• Graded • The First Lamentation

Navyri finally meets Arithzma

88th of Vhalar 717

With the escalation of hostilities between Etzos and Rhakros, a series of small walled towns is being established as a network of early warnings and defenses against Rhakros' reprisals. Only the very bravest and most formidable of characters should risk themselves on the Witches' Wilds frontier.

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Navyri
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Posts: 665
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2017 5:27 pm
Race: Naerikk
Profession: Thief
Renown: 348
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The First Lamentation

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Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely.

Somewhere between Etzos and Ne'haer
88th of Vhalar, 717

  •  A night owl pushed aside the thin blanket, for it was the early bird who got the worm. Navyri was both, and always had been, and she shivered spitefully in the morning chill. When Cylus came, the covering wouldn't be nearly enough, she realized, and she began to tug on her clothes and tie up her dark hair, eager for more layers to separate her from the bleak tent she sat in. It was a small structure, made of a waterproof burlap, nailed into the rich soil and too dark to see clearly for most in the early morning.

    But Navyri was not most. She saw clearly in the dark, felt rejuvenated more because of it and sniffled as she laced the back of her shirt. With wings, it was a tricky task, and almost impossible in the small space but she managed by leaning forward so that her face nearly touched the earth and lifted the plumage just enough to set the fabric in place. Finding Avriel clothes suitable for winter would also be a task to embark on as well when the reached town; the thought a bleak irritant. How much of a hassle that was going to be!

    Nevertheless Navyri got dressed and tugged on her boots, jerking when a spider raced across her laces, “Ugh,” she scoffed, crushing it beneath her sole and then peeked a head out of the entrance. The world was still damp, the air humid as dew clung to the grass. It had a fresh smell, one she appreciated and committed to memory, and although she eyed the other two structures, it did not appear to her that her travel companions had awoken yet.

    'Good,’ she thought. It would allow her to be freed from their incessant judgement. While it was true Warren had gotten better in the days that passed, Lianna still shot her dirty glares when she thought the Naer wasn't looking. Oh, how she would have liked to put her in her place, the sad child so clearly unable to defend herself. Navyri would eat her alive, so to speak, and while it would be a satisfying stroke to her ego, Navyri was not so foolish. She knew travelling with others who wished you ill will was a dangerous risk.

    Like the shadow she was, Navyri crept free from her tent, smelling the remnants of their fire from the night before and glanced around. Curio she immediately spotted in a tree across from where she had slept and felt a small pull of satisfaction on their mental bond. She blew him a good morning kiss and smiled at her old friend, quietly creeping by the others. 

    They were surrounded by trees but the clearing was large and open, just off the main road. Once she was a ways away, the Naer looked over her shoulder, an eager need clutching her stomach. The further she moved away from their campsite, the more she picked up speed until she was sprinting over the dewy ground in unabashed freedom. A grin lit up her face and she started to unfold her wings, feeling the sharp wind run across her feathers. She beat them once, twice, practically skipping upon the breeze with how she would lift and then touch down until finally…

    She began to rise from her station, powerful gusts of wind pulling her skyward. A bubbling laugh of disbelief erupted from her lips as she focused on the muscles of her back and flew to the treetops, gliding for a bit to get used to the height. It was scary and yet exhilarating - a completely new view of the world that made it seem so mundane upon the floor.

    The trees were lush with ancient green, a few in the distance speckles with gold and red dotted among them The slopes of the land were visible and she realized how useful such a vantage point could be in navigating rough terrain.

    “This is what makes the Avriel proud,” she observed, sensing Curio before he screeched excitedly and swooped beneath her, flying under her shadow, “She’ll come back for them. For me.”

    It was a somber realization, said quietly but with a contentment she hardly felt in the later hours. In time, she would learn what Baleara meant by calling her an acceptable sacrifice but today… in that moment… she was flying . Curio made no sound at her comment and this did not bother her. Sometimes she wondered if he was a living being at all, for he did not need to eat or sleep. He just watched her, aided her, and comforted her. But he communicated through emotion, and so she believed him to be living. Maybe a spirit, maybe like the Shrivma.

    But… 

    She closed her eyes, the aggravated cries of Garizma playing on her ears, "Delroth! Delroth!”

    Licking her lips, the name of the Immortal waited to be released, the Naer almost breathing it into the fog in what would sound like a reverent praise. But when she opened her eyes, the owl had turned his head completely and watched her, bringing the Naer up short. She had always suspected Curio was a means to keep tabs on her, but if he was more than just eyes… but a piece of Delroth…. What did that change?

    When she didn't speak, Curio turned his attention elsewhere while Navyri struggled with the wind currents as they arched higher, and felt them press against her wings, slowing her. Her feathered friend did not have the same problem, moving ahead only to swivel his neck and come circling around to return beneath her breast. When the current changed, he tipped his wings differently, and Navyri tried to replicate the movement. Immediately the wind shifted its course over her feathers and the resistance lightened, propelling her forward, surprising her with the increase in speed.

    They repeated this practice, each beat of her wings gaining her confidence, the thrill of soaring clutching her heart strings. How she had never known such freedom and yet had always believed herself independent! How small minded she was.

    “Do you like it?”

    The voice was deep and wistful, something sorrow filled in the words and so high up with no other company beside the barred owl, it shocked her terribly. The Naer jerked, twisting midair to see if someone was behind her, the question had sounded so clear.

    She plummeted quickly and Curio gave a frightened cry, racing after her before she began her to regain her position in the sky, “Who are you?” she yelled to the clouds, searching both above and below.

    She had heard the voice before, ominous and warning in the Miasma but today it spoke again, clear as if he leaned beside her ear. It echoed in her mind, almost amused, “You know me better than you think. Have you so easily forgotten whose wings you now wear?”

    Blue eyes widened and she immediately began to descend, and quickly, "Arithzma?" she had only heard the name the day she unleashed something terrible, but she had heard his story. She had felt it as if she had been there herself, and in some ways, she had. Where his story had ended, hers had begun, so intermixed was their turns of fate, "You're Arithzma? The... The Unbent? The Unbroken?"

    "...Yes."
     
    The trees were coming close, and she leaned over, circling downward and landing rather ungracefully, not quite having mastered the skill yet. She thought she heard a chuckling scoff and realized that she had experienced his company before, on the beach of Etzos, "How are you in my head?" The flying had been a new sort of exercise and she found herself more winded than she expected. In fact, she hadn't thought she'd be tired at all, and had to rest her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Curio, concerned, landed on her shoulder, his depth less gaze scrutinizing her and the nothingness to which she seemed to speak. But even he must have been able to feel the presence that had pushed itself from the shadows of her mind.

    "The Wings." On the ground, his voice now sounded fainter, like someone walking into the distance, but she looked at the ground, where her shadow stood. It was not hers, nor had it been in some time. It was broader than she was, a winged masculine figure and in strange understanding, Navyri lowered herself and brushed her fingers against the silhouette. So, the change had not been just cosmetic or just symbolic. It had held a purpose. When he spoke again, her wings had settled against her back and his question was barely a whisper and she strained to hear it, "Do you like it
     
    She did not need an explanation to know what he meant. He wanted to know if she enjoyed flight, and as her breath came out in quick spurts, she struggled to find a word that could capture the sensation, "Yes." The answer felt so inadequate in comparison, shame colored her cheeks, and she knew he would not speak again. Arithzma presence began to fade from her mind, and she was left stunned. 

    A bit of silence passed, just as the sun was beginning to creep above the horizon, and the Naer was overwhelmed with such sorrow and regret of which she had never felt before. Navyri dropped to the ground and began to sob loudly, clutching her body in despair. If these were her own feelings, or those of the Avriel long since passed, she did not know. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she buried her face into her hands. 

    It was the first lamentation.
word count: 1644
"At last. It has been too long since I have walked the face of this world. Too long have I been locked there, awaiting my champion to release me. My champion... This is you, daughter of Audrae. You have, whether knowingly or not, released me from my self imprisonment, and are here to fulfill the destiny I have seen written in the tapestry of nature. You, daughter of Audrae's daughter, will be my foothold in this world." - Belaera to The Nightingale, after the 600 arc imprisonment
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Aegis
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The First Lamentation

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Navyri
Pre Review Checklist
Requirement ✓ or X Comment
Approved Character --
Updated Thread List for Previous Season --
Updated Skill Point Ledger (Raw, Adjusted, Thread Earned) ✓✓✓ --
Updated Purse (Seasonal Expense, Wage, Thread deductions) ✓✓✓ --
Updated Fame Ledger & Table for threads ✓✓✓ --

Review
Requirement Fulfillment Comment+
Solo or Collab Solo +6 Skill Knowledges
How many posts? 1 +0 Skill Knowledges
How many requested? 6 --
Are all posts greater than 250 words? 1617
Is the thread greater than 1500 words? 1617
Knowledges appropriate? --
Loot appropriate? N/A --
Fame appropriate? N/A --
Injuries appropriate? N/A --
This was an enjoyable read. I particularly enjoyed the emotion all wrapped up in the flight. It's nice to see her letting loose in that regard.

Below is your well deserved loot. If you have any questions, please PM me. Also please add the provided stamp to your review request found here and please update your CS with all of this information.

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      [center][img]/gallery/image.php?album_id=39&image_id=12064[/img][/center]
Loot
Reward Amount Comment
Skill Points +10 --
Magic Points available? N/A --
Fame N/A --
Injuries N/A --
Knowledges
Skill Knowledge:
  1. Flying: Get Used to Heights
  2. Flying: How to Recover From an Aerial Fall
  3. Flying: How to Adapt to Different Currents
  4. Acrobatics: Twisting Mid-Air
  5. Stealth: Easier If People Are Sleeping
  6. Stealth: The Early Morning is a Great Time to Sneak Off


Non-Skill Knowledge:
  1. Feathered Friend (Tarouz): A Literal Piece of Delroth
  2. Arithzma: Attached to the Wings
  3. Arithzma: Inside Your Mind, Waiting

word count: 255
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