[Adventure] Into the King's Forest (Judge: THB)

[Antithetist]

Jarren returns Ryda's smile with a sharp-toothed offering of his own through his ruddy beard, and follows to where her Warforged and Elven companions are waiting.

"Good day to you," he greets them with a nod of his shaggy head. His accent is thick and rural, placing his origins squarely in the Eldeen Reaches for anyone who is familar with those parts. "Jarren's my name." He turns to Ryda with a wry smile. "You're a very fair stalker. A sight better than me, at least."

 

[renau1g]

"Who's this?" Luthan asks Ryda, his eyes nervous.

 

[Mezegis]

Someone who was following us. she replies to Luthan, And named Jarren. Tell me Jarren, to what do we owe this unexpected arrival on your part? You don't look like one of those silly protestors, and you have some keen eyes and carry yourself with an assertiveness that says you are not new with that spear you carry. she then folders her arms and waits, eyes searching for any sort of deception the shifter may try.

 

[Antithetist]

Jarren cocks his head, wondering exactly how to reply to Ryda's question. For his own part he has no doubts about his course of action, but it occurs to him that it might not be an easy matter to make these folk understand. But after all, there's little he can do about that. Tact and delicacy are hardly strong suits of his. With an internal shrug, he decides he may as well break the matter open and see how things fall.

"The spirits draw me after you. They call, and I heed them. So it's been, all my life; some men have reckoned me wise for it, and some have reckoned me foolish, but the reckoning of men doesn't concern me too much. I believe you'll be glad of my help before long - it's freely given, if you'll take it."

 

[renau1g]

"You...wish to help? What spirits guide you?" Luthan asks.

 

[Antithetist]

"My living kinsmen consider me split from my tribe, I imagine," Jarren answers, "but the dead think otherwise; many of my ancestors travel with me. Then there are the spirits of the wild, of earth and stone and wood and water, and others, some that I cannot begin to fathom. They are never absent, and rarely quiet, if you know how to listen. But some voices speak louder than others - and some I have learned to trust." For a fleeting moment a shining golden serpent appears coiled around him, gazing over his shoulder with luminous eyes. Brightly feathered wings sprout from its scaled body, their span easily as wide as a man is tall. As suddenly as it appeared, the spirit vanishes from sight.

 

[evilbob]

A rather large and wide (but not too imposing) warforged stands in the path. He has clearly seen his share of battle, but otherwise is almost completely unremarkable. A huge shield is somewhere between held and attached to his left arm, and a fairly heavy-looking hammer is clipped to his belt. His armor almost looks like large chunks of metal and wood have been bolted to his body.

"It is good to meet you, shaggy-headed Jarren. My name is Susan, and this is my friend, Ryda. Luthan the elf has hired Ryda to kill an owlbear, as it is an enemy of his people. I am accompanying Ryda because she asked me to. You are welcome to join us; any assistance is appreciated," Unit 16 states plainly. "As Ryda stated, your talent must be great if you were able to easily detect her."

After the spirit display, Unit 16 seems impressed. "Our bonds to nature are similar, although manifested entirely differently," he offers. After a moment, he adds, "It... It must be nice. To always have... communication."

[sblock=ooc]This is another cool contrast; two primal characters, one of which draws power almost exclusively internally while the other is almost exclusively external.

Also, as a sidebar, I think 16 has decided to trust this shifter because he makes Luthan nervous. [/sblock]

 

[Mezegis]

Well, Susan is the moral compass of our little team, so if you're alright with her, you're alright with me. Besides, if you try and stab us in the back, you'll learn that hiding is the least of my skills... she says with a coy smirk, playfully jabbing lightly at the shifters shoulder.

Well, the owlbear ain't getting any deader with us working our jaws instead of our feet, git a moving you bunch of nature buffs you. Ryda cheerfully calls out as she starts walking toward where she thinks they are heading, which only has about a 50% chance of being the correct route.

 

[Antithetist]

Jarren warms instantly to the Warforged's open and straightforward manner. He chuckles at the 'shaggy-headed' epithet bestowed upon him.

"It... It must be nice. To always have... communication."

"It is. Whatever else my path may be, it is never lonely - that's my good fortune. But after all, self-reliance must bring its own satisfactions."

Well, Susan is the moral compass of our little team, so if you're alright with her, you're alright with me. Besides, if you try and stab us in the back, you'll learn that hiding is the least of my skills... she says with a coy smirk, playfully jabbing lightly at the shifters shoulder.

Jarren cracks a smile, relieved that the introductions seem to have worked out so well. It would have been easy for wounded pride to work against him, he supposes, so it's a good thing that Ryda seems boisterously good natured enough to forget all about it. With the support of these two, it doesn't seem like their Elven employer will have all that much say in the matter.

 

[TwoHeadsBarking]

[sblock=I must be nuts...]I'll judge this little escapade. ren, if you ever disappear, I swear I'm going up to Canada to track you down and drag you back to the forums.[/sblock]