Coatl of the Imilla
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 143
Appearance: Skin just a skosh darker than an old clay pot. The shade of his hat occludes black, sun-beaten eyes, wavy, matted hair, and just enough beard to protect his chin. His hands are coarse and leathery, with wiry tendons. His height isn't quite imposing, it's but enough to lend credence to a purposeful stride and posture.
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Equipment: An old duster, scarf, and cotton shirt and slacks. A thin brigandine with copper plates and a military-grade pitchfork.
A single candle, a reagent of now forbidden degrees of power.
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Skills and Abilities: On his home turf, Coatl could manifest formidable elemental magic. Here the magic is suppressed down to more subtle manipulations. However, the spirit of Cuaté, the "Witch", is still with him.
Coatl is, at his core, a simple farmhand. His experience working on ranches and plantations has earned him a strong physique and a way with animals. When he was a teenager, he also spent some time as a city guard and militiaman, giving him basic competence with a variety of weapons.
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Biography: The Imilla Clan were migrant farmers and laborers, selling themselves to wealthier kingdoms. They were a people bound by working shanties, and stories of an Eden from whence their ancestors came. As a youth, Coatl felt they were naive. They possessed the most basic of martial skills and required the aid of capricious spirits with weak magic to protect them.
His suspicions were half true, for when they encountered a malevolent kingdom, they were very nearly enslaved. However, his parent's commitment to peace earned him, and him in particular, the loyalty of an ancestral spirit that was far more dependable.
Using the power of this spirit, Coatl and a few other "chosen ones" helped bring prosperity and safety to their clan, ensuring that no one else would try to enslave them. The golden years of their people came to an abrupt end, however, when the flood waters came...
Registered: Mar 20, 2021 23:42:08 GMT -5
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Post by Coatl of the Imilla on Aug 10, 2021 1:20:16 GMT -5
Coatl's eyes met Katiana's, and he maintained the barest hint of a smirk until the babe demanded more of his attention (and food). It was likely undetectable on his tan skin and through the shade of his hat, but his cheeks flushed ever so slightly. Surprisingly, Cuate refrained from teasing them both, for now at least.
Of course, Katiana's concerns did not go unheeded. But it was Cuate who addressed them. Well, not so much addressed them as-
Fuck that's a good point.
Her sprite swiveled around the babe and then hovered in contemplation.
Uh, actually, I sort of can. Do you remember when we first arrived on the beach and Coatl tossed that geoduck at you? I was able to sense its presence, and Coatl summoned it to the surface.
Coatl gave them both a little side-eye before hand-feeding Cabot another bit of meat. He was still proud of that prank.
It's not hard to manipulate something without a central nervous system. But something like a giant bat cat, or even a pup, I believe it's beyond me, especially now that we're on this island. Even if I could control it, it wouldn't be for very long. I had a strange thought though...
Coatl gave them another side-eye, a more serious one.
It's a silly thought. Sometimes I wonder if... since the mist messed with time and space... if maybe a living version of me might have survived the flood waters and is living in another part of the isles. And if so, maybe she'd possess finer control of her powers using her original body. Er, no offense.
Coatl's fingers narrowly dodged being bitten by Cabot. Perhaps it would be wise to feed it with gloves on. "None taken. But, she wouldn't have nearly the same experience as you, ghost amnesia or not. She'd probably be no stronger than us, and the mist would have laid her low, too. Eh, no offense."
*Snort* Well yes but, like us, she wouldn't let that stop her. You have a way of attracting extremely strong-willed and determined women, you know that?
Coatl quickly side-eyed Katiana before sitting back up and digging through his gear again. "Fair enough. But that's enough day-dreaming. I can probably turn some blankets and bandages into a reasonable baby-carrying thingamajig. And then we can get on our way."
Pst, Cabot, here, wanna chase the sprite? Cuate danced around in front of Cabot, using herself as a sort of cat toy to help keep the pup entertained while Coatl went to work.
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Katiana Graves
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 109
Appearance: When you want to hide a tree, you hide it in a forest. Similarly, if you wanted to hide Katiana, you would put her in a crowd of humans. Brown hair, brown eyes, thin features, and an unremarkable height may not set her apart, but the way she manipulates her expressions and gallivants around certainly do. Those who know her are familiar with a particularly mischievous left-sided smirk, above which forms a dimple. Those who have yet to meet her will immediately know her for the way she bounces from one place to the next, holding her skirts in her hands.
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Equipment: A recurve bow made of elm, a small wood-cutting ax, and a skinning knife complete Katiana's non-exhaustive equipment. Being an adventurer who often loses herself in the wilderness, she also favors flint and tinder, rope, medicines, a waterskin, sewing supplies, and food rations.
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Skills and Abilities: Though not particularly concerned in the art of warfare, Katiana has been a hunter for as long as she could hold a bow, and over the years, she became proficient with it. One could assume that if she needed to point her arrow at a charging warrior rather than a boar, she would have the same chances of hitting it. Years of adventuring have also taught her skills in survival.
Though she has no skills in magic, nothing is stopping her from learning. Katiana's family has a history of mages, though none have been particularly gifted.
Registered: Mar 17, 2021 16:34:46 GMT -5
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Post by Katiana Graves on Aug 11, 2021 19:56:14 GMT -5
Hearing that, Katiana couldn't help but smirk. She found herself doing that a lot more than normal around these two.
As Cabot chased Cuate, the huntress helped Coatl pull out several layers of cloth from their packs until they found something suitable enough. One of them was Katiana's old, ripped leather pants that she'd turned into strips. After chasing down the babe, who was much faster than she could have expected, they wrapped the cantankerous catbat so it could only wiggle. It angled its head and snapped the air to no avail.
"Swaddled into submission," Katiana cackled vengefully. By now, her cuts had stopped bleeding and had started to crust over. They still looked a bit startling for how numerous they were, along with being angry and pink, but she wasn't a wailing corpse trudging through the woods any longer. "We'll have to find a way to keep him calm if anything comes up, but it's alright for now." She pointed behind her with a thumb. "Shall we continue our journey? We're behind schedule!"
The rest of the day was wildly uneventful, save for one incident where they spotted one of the large dragon chickens they'd encountered on their first day. They didn't have the energy or the time to deal with such an awful avian! With a bit of caution, they were able to sneak past it.
As the sun began to sink below the mountains, they came upon the first of Katiana's camps tucked away below a deep rock shelf over the hill. Someone- presumably the woman Coatl was traveling with- had dug away at the dirt to create some flat ground beneath the shelf. Several logs were stacked to one side, as was a circle of stones for a fire. She was quick to make a curtain over the rock shelf and look for kindling for the fire, which was just outside the "door" of their shelter. If nothing else, the woman was well prepared.
As she picked at dried leaves and twigs, she turned to look for Cuate, opening her mouth to ask a question before she caught sight of her. "How much do you know about the other... the other ones of us?"
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Coatl of the Imilla
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 143
Appearance: Skin just a skosh darker than an old clay pot. The shade of his hat occludes black, sun-beaten eyes, wavy, matted hair, and just enough beard to protect his chin. His hands are coarse and leathery, with wiry tendons. His height isn't quite imposing, it's but enough to lend credence to a purposeful stride and posture.
-------
Equipment: An old duster, scarf, and cotton shirt and slacks. A thin brigandine with copper plates and a military-grade pitchfork.
A single candle, a reagent of now forbidden degrees of power.
-------
Skills and Abilities: On his home turf, Coatl could manifest formidable elemental magic. Here the magic is suppressed down to more subtle manipulations. However, the spirit of Cuaté, the "Witch", is still with him.
Coatl is, at his core, a simple farmhand. His experience working on ranches and plantations has earned him a strong physique and a way with animals. When he was a teenager, he also spent some time as a city guard and militiaman, giving him basic competence with a variety of weapons.
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Biography: The Imilla Clan were migrant farmers and laborers, selling themselves to wealthier kingdoms. They were a people bound by working shanties, and stories of an Eden from whence their ancestors came. As a youth, Coatl felt they were naive. They possessed the most basic of martial skills and required the aid of capricious spirits with weak magic to protect them.
His suspicions were half true, for when they encountered a malevolent kingdom, they were very nearly enslaved. However, his parent's commitment to peace earned him, and him in particular, the loyalty of an ancestral spirit that was far more dependable.
Using the power of this spirit, Coatl and a few other "chosen ones" helped bring prosperity and safety to their clan, ensuring that no one else would try to enslave them. The golden years of their people came to an abrupt end, however, when the flood waters came...
Registered: Mar 20, 2021 23:42:08 GMT -5
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Post by Coatl of the Imilla on Aug 12, 2021 18:56:41 GMT -5
While Katiana worked on the fire, Coatl decided to set up their one tent ("kekeke") that they were going to share.
"Yah this here's the main support. And this goes here. You thread that there..." He seemed to have already developed the habit of speaking to the creature, who of course couldn't understand a lick. Surely he was aware of this fact, but he didn't let it stop him.
"As you have just discovered, that part ain't edible."
Cuate didn't get tired in the conventional sense. She was mostly wandering around, making sure things were safe. She would have been happy to help Katiana make a fire, as basically she was a walking steel and flint. Then Katiana's question came up.
Mmm... Well, when I spoke to Lady Naoki, she told me I was a legendary hero in her prime in her world. As for me, I'd like to think I resented the fact that I died of old age. I'm really not sure how I did this to myself, or if I'm even the one that did it. Coatl's clan is a descendant of her, well, my people, at least a few hundred years removed. Near as I can tell though, our timelines are similar enough that I can remember a few details to corroborate her story. But, as far as I can tell, there really isn't a set other us. You might meet yourself from the past, or the future, or another version of you who is your age, but who became a powerful necromancer and whose sister was a male librarian.
Background: "No, that part's not edible either."
But, before you get too excited, I don't think it's extremely likely. It's not like everyone has a dozen clones of themselves washing up on the beach.
Background: "That part might be edible if you try hard enough I guess."
(Sigh) I can't sense if there is another me out there. But, if the floods hit Lady Naoki's world, they must have hit her too, and there's no way she would have died that easily. At least, that's what I'd like to believe. And maybe she could tell me more about myself, fill in the gaps that I'm missing. Apparently I had a lot of good friends, and one badass grandma.
"Tent's done. And Cabot was gracious enough to test each and every component for structural integrity." Coatl's voice rose up from the other side of the camp.
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Katiana Graves
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 109
Appearance: When you want to hide a tree, you hide it in a forest. Similarly, if you wanted to hide Katiana, you would put her in a crowd of humans. Brown hair, brown eyes, thin features, and an unremarkable height may not set her apart, but the way she manipulates her expressions and gallivants around certainly do. Those who know her are familiar with a particularly mischievous left-sided smirk, above which forms a dimple. Those who have yet to meet her will immediately know her for the way she bounces from one place to the next, holding her skirts in her hands.
____________________________________________________
Equipment: A recurve bow made of elm, a small wood-cutting ax, and a skinning knife complete Katiana's non-exhaustive equipment. Being an adventurer who often loses herself in the wilderness, she also favors flint and tinder, rope, medicines, a waterskin, sewing supplies, and food rations.
____________________________________________________
Skills and Abilities: Though not particularly concerned in the art of warfare, Katiana has been a hunter for as long as she could hold a bow, and over the years, she became proficient with it. One could assume that if she needed to point her arrow at a charging warrior rather than a boar, she would have the same chances of hitting it. Years of adventuring have also taught her skills in survival.
Though she has no skills in magic, nothing is stopping her from learning. Katiana's family has a history of mages, though none have been particularly gifted.
Registered: Mar 17, 2021 16:34:46 GMT -5
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Post by Katiana Graves on Sept 12, 2021 1:29:41 GMT -5
"A legendary hero!" exclaimed Katiana, a smile spreading across her face. Briefly, she looked back to Coatl and his yammering to the small creature, hardly suppressing a giggle. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, what with the lightning and all." Coming back to the conversation wiped her smile from her face, however. "I don't know what I'd do with myself if I met another me. I hope you'll have a better time meeting another you. At least you've forgotten enough that you might not see someone who's... the same. Well, not quite. I..." She grunted, frustrated. The huntress didn't want to think of all the possibilities!
"I hope that the other you is alive, in the very least. You deserve answers."
Seeing that Coatl was done with the tent and her with the fire, now catching onto the small leaves and twigs, moving onto the sticks and dried moss, she found an easy out of the conversation. "Oh, he did, did he? I hope he found everything to be quite hardy! What are we going to do if it collapses on us in the middle of the night?"
Then, a thought hit her.
"How are we going to sleep with him in the tent?"
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Coatl of the Imilla
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 143
Appearance: Skin just a skosh darker than an old clay pot. The shade of his hat occludes black, sun-beaten eyes, wavy, matted hair, and just enough beard to protect his chin. His hands are coarse and leathery, with wiry tendons. His height isn't quite imposing, it's but enough to lend credence to a purposeful stride and posture.
-------
Equipment: An old duster, scarf, and cotton shirt and slacks. A thin brigandine with copper plates and a military-grade pitchfork.
A single candle, a reagent of now forbidden degrees of power.
-------
Skills and Abilities: On his home turf, Coatl could manifest formidable elemental magic. Here the magic is suppressed down to more subtle manipulations. However, the spirit of Cuaté, the "Witch", is still with him.
Coatl is, at his core, a simple farmhand. His experience working on ranches and plantations has earned him a strong physique and a way with animals. When he was a teenager, he also spent some time as a city guard and militiaman, giving him basic competence with a variety of weapons.
-------
Biography: The Imilla Clan were migrant farmers and laborers, selling themselves to wealthier kingdoms. They were a people bound by working shanties, and stories of an Eden from whence their ancestors came. As a youth, Coatl felt they were naive. They possessed the most basic of martial skills and required the aid of capricious spirits with weak magic to protect them.
His suspicions were half true, for when they encountered a malevolent kingdom, they were very nearly enslaved. However, his parent's commitment to peace earned him, and him in particular, the loyalty of an ancestral spirit that was far more dependable.
Using the power of this spirit, Coatl and a few other "chosen ones" helped bring prosperity and safety to their clan, ensuring that no one else would try to enslave them. The golden years of their people came to an abrupt end, however, when the flood waters came...
Registered: Mar 20, 2021 23:42:08 GMT -5
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Post by Coatl of the Imilla on Sept 15, 2021 2:29:57 GMT -5
Well, if the other you has nothing in common with you, then can you really say it's you? I think a you ought to be like you, you know? (There's a tongue twister.) Anyways, going by that logic I think if we ever encounter our other selves we'll pretty much like each other by default. Unless you hate yourself. But you shouldn't hate yourself. Especially not you you, because you're awesome. So if you ever encounter another you that isn't awesome, they aren't you.
The sprite bats the bottom of Katiana's chin.
Coatl stood triumphantly over their tent. It was a piece of cake compared to the hand-made Imilla domes back home, though it was hardly meant to be permanent.
If it collapses it's basically just a giant blanket right?
Coatl snorted at this and looked it over one last time just to be sure.
Then, once again, Katiana brought up an interesting point. "Gyaaaaah, well..."
Dog pups sleep more than human infants. With any luck this little one is the same. You can probably play with him a bit to tire him out and just make a nest for him out of a blanket and some leaves. And if he wakes up in the middle of the night for food or potty time, well, you'll just have to grin and bare it.
"What she said."
The little sprite once again zipped around Cabot, drawing his attention.
"It's jarring sometimes, when Cuate recalls old lady knowledge and then goes right back to acting like a spring hen." Coatl started digging through his things, looking for some sort of spare leather or canvas that could be made into an impromptu chew toy.
It's how I lure my enemies into a false sense of security. Like a pitcher plant.
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Katiana Graves
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 109
Appearance: When you want to hide a tree, you hide it in a forest. Similarly, if you wanted to hide Katiana, you would put her in a crowd of humans. Brown hair, brown eyes, thin features, and an unremarkable height may not set her apart, but the way she manipulates her expressions and gallivants around certainly do. Those who know her are familiar with a particularly mischievous left-sided smirk, above which forms a dimple. Those who have yet to meet her will immediately know her for the way she bounces from one place to the next, holding her skirts in her hands.
____________________________________________________
Equipment: A recurve bow made of elm, a small wood-cutting ax, and a skinning knife complete Katiana's non-exhaustive equipment. Being an adventurer who often loses herself in the wilderness, she also favors flint and tinder, rope, medicines, a waterskin, sewing supplies, and food rations.
____________________________________________________
Skills and Abilities: Though not particularly concerned in the art of warfare, Katiana has been a hunter for as long as she could hold a bow, and over the years, she became proficient with it. One could assume that if she needed to point her arrow at a charging warrior rather than a boar, she would have the same chances of hitting it. Years of adventuring have also taught her skills in survival.
Though she has no skills in magic, nothing is stopping her from learning. Katiana's family has a history of mages, though none have been particularly gifted.
Registered: Mar 17, 2021 16:34:46 GMT -5
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Post by Katiana Graves on Nov 3, 2021 23:46:11 GMT -5
Katiana saw the chance of making a joke about them being under a giant blanket together, but something about the whole situation made it feel too soon. Maybe in a week. Maybe... well, when the time was right, whenever that was. Regardless, the thought made her smile; she just wouldn't tell him why.
"Let us hope. We don't have an older creature to reference. Something tells me it's not supposed to be awake during the day, though," said Katiana, noting its dark fur. "It's a bit batlike, too. But, really, what do we know? This place has been absolutely crazy since we got here, starting with a geoduck being thrown into my face." The hunter stuck a tongue out at Coatl and Cuate, stifling a slight chuckle.
"Well, I'm certainly happy I'm on your good side, then," Katiana replied. "But what is a pitcher plant?"
As far as she'd traveled back home, warmer climates were not part of the journeys she took. There was a lot to learn here... and a lot to get used to! It was both frustrating and exhilarating.
"I'd say it's time to eat, for now. I picked up some mushrooms earlier. I saw Nina eat some, and it didn't pull her into the realm of the spirits, so I believe they are safe. Not only that... but some bird! A bit tough, but it'll do, aye?"
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Coatl of the Imilla
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 143
Appearance: Skin just a skosh darker than an old clay pot. The shade of his hat occludes black, sun-beaten eyes, wavy, matted hair, and just enough beard to protect his chin. His hands are coarse and leathery, with wiry tendons. His height isn't quite imposing, it's but enough to lend credence to a purposeful stride and posture.
-------
Equipment: An old duster, scarf, and cotton shirt and slacks. A thin brigandine with copper plates and a military-grade pitchfork.
A single candle, a reagent of now forbidden degrees of power.
-------
Skills and Abilities: On his home turf, Coatl could manifest formidable elemental magic. Here the magic is suppressed down to more subtle manipulations. However, the spirit of Cuaté, the "Witch", is still with him.
Coatl is, at his core, a simple farmhand. His experience working on ranches and plantations has earned him a strong physique and a way with animals. When he was a teenager, he also spent some time as a city guard and militiaman, giving him basic competence with a variety of weapons.
-------
Biography: The Imilla Clan were migrant farmers and laborers, selling themselves to wealthier kingdoms. They were a people bound by working shanties, and stories of an Eden from whence their ancestors came. As a youth, Coatl felt they were naive. They possessed the most basic of martial skills and required the aid of capricious spirits with weak magic to protect them.
His suspicions were half true, for when they encountered a malevolent kingdom, they were very nearly enslaved. However, his parent's commitment to peace earned him, and him in particular, the loyalty of an ancestral spirit that was far more dependable.
Using the power of this spirit, Coatl and a few other "chosen ones" helped bring prosperity and safety to their clan, ensuring that no one else would try to enslave them. The golden years of their people came to an abrupt end, however, when the flood waters came...
Registered: Mar 20, 2021 23:42:08 GMT -5
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Post by Coatl of the Imilla on Nov 10, 2021 21:01:27 GMT -5
"Nobody should go a lifetime without seeing a geoduck," Coatl replied with a salacious grin. He then cleared his throat and shook his head, hinting at a bit of shame for having broken gentlemanly decorum. "That came out wrong. ANYWAYS-" He hopped over to his supply bag and pulled out whatever foodstuffs he brought, along with a wine flask. Perhaps to Katianna's disappointment, his intention was to use a bit of the wine in a soup. A pot over Katianna's fire was filled with her mushrooms, bird, some herbs, a bit of jerky, and anything else worthy of being added to their potluck. Coatl stirred while Cuate explained to Katiana what a pitcher plant was. ... Oh, here's another fun fact. Some pitcher plants have mutualistic insect larva which feed on the plant's prey and do the digesting for them. Then the plant feeds on the droppings."Guess even mundane worlds devoid of magic have their share of wonders and terrors," Coatl commented as he stirred and taste tested their stew. *** As the alien stars drew up from the horizon, Coatl and Katiana discussed many things, small and large. Cuate went back and forth between interjecting herself and babysitting Cabot, who thankfully had run out of steam and would spend most of the night napping. After they finished their meal, they'd take turns changing into more comfortable clothes within the tent, and turn in for the night. As the prophecy had foretold, Cabot did occasionally need to exit the tent to go potty. But otherwise, Cuate kept him occupied enough to allow Coatl and Katiana their beauty sleep. Despite Cuate's constant teasing, Coatl would be a perfect gentleman throughout the night, though he did snore.
Whenever she felt like waking, Katiana would notice that her wounds from the previous day's adventures were healed. She'd find Cuate's sprite form nestled inside of Coatl's hat, near a swaddled and snoring Cabot.
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Katiana Graves
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 109
Appearance: When you want to hide a tree, you hide it in a forest. Similarly, if you wanted to hide Katiana, you would put her in a crowd of humans. Brown hair, brown eyes, thin features, and an unremarkable height may not set her apart, but the way she manipulates her expressions and gallivants around certainly do. Those who know her are familiar with a particularly mischievous left-sided smirk, above which forms a dimple. Those who have yet to meet her will immediately know her for the way she bounces from one place to the next, holding her skirts in her hands.
____________________________________________________
Equipment: A recurve bow made of elm, a small wood-cutting ax, and a skinning knife complete Katiana's non-exhaustive equipment. Being an adventurer who often loses herself in the wilderness, she also favors flint and tinder, rope, medicines, a waterskin, sewing supplies, and food rations.
____________________________________________________
Skills and Abilities: Though not particularly concerned in the art of warfare, Katiana has been a hunter for as long as she could hold a bow, and over the years, she became proficient with it. One could assume that if she needed to point her arrow at a charging warrior rather than a boar, she would have the same chances of hitting it. Years of adventuring have also taught her skills in survival.
Though she has no skills in magic, nothing is stopping her from learning. Katiana's family has a history of mages, though none have been particularly gifted.
Registered: Mar 17, 2021 16:34:46 GMT -5
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Post by Katiana Graves on Nov 11, 2021 21:03:42 GMT -5
The early chirping of birds had Katiana's lids aflutter. It was still dark, but a splatter of dim, purple light could be seen against the tent wall. Turning, she took a moment to gaze at the sleeping Coatl, upon whose hat was the bundled spirit. Remembering the events of the previous day, Katiana glanced at Cabot and rolled up her sleeves to inspect the fiery scratches... or rather, where they had been. Now, fair and smooth skin remained. Katiana could only smile.
As quietly as she could, the huntress sneaked out of the tent to start up a new fire for breakfast. The drudges of their stew lay at the bottom of the pot, covered by cheesecloth with a string around the lid. Luckily, nothing large or menacing took a whiff of it during the night. With a laugh, she thought Not even Coatl!
With the fire started from the previous night's embers, she decided to take a brief walk through the woods, bow strung and arrows at the ready. With any luck, she would catch something that had yet to wake from slumber and was slow to move. It was an unlikely, but hopeful prospect.
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Coatl of the Imilla
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 143
Appearance: Skin just a skosh darker than an old clay pot. The shade of his hat occludes black, sun-beaten eyes, wavy, matted hair, and just enough beard to protect his chin. His hands are coarse and leathery, with wiry tendons. His height isn't quite imposing, it's but enough to lend credence to a purposeful stride and posture.
-------
Equipment: An old duster, scarf, and cotton shirt and slacks. A thin brigandine with copper plates and a military-grade pitchfork.
A single candle, a reagent of now forbidden degrees of power.
-------
Skills and Abilities: On his home turf, Coatl could manifest formidable elemental magic. Here the magic is suppressed down to more subtle manipulations. However, the spirit of Cuaté, the "Witch", is still with him.
Coatl is, at his core, a simple farmhand. His experience working on ranches and plantations has earned him a strong physique and a way with animals. When he was a teenager, he also spent some time as a city guard and militiaman, giving him basic competence with a variety of weapons.
-------
Biography: The Imilla Clan were migrant farmers and laborers, selling themselves to wealthier kingdoms. They were a people bound by working shanties, and stories of an Eden from whence their ancestors came. As a youth, Coatl felt they were naive. They possessed the most basic of martial skills and required the aid of capricious spirits with weak magic to protect them.
His suspicions were half true, for when they encountered a malevolent kingdom, they were very nearly enslaved. However, his parent's commitment to peace earned him, and him in particular, the loyalty of an ancestral spirit that was far more dependable.
Using the power of this spirit, Coatl and a few other "chosen ones" helped bring prosperity and safety to their clan, ensuring that no one else would try to enslave them. The golden years of their people came to an abrupt end, however, when the flood waters came...
Registered: Mar 20, 2021 23:42:08 GMT -5
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Post by Coatl of the Imilla on Nov 15, 2021 0:08:50 GMT -5
Unlikely as it was, it was certainly possible. The primordial jungle was teeming with life of all shapes and sizes. Who knew how many generations it had been since it had been ravaged by man or man-like things? Of course, since so many lifeforms here were dangerous, the less dangerous things knew better than to hang around near anything bold and brazen. Katiana, with her ungainly bipedal hoof beats and upright bilaterally symmetrical spine, was worthy of such respect. Anything with half a brain would be wary of her.
Anything with half a brain...
As Katiana strolled through the crisp air and foggy beams of light, she'd hear a wet thump nearby, as if something heavy had fallen from the treetops.
Strangely, the plop didn't seem to interrupt the morning songbird melodies. They continued on as if the plop was a perfectly pedestrian phenomenon.
Then, another plop. A few small insects flew off from the underbrush in a direction, their fluttering scattering little shadows through the morning fog beams. There was no other obvious movement.
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Katiana Graves
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 109
Appearance: When you want to hide a tree, you hide it in a forest. Similarly, if you wanted to hide Katiana, you would put her in a crowd of humans. Brown hair, brown eyes, thin features, and an unremarkable height may not set her apart, but the way she manipulates her expressions and gallivants around certainly do. Those who know her are familiar with a particularly mischievous left-sided smirk, above which forms a dimple. Those who have yet to meet her will immediately know her for the way she bounces from one place to the next, holding her skirts in her hands.
____________________________________________________
Equipment: A recurve bow made of elm, a small wood-cutting ax, and a skinning knife complete Katiana's non-exhaustive equipment. Being an adventurer who often loses herself in the wilderness, she also favors flint and tinder, rope, medicines, a waterskin, sewing supplies, and food rations.
____________________________________________________
Skills and Abilities: Though not particularly concerned in the art of warfare, Katiana has been a hunter for as long as she could hold a bow, and over the years, she became proficient with it. One could assume that if she needed to point her arrow at a charging warrior rather than a boar, she would have the same chances of hitting it. Years of adventuring have also taught her skills in survival.
Though she has no skills in magic, nothing is stopping her from learning. Katiana's family has a history of mages, though none have been particularly gifted.
Registered: Mar 17, 2021 16:34:46 GMT -5
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Post by Katiana Graves on Nov 17, 2021 0:12:43 GMT -5
If the hairs on her arms hadn't already been standing up from the cold, then they certainly were now. A shiver ran up her body and propelled her to raise her bow, fast as a jackrabbit disappearing through the brush. But... there was nothing there. Katiana's brow narrowed enough to crease the bridge between them. Her heart pounded so quickly that she felt it against her ribcage. It took several seconds of silence for her to lower her bow with a breath of air through her lips.
Just bugs? she thought, glancing over once more. Curiously, she edged over to the thicket, peering around it. Her hand reached cautiously for the knife on her belt.
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Coatl of the Imilla
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 143
Appearance: Skin just a skosh darker than an old clay pot. The shade of his hat occludes black, sun-beaten eyes, wavy, matted hair, and just enough beard to protect his chin. His hands are coarse and leathery, with wiry tendons. His height isn't quite imposing, it's but enough to lend credence to a purposeful stride and posture.
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Equipment: An old duster, scarf, and cotton shirt and slacks. A thin brigandine with copper plates and a military-grade pitchfork.
A single candle, a reagent of now forbidden degrees of power.
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Skills and Abilities: On his home turf, Coatl could manifest formidable elemental magic. Here the magic is suppressed down to more subtle manipulations. However, the spirit of Cuaté, the "Witch", is still with him.
Coatl is, at his core, a simple farmhand. His experience working on ranches and plantations has earned him a strong physique and a way with animals. When he was a teenager, he also spent some time as a city guard and militiaman, giving him basic competence with a variety of weapons.
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Biography: The Imilla Clan were migrant farmers and laborers, selling themselves to wealthier kingdoms. They were a people bound by working shanties, and stories of an Eden from whence their ancestors came. As a youth, Coatl felt they were naive. They possessed the most basic of martial skills and required the aid of capricious spirits with weak magic to protect them.
His suspicions were half true, for when they encountered a malevolent kingdom, they were very nearly enslaved. However, his parent's commitment to peace earned him, and him in particular, the loyalty of an ancestral spirit that was far more dependable.
Using the power of this spirit, Coatl and a few other "chosen ones" helped bring prosperity and safety to their clan, ensuring that no one else would try to enslave them. The golden years of their people came to an abrupt end, however, when the flood waters came...
Registered: Mar 20, 2021 23:42:08 GMT -5
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Post by Coatl of the Imilla on Nov 17, 2021 0:59:00 GMT -5
It smelled like a mix of cinnamon and dog vomit.
As she peered over the thicket, she'd spot the source. The thing that had plopped down from the canopy above was, well, it was definitely alive.
Though, you'd have to stare at it for a bit to know for sure. There were snails that could outpace the creature(?). But it was definitely moving. It was about the size of a backpack, and was vaguely translucent whenever it managed to intersect a patch of budding sunlight. The glowing patches were a deep earthy amber, almost confectionery looking. Outside the sun it was solid brown.
It's skin(?) featured leathery bumps, like a large slug. It was moist-looking, though it'd be hard to tell if the wetness was morning dew or inherent secretions.
It left a thin trail of beige slime, which appeared to be the source of the scent. The substance, whatever it was, attracted hoards of creepy crawlies which picked at it like manna sent from heaven.
*Plop.*
There were more dropping down all around, apparently uninjured by their falls. Katiana's particular acquaintance moved as if blissfully unaware of her. It and the others were doggedly migrating... somewhere.
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Katiana Graves
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 109
Appearance: When you want to hide a tree, you hide it in a forest. Similarly, if you wanted to hide Katiana, you would put her in a crowd of humans. Brown hair, brown eyes, thin features, and an unremarkable height may not set her apart, but the way she manipulates her expressions and gallivants around certainly do. Those who know her are familiar with a particularly mischievous left-sided smirk, above which forms a dimple. Those who have yet to meet her will immediately know her for the way she bounces from one place to the next, holding her skirts in her hands.
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Equipment: A recurve bow made of elm, a small wood-cutting ax, and a skinning knife complete Katiana's non-exhaustive equipment. Being an adventurer who often loses herself in the wilderness, she also favors flint and tinder, rope, medicines, a waterskin, sewing supplies, and food rations.
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Skills and Abilities: Though not particularly concerned in the art of warfare, Katiana has been a hunter for as long as she could hold a bow, and over the years, she became proficient with it. One could assume that if she needed to point her arrow at a charging warrior rather than a boar, she would have the same chances of hitting it. Years of adventuring have also taught her skills in survival.
Though she has no skills in magic, nothing is stopping her from learning. Katiana's family has a history of mages, though none have been particularly gifted.
Registered: Mar 17, 2021 16:34:46 GMT -5
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Post by Katiana Graves on Nov 19, 2021 2:28:14 GMT -5
Katiana regarded the creature with a sneer and a perked brow. The smell was gods awful, causing her to sour her face further even though she inched closer to the creature. She leaned a hand against a tree and used it as leverage to lean it toward it. "Oh, Coatl would love you," she muttered to herself, picking up a twig to poke at it. Just before she got the chance, however, the pitter-patter of what was certainly not rain took her attention. She turned to look behind her, at the shower of slug-things surrounding her, and with it, the gathering of insects. The huntress was never too bothered by such things, but she was in a new world now. Any one of these things could be poisonous. Maybe they could even throw spikes at her! It is best to retreat for now, she thought. Yes, that would be the wise thing to do.
...
Placing her bow around her arm, holding an arrow in her left hand, she fled the area, following the direction of the notslugs.
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Coatl of the Imilla
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 143
Appearance: Skin just a skosh darker than an old clay pot. The shade of his hat occludes black, sun-beaten eyes, wavy, matted hair, and just enough beard to protect his chin. His hands are coarse and leathery, with wiry tendons. His height isn't quite imposing, it's but enough to lend credence to a purposeful stride and posture.
-------
Equipment: An old duster, scarf, and cotton shirt and slacks. A thin brigandine with copper plates and a military-grade pitchfork.
A single candle, a reagent of now forbidden degrees of power.
-------
Skills and Abilities: On his home turf, Coatl could manifest formidable elemental magic. Here the magic is suppressed down to more subtle manipulations. However, the spirit of Cuaté, the "Witch", is still with him.
Coatl is, at his core, a simple farmhand. His experience working on ranches and plantations has earned him a strong physique and a way with animals. When he was a teenager, he also spent some time as a city guard and militiaman, giving him basic competence with a variety of weapons.
-------
Biography: The Imilla Clan were migrant farmers and laborers, selling themselves to wealthier kingdoms. They were a people bound by working shanties, and stories of an Eden from whence their ancestors came. As a youth, Coatl felt they were naive. They possessed the most basic of martial skills and required the aid of capricious spirits with weak magic to protect them.
His suspicions were half true, for when they encountered a malevolent kingdom, they were very nearly enslaved. However, his parent's commitment to peace earned him, and him in particular, the loyalty of an ancestral spirit that was far more dependable.
Using the power of this spirit, Coatl and a few other "chosen ones" helped bring prosperity and safety to their clan, ensuring that no one else would try to enslave them. The golden years of their people came to an abrupt end, however, when the flood waters came...
Registered: Mar 20, 2021 23:42:08 GMT -5
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Post by Coatl of the Imilla on Nov 19, 2021 18:21:50 GMT -5
Of course, Katiana was much faster than the not-slugs, but the path of migration was vast. As she traveled through the woods, she'd see that there were many of these, perhaps one every few meters.
At least part of the mystery of these creatures would be revealed if she examined the trees they dropped from. They had patches of sap on them; a bit of it might drip on her shoulders once in a while as she traveled. The sap itself was inoffensive and had a sweet spicy scent. This implied it was the not-slugs producing the other half of the smell.
Could the not-slugs have fed on the sap during the night?
Just a little farther and she'd begin to see a different species of not-slug. The ground would seem to get a lot less wiggly too.
The new not-slugs were a bit smaller. They were round and pink, puffy looking, like marshmallows. They also smelled a lot less offensive. They were perfumed and malty, like beer. These not-slugs did not leave a trail, and there were no insects surrounding them. Occasionally, however, a wasp-like creature would drop down onto one and poke it with a long proboscis, absorbing a bit of something before moving on. The marshmallow not-slug didn't seem to mind, and went about its merry way... in the same direction as the rest.
Where were they all going? And were their more species about?
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Katiana Graves
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 109
Appearance: When you want to hide a tree, you hide it in a forest. Similarly, if you wanted to hide Katiana, you would put her in a crowd of humans. Brown hair, brown eyes, thin features, and an unremarkable height may not set her apart, but the way she manipulates her expressions and gallivants around certainly do. Those who know her are familiar with a particularly mischievous left-sided smirk, above which forms a dimple. Those who have yet to meet her will immediately know her for the way she bounces from one place to the next, holding her skirts in her hands.
____________________________________________________
Equipment: A recurve bow made of elm, a small wood-cutting ax, and a skinning knife complete Katiana's non-exhaustive equipment. Being an adventurer who often loses herself in the wilderness, she also favors flint and tinder, rope, medicines, a waterskin, sewing supplies, and food rations.
____________________________________________________
Skills and Abilities: Though not particularly concerned in the art of warfare, Katiana has been a hunter for as long as she could hold a bow, and over the years, she became proficient with it. One could assume that if she needed to point her arrow at a charging warrior rather than a boar, she would have the same chances of hitting it. Years of adventuring have also taught her skills in survival.
Though she has no skills in magic, nothing is stopping her from learning. Katiana's family has a history of mages, though none have been particularly gifted.
Registered: Mar 17, 2021 16:34:46 GMT -5
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Post by Katiana Graves on Nov 21, 2021 23:39:48 GMT -5
Katiana took her time following the inch-by-inch migration of the slimy alien creatures, watching each new one for a minute or so before moving on. She slipped her journal from her belt, wishing desperately for a piece of graphite instead of the messy charcoal she carried in her other pocket. At some point, while she was drawing, a drop of sap dribbled onto the page, causing her to spit curses into the air. She craned her neck upward, gazing at the tree, at the sweet sap that rolled off the bark. Suddenly in thought, the huntress drummed her fingers on her lips before rolling the majority of the sap onto her fingers to clean the page. As she got to her feet, she looked for a leaf to wipe it off.
The next creature she found was the fluffy white not-slug, and she tried her best to keep the winged insect in mind as she drew it in her book, but it left so fast! Instead, she put her book and charcoal away with questions loaded into her mind. Her curiosity itched at her to pick the little animals but, but experience told her to keep away until she could bring Laute here to see if they were poisonous. She did feel bad for the demon, but to consume poison without dying was an incredible gift... even if it caused her a great deal of sickness and pain.
Trotting along, she followed the path, making sure she wasn't missing anything important. She did want to know where the wasps were heading, if there was a hive, and if there would be something like honey within, but she had to do one thing at a time!
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Coatl of the Imilla
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 143
Appearance: Skin just a skosh darker than an old clay pot. The shade of his hat occludes black, sun-beaten eyes, wavy, matted hair, and just enough beard to protect his chin. His hands are coarse and leathery, with wiry tendons. His height isn't quite imposing, it's but enough to lend credence to a purposeful stride and posture.
-------
Equipment: An old duster, scarf, and cotton shirt and slacks. A thin brigandine with copper plates and a military-grade pitchfork.
A single candle, a reagent of now forbidden degrees of power.
-------
Skills and Abilities: On his home turf, Coatl could manifest formidable elemental magic. Here the magic is suppressed down to more subtle manipulations. However, the spirit of Cuaté, the "Witch", is still with him.
Coatl is, at his core, a simple farmhand. His experience working on ranches and plantations has earned him a strong physique and a way with animals. When he was a teenager, he also spent some time as a city guard and militiaman, giving him basic competence with a variety of weapons.
-------
Biography: The Imilla Clan were migrant farmers and laborers, selling themselves to wealthier kingdoms. They were a people bound by working shanties, and stories of an Eden from whence their ancestors came. As a youth, Coatl felt they were naive. They possessed the most basic of martial skills and required the aid of capricious spirits with weak magic to protect them.
His suspicions were half true, for when they encountered a malevolent kingdom, they were very nearly enslaved. However, his parent's commitment to peace earned him, and him in particular, the loyalty of an ancestral spirit that was far more dependable.
Using the power of this spirit, Coatl and a few other "chosen ones" helped bring prosperity and safety to their clan, ensuring that no one else would try to enslave them. The golden years of their people came to an abrupt end, however, when the flood waters came...
Registered: Mar 20, 2021 23:42:08 GMT -5
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Post by Coatl of the Imilla on Nov 22, 2021 17:15:37 GMT -5
The diversity of the smells would become almost ludicrous. Sweet, sour, tangy, foul, all painting an abstract canvas across the forest.
The concentration of not-slugs was increasing, and now she'd see a few of the first species reemerge. Both species were fairly close to each other, but the marshmallows seemed uninterested in the brown ooze that the ground floor insects coveted. And soon, she'd spot a third species. And the smell became that of death.
Unlike the others, which were appeared like self-contained packages, this creature looked more like a stretched out amoeba. And it was much bigger than the others, about the size of Katiana herself. Sticky black strands of itself languished behind a main, bubbling body. White, solid masses occasionally jutted out of it, some rounded, and some pointed with blunt edges.
If she observed it for long enough, she'd see some of the white masses ooze out the main body and then roll along the tendrils, before finally being released in the dirt.
They were bones.
As Katiana continued, she'd see a few more bones scattered along the forest floor. Her boots would crunch some she didn't see in the underbrush. Though they weren't as plentiful as the brown and pink not-slugs, there must have been more than one black amoeba out there.
The marshmallow not-slugs attracted a few more wasps. Occasionally a wasp would feed on the brown ooze.
Further up ahead, large mats of moss and vines failed to completely hide a rocky shelf peaking over a dip in the terrain. If Katiana kept going she'd see that the area underneath the shelf was completely occluded by shadow. Was it just a shelf, or could it be a cave entrance?
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