- Invitation Status
- Looking for partners
- Posting Speed
- 1-3 posts per day
- Multiple posts per week
- One post per week
- Slow As Molasses
- Online Availability
- On fairly regularly, every day. I'll notice a PM almost immediately. Replies come randomly.
- Writing Levels
- Adept
- Advanced
- Preferred Character Gender
- Primarily Prefer Male
- No Preferences
- Genres
- High fantasy is my personal favorite, followed closely by modern fantasy and post-apocalyptic, but I can happily play in any genre if the plot is good enough.
A small caravan of five people and three wagon-pulling Oksen, emerged from within the brush and vine covered jungle outskirts, just outside the village of Tranmere. Caliyh had leaves tangled up in her strawberry blonde hair, causing the locks to tangle up around the back of her neck. They’d run out of drysoap several days ago, and she had been looking forwards to trading for more so she could finally clean her hair again. A cart wheel thumped behind them, as the Oks pulling it heaved the thing over a particularly tangled patch of ground, the straps tying it to the cart straining against its thick, rough skin.
It wasn’t just soap that Caliyh was looking forward to trading for. They’d been on basic rations for over a week now, limited to cold food or a fire fueled by dried Oks manure. A proper, cooked meal would be heavenly. She wanted to buy new shoes as well. These boots had gotten chewed up by thorny vines on their latest trip, nearly ripping through the soles at several different spots, and she didn’t trust they’d be able to make it all the way back home without completely disintegrating.
Of course, Caliyh knew full well that new boots shouldn’t be her highest priority. She’d traded away Nevin’s bow and arrows to one of the trees in exchange for safe passage, despite the forester’s objections, and Caliyh knew full well that Kieran wasn’t going to be buying her anything until he’d replaced his brother’s bow. If she was being honest, Caliyh probably wouldn’t, either.
If they were lucky, they’d be able to make enough profit that everyone in the group would be able to get the new items they needed, and they’d have enough to up their trade scale again. At a minimum they needed Nevin’s bow, and her boots, but she knew for a fact that Mikah had been wanting to get a backup dagger for several journeys now, and she was sure Samai would want something as well. If they were really lucky, they might even be able to buy a fourth Oks when they returned to their home village of Squall’s End.
Around another standing of vine and reed, and Tranmere suddenly came into sight, a squat but relatively sprawling village built into the top of a stoney hill. Caliyh started to smile, until she suddenly heard raised voices drifting through the still air. She came to a halt at the unexpected noise, resting a hand lightly on Kieran’s arm to get his attention. Her eyes rapidly scanned the top of the hill and nearby area, checking for anything out of place. Had the trees invaded the village from the other side of the mound? She didn’t see anything that looked like roots, and the houses still seemed intact, but that was no guarantee. She couldn’t see the entire village from here. If the trees had invaded, she was going to have to find a way to negotiate everyone’s safe release. Hopefully everyone was still safe, and they hadn’t arrived too…
“Stay on guard,” Mikah’s voice interrupted Caliyh’s mental monologue, and she started ever so slightly. Mikah didn’t seem to notice her reaction, but he had certainly noticed something was wrong with the village. If he hadn’t, there’s no way his hand would have closed so tightly over the shaft of his bone spear. “But we need to keep moving forward.”
They all sped up slightly, the Oksen complaining at the increased pace. They all slowed involuntarily as the hill grew steeper, and the ground transitioned from brush and grass, to dirt, and finally to hewn stone. As Caliyh got closer, she began to make out more details in the shouting. Rather than scared shouts, they sounded far more angry than anything. Nothing like what she would have expected to hear if the village had been under attack. Countless voices had raised in overlapping bellows, making the words all but indistinguishable. Straining her ears, Caliyh could barely make out a few words. Out. Leave. Not. Don’t. Here.
“Kieran?” she queried. “What do we do?”
It wasn’t just soap that Caliyh was looking forward to trading for. They’d been on basic rations for over a week now, limited to cold food or a fire fueled by dried Oks manure. A proper, cooked meal would be heavenly. She wanted to buy new shoes as well. These boots had gotten chewed up by thorny vines on their latest trip, nearly ripping through the soles at several different spots, and she didn’t trust they’d be able to make it all the way back home without completely disintegrating.
Of course, Caliyh knew full well that new boots shouldn’t be her highest priority. She’d traded away Nevin’s bow and arrows to one of the trees in exchange for safe passage, despite the forester’s objections, and Caliyh knew full well that Kieran wasn’t going to be buying her anything until he’d replaced his brother’s bow. If she was being honest, Caliyh probably wouldn’t, either.
If they were lucky, they’d be able to make enough profit that everyone in the group would be able to get the new items they needed, and they’d have enough to up their trade scale again. At a minimum they needed Nevin’s bow, and her boots, but she knew for a fact that Mikah had been wanting to get a backup dagger for several journeys now, and she was sure Samai would want something as well. If they were really lucky, they might even be able to buy a fourth Oks when they returned to their home village of Squall’s End.
Around another standing of vine and reed, and Tranmere suddenly came into sight, a squat but relatively sprawling village built into the top of a stoney hill. Caliyh started to smile, until she suddenly heard raised voices drifting through the still air. She came to a halt at the unexpected noise, resting a hand lightly on Kieran’s arm to get his attention. Her eyes rapidly scanned the top of the hill and nearby area, checking for anything out of place. Had the trees invaded the village from the other side of the mound? She didn’t see anything that looked like roots, and the houses still seemed intact, but that was no guarantee. She couldn’t see the entire village from here. If the trees had invaded, she was going to have to find a way to negotiate everyone’s safe release. Hopefully everyone was still safe, and they hadn’t arrived too…
“Stay on guard,” Mikah’s voice interrupted Caliyh’s mental monologue, and she started ever so slightly. Mikah didn’t seem to notice her reaction, but he had certainly noticed something was wrong with the village. If he hadn’t, there’s no way his hand would have closed so tightly over the shaft of his bone spear. “But we need to keep moving forward.”
They all sped up slightly, the Oksen complaining at the increased pace. They all slowed involuntarily as the hill grew steeper, and the ground transitioned from brush and grass, to dirt, and finally to hewn stone. As Caliyh got closer, she began to make out more details in the shouting. Rather than scared shouts, they sounded far more angry than anything. Nothing like what she would have expected to hear if the village had been under attack. Countless voices had raised in overlapping bellows, making the words all but indistinguishable. Straining her ears, Caliyh could barely make out a few words. Out. Leave. Not. Don’t. Here.
“Kieran?” she queried. “What do we do?”