Healing Event

A torrential downpour sweeps across the garden. Occasionally there is a break in the rain, but the thick, dark cloud cover always remains - like a promise or a threat. Thunder rolls in the distance. Between the sheets of rain, a riot of herbs, plants, and assorted greenery have sprung up as if overnight. You’re absolutely certain that you’ve never seen these sorts of plants here. Actually, you’re positive that some of them only grow in the far north of Boreas in early spring… and that one over there is definitely only found off the coast in tropical climates. If you’re quick about it, you might be able to take home some herbs that aren’t easily found anywhere else.

Skill Claim form

If you complete this thread with at least 3 rounds each, you can claim extra skill points in healing for participating in a random event! Only the first three participants are allowed to respond. Please be aware that the following event has a hard deadline of October 15th

Code:

[b]Skill[/b]: Healing
[b]Points claiming[/b]: 15
[b]For what?[/b]: Participated in a healing-related random event (Herbapalooza)
[b]Proof[/b]: <a href="LINKHERE">click!</a>

[*code]+15 - <a href="LINKHERE">Participated in a healing-related random event (Herbapalooza)</a><br>[*/code]

The chill of winter had set, and while others may have bunkered down at the threat of a storm, Kiliaen responded to the static in the air. It brought life and sparked energy. Something that she was all too happy to experience firsthand. It came suddenly, and she was ready to dance. The rain had been coming and going in sheets, but a little water never hurt anyone. Her coat was quickly soaked against her skin, leaving her short of breath in the cold. The vapor escaping her lips with each exhale was a vivid reminder that it was indeed freezing.

She had been trekking through the woodlands for a while now, but as the trees began to thin, a clearing opened up in the distance. As she drew near, she couldn't believe her citrine gaze. Bright spots of color and earthy scents perfumed the open air. Kiliaen had never traveled this far east before, but this wasn't just a difference within the same continent. Some of these plants she had never seen before in her life, and it left her with an edge of curiosity that she only knew of one way to satisfy.

With unbridled enthusiasm, she paced through the wildflower bouquet as to try to identify as much as she could in the time that she had. There was no rhyme or reason as to what grew here, at least as far as she could tell. She was also limited on what she could carry back. So she would have to make her decisions wisely.

Jane was impressed by the heavy rain that fell over her face as she walked through the garden, thundering roaring at the distance. Threatening, loud. But even though she knew the risks, she didnt want to miss the chance. a chance that not all the time presented itself like this. A sea of exotic herbs were everywhere. She wanted to get some with her. She had come with her Lion mane cape to perhaps use it as an improvised bag. Since she didnt have a real one she was forced to use it like that. Slowly she walked across the fields, foraging for herbs that might be useful should she be able to bring them with her. ""

This was further than Crux had ever gone before, and the boy had to admit it was a bit of a struggle to get this far, the going was slow and his mother often called for them to rest, carefully roving all over him and poking and prodding. But they were heading down south because he was about to have more nieces and nephews and his mother was clearly worried about them. Crux wasn't complaining about getting to explore.

He was complaining about the rain. They'd been suddenly set upon by the appearance of the storm and after sheltering for some time he'd poked his head out to see the verdant garden that had sprung to life. With permission from his parents, the boy bound into the field, romping amongst the greenery and haphazardly picking plants that looked interesting to him, tearing them from the ground without the gentle care he'd eventually learn!
Speech

Art by Twonahalfer

As the rain gently began to let up, it became easier to see. Easier to tell that she wasn't alone out in the storm. She noticed a silvery fae in the distance. Combing through in a similar manner that she had been. She casually began working her way toward the stranger as she gently plucked anything that caught her fancy. The stuff that she recognized, she left. Herbs that she knew how to find, she wouldn't waste her time. It was the unusual ones that she gave special recognition to. For if she could collect enough, she could dry them and test them. Perhaps cross-reference them with other healers she came across.

However, another spark of movement in her peripheral brought her attention to a snaggle-toothed child. How cute he was! He entered the meadow with the exact amount of zest she would expect from a happy pup. "Isn't this incredible!?" She called out to both other parties just as something else caught her eye that she had to have. As she uprooted it, her nose was overwhelmed with a clean, minty scent. The residual droplets of water rolling off its leaves and onto her tongue to bring a very similar flavor. Oh, she was in heaven.

She was quite in her steps, and as she had found herself too focused on the foraging that she havent noticed the woman before. She would never purposely ignore someone. She loved to talk to others, the only way she would miss someone would be by mistake. Never willingly. She finally spotted those she had never seen before, making sure of course that those weren't poisonous. She picked then for then tossing them into her improvised pouch, not too rough to mess them up. One by one, slowly and having no need to rush. While she did, she was finally able to listen to the surroundings. Stepping noises brought her away from the task in paw. Another woman, a fellow healer she had to guess. But not only she was here, a young pup aswell. "Oh!" He was indeed a cute one, well all pups were cute weren't they? "Indeed!" She smiled while she looked at them, caught by the older wolf's discovering. "What did cha got there?" Respectfully she didnt try it without asking permission first. Even if she was dying to find what she was doing. "My name is Jane Adravendi! How may I call you both?" Friendly as always. ""

Crux was lucky that everything around him had been totally safe to stuff into his mouth. He hadn't swallowed anything (on purpose, and what he had fully ingested was Agrimony, he'd have some superb bowel movements later) and instead had more than a few of the brightest plants he'd spotted gripped in his little jaw. So wrapped up in his romp the boy hadn't even realized he wasn't alone and when a voice lifted, calling out to him and another wolf he quickly glanced back at his parents who were herding the rest of his siblings, his mother looking up at the noise and looking at the strangers but otherwise seemed unbothered. They were close to the castle his sister was the queen of so it was probably pretty safe.

"It ish!" Crux said around his mouthful of plants, taking more tentative steps towards the pair, very aware of his limp suddenly now that he was standing in front of strangers. He made his way towards the two women, keeping an ear out for his parents to call him back but his curiosity getting the better of him. He watched as one of them carefully removed a plant he didn't recognize (he didn't recognize most of them to be fair) and the speckled woman asked what she'd found before asking their names. "Cruksh Fatalish." He said struggling to keep himself from drooling considering his mouth was so full. Finally, he dropped his bundle at his paws, it was probably better to talk without his mouth full. "Crux Fatalis." He repeated more clearly this time, the entire time his gaze never moved from the way the unknown woman dug up her prize, the way she handled it. Crux learned best by watching, listening, and copying and he couldn't know it but he was already learning a skill he'd need soon enough just from observing the way the other two women moved around the garden.

Speech

Art by Twonahalfer

As she drew closer, the feminine tones of the other woman's voice caused her ears to flick to attention. Looking to the ground, the autumn fae evenly flattened some of the native flora to make it easier to see the pile that she was starting. Once satisfied, she gently placed down what she had just harvested- marking the location in her mind so she'd remember where to find it. When met with the question on what exactly it was that she had found worth taking, she merely laughed. "I don't know," she admitted with amusement layered in her words. "I've never seen it before ... But I aim to find out!" Kiliaen assured. Someway, somehow, she knew she would.

But as she was offered an introduction, she paused with a warm grin before offering her own. "Nice to meet you! My name is Kiliaen Ward." She had been so involved in the flower arrangement, she hadn't taken complete notice of those she shared the meadow with. It was that moment that she noticed that the other lady shared the same scent as Balthier. Recognition struck and she couldn't help but grasp that train of thought. "Are you from 'The Hallows'?" she asked lightly. If so, she wondered just how far away it was.

Though she wasn't given too much time to ponder it, for when she heard the muffled introduction the boy made for himself, she wanted to squeal. "Well, Crux Fatalis, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" She greeted him. She casually glanced back in the direction he had come from to see some others milling about in the background. His family, she would presume. But she would quickly return her focus back to him as. she drew her next breath. "Find anything good?" She asked playfully with a twinkle in her eye.

"Lovely names!" She said to the two of them, saving both names into her memories. There was nothing better than finding new faces, new wolves to talk to. Even if it had the possibility of being a one time interaction. For that she didnt waste time, and went righ into enjoying any short time with those she might wouldnt see again. "Oh! Let me see then." She searched for a similar plant, until she found one. But she did not taste it right away, she never stuck her tongue in anything she didnt know, she had the wish to tast it but there is when her senses came into action. "Fatalis! Oh yes, I know of one. Briar the queen of my pack shares that name!" She commented. For then looking at Kiliaen. "I am indeed!" And the name Balthier was quick to jump into her mind. ""

Jane and Kiliaen, Crux nodded and filed the women's names away and listened as they talked. He cocked his head to the side and looked at his own pile of plants, and idly wondered what he'd gathered up. But the mystery of the plant the two adult women were investigating had caught his attention but he knew even less than they did so he simply watched them with wide eyes. It was when Kiliaen asked Jane if she was from the Hallows that he perked slightly, that was the pack his sister was the queen of! He nodded as Jane affirmed she was by then commenting that she recognized his name from Briar. "She's my older sister!" He said, puffing his chest out a little. He wasn't queen but if they were siblings didn't that make him a prince... Sort of? Not that it mattered, his father was the former warlord of the Armada and that by itself already gave him some status.

Then the attention was pulled back to his own herb pile and Crux felt a little heat flood his face, he didn't like to admit that he didn't know what he'd gotten, he pushed his pile around a little separating the herbs so they were easier to see. A sprig of tillium, an unswallowed bundle of agrimony, some fumitory and one really big marigold flower. "I don't know." He admitted bashfully. "I grabbed the pretty ones, but I know sometimes they can do things." He meant that plants could be used to treat illnesses or injuries, he'd learned a little from Halo but didn't really have a basis of knowledge to begin to even guess.

Speech

Art by Twonahalfer

When she confirmed that she was indeed from the pack of origin that she had in fact suspected. Kiliaen's features illuminated in recognition. "Okay! I was just curious." She started, "You smelled like another Hallows wolf I recently met ... that's all." It was just a general curiosity. The thought crossed her mind to ask about Balthier, but in the end, decided against it. Perhaps, another time. As her mind momentarily checked out, her citrine gaze settled on a nearby yellow bloom that she had yet to identify. Taking the lull in the conversation as an opportunity, she crossed the couple strides to harvest it as well before returning to the two that she momentarily stepped away from.

After Crux's introduction and Jane's confirmation that she was familiar and how Kiliaen flicked her ears. Fatalis. Maybe that was a name worth remembering after all if it belonged to the queen of  The Hallows. Thoughts raced through the back of her mind, though she wouldn't say anything out loud. The autumn fae would just pull her grin a little tighter before allowing it to return to her normal friendly glow.

Kiliaen watched as the boy took stock of what he collected, him being about in the same boat as the rest of them. Her problem was that these plants weren't native to Auster, and she was. Never having left the continent herself. With a bright smirk, she quelled the chuckle that threatened to rise in her throat as she drew her own voice once. "The pretty ones are always a great place to start. But I bet if you took your findings to the lead healer of your sister's pack, I imagine they would be able to tell you exactly what you have." She responded in an encouraging tone.

Suddenly, another roll of thunder struck the background ambiance. The air between them began getting heavier once more as she could practically feel the sky preparing for another round. Glancing between her new friends, she hesitantly found her voice. "I think the rain is getting ready to pick up again, and I've got a little bit of a journey ahead of me." She said lightly before motioning back the way she had come.

As she turned to go, she gave one more parting word of farewell. "Good luck herb hunting, though! Until we meet again." She did hope she would cross paths with both Jane and Crux again. But who knew where life would take them? In one fluid motion, Kiliaen grabbed her personal collection and bounded back towards the wood from which she came.

-exit Kiliaen-

The rain increases into a downpour that shields you from one another. The thunder that had been rumbling in the distances growls menacingly as lightning roils through the dark clouds. Suddenly, one of those bolts of lightning slashes down through the rain to strike the ground in front of you. When your eyes clear, you are surprised to see that not only has it stopped raining in an instant, the clouds are clearing away and the sun shines brightly to reveal a statue has appeared in the midst of the riot of herbs. "Appears" being the operative word, as you know for sure that it was not there! A large number of some odd, but friendly looking critters are tending to it with the sort of confident bustle that makes it seem as though they've always been there.

God's Garden Altar