• Solo • Broken Mirror

[Woe]

Continued from here

Egil alighted to Woe's shoulder, and the mirror wolf was finally revealed, it's illusionary aura broken. In the dark of night, few things could escape the sight of one who bore Kuvarakh's effigy. So it was for her, and as she noticed the mirror wolf, it in turn noticed her. The creature was mere meters away from Woe when it leapt forward, pouncing. She narrowly dodged out of the way, a sharp stabbing sword appearing in her right hand, even as a weighed net of shadow fell from the other. There was little time left to concentrate as it wheeled on its four feet, readjusting and ready to gnaw off her leg with a single, desperate lunge forward.

At the moment of impact, Woe stepped back with the leg that was intended for the wolf's teeth, and struck it in the neck with the poisoned blade. A canine whimper ensued, which migh've prompted Woe to pity if the thing hadn't taken the entire damned day to track and hunt. The wolf, he fell to the ground, his blood swiftly fleeing his body. The creature had been a worthy quarry, and their chase had alternated between prey and predator, blurring the lines between who was which.

With a few more merciful thrusts to its heart, the creature soon fell into the sleep of death. Woe felt nothing but respect for the beast in its death, and was feeling a compulsion, perhaps born from the magic that she possessed, to claim its sovereign substances, and make a totem. It seemed a fitting tribute to the creature, and part of why she'd gone out of her way to camp so remote from her intended area of interest.... which was the village of Hok. She knew of a person there, a prisoner, that she wished to make contact with.

But first, claiming the sovereign substances started with collecting its blood in a phial, before it grew rancid and curdled out in the open air. Once the blood was safely in a container, she hefted the wolf over her shoulders, carrying it with her back to the camp which lay several breaks to the west, by her reckoning..

[Woe]

Walking for breaks through the soft snow and icy rock outcroppings wasn't a simple feat for one who was doing it on a sprained ankle. Leave alone the scratches and teeth marks on her left arm that were yet to be treated. The wolf had put up a fight, and in spite of it all she came out standing. Yet her wounds would need healing, and soon. She'd bandaged them tightly, making a sort of cast for her sprained ankle, and a tourniquet for the left arm. This left her to shoulder most of the wolf's weight on her right side, which created an imbalance that made passage on the slippery ice slopes more problematic. Had she a sleigh, or some other conveyance with dogs to drag it, that would've been ideal. As twas, the path to the west was fraught with painful discomfort.

The trek found her at a crossways. To the south, she could traverse the more flattened ice fields. To the west, a more direct path, yet difficult for all the slopes that stood in the way. She weighed her options in a more tactical fashion. If she took the ice fields, that made the travel itself less perilous, but invited harassment by local wildlife, to which she'd be entirely exposed. If she took the rocky, sloping path Woe would have to contend with icy rivulets of melting snow, and plenty of opportunities to slip and knock her head on a rock.

If only she could carry the wolf in her arms, and take flight. But she was not a strong enough flier, nor did she have all the strength in both arms to accomplish this.

However, in spite of it all, she decided on the shorter path, up the rocky slopes on the fastest path toward the campsite. It would take about a break of travel, compared to the ice field's three breaks by her estimate, but that would give her ample opportunity to see to her wounds, before turning her attention back to the creation of a totem.

So having decided, she looked up at the sloping jagged, giant rock that stood in the way of her and safety. Even as she placed a foot upon the rock, it began sliding right off. She cursed. Yet, an idea began to form, as she considered what she had to hand. Woe had the ability to manipulate shadows into solid form. To even make sharp implements. She could fashion some climbing daggers, one for her shadow's left arm, and another for the right. She'd have to compromise her grip on the wolf, by slinging it's considerable bulk to her back as she climbed. But it was the best chance to scale the slipper slope.

So she began using what rope she had to sling that wolf to her back ,as if it were a particularly large baby. Then she formed he curved climbingg daggers, shaped like sickles, and gave one to her shadow's left arm, which materialized at her will.

So she began climbing, picking away at the rock, and pulling herself slowly but surely upwards. One arm ahead of the other, she pulled herself as if she were the wolf's funeral cart. Left, right, left right. Her feet were slack behind her, she couldn't really afford to compromise her body's center of gravity, lest she slip, so they remained prone behind her as she relied on upper body strength to go up.

About three quarters of the way up the rocky slope, she began to feel her muscle in her right arm being sapped by a combination of cold and overexertion. Gritting her teeth, she willed some of her wealth to purchase strength from Chamadarst. Once this bargain was struck, she began pulling herself up with renewed vigor. It wasn't thirty bits before she reached the very ridge of the rocky slope, and made it to the top.

She sighed, as she clambered over the hill, and arrived not a camel's spitting distance of the campsite where Woe had left Soz. She began righting the wolf's position on her shoulder, and continued on her way, using her shadow arm to help support its weight even as Chamadarst's purchased strength flowed through her.

[Woe]

After giving Soz her due affection upon return to the campsite, Woe slipped into the shellter, and gathered around the warmth of the pineapple of usefulness. The heat source made for an easy method of melting snow for water, to cleanse the wounds. She gritted her teeth as she unraveled the tourniquet and then rinsed the bloody bite with water. Fortunately, she also had thought to gather some mint and nettles for an herbal poultice, along with some purchased medicine she'd brought along for the road. It was all enough, or hopefully would be, to heal her wounds over the days that came and went. Healing wounds could be compromised by inhabiting the freezing cold, and complicated by harsh conditions in general. Even an Ezere like her who was mostly immune to cold climates. Yet, she was confident she'd make a recovery.

With that settled, more or less, there was nothing left she could do for her wounds. The sprain would correct itself in time, and she would treat the inflammation from time to time with a bit of medicine and rest over the next few days. But now, it was time to see about the creation of a totem from the mirror wolf's pelt, bones, teeth, and blood. She decided she was not well enough to tan the hide, but could probably strip its pelt so as to make a fine fur mantle. That would be the basis of her totem.

This was a process of stripping what flesh was on the surface of the dermis. It would still need some form of curing in order to keep the pelt preserved, but it was less intense than making leather.

After membraning and wringing the hide for a few breaks, she moved on to formulate the tannin.

The tannin was mixed with blood and bits of ground up and crushed bone from a mortar and pestle. After she was done stripping the flesh from the pelt, she applied the tanin with a little heat, to the surface of the dermis underlying the furs. This was left near the heat source of the pineapple of usefulness. The heat from it allowed the tannin to penetrate the skin. However it smelled something awful, as expected.

Woe had to spend much of the time outside of the shelter, lest she lose her breakfast every morning. Over the next couple of days, she meditated upon her time with the mirror wolf, and the efforts that had gone into capturing it. This was part of the dedication process which was spread through breaks into the next few days. Finally when the hide was ready for crafting, she brought it out, and began crafting a simple fur mantle from it. The bones and teeth were drilled, forming a primitive but attractive string of pearly teeth, stained by the blood of the wolf as she applied it like paint to their tips.

When at last it was finished, she felt the creature's presence in her soul, living on through her, even as she dined on its jerky that night. It would take a while to get the stink out of the shellter, but at least she had what she needed for her main incursion into Hok.

Continued here

[Woe]

Rewards Requested

Notes/Warnings: Death of a wolf/hunting

Thread: Broken Mirror
City/Area: Surrounding Area and Townships

Renown: none
Collaboration: no
Local Language Thread? no

!	Message from: Doran
	Done!

[Doran]

Woe:

Knowledge:
Athletics: 2
Becoming: Totem: Mirror Wolf is a large wild canine with an ability to blend in with winter landscapes
Leatherworking: 2
Strength: Purchasing some extra strength when feeling weak

Loot: Totem object: A large, warm mirror wolf fur mantle, covering the shoulders and back, and cinched at the collar with string laced with bloody teeth and bone
Language -
Losses: 50 WP
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 10

- - -

Comments: I’m glad that Woe was able to kill the wolf. It’s interesting that she felt a compulsion to collect the sovereign substances. I thought only sparks made you feel a compulsion, but I’m not that familiar with non-spark magic. On the other hand, maybe the compulsion came from Woe herself?

I’m impressed by the way Woe uses her items as well as her abilities, to form climbing daggers out of shadows, for example!

I have to say, a wolf totem suits Woe. She seems to have an affinity for dogs and similar animals, and the mantle she made sounds great. I look forward to reading about her using it!

Enjoy your rewards!

P.S.: I noticed that you called Woe “Woe” rather than “Winfreda” like in the previous thread even though Woe is still in a female totem. That’s not an issue, of course, just something that has caught my attention!