The stranger trudged through the snow in the dead of the night, muttering under his breath about how ridiculous of an assignment this was. He had been directly ordered by Grey to go to the land of the pale people and apologize on his behalf while he was away. He was not unused to the climate of the pale peoples land, his own was rather similar to it in temperature, albeit a little less snow and wind. The stranger sighed, taking a glance around at his current surroundings and walking toward the nearest outcropping of rocks to shelter in for the night, hoping he did not freeze over or somesuch overnight.
If anyone were to come across this male either during the night or while he was wandering around during the day they would find the majority of his body to be covered with a large grey cloak which was comprised of dyed deer hides with bunny pelts outlining the edges of the large cloak. Over his shoulder was a strung bow, rather non distinct other than the black skulls at either end with 13 identical designs engraved around the outer curve of the bow.
(Quick note, he is entirely friendly and he just seeks to repair the damage that Grey caused during the tournament between Ahn'Kahet and Vothyl Syl, and if possible attempt to heal Minerva.)
If anyone were to come across this male either during the night or while he was wandering around during the day they would find the majority of his body to be covered with a large grey cloak which was comprised of dyed deer hides with bunny pelts outlining the edges of the large cloak. Over his shoulder was a strung bow, rather non distinct other than the black skulls at either end with 13 identical designs engraved around the outer curve of the bow.
(Quick note, he is entirely friendly and he just seeks to repair the damage that Grey caused during the tournament between Ahn'Kahet and Vothyl Syl, and if possible attempt to heal Minerva.)
The dark figure trudging through the storm had not gone unnoticed. It didn't take someone with extensive understanding of the weather to know that the amount of storms on the main path between Vothyl Syl and Ahn'Kahet had increased quite a bit. Only nearby structures would be noticeable, anything beyond, say, 20 feet or so would appear shifting, fading, and there was a good chance any solid structure he could find was some form of illusion, a trick on the eyes by the swirling storms.
Several figures rushed through the heavy storm, heads low, their feet silent as three groups charged forward. An unmarked wanderer could be two things, either a scout for some curious nation, or a wanderer who would no doubt be in dire need of assistance. He had been spotted quite a while ago by a small guard party, who reported that they felt uneasy about the figure they saw in the distance, as if something was unnatural about it.
There was a total of nine soldiers, some of them Magi, others Vanguards. The three vanguards leading the way paved their footsteps, which were quickly replaced by the feet of the two magi behind each one. The slowed as they approached the outcropping, their silent movements going still as they peered forward from behind their masks. The large gray cloak certainly got their attention, and would put the belief in their heads that he was a traveler attempting to stay warm.
Moving from their places, they made a small circle, purposefully making noise as they neared Silas. "Excuse me?" One of the Vanguards, carrying a heavy spear called out, trying to gain the attention of Silas. "Are you in need of assistance?"
Several figures rushed through the heavy storm, heads low, their feet silent as three groups charged forward. An unmarked wanderer could be two things, either a scout for some curious nation, or a wanderer who would no doubt be in dire need of assistance. He had been spotted quite a while ago by a small guard party, who reported that they felt uneasy about the figure they saw in the distance, as if something was unnatural about it.
There was a total of nine soldiers, some of them Magi, others Vanguards. The three vanguards leading the way paved their footsteps, which were quickly replaced by the feet of the two magi behind each one. The slowed as they approached the outcropping, their silent movements going still as they peered forward from behind their masks. The large gray cloak certainly got their attention, and would put the belief in their heads that he was a traveler attempting to stay warm.
Moving from their places, they made a small circle, purposefully making noise as they neared Silas. "Excuse me?" One of the Vanguards, carrying a heavy spear called out, trying to gain the attention of Silas. "Are you in need of assistance?"
The storm had indeed been noticed by Silas, the fact that the storms seemed mainly on the border between the two nations certainly did not seem to be some sort of coincidence, especially with what had happened during the time of the grand tournament.
Silas had known that it would not take very long for the inhabitants of the snowy nation to find him, and he was surely not disappointed when he heard the Vothyl Sylians making noise in an attempt to gain his attention. When he was directly spoken to by the Vanguard he stood up slowly from his crouched position in the rock outcropping, having taken that position to get more cover from the storm while between the rocks. "Hm? Actually, yes I am in need of assistance. I am currently searching for a native of these lands, I believe her name was....Minerva, yes that's it."
Silas brushed the snow off his shoulders and his hood, then glanced down at the spear that the Vanguard was holding, chuckling a little bit. "You won't need that friend, I am not here to harm anyone. Quite the opposite actually."
Silas had known that it would not take very long for the inhabitants of the snowy nation to find him, and he was surely not disappointed when he heard the Vothyl Sylians making noise in an attempt to gain his attention. When he was directly spoken to by the Vanguard he stood up slowly from his crouched position in the rock outcropping, having taken that position to get more cover from the storm while between the rocks. "Hm? Actually, yes I am in need of assistance. I am currently searching for a native of these lands, I believe her name was....Minerva, yes that's it."
Silas brushed the snow off his shoulders and his hood, then glanced down at the spear that the Vanguard was holding, chuckling a little bit. "You won't need that friend, I am not here to harm anyone. Quite the opposite actually."
The Vothyl Sylians glanced at one another, shifting their footing. "You'll need to explain further than that." The lead Vanguard replied. "Especially considering what happened after all." He added. The outcropping wasn't exactly a shield against the storms, but it certain did keep the heavier snow off of them for the time being. The vanguards of the group were wearing plates of molded, finely crafted armor over their robes, while the mages of the group seemed to be wearing mostly robes.
One of the mages tilted her head, blinking as she observed Silas. "...I take it you're from the undead lands." She assumed, putting a bit of noticeable spite in her words. "What business does one of your kind have here?"
One of the mages tilted her head, blinking as she observed Silas. "...I take it you're from the undead lands." She assumed, putting a bit of noticeable spite in her words. "What business does one of your kind have here?"
Silas merely nodded his head with a warm smile, pulling back his hood so that those whom he was speaking to could clearly see his face. He had elven features, with a fairer face then most among the race of men, although his eyes were slightly sunken in due to his undeath. "Then I shall explain as best I can. After the tourney Grey had sent me out in search of his foe from the mage duel. You all likely know Grey, a little taller than me, looks like a walking wolf with a large sword over his shoulder. He sent me to find Minerva and do my best to reverse the damage he had caused to her body. Whether she forgives him or not is secondary, he just wants her to be how she was previous to their encounter."
He turned to the mage who spoke, and nodded his head. "Indeed I am from those lands. And I do believe I just told you exactly what my business is here. To heal Minerva, hear what she has to say, and depending on what she does say then I leave without any of you seeing me again for a very long time."
He turned to the mage who spoke, and nodded his head. "Indeed I am from those lands. And I do believe I just told you exactly what my business is here. To heal Minerva, hear what she has to say, and depending on what she does say then I leave without any of you seeing me again for a very long time."
(Just wanted to check if this was still going or not.)
A moment passed, the vanguards looking among one another. Thoughts of caution, distrust, and particularly the idea of abandonment crossed through them. Still, it was their job to assist those out in the cold, undead or not. "Alright. Follow us, you're not likely to find much, especially a city in this weather." The group turned back to the blinding storm behind them, treading out into it.
They beckoned for Silas to follow, and they began their march. The small group traveled single file, and it was almost impressive how there was only one set of footprints, as they quickened their speed and eased the burden of travel by stepping into the already made imprints. As time passed, they seemed absolutely unaffected by the cold, a unique ability possessed by few other races.
In the distance, a large structure began to appear, it's top hidden by thickening, dark clouds. At first, it appeared to be little more than a mountain, jutting out from the snowy tundra. But as they approached it, it grew closer, seemingly at a faster speed than they were walking. Something was dreadfully, anomalously wrong with this frozen land, the geography did not match up for any amount of time, and very few seemed to be able to traverse it with any certainty.
As their approach led them to the great gates of the city, great, hidden gears turned and groaned, opening a few feet wide, enough for them to slip inside. A deep hum filled the air, coming from high above them. As soon as they entered, the gates closed, sealing themselves from the storm behind them. Though, the storm still raged on, and there was no cover, even from overhangs on the mountain, little snow actually made it past the gates.
Groups of people watched from buildings, some ignoring Silas as they went about their days, others seemed to be unable to take their eyes off of him. The lead Vanguard turned to him, clearing her throat. "If you will give us a moment, we will need to locate where Minerva is."
They beckoned for Silas to follow, and they began their march. The small group traveled single file, and it was almost impressive how there was only one set of footprints, as they quickened their speed and eased the burden of travel by stepping into the already made imprints. As time passed, they seemed absolutely unaffected by the cold, a unique ability possessed by few other races.
In the distance, a large structure began to appear, it's top hidden by thickening, dark clouds. At first, it appeared to be little more than a mountain, jutting out from the snowy tundra. But as they approached it, it grew closer, seemingly at a faster speed than they were walking. Something was dreadfully, anomalously wrong with this frozen land, the geography did not match up for any amount of time, and very few seemed to be able to traverse it with any certainty.
As their approach led them to the great gates of the city, great, hidden gears turned and groaned, opening a few feet wide, enough for them to slip inside. A deep hum filled the air, coming from high above them. As soon as they entered, the gates closed, sealing themselves from the storm behind them. Though, the storm still raged on, and there was no cover, even from overhangs on the mountain, little snow actually made it past the gates.
Groups of people watched from buildings, some ignoring Silas as they went about their days, others seemed to be unable to take their eyes off of him. The lead Vanguard turned to him, clearing her throat. "If you will give us a moment, we will need to locate where Minerva is."
Silas nodded his head gratefully at the knowledge that the vanguards were indeed going to honour his request. He followed them then, taking a moment to adjust his cloak around his shoulders before trudging on after them, his boots crunching the fallen snow. He had a little smile on his face. No malice in it, no hidden emotion, just a genuine smile.
As Silas watched the group he slowly changed his pattern of movement to match theirs. He soon caught on that they were all stepping into the same footprint. What a clever idea. The first person blazes the trail so to speak, while the others don't have to do nearly as much work. It also made the groups tracks much easier to hide as a whole.
Silas was...Puzzled to say the least when the building seemed to be getting larger much faster than the group was moving toward it. Something odd was afoot here. And if the Vothyl Sylians let him stay he would be most curious about it, likely asking around for any information at all.
Silas stopped when the gears had begun to grind upward he tried to glance to the side to get a peek of the machinery. It seemed that Silas was innocently just trying to gather bits of information , nothing harmful as of yet, just little tidbits that he would try to pick up from time to time.
Silas would pay no heed to the people watching him. It wasn't anything new. When he was turned to he nodded his head, smiling once again. "Take all the time you need. I literally have all the time in the world."
As Silas watched the group he slowly changed his pattern of movement to match theirs. He soon caught on that they were all stepping into the same footprint. What a clever idea. The first person blazes the trail so to speak, while the others don't have to do nearly as much work. It also made the groups tracks much easier to hide as a whole.
Silas was...Puzzled to say the least when the building seemed to be getting larger much faster than the group was moving toward it. Something odd was afoot here. And if the Vothyl Sylians let him stay he would be most curious about it, likely asking around for any information at all.
Silas stopped when the gears had begun to grind upward he tried to glance to the side to get a peek of the machinery. It seemed that Silas was innocently just trying to gather bits of information , nothing harmful as of yet, just little tidbits that he would try to pick up from time to time.
Silas would pay no heed to the people watching him. It wasn't anything new. When he was turned to he nodded his head, smiling once again. "Take all the time you need. I literally have all the time in the world."
The hum in the air seemed to persist, and judging by how the Vothyl Sylians went about their day, it was absolutely normal for them. In a small outcropping of a building, there seemed to be a small incident occurring. An adult Vothyl Sylian, possibly a caretaker, seemed to be trying to split up a fight from two younger children. They appeared to be teenagers, lacking masks, and they both seemed quite annoyed.
It was quite obvious why, as it appeared that their antlers, just entering stages of winding into unique patterns, had become entangled in some fight of some sort. The caretaker was trying to separate them gently, while also keeping the agitated teenagers from fidgeting. They both appeared feminine, though it was difficult to judge genders of Vothyl Sylians in general, much less of their children.
Meanwhile, one of the vanguards had split off, and vanished into one of the buildings built into the large wall that the gate was attached to. She returned rather quickly, motioning for the group to follow her. "Mister Silas, we are going into the inner city. Please do not stray too far, it will be a while until Minerva is approved to see you, but we were given a meeting place."
She led them through the crowds that filled the streets, and after many minutes of walking, the back of the large outcropping that the city was built into seemed to come to an end. The outside world was practically invisible by this point, the large, numerous buildings blocking the view, as well as the gentle shade of snow, simple shadows of the storm that raged on outside.
That was, until, they rounded a corner, and built into the back of an outcropping, was a large, hemispherical door. As they approached, almost on command, it began to open. Various metal pieces of it contorted, spinning slowly, until a pattern appeared, completely opposite to what it had been before opening. It opened in six ways, each of the six segments retracted that had formed the hemisphere.
Stepping inside, they didn't wait for Silas, expecting him to keep pace. Many groups spoke around them, all in the foreign, mystical tongue shared by the horned people. They came across what seemed to be a market, many people standing around their stalls and buildings, bargaining and interacting with one another.
One man had an outstretched arm, kneeling in front of a small child. Upon his arm sat a strange creature, and the only thing it could be compared to is some type of bird, or owl. It had short, stubby legs, covered in some mixture of feathers and fur. A total of four wings sat bent, jutting out behind it like a tail. It's head was weirdly egg shaped, with large eyes observing its surroundings, and a blunt, long beak taking up most of its face.
The vanguards stopped, sitting down in a small gazebo-like structure. "You're free to wander, just don't go too far. Minerva will be here.... Well, when she gets here, I guess."
It was quite obvious why, as it appeared that their antlers, just entering stages of winding into unique patterns, had become entangled in some fight of some sort. The caretaker was trying to separate them gently, while also keeping the agitated teenagers from fidgeting. They both appeared feminine, though it was difficult to judge genders of Vothyl Sylians in general, much less of their children.
Meanwhile, one of the vanguards had split off, and vanished into one of the buildings built into the large wall that the gate was attached to. She returned rather quickly, motioning for the group to follow her. "Mister Silas, we are going into the inner city. Please do not stray too far, it will be a while until Minerva is approved to see you, but we were given a meeting place."
She led them through the crowds that filled the streets, and after many minutes of walking, the back of the large outcropping that the city was built into seemed to come to an end. The outside world was practically invisible by this point, the large, numerous buildings blocking the view, as well as the gentle shade of snow, simple shadows of the storm that raged on outside.
That was, until, they rounded a corner, and built into the back of an outcropping, was a large, hemispherical door. As they approached, almost on command, it began to open. Various metal pieces of it contorted, spinning slowly, until a pattern appeared, completely opposite to what it had been before opening. It opened in six ways, each of the six segments retracted that had formed the hemisphere.
Stepping inside, they didn't wait for Silas, expecting him to keep pace. Many groups spoke around them, all in the foreign, mystical tongue shared by the horned people. They came across what seemed to be a market, many people standing around their stalls and buildings, bargaining and interacting with one another.
One man had an outstretched arm, kneeling in front of a small child. Upon his arm sat a strange creature, and the only thing it could be compared to is some type of bird, or owl. It had short, stubby legs, covered in some mixture of feathers and fur. A total of four wings sat bent, jutting out behind it like a tail. It's head was weirdly egg shaped, with large eyes observing its surroundings, and a blunt, long beak taking up most of its face.
The vanguards stopped, sitting down in a small gazebo-like structure. "You're free to wander, just don't go too far. Minerva will be here.... Well, when she gets here, I guess."
Silas didn't seem to mind the humming in the air, it seemed that the undead was not bothered by many things that were going on around him. For a few moments his attention was drawn toward the two Vothyl Sylian children. Were this a different scenario and the undead were not already on uneasy (Putting it lightly) terms he may have had a joke concerning that the children may have literally been butting heads.
He stopped a few moments just to observe the two children, his head tilting off to the side slightly. He had heard about an incident not too long ago where these people were hunted for their horns. How terrible. Although he had only been among them for a small amount of time he already sees them as rather majestic people, sons and daughters of the frozen woodlands.
Silas glanced after the vanguard who had split from the group. He wasn't fully worried, but certainly curious as to where that individual was going right now. When she reemerged he nodded his understanding. He mused that if he were caught wandering far from his escort things may get a little tense. But that was just a thought. Grey certainly didn't leave the best of impressions.
Silas followed after, keeping pace with the group taht was leading him through the streets, not wishing to be left behind in a place that he had little to no information of. Silas wondered just how much of this land nobody else knew of.
Silas trailed his left hand around the corner of the wall as they passed by it, seeming to be in a bit of a whimsical mood, considering his origin. Regardless of his current emotional state the male did his best to keep pace with the rest of the group, his eyes occasionally wandering from their backs to his surroundings. He also seemed to have a habit of reaching his left hand back and running it along the shaft of his bow, not doing anything else but simply brushing his gloved fingers against the weapon.
He had looked over in the direction of the male, and by extension the curious animal that he had on his arm. However his attention was quickly diverted to the vanguard who had spoken, nodding his understanding. "Oh don't worry, I'll stay within view of this building at all times."
He stopped a few moments just to observe the two children, his head tilting off to the side slightly. He had heard about an incident not too long ago where these people were hunted for their horns. How terrible. Although he had only been among them for a small amount of time he already sees them as rather majestic people, sons and daughters of the frozen woodlands.
Silas glanced after the vanguard who had split from the group. He wasn't fully worried, but certainly curious as to where that individual was going right now. When she reemerged he nodded his understanding. He mused that if he were caught wandering far from his escort things may get a little tense. But that was just a thought. Grey certainly didn't leave the best of impressions.
Silas followed after, keeping pace with the group taht was leading him through the streets, not wishing to be left behind in a place that he had little to no information of. Silas wondered just how much of this land nobody else knew of.
Silas trailed his left hand around the corner of the wall as they passed by it, seeming to be in a bit of a whimsical mood, considering his origin. Regardless of his current emotional state the male did his best to keep pace with the rest of the group, his eyes occasionally wandering from their backs to his surroundings. He also seemed to have a habit of reaching his left hand back and running it along the shaft of his bow, not doing anything else but simply brushing his gloved fingers against the weapon.
He had looked over in the direction of the male, and by extension the curious animal that he had on his arm. However his attention was quickly diverted to the vanguard who had spoken, nodding his understanding. "Oh don't worry, I'll stay within view of this building at all times."