K'haali

Makes me feel better seeing number of folks here who are sticking to one aspect or the other, rather than blurring the lines. Looks like I'm just over-thinking it.

Based on the screenshots we've seen, there is a clip of what appears to be a machine shop with the machinist class icon in the background, and the architecture of the building is distinctly Coerthan, I highly suspect the machinists guild will actually be in Coerthas. Be interesting to see the lore behind it; the Coerthas don't seem to be strangers to invention though looking at their huge anti-dragon harpoon cannons.

The upcoming machinists is making me a little worried about how they may be used; or mis-used in RP. As we know, machinists thing - as a class - is they have both guns, and various gadgets, not least drones and turrets. The lore (as seen in the crafting classes) establishes that both the ceruleum distribution systems used by the gun, and the clockwork, mammot-esque tech that runs the drones are both very complex bits of technology (indeed, the clockwork components used in Mammots are 2 and 3 star GSM projects) What has me worried, is that we'll have a new generation of "soldier" and "special-ops" characters, who are all armed with guns and drones/gadgets that they just got "off the shelf" as part of their wargear, which'll detract from established characters who have a genuine aptitude for machinery.. Machinists finally give technically adept characters a chance to formally weaponise their engineering skills. But I fear that those characters will be buried in the deluge. It seems to me the "answer" is personal restraint - in the same way some 'scholars' may have barrier spells ICly, but no fairy. Thus many styled as soldiers will have guns, but not drones and gadgets ICly. But obviously that comes down to how far the individual chooses to handicap their skills at an IC level, and I'm just worried for the engineers out there their IC achievements will be lost if it becomes entirely normal for the "next generation soldiers" to have guns and drones anyway. Certainly from my discussions with people, a lot if not the majority of people want to play machinists because they have guns, not because they're engineers. Just something that'd been niggling at me lately

With a respectful duck of the head, K'haali withdrew into the shadows of the tent, and slipped outside in a brief flash of sunlight. She gave a relieved sigh and beamed into the sun, though keeping her eyes tight shut against the blinding sunlight in such contrast the darkness of the tent. All things considered the meeting had gone very well... K'haali chuckled a little to herself. The elder had managed to tell her as much in just a few words and a gentle touch, as a whole sheaf of notes and talking had taken her. She was sure there was a lesson to take home in that somewhere... home; She'd need to figure out where they had stowed her personal belongings before she could truly say she was home, and then she'd... ...what exactly? Normality was going to take getting used to again.

"I'm as sure as Azeyma is radiant." K'haali replied, picking out a pea-sized nugget and attempting to deform the surface with her nail, leaving a faint scratch in the dim light of the tent, before testing it's weight. "When the piece of dalamud struck the plains, it shattered the land, gouging out canyons and thrusting up entire sections of the land. Close to the river I spoke of, half a day North-West of the goobue, between two such broken pieces of ground I found the land had broken to form a grotto, which the sun was perfectly positioned to see into. " "Inside, the walls had been scorched in the moons descent and a glint of gold caught the sunlight. I managed to prize away a few tiny nuggets that had melted out in the heat. When I scratched away the burned rock it revealed an entire vein bisected when the ground split open. This is nothing more than a sample of what awaits, given time and proper tools" K'haali looks slightly hesitant. "But, I do worry, this could be as much as a curse as a blessing. With this we could buy the land outright, even outsiders could not argue with our right to settle there. But once we start trading gold, they will inevitably want to know where it came from; we'd need to own the land before we begin exploiting it, even then there is no guarantee they will still respect our claim. We'd need backing we could trust"

As they waited for K'tahjha to join them, K'haali took the opportunity to fill the silence with a quick rundown of her own findings. She quickly scanned around the bags and notes in the dark with her hands, seemingly both looking and trying to give a respectful bob of the head to the elders, in an obviously nervous fluster. "Okay... findings... findings." "Well, in East Thanalan we discovered a secluded grove on the edge of a huge gorge carved by Dalamud, around half a day south of Highbridge, at the heart of this grove-in-the-wastes was the husk of a dead goobue, from which all manner of flora had sprouted and covered the area." K'haali omitting that the site was only found because K'luha had fled the previous evening into a pouring rainstorm in an event that still eluded explanation to her. "There is both a small standing oasis close to the goobue, and also a large, fast-flowing river about half a day north-east, from the direction of the shroud. The soils there are more fertile than Southern Thanalan, and while we were there we witnessed a rain storm, so the area does have rainfall" "While the others collected K'thajha I was able to spend a couple of weeks exploring the area; there's quite a wealth of useful minerals and the plains are home to huge herds of aldgoat. I also found a number of edible plants that looked easy to cultivate..." "...and, I also found this." K'haali carefully placed a small, but remarkably heavy pouch in reach of the elders. Allowing the pouch to unfold slightly, revealing a slight glint of gold in the dim light of the tent.

Hearing K'luha's voice she carefully pushed the tent flap wider; still hesitant to cross the threshold into the darkened interior. She'd rarely been before the elders personally, and never before in such circumstances that even the Nunh himself had not been welcome to preside over the discussion. She shuffled her way to a spot near to K'luha, eyes glued to the floor, only half aware of what she was doing, overthinking K'luha's simple question. 'Good news first, and I can give them my report and be out of here quickly. But then the expedition will seem like a complete disaster. If I hold the good news til last, then it'll underline that the expedition was anything but a waste - however, that means..." K'haali cuts off her selfish train of thought as she sat down, folding her legs and dropping the a small sack into the gap. K'luha was going to have a hard enough time, without her plotting to get out of there quickly and leaving her to explain all this by herself unsupported; besides. K'luha still hadn't given her the full versions of events either, and she hadn't wanted to push for the details... "Let's get the worst over with, from there on it's all good news..."

Meanwhile, hidden from sight of the scarred camp, a crumbling, scorched stone bounced across the sands towards the faint plume that was once Dalamud, still lingering as a haze high above the horizon even so long after it had erupted into fire and destruction. K'haali right now felt rather like the stone, trapped in a sea of sand. Surrounded by strangers with familiar faces, yet completely disconnected and alone among them. Another stone bounced across the sand, gouging a scar out behind it When the tribe wanted to help the outsiders in their war, she'd protested. It was a war between outsiders, it was never the tribe's business getting involved in it. For all their bravado, war was a place where men killed each other, and she didn't want to see any of her extended family die, least of all for a fight that wasn't theirs. They had of course ignored her protests, reassured her that they were going to "kick the Garleans right back to whatever continent they came from and wouldn't take a scratch doing it", K'thalen wearing that grin that spoke of limitless confidence. She wanted to believe them, but the glow of Dalamud by night said otherwise - if they had the power to bring down a moon, how strong were the Garleans in battle? An uncontrolled sniffle, and staggered attempt at a deep breath heralded another stone, an avian head, tilted quizzically tracking it's flight. When they left anyway, she'd rejected the platitudes of the tribe and instead sat vigil with only K'weh for company, curled up together, watching the horizon as long as Azemya would permit; sometimes even taking food with her. Watching for some sign Dalamud and it's controlling army had been defeated. A stone is sent flying at the fine haze that was once Dalamud with as much force as she could muster, as if trying to send the stone back in time and knock it out the sky before the calamity could unfold. Of course, it didn't work; Dalamud had still exploded in a conflagration of molten rock that seemed to tower all the way to the heavens, with a sound that almost shook the world from it's foundations... that alone had been enough to send Haali screaming, seeking shelter beneath the jagged rocks behind where she sat vigil, out of sight of the battle. Could she have warned her mother, dragged her to the rocks too? Probably not, she must have seen the flames too there was no way anyone in Eorzea could have missed it, and it seemed like no time at all had passed before that dark shadow flew overhead and the desert turned to fire; the hunters had not only involved the tribe in a battle was not their's, but now it seemed they'd brought the Garlean's wrath upon their men, women and children in retaliation. She curled her knees up to her chin and leaned back into K'weh's feathers as if trying merge with it and disappear from the world completely. Mercifully, unlike so many others, K'nirha was not awake to suffer, instead rendered insensate by the firestorm that had left her burned almost head to toe, much of her hair gone, and scalp peeling. Carried to the makeshift infirmary she'd been left on her own while others busied themselves tending to their kin. There K'haali had been left to tend to her mother alone, she felt completely overwhelmed; the adult members of the tribe had been rendered to a juvenile state, sobbing, wailing and flailing helplessly against the situation. Deaf to any of her polite pleas for any kind've assistance. She'd eventually fallen asleep, still holding K'nirha's hand, and had been nudged awake by K'piru tending to her mother after what seemed like an eternity. Much of the sobbing had stopped and a degree of order had settled as everyone sat vigil with their kin, the look on K'piru's face however betrayed what she was thinking, making no attempt to hide it unaware she was being watched. Suddenly, alert to K'haali's presence she'd turned and pressed her hand to her cheek warmly, trying to appear hopeful before quickly moving on to the next patient. Closing her eyes she tried retreat to a comfortable spot in her mind with just her and K'weh surrounded by warm feathers. Anxious days dragged by, with no sign of the victorious hunters. They'd have the answers, they were the tribes best and brightest; K'thalen'd be there with a huge grin and crates of medical supplies taken from the defeated Garleans as loot. But when they arrived back that evening the mood remained just as dark, no celebrations, just a thin trickle of beaten and burned miqo'te, looking defeated; most directed to the makeshift infirmary midst the skeletal remains of the tents, still standing as no effort could be spared to remove them. K'haali'd kept looking around urgently, inspecting every new arrival, meeting their gaze, asking, trying to find Thalen or any of her family that'd joined the war party. But they just kept looking through her, pretending she was invisible, or hadn't heard her. It didn't work, even with her eyes closed the world around her still wouldn't go away. K'weh seemingly aware of her anxiety butted his head against hers. When she returned to infirmary, her mother was gone, in every sense of the word, and the space on the tarp now occupied by one of the recently arrived hunters. She sat there, silently, next to the new arrival, both seemingly oblivious to each others presence while her mind raced with the possibilities, seeking answers - where had they taken her, was she ok, where is father, uncles, aunts... "Where is everybody!?" ...she realised she'd shouted that out loud, and drawn the attention of everyone at the infirmary, as she'd made her way to find K'piru and word of her mother. Looking back sheepishly, she turned to walk away, only to plant her face squarely into the bandaged chest of K'yohko, who'd come to talk to her. Another stone flew out from the mound of yellow feathers, though K'ile was fortuitously not in it's path as intended. Unaware that neither K'ile nor K'piru had spoken to K'haali yet; his condolences had rather a different effect than he intended and she'd disappeared into the night in a trail of incoherent sobbing. For the first time in her life, K'haali felt like a stranger among the tribe. When her mother was dying they'd ignored her for their immediate kin. When the hunters came back, they'd ignored her pleas for information. When she needed know where her mother had gone, K'piru was nowhere to be found. Even K'ile, her uncle, the one closest to her father hadn't come to her; that had fallen to K'yohko of all the people. K'weh's head snapped to attention, and peered over the rock under which they were sheltered, back at the skeletal remains of the camp, barely a stones throw away. For all the good running away would do though, the tribe was all she knew... she'd just have to make herself useful.

K'haali dismounted, reveling in the feeling of warm sand under her feet again as she sunk her face into her chocobo's neck, trying relax knotted muscles that she hadn't even realised existed until now. Upon hearing K'luha's suggestion she replied with a short protest; muffled by a faceful of warm feathers. "Mmfff" The elders would no doubt want to speak to the entire expedition; or, what remained of it. K'thajha inclusive, perhaps especially K'thajha; why would K'luha suggest they make a detour to visit the others? - Nevermind that K'haali wasn't exactly the most popular or sociable member of the tribe. She concluded that perhaps K'luha wanted privacy, she was afterall hardest hit in every meaning of the word by the events of the expedition, and her reunion with the elders would probably not be a happy sight. After what what seemed like an eternity of careful consideration (And a while longer to prize herself away from her warm, feathery resting spot) she finally stood up straight, to the protest of her sore muscles, pulled a leather roll out from the harness and tossed it to K'tahjha. "...alright." Entering the camp proper, revealed a large, yet unlit bonfire, ringed by tents, a number of miqo'te busily going about their daily business; scouring a wurm hide from the last hunt, repairing weapons and sharpening the leather knives. In this hive of activity word of their arrival hadn't seemed to have sunk in just yet. K'haali didn't announce their presence either, and instead made a bee-line toward a large rectangular tent that served as storage - apparently having a different plan than taking K'tahjha around introducing her to the daughters of the tribe. Predictably, a number of the other tribe members and huntresses noticed the new blonde haired arrival and began talking among themselves. Taking the rolls of leather from K'tahjha and dropping the sack in the darkness of the tent, back turned to the outside world K'haali grinned a little and waited for the other tribe members to inevitably come forward out of curiosity and introduce themselves, saving her the trouble of a guided tour...

((OOC: He admits it! - I thought he denied being responsible and says Luha led him into it ))

(Sorry about the late arrival to the thread - couldn't find a spot to jump in for a while then kind've forgot about the thread for a few days <.< - it's safe to say K'haali's been present with the party but just listening intently, nothing much to really cause her to interject til Torvahn's explanation) Torvahn's explanation of the tribe helping serve as warriors against the Garleans immediately strikes a very raw nerve, which K'haali struggles to contain - but rather than creating a sceneshe carefully positions herself behind the older members of the party, hiding her barely concealed anger and words from Torvahn. "Surely I don't need to remind ourselves what happened the last time Eorzea came to us, asking our aid to fight the Garleans?" K'haali sneaks a glance past the others, training her gaze with one eye on Torvahn, watching him intently. "K'ile; your brother, my fatherrr died along with almost all of the tribe's able hunters - nearly an entire generation wiped out. We wouldn't even be in this position if we hadn't agreed to a help defend against the Garleans 5 years ago, and now they want another generation to serve as their fodder. The price they ask is too high!"

Last week while minding my own business, someone managed to shout something distinctly erotic across all of old gridania. I rolled my eyes and figured they were just trolling, and shouted a smart arsed remark back. However, I almost immediately got a very embarassed reply via /tell - apparently it was a legit mis-message... I responded with a "xD" smiley, at which point she seemed to forget that she'd just /tell'd me, and ends up sending me her next installment of ERP messages by accident :blush:

Huddled over a small campfire, hidden in a rocky alcove high over drybone, The hipparion tribe explorer felt sick to the stomach. It wasn't because the possibility that the tribe might be moving soon, nor was it being alone in a strange place, nor was any of the local fauna poisonous. It was the first time in many years she'd managed to over-eat, an alien experience for a seeker of the sagolii. At least, that's what she told herself, the truth was change would soon come to the tribe; for the better she knew deep down, but change nonetheless, and giving up what little familiarity remained of her father's tribe was gnawing at her. "Still, giving up sandwurm, orobon and starvation for aldgoat, millioncorn and indigestion doesn't seem like a sacrifice at all..." She concluded quietly, before rolling over and trying to sleep it off. "...not even a little"

Following the argument, K'haali had allowed herself to flop from her position sat at the edge of the circle, onto her back in the sand, staring up at the increasingly blue sky while the others continued to bicker and debate. She of course knew that trading with Ul'dar would require careful negotiation (and a little strong-arming for a good deal), and was a long shot; but the tribe had already lost almost everything in the last 5 years, and losing their home too felt like ultimately dissolving all that remained of K'thalen's tribe. Still lying on the floor, she seemed to address the sky, without changing her gaze: "Tell me Ailia; what do you suppose will happen when that flame blows uncontrolled upon these otherrr lands, that are not our own? - When our keeper kin sought to spread in the twelveswood, were they not summarily extinguished in return by the native Gridanians?" "I don't pretend to know what the state of Eorzea was when our ancestors moved here, nor disagree that the sagolii might be desolate, but it is our land. This university can offer us shelter, but can it offerr us all the bounty of Thanalan, or will that too bring those that would stop the spread of the flames upon what they consider their stores" "We might be welcome in the university, with a roof over our heads and maybe even food on the table but we'll only be welcome in Ul'dar as long as we have something to offerrr them; and if that is not resources, then it will be services. And we've all heard tales of proud warrior tribes reduced to mere dancing girls, domesticated, as pet mercenaries, servants and amusement for the 'nobility'" "Perhaps then, a hybrid strategy is required"

K'haali watches K'ailia return to her place, wrinkling her nose with barely concealed disdain at her suggestion before standing, dusting herself off and retrieving her bag and notes. "I stand before Azeyma and the tribe, to rrremind us what we and our ancestors are and have always been; apex hunters and gatherers. Nothing under azeymas gaze is beyond our grrasp, and that which is beyond it we have traded our excesses for." She offers a brief glance away from the fire, seemingly judging whether she has got the crowd's imagination. "Our ancestors came to the sagolii tracking our namesake, hipparion. When they died out, they did not starve, they did not curl up and beg azeyma for succor, nor did they go running to outsiderrrs to shelter. They found new sources of food and new game such as the desert wurms and made them ours too." K'haali almost spits at the idea of going to outsiders for succor. "In this new umbral era, once more our old sources of sustenance are changing but the deserrt's bounty remains immense, if only hidden from Azeyma's gaze." K'haali reaches into the hemp sack and lifts out a chunk of blueish grey rock, a handful of orange crystals, and a crudely smelted iridescent blue metallic ingot. "Our people have used mythril for generations, it is abundant here in the rocks of the Sagolii, as well as the fire crystals needed to extract it from it's rocky hiding place. However, this abundance is found in few otherr places; and few but us can thrive in these lands even if they wanted to take it for themselves. We used to trade what we had in abundance, for that which we needed, and the day rocks and sand are in short supply is the day the void takes us all. So, before Azeyma I propose we take our unique gifts, expertise, and access to these resources and trade that which we have in abundance for that which we need." Content to have said her piece, K'haali kneels before the fire, removing a number of maps and charts of the Sagolii region from her leather folder and setting them a safe distance from the flames, weighing the papers down with the ingot and ore sample, before returning to her place among her sisters, discreetly trying to gauge the nuhn's expression for any hint of support.