Open Chronicles Along for the ride

[Glasha]

​

The Great Eastern Migration. The first caravan train of the season. Merchants from Elbion and beyond gathered within the vast metropolis ready to begin the long journey towards the pearl of Arethil - Alliria.

It was a yearly procession, celebrated across the civilised world as being the end of winter and the start of spring. Wealth flowed through the continent again, people went about their daily lives and the cold winds, rains and snows that plagued the regions abated. As always, it was reasoned, there was safety in numbers. The caravan itself was its' own sprawling city, mobile and ever travelling. In pursuit of riches, mercenaries came too - eager to accept the ample coin that came from protecting such a tantalising target. Those in search of better lives, equally, tagged along in hopes that Alliria - or any of the countless stops along the way - would deal them a better hand in life.

Such was the vastness of scale of this ritual journey, Elbion almost seemed depleted in the weeks following the departure - or so it was said at least. In the distance calls were heard and, slowly, the shouts were repeated down the length of the parade. The great hulking mass of tents, pavilions, beasts, humans, caravans and everything in between shuddered and shivered in response and the migration began - glacial in pace. The caravan master, a senior member of the Elbion merchant council, had issued the signal. The trading season had officially begun.

Glasha wasn't quite sure where she fits in the grand scheme of things. A mundane mercenary job had seen her stuck in Elbion over the winter doing a few odd tasks and apprenticing at a few smitheries to earn some coin. As spring reared its' head she found it hard to escape the constant talk of the migration. That is to say, she was aware of the migration. Her people were travellers, gipsies, caravaners themselves, it was only natural that a few families joined in on this yearly occasion. Interestingly, it served as one of the few occasions that her people were actually welcomed. Merchants, noting the value in having armoured behemoths as travelling companions, were eager to recruit as many of her kin as possible - they were great deterrents against violence.

Glasha wasn't here because her kin were here.

Glasha had been enjoying her job within the smithing district. She found safety and comfort in the simple life and had finally gained some acceptance from her peers. But she missed the travelling, she missed the violence, she missed the adventure. A noble, ready to stake his fortune on the great migration, had sought her out. He'd plied her with free alcohol, free weapons, free clothes, whatever she wanted, just so that she could be his guard.

In reality, he wanted her for status reasons. He had an experienced retinue of soldiers and she quickly found out her services weren't necessarily required, she was a trophy for him. Glasha didn't really care, she'd been worse things for less. In fact, it would give her lots of time to appreciate the long journey she had just set upon.

As the caravan began its departure along the great roads between them and their destination, Glasha walked calmly alongside some nondescript mounted nobles. Her eyes scanning the beautiful mountains and hills that stretched endlessly into the horizon.

"Glasha could get used to this." She said, to no one in particular.

((OOC: Just thought I'd do a nice, chill thread. No particular story or agenda, feel free to duck in/out and do whatever you want really. P.S. Don't be put off by the giant post, everyone's welcome - I just wanted to set the scene.))

 

[Jexlt Warren]

Glasha

Jexlt walked through the caravan crowd, patrolling. He yawned. It was going to be a slow time. With such a large proceeding, it would be a long time before they reached Alliria, which would mean a large supply of defenders. Jexlt had been in Elbion, just finishing up a criminal gang before some high-ranking officials approached him. At first, Jexlt thought he was in trouble, but then they asked for his services as a guard for this large caravan. Apparently, word had gotten around of Jexlt, and his skills. He accepted, not having much to do anyway. And so here he was, running guard.

He looked at the environment around them. It was very nice, yes. Jexlt had been through countless areas like these on his travels. It didn't have the excitement of more urban areas, sure, but it was good landscape, nonetheless. He walked through the caravan, keeping watch. He noticed a Komodo, walking alongside some nobles. She was most likely a mercenary, working as a guard for one of the nobles. For some reason, people liked to hire Komodos as guards. Jexlt didn't know why, he didn't know much about Komodos.

Jexlt heard the Komodo say something to herself. "Yeah, one could get used to this. Of course, you wouldn't want to get used to it, or it wouldn't be as beautiful anymore." He replied. "Right, sorry. Hi, I'm Jexlt, or just Jex, for short. You also here on guard duty?" He introduced himself.

 

[Lily]

Lily had hoped that her next assignment would be something grand. Perhaps she'd be sent to interview the sand elves of the great Empire out in the desert? Or maybe a chat with the Nordenfiir up in the tundra? If she was really lucky maybe she'd get to go to Fal'Addas, she'd never seen her elven cousins legendary home before. Of course, there was her dream report. An interview with an actual, breathing, Archon of Vel'Anir. She doubted anyone could ever pull the right strings to make that one happen. Especially not for a half-elf like herself.

Her editor was far less generous though. He wanted the annual march of merchants from Elbion to Alliria to be covered. How dull. A bunch of wealthy merchants and regular folk looking to make an honest living. Still, she knew that Komodi often accompanied this traveling caravan and there was the possibility to interview some of the mercenaries that could have exotic backgrounds or shady pasts. At least that would prove exciting enough for her.

The stipend provided to her by her employer was enough not just to get to Elbion but also to rent a seat on one of the wagons. This was handy as it gave her a place to store her rutsack as she interviewed and got to know some of the various members of this merchant train.

Hopping down from the wagon she walked away briskly at first, then slowing as she realized her pace probably wasn't sustainable. It was a long way to Alliria and it'd be bad for business if she allowed herself to get a sprained ankle before they had barely left Elbion. As she slowed though she caught glimpse of a pack of nobles, a mercenary they must've hired, and a real live Komodo.

Practically skipping towards the creature she blurted out, "excuse me! Mister... or Miss... Komodo? I am with the Allirian Account and I would love to just chat with you for a bit, if that's OK?" She had hoped not to offend the man... or woman. It was so very difficult to tell the gender of this species. That was just one of the many fascinating things about them.

She touched at her enchanted armlet to retrieve a quill and parchment. Though she awaited the scaled person's response to her question before she dipped the quill in ink.

 

[Kala]

By and large Kala found that people were idiots.

It wasn't that she immediately assumed the fact of anyone, it was just the experience that she'd had. Talk to someone for long enough and they were bound to say something idiotic.

This was of course rather beneficial for her line of work, and she'd found that within the mass migration the eternal truth of people was even more so. Over the last few days she had experienced a gluttony of marks. Men and women both who all but threw their money and valuables in her face.

She hadn't stolen anything outright of course, in such a tight location that would have been stupid

Instead she'd resorted to the Tieflings oldest and most fabled trade; gambling.

Kala had found that most merchantmen and soldiers were more than willing to play a round of cards, and all buy a few were far too dense to notice when you cheated.

That was how she now found herself walking through the lengths of the Caravan, glancing down at a bag of gold in her right hand with a beaming smile on her face. "Morons."

She uttered to herself with a self satisfied smirk.

 

[Zier Xya Zythos]

Surveying the faces of numerous travelers, merchants and mercenaries of the caravan, Zier sees either excitement or boredom. The tedious journey ahead may be, just that, tedious, but for Zier it means adventure!

He came from Fal'addas so He's a relatively new face around Elbion and he recently started exploring it's taverns and other points of interest. By the time this journey concludes, he hopes to have seen every beautiful site the trail between Elbion and their destination has to offer.

He also takes notice that mercenaries are here, most likely to defend the caravan, and that makes sense considering the valuables several people are carrying. That being said, Zier didn't come unprepared for a potential skirmish, wearing his custom made Armor. Several black smiths turned him away because he wasn't able to accurately describe how he wanted the design and it came off as pestering. He luckily found someone to do it.

A small, somewhat disturbing, thought crosses Ziers mind, What if there was a fight. Now, don't get him wrong, he doesn't hope for a fight with possible casualties, just a small, moderate scuffle with a couple of inexperienced thieves if trouble arises. Why? Well, he'd love to make a name for himself, plus he loves a fight!

Zier sees several people, but the one that stands out, not be rude, is a Komodo. He's never seen one in person, she's huge! He's not going to walk up to her, he can come off annoying at times, and she seems to have her hands full already by a reporter of sorts and someone that he.. swears he's seen somewhere else before.

The journey will be tiring, but the reward of aventure outweighs the exhaustion.

 

[Glasha]

Glasha stuck her little finger in her ear and twisted. Pure bliss overcame her for a few brief seconds before the young komodi withdrew her finger and gave it a sniff for good measure. She was in her own little world, staring at the vast valley that stretched endlessly either side of the procession. In fact, it took her a few moments to realise someone had responded to her question. Puzzled, she turned around, wiping her finger on her trouser leg as she turned to face her new companion.

"Jecks-lut... Jecks... Jacks" She paused. Her forked tongue and scaled mouth seemed incapable of replicating the required sounds, in the end, the Komodo gave up. "Jecks, I Glasha." She smiled, attempting a few more times to repeat his name - each one proving a greater failure than the last. "Yes, travelling much more beautiful. Scenery get boring." She nodded, a poor attempt at adding something remotely intelligent to his statement. "Glasha get paid to walk alongside weak-chinned man over there, but she thinks it just so he can look powerful." She gestured towards the so-called 'weak-chinned' man in the distance, flanked by several burly guards.

"Who Jeckts guard?" She smiled, eagerly. It was rare to converse with the smaller races. The Komodi's reputation as disease-carrying scavengers was enough to scare even the hardiest of folk away. Before she had time to finish that thought, Glasha was hailed down by another individual and the Komodi almost found herself blushing at the sudden attention overcoming her.

"It, Missus Glasha." She stated, matter-of-factly, trying to present herself as a dignified individual. She wasn't quite sure what an Allirian Account was, but she hoped it tasted good.

"What tiny girl want to chat about? Also this tiny man..." She paused, pointing towards Jexlt. "Can chat too, he nice." She beamed. This trip was already turning out a lot better for the creature.

 

[Jexlt Warren]

Glasha Zier Xya Zythos Lily Kala

Jexlt smiled at Glasha's attempts at saying his name. Eventually, she settle on Jecks. Eh, close enough."Nice to meet you, Glasha." He replied. He listened to her as she said that she was paid to walk alongside a "weak-chinned man", and promptly pointed at him. Jexlt nodded. "Agreed, he is weak-chinned. And, I think you're right about being hired by him to look powerful. All those guards would be enough, but hiring someone as strong as you is just plain overkill. Yes, I could see it, hiring a strong and able bodyguard that stands out would bring attention to the person they are guarding." He nodded. She then promptly asked who he was guarding. "I've got the man with spiky hair, that short man, the group of people with very small clothes, those two wagons, and that family with the loud and very young children." He said, pointing at the various people and groups he was hired to defend. It was tiresome, sure, and a bit overwhelming, but Jexlt could handle it. Besides, they weren't expecting to be attacked with so many mercenaries and guards around, so he had been hired by multiple independent contractors. He would protect them all equally, no matter if one paid him more than the other, he would do his best to protect them all.

Then, a small half-elf female ran up to them and spoke to Glasha. Hmm, it was interesting to see a Komodo flustered and blushing, but, it was kind of cute, to be honest. It was funny to see such a prominent being be flustered. Glasha didn't seem to know what the Allirian Account is. Well, she would find out soon enough. Then, she said that Jexlt could chat too, and that he was nice. He was a little surprised. Well, that was the first time he had received a compliment from a Komodo "Thank you, Glasha. You're nice, too." He nodded.

 

[Lily]

The Komodi were so very interesting.

Rumors and legends insisted the scaled-folk were a bit... slower than the other races of Arethil. Pre-occupied by hunger, combat, and survival to have the complexities of thought enjoyed by humans or elves. Lily, however, was a learned woman. She knew that the Komodo were clearly playing coy. It was obvious, she thought, that they were simply working at a higher wavelength than the rest of us.

”Ah! Misses Glasha,” she repeated as she dipped her writing utensil in ink. ”If you, uh, wouldn’t mind I’d like to know why you are accompanying this caravan? Is this a religious gesture? Perhaps it has some deep cultural meaning?”

The annual migration from Elbion to Alliria was long. Surely there must be some deeper meaning for the Komodi people. Some symbolic reason behind why they chose to traverse this course every year.

To the scaled woman’s insistence she converse with the so-called tiny man the reporter merely gave him a once over. He appeared to be just like any other common street urchin you’d find in The Shallows back in Alliria. Still, she was here on business, so...

”Good day Mister, um, Jecks was it? I’m Lily. Why have you chosen to accompany the merchant caravan?” She was certain it was for money, but, you never really knew without asking.

 

[Kala]

Kala was walking quietly, just like everyone else, when suddenly she noticed an odd little gathering out of the corner of her eye.

She spotted a Komodi, a man, a young girl and what looked to be...well that didn't particularly matter. Kala had seen Komodi before, even met a few. They were a strange folk, and at times mistaken for her own people. Tieflings of course were much smarter, better looking, and all around better.

Though they couldn't breath fire.

Kala supposed that was simply the trade-off, but no matter. With a broad smile on her face she hooked the bag of gold she'd been carrying to her belt and turned on her heel.

This gathering of the odd might be fun.

 

[Zier Xya Zythos]

Zier inadvertently caught himself staring at every species he hasn't seen in person. The Komodi, Tiefling and anything else that wasn't human were all victims of his, hopefully unnoticed, gaze. It isn't meant to be rude, it's more like a child seeing a giraffe for the first time (Guilty).

Stuck in his fairly creepy trance, he didn't notice that one of children of that Jexlt was protecting had momentarily slipped away from his mother to subject Zier to his own medicine, although he wasn't just looking at Ziers red hair, he made a grab for it behind him, but he wasn't tall enough and ended up pulling off Ziers cloak.

That finally got his attention so he turned around, looking down and smiling when he saw the child. "Hello little guy. You should go back to your parents but I'm going to need that back." He reached down to retrieve his cloak, but the stubborn child moved it away. He loves children, but... "It's mine now." The boy asserted.

"You're adorable, honestly, but That's mine you should run along." He says, his tone a little more authoritative. Unfortunately for Zier, this was one of Those children, everyones met 'em. The ones you consider bitch slapping. The boy refused to relinquish it, taking a step back, Zier advancing, then he stepped back more. This kept on for a good ten seconds before the boy said fuck it and ran past various people. Zier immediately questioned why he loves children as he chased behind the boy. His MOTHER made him this cloak! He's not about to let a child steal it!

"THIS LITTLE FUC-" He stopped, bumping into the Tiefing, shouting a quick Sorry!! as he continued on his way. GIVE IT BACK!!!

 

[Asel]

Asel was not large. She was not stupid, but neither was she learned. She was not one for much conversation nor would she be invited to any fancy parties anytime soon, even if she were not an enormous insect. What Asel was, was a hard worker, and her endurance was nearly endless. The prospect of a continent's-length-walk did not intimidate her. In fact, she had been looking forward to it. Her business in Elbion had found success, and she had made enough money and forged enough wares to consider branching into other markets. She hired on an apprentice to mind her shop while she was away and sell what goods he could before closing up and awaiting her return. Perhaps the delay would make people more eager to buy from her when she came back.

She plodded along with the caravan, which mercifully walked at a snail's pace. Not being a tall creature Asel's stride was limited. She carried upon her back a large pack at least twice her own size. It was reinforced with wooden struts and fasted to her back by thick ropes, and it clattered and clanged as she moved. It was filled near to bursting with arms and armor that she had forged herself.

Alongside of her flew Midge, a diminutive and boisterous pixie who left a trail of glittering blue dust wherever she went. While the bee was silent, the pixie chattered on and on.

"...so many people I've never seen, why is everyone so excited to go to this place? What's there? Why are they bothering? Their feet must hurt too bad they can't fly. Ha! Stupid no-wings stomping around on the ground. Why is that one so tall? Gosh they're ugly. Hey-" And on and on.

Asel's antennae quivered, and the pixie looked back at her. "I'm not being rude, I'm just making observations! Like that one, look how tall they are, and big horns!"

Asel did indeed look. Her giant compound eyes rippled hues of green and purple as the sunlight warped through them. She saw the komodi, the soldier, the woman, walking not far from a sizeable guard group. Just the kind of people who may wish to buy, or better yet, comission.

She angled herself to intercept, and soon she was walking just ten feet or so to the side of the group. She had learned not to intrude too aggressively, not everyone was tolerant of her... uniqueness.

"Why aren't they looking?" Midge chittered. She zipped over to the group and buzzed around Glasha's head.

"Gosh that sure is an old-looking hammer," she sneered, "Betchya'd like something better, huh? Haaand made and gorgeous! Well look no further than Asel HoneyForge!" she shot back to the bee and did a few circles, showering her in sparkles.

Asel's antennae quivered again. Sometimes Midge was a little too... assertive.

 

[Glasha]

"Oh, they young? Glasha wondered why they covered in wee. She has trouble working out age of humans. You all so small and same looking." She smiled, staring over towards the family Jexlt was guarding. Overall they seemed pleasant enough, but Glasha felt that about most people until she had reason to believe otherwise.

The journalist's question caused Glasha to visibly stiffen and pause, for a long while, in an accidental almost thoughtful pose. The woman was treating her with such politeness, it was disconcerting to the Komodo. She would have to use her basic understanding of human culture to please the strange human elf girl. "Well, Glasha... Ahem. Missus Glasha." She paused, starting her sentence a few times until it sounded proper in her mind.

"Missus Glasha, shelter in Elbion for winter. It too cold for Glasha to leave so she work in blacksmith. When she hear of great migration of humans, she lucky to be chosen as trophy and taken along. It good, Glasha don't want to grow roots, she want to travel." She smiled, hoping her answer was exactly what the young journalist had been wanting.

Without warning, Glasha plucked three beaten mugs from her waist and handed one to each of her new companions, before pouring some acrid-smelling and brown liquid into each of their cups. She knew humans liked toast to celebrate occasions, but she only had alcohol - she just hoped it would be enough.

"We drink, new friends!" She smiled, downing the almost gelatinous brown liquid in one go. Almost immediately her attention was taken away from the celebration as a strange fly began to buzz around her head. In response her mouth widened - revealing rows of powerful and sharp teeth - and her forked tongue shot out in an attempt to swat and consume the fly.

She could have sworn it spoke, but that didn't stop her. She was always happy for a snack. Unfortunately for her, however, Midge had other ideas and drifted back towards a curious bee creature. Her attempts at etiquette and decorum fled and, instead, Glasha shouted towards the bee.

"Yellow man, would you like Glasha to do pest control?" She bellowed, licking her lips towards Midge.

Spoiler: OOC

Feel free to add pictures/create scenery. It'd be nice to create some little towns/landmarks etc along the way

 

[Jexlt Warren]

Glasha Lily Asel Zier Xya Zythos Kala

"Small? Come on, I'm taller than most humans, you have to admit, and I'm just a minor bit smaller than you." He said, jesting with Glasha. Yeah, In Glasha's eyes, all humans were small, Jex had to admit that. Still, it was interesting being called small, something that didn't happen often. It was... enjoyable, being called small. Definitely a rare experience, being physically being looked down on. It allowed him to realize just how large this world was, and just how small he actually was.

He turned to the journalist. "It's Jex, or just Jexlt. Let me guess, you think I'm out here just for money, huh? Yeah, I could see that, with me being a mercenary and all. To be honest, no. I'm actually being paid less than I was offered by my contractors, I insisted on it. I'm just here to make sure nothing goes wrong. Plus, this whole voyage thing could be the perfect thing for criminals to use to move without being out of place. Also, there has been a vast string of crimes committed in Alliria, you know. Well, yeah, you probably know, you are a journalist, after all. I'm headed over there to hunt down the criminals. I'm a vigilante, if you haven't guessed already. I hunt down criminals, corrupt officials, and various other people engaged in illegal activities, and I bring justice to them. I try to make sure that people stay safe and that it's fair." He explained to the journalist.

He listened to what Glasha said to the journalist. Jex could understand that. Wanting to travel, wanting to keep on moving to new places. He could understand how she felt about that. Then, she pulled out a mug and handed it to him and filled it with a brown liquid. He looked at it and gave it a small whiff. Hmm, interesting. Ah, what the heck, it probably wouldn't kill him. "To new friends." He said. Then, he drunk it. It tasted... interesting. Not horrible, but interesting. Soon, he finished the drink.

He turned, and noticed a large bee that appeared to be sentient. Interesting. He had never seen anything like it. Glasha spoke to it about "pest control", something about smaller being around the bee. Oh god. Did she really just say that to a sentient bee? Wow.

Then, Jexlt noticed an elf man he had seen before. He noticed that a child seemed to have taken something from the elf, and was refusing to give it back. Then, the elf started chasing the kid. Well, he better intervene. "Excuse me for one second." He told the group. Then, he ran off towards the scene. He jumped in front of the kid, stopping the boy. "What seems to be the issue here?" Jex asked them.

 

[Zier Xya Zythos]

Zier Unapologetically cursed the disobedient boy out in Elvish knowing that it'll sound like random nonsense as he runs after him. Zier felt oddly outclassed. A few years of training consisting of grueling exercises and quick reflexes that require him in peak physical condition and he is being outran by a child? it's absurd! The boy came to an abrupt halt when Jexlt leapt in front of him, quickly losing and regaining his balance. He looked up at him while staying silent and clutching the cloak in his arms. The worried look on his face suggests that he has a tacit understanding of what he's done wrong.

By that time, Zier finally caught up and he's winded. "This Bi-!" He pauses for a few seconds to catch his breath, and his composure. "This lovely littie guy thought it was a good idea to my cloak. It's... Childish really but my mother made that!" He explained, reaching down to swipe his cloak only for the boy to yank it away and step back. Zier wants to be more aggressively and just forcefully pull it away from him but he already knows this is the type of kid to cry like he just threw an orc at him, and he's not about to be slapped with child abuse.

 

[Asel]

Midge looked aghast at Glasha's question, and the slew of insults and vulgarities she was about to unleash was so potent that Asel could feel them building in her mind before they were ever spoken. She gave a twitch of an antenna, and a short buzz of her wings and Midge turned to her, looking thoroughly put off.

"But did you hear what she said? I oughtta... ah fine." She flitted back over to the group, Asel following just a bit closer with her heavy burden. This time keeping well out of tongue-range, the pixie recited in an almost practiced monotone. "My name is Midge and this is Asel, and we are very happy to meet you all." The pixie looked exceptionally bored, disappointed that she could not pull on someone's ears to let off steam. "And if any of you need care of your arms or armor, or would like to purchase something new, we are at your service." She couldn't help but stick her tongue out at Glasha at the end of the speech.

She yelped and darted out of the way of Zier as he barreled through the group, and watched with impish glee as the child was stopped. This was more exciting. Asel found herself using one of her sets of arms to feel at the seams of her pack, but luckily most things she carried would be too heavy for a child to make off with. Except maybe some of the knives and bracers... her antennae flickered nervously, and Midge answered silently through their minds that her pack was fine, and to stop worrying so much.

 

[Lily]

Fascinating. Were Komodi cold-blooded? That would explain her mention of it being too cold to leave Elbion until just now. And what was that about being a 'trophy'? Was this some sort of religious ritual or cultural exercise? Lily nodded and accepted the cup from her interviewee. It seemed odd to drink while in the middle of an interview but, well, she didn't want to offend Miss Glasha.

Lily stirred the liquid around, pretending to sip on it after her nose caught a whiff of the odor. It smelled... funny... that was the kindest way to describe it. "A vigilante?" she asked, "noble profession. Good work I assume?"

He had run off prior to answering, going after a child by the looks of it. Quite the impressive vigilante. Not long after departing a flying creature bumped into Glasha and introduced himself... or itself? There were two of them. Absolutely wild stuff.

"Midge and Asel? Interesting. What sort of species are you? If you don't mind, I'm with a newspaper you see. In Alliria. I'd love to ask more about your kind and why you are accompanying this caravan?" She had already taken diligent notes around Glasha. Ensuring to mention that the Komodi seemed to be nomadic, not wanting to grow roots and all. Possibly cold-blooded.

She ceased writing for a second to look back at Midge and Asel but bounced her gaze over to Glasha first. "So, um, Misses Glasha, what sort of hobbies do Komodi have? What do you intend to do once you arrive in Alliria?"

 

[Glasha]

Glasha leaned in towards Lily. "Was Glasha bin-juice off? Or did bug talk?" Her attempt at whispering proved to be only slightly less audible than her shouting, somehow louder still than her talking at a reasonable volume. "Glasha likes her arms, she does not need new ones." Glasha paused, raising her right and left arms experimentally. A few long and hard moments were spent staring at the appendages before she turned her attention over towards the furry yellow man and his mosquito.

"I Glasha, this tiny girl Lily and not-so-tiny tiny man who run off is Jecks, maybe thems need arms." She said casting her gaze between the two people she had named. She looked down at her armour, it seemed beaten and worn, yet any smith worth their salt would know of the strong quality of it. Not that it needed to be, of course, Komodi scales were an armour onto themselves - able to block blows from most mundane weapons easily.

"Assel clearly bee. Grow big strong, eat lots of honey, now rule the roost." She nodded, her understanding of bees clearly limited. Regardless, she was content with her armour and turned back towards Lily, contemplating her answer for another few moments.

"Uhh, some Komodi have wares and trade. Others hunt. My tribe enjoy annual game of hunt komodi, like human seek-n-hide except with more blood." She smiled, thinking deeply about her own personal hobbies for a moment.

"Glasha a blacksmith, she make coin by smash, fight and fix things." She smiled. Patting a satchel at her side. The contents of which unfolded to make a rudimentary makeshift smithery - including a miniature anvil. Needless to say, the contents of the satchel seemed incredibly heavy, yet Glasha did not break a sweat.

"Glasha visit friend in Alliria, she have winged horse and fly. I ask her to cut horns off too." Her demeanour changed at that and the poor komodi shuddered. The horns were the weakness of her race, sensitive and dangerously frail. Equally, Glasha suffered from a condition that required hers to be cut every year or so - an incredibly painful process that also brought about sufficient danger to her.

 

[revenant]

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since all of Elianora Ardor's dreams had been balled up and magicked out of a very pretentious mage's office and into the dirty, stupid magic-mud below. How could they reject her like that?! Just because she showed up out of nowhere with no idea how the application process worked and with no proof she could even perform magic? "Really?? The whole thing is supposed to be about potential!" Elia had exclaimed in the office before promptly being shown the back exit of the institution. Fine. They don't deserve me anyway, Elia had thought to herself. At least it's not the worst time to be rejected. I can still catch the horde back to Alliria... And with that, she was set in her ways. Back to Alliria, it was! Well, technically she had never actually been Alliria, but that was not a fact she cared to dwindle on. However, in order to set off, Elia first needed some supplies.

As luck would have it, the back exit happened to be right by a post where a few horses and donkeys had been temporarily tethered. And Elia's fingers were tapping a bit too fast after the mage's harsh words to be considered "trustworthy to be left alone with one's personal belongings" as someone had once described. Now, the smart thing would be to take a horse (to ride) along with its nearby saddle and try to haggle her way into a bag of food to last the trip. Elia instead saw two already packed bags hitched onto a donkey and decided to take that instead. It was fine at first, but as she and her donkey marched along, the horse was looking much more appealing in retrospect. The horse she could ride. This ass would barely let her touch it, let alone get on its back. Although, it did allow her to feed it, which at least keep it moving.

Although Elia most fit the description of those who were traveling to Alliria in search of a better life, she found herself and her donkey traveling closer to the merchants and their respective mercenaries. In fact, not even five paces in front of her was a group of folks putting on quite the show as Elia chewed on some dried fruit. A Komodi surrounded by two flittering creatures (though only one could fit in your hand) along with two men who were towering over a child with stolen goods, not to mention the bee-person with the luggage on her back packed so high it nearly blocked Elia's view! Yes, quite a show indeed. Perhaps she would make her own appearance, but for now, she was very content just watching.

 

[Asel]

Midge looked as though the stupidity of Glasha’s statement was going to make her sick, but her attention was gained by Lily before she could figure out a retort. Asel turned and took a few steps closer at Lily’s inquiries, her wings flickered.

”Huh? Oh yeah. Well prong-face got that right, Asel’s a bee and I,” she did a little twirl and a flourish, ”am of course a beautiful and magnificent pixie!” She buzzed a bit higher to make sure that Lily had written down “beautiful and magnificent” but quickly returned to hover just over Asel’s shoulder. She indicated, quite unnecessarily, the massive pack on the insect’s back.

”Asel’s the best smith in Elbion, the only HiveForger in the open world, and trust me you don’t want to go visiting the Hive. She’s nice enough but the other Hymenoptera don’t much like visitors.” She gave Asel a mischievous look and Asel turned her expressionless face back to her, the antennae moving in sharp, jagged lines.

”I told her you weren’t like that,” she emphasized to the bee before flitting back to the journalist. ”Anyway, Asel wanted to expand her market a bit, and staying in one place for so long gets boring, ya know?”

As the caravan continued, they rose over a small hill and entered a shallow valley. As it came into view and explosion of color met the travelers. Millions of wildflowers were in bloom here, and Asel’s enormous, shimmering eyes took in the colors. They were beautiful for anyone to behold, but with her ultraviolet vision she saw patterns and colors that others couldn’t even dream of. Her coiled proboscis twitched. These flowers were far too small for her to drink from one by one, but there were more than enough all put together.

She stopped at the edge of the road and set down her pack, the impact of which could be felt for several meters in all directions. She crawled around to a small side pocket and retrieved a shining silver instrument. It looked as though it was made of quicksilver and had no jagged edge upon it. It consisted of a long, extremely sharp needle that expanded and curved gracefully into a handle. Asel retrieved a glass jar and affixed it to the base of the handle. She approached the flowers, one by one, and inserted the needle. By drawing back on a small rod at the back of the device she was able to harvest their nectar. It was slow going with such small specimens, but she was practiced and moved quickly between each bloom. The caravan moved slowly enough that she was not concerned with catching back up to her new acquaintances once her jars were filled.

 

[Glasha]

"Pickts see?" She stumbled over the words, much like she had with Jex and her scaled brow furrowed in frustration as she tried several times to try and mimic the sounds the blue mosquito had made.

"What hive forge, does it sting? Glasha smith too, she good at hit metal and fire, she make her hammer." She grinned pleased with herself. Despite her rough edges and speech, the hammer she had made - while rough and worn - was of good quality. While far from an expert or masterpiece, the weapon itself was a solid piece that any smith would be content with.

"Hymenocopter? What that?" She spoke, again stumbling over the choice of words the mosquito had used. At this point, Glasha was wondering if the strange creature was instead simply trying to torture her.

Her attention was quickly drawn to the meadow of flowers that begun to stretch out before the procession. Glasha had smelled the endless sea of colour a few miles down the road, she had been curious to work out the sickly sweet smell and had wondered if some of the food and rations the nobles had brought had gone off. Thankfully, instead of rotting food, it was simply an abundance of flowers.

"Pickt see, I think your master want go eat flowers." Curiously, as if following the lead of the strange bee, Glasha plucked a flower from the ground and stuffed it into her mouth. Her decision was met with immediate regret and she spat the strange purple flower back into the field. While she was content with eating rats and trash, she would definitely be avoiding purple flowers in the future.

"Does bee make honey?" She asked, addressing the question to Asel.