Forgotten Lore (Altamira, Sabbo, VN)

[HitokiriChibi]

It was dusk and the Moon Mistress looked down at the land below from upon her silvery throne. Beneath her bright glow that was the same as it always was, the world was changing, denizens awakening from some long forgotten slumber to rise into a world that had changed and forgotten of their existence.

On the shores of beaches and lakes, horses that were sinister in their perfection waded forth, shaking their long wet manes and tails, snuffling at the wind and the scent of humans residing close by.

Beneath forgotten mounds the earth split open for processions of gaily garbed people who rode forth upon horses whose hooves made no sound, save for the jingle of bells upon their harness. The people themselves were near luminous, their clothing regal and as delicate as a butterfly’s wing that fluttered on some unforeseen breeze. Around the more noble horse riders, others danced with light feet and tambourines and drums, an infectious beat coupled with the melting melody of wood pipes that created a haunting song that seeped into the dreams of any sleeping nearby.

As the moon rose higher, gracing them with her light, another procession was taking place, one that was more sinister and deadly in nature.

Down empty forest paths thirteen dark horses galloped silently, hounds with blood red eyes weaving between voicing howls that harkened of death resounding into the night.

~~~

“I swear I woke up this morn to find all the cleaning and washing done and dry already!” The housewife told her friend, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Is that so? What was yer man trying to sweeten ye up for then?” Her friend shook out a sheet for airing, sending a knowing wink back at the first wife.

“That’s what I thought, but he insists twasn’t him that done it! If I hadn’t known better I would swear ‘tis like those stories me grandmam used to tell me of the wee folk. Ye know the ones where they do the house chores in the middle of the night?”

“Now really, if ye don’t want to tell be done with ye! Bringing up stories of the wee folk…”

Calista raised an eyebrow as she walked past, the story ringing in her ears. Before her the world was bright, not with sunlight but with the wisps of the sound that was visible to her. The story between the two wives was a bright yellow stream, abounding with the pleasure of the first wife at having a free day and just a tint of dull green envy on the other woman’s behalf.

Typically, Calista would have thought the tale nothing but fancy but… she had heard other disturbing stories recently, tales that told of bloodshed and tainted with fear and superstition. A woman’s newborn baby had been stolen in the night, all which was left a wooden replica of the lost child in its crib. A man had walked by a lake and left soon after when he had seen what looked to be five human livers floating on its surface. A nearby town had said that five men had gone to that lake after seeing a wild horse frolicking around it, in mind to capture it.

Tales intertwined with folklore. Things a minstrel would have spun to earn himself a good supper, for people like nothing more than a tale with a bit of gore and mystery and knowing full well it was a tale only and that they themselves would be safe.

Shaking her head over the various stories she’d heard spoken around her, Calista continued her way out of town. There were too many people and too much gossip, she needed some solitude to distance herself from all the different vibes she was getting otherwise she’d work herself into a state with the blend of fear and adrenaline it was causing.

From the directions she’d be given, there was a nice glade in the forest nearby with a rushing river. At this time of day not many people would be there, though later in the afternoon a few of the young couples would go there for picnics. For now it would be a good enough place for her to practice on her violin and sort out more of those tales she’d heard.

The closer she got though, the uneasier she felt. It was as though there was a current on the air and it was warning her about something about to happen. Hesitatingly slightly, she caught the barest hint of a violin; it’s clear notes drifting on the air before her. Moving forwards, caught by the melody and the mastery with which it was played she came upon the clearing and it’s stream, surprised to find two people already there.

One was the violinist, clear in Calista’s mind by the song he played and the soft croon of his voice as he wooed the other with his words. The woman, Calista could tell, was speaking as well… her words uttered softly that she twisted the waves of sound so that she could hear…

" – Will follow you wherever you lead. Whatever you say so long as this song plays will I obey, even to your abode will I go in its watery depths..."

Calista let out a small gasp, unable to believe what she was hearing. Did she just promise she would kill herself? she thought in shock.

Her gasp must have alerted the man to her presence for his next words were directed at her, “Lady, standing fair and tall, would you listen to my song? Listen to its gentle sway, its lover’s call. Come sit by me, and listen to naught else in the world but my music and its promise sweet.”

Calista swayed, her blind eyes narrowing at the words he spoke so lyrically. They were sweetly spoken, and indeed he had the other woman in his thrall… but it was the fact that he was calling attention to his music that broke Calista from her stupor. The music while sweet on her ears appeared a dark and rusty red to her eyes, a fog that wrapped around the woman, clouding her senses and leaving her defenseless against the words he spoke that held the same sinister fog.

A simple mental twist and Calista was able to separate his words from his meaning, and was shocked at what he was speaking of.

“Come with me; follow me down in a merry dance to deep still water. Reside by me in my home amidst the rushing river, leave behind breath and land and sink ever down till still you are; a pale wraith in these cooler climes.”

With understanding came fury, the tales she’d been hearing all along verified by this evidence of creatures long gone returned.

“Your music does not hold me in thrall,” Calista warned, walking closer to the water sprite. She had no idea what kind he was; only that he was sinister in his intention.

A male laugh greeted her, “What manner of being are you, to withstand my call? Unlike this other, who bows to my merest whim,” his violin played a sickeningly sweet tune, and the woman beside him sighed happily.

Calista felt her eyes narrow in a cool glare, analyzing the music he played and its effect upon the girl, “Leave her be, she serves you no purpose!”

“Oh but she does, fair one. She is a warning to all and reminder to few. That which was forgotten has returned once more to walk these realms and she is but one of many sacrifices to our ways,” the humor in his callour words grated on Calista’s nerves.

“Leave her be, I said!” Calista snarled, injecting as much threat as she could into her words, enhancing them to strike fear into his heart.

Mocking laughter and a flourished finale greeted her ears, shortly followed by the sound of a body wading slowly into the river.

“No…” Calista whispered, “STOP!” She dared not walk closer to the water, but injected as much command as she could into her words, willing the woman to obey her.

For a frozen minute all that was heard was the sound of the rushing waters.

“Follow me, follow me…” the lover’s chant, compelling in its promise.

“What… what’s happening?” a confused murmur, a spell being broken.

“Come back to the shore!” the sharp order, made sharper still by fear and desperation.

~~~

Calista huddled in front of the fireplace, wrapped in a blanket provided by the tavern owner’s wife. Beside her sat the woman from the riverside, similarly attired though the hem of her dress was soaked through from her walk into the water.

Around them were gathered as many that could fit into the tavern, other retelling the tale of how Calista had saved the young woman from certain death at the hands of the Nix, a water sprite known for his handsomeness and music.

“Lucky it was you saved her, missy. My grandfather told the story of the Nix luring women and children into rivers and lakes to drown to me. Never would have thought to hear of them again, really. Lots of tales of this sort going about but this is the first real encounter I can say I’ve ever heard,” a man commented on behalf of the general room.

Calista looked up, frowning, her turquoise green eyes dark with worry.

“He said, remember all the tales forgotten, for they walk the realm once more. Beware the Wild Hunt.”

OoC: So you know - the horses in the lakes are Each Uisge, the cradle snatchers can be any kind of pixie or fairy that does such things and the Nix I've explained. House cleaners are Brownie's or others of that ilk. Smaller fae creatues hate cold iron... and can't cross running water if you're in a bind.
For other things to use might want to look at this place.
And you don't have to make as long a post as I did... I got caught up >_>;

[Sabbo]

OoC: In the first couple of paragraphs of writing this, a song came to my head; with the roles reversed, this song would have been eeriely similar to what you're situation here is methinks. (with a metaphorical mountain)

BiC: After many weeks of travelling this land, Tera was glad to have finally reached a town where she could have a proper rest. It had been a long time since Tera had been in a place so similar to her hometown, but it was far from a welcoming and homely feeling she felt as she approached the town - it was a feeling somewhere between fear and danger - and frankly, she didn't like it.

Knowing that she was unlikely to find another town soon, Tera decided she may as well find a hotel or tavern where she could stay for a couple of nights, but as she got closer and closer to the town, she felt even more of the dangerous feeling she had earlier; it was as if this town was the focus of an energy or power which exuded this sense of fear.

But as she entered the town, what Tera heard conflicted with the vibe the town gave; many people were talking of how a young woman had saved many people from a dangerous water sprite, and although the tale differed depending on who told it, the young woman and the defeated sprite were in all of them.

Curious, Tera asked around for information of how to find this woman, and was directed toward the tavern by the plaza. Tera was eager to know more about this town and its people.

OoC: for my first piece in about a month, that's not too bad...
Oh, and if need be, that feeling of fear and danger Tera felt at the start of my post can just be passed off as a form of intuition.

EDIT: Sorry TwilightZora, but this RP is only allowed to be posted in by HitokiriChibi, Altamira, Viratious Ninja, and myself. Please delete your post. I suggest either starting your own RP/Battle, or joining one without members' names in the title.

[Altamira]

OoC: Did somebody call for a minstrel? :3

IC:
Louis strode along a dirt path, strumming his fiddle.

"Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...

And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...

If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing.

And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life... "

His voice rose high and strong amidst the calls of the birds and the gurgling of the nearby creek. Some ladies in earthy-toned, wool dresses and cloaks were coming up along the road in the opposite direction, and they, he soon noticed, were staring, although it wasn't out of admiration.

Tentatively, he tried a few more bars of what he had thought was a pleasant and rousing song;

"For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow.
Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin
Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow.

So always look on the bright side of death..."

He paused, mid-chorus. Suddenly, he remembered that the rest of the song wasn't quite so cheery. It was black humor, really. Not the sort of thing a man should sing to two grim-looking ladies.

The woman on the right looked down as they neared him, and, much to Louis' surprise, let out a high-pitched wail. He spun around at the noise, and was hit by a tress of wind-blown, gray hair trailing out from under the lady's cloak. When his eyes rose to meet hers again, he could see they were of a bright, startling red hue, and were filled with tears.

"I...I'm sorry, ma'am, if I disturbed you so greatly. Did the song...perhaps recall to mind something traumatic?"

The woman keened again, and her companion began to drag her away, soon leaving Louis behind with his fiddle, confused and uneasy. After a few moments, the minstrel breathed a sigh, pulled down the brim of his hat over his eyes, and continued strolling towards town.

OoC: The woman, to clarify, was a banshee from the site Hitokiri linked to. And the song was part of a Monty Python song. XD

[VenomousNinja]

Viratious was watching a strange encounter from the trees. A man had been playing a song, and a woman had screeched at the tune, only to be dragged off by her female companion.
The man was walking along the road, and Viratious, being who he is, jumped down from the trees and spoke.

"That was weird."
The man turned at the sound of Viratious's voice.

"Who are you?"

"Viratious."

"Viratious what?"

"That's not important, now is it?" The man raised an eyebrow.

"Where were you watching from?"

"The trees."

"Hmm... Okay." The man turned around and continued walking.

"I recognize that song." Viratious said quickly.

"You do?" The man turned around with an air of curiousity.

"Yes."

"From where?"

"I... Don't know... I think my parents used to sing it to me..."

"Hmm... I suppose you want to follow me."

"Yea!"

"Come on..."
Viratious followed the man to a town. Upon entering that town, he immediatly heard a story about a girl being saved from a demon.

"Strange, these stories... Arn't they?" Viratious asked the man.

"Yes, but they're all the same story." the man replied.

"I've noticed that too." The man turned to someone selling newspapers.

"Where is the girl who saved someone from the demon?" he asked. The newsie pointed Viratious and the man to a local tavern.

"I guess we go there?" Viratious asked.

"We go there." The man chuckled.

[HitokiriChibi]

Calista listened to all the muttering surrounding her, eyes closed as the sounds of speculations rose and fell in a cadence not many people would realize was occurring. The woman she had saved no longer sat beside her but had been taken to a bed to rest after her traumatic experience, leaving the blind girl alone amidst a crowd of ever-growing people.

Again and again questions were repeated and answered yet the cycle continued and Calista, worn out already by her battle with the water sprite found the music of the town sickening – under all the fear and unease were sharp bursts of excitement as one person or another recalled hearing stories of fortunes to be found should be one clever enough to outwit one of the Fae creatures that had arisen.

Adding to her unease was the glimmer of music she could still hear from that troubling Nix, the music he had played still called to a part within her that yearned to play music that could bewitch someone so completely…

Opening her eyes to distract herself from that inner temptation to face the Nix once more, Calista noted that the swirls of sound that represented the mass of people was shifting as yet more bodies entered the room. They were too far for the musician to note what their inner songs were like, and at that point she no longer cared.

Dropping her blanket, she reached behind her back to grasp her violin. It was always with her and as she caressed its strings she realised that it could be her ally once more to ease her heart. Not to play like the Nix, but to play as she usually did to calm the room…

It began slowly, a soft whisper of notes that glided smoothly across the air. Tentative, but persistent. It wove its own calming magic upon those closer to its source, and they in turn passed it to others, voices becoming gentler and not as abrasive as before. Fear was gentled to a mere warning twinge and Calista finally found it easier to breathe with the air no longer so sharp.

Being able to concentrate properly, Calista noted that a few people were talking of the creatures themselves, repeating histories that had been passed to them. Without shame she twisted those conversation threads so that she could hear them properly.

“I always thought those were just stories my grandfather would tell me. Had no idea they would become real like this…”

“Do you remember the story of how they all just up and vanished one day? It was like some sort of plague had wiped them out.”

“Nay, it was no plague that done them all in. Before my family settled here back in the day… they had been merchants in the capital. Sorcerers and what not, all claiming to have found a way to capture those beasts, is what they heard.”

“No you fool, sorcerers couldn’t have done it! You have the tale wrong, the Fae got tired of this realm and decided to leave off for good.”

“It was a war that did it… a war between the two Courts of Light and Darkness…” The quiet whisper caught the blind woman and she turned towards it source unerringly.

“What do you mean a war?” her question was sharp, her ears somehow knowing that above all the speculation going on this was the true reason for the sudden disappearance.

“A war between the Fae. The Seelie and Unseelie courts. The beautiful and the deformed. It was fought in this mortal realm until such a time as the casualties were too great. The two courts were at an impasse and both drew back to regrow their armies. A wee lass like yourself would never have heard of it, just as everyone here would not know it. Mortals always think they are the centre of everything – that the Fae must want something of theirs which is why we are here. Pitiful, really. Mortals are only a passing amusement, sentient prey and beings who give those of my home inclined ilk something that we enjoy doing.”

Tingles shot down Calista’s arms, her mind suddenly realising to whom she was speaking. Memory of that conversation she had overheard so innocently that morning of house hold chores being done already…

A gnarled little hand patted her knee, “There, there; no need to fret. The battle lines haven’t been drawn as yet. There’s still time if you want to run, though nothing escapes the Wild Hunt.”

“What can we do to stop it?” she whispered.

A small pause, “Nothing, really. This a war that has gone for eternity it seems. Best advice to someone with powers like yours is to choose a side. For a lass like yourself, the Seelie courts would welcome you.” Another small tap on her knee, in farewell this time, and the voice was gone.

Calista shivered, her hands convulsing around her violin, a sour note escaping her. She could feel her face was pale, but how else was she to respond to those words? A war between two monstrous races? What scared her was that she was defenceless, and no one in that tavern around her would be of any help. A sudden yearning for her cynical companion Tremayne swept through her.

OoC: Yeah, a brownie thingy was talking to her, now have at it! XP