aterat | into the unknown

Entry tags:

into the unknown

Who; Drizzt Do'Urden and you
What; Drizzt spends a quiet night on the beach while contemplating things (and possibly planning on exploring those shark rumors)
Where; The Beach, tables
When; Late July, evening
Warnings; none has of yet

It wasn’t until the sun was drifting toward the horizon that the lithe figure dared venture to the sands. The sun glaring overhead during the day was much like the shine upon fresh snow, and while he’d attempted visiting earlier, the headache that had resulted was far from worth it. And so, he instead journeyed to the sands as the sun was setting. They were colors he’d also found beautiful, and clad as he was in thin leathers, having left his long cloak behind and pulled his long silver hair back with a thin leather thong, he looked to be ready to stay a while, as the stars began to wink into existence.

Things like the boardwalk were alien to him, though only slightly. Many cities had similar markets and harbors boasting goods from around the surrounding lands. Most often, Drizzt was forced to sneak into those cities, and never was he allowed to visit leisurely. In that respect, Aterat was something of a haven, fraught with just enough danger to keep him interested, and enough new experiences to hold his attention. On the boardwalk, they served cold, sweetened treats to ward away the lingering heat of the day, and he found a seat at a table still within sight of the shops to enjoy it as he watched the tide roll in. After a while, he pulled a small, leatherbound notebook from his pack as well as a pencil, a rather clever invention he’d found here, and began to write.

The pack to his side seemed fuller than usual, and the quiet Drow wound smiled politely to anyone who investigated, and offered them a snack he'd procured from one of the street vendors from his pack: boiled salted peanuts.

“Good evening. There is plenty to share.” And he wasn’t sure how he felt about these ‘peanuts’, though everyone else who’d been buying them seemed to be excited about them. Those who join him may notice the page of his notebook is titled “the Unknown”, and may also notice to spite his lack of armor, he is wearing two swords, belted at his waist, and that his pack tinkles slightly when it is moved, as though a fine chainmail may be stored there with his wares.

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Llewellyn wasn’t known to wander later in the day as much as he was during the afternoon, but his work had taken him a little further that day and he was only taking the long way back to the neighborhood near the market district. It seemed like a nice enough opportunity to walk along the shore while it was a little less crowded with beach goers, and enjoy the sounds of the waves along the shore while he let his thoughts for the day sort themselves and see if anything particularly important made a connection or rattled into place that he could note down for the next day.

Thus far the extent that he’d accomplished was remembering he should probably pick up something for a late supper at home, and that he really needed to gather supplies for making Pretzels food for the week again. So not particularly valuable as far as investigations went, but no less important in its own way.

He did find himself easily distracted, though, by the sight of a familiar figure sitting at a table on the new boardwalk, and altered his course slightly to stop and say hello. It had been a while, after all. “Good evening!” He commented, setting his hat on the side of the table and leaning against a chair curiously. Eyes finding their way to the notebook and it’s a rather interesting title written across the top of the page.

Although the detective was soon distracted by the offer of peanuts, Llewellyn rather liked them as far as snacks went. He’d been scolded for bringing them to a play once, though it wasn’t entirely his fault he’d stumbled and spilled the bag a little. “Ah- well, thank you for sharing.” He added with a smile, snagging a small handful as he returned his attention to the notebook. “I hope I’m not interrupting you, though? Putting thoughts to paper is mm… An important task, in my experience.”

For Ivy her preference for night was simply a product of what she'd become one day: undead. As a living vampire she lacked the aversion to sunlight that her undead counterparts had, but that didn't mean she liked the sun. In fact, she was pretty anti-sun. It was bright and tended to give her more of a headache than was worth dealing with. Especially here where everything seemed somewhat brighter than the world she was used to.

It was strange. So many people here seemed content to settle down and create lives, but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't. No matter where her thoughts went they always eventually came back to a feeling that she just didn't belong. Or maybe it was more accurate to say that she felt like she didn't deserve to belong here. At least she was self-aware enough to realize that this kind of moping basically cemented her as your typical depressed vampire. Which, in turn, spurred her to at least try a little more to get out every now and then.

The beach was something she had avoided for the most part until recently, fairly convinced that there had to be something wrong with it. Things had been too nice for too long here. Eventually curiosity won though and she headed out wearing a long red bohemian style dress cut low enough to show off the large ornate silver cross that was usually tucked inside her garments. When she'd decided to come to the beach at night it'd been with the idea that she wouldn't run into many people. That idea had been squashed pretty quickly though by a man offering her peanuts as she walked by. The man's appearance wasn't the part that made her give him a quizzical expression. Nope, the real confusion came from the offer and the kindness that seemed to be implied behind it.

"No, I'm good, thanks," she said as she looked him over with a raised eyebrow. His dress definitely made it seem like he was prepared for something and she actually found herself just a bit curious.

As the sun moved toward the horizon, Drizzt pulled a small candle from his pack, ready to light it and provide himself meager light by which to write. He may be able to see the infrared spectrum but that did little to trace pencil on paper. He looked up when his friend approached, a light smile spreading across his lips as he did so.

"Good evening, Llewellyn, and you are most welcome." He still hadn't decided whether or not he enjoyed the peanuts, but he was more than willing to share regardless. "You need not apologize. My thoughts will wait. I trust you're well?"

Generations of Drow living beneath the surface had given them a preternatural ability to see the heat signatures around him, fine-tuned enough to see the contours of the land as clearly as a hawk can see on a clear day, but it came with its own set of weaknesses. Sudden bright lights were temporarily blinding, and even a constant light, such as the sun, was enough to cause his eyes to ache. Prolonged exposure caused a headache that lasted for days, but it was a price Drizzt was willing to pay. The pain was a reminder of the price of freedom, and of the difference between himself and his people.

He was no stranger to feeling the outsider, stories of his people were known far across the surface, none good and all earned, and because of them, he was rarely, if ever, invited within city walls. If he was permitted within, they was met with suspicion, and often denied a bed for the night regardless. Here, in contrast, everyone had been welcoming and open and it had been an adjustment that had, and still was, taking time.

Drizzt was also sure there was something, if not wrong with the beach, at least off with it, similar to the Academy, and he wondered if his place as well was a part of this world before whatever sundering had occurred.

He nodded, taking her decline of the offer in stride, his lavender eyes lingering on the shining silver cross upon her chest. "You are welcome." He paused for a moment before posing his question, not wanting to be rude, but being unable to deny his own curiosity. "Forgive my intrusion, but what does that symbol represent?" A small silver unicorn rested against his own breast, beneath the folds of his tunic, and he wondered if it was something similar, something that reflected the voice of her heart. "...my name is Drizzt, I thought I should offer before forcing you to respond."

Well, if he wasn’t going to be a disturbance? Llewellyn pulled out one of the other chairs to sit on the edge of, leaning his arm against the back of the chair as he considered the question before he nodded. “Mm… I believe I am, yes.” He added with a smile, he felt far more stable than he had been in the prior month and was actually starting to feel a little more like his usual self… Or at least the usual self he had felt like in this particular world and life.

“What about yourself? I hope you’ve been well of late?” He added with a curious tone, knowing it had been a little while since they last bumped into one another after their little excursion to the Academy. He’d actually been meaning to see about getting in touch, though one thing led to another and all that.

That was first. Ivy couldn't actually recall anyone having ever asked her about the cross before. Guess there were some worlds that weren't just a different version of her own. That much probably should have been obvious before he asked given his appearance. There were elves in her own world, but they didn't look a thing like he did. At least she thought he was probably some sort of elf, he had the ears for it.

"It's a token of the Christian fate," she answered as she absentmindedly threaded her fingers through the chain. "Some people think it helps to ward off specific kinds of evil" And those people would be correct, at least in her own world. "You weren't forcing me to respond. I could have just walked away." She shrugged. "Ivy. Which seems a lot less interesting than Drizzt."

In Faerun, in Icewind Dale, Drizzt's friends were accustomed to his coming and going months at a time, sometimes only returning to the shelter of his mountain, or the mountain of Kelven's Cairn, when winter reared high and to chance the open tundra was the taunt death. That wasn't to say he wasn't touched Llewellyn asked after him, but it was simply different than his norm.

He nodded at the question. "I've been well, yes. You, however, seem to doubt yourself." It was a casual observation. He hadn't known Llewellyn terribly long, but they had spent time together, time enough to note tension in a friend's eyes.

"A token of the Christian faith." Many religions had tokens, rituals, rites of protection, and the like. Mielikki was a wild goddess, taken with the chaotic heart of nature and not prone to such trifles, but her blessing was everywhere, if one knew how to look. His own token, carved from the finest scrimshaw by a dear friend, was as much a token of their friendship than a memory of his goddess, but perhaps that was part of its charm that warded away his own sort of evil. He nodded. "And does it?" She seemed fond of it, and the way her fingers twined the chain from which it hung reminded him of his own anchor, a physical reminder of the course in life he'd chosen; a ward against specific evils, indeed.

"You could have, that is true, and Ivy, I wager, is the more interesting of names. It is beautiful in its simplicity rivaled by its tenacity as it clings to whatever it might to seek the sun. Drizzt, however, simply means 'third'."

"For some. Works great against undead vampires." Which was exactly why she favored it. It wouldn't stop someone was powerful as her Master, but it'd annoy him and sometimes that was enough for her. Ivy wouldn't deny how petty it was, but she also never tried to say she was above being petty. Definitely not when Piscary was concerned. Besides, it worked decently on keeping her mother away.

"You could have just left the meaning out and kept it as a mysterious exotic name," she replied with a chuckle. "I think you're giving ivy too much credit."

Llewellyn was like that, Drizzt would learn. Not seeing a friend for a long period of time tended to be a small concern, considering how people had a tendency to disappear on him. He at least had the security here in knowing that it was easy to tell if they were gone when a name disappeared from the tellphone director… But he was still thoughtful enough to ask how the other was doing when it had been a while. "I’m glad to hear. I had heard you followed up with a group at the Academy and had been meaning to see how you fared.”

“Oh- uh…” His brow wrinkled lightly, not having expected Drizzt to notice and ask that either. That said, he supposed he had made himself more scarce when it came to socialization since he returned. He was trying, of course, but the stark differences between his world and this one had been a bit jarring to adjust to all over again. Perhaps he was still carrying that more than he realized, or more than he allowed himself to think. “I am perhaps a little less certain than I like to be… But I am adjusting- it would seem two years in one place so different from this one has some lasting effects. But! Today I am well enough, and glad to see a friend.” He added, eating a couple of the peanuts as a distraction. "Especially at this curious new beach that seems to have sprung up."

He nodded, understanding now. "Do not all religious symbols wielded by a believer turn undead, should their faith be strong enough?" They did in Faerun, but other worlds may differ.

He smiled faintly at her jest. "And you too little, but I maintain my mystery in other ways." The faint smile turned mischievous at the comment.

"Not that I know of. Is that how it works in your world?" Because if so, it'd be pretty damn useful. The more ways to fuck with Piscary the better after all and everything working sounded like there'd be more ways to do that.

"Oh?" she drew the word out as she arched an eyebrow curiously. "What ways are those?"

"You did?" He wondered who spoke of him, the others, perhaps. He had trouble thinking of himself as notable, and the others were just as useful, if not more so, in the battles waged in the Academy basement. "Ah, there were beasts, there, some of which I have never seen, but nothing too dangerous. The shard, it seemed, opened a rift when it exploded, eons ago."

"Two years?" Was the implication his friend had left? He should pay more attention to the network, it would seem. He cast his gaze across the sands and the waters beyond, giving Watts a nod. "Indeed. You know, it is the first coast I've seen, at least with such beaches. I have heard of sands like them, but never before have I seen them firsthand."

"Yes, if the gods are good. The will of evil deities will not turn undead, though I am no priest. The evil clergy often raise their own undead, not turn them away." Like the priestesses of Lolth, for instance, and their puppets.

"Explaining would defeat the purpose, would it not?"

She scrunched her eyes up curiously. "Are they actually real in your world?" In her own world she wasn't sure if they were. It probably implied there was some truth to belief that it worked on undead, but there wasn't confirmation. "Or does your world just favor polytheism in general?"

She let out a throaty chuckle and shook her head. "I guess you have a point there."

“Mmhm, a few people from where I work went on one of the teams as well.” He had not, due to being rather tied up with a few things and… Again, not particularly himself, he was quite sure he would have been more of a liability and hindrance than help. Someone needed to stay behind and man the fort as it were, anyway. It was practical, and Llewellyn was only glad that things had turned out well. “I was glad to hear that it went as well as it did. One never knows with this place?”

He ducked his head in a slight nod. “Yes, it uh- seems this place is capable of sending us back to where we came from for varied lengths of time without warning. I was in my own world for about two years, while here it was only a week.” He responded, rubbing the back of his neck lightly as he explained it. So it wasn’t surprising if someone hadn’t noticed his absence. It hadn’t been that long in this world.

His brow rose, though, to hear that Drizzt had never seen something like this before. “It’s quite the beautiful sight, and one that I expect most people will be enjoying their summers along now that it’s here. There’s a beach at least sandy like this where I’m from, near the lake.”

"The gods? The faithful surely muster some sort of power from their evoking, terrible power at times, but whether they are individuals as us mortals see them, or if they are various faces of the same supreme power, I know not and I care not. I know that the form presented me on the Goddess Mielikki speaks closest to my own ideals, and so I follow her."

It was a simple perspective, he knew, but it worked, and it gave him solace in a world so foreign to him, both in his own world and here.

"And what of your god?" He motioned toward her silver cross again. "Do their teaching speak to you, or do you simply wear its symbol to spite your vampires?" It was a simple question, laced with curiosity, not judgment. If that was why, then he would accept it, and understandably. The Undead were not to be trifled with.

"I see." He smiled at the note Watts made, nodding. "It was an adventure." And by the tone of his voice, it's obvious it was a most welcome one. Drizzt, when idle over-long tends to get bored, and when bored, becomes more and more volitile in his demeanor. He doesn't become violent, really, or at least no more violent than usual, but he's more prone to bad decisions and unplotted courses.

"I've only seen such large lakes in the tundra, hardly a summer's frolic. What do...people typically do at a beach? I know of fishing and the like, but you sound as though you speak of holiday."

"What does your Goddess Mielikki represent?" It was more nosy than she was used to being, but she was trying to be a little more friendly with people. So far she wouldn't claim it was going well.

"I don't believe in anything," she said with a shrug. That was the truth. Faith wouldn't save her from her future. Faith had never saved her from her Master. There was no actual point in putting anything in faith. "Mostly just to spite my Master and my mother. Works to put some distance between me and her."

“I can well imagine it was, though you all came back victorious, which is certainly good to hear.” He added with a smile, because sometimes things that happened in these places didn’t always end in such a way, and it was hard to not worry about one’s friends. But at least Drizzt seemed to have come back no worse for wear and seemed quite pleased to have gotten to have the adventure. He really did seem suited to such things.

The question got a small hum as he leaned back in his seat and considered the shoreline itself for a moment. “Indeed, I do, used to take my brothers by the beach when we were young.” He responded with a lighter tone. It was free entertainment and no one ever really bothered them there as long as they minded where they wandered if tents and shows were set up. “People do a number of things, though mostly the same it does appear it can vary depending on the year and world.” He gestured to the shore where a few remains of sand castles could be seen, slowly being eaten up by waves lapping against the shoreline. “They play games with balls, swim, build sand castles and sculptures… And uh- sometimes in my world there would be small attractions or contests set up for people to take part in.”

"The giving, nurturing aspects of nature. The is a wild goddess and has little use for laws, but she and her rangers protect the balance between nature and civilization. I am honored to count myself among their number." His dedication to the religious aspect of his role was questionable. Mielikki's ideals had always been his guiding force, even before he knew their name, but he'd been burned by faith most of his formative years, and blind dedication was beyond him.

He frowned at her response, though. There was a despondency there, an almost despair, he couldn't ignore. "You must believe in something if you desire distance between your family and yourself. Something within you must resist their ideals." There was a certainty in his voice, and a familiarity. It was that same thing within him that had forced him from his home and into the unknown.

"Sadly, little knowledge was to be gleaned from the archives. Much was damaged during the explosion, and that which was not was subsequently ravaged by the creatures brought forth by it. I believe my first theory is sound, though, that whatever happened with this Voidcryst ripped pieces of this reality into other planes of existence. For more specifics, I fear we would need a wizard knowledgeable in the machinations of this place." It was a sad state of affairs, really. They were so close to answers, but like two parallel tunnels bored into neighboring rock, separated by far more than cloth.

He smiled as Watts recounted his time spent with his brothers in their youth. Until this very moment, Drizzt hadn't been aware his friend had siblings, but then, he hadn't shared similar information with Watts, either. He had few fond memories of his own childhood and he didn't want to darken the mood with those tales, so instead he would live vicariously through his new human friend. "What sorts of games would one play in the sand with balls?" He remembered one human family he'd watched an entire summer after he'd risen to the surface. They'd played a stick and ball game that had been incomprehensible at the time, but it'd seemed quite fun.

"I see. So you're a ranger of some kind?" Her mind was partially picturing a park ranger, which he definitely didn't fit the mental image of. Still, it was interesting to hear him talk about it. He spoke about it in such a peaceful way, so unlike religions she knew of.

"Maybe I just really don't like my family." Which...wasn't untrue. She hated her family for the most part. Or at least what they'd become.

"I am, yes." He nodded in agreement. "It's a title of little use in most civilized places, and normally means one knows his way around the wilderness, where the predators sleep, which watering holes are frequented by which game. Here, there is less certainty, though I am learning the forest."

Her response got a chuckle from the Drow and another nod. "Then we are cut of similar cloth, at least in that respect. I've come to learn the family found is far strong than the family we begin with."

"Are they common where you're from?" Do Rangers just run around in a Ranger club? "I've heard the forest here is hard to keep track of." Though she hadn't really spent too much time there.

"I doubt we have the same type of family."

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