Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

The city was more alive than it had felt all season. Every corner of every Burho was decorated with a rainbow of different flowers, even the Ghost Burho saw a rise in flora. The tunawa who usually resided within the Tree Burho had been working tirelessly through the night to decorate the whole of the lands. While it wasn't apparent beyond the walls the massive city had been transformed into a verdant paradise. It would never last. Flowers didn't live long in Yaralon but for one trial, for one celebration, they would endure.

In the early breaks of the trial, just after dawn, Yari filled the streets to participate. A large group gathered at the base of the Tree Burho in preparation and one face among them pulled droves of focus. Liandra Haze had come to participate. She'd come alone. No Death Nel Raider's at her back. It was strange. A seemingly elderly tunawa emerged from his home in the Tree Burho and called for the attention of the gathered so he could give the introductory speech. As with every arc, the elder explained how the games would work. It was necessary given that there were entirely new faces in the mass that had gathered. All throughout the city, in every single burho, tunawa had gone into hiding. Each hidden tunawa had a special flower with them. Once found, the tunawa would give their flower to whoever discovered them and join them along the journey.

Everyone had from sunrise to sundown to assemble their flower crown and whoever had the most flowers in their crown by the end of the trial would be crowned the Flower King (or Queen) for the arc. While this was mostly an honorary title, no one could deny that the Flower King or Queen always seemed to find themselves a little more fortunate for the arc of their reign. Dueling during the celebration was frowned upon but not unheard of. This arc the challenge had been raised by introducing the city's verdant makeover and that was sure to cause some strife if anyone attempted to cheat.

Regardless, with the elder's speech given and the tunawa dispatched into the city, the Petal and Thorn Games had begun.

Unbeknownst to the placated masses within the city, a large vessel had been seen moving through the skies and settled over Maiden's Refuge. It was just far enough into the distance that those manning the walls might have mistaken it for a storm cloud. Lacking a central governing power, Yaralon offered no official response to this mysterious arrival. That didn't mean there wasn't a response being issued.

Vethril abided in the sister of his daughter, the daughter of Livose, his former captive from augiery. He had subsided, refraining from any attempt at direct control, content to reside in her as she was more than capable of survival. During her morning routine, he'd crept in through the walls of her current modest dwelling and there on the nightstand placed the ghost metal ring that had been his prize from the intiial battle against the goblins so many seasons ago.

She found it, and even as Vethril rested in static repose within her soul, possessing the naer woman, she slipped it on her finger, perhaps as a lark. It was not easy to tell her emotions, without taking some form of control. From time to time he knew she felt the vestigial presence of him, though she of course knew not from whence it came. He thought perhaps he could use this at times, to subtly manipulate her. But he was not very good at it yet. But as a ghost, he had nothing but time to learn, and ruminate on where he'd come from, gathering wisdom and power in this new existence.

It'd been a chance encounter at the baths that had revealed her presence to him. As well as her mother's shade, which was weakened yet persisted in following her. She made a decent emergency snack from time to time, although Vethril wished to keep her as an echo for a while yet. He didn't wish to eliminate the mother, and send her into the Beneath as a whisper. No he had designs, wishes, and it didn't hurt to have a presence that was from his former life.

At any rate, Lizarra had made it a habit to go out into the streets, and nature. Staying cooped up at home didn't tend to engender a good mood. It also allowed Vethril to occasionally emerge when he wanted to feed, lest he weaken his host too much as he lay dorman for so long.

Lizarra walked toward the commotion that seemed to be flowing toward the Tree Burho. Vehtril saw through her eyes, the colorful flowers, and the many tunawa that were gathered at 'center stage'. He saw and listened to their game, and felt a sudden elation. Maybe it was Lizarra's? Either way, she was prompted to go out into the streets, to search for those hidden tunawa.

He let her have the chase, and at any rate wasn't great at tracking or finding hidden individuals. Vethril had ever been made for war, not tracking.

The streets immediately around the Tree Burho were infested with people rummaging through different flowerpots and hanging vines in search of any tunawa that were trying to blend in. While Vethril may not have had much experience tracking people and animals, his unwitting host did.

Since she was in control of her own facilities Lizarra's tracking experienceExpert Hunting allowed her to quickly uncover clear signs of tunawa passage. From the Tree Burho it would seem that all of the tunawa had spread outwards in a web-like pattern. From what Lizarra could see, it seemed that three had gone off to the Stone Burho, four had gone to the Silk Burho, and one had gone to the Ghost Burho. Given that the tunawa were bound to spread out eventually and hide, trying to track a larger number would be more difficult than tracking a single tunawa at a time. It could also have been more rewarding than tracking one.

It was also possible that there were different things to be found in the other Burho's, but Lizarra's experience in hunting only showed her so much due to the overcrowding in the Tree Burho. Many of the people were unwittingly destroying the trails they would need to follow in their search efforts. The longer it went on, the less there would be to find. Odds were that by mid-trial most people would be working on the crown instead of searching.

Liandra Haze lingered by the stage where the elder tunawa had announced that The Petal and Thorn Games were beginning. She was talking to the elder but Lizarra, and by extension Vethril, was too far away to hearNovice Detection what she was saying without getting closer. The rest of the population began to disperse to all the walled corners of Yaralon in festive search of tunawa or taverns to drink in.

There was a good deal of distraction flying about. That was good. It made the task of distracting Lizarra from his presence easier. And he had good reason now to want that distraction. As he anticipated she'd go after the tunawa headed for the Stone Burho, along with his spear, he drew his spectral form from her body, emerging behind her. Before she could get out of reach, he slid a tendril into her pocket. There, he'd slipped the note to the Death Nel Raiders, and wrapped it up rolled in the ghost-metal ring that he'd taken to carrying.

The ghost ring, as it touched his ethereal form strengthened his presence in the material plane. This done, he drew it close to him, as he walked up toward the dais where Liandra and the elder were speaking. He drew closer, engaging no flux, nor attempts to hide himself. He didn't want to offend by pretending not to be there, as he wasn't yet confident of his ability to move stealthily as a ghost.

Instead, he held out the note, slipping it out of the ghost ring with his other tendril. This he presented to Liandra. "I have need of your Death Nel Raiders' services. I wish for them to help me find the rest of the tunawa."

"Once found, their flowers will be mine, and this debt will be paid in full and then some." Vethril nodded to Liandra. "Upon delivery of the petals, I will pledge my aid to the Death nel Raiders in a singular contract, should you have need of me."

He awaited her response, but wouldn't be there long as his anchor was swiftly moving toward the Stone Burho, along with Lizarra.

Meanwhile, Lizarra continued tracking the tunawa, though it got tougher with every person who tread on the tracks left by the small quarry. Nevertheless, she found one, in a nearby alley. This one was one and a half feet tall, almost blending into a nearby rain barrel, but she spotted it's bright green veins amidst the woodgrain of the barrel.

Smiling, she muttered, "Found you, little one. I'll have your flower now."

She held out her hand expectantly, while leaning on the Sharp Spear as a walking staff.