Group Alpha: Druid's Quest (Hybrid, Solora, Reina, Cresco)

[DukeWolfRein]

(Quest Threads are for short term or long term quests between a group of characters. Each Quest Thread must have a Quest Master which usually falls to the Player creating the Quest or the Higher Level character. Providing Backstory as to how the Character or Characters got together is completely up to the Players to explain in the first post or as the story progresses. The Quest Thread ends when the Quest Ends. All Quests must be finished.)

Setting: Border between Ghrithalla and The Peaks. In a forest clearing.




Within the border between the Forest of Ghrithalla and the snowy Mountains of The Peaks, there is a clearing. A fire burnt lively inside of this clearing, and as the moon traveled across the night sky, the group of adventurers around the fire spoke softly of the Quest they had found themselves in. Reina, a Druid Elf, sat cross-legged on the forest floor. Her green eyes stared into the fire and moved to her companions. There was Cresco, a Mechanomicon they had come upon earlier that day, Hybrid, a Harpy with little to say, and Solora, a Human who seemed to have been lost in the Woods and the newest member of their party. The Elf took her staff and sighed. She wasn't used to the company, especially a varied group as this one. She stood up slowly and cleared her throat. There was a moment of silence before she nodded at the others.

"The road from here on in will be difficult as we are crossing through Orc territory, perhaps because of our Harpy friend here they might let us through without too much trouble, but I highly doubt it. The presence of Cresco might be detrimental, but I know of a road through the Mountains that should keep a safe distance between us and any Orc settlements." The Elf paused for a second, her mind drifting slowly to find her eyes looking through those of a deer not too far away from their position. The sound of moving armor and feet reached the Deer's ears, and hers. "Whatever our road, we must get to Shashallah and find the Theysilon soldiers responsible for the slaughter of the Drows not too far from here. With our combined efforts we should be able to find them quickly enough."

Reina's gaze shifted once more to the fire. She remembered stumbling upon the Harpy, hunting down the side of the Mountains. Friendly at first she had approached Hybrid and offered her some gold as a way to find the path that would take her into Ghrithalla. As their exchange went on, the Harpy had written her name on the soft ground and introduced herself. Shortly after they had set off to find the path into Ghrithalla only to find Cresco outside of the forest, and before Hybrid, who was about to pounce the Mechanomicon, could do anything there was a scream and Reina rushed to it, only to find a family of Drows, gatherers by the looks of them, sprawled on the Forest floor, blood staining the ground. Most of them were dead, but the one who lived called to Reina for help.

As the Druid approached the dying Drow she noticed the other two joining her and held the Drow closely "Theysilon soldiers...we did nothing..." Reina's jaw clenched and she nodded "Rest easy my Dark Brother, I will find the ones responsible for this." The Drow nodded and looked at Hybrid and Cresco "Will your....friends be...there?" Reina had looked up for their response.

Now they stood here, on the same spot, but a fire made. The buried bodies of the Drow stood a distance away from them in the clearing. The Elf looked back up at her companions "I do not ask you to come along, but I do not think we should stand for such an injustice as this. We cannot,as witnesses, allow their deaths to go without Justice." She looked at Solora, just with them for a few hours. The Human had come upon them as they were moving the bodies to be buried. Reina had spoken to her at length, and it seemed that she had gotten lost in Ghrithalla and also sought out safe passage, which she offered her. An escort mission for her, but with her current Quest at hand she could only ask Solora to follow her, promising to keep her safe in their endeavors.

[darkpigeon]

Just after they had buried the corpses of the drow Hybrid took it upon herself to provide the group with a meal. Her small hut in the top of the tree's was to small for the entire group to rest in so she had made a small fire and cooked a nice fat rabbit above the fire. The smell of fresh rosemary and some lime that was spread evenly over the meat filled their noses with the their sweet smell and made every single stomach hunger for the food that was almost done. This was her way of showing her good will towards them though she kept her eyes open and ears perked as she looked at the human female and the large Mechanomicon who she did not trus entirely. As she heard the deer move she ruffled her feathers and dug her talons deep in the ground, fearful that it was something else until she saw the innocent creature. It would have been a good hunt to take this particular deer down, but now there were more important matters at hand and she needed to attend to these Theysilon scum first.

She looked at the elf who spoke, she did not know entirely herself what would happen if she was to bring them close to the orcs. She could trade some of the high end skinns she had as payment. Though she knew that orcs were fine hunters themselves, and they cared little for the problems of others. Although, if it was about the theysilon they would properly even carry this small group of hero's on their backs like humans would ride horses. And bring them towards the Theysilon soldiers that had killed the drow. But with the elf and human in their group, and the Theysilon steel can of trapped soul she was pretty sure they would kill them outright and give Hybrid a good beating for bringing them so close to their settlement in the first place.

The Harpy and Orc's would occasionally trade supplies and she knew a few by name. There was the very articulate orc that loved books who was always in for a good deal. Whenever the harpy's raided a caravan and found anything usefull for the orcs they would trade with no questions asked. The orc Graham always loved it when they handed him some books, and he was more than willing to trade for small enough weapons for the Harpy to carry or any fabrics or vegetables that the harpy's could not produce themselves. She knew that she herself .. alone could easily get passed the orcs, and get their help to bring down the Theysilon when needed.

So no, they had to go around and stay away from the orcs. They would dismantle the Mechanomicon and kill both the elf and Human that much was clear. As the rabbit was almost done she took it from the fire and gave it a last bit of lemon juice and placed it back. She did not have enough plates to go around. But with the Mechanomicon not eating, and her being quite capable of eating out of her hands she already had reserved them for both Reina and Solora. She looked at the elf and gently scraped her throat to make clear she wanted to say something. She made the universal sign with her hand to go around by making a wide gesture with her hands and showed her a pleasant smile as if it was to say that it would be the best idea, and the less painful one at that.

[vernes]

His face exposed while among those who met him this day, Cresco gazed darkly at the graves of the Drow.
"I am new to this life. Many things are still new to me. I have never seen people with these unique parameters. To meet them without a soul has robbed me of meeting them truly." 
"My uncle has expressed the importance of being an influence of good, even while bad things cascade into your life."
"Actions of good radiate outwards like a thaumatic signal, permeating to those around you. There's a principle that serves as a gr...", Cresco halts for a moment to notice expressions around him.
"Your expressions indicate puzzlement, slight frustration and some slightly negative judgement, I summarize I unawarely started a longwinded explanation about the principle behind being a force of good."
Pulling his hood a bit further over his face he concludes "I apologize".

"I will join your group if you allow me, for multiple reasons, a chance to bring justice for these people being one of them."
"It is a most optimal decision."

Absentmindedly Cresco watched how Hybrid cared for the roast while occasionally shooting glances in his direction.

[DukeWolfRein]

Reina nodded and grabbed the plate that Hybrid handed her, her eyes shifting from the Harpy to the Mechanomicon as he spoke "Your words do little to annoy me Mechanomicon. However, I doubt you're with the Theysilon. You don't bear their mark." she bit into her rabbit and nodded "Now that we have a group, our best chance would be to try and skirt around the mountains completely and take to the shores of the Osrean Sea that run the length of The Peaks for now. It might add a day or two to our travels, but the Orcs will stay away from us, and any Drows we find will probably be indifferent to our existence."

The Elf bit once more into her rabbit. She admired the Harpy's cooking, the rabbit was Delicious. She felt that as a Druid it was her place to try and protect the creatures of the world, however she also knew that there was a balance to the world, and that included the hunting of creatures who served as prey. If the rabbits were to overpopulate than the fields would become barren from their overeating. Too many rabbits and their predators would also overfeed. It was balance that Nature dictated, and she saw no harm to Nature in what the Harpy did. She nodded at Hybrid and watched as Solora slept, the Human not yet used to the ways of the Forest.

"There is a path not far from here that will lead us to the Osrean Sea. From there we can go on until the Undine Town of Nillen by the Shore and restock whatever we need to restock. I'm low on supplies as is, but I think we have enough to make the trip to the Undine. We set off tomorrow. Now we need someone to keep watch for the night. Tomorrow will be an eventful day. Let's not hasten it by being attacked prematurely."

[vernes]

Grateful of how fast his unrequested explanation was set aside, Cresco almost missed the unasked request.
The answer was rather obvious, and trying to delve in his knowledge in social interactions his 'parents' had to educate him he was however unable to discover a meaning behind not asking him directly.
Making a mental note to look into this at a later time, Cresco slowly raised his hand.
"I believe I am well suited to keep an eye out during the night, I believe this to be a logic choice."
Starting to lower his hand he quickly raises it but raising his index-finger as if he suddenly realized something.

"I feel I should introduce myself since this is often the protocol or so I learned. Handshaking however seem to be more at home under more officious circumstances or a more familiar one."
"Although I think my unique physiology makes it unlikely even under those conditions."
"I am Cresco, my mother thinks it's an insightful name."

Looking around at the others he tries to read their expressions, but unable to reach an conclusion he insteads asks "So, how can I call you?"

[darkpigeon]

With the rabbit cut-up into large pieces Hybrid shared it between her and the elf. With the human asleep and the steel man not getting anything, both she and the elf were to have a good meal that evening. Hybrid was feeling slightly nervous as she handed over the plate, it had been a long time ago that she had cooked for someone that was not an Harpy and she hoped that Reina would liked their cooking.

Being born in captivity the harpy's had to learn to fend for themselves when the escaped the brutal slaughter caused by their creators. Only an hand full of the Harpy's truly had made it to the outside world. To only find that it was as cruel and unforgiving as the dwarves themselves. Having to learn to survive in the harsh conditions of the highest peaks they had to teach themselves almost everything. Cooking was one of these difficult skills, and it had been rather dull until one of the captured men had teached them to cook a good meal and even how to preserve food. He truly had showed his value to the flock and had lived a rather long and good life being surrounded by women who wanted to breed with him. Men just like him were treated like much beloved pets, and lived a well pampered life between the harpy's. Edgar had lived centuries ago, but she could still remember him quite well and she had been quite fond of him. The way that she had cooked this rabbit was his recipe and she used it as much as she could. It brought back good memories, memories of how she and some of the other first born had survived and had thrived very well on top of the mountain that they called home. She ruffled her feathers and relaxed as she took her own first bite, the juice of the meat dripped over her chin and she messily wiped it away before taking yet another bite of it while keeping an eye on the dangerous Mechanomicon sitting to close for comfort. He spoke so strangely, so very .... she huffed, she did not like how he sounded as if he found himself better than all of them and she did not like him in any sort of way. He was made from magic, properly by humans or dwarves and that truly poked her in all the wrong places. But since he had not shown to be hostile she had to give that piece of metal a change... and she did not like it.

Cresco.. what kind of name was that? she snorted and pushed her large wings firmly against her body as he asked for their names. She was not big on talking, she did not like the sound of her own voice and somehow it scared her. She had showed it to the elf in writing, she had learned to write her own name and nothing but that. The orc called Graham had taught her this in exchange for some quality leather he needed. She had been very happy about it, now she could show her name to everyone she met that could read!! the downside however was that hardly anyone could read, and she felt like she had payed way to much skins for this rather useless skill. She looked at the elf, she was not expecting Reina to speak her name for her so she gathered all her strength and bravery to say it at least one time.

She failed, all she did was letting out a sound that was a mixture between an hungry bear and a screaming bunny. She ruffled her feathers and folded her wings over her head into a makeshift shelter and muttered angrily at herself as she knew that she had not said her name in the proper common tongue. She refused to try again and instead angrily opened her wings against and walked a few feet closer to the Mechanomicon and wrote 'hybrid' in the sand. She snarled at him for making her do this and backed away to her plate full of rabbit meat and started eating again. 

[Deleted]

    I had been quiet most of the night – ever since I had stumbled upon the group of adventurers I currently was accompanying. I most definitely had not been planning on joining a quest when I had left my home in the midst of the Ghrithalla forest early this morning, but the circumstances had not given me much of a choice. I had been travelling east towards Herrtikuk when I had stumbled upon this ragtag group, in my human guise no less. I am ashamed to admit that I let them sneak up on me, spotting me before I could let my enchantments fall. I knew not many humans ventured this way, so what else could I do but pretend to be lost? I didn’t want to raise any unwanted suspicion, so I accepted the druid’s offer to escort me. As soon as we set up camp, I feigned sleep in order to think and meditate without interruption.

    This is where I came upon a problem I had not realized before I rashly accepted the offer of escort. Normally I let my disguise dissipate while I slept in order to renew my mana, however, I cannot risk any of the strangers’ discovery of my true form as an elf, for the consequences for my actions were too great, lest one of my kind find out. I knew the harpy would not care, but this mechanomicon did not seem able to keep his mouth shut, and as for the drow, I do not know how she would react.

    With this thought in my mind, I decided that I could do not but keep my enchantments up during the night and hope it would not drain me too much.

    Suddenly, I heard a screech. With my problem mostly resolved, I sat up and yawned, wondering as to what was going on. However, all I saw was the harpy scratching the word “hybrid” into the soft dirt. Confused, I looked around at my company and spoke.

    “I heard a screech. I trust there is no danger?”

[DukeWolfRein]

"My name is Reina, Mechanomicon. I am a Druid from the Elven Kingdom, though many years removed from my home." Reina watched the exchange between Cresco and Hybrid and couldn't help but chuckle softly. Hybrid was a Harpy, and a very curious one at that. Her cooking skills and the isolation from her people led her to believe that Hybrid was not just the regular type of Harpy. She could not speak, or refused to.

As Solora awoke from her sleep after Hybrid's screech, Reina poked the fire a bit more "It was merely the Harpy getting too excited for her own good. She made some rabbit for us, your plate is next to you. Eat, and sleep. Cresco will be taking the first watch, and hopefully all will be quiet tonight." The Elf pushed a few logs away from the fire using her staff, causing the fire to slowly go down to barely a spark of embers. She once more sat with her legs crossed on the floor and closed her eyes, her staff was planted on the ground beside her and she leaned on it as she began to sleep. Sleep was something that did not come easy to her. Not at all.

[Deleted]

Solora's lips lifted into a small smile as Reina assured her all was well. Nodding at the Harpy, she picked up her plate and took a small bite of the cooling meat.

"Thank you, Harpy. Your name is Hybrid, no?" She quirked her brow in questioning. "I missed the context of your writing, but I see you have written 'Hybrid' in the dirt. Very interesting name." She gestured to the word scratched in the dirt.

Looking up as the Reina moved to rest, she bowed her head slightly. "Sleep well, elf."

[darkpigeon]

Hell no! is what Hybrid thought as they all decided that the tin-man was to be the guard for the night. She did not thrust this unnatural being and she disliked it greatly that it was decided so easily that he was to stand guard. Luckily for her though she could just fly to the highest branches and stay safe within the canopy. She wanted to push all the meat in her mouth and leave for the safety of her makeshift treehouse when the human spoke.

Another of those races she felt little for. Humans, they were to many, violent, and rather ugly. She nodded her head, the question confused her a little as the woman said 'your name' and 'no'. But she understood it nonetheless. Hybrid chirped softly when she pointed at her bad handwriting that said 'Hybrid' and nodded to confirm that it was indeed her name. A name she wore rather proudly as it stated the hardship that her kind had to endure before they were free'd little over 500 years ago. Her flock members would call her Nannan, a pet name she had earned because of her rather unique age. She was the oldest living harpy for as far as she knew, and even outlived most elves, though she did not look any older than 20.

Now that she had answered the question and she felt little for staying down with the human and Mechanomicon. She showed the elf a courtesy smile before stuffing her entire mouth full of rabbit to disappear into the highest tree that stood closest to their camp.

[vernes]

"Please to meet you Reina, druid of the elven kingdom. I assume your emphasis on the distance between you and your home is an unspoken wish to return to it. Therefor I hope you will."
Distracted by Hybrid's prelude to her attempt at speech, Cresco was just in time to catch her inhaling right before the... squargh?
"An onomatopoeia" Cresco thought. A short though as he noticed Hybrid's distraught.
Her act of folding her wings over her head felt familiar. Clearly that was not her name, he would make a point of not attempting to imitate the sound as an act of goodwill.
When Hybrid was done writing in the sand he nodded at the Harpy.
"Please to meet you Hybrid, I hope..."
“I heard a screech. I trust there is no danger?”, Solora interrupts.
Reina explains things to Solora.
When the druid speaks of a quiet night and the ranger bids her a goodnight, Cresco concludes the introductions are over and the nightwatch should commence.

"I assume it is time for me to commence night watch. Sleep well."

In the deep of night the mechanomicon wondering thoughts finally makes the connection why he recognized the harpy's act of embarrassment, as he pulls his hood a bit further over his face.

[Deleted]

"I assume it is time for me to commence night watch. Sleep well."

With those words, Solora finished her last bite of food. Setting her plate down, she stood and dusted off her cape and nodded at Cresco.

"I appreciate your willingness to take watch, Mechanomicon. I, however, must take my rest. Stay vigilant." Stepping off more into the shadows, Solora wrapped herself in her cape and used her arms as a pillow. With her bow and quiver close by, she felt relatively safe, yet it still took her a while before her eyes drifted shut and Solora fell into Sleep's arms.

[DukeWolfRein]

~~The Next Day~~

The waves lapped against the rough sand, the foam climbing and receding while leaving its imprint upon the Earth. The Sun was past noon and shone brightly upon the group as they moved down the shore. Reina led the group, with Solora next to her. She looked at the human and nodded her head slightly "So far so good. A few more hours down the shore and we should be at least a quarter into The Peaks. Unfortunately the shore gets cut off by giant mountains after that, forcing us to take the paths within the Mountain Ridge itself to get to Shashallah. There will be Drows there who will more than likely trade with us for food and supplies." She kept walking and looked at the Osrean Sea. It was vast and seem to go on forever.

Cresco followred directly behind them, the sun reflecting off the metal that could be seen on him, and Hybrid watched the rear. They had traveled that way since they woke up and started following the Forest Path into The Peaks. As they had gone on the snow had become far more abundant, and their path had cut between mountains. They moved slowly, but with little interaction, always taking the off-roads to make sure they were not spotted. Hybrid had led them through those paths, and now Reina led them through the way she knew best, the Sea.

In Strophya those who wanted to travel in secret did so by following the Shores of the Osrean Sea. This would maintain them away from civilization and their ownly real risk would be to be found near a harbor or by an Undine Scouting Party, neither of which were very common. The Theysilon had only one true Harbor city from which they traded with the Undine and managed their alliance through, the city of Keiluk, also known as the Pearl of the Empire. They were far from it, however, and feared little for their safety.

As they walked on the shore Reina sensed eyes upon them and raised her hand to stop the party. She moved her finger to her lips and looked around. Someone was coming from the opposite direction, but very quietly, and making sure that they were not spotted. The Shore provided soemthing else that helped those that wanted to travel without raising notice, the Mist that softly moved around it. Although it was only in The Peaks that the mist made its appearance, it proved to give them an advantage as it would hide them so long as they did not make too much noise. This also meant others could be hidden. The Peaks' shore had one last tool for those that sought out refuge in it from prying eyes, boulders. Great boulders of varying sizes, yet bigger than any man or elf stood scattered around the shore. They usually came to rest at the shore from the mountains as the Orcs carved into The Peaks to build their strongholds.

Reina knew that whoever was coming was also knowledgeable about the advantages of the shore. She grabbed her staff with both hands and slowly crouched, and as she did so she nodded once to motion everyone else to copy her movements.

[scottishgal]

Crashing footsteps through the undergrowth was disturbing his short slumber. The wolf kept both eyes closed, his ears swiveling and twitching with each footstep. He knew the owner of the steps, his weight and gait was recognizable as was his harsh breathing.


“TEHRON!”


One eye lazily opened was all he was going to give in response to the human. From afar Tehron saw Numen come closer, the man stood at 6’3 with no hair and a single deep scar narrowly missing his eye. The group had stopped for a short rest at the forest bordering the beach, they needed to pass across the beach to reach the main capital for their annual leave. Tehron sighed and snapped his other eye open when he noted what was grasped in Numen’s hand. A squirming mess of black hair and orange clothing. He pushed himself to sitting, clicking his neck then his arms as Numen finally reached him. “I found this thing prowling around my belongings.” Tehron said nothing but raised a single eyebrow at the Halfling. Neara scoffed. “I reject that accusation. I do not prowl. I sneak.” Numen glared at her and shook her, her pockets jingling. Neara glared at him and resorted to a childish tactic of blowing a big raspberry at him, spit hitting his face. He dropped her promptly, she landed harshly on her bum and glared at Tehron for not catching her. The wolf only threw her an unamused glance before turning his eyes back to the red faced man before him. “This thing was going to steal from me. She is your responsibility not mine, keep an eye on her.”


Tehron tilted his head and pushed himself off the damp ground. He stretched himself to his full height, reaching just above the man’s height. He stared down at him, nodding gently. “Deal with it.” Numen gestured to the Halfling before turning away from the two. He had only made it a few steps when he was struck on the back of the head by a small pebble. It did not break the skin but it stung. He spun only to be greeted by another pebble smacking his square in the forehead.


“I am not it. Nor am I a thing, you big oaf.” With hands curled into fists, Neara raised her chin and glared at the man though he towered above her. Tehron couldn’t help but to chuckle, the sound raspy as it left his throat. Numen took a step forward, his hand raised to back hand the small creature. The human had wanted her gone from her discovery, they did not need a weak hang on and she only aggravated him. Tehron growled, a guttural primal sound. His lips pulled back slightly over his teeth, Neara wriggled her head with a smug smile atop her lips. Numen snapped his eyes up, there was a red tint to the brown eyes of Tehron. Numen raised his chin to the wolf, dropping his hand to his side. “You both are on scouting duty. The beach. Now.” Tehron nodded curtly and turned Neara with one large paw pushing her forward.


It was only five steps away from camp that the Halfling started. “I could have taken him y’know.”


-------------The Beach---------

Regardless of her stupid ways, Neara was more useful than the others knew. After a short hour she had already found two pearls, a small mangled iron hoard and about twenty coins. Tehron let her bounce around the sand before him, she flitted from place to place. He could not see what she saw, he just watched her stop at random spots on the sand and start to dig. Neara loved this, it was like a giant game. It took only one glance of the sand before for her to spot things.


Tehron kept his ears raised, his eyes scanning over the area before them. It was difficult to see, the mist was pouring in and boulders littered the beach. There was no sound for the first hour, only the odd gasp of celebration from Neara. Then it hit him, the soft clinking of metal up ahead, accompanied by lighter footsteps. Three…no four ahead of them. Hidden by the mist. His words were soft, he hoped only the Halfling would hear him. "Neara.....Here" Neara snapped her head around at his words, her eyes went wide at his posture. She moved silently back to him not knowing what was coming towards them.  Hidden half by his legs, she scanned the mist unable to see who they were waiting for.


They stopped…..interesting, Tehron thought with a smirk. He slinked forward, Neara following at his heel. Her footsteps were near undetectable, his were heavier the sand shifting between his claws. Tehron made his way around one of the larger boulders, he lowered himself to the ground. Placing his ear against the golden sand, waiting for the small vibrations to highlight the way this group was going. Tehron heard the soft shuffling of the group, they knew he was here. They were getting close together, they were preparing for him. He glanced at Neara and grinned, baring his teeth at her. Neara only rolled her eyes and kept her hand on her belt, holding the bottles in place. Tehron slinked forward on all four, keeping his body low as he moved towards the group. Neara followed him, keeping her close to his hind quarters. Using the mist to disguise his presence, he let out a soft growl. It floated over to the group, though it’s origin would be difficult to distinguish.

[darkpigeon]

Hybrid hated walking, her talons were not made for this and her feet were starting to hurt. The only good side about it all was that they were walking alongside the beach. She was picking up shells and looked them over with such fascination. She had never been this far from home, and now that she was seeing the beach for the first time in her life just made her so very happy. She tossed away the broken shells and kept the nice ones in a small pouch. With every step that she made she chirped, singing along with the jiggling of her pouch full of unbroken shells and some coins she had found laying around on the beach. She would be showing her sisters of the flock these rare treasure and tell them all about the sea that she had seen.

Her happy chirping stopped when Reina gave the sign of trouble. She perked her ears and pierced her eyes to look for the danger that came from the other side. She saw nothing to the very faint sound of something moving around could be heard. She was not to fight anyone if she could help it, she was not a particular good fighter on foot. So, without questioning or hesitating she followed Reina to hide behind the closest largest rock they could find. As she felt the cold stone she felt strangely safe, she was missing the mountains more than she realized and found that the rock was distracting her from being ready to fight if needed. She would not if she could help it really, she was a peaceful and rather quiet being that disliked violence in any kind of way. That however does not mean she knew how to get her talons deep inside anybody if needed.

She carefully took her bow and flexed her talons while she hoped that any kind of fighting was not needed. Anybody really could be walking up and down the beach, who knew! She at least was not going to be the first one to attack and if she could really help it she would be high up in the sky where she would be disappearing in the mist in no time at all.