The Grove

[Geoffrey Ravenhurst]

Herneiros prepared one final meal in the morning before setting off at noon. He had taken whatever supplies the other Mist Hunters had deemed necessary to leave behind and set a table for his friends in beneath the largest pine tree in the grove. Nearby, his new equine companion Snowfall was allowed to graze until Herneiros had need of him.

[Dr. Archimedes Steller]

The giant had been invited by his newly made friend Tehol. From what he had gathered, this expedition would take him close enough to the place the mysterious woman had wanted him to go. Meanwhile, it would also allow him to get some hard earned money he would be needing to start a new life outside the bars.

He huddled by a fire pit, keeping to himself. Long he had wanted to stretch his legs and see the world again, even if it meant meeting the horrors of the mist. Life without freedom, with nothing but hatred for one's own self held its own terrors.

[Tehol Nookington]

Tehol is present sitting up against the tree while he watches Korabas and Cyntheria play together nearby.

[Geoffrey Ravenhurst]

Herneiros approached, with a small cart being pulled behind him. He was wearing clothes today.

"Greetings! You must be Wrugar!"

He set the cart beside the giant.

"My name is Herneiros. Welcome to the fellowship."

He had already quickly decided he disliked the word expedition and his companions were all friends and friends of friends. So there was little use standing on ceremony.

[Dr. Archimedes Steller]

Wrugar inspected Herneiros from head to toe before rising to greet him back. The Giant was clad in furs and leathers, a bulky outfit that made him look even larger and more feral than he actually was.

"Greetings, Leader of Men. Indeed I am the one you have named. " He bowed his head to Herneiros. "I am thankful to be allowed as one in your journey. May the spirits of our forefathers guide us in our quest."

[Geoffrey Ravenhurst]

Sept 29, 2020 11:16:46 GMT Dr. Archimedes Steller said:

Wrugar inspected Herneiros from head to toe before rising to greet him back. The Giant was clad in furs and leathers, a bulky outfit that made him look even larger and more feral than he actually was.

"Greetings, Leader of Men. Indeed I am the one you have named. " He bowed his head to Herneiros. "I am thankful to be allowed as one in your journey. May the spirits of our forefathers guide us in our quest."

"I am afraid I was an orphan raised by elves, so I can't really speak for my actual forefathers. But my adoptive parents loved and taught me very much, so I am very confident theirs will look over us."

Like Wrugar, Herneiros also believed in taking the time to hunt and kill one's wardrobe in advance. "I must say, you have excellent fashion sense, friend Wrugar. Is that a bear skin I spy draped across your shoulder? I don't often have opportunity to find and kill a natural one... one is more likely to encounter the Mist mutated subspecies where I was raised."

He showed off a bit of hide that in no way resembled a typical bearskin. They didn't normally come in such a vibrant shade of blue.

[Dr. Archimedes Steller]

"It's dog, really..." The Giant answered in a disappointed tone. This had been all he had been able to afford after leaving the Pits. "How far the mighty have fallen. That's what my old brothers in arms would say, had they seen me in such a state."

"I used to wear bear, lion and wolf in my heyday. A might Runic Armor beneath them, an ancestral heirloom made by the grandfather of my grandfather..." He sat staring at the fire, then sighed. "You are a man who would look good in Runic Armor. Not every human manages to pull it off, you know?"

[Demetrius]

Demetrius sat quietly, keeping to himself while they all prepared to head into the mist. His mind was elsewhere, thinking of what lie ahead.

[Kjell Ó Raghallaigh]

Kjell arrived at the edgelord gathering and, translated from the ancient elven dialect of her clan, said, "Howdy."

She sat down and alternated between staring at the giant and staring at the dragon. After a while, she just leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "That's a decent fucking party," she commented and looked to Herneiros with the universal expression of 'not bad'.

[Justine-Juliette de Vair]

Justine entered the grove wonderingly, spying her oldest friend almost immediately. “Demetri! I haven’t seen you in days. I was really beginning to wonder.” She quickly noticed his look of ennui and sat down near him, gazing forward as well. “Are you worried about something?”

[Demetrius]

The sight of Justine was enough to wash the trepidation from Demetrius’s expression. “Sorry,” he responded, “I’ve been doing a bit of soul searching these last few days. Had to get my head on straight before we go off into the mist. Everything okay?”

[Geoffrey Ravenhurst]

"Runic armor? I have never heard of it. But then again, you're the first giant I have spoken to for more than thirty seconds..."

He scratched his beard as he considered it. "What materials do you require? Also, is it light? I tend to fight from the back. Aside from the bow, I am really just a country wizard."

[Dr. Archimedes Steller]

"Runic Armor is more than simple armor, it is to a Harbinger as a soul is to a anyone else." Wrugar said grievously, remembering the days of his youth. "Some say that with it, we become unstoppable. But that is a gross misunderstanding. It's not about what we become when using our armor, it is about what we are."

"You surely don't look like a court Magician." The giant snorted, staring inquisitively at Herneiros. "You look rough, rugged, unkempt. Your clothes do not match that of a wizard. Might have as well been brought up by giants."

[Geoffrey Ravenhurst]

Herneiros laughed. "I assure you, my knowledge of the arcane is as vast as my arrow's arc. But no, I am no court magician. I was raised by elven sorcerers on a much more practical regimen than those blowhards at the academy would ever deign to practice. I am a hunter, sir, but I do not merely hunt the beast of the field. I hunt demons and wild spirits and anything that stalks the Mist. Can't read a word of city script, but I know the secret tongue of the universe by heart."

He paused before adding, "Also, cities stink. Truly an appalling stench."

[Dr. Archimedes Steller]

"Tell me about it..." The giant snorted a quick laugh, allowing for a little crack in his impassive, sorrowful, visage to appear. "So many humans in a single place, and one becomes unable to smell his own perfumes. It is all that cheese they eat, I'd wager."

"But tell me, Hunt Leader, where do we go and what do we strive to achieve with this great ranging?" He inquired. "Your associate has not briefed me in all the details of our... quest."