Squatters in the Tower(Private)

[Baku]

Small NoteWhile the adventure is starting at Sanctuary in Riverfall, much of it shall take place within the Grass Lands. Timestamp TBD The fall morning was a brisk one with a small wind as a fog rose from the Bluevein River and settled lightly over Riverfall in a whole, the white haze giving only a visibility of twenty feet away. Sanctuary was quiet itself, save for the simple idle sounds the animals would make upon awakening and the sound of the ocean waves crashing along the cliff side and washing along the beach shore not far off. Even the sounds of the city itself didn’t seem to stretch out so much this day, as the citizens kept things quelled as they were beginning preparations for the upcoming Winter season. The day seemed like it would be a peaceful and relaxing one for the inhabitants of Sanctuary, that it would pass with normal, day to day activities as they made their own preparations for the harsh, cold season ahead. Fate, Kismet, Luck or whatever one might call it, however, had other things in mind that day. The first hints came as a rattling, as if something large was being shifted back and forth in the distance, something wooden. The next sounds would become more familiar, as creeks and aches of wheels rolling along the ground, stressed slightly from the weight of it’s burden mixed in with the rattle. Next came the subtle gruffs and heavy stomps of animals. Before long, the animals could be seen, first in blurred haze of the fog, then in full view as four Nightstalker’s pulling, what soon came into view after, a medium sized wagon approaching the far hill that lead up to Sanctuary. At the front seat and reigns of the wagon itself, sat a small figure, a thick blanket draped over his frame to shelter them from the colder airs being carried up from the ocean waters. Only small withered hands could be seen of the individual’s initial appearance. As the wagon came up to Sanctuary’s front entrance, it was soon brought to a slow stop before the driver reach out, pushing a leaver forward to apply the brakes to the wheels, keeping it from rolling away and giving the horses a small break. The small, aged hands then slowly reached up, grasping the edge of the blanket lightly before pulling it back as it slipped down the driver’s back, revealing a older human male, looking to be in about his late fifties to early sixties in age. His body was small, and as he turned slightly to climb down off the wagon, his hands shook just ever so slightly as he reached out to grab the edges of the wagon for support. A light thud along the ground brought an exhaled grunt from the elderly man, and once he was finally at ground level, his short stature was finally revealed as he barely stood at 4’ 2” tall, even shorter due to a small hunch he had in his stance. He wear a long, thick brown jacket, the material looking to be wool, and along the surface of that jacket was lined several pockets, larger than his hands, which stretched from the top of his shoulder down to just below his waist, with two rows of pockets lining each sleeve as well. His face dropped slightly, his skin just a shade darker than pale white. Dark green eyes peered out through narrowed eyes at Sanctuary’s exterior, a slight smile appearing on his narrow lips. His hair was grey in some parts, and white in other areas as age had forced the color from his once dark brown hair. His hand slowly reached up, running lightly over a thick, gray mustache before moving further own to stroke the long strands of whiskers that made up the thinning beard that covered his chin. A slow nod was finally given before short, almost dragged steps began carrying him towards Sanctuary’s front entrance. His left hand reached up, barely able to reach up enough to pat the sides of the large black horses that pulled his wagon. As he gave soft mutters of affection, each of the Nightwalkers lowered their head for him to rub their brow as he passed. He continued to walk, the short distance the elderly human close to three chimes to walk before finally reaching the front door. His hand slowly reached up then, giving a shaky ring to the bell to announce his presence before giving a soft, “Hello?” in an almost squeaky, cracked voice.

[Kavala]

Kavala was in the clinic chopping dried herbs to store them for the winter. It was fall now, in Riverfall, and soon the snows would destroy the remainder of her medical garden - all save the hardiest of plants that thrived even beneath the snow. So she dried herbs, storing them away for medicines she'd need in the winter. The entire storage area was full of them - fennel, feverfew, woundease - all hanging upside down drying. Rose hips were collected and stored dried in amber tinted bottles. Some herbs she combined because she used them so frequently that she needed the mixtures immediately. They stored better that way as well. Others she left as whole leaves, stems, flower petals, or even ran them through her distiller to get essence or essential oil from the parts. Oil kept months or even years. Dried things could loose their potency. It just depending on the plant, the conditions, and how they were stored.

Healers knew this. Especially herbalists.

That was what she was doing with a batch of peppermint currently. It was bubbling nicely on the still condensing from a watery soupy mess to an essential oil through evaporation. She kept an eye on it as she chopped up dandelion leaves and stems which were going to be her next batch. The dandelion was good for the stomach and soothing its upsets. It also increased bloodflow. The peppermint was always made into soothing lotions that increased circulation and smoothed even the roughest feet or paw pads. But she needed the oil not the plants. So she had her peppermint going, dandelions ready for the next batch, and all the rest hanging to dry.

Taking a bit of the essential oil she was creating, she use a firewick and melted a bit of beeswax and comfrey together. Then she added four drops of peppermint oil, mixed, and poured the mixture into a small hand tins she had lined up along the counter. The mixture cooled, forming a waxy substance that could be rubbed on the lips to keep them from chapping in the winter. The tins would be for sale or gifted to staff to keep them going until the weather warmed again.

It was right in the middle of this process that Kavala heard the bell chime on the front door and a cracked voice call out hello. She wiped her hands on a cloth, set her work aside, and moved out of the philtering lab and into the waiting room area so she could greet the gentleman.

"Greetings. I'm Kavala. How can I be of assistance to you?" She asked with a smile, glancing carefully around him looking for an animal or something that might be wounded that he was bringing in.

[Akela]

As Kavala moved to answer the door, her sister Akela was mopping the floor in the waiting room, white hair tied back with no sense of fashion whatsoever and sword dangling at her side. She was humming some sort of tavern ballad that was popular around Riverfall, and while she was barely mouthing the words, it dealt with topics not exactly ladylike. As a matter of fact, the protagonist was an Akalak who'd left Riverfall on a sacred quest around the world to save his dwindling race. One bed at a time. None of which being his.

Akela knew better than to answer the door on behalf of Kavala. It always created a lot of confusion when they mistook her for her sister and she had to tell them to stop because she had no idea what they were talking about with their fancy medical jargon. Plus, Kavala was a Nakivak and some lines tended to get blurry with these things. Better not to feed the misunderstanding if she could help it. She was just the slave here - part-time slave, yes, selective slave, yes, but still just her sister's slave.

The girl blinked and found herself gripping the mop with both hands, blade-like. Old habits die hard, or just her quasi-Sight intuition calling trouble on the newest visitor to the Sanctuary? The Konti frowned and resumed her work, nodding slowly as the old man came into view. Curious, for someone this old and frail to have come here alone. She kept a listening ear but would not intrude on the conversation unless asked to.

[Ora Sa'vina]

It had been a long few days, and Ora had decided to take the time off of her normal work. Her shoulder was still sore from the bolt that had invaded her being many days ago, the wound had long since healed, but a small pain lingered from time to time. The young woman only sighed slightly as she bathed in hot water within her large room at the resort. The hot water eased her sore joints and muscles, even with the past injuries they did not keep her from her dance classes.

After the woman's hot bath was done she dressed herself, hiding under her thick cloak. Ora had intended to spend her day about the city, only deciding during her bath that she would visit Kavala. The older Konti was a woman Ora appreciated the company of, Kavala was kind, loving, and in many ways, like Ora's Mother. Ora had not seeing the healer Nakivak for quite a while, and great desired the company of another Konti.

The young woman left the resort after a short breakfast and began her trek back into the city, towards the Sanctuary. Violet eyes seemed on guard, fidgety, her Mother's Suvai rested at her sides. Even though Ora was pitiful with the weapons that rested along her hips, she would not just roll over and take another bolt to her arm. The Konti's eyes seemed to avoid the people around her, sticking mostly to the ground and area around her.

It took a decent amount of time for Ora to reach the sanctuary, only to find a large cart with four horses pulling the load. The Konti looked around for the carts owner, but came up blank until the small woman moved around the cart to find a old man even smaller than her, the top of his head wouldn't even reach her chin! Was he human? Was he a different race? The Konti stood back, watching the man as he knocked and said "Hello."

A familiar face appeared at the door and Ora could not help by smile at Kavala. She looked as lovely as ever, greeting the man kindly with her loving and soothing voice. Ora took a few steps forward and waved slightly at the woman, her other hand moving the hood from her cloak back onto her shoulders. "Good morning, Sir, Kavala." The young woman bowed her head to both of the individuals before her.

[Baku]

The short old man gave a warm smile to Kavala as she opened the door and introduced herself, looking around for moment as if to find something. He then looked as if he were about to reply before the greeting from Ora from behind caused his eyes to go as wide and his mouth to gape open as if seeing a ghost. His frame raised slightly on his toes, and leaned forward a quick moment as if he were about to faint from fright, his muscles tensing up for a moment. His head slowly turned, looking to Ora suddenly standing behind him. “Oh, oh, young miss.” the old man said in his squeaking voice and giving a lighthearted chuckle as a shaky hand reached out, patting her shoulder. “You gave an old man quite a fright.” The old man then let his gaze slowly travel back Kavala, that bright smile still on his face as he took a moment of silence, his hand slipping over the area of his heart as he took a couple of slow breaths to calm his nerves. He cleared his throat for a moment, before giving a slow bow to the proprietor of Sanctuary. “A good morning to you, Miss Kavala.” He then said, raising his head again as he brought his gaze to meet her own. A warm feeling and almost uplifting sensation seemed to radiate from his very presence, almost brightening both Kavala’s and Ora’s spirits, giving them the sense that today would be a good day. Even Akela, still within Sanctuary proper as she cleaned, could feel a slight sense of well being. “My name is Ojji San Donkar.” His hands came to grasp each other in front of him, his stance and presence neutral, but proper and respectful, suggesting someone who’s been in front of many people both of moderate influence to none at all. “While I have brought you no animals for your, from the reputation I have heard around here, exceptional skills to mend,” Ojji began to explain, motioning outwardly to show his words true before turning back to Kavala again, “but all the same, I was hoping if you would allow me a bit of your time, and hear this old man’s proposition?”

[Kavala]

The konti smiled, the visitors demeanor infectious, as she quickly assured him she hadn't meant to frighten him. "My apolgies! I'm used to rushing the door because it is often the case that something in pain or bleeding out is on the other side. It is a pleasant surprise to see that is not the case today." She said, her focus going for a moment towards the team hitched to the wagon at the foot of the circular drive. The horses seemed fine and there was no lingering aura of pain or worry from any of the animals she could sense around the facility. No... Ojji had definitely come for something but it wasn't for immediate healing. Kavala paused, glanced back at Akela, and then noticed a second person at the door.

"Ora, come in. Ojji San Donkar, this is my sister Akela and a friend of mine Ora." She said introducing the elderly man to the other two konti present. The healer ushered the elderly man in through the waiting room, one of the exam rooms, and out onto the veranda where she beckoned him to have a seat. The veranda was the heart of Sanctuary and its meeting spot. Even the waiting room was tiny in comparison. It was really the only place to sit other than one of the exam rooms or one of the stools in the workshops or what passed for her office - and it was expansive enough for them all to be comfortable for the duration of the man's visit. "Of course we have time to hear your proposition. Would you like some tea?" She asked politely, more than willing to put a kettle on for all of them.

Kavala spoke calmly, sincerely, without seeming to get into a hurry or rush the man. She knew the older a person grew, the less and less being in a hurry meant to them. So she gave Ojji a great deal of time to get settled before she settled herself, kettle already sung back over the firest burning in the hearth.

[Ora Sa'vina]

The young Konti smiled at Kavala, bowing her head slightly to the woman Ora would happily call a friend. Her attention shifted though, to the small man before her, a soft smile crossing her face as she bowed her head to him as well. “I am sorry, I did not mean to startle you. I am Ora.” Violet eyes shifted from the small, elderly man before her to the Konti inside of the Sanctuary. Ora had heard of Akela before, but this would be the first time the two Konti would meet. ”It is a pleasure, Akela.” The woman said softly in her native tongue. Ora followed both Ojji and Kavala through various rooms of the sanctuary out onto the veranda, exposing a beautiful view, of which left the young Konti breathless. Violet eyes stared out over the sea, even with it being so close, she still felt it call to her. The young Konti settled herself among the others on the veranda, her eyes continued to observe the sights before her. Her attention shifted once Kavala spoke softly and kindly to Ojji. Violet eyes moved from the horizon line over to the old, wrinkled man. A complacent expression rested on her face as she contently waited to hear what the fellow wished of Kavala. Ora had wandered to the sanctuary that morning for no particular reason, she had become quite delighted with the company of Kavala, another Konti was such a delight to the young one, even if her Kontinese held a thick Pavi accent.

[Raiha]

Raiha stared at the empty clay bowl in front of her, letting out a slow breath. Practicing on the veranda had been an almost outrageous suggestion from Kanikra. Raiha had thought to practice it in the mews – out of everyone’s way, really – but the birds, with her understanding of ideas that they wanted, were a particular distraction. Uzima would want to know what was going on, and then all of them would want to know. Raiha, to be honest, wasn’t sure how quite to explain the art of Reimancy to raptors. But while there were still distractions on the veranda, they were distractions she had better get used to, because they weren’t going away, and there would be more. Once she got better at it… then she could deal with the unique disturbance her beloved birds created.

She took a deep breath, still holding the bowl, and closed her eyes, focusing on her Djed and bringing it to her eyes so she could see through Auristics. There was something inherently fascinating, Raiha felt, at watching the transmutation of Djed to Res. In a lot of ways, it was like being in a different world – she could see her own aura combined with the bowl she held, and the table she was sitting at… breathe, she stopped her thoughts and letting the excess drain out, leaving her to focus on the job at hand. She gathered the wellspring inside of her, and began the conscious effort of turning her essence to the Res she needed to form water. As she watched, the substance began to ooze from the skin of her arms with almost the consistency of syrup. Her water wasn’t very fluid, not yet, anyway, and she released the bowl, holding her hands just above it. She bit her lip with concentration, guiding the Res into her hands. That… that was enough, wasn’t it? A little more continued to leak out, the light drops rolling down her skin to her hands as Raiha held her breath and lowered her hands to the bottom of the bowl before putting the substance through its final transformation. With a fine-tuning control lacking, the Res gushed and swirled within the bowl, losing its viscosity as it became water, clear and clean in the clay bowl and on the table and over her skin. Raiha breathed at last, and lifted her hands from the bowl, shaking them a little to try to keep as much of the water as she could in there.

Well, she allowed herself a tiny bit of satisfaction, that wasn’t too bad. And it was fascinating to see each step of the process, watching as Djed became Res, which in turn became water. It was simply water – and she could only control it now as she would any other body of water, with her bare hands and moving the bowl. Instead, she grasped it, and sipped from it. She wouldn’t get all of her Djed back from it, not by a long shot, but some was better than none. That, she had to admit to herself, was one of the reasons she had chosen to study water as her first element of the four. The other reason was that by studying water, she could learn to be more like it – Hatot and Radris had told her before that she needed to be far more fluid in combat than she was. She drained the bowl of its contents slowly before setting it down, feeling refreshed, with only the lingering wetness to show that there had been anything in the bowl recently. Now she would try it again.

She was on her third attempt when she thought she heard footsteps, and made the decision to continue anyway – she was halfway done. Maybe they were going elsewhere. The arrival of the others broke her concentration as she looked up at the sound of voices. The tenuous hold she had over her control snapped, and the translucent, baby blue Res gushed, flowing out of her skin and spilling out of the bowl with such a force that the Akontak was thoroughly soaked. She spluttered and shook her head to clear the water that had gone up her nose and blinked, glaring at the bowl and looking quite comical at the same time. Her thick white hair was plastered to her shoulders, and water dripped down her nose as she blinked it out of her eyes. She swallowed roughly before speaking to clear the water that had gotten in her mouth. “I’m sorry for the mess,” the tall girl grabbed the towel that she had been using to mop up spills and wiped down the table quickly, looking a trifle guilty. Once the table was dried, she got up to grab the mop she had positioned nearby so she could get the water off of the floor. Gold eyes swept over Kavala, Akela, Ora, and Ojji, and she smiled faintly as she took in their auras, watching the colours of each blend and intersect. “Should I leave the four of you?” They had company, after all, and she wasn’t sure what all was going on, or if her presence was even appropriate.

[Baku]

Ojji followed behind Kavala as she led him into Sanctuary, his gaze traveling over the interior of the building in admiration of both it’s design and purpose. A warming smile and soft nod was given to Akela as the approached. “If you would be so kind as to join us as well young miss.” Ojji then requested of the twin sister, his hands cupping together in front of him as they made their way to the Veranda. “Oh, yes. Some tea would be excellent.” Ojji said in reply to Kavala’s offering. “Thank you very much.” As they stepped out into the Veranda, Ojji took a slow deep breath, inhaling the fresh scent of the ocean air as he felt a cool Autumn breeze caress his face. His attentions were then captured by the sound of waters dropping over the young Akontak already out there. A smile crossed his features then, but not one of amusement. It was a look of appreciation for the practice that she took. When she walked up, offering apologies and began to clean up, Ojji shook his head slightly. “No apologies necessary to me, a little water never hurt anything.” Ojji said slowly stepping around the chair for a moment, his hands resting along the backrest. When Raiha’s magic fueled gaze fell over Ojji, she saw within his aura something rare in the lands, even more rare among humans. It was a sense of kindness, of joy. It was warm and inviting, as though every fiber of his being was could wrap around her like a warm blanket and let her feel at ease, as though everything would be okay. Ojji slowly shook his head when Raiha asked if she should excuse herself. “No, please stay if you would, the more that could possibly become involved on what I have to propose, the merrier.” Ojji said as he sat himself down, resting his hands along the table. When things had began to settle and all eyes were resting on him, another soft smile spread along his lips. “Oh, this almost feels like I have grandchildren, and they’re all gathering to hear a story.” He fell silent for a moment as a look of wondering crossed his features, his age shining through as slight senility caused him to lose track of the moment for his flights of imagination. His head soon shook though, as he was brought back to the moment, and he looked over each of them again. Their attentive eyes, however, caused a relapse of his warming wonderment though, causing him to imagine scenes of himself in a rocking chair as children gathered around, listening to tales of his past. Finally, Ojji shook his head, a little look of embarrassment crossing his features as he cleared his throat. “Well then, before I go into specifics of what I have to propose, I suppose I should tell you a little bit about myself.” Ojji said as he laced his fingers together in front of him as his arms rested along the table. “I am a traveler for the most part, with a small amount of skill in construction of various buildings. Your own home here is actually quite nice. That second level was built not too long again if I’m not mistaken.” Ojji then slowly looked around, observing the work done to Sanctuary for a short moment. His eyes then slowly settled back to the group, one hand slowly reaching up to a pocket that rested along the sleeve of his overcoat. “My primary trade, however,” Ojji said as he opened the pocket and pulled out a small stack of parchments, laying them along the table, “is Glyphing. I would not attempt to brag about my level of ability in such an art, but suffice to say, that in my travels that has spanned over the course of several decades, I’ve been making Glyphs and storing spells for many mages across the lands. Some of them still sane, others…….. “ Ojji raised his hand, holding it flat in the air before wincing slightly and turning his hand back and forth, “not so much.” “My payment for my services has generally always been a spell or divine power stored into Glyph for myself.” Ojji explained, resting his hand along the small stack of papers. “For your payment in helping me with a small endeavor I have planned, I will offer you some of these scrolls in return, the ability to learn of such practices during our travels, or if any of you wish to forego those two, a monetary payment. They are rewards which are worth much, but I don’t speak of myself first and offer payments as a means to entice you, merely express my desire of the importance of my task. Which I will go into in a bit. First, however, if you have any questions for me you would like to know answers to, that way we can gain a level of familiarity and trust, please bring them forward now. I feel that if you don’t have either with someone you’re traveling with, then propositions and possible journeys will be doom to fail before they even begin.” Ojji then slowly brought his hands together again, letting his arms rest along the table as he waited for any comments or questions the ladies had for him.

[Akela]

The situation, Akela surmised, seemed unique enough to warrant a break in the housework. The Konti propped the wooden mop and stretched her neck left and right, stepping out with a nod as Kavala made the introductions to the old man. Right there and then, a Konti joined them who seemed familiar with her sister - Ora was her name. Akela was long past being surprised at Kavala's ability to make a friend out of practically any person in the world. Sanctuary's population was a fluctuating crowd of people somehow connected to the healer.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ora," she said in response. The sight of Raiha practicing her witchcraft on the veranda made the Konti wonder if they shouldn't perhaps change Sanctuary's name to Little Mura. The women in white sure had monopolized this corner of land next to the abode of the dark men. She noticed Raiha drinking the very water she had conjured, and then losing her focus in a single moment of fiasco. "Are you sure it's really okay to… drink that stuff?" It sounded dangerously close to the idea of drinking your own urine, which her father had told her to in case she found herself desperate for fluids, but it wasn't something Akela was keen on trying anything soon.

The girl grabbed a chair and seated herself with both elbows thrown back in utter relaxation as Ojji began explaining himself. Akela might not be the sharpest sword in the rack, but she possessed a very effective survival instinct that rang like a bell whenever someone mentioned certain things. Unspecified tasks were one, ample rewards were another. Ample rewards of a magical nature, even more so. Akela never really understood magic, except possibly the divine mojo powering her gnosis mark - and even that still surprised her from time to time. She recognized that magic existed and did stuff, and was more than happy to leave it alone; she only asked that it leave her alone in return. As for money, it was something that made a lot of things easier, but Akela had far too inconstant a disposition to hoard it like a worker ant. Besides, that's what Kavala was for.

Now, an opportunity to slice some heads off was a Reward worth a capital R!

"I have a question!" Akela said, beaming, and raised her hand - her left hand, for the right one was never too far from her sword - as she questioned the old man. "There is a village over there that's filled to the brim with blue dudes possessing arguably almost any skill imaginable - why are you asking us instead of them? What do we have that they don't… except breasts, that is?" Next to the prim proper and very verbose Ojji, Akela sounded like a fork in an eye. Thankfully, she seemed to be in the more cheerful swings of her sort-of bipolar personality. One would hope she would remain so even after hearing Ojji's proposition.