Ambling Amidst the Anarchical

Character sheet · by **Lenz** on February 5th, 2014, 2:51 am

74th of Winter, 514 AV

A woman with scarlet hair, like a dying fire's embers, doesn't recollect her arrival in such a place.

The building is small, yet the books that are stuffed inside the many shelves reach high up and touch the ceiling. The woman's mouth gapes open in astonishment, for how has she not know about such a place before?

A sense of intrigue ignites inside her heart and her soul soon becomes engulfed in flames. She's enthralled and her interest boils over as her hunger becomes unbearable.

She rushes over to take a look at every single book on the shelves, skimming over a few word found throughout the various pages. All this information makes her head spin.

She realises quickly that she has wound up in the ethereal world of the gods.

It was unclear to her how she had stumbled upon such a vast array of knowledge. Lenz had just been out wandering the streets, taking in her surroundings and becoming acquainted with the city she would be staying in when all of the sudden she was turned around in her tracks. She wound up in such an unusual place, a place she never knew even existed.

From the moment she came through the front door she was embraced with a sort of mysterious, yet thrilling feel. The room was small, yet lively with books adorning the shelves that stretched high toward the ceiling above.

A few tables of various shades and styles were spread throughout the room, chairs accompanying them nicely. It gave a sort of comforting, but hurried vibe as Lenz took a few more steps into the centre of the room.

The Library has been rumoured to be dangerous, but danger and adventure had lately made Lenz exhilarated, adding action into her utmost boring life. Although her travels had been anything but boring, she was always in need of a plot twist in her life.

The Library made the quota, sending chills down her back at the mention of the name. The hairs stood on the back of neck when the whispers of an unknown location were heard. She was amused by her findings, and felt special in having been able to.

The woman ran the tips of her fingers across the spines of the many books found on one of the middle shelves. Some dust fell gracefully to the floor, causing her to smile.

What things would she engross herself in today?

Out of the corner of her hazel shaded eyes, a colourful book caught her attention. She whipped around, the curls that covered her head going all over the place. Locks of lush red fell into her eyes, a strand even seeming to get caught in her mouth.

Gradually and patiently, she slipped the book out of its hold from off the shelf. It fell into her hands as if it belonged there. This made the woman smile even wider.

The feeling she felt the moment she walked into the Library was overwhelming. It was a sense of belonging that seemed to fill her to the brim. She had never felt like she belonged and she most certainly never felt like she was ever wanted, so being in such a place that gave off such a feeling made Lenz want to spend the rest of her life here.

However, the warnings from the various people she had listened in on told her that she shouldn’t over stay her welcome. There was a woman who was frightening, hostile and hauntingly dangerous that spent her time in the Library.

What was her last name? Bloodringer? Lustrunner? Bloodrunner? The last name rang some bells as simply enunciating the word inside her mind gave her the creeps. She certainly didn’t want to run into someone who left a trail of blood behind her wherever she went.

With a book already in her hands, Lenz decided that she might as well load up her arms with a couple more, so she did just that. She spotted a few older looking books, some journals and even some large ones that looked like text books full of technical manuals.

She grabbed as many as she could until the weight she carried made it almost impossible for her to hold anymore. She rushed over to one of the tables and dropped the load, taking a seat and readying herself for a time of reading.

I better start now or it's never, she thought as she took the first initial book she had seen and flipped open the cover to the first page.

Let us begin!

___________________________________________

Character sheet · by **Lenz** on February 9th, 2014, 7:56 pm

The pages were well worn, tears fraying the edges and threatening to increase in size. Lenz was particularly careful as she flipped the pages of this book, making sure that none of the pages would tear in half while in her care.

The first page had a feint watermark embossed in the centre, but Lenz had difficulty in making it out. Other than that, there was nothing else to read, so she flipped ahead to the next.

The next page was flourished with doodles. They were scrawled all over the page, and frankly, the woman couldn’t find a spot where there hadn’t been ink.

Is this someone’s journal or something? Lenz asked herself, quickly finding herself disinterested in reading any further. She tossed the book to the side and turned to try another.

This one had a strange smell to it. It smelled like burning wood in the middle of the summer, and it made her feel warm and comfy. The cover was a dark brown and the pages were slightly yellowed from age.

The front page gave Lenz a sort of excitement, the title reading, ‘Basic Techniques for Novice Herbalists’. She had always been interested in herbalism, but never had the time to truly sit down and learn about it. Today, she happened to be granted her wish, and she took it, turning the page.

A strong, disgusting scent stung at the woman’s eyes. It smells like a seasons old rubbish, she thought, turning the page quickly to try to get the smell to dissipate.

Words in calligraphy filled the pages until there was no more room. Ecstatic, the girl instantly dived into a wonderful time of reading.

"Dear reader,

You have found yourself waist deep in an educational book explaining the concept of herbalism and the principles that make this well-known art so great.

First, we must explain to you the few application variety of which herbs and other medicinal plants can be applied to an individual.

Firstly there are infusions which are commonly referred to as ‘teas’. These are perhaps the most common way of preparing herbs.

Teas are popular for not only comfort and warmth, but for delivering beneficial and therapeutic needs to individuals. They are always digested, although some people have used them to soak limbs or wounds. Throughout this book, you will learn about many different methods in preparing herbal infusions."

The next topic Lenz’s eyes flew over was almost as interesting as the first.

"Secondly there are herbal salves used topically in order to help aid cuts, burns, bites, rashes, bruises and stings.

Often are these salves moisturizing and are used to help treat flaky, itchy and dry skin. You will begin to analyze very basic tactics of your own throughout this book that will help you in creating your own salves."

Lenz decided to take a short break, gently titling her head from side to side until she heard loud cracks and pops. She looked up to the ceiling to try to stretch her neck before taking a deep breath and returning to her reading.

"Herbal liniments have been used as nature’s way of helping relieve muscle and joint aches and pains, sprains and abrasions.

This traditional and ancient technique has been helpful to many people. Herbal liniments are applied topically and are made using warming and stimulating herbs such as cayenne and ginger. This old healing remedy technique will become beneficial to you as you continue to read more about it."

Lenz didn’t know what the word liniment meant, but hopefully as she continued to read like the book thought she would, she would understand it a little better.

It was a score she had found such a book among all the books that could have been journals or unimportant documents. She’s glad she didn’t strike out constantly like she had with the first book she tried.

Tucking her hair behind both ears, the woman let her eyes fall onto the words with ease.

"Massage Oils can be stimulating, calming and even sensual at times.

Nature helps produce these specific herbs for both pleasurable experience and medical purpose. There are many different ways to create massage oils, but only a few will be explained in this book."

For some reason, Lenz’s eyes stuttered at the last second and scanned the page until they reached the top. She found something she hadn’t seen before and although her heart fell a little, she wasn’t too disappointed.

'This book has been created from the journal of an experiences herbalist.'

Lenz didn’t know whether or not the information inside would be all accurate or not, but given the author’s label, she figured that it was better than nothing.

He must have lost it, Lenz thought as she went back to the bottom of the page, her eyes straining to translate the messy calligraphy to a font she could understand.

Suddenly a large shadow fell across the wall on the other side of the room. It passed over a shelf full of books. The hairs on the back of the woman’s neck stood on end as she felt her heat beat quicken.

What was that? Making sure that she really was all alone, she turned around and made sure she checked out the entire area. Sure, there were bound to be secret hiding spots throughout, but from what she could see, she was alone.

I hope it isn't a ghost, Lenz thought, shuddering at the thought. She hated ghosts and their mysterious and haunting attributes. They scared her, but from the stories she was told or from personal experience, she didn’t know.

Just focus, Lenz. She readjusted herself in her seat and turned the page. A few illustrations gave her a mental image of what some of the plants looked like as the text continued to teach its valiant ways.

"How to relieve moderate joint pain:

One plant found out in nature that is often used to help relieve joint pain is stinging nettle. It’s useful numbing and anti-inflammatory properties helps take away the pain from your aching bones. All you have to do is take a handful of the nettle leaf and shred it, boiling the pieces in hot water. A cup or more daily helps relieve and prevents joint pain."

Lenz tried to wrap her head around what she had just read. The paragraph swam in little circles around her brain, as questions kept attacking her sense of reality.

Nettles? Weren’t nettles supposed to be itchy and sometimes even cause a rash to break out on someone’s skin? Lenz didn’t understand how something like that could help bad bones, other than the book described digesting the plant rather than rubbing it on the affected areas.

“Oh,” she said aloud, her mind lighting up with intelligence as she was finally able to comprehend. “That makes more sense now.”

Perhaps she would try it out for herself, to see if it really worked. Someday when she was older and in pain, she could recall to a time like this to use her prior knowledge of herbalism. She could go out in the wilderness and collect nettles so she could boil them and drink it like tea.

“That sounds like a smart plan.”

Suddenly the sound of a book falling onto the floor sent Lenz jumping out of her chair. She whirled around with her hands instinctively up in surrender. She was near close to calling out to ask who was there, but bit her tongue to stay quiet.

She looked around, her vision keen as she found no one with her. She was completely alone like she always had been. But what was making those noises? Why did she feel like she was being watched?

Stay calm, Lenz. You’re just on edge because you’re not really supposed to be here, she kept telling herself as she took her seat again.

Now where was she? Oh, right, she thought to herself. Joint pain.

___________________________________________

Character sheet · by **Lenz** on February 10th, 2014, 2:39 am

Flipping the page in fact did not result in revealing more about the concepts of join pain. Instead, the topic of focus shifted to what appeared to be cuts and how one could keep them clean. A small note was made under the first sentence, hinting at the possibility of enabling them to heal faster with certain techniques.

Lenz perked up at reading the first paragraph, seeing how easy it described certain processes. She let her eyes stroll across each and every individual letter, falling into the text like it was a thrilling story being told to her whilst sitting by a fire.

An optional herb was that of the goldenseal. Lenz had never heard of such a plant before, but upon looking at the picture to the right, she saw a pretty good depiction of what one might look like.

Goldenseal wasn’t golden as she had thought, but green. It was a leaf with four to five extended leaves, the edges commonly found jagged or sometimes frayed. An unusual red berry tends to grow in the centre of the plants, and they grow in groups.

Now that she had a visual representation stuck in her mind, she was ready to understand more about how to help keep cuts clean and how to aid them in healing quicker.

”Powdered goldenseal,” she read, ” is a powerful antiseptic that can be sprinkled directly over cuts to help stop bleeding. The powder and its natural herbal properties are used as a sort of sponge, soaking up all the blood and clotting the open wound. If it doesn’t, however, it is often helpful to cover the wound with a clean cloth and apply moderate pressure.”

A paper fell from behind the woman and the sound of a gentle breeze trying to force its way inside the building didn’t seem to phase her. She was engaged in trying to learn how to help herself when she was in time of need.

She had heard nasty rumours about the doctor in Sunberth. Some of those rumours explained how his building wasn’t hygienic and how so many people had died in the place that ghosts where sometimes found roaming through the many rooms.

After overhearing some of these remarks being exchanged from one local to the next, Lenz made a promise to herself to never go to the clinic. She would try to help herself if there was a time she or Ipisol were to become injured.

With the thoughts on the doctor quickly subsided, Lenz embraced herself for some more stunning knowledge. Plants were so cool!

”Once the bleeding has stopped, gently wash the wound with soap and water. It is said to be better for your skin to pat dry, and once you have pat dried the affected area apply an extract of gotu kola.”

Lenz had to stop there again, becoming frustrated with herself that she couldn’t retain more information before becoming confused. What was gotu kola?

Another helpful picture was drawn into the book underneath the one of the goldenseal. Lenz tried to pick out particular traits that would give her a better idea of how to tell this plant apart from others, but in the end she just wound up even more confused than before.

The herb looked like any other weed out there! It was similar to a clover or even a thick blade of grass. However, the woman was persistent, so she tried with all her mind to hold the picture in her mind alongside the one of the goldenseal.

These would prove to be helpful to her. Once she returned home, she would be sure to write all of this down so she could use it in the future. Perhaps someday she would decide to take a trip to Zeltiva to take a few classes. Herbalism was a class there, she was sure.

Another bolded word stuck out like a needle in a haystack, instantly diverting Lenz’s attention again.

”Honey is another natural antibacterial aid for cuts. It is said among herbalists and few doctors that the sweet remedy reduces infection in wounds and helps them heal much faster than they would if left alone. The procedure is simple; all one must do is apply the material topically on the wound and wrap it so that it does not become infected.”

After reading this over multiple times, Lenz decided to take a risk. She looked over her shoulder to make sure that she was still alone before she went back to the journal she had read first.

She flipped open to a page that hadn’t been used and ripped it out. The sound was so loud, she felt like it might have sounded like a boat crashing into a wall.

Even though she had a piece of paper now, she was still lacking in finding a writing utensil. So the redheaded woman stood up and decided to investigate.

She first started with the closest shelf of books to her, rummaging through the books to see if there were any quills of viles of ink available. If she was lucky, she would find her own journal and writing supplies among these books, but that was a long shot.

Several chimes flew by and as Lenz was about to give up, she spotted a quill and a half empty vile of black ink tucked behind a book to the right. She reached in to grab them and took off back toward her seat.

Once she had returned, she noticed right off the bat that the page she had left it open to had been changed. She was now looking at a picture of a flower, several pages in front of her position.

What is going on? she asked herself, her pulse quickening as she heard it as clear as day in her ears.

Trying to ignore the uncanny events that were scaring her, Lenz took the quill and dipped it in the vile of ink. She then began to jot down the information on the goldenseal and how it helped joint pain. She also made sure to take notes on the gotu kola and. Honey was next as she looked off of the page where the information was written and copied it onto the piece of paper.

Sure, she had heard people talking about a woman named Remmy who was here for the purpose of copying books for the people requesting it done, but in seeing no one and thinking that she could do it faster and for free, she took the advantage.

She never took her eyes off the task at hand. Her eyes scanned from the book back to the paper and back to the book again. Her handwriting was close to that of the author of the book as she tried to match each stroke, copying even the period at the ends of the sentences.

“Okay,” Lenz said aloud in a hushed tone. She didn’t want to cause any unnecessary attention to herself. If there were spirits in here with her, she wanted to be one with the wall and not an outcast like the chair she sat on.

“Okay,” she said again, taking a large gulp of dry air, “What’s next?”

___________________________________________

Character sheet · by **Lenz** on February 12th, 2014, 12:37 am

Lenz made sure to take her time as she jotted down helpful notes on the piece of paper she had found. She had even thought about the possibility of the book having a section somewhere describing each individual flower and its beneficial properties.

She flipped through the pages, scanning each and every page for the information she was looking for. It wasn’t until the end where she found it. It was just where she predicted it would be.

“Ah, there you are,” she said.

A few flowers jumped out at her, at first she thought it was because they were so colourful. She was wrong, though as she took a closer look. The edges were raised on the page, giving them a strange look. Lenz squinted her eyes and realised that they were real. They were the actual plant placed in the page and flattened.

Of course this wasn’t true for all of them. Only a few flowers were put in the book, the majority of the others were just illustrated.

Lenz looked around suspiciously, trying to catch if anyone was looking at her. When she thought she was alone, she snuck a few of the flowers off the page and went to hide them in her upper underwear. Sadly, a few of the flowers crumbled to pieces as Lenz held them, but luckily a few survived.

“I don’t care if they make it home,” she murmured to herself as she stashed the last remaining dried flowers. “As long as I have something to go off of.”

After she had secured the plants, she went back to reading about the specific plants and what they were used for.

The first herb on the list was Catnip, and as Lenz read its description, she also copied the words onto her own sheet of paper, word for word.

”Catnip’s life span is short, but very beneficial to many animals and even to humans. It commonly grows 21–40 inches tall and wide and often looks like a typical mint family member in appearance by having square with brownish, green foliage. The leaves are course-toothed and are usually triangular in shape.

The small flowers can be white and finely spotted with pallid purple or light pin. They are fragrant and highly noticeable in the wild. The plant blooms from late spring on through atumn until it hibernates for winter.”

The redheaded woman also made a terrible attempt at drawing the illustration that was given to her on the page. She made sure to outline the petals and shade in the stem lightly so that it resembled the brownish, green foliage it described.

Using the quill, she let her hand strokes add detail as she wished she had coloured ink instead of the basic black. She also made sure to incorporate the significant details of the toothed leaves. She made small dots on the part she had read about the flowers. Her fingertips hovered over the triangular shape she had drawn once she was finished.

She went on to read about the medicinal properties of Catnip:

” Catnip has always been used to aid in the digestive system, however it has been used as stimulant for sweating, it is useful in reducing fevers. It is also commonly used in herbal tea blends to help one sleep. It’s beneficial in reducing stress and promoting relaxation.”

Lenz’s eyebrows popped up, becoming invisible by the hair that was covering her face. She had read the first sentence of the next paragraph. It had mentioned cats and the origin of the name. This heightened her interest as if it hadn’t been already.

” As the name suggests, cats love to nip at it. Cats have been observed to be easily attracted to the smell. Once a cat has eaten the plant, many have seen them acting strangely as if they had lost their minds. It was once believed that smoking the leaves would produce a mild hallucinogenic effect for humans and although this has happened to a few people, it isn’t always true for others.”

The woman laughed at the part about the cats going crazy after eating the flower. She wished she could have seen it!

After she had calmed herself, she wiped the tears that had started to well in her eyes. She had gotten so worked up over something so stupid and it made her feel like a fool. But she was still alone, so she didn’t care all that much and instead of dwelling on it, she got back to work.

”Ginseng,” The next portion of the text read. What a strange name, Lenz thought as her eyes hovered over the following few sentences.

”It has a remarkable ability to help the body adapt to mental and emotional stress as well as with fatigue, cold, heat, and even hunger. It stimulates as well as relaxes people’s emotions. It also helps people fight off sickness and disease.

The leaf is emetic and expectorant. Sometimes people living in the wilderness have candided the root and have used it as an edible, medical candy. This plant is similar to Cantnip, with significant differences.”

The woman started to draw what she saw illustrated to the left of the information she had just read. She made sure to include every detail she saw, and read to make sure that she wouldn’t get it mixed up with any other herbs out in the wild.

”The most common Ginseng found in the wilderness grows about one foot high. It has three leaves with small, yellow flowers and red berries in the centre. The root tends to grow slowly, usually reaching up to two or three inches in length, and yellow or brown in color. Some Ginseng are larger than others, but are similar in every other way.”

The woman made sure to take notes surrounding her drawing. She made sure to write down that the berries were red and the flowers were yellow. She shaded the leaves lightly to represent the colour, and in having no coloured ink, she was still able to make due.

“Ginseng,” she said aloud, hearing the letters roll off her tongue. Her voice echoed around the building and a few papers fell off one of the shelves in response.

Lenz jumped up and whirled around, her eyes like daggers as she tried to seek out what made them fall. There was no breeze in here, therefore there had to be something or someone trying to mess with her.

“I’m not scared of you,” she said, her voice quivering slightly as she did. She bit her lip, a habit that was becoming annoying, yet comforting to her ever since she had started it.

“I’m not scared,” she repeated, but the truth was she was. She was terrified, and if she was currently wearing boots, the old saying ‘quaking in her boots’ would have applied to her right then and there.

For a couple bells now, she had been hearing strange noises nonstop, but now she was fed up with it. What was in here with her that was trying to frighten her? Was she not welcome, and was this the way the person was in trying to scare her off?

“I’m not leaving,” she threatened. She sighed and returned to her seat, her new grip on the quill shaking slightly.

Ginseng, Ginseng, Ginseng, she repeated to herself, trying to calm her nerves. They were all over the place, her usual calm mood faltering.

“You’re fine,” she cooed, “Let’s just get back to reading.”

This was pretty incredible and interesting stuff, and it had Lenz on the edge of her seat before she had been so rudely interrupted by mysterious sounds and uncanny falling papers.

The book went on to explain the background of where Ginseng was said to have originated, but as Lenz briefly scanned over the words, she realised that it was all opinionated.

Finally, she found a decent spot to resume. The portion centred entirely on blackberries.

Well that’s a pretty common fruit, she thought, brushing the hair that had fallen into her eyes with the back of her hand. Let’s continue!

___________________________________________

Character sheet · by **Lenz** on February 12th, 2014, 1:05 am

”The blackberry is not only a tasty fruit, but it’s also used for its medicinal properties as well. edible and medicinal. The leaf is more commonly used as a medicinal herb, but the root also has medicinal value. Young edible shoots tend to be harvested during the spring season, peeled and used in salads. The root-bark and the leaves make an excellent alternative medicine for runny stools and pain in the groin for both men and women.

The most astringent part is the root. Blackberries are taken to treat sore throats and gum inflammations. The leaves are quite useful as a type of mouth wash, cleaning the teeth and the gums. A medicinal syrup is also made from blackberries. The fruit, when crushed into liquid as well as the root-bark with some honey helps soothe coughs and sore throats.”

Lenz was amazed. She had no idea that blackberries were not only tasty but healthy for people. She had no reason to draw the picture illustrated on the page. She had seen many blackberries before and although they were expensive, she knew she could buy some if she or Ipisol ever got sick with a cough or a sore throat.

But I’d also need honey, she thought, using her finger to tap her chin.

She shrugged and flipped the page, instantly becoming overwhelmed with the continuation of information that flooded the page. Handwriting was everywhere; from the top to the bottom with no room left for any last minute notes.

Have to start somewhere right? And that’s just what she did.

”Violet is often known by its heart shaped leaves that have slightly serrated edges. The leaves are dark green, smooth and grow in a rosette at the base of the plant. Violet roots creep under the soil, spreading themselves out so that they can support themselves better. Depending on soil and the amount of sunlight they receive, the flowers may be from deep purple or blue to pinkish or even an off-white colour. Violets only have five petals, never more and never less. It is possible that they might have yellow fur on the inside of two of the petals.”

Violets had been one of many of Lenz’s favourite flowers. She loved to feel their petals and sometimes pick them and use them as decoration. They smelled so wonderful…

”Violets are both medicinal and edible. The flowers and leaves of the violet, when made into syrup, help aid in relieving congestion, coughing, and sore throats. The flowers are also edible and used as food additives salads. Tea made from the entire plant is used to treat digestive problems and is used as a remedy for headaches and pains found throughout the body. When used externally, the fresh crushed leaves reduce swelling and soothe mild to moderate irritations.”

There was a little side note the author had made, the font particularly differnet from the rest. It must have been a different person writing this down, or possibly someone recently who had happened to find this book before Lenz.

Either way, it could be accurate information, or it could be entirely false.

”Some people have considered the violet as a symbol of fertility and love. The flower has been used not only to woo a potential mate, but also to make love potions.”

“Interesting,” Lenz muttered as she went to her personal piece of paper to scrawl down every last detail she could. All of this information was interesting, but if she hadn’t of found the paper and the quill and ink, she would have forgotten everything she had just read the moment she was back at home.

After all that Lenz had read, heard and even seen, she was mentally and emotionall exhausted. She made a promise to herself that she would read about one more herb before taking a break and heading home.

But one thought kept buzzing around inside her brain. What if I can never find this place again? Just thinking that over gave her enough to wish she could stay here forever.

The Library was such a wonderful place full of journals and random books, but among them were a few books containing vast amounts of knowledge. She didn’t want to leave now and have the chance of not being able to return.

“One more and then you’ll see how you feel,” she said.

It sounded like a lie, like if her attention was focused back on the book about herbalism, that she’d forget completely.

We’ll see.

___________________________________________

Character sheet · by **Lenz** on February 13th, 2014, 9:23 pm

It did indeed on take one more description of an herb before she figured she was done. It wasn’t voluntary, but she thought it would be best anyways.

The red clover popped out at her, the words confusing and easily understood at the same time. Just those two opposing emotions were enough to give Lenz a headache as she went ahead and pursued in her mission of learning more about herbalism.

”The red clove is an herb usually found in the mountainous regions of Mizahar, but sightings of the species has been noted in other various regions as well. Red clovers are an easily grown plant, from seed or root cuttings, requiring little to no attention. The long root is digs deep in the ground and several stems ranging from one to two feet high are grown from it.

Slightly hairy, slightly toothed leaves with an oval shape, ending in long point are often lighter coloured in the centre. The flowers that are produced are red to purple, fragrant and have rounded heads. They tend to only bloom in the spring and summer season, but in moderate to colder climates.”

The redhaired woman made sure to write down each and every word she read, her head tilting to the side to read the text and then tilting to the other side so she could see what she was writing down.

It was a tedious process, but in the end, she knew that it would all be worth it.

She was an over thinker and one who often thought far into the future. At the moment she was drawing what the red clover looked like, she was thinking to herself about how beneficial her note taking would be in the future.

It was all chance, everything she was doing. It was risk taking and a sense of paranoia crawled up and down her back as she did so.

She liked to be a passive and mature “good guy” when it came to life, but sometimes she let that part of her go and let the bad side out to play.

She went on, knowing that she had been in the Library far too long. She needed to finish quickly or else those rumours about the two ladies who always came here could come true. She didn’t want to find out if they were true, but more so, she didn’t want to die because they were.

The red clover’s properties were listed in a paragraph below the description and her eyes fed on the knowledge.

”The red clover is edible but also very medicinal. The sprouted seeds and leaves of the plant are edible in salads and have a crisp texture and very robust flavour. Medicinal teas are commonly made from the fresh or dried flowers.

The red clover has also shown to ward off disease or prevent it from occurring in the first place. Internally, the herb is used to help many issues such as dry or flaky skin, calluses, warts, severe cough (with recurrent phlegm) and dry coughs.”

Lenz always loved to read about the beliefs and myths of the herbs, so she couldn’t help but read the words underneath, written in tinier font.

”The rednclover was considered a charm many people wore in terms of warding off both nuits and evil spirits and ghosts. The four leaf clover was said to have even more power against evil and a two leaf clover would give a maiden the power to see her future lover.”

A small, sad giggle escaped her lips. She wished with all her heart that she could find a two leaf clover so she could see her lover back in Kenash again.

A tear fell from out of the corner of her eye before a loud crashing sound sounded throughout the small room. Lenz jumped out of her skin, the tear falling from her cheek to the floor.

“Who’s here?” a loud, booming voice shouted. It was hoarse and caused Lenz’s knuckles to turn as white as snow as she tightly held onto the chair’s seat for support.

She hoisted herself up on wobbly legs and fought to regain her balance. A glinting object, incredibly long in length was visible to her left behind a book shelf. And then all of the sudden, two eyes like coals were visible two.

“Bloodrunner,” Lenz whispered as she managed to maintain standing and lunge for the door. Her voice was louder than expected, the woman's head snapping to her direction.

“Not so fast,” the woman barked as she lunged too, but toward Lenz instead of the door.

Her heart caught in her throat, a million last words running through her mind.

Through all the commotion, she was able to dodge the woman and her long blade. She slid on her knees until she hit the front door hard.

Sobs were clogged in her throat and although it was challenging for her to breathe, she was able to throw the door open and stand back up. She ran like her rear end was on fire and she kept running until she was lost in the middle of the city.

Lenz finally collapsed, hugging her knees to her chest as she struggled to breathe.

What the hell just happened? she screamed inside, ignoring how she had used foul language. She never said such things unless the situation called for it and frankly, she thought what she had just gone through deserved it.

Something made crumpling sounds in her hand and before she had time for her heart to give her another attack, she recognized it. It was the piece of paper she had used to take notes on!

Relief overwhelmed her entire body. Even though her legs throbbed and her heart continued to pound like a drum beat, she smiled.

“What a ride,” she said aloud this time, clutching the paper in her hands more ferociously.

After all the events that had just occurred, the woman didn’t necessarily want to continue to explore around Sunberth.

What she wanted most was to go home and either take a nap or write down how she had managed to escape the wrath of a lore told by the locals.

For now, though, she just sat where she was. She couldn’t stand yet, for her legs had turned to gelatin. When she managed to gain enough strength to tackle the trek back to her tent in Tent City, however, boy was she going to tell Ipisol everything.

“What a day,” she muttered, her eyes rolling back in her head before she closed them and relaxed. “What a day.”

Sunberth was much more than she had bargained for.

___________________________________________

by **Matthew** on March 15th, 2014, 4:43 am

Lenz

Experience Points:

+3 Copying
+2 Drawing
+5 Herbalism
+1 Larceny
+2 Medicine
+2 Observation
+5 Reading
+4 Writing

Lores:

Ancient Texts: How to Handle with Care
Curiosity: The All-Consuming Sensation
Belonging: The Feeling of Finding Somewhere that is Home
Bloodrunner: A Somewhat Biased View of Who She Is
Scent: The Horrible Smell of Certain Old Books
Herbalism: Infusions Known as Tea
Herbalism: Blackberries
Herbalism: Benefits of Tea
Herbalism: Catnip
Herbalism: Medical Herbal Salves
Herbalism: Massage Oils
Herbalism: Stinging Nettle
Herbalism: Ginseng
Herbalism: Goldenseal
Herbalism: Gotu Kola
Herbalism: Red Clove
Herbalism: Violet
Larceny: Simple Palming Techniques
Location: The Only Library in Sunberth
Medicine: Treating Minor Cuts and Scrapes with Herbal Salves

Additional Notes :

If you have any questions or concerns relevant to your grade, don't be afraid to send me a private message so that we can work it all out! Please remember to mark your Grading Request as Graded.

A shout-out to Ollic Rimesage, who was kind enough to make this template for me.

Solo Ambling Amidst the Anarchical