70 Ash, Year 123
[Closed - Solo]
Ever since the Great Darkness had began abroad over a year ago, Hilana had started to see animals that she knew came from beyond the borders of the desert kingdom and she'd mentioned them to the Sentinels. Sometimes she was too late to find them and they had been dispatched. Sometimes they were able to catch or trap them and haul them towards Sentinel outposts, where they could be returned or dispatched; Hilana wasn't entirely certain what they did with them, but she supposed it depended on the species. As it was, she and Lia had used Hilana's Ring of Traversion to head east from the city and see what all that they could find. Lia had offered to come along for the ride, especially with Hilana going hunting for plants or, well, whatever the heck it was that she was going out into the sands for. Her elder sister had no clue; but there would be snacks and stories, and she could make sure Hilana didn't go searching for trouble unnecessarily.
Which was easier said than done, really, because when the girl got curious... well, they already knew the results of that. But when it came to the natural world, Hilana's knowledge was much more sure, much more grounded, and she was in her element out here. She was always packed and prepared, and the Mask that Hilana employed to minimize their presence with the wildlife allowed for them to hunt together and worry a little less about the shadow creatures and the much larger natural animals that had no problems thinking of making a meal of the camel and its riders. And the more remote they went, the more dangerous it got when they so far away. Lia was just thankful for the Ring of Traversion so that at the very worst case scenario, they could bounce back home and get out of the far reaches of the Expanse.
Hayima’el strode steadily through the sands, and Hilana’s eyes were roaming the terrain around them. This was familiar territory to her, as desolate as it was, but her internal compass told her which way they were going. They were taking a very steady northwestern route, and with the Mask on, they were able to bypass wildlife that might have otherwise fled from their presence. “Why so far this way?” Lia asked her after a while, looking up from her book. To her eye, this was mostly sand. They had seen some plants, but they’d hadn’t passed an oasis today and hadn’t come across another source of water. If it wasn’t for the water they had packed, not to mention their own skills at Elementalism, this would have been a terrible place to be. The younger Vastiana was working on a paper map, too, making notes as they went.
“There used to be an agave grove up here,” Hilana admitted. "Should have been on it by now… and it’s gone. Not even the roots left. But what I’m looking for, mostly, is places that will need an oasis the most. It would benefit our people and the wildlife. Ideally… I’d like to build more, even if they were a few days’ travel by camel apart in terms of distance.”
“Right, by directing water up from the great rivers below,” her sister nodded. “If fed properly, and you changed the soil type, the water wouldn’t just sit on sand or be reabsorbed, but could become a self-sustaining pool. Especially if we used scrivening and embedded aqualyths, and you attune to Wood…” For a place as full of mages as Solunarium was, why more hadn’t come together to perform such a task was puzzling. But she would give that to Hilana - those that had the requisite skill in Elementalism and the knowledge of geography, ecology and geology, cared about the citizens who wandered the desert, and had the determination and strength of will to do something about it were few and far in between.
“The water shelf,” Hilana agreed, making a note on the parchment before putting it away for the time being. She took a drink from one of the water skins and offered it to Athalia, who rested her book in her lap in order to take it and have a drink. They continued on, discussing hypothetical plans and ideas for these new oases, and Hilana leaned forward, looking on in the distance, frowning. Lia peered around her, trying to see what her sister was looking at before Hilana activated her Semblance while they kept on going. The Mask shielded them from others, so they could approach without much of an issue, but Hilana slowed Hayima’el down anyway. Dug into what shade existed from a prickly pear cactus patch, was a pair of reptiles from Ecith. Pachycephalosaurs, Hilana remembered from the literature posted at the Sentinel Outposts. “They’re invasive. And they’re not doing well out here,” Hayima’el was guided to a stop ten feet away, where the sisters could look at them. “Probably came here to get out of the rain and find the sunlight… stopped at the cactus, but the fruits are gone and you can see that they’re dehydrated, look at their skin condition.” Her voice remained quiet.
“They’re starving now. Their lips aren’t made for the spines, and they’re in a lot of pain from the spines on the pears,” she realized. “I have pliers that could remove them, but if I tried with the Mask, they’d still fight. Wind isn’t going to be enough, even with both of us… what I need is kinetics. Even though it would bother them, it would be my best bet to remove the spines.”
“Why do they stay?” Lia frowned. Seeing reptiles suffering was very much against their culture. This was a problem; they would have to do something about it. And knowing her sister… they probably would. With her enhanced eyes, Hilana found the answer all too easily.
“They’re on a nest, Lia. That’s why they won’t leave. And they’re not going to make it home. Not as they are. If they leave, they’re abandoning their eggs, and for naught. If they stay, their eggs might make it. Rains might come. They’re not used to our land and how it is,” Hilana rested her forearms on the ornately carved front bar of her saddle. And for once, she was quiet. She was thinking, and Lia let her think. She could imagine the wheels turning in her sister’s head, and until Hilana announced a plan, she’d let her see what she could come up with.
“We have cactus paddles, calming clover, water, and rope. I’ve got a basket and some canvas,” Hilana decided. “I’ll trim the paddles for them and cut them up, mix in the calming clover, we can shape bowls for them with stone, or your glass. The food will give them energy, but I’ll use the ropes and we will fashion halters for them so that we can lead them. Hopefully they’ll be able to go a while longer, especially if they have food and water. We’ll use the basket and cloth to contain the nest. You’ll have to keep it at the exact temperature it is now… but you’re better at that than anyone I know,” she smiled at Lia. Lia returned the smile. “We’ll head for the green dragons. If the patchycephalosaurs can’t make it… we’ll use the ring and we’ll just have to carry on until it recharges and we can go home. Shouldn’t take much longer than that, considering how long it’s been since we used it.”
“Perhaps you should just make the portal to take them there when they’re ready to travel,” Lia suggested. She realized that her sister was trying to save the ring for her own comfort so that Athalia wouldn’t need to camp out in the sands, but the reptiles came first. She appreciated her sister's thoughtfulness, but she was from the same nomadic stock. She could manage some hours out here with Hilana and Hayima'el. “The preparations will take a while anyway, and the faster they’re out of this, the better off they’ll be. You’re the expert, Hilana, but their body condition looks quite poor to me.”
“You’re sure?” Hilana looked over her shoulder at her. Her sister touched her arm and nodded. Well, if Lia was certain. Hilana had no problems carrying on until the ring was ready to take them home, and that way, they needn’t use up the magic of the Mask of Midnight’s Mother, either. “Alright. First step, then, cactus paddles. Let’s go around the back and then I can harvest, and you can make the bowls,” the Vastiana nudged Hayima’el into movement with her heels. “Back,” she encouraged him, and once they had retreated to a larger distance, the quadruped and his riders Hilana retrieved the tools she needed. Hayima’el just started munching away, and the younger sister took out her knife and some leather and began to cut the paddles off.
Part II
[Closed - Solo]
Ever since the Great Darkness had began abroad over a year ago, Hilana had started to see animals that she knew came from beyond the borders of the desert kingdom and she'd mentioned them to the Sentinels. Sometimes she was too late to find them and they had been dispatched. Sometimes they were able to catch or trap them and haul them towards Sentinel outposts, where they could be returned or dispatched; Hilana wasn't entirely certain what they did with them, but she supposed it depended on the species. As it was, she and Lia had used Hilana's Ring of Traversion to head east from the city and see what all that they could find. Lia had offered to come along for the ride, especially with Hilana going hunting for plants or, well, whatever the heck it was that she was going out into the sands for. Her elder sister had no clue; but there would be snacks and stories, and she could make sure Hilana didn't go searching for trouble unnecessarily.
Which was easier said than done, really, because when the girl got curious... well, they already knew the results of that. But when it came to the natural world, Hilana's knowledge was much more sure, much more grounded, and she was in her element out here. She was always packed and prepared, and the Mask that Hilana employed to minimize their presence with the wildlife allowed for them to hunt together and worry a little less about the shadow creatures and the much larger natural animals that had no problems thinking of making a meal of the camel and its riders. And the more remote they went, the more dangerous it got when they so far away. Lia was just thankful for the Ring of Traversion so that at the very worst case scenario, they could bounce back home and get out of the far reaches of the Expanse.
Hayima’el strode steadily through the sands, and Hilana’s eyes were roaming the terrain around them. This was familiar territory to her, as desolate as it was, but her internal compass told her which way they were going. They were taking a very steady northwestern route, and with the Mask on, they were able to bypass wildlife that might have otherwise fled from their presence. “Why so far this way?” Lia asked her after a while, looking up from her book. To her eye, this was mostly sand. They had seen some plants, but they’d hadn’t passed an oasis today and hadn’t come across another source of water. If it wasn’t for the water they had packed, not to mention their own skills at Elementalism, this would have been a terrible place to be. The younger Vastiana was working on a paper map, too, making notes as they went.
“There used to be an agave grove up here,” Hilana admitted. "Should have been on it by now… and it’s gone. Not even the roots left. But what I’m looking for, mostly, is places that will need an oasis the most. It would benefit our people and the wildlife. Ideally… I’d like to build more, even if they were a few days’ travel by camel apart in terms of distance.”
“Right, by directing water up from the great rivers below,” her sister nodded. “If fed properly, and you changed the soil type, the water wouldn’t just sit on sand or be reabsorbed, but could become a self-sustaining pool. Especially if we used scrivening and embedded aqualyths, and you attune to Wood…” For a place as full of mages as Solunarium was, why more hadn’t come together to perform such a task was puzzling. But she would give that to Hilana - those that had the requisite skill in Elementalism and the knowledge of geography, ecology and geology, cared about the citizens who wandered the desert, and had the determination and strength of will to do something about it were few and far in between.
“The water shelf,” Hilana agreed, making a note on the parchment before putting it away for the time being. She took a drink from one of the water skins and offered it to Athalia, who rested her book in her lap in order to take it and have a drink. They continued on, discussing hypothetical plans and ideas for these new oases, and Hilana leaned forward, looking on in the distance, frowning. Lia peered around her, trying to see what her sister was looking at before Hilana activated her Semblance while they kept on going. The Mask shielded them from others, so they could approach without much of an issue, but Hilana slowed Hayima’el down anyway. Dug into what shade existed from a prickly pear cactus patch, was a pair of reptiles from Ecith. Pachycephalosaurs, Hilana remembered from the literature posted at the Sentinel Outposts. “They’re invasive. And they’re not doing well out here,” Hayima’el was guided to a stop ten feet away, where the sisters could look at them. “Probably came here to get out of the rain and find the sunlight… stopped at the cactus, but the fruits are gone and you can see that they’re dehydrated, look at their skin condition.” Her voice remained quiet.
“They’re starving now. Their lips aren’t made for the spines, and they’re in a lot of pain from the spines on the pears,” she realized. “I have pliers that could remove them, but if I tried with the Mask, they’d still fight. Wind isn’t going to be enough, even with both of us… what I need is kinetics. Even though it would bother them, it would be my best bet to remove the spines.”
“Why do they stay?” Lia frowned. Seeing reptiles suffering was very much against their culture. This was a problem; they would have to do something about it. And knowing her sister… they probably would. With her enhanced eyes, Hilana found the answer all too easily.
“They’re on a nest, Lia. That’s why they won’t leave. And they’re not going to make it home. Not as they are. If they leave, they’re abandoning their eggs, and for naught. If they stay, their eggs might make it. Rains might come. They’re not used to our land and how it is,” Hilana rested her forearms on the ornately carved front bar of her saddle. And for once, she was quiet. She was thinking, and Lia let her think. She could imagine the wheels turning in her sister’s head, and until Hilana announced a plan, she’d let her see what she could come up with.
“We have cactus paddles, calming clover, water, and rope. I’ve got a basket and some canvas,” Hilana decided. “I’ll trim the paddles for them and cut them up, mix in the calming clover, we can shape bowls for them with stone, or your glass. The food will give them energy, but I’ll use the ropes and we will fashion halters for them so that we can lead them. Hopefully they’ll be able to go a while longer, especially if they have food and water. We’ll use the basket and cloth to contain the nest. You’ll have to keep it at the exact temperature it is now… but you’re better at that than anyone I know,” she smiled at Lia. Lia returned the smile. “We’ll head for the green dragons. If the patchycephalosaurs can’t make it… we’ll use the ring and we’ll just have to carry on until it recharges and we can go home. Shouldn’t take much longer than that, considering how long it’s been since we used it.”
“Perhaps you should just make the portal to take them there when they’re ready to travel,” Lia suggested. She realized that her sister was trying to save the ring for her own comfort so that Athalia wouldn’t need to camp out in the sands, but the reptiles came first. She appreciated her sister's thoughtfulness, but she was from the same nomadic stock. She could manage some hours out here with Hilana and Hayima'el. “The preparations will take a while anyway, and the faster they’re out of this, the better off they’ll be. You’re the expert, Hilana, but their body condition looks quite poor to me.”
“You’re sure?” Hilana looked over her shoulder at her. Her sister touched her arm and nodded. Well, if Lia was certain. Hilana had no problems carrying on until the ring was ready to take them home, and that way, they needn’t use up the magic of the Mask of Midnight’s Mother, either. “Alright. First step, then, cactus paddles. Let’s go around the back and then I can harvest, and you can make the bowls,” the Vastiana nudged Hayima’el into movement with her heels. “Back,” she encouraged him, and once they had retreated to a larger distance, the quadruped and his riders Hilana retrieved the tools she needed. Hayima’el just started munching away, and the younger sister took out her knife and some leather and began to cut the paddles off.
Part II
