Tag: Erilantielle “Eri” Kitami

#Lore24 – Entry #253 – Fantasy Month III #10 – A Guide Through the Canorath Wood

As Told by Kazumi, Druid of the Circle of Claw and Fang

“So, this one is finally deemed worthy of being spoken to, is she?  Ah…a Confessor…truly this one is honored to rate so highly.  Yes, this one recognizes your kind, mazoku; this one can smell the blood that lingers upon you.  Fair warning…this one is hungry, and her nature may very well take over if provoked.  Simply the nature of the beast within this one, you see.  Ask your questions, Confessor, and consider offering fresh meat in return, lest this one goes and finds it herself.

Initially, we were amused by the antics of the adventurers.  This one’s circle cares little for the spiders or the kobolds; we keep them in check so they do not cause harm to the Canorath.  Of course, we were aware of the adventurers soon after they entered the Wood.  We knew not their goals, but they seemed not to be there to cause harm, so we allowed them to continue.  We watched as they were captured and toyed with by the kobolds, yes.  This one was quite amused that it could happen at all, but if they were not strong enough to prevail over the pests, then what good were they, hmm?  Once they escaped and thinned the kobold population by some amount, we returned the favor by guiding them to the Circle within the heart of the Canorath, offered them respite and food for their services. 

Then we ushered them out of our wood quickly, for we did not wish them stumbling around more than they already had.  Of course, the paths had changed since the Erisayan had been there last; we do that from time to time; can’t have outsiders growing used to our ways, now can we?  This one was chosen as their guide outside the wood, and her involvement would have been finished there had it not been for the attack that came near the far side of the great Canorath, from those of your kind, the ones of fire and ice.  Your kind have a certain scent that is very distinct, mazoku, certainly not common in our wood, so this one knew of the ambush and provided warning, and we were able to drive them and their minions away, the ones that we did not kill.

This one may have been overzealous, for she slew several of the mercenaries with the mazoku before they could be questioned.  A great tempest of rage broke through when they hurled fire and damaged the trees, you see, and this one let it run wild, as it desired.  They were not prepared; they retreated with their magic, but for their actions, this one would see them punished, so this one was then attached to the adventurers.

Hmmm…yes, the mazoku of fire and ice were wearing spiked cuffs and collars, set with crystals.  The items were not hindering their spellcasting that this one could tell.  At that time, no, there was no known reason for their interest in the Erisayan, and it was then that this one learned of the others hunting the Yurisayan performer.  This one listened to the voice of the wood that night, and sensed that she would be needed, and should pursue this threat.  A strange journey this one has been on since.

You hear that, yes?  This one’s inner beast grows hungrier.  This one is starting to think that your flesh looks awfully good.  Perhaps you should consider getting this one some fresh meat?  For now, this one is content to remain, but if this one’s beast breaks free due to hunger, then this one cannot be held responsible for what will happen.  Send the cowardly man who did not wish to speak to this one if you wish; you may like the sounds this one will produce with him.”

#Lore24 – Entry #252 – Fantasy Month III #9 – The Confessor Arrives

As Told by Larissa no Synstralia de’Cordova, Confessor of Yurisaya

“The chill you feel in the air is my growing displeasure, captain.  Have we not discussed the fine art of interrogation many times previously?  Why is it that you have so little to offer in your report?  No, don’t bother to try to explain yourself.  I know exactly why you’ve failed to yield satisfactory results.  You’ve failed to gain their trust, failed to empathize with them in the slightest.  You’ve taken an adversarial tone immediately, trying to bully them into telling you what you wish to know.  I personally have trouble with empathy, for I have little in the way of emotion, but I have other methods that I may need to resort to now that you’ve put them in such a terrible disposition towards us.

It is the truth I seek, captain, nothing more, nothing less.  If I must result to torture I will, but I doubt it will come to that.  As unreasonable as you paint them, the fact that at least two of them are believers in the Dark Lady’s ways will smooth things, and the Erisayan champion will be easily enough dealt with, once she’s made to see reason.  For you see, finding common ground is key to getting the information one desires, and I’m certain I an do that, though you’ve undoubtedly made my work more difficult.

No, your presence won’t be required, captain.  I’ll salvage your interrogation, and you’ll simply owe my order a favor down the line.  See, I’m quite reasonable, aren’t I?  I trust you’ve at least made certain that the druid is contained in a cell that has no easy exits for small pests?  It would be most unfortunate for you, captain, should I step into their cell to find them missing before I’ve had a chance to question them.  Most unfortunate indeed.  You may go; the truth of this matter will be revealed, of this I am certain.  Is that doubt I see?  Or is that suspicion?  You think because I share faith with some of these prisoners that I will be merciful?  Might I suggest you improve your knowledge of Yurisaya’s ways?  I can offer you a first-hand experience if you so desire, one you certainly will not forget as you did with your interrogation techniques.”

#Lore24 – Entry #251 – Fantasy Month III #8 – A Wilderness Misadventure

As Told by Siduri Tamboura, Warrior for Hire

“You call this food?  It’s hog slop at best, and that’s being generous.  Thought you wanted details?  You’re not being very inviting.  I told you, you want the dirt, you’re going to have to offer something in return.  I don’t work for free unless I get to take it out of someone’s ass!  You heard me right, just like I was doing with Eri and Hatae and that box.  What, not into the hard kind of love?  Heh, whatever.

Fine, I’ll consider this worth a little more detail, but unless you start coughing up some real food, you’ll get nothing else from me.  You want to know about our little jaunt through the Canorath Wood?  It was a comedy of errors.  Oh, that first day went fine enough, aside from miss champion of Erisaya recounting her previous adventures along the way.  Problem with elves is that they talk too damn much about their too damn long lives!  That’s one reason I really enjoy it when I get to play rough with them, you see. 

Well, it turned to shit on the second day.  Now, Eri would swear the woods had changed after a certain point, old paths were missing, even some old church or something wasn’t where she thought it was, whatever, but my opinion is she was just lost and didn’t want to fess up for it.  You know how elves are, haughty bastards.  I’d make sure she paid up for that mistake later, but we stuck to our westward course as best we could and pushed through some rough terrain, making for the high ground so we could see where it was we were going.  Wound up going right through a damn giant spider’s nest, and after that fiasco, we wound up stumbling into a den of kobolds.  Less said about those little bastards the better.  Took us a couple tries, but we managed to escape and left them with a good bloody mess for the survivors.

Wound up stumbling into some more friendly territory a couple days later, some druid circle or whatever deep in the woods.  The fact that they didn’t attack us on sight was refreshing.  But, that’s all you’re getting out of me.  Come back with better food or offer up that ass of yours so I can work off my frustrations and we’ll talk more.  Fine, run off then, little man!  You aren’t worthy of me anyway!”

#Lore24 – Entry #250 – Fantasy Month III #7– A Crossroads in Hearthlight

As Told by Teelsa “the Nimble” Dawndancer

“No, no, no, you’re mistaken my good man!  I’m Teelsa the Nimble, you see; this ‘Swift’ character, I don’t know her.  It’s a very particular thing, I just want you to be certain that your notes are correct, you understand.  In the interests of helping your operation maintain law and order and all of that.  Seems dreadfully dull if you ask me, though. 

Now, you asked about the details of our little impromptu smuggling operation?  Well, it’s honestly not that exciting.  Really, it was us stripping Eri and Hatae down to the basics, gagging them with some of Hatae’s gear that she had managed to slip away with, and then strapping them down with a dozen or so leather straps each.  That crate we’d wrangled was just long enough to fit them without causing too much trouble.  Hmm?  No, no, my good man, you’ve not been paying attention!  I write ballads, not tawdry stories!  A romance perhaps, but certainly not simple lewd recounting!  That’s something of the level I’d expect from that Siduri!  It was her idea, after all it was her idea.  I thought it a bit much, but we heard not a peep from our two charges during the trip!

Really, the story of our time in Hearthlight is rather dull.  I fear I’ve not been able to make much of it.  We left the Wayrest unmolested and with no sign of our pursuers and reached the quaint little town the next evening with little trouble.  I said my goodbyes to my companions, for they wished to spend a few days earning some spare coin, and had a discussion about our next steps, once our lovely elves were out of their box, mind you.  I do think Eri was getting a bit angry over the travel accommodations by this point; she’s a hot-blooded one, you know?  Would very much like to stick that rapier of hers into someone instead of hiding away, but it was what it was.

I’m getting there!  Good gods above, man, you’re an impatient one!  So, as I was going to say, we were in the middle of our discussions about how to proceed, enjoying some of the fine cooking at the Sweet Dessert Inn; I must return there one day to proper express my gratitude to the proprietor, for there is nothing quite like a proper halfling cooked meal after a long day’s travel, and its name was most apt!

Ahem…so, as I was saying, no need to get all worked up, we discussed our options.  Which were rather slim, admittedly.  It was only a matter of time before they figured out which direction we’d gone, and we were but four maidens fair on the road, minding our own business and not at all wanting to get involved with kidnap-happy cultists and dark elves with overblown senses of their own importance!  Fortunately, we were all rather well-traveled, so we knew the lay of the land well enough, and had a few connections here and there.  Ultimately, we decided upon Greenspire, figuring that some of the uh…more ah…shady types of entrepreneurs would know something of our plight, and may be willing to offer some aid, or perhaps sell us out and draw our enemies in for a proper fight.  Either way, the real takeaway here is that Eri and Hatae were not willing to go back into their box for another moment.  Much to Siduri’s displeasure, I might add.  It was ultimately Eri’s decision for us to take the route we did, for she’d taken the same course in a previous adventure and knew that, while challenging, would serve us best in evading our hunters.  The only problem with that course of action was that the forest had changed quite a bit in the decades since she’d been through there, so there was a spot of trouble we ran into. 

Oh, my good man, I’m simply parched!  I never did receive that house wine I’d asked for earlier, could you see to that for me?  I simply cannot go on without proper drink!  Why, it would ruin my voice were I to but try!”

#Lore24 – Entry #249 – Fantasy Month III #6 – The Road to Hearthlight

As Told by Hatae Ulla, Exotic Entertainer, Dedicated of Yurisaya

“Oh, so you’re deeming me worthy of speaking to you again?  Aren’t you pleased that I left the muzzle on this whole time?  I’ve worn it longer.  It’s part of my performance, you understand.  What’s a little discomfort in the name of doing something you love?  Yurisaya understands; maybe you should take some time and read up on the Dark Lady’s tenets? 

Alright, so what’s on the menu this time?  I won’t make any promises, but I’ll try to keep things a little more concise this time.  Just because I’m being nice, mind you! 

How did we get out of Caerlon?  Well, it was actually rather easy!  Since those guys didn’t know that Siduri and Teelsa were helping us, they were able to smuggle us out pretty quickly, in all honesty.  We just hitched a ride with the bards that were moving on to the next town after the business with the Bronze Unicorn happened, with me and Eri hiding in their supplies.  Hmm?  Or, so Siduri said that?  Well…yeah, there is a little more to the tale, but you wanted the short and sweet version, right?  So that’s what I’m giving you.  I’m not usually one to tell stories, that’s Teelsa’s bread and butter, after all, so maybe you should check with her?

Anyway, we stayed in the wagon till nightfall, when we were a good way down the road from Caerlon, heading toward Hearthlight.  They had to push the horses pretty hard that day, and it was a rough ride sometimes, especially with me and Eri crammed into that box like we were.; side note, the cage I lost at the Unicorn would have been a lot more comfortable for two people!  Anyway, we eventually made it to the Wayrest sometime after nightfall, and once they’d made the bargain for our stay and confirmed there weren’t any undesirables on our tails at the moment, we were let out of the crate to recover and come up with some plans! 

We couldn’t stay with the bards forever, but Teelsa had decided to stick with us.  She’s really excited to make some kind of epic out of this whole affair; guess you can’t really know when inspiration is going to strike!  We eventually decided we’d continue to Hearthlight, try to uncover more details about who was after us. 

Yeah…well…okay, so I kinda knew who it was chasing me, but Eri didn’t have a clue why she was being chased by those mercenaries.  She had dealt with a demon cult or something like that before, so thought maybe they were related to that group, but something didn’t feel right about that.  Oh, who was chasing me?  Well…that’s kind of a long story and is really only interesting if you’re wanting to delve into the politics of Shey’Inasrith and the machinations of the Mantis Queen.  Did you know that we don’t know her name, by the way?  And yet they still worship her.  Kinda crazy, don’t you think?  And that they get so worked up when one of their family just decides that life isn’t for them and leaves it behind?  I’d call it madness, really, the lengths they go to in order to keep their machinations going.  I don’t even want to be involved!  And I had exactly zero plans to do anything against them; I just wanted to leave it all behind.  But no!  They just had to send their men after me and try to ruin MY life, to draw me back into that horrible situation!  I don’t even know which house they’re from!  They’ve intentionally left anything that would identify them behind, just to make things more difficult!  I’d almost believe it was my mother, hmmm, or maybe one of my sisters, or perhaps one of my aunts?  I suppose it could be one of my cousins, too…there was that one that I kind of rubbed the wrong way a few decades back over how her hairstyle didn’t really fit with her face, or something like that.  I mean, I wasn’t being particularly mean or anything, I was only observing that-MMMPH!”

#Lore24 – Entry #248 – Fantasy Month III #5 – The Flight from Caerlon

As Told by Erilantielle “Eri” Kitami, Champion of Erisaya

“Back for more?  Just couldn’t get enough of my charms, hmm?  I take it you’ve spoken with my companions then.  What now?  Going to accuse us of slaughtering innocents or something?  Look, I feel bad about what happened, and it wasn’t like I wanted it to happen, but there’s really nothing myself or any of the others can do about it now. 

How did we escape?  Well, there were a lot more of those two groups than we figured on, and for whatever reason they weren’t killing each other, so we assumed they’d joined forces.  We just kept seeing them in the streets, looking for signs of where we’d gone, kinda got the impression that the town guard had been paid off to be extra scarce until they found us, since we didn’t see but a handful of them, and they were purposefully looking the other way.  Sometime after the Unicorn caught fire, after we’d met up with Siduri, we ran into Teelsa, who had managed to lead some of them off on a false trail and knew some places we could hide; she and Hatae were friends, so we were thankful that she’d decided to help us out.

What do you want from me?!  I’m getting there!  For the love of Erisaya, you humans are impatient!  Fine…it took us a day or so, but once we confirmed they weren’t looking for either Siduri or Teelsa, it gave us a few more options.  Teelsa and the other performers she’d taken up with for the time would be moving on to the next town, and they had a wagon we could make use of for carrying their supplies.  Hatae and I would just have to hide out inside those supplies until we were good and clear from Caerlon.  Simple enough.

…Siduri said that, did she?  I’d rather not say.  It’s not important!  Look, she’s got her quirks, okay, and I don’t hold that against her.  What’s important is that we got out of the city without those crazies knowing about it, at least for a while longer.  Are you serious?  You need the details for your report…right.  Ugh…

I’d won Hatae’s challenge that night, so we weren’t exactly short on funds at the time, but given the situation, we figured we’d better hold on to as much as we could for the road ahead, and Siduri wanted something for the work she’d done so far, a down payment if you like, but agreed to take it in another way.  She got this brilliant idea that Hatae and me would have to really play up the ‘hiding as cargo’ angle, and so we’d have to be secured like cargo.  I thought it was ludicrous, I mean, what if those cultists stopped the wagon and found us like that?  We’d be helpless.  But…not only could she be very persuasive in a very bullying kind of way, when I prayed for guidance from Erisaya…I got the impression the idea would work.  So, we did it.  And it worked.  End of story.

No, I’m not giving you the details!  Ask Hatae if you really have to know!  Unless you’re letting me out of here, I’m done talking right now!  Either formally charge us or let us go!  Fine, go on, then!  Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!”

#Lore24 – Entry #244 – Fantasy Month III #1 – The Long Journey to Caerlon

As Told by Erilantielle “Eri” Kitami, Champion of Erisaya

“Why did I come to Caerlon?  To rest, relax, and enjoy the local flavor, of course, just like everyone else.  It’s known as one of the best cities in the land for that kind of thing outside of Arcavarlon itself, right?  What?  Not good enough for you?  Well, I guess you could say there’s more to it than that, yeah… You really want the whole story?  You sure about that?  Well, alright, I guess.  I’ve got nothing but time right now anyway…

So, it all started back when I was abandoned by my family, whoever they were, into the arms of the loving sisters at one of Erisaya’s holy whorehouses.  I had only my given name, but that was more than enough for the sisters, given what it is; not every day a redheaded child is delivered to you out of the blue that shares your goddess’s namesake, am I right?  They saw me as good luck, sharing a little bit of the goddess’s own name and all.  Some of them made a real big deal out of that, tried to make it a lot more than what it was, I think.  Anyway, I was adopted by the Erisayans, raised by the church, and eventually took on the name of my adoptive mother, Kitami, one of the few elvish holy whores.

Life was good for a while when I was growing up.  Got to see life outside the elvish kingdoms for what it was, mixed in with so many short-lived races.  Really gives you a different kind of perspective on things, you know?  I was all set to join in on the church as another of the sisters when I was old enough, just seemed the obvious choice, you know? 

Well, some things went down that I don’t like to talk about…suffice to say that happy life came crashing to a halt when someone decided to summon up a demon and use my home as the sacrifice.  There was…a lot of blood…a lot of suffering… I was meant to be the crowning sacrifice, you know.  Meant to be the vessel for that demon… Well, Erisaya wasn’t going to have that, and she got good and angry about the whole affair.  Channeled her holiness right through me once she got wind of what had happened and sent that demon packing, all those in the cult that had come to town along with it. 

Ever hear of the Rose’s Thorns?  Nah, figured you hadn’t; they’re pretty rare, even amongst the Erisayan faith.  We’re usually a pretty easy-going lot, not prone to stirring up trouble, but woe be to you if you get the Lady angry enough to call out a Thorn against you.  I was too green to be a proper Thorn then, but Erisaya saw to that, guiding me towards someone who taught me how to fight, and others who were friendly to the faith, and so it was I got set on a quest to root out every last member of that demon-loving death cult.  Took us damn near fifty years of traveling all over this side of the world, but we saw it through to the end, sent every one of them straight to their master in whatever festering hole it dwelt within.

So, after all that, with most of my friends too old to keep up the adventuring life, we went our own ways.  I decided it was time for a little rest of my own, but had good memories of Caerlon, so that’s why I wound up there again.  Yeah, that’s right.  This is where I was raised, and that story about the whorehouse massacre?  Yeah, that was one of Erisaya’s temples, the one I was raised in.  It’s not there anymore; got burned down by the cult during the chaos when the Lady got angry, and most around here don’t remember it, having been so long ago. 

What?!  Now that’s just stupid.  Why would what happened back then have any bearing on what happened at the Bronze Unicorn?  Hey, you asked me to start at the beginning, and when you ask that to an elf, you better be prepared for a long conversation; I’d rather not have drudged up those memories, just so you know. 

Look here, it wasn’t our fault, alright?  Just ask any of my companions, they’ll tell you the same!  Fine, you do that, then!  Well, go on, I’m tired of looking at you, too!”