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- The Message As the sun set, ending another day of normal routine in HollowOak, everyone went about in their own way getting ready to settle in for the night. A handful of members of the labor guild made their evening rounds, keeping an eye on the braziers that lit the village paths at night. The strange noises outside the wall had become a normal occurrence and no one paid them any mind as everyone settled in and closed their eyes for sleep to find them. Some villagers have often talked about the dreams they'd had, some would claim they've never dreamed at all, but what no one was prepared for was a dream they all shared. All across the village, whether asleep or awake, the same image came to mind. At first, impenetrable darkness, but it quickly grows into a bright white light that blinds before receding into a grey haze. There seemed to be shapes moving in the haze but it was impossible to make them out. Strangely enough, the haze brought on a comforting sense of deja vu, as if this dream was a reoccurring one. The comfort faded when out of the haze comes a frantic woman's voice. "Please, you have to find Osha of the water! They can help restore the balance! Please! He's too strong for us now, we're out of time, you've got to hurry!" The dull haze grew bright once more before it faded back to darkness, the woman's frantic pleas fading with it. All was quiet in HollowOak for the rest of the night, even the woods dare not make a sound. The Beginning The next morning, Tarik Firefall, the Village Head, calls a meeting in the Main Hall. The Guild Heads are among the first to arrive and are in a heated discussion with Tarik by the time most of the villagers start showing up. Once the majority of the village is assembled inside of the main hall, Tarik Firefall holds up his hands to quiet the murmurs of the room. "I'm sure you all have concerns over last night's strange occurrence but worry not, we will get to the bottom of this." His voice carries throughout the hall. "Guild Head Morden and the Scholars Guild are looking for any references to this Osha of the Water. If anyone has any information on this, please come see me after this meeting." He looked around the giant hall, locking eyes with many villagers as he did so. "For now, we will go about the day as usual. Be alert and if you see anything out of the ordinary, let your Guild Head or an Enforcer know. That is all."
- NatiStorm
Zakiax
Edon was a bit worried about the dream he had last night and attended the meeting called in the main hall. He wasn't sure what a veterinarian could do to help but he wanted to try. Just as long as he wasn't given anything to hold, cause that would always end up on the ground. Osha of the Water did not ring any bells for Edon, so he had no reason to hang back after the meeting. Leaving the meeting hall Edon made his way to the fountain in the middle of town. He felt compelled to help search and since water was mentioned he felt maybe some reflecting into a pool of water would help and the closest one he knew was the fountain.- Rainyaviel
Nayzee raised her hand to cover her mouth as she yawned again, blinking blearily as she tried to stay awake. Whatever that dream had been last night had been even worse than the strange sounds coming from beyond the wall. Once she'd woken with a start the young woman had done nothing but toss and turn fitfully until the first morning sunrays reached her face and drug her from sleep entirely. Still, she had duties to attend to and she made her way to the mess hall to begin breakfast preparations alongside the rest of the cooks and kitchen assistants. She was just finishing prepping things to start cooking when she got the news about Tarik calling a meeting. Moving quickly she slipped into the Main Hall with the rest of the village, keeping towards the back so she could make a quick exit and get back to work once the meeting concluded. Looking around she realized most everyone seemed to have some idea what the meeting was about and Nayzee frowned, what had she missed? It soon became clear when Tarik Firefall started the meeting and the room fell quiet. Nayzee hadn't even realized that the rest of the the kitchen staff had been talking about having the same dream and it made her realized just how tired she was. As the meeting wrapped up she made her way back out the doors to go start cooking eggs for everyone but she couldn't help the bits of the dream that kept playing in her head now that she knew it was possibly more than some strange nightmare. What could it all mean? - Luna
Tailisen wasn't quite sure what to make of this dream he had. He often had crazy dreams, but not usually ones he fully remembered to this extent. And of course, imagine his surprise when he found out that everyone else had had the exact same dream. Quite literally. Well now this was curious. Consider himself intrigued. As he arrived at the meeting hall, the comotion had seemed to hush and Tarik had begun speaking. Some Osha of the Water huh? Well that sounded like a straight up fairy tale. How were they supposed to find this so called Osha on so little information? And their current plan was to just act normal? Bah. That was slightly disappointing. Collecting himself, he made his way back out, set to go on about his leatherworking business. After all, hides didn't tan themselves for processing. However, as he began to make his way back to his shop, the scent of fresh cooked eggs wafted past and he found himself slightly veering in that direction, coming to the source of it. He glanced around, spotting the girl and smiled. "Well don't those smell magnificent.... is it possible to get a few?" he asked, grinning. - Rainyaviel
An inquiring tone caught Nayzee's attention and the young woman turned to see a man standing on the other side of the serving table. "Good morning." She greeted with a smile. She had just finished her first large batch of eggs for the morning rush and rather than make the man wait she grabbed a plate, added a nice heaping serving of the fresh eggs and passed it over to him. "I hope they taste as good as they smell! I added a few new seasonings this morning." Noticing a few more people coming in the doors Nayzee grabbed her pan of eggs and added them to a serving tray, then placed it on the table with a scoop for the villagers to serve themselves. "What do you make of the dream last night?" she asked Tailisen while she set about cracking open more eggs to start on her next batch. "I find it a bit hard to believe we all had the same one, but the details seem to be matching up." - DBPyrat
Reece had never been a particularly heavy sleeper, and if anyone had asked about the last dream he had the hunter would have been hard pressed to remember. That being said, a dream as vivid as the one he had last night was as remarkable as it was troubling. He was preparing to venture out for the day when he received notice of the meeting and while he wanted nothing more than the solitude of the hunt to puzzle out his bizarre dream he couldn't ignore the summons. His discomfort at being surrounded by the crowd escalated alarmingly when he discovered his dream was not unique and the instructions to "act normal" didn't sit well at all. As the village dispersed to their duties Reese paused briefly to wolf down a plate of eggs, listening to his neighbor's talk of the shared dream, before moving on to find the quiet of the wild he would need to calm his thoughts. - Valkyrie
Runa got up to take care of Sage, her goat, rubbing the sleep from the weirdest dream and night from her eyes. She did not know what to make of the event that had happened. It for sure had made for a weird way to wake up. She yawned and fed her friend and then headed out to the day as she heard about Tarik making a call to the Main Hall. She headed over there and listened, looking around at everyone who was here and nodding. Seemed reasonable. She would do her best to help, she was not going to let anything happen to this place. She liked it here, different from her last village but still good and something worth protecting and loving. Watching everyone leave and head out for the day, some of them headed over to get breakfast, she couldn't help but smile as she headed that way to get some food too. Stifling a yawn she walked over to grab a plate of food and looked over he others, not too much for talking but one for observing and helping she listened as she looked for a spot to sit as she watched and tried to wake up. @Luna @Rainyaviel @DBPyrat (Also listening and watching for anything to help with) - Revel
Nari was exhausted, she'd had a strange dream that had her shoot bolt awake, unable to get back to sleep, then to find out it had been everyone that had the same dream when attending a meeting the next morning. Once the meeting was over, she loitered a bit, not really eager to leave, she had to work a nursing shift soon but with how tired she was, she needed something to keep her going, but slightly procrastinating. She looked around but saw no one she recognised. - NatiStorm
The day wears on with increasing tensions as many villagers find it hard to sit idly by. After reflecting for a bit, Edon, Nari, and Aruna were among the first villagers to wonder what Osha was instead of who. The most commonly accepted theory is that Osha is a descendant of the Deav or one of the fabled other races, though some hopeful souls say it's the offspring of the Sera. Come dinner time, the only thing for certain is that Osha of the Water wasn't mentioned in any of the historic texts. Although some villagers were ready to write the whole thing off as a crazy coincidence, Tara Hawthorn, the Wise Elder, could be heard rambling all throughout the village about how "Ignoring such a task will surely bring bad fortune to the village." As most of the villagers sat gathered in the Mess Hall Tavern for the last meal of the day, Tarik entered and called everyone's attention. It was odd for the Village Leader to call a meeting outside of the Main Hall and unease spread through the tavern. With a sigh, he held up his hands to hush the murmurs as he usually did before speaking. "Tomorrow we will leave the village in groups of six, and that includes an escort in each group." Whispers began immediately at almost every table but Tarik continued. "Since we can't spare everyone for this mission, I'm looking for volunteers. Those willing to go out on this particular endeavor, come see me after you've finished your meal." - Revel
Nari was confused, she wasn't important, at least she didn't think so, but when she heard Tara Hawthorn rambling about not ignoring the task, she felt compelled to at least take notice. Then Tarik called attention in the mess hall and she was even more sure. She looked at the others around her, wondering who else was going. She approached Tarik after she'd eaten "I..." she faltered "I don't know how much use i will be, but i am a nurse, i can help anyone in case of medical attention?" she looked down at her feet "I.. uh ... i volunteer" - Luna
Tailisen took a bite of the eggs and let out a grumble of approval. "Delicious! What seasonings are these, I taste much more than just basic pepper and salt." he mused to himself, wolfing down the eggs happily before he listened to her next question. "It is a bit strange. All of us to have the same dream. And who or what or where this so called Osha is....well thats certainly a mystery in and of itself. he shrugged as he disposed of his plate and utensils. He eyed the others listening and figured they too were thinking much the same. "I suppose we'll find out soon." he added, glancing at them all before he thanked her for the meal and went about his days. @Rainyaviel Soon came time to gather again and hear what all the village elders had decided. Tailisen wasn't surprised to find out that they were sending out expedition teams. Seemed a fairly reasonable response. He watched as others seemed too nervous to speak up, and one poor soul who did manage to voice her assistance seemed nervous beyond belief. Smiling, Tailisen stepped up, placing a gentle hand on the girls shoulder and smiled. "Count me in too. Let's get to the bottom of this Osha ocean, shall we?" he grinned at Nari then at Tara. - Revel
Nari jumped when a hand touched her shoulder "OH!!" ... she gasped, hand to her throat "Oh... you scared me" she let out a half hearted giggle, trying to pass off how much that had made her jump, though he'd probably felt her move, she thought her soul had left her body for a moment there. - DBPyrat
Reece spent the day thinking as he traveled through the forest. Being outdoors, hunting, exploring they never failed to clear his head. Until now. This dream had unnerved him and he could not move past it. He ended up outside the walls much later than he intended and arrived after Tarik's announcement. After another hunter filled him in and he saw the first two volunteers step up he moved to join them. "I figure I've ranged as far Hollow Oak as just about anyone and I can't say I've seen anything that might help answer this odd question, but if you're looking for volunteers to to hunt this answer down then I'm for it. In all honesty I would probably have started looking on my own anyway." He turns to Nari and tries to sound reassuring, " Having a medic on hand is always a good thing in the wilds, but with a sharp eye and a bit of luck hopefully we'll have no need for your skills." - Valkyrie
Alruna had not been sure what she wanted to do about the dream or what ever it was until she heard Tara Hawthorns words. She frowned as she thought over it through the day, taking care of Sage for the afternoon and then hearing about the gathering at the Mess hall. She nodded as she listened along with his words and looked around at everyone here. Tariks words were true and she was glad to hear that they wanted to send out groups. She nodded and was glad to see others heading up to tell him they wanted to go with. She knew that the more medics who went with the better. What ever was out there, what ever she had heard the other day that took her to the wall probably, was not going to be friendly and she knew they needed anyone and everyone. She waited till there was a moment, nodding a hello to the others who volunteered for the expedition, and then headed up to Tarik and smiled as she said she would also be joining in with the hunt for answers. She looked around as she went back to her seat and was glad to know others would be going who she remembered or knew in some way at least. - Rainyaviel
Nayzee smiled happily as Tailisen complimented his food. Still, the first rule of being a cook was that you never revealed your secrets so she simply shrugged, "Oh, a bit of this, and a little of that. I'm glad to hear you like the change. I will remember to use this recipe again in the future." She hummed thoughtfully when he mentioned 'Osha'. At first she had simply assumed Osha was a person, like many of the others apparently had as well, the realization that it could be anything brought so many new possibilities to the table that she wasn't sure what to make of them. "I do suppose you're right. After all, if everyone had the same dream it certainly seems like we are meant to do something about the message we received in it." Nayzee wished him well as he went about his activities for the day then turned her attention back to keeping enough food for everyone stocked up. As the day wore on Nayzee continued to ponder over the dream but she wasn't having any breakthroughs. In fact, the only thing she was sure of is that they would need more information and she hoped the Scholar's guild was having some luck. When dinner time arrived and she and the rest of the kitchen staff had made sure there was plenty of food to go around she finally had a moment to sit and just enjoy her meal with the rest of the villagers. Just her luck, then, that Tarik would arrive and hold a meeting before she could get two bites down. What he said made her forget her hunger altogether. Leaving the village? He didn't say it but she felt safe to assume it was to seek out this 'Osha'. The young woman quickly turned to her fellow cooks wondering if they could spare her for this adventure. It had been quite a long time since she had been outside the protective wall around the village and she was curious about what, if anything, had changed out there. Once it was confirmed the others could cover for her if she went without too much trouble Nayzee finished her meal. - Rainyaviel
She may no longer feel hungry but she had never been one to waste perfectly good food. Once she had dropped her dishes in one of the collection bins she made her way to the slowly forming group in front of Tarik. The man from this morning was here already, Nayzee was not surprised, along with a hunter and a couple of nurses she recognized. Being a cook did have some unexpected perks, like being familiar with most faces of the village, if not the names that went with them. Turning her focus back to Tarik she spoke up once there was a lull, "Count me in, too. If any group ends up straying too far from town a cook may come in handy. Not to mention all the other bits of skills I picked up while tending to my siblings." She smiled reassuringly at some of the more nervous volunteers. As long as they stuck together they should be ok. There may be danger but if they formed their groups well she was certain they would have the skills needed to get through this adventure. - NatiStorm
The Search As the volunteers made their way over to where the guild heads and the wise elder stood, Tara Hawthorn, the Wise Elder, observed them. The old woman smiled and nodded sagely as each approached, while Tarik Firefall just sighed and dropped his shoulders. "Let me first say thank you for volunteering. Now, I'll be honest with you lot. We know very little about what we're looking for and I think this to be a fools errand." Tarik exchanged a glance with Fenris Inesitor, Head of the Hunters Guild, while receiving glares from Tara Hawthorn, the Wise Elder, and Amari Kaleo, Head of the Healers Guild. "As our hunter friend," Tarik paused and looked to Fenris who supplied Reece's name before continuing. "Yes, that's right, as Reece has already explained, our Hunter's Guild has searched the area outside our village without coming across an Osha before. The Scholar's Guild was unable to locate any mention of this... being?" The Village Head sighed and shook his head. "The only thing we have to go off of is the water. So, tomorrow, our groups will search along the stream, the river, and the lake for...anything really, I'm not sure what we'll find, if anything." The last part was mostly under his breath but still audible to those close by. Tarik Firefall looked at the villagers around him. "Well, as no one else volunteered, it looks like it's just you six. I guess you lot will be doing a bit of walking tomorrow. At sunrise, meet at the Stone, the bridge that leads out of the village. Go now, rest up, for tomorrow you begin the search for this Osha of the Water." The next morning, Tarik Firefall and Fenris Inesitor stood at the village edge of the stone bridge, waiting for the volunteers to arrive. "I've got a busy day so I'm going to keep it short. I task you all with searching the stream, the river, and the lake. You can decided amongst yourselves in which order you want to search these places but as it's the only water we know of, make sure you search all along all three sources. Am I clear?" He only waited a moment for an answer before he continued on. "If you find anything strange, or old, or I don't know.. Just keep your eyes open and be careful. If you find a person, be kind, helpful, and try to lead them back here. Good luck." With a curt nod, Tarik and Fenris walked back into the heart of the village leaving the group of volunteers on the Stone. - Rainyaviel
Morning dawned with Nayzee once again in the kitchens but this time rather than preparing to feed the village, she was filling a pack with anything that would last. She knew a hunter was coming along on the trip so she wasn't too worried about meats but she still slipped a few of the cured ones in amongst the rest of her supplies. Not knowing how long they would be gone made it hard to judge how much to bring and the young woman ended up putting some things back only to grab them again 'just in case'. Once she was satisfied that she had enough to keep everyone's hunger at bay while they explored she bid farewell to her colleagues and headed to the bridge. Upon arriving she greeted Tarik and Fenris politely, making small talk with the two until the others arrived. Once the group was gathered in full and Tarik had explained their mission she nodded her understanding then turned to the others. "Good morning! I brought some food for everyone to share in case this takes long enough that we start getting hungry. I also brought some cooking supplies, just in case." Nayzee paused for a few moments before shrugging, mostly to herself, "What if we just start along the river? We're here already anyway, maybe something new turned up the night we all had that dream?" The woman was aware, of course, that the hunters guild made daily trips outside the wall and since the river was closest to the entrance, and also a gathering spot for animals, it had probably been scouted the most. That would also make it the quickest area to search, wouldn't it? - DBPyrat
Reece woke before dawn. Never completely comfortable within the village walls he was frequently among the first to venture out every day and this one would be no different. After a quick patrol beyond the wall Reece went to the meeting point to wait for the others. He acknowledged Tarik with a short bow an Fenris with an even shorter nod. "Thank you Ms Nayzee, I'm sure we will be grateful for a good meal. I'm also inclined to agree, we have fishers working the lake every day, and I'm sure any of them would have mentioned anything out of place, so I would second checking the rive first. Not to mention, as you said, we are already here," he flashes a quick grin before busying himself checking the kit of his companions to be sure all was trail ready. - NatiStorm
After a bit of conversation, the group of volunteers agreed to split into two smaller groups. Some members of the group, particularly Reece who was the only one from the Hunters Guild, were not very comfortable with the idea of the group splitting but in the end the two groups went their separate ways. But not without Nayzee giving the other group plenty of snacks, just in case. One group headed north following the river into dense forest. The hunter lead the others up a lightly worn deer trail. Though the underbrush was thick in many places it wasn't a difficult trail and it followed the river closely. The other group headed back into town, making their way to the south side of the Wall. They took the same route as the fishermen, following one of the late ones out to the Edge. Before them was the rocky and sandy shore that lead into the Lake. - Rainyaviel
Nayzee was not thrilled with the idea of the group splitting up, but she supposed if it was going to happen then at least the groups seemed decently suited to where they were headed. While she trekked deeper into the forest with the hunter and one of the nurses the others would be heading towards the lake where there would be plenty of fishermen to help out if the need arose. After dividing up the rations she'd brought Nayzee was ready to head out. The young woman brought up the rear as her party made their way up an old deer trail. The dense forest pressed in on the trail in spots and she was glad she'd swapped her normal dress for some pants and a tunic. The further up the trail they went the more animals she heard and the more earthy scents she could pick up. If she were out looking for ingredients she could be having the best luck of her life right now but alas, she had no time for such activities. Instead, she kept close to the other two, paying close attention to everything she could hear, see, and smell, that might give them a hint about the 'Osha'. - Revel
Nari was nervous, sure she'd been camping and hiking before but this was very different. She glanced around her as they travelled, seeing if she could see anything as they walked, however it was hard for he to see ni the distances, she had to squint to even see the boats out on the lake, even then they were very vague dark blobs on the water. However, seeing as they followed a route fishermen used, she did keep another thing in mind, maybe she... they.. could ask if any of the fisherpeople they came across had heard of anything. "Hey g...g..guys?" she stuttered .. "i wonder if any of these p..p..people know what this Osha of the water is? ... or give us a c...clue" - Luna
Tailisen was pretty much all for chaos on a good day so he wasn't super upset about the idea of splitting the party. If anything, he was of the opinion of divide and conquer. He had been making sur ehe was set when Nari suggested asking the fishermen. "That is a good idea. Sometimes these folks have more to share than we realize." he nodded, glancing at his two team mates with a smile. "I'm sure we can find a way to appeal to them to share their secrets or at the very least, point us in the right direction." he nodded. Perhaps he could even barter his weather accuracy predictions for some info? They'd have to see when they got there. "Shouldn't be too far now, we've been making good pace." he added, however he did notice that Nari seemed to be squinting a lot and he offered a soft hand on her shoulder for reassurance. - Zakiax
Edon followed the rest of his group keeping well aware of his surroundings so he wouldn't bump into anything along the way. There wasn't really any reason as to why he volunteered for this trek aside from reflecting in the fountain the day before intrigued him hence why he went for another bigger body of water. "They could, but it may be a long shot if there was no records in the guilds about them, but maybe something else is going on." He mused. When the rest of his group decided to talk to the local fishermen he followed though rather then interacting with the fishermen himself he let the other two do so. Edon instead was keeping an eye out to see if there was anything suspicious around or anyone looking at them funny as his party asked their questions. - DBPyrat
Reece was not happy about splitting the group but 'what's done is done' He told himself as he turned to the task at hand. The trail he was leading the others down was quite familiar to him and while he followed it easily he was sure to keep an eye out. "As close as we we are to town I doubt we'll run into trouble, but keep an eye out, some animals don't recognize our territory, " he said, trying to sound light hearted and encouraging. The main thing that nagged at him was the fact that he had traveled up and down this river countless times and had never seen anything to hint at whatever this Osha thing was. What was he looking for now, and would he recognize it if he found it? - NatiStorm
Nayzee noticed an odd shine on the water but she didn't notice that the shine was caused by a large snake swimming and slithering up the bank towards her. Reece however did notice and called out a warning. He'd seen water snakes before, but in all his years outside the village, he'd never seen a snake like this. The water rippled around the snake's body as it made it's way through the water and onto the bank. It had a strange pattern that seemed to shift like the water around it. The color of the snake was also strange; hues of blue none of them had ever seen in nature before. As Nari and Tailisen chatted with the few fishermen that remained on the shore, Edon noticed a strange movement in the boulders around the Wall and the far end of the Edge every time the word 'Osha' was said. Two of the fishermen waved Nari and Tailisen off, saying similar things as Reece, 'ain't never seen no Osha in all my years.' One of the fishermen however said he'd noticed weird patterns in the fish since he'd had the dream. He left the group with a warning, 'saying that name is a bad omen, mark my words, it shouldn't be said here along the lake lest strange things happen.' After leaving the fishermen and moving towards the strange movement Edon saw, the group noticed that the boulder that seemed to be moving wasn't a boulder at all! It was actually a giant rock crab! The crab moved with a surprising swiftness between the group and the way back towards the fishermen, effectively blocking their path back to safety. - DBPyrat
"Stop!" Reece hissed," Both of you, calmly, start backing down the path." Reece readied his bow without taking his eyes from the big reptile, "Look to the water, that is easily the biggest water snake I have ever seen. It's acting oddly though and moving slowly so if we are careful we may be able to travel around it and restart our search for Osha on the other side" Keeping his weapon trained on the beast he trys to usher the others back the way they came. - Rainyaviel
A glint in the water caught Nayzee's eye and she carefully made her way towards the water to get a better look. While she was watching where she walked to avoid tripping down the gradual slope she heard Reece and froze with one foot midair. At first she turned her head to look over her shoulder at the hunter only to see him readying his bow. With her eyes widening in shock she turned back to look where the glinting water had been only to see a large blue snake in her path and heading towards her. Setting her foot back down behind her she slowly backed away from the snake while looking for anything she could use to defend herself. A large stick would be extremely helpful right about now! "Wait! Don't kill it yet, it's not being aggressive. I might have been near a nest or something. Maybe we can catch it for a better look? I've never seen a snake like this before, what if it is related to the Osha somehow?" Nayzee was aware she was probably talking too much but it was helping her keep calm as she retreated back to the path and her companions. - Luna
Tailisen hadn't been expecting a giant crab of all things but.... well. There was one facing them down right now. "This could be bad..." he mumbled to himself before holding his arms out in front of Nari and Edon. "No sudden movements...." he said, as if he was some kind of crab expert. He wasn't. He was just trying to keep everyone calm. "Don't suppose anyone brought weapons?" he asked, one hand very slowly reaching for a whip at his belt.... - Zakiax
Edon noticed the crab and stepped forward from his group slowly in a clam and steady manner. "Its alright we are not going to hurt you." He spoke softly just as he would to the injured animals that were brought to him. He was a veterinarian after all so animals were his thing. Edon wanted to get a closer look to the crab to see if it was injured or to see if something was irritating it. - Valkyrie
Runa looked at the large beast that had slithered from the water and gripped her staff tight. What kind of Monster was this! Snakes were one thing this was...like nothing she had thought to see. She looked at the others and nodded, back away. She didn't want to deal with that if she didn't have to. She slowly moved with the others and tried to think what she had on her to deal with venom if it was one venomous and or two tried to attack one of them. Reece seemed capable of helping handle it if it fought but the idea of it getting closer to her was horrible in Runa's opinion and she thought she might be developing a new fear for the beasts, big and small alike. - NatiStorm
The snake had almost fully emerged from the water when Reece spoke. Lazily it turned toward him before slowly turning to look at Nayzee. The snake paid Runa no mind however. It stopped advancing and raised it head, it's body undulating in a way that the patterns of its iridescent scales seemed to move like great waves over it's body and draw the those observing it closer. As the group begins to take a tentative step forward, the snake turns and begins to swim to the other bank of the lazily flowing river, it's strange pattern seeming to pulse along it's body through the water. Halfway across, lifts it's head from the water and turns to look back at the group for a moment before continuing on. The crab raised up on its many legs, massive claws spread wide and snapping. At it's full height the crab stands at nearly two feet tall. As it scuttles forward towards the group gathered on the small shore Edon spies an oddness in its movements. Crouching down to try and get a better look the vet sees what appears to be either a foreign object or a growth projecting from the underside of its carapace. It moves too rapidly to get a clear view but it's possible that whatever it is has driven the creature out of its den with such hostility. Strangely, the crab seems to be focused on trying to pinch Nari primarily over Tailisen while almost completely ignoring Edon. - Revel
Nari was frustrated with the lack of information from the Fishermen, but, the distinct lack of information was something in itself, they seemed to be purposefully avoiding it. She'd been about to turn and speak to her companions, to tell them the fishermen were a little TOO adamant about there being no Osha there when suddenly there was a crab.. not just a normal crab, but a huge ginormous one. She cringed behind Tailisen as he stood in front of her and Edon. She desperarely glanced around to see if anyone was going to help them. She may or may not have been letting out small squeals of fright as it tried to snap at her over Tailisen. "WHY ME?" she yelled at it, tears forming in her eyes, oh why did she come along? ... it had seemed important at the time. - Zakiax
Edon tried to approach the crab closer as it went off at the rest of his party ignoring him. Seeing as what could be irritating the crab Edon jumped into action despite being potentially injured in the process Edon tried to jump on top of the crab to try to hold its movements down. Hoping to get a better look at the spot he noticed. "Quick I think its injured." He really wanted to help the poor thing, after all it did not seem like it was as fault for being so angry and irritated. - Luna
"Oh for Fucks sake." Tailisen cursed as Edon stepped forward and tried to jump on the crab. "You are going to get yourself killed!" he shook his head before he grabbed his whip from his belt and started to defend Nari to the best of his abilities. "It seems to like you a lot dear. Perhaps your dress?" he asked. It was a silly question but in the heat of combat, the reds on her dress was all he could think to make sense. Maybe she looked like a tiny crab to this thing? "Well either way.... he's got a death wish and it wants you in pieces. I'd quite like you both to remain whole!" Tailisen shouted before he caught Edon's yelling that it was injured. "Alright then....." he said to hsimelf before he had an idea. Tailisen began swinging his whip and aimed to snap it at the crabs feet in hopes to trip it up. If the animal doc wanted a look at it, well he'd do his best to oblige that. - Revel
Nari blinked hard when she heard Edon speak... "Injured?" she murmured, well no wonder the thing was aggressive. She squeaked as she dodged another attempt from the crab at snipping at her. She watched as Tailisen then tried to help Edon. "If....If you can immobilise it, im sure i have something in my pack to help..." she said, she didn't like to see any creature or person, hurt and she DID have her nurses pack with her, (she never went anywhere without it) - Zakiax
"I need to get a look at its underside" He spoke, "that is where I saw the abnormality." He was trying to think of a way they could immobilize it with out injuring it, a way to keep it from attacking them. Then Talisen's whip came to mind. "Lets try to tie is claws and then flip it." he spoke out loud. Edon also had his medical pack on him, as he never left with out it as well, as who knew when he would come across an injured animal. - Rainyaviel
Nayzee was doing her best to remain calm despite the giant snake getting closer. It wasn't being aggressive though, and that, she thought, was quite a blessing. As it started to do a strange swaying motion she focused in on the beautiful blue hues shimmering across its scales. This snake was truly something else, it almost looked exactly like water itself, no wonder she hadn't noticed it sooner. Now more fascinated than afraid she took a step toward the creature only for it to turn away and head back toward the water. The woman was still convinced that they needed to get a better look at the snake. This was only reinforced when it looked back at them before continuing across the river. She'd seen dogs in town do that before when they wanted their owner to see something. "This is going to sound crazy," she started as she searched around her for a sturdy branch. Finally she settled on one that had a forked end she felt would be just wide enough to fit behind the snake's head and pin it if needed. "I think it wants us to follow it. Do you know how deep the river is here? Can we wade across? Or is there some sort of bridge we can use?" She directed her question more towards Reece, figuring he would have the most information. Then she looked at Alruna who seemed a bit pale. "Are you doing alright? Do you have a fear of serpents?" She supposed that most people would have a fear of large, strange-looking snakes, it might be more odd that she wasn't completely terrified. - Valkyrie
Runa watched the thing move along and the color...the colors were amazing, some part of her brain regestered this, but she did not know how to process that idea as it kept moving and Runa thought she might lose her stomach at the idea of moving closer that Nayzee was suggesting. She looked at the other woman and then frowned at the question. "I didn't think i did till i saw....this..." she said as she looked back at the monster snake. "The waters here are ok to move through as long as your sure footed and careful but im not sure how far we will need to go. Im....willing to try if that is what both of you think we need to do." she said as she took a deep breath and tried not to think about it too much, fists tighening on the staff in her hands. - NatiStorm
Nari's shout was heard by one of the fishermen who was checking nearby nets. He dashed towards the group shouting loud obscenities. The fisherman caught the tail end of the plan and tried to grab one of the crabs massive claws. By grabbing the claw, the fisherman accidently threw off the balance of the crab in the wrong direction. As a result, the leg Tailisen was aiming his whip at suddenly shifted and instead of simply tripping the crab, he yanked the crab's leg out from under it. Completely off balance, the crab toppled over onto Edon and the fisherman. The crab's legs waved wildly in the air trying to find purchase to right itself. It's one free claw snapped blindly around, just barely missing Edon and the fisherman who continued his slur of obscenities. In such a position, it was easier for Nari and Tailisen to see the discolored protrusion that Edon had mentioned. It wasn't a growth but a large shard of some sort of rock that seemed to be painfully stuck in the creature. - Luna
Tailisen could only describe what happened next as some sort of out of body experience as he felt like he had just watched himself watch all this go down. Well that wasn't what he intended to do at all. But at least it was on its back now? And on Edon.....and the fisherman...oops. Trying not to think too much, Tailisen spotted what looked to be stuck in the creature. From this struggling vantage point, it didn't look like it was going to budge that easily and with those claws flailing about, any one of them could lose a head at at any moment. "Oh what fresh bloody hell is this?!" he shouted, as he leaped forward and attempted to use his wip to tie the snapping claw to a few of its legs, however many he managed to reach. - Revel
Nari was relieved when at least one of the fishermen came to help "Thank you" she said, as he rushed in. Her relief was short lived as the crab flailed and ended up on it's back when Tailisen used his whip, "Edon!" she called out, their companion having been on the back of the crab at the time, but that was when she saw the THING sticking out of the crab She didn't think, she saw in the corner of her eye, Tailisen tring to tie the crab's legs up with the whip he had, good plan, ignoring the fact she had just been terrified of the thing snapping at her, she rushed in, "oh you poor thing" she said, attempting to dart in and yank the shard of rock out of the unfortunate creature, not much caring about her safety when there was someone... well some...thing.. hurt and needing help - DBPyrat
"This is without doubt the oddest snake I have ever seen," Reece said as he lowered his bow, " Too big, oddly colored, too placid, something strange is definitely going on." After taking a moment to look around he turns to his companions, "If you're set on following the beast this is probably one of the safest spots to cross, giant snake not withstanding, short of the ford about a mile further up. So I suppose if we're going to do this..." He let's it hang as he looks between them and the retreating serpent. - Rainyaviel
Hearing from both companions that this spot was a safe crossing Nayzee quickly pulled off her boots and socks, tucking the socks inside the boots before tying the laces together and hanging them like a shawl over her shoulders. She then rolled up her pants as far as she could get them. She wasn't sure why she was suddenly feeling so adventurous but something told her that they needed to follow the serpent to get to the bottom of the strange dream they'd had. Once she was ready to cross she looked up at Runa, "If you are uncomfortable following it, you could wait here and if we don't come back in say... an hour? You could return to the village for assistance. I'm sure some of the other hunters guild members would be willing to come search if they knew we were missing." The young woman didn't want to force anyone to do something they weren't prepared for so it seemed only right that she offer the other woman an out. After all, if the situation were reversed, she would be grateful for the option to bow out with grace. Looking over to Reece next she nodded at the man with determination in her eyes, "I am definitely following it, though, like I said, I don't expect either of you to follow me. This could be a fool's errand. It could be a trap. All I know is that my gut says I should follow that oddly beautiful creature and I am not in the habit of ignoring strong gut instincts." That said she made her way back towards the bank, carefully avoiding anything that looked sharp now that she was barefoot and mostly bare-legged. At the water's edge she watched the serpent continue it's leisurely path through the water before looking back at her companions once more and then stepping into the river carefully to make sure she had good footing. The water was a bit chilly, even in the shallow area she stood, but she continued to move forward slowly, eventually growing used to the cool sensation on her skin as she focused on the serpent ahead of her and pressed forward. - NatiStorm
While the crab flailed, Tailisen took advantage of it's vulnerable state and managed to tie two legs to one of it's large claws. As Nari grabbed hold of the rock shard, the crab's legs began to wave around more violently and pull at the whip binding on one side. Though she gave it a good tug, the shard didn't budge. The crab rocked side to side as it failed about, knocking the wind from the fisherman causing him to release the claw he was holding. That same claw immediately snapped up the fisherman's arm and latched on. The fisherman yelled and swore as he wrestled the crab claw, trying to free his arm. Those who decided to follow the snake found crossing the river to be a simple task, though a soggy one. The tail end of the strange big snake could be seen slithering into the underbrush of the forest. - Valkyrie
Runa looked at Nayzee as she said she didn't have to go with and shook her head. "I have a good feeling about going with you. I should be here. And staying behind while you go ahead is not an option. I will be fine i think as long as i do not....get too close i think. I will come with and see how it goes." she said as she walked with her across the river, looking over at Reece and hoped that between the...two and a half of them that if the snake turned on them they would be ok. She hoped her luck would keep them going and keep them on the good side of this snake for now. She followed along with the others in the direction the slithering monsters tail went off into. - Rainyaviel
Nayzee reached the opposite bank and did her best to shake off the water before putting her socks and shoes back on and rolling her pants back down. A warm smile and a nod of understanding was directed at Runa before she turned to look at Reece. "If we are all in agreement that the snake is odd, and at this point doesn't seem aggressive then I definitely think it's worth pursuing, as safely as possible." She paused for a moment, turning to see the tail of the snake disappear into the undergrowth of the forest. "It doesn't seem to be waiting for us now that it knows we are following, I suppose we'd best keep up." With that, Nayzee checked that her pack was still secure and set off after the snake keeping far enough back that the blue scales were just visible as she waited for Reece and Alruna to follow along. She wondered if Reece would move forward to take the lead and so she tried to leave room for him to get by if he wanted. - Zakiax
Edon did his best on the back of the crab until it flipped over on top of him. Struggling his best trying to get free from the crab's weight once he did everything seemed to happen so fast. "Nari take care of our fisherman friend. I'll see what I can do with the crab" he spoke, knowing full well Nari knew more about homina injury the he did and he knew more of animal injuries then she did. Edon wanted to try to find a way to look to free the fisherman's arm so then he can tie off the claw and then get down to the working on getting the rock shard out of the crab. - Revel
Oh no.. that wasn't good, she couldn't pull the shard out and then the poor fisherman that was helping tham was caught by the crab "DON'T PULL" she screamed at the man, the pulling in two directions could be bad. She glanced at Edon when he spoke to her and nodded "got it" she told him, before she turned her attention to the crab claw "We might be able to do this together, you pull on one side, i'll pull the other and we can pry it apart" she hoped anyway, as she talked to the fisherman. "Just don't twist or pull too much while it's got you in a tight grip" - Luna
Tailisen grunted. "I've got this claw, get the shard!" he yellr,f having already been working on trying to tie the claw to the legs so the other two could handle the actual animal part without anyone getting hurt....hopefully. - DBPyrat
Reece was having a hard time understanding the odd turns this day had taken but now was not the time for wool gathering. He moved quickly and surely across the water and gave Nayzee a nod as he moved into the lead to track the blue beastie. - NatiStorm
Branches and thorns poked at the trio as they moved down what could barely be called a trail to follow the strange large snake. Moving through a particularly dense patch of bushes, the group lost sight of the blue snake but found themselves in a grassy clearing. They had barely entered the clearing when the ground beneath their feet gave way! It was a short fall that landed the trio in a shallow cave with a only one tunnel, hopefully leading out. Luckily, being so close to the edge of the cave in, Reece, Nayzee, and Runa more or less slid down into the cave. The three were unharmed... Until the dust settled and Runa realized she was sitting next to the large blue snake... and many many other smaller snakes. In her panic to escape the snakes, she tripped backwards over the fallen ground and twisted her ankle. Full of adrenaline, Runa was able to walk it off and tough out the pain. Once again, the snake undulated in a way that flashed it's scales in a mesmerizing display of color and waves before it slithered past the group down the tunnel. - Rainyaviel
With a frown Nayzee scanned the clearing the trio had found themselves in. The snake had managed to lose them in the brush and she supposed that was just one advantage of being a noodle with scales, the ability to slip right through even the densest undergrowth without a hitch. Just as she lifted a foot to step further into the clearing the ground beneath her feet gave away and she let out a yelp of fright as she leaned back and tried to stop herself from falling by scrabbling at the grass on the edge of the sink hole. Of course, this was no use and she slid down with Reece and Alruna, landing in a hole that was filled with dust from their abrupt entrance. Rising to her feet slowly the cook checked to make sure she wasn't injured and that her gear was still in place before she turned to her companions. "Are you two alright?" she asked as she attempted to wave the dust out of her vision in vain. "Do you have any idea where we are?" She had been doing her best to keep track of their location in relation to HollowOak and she figured at this moment they must be somewhere north of the village but the woman wasn't the best with distance, or direction for that matter, so she really wasn't sure. As the dust began to die down Nayzee found herself staring at the wall of a cave. Lovely. With a groan the young woman turned to see if there was a way out only to catch sight of Alruna tripping backward. Nayzee was too far away to be of any help but that didn't stop her from moving forward, arms outstretched as if to catch the other woman. It was only after Runa started to walk that Nayzee allowed her gaze to focus on what had caused her to stumble in the first place. With a shudder Nayzee stared at the smaller snakes and swallowed hard. She wasn't afraid of animals but the idea of having fallen into a literal snake den did not sit well with her and she fought to keep her stomach from turning. "Uh... we should... move slowly. Away from them. Yes?" - NatiStorm
Tailisen has got one of the claws and two legs tied up nice and tight. Crab's not getting out of that grip. Working together with the fisherman, Nari manages to get his arm out of the crabs claw. Fisherman is now free but injured. With one claw tied down and the other claw waving around the fisherman and Nari, Edon is free to work on removing the shard. It seems pretty stuck in there however and Edon doesn't see a clear or easy way to remove it. - Revel
Nari grabbed the fisherman by the armpits and pulled him out of the crab's reach, careful to not jostle his arm too much. Once they were far enough away, she held his arm gently, checking to see how badly injured it was "im am so sorry sir, this is all my fault" she said as she pressed gently in places, to see where it was hurt the most. She couldn't help but keep glancing back at Edon and Tailisen too, hopefully they could help the poor crab, one way or another. - Valkyrie
Runa followed closely to the others and as they neared the area the snake seemed to go into the ground was just suddenly gone from them and they all were falling. She screamed and then when her vision only kind of came back in the dark she saw the blueish scales to the side of her of the large side to the snake and then looked down and saw all the other smaller ones around and on her. Eyes wide she bit her lip not to scream out again and tried to, while being careful and fast, do her best to quickly get out of the spot she was in. She hurried over to the others trying to push some of her fear back for now and take deep breaths as she checked her clothes, sandals, pouches and bag for any remaining small snakes as she looked, still a little frazzled and wide eyed at the others. "Yes move. Away. Please. Did not like that....i need a bath....I did seem to lose my staff so i hope we do not need to get physical with anything." she said doing her best to try and lead the others in literally any direction that was away from the den of snakes. - DBPyrat
Cursing at the sudden drop Reece quickly attempts to regain his feet and his wits. "I'm unhurt, except perhaps a bruised ego," he says as he checks himself over.
He sees their quarry vanishing down a dark tunnel just a moment before seeing his comrades recoil in fear. He looks around and goes to reassure them, "These snakes are mostly harmless but best move slowly to keep them from getting agitated." He begins pulling a torch and flint from his pack, " I assume since we've come this far we're going to continue yes?" - Rainyaviel
Nayzee returned her attention to Reece as he came to stand near the two women. "Well, I would say yes anyway, but honestly it appears we don't have a choice." She looked around again as best she could with the light filtering in from above only to come to the same conclusion. Unless they were going to try hoisting one of them back out of this pit the only way forward was the tunnel the large snake had taken. Resting one hand on Alruna's shoulder for a moment to provide some comfort before retreating further from the small snakes and toward the tunnel. The closer to the tunnel she got the darker it became and she was considering their options when she heard Reece rummaging in his pack. Turning to see what was happening the young woman grinned and chuckled a moment, thrilled that they would have at least one light between them for this part of their adventure. "I am so thankful one of us thought to bring along a torch. All I had planned for was possibly a campfire. Not the most useful light source if you're exploring." - Valkyrie
Walking! Yes walking away. Fast. Quickly move with the others, staying in the light of the torch as she did not wish to see any surprises again while in the snake cave as she was now going to call it. She gripped her bag tightly as she walked and hoped that nothing wanted to get physical. "Why would it be leading us out here? I do not think it means us harm, it had plenty of a chance to grab me when i all but fell on it just now but i do not know what to expect in this momeny as i feel a little frantic as i calm down from that." she said as she took deep breaths. Nothing seemed injured but she might also just be having too much adreniline going to notice any minor injuries quite yet. "What should we be looking for?" - NatiStorm
As they followed the large snake, the smaller ones followed, swarming several feet behind them staying just out of Reese's torch light. The tunnel was tall enough for a child to walk through, however adults would have to bend and hunch. Feeling much longer than it was, the tunnel was fairly short and opened into a small cave. The first thing Nayzee and Aruna noticed was sunlight pouring in through a crevasse in the cave wall. They would be able to wiggle through though might end up with a scratch or two from the rough rocks. The first thing Reece noticed was that the snake lay next to a small puddle of water. A small puddle of water that moved. The water rose up from the puddle and wiggled around in place, looking very similar to the large snake starting to curling around it. As Nari pressed on the fisherman's arm, she realized it was broken. It didn't seem like a bad break, but definitely broken. "It sure is your fault!" The fisherman replied rudely to Nari as he winced in pain. "You and your friends. We told you, you don't go saying Osha around the lake! Bad things have been happening!" As the fisherman spoke the name Osha the shard protruding from the crab seemed to pulse twice with a bright blue light. The crab seemed to flail in pain as it snapped it's free claw wildly. Tailisen was so focused on keeping the crab restrained that he didn't notice the shard pulsing light. Nari however seemed to look over at just the right moment to notice it, along with Edon who had been tugging at it. - Rainyaviel
As her group started to enter the tunnel and follow the large snake Nayzee crouched down, shifting her pack so it would be directly behind her rather than off to the side. Even with the light from Reece's torch ahead of her the young woman felt a chill creep up her spine. She disliked enclosed spaces and even though she wasn't being crushed, and her pack wasn't getting snagged on anything, she was beginning to feel trapped. She focused on the torch and her breathing, willing herself not to freak out just as they emerged on the other end. What a relief! Immediately her eyes were drawn to sunlight pouring into the new chamber they were in from a crack up ahead. She pointed to the possible exit while she turned to look at Alruna and Reece. While she didn't speak, she did move toward the light. As she drew closer she realized the crack may be just big enough to squeeze through but she wasn't sure if they should go that way or not. After all, they had come down here after that large strange-looking serpent. Speaking of which, Nayzee slowly eyed the area looking for the large snake. Where had it gone? - DBPyrat
"What in Deavonis!" Reese exclaimed as he dropped the torch to raise his bow. The giant snake behaving so oddly was enough to put him on edge but what he saw now threatened his sanity. "Watch out! There's some dark magic in here!" He yelled to the others as he raised his weapon to fire on the twisting column of water. - Luna
Tailisen was still doing his best to hold the crab down, so much so he hadn't noticed the shard stuck inside it begin to pulse and glow. All he could hear was the anger of the fishermen Nari was helping and the sounds of the crab still trying to claw anything and everything it could reach. "Might wanna hurry it up down there!" he called out to Edon so that the other would hopefully finish up whatever it was they were trying to do. "It's getting tougher to hold this sucker down!" he huffed, doing his best to find hi second wind and re up whatever strength he had left. - Revel
Nari winced as she realised the fisherman's arm was broken, though it wasn't beyond repair if she could set it now. She visibly flinched when the man berated her though "im sorry, im so sorry" she said, trying not to tear up. "Just hold still, keep your arm immobile for a moment while i find something to bind it with" she glanced around, looking for a few strong sticks or branches she could use. As she did so, she saw the crystal, rock thing stuck in the crab glow, just before it writhed again. "EDON, TAILISEN" she yelled to the boys, "that thing is definitely tied to Osh.....That thing we're looking for" she didn't want to cause the crab anymore pain. - Valkyrie
Runa will try to find a way up and out and away from the snake, she has no weapon at the moment to defend herself with so shes intent on a way out. I'll make a real post sometime tomorrow if im not dead after grooming some dogs. - NatiStorm
Reece called out about the dark magic just as Nayzee looked back to the middle of the cave. The cook noticed the strand of water moving around like a snake while the hunter kept still, his bow ready. As they looked on, the water swirled and swayed but never moved past the edge of the puddle at it's base. Aruna however didn't catch sight of the wiggling water and instead wriggled her way through the crevasse and into the sunlight beyond. The nurse found herself at the edge of the lake far north of the village. Just a little ways down the shoreline she could see Tailisen and Edon. They seemed to be wrestling with something while Nari and a fisherman sat nearby. After the shard finished pulsing, Edon managed to dislodge it from the crab. The moment the shard was free, the rock crab drastically shrank in size with a loud crack and in doing so it was freed from Tailisen's whip. With it's legs now free the crab righted itself and skittered towards the lake with surprising speed. As he tried not to drop it, Edon found the shard was very cold to the touch. Along with being cold, the shard was nearly a forearm long with jagged edges and had a weird symbol carved into it's smooth face. It was unlike any stone in the village as it was a pale off white with iridescent blues, greens, and purples that shimmered and shifted in the light.
With the crab out of the way, Tailisen was able to get a good look at the shard. Looking around, Nari found a few long sticks and some dried dead vines that she quickly turned into a splint for the fisherman's arm. It wasn't pretty but it would hold until they returned to the village for proper care. The fisherman made it clear he wanted nothing to do with the shard or the group on the shore any longer. He gave a curt thanks to Nari before he turned and made his way down the shore back towards the village, gingerly holding his arm in it's makeshift splint. - Revel
Nari made quick work of putting the splint on the fisherman's arm, despite the upset, she remained professional but it hurt when he obviously wanted nothing more to do with them. She watched as he left before turning to finally see what Edon had pulled out of the crab. "What... is it?" she wondered out loud at the boys. She kinda wanted to touch it but figured that would be a bad idea "uh.. perhaps we should wrap it in something to hide it" she offered, pulling out some cloth from her bag. - Rainyaviel
Nayzee's eyes widened as she caught sight of Reece standing before the snake they had been following and some water that was doing things she had never imagined water could do. Dark magic? The young woman frowned, stepping toward the hunter and the strange water. The closer she got to the water the more unsure she became but she eventually reached Reece's side and rested a hand lightly on the arm holding his bow. "I'm not sure if we should be attacking. Right now it seems relatively calm. If we attack we might just anger it." She was of course, speaking about the snake, after all, shooting at the water wouldn't make any sense, the arrow would pass right through it... wouldn't it? As Nayzee watched the water dance and the large snake coil around it she slipped her pack from her shoulder and rummaged for something to collect water in. Eventually, she pulled a mug from the depths of her supplies and put her pack back on. "I have this... maybe we can collect some of that water to study?" her voice was barely louder than a whisper, trepidation causing it to waver as she contemplated their options. "What do you think we should do, Alruna?" she asked of the woman she had left near the exit they had found. When she didn't get a response she turned to look back at the sunlight filtering in only to see that the other woman was no longer there. Panic started to grip Nayzee as she worried about where the other woman had gone, did she make it out? Did something take her? "Alruna?" she called again, hoping there would be a response, any kind of response, that she could act upon. - DBPyrat
Reece slightly lowers his bow but doesn't break eye contact with the two writhing figures as he turns to Nayzee, "They may not be hostile bug that doesn't mean they aren't dangerous. We followed the snake on a wild chase now we are stuck in a hole, faced with some kind of supernatural... thing, and no closer to finding Osha," feeling frustration at being out of his depth, and more than a bit of fear tinged his voice. He hadn't said anything, partially due to the almost hypnotic effect of the snake, and also his sense of duty to protect the others, but Reece feels panic as his location begins to sink in. He was underground. Buried. His breathing grew faster as the walls closed in. "I don't know what to do with all this," his voice growing quiet, his aim wavers as the hand gripping his bow begins to shake, " I have to get out of here." - NatiStorm
A moment after Reece spoke the name Osha, the moving puddle of water began pulsing with a bright blue light. The light seemed to pulse from the puddle into the giant snake, causing the hypnotic shift in iridescent colors in the creatures scales. Eerily lifelike, the strand of dancing water from the puddle seemed to nod it's snake like head as it pulsed with light. There was roughly ten pulses before the light faded and the cave again went dark save for the light pouring in from the crevasse. The water rose a second strand, almost like the tail end of a snake, that made a sort of beckoning motion towards Nayzee. - Rainyaviel
Nayzee could feel the tension in the air as Reece lowered his bow and he spoke with a tinge of panic to his words. She recognized that tone, it was the voice of someone out of their depths, in over their head, and aware of that fact. She'd heard it often in the voices of her siblings while they were growing up and despite her past experience she couldn't make herself speak any calming words to the man. "You're right. Of course. There's a way out, over there," she gestured toward the crack in the wall she had noticed upon entering the chamber. "If any of us can fit through it." she added as an afterthought before realizing she'd still not got a response from Alruna. Looking around once more her eyes settled first on the crack with sunlight filtering through, then on Reece, and finally upon the snake and the dancing water once more. "Alruna must have fit. She had to have got out. Perhaps she's going for help?" Nayzee did her best to hold her own voice steady despite her fear. As the water went dim Nayzee swallowed hard. She felt an odd pull toward the water, and the large snake, but in her gut she felt terrified and her mind told her it was a trap and she should be running as fast as possible away from the situation. "Perhaps this is the Osha?" She muttered as she tentatively took a step toward the beckoning shape. - NatiStorm
A moment after Nayzee spoke the name Osha, the strange water pulsed with light once more. Again, the water column seemed to nod and made a beckoning motion. - Rainyaviel
Feeling quite at odds with herself Nayzee cast a glance over her shoulder to see if Reece had made up his mind, or if Alruna had made a reappearance. Even though her mind was setting off every sort of alarm and warning it could muster her body was unwilling to comply. The young woman continued to move toward the water slowly, refocusing on what she assumed was the Osha. Her gaze darting between the water and the large serpent beside it. This is how I die. she thought to herself as she neared. I hope my family forgives me. When she was close enough she could have reached out to touch either of the magical entities before her she stopped. A chill erupted throughout her body, freezing her in place, and she trembled anxiously despite doing her best to put on a brave face. - NatiStorm
The giant snake stayed where it was, loosely coiled around the moving puddle, as Nayzee approached. Once the cook was close enough, a small tendril of water reached out towards the mug. As a decent bit of water sloshed into the mug, the water in the puddle settled and stilled. The water in the mug however swirled around with a little tendril poking out of the top of it's container. Looking at the water, Nayzee notices that it is full of debris and minerals that seems to shine different hues of blue and green. - Rainyaviel
Nayzee's eyes widened as the water moved toward her and a strangled sound of panic managed to escape her throat despite her best efforts to appear composed. Her mouth went dry, her breathing quickened, and if it weren't for her clutching the mug handle so tightly that her knuckles went white she was certain she would have dropped it to the floor. The young woman watched as the water poured itself into the cup she held and shook her head, she was dreaming or dead. There was no way in the world she lived in that water could dance, and pour itself into cups, nope. Never mind about the giant snake with scales like water and the underground pit full of smaller serpents, or the strange dream they'd all shared. The dream! As she recalled the dream that had started this whole adventure she felt a bit of calm flood through her, settling her anxious tremors. 'Please, you have to find Osha of the water! They can help restore the balance! Please! He's too strong for us now, we're out of time, you've got to hurry!' she remembered the words from her dream clearly. The woman had sounded so frantic, and to this point the serpent, nor the water, had tried to harm her or the others. She looked at the water in her cup, then at the large serpent, before opening her mouth to speak only to find her throat still dry. She cleared her throat and did her best to muster up some saliva to help form the words she felt she needed. After a few moments she tried again, "There was a woman, in a dream, she told us to find the Osha. Is that you? Do you know what it all means?" Her gaze returned to the tendril of water dancing in the mug. In the back of her mind she was vaguely aware of the fact that she hadn't heard either of her companions since she'd gestured to the exit for Reece. Had they both abandoned her to her fate? She couldn't blame them. What sort of lunatic talks to giant snakes and moving water? Still, she felt close to answers and she couldn't quit now. - DBPyrat
Reece let his weapon down and he moved up behind Nayzee. His disbelief momentarily washing away his rising panic. A strange calm fought against his fear, both of the enclosed space and the thought he might be mad, and it was winning. But how could water move on its own? And how did Nayzee call it into her cup? He barely breathed as he moved behind her, the giant snake all but forgotten, and looked over her shoulder. As he watched the swirl of colors in the mug he whispers, practically in her ear, "How did you do that?" - NatiStorm
Once again at the mention of Osha the water pulsed with light, dimmer now that it was in the mug. The small tendril seemed to nod it's tip. - Rainyaviel
The whisper at her ear jolted her from her own thoughts and Nayzee jumped, startled, her free hand moving instinctively to cover the cup so it wouldn't spill. Once she recovered she removed her hand again, looking over her shoulder to find Reece also staring into the mug. "I... didn't? It just... moved... on its own?" she was aware she sounded delusional but then, Reece had also seen the dancing puddle so perhaps she wasn't quite as crazy as she felt at the moment. The pulse of light called her attention back just in time to see the tendril making an odd motion that looked similar to a nod. "I've lost my mind, haven't I?" she asked though whether she was asking Reece, or the water, or the serpent, she couldn't say. "What... do we do now? Do we bring it back to the village? What about the serpent?" while her body seemed frozen in place her brain was trying to process hundreds of thoughts at once and she was struggling to keep up. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was aware that she was quite possibly in shock and should probably be doing something about that but she couldn't focus her attention on anything other than the extremely strange situation she'd found herself in. - Zakiax
"A shard of something, its pretty cold and felt alive?." Edon replied ending his first statement within a question. Possible not sure of the statement or assumption he made. "I think its related to what we've been searching for." There was a pause as he wrapped it within his shirt. "I think we should try to find where the crab and this shard came from and find its origin." - NatiStorm —
Almost in answer to Nayzee's question, the water in the mug pooled to one side with the small tendril of water almost leaning over the rim, as if pointing to the sunny crevasse. - Rainyavie
Blinking at the mug she held, Nayzee wondered if perhaps they'd come in contact with something that caused hallucinations. She was certain the water was answering her questions with its movements and the interesting flecks of material floating in it were mesmerizing. Maybe she was hypnotized? "I think we are supposed to leave the cave..." her voice was barely above a whisper as she grasped Reece's arm gently. It was enough to get his attention but not quite pull him with her as she made her way back toward the beam of sunlight filtering in. Squinting into the bright light, Nayzee found she couldn't see anything on the other side, the difference in the light was too bright. Instead, she looked down at the water in her mug, checking it was still pointing this way. Resolved the woman stretched her arm out, the mug ahead of her, as she pressed herself into the crevice and maneuvered her way through to the other side. As she emerged into the sunlight she blinked rapidly to adjust to the brighter lighting and looked around to see where they had ended up, and if she could find Alruna. - NatiStorm
As Nayzee and Reece exited the cave, they found themselves at the edge of the lake far north of the village. Aruna was standing near by, still catching her breath and adjusting to the fresh air. A little ways down the shoreline they could see the other three members of the original search party looking at something Edon was wrapping up in his shirt. The water tendril had changed direction and was now "pointing" towards the group further down the shore. - NatiStorm
Looking around to find the origins of the crab and the shard, the group spots Aruna, Nayzee, and Reece father up the shore line. The crab had quickly scuttled into the water once it was free of the shard. As Edon and Nari looked into the water of the lake, they noticed not just one crab but several. More crabs seemed to be gathering just below the surface. - Zakiax
Edon points out the crabs and states "I'm not sure if that is a good or bad omen especially with what we just went through." Taking the now wrapped shard they had found he held it close not wanting what ever power it did have to affect another one. Seeing the other group Edon gave a small wave with his other hand to them. "We found something" He called out to them. "But I'm not sure what it means." - Revel
Nari was relived when the crystal.. rock.. thing was wrapped up, not so thrilled it was in Edon's shirt, showing some of his flesh, she tried hard not to blush, it was one thing looking at a man's body to heal it, it was another thing to look at it otherwise. She waved to the other party in the distance, then eyed the wrapped crystal again, "I don't think you should hold it so close, if it got embedded in a crab shell, soft flesh would be no object to it" she said, before looking at the crabs "They seem to be waiting for something.. they're not really doing anything yet, if it's got anything to do with Osha, i'm not sure what".. she clamped her hand over her mouth and her gaze shot to the crystal Edon now held, she shouldn't have said that word.. - NatiStorm
A moment after Nari spoke the name Osha, the shard wrapped in Edon's shirt began to pulse with the same bright light. The water in Nayzee's mug also pulsed with blue light, though it was very dim and only visible to those standing close to it. The crabs just below the surface of the lake crept forward, a few of them crawling onto the shore. A light hiss came from the crevasse as several of the smaller snakes began to slither out into the sunlight. - Valkyrie
Runa gasped and tried to catch her breath as she tried to calm down from everything that had happened in such a short amount of time. She looked down toward the other group and was glad they didn't have a giant snake too. She was so confused by what was happening but she could help heal people if anyone was Injured. But then crabs started coming out of the lake and she saw snakes around her feet coming from the crevasse opening and she took off running towards the lake, any place that got her away from the snakes. Nope. Nope. What ever was at the lake was better then the snakes. - Rainyaviel
Once her eyes had adjusted Nayzee immediately sighed with relief. Alruna was just ahead of them and looked to be no worse for wear. She took in the surroundings and realized she was vaguely familiar with where they had wound up. Her whole body slumped then, familiarity making her more at ease. It was only when Runa took off running that Nayzee rallied and resumed her alert stance. She saw a bright light flash near the other group further along the shore before the familiar flash of the water in her mug drew her attention. It still seemed to be pointing the way and despite the fear that crept down her spine as she took in the crabs and normal-sized serpents heading towards them she started walking slowly, watching the water in her mug carefully. "I can't pretend to have any idea of what's going on right now, but I feel like we need to see this through." She spoke to Reece as she moved on ahead, wondering if the man would also come along or if he'd come to his senses and decided the whole lot of them were crazy. She wouldn't blame any of them if they headed back to the village and reported on what they had seen but as the person holding some magical water in a cup Nayzee felt very strongly that it was her job to see what would come of this adventure if she pressed ahead. - DBPyrat
Once free of encroaching walls of the cave Reece visibly relaxed. The remaining fear was replaced by the wonder of the contents of Nayzee's mug. " You're right, we have a task to finish. Even if we didn't, I don't think we could stop what's happening now." Looking up the beach at the other group he pointed, "Let's see what the others found, then we can plan our next move." - Luna
"Just what in the fuckery is going on?!" Tailisen proclaimed as the water began to pulse. He hadn't originally noticed the shard at first, but when Nari spoke the word Osha and things started happening, he slowly began to put two and two together. "For Fff... don't say that word. Do not say that name." he said as he held a stern gaze towards Nari before glancing over to see the rest of the group slowly joining them. "Oh good, at least the party isn't split anymore." he frowned. "But we still have this problem to deal with." he frowned again as he kicked a few scuttling crabs off his shoes before noticing the snakes. "And now snakes?! Just lovely." - Revel
Nari flinched at the look Tailisen gave her "im sorry" she squeaked in a small voice, nervous now of the crabs and snakes... well she kinda liked the snakes, she always had but these were behaving just as strangely as the crabs. "what even is going on" she said under her breath. - Rainyaviel
Relief flooded through Nayzee as Reece rejoined her and they made their way toward the other half of the original group. Despite the water obviously being somewhat sentient, she walked carefully holding the mug as steady as possible as they made their way along the shore. Nayzee worried a bit about Alruna as they walked, it seemed she was still in a state of panic and Nayzee was concerned the woman might be at her breaking point when she watched her flee towards the lake away from the small snakes that had followed them into the open. Nayzee considered going after her but realized that approaching her with the strange dancing water might just make things worse. Instead she continued with Reece to where Nari, Edon, and Tailisen were standing. "We found something too, wait til you see this." she gestured to the water she held while looking at the small creatures that seemed drawn toward the group. Please don't let this be a trap. she thought as she kept one eye on the creatures while trying to figure out what Edon had wrapped up in his shirt.
The Islet Before anyone in the group could react, the snakes and crabs swarmed them, picked the six of them up, and carried them out onto the lake. Unable to find purchase among the slick scales and claws, no one was able to escape the undulating mass of creatures that moved them over the waters surface. Despite any and all protests, the swarm of snakes and crabs kept the group together, moving rather fluidly across the surface of the lake until the familiar shoreline of the village was out of sight and a new spit of land came into view. The tiny islet was compromised of a stone platform and a large jagged stone pillar that stood at its center. Nearly knee high for most adult Homia was a small basin protruding from the large pillar. Both platform and pillar were made of a strange off white stone that shined iridescent blues, purples, and greens. Edon, Tailisen, and Nari recognized it the same stone that was stuck in the crab. As the group was set on the platform, Tailisen and Nari noticed that there was a chunk of stone missing from the center of the pillar that was the exact size and shape as the shard Edon was carrying. The rest of the group was focused on the snakes and crabs that were disappearing off the platform back into the water, leaving the group stranded in what seemed to be the middle of the lake.
- Luna
Tailisen wasn't sure how he felt about being mosh pitted across waters by critters but well. That happened. That was an experience. One for the books he supposed. Shaking his head and clearing his mind, he began to really study the statue, and noticed Nari doing the same. "That looks familiar doesn't it?" he asked her, before he turned back over towards Edon. "Hey Edon! Still got that shard? C'mere a sec, see if it fits!" he called out, waving the other over. If his hunch was correct.... well it'd fit just right and maybe they'd finally figure out who, what and where this Osha was. - Rainyaviel
Since she had been watching them already, Nayzee was well aware that the creatures were moving closer to them. She hadn't raised an alarm because they looked relatively calm and harmless, until suddenly they surged forward together as one body of writhing legs and tails and she squealed in fright, nearly dropping the mug. She reached out to grab hold of whoever was closest as she felt the ground shifting beneath her feet. Suddenly she was moving toward the lake and the panic she had been trying so hard to hold back flooded her. Tears of fright streamed down her cheeks as she desperately looked around for a way to safety. This was all her fault, if she hadn't suggested they follow that giant snake none of this would be happening right now. They could have continued life unaware of strange magical water and definitely far away from the creatures that were now carting them off into the lake. Looking over her shoulder she realized she could no longer see the shore and this set her into a new round of sobs. "I'm so sorry," she choked out to the rest of the group. Once the movement stopped the young woman rubbed at her eyes and cheeks with the back of her arm before looking around with puffy red eyes. They'd made it to shore again, but this didn't look like anywhere she had ever seen before. She noticed the the crabs and snakes were retreating back into the water and she stumbled that way, frightened that they would die here without a way back. - Valkyrie
Runa ran, and ran towards the others. The snakes just behind her and she just wanted away from them. Try as she might she got to them just as she felt crabs and snakes suddenly scoop her and the others up and carry her away. "Oh no! Nope! Not ok! Their all over. What the hell is going on!?" she asked, more like yelled as she tried to find any way to free herself but nothing was working. When they eventually got set down she ran her hands all over her skin and clothes and checked her pockets and pouches to make sure none of the snakes had snuck in some place. "Never leaving the town again i swear to..." she looked around. "What....Where the heck are we? What is that?" she asked looking over the rock and running her hands through her hair to tripple check for anything hiding in there. - Revel
Nari may or may not have screamed a little bit when the cabs and nsakes CARRIED them over the water "nonononono" she didn't dare move in case she fell. Then they were left on the ground of somwhere else and she was extremely uneasy, her gaze shot around, looking for an escape but stopped when she saw a pillar and something missing from it, she was about to say something when Tailisen spoke up "Uh... should we put it back though? we don't know what it will do" she said in a tiny voice, probably no one even heard. @Luna - Zakiax
Edon had been carefully keeping the shard close, making sure that it did not touch any of the swarming animals that currently was moving them. It would be horrible it if would be jammed into a snake, a giant snake sounded just as horrible as that giant crab they wrangled the shard from. He nodded at Talisen when he asked if he still had the shard. And after seeing how it would def fit in the spot which was pointed out. Edon carefull took it out from it being rolled up in his shirt and returned it back to where he figured it belonged. At least if it was back to where it was suppose to belong then none of the animals would suffer right? It made sense to him at least. - DBPyrat
After everything he had felt in the cave, Reece could only manage a surprised grunt when the writhing bed of serpents and crustaceans swept them onto the lake. As he had been right behind Nayzee as the carpet of animals moved under them he grabbed her flailing arm as they nearly toppled over. The hunter was beginning to feel a numbness, his ability to be surprised was practically non-existent as they were placed on the odd stone island. He listened quietly to the others and gave Nayzee's arm a reassuring squeeze, before speaking up, "We were brought here for a purpose. The dream, the living water we found, the shard that you found, all the unbelievable behavior of the animals, all of it is this Osha thing. I'm certain of it." He gently led Nayzee forward, "Nayzee, take the water to the stone. I'm ready to have done with this madness one way or the other." - Rainyaviel
Feeling the firm grasp on her arm helped draw Nayzee back to the present. She was still overwhelmed, still frightened and confused, but Reece's words reached her and helped her muster enough nerve to see this whole ordeal through. They were so close, after all, quitting now would mean everything else had been in vain. She nodded her head, looking down at the mug clasped tightly in her hands then up to where Edon had managed to replace a shard of stone that completed the strange pillar. She could do this, she had to do this. Hesitantly, she took one step then another toward the odd glimmering stone. Once she had reached it she looked at each member of the group, her own expression a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. Slowly she extended her arms and then tipped the cup over the basin allowing the water from the cave to flow into the stone basin as she watched. What would happen now? - NatiStorm
The shard Edon carried clicked into place rather easily. The entire platform seemed to hum with energy as Reece said Osha and like it had before, the water in Nayzee's mug pulsed with light. The light pulsed out into the lake creating large ripples that shimmered in the sunlight. As Nayzee stepped up and tipped the mug, the water inside seemed to jump into the basin. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the pillar erupted with light. Everyone could feel it - the magic returning to the world. For the six Homia standing on the platform, they felt a tingling sensation as magic pulse through them, felt the connection form. Those of Alvia ancestry felt it the most as the magic made physical changes to their bodies, elongating their ears to a point. As the light faded, they realized they were not alone. A woman stood before them with water seemingly flowing out of her skin. "I'm finally free. Thank you." Though they had more questions than could be counted, there was no time to ask as the water of the lake suddenly rose and washed the group off the platform. The magic flowed through the water into each of them and they knew the current that grabbed them was taking them back to HollowOak. Once back at the village the group recounted their adventure and introduced Osha, a Water Elamel. To everyone's disappointment, she could provide very little answers about the shared dream. What she did say was that the only way to stop the natural disasters that have been destroying the villages is to "Open the Doors". The door to water has been opened but fire, earth, and air remain closed, their locations unknown. Unfortunately since Osha had been disconnected from her magic source for so long, she couldn't remember much more. Or at least, she didn't let on that she did.