[Saoire Event] Jasper and Vega

[Munchkin]

25th Trial of Zi'da in Arc 720

"It's time," Saoire said, looking at the small individual with her. They had been preparing for this for a long time - earlier, Saoire had been with them all, the group of her closest, and they had put together the final preparations. The night before, in her workshop, Saoire had told them how tonight they would travel all across Idalos bringing small gifts and good cheer. Children throughout the land had awoken this morning to find trinkets and tchotchkes, gifts given which brought smiles to young faces.

That had been last night. This trial, though, they were bringing together people who Saoire had selected. Individuals who were prepared to give to another - who had taken her prompting, in dreams and visions, and had moved forward - acted - to prepare a gift. And, for the first time, her children would be there when the gifts were exchanged. It was a privilege, and they all knew it. To be there, to witness the giving of a gift by a kind soul.

This was one such soul.

The magic which Saoire wove was more complex, more nuanced than many could understand. Indeed, it would seem that perhaps she had roped Ralaith in to this event - or maybe this was part of her own purview. It wasn't clear, but what was obvious was that these events took place in the literal blink of an eye. Jasper was going about their daily business, as was Vega when they heard the gentle tinkling of a bell. As their ears heard the sound, not yet sure whether it was indeed a bell or in fact the tinkling laughter of a sprite or fairy, they were suddenly somewhere else.

Jasper and Vega found themselves standing in a shop filled with candies and chocolates of all kinds, with snow glazing over the windows to the outside wonderland. Standing with them was a woman, wearing a beautiful crown of pine cones, glitter, and many small and intricate baubles. She wore a purple dress with gold lacings decorating the beautiful outfit, and even her hair shimmered with glitter. She smiled at the two of them.

"I bid you welcome!" They knew who she was, somehow, even before she spoke the next words, "I am Saoire, and this is my very dear friend.". She gestured to a Mole with shy eyes but a slight smile who stepped out from behind Saoire.


"Well...hello! I, uh, I'm Karlis", said the small individual. Looking around with wide eyes, the small bipedal mole considered that this was his first time on Idalos, or at least what Idalos would be like.

"We are here," Saoire said, her voice gentle and bubbling with mirth and joy, "Because Jasper has a gift for you Vega". She gestured around, as though the gift was nearby. Which, Jasper would see, it was. "I will leave you, now, to give your gift, but Karlis will stay with you, and when you are ready to go back to your lives, will facilitate that."

And, with the sound of a light wind against the outside window, Saoire was gone. The small creature with them smiled.

Welcome to your Saoire Event 720 Thread!
This thread is for Jasper to give a gift to Vega.
The thread is Face to Face and so will be eligible for both skill points and knowledge, as long as the usual review requirements are met. At the end of the thread, both pc's will be returned to where they were. Literally and exactly where they were. Feel free to start your posts with where you were and what you were doing.
You may play Karlis as an NPC throughout this thread. If you ask specific questions, feel free to PM Peg or Munch, but largely the NPC will not be giving anything away.

When you have completed the thread, please post here to claim your medals!

[Jasper]

Jasper was standing in a home looming over a cold hearth. Behind him was an older couple who had found themselves in a new home after discovering that their daughter, son-in-law’s family had grown so large that there wasn’t really any room for everyone now. The family had valiantly struggled on despite the cramped atmosphere up until the house next door had come open.

The grandparents had left the larger house to there daughter as her inheritance and had moved into the home which would be better for two people with there age and health issues. It was there first trial there and they had asked Jasper to come and light their hearth. Jasper knelt besides the cold hearth and pulled out the aspergillum which held the diri Eldloga.

“Oh spirit of the hearth. These two come before you seeking your blessings and gifts as they start a new life in this home. Will you honor them with your flame.” Jasper didn’t wait for a verbal answer as he pushed the end of the aspergillum into the neatly prepared wood. He was pleased though not surprised when the flame sprout forth and ignited the flames and light the hearth. The young man pulled the spirit out of the hearth out and raised him up for the couple to see. The stepped forward to offer there thanks.

It was at that moment the brown eyes Aesir felt heard the tinkling of the bells. He suddenly found himself standing in a shop full of goodies. A thick eyebrow shot up as he looked around and saw all the sweets. Jasper could honestly say he hadn’t ever been in a shop like this, but made a mental note. It was also then that he realized that the world felt a bit empty. Something was different here, but before he could focus on that he looked at the others in the room. One person who if she wasn’t a spirit had to be an immortal since mortals just didn’t look like that. The little creature looked like it could have come out of the stories of his childhood. He was relieved to see a fellow mortal with them. He did notice her flaming read hair, but other then noting the color didn’t really give it a second thought.

Then the explanation came, and Jasper understood now. His face broke into a huge grin that spread over all of his handsome face. Once Saoire had finished her explanation. “Thank you for the welcome. It is a pleasure to meet all of you.” He grinned and winked Karlis. She was rather cute with the look of wonder on her face. He turned his focus two both Karlis and the pretty red head. “I am Jasper Rel Ardiechy.” He paused to let the woman introduce herself.

Once introductions were made Jasper picked up the package and handed its rather bulky form over to Vega. “I understand that you love music.” Inside the package where some native Melrathian musical instruments. One was a Jaw Harp, and unique instrument to that part of the world. In addition to it was a drum. Both were made well, but not something that you wouldn’t find with in an average home and something that was meant to be played and not a show piece. In addition to that was a musical book that showed how to play the Jaw harp, in addition was a number of sheet music with beloved Melrathian tunes, that were either popular or traditional.

“Music always filled the long cold nights of my clan’s home. I hope you can find as much pleasure with those tunes as I have.” He finished after giving them to her.

[Vega]

25th Trial of Zi'da during Arc 720

"You are a right cantankerous ole mare, an' you know it," Vega said, good naturedly. She was talking, of course, to Arlo's horse, Peg. Frankly, never had there been a truer word spoken, but that was part of what made Vega love the horse. Perhaps, she considered in a moment of insight, it was just as well that there were two cantankerous old mares in Arlro's life, just in case one of them got to be too much.

She was feeding Peg and Storm, chatting to both horses when she heard a tinkling sound. Vega lifted her head to look at where the sound might be coming from and she realised that she was in a sweet shop. She looked around in wide-eyed amazement and then she realised that there were other people - people she didn't know - there. The woman was beautiful, covered in glitter and dressed in what Vega would describe as a "well nice" gown of deep purple and gold.

She smiled in delight as Saoire introduced herself. "It's a right pleasure to meet you," she said. She turned her gaze to the human fella with Saoire and was just realising that he was well put together, as humans went, when she caught sight of the small creature. Karlis, Saoire said and Vega smiled. "Well, you're a small mole, an' you talk," she said, obviously quite delighted with these two facts. "It's right nice to meet you. Can you see? I thought moles were blind?"

Before Karlis could answer, though, Saoire said that Jasper - that was the well-put-together human's name had a gift for her. Vega beamed and then Jasper spoke. He gave his name and she in turn offered her hand. "Vega Creede," she said, shaking his hand. "It's a right pleasure to meet you." Gesturing to the room they were in she added, "Whoever chose this place either got lucky or knows me well. I love chocolate, got a real biqaj tooth. Do you?"

When he said that he had a gift for her, though, Vega's smile showed the gratitude she felt. Her nod when he said that he understood that she liked music showed the truth of it. "I love it... oh.." She looked at the instruments, and the book and the sheets of music and Vega beamed. She didn't know him, she didn't do public displays of affection but the tall redhead flung her arms around Jasper and she hugged him. "Oh, these are beautiful, they really are!" Her eyes swirled in vivid colours, green and gold most prominent. "Oh, these are beautiful, thank you so much!" There was no hiding how she felt and Vega wished she had something she could give him back, but she knew that the point Saoire was making was to give people the chance to give, to commit an act of kindness, and she'd done the same, after all.

But still, "I tell you what, why don't I get us both - all three of us, in fact - a sweet thing to eat, an' maybe you can show me what you know?" Vega asked and then a slight frown crossed her face. "Unless yer busy?"

[Jasper]

Jasper was watching the others who had come with a interested expression as introductions were being made. The red headed woman who he had the gift for appeared a fairly forward individual, which was all right by Jasper, many of his family didn’t much waist time drawing out a conversation. Jasper though he red hair very flattering to her facial features. A grin spread across his face as she very nicely but bluntly asked if the mole was blind. The Immortal who had summoned them though drew their attention to the back to the purpose of why they had come.

He paused and looked around the room of chocolate at her question. “I honestly haven’t ever tried chocolate.” He said with a chuckle. “I grew up on a farm so baked goods were common, but we didn’t get a lot of outside food.” He didn’t mention that his village was basically the breadbasket so brining in food was an odd idea.

After he handed over the gift he picked up a piece of chocolate and gave popped it into his mouth. His expressive face showed his surprise. It was an interesting taste, that seemed to send explosions in the brain. He resisted the urge to eat another one, yet, since he needed to focus on the conversation at hand. Jasper was pleased that she enjoyed the gifts. She then asked him to show her what he knows while she got them something to eat. Jasper grinned and said. “I have time.” He said and looked at the mole who nodded.

Jasper actually picked up the drum and thought for a moment. “My brother is much better at music, but there is a song we were all taught from childhood.” Jasper began to beat a simple beat on the drum. Nothing fancy in a poetic sing song type voice he began to repeat a song that he had heard numerous times since birth. Jasper ability didn’t show any training but there was a passion and love as he repeated the words to the simple beat.

“Standing in the Shadow of Time is the woman Alivida,
She was mother to six mighty and worthy children
For the strength of Melrath she had given it five sons and a daughter.
When the great Circle called for children of the land,
To the mountains and its valleys they were called.

With Strength and Valor did Alivida trek forth from Raelia
South they went, towards the mountains that guard the children.
Along the great river they march for days until they came upon a tributary.
The tributary body of water seduced Alivida with its call.
The woman followed the sound of the babbling water.

The tributaries promises were not false as it lead them on.
They found themselves in valley that the spirits had prepared for them.
The beautiful grass waved in the winds as they walked into the valley.
It was a gift from the spirits and in gratitude did Alivida and her offspring give thanks.
They did offer up gifts to the spirits of the valley, and were received by them.

Peace settled on those of Alivida’s loins for a time,
They built homes and farmed the grass lands making it their own.
The sons taking a wife and the daughter a husband to raise prodigy to the Matron
But peace is not the way of life for the valent men and women of the mountains.
And no home can be made without a show of forces.

They came in the dark of the night. Silent as cowards and the shadows.
The Lorthar had come out of the south in their great hunts,
They thought they could take the food that the sweet of those noble brows had brought forth.
They thought they could defeat those valiant warriors who had fought nature and won.
They though the hardy women they had chosen would swoon before them.

Valiant Ardiechy heard a sound and with axe in hand did he go to forth,
He did see the moving shadows of brutes who have men’s face.
With a mighty cry did he raise the seed of Alivida and charge forth into battle,
With weapons in hands did Alivida and her sons and daughter charge for from their homes,
The Horde of beast men from the south now saw the wrath of the north men.

Jasper continued the simple beating, his eyes lost in the memory of the chant. His voice fluctuating up and down in his singing chant. He allowed emotions to guide his music over actual skill.

Alivida with a forging hammer did go follow behind her son, her hammer swinging.
Wacara with his father sword did go to the left, the clash of steel ringing through the air.
Taavetii wielded his scythe as he took the raiders to the right and harvested limbs
Pacifico stood back and with his great hunting bow did stalk the southern beast that night.
Jabez still only a child did weave through the feet of the fighter with his dagger.

The night was filled with screams as the battle commences,
The heads of the holds did bring pride to their wives and children,
But the women of the valley were as valent as their menfolk.
When one of Lothar would escape from the fray they would find the kitchen knives of the wives.
The only safe place was back to south and the monsters of beast men’s home.

At the height of the battle did the dark men turn and flee the wrath that had been brought on them
Into the forest did they flee, leaving their dead and wounded.
Among Alivida’s offspring all of her descendants lived, wounds and scares were aplenty
Ardiechy had taken the most serious wound when one of the beast bit off a finger.
All that was left were the best men’s dead and wounded.

Praise be to the spirits for Alivida and her children
For they have guarded the southern border of our mountains
Against the thievery of the beast men they have stood guard
Praise be to Melrath for the strength of her children
Let us all remember the tale of these farmers when Melrath calls us to battle.

Jasper finished the singing but continued the beating of the drum for a few measures longer before allowing it to fade. Jasper came back to there hear and now, though his face was filled with the same pride and wonder that had when he was a child and first heard it. He then grinned foolishly and said. “Sorry, my brother or cousin does it better.” He said putting the drum back.

[Vega]

25th Trial of Zi'da during Arc 720

Vega was delighted when Jasper said that he'd stay and then, when he said he'd never tried chocolate, she grinned. "You are in for a treat," she said. "I love the stuff. Like, really love it. Most biqaj do," But she was of the opinion that her particular taste for chocolate was greater than anyone else's ever. Thankfully, her husband was an amazing chef and he managed to keep her well-stocked in hot chocolate drinks and so on.

She got them some hot drinks, mugs of steaming chocolate with small marshmallows, and then a piece of cake each for the three of them. She got a selection and let the other two decide. Vega smiled as the small cadouri thing as the tiny creature dug in with delight. Rather than having a piece of cake each, the cadouri took a sample from each cake and Vega grinned in appreciation of that. She liked it - that idea of everything being everyone's and to just dive in. Jasper agreed to play and she listened to him as he started to beat the drum. Vega loved music - it was in her soul in a way which she couldn't rightly explain.

Listening to the song he sang, her foot moving in time with the beat of the drum, she listened to the story the words told. When he was finished, she applauded and so did the mole, Karlis. "That's well good!" Vega said, and she meant it. She smiled, "I've not been to Melrath for more than a fleetin' visit, really. Never spent any major time there. But it sounds like your farmers are well fierce," Vega grinned. "I love things like that, it's a real gift you've given me, thank you so much."

Sipping her drink, then, she considered it. It was a good story and she heard it clearly in the medium of the music. She would never study history or any such thing, but she knew sea legends and songs - and she knew plenty of them. Stories too. Lifting her fiddle, which she always carried with her, Vega rested her chin on it, gently. The way that Vega held the fiddle was almost like she was cradling a child. "We have traditional songs, sea-shanties." She grinned slightly, the bow dancing over the strings. It looked easy, and the sound she produced was incredible. "This is a song about a man who left his love to join a ship called the Kangaroo."

With a grin, Vega began to sing.

"O, once he was a fisherman
And lived at home at ease,
And now he is a mariner
And plough the angry seas.

He thought he'd like seafaring life,
So bid his love adieu,
And shipp'd out with the sailor boys,
On board the Kangaroo.

His love she was no foolish girl,
Her age it was two score,
His love was not a spinster,
She'd been married twice before;

And they could not say it was her wealth
That stole his heart away.
For she was a laundry starcher
Three coppers earned a day.

"Oh think of me! Oh think of me!"
She mournfully did say,
"When you are in a foreign land,
Three thousand miles away;

And take this lucky farthing,
'Twill make you bear in mind
The loving, faithful, trusting heart
You leave in tears behind."

"Cheer up! ", he said, "my own true love,
Don't weep so bitterly,"
But she sobbed and sighed and choked
And cried and couldn't say goodbye.

"I won't be gone so very long,"
He said, "a month or two,
And when I do come back again,
Of course I'll marry you."

His vessel it was homeward bound
From many a foreign shore.
And many a foreign present
Unto his love he bore;

There were tortoises from Viden's shores
And toys from Andaris, too,
A Scalvoris rat and Rharnian cat
And a Melrathi cockatoo.

Paid off, he sought her dwelling
In the suburbs of the town,
An ancient dame upon a line
Was hanging out a gown.

"Where is my love? " "She's married, sir,
About six months ago,
To a man who is a fisherman.
You fished with him, long ago."

"Farewell to great adventure
Upon the seas so blue,
To treasure troves, and hidden coves
And payin' U'frek's due"

"I'll seek some far and distant clime,
I can no longer stay,
For my heart it is now shattered
I must live in Dead Mans bay."

The music played a while longer and then she lowered the fiddle and smiled. "It's a bit different from what you play, I think." The tempo certainly was. "So, Jasper, would you tell me," Vega asked. "What's Melrath like? If we visit it, what should we know?" She took another fork full of cake and listened.

[Jasper]

Jasper watched as Vega fetched three cups of the brown liquid that she called chocolate. He carefully took the cup and looked it over with a openly curious expression. He could smell the chocolate which despite the piece he had eaten was a strange but tempting new smell. He also found the idea that chocolate could come in either solid or liquid form’s interesting. One never found cakes or breads it both forms. He looked at the others as he slowly took a sip of it. He wasn’t really sure what to expect as the liked came across his taste buds. Jasper had grown up on the farm and they had produces many of the alcohol in Melrath, but despite being brown, this tasted nothing like those drinks. Jasper pulled the cup away from his lips his brown eyes wide with pleasure and surprise at the drink. He then raised the cup in salute and took another sip before setting it down to focus on the music. He looked at the little mole to see how the creature was reacting to the new drink. It appears to also be enjoying the drink and already had a little drink mustache. Jasper quickly pull a handkerchief out of his own pocket and after making sure he didn’t have a mustache thanks to the drink, he handed it over to the creature with a grin.

After Jasper had finished his song, he blushed a bit at Vega’s comments about them being tough. He shrugged. “All that separate us from the hordes of the Lotharro and the monsters to the south is a mountain range. Still to this day we have to protect ourselves.” He said it simple with a shrug and a then a grin. “One trial maybe they will catch on.”

He settled back and picking up his cup of chocolate began to listen to Vega’s song. He bobbed his head back and forth in time to the beat and there was a smile on his face and a humorous twinkle in his eye. As the song came to the end he was openly grinning at the ending. “That was wonderfully done. You are a very good musician, better then my cousin, who I have also considered one of the best bards I have heard.” He grinned again. “It is a excellent song as well. I will need to remember it and share it with my family.”

Jasper’s eyes grew found and distant as he though about how to answer her question. “It is a beautiful land, but harsh.” He didn’t say hard like it was a bad thing. Though he did correct himself. “Maybe rugged is a better word. We have enchanting forest that is filled with spirits and animals. Our mountains reach into the air like towering stone figures, homes to terrors and wonders.” He smiled fondly. “When I was young I came upon a baby slepnier. I brough him home and we are fast friends.” His focused came back. “My family is actually from a valley covered in fields of grains. It is peaceful there. If you visit though you most likely will come to Raelia, the major port city and the capital.” His face grew sad then. Jasper’s expression could be read like an open book. “Unfortunately we are in a time of change and I fear something sinister is lurking somewhere, and people are scared of it and lashing out. I hope that they will soon see reason. If you do ever come you can look me up. I live in Raelia as I am a Aesir in training.”

[Pig Boy]

RPG Rewards:

Jasper

• Renown: 5
• XP: 15

Vega

• Renown: 5
• XP: 15

Link to Review Request on the Forum: viewtopic.php?p=194174#p194174

Skill Review: All Skills used appropriately to PC's level

Notes: I like how you opened the thread, Jasper, using Eldloga to light the hearth of a couple. The spirit really seems to have found his calling, warming homes and new marriages with his flame. It's excellent to see you use him.

The gift of a instrument couldn't have been more appropriate to the receiver. And Vega of course served as a gracious 'host'? At least she seemed more at home in Saoire's Dream, but I suppose she gets along almost anywhere she lands.

I really enjoyed the songs that you both adapted/wrote? It was all full of lore and I could easily follow the rhythm of them. Great stuff.

I think the way you ended, with chocolate was amusing. I'm surprised Jasper hasn't had chocolate before. But perhaps the Melrathi prefer their mead and beer, honey, bread, and meat.

Was a good collab, and I'm glad you two finally got to wrapping it up. Good writing.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this review, feel free to PM. Enjoy your rewards!