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A Strange Welcome{Wrathwyrm}

Started by Virgo, June 20, 2017, 04:52:44 PM

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Virgo

So, this is La'Marri... How peaceful. A young girl began to walk into the village. The outskirts seem less lively than I've heard... Eh, it's a better place to live than Zantaric. She glanced around, fairly confused about where she should go.

Wrathwyrm

There were no paths to this place, no specific directions that people could give, other than to point to the vast Niahi Woods and say 'It's in there somewhere', usually adding words of caution shortly thereafter.  La'Marri wasn't a bad place.  Quite the opposite.  It was a peaceful community, populated by those who wished to live a life away from others for various reasons.  A fair number are here to hone their magical skills.  Others seek sanctuary from various forms of oppression or simply have no home to speak of.

It was a village in all the traditional senses of the word.  It was a gathering of rustic homes around a perceived center, with a few outlyers one something definable as the edge of town, where clearing ends and forest just begins.  La'Marri had a number of subtle magicks guarding it.  Nothing so crude as a hidden barrier or anything like that.  More of a simple hex to prevent accidental wanderers from roaming into the place.  To come here, you have to want to BE here.

You get all types in this place, and the vpeople of the village decide for themselves whether you go or stay.  They are welcoming, just...there are certain rules to live by, certain attitudes to adopt.  One cannot be entirely sure how one will find their place here, if they can't abide by others or bring in trouble from outside.  This town is a refuge, but it is a small place.  Imagine if an army found its way here...  Scores of bloody casualties on both sides, a terrible consequence!

Well...nevermind that for now.  The wolfen lady had come in from the woods, right out of the treeline, and there it all was.  Already, it was possible to see people going about their business.  No sooner had it been done, however, then there was a quick sound, perhaps recognizable to her ears: The sound of claws on wood, approaching rapidly.  A human wouldn't notice until it was too late.  She, however, would be able to catch sight of it as it came into view from the trees to her left.

It was...a ferret?

Specifically, it was a ferret-humanoid being, as though the animal had evolved directly into something that walked like a man, like a Gnoll would have.  Or rather, woman, for the slim shape currently wearing the sleeveless black shirt and matching pants was definitely female.  She was athletic and, being a ferret, wiry and flexible.  She was covered in fine black hairs with a white highlight here and there, and had violet eyes which were currently in 'Intrigued Mode'.  Also, she appeared to be carrying a...metal laundry pole, her free hand on her hip.

"I thought smelled a wolf.  Well...partially one, anyway.  One that hasn't eaten in a while, even.  Welcome to La'Marri, stranger."

Virgo

Mavi watched the lady in front of her. A ferret...? No, a person. Maybe a little of both...? She sure smells like both, I'll say that. "Thank you..." she mumbled. Than she regained some composure. "Who are you, exactly?" She seems like a native, anyway- perhaps I could get some advice from her.

Wrathwyrm

There seemed to be a smirk developing, largely out of amusement for the fact that the wolf-lady appeared confused or surprised by her own appearace.  This was an often thing to occur, really, but to see it in someone who was half animal herself was a palpable irony.  No matter.  At least she appeared as sane as the next person, not driven by instincts to - for instance - hunt a creature who, in the normal order of things, might be lower on he food chain.  Still, rather than asking what she was or why she had this pole, it was simply a question of identity.

"Keefe Zarla, Ferromancer."

Not the whole story, but she didn't ask for her life's story...and probably wouldn't have gotten it all, anyway.  As a number of the villagers would attest to, Keefe didn't talk about herself that much, even though she was amicable enough to them all.  Still, Ferromancer...  Well, before Mavi could ask, Keefe demonstrated by holding up the pole and...it changed - rather fluidly - from a pole to a length of chain, which then began to double-wind around Keefe's raised arm...and stay there when she lowered it and she crossed her arms.

"So...what brings you here?"

Virgo

Mavi's eyes widened when she saw the pole shift. "Interesting. So the ability to manipulate metal...?" She trailed off, lost in thought. "I'm Mavi. I'm here for... new opportunities." That's all Keefe really needs to know... I'd rather keep a low profile.

Wrathwyrm

The magic of manipulating metal was as harsh a discipline as mastering any element, plus the added fact that metal really doesn't like altering itself.  Even earth magic isn't this strict and unyielding.  The amount of people that Keefe knew with the magic could be counted on one hand.  One thing that she was learning right now about the newcomer was...while she was surprised about her magic, it wasn't as much surprise as one who did not know any magic at all.  From this, she suspected that Mavi, as she called herself, was a practicioner, herself...in something.

That aside, it was the 'new opportunities' that caught the ferret's attention, for the moment.  Keefe was a woman of the world.  She'd been around to hear the different slangs around the countryside.  'New opportunities' could mean everything from a job to a scam to a new way of life, and all points in between.  The question is, what was it?  Judging from her appearance, Mavi could fight, perhaps bare-fisted, or wolfen-clawed.  Keefe never fought with claws, as they were smaller needle-like things that were more for gripping than stabbing or tearing.

Either way, she looked like someone who could fight.  How did she know so well?  Well, look at Keefe for a moment.  She looks like she could beat up a number of people, herself.  It was ever so true, too.  She decided to address this herself, before anyone else got involved.

"Around here, you'll have to say what you mean by that.  You see these people?  They don't work under anyone's authority.  There's no boss to seek out, just people that may want some things done.  I'm people.  Why not just tell me what you do?"

Virgo

"Because I've just met you- you don't go divulging secrets at random, do you? But since you insist, I'm a mercenary." She looked at the woman in front of her. Something about her... "By the look of you, you do something similar, no?"

Wrathwyrm

"I only asked because it's a bit hard to seek opportunities without making known what you're looking for.  This is a community where people look after each other.  They come here to live their lives, practice their magic, and keep out of harm from the world."

She was explaining this for Mavi's own benefit, so when she decided how to approach people, she's have a good heads-up on how the people are.  Keefe didn't even bat an eyelash - well, she doesn't have any real eyelashes - at the wolfen-lady's proclamation of being a mercenary, nor her own inquiry as to whether or not Keefe herself was one.  After a moment, though, she decided to explain a bit of her own self, just a little.

"I do perform a service at times, when I'm abroad, but this is home to me.  I live right over there..."

She indicated a rather nice-looking wooden-and-metal house with two stories and a chimney that had its back to the woods, not too terribly far from where they were standing.  That explains how she came to be standing here in such short order.  Looks like she was in the middle of hanging clothes, all of it black.

"Here, I relax and hone my skills.  I wouldn't want my Ferromancy to get...rusty."

She's been dying to make that joke.

Virgo

Mavi smirked at Keefe's response. "I see..." That joke was pretty bad, though... "So, I'm assuming I'd have to arrange my own home, then. That won't be all that difficult." Then, under her breath, she added. "It's a bit warm for my magic...I'll have to find some other way."

Wrathwyrm

How often does she even get the chance, though?  It's like the man said: 'Dying is easy.  Comedy is hard.'.  Still, down to brass tacks, which of course were also right up Keefe's alley.

"Well, people are happy to help someone looking to live here.  It all depends on what you want.  When I came here, I wanted to live in a house of my own.  There wasn't just one lying around, so got some help building it, before I moved in.  There is a boarding house in case of moments like this, or those with guest rooms if the person is amicable eough."

Her smile broadened a little as she looked off to the side.

"And perhaps you'll learn to harness your magic in any weather here.  There's quite a strong field of energy around here."

She heard her?  Wait...  Yes, of course she heard her.  Those ears must pick up about as much as Mavi's own!  Though the species may differ, there would be alot of parallels to draw here.  Well, still...it was all true.  There was a stronger magical field here than in most other places.  Even if Mavi felt it was too hot right now, the potential and ease to call to magic was greater in La'Marri.  Some wondered why that would be...

Virgo

"A house of my own, huh. That's what I was hoping for." You know, you really shouldn't be surprised she heard you... "Perhaps I'll try something..." She raised her hand, willing the moisture in the air to freeze into a shard of ice. "A bit flimsy perhaps, but with the magic here..."

Wrathwyrm

"Nowhere to go, eh?  I see."

It was without a doubt that a number of people who ended up here felt that very feeling.  Keefe herself had an intense need to belong somewhere, somewhere comfortable where she wouldn't have to worry about the problems of the rest of the world for a while.  Of course, she'd occasionally DO something about it, but nevermind about that now.  For, as she watched, Mavi conjured some ice out of thin air.  Literally, she self the immediate area grow a little colder as she called forth and condensed the vapors.

"Ice magic...  Yes, I see why the warmer climate would bother you.  I suppose it's much easier up in the north."

As she said, the ice was no prize winner, but it was more than was there just a second ago.

"Well, think of it as a challenge.  The more you can concentrate and focus, the more solid it will become.  Is it the discipline of the element, or are you more attuned with nature itself?  I use to know an old druid, so I understand a little about these things."

Virgo

"It really is." She waved her hand, and the ice dissolved into vapor. "Nature makes it easier to focus- it's fairly calming." She went silent for a moment before continuing. "How do you focus your powers? It doesn't seem like a nature thing, like ice."

Wrathwyrm

Yes, she had to agree that nature was very calming for the spirits.  However, metal was not exactly part of that nature, as Mavi pointed out.  Keefe couldn't help but snort with amusement at her statement.

"Metal is a fickle one, that's for sure.  Oh, it's in the ground, but it doesn't like to behave."

She unwound that chain she had on her arm and converted it suddenly back to a laundry pole.

"Elemental magic, as I hear it, is a case of your mind reaching out to the flow of the element to coax it, channel it, and master it.  This is what I heard from a druid, at any rate."

Said druid was actually her guardian and the one who helped her with her magic...part of the way.

"You still reach out to metal, but when you do, you find out that metal is unyielding, that it doesn't have a natural flow.  Fire does.  Wind and water does.  Even earth.  Metal is rigid and stubborn.  You don't coax that.  You force it.  You bend it with your will, and you do so carefully, because too much or too little can kill you, the people around you, and possibly some buildings, if they're fragile enough."

She was looking at the pole while talking about this, possibly thinking about such a instance.

"When you mess up, trying to reshape or alter metal, it - like any spell - can go badly.  In thiss case, it can explode into little shards that fly faster than Connlaothian bullets uncontrollably."

The ferret woman inclined her gaze back to Mavi now.

"So, think of Ferromancy as the blacksmith of mages.  We force metal into form, whether it likes it or not, and we try very hard not to get burnt."

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