Closed A change of scenery...[Lars Nidall]

[Amelia Cross]

[Meadows not far from Lake Ravok] [24th day of Winter] [Year 512.a.v] Every once in a while, Amelia left the floating city in order to see her beloved Fauna, to take care of her and leave her food for a few days, above all she wished to ride. Now was one of those days and Amelia was on the ferry heading towards the shore of Lake Ravok. She hardly noticed the time pass by, as she was too bothered thinking about finally getting to ride Fauna again. When she was in Syliras it was so much easier, each time she was in Ravok, spending time with Fauna was hardly possible and she despised it, but it made the days with her even more pleasant and rewarding. About 4 bells have passed by the time Amelia stepped on the shore and paid for her trip to the boatman. Without any hesitation she headed to the stables, so many horses were kept there for the sake of keeping them outside of the city that just wasn’t suitable for such animals. As much as Amelia could see why, she wasn’t found of it. However, thinking about that was not what she wanted to bother herself with. Now all that mattered was Fauna. Such a great smile found its way on her pale face as she recognized her beloved companion between the countless rows of horses. ”Fauna!” she rushed over her, with no hesitation wrapping her arms around her strong neck and sinking her face in the soft mane. The girl led her horse out, Fauna laid down and stretched out with a slow stroll around the closest area while Amelia tied her hair in a lose side braid falling along her left shoulder. Amelia spent a good bell or two while cleaning the stable. Normally she disliked getting any kind of dirt on her hands, she was highly sensitive to smell and so it was rather disturbing for the girl. None the less she was never shamed or disturbed by cleaning animals as long as she enjoyed it. Once her work there was done, she knew she could leave Fauna in the stables for good 3 to 4 days, maybe even more if she could arrange it. Still she didn’t wish to return to the city just yet, by the time she’d be there it would be nightfall and the nightly streets of Ravok aren’t the most welcoming , there for she would spend the night on the shore and leave to the city first thing in the morning. ”Can’t let the time go to waste now can we?” she joked with Faun as she adjusted her saddle. In no time she was on top of her, riding in a slow stroll towards the direction of Syliras. She didn’t intend to head to the city, she just wanted to ride and the girl was highly familiar with the road. ”you haven’t been out for days, and you’re not happy to see this rode? You’re picky!” Amelia giggled as she saw that Fauna wasn’t excited about the stroll. After a brief moment, Amelia decided to give her friend what she wanted – A change of scenery. There for bout of them headed off the road. Amelia made sure to ride only along the meadows, making sure she could see the trading post at all times.After all, nobody was really sure what hid in the wildness of Mizahar. Seeing the post made her feel some sense of safety and if she would be attacked, at least someone would hear her screams.

[Lars Nidall]

As much as he resented it, as much as he tried to deny it...He knew that there was something resembling order and safety to be found under Rhysol's banner. No matter how twisted and corrupted that something might be, he couldn't shake of the feeling of safety when he stayed in range of Rhysol's island, as opposed to the unknown dangers of Mizahar's wildlands. Ironic that he wished to overthrow Rhysol and everything that he stands for, yet uses his forces to give him that feeling of safety when out practicing nearby The Southern Trading Post. On more than one occasion he could swore he had felt eyes burning into him from a shadow between the trees. Not to mention the rare, yet spinechilling, howl of wolves in the distance. He hoped his campfire would keep them at bay if they ever snuffed him out and came for his throat. If not, he would make good use of his legs to run like a slapped puppy to his ... To his what exactly? It wasn't home, it was nothing...He had nothing to run for. These depressing thoughts seemed to creep up more and more into his mind lately. That was one of the reasons why he had decided to go out camping in order to part from Ravok for a short while aswel as hone his skills. Shifting his legs and pushing himself off the spiky grass of the meadow, he stared deep down the campfire and memories from a long time ago shot through his mental eye. He wasn't one to dwell in the past too much, but there were things that he should never forget, that he WOULD never forget! His upperbody was revealed to the chilly winds that coursed through the air as he turned to pick up his Cold Iron longsword, one of the few things he still had that were directly related to his father. Taking some distance from the campfire, just a few steps, but enough to give him room to practice his swings and stances, he planted his sword with its blade into the ground as he bent his knee to pick up some dirt from a moleheap and crunched it between his palms. Dirtying the palms of your hands was a common trick to increase one's grip on your swordhandle, one that Lars always put to good use when practicing somewhere where it was available. It wasn't exactly necessary right now, but it was part of his training as much as swinging his sword. To keep good habits as habits, you got to put them to use. Once done with that, he stood up and lifted the sword, in a fluid motion he swung it sideways to the back as if to decapitate an assassin sent by Rhysol to finish off the Nidall bloodline. He followed up by a arching, upwards, slash to the front by spinning his body on the spot and letting his arm and sword move his body more so than the other way around. He parried an imaginary stab by doing so, he continued this lethal dance of Cold Iron until his face, torso, back and arms were glistening with sweat and tiny beads of it were sliding down his skin. He took a break, after a short half hour of intensive weapontraining, and laid himself down on the grass with his backpack used as a cushion. Gazing at the clouds drifting by, he eventually lost the bloodlust that surfaced everytime he practiced and imagined fighting off Rhysol's minions. Truth be told, he hasn't dared to face Rhysol even once yet, not even in his imagination. He knew...He knew he stood no chance as it was right now...But some day, someday he will take Rhysol's head and shout his father's name to the heavens and beyond!

[Amelia Cross]

The weather was still nice; it seemed that the protection of Rhysol was reaching out to the lands here as well. Inside Ravok, it seemed that there was never a winter, it was always warm, but never hot and it was cool enough to be pleasant, but never freezing. Those were the reasons she enjoyed spending the winter there. Her outside in the wild, there was still the warmth of the city even if it gradually became cooler as she and Fauna made their way deeper through the meadows. There were no flowers growing, what wasn’t exactly a surprise since the winter was here even if it wasn’t that noticeable ”can you imagine how Syliras look now?” Amelia joked as she let her leg lightly hit Fauna’s side, to let the mere know she wished to ride faster. Fauna didn’t mind the slightest bit and soon enough they were flying through the meadow. The time seemed to fly, but Fauna seemed to be out of shape due the constant time she spent in the stables. ”out of shape, aren’t you” Amelia chuckled as she jumped off her friend. She attached her backpack to the saddle for pure comfort and began a simple stroll through the fields. Even her common sense made it clear that it’s better for fauna to be rested, if required she could quickly jump on her and storm off to Lake Ravok. ”Sometimes I feel crazy for talking with ~” but she didn’t manage to finish her sentence, before Fauna brushed her head against Amelia’s. She was probably her best friend, the best out of the few she had. So they continued the casual walk, it was all brilliant until Amelia seemed to notice smoke lifting up to the sky. As she was approaching she finally saw the fire, much to her ease it was a controlled fire, but what confused her was that it wasn’t guarded, or so it seemed. After paying a closer look and coming closer, she seemed to see a frame of a man. It was impossible to tell apart his features, but it was clear that he was training in what seemed a sword. Amelia’s father has always been a man of mind games and politics, she doubted he could eve hold a sword and her mother was a gentle flower, the few times she had seen a sword was whens eh was traveling and it was no time to ask about swords at least she thought so. It was natural that she grew curios of the man, curios of the tool he was holding. She was using her best to sneak up to him, to see the movements in detail. However she was having trouble from the start as she was quite clumsy in the wild. Slowly she approached more and more, but just when she was close enough to see him and the flowing movement in detail, the man decided to take a rest. This seemed to anger Amelia the slightest bit as she began to pout, mumbling some nonsense under her nose. The girl was so caught up in it, that she didn’t notice it when Fauna continued to approach the man quite bluntly.

[Lars Nidall]

Unaware of the irritation his resting brought upon the woman skulking around his camp, he continued to gaze at the clouds with a mind devoid of all thoughts. He was simply enjoying the moment, the weather, the scenery and its serenity. He was, right up 'till the moment he heard soft stomping from outside his view, every sound was suddenly enhanced for a brief moment. Slow stomps, rustling grass, heavy breathing and then...neighing? He turned and pushed himself up off the grass in a quick and fluid motion, without his sword though. He had been careless and had placed it out of hsi reach before laying down. His eyes shifted once to where his sword was located, before it moved back to face the horse approaching him. It didn't have a rider, nor did he see anyone in its vicinity...Was this a decoy? Instead of gawking at the obviously harmless horse, his righthand opened and closed as if something dear was missing from its clutches. Then he moved towards the sword and held it by its handle. Not in a position to strike or deflect any attack, but still obviously ready to be used if necessary. His dark copper eyes scanned the area but he saw nothing, after a minute of standing on guard and with the horse grazing near his feet, he gave up and moved towards the horse after sheathing his sword underneath the leather band around his waist. " There, there. Are you lost horsey? " He spoke softly as he tapped the horse's large neck and flank before brushing his mane with an open hand. The horse was beautiful and obviously welltreated and fed, it made him wonder how come the horse was all alone and off the roads...

[Amelia Cross]

By the time Amelia had realized that Fauna had gone forth it was far too late for her to call her back and hope to keep her hidden position. This was a bad start as it was clear the man had notable skills with a sword, while she herself was as easy to break as a dry leaf. The only thing that seemed to calm her was that when he jumped off from being startled by Fauna, was that he didn’t hold his sword. However it was just a brief second before he managed to take make his way to the blade and take a steady hold of it. ’so much for counting on that…’ Amelia rolled her eyes. Lifting her head up once more, trying to see more clearly what was happening, she had no luck as Fauna had moved and was now blocking her sight. She wasn’t sure was it exactly bad, after all it clearly prevented the man from spotting her, but she couldn’t see as well. ’here goes nothing…’ almost sentencing herself to death, she slowly made her way closer to him, trying to keep as close to the cool ground as she could. As she came closer, she eventually managed to hear what the man was saying, much to her surprise he sounded quite nice or at least his voice sounded nice. ” There, there. Are you lost horsey?” He asked Fauna, Looked like he was another crazy man who spoke with horses, this forced out a small chuckle from her and then it was settled,Amelia didn't manage to shut her lips soon enough and her childlike laughter filled the area. She had reviled herself in the most clumsy and dumb way. Fauna instantly noticed the chuckle and to the man’s question she made her way over to Amelia. The horse stood tall and proud next to the girl who was laying on the ground ”you’ll hear from me” she muttered while pulling her black hood over her head, praying he was dumb and blind enough to not notice her clear black frame, between the frozen grass. Sometimes Amelia was truly, over the top naive.

[Cloud]

From the sky falls your reward!

Amelia :

Experience
Skill | XP Earned
Organization | +1
Riding | +1
Observation | +1

Lores
• | Lore Earned
• | Strolling Along Ravok's Lakeshore
• | Fauna: My Best Friend

Misc. :

None.

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