Session 13: Rell's Log

General Summary

Rather than rising naturally, I was shaken awake from the light sleep I’d attempted after my final watch. Grimacing a little, I stretched, a light breeze tussling my hair as I watched the others make their final preparations to leave.
Catching Liv’s eye, I made sure to let her know how breath-taking her thunderous magic had been and that her power was certainly getting far stronger. It was lovely to see her develop her skills out here in the Wastelands; she was worth far more than tending wounds in the arena. Why had Otho never let her fight before?
I wasn’t going to object to Robyn’s navigation again since it left me free to my thoughts or to meander slightly off course. Elirith continued to glance at the sky, and I wished I could somehow quell her fears, even if they were well founded.
We walked purposefully westwards as we’d done the day before. Occasionally I fetched a few berries from my bag, feeling the bitterness on my tongue before swallowing them down. It was the only thing that broke the monotony as no one seems particularly inclined to talk.
The ground changed into a more compacted, flat, cracked earth, stretching out towards the horizon with little to no cover. The only signs of life were the occasional spec of a bird against the grey sky. For once, I felt a little uneasy. Though of course, we could see any enemies just as well as they would be able to see us.
As if reading my thoughts, the hair on the back of my neck rose, and I turned, continuing to walk backwards as I scanned the path we’d just walked. Liv threw me a smirk at my antics, which I quickly returned with a grin, before focusing instead into the distance. There, far beyond the hulking Saman and just about visible was a small cluster of forms and even at this distance, they were clearly on our trail.
Calling over my shoulder to halt Robyn, I pointed out our new acquaintances, and although we agreed they were likely just scavengers and hardly a hazard, it would be nice to have some meat. My mouth almost watered at the prospect and I bounced onto my tiptoes, volunteering to act as bait.
As I lay down on my back, the approaching beasts within eyesight, Elirith whispered a few words, and I almost gagged as the metallic odour of blood and death invaded my senses. I had to grit my teeth, focusing on remaining still. She could have at least warned me.
Distance trotting became louder until I was confident there were three four-legged animals, and although I tried to remain calm, my heart was rapidly speeding up.
Surely they wouldn’t have left me here?
My hand tightly slightly around my glaive at the slight possibility. As it did, an arrow parted the air, and a yelp of pain emanated not more than a few paces away. I was on my feet within a breath, hurtling myself at the source of pain.
They were wild dogs, emaciated and fur matted with dirt. Startled at their brother’s pain, they had paused before fleeing. It was enough. I lashed out with my glaive, catching the back legs of one as it attempted to flee and it collapsed to the ground also.
Pushing aside my stupid feelings that they would have abandoned me, we decided we might as well rest here as it would take some time to skin the animals. Glancing at the flea-ridden corpse, I commented that Robyn would likely be the best at the task. It was a long-winded, gory chore that required some precision, and I didn’t stifle a small smile as I recalled Mesh’s frown whenever I complained about the task.
Saman used torches to light a small fire, and I was happy to enjoy the fruits of our labour, savouring every bite of the stringy meat and even unabashedly licking some of the bones. Assuming it was Elirth’s first time, I wondered if she enjoyed the taste. The slight curl of her lip and wrinkled nose affirmed her uncertainty, but I was glad to be able to share the experience with her.
We wrapped and stored the rest of the meat carefully away and plodded onwards in an attempt to cover as much distance as possible before nightfall. Even after the sun was swallowed up entirely, we only stopped after I saw Liv stumble a little from exhaustion. I’d forgotten both she and Elirith were of course not as used to long hikes.
After we make camp, Elirith and Liv took first watch, and I felt a pang of sadness that I couldn’t share the time with them both. My body immediately disagreed with my intention to listen in to any whispered words, and I’d only awoken to my watch with Robyn.
Feeling a little awkward, I bit my lip, glancing from scanning the area, back to Robyn’s face, half lit by the glowing flames. I desperately wanted her to like me a little more, and my eye caught her beautiful bow once again. Knowing she was proud of the weapon, I queried how she came about wielding it. As expected, she was a little cryptic, but it seemed as though she was using it to prove a point, that someone in her past had thought her unable to do so. I knew what that was like, trying to show you were worthy. I’d done similar to be considered for the Diplomats. I mentioned she could try my glaive at some point if you’d like, but a frown crossed her lips, and I doubted she’d take me up on the offer.
Thinking back a day or so, I asked her what she’d thought of Councilmember Chancer’s party. She tensed enough that I knew the hostile note in her words to ring true, and we both gladly agreed to avoid similar situations in the future where possible. Her resentment towards the Council instantly drew one thought to my mind, and the words tumbled from my mouth before I could stop them.
I made the obvious statement that she was human before querying if she’d lost anyone during the rebellion. Perhaps I was too hasty for a shared sentiment as Robyn truly bristled, casting me a glare that I couldn’t meet. Apologising, I tried to get back on track and whispered if she trusted Saman, considering everything that had happened with Warforged within the city.
Robyn had tilted her head towards Saman as though he could inspire the answer; expression glazed as though lost in thought. After a heartbeat, she nodded, confirming that she trusted him and that he had his own mind. My hand found itself in a fist as my eyes searched her face, and I tried to ask how she was so sure. Smiling and turning back, she’s confirmed there was worse in the city; politicians.
A raspy breath that I didn’t realise I’d been holding escaped as I laughed loudly, having to clasp a hand over my mouth to not wake the others. Perhaps the two of us had more in common than we first thought. Swallowing my pride, a little, I admitted that I’d never meant to cause the group harm and that I knew I was reckless sometimes, but I didn’t do it intentionally. She seemed to appreciate my candour, features softening as I poured my thoughts out. Trying not to sound foolish, I wondered if she’d try to give me the heads-up if she thought I was too rash, and she kindly agreed.
Nodding, along with her, I confessed the mindset had gotten me into trouble multiple times, but I would do my utmost to take extra care, and I wanted to get better. Robyn seemed pleased with my sincerity, and I threw caution to the wind, cocking my head to the side and smiling as openly as I could. I shifted a fraction closer to her, glad we had cleared some of the tension between us and hoping that she now liked me a little more.
The following morning, we prepare to leave once again, and I’m fixed my hair up in loose braids as a thought occurred to me. Calling out to Elirith, I asked jokingly if she could mirror me so that I could see how I looked. I caught the sly smirk as she shifted into a dishevelled version of myself, hair in disarray and looking generally unkempt. My heart sank slightly. Was she just like Daq? Pouting, I grumbled that I’d never looked like that, despite knowing for a fact the opposite to have been true many times.
As she changed back, Liv engaged her in conversation about what she couldn’t change into. Elirith had gladly answered that she couldn’t turn into Saman or into something like the wild dogs we’d encountered, it had to be a similar size and shape to her. As if to prove her point, fur began running over her body as she changed into the Tabaxi which had flirted with her in Halo. Chucking, I enjoyed as she performed a few scratching actions, before moving back to an elf once more. Liv also asked around her gender and my ears pricked as I’d been wondering the same myself. She’s shrugged, almost as if not knowing the answer herself, stating that she was both.
We made our way onwards, plodding in the now familiar procession as the wind continued to whistle around us. As we walked, I noticed fine, hair-line marks in the hard ground, which evolved into cracks, the earth dipping or rising to compensate. Eventually, the height difference was so significant, that a network of walkways formed, an interconnected maze that stretched out haphazardly before us. I recognised it from descriptions by other Diplomats as the Basin.
Suddenly overly conscious of not only my footsteps but those of my companions, we decided to stay on the upper levels and weave around as best possible to continue west. Robyn was left to navigate once more, and we proceeded at a steady pace. If I was being honest with myself, I was happy at the slight risk. At least it wasn’t dull.
A shout from Elirith caused us to stop, and she confirmed she’d spotted something wedged down inside the grooves. She quickly knelt, and I immediately joined her, just clasping my hands around her thin ankles before she leant down over the edge. My lip curled upwards of its own accord as I enjoyed the view of her before me.
Elirith called upwards that it was a kind of skeleton and I winced as a cracking sound pierced the air. She’d clearly damaged it in some way. Even still Saman noted that he’d seen similar in the Ancestral Archives and as such it might be worth a fair amount of coin in the right hands. Therefore, we painstakingly passed the bones upwards piece by piece, rolled them up in material and decide to store them in Saman’s bag.
As he cleared space, he passed me a few of his remaining unlit touches, and I was flooded with a memory of Mesh’s insistence, we always carry an ample amount. He also commented that there might be more should we come back this way and I nodded in agreement, thinking of the gold I owed back in Bastion.
After a few more hours of mindful trekking through I now realise was once an area called a swamp, we all noticed a structure taking form ahead. Caution taking precedence, we approached with care to make out large stone walls in various states of collapse. There were no signs of life around the base, nor perched in ambush above us, so we moved right up to the structure and edged carefully inside, ready to be pounced upon.
The settlement, however, was empty. If anything, it was too quiet, too still and a little unnerving. Something was slightly out of place, but it was hard to discern what. The well in the centre drew Elirth’s attention and she asked Liv to light a stone for her, but casting it downwards revealed nothing. As I glanced around, I noticed an archway, too high and thin for any race I knew of, and as I approached the stairs, I saw how they were cut for someone with a much wider gait. Whatever had lived here, was clearly quite abnormal.
I briefly confirmed with the group if they thought the stairs looked safe and Saman knocked a huge fist against it, which alleviated my fears. I made light of it, but I just knew I had to be a bit more careful. Climbing upwards, it was relieving to see the forest spread out before us to the West, though it was still a good half day away.
To the north there was no warren of cracks and hard-packed earth ran all the way to the structure we were in. Elirth had joined me I realised, and I smiled over to her before returning my gaze forwards. It was then that I saw it, dark against the earth was a figure, lurching towards us as though travelling as fast as possible but limited by an injury or perhaps merely fatigue.
Were they running from something? To somewhere?
I knew one thing for sure, something confirmed far too often. You did not survive long along out here alone.

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2 Conditori

• Continue heading west, encounter wild dogs
• Found somewhere to make camp again.

3 Conditori

• Find the ruins of a settlement.
• See a figure running towards the structure.

Report Date

15 May 2019

Original Disclaimer: Written from Rell’s PoV and any opinions on character’s or npcs are her own and may not be a true reflection of a character’s intended actions or intentions. Any missing content is due to Rell’s selective hearing or poor memory. Although I have attempted to keep information on Rell to a minimum, please note that you may read some content/opinions that aren’t common knowledge to your own characters and therefore it should not influence your interactions with her.

Additional Disclaimer: This article is ported frpm old blogspot articles for reference, and pertinent bullets and dates added to timelines.