Morrigan

The creek continued to wind through the forest, and Morrígan began to wonder if she was simply chasing a false hope. She’d neither spotted nor heard tell of any change to the creek’s presence, and although it continued to wind through the woods, she had begun to wonder if it would simply end suddenly at a wall or in a tree. The doubts hadn’t stopped her from following it, however, and she’d pressed forwards with an intent that bespoke the determination she felt to find the end. If for no reason other than to say she had followed through, and confirmed her expectations. Never give up unti

Morrígan had come to a stop as the lumbering beast had stepped into view. She’d heard no tell of its approach, which was a miracle considering the size of the thing. It was, as far as she could tell, at least the size of a moose in the real world. Broader in shoulder, and strong legs that reminded her of something seen on an elephant, rather than a Cervidae. It had moved with slow, lumbering steps, the antlers upon its head shifting with a clear indication of their deadly existence. Tines seemed to shine slightly in the limited light, their bone worn down until only sharpened points that could

She’d managed to find a small creek, which wound itself around the various trees, dips and rises that spread across the area. The water itself was a murky brown, a colour which Morrígan doubted could be consumable, but considering it was the first minor water source she had come across, she’d counted it as a small win. She’d paused for a time, settling into a nearby area to watch the creek and surrounding expanse in order to see if any animals came to use it. She wasn’t entirely sure how long she’d sat – moments or hours – but eventually she’d spotted a collection of birds dipping by, flitting

Leaving behind the small resting area that Morrígan had settled into for a time, she found her feet carrying her forwards once more. She had no real direction in mind when she’d started walking, knowing only that her focus was on finding some source of water that could lead her towards a collection of creatures that she might be able to befriend. At least, that was the hope. I’m sure finding them will be the simplistic part. Coaxing them into friendship, trust and companionship will be an entirely different matter entirely. A challenge beyond a challenge, but one that I’m up for facing.

Right, so…mice, squirrels, hedgehogs, weasels…those would all be easy to find if I can find some source of water…or perhaps nests. Then there’s the various birds and owls… Her eyes flitted towards the sky once more as she considered the birds. The murder of ravens had disappeared for a time, apparently disappointed or bored with her sudden desire to remain stationary. She’d spotted one or two flitting by overhead during her rest, but the majority seemed to have moved on – if only for the moment. Those would be easy to locate if they’re in flight, but catching them or luring them to the

She turned her attention towards the descriptors of the surface level; what little information there was on it, at least. To the best of her understanding, it appeared to be a forsaken land of forests and wastelands – likely once forested areas as well, from the limited information. She sighed as she closed the menu, leaning back against the fallen tree and closing her eyes as she tried to organise and correlate the information that she did have available to her. It seems, most likely, that most of this floor was woodlands at one point. If there was a giant war that tore it asunder, then

The forest surrounded Morrígan once more as she clambered over yet another fallen tree. She’d traversed a large portion of the surface area of the floor by now, and although she’d yet to reach any of the edges, she’d come to realise that there was little left of whatever civilised population may have once inhabited the area. A brief read of the limited information she’d had available had told her that Elvenfolk had once lived upon the surface, but a great war had driven them underground; although the details were elusive to Morrígan’s understanding. Especially as she tried to read and traverse

She considered, for a moment, whether the ravens could be drawn down towards her. The idea of keeping a raven as a pet seemed fitting to Morrígan, especially as she considered her namesake. Her eyes followed their movements, deciding that it would at least be worth a try, if nothing else. I could do a lot worse for a companion. At least a raven has many uses…I wonder if you can even teach them to speak in this world. She’d yet to hear of any companions that could talk – most were creatures that would, realistically never utter a word in the real world, and seemed to carry that trait across to

’Everything comes at a cost. What remuneration do you require in order to attain such a powerful item?’ Morrígan kept her voice level, although she’d begun to be concerned when the silence had stretched on. It was almost never, during negotiations, a good sign to have the other refuse to produce information when offering something. Morrígan had long ago learnt that withheld information was dangerous; either in the moment, or further down the relationship. ’Perhaps…but for now, you may simply have them. Should I require something in the future, well…’ The gypsy suddenly looked at Morrígan

The smell of smoke infiltrated Morrígan’s sense of smell as she stepped into another clearing. It permeated the area, drifting from the distance into the air around her; barely strong enough to be caught, and yet clear in what it was. She turned slightly, noticing in the air above the trees a small haze of grey against the otherwise overcast sky. Smiling slightly at the fact that she had at least found something, she headed off in the new direction, determined to figure out what was the cause of the scent and sight, even if the pairing were little more than a distraction from her task at hand.

Half an hour had passed since Morrígan had first heard the ringing sound echoing through the woods, and although she had caught hints of the noise again on the wind, she’d come no closer to its location. Above her, the collection of ravens had continued to float across the sky, keeping pace with her movements through the forest as she delved deeper onto the path towards what she hoped would be the gypsy’s camp. Odd that they would follow so consistently, though. I’ve never seen that happen before in this world. She glanced up again at the ravens, curious about their behaviour more than

Morrígan wandered without any real direction through the forests, coming across sparse open meadows that seemed to hint at signs of a life once lost, slowly regrowing beneath the destruction that had wrought it asunder. The imagery was chilling, in its own way, and she found herself more often than not pushing beyond the small gaps in the woodlands, unwilling or undesiring to remain within their presence for longer than required to confirm that her target destination was not there. The day had passed slowly, and yet seemed to rush forwards. She’d spent the entire time ignoring the small clock

The bright light of the surface caused Morrígan to wince as she took the final steps out into the open, leaving behind the darkness of the underground world that she had first arrived in. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust fully, but what she saw before her was less than appealing. A world that was, clearly devoid of any real life beyond the natural creatures and monsters that would roam and call it home. Decay, met with the return to everything natural, seemed to sprawl away before her; encompassing everything in a green that was both rejuvenating and repulsive all at the same time.

The environment beyond the settlement stretched into darkness, cavern walls roaming high above towards a ceiling that was barely illuminated by the glowing moss that seemed to be a natural source of light within the underdark. Morrígan felt alone and vulnerable during her walk, jumping at small movements of shadows as she passed through the area, her eyes darting around in worry and a small measure of fear – her mind racing as she wondered if heading out alone had been such a great idea. She’d had no reason to traverse the area by herself, and yet something had deterred her from asking anyone

The scene that met Morrígan was anything but what she expected. The settlement, illuminated by softly glowing lamps placed throughout the avenues, seemed welcoming and warm considering it's clear location beneath the surface of the floor itself. Expanses of streets and buildings sprawled from the teleporter pad, blocking the edges of the world from Morrígan’s view. She’d stood in surprise for a full moment, before moving out of the way of anyone else arriving behind her. She’d received little information to truly begin her search, which had led to the requirement of asking those she cou

Feeding your…enemy? That’s a weird quest name… Morrígan selected the item, bringing up further details – what few there were – about the quest itself. It didn’t take long for the information to correlate in her mind with conversations she’d overheard about the quest in question. Smiling to herself, she wondered what it would be like to have a companion attend to her daily routines, one which she could consider a pet – or perhaps a friend, like many other players did. Perhaps this is worth my time after all. I’ve ignored these quests for too long…that ends now. Alright, let’s go find us a compa

Quest: Feeding Your Enemy She’d slept the night away without pause, her exhaustion from the tutorial quest bringing her into a slumber that Morrígan felt she hadn’t obtained since entering Aincrad. Pure enervation had taken over her, and she’d done little in the way of tidying herself before falling asleep on the bed she’d rented. It was neither comfortable, nor intolerable. It simply served a purpose – one which was driving her closer to her main goal. And yet, here I lay…unable to get up. Her body didn’t ache, thankfully a side effect of the digital environment that had beco

Purchasing Spyglass (x3) | [800col]

She’d lost track of how many streets she’d turned down, travelling for nearly an hour as she meandered through the various avenues and districts that made up the large town. Passing shops that she would, normally, have stopped to view in more detail, she continued her search for the mayor – marking the locations of those shops that she absolutely knew she needed to return to at a later time for further investigation and examination. I’m going to need a more sustainable income, if I keep doing that. Towards the finality of her journey – or at least, the journey as she’d seen it since the

She’d considered stopping for a change of clothing along the way, trying to convince herself that she should appear before the mayor in a clean, crisp and appropriate manner. The idea had, however, died slowly as she’d closed with a nearby tailor shop. A part of her wanted nothing more than to bring upon the mayor a measure of the torture she’d had to endure while hunting down the money that he had loaned out, without tracking or maintaining any sort of record of the action. A fact which had driven her to do things that she had never considered within her realm of requirement previously, and o

A sudden laugh from the elderly man caused Morrígan to jump as the treasure chest popped open, the force of her fingers enough to break whatever limited seal had been holding it closed. She shifted her gaze to stare at him, as much threatening as it was curious. Not that he seemed to take any notice in her reaction to his behaviour, instead stepping forward and waving a hand towards the now opened piece, his amusement clear in his expression and movement. ’Looks like it popped open fer yer easy ‘nough. Ah, a gud haul too, yer should be happy! I’ve seen a lot worse come up through here.’

Her hands bumped against something solid as she sorted through another of the nets, the wood feeling odd against her skin compared to the harsh, slightly spiky feel of the netting that she had been working through. Pulling aside a few odds and ends, she found a chest that had been caught in the collection of junk and assorted paraphernalia that came alongside. Curiosity getting the better of her, she pulled the item from the pile, dragging it onto the dock before boosting herself up and out of the vessel, feeling as the whole thing rocked violently at her movement and action. ’Ah, migh’ h

A small squeak of protest escaped from her before she could properly contain her disgust at the task laid before her. Her eyes shifted between the mess and Pete, noticing the smile on his face that almost seemed condescending in the moment – as if he expected her to repeal herself from the required action, and return to the mayor empty handed. Absolutely not. I will not fail here. Even if it means I need to be scrubbed clean for the next year. Sticking her nose to the sky slightly, she moved towards the boat, stepping gingerly into it and pulling up the sleeves of her tunic in an attempt to ke

The man was easy enough to spot. Ragged, worn and sporting a white beard identical in many ways to the two previous individuals she’d been forced to deal with, Morrígan could tell almost immediately that the individual tying off the boat at the end of the dock was Pete Larkin. Her nose scrunched slightly at his appearance, knowing that his scent would likely match the homeless, low caste appearance that shifted and moved before her, a sign of someone who was unkept and wholly repellant upon every sense. And yet, I’m forced to converse with this individual. Absurdity, is what this is…abs

’I’ve returned with your assignment completed. Now, let us discuss this money owed to the mayor, and how you’re aligned to repay the amounts owed.’ She produced the tusks that had been dropped by the boarlets, laying them upon the smith’s table for display. She waited, her left hand on her hip and a daring expression on her face, to see what Lyle would say to her success. The smith turned to face her, eyeing the pieces before nodding his head slightly. ’Good. I use these on the hilts of the weapons I make, they’ll come in good use.’ His eyes shifted to Morrígan, a sudden frown crossing hi