Exploring the River

Cadfael, after hearing talk in the town of the River of Runes, decided to see what the area was.  Hoping to learn more of the nature of runes, as well as to find allies, he set off to explore the river, starting with the near bank.
After a few hours of wandering the near side, he stopped and set up camp, figuring that, if nothing else, a forward base of operations would be useful.  He built a small fire and hunted some small game with his sling before sitting down to cook his meal.

Psyre was trying to learn a new rune, one on which he had been working for some time now. Long fascinated by the idea of healing, regeneration, and the like, he had been trying to determine how to inscribe a rune to do such a thing. As he had when learning how to inscribe runes initially (and every time he inscribed a rune thereafter), he journeyed to the River to find his inspiration. To him, runes were the language of the universe, expressed in their simplest and purest form in the Wild. The magic of everything. The word of the Wild. To Psyre, runes were that sacred. 

As Psyre came to the river, he saw a wisp of smoke from a nearby fire. Intrigued, he moved toward it. The last time he had seen someone else here (well, aside from the time he took Rowenna with him and Zanthro's sojourn from the North) had been back when his tribe was alive, so he couldn't help but hope that it would somehow be a survivor. Maybe, somehow, one person other than him had made it out alive. Just maybe. That hope was enough to give Psyre the courage and confidence he needed to approach the small camp.

He could make out a figure sitting by a fire, but none of the figure's features were visible. "Hey there, good evening! What brings you to the River today?"

After a slight jerk as he was brought from his thoughts to reality by the call, Cadfael straightened and turned to face the voice.  He smiled ruefully, the effort tugging very slightly at the scar running down his right cheek, and silently berated himself for his carelessness.  After all, he knew no one in these lands.  He had to be careful.
“Hello there!  I’m looking to learn more about runes, and this river seemed a good place to start,” said the man, “My name is Cadfael Ken’ill.  Who are you?”
The man stooped, grabbed, some of the hare he had been cooking, and offered it to the stranger. “Here, eat, and be welcome at my fire.  Tell me, are you from around here?  I could use a guide.  I’ve come up from the West, and I don’t know my way around yet.”

"Oh! You're trying to learn about runes? I can take you to some of them, if you're so inclined. They come from just across the River. Well, they might not come from there, but they're certainly more prevalent. I'd be happy to guide you regardless of where you want to start, but we should probably spend the night somewhere a bit warmer and then come back in the morning. My name's Psyre, by the way," Psyre said, offering his hand as he approached. From his experiences with Cedric, Psyre had learned that more people than he had thought were deserving of at least some trust, but also that he should never trust and believe in anyone as fully as he had Cedric. He hearkened back to his life with his tribe and remembered the communal spirit that had thrived and allowed them to flourish. Helping this man would be a small kindness, enjoyable, and of no cost to him, so Psyre would gladly help. 

"It's a nice fire, but we'll want to be away from the River at night. The rune wolves and chill winds are too significant a threat for me to want to sleep here. If we just move back to the trees, we can be sheltered from the wind and far enough away from the River to avoid getting mauled by rune wolves." Even as he was saying this, Psyre led the way to the trees. "We'll press on in the morning, I had wanted to inscribe some new runes anyway. I'll show you how it's done if you want, but you'll need to prove yourself to me and -more importantly- to the Wild before I'm willing to do that."

At Psyre’s words, Cadfael quickly banked the fire and broke camp, following him into the trees.  There was a part of him that hesitated to trust a stranger so freely, but the campsite had been exposed.  And he didn’t know the area, so he needed to trust someone, after all.

“So, what do you mean by ‘prove myself to the wild’? Is it some kind of…ritual?” asked the commander.  “I’ve trained most of my life, and I refuse to yield.  I swore that when I took my name.  Also, do you know a good place to get a weapon?  Maybe a spear?  I’m afraid a sling is not exactly ideal for wolves.”


Cadfael paused, thinking briefly over the other’s conduct.  Had this young man been so inclined, he could have killed him while he was unaware.  Instead he was bringing Cadfael to a place of relative safety.  Perhaps he could be trusted, at least a little.

“I’m also looking for companions.  I seek to create a world free of oppression, where even a stranger can be trusted.  However, as you can see, I’m not exactly a strong man.  So I need people to aid me.  Would you be willing to join me,” continued the man, after pausing for only a few moments. “You seem a useful sort, and I’m sure you have a few things I could help you with in return.”


With these words, Cadfael stopped and faced the man head on.  “I’ll not hold it against you if you say no, but I will welcome those who come to me honestly.  Those who come to me in falsehood, however, shall be cut apart.  Traitors deserve no better.”

As Psyre listened to the man, he could almost feel the words resonate within him. A world in which people could be trusted. For Psyre, that had been his tribe. Everyone could be trusted. Except for him, of course. None of them should have trusted him. This man strove for a utopia and did so freely, offering everyone a chance. Psyre could not have related more.

"Traitors deserve no better.” Psyre thought back to Cedric and his betrayal. How his blood had boiled. He would not attack or kill Cedric in cold blood, but Cedric has thrown his chance by the wayside. Psyre had trusted him. Loved him. And been lied to and forsaken. Yes, this man seemed to understand. "Oh, I'd be more than happy to join you in that goal. Extending a society like that has been my primary motivation for much of my life." And also led to the destruction of that same society. Psyre had learned how horribly things could go wrong. But that was no reason to stop trying. This was a noble goal, and one that he intended to pursue until its completion. 

"Okay, let's rest up here. In the morning, we'll set out for the other side of the River. I don't know about weapons, at least not for now. To get one, you'd need some pocket money. And you'd need to go to the town of the King of the North. Against which I would fervently speak. He's a lying piece of scum." Psyre had enraged himself once more by thinking about Cedric. "I can help with runes, which you might find more effective than most weapons. Then, at some point, we can perhaps acquire new ones together. As well as this staff has served me, it's not exactly what I'd like to be using right now."


[Exit]

((
Exiting so we can move on to the fun part with the fighting and stuff, they're now close enough to bros to go kill some stuff together. I'll make a new topic on the far side of the river, join me there! 

Okay, for an admin: Total IC words in topic: 823

+ 16 attribute points (16 Memory)
Begin learning Rupture of the Flame rune (2500 needed, - 800 from this, 1700 needed to finish learning it)
))

"Oh, I'd be more than happy to join you in that goal. Extending a society like that has been my primary motivation for much of my life."


“Thank you.  I appreciate your aid.”

With that, what needed to be said had been said, and what needed to be done had been done.  Sharing a quick meal, he went to his rest, glad he had decided to trust this young fellow.  Now he had an ally, a path to the runes, and the knowledge that the King of the North had done something to firmly set Psyre against him, which seemed strange given the speed with which the man had pledged support to Cadfael’s dream.  While unsure what could cause such vehemence in such an open man, he believed that it would likely be necessary to confront this King at some point.  That was a fight for another day, however.

For now, he could rest, knowing that he was safe, at least somewhat, and comfortable with the knowledge that he now had a companion on his journey.  With this he was prepared, ready to continue, and impatient for the sun to rise so that the next step might be taken.  When he slipped into sleep, he was still thinking of his quest, and his dreams, as ever, were about the battles he would have to fight to reach them.  There was, however, one difference.  In these dreams, a ranger with runes inscribed on his arms stood at his right hand.

[Exit]

For and admin: 764 IC words
15 attribute points; 10 in Memory, 5 in Patience

750 words towards Assuring Presence (1000 total, 250 remain) (If assuring presence is still under work, then I can remove this portion.)

Approved for both. And I believe that assuring presence is finished, so you're good.