My Pet Rock [Memory - Hector]

High City of the Northlands

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Aardwalden
Posts: 43
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2022 12:35 pm
Title: The Stone Man
Location: Solunarium / South Ecith
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?t=3650
Character Secrets: viewtopic.php?t=3660

TIMESTAMP: Ash 9th, 117
NOTES: -
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Ash 9th, 117

Beneath the damp boughs of a mirthful, dense wood, Aardwalden walked with caution. The gnome had heard the tale of arcanic regulation within the desmene of Zaichaer, and caution boomed in his heart. Not enough caution to match his gnomish curiosity; as they once said: curiosity killed the gnome!

Marching westward on short, stony legs, it took Aardwalden a little more time than most, but being a creature of rock it did not bother him to hide when he felt the vibrations of feet and horses traipsing upon the earth. Being still and among the thorny, often poisonous flora had its advantages!

Above ground and below it, Aardwalden was highly advantaged. Perhaps too much so. The arrogance of his fellow Stoneborn often earned them a shattering, but he knew better than to present himself as nobility. Everyone in this world had an important part to play. Right now, his was seeing the world!

Passing by a peculiar trail marker, Aardwalden recognized the etchings of Pictography. He could infer some of the concepts, but its meaning was lost on him. Mages above the earth had such wildly symbolic Pictographs compared to his own, and in spite of all his years, he still depended on a mixture of feeling, intuition, and deduction to read them.

How exciting! Following along the roads, he learned more from every trail marker he came across, until he began to understand the general meaning. They were warnings: ‘You near the grove of the druids.’ Druids. A strange lot, people of a kind that often appeared in stories of gnomish youth who broached the surface.

Finding a bridge, Aardwalden peered across the brook of alpine water, the well forested lands showing signs of civilization, albeit still wild with strange flowers and carefully curated selections of herbs growing along the forest floor. Colorful, even glowing tubers and parasols lay between the roots.

A sign stood, in plain common. DRUID LANDS. FORAGING PROHIBITED. His Calling persuaded him in such a way that he wished to study the properties of this strange flora, but he relented. Aardwalden was ultimately law abiding, to a point.

Coming up upon a series of elaborate homes made from wood, crowned in moss and draped with vines, Aard peered over the gardens as his heavy feet tapped on cobbled stone. He found himself by a well, surrounded by such similar, quiet houses. For the moment he stood there, clad in a raggedy friars robe, a child-sized man leaning against the wall of the place they drew water.

How long before he met his first Zaicharean? Would they scream and run away when they saw his face? Or would a ‘druid’ know they had nothing to fear from a Stoneborn? Curious, curious!
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word count: 512
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Hector
Posts: 355
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2022 4:19 pm
Location: Gel'Grandel, Gelerian Imperium
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?t=3187
Plot Notes: viewtopic.php?t=3339
Character Secrets: viewtopic.php?t=3335

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TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -
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In the early evening, Hector found himself wandering around verdant outskirts of the Kindred’s grove. The boy was seventeen, though he often had a tendency to act younger by a year or two. In the grove, foraging was prohibited to outsiders. Members of the Coven itself were free to reap nature’s bounties within, but this was allowed only because it was presumed they would treat the land with respect. Which, son of a pair of botanists– one an herbal healer, the other an apothecary– Hector had a great amount of reverence for the earth itself…just not so much all of her creatures.

He’d been told to gather nightshade, the blooms of which were an inky purple he found himself really rather fond of. His father had said they needed some for poisons, though they did not sell poisons to his knowledge, so Hector was a tad perplexed at the request. Nonetheless, he wasn’t about to argue about it; the task was simple and he liked being out here by himself.

Having gathered several of the flowers and other botanicals he knew his mother was running low on, he made his return through the mossy boughs, over stones and small creeks, back to the grove– emerald and beauteous as it all was.

Standing there near the entrance was…a stone man? A statue? Somebody’s lost golem? He’d never seen the construct ever before and yet the thing looked rather aged in terms of its texture. There was no way it’d been newly crafted, and thus he concluded that it belonged to nobody within the Coven itself. Very intrigued, Hector approached the little stone man and tapped him on the shoulder from behind.

“Hello…? Do you understand me? Have you…sentience, or a master?”

Admittedly, he had no idea how to communicate with a golem should the thing be an artificed device. The young elf really had no idea if it’d even respond.
- - -

Aidolon Speech
'Thoughts'
"Kathalan Tongue/Speech"
"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Mythrasi Tongue/Speech"
word count: 453
"And as you lay down your grace to me,
the skies begin to bleach red,
and the stars begin to fall,
I feel myself changing,
as my world starts dividing–"
User avatar
Aardwalden
Posts: 43
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2022 12:35 pm
Title: The Stone Man
Location: Solunarium / South Ecith
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?t=3650
Character Secrets: viewtopic.php?t=3660

TIMESTAMP: Ash Xth, 122
NOTES: -
- - -

Aardwalden waited, and waited. A cool breeze stirred, as time wore on. His eyes squeezed shut, he soon fell into a trance, dreaming of the earth as it stirred around him with ever so imperceptible tilting grains of pebbles in the square. When he came to, it was to the sound of footsteps, the meager sun blocked by the shadow of a tall man.

Blue, glowing eyes darted open, and the gnome’s neck craned upwards with the mechanical start-stopping of an artificial being. “I am a gnome. Stoneborn,” he replied. “Have you truly never seen one such as I? I’m told Stoneborn mining expeditions had been sent this far north! Perhaps they avoided Zaichaer, or they were turned away…” He seemed to fall glum as his eyes squeezed and casted downwards, parsing his lips together.

“In truth - are you a druid? - I am a Runeforger, and I am on a journey to see the forges of other lands, to broaden my understanding and expand the scope of my knowledge. The lands outside the Ruined Holds have much to teach me. Do you know where I might find a Runeforger - maybe even an Artificing shop - here in this city?” he asked of the elf. As of yet, he knew little of Zaichaer law. Was Elementalism forbidden entirely, or could he certify himself with one of the covens?

“Do you perchance know which Runes of Magic are legal within the city? I’m seeking a guide for the day. I could pay you - even share a bit of Gnomish knowledge!” he boistered. “What do you say, man of herb?”

Moving out from beneath Hector’s shadow, the gnome peered down the road with wonder. Would this elf be his saving grace, or would he run for the authorities, thus turning Aardwalden away from his hopes to understand Zaichaerian World Magic.
- - -
word count: 364
User avatar
Hector
Posts: 355
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2022 4:19 pm
Location: Gel'Grandel, Gelerian Imperium
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?t=3187
Plot Notes: viewtopic.php?t=3339
Character Secrets: viewtopic.php?t=3335

Special

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -
► Show Spoiler
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Hector laughed at the way the curious little thing moved, mechanical as it was. He found it utterly fascinating in construction, in truth, and the glow of its eyes was ever so pretty. He wondered with what luck he’d been blessed with to stumble upon such a thing before anyone else.

Yet when it spoke, it revealed itself not to be something artificial, rather he was a gnome. The elf had only been told cursory tales of the Stoneborn, largely ignorant on the subject given that his education really couldn’t be considered very…large in its breadth of subjects. His specialized knowledge was nothing to balk at, but when it came to the oddities of the world, he was still quite sheltered.

“I…I mean, I am not very old. I understand it’s hard to guess with us elves, but those above me wouldn’t even recognize me as an adult at this point,” he laughed, though it was clear he didn’t really care much about that designation. “I’ve heard of gnomes like you, but no…never met one!” The boy’s enthusiasm, however, did not leave his tone at all.

“I am of the Kindred, yes. This is our territory you find yourself in– though it is not as if we are hostile to outsiders, provided you respect us and the land. But…for your other question, ah, I can probably help you. Granted, to find a proper Runeforger we will have to make it to the city proper.” Hector paused, looking away as if to think about something for a moment.

Stuck in his thoughts, the foreign gnome spoke to him again, this time requesting something of a guide.

“Legal?” The elf giggled, almost puerile. “None are. Not unless you're one us, part of the Covens. That’s what I meant by Kindred– there’s a couple others; coalitions of mages and others inclined towards magical crafting. But if you are not one of us? None are permitted,” he spoke with pride about the Covens themselves, though his tone dipped to something akin to theatrical woe when he reiterated that magic was not otherwise allowed.

“That being the case, there’s definitely a few skilled Runeforgers in the markets where us witches tend to gather. I can take you there, you’d…just have to pretend you’re a golem of sorts under my control, lest the Reconciliators might not be very kind to your presence. Such circumstances are unfortunate, but I suppose it’s good that you wandered through here before making it into the city proper, then, yes?”

He liked this odd little guy. Hector was happy to lend him a helping hand in exchange for whatever esoteric knowledge the man had, valuing that as much as if not more than currency.
- - -

Aidolon Speech
'Thoughts'
"Kathalan Tongue/Speech"
"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Mythrasi Tongue/Speech"
word count: 595
"And as you lay down your grace to me,
the skies begin to bleach red,
and the stars begin to fall,
I feel myself changing,
as my world starts dividing–"
User avatar
Hector
Posts: 355
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2022 4:19 pm
Location: Gel'Grandel, Gelerian Imperium
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?t=3187
Plot Notes: viewtopic.php?t=3339
Character Secrets: viewtopic.php?t=3335

Special

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Hector

Lore: 10
Points: 10, no magic
Injuries/Ailments: n/a
Loot: None

Notes: x
word count: 44
"And as you lay down your grace to me,
the skies begin to bleach red,
and the stars begin to fall,
I feel myself changing,
as my world starts dividing–"
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