Frost 75th, 121
Before him was a map of the neighboring territories that encompassed the Wildking's Forge on the table, the dragonshard lanterns illuminating the room with a warm soft glow as Rickter leaned forward from his chair. The sun had not yet risen and yet already, Talon had gone off with Aoren to deal with Kalzasi's latest threat. If they found whoever was responsible behind the avalanche that came crashing down, then Rickter knew for certain their fate would be sealed at the hands of the Draegir. The wolf loved his Bondmate for who he was, and very well understood the levity Talon held towards others he cared for. When a person had drawn the prince's ire there was no real salvation to be found, at least, not unless the force of Justice had any mercy left within him that is.
"What are you thinking?" Telion inquired as she came out from the other room, the twins still sound asleep as she adjusted her nightgown once more. The wolf's blue eyes glistened with the amber flames of the lanterns when they lifted toward her, his gaze already somewhat weary but heavy with contemplation.
"Pinpointing the exact location of the wreckage will not be easy..." He remarked as he lowered his gaze back to the map, with Telion drawing nearer to the table to see where his finger led to point. "For all we know the Merry Behemoth could've touchdown here somewhere." The tip of his finger drew a rough circle across the smooth parchment, hinting at the southern region between the Astralar Mountains and Zeraphesh before he pulled the digit away. "Pulling off a search will take time though, more time than I would like to use in finding the wreckage. Especially if I were to track it down alone..."
"Heh." the snyde remark of their roguish friend softly filled the room, as Hannah stepped in through the cracked door to their apartment with just her casual wear on. Rickter himself merely donned a pair of slacks as his runes glimmered off bare skin, his fingers brushing through his beard when he and Telion looked to Hannah's sultry entry. "If you think you alone or just a few people are going to pull this off in just a short manner of time, then you have another thing coming Rickter."
"I don't. I already know how impossible the task is just for one person alone," he confirmed with heavy eyes back down to the parchment, "all the same time is crucial in this endeavor. It'll take all day to prepare for this journey, from gathering the materials to the eyes that will assist in this search. We'll need as many resources as we can gather..." An overwhelming amount at that, which already intimidated the wolf just thinking about it. Yet the uncertainty within his heart became filled with reassurance, and the wolf clutched that part of his chest knowing that both of his Bondmates were encouraging him from a distance.
"So then let us help," Telion urged with a stern look at her lover, "you don't have to shoulder everything, Rickter."
"She's right," Hannah then remarked as Rickter looked to both of them warily, "You want this done efficiently? Then you better let us take on some of the weight. You can't expect to handle all of it on your own." The wolf groaned to himself lowly with a few soft mutters, his eyes locked back to the map yet again as though he wanted to weigh his options. Yet he didn't. He learned to trust his companions with matters before, and he understood the role given to him when his time came back then. The Warrens... and Zaichaer. Both had taught him much in just the span of a few seasons, and now a year later, here he was stepping up to serve as yet a guardian once more.
It would be tough, but he knew the limitations of his allies in this, and as well as their personal strengths also. Therefore when he came to lean back into his chair, his eyes moved to Hannah as the rogue herself found a spot at the table. "Very well. We've need of scouts and volunteers to help spread the search. The Astralar Mountain ranges possess some familiar known dangers, but none of us have ever beyond to the south beyond them... So what do you suggest?"
"If this is going to be an expedition beyond the southern Astralar range, then we'll need to consider the amount of rations we'll need to feed everyone along the way. Also, the fact that the Frost is a danger all on its own, the weather will not be our ally up there during our search."
"And depending on how we go about this, Wolfman, combing the terrain won't be a walk in the park either. For those like you and me, travel can be easy as blinking and vaulting. But with that in mind, we can't go racing throughout the area just for one ship." Hannah weighed in as she scooted the map closer to her with a couple of fingers, her brown eyes studying the areas drawn across the map in depth.
"There's also the possibility of finding stragglers along the way." The blonde healer added in after the rogue. "It'd be wise to have a healer on board as well, in case somebody needs to treat injuries within the wilderness."
"Eyes in the sky and eyes on the ground." The wolf finally remarked toward the both of them, the ladies at his table gazing toward him curiously as he folded his arms. "If we have multiple parties combing the area, it'll be easier to find these possible stragglers. A group can scour the base of the southern mountain range for them, while we have another unit traversing through the terrain to find the crash zone." He remarked with consideration as to where Zeraphesh was located, concerned with the amount of ground they already had to cover.
"And the eyes in the sky?"
"Skyguard." He quickly remarked. "Preferably Icewing Eagle riders. Their birds can help them navigate the wintry conditions, and if they can scout the areas we struggle covering, then they'll have an easier time spotting the fallen ship. The problem is..."
"Coordination." Telion quickly pointed out as the wolf and rogue paid her mind. "Bearing in mind the amount of resources you'll need to look after these groups, coordinating the search with them won't be a walk in the park either. The Wildkking's Forge won't be entirely safe and neither the base of the mountain range, any volunteers we have aiding the expedition will need to be able to handle the wildlife we're bound to come across."
"Each group will have different problems to contend with. The ground troops will have the lowest visibility but less danger, while the aerial troops will have the creatures that can fly to contend with. So that means everyone will need serious protection on top of combat skill."
"So that means?..." Both Telion and Hannah waited for an answer, which the wolf looked grimly at the map once more in contemplative thought.
"That means we'll need more than just basic resources. We need Scrivened scrolls to create wards to fight against the elements and fauna, as well as other tools such as dragonshards to aid us personally during the search. Having a healer isn't a bad idea," he commended with a glance to his beloved, "however they'll need to be stationed at a base of operations in the event we rescue stragglers. Which means we'll need to set up a camp within a safe location while we search, and that our list of resources just tripled exponentially in turn..."
"Tell us everything that we'll need, Rickter," The rogue spoke sharply as her eyes narrowed on the wolf, "what all resources do we have to cover for this trip?" The wolf's eyes never lifted as he thought hard about the question, moreover, the growing list within his mind as his thoughts scoured at every detail they'd covered so far.
"We'll need a few tents to provide rest and shelter for those at base camp. I, personally, will need to stop by the Skyforge to see about getting a featherlight bag and... something that can help make coordination easier between the three groups."
"Okay, large ass tents, rations to keep everyone from going hungry... What else?"
"If you're keeping me, your healer, stationed at this base camp then you'll need at least a few elixirs." The blonde weighed in as Rickter looked to her curiously. "Jovmandr's Elixir can tend to any wounded while out in the field, whether they're a volunteer or survivor, until they're brought back to base camp for me to attend to them. I would also suggest winter blankets in the event our magical means doesn't work out entirely, since we can order Pyrolith shards to help combat the cold for each individual volunteer."
"What about signal whistles also?" Hannah then cut in as the wolf and healer looked to her next. "Out of everybody that's bound to help, the sharpest ears in our party will be yours alone Wolfman. If we provided signal whistles then that could contribute to the coordination factor."
"That's not a bad idea actually." He agreed with his eyes on the map once more. "My thoughts were to use Illumite based scrolls or tools to generate signal flares, but that can contribute as well, with a bit more thought behind it we can even utilize the both of them."
"You can use wands Rickter!" Telion's suggestion merited a look of surprise out of Rickter. "Illumite based wands that can send of flares of light! We can use those if a group finds a straggler or the crashed ship, and if there's danger threatening them then the signal whistle is what will be your call."
"Interesting." He looked thoughtful for a moment as he contemplated it. The idea was sound since he could easily vault to them with Spatial Mapping, but the real problem there was the lack of real vision in general. He could follow a sound practically anywhere, whereas, seeing where the group had fallen in danger would've served better purpose. And there was no way he'd be able to ride an Icewing Eagle either, not if he wanted to remain nimble enough to leap from one point to another within the range. "While I'll personally handle the charging of any Scrivened scrolls we obtain with Negation, that alone isn't going to keep them protected from the dangers for very long. The wards will be limited with their application even at higher levels, since they heavily depend on the users creating the shields in the first place. If I can just see where they are, then perhaps they needn't expend all our Negation resources just to shrug off threats."
"Then how about a Mnemonosyte network?" The healer suggested after considering his words, a faint smile on her face as she elaborated the idea with detail. "Lorestones are an excellent way of receiving information through a network, if you need to have eyes on your troops then a member of each group can have a Mnemonosyte stone, meanwhile, you can observe them all while they're linked to a central stone."
"That could actually work..." He commended once more with a thoughtful press of a thumb at the tip of his chin. "Seeing their locations will make for easier spatial mapping, which means getting to them in a timely manner to provide backup won't take as long."
"And if we go to a certain special Scrivener, I'm sure she'll be able to make the glyphs able to last." The wolf's eyes widened with a look of curiosity as to who Telion referred to, even though he hadn't a shadow of a doubt as to who was suggested in this instance. "If we're specific to how we'd like them to operate, I'm sure Lyra can create these masterworks to allow even Aetheryte shards to power the glyphs, this could be how we continue to power the wards at camp too if we wanted to negate against the weather and wildlife."
"Now there's an idea," Hannah remarked with a cheeky grin as she rested her head into the palm of her hand, "clearly you two were made for this sort of work. If we're going to pull together an expedition then we'll need more than just volunteers for the job, we'll need people we know that will be an asset to the cause."
"No wonder you stressed about making friends over a year ago..." The wolf sighed indiscriminately, which garnered a chuckle from the rogue.
"Correct. I've already a few candidates in mind that I can rope in for this task, but it'll fall to you to convince them of the mission and it's success Rickter. Can you do it?" The wolf glanced back over to his beloved with considerable thought in mind once more, the reassuring nod from Telion all that he needed to give his response to Hannah.
"Not really any other option." He added with a shrug of his shoulders, his back finally pressed into the cushion of his chair once more, as he released another sigh upon relaxing a little. "So we know what we need... It's quite an incredible to-do list, so where do we start exactly?"
"You can leave the recruitment to me, obviously, since I've already a few people in mind for this."
"And leave the magical resources to me, I can pay a visit to the Skyforge and to Lyra to get the items you request. As for the Mnemonosyte? You'll likely want to requisition it from the Skyguard, since they're probably the best resource available to obtain such a trinkent."
"Then that leaves the actual resources to me, along with any other important tasks that come into play." Finally the quiet wailing of one of the twins filled in from the other room, accompanied by the other as the parents and godmother looked toward the doorway. "Alright..."
"Time to get to work." The healer remarked as she lifted herself from the chair, quickly sauntering to tend to the children as Hannah looked to Rickter sharply once more.
"You've got this, Teli and I will have your back at all times." She promised as the wolf rose out of his chair next, the weary look in his eyes softening a little as he moved to join Telion.
"... I'm counting on you, Hannah," He added with a gentle look toward her, the corners of his lips faintly tugged into a general smile, "we pull through this then I'll owe you bigtime."
To that, the rogue grinned almost from ear to ear with a lean into her chair, her brown eyes fallen back on the map once more as she rested her boots atop the table.
Before him was a map of the neighboring territories that encompassed the Wildking's Forge on the table, the dragonshard lanterns illuminating the room with a warm soft glow as Rickter leaned forward from his chair. The sun had not yet risen and yet already, Talon had gone off with Aoren to deal with Kalzasi's latest threat. If they found whoever was responsible behind the avalanche that came crashing down, then Rickter knew for certain their fate would be sealed at the hands of the Draegir. The wolf loved his Bondmate for who he was, and very well understood the levity Talon held towards others he cared for. When a person had drawn the prince's ire there was no real salvation to be found, at least, not unless the force of Justice had any mercy left within him that is.
"What are you thinking?" Telion inquired as she came out from the other room, the twins still sound asleep as she adjusted her nightgown once more. The wolf's blue eyes glistened with the amber flames of the lanterns when they lifted toward her, his gaze already somewhat weary but heavy with contemplation.
"Pinpointing the exact location of the wreckage will not be easy..." He remarked as he lowered his gaze back to the map, with Telion drawing nearer to the table to see where his finger led to point. "For all we know the Merry Behemoth could've touchdown here somewhere." The tip of his finger drew a rough circle across the smooth parchment, hinting at the southern region between the Astralar Mountains and Zeraphesh before he pulled the digit away. "Pulling off a search will take time though, more time than I would like to use in finding the wreckage. Especially if I were to track it down alone..."
"Heh." the snyde remark of their roguish friend softly filled the room, as Hannah stepped in through the cracked door to their apartment with just her casual wear on. Rickter himself merely donned a pair of slacks as his runes glimmered off bare skin, his fingers brushing through his beard when he and Telion looked to Hannah's sultry entry. "If you think you alone or just a few people are going to pull this off in just a short manner of time, then you have another thing coming Rickter."
"I don't. I already know how impossible the task is just for one person alone," he confirmed with heavy eyes back down to the parchment, "all the same time is crucial in this endeavor. It'll take all day to prepare for this journey, from gathering the materials to the eyes that will assist in this search. We'll need as many resources as we can gather..." An overwhelming amount at that, which already intimidated the wolf just thinking about it. Yet the uncertainty within his heart became filled with reassurance, and the wolf clutched that part of his chest knowing that both of his Bondmates were encouraging him from a distance.
"So then let us help," Telion urged with a stern look at her lover, "you don't have to shoulder everything, Rickter."
"She's right," Hannah then remarked as Rickter looked to both of them warily, "You want this done efficiently? Then you better let us take on some of the weight. You can't expect to handle all of it on your own." The wolf groaned to himself lowly with a few soft mutters, his eyes locked back to the map yet again as though he wanted to weigh his options. Yet he didn't. He learned to trust his companions with matters before, and he understood the role given to him when his time came back then. The Warrens... and Zaichaer. Both had taught him much in just the span of a few seasons, and now a year later, here he was stepping up to serve as yet a guardian once more.
It would be tough, but he knew the limitations of his allies in this, and as well as their personal strengths also. Therefore when he came to lean back into his chair, his eyes moved to Hannah as the rogue herself found a spot at the table. "Very well. We've need of scouts and volunteers to help spread the search. The Astralar Mountain ranges possess some familiar known dangers, but none of us have ever beyond to the south beyond them... So what do you suggest?"
"If this is going to be an expedition beyond the southern Astralar range, then we'll need to consider the amount of rations we'll need to feed everyone along the way. Also, the fact that the Frost is a danger all on its own, the weather will not be our ally up there during our search."
"And depending on how we go about this, Wolfman, combing the terrain won't be a walk in the park either. For those like you and me, travel can be easy as blinking and vaulting. But with that in mind, we can't go racing throughout the area just for one ship." Hannah weighed in as she scooted the map closer to her with a couple of fingers, her brown eyes studying the areas drawn across the map in depth.
"There's also the possibility of finding stragglers along the way." The blonde healer added in after the rogue. "It'd be wise to have a healer on board as well, in case somebody needs to treat injuries within the wilderness."
"Eyes in the sky and eyes on the ground." The wolf finally remarked toward the both of them, the ladies at his table gazing toward him curiously as he folded his arms. "If we have multiple parties combing the area, it'll be easier to find these possible stragglers. A group can scour the base of the southern mountain range for them, while we have another unit traversing through the terrain to find the crash zone." He remarked with consideration as to where Zeraphesh was located, concerned with the amount of ground they already had to cover.
"And the eyes in the sky?"
"Skyguard." He quickly remarked. "Preferably Icewing Eagle riders. Their birds can help them navigate the wintry conditions, and if they can scout the areas we struggle covering, then they'll have an easier time spotting the fallen ship. The problem is..."
"Coordination." Telion quickly pointed out as the wolf and rogue paid her mind. "Bearing in mind the amount of resources you'll need to look after these groups, coordinating the search with them won't be a walk in the park either. The Wildkking's Forge won't be entirely safe and neither the base of the mountain range, any volunteers we have aiding the expedition will need to be able to handle the wildlife we're bound to come across."
"Each group will have different problems to contend with. The ground troops will have the lowest visibility but less danger, while the aerial troops will have the creatures that can fly to contend with. So that means everyone will need serious protection on top of combat skill."
"So that means?..." Both Telion and Hannah waited for an answer, which the wolf looked grimly at the map once more in contemplative thought.
"That means we'll need more than just basic resources. We need Scrivened scrolls to create wards to fight against the elements and fauna, as well as other tools such as dragonshards to aid us personally during the search. Having a healer isn't a bad idea," he commended with a glance to his beloved, "however they'll need to be stationed at a base of operations in the event we rescue stragglers. Which means we'll need to set up a camp within a safe location while we search, and that our list of resources just tripled exponentially in turn..."
"Tell us everything that we'll need, Rickter," The rogue spoke sharply as her eyes narrowed on the wolf, "what all resources do we have to cover for this trip?" The wolf's eyes never lifted as he thought hard about the question, moreover, the growing list within his mind as his thoughts scoured at every detail they'd covered so far.
"We'll need a few tents to provide rest and shelter for those at base camp. I, personally, will need to stop by the Skyforge to see about getting a featherlight bag and... something that can help make coordination easier between the three groups."
"Okay, large ass tents, rations to keep everyone from going hungry... What else?"
"If you're keeping me, your healer, stationed at this base camp then you'll need at least a few elixirs." The blonde weighed in as Rickter looked to her curiously. "Jovmandr's Elixir can tend to any wounded while out in the field, whether they're a volunteer or survivor, until they're brought back to base camp for me to attend to them. I would also suggest winter blankets in the event our magical means doesn't work out entirely, since we can order Pyrolith shards to help combat the cold for each individual volunteer."
"What about signal whistles also?" Hannah then cut in as the wolf and healer looked to her next. "Out of everybody that's bound to help, the sharpest ears in our party will be yours alone Wolfman. If we provided signal whistles then that could contribute to the coordination factor."
"That's not a bad idea actually." He agreed with his eyes on the map once more. "My thoughts were to use Illumite based scrolls or tools to generate signal flares, but that can contribute as well, with a bit more thought behind it we can even utilize the both of them."
"You can use wands Rickter!" Telion's suggestion merited a look of surprise out of Rickter. "Illumite based wands that can send of flares of light! We can use those if a group finds a straggler or the crashed ship, and if there's danger threatening them then the signal whistle is what will be your call."
"Interesting." He looked thoughtful for a moment as he contemplated it. The idea was sound since he could easily vault to them with Spatial Mapping, but the real problem there was the lack of real vision in general. He could follow a sound practically anywhere, whereas, seeing where the group had fallen in danger would've served better purpose. And there was no way he'd be able to ride an Icewing Eagle either, not if he wanted to remain nimble enough to leap from one point to another within the range. "While I'll personally handle the charging of any Scrivened scrolls we obtain with Negation, that alone isn't going to keep them protected from the dangers for very long. The wards will be limited with their application even at higher levels, since they heavily depend on the users creating the shields in the first place. If I can just see where they are, then perhaps they needn't expend all our Negation resources just to shrug off threats."
"Then how about a Mnemonosyte network?" The healer suggested after considering his words, a faint smile on her face as she elaborated the idea with detail. "Lorestones are an excellent way of receiving information through a network, if you need to have eyes on your troops then a member of each group can have a Mnemonosyte stone, meanwhile, you can observe them all while they're linked to a central stone."
"That could actually work..." He commended once more with a thoughtful press of a thumb at the tip of his chin. "Seeing their locations will make for easier spatial mapping, which means getting to them in a timely manner to provide backup won't take as long."
"And if we go to a certain special Scrivener, I'm sure she'll be able to make the glyphs able to last." The wolf's eyes widened with a look of curiosity as to who Telion referred to, even though he hadn't a shadow of a doubt as to who was suggested in this instance. "If we're specific to how we'd like them to operate, I'm sure Lyra can create these masterworks to allow even Aetheryte shards to power the glyphs, this could be how we continue to power the wards at camp too if we wanted to negate against the weather and wildlife."
"Now there's an idea," Hannah remarked with a cheeky grin as she rested her head into the palm of her hand, "clearly you two were made for this sort of work. If we're going to pull together an expedition then we'll need more than just volunteers for the job, we'll need people we know that will be an asset to the cause."
"No wonder you stressed about making friends over a year ago..." The wolf sighed indiscriminately, which garnered a chuckle from the rogue.
"Correct. I've already a few candidates in mind that I can rope in for this task, but it'll fall to you to convince them of the mission and it's success Rickter. Can you do it?" The wolf glanced back over to his beloved with considerable thought in mind once more, the reassuring nod from Telion all that he needed to give his response to Hannah.
"Not really any other option." He added with a shrug of his shoulders, his back finally pressed into the cushion of his chair once more, as he released another sigh upon relaxing a little. "So we know what we need... It's quite an incredible to-do list, so where do we start exactly?"
"You can leave the recruitment to me, obviously, since I've already a few people in mind for this."
"And leave the magical resources to me, I can pay a visit to the Skyforge and to Lyra to get the items you request. As for the Mnemonosyte? You'll likely want to requisition it from the Skyguard, since they're probably the best resource available to obtain such a trinkent."
"Then that leaves the actual resources to me, along with any other important tasks that come into play." Finally the quiet wailing of one of the twins filled in from the other room, accompanied by the other as the parents and godmother looked toward the doorway. "Alright..."
"Time to get to work." The healer remarked as she lifted herself from the chair, quickly sauntering to tend to the children as Hannah looked to Rickter sharply once more.
"You've got this, Teli and I will have your back at all times." She promised as the wolf rose out of his chair next, the weary look in his eyes softening a little as he moved to join Telion.
"... I'm counting on you, Hannah," He added with a gentle look toward her, the corners of his lips faintly tugged into a general smile, "we pull through this then I'll owe you bigtime."
To that, the rogue grinned almost from ear to ear with a lean into her chair, her brown eyes fallen back on the map once more as she rested her boots atop the table.
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah"
