Bird Is The Word

It's a chilly evening in Alexandria. The autumn air is crisp and clean, the stars and full moon shine brightly overhead in between the occasional ink-spill of dark clouds in the dark blue sky, and...

There's an awful lot of somewhat large dark-colored birds in the Memorial Gardens. Why there specifically? Nobody knows. But they're making an awful lot of racket. A bunch of them are in the trees. A bunch of them are in the grass, pecking at sticks, bugs, shiny stones, and everything else in between.

One bird even picks up a little stick in their talons, flops to the ground, and rolls around in the grass with it. It's kind of adorable.

But surely there's a reason why they're all here, making so much racket... Right?

The weather has cooled swiftly, surprisingly so, but it doesn't stop Telamon or Cor'lana from going out and about, especially now in the evenings when there are fewer people, fewer whispers behind hands. Tel is dressed in a new tunic -- a dark-colored tunic that shifts between violet and dark blue depending on where you stand -- as well as cream-colored wool trousers and his boots. A light cloak slung around his shoulders, and Cor'lana's hand tucked into the crook of his arm gallantly.

"It's too nice of a night to stay in," he's saying to his wife, as they walk into the Gardens. "I think a walk around the gardens will do both of us a world of good and..." His voice trails off as he picks up on the racket. And then he sees the birds. And he pauses, looking at Lana before looking at the birds again. "Um," he starts, then stops, then says, "...I didn't plan for this."

A rust red and white feathered Egalrin woman had been taking a snooze on one of the many park benches, a large lunch with friends caught her with a massive need for a massive nap.

The racket didn't rouse Slixvah, her clad in violet and cyan robes with wings pulled around her like a blanket. No. What woke her was a tiny, white plumed thrush, pecking at her beak. "Wake up," they demand in a tinny voice.

Slix's eyes blearily flutter open. "Bwuh... did the fam come down?"

"No. Your raucous family is not this murder. I cannot sleep. They are too loud."

"... then... fly away?" Slix, confused, rubs her eyes.

"No. I must stay. They are /wrong."

The Goblin walks along slowly, distracted by the notebook in hand. Her bare hand holds tightly to a pencil, which wiggles back and forth across the page. The cacophony of birds had drawn her here, and now she was sketching the scene. Pushing up the pince-nez on her nose, Simony talks as she sketches and writes. "Why are all of these birds here all of a sudden?", she wonders aloud. "Are they migrating and just pausing here for a rest? Logical, it is warm and relatively safe. Plenty of crumbs and scraps and bugs to eat..."

She squints at the scene around her. "Still, most unusually. And they seem... large."

Slixvah is half-sketched into the scene before the Goblin realizes whom it is. "Slix?", she whispers, "Why're you sleeping out here? Have you seen all the birds?"

Cor'lana's walking with Telamon, dressed in a long violet cloak that hides most of her figure. After all, she has to maintain a certain... facade. At least for a little while. But she looks just as puzzled when she and Telamon step into a noisy din of birds.

"Oh. That's an awful lot of birds," she ponders. "Good thing we left Pothy at home with Grandfather. Otherwise he might be attacking them."

She looks over at Simony and Slixvah and waves to them. "Hello!" she greets with a smile. "Are we--"

"MERP." The sound comes from one of the large birds, flying from the trees and descending down in front of Telamon and Cor'lana. It looks up at them expectantly with big brown eyes.

"MERP." There comes another that lands down at Simony's feet. Also looking at Simony with eyes that expect... something.

In the background, the rest of the birds continue to talk. And talk. And talk. And talk. About _something._ Who knows what.

"He is so weirdly territorial sometimes. I mean, I get it when food's involved, but sometimes I swear he thinks he's a lion, not a raven." Telamon smiles at Slixvah and Simony. "Hey you two, out enjoying a night that isn't suffocating?" He offers a wave, and then...

Merp? Telamon blinks at the large bird that's just approached them. "Er... hello there, little friend! Have we met on the far side of strangeness? Or are you just here for the warmth of the gardens?" He seems a little nonplussed at being accosted this way, though something in his face suggests it's not the first time.

Slix catches others coming into the gardens as she gets herself to a sitting position, her sleepily waving to the others. "I uh, I see 'em now. Hello friends! I'm doin' alright, until now," she yawns, eyeing Cor'lana's attire.

She looks over at the large birds, scratching her head. "Uh... I have no clue what they want-"

"No," Fiadh chirps, adamant, staring at a gaggle of them.

Slix blinks at Fiadh. "... what? Can you understand them?"

"Yes."

"... you didn't tell me?!"

"You never asked."

"What are they saying?" Slix cocks her head to the side.

"I cannot believe there is more than one of that miscreant," Fiadh tuts.

The Goblin giggles as the sleepy Slixvah, and carefully folds the sketch up, secreting it away in her small pouch, with the notebook and pencil quickly following.

She offers a wave to Cor'lana and Telamon, "Hello.", she whispers cheerfully. "Have you seen all these b... EEEEEEK!" The Goblin startles at the sudden appearance of a large bird in front of her. Taking a few wary steps back, she moves to stand next to Slixvah. "What... do they want?"

Carver might be breaking the law, but as she has not been caught and sent to jail, it is on the grounds of ignorance that she avoids the ground by riding astride her steed; whose proud gait halters at the sight of so many birds. "Whassit?" Carver's head pokes up and over, squinting at the delay.

"Huh." She clicks tongue to teeth, slowly approaching the knot of people all pondering the strange sightings. "Oi, somebody murder the bread man?"

Cor'lana can't really help it. She's been around so many birds in her life, especially friendly ones, that she's fond of the ones that approach her. She kneels down before the raven that approaches, grinning. "Hello, bird-friend," she greets the raven. Then, experimentally, she tries: "Do you speak the language of my noble ancestor?" <Sylvan>

She pairs that question by tentatively holding out her hand to the bird. "Do you want... pets?"

The bird in front of Cor'lana and Telamon stares blankly at Cor'lana for a moment. Then it preens its feathers briefly before taking flight and landing on Telamon's shoulder. Thankfully, raven talons are not very sharp at all. "Graaaaaah," the bird says. Very helpfully. Completely ignoring Telamon's wife's presence.

The bird in front of Simony seems completely undeterred by Simony walking away. It follows in that funky little way that ravens walk, more like a hop or a strut than a walk. It stops just short of Simony before croaking at Simony and Slixvah both. Fiadh, for the moment, is ignored.

Carver gets a visitor, too. Another raven flaps over from the trees and lands in front of the woman. Staring at her. Judging her for her crimes--

"Merp."

The sentence has been rendered (maybe): merp.

GAME: Telamon rolls knowledge/nature+4: (8)+21+4: 33

<OOC> Riptide says, "Anyone may if they'd like!"

GAME: Slixvah rolls knowledge/nature: (3)+9: 12

GAME: Simony rolls knowledge/nature: (7)+8: 15

GAME: Carver rolls Knowledge/nature: (4)+8: 12

Telamon blinks as the raven immediately vaults onto his shoulder. "Well, it's nice to meet you. Hmmm." He looks at Lana, pondering. "It's a little late. Where do we get enough bread for this many ravens? I mean, we have a couple options here but they seem a little excessive, like the proverbial giant's hammer on a short nail."

He reaches up to pet the raven on his shoulder. "Or are you looking for something else, friend? It IS a trifle late in the evening for stealing sparklies."

Slixvah shakes her head one last time, sloughing off the sleepy. That, and the startled noises from Simony. A hand rests on Simony's shoulder as she approaches. "I... don't know? It wouldn't surprise me if there /was/ a murdered bread man."

She looks bemused at Lana. "Lana, I know you be snortin' lavender, but they's probably /just/ birds. Take it from me: a bird."

Fiadh squints at the large bird before them. A small wing waves them away. "Shoo. Begone," they twitter. "A thousand millennia of compiled intuition, and not an iota of a second lent for respect!"

Slix squints at her familiar. ".. why do you have such beef with these corvids."

"I had a verbal quarrel with one a long time ago. And they were /wrong/."

Slix, however, is already attempting to pet the raven. "What was that?"

"... I regret this pact."

The Goblin swallows noisily. "A murdered bread man?" She glances around nervously. Sighing gently, she reaches into her little pouch once more, pulling out a peanut and offering it to the raven. "All I have.", she says softly, "Quickly before your friends notice."

Simony giggles then, "Finally waking up?"

She glances over at Telamon and Cor'lana. "Why are they making such a strange noise? Caw caw caw is the sort of call I was expecting from them. But merp? Seems odd."

The Gobbo waves at Carver. "Don't know, do you see any murdered people over your way?"

Lambchop's ears fold back when the raven lands on her head, unsure. Scared even. Wartrained she might be, but such creatures are not to be trusted. Carver gives the bird a wary glance, lifts a hand as if to forcefully shoo it away, then considers the great crowd. She can't know their mood, especially when they are themselves such displaying such strange behavior.

"Didn't see any dead, or any signs... 'ey, look, bird can you go away? Shoo. Shooooooo."

Cor'lana _pouts_ at being ignored by the raven. She stands up and looks at Telamon. "Must prefer pretty gentlemen," she mutters.

She turns to Slixvah, still pouting. "Yeah. They seem to be just birds. They'd look a little different if they were messengers from Grandfather or Grandfather's people."

The sorceress looks thoughtful. "Does anyone know how to conjure food?" she asks, before she reaches for something underneath her cloak and begins to distribute... an awful lot of shelled peanuts. One must always be prepared for a Pothy-appetite.

The raven goes away when Carver shoos it--except only briefly. It hops off Lambchop and instead peers into the souls of the horse and Carver herself. Judging. Weighing the weight of their sins.

"Merp." Conclusion: merp sins.

The raven Slixvah reaches for, surprisingly, accepts pets, as does the raven on Telamon's shoulder. But the moment that Cor'lana starts throwing out shelled peanuts, all hell breaks loose. The entire flock of ravens descends down around Telamon and Cor'lana, croaking and pleading to get the next toss of legumes. After all, they're growing young ravens!

"Well, now you've done it, love," Telamon quips as suddenly they are swarmed by ravens. Hurriedly, he reaches into his haversack, pulling out a sack. "Looks like it's a feeding frenzy. Hopefully they'll remember their friends later."

He makes a face as he opens his sack. "Hell of a way to dispose of biltong though." With that, he begins pulling out strips of dried meat, tearing them into smaller chunks and tossing them to keep the pressure off Lana. "Funny thing, that's how they actually sound," he tells Simony. "I remember when Pothy approached me the first time, and aside from 'give tribute', he did that croak as well."

GAME: Simony casts Create Food And Water. Caster Level: 7 DC: 16

Slixvah just pats Fiadh as they get grumpy, her giving the raven little scritches under the chin. "Yuh. I was dead asleep. This is typical raven calls, tho, Simony."

"Shame, no free bread," Slix chuckles before shaking her head at Lana. "Naw. I don't. Not yet anyways."

She blinks at the handful of peanuts. "... wait no don't--" And then the frenzy happens! Slix squawks, shielding herself with a wing as the flurry whips past.

"Look at them!" Fiadh gestures with a wing at the feeding frenzy. "All that prose and myth. Reduced to /this./"

Slixvah ignores the familiar, her eyes wide at telamon. "No--! Not the biltong!" Seems like it too is her favorite snack.

Simony quickly drops the peanut at the bird's feet. She inhales and exhales, and her small holy symbol lights up with a pale white light as she beings a prayer, beseeching the Raven for a bounty of food. Several minutes go by as she prays, her fingers tracing unseen symbols in the air. Her holy symbol flashes brightly, and before the Gobbo is a veritable PILE of unshelled peanuts, along with several bowls of fresh water.

"I uhm... have never conjured up food for birds before.", she says softly, "I hope that's enough."

She cants her head slightly to one side. "Is it a good idea to feed them biltong? And I truly did not know they made that noise. Neat! I guess I am also slightly biased due to knowing Pothy."

"Gives me the creeps," Carver says, which is her standing out from the rest of the crowd. "Only seen this many when things are wrong, when stiffs a-plenty an' now that'ne is starin' me down like I'm next. Too smart by half." She pats Lambchop to assure that, hey everything will be a-ok, before finally slipping off to the side with a thump of boots to earth.

She watches Simony at work, nodding. "Generous. I think? I guess I don't really know how the whole conjuring food thing works. You like takin' it from your god's banquet table?"

Cor'lana does her very best to remain calm in the face of a corvid catastrophe--or so it feels when there's suddenly a cacophony of hungry raven merps and beaks surrounding her. "It ought to be!" she tells Simony. "I mean, they'll eat anything they can get their beaks on!"

One raven is a little too eager and clings to Cor'lana's finger as she goes to throw out peanuts. Hanging off of it for a moment in a way that suggests maybe it's more interested in play than food. An odd bird to be certain!

Thankfully, Telamon and Simony's offerings have a slight mollifying effect on the ravens, or at the very least takes some of the heat off of Cor'lana. In particular, Simony's conjured food appears to satiate the ravens that come to feed, as they come to dine and then fly a little distance away, just preening their feathers and enjoying themselves.

One of the ravens that Simony's food has satisfied looks at Fiadh right in the eyes. "Fuck you," it says in a mimicked voice.

Telamon watches Simony conjure up a feast of peanuts, and boggles a bit. "Well... that's a good solution there. Nice work!" He chuckles at Carver. "I think Navos won't mind contributing. I know Ni'essa wouldn't." Tel grins at Simony. "My next option was to drop a magnificent mansion and herd them all into it... which would've been interesting, to put it mildly."

He gives Lana a squeeze, and blinks as one raven looks Fiadh in the eye and... curses at the familiar. "Goodness, how rude." He shakes his head. "And that's why we try to watch our language around Pothy."

Slixvah blinks as a massive amount of peanuts are blessed into existence. She laughs, reaching down to scoop up some peanuts for herself. "I mean, yeah, I getcha Carver. Bit ominous fo' sho'."

She snorts at Telamon. "Oh gods. What a sight that would be! But yuh, methinks most are aight wit' it."

Fiadh's tiny beak drops. Slix's beak drops. Then the familiar's master breaks into boisterous laughter. Fiadh's tinny voice tweets loudly and angrily. "Excuse me? All that baying and prattle of begging to be fed can't give you the energy to come up with a web articulated retort? Huh? You're one peanut short of a full bag, and that misplaced one is the sad excuse you call your brain!"

Simony's eyebrows spring up at the raven swearing, and she doubles over, laughing uproariously. She sighs a little later, and looks over at Fiadh... and bursts into giggles all over again. Holding her sides, she straightens up to stare at Telamon. "Do you think they're house trained? If not... you're going to have a magical messy house after."

Another giggle is had, while she offers the murder of ravens a deep bow from the waist. "You are welcome, feathered friends. Navos sends his compliments!"

The Gobbo nods to Cor'lana then, "I hope it's okay, guess we'll find out. As long as they're not like dogs, who will eat anything, including things they shouldn't, like chocolate."

Carver's question causes Simony to shrug, her expression one of curiosity. "I don't know? It's likely it just springs into being, made of magic itself, born of faith and prayer. But perhaps Navos has a giant table full of peanuts for just such an occasion?" She shrugs lightly, and then stares at Fiadh. "Excellent comeback. I am sure they feel they have been put in their place, fat and happy, full of peanut."

"I'm so glad you don't talk," Carver says to her faithful companion, and indeed, the affection seems to be returned with a headbump. The ranger sighs, "I'll never really get magic, much like I don't see the charm of... more than a few other bloody things, but a'least they seem satisfied with the peanuts. Keeps them from harassin' any more strangers. Still would like to know why they gathered. Anyone got a, uh, speak with animal scroll or anythin'?"

Cor'lana wiggles the raven off her finger, and she wags her hand a moment after. A quick stare at her hand reveals the bird's beak did no damage, so she leans into Telamon with his squeezes and sighs a little. "Pothy's gonna be upset, isn't he," she murmurs.

But since the ravens are less focused on her now, she at least can breathe a little in relief. "That's greatly appreciated, Simony," she says. "I'm sure Navos wouldn't mind one whit. I mean, He is supposed to be 'the Raven' and all."

At Carver's question, Cor'lana looks thoughtful. "I mean, I could... use a spell I know to duplicate it, but it'd be an awful lot of diamond dust to expend for something that seems relatively ordinary," she says.

"Just a whiff of curiosity, don't think it's worth any of yer ladyship's fancy dusty diamonds." Carver admits.

The raven who cursed out Fiadh stares back at the little bird. Stares. Stares. Stares. Stares. It's an avian acceleration to what's likely to be the most ridiculous showdown that the Memorial Gardens have ever played host to.

It poops.

And then it turns tail and flies off. That's apparently what it thinks of Fiadh's retort.

The rest of the ravens are happily grazing on peanuts. By now the flock has grown far less noisy than before. Some are flying off for new horizons to enrich. Others are simply rolling around in the dirt with sticks or just making softer and more content croaks for the time being. Happy birds!

Now that the crisis has passed -- the birds have been fed, oh joy! -- Telamon relaxes a bit as well, tucking the much-lighter pouch back into his haversack. His arm remains around Cor'lana's shoulders, and he shakes his head at her as well. "Carver's right. I think Simony's got things under control here." He sends a friendly, approving smile to the goblin priestess.

Slixvah and her familiar get a grin from Telamon, though the raven's response -- a bit of bird poop -- makes Tel wrinkle his nose. "Well, that's a statement," he quips. "Someone's going to have to clean that, you know," he mock lectures the raven that left his rather tangible commentary.

Fiadh looks beyond content with their comeback. Then, with Simony's insight, slowly the golden eyed thrush somehow looks dismayed. Despite their wisdom, they could not foresee their folly. They cover their head with a wing, and sigh deeply. "... there is not point in trading verbal blows in a game of wits, when the opponent is a pigeon that throws all the pieces and defaces the board."

Slix wipes her eyes free of tears. "From-- hah-- from what I surmise, Carver, Fiadh was complaining that all they wanted was food."

"Yes, just... food. So much food," Fiadh confirms. And then watches on as their clever retort is given a stinking gift. "... what did I say. Ruined the board. Forget this. I quit."

Fiadh hops off Slix's knee and disappears into one of the many folds on the witch's robes. Slixvah shakes her head with a smile, patting the pocket where her familiar vanished as she leans back on her bench to watch the playing birds. "Thanks fo' calmin' th' horde, Moni."

The Gobbo simply holds up her hands, "It was not my idea, simply my prayer. Cor'lana had the suggestion of a spell to create food. Something a priest can do, and so, my duty here has been fulfilled." Her look for the small bird is sympathetic. "As you have surmised, they were looking for food, not a debate. Were they of Pothy's level, you'd have been evenly matched." She giggles lightly as once more the bird disappears into a little pocket. "Aw." Simony offers up a foil-wrapped toffee. "For Fiadh, when he's feeling less upset."

She looks towards the couple, "Me? Have something under control? Oh. Uhm, I guess? Er. Diamond dust? That's a very expensive spell, and I would say you should be in dire straits before using it. It would be rare, I would hazard a guess, to find a flock of ravens saying anything more than FOOD and MINE."

Cor'lana looks a little bashful with Simony's comment. "More likely than you might think if you hang around me, Simony," she admits. "At least this flock of birds isn't looking for a long-lost grandchild."

She smiles a little secretively before she nods in agreement with Carver. "I agree," she says. "I like to reserve that spell for, as Simony says, dire straits. It can duplicate a wide number of spells that I, myself, do not know. It's quite powerful in that regard."

Fiadh disappearing into Slixvah's pocket earns the little bird a sympathetic look from the sorceress. "Poor thing," she says quietly.

"As strange as this is, I knows a'least that for some, it might not be so out of their tuesdays. Innit?" Carver says, sideeyeing the elves. While she would never blame them outright, it's a bit to their theme. "I should see myself to bed, whatever'll have me."

GAME: Slixvah rolls alertness: aliased to perception+2: (8)+14+2: 24

GAME: Telamon rolls perception: (4)+25: 29

GAME: Carver rolls perception: (16)+11: 27

GAME: Simony rolls perception: (13)+11: 24

<OOC> Ravenstongue rolls over on Lana too.

GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Perception: (5)+21: 26

It's Carver who catches sight of it first, followed by Simony, then by Cor'lana, Telamon, and Slixvah. Something shiny in the grass.

It's a small statuette of Navos, wrought in silver.

Things work in mysterious ways, it would seem. There's a raven preening its feathers, who acknowledges the statuette with a little bow, and then flies off into the skies. The rest disperse into the skies, leaving the Memorial Gardens quite empty.

Telamon blinks as suddenly, all the ravens remember their pressing engagement or appointment elsewhere and disperse. He looks around in confusion for a moment, glancing at Lana. "Alright, that was strange, but..." His eyes slide along the grass, and pause on a glint of something there.

"...Where did that come from?" He points at the small silver statuette. "Was it here when we arrived? I'd like to think I'd have noticed it..."

Slixvah takes the offered toffee with a thankful nod. "Eh, Fifi will be aight, don' worry 'bout 'em," she waves off the concern for her familiar. "They's a stick in the mud 'bout some things. Ravens and crows are one theys always butt heads with."

The witch is a bit busy snickering at Simony's insight, only spotting the shiny after Telamon points it out. "Huh?" She blinks. "Well. Now ain't tha' somethin'. I dunno if it was, Telamon, but tha's certainly a lovely lil' sign."

She dips her head briefly, giving a silent prayer of thanks for the bird friends.

Simony snorts and nods in agreement with Cor'lana. "I have experienced a certain amount of strangeness while in your company, so I believe you." The Gobbo follows the glances of others, and crouches down to peer at the statue, pushing the pince-nez up her nose a bit, squinting. "It.. it's Navos!", she says in surprise, before standing and glancing around. "It must have fallen off someone's necklace or earring or something. They're going to be sad, losing such a finely made little Navos figure."

"If I was religious, woul' almost take that as a sign. Since I ain't, I'd probably just sell it. Nice lookin' piece though. Wonder how they managed to get it, an' from where." Carver says, watching as the birds fwoofwoofwooop away, to other parts unknown. "... Well, to a good night one and all."

Cor'lana blinks in surprise as she looks down at the lost statue, especially when Simony identifies who it is. There's a sad look in her eyes when she beholds it.

"Maybe Pothy wouldn't have minded being here after all," she says, before looking at Telamon. "If it was lost, or maybe it's a sign, like Slixvah said--we might never know. Perhaps Simony ought to bring the statue back to her place of worship, just in case someone might be looking for it."

A moment more of looking at the statue and then Cor'lana takes Telamon's hand. "Either way, we shouldn't tarry too much longer. Pothy's waiting at home for us, after all!"

So ends the odd corvid encounter. And to all, a good night.