Into the New World, Chapter 1: Amongst the Verdant Towers

[sblock=OOC]Everyone choose a seperate color for your speech, please. Thoughts are in italics. I'll do 'passive' rolls for everyone (spot, listen, sense motive, knowledge, and so on); 'active' rolls (combat, search, diplomacy, bluff, intimidate, etc) should be rolled on Invisible Castle. At this point, you all have free reign of the town - don't feel obligated to try to 'meet up' with each other. I'll take care of that when the time comes, although if you want to, feel free to seek each other out. I want you to have some time to get into character and explore the town before I start the adventure full-on.[/sblock]The mood in town is festive. Spring is in full bloom, the Spiritwash river has flooded and left behind fertile soil for the year's crops, the weather is perfect with clear blue skies and a crisp breeze, and not only is today the monthly Bronzemarket, but there are travelling merchants in town as well! The combination of the fine weather and the travelling merchants has sparked the townspeople into declaring the day a festival, and preparations are being made for a night of revelry.

Nearly all of the people who live in the surrounding farm and herdland are streaming into town, eager for exotic merchandise and even more exotic tales from the merchants. The town square is overflowing with people - onlookers, traders, party-goers, and gaggles of children running giggling through the crowds. The travelling merchants have set up a stall in the center of the square and are the main attraction for the moment, although Anakletos' forge is open as well, repairing tools and offering this month's labor for trade.

[sblock=Enko]Through your connection with the spirits of the land, you feel charged, as if there was a great deal of restless energy coursing through your body. This isn't unusual when there's a festival going on, but you also sense a darker undercurrent to the energy. You can't seem to get a metaphysical "hold" on it, though - it's almost like when you see something out of the corner of your eye, but when you turn your head there's nothing there.[/sblock]

Alistia has finally managed to persuade (some less charitable souls might say 'wheedle') some time away from the stall to look at the other wares on offer at the market. "Just an hour, mind!" her mother said. An hour! thinks Alistia, How will I get to see it all in an hour?.

She looks out especially for any interesting fabrics or items of clothing, catching snippets of the traders' sales patter and their fanciful stories. Some day, I'll be the one telling the tales she says to herself defiantly, Just as soon as I get out of making honey-and-nut cakes. If one more person asks for one, I'll scream!

Thane slips through the crowd quietly, not making eye contact when he can avoid it. Over one shoulder is slung his bow, and on the other he carries a large bag, filled with what pelts and meat he hasn't needed to feed and clothe himself, brought to the market to trade for whatever supplies he can't make for himself. A few new knives, probably, a new whetstone, and maybe some bread if there's any coin left over - after all, living on meat and roots alone gets a little tiring.

Maybe it's the extra weight he's carrying, or maybe the buzz of unfamiliar conversations distracting him, but as he rounds the corner he runs headlong into a young woman...the brewer's daughter he thinks, he's seen her around town occasionally.

"I'm sorry," says Thane quietly, bending over and picking up his bag again. "I wasn't looking where I was going."


[sblock=OOC]
I figure I can keep food good for a while with regular castings of Purify Food/Water.
[/sblock]

Enko's hair is still wet as he returns to town. He'd gone to the river to bathe. It wouldn't do to have the dirt of his travels on him during the night's festivities, especially if he was going to have a chance with Artimisia.

He finally makes it back and wanders the town square looking for any interesting herbs or seeds. He finds himself walking behind Alistia and calls out in a friendly voice, "Good day Alistia. Uh, you don't have any honey-and-nut cakes today? Uh- Oh my goodness, are you alright?" Enko runs up behind her as a man he can't name collides headlong into her.

"This must be a bit overwhelming for you."

"Uh-huh."

Cleyra reminds herself that her younger brother has not shared her privilege of frequently visiting the town proper. Until recently, their mother hadn't been well enough for them both to go into town; this is Mathis's first visit in nearly a year, and there are rarely so many people around. "Well, we've left the crops with Eriboea and gotten the few supplies we need for the coming weeks, so it looks like we're both free for the rest of the evening. Promise me you'll be on your way back home before sunset, alright?"

"Yeah, no problem," Mathis replies. "I think I'm going to talk with the other farmers for a while. If I'm going to make you proud, I've got to improve my art."

"You really are my brother." Cleyra laughs. "Bye-bye, then."

Leaving her brother, Cleyra confidently strides in the direction of the merchant caravan, eager as always to seize upon an opportunity to learn something new of the world.

Erin was having a blast.

Oh, the beginning had been annoying. Her mother, Anka, had insisted she stay and help set the cart up. It was a simple wooden affair, drawn by Anka's tired old mule...good mainly as a showcase for the fabrics and dyes that Anka had made since the last festival. This year was bound to be good with the traded silk they'd dyed and prepared...it was beautiful stuff, soft and shiny and sleek...and it held dyes wonderfully. They had several squares of it now, edges neatly trimmed and hemmed and Erin, as much as she was fed up with the whole weaving thing, couldn't help but adore it. It was hard to imagine anyone wearing whole dresses made of the stuff though! The way even a square of it clung to the body made her think a whole dress would only be a step away from being naked. Which was kind of a naughtily entertaining thought.

Sadly, there wasn't enough for a whole dress.

She'd finally gotten away though, on the pretense that she'd advertise the silk while mingling and seeing the traveling merchants. To her credit, she did take her own bit of it. A humble square yard she'd worked very hard on to make a wildly multicolored dye on...twisting it and tying it, then untying it and dipping it again...to make the sheer fabric explode with reds and greens and blues and oranges. She then rolled it up and made a sash of sorts with it, tying it around her waist and letting flaps unfold down over her hips to add color to her white linen dress with its short sleeves and its slightly lower than Anka liked neckline. Thinking of that made her change her mind, and she undid the sash and made a sort of shawl with the silk, draping it around her neck and shoulders. Versatile stuff.

The square was alive with people, yelling and shouting and waving, pushing and shoving and buying and selling. It was madness. Erin loved it. A boy bumped her as he dashed past, with another, larger one in hot pursuit. The larger one turned and stared at her for a moment, and she stared back with a challenging little smile. His cheeks reddened, and he stammered an apology before darting away again. Erin chuckled. It wasn't that she was interested in him as such...but she enjoyed those brief encounters, the meeting of eyes, the blush...there was a sense of power in those moments. If she'd asked him to dance, would he have? She thought so. If she'd asked him to recite poetry, or to bring her something...would he? Most likely. It was heady, and a relief from the endless monotony of weaving and dying...cutting and sewing.

She fancied herself a gypsy wanderer as she circled the merchant wagon, with brightly colored garb and full of dark, mysterious allure. She wrapped the silk around her face as a veil and gave smoldering glances around freely, but not for long. Even the fun of flirting couldn't last long in the face of hearing stories from Outside. Outside the village, Outside the WORLD as far as Erin knew. Seeing wondrous things they had as well, yes.

One day she'd see them for herself, not dangling from some fat man's hand, but up close and personally. For now, she'd be content to spend her sizeable savings, and dream her sizeable dreams.

(Erin has moved from the weaver's cart to the traveling merchant. She's still kind of on the outskirts of the crowd though, looking for an opening. Between her hair and the colored silk, she should be easy to spot if anyone wants to, otherwise I'll go on. )

Ryon strides through the crowd, Growl at his side. The duo are attracting quite a few stares. "Well Growl, theres alot of people around, eh? If this crowd don't thin out soon, i'm gonna hafta have you track those merchants by scent" he says, ruffling Growl's furry head. "My ears are still ringing from that last time that merchant turned around and saw you right up against him. And i thought only girls screamed that way." Those last few words cause him to grin as he looks for the salesmen and their exotic wares.

Lost in her own thoughts, Alistia walks along the busy street when her musing is broken by the sound of a familiar voice, Oh, it's that strange boy Enko, the one who's always travelling about, what does he want? Aaaagh! I don't believe it! She turns and is about to retort something about what exactly he can do with the damn cakes, when a stranger bumps into her!

Recovering herself and about to fire off a volley at this new annoyance, she looks at the rather unimposing man in front of her and gathering her composure, replies to his apology, "No, that's alright, I was the one not paying attention. I was distracted" this last directed to Enko, "And yes, Enko," she adds with just a trace of irritation, turning to the healer, "I am perfectly fine, thank you. And good day to you too; I hope the spirits keep you well." she finishes with one of the traditional forms of greeting.

"I hope the spirits keep you well also. Sorry again for bumping into you." she says to the stranger.

OOC: awww, I like Enko! Alistia's just doing that thing where we take the people who are closest to us for granted.

"Aye, I am well, and you? I'd have thought I'd have found you surrounded by baked goods. How did you get away?" Enko asks, smiling good naturedly. "O- Oh. You're that hunter from out of town... uh..." He looks over at Thane, scratching his head as he tries to remember his name.

(OOC: It's alright Enko is much for forgiveness... if you hadn't noticed. )

As she ducks and goes on tiptoe, trying to find an opening in the merchant's crowd, she hears something that makes her turn around and look behind her. Coming through the crowd...and having little trouble with it by the looks of it...is a rather scruffy looking man with a wolf in tow.

A WOLF!

Erin's mouth drops open and she reflexively clenches her fists around a staff that isn't in her hands. She'd spent enough time watching over the family sheep to know that wolves normally didn't mess with people, and that usually a thrown rock or shouting and waving one's arms while running towards one would drive it off. If there were a lot, it was best just to stand and look vigilant though.

But here was one just...trailing after someone like a little baby! Tongue lolling out, lips peeled back in an occasional snarl.

She'd never seen one this close. It was kind of terrifying, but amazing too! Focused completely on the animal she nearly bumps into the man as she approaches, half-stooped, to peer down at the beast. With a quick apology, she backs up a bit and looks at him more closely.

His wolf...my raven...I wonder if he's like me.

"Hello," Erin says, feeling unexpectedly shy at the thought he might have strange powers too. "Um..."

She points at the wolf, trying to think of something, anything, to ask.

"Why do you have a wolf?"

Oh, -well said.-