oracleorigins

[oracleorigins]

The clearing was silent and peaceful under the moonlight. Unperturbed by the demonic influence the centaur’s herd was recently inflicted by, the wind blew across the forest glen, the scents of prey and fragrant flowers mingled with the horsey smell of the strange half-human half-horse people. Anita wondered why this curious mix of animal and human existed, but enjoyed their company nonetheless. Stifling a rather extended yawn, the tired oracle began to trot back from Issos’s tent on all fours. The others had gone to bed, so she felt comfortable acting feral without the weird looks that they used to give when she had forgotten. The feline glanced at the waxing moon, bathing the foliage and newly acquired carriage. Anita hated feeling exposed. Sighing, she mentally counted off another day. Six. Barely a week now.

There just has to be some way to fix this…I don’t want to be this way, she thought, ears lowered as she passed by the waterfall that Issos lived behind. Anita hated how she looked, despite her friend’s reassurances that there was nothing wrong with her. If that was true, I wouldn’t be who I am now, she closed her eyes despairingly. She glanced at the reflection, knowing it was only a lie. What she saw was not the truth. Her small kitty nose, her right ear torn with the painful silver earring that served as her memoir, thick lashes that her framed her icy blue eyes, her absurd dyed purple hair that still managed to be untamable even with brushes and multiple hair care concoctions. But Anita knew that was only the mask she wore. Ever since she was a child, she held the beast within her, the one who threatened to destroy all that she had gained within the past year.

Monster. She saw how they all looked at her when Anita finally had to shift to protect her companions. Oh, how their faces burned into her mind the next time she awoke. Fear. Shock. Disgust. Hate. Even though Odene had overcome her own surprise, Anita hated how they had all separated themselves from her the next night. She had saved them, but it had come with a price. She was an unknown, something else. The little oracle worked so hard to remind them she was perfectly fine, their friend, but none of them spoke of it. Her little ‘episode’ was just ignored, nobody ever mentioned what happened. It’s because they know you are a monster. You are nothing more but a beast to them, a demonic, cursed— Angrily, she slashed at the water with her claws, ripples obscuring and distorting the image. Covering her face with her paws, Anita sobbed, “Goddess…Why have you done this?”

“Done what?”

Gasping, she gazed up to see a grey-furred Purduane looking down at her. Henri Talen was their newest member in their group, a fairly competent ranger who joined a few weeks ago. He didn’t know much about them, but they stopped him from being captured, so the ranger was nothing if grateful and helpful. He escaped a labor camp and bore horrific scars that seemed to unnerve some of them; but Anita was used to such wounds. She could tell he had a courageous sort of character, it was very hard to endure such hardship and not break under that much physical pain. She sympathized with him, but her time spent away from others of her kind made her feel strange around Henri and just plain…awkward. She never had a problem with other males from different species, not even the flirtatious Pica, but the feline was certain it was just because her companions had not included anyone else in so long.

Wordless, Anita mentally grasped at the first excuse she could think of. “Uh, uh, well, you know…Nerka. Yes, I was lamenting over poor Kenatori, wondering….” She fumbled as she rushed through five different reasons before settling on something plausible. “—W-wondering why she corrupted him…in this way,” she gave a weary smile, hoping it would deflect his questions.

“Nerka?” he repeated, arching his brow. “The…snake lady? Why does it matter? We’ll find her, I’m not going to forget how annoying she was to face, that’s for sure. Besides, I bet Odene would just love to take out some aggression on her; she hurt Finn after all.”

“You’re right,” she readily agreed.  

“Are you certain there’s nothing else troubling you?” the ranger persisted gently, sitting down beside her. Anita’s neck fur ruffled up, heat rising to her face as her enhanced senses caught a whiff of his scent. Her hunger and sense of smell always heightened as the moon strengthened. Henri’s scent was difficult to ignore, unique blend of worn leather and chestnut, similar to the green tea he often brewed.

“I-I…”she was at a loss again. Why was she so bad at this, and now of all times? “I’m fine. Honest!” she grinned guiltily.

He laughed at the obvious lie. “Alright. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Well, if you don’t mind me pushing you into this pool,” he lifted his paws up playfully, pretending to pull her in.

“No!” Anita burst into giggles. She must be tired. “I’ve just had a long night, praying and doing incantations with Issos. I think I was just thinking too hard.”

Henri’s orange eyes seemed to pierce through her normal shield of bluffing and hiding through half-truths, but he didn’t argue. “I understand what you mean. The nights are long and sometimes you can’t help but think of things we don’t expect to or want,” he said, his gaze roaming across the sleeping centaurs. “Would you like a cup of tea? I know it’s late, but I like to have just a quick drink before I sleep.”

The oracle stood up with him, a genuine smile peeking out despite her best efforts. “Oh, thank you, I would love some. By the way, why are you up so late? You must be tired after riding back and forth to get Issos.”

They walked across to the edge of the glen, to a simple, small hammock and a collection of Henri’s possessions placed below. It appeared the ranger already had some brewing before he came to see her. He talked as he poured just enough for two. “Oh, I like to drink tea while the moon comes up. It’s best when there’s a full moon. For me…it always symbolized freedom. Gazing up at the stars watching as she comes up…I always imagined it was feminine. You just get that feeling that she’s watching, you know? I escaped at night, and I couldn’t have done it during the day. Too easy to spot. Besides, my fur blends in better in the dark,” Henri explained.

Tail flicking uneasily, she nodded.You like the moon, huh? Well, I’m sure once she actually decides to fucking talk to me again, I’ll be sure to ask her. Cause she sure as hell doesn’t like me. Anita suddenly found herself wishing even harder that she was normal. Normal enough to join him watching the moon, the full moon nonetheless. The moon was not freedom. Not for her, anyway. It meant her worst nightmare. The other that lingered inside her. The part of her that craved everything she wished she could erase. Her dark, gloomy thoughts were threatening to swarm her, as she glanced down at the cup’s contents, reflecting a perfectly normal Purduane face.

“Are you a night person too?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts. “You know, you also blend well in the dark with your fur, although your hair is a bit obvious to spot. Still, it’s better than being a morning person,” the ranger grinned, sipping carefully.  

She snickered softly, smirking back. Swiftly gulping the cup’s delicious contents, Anita pressed her body against his back as he still focused on his tea. Blushing, she hugged him and rubbed her cheekfur into his tattered crimson scarf, inhaling the scent of tea and the ranger who held it. She knew from Odene that it wasn’t necessarily the best manners to get close to people just to smell, but she hoped this one time it was okay, even if it was just for a little bit. “Thanks Henri.”

“Geez Anita,” he mumbled, as his fur burned with embarrassment. Henri gripped his cup tightly, almost dropping the precious china in surprise. “It’s just tea!”

[oracleorigins]

Hello, Anita here! Uh…again! I realize that I never told you about my friends. We used to be a pretty crowded group, but now it’s just our tiny little family, give or take some new additions.

So, there’s our main party--once bigger than it is now--consists of Pica Nuttalli, our charlatan human Rogue who wins many over with a smile. He’s always changing appearances and has almost never shown his true face, but I’m personally not fooled; I’ve seen his real self in my visions. If anyone can pull off a crazy disguise or forged document, it’s him. He has many talents, from spreading rumors, to appearing as a humble potato farmer, to being an ultimate playboy. He hasn’t dared to try his charms on us girls, but there has rarely been a night in the cities where he hasn’t gone off to ah, ahem…”roll in the hay” as the humans like to call it! Odene Therodren, our rather animated half-elf Druid, is my closest friend. She is seeking revenge for her family, and has a strong bond with her horse Finn, and owns a pet flying squirrel, Kell. There’s also Arric, a young kitsune orphan we saved from slavery! Odene spends a lot of time taking care of him (she once was pretty reluctant to have him around but they’ve truly bonded within these past months), and on lazy days, we explore the forest together--Odene has been the closest thing I have had to family in a very long time.

Those who have left us are so far are still remembered and we wish the best for them. Dunvar was a grumpy dwarf, and a very good Fighter! He could take just about any hit and shake it off with a bloodthirsty smile. He decided to stay in the rebel camp, finding a greater purpose in serving to take down enemies through a massive faction. It was hard to say goodbye, but we all understood it was for the best. Derek was a surly Gunslinger that agreed to travel with us, but he unfortunately lost his life to a strange elven tower we came across near the entrance into their territory. Nobody was particularly close to him, but his presence was missed, and he was our compatriot who stuck by us for over a year. Elanden Lathurin was our second half-elf, a quiet bookish Magus. He had a bit of a crush on our charming Pica, but he was never one to voice his opinion unless asked. A former noble, the closer we got to elven territories, the more he was antsy to return home to face his own fate after we lingered among the rebel camp for a month or so.

Our newest member is a fellow Purduane, Henri Talen , a runaway slave from an awful labor camp! My friends and I don’t know too much about him, you can see in his eyes he is haunted by something that has only just happened weeks ago--I wouldn’t want to presume to dive into something so intimate just yet. During our first encounter, I examined and healed his body to the best of my ability, but he has all these scars across his back, shoulders and arms. I cannot imagine what he must have gone through. We found out he’s a fairly powerful ranger, and so far, he’s decided to stick with us. I hope he doesn’t leave....--er, not that he would, I’m sure. Like, he’ll probably stay because he chooses to, uhhm, well, anyways, I guess that’s it! [Artwork belongs to @bluebellbluish]

[oracleorigins]

Greetings, I am Anita Polona, a Purduane living in the world of Keltara. I understand that there are others out there, in other realms, vastly different and complex than where I am. Let me tell you a little bit about myself here! I travel with a ragtag bunch of misfits traveling to discover our inner strengths and resolving conflict as best we can. As an Oracle, my job is to heal my companion’s wounds, consult fortunes and to read signs from my Goddess...ah, more on that later. Anyways, unofficially, I tend to de-escalate conflicts and urge our party into making decisions--I’ve been told I have a high charisma!

Because of my past, I tend to not like fighting very much. It always fills me with so much fear and worry over my friends when combat starts. Because of this, I often struggle with what to do first. I rarely use my scimitar or quarterstaff, my abilities are quite thankfully gifted in spellcraft. The companions aren’t too critical of my inability to do much in the way of attacking, in fact, I’ve grown so much in their presence—I’ll tell you about them later.

I knew so little of the outside world…but traveling has exposed me to human cities, elven forests, but no matter how much I walk away, the dwarven and Purduane mountains loom behind me. Thankfully, my adventures distract me from my memories, and I’ve been enjoying learning how to care for other creatures under Odene’s guidance. I currently own a curious looking raptor who I’ve named Yosh, and a little messenger dragonling named Cinder! Cinder is a bit smarter than your average animal—I suppose that’s why I gravitated towards him, since he’s a little bit like me. Sometimes he will sign his name Cynder, so I guess it’s really up to whoever is writing on that. He’s pretty stubborn when he wants to be.

My faith is not as strong as your typical religious figure...but I am still struggling as I walk the chosen pawsteps towards my future. My magick all derives from her after all, even if I have some doubts as to why I am even gifted with them in the first place. In my meditations, I know that this is more than just a game, but I always catch odd glimpses of shadowy figures that seem to be of other worlds…But don’t let that worry you!  Please join me as I delve into my deepest memories, experiences, and enjoy the wondrous world that all of Keltara has to offer! I pray that all is well with you, fellow Keltarans

[Mod: This is Anita’s first entry, further on will be an amalgamation of plot exerpts, OC personal posts and artwork of a Pathfinder D&D campaign I’ve been participating in for almost two years]