• Closed • Magic found in Nature. (Bounty)

[Niv]

► Show Spoiler

The Order of the Adunih wishes for assistance in acquiring a herb known as Maknahocan, a powerful plant rarely found in the trees surrounding Ne'haer. The herb is known to treat rare and particularly magically-inspired illnesses quite well, though in its raw form it is volatile and can poison one's ether.
Reward: 70 gn
Expires: 60 Vhalar, Arc 716

39th of Saun, Arc 716
It was early in the morning when Niv approached the imposing building of the healing order. The massive door was thankfully left open a crack allowing Niv to slip her tiny frame through. There was barely a soul to be seen but this was how Niv liked it. During the more active hours there was far too much trampling feet and people getting in her way. At the reception desk, A man with a well kept beard and stocky build, seemed to be the only one present. He seemed to be too preoccupied with reading documents to notice a tiny creature entering the building. Niv wasn’t about to disturb him just yet, the man seemed quite invested in his work and Niv didn’t need help just yet.

Niv walked over to the bulletin board and leapt onto the leg of the chair propped up next to it. She forcefully pushed her light frame up to the ledge and pulled herself up to the seating part. She scurried up the back board and peered at the notes pinned to the slab of wood. One such note asked for assistance finding a rare plant in the Willow Woods called a Maknahocan, one that cured magical diseases. There was a warning underneath and Niv read it carefully so that she fully understood what it meant. The word “ether” continued to give her trouble however and she hesitantly bothered the man at the desk for further clarification. The man frowned with concern as he warned the tunwawa from pursuing that request. He none the less explained that ether was magical energy but didn’t go into further detail.

The Tunawa felt she should have just let the request go but her curiosity was getting to her. Inali was smart and would probably know all about these things and after talking a quick look at the class schedule she decided it was best to head to the Eidisi’s house. Niv slipped out of the building and called for her bird mount Patcha. After Niv made a few loud squaks, the sulphur crested cockatoo came swooping down from the sky.

It was a long flight on the back of the bird, but mostly due to Niv’s poor understanding of the layout of the city. The Tunawa had to ask for directions multiple times just to know where she was. Niv sighed deeply in relief when she finally arrived at the right house. Patcha landed on the ledge of one of Inali’s windows and Niv dismounted. The Tunawa gave Patcha some seeds from her pocket and the bird took to the skies once more to eat her reward in peace.

Niv boldly lept through the window into the almost barren house, landing with only a slight tap. The tunawa was used to tents made from drift wood, tree tests and abandoned animal burrows. She wasn’t used to homes that were so big and orderly and looked at everything around her in confusion.
“Inali, yews here?” Niv called out as her head moved from one direction the the next. “I wish ta ask someding.”

[Inali]

Inali squinted at the compass she had purchased from an elderly Biqaj trader at the start of Vhalar. It was a small bronze contraption with a simple magnet centered under a thin veneer of glass. The letters ‘N’ and ‘S’ had been etched into the bronze in thin lines. No matter how she moved or turned it, the small magnetic needle pointed towards the northern wall of the city. Inali knew of one last gift that Audrae had bestowed upon her, but the specifics evaded her. It had something to do with direction, with movement. When she focused on the memory of that night and the knowledge that had come with the blessing, only a single word remained. Compass. So she had paid the merchant the fifty golden nels and stared at the compass every morning, hoping that it would unlock some sort of understanding. Until now, her daily meditations had graced her with little more than frustration and annoyance.

Deciding to try a different tactic, Inali breathed in, reveling in the sharp shiver of fear that ran down her spine. Inside her minds eyes, she focused on the image of her bronze compass and clutched onto the real compass inside the palm of her dominant hand. As she did, Inali felt the center of her being pulled away from the northern wall of her apartment. Alarmed, she stood up and turned in the direction that her body demanded of her. She turned in tiny increments until the sensation stopped, gently fading into a dull ache before disappearing entirely. She had made the sensation go away, somehow. A million questions entered her mind, and Inali wondered where the blessing was pulling her. Was she being directed to a secret? Was she being pulled to another of Audrae’s favored? Was she being tugged towards the Immortal herself? Her head throbbed with the possibilities, and she simply stood there, looking from her compass to the wall. Whatever the blessing was tugging her towards, it was distinctly southeast of Ne’haer.

After a few more moments of waiting, Inali grabbed her makeshift map from the desk and drew a small compass rose on the left side of the map, somewhere within the bounds of Lake Rea. Only the north point was labelled, pointing towards Lysoria and beyond. She placed a small dot to the southeast, curious if the direction of the pull would change over time. If it did, she could reference the maps in the Academies. Smiling to herself, the Eidisi placed the ink pen on the counter and leaned back into her chair. The ink would take a few bits to dry and then she could head out the city center to gather vegetables and fruit for the week.

A slight tap echoed from the far side of the room. Turning in her chair, the Eidisi peered at the open window. Had a small child had thrown another stone at it? Sighing, she stood up and moved towards the window, intent on closing it before the children got even more ambitious with their pranks. Before she made it halfway to the window, Inali head Niv’s voice calling up to her from the wooden floor a few feet away. The Eidisi looked down at the confused Tunawa and chirped a greeting in Tree Talk. It was a greeting, wasn’t it? The birds made that sound in the morning. She shrugged and smiled down at Niv.

“You could have used the door, you know. A wolf growl would have had me on high alert. But this is quicker, I suppose. What question did you have for me?”

Inali gestured to the nearby fireplace and wiped some of the dust off of the stones before sitting atop it and inviting Niv to do the same.

For the first time, Inali found herself wondering where a lone Tunawa would live in Ne’haer. An apartment would be too large, but most other options would lack the needed protections to keep them safe and warm in the harshest winds of the cold seasons. Did other cities provide specialty Tunawa housing? She doubted it, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask after Niv was done speaking.

[Niv]

“Sorry ta bring yew da worries” Niv frowned slightly and bowed her head in apology. “I not knowed how dees tings work, in Desnind we jus walk into each others burrows n’ nests.” Niv statement only really applied to tunawa, the tiny race had less to worry about with predators and thieves than her taller kin did. The Sev’ryn were just an accepting people who had become accustomed to the occasional intrusion of Tunawa in their homes.

“Now I get dah root of talk” Niv cleared her throat and frowned a bit in thought as she searched for the right words. “dere is dis plant see, and deh Aluu-dun..eeeh..” Niv looked down in embarrassment at her poor pronunciation of the order she had dedicated herself too. “uh deh healing tribe wants deh plant and I want teh get for dem.” Niv sighed and hesitated a bit before continuing with the next part. “dis plant hurts peoples Ether which is a magic ting. Tunawa know nothing of dees tings, Magic not tunawa way.” Niv looked down and then back up at Inali to try and meet her eyes. “Yew sage, so yews probably know all aboot magic, Is dis truth truth?

Niv had accepted that Inali probably knew nothing about the subject but the Eidisi looked magical, at least to the naive Tunawa. It was mostly the pale almost non existent eyes that looked supernatural to Niv, They were just too surreal to see things the same way Niv's glassy eyes did.

[Inali]

Inali frowned, wondering how anyone could perform research in a city where visitors were free to enter and leave houses as they pleased. Something as simple as a light knock or the sound of a late paper being shoved through the bottom of a closed door was enough to send a Viden University professor into a bitter rant. The research driven state of 'flow' was a precious, protected resource. Social interaction, on the other hand, was far less favored. There was always time for a drink at the tavern after a key experiment had been completed and documented.

The Eidisi nodded slowly, curious as to why the Tunawa would appear in her home so suddenly. She didn't seem hurt or frightened, but it was difficult to understand the emotions written on such a petite face. She took a few bits to listen to Niv's request and got the gist of it. Someone within Ne'haer needed a plant, and that plant was dangerous to most people, but not Niv. Paranoia surged within her as she remembered the harsh reaction of the city guard from a few days prior.

"Am not doing magic either. I safe, yes?"

She glanced down at Niv with worry, hoping the Tunawa didn't think she was trying to cover something up. But no, Niv wouldn't think that of her. As her heartbeat returned to its steady cadence she pointed to the assorted survival supplies stashed in one corner of the room.

"Supplies for me. Will taking few, trip should take... a trial? Maybe two?"

She paused, awaiting an answer from Niv. There was no knowing how far away from Ne'haer the plant was, or how difficult it would be to find. She silently hoped that Niv had a drawing or some description.

As Niv replied, the Eidisi sorted through her supplies and placed a small bundle of rations within her large canvas backpack. Two waterskins were tied to the sides and a tinderbox and set of clothing was placed atop the rations. She examined the pile again, wondering if she would need any additional supplies. The lantern and rope would be a pain to carry without Sana, and she had taken the mare on a long walk only a day before.

"I ready, Nivi. You knowing what plant appear like?"

She smiled, filled with excitement at the thought of getting outside of the walls of her home in favor of an outdoor adventure.

[Niv]

“Hrrm I only think dat I safe cause dis poison and Poison not hurt tunawa. I not sure yews safe if touch it..”
Niv knew that ether was related to magic, but didn't know whether it was untapped power which everyone had or if it was a power that only grew within mages. For all Niv knew, the poison could just as likely poison Niv’s Ether, A thought that made niv shudder in dread. This was likely the only plant Niv would hesitate to shove in her mouth the moment she saw it.


"Oh yes, deh trip take one.." Niv held one finger into the air but raised another finger after a brief pause. “Maybe two trials, dis plant is rare plant..very hard teh find.” Niv nodded her head at her own estimate despite having little idea if it was even close to being correct. Niv wasn’t exactly a good judge of time, or organization. For a moment Niv wondered if she should be gathering supplies for the trip but quickly dismissed the idea. The forest was where she would go for supplies and thats where the Plant was found, no need for rations or equipment.

“Oh wait yew don’t know wat dis plant look like!” Niv jumped up in alarm at her own forgetfulness. She quickly frowned when she realized she didn’t have the foresight to bring a drawing. Attached to the bounty post was a small painting that Niv had studied but she didn’t take it with her.
“It called Maknahocan, but I not have dwa-ing wit me it was in deh Order of Alundih.” Niv sighed with a prominent frown before delivering one last suggestion. “I could dwa on paper for yews. If like.”
Niv was willing to go back to the Order of Aliduh to pick up the picture but if paper and pencil were offered, Niv would do her best to draw the plant. After fumbling with the giant drawing tool for a while the resulting sketch would likely lead to more questions than answers. The order was on the way to the forest, so Niv’s drawing skills weren’t necessary but amusing to watch none the less.

“My bird Patcha, just outside waiting In tree.” Niv pointed to the open window.
“Well on our way den” Niv would walk towards the window thinking it was the only entrance but would turn to Inali realizing she wasn’t being followed.
“Where yews go?” The Tunawa called out in confusion. After seeing the door Inali was near, Niv clued in.
“oh sorry I dot dis was only way out, but yews have two doors.” Niv scurried out after Inali to greet her bird.

Niv would preform a loud squawk to the sky to call her mount and a Sulphur crested cockatoo would suddenly spring out of a nearby tree. The exotic bird would soar down in front of Niv, giving the tunawa a gentle nuzzle after he landed.
“Patcha dis is Inali” Niv pointed up at the Edisi women. “Inali dis is Patcha, he friend from Desnind.”

After the introductions they would briskly travel through the city towards the order for a brief stop, then onward to the edge of the forest.

[Inali]

Inali nodded and was relieved to find that her initial assessment was correct. While she did know how to start a basic fire and identify some of the most common edible plants in the forests surrounding Ne'haer, the rumors surrounding the Willow Woods set her on edge. She shivered at the thought of a great beast leaping from the shadows with the sole intention of rending her asunder. Such occurrences were not rare, and there were multiple postings in the Judgement Hall warning adventurers that no bounty was worth their life.

If the plant was difficult to find in the daytime, Inali imagined that it would be even more difficult to spot at night. The Eidisi grabbed her lantern and a wad of rolled cloth that could be used to light it.

"I'll take this" she explained "so that we can see dark. No sun will not help, but we will need be caring. Creatures like light."

Inali pursed her lips, wondering if the term 'Maknahocan' was the correct Common pronunciation or some oddity based on Nivi's accent. The Eidisi blushed lightly at the thought, knowing that her own butchery of the language had caused confusion in friends and rivals alike. After one last check of her belongings, the Eidisi followed Niv to the window and peered at the Tunawa cautiously. Surely Tunawa would not simply drop to the ground. Even sticks broke from such a height. After admonishing herself for the morbid thought, Inali grinned at Nivi.

"Yes, I am using door. Real door."

She raised an eyebrow at Nivi, trying her best not to laugh at the Tunawa's confusion. After a few trills, she had managed to calm herself sufficiently. Looking at the window did not trigger another laughing fit or the desire to draw the image of a door around the window in charcoal.

When Patcha arrived at the edge of the window, Inali tried not to stare. It made sense that Tunawa would befriend animals to help them get around the forests, but she hadn't imagined that Nivi's bird would be so striking. Timidly, Inali waved to the cockatoo, and did her best to imitate Niv's squawk in her own broken form of Tree Talk.

She turned abruptly then, too mortified by the odd croak that had came from deep within her throat to do much more than yell back to Nivi,

"Am going to market for food. Will meeting you at Order in half break."

She shouldered her backpack and a few nels off the table and began making her way to the market stalls.

[Niv]

Patcha turned his feathery head sharply to Inali and gave the Edisi a shrill squawk. Niv eyes opened in shock at her feathery companions appalling behaviour and returned a squawk in reprehension. The two small creatures began to flap there limbs about and squawk back in forth in argument. Patcha’s finally made a low caw and hung his head a bit, Niv let a soft sounding coo and stoked his head signifying the end of the bizarre display.

“Yews say rude ting teh Patcha on mistake.” Niv explained calmly to Inali as she continued to stoke the feathers on the base of the birds neck. “Try teh sing when squawk, happy song happy squawk.” Singing was typically how Niv thought of tree talk when she was first learning it. Having a song playing in her head was a very useful tool.

“I wait fer yews,” Niv nodded with a smile at Inali’s request to shop for food. “Find many tasty food while I get deh picture.” With that, Niv squawked with an encouraging tone and tugged the reins to get Patcha to continue on towards the Order. Once there, Patcha daringly flew in thew the conveniently open door, startling the young blond haired healer who was making his way inside. With a few guiding gestures Niv was able to get patcha to fly over to the bulletin board and snag the picture. They flew out and found a low branch on a nearby tree to wait for Inali. Patcha amused himself by chewing on a pinecone, while Niv began braiding her vines as they waited.

When Niv finally spotted her bluish friend walking towards the Order, she had already given herself four messy braids that stuck up like curved horns. The Tunawa mounted Patcha and tugged lightly on his reins to get him to stop attacking the defenceless pinecone. They casually soared down to greet Inali, landing on a stone post nearby.

“I has picture.” Niv held out the painting towards Inali to let her inspect it.

—-

They headed into the dimly lit woods, even in the day the trees blocked much of the light. The chaotic forest floor didn’t help much ether, so many twisting tree roots and exotic mushrooms and wild pants that Niv didn’t even know where to look. The picture of the flower was fairly colourful and the leaves almost seem to be glowing which didn’t seem to match the more subdued look of everything in the foreboding location.

“Yews know where magic plants be?” Niv asked Inali while trying her best to keep her voice relatively quiet. This was a very dangerous place after all.

[Inali]

Inali pulled one of the smaller bags from the outermost pouch of her backpack as she walked through the winding streets of Ne’haer’s residential district. It was awkward to have the bag supported by a single shoulder, but she knew the route to the small market by heart. Her favorite merchant was an older Biqaj woman that sold a variety of fresh vegetables and jams. When Inali asked her why she didn’t can or brine the fish that her husband caught, the Eidisi was treated to a withering look and a lecture regarding the foul smells that had permeated her home after only a single bad batch. The woman’s nose had wrinkled at the memory and Inali had purchased an extra can of jam to show her pity. Each time Inali visited her stall, the woman had a short story or piece of advice about the current state of the city. The Eidisi had tried to hide how much she appreciated the gesture, but she was sure the woman understood. They both gained someone out of the small interactions, and that put the worst of her fears to rest.

Kiva was smiling in the sunlight and gestured for Inali to come close. She called out in a warm Rakahi,

“Inali, I have just the thing for you. Fresh carrots, celery, and a decent batch of cucumber.”

Inali walked over to the collected vegetables that overflowed out of a large wooden cart and began filling her bag with her favorites.

“You know Kiva, that’s why I like you. You aren’t afraid to tell me when the farmers are holding out on us.”

Inali winked and quickly pressed some golden nels into the woman’s hand. It was more than the cost of the vegetables, but Kiva wouldn’t figure that out until Inali was already heading towards the Order.

► Show Spoiler

Purchased five carrots (25 cn), four bunches of celery (32cn), and two heads of broccoli (14cn). Paid 5gn

---
It didn’t take long for Inali to find Niv once she approached the stone building that housed the Order of the Adunih. The small tunawa had been waiting for some time, it seemed. Inali apologized sheepishly and waved to Patcha once more, hoping the bird had forgotten the slight from earlier. She inspected the drawing critically and noted the oddly shaped leaves that were the hallmark Maknahocan. The leaves were abnormally thin, large, and covered in a glowing white fuzz. The weight caused the leaves to droop downwards, as if they were only a few bits from falling back to the earth. The flower of the plant seemed almost boring in comparison. It sported only a handful of yellow petals, and Inali knew that it could easily be confused for a handful of other yellow flowers.
--

Inali chuckled at Niv’s question. The tunawa had more faith in her abilities than she had guessed, and she felt genuinely bad for admitting that she had no idea where the plant would be located. With her free hand, she gestured in front of her in a sweeping arc. The plant was out there, somewhere.

As they made their way through the woods, Inali did her best to keep Niv entertained. The Order would not ask for them to find a plant that was close to the city walls, so she imagined that they had at least a half trial left before they would get a glimpse of the elusive plant.

“That mushroom there – it’s bad. Red with white spots good. White with red spots…”

Inali shivered, and hoped that Niv wouldn’t ask what ingesting such a dangerous mushroom would do to an Eidisi. She wondered for a moment if Tunawa would be harmed by fungi or plants. She posed her question to Niv as they stepped into a large clearing. After Niv replied, Inali pointed out one of the first mistakes she had made when she came camping,

“Thought meadow was good sleep spot. Then rain coming. All of my food bad, had to live off grass and worms.”

She smiled wryly at the memory and pushed forward, eager to hit the first small stream that cut across the northeastern portion of the woods.

[Niv]

Patcha gave a neutral squawk back at Inali's apology, Birds weren’t really creatures that held grudges. They had more important things to worry about, like where to drop their poop and where the tastiest worms were.

“I don’t dink Patcha mad at yews anymore,” Niv explained to the Edisi who might not understand the birds mannerisms. “He realize mistake yews make.” Niv nodded her head at Inali with a comforting smile as she patted the birds neck. The Tunawa was at least hopeful that her statement was true and that was really all that mattered. If Niv acted like there wasn’t tension, there wouldn’t be any.


—-

“Oh.” Niv frowned a bit as Inali conveyed with words and gestures that she had no idea where to find the plant. The tunawa knew the task would be considerably more difficult if nether of them even knew where to look. It was a touch discouraging but the simple fact that Niv didn’t have to do it alone was better than going alone.

“So mushroom make yews cold?” Niv lifted an eyebrow at Inali’s actions, tunawa didn’t really shiver like humans did but the tunawa at least recognized a common symptom of chill. “I not know dat mushroom could make person cold, dank yews for telling me dis.”

“hrm..Oh no tunawa eat poison,” Niv shook her head at Inali’s second question. “den we grow cure on head for yews cun'ahee.” Niv quickly tapped her hand on her head, before loosing her balance and clinging back on to Patcha’s neck.

“Lisirra not like tunawa for dis reason.” Niv gave a cheeky little grin at this, it made her proud knowing she made the devious Immortal’s plans.

—
They continued on, Playing different games, like I spy and truth or dare as the breaks passed. Niv had just shared her fear of fire and bees, then her crush on a Sev’ryn boy named Ti’niva. She was about to go into detail about her strange attraction to a boy ten times her size but was interrupted by an erie shake in a bush nearby. Niv became petrified at the sudden disturbance and conjured up all manner of horrific beasts in her mind.

“Wat dat?..” Niv whispered fearfully to Inali, as she urged Patcha not to fly any further. “yews have weapon right?”

[Inali]

Inali blinked, looked up at Niv, and frowned. She knew better than to simply leave things for the tunawa to puzzle out on her own, but she found herself doing so unconsciously. Surely even the tunawa worried about poisons? If Patcha ingested some poisonous berries the bird would suffer just an eidisi did, if not more. Inali shook her head and replied,

“Well, shakes part of it. Shivers, fever, vomit… you no can drink water, then get sicker. I don’t eat wild mushrooms. Never. Always grass, bugs, flowers…”

She shook her head vehemently at thought. Eating mushrooms epitomized the ‘foolish, damnable risks’ that her professors had warned her about. It was a core tenet of her kin, no matter whether they pursued the art of the blade or the world of academia. While it was easy to think that losing influence was preferable to losing a limb, risk taking was dangerous in any scenario. A risk taker that failed was branded as a danger to those around them – rumors, written critiques, and warnings would circulate like wildfire. It took multiple seasons to recover from the damage, as eidisi operated under the assumption that logic and preparation would always be the first option. That single question lingered long after the rumors faded: 'Why were you so impulsive?'

Niv replied in that ever cheerful, optimistic tone. Inali wondered if all tunawa were like her. Did a life far away from the dangers of the city always promote such a carefree attitude? As Niv told her about the origin of the various vines, flowers, and fungi that adorned her head, Inali found herself peering upward, straining to see past Patcha’s outstretched wings. Her next words were muttered half to herself, though she did hope she would receive some sort of answer. A myriad of questions swirled through her mind. Did it hurt to grow the flowers? Did they ever go bad? What would a tunawa ‘haircut’ involve?

“Grow… cure?”

Inali nodded to herself as she heard the Plaguedaughter’s name. No, an infinite supply of antidotes and cures would not please Lisirra at all. Thoughts of disease were quickly swept from her mind as she caught sight of Niv's flowering hair a few feet ahead of her. She stepped over a fallen tree and mused silently to herself, wondering how her life would have been different if she was raised far away from Viden. The Eidisi was ever grateful to have Niv as her companion. Her time spent with the tunawa reminded her of days long gone, where all of her work could be left in the library after a long day of work. Since she had been blessed by Audrae, her obsession with secrets had overshadowed her desire to live a simple life. She had been chosen and she couldn’t fail. It was more attention than she had ever gained in Viden, and a few sleepless nights were a fair price to pay for the gifts that her patron Immortal had bestowed to her.

As they continued deeper into the Willow Woods, the duo gossiped and swapped fears. Inali echoed Niv’s fear of fire and shared how much she feared going back home. It was a highly personal fact, but Niv was already sharing so much of her own life that it was only fair. As Niv began telling her of her crush on a Sev’ryn man, Inali bombarded the woman with questions, curious as to the traits she valued in a partner. Just as she was about to repeat them, Inali caught Niv’s gaze, following it to a shaking bush a few feet ahead. The eidisi fumbled with her pack, dropping the canvas bag to the ground as she struggled to retrieve her blade. The bush shook again at the loud noise and a few birds cried out in alarm before taking to the skies.

Inali unsheathed her blade before calling out to Niv,

“Fly higher, Nivi.”

While she wasn’t noble or valiant, it would be foolish for them both to die for a plant. If she was injured, Niv might be able to make it back to Ne'haer in time to alert someone at the Order.

“If things getting bad, you leave”, she added in a sharp tone.

Inali moved forward with her blade gripped in her dominant hand, the point facing out towards the bush as she slowly crept forward on the balls of her feet.