Private Verd'goten of Mairéad Solus

[Mairéad Solus]

Location; Somewhere near Ruug Kelbab on Vanquo
Objectives: Find Ruug Kelbab, tame a beast and return to Darasuum Yaim
Tags:

Spoiler: Equipment:

Crude fire starting equipment
Water bottle
1 day of trail rations
Climbing pitons
Rope
Compass
Kukri

Spoiler: FAO Solus House

This is a private mission for Mairéads own coming of age, but you are all invited to post reasonable obstacles for her to come across as she progresses her story.

It had been eight months now since her friend Stardust Solus Skirae and her Alor Cynthia Solus had plucked her out of deep space, badly injured and alone. The wounds from her emergency surgery had healed beautifully and she was herself again, but she was more than she was before she finally had friends and allies around her. The House Solus and the Family had welcomed her with open arms and she finally felt like she had a place in the universe. Humorously though, according to Mandalorian tradition, at 26 years old, or there abouts, she still wasn't sure, she was still a child. But this mission would be to change that. Her request to fade the Verd'goten had been accepted and she had been given her task.

"Find a way into Ruug Kelbab, and tame one of its beasts" a very basic and deceptively simple pair of instructions to follow, but it would be a challenge, if it wasn't, then she wouldn't deserve to call herself a full vod.

The shuttle craft landed heavily in a clearing surrounded by tall trees. They were far into the mountains and winter snow lightly dusted the ground. Mairéad was off of the shuttle and "honorably dumped" in the wilderness with nothing but the most meager of equipment and supplies. She had dressed lightly, not bothered by the cold due to her nature, but wore a light cloak for comfort against the wind. She watched shielded her eyes and watched as the shuttle ascended back into the white sky and moments later there was nothing but her and the light breeze in the trees. She paused for a moment to feel the wind on her face and breathed out, feeling nervous but also at peace with who she was.

The entrance to the caverns was meant to be to the north of her location, but she didn't know exactly how far, or what she would encounter along the way. She checked her compass and, turned to the right direction and disappeared into the forest. The trees were tall pine trees and there was very little vegetation on the ground between them, so this part of the trek would likely be easy going. Mairéad gently hummed an old tune she knew as she walked between the trunks, before it got dark she needed to get some food, her trail ration pack we available but was only for emergencies, she needed to survive off the land. Kneeling she saw little dark round spherical droppings in the snow, still glossy with freshness, that implied there was some form of rabbit about here, so that would be her dinner if she could catch one. Reaching in to the force she tried to feel where she might find the burrow and made a slight detour off her route to hunt.

Hunting was easy for the woman, as a starving slave she had very early on in her life learned to catch rodents though sheer determination. Now with her force powers and adult knowledge it almost felt unfair and she quickly had a brace of plump rabbits and some berries she had found growing near the burrow. She would keep walking until dusk and the set up camp and prepare her meal.

 

[Mairéad Solus]

Location; Somewhere near Ruug Kelbab on Vanquo
Objectives: Find Ruug Kelbab, tame a beast and return to Darasuum Yaim
Tags:

Spoiler: Equipment:

Crude fire starting equipment
Water bottle
1 day of trail rations
Climbing pitons
Rope
Compass
Kukri

Spoiler: FAO Solus House

This is a private mission for Mairéads own coming of age, but you are all invited to post reasonable obstacles for her to come across as she progresses her story.

Mairéad sat on a downed tree trunk chewing on the last of the meat she had cookes from her capture in the day. The rest of the meat was cut up into strips and wrapped up in her pack. She watched the fire as it began to die down and it cast a red glow on the woman and the trees around her. It was an advantage she had, needing the fire only cooking and not for warmth.

As she finished she lifted herself into a tree she had scouted out earlier, high enough to keep her safe from scavengers. She tucked tightly into the branches and started to go to sleep. It was only am hour or two before she was woken again. Scraping and growling down on the ground, something had her scent. "Chit!" she said to herself as she opened her eyes and looked at the creature below her. It looked infinitely more scary with the dull red from the weak fire illuminating it, it was a Scriosar, she had been warned about these, savage and relentless, she would need to deal with it or there would be no sleep tonight, if it didn't claw its way up the tree and get her anyway.

Mairéad pulled out her kukri and got into a crouch position, "3...2...1..." the woman lept from the tree and landed behind the creature, rapidly spinning and hoping to deal a crippling blow before it could react. She had no such luck and it lunched towards her with monstrous speed, it's claws attempting to rend her skin. It missed, this time, and Mai was able to counter with a slash at its thigh, giving it pause for thought about the meal it had chosen.

Mairéad raised the blade in front of her ready for its next attack and twisted as it tried to grab for her, cutting at its chest, the creature was bleeding but not don't yet as it very rapidly turned and snarled at her, its blood dripped where it stood. It growled again and jumped for the young woman. This time her instinct told her what to do, and she followed it the way her mentor Stardust Solus Skirae had told her to always do. With her free hand she punched hard at the chest of the beast. It felt like punching a rock as the force flowed through her and instantly a shard of ice firmed from the flesh and bone of her attacker, striking through the body and protruding with a ruddy red spike of frozen blood from it spine. The monster didn't even yelp as it fell down to the ground with its hard not only punctured, but also frozen as part of the shard.

Mairéad allowed herself a few moments to breath and cracked her knuckles to release the cold in them. She didn't have long before more scavengers appeared, so she set to work. She wouldn't waste this kill. She stripped the fur into rolls. She took the useful meat and stored it in her pack. And finally, gruesomely, she removed the musk sack from her victim and sprayed it around the base of the tree she intended to sleep in. It stank to he'll and back, but it should keep away any other curious predators.

That night Mairéad slept well, her belly full and with the carcass nearby a warning to others. She could have sword she heard the crunching of bone in the night, but it was not hers so she slept. But in the morning, the dead Scriosar was gone.

Mairéad regained her bearing and set on her way, the early start should have her at the first archway by noon.

 

[Mairéad Solus]

Location; Somewhere near Ruug Kelbab on Vanquo
Objectives: Find Ruug Kelbab, tame a beast and return to Darasuum Yaim
Tags:

Spoiler: Equipment:

Crude fire starting equipment
Water bottle
1 day of trail rations
Climbing pitons
Rope
Compass
Kukri

Spoiler: FAO Solus House

This is a private mission for Mairéads own coming of age, but you are all invited to post reasonable obstacles for her to come across as she progresses her story.

Although the ground was uneven and the climb was beginning to get steeper, Mairéad made good progress through the morning and shortly before noon she saw the archway rising out above a copse of trees, this was the start of her route to Ruug Kelbab, the archway was carved with old runes, maybe made by now long dead mandalorians all on their own quests. She pulled her collar up to avoid the wind and continued her walk, the next arch was in sight of her, but it was on the next ridge, across steep valley. Mairéad carefully made her way down into the ravine, despite the cool air above it was hot and humid down her and biting insects were plenty. Mairéad breathed gently as she focused her energies, cooling herself for comfort, and a sheen of ice on her skin kept the insects at bay for the most part.

"Melarune? Here?" she enquired to herself as she spotted what looked like a tropical fruit tree over hanging the river at the bottom of the ravine, reaching up she hacked at a limb with her Kukri before examining the fruit. Not Melarune, but such a similar plant, and it smelled good, the flies seemed to agree too. She chopped out a slice and began to eat it. It was so sweet and sticky it felt more like candy than fruit, but it filled her belly and brightened her day. To quench her thirst she reached out and shard of pure ice floated out of the river and towards her outstretched hand,she allowed it to melt into her mouth before using the remnants to clean herself. No sense in attracting more insects after all.

The river was relatively easy to cross, it was a dozen or so metres wide but quite shallow. Mairéad found some bark to used as a raft before stripping off to her skin and settling her gear on the flotation device. The water was very pleasant on her bare skin and she lingered a little in the centre to enjoy the peace. She didn't have long as she needed to reach the next arch by nightfall.

Her relaxation was interrupted by noises at the side of the river, she flinched round, almost pushing her belongings into the water but managed to hold them. It was a small white canine creature drinking from the water and eyeing her were suspiscion, there was a chance it had never seem a human, and it fled before she could approach, she needed to remember how wild this place was an not let her guard down too far. Grabbing her stuff, she paddled out, allowed herself a few minutes to dry and dress, then pressed onwards up the steep incline until she was eventually back in the cold mountain air and staring up at the next large archway above her.

 

[Mairéad Solus]

Location; Somewhere near Ruug Kelbab on Vanquo
Objectives: Find Ruug Kelbab, tame a beast and return to Darasuum Yaim
Tags:

Spoiler: Equipment:

Crude fire starting equipment
Water bottle
1 day of trail rations
Climbing pitons
Rope
Compass
Kukri

Spoiler: FAO Solus House

This is a private mission for Mairéads own coming of age, but you are all invited to post reasonable obstacles for her to come across as she progresses her story.

On the second night Mairéad found shelter in a small cave on the leeward side of the arch, there was no evidence of animal habitation which was good. It was cold and exposed up here, if Mairéad wasn't who she was then the cold would be intolerable for her too, but fortunately it would simply serve to keep the predators away for a night.

She pulled out the meat she had wrapped up from the night before and began to eat. She sat on the edge of the cave and watched the sun setting in the distance she tried to spot Ruug Kelbab, the row of arches growing towards the mountains was the clear path. "Is that?" she said to herself as she saw a massive winged creature perched above one of the next arches stretching and reaching up to the moon. It was a dragon, a large one, and the first one she had seen on her verd'goten. The gigantic creature reared its neck and a small gout of flame lit up the sky before it flew into the air off on the hunt. Mairéad slept well that night, knowing that one of the beautiful beasts was nearby, no Solus should fear the dragon, that is what she had been told, but there was just a little part of her concerned with becoming a meal.

By dawn the creature was gone and the Ice witch was able to continue, she slid down the edge of the arch and onto the frosty grass. A wind had picked up and ominous clouds filled the horizon, she may have to deal with a storm today, that was not ideal. Her goal was two arches today, maybe 15 miles of rough terrain. She had better move.