Trying a new style that I've see TheSilverBoar use and wanted to try it out myself. Please let me know what you all think.
Kitsune in this world look like humans with large fox tails and vulpine ears. More about them in the Author's Notes below
-Cinder-
The midday sun shone down on the riverside town of Moonvale, the lightly colored tiled roofs with small polished river stones added for some flair twinkling pleasantly in the light. The majority of the buildings in the town were made of a mix of light colored wood like Birch, or simply tan bricks made from the clay of the nearby river. Signs designating places of business swinging softly in the wind. Walking through the town waving to those who passed by was a female Fire Genasi who'd only recently entered adulthood. Standing at five foot six inches, her golden eyes shining in the sunlight, her skin a dark ash gray with flecks of bright red, her blond hair barely visible behind strands of flame indicating her connection to the Elemental Plane of Fire, was braided with the tip of the braid resting against her backpack.
She's currently wearing a set of sturdy traveling boots, brown woolen pants made in a way not to hinder movement, a simple brown belt, dark red shirt with the sleeves going down to just above her elbows revealing her rather muscular arms, a plain leather vest, with a light gray hooded cloak for when it rained. Attached to her belt is a sheathed katar, sheathed knuckle knife, waterskin, and a few belt pouches. A backpack with a length of rope, some torches, and a bedroll tied to the top sitting comfortably on her back over the cloak.
Making her way to the town's tavern for some lunch, the woman smiled as she took a deep breath. It's been years since she last walked this road, though this time she was alone. Opening the door to the Glassy Trout Tavern, the sign above her has the image of a trout looking as if it was made of stained glass. She entered to see that the lunch rush hadn't started yet. From behind the counter floated a female child sized fairy with soft white hair tied into twin braided tails that went to her waist, a jasmine flower behind her left ear, her blue morpho butterfly like wings gently fluttering as they kept her aloft, the fairy wore a plain soft white and yellow robe. Upon seeing who was at the door the fairy smiled brightly, her yellow eyes sparkling in delight, "Cinder! It's been a good few years since I last saw you! And alone this time huh? Where's that mentor of yours?"
"Off doing his own thing," Cinder replied as she placed her backpack next to a chair at a free table before taking her seat, "He figured I'm old enough now to travel alone, so I figured I'd retrace some steps and revisit a few places. How've you been Yasmine?" As she spoke she looked around. There was a trio she thought were merchants in the corner consisting of a female Human, male Dwarf and… huh, a male Triton you don't see too many of them this far inland.
Apart from Cinder and the merchants, the only other person from out town that was in the tavern was a female Tiefling, with snow white hair that flowed down to just past her shoulders, light blue skin, long elf like ears, a pair of ram like horns a slightly darker shade of blue then her skin that started a little before her ears then curled back and around her ears. Her eyes had no pupils and were pure snowy white like her hair, with a long slender tail ending in a spade slowly swishing in the air just above the floor like a cat's. She's dressed in a dark blue wool skirt over cyan leggings with a sturdy brown belt, with a single belt pouch, a white long sleeved shirt under a dark blue vest, standard travel boots, and a snow white ample cloak with a hood. Additionally with every exhale a small bit of mist left her mouth, similarly to breathing in the middle of winter.
"Same old, same old, for the most part. While I do enjoy the quiet beauty of the town, sometimes I wish something interesting yet not harmful happens around here," The fairy grinned as she placed a plate of cookies before the Fire Genasi, "Here ya go. On the house for how you and your mentor helped clean up the place after that fight broke out last time you were here."
Cinder chuckled and picked up one of the cookies, "It wasn't that big a deal…"
"Maybe, but one good turn deserves another," Yasmin replied, "So anything interesting happen to you since last I saw you?"
"Not much… got into a few fights, did a little work alongside my mentor…" Cinder said before a wide grin appeared, "Oh and I learned something interesting happens when I drink alcohol… and no, it's not what it's like to be drunk."
Yasmin raised her eyebrow, "Really now? What would that be?"
Cinder pulled out some silver coins and flipped them to Yasmin, "Get me some mead and I'll do better then tell ya, I'll show ya."
Yasmin looked at the coins for a moment before sighing and flew back to the bar revealing her bare feet, "Fine but if this place burns down, you're going to help me rebuild it, and work here for a year."
"Fair enough!" Cinder replied with a grin before she started munching on the cookies while she waited.
"Here you go. One Honey Bass Mead," Yasmin said, putting the tankard down on the table, "Enjoy," Cinder grinned as she grabbed the tankard and gave the fairy a salute before lifting it to her mouth and taking a swig. Yasmin and the Tiefling who'd set down her tea to watch were expecting the Fire Genasi's hair to flare up a bit which is what happened the color of the flames darkening slightly but what surprised them is that's all they did, and quickly went back to normal once Cinder put the tankard down, "Well I'll be."
Cinder chuckled slightly, "Yup, for some reason my body just burns through the alcohol fast enough that it barely affects me, apart from a bit of a boost to energy. My mentor looked into it for a while and finally settled on 'it's weird but not harming anyone so why not harness it?'"
Yasmin chuckled, "That sounds like him alright…" Before the fairy could continue the door burst open and a young teenage boy with straw blond hair, and tanned skin, wearing a set of brown shirt and pants stood panting, "Ricky? What's wrong?"
"Galus… young Galus was kidnapped. The Mayor is looking for anyone willing to help get him back…" Ricky panted while the townsfolk gasped in shock.
Cinder stood up with the Tiefling moments behind her, "I'll help!" Cinder said as she picked up her backpack.
"As will I," The Tiefling said, her voice calm as she picked up her backpack and the sheathed rapier that had been resting next to her, unseen until now.
"The Mayor and a couple others who agreed to help are in the town square," Ricky said finally having been able to catch his breath, from running all the way across town. The Glassy Trout Tavern was the go to tavern for passing adventurer's, and he was one of the fastest in the town even if he was more of a sprint runner then long distance runner.
Cinder nodded to the Tiefling as they moved towards the door, "Cinder Summerpeak nice to meet ya. Ricky you make sure to get something to drink ya hear. No good getting dehydrated."
Ricky grinned as he moved out of the way for the two ladies, "Got it Cinder. You two make sure to bring little Galus back ya hear?"
"I promise you we shall do our best," The Tiefling replied nodding her head at him, as the two ladies left the tavern with Cinder leading the way to the town square she said, "My name is Crelypsis Coldgaze and this…" At her words a snowy owl fluttered down from its perch on the tavern's roof, "Is my familiar Cryo."
"Nice to meet ya," Cinder grinned before gaining a serious look. She knew first hand how hard life could be to kids and it was only by luck she hadn't died as a child, so she wasn't about to let something happen to the kidnapped boy if she could help it.
-Ozaki-
Ozaki Willow stood in the town square with Mayor Kellinor Wind-Whisper, a Wood Elf who was on the cusp of Elven Middle Age, though he stills stood tall and proud his light brown hair pulled back in a small ponytail, his tanned skin showing he spent just as much time outdoors as he did indoors, wearing a forest green jacket over a white shirt, dark brown pants and slightly pointed but practical shoes. Next to them was a traveler who arrived three days ago, a Kitsune Cleric named Asher Toothnail, with tanned skin, brown eyes, and gray hair and fur with the tip of his tail having white fur, wearing a standard set of leather armor over a dark brown almost black shirt and slightly baggy brown pants, strapped to the side of his backpack within easy reach was a light crossbow, and a mace and four pouches tied to his belt.
Around his neck were two amulets, the first being a flat disk bearing the symbol of a nine tailed fox with a small smirk and three stars around it's head, the second being a piece of jade carved into the shape of a sleeping fox, though the most eye catching thing about him was his left arm, since from just above the elbow down to his hand the arm was completely prosthetic. The limb was made of a darker cherry wood, with some thick ropes acting as muscles to make it bend and move how he wanted.
Ozaki himself is a human standing exactly at five feet tall with hazel eyes, tanned skin, shoulder length black hair and weaning a set of high quality leather armor, a somewhat tall straw hat to keep the sun and rain out of his eyes though there were slits in the straw just in case he had to pull it down due to rain or wind. His bamboo shortbow is made in the style of the Dawn Pearls weapons, the arms of the bow were both protected and slightly reinforced by a somewhat thin but tough red and blue string, and his quiver which took the form of a small wooden box, with the arrows kept in place due to a bit of string were tied to the side of a backpack, his kodachi and sai resting at his sides in their sheaths. A few pouches and bags alongside them, tied to his pack was a lantern, bedroll, rope, a pair of scroll cases and three empty sacks. Honestly he was nearing the limit of how much he could carry which annoyed him as he preferred to travel light but for this, he brought everything he felt was needed.
Tied to each backpack is a tent large enough to hold two people as a small gift from the Mayor, as the Elf expected the trip to rescue Galus would take at least a couple days. The trio had been waiting for anyone Ricky found who'd be willing to help, and soon Wind-Whisper grinned as he saw a familiar face walk up, "Ahh! Cinder! Glad to see you. I didn't know you were back in town."
"Good to see you to Mayor Wind-Whisper," Cinder nodded, "This is Crelypsis Coldgaze and the two of us are offering to help rescue the kid."
Wind-Whisper nodded, "Thank you for your help. These are Ozaki Willow, who's been one of the town's hunters for the last few years, and Asher Toothnail, a wandering Cleric. The kidnapping was reported by the herbalist Rosmerta's daughter Lily who was with little Galus at the time, at a bend in the river roughly three minutes walk north. Her ribbon should still be there to mark the area if it wasn't knocked into the river."
"Nice to meet ya," Asher said with a nod and raising his prosthetic arm in greeting, "And don't worry Mayor, if her ribbon's there we'll make sure to grab it for her."
"Before you go, Young Ms. Lily reported that a group of four and I quote 'squat, long armed monsters with gray skin, piggish noses and four fingers' took Galus. This description matches the tribe of Mountain Goblins who live on the other side of the forest, however they've been peaceful for as long as we've known about them," Wind-Whisper explained.
"How long have you known about them?" Cinder asked.
"About… twenty to twenty five years I believe," Wind-Whisper replied, "Though from what little interaction we've had with them, we learned they've been there far longer. As such we are… confused on why they suddenly became hostile."
"Let us make haste then," Crelypsis stated, "Hopefully we shall also find the reason behind the sudden hostility."
Ozaki nodded and began walking, waving for the others to follow, "The longer we wait, the more chance the trail will go cold."
"Good luck," Wind-Whisper called after them, "And may the Gods watch over you!"
As the group left town Ozaki said, "Alright we should do a quick rundown of our skill sets so we know what we're working with."
"I'll go first if I may Mr. Willow," Crelypsis said, glancing at her new companion.
"Feel free, that is unless anyone else wishes to go first?" He said.
"She said she wanted to go first so I'm not gonna cut in line," Cinder shrugged, getting a nod from Asher.
"Very well. In terms of martial combat, I'm proficient with a few common weapons such as daggers, slings, quarterstaffs and throwing darts, along with my rapier though my skills are more attuned with magic as I am a Sorceress," Holding up her hand she channeled a bit of magic making snowflakes dance around her fingers, "My magic due to my, infernal heritage and naturally sorcerer abilities is highly attuned to ice and snow, and I have yet to cast a single pure fire spell. I have also studied in lore regarding Fiends specifically devils to know what to watch for, Celestials, the long lost True Dragons, as well as magical theory, astronomy and magical items, though those last three are more of a hobby of mine."
"I'll go next if no one minds," Asher grinned only for Ozaki to hold up his hand.
"We're here. We'll talk more once we know where to go," He said as they'd reached a small bend in the river, "Please stay here for now while I check for any tracks and the like."
"Got it Ozaki," Cinder nodded, "The rest of us will keep our eyes out in case of an ambush."
"Thank you," Ozaki nodded as he took off his backpack and placed it against a nearby tree. Moving forward carefully, Ozaki studied the area. No blood which was good, now there should be… there. A small red ribbon laying on the muddy ground next to a pair of footprints, "Crelypsis do you have a spell that can retrieve the ribbon without altering the scene?"
"Wait!" Asher said, taking a small step forward, "Ozaki would it help if I turned into a fox to try and get the kid's scent? Tracking isn't my strong suit but it's worth a try."
"Please," Ozaki nodded, and Asher crouched down and turned into a small gray fox with a wooden leg, everything else that he was carrying melding into his new form.
As Asher moved forward to help Ozaki, Cinder turned to Crelypsis, "Can Cryo fly around and see if he spots anything?"
"Good idea Ms. Summerpeak, I'll have him start on the other side of the river," Crelypsis nodded and her owl took off to search.
After Asher nodded at her after sniffing it a bit Crelypsis quietly uttered a word and with a small gesture the air above the ribbon shimmered before forming a hand made out of diamond dust ice crystals that glittered in the sunlight. The hand gently lifted the ribbon into the air before moving over to the sorceress, who with an uttered word and gesture with her free hand removed all the mud and grime from it leaving it looking brand new. As she carefully put the ribbon into her pouch she said, "There we go. I believe she'll enjoy seeing her ribbon as good as new once we return with young Mr. Galus."
While Crelypsis and Cinder keep a lookout for a possible attack Asher sniffed around some more before shaking his head and moving back to transform, "No good. All I smell is the girl and the area around us, the Goblins might have covered themselves in mud or something to cover their scent and I don't smell the biy at all," Asher said with a frown after retaking his humanoid form, "I pray the Kami protects the child until we find him."
"As do I," Ozaki nodded, and kneeled down. There just had to be some kind of clue… scanning the area again trying to take in every possible detail he finally noticed something on the other bank… a small gray cloth was caught on the bushes, "There! Cinder, can you grab my bag?" Quickly moving across the river, ignoring his now cold feet, he kneeled again and examined the ground… small foot prints with cloven toes, and a few of the prints moving towards the river and some moving away from it while trampling over previous tracks, "I found the trail. Let's go."
-Crelypsis-
Traveling through the wilderness was not something the sorceress was used to, having grown up in a large city but she kept her mouth shut on her discomfort and focused on the task at hand. Cryo was flying above them to keep an eye out but so far her familiar hadn't seen anything out of place which confused her. The river bend was close to town and the young girl would have run back to town in a panic, drastically cutting down the amount of time for the goblins to flee… how in the name of the Twin Gods did the goblins get so far ahead? Ozaki hadn't found any tracks indicating a mount… magic perhaps? There was a spell that increased how quickly someone could move for an hour that she'd come across in her study of magical theory even if it was one Sorcerers weren't able to cast.
Something about her mood must have gotten across to the others as Asher glanced at her asking, "Something on your mind Frosty?"
"Just wondering how the goblins got away so quickly Mr. Toothnail," Crelypsis replied cooly.
"I get ya," He nodded, "Must have had some kind of spellcaster with them to move this quickly… though perhaps we should get back to explaining our skill sets? Since we haven't caught up to them yet and your flying pal can't find em, I'm willing to bet we'll have to raid their home to get the kid back."
"Unfortunately that does seem like the most likely outcome," Ozaki agreed before he paused and kneeled to examine something, "... So they did have mounts… goats by the size and shape of this hoofprint… sunken into the dirt as if weighted down," Standing back up he motioned for the group to continue, "I believe you wanted to explain your skill set next Asher?"
"Right. I suppose first thing I should start with is with the Kami I worship for my Clerical abilities," Asher nodded, "The first two are Lady Tamamo-no-Mae and Lord Inari, both are Kami of Foxes with Inari also being the Kami of Wealth and Agriculture, while Lady Tamamo-no-Mae being a Kami of Trickery, Magic and Redemption. I also worship Lord Izanagi the Creator, his daughter Lady Amaterasu the Goddess of the Sun and head of the Shinto Pantheon, and finally Lady Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto: Goddess of Dawn, Creativity, Humor and Dancing," Crelypsis looked at Asher confused, she'd never heard of these deities, "Worship of the Shinto Pantheon is mostly practiced in the Dawn Pearls due to our strong connection to nature," He explained seeing her confused look, "I'll explain more about our beliefs later if you'd like."
"Please," Crelypsis nodded, "I must admit I'm curious as I've never heard of your deities before."
"Same," Cinder agreed, "Then again my Mentor and I mostly traveled around the Twilight Glade Mountains, Three Sisters and Big Brother and Damask," Crelypsis flinched slightly when Cinder mentioned the Three Sisters and Big Brother, hoping no one else noticed.
"Anyways, I grew up on the streets so I know a few things about… let's say having sticky fingers though I never take more than the person can afford. Don't want to ruin anyone's life just to get a big meal I don't need ya know?" Asher said with a shrug and the sorceress frowned. She didn't like having to work alongside a thief but then again… he did say one of the deities he worshiped was one of redemption so perhaps he could be trusted for now.
Cinder however shuddered, "I kinda know what you mean even if I didn't live on the streets for long… though it sounds like you might have had a better time than I did…" The fiery girl shook again and muttered something that sounded like 'the screams… I can still hear the screams…'
"Anyways I also speak Sylven which from what I've found is somewhat rare skill outside the Pearls, can channel a small blessing from the Kami to make others harder to notice, and my go to choice of Cleric spells so far focus more on debilitating the opponent or detecting dangers like poison and magical traps, though I can heal in a pinch and bring down the radiant flames of Lady Amaterasu on my enemies… and that's about it honestly, at least for combat scenarios."
"And out of combat?" Crelypsis inquired.
"Let's see… I'm decent when it comes to knowing about the past, I'm a partly trained medic so I know a thing or two about medicine… something I should look into more when I get the chance. I'm good at reading people, know a thing or two about going about unnoticed and like pulling small pranks and tricks. That good?" Asher asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes Mr. Toothnail thank you," Crelypsis nodded.
"So who's next? Our leader through the wilderness or the fire cracker?" Asher asked with a grin.
Cinder shrugged, "Like you my skill set is simple. I know how to make booze and fight… that's about it. My mentor tried to teach me some stuff he knew like meditation but I have trouble sitting still."
"What about your fire magic?" Crelypsis asked.
"I… don't like using it on people," Cinder replied with another small shudder, "Using it to start a fire or maybe on a monster? Fine… just not on people…"
"... Fair enough," Asher nodded. No way was he going to touch that obvious traumatizing memory anytime soon.
"So what about you Mr. Willow?" Crelypsis asked as the group made it to the edge of a small clearing.
Ozaki shrugged, "I'm just a simple hunter who knows how to improvise with what he's got, so don't be surprised if I use some of my gear in unusual ways," Asher raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He'd heard rumors of those skilled at surviving in the wild who could be 'creative' with their supplies but as far as he knew they were just rumors… even if his old friends did try to bring those rumors to life sometimes, "I've also learned how to use more than a few tools as the village I come from was rather small and self reliant. Everyone had to pitch in on most jobs even if hunting is the one I preferred."
"So we have a decent team, all things considered," Asher nodded as he looked up towards the mountains on the other side of the forest to the east.
Looking up Crelypsis saw the sun was starting to set, "Perhaps we should set up camp in this clearing?"
Ozaki nodded and put his pack down to remove the tent, "Good idea. Can you three set up the tents while I go hunt something?"
"Not a problem," Asher said with a thumbs up before he placed his pack down to get his tent.
As Ozaki vanished into the forest to get something fresh Crelypsis had a small embarrassed blush, "I… must confess I don't know how to set up a tent. I've never gone camping before."
Cinder nodded and waved her over having grabbed Ozaki's tent, "I'll teach ya. The main thing to remember is the order of the steps. You start with…" As the two girls set up the tent Asher quickly put his together. Once done, he turned back into his fox form and began digging a small pit for a campfire.
Ozaki returned ten minutes after the campfire was set up with a dead doe over his shoulders, "I apologize but I'll have to clean and prepare the doe here, since I left the sacks."
"I'm not going to enjoy this process am I?" Crelypsis asked with a small sigh.
"I highly doubt it," Ozaki deadpanned as he pulled out a dagger, "I also found some herbs. It won't be a pretty meal but it'll be sufficient."
Author's Notes:
Cinder, Ozaki and Crelypsis are characters I've made/played as while Asher is one my friend Lone Fox on Discord made by giving me a name, class, race and a small blurb for backstory since I was having trouble coming up with a fourth member of this party.
I'll be using a good amount of creatures from Kobold Press's Tome of Beasts books and Creature Codex, 4 books I highly recommend.
So a few things about my DND World.
First, I use our world's calendar simply because I am not in the mood to come up with an entire new system… or at least not yet. I might do that in the future as I'm still building parts of the world, such as some NPC's per town, various businesses, religion for my homebrew pantheon and more.
Second, while I do have the Shinto Gods, I also have my own pantheon of Gods, so don't assume anything about this world, even the gods of Good and Evil dragons.
Third: The Kitsune, can be born with 1-4 tails. A kitsune who does great things can grain additional tails, with the greater the task, the more tails they receive until they have a max of 9, though a Kitsune having 7-9 tails is rare, and those who have nine tails go down in history so their deeds are never forgotten, along with getting a shrine dedicated for them, in hopes they're reborn as Kami once they pass on.
Fourth: I will also say now that the way Shintoism works is not a direct 1-1 as it is in this world. A lot of things are similar but I'm adding a few things of my own beliefs into it even if I'm not all that religious. Though like in real life Inari has been depicted as both male and female, each person who worships them can choose to call them 'Lord' or 'Lady'.
Finally: I'm writing this is that I find that if I can narrow down my focus onto a smaller area, I'm able to zero in on what I want to do with it. In other words, some of that good old world building!