Closed (Flashback) Exploring the Filrian Bog (Adh)

[Irriari]

20th Day of Fall, 510 AV – Dusk

Irriari snarled as she tore at the jerky she had procured from a nearby village. One of the older residents had spoken about the Filrian bog that was located just off the road she had been travelling on for a few weeks. Many of the reagents in her poisoncrafting kit were starting to lose their potency. No matter how well she tried to uncork the tiny vials, occasionally her claws would inevitably get into the way and the glass would shatter. Without the airproof housing, many of the delicate herbs and plants would decay in the humid areas of the wildlands. If her logic was correct, Irriari mused that the bog plants would fare much better in all manner of conditions. If luck was with her, she could even try drying herbs in the sunlight like Sevrai had mentioned. While the specifics of the technique escaped her, Irriari pondered the thought while typing her quiver and pack to a high branch on a tree. From her vantage point in the air, she was able to appreciate the vastness of the bog. Her entire line of sight was filled with murky water that stank of rotting meat and stagnation. Plants, mushrooms and small creatures filled the bog with various shades of green and brown. Compared to the plains of Cyphrus, the bog moved at a sluggish pace, and even the creatures and birds surrounding the area were less lively than those she grew up seeing.

However, Irriari knew that the bog far more dangerous than it appeared. The village woman assured her that if she found herself idly relaxing in the bog, that it would be the last time she did so. At first, the zith laughed off the warnings as the superstitions of a frail human who worried too much. After flying over the bog, she was shocked to see the carnivorous plants and brightly colored mushrooms. During her flyover, she saw no apex predators- it seemed that the bog was exclusively the domain of a myriad of unique plants and trees. Irriari shivered as a gust rolled across the bog and rippled the fetid water. Insects buzzed angrily as she touched down at the edge of the water. The muddy earth engulfed the bottom of her feet and brackish water pooled above her claws. With a snarl, Irriari kicked her right foot upward and tried placing it again. She found that the second location she chose was even less stable, and her whole foot was soon covered in filth. Resigned, she sighed and bent down to examine a mushroom that she had nearly stepped on.



The mushroom had a broader base than most, though the stem was of uniform thickness all the way up the fungus. It was taller than most mushrooms that features such a small cap. The cap was glossy tan with a darker center that feathered to a light brown around the edges. Irriari touched the base of the fungus and was surprised by the pebbled texture. It was also far less dry than any mushroom she had ever felt in the caves or plains. Lastly, Irriari pulled the mushroom out of the ground and flipped it over. The gills below the cap were spaced close together and were in good condition. Sevrai’s voice echoed in her head “The gills of any mushroom can tell you a lot about the overall health of the fungus. If they’re hard or missing in places, you would want to search for another one”. Satisfied with her first find of the day, Irriari held onto the mushroom and gazed out towards the rest of the bog.

[Victorias]

Abiiet, a novice in the field of poisons wanted to get a bit more acquainted with the craft. She knew what she should have been looking for but something else caught her eye. A zith touching down, she didn't assume aggression was near but she watched. Taking into detail the shape and movements of the wings, the type of body with it and even the noises it made, all are details she etched into her mind. She'd never seen one before only heard rumors of the voracious hunters of the night that terrorized many of men.

She stood quiet however, there was no way that she was gonna give away he location until she got to observe a bit. It appeared to her anything that flies must not be too familiar with the ground, with her specimen touching down so close to the water where sinking was guaranteed. The plants offered good cover so long as she stood out of the teeth. She knew her blade was at her side, a small comfort. Abiiet stood in her crouching stance, studying the creature before her.

She was an oddly paranoid person. Not too much so, but she studies and watches like a hawk in case there be a pigeon or a lion before her. She wasn't too sure what to make of this one though. She picked up a pebble and bounced off of a tree in a far off direction. She wanted to keep it moving and study some more. She figured if it was safe she'd come out of hiding, if not it would be nice for dinner.

[Irriari]

Irriari closed her eyes and focused her hearing outward into the bog. Crickets, beetles and spiders skittered and buzzed loudly while plants swayed in the background. Occasionally, Irriari could heard the surface of the water being displaced as creatures entered the bogs murky water. What intrigued her most was the breathing of a mammal. If she strained, she could tell that the creature was close, however she couldn’t tell if it was a threat or not. Few humans strayed this far off the road, and even fewer were stupid enough to get so close to a zith. She snarled loudly, hoping to spook the creature out of the brush if it was a rabbit or rodent. The bushes stayed quiet.

Now, her interest was piqued and the zith looked around slowly, trying to take in any details that she may have missed during her flight over top of the bog. The fronds and plants all seemed to be in the correct positions, and none were trampled. After a few more chimes of listening to the surrounding area, Irriari was almost positive that a human was near. The animals that had startled from her entrance had calmed, which left very few options as to what mammal could be breathing.

Irriari pivoted on her heel and did her best to ignore how slow the once fluid process had become. The mud that clung to her foot hindered her progress greatly, but she eventually found herself staring at a large bunch of ferns. She slowly approached the busy, wary of whatever mad human would come this far into the wilds alone. After a few seconds, the sound she had had earlier intensified. Now, there was no doubt as to what kind of creature was making the noise.

With a laugh, Irriari pulled out her short bow and braced it. She placed an armor piercing arrow in the arrow rest and drew the arrow until it was slightly taut. She hadn’t bothered to poison any arrows before entering the swamp. The realization annoyed her now, but she stepped forward another few steps, confident that she could handle the situation without needing to waste her poison stock.

“You can come out of the bushes now, human, or I’ll take to the sky and pin you to the ground. Hell, I might do that anyways. I promise I’ll be kinder to your corpse if I see your face first, though.”
Irriari laughed again and bent her knees slighty, ready to take to the skies if the human proved to be a threat.