Artorias offered beds and sanctuary for the band had they ever needed it. She had expected as much from being branched off, but none the less was grateful for the offer. "I’ll pass it on." She assured with a nod of her head. He spoke of the wines they had taken care to craft and she giggled lightly to the near question. "I’d gladly partake, you have me interested." Duchess had recently been experimenting with drugs and alcohol, not that it was a real problem at this time of her life. She was currently sober at least, maybe not by the time she made it back to Boreas.

Their paws made grassy lands and Artorias asked where they were headed next. Her nose gestured just a little south west of where they left the boneyard. "The Runestones." She had seen them recently, but not at night when the granite shimmered. Though that didn’t seem ideal given the current rainy season.

The Runestones weren’t far off from where they left the desolate areas of Auster, or at least it wasn’t long to have them in their view. Soon they came across fallen pillars and other stones. Some were marked in carvings and some covered in moss from a long time untouched.

"Duchess"

Duchess is an !M rated! character for themes of Depression. Please Discord me if you have concerns.

A smile grew across Artorias' face while he walked alongside Duchess, letting her be their guide as they wandered southern Auster together. It still amazed him how he'd spent almost all his life on the southern continent and there was still so much he hadn't seen! She said she'd gladly partake in some of the Hallows' signature product and the Aegis made a mental note to be sure to send her home with a bottle or two of the good reserves when they did finally part ways. Look at him go, actually making friends! If only Artisan could see him now and realize just how wrong he had been.

When he asked where they were headed next, Duchess gestured to a cluster of tall granite rocks, referring to them as the Runestones. Artorias gaped in awe as they drew nearer to the odd rocks, shaped unlike any others he'd seen before. Their surfaces had been weathered smooth over time by hundreds of years of erosion. Their bases were covered in green moss that stretched up their lengths, obscuring some of the strange markings and symbols etched into their surface. But Artorias' keen eyes saw them. He raised a paw, peeling some moss away to reveal the symbols hidden underneath. A delicate digit traced over them, studying them, but ultimately finding no understanding or meaning in them. What sort of creatures could have created these?!

"What are they?" he asked, then immediately followed with, "Besides giant rocks." He half expected some sort of sarcastic remark, not that Duchess had shown him anything but demure pleasantries, but because he had grown up with a brother who was the definition of obnoxious sarcasm.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Argent"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
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Duchess could have almost laughed at the brute’s reaction to seeing the giant pillars. She was a lot less awe, especially these days. The pillars and even the fallen stones were a magnificent view for wolves who may or may not been able to replicate it.

She chuckled lightly, definitely not about to throw up some kind of sarcastic joke as he was expecting, but found his own words a little humorous. She stopped now that they had made it to the center of The Runestones, "I don’t know." She spoke quietly looking around at the formations of the circled pillars. Walking over to one of the standing ones, her front paws rose up onto the stone, stretching her thin body carefully while her claws moved over the grooved surface and she inspected it more closely. "I’ve been told they glow under the moonlight. But..." Her eyes moved briefly to the rain falling from the sky. It would be pointless to wait until nighttime, they could be waiting here for weeks, not that she would have minded his company all that time.

"Duchess"

Duchess is an !M rated! character for themes of Depression. Please Discord me if you have concerns.

Duchess confessed to not knowing what the stones were for either, and Artorias felt a little better knowing he wasn't missing anything super obvious. From the corner of his eye he watched her move, turning his head to see her stretch her slender body up the stones to examine the symbols engraved on them closer. A crooked smirk touched his lips while he watched her, forgetting sometimes just how big he was and how it was a boon for things like this. Duchess said the stones glowed in the moonlight, and now the behemoth of a brute wanted to see that more than anything. "No kidding?" he murmured, inspecting the stones closer. They didn't seem to have any bioluminescent properties; they just looked like regular old granite stones to him.

Artorias glanced up at the heavy blanket of gray clouds above their heads, the misting rain obscuring the sky almost entirely. He didn't need to see the sun to tell it was early afternoon, however. Night would not be for a few more hours still. "Well, we could go explore some nearby areas and come back when the sun goes down if you wanna see them glow too," he suggested with a shrug. "Or we could wait here. I don't mind, and I'd really like to see that too." He was sure they could find ways to pass the time together until dusk.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Argent"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

Duchess chuckled as he suggested coming back or staying around, putting all four of her paws back on the ground. She moved closer to the brute, her eyes looked gently up to his face, "If I'm around next season or when it's not raining I'll be up for that offer." She went to turn to move out of the circular marked stones, heading north towards the grapevine cathedral. Her paws in front of her wanting to tempt the brute with her movements. Not that she was so outspoken of her feelings of what she wanted. But Duchess only wanted to be desired, and right now Artorias' attention was enough to keep her mind off of the past recent events that made her fall into this pit and trying to fill the void in ways that would never fully leave her satisfied. Her cheek flashing carefully in his direction to see if he was still following in suit, "You said The Hallows has been working on their wines?" He may have been in for a treat then, or maybe not. Though their next destination was very dense and secluded, she was eager to get there.

"Duchess"

Duchess is an !M rated! character for themes of Depression. Please Discord me if you have concerns.

Artorias flashed a warm smile back to Duchess when she dropped from the stone and sauntered closer to him, looking to him with gentle dual-hued eyes. "Deal. Next season. It’ll be spring then, and everything will be alive again. Much better weather for stargazing and watching weird rocks." Duchess turned to lead the way away from the Runestones then with graceful and sultry movements. They didn’t go unnoticed by the massive brute, who recognized the motions from when Briar or Bowen had lustful intentions for him, but he’d seen the voluptuous violet fae move this way since he first laid eyes on her. Perhaps this was just the way she walked? Or was she trying to catch the attention of the virile young brute who was doing all he could to keep his eyes from wandering places they shouldn’t be.

He was thankful for Duchess breaking his mind away from itself by asking about his pack’s crafts and trades. "Yes, we have. The castle has a wine cellar and distillery beneath it. We’ve gotten pretty good at making our own wine the longer we’ve been here. When we get back to my pack, I’ll get you a few choice bottles to try." he said with a wink to his lovely traveling partner. Not to pat himself on the back, since he had no hand in the manufacturing of the alcohol. He was very proud of his wolves’ talent though. "I know they use a thicket of grape vines to gather the fruit that grows down here. I’ve never been myself though." Judging by the direction they were headed, that would be their next stop.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Argent"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
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