[Denval] Entrance Thread

[Tabarnac]

Amon A small crowd of children were oohing and aahing over the sight of the great bird and his exotic rider, though more than one young head was as red as any full-blooded Inarta. Here such infusions of foreign blood were seen in a positive light, as pure blood meant death without special protection from Viratas. There was a liberal selection of adults in among those children as well: mothers with hands around young wrists to prevent mobbing of the beautiful bird, an oldster telling about the first Inarta to alight in Denval, and others, admirers all. All were friendly enough, and Amon would have no lack of guides through the colorful houses and narrow streets of Denval. OOCFeel free to start a thread at the Captain's Hall if you wish, or tag me for a guide if you prefer. Welcome to Denval!

[Alexander Gravius]

Alexander smiled somewhat thinly as he took his first step into the region of the Denvali, nodding towards the barrage captain as he took note of the rugged surrounding terrain. Looking back towards the storm weary ship, the priest could do little more than run his hand over its ancient banister as if in thanks for his three days of travel. The lady of storms hadt granted them mercy if only for this once, though gazing back into the crystal eye of the ocean, Alexander knew to travel her domain again would bring only misfortune. The rain was heavy, the waves both magnificent and the vision of an unholy rage; and the protruding rockface like the sharpened talons of Poseidon himself.. “You have my thanks…" The priest’s voice was hallowed in tone, disconsolated and yet serene. The overcastting tint of a troubled side masked by a calm, ever peaceful expression. It suited him perfectly, being both outlandish and distinguishable from the crowd. Heaving his war hammer from its resting place by his left side, Alexander fitted the massive weapon in a sling behind his back; fixing the handle as it were by his left shoulder. It wasn’t to say the male hade found himself being challenged often; quite on the contrary, few men troubled a holy man and even fewer challenged a man of 7 and a half feet..

[Tabarnac]

Moderator's Note: Hello! A couple of notes to help you get oriented before you start playing... 1) Whenever you start a post or, in this case, join an entrance thread, you need to timestamp it. More information on timestamping is available here. 2) Laviku is the god of the sea and Zulrav the god of storms, so I’m not sure to whom you are referring as the lady of the storms. More information on the pantheon of Mizahar is avilable here. 3) Humans are currently capped at 7’ tall, so you might want to change that on your character sheet and in this any any future posts. More information on the human race in Mizahar is available here. Please change these things and feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding the lore of Mizahar. I will do my best to answer your questions. Thanks, Tabarnac

[Adalia]

17th of Fall, 510 AV

Adalia brushed her light blond hair back behind her ear, an air of confidence around her. She could already feel the air beginning to chill, and to be frank, she wasn't exactly equipped for the colder weather. She would have to purchase something to keep herself warm doing the freezing winters she had heard rumors of.

She pulled her cloak tight around her shoulders, wiggling her fingers with a sense of idleness. Her Ivaski, named Tempest, as she was born on a night where winds washed over Mura. Creative, I know.

"Let us go and perform our work, then" she spoke, and walked off of the Docks and into the city.

[Ezra Folles]

45th Day of Winter, 510 AV "Damn this cold." Ezra growled, gritting his teeth and exhaling a thin flow of clouded condensation into the air. He stood unmoving, shivering and alone for the moment. One arm, his right, seemed to be tucked in and hidden with a much too thin cloak that covered his body. The other held a firm grip on a rather exquisite looking sheathed blade, as if he expected someone to come and attempt to take it from him. He had chosen this place because it was isolated, and quite small. Surely, he would be able to escape the notice of his pursuers by hunkering down in this shykehole for a while. Ezra shivered and pushed onward, looking for somewhere... anywhere, go get out of this damn cold. For those who would come to know him in Denval, he was Ezra Folles. A simple man, a cripple, and a blade aficionado. That was a lie. He was Hanfei Song, a murderer, an executioner... and a wizard. Some truths were best left unmentioned. ---

[Veldrys]

Winter 1, 510 AV Denval had fascinated the Symenestra since he had first heard about it as a boy. One of the human traders that occasionally came to the underground city of Kalinor to do business with his father had talked about it. Veldrys could still remember how he had sat opposite the man wide eyed. He had claimed that Denval had been isolated for centuries following the Valterrian and that it was surrounded by a huge mass of rubble that had been thrown up then. It had only been discovered by chance by an expedition, but a few decades prior. The Denvali, the man had claimed, welcomed all visitors warmly and were interested in any opportunities for trade. He’d already wanted to go there earlier, to hear accounts of the way the world had been before the Valterrian, but he had been unable to do so because of his training at the Purging. His Web had claimed that he was too young to undertake such a journey alone, and his father had not believed that an isolated settlement of a few hundred humans would offer any interesting opportunities, despite what the trader had claimed. It was only now that he had been able to join another trader – the man that had first told him about Denval had unfortunately died. They’d travelled together for part of the long and dangerous journey, until Veldrys had boarded a small ship that would take him to Denval. Ships made the Symenestra who was more used to climbing the walls of the underground caves of his home fairly uneasy, and the people on the ship had been a little suspicious of him. They had been polite enough, but the captain had sent his daughter away whenever Veldrys had been nearby. Veldrys could not help but wonder how the man would have reacted if he had said that he would never sleep with her because she was fat and ugly, and he disapproved of using surrogates anyway. The girl weighed at least two hundred pounds, her face was covered with pimples, and she was missing most of her teeth, albeit she was only in her early twenties. ~~~ He’d thought that guards would come, question the passengers and search them, but everything had gone smoothly so far. Small, brightly painted boats had glided across the water, and there had been barges carrying musicians and dancers. He’d thought that Denval would be a litle depressing, a little dark, that the long isolation had affected its people negatively, but the city was colourful, and its residents seemed to be happy for the most part. Still, the Symenestra, who was garbed in a warm cloak to protect himself against the chill of the early winter, was on his guard. Denval had been isolated for so long, that he could not help but wonder if they had ever seen one of his kind or if they still thought the Symenestra lived in trees. Had they heard of the harvest or did they just think that he looked a little strange, with his pale skin and long limbs? Did they really worship Viratas as he had been told, and would they talk to him about it?

[Sairque]

2 Winter, 510 AV, Evening

Finally, finally, the town rotated below the pair as Catabasis wheeled about in search of a likely landing spot. At their height, his shadow was fractional but still too large for a normal bird. It danced over the buildings and the townspeople, shielding them for only a moment. For some it went unnoticed, for others it was just enough to realize an Inarta was once more in their midst.

Look at their little heads! Sai stared down at all the differing hair colors, fascinated...and slightly disturbed to see no red heads in the throngs of people they passed over.

The short bit of travel, even in the chill of Winter, had left little wear on the Endal, and mustering up excitement for her first time to another city came easily. Wings beating mightily, Catabasis dropped to the ground and bled off his momentum in a few hops. Still perched on the massive Eagle, several spans of her height up, Sai blinked at the foreigners.

Have you no manners? Catabasis queried, but the high ranking Endal detected his own uncertainty about how to proceed.

Apparently you have none, either, big bird, she returned as he side stepped away from some curious children and fixed them each with a stare over his viciously curved beak. He refused to lower himself closer to the ground amidst the Denvalians after several of them almost got sat on when he tried to help Sai dismount. The Wind Eagle, large enough to eat any one of the townsfolk in a single snap of his beak, didn't appreciate her snicker and abruptly shook himself furiously.

Sairque, notorious for eschewing any kind of safety strap, had been too busy gawking back at the non-red-heads to prepare for the immature move. With a very inelegant squawk, she tumbled from the thin saddle, fumbling grasps at the gear tied on to the back ineffective. The thick katinu coat hadn't been designed for crash landing padding and her body thudded solidly. It wasn't the first time, and she tucked all limbs in and rolled. Still, several moments passed with her on the ground, gasping for air.

oocApologies for the crappy post, needed to get it in before Winter ended!

[Maliken]

Day 72nd of Spring, AV 511 Maliken's foot finally touched land, or the docks of Denval at least. Freshly unloaded and ready to make herself at home, in a way. She had found her stay in Lhavit enjoyable, but too strange for her liking. Something about the place unsettled her severely. Was it the cold stares she got from the city guards, a name they had, Maliken wasn't certain of, and the lack of knowledge she sought? Perhaps that her family seemed too preoccupied with their new lives to consider Maliken's well being. Whatever it was that drove her away, it was a sudden choice, a poorly thought out decision, and she didn't even tell the Ironfist Isur still waiting in Lhavit. By now, they would have noticed her absence, probably for forty days even, but it didn't matter to her anymore. They were slowing her progress, and she needed to fix this arm, the lost appendage she so desperately wanted. Even now, that unbreakable Isur-blessed arm, her strong hand, clenched at the phantom feeling underneath her sleeve, searching for the muscular biceps of her left arm, the slim features, the touch of familiarity, but it was still gone. It was hard to convince yourself that it was all just a dream when the result you dreaded were there when you woke up. Maliken stared up at the city in silence. People moved about her, busy carrying cargo, questioning each other, very few took notice of the girl that looked little more than a child, and to be honest, she was hardly older than one by Isur standards. Actually, she was't even considered a grown woman yet, and in that moment, she miraculously forgot about her missing limb and felt a chill infest her cold dense pale tinted skin. Vulnerable, she felt so very, very vulnerable. Nevertheless, she was strong. One step in front of the other, the Isur strode into Denval, her staff in hand and backpack slung across her back. She was starving, yet there was so much she needed to do. A pause and glance behind her, she looked out to the ship that she came from. It was pure luck that she got aboard. An inquisitive human with deep pockets paid her way on board and to Denval, all for the exchange of a few words about her past, especially the arm, both missing and remaining. She shrugged, looking away and into the city. She would find, on her own, a place to stay, as well as permission to work as she knew she could. Many were suspicious of her line of work, and she didn't blame them. Poison making was a sensitive subject for many.

[Naama]

55th of Spring It didn't take long for Naama and co. to take the ship from the Tranquil Port and arrive at the rocky outer exterior of Denval's coast. The boat that took them to the stone quay was less than comfortable, but for someone who enjoyed the life at sea, the halfbreed hardly noticed. What she was more interested in was the simplistic beauty of the settlement, and the nearest bar she could get to, assuming these folks were hospitable, and Naama found that not many people in this world were. But then again, that's what her swords were for. With a charming smile and a little persuasion, it didn't take long before the tall tattooed woman stepped into the heart of Denval.

[Nixa Madax]

Nixa Madax

Spring 63, 511AV "New city, new opportunities." Nixa whispers to himself as he leads Snowfrost, his Mountain Pony, off the boat onto the soil. He quickly checks that his bow and arrows are secure on the saddle before swinging up into it. "Well Snowfrost, what say we find ourselves a tavern and see if we can't find a job." Nixa coaxes Snowfrost towards the city, cautious of everything around him. "Hopefully we'll get a high paying hit." A bird of prey slowly circles above me, as if watching.