They've killed my boy ;_; Amazing writing- Had it made a deal with Treebane last night?!! Kind of heartbreaking that Svarog gets to transform into something so high-and-mighty like a dragon and her dog that dedicated its life to her gets left to die not a few weeks after. Really wish I could've been there. RIP Sho-Go-Oth <///33

“West Wing Distributions.” “Is it tacky?” The man that called himself Condor mused to himself, flipping a pen in his hand. With how distracted he was, I almost expected him to toss it into the dirt. We’d been spitballing names for a while; With more poor sods under his belt, he was considering making a proper name for the collective of us. “Tacky? No.. It suits you,” I try to offer. Beroe came up with that one, he said, wanted to give us a proper place to work in Moonflower instead of the little stand I work daily. Condor only nods in response, mumbling to himself, before pulling a map out from his notebook and handing it off to me. My brows raise- “What’s this?” “The sea.” He so-very-helpfully offers, rounding me as I spread open the map. Indeed it is, a sketched map of the Emerald Steppes and the Winterlands with the sea between. I feel myself start to sweat as he points. “Yer a mariner, right? Whatcha know about traversing icy waters?” The man taps a port. “... Yea… Well. First of all,” I place the map down against a counter. Condor follows to lean over my shoulder. I point, “You're not gettin’ any big ships in or out of Moonflower like this. Not unless you build the port up here-” The northern plains where the deer girl hadn't spread forestry yet. It wasn't far north, and would be ideal for farmers to transport shipments- Plus, lots of space to store cargo. “Or over here.” A private island at the edge of Moonflower, just above Eastlake. It'd be the perfect hub to intercept cargo shipments and make some more tax for transports down to Eastlake. “Can't,” Condor stops my train of thought from running too far too soon. “That's a gravesite.” He redirects my attention downwards, pointing to… a beach on the southern end of the island. Trails his finger from the northern canal, past Eastlake’s port to another canal leading into Moonflower. My brows furrow. “... Y’can’t be serious.” He pats my shoulder. “Mayor wants it there.” I stare at the map. He points again, “Artisans and farmers get a market throughout all’a here. And this little harbour’s gonna get built,” He circles with a finger, “Eastlake handles the big shipments. We export, do local trade with them. We only have to worry about the little boats.” “They'll charge us a fortune on imports…" “Up here-” My attention is redirected back to the icy waters. “Glacikaldr. Hosting, eh, WWD up there for now- Juuuust my little pet project,” He raises a hand as if to appease me, for some reason. “Out of my own pocket. Nothing fishy.” If you asked me, Condor was more stupid than fishy. He then clears his throat, “But you tell me- How’d you get a ship up and down through here?” I grumble, scratching my head. “... We didn't handle that. They'd use an icebreaker, we jus’ follow the canal.” “Glacikaldr to… Westwatch, New Glint, Heathrest…” Down to Eastlake, and then, “Moonflower.” He grins as though he were proud of his work. “How’s you feel about becomin’ a mariner again, Nasir?” “You pay me and my son plenty to stand here and sell junk, I’m fine.” Folding the map back up, Condor goes to take proper stock of the wares before he leaves. I have to scoff, “I wouldn't put it there!” Sighing, Condor turns. “Listen, 's hard enough trying to beg Beroe to charge taxes. We let too much traffic in and Moonflower’ll be too big fer her to handle.” He raises his hands as though it'll convince me. It does not. “If all we gotta worry about’s a little port and what the citizens can afford, all the better. Plus, we get to monopolize trading our own goods by ship with Woods’ Edge. Easier this way.” He grins. The discussion ends there. I have to wave the boss out of my shop as quickly as I can when an adventurer comes to pick out rations and stones for their blade. As he had been, Condor had just started talking to himself about Moonflower potentially doing business with the bandit camp across the lake. The look on the adventurer’s face was making it feel like it'd be bad for my business if he gave it anymore thought around my shop.

The following text was written in a heavy hand. The lettering is not so bad, as though the author had been getting practice in lately. Neighbourhood Building in Kindra, Last time I visited Kindra, Firefly had been asking me for some help. Right now everyone seemed to be interested in building up their homes, and the Heart of the Nether is no exception to that. Can't say I know of too many civilizations in the nether anyhow, so of course they'd want to expand. Not many people find the place all too kind to visit if they're from the Overworld like myself though, so I don't got any helping hands other than the craftsmen that already live here. After seeing them in action, I can for sure say that the builders sure know how to work the material well. Housing is housing, all of its foundational structures ought to be solid and attuned to the environment, but building in hard netherrack I found is a bit of a challenge. When I was directed to some construction zones, I found a house on the hill next to the offering chamber, grander and a bit more gothic than the others. Found out it was owned by a 'Sauria' that moved out a while back. Makes me wonder which one it was. Regardless, there's plenty of space on the hills there and that abandoned house was perfect for resale. I spoke to the owners of the two neighbouring huts, managed to convince them to let me deconstruct and move their homes to fit nearby. Cost a few crimin out of my pockets, but whatever. With that zoning and the blueprints for new homes finished, a small neighbourhood can be constructed there. Firefly OKed those plans, so I passed them off to the masons in charge. Next ought to be helping construct and reinforce their mines, something I have a little more skill in.   PS. Consider sourcing Ellisar with high-quality fire res. drinks for visitors.

SO COOL!!!!! i already said it but i absolutely love the incorporation of the song for the fight proper, it ended at the perfect moment, too! your pacing is so damn good

_________________________________________ Time is running out. I can tell it is because of the way those eyes look at me when we talk. The tone of his voice. Coldly, like I’m just his prey. Where there was understanding, friendly camaraderie or warmth there is little affection left; All three of us know, after all, that distancing yourself from a kill makes everything hurt less. But not yet. I’m still useful, I’ll bet he's been told. They'll use me until I bite the hand that feeds- Yeah, sure. Like we ever needed their garbage to begin with. Vaalynth’s laziness and greediness are his detriment. You promise him food, beer and people to spend time with, and he's pleased. He's a good worker when you can get him out, though, I’ve grown up seeing him work and talk up merchants and do all sorts of odd jobs. Legal ones. Not whatever this shit is. These ones have you killing yourself along with your victims. Myself, I could've done so much more. Worked with people, studied and wrote encyclopedias, or done whatever else. Hell, if I had to go back to farming for a living, it beats all of this shit. Maybe I wasn't lazy like my brother, but I was also blinded by opportunity. It felt like I needed to get out of a small town and see more of the world. So we were never wanting for anything. Just something more. Entertainment. An opportunity. Vulture grew up an orphan and a scavenger and took whatever work he had to do no matter how it damaged him. Got preyed on by beasts bigger than him. He's barely a hunter in his own right, only does what he's told so he has food and security. Don't forget what the family’s done for you; That kinda thing. If the Vulture needs to kill me, its for his boss’ own goals and not his own. I beat myself up for my brother’s bullshit. I wished I could've been more capable of changing his mind. As a little sibling, the dynamic you have in your head is that you can't stand up to your older brother. Hell, I thought he was so cool. That he knew something everyone else didn't. Wish I realized that none of that was true. Wishing doesn't do shit. After years of lying down and letting Vaalynth and the others just drag me around… I look into Vulture’s eyes in the same way. He can tell. “Egret…. You ever think of changing stations? Maybe ye’ll be something more like a Tiger elsewhere.” “... No. Doubt you have, either.” I avoid breaking eye-contact or fiddling with the book in my hand. Vaalynth is in the front, driving our cart. He'd have to be stupid to not understand what was going on by now. “Why a Tiger?” Vulture taps his foot slowly- He was always the more anxious one, having to stay idle in some way or another. “Heard they're noble. They bring good luck.” I snort, “So, y’think I bring good luck.” “Yeah, well,” He fiddles with his pocket, “You know. Powerful, graceful.” “Solitary. Stern. Maybe untameable? I catch yer drift.” I eye him. Whatever he was getting at, I think he was getting the wrong idea. Maybe he wanted a clean cut, but it wasn't like him to worry about a mess. Hell, maybe he liked me. I open my book, leaning back, “I’m not leavin’ Vaal behind. Y’should know that better’n anyone.” Out of the top of my eye, I see Vulture lean back with a deep sigh. I grip my book tighter. Time is running out. ___________ I've already trained myself not to sleep deeply. Still, I will myself awake most nights, napping where I can. I trust my brother, but I feel unsafe around Vulture. One night when I’m given a proper room to sleep in, I procure the supplies I need. Some I've been hiding away for some time- Sheets of paper kept carefully and fine ink. We burn most of our orders, but I've scoured enough of them to know how to forge it pretty close. Hopefully close enough. A document that implores us to meet a named contact at the Temple City in the Free Lands. Instructions are detailed, requiring us not to cause disruptions or leave evidence of our passage. I mail the letter back to ourselves at another town. It takes some days, and then some weeks, and we finally smuggle ourselves onto the boat. “Never been on anythin’ like this before!” Vaal looked rejuvenated at the thought of traveling someplace completely new. Still deserts, but more steppelands, and the forests nearby- I watched his eyes light up like a kid’s. He now stood with me at the harbour, hands on his hips, staring up at the huge boats. We were waiting for Vulture’s prep and watching people haul crates onto ships. “Ain’t it a bit scary?” He glanced down at me. “What, yer afraid of a boat?” “Yeah, well!” Vaal raises his head again. Tilts it this way and that. Taking too long to think of some explanation or a comeback. “I’ll hug you if yer scared.” He huffs with indignation. “Y’know, like, what if it flips over, is all I meant. Or if y’fall overboard, y’won’t be seein’ daylight again.” “Won’t be seein’ much of anythin’, I bet.” “ ‘cept maybe some fish.” ___________ We smuggle ourselves onto the ship. I’ve taken it that my challenge has been accepted. Ever the predator, I wait. And wait. We both know it. One of us will be dying here. The timing just needs to be right. Vulture is always expecting me, and I’m always expecting him. We wait. ___________ “Not like you t’want to talk ‘bout family.” I mumble around my cigar, leaning against the mast. “Never been this far from home before, either. Feels weird.” Vaalynth seems to be looking into the darkness or something. When he was younger, he hated thinking about home. I could even remember a time when it made him angry- I think it just makes him anxious. “Y’think Elluin’s gonna wonder where we’ve gone?” “Hey, well, we’ll send more letters. You wanna scrap some now? Bet yer handwriting’ll look great on a creakin’ boat.” Vaal scoffs. “As if. Yeah, tho, maybe I’ll write home more.” ___________ “... You excited fer Temple City?” It's just a place in the world. A place I can take him away to that we won't be bothered. “Wonder what kinda people we'll meet there.” “Yeah.” I can hear him fiddling with his gloves, “I wanna know whose there, too.” ___________ We sit in silence for a while. ___________ Time’s run out. I swear I could feel Vulture’s eyes on me in the darkness. After sitting for a long time, I sigh and shakily get up, helping my brother up with my free hand. He’s been struggling with his cigar for a while, I notice. I take it from his hands, and after tossing the wet thing aside I pull him into a hug. He's not given much of a chance for any confusion. I don't look at Naravath’s face as I turn him around, gripping him by the back of his collar. I pull the trigger. I shouldn't be surprised at how quickly he goes limp. Even though Nara’s such a heavy man, I should be able to carry him easily. I watch Ekoln- A short man, lean and underweight and with a single arm- Manage to take my kill and toss him overboard in no time at all. I’m left alone with a polite, pitiable look from a goddamn scavenger who couldn't even leave me a few minutes with my brother’s body. Even though Nara disappeared instantly, I was left alone to stare at the black water for a long time. _____ A few days later, Vulture asks Condor if he's excited for Temple City. Condor asks, with all the good in his heart, what Vulture is so excited for. Vulture has to think for a while, but shrugs and looks pleased enough with the bullshit answer he comes up with, “Bet we'll find some new opportunities there.”   _________________________________________     You're not a snake, and I'm not an ocelot! We're men, with names!   I wanted to finally practice some proper writing! Here's a key for character names for context: Vaalynth (Vaal) = Condor. He's my PC on CI, and Naravath's older brother. He left home originally to meet new people and have new experiences. On CI, he's now about 10-15 years older than he was here. Naravath (Nara) = Egret. Condor's younger brother. He started traveling with Condor at a younger age, also interested in people but from a more anthropological standpoint. He took it upon himself to start protecting Condor's hide and do his dirty work for him as they got older. Egret is the speaker for the majority of this story. Ekoln = Vulture. Condor's recruiter and business partner to him and Egret. Condor also sees him as a romantic partner. A lot of context of his motivations can be gleamed from his namesake, really. Business? = Bounty hunting and smuggling ring. The naming scheme comes from their station; In the region that these three operate, they're given bird-related codenames. Fun fact, egrets are patient hunters while vultures are timid and, you know, scavenge. They'll wait to clean up whatever scraps are left from the hunters.   Further context, I bought my first tarot deck and wanted to test it out for story-writing here! I always had this part of Condor's backstory go this way in my mind, but having the cards solidify what I wanted to write about really helped, haha. I might've gotten readings wrong or omitted some parts that ultimately didn't work out, but here was the spread: Introduction: Four of Cups (Reversed) Inciting incident: Five of Cups   Challenges: The Chariot Darkest hour: Three of Pentacles (Reversed)   Triumph: Seven of Swords (Reversed) Ending: Page of Wands (The ending changed from the drafted concept. Oops!)