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The Music of the Forest [Open]

Started by confusedPaladin, November 16, 2014, 03:15:02 PM

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confusedPaladin

Kerrik smiled as she looked upon the window of a new landscape she saw framed between the trees surrounding her.  She slung her bow on her back, adjusted the quiver, and stepped into the Meeting Place.

She found herself by a fast-running stream in a quiet forest.  She selected a tree stump and sat down.  She pulled the set of panpipes from her belt and began to play, doing her best to harmonize with the brook and the birds.  As she played, her surroundings melted into nothing but the music of the forest where she sat.

Ahnnie

Sacora liked coming to the Meeting Place.  It was a peaceful area that was nice to visit when she wasn't standing at her shop or doing anything else unrelaxing, for that matter. She also liked to pick the occasional herbs in the woods, since she had good use for them and it was something she could do to whilst she was feeling idle.  She'd met many a new person in coming here, and while she wasn't the social sort, she also had many an interesting conversation with these people.  Most of the time they were foreigners to Serendipity, native to lands like Connlaoth, Yoreiq, or Adela.

As Sacora came up to a stream for a drink of water--her waterskin had run empty--she heard the mellifluous trilling of someone playing the panpipes.  Enchanted and intrigued, she filled her skin to the desired level and set off in search of this music.  It would be nice to hear it up close, to catch all the wonderful notes.  At last she came up to a spot where a dark-haired girl sitting on a tree stump was playing at the panpipes from across the stream.  Sacora sat down directly opposite her and listened as she played, not daring to speak for fear of interrupting her.

She planned to compliment the musician once she was done, though.

confusedPaladin

Kerrik listened as the stranger approached, but didn't pause in her tune.  Once she had finished her song, she stowed away her pipes and stood up and took a bow in front of her small audience.

"Thank you for listening, my friend," she said with a smile.  "They call me Kerrik, as that's the name I was given, and that's the name I take on the stage too," the bard continued, wading a short distance into the stream and extending her hand for a handshake.  "What may I call you?"

Ahnnie

When the girl finished playing and bowed before Sacora, the fire mage gave a little round of applause and complimented the musician's talents. "That was wonderful. You are very talented."

"Thank you for listening, my friend," the girl said. "They call me Kerrik, as that's the name I was given, and that's the name I take on the stage, too." She waded into the stream and held her hand out to Sacora for a handshake. "What may I call you?"

Sacora came forward and stood a little ways into the stream as well to reach Kerrik's hand. "I am Sacora. It's nice to meet you, Kerrik." When she withdrew her hand, she moved across the stream so that she was on the same bank as Kerrik. Hopefully, Kerrik didn't mind. "Where did you learn to play so wonderfully, if I may ask?"

confusedPaladin

Kerrik stepped back onto dry ground and laughed.  "Oh, I was never formally taught, I just listen to the music in the wind and the water, the songs carried by the wind and whispered by the grass and the trees."  She took a deep breath and smiled, as if breathing in the very music of the forest.  "These pipes help me out sometimes, I can't play as well on any other set."  She patted the pouch on her belt where the pipes were stowed.

Kerrik's laid back demeanor shifted, and she looked over Sacora, taking in her small size and youthful appearance.  "What are you doing around here?  Surely you aren't traveling alone?" she asked, obvious concern in her voice.

Ahnnie

So Kerrik was self-taught. That made things all the more interesting. Sacora appreciated the self-taught talent now and then when she was lucky enough to encounter one. One could even say Kerrik was taught by the very things she found the music in, such as the wind, water, grass, and trees. Sacora herself was not musically gifted or educated, so she couldn't say as much for herself. But she imagined that it must be a very inspiring existence, to be able to hear the music in such natural sounds.

"That's amazing," Sacora remarked. "To be able to have such a dynamic relationship with an instrument...I hope that doesn't sound strange, but it's what I thought of when you said you can't play as well on any other set."

Shortly after came questions of concern. "What are you doing around here? Surely you aren't traveling alone?"

Sacora blinked, wondering why someone would show such concern for her. Then she remembered that she probably seemed vulnerable from the outset, carrying no weapons with her and not exactly sporting the most intimidating build (rather, she was fairly small in height and size). And most betraying of all, was her face. Just the way that it was--heart-shaped, slightly rounded edges, youthful looking features--was enough for people to mistake her for a girl of...say, fifteen at most. That was her opinion anyway; what people really thought, she had no way of knowing.

Despite this, she wasn't disheartened or annoyed in the least.  She took it all in stride and sought to dissuade the bard's feelings of worry: "Me? I came here to relax. I own a shop in Jadenshine, Serendipity that sells magic trinkets and while it's not too stressful of a job, I do feel the need to come clear my head elsewhere. The Meeting Place is a nice spot for that." With a smile, she continued, "Well I came here alone, but I'm not alone now, aren't I? Don't worry, I can also fend for myself quite well. I'm well-versed in fire magicks, in my own way."

confusedPaladin

Kerrik's face lit up with excitement.  "Fire magic?" she asked, "You own a shop in Serendipity?  Could you take me there?  I've been meaning to go for a while, but I always found something interesting on my way that just..." she trailed off, gesturing her hand dismissively.  "But anyways," she continued, "I really would like to see Serendipity, with the bustling cities and all the magic everywhere..."  Kerrik smiled expectantly at her new companion, shifting her weight anxiously.

Ahnnie

Kerrik seemed excited when she heard that Sacora owned a magic trinket shop in Serendipity. "You own a shop in Serendipity? Could you take me there? I've been meaning to go for a while, but I always found something on my way that just...But anyways, I really would like to see Serendipity, with the bustling cities and all the magic everywhere..." She then smiled at Sacora, shifting her weight as though she were unsure the fire mage would agree to her request or not.

And would Sacora agree? Of course she would. The request took her unawares, as no one she had met in the Meeting Place asked to be taken to Serendipity before. But she would be happy to comply, for she saw no harm in it, and she could understand Kerrik's curiosity well. The reason why she took up the occasional travel--under the supposed task of finding new wares to sell--was mainly to satisfy her mild wanderlust. "I would be more than happy to take you," she thus responded. "Do you want to leave now, or is there something you must do here first?"

confusedPaladin

"I would be more than happy to take you.  Do you want to leave now, or is there something you must do here first?"
Kerrik was elated; she could scarcely contain herself.  She grinned and replied, "No, I just heard that the landscape around here had its own magic, and I wanted to see if I could hear it, and play it on my pipes."  The young bard took another deep breath and looked around, the beauty of the forest causing her to forget the question she was so excited about answering only moments before.  "You really can hear it, the magic, that is, but I suppose I should have left my bow.  It isn't touching me, and if it were I'm sure I could have played better," She sighed.  "Ah, well, no matter.  I suppose I'll just have to come again, and that time, come unarmed."

Kerrik's mind returned to the question at hand, and she said to Sacora, "Oh, right, leaving...I'm willing to go whenever you are, just say the word and we'll be off!"

Ahnnie

Sacora smiled at Kerrik's little ramble. It was obvious the bard loved her music, and sought to find the music in all things around her. She made mention of a bow that she regretted wasn't there with her; if not, she would have played better. Sacora found this curious but Kerrik dismissed the matter, stating that she would return unarmed next time.

"Oh, right, leaving," Kerrik said, coming back round to Sacora's question. "I'm willing to go whenever you are, just say the word and we'll be off!"

Sacora nodded. "All right then. Just gather up what you need and follow me." Sacora said this in case there was something Kerrik had brought with her that she set down somewhere, so that she wouldn't accidentally leave behind anything when she followed her into Serendipity. If Kerrik was done with that, she could follow Sacora as the fire mage set off through the forest at a steady pace back to the access point she had come through.

It was not too far away, just perhaps five to eight minutes' walking. As she strolled along Sacora asked Kerrik, "Where do you come from, if I may ask? You seem a bit Adelan, but I'm not one to say for sure." She did not mean to pry, but she wanted to make some small talk so that their walk would not be silent. Some people took silence as a form of awkwardness or indifference; Sacora didn't want Kerrik to think that.

confusedPaladin

Kerrik was slightly taken aback by her new companion's inquiry on her heritage, as she didn't often dwell on such things.  "Hm," she mused, "I suppose that I could be considered part Adelan, my parents and their clan are descendant from the tribes that once lived in the thick and lively forests south of Serendipity.  But my ancestors, the tribe leaders of old, migrated south before the now great kingdom could even be considered a kingdom."  Kerrick smiled to herself as she began a story.

"My great-great-great-great grandfather," she said, counting each "great" on her fingers, "Forrus Sovan, a great leader and expert marksman, was the last member of the Sovanars to live in the forests of what is now Adela.  He was a kind but fair man, but he was very proud."  Kerrick was now lost in the telling of her tale, paying close attention to the mood of her audience.  "Forrus lead the Sovanars in a difficult time, the strangers from the north were invading, taking over the neighboring clans one by one, either by force or by persuasion of magic and gifts.  But Forrus, he was determined to keep the clan's homeland as their own, unwilling to give in to the strangers.

"That is, until the northerners approached the Sovanars.  When they first came to Forrus, they had a single gift: A bastard sword with a copper and gold handle and a blue sapphire, as blue as the sky itself, and the size of a human's eye, inlayed in the hilt.  The sword was also magical: it's wielder could will it to crackle with electric energy, powered by the huge sapphire.  Forrus's second in command and his most trusted friend, his wife Nixium, told him to reject the gift, but Forrus didn't listen.  Thinking only of how mighty he would look fighting his enemies with such a sword, he accepted the northerner's gift, and asked them to come back again in a year's time.

"Forrus fought many great battles in that year, but those tales are for another time.  His sword, which he named Stormbiter, served him well.  But the northerners came back, and this time, they brought another gift."  Kerrik's tone turned sour, spitting out the word 'gift' like it was bitter poison.  "They brought a warmage, who was told to kill the man with the magic sword if he didn't come quietly to where the northerners came from.  And Forrus was too proud for that.  He drew Stormbiter and charged the warmage, the blade crackling with power and the air smelling of ozone.

"But the mage simply held up his hand, stopping the sword mid-swing.  He balled his fist, and Forrus fell to the ground, writhing in agony.  The clan scattered in fear, and Forrus was either killed or taken to the north.  The clan would have been lost, if Nixium hadn't tracked down each member and brought them back together, leading them away from the land where her husband had last been seen.  The Sovanars have been traveling nomads ever since,"  Kerrik finished, a sad smile on her lips.  "The past is meant to be remembered, but not to be held on to too tightly.  Each telling is a different truth, a new life to the heros of times now gone."

Ahnnie

((About what is said on the mage who killed Forrus, it's just Sacora's guess, not mine. Also do you think we should make a new thread in Serendipity or continue here?))

Kerrik began to divulge on the history of her ancestor's tribe. She talked of Forrus Sovan, her great-great-great-great grandfather who was leader of the Sovan tribe, the members of who used to live in the forests of Adela today. That would explain her slight physical connection to those of the Adelan race. Her tribe stayed strong under Forrus' rule despite their hardships, until the northerners approached them and enticed Forrus with an enchanted blade of lightning. The northerners allowed Forrus his fair share of victories with the blade...until, it seemed, they sent a mordecai after him and successfully killed him. Sacora only supposed that it was a mordecai who defeated Forrus, for they were often used as the negaters of magic, although this strange person could have just been a highly skilled mage in magicks unknown to her.

Such was the end of the Sovans as a tribe of the Adelan forest; now they were traveling nomads, with no specific country or land to call their own. Sacora listened with a sympathetic ear, nodding in agreement with Kerrik's concluding statement: "The past is meant to be remembered, but not to be held on to too tightly. Each telling is a different truth, a new life to the heros of times now gone."

"Indeed, that is true." Seeing the sad smile on Kerrik's face, Sacora added, "I apologize if I asked too sensitive of a question...I didn't mean to..." For while it was interesting to know of Kerrik's heritage, she didn't want it to come at the expense of Kerrik's feelings. She had just met the bard--why go about stirring up bad feelings so early?

They soon came upon the access point Sacora had come through earlier. It was a space between two trees curving outwards with the upper branches leaning in like a closed oval. Stopping at this point, Sacora turned towards Kerrik and asked her, "Here we are. All we have to do is step through. Are you ready?"

confusedPaladin

Kerrik hadn't realized how upset she looked, not until Sacora started to apologize for her question. "I apologize if I asked too sensitive of a question...I didn't mean to..."

"Oh!  No, no, it's fine," she said dismissively, shaking her head.  "I just tend to really get into the stories I tell, and this one doesn't exactly have a happy ending.  It's nothing," she reassured her companion.

Not too long after, Sacora and Karrik found themselves in front of the access point, framed by two trees that reminded her of a pair of arms that reached out from the earth and touched fingertips.  "Are you ready?" Sacora asked.

Karrik adjusted her backpack and replied, "Whenever you are," then stepped through, without waiting for a reply.

Ahnnie

Sacora stepped through after Kerrik, disappearing through the space between the trees as well.

continued in: Trip to Serendipity

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