searose143

It was a relatively typical night for Nara Starbreaker, who had been seeking an evening of studying the Kingstone within the ancient Copper Chamber underneath the capital city of Urguan. Any who observed her enter the mines, however, would notice that she hadn’t surfaced in quite a long time… Sometimes, passers-by in the Copper Chambers might hear a muffled scream, beneath many layers of stone. Upon the slimy ground, footsteps, with drops of Dwarven blood and that of her foes… Image by WallpaperCave Deep under the city struggled a lone dwarf, held captive by a horde of odd creatures. The cave was dank and cold, the Starbreaker forced to stare down a monument of sapphire and silver. Where had Nara Starbreaker gone? [Events to follow!!] @DISCOLIQUID

Eloen, having just recently been returned to her home, followed by her grandfather's feet as he posted a copy of the missive within the walls of Nevaehlen. She peered up at the words - though at such a young age, she was unable to comprehend them. The child rushed over to find her mother then, who she'd been separated from for many, many days.

Gotrek Union Username: Swagbreaker_ Persona: Nara Starbreaker #62016

favorite dwarf niece ????

[!] A missive is posted to the notice boards of Urguan, particularly about the Worker’s Guild and the great Temple. As it goes on, the writing sounds more and more urgent, and the handwriting becomes less and less neat… Dwarves of Kal’Kadrelaz, For many years now, we have been delving deeper into the mines of this city. For years, we have been fighting away the malice that lives there so that we can travel further. And each year that passes, I am more confident that something glorious lives within the depths: an ancient city that once harbored kin of long ago. We have reached a great door of copper… and when we gazed upon it, the door spoke to me. It instructed me to bring a Golem to force it open. THIS WE SHALL DO! Photo from Skyrim Nexus In two Stone days, we descend upon the door, and with the help of this Golem, this great feat of DWARVEN CRAFTSMANSHIP, we shall together uncover the great mystery of what lives beneath this city. We shall SEE the glory of the fabled City of Copper. And we shall do so prepared to face any sort of guardian of these depths. Together, kin, we will discover these long-kept secrets. ᚾᚨᚱᚨ ᚷᛟᛏᚱᛖᚴ’ᚢᚱ’ᛒᛖᛞᚹᚨᚾ ᛖᚱᛟᚾ ᛞᚨ ᚴᛟᚱᚾᚨᛉᚴᚨᚱᚢᛗᛗ Nara Gotrek’ur’bedwan eron da Kornazkarumm ((Gather at 1pm EST this Sunday 7-16-23 at the doors to the mines for the event!))

"Dragon-lad fockehs." Nara Starbreaker grumbled from the depths of the hall of Elder Clan Starbreaker, the smith getting to her feet and hurrying to the great forge. Sparks flew from strikes of flint against steel, and the forge's coals came alight with dancing flames. Nara shuffled to the bellows and huffed, grinning now. There was work to be done.

[!] As the sun just barely breaks the horizon, a quick brown owl can be seen fluttering into the Vale of Nevaehlen. At the square and in the Sirame Seed hall, the bird drops a few pieces of slightly yellowed parchment with loopy, slanted handwriting neatly scrawled across it to form a brief note. "My lliran, my family, my fellow citizens of this Vale: The bonds of family, as many say, are unbreakable. Perhaps this is true; even when the same blood does not run through our veins, it often seems so. We share everything - our culture, our stories, our history, our home, and for us Sirame, the emerald-colored ink that marks our skin. Yet there comes a time when one proves themself unworthy of sharing those things. As many of you know, Leihana, formerly the Mandragora Druid, has been Unattuned. Furthermore, she has been Shunned from the Grove. The most basic job of a Druid - or anyone practicing our sacred culture - is to respect Nature. To be not only Unattuned, but also shunned proves that one has severely failed this job. They have failed this job and failed to show effort to follow this culture. A Sirame sets an example for how one lives by these ancient practices. This is simply not how a Sirame acts. My heart grows heavier as I write these words. As I journey through the wilds conducting research, I work to revitalize parts of the sacred Mali'ame culture. These are the duties of a member of this family, the Sirame. This former Druid has disrespected this culture, this family, and the Aspects themselves. For this reason, I must cut ties between this Seed and Leihana. She is not worthy of the respect of the Sirame or the Green Dragon Spirit, Taynei'hiylu. This is a message of sadness and perhaps of discord. It is also a necessary one. One of the most beautiful parts of the culture of the Mali'ame is its vibrance and freedom. Yet there are rules and expectations that we must follow. To those who follow those guidelines set by our ancestors, our circles, our families, the Aspects - I wish you nothing but warmth, peace, and blessings of the forest. Ahernal ito, and may the forest forever stay within your hearts. ~Aedrie Sirame, the Iris Druid and Chieftess of the Sirame." A bunch of violet iris flowers rests beside the papers set in the Sirame hall. A tiny scrap of paper lays beside them, with little writing: "Would someone read this out loud to Mordun, please? Ahernan. I love you all very much, and my return shall be coming up very soon... I may bring back some treasures of the forest for you, my family. Ahernal ito. ~Iris." ~ @Carson

1732, First Age. 9:26 A.M. A gust of cool wind swept through the drying leaves of a particularly tall dark oak tree. Halfway up the trunk was a natural platform of sorts, interwoven branches and sticks creating a little haven safely above the ground. Old books lined each branch, cleverly set and stacked here and there, held tightly in place by rope and bent sticks. Battered spines showcased faded script, some in Elven - a delicate gold, a rigid silver, a blocky black against worn maroon. Homemade wooden figurines lay haphazardly around and upon the abundance of books. Mushrooms grew upon the side of some branches, soft moss on the side of others, flowers of delicate white, vibrant yellow, and deep violet sprinkled around. A tiny pillow rested between the makeshift shelves - the place where a young child felt most at home - especially as autumn ushered out the heat of the hazy summer. Bright red locks swept into a 10-year-old Aedrie’s face as the wind blew through her library of sorts. One hand, devoid of tattoos and markings aside from a hastily painted crescent moon, lifted to shove the barrier of red out of her line of vision. She was studying, you see - her little nose was shoved into a book whose cover read, in a shining bronze: “SNAILS AND YOU.” A curious title, perhaps, but all the more reason for the young girl to investigate. She’d learned early on that peaceful moments were often difficult to come by, but this was one of them. The redhead’s lips pulled into a soft grin, and she leaned back against the trunk, relishing in the cool wind and the comfort of her very own library. “Aedrie. Get down here.” The girl’s grin dissipated. The moment of peace had melted quicker than she’d hoped. The golden paint on her hand shimmered dully as she reached out to pluck a reddened leaf and set it carefully within the pages of her precious book. She did love snails. How could one not? “Il’kae.” The stern voice of her mother carried up into Aedrie’s favorite tree, muffled, a little removed, as if the leaves of the tree had tried to block it from the girl’s ears. A voice that, as she would find, would never quite fade from her memory. With a nearly silent breath of defeat, Aedrie placed the book on her pillow to finish later, then crawled to the side and peered down to the early autumn ground. One might have thought the figure waiting below was the girl’s twin sister, if they were born 20 years apart. Deep green eyes stared up at the young ‘ame like an owl might study its surroundings. Dark red hair fell just beyond her shoulders, a golden tattoo of a crescent moon upon her hip. Yellow-green fabric shifted slowly in the gentle breeze. She was beautiful in a warm way, but her expression was rather cold, lips pressed into a thin line. “Haelun, I was only studying,” Aedrie explained quietly. She turned and grasped two branches tightly, then carefully descended the dark oak tree. She liked to jump down all the way - it wasn’t really that far of a jump, after all - but her mother always hated it. You’ll break your legs, Aedrie. Don’t be stupid. She was probably right. Somehow, she always managed to land on her feet. Like a cat, she had heard. The girl quickly turned to face the taller woman as soon as her two feet made contact with the cool ground, making sure to avoid a patch of thriving iris flowers at the tree’s base. “Aedrie.” Her mother’s voice remained distant. She turned and began to take sweeping paces away from the tree, no gesture indicating whether her daughter should follow. Her head shook, gracefully, slightly. She knew what the girl wanted. “No amount of knowledge will help you, oem’ii. You’ll never be good enough to be a Druid.” The words hung in the air like the bitter smell of burnt cookies. Spoken so matter-of-factly, so carelessly. Aedrie stared ahead at her departing mother, bright eyes fading, as if she were beginning to fall into a deep, dark void. Her lips parted slightly, weak words falling from them after a few more long moments. “No one will teach me?” Her mother only kept walking. “Don’t be daft, Aedrie.” Thorns disguised as flowers were her words. A heavy silence followed. The sun seemed to dim. The autumn breeze swept through the leaves a little more harshly than before. The buzz of the last cicadas clinging to the summer’s last rays faded into silence. An empty tear seeped from the child’s eye. Her mother’s eye. Every part of her being was a reminder of her mother. Even a family friend had told the young girl that she reminded her mother of herself. According to him, she’d been a bookworm, too. Once upon a time. A soft bird call shoved Aedrie out of her trance. She hurriedly wiped the tear from her cheek and looked straight up toward her little library haven. Upon a shelf perched an owl, its feathers a perfect white, brown dots and streaks on the tips of its wings and decorating its face. The girl stood transfixed by the beautiful bird for a long minute; it was unlike any owl she had seen before. A wave of peace washed over her, one of reassurance, one of silence and strength. The crack of a twig beneath her faraway mother’s foot pulled the young ‘ame back to earth. She whirled around, one foot in front of the other, a dull crunch with every step toward the woman. “Not… not good enough.” ~ 41, Second Age. 2:14 P.M. Honk. Aedrie jolted and sat up, heart racing. “Augh, Red,” she groaned quietly, voice small but warm, even despite her rough appearance. Charcoal eyeliner she had put on earlier for a ritual pooled under her eyes, mixed with salty water. She took a moment to regain her breath, finding that she was safely within the home of the Sirame, her chosen family of which she was now the matriarch. The green eyes of her own mother flicked toward a carved figurine of an elephant beside the tea kettle in the corner. You’ll never be good enough to be a Druid. A dark streak fell down the Druid’s cheek. Another. She squeezed her eyes shut. Another, another, another. Aedrie had proved her wrong years and years ago. The Rainbow Druid took her in as a student, and how she studied, every spare moment dedicated to learning about the duties of a Druid, the hardships, the benefits, no stone left unturned, so she thought. And years later, she was attuned, given a new name by the Aspects - the same name as those violet flowers surrounding her makeshift library she had spent so much time in as a child. Still, she was not enough. A gray goose popped into her line of sight. HONK. With a sniffle, Aedrie broke into a weak smile, an inked hand fondly patting the bird’s feathers. Geese reminded her of her mother - her adoptive one, the one who loved her and made it clear. Kianna. I’ve always been fond of gooses, the Cardinal Druid had told the ‘ame one day in the Grove. Red seemed to like her, too. Aedrie did love her biological mother. Really, she did. How graceful she was when she walked, when she wrote, when she spoke. Despite writing volumes upon volumes of poetry, she never quite understood the magnitude of her words. The wounds which she opened a hundred years ago upon the heart of her daughter hadn’t quite healed. But she was forever thankful for her new family, her new mother, who bandaged it with love. The red-haired ‘ame stood and cleaned her face, then scooped up her beloved bird friend. “Let’s go find Haelun,” she murmured, climbing to the entrance of the Sirame home and pacing into the square. Golden ink on her hip shimmered a tad in the sunlight, ink which had been shaped into a crescent moon. Together, Aedrie and her goose friend walked to the Grove in search of the Cardinal Druid - her true mother.

IGN: searose143 RP NAME: Nara Starbreaker AGE: ~60 ACTIVITY REQUIREMENT: Home owner; Starbreaker clan member; Worker's Guild CANDIDATE: Ulfric Frostbeard

Rule #1: Never go without pocket sand. To her dismay, the Iris Druid had broken that sacred rule. Not on purpose, of course; it wasn't really her fault that she had ended up on an odd island in the middle of the sea. "..Ullran.." Aedrie Sirame cursed under her breath as she gradually sat up, her body a tad sunken into the island's white-yellow sand. Inked hands rubbed at her eyes, an unsuccessful attempt to block out the blazing sun, which wasn't at all helping the sharp pain at the back of her head. Reluctantly, the 'ame withdrew her hands and set them by her side as her eyes flicked open, and with a groan, she squinted around. A seagull cawed loudly toward her right side. A rapid shuffling sounded at her left. Tall grass along the middle of the small island danced and sang in the swift sea breeze. Salty air whisked away loose grains of sand, sending them helplessly into the endless waves of the deep blue oblivion beyond. Just before the marooned Elf, a silver-flecked rock glimmered in the sizzling sunlight, under it a tattered piece of parchment. Aedrie drew in an unsteady breath and reached out to grasp the rock and claim the paper underneath, finding upon it a hastily written note in familiar, messy handwriting: "FiNd yOUr wAy Back tO tHE vaLE! nO gifTs! <3 Mi V eN" "Wh-" The Druid's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She immediately sat up straighter, gaze flicking around for a sack of materials, or perhaps a bit of food, but she found nothing, a sense of panic beginning to build within her. For a few seconds, she sat in unnerved silence, the piercing caws of seabirds interrupting her train of thought here and there. Aedrie shook her head violently then. "Ne. Asul lente karinto, Iris," the Druid assured herself in her native tongue. Tattooed hands clad with homemade wooden rings clapped together once. "Sulian! Sulian." A powerful gust of wind whipped dark red hair into her face, muffling her next exclamation. She stumbled a tad, then shoved her hair behind her ears. She drew the Bear Druid's note close to her chest as if sending a deep hug to her faraway sister, then slipped it into her pocket. With a deep breath and another brief rub at her temples, the Druid steeled herself, back straightening, forcing herself to trudge toward the cluster to tall, waxy-leafed trees. Another, less dense cluster by the water's edge featured dark brown, circular objects at their tops: what Aedrie immediately recognized as coconuts. With a sigh of relief, the 'ame hurried over to the nearest coconut tree, climbing up its jagged sides with a bit of difficulty. At its top, the promised prize remained. A murmured prayer was given as she reached out to wrench the fruits from their branches. Like a firefighter sliding down a fire pole, Iris descended the winding trunk until her bare feet met the blistering sand once more. What now? Get off this island, the 'ame thought urgently. Her gaze fell to the cluster of trees in the middle of the island. Canoe? Ne, not enough wood... Raft. How to get the wood, though? Aedrie set the coconuts safely onto the grass, within her sight in case any hungry creatures would come along and try to grab them. She dug and dug with cupped hands, tunneling down until she hit something solid. With some force, Aedrie dislodged the cold object from the ground, finding that she had hit the jackpot. A fairly flat, charcoal-colored stone sat in her palm. A smile flitted across the 'ame's face as she reached out to grab Miven's silver-speckled rock. She got to work, dragging the rounded rock against the edges of the flattened one, very gradually shaping and sharpening the flint into the shape of a knife. She looked up toward the sun to gauge the time; this tool wouldn't work too quickly, but it was the best one she could make for now. Aedrie didn't waste time in hurrying over to the island's waxy-leafed trees. Grip tightening around the rounder rock in her right hand, she brought the stone down onto the tree's side, creating a small dent in the soft wood. She kept on repeating the action, the blunt force making a wide cut in the trunk. After shaking out her arm to relieve some discomfort, she walked around to the other side and grasped her makeshift flint blade. Small droplets of sap dribbled down the side of the bark as the blade slowly cut through it. WIth a final, powerful blow, the tree came toppling down. A few fallen trees and two coconut water breaks later, twilight began to fall on the odd island. The deep blue only deepened, its eerie infinity seeming to stretch. Despite the potential danger the lost 'ame faced, never in her life had she seen a sunset quite as beautiful as this. No trees obscured the horizon, no buildings, nothing at all. There was nothing as far as she could see. Never in her life had she longed for her paint and sketchbook as much as this, either; never in her life had she wanted to immortalize an image so much, but she soon dismissed the thought. What's the value in something that never ends, she concluded, if the end is what brings value? ~ Aedrie woke with a start the next morning, rudely awoken by a sudden scuttling noise. The sun had barely risen, the land had barely awakened, but she hopped up to her feet and looked about, eager to take her leave from the island. She groaned groggily, muscles sore from the previous day's work. Nevertheless, she knew her task. Her first order of business: fashioning rope. With the help of her sharpened flint, she hacked long, waxy leaves fro the tops of the fallen trees and wound them tightly together. With a little help from her memory of canoe-making lessons, she laboriously split would - a difficult task without a good Ironwood hatchet, she thought irritably - and bound them together using the rope. With the spare wood, of which there was little, Aedrie carved out a short, lightweight oar. She dug it into the sand by her side, only then realizing how much she missed her own iris-covered staff, the soft crescent shape at its top, from it dangling the light brown feathers reminiscent of a long-lost friend. A friend she would, as her beloved Haelun once reminded her, see again when the time comes. The Druid cast a glance toward her very first Ilmyumier. The image of a great white owl, its wings outstretched in flight, wrapping around her upper arm. Then to the winding figure on her opposite arm, the Green Dragon Spirit, Taynei'hiylu, the mark of her own Seed, the Seed founded by Awaiti, the Seed that had given her a family so many years ago, the Seed that she was now a Chieftess of. Suddenly, Aedrie gave a harsh huff, wooden oar wrenched out of the sand. No dillydallying. She swiftly paced toward the raft, an oar set by its side. She cleaned up, brushing any leftover leaves and coconut skin toward the trees so that they might help fertilize them in time. A prayer was murmured underneath the fiery, early afternoon sun to Cernunnos, then to her Patron Mani, Ohowaki. Pausing only to scoop white-hot sand into her pocket - Rule #1, she remembered - throw some makeshift rope around her shoulder, and fetch some more coconuts for the trip, she pushed the raft toward the island's East side into the side ocean, set the fruit in her lap, and rowed. ~ Night had long fallen by the time a dark mass appeared on the horizon. The weary 'ame's green eyes widened at the sight, then squinted in an attempt to gauge the terrain. A few few sparse trees appeared, it seemed. The savannah. The 'ame nodded twice, a heavy exhale expelled out of her nose. Dangers could linger in the tall grass, food could be sparse, as could water... but at least it was the mainland. The raft came to a halt as it collided with coarse sand, which blended into dusty dirt and straw-colored grasses. With her flint, the 'ame cut apart the raft she had fashioned on the island. Far from the flammable surroundings, she broke wooden planks into smaller pieces and stacked dry grasses atop it. A harsh strike of the speckled rock against the flint send a spark toward the pile of material, which quickly caught - burning dully due to the moisture lingering in the wood, but functioning nonetheless. After attaching her flint to the wooden oar and patiently spearing several fish, Aedrie cooked a bland meal atop the small fire. Her body longed for sleep, but she refused to comply. Making sure the fire was safely extinguished, she secured the rope around her shoulder and set off for the Northeast, the earth now warmly lit by the sun peeking above the horizon. Dawn had risen. ~ A sigh of relief escaped the 'ame's lips as she noticed a forest looming on the horizon. The forest was an old friend to her, a place she could go to meditate, to practice, to learn. Her weary steps sped, feet sore from the constant walking along the sharp, dry grasses of the savannah for hours on end. The forest greeted the Druid with open arms, it seemed; tall trees with flat leaves of dark green, of emerald, even of soft yellows hung above, casting gentle shadows upon the waving grass. Vines crawled up trunks, zinnias and yarrow bloomed, reaching up toward the early summer sun. Still, Aedrie was far from home. Summer berries hung on leafy bushes, earning a brilliant smile from the hungry 'ame. She rushed toward them, eagerly picking off handfuls and popping them into her mouth. The heavy pain in her limbs and head seemed to disappear for a moment, the sweetness of those tiny fruits so delicious. Despite her hunger, she refrained from eating the entire bush, instead deciding to crack open her last coconut and drink its contents. Only then did an overwhelming wave of exhaustion hit her, and before anything else happened, she hastily drew an arrow in the nearby dirt pointing Northeast. She climbed up into a sturdy tree, falling asleep within seconds despite the light of the afternoon. ~ Birds chirped in the distance. The 'ame's throat burned for water, and her stomach grumbled for food. She sat up with a groan, gently pushing aside a branch to try and calculate the time - clouds now hung low over the sky, the sun blocked out. Only the Aspects knew how long she was out for - a day? Two days? Three? No, couldn't be three... A dull thump sounded as the Sirame's feet hit the damp grass. She rubbed at her temple, gaze flicking about in order to find some food. A bright flash of white caught her attention, knees bracing, hands flying up - but she realized it was only a patch of gently swaying flowers. Lilies. Aedrie softened, a breath gently taken, and she reached out to pick one and tuck it among the irises behind her ears. ~ The lost 'ame wandered through the seemingly never-ending forest, the flint-tipped oar always within her grasp. She venture through dense clusters of trees, through sparse ones, through fields of flowers, across rivers whose banks she rested beside. She ate berries and fish along the way, occasionally bringing herself to hunt a small animal - sneaking up behind it, waiting for the right time to come, and striking, as she had learned from her beloved owl companions and, she believed, from the Princess of Owls herself. The weary 'ame came out of yet another clearing, but this one, she could immediately tell, was different. On the distant horizon stood a brilliant wall of white, walls which sparkled in the morning sun, walls which in some places were cracked and overgrown. Aedrie stuck her makeshift staff into the ground, a rope bracelet with ten green beads shifting as she lifted her hand to flick her right forearm. To her surprise, it hurt. It hurt! She was awake, after all! She stood in place for a moment. Something pulled on her heart as if a magnet was drawing her back toward the forest. A feeling she knew well - the wilds always called, and after her recent twelve-year adventure through the infinite forests, the calling had strengthened. She looked back to the mouth of the forest which she had just walked out of, and she drew in a deep breath. But after a few moments, she shook her head. She'd be back soon, she thought. She'd always return to the forest. A smile painted her weary face as she refocused upon the faraway Vale. One foot in front of the other, she walked, speeding with each step - walking, pacing, speedwalking, jogging, running, sprinting, the wind whistling in her ears, a few flowers flying away in the wind, leaving only two: a purple iris behind her right ear and a white lily behind her left. Upon reaching the stone path to the familiar Elven town, she slowed, sprinting, jogging, speedwalking, pacing, walking, inching along. An inked hand marked with the image of Ohowaki's Crest reached out toward the gate of winding roots. When her feet stopped moving, her outstretched fingers touched the cool material. She'd done it.

F

On her way to visit her sister in the Father Grove, Aedrie stumbled across a particularly hefty chicken. "Who's been feeding you, suika?" She wondered aloud, moving to gently scoop up the bird before continuing on her way. "MIVEN!!" She declared happily after knocking thrice on the Bear's door. "I found a new friend!"

IGN: searose143 RP Name: Nara Starbreaker Candidate: Norli Starbreaker

IGN: searose143 Discord: searose143#3190 Character Name: Aedrie Sirame Position: Artisan/Novice Art: Painting, Textile, Carpentry, Pottery

A small 'ame curiously picked up the tome and began to read, her gaze lingering for a long while on the last statement. Only upon hearing a loud hoot from her beloved owl companion did she snap out of her trance and look up, slightly furrowed eyebrows relaxing as she neatly placed the tome back where she found it. She then began to walk off, silently pondering.

A high-pitched yelp of excitement sounded from somewhere underneath the Queen's Bounty. Inside her new C-class home, Nara Starbreaker pinned the invitation beside her bed and turned on her heel, immediately sprinting out the door to go find the best rocks to carve and give as gifts.

((IC)) Name: Aedrie Sirame Race: Mali'ame Applying For: Co-Head Librarian or Librarian Age: 75~ Experience: Worked for many years in the library of Siramenor; current librarian at the Druid Grove. Lots of experience in scribing texts and writing original works - particularly poetry. Citizen of Elvenesse: Yes ((OOC)) Time Zone: EST IGN: searose143 Discord: searose143#3190