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 Mar 12, 2023 19:38:28 GMT -5
The following two days were filled with wild fever dreams and protests from Katiana. In the rare moments when she was awake and lucid, she proclaimed that Cuate and Coatl could go back to Port Argentium if they were scared, but she was staying behind to figure out the secret of the flute no matter what! And then, unceremoniously, she would flop back down onto the makeshift cot, mumbling madly in her sleep as her body fought to keep her alive. Cabot kept close to her at night, perhaps finding the heat preferable, or maybe because he saw the same signs of distress in his missing mother once upon a time. It seemed so long ago for the small creature.
It wasn't until the third day that the fever abated and the cool air dried the sweat on her brow. Her eyes fluttered open as she jolted awake, cracking her neck in the process. With a silent groan, she tried to raise a hand to grab the base of her neck, only to find it twined with Coatl's fingers. Every part of her body grew hot once more as she flushed from embarrassment, attempting to prise her fingers from his own. It wasn't hard. After all, it was Katiana who'd been gripping onto Coatl for dear life the last few days. She gazed down at his face, lips parted gently as he slept, dark circles under his eyes deeper than she'd ever seen them. Gods, did he stay awake to watch her? All this time? She braced, attempting to sit up.
Moving around came with its faults, one of which was a very sharp stinging in her leg. She lifted the blanket to look, only to find a few strips of cloth binding her thigh. Droplets of blood peered through, old, but not by much. Her shoulders shuddered, but she needed to get up and soon. Her body ached from laying there for who knew how long and she wished not to wake Coatl, so she did the only thing she could, whispering the ghost's name:
"Cuate? Cuate!"
Katiana waited for the apparition to touch her senses, giving her a tired smile. "What's happened? I had a horrid dream that Naoki was as big as a tree and swallowed us up."
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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.
-------
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 Mar 25, 2023 22:24:27 GMT -5
Well, in most people's dreams it is usually Lady Naoki doing the swallowing.
A golden see-through hand waved in front of Katiana's eyes. Then it disappeared. A few seconds later, ethereal hair bobbed up from the tree's wood at her feet. It floated there, bouncing like a fish breaking water's surface. Then, Cuate's entire ghostly body leaped up over Katiana like a majestic dolphin and descended back beneath their nest.
Cuate's moon-like face and glowing eyes then popped into existence next to Katiana. Her whole body rested there like a bedside partner.
Sup.
Cuate, like Katiana, was feeling much better. Fully recovered and at full strength, she was in a bit of a prankster's mood.
Let me guess. You need help using the bathroom.
If Katiana listened carefully she hear not one, but two sets of snoring coming from Coatl's general vicinity. A single little black ear popped up from under Coatl's armpit, twitching slightly.
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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 Mar 26, 2023 16:34:58 GMT -5
Katiana could barely stifle a laugh- and a blush- at Cuate's comment. She followed the spirit lights as they bounced around, delighted at the ghost's playfulness. The sudden appearance would strike fear in some, but Katiana found only comfort in her presence. A hand flew to her mouth as she snorted.
Given the thought, she wiggled her lower half, looking to the sky in thought, and then grimaced.
"... you're not wrong. It shouldn't be so difficult to go on my own, though, should it?" she asked, pushing herself to her feet. Immediately, she winced as a hot wave of pain shot through her leg. She held up a hand. "Fine. I'm... fine. Could you follow me though?"
She limped into the woods, looking out into the bush, getting her bearings. They weren't far from where they were before, she didn't think. Actually, it felt as though they were very close to where they needed to be. After doing her business, she wandered west, just a little, and squinted at the distance before them. Her expression brightened into a wide smile.
"We're... here! We're here!" she exclaimed, pointing at the canopy. Sitting there, invisible to anyone who wasn't looking for it, was a broken pillar.
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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 Apr 3, 2023 0:55:42 GMT -5
Coatl didn’t arrive at the site with much fanfare. Just the audible crunching of leaves signaled his coming. He wore a thoughtful look, punctuated by a wry smirk and hard blink which subtly hinted at his amusement and drowsiness. Cabot was with him, lying sleepily on his shoulder, his little claws allowing him to hang on effortlessly. He was a bit bigger than when they first met, though not by much.
“What am I looking at again?” He couldn’t see it.
Then the original purpose of their quest came zipping back to him like an excited child of a memory.
“Oh wait, there it is.” He could see it now.
Doof. Cuate danced around him tauntingly. It made perfect sense of course. Coatl was constantly finding ways of justifying his sojourn away from his clan that didn’t involve chasing the whims of a magic flute, to the point where he would have been content not finding anything at all. Though now that they were actually here, he was definitely glad that wasn’t the case.
Cuate held her ethereal palm towards the pillar. Though her face was featureless, her posture was thoughtful. Yah, that’s definitely magic. Magic recognizes magic. Let’s just hope this stranger’s just a friend we’ve never met.
*Siiiiizzzzz.*
Without explaining why, Coatl had pulled out a small candle and had just lit it. He placed it in a sparse patch of earth, and carefully drew four circles around it.
You trying to do magic without me? Cuate asked.
When Coatl was done, he walked over to Katiana’s side. He extended a hand to her so they could hold them for a little bit as a small gesture of celebration.
“Nah, just for luck.”
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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 May 24, 2023 18:46:24 GMT -5
The adventure smiled big and wide as she held his hand, squeezing it briefly. "I suppose we'll need it, though one can say we've had plenty enough of it since we're still alive. Mug half full."
Gazing at the candle, Katiana thought just how much of it was luck, and how much of it was their own determination to live through it all- to help each other live through it. Since the scare from earlier days, she also had to wonder if it was worth it. What would they find in the ruins before them? What if it was just dirt and porcelain? Oo, she would have hell to pay for her own ego and a big apology for the danger she put her friends in...
Heaving a sigh, the woman clumsily swiveled on her heel and began to pack. "No use on dilly-dallying! We ought to get there as fast as possible. Just because we've gotten all the way here doesn't mean the ruins won't be a challenge in and of itself. Especially with-" She gestured widely to her leg. "But at least you two are doing just fine. You said there was magic, Cuate?" She fished out the bits of flute, holding it out to the spirit. "Is it the same?"
Upon investigation, the spirit would find that it was. There was something complex about the magic. It was wild in some ways, but as though it had a leash on it.
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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 Aug 7, 2023 21:41:01 GMT -5
Coatl cracked his leathery knuckles and neck. He wasn't anticipating a fight. It just felt nice to do so in the morning sun. "Onward and forward it is."
As they walked, Cuate hovered along, trying to feel out what was ahead of them so she could answer Katiana's question.
I can definitely feel something coming from the flute, something very much like whatever's in these ruins. It's... pushing, trying to get out.
Coatl instinctively cracked his knuckles a second time, because now he was anticipating a fight. "Is it something we want to let out?"
I can't tell. I can theorize. It could be that whatever is in the ruins just wants to be reunited with the flute, that they are fragments of the same spirit. What I'm feeling could be the magnetic attraction between the two energies. It could also be that the flute is a key of some kind.
"Again, do we want to let it out?" He casually twirled his pitchfork in one hand. (He'd been practicing with it quite a bit lately.)
Well, you have to think outside of the box a bit when it comes to magic. First of all, if it was dangerous, it wouldn't be this easy to find.
"... Easy?"
Presumably it would have been easier to get here back in the old days when the ruins weren't quite so... ruined.
"Ah huh."
Secondly, trapped doesn't necessarily mean sealed away. For example, there are many kinds of rituals which invoke magic, even festivals and healing ceremonies. The magic could have developed a sort of symbiotic relationship with what was once here, and it longs for that thing to return. It could even just want us to play a song for it with the flute. Also, rather than being a dangerous thing to be controlled, it could be this is a sanctuary for the magic, that it was placed here for its own protection. After all, these lands are filled with entities that don't like magic as we know it very much.
"I see. So we could be on a rescue mission."
Yep...
After a few seconds pause, Cuate added, or, you know, it could be an evil murder ghost which we are about to unleash onto the world.
Coatl sighed. "Maybe it'll just be some dirt and porcelain."
Oooh, or scrolls upon scrolls of ancient tax forms!
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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 Aug 10, 2023 23:47:29 GMT -5
Katiana listened to Cuate's theories on the ruins. She was relieved to hear the jubilance in her... voice? Her aura. The encounter hadn't knocked the wind out of her sails yet. The same could be said for Coatl, though he looked more than ready for a fight rather than the adventure ahead of them both. She wondered how much of that was the anger from battling with the bull-headed monster and how much of that was Coatl. "I'll be glad if there's someone to save. But with the broken ruins, I wonder if they really will be ghosts like you say. Do you think they'll be human? Or will they be something else entirely?" Katiana mused as she walked, just a step ahead of them despite her injury. Her limp was heavy, but she had a stubbornness about her to ignore the pain. The ruins were just ahead, through a dense thicket of bushes and trees coated with so many vines that one couldn't see an inch of bark. Katiana released her knife from her pack and began to hack away at the foliage directly ahead of them. "It's... right... here. Just through here! Where I found the flute!" Breaking through the forest to the other side, they came upon a lake. Beyond the lake, there was the skeletons of a city. The huntress smiled from ear to ear as she held out a hand, spinning around to face her party. "Welcome to... this place! Whatever it is."
A waterfall rushed forth from the gates of a canal, constructed from a mosaic of rock and pebble, and into the lake. From here they could see towers perched like sleeping, broken giants, waiting for time to wear them down to nothing. It was grim, green, and magnificent.
There was no discerning path into the ruins, which sat behind and above the waterfall, unless they wanted a treacherous climb on the side of the sheer rock walls. Katiana was prepared for this, it seemed: she dropped her pack and retrieved two rolls of cloth, one of which she tossed to Coatl with a grin.
"You two are good swimmers, yeah?"
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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 Aug 16, 2023 17:31:26 GMT -5
I mean, it's not exactly a problem when you don't have lungs.
Cuate's golden body compressed into a sprite, and she leaped into the water. She did not make a splash. But when she leaped back out, a tree-shaped spray of water followed her, lightly sprinkling both her human companions.
Coatl began to undress. "Not gonna lie, I'm definitely a land-lubber. But, I think I'll be alright." Nomadic farming and ranching didn't lend themselves to underwater adventures very often. But his people were accustomed to bathing in natural lakes and rivers where it suited them. So he was in fact a capable swimmer, just not exceptional.
And then, he paused right as he got down to unbuckling his pants, a sort of confused self-reflection on his face.
Coatl? Cuate asked with a sing-song tone.
He held up the cloth roll, then shifted his eyes to Katiana, and back to the cloth roll.
Oh Cooooatl?
"I just realized I should probably prepare a little nest for Cabot so he doesn't go running off." Still wearing his pants, he grabbed his coat and some of his less-than-waterproof belongs and brought them to a nearby rock with some bushes close by.
Cabot meanwhile had been drinking water from the lake and was now running around the rocks near the bank. It was apparent he had gotten much bigger and stronger during their journey. But his unwillingness to actually go in the water suggested he probably wasn't ready to swim yet.
... How's that nest coming along?
...
"Great!"
Cuate's sprite started giggling in a manner specifically audible to Katiana. Only Katiana would hear the following:
We're an open society about these things. He just... like that. I think was like that too when I was alive. I laugh when I think about it now.
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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 Aug 17, 2023 18:54:38 GMT -5
The moment Cuate touched the water, she would notice an explosion of magical energy around her. In the same way that disturbed water would glow in the presence of plankton, so did the water around the spirit, but only apparent to those sensitive to it.
Katiana was right in the middle of undoing the ties to her blouse, her back turned to Coatl when he suddenly took off to "make a nest" for Cabot. A tiny, scrunched smile fought its way onto her face as she continued to undress. She laughed through her nose at Cuate.
"Yes, I noticed," she beamed, cheeks streaked with a line of pink. The woman was never intending to correct Coatl had he continued, but this tickled her. As soon as her clothes dropped around her ankles, she wound the strips of cloth around her in a practiced manner. Dedicated swimwear was never something they created back in her town, though she'd witnessed such things in other villages closer to the sea, made from seal furs and other such water critters. Unfortunately, she never got her hands on one of them, so mamillare it was.
To avoid tangling her hair, she pulled it out of its braid and let it hang loose around her shoulders; a rare sight for the archer. She turned around, looking for the pair.
"Ready?"
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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 Aug 18, 2023 21:01:48 GMT -5
It was like a magic trick. Coatl, without drawing much attention to himself (perhaps pretending to have spotted something shiny in a nearby bush) hid himself near the nest area and, in what couldn't have been more than 15 seconds, came back out fully wrapped up and ready to enter the water.
Even Cuate wasn't sure how he did that so quickly, but it might have been related to some first aid and knot-tying skills.
She of course had no reason to keep her reaction to the water secret. I think this water might be sacred, almost, alive. This might sound strange but, I'd think we should say a little prayer, something letting whatever is here know that we don't mean it any harm.
Coatl didn't even hesitate. He went back to his supplies and pulled out a candle (he had a few of them) and drew four circles into the dirt next to the bank. He smirked towards Cuate and shook the candle. Cuate snapped an ethereal finger, and the candle lit. He placed it in the center of the circles and sat down behind the ritual circle. Cuate hovered in between Katiana, Coatl, and the waters.
We aren't going to hurt you. We just want to get to know you better.
Coatl muttered some words. They were indistinct, but he seemed to be taking the ritual seriously.
Fortunately for Katiana, the entire procedure only took about two minutes. Coatl stood up.
"Better safe than sorry. Ready."
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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 Sept 4, 2023 22:33:07 GMT -5
Katiana stared longer than she even knew it when Coatl bounded out of the bush. Her eyes were wide as saucers and her mouth was drawn into a smile barely contained by biting both her lips. She'd barely finished tying the knot at her waist.
"Impressive, she commented, though her attention was quickly taken by Cuate. Sacred water? A prayer? Normally, Kati didn't bother with these things, but the isles challenged her with something new every day and she was here with a mage and his patron. Surely, it would help more than it could possibly hurt. Gently, she sat beside Coatl, before the circle and the candle, and prayed the way her father taught her: one fist atop her chest, one open hand atop the fist, so that they would catch the weight of her words as they poured from her heart. When all was said and done, she extended her hands, palms open, and let the prayer fly with a breath.
She nodded to Coatl, then sprinted for the water with a stumble and a laugh.
Entering the water felt like diving into another world. The rich greens from above became crystalline blues, more so for the spiritual duo. The bubbles stirred from their entry turned into cyan sprites streaking past them as they did when Cuate swam through the water before. They spiraled around Coatl and concentrated around Katiana's injuries. They stuck to it, tucking themselves into the bandage, yet the woman didn't notice at all. When she broke the surface, she whipped her hair from her eyes with a grin. "Cold!" she shrilled, but with an overpouring of mirth. She swam backwards, making sure her partner was following. Once she was sure he had his bearings, she dove back down, trying to eye the ruins from below.
Arches worn by running water presented themselves before the adventurers. They were deep beneath the water, but the other side was clear of debris and rock, beckoning them closer. Freshwater plants that were plumed in violets, reds, and greens swayed gently in front of the arches where they were still everywhere else. Katiana broke the surface, puzzled.
"That's deep. We don't know what's further- can we make it?"
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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 Sept 5, 2023 20:44:34 GMT -5
Coatl cocked his head, steeled himself, and leapt in after her.
Woah, the water... it feels good.
Good?
I don't know how else to explain it. It's like... it's like the opposite of the mists.
Cuate shuddered internally, the mist's choking grip still fresh in her memory. Luckily it wasn't enough to distract her from the faint traces of magic pooling around Katiana's scratches.
Heads up you two, there's definitely something special about this water.
Although the beauty of the underwater scenery wasn't lost on Coatl, he couldn't help but scan for danger. This definitely didn't seem like the place for giant zombie deer to show up, but he didn't want to be caught off guard by astral catfish or acid-spitting platypuses or whatever ridiculous shenanigans the isles might throw at them.
As they broke the surface, Cuate's sprite form danced around them. Katiana, can you check your wounds real quick?
Coatl looked in the direction of the arches, but he also scanned the surface for signs of, well, anything really. In answer to her question, Coatl nodded and said, "We can make it. Biggest danger while deep-diving is getting lost. Cuate will make sure that doesn't happen."
That's... bold of you.
Yah, that is kinda weird of me ain't it?
Are you... are you trying to be a supportive boyfrie-
"We can make it." He smirked at Katiana, intentionally cutting of Cuate.
Tehehehe.
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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 15, 2023 22:16:50 GMT -5
"My wounds?" Katiana asked, tugging on the bandage. "I'm not sure this is the best idea. Won't it bleed everywhere-" The moment she pulled the cloth away from the puncture, they were greeted with a glow. No part of the wound was healed, but no part of it was hemorrhaging or hurting, either. It seemed, to Cuate and Coatl, that the motes were filling in the gaps. "Strange. Did you put some kind of paste on it to make it that way?" asked the hunter, only seeing an empty wound with a layer of... paste? She couldn't really tell. "No doubt, some of your magic chicanery. I do not know how I will repay you, but it will take me the rest of my life to figure out! Let us start by finding out what's in here, aye?" And with that, she dove down into the water ahead of them, swimming like she was meant for it. No wonder she was able to last so long out at sea in the mists before The Desolation found her. Without further hesitation, because here is where it would kill them, the three swam between the arches and became enveloped by dark hallways. Sparingly, the sun would grant them sight through stained windows and cracks in the walls that spidered against the tight spaces they navigated through. The walls had a smattering of oysters stuck to every surface, making Katiana wonder if that’s why the water was so clean. Either way, it made it difficult to grab onto anything to pull her further through the openings. They came to their first obstacle: a hallway split into three, all of which were equally as large. The floor, which once had been covered with lavish red lacquer, lay more than thirty feet below. With an echo in their minds, Cuate led them down the center. There, what looked to be a hundred doorways greeted them. The blue lights faded down a lower one to the left, and as they approached it, they startled a large stingray that quickly flapped out of their way and into another room. It was a tight fit, this doorway, as it was partially collapsed, but with a little effort and some help, they were able to wriggle their shoulders and hips through. This time, they swam up, up, and to the left, through an audience of chairs layered balcony atop balcony for four floors. This, Katiana discerned, was a place to hold an audience. For politics or amusement, she could not tell, as no stage or lectern could be seen in the dark and the debris. They swam past ripped curtains floating through the doorway, and the first person through reached their hand to grab the head of the other to duck it down- just so that they could avoid the monstrous snapping turtle perched above it, who was desperately trying to mind its own business! But once they were off, it decided not to follow, and instead curled up to sleep. This venture lead them to a rather small room, but this time sunlight hit them in the face, and ah! There it was! A pocket of air was given to them by a crack in the ceiling! Katiana swam up into it, croaking for breath. She looked to Coatl, wide-eyed and grinning. “Gods, who built this place? Do you think it’s a customs building?” She barely gave him a chance to answer before plopping back into the water, following Cuate through a broken window. She was careful to avoid its razor edges and push out into an alleyway. Grass and waterweed tickled at their skin as they swam between the narrow walls. Were it not for an old, crumpled pillar blocking their path upward, they might have been able to make it to the surface and into the city proper. Alas, they had a bit to go. The alleyway dipped very suddenly down into a tunnel, and though it wasn't any narrower than the alley, it was quite dark. For Coatl, this wasn't quite the case. The motes surrounded themselves around them both, reflecting their light onto the walls. It was there that the colorful mosaics, untangled by nature, showed its face. The figures were scratched out, as though by a knife, but what seemed vaguely human shaped held onto long staffs painted with little black dots. From one picture to the next, the figure moved ever so slightly, twirling the staff until a creature with two legs and a long neck appeared. The little person boarded the creature, keeping a hand on the staff, twirling it around and around as the mount danced in leaps and bounds around the rest of the mosaic, prancing and then running, cantering and climbing. Katiana swam out of the tunnel in a haste, only looking back to make sure Coatl was making his way out before making her way up. Beyond the tunnel, there was more light than they'd seen since they first swam into the cities. Up, up, up they would go, and for a while it felt as though the journey to the surface would never stop. City streets and windows turned to jagged rock and further ruin, becoming more decrepit as they ascended, until suddenly- The huntress coughed, swallowing the sweet air and savoring the sun. Her hair whipped out of her face as she wiped her eyes. "Gods!" she exclaimed, splashing for shore. Her hand smacked against carved stone stairs. "Who makes a city this tall? How in the world were they supposed to make it all the way up here when we had to swim?" With a huff, she dragged her back onto the ground, letting her breath steady before she gazed around. It was warm here, the colors of the room. Tall, as the others were, and regal, but somehow homely, like a vacation abode. Nature reclaimed this place rightly, but did not seem out of place twining against the brick parapets. Tree roots and vines all seemed to be holding it together. There was a circular door to the right, which was preceded by another set of broken stairs. Beside it, a clasp holding three tall, cylindrical objects with an odd array of holes and nicks in its surface. Coatl would find them familiar.
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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 22, 2023 19:32:41 GMT -5
Cuate didn't really get a chance to tell Katiana it wasn't her sealing her wounds before the huntress decided to jump start their underwater sojourn. But Cuate did want to say one thing before darting ahead of them in sprite form.
Hey, whoever or whatever you are...
Cuate tried to address the waters telepathically, even though it was likely pointless.
Thanks.
No one else would hear this, though Coatl would sense Cuate trying to bond with the waters with an expression of gratitude. Her intentions made him feel more confident somehow. If whatever was watching them was alright with her, then it was alright with him.
Cuate scouted ahead of them, while Coatl took the rear.
Although, spiritually speaking, these roles were somewhat reversed.
As they traveled, the ancient, palatial ruins evoked within Cuate a sense of nostalgia, and loss. Although the memories were still faint, she knew her youth was filled with vistas like these, most of which weren't quite so waterlogged. She wondered if someday she would ever hear the chattering of merchants and footfalls of knights and mages echoing between such towering walls again.
Coatl's emotions were mixed. He had rarely been around such luxurious species of architecture. The one time he even remotely felt like he could call a place like this home, a noble's daughter was averting her gaze from him, regretfully informing him that their father would never allow her to be courted by someone like him. It was almost gratifying seeing such grandiosity humbled by time and nature. It made the presence of snapping turtles and manta rays not just wondrous, but amusing.
But for some reason, the sight of Katiana's adventurous and graceful form gliding through the water, caressed by mysterious magic, imparted on him a feeling wholly incompatible with such past bitterness. Those days were long gone. Something told Coatl that instead of looking towards the past, he ought to think about the future. And with every mosaic, every stained glass window, every column and corridor and intricate archway, a funny thought kept popping into his head.
We could build something like this.
So while Cuate found herself distracted by what was, Coatl began to dream of what could be.
The further they went into the ancient city, the more Coatl regretted his initial spite. The first structure was only the beginning. Indeed, an entire thriving culture had once lived here. It was entirely possible nobles and paupers, kings and laborers, merchants and farmers, all gathered to this place. Now he wished he could talk to them. And he wondered if perhaps the benevolent presence in the waters felt the same way...
You get it now, huh?
We'll talk after we're out of danger of drowning.
The mosaic portraying one possible use of their ancient flute piqued his curiosity even further. Had it called some sort of mundane animals, or magical familiars which helped them build this city?
When they finally broke into the sunlight, Cuate immediately entered her humanoid form. The golden specter hovered as closely to the floor as she could. She tried taking steps of sorts, but her friction-less and weightless pace was uncanny compared to the real deal.
"Didn't know ghosts needed to stretch their legs." Coatl said breathlessly.
I just... wanna remember what it was like, she said to them in their minds.
Coatl nodded in understanding as he continued to catch his breath. "Well, I can think of two things. A whole lot of ladders and scaffolds, or..."
He gestured towards Cuate. "Maybe they had help. Summons, spirits, elementals..." He glanced at the water behind them. "Friends."
He walked around a bit until he'd spot the side path, and of course he'd point out to Katiana the flute carvings.
"One of the mosaics down there suggested their 'friends' must have had good ears. Although the figure wasn't blowing into it. It looked like he was twirling it."
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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 Dec 18, 2023 0:53:19 GMT -5
A few times, though she was mostly busy beholding the wonder of the ruins herself, Katiana looked back to glance at Coatl and Cuate, trying to figure out what was going through their minds as they looked about. "They must have had strong legs. Maybe they weren't so much like us? Perhaps they were like apes, swinging around." She stifled a laugh at the thought. "But wouldn't there be a little more to hang onto?"
When he mentioned the flute carvings, her eyebrows floated up. "Twirling it? That seems fairly ridiculous. They'd be a little small for that, yeah?" she asked, looking about. That was when she caught sight of the objects attached to the wall. She blinked several times.
"Oh," she gasped. "Oh gods."
She reached out to grab one of them, wrenching it delicately from the clasp, which relented with ease. "Because they weren't flutes." She took another and tossed it to Coatl. "They were staves!"
Experimentally, Katiana twirled it around, and the object began to whistle. She opened her mouth with a laugh. That was until they heard a whistle in the next room. Katiana froze and turned slowly, then looked to Coatl, her eyes asking all her questions.
Should they venture past the circular door, a vast, incredible room would greet them. It looked much like an arena in its spherical shape and the amount of space in its midst, but there was no space for an audience. Instead, the walls were all lined with large doorways with wooden pegs beneath each one, just a little too far away to make it possible for a human to jump from one to another. Above this was a massive stained glass ceiling with a hole smashed at one side. The air here was thick and smelled of hay and animals. Undeniably lived in.
"What in the world is this?"
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