nyssa-the-lamia-blog

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

astoran-exemplar:

“Therein lies the fault of your reasoning. Such wanton expansionism can only be the work of the Earl of Carim- the very man my Order and I are currently marshalling our forces against, Lady Nyssa. You-” The lamia suddenly tightened up, growing almost a tad pensive. The Astoran frowned momentarily, but he opted not to speak in defense of his people any further. Innocence, once lost, could never truly be regained- and perhaps even contesting her points was a moot and futile effort to begin with.

“Err… very well.” The knight replied, pressing his lips against the earthen bowl and imbibing deeply, the warmth of the mixture a potent balm upon his injured physique.

“Good. Now ressst, human. You needsss healing and sssleep will help you.” She withdrew and gently pressed him to recline against the makeshift bedding, offering a simple cotton blanket to the Astoran. Setting beside him, the lamia withdrew to her pestle, grinding out ingredients for those that needed as he settled upon her tail much like a human would upon a comfortable chair. “You will be here for sssome time. Musssclesss and bonesss need to heal. And your ssspirit isss sssick asss well.” Nyssa paused and and emptied her ground up powder into a nearby urn.  “Tomorrow we fix that.”

The Abhuman (Closed Starter for nyssa-the-lamia)

#astoranexemplar

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

astoran-exemplar:

“Clearly you encountered men without civility- uncouth individuals eager to respond to neutrality with force. I assure you- had your people approached our venerable King, your people’s plight might’ve been assuaged. Astora is strong through the diversity of her people- and as much lauded our military endeavors might be, there are many amongst the rank of my Order who might’ve appreciated the wealth of knowledge your folk could have, and can- still offer.”

Aven looked more than a little miffed at this point in time. “Perhaps it is so. Know only that few endeavor to do so to the same extent as the hallowed Divinities of Anor Londo. Mortal impulses may cause us to stumble and fall, but the pursuit of an ideal of peace is always a conscious concern of myself and my kin. I trust you understand what it means to be willing to fight for an ideal worth preserving?”

“Knightsss. I do not know from they came but they came in the night. Burned our home, drove usss away. We trusssted humansss in the passst and we ended up here. Or I did.” The shaman withdrew a small chunk of honeycomb from a nearby claypot, moving towards the Astoran and extending it towards him.  “We sssimply trussst individualsss now not anyone elssse. Now eat and ceassse thisss talk of peace, if you will. I am a healer and a healer mussst care for their wardsss.” The shaman did not look displeased with the conversation, only concerned that her guest may overexcite himself and  open his wound again.

The Abhuman (Closed Starter for nyssa-the-lamia)

#astoranexemplar #aven calm yo tiddies #you gonna bleed out your ass

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

astoran-exemplar:

“Your tone bespeaks a sense of defeat, Lady Nyssa. And yet you still persist in your craft and trade, practicing your medicinal arts without regard towards the identity of those you tend to. Believe me when I say thus: were you to approach the lords of Astora, such expertise would be undoubtedly welcomed.”

At the mention of Fate, however, the Astoran scoffed. “Peace will last so long as men endeavor to maintain it. It is the defeatism of the meek and complacent that leads to opportunism and strife. To resignedly act without regard for the grander scope of one’s people is simply a destructive mindset that prevents a society from flourishing.

Everyone may have a part in this system, but we must be vigilant against those who would threaten it- else we may end up as your kind, Lady Nyssa- as outcasts and expatriates.”

She paused at that, her finger momentarily tightening upon the knife she held. “Mine kind wasss a peaceful kind, friend. We never encroached upon human landsss yet were hunted to protect your kind from the ‘sssnake demonsss’. All in the name of peace.” The shaman turned towards her guest, fixing him with a simple stare. “Meeknesss is not weaknesss, Aven. We chose isssolation for a reassson. Your kind left us no place in this ‘peace’ you seek. Those here in thisss ssswamp are thossse that fought for our own peace and your world pushed usss away.”  Drawing her knife across a whetstone as she watched him with a neutral expression. “And mine kind? My clan was ssslain by a human hunting party. I’ve not seen another of mine kind in over twenty yearsss. Human peace involvesss a lot of death it ssseemsss. I only treat woundsss and injuriesss assss I wasss taught because in the eyesss of the land and the ssspiritsss that watch usss taught mine kind that all life isss ssspecial. Be it a predator or prey, friend or enemy isss all ssspecial.” She tapped a claw to the tattoos crossing her skin, the black ink glowing at the contact. “Thessse are the protection of ssspiritsss. And more than just men endeavor to keep peace, Aven of Assstora.”

The Abhuman (Closed Starter for nyssa-the-lamia)

#astoranexemplar #wow Aven #just insult her family in her home

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

astoran-exemplar:

“Our king united a broken and disparaged land in order to form Astora as it is today, Lady Nyssa. In the absence of his guiding hand and the force of his Elite Order to impose his decrees, the land was naught but a warstruck locale of petty kingdoms and duchies- as fragmentary as it was brutish and violent.”

The knight turned to look at his savior, his brows furrowed. “I suppose my apologies are worth nothing to one cast out from society- but the struggle to create a lasting peace has not been without fruit. We need only maintain our internal sovereignty for our King’s dream to become a lasting reality. Thus is the cause I have staked my name and bloodline upon.”

“It isss difficult to have a care for a world that hasss hunted mine kind sssimply for being different. The sssame can be sssaid for thosse that live here.” The shaman sighed and set her knife aside, beginning to weave the strands of moss into small compact balls. “Intent assside, consssider your kindsss dissspossition towardsss nonhumansss. Sssociety rejectsss my friendsss and minessself becaussse of what we are. “Peace or not, we will continue being hunted for being different. And it will not lassst. Peace never doesss if the Lady of Fate willsss it.

The Abhuman (Closed Starter for nyssa-the-lamia)

#astoranexemplar

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

astoran-exemplar:

The Astoran chuckled wryly at that, his tolerance for the Lamia’s strange ways growing steadily as more and more of her eccentricities began to manifest.

“Preparation is the seedbed of victory, lady Nyssa. Much like that moss you cultivate, it must be tended to and nurtured before it is of any use. Interests conflict, tempers flare- and that alone is enough to begin petty wars between fiefs and vassals.”

His tone took one of resolution as he continued to speak, however. “This was is an exception, however. Astora carved itself out of centuries of continual conflict, establishing a lasting peace and one of the strongest economies in the land, by Lord Gwyn’s guidance. Arstor the Impaler seeks to undo this progress, the tyrannical despot- and there is nothing unjust about defending the innocent.

Necessary evils for the collective good- thus is the lot of a soldier, and the grim duty of a Knight.”

“There are thossse that would disssagree, Assstoran. Thossse affected by it on a daily basssisss are the onesss that may never sssee the collective good.” nyssa paused from her peeling, rolling the bone handle through her fingers as she digested his words. “It isss why I prefer the company of the onesss exiled from human sssociety. To never be consssidered part of the good, humansss ssspeak of and to sssuffer their ssstigma of not fitting their patterns”  “It isss why thisss ssswamp exissstsss. To return thossse that wish it and fight against naturesss courssse back into her fold. There will never be peace sss olong asss people exissst and fighting for it isss a admirable but futile effort, my friend.”

The Abhuman (Closed Starter for nyssa-the-lamia)

#astoranexemplar

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

astoran-exemplar:

“A knight accomplishes little, outside of open warfare.” Aven replied, somewhat sardonically. “Many of my kin manage estates and expanses of land when peace reigns, as we are among the few who possess the acumen and keenness of intellect to accomplish the task.

Others still devote themselves to other exploits- such as the preservation of peace and the enforcement of the King’s laws. Those unburdened with estates or fiefs often wander the countryside, participating in mercenary work or joining tournaments in an effort to elevate their status. I am to inherit my father’s lands, once he passes, and so I devote myself to improving the quality of life within my estate whenever possible.

Land dealings are decidedly duller affairs than pitched battles, but they are certainly more productive.”

“Sssoundsss boring.” The lamia remarked, the curved knife in her hand being carefully sharped before it was turned towards a small stack of moss she had procured. It was tedious work after all, peeling the gathered moss into manageable clumps for consumption as well as making sure they were properly stored. 

“Your kind isss very strange. It ssseemsss you ssspend a lot of time preparing for war and I cannot fathom why that isss. Are humansss that disssapointed with their lot in life?”

The Abhuman (Closed Starter for nyssa-the-lamia)

#astoranexemplar

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

astoran-exemplar:

“Now you listen here-” The Astoran began, tentatively, before realizing that it would not be wise to provoke the ire of the one benevolent individual he’d encountered since arriving at the swamp. Still, her allegations, although empathetic and quite articulately phrased, were rather unjust. War begat destruction, surely, and it was a regrettable circumstance to be thrust into, but a just war was still a preferable alternative to simply letting a madman traipse about Astoran lands, perpetuating his own tyrannical rule.

Life in all its forms was indeed sacred- but human life held precedence above it all. They were the favored of the gods, endowed with a sapience and consciousness to attain mastery over the world. Neither a tree nor a beast could understand and feel suffering to the degree that a sentient human could- and, although ultimately necessary, sacrifices were still painful realities that he as a soldier had sworn never to grow inured to.

“Conflict is an inevitability. The very least one can do is mitigate its brutality when it occurs.”

She nodded once before turning to the cauldron once more, a flick of her wrist sent the fire beneath to a low heat as she began work on putting the remnants of their meal away for later. Her motions were practiced and smooth, her eyes never leaving the Astoran before her as she worked. The containers of food were placed under the earthen counter, the underdirt of her home was cold enough to allow food to be kept safely for several days.  “Ssso beyond marcing on ssstrenge landsss, what do you do with your life?”

The Abhuman (Closed Starter for nyssa-the-lamia)

#astoranexemplar

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

“All life, Assstoran. All life mattersss. Your war hasss claimed much. I know not how long but humansss thrive on dessstruction it ssseemss. Your kind hasss claimed jussstice before and all I sssee if mindlesss dessstroying. Much like a child, throwing a tantrum.” Nyssa’s voice took on an edge of bitterness. “Your kind isss resssponssible for the onesss who live here, for those that need to live off the land becaussse humansss have dessstroyed their homes.  “That is what your warsss and crusssadesss bring.”

The Abhuman (Closed Starter for nyssa-the-lamia)

astoran-exemplar:

So little.

Aven realized that the lamia’s exclusion from civilized society might’ve led to a severe lack of practicable knowledge on tact and polite speech, but such a sentiment was woefully indicative of ignorance not only of decorum, but also of the severe sociopolitical ramifications of warfare. She had no way of knowing, of course, but the knight’s displeased expression was proof enough of his position on her statement.

“Little? I daresay that opposing the march of a tyrannical madman is just cause for open warfare, thank you very much. The Earl Arstor is as corrupt and debauched of a ruler as one can be, and the bastard’s finally turned his gaze towards expanding his holdings.

It is the duty of a knight to protect those who serve beneath his liege lord. We will not stand idly by as that contemptible lord ravages the countryside.”

“And what of the world whilssst you fight amongssst yourselvesss for one being’sss actionsss? Doesss it truly sssolve anything besssides death and losss for everyone? I’ve sssseen what humansss do to the landsss they travel. Armiesss devouring everything in sight, leaving death and ssstripped land in their wake.”  Nyssa sighed and looked out the window tracing her fingers up her arm and across the ink upon her chest. “Your kind dessstroysss ssso much over ssso little. One man. That isss why I sssay this.”

#astoranexemplar

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

astoran-exemplar:

So little.

Aven realized that the lamia’s exclusion from civilized society might’ve led to a severe lack of practicable knowledge on tact and polite speech, but such a sentiment was woefully indicative of ignorance not only of decorum, but also of the severe sociopolitical ramifications of warfare. She had no way of knowing, of course, but the knight’s displeased expression was proof enough of his position on her statement.

“Little? I daresay that opposing the march of a tyrannical madman is just cause for open warfare, thank you very much. The Earl Arstor is as corrupt and debauched of a ruler as one can be, and the bastard’s finally turned his gaze towards expanding his holdings.

It is the duty of a knight to protect those who serve beneath his liege lord. We will not stand idly by as that contemptible lord ravages the countryside.”

“And what of the world whilssst you fight amongssst yourselvesss for one being’sss actionsss? Doesss it truly sssolve anything besssides death and losss for everyone? I’ve sssseen what humansss do to the landsss they travel. Armiesss devouring everything in sight, leaving death and ssstripped land in their wake.”  Nyssa sighed and looked out the window tracing her fingers up her arm and across the ink upon her chest. “Your kind dessstroysss ssso much over ssso little. One man. That isss why I sssay this.”

The Abhuman (Closed Starter for nyssa-the-lamia)

#astoranexemplar #Its kinda dumb when you really think about it

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

astoran-exemplar:

The Astoran winced in reply, the soothing unguent and tightly wrapped bandages chafing roughly against a bruise. “Could be better, I suppose- but this medicine you’ve applied, I doubt it’s had the opportunity to sink in, as of yet.”

At that, Aven turned his gaze towards his host, watching with a fair degree of fascination as her fingernails skimmed across an expanse of tattooed skin upon her arm, as if she were re-applying the ink. “Did you get those while you were young?” The knight asked, before appending: “-Those tattoos, I mean. Not exactly a common sight, where I’m from.”

“Old magic, like the kind mine people usesss is not common. These are a sssign of our knowledge, etched into our ssskin by our massstersss in their blood. Sssome of our ink wasss made by the matron of our people, passsed down by the massstersss to usss.” She ceases her tracing and settles back into her seat, warily watching the Astoran once more. “Tell me about your home then, human. I’m curiousss why humanss fight over so little.” 

The Abhuman (Closed Starter for nyssa-the-lamia)

#astoranexemplar

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

astoran-exemplar:

“You’re right in that regard- I’m unused to accomodations of this sort.” He shrugged, smiling sincerely as he eyed the lamia’s handiwork upon his ribcage. “We humans must seem woefully fragile to those of your kind, no? Ambling about on two legs- must look silly to a lamia.”

At the mention of trees, the knight’s attention was piqued once more- words of ancient legends and mythologies flowing forth, untapped, but yet uncompromised by the traumas of war- their nuances and tonality still as fresh as the day he’d read them from his father’s manuscripts.

“Quite an impressive specimen. St. Eidar of the Way of White says that the world was once shrouded under the gloom of the Archtrees. You’ve heard of them, I take it? Enormous things, really- said in his accounts that the mere seed of an archtree could encompass the size of a Zenian amphitheatre. ”

Nyssa tilted her head at those words, tracing a line of ink spiraling upon her skin. “I have heard of the old treesss, yesss. Mine people tell ssstoriesss of how the ssspiritsss were jealousss of the dragonsss and grew the treesss out of a broken ssscale, making the old treesss like the immortalsss.”  The shaman paused and tapped the tree interior beside her, tracing a groove that was worn in the living wood.. “All treesss come from them, if one knowsss how to lisssten. Given enough time, care, and light, any tree could grow to rival the treesss of old.”  “And yesss. You humansss are much like fawnsss wandering away from their mother, unaware of how much danger is in the world around them.” A tooth smile appeared on her lips, the woman moving back to her supplies and digging throgh them once more.  “How isss pain, Aveen of Assstora?”

The Abhuman (Closed Starter for nyssa-the-lamia)

#astoranexemplar #HOLY SHIT TUMBLR #GOOD FUCKING JOB

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

The Waking Woods by Blake Rottinger

#The Home Swamp

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

littleverit:

All clothes? There’s a soft sigh from the maiden, though she accepts the folded blanket with some sense of relief. Verit flinches, however, when the lamia picks up her arm and seems to be inspecting it. Injuries seemed to have been healed just enough to avoid any significant blood loss, at least. It was all she had time for.

“I… would not say that I like trouble. It does, however, seem to find me often enough.” She mumbles unhappily, gently pulling her arm from Nyssa’s hand to wrap herself in the blanket and shyly remove the rest of her clothing. At the very least, she’d have to help the snake-woman wash everything later. Being out of her clothes was helping her cool down a little, which in turn made her feel better - save for the dehydration.

“I-if you do not mind my asking… where are we..?”

“A ssswamp. It may be the ssswamp or the Great Ssswamp. I do not know.” The lamia responded, pulling away from the young woman and gathering her prepared pouch from the opposite side of the room. Pausing as she ducked underneath a shelf to collect a full waterskin tucked away in a dark chest, Nyssa returned to Verit’s side. “It isss my home.”  She went to offer the waterskin to Verit but looked at her sternly before relinquishing it. “Drink ssslowly, child. And then let me sssee your woundsss.” 

Lost Little One (closed with littleverit)

#littleverit

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

littleverit:

Get undressed? Right there? A brilliant blush crossed her face, but all it did was make her overheating issue look more severe. Still. The sorceress worked at undoing the belt over her jacket as she next spoke. “Th-there would not happen… to be a, ah, a sheet or something similar…? To… To wrap myself in…” Verit questioned meekly. 

However, at this point, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to preserve her modesty or get out of the filthy, wet clothes. The sorceress looked briefly for somewhere to hang her coat as she peeled the heavy garment off - if there wasn’t anywhere to, she’d end up making a tidy pile next to the door unless directed otherwise.

Even with the jacket off, she felt better, but… everything still felt gross. With a reluctant sigh, the young woman kicked off her boots and stripped off everything other than her undergarments… Blech. The nasty feeling still wouldn’t leave her skin, as she carefully sat on the edge of the ‘bed’.

“It is a… a pleasure, Nyssa. I am Verit Mercier…”

The lamia turned around to inspect the young woman and frowned when she saw her still wearing her undergarments. It took a moment before it clicked and she bit back a sigh. Humans and the modesty, it seemed they were all vulnerable. Digging around in a cabinet, the shaman withdrew a long tan blanket woven from cotton.  “All clothesss, Verit. Then we’ll sssee to your injuriesss and get you clean.” Nyssa slithered up to her and offered the folded blanket to her, inspecting the woman’s visible skin for any injuries or bites that needed tending. Tracing a long finger down her arm, the lamia picked up the woman’s arm and turned it over. Her orange eyes darted quickly, noting the scratches and bruises that adorned Verit’s form.  “Well, sssomeone likesss trouble, it ssseeemsss.”

Lost Little One (closed with littleverit)

#littleverit

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

littleverit:

Verit walked along, somewhat slowly, both due to fatigue and wariness. She wasn’t entirely use to non-humans being friendly. Especially when her last interaction with any sort of snake-person had been in Lordran… well, Sen’s Fortress. Still. This one had every chance to kill her.

As they entered the lamia’s home, Verit paused awkwardly, looking around. It felt… wrong, to continue as she was, dripping of sweat, swamp water, blood, and mud. Even given the natural-seeming formation of the place. “A-apologies..? I fear I am a… a bit of a mess…” Formalities likely would never leave her, it was her way of asking further permission - or guidance.

“Ah yesss. We need to get you out of thossse clothesss. Get undresssed, child.” The lamia snapped her fingers and the cauldron in the center of the room began to bubble as if it was heated, the shaman moving past her to take hold of a small satchel on the shelf. Pausing for a moment as she added various pinches of different ingredients to the pot, Nyssa pointed at the woven wood circle that served as her bed jutting from the wall.  “Sssit there. We will get you cleaned up sssoon.” She drew a silver knife from the belt at her side, cutting strips of vegetation from the rows of plants covering this side of the wall. “And take off your bootsss too. They need to dry.”  “You may call me Nysssa, human.”

Lost Little One (closed with littleverit)

#littleverit #so smol

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

littleverit:

Panting, the sorceress could only regard the lamia with wide, uncertain eyes, unsure of what to say. Someone here that wasn’t going to attack her? What choice did she have? The other could easily strike her down, and she was terribly lost - and starting to feel ill, between the muggy air and overheating.

Her reached up, hesitantly accepting the shaman’s help in getting back to her feet. “I… I thank you…” She managed to murmur breathlessly. The advantage to her full outfit was there was little chance leeches had found a way to her skin - disadvantage evidenced by her red face. “Is… is there somewhere… safe, nearby..?”

“Come.” The lamia released the small woman’s hand and glided away through the bushes, pushing them aside with ease, Waiting for the human to catch up, she collected her spear and glanced at her dwelling briefly. Over the years, the shaman had crafted the tree roots to grow around where she resided, creating a smooth large alcove where Nyssa had begun to call home.  “Hurry along, child lessst the heat get to you.” She called out, gliding into her home and setting her weapon aside, A guest was a rare thing for her nowadays and the necessary preparations needed to be made.

Lost Little One (closed with littleverit)

#littleverit #smol nerd

[nyssa-the-lamia-blog]

littleverit:

Verit was… well, somewhat panicked. It was almost unbearably hot and wet, wherever she had ended up, and more than one critter had already tried to make her lunch. Staggering onto somewhat more solid ground, the sorceress had to take a moment, hands going to her knees to support herself as she tried to catch her breath - nearly impossible in the humidity here, with what she was wearing.

Gasping, she managed to get her pulse somewhat under control before carrying on. Trudging onward, Verit could only hope she was closer to an exit than before What she hadn’t expected was the sudden sight of the lamia, spear raised. The sorceress yelped, attempting to skid to a stop - only to fall backwards into the water. Sputtering, she only raised her talisman to defend herself, trying to scramble back. She didn’t want a fight, not when she was already so exhausted from the oppressive heat.

Lowering her spear as the stranger floundered in the mud, the lamia felt a smile creep across her face. She placed the head of the spear into the dirt and slid closer to the water, folding her arms across her chest with a chuckle. Raising a long finger to point at the murky water, Nyssa began to speak to the woman in the common tongue.  “You bessst get out of the water, young one. There’sss plenty of leechesss that’ll eat you up if you’re not quick.” The lamia moved to the water’s edge, extending a hand to the woman and a warm smile upon her lips. “Come along now. No need to be ssscared.”

Lost Little One (closed with littleverit)

#littleverit