songerein | Open | November Catch-all & Dream

Who: Trahearne and you!
Which: Open log
Where: Out and about in town all throughout the month, mostly the archives
What: Catch-all for the month! Dreamboard quests in Reverein and reliving the earlier years of his life in a dream
Warnings: The disfigured undead (zombies), ghost peppers, others to be added if they come up

> REVEREIN | LIVE LIFE WELL AND FULLY, AND WASTE NOTHING.

❋ harvest.
[ As much of a bookworm Trahearne is, he does understand that he needs to go outside every once in a while. And what better way to be outside than to make himself useful at the same time?

And so, the sylvari decides to help out with the harvest one sunny afternoon, burying himself among the thick leaves of the ripened harvest to really get in there and get all the goodies out. Nothing like some hard physical work to refresh the mind, right?

Unfortunately, however, the natural colors of his "clothes" and skin blend in quite handily with the rest of the foliage, especially at this time of year. When he feels a firm grab on the leaves that make up his skirt, he shoots upright and whirls around to look at you, bewilderment written all over his face. ]

--Oh! That's--that's me.

❋ photographs.
What a curious contraption.

[ Trahearne will not say no to something novel and interesting. After being handed the dreamotion camera, he turns it over in his hands, studying it. Questions about how it could have been created, how it works roll around in his mind, but he quickly scolds himself--what point is a test if he doesn't actually experiment with it?

He turns to the person nearest himself--that's you--and holds it up with a smile. ]

Let me take a picture of you.

❋ archives.
[ As the one who runs the archives, Trahearne is there all the time. Every day. By the time the sun rises and long after it sets. He rarely takes full days off; it's rare to find him elsewhere. Sometimes, he even brings his cat with him.

And so, if you have any sort of business at the archives, he's there, ready to help. He knows every book on every shelf, and at a healthy six-foot-two he can reach the top shelves. He's happy to tutor anyone who needs assistance putting together an entry. He's happy to talk about work, either in this life or the last. He's just happy to be here, to be honest. ]

❋ wildcard.
[ Feel free to make something else up, or find me on the discord or at unkie for a personalized starter! ]

> DREAM | THE SCHOLAR DREAMT OF A LAND RECLAIMED FROM THE DRAGON'S TOUCH.
[ In his Dream before life, Trahearne saw the dead Kingdom of Orr, a land that had been dragged out of the sea by the undead dragon Zhaitan, green and growing again. Upon awakening, he knew this was his life's mission: to purify Zhaitan's corruption and bring life back to Orr. His goal is impossible. Laughable, even. Yet the call of a Wyld Hunt is irresistible, so as much as he hates it, he spends weeks, months in the dead land alone, scrambling for any lead that might bring him closer to his goal.

He will eventually cleanse this land. He will eventually lead the forces that will fell Zhaitan, but not in this dream. Right now, that is many, many years away.

The land is devoid of life, cramped by unnaturally-shaped terrain, ruins of buildings that are mere shadows of their former grandeur. Oversized barnacles and dead coral from centuries under the ocean cling to the crumbling structures, towering over the soggy ground like otherworldly trees. Unnatrual shrieks occasionally pierce the silence, perhaps seabirds that strayed too close to the corruption. It stinks of brine, of rot and decay. The clouds above take on a sickly green hue, a reflection of the putrescence that permeates the land below. And dotting the landscape, all around, are graying, decaying corpses shambling about, looking for victims to which to spread their corruption.

This is Trahearne's life. ]

❋ research.
[ Orr sat at the bottom of the ocean for nearly two centuries--any original writing that may have existed on the island decayed or was destroyed a long, long time ago. It is exceedingly rare to find any in-tact inscriptions, much less legible ones.

So when Trahearne clambers this tower and finds what looks to be a massive stone tablet partially buried in rubble and debris, he can hardly contain his excitement. The first line peeks out from the dirt--"Darkness pays Orr a visit." Is it a poem? Epitaph? A warning of sorts? He has to know.

Except the tablet is nearly twice his size, almost five times his weight, and the rubble that obscures the rest of the inscription is cumbersome--it might even be supporting the rest of the structure at this point. Regardless, he's going to try and pull it free, whether it's a wise idea or not. ]

❋ cornered.
[ Despite how careful he tries to be, Trahearne isn't perfect, and the Risen are very good at popping up where he doesn't want them to be. He's ventured into one ruined structure, keen to map it out and determine what possible use it must have served, but the problem with grand buildings of this scale having been hidden underwater for centuries means the inside is essentially a subterranean maze, interrupted in places by tunnels filled with putrid water and rotting plant matter.

Trahearne should know better than this, and curiosity is coming dangerously close to killing the sylvari. He stands with his back against the wall in this little pocket of air, the only passages in or out are filled with water. Risen stagger out from the water, clawing at the ground to try and tear Trahearne apart. ]

S-stay back! [ He brandishes his scepter, though he knows it isn't much of a threat. His own necromantic minions stand before him to guard him. ] You will rue the day you crossed my path!

[ Despite what he says, the fear is evident in his eyes. The Risen are everywhere, and there are so many of them. If only he weren't alone... ]

❋ respite.
[ Nighttime in Orr is dark. With no real settlements for miles in any direction, the veil of night that falls over the island is thick, impermeable. The only dot of light is the small fire Trahearne has going--he's perched himself atop a crumbling stone structure, just large enough for two people to sit side by side. Not that anyone will come to join him, of course. He's alone in Orr, as he has always been, and he sits with his knees to his chest, as though trying to shrink himself from the Risen's view.

There is a little pot bubbling over the fire. Cooking inside are asparagus, truffles, and ghost peppers--what he always eats. It's all that really grows around here. The oysters and fish are nowhere near safe enough to be consumed.

Absently, Trahearne reaches into his pack and takes a bite out of one of his ghost peppers. He doesn't even flinch. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Huh. What cataclysmic event could have prevented from night falling over the land? Trahearne sits in thought for a moment, trying to think if there was ever something in Tyrian history that acted as a close comparison, or what could happen in the future to cause eternal daytime. Besides Jormag's everlasting blizzards, he thinks of nothing. ]

A world of eternal daylight. [ He says this mostly to himself. ] Well, I'm glad to hear you've survived the adjustment.

[ He smiles at Nier and begins to gather the vegetables he's picked in his arms. ] But you'll have to tell me what your world is like sometime.

[He knows it sounds kind of bonkers. Sometimes he thinks it’s perhaps for that reason, among others, that he doesn’t talk much about home. But maybe that’s going to change. Trahearne is certainly extending the invite to make that happen. And he wouldn’t necessarily say he’s a secretive sort of man.

He watches Trahearne for some moments and then he nods.]

Yeah. I can do that. Not sure you’ll find it very interesting, but I probably don’t talk about home enough. [Then, lifting a hand, Nier gestures toward him.] Need help carryin’ any of that?

Yes, please.

[ He scoots some of the tubers towards Nier for him to collect as his own arms fill up with delicious looking vegetables. The farmer is going to be happy with this. ]

What we consider mundane at home can be fantastical to another. [ He can scarcely imagine a world made up purely of humans, yet that seems to be the norm among the people he's come to know. ] You'd be surprised.

[Nier doesn't hesitate. The moment Trahearne moves them in his direction, he's bending down as he needs to in order to scoop them up into his arms.]

You're right. Seems like everyone here's got a story. When we're livin' our own lives, it doesn't seem interesting because it's ours. But when we all really get down to it, those different experiences make us interesting to others.

[Trahearne's a good case in point there. There's no ignoring how surprised he was to hear the lack of a moon in Nier's world. Or maybe that there isn't a moon, but more so that there's no day and night cycle. Quite a difference, there.]

You realise if I'm sharing stuff about my world, I'm gonna be expecting the same of you. Wouldn't mind hearing more about your people.

[ Trahearne gives an emphatic nod. Yes--that's exactly it! And that's precisely what makes living in a place like Songerein such a joy. So many worlds, so many realities he never thought possible. A lack of a day-night cycle being a prime example. As a dusk bloom, he finds it hard to imagine his people being as diverse as they were without one.

With all the veggies accounted for, Trahearne gets to his feet and slowly begins walking. ]

Of course. I'm more than happy to share. [ He smiles. ] I was first, you know. I have seen our entire history unfold before my very eyes.

[ It's too bad he won't get to see the future, though. ]

First?

[Nier repeats as he falls in stride at Trahearne's side. At first, he isn't sure what to make of it. 'First' of anything can mean... just about anything. But the way he continues, Nier finds himself wondering if this is another situation akin to Mammon.

But to see an entire history... It'd be a lot to take in. A lot to consider.]

So uh. How old does that make you?

[Is that rude? It might be a little rude.]

[ Trahearne has come to find some amusement in the reactions he gets out of this. It's understandable--if he met the first human, or the first charr, the first asura, they would be thousands upon thousands of years old. It's only reasonable that the first of a people be impossibly ancient, and the assumption is valid.

But not the sylvari. They're still setting down their roots, so to speak. Trahearne chuckles lightly. ]

Twenty-six.

[Nier imagines his expression is quite a bit transparent. Twenty-six. Is Trahearne yanking him around right now? He realises as he examines the sylvari's face, he can't tell just by looking. A gentle furrow of his brow ensues and then he concludes that perhaps the sylvari age in a different way. That would make sense, wouldn't it? He can't assume that all races age the way that humans do, and technically... Nier isn't human either.

Age might not mean a damn thing to either of them.]

That's not what I was expecting. You sure that's not like. Twenty-six thousand?

[ The thing is, sylvari don't age at all. Trahearne has looked exactly the same since the day he awakened.

Not that he has any way to know that Nier doesn't know that. His smile widens. ]

No. My people have only existed on Tyria for twenty-six years. We are very new.

[ He faces forward, a far-off look in his eyes, recalling those early days. It...was not easy. Not by a long shot. ]

Many non-sylvari remember a world in which we did not exist, but I still hope for a world where our absence is unthinkable. That may not be for years to come, but I like to think it will only take time.

[ Not that he'll be there to see it. ]

...Huh.

['Very new' is certainly one way of putting it, isn't it. Twenty-six years isn't a very long time for much of anything. Of course, he'd not thought that in his younger years. When one's a kid, twenty-six seems like forever into the future. When he starts trying to play back his years, he really starts to feel just how time passes the higher the age number gets.]

Well... I think you're right. Your people might be only twenty-six, and yeah, that's new, but in time, I think you're gonna get exactly what you hope for.

[Provided that something like genocide of the Sylvari people doesn't happen. Nier understands just how fragile the concept of life is, but if the people of Facade could survive in the way they did, then he sees no reason by Trahearne's people can't do the same.]

In time, it'll be just like that. Everyone'll know who you guys are. You might just be beginning, but you've all got a ways to go. Lots ahead of you.

[ There is a tiny anxiety that...well. Whatever happens with Mordremoth and its aftermath may lead to terrible consequences for them, but he wants to think the people of Tyria are better than that (the bar is very, very low). ]

We do. [ Though Nier might not know all the context and the weight behind what he says, the words are comforting enough. He glances at the other man, but only briefly. He nods. ] Come what may, I only ask that we persevere. But considering hard ground makes for stronger roots...I think we'll be all right.

[ They have been through shit. Hopefully it's easier from here on out. ]

Hard ground makes for stronger roots.

[Just hearing it, he smiles. He's never heard anyone say that before, but it sounds like something he'd say to Yonah.]

Is that true? I might do some gardening here and there, but I'm no expert. I could see it, though. It's just adversity and strength, eh?

[Something they've all gone through. Something that they'll all continue to go through.]

Open | November Catch-all & Dream

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