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Post by Midori on Apr 19, 2017 20:15:21 GMT -6
The group walked until they reached the stream.
"We were trouble makers growing up. And sort of still trouble makers now. Although.. I guess were.. just trouble makers to our families. Heck.. Gar you probably would have fit right in with our childhood ragtag bunch." Skai grinned. He had fond memories of childhood. The group consisted of six children. Himself, Midori, Azi, Skai's little sister Raine, and the twins.
"Shame time how time forces us to age.. pretty soon I'm going to have to be chasing my own kids off of sacred monuments." Skai sighed. He had two kids already with Azi. One that was three and another that was a year old. He was already having some trouble chasing after the three-year-old.
"Skai's the proud parent of two little boys." Midori chimed in as she petted Ashes on the head. The healer pulled from one of her saddlebags a small straw matt. She put the mat on the floor and took a seat on it. The mat kept her clothes from hitting the ground. She took off her sandals and dipped her feet in the water.
"Less than reputable huh.." Skai smirked. And Midori sighed. She knew what he was thinking. The village was known for having a certain district within its borders. A place where men can buy nights with women and drinks galore. A place where bastards are born. Many of the fighters among the Chaklai ranks were offspring of those women who worked the district. The Chaklai did their best to incorporate those children into society although they bear their own stigma. She had seen that stigma in the various clinics and medical tents that they had dotted around the borders between the main village and the red light district.
"We've a few places like that dotted around our borders. Biggest one is in the east." Skai spoke.
"The east end.. is known as the red light district. That's our less then reputable area." Midori shook her head slightly.
"Although I really shouldn't call it that. It's a series of like.. four buildings and some caravans that.. are used for entertainment." Midori was delicate with her words.
"It's pretty much the cat houses of this area." Skai shrugged.
"Skai!"
"What? It's what they are."
Midori rolled her eyes.
"It's more than that you jerk. Many of them work the fields during the day. And fight to defend our village. It is not their fault that they are forced into working the nightlife." Midori sighed.
"The people there aren't looked too highly to the rest of the village though. Which is terrible. There are some really nice people living and working there." Midori looked down sadly. She knew what it felt to be stigmatized. To be hated or cursed without ever being known.
"They've got their own medical building to which the healers work out of." Skai chimed in, just in case if Gar got any wrong ideas.
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Post by Gar on May 6, 2017 7:19:48 GMT -6
The noises from the stream were quite relaxing. The scenery in Sacae was altogether, peaceful. It was clear how a group such as the Chaklai had developed here. Gar nodded with a smile to hear that Skai was raising two boys of his own. "Nice place to raise a family." Gar realized that may have come off snarky but he had not intended that to be so. He had grown up at sea, choppy waves, storms and all, but he wouldn't trade that for anything.
As the conversation changed to speak of the area's red light district, Gar turned a little red himself. He had not frequented the area himself but he knew that area like that were certainly favorites among sailors and pirates. Gar had to imagine that there was an assumption that he had been. Gar tried to deflect before any assumptions got out of hand. "Red light district? Never heard of it." Gar sighed internally. Way to go. That was so believable. Gar shook his head at himself as Skai and Midori continued to speak of the merits of the people who worked there.
It was strange how defensive the healer got. Maybe she worked there herself. That mistake was soon clarified by Skai. Gar smirked and turned to Midori. "So you do work in the red light district." Gar let that linger for a second before finishing his thought. "Hahar. Only, as a healer." It was too easy of a joke to not make it.
"You know, that reminds me of a captain I once had. He got put out of commission in one of those areas. Its a long story about a woman called wyvern and a lack of riding experience." Gar chuckled thinking about it. He had tuned down the story slightly for the present company. It was still a little raunchy though, hopefully it wasn't too much so.
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Post by Midori on May 27, 2017 8:37:16 GMT -6
"Yeah. It's a really nice place." Midori smiled softly at the sight.
"Midori is a priestess. She wouldn't sully her title working in red light district." Skai was quick to quip. To which the pink haired priestess sighed at. She was used to Skai or Lady Lucy answering these questions for her. But, she really wanted to answer it herself. It's true she hadn't worked in the district but she had met and helped more than enough people in it. Lady Lucy had warned her about associating with that kind of people. But, she really couldn't turn them away. They were Chaklai as much as she was. And the children jumped, laughed, and played like all other kids within their tribe.
"Mostly it's the senior members of the clergy who do the rounds at the red's clinic." She spoke. Before pulling herself up and dusting herself off.
"Our tribe's come a long way. We've had some good relations with our Bernese neighbors. Our trade with them has been good. They trade us lumber and raw goods and we trade back ore, textiles, and tea. None of this would be possible without their support." Skai spoke as he gently grabbed Ashes's reigns.
"We're not fully liked by our other neighbors though. Many other Sacean tribes out there have a stigma against accepting help from outsiders. Even if it's mutually beneficial." Midori shook her head slightly. She slipped her feet back into her shoes and picked up the mat she sat on.
"It's.. a shame... that the very same behavior that prevents us from being neighborly to our sister tribes.. is seen in our own tribe to it's other.. less fortunate members." Midori was indirectly directing that comment at Skai. She spoke as she sort of aggressively shook her seat mat clean. Then rolled it up and returned it to Ashes' saddle back. The sky haired rider seemed to pick up on it and looked up.
"We should keep moving. The skies look like they.. are getting ready.. to do.. something." He spoke in a poor attempt to change the conversation. Midori grabbed the reigns from Skai's hands. And quickly pulled herself back up on Ashes' saddle.
"Right. To the small cave in the hills." She spoke and guided them out towards the specific hill where they knew there was a hollowed out cave in the earth. Midori calmed down enough to return to Gar's prior comment. She didn't fully understand the context. Actually, she probably did but was a little too miffed at Skai's behavior to remember the second half of the bit.
"A woman called Wyvern?" She asked with a slightly puzzled expression. The three of them arrived at the hillside with the cave. The cave itself was nothing special. It didn't go into hill very deep. And now that Midori took a look at it and had a suspicion it wasn't made naturally. The cave looked like a chunk of the earth was scooped out of it with a spoon. Possibly someone long ago used some sort of earth magic to make a temporary shelter within the earth? The walls were laced with various stones in a similar pattern to the village fence. But, this one was covered in more moss and vegetation. Either way, this was the cave mentioned in the map. The only one in the vicinity that they knew of and the Chaklai used it as a sort of storage. There were various chests inside. Some had farming tools, pickaxes, and tarp. As well as a weird palm sized hole on the farthest end that led deeper into the earth.
"Hmm.. I don't see any sign of where to go from here.. did the map say anything more?"
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Post by Gar on May 30, 2017 15:33:13 GMT -6
Gar picked up on some sort of tension between the group. He stood up from his seated position and dusted himself off. He had seen worse arrangements with neighbors so he was inclined to agree. "So long as no ones getting hurt in the arrangement I got no place to judge." That was his way of saying the people on the isles have never been what one might call neighborly. Skai made a comment about the skies to get them moving again. Gar took the hint and began walking toward the spot in the hillside.
As they grew closer to the destination Midori asked for a clarification. Gar decided it was probably best to drop the comment instead of going further in depth. This was a more refined crowd than he was used to. "Eh, the moment has passed. Wasn't too important." Perhaps he had spent a little too much time with sailors and forgotten that some people don't appreciate their type of humor.
Once the group stopped at the entrance of the cave, Gar felt a wave of goosebumps crawl up his arm. The sight of it briefly took him back. He recalled trudging through the mineshafts, day after day, working until his very bones were sore. Gar shook his shoulders in an attempt to drop the feeling. He reminded himself that he had gotten out of that miserable place. But he still knew some people were stuck there, wielding pickaxes and pushing carts full of ore daily. People who were still stuck under Bullring's thumb.
In a sense that was why he was here. Rumor had it that there was a magical weapon that could rewind time. This would certainly create a strong person, good or evil. He had to make sure that there was no chance there would be another Bullring in the world. Hell, one was already too many. Not to mention those other pirate lords he had run into at the slave auction. Gar steeled himself to enter the man made cave.
He kicked a couple chests open, after all, he did find June in a chest hidden in a mineshaft. These chests held nothing but dust and disappointment. " Map says this is the spot." However, a magical weapon wouldn't be lying in plain sight would it? June was behind a collapsible wall. Maybe that was par for the course. Gar picked up a pickaxe for the first time since he was a slave. "Guess we might have to get a little creative."
Gar began tapping a few spots on the cave walls to see in he could hear any hollowness on the opposite side. A couple times he did get the sense and took a full swing at the wall. The pickaxe would bite deep into the stone but, for all intents and purposes, the efforts came up empty. That was when he noted a small hole in the wall. "What do you make of this?" Gar asked indicating toward the hole in the wall. He was more than ready to start bashing the wall around it to make room to fit through, but perhaps there was another way to move forward that he hadn't considered.
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Post by Midori on Jun 8, 2017 22:29:15 GMT -6
"It was probably a place where there was a spike to hang things on." Midori commented as she watched Gar root around the chests. There wasn't really anything of value in those chests. Mostly rusty farming and mining tools that had been long forgotten and slowly turning to rust due to the moisture.
"You sure this is the place?" Skai asked again with a puzzled expression on his face.
"We've known this place to always be an old supply hole." He commented.
"Well, maybe there was something here. I mean look at the patterns on the wall. Someone had to have bent the earth with Gaea's magic. The stone pattern like that is something you simply do not see in nature." The pink haired priestess chimed in as she ran a hand across the mossy outline of the cave entrance.
"If there was something to be hidden here.. it would have to be behind a wall.. or perhaps dug further downwards. But I doubt that. The patterns stop after a certain point. And Gar just banged all the walls to find a false one. I did not hear the hollow thunk of a fake wall or the rattling of loose rock." Midori spoke with her eyes closed. Skai looked at her with a confused face.
"How the heck did you get all that? I heard nothing but the banging of the pick axe to the stone!"
"One of our exercises involves being blindfolded and meditating in silence. It is an exercise meant to focus the senses and connect your spirit to that of father sky and earth mother. And it is done outside in the temple garden. The people are meant to meditate in silence. But, nature does not stay quiet. You can hear the chirping of every bird. The flap of every wing. And the buzz of every insect you wish to swat at but cannot." She rubbed her shoulders as there was a sudden chill that crept up her spine. She hated when they performed that exercise in the middle of summer. The mosquitoes and biting flies would buzz uncomfortably close to her ears every single time.
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Post by Gar on Jun 10, 2017 1:21:51 GMT -6
Gar scratched the back of his head. This was beginning to look like it was a wild goose chase all along. He let out a defeated sigh as he tossed the old pickaxe against the wall. What could some old lady have to gain by sending him on a hunt for a nonexistant weapon? Gar couldn't put the pieces together. Junzentaru pulsed at his hip. What the pirate couldn't figure out, the holy weapon could.
Perhaps that old woman saw the resemblance to your parents in you. Gar shrugged, his parents were part of the tribe at one point so the old woman could've known them. Maybe that was true, but that didn't explain why she gave him the false map. Gar was about to bring up the point when Junzentaru continued.
Clearly, the woman knew you as an outsider, one who would need directions from a native. Gar's eyes traveled to Midori. The glowing weapon continued. Not to mention, she naturally would understand the customs. Gar looked toward Skai. This wild goose chase of hers allowed you to cross paths with two members of your parent's tribe. I have to imagine that was her goal all along. To get you to spend some time alongside your kinfolk. Gar nodded, it made some sense, but there was one final question. But why a treasure map? She could've sent me on any type of quest.
You are obviously a pirate. What is one thing no pirate can refuse? Gar chuckled audibly, the sound echoeing off the cavern wall. He addressed his companions with the knowledge he had been given.
"Sorry mates, looks like this one is a bust. I didn't see it until now, but I think this whole treasure map thing was a ruse. A trick to get me to spend some time with the tribe of my parents." Gar laughed again, slightly embarrassed that he had taken them so far out of their way. Not to mention, Skai's fatherly duties. Gar shrugged to himself. Even though he had come up empty handed, he was glad he got the chance to speak with the Chaklai. It was a fun little outing.
" All in all, I'm still glad we came out here. I liked hearing about your times as kids. I may find some of your tribe's customs a little funny, but they're kind of cool. In a traditional sense. Hahar" Gar began to head out of the cave. If there was something to be found here, he wasn't going to find it.
"What do you say, we head on back? I can tell yu a little more about life on the high seas." Gar smiled at the two Chaklai.
OOC: Feel free to close this one out with your next post.
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Post by Midori on Jun 10, 2017 21:53:11 GMT -6
"Pranks like this aren't uncommon, but I'm glad we did this. It was fun." Midori commented as she gently guided Ashes away from the cave entrance. The horse was starting to pick at the rocks around the entrance hoping to break away a few morsels of moss.
"Spiritual journeys." Skai lifted up his hands to use air quotes. He wasn't fond of these wild goose chases and usually missed the point of most of them.
"Our customs are no different than outside customs. Usually. We celebrate birthdays, new years, and seasons like every other person out there." He scratched the back of his head.
"Please let us know if any of it confuses you we would be happy to explain it. And the history. And our opinions about it. Like Mido over here is a sucker for jewelry, makeup, and fancy dresses. But tradition dictates that she try to be as pious as possible." He grinned. And Midori sighed. She had enough of Skai's japes. She prodded him with the orbed end of her staff a warning that he was about to be hit soon if he kept it up.
"And you sir are supposed to be setting good examples for your children. Like not shrieking away your household duties." Midori waved for Gar to step out of the cave.
"Ouch." Skai spoke with a hint of sarcasm. Midori knew how to wound him.
"I think this journey should end on a high note. We might not have found an ancient treasure but if it's you wanting to experience some more of our culture well there is the food. I know the inn has some fresh soup. It'll be my treat. As a thank you for this experience." And with that they were off.
End thread.
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