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Post by Strangers and Travelers on Mar 28, 2018 8:31:03 GMT -8
The Magnolia Forest Sitting ambiguously between the city of Isra and the elven city of Mithlonde is a sprawling forest filled with magnolia trees. During the winter, it is hardly discernible from any other mass of trees, but when spring arrives, the entire area becomes awash in vibrant pink and white. Due to the nature of the magnolia trees, bees and all sorts of small birds flock to the area in the spring, and those who venture through often claim that the woods are always humming because of it.
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Khulan's Caravan
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Post by Khulan's Caravan on Mar 28, 2018 9:08:08 GMT -8
Three horses and their riders stormed into the magnolia forest, slowing their pace as twisted roots became more commonplace on their path. The riders aimed their eyes at the blossoms above, marveling at the colors bursting into view. Many of the trees were still green and budding, but many others had already opened their flowers and painted the canopy.
"Not quite what we're used to back home," said the first, a heavily armored woman with strong features. The second rider, a lithe and mature woman, plucked a blossom from a branch overhead and placed it behind her ear.
"They're gorgeous," she said. "I hope they're not secretly poisonous. The smell is infectious."
"Do you hear buzzing?" asked the third, a skinny young thing compared to the company she kept. "I hear buzzing. I don't like it. I hate bugs."
With a sly smile, the second rider leaned over from her saddle and lightly tickled the back of the young rider's neck, making a light droning sound with her teeth. The young girl panicked, swatting at her neck wildly, eyes big as saucers. The older women screeched in laughter, nearly falling out of their saddles.
"Khojin, you absolute pain!" the young rider complained, a scowl making its way onto her face. "I'm going to put a curse on both of you the next time we get in a fight! See who's laughing then!"
"Uh-oh, Chambui. Looks like we angered the beast," droned Khojin.
The first rider chuckled. "Yes, and her name is Samga, the wild, cursed pig-monste-"
"DID YOU JUST CALL ME A PIG?!"
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2018 11:31:07 GMT -8
They may or may not have noticed while busy with their bickering but still the silence of the birds had become striking to those that enjoyed their song and the wind no longer gently ruffled the trees. Still a few leaves seemed to still dance around though the dance was more of a calm synchronized hovering on the windless road. Some being was close and it had made this area of the magnolia forest his.
The floating magnolia leaves would slowly hover closer to the trio and their horses in keeping with their bouncy synchronized dance. A leaf would fall down in front of the one called Khojin's eyes - and split in two. The seasoned warrior would no doubt recognize the quick burst of wind as a blade coming far too close to one's head - though there were no blades or assailant to be seen. Another one split, and one more was cleaved... and in quick succession the countless magnolia leaves that hovered around them were all cleaved in two - almost as if they did so of their own intent.
As the curtain dropping after a night in the theater the cleaved leaves all fell to the ground as if they were all made from a far heavier material - and they stayed there. Also someone had appeared a good 15 feet in front of them. In the middle of the road sitting cross legged and with his arms crossed too sat an ominous shadow wearing a mask, armor and five swords of clearly foreign descent and blocked the way. Raising his head slightly to look at the three girls as magnolia leaves gently hovered around him. He tilted his head and spoke with a voice that seemed like a normal human male's yet had reverberations far deeper than what seemed natural and... pleasant.
"More... travelers?" he said and tilted his head to the left. "Will you try to pass me too?" his voice intoning a challenge. "In what way will you teach me more? Will I find out more about the strange thing called the world if I flay you? If I rip the limps off your bodies?" he mused and got to his feet in an way as if gravity didn't really affect him very much - or at least he chose not to care too much about such a trifle thing. Counting his swords and looking at the three he thought what tool would carve open most knowledge to him before he suddenly gazed at his fists.
"So it is... fists are my choice." he said and walked towards them with brisk steps with his hands clawed curious to see how the party would counter his threat.
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Khulan's Caravan
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Post by Khulan's Caravan on Mar 30, 2018 15:41:50 GMT -8
Without a doubt, Khojin was the most perceptive when it came to noticing the little things in a dangerous situation. As soon as the leaves fell around them, cleaved perfectly in half, the woman retrieved her bow.
"Arm yourselves," she told her sisters, who wasted no time in doing so. Chambui unsheathed her sword and Samga lifted her prayer beads from her neck and wrapped them around her hands, summoning a defensive spell. They all turned their attention to the man in the road when he made himself known, weapons and ill-intent aimed at the stranger. Before they had a chance to interrogate him, he spoke, and with words that were none too friendly.
Khojin lead her horse away from the man as he approached and spoke the word, "Circle," to her sisters, who followed suit. Soon, they were cantering around the stranger, following his movements and keeping a radius away from him that seemed out of his range.
"We do not wish to fight, but if you press us we shall not surrender and make this easy for you."
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2018 23:23:13 GMT -8
Mana would imbue Xinagi's legs and arms, but if you were anywhere proficient in reading mana signatures, this one would be vastly different from that of your average mage. Fierce, shadowy, vast... and supernatural. Xinagi looked around and eyed all of them thinking that taking him on like this would do little difference besides the fact that he had kill them one by one - after all he wasn't a great tactician and believed in raw strength to make the difference.
Now who was the weakest... he would take her out first and savior the strongest for last. Xinagi clutched his hands and his vast mana seemed to claw out towards the three sisters before he suddenly turned to Chambui with a menacing glare - at least behind the mask.
"It will be you..!" he said.
Instantly he leaped off the ground as if he weighed not much more than a hare and with the same agility and speed he raced towards Chumbui the mana in his fingers extending out to make a claw of the hand, which would be the first thing to meet her while the roaring mana soared out in all directions.
And then he fell.
Face down on the ground, immovable as a rock and a far cry from the hare he had resembled just moments before and all traces of mana gone in that instant. It was quiet - but it seemed like the place was no longer stifled by his presence and the vile aura had subsided completely.
"Arrgh..." Xinagi said straining himself to at least turn his head and move his fingers slightly. It was a most pitiful showing but at least Xinagi was clear headed again though it was a harsh awakening. After all murdering people wasn't what he was really looking for, but 'that' last item had had an short but explosive effect on his mind and mana. But he was in a bind right now, would he even be able to use his voice to explain himself before the travelers would try to off him?
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Khulan's Caravan
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Post by Khulan's Caravan on Apr 1, 2018 16:29:14 GMT -8
Chambui raised her sword to greet his with a handful steel. Khojin brought her bow up to aim, and Samga drew out the magic she needed to shield Chambui from any harmful blows. In unison, they let out a powerful warcry, ready to go to battle with the masked demon!
...
Or perhaps not.
When the man fell, all three of the sisters' cries waned in confusion. The aim of their weapons followed his descent, but the intent was lost. Cautiously, the girls exchanged glances, now unsure of what to do next. Chambui was the first to speak, asking, "Is he dead?"
"No, I don't believe so," replied Khojin. "Perhaps it's a feign?"
"Poke him," urged Chambui to Samga. "With magic."
"Did you just assume that my magic can be used to poke people?" said Samga flatly. "Or that I even should have a spell used to poke people?" Chambui gazed at the mage pointedly. Cheeks red, Samga raged, "No, Cham, I do not have a spell used for poking people!"
Never taking her eyes off the target, Khojin fired an arrow into the dirt next to the man's head. "Explain yourself," she ordered. "Promptly, if you can."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2018 12:11:18 GMT -8
Xinagi lay there listening to the discussions among the three women and was still trying to regain control of his body and limbs which proved more difficult than he could have imagined. At least they seemed hesitant to just kill him, but he wasn't quite sure if it was of fear or lack of battle experience. Whatever the reason they were demanding an answer promptly and Xinagi tried his best to at least shape words with his tongue and lips - but still unable to turn around on the back he was laying face down in the dirt and only a few nearly indiscernible grunting noises came from his efforts.
What Xinagi was trying to say was "Please turn me on my back." though you would have to be pretty close to hear his words. However he would repeat them as much as needed if any of them dared come closer.
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Khulan's Caravan
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Post by Khulan's Caravan on Apr 3, 2018 20:56:37 GMT -8
"What's he saying?"
"Don't know. Go and find out."
"You go and find out!"
"You're the one with magic."
"You're the expendable meathead!"
"Samga, cast armorskin on me," ordered Khojin, quieting both women as she knelt before the masked man. As Samga twisted the beads between her fingers and threw the enchantment her way, she felt her skin tightening, becoming rough and unforgiving. Outwardly, she looked quite like a human in full, skintight plate armor.
She shuffled over to the man and gave him an ear. Once she heard his plea, she grabbed him cautiously, and with some effort, pulled him onto his back. "What ails you?" the archer asked, glaring down at the man. "Are you possessed? We have a mage."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2018 23:16:38 GMT -8
Xinagi felt the presence of magic being used as the woman closed in on him as they had finished bickering. They were an odd lot he thought, discussing such thing as who to approach when they had been so determined to fight just a moment earlier. But it did seem as if his plea was heard as he was cautiously turned around on his back. It was almost as if he was starting to feel his limbs again, though hardly enough to actually get up, but at least so he could express himself in a coherent manner.
"Forgive me..." Xinagi said, his voice different from before as it was more normal - more human. But you'd still know something wasn't quite right when you listened to him. "I was blinded, it is not my intention to harm you." he said resignedly and sighed. "I need... some time to recover. If you bring me with you, I'll tell you more and I promise to help you with any endeavor." he said hoping to strike a bargain. If nothing else they would have seen that he was indeed a powerful asset - at least when his body responded to his will.
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Khulan's Caravan
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Post by Khulan's Caravan on Apr 8, 2018 16:27:14 GMT -8
Khojin was not so easily convinced. "No. I don't think we'll be doing that. What we can do is camp here for the night and keep an eye on you until morning. I'm not going to apologize for not being too trusting: after all, you did try to attack us. When you're feeling good enough to tell us your story, then maybe we will consider it."
She waved a hand at her sisters, asking them to start setting camp up beside the path. The women were on it almost immediatelly, freeing the horses of their supplies that were then put to use. A small area was cleared of sticks, leaves, and petals, and very soon a small campfire had been started. A pot was placed atop the fire with quite a few ingredients thrown in, beginning to boil. A piece of cloth had been placed a little way from the fire, where Khojin would try to place the stranger.
They sat around the campfire and stared at Xinagi, still very much armed and ready for any sign of danger... particularly from the masked stranger. Eventually, Chambui broke the silence.
"What is your name?" the warrior asked. "You could at least tell us that much. I am Chambui. My sisters here are Khojin and Samga. We are a scouting troop of the Toragana Caravan."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2018 13:46:13 GMT -8
Xinagi was surprised to hear that they turned down his proposal. He was almost about to protest but was reminded that in his limp state he was in no position to really argue anything. "I see..." he said resignedly before he was unceremoniously placed on a piece of cloth as the he watched the three girls start a fire. Apparently they hadn't disarmed him, but were still watching him with skepticism and alertness. Xinagi was now better able to move his head and express himself - but still he wouldn't strain his body by trying to get up and thus just lay still for bit.
"My name is Xinagi. Simply that. I am a yokai and not a human being." he said rather but figured the three wouldn't know what a Yokai was. "To you here... I believe I'm called a 'spirit' or a 'ghost', but yet I'm tangible because I can't change right now. That is because I left my homeland Tawakoshi a long time ago to roam the world. It is also why I'm laying here. Tawakoshi is naturally spirit heavy and I regain my abilities and mana easy there, but here I need to have the aid of magical devices. And some of them... makes my mana a bit unstable, like the last one..." Xinagi said hesitant.
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Khulan's Caravan
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Post by Khulan's Caravan on Apr 9, 2018 21:00:08 GMT -8
This roused Samga's interest. "Last one? Last what? What was it?" she asked, scooting a bit closer to Xinagi. "If I provide you with power, will you be able to move?"
The other two women stared hard at the mage, scowling her silently. The girl turned her nose at them. "I was only asking! I'm not planning to actually do it, you dum-dums. I'm not an idiot, you know."
Chambui and Khojin exchanged dubious glances, but stayed silent. The armorskin spell had receded from Khojin's person, as they had decided they were reasonably safe for now. Better for Samga to be ready on a moment's notice than to drain her mana and be defenseless when the time came. Still, they were wary, keeping their hands ready to pull weapons.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2018 0:21:13 GMT -8
Xinagi was slightly taken aback by the Samga girls' curiosity, it was rare that people didn't dwell with the fact that he was a supernatural being. "Move?" Xinagi said confused. "I don't know. I have never been given mana from someone else, only used items that could provide it." he answered thinking the possibility was definitely there. In best case though, she would only speed up the recovery process and he wouldn't expect many of his powers to return. But he wouldn't know before he tried. Unfortunately her sisters wasn't fond of that solution. With time he would recover by himself too.
"It was a small black stone I was given by some damn wizard. He told me the stone was containing plenty of mana. The thing about using something like that, as a conduit to get my power going, is that I'm very susceptible to any enchantment it has that seeks to control me or simply if the object is good or evil." Xinagi explained and sighed raising his hand to his head. "I think I was a clown and the wizard wanted to test out something on me. Luckily it lost its power when it did." he said and pointed at the black stone hanging from his neck in a thin thread. "You may take it or... rather I have no need for it anymore." Xinagi said resignedly.
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Khulan's Caravan
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Post by Khulan's Caravan on Apr 10, 2018 22:59:29 GMT -8
Before her sisters could even begin to protest, Samga reached forward to pluck the stone from Xinagi's neck, reaching forth with her magic to untie it as to not strangle or whiplash the masked man. If she was successful, she would hold it up toward the sun, trying to get a good look at it.
Khojin and Chambui immediately cried Samga's name in unison, scolding her as much as they could.
"You want to lose an arm?"
"We have no idea what he's capable of right now!"
Samga stared at them with her lips pouted out, eyes half-lidded in annoyance. "Relax. I'm trying to see if he is telling the truth," she grumbled. She turned to Xinagi and shook her head. "I apologize for their terrible manners. They don't understand beings like you and me, you see. People who use and depend on magic. That world is entirely foreign to them. Especially the oaf."
"Samga you are rude."
Ignoring Chambui's comment, the mage continued, "I might be convinced if I see there is indeed a curse or dark magics imbued within the stone. Then I will share some of my mana with you to help you recover."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2018 11:32:34 GMT -8
Xinagi made no attempts to stop Samga from claiming the amulet and inspecting the stone. "I'm capable of nothing right now I assure you..." Xinagi said and sighed. Well, he could perhaps get up to a sitting position, but then again that might indicate a threat to the overly careful sisters, Xinagi thought. After all he was trying to gain their favors and gaining their trusts seemingly came slowly.
If Chambui studied the black stone with some kind of magic scrying she would find that indeed it seemed like it was constructed as some kind of vessel to hold mana, enchantments or the likes. But whatever it might had held had left no trace of it existence but a slight warmness when touching the stone.
"Don't worry about it, I hold no grudges. Ignorance can be bliss." Xinagi said nodding knowingly at Samga's words. True her sisters did seem rather dull when it came to magic, and he hoped they were at least brighter in other areas or life had indeed been cruel when handing out minds.
Xinagi then turned his head towards Samga he now acknowledged as the only slightly reasonable person among them. "Are you convinced? You didn't expect to find it was drained?" Xinagi asked with a slight chuckle though his breathing still felt stifled.
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Khulan's Caravan
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Post by Khulan's Caravan on Apr 13, 2018 9:25:12 GMT -8
"I wasn't not expecting it," started Samga. "But I thought I would be able to pick up on a trace. Magic can be like water or ale, sometimes: even if you've finished the bottle, you can still tell what was inside."
The girl tucked the stone away in her robes, grinning to the masked man. "Well, there's no trace of the curse, either, but I'm willing to trust you. My sisters might call me foolish, however, I think I'm a better judge of character than them both. You're going to have to convince them, though."
Khojin was rubbing her temples from hearing Samga's words. "It is not so simple. I very much doubt you would trust someone right after they tried to kill you, as well," she said to Xinagi. "You spoke of Tawakoshi. I know of this place. The King of the Mountain spoke of conquering it... one day. He also spoke of how we were once nomads that traveled between the two countries, though it's been a full century since the last time we were able to make the trip. Is Tawakoshi rife with... spirits like you?"
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2018 10:58:36 GMT -8
"Apparently the wizard didn't want anything to remain..." Xinagi concluded, thinking that he had indeed been trying something out on him. Xinagi listened to Samga's words and looked at the two others. "I apologize for my behavior." he simply said though it seemed like his honest words were not quite enough.
"Hmm... I guess I would be skeptical too now that you say it. But what can I do but being honest?" he asked, trying to make them see that he was indeed not the one that had attacked them. "As a spirit you are influenced by many things a lot easier than you humans. And because I have to draw power from an outside source, this of course just makes it a lot worse as the source influence me. I was foolish but 'thirsty' to taste my true powers again." he explained.
"If it's anything to you, I will make sure to kill the wizard if I see him again." he said, confident that this would ease their minds.
"Tawakoshi yes... spirits are nearly everywhere, but powerful spirits like me are either rare or dormant. Many sleep for hundreds of years before some foolish Shikigami Binder tries to wake them up - often with terrible consequences. However I'm not a nature spirit, I'm a Yokai. I am bound to earth until I have completed my trials and is allowed to move on to the other side." he said and paused before continuing. "I chose to discard my trials however and thus lost my innate power in order to being able to understand the world as a free being." he said and gave a reluctant laugh. "That man... this is starting to look more like a curse..." he said and turned to Samga again. "Ever willingly given up something valuable only with the promise of something better in return?" he asked sounding dead serious.
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Khulan's Caravan
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Post by Khulan's Caravan on Apr 15, 2018 12:17:30 GMT -8
"Ah. So he didn't want anyone tracking him down," mused Samga. A tiny smile came to her face. "If you see him again, I'd rather you let me know. I would be curious to see what kind of caster he is."
Once the youngest sister finished, Chambui leaned forward. "I understand, spirit, and if you are indeed telling the truth, then this is very unfortunate. I do believe we can do something to help figure out the truth of the matter. What say you, Khojin? Imagine if we were walking in his footsteps. He seems to be an incredible warrior. He would be very useful on our travels."
Khojin looked Chambui in the eye, her expression critical. She did the same to Samga, who was unflinching. The ranger closed her eyes and took in a large breath. "You two will be the death of me one day," she sighed. When she opened her eyes, they bore into Xinagi's. "If you have not recovered by morning then we will have Samga help you in whatever way she can. You can travel with us, for a while. Maybe to make sure anothr evil salesman doesn't trick you. How does that sound?"
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Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2018 3:26:26 GMT -8
Xinagi looking musing at Samga. "In Tawakoshi we would call him by another name but I think in common he would be... a 'transmuter', though I don't know too much more about him. Rather do I want to." Xinagi said slightly annoyed. In truth revenge was what passed though his mind first when thinking of the mage - he was no doubt not a guy he would call 'good'.
He turned to Chambui slightly surprised that he was being defended. "I will assist you however I can." Xinagi said. Yes, in truth he was a great warrior and a fearsome foe being a 'yaiba yokai' (blade Yokai). But when he healed from this, he would likely be little stronger than a normal man - he would need another magic item to draw out his innate power if he were to live up to what he had briefly shown them.
"I think that will be." Xinagi said to Khojin and got up to a sitting position. Yes he was at least starting to feel some amount of sovereign over his limbs again. Xinagi immediately tried to stand up again, though his legs seemed to still not being able to hold his weight as he plummeted back on his behind. "Yes... I need some rest still though." he said resignedly. "What kind of caravan were you again?" he asked as he felt his legs and gazed around at the girls.
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Khulan's Caravan
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Post by Khulan's Caravan on Apr 17, 2018 21:38:17 GMT -8
Khojin was watching him very carefully. Someone like her wasn't easy to convince, and she would be keeping tabs on him for a long time. "Of course. We'll be here all night unless something decides otherwise. We've been riding for a while. I don't think the other will have even left Isra yet. We have quite a bit of time."
Samga leaned forward to check the stew, poking at it with a knife to see if everything was tender. "Do you eat, spirit? Will that help your recovery?"
Chambui scooted closer to the yokai, a passionate fire burning in her eyes. "A merchant caravan! We are trying to make a living for ourselves on the road, as we call no one place home. Where the caravan roams, so does the Toragana family! But we are small now. We plan to inspire many to join us as we travel!"
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