• Solo • Hushed Whispers

Yuli'anyh pops by the market and discovers the dreadful news looming over Nashaki

5th of Ymiden 716

As one approaches the City of Nashaki, trains of caravans lead through the sprawling outskirts to the numerous open city gates. The largest gate is on the west side and leads past the fortified walls into an octagon of eight districts. Each district features unique markets and is maintained by one of the eight Towers that rule Nashaki. In the city, heavily guarded, is the prized oasis that supports the Nashaki people to flourish in such an unforgiving land.
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Yuli'anyh
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5th Ymiden 716,
The Marketplace, Nashaki
14th Break
“Watch it!” Scowled the passer-by as he stumbled past. A hulking sort of man, the dirt crusted wrinkles around his eyes betrayed his elderly age. Yuli’anyh rolled her shoulder easing out the tension caused by the harsh collision – a collision that was entirely the old coot’s fault. Shooting an irritated glare into the mumbling old man’s back, she shuffled her stuffed pack to a more comfortable position upon her shoulders; the weight of all her freshly bought goodies cutting into her muscles.

Yuli’anyh dabbed her sweaty brow on the sleeve of her loose blouse. It had become apparent that Ymiden was beginning to chase away the cooler season of Ashan. Though, at the birth of the new term, the young twin’s perspiring body was not the cause of the gradually increasing heat of the Hotlands. No, pay day had arrived! After paying the twin’s taxes to the city, they were in severe need of some essential equipment. So, Yuli’anyh had taken to the marketplace, despite a tiff with her twin earlier in the morn about the expenditure of their shared coin.

Beorn begrudged spending any of their savings that were needed for their planned trip. Yet, she yearned just as much as he to leave the sandy wasteland of Nashaki. Their dream to reach Athart and the assumed loving embrace of family, burned fiercely in both their hearts. It was the only thing really keeping them going.

However, for near 3 Arcs the twins had lived on the verge of squalor. Squatting in a cave a couple miles outside the city walls, living off the land and with the barest of necessities was a wearisome and tough life. Heck, Yuli’anyh didn’t even own a second pair of underwear! Logic had finally won Beorn over. They needed supplies.

Yuli’anyh simply wanted to get what they needed and leave, not being one to enjoy the thriving, crowded nature of the city, hence having spent a good couple of weeks away from society. It was Beorn who loved the diversity and opportunities for social engagement - the man practically lived in the local tavern for Immortal’s sake. Which was no doubt where he was right now, instead of actually working!

As the mid-Trial sun passed, it seemed everyone had taken to the narrow streets of Nashaki, with some urgent haste driving them to complete their business before a swift retreat back to their homes. With the stone walls of buildings closing in the paved boulevards, combined with the rumbling roar of vendors, merchants and city folk all pushing their produce in at her face, Yuli’anyh felt more than a little claustrophobic. Give her the vast open distances of the sandy dunes any Trial.

As she negotiated the thoroughfares of the desert city, bobbing in and out of tents and around stalls searching for a good bargain, Yuli’anyh began to notice people averting their gazes and hurrying away. Expected paranoia and Arcs having lived with her scars would have told the young twin that they were simply revolted by her disfigured face. She was used to such discrimination and had learned to shrug off people’s reactions.

However, as Yuli’anyh flitted her gaze from one small huddled group to another, to merchants whispering tales into the ears of their customers, the young twin began to feel as though something else was afoot. The air was tense, prickling. Mental alarm bells raised Yuli’anyh’s attentiveness towards everyone around her. They were edgy, nervous… afraid.
What could make an entire population this scared?
Last edited by Yuli'anyh on Sun Jun 19, 2016 7:12 pm, edited 2 times in total. word count: 611
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            Yuli'anyh
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            Yuli’anyh’s face contorted in a way that reflected how troubled she was by the inhabitant’s behaviours, when suddenly a hand waving at her eagerly just out of the corner of her eye distracted her attentions. Veering into the cool shade provided by a cloth lean-to, Yuli’anyh was presented with a mouth-watering array of dried fruits, honey, nuts and all manner of tasty treats.

            The voice that accompanied the waving hand chimed in before Yuli’anyh had time to drag her lingering gaze away from the sweet jars of honey. The woman spoke in the Qi’ora tongue, Umaya, though Yuli’anyh only had a basic understanding of the language she was able to piece together the merchant’s meaning, "You look so sad. Honey is tasty treat, will perk you right up!”

            Not in the mood to attempt a broken conversation in another tongue, lacking the will to put in the effort of translating, Yuli’anyh shook her head, “Little Umaya. Speak Common?”

            The perky merchant grinned as she drawled her response in the universal language of Common, “Yes.”

            Chewing on the inside of her cheek in deliberation, Yuli’anyh finally gave in to her ID, “Alright, one pound of almonds.” As the young twin counted out her coin, the merchant weighed out the produce into a brown paper bag.

            With her cheerful smile, still stretching her lips wide, the woman tapped on the lid of a jar of honey, “Nuts go good with honey, very yummy” She rubbed her stomach for extra emphasis, the woman’s Common broken and laden with a thick accent.

            Beorn did love his honey, her twin had always been the one with the sweet tooth. Reluctant to spend the extra coin, yet fuelled by the desire to be able to offer an olive branch when she returned home after their tiff this morning, Yuli’anyh finally nodded.

            As the young twin lifted out some more coinage and began counting, the perky merchant piped up in her jaunty, yet irritating voice, “Two?”

            “No, just one.”

            “Two?”

            Having lost count, Yuli’anyh glanced up and repeated herself firmly, “One.”

            Still with her broad jovial grin revealing bright white teeth, the merchant chimed in protest once again, “Two?”

            Yuli’anyh’s mood sunk as her impatience flared, her scarred features darkening to mirror her shortening temper. The young twin and the beaming merchant locked stares for what seemed a long tense moment, before the sweet chime of the woman sounded one last time, “One.”

            * * *
            In a soured disposition, Yuli’anyh began to wander away from the fearful, hushed whispers lingering over the bazaar, her jar of honey and almonds squeezed in tight to her bulging rucksack. She sauntered with not a notion as to where she was going. Despite having lived around the city for near 3 arcs, the sprawling labyrinth of stone walls all looked the same to her. A growing feeling of being cramped in the marketplace, a merchant to her immediate right shoved some form of fruit into her face and the young twin whirled on him.

            With the fearful tensions from the populace of the desert city, mixed with her own apprehensions of being confined in a closed space, Yuli’anyh growled through gritted teeth as she reined in the wave of anxiety bubbling in her gut, “Where is the Hunter’s Guild from here?”

            Startled, the man shrunk beneath her furrowed brow and icy glare, his finger shooting out from the batwing sleeve of his silken overcoat. “Back that way. Take a left and keep going.”

            The young twin twisted on her heel, without even as a thanks to the trader. She needed somewhere familiar, somewhere she felt safe and was able to feel at ease. Simply knowing she was encased all around with stone walls, set the young twin on the verge of fretfulness, let alone sensing the angst and panic of everyone else in the marketplace!
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                      Yuli'anyh
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                      5th Ymiden 716,
                      The Hunter’s Guild, Nashaki
                      16th Break
                      Yuli’anyh was about to officially deem herself as lost within the maze of the desert city, when at last she saw the familiar corners of the stone shack that was the Hunter’s Guild. Frazzled, she wanted to reach her home away from home. Bursting through its wooden door, though, the atmosphere was far from relaxing.

                      Greeted with accustomed faces of fellow hunters and trappers, the room’s demeanour seemed darkened, solemn almost. Yuli’anyh moseyed over to an open seat among the assortment of sofas, her lips twisting uncomfortably as she waved awkward hellos to those she knew as she passed.

                      Whispered conversation restarted as she seated her behind on the soft animal leather. Again with the hushed tones, people seemed to be carefully concealing their chat among themselves. Yuli’anyh’s brow twisted into knots as her jade gaze skimmed over the small gathering of hunters. Something was going on. Usually not one to be bothered with hearing about rumours, hearsay or local dramas, Yuli’anyh found herself, perhaps for the first time, itching to know what had happened to veil the city in such a state.

                      The young twin shuffled her rucksack from her shoulders to the ground between her feet. Digging out her freshly bought bag of almonds, she sunk into the cushioned back of the sofa. As she peeled the hard casing from one of the fresh almonds, the young twin caught sight of Zaheed making his way around the ranks.

                      Yuli’anyh indicated to the leader of the hunter’s guild with an inclination of her head and slowly, but surely, the man began to make his way towards her. Popping the milky nut into her mouth, she waited patiently for Zaheed to grace her with his presence. She had known the man since the first day she arrived in Nashaki and he had always kept her right, she prayed he would again bestow his wisdom upon her.

                      “Ah! My dear Yuli, how are you? Haven’t seen you around for some time now.” Zaheed, with his long bristly beard and flowing robes, opened his arms in invitation for a hug. Yuli’anyh smiled, shaking her head before subsequently giving in to his grinning charm and gingerly clasped the old man in a swift squeeze. “I am well…”

                      Upon release from the embrace, Yuli’anyh motioned for Zaheed to sit with her, to which he cheerfully obliged, groaning in a huff as his old bones creaked with the effort. “…And you?” The old leader waved off Yuli’anyh’s worried glance as he shuffled himself into a more comfortable position, “Oh I’m fine, I’m fine. What brings you to the city? How’s that brother of yours? Keeping his nose clean eh?”

                      The young twin offered the open bag of fresh almonds to her old friend, as she flipped another nut into her mouth, chewing as she measured her words. “You know Beorn, unpredictable as always.” Yuli’anyh’s gaze flickered to a nearby huddle of hunters on a sofa opposite a ways. The men whispering tensely to one another with crisp hand gestures, studying their expressions, she could tell they were agitated.
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                                Yuli'anyh
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                                Catching her distracted attentions, Zaheed followed her gaze to the group, clucking with his tongue, his ancient orbs took in Yuli’anyh’s reaction. “You haven’t heard the news.” It was a statement, rather than a question that the young twin knew wasn’t meant to be answered.

                                Without a word she turned her intense viridescent eyes upon the old hunter. Nodding sombrely, he sighed before answering her silent question. “I’m afraid the hushed whispers you hear all around are very grave indeed. The Eternal Empire has declared war upon Nashaki m’dear and only this Trial, the Border Fortress requested reinforcements. It isn’t looking good.”

                                Yuli’anyh’s brow twitched as her nose crinkled, “The Eternal Empire?”

                                “Aye, legions filled with ranks of Raskithecal, led by their Immortal Raskalarn. They seek to bring the world of Idalos under their heel. They are dangerous because they believe their cause is Just. Foes like that will never relent.”

                                Again the young twin offered the old hunter some of her fresh almonds, Zaheed accepted, digging in his hand avidly. It stunned her to only just learn of such a force that had been living on the doorstep to the Hotlands. Now all the hushed whispers made sense. If a vast army inhabited the lands on the borders of the Hotlands, war was inevitable and it meant a great sacrifice was to come for the denizens of the desert wasteland.

                                That was, if they would not yield to this Immortal, Raskalarn. It was odd, as Yuli’anyh sat in silence a moment, processing what exactly war meant for the land, she found that all that concerned her was how this would affect Beorn and herself. They were exposed and vulnerable to attack living outside the protection of the Nashaki walls. The young twin began logically skimming through variables of her life that would be affected and in turn started coming up with options they could take.

                                “Many of the Nashaki Citizens are weighing up the decision to join in the fight to stave off the Eternal Empire. The city wishes independence.” Zaheed swept an arm open, gesturing to the intense whispers of the Hunter’s Guild. “Many here even consider it. Their skills in hunting will be more than valuable to the Nashaki ranks.”

                                The old hunter peered up at Yuli’anyh from beneath his bushy brows expectantly, to which the young twin simply stared blankly back, “The War does not concern me Zaheed. Nashaki is not my home, I owe it no loyalty. Besides, I will not enter a fight just to kill for someone else and to no end. At the end of our lives, regimes will rise and fall."

                                Without judgement, the leader of the Hunter’s Guild nodded his appreciation for her honest answer. As the full realisation of the devastation coming to the walls of Nashaki, Yuli’anyh’s gut twisted nervously. War did terrible things to a city, food could be cut off and become scarce. Yuli’anyh could find hunting to be troublesome, the chances of running into skirmishes or scouting parties could affect the coin she would make over the coming season.

                                Staying in Nashaki was simply too dangerous. Sighing in resignation, Yuli’anyh realised that whether they had the coin or not, the twins would have to leave the Hotlands, and they would have to leave as soon as possible.

                                Filled with a sense of urgency to get ahead of the wave of Eternal Empire legions surely making their way across the desert, Yuli’anyh grabbed her rucksack and jumped to her feet. Swinging the laden pack onto her shoulders, the young twin tossed the paper bag of fresh almonds to the confused expression plastered over the leader of the Hunter’s Guild. “Thanks for filling me in Zaheed. I can’t even begin to repay you for all that you have done for me and my brother since the Trial we arrived in Nashaki. You kept us right, got us on our feet. With war coming Zaheed, I’m afraid we’ve got to move on.”

                                Somewhat shocked at her speech and surprised that Yuli’anyh and her twin would be leaving so suddenly, the old hunter took a breath and sighed, a sad smile twitching at the corners of his lips, “I understand little cub. You will be journeying to Athart I take it?” Yuli’anyh solemnly nodded that it was so, “I hope you find the embrace of your family,” He rose and once again lulled the young twin into a comforting squeeze, “Keep yourself and that brother of yours safe.”

                                In a rare moment of genuine vulnerability, Yuli’anyh sunk into the old man’s embrace. Soaking in the emotional moment, she had not realised herself, just how much she had come to care for the man. The sudden realisation that this was more than likely the last time she would ever see the old hunter, Yuli’anyh found that she was going to deeply miss Zaheed’s stories and reassuring wisdom.

                                “Make sure you don’t do anything stupid old man. Stay clear of the war and stay alive, you hear me?”

                                The leader of the Hunter’s Guild stepped back to peer into the young twin’s watery emerald gaze, “I hear you, though I do not promise anything," He grinned mischievously and winked.

                                Dabbing her tearful eyes on the sleeve of her loose blouse, Yuli’anyh turned away from perhaps her only friend and took her leave. Urgent to make it back home spurred the young twin into a swift march through the city. She had to tell Beorn what was happening, they had to pack and they had to leave – tonight.

                                End.

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                                          Rosamond
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                                          Hushed Whispers

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                                          Negotiation 2
                                          Detection 2
                                          Intimidation 1
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                                          BASIC KNOWLEDGES

                                          The Eternal Empire: Has declared war upon Nashaki and seek to bring Idalos under their heel
                                          The Eternal Empire: Legions of Raskithecal, led by their Immortal Raskalarn
                                          The Eternal Empire: Believe their cause is just and will never relent
                                          Nashaki: "The Hunter's Guild"
                                          Nashaki: "Marketplace"

                                          SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGES

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                                          A thread with good PC/NPC interaction! Feel free to PM me if there's something I misunderstood or left out.
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