Mealverse/Clayspines
Hello and welcome to the second installment of Metis's Focal Voyages, starring me, your adorable host and decorated explorer, Metis of Vetteswoods. Together, you and I are going to travel to the farthest edges of Llokin civilization, from the crimson willows of Zsungsgarden to the evergreen jungles of Rockthorn. There will be much to see, learn, and most importantly, eat - so strap in for the voyage ahead.
In today's episode, we weave between the looming canyons of the Clayspines, the sister lands to Clearstone and the site of some of the prettiest geography in the Caldera.
History
After the trauma of my visit to Clearstone, I've awoken from the last installment of this series as a new person - I think literally, given that I found myself gasping for air in a pool of blood and sinew at the exact second the rotation began, without any memory of how I got there or who I was. I checked my reflection in the lake and I looked the same as I remember, but something is definitely different. My recollection of my past and what happened in Clearstone are just hazy memories... I remember it being very hot, and someone offering me a pretty glass ornament. Or something like that.
I decided to take Kirii along with me on my adventures this time. I do remember him, and that we are good friends, so I set out to find him once I had cleaned myself off and gotten something to eat. Following a trail of hasty footprints and starfruit stems, I found him stuck in a firebark trying to reach a toy or something he had accidentally thrown up into its branches. Apparently, his only fear in the world is that of heights, as he refused to climb back down the tree, screaming that he'd hurt himself if he accidentally fell. Wanting to expedite his mental breakdown I threw a rock up at him, apparently with impeccable aim as it caused him to freak out, lose his balance, and fall nearly 30 feet to the ground. He ended up landing directly on his arm, hyperextending it 270 degrees backwards until bone was poking out from his now orthogonal elbow. We shared a tender, 30 minute long hug as he bled out from his mangled arm until he dropped to the leafy forest floor cold and dead.
I wasn't particularly pleased with the fact that I had just killed my friend, and as such a little raincloud followed over my head for the few hours after murdering him. But, I was able to get over it relatively quickly. Once I collected myself I stole a sledgehammer from a groundskeeper and removed his horns, looping them through a band to wear as a necklace. As the rotation came to noon I also considered giving him a quick burial, but I was kind of hungry from the effort of smashing his head into pieces with the sledgehammer and I didn't feel like stealing a shovel, so instead I just got myself lunch and set off for the Clayspines.
Unforuntately, in order to reach the Clayspines through Vetteswoods, you have to pass through at least one Rockbiter territory, since it's sealed on all sides by other tribes. Unless, of course, you pass on the East side of the Isletongue, over the Terminator, all the way West towards the Glaciercreek, and then back into the Clayspines. That would involve maybe a rotation or two of constant travel on the other side of the Terminator, but it would allow me to avoid having to pass through any other Rockbiter territories - so I decided to give it a shot.
Geography
Of course, I didn't have the supplies to do this - I'd need some way to survive the cold and sustain myself for the entire long journey, and remember, I had just awoken from a pustule of gore in the middle of the woods, killed my only friend, and didn't remember if I even had any family. I decided to walk through the Isles and towards Kallisland anyway, despite not knowing what I'd actually do when I got there.
Just before passing the short ferry ride into Kallisland, I spotted a vagrant Rockbiter merchant bartering with a group of Sunkissed by the water. There was a veritable treasure trove of foods and medicines and trinkets on her back, and in pouches strapped to her sides, and in pockets on her robes - no doubt making some successful business here. I could tell she had more than enough to get me to the Clayspines. So I approached, looking determined, prepared to out-barter everyone she was talking to for her things.
Negotiations went extremely well for me - I was able to trade my sledgehammer for her face, which granted me possession of the rest of her items, and caused her other customers to forfeit their right to be present. After suiting up with her gear, however, I realized I'd made something of a mistake executing this transaction out in the open in broad daylight, as the ferryman who was preparing to take me over the marsh was displeased with my behavior and began threatening me with an axe if I came close to him.
Of course, as I was now suited up like a living kitchen and carrying probably 20 pounds of crap all across my body, there was no way I was wading or swimming through that marsh. So I decided to approach the axe-wielding maniac anyway. I tried threatening his family if he didn't give me a ride at no cost immediately, but he remained undeterred, perhaps calling my bluff that I cared enough to find out who this person's loved ones were. Then I tried threatening to torture him, but he remained unpersuaded. Growing frustrated at the realization I may not be able to convince this stubborn asshole to do anything for me, and that the longer I stayed here the more I risked an angry mob showing up to enact justice on me for what I had just done, I stuffed a rag into a bottle of firebark I was carrying, lit it, and tossed it into a little building off the harbor from which the weavings of his trade hung. That caused his eyes to go wide and give up his defense of the ferry, and I was able to make off with it to Kallisland myself, his screaming fading into the distance as I passed the marsh.
I don't know if Kallisland technically counts as Sunkissed territory, so I wasn't sure if somebody would be waiting for me on the other side of the ferry to hold me accountable for the arson I had just clearly committed, or if they simply weren't going to care and I could just high five everyone and pass them by. Unfortunately I set foot in Kallisland with an entire legion of archers trained to my position, definitely noticing the smoke and burning building just across the marsh and the frankly suspicious amount of valuables I was carrying on my person. Being very familiar with the Sunkissed custom of shooting first and asking questions later, I made the heartbreaking split-second decision to offer all of my ill-gotten gains to the harbor captain in return for them not taking my life. It turns out she was extremely easy to bribe, and I shed tears as my wares were looted from my body as they held me at axe point.
Once I had been almost entirely pillaged of my goods, the captain asked me if I really was the one responsible for burning down the harbor across the marsh and murdering the vagrant merchant that had just passed through here. When I answered no, I discovered I was exceptionally bad at lying, as she selfishly ordered me to be executed for my crimes despite upholding my end of the agreement to provide her all of my things. I quickly bargained that I would be willing to enter her servitude for life, but the heartless monster simply responded telling me to say hello to Dejil for her, so I had to improvize. Wiggling like a snake with all of my strength, I managed to escape the grasp of the captain's men just before the their axe was brought upon my neck. Sensing that the archers behind me were about to fire, I stood still as a statue for a moment, baiting their fire, then quickly ducked with exceptionally lucky timing, causing the archers' arrows to miss and impale the executioner through the mouth. Capitalizing on the ensuing chaos, I ran to the archers and began to beat the shit out of one of them, tackling her to the ground and serving her a full course of knuckle sandwich with a side of kill sauce. The captain herself was rushing towards me now with her own dagger firmly in her right hand, but I disarmed her with a swipe of my tail, causing her arm to swing upward and the knife to somersault straight into the air. She fell flat on her back, and her knife twirled for a bit before finishing its performance by embedding itself directly into her skull, relieving her body of its soul in an instant. I returned to smashing the fucking shit out of the archer on the ground until her throat was flooded with blood and she finally stopped struggling.
Once peace had returned to the harbor and the sound of rushing waves found my ears again, I noticed the rest of the captain's entourage had not stayed to give me a standing ovation for the incredible show. They'd apparently abandoned the entertainment and fled off somewhere, though of course I didn't catch exactly where. Hoping they wouldn't come back and try anything stupid again, I gathered all of my wares back onto my body and headed at last for the Terminator.
Politics and government
With everyone finally off my ass, I was able to travel somewhat peacefully through the rest of Kallisland. It was a long but thankfully uneventful walk to the Terminator, which gave me time to think about my strategy for passing through the wastes beyond. Namely, that I didn't have one, since despite that I had more than enough food and water to make the trek several times over, I still had no means of staying warm.
Honestly, Kallisland was a sort of sad place. A few meager farms, some run down houses, a lot of people wearing tattered clothes and looking very tired. I was getting a lot of very suspicious looks as I moved around the towns towards the north, possibly because of my blood-soaked clothes and fists and possibly because I looked as if I had stolen the entire inventory of a wealthy bakery. I figured that I needed to justify my presence here immediately, lest someone come looking for Captain Wonder and her three stooges and decide to take matters into their own hands.
I needed some kind of explanation for why I was hauling around a week's worth of supplies and valuables, and since I had just uncovered I have a child's aptitude for lying, I decided to embrace a lie by omission, stopping by a few people and telling them that I was a traveler embarking on an expedition to the Terminator. Unfortunately, the first person I told this to immediately threw out their suspicion for sparkly-eyed wonder, asking if I was a "Starseeker" like the ones in Clearstone that apparently Meazs adventures with. Initially I tried to play them out by acting coy about it and implying it was too dangerous for them to come along - but their enthusiasm did give me an idea for solving my remaining problems, so I decided to let them aboard. They asked me how I planned to stay warm in the snow, and I just said I was putting together the preparations.
Before I knew it my reputation as the "snowy trailseeker" had gotten ahead of me, and word traveled so fast of my prospective journey that I had a posse of about eight people following me within the hour. That was probably enough for my purposes, but that didn't stop more people from coming by and asking if they could tag along. I had a feeling that the poor souls were just so hungry that they were jumping at any opportunity to have somebody else feed them for a couple rotations. Now I of course had more than enough food to provide for all of them, but I figured I should plan conservatively just in case the journey took longer than I thought, so I elected to keep it all to myself for now, despite their pleas.
We climbed up the foothills and passed the Terminator within the next few hours. Morale among the group had really tanked at this point, since we had been walking for a very long time, it was staring to get really cold, and nobody but myself had eaten yet. I kept them around by assuring they'd get food once we set up a bonfire and a camp - my plan was going to need as many of them as possible to stay near me, and thankfully we had already walked so far that leaving to go home was not exactly an option. A feeling of dread was definitely setting in as it began to slowly wash over them the realization of what they had gotten themselves into and that they hadn't even said goodbye to their families before coming with me. They were completely in my grasp.
Finally, our feet touching snow for the first time, I set up a fire for us, which was precariously - and intentionally - close to the dark forests of the post-Terminator wilderness. My subjects were really starting to get angry at this point, doubting my ability to lead the expedition at all and demanding I make good on my promise to feed them. Realizing I had unintentionally charmed them into thinking I knew what I was doing gave me a dramatic ego boost, enough of an injection to my spirit to move on to the final phase of my plan.
Economy
I singled out each of them by name, tersely and loudly demanding they follow me. I felt the attitude of our "camp" instantly shudder from angry and upset to veritably horrified. Leaving our fire behind, I began to trek aimlessly into the woods, and with the ferocity of my eyes I threatened their lives if they did not follow. They did. Some of them began to cry.
Feeling the temperature of my core dropping quickly and the frost of the snow begin to overtake my soul I plunged ever deeper into the depths, and my group wordlessly followed, muttering prayers under their breaths that the Gods would deliver them from this alive. Then my shaking mouth curled into a smile as I heard the pounding feet and snarling growl of an arbeast. In the inky darkness I knew not how close it was, until its warm breath hit my neck, and its growling came just inches from my ears. I began to back up slowly. I heard it pacing towards me, pacing, pacing, the rest of my group backing up as well, until one of them tried to run -
And then I grabbed him by the tail, and swung him into the darkness towards the growls of the beast. The arbeast roared, ringing my ears, shooting adrenaline through my veins, as it opened its toothy jaw and ripped into his soft flesh, tearing him open and swinging his entrails into the voidly forest.
The rest of the doomed in my posse tried to scatter. I reached for them, running to catch up, grasping at their legs to trip them or for their tails and arms to throw them backwards. A whole pack of arbeasts was now upon us, and each that swung their tusks for me, I offered to them one of my fellow explorers, listening to each's screams grow desperate, wailing, and then fall strained and silent as they were disemboweled and eaten alive.
I'm not sure if anybody escaped. But once I had either lost or killed the rest of them, my body began to give up. The cold had fully overtaken me, and I felt the adrenaline lose its grasp over me and drain me of my strength. My muscles seized, my head grew numb, and I dropped to my knees to hug the snow as the pack descended now upon me.
They sat around me - perhaps debating if they should kill me or not - before resolving at last that I had made an acceptable contribution. Three of them inched closer to me and began to curl me in their soft, warm fur. I crawled closer, greedily absorbing their warmth, until feelings finally returned to my limbs and my head.
For over two rotations I traveled with the pack towards the Clayspines. We kept moving and they kept me warm. I shared my food with them to retain their fealty as we braved the icy, lightless depths of the world beyond. I was with them as I slept, as I ate, and as we prayed. I don't know who the arbeasts prayed to... but they did.
Until at last, I peered from the forests and saw the canyons of Clayspines begin to rise from the snow of the forest. I tenderly wished the beasts of the frozen worlds farewell, and told them I would see them again soon. They shook their heads in agreement, their pointy ears bobbing up and down as they returned to the depths.
Demographics
The Clayspines were alright. Decently pretty, good food. Nice people. It was fun.
Join us in the next episode, where we'll visit Rockthorn, and explore the rich history and culture of this shared Rockbiter and Sunkissed land!