Houses of Ilkaria: A Steampunk Fantasy

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Aylina accepted the words as well, listening to everything that was said. She smiled at her new father, glad he had replaced her biological failure of a dad. She would always be saddened by the loss of her former house, but a new, brighter future was always worth every effort. She thanked him, Renn and The Arbiter again as theyd taken more care of her in the past few weeks, than she was used to. She also fisted her hand over her heart. She assured the others she was also ready.

Emily was definitely eager to travel. New places to explore were always adventurous, and she was hyped to be on the move, though she had a lot of restraint....and patience, for a human.
 
Magana chuckled a bit at Buras, knowing full well he would try even harder to distract her. She stared at a spot just above her hands and kept her focus fixed there. She pictured the river of magic and once again channeled a bit of it off to the side she use ehr hands to make it smaller and smaller until it was a very fine thread of energy that filled the ball. It began to glow slowly and she felt Buras' magic as well. That was strange. She was distracted by that thought and the ball popped before it formed.

She looked over at him and waved her hand at her own failure to create the ball of light. "Should I be able to feel your magic?' she asked. "I was making the ball and I felt magic coming from you. I could not see it but I could feel it. Is this normal?" she asked. her eyes were curious and searching watching his. He knew so many things she wanted to know, and she was so grateful to ahve him for a teacher. Her attention and eagerness for the information was evident as she sat there looking at him as if he had the wisdom of the whole world at his fingertips.

@Beowulf
 
Buras grunted a little as the ball popped before it was fully formed. Truth be told he was somewhat surprised that she had failed to make it, she seamed like the student to quickly catch on. And once she's done it once she'll always be able to do it. So why, then, did she fail this time?

The answer to his question was answered when she asked her own. "Oh, that's interesting." he said, stroking his beard with one of his hands. "I've heard about this. Never really could do it myself, but I know one person that could. Elf, bit of a prick really." he told her, both answering her question and not answering it. "Some people can sense when magic is being used as well as see it. I can sense very powerful spells, the kind that summons storms and holds up mountains. Everyone can feel those, feels like the air before a storm. But those that are more attune to it all can sense the finer magics. Hmmm. Let me try something. Stop what you're doing and tell me if you can feel this."

All of the threads of magic disappeared, except for one, which hid behind his back. He did this several times, whether she answered yes or no to sensing the single strand. He even had there be no threads a couple times to make sure she wasn't just saying yes. He was curious now, how attune was she? How thin of a thread can she sense?
 
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Feolis hugged his daughter, then told Garrick, "I trust you, Garrick. Treat her right, and you and I have no issues." He then stepped back and said, "Arbiter, Ambassadors, the Empire of Ilkaria thanks you for what you are doing. Go with our blessings."

The Arbiter bowed to the Emperor, then he cast a powerful bit of magic, shifting the entire group of Ambassadors to a flat spot a three hour walk from the Aedairin entrance caves. "Everyone, take a breath, before we begin to walk. Only Garrick has experienced this method of movement, other than myself. So, take some breaths, and then we walk. Renn will lead us into his home-capital, and to the current head of the people."

@PoetLore
 
Renn was not at all ready for the rush of magical force. He was glad for the tree next to him and stretched out his hand for it. "Yes breathe.." he said knowing he needed a second to recover himself. If he was the leader they had a minute to recover.

Vlog, being Ferregard and not at all used to magic of any kind was thrown into a whirlwind of dizziness. he turned away from the group and promptly vacated his lunch into the bushes behind him. He felt as if the earth itself were spinning like a top beneath him. He heaved a few more times and then took a few deep breaths. It seemed to be settling down and finally he felt the spinning stop. He wiped his face and drank a bit of water to rinse his mouth out and spat that onto the ground. He turned back to the arbiter, "I request to be unconscious when next that is our mode of transport."

Renn went to him and handed him a few mint leaves. "Chew these," he instructed, "They will ease the sensation and take the taste from your mouth." He looked around the group to see if everyone had recovered. "We have a bit of a walk from here," he informed them, "And there are a few predatory animals in the forest, so be alert." It went without saying to be on the look-out for human predators.
 
Kylessa wasn't as affected as some of the others. She wasn't at all sure why, but the magic felt natural and easy for her body to accept. And it didn't hurt that they were in the forest, her second home and the one place she felt accepted and at peace.

She glanced at Vlog and saw his skin turn a deeper green than it normally was and winced as he got sick. Poor man, she thought before turning her attention to the rest of the group. Everyone seemed to be doing fine, so far. She nodded to Renn, "This part of the forest is rife with the winged lions, manticores. They are strong and fast, so show no mercy if you see one."

She had never been inside the Aedairin city itself, but to the door yes, one time. She kind of knew where they were but she felt sure as they moved she would become more and more familiar with her exact position in the forest and be able to know where they were going. She looked up at the tall trees and smiled, "Glorious.." she said as she watched the light filter down through the high canopy above them.
 
Garrick was ready for the shift, but he wasn't sure how Aylina would take it so he held his arm about her waist and braced his feet in case she fainted, or got dizzy. He nodded to teh Arbiter once they arrived at their destination.; He too was familiar with the forests. he'd traveled the whole world, so there were not many places he had not been. he listened to Kylessa and nodded. She was correct. The winged lions were indeed a force to be wary of, "And the Screamers," he said to her, "Those damned monkeys will steal everything you have, and deafen you in the process."

He peeked at Aylina, "Are you ok?" he asked.

@Maggie
 
Aylina hugged Feolis back, wishing him and everyone else safe travels. Then she was teleported! She felt a little dizzy, but fine otherwise. "I'm okay Garrick....I....my real father was in the palace today. Tried to kill me, but the ward's stopped him after he punched me..." She shuddered. "Alan is dead. Feolis killed him..but Alan had destroyed the house before he left..." She felt tears in her eyes...her heart hurt, badly still...


Emily looked at Arbiter, then waited to be shifted. She was very unsure who she was going with!
 
Magana heard the unspoken answer, it wasn't normal to feel someone else's magic. That seemed odd. Why would she, a Ferregard of a race that has shunned magic for centuries, be able to do so? She listened as he spoke of ones who could, and things that ANYONE could sense and she nodded. Everything eh'd said made perfect logical sense to her so she filed it all away as useful and important, and to be dwelled upon later in greater detail.

Then he began to test her, which did not surprise her in the slightest. He seemed to delight in tormenting ehr in one way or another, but she found that it was endearing instead of annoying. Possibly some major character flaw on her part, she was sure. Still, she watched him and when she saw a tendril she commented. There were times when she saw nothing, and so said nothing. She was able to see a lot, but not all, the tiny threads were too faint for her at this point, but maybe someday whens he was more attuned, that would change.

She looked at him then with a raised brow and a slight quirk to her lips, "So...those were the little tickles and flicks I felt?" it wasn't really a question because her eyes were showing that she had figured it out. "You are a devious Berkak, Buras my friend," she said in a very serious and dark tone of voice but then she laughed full and loud, "But we must be kindred spirits because I like you!"

She sat on the stool and chuckled a bit, "So...shall I try the ball again?"

@Beowulf
 
Grunting upon the completion of his test, he was surprised to find out that she was fairly sensitive to magic. The Ferregard didn't like to use magic, so that could be why she never noticed. Or she could have just been ignorant of it like her ability to use magic in the first place. Both were likely possibilities, but at the moment it wasn't important. He doubted she'd get drastically more sensitive to magic to the point where she could feel the natural magic in the air, but he'd be willing to bet that she'd see what he would do no matter how hard he tried to hide it by the time she was done learning and growing.

"Yes, do it again. It needs to be done right before I'll be satisfied. It's all about control. And if you ask me some manners help as well. You don't simply tell a guest to get out if you want them to leave. But if you take your time about it they'll never leave." He had a few people like that come to his shop in the Berkak capital. Especially foreign dignitaries. But he wasn't at the Berkak capital, and Magana was his student, and the Regent, so things were a bit different. At least he was fairly certain they were.
 
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Once every member of the Arbiter's team was recovered from the teleportation, he spoke, pitched just for his Ambassador team, "We are currently four miles from the primary opening to the underground city that is the Capital of the Aedairin. Please be aware, my friends, that not every race here will be welcome. Do not forget that many here, as in every place we will go, still think we are at war, and they will act with impunity. These are the rules. Defend yourself, but do not attack unless it is in defense. When we find those at fault, we are judge, jury, and executioners. Bring them to me, first, and then we will go from there. Again, though, no unnecessary violence." He wanted his point to be firmly implanted in the minds of every member of the team.
 
Renn nodded, "Understood," he said and then took the lead into the Forest of Ayela. High above them in the treetop canopy were large nests of some isolated Jabari, or possibly abandoned nests, it was often difficult to tell from below. He moved quickly but not so fast that they would ahve difficulty keeping up. He was setting a brisk fifteen minute smile pace, not a job but a quick walking pace. He knew these forests were dangerous so he was not lollygagging.

Vlog nodded. He was usually a strike first kind of person, being a general, but he had sworn to obey and obey he would do. He had never personally been to the Forest of Ayela, and he found it much to his liking. The lush greens and the bombardment of scents from the flowering plants and fruited trees was almost intoxicating to his mind and senses. He could not help but reach out and touch things as he passed, learning textures and making note of colors as he moved. The pace was not difficult for him at all. He could have run the whole distance without a struggle but he knew not all here were seasoned warriors. He was aware of Kylessa Yeldove's credentials and abilities as an adversary, and if he'd been pressed, he would admit to being glad she was part of the team and no longer an enemy for that reason. He made sure she was ahead of him so he could watch her. he felt very sure she would be the first to notice if anything were to go awry. So he was using her as an early warning system for himself.
 
Kylessa was on high alert as they moved through the forest. She knew the dangers of traveling on the ground all too well. There had been times wounded or injured had to be transported on the ground and it was always a tenuous thing. her ears were flicking back and forth as she strained to listen for the smallest indications that danger lurked.

She heard them before she saw them and watched. Some fo the monkeys in the Forest of Ayela were harmless imps, and then there were the Screamers Garrick had mentioned. They were dangerous because they were fairly large, and their screech was painful, and had been known to cause permanent deafness. She saw the group of them swinging toward them from the right and grinned. The Meekins, as the Jabari called them were curious active monkeys but they were not dangerous at all. "Meekins on the right," she called out. "Just keep moving and they will just watch...probably. No danger."

The Meekins did watch for a minute and then they got curious. They were small creatures, about six inches tall in the body but with very long ring striped tails of about two feet in length. They were what most people would term 'cute' but they did have teeth and had been known to bite when cornered or when their offspring were threatened, but that had always been a rare exception and not the normal rule. Meekins though, had no sense of personal space and since they explored with the hands, they tended to touch whatever interested them.

A tan colored Meekin dropped down onto Vlog's shoulder and its long tail curled around his thick bicep. It immediately started to investigate Vlog's ears and hair. Another darker Monkey landed on Garrick's pack and was trying to get into it. Still another jumped onto Emily meaning to land on the woman's shoulder, but instead on top of her head, curling her tail under Emily's chin to hold her on as she played in Emily's hair. A few of the travelers would feel things wrapped around their ankles as a few would drop to the ground and then just attach themselves to a leg as it passed and scamper up the body afterward.

Kylessa reached down and lifted the one at her ankle up to her arm and grinned at it, "Hello Imp," she said cheerfully, "Aren't you a cheeky one?" She withdrew a grape from her pocket and gave it to the little male she was holding, "There you go."
 
Garrick felt something plop onto his back and he tried to reach around to grab it, but he couldn't reach it, so he took the pack off his one arm and swung it around and wagged a finger at the little monkey, "Uh uh uh...." he said, "No stealing from the Berkak.." he said to it still wagging his finger. The monkey just grabbed hold of the finger and giggled it more letting out an 'eep eep' of delight. The little Meekin was hopping up and down playing with his finger like it was the best toy money could buy.

He looked around and saw that every member of the party was being accosted by the troop. He sighed, "At least it's not Screamers..still..be careful," he said to Aylina, "They can bite, but I've never been bitten by one...they like fruit."

@Maggie
 
Aylina just grinned as she plucked one such creature off her leg, feeding the creature some apple slices. The Meekin munched happily, quite content to rest there in her arms a moment! She chuckled at Garrick. "Seems weve made friend.." She said.

Emily gave a small eep, but as she had bananas in her pack, she handed her visitor one and laughed as she watched the meekin run back up the tree, making happy noises.
 
Aylina just grinned as she plucked one such creature off her leg, feeding the creature some apple slices. The Meekin munched happily, quite content to rest there in her arms a moment! She chuckled at Garrick. "Seems weve made friend.." She said.

Emily gave a small eep, but as she had bananas in her pack, she handed her visitor one and laughed as she watched the meekin run back up the tree, making happy noises.
 
Magana grinned at him. The more ruffled he got the more she liked him, and that probably should bother her, and it very well might as some later time, but not now. She just grinned and nodded, "Very well...back to school we go." She said and concentrated on the river of magic and now the process was getting faster, she'd had to spend a lot of energy focusing on the river before and now it was just there and easily found. She focused this time on tapering off a smaller bit to run off that would be easier to dam up afterward. She guided it with imaginary hands into the ball that was waiting in her actual ahnds. once it began to glow she fed magic into it until it was able to give off what she would consider enough light to brighten a darkened cave, so a useful amount in a practical sense.

She was forcing her mind to focus even though part of her was waiting for him to tap her with magic, or tickle her or something else equally distracting. Once the ball was made she went back inward to try and build the dam. no beavers this time she just used her hands again to very slowly squeeze off the flow a little at a time. The dam she built this time wasn't as close to the river, but she was really concentrating to go slower and let the magic continue to flow as she did so as not to explode the ball of light.

@Beowulf
 
Buras had a new tool to annoy Magana with now that he knew her sensitivity to magic. He to found the massive river of magic, and channeled as much as he dared off. He didn't make anything with it, but it was now there. Hopefully he'd be like a second sun to her, at the least she'd be able to feel the immense amount of magic he was holding onto. Curiosity would then make an appearance and dig it's deceptively small claws into her, softly whispering and asking what it was that Buras was doing with all of that magic? Of course, that was the plan. If that wasn't to happen then he was just as ready to give her a good smack. He was certain that if all else failed, a slap would work. Or course he didn't want to slap her, he didn't have a reason to. But he'd be putting his master to shame if he didn't. One learns from pain the same if not faster.
 
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Of all the people in the team, the Arbiter was one person that did NOT become affected by the meekins. The little things seemed to avoid him completely, for what ever reason, not from fear it seemed, but as if not wishing to offend. The Arbiter smiled at one of them, and it sort of "meeped" at him, then leaped into a tree and scampered off. He looked around at the group, and said, "Maybe they know we are trying to end this damned war." He chuckled, and said, "Animals can be rather sensitive to what is inside a person."

@PoetLore
 
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Renn felt one of the Meekins climbing his leg and finally perch on his shoulder, "Hello omp," he said as he continued their pace. He knew when they got closer to the Aedairin city the Meekins would flee. The caves were home to some rather large spiders which were big enough to feast on Meekins, so they kept their distance.

Vlog had no reaction the the small creature on his head but to huff a bit. Whatever it was looking for was obviously to be found in his ear. The furry creatures fingers tickled a bit, but he was not overly bothered by the actions so he ignored it. He cast a glance up into the trees and saw a MUCH larger creature though of a similar look, perhaps a bit less furry though. It was alone and watching them closely. Vlog raised a brow and quirked a sideways grin at it and to his surprise the larger monkey swung from branch to branch and then lept at him. He caught it and maintained that eye contact and the slightly smirky grin.

Renn heard the movement in the trees and watched. He turned and blinked, "Careful General...that is a Screamer...."

Vlog shrugged but had noticed his other little furry companion had jumped away back into the trees. He lifted a finger to the monkey, "No screaming," he said one time, "The punishment will be severe if you do." He offered the Screamer a bunch of grapes and then turned to watched where he was going once more. The Screamer almost seemed to nod to the Ferregard before he focused on eating the grapes.
 
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