Quest [Regional Quest] Stranded

[Ishgrameer Windwalker]

Ishgrameer mostly kept to himself for the rest of the trip to Thunder Bay, which for the most part, turned out to be ordinary enough, and free of obstacles. The town, however, was untouched. Stranger still, it was empty. If they hadn't found anyone sooner or later, Ishgrameer was of the mindset to take to the skies and scout for a trail or sign.

However their answer came to them quickly when they arrived upon the shore of the bay itself. There is where the denizens of the bay were crowded about, which made Ishgrameer wonder if they were examining a piece of whatever had crashed through the sky. To his surprise it was a party of Charoda. He had seen their kind before, when traversing the coast, and the bay itself. However, he had never had any dealings with them personally given his non-aquatic nature. He had heard rumors of course, but to him rumors never made much sense.

Ishgrameer imagined that the Valintar would seek to ask questions of the chief of the Charoda, and gleam any insight into recent events. However, Ishgrameer had nothing of any use to anyone below water, and resigned himself to checking on his gear, to make sure everything was in order in case conflict arose again. Perhaps he would take to the sky if needed again, to see what he could see from up on high. Otherwise he waited silently, watching the water with a curios eagerness. His eyes looking for anything noteworthy.

[Elna]

Elna was caught off guard when Kanri approached her, who was probably the last person she expected to have sticking up conversation with her. Whats more, she was coming up to her with an apology. As Elna recalled, Kanri had a tendency to apologize for her short comings rather often. When she was teaching her glass broken she apologized for being a lousy teacher too. Although Elna felt she deserved an apology, at the same time she didn't really like the idea of someone giving up on their convictions like that.

Elna scrunched her mouth to the side, trying to decide how to respond or even if she should at all. "Whatever, its in the past," she finally said apathetically, "I really have a lot else on my mind." Elna indulged Kanri in conversation as they continued to walk, although she did so while remaining fairly distant, still feeling shaken up by her relative failure.

As the next day came, Elna was ready to start a new. She got up bright and early as to not hold anyone back. They would probably reach the landing point soon and Elna wasn't looking to create a repeat performance of the rockfall. After psyching herself up like that, she was quite disappointed to find next to nothing when they got there. Just everyone crowding around a bunch of fish creatures. They may have been something she had never seen before, but Elna needed to stay focused. It wasn't very likely that these creatures were what Elna was looking for.

The light haired Konti was the first to approach them. Seemed fitting that the fish among their group when be the one to communicate with the other fish. Elna wished she would get to the point faster and ask them if they had seen anything, then again Elna wasn't very good at diplomacy, she didn't know if interjecting would wind up getting them in trouble. People just jumping into action was a key problem to all the chaos yesterday. She wasn't about to start barking out questions to a bunch of strange creatures. For now, Elna was content to stand back and wait.

[Arandolya]

As the group made their way down to the waters, Iosha meandered away, and spoke with anyone and everyone within their group, the happy Konti she was. Arandolya couldn't help but express amusement, speaking with the woman when she fell into step beside her, content to retreat to her own thoughts. Her mind was a swirl of various aspects. One moment frantic to think of the damage wrought by the mysterious object, the next wondering what challenge they might face, worried if they were walking into some sort of death-trap, or even if she was wise to accompany the others on this journey.

As they approached Thunder Bay, Arandolya wriggled her way forwards, working towards the front of the group to peer into the distance. It was like a baited breath, wondering what devastation was waiting for them, what horror might have been wrought over the land. Yet, there seemed to be nothing. Birds trilled happily, the undergrowth moved with life just out of the hunter's gaze, and the air was free and light, not thick with panic as Arandolya feared it would be as they neared the Bay. Did the object truly not create any trouble? Did it land harmlessly within the lake? However, when they entered the coastal settlement, something wrong did begin to show.

It was absolutely barren. Arandolya blinked her sharp golden orbs, looking around as they paused to glance at the town. Their Valintar ordered them onwards though, past the houses that seemed occupied within the last day, past shops left open, past games abandoned in shadowed alcoves. Where was the life of the town?

Ah, here it is, Arandolya thought as they rounded the corner to the water, seeing every townsperson turn to cheer that their Valintar had arrived. Had they all ventured so close to the water in curiosity? It seemed awfully dangerous, even for the less cautious Inartans. It quickly became apparent that not only did the object draw attention to the water, the odd figures within it were the source of curiosity. C..chor...Chaaat...char .. Charsomething, Arandolya mused silently, recalling learning briefly about the peaceful sea-dwellers, watching Iosha approach them. Konti were also part of the sea, weren't they? It was fitting, she supposed.

Arandolya didn't want to interrupt their conversations, and retreated to where a few others milled about, looking towards the man she knew was the Kelvic from earlier. "Thank you for yesterday. It was your thinking that probably saved us, we were foolish to split up as we did," she said in Nari, quickly repeating it in Common in case he did not know the language of Wind Reach. "Thank you ... for your, ah, quick thinking. Yesterday. It-" Arandolya paused, struggling to find the words she needed, "probably saved us." She tilted her head slightly, as she observed, "You almost look like an owl even in human form."

Note: "Nari" or "Common"

[Kane]

Kane kept an eye on Eilea as they moved down the path. Even on the horse she somehow managed to sway back and forth. It was a bit worrying. A quick tug of the reins brought both him and Ansel closer to her. “Hey, you alright? You seem a bit... tipsy right now. Did that wall take more out of you then you were expecting?” Well, she had fallen... Kane’s worry grew. “Hey, you don’t have a concussion, do you?” he leaned forward, trying to get a better look at the Vantha’s face. She looked out of it. This was both a usual and unusual expression for her. Mostly because she usually looked out of it in a... romance-y way. This was more ‘I hit my head and now think birds moo’ kind of out of it. With two brothers training to be knights, head injuries became a rather common event. Especially with the rivalry one brother had felt for the other. Needless to say, he’d seen this before. “Hey, look at me. Hey!” Kane waited until he at least had some semblance of her attention. “Okay, I’m going to ask you a few questions. To make sure you’re okay.” He didn’t wait for her to answer; he didn’t have time for whatever babble would escape her mouth. Instead he began to shoot out questions for her to answer. “What’s your name? When were you born? Where were you born? What were your parents names-Wait, I don’t even know the answers to any of these!” Kane sighed and ran a hand on his face before blowing a piece of hair out of his face. This was frustrating, and he wasn’t really sure what to do.

[Eilea]

Eilea was definitely out of it. She found herself thinking about birds that were making strange noises. Horses that were flying. Birds that were on fire. Kane with wings and and antlers that protruded from his head. She didn't even realize that Kane was next to her, talking, until her Windrunner began to throw a fit at Ansel, the charming but a bit more excited horse.

"Oh... Hi Kanie..." She laughed. "Kanie." With a smirk, "I'm gonna call you Kanie, Kanie." She nodded to herself.

And then he started asking her questions. Many questions. The girl tilted her head to the side and thought. "Eilea Snowsong." She responded. Kanie looked so worried, it sort of made her feel bad. She just wanted to curl up next to him and... "Uhm 9th of Winter 494." Oh it was too funny. "My Dad was Lien. My mom was Kinra." She frowned. "I miss them." There was a moment of quiet.

"Wait, where are we going?" Her thoughts began to become more coherent in her mind. Things were making more sense. They were moving in a group and everyone was chattering with each other. The girl looked to Kane again. "Kane... What about you? When were you born?" She smiled, suddenly very curious. "And what are your parents names and... and..." Before she knew it the group was coming to a stop.

Thunder Bay.

It seemed so strange. The Valintar seemed nervous. Eilea eyes Kane. "To the water..." she repeated the man's words and then nodded. The beach was crowded. There were so many people.

But there were also some strnage creatures she had never seen before. She turned to Kane with a smile on her lips. "Fish?"

[Sira]

Sira was quiet for most of the trip. She made some small talk with Iosha and "Alori," but otherwise kept to herself most of the time. The battle at the pass had changed her mood from excited to somber, and Sira was not looking forward to whatever terrible sight they would come upon when they finally reached the bay. She still did not understand the Valintar's thinking in not sending her ahead to scout the place out, or even the owl if he wanted to be a bit more stealthy about it, but she wasn't going to question him. Sira had been in enough hot water with the Valintar lately to bother angering him by questioning his decisions.

When they arrived at Thunder Bay it was an eerie scene. Not a soul was in sight, and that worried Sira. Thunder Bay was a bustling community, always hard at work. True, there would be less work today since no Endal were coming down to bring them food for processing, but even with that, there were stil fishermen and traders to keep the settlement's occupants busy. The fact that there was no one at all in sight worried Sira more than she cared to let on. When the Valintar gave the order to head down to the water Sira nodded and silently followed the rest of the group.

Sira was relieved when they finally came upon the group of Inarta. Everything seemed fine enough. Nobody was crying out in pain or fear and there was no panic. In fact, once they were noticed, the group began announcing that the Valintar had arrived, as if they had been expecting him all along. Sira struggled to get a better view at whatever was behind the group. She had expected something large.. but could see nothing through the crowd. When they finally parted, Sira's eyes widened in surprise.

She had no idea what the creatures were, though they were certainly some sort of aquatic type. Sira had never before seen a Charoda, and had no idea whether they were peaceful or threatening. Her natural and immediate instinct was to quickly move to the front of the group, particularly in front of the Valintar himself, to protect them. She was even more surprised when Iosha stepped forward to address the group. Hand on the hilt of her ever sharp sword, Sira was uncertain who she should guard, and in the end, settled for a spot in the middle of the two. She remained quiet. Though she was an endal and Iosha an Avora, Sira was not particularly skilled in diplomacy, and with the Valintar there, she was relieved she was not going to have to deal directly with the strange creatures, whatever they were. If she had, things likely would have just escalated to violence.

[Kane]

Well, Eilea was aware enough to answer his questions. That was good at least. Kane would just assume that her answers were correct for now. Especially since she seemed to be able to focus again. And she wasn’t calling him “Kanie” anymore. Which was possibly even more of a relief. Though, then the Vantha began to ask him questions. He was considering his answers to her questions, when they arrived at their destination. Well, that certainly crept on on him. Eilea parroted back what the Valintar had said. Kane rolled his eyes. “Like I didn’t hear it the first time.” The group made their way closer, Kane and Eilea following near the rear. That’s when he noticed something odd. Was that a... “Fish?” The human and the Vantha somehow managed to say this at the exact same time. Kane turned to Eilea. “...Fish.” This was strange. Very, very strange. He’d never heard of such a thing before. Was it part fish? Was it wet? Don’t fish need water? Was it suffocating right now? The human’s brain was going haywire. This was a mystery. One he needed to solve. Needed with his very being. But how? How could he test this new creature without being found out? There had to be a way... He couldn’t do it himself. No, that would be too noticeable and out of character for him. But... perhaps he could get someone else to. Turning, he eyed Eilea. He would get her to do it. For science. Kane leaned sideways towards her so the others couldn’t hear. “Hey Eilea, I dare you to go poke it.”

[Eilea]

Eilea watched Kane carefully. He seemed to be thinking on the same line. FISH! With an excited smiled plastered on her face, Eilea accepted his challenge! "Okay!" She exclaimed and jumped off of Wine's back! She took a few steps forward before turning back to Kane and giving him a wink. Nothing would stop her from poking one of those fish creatures. Nothing.

And so, she began to move from the back of the crowd, towards the front, pushing past several people as she did. Before she knew it she found herself standing next to Iosha. The Konti woman was in the process of speaking to what seemed to be the leader of the group of fish.

The Vantha smirked, and then quickly moved within arm's distance of the man-fish thing... reached out... and poked him in the arm.

Eilea nearly let out a scream before jumping back. "Oh my god! Fish!"

As if the girl was a child... she ran back excitedly, through the crowd and back over to Kane. The Vantha moved to the other side of his horse, grabbed his arm and attempted to pull him down, closer towards her. "I did it!" She exclaimed. "It was strange!"

[Alori Sai]

The walk down was strangely quiet in certain places and the exact opposite in others. Aela was still thinking about the earlier events, and how lucky they all had been to make it away without anyone getting hurt. For the length of time that the others had been stuck behind the wall of rocks, she had no idea what had happened, but once they were all together again the whispers did start. From what she heard, it seemed that they had just as much of a rough time behind the wall, as they did on their side. But with anyone together again it was relief, but her thoughts still weighted heavily.

With the kelvic of the hour off to himself, Aela stayed closer to Sira and Iosha. The young Avora talked with them a bit here and there, but her mind continued to stray and silence her voice. However silent the walk had turned, it was even worse once they reached the bay. There was no one around, and not once in her life could she recall seeing the bay that quiet. Aela gave a worried glance towards Sira, but said nothing as they continued onward.

"This is so weird...where is everyone?"

The eerie silence was chilling, not only because of the foreboding feeling rising into the air, but because it was a silence that she knew. A desolate abandonment that she had lived for two seasons. Something that she never wanted to go back to. Goosebumps started to rise on her arms, and the teen shivered slightly, as she hugged her shoulders.

"What happened here?"

The sudden call to head to the water, drew the girl from her dark and private thoughts, and Aela followed behind the group quickly. Reaching the water brought on a sigh of relief once she saw that everyone was well and alive, although something was up. They announced the arrival of the Valintar, and Aela just stood and waited to see what would happen next. So far nothing looked out of the normal, though whatever was possibly in front of the crowd she couldn't see. Still, the waters seemed calm, and there were no screams or finger pointing either.

However, once the people moved and the line of sight was cleared from the beach to their visitors, the tiny Avora's eyes widen and she gasped somewhat softly. "Petchin insane.." She had no idea of what she was looking at, just as she hadn't known what a Zith was, or what an Akvatari looked like. It was all new to the little Inartan and after the Zith almost killed her, she was wary of all foreign beings colorful or not.

The Avora's hand slipped to her talon blade as she unintentionally took a few steps backwards. Questions, so many questions raced through her mind and then...."Iosha! What are you doing??" The Konti was off playing diplomat with the Charoda and leaving Aela with a bewildered look upon her face. In the past, she had told the teen Inartan that her nick name was fish girl...but Aela had no idea....

[Sira]

Sira had moved to the front of the crowd to act as a guardian and keep the Valintar, and Iosha, safe.. from the fish creatures, that is. She never thought, even in the slightest, that someone from her own party would do something so.. so stupid, and dangerous. When Eilea moved up to stand beside Iosha, Sira assumed it was for a good reason. Perhaps she knew what the creatures were, or she could speak their language? Perhaps she was there to help? But no.. that was not the case at all.

Instead of doing something useful, the strange Vantha moved toward the fish person, reached out with her finger and poked it in the arm, and then ran off screaming. Sira's eyes widened in shock. Why the petch did she do that!? What was she thinking!? So far the fish creatures had not been violent, but neither had they been poked and prodded and screamed at by any Inartan so far as Sira knew. Not wanting to leave Iosha's side, but knowing that she must, Sira quickly stammered out an apology to the fish.. things in common.

"I.. I don't know.. sorry. This is the Valintar," she motioned to the Valintar as he approached.

Sira quickly turned and stalked off after the Vantha, the expression on her face quickly causing the Inarta in her path to move out of the way as she came. Soon enough she found two foreigners, she could tell by their lack of red hair, laughing together. The girl was one of them, and Sira quickly walked up and grabbed her by the arm, turning her around and grabbing her other arm to hold her in place.

"What the petch did you think you were doing," she shouted in Nari, before thinking a bit and saying it again in common. "We don't know what those things are, or if they are peaceful, and you go and insult them by poking at them? If they attack us, it will be your fault!"