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The westernmost tip of Kalea, Wind Reach is home to an amazing group of people and their giant eagle mounts. [Lore]
So perhaps the hit to her head had effected Eilea more severely then Kane had thought. Why else would she be repeating the word fish over and over?
He eyed her as she had her little moment of oddness. The sudden dare that she laid upon him was surprising. It was a stupid idea. It really was.
That didn’t mean he was going to back down. He never backed down from a challenge. Unless it was a stupid one. But he was in a bad mood. Which meant it was time to spring into action.
Moving as normally as he could manage with how awkward he was feeling, Kane made his way through his fellow group members towards the front. He gazed upon the Charoda as he moved. They... looked like fish people. He really didn’t want to kiss one. He really, really didn’t want to kiss one.
There had to be a way to get out of this. But still win of course. Running a hand through his hair, he huffed and glanced around. Anything would do. A spot of lighter color nearby in the crowd caught his attention. Wasn’t she the one speaking to the Charoda earlier? She had an odd glint on her side. Were those... scales?
Hmm... She really wasn’t what Kane would consider to be a fish, but with the scales he could play it off. Alright, this could work. And he wouldn’t have to kiss a fish person.
Discomfort plain, he began to sidle his way over to her and the two others standing with her. He shuffled his feet for a bit and studied the ground. Okay, he was here for a reason. Eilea wasn’t going to get the best of him. He refused to lose. Gathering all his courage, he stepped towards Iosha and spoke to her in a low tone. “Err, I’m sorry about this...” Quickly, he leaned forward, placing a peck on her cheek.
His face was completely red as he pulled back and he began to rub the back of his neck as he spoke. “Yeah, I’m just... gonna go now.”
The group of waiting Charoda and the Valintar both stood quietly as the sea of redheads before them began to undulate as the news sunk in; some shifted uncomfortably, while incredulity colored the faces of others as they turned friends or family for their reactions. With little yelling and no display of downright outrage, The Valintar was able to breath a private sigh of relief while he waited for the shock to wear off.
A few of his fellow Inarta approached him, but Kaden was able to pacify them with a few words and assertions. It wasn’t until Sira spoke, loudly enough that the majority of the group could hear her words, that the crowd fell silent. Kaden could see the dawning of concern in the eyes that all turned to watch him now, and for the first time the Valintar felt unsure of himself. “Well…” The pause, while buying him time to think, also allowed the Valintar to further bring in the attention of those who hadn’t quite caught on that someone had said something thought provoking.
“Times change.” Not what they wanted to hear. “Thunder Bay is a large place and it has more resources than even we could deplete. In fact, it has more resources than we can even access” If anyone hadn’t agreed with his first statement, this silenced them for the time being. “We have Claudia to help with the ice, as you well know, and I am sure our guests have their own plan for dealing with Winter waters. That is not our concern.” Holing up his hand against any signs of protest, the Valintar plows on, turning to face Elna as she spoke up despite his call for silence. “Seeing as I have only been here as long as you have, I have not had a chance to speak to our guests about the specifics of this deal.” The chastisement was light, but Kaden didn’t hesitate in turning to the Charoda leader and inclining his head once more.
“The young woman does bring up a point. If this does work, and you take up the shores of Thunder Bay as your new home, we will only be able to provide you a limited amount of help. Those Dek that usually work in the Bay are yours to use when their tasks are completed, as well as any Endal, Avora or Chiet that decide to volunteer their free time.” Pausing, Kaden shifted his position and crossed his arms over his chest, giving the Charoda a moment before continuing. “As my companions here have pointed out, we have limited resources to offer you. We cannot send you large forces of help. We cannot take too much time from our hunts or else we will not survive the Winter. If those terms are acceptable, then we have an agreement.”
All throughout the speech, the Charoda listened quietly, some nodding in agreement or understanding, but no sound was uttered from the pack until The Valintar bowed and stepped back, clearly giving them the stage. Same as before, the leader stepped forward and addressed the entire crowd rather than responding to Kaden alone. “How we survive will not be on your shoulders. Providing help will not be your concern, though it would be foolish of us to turn down any that is freely offered.” He smiled then, and opened his arms in a wide gesture. “It is enough for us to have your blessing.” When there were no shouts of denial or protest, the leader of the Charoda turned to Kaden and inclined his head. “Then we would like to accept your offer.”
There was no loud cheering or celebrating from either party; the Charoda stayed just as subdued while the Inarta watched on with the same looks of trepidation. “There is, however, one point that has not been covered.” The Valintar had stepped forward, away from the Inarta and towards the Charoda, when their leader held up his hand to stop him. “Why we are here.”
A woman stepped forward, glistening as if she had just stepped out of the waters behind them and moving with the fluid grace of someone who spent a lifetime in the water. She stepped past the leader of the Charoda and smiled at the crowd. “I am Iirna. I speak for us all.” The introduction was met with silence but this didn’t stop the Charoda woman, who continued with the same soft smile on her lips. “We were driven by from our home by the Wild Djed that permeated the waters last spring, corrupting and killing off our home and our food. We had no choice but to leave. Since that time, we have been searching for someplace safe in which to rebuild our home. We were out in the Storm Bay when we saw it fall from the sky, felt it enter our watery domain even from so far away. We immediately altered course and sought out the disruption, which brought us here. It brought you here too.”
Confused whispers shattered the silence as the Inarta turned to one another. The Valintar held up his hand for silence, but didn’t quite receive it before he began to speak again. “You saw what fell? Where is it?”
Stepping past Iirna, the Charoda leader moved right up next to Kaden, his arms cradling a large, ruby-red object that had not been present before. “I offer this mystery to you as a demonstration of our understanding and of our pact. I give this to you as a gift to begin our friendship.” The egg-shaped object was extended towards the Valintar and held there, its glossy finish gleaming in the sunlight as ticks turned into chimes and everyone held their breath. Taking the object would seal their pact, and the Charoda would be there to stay.
After those seemingly endless chimes, The Valintar took a deep breath and reached out towards the egg, sliding it from the Charoda’s hands and grunting as the full weight of it fell into his arms. “It is done!” The Charoda cheered, turning to one another and embracing, quiet whispers in their native tongue drowning out the silence of the Inarta as they watched their own leader struggle with the strange… thing he now held.
“It is done.” Kaden repeated, his face strained as he attempted to cradle the red egg against his own chest as the Charoda had so easily done. “Petch!” Slogging through the sand and back towards the group that he had brought down to the Bay, the man visibly struggled with the object, which seemed to be getting hotter the longer he touched it. “I don’t know…” Grunting again, Kaden stumbled and fell to one knee, the egg tumbling from his grasp to thud heavily in the sand. “It’s hot. It’s really hot.”
Without warning, a large crack appeared in the surface of the egg, smaller cracks spidering out from the original as they watched. A strange light spilled out from between the new miniature fissures, which grew as the light intensified until there was a sudden startling and resounding crack that silenced everyone. The light, similar to what they had seen streaking towards Thunder Bay that morning, blinded the entire crowd for a handful of ticks before it was gone. Just… gone.
The whole ordeal had lasted less than five chimes from the time that the Valintar took the egg from the Charoda, but everything had changed. Cradled in the sun warmed sands lay a baby, clearly Inartan by its bright red hair and milky skin. Fragments of the red shell lay scattered around it, steaming in the sand where it fell after shattering away from the strange child before them now.
With no explanation of whose baby it was, why it was here, or why it was in an egg that fell from the sky, the group of Inarta were left to examine the child, who continued to sleep, tossing fitfully and sometimes whimpering, despite any attempts to wake it. Warm to the touch, it seemed as if the child was in no mortal danger, which was convenient since not a single Inarta or otherwise had been able to lift or move the child even the barest of inches from where it lay.
In the days to come, the only thing they would be able to ascertain was that the child wasn’t normal. She wasn’t human. This wasn’t over.
OOC :
Sorry for the delay in reply! I know I said Sunday, but I had some PM’s from people asking for more time, so I gave more time!
This quest is over! YAY! I will be grading and awarding things soon. The final leg to this quest is going to resume as soon as Lhavit and Sultros are done with their quests. I know this has been a long haul but I repeat- it will be worth it.
If you are interested in joining the final leg of the quest, shoot me a PM and let me know. Otherwise, before it starts, I will be PMing everyone that participated throughout the quest and let you know what’s happening then. Don’t feel obligated to continue on if you choose not to.
Feel free to post reactions to this final post, but I won’t be posting again so please just try to wrap up your characters part in the whole thing. Since the final leg is going to include all the cities in Kalea, and all their quests might have been done on different time frames, we’re going to assume that a couple days pass before the next part begins. So just keep that in mind.
Manipulating the crowd to work together through sex appeal.
Putting the universe in order, one cut at a time.
Greeting the Charoda of Thunder Bay.
Excusing the Vantha for her insults.
A strange light in the sky
Diversity gives us strength when mystery abounds
Preparing for the worst; praying for the best
Sanikas Pass: Rockslide! The way is blocked
Battle in the Pass: Fighting Yanus
Failing to work as a team
Reaching Thunder Bay: nothing amiss?
Thunder Bay: Meeting Charoda
Iosha: The Diplomat
What fell from the sky was an egg?
The egg is hot!
The child is not normal
Bonus:
Kitchi
Skills
Amount
Observation
5
Lore
First Volunteer.
Not wasting time getting to the pass.
Keeping your thoughts and worries to yourself.
A strange light in the sky
Diversity gives us strength when mystery abounds
Preparing for the worst; praying for the best
Sanikas Pass: Rockslide! The way is blocked
Battle in the Pass: Fighting Yanus
Failing to work as a team
Bonus:
Sira
Skills
Amount
Observation
5
Investigation
5
Socialization
4
Intimidation
3
Interrogation
2
Lore
Valintar: You do not question his orders.
Remembering Aela is now Alori.
Something strange seen in the trees.
Moonfire: Iosha’s horse.
Sira, the ferrybird.
Saving Eilea from the rockslide.
Meeting Ishgramere.
Charoda: Friend or Foe?
A strange light in the sky
Diversity gives us strength when mystery abounds
Preparing for the worst; praying for the best
Sanikas Pass: Rockslide! The way is blocked
Battle in the Pass: Fighting Yanus
Failing to work as a team
Reaching Thunder Bay: nothing amiss?
Thunder Bay: Meeting Charoda
Iosha: The Diplomat
What fell from the sky was an egg?
The egg is hot!
The child is not normal
Bonus: 1 Yanus Feather
Additional Comments: For those of you who stuck it out to the end, I don't know if this is actually going to be continued or not. Uhm...keep an eye out and I'll let you know.