(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role play forum. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)
Taloba, home to the Myrians, is the thriving core of Falyndar. Inhabited by a fierce and savage tribe where blood sacrifices are normal and a way of life, they are untamed and proud of it. Warlike, and with their numbers growing, the Myrians are set on reclaiming what is rightfully theirs. [Lore]
Before the massive Djed storm that had wreaked havoc on Mizahar like a miniature Valterrian, the Butterfly Forest was just a simple park in Taloba, located fairly centrally. It served as a “roosting” and breeding ground for numerous brightly-coloured insects of all kinds, and many parrots and other creatures also called it home and nest. For the Myrians, it was a fairly quiet place that allowed young families peace and quiet and a safe place to introduce small toddlers and infants to the dense foliage around them. It was also a place to start teaching the little ones tracking.
Now it has mutated. Doubling in thickness and density, it has become more of a maze and thicket. Though the mighty Tskanna are finding it abundant in kudzu vines that they love, thinning it out again will be no small task. The insects in it have also changed, particularly the beautiful Skywings, named for their blue coloring and considerable size - they are now as large as the macaws that nest in there. The Myrians have found that if fed certain types of nectar, their blue wings will not only change color, but glow in the dark, casting many strange lights over the capital of the region when the sun goes down.
As much as the city and jungle itself are shrines to Caiyha, not to mention the alcove at the temple, the Butterfly Forest also serves as a chief meeting place amongst those marked by Caiyha. What better temple than the untarnished wilds? The grove is chiefly tended to a priestess of Caiyha, who claimed her home in there, open though it is, in the trees.
In the middle of the wildwood is a massive cluster of beehives filled to the brim with the big jungle bees. Here, without Brynja or another witch, caution is advised.
The NPCs
Secret :
Brynja of the Lost Grove: Apiarist, Witch Brynja, while Svefra, has earned the respect of the Myrians she lives among. When she was small, her pod ventured in land in order to resupply with fresh water, and it proved a fatal error. Only six at the time, Brynja failed to make it back to the safety of the water, and found herself snagged in a vine contraption. The only thing that saved her life was Caiyha’s gnosis mark on her arm. That mark convinced Zykimdra of the Lost Grove, the commanding officer of the fang who had led the assault, to take the girl in, much against the child’s protests.
Now a denizen of the jungle for two decades, Brynja bears three marks from Caiyha and the family tattoos of the Lost Grove. She completed the Myrian coming of age at 17 to earn it, and gradually took over looking after the grove after her three years as a scout in the army. Her home can be found in it, as natural as the trees itself, meant to deflect the torrential rains of the Summer season. She is not tall by Myrian standards, but she is wiry. Her sun-bleached bronw hair is usually left loose and in proper Myrian (and Svefran) fashion, adorned with all sorts of things, much to the delight of her animalistic companions, including Tualang, a sloth.
It was a hot, dry evening, rather unusual for a normally damp jungle. Off in the distance, clouds threatened to move in with the final rains. Brynja was suspicious of the storm. Something just didn’t feel right. Just as the thought crossed her mind, the sky flashed as a streak of lightening dove for the earth. In the heavens, a little rain that had been unable to make it to the ground caused a reaction and spat death and destruction down onto the land.
Fire rose up from the heart of the Butterfly Forest, catching first the beehives and then a few small overhangs that were used for shade. The flames reached up, leaping into the canopy to further spread. As a witch of the jungle, she dove back into her home in efforts to stop the chaos. Even with all her help, the fires ended up encircling her and a few other Caiyha worshipers. They perished in the fires on the 9th when they were unable to control the fires.
Fires from the Butterfly Forest spread to surrounding locations, setting off a large issue within Taloba.
