En Dharasha Everae RP thread

[TheKai]

Kai was at the top of the waterfall, deep in reverie. It lasted for a while before emotions of worry, suspicion and a physical tension broke him out of it. He returned from reverie in surprise at seeing so many elven rangers and warriors focused around Deacon's mushroom house, bows aimed below. He could make out the figures of the Cormiira, Deacon and Fhaeo, as well as the arrival of the Archmage huddled over what looked like a sack of feed on the ground. He sat back and quietly cast a cantrip to amplify sound, curious as to what was going on that would draw the attention of such prestigious and powerful individuals.

[LoreAddict]

Early in the morn, as Selûne's tears had trailed away and as the sun begins to push its first rays through the canopies - turning the soft eddies on the pond into a glittering show of light - Deacon leaves his little abode. Still wearing his night cap and bare of feet. In his hands Deacon carries a tray made from a smooth disc of wood upon which sit a few berries and biscuits and a cup of some steaming hot beverage - probably tea.

Deacon walks toward where Krisyl'lyn had set up her camp and leaves the tray infront of the opening in the furs and leafs. "Good morrow." He whispers before returning to his home, leaving a muddy trail of feet behind on his doormat.

Krisyl'lyn wakes in the morning, shorty after Deacon leaves the tray. As she pushes back the skins and she sees the gift left for her, the young elf's eyes immediately shoot toward the muddy trail. Icicle pushes her way from inside the tent nearly toppling the young elf in the process.

"Icicle! Don't be so pushy!" She says in her native tongue, "Hey! Save some for me!" She yelled as the large leopard helped herself to the contents on the tray, knocking the cup on the ground.

Krisyl'lyn lets out a sigh as she turns her attention tho the tracks. Being a competent tracker she studies the muddy footprints carefully. "Couldn't be... Could it?" She turns to Icicle as if expecting an answer only to see the leopard looking back, her fur around her mouth stained the color of the berries. "Silly girl..." she says softly as she turns back to the trail. "The "Deacon" that Mendel spoke of?" she half whispers as she shakes her head and goes about cleaning the mess that Icicle had made. Returning the cup and tray to the doorstep of the giant mushroom.

* * *

Later as all the commotion starts with the tiefling, Krisyl'lyn takes Icicle and slinks off into the woods a bit. Watching from the bow of a tree not to far off, she whispers to Icicle, "The one called Deacon ~is~ a dwarf!" She smiled at the realization and roughed up the large leopards fur, "We should stay up here until this incident is over..."

Icicle purred and playfully bit and pawed at her as they sat, high in the tree, watching it all unfold...

[gallimar]

"There will be no need for the water, Deacon." Fhaeo explains before he reaches down to grab the Tiefling by his shoulders and hoists him up on his feet. "Up you go. Now, explain who you are and why you have come here." He casts a glance back to Luthien before turning his attention to the Tiefling once more. "Once you have answered those questions, you will be escorted out of the village. Do you understand?"

Qin starts to flutter his eyes slowly, realizing there is quite the crowd around him. He lifts a brow and slowly starts to eye each and every one of them as his blurry vision clears. There were those in the armour, those with the bows, those in the trees and those who he recognised as his friends.

He gives his leg a scratch. Then he asks.

"What is the meaning of thisssss? Is sssomething the matter?"

He scratches his head and wipes the dirt from his eye and lets out a little hiss. He then finds an answer to the questions.

"I am Qin. Monk of Shadow. Order of the Balanced hand. Brother to Nemiso of the Moonsss and Quinathhh of the Morningsss; Sygo of the Hin and Vor of the Ale"

He pauses a moment looking around for his boots and picks them up. He takes a second quick glance at those with the bows, and a small smile creeps from the corner of his mouth displaying a spikey array of yellowish teeth.

"I came here by chance... I have never travelled these roadsss before, I got lost in the foressst. and as I ssssearched for a place of resssst the many orcsss attacked me each and every time. I eventually found thissss place. There were no signs to tell me I would not be welcome, and so I resssted; Peacefully until now might I add"

As his eyes continue to scan they land on Ithilwen and Kor'Vain.

"Friendsss!!!, Friendsss! Itsss good to see you friendsss. What are you doing here? What isss this place? Why mussst I leave?" he askes as he places his stinking feet into his boots.

[Darksider_war]

Realizing that the village's guest is finally awake, Luthien drinks all of the water, placing the empty bucket on the ground.

"Thank you Deacon - she gives Deacon an appreciative smile . it looks like our guest has returned. I will go and check on her overall health, since the situation with this Qin fellow is apparently under control."

Readying her healing ointments just in case, she walks towards the newcomer's spot...

[LoreAddict]

Realizing that the village's guest is finally awake, Luthien drinks all of the water, placing the empty bucket on the ground.

"Thank you Deacon - she gives Deacon an appreciative smile . it looks like our guest has returned. I will go and check on her overall health, since the situation with this Qin fellow is apparently under control."

Readying her healing ointments just in case, she walks towards the newcomer's spot...

Krisyl'lyn met with Luthien for a few hours. They talked outside the gates for some time before Luthien took her within the gates to the tavern for some food. The young elf ate bread and cheese and drank quite a bit of apple cider. Icicle took a liking to Luthien and her pouch of jerky. The leopard wouldn't leave her alone for the duration of the conversation.

After they split ways the young huntress and her faithful companion took off into the surrounding wood to hunt a few rabbit for Luthien. After bagging her quarry she skinned and cleaned them, giving them to the rangers at the Gate to deliver to her new friend.

[Invoker]

"Friendsss!!!, Friendsss! Itsss good to see you friendsss. What are you doing here? What isss this place? Why mussst I leave?" he askes as he places his stinking feet into his boots.

The Archmage laughs softly

"It is good to see you too, Master Qin. The answers to your questions are, in order: we live here, this is our home, and I think it's due to a misunderstanding involving your heritage, your looks and lack of details on my people's part"

He points towards Fhaeo

"They had no idea you are a friend. We tend to be very careful with safety issues...Also, I am not sure how he will react if you touch his hair...Just...don't touch anyone's hair for the time being, yes?"

[Solaris]

She chuckles and nods at Kael's words.

'It is still a mystery to me as how you found our village this deep in the woods.' She shakes her head slightly with a grin. 'This is indeed our home Qin... Don't be too surprised about this particular welcome. I am sure you understand seen the...' She stops and lifts her nose a bit as she watches him putting on his boots. 'given circumstances... What made you come towards this forest in the first place? Many get lost without a proper guide at their side in these woods. And that is just one of many dangers here...'

[gallimar]

Qin listens to his friends as the last strap of the last boot is tightened. He nods and smiles. He then places his hands inside his robe and pulls out a linen pouch the size of a fist. The content however is much much smaller than that. He tips it upside down.

He is practically focused on his friends Ithilwen and Kor'Vain at this stage, giving him a tunnel vision that ignores the rest around him. As per usual, the charisma of a tiefling never does him justice when meeting new people; However his welcome to these new lands were not that great either so he appears not to feel so rude when ignoring the others. He seems used to such welcomes

A small seed with a tiny crack rolls out of the bag onto his palm. He walks slowly, and cautiously toward Ithilwen, watching the bowman in the corner of his eye. A smile creeps from his lips. Without asking he snatches her hand and places the small cracked seed within her palm, and closes it just as quickly. Once her palm is closed he retracts his scaley hands with long sharp black fingernails eerily back within his robes

///A lore check or an alchemist check of 40 must be made to identify this plant, but can only be done when it blossoms. Doing so will reveal it to be Anemone

"When you undersssstand the meaning of thisss, come to me. I will be waiting"

He takes a bow, then looks to the entrance from whence he came. His boots emitting a tiny glow. Before you know it, he is gone, with the speed of something un-natural he is no more, as his silhouette melds into an existing shadow of a tree far off in the distance.

[Solaris]

Ithilwen observes Qin with a hint of interest but is also wary knowing his strange behavior sometimes. She raises an eyebrow as he moves towards her, then blinks as he takes her hand, placing the seed inside her palm. She stares at her hand and then at Qin.

'When I understand the meaning? Can't you just...'

Before she can finish her sentence she watches as he moves away, vanishing from sight as he leaves the village. She glances back at her hand with a puzzled expression and then lifts her head towards Kael, still with a puzzled expression holding her palm open, showing the seed.

[mireigi]

Since both Kor'Vain and Ithilwen seem to trust this Qin person, Fhaeo doesn't react much to anything he does, but merely stands watch. His hands reflexively go to his twin warhammers the moment Qin grab Ithilwen's hand, but relaxes shortly after as Qin doesn't do anything but place something in her hand. Though he is curious, he doesn't make a move to see what it is.

As Qin fades into the shadows, Fhaeo casts a glance to two of his rangers, offering them both a small nod. They both take the queue and follow along behind Qin, hiding themselves among their home forest as only elves can, tracking his movements as they go.

Meanwhile, Fhaeo approaches Ithilwen and Kor'Vain, a curious and serious expression on his features. He looks down at the seed in Ithilwen's hand and then looks at both of them as he speaks. "Let Master Deacon take a look at that seed. In the meantime, how about you tell me of your friend and what to expect from him? He is most - unusual."

[Caleb]

Deacon: A Summertime Story
I recommend that you, the reader, play the background music that comes with every few chapters. It is meant to set the mood and hopefully it will make your read a more enjoyable one.




I: Daffodils

One quiet morn in the year of the Morningstar - when Elminster went into retirement and Bane stole the warhammer of Tyr (it promised to become an eventful year) - Deacon awoke to the singing of larks and robins and the distant call of a mother fox awakening her young. "Time for our first breakfast of the day." Deacon mumbled sleepily to himself, as he rose from his box-bed - an old contraption made from soft pinewood and filled with fresh and heavily scented mosses - and started to rub the sleep from his eyes. His eyes were odd for a humanoid. They were small and beady, more akin to those found on a rodent. But the old and deep wrinkles around his eyes and bushy brow topping it off made his expression a benign and friendly one.
Deacon's chubby toes began to search for something. They arched down and wiggled until they stumbled upon a pair of thick slippers, made from various cloths sown together and resown through the years. It could be said that the slippers were patched up. But that would be an understatement. In fact, the slippers were so patched that they resembled a busy quilt more than a repaired piece of garment.
With his feet finally comfortably resting in the slippers, Deacon jumped out of the box-bed and wobbled slowly towards the source of a stream of light. It was a calm ray, ever so slightly lighting up the room Deacon was standing in. A room that did not seem to connect to anything but the shuttered window and a big oaken door. The room itself was circular with no hard edges. A table and a chair sat on the far end, farthest away from the window. While a large armoire - crooked, nearly collapsing under its own weight and covered in clothes - rested nearest the door. Under the window one could make out a small kitchen.
Brushing the tip of his night cap from his eyes, Deacon made his way to the kitchen and the window beyond. Squinting as the ray of light touched his eyes, Deacon reached for the shutters while tip-toeing on his feet, and opened them gently.
Light washed over Deacon and began to fill the nearly unlit room. The scent of daffodils grew strong as the vase in the windowsill began to warm up and a summer breeze sent the eye of the flower to face Deacon's humble home. It left Deacon with a cheerful expression, almost squeeling at the delight of the smells and the warmth. "Today will be a good day for a hike, methinks!" Deacon spoke to himself - or was it just himself? Something stirred under the shadow of one of the kitchen cabinets.


II: Bird in the Windowsill

"Good morning, Nibbles!" Deacon exclaimed at the shadow under the wooden kitchen counter - the counter was made up of old elmwood boards with large wooden peg nails hammered down across its surface, painted a dark green and decorated with a teal and pink flowery pattern - as he began to reach for a cupboard overhead. "Had a pleasant night, Deacon hopes?"
The cupboard opened with a loud creak and the shadow under the counter began to move again, now clawing its way out from underneath the kitchenworks and showing itself in the early morning light. Now in full vision, the badger looked up at Deacon and chittered. It chittered as if it was replying to the nightcap wearing and slipper donning Deacon.
"Good, good!" Deacon replied distantly as he focussed on heating a kettle of water over an old wood-stove. A bird (a swallow) flew across the window, singing its song and its wings beating a steady drum in flight. The fire made for a pleasant crackling sound and - being of hickory - created an auroma that was easy on the senses. The small badger laid himself down infront of the stove, enjoying its heat after having spent the night under the dark kitchen counter and on the damp kitchen floor.
"Shallt thou be joining Deacon on his hike today, mister Nibbles?" Deacon asked the badger while pouring himself a cup of hot tea. "Deacon's ankles ache a bit and the swallows fly low. Which means there will be some rain today. Perhaps thunder even. That always makes the forest smell so good. So alive!"
The badger chittered again in return, then lowered its weary head down and dozed off - sleeping in after a long cold night. "Good. Deacon will enjoy thy company on the trot."
The swallow swooped down and landed carefully on the windowsill, its tiny talons grasping the frame with the flaky green paint (it was in dire need of repainting), next to the vase of daffodils. Deacon placed his lips against the edge of his cup and took a sip. As always, Deacon's large and bulbous nose got in the way, making him spill and causing a trickle of tea to run down his long white beard. He did not care ---

*Shlllrrrrrp!*




III: Distant Thunder

The rain fell gently from the sky, hitting the canopy of leafs before falling down ontop of the mushroom's dome. Thunder resounded in the distance: Its violent call dimmed by the heavy shield of trees and leafs - making it a comforting sound, a token and testament of the safety of this place. The mushroom was Deacon's home; an exceptionally tall and bulky fungal growth that had died centuries ago and had since been petrified - even before Deacon carved out his dwelling here.

It had always comforted Deacon, knowing that things that lived to grow and endure so many years could still exist and service Faerûn after they expired. It comforted him because he himself had lived for close to thirty decades. The mushroom home was now covered in living things. New shrooms, toadstools, stinkhorns and other fungi grew on its ageless carcass.

Nearly tripping over a small rabbit, Deacon opened the heavy oaken door that kept the small interior of his mushroom home secure from the outside world. The door creaked and the rusted metal hinges squeeked - The door was an old one, created from thick oaken planks decorated with runes who's meaning had been lost ages ago, their origins forgotten and perhaps only still known by Deacon himself - but finally the heavy gateway swung open: Greeting the great grove where the mushroom sat. It wasn't much of a clearing - nature's growth was too thick here to allow for a proper grove - but it still let in more light than most of the Misty Forest. For that is where it sat.
Deacon leaned over and prodded the rabbit with a short stick. "Come now, Fluff! Let thy fluffy paws scramble and remove thyself from this inconvenient location. Zip zip! Deacon wishes to let in some fresh air and greet the hills and dales. And the trees - and the beasts..."
The rabbit jumped away after letting out a high-pitched squeel. The door flung open full force and the light of the clearing began to fill Deacon's dwelling. Deacon stood there for a moment, taking in the sounds and the smells and smiled. "Ah. Goodmorrow glade. Goodmorrow En Dharasha Everae. Good morrow Fluff and Nibbles. A new morn awaits. Full of possibilities and - "
Deacon paused, seeing a pale figure sitting by the pond. Deacon, still wearing his sleeping attire and bare-footed, began to close in on the figure sitting by the pond. The sun climbed ever higher, now casting a play of light on the pond's soft eddies. A rainbow took shape overhead as sun and drizzle played their skybound game.


IV: Blueberries & Biscuits

The swallow flew up from the window and Deacon made his way to the pond. He stopped by the moss-covered stone bench - once part of a greater construct that had since been reclaimed by the forest - and carefully placed a handful of blueberries and a few biscuits next to the figure sitting there. He then used the mushroom shelves that grew on its sides as steps and mounted the bench himself. "Good morrow, Ithilwen." He spoke in Elven. "Deacon brought thee some breakfast. It isn't much but one should at least have some."
Sneaking a berry into his mouth, Deacon watched the pond in silence along Ithilwen. A large pink salmon tried to make its way from the pond and through the waterfall - it wasn't much of a waterfall, more a cascade of water coming down from a slightly elevated stream above - and then into the stream leading west through the forest, disappearing from sight in the hazy morning mists that formed underneath the damp shadows of the pines.
When the salmon finally succeeded in its quest Deacon decided to leave the quiet and pale Elf to her thoughts. Leaving her a humble breakfast - minus one berry - he quickly and quietly returned to his home, wiping his slippers on the doormat.
"Where did I leave my rucksack, Nibbles?" Deacon wondered as he entered through the door. Nibbles chittered. "What is that, Nibbles? Clothes? Oh, yes! Deacon had better get dressed first."
Absent-mindedness was no stranger at Deacon's address as he would constantly forget one thing in favour of focussing on another. Despite this handicap, Deacon had managed to survive for an exceedingly long time. He approached the armoire and took a neatly folded mossgreen and wheatyellow robe from the top. The robe was about as long as Deacon were tall - which, ironically, wasn't very tall at all. Deacon didn't appear to be any taller than a hare sitting on its hind legs. The front had a V shaped cutaway while the back had an elongated tail that trailed across the ground as Deacon put it on. "A bib for the buttocks." Deacon had often called it in jest. The robe had been patched up through the years, though nothing as drastic as the 'quilted' slippers. The fabric was a thick and thightly woven wool. It looked heavy but at the same time comfortably soft. The shoulders had pouldrons on them, made from some animal's hide and decorated with a row of silvery white feathers. After tying his robe around his waist with a bright red end of rope, Deacon reached for a drawer, wrapping his stubby fingers around the iron knob - one of the few bits of metal in his home - and pulled. As the morning light eased through the open window, it revealed several pairs of socks, a meerschaum pipe shaped like a rose, and a brown leather satchel that had been decorated with a leaf-pattern. After donning the accessories from the drawer, Deacon reached for his hat - a green pointy hat that had been hanging from one of the kitchen cupboards.
Having dressed and packed, Deacon headed for the door, against which leaned a gnarled willow staff topped off with an amber stone. Deacon's 'walking stick'. "Come Nibbles! Let us find Fluff while the day is still young!"

[Caleb]

V: A Dark Trail

Walking past the pond and the stream that trickled east across the Dharashan village's border, Deacon took in the smells and sounds of the early summer. Dragonflies zipped across the sky, playing a game of hide and seek among the tall grass and the low reeds that graced the edges of the gently babbling stream. Bees buzzed as they carried their harvest from the flowers - mostly early blooming foxgloves and snapdragons and even late bluebells - to their nearby nest (Deacon prefered to refer to bee hives as nests - for reasons unknown). The auroma of the brightly coloured flora grew stronger as the sun's rays began to warm the cold and damp grove - and the dew on the reeds and blades of grass glistened like tiny pearls. A lone heron turned its head as Deacon approached - then as it recognized Deacon it eased up. Finally though it flew off as Nibbles appeared out from behind Deacon's short legs and rushed toward the bird in an act of curiousity. "Pity." Deacon noted.
Finally, Deacon reached a narrow trial that lead up to and swirled back around his home and a few large oaks. Such trees had little chance of growing tall this close to the grove, as its borders were marked by a thick row of pines that cast so much shadow, nothing could grow underneath, safe for the hardiest of plants. No nut or acorn could settle here, eventhough they were often burried in the safe cover of the evergreen by magpies and blackbirds. But these oaks had stood here longer than the grove had existed - they reached so high that their canopies could take in all the light they wanted - and they thrived. The trail grew narrower further down, as more evergreen growth arched over the passageway. This, however, posed no problem for Deacon, who could easily pass underneath.
Deacon started humming and a dove started cooing, as it sought shelter from the rain under the cover of a pinebranch. Its call resounded through the forest - echoing - until it became a faint ghostly cry that would send shivers up the back of any would-be traveller. The light grew more dim as Deacon advanced through the narrow trail. Shadows began to play their games as the wind moved the arching branches. Suddenly, the sound of rushing feet could be heard and Deacon reminded himself of the Orcs that would occassionally venture too close to the grove. The rushing became louder - closer - and branches started to break underneath.

*CRACK*

Deacon stopped in his tracks and followed Nibbles' gaze. The dove stopped calling. It too could sense something was coming. They looked to their right. Something stirred behind one of the pines. The faint sunlight revealed a long shadow.

*SNAP*

Gleaming black eyes suddenly revealed themself, as well as a pair of long sharp teeth, as the creature from the shadows lunged at Deacon.

[Caleb]

VI: The Beast Attacks

There was a loud crash as Deacon lost his balance and fell over with his back and buttocks ending up on the forest floor. The dove flew up in panic. Several crows cried their alarm. But Deacon laughed heartily -- as a ball of fur had thrown itself at him. "Fluff!" Deacon squeeled: "Mind the beard. I had spent the better part of my morning combing it, dost thou not know?" He happily lied to the fluffy bunny. "Get thy muddy paws off my beard, madam! Right this instance!" - Finally Fluff obeyed and hopped off of Deacon, looking guilty and hanging her ears in shame.
With the help of his 'walking stick', Deacon managed to rise to his little feet again. He brushed the dirt, rotting leafs and a particularly frightened dungbeetle from his boots. "Pardon Deacon, mister Beetle." He apologised quickly.
The boots were well crafted, made from an animal's hide and dyed a dark green, which stood in bright contrast to the red shoe-laces that kept the boots tightly wrapped around Deacon's ankles. The brim of the boots were decorated with a smart ruffle.
Deacon turned to face Fluff and Nibbles, giving them an appraising and stern look - one of his eyes closed shut while the other glittered in the faint sunlight, which passed through the shroud of pineneedles up above. "What is Deacon to do with ye? One frightens whatever comes on our path and the other lunges herself at the nearest traveller." Deacon sighs. "Best ye behave thyselves as we pass along old Mumblebark. Ye both know the old tree does not suffer shenanigans or tomfoolery." Deacon sets off with the animals in tow. Nibbles holds a steady pace and trails along like a loyal pup while Fluff scurries and jumps along irregularly, often distracted by small insects, shiny rocks and pebbles and bright flowers and berries.
Finally having cleared the narrow and dark passage, beset by evergreen, the party reaches a fairly open glade; The glade would be no different from any other opening in the forest's foilage, were it not for the giant - nay - gargantuan oak that sat on its edge. Its canopy so high it would not allow anything else to grow underneath its cover - safe for grass and weeds, some flowers, mosses and mushrooms. The ancient oak arched toward the west with its massive branches, creating a spiny claw, covered in leafs. It was clearly old, but still alive as the leafs were fresh and green - almost golden as the rising sun beat down with its warm rays, trying to break through the myriad of coloured leafs. Shades of red, green and yellow danced around the glade. The trunk of the oak was so broad that it could house an entire hostel of Or-tel-quessir (Wood Elves) - were it that the tree had died and wouldn't suffer from being hollowed out.
Deacon approached the base of the tree, where its roots formed a lair resembling a badger's sett. Deacon sat down on one of the exposed roots that surrounded the sett on both sides. He picked the leftmost.

[Caleb]

// PS

I am sorry if the background music made people have to take bathroom breaks.

[Solaris]

Since both Kor'Vain and Ithilwen seem to trust this Qin person, Fhaeo doesn't react much to anything he does, but merely stands watch. His hands reflexively go to his twin warhammers the moment Qin grab Ithilwen's hand, but relaxes shortly after as Qin doesn't do anything but place something in her hand. Though he is curious, he doesn't make a move to see what it is.

As Qin fades into the shadows, Fhaeo casts a glance to two of his rangers, offering them both a small nod. They both take the queue and follow along behind Qin, hiding themselves among their home forest as only elves can, tracking his movements as they go.

Meanwhile, Fhaeo approaches Ithilwen and Kor'Vain, a curious and serious expression on his features. He looks down at the seed in Ithilwen's hand and then looks at both of them as he speaks. "Let Master Deacon take a look at that seed. In the meantime, how about you tell me of your friend and what to expect from him? He is most - unusual."

Ithilwen turns the seed in her hand and observes it. 'It does seem familiar to me but I can't put my finger on it of what kind of plant it belongs to'

She glances at Fhaeo. 'Qin basically said what he is. A monk of the balanced hand. We had some mutual travels along the sword coast. To say he is strange is an understatement. But I dare say I consider him a friend in a way.'

She then turns to Deacon. 'What would you say master Deacon? Would it be safe to plant this seed and see what it is?