Acumin Druidic Grove

[Poe]

Written by AGM Loudmouth

Acumin Druidic Grove

Within Acumin there lies many buildings. One is a bit different form the rest however. A dome of trees and tangled vines forms in the crux of the town. It seems nature has particularly smiled upon this place as the grass just seems greener and the trees more full then anywhere else in the town. Overlooking the fountain of Carmeyla, this dome seems to have no visible entrances at first. Upon further observation however one would observe two trees arching together with a tangled bunch of vertical vines reaching to the ground. A sign post outside reads “Acumin Druidic Grove” As you approach the vines open down the middle, half succumbing to the left the other half to the right. From the moment you enter, with your first breath you take in all the wonderful smells of nature. Sap, flowers, fruits and other various aromas fill your nostrils. As you make your way into the building of sorts you notice that there is no use of what are to be considered normal building materials. The walls are made simply of the vines and trees you observed before. All this vegetation cumulates at the top of the dome forming a little circular opening so that sunlight trickles down throughout this enchanted garden. It seems you have just walked into a miniature forest of sorts and inter connecting paths make up the way you will navigate this place. You choose the closest path as it seems to be the largest and main one.

A trickle of water teases your ears and you notice a pond with fish lively swimming around within it. The pond is being fed by a constant water supply trickling down from the rocks. Upon further observation one would notice that there is no outside source or plumbing of any kind allowing the water to trickle down, it simply seemed to be coming straight from thin air. You continue into the grove and you begin to notice the abundance of wildlife within. Insects fly around but pose no threat to you, a rabbit scurries by the path. Scattered throughout the path there are statues portraying nature and tributes to Carmeyla. At certain times one may even see a Carmelyn Priest praying at one of these alters to their patron goddess. As the path comes to an end there sits a bird upon a perch as you approach it lets out a beautiful call. You are mesmerized by its beauty. As the call of the bird ends the vines open much like they did at the entrance, to reveal a room of sorts. Out of the doorway emerges a male elf. He is in a green cloak with a golden lining on the sleeves and collar. The first impression any would get of this elf is his wisdom. He seems young yet every curve of his face seems to hold an infinite amount of knowledge eager to be given away. He nods at you with a smile and speaks.

“Hello friend, do you come to seek the knowledge and love of Carmeyla? If so I believe I can help you. Welcome to the Acumin druidic Grove I am Lehan, master druid. What is it you call yourself my friend?”

Secrets : This area is not open for self-moderation. Please contact the moderator of the thread if you have not received a reply after 3 RL days.

[Aerynth]

Entering the Grove, Aerynth felt the strange mixture of magic, and nature. It felt good too him, but also made him quite unsure of himself. The outdoors, or indoors in this case, always made him unsure of himself in a way. Aerynth knew he was young, but the world seemed so much bigger when in a forest.

As captavating as the water appearing from the air truely is too Aerynth he only spent a moment staring. He knew he shouldnt keep Cristof waiting too long for him. He finally made way too the elf Lahan. Repling

"Serale, Lahan. I am Aerynth. Yes I have come too seek the knowledge and love of Carmeyla. My uncle has sent me here to Acumin too help rebuild the city. Cristof told me that it takes Druids too make the vines and tree's grow fast enough too build with. Unfortunatly I havnt much money. "

There were many other reasons why Aerynth wanted to learn the ways of the Druid. The biggest reason perhaps is too Make a better lifestyle for himself and too have a better understanding with the real world.

[Carnasch]

Entering on the Seventh Brightening in the second Cycle of the Month Imperos in the Season of Autumn, Era II of the Celestine Mandate, Era XIV Post Fractum.

As Carnasch entered the building Philyra directed him to, he felt that while it was definatly not the same as the forests outside the shield. While he was far more comfortable here than out in the street or in the Tavern, it still didn't feel quite right. He pressed on, as he always did, for once he was set on a course anyone would be hard pressed to interfere. He walked slowly, peering around nervously, his paranoia of men and thier cruelties mixing with the oddity of this cultured forest.

As he neared the back, he could see a pair of elves talking, one of them was dressed normally, although he looked like he may have been a ranger, and the other was dressed in resplendant green robe with gold stitching around the collar and cuffs. One of them left on another direction as the other one watched. Carnasch came fully around the corner, and the remaining elf turned and said, "Welcome my friend, my name is Lahan, and by what shall I call you?" The elf was literally head and shoulders shorter than the Vagaran, Carnasch, but his presence made the bigger man feel very small indeed.

The elf looked and felt wise beyond anything the human had ever encountered, but he stood tall and spoke loudly to make sure the elf understood his intent, "My name is Carnasch, and I am here to learn of nature spellweaving." He waited for a moment, and then remembered what Philyra had said about being respectful, and
added, "If you would be willing to teach me."

OOC: I can shuffle the timestamp if the training is going to take longer than a day. Which it probably will but anywho...

[Aydyn Blair]

The Second Cycle of Junctior
Season of Autumn

Aydyn had not come to the Druidic Grove to train. She very much doubted that she would have found the sort of training she needed, coming to this place; Acumin was small and, as such, she had not recalled Master Druids being in large supply. She had come because, once, Aydyn had entertained sitting near these Druids and seeing what she might learn from them. And they, like she, were Druids. It would have seemed...wrong...somehow for her to pass through Acumin without stopping for a visit.

She had left Noah behind her, in the company of a friend she'd made when she'd lived here previously. It was one of those rare moments she had to herself, walking through the trees and enjoying their Autumn splendor and the presence of the wilds. It was...comforting. A relief. She loved Noah, but at times a woman simply needed to be a woman, not a mother. She felt guilty, thinking that, but it was bare truth.

The Druidess paused before the fish pond, peering down and watching as the scaled creatures lazily tested the water's currents. For a moment she was tempted to join them, to shed this shape and slide into the waters perhaps as an otter. She remembered the way they'd played, on the banks of a large pond in the wilds outside of Natura. It had seemed a carefree existence.

She forced her attention away from the pond to the grove. She continued on the path, towards the building she knew would be at its end. She smiled faintly as an elf emerged and clasped her hands in front of her. "Serale, Lehan," she greeted him politely. "I am Aydyn Blair, a fellow Druid. I had thought to stop and speak with you, perhaps spend some time in your Groves while I'm in Acumin." It had been more a greeting than she had initially intended, but she had a way of relaxing her guard when confronted with another Druid.

ooc: suddenly the thread is popular

[Desmodus]

Carnasch

Lehan looked up at the Vagaran and smiled. "Serale and well met, Carnasch," he answered softly: "If you are interested in druidism -or 'nature spellweaving' as you call it, I suppose this is the right place to be. Am I to take it that you have had no training in arcana before? And why does nature spellweaving interest you so?"

"Unbound!" came an odd, high-pitched voice from a nearby tree. If the Vagaran turned to look at what he source of the voice was, he would see only a small bird with a long, flat tail, colored brilliant green and yellow. Lehan seemed to ignore this bird, although it was unlikely the elf hadn't heard it.

Aydyn

The fish did not seem nearly as interested in Aydyn as she was in them as they glided about their fishy business in the pond. The human could see in their eyes that they were feeling especially lonely and des-pond-ent this brightening, wishing only that some otter would come and play with them, but such was not to be. As she was watching the sad, lonely fish, something small hit her head. "Fishnipples!" shouted a small voice, and if the human looked up she would see a brightly-plumed green-and yellow bird fluttering past, stopping in a nearby branch and turning to look at the human. "Fishnipples!" the budgerigar called again.

"Julos" called another voice, this one belonging to the young elf Aydyn knew as Lehan, "go home."

"Yes, sir!" called the budgie, and took once more to wing.

The elf turned now to Aydyn. "Sorry, one of the returning townsfolk took to bird-fancying while abroad, and came back with Julos and a couple other exotic talking birds." He smiled a bit like an indulgent parent. "The birds like to come here, and they have a certain...entertainment value, would you not agree?"

He listened to Aydyn's request. "You were here before, were you not? You assisted our Aedile not long ago, as I recall. You will find the town a bit more crowded than before, although that is only a relative term, of course, and that is partly due to your help.

"You are welcome to visit and look around at your pleasure. Was there something in specific you had in mind to do while you were here?"

In the distance, Aydyn's ears might just barely hear the retreating voice of a bird chirping: "Unbound! Unbound!"

[Carnasch]

Carnasch was still feeling the pressure of being in a town, even if it was slightly lessened by the fact that the building he was in was made of living trees, so at the birds sudden voice, he wipped half way around and had his hand firmly on his axe haft, before he realized that the only thing behind him was the bird.

He eyed it suspiciously for a second before he turned back to Lahan to answer his question, "I live amongst nature, and while the wood offers its own protections, it is fickle, and sometimes I must defend against nature itself." He looked around him as if to emphacise his point, "If I can control or shift the wood and the elements around me, then I can protect myself that much easier."

The human looked at the elf ernestly, hoping that his answer had been the right one, and that the elf would see his sincerity. As he watched the elf, he thought of the bird, and wondered where it had learned to talk.

[Aydyn Blair]

Fishnipples?

The Druid's head jerked around at the strange, squawking voice, sighting the lovely, exotic bird almost instantly. Hard not to when the colors were such a brilliant splash against the forest backdrop. It was not a bird she'd seen before, not here or anywhere else. But what a bizarre thing for it to be saying.

She shifted her shirt absently, almost as if self-conscious of her own chest, as she turned back towards the voice of the elf. "Exotic? Looks that way," she mused aloud with a faint smile. "I've never seen a bird like that before. Where did he get him?" She asked not because she was necessarily interested in finding a similar bird. She wasn't. Particularly in light of the fact that she had, in her company, four felines.

"Yes, I was here before. And recently. A little under half an era ago." To pick up the pieces, after she'd had Noah. After she'd been enslaved. She'd needed that time to heal and stay somewhere quiet. Somewhere safe. And Acumin, she believed, was safe. How could it not be with its little bubble of protection? She'd stayed with a friend and hadn't left until the woman informed her that hiding was not necessarily living. "It's nice to see the place thriving, although the peace of its smallness was nice, too. Comfortable." But trade, she knew, had been lacking.

She glanced around her, thoughtfully, a smile appearing as she heard the bird in the distance. "Maybe this is a strange request, but I was wondering about the homes. About how they were constructed from the trees. You used arcana for that, didn't you?" It was a somewhat shy request, but she had been thinking about it. A house built from trees and the wilds around her, without having to chop it down, sounded...perfect. But creating it herself would be...an accomplishment she couldn't deny she wanted to reach. "Do you think such a feat is too much for an Adept?"

[Desmodus]

Carnasch

The bird jumped to a higher branch when Carnasch whirled menancingly towards it. It gave a nasty, loud screech, and then said: "Fishnipples!".

Lehan didn't say anything for a moment after Carnasch spoke, and his expression was noncommittal. "Most dangers come from nature, actually," he said, "just as most other things come from nature. Of course, I can assure you that Julos here is not one of them, unless you happen to be a nut or seed. You're not dangerous, now are you, Julos?"

The bird turned an eye towards the druid. "Yessir" it said. Then with a flutter of green and yellow, it flew away.

Lehan turned to Carnasch, his manner growing more businesslike now: "I have to say that your motive for learning about nature is a bit...disappointing. It is not only self-centered, it is...overly defensive, even a bit fearful. It sounds almost as if you wish to acquire power so that you can insulate yourself from the world. But it doesn't work that way. To gain power, you must *expose* yourself to the world. And becoming unbound and learning magic unlocks more doors than it secures. Are you sure that that is what you want? Because if what you are looking for is a way to seal yourself off from anything that might threaten you, I'm afraid that Druidism will not give you that."

The elf's words were not issued in a challenging tone; they were meant to be constructive and helpful. He smiled slightly as he waited for Carnasch to consider and give his answer.

Aydyn

Lehan's eyes followed the path of the bird as it flew away calling: "Unbound! Unbound!"

"I think the woman bought it in one of the Enamorian port cities. Medonia or Port Alexandrya. But of course that is not where the bird was from originally." The druid shrugged. Even he did not claim to know everything about every bird or creature on Telath.

Lehan nodded when Aydyn confirmed she had been here recently. "I thought you looked familiar. I was certain of it, in fact. It is good to see you again."

When Aydyn asked about the houses, the elf tilted his head thoughtfully. "If you can cast Warp Wood and Grow with any sort of skill," he responded, "you can help build houses. Most of the druids here are no more than Adepts, and we manage just fine. But we don't build houses single-handedly. I'm probably the only one here who could do that in a reasonable amount of time, and even I find it taxing to do such a thing by myself. Why do you ask? Did you wish to make a home here? Build yourself a house?"

[Carnasch]

Carnasch smiled bitterly at what the Elf said; somehow, he knew Lehan didn't mean it as critisism, but that he was simply conserned. Before he had met Philyra, he would have slammed this 'door' shut instantly and walked away with his mind screaming how he shouldn't have expected anything less than to be mocked.

But now he was more patient, and while his smile continued, he controled himself. He waited a moment to see if the elf had anything else to say, and then another moment to consider his answer. He started slowly, and gained momentum as the thoughts came to him. "... I don't seek to block myself away from the world by closing doors. I wish to close the doors to protect myself from the danger coming through them." He paused for a moment to articulate his next thought, "A door can be closed to ward off unwanted problems, but that door can also be re-opened, and I see the manipulation of Arcana as a way of shutting AND opening those doors." He smiled again, this time not bitterly, but in releif that he had managed to say what he wanted the way he wanted to say it, and with out making a fool of himself in the proccess.

He looked Lehan in the eyes the entire time, except for his brief pause in the middle, when he looked at the floor. He still looked at the Elf, studiing his calm face, and waiting ernestly for an answer.

[Aydyn Blair]

She could see how the bird could become annoying. And fast. Did it sit around all brightening and repeat the same set of words over and over again? Well, she supposed it was a bird and their minds did not, she figured, wrap themselves around a set language as the people it lived around. How could she expect it to be able to speak in fuller sentences?

The Druidess listened carefully and nodded with a faint smile at the words. She chose her next words carefully as she answered him. "I expected that. That it wouldn't be...easy. It seems to be too great a spell for a single Adept, but I had thought to ask because, as you say, I would like to make a home. Here, if possible, I suppose, although I don't intend to settle here until I've made my way a little more in the world. Perhaps Acumin will have another Master Druid in their midst one brightening." She smiled gently, hands clasped in front of her. It was a hope she aspired to--to become more knowledgeable in the path that she had chosen, to both understand the world around her...and now to provide protection to her daughter and herself.

"I've loved Acumin since I've come here. There's a wildness to it that the cities can't claim. Even Natura, small as it is, is nothing like...this. I want my daughter to know it. To be able to craft a shelter for my daughter would...it would mean much to me." She couldn't quite fit it all into words, so she let it sit there, still struggling with what she could not quite form.

[Desmodus]

Carnasch

Lehan watched the Vagaran curiously as he spoke. He had seen another of his race earlier, a certain Eyvind Birch, but this Carnasch was quite different. The Vagaran was not the sort who liked civilization much, the elf could tell; he could certainly respect that, and he could also understand why such a man would want more control over the natural elements with which he preferred to interact.

He thought for a moment, eyes narrowed slightly, tapping a finger on his lips, then he lowered his hand and said: "I could certainly initiate you into Druidism, if that is truly your wish. I should warn you, though, that at first there will be relatively few things you can do that will actually protect you from anything. It would be a while before you will have acquired the sort of abilities I think you seek. It won't be a quick process. But if you are willing to undertake it, I can certainly start you on the path of Nature. Is that what you wish?"

He awaited the bigger man's answer with a non-commital, hard-to-read expression.


Aydyn

Lehan smiled as the young woman spoke. "If you wished to return to Acumin, you would certainly be welcome to do so," he said quietly, "and I doubt Latherin would mind having an assistant again, were you so interested. He might even be looking for a successor some day."

The elf's eyes looked past Aydyn to range over the still-mostly-vacant expanse that was Acumin. "And you would have little problem securing the necessary permissions, I am sure, to build in a place that would suit you. And I and the other druids would be delighted to help. I only ask in return that you also agree to help out when the druids make other structures, as well."

His eyes turned back to the woman. "Would that be agreeable to you?"

[Carnasch]

A broad smile seemed to spring to Carnasch's face when he heard the elf's answer. His answer was short but appropriate, and said with enthusiasm, "Nature teachs two things, if nothing else. Patience, and determination."

(OOC: Sorry for the short reply I have to go to work and I don't know when I'll be on again.)

[Aydyn Blair]

Aydyn smiled, at once glad that she might have a place in this place again, if she wished it. "Thank you, Master Lehan. I don't think I have many places I could say I would love to return to when the moment presents itself." But she did love Acumin, for its safety and its place twined with nature. For now, it was simply too small for her to desire returning to at present. There were far too many things to do in the world.

She looked around, just as he did, as he considered the fact that she'd have little trouble obtaining land on which to begin the arcanic building of the home. This was true, she thought, and she was well enough content with that knowledge herself. Better for Acumin not to grow too large, to lose that closeness that it had with the world around it. Too many people sometimes made things lose its focus. "That sounds perfectly agreeable to me," she responded after a moment, feeling suddenly eager and curious about flexing her own abilities, to see what she could manage. Constructing a home of living trees and vines would not be easy.

"I do intend to leave at the end of the cycle. I could perhaps extend my visit longer by another cycle, if you wish to employ my help before I leave. I admit, I have no idea how long it would take to build a whole home. I wouldn't want to abandon it in the middle of its making." She had not considered this when she had originally clutched onto her idea of making a home of her own. Here for a cycle, gone the next. Oh, and yes, let's build a house during that sole cycle. She knew houses of brick and wood took far longer to make than a cycle.

[Lichen]

CARNASCH:
Lehan blinked. ”I take it,” he said slowly, ”that was a yes?” The elf tucked a loose piece of brown hair behind his ear. ”Of course, if I do train you, I will require payment of a sort. Money does not mean much here, as we’ve naught to spend it on, but we have many tasks in this town that need to be completed. If I take you on as my apprentice, I will expect you to help me in many ways during the duration of your lessons.”

AYDYN:
”Oh,” Lehan said, ”well, I would not detain you, but if you were here, we are trying to raise a new structure and any assistance you could provide would be, well.” He smiled, the expression as muted and shy as most of his actions, but lighting up his face nonetheless. It made him look younger, wiping lines from his eyes and forehead. ”The more help, the easier the job, at least in this business. It does not take long to complete a simple house, especially with more than one druid, but it is very draining. Most of the magic revolves around the spell grow, which as you know, is a weak one indeed.”

He shook his head then fixed his gaze upon hers. ”And if you do wish to learn to build on your own, this would be a good way of starting. It is a small building we will be growing, a shed, out on Mr. Tavers’ property. Relatively simple, and a good way to learn the manipulations needed. It should only take a few brightenings – you needn’t extend your stay, though we’d love to have you.”

[Carnasch]

OOC: Thanks for taking over for Des.

IC:

Carnasch nodded at the alotted payment. In fact, he would rather work for his training than pay for it. Money meant little to him either, but that just meant that he carried less of it about and needed it for buying necesities like winter clothes which he would soon be needing. His wool coat was warm, but it couldn't cope. He said simply,
"I understand, and agree completely. Nothing worth while in this life is free or easy, and I would feel poorly if I did not compensate you for the services you will be rendering to me."