An Unkindness, Part 3
Log Info
- Title: An Unkindness, Part 3
- Emitter: Ravenstongue
- Characters: Ravenstongue, Seyardu, Telamon, Ashes
- Place: H02: The Felwood
- Time: Wednesday, December 08, 2021, 8:59 PM
- Summary: Ravenstongue gathers Telamon, Ashes and Seyardu to assist with summoning the Feathered One out in the Felwood. They create a circle of salt, add triangles and lavendar. Ravenstongue, or Cor'lana, serves as the canvass for the curichuil, which Ashes paints. It becomes a permanent part of her skin. They stand inside the circle, while a swirling mass of birds appears without, and with it, the Feathered One. A fey who seems old. He asks why Cor'lana would not come with him and invites her to do so. Some discussion ensues, and the nature of Cor'lana's life and the Fey's bargain are revealed. Ravenstongue conceeds she will not leave her grandfather alone, but also does not want to live with him. He ponders coming to their world, but Seyardu and Paenitia advise him politics aren't good for that, currently. An agreement is reached. There will be owls.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--<* H02: The Felwood *>--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
The hills give way to trees, which grow black instead of green. The Felwood, once a part of the greater world, now stands apart from it. The trunks of its wood stand twisted in the way that trees will twist, yet somehow wrong, somehow off. Here, it's always cold, the weather just "something other" than what it should be.
Overhead, a continual storm brews. A blackened smear cuts the sky directly above the wood, a darkened rift that was never meant to be. Its creation is rumored as an unnatural thing, a crafting of the unnatural creatures that lie within these woods.
Now and then, the city sends out patrols to thin the creatures, and keep them from the main roads. However, travel here is dangerous, risky, and often painful.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Appearing =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ravenstongue 5'0" 99 Lb Half-Elf Female Short half-elf girl with violet eyes and black hair. Seyardu 5'6" 150 Lb Sith-Makar Female A friendly silver sith-makar with a perpetual squint. Telamon 5'6" 140 Lb Half-Elf Male A platinum-blond half-sil man with dancing dark eyes. Ashes 5'11" 177 Lb Hobgoblin Female A somber arvec in grey clothes with a skull face -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As the GM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ravenstongue 5'0" 99 Lb Half-Elf Female Short half-elf girl with violet eyes and black hair. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=
The time has come.
You have been summoned to the Mythwood and brought into the forest by Ravenstongue, whose expression remains grim. Your task is simple: you will aid in the rites that she must perform in order to finish the family curuchuil on herself and then summon the Feathered One, the fae lord who has claimed the firstborn child of the head of her paternal family's oldest child--in other words, the "firstborn's firstborn"--for thousands of years, only coming to call once every few generations. None remember why their family is bound to him, the reasons long lost to time, but Ravenstongue was supposed to be given to him when she was a newborn. Her mother interrupted the curuchuil, ordinarily an elven form of magic and art passed down through families that was turned into a firstborn marking ceremony for the Feathered One, and escaped with her child.
However, Ravenstongue has decided to finish the curuchuil on herself in order to summon the Feathered One from Quelynos.
Deep into the woods, in the clearing that Ravenstongue has chosen, a cold wind blows through the trees, a half moon overhead in a cloudy sky. Bluebells grow in the clearing, shivering with the cold wind like people might. The half-elf sorceress looks set in her convictions, but Pothy, her white raven, settles uneasily on her shoulder and looks around at every burst of wind through the trees as though he expects the Feathered One to leap from the shadows at any moment.
"Thank you for coming," Ravenstongue says. "The curuchuil is the quick part since the magic is already partly done. What I will really need your help on is the summoning rite. When that's done, I will give you the instructions."
One in attendence is Mourner Ashlee Ciaradh, a grey hobgoblin with a skull for a face and tattered, faded clothes. She looks a little like she's been exhumed, and has a lingering aura as if she hasn't, that of a grave surrounds her.
She arrived on a pale horse, which she dismissed in a way that suggested it was a spell. She faces the sorceress, and in monotone says, "I used most of my spells today. I can do rituals but don't have much mana."
A summoning! Inside, she's on the pleased side, this could be fun. No hint of her anticipation shows, she stands rigid in a military stance, and waits for further instructions.
Seyardu had no intention of not showing up for the summons, and this day, she made her way to the forests asked of her. Much more slowly, traveling on foot, but she did manage to make her way there with enough time left. And she did not know this area of the woods as well, preferring to avoid it usually.
"Think nothing of it, Ravenstongue, I am happy to be here and offer what assistance that I am able." Seyardu replies. "I will help you prepare, and do what I can for the ritual. And, should anything go amiss, I would not wish to be far, but I do not believe that will come to pass."
Ravenstongue nods, smiling a little, but the grim and determined expression returns quickly to her face. She pulls out four drawstring bags. "Seyardu, this bag is full of salt," she says, holding out the bag that, if squished a little in the palm, certainly feels like it's full of salt. "While I work on the curuchuil, I need you to spread this salt in a circle around us. That will be the boundary that the Feathered One can't cross when we perform the summoning. It needs to be closed. The slightest hole means he could cross, which might be problematic if he really intends harm to any of us."
She holds out the other three bags to the Mourner. "Ashlee, these bags are filled with twigs from the acacia tree, the oak tree, and the ash tree. I need you to put them separately inside of the circle Seyardu is making. Try to form the corners of a triangle with your piles."
The last to arrive is Telamon, striding out into the clearing. Wrapped up in his cloak, his brow furrowed as he approaches Ravenstongue. "Awful night to have a curse -- or at least, an unwanted fae lord bothering you. What do you need from me, Raven?" He's carrying his pack, and he can't help but look up at the reassuring stars overhead. As tense as this is, the night sky does seem to make him feel a little easier.
Ashlee takes the three bags of acacia twigs. She nods once, "Ok. Triangles."
Her head turns, there's a long glance at the art supplies, and the easle set up for the curuchuil. A thought crosses her mind, she offers, "I paint corpses."
What she meant to say is she has some skill at making a corpse look alive, doing the makeup, things like blush and lipstick, or disguising injuries. Her monotone delivery makes it sound like she enjoys creating images of dead bodies, all morbid, twisted and decaying. Looking at her, that's the first impression that comes to mind.
She means well though, she could assist with the painting, but stands ready to make the small piles of sticks.
"To make a circle on the ground with salt? I think I can do that, Ravenstongue." Seyardu nods to the sorceress after accepting the pouch and opening it to sniff it from farther away. "Just, I may need someone to double check there are no gaps. My eyesight is not the best, though I trust in my movements. And white should stand out quite well against the ground."
She scopes out the area, clearing out a space to begin working. "Ah, you paint bodies? I know you are a mourner, that is good you are acquainted with the funeral rites of my kind. Or do other people do the same, painting the bodies of the fallen in ritualistic markings?" She asks the hobgoblin.
Ravenstongue smiles to see Telamon arrive. "Hey, there you are. I gave Ashlee and Seyardu some of the materials for the circle--take these." She fishes out a couple of sprigs of lavender and puts them into Telamon's hands. "Spread these along the salt circle that Seyardu is making."
She looks over at Ashlee and says, "Oh! Well, it might be easier for you to paint it on as I do the chanting for the curuchuil. Once you're done setting up the branches, that is."
She looks back to Seyardu and nods as she talks. "Telamon can double-check you the circle as he goes to spread the lavender."
Telamon takes the lavender from Ravenstongue, nodding. "Evenly placed, I assume." He inclines his head to Seyardu. "No worries. Starlight's as good as daylight for me. Go ahead and start, I'll call out if I find a thin spot or a broken one." He moves over next to Seyardu, letting the salt circle start before he begins to walk inside it, eyes tracking as he begins to lay down the lavender next. "I really hope this works. I'm going to be sorely peeved if we go to all this trouble and it doesn't."
"Yes," Ashlee tells Seyardu. She is familiar with makari rites. One answer for two questions also, very efficient. She's happy she doesn't have to speak much. She lines up behind the silver scale cleric and waits to make little triangle teepees.
As she waits, she looks at Ravenstongue and nods acknowledgement, "Ok." The summoning is turning out to be quite enjoyable. For her. Chippen and her other friends find the woods a little cold, and are snuggled deep in her clothes.
Seyardu is not moving particularly quickly, ritual circles were always meticulous, and for her, they took even more time. Even with two people waiting on her to do their own work, she does not rush things. "If it does not work, then we try something else. It is just salt, wood and wildflowers, it is not that much of a problem if things fail to work, we will find another solution. And, I would not put it past the two who suggested this course that it may not, but I will hold out hope they mean to be of assistance."
GAME: Ashes rolls craft/painting: (9)+13: 22
Ashes follows Seyardu. Step, crouch, select three twigs and make a little triangle. Every other one she adds another three to turn it into a pyramid. She works from the outside of the circle, meticulously and diligently. The last summoning circle she was at, she mostly waited. Direct participation might go even better.
Once that task is complete she moves to working on the curuchuil. She takes up a brush, opens a few paint pots, then looks at Ravenstongue expectantly. "Birds?"
Telamon patiently follows along behind Ashes and Seyardu, inspecting the line and scattering the lavender as needed until the circle is complete. "I worry less about 'the summons doesn't work' and more along the lines of 'we summoned the big bastard but we haven't hedged him out properly'. One is inconvenient, the other would be kind of -bad-." He pauses to doublecheck one spot, before nodding and moving on.
Finished with the ritual circle, she takes a step back to take a look at the circle, and it looks alright to her. But when she looks at the painting, she just sighs. "I will have to trust that the painting is made properly. Good luck Ashlee, as it is all so indistinguishable to me."
"If it is hostile, we treat it as hostile, and either banish it, or vacate the area. I am prepared for either if necessary." "Two people died last time." Ashlee says, her words expressionless, deadpan. This explanation might require more details, she glances at Seyardu and Telamon, looks at Ravenstongue and shakes her head, "A different mage and target."
She waits for further instructions.
Ravenstongue looks around for a moment. She takes a deep breath and unties her cloak to reveal a somewhat low-cut and long blue dress with deep bell sleeves and bronze embroidery--the colors of Navos the Raven, perhaps a sly barb at the Feathered One and a declaration that she is not his to possess. Not that she has much of the figure that one would expect to fill out a dress like this, but when she holds out the paper that her father handed her at the library weeks ago, it's evident why--the diagram shows the prominent mark of a feather placed right over the heart. "Just the feather, but you can make any design you like within the shape," she says. "You can also make it any color you'd like--I trust you. Multiple colors are fine. My body is the canvas, unlike most curuchuil rituals."
Once Ashlee starts painting, Ravenstongue chants in Sylvan, low enough it's difficult to make out--but her eyes glow softly with the casting of magic. The painting sets into her skin and it seems to very subtly shimmer once her chanting is done, despite the paint having no such quality.
Ravenstongue opens her eyes and sighs in relief to look down at the finished product. She purses her lips together, her eyes watering. "It's true," she says. "I can hear the calling--it's so faint. But I can hear it--"
Pothy croaks on her shoulder. Ravenstongue nods to him. "Right. We have things to do." She takes out one final component from her bag: a heavy iron bell. "Once I ring this bell, I will begin the chant. I want everyone to repeat after me and focus their magic to blend into mine. If you can't manage it, you can sing or dance as you chant--that is a decent substitute for the energy."
Once everyone is ready, Ravenstongue rings the bell. "Feathered One! We call to you," she declares. <Sylvan> Then she says again in Common, "With me, everyone! Feathered One! We call to you!"
The low hum of magic begins to flow in the air, emanating from the salt circle and the offerings inside.
GAME: Telamon rolls Spellcraft: (15)+8: 23 GAME: Ashes rolls spellcraft: (15)+12: 27 GAME: Vaera rolls spellcraft: (7)+6: 13
Telamon closes his eyes, reaching down into that place where he visualizes the power coming from. Deep breaths, churning the energies, and his platinum-hued hair actually starts to rise and stand on end a bit, waving as if in a breeze. His eyes open, and they are dark... but deep within can be seen the glimmer of stars, a reflection of the night sky and the heavens. "From the deep places between the bright stars, my power is yours. The unquenchable fire that will not falter." A tangible current flashes into place between Telamon and Ravenstongue, lending her his arcane energies.
The bell rings. Ashlee starts to chant. She is very good at maintaining a pace, repeating each word exactly as the time before. There's no emotion in it, there rarely is when she speaks.
- "Feathered One. We call to you,
- "Feathered One. We call to you,
- "Feathered One. We call to you,
She's a talking skull. The image she painted within the feather on Ravenstongue's breast is of Vardama's scales. In Silver, not grey, to suggest her positive power.
It's still a hint of death, and perhaps a warning to the one that would snatch a feather. Breathing evenly, the ashen Arvec continues the chant.
- "Feathered One. We call to you,
Seyardu nods to Ravenstongue and steps back, letting the others take the lead with their chanting. her tail thumps against the ground rhythmically, albeit slightly off pace.
"Feathered one, we call to you." She chants in a low rumble, watching the circle for any hint of movement, one hand on her holy symbol in case she needed to react quickly.
The magic of the chanting seems to be working. The circle's hum of power grows stronger, more audible. It seems to feed off every word, the pauses in between syllables like longing drone for the melody of the four inside to continue. "Feathered One! We invite you here! Feathered One! Your promised one has come!" Ravenstongue calls out.
Beyond the boundary of the salt circle, the bluebells in the clearing... ring. It's an ethereal ringing, like the tinny of music boxes but with far more echo. Then comes the calling of owls and ravens--the heralds of the Feathered One.
He will soon be here.
GAME: Telamon rolls spellcraft: (19)+8: 27 GAME: Ashes rolls spellcraft: (19)+12: 31 GAME: Vaera rolls spellcraft: (14)+6: 20
Telamon is feeling oddly... detached. Not totally, but it feels strange, as though he's viewing things dispassionately now, from a distance, as opposed to his earlier worries. Continuing the chant, even as he routes his power to Ravenstongue to strengthen the call. His eyes move toward the edge of the protective circle as the bluebells ring, and he tenses ever so slightly before relaxing.
The Mourner slips into the chant. The words become automatic. She feels the fluctuation of energy in the circle, observes the changes to the living curuchuil, and adds some of Vardama's divine energy in the process.
It's a chill, calming sensation, a quiet sensation of solitude. The stillness of the grave.
- "Feathered One. We call to you,
She remains in place. The shifting of her familiar and friends beneath her clothes is barely noted. She stares at the centre of the circle.
Seyardu keeps her tail thumping, as she continues to chant, keeping at pace with the others to the best of her abilities. The stone talisman in hand glowed faintly. While she was not experienced in such rituals, the simple act of meaning was enough to channel more of the divine energy into the ring, as she listened to the faint ringing around her.
The circle's power is standing strong as the vision around the boundary is filled only with the sight of bird silhouettes. An oppressive flock of birds surround the circle, the calls of ravens, owls, and stranger haunting calls of birds not normally heard on the material plane ring out further beyond.
Then it happens. A pair of violet eyes burn in the shadows of swirling birds. They come closer and closer, and the bird silhouettes part.
A tall man with incredibly pale skin, presumably never having seen the light of the material plane sun, steps out of the swirling feather storm behind him. His raven black hair, somewhat messy in that strands of it are in his face, falls down to his almost bare chest, as he wears a dark cotton robe with a deep, deep cut that goes down to his stomach, the rest of his robe terminating at his sandal-clad feet. A cloak of feathers adorns his shoulders and tumbles down, just long enough to hide his hands.
The violet eyes, the same as Ravenstongue's, assess the group within the circle. Perhaps unexpected are the slight wrinkles on his face, suggestive of an older man, but not commonly seen on most fae, more focused on appearing timelessly youthful.
Most unexpected of all: his eyes well up with tears as he sets eyes on Ravenstongue.
"Child of my bloodline--you are more beautiful than any of my visions or messengers indicated," he says. His voice is full of longing, sounding like it could break into sobbing at any moment.
Telamon seems to... drift, rather than walk, standing next to Ravenstongue. His eyes are still full of stars, a cool gaze that regards the fae lord without his usual insouciance. Slowly, his head turns to Ravenstongue, seeing what her response might be to this curious admission, to the Feathered One's almost tearful declaration.
Ashlee stares out of the circle, examining the man and comparing him to Ravenstongue. There are similarities, the blood tie is evident. He seems genuine in emotion, lonely. She glances at the sorceress, the others, then back at the Fey lord.
She's not a skilled speaker and doesn't like speaking. Safer to stand and stare; this she does, waiting, although another meaningful glance is shared with Ravenstongue.
Under her clothes, Chippen squirms about. She can relate. She feels like a bug under his examination.
GAME: Ashes rolls sense motive: (2)+13: 15 GAME: Vaera rolls sense motive: (6)+6: 12 GAME: Telamon rolls Sense Motive+3: (14)+2+3: 19
He's a Fey lord. He seems very genuine.
Seyardu blinks when a person appears outside of the circle, and she steps back, closer to the others. her hand does not leave her holy symbol as she regards the person, though her other hand moves to Ravenstongue's shoulder. "We have sought you out this day due to the animals you sent to her." Seyardu states calmly. She did not wish to say too much yet, lest it be used against her, and hoped more would be clear in a moment.
Ravenstongue shivers as she stares back at the Feathered One. She nods to Seyardu's sentiment, seeming to find the words in her to speak. "You harassed me," she says. "Your birds kept following me. I lost so much sleep because of you. I had to learn that my father was a scoundrel willing to just sacrifice me to you so he could have an easier life. Who does that?"
The Feathered One's face twists into anguish. "Did I cause you pain and grief, Cor'lana?" he asks, his voice almost breaking before he says her name. "I never meant to. I am deeply sorry for that. I... apparently never learned my lesson from my wife thousands of years ago. She told me not to send out the birds like that to our children because they fed off my emotions, I..."
He shakes his head. "She is gone. Like so many of your ancestors, she has passed on. And I remain. I call on my children to come live with me so that my loneliness does not cause me to act in maddened ways, and I... I have clearly begun to slip back into that. What would she say if she saw me now..."
Ravenstongue looks baffled for a moment, looking between her group of friends for a moment. "I, umm. What do you think?" she asks quietly. "Should we drop the circle? I... don't think he'll harm us."
Telamon raises a hand to Ravenstongue. "In a moment." He regards the Feathered One, and says with that same calm tone, "One might ask what your intentions are with the lady, sir. I would deny no one the opportunity to connect with their blood, no matter how remote, but you must see there is a certain... tension here."
"Ravenstongue, I understand your desire to do so, but we should not do so so readily. Those from other planes, they can behave in unexpected ways, and many can hide their true intentions well. That is not to say that the feathered one is not trustworthy, but that it can not be decided with certainty, just yet."
The cleric looks back to the fey in question. "I understand your sadness and loneliness, but forcing one to join you, it is not fair or right. You desire family, and companionship, but in doing so derive others of such."
"Sure," Ashlee says, meeting Ravenstongue's eyes with her own blank expression. Her skull markings aren't that reassuring. Her gaze turns back to the Fey Lord. She assesses him.
"We're here to bargain," She tells the Fey, looking next to Seyardu, "They're family"
A relationship that doesn't explain much, nor mean much, but one that exists none the less. It's not the same as a random kidnapping. It's a very specific kidnapping.
"I understand your hesitation," the Feathered One says, although he looks even further upset by the hesitation and suspicion laid his way. One tear finally does fall down his face, which he makes no attempt to wipe away. "I have not acted in a becoming manner. But I am... confused. A sacrifice? I was never told it was viewed like this. My descendants have always come to live with me when I called. I simply like their company, moreso than any of my kind. Pixies are troublesome. Interacting with politics is mind-numbing. I have no appetite to be among them--and yet I have lived with this loneliness for many years. That is why I ask for one of my children to come live with me. They live out their lives with me in peace and keep me company. When they pass of old age, I bury them and send them on their way. That is all I intend to do with Cor'lana."
Ravenstongue looks puzzled. "You mean to tell me you're just... lonely. And I'm your descendant. And you just want one of your grandkids to come visit. You don't... eat babies or anything, like my father was implying."
The Feathered One makes a noise of disgust. "Why would I do that to my own blood? I am not so depraved as some of my kind. I ask for children because I love taking care of them. It reminds me of when my wife and I had your first ancestors many years ago."
Ravenstongue just looks even more bewildered, perhaps picturing the Feathered One rocking a baby to sleep in that feathered cloak of his, before looking back to the others. "Well... I don't want to go live with him in Quelynos forever..."
She seems to think for a moment. "What if we could find a way for the Feathered One to be here in the material plane?"
Telamon's face relaxes a bit. He looks to Ravenstongue. "Or perhaps a modification of things? Regular visits? No one would want you to live out your days in Quelynos just yet, but surely there are ways to make the journey to and from that plane." He pauses, contemplatively, before continuing, "But for now, I think you are safe to lower the circle."
"I have a horse." Ashlee says, taking a small figurine out of her satchel. It's fist sized, and made of a strange purple-grey stone that has bands of colour through it. It doesn't move, and she doesn't explain its purpose. She looks at Ravenstongue. "It lets you cross planes."
A look at the silver-scale next, "Or Seyardu could show you how to teleport there. Or Merek. He knows how to plane shift."
"Or find a way he can stay. That works too." She stares at the Feathered One, her eyes slowly, slowly drift towards Pothy. She has a thought she must share, "He could possess the snack-bird."
Inside her clothes, Chippen starts tap-dancing madly. Abort this line of reasoning! Abort! That's her familiar!
Who will never know the lengths a bug went to defend him.
Seyardu listens, and when he speaks, she looks to Ravenstongue to see her reaction. But then, she nods. "Ravenstongue's great grandfather had a brother who was sent over, and her parents are afraid of having a child, for fear of having to give them up. They do not see it as you do." She explains. "If she wishes to visit, or you to visit, that would work better, I feel. There are others who can help her to reach you if needed. Or we could summon you back here like such."
"Posessing Apotheosis? I know their appetite is endless, but I do not think they could stomach a fey of their power. Nor do I believe they would like to be confined to their form. But, we can consider our options."
The Feathered One seems to think it all over. He gives the white raven a glance for a moment and his violet eyes flash with recognition. "Apotheosis? I remember you. You were the human woman's familiar--she sent you to attack Cor'lana's father when we forming the curuchuil on the little one, only a moment after I gave Cor'lana her name. That was... a misunderstanding, of course."
Pothy stares at the Feathered One for a long moment with his blue eyes. His feathers have puffed up to look almost twice his size the entire time. He finally says, "You're on /thin/ ice, fucker," mimicking the sarcastic voice of a human woman, before turning his head away. Apparently, he's okay with it, so long as no harm comes to Ravenstongue in the process.
The Feathered One actually chuckles at this. His laughter is oddly melodious and deep, like the sounding of deep bells. "Well... I am glad that is settled. But, I do know a way I can ease the passage between planes for us. It requires an anchor deeper than the curuchuil. But... I do not suggest it lightly, even if it might be the easiest option."
His face hardens into a fine line. "A blood pact. With that deeper connection established, it is much easier for me to walk into this plane, so long as it's in a place like this. I could even walk with her in that city I saw through my messenger's eyes. Imagine that... Being among more mortals." His eyes twinkle with childlike excitement.
Telamon continues to watch.
The ashen Arvec stares at the Feathered One, a long and silent look. Her head shifts, her eyes focusing on Ravenstongue. This baleful moment is interrupted as she suddenly squirms, and pulls at her shirt, adjusting the bindings beneath. Her familiar got into a difficult place to make a point.
Clothing adjusted, she returns to her stoic stand and stare. "That might not be possible for much longer. The Temples have a plan." A warning for both.
"Blood pacts, yes, that may not be an option. I do not know if it is different, but I know that the city frowns upon them. They may cause a lot of trouble for Ravenstongue, especially if you were seen in the city. I am sorry. Do you know more about what the temples do?" Seyardu frowns, remembering what lead to her favorite tavern shutting down, and Sabina's ostracization.
"But, visiting, it really should be possible, in some form. If they cannot have a blood pact, then I can prepare to help Ravenstongue visit. But we would need a way to have an anchor to your plane, specially prepared for such."
"Hmm. I see mortals deal with their own politics as well," the Feathered One says, small notes of amusement and irritation in his voice. "Perhaps we will simply agree on visiting here every once in a while--and perhaps outside of the city--"
He seems to realize something, his violet eyes flashing with the spark of inspiration. "I can simply send messengers to act as my eyes and ears. Pass it off as another familiar, perhaps. Cor'lana already has one raven. Perhaps two would not look out of place?"
"Yes." Ashlee says, rummaging around then holding out her hands. In one, there's a white lizard, in the other, a mouse. Chippen is visible as a bangle, wrapped around her left wrist. Her familiar, and friends, "I was thinking of getting a snake."
A thing she needs to discuss with another friend.
"Another Raven is fine."
"Visiting once in a while should be fine. Especially in areas outside the city. Though, did you not just say your messengers could cause trouble?" Seyardu asks, looking to Pothy, and back to the feathered one. "You said as such, unless you mean coming as a raven or other bird yourself."
"I am glad, at least, that we can sort things out. But there is another concern that I must ask. There is a husband and wife that do not wish to have a child, Ravenstongue's father in a biological sense, and his wife. Is it alright for them to do so? They worry that you will seek them out if they do so."
"They cause trouble if I am mired in my loneliness and give in to my urge to send my many messengers looking for the child I named and have loved since I have seen her as a little one, yes," the Feathered One admits, a slightly bashful expression crossing his face. There's a bit of shame to it as well, however. "If I send just one, I can speak through it and interact with her--and all of you, as well. And as Cor'lana grows more powerful... Perhaps she can shift between planes for herself instead of relying upon others to do it, or to summon me through this method."
Ravenstongue realizes the circle of protection is still active at this point. She makes a motion, and the protective energy of the circle abates. With it, the flock of birds flying in the air around them also...
Oh. That's a lot of birds. Ravens and owls sit on the ground and in the trees, just staring at the group.
Ash's clothes ruffle as Chippen, Carbuncle and Minnie vanish into them. They're all tempting avian treats, best to hide in the walking grave. The Mourner herself lets her arms hang to her sides.
It is, as the Feathered One said, politics, or as she puts it, 'living issues'. Concerns she's come to care about lately, but ony manages to do so, so much. At least he's not a Void Dragon, she decides.
She picks an owl to stare at, and does.
The birds fly off into the distance, and Seyardu watches for a moment, only to realize that her question was not answered. "I understand your love for Cor'lana, but it has led to her parent and wife being bothered as well, and caused many problems. If not for their sake, then for Ravenstongue's, I would know that you will not try to take their child if they have one, lest they attempt anything rash with her. They have not been the most agreeable."
"If you would be comfortable with that, that would likely be the best for now, though. But you will need to cause no trouble in the city."
"Ah, my apologies--I did not answer it, did I?" the Feathered One asks. He shakes his head. "It does not matter to me whether they have children or not. I have seen them, and I have seen that they have threatened Cor'lana, and I do think I shall have to do something about the matter. Clearly my descendants have gone off track if they do not even remember why it is I ask for my children to be sent to me. Given that they have grown so concerned with their own equivalent of courtly politics, they have lost the plot of it. I assure you that Cor'lana will never be threatened by them ever again."
The expression on his face was hard, almost grim. Who knows what he would do to them. "But no, I will not cause trouble. The last thing I want to do is make Cor'lana's life harder. I just want my family--and I want to see her continue to grow into her own. Time is so fleeting... She has grown into a beautiful woman already."
This sentiment finally makes Ravenstongue's eyes well up. She walks closer to the Feathered One, short compared to him to the point where she must lift her head higher as she goes. "My mother is gone. I have no care to know my father. But... If you've cared and loved for me all of this time... Of course I'll accept you as family."
She embraces him, and the Feathered One throws his arms tightly around her. They both smile warmly, Ravenstongue beginning to sniffle into his chest.
"You can call me grandfather, if you like," the Feathered One says. He lifts a hand, although with appendages more like talons than fingers, that shift from the Feathered One's pale skin to black at the wrists. He pats her gently on the head, and Ravenstongue doesn't seem to mind his talons at all.
"Okay Grandfather." Ashlee says, watching the two embrace, focusing on his talon-like fingers, his general oddities, and the similarities she can detect between him and Cor'lana.
As she does, her mind wanders. She could ask for a raven, except they seem chatty. Very chatty. An owl would be nicer. They have a nice stare. They can turn their head all the way around too, which isn't something Ashes has ever wanted to do, but it is neat. An owl could say 'who' for her, and she could skip the whole introduction exercise.
Somewhere under her clothes, Chippen taps feet for her attention.
Right, Right! Watching the Fey and offspring re-unite. Her fingers fiddle in her clothes. Perhaps they need some time alone.
Yes, they do. Silently she steps into the shadows and vanishes, a tattered form drifting back to the city; a monster that doesn't go bump in the night.
OOC
inspirational music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNu6FmaUIB0
After Ashes arrives and looks cold, with her familiars hiding
<OOC> Ravenstongue says, "Now I feel sorry for subjecting a fictional house centipede and his friends to fictional cold XD"
<OOC> Telamon says, "LOL"
<OOC> Ravenstongue is an absolute monster and a menace to cute fictional pets.
<OOC> Ashes says, "heee! It's okay, they're warm."
After Ashes suggests the Feathered One possess Pothy
<OOC> Ravenstongue says, "OMG CHIPPEN"
<OOC> Telamon says, "LOL"
<OOC> Ravenstongue says, "Chippen's looking out for the bro-miliar :')"
<OOC> Ashes grins, nods, "he is."
After Ashes thinks wistfully about an owl
<OOC> Ravenstongue says, "Omg"
<OOC> Ravenstongue says, "Okay Ashlee is getting an owl friend as a gift later"
<OOC> Ravenstongue says, "That's a guarantee now"
<OOC> Ashes says, "heehee :)"
<OOC> Vaera says, "lol"
<OOC> Vaera says, "Yeah, I was right"
<OOC> Ashes says, "Glad you liked"
<OOC> Vaera says, "Thanks for running Raven!"
<OOC> Ravenstongue says, "Well, thank you so much for coming! I hope it was fun to come to all of these and that you enjoyed how it all played out."
<OOC> Ashes says, "oh yes, this was very fun!"
<OOC> Ashes nods, "Mmhmm!"
<OOC> Ravenstongue says, "I wanted to do something that was surprisingly wholesome after going through some darkness, and I've been planting seeds for this reveal for a long time :)"
<OOC> Ravenstongue says, "Also I get to update Ravenstongue's description with her brand new aspect tattoo!"
<OOC> Ravenstongue nods. Was also planning on a blood pact if it made sense to do so ICly, but not at this time! Will probably be upgrading her straight to T3 Fae Aspect and a minor aspect Tattoo
<OOC> Ravenstongue says, "So Ashlee's painting lives on Ravenstongue forever, which I think is really cool :)"
<OOC> Ravenstongue says, "Either way, it's been an absolute joy doing this with everyone. I was very scared to do it at first because, well, fae lord grandpa, but I had some encouragement and went with it."