for so it is written
Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
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#15
Whilst Jigano explained, Ronin made short work of his pastry and sipped at his tea, and the loreseeker might almost be able to watch the cogs begin to turn behind his eyes as he considered their options. Military minded even when he tried not to be, the former captain dismissed the elemental storms as issues that could be dealt with later. "A shame," he mumbled of the ocean to the east. "My... well. Vanya would have been of great use out there. She was a sailor and a seabird in life."

Absently he glanced up at the guildhall's ceiling, as if he could see right through it into the Flowerbirth sunshine and the stars beyond, one in particular. But that still left the north which, as Jigano had already mentioned, contained a lot of forest that made very little sense. Smirking and itching at the stubble on his chin, he considered Jigano's words.

"Is there no way through the forest?" he asked. "Nothing to stop you getting spat out?"
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
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#16
He recognized the name 'Vanya' from the list of the Long Night lost, but he hadn't realized that she was Ronin's wife - and therefore Aoife's mother - until the captain stumbled over her name. Blue eyes softened for a moment, and any witty quip Jigano might have made was swallowed back as he merely nodded acknowledgment of his guest's loss.

The next question, however, was one he was more prepared for, and he chuckled at Ronin's smirk. "It's an odd thing," he explained. "A living thing, somehow, in a way that is difficult to describe, but easy to experience. It doesn't care for intruders - and specifically intruders from within the Hollowed Grounds." He shrugged, tapping his mug lightly with a nail filed short. "Although most of us Outlanders were dropped in here thanks to the Voice, it seems some may have been deposited outside the barrier somehow. How many and where they might have ended up, we don't know yet. But I have met one, a man calling himself 'Ianto,' who claimed to be from Northhaven, and who is able to travel the forest with apparent ease. It is apparently a matter of intention," he added, glancing aside to the little ones as the ball went flying from a smack of paw or tail, eliciting a fresh bout of happy sounds from the playful pair. "The woods can sense your desire to go somewhere, and the harder you wish to be there, the sooner you get turned right back around to where you started."
Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 14 - Strg: 58 - Dext: 70 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
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#17
Holding his cup between his hands to warm them, Ronin listened intently to anything that Jigano could tell him about the strange forest that had suddenly become available for their explorations. His brow furrowed at the seemingly ridiculous nature of the place, but then he had died and come back, so a living forest was comparatively tame. "I wonder, then, how you would be able to get somewhere with a destination in mind. Or is it just the case that you go into this forest never knowing where you're going to end up?"

That sounded annoying at best, and Ronin raised an eyebrow as the other man mentioned Ianto, a name he was familiar with only through Remi. "He was from Northaven," he confirmed with a nod. "That's another question entirely though, I suppose. How did they get dropped beyond the barrier?"
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
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#18
Jigano played idly with his mug while he spoke, sometimes watching Ronin and sometimes watching the steam that rose from the hot liquid, as if visions or answers could be found in it. "I'm not entirely sure how  it works either," he admitted reluctantly, accepting the sting of not knowing to his bruised pride. "In our case we had Ianto to guide us. For now, a guide may be our only option... though I think if you wander long enough with an open mind you might eventually get where you wanted to go from the start? It just won't be a very efficient way to travel." He smiled wryly. "I intend to keep chipping away at it, though, and I can let you know if I make any more headway," he offered.

He tilted his head to the side, frowning slightly. "An excellent question to add to the list," he agreed. "Along with why he says the forest is endless and he can't leave it..." Reaching for his journal, Jigano flipped to a page where had copied the map of the continent from Safrin's book and slid it towards Ronin. "It's three hundred years out of date, but there should be plains to the west of these woods, and mountains beyond them. I don't know if it's possible for an Attuned to fly over that distance..." He hesitated, then shrugged. "But I'm hesitant to ask it of anyone, given the risks. There's no chance of rescue if they find trouble, and if they don't return we have no idea if it's due to a storm or hostile action on someone else's part," he finished, frown turning a little grim. "We have enough on our plates trying to understand this enchanted forest at that moment without borrowing trouble from further afield just yet."
Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 14 - Strg: 58 - Dext: 70 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
SUGAR - Mythical - Dragon (Ice Breath)
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#19
"I'd appreciate that," Ronin murmured with a nod; he felt at least partially responsible for all of this, given that his death at the hands of the Spire Demon and his parting words to his friends had seemingly incited this whole thing. He hadn't ever dreamed that he would return to this world at all, let alone return to find the barrier down and the work of three hundred years completed in one fell swoop.

Now, though, there was the aftermath. And that, Ronin knew from experience, was always, always a messy affair. Distracted by the sudden appearance of a map, of all things, Ronin's blue eyes widened and he drank the sight of it in eagerly. "Perhaps not an Attuned, not at first. But if we can get out there, we could set up an outpost a short distance out into the plains. Attuned can fly and scout the area around it, and little by little we might be able to make head or tail of the place."

He smiled to Jigano, eager for progress as always. "I mean, not everywhere in Caido can be as secretive as this forest, can it?"
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
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#20
"If... or rather, when, I hope," Jigano agreed, but his smile was a little crooked. "Though there might be an easier way of traveling... eventually." He gave a sly shrug, settling back in his chair to let Ronin peruse the map in his own time. "Until then, though, outposts and scouting may be our best option. Though just getting past the forest is going to be challenge enough for the near future. And getting people to work together..." He hesitated, smile fading a little as he contemplated the friendly soldier over his tea mug. Ronin seemed to be a calmer and more controlled man than his co-captain, but not necessarily less impulsive. The bard sipped his tea, giving the other man time to study the map for a bit before he spoke again, and his voice was more sober.

"Have your friends caught you up on what happened between your, ah, premature demise and the fall of the barrier?" he asked carefully. "Or perhaps I should be asking... have you spoken with anyone not from Northhaven about it? With the barrier down I don't think too many of the tensions are lingering... most people seem content to let the past lie, and recognize that it can't be changed. But some bad blood may remain, and it seems fair to warn you, since you weren't here for the aftermath of that assault."
Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 14 - Strg: 58 - Dext: 70 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
SUGAR - Mythical - Dragon (Ice Breath)
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#21
"Oh?" Ronin tilted his head at this 'alternate way' of travelling, though he could see merely from looking at Jigano that his fellow guildmaster may not want to share those sorts of secrets just yet. Especially given that he was also considering the outpost and scouting idea. Still, he left it up to Jigano as to whether he wanted to further elaborate. "Mm. Now that I know a little more about the forest, it does seem like it'll be a bit of an issue..." But then issues had never stopped him before. Where there was a will, there was a Ronin - that much was certain.

But Jigano was certainly right about one thing, at least - he had seen the rumblings of discontent between people before his battle with the Spire Demon, and he had heard whispers, since, about the discontent that followed. "No," he confessed. "I've heard shreds of it - the basics, most likely, diluted down for convenience. But nothing from anyone who was not from Northaven. Feel free to elaborate - I'd like to hear as many different versions of the tale as I can."
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
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#22
Jigano grinned at Ronin's tactful question, and perhaps because it was so tactful he bowed his head in acknowledgment and his grin widened at his companion. "If there are portals so powerful that they can traverse worlds and time to bring us here... why not portals to traverse space within a single world? It seems like it would be a far easier prospect, overall," he murmured, his smile turning just a bit sharp with excitement at the prospect, and revealing the fox beneath the man's veneer for just a moment.

But there were other concerns that needed to be aired as well, or at least Jigano wanted to try and find the reasons behind them. He nodded slowly at hearing that Ronin had not heard much in the way specifics, and he let out a slow breath as he gathered his thoughts. "Part of it stemmed from something we can't really change," he said slowly. "Outlanders are from so many different pasts and places... we all have different opinions and ideas on how to proceed, but those who came from Northhaven came as a group, and before the rest of us. There are a number of you who share a past, and because of those numbers and that history you have become something of a face for us Outlanders in general, whether you wanted it or not." He lifted his shoulder in a wry shrug. "It's not fair, and it's not necessarily rational, but when tempers run high and get the better of people, the Naturals tended to group us all in with the Northhaven folk who were making decisions, and that caused some tension when decisions made by Outlanders affected Naturals, too."

He grimaced slightly, though it was directed at his tea rather than Ronin. "My apologies for not presenting this more clearly. There was a lot going on and I don't have all the threads of it either. But from my perspective, the Naturals were upset - angry - that those who assaulted the spire were made up entirely of Outlanders. There was a sense of that choice being taken away from them, of not being allowed to participate in their own futures, of their beliefs and desires not being taken into account. And there wasn't time for them to respond to your notice - whether to help or talk you out of it." Jigano paused then, his smile returning but more than a little lopsided. "Those that live on farms outside of town, like Rory, didn't find out about it until too late... and there are a surprising number of Naturals who never learned to read, making your assault come as even more of a shock to many of them."
Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 14 - Strg: 58 - Dext: 70 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
SUGAR - Mythical - Dragon (Ice Breath)
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#23
Jigano's smile coupled with the information he gave, however much it might only be a suggestion for the time being, filled Ronin with excitement. He all but lit up at the idea of it - portals within Caido, to allow them to travel... to travel... well, wherever they liked. Having lived in Northaven (trapped) only to be thrown into the Hollowed Grounds (still trapped), the idea of free roaming through an entire world practically made his toes tingle.

"That would be quite something." He nodded in agreement, and he had to force himself not to become distracted given that the fox was starting to explain the sort-of-very-important things he had missed whilst he was dead.

Ronin listened, quietly and thoughfully, to all that the other man said. Little by little, his smile faded away into something much more pensive, and he drummed his fingers thoughtfully upon the table. Even Sugar, eager at play, noted his change in mood, and she swooped away from Isuma to come to perch upon his shoulder. The guildmaster was silent for a few long moments after Jigano was finished.

"I was very hasty," he said, his tone guilty but not necessarily self-pitying. "I had lost Vanya during LongNight and was learning how to be a father to a motherless newborn. The Spire Demon was a target for my anger as much as it was something I felt needed to be dealt with." He let out a long, deep sigh and shook his head.

"Once I was a captain in an army, and I brought people together. Never did I think I would be responsible for creating such a divide. But... I would like to try and fix this. To bridge this gap. I have a lot of amends to make for my impulsiveness."
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
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#24
Isuma didn't understand why her playmate suddenly abandoned her, but a quiet tickle of thought from Jigano had her leaping into his lap and resting her chin on the table, the little owlet head watching Ronin and Sugar curiously across the expanse of wood.

In truth Jigano had been curious indeed as to what thoughts had driven the lost Captain to make the decisions he had, and the timing of them. Of course, he had thought those answers forever lost, but Caido had a funny way of providing answers when he least expected them, and now was one such time. He wasn't sure what he expected - justifications? Excuses? Righteous resistance to those who had disagreed with him? - but Ronin pleasantly surprised him with his calm litany of motivations and his apparently sincere desire to fix what he had inadvertently broken.

The bard sighed, sipping his tea as he considered what advice he might give - and whether it would be any good. "Roana..." he began, and then hesitated, looking across the table at his guest. "I understand that she is a friend of yours. But she compounded the problem and made things significantly worse by attempting to repeat it when she tried to force entry to the Spire shortly after your... ah. Initial attack." 'Demise' didn't seem to be quite appropriate at this point, even if it was technically correct. "Rory and a large group of naturals went to camp outside the Spire and guard it, and when Roana came at the head of yet more Outlanders, the threats leveled against him by Edrei and the assassin woman..." The skin at the corners of his eyes tightened with an anger he did his best to keep out of his voice. "There are rifts there not of your making, but which will not heal easily, I'm afraid, no matter how well-intentioned you are. But... no one was actually hurt. And once the barrier was taken down and the Old Gods didn't promptly punish us, well... things are beginning to mend, I think. I hope," he added more softly. "But you should still find time to talk to Rory, at least. And he can tell you better how he and Amalia and the rest felt. Aside from scared as hell, watching you risk yourself like that," he added wryly, humor finally able to surface now that the event was in the past and Ronin was - somehow, inexplicably - back with them again, safe and sound.
Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 14 - Strg: 58 - Dext: 70 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
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#25
"We weren't friends before Caido, really." Ronin smiled a little as the conversation turned to Roana. "She was my captain, when I first joined the guard at Northaven. Then she was sent to an outpost and I became a captain as well, and... well. We very rarely met." He shrugged his shoulders. That didn't, however, make Jigano's assessment any less true or valid. Letting out a long sigh through his nose, Ronin sank back in his chair and gave Sugar a thoughtful scratch under the chin.

Jigano was right - there were rifts not of his making here, and he might not be able to do anything about a lot of them. But that didn't mean there wasn't anything he could do. "I'll speak to Rory as soon as I can," he agreed with a gentle nod. "And I have already spoken with Roana - she told me about a council of sorts, run by someone called Maea? She asked if I might take her place there, given her current... ah, reputation."
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
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#26
"Ah. I... won't pretend that isn't a bit of a relief," Jigano said wryly. "She is not currently high in my good graces, which makes talking to her friends somewhat difficult." One friendship broken because of the woman, and another pleasant acquaintance potentially lost, though he had played his own role in both those decisions. It made him more cautious now, with Ronin, and with others. He'd burned enough bridges in his life, and he didn't need to add someone so clearly favored by one of the gods to that list.

"Maea... is one of my Loreseekers," Jigano said cautiously. He tilted his head, expression thoughtful as he tickled Isuma's ears. "I only met her near the end of Long Night, so I have not known her long... and perhaps not as well as I thought," he admitted reluctantly. "She changed rather quickly over those first few weeks I knew her, and I haven't seen much of her recently. The rigors of her government, I expect," he added with a hint of his usual wry humor. "She is in an unenviable position, though, and some of her choices, including Roana..." He gave a shrug, glancing from his companion back to Ronin with a more sober expression. "Rory and I turned down her invitations to join it. Both the timing and the makeup of it... didn't sit right with us. But I think it is true that you currently hold a better reputation around here than Roana does. Coming back from the dead and being Safrin-blessed will do that to a man," he ended on another wryly amused note.
Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 14 - Strg: 58 - Dext: 70 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
SUGAR - Mythical - Dragon (Ice Breath)
Played by: Honey Online
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#27
"You ought not let one person cloud your judgement of their friends." Ronin tipped a wink at the lorekeeper; for someone in search of knowledge, he would miss a lot of opportunities to gain it if it was difficult for him to interact with some people over others. Finishing his tea (he had quite forgotten about it in their conversation), Ronin got more comfortable in his seat and allowed Sugar to flop down into his lap for fuss. Hearing that Maea was one of the Loreseekers as well piqued his interest, the guildmaster listening intently.

"Should you see her soon, do you think you would be able to let her know I wish to speak with her? I've never had the pleasure of meeting her, so I wouldn't really know where to start." He smiled softly, only to let out a surprisingly boyish laugh at Jigano's assessment of him in relation to the council. "I do hope people don't start to treat me too differently because of what happened. I just want to... raise my daughter, and do as much good as can."
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
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Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
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#28
"Judging her friends?" Jigano tilted his head curiously at how Ronin had twisted his words. "I judge them by their own actions, not hers. Though the problems tend to be caused because of our differing opinions on her," he admitted, glancing down to Isuma with a wry smile. "People I had previously thought were friends of mine, or at least neutral, flung personal insults at me because I disagreed with her decisions. Others, as I said, insulted and made death threats against someone dear to me because he wouldn't back down from her rash actions. He made no threats that I know of, only stood adamant in refusing to let her control the destinies of the Naturals without their say." He glanced up again, and some of the amusement had faded from his eyes. "I am no paragon of enlightenment or gods-touched saint, to be called 'ignorant' or 'coward', or to let my friends be threatened, with a smile and a 'thank you.'" Though Ronin was right in some respects; Jigano did tend to judge quickly, and not always wisely.

"I will be happy to pass along the message," he murmured, relaxing a little as the conversation turned away from the personal, though the topic of Maea was still a somewhat tense one. "She's easy to spot, though. Hair as white as mine, but her skin is white, too. A true albino, I believe, and quite short. I can give you directions to the government building they've been working on fixing up as well." Was trading Roana for Ronin on the council the wisest decision? He didn't know the Guildmaster enough to say for certain, but in his brief interactions with them both Ronin had at least done more to impress him as being more charismatic and willing to listen.

"Honestly, your timing is excellent," Jigano chuckled, humor returning as they fell back to a safer topic. "With the fall of the barrier and all of the uncertainty and excitement that has caused, you may very well slip back into your old routine without much more than a ripple among those who saw you... fall," he finished, attempting to fish a tactful word from the air as he found himself pressed into scritching Isuma's wing joints when she realized Sugar was getting fussed more than she was.


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