Murky Intentions (Kiva)

[Traverse]

"I would be more careful with ghosts in the future, if I were you."

The voice came a few chimes after Kiva had recovered from her ghostly attack. The figure moved quite silently for slipping through the marsh, emerging in the clearing, and pulling back his jet black cloak. He was lightly tanned and freckled, with strawberry blonde hair that was cut short, behind him, making more noise than he had, was a cow Kiva knew as a Fargholian, with brilliant black patterning on what would otherwise be a pure white body. It had no lead, and came squelching through the marsh behind her Cicerone companion, stopping to eat some reeds when he paused to survey Kiva.

"The Black Marsh is home to some unruly Ghosts, it is not safe for those who do not know the way." He walked slowly to small clear pool and knelt before it, washing his hands of the murk of the swamp and splashing some upon his face.

"Tell me, what did this ghost look like? I only heard her scream." The Farg joined her companion, drinking the water the in the pool, then after several long gulps, meandered over to Kiva, where she pressed her wet and dripping nose against the Myrians arm, sniffing and curious.
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[Kiva]

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Kiva was exhausted and slumped against a barren tree, laying the plants she collected beside her. She took a deep breath, trying to shake away the paranoia of another attack. She could try to move on, but trudging through the swamps sounded too demanding. She had no other option. The Myrian rested, scrambling through her bag to pull out her journal. She had a piece of charcoal hovering over the page when a voice rose beside her, and she jerked. A man, flesh and bone, stepped into her vision, followed by a farg. He was calm, and interested. His voice felt calming and he inquired about the ghost, warning her of the dangers. Kiva gave a soft laugh, no longer energized enough to argue, "Yes, well, I seemed to have left all my wraith mint at home. I'll remember it next time."

The farg pressed his nose against Kiva and it made her turn her head. It was not the first time she had seen, nor interacted with these creatures. Kiva lifted a hand and with a small smile, scratched its neck and then behind the ears, answering its owner's question, "Woman... forties? I do not know," she stated, letting her hand fall, "Had many... bags" A flash memory of the attack distracted her momentarily, and made her stumbled in her common, "Like, pouches. For collection. I asked her what she knew and... then very cold." Kiva motioned to the few plants beside her, down casting her eyes. Her pride hurt, having to admit defeat to this male. She picked up her charcoal with her free hand and began to scratch a small picture of the pond flower. It was badly drawn, but Kiva would recognize it if necessary.

It would have to do, and she had a few lines drawn when she asked softly, "Who are you?"

★★★

[Traverse]

Drying his hands upon his cloak, the man stood, the Farg cow making her way back over to him, and grazing idly next to her Cicerone.

"You can call me Jack." He slid his hand under the ebony garment he wore over his clothes, and Kiva could hear the tinkling of a few vials.

"She might have been a Cicerone..." He said thoughtfully, and if Kiva glanced underneath the namesake cloak Jack wore, she might have agreed, as many belts filled with pouches, vials, and other miscellaneous armaments adorned him as well. "You can either go one of two ways with Ghosts that used to be Cicerone's, they either have something very specific they need to do, and are happy to do it...or they cling to the life they once had, even though they are now unable to perform it. A soul can get mighty bitter about that kind of half life."

The man stroked the coarse hair of his companions neck, then gave a two fingered salute to Kiva. "Be safe in the swamp, ma'am, if you don't know how to find your way back, I should be back this way before nightfall and I can guide you, just...don't take anymore detours." He removed a water flask from the Farg and took a long swig, then began striding out of the clearing, int he direction the flood of ethereal cold had swept through Kiva not so long ago, the Farg cow traipsing good-naturedly a short way behind him.
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[Kiva]

Kiva looked over the strange man named Jack, seeing his pouches and things. Cicerone? She had heard the term talked about. She was very unsure about what their role actually was. Protectors? Undead whisperer? His attire was similar to the ghosts, Kiva realized. 'If they are dressed the same, this man is Cicerone too?' Kiva put the pieces together, wondering what they meant. She sighed, forcing a few more shaky lines of detail into her rough drawing. She blew away residue from her picture, and looked up at the man.

She listened closely about him saying a ghost growing bitter about a half life. 'Why can't Dira return their children to the god that created them, as she does with Myri?' Kiva had never heard of a Myrian ghost. They simple didn't exist, and a brief wave of relief washed over her. This would not be a fate she would ever have to endure. As far as her understanding went. Kiva cleared her throat and called after him as he started to turn away.

"Jack of Black Rock," she assumed that was his title... Savages didn't quite have clans like her own people did. She paused, choosing her words. She didn't know what she wanted to ask. She had a lot of questions and he looked to be on his way. She sighed, choosing one she felt was practical, "How do you fight off ghost? Can they reason?"

Reasoning felt like a weak option, but unless Kiva had a better idea, she wasn't excited about the idea of being bull rushed by another soul freezing experience. "Please. I do not like..."

What was the word? Kiva struggled to find the word in common. In fact, she didn't know it. "lack of guard." Defenseless. That was the word she was looking for, but she had not once said it. To even say it in Myrian would have felt like a dirty slur. She quickly finished her drawing and shoved everything in her bag, trying to stand to her feet.

Even still, she felt shaky, her muscles sore, but manageable. She tried to walk closer, afraid her would leave. She stopped herself, trying to straighten her back. For the first time since coming to Black Rock, she was scared.

And she hated every moment of it.

-Kiva

[Traverse]

To be sure the Myrian's reaction was not unexpected. One did not become a Cicerone on the Isle of Black Rock without understanding its denizens alive and dead. There was a half smile on Jack's face, but Kiva did not get to see it, as it had been transformed into a stern look by the time her turned to the woman.

I would say in many cases a Ghost can reason. From the sounds this one made, however, I am not so sure. There are many ways to combat Ghosts, and as you know of Wraith's Mint, you already are aware of one. If you wish to learn more, you may follow me, but I warn you, we are most certainly travelling into a different sort of peril than you are used to."

He stared at her with serious eyes for a moment, to drive the point home, and give her a final chance to make her way from the swamp, or remain here to rest, then turned back with or without her into the swamp, one hand reaching up to stroke the neck of his Farg as they walked.

Anticipating Kiva's joining him, Jack began to speak. The worst case scenario was that he was only talking to his Farg, and she was used to this.

"The root of most any way of dealing with a ghost is Soulmist, created through Spritism. Cicerone's use this to calm, and aid ghosts, to coat ourselves and our weapons in order to interact with them, or to protect ourselves from them. I am glad I made several fresh batches this morning."

He tapped his breast pockets at this, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips once more.
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[Kiva]

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The Cicerone turned to her with a stern look that made Kiva very aware of the situation. She was now the student, and if she wanted to understand Black Rock, figure out the working of these ghosts, she would have to put aside any prejudice. There would be no arguing on her part, no fiesty response if she didn't like what he said. He was the one with the upper hand, he was the stronger of the two in this matter. That would be the end of it.

Kiva followed after him faithfully, nodding solemnly when he warned her of the dangers to come. She imagined more ghosts, more ambushes... and she wondered if she would die. It was a practical thought. If you wandered into a situation without thinking if it was going to be your last... that was either sheer innocence or ignorance. Kiva wasn't sure what was worse.

With a healthy dose of fear and an open mind, Kiva scrambled to follow after the wise man. She listened intently to his words, eyebrows knitting at the mention of this soul mist. He tapped his pocket and Kiva couldn't help but start asking her questions, "How do you trap this mist?" Thinking of the fog she had seen in Falyndar's jungle, she did not understand how to contain it, "How do you make it?"

She waited for the answer, and stood on the other side of the farg, petting it absent mindedly as she listened. Although a Myrian, Kiva wasn't immediately a "kill first, ask later" type of woman. She was weary of those outside her race, but Mizahar was much bigger than she even knew. The further she went from Taloba, the stranger things got, so finding a few guides along the way was one of the best things she could do.

"Where are we going?"

★★★

[Traverse]

A knowing smile hung on Jack's lips, as he seemed to physically, and enjoyably so, prepare to explain to Kiva about the process of making Soulmist. As he spoke, they walked. As they walked he kept his voice low and calm. Kiva would have to strain slightly to hear, or she could shift around to walk beside Jack and not the Farg, and she would have an easier time.

"Not sure how much about magic you know, but generally speaking all magic is performed by puttin' a piece of yourself into whatever you are doing. Res for Reimancy is your very essence being transmuted into an elemental substance. I like to think Spiritism is a bit more tied to your very soul, but that's a debatable topic. You go and make something like Soulmist in your core...or more accurately your stomach." He chuckled. "It's not a pretty thing, 'specially the first few times, but you must use a bit of your own blood, and generally use a few sources of food, egg, cheese, and soft flour are the easiest, though everyone has different recipes. You mash em all together, chew on em, swallow them, and then I meditate on them, focus on making them into the soul mist. Then you get them back up out of you and if it works you have made within yourself the same stuff ghosts are made from, which is why its so valuable to them, and can affect em in so many ways."

Jack glanced over at the Myrian woman, pulling out a vial to show her. It was filled with a strange off white substance, that gave off a bit of en ethereal glow, adding credence to his story. Jack tucked the Soulmist back away and smirked. "And that's the quick and dirty on Spiritism, nice lesson, aye? As to where we're going...I'm not entirely sure, but I'm going to where I'd hang around in a dingy ol' swamp if I was stuck as ghost, which...I wouldn't be, and if she aint there well, we'll cross that swamp when we come to it."

He awaited anymore questions as they plodded with purpose through a strangely silent swamp.
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[Kiva]

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When Jack began speaking, Kiva immediately paused, manuevering over some obstacles in the swamp to stand by his side. She hadn't realized she had preferred the animal's proximity, but hearing the instructor was crucial to learning. It wasn't until he started sharing his knowledge that Kiva's head spun. Each detail she mentally docked for another time.

Res? Reimancy? Were these magics? Elemental forms? A brief flash of controlling the water of the swamp peaked her interest and with wide eyes she followed the stranger faithfully. Her curiosity erased her suspicions, and she absorbed the information like a sponge.

This man was saying that by eating a lunch and meditating, you could create a physical essence of your soul? Not only that, but in order to get it, you had to throw up? The Myrian hesitated, dark eyes flashing as she believed she was being lied to. She opened her mouth to say that Jack was full of shyke but when he procured a glowing vial with a substance she had never seen, Kiva's irritation quieted and once again she was a trusting child with a multitude of questions.

A few times during their lesson, Kiva looked around, checking for interesting and permanent land marks. To navigate the swamp, it would be important to remember a physical marker or two. A particularly large and gnarled stump stood out to her and she mentally named it.

"How do you become a ghost? Do the gods abandon you?" Kiva only knew of those the Myrians worshiped and the reincarnation of her people. "Myri takes us back." 'The Myrians', "What happens to the rest of you?" He seemed so certain of his fate after death, that he wouldn't become a ghost. Wasn't this... spirit she encountered, who may have been cicerone, sure of her fate too?

★★★

[Traverse]

Jack shrugged as to Kiva's first question. "Becoming a ghost may or may not have to do with the Gods, but I think it's the person's choice, conscious or not. For some reason they have a reason to stay behind." He then chuckled softly at what she said next. "Myri doesn't take you back, Dira does. Your race is just lucky at how well your Goddess and the Goddess of Death get along. The rest of us will be put back into the cycle, we can just go astray before that happens a bit more easily."

Despite being rather talkative, the Cicerone fell into thoughtful silence, his gaze fixated on the swamp directly in front of him. As Kiva opened her mouth to further the knowledge Jack was imparting unto her, a muffled shriek cut through the silence.

"Knew she wouldn't stay calm for long...if she had been." Jack muttered, then he tapped his Farg on the rump and began to pick up the pace. "Prepare yourself, I am imagining this will not be a pretty event."

A chime passed and another scream much clearer this time seemed to fill all of the air around the two individuals and the cow going to stop a willful Ghost.
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[Traverse]

Kiva

Experience:

• Drawing 1
• Endurance 1
• Herbalism 1
• Land Navigation 2
• Observation 3
• Spiritism 2
• Writing 1

Lore

• Searching for Flora in the Black Marsh
• Navigating the Black Marsh
• Feeling a Ghost Pass Through You
• Cicerones: Deal with Ghosts on Black Rock
• Ghosts Remain When The Spirit Has Unfinished Business
• Dira Guides Myrian's Souls
• Spiritism: The Ability to Calm and help Ghosts move on
• Soul Mist is the Key to Spiritism
• Soul Mist: Created with Food from Three Different Sources, and the Users Blood mixed together and partially digested to be formed in their core and then regurgitated

Inventory:

+ 4 Small Tan and White Mushrooms
+ 1 Handful of Ivy

Additional Notes :

Sorry I was unable to finish this thread, but I gave what I could! I doled out 2 points in Spiritism because a lot of info was thrown out at Kiva, so she can potentially use it as a jumping off point later. Thanks for bearing with me in these last couple months, and I hope you and Kiva have a wonderful time

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