#not gonna give much info on the wanderer bc most details about them are meant to be left vague

[waywardsalt]

Hi! I decided to share a segment from an original idea I’ve been playing with for the past few years! This snippet is on its own, it’s just an isolated test for a concept that I’ve had for a while. Hope you enjoy!

The wanderer had spent so much of their existence alone, so it surprised them to find a companion while exploring the decrepit temple. The doe followed them around, perhaps out of wariness, curiosity, or simple ignorance. It didn’t seem afraid of how the sword at the wanderer’s hip jostled and clicked. It wasn’t afraid of their colorful scarf, or of the way they splashed noisily through puddles. The doe followed them without fear, as they crawled through holes in the old walls and explored the halls, finally stopping in a garden open to the sky, a serene sight enhanced by a small pond surrounded by greenery, water gleaming in the noon sunlight. As the wanderer stood silently, surveying the square, the doe walked up to the pond. It bent and took a drink of water. A tree stood at the pond’s opposite bank, it’s branches and leaves curling protectively over the pure waters.

Keeping quiet as to not startle the doe- though they assumed that nothing would scare the curious creature- the wanderer looked up and peered at a bird’s nest balancing on a branch. A bird flew down and poked at something on the ground. From a nearby crumbling doorway came a raccoon, and the wanderer’s attention was soon drawn to a small pack of wolves walking through another exposed hallway. One of the wolves broke off from the group and bounded through the open square, passing the pond and pausing in front of the wanderer, giving them a good sniff.

The wanderer crouched and was pleasantly surprised that the wolf allowed them to gently pat it on the head. The wolf then turned, ignoring the still-drinking doe, and found something new to inspect. They’d littered the whole temple, though the wanderer hadn’t paid much attention to them. The doe had caught their attention first, after all. But it was only when the wolf sniffed and nudged one of the dozens of skeletal remains, still encased in old, rusted armor, did the wanderer really pause and ponder the temple’s history.

There were so many of them: piles of bones and old armor and weapons, bones bleached by the sun and weathered by the elements. The armor and weapons were rusted nearly beyond recognition, dull enough that the wolf had no fear of getting cut when it nudged this particular skeleton’s sword. The wanderer gazed around the garden; hidden by the tall grass were more skeletons, artifacts of a battle. The holes in the temple walls must have been caused during that battle, but enough time had passed that vines had long since grown over the piles of bricks and covered them in wild grasses and weeds.

The doe stepped back from the pond, seemingly satisfied. At the same time, the wolf stopped its investigation of the soldier’s remains. The pair of them, as though they were not predator and prey, began walking side-by-side across the garden, and the wanderer followed.

The odd trio re-entered the temple’s decrepit and war-damaged halls, and walked slowly across the stained floors. They passed more puddles, holes in the roof allowing sunlight to shine in and glint off the water. Small groups of birds, squirrels, and other animals huddled at each puddle. Despite whatever carnage had happened at the temple, it was overshadowed by the nature that had continued to thrive in its aftermath.

The wanderer followed their guides, and silently let themselves marvel at the life that flourished upon of the relics of death, at the trees growing out of the walls and stretching out towards the sky through the fractured roof. Sections of the walls untouched by vines revealed faded murals and paintings; the temple used to be a place of worship, the wanderer realized, now walking so softly that the sounds of their sandals against the floor were drowned out by the chittering of animals.

The doe and wolf reached a fork in the hall and took the left path, leading the wanderer into a large room, just as damaged by violence as the rest of the temple. Amid the skeletons and rusted armor were small tables, wardrobes, and a humble bed. At the opposite end of the room was an immense, crumbling statue, illuminated by sunlight streaming in through tall windows. In cracks that webbed over the statue’s surface, small plants reached out into open air, and birds’ nests perched atop the statue’s head, shoulders, and crossed legs. It seemed to depict a holy deity, and the wanderer halted as the doe and wolf approached it.

Kneeling before the statue was a bald woman in a colorful robe; she turned as she heard the animals approach, and stood when she saw the wanderer. She smiled warmly and pressed her hands together, dipping her head at them. The wanderer silently mirrored her movements, and joined her before the statue. The woman sank back down onto her knees and gave the wolf a scratch behind the ears; the wanderer briefly watched them, then turned to the statue.

The depicted deity had a look of tranquility to it, and a sense of peace settled over the wanderer. They kneeled besides the woman and decided to silently send a prayer of thanks up to the gods, hoping that it would also reach this deity depicted in stone. As they prayed, the woman gazed serenely up at the statue, and the doe and wolf each sat down, warmly silent.

[theladypirate]

Have some baby Marla and Wrath. Tagging @feynites and @selenelavellan bc abom au. Wrath is old. It didn't know -how- old exactly, time passes differently in the Fade, it had told her. But it was old enough, and apparently strange enough, that most other spirits shied away from it. When they'd first become partners, after... after she had calmed down, Marla had been overwhelmed by the deep sense of loneliness Wrath carried with it, buried beneath the fire and the driving rage. She had crawled into the first dark place she could find and wept until she had dehydrated herself. As they'd gotten used to their new circumstances, Marla had made it a point to talk to it, and include Wrath in her decision making, on everything, which had baffled it at first. (We're friends, and I'm gonna look after you) she had told it (you don't have to be lonely, I'm always here) (...) (...thank you. But I still don't care what color socks we wear.) About a month after they'd teamed up, things had gotten rough. The tenuous equilibrium they had established had started fluctuating wildly. This resulted in mood swings that left Marla seething, but without a reason, or safe outlet, for her anger. Wrath rose up too close to the surface, and she would have to drag them away from public, because they had the wrong number of eyes and/or limbs, or they were suddenly three foot taller and starting to glow. (I'm hungry) Wrath had tried to explain. Marla, in desperation, had snuck into a public library after hours, and found an online 'roleplay' forum about abominations. Sketchy at best, but... /What does it mean when your 'friend' says it's hungry?/ she had typed. She sat refreshing the page for a few minutes, but before she could get an answer, she heard footsteps down the hall. She pulled the power cord and fled. It took a few more days of being the wrong height and having to wear oversized sunglasses to hide the extra eyes that kept stubbornly appearing before she managed to go back. She went during the day this time, not willing to be caught trespassing, as she wasn't sure what Wrath would do. It had been... pacing, for lack of a better word. Irritable and snappish, which meant -she- was irritable and snappish, and she felt lost. She wasn't doing a very good job of looking after her friend. Which just made her more upset, and in turn rankled Wrath. It was a Tuesday, mid morning, and the library was thankfully quiet. She'd still snuck past the librarian. There was no plausible reason she could give for a 12 year old to be wandering around unsupervised on a school day. Wrath curled around her spine and waited, impatient. She couldn't keep her feet still as she logged back into the forum. /What does it mean when your 'friend' says it's hungry?/ -14 replies (Hurry up) Wrath insisted. Marla clicked on the link eagerly. The first few replies were... graphic... in nature. They involved pictures, and suggestions of unwilling blood sacrifices, a couple of which insisted children were the best catalyst. Wrath growled, offended and vicious. (Don't look at those) it said, and she'd had to struggle for control of herself for a few minutes. (Not here! Wrath-) they were glowing, slightly. Marla pressed her lips into a thin line and scowled, her own patience worn thin after so many weeks of being out of balance. She took a deep breath and sought out the still, cold place in her mind. Wrath objected, but it was too distracted by its own anger to catch her in time. She dragged it into the stillness with her. They stopped glowing. Wrath coiled around her like a second skin, disgruntled and at once apologetic. (Help me read this) she told it. After the offending posts, there were a few more asking for details. Two posts, by the same user, SparksAlive, first asking what kind of friend she had, was her friend angry, or sad, or flirty...? The second one, several hours later, was more helpful. /Hi again Flash, I geuss ur offline but in case u see this, generally, if ur friend is hungry, they need smthg  that fits with their personality. Misery loves company, so sad friends like sad people. Flirty friends like to socialize and give gifts. If u have got an angry friend plz be careful they need lots of attn./ (Huh.) Mala thought it over. Wrath wasn't making any noise, but she was keenly aware of its presense, watching her. Towards the end of the replies, that same user had posted again, last night sometime. /hey Flash idk if ur still around plz let us know if ur OK it's a worry when sum1 goes dark/ /Thnks for the info Sparks/ she replied, mulling it over. Wrath prodded her, still impatient, but Marla was getting an idea. She pulled the power cable instead of turning off the computer, again, and quietly made her way over to the stacks. From here she could see the rest of the library. There were two other patrons in here, one at a table with her headphones in, and another a few seats down, half falling asleep in what looked like a medical textbook. College students, probably. The librarian was at her desk, busily sorting things. Marla took it in as she absently chewed her bottom lip. She didn't have a lot of practice with magic; had only really come into it last year. (I will help) Wrath insisted. (Okay. But be careful) Marla pulled at her magic softly, and felt Wrath wrap around her like a large temperamental cat. She let it go in a soft 'woosh'. Marla's eyes went wide as she realized their mistake. (Too much!) The man's head slammed into his book. He sat bolt upright and cursed loudly. The librarian fixed him with a withering look. "Shhhhhh!" Wrath rippled around her. (More.) It said (Look.) Marla wasn't sure what it was talking about, was about to leave, try something else, when she felt it. Irritation bordering on anger, coming from the librarian, malcontent confusion from the man. Wrath searched their shared lexicon to come up with a good analogy. (Like popcorn. A snack. Salty but unfilling. More.) It insisted. Oh. Yeah, she could do more, if that's what it needed. She pulled up her magic again, more confident this time. When she let it go, it was more focused. The man's chair shot back half a foot, and he slammed into his book again. This time he stood up and swore, looking around. The librarian's face scrunched up and she slammed the check-in stamp down. "SHHHHHHHHHH! This is a LIBRARY!" she managed to yell in a whisper. He turned to her, returning the tone. "Oh really? I HADN'T NOTICED." Marla giggled. Giddy from relief, as Wrath relaxed a bit, and she felt the tension that had been riding them the last few weeks slowly ease. "Who's there?" (Busted) Marla thought, still grinning. She practically skipped out of the stacks and stood next to the spinning display of harlequin novels, near the door. The librarian and the man both glared at her, but for different reasons. "How did you get in here? What are you doing here?" The librarian demanded, at the same time as the man said "What the fuck?" "FEED ME, SEYMORE!" Marla shouted, and knocked the spinning rack over with such force that a few of the books went flying. Wrath practically purred at the incoherent rage the librarian, who looked like she had just seen someone murdered, was exuding. Marla didn't stick around to see what other reactions there'd be. She bolted out the door, cackling, and down the street, knocking into a woman in a sharp business suit who spilled her coffee down her front. Wrath hummed happily at her outrage. Marla finally came to a halt down an alley several blocks away, still grinning like a madwoman, breathing hard. Wrath swirled around her, unseen, but more agreeable than it had been in a month. (Ya know?) Marla said, still giddy, (I think we're gonna be alright.)