{Location}
Northwatch sits in north-central Serendipity, just south of the Terrin Mountain Range

{Borders}

• North - Connlaoth, specifically the Duchies of Vythe and Highheart
• West - Darken Vei
• East - Featherfall
• South - Jadenshine, Moonspear

{Major Cities}

• Caer Northwood - the seat of the High Lord of Northwatch {map here}
• Caer Domnallach
• Caer Breathnach
• Caer (Name Here) {available for claiming}
• Caer (Name Here) {available for claiming}
• Caer (Name Here) {available for claiming}
• Caer (Name Here) {available for claiming}
• Caer (Name Here) {available for claiming}

{Major/Minor Towns}
See map. While there are plenty of canon towns you can set your threads in, feel free to make your own towns/minor towns.

{Other Key Locations}

• The Northwood
• The Northwood Druid Circle
• Others to be determined (available to create)

{Biomes and Geography}
Being one of the northern Serenian provinces, Northwatch is not prone to hot weather as one might find closer to the Ora river. Instead, the entire province enjoys mild summers, with cold and wet winters. With their northern borders the Terrin mountains themselves, the upper half of the province is quite mountainous, which slowly turns to hillsides and rolling plains the further south one travels. The land - and weather - becomes considerably wetter closer to Jadenshine and the various rivers that flow in the south.

Northwatch is more heavily forested at the base of the Terrin Mountains, with the largest and densest forest being the Northwood. This ancient wood has stood sentinel for nearly a thousand years, just where the mountain passes from Vythe and Highheart end.

Once upon a time, there was an queendom full of life and beauty and wonder. The people prospered under a fair and just ruler, and everyone had more food than they could eat, more wine than they could drink, and more rooms in their houses than they could ever live in. That was until, one day, calamity struck, and the whole of the queendom was destroyed, its surviving peoples scattered to the winds. Where once all had prospered, now all suffered and struggled to begin anew.

The people broke into clans, bound by relations they'd had in the old days, and suspicious of those they did not know. Many tried to continue the lives they'd once had - they hoarded food they could not eat, hid wine they could not drink, and fought for more space even once they were satisfied, but only for their family, their friends, their clan.

A small, nameless clan struggled the most as the others fought over every spare rock and twig. They went to each of the leaders of the other clans, one by one, begging for a place to stay and prosper. One by one, they were turned away.

'Why should we risk ourselves for you?' the clan leaders said, 'We do not know you, we do not claim you.'

And so the nameless clan carried on. Again and again they were turned away, until the only place they had left to them was a small hill where they could camp and keep watch against the night and any who would seek to steal what little they had. One night, after a meager meal, the elders of the nameless clan spoke together about what to do.

It was decided that the nameless clan would send out their strongest warrior. Their champion chosen, the clan gathered what supplies they could, and sent him on his way.

Their strongest warrior never returned.

Again, the elders of the clan gathered, and it was decided that they would send out their fiercest hunter. Their champion chosen, the clan gathered what supplies they could - less this time - and sent her on her way.

Their fiercest hunter never returned.

Again, the elders of the clan gathered. They argued all day and through the night, into the next day, and through the night again. Who else could they send? They had even less now than they did before, they couldn't supply another, and if their best could not make it home, what hope did anyone else have?

On the third day, a girl approached the elders and declared that she would go out in search of a home for their clan.

'You?' they scoffed, looking her over, 'You will not survive. We cannot give you supplies.'

'I do not need supplies,' the girl said, 'I will gather what I need on the road.'

The elders scoffed and bickered more.

'You are not a mighty fighter or a clever hunter, you will not survive.' They said.

'Our best warrior and our best hunter did not return home. I do not need to be like them.' The girl said.

The elders scoffed and bickered more.

'You are too skinny and too young. Someone will hurt you.' They said.

'I am small, and I am quiet,' the girl said, 'I will hide from anyone who would hurt me.'

Seeing that they could not dissuade her, the elders finally agreed to send the girl out. The clan did not have much to give, and so the girl was sent out with only what little her family could part with - a cooking knife to defend herself and a woven blanket to keep her warm.

With that, the girl from the nameless clan set off to find her people a home. She travelled for days, using the mountains to guide her. She foraged for her food, only taking what she needed. She kept quiet and out of sight when she spotted other people, as bandits ruled the roads in those days.

The girl first came upon a wide field, where rabbits were as plentiful as stars in the night sky. Surely, there her clan could hunt, and never fear hunger again. But because the girl was not the fiercest hunter, she carried on her way.

Then the girl came upon a high hill, where she could see for miles and miles. Surely, there her clan could defend themselves, and never fear another bandit raid. But because the girl was not the mightiest warrior, she carried on her way.

And then the girl came upon the Wood, where the sun could only trickle through the trees like a faint morning mist. Surely, there her clan could hide, could gather food as they needed, could flourish together. Because the girl was a survivor, she did not carry on her way.

She stepped into the trees, climbing roots as thick as a bull and picking her way through brambles sharp as a needle. Darker the Wood grew, and the days became as dim as the nights. It was only when midnight became midday that the girl stopped, and beheld a sight few can imagine.

There before her was a mighty tree, its trunk stretching wide beyond her sight, its branches impenetrable. Every knot in its bark equaled ten of the girl in size, and its branches were beyond any man's count. As she gazed upon the tree, a wind blew through the canopy, and with it carried a message:

Who are you to trespass here?

This was no mere tree. This was the tree, the ancient heart of the forest, a being beyond the concept of time and human history. The girl was nothing to him, the lord of the boughs, a mere insect to the ages. And yet, knowing that her clan waited, the girl swallowed her fear and spoke:

'I come on behalf of my clan with no name.' The girl said, 'Please, my lord. We seek a home.'

A home, the leaves rustled overhead in disdain, did you not pass over the grass to get here? Surely a vast city could be built, there.

'I did. But the sky is too wide, and I fear what would become of us, out in the open. Please, my lord. We seek a home.'

Did you not pass the hills? the tree creaked, irritation in each snap of a twig, Surely a mighty castle could be built, there.

'I did. But the hill is so lonely, and I fear what would become of us, cut off from the world. Please, my lord. We seek a home.'

And if I let you stay, what will you do? Will you carve me out, one by one? Take until there is nothing left? Build yourselves above my corpse? The rustling grew louder, the groans and creaking of wood sharper. The tree loomed over the girl, immense and impossible.

'I would only take what you grant me. On this, you have my word.'

What I may give, you gladly take. Of course, you do. But what of you? What of your sacrifice? What would you give?

What, indeed?

Table of Contents
1. Province History
2. Geographic Information
3. The People, Society, and Culture
4. Public Figures, Guilds, Organizations
5. Local Laws, Superstitions, and Events
6. Character List

Jewel's skin prickled, a static shock of feeling running over his arms and condensing in his chest as the sheer embarrassment of drawing that much attention settled in. Because of course Ven wouldn't know anything about it, foreigners rarely did, and Jewel knew that. If he'd thought for more than a second, he might not have said anything at all.

But then, that would have been terribly rude, because the message had been said for Ven, and there was very little chance of the man understanding all on his own. Jewel chewed at his cheek, and turned to make sure he had everything still packed away in his satchel just to give him something else to focus on. A quick glance showed that Ven's feet were still pointed towards him, and he took a breath in preparation.

"It's not the stone. Not just stone, anyway." Jewel gestured for Ven to follow as he strode away opposite the path Sealgaire ocrach had created, footsteps light and quiet as he stepped over large, bulbous roots.

"I can talk to the Neighbors. Well... I can understand them, they tolerate my accent, mostly, it's awful. The one in the garden I've known for years, Caomhnóir, same with her, Mháthair bheag-- careful of the mud, there." Jewel ducked around a low-hanging branch, and soon settled on a narrow trail that was barely visible amongst the lush undergrowth, "The ones outside the wall, they don't know much Trader, usually. I've tried teaching a few wisps but they just want to play games and carry on, you know. Too young."

I got...

DRACO!

Spoiler

[close]

{NAME}
Xia Jingyi

{ALIASES}
Assistant Xia
Jingyi

{AGE}
25

{GENDER, SEXUALITY}
Agender, achillean

{SPECIES/ETHNICITY}
Shijie-ren, Songtu-ren

{HEIGHT/BUILD}
5'6" without antlers, very slim

{OCCUPATION}
(one of many) Administrative assistant to a High Judge of Jingshen

{RESIDENCE}
Jingshen



{PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION}
Build; Jingyi spends most of their time at a desk and it shows. They are soft, slim, and very non-athletic. They're about average height and their antlers grow full and tall.

Color; Jingyi is not as pale as some of their fellow Songtu-ren, possessing a mild tan. Their large eyes are a lovely mossy green and their hair is a deep natural black.

Alterations; As a Shijie-ren, Jingyi is mostly humanoid in appearance, except for their seasonal antlers and slender deer feet. They possess sharpened canines and their bones/teeth have a darker grey-black appearance. Their ears are pointed and they possess two white dots on the side of their nose bridge.

Modifications; Jingyi has a terrible set of scars on either side of their neck, showing where the entry and exit wounds once were.

Dress; Jingyi prefers practical clothing without too much fabric that runs the risk of getting wrinkled or stained. Working for a High Judge, however, they maintain a pristine appearance, and they often take great care to make sure everything is in place before reporting to work.

{PERSONALITY}
Precise, clean, organized, anxious

Fun Facts!:

• Gets terribly, terribly seasick. Uses the bridges as often as possible rather than setting foot on a boat.
• Likes taking long, quiet walks in the woods or visiting the local theater to watch plays.
• Is very tolerant to a degree and able to handle quite a bit of stress, but goes absolutely feral when pushed past the breaking point.
• Cannot speak.

{SPECIAL ABILITIES}
Jingyi is often plagued by completely incomprehensible divine visions that they can make neither heads nor tails of, so they usually just ignore it.

{RELATIONSHIPS}
TBD!

{HISTORY}
TBD!


_________________

{NAME}
Mayumi Bai

{ALIASES}
Yumi

{AGE}
20

{GENDER, SEXUALITY}
Female, heterosexual

{SPECIES/ETHNICITY}
Anathanati and Human, half-Rulastinian and half-Thanati

{HEIGHT/BUILD}
5'3", graceful

{OCCUPATION}
Trader

{RESIDENCE}
Thanatos



{PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION}

Build; Yumi is petite, with graceful curves and delicate joints.

Color; Like her mother and brother, Yumi has brown skin that deepens in the sun. Her hair is a vibrant, deep copper red, and her eyes are bright seafoam green.

Alterations; As part Anathanati, Mayumi has pointed ears and slightly sharpened canines. Otherwise, she is standard human shape.

Modifications; Mayumi possesses a lip piercing but presently no tattoos.

Dress; Her style of dress can only be described as 'to the nines'. Bright colors, gold jewelry, and beautiful hairsticks. She also has a collection of perfumes that she alternates between.

{PERSONALITY}
Spirited, proud, intelligent, confident, dutiful.

Fun Facts!:

• Will absolutely get into a fight with Yosuke over mangoes. They've been having eating competitions since they were kids.
• Politeness dictates that she will not outright SAY she is unimpressed with someone, but she is usually very unimpressed.
• Is constantly jealous of Yosuke's ability to go to Rulastinia with their dad. She's never been allowed to go and it grates on her.
• .

{SPECIAL ABILITIES}
Very good at tying knots since she learned watching her father and brother.
Also learned Thanati martial arts and is fully capable of putting you in the ground with her bare hands.

{RELATIONSHIPS}
Mom and dad, who run both sides of their trading company that runs between Thanatos and Rulastinia. Her mom is Thanati and a ruthless businesswoman on the islands, whereas her father negotiates trade in Rulastinia. She has an older brother, Yosuke, and a younger sister.

{HISTORY}



_________________

{NAME}
Bai Yosuke

{ALIASES}
N/A, just Yosuke

{AGE}
27

{GENDER, SEXUALITY}
Male, demisexual

{SPECIES/ETHNICITY}
Anathanati and Human, half-Rulastinian and half-Thanati

{HEIGHT/BUILD}
5'6", athletic

{OCCUPATION}
Trader

{RESIDENCE}
Sails between Thanatos and Rulastinia and spends the same amount of time in both locations on average



{PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION}
Build; Formed by a life of sailing, Yosuke has a strong back and steady legs. His musculature is further honed by a dedication to Thanati martial arts. He's a little taller than the others he sails with, but is overall fairly average in stature.

Color; Yosuke has tan skin, which darkens considerably after months on a boat traveling between Thanatos and Rulastinia. His waist-length hair is a rich, warm brown, and his eyes are a light sage green.

Alterations; Given his Anathanati heritage, Yosuke has pointed ears much like the rest of his Rulastinian kin. His canines are slightly elongated and sharp, but otherwise he possesses a standard human shape.

Modifications; Heavily calloused hands, a few scars here and there, and a growing tattoo collection that is rapidly overtaking his torso.

Dress; His dress depends on where he presently is, though he tends to favor the layered robes of his Rulastinian side. The further he gets from the cold of Rulastinia, however, the more he will wear knee-length pants and short-sleeved robes, the better to leave his arms and legs free while he works. The only consistency is in the leather gorget around his neck as many of his fellow Rulastinians wear. Even in the relative "safety" of Le'raanan waters, he does not usually give up this bit of protection without reason.


{PERSONALITY}
Thoughtful, protective, hard-working, sincere, curious

Fun Facts!:

• Can and will eat his weight in mangoes if left unattended.
• .
• .
• .

{SPECIAL ABILITIES}
He works with boats so he's real good at boat things, tying knots, etc.
Also practices a form of Thanati martial art, utilizing hardened and treated sticks as weapons.

{RELATIONSHIPS}
Mom and dad, who are quite the intense businessfolks. His mom is Thanati and runs the business on the islands, whereas his father negotiates trade in Rulastinia. He has two younger sisters, one 20 and one 10, who both reside on Thanatos with their mother.

{HISTORY}
Stuff sure did happen.


_________________

Jewel froze in place, just as he was bending to set down his satchel and perhaps even sit on a bit of rock. He thought quickly about something that he might have forgotten - Ven needed space, it was important to not get too close, but what else had Jewel missed that would cause the man to flinch so badly?

"There is something out there," Ven said, panicked and quick. Jewel let go of the satchel strap, letting it settle on a dry patch of ground as he just as quietly drew his bow. Above his head, a very quiet rattle sounded, like bits of pebbles knocking together in a whisper. Jewel slipped back out into the clearing, and carefully scanned the perimeter. The trees were still. The grass was still. Indeed, there didn't seem to be a sign of anything moving in the gloom. He stepped to the side, eyes lowered to the dirt, where they soon fixed on a large imprint in the mud. A very large, very fresh imprint.

Sealgaire ocrach.

Jewel drew in a deep breath, and sighed it out. He carefully walked back to the opening again, ducking low to gather his satchel once more.

"--It isn't safe."

"This is the Northwood, Mr Ven. There is much here that has been alive far longer than any of us, and will be here long after we are gone." He looked up at the sound of pebbles again, his mouth pulling into a tight grimace shortly after. "...But you are right. It would be better for us to not linger."

He eyed the floor, where there had been some attempt at gathering wood and moss into a neat pile. The wet had made it moot, of course, but he did have to applaud the attempt. The little bit of pale wood with a burnt end was curious, and he plucked it up without thinking, turning it over in his hand before letting it drop again.

"We'll need to move through the night. There is an old fortress, beyond the western edge of the Wood. It'll be good shelter and away from passersby, we can rest there." He looked to the other man, paused, and let his tone drop in a gentle fashion, "I promise I will get you safely there, Mr Ven. Please, follow me."

Jewel stepped back out of the outcrop once more, and set a hand on the smoothest part of the surface. As with the wall, his voice dropped into the same slow rumble, and as before the stone rumbled back.

"She says thank you for not squishing the bugs."

Van grinned wide and threatening, and raised his arms to gesture the intruder in.

"Let's go. You want a fuckin' tussle, let's have us a fuckin' tussle!"

He stooped low, grabbing the wooden dressing bench from its place at the food of the bed, and threw it at the other man, not so much caring about landing a hit as much as he cared about causing as much destruction as possible. The day had been shit, and right then he had a very good excuse to take it out on someone else.

The boy, bless his heart, had stepped after the young woman the moment she had gotten off the cart in seeming distress. Shea had only barely had his attention pulled from an ancient-looking poster half-peeling from the wooden walls as the woman punched a crate in a fit of what seemed to be hysterical swearing.

The boy, bless his heart, decided very much against continuing any attempts to assist the woman, and instead stepped back and around Shea's leg to put more distance between himself and the woman. A generally poor decision, on the level of putting a crocodile between oneself and a raging bear.

Shea glanced at the child, before regarding the woman with far more attention than he had previously. The swearing, hysterical or otherwise, did not seem to be brought on by their present predicament in any manner. Indeed, this was not the typical behavior of a human being suddenly discovering they were trapped in a shed at the end of a carnival ride. No, the vast majority of people in such a predicament tended to start beating at walls and doors while screaming for help. They didn't tend to start boxing the furniture.

A very interesting anomaly, that.

"Where's the exit?" asked the boy, scanning the walls in quick glances while still hiding behind him.

Shea took a cursory look as well, before putting it bluntly, "I don't believe this is designed to have one."

He looked back to the woman, and eyed the shards of wood littering the space where the crate had once been.

"Madam, if you would kindly attempt the same strike a bit up and to your left, please." Shea requested, gesturing at the wooden wall beside a set of cabinets stuffed with cobwebs and rolled scrolls.

The forest was lonely, once the wall settled back in place. But for a few fallen leaves, there was no sign that the hole had ever existed. The sense of being watched, however, could only grow, beginning at the wall and where the vines had lost their hard-won leaves, and growing ever more potent the further into the trees he went. The sense of watchful unease seemed to permeate even the brambles, their thorns sharpening to long daggers the closer Ven got to them.

The clearing remained peaceful even after Ven returned from his hunt, though the space was considerably less on edge than the surrounding wilds had been at his passing. Under the stone, the watchful feeling faded somewhat, and even the trees that circled the glade seemed to relax their branches from where they had previously strained to keep away from the stranger's touch. As the rain stopped, there even came the sounds of the usual nocturnal creatures, each one popping out of whatever warm, safe space they had found to rummage in the undergrowth, or watch from the branches above for their next meal. A few feet away, an owl screeched, repeating the high sound every few moments.

And then, as sudden as the shattering of glass, all sound stopped.

A number of beetles scurried in a wave to get under the stone shelter Ven shared, disappearing into whatever crevices they could find as fast as their tiny segmented legs could carry them. Grasses swayed short and quick as mice ran back to their holes, tiny hearts hammering wildly as they burrowed in and stared at the opening as if waiting for the end.

From the direction of Ven's hunt, something heavy moved through the undergrowth, rattling the lowest branches as it passed. The sound of ripping meat shortly followed, the whatever-it-was apparently finding the remnants of where Ven had been, and falling upon the meal with gusto. Once the ripping sounds stopped, then came the snaps and pops of breaking bones, and finally the scratching and clawing of dirt.

After a painfully tense amount of time, the devouring ceased, and the whatever-it-was stepped heavily along, growing closer to the clearing until it finally broke the treeline on the opposite end of the rock shelter. A large muzzle breathed deep and huffed, sniffing the air before lingering, watchful and patient, by the rocks. Even more insects scrambled to hide, then, spiders and worms alike racing over Ven's boots to get further inside and Away.

The thing sniffed again, gave a low chuckle, and slowly carried on through the clearing, passing through the trees until all sound of it faded from even the sharpest hearing. The surroundings didn't lower their guard for quite some time after that, and while the beetles bravely crawled out to continue their business, the owl did not return, nor did the mice.

Lighter, much quieter footsteps approached, then, and Jewel stepped into the clearing. His uniform tabard had been abandoned in favor of a well-worn cloak that blended much more readily with the surrounding greenery, a satchel and bow on his back and a quiver at his hip.

"I apologize for my delay," he said, quietly, stooping down under the shelter while giving as much space as he could to Ven. "My leaving was not as easily managed as I had anticipated."

Jewel hummed quietly to himself. There was a question, wasn't it? Would Jewel be able to trust this man not to simply bolt, and would he be able to convince the other guards at the gate to not ask too many questions. He was sure the gossip had already spread - a vampire in Caer Northwood, wandering in cool as you please to slaughter an entire company.

No... no. It would be infinitely better, Jewel decided, if no one saw Ven leave the city. He looked to the window, considering the rain and the gloom, before looking back to Ven.

"Follow me."

Jewel moved back to the study doors, and made his way down the stairs to the first floor. Instead of going to the front door, however, he turned down the hall to the back of the house, past the kitchen and a sitting room, to get to a smaller door leading outside.

Knowing full well that he was going to have to explain himself to multiple people, Jewel led Ven out into the cold damp of the evening, his overgrown garden barely sparing the stone path that led through it all the way back to the city walls. The stone was slick and wrapped in thick, woody vines, the large green leaves seeming to curl when he laid his hand against the centermost stone.

"We need a way," he said, his voice lowering into a near-hum and the words slow to escape him, each consonant taking entire moments to finish between valleys of vowels. "Please."

At first, it certainly looked as if Jewel had gone completely insane, talking to a wall. But soon the sound of rain couldn't hide the rumbling of stone against stone, the vines curling back and away as the rocks rolled and parted, still a part of the wall but presenting a conveniently man-sized hollow out into the dark green of the Wood. Jewel stepped back and turned to Ven, his brows set and serious.

"I am choosing to trust you, Mr Ven. There is an outcrop, just a small distance straight ahead," he pointed out into the treeline, "that will provide shelter from the rain. Please, go there, give the clearing your name and mine, and I will find you again once I've finished preparations."

{NAME}
Tao Yahui

{ALIASES}
"Doc"

{AGE}
32

{GENDER, SEXUALITY}
Male, demisexual

{SPECIES/ETHNICITY}
Shijie-ren, Sheng-gu

{HEIGHT/BUILD}
5'9", average build

{OCCUPATION}
Local doctor and apothecary

{RESIDENCE}
A small town on the outskirts of Tanhuang



{PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION}
Build; Yahui is pretty average in his build. He's not overly soft like more well-off scholars in the city, and has done much of the gardening and foraging for his family's long-standing medicine shop.
Color; Yahui has brown skin, which darkens considerably when he's been out working in the garden. His hair is a rich, natural black, and his eyes are a bright purple.
Alterations; As one of the Shijie-ren, Yahui grows and sheds long, elegant antlers seasonally. His canines are sharp, his heart is semi-exposed, and his feet end in delicate deer-like hooves.
Modifications; None.
Dress; Yahui prefers to have his arms free, and will tie back the sleeves of his clothes back when he needs to do work of any sort. Still, given his role as a doctor and his geographic proximity to the capital city of the Empire, he does not struggle in the slightest. His clothes are well-maintained, and he can afford several different accessories for his hair and antlers. He doesn't flaunt this wealth over-much, however, and will say there's little point in fine silks if he's just going to get mud on them.

{PERSONALITY}
Calm, poised, practical, polite, with a surprising ability to be stern when he needs to be

Fun Facts!:

• Likes being in the sun. Cannot relate.
• Likes to go for long nature walks and will often volunteer to go foraging because of this.
• Prefers the quiet.
• Has a distinct love for pulpy fiction.

{SPECIAL ABILITIES}
N/A

{RELATIONSHIPS}
A large, well-established family that has provided medical care for their town for generations. Yahui is one of many cousins, but unlike several of his relations, has not submitted to any matchmaking efforts so far.

{HISTORY}
Take time to care for yourself, or your body will schedule it for you.


_________________

Jewel's head cocked some as Ven commented on the humor behind being in the patient's chair. Well, there was another memory not lost - a medicine man. While he could not be absolutely certain what Ven's idea of 'medicine man' actually meant, it did give him some hope to the situation. Two healers, after all, were able to conduct far more work than just one.

He inspected his pipe, licked his teeth, and considered exactly how to explain himself. Explain any of this, really. But Ven had been truly acquiescing to Jewel's requests for both information and patience, and his trust deserved to be validated in some way. Didn't it?

"You're quite right, Mr Ven. You are... completely unlike anyone I've ever come across, in person or," he gestured around the room, "in books. Your condition is certainly one I would label as hazardous, and were you not already here, I would very much hesitate to bring you to my city. I am sure, if we were sitting in opposite seats as you are used to, you would likely feel quite the same way."

Jewel took a breath, and sighed it out. Tapped out his pipe into an ashtray on the windowsill, and began packing the bowl anew. Once it was alight, however, Jewel got to his feet and started pacing slowly, keeping to the wall opposite Ven to prevent any discomfort or agitation. He just needed to move, and the less he had to focus on looking at Ven directly as one did during civilized conversation, the better he could think.

"You are in the Northwood. The first map you saw," he gestured vaguely to the desk, "is of the Caer, the Wood, and the immediate areas beyond. The Wood is the seat of Northwatch. We are one of the northern provinces of the Queendom, duty-bound to guard our lands from invasion through the mountain passes. Northwood is... particularly difficult to wander through unless you are allowed to be there, and even so it shelters beings far more intimidating than yourself. One so ancient does not suffer trespassers lightly."

He moved his hands a bit in vague circles, as if chasing the best route for his words, turning each of them over and discarding several before he continued in a fresh plume of smoke.

"I suppose I propose exactly this. You do actually know quite a bit, Mr Ven," he said, his tone softening somewhat as he finally looked back to his guest, "and that will be our guide. You came through the mountains, you know how to travel, you are a healer as you said, and you know this is a strange land to you. You also know you are a danger, and that you cannot stay here."

Jewel tapped one of the map cases.

"I similarly cannot allow any harm to befall the beings of this province, nor any beyond us. Which, if you are made to stay beyond your ability to contain yourself, will happen. However, in your state, you are certainly not going to make it far without a sense of where to go and what not to do. Ranchers tend to get a bit... touchy... about their livestock all turning up dead. You will end up in jail, I suspect, and instead of my Caer, it will be another that suffers. So... I will simply have to go with you."

"++You will not get very far, if you are preoccupied with my hands,++" Aike replied, looking right up into the Taluvan man's mask as they did. Behind them, Sitkal did his best to keep his expression completely neutral, instead plucking up a pebble to float back and forth between his palms. "++If we do not have much time before being made to stay indoors, then we may leave now.++"

Aike looked back finally to see Sitkal struggling with the shape of his own mouth, though he quickly snapped his attention to Aike at a word. The giant Trapdoor got to his feet with ease, and stepped closer to the pair.

"++Everyone is settled?++"

"++More or less. We know how to behave ourselves while you do footwork.++" Sitkal said evenly, completely ignoring his own choice of words and the look it earned him.

"++Very well then,++" they looked back to Enoka, "++give me a moment to ready, and we can move out.++"

Aike slipped into the tent, where a few hushed words in Cortlan were exchanged as Sitkal settled back down to keep watch. Soon enough, Aike reemerged, hands wrapped in strips of cloth while leaving their fingers free, and an extra poncho layered atop their prior one.

"++Lead the way.++"

Aike could feel their skin heating, so much so that it seemed to spread up their arms and right to their ears. They flexed their fingers once Enoka released their hands again, humming a bit at the warmth that still remained.

"++Please do pass along my thanks, as well as my apologies.++" They looked to their borrowed tipi, where Sitkal sat on the ground by the entry pretending to not be terribly amused. Aike's eyes narrowed, and Sitkal wisely looked elsewhere.

"++When did you plan on your adventure?++" Aike asked once they were sure they were not being laughed at by the other Trapdoor. "++And should I wrap my hands before we go?++"

Aike accepted the pouch, looking quizzically down at it. They rubbed over the leather with one thumb, but it was not immediately clear what the pouch contained. Enoka's joking hardly helped, and Aike gave him a look before bumping him right back.

"++What is this?++" they asked, raising up the pouch in question to him.

The pleasantries were uncomfortable. They always had been, if he were honest; there was just always a moment where the conversation shifted, where that extra note of politeness grew and settled neat as you please into the gulf that had widened, raw and ravenous, between them. At the very least, Mr Ven was being genuinely polite -- pleasantries were uncomfortable, but simpering was unbearable, and while something had clearly shifted in the time it took Jewel to make tea, at least it wasn't that.

Jewel drew on the stem of his pipe, and sighed deeply in a cloud of smoke. He watched as Mr Ven looked over the tray and took far less than what had been offered. Jewel noted the short flash of what could only be described as longing as Mr Ven considered the honey, but left with only tea. By mere inches more, the gulf widened again, a yawning thing filled with smoke and the sound of raindrops on glass.

Shaking off the sensation -- quickly, firmly -- Jewel returned to observing his guest. Some of the mess of his hair had been tended to, and he glanced to the side where the mirror hung on the wall. Mr Ven had seemed a bit anxious upon his return, and Jewel knew for a fact that mirror had been made with silver glass. His brow furrowed, and he tapped the stem of his pipe to his lips.

Vampires were not meant to be able to enter a home without an invitation. However, the place Mr Ven had broken into only fit the very loosest definition of a home, and so it was hardly a great signifier of one's undead condition. His pallor, of course, pale and frightening as it was, swung the pendulum of diagnosis very firmly back into the vampirism category, and Mr Ven had been quite hesitant to make it through Jewel's doorway.

But vampires did not tolerate silver, not even to reflect their image, as if their very essence rejected the mere idea. While Jewel had not personally observed the man using it, there had been some attempt by Mr Ven to clean up his appearance while standing in the general vicinity of that same mirror.

That much would need to be enough.

"Perhaps an altogether wiser pursuit would be to seek an end to this curse," Mr Ven had stated, and Jewel noted the slightest note of finality to the statement. It wasn't hopeful, not in the slightest, but rather... determined. That was good. Hope in patients could be crushed, but determination was a bit harder to be rid of. It went quite nicely along with stubbornness.

"My sister would say I brew it too strong," he said with a small gesture towards the tray, at the compliment to the tea. Aderyn had, on a few occasions, complained about his tea being enough to wake the dead. Fearghas, being a bit more used to the armored life, had said that that was often what you needed to do when you had soldiers to move.

Jewel hadn't mentioned how he usually only made it for himself.

"Ah...so. Mr. Jewel. Is there anything else I might be able to answer for you? Before I take my leave of your town, that is."

That snapped him back into the moment, the gulf shoved aside as his duty found its footing at the forefront of his mind.

"I suppose... you and I are looking for the same thing," Jewel said, smoke trailing from his lips with his words, "in the cure for your present affliction. However, the major roadblock, as I understand it and please correct me if I am wrong, is that you do not remember much of yourself."

As he spoke, Jewel felt the discomfort ease. Duty, he knew. Medicine, he knew. This, he knew. He had a patient, and for as long as that lasted, he could focus there.

"You know your name. You traveled from the north through the mountains. You know a song. You know how to feed your condition, which while unfortunate, is still another step in the right direction. So while you may not remember everything, Mr Ven, there are some things, and that is what will help us determine how best to proceed."

"That is enough," Synthia barked, loud and firm and just enough to have a good portion of the tavern pause in their doings to regard the little table of strangers. Even the Connlaothian seemed to know better than to say a word as he returned with plates of food and drink from the bar, stealing a bite before settling back down and watching the newcomers along with Jianuvo.

"This bickering is all very charming," she continued in a lower tone once she was assured there would at least be a pause in it, "but it will not serve our purpose and it will not serve you. This thing doesn't care for your ego, and it will certainly not spare you for it. Sign, or don't sign. It is that simple."

"I recommend signing," said the Connlaothian after a moment, and after a considerable drink of ale, "the food is good."