Author: Attie, Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2019 12:40 PM, Post Subject: Cold to the touch

The crystal snowflakes danced in the gentle wind, slowly falling to the snow covered ground that spread far across the land. The air was cold and dry, as though it was devoid of any warmth. The sun was hidden among the clouds which barely let any spec of light through. In the distance, there was a figure making her way through the snow. She had several layers of clothes on. Attie had put on two layers of tunics, four layers of trousers, several coats, and many socks underneath her thick boots. Her overcoat was made up of clothe and fur, so she ended up looking like a giant puffball. On her head was a warm cap and she had pulled the hood of the overcoat up. A blue sash was wrapped around her neck and face. Her hands both had gloves and one of her fingers had a ring made up of wyvernbone. It allegedly had the ability to protect its wearer from the cold. Attie had brought it just in case the other clothes didn't work. The amount of clothes made her have to waddle instead of walking normally, as her movements were made more difficult. 

She was waddling through the snow, with a lantern in her hand. The lantern was a black metal box with glass panes that protected the delicate flame from the wind. It was her main source of heat and light through the island. Most people wouldn't have ever visited the barren winter wasteland but for some reason, here was a human wondering through the snow. The truth of the matter was simple, Attie had been visiting the nomadic human tribes that lived on the island. It had been some time since her last visit and there was still information that lingered in the depths of these people's minds. Her desire for information would bring her to the ends of Revaliir and she would follow it anywhere. Even into a snowy land like this. 

Her visit with the nomadic tribe had gone well. They taught her new ways of putting up snow-proof homes and the best way to deal with polar bears. Their main diet consisted of tamed caribou and scavenged plants that had somehow survived on the island. Some of the tribe members even showed Attie the best ways to cook caribou meat and how to use some of the plants as herbal remedies. After her meeting, she had decided to go back on her own. She wanted to explore more of the island, though she knew how dangerous it was, she didn't care. If she wanted to be safe, then she would have stayed in a nice Adeluna home doing boring non-learning stuff. But this was why she was out here! She wanted to learn everything about the world and the best way to do that was to travel it!

Attie suddenly stopped and squinted her eyes to see into the distance. There was a grey tall man walking ahead of her. It seemed that he was all alone and had nobody to talk to. It was a whiles away from any groups of people or towns, so Attie decided to approach him. Perhaps he wouldn't mind talking or sharing his knowledge? She began to waddle her way over to the large stone person and eventually was close enough to talk to him. 

"Hi!" She called out to him in a slightly muffled voice, "I'm Attie! What's your name?"

The only thing visible was her eyes as her cap, hood, and scarf covered up everything else. She was practically shouting in order for her words to go through the clothe wrapped around her face. 

Author: Harker, Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2019 7:25 AM, Post Subject: Cold to the touch

Fewer people make their homes in the cold regions of the world, there is less life where snow and ice reside, so what better place for a man who could feel no warmth, than the frozen isle of Itjivut? Maybe here Harker would find some peace, or solace, maybe a purpose? He could not find his death, that was for certain, it seemed that even falling from a mountain could not shatter his stone skin - he had to hand it to Thalia, she was as powerful as she was beautiful, and just as deadly in her precision. She had wanted him to suffer, and suffer he would for as long as he lived… and apparently he would not be able to take his own life. 

The rumours were that nothing natural could survive here, in these wastelands… but he was not natural, was he? Thalia had seen to that, his former lover had made sure that he would never be considered natural again, not with his stone skin, and his insatiable hunger. Maybe here, where nothing else could live, the hunger would finally become too much and it would devour him instead? Consume his own soul and destroy him at last? So that he would not have to suffer the horror of his own existence any longer… for it was not a life, not a life he wanted, not a life he knew. 

He was a Druid, a Shapeshifter, he had been born and raised to protect all life, he had been one with nature and had only killed when it had been necessary… not like this, not killing to save his own skin, not devouring innocent lives because the madness of starvation made him lose his mind. He would have loved to die from it, to let the famine take over, to let it deplete him of his strength and consciousness until he met his end… but he doubted highly that Thalia would not have considered this possibility and planned for it. His lover knew him, knew his values, he could not for one second hope that she had forgotten the possibility of Harker isolating himself so that he might starve to death. He had to find a way, had to find a way to stay clear of the living, had to keep as far from the rest of the world as was possible… until he died of old age… if even that was a possibility. 

Golden eyes looked out across the frozen wastes, tears rolling down his granite cheeks, freezing immediately due to the cold.