Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2020 16:32:37 GMT -6
Thread PL: 14,000
The shift from a mild climate to a much hotter one wasn't a subtle transition. Kara, skirting southwest towards Mount Paozu and the edge of the Diablo Desert, was already starting to get annoyed by the amped heat. Despite extreme climates not being quite as lethal to an 'enhanced' individual like her, it didn't mean she was exempt from the effects of it. Her water canteen was seeing much more frequent use, the girl making sure to only gulp down a mouthful at a time to conserve. She was still in the in-between land of a desert and forest, the terrain arid but not overbearingly so. Her path was, for the most part, aimless. Kara wanted to experience the Southern Tropics before anything else and so had made her way down, though the problem of getting across the ocean without flight or a boat was a problem in of itself. A bridge to cross when came to it.
It was by chance that the Earthling happened to come across Mt. Paozu's dividing river at the same time a few others were, all cloaked in white, baggy robes and garments. They were in the process of filling ornately decorated jugs with the fresh, drinkable water, corking it soon after. A few camels took the chance to saunter over and conservatively take a couple drinks themselves. The party was odd, but seeing as they didn't seem to be openly hostile, Kara continued. She paused on the other side of the bank, dipping her canteen in multiple times before carefully pouring it over her face and arms to help alleviate the heat - and to maybe scrub off some of the grime she'd accumulated on the way here. For the moment, the strangers didn't bother her so she didn't bother them. Well, that was up until one of them did - the cloaked stranger approaching her from the opposite side.
Kara looked up curiously, standing up as they gave a short bow. Unsure of how exactly to respond, she bowed back. "Uhm, sorry if I'm not supposed to do that. I'm still learning about as many cultures and whatnot as I can!" Shifting around awkwardly, Kara already regretted letting the words tumble out of her mouth. "It's nice to meet you regardless." She offered with a smile. Chuckling a bit, the presumed man waved her off. "No offense taken. My apologies for disturbing you during travels, but my friends and I couldn't help but notice you are dressed in the clothing of a warrior and carry a weapon as well." Kara blinked, a bit taken aback. Sure Gis are mostly the choice of aspiring or actual martial artists, but had they become so commonplace that even people in remote parts of the world could tell?
"I am training to become one myself, yes, but I wouldn't exactly say I am experienced with it yet..." She said, scratching the back of her head in slight embarrassment. The farmstead was still a fresh experience in her mind, Kara having left not terribly long ago. She had thankfully gotten some basic martial arts training from a samaritan, but it was understandably limited. "Why do you ask?" It was a fair question, after all. The man approaching her seemed to do so solely because she appeared to be a fighter of sorts. Humming, the stranger nodded for a moment before continuing. "My people are known as the Hydrans; Since the earliest written records, the Hydrans have lived on the edge of the great desert, relying on streams and cricks to grant us life-sustaining water. We are but a small tribe, yet we are not the lone residents of the sands."
Gesturing as he spoke, the man knelt to place a hand above the water. "The Arridi are another tribe. Conflict is common between us, as they dwell deep within the land of sandstorms and bottomless crags that can swallow towns whole." Shaking his head, his hand cupped a small amount of water, turning and pouring it into the yellowish-green grass nearby. It didn't take long for it all to vanish, the ground only a few feet away desperate for all the moisture it could get. "Water is sparse. Where once there were a few spots of oasis there is now only dried land. They have run it dry, far beneath the ground, and now come for our supplies. We have always had skirmishes and such but the raiders now attack in full force between the waxing and waning sun where the temperature is cool and light is dim. While some of us may pity their desperation, the river cannot sustain both groups equally - and both the Arridi and Hydrans claim this land as their home."
Kara, silent throughout the story, frowned a bit. "I can see that is troublesome, but what would you have me do? I am an outsider to these affairs, and by your presence, it seems that things are at least somewhat stable." The girl would've liked to help, truly, but where was her place in a dispute that concerned life or death and entire groups of peoples? The whole thing was sudden and the scope was far beyond anything of her caliber. "We would not ask for help in such a manner if it were not necessary..." The Hydran spoke solemnly. "The Arridi have gotten their hands on some sort of weapon, be it magicks or the advanced technology your people have, we cannot tell distinctly what powers it. They have been testing its might against our own weapons, and we are found wanting. It has escalated from cautious caravan raids to other Hydran towns to actual confrontation at our own homes. I am understanding of your own position, but I formally plead on behalf of my village that you at least try and help us reason with them. Our children and wives live in fear that husbands and fathers will not return after a sour talk..." Kara began to crack, sighing and rubbing her head. "We do not expect one to risk their lives for nothing in return. If you help us end this incursion into our lands we will gift you with the sacred treasure of our people."
Despite the agreement already about to leave her lips, Kara couldn't help but be intrigued by the last statement. "Treasure?" She said, the word rolling off her tongue with a bit of hesitation. Doing good shouldn't be solely motivated by treasure... but if they were offering, how could she decline? "Once every hundred years, the culmination of the sacred peaches finishes. Against all natural order, these fruits grow in the sandy terrain if cared for diligently by the Hydrans. A single bush with a single bud can take as many as three active men to properly nurture. Each one is cut into tens of slices to be consumed by our warriors, and each is known to grant a blessing of strength to the worthy." The Hydran dipped his head. "I am Ushel, one of the village's leaders. It is on behalf of my people that I offer an entire peach to you, should you succeed. It is not with a light heart that this reward is offered, but even if our best man were to consume this on his own, the chances he would fair against the Arridi are not favorable. We've little way of contacting outside help, and had you not stumbled here, our band was prepared to wander the green lands to beg aid from the outsider lands." Mind made up, Kara crossed the river swiftly to offer the man a bright smile. "You can rely on me! ...I might need a crash course on how to do desert stuff though, I've been living on farmlands for most of my life." Bowing once more, Ushel stood and beckoned her closer to the rest of the group. "My gratitude is endless." The Hydran said, his camel kneeling. "Now, we return to the village."
The shift from a mild climate to a much hotter one wasn't a subtle transition. Kara, skirting southwest towards Mount Paozu and the edge of the Diablo Desert, was already starting to get annoyed by the amped heat. Despite extreme climates not being quite as lethal to an 'enhanced' individual like her, it didn't mean she was exempt from the effects of it. Her water canteen was seeing much more frequent use, the girl making sure to only gulp down a mouthful at a time to conserve. She was still in the in-between land of a desert and forest, the terrain arid but not overbearingly so. Her path was, for the most part, aimless. Kara wanted to experience the Southern Tropics before anything else and so had made her way down, though the problem of getting across the ocean without flight or a boat was a problem in of itself. A bridge to cross when came to it.
It was by chance that the Earthling happened to come across Mt. Paozu's dividing river at the same time a few others were, all cloaked in white, baggy robes and garments. They were in the process of filling ornately decorated jugs with the fresh, drinkable water, corking it soon after. A few camels took the chance to saunter over and conservatively take a couple drinks themselves. The party was odd, but seeing as they didn't seem to be openly hostile, Kara continued. She paused on the other side of the bank, dipping her canteen in multiple times before carefully pouring it over her face and arms to help alleviate the heat - and to maybe scrub off some of the grime she'd accumulated on the way here. For the moment, the strangers didn't bother her so she didn't bother them. Well, that was up until one of them did - the cloaked stranger approaching her from the opposite side.
Kara looked up curiously, standing up as they gave a short bow. Unsure of how exactly to respond, she bowed back. "Uhm, sorry if I'm not supposed to do that. I'm still learning about as many cultures and whatnot as I can!" Shifting around awkwardly, Kara already regretted letting the words tumble out of her mouth. "It's nice to meet you regardless." She offered with a smile. Chuckling a bit, the presumed man waved her off. "No offense taken. My apologies for disturbing you during travels, but my friends and I couldn't help but notice you are dressed in the clothing of a warrior and carry a weapon as well." Kara blinked, a bit taken aback. Sure Gis are mostly the choice of aspiring or actual martial artists, but had they become so commonplace that even people in remote parts of the world could tell?
"I am training to become one myself, yes, but I wouldn't exactly say I am experienced with it yet..." She said, scratching the back of her head in slight embarrassment. The farmstead was still a fresh experience in her mind, Kara having left not terribly long ago. She had thankfully gotten some basic martial arts training from a samaritan, but it was understandably limited. "Why do you ask?" It was a fair question, after all. The man approaching her seemed to do so solely because she appeared to be a fighter of sorts. Humming, the stranger nodded for a moment before continuing. "My people are known as the Hydrans; Since the earliest written records, the Hydrans have lived on the edge of the great desert, relying on streams and cricks to grant us life-sustaining water. We are but a small tribe, yet we are not the lone residents of the sands."
Gesturing as he spoke, the man knelt to place a hand above the water. "The Arridi are another tribe. Conflict is common between us, as they dwell deep within the land of sandstorms and bottomless crags that can swallow towns whole." Shaking his head, his hand cupped a small amount of water, turning and pouring it into the yellowish-green grass nearby. It didn't take long for it all to vanish, the ground only a few feet away desperate for all the moisture it could get. "Water is sparse. Where once there were a few spots of oasis there is now only dried land. They have run it dry, far beneath the ground, and now come for our supplies. We have always had skirmishes and such but the raiders now attack in full force between the waxing and waning sun where the temperature is cool and light is dim. While some of us may pity their desperation, the river cannot sustain both groups equally - and both the Arridi and Hydrans claim this land as their home."
Kara, silent throughout the story, frowned a bit. "I can see that is troublesome, but what would you have me do? I am an outsider to these affairs, and by your presence, it seems that things are at least somewhat stable." The girl would've liked to help, truly, but where was her place in a dispute that concerned life or death and entire groups of peoples? The whole thing was sudden and the scope was far beyond anything of her caliber. "We would not ask for help in such a manner if it were not necessary..." The Hydran spoke solemnly. "The Arridi have gotten their hands on some sort of weapon, be it magicks or the advanced technology your people have, we cannot tell distinctly what powers it. They have been testing its might against our own weapons, and we are found wanting. It has escalated from cautious caravan raids to other Hydran towns to actual confrontation at our own homes. I am understanding of your own position, but I formally plead on behalf of my village that you at least try and help us reason with them. Our children and wives live in fear that husbands and fathers will not return after a sour talk..." Kara began to crack, sighing and rubbing her head. "We do not expect one to risk their lives for nothing in return. If you help us end this incursion into our lands we will gift you with the sacred treasure of our people."
Despite the agreement already about to leave her lips, Kara couldn't help but be intrigued by the last statement. "Treasure?" She said, the word rolling off her tongue with a bit of hesitation. Doing good shouldn't be solely motivated by treasure... but if they were offering, how could she decline? "Once every hundred years, the culmination of the sacred peaches finishes. Against all natural order, these fruits grow in the sandy terrain if cared for diligently by the Hydrans. A single bush with a single bud can take as many as three active men to properly nurture. Each one is cut into tens of slices to be consumed by our warriors, and each is known to grant a blessing of strength to the worthy." The Hydran dipped his head. "I am Ushel, one of the village's leaders. It is on behalf of my people that I offer an entire peach to you, should you succeed. It is not with a light heart that this reward is offered, but even if our best man were to consume this on his own, the chances he would fair against the Arridi are not favorable. We've little way of contacting outside help, and had you not stumbled here, our band was prepared to wander the green lands to beg aid from the outsider lands." Mind made up, Kara crossed the river swiftly to offer the man a bright smile. "You can rely on me! ...I might need a crash course on how to do desert stuff though, I've been living on farmlands for most of my life." Bowing once more, Ushel stood and beckoned her closer to the rest of the group. "My gratitude is endless." The Hydran said, his camel kneeling. "Now, we return to the village."
