aground upon the sands
Harper Quinn
the Stalwart
Teacher

Age: 33 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Nomadic
Level: 5 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 15 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 19 - Int:
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#1
HARPER
As a city boy whose job was to wrangle crime at night, the major difference when it comes to adjusting to Caido is the fact that this is the furthest thing from a city he has ever lived in. And with the large expanses of woodland and fields comes things Harper certainly never expected.

Case in point, bears.

Now, Harper at least knows the basics of how to avoid bears, but mama bears defending young spring cubs don't really have time for that nonsense. And Harper - bleeding heart that he is - can't simply kill her for doing what nature demands. So he'd gotten pretty cut up even just in the process of escaping. Bear claws are wicked after all, and even getting nicked is pretty severe. But he's as good of a climber as any bear, and blessedly faster, considering he can treesurf much better than a thousand-pound angry creature.

It still leaves him tending to his wounds, teeth grit and face blank as he sets a makeshift tourniquet with disturbing ease to stop from bleeding out from his thigh. Harper never thought he'd say it, but man does he miss the city.
and I was thrashing on the line
somewhere between desperate and divine

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
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)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#2
Spring was the best season in the Hollowed Grounds, when the explosion of new life gave it a shadow of health and vivacity. It was also a good time for a little judicious hunting of the new young creatures too stupid to survive long, and Jigano and Isuma were not above doing their part to cull the weak and fill their bellies at the same time. His winter camouflage was gone, white fur stark against the new greens flourishing everywhere, but even a white fox could sneak up on foolish young rabbits while his gryphlet companion hunted mice nearby.

He had just pounced on one small, fluffy woodland creature when the smell of blood struck his nose like a blow, and he twisted his head to catch the source. Another errant spring breeze brought a second whiff, and he stepped off of the terrified little lunch, letting his nose guide him towards what smelled like quite a lot of blood, and freshly spilled to boot.

A flicker of thought towards Isuma and then the fox was trotting along, bunny forgotten as his curiosity overcame his hunger. The wind led him to a hidden clearing, but the blood's owner was no wounded stag. Between one tree and the next the white Attuned shifted from beast to man, clearing his throat to announce his presence as he looked the unfamiliar young man over with concern. There was really quite a lot of blood, and he could feel the threads of his healing magic vibrating even from his current distance. "Would you like a hand?" he asked, wary of approaching a wounded stranger too quickly.

He was dressed in his usual garb of grey sleeveless overtunic and pale green, wide-sleeved undertunic over fitted leather trousers and soft-soled boots. Long white hair was pulled back in a loose tail, and a worried frown creased the honey-brown skin of his sharp features. He was a creature of long limbs and lean muscle, and he moved almost soundlessly with a dancer's easy grace and a hunter's silent stride through the forest as he approached slowly, with empty hands held up to show he had no weapons and meant no harm.
Harper Quinn
the Stalwart
Teacher

Age: 33 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Nomadic
Level: 5 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 15 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 19 - Int:
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MP: 9427
#3
HARPER
Of all the things he expects to appear from the woods - mama bear returning for round two included - a man shifting from four legs to two is not one of them. Though his hands are raised in display of nonviolence, Harper can't help but instinctively bare his teeth, using the tree at his back to push himself standing once more in a swift movement that only further aggravates his wounds. Distrust is apparent in his gaze for a long, suspended moment as the words take time to sink in. Slowly easing away the tension and feral tendencies, reverting the man back to the kindhearted soul he normally is. Blue eyes soften, and he slumps back slightly against the tree, offering a slight smile. "Sorry, you kinda caught me at a bad time. I'd appreciate help if you can offer it." Still he remains standing, reluctant to put himself at a disadvantage in any way. "Got in a bit of a tangle with a mama bear, didn't have the heart to harm her. My name's Harper by the way, king of babbling when bleeding out." His grin turns much more playful here, trying as always to make light of the situation he has found himself in.
and I was thrashing on the line
somewhere between desperate and divine

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
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)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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MP: 10170
#4
Wounded and wary Jigano could understand, and he paused at the bared teeth, reading the message loud and clear. He waited until the tension eased and sanity returned to blue eyes - and then he waited a moment longer, until the other man found his voice again. He nodded slowly - did everything slowly, so as not to startle the stranger - and finished crossing the distance between them, kneeling to examine the wound. He could feel his magic gathering, the shimmering strings of gold in his soul vibrating with joyful eagerness to reach for the pain he could sense so near at hand, but he held them in check a moment longer.

The tale was a good one, worth a drink on a better day. At the moment it was more than enough to earn a wry grin as Jigano reached up to hold the tourniquet. "I'm Jigano. Babbling is kind of my stock on trade, as a matter of fact. Now - steady yourself on my shoulders if you need to. I don't know how you feel about magic, but I hope you don't mind it being used to save your life." He'd stop as soon as the bleeding did, if Harper indicated that he was, in fact, anti-magic, but for the moment he settled for letting the music carry the heat from his hands into the wound, closing arteries and veins and slowly beginning to knit the deepest of the damage back together. "What brought you out to the woods today?" he murmured distractedly while he worked, hoping to take the other man's mind off the feeling of his flesh slowly re-knitting itself. "Aside from wrestling bears, that is."
Harper Quinn
the Stalwart
Teacher

Age: 33 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Nomadic
Level: 5 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 15 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 19 - Int:
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#5
HARPER
Harper is distinctly twitchy even as he calms, awaiting the man's measured approach. He feels like a downed deer, breathing hard and fast knowing he can't escape the predator that approaches, knows it intends to help, but feels the kick in his heart to fight and struggle nonetheless. He quells it through willpower if nothing else, used to dampening and dragging down these dark, feral urges that he is ashamed to have ownership over. A lingering scar of his upbringing that he can never escape, but one he evades as long as he can between bouts of insanity.

"Well I don't know anyone foolish enough to be picky in a moment like this, but heal away on magic man." He deliriously imagines Jigano with a tophat and a magician's wand, and has to bite his tongue until he tastes copper to avoid laughing in the man's face. Wouldn't be very kind when said man is currently patching Harper up. It's a distinctly strange sensation, like a heat that both numbs and intensifies his nerves at the same time, feeling the skin and muscle knit back together at hyperspeed.

"No offense but that is the grossest sensation," he admits baldly, cheeky smile back in place now that he feels a little more solid. A little less like cornered prey. "If there's a tree, I'm there to climb it. I used to be an acrobat, used to run around on roofs, but Caido seems to be lacking in that department. It's nice to be near the sky." He can't scrub the wistfulness and longing out of his voice though he tries, looking up through the branches above to the sky beyond. Safrin had offered him to Attune, but he feels like there's still so much to learn before making such a drastic decision. "Of course, mother bears like trees too. Conflict of interests you see." Blue eyes sparkle mischievously, the only sign that he still feels the uncomfortable healing sensation a slick tick of his jaw.
and I was thrashing on the line
somewhere between desperate and divine

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
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)
Played by: Cirago Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#6
"You'd be surprised," Jigano said dryly, but did as he was bid, focusing his power and letting it do what came naturally to it. The damage was significant enough that he couldn't Heal it all at once, so he settled in for what would likely be a few minutes of work. Still better than the alternative, of course! His sutures were still in good practice, but the risk of infection was still significant, and it wouldn't stop the bleeding right away, which was what this Harper ideally needed. "Many Naturals here view magic... poorly. And don't take kindly to it being flaunted." Though perhaps that bigotry was fading as time passed and more Outlanders used magic to help people?

The bard snorted softly as Harper continued to babble, amused at finding someone who liked to talk as much as he did. "A roof-runner?" he repeated with a grin. "Usually that's a pasttime reserved for rogues and thieves. The roofs here are mostly rotten and likely to collapse under you if you try it, though," he agreed with a faint grimace. "And the ones in Halo are covered in ice." At the mention of being near the sky his smile faded a little and he shrugged lightly. "Ah, well, yes, I suppose if you're one of Safrin's followers that's where you'd want to be." He and the goddess were... not on the best of terms.

He was glad that Harper could joke in such dire circumstances, showing a resiliency that was reassuring for his swift recovery and refreshing given the usual dour fatalism Caido often engendered in anyone there long enough. "So do eagles, hawks, hanging snakes, and mountain lions," he said with dry humor. "The hanging snakes are rather cute. The rest might object more strenuously to your presence, though. Ah... and has anyone warned you about Wicker Women yet?" Running through trees and across branches could take a fatal turn if one of those trunks happened to belong to the carnivorous variety of Caido's flora.
Harper Quinn
the Stalwart
Teacher

Age: 33 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Nomadic
Level: 5 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 15 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 19 - Int:
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#7
HARPER
As much as Harper appreciates the swiftness of the healing that would have taken weeks or months on its own, the sensation of flesh being knitted together is still pretty gross. He appreciates the conversation and the ease of distraction the man provides with his tongue - not like that - as Harper tries to resist the urge to watch his skin get pieced back together. Probably not going to look as cool as he imagines. "Not to insult it, but this land seems pretty darn backwards if they hate magic that strongly. I'm not its greatest proponent, and I can still appreciate what it can achieve." It just seems ridiculous to let your pride literally kill you with salvation not only offered but in arms reach. Even his mentor, who had even stricter views on magic than Harper, would not be that foolish.

One arm gestures wildly with a random surge of excitement as Jigano recognizes his little job, grin returning like the sun over the horizon. "Exactly! You guys need to work on your infrastructure I'm telling ya. Nobody is going to move here if the roofs aren't going to support a handsome lad like me running on them!" They likely wouldn't appreciate him running on their roofs regardless, but he has a point to make. "I'm no rogue or thief, but it feels odd stuck here on the ground." Harper's sharp eyes catch the dissolution of Jigano's smile as he mentions Safrin, keeping that tidbit locked away for later. "Ah, I've only met her once. But I was a circus kid, I was never afraid of falling. Flying was what I did for a living, and I can't get as close to the sky here as in my home city." Which was what had led him to climbing trees, and summarily to the encounter with the angry bear.

A tilt of his head and an inquisitive expression should be enough to tip off Jigano that he has no idea what the man is talking about long before he speaks. "People don't seem to offer up information freely here, so no. But I'm all ears." It likely wouldn't stop him from climbing and surfing trees, but best to be aware of what he may encounter up there.
and I was thrashing on the line
somewhere between desperate and divine

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
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)
Played by: Cirago Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#8
Jigano snorted softly at Harper's comment about 'backwardness,' amused and not particularly insulted. "They were locked in a barrier for three hundred years as a result of the actions of some bad apples among the magic users," he said with a slight shrug. "It caused a lot of resentment, and it's confounded by the fact that gods themselves don't much care for most of the mages, either - all going back to that big war in the past. The local gods are holding onto an old grudge that only hurts their cause, I think, but magic seems to be much more accepted in other places, at least." History in a nutshell, really, as the mage at hand focused on the touch-up work.

Infrastructure, indeed! Jigano chuckled at Harper's confidence and charm as he shifted back to examine his work. Scarring remained, and the area would be tender for a while as the new muscles and skin got used to their lot in life, but the important bits were whole and the blood loss had been mitigated, as much as Jigano was able to do so. "I already fixed one roof," he said, grinning as he stood and stretched. "I think you'll have to handle the rest!" Two, counting the farm, but since that was outside of town he was pretty sure it didn't count as far as Harper was concerned. "A circus kid, though? Acrobats and tightropes and trapezes and such?" Bards and circuses had some overlap, though circuses were rare in his neck of the woods, being reserved for more civilized areas. "Ah... yes, without magic I suppose the only way to fly would be to become Attuned," he agreed after a moment's consideration.

At the mention of lack of information, Jigano looked mock-affronted, not-quite-gasping in shock. "Clearly no one has told you of the Loreseekers then!" He looked around until he spottted a fallen log and then headed over to it, giving it a thump to make sure it was sturdy enough to support them and not currently housing anything that would protest. "That's a local guild that specializes in gathering and sharing information," he added with a smile. "And answering questions, especially for new Outlanders. Especially when it comes to some of the more dangerous flora and fauna to watch out for. Wicker Women are pretty rare here in the Hollowed Grounds, but they have a gnarled and bent appearance and their branches are somewhat entwined with the trees around them. They're carnivorous, and they can move their branches to wrap around prey and drag them close. I'd say it's a nasty way to die, starving to death against their trunks, but their sap is a potent hallucinogenic so you wouldn't even know what was happening by that point."
Harper Quinn
the Stalwart
Teacher

Age: 33 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Nomadic
Level: 5 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 15 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 19 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
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MP: 9427
#9
HARPER
Harper can't say he's not one for debate and politics, having come from a background of literally breaking laws for the good of the people in his city. But he does at least try to tone down the sass in his reply, the bite of bitterness from hearing this so many times over. "History of prejudice is no excuse for the continuation of it. And it doesn't help that I'm not particularly religious in the first place, but a god's opinions don't have to be yours. That's why where I came from there were multiple religions, to find what suited your morals best." Of course Caido has actual, physical Gods that could command you to your face, but Harper hasn't experienced that kind of world.

As Jigano shifts backwards he maneuvers his thigh, looking at the pink tissue of another scar. He doesn't mind them, has countless ones already, though this one is probably more interesting than the others by way of tale. His grin in response to the man's teasing is immediate, popping his hips off the trunk behind him to enjoy the full range of movement he now has back. "Already trying to recruit me to fix your buildings? Is this a paid position or are you volunteering me?"The bard seems amenable to a little playful teasing after all. His eyes light up like solar fires behind a wall of blue when recognition of his past is offered, something childlike and thankful in his smile. "Yes! I did almost everything, but trapeze was my calling. Never quite grew out of that lifestyle." So saying he lifts his newly healed leg behind him into the air, catching it from over his shoulder in a limber, dramatic display before laughing and releasing it. "Always one for showing off."

Harper follows docilely after Jigano, enjoying the company the man provides and happy to sit while he is regaled with information about this new Guild. "Do they have natural weaknesses? Any kind of heightened sentience, or are they similar to other smaller carnivorous plants?" His curiosity had always naturally fed into his mentor's constable inclinations, though he'd never taken up detective work in quite the same way.
and I was thrashing on the line
somewhere between desperate and divine

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
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)
Played by: Cirago Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#10
His smile tilted wryly at Harper's proselytizing, not expecting the moral pontificating from a man so recently bleeding out in the woods. "Did your gods have a habit of showing up when you prayed to them?" he asked curiously. "In person, I mean. Popping by the altar for a chat and a consideration of whether they'd give you what you wanted, or what they think you needed, or just to smite you a little for being arrogant in asking their favor?" To be fair Caido had different gods, but as far as religion went? As far as Jigano considered it, there was only one. The were eight gods known, and even if they were absent, or bickered, or fought, well, no one who'd been around for a season or two doubted their existences. People might not like one (or several) of the gods, but there was no question that they were gods.

He chuckled at Harper's teasing as he used some leaves to scrub the blood from his hands. "'Paid' in compliments and vegetables?" he offered back. "Though you'd have to volunteer yourself, I'm afraid. Unless a building is getting moved into, people don't usually bother to repair the unused ones. Too much else to do and not enough time or willing hands, alas." He kept his tone light, but there was simple truth in his words. The Hollowed Grounds were a harsh land that would take years to recover from the barrier's effects.

Mention of the trapeze earned a flash of a grin again as Jigano rested to recover from his use of magic. Like any muscle, he could overdo it if he wasn't careful, and taking a few minutes to recover - and let Harper recover as well - would harm neither of them. "Never had a chance to try trapeze,"he mused. "Circuses were things of stories, mostly. The more civilized lands to the south had them, but my own country was, ah, less appreciative of such luxuries," he admitted with a wry grin. "Entertainers tended to travel in smaller groups or solo, rather than in grand spectacle. Was yours a traveling troupe, or did you have a commission in a city?" Given Harper's physique, he could certainly understand why the other man liked to show off!

"Just the usual weakness of trees," the bard explained on the subject of Wicker Women. "Fire burns them, steel cuts them - but if you're close enough to cut them with an axe, you're close enough for them to try and grab you with a branch. It can be a bit of a dangerous dance, but they don't seem to be particularly smart, just reactive. If you brush against them, they'll curl that limb around you. But you can throw a stick at them and they'll curl around that instead. If you walk close they seem to be able to sense the vibrations in the ground. But they can't see or lay traps, at least not in my experience." Jigano was more than happy to slake curiosity, always glad to meet a fellow scholar of the world with a bright and eager mind that wanted to know more.
Harper Quinn
the Stalwart
Teacher

Age: 33 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Nomadic
Level: 5 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 15 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 19 - Int:
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#11
HARPER
"The gods of institutional religion? No. Their existence was never verified, and a point of contention between believers and doubters. But demigods, gods of alternate worlds, godlike beings...I have met them as individuals. Worked alongside them instead of beneath them. It was an eclectic mix." Many had been his coworkers for a better word. As human as the rest of them in heart and soul, even if their powers and lifespan would always label them as more than that. "The ones I knew were kind, humble. Used their powers in defense of the masses, and never asked for worship. The ones we fought? Well, that's a different story." Fighting the gods themselves will never be something he looks back on fondly. It had been a disconcerting reminder of his own fragile humanity every single time.

"Compliments and vegetables are a perfect price!" A cheeky wink and a grin accompany the words. Food and ego-stroking are surefire ways to Harper's heart. "Yes, it seems society is still fragile and barely rebuilding. What happened? Do you know?" His smile weakens into a small, pondering frown. He wants to help, as he always does. He wants to use his hands, his heart, his kindness to heal the wounds of time and turmoil.

Talk of the circus chases those dark thoughts temporarily, bringing back the sun of his smile from behind museful clouds. "Traveling, though we had a circuit and people expected us in certain cities. In good financial years, we would add more stops to smaller towns, lower our fees to let people experience our show who weren't able to otherwise." He had always loved the owners for that choice, for trying to include everyone when they could. It had beren more than his employer, it had been his family, his entire life.

But now his life is so much larger, though different in vast ways. He listens intently to the education Jigano provides, tactics already unraveling in his mind. "I wonder if you can trick them in the same way as a plant. As you tree surf, dropping various items before your feet land to check the safety of your target." It's spoken aloud but mostly relevant to his own interests. "Certain safety precautions, ways to trick them without forgoing an entire route."
and I was thrashing on the line
somewhere between desperate and divine

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
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)
Played by: Cirago Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#12
He listened with rapt fascination to the picture that Harper painted of his world, different and yet sometimes similar to his own. Demigods and god-like beings weren't unfamiliar to him, but 'gods of alternate worlds' were... unless, of course, one counted gods from other stars, though the question of just how to classify Unity had always been a strange one. His lips quirked into wry understanding at the difference between those Harper had fought beside and fought against, dipping his head in acknowledgment and feeling a twist of nostalgia at the memories the acrobat evoked.

"Pear? Jigano asked his companion with a grin, reaching into his sleeve to produce the fruit, like a stage-magician utilizing simple sleight of hand and not mastered earth magic. He offered it to Harper and repeated the trick to make one for himself if the other man accepted. He burnished it against his tunic thoughtfully at the more serious turn of questioning, tilting his head in a not-quite-nod. "I know bits and pieces," he said, though there was a hint of caution in his voice. "Not the whole story, and not the whole truth of it but... some yes." He exhaled, looking up to the branches above as he considered his words. "You mentioned demigods and godlike beings... well, over three hundred years ago some humans grew very powerful. Powerful enough to combine magic and technology to raise themselves to the level of gods. I don't know the specifics, but the Voice is the one who remains. Then... things get murky." He grimaced, offering Harper an apologetic shrug. "We don't know who started it, but the gods began to war, and their followers joined in or got pulled in. The Old Gods chose not to kill her - maybe couldn't - but they did imprison her and her followers. And possibly a number of innocents along with her... again, we just don't know. Either way, they put up a magical barrier around this region that kept everything trapped inside, along with the youngest of the old gods, to help the people within and keep an eye on the Voice." He looked back towards the Spire and the Settlement beyond, frown remaining for a moment. "The barrier was tied to the Voice's Spire, and when it went up... well, judging from the path of destruction, it sent a shockwave out from that point. Smaller buildings were destroyed, larger ones were damaged. Rebuilding has happened on an as-needed basis, as I said."

The dark history of the Hollowed Grounds stole some of his zeal for talking of circuses, and though he found a small smile for Harper's traveling troupe, he let the topic fade away for the moment to focus on more imminent threat's to the young man's survival. "I don't see why not," he agreed to the idea for tricking Wicker Women. "Though once you see one you should be able to recognize others. At last they're fairly rare here, compared to the Greatwood." Where regular 'routes' were a pipe dream unless you were Fae... though perhaps Harper just didn't know it yet?
Harper Quinn
the Stalwart
Teacher

Age: 33 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Nomadic
Level: 5 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 15 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 19 - Int:
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#13
HARPER
Harper's eyes glimmer with amusement as the man offers a pear from his sleeve, one which had not bulged with the weight of one - and Harper would have certainly noticed, as keen of an eye as he has. "Is it too on the nose to call you out for tricks up your sleeve?" Some people truly don't appreciate the amazing nature of puns, which is a damn shame. Nonetheless he gratefully accepts the fruit, biting into the perfectly ripened flesh and making happy humming noises as he listens attentively to the man's gentle cadence. There is much history to take in and file away to muse on later in dark evenings and empty stretches of hours he can never fully fill.

He's not the type to comment idly on such heavy topics, but he won't let the man think he doesn't appreciate the information he has freely shared. "That sounds like a civil war waiting to happen, all for the sake of faith bleeding out of its realm." A saddened note hangs on every word, aware he can't change everyone's minds, can't stop the gods themselves from warring with one another. It has always been this way it seems, no matter which realm he lives in, and the best he can do - has always tried to do - is defend the innocents from the backlash. "I wonder how they are created, if they breed in any kind of way. I haven't been to the Greatwood yet - or at least, I think I haven't," he admits with a robust laugh to chase away the darkness of their prior topic. "I adventure around without a knowledgeable escort, so who knows where I've really been."
and I was thrashing on the line
somewhere between desperate and divine

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
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)
Played by: Cirago Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#14
"Who said they were up my sleeve?" The bard grinned back, arching a brow as he deflected the question with matching teasing, not minding at all. "A-pear-ances can be deceiving, after all." Two could play the pun game, and Jigano was never one to turn down a challenge of wordplay. The world was dark and dangerous enough that he rarely had the opportunity to play such games, and since Edrei's death there had been almost no one to regularly banter with. Then again, there had rarely been the time or mood for it with one catastrophe leading into the next disaster presaging the following tragedy.

Harper's opinion of hostilities in and around the Hollowed Grounds wasn't wrong, and Jigano nodded soberly in agreement. "A number of the Ascended have proven willing to kill on their goddess's orders before, and recently," he revealed grimly. "To expand her power and domain. But the old gods' hands are hardly clean; a woman who died at LongNight had threatened to start killing Ascended as well... though so far I think she was the only one, and she never went beyond threats. The same cannot be said for Wessex and some of the other Ascended." His lips tilted into a wry, humorless grin. "Then again, she attacked me when I was trying to negotiate a way for her people to pass through a portal, so I'm rather biased."

He took Harper's musings on creation and breeding to mean the Wicker Woman, and at that Jigano could only shrug. "Pollen and seeds carried by wind or animals that evade their branches, I would guess. I've never seen fruit or nuts on one, but it's something to study for future reference." The bard chuckled, humor coming back again at Harper's easy attitude. "You'd know if you made it to the Greatwood, though. First, you'd have to pass over a large scar in the earth marking where the barrier once stood. It's pretty distinct. Second, the Greatwood is lush and vibrant. Compared to the grey and weary plants here its bursting with vitality and color - like day and night. It also tends to kick out newcomers their first few times beneath its branches," he added with a wry grin. "It's very disconcerting until you get the trick of it."


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