Forward Motion [Western Lycia]

[Siric of the Deep Howl]

All was quiet. The green fields were still. The trees failed to quiver. No supernatural fog enveloped the vibrant grasses, and the sun shone down quietly. It couldn't be futther from what six months ago had been like for him, but he stopped to pay respects to the past anyway. He always did something meaningful at the start of a journey. Mostly he recalled his purpose. There wasn't much of a focus this time though. Just go out and let people see who the wolves of Strayhaven were? That's all it seemed like some times. This time he had more burdening him down though.

"I miss you Kazane...." He said it to the wind, letting himself recall for a time. Only after the world merger and the catastrophe had he realized how much she had come to mean to him. He'd come to trust her completely, and despite questioning it, he knew he'd begun to love her before the end. He looked down at the ground as he allowed himself to mourn once more. It was a foolish idea, but he held onto the hope that she knew somehow. She said she could hear the winds. Perhaps, wherever she was, she would hear his sentiment.

And then it was time to put it behind him. He shook himself out, and secured his work knife into his belt, tightened the many straps on his gladiator style sandals, and looked ahead of him. He was leaving the lands of Strayhaven, heading into a land of Humani reportedly called Lycians.

Word said they were a mixed lot. Many viewed Strayhaven as some reincarnation of their pride and joy city, destroyed by war. Or volcanic eruptions. He'd heard both stories. Some of them wanted to take it for themselves. Others were more peaceable. These he could talk to.... Hopefully, not too much trouble would come around.

The black haired wolf dropped quickly to his hands and knees and shifted. A dark shroud seemed to form around him. A mist obscuring vision, but before it could clear, a large black pelted wolf with storm blue eyes burst out from the cloud.

He wasn't running even near full pace, but he reveled in the simple glory of freedom. Ahead of him, the great wolf was cresting a hill. He slowed near the top of it, spotting a road which used to lead somewhere. It still did. Presumably, at the other end of the road would be a town or city, and that would be the sort of place he needed to go.

Ignoring the road's presence, he continued bounding along the path of the road, about thirty paces to the side.

[Dahlia]

It had been six months since this all began, since the combination of Belorath and Elibe. This was of great interest to her, an entire extra land. Full of people and information that didn't exist in her homeland, she put her search for the fire emblem on hold to explore this land. She was just about to get some mercenaries for her expedition into the mountains, but instead she put that money into exploring these new lands. She was one of the people who helped put together the new map of this land, but she wasn't absolutely sure on it's authenticity. Still this land was fascinating, she's already found a recipe for something the humani of this land call 'hot chocolate' that is absolutely delicious. Put some blood in that and you have a nice drink.

The weirdest part of this land wasn't it's lack of races besides Humani, or it's odd social structure, or even it's over abundance of brigands, it was the construction. Not the physical, but the metaphysical. It... lacked a spirit world. When she tried to tap into it, she felt... nothing. Not the kind of nothing that meant nothing was there, it was a strange nothing. It tried to devour everything about it, cause everything to be as empty and soulless as it. This was, as local shamans call it, 'the void'. It was so unfamiliar and alien to her. She could somehow use it, just as she used dark magic of her home. When the worlds combined, their underlying worlds combined as well. She could feel the spirit world, even here in the place they called Lycia.

There was a dirt road in front of her, but she had spent most of the last week or so in the forests looking at the strange plants of this region and seeing if they were useful in alchemy. They were in the western areas of Lycia. 'New Ostia', they were calling it. It was Strayhaven, but the people of Elibe were taking it strangely.

"I do hope you realize the road is over here." She called to the confused beastman who was travelling off road, but not significantly enough to really justify it. It was more like he was simply being defiant, or was too preoccupied to realize. Or he was crazy, her experience with the bestial tribes clued her into the fact that they can be quite eccentric. Still it was a bit of a relief to see someone obviously from Belorath in this strange place. Perhaps she could speak to him, share information.

[Siric of the Deep Howl]

Siric kept his senses tuned to the road, and up the path as he trotted moved along. He took comfort in the fact that the plants were just as life filled here as before the merge. He missed the ocean though. Before, Strayhaven had had one of the most beautiful views in all of Belorath. His tribe had often settled near the entrance to Strayhaven's vale, and lookibg back into the lands had been enchanting. Golden red mountains, running down into miles of trees over rolling hills led into open plains and rough rocks. Finally to the north, the western sunset had reflected off of the northern ocean. He had found nothing to rival it in either world. Of course, there were still many places to explore before he could name it the most beautiful.

At least the lizards would find Strayhaven more agreeable now. They seemed to have moved considerably far to the south in the merge. He wondered about the future as well. Would the tribes hold together without the mountain vale to contain them? Or would they wander away over the years. This was a time of great change in more than only worlds and maps. Also in people.

He let himself get so lost in thought that he didn't even notice the young woman by the side of the road until she spoke up, his ears gave a rapid twitch and his hackles spiked a bit before he relaxed as she didn't make any agressive movements. He paused and turned as he fixed her with navy colored stare, still in wolf form. He gave away no particular feeling, other than a small interest. There really wasn't anything to give away except for curiosity. He slowly padded closer in an arc, sitting down on his haunches next to her before shifting back to human form. As the black mists which enshrouded his transformation dissipated, he could be seen casually leaning back and sitting down.

He looked as comfortable as a human would on a sofa or lounge chair, one leg extended, one arm casually draped over the knee of the other leg which was pulled up closer to him. He was silent for only a moment as he looked over at her, a playful grin dancing across his lips.

"You always travel on the road?" His voice was quiet and smooth, deep without being low, and seemed to have an undercurrent of mischief and amusement lacing it. The fact that he hadn't seen her till a moment ago was either of no import to him, or forgotten.

[Dahlia]

"Of course not. Only a fool always follows a path laid out by another. Then again only a fool ignores the paths created by others." She grinned a toothy grin as she spoke the seemingly contradictory statement. He transformed from his bestial form right in front of her, sitting on the earth like it was to most comfortable chair in the world. She responded by putting her long clothed arm on her hip, looking down at him with an amused expression. Her robe draping down over her bent arm, slightly swaying in the breeze.

"Still, to travel so close and to ignore it seems a bit pointless. If you're going off road, might as well commit to it. From here you simply look stubborn." She added with a small scoff. "I assume you're from Strayhaven. Or are they calling it New Ostia these days?" In a way she was going where she wanted to all along, only this time it was halfway across the continent in the middle of some other land randomly. She arced her head, looking around at the land near her. "I must say, I'm a bit disappointed." She frowned slightly as she took in her surroundings. "I had always dreamed of traveling to Strayhaven, but I must say it's not nearly as impressive as I imagined it would be." She let out a small laugh. "I regret not doing it before this all happened."

[Siric of the Deep Howl]

"So then, are we all fools, or are none of us fools? For wherever a pat is, there was a fool ignoring the paths of others so that others may follow his path in the future...." Siric paused, tilting his head back in thought for a moment as he seemed to further evaluate what he'd just said.

"Personally, I'd rather go my own way. At least then, I have the benefit of learning from experience, stubborn or not." He smiled, satisfied enough with his answer to move on.

"Well, I'm certainly not calling it New Ostia. Neither should anyone else. That's not what it is." Siric looked up at the woman his eyes noticing the pale skin hidden in the shadows of her hood. it was noticeably paler than his own. He made a note of that fact, tucking it away as he continued.

"It's wandered far from the ocean, but you have not yet reached the city itself.... Hmm... Nor will you, I think. Not without great risk, at any rate. The tribes of Strayhaven are not particularly fond of visitors at the moment. I can't say I blame them, with the reaction some of the Lycians have been giving them... us...."

Somewhere in his travels in the previous months, he seemed to have developed a sense of identity separate from Strayhaven. Curious.

"It's a shame you didn't come sooner, while the city was still open, This entire area once smelled of the cool fresh salt breeze blowing in from the Northern Ocean, and the sunset shining off it's mountains and waters would have denounced any painter trying to capture its glory."

He looked her over again, pushing himself up and dusting his hands off together, his tail twitched lightly behind him, hidden under fragments of his coat fluttering around his legs.

"My name is Siric, of the Deep Howl. I'm also of Strayhaven." He grinned a greeting, interested in what sort of person may have found their way here.

"Would you tell me how you call yourself? And perhaps your purpose here?"

[Dahlia]

"We are all fools, obviously." She laughed. "I have never met a man, woman, or child that wasn't foolish in some way. Myself included. Then again if we knew everything we wouldn't be men, we would be gods." She covered her mouth and laughed lightly. "Going your own way is a good answer however. I'm impressed sir. Still one who doesn't learn from another's experiences is doomed to do nothing but make mistakes." She looked at the stretch of dirt that lead onward, to some city or town. It didn't matter. "Roads are made to outline the safest path, that has proven it works." She said absentmindedly, looking into the distance. "Still just because it's the safest, it doesn't make it the only one. Or even the best one." She was obviously talking about more then just a road, even if the shape of her words implied that's all it was.

"Ah, just a term coined by the hopefuls of Lycia then. I'm not well versed in their history, but it appears a great tragedy befell the land where Strayhaven now rests. It's hard to blame them, despite how awry they may be." She shrugged, turning her gaze back at the wolfish man. Even in his more humani like form, he still retained many qualities of the beast his tribe represented. It wasn't just the ears and tail like a novice would notice. The night black hair, the sharp eyes, the pointed canines, the build, it was all very feral and wolf like.

"Still it's a disappointment. To get all this way and be turned away at the gates. It's nice to see they're acclimating well." It was unclear if she was being sarcastic or not, but knowing Dahlia she probably was. "I had wanted to come sooner, truth be told I was in the midst of mounting an expedition there just before the calamity. A missed opportunity I'm afraid, destined to float along the sea of 'what if'."

"My name is Dahlia Gold. I'm a researcher, I suppose you could also say adventurer. I've been traveling these lands the last few months, to learn about the differences between our two lands. It's a pleasure Siric."

[Siric of the Deep Howl]

The discussion on roads and paths and ways of life quickly left the black wolf... disinterested, for lack of a better word. She was shrewd, clever, and sharp, but he'd never been interested in making mastery of the mind, or pen his forte. It was useful to him as far as it was useful/ This was a long way when there was a particular goal involved. There wasn't one here.

He appeared noncommittal as she brought up her disappointment in having Strayhaven closed to her. He was one that could get her inside, but it would be irresponsible for him to do so without being certain she harbored no ill will towards his people. Especially in this time and place. When she referenced the "sea of what if", he grew melancholy. Silent. It was only a momentary slip, and he quickly put it behind him. By the time she finished speaking, he was already back to his usual attentive self, though perhaps a little less energtic than he had been a moment ago.

"An adventurer. And a knowledge seeker besides. This I can approve of. Seeing and experiencing new things is one of the ways we can best come to an understanding with our world and its realities." An ear flicked off in the direction of the nearby trees suddenly as he heard branches quietly scraping together further in. "Plus, I like traveling. It keeps me young and fit. was just setting out on a journey now, actually. I was going to cross through Lycia before heading.... I don't know.... Probably towards Yunita Forest...." He trailed off for a moment after finishing, then suddenly returned to the moment life sparking back into his eyes as he posed Dahlia a question.

"Where is Yunita now, anyway?"

[Dahlia]

His rather awkward silence to her rhetoric showed his disinterest in it, and while it did not phase her, she could not deny that it left her disappointed. He seemed suitably sharp minded before, but it was silly to assume he'd jump into discourse with her. It was a pity, but not a sin. She surely found many things he enjoyed dreadfully dull if she had the time to learn them, unlikely as that may be. She swallowed it with a shrug, closing her crimson eyes and ending it with a small laugh. Looks like she'll have to keep searching, this man was no scholar. Though, to be honest, many of the scholars she's met were only so in name alone.

He stood there, stoic as she spoke about her desire to enter what was undoubtedly his home. As such, there was a very real chance that if he so desired he could allow her access as a 'friend', the problem obviously being that she had given no reason to be thought as such. Nor was she particularly keen on the idea of going out of her way to create such an image for herself. Where the Flamespire lays, it is unlikely it is here. The area crammed into this mountainous range was rather small and it would be likely that the sudden shift in climate due to the spire's magic would make it easy to pinpoint in such a small area.

She was simply interested in entering for purely personal reasons, it was unlikely they had much in terms of useful information. Beastmen were by no means unintelligent, but their talents lie more in the realm of clever actions then academic pursuit. They're nation was young, and any new studies would likely be in the infant stage, and unlikely to provoke new information. Maybe in the future, a different point of view then the average could discover incredible new things, but for now it was more so to sate her own curiosities.

Oh look at that, while she was contemplating her navel he had spoken up finally. It was about time, he had stood there so silently she was thinking about speaking louder. "Yunita is now to the east. It's to the south of that Elibe grassland called Sacae. I have a map if you wish to see it."

[Siric of the Deep Howl]

Siric noticed that the woman seemed a bit put off about something. It faded by the time he finished speaking though. He was curious about her. Was she confident enough to travel on her own in these lands? Or the others? She had a map though, apparently. So did he, but he wasn't sure it could be trusted anymore. Neither had he picked out a more specific destination than into Lycia yet.

"I have a map as well, but I don't know if it can be believed. I would appreciate getting a look at yours, if you think it reliable." He paused for a bit, then continued.

"Perhaps we can talk about this expedition you were planning.... Why Strayhaven?" He looked at her quizically. He knew that Strayhaven in and of itself would be worth sending an expedition into, with its ruins, but he doubted the outside world realized that. Otherwise they would have been hearing from explorers all these many years.

[Dahlia]

"Well, while I cannot vouch for the full integrity of this map, I can say by experience that Yunita is exactly where it claims to be. I have been there since the split, and my traveling and self made maps were put into consideration when the cartographer's guild put this together. Of course I haven't been across the entire new continent yet, but I plan to some day." She hummed in a pleasant tune as she rolled the map up and stowed it back into her things. "So if Yunita is your goal, east is your direction." She was sure a beastman had a much better sense of direction then her, or else she'd tell him to follow the rising sun. Or use a compass, she had a magic one that doubled as other things but she doubted he'd need it's use like she did at times.

He then asked her an interesting question. Interesting as she enjoyed the question, not so much as the question itself being out of place. "Why Strayhaven?" She cocked a brow, putting a gloved hand on her chin in mocked thought. She already knew her answer, but she didn't want to sound to readily available with it. Letting out a small hum of though, she grinned. "Well, why not Strayhaven? Strayhaven is a new land, full of interesting people. It's unlike anything this land or the other has seen. It's full of questions, mysteries." She began her speech, gesturing lightly as she spoke.

"It is in these places that new ideas can be found, a different look, a different perspective. People who think differently because of the newly developing society, things that may seem strange to the rest of the world become complete normal. Things others scoff at are interesting topics for discussion. It's culture is still developing, a combination of the many tribes that inhabit it, each with their own rules and traditions." The people were truly interesting, beastmen didn't think like normal men because of their primal nature. As insulting as that may sound, it wasn't a bad thing, it was an incredible thing they should be proud of. It was these difference that made the fact that they may come up with some idea they have all been missing all the more likely.

"The land itself is incredibly unsurveyed by any eyes but the men who live there, who knows what kinds of ruins and structure hide in its virgin depths? It is truly one of the last untouched lands in all of Belorath, and any scholar worth their salt aught to be interested. This may be where the next discovery that revolutionizes the world may be made, and if not it's still an incredibly interesting place that merits at least a visit." Was that enough? Too much? It was all true, and she believed every word she said. The fact it was also by the Flamespire's original location was just the perfect topping.

She ended it all with a laugh. "I guess you can call it a woman's curiosity." She smiled. "I'll come back some other day, Strayhaven isn't going anywhere and goodness knows what other incredible discoveries lies in the other world." She punctuated it all with a shrug. "Not like I can get in anyway."

[Siric of the Deep Howl]

The black wolf smiled as he listened was impressed. Apparently there was a guild somewhere making maps. That was an important responsibility, and to have one's own map used in such an undertaking as mapping a continent was not something to be taken likely. He took more interest in her answer about Strayhaven though.

He smiled in amusement as he listened. It was startling how accurate she was about the presence of ruins in the lands the wolves had claimed, though he doubted she knew the specifics. Some of her words relegated his people to little more than ignorant primitives developing their way of life. This wasn't the most pleasing to hear, but he held his annoyance in check. He could see how it could look like that from the outside . She was even right in a sense. Strayhaven was new, and it was succeeding where other, smaller attempts to unify had failed in the past. This was different though. Cid was making great efforts to work with the other leaders, rather than simply dictating to them.

"I would hardly consider curiosity of Strayhaven limited to women. It's good to know that the outside world's academia holds us in such high regards though." He gave a charming smile, revealing his fangs as he spoke.

"I hope you do come back someday. Strayhaven is not against outsiders, though that may change depending on the actions of the locals. To think. We had Calirce and its army's removed from us, only to have to deal with these Lycians." He put a hand on his chin for a moment, shaking his head in thought before letting his hand drop back to his side. She still hadn't let him see her map. He could be patient though. Or just bring it up again, if she'd forgotten.

"Well, Dahlia, you've been of some help to me. Sharing your knowledge of the world shaved at least a day or two off of my travels. Perhaps more. Maybe I can do something in return?" He shuffled his feet for a moment, and fiddled with the length of cloth wrapped around his middle as a belt.

"If you're traveling back across Lycia, I could offer you protection and company. Although I'm not certain whether traveling with a wolf would serve you well here, to be honest." He frowned, remembering that Strayhaven and its people were threatened, even if it was an as yet undefined threat which dogged them. For now, Strayhaven's hunters would turn back any incursions into its space though. He doubted these Lycians would serve much better against their hunt packs than the Calircian army had.

[Dahlia]

She shrugged. "I can't speak for the world's academia. As far as I know they're all too busy bickering about something stupid to actually care about potential discoveries in the world. I try to distance myself from them, though I will not lie when I say I follow their research closely." Began to rifle through he things, searching for something. Perhaps one would say it was foolish to show weakness to another person they've barely met and simply began to talk to on the road, personally she thinks that as well. She was prepared though, for the possibility that he might be some sort of bandit out to get her. If he was this was all a very elaborate ruse and honestly she was impressed.

From the recesses of her personal affects, she produced a rolled up parchment, holding it out in the air for the man to take. "This is the map." She handed it to him, before stretching. Her lithe, frail looking body shifting underneath the many layers of clothing that painted her entire flesh. It was hard to tell just how large she was, the bagginess of the robes made her appear bigger then she really was, and she didn't have much of a physical presence to begin with. She was always physically weak, something that has both cursed and blessed her. He lack of strength strove her to improve her mind, and her mind was as sharp as they come. Thinking quickly, and full of more knowledge then an encyclopedia. Maybe this was why she thirsted for knowing the unknown so fiercely, but she doubted it was that simple. Knowledge for its own sake is worthless.

"I may, I may not be able to get in today but it's still a fascinating place. I would love to come back some time, perhaps when they're a bit more friendly. For now there's many places in this land called Elibe that are worth study. A whole other world opens countless possibilities." She looked out into the distance for a moment, perhaps one last look at the land denied of her, or perhaps towards a new path forward. "I'm more then happy to share my knowledge. What good is information if no one knows it?" She said offhandedly, her distant gaze slowly returning to the wolfish man.

"I am capable of protecting my self, so you needn't worry about that. I would however appreciate the company. Even one such as I yearns for a good conversation now and again." When she said she didn't need protection, she wondered what he thought. Maybe he'd think it was nothing more then foolish self-pride, or maybe he believed her. Some men simply believed that she could never fend for her self, some men had a powerful desire to do nothing else but to protect people they feel weak. She wondered if this man was one of them.

[Siric of the Deep Howl]

Siric quirked a smiled at the thought of all of the world's mages and scholars arguing back and forth about their problem, while a few others went out and actually opened their eyes to the world. He was reasonably certain that the mages she spoke of would not appreciate her view on the matter though.

"The world merge, no doubt." He said, his voice light as he took the map and began to inspect it. He'd only had a basic knowledge of the locations before. Now everything looked scrambled. There were a few differences from his map. Not enough to cause him problems navigating the land around here, but there were at least two more mountain ranges in the north than he had marked down. It was interesting to study.

"Here is your map back." He said quietly, passing it back towards her with a swish of his tail. She'd said she could defend herself ably enough, despite the fact that she looked as thin as a reed. He studied her out a bit more in depth, and took a step back. Pale skin, not muscled. She fit the profile for a mage wonderfully well. Granted, not all mages had been inclined towards that stereotype. He'd known at least one which had not....

"As you say." If she thought she could protect herself, then he wasn't going to challenge that. He would keep watch though. He sensed no ill will coming from the woman, which set him at ease, but that didn't mean there might not be dangers around them. Particularly in the region surrounding Ostia.

"Well, the sun is still high. If we're going to be traveling together, we should probably get a few hours of progress before settling in for a lunch, eh?" He paused, looking sidelong at her amusedly.

"If you'd like, we can even use the road."