1st of Spring, 517 AV
Early Morning*I am willing to change the date to whatever works for you but we never talked about it so...
Azmere stirred outside of his tent. His family had grown and shrank yet he still felt like they should be closer than what they were. Some relationships were little more than courtesy and he had witnessed this in some pairing from every member who now resided in his camp. A conversation that took place several days ago had brought a great deal of information to light which had never been previously considered. As Syna’s first rays began to lift the veil of night from the steppe, the contrasting stare closed for a few moments as the ankal gave thanks to the gods for all that they do to protect and provide for the Drykas as a whole.
The archer moved so that he was no longer sitting on his haunches. He walked to the closest wagon and gripped his hands against the bottom of the bed. The wood was rough but warm and the scratchiness felt comfortable pressed in on the weathered skin of the horseman. With his gaze focused on something far away, Azmere spoke softly a name. “Zulrav.” He immediately bent his knees slightly then lifted the back end of the wagon up off the ground. The weight caused his arms to shake slightly as his biceps drew themselves together. The watchman held his elbows at his side and pulled upwards against gravity until his forearms were parallel with the ground. He held the wagon aloft while he ran over a list of things that he was grateful to the Father of Storms. This took several long ticks and the man’s legs quivered under the strain. Once he was done, Azmere set the wagon back on its wheels.
Azmere stepped back and shook out his arms for a handful of moments. He flexed and wiggled his fingers, a quick glance catching the white lines pressed into his palms and the skin on either side puffy and pink. He smiled his half smile then stepped back up to the wagon and mimicked his previous position. “Yahal.” This time, he chose the god of faithfulness and the name came out a little louder than before. His body began to warm up from the exertion of holding up a half-packed cart of goods. The things Azmere was giving thanks for included his gift from the god but also the seemingly perpetual drive to please the deity had led the ankal to engage in more meaningful interactions with his newfound family. Stronger bonds meant greater promises and one had to be faithful to keep his word. This prayer went on almost twice as long as the one for Zulrav and when the watchman finally let go, he did so with a grunt.
The scarred man limed away for a moment and shook out his hands, arms and legs. His breathing had increased in pace and the unscarred portions of his skin were growing a little red. Azmere didn’t break for too long; he stepped back up to the wagon and took hold of the wood planks. He flexed his thighs and heaved upward with his arms, an ache shooting to the joints from the repeated effort. “Semele.” The ankal was certainly going to pray to the mother of the world. Parents already told stories to their children of how unruly youths were swallowed up by the goddess if they didn’t listen to their moms. “Caiyha.” In a culture set within the wilds, not praying to the goddess who controls the grasses and every creature within them is foolish. Each name became closer to a shout instead of spoken reverence as he went along. His actions became more abrupt as the fatigue of repeatedly lifting the heavy wagon started to wear him down. “Syna.” Azmere had always admired the sun and her warmth. He also knew that Jasmine worshiped the goddess which somewhat endeared him to them both even more. “Leth.” Night could be a scary world on the Sea of Grass but it afforded some things that day could not. Leth made these activities possible by giving his soft light to the world. The ankal prayed that the god would reveal himself to his servant and Azmere’s friend, Taurina. He had seen the pain of loss in her eyes and knew it had something to do with the god.
The ankal dropped the wagon back down then did a bit of a dance to loosen his body up. He hopped and skipped about favoring his left leg while shaking and waving his arms to loosen the tension brought on by his workout. Azmere flexed his fingers and rubbed his hands. Grey was nearby but sat calmly as he watched the man ho and flail about. Skylla blew her lips and trotted up excitedly with high steps and a whipping tail. The energy she saw in her human fed the young mare’s desire to run and play. The white face came up and bumped the scarred man on his shoulder. Azmere turned from the force and smiled. He took a hop-step and threw his arms around the strider’s neck. For a moment, they were both still and simply enjoyed the embrace. Azmere slowly slipped back but planted a kiss against the animal’s jaw before he completely separated.
The man set about the task of donning her blanket and placing a yvas on Skylla. This had gotten much easier in recent seasons. Initially, the wild horse was not willing to be tacked without a proper fight. The star-filled eyes smiled as his hands stroked her soft, chocolate coat. Azmere took a few chimes to gather some things before he left on his mission. He tucked his dagger into his belt, filled a waterskin and grabbed his bow. The yvas had a quiver full of arrows on it so the man no longer needed to carry the one on his hip. He was amazed at the difference it made in his movements. He climbed up onto the yvas and got settled by shifting his weight around until he was balanced. Then he turned Skylla towards the heart of Endrykas.
Grey perked and gave a soft whimper –he wanted to come along. Azmere looked at the icy blue eyes that pleaded silently. The ankal smiled and snapped his fingers twice which brought the dog to its feet. The watchman squeezed his knees against the flanks of his strider and leaned forward over her withers. Skylla, sensing the change in her rider, took off at a quick trot. This was an improvement over dashing away at a hard gallop. Time had ingrained a need to slow down within the presence of tents. After a few strides, Azmere’s body synced with the elliptical orbit of Skylla’s gait and there was almost no friction between them. The man smiled as all true Drykas do when they fly over the grasses on the back of a strider. Grey ran a length or two to one side but did a decent job of keeping up.
Syna’s orb was now visible as Azmere came into the center of Tent City. The man sat his weight back in the yvas and waited for Skylla to slow down which she inevitably did. Once the duo had slowed to a walk, the ankal turned them down the wide corridor which was lined by bright red tents all adorned with symbols and tapestries which indicated the unparalleled craftsmen of the Ruby Clan. The watchman had not had much interaction with this bunch. He did not know the man he was given to find; this Adon Gloaming but there was a need in the Stormblood pavilion and Adon was the one to seek.
Keeping his weight back, Azmere guided Skylla down the spoke. His eyes watched for the marking which had been described to him which signified the Gloaming pavilion –the Tent Builders. While he did this, the right hand of the ankal idly rubbed small circles on the yvas handle. He slowly covered the leather horn with his djed in a thin layer. As he smoothed it over and over, he committed the magical essence; the piece of himself, to protect the leather from physical harm. This took several chimes and continued until Azmere felt like he had missed something. He stopped and looked around then saw his mark. He gripped the yvas handle only to find it had a cool sheen which was different from how it felt before.
He steered Skylla to the side and dismounted with a wince in his landing. The Drykas wasn’t ever sure he’d get used to that pain. Grey came up and pressed his big body against his human. Azmere reached down and scratched the dog behind the ears. He reached back and put his hand on Skylla’s neck and stroked her mane. The contrasting gaze scoured the camp for activity as the ankal’s hand idly found the djed-encased handle. The right side of his face curled in a smile, the left side frozen by scar tissue. He called out in clear Pavi to announce his presence. “I come seeking the tent builder, Adon.”
Early Morning*I am willing to change the date to whatever works for you but we never talked about it so...
Azmere stirred outside of his tent. His family had grown and shrank yet he still felt like they should be closer than what they were. Some relationships were little more than courtesy and he had witnessed this in some pairing from every member who now resided in his camp. A conversation that took place several days ago had brought a great deal of information to light which had never been previously considered. As Syna’s first rays began to lift the veil of night from the steppe, the contrasting stare closed for a few moments as the ankal gave thanks to the gods for all that they do to protect and provide for the Drykas as a whole.
The archer moved so that he was no longer sitting on his haunches. He walked to the closest wagon and gripped his hands against the bottom of the bed. The wood was rough but warm and the scratchiness felt comfortable pressed in on the weathered skin of the horseman. With his gaze focused on something far away, Azmere spoke softly a name. “Zulrav.” He immediately bent his knees slightly then lifted the back end of the wagon up off the ground. The weight caused his arms to shake slightly as his biceps drew themselves together. The watchman held his elbows at his side and pulled upwards against gravity until his forearms were parallel with the ground. He held the wagon aloft while he ran over a list of things that he was grateful to the Father of Storms. This took several long ticks and the man’s legs quivered under the strain. Once he was done, Azmere set the wagon back on its wheels.
Azmere stepped back and shook out his arms for a handful of moments. He flexed and wiggled his fingers, a quick glance catching the white lines pressed into his palms and the skin on either side puffy and pink. He smiled his half smile then stepped back up to the wagon and mimicked his previous position. “Yahal.” This time, he chose the god of faithfulness and the name came out a little louder than before. His body began to warm up from the exertion of holding up a half-packed cart of goods. The things Azmere was giving thanks for included his gift from the god but also the seemingly perpetual drive to please the deity had led the ankal to engage in more meaningful interactions with his newfound family. Stronger bonds meant greater promises and one had to be faithful to keep his word. This prayer went on almost twice as long as the one for Zulrav and when the watchman finally let go, he did so with a grunt.
The scarred man limed away for a moment and shook out his hands, arms and legs. His breathing had increased in pace and the unscarred portions of his skin were growing a little red. Azmere didn’t break for too long; he stepped back up to the wagon and took hold of the wood planks. He flexed his thighs and heaved upward with his arms, an ache shooting to the joints from the repeated effort. “Semele.” The ankal was certainly going to pray to the mother of the world. Parents already told stories to their children of how unruly youths were swallowed up by the goddess if they didn’t listen to their moms. “Caiyha.” In a culture set within the wilds, not praying to the goddess who controls the grasses and every creature within them is foolish. Each name became closer to a shout instead of spoken reverence as he went along. His actions became more abrupt as the fatigue of repeatedly lifting the heavy wagon started to wear him down. “Syna.” Azmere had always admired the sun and her warmth. He also knew that Jasmine worshiped the goddess which somewhat endeared him to them both even more. “Leth.” Night could be a scary world on the Sea of Grass but it afforded some things that day could not. Leth made these activities possible by giving his soft light to the world. The ankal prayed that the god would reveal himself to his servant and Azmere’s friend, Taurina. He had seen the pain of loss in her eyes and knew it had something to do with the god.
The ankal dropped the wagon back down then did a bit of a dance to loosen his body up. He hopped and skipped about favoring his left leg while shaking and waving his arms to loosen the tension brought on by his workout. Azmere flexed his fingers and rubbed his hands. Grey was nearby but sat calmly as he watched the man ho and flail about. Skylla blew her lips and trotted up excitedly with high steps and a whipping tail. The energy she saw in her human fed the young mare’s desire to run and play. The white face came up and bumped the scarred man on his shoulder. Azmere turned from the force and smiled. He took a hop-step and threw his arms around the strider’s neck. For a moment, they were both still and simply enjoyed the embrace. Azmere slowly slipped back but planted a kiss against the animal’s jaw before he completely separated.
The man set about the task of donning her blanket and placing a yvas on Skylla. This had gotten much easier in recent seasons. Initially, the wild horse was not willing to be tacked without a proper fight. The star-filled eyes smiled as his hands stroked her soft, chocolate coat. Azmere took a few chimes to gather some things before he left on his mission. He tucked his dagger into his belt, filled a waterskin and grabbed his bow. The yvas had a quiver full of arrows on it so the man no longer needed to carry the one on his hip. He was amazed at the difference it made in his movements. He climbed up onto the yvas and got settled by shifting his weight around until he was balanced. Then he turned Skylla towards the heart of Endrykas.
Grey perked and gave a soft whimper –he wanted to come along. Azmere looked at the icy blue eyes that pleaded silently. The ankal smiled and snapped his fingers twice which brought the dog to its feet. The watchman squeezed his knees against the flanks of his strider and leaned forward over her withers. Skylla, sensing the change in her rider, took off at a quick trot. This was an improvement over dashing away at a hard gallop. Time had ingrained a need to slow down within the presence of tents. After a few strides, Azmere’s body synced with the elliptical orbit of Skylla’s gait and there was almost no friction between them. The man smiled as all true Drykas do when they fly over the grasses on the back of a strider. Grey ran a length or two to one side but did a decent job of keeping up.
Syna’s orb was now visible as Azmere came into the center of Tent City. The man sat his weight back in the yvas and waited for Skylla to slow down which she inevitably did. Once the duo had slowed to a walk, the ankal turned them down the wide corridor which was lined by bright red tents all adorned with symbols and tapestries which indicated the unparalleled craftsmen of the Ruby Clan. The watchman had not had much interaction with this bunch. He did not know the man he was given to find; this Adon Gloaming but there was a need in the Stormblood pavilion and Adon was the one to seek.
Keeping his weight back, Azmere guided Skylla down the spoke. His eyes watched for the marking which had been described to him which signified the Gloaming pavilion –the Tent Builders. While he did this, the right hand of the ankal idly rubbed small circles on the yvas handle. He slowly covered the leather horn with his djed in a thin layer. As he smoothed it over and over, he committed the magical essence; the piece of himself, to protect the leather from physical harm. This took several chimes and continued until Azmere felt like he had missed something. He stopped and looked around then saw his mark. He gripped the yvas handle only to find it had a cool sheen which was different from how it felt before.
He steered Skylla to the side and dismounted with a wince in his landing. The Drykas wasn’t ever sure he’d get used to that pain. Grey came up and pressed his big body against his human. Azmere reached down and scratched the dog behind the ears. He reached back and put his hand on Skylla’s neck and stroked her mane. The contrasting gaze scoured the camp for activity as the ankal’s hand idly found the djed-encased handle. The right side of his face curled in a smile, the left side frozen by scar tissue. He called out in clear Pavi to announce his presence. “I come seeking the tent builder, Adon.”