[澤] The Harmonic Forest || » Sprite Sanctuary [Farm]

[Barry_VII]

Whispers from beyond...

The beast held slight concern for the child but couldn't help much. Instead it would let out a long hiss, the waters bubbling around its maw, to bring Reza back to reality.

"Though I cannot prove this you will come to understand this is no illusion in time. If you wish to leave the sanctuary merely follow the fire sprites, they can lead you out to the world beyond"

There wouldn't be any sign of a lie in its deep voice, more pity at this point.

Rexnov

 

[Rexnov]

[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]

Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar

The sound of the hissing brought me to attention. I heard what the creature had to say, but I ended up shaking my head. “Leaving a safe place is unwise since I can’t seem to be able to cast spells. While I suspect that whatever peaceful laws compel this place are surely restricted me from harming you, or myself, it does not explain why I couldn’t remember the ability to break free of an illusion, or cast any spell in general. But I have a feeling you will be able to explain that wouldn’t you…” After a short pause, I realized I had never asked for this thing’s name. It wasn’t like me to care about it, but at this point, the more allies I have, the better. Who knows what else is beneath the murky green waters of the swamp, having that thing as an ally, or at least being friendly, might come in handy one day. “What is your name? I never asked it. My own is Reza. Reza Shah al-Sakaar.” I made another brief pause to look around me. I took a moment to gather my thoughts; he had called those things sprites. “Sprites. Why are they called that? It sounds remarkably similar to a word we had for the souls of those that had perished. Spirits. Is there any relation?”


Chakra: 100 l 100
Stamina: 100 l 100
EXP: 0 l 500

Odoeb

 

[Barry_VII]

Whispers from beyond...

Still the beast couldn't have much to offer, a low hiss escaping from in between the gators teeth. "My name is Khaza. There is little relation between sprites and spirits. I cannot answer to many questions myself, but perhaps if you found the sprite that watches over this land they could help you more. They are deeper into the sanctuary, and although nothing will bring harm to you here that cannot be said for the environment around you"

The gator seemed to raise its head up a bit and motion it towards a vague direction of the sanctuary, as if giving the path to where Reza might find his answers.

(25 EXP Given for Interactions so far)

Rexnov

 

[Rexnov]

[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]

Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar

While creatures would not harm him, the environment itself could prove hostile. That was an interesting bit of information and one that I was certain would come in handy as I moved deeper and deeper in this swampy maze. “Khaza,” I repeated the creature’s name and then nodded. “I thank you for your assistance. If you happen to come upon the sprite that watches over these lands, please be sure to send him my way. I have many questions and hope he was answers for all of them. May we meet again, in this life or the next, if Sakaar wills it.” That was the customary goodbye among the followers of the god of war, this, coupled with a gesture of the hands that consisted of putting one’s non-dominant hand in a ninety degree angle with an open palm, closing one’s dominant hand into a fist, aligning one’s pinky with the heel of the hand, and the index finger with the beginning of the fingers of the other hand. The followers were to hold their hands against their chest, and then bow their heads until their chins touched the middle finger of the open hand. I did just this to Khaza, turned around and went on my way along the swamp, looking all around me at these strange beings that the alligator called sprites, in search of their leader.


Chakra: 100 l 100
Stamina: 100 l 100
EXP: 25 l 500

Odoeb

 

[Barry_VII]

Whispers from beyond...

As Reza worked his way deeper into the sanctuary he'd see familiar sites of animals that all seemed changed in a sense. He would find himself traveling for perhaps a good twenty minutes before motion would possibly attract his attention, this being a new alien sight. A massive ent, a living humonoid tree, with a set of glowing antlers pushed its way through the waters towards the boy. Well the intent it had didn't seem hostile it did seem to have the goal of reaching him. How Reza would react would be up to him.

Rexnov

 

[Rexnov]

[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]

Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar

I wandered the swamp for some time, taking a right turn here, and a left turn there, then another turn… For the first ten minutes of my journey I felt sure of this travel, even though it seemed Sakaar had abandoned me in these woods, my resolve to find him was never stronger. I was sure that as soon as I left this place and its spell my connection would be reestablished, still, the thought of things not working out that way nagged in the back of my mind and it didn’t seem to be going away any time soon. By the time I took my fourth turn, I realized I was completely lost. All these trees looked the same, I had no idea where I was, how I got here, nor how to get out. Still, I did not allow the panic to set it, I knew that if I allowed it to, that was when I would truly be lost. I pushed on for five more minutes until I decided I needed to take a moment to catch my bearings. I plopped on the ground, legs crossed under me, my elbows resting just beside my knees, the index and middle fingers of both of my hands resting on opposite sides of my nose, my back was arched, and I took a minute to steady my breathing. Once I felt the fear of being lost wash away, I decided to take another moment and check what I had on me, which was something I had not yet done. I looked down to my chest and legs and saw that I was wearing a cream-almost white colored opened chest vest with a gold colored piece, which was part of the vest itself, right under the collar, a red sash and baggy pants the same color of my vest but it was tinged green where it had touched the mossy ground. I also noticed I had a backpack, which I had not realized was there until this moment. I took it off my back to inspect it; inside I found a small black leather notepad with a red band around it, on the band was a small golden medallion with the symbol of the followers of Sakaar engraved on it. I quickly opened the black notebook but found it to be empty, except for the word “Journal” written in red ink on the back of the cover. I placed the journal on my lap and found a pen right next to where the notepad had been. I opened the journal and wrote a quick note; I found myself about to write the date of the entry, but on account of me not actually knowing when was it, I simply wrote ‘Day 1, Entry 1: , followed by:

I awoke in a strange swamp, far away from the lands that were once my home. This swamp is home to a host of strange creatures, one of them, a stone alligator by the name of Khaza who insisted I find the creature who rules over these lands, but he gave me no name. This area is one where I cannot channel any of my powers, and worst of all, I feel my connection to Sakaar weaken until his voice was nothing but a whisper. I should leave this place at once, but first I need answers.

Next to the creature’s name I made a quick doodle of it, nothing too well done nor time consuming, but once that was done, I put it back in the backpack and kept looking. Along with the journal and pen, I found a sketchbook, a pencil, four waterskins full of water, from which I took a sip of water from one, a bedroll, a blanket, a pack of five sealed kunai, which I unsealed, took one of the knives and tucked it in my sash for easy access, and lastly five bolas, neatly tied together. I took one of the five tools, untangled them, and then placed it on the opposite end of my sash from where the knife was, also for easy access. I had managed to calm my mind of the storm that had been brewing when out of the corner of my eye I saw movement from the water. I knew by now that nothing would harm me, I had encountered a number of creatures by this point, and while they all seemed threatening, none of them did much of anything, so whatever was to be about to emerge from the water would mean no harm, so long as I was still within the confines of this serene place. From the water emerged a creature made of wood with the horns of a great elk, more humanoid than anything else I had encountered until now. I quickly stood, strapped my backpack to my back, and moved to the edge of the water to meet it. “By Sakaar’s grace, you wouldn’t happen to be the one that watches over these parts? I have questions and Khaza said you might be able to produce some answers.” My voice sounded sure and at peace, but my hand was ready by the side of sash, looking at ease, but hovering over my knife. Khaza said that while no living creature could harm me, the environment could, and whether or not this… thing… was part of the environment was still something that remained to be seen.

Chakra: 100 l 100
Stamina: 100 l 100
EXP: 25 l 500

Odoeb

 

[Barry_VII]

Whispers from beyond...

The massive tree man seemed to consider his question for a few moments.

"I am Iron Oak. I must warn you first before you speak intruder, the spirit that protects this sanctuary will allow no violence to be done here, and you cannot follow this then you must leave.

I may be able to answer some of your questions however if you can abide by these laws"

The voice was deep, sounding like the collective groan of a swaying tree.

Rexnov

 

[Rexnov]

[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]

Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar

It was threatening me. Not overtly, but I could feel that it asking me to leave was not something I would want to go through. I gulped and moved my hand from hovering over my knife hidden in my sash. Normally, I did not take well to being threatened, or even perceiving to being threatened, normally, I would have struck him down where he stood, but with whatever was wrong with my abilities I felt it was not the smartest choice to be combative. “Iron Oak, strange name.” I said as my arms folded against my chest. “My name is Reza Shah al-Sakaar, and while I normally am not one to set aside violence, the situation demands it. I guess my first question would be where the hell am I, and why can’t I seem to channel my abilities?” I did not want to bombard the creature with questions, although I had a lot more, like what happened to this place, why did Khaza say that it had been more than a thousand years since my kind roamed these parts; as far as I knew, man-kind had explored the entire world and not once had I heard of creatures such as these or even a place like this one. Where were all the people, would be another great question to ask, but for now, I would only pose the two I did, wait for an answer, and try to puzzle together a clear image of where I am and what should I do from here.

Chakra: 100 l 100
Stamina: 100 l 100
EXP: 25 l 500

Odoeb

 

[Barry_VII]

Whispers from beyond...

Iron Oak's eyes seemed to harden on the boy as he spoke of his normality but the ent did not raise anything against him. That would go against the laws of these lands. "You are in the sprite sanctuary. This was once Kirigakure, the village of humans who walked upon the waves and lived upon the mighty Sero. Perhaps you may know it by that name instead Reza"

There was a pause in Iron Oak's thoughts as he seemed to consider whether or not to answer the boys next question. But after a few moments passed he pressed on. "The spirit that inhabits this place as I stated before does not allow such things. If you go against it's wishes to far it will take care of you. Do not try to resist. If you can follow the spirits wishes for peace however you will find this place peaceful and plentiful. We have not had humans here for sometime but all are welcome to this place if they can remain at peace"

Rexnov

 

[Rexnov]

[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]

Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar

The Village Hidden in the Mist. The Sero. While he had heard of the Village, he had never visited it himself, nor had he heard of the Sero. As far as he could remember, he had never left the Land of Wind, but it would appear that perhaps he was mistaken. “I think you misunderstand me.” The bronze-skinned zealot said as he shook his head. While he did try to harm Khaza at first, he also tried to do other things, like break out of a perceived illusion. “After I spoke with Khaza I was convinced I all of this was an illusion, and frankly I’m not convinced it isn’t at this point, so I tried to break out, first by attempting to use a lightning spell, and later by trying to cast an illusion-breaking spell, but I couldn’t seem to remember either. While I would understand being unable to harm myself because of this sanctuary’s rules, I don’t understand why I wasn’t able to cast the illusion breaker, or even remember its name.” He said and fell quiet for some time, placing his closed first against his face so it would cover his chin as he thought of a better way to formulate a question. “I guess that what I’m trying to know is, what’s going on? Why can’t I remember the names of my abilities or how to use them? What happened to this village? The humans? And what is this thing?” To that last question, Reza pulled out a piece of the crystal he had saved in his pocket and showed it to Iron Oak. He had one more question he wanted answered, but that one was less pressing, to understand what was going on and what were the rules of this strange new world took precedence over finding out where he could find the spirit that inhabited this place.

Chakra: 100 l 100
Stamina: 100 l 100
EXP: 25 l 500

Odoeb

 

[Barry_VII]

Whispers from beyond...

The ent considered the questions.

"This is not an illusion. It is far from the time that humans ruled this world, that is why much has changed. Your kind has only begun showing up very recently and even then only in small numbers from the few I have seen.

As for why you can't remember I don't have an answer for you. Perhaps being stuck in a crystal for such time has adverse effects such as that. Nor do I know the origin of the crystal, only that it consumed many of your kind in their youth and a few in older age"

It seemed the ent was at a loss for many of the questions or rather it wasn't his purpose to know of these things. Though Iron Oak did feel pity for the confusion the boy was feeling.  

[Rexnov]

[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]

Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar

It would seem that Iron Oak wasn’t that much help either, though he did confirm some things that Khaza had said; a long time had passed since man ruled these lands, and he also added new information: more people were waking up. He, at least, I assume it’s a he, also gave me a glimpse to understand why I couldn’t remember the names of certain techniques, but also shed light on something that I had not noticed until right now: there were gaps in my memory. I had been so focused in understanding where I was and what was going on that I did not realize that I could not remember things such as how my old village looked like, or the name of my own mother, regardless of the fact that I did not think of these things often. “I see,” I say with a sigh. “I won’t take much more of your time, I just have a couple other questions, one of them is personal, so I understand if you do not want to answer them. I’ll start with the personal one… What are you?” I gulped and looked at Iron Oak straight in the eye. “I have never seen anything such as yourself, so I was just wondering… That aside, I wanted to know if there would be any problem using this area as a home base. With the fact that I can’t be attacked by anything here, it seems like a logical place to try to set up camp, and of course, I will follow the directions of the spirit.” I crossed my arms and looked away from Iron Oak and to the nature that surrounded me. What in Sakaar’s name am I saying, I thought. Having a safe place to retreat to would make things monumentally easier, I was not at my full power, so this meant that I would need to stay safe, and a place like this was exactly what I needed, but by Sakaar’s name did it make me feel powerless. “Lastly, where can I find the spirit that watches over this place? For a spirit to be so power as to bar someone on the physical plane, they must have a physical manifestation of some sort. Maybe it has answers to the questions that remain unanswered."

Chakra: 100 l 100
Stamina: 100 l 100
EXP: 25 l 500

Odoeb

 

[Barry_VII]

Whispers from beyond...

"I am a manifestation, a representative, of the forest itself. A Sprite, and one born of nature itself. A natural occurring one, which is rare to find these days. I serve as a conduit for the power and peace of this place, and serve as the messenger of the spirit that lives here.

You may set up a home here if you wish, but know if someone also wishes to claim they lands we will not stop them. Any dispute such as that must be ended in a non violent manner or else.

The spirit of this place will appear when it wishes and only then, it does not have any preference for where that might be" Iron Oak explained, hoping the detail that he covered was enough to sate the boys curiosity for the time being. It was very clear that beyond the golden rule of no violence this place was quite welcoming of all that would seek it as a home.

Rexnov

 

[Rexnov]

[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]

Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar

I dropped on the ground and crossed my legs, but never took my eyes off Iron Oak as he was mid-sentence. There was that word again. Sprite. He was the second living being to use it since I had awoken. “Sprite.” I said the word out loud, trying to wrap my head around it. “At the risk of sounding dumb, I have to ask, what even is a sprite? I’m not familiar with the term.” There was one point of interest in what Iron Oak said, and that was claiming the area. That had not been what I meant when I brought up the idea of using this place as a base of operation, but the idea of claiming these lands as mine was one that tugged at the core of my being; to claim this area in the name of Sakaar would be a grand victory for my lord indeed, but for that to work completely, I would need to vanquish that spirit. In order to do that though I would need to find it, and I would need to become powerful enough to slay it. “That’s quite alright, I have no problem in sharing this space for the time being… And as for this spirit, does it have a name?” As I asked this final question, I felt my stomach rumble with hunger. Who would have thought that being stuck in a crystal for so long would leave me hungry? Once this interrogation session was over, I would have to leave this place and catch my next meal.

Chakra: 100 l 100
Stamina: 100 l 100
EXP: 25 l 500

Odoeb

 

[Barry_VII]

Whispers from beyond...

Iron Oak gave what could be best called a shrug at the first question, waving a wooden hand at the land around them.

"We are sprites. Just as you are a human, it is simply what we have called ourselves. You are not familiar with us as we came sometime after much of your race was gone. We inhabit physical bodies, such as my own, as many of my kind are not much more then spirits"

It was rather blunt but even Iron Oak didn't quite know how to explain it to someone without going into the entire history of a race.

"The spirits name is Pacification"

The second answer was entirely serious, even if it seemed not to be.

Rexnov