you hear?"
She looks from Jak, to Griet, Gunner and finally Nessa, to make sure they're paying attention.
"That still holds true when we reach Falcon's Hollow. Especially then. "
Vren is still uneasy about how they - Nessa in particular - will be received there, and if the happy ending they are hoping for isn't yet another delusion.
- Vardaen
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Re: Prelude - The Pit: Ashes and Cinder
Nessa and Gunner linger near the fire as well but get up from time to time to look around poke and nudging one another both annoyingly and playfully as siblings do. Greit remains at the fire after the discovery of the gyser, silent, she eats and drinks and helps get Jak laying down and then curls up and falls asleep as well.
The sky is dark tonight, and cold, but the warm springs and mudpots in the area make this camp site ideal, even with the frost that will cover the ground come morning.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
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