Location The Icewall Gates

[Stas Grigori]

Day 4 of Summer, 511 AV 'The wind has not changed, not in its bite and not in its whistle' That was the thought running through his mind as he strode towards the orderly shape in the distance. Familiar to his memory, but the feeling was new. More than a year behind him he had left through the tall gate marking the way in and through the icewall. Then, they had been on fire. Not in reality, but to his eyes the great creation of icerock was ablaze behind him. He could not have been more pleased to leave, and now as they grew closer and closer, as his feet in heavy boots dug through the snow leading up to his homeland, a smile spread over his face. "No flames." Without any great hurry, and with only a small measure of longing in his steps for his old horse, Stas made his way through the gates and into Avanthal proper.

[Rykker Whitevine]

Day 13 of Summer, 511 Av If it hadn't been for the Traveler Shelters that lined every once and a while along the way to The Taldera Region. He most certainly didn't have the proper attire for this harsh weather he was walking into. Especially at first. He had to buy a warmer cloak, and he was now noticing that he would probably have to but a fur cloak as he got closer to his destination which was the city of his mother Avanthal. He got closer and closer to what looked like a glass gate, however when it came more into site he was blown away by the sheer beauty of the gate his mother had always spoke of. It was made of ice stone, a stone only seen here. He moved closer and was confronted with low growling on both sides of him, when he turned his head he was confronted on either side with a guard and a big white hairy bear. His eyes went wide, and were between a red and gold-ish color of alarm. He started to back up not wanting to be confronted, captured, or set back into slavery again. "I require passage into Avanthal, please." His deep rumbling voice said. He tried to show confidence, and strength, but really he had a fear that was running from him that again he would have his freedom stole from him. Once the Ice Watch had figured out that while he looked like he was a Zith he was really part Zith and Vantha. He had explained to the two guards that he came here to possibly find solace in his mother's family in the Whitevine hold which was his last name given him by his mother. She had passed a few years ago, and he was hoping for comfort, and acceptance here. They let him pass and directed him to a place to stay while he could establish whether he could be allowed into the Whitevine hold as his mother's son.

[Alumine]

Day 51 of Summer, 511 AV

The snow clung to her fur and melted just as quickly leaving her damp and slightly shivering. She just hoped her clothes weren’t entirely soaked and contemplated strapping her pack to her stomach instead before dismissing the idea; it hindered her running too often.

A small growl left her snout, she hadn't meant to come this way, honestly she hadn't! But the map she had fliched turned out to be one of the disappearing ink style maps and now she was lost. Cold. And hungry...again. She had eaten not an hour outside of the glistening gate but she could already feel the rumbles starting.

Still she had no urge to move closer to the twinkling wall, humans always managed to make her nervous and surprise her and she did not want another run in with monsters. She had only just escaped that last time.

Alumie whined softly and pawed the ground, she really wanted in, where it was warm and cozy. ‘It can’t be all bad. Vantha are nice. I watched them for days. I need to not be chic—‘ A crack of her paw stepping on a branch forced a startled yelp out and cut off her train of thought as her legs propelled her closer to the city.

Slowing her run after a few moments she watched the gate cautiously, scaring herself had pushed her closer and out of hiding, no doubt she had been spotted now.Eye the obviously Kelvic Bears she closed her eyes and shifted quickly and snatched at her pack as it fell to the snow. Clutching her belongings to her chest Alumine inched toward the nearest guard opening and closing her mouth like a fish.

“I…I—Um……entrance please?” She managed to whisper it out mentally applauding herself for picking up some of their words. After stuttering her request for the nearest shelter or tavern she hurried into the city pausing only once when she noted her reflection was naked save for her bag clutched to her chest.

Opening her pack curiously she felt only damp clothes and then shrugged. She couldn’t put on wet clothes, it was worse than dry clothes! She would have to dry them near a fire. Straightening herself and shivering at the cold she moved quicker, wanting to avoid the stares she knew were at her back. Maybe Avanthal wouldn’t be too bad, so far no one had bothered her.

[Frost]

Summer 1st, 511 AV

This would be Frost's first trip into Avanthal in a week -which felt like a year-, and the Kelvic was adequately nervous that the Vantha here would be wary of her return. After all, the last time she'd been among those very wonderful, very confusing beings she had earned herself a reputation as being 'weird'. Even for a Kelvic, that was bad. Well, in her opinion.

The pale young woman tightened her cloak around her body for warmth, and approached the Ice wall Gates, her ice-blue eyes ever watchful of this over sized polar bears and their Vantha counterparts. They watched her in return, and Frost could have smiled if she knew how. In her short experience of the world, everything was an exchange. Mistrust for mistrust, food for food, and other things could be gained out of the exchange, such as hate or warmth and energy.

But, these men and women recognized her. They let her through with no trouble. The wolf didn't need to have her things checked over, because what could she bring from the outside that she hadn't had when she left? Furs maybe, from the animals she'd gone to hunt and eat. She didn't even know what she could bring in. A sharpened stick? She had twenty already. A triangular rock? Unlikely to be easily retrieved in the frozen land. She was just Frost, the Kelvic, transporting her portable home on her back.

They all knew that.

[Lyonel]

Summer 3rd, 511 AV Late Afternoon

Lyonel fluttered his wings slowly, letting the breeze carry him forward. As he approached the gate, he tilted forward, causing him to slowly descend toward the Icewall Gate. He had been told of it through stories and poems and the friendly advice of innkeepers, but all of these had left him unprepared for the humongous fortification in front of him. The Akvatari finally touched down in front of the gate, scraping his lower half along the icy ground and quickly coming to a halt in front of the guards.

"Hello" he said, a hint of sadness in his voice "How long it must have taken to make that wall, but how quickly it could be destroyed". He started to shuffle slowly along into the main city, sighing at how he was cursed by his lack of legs. Pulling out his lute, he strummed a minor chord and hummed the beginning of a song lazily.

[Minosayaa]

Minosayaa had been running and jumping through the snow startling the deer in the forest just outside the gates. She spotted another deer, and took off bounding through the snow barking happily.

She stopped, hearing an odd noise. She sniffed the air, picking up a smell she hadn't smelled before. She followed the smell to the gates,only to see something very different. It had a tail, a furry fishy's tail. Wait what were they called.....Seals! That was it. It had wings, like a fairy. Was it a fairy-seal? She approched the 'fairy-seal' with her tail wagging happily.

[Lyonel]

Continuing into the second bar of the song, which had a tricky little row of 16th notes in the middle, Lyonel noticed a dog bounding around in the snow outside the gate. How interesting he thought unhurriedly, following its path through the snow. All of a sudden, the dog-A wolf-hound? he wondered-perked its head up and sniffed, then looked directly at him.

Lyonel had never been really comfortable around dogs, so when it came toward him, it was totally understandable that he fluttered his wings nervously in preparation for flight. He grinned anxiously, pulling his gums back slightly.

[Minosayaa]

He only had to turn away for a moment for Mino to do her 'magic'. "That's a pretty song Mr. Fairy-Seal, sir. I like music!" She didn't seem to notice her own nudity. She was a small girl with shaggy black hair. A childish grin graced her face. "I'm Minosayaa, and I'm a sled dog!"

"What do people call you?" She had never seen a person like him. He was pretty cool looking, or she thought so.

[Lyonel]

Lyonel was, to put it as plainly as possible, shocked. Right before his eyes a dog had become a girl, albeit a shaggy and nude girl. He was shocked, not to mention a little bit nervous at the display of what he assumed was a high level of magic. He had learned a very small amount of magic from a traveler living in Abura, but the man had left before Lyonel could learn anything but the basics of what the man had called 'Auristics'.

With a quick out-shift of breath, the Akvatari looked at the creature before him, channeling his energy toward his eyes. Suddenly, he noticed something. He aura was barely larger than that of an animal. She was clearly not human. Lyonel shook his head, releasing the power with a nervous look at Minosayaa. His fear was suddenly dispersed when she spoke. She was obviously a kind and simple soul.

"I am an Akvatari named Lyonel" he told her gently "and I like music too. And what do people call you?"

[Minosayaa]

"I'm Minosayaa of the Frostfawn House! But people call me Mino. She stopped trying to understand what the man had just said "An Ak-va-ta-ri... I've never seen one of you before," She giggled, "I like your name it's fun to say! You must be new here, I can take you to an inn or my hold's house... But I can't go in like this... They'll scold me for not wearing clothes. So I'll have to go in with my dog form..."