Solo Zith Hunt

[Sayana]

Fall 15, 515

She had been in a feral sort of mood lately. Even though things had been going alright at the Crook, Andreas seemed to be growing more and more distant from her. She wasn’t sure why exactly, but the babe seemed to favor Tim over everyone else.

Sayana was finishing up her day at work and was trying to fix up her cartwheels. Higher, straighter, pointed toes… She launched herself into another one landing on four hands, her mids and her highs. However, halfway through the cartwheel, her two left hands buckled under her weight and she crumpled to one side landing on her shoulder and then her side. Bah. That was as good an excuse as any to get going home.

Home. She didn’t really have one in Alvadas. Not yet anyways. As she packed up her things she clutched the key to the Cubacious Inn and tried to feel that soft tug of where to go. Quickly, she headed in what she thought was the right direction and began winding through the twisting streets of Alvadas. However, instead of coming across the comforting though odd cubes of the inn she was used to, Sayana reached a different sort of building, more rugged and cavelike. Curiously, she stepped inside and found herself in a tavern or inn with a much more wild appearance and feel to it.

The Eypharian was about to take a seat and cool off for the night when she spotted a pair of dark looming figures near the back. Zith. Her jaw tightened but as she looked around the establishment, no one else seemed to notice or care. Perhaps the feral creatures were welcome here. She was about to leave entirely but then her ego kicked in. Why should she be the one to leave when those foul creatures were allowed to stay?

Sayana promptly ordered a drink of whatever and took a seat near the front. The girl behind the counter looked at the Eypharian with mild surprise. Perhaps this was more of a hangout place rather than a tavern but she still managed to produce a drink. It was a moderately busy for its size but not at all like the roaring crowd of the Rearing Stallion. There were some pale pale folk whose race seemed vaguely familiar. There were humans of course. Her lips twitched upwards into a smile as she spotted a tiger lounging rather majestically in full view. This place certainly did have a wild feel to it.

“I’d have another one but something has been stealing all my game.” Sayana turned at the accusatory voice and gazed at a man dressed in dark greens and black with some knives at his side. He had a bow placed on the table in front of him and a quiver hung from the edge of his chair. Curious, she got up and took a seat next to him.

“Times rough?” She asked as she placed down a few coins on the table. With a gesture to the girl who had gotten her first drink, she added, “Another one for him?” The hunter gave an attempted smile and then nodded. With a look in the direction of the pair of zith, he replied, “Them beasts haven’t been making my job easy of late. You know, I used to enjoy coming here. Exchanging tricks of the trade or sharing good game trails. But I’ve just been coming up dry or finding carcasses of this and that ripped to shreds. But what’s it to you?”

A slow smile crept across Sayana’s face. This was why the winding streets had led her here. “You see, I might be interested in hunting down some of those beasts. That is, if you’d be willing to help me out.”

Receipt2 sm for 2 mugs of ale

[Sayana]

“No.” The hunter made his point quickly and strongly. His blatant rejection surprised her. “No? You wouldn’t want to see some of those foul creatures knocked down a peg or two?” Sayana pressed.

“Oh I’d love to see a couple meet a dirty end, but not at my hands and not with the rest of them ready to extract revenge on me. See, I hunt out in these woods and I’d rather not have a family of zith on my tail whenever I go out.” The hunter explained.

Sayana sipped her drink for several ticks as she mused over the idea. “How about, you take me to a place they often go and then you head on out while I stay to take one down.” He was thoughtful for several moments and several times he glanced in the direction of the zith at the tavern. “Are you really that good or are you just foolish? I don’t want to be anywhere in the area when you start hunting. Nothing to relate me to it at all.” It was clear the hunter was still anxious about the idea yet he hadn’t dismissed it entirely.

“Just take me to the place and you can head back somewhere safe. And I know I can do it. I’ve fought two zith and lived to tell the tale.” She didn’t mention that they were each separate events and she hadn’t actually killed either of those zith, but she phrased it so that the statement was true. The hunter seemed encouraged by her words. “Alright, there’s a place about a day’s trek from the city. Have you a tent and gear? I can lead you there, or almost there. Then you camp for the night while I head back and you do a little hunting the next day. Think you can find your way back?”

Sayana nodded. “I’ve got something in mind for that. Think I could borrow a tent?” Again the hunter was quiet as he mused over it. If he let her use his gear, zith might recognize it again in future. Yet he liked the idea of helping her out. There was confidence in her voice. “Five gold mizas to borrow my gear,” he stated. “I’m not just going to hand it out even though I like what you’re doing. I’ve also got a mountain pony if you need help carrying it all. But she’ll be another five gold.”

Sayana plopped down ten gold coins on the table. “Deal.”

Receipt10 gm for borrowing camping supplies and mountain pony

[Sayana]

The following morning they met at the Gaping Maw. The city seemed to thin a little and the forests beyond were visible. Sayana had made arrangements at the Crooked Playhouse and let Timothy know she’d be out for a couple days. She had also gathered a variety of trinkets that she planned to use to bait the zith.

“This is Ivy,” the hunter said as he patted the mountain pony he had brought. “I call her that because she can creep up any mountain side.” He gave a nervous laugh clearly wanting to be friendly yet also anxious about the trip. “I packed several useful things for the trip including a small tent, a sleeping pad and blanket, and some rope. Plus her saddle and all that.” Sayana nodded appreciatively. She had done a couple of excursions herself, but it was nice having someone else pack for a change.

They set off at a good pace through the woods. The path was clear at first but it didn’t take long for it to branch off. At the first fork, Sayana took out one of her small daggers and carved a mark into a tree. It looked like an ‘X’ with an additional vertical line going through the middle. She made sure there was one of these marks on the nearer side of the fork, and one after the fork on the chosen trail. The hunter looked on curiously but it didn’t take long for him to guess what she was doing. “Your plan to find your way back? Just make sure you ain’t trying to find those in the night.” He did have a point. It would be harder to spot them in the dark and she began to place them more frequently along their route.

It was rather calming being out in the wilds although, a bit lonely too. All the company she had was the hunter and his pony, and neither were speaking very much. The various bird calls sometimes startled her especially when she knew what sort of danger could be lurking. Occasionally the hunter stopped to look in and around the brush and branch out to find a new trail.

“See this?” He said as he pointed to some large scratch marks on a thick branch. “That’s a sign of zith. Ain’t no bird that’ll do that.” She followed his gaze and also noticed that there were other branches missing from the tree. Did that happen recently or long ago? It was hard to tell. She kept her eyes more peeled for other signs of life.

As Sayana pushed away some of the underbrush she spotted some little pellets that she thought were deer droppings. “Deer?” She asked as she pointed to the potential evidence. “Yes, or at least there used to be.” Further along she spotted a bird’s nest but it looked wrecked with only half remaining. Probably more evidence of zith.

They stopped for lunch and Sayana was glad that she had brought some basic food for the trip. By late afternoon they had reached a large clearing. “Alright, this is where I leave you,” the hunter stated. “Sometimes I’ve seen zith in this clearing but your best bet is further along where the land rises sharply and there are caves and cliffs. But remember, Kalea zith are bigger than most and they like to hunt at night. Sometimes fire scares them away, but I wouldn’t count on it. Just look after Ivy. I’d hate for something to happen to her.” With one last nod, he set off back to the city.

ReceiptTrinkets: Set of bone dice (5 cm), copper earrings (2 sm), crystal (1 gm), candle (1 cm), memory stones (1 sm), umbrella hat (1 cm), violet shot glass (1 sm), strawberry fork (1 cm), small basket (5 cm). Total: 1.53 gm

[Sayana]

Now she was on her own. It was freeing yet lonely at the same time. At least she had Ivy. Sayana patted the pony fondly and led her to a tree to tie her to. The clearing made for a lot of tall grasses for Ivy to graze upon and Sayana set out to find a good source of water. As she slowly maneuvered through the thick grasses, she stopped to listen for signs of life. Faintly, she heard the soft babble of water. Maybe that was why the hunter had taken her here. It was a good place to set up a tent plus it was close to water.

It took a bit of stomping through tall grasses to find the gurgling spring but when she spotted the reed-like plants she was sure she had found something. There, carving through the large clearing was some flowing water. Perhaps that was why the grasses grew so tall here. With a smile she bent down and several frogs jumped out of the way. She dunked her water skin into the spring and then drank deeply before dunking it again. After she had attended to the sturdy mountain pony and led her to the stream, Sayana got to work with preparing camp.

She kept close to the tree cover and chose not to position the tent right near the water. If she needed the water, she could walk but if zith and other animals were using the water source, she didn’t want to run into them unexpectedly. The tent was small and after looking at it and trying it a few ways, she figured out how to set it up. She was glad he had included an axe, and using the side of it she was able to hammer in the pegs.

Right, firewood. Her stomach growled and she knew it was going to be dark soon. The forest provided plenty of good wood though. She snapped off a few obviously dead branches from a tree and then started breaking off larger branches from the ground. Sometimes she stamped hard on a thick branch to get it to break while other times she had to resort to her axe. As she started to build up her sticks for the fire, Ivy gave a loud nicker and she realized she had completely forgotten to unsaddle the pony. “Sorry girl,” Sayana apologized and got straight to work in taking off the saddle bags and unbuckling straps to the saddle. Once the saddle, pad, and bags were removed, the Eypharian returned to the fire she was about to start.

Petch. She had placed the sticks within the grassy clearing where there was nothing to stop the fire from spreading amongst the grass and ultimately to the forest as well. She wasn’t too keen about starting all over again so she began carefully ripping out the tall grasses surrounding the carefully made pile of sticks. Perhaps it was more work than what was needed, but she managed to clear enough space so that it wouldn’t set the grass aflame. She even found a couple of rocks to block it off.

[Sayana]

Carefully Sayana placed some bunched up dried grass in the center of her stick pile. Someone had once said to sit upwind of the tinder to make sure the sparks blew the right way. It took several tries striking the steel to the flint to get a good spark. And then the first one fizzled out before it even reached the tinder. With a sigh, she began again and managed to get the dried up grass to catch. But then the sticks didn’t. As the sun was setting, Sayana badgered away at lighting the fire for nearly half a bell and at last she managed to get a proper fire going.

By that point she had been nibbling at her breads and cheeses that she hardly even cared for cooking. Though she still chopped up a couple of small potatoes and put them on skewers to roast over the flame. As it began to grow dark, Sayana refined her plans to hunt down a zith. She’d get up early, before the sun rose and scout out this place the hunter had spoken of. Then she’d set up a few trails of the ‘trinkets’ she had bought. She knew zith were curious creatures and any sort of oddity might interest them. Even as she was figuring out how to set up the trail, a brilliant idea came upon her. Why not make three trails that all joined up at a single spot? Then if the zith came to any of the three, it would reach the fork and have to decide which path to take. That’s when she’d pounce.

The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. It would be perfect. She could hide right at the intersection and downwind so the zith wouldn’t suspect a thing. As long as the zith was still up and about as the sun was beginning to rise.

With that in mind, Sayana cleaned up the campsite and covered the edges of the fire with dirt and sand. It was comforting to leave it lit but burning down just in case she awoke and needed some light. She also made sure to brush Ivy down and give her another drink of water before settling in for the night.

However, despite her brilliant plans, they were not to be. Because in the middle of the night there was a sharp screech and a whinny of a pony that awoke her.

[Sayana]

Another shriek echoed through the clearing as Sayana scrambled out of the tent with her daggers drawn. In the faint glow of the dying camp fire she could see the mountain pony with a gash across its side. She ran over expecting to see some beast make another move at the horse, but found the horse strangely alone. Where did it…

A rush of air and flapping of wings from above jolted her from her thoughts and she only just managed to raise her large dagger in time. This time the shriek was one of pain as her blade met flesh. But not without getting large claw marks in her arm at the same time. Sayana was about to finish off the beast when it started flapping away. No, she couldn’t let it disappear on her. But neither could she throw one of her daggers with the chance of it missing. In less than a tick she lunged for the zith’s legs, trying to grab them with her low arms before it could truly fly away.

She only managed to grab one leg but it was enough. Her high hands attacked in any way they could with the small daggers and the zith clawed mercilessly back at her in attempt to get away. Almost all her arms had scratches on them by now and with a final kick from the zith, Sayana was knocked to the ground.

Yet as the creature flapped into the night, it seemed hurt, injured and not flying properly. There was still a chance she could go after it. Her arms stung but she could ignore that especially if she switched her small daggers to her low hands instead since her lows were in much better shape. As she started through the tall grass in the direction the zith had gone, she realized she’d be leaving Ivy to another potential zith. She’d have to risk that.

Leth was bright that night and lit up the clearing to a moderate degree. Even still, Sayana had to start relying on her ability to hear her prey. There was a flap of air and a dark shape up ahead and the Eypharian rushed in the direction of the zith. She was getting closer but it saw her and dashed off again. There was a loud splash and her left boot was suddenly soaked. Somehow she had missed the creek in her pursuit and ran straight into it. With small whispered curses, she got her foot out of the water and searched to find a place narrow enough to cross. Several large stones marked an easy passage and from the last rock she had to make a large jump to get to the other bank.

She heard a soft moaning but she couldn’t quite tell if it was the zith or the wind. Raising a hand, it felt like she was downwind of the zith. That was good. Maybe she’d be able to sneak up on it. She followed the sound, this time being much more careful and not running flat out. There was still the crunch of vegetation under her feet but she tried to carefully move the tall grasses aside to minimize any movement. The low moan was occasionally interspersed with high pitched squeaks. Petch. There were other zith in the area it was trying to communicate with.

[Sayana]

She had to move fast otherwise she’d find herself surrounded by the foul beasts. At last the creature came into view. Sayana inched forwards through the tall grass, her heart thumping in her chest. It was alone, for now. She was alone. The Eypharian bent to grab a stone off the ground and threw it hard in one direction. The zith turned at the sound of the ‘plop’ as the stone landed in the water and that was all the time Sayana needed to lunge.

The huntress leapt out from the tall grasses and threw one dagger hard and true, entering deep into the zith’s stomach. There was a choked scream and in the next tick Sayana was on her with her ornate dagger. The Eypharian yanked the zith’s hair back and made a quick slash to her throat, ending the creature’s life. But it was far from over. There was the occasional high pitched screech in the distance but Sayana was certain that more words were being exchanged even beyond her level of hearing. There were zith out there, and they were looking for their fallen kin.

For a moment Sayana was tempted to just leave the body of the zith there and bolt as fast as she could on the little pony. But here she stood, on the plain of victory and she wanted to have something to show for her triumph. She pulled her throwing dagger out of the zith’s stomach, unleashing a flow of blood and sheathed it quickly. Then, keeping her ornate dagger and a small throwing dagger in her high hands, she used her remaining arms to lift and heave the limp body of the zith. Fortunately it was female, and thus lighter in comparison to its male equivalent, but it still strained her arms as she headed back to the pony.

She wanted a trophy. The head? The wings? The silken fur? The head would be too grotesque, even for her standards, but the wings, they had potential. She might even be able to make some semblance of a disguise with them. The whistling of the wind jolted her out of her thoughts and her eyes darted around in search of danger.

At last she spotted the pony. Her arms ached from the exertion of carrying the body of the zith and she exhaled loudly when she was finally able to put the creature down on the ground next to the pony. “We’ll get you saddled up and then grab the tent and go,” she murmured quietly to Ivy as she quickly began strapping up the saddle.

Suddenly there was a flapping of wings and a snarl. “You killed my sister you piece of filth!”

[Sayana]

Sayana narrowly managed to duck as the zith’s claws slashed out at her. He was bigger than the other and about a foot taller than the Eypharian. She struck out with her ornate dagger and he hissed as a slash of red appeared on his arm. Leaping back, he took to the air where she couldn’t reach him. Her heart was still racing. Was he going to lunge at her, or did he have the sense to flee? She had to go. She had to go now.

With half an eye on the zith, she kept her high hands at the ready as she finished the last of the straps for the saddle. He hadn’t attacked yet. What was he doing? Calling upon more family? Petch. As she bent down to scoop up the body of the zith girl, her brother snarled from above. “I killed her, and I’ll kill you to if you don’t leave me alone.” She shouted at the shadowy shape. “Not when my brothers and sisters get here,” he growled back.

He was scared. That’s why he wasn’t attacking. He was probably young and used to winning all his fights. Or at least against non-zith. Sayana slung the body onto the pony, who to give her credit had been remarkably brave. “Your family won’t make it in time,” Sayana goaded as she leapt onto the pony and kicked it into as much of a gallop as it could manage. The zith, soon realizing that her words may speak true, gave chase.

The pony was laden with not only one, but two bodies and had earlier suffered an attack. So despite Sayana’s urgings as the shadow got closer, it could only manage a quick canter. Though the zith had the disadvantage of trying to fly through the dense forest in which Sayana only barely had enough headroom mounted on the small pony.

However, when the path split Sayana had to slow down to try to spot the marks she had placed upon the trees. And in that moment the zith sank its claws into her back. She let out a scream of agony as she vividly recalled the zith from over a year ago who had held her captive across the plains of Cyphrus. No. She had overcome that and she would overcome this beast too.

She swung around with her larger dagger in her right hand, nearly losing her balance on the trotting horse in the process. But the zith was expecting a counterstrike and flapped backwards out of the way. However, he wasn’t expecting the throw she aimed at his wings using her left mid hand. The small throwing dagger struck at a poor angle but it was enough to cause him real concern. Wings were delicate and a large enough tear could truly hamper the creature’s flight.

“Be gone! I’ve got plenty more where that came from.” She shouted fiercely at the beast. In truth she only had one other throwing dagger with her, but if she managed to convince him otherwise…

At last the zith turned tail and fled the scene.

[Sayana]

Sayana was so relieved that she almost lost her hold on the body of the girl zith. Her back stung where the creature had ripped its claws into her and her arms were plenty scratched up from fighting the girl zith. She was still panting heavily as she urged the pony onwards with a kick of her heels. As she passed through the Gaping Maw, she sighed again with relief. She had been successful, but it had been close. Not to mention she had large scratches down her back and the hunter’s pony had been injured too. Petch, the tent. She had completely forgotten about the tent and other belongings, and she certainly wasn’t going back for them now. She’d have to apologize to the hunter and give him extra coin to replace them.

Despite the pain in her back, she knew she had to find a place for the body of the zith and she didn’t particularly want to bring it back to the Cubacious Inn. It was still dark out as she wandered through the twisting streets of the city and by now she had dismounted the pony to walk alongside it. She needed to find a place for tanning, or clothing. It took nearly a bell to find the place, but it was probably just as well since she used the time to calm down from the night’s encounters. The Tattered Thread. It was dark inside but Syna was only just beginning to rise. It only dawned on her now that she had been out all day and most of the night.

Sayana knocked on the shop’s door, but there was no answer. After repeated knocks she finally managed to wake the owner who came to the door looking rather dishevelled. “I have a special request. I’d like you to fashion these wings into a set of props I can use like wings, and turn the rest into a cloak.” She stated, ignoring the fact that it was so early in the morning.

There was a look of minor disgust as the shopkeeper looked at the body draped over the pony. “Twenty-five gold mizas,” Sayana prompted, not wanting to be turned down. “You won’t need many raw materials.” “I don’t…” There was obvious hesitation in the vantha’s voice. But was there any true difference between using various monstrous linings and accessories compared to that from a zith? “Only if you come and pick it up at night. Otherwise I’ll send you away.” He finally relented. “Come back in about twenty days’ time.”

The Eypharian helped him with the body and produced the required coin. He looked on suspiciously as she winced at the weight and how it strained the injuries on her back. She didn’t look the best but he didn’t question her. At last, just as Syna was beginning to peek out over the horizon, Sayana was able to make it back to the inn and tend to her wounds. Wounds of glory from a successful hunt.

Total Spending :

2 sm - 2 mugs of ale
10 gm - rental of camping gear and pony
1.53 gm - miscellaneous trinkets
10 gm - replacement of camping gear
25 gm - Zith wings with straps fashioned into them as hand holds, and zith fur cloak
Total: 46.73 gm

Note: Some of these prices were simply estimates. Due to Sayana's competent ability in Negotiation, any rounding/approximation errors were considered negligible.

[Fable]

As the Eypharian turned to leave, disappearing into the darkness, Voren stared down at the carcass that had been left with him. "What in the world..." And, for the second time that night, as he dragged the thing into his shop for lack of anything better to do with it in the interim, there was a light rapping knock at his door. Dropping the Zith's feet with a heavy thunk, the man made his way back to the door, his usually genial exterior, the bell was not paying him any kindnesses. "I'm coming." His tone was not wanting for bleary frustration, but when he saw who stood before him, pale lips turned into a playful grin. "O-Oh! I didn't realize... I-I-" An long nailed hand was raised to stop him as the figure stepped into the establishment.

"That butcher, the one who left bleeding and in such a rush..." The voice was almost serpentine in the way it slide through the room, wrapping itself around both Vantha and corpse in an eerie grip. "What did she want you to do with this young woman?"

Voren let out a weary sigh. "Wings and a cloak, I believe."

"I'll do it."

Surprise lit the Vantha's sleep addled face, drawing him out of whatever grogginess he had had only a tick before. "Y- what?"

The Zith's body was slung over the the guest's shoulder who offered Voren a slight bow. "I shall have things ready in fifteen days. Whatever she paid you, ask for thirty more when she comes to pick them up." The Vantha nodded slowly, uncertain as to just what he'd gotten himself involved in. As the corpse hovered between shop and street, there was a pause. "And Voren? This will be our little secret." Mutely, he nodded as light, airy laughter drifted into the night for the few ticks it took for the door to close.

"I'm getting too old for this."


.

Sayana

Skills

Acrobatics +2
Land Navigation +2
Negotiation +3
Persuasion +3
Subterfuge +2
Wilderness Survival +3
Planning +3
Tactics +3
Tracking +3
Animal Husbandry +1
Hunting +1
Gardening +1
Cooking +1
Brawling +1
Stealth +1
Weapon: Dagger +2
Bodybuilding +1
Intimidation +1
Riding: Horse +1
Endurance +1
Dual Wield: Dagger +2

Lores

Alvadas Location: The Wolf's Cave
Wilderness Survival: Trail Markings
Tracking: Kalean Zith
Tracking: Fresh Water
Wilderness Survival: Setting Up a Tent
Wilderness Survival: Making a Fire Pit
Wilderness Survival: Starting a Fire

Rewards/Consequences

-45GM 5SM for documented spending
-10GM for animal damage
-Claw marks on back, deep enough to leave thin scars with treatment or sizable scars without; heal within 15 days with treatment or 40 days without
-Thin cuts along mid and low arms, scarring if untreated; heal within 8 days with treatment or 15 days without
-30GM for Zith Wing and Cloak pickup
+Zith Wings: Immaculately sewn, what few tears and damage had been done to the wings is gone. They seem to shimmer in the darkness, and they're incredibly light while still maintaining their natural durability and flexibility. They carry a faint scent of rose.
+Zith Cloak: Reaching to the middle of Sayana's calves, the fur is a soft, luxurious layer, shimmering slightly in the darkness. The inside of the garment is a fine, supple leather, enough to provide heat without becoming overbearing. Though not water proof, the fur is water resistant. Its hood, when raised, has ears that protrude to either side, angled slightly towards the back her of the head. The clasp is one of bone and hair, easily slipped into and out of place at one's attention. It carries a faint scent of rose.

Notes :

Exciting thread! Sayana may have made some new enemies.