▼ Rainier

[Faithofthefallen]

Winds of Change

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Location: Illidan, Yael
Status: Active

 

[Faithofthefallen]

▼ Musings at Sea ▼

It would take days of travel at sea to reach Oba from Yael.

Rainier fully planned to spend most of that time topside, when he was belowdecks, it felt as though his stomach was tossing and surging along with the rock and pitch of the ship as they traveled. Still, he maintained careful distance from the rails, Rain had never had cause to learn to swim, and the thought of toppling into the churning waters left him breathless. The sail above him boomed with the howling wind as the ship drove forward through the heavy swells, casting up a freezing spray of water in all directions that both chilled and energized. Rain glanced down at his open tunic and bare feet and shivered. He was perhaps not dressed properly for the weather, but most of the sailors were shirtless as the clambered across the rigging with ease, making adjustments as the winds shifted. Rainier felt his face heat at the memory and quickly turned his mind away from such unnerving thoughts.

For the first leg of the trip, he had watched with solemn eyes and a sinking feeling as his homeland faded from view. Rainier had never had plans to leave Yael, even when things began coming together, there had been so many hiccups along the way that a part of him had never truly believed he would find himself standing here, on a mainlanders ship, far from the only land he had ever known. It was a lonely feeling, but Rain found himself so awed by the might and serenity of the world around him that his homesickness was mild in comparison.

Rain moved to a sheltered spot in the prow, trying to stay out of the wind and out from under the sailor's feet. He ended up sitting with his back against a massive crate, his travel cloak wrapped around him tightly, and gave him over to some serious thinking. He found himself wondering what he would have thought a year ago, had someone told him that he would be standing here today, a healer, riding a ship to the mainland in search of his sister. He likely would have laughed himself hoarse. Life was funny that way. The only thing you could count on was that nothing would happen as you expected.

His life for the past months had been so consumed with plans to get aboard this ship that he had not had time to look towards the future. Now the trip was well under way, but he had no real idea about what would happen once he reached Oba. He knew he needed to find more information, and more muscle if he wanted to be successful in his search. That likely meant he would need to look for work again, which meant he'd need a place to stay while he split his time between working and looking for leads. He hoped he had brought enough to cover the first few nights at in Inn. He would also need to keep developing his skills as a healer. Rain sighed heavily, chafing at all this extra time wasted on practicalities. Raisa had been missing for ages now, all he wanted was to throw down everything and find her, whatever it took. But it was never that simple. There was a cost to travel, to eat, to gather supplies, to do anything in this world. Speaking of eating, Rainier pulled out a piece of fruit and bit into the tough rind. The sailors found it odd that he had thus far refused to eat any of their food, but the words of Father Zekiel still rang strong in his mind. If he were to travel without risking his connection to the Gods, he must maintain his connection to his homeland. Part of that meant that he needed to sustain himself on only Yaeli foods.

Rainier felt a pit in his stomach as he thought of his heavy pack, stored below. It was stuffed to bursting with food, bedding, clothes, instruments of prayer, all connections to his people and his Gods. His supply of food was steadily dwindling, when he had packed he had thought he had brought an astronomical amount of supplies, but now he saw that he had been an innocent fool. He would be out within the week. He wished he had thought to clarify whether he needed to live solely off of foods from Yael, or if it just needed to be a regular part of his diet. He would need to begin rationing his stores and hope that he would have enough to last until he was ready to return to Yael. Still, a sinking feeling filled him that he would not see the shores of his home until long after his food was gone. What was it like to lose your connection to the Gods? Would he know? Would it hurt? Was it permanent? So many questions and no answers in sight. If the loss was inevitable, perhaps it would be better to simply continue as he had been until his stores were depleted. He didn't want to prolong his suffering, best to get it over with all at once.

Rain twirled his staff idly, and then stopped, cupping the jewel in his hand and staring into its depths thoughtfully. His eyes drifted down to follow the grain of the swirling wood. It had been his last purchase before leaving, and the reason he would need to find work before continuing on his quest. But he needed a focus for his powers if he was to become stronger, and become stronger he must. He had wanted a staff from Yael, so he had purchased the most simple version he could find from the armory. Despite its simplicity, he found it oddly mesmerizing. He fed a little power into the wood and watched in fascination as the gem crackled with, first flames, and then lightning. He had yet to explore what he could do with it, but that seemed promising. He had been pleased when his maturing healing power had brought with is some new powers he had yet to truly test. His surprise had been palpable when he had instinctively thrown up a defensive shield to ward of a falling tree branch. Since then, he had learned that he had some basic elemental control as well. Speaking of, he concentrated for a moment and pulled with his mind, watching with pleased fascination as the water beaded out of his drenched clothing to land on the deck, leaving him slightly worn, but excited at this new discovery. He laughed in surprise and then immediately leaped to his feet to escape the puddle that had formed just as a giant wave crashed up against the side of the ship and pummeled him with water.

Rainier wiped the spray from his eyes and shivered. Perhaps can is not always the same thing as should, he thought with a wry twist of his lips as the sailors who had witnessed the spectacle howled with laughter. It certainly wasn't practical to waste energy drying his clothes when he was at sea. Something to keep in mind. Blushing furiously at the attention, he headed below decks to warm up.

1210 Words  

[Faithofthefallen]

▼ Stranger to these Lands▼

Rainier's bare feet padded down the well work tracks between the towering, alien buildings. Resisting the urge to pull his hood up over his telltale violet hair, his clothes would reveal his status as a foreigner and he refused to set aside the garb of his people. Attempting to hide himself would project an aura of weakness that would attract the ne'er-do-wells like flies to honey. He couldn't afford to draw any more attention than was unavoidable in this large, labyrinthian city. He had thought Pajore to be a wonder of earthling creation, but compared to Oba, the capitol of his homeland was still in swaddling clothes. This city was ancient, and wore its years well.

He was not the only Yaeli to have visited these lands, Rainier had yet to meet others of his kind, but they were scant enough in numbers as to be recognized by appearance, if not by name. He hadn't avoided them, per say, but neither had he sought them out. His confidence was shaken, and he feared those of his homeland would recognize that he had not packed for a prolonged trip as well as he had thought. The food of Yael was gone, he still had the instruments of prayer, and used only bedding and clothing from his homeland, but being so far from the nation of his birth was expanding his horizons and widening his worldview in a way that he suspected was nothing short of blasphemy. Still, he found he couldn't bring himself to care. Despite his nerves, he was fascinated by the Obans. Here were a people with a culture and a history all their own, completely different from anything he had ever been taught or learned. He had only seen mainlanders on their own or in small clusters on Yael, so he had never realized that certain groups of them shared so many characteristics, like those on Yael. He still wanted to hold on tight to the traditions and heritage that was the most familiar with him, but likewise he felt a thirst to learn, to experience, to grow. And he wasn't sure he was allowed to, was afraid that who he would become would be unrecognizable after such changes, that he would no longer care as much about what he once had, and that he would no longer be welcome to rejoin his community. Still, despite his reservations, he felt the changes taking hold without any conscious guidance. Rain supposed there was nothing he could do about that, he was here for a purpose and he wouldn't leave until he had achieved it.

He still hadn't found regular work, but picking up odd jobs was not unfamiliar to him. Rain had thought to find work as a healer when he arrived in Oba, but in a way, he was glad that he wasn't being paid for what he wanted to give away for free. A donation here and there was alright, but he couldn't look into the face of someone who was suffering and refuse to ease their burden unless they provided payment. It simply didn't feel right. Perhaps one day he would find the balance between his calling and his livelihood. He could only hope.
For now, Rainier spent the mornings working whatever jobs he could find. In the evening, he went for a walk. He followed the sounds of coughing, of sniffles, moans and groans, cries for help. Until the city began to reach full darkness, then he returned to the safety of his room, and wearily counted the barely changing stack of coins that represented his savings. And tried not to let the small voices inside convince him he was on a fool's errand.

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[Faithofthefallen]

Quote:

Mini Chapter

Gathering [Oba]

|| IC ||

It was no secret that the whole of Tendaji was planning their meeting, trying to get all of the earthlings and even the Alkidike involved in stopping the Dretch. It had been months now and there were still disappearances that could only be attributed to the gnarled bug-like creatures that could appear out of nowhere and vanish without a trace.

Conflict was not a foreign concept to Tendaji. It was a continent of many different people and conflict was bound to happen. Time and time again, somehow the people would find a way to come together to resolve whatever issues may have popped up. This time was different. This time it wasn’t just the people of Tendaji that were at danger. There were these new people across the water that were now included in a very big problem: the Dretch. The people of Tendaji knew they would need any and all the help they would need so while planning meetings on how to deal with the disappearances and the bug mages as a whole, the offer was extended to the inhabitants of Yael and Belrea.

A few days prior, a small group of Matori with a few Obans waited at the port while a boat docked. Soon a group of hesitant looking Yaeli made their way to shore. They were led by a man, a priest, whose receding hairline was a hint at his age. Each group greeted the other cordially enough but there was a nervous air around the party from Yael which had been expected.

Besian made his way onto the circular stage, perhaps one not as grand as the ones used in previous gatherings in Oba. Though the King had no qualms about providing whatever was needed for the gathering, it had been Besian’s request that they host the meeting outside of the capital.

 

[Faithofthefallen]

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