Legend of Ransera

Posted: **Thu Oct 13, 2022 11:15 am**

“That’s the best way to ease yourself into it,” Hilana said with a chuckle. “It’s one thing to just go straight in and stay out there if you have to, but it will be much harder on you than if you take the time to acclimatize yourself to it. Atraxia does what she wills, but those who can answer her calls will find their way.” Her guardians had always referred to the desert as a woman, and the habit had stuck for the girl. It didn’t bother her; if anything there was some comfort in the similarities. “If you hear her, perhaps you have Wildness, too,” she smiled at him.

She was happy to share the food with him, carefully cutting the stuffed pita in two and giving him one of the halves, full of chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and some sort of yogurt sauce which helped refresh him and take the heat out of the spices so that he could enjoy the flavour. It was nice to have someone to share it with, and when he moved to get up, Hilana rose easily from the shaded sands, well-prepared to reach and steady him if he needed it.

Hayima’el was perfectly happy, though, to let the bard press against him. Big as he was, with the thick fur and muscle, Finn was essentially weightless to him, but Hilana raised her eyebrow at the camel as he got up too, as her attention had been on Finn and watching him intently, seeing the way his muscles and body and head responded to the movement. “You look much better, and while I think you can walk, it would take much longer to get to the river. Riding would be better for you. That way you stay in the shade,” she nodded at the colourful sunshade attached to the large saddle. “So let’s do that. He can carry us both easily, and then some,” she wanted to reassure him so that he didn’t wonder if the camel was comfortable. It would be better for him to ride, once he got used to the gait, because then he would have the breeze moving with him, too. It would be much faster going to the River.

She took the opportunity to slip around him and under the arm that was against the big bull so that it was now around her shoulders. “Hayima’el, down,” she told the camel. “He’s not in any mood to try to jump on you today. Maybe another day he will climb you from the tree, but not today.” The camel knew better than to protest, and lowered himself back into the sands. “There,” Hilana was much more cheerful as she addressed herself back to Finn, walking him over to the side a few steps in order to get him into position before she would duck out from under his arm. “Can you grab the wooden handle up front and bring your leg up and over him?” She encouraged, one hand tapping the rounded bar-like handle at the front of the saddle to indicate which of the two she meant. She would move just slightly away to give him more room, but her hand was just off of his back and ready to grab him if need be to prevent a fall or help him on.

Once she got him on there, though, Hilana made sure the colourful reins were draped over the bar and hiked her skirt over one leg almost to her thigh so that she could climb up, too, settling behind him. She could steer from there, and he would get the breeze in his face without her wild curls going everywhere. “Now, when he gets up, he’s going to get up at the front first, and then the back. So I want you to hold on to the bar, and keep your weight centred, okay?” She smiled at him. “Then once his front is up, the back end comes up, so that’s why you want to keep your centre solid and planted,” the Vastii explained. “Hayima’el, up,” she urged the camel once Finn was holding on, and the movement was as Hilana described it, but her own arms were on either side of him, holding onto the handle of the saddle to keep him in place.

“On,” she urged the humped beast, clicking her tongue and letting one arm down, and then the other, apparently not worried about the decorated lead that was draped over the carved handle of the saddle. Her hands rested on her thighs, and if his balance started to shift, then she could realign him. Finn could feel her feet applying gentle pressure to Hayima’el’s sides, communicating with the beast that way. She was no Mesmer, but their symphonies meshed well. They left the safety of the mastic grove, and Hilana started them on westward, the camel moving at a steady pace towards the River. She wanted him to get used to the motion, because she didn’t know what experience he had with camels or horses… and the gait was different for both. And after two minutes, she urged the piebald bull to his next pace, faster than the steady walk. The breeze carried the scent of the Vasta across them, and she watched Finn for any signs of trouble that would necessitate a full-on gallop to refreshment.

“That is better, yes?” The girl was smiling at him, though one of her bare arms came up and she pointed at a plant they were coming up to. It wasn’t terribly large, and looked like any of the scrubby bushes he had passed earlier. “That bush there, that is an artemisia. We use it for fevers, inflammation, bleeding, and headaches,” she told him. It might not stick with his condition, but she was pleased to share such things with him. The river would come into view soon enough, and then she could help him down and to the water.

Posted: **Wed Nov 02, 2022 5:08 pm**

"All right," he said once she assured him the great beast wouldn't bat an eyelash at carrying the both of them. Though he had become a minstrel, his body was still shaped by his youthful apprenticeship at his mother's forge. Betimes he had helped his friend Torin at the forge as well, more careful of his hands than ever before. Between that, being a generally active fellow, and training more heavily with the sword since violence had come to find him, he looked as though he could be a smith even now, and he knew muscle was heavier than other sorts of flesh—it became clear when he was swimming. His sense of self was sometimes larger even than it was, and he was careful not to loom or take up too much space, except when he was performing and forgot to think about that.

With Hayima'el obliging them by kneeling once more and Hilana talking him through the process, he mounted without too much problem. He hadn't ridden much of anything with any consistency, though he was supposedly going to be trained to ride a wyvern soon. His legs clamped down and his hands where they ought to be, he wasn't thrown by the strange way the camel rose once more. With shade, a breeze, and the time spent recuperating, he almost felt good again.

"This is better," he admitted. "Thank you."

Finn wasn't sure if she was just making conversation, beginning his desert education in earnest, or trying to ensure his mind stayed sharp en route to water and safety, but he memorized the information as he would a new song.

"Artemisia," he reiterated. "Fevers, inflammation, bleeding, and headaches."

And so the time passed until the river hove into view. It was a relief, but even when they stopped, he waited to dismount until he was given the word. Finn had no problem deferring to the wiser, more knowledgeable person in most circumstances, and Hilana was certainly that here. She felt much more familiar than the royal elves or the servi or anyone else he had yet encountered. Perhaps that was how he would understand Solunarium as well as the Atraxian Expanse, through people who were much akin to him, if separated by miles and cultures.

"We made it."

Posted: **Sat Nov 05, 2022 4:41 pm**

“Just so,” Hilana said approvingly as Finn reiterated the impromptu lesson. He had guessed right - she wanted to make sure his mental faculties were still working, that he was awake and aware. If he wasn’t, then that was a symptom that she needed to pick up the pace and get him to the water, quickly. A gallop on this saddle wasn’t going to be as pleasant for a new rider, even if it was padded. Still, he was all there, and she could continue teaching if something else caught her eye. That was part of how she had been taught - not always set out, deliberate lessons, but sometimes a spontaneous one came out of the sands. A landmark, a plant, a track… sometimes they went off the beaten track in a very unexpected way. She had had good teachers, and those memories were fond ones. She could only hope to impart the same on the Kalzasern bard.

“We did,” the girl was cheerful. “I had no doubt,” she smiled at him. “We’re going down now,” she let him know, her arms on either side of him once again to hold on to the bar in front of him and keep him in place. “He will lower himself onto his from legs about halfway down, and then the back end will follow,” Hilana advised him. “Hayima’el, down,” she told the camel, and while she mostly stayed in place, he could feel her legs behind his, and and her front brushed his back until their ride settled in the sands again. “He’s such a good boy,” the Vastiana was pleased with her behemoth, easing backwards and drawing her leg over to slide off of the saddle, her long skirts flouncing before she offered Finn a hand to help him off. Shift back, leg up and over.

“The River Vasta,” she made sure he was steady on his pins, and brought him to the bank. “Lots of good things in here, but many dangers, too. The River is the easiest way to get to Solunarium proper, and from there, to Tertium. If you are able to find the River, then you will be able to find your way back to the cities, should you need to, and you cannot find the other landmarks. Do you see the water the water flows?” She tilted her head, looking up at him, “That is the way to the cities,” she indicated. “And that is the way into the sands. The flow doesn’t change. It always goes that way,” she lowered her arm, browsing the water, before deeming it safe. “You can soak yourself if you like,” Hilana told him. “It will help cool you down.” She wasn’t worried about crocodiles, not with his ability in the Craft of Mesmer. He had charmed Hayima’el. Crocodiles were nothing.

Posted: **Mon Nov 14, 2022 6:03 pm**

Finn didn't think he needed her to lock him in as Hayima'el knelt, but it was probably better safe than sorry. Neither did he deny any of her help.

"Gratias, Hayima'el," he said, and it almost seemed as though the camel understood him. His legs were a touch shaky, but he felt steady on his feet now.

At her warnings, he nodded, taking in the words of wisdom. When the last was that he ought to submerge himself, he wasted no time wading into the cool River Vasta until the water closed over his head. It was a bit of a shock, but it felt wonderful, and he took a few measured sips once he was treading water, then turned around and headed back toward the woman and her ornery steed. His clothes would be soaked, but that was of little import in the dry heat of the Atraxian Expanse. He would be dry in no time, if a bit rumpled.

Finn could hear the symphonies all around him, mingling with the Song of the Desert and the Song of the River.

Nothing drew near with intent to harm, but a large rock python did emerge from the vegetation nearby where a tree overhung the river, sheltering terrestrial and aquatic life. It was curious, tongue flickering in question. This one might have been able to munch on a juvenile crocodile, so few things frightened it, though it didn't leave the coolness of the water when it scented camel.

"Salve, serpens," he said when he noticed it. Finn seemed as curious as the snake. Perhaps they were both of them charmed. Neither man nor python showed signs of fear or aggression, however. Strange things abounded in Solunarium.

Posted: **Sat Nov 19, 2022 7:09 pm**

The camel snuffled his hand when he thanked him, and the girl settled down by the bull’s chest. His head swung to rest against her torso, almost like an embrace. Hilana was content to watch him in the water, having seated herself on the dryer areas of the bank. Her knees were bent and off of the ground, her colourful skirts fluttering in the breeze as she followed his progress around Hayima’el as Finn swam. It wasn’t that she couldn’t swim; her family had a pool at the Tertian estate, and she had always been in and out of water where allowed as a child, simply because it was a solid survival skill. She was just content to watch him and monitor him and his progress to make sure that nothing untoward happened to the Mesminstrel. That, and her skirts took a very, very long time to dry, even in the heat of the Atraxian sun. And while she got just strip off her skirt and get in there with him… she wasn’t entirely sure how he would take it.

“Is there a lot of water where you are from in Kalzasi?” She asked him, watching him as he began to emerge from the water. He was built well, that was for sure… strong and fit. There was no missing the way that his clothes clung to his frame as he emerged from the River, though the Vastian girl’s bright eyes didn’t linger too much. It would have been rude, and she knew Finn was already the Amatus of Arvaelyn. And considering how he felt on the matter as she had gauged from when she had met him the other day, well, Hilana was not inclined to risk ire or irritation from someone connected with the Sentinels and nobility. No matter how fun the Peregrinus was to watch in the water. Had he not been so connected, that would have been another story altogether.

“That’s a rock python,” Hilana offered as she followed Finn’s gaze to it. “Python sebae,” the nomad gave her new student the Vastian name as well. “They are amongst the largest of the native snake species that we have here, and that one is a good size…but it will keep growing so long as it keeps eating,” her arms rested on her bent knees, enjoying the feeling of the sand between her toes. Here by the water, it was far cooler to her than it would be in other areas. “They can get to be more than 20 feet long, and eat prey as big as antelopes. Ambush predators…not inclined to try to come for us right now, though they can kill people very easily. If you look along the middle…follow down from the head…you can see the bulge of his last meal. Probably within the last day,” the girl was bright. Her symphony was excited to see the snake, it seemed, but in a land that worshipped dragons, it did make sense that the populace loved snakes, too. Hilana found it admirable how well he was getting on with the wildlife of her home. There was something to be said for Mesmer that replaced many years of practice, that was for sure.

Posted: **Fri Jan 20, 2023 3:41 pm**

The glare of the solor orb no longer crushed him, but he only enjoyed the warmth for a short while before sitting in the shade and telling her about the waters of Kalzasi, growing up on the shores of Lake Udori, and all. There were secrets he had to keep, but those were mostly Arvælyn's, and he was forthcoming with his own self and story.

Finn felt well by the time they headed back into the city proper, and before they parted ways, he had seen her shop and had given her his address that they might meet again one day. He was going a little mad surrounded by the wealthy and powerful all the time.

fin.

Posted: **Fri Jan 20, 2023 3:43 pm**

Review

Experience: 10 xp, not available for magic.

Lore: Hilana (13); Finn (13).

Injuries: Finn will sleep off the effects of too much Atraxian sun.

Loot: N/A

Note: Sorry I lost steam on this one. Onward and upward!

Legend of Ransera

Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Sunshine? [Finn]

Re: Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Sunshine? [Finn]

Re: Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Sunshine? [Finn]

Re: Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Sunshine? [Finn]

Re: Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Sunshine? [Finn]

Re: Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Sunshine? [Finn]

Re: Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Sunshine? [Finn]

Re: Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Sunshine? [Finn]