Two For New Horizons

[Moon Jae-Seong]

TIMESTAMP: 12 Cinderfall, Ash, 123
NOTES: -

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At the tail end of Searing, Jae-Seong had taken a brief sojourn back to a village he’d assisted in Glade– a small fishing port called Mizuhara. Most of the villages along the shores of Lake Udori were populated by folk of a hardy sort, and since it was still exporting fish to the surrounding areas, Kalzasi city proper included, he could tell that they were, at the very least, surviving. Still, he liked to check in on places he’d been, and if they were to need or want his assistance in any fashion, he would be happy to offer it.

Upon his arrival, he had been greeted by the sole Orkhan resident of that particular village, Naia. In Glade’s catastrophe, her husband had fallen, and in the aftermath, she expressed to the nobleman a desire to return home to raise her child among her kin. Being that she was heavily pregnant, travel from the northernmost reaches of the continent all the way back to Ecith was simply not a feasible endeavor by mundane means. Methods more magical, however, would certainly suffice– but such methods could prove expensive if one did not possess the rune themselves...especially so at such grand distances.

Such an expense, however, was no real hurdle for Jae-Seong given his family ties, so he was more than happy to agree to find her a way back home. He promised to return to her with the mage who would facilitate the journey within a score of days, but couldn’t be more exact than that. It was unlikely, even, that taking Naia back to the city itself would be that wise of an idea, so he would bring the mage to her– he just wasn’t sure exactly what day they’d be free to make the trip, as it wasn’t too likely most of the Traversers he’d be able to ask would have ever been to Mizuhara.

Upon his return to Kalzasi, he met with the mage he’d coordinate with– a noblewoman of House Briathos named Toru– and made the necessary plans. Per both of their schedules, it was decided that they would arrive back in Mizuhara on the 12th day of Cinderfall, and to his relief, this was well within the time estimation that Jae-Seong had given Narai.

The single caveat to his plan came on the 7th of Cinderfall when he’d met again with a warrior he’d once crossed paths with some time in the past, a Sunsinger named Imogen. She had wanted to expand her knowledge on swordsmanship by learning the style he utilized, and through that meeting, he mentioned his intent to head down to Ecith in the coming days. To that, Imogen expressed interest in tagging along, given that the location– Ailos– was one which she said she had little experience. This wasn't too surprising, he supposed, given the sheer size of Ecith.

Jae-Seong had no real reason to stay long in Ailos beyond making sure that Narai arrived home safe and sound, but he was, admittedly, rather curious about the ancestral home of the Dawnmartyrs, especially so given the recently established settlement in the north. From their conversation, he and Imogen ended up deciding to stay for a time, though he wasn’t quite sure how long that would end up being for either of them. They would be there, effectively, as tourists. But even so, neither of them could really say if such a trip would end up being leisurely one or not. Fate had a tendency to be strange for the both of them. Regardless, he informed Imogen of the day they would take their leave and the location from which they would depart.

When the day of the 12th came, Jae-Seong arrived with Toru some time in the afternoon. This was Jae-Seong’s third time here, each visit having taken place in a different season, technically, and yet still did the land look the same. He was dressed similarly to how he'd been the last time he was here, though the colors and fabrics were slightly different; still did he rely on his Elementalism to shield him from the cold. He debated making another lodestone, almost, given how biting the wind was today. It was…foreboding, really, how unrelenting the winter weather was, but still, now was not the time to wonder about that.

His goal, for now, would be to locate Imogen and then all three of them would head to Narai’s home.

- - -

"Synskrit"

"Common"

"Inandoth"

[Imogen]

The witch hated the cold so, so much.

She'd long ago run out of the alchemist's draught she'd obtained during her first visit to Kalzasi, and she wasn't going to be in town that long... but the thought of buying another was still tempting. The Jeweled City was cold, and for all that it was early Ash it certainly felt like the depths of Frost. When the bay air rushed off Lake Udori, the frigid gales were simply unlivable. This whole land was obviously unfit for mortal habitation, for all that the avialae seemed to think otherwise.

Imogen had left early in the morning to find this village Jae had directed her two, and with keen senses and ample determination had managed to arrive only half an hour late which--in the absence of universal clocks--was practically timely. It was a real personal triumph, a monumental testament to the power of the Orkhan spirit.

When she did turn up, she was bundled in an obscene amount of outerwear. Coat, cloak, three scarfs... and even with all of that, the lavender eyes peering from the depths of her hood were clearly miserable. She approached at a fast trudge, or perhaps a moderate amble, kept going only by unrivalled tenacity of will.

"Jae," she said, when she reached complaint range, "This is impossible. Unfit for life. Lake Udori--and it's a bay, really, but I bow to the local custom--is clearly trying to drive everyone off. It is folly and hubris of the highest order that we do not heed the voice of Aedrin in this." Her voice was frozen, devoid of emotion, but her words were plainly exaggerated for effect.

She could have summoned her dagger and drawn on its warmth, of course, but the magmatyte produced heat in only two settings; "off" and "sets nearby trees ablaze". She'd judged the risk unacceptable, and so resigned herself to suffering in the hellish winter of the North. The only Pact weapon she had manifested at the moment was the staff which Jae had first seen her wayfaring with, the dawnstone at the top glowing a wan gold. As she drew close, she stopped and leaned against it. Between the walking stick, coats, cloak and her defeated gait, for a moment she could have been mistaken for an old man hobbling into town.

"Is this the mage who will grant us salvation, send us on to happier realms?" Her voice was plaintive.

[Moon Jae-Seong]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

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Per his recollection, Imogen had said that she wasn’t the best at navigation; as such, Jae-Seong wasn’t entirely surprised to have been the first of the two to arrive. And perhaps it was because he'd been born and raised in Kalzasi, but he was, genuinely, oblivious to the struggles those more used to warmer climes had with this frigid sort of weather. As an individual, he considered today's weather to be unpleasant, but bearable– his concerns stemmed almost entirely from the fact that the cold was unrelenting. He'd even come to like winter weather in the past, back when it didn't overstay its welcome.

He heard her before he saw her, having leaned up against the side of the town's inn, the building being located near the largest road that connected to the village. He'd actually closed his eyes at that point, nearly half asleep, but Imogen's words brought his mind back to the world around him.

He greeted her with an almost meek sort of smile.

“You know, I'd normally be inclined to rush to the lake's defense– but the fact is, this weather has long worn out its welcome, even for me.” The swordsman's features almost looked apologetic.

“Would that I could call for the curtains to fall on the Eclipse, but alas. I can offer some small modicum of succor, though, if you'd like?”

And as he said this, he collected and held out a warmly glowing lodestone from a pocket.

“They're easy enough to make,” he offered.

As time went on, he'd ended up having made many of the little crystals for a variety of different people.

“But yes– this is Toru,” he continued, gesturing to the woman with him.

She was dressed far warmer than he was, though still not nearly as heavily layered as Imogen. Perhaps she, too, had a higher tolerance for the cold being of Kalzasern birth, or mayhaps she also utilized lodestones– maybe even both; who could say?

The Traverser greeted the distraught Orkhan with a friendly smile and a shallow bow to her head. “Lovely to meet you– but I'm sure you're losing patience for the cold, so let's go find our final passenger as opposed to extended introductions, yes?"

The latter sentiment was stated with her gaze more towards Jae-Seong, him being the one who knew where they were going. And to that, he'd nod, then lead the three of them over to Narai’s home. Many of the pine homes in the village were structurally similar, but hers was distinct due to the designs that'd been painted on it. His knock was loud enough to hear, but fairly light.

- - -

"Synskrit"

"Common"

"Inandoth"

[Aegis]

The door was opened to reveal a pair of golden, lupine eyes staring at them, as a wave of heat washed over the lot from the interior. Narai was already dressed and readied for travel, but unlike Imogen or Toru, her garb was suited for the lands she aspired to return. A plan breast wrap and a sheer ankle length wrap around skirt covered her, with a pair of knives carved from bone hung on her hips and a longbow to match strapped to her back. With her terribly swollen belly and much more skin showing, her vast collection of Ecithian tattoos stood prominent. They were indecipherable to those not well versed in Ecithian customs, but for those that could read the swirls and whorls and the intricate art, they spoke of the story of her life from the moment she entered adulthood until she departed the Commonwealth.

"Come in, come in, I'm nearly ready."

She looked at Imogen, smiling brightly, somehow recognizing kinship beneath the many layers, "Going home too?" She presented her forearm for the traditional clasp, and then moved on to greet the other woman. Assuming this woman was not Ecithian, a hand was offered, "Hello, I'm Narai." Once the greetings were given, she turned, finishing packing some things into her travel sack, "There's tea on the kettle there." The house was barren now, much of her things presumably sold off, given away, or packed away. It lost some of the coziness it held on Jae-Seong's previous visit, and yet still carried a welcoming warmth, though perhaps that was due to the fire roaring in the hearth.

Once her pack was finished, she hefted it up on the table, next to some paperwork. She grabbed a quill, "Will one of you be witness? I'm giving my home back to the wilderness. It is to be torn down, the materials reused, and allowed to return to nature." She quickly signed it and offered the ink and well to another.

She stood up, a hand supporting her low back, "By the Three, this one's heavy. And won't sit still. He won't be in there much longer." She wiped a bit of sweat from her brow, "So how are we going about this then?"

[Imogen]

"Just visiting." Imogen replied, clasping the pregnant ork's forearm, "Always wanted to see Isle of Dawn, so I offered to go along with Jae."

The witch's own tattoos were hard to make out beneath the staggering layers of fur coat, but one could still catch glimpses of them as she moved about. She clutched the little Lodestone Jae had handed her, savoring the pure, elemental warmth of the hot rock. It was almost enough to make her wish she'd learned Elementalism herself, but- only almost. Three initiations was probably enough for any soul to bear in life.

"Actually, I just came from the Commonwealth. All manner of excitement, when I left but- that's a story for some other time, I think. I'm Imogen. I'll let Jae sign for you; his name's worth more than mine in Kalzasi, I'll wager."

It was, perhaps, a mite strange to go back south so quickly after coming north, but she didn't mind. She hadn't yet mastered Carina's gift to the point that she could step between continents on a whim, but the witch had become increasingly inured to the travails of travel, and the thought of spending a few days or weeks flying from place to place no longer daunted her like it had a year past. Anyway, she'd hardly taken a moment for herself since Norani had appeared in her hut all those months ago; why not take a few weeks to sightsee?

And she wasn't lying about wanting to see Ailos. Who wouldn't want to see it? It was the center of a hundred stories about the old Dawnmartyrs, and while the witch had mixed feelings about the Kalzasern youth she'd observed training to be the new Knights, she'd always loved the stories about the Order in Ailos. She'd heard that the Imperium hadn't left much standing, but that was OK. A few days or weeks spent wandering the rubble and telling Jae the old stories would be a good time, as far as she was concerned. Plus, who knew? Maybe those remaining on the isle knew some myths her uncle had never gotten around to.

"I've heard rumors that the eclipse monsters won't go near the isle, still, because of the amount of Illuminite left, but that could have just been sailor's talk. There's not really that much, is there?"

[Moon Jae-Seong]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

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When the party of three entered Narai's abode, it was readily apparent that she had already done nearly everything necessary to bid her former home farewell. Dressed for the occasion too, it was hard for one's eyes not to linger a moment on the intricate tapestry of tattoos she bore; he didn't know what they meant, but he could tell that they carried with them a story.

"Good to see you're well, Narai," the swordsman offered by way of greeting.

Toru stepped forward and extended a pale, dainty hand to shake the Orkani's hand when it was offered. "Hello," she responded with a nod and a soft smile. "I am called Toru." For now, she wouldn't offer more until whatever it was that required a witness concluded.

The notion of signing away her home was a custom that Jae-Seong had heard of, though not one with which he'd really engaged with in the past-- he'd never had a place that was strictly his to get rid of for much of his life. He listened as she spoke, though he did move to take a cup of the offered tea. In general, he found tea hard to resist. The swordsman did, however, turn back when Imogen stated that his signature ought to be the one given.

"Sure thing," he replied, taking the inkwell and writing utensil before signing his name-- his hand writing was simple, yet dignified.

Once that was done, he looked between the three other parties before his gaze landed upon Toru, giving her a nod, before looking back to Imogen.

"Tempting to try and gather some of the illumite, though I wouldn't want to disturb the island's natural defenses..." he commented.

Toru nodded back to Jae-Seong then looked to Narai, "To answer you, I am here to facilitate your journey. I'll be making a Railway-- a portal-- to Ailos," the slender figure offered by way of explanation. "This won't take long, but please, stand back."

It was convenient that the home was, in large part, empty. Toru stepped a bit away from the other three before directing her focus onto an empty space within the little home. The act of making a Railway in and of itself was not a difficult one, but mapping their present location all the way to Ecith was a bit of a task. Closing her eyes and drawing her hands together in front of her, she let aether flow through her and crafted the first anchor point to the portal. A spark of light glimmered in the air about a foot in front of the mage before expanding, creating a tear in the air before them that eventually leveled out at about the height and width of a standard doorway. For now, however, it looked something akin to an enchanted pane of glass. It took a moment, but using that anchor point as a conduit, she focused her aether on stitching it to their intended end point. Eventually, the portal would flicker and the blurred image of a courtyard in the outskirts of Ailos' Temple of Light painted itself into being.

Opening her eyes, she spoke: "it is ready, we can depart at your leisure."

- - -

"Synskrit"

"Common"

"Inandoth"

[Aegis]

"It's so interesting, we have just as many dragonshards down south as are available here in the north, yet up here, they seem to pop up into daily conversations far more. I wonder why that is."

With that, Narai stood back, cradling her belly, watching as the portal was opened. As she saw the ruined marble stairs of the Temple of Light, her throat grew tight. With a deep sigh and a curt nod, Narai stepped through with all the confidence that came with an Ecithian returning home.

On the other side of the portal, she was rigid, paled, silent, a hand over her mouth. Tears were already streaming down her face at the state of the destroyed and dilapidated temple. What used to be one of the pinnacles of Ecithian civilization and collaboration was nothing but painful reminders that all good things come to an end. The war ended fifteen years ago and yet barely anything had been rebuilt. Plants hadn't even seemed able to encroach on the abandoned dirt paths, for the magic and chemicals that the Imperium had used in their attacks.

Narai fell to her knees, tears flowing heavily as she screamed her pain to the world, her head thrown back in defiance of these scars. As she unleashed her raw emotion into the world, her Orkhan scales manifested, forming to heavily protect her pregnant belly, her throat, her chest, as her claws and tusks extended. And then it slowed and stopped, as she knelt there, panting and heaving. She did not wipe away her tears, as she looked up, as an Orkhan man in white robes approached.

His face was soft, kind, and he looked to be middle aged. He saw the scene for what it was, a portal, an Ecithian returned home in anguish, other travelers. He approached Narai, reading the tattoos upon her body with a quick scan. A hand was offered to her and he helped her to stand. "Welcome home." Narai nodded in thanks, "I am Noda Lightrender. Do you all need shelter and food for the night? We can provide that within the Temple."

Narai nodded once more, "Do you know Kela Searunner? She is a mate-sister, and lived here when I left."

He smiled, a hand on her shoulder, "She will be happy to see you again. She's been hoping you'd return home since your mate passed." Narai smiled, finally wiping away the tears. "She lives in Drathera now, but comes by to visit, to help us rebuild, helps replenish our food stores."

Narai turned, "This is Moon Jae-Seong of Kalzasi. A warrior of great renown helped to save the village I have called home for the past several years. This is Toru of Kalzasi, a mage among their highest of honors who facilitated the journey." She did not introduce Imogen, for Imogen was Ecithian, bore the Citizenship Marks, and could certainly introduce herself.

"Welcome to Ailos, the Isle of Light. Come, let us break bread and you can tell me your stories."

He turned on heel, and began the walk to the Temple. It led past many a dilapidated marble and granite building. A few people were now venturing out in curiosity. Still several hundred meters away from the temple, the old broken stone path gave way to newer pavers of stone, and upon each paver a name. The road was wide, long, hundreds of thousands of pavers.

Without slowing, "Those who were taken by the Imperials in their quest to eradicate our Order from existence. Who still hunt down many of our brothers and sisters that are hiding in the northlands. These are the names of whose remains we still have not found. Those we find are cremated, their ashes given to the land, the wind, and the sea, and their stone placed to rest within the Temple's catacombs."

He climbed the steps to the Temple, where a few scaffolds of bamboo were installed as a couple of masons were working on the entry facade. Through the entryway the found that the temple appeared to be more of a village inside the massive structure. Huts were built inside, it was busier with people, largely Orkhan, of all age, gender. Children were running around, people were sharing meals, and smiles could be had. "Most of the island tends to live here in the Temple now as we try to recover the land. Poison and magic is still wild from the attacks, traps and bombs remain. It is a slow and laborious process, but we make progress every day."

He gestured to a fire over which a stew pot hung, "Crystal Sea Chowder, one of Ailos' finest delicacies." The chef over the fire was quick to pour bowls and hand them out, generous portions of the mixed seafood stew. Narai grabbed one and sat down next to a few other women around the fire.

"So please, tell me your stories and why you come to visit us."

[Imogen]

The witch couldn't help but feel a bit jealous as Toru worked, watching the Briathos mage carefully. The House's reputation for wizardry par excellance was legendary throughout the North, but Imogen tended to share the disdain of the covens of Zaichaer for the fame of the noble magi. She preferred the loose-cut rough-and-tumble approach favored by the southern witches, and it was easiest to feel smug and self-satisfied about that when a Tower-trained magus wasn't blowing your own spellwork out of the water.

Still, she'd begrudgingly admit that the woman was good. Even though her former clients, the Railrunners, had practiced Traversion almost to the exclusion of all else, only a handful of them could have woven a door spanning the length of the continent like this.

As the masterwork of Traversion concluded--and the witch shuddered to think how much she'd have had to pay a mage to get one to agree to do this--ruined marble steps appeared beyond. The environment of Ailos was... well, it wasn't much to look at, frankly. Even in ruins, marble had a tendency towards the austere and awe-inspiring, but Imogen had seen the temples of the Three in Drathera, and a broken counterpart seemed more sad than anything else.

Nari did not take it well, barely managing to step through the portal before collapsing into paroxysms of anguish. The witch hung back to give her space, but eventually had to sidle through; you could only hold these things open for so long, and she didn't intend to try impose on Toru's kindness again. She wondered if that was right. Maybe a real Ecithian would have tried to hug Nari? Well, one could only ever act like themselves in times like this.

It was, then, something of a relief when an Orkhan man quickly appeared. She spoke up only once introductions had been made:

"Oh, I'm Imogen Ward." she said, in her politest tone, "I just travel around and do odd jobs when people need 'em."

The group started down the road, with Noda drawing her attention to the pavers. She craned her neck and peered at them as they went by, wondering if she could catch a glimpse of any familiar names- but nothing stood out to her. She listened attentively as Noda described the situation on the Isle of Light, her frown growing imperceptibly deeper as he went on. Something about the account was not right.

As they sat down and were given stew--clearly they weren't far out from Ecith, as this was just how a guest in Drathera might have been met--the witch pondered the strange state of affairs on the isle. That the place lay in ruins made sense, she supposed; the rebuilding had focused down south in the wake of the war, and it would have been difficult to ship much to Ailos with the Fleetbreaker riled as it had been for the past decades. But the corrupted magic? Surely even a few remaining Dawnmartyrs could have remediated that.

"Moon said he was taking someone back home here, and I wanted to tag along, really." she volunteered at Noda's inquiry, "I do mercenary work back in Zaichaer... or used to, anyway. All over the place, lately. My clients haven't let me alone for long the past year, and I figured, well, Ailos, Isle of Light, that's far enough away from the lot of 'em. And my uncle always used to tell my brothers and I stories about the Order and the valiant battles, so on, so I thought it might be a nice chance to see it with my own eyes." Certainly they were now far enough away from the shores of Southern Ecith that she wasn't likely to be rudely awakened by some new insane request from her shiny friends.

"But while I linger, perhaps I can aid you somewhat in cleansing your surrounds? I've had much experience removing many kinds of corruption and so forth." A note of pride was evident in Imogen's voice for the first time. She was quite good at cleaning things up.