Solo Dance of the Wilds

[Sayana]

Spring 25, 515 AV – Rearing Stallion It was coming near to the end of the night and Sayana had been purposefully postponing the choreographed dance she had prepared. While it was all fine and dandy doing shimmies here and hip twists there, she wanted more meat and substance to her dancing. And she knew she couldn’t obtain that level of emotional depth without planning some of it in advance. She had been practicing for several days now and it was at the point that she didn’t think she could do it one more time without an audience before being driven insane. “My last dance of the night will be of a more serious nature,” Sayana announced. Some of the few remaining customers looked curious while others were obviously disappointed. And a few others were too drunk to care, or passed out completely. Perhaps it wasn’t the best time of the night to be performing such a dance, but at least she wouldn’t get booed by a full tavern should things go awry. “And my wonderful musician can call it an end to the night,” the dancer said as she gave a graceful bow in the direction of the bard who had been performing for the evening. She was truly grateful but she wouldn’t be needing music for this act, and she certainly hadn’t practiced with them. “My dance will be the story of a young Eypharian and her travels from the far city of Ahnatep,” Sayana continued. With her, she had her most important props: her large silken veil that spanned the length of her arms and tied elegantly around her waist; her cobra hilted dagger and a second much smaller dagger tucked into her belt; two pairs of finger cymbals in her skirt pockets; and a tambourine in one hand. “The Eypharian was young and beautiful, but also ambitious and wanting to explore the lands,” Sayana began as she pranced lightly across the stage with the tambourine high in her upper hands. She gave a spin this way and a twirl that way and her skirt flared out with each turn. There was a lightness to her step as she changed direction frivolously but kept in time to the “tap-tap, tap-tap” of the tambourine. “When she set out from Ahnatep there was only hope and adventure in her eyes. Every new landscape seemed like a new wonder.” The dancer held up a hand above her eyes as she mimed looking into the distance. She held the stance for a moment and then created a little “ding-a-ling” with the finger cymbals on her mid hands. She lightly danced to the other side of the stage and again mimed looking into the distance followed by the cheerful chimes of her cymbals.

[Sayana]

“All was well for the first several days, but little did she know of the darkness soon to come,” Sayana spoke as she tried to make her voice sound ominous. The dancer put away her finger cymbals and curled her low right arm around the tambourine to hold it in place. Dumm… ba-da-dumm… The dancer used her mid hands to hit the tambourine in a drum-like fashion while stifling the jingly sound using her arm. “For in the lands of Cyphrus, there lurked unspeakable terrors.” It seemed as though she had managed to get the attention of some of her audience, but others probably just came to hear drinking songs and watch her shake her chest about. Slowly she untied the red silken fabric from around her waist and held it in her two high hands so that it trailed down her back almost to the floor, mimicking the look of a pair of wings. As she raised her arms high, it further added to the appearance of wings and she gave them a flap, and another flap, each emphasized with a beat of the tambourine. “The great wild plains of Cyphrus were home to a creature known as the Zith.” The dancer bent low as she began moving the fabric in a flapping like motion. All the while she practically glided across the dais trying to make as little sound as possible with her feet and keeping as level as she could so it would look closer to flying. As she reached one side of the stage she banked high with her ‘wing’ and glided back. The veil half billowed and half flapped with her movements but she was sure it gave the impression of both grace and speed. “The Zith are fierce night hunters with huge black bat wings so they can stalk their prey from the air. And as it happens, while the sun was beginning to set, the Eypharian was attacked by one of these creatures.” The dancer whipped the veil over her head so it was now in front of her and billowing in the air as she stepped backwards. “It came at her swiftly,” she spoke with her voice rising in volume as she acted out struggling with the ‘zith’ in front of her. Swiftly she drew her two blades with her mid hands and mimed striking again and again at the looming piece of silk. Her low hand beat out a panicked and seemingly random beat from the tambourine but it seemed fitting for the chaotic appearance she presented. When she had first started practicing this had been one of the hardest scenes due to her arms moving so differently and also making sure not to slice open the expensive silk. “The Eypharian struggled against it but to no avail. The Zith disarmed her one blade at a time and soon she was at his mercy.” The dancer continued her frantic ‘fighting’ until she threw one blade to the ground and then the other. She moved to the ground in a slow and controlled fall and lay panting on her back with the veil resting on top of her. “She thought all hope was lost and that she would be ripped apart by the foul beast.”

[Sayana]

“But then something curious happened.” Ting ting. “The Zith’s eyes lit up at the Eypharian’s remarkable features, her additional arms. He curiously asked her to move them, wiggle them about so he could see how they worked.” The dancer moved her arms this way and that while still lying on the ground, and then slowly got to her feet. She continued moving her arms in flowing motions as she tied the veil once more around her waist and demonstrated the shear dexterity of her arms. A chime here and there from her finger cymbals emphasized certain movements as her arms flowed and cascaded about her giving a seamless appearance. “The Zith found himself mesmerized by her arms and decided that he would not use her as a meal, but instead take her home to his colony to be his slave. This… was not ideal for her, but at least it was better than the alternative.” The dancer acted out a quiet struggle as she used her low arms to tie the silken fabric around her mid and high wrists. At last she found herself in the vulnerable position with her arms tied behind her back and her low hands discretely at her sides or slightly behind her back and out of view. “And then began their journey across the vast and wild plains. They uh…” For a moment her mind blanked and she completely forgot the next part to her tale and the dance movements that went with it. She froze for a moment and she could feel the eyes of her audience upon her. “They continued traveling,” she spoke rather repetitively as she tried to buy enough time to remember how she planned the next part. The dancer also walked a solemn step from one side of the dais to the other. It was a ‘dance’ but it had no life and joy to it. “Oh right, they came across a caravan.” She said as she remembered the next part she had planned. “It was nearly nightfall and the Zith watched and stalked its prey. There was nothing the Eypharian could do, since a scream of warning would have left her to the Zith’s mercy. The creature struck at the weakest, a child, and carried it off into the air. But when the creature came back to the Eypharian the child had already been torn apart, and the offer of fresh meat made her sick to her stomach.” Sayana had originally planned to do more movement to evoke emotions but even just telling the story made her feel sick and she could tell from her audience that they didn’t need any further emotion evoked. It was also a more fantasized and elaborate rendition of what had actually occurred but she thought it was plenty sufficient. She was about to move on to the part where the Zith ravished her, but then quickly decided against it. Instead she added some filler. “The Zith eventually learned that she couldn’t eat what he did and he found other meat for her. They walked and flew and walked and flew. Always traveling in the dead of night.” The dancer moved across the stage attempting to mime the two modes of travel, but she had not quite managed to perfect the look of ‘flying’ especially with her arms behind her back. “The Eypharian always tried to keep the Zith interested with tricks of her arms and tales from her past. She knew what her fate would be should he grow bored and restless.”

[Sayana]

“They traveled north, north, so far north. He was headed to his colony called Xy. And all the while she planned a means of escape. She tentatively started flirting with the creature of the night to try to convince him that she’d be more fun with the use of her arms.” Sayana gave a quick spin on the spot and gave a sly glance over her shoulder at her audience. With a wink, she did a quick shimmy of her chest followed by a body wave. “She tried to lure him, excite him, but most importantly trick him into being inattentive and off-guard. Eventually he unbound her arms.” Sayana slowly untied her wrists and continued her sensual movements while holding the rope like fabric in her high hands. “Little did he know that she had taken one of her daggers back from him.” The dancer crouched down still shimmying her chest and picked up her cobra hilted dagger. She held the silk bunched up like a rope so that it was vertical in front of her, suggesting the Zith’s form and position. “Then in the midst of a gruesome kiss, she jabbed the dagger deep into his back. He let out a piercing shriek and tried to get away.” Sayana mimed the thrust and then struggled with the fabric trying to invoke the intensity of the scene. She then released the silk in an arching throw and it sailed across the dais. “At last, it flew away and she managed to make it to the nearest city, Syliras.” As the Eypharian made her bow, there were a few mutters from the audience. If it hadn’t been apparent earlier, her last line of her tale made it fairly obvious that it was her own story. There would probably be rumors or at least idle chit-chat, but she was starting to overcome the whole incident. She couldn’t make ‘peace’ with it per se, but at least she could accept it for what it was and move on. For the most part it seemed as though her audience enjoyed it. The dancer went to the back to grab herself a refreshing mug of ale and then found an empty table to lounge upon. Surprisingly, one of the customers joined her by taking a seat at the table and she looked at him curiously, her eyes lingering on his missing left arm. “Fine performance there girly. You really captured the dangerous wilds well.” The man began as he attempted to make small talk. Sayana curiously turned around to better face him. She didn’t usually have customers coming over to talk with her since they either didn’t have a reason to, or they were too shy to chat up the dancer. “Ah yes, the wilds,” the dancer agreed with a nod. Though to be honest, it really wasn’t the focus of the dance she had just performed. Still, she gave a friendly smile to the man and a lick of her lips. He hesitated at the gesture, not entirely sure what she was trying to accomplish but then eagerly continued. “You see, I’ve lived out in the wilds almost all my life. Hunting and trapping in and around the Bronze Woods. My name’s Intarus.” He offered out his right hand as if to shake her hand but his cheery expression faded and he lowered his hand. “But you’re probably not all that interested… a dancer like you.” Sayana had been about to politely shake his hand with her mid right when he looked down sullenly. That’s when she actually absorbed what he had told her and realized that he might be a good person to talk to before going on a trip of her own. “Wait wait,” the Eypharian said quickly. “I am interested. I’m actually planning a trip to Sunset Falls.” She moved to grasp his hand in a forced handshake and introduced herself, “I’m Sayana. It’s good to meet you Intarus.” Then releasing his hand she slowly added, “You know, I’d love to hear more about what it’s actually like in the wilds.” At the same time she opened the slit upon her skirt quite wide to expose most of her leg, clearly implying that there might be more for the man should he be helpful. At this, Intarus couldn’t help but laugh. “Even though you’re young and charming, I couldn’t see anything coming of us. Besides, I’ve only got one arm here while you’ve got six. But I’ll tell you what, I’ll teach you a thing or two if you buy me a couple rounds of ale. I’ve hardly had any tonight since I couldn’t take my eyes off you.” Sayana quickly waved to one of the barmaids at the back and ordered up a couple mugs of ale. “Deal. I’ll keep ‘em coming for as long as you talk,” Sayana agreed still lounging causally upon the table. Intarus smiled and was genuinely glad of the late night company and a willing student of his trade. “So Sunset Falls you say… It’s a nice place. Beautiful. You plan on going in that?” The man pointed to her outfit and in particular her long slitted skirt. Sayana paused at the question with a confused expression on her face. “Of course… what else would I wear?” Intarus gave his second laugh of the night. “Girly, you’ve gotta buy yourself some pants. Or at least a skirt that isn’t so flimsy. Out in the woods there are bugs to contend with, branches and bushes that brush up against you, worse still are the stinging nettles… You’ve got to cover yourself up at least a little and something like that will probably be torn to shreds by the end of your little adventure.” “Pants?” Sayana questioned rather incredulously. “Yes pants. And long sleeves if you can find ‘em. You’ve got the boots at least.” Intarus answered and he gestured to the boots she wore. “Better yet, bring a second set if one gets filthy but you might not have the coin. And pick a sturdy material. Canvas ain’t bad. You want it to last when you’re outside.” The dancer frowned at the thought of ditching her treasured outfit, but she could also see his point.

[Sayana]

“So what are you planning to bring on your trip?” Intarus asked. “Tent, food, pots and cookware, lanterns, bedrolls…” Sayana answered as she listed off the items on her fingers. “An easy trip then,” Intarus replied with a wink. Sayana was about to protest that she wasn’t a hunter when Intarus cut her off with a wave of his hand. “Not to worry girly, you still gotta survive out there and make it back to do more dancing. Are you bringing any medical supplies with you?” “Medical supplies?” Sayana asked but then the practicality of it dawn upon her. “Oh yeah. I should probably bring the basics at least.” “There are some mighty dangerous beasts out there that you wouldn’t want to mess with. Bears included.” Intarus gave a half shoulder shrug with his left shoulder in reference to his injury. “What happened?” The Eypharian asked since earlier she hadn’t quite known how to phrase the question without it sounding like an insult. “A bear got me. I’m lucky to be alive.” He answered concisely, obviously not wanting to elaborate further. “Oh… I, um, also wanted to get a map. But I’m not sure where I would find one.” Sayana replied as she tried to steer the conversation away from his injury. “Might you have one or know someone who does?” “Maps, bah! I know the woods like the back of my hand.” Intarus replied. It was perhaps a bit of an overstatement, but having been in and around them so often he had gotten to know the land quite well. An idea suddenly struck the Eypharian. “Inartus, if I were to get some parchment and a quill, would you be able to show me where to draw the key landmarks to make a rough map?” “Of course girly. You go get what you need and I’ll be sitting here with my ale.” With a bright smile she dashed off to the kitchen and quickly found Remi. “Remi, have you parchment, a quill, and some ink?” Sayana asked so quickly that she had to say it a second time more slowly for the cook to understand. With a nod, she pointed to a cupboard where she kept her writing supplies for whenever she needed to prepare a shopping list or inventory of the foods she had. “Mind you, that’ll cost you two silvers for the parchment!” The cook called to the excited dancer. Sayana gathered up the supplies and produced the two silver mizas for Remi. With a smile she quickly returned to Intartus and took a seat next to him. “Alright, so where do I start?” Sayana asked once she had laid out the parchment and dipped the quill into the ink. “So draw a circle over here and a fairly straight coast on this side of it,” Intarus explained as he pointed to the spots on the blank piece of parchment. “The circle is this city, Syliras.” Sayana slowly traced out the appropriate shapes and drew them on the parchment where he indicated. She was about to label the city Syliras, but realized she didn’t know how to spell it. With a smile, Intarus helped her out and she soon had the labeled city on the map. “Now there is the Kabrin Road,” Intarus continued. “And it goes from Syliras down along the coast, across to the right, and also upwards sort of along the coast. They say it goes quite far that way but I don’t know it so well going north. And Kabrin is: K-A-B-R-I-N.” The dancer carefully traced out the road where he pointed to and described it, and she labeled it accordingly. Some of her lines were faded while others had ink blots but it was mostly legible.

[Sayana]

“So now you’ve got the Avitar river. It comes in from this side and flows towards the sea like this.” Intarus traced out the route of the river on the map until it reached the sea. Sayana dutifully drew out the path and noted how it crossed the roads. “Oh, so these are the bridges.” She pointed out the various intersections made by the river and the road. “Yes, and the river actually splits a few times near Mithryn Outpost like this, and then Mithryn Outpost is right here.” Sayana mimicked where his finger had moved and drew in the appropriate lines and labels. This time she figured she could spell Mithryn and he simply smiled when she spelled it with a second ‘i’ instead of a ‘y’. “But where is Sunset Falls?” Sayana asked impatiently when she finished the last few features of the map. “I’m getting there girly. I was going to show you that next.” He pointed to the far right of the map where the Avatar river was quite a bit north of the road. “Right here is Sunset Falls. More or less.” Sayana frowned at his lack of certainty but dutifully added a circle and a label to the map where he had pointed. “I think there were also some caves here,” Intarus added pointing further downstream. “But I can’t remember for sure.” The dancer hesitantly labeled the caves too and then put down the quill as she shook out her hand. She wasn’t used to doing so much writing, or drawing, or whatever it was. “So how will I know that I’m going the right way? Like what if I get turned around and I think I’m going this way along the road, or river for that matter, but I’m actually going the other way?” Sayana inquired knowing that it was one thing to see a picture but another thing to actually walk the land. “Do you have a compass?” Intarus asked. Sayana shook her head. “Well to start, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west,” the man began as he pointed to each side of the map. Sayana added a couple more notes indicating such and for a moment she puzzled over the fact that Sunset Falls seemed to be where the sun would rise instead of where it would set. But then she realized that it was merely a matter of perspective. “Also, the Avitar river flows this way,” Intarus continued and traced his finger along the line that represented the river. Thoughtfully, Sayana added a couple of arrows to the river showing the direction of the flow. “So if you’re traveling to the Falls and you’re going in the same direction as the water, then you’re going the wrong way,” Intarus explained more fully. “You can also use the stars, but I’m not so good with that.” Sayana gave a nod. It was starting to make more sense in terms of how she could use her map to help her get there. “The last thing you want to do is get lost when you’re in the wilderness,” Intarus explained. “If you can’t see the river, sometimes you can hear it. Also, if you’re headed for the Falls and you’re going downhill a lot, then you’re probably not going the right way. There are ups and downs but you mostly want to be traveling up the hills. Your best bet is to stick close to the river since you can also get your fresh water from it. And trust me, you always want to know where your fresh water is.” As Sayana took in all the information, she traced out a rough route with her finger. “So what about going along the Kabrin till it hits the river, then up along the river till we reach the Falls?” “Sounds like as good a plan as any. You probably won’t get lost along the road or the river and you’ll have some fresh water within easy access on the first night you make camp.” Intarus answered with an approving nod.

[Sayana]

“Is there anything else I should know?” Sayana asked eagerly. Intarus paused in thought and took a long drink from his mug. He could tell her a dozen things but he wanted to keep it to the important points. “Fire. You’ll need to know how to start a fire.” He replied and she focused her attention upon him. “First you’ll need to gather wood, kindling, and some sort of tinder that will easily catch. Remember that unless you have nothing else, only use dry wood. Large branches and fallen trees are good for the main wood. Don’t forget to bring and axe of sorts or you’ll be stuck using only small branches. Then you’ll want small sticks and twigs for the kindling. And finally thin bark, like birch bark, or dry pieces of grass for the tinder.” Intarus paused and realized he should probably explain what each type was for. “The tinder is to get the initial spark lit and the kindling is to get it going into a small fire. Both are really important otherwise you won’t be able to get the fire going at the beginning. Do you know how to strike a flint?” Sayana was about to protest and say she didn’t need to know, that Aren would be able to produce flame with a mere thought, but she then thought better of it and held her tongue. After a shake of her head Intarus continued, “You strike the flint with the steel like this, and then after a couple of tries you’ll get a spark to land on your tinder. Always do it upwind of your tinder and fire. You do know the basics of building a fire, don’t you? Small kindling and sticks near the middle and slowly getting larger as you pile them up like a tent?” The dancer gave a nod. She had often built fires in her hearth, but never without an initial source of fire. “When you’re out in the wild, you’ll want to dig a fire pit first to keep it contained. Better yet, have a second one upwind of the first and connected together so that the fire gets enough fresh air. And put your tent upwind of all that too.” He gave a light laugh. “You don’t want all the smoke blowing into your tent.” The Eypharian smiled back at his contagious mood. “Anything else?” She asked curiously. “That should do you for your little three-day trip. Especially since you’re not trying to hunt for your food.” Intarus replied and gulped down the rest of his ale. For a moment Sayana shifted uncomfortably and then finally made up her mind to offer a little more. “Intarus, I really appreciate your help. Could I, um, give you a little more?” Sayana asked tentatively as she placed down five gold mizas. “No, no. It’s been my pleasure. I couldn’t take any more than three gm.” The man replied. “Four. Because of the map too.” Sayana said firmly and took back one coin while sliding the rest over to him. He finally relented and she gave him her gracious thanks. Before she left to go home, she gave him a coy wink and at last she managed to prompt a rosy blush of his cheeks. Tonight had been a good one. Ledger : Parchment for crude map: 2 SM Two mugs of ale: 2 SM Intarus's lesson: 4 GM

[Katelyn Marks]

Due Rewards

“After nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”

― Philip Pullman

 

Sayana

Skills
➢ Observation +5
➢ Storytelling +4
➢ Dancing +4
➢ Instrument: Tambourine +2
➢ Instrument: Finger Cymbals +2
➢ Acting +4
➢ Planning +2
➢ Seduction +2
➢ Flirting +1
➢ Negotiation +1
➢ Socialization +4
➢ Dagger +1
➢ Dual Wielding +1
➢ Rhetoric +4
➢ Wilderness Survival +3
➢ Cartography +3
➢ Land Navigation +3
➢ Writing +1

Lores
➢ Acting: Portraying a Zith
➢ Acting: Portraying Combat
➢ Acting: Basic Improv
➢ Storytelling: Speaking to Large Audiences
➢ Storytelling: Basic Improv
➢ Intarus: Old Woodsman
➢ Wilderness Survival: Proper Clothing in the Forest
➢ Wilderness Survival: Common Dangers in Forest
➢ Wilderness Survival: How to Start a Fire
➢ Cartography: Rough Layout of the Syliras Area
➢ Land Navigation: The Four Cardinal Directions

Comments: Daaaaaang girl, I was able to give you so much! This was such a good thread. Very well-organized and well-written. You covered a lot of important material for the trip too. Very good job!

If you have any concerns or questions about your rewards please feel free to send me a message. Also, please edit your original grade request and mark it as graded. Thank you and enjoy!