Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Nov 15, 2012 9:24:00 GMT -6
The sage paused, outside the structure. No one had answered yet, and it was beginning to seem unlikely that there was someone there. He had needed to check for himself though. He still might be able to gain something useful off of it, so he headed towards it again, approaching what had once been a comfortable cabin at a slow, deliberate walk. He scanned the ground as he moved, looking for signs of people. There wasn't alot to give away, but the yard in the back had yet to be grown over with grass, so he could see what looked like scuff marks made smooth by the rain.
"All in all, very bleak." He said it outloud, just so he could hear a voice in the ruins. There hadn't been anyone here for awhile. Or if there was, they were making a point of hiding. Not entirely unbelievable, if there was anyone left in the region.
He started to head up closer to the door when his head snapped up at a low growl coming from the doorway. He looked ahead and saw a dog, teeth bared and crouched low in the doorway. He stopped and considered the fact that he really didn't need to get into the house, or even closer to the door. He stood there a moment, looking at the creature. It was obviously defending its den.... He didn't know whether the creature had been domesticated at one time or not, but it wasn't worth the trouble. Aaron took a step back and left, leaving the shadows of the past behind him. The creature beast didn't follow.
He moved further down the road, seeing remnants of an occasional fence here. Some barn or structure in the distance there. Ostia had a great deal of recovering to do. He reaffirmed this as he reached a burned, blackened area, not far off of the road. A fire had swept through here. Whether natural, or Etrurian in nature was impossible to say.... He looked around, burning the images into his mind, before starting. He moved to what he saw. It was small, but all the more noticeable for it's color. It was green. Under normal cicumstances it would be ignored. Pulled up, even. But on the barren patch of ground here, there was a small plant. A simple weed had made it to this spot, even while all the ground around it seemed dead.
He stopped next to it, looking down and hoping that its mission to repopulate life here wasn't a foolish one. Before he left, he opened up his water skin and dumped the contents over the plant. Then he headed back to where the camp was being established, following the road.
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Nov 28, 2012 8:28:08 GMT -6
As the sage began getting closer to the camp, he ticked off the things they'd need. They had a water source, and he could boil it himself when the need arose. Eventually, a source of firewood would be nice to find. Everything else they seemed to have. More supplies. including a number of marker posts were on their way from... back home.
He started walking up the hill, thinking of the facility his Grandfather ran. While it was true that it wasn't the same home his parents used, he had spent a good deal of time there. He'd learned things there he would never forget. It wasn't just a place o magical learning. It was also a place to master yourself.... It was a good place to leave Lilith for the time being. He still missed her company though, as well as her smile, her hair, her generous attitude....
Aaron shook his head and looked around.
"I'm back, Labelle...." The day was long. Right about then all he wanted to do was confirm the camp was in workable shape, snack on some travel rations, and go to be. He'd try to be sociable if he needed to though.
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Claire Labelle
Mercenary
It's my moral obligation to help those in need
Posts: 42
Affinity: Light
Profile: Claire
OoC Alias: Hal
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Post by Claire Labelle on Dec 23, 2012 16:11:24 GMT -6
As soon as Aaron was out of sight Claire had began to dig in her bag pulling out some cheese, small amount of bread, and some dried beef. The girl had began to tear into a little bit of everything at once, she forced herself to put it back after eating half of it she knew she needed to ration it. She wished she had something for the stabbing feeling but she'd have to tough that one out. Petting Ciel and grabbing the reign walking him to the edge of Ostia where he halted again, "Come on Ciel, it's safe you saw me in there before and I'm fine."
Claire began to lean forward trying to pull him into the ashy land but he was much stronger than she was. "MOVE YOU STUPID HORSE!" Claire said angrily, it took her a few seconds to realize what she had said, covering her mouth then throwing her arms around the horse she apologized for what she said. She bent over picking up some ash and held it here Ciel could sniff it, he ended up blowing it into her face. "I guess I deserved that." Claire had spent an hour trying to convince Ciel to step into the ash with no luck, she had one last idea. Getting into the saddle she sat firmly, "You are the horse and I the rider, you will do as I say. Now move forward." Claire dug her spurs into his side causing him to jolt forward, noticing he had entered the barren land maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought. Claire rode him around in small circles for a little bit before returning back to camp to wash up and prep for Aaron's return and dinner.
Once she made it to camp she tied Ciel back up and removed her armor and let her hair down then cleaned her face. What she wouldn't do to take a dip into that lake and clean herself but she wasn't sure when Aaron would be back and how well she could trust him to be a gentleman. Instead she started to look for something to start a camp fire, this was a lot harder than she had expected maybe her companion would have better luck. While waiting she set up her small tent with the bedroll inside it, she went to the water's edge and sat down placing her feet in the cool water. Claire hadn't been sitting long before Aaron came back, she turned to greet him with the same warm smile she had been giving him earlier in the day. "Any luck? I had some mild successes on my end, I finally got Ciel into the ashy land. I tried to get a camp fire started while you were away... I'm not the out doors kind of girl, I was kinda hoping you could help with that."
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Dec 25, 2012 19:20:10 GMT -6
"Well, I'm glad you had some successes. All I got was an eyeful of how much of a mess Ostia is in...." He remained silent for a moment, rubbing the bristles growing out of his chin.
"Making Ostia whole again is going to be a monumental task, but the land is with us. Claire, I found life down there. Not much, and it is fragile, but it is coming back on its own.... I just need to locate and deal with any major dangers which have come up since the cataclysm here."
Aaron dropped the rest of his gear on the ground, and came back to the moment. "Anyways, I can't start a fire without something to burn. Think we can gather up enough wood around here to make a fire?"
For all he knew, she may have found some already. That wold simplify the night's tasks, but he wasn't holding his breath. She'd admitted she wasn't a woodsgirl. I nothing else though, she had a fun enthusiasm which he'd missed having around. Reminded him of when he'd first set out on his adventures. And before.
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Claire Labelle
Mercenary
It's my moral obligation to help those in need
Posts: 42
Affinity: Light
Profile: Claire
OoC Alias: Hal
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Post by Claire Labelle on Jan 7, 2013 15:05:58 GMT -6
Claire's face lit up with joy upon hearing there was some signs of life in the land, even if it was just a tiny bit. Claire looked around, sure there was some trees and bushes but would they be able to use just any of it? Claire's head tilted to the right as she began to speak "Can we just use any wood? If so I think we could." Pulling her feet from the water's edge she stood straight up "So what kind of dangers are out there, or at least what you think is out there?"
She wiggled her toes in the grass, it tickled. The day has been an extremely long one, she couldn't wait to eat and have some tea then get some well deserved rest.
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Jan 17, 2013 6:44:25 GMT -6
"Regular wood will burn fine." Aaron said quietly, a small smile flickering across his features as he considered the mysteries of what other kinds of wood there might be. It was an interesting thought to consider other sorts of wood existing. What sort of trees would it grow from? Would it be magical? The thought was more humoring her question than actually considering, but if someone knew the answer, it would probably be his grandfather. Or Varia, up in Etruria.
He rubbed his legs for a moment as he stood and considered her question on the dangers out there. That was a more difficult one. Despite the fact that his legs were beginning to ache, he began walking again, looking for suitable fuel for the fire as he went and ignoring the lack of success his massage had had on revitalizing his muscles.
The dangers out here? He thought to himself. There wasn't much he could go off of. And that was a danger in and of itself in some ways. Little information; a damaged ecosystem, and fewer resources as a result. They were right on the frontier of the force that had assaulted the proud city: Etruria. New dangers could come out of that. Also, plenty of bandits would be drawn here, hoping to find unclaimed and abandoned belongings. Then there were natural dangers, but he could do little to combat those, if he found them.
"Dangers here will be difficult to predict. We'll have to be on the lookout for bandits and scavengers, and I wouldn't put it past Etruria's Prophet to think about using the land as a passage. Other than that, there could be toxic gasses coming up from the earth in places. Earthquakes. Unstable ground.. Dirty water shelf...." He looked over to Claire and realized he might have been getting carried away on his list.
"...I haven't actually found signs of any of those yet though. Just an angry dog making a home in an abandoned ruin a little ways in."
He paused as he bent to pick up a suitable piece of firewood then looped an arm under it to carry it better. "The important thing is that life returns, and it seems to be doing that on its own already."
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Claire Labelle
Mercenary
It's my moral obligation to help those in need
Posts: 42
Affinity: Light
Profile: Claire
OoC Alias: Hal
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Post by Claire Labelle on Jan 19, 2013 2:14:45 GMT -6
Claire had fallen asleep then woke in the middle of the night. he looked over towards Aaron then called out his name a couple of times, when he didn't respond she quietly crawled out of her tent and made her way to her bag. She got a towel and some soap then walked around the lake to an area that blocked her view of the camp with trees and bushes, she slipped off her dress and undergarments and stuck her foot into the water. She shivered, the water was cold but it was the price to pay to clean herself then she slowly fully submerged herself wasting as little time as possible to bath herself. She was hoping she wouldn't get sick as she climbed out of the water and beginning to dry herself off and clothed herself as quickly as possible and rushing back to the her tent and getting back to sleep.
Morning had came all too soon, the sun had shot it's beams of light right in her eyes rudely waking the girl. She looked over towards Aaron who appeared to be awake already, how long he was awake she wasn't sure. "Morning, sleep good?" she had asked as she crawled out of the tent. Today was the day the two were going to venture into the barren waste lands formerly known as Ostia. She wasn't sure what to expect and she wanted to be on the safe side so she began to dawn her armor and began to feed Ciel something. "I'll be ready to go when you are."
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Feb 24, 2013 11:13:37 GMT -6
Aaron looked up suddenly at the voice which disturbed his reading. It was a small book, with golden workings on the cover. To others, it would just be an overdecorated book.... Well, to some, it would be the first in a volume of books treated as holy by the church, but to him, it was a mystery. He could see the magic hidden behind the words, and it seemed strange to him. The patterns of energy moved in familiar lines to a point, and then it just veered off wildly, without any explanation that he could see. It severely limited what he could do with the tome, but he could deal with that another time.
He quickly flipped the book shut with one hand before tucking it away in the bag leaning next to him.
"Well enough. I'm ready to brave whatever Ostia throws at us today, at least." He picked himself up and dusted himself off, slipping his messenger satchel over his shoulder as he did so. He ran a hand through his hair and ruffled it slightly, stretched his arms out a bit, and then stomped his feet to get some life back into them.
Within a few minutes they were on their way down into Ostia. Aaron pointed out the ruined home he'd seen the night before, not far off the road. They kept on though.
"I wonder if there's anything at all to see this side of the city...." The sage said quietly, moving through the barren land. Ahead was an area of cloudier air. Smoke or ash maybe. He pointed it out to Claire after a moment of watching.
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Claire Labelle
Mercenary
It's my moral obligation to help those in need
Posts: 42
Affinity: Light
Profile: Claire
OoC Alias: Hal
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Post by Claire Labelle on Feb 28, 2013 10:36:38 GMT -6
Claire had mounted Ciel and the two had began to make their way towards the ashy land, Ciel seemed hesitant to enter but still made his way into the barren land. Deeper the two went worse it had looked, it sadden Claire seeing the land in such poor condition. Aaron had pointed out where he saw the dog the night before, poor puppy having to deal with this disaster. Then he changed her focus to a a clouded area of the sky, she wasn't sure if it was smoke, ash, or just normal clouds. "Think it's safe to go there? If it's smoke there might be a fire, there could also be people in need of help there." Claire had determined that she was going to race off in that direction in case there was people in danger, she was just looking for reassurance that Aaron was going to follow for support.
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Mar 24, 2013 19:19:30 GMT -6
"Let's go and check it out." Aaron said once he saw she'd noticed it. She was keen to get over there, which he took as encouragement. Recently, he'd not had that sort of enthusiasm. He was fully committed and onboard with exploring the area surrounding the ruins of Ostia and beginning its recovery, but it was remaining difficult to summon up any enthusiasm over it.... He missed Lilith.
Blowing out a breath of air, he doubled his pace and set to a slow jog. They still had plenty of daylight as it was early morning, but there was no sense in stretching this out any longer than it needed.
"Dunno if there will be anyone there, but it's worth checking on and marking down on the map anyway."
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Post by Vanadis on Apr 14, 2013 9:39:59 GMT -6
"Rest well in our homeland, father."
A voice of a lady slipped from a cloaked figure who was kneeling in front of a grave of sort. The cross was roughly made, from two pieces for a broken lance bound together. Under the foundation of where the cross was plunged into was a kind of container of bone ashes. It was no ashes one would find by entering this cursed land, but it was the leftover from the body of her father.
It had been about a year that Vanadis revisited her homeland, this time she brought her decreased father back to the land he tried to protect while he was alive, regardless of the outcome. She thought he would be happy to rest in their homeland, along with his war friends and the lord. In fact, they were not only the companion of her father, but many of Vanadis's squire friends were under these ashes as well. Thinking about them, she had been wondering if it was the right choice to run away from the battlefield back then. Her struggling the battle with everyone wouldn't change the result of that war, but she wouldn't have to burden this guilty feeling to the rest of her life.
"Live for the sake of the fallen ones, huh..." Vanadis muttered to herself, just to stop thinking randomly. The city was burnt down by the Etrurian, then the magma from some hero's tomb turned the ruined city into ashes, as far as the rumor came to her. Man-made or natural, she could only think that Ostia was fated to be doomed.
The cloaked lady stood up carefully, trying not to stumble by the soft ground. She also picked up her weapon, a lance, and tidied her hood a little. Her mission of the day was done, she just had to get out of this dead land and resume her mercenary life.
As she was about to leave the spot, Vanadis heard a sound of footstep, as though someone was coming. She tightened her grip with the weapon and turned to the direction, trying to stare through the curtain of ashes. Just for precaution, the lancer expected the worst.
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Claire Labelle
Mercenary
It's my moral obligation to help those in need
Posts: 42
Affinity: Light
Profile: Claire
OoC Alias: Hal
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Post by Claire Labelle on Apr 15, 2013 3:48:17 GMT -6
[Knowing Aaron would be following made Claire more comfortable. "I'll go on ahead, you can catch up." Claire turned Ciel in the direction of the smoke and gave him the command to speed forward. In the distance Claire could see a person knelt down placing something into the ground, getting closer she could see them standing holding their lance. She wasn't sure if they were here looking for loot or not but she wasn't going to draw her sword unless they proved to be aggressive. She stopped Ciel once they were close enough to talk but with enough room to be safe in an event of an attack. Giving the same warm smile as she did to Aaron she began to speak to the unknown person. "Are you one of the survivers? It's not safe out here to be alone."
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Post by Vanadis on Apr 15, 2013 11:35:18 GMT -6
The shadow turned to be a female knight on horseback, her hair was reddish brown in color and bound at the back into a ponytail. Somehow, the first impression Vanadis got from this person was a knight in shining armor. There were many horsemen she met before, but only few fitted into this category. The reason was unknown to herself though.
By the way, whoever this lady was, she was no enemy. She struck up a conversation, her smile also made it friendlier. Vanadis felt that this woman was not there to harm her, and therefore she lowered her lance.
"I'm aware that my hometown is now a wasteland, and I come well prepared." said Vanadis before she pulled down her hood to reveal her face. She felt it was rude to cover her faces like those shamans when she spoke to someone. The lancer opened her cloak a bit to show the stranger her travel supplies and vulnerary. "Anyway, I've just finished my business and am about to leave."
Vanadis pointed back at the grave, not knowing what to say more. She did not need to tell every person that was a grave of her father and bring them into her life drama, unless she was questioned. Instead, she just returned the knight a similar question.
"What about you, lady, what kind of reason led you into this lifeless barren?"
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Claire Labelle
Mercenary
It's my moral obligation to help those in need
Posts: 42
Affinity: Light
Profile: Claire
OoC Alias: Hal
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Post by Claire Labelle on Apr 15, 2013 23:39:47 GMT -6
So this girl was from Ostia but Claire wasn't sure if she had been here months leading to the dreadful event that left it in ruins. "My name is Claire, I came to Ostia in search of my brother. He had traveled here after the city was reduced to rubble to aid in resortation, I am unsure if he survived or not. I'm traveling with a mage named Aaron, he's seeking information about if the land can support life once again and if there's any safe pathways here. I'm aiding him in finding surviors that might be stranded here. Any information you can pass along would be greatly apprecated." Claire and this girl shared a common bond, they both lost something to the explosions leaving the land in this state.
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Post by Vanadis on Apr 16, 2013 9:30:36 GMT -6
Vanadis did not reply immediately. At first, she had no idea what to reply to what Claire said about her brother. If he was in Ostia when the volcano erupted, the chance that he evacuated safely seemed very low to her. However, for his honorable action he did to her homeland, the lancer wished the man was still alive somehow.
"I doubt you will find any more survivor here. If the lava didn't kill them, they would already be buried somewhere underneath." Vanadis replied as she opened her hand to the endless barren. She did not dare to hope to find any life under these ashes, just to be greatly disappointed later on. "Though I do hope your brave brother is not in either case, Miss Claire."
Still, it was good to know that someone was still trying to rebuild Ostia, something its own citizen including a soldier like herself already gave up on. Her father would be happier to see Ostia being lively again.
"Also, I'd like to assist your friend any way I can, please lead me to him." The female lance said to the knight, before introducing herself. She would offer a hand shake if Claire wasn't on her horse. "The name is Vanadis, Vanadis Lieven. A strange place our path crossed, but a pleasure to meet you."
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