Location [Riverfall] The Land and Sea Gates

[Morgana]

1st Day of Winter 513AV

The familiar docking was as busy as ever. Morgana had returned to it’s shores after a brief visit to her pod who still lived, fished and traded in the same area. She was trying to teach the 12 year old Willow to sail, and had entrusted her to dock the ship. Lazily she had baked in the sun for most of the trip, occasionally going for a swim with Willow’s tavan and her own, or carving little wooden ornaments, but now she sat up attentively with a grin across her face. “C’mon, put your back into it ‘llow!” She called loudly as the young svefra manipulated the sails and the ropes to pull up alongside the dock. The Girl had a look of pure concentration on her face, but this kid was a fast learner. She was also very determined to please.

“Easy does it… A little closer. Good girl, rope it!” Morgana cheered as the girl tumbled off the casinor and tied it to the dock successfully. Willow grinned proudly and puffed out her chest. Morgana smiled warmly at the kid. “You’re better than I was at your age, y’know” She told her “Much better” Willow held out her hand to help Morgana onto the dock, then nearly jumped out of her skin as a midnight skinned man approached suddenly.

”Hello there, can I help you with anything? Here is a scroll of welcome from the city. It contains a list of our laws, a map of the city, and some advertisements from local businesses that sponsor these scrolls to be made. You can feel free to come in if you agree to our laws and turn this scroll back in when you leave so we can reuse it.” Morgana stepped out of her boat to face him. She grinned at him “Come on, do I look like a law-breaker? How much does the docking cost then? s’it cheap? I’m a little short right now!” She laughed.
“Well, you’ll have to speak to the dock master. “Alright, lets ‘ave a look at this here scroll” She skimmed over it while the Akalak stood there looking concerned. Probably thinking she was gonna start some kind of riot in his city. “I accept your laws, friend. Where do I find that dock master?”

The Akalak pointed her in the right direction, and told her to stay out of trouble “Always, sir!” Morgana replied. She skipped over to the dock again to say a farewell to her tavan, Willow doing the same. “Seyah, Cora. I’ll come see you later!” She called, brushing her hand along her smooth green shell. Then finally, off she went to pay for her boat and tour the city she hadn’t been too since she was a child, an excited smile on her face, and Willow by her side.

[Stefan]

37th day of Winter, 513 AV.

Stefan woke up when at a strong sound that came outside. Rubbing his eyes, he grabbed some bread that was lying at the bottom of his bagpack. That, and some water, would have to do for the day. After eating quickly, the young man came out of the capitain's cabin, walking carefully, as he didn't wanted to wake up the sleeping Svefra.

He ran away for quite a long time, as he always did. Bandits, poverty, hunger, a murderer... he managed to outrun those things. But he wanted a rest... As much as he liked to adventure, he was tired. He wanted to sleep on one place, at least for some time... maybe even get a job. Stefan smiled as he grabbed the mandolin and strapped it to his back with a leather belt.

Stefan walked out of the cabin, wearing his cloak, and ajusting his eyes to the sun. In his young life, he has seen some impressive things. The buildings of Syrlias. The university of Zeltiva. The Suvan sea Itself. But he didn't saw anything as impressive as the Riverfall waterfall in his time as a sailor, and seeing the waterfall again filled him with both joy and sadness. He smiled, as the captain, a female Svefra, walked at his side.

"Amazing, isn't it? Well, I'll leave you here, as we agreed. I hope to see you again, Stefan... and maybe repeat what we did the other night..." She said with a smile while touching his shoulder affectionately. Stefan smiled back, and watched the waterfall some more along with the capitain, before the ship arrived to the port.

After some time at the sea, it was hard for him to get used to walk in land again, but he managed to do it, just before the Akalak gave him the scroll. Stefan nodded without actually paying atention, put away the scroll in his backpack without reading it, and asked about a place to eat something. The Akalak pointed him to the nearest tavern, and then returned to his job.

The first thing Stefan did was to buy a bottle of Bluevein Prime. He smiled as he drank from the bottle and watched the beautiful city.

"Well, this is a good start... let's see what can I do now..." he said to himself, walking towards the city, humming and drinking his wine.

[Neyasi Tillandsia]

23 of the Day, Winter of 513 A.V.

It was with a certain kind of wariness that the Symenestra female, light silken black cloak, beneath her heavy black fur cloak, pulled up to cover her mouth and nose, looked up at the city of Riverfall. Sure it was grand, without a doubt. Truth-be-told, she'd never been here in her whole life. It was nice-looking, actually. Neyasi allowed a small sigh to escape her lips. She knew that, this time, she'd have to stay longer than before. She wouldn't be able to keep up her free-wandering lifestyle for long. It was a miracle she'd gotten this far, and only because she'd taken as much as she could with her when she'd left her home, six years ago.

Now, I suppose I'll be making a new home, even if temporary... She thought to herself, before sighing. A weaver. I wanted to be a weaver when I was a child. Maybe I could finally sort of... Settle down for a little while.. Get started on that... Nodding to herself, the Symenestra pulled down her cloak so that her face was clearly visible, before starting forward, one hand reaching up to pull down the silk. Time to start again.

[Miu Lonewolf]

Miu

"I will find peace within the future, This is what drives me forward."

Winter 513 AV
She waited for what seemed like hours watching the fish carefully before pulling it down only getting burned a bit with her gloves, eagerly she started to slice up the fish and pull the chunks and strips of cooked meat apart in her hurry to get a meal going, she pushed aside the unwanted parts and focused on the cut up bits she had picked from the large catch, "Hmmm... I have some berries and Rabbit meat... I wonder if I can put the meat together and eat the berries and bread I have in my pack on the side." she smiled pulling out the already cut and cooked rabbit meat to heat up over the fire carefully, she had eaten most of her food but the bread would fill her for tonight. She sat this all down on the rock before her and started to eat the fish and rabbit meat along with her berries squashed onto the bread, she knew of the dangerous berries near Riverfall and was very careful in picking these sweet pink looking berries days before.

After filling her stomach happily she added more wood to the fire before retiring for the night in her tent in hopes that it would stay lit and warm her mare till morning.

As the sun shined and raised so did she, yawning and stretching before kicking the remains of her fire, the torches had also gone out but her mare was just annoyed looking for grass to graze on. Miu smiled happy to see Rowan that morning, saddling her up and putting on her pack to get ready to go to town, hoping to buy food for the mare and herself along with selling the furs she had managed to get. After closing the tent and tightening the ropes that kept the tarp up to shield her from the wind she mounted the mare and pulled on the reins trying to get her going due to her little riding skill.

She had finally arrived infront of the gates, the guards handing her a scroll, she patted Rowan's side hesitantly wondering if she should turn back or go forward... she stuffed the scroll into Rowan's saddle bag and nodded slightly as she was let into the beautiful city that lay before her. First thing I plan on doing is buying food for Rowan then go get my stuff.. She nodded hoping it wouldn't take too long.

[Lysaea Frostfawn]

6th Day of Winter, 513 AV

Lysaea looked out towards the sea from her position on the dock, the wind blowing against her face. She had come from Avanthul to this majestic city by boat with the Coolwater hold and now that they had dropped her off, she was simply admiring the view. Caught in a trance by the captivating scenery around the port, she barely noticed a blue-skinned man talking to her. By the time she finished she realised that he had been talking to her, he was holding out a scroll for her to take. Luckily, she had a vague idea of what the man had probably been talking about; she always wanted to know what kind of place she was going to before she actually got there so she thought it was their list of laws amongst other things. "Thank you, I do agree to your laws," she said not being extremely friendly and began to make her way into the city.

Taking up her falcon egg in her arms; she had yet to find out why on earth her hold would force her to buy such an incredibly cumbersome item, she began to move closer towards the buildings and breathed in the fresh air once more. First, I enjoy the city, next I go find a place to stay and lastly, I find employment she told herself before allowing herself to slip a tiny smile on her face. For her that was an equivalent to a jump of joy. She couldn't wait to see what Riverfall would be like despite her reservations about leaving Avanthul and maybe, just maybe, she might be able to finally move on from the stand still mount she hadn't gotten off from 6 months ago.

[Kahn Jakuta]

28th of Winter 513AV Whether it was the air, the atmosphere or the general fact that he was there, here in River Kahn wasn't impressed, yet when was he ever?. His warm eyes shifted underneath the blanket of shadow which his cloak provided, thankfully it was his gloves, though worn and weathered just as much as the season of winter they still gave off ample warmth and proper circulation into his palms. As his fingers wrapped around the frame of the his hood, a mere flick of the wrists and the shroud fell off and slipped off his long kempt locks, Kahn's eyelids fell sleepingly over the pools of his globes and a dragged gaze seemed to linger from his features. He blinked yet his posture didn't deter as the city guard shoved a scroll into his face, it went over the city rules, regulations and all that bard's nonsense, the words were so rehearsed and bland that they challenged Kahn's very attitude. With a relaxed and eased movement he took the scroll and merely let the guard accomplish what it'd been trained to do whilst, under his cloak the parchment seemed to disappear when the dreaded philosopher finally entered Riverfall..

[Lucas Crane]

20th Winter, 513 AV

Lucas descended from the merchant's cart and resisted the urge to draw his cloak in tightly against the bitter cold. He approached the Akalak guards at the entrance, taking the proffered scroll with a smile, despite not understanding beyond the basics with his lacking knowledge of Tukant. He opened the scroll and carefully studied what was written there. It was difficult, but he asked one of his fellow travellers who knew the language to help him. He keenly felt the need to improve his knowledge, considering he was planning on staying in the Akalak city, at least for a while, and he would have no one to help him in future.

He could not deny the beauty of the city. The harsh winter did not diminish it in the slightest, the white snow covering the landscape enhancing it instead. He handed the scroll back to the guards. As he walked through the gates, he wondered if he'd be able to find what he was looking for here. He could only hope.

[Hiiri Vahan]

"We've stopped! We're here! Hiiri! Get up, get up!"

The cat's insistant mewls echoed through the dark hold, only the creak of the wooden bow competing with his voice as the ship strained against the press of the waves. Padded footfalls heralded the feline's approach as he leapt from the bound stacks of sideslung barrels onto the piles of burlap that littered the floor. The agile cat was so used to the constant rocking of the boat, he had no trouble crossing the entire length of the hold in a matter of moments. He aimed for a rib to the right of the stern, a place where the standard pattern of elements was broken and crowded around a small cleared circle where a huddled bundle of white was waiting.

"Hiiri? Are you awake?"

The bundle stirred, and a small brown hand stretched stiffly from beneath a fabric layer. Narrow fingers peeled back a frayed white hood from a next of whiteblond tangles that fell to tired eye. The fingers re-emerged again the pass the stray strands of hair away from a freckled youth's face, and with a catlike murmer of strain, the little girl in the hood sat up. As her head covered fell back to her shoulders, the mass of blonde tumbled down over newly exposed white cloth, dusty with flecks of grime and splinters from the floor, complimenting the dust of dark freckles scattered across her nose and face. And unusually round and large ear was turned towards the cat before the girl pulled her hood back up, framing her dark complexion anew in a shield of fur-trimmed ivory.

"I'm awake."

The response came out in the cat's tongue, for that was all she had ever been exposed to. Just under three weeks had passed since the little girl had taken her first breath, and no more of the world was known to her than what her feline guardian had told her, and only that came with luck.

"Riverfall. I think we've landed. You'd better hurry."

"Riv... erfall"

The word rolled off her tongue, though her expression proved she held a much clearer understanding of the predicament she was in than she could annunciate. Those dark eyes widened, and she went from sitting to crouching fairly nimbly, gathering up her meager collection of items into the little satchel the cat had also gifted her with. She picked up the little pilfered bone comb and the narrow knife he'd brought to her, and from one of the chewed open bags of millet she filled a little pouch with enough to last her some time. The cat had warned her not to eat too little. He had only just started to teach her about her true nature though she'd hardly become accustomed to the random changes her instinct drove over her. However, he'd assured her that in time, she'd have further control... but if the crew onboard the ship she currently found residence aboard learned about their stowaway, Hiiri would doubtfully find any chance thereafter to learn anything about the world outside of captivity.

Former plans were put into motion, and once the items were fully gathered together, Hiiri prepared to evacuate the hold. Though very young, she was extremely observant and had a sharp memory paired with her acute senses. Sight was not her strongest asset, but through various explorations of the hold, she'd mentally mapped out the various little openings in the floor, listened for the sounds of where the highest concentrations of activity onboard the boat were above and around her, and eventually had discovered the easiest unnoticeable passage off the ship she could formulate.

After slipping out of the long white mantle she wore, she wrapped the thin cloth garment round the leather satch and tied it off with a stray cord from the cargo floor. During this, the cat propped a bucket filled with refined sugar open and burrowed down into the contents just enough for the items to fit. Hiiri thrust the round bundle of her belongings into the white, then replaced the bucket's lid.

There was little time to stand exposed within the hold. Moments after the lid was secured, a brilliant light illuminated the hold, accompanied by voices in the seafarer's dialect. Hiiri had little opportunity to learn what they were saying, though chance listening and observing the tones they used proved that they were likely approaching to check for damage and inventory the goods onboard for offloading. However, they were given no chance to spot the nude form of the brown-skinned little girl, for no longer did a little girl hold any space down below.

Instead, a wily cat looked on as a tiny mouse wove between the crates and barrels and flit toward the light on a preset path toward the stairway deckbound.

A curse sounded and one of the men jumped aside, cueing the cat to move. He darted out the door after the mouse (having already flit into a knothole in one of the stair boards and scurried up the undercarriage beam) and arrived up on deck just as the ramp was dropped to the pier.

The first one off the boat was that same little mouse, a brown and white bolt that hurriedly veered out of overhead vier and moved underneath the planks of the docks.

Now these were new grounds, and the cat mewled from the deck as the mouse halted and peered back.

"Beware the gulls! Beware shadows! And beware the tall grass!"

"Grass?" she mewled to herself, squinting up into the mid afternoon light.

He'd warned her of the brilliance of the light beyond the hull and her senses were overwhelmed. Her little heart was racing as she shivvered on her precarious perch beneath the trembling docks. The noise! The motion! The stench of fish and algae and water and sweat and salt and--- and so many things she couldn't name!

She needed to find that bucket first and foremost, so patiently, she found a little nook she could tuck her tiny form within and wait for unloading.

Above her, one of the shipman was approached by a native on the dock. The man opened a scroll.

"Welcome, traveller. Here is a scroll of welcome from the city. It contains a list of our laws, a map of the city, and some advertisements from local businesses that sponsor these scrolls to be made. You can feel free to come in if you agree to our laws and turn this scroll back in when you leave so we can reuse it."

A map? City. Adver...tisements. Laws.

Important words she began to hear repeated above her in the local tongue. Peering through a crack in the boards, the little mouse took in all that she could manage initially before she trekked off to find what little she could call her own. She would need one of those maps, she would need to see everything that could freely be given her way.

She needed... to learn how to read.

Welcome to life, little mouse... Welcome to Riverfall.

[Bryce Thomson]

Timestamp - Sunrise, 1st of Spring, AV 414

"What a beautiful view" he thought as he stood on the deck of the ship, or would have as he looked out from the stern of the ship if not for the torrential rain that smacked down against the wooden deck. The sun had just broken the horizon, casting a red shadow across the thick, black furrowed clouds that hung precariously in the sky, mixing together to form an ominous blood red as the captain called out from the helm that they were approaching port. His eyes gazed wistfully into the open ocean before drifting away as Riverfall came into view. The scene was incredible, even under the overcast sky the water seemed like the clearest liquid in Mizahar. It was overwhelming for a foreigner to watch the lustrous, azure water shimmer down into the sea from the towering cliffs, a fine mist obscuring the path into port didn't faze the captain as he spun the wheel, guiding the clunk ship into port.

He nodded to the captain as his staggered off the gangplank, his boot scuffling against the damp, slimy wood. The fee had already been paid and Bryce was eager to get off this stomach churning, vomit inducing, piece of driftwood they had the cheek to call a boat. Bryce made his way toward the stony path leading up towards Riverfall, forced to duckand weave around the bustle of fisherman and dockworkers before he was stopped right at the edge of the path by a particularly large royal blue Akalak who made his bulk very clear to anyone who wanted entry into the city. ”Hello there, can I help you with anything? Here is a scroll of welcome from the city. It contains a list of our laws, a map of the city, and some advertisements from local businesses that sponsor these scrolls to be made. You can feel free to come in if you agree to our laws and turn this scroll back in when you leave so we can reuse it." He announced to Bryce, his tone monotonous but clear suggesting he had to do this day in, day out for anyone who entered the city this way. "Seems reasonable" Bryce muttered as his eyes scanned the scroll "Sure, I agree. Is there anywhere I can find shelter?" He asked. "You'll want to try the Kulkukan Inn, there rooms are reasonable and the food ain't too shabby either" He replied, sticking his thumb out in the rough direction. "Okay, I'll check it out. Thanks" He said as he sidestepped the guard and entered the new city for a new life.

- Bryce Thomson

[Kel Tempest]

Day 1 of Spring in the Year 514 AV

“JENKINS!” A voice bellowed in Fratava above the sound of gulls flying overhead on the clear, crisp day. The wind tugged on the white sails, the thick fabric billowing as the small casinor cut through the smooth water into the harbor.


A small face poked its head up from a coiled rope, whiskers twitching on its little black nose as it heard its name called. It wiggled its way out from under the thick cord and scurried across the decks of the Laviku’s Wrath, its nails skittering across the wooden planks.


The plump sea otter came to a halt at the stern and rubbed its face up against the boots of the man standing at the wheel. The Svefra scowled, feigning irritation. “I told you to stop lounging about, you lazy bumkin. We’re almost to Riverfall.”


The small sea otter ignored him and began cleaning its fur coat beside him. The Svefra snorted and looked forward, towards the shore line that was quickly coming into view. Kel Greytide’s attention was drawn towards the roaring waterfall that divided the city in two. He gawked momentarily as the sight caught him off guard.


“That’d be one hell of a jump, eh Jenkins?” He grunted and shifted his weight from the balls of his feet focusing on the approaching city as his ship slid through the calm waters. The massive stone structures began growing higher and higher at each passing bell brought everything into clearer focus. The closer the Laviku’s Wrath came, the farther back Kel had to crane his neck to process everything he was seeing. It was his first time to Riverfall and he had never known something so huge could be built.


Kel scoffed as he finally managed to collect his thoughts and formulate an opinion about the city. “Bahh, these people have way too much time on their hands…Who has time to put this much energy into anything?”


The Svefra shook his head scornfully, resisting the urge to be impressed. The wind changed directions suddenly and Kel gripped the wooden wheel, adjusting it a few degrees to continue his current course. The harbor began to grow busier the closer to the docks he came, small fishing boats and merchant ships cluttering the waters.


Kel began easing off of the mainsheet, the rope attached to the large sail slowly being released, turning the angle of the boom so it caught less of the wind. The sounds of the city life grew louder. Gruff sailors, dirty dock workers and pompous merchants’ voices filled the air as the midday sun shone down upon the city docks.


The Svefra ever so gradually released the line, slowing the boat even more as he kept the casinor lined up with the docks. None of the people moving about the ships he passed as much as glanced at him as he sailed by, each too focused on their own work to notice another small boat.


Kel gauged the distance as the dock rapidly approached and when he deemed it the right time, released the rest of the line and threw the sailboat boom back hard, cutting off the wind from the fabric. The sail went slack. The small boat slowed down considerably and coasted the rest of the way till it rested next to the dock.


Kel moved quickly over to the portside and tied the dock lines to the pier, securing the casinor from floating away or bumping into the dock. Satisfied with his work, the Svefra dusted his hands off and stretched.


“Jenkins! Get your lazy arse over here! We’re gonna take a look around.” The sea otter chittered annoyed but scampered over and jumped onto a small box that sat beside the gunwale, allowing for an easier way over the ship’s side. He lifted his paws onto the railing and hopped onto it, balancing delicately. He leaped onto the pier as the boat shifted slightly as the water ebbed.


Kel swept a keen eye over his ship, making sure everything was in place as he jumped onto the railing, leaning against the netting. He spotted a tall, muscular Akalak moving confidently through the crowd of workers, directly towards the Laviku’s Wrath. The blue humanoid stopped in front of the Svefra and greeted him.


“Hello there, can I help you with anything? Here is a scroll of welcome from the-“


“Yeh’ yeh’, sounds interesting.” Kel cut him off, rudely. A smirk forming at the corners of his lips, sarcasm thick in his voice. The man blinked, surprised at the interruption. He hesitated but tried pushed forward.


“Yes, uhh, as I was saying, it contains a list of our laws, a map of the city, and some advertisements from local businesses that sponsor these scrolls to be…” The Akalak trailed off as the Svefra rolled his eyes and impatiently gestured for him to hurry up.


“See hand? Means talk faster. Not slow down.”


The man scowled, starting to get irritated with the way he was being treated by the arrogant Svefra. The Akalak cleared his throat, shooting a scathing glare at Kel before finishing up his statement. “You can feel free to come in if you agree to our laws and turn this scroll back in when you leave so we can reuse it.”


Kel looked the man up and down slowly as he crossed his arms and yawned. He leaned off the netting and took a step off of the casinor, onto the pier with a thump. He thrust his hand out and was handed the scroll.


He pretended to open it and took a swift glance at it before looked up mockingly barely a tick later, “Done, good read. Thanks for that.” The dock greeter opened his mouth to retort but instead of responding, snapped his jaw shut, spun on his heels and stalked away.


Kel chuckled and ran a hand through his black hair. “Alright, Jenkins, my friend. Shall we explore the city?”


The tavan companion chattered loudly and the two sauntered down the pier, into the city which, little did it know, would become their new playground.

-Fratava -Common -Other PC/NPC