Reign of Winter: The Snows of Summer

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Eddy eases into the bedroll. It takes him a while: remembering some of the misadventures of his past. He considers contacting his family after this job - after all, he had never made up with them after the argument that broke him from them. Too embarrassed to admit his part in the debacle. He slowly drifts to sleep, casting an apologetic glance at Ayollo before doing so - he didn't really have any mood to converse.

The night passes without incident. The slow sound of waves lapping against the wall is spaced with frantic splashing of whatever was in the water.

The morning that greeted them was dark and chilly. A fog had fallen over the bay, their fire burning itself out hours ago. Had Eddy been human, he'd have been loathe to leave the warmth of his bedroll. His resistance to the chill made itself evident as he slid out - still shirtless and shoeless, peeking out the cave into what he expected was a summer morning. Indeed, the warm sun attempted to beam down and burn away the fog, but to no avail. Above him, bird song could be heard, leaving the coast and headed out to sea. He looks up, "Those aren't gulls... What are those? Songbirds? Headed south in summer?"

He turns to look to Ayollo, waking him if he hasn't awoken already. "Make whatever preparations you need and join me down in the raft. We have to go while the tide's still up." He gathers up his belongings, jumping from the cliffside cave into the raft, the chill spray of the ocean greeting him, as well as a small handful of splinters.

"Splinters?"

Eddy turns his head to the raft - kneeling down to the side of it. He blinks, running his hand over it. "My raft's been chewed." He's speaking mostly to himself, tail thrashing about in a curious manner. His finger trace a bite-mark on the side. The small mark was made with teeth made for ripping flesh - a small shark. Eddy recognized them. "A jigsaw shark made these..." He rises to his feet, mumbling to himself and crossing his arms. "That makes no sense. They prefer the cold waters around Varisia, this is too far south for a jigsaw shark..."
 
It was comical and almost cartoonish the way Ayollo's teeth were chattering. He hated the cold. It made him feel sluggish. His body curled desperately against his cloak. Ayollo was certainly glad that he invested in one back then.

Ayollo jerked awake at Eddy's words. Half asleep and shivering, the Vanara nodded, his hair a complete mess and poking out in all directions. With a hum of acknowledgement, he used his staff to stand himself up. 'Just keep moving', he told himself, as it was one way to not freeze. 'Keep the blood flowing.'

He packed everything away except for the cloak. He wrapped it around himself carefully while climbing down to the raft. He came just in time to hear about a jigsaw shark making the bite marks. "A what? Oh, dang.. That is strange."

His thoughts wandered again. They were rather south. It should be at least somewhat warm.. His thoughts wandered back to Nadya. She mentioned something about Witches, and that they were responsible for the sudden snow all the way back there...

But Ayollo was far away. Could the cold be spreading that far so soon? "Er, Eddy..? Have you heard anythin' 'bout witches around these parts?" Maybe he was fooling himself..
 
"Witches...?" Eddy asked as he untied the raft, setting it flowing against the waves with a few powerful pushes of tail and trident. "...No, I haven't heard of witches in the area. Taldor's not really a country known for witch covens. Wizard towers, maybe... you don't think this is the result of arcane magic, do you? People who deal in... otherworldy entities and foreign powers like witches do tend to keep to themselves. No one willingly shares a meal with a witch... I'd even be cautious of those so-called 'white witches'. Healers, they call themselves. Ptah!" He looks up at the sky, attempting to make out the sun through the fog. "I shudder to think of how powerful a mage would be to affect the very climate in an area. There are beings that would not be pleased with this tampering - me included."

He pulls his tail from the waters: "Jigsaw sharks are very territorial and mean-tempered. Be on the lookout... They're so foul-spirited that they jump out of the water onto docks and ships just to bite and gore beings. I don't like the thought of them swimming upstream to where the river-villages are..." His tone is worried, as he wills his eyes to adjust to the fog - to no avail.

"There are diablorists to the west, in Cheliax... but I don't see how they'd benefit from any of this, and the countries around it would likely take any excuse to crush that particular nation. Can see why - I hear they base their society on Hell itself. Unpleasant, if you ask me. Sort of a wonder thinking they used to be a part of Taldor, when this country spanned entire shores."
 
Maybe it was nothing. Ayollo decided that the jigsaw sharks were a more immediate concern. He tightened his hold of the cloak around his body. He couldn't see that far out either. But he kept his eyes and ears out for anything suspicious.

Ayollo swallowed hard, trying to keep calm.
 
The trip through the Jagged Saw was oddly uneventful, and the reason became obvious when they got out of the area: off in the distance, the keening moan of killer whales could be heard, their black-and-white forms surfacing along with the colorful and bloodied forms of jigsaw sharks that chose to attack the wrong species. The orca appeared to have it handled, staining the ocean with blood. Even at this distance, Eddy shivered noticeably. The waters soon moved to speed their raft, under the command of his powers.

It did not take long after that for them to exit the fog into a bright, summer day. Behind them, the eerie wall of chill air loomed like the Jagged Saw cliffside the night before. The sun seemed undaunted by this development, massive ships coming and going in the distance. As they passed, Eddy pointed at an inlet. "Taldor's capitol city of Oppara lies up there. We won't be stopping, but it's probably your best bet on looking for your friend after the letter is delivered. They've got a big Pathfinder Lodge there." He nods, the raft continuing on it's little journey - now hugging the beaches of Taldor as they went. Two more towns passed them by in a period of hours: Mut and Kozan, Eddy named them.

The raft took them to a large port city - the cries of gulls and the bustle of people ringing clearer as they neared. "This is our second stop. This is the port city of 'Merciful Bay'. It's called this for it's sprawling religious district... which is where I intend to get free room and board. A little more comfortable than camping nearby, I think. Do you call any of the gods or goddesses of the Inner Sea region your own, or do you keep your faith in Tian Xia?"
 
Ayollo swallowed hard at the sight. "G.. geez.."

He was very grateful that it became warmer, though it still made him worried about those Witches.. He listened to Eddy, remembering that advice for later. It would definitely be helpful.

At the next stop, Ayollo was grateful to be on land again. To Eddy's question, the Vanara shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "No, I keep it in Tian Xia, though if anything, I do respect Shelyn, I suppose." At this point, he looked tired. He would be grateful to sleep on a soft bed for the night.
 
"Well, it shouldn't be hard for you to find a place to stay in the shrine to Shelyn. Otherwise, I'm sure no one would mind if you end up in the park with me." He nods, commanding the waves to bring them into Merciful Bay. Just beneath the surface of the water, massive rocks could be seen - this was likely a dangerous dock for ships. Indeed, there seems to be a line of them attempting to take a single route in, and then another route out. A duo of men stand on a platform in the middle of the harbor, directing the ships as they enter with loud, clear shouts. On the raft, however, Ayollo and Eddy could float right in.

Which is just what they did - tying the raft under the docks, he motioned for Ayollo to climb up with him. The salt of sea-air was intense, though the two travelers might be used to it by now. The mood here was professional - the Taldan people went about their business in a calm and respectful manner. Again, typical of that particular ethnicity of human. Though a few arguments could be heard, both parties tended to keep their insults implied rather than open - often spiraling into a conversation of double-meanings and backwards compliments, but it did keep the mood of the area particularly civil.

Eddy headed towards a structure in the park - though perhaps that was a poor word for it. Four trees grew in a box from the ground, vines traveling up them... as well as across from them. The 'roof' of the structure was made up entirely of the tree's leaves, the branches weaving into each other to form a building that was both natural and unnatural: it could not have grown like this on it's own, but it was certainly part of the natural world... and alive. Soft moss grew on the floor - a spongy material. A large rock rest in the center of the building, with a symbol carved onto it: the same symbol that Eddy wore around his neck. Water drips from the branches and leaves of the tree, trickling onto the stone. This must have happened for a while, as it has started to create a dent in the rock. He went to it, placing a webbed hand on the stone with a smile, before turning to see if Ayollo was still with him.
 
Ayollo followed Eddy, but his attention was quickly diverted to the bustling activity all around him. It wasn't the first time he had been to a harbor town, but it still left him in awe sometimes. It was very different from his homeland. Ayollo would occasionally glance ahead to make sure Eddy was still in visible proximity. If he happened to be lagging behind, Ayollo quickly picked up his pace to remain at least five to seven feet away from him.

Arriving at the park, this took more of his interest. He hummed with curiosity. He noticed the symbol on the rock. Wasn't that..?

Ayollo looked to Eddy, his head tilted, unsure what question to ask first.
 
Eddy's hand rubbed across the symbol, before he closed his eyes. One hand went to the necklace, the other upon the stone. Water began to drip from his fingers, before pouring out in a great splash, dampening the stone and trickling onto the moss at their feet. The water also pooled into a basin near the bottom of the stone. Eddy sighed gratefully, before kneeling and drinking from the basin.

"Ah. Languid." A female voice stated. It's owner was a slim woman - dressed in a green and blue dress. Close examination, however, revealed that the blue dress was actually coiled with vines and leaves - living ones, just as the building did. She seemed... frail, fragile - yet somehow radiated a soft glow of power. Seaweed wrapped around her blonde hair, and as she stood there... a lick of electricity could bee seen traveling her form. As it passed her hair, it moved to reveal slightly pointed ears. Her brown, almond eyes shook her head. "I thought you said you didn't believe in temples?"

"I still don't." Eddy stated, turning and hanging a hand on his hip. "I need a place to stay for the night. My companion, as well." He pats the stone, gesturing at the waters. The female sighs, nodding. "Alright, then. If Gozreh can see fit to imbue you so... I can trust you to stay here." She nods, "You'll have to procure your own meals, as usual."

"I know. We'll be having fish." He smiled - the two spoke to each other formally, but she had begun to smile as well. She also wore the pendent - as she moved, winds fluttered around her. She reaches forward, completing the same water-summoning motion that Eddy had, drinking from the same waters. When she was done, she chuckled. "You haven't visited recently. Is being a ferryman so time-consuming?"

"No, but being a layabout is." He crosses his arms, grinning - before turning to Ayollo. "Ah. Sorry about that. Ayollo, this is Minna. Minna is the caretaker of this shrine: an ordained priestess of Gozreh. Minna, this is Ayollo - a martial artist from Tian Xia... and fellow wanderer."

She nods in greeting to Ayollo, "I was wondering. I've only seen one other person of your kind before. So how did you get to know our unofficial priest of Gozreh?"
 
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Ayollo would've smacked himself. Of course, why didn't he realize it sooner?

He clasped his rough hands around his staff more, leaning into it as the woman appeared. The Vanara smiled at the sight. He bowed politely as his name was mentioned.

"Oh, well, I needed to get to Held.."

And then it hit him.

"Wait, you've seen another of my kind?" What if it was Dizmu?

Ayollo bowed once more. "I.. M-minna, please forgive me, but did this Vanara happen to have.. silver fur?" He prepared himself for failure, just in case.
 
"As a matter of fact, yes. A bit taller than you, too. Didn't say what he was here for, but asked to know where he could find some strong warriors. I told him, and he left. If he took my advice, he headed towards Oppara." Minna nodded, before looking over the man. "I'll assume by your reaction and tone that you're looking for him and worried about him. I wouldn't be. He managed to clear out the gang of thugs from the harbor before he left."

Eddy recoiled, "What? That splinter group from the Bastards of Erebus?"

Minna nods, "Yes. Did it alone, too. No casualties. They all surrendered. No one even prompted him to do that. I'll tell you what - that's a frightning strong warrior."

Eddy turns to Ayollo, impressed. "If that's the same guy... you said you trained in the same style? Sorry for doubting your fighting skills yesterday."
 
Ayollo wasn't surprised at Dizmu's strength. He was built more similar to a gorilla than anything, so he wouldn't doubt his intimidation skills at the very least. Oppara, huh?

Just what in the world was he planning? Why would he need strong warriors?

Ayollo looked at Eddy and palmed the back of his neck. "Yes, well.. he never got to graduate. His father pulled him out to continue the family trade of woodworking.. He always sorta held a grudge over that." He was more worried than ever now.

..If nothing else, hearing any news about him after nearly a year pulled some weight off his shoulders. He smile warily toward Minna. "Thank you. How long ago was this?"
 
"Perhaps a week ago," Minna explained. She stepped away from the rock, shaking her head. She crosses her arms: "That's on his father, then. I don't understand what it is with the Taldan people... or the Tian people, at that. How anyone can think that they're going to go on the same path that their parents went down. By blood or any other reason, unless they want to."

"Well, that wouldn't be a fair assumption for either of us, would it?" Eddy states, nodding. "What would be expected of me by my parents? I can't exactly become a city guard like my father." His tail turns around, waving at her. "I wouldn't be able to get into uniform. Same to you, really. You're half-elven. Caught between two cultures. Which would you do? Elf or human?"

"Elf." She states this with rough conviction, nodding.

"Ahh, but you were raised among humans. I'm willing to bet if you made a pilgrimage to Kyonin..." She cut him off with a look, stating: "I will go when I'm ready. Perhaps you should head to Azlant, then?" He snorts, "That's cold. I was only trying to help." Minna sighs, shaking her head. "I know. Just sort of a sore spot for me. I'm headed out for now." She waves to the two of them, turning and stepping from the temple.
 
Ayollo's thoughts wandered as the other two spoke. He couldn't help it. After all this time.. After he had been acting so odd before he left..

He couldn't wrap his mind around it. Ayollo tsk'd softly and scratched his head. When he realized the other two were done bantering, he cleared his throat.

"Thank you again, Minna!" His regular smile returned, and his curl swayed and curled once more.
 
"Not an issue!" She called back, heading out into the port city once more. Eddy sighed as she went, his tail thrashing slightly. He turns to look at Ayollo,: "So, headed after your buddy then, or going to continue delivering that letter? I shouldn't need to remind you - Oppara is in the opposite direction of Heldren. Probably two day's travel from Heldren to Oppara. One day travel from here to either of them. I'm just the ferryman - you're the passenger. So... where are we headed after our break here?"
 
Ayollo nodded. This was true. But..

"Heldren. I promised to deliver the letter and Nadya saved my life after all." He held onto his staff with both his hands, leaning onto it. Dizmu couldn't cause too much trouble. Ayollo was just glad that he had an idea of where he was now.
 
"Alright. I'm going to go catch some fish for dinner. If you'd like to do something in town, now might be the time to do it. Unless you feel like coming down to fish with me, but you've already seen the docks." He smiles, "As I said earlier, there's a great line of temples here. If you're looking to sharpen your martial skills, the temple of Irori's your best bet. Have you heard of Irori over in Tian Xia? A god focused on perfection of body and mind. They get a lot of martial artists, scholars, and warrior-poets over there. They're not really my kind of people, though." He shrugs, "They do too much, I guess. I like to take things a little easier. All that running around and training would get me stressed out."

"If you're more interested in knowledge, the temple of Nethys would do you well. A dualistic god of both good and evil magic. Weird folk, they're always fighting with themselves over the concepts of destruction and creation. Me? I'll stick with more natural forms of destruction and creation." He smirks, thumbing at the stone with the Gozreh symbol drawn upon it. "Other than that, I guess it's up to you. If you've got an idea on what you'd like to do, just tell me."
 
Ayollo chuckled. "Irori's pretty big in Tian Xia's martial arts academies, actually." He walked a few steps back towards the docks in thought until, "Oh! I'll check the market. I'd like a couple fruits and I can get you some if you'd like any." He won't indulge himself too much. A couple apples was just fine for them. "Then, I figure I'll check the Irori temple.. Dizmu respected Irori very much so that might give me more of an idea why he's all the way out here if he visited it."

He hummed in thought. "Ah yes. We can meet back here or at the docks?" Ayollo didn't think he'd be gone that long. Maybe an hour or two, tops.
 
"Pineapple," Eddy stated. "Or mango. I've always enjoyed the tropical fruits. That, and I can cook them in with the fish. It'll be good, I promise. We'll meet back here at the temple." He nods, leaving towards the docks. It was a simple day for him - he walked to the docks, dove in, and fished with his bare hands. It was a lot faster than using a fishing pole. Under the water, he could be as much a predator as any toothed fish in the sea. He swam faster than most people ran - which was of help under the waters of Taldor. He never had to come up for air... and the odd chill in the waters went ignored. It did nothing to him - a few surprised fish later, and he rose from the waters. A few fishermen were impressed, some scoffed at the ease in the way Eddy caught fish. It had not taken him very long - with his fish in order, he stayed to speak to the fishermen and dock-workers who had some time off to do so. His odd appearance tactfully shoved to the side at the glance of his worn symbol. It was a pleasant time for him.

For Ayollo, the markets were very simple. There was no haggling, merely a price by weight on the food goods and a shopkeeper looking over them. While it would be a prime target for thieves, the Taldan pride normally prevented them from taking that route - many would rather suffer than soil their personal honor. This was a theme for the Taldan people, it seemed: a lost empire that they never quite forgot. Thieves from other nations often got a surprise - it seemed the more martial holy orders in the port city considered it their duty to patrol the market. Various holy symbols were displayed prominently on armored guards. The food was fairly cheap - the port city was awash with foreign fruits and vegetables from other places. Another surprise - the vendors did not look down on Ayollo for his inhumanity. They did not try to cheat him, or charge more. Honest merchants may not truly exist, but these were close. At least, they had a reputation to uphold... and wanted to look better than their opponents.

Irori's temple was a fine and familiar thing: uniform wooden planks formed a grand dojo - towering over the buildings around it. In the front of it, two statues stood: a white tiger and an elderly human male. Representations of two of the god's favored heralds. In a fenced area around the temple, martial artists of mostly human ethnicity trained in uniform martial arts. Ayollo is approached by one of the caretakers: a young woman in tight-fitting white clothes. Baggy pants and a wrap around her chest. Long red hair was kept in control around her head by use of a braid down to her waist and a heavy-looking iron ornament - she was freckled, and her bright green eyes shone with mischief. She grinned, bowing to him. "Ahh. A vanara! Two in the same week... a pleasure. You refer to Irori as... Iro-Shu, do you not?" The woman span on the ball of one of her feet, heavy iron jewelry clanging against each other as she does so, as well as causing the iron ornament on her head to swing. "Welcome! Call me 'No-Tail', everyone else does. Are you here to worship? Spar? Learn something new?"
 
Ayollo got some pleasant business done. He bought two apples, two mangos, and a medium-sized pineapple. He was smiling and enjoying the sights, using his staff as a walking stick. He enjoyed looking at the more exotic and rare wares. Though he was tempted, he resisted. Time for the temple.

The Irori temple. Such beauty. It reminded him of home greatly. As the woman approached him, he bowed greatly. At her words, he felt a little at ease. That's Dizmu for you. "Indeed we do, ma'am." He chuckled weakly. "Well, about that other Vanara.. Silver furred, yes? Did he do anything in particular here? I know he respects Irori greatly, so I'm not surprised he would pass by here. He is my friend, you see.."
 
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