Quest Quest for the Áerdyn Codex

[Severin Bellerose]

3-minute ride from the Áerdyn Monastery. At the old apple tree.

Severin was hardly holding himself together. Perhaps he seemed like he would've collapsed on all four any moment now, face first into the floor.
That prospect sounded far more uncomfortable while promptly situated on a horse.

Gazing occasionally at the sky, with the sun rising steadily, the assembly band and assistants on this quest should be arriving soon. Sadly not enough money was handed for this to allow for a fully fledged band of guards, of course, they will need to pry this away from the bandit's possession one way or another, and the brute force way did not seem to fit with low numbers.

 

[Lieutenant Shko]

the lands in these parts are far too green for my taste. i miss the dark caves of my home land. were sight is never used. in the caves the senses become stronger. i close my eyes wishing i was there. i approach the man as if it were perfectly normal for a beast my size to approach you in broad daylight. i hadn't informed him of my species. i simply said that i was intrigued by the offer of coin, that couldn't be further from the truth. being a lieutenant in the kings army ive got my own riches but he dosn't need to know this.

"you seek the codex. im lieutenant shko ive come to join you on your quest"

i say plainly as if i couldn't care a bit about the situation. then it caught my eye. no one would ever suspect unless they had proper training. i did, and i could see this creature . i held my tongue, hoping he did not see me eyeing him. this was not his true form. i cannot see what lies beneath his facade. i will stay on my toes, the gods are watching only they can decide my fate, however im not about to let a shape shifting creature steal from me what is mine. the king wants the codex and if in the end i have to rip this creature in two then that is how the gods wish it to be.

 

[Phillipa Ebonheart]

The jostle of the horse beneath her did not make Phillipa the happiest person. She had been riding for a while now, and was very much ready to be off the blasted beast. The sight of another horse, and what seemed to be a bipedal lion were up ahead. Drawing up short on her horse, Phillipa examined the lionman beast for a moment before dismissing it. Anomalous and magical item retrieval did tend to bring out all the strange sights in Phillipa's world.

Riding up to the pair, she wasn't entirely sure if Severin hadn't been expecting something else entirely when he had contacted people for assistance with the codex.

"Severin, darling, I've come to help you with this chore. Who is your friend?" The college professor asked sweetly, eyeing the beast. Tall and muscular was not an uncommon sight for her, having dealt with a numerous swathe of different mercenaries in her life. Some were niche operators, some filled the role of muscle. It didn't matter to her so long as they stayed out of the way. The cloak she wore was light and not something one brought to deal with bandits. On the other hand, it did hide the numerous pouches that she had brought with her filled to the brim with ball bearings and other similarly small objects.

 

[XxLazyRoleplayer]

Kiora skillfully dodged trees and quietly ran as she approached the trio. She crawled through the undergrowth until she found a suitable tree to spy on them and swiftly climbed the tree, perching herself on one of the lower branches. Her gaze found the first of the group, a woman with jet black hair, probably in her mid twenties, and she seemed about 5'4". A human from Elbion, judging on her accent, and from a famous or rich family due to her posture and poise. Kiora glanced at the second member, a lionman beast with a muscular figure, and at least 7' tall . Most likely had a position in the kings army or government, and she deduced he wouldn't hesitate to do anything to get what he was after. The last seemed to be the leader of the expedition, about 5'6" and had rusty ginger hair. He seemed in about his mid twenties, too, although she knew appearances could be deceiving. She narrowed her eyes at him. She knew all too well. While most people assumed she was 24, she was more like 500 years old. Abandoned at birth, even she didn't know her exact age. Something in her mind told her to be careful around him.

Her tail swished at she hummed quietly and rocked her legs back and forth. Her tattered leather messenger bag held all her possessions and a snack for the road. Kiora was also wearing worn tan pants and a new deep blue top she had a shoplifted from an oblivious shop vender. She sighed softly. She pulled out a weathered paper out of her bag and reread it. It was a pamphlet like paper that had the details of the expedition. Her plan was simple, follow the group until they found the Áerdyn Codex and take it while they were busy fighting. You know, just let them do all the hard work and not have to deal with the horrible after effects of using her magic. It was just too easy. She began to giggle softly until it turned into a fit of laughter. Kiora lost her balance while she was busy laughing and before she knew it she was falling. Her reflexes kicked in and she landed on her feet her face turned away from the trio. There was no way they hadn't noticed her. Kiora smirked and turned toward them. This was going to get interesting.
​

 

[Severin Bellerose]

Severin readied himself up as the towering lionman came before him. Not quite the company he expected. But presumably, noone of the local lawkeepers and mercenaries were interested in this lucrative adventure. Alas, random recruits off the street will have to do for now.
»Welcome Lieutenant Shko.« He offered his hand to the lion without hesitation.
Something most humans would not do, but this was from beast to beast.

»Ah, Miss Edelhard. This here is Lieutenant Shko, he will be accompanying.. us.« The disapoint was clear in his voice, Bellerose would much rather have the company of an organisation than patched together with unproven men.
He shifted...almost falling off his horse before turning the horse to the Monastery.

»The monks told me much enough about the situation. As we know it has been sacked one and a half years ago. Not many monks died...but what was peculiar was that they captured every single hiding one, upturned every false floor and wall, no secret remained hidden, all stolen. Awfully peculiar, isn't it so Phillipa?« He gazed behind his shoulder at her before turning towards the two.

»Supposedly noone of the local authority wants to deal with them, for whichever reason...«

His voice seemed a bit bored, just like his usual self. He might've been woefully talented, but he sure was a bore most of the time.

 

[Lieutenant Shko]

»Ah, Miss Edelhard. This here is Lieutenant Shko, he will be accompanying.. us.«

i nod my head. "pleasure to meet your acquaintance madam" i wasn't sure if this was the right human response. im naturally polite to women but her overly fanciness threw me for a loop i felt for whatever reason i had to match her.

the shape shiftier started explaining the mission in more detail. i had not heard that the location had already been tried at but theis was not odd info gathering isn't easy especially for lionmen. in fact i had several other men on fact finding missions right this moment no doubt they are not doing very well. as he finished. my ears began to twitch i stopped in my tracks. a low humming was coming from the woods. i sense something in the trees and without hesitation grab one of my throwing knifes from my satchel and fling it into the trees hoping to scare my target as i was aiming for the branch they were perched on.

 

[Phillipa Ebonheart]

"Ah, lovely. Much the same Lieutenant to you." Phillipa replied before listening to Severin explain what he had learned. Details bothered her about the whole thing. Capturing rather than killing didn't sound like bandits. Along with the fact that they had upturned every hidey-hole the monks had meant that someone inside had likely helped the interlopers.

"Terrifically peculiar. Seems someone wasn't so faithful to their order to me." Phillipa informed him, the laughter in the woods had her looking in that direction before watching the lionman throw a knife. She blinked a few times, confused as to how best to proceed with the situation as it was.

 

[XxLazyRoleplayer]

Kiora ducked as the knife dug itself into the tree behind her. She scowled as she realized that if they noticed her, she'd have to talk to them and that's something she wasn't too fond of doing. She rolled her eyes and pushed the voices into the farthest corner of her mind. She stuffed the paper back into her bag and checked to make sure her matching blue cloak was secure. She wasn't too fond of explaining her species and her unnatural colored pink hair, so hiding her identity was preferred. She giggled again as she glanced at the weapon stuck in the tree. It's way too easy. Kiora didn't show emotions much but this was one of the rare moments when she just couldn't keep it in. That was a sloppy throw and it looked like it had been thrown by an amateur. For someone with what looked like he had years of experience, she really couldn't understand why he had missed. Sure, she was an akuma, the fastest species she had ever encountered but it was still too much for her. Her stomach starting aching as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Kiora's face began to settle back to it's neutral state as she grabbed the throwing knife from the tree and threw it hard toward the lionman, aiming slightly to the left so it would just graze the side of his head. Despite the fact akumas weren't known for their strength, she was surprisingly strong, although it took decades of training. She yawned and stretched, bored from the "scary" encounter.

 

[Severin Bellerose]

»...« Severin's ears twitched as the blade got 'bounced' forth and back, he would have much rather discussed the implication of the thorough search and disclose more information that he gathered. But alas such will have to wait.

His eyes sharply pointed at whoever was hiding in the tree before dismissing it all the same. »Well ...good we have it back...« He muttered about the blade before almost hissing: »But I think we should dispose of that...nuisance git before we proceed.«
Severin then nonchalantly waved his arm before taking out his own codex. It had plenty of bookmarkers, all marking specific points with intricate incantation spells. hmm hmmm hmm...

 

[XxLazyRoleplayer]

Kiora's eyes lit up a bit as she noticed the ginger haired man pull out a codex. A challenge finally. She then scowled as she realized she would probably have to use magic to defend herself and then she would have to come up with a new plan if they saw her. Or maybe, she thought for a second, she wouldn't. She backed up a bit before jumping to the nearest tree, balancing on branch she had landed on. She decided to try and escape and if she was forced to battle, she'd try to avoid using her powers . Spells had less backlash so they weren't completely off the table. Kiora narrowed her eyes at the codex he was holding, one she was very familiar with. She had memorized all of the previous codexes she had managed to get her hands on so she usually sold them after she was done with them. She could only imagine what spell he was going to pick out of many pages of the codex. Thank the gods she was an akuma with a nearly photographic memory. Kiora would hate having to drag around a heavy codex like him. Hoping the ginger was just browsing the codex and not searching for a spell to attack her, she snuck along the branch and leaped to another tree, hoping to escape. They hadn't seen her face so she wouldn't run into any trouble later if she just continued with the plan.

 

[Phillipa Ebonheart]

Phillipa had a moment of exasperation before watching the knife come back. She didn't believe that to be a trick of the lionman and could only guess that someone was in the trees listening to whatever they had to say. She waved a hand at Severin as she blew into her hand and created an black iridescent bird. A feather in one of her concealed pockets disappeared, but the small starling stared at her a moment as she gave a wicked smile.

"Find what follows in the woods. Look at its face, sing when you are near it. Stay safe, little spy." Phillipa whispered low enough that even the beasts next to her would have trouble hearing. The research and development group in the college adored that Phillipa tested their projects in the field, always anxiously awaiting her critique or suggestions for better or worse. This little spell had been in the making for some time, but it's successful use had made Phillipa continue to use it. The bird took off high into the air before looking around and finding the one that was running about.

It sang loudly, and almost constantly while hiding among the branches and leaves around it. Several times the girl could see it looking at her but it always took off and flitted away before getting into striking range. The tree branches and leaves always between her and it.

 

[Severin Bellerose]

»Oh I do hope that bird is...not all that real,« Murmured severin as he watched the bird flutter away at the tree.

He soon stopped shuffing between pages, his face slightly contorting before he fixed up his pose, fingers slowly caressing his own manuscriptum across the intricate text. These books were unique, each one with spells unlike another, fully carrying the characteristics of the writer.

Though Severin hated wasting spells, you could never know, the person lurking could perhaps be one with the bandits and thieves. Severin was not all that discrete when searching for reinforcement...


»Creature of light, dancing and dancing as long as the waxed string is lasting. Huff and huff as quickly as it flickered in motion, smoky hair would rise and rise and rise...
And oh, - as how much I'd join it, when I touch-embrace, it bites and it stings and it burns. --- ...«
As Severin spoke his incantation, from the base of the tree grew thick clouds of noxious smoke. The deeper he went into the incantation, the stronger the smoke became untill the base of the tree caught fire. Each line spoken erased the text word by word, phonem by phonem untill it was all gone, just an empty page, longing to be filled up again.

The mage then put his codex in his side before dismounting briefly and picking up the dagger...He sniffed it briefly, turned away from prying eyes before handing it over to Shko.

 

[XxLazyRoleplayer]

Kiora narrowed her eyes at the bird that approached her as they made eye contact before it began chirping loudly. She wasn't blind and it obviously came from one of the travelers as a way to find her. Realizing she wasn't safe anymore, she leaped down from her perch and began to sprint out of the bird's sight. Circling the clearing as she hid in the thickets, she then crouched in a nearby bush. Not even a second later, the tree she had been in just moments before was engulfed in flames. She noted that they were obviously were aiming to harm her and she would need to choose her next steps carefully. The smoke reached her sensitive nose and she began to cough and heave as she covered her nose with her hand. Attempting to ease her coughing, Kiora tried to muffle the sound, hoping not to attract the attention of the group or the bird.

 

[Lieutenant Shko]

the disturbance seems to have passed either its dead in the now burnt tree or run off into the bush either way it was time to head on. i started down the path once more along with the others

 

[Kara Orin]

Go with them and find the Áerdyn Codex, he said.

You have much to learn, my apprentice, he said.

I trust them to teach you some interesting things of magic, he said.

All Kara learned so far was the torture of riding on a horse for untold hours. At this point, the introduction of Lieutenant Shko seemed as if a blur. Just @Severin Bellorose’s lips moving and lots of “Mwah! Mwah MwahMwah! Mwah mwah ma Mawaha mwah,” following. And Phillipa Ebonheart going, “Ba bahow’stheselfesteem?baba baba ba!”

And then suddenly lionman threw a knife! Kara returned to reality. The knife returned. Skho invented the first boomerang knife!

Or maybe not exactly, a fire started. The party began to move on.

“Wha?” Kara muttered as she attempted to put together the scene that just occurred.

 

[XxLazyRoleplayer]

Crawling away from the growing cloud of smoke, Kiora sighed in relief when the group began to move forward. It wasn't exactly how she had planned but her chances of getting the codex were still high so she continued to follow them. A member of the group she hadn't noticed before seemed oblivious to what had just occurred so Kiora assumed she wasn't that observant. Realizing the group was just going to leave the fire, she decided to spare some time to cast a simple spell to put it out.

"Nen, mui mellon, mui partner, mui ambar, i onlui nad im ask an cin na~ an a dilthen torth~"

Water began to flow from her hands as it wrapped itself around the tree, the fire disappearing as quickly as it had started. Turning toward the group, Kiora continued following them, taking cover in the trees.

You killed me... The voice in her head hissed. She pushed the voice back into the corner of her mind and was relived when it submitted to it's punishment.

 

[Severin Bellerose]

»Kara, just some spy or perhaps a bandit, no need to worry about it. Well, whatever it is... we should relocate so to not have prying eyes upon us.« Saverin mounted his horse again before leading the group towards the open field. The terrain around the monastery was generally green plains and sheep graze lands. Lots of linen was grown as well while the only other trees were spacious orchards around the building itself, but not around the main path.


»Some further inquiry has led me to some general location clues. But I would not depend on them too much, for the bandits could've relocated ages since the fateful incident...The local mauraders go by the name...Red Sons and they're all brothers.«

 

[Phillipa Ebonheart]

The bird was dismissed, the magic that made up it's form dissipating into the air as Phillipa memorized the facial features of the one following them. The feather fell to the ground in the way only feathers could dance on the air, the small and delicate waltz ending prematurely before it hit the ground as fire suddenly consumed it and left nothing but ash in it's wake. Even if the interloper didn't show up again, it was always nice to remove surprise from the game.

Kara seemed to startle awake at the sudden activity, and Phillipa gave her an innocent smile before waving off the topic.

"Nothing major." She replied cheerfully to Kara and let the fire go. Severin had wasted a page in her opinion, but everyone was entitled to do as they saw fit. When they continued on, Severin informed them of some more details, which had her rolling her eyes.

"A family business it would seem." The woman shook her head in a mix of amusement and disbelief. Red Sons. A simple name, but lacking in any kind of fear inducing style. Hopefully they would present more of a challenge than naming their group had been.

 

[Lieutenant Shko]

i pull out a cloth from my satchle inside the cloth is a tuft of moss. a natural stimulant that grows in the caves of my homeland. my medic made me bring some to stay alert on this solo mission.

i place the moss in my mouth and begin to chew. the moss tastes awful but almost immediately my senses are heightened.
i can see better and further. my blood begins to rush. my heart beating im suddenly hyper awear.

i put the cloth away hoping that the furrless folk had not noticed. i continued to walk albeit a little more cautiously.

Red Sons and they're all brothers

"furrless folk" i growl not really open to say much more. im sure i would have had more input on the matter but the sound of the horses breathing was getting to me and i was more or less complaining to myself about how loud this group is. it may have been my heightened senses.

i was really trying to listen to my surroundings at this point.

i hoped my current state was not obvious but im sure it was

"furrless folk" i mutter once more to myself still annoyed. i was beginning to regret eating the moss

 

[XxLazyRoleplayer]

Kiora's ears perked up a bit as the Red Sons were mentioned. She had heard of them before, a trio of travelers had been discussing them while she was taking a nap in a nearby tree. Leaping through the trees, she kept up with the group and their horses, both looking very uncomfortable. Kiora collected any detail about the Red Sons she remembered from earlier and reminded herself to research the matter further. She then took time to deduce some information about the member she hadn't noticed before. The member was a young woman, maybe in her late teens, and had a similar accent as the blacked haired woman. She was also a human, about 5'5".. Probably wouldn't be a problem for her to handle if she got in Kiora's way, at least she hoped. She sighed, as much as she needed the money, was it really worth going after such a boring and untrained group. At least they seemed untrained to her but it wouldn't be the first time she was wrong. She really just wanted to get this over with.​

 

[Kara Orin]

“Huh,” escaped Kara’s mouth after hearing Severin Bellerose and Phillipa Ebonheart.

Then, Kara turned her attention to Lieutenant Shko. She just stared – a blink interrupting her gaze every few seconds. Eyes wide. Blank expression. No words.

It is rude to stare for long, though. Kara looked to Severin and finally asked, “Why are they called the Red Sons?”

 

[Severin Bellerose]

»They're all redheads for one. And all are sons to the aging brigandess lady... Roya Von Voye...« -Hic-
Roya Von Voye was well known in the underground circles, but her reputation was less so known with the younger generations, being a woman that ambushes caravans twenty to thirty years ago caused a rather widespread search for her.
With thirteen still live sons udner her name, her legacy of robbery had continued through them.

» I would have not initiated this quest if I hadn't gotten a hot lead from an informant. Supposedly they actually DO have a permanent resiadence.«
Severin shuffled his codex before tucking it under his pack.
»Eagle-tail cove...«

 

[XxLazyRoleplayer]

Kiora winced as the voices became to unbearable and she quickly ran a good distance away from the group. This shouldn't be happening, Kiora was confused. It was just one simple spell, an easy beginner one at that.

I should have never raised you... Kiora screamed in pain as her body began to burn. Silent tears streamed down her face. It had gotten worse since Lia had passed away.

Your pathetic, you can't even cast a spell ... Her body crumpled to the ground, any thoughts of the codex nor the group filled her mind.

You killed me... She clung the trunk of the tree that supported her.

You let my daughter die... Kiora squeezed her eyes shut as her head pulsed.

You let Lia die... Her memories seemed to flash before her eyes as every moment her and Lia had spent time together was projected into her mind. The worse part was that she couldn't forget them. Curse her photographic memory.

You should join us... Her hands trembled.

We'll forgive you... Kiora's hands neared her blades tucked away in her bag.

Just join us… And then it stopped. Blood ran down her arm in an almost hypnotizing manner as she shakily sighed in defeat. Wiping her twin swords on her now blood stained shirt, she put them back in her worn leather bag. Kiora, hands still shaking, pulled out a piece of parchment, not taking any chances with a natural spell {as Lia called it}, and pulled out a quill writing down the phrase she had recently read in a codex made by a depressed elvish woman who liked to write healing spells. She smiled shakily. She hoped the woman was as lot stronger than her.

Here on my arm lies a mark that I made~
When I was so low, I cut with a blade...
To punish my body for being a mess~
Though here is my testament, I must confess...

Send alnej nin~

Kiora's body glowed for a second, her wounds healing, leaving a stinging sensation behind. She swung her bag over her shoulder, walking in the opposite direction the group was heading. She'd be fine. She'd make it. She wouldn't do what the voices say. She wish she could. But she promised Lia she wouldn't and she wouldn't break her promise, even if it meant she had to live just a little bit longer. Kiora considered turning back around to complete her quest. Maybe, if she was really desperate, she'd come back and find them again. Her financial situation wasn't doing too well either and the money she could get for selling the codex would really help. She wouldn't have to steal or fight or sleep in small and uncomfortable trees. She sighed. This was all really getting to her head.

 

[Kara Orin]

“Oh, this is becoming a beach trip, then?” Kara asked after Severin Bellerose mentioned Eagle-tail cove.

“Been forever since I’ve seen the sea,” she continued with an uplifted voice despite of what would await them at the cove...

 

[Severin Bellerose]

»I suppose it is.« Chuckled Severin as he continued to ride downard the path, the sea clearing . »Do you... All know how to swim? - Don't worry just yet... but in case...« he murmured. One never knew if it was a needed skill.