AW Samhain, Somewhere

[Whisper]

Falbreck College
Braeroch, the Wyrdwood Moon of Mabino

Fall moved like a slow ripple across the surface of the Wyrwycky's home moon, vibrant green giving way to brilliant golds, oranges, and reds. Leaves fell like petals from sakura blossoms, adding color and vibrancy to the world beneath the expansive boughs of the Wyrdwood.

One corner of this world was Braeroch, de facto capital of the Wyr. Here governed the Wyr Ring, that august body of witches who lead their people in words once they could no longer do so through action. Their candles still burned, their wicks getting shorter, but their wisdom and experience made them too valuable to snuff so soon. So was born the Falbreck College, the most prominent of the many schools for War Witches. The teachers these days were not usually of the Ring, but that didn't lower the school's standings in the slightest.

The city was covered in carefully-managed bonfires and offerings of food were set out for Samhain. The boundaries between life and death were said to be thinnest this time of year, so the festival had long been established as a way to show respect to the departed - and keep the fae folk from causing problems.

Autumn is a time of change, and so too was it for Falbreck. The school sprawled across the forest floor, illuminated by the occasional shaft of light that broke the canopy and hundreds of glowing blue orbs that clung to trees and floated in the air. Its gates had the look of wrought iron, though closer inspection revealed them to be some sort of pleasantly decorative thorny vine. A collection of War Witch hopefuls and aspiring craftsmen grew slowly in front of it.

As the city outside focused on remembering those who were gone, this next generation of could-be heroes prepared to leave their own mark on history.

-----

Inside the school, the teachers watched with interest to see just what they had to work with. None of the girls would truly know the Wyrd yet, though all had shown the spark. None of the craftsmen had even a hint of how a cauldron was made, but the talent was there. How they manifested their potential was what they were interested in. And if they would make it to the end.

"I suppose it's my turn to welcome the new generation this Samhain," said one teacher, hopping down from a desk. A broad white witch's cap matched her equally pristine outfit. Delicate lace work lined the edges and accents. A large patch covering half her face followed the same design. Her heels clack-clacked as she walked.

One of the others raised a flexed arm in salute. "Good luck!"

-----

A hulking youth in rough leathers and a thick craftsman's apron stood at the gates, appraising the witches-to-be as they gathered. He, like most of the other young men here, would be tasked with creating the tools that allowed them to better harness their new powers.

Of course, he'd never made one before, but that's why he was here, right? The women fought and the men gave them the means to do so effectively. It was a partnership as old as his people and one he was proud to carry forward.

-----

A girl sat near the gates, her attention focused solely on some game on her phone. She showed no interest towards the gates or the newcomers, though she wasn't fooling anyone with her early arrival. HIGH SCORE flashed on her phone as she clicked to start a new round.

 

[Over Yandere]

Braeroch - Capital City of the Wyrwood Moon
Caelfind's Apartment Building, yesterday

After a long night of stargazing Caelfind returned home to her small apartment. It had all the essentials, bed, kitchen, bathroom, and lovely plants and wood structuring. Crawling into bed she managed to pass out even though her excitement was palpable. Why would she have trouble sleeping? Well because tomorrow was the day that Falbreck College opened its gates to new potentials both witch and warder alike. This was something she had dreamed off for some time, had been training and studying for years for. But it wasn't just the day when it opened, it was the first time she was old enough to seek admittance. This was her eighteenth year, marking her eligible to begin becoming a war witch.

-----
Samhain

The following morning she awoke to the blaring sound of her alarm clock. A tad startled she flashed open her eyes and nearly fell out of bed as she rolled over to turn off the alarm. Face brimming with excitement Caelfind hopped out of bed to get ready for the day even though the system's star was barely up. After several awkward minutes of rushing to get showered, dried off, dressed, and her hair taken care of she stopped to check herself in the mirror. Staring back at her was a girl of above average height with black hair, pink dyed bangs, maroon eyes, two circle markings above the eyebrows, and most importantly a smiling face. She felt good, this was when she would finally reach her goal. The day she'd prove wrong all the people who made mean or prejudicial comments towards her, though more importantly it would be the day she made some kind of connection with her mother.

She grabbed her keys and went to leave before a thought hit her, spinning around on her heels she rushed back to the kitchen and grabbed a special meal. It was a stew made from a cervine like animal local to the moon they inhabited. 'Dad always loved this dish... I hope mom likes it too.' she thought to herself as she took the storage bowl from her fridge. Taking the stairs down to the ground floor she could hear the crunch of leaves underfoot as she made her way to a local festival spot to deposit her offering to her parents. It was near one of the large bonfires set up by the city that she found an open offering site. Placing down the bowl of stew, she offered a quick prayer. 'Findchoem, mother, I know we never got to meet but I hope following in your footsteps makes you happy. Father, I know this wasn't what you wanted for me but I hope it makes you proud regardless. Either way, I made your favorite.'

-----
Falbreck College

Soon enough Caelfind had joined the crowd gathering before the gates of Falbreck. Among all the hopefuls clad in small witch hats and robes or dresses she sort of stood out a fair bit. Caelfind had no hat as most non tailored hats wouldn't accommodate her antlers. She neither wore a dress nor heels. Instead she was clad in a green jacket, with dark brown pants and and a pair of white, brown and green sneakers. She looked like someone ready to go for a chilly fall long distance run rather than the stereotype of a witch. On top of this her height, which was already above average, plus her antlers made her stand out quite readily in the crowd. Still she gently made her way through the crowd towards the gates. Eventually arriving near the hulking youth in the craftsman apron.

 

[Whisper]

Caelfind drew a few harsh looks as she walked and more than a few curious ones.

"I didn't realize that there was someone who was already a familiar in this year's class," spoke a haughty voice. Thick, crimson ringlets framed the face of the voice's owner. A few girls near her shielded their mouths with their hands to hide their snickers, but it was just for show. "We must be blessed to have someone so advanced among us."

One of the others joined in. "It's a shame that someone so talented can't become a witch, don't you think so, Amalia?"

Feigning distress, ringlets moved her hand to her forehead. "Indeed it is, but we all pull our weight as best we can-"

More snickers.

The large aproned youth clenched his fists some as he listened to their comments before turning his attention to the witch aspirant who had found her way to where he stood.

"Don't mind them," he said, his voice a kind rumble. "My uncle was a familiar."

He didn't really get it, but the ways of the Wyrd - and its side effects - were not things he fully understood yet. "A lot of people made fun of him, too, but you can't argue with results. Da said that uncle punched a Droma so hard that it left a crater on the planet below, but you can't see it because of the haze."

The youth shrugged. "I'm Ronan. Crafter, not a familiar, or at least that's the plan."

He extended a hand towards her, smiling warmly.

 

[Over Yandere]

Caelfind didn't notice the looks as she moved, such things were something she had long ago learned to tune out but the provocative words and laughter? That she wasn't used to. Fist clenched she started turning to face them, what she intended to do she didn't know. Punch the voice? Maybe. A stupid idea but it'd feel good right? Then the rumble of a voice broke her out of instinct and made her stop. A deep breath was taken and she released her fist. The words that came after, though intended with kindness, annoyed and embarrassed her.

With a light pink crossing her cheeks, she turned to face the male voice. While Caelfind wasn't exactly proud of her own appearance, and though the actions of others had left scars on her heart, those wounds hadn't become calloused. As such while her lips moved as if to answer him and then she stopped, before a quick reconsideration of her words. He'd meant no harm, unlike ringlets. Hand reaching out to his extended one she grasped it softly and shook it gently. "Caelfind... witch aspirant," finally came the words in a perhaps surprisingly feminine pitch and tone which in conjunction with words said refuted the idea that she was a familiar.

The admission made she prepared herself for more snarky or mean spirited comments from the peanut gallery. No matter what words they slung though, she'd continued with Ronan. With a bit more mustered courage in the face of a potential friend she spoke a wee bit more confidently. "Got a double dose of the wyrd, is what ma father always claimed. Dunno if mom agreed but I guess even with a familiar she burned too bright for too long so I never got to ask."

 

[Whisper]

When she spoke, Ronan's eyes widened as the light of recognition switched on. He started to apologize - but she was here to be a witch.

Instead, he simply nodded. "First I've heard of it happening to someone without the bond, but..." he trailed off with a shrug. "Won't be the only new thing I'll see here. My mom didn't have the talent for it and only uncle took up arms, so I've got a lot to learn... Sorry about your ma. I know it comes with the territory, but.."

Ronan frowned. One of his hopes was that he could find a way to lessen the cost of using the Wyrd, maybe add a few years to the brave witch's lives. It wasn't an uncommon hope.

Before the melancholy could fully take hold of the conversation - or the insulting group of girls nearby cut any deeper - the gates opened to reveal a short woman in a crisp white dress, broad white witch's hat, and thigh-high heeled boots of the same color. Everything had delicate lace trim and details, making the short woman look like an elegant doll. Her hair and the laced eyepatch on her face were, likewise, white.

When she spoke, her voice was surprisingly young.

"This it?" she looked around, then shrugged. "Guess so. This is Falbreck. You wouldn't be here if you didn't know what it was or what it meant to be here, so I'm not going to waste our time with fancy words.

I'm Mairead (Mi-rade) and I'll be one of your instructors here. While everyone else on the Moon is learning math or whatever, you'll be learning two things: How to kick Droma ass and come back in one piece. We're fighting a war for our people's survival, so we don't have time to hold your hands or dust your pants off when you fall. Any questions?"

Ringlets raised a hand. "For those of us whose family have been witches for generations, do we get to proceed straight to the advanced classes or-"

The instructor raised her one visible eyebrow. "Advanced classes?"

She stared at the redhead for a moment, then sighed. "You'll be doing missions that we think you can come back from. If you do survive, which we hope you do, we'll talk about how they went and what you can do better. The majority of what we do here is practical. Any other questions?"

 

[P0rcelain]

"Ye, I got a fuckin' question!" A rowdy, slurred and feminine voice spat from the crowd. It pierced the background noise like an arrow, orotund in timbre but degenerate in tone.

A witches hat bobbed up and down as the girl behind it pushed and shoved through bodies roughly. She moved unpredictably, like she was half asleep. Her presence was scandalously brutish; she stomped with heavy boots between her shambling, bumbling and almost falling down into other people, before bordering on pushing them over to lift herself back upright. People had started shifting clear of her, having noticed that her strangeness was an iceberg and her mannerisms, merely the tip. She stopped her chaotic barging and stumbled in place for a moment, standing still enough that most could at last get a glimpse of her under her robes and hat. Curly, ginger hair that stuck out like a mess underneath the dark brim of her hat. Head to toe in tattoos but no visual artistry, her skin a collage of texts; ancient quotes and poems; hymns and psalms. A stocky frame with visibly fresh, purple and blue bruises all over her skin. The biggest blasphemy was that she was clearly completely hammered.

"Where's the fuckin' restrooms." She gasped, then took out a canteen and began gulping from it. She kept at this for an impressive amount of time, then dangled her arms by her side and spoke more quietly. "...Need to take a piss."

 

[Over Yandere]

"Nothin to be sorry about, I never knew her. Just have my dad's stories..." she trailed off as the gates swung wide. Seeing the pristine and prim witch who opened the gates only to hear her ask is this it made Caelfind's heart swell with doubt. The woman seemed so opposite her own self that it made her feel like maybe she didn't belong after all. Though as she continued to speak it seemed as though all present would be admitted to the school which was both a curiosity and salve for her doubt filled heart. Ringlets of course had to try and show off and but her ignorance was made plain and that caused a little schadenfreude for Caelfind. However before she could ask a question of her own a rowdy slurred voice sliced through the air.

Rude, disrespectful, and probably drunk... not exactly the type you'd want on your team. Though beyond that base assessment Caelfind thought nothing else of the woman other than hopefully she'd get serious when the time was right. If Caelfind's father's stories were anything to go off of, the Droma didn't pull punches and didn't wait for you to be ready. At anyrate she took a deep breath put her hands in her pockets and just took a few steps towards the gate. If Mairead didn't stop her well, Caelfind was just going to walk beyond the threshold and claim her spot in the school.

 

[Whisper]

Mairead's brows rose as she observed the bumbling witch-to-be, her displeasure evident. Some of the other girls spoke their own thoughts on the girl already wearing a witch's hat, but there were no laws to prevent it. Merely customs, which none who were gathered there had any delusions about the brash girl respecting.

When she spoke, the cool-but-harsh tone of her voice landed more firmly on the harsh side. "You can find the restrooms wherever you left your dignity, as you seem just as likely to 'take a piss' in one as the other. For anyone else who might have the same question, they are, of course, inside and well labeled. Falbreck is a proper enough institution for that."

She fielded a few other questions - mostly about her own background, which was impressive in the way that most witches' was, and the hint of her own displeasure at being assigned to a school instead of the front lines.

When the questions tapered off, she turned and began to walk inside.

"Should you have any other questions - good ones - you may ask them as we walk. I will introduce you to your new home and then we'll start our first practical lesson."

And so she did, including an early stop at the restrooms for a certain degenerate. After that was a general overview of the campus. For all its glory, Falbreck wasn't particularly large. Its grounds were expansive, but the building itself could have passed for a rural high school. It was whimsical yet modern, as were most things that the Wyr built, but perhaps less grand than one might have expected.

Ringlets had to ask.

"Ah, Miss Mairead - is this the main campus, or...?"

The white witch responded, "It is the campus. Enough class rooms for the little time you'll be spending in them. You'll be sharing them with your seniors, but they'll be here even less than you are, so it will work out. Your dorm is elsewhere on the grounds, but we'll get to that."

The haughty redhead didn't try to hide her surprise, looking around with mild horror. Wherever she'd lived before, it was likely nicer than this.

"I- I see. Very well, then!" the girl replied, eventually.

Mairead shook her head. "The Wyrd is not something that you will learn from books. Lessons of the past and words of wisdom may aid you, but the path you walk is yours alone."

She turned and singled Caelfind out. Mairead stepped near and set a single finger against the girl's sternum. "Inside each of you is kindling. We will guide you in creating a spark to light it, but how you keep it lit and how it burns is unique."

 

[P0rcelain]

When she spoke, the cool-but-harsh tone of her voice landed more firmly on the harsh side. "You can find the restrooms wherever you left your dignity, as you seem just as likely to 'take a piss' in one as the other. For anyone else who might have the same question, they are, of course, inside and well labeled. Falbreck is a proper enough institution for that."

Her reaction to this punishment of words was less boisterous, and may not had even been heard by anyone who was not close to her in the mob. Though, it was equally disorderly. A smirk slowly began touching her visage as the weight of the 'humiliation' that was dished out to her truly registered. Then she turned around, containing a giddy giggle and walked back into the group. She jovially punched another student on the shoulder, who was unwise enough to not immediately vacant the area she was heading towards, and burst into genuine laughter. For some reason or another, the scathing insults she received seemed to bring to her a liveliness that was somewhat lacking when she had initially spoke. Either she had awfully thick skin, or she knew something no one else did.

And so she did, including an early stop at the restrooms for a certain degenerate. After that was a general overview of the campus. For all its glory, Falbreck wasn't particularly large. Its grounds were expansive, but the building itself could have passed for a rural high school. It was whimsical yet modern, as were most things that the Wyr built, but perhaps less grand than one might have expected.

Ringlets had to ask.

"Ah, Miss Mairead - is this the main campus, or...?"

The white witch responded, "It is the campus. Enough class rooms for the little time you'll be spending in them. You'll be sharing them with your seniors, but they'll be here even less than you are, so it will work out. Your dorm is elsewhere on the grounds, but we'll get to that."

The haughty redhead didn't try to hide her surprise, looking around with mild horror. Wherever she'd lived before, it was likely nicer than this.

"I- I see. Very well, then!" the girl replied, eventually.

Mairead shook her head. "The Wyrd is not something that you will learn from books. Lessons of the past and words of wisdom may aid you, but the path you walk is yours alone."

She turned and singled Caelfind out. Mairead stepped near and set a single finger against the girl's sternum. "Inside each of you is kindling. We will guide you in creating a spark to light it, but how you keep it lit and how it burns is unique."

After separating for the restroom and having caught up, the tattoo'd woman had began following upsettingly adjacent to Ronan. In an almost comical contrast, she was whistling and gawking in amazement at precisely everything Ringlets was horrified by.

"Ay, take a fuckin' look." She nudged Ronan roughly, but was whispering. The immediate assumption might had been that she was about to point at something extravagant, but instead she gestured towards the floor. "This 'ere's been polished. Polished! And she said there're dorms. We'll be stayin' in a place with bloody polished floors I'd wager."

Her child-like astonishment at this seemed to lack any hint of sarcasm.

 

[Over Yandere]

Compared to Braeroch, the country bumpkin from Brynkeith found the campus of Falbreck decidedly less grand. In fact it actually reminded her of home were it not for the fact that city was right next to the campus. But this was where the top witches came from, and not matter how it looked she knew that she'd be trained well here. Lost in thought about this, Caelfind was taken by surprise when their guide's finger was pressed to her own sternum. Her face remained neutrally in resting bitch mode though as she wasn't sure if she was being made fun of or told something profound. With a quick look around to gauge the reactions of those around her, Caelfind simply didn't reply. Instead she just waited sternly for Mairead's to move on.

Intenally though she was giddy at the prospect of igniting the spark, ignorant to the realities of the fighting that would come. So much so that Ringlet's frustrations or disappointments only fueled her giddiness further. She glanced to rowdy woman already wearing a hat and how she almost seemed to be mocking Rignlets yet seemed sincere in her reactions, maybe there was hope for her yet?

 

[Whisper]

Ronan chuckled at the tattooed girls comments as they went. Her lack of decorum was an odd comfort for him and some of the others, who were common enough folk.

"Maybe the doors will work," he joked back.

As for Mairead, it was hard to tell whether her impassive face was pleased or displeased with Caelfind's reaction. Her words, however, were positive.

"Not all Wyr have the ability to make that spark," she said, patting Caelfind's shoulder as she moved along, briefly inspecting others in the group. "Not all Wyr have the ability to make the tools that will take your flame and make it into something magnificent. From the first days of our kind until the last, Wyr like yourselves have been the light in the darkness."

They continued to walk, leaving the buildings and heading out into the grounds. They didn't walk for long, but they quickly lost sight of the school for all the gnarled trees and dense canopy above. When she was satisfied, the white witch turned to face the group once more.

"Not all flames have what it takes to stay lit through the night, however. We shall winnow the chaff from the pyre until find those who can. For your first night, all you have to do is survive. The stakes are low - if you become too injured or give up, one of the instructors will come and find you. If you are killed, then there's obviously nothing we can do for you. I suggest you avoid this fate."

She took a few steps towards one of the trees and placed a hand against it. It wriggled under her hand as the trees of the forest seemed to multiply over and over again, the forest becoming even more dense before their very eyes. The pleasant sound of birds and forest creatures stilled into an uneasy silence.

"Many think that Falbreck is a place of conventional learning. It is not. The true school is the woods. This will be your new home for the next few weeks. Our missions frequently take us away from the comforts of modern society, into places far worse than this. If this is too much, then being a War Witch, Familiar, or even a craftsperson is surely beyond your reach. It is not a shameful thing, but not a practical one for our purposes."

She turned to face them. "For those that make it, we will discuss the nature of the Wyrd in the morning. Witches and Familiars will learn the basics of visualization. Crafters will learn how to see what you're visualizing. We will do this for two weeks and then we will show you how to light your flames."

With that, she started to walk off into the woods.

"Oh, and one last thing - learn the faces of everyone here. If you should meet someone else, know that they are not your friends. The wood has no qualms about introducing you to the girls who have failed this trial before. Flee or fight."

Her last words spoken, she vanished into mist.

Surprising no one, Ringlets was the first to speak.

"Hmph! I hardly see what spending a few weeks in the middle of the woods will teach us, but I'm more than up to the task. I say we split up and see if we can find some shelter."

 

[P0rcelain]

When Mairead led them into the forest and gestured they would be staying the night there, at first the brash woman seemed surprised. Her look of surprise then transformed into one of epiphany. Her eyes lighting up and her mouth slightly open. Lastly, her mouth became a smirk.

She immediately dug into Ringlets. "Ay, e'ryone split up before ye can get a good look at ye mates. Ha ha ha ha!"

"How many of ye can win a scrap, eh?" She somewhat unexpectedly produced a fairly real and dangerous looking knife of alarming length from her robes and began pointing it accusingly at the other students. "Ye all 'eard the Ma'am. She said flee or fight. Ye really gonna split up with reckless abandon, arya? Fuckin' disgraceful."

She lowered the knife, bringing it down to her side, then adjusted her hat with her other hand. Her smirk was still visible. "...'N I was 'ere wonderin' what the fuckin' point of these tatts were. If all o' ye had tatts this'd be a piece of cake. I suggest ye find ye fighters and stick to 'em. After ye' remember the lotta ya faces, 'course."

Although in retrospect, none of what she had said was a threat or contained any malice, it was done rather confrontationally. The bruises on her body had taken a new meaning. The knife she had swung about during her monologue, signalling vague truths. If she had fresh bruises, she had potentially used it recently. Where had she been before she appeared from that crowd? Who was the sort she would turn it on? Her demeanor was persistently jovial and friendly and yet that harsh, fighting edge carried through every word that she spoke. A quirk of her mannerisms, or a red flag, it was hard to tell for certain.

 

[StrangeSpeeder]

Throughout the tour, Maeve paid far more attention to the architecture around her than the actual content, particularly anything that even vaguely resembled a hand or foothold. As such it was rather predictable that she found herself with her expression frozen into something resembling shock, and her more customary grin. Was the guide serious? Didn't they come here to learn how to fight in the first place?

Her eyes flicked to the left and right in the silence. Only as Rinlgets spoke, did she quickly act to regain her composure, schooling her face with that of a showman's smirk as she stepped out from the middle of the crowd herself. Her grin only faltered a tiny bit at the girl among them wearing a witch's hat. Particularly her knife brandishing. She wish she had brought one along with herself now.

"Hey, Its not... completely terrible." I mean, if you are out to use your fellow, less talented classmates as bait that is. "But if we do anything like that we should probably only send out a few at a time and keep most of us in a big group, who know how to navigate woodland. Otherwise we won't find each other again without help!" As she spoke, she stood with her hands on her hips, and a slightly puffed up posture. Then the gesturing started, wild and bombastic- a sweeping arm to point out the thick woods around them with her last line- her cloak swishing with her as she did.

She began stalking through the crowd as she continued to speak, often waving one hand or the other for attention as she slipped between folks. Occasionally she'd give some especially wary seeming students what she hoped was a reassuring pat on the shoulder, the back breifly clasping a hand with a confident smile... whatever she could comfortably reach, in other words. "So I propose, if we do separate, that we should all carry something easily recognizable just in case anyone here is just bad with faces!" Such as herself.

"But what if we don't have anything like that, I hear you thinking? Well!" She stopped and crossed her arms as she passed around the girl with the knife, appearing deep in thought before an epiphany came over her, and began checking her pockets, robes, and sleeves, urging others to do the same with a look. Eventually, she pulled out stylized card that ever so slightly glimmered even in the dark on the back- and on the other side, a tarrot card of a sort. This one depicted The Fool.

"Ah! Well this should work- maybe everyone else will find one in their robes, somewhere? If not..." She flicked her card holding hand slightly, such that a second seemed to slide out from the first, and held it out to knife girl. She hadn't been particularly keen on sticking her hands in her robes, to tell the truth. "I do have extras."

Faces and names, she knew she would have trouble with. But who she got which cards? Even if she hadn't quite managed to get everyone in her first circuit- she could remember that as she passed them out to the hopeful war witches. Especially the last few- she hadn't had idle hands through the tour afterall. She just hoped anyone familiar with them weren't particularly offended or frightened when they got certain ones- but it would make her smile a little bit more at the evidence they bought into the magic of the scene, just a little bit.

 

[Over Yandere]

Caelfind glanced at Mairead's hand as it pat her shoulder, righteous anger building within her chest. Her face turned slightly more dour than usual as she thought strongly of proving the woman wrong, of proving everyone who talked down to her wrong. When the first test became apparent her righteous indignation was smoothed somewhat by confidence. The woods, at least non magically enhanced woods, were her home. She grew up in the middle of nowhere surrounded by dense wood. She knew trees, she knew animals, and perhaps unlike probably a lot of the hopefuls here she was athletic and fit too. She was confident that when it came to surviving in these woods well, she had a good idea of how to do it.

The real wild card in that idea of hers though was how much the wyrd was at play here. Even if it was just a single night, if there were "monsters" in the wood than water would become precious as one could only run or fight for so long with mundane needs before hydration was required. Food would be nice but not required for the night, and well there was plenty of air. So as she continued to take stock of the challenge she recognized that the biggest things to contend with here would be water, warmth, and threats. Fortunately for her, she was dressed warm but looking at the others, many of whom were clothed in dresses or witch robes? They probably wouldn't last without a fire if the temperature on the moon dropped significantly this night.

While Caelfind was taking stock of all that, the loudmouths were barking. Ringlets in particular suggested what was probably the dumbest idea she'd hear tonight. Splitting up was generally bad in the regular woods, let alone wyrd enhanced ones. Tatt's wasn't the worst with her idea of grouping with those who can fight but in a survival situation, however Caelfind valued expending less energy and avoiding trouble more than being able to tackle whatever monsters Mairead planned to throw at the lot of them. The card idea wasn't bad either but again, magic was at play here and who could tell if the forest wouldn't produce a similar trick at Mairead's behest.

As her eyes gazed at the others she figured not a one of them, save maybe Ronan would come to her side. So instead of waiting around to see how groups or tribes began to form she simply looked at the nearest sufficiently thick tree and began to climb it with a bit of running jump. After using several thick lower branches to get some to height she tried to look around at the local terrain. Though with the soft mist in the area she was unsure if she'd be able to get a good look. Mainly what she was after was trying to spot any downward slopes. After all water traveled to the lowest point possible, and downhill was where it tended to be collected. If she could see nothing perhaps she'd pick a tribe to join but if she could spot where to head she just might scout it out and then look for the loud and obvious fellow hopefuls to let them know if she found anything. Either way Caelfind was willing to rely on noone but herself to get through the night if she was forced to, but if she could get some of the others through it too all the better.

 

[Whisper]

The wood revealed some of its secrets to those who knew what to look for. The trees were tall and dense, as was often the case with the Wyrwood, and the forest began to darken quickly as the sun made its way towards the horizon. Cool mist roiled towards them - not enough to block their vision, not yet, but it spoke of a chilly night with poor visibility in just a few hours time.

Caelfind's searching revealed the sounds of a small nearby stream. It's calf-deep waters would be enough to provide something to drink, should they decide to venture out and find it.

As for the rest of the crowd, they were watching as Maive and the tattooed girl put on a show. Even Ringlets was taken aback by - whatever it was they were doing. Something base and lacking elegance, she knew, else they'd have the seen the genius of her idea. Her friends had not seen the genius, either, and so she had quieted down from the combination of beratement and lack of support.

When Maired handed her a card, she simply took it with a haughty "hmph!". The card was the Queen of Wands, which filled her with joy as fate finally recognized her, even if she had to turn the card right-side-up to appreciate its art. She showed her friends, who congratulated her.

Cellphone girl took one, as well, though her annoyance at having to look up from her phone was clear. She muttered 'thanks' as she glanced at it - the five of swords - and tucked it away, for it meant nothing to her.

Ronan held up one of his big hands, drawing the attention of a few.

"I agree with -" he looked at the tattooed girl and realized he didn't know her name, "... her. I think we should stick together. Maybe... make a camp? I don't know what's better if we're going to get attacked."

The crafter admitted the last part with a frown. If it was animals, then they could try to build walls or pits. If it was something else - ghosts? - well, he didn't know.

A girl in thick blue robes and glasses spoke up. "I don't think anything we encounter will be too dangerous. They brought us here with no way to defend ourselves, after all."

The group broke into a debate on the topic. At least one of the girls was convinced they were all going to die here, with big tears and a messy sleeve to show for it, while others agreed with the blue robed girl that it couldn't be that bad.

Looking up from her phone, the girl who'd gotten the five of swords said, "I don't think she'd have told us to fight or run if there wasn't a threat." Point made, she delved back into her game.

 

[P0rcelain]

Tatts stumbled backwards a bit in place, then ‘hmph’d in mild surprise at Maeve’s offering of a tarot card. She adjusted her hat and reached out clumsily.

Maeve had noted that the card she held face down below her own was ‘The Devil’, and that it just happened to be face-up to Tatts and face-down to her, but a peculiar thing had happened. Tatts had grabbed it by the presented, short edge and flipped it face-up so as to be holding it with that edge at the top, effectively flipping The Devil upside-down. She did not turn it right-side up after, instead, staring at it vacantly. If only she had paid attention when her father tried to teach her about card readings. She had not a clue what this upside-down, horned creature meant.

She flinched with delayed response when Ronan spoke about her. She excitedly - and to concern of others near her - raised her knife straight up into the sky.

“Ay! He fuckin’ gets it! Ye should stick with me, I’ll protect ya, big guy!” She only quarter-joked, grabbing and tugging on his arms immaturely.

Tatts was still holding the card while she screwed around, it getting dangerously close to bending or crumpling multiple times before she stopped and barely remembered to put it away in one of her pockets.

 

[StrangeSpeeder]

Maeve took a careful breath as she leaned back just a bit from knife girl. Well, she didn't seem too put out by The Devil... but then, the way she pulled it suggested... well, there was no spark of recognition there anyway. Although it would have added just a bit to the overall charm, if there was. She didn't even ruin the card! Granted, she could get spares later but... it would be a shame to need replacements already.

She observed the gathering carefully- who seemed lost, who was planning, and who skipped straight to action. The overall morale seemed... not exactly ideal. At least one girl was already nearly breaking down- and the rest seemed... mixed. Even if they were trying to bring up their own spirits with their debate. Reading a crowd was somewhat important in her favorite hobby... And this one obviously needed guidance. The queen of wands wasn't a good pick- she was willing, and properly bombastic enough to hold people's attention. But her first call out had the many disagree with her. Maybe she could recover from that, but first impressions mattered the most there. The devil was excited and maybe even capable- but who would buy it with her opening act in the tour?

They would have to keep up morale- and find somone capable of organizing them quickly. Even if they chose to leave on their own shortly after getting oriented. She nodded to herself at the thought as she decided- yes, it was time for some misdirection towards some practical pursuits.

"Right- so, we really ought to take note of what skills people have- and more importantly, what someone is actually willing to do, yeah?" She eyed the group as she walked, stopping behind Ronan and stab lass. "Like-" Her eyes flicked to girl "This one here is almost definitely willing, and able to fight yeah?"

She let off a grin as she patted them both on the back. She'd have gone for the shoulder but- Ronan wasn't exactly a comfortable height relative to her own for that. "At least for the first night here- we should stick together, and pick out people we can organize into teams- not everyone knows how to fight enough to even be willing to try- but the people that can might not know how to survive in the woods on their own without food or shelter!" She herself was in neither camp. She could certainly get lucky- drink whatever water was readily available and just go hungry while running from threats... But it wouldn't exactly be pleasant.

Her eyes darted around again- noting the encroaching mists, the dipping sun. Yeah, this could get bad fast. Even without monsters- the cold and simply getting lost could do a few of them in. "Like this guy here says- starting with a camp soon would help- even if just for a place to meet back up." She was under no illusion that people wouldn't just break and run when the cards were down.

Her gaze snapped up at one girl in particular, up a tree. There was an idea. She opened up with a wave and a shout "Hey! You! See anything from up there? If not- we should probably just start setting up here before it gets too dark!"

 

[Over Yandere]

The sound of running water brought a smile to Caelfiend's face, it might not be great long term without a way to purify it but running water was water all the same. Though with the light fading and mist rolling in the odds of her being able to see anything else was slim. The voices from the crowds below were also growing louder and drowning out any soft sounds. As she started the climb down a voice caught her attention. Her pink eyes gazed down at the origin of the voice before she answered in a firm but perhaps slightly aggressive tone. "There's a decently sized stream off in that direction."

As she did so she hung off the tree with one arm and pointed with her now free hand. After which she finished climbing low enough to just hop down. With an audible of crunching of leaves she landed in a crouch and then stood up. "I reccomend setting up a camp near the water if that's what people want, though getting a fire going may be a priority. After all, without the wyrd some of them are probably going to get real cold real fast tonight."

 

[P0rcelain]

Maeve took a careful breath as she leaned back just a bit from knife girl. Well, she didn't seem too put out by The Devil... but then, the way she pulled it suggested... well, there was no spark of recognition there anyway. Although it would have added just a bit to the overall charm, if there was. She didn't even ruin the card! Granted, she could get spares later but... it would be a shame to need replacements already.

She observed the gathering carefully- who seemed lost, who was planning, and who skipped straight to action. The overall morale seemed... not exactly ideal. At least one girl was already nearly breaking down- and the rest seemed... mixed. Even if they were trying to bring up their own spirits with their debate. Reading a crowd was somewhat important in her favorite hobby... And this one obviously needed guidance. The queen of wands wasn't a good pick- she was willing, and properly bombastic enough to hold people's attention. But her first call out had the many disagree with her. Maybe she could recover from that, but first impressions mattered the most there. The devil was excited and maybe even capable- but who would buy it with her opening act in the tour?

They would have to keep up morale- and find somone capable of organizing them quickly. Even if they chose to leave on their own shortly after getting oriented. She nodded to herself at the thought as she decided- yes, it was time for some misdirection towards some practical pursuits.

"Right- so, we really ought to take note of what skills people have- and more importantly, what someone is actually willing to do, yeah?" She eyed the group as she walked, stopping behind Ronan and stab lass. "Like-" Her eyes flicked to girl "This one here is almost definitely willing, and able to fight yeah?"

She let off a grin as she patted them both on the back. She'd have gone for the shoulder but- Ronan wasn't exactly a comfortable height relative to her own for that. "At least for the first night here- we should stick together, and pick out people we can organize into teams- not everyone knows how to fight enough to even be willing to try- but the people that can might not know how to survive in the woods on their own without food or shelter!" She herself was in neither camp. She could certainly get lucky- drink whatever water was readily available and just go hungry while running from threats... But it wouldn't exactly be pleasant.

Her eyes darted around again- noting the encroaching mists, the dipping sun. Yeah, this could get bad fast. Even without monsters- the cold and simply getting lost could do a few of them in. "Like this guy here says- starting with a camp soon would help- even if just for a place to meet back up." She was under no illusion that people wouldn't just break and run when the cards were down.

Her gaze snapped up at one girl in particular, up a tree. There was an idea. She opened up with a wave and a shout "Hey! You! See anything from up there? If not- we should probably just start setting up here before it gets too dark!"

Tatts was taken off guard by Maeve's sudden physical interaction with her - In a good way. Finally, someone who spoke a language she was familiar with. She poked and prodded at Maeve jokingly many times while she answered her question.

"Aw, shucks, well... Ay, have been known for a short fuse." She was clearly downplaying her abilities.

"And, well, ay. Maybe I floored..." She began counting on her fingers, then gave up when the number exceeded ten and kicked the dirt under her shoes anxiously, "...A lotta mates 'fore I got 'ere..."

She nervously trailed off and took out her canteen, popping the lid and raising it to her lips. A wet, hollow rattle sounded from inside of it. Tatts quickly closed her lips somewhat and took a small sip rather than the hearty gulp she was planning.

Spoiler: Tatts POV

"...Shit." She thought to herself silently. Caelfiend's advise to the group was distant to her, although she was alert to it, and knew more than anyone the weight of it. If she went sober during this test her chances of living were not ideal, let alone passing. She had to ration her canteen, but there were no chances that it would last an entire week. Shame and embarrassment overcame her for the first time since she arrived in Falbreck. The intelligent core of her screamed that she had to tell someone. The ocean of impulse that it drowned in told her now was not the right time. It would be socially awkward to bring it up now. She ignored that it was not like her to worry about how awkward anything was. She ignored that avoiding awkward situations was not worth her life.

 

[Whisper]

Enough of the gathered students agreed with Caelfind's suggestion that they started walking in that direction, a few at a time and then generally in mass. There was plenty of chatter to go with the movement, of course. Some repeated the idea as if it were their own, others figured that anyone who could climb a tree that well probably knew what they were doing, and so on.

As they walked, the talk continued and began to drift in the direction of Maeve's earlier suggestion.

"I'm pretty good with my hands," said Ronan. A few other crafters spoke up, as well. "So we can probably build some kind of shelter. Not much in the way of tools, though.."

A few girls said they knew how to hunt, but none were survivalists. It was clear enough that, while most everyone was eager to prove themselves as witches or their supporters, the group was not particularly ready for life in the wilderness.

They arrived at the small stream and the discussion continued. Ronan and his ilk started looking for things to assemble the camp with. Few had cutting tools, save for Tatts' knife, but there was likely debris enough to put something rough together. The small stream's water was clear and cool. The mist continued to roll in and visibility dropped to the point where the crafters became less comfortable going out to find wood, for fear of not finding their way back.

"-just not sure if we'll be able to see the camp. Maybe once we get a fire going-"

"-could follow the stream? Not likely to move-"

"Ah, not shore if I'd truss' that o'er much," said a voice from the branches above, crackling like a poorly tuned radio. When the students looked up, they saw a girl whose form flickered from grayscale to static, and even occasionally discordantly colored vertical bars, as though she was being presented through a very old fashioned TV. "The forest is keen to mess with ya, in the interest o' seein' what yer made of."

She smiled down at them broadly.

A few of the students decided that they'd seen a ghost and ran off into the woods, to which the newcomer tsk tsk'd at while shaking her head. She flickered out of existence, then appeared behind a girl. "Boo," said her crackly voice.

"Ah~! It IS a g-gh-ghost!" and off she, too, ran into the mists.

"Well," said the newcomer with glee, "she's not exactly wrong! Right proper camp you're all puttin' together 'ere. Great for my reception. Get it?"