Trials Of Tribal [ Solo | Nom? ]

Sometimes as you stare into the abyss waiting for something to come out and attack you, something to show you your demons, your fears, your regrets, the things that tell you you're still human… and when nothing comes out to fight, to remind you that can be the most off putting feeling to have until you notice that feeling was oen you merely know you should have but you lack considering you find it funny that you no longer have anything really to fight nothing real.

There were small things here and there but nothing really big enough to hold you together fully. And as you look in the abyss all you see is yourself looking back up at you smiling and inviting you to come down to join them, so neither of you have to be alone anymore. You know you should walk away any sane person would know what that was. And then you have those of us broke enough to be more than willing to do the opposite. And jump down into the abyss and embrace whatever is down there, to embrace yourself that invited you down.

‘Can’t die can’t cry. May I at least laugh, while I say my goodbyes?’

---

“There she is the belly of the beast…” The carriage driver said letting Jumanah out looking at the Black Rukh infested town that blocked view of the inside with the darkness.

“Must be one nervous beast then given all the butterflies in it.” She said with a chuckled under her mask tossing the man his money “Thank you I got it from here.” She said leaving the hesitant man who drove off much quicker than his approach there. She gently rested her wrist on the handle of her sword looking at the shroud of black rukh she swore she could hear a voice in her head followed by my wary eyes much like herself begging her not to go in. Telling her that it was wrong given who she had to work with and indirectly be associated with just for a possibility of getting something that to many was evil… Just to save lives. It told her that this would open a door she could ever close again. A door that would let loose a darkness that would pull out her own in due time.

But the voice knew just as well as she did that she knew all of this already. And that nothing at this point would stop her from doing this. And that much like what dwelled inside your inner Abyss… she would embrace whatever she found inside it was what she was looking for after all. She walked through the shroud of the rukh looking on at the civilians in the well built town who looked at her in confusion as to why she entered, who she was, and why she wore such an off mask. She bowed to them with a giggle. “I’m here to speak with your leader. I am Jumanah Necowl, last living member of the Recowl Tribe that has long since died off.” She doubted they knew it died off a long time ago but it had been in the relative area in the plains so there was a slim chance.

“I was informed your people needed help. I was not truly informed as to what you needed help with only that I could help and that we had some things in common. So I was hoping to learn what help you needed and if it is something I could do that I would try to assist in the matter” She said as she walked her way into the main streets of the town looking about at those listening to her. She giggled and shrugged. “So…. anyone willing to at least give me a name and description of the man so I can at least hunt him down myself?” She asked loudly hoping to get anyone to assist her in the matter.

The town of Ya was covered in the darkness from the Rukh in which Jum could see and the fog which permeated in the night. With the surrounding marsh providing the humidity. The timid mood hid behind the clouds as nesting birds nuzzled their chicks. While the town was dark, and eerie, it also seemed rather quaint. There was a breath in the rukh of the town. It invited her as the carriage approached. She would see the town more clearly.

With buildings similar to that of Kou lanterns would hang on the patios of nearby buildings. Despite its' ghastly appearance, this was no ghost town, and the people were quick to move. As the waters trickled, and as she made herself known answers would come. As she asked her questions to the guards the tapping of a cane would ring in the mist. Tap Tap Tap! It would ring, echoing in harmony with itself. With a man seeming to approach the tapping would ringer even louder. TAP TAP TAP! As the figure would step into sight a voice would chirp up as well.

"Hoho, there's no need to hunt me down when I've walked right up to you." The voice would joke. Reveling himself as the chief his visage would come into sight. The amber lantern lights dancing across his skin.


As the older man would show his face the lights now glimmered in his eyes. The rukh above him seemed to dance. He was deprived, but something seemed odd about his rukh. The town's rukh masked that of most other, making it difficult to get a good look upon ones following. As it would have it's peculiarities he would speak again. "If you've come to help then you've picked no better time. Fate left us to do, and every day we battle it!" Confusion was almost certain.

His town was on the edge, shrouded with Dark Rukh but still pondering their places in life. It was such a precarious path. There was no release on the dark path, but Solomons fate was not one that many wished for. She wasn't here to cure an illness or fix a disaster. She was here to understand the stories of those who lived here. Of their thoughts of faith, and what path they should be set on. She wasn't as Dark as the others. and that's why a bath of balance was the perfect test to see her path.

"Well, if you wish to help the best you can do is help my people understand and decide their paths on fate. All we feel is scorn for how the world has left us, but if you think you can help that why not try. Come see my town, see what fate has left us with!" The leader would chuckle, she'd just have to talk to the people, and help them make their minds.

DM notes: In order to progress you need to decide how to approach the people. In order to plot and progress you help npcs decide if they wish to be white or black rukh. Do 3 of these for the chance to help the chief decide and set the tribes future. You may however wish to push dark rukh or white rukh by killing with a certain intent in mind, or have the people helo you grow.

She looked about this place and had a fair amount of growth in it, it surpassed her own tribe by far. Fog and humidity filled the air around her reminding her of her youth in her tribe but  the despair… it was what she could only imagine what her people went through while she had laid asleep in a coma. She looked about thinking of what she had thought about on the way here. Despite her work taking so many lives only for bandits to still be attacking...were people who lived through hardship only distended for more pain…? To suffer further? It was funny in a way knowing if this was the case it meant the harder you fought to live and triumph you would only be faced with further pain and watch more parts of yourself break and fall apart. She let out a little “Heh”

at the thought smirking. At least the Rukh were inviting despite how far you fell; they were practically a welcoming committee to her parting ways just for her to enter.  She noticed the people being rather skittish as she spoke to the guards, her smile under her mask only making her squinting eyes feel devious. She though looked towards the sound of the cane coming from the mist. She hummed softly at the harmony the sound had, a beautiful sound almost making itself into a beat of a song in her head. She giggled at the man’s words as he approached bowing her head to him. “My apologies I was eager to hear word of the situation of your people.” She lifted her head. He was an older man who looked to have his fair share of hardships in his past… or the years have not been told to him.

His eyes though seemed to still glimmer in the lighting despite everything. She noticed the rukh and smiled at how cute they acted though did note how odd they were acting along with the others. “Sir… fate hasn’t left you. No more than it has left me.” Her voice is soft and sweet. “The issue being, fate isn’t always pointing you to a welcoming path. No… You have seen like I have the fate that the world has for us. And you saw how it was a horrible one. It is good you fight back. Our fates may be doomed to hurt us. But we can choose to reject it!” She said almost gleefully. “But I wish to hear more on how your fate has wronged you sir. I was sent by a wonderfully entertaining man to assist you And I will not give up until I have helped as many of you as I can.”

She said holding her hands to her heart smiling warmly under her mask. She nodded as he invited her to talk with his people and nodded walking up to him gently caressing his face she using her Cool Tone voice she picked up through practice it would soothe him reassuring him of what she would say now. “I know I can help you all. I just need to figure out… How. And I will. Or at least as many as I can.” She said nodding before gently pulling away from him. She walked down the streets of the town sitting with people who would let her listen to their stories for now. They told of death, loss, attacks, and so much more. Each person telling her of how they overcame the losses to keep going only to be hurt again and again. Those who let her into their houses held pictures that told of happier times.

Times that reminded her of her own people. Who only ended up dead… Of her brother who grew to hate the world… of her own story that had a child once set on pacifism killing countless bandits…. If she had died the pain would stop and the pain she faced never would have come. Death was a gift but… She closed her eyes and sighed giving hugs to the last people she'd talked to that night. She didn't want to say anything on fate yet until she understood and she believed she did now. She made her way to an inn and got herself a room and sat down. She closed her eyes as she got some water running. Were people like her and the others really still the people they once were…? When they looked in the mirror did a stranger look back?

She stopped the water taking off her mask to see the face she came to learn looked like her mothers and let down her hair. No… who they were now were new people but themselves. And the people they used to be not strangers but memories. They needed to acce-... she needed to accept that memory and hold onto it. She took off her clothes touching the wraps she covered her body in relaxing her breath. She needed to accept she was someone else now… and it was okay. She hadn’t been a child in a long time. But who she was now.. Was okay. She took off the wraps looking at the scars over her body once she forgot she had cause she tried to never look at her body. All of them from the people who tried to hurt her through her life. All of them from events fate pushed upon her.

She touched the deep set on her inner shoulder by the joint remembering the  man who stabbed her when taking her to be enslaved and smiled a little. She slowly got into the water sinking down into it resting her head back in the tub. These people were right to reject their fates but sooner or later fate would try to step in on them again and only lead them to suffer further until one day they would have to suffer like she did when looking at themselves. She would help them but first she needed to help a new tribe village who helped her live when she should have died. Then she would help these people. Then…. She would help the entire world. She smiled warmly looking up at the ceiling of her room. She would end their suffering.

“Connie.. If you are still watching me now I know this is likely not what you were hoping for in what I would do… honestly talking has never worked to solve things in my life. I know well by now… that actions speak louder than words. And that my words can’t help these people find the peace they are looking for. But I will help them in the only way I can now. If you wish to no longer give me that gift that you gave the others it’s alright. I no longer wish to stop them. I still would love to sit down with you for a meal to just chat but I do understand if what I do these next few days… makes you no longer wish to be around me.” She smiled a wide smile closing her eyes.

“But I must do what I know I must. So the world no longer has to suffer nor these people. And to do so would be going against what I could imagine why you sent me here.” She said  slowly opening her eyes part way giggling softly. “And if you have the same humor as I do… I'm sure you’ll at least have a good laugh by the time I’m done. Because reality… is hilarious just as much as it is morbid.” She would the next day get some new clothes to sport her new look on herself and life before informing those she talked to including the leader of the town that she would return in one weeks time. That she figured out how to help them and reassured them that their strength and bravery would soon be repaid by a gift that was rare and only came once in life.

A gift that would end their suffering and bring them to true peace. She just needs to prepare one or two more things. And when she returned she needed all who wished to have this gift gather together so she may present it to them all, all at once. Or as many… as possible. But first she needed to make a detour to help a tribe before they came to suffer the same way these people have. They did deserve a gift too after all they saved her life a while back. And she was certain they would be more than willing to gather for her given how she had helped them and briefly stayed with them twice now.

---

Sometimes as you stare into the abyss waiting for something to come out and attack you, and when nothing comes, and you go to greet what’s down inside. To embrace it. You soon find that you have much in common with it that it’s not as scary as you once thought. That you are on ein the same. So you help it climb out of the abyss so you both can see the world again as one being. As who you are now. And now when you look into the abyss you smile with glee knowing it is just another part of you. Not to be afraid of or to run from it.

‘Can’t cry, rather die, let’s laugh then, rather than saying goodbye, and find that we can laugh in order to cry, asking others to let us help, with a may I?’

”Profession Trait Used”:

[ OOC: Soo I'll be looping back around got something I gotta finish before continuing on but i shall continue soon in this thread and legit if this costs me the dmv its cool just rollin with how Jum would likely roll now at this point or at least how I wanna swing her now lol also please dm me if you need me to hold on any actions as they come up and I will since I know doing what im about to do may require something or someone to step in.

“When I was a little girl I wanted to just stay that way, I wanted peace, and I wanted to believe talking would fix any issue if you posed a proper point and justification for things. I don’t remember much from then anymore but I remember that. And how it never was. Worked.”

---

“So you see it's just a funny misunderstanding!” The young Jumamah said with a smile and a giggle. “My brother merely just thought you meant ill will towards me and the only way he could think of to make you stop was through violence. It’s not right by any means but-” She said in a friendly tone standing between her brother and the other kids. They grabbed her though and yanked her close, making her eyes grow wide and a coldness rush through her very core as her mind went into a fight or flight sense as the other kids spoke to her in such a cold tone that it only could be matched to the cold sensation that she felt inside from fear.

“We did, we meant to hurt you and your stupid pretty words you keep shovign in others faces like your better than us all!” She frowned her brows as her brother who was badly beat up and bruised growled trying to get up.

“But I don’t-” They decked her right in the cheek then made her stumble back as sht pain shot though her face from her cheek only to be shoved and tripped over her brother knocking them both down again. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked onwards to the other kids who sneered at her and walked off. She frowned looking to her brother who looked like he was doing everything not to race after them. She though rolled off him and gently held him close, slowly calming him down as tears rolled down his cheeks hugging her close.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you Jum.” He said with a shaky voice. She shook her head holding him closer.

“You did… you did…”

---

“It got my brother’s face beaten all the time. And the one time he didn’t get hurt from it…”

---

The young Jumunah slowly backed up with wide fear filled eyes holding up her hands as the bandits looked over with a twisted grin on each of their faces as their main buddly slowly walked towards her slowly bearing a toothy grin. “Please… we can give you some of our supplies we can share… you don’t have to do this.” She said with a shaky voice and they… they just laughed as he jerked forward to make her think he was going to hit her and she stumbled back falling backwards. It felt as though time slowed and the world grew quite before the sharp harsh pain hit the back of her skull as adrenaline coursed through her very being as she flipped falling forward her vision growing blurry as she saw the second rock grew close and then darkness. She remembered the laughter stopping, and just darkness that felt like it lasted forever.

---

“It put my family in a position where they lost 2 people over just my mother. And they wasted the last years of my father’s trying to save me. And left my brother to live 13 years in guilt that destroyed him. I wasn’t naive. I wasn’t a fool. I knew that he wasn’t the boy I grew up with, not totally not when it came to anyone but me. He was full of rage, hate, and the intent to kill. And the only thing stopping him? Well it was the same thing that stopped him from doing most things and in his eyes the same thing that stopped him from saving his family. He lacked power. Power he felt I had. And he loved me too much to admit the truth.”

---

Jumanah smiled softly to her brother gently holding his hand with a supportive look on her face as she let her mask rest on her lap.

---

“He hated me for it. He hated how I looked at him and how mother did. Like he was a poor misguided soul that needs protecting because we both knew he couldn’t protect himself. And the fact I now Know I look just like her facially wise…? That was the final nail in the coffin that couldn’t be buried because I was still his sister he lost 13 years ago.”

---

His brother smiled back before frowning and sighing looking off. “I know you want revenge too Jum… why not take it… on all of them…?”

“I mean I thought about doing so on the bandi-” He stopped talking as he looked back to her with a cold look on his face.

“Not the bandits… The world. It put us into the world… to be beaten and broken to always be weaker than everyone else. To suffer even now as we grow older.”

“Were not suffer no-”

“YOU WERE A SLAVE FOR 4 YEARS RIGHT AFTER COMING OUT OF A DAMN COMA HOW IS THAT NOT SUFFERING!?” His eyes bloodshot, his voice hostile and could cut through metal like melting butter with a hot knife. And it hit harder than anything she felt before. “The pain never ends… so why not just end the world before it can hurt us again… and then it can be just us two?” He asked, almost pleading with his eyes.

---

“He wanted me to do what he couldn’t… kill everyone in the world for our own joy. In a way I understood why he felt that way. And I didn’t want to admit it but I felt similar if the bad people were dead all of them then there would be no suffering… but that's the thing with people. There will always be bad people, there will always be pain that makes good people bad. Destroying all the evil… it’s impossible. Why  not just try to make a difference by stopping as many as you can and save as many good people as you can. That's what I thought. So I told him I’d kill the bad people… and he only hates me more but refused to show it. 2 days later he was killed."

"And a week after that I killed every bandit I could and hoped to join my brother in the release of death…. It never came. All that came was my rukh turning black stopping me from being able to ever see my family ever again even in death… a small dent made in the bandits, my brother no longer needing to suffer… and a magi who yes is funny and great to be around… but was someone who called in killers the very people who I wanted to destroy. And I realized after words… I was one of the ones he brought there. Because at the end of the day I killed so many people just to get to the bandit camp… then slaughtered them all like little pigs.”

---

Jum sat in the carriage waiting for the man driving it to arrive at their destination looking out towards a smoking tribal area that looked like a ghost town. The driver looking over and sighs. “Bandits no doubt… I swear they’re like roaches. Stomp on one and 5 more come from the woodworks.” He said, shaking his head looking back forward as Jump slowly started to smile under her mask and just started laughing making the driver look back with a slightly disturbed look on his face.

---

“And it was like… I did nothing. I realized in that moment that nothing I did mattered, bad people would always be bad, the good would bleed while those who wanted to hurt them drank the blood to only become stronger because they had no remorse. And if anything by them ending the lives of the innocent they were helping them way more than I was… Every life I saved would just have a moment to breath before they would suffer again.  Just like I had. Every time I should have died and didn’t I only grew more broken, hurt more, and grew darker. And every time I didn’t die… I made friends… and one way or another I would lose them. What was the point? And well the point was it was all just an ongoing joke.” She pressed her forehead against the cold one in front of her, closing her eyes.

“And all of us it’s punchline. The more we fight it the worse it is for us. The more we fight it the harder it is to look in the mirror… at ourselves….” She smirked. “But when you get the joke it turns out it's so much freedom that comes… and you can finally accept who you are. You can accept how broken you are and that the face in the mirror, the body that you walk in…? It’s not strangers. Every scar on its skin is a memory you went through. Every muscle that makes up its flesh, one you crafted, every part of it… is you. And the person you thought you were that made who you looked at a stranger?"

"Well it was just a memory you had to let go of because at that point you might as well be pretending you're an emperor or a king or someone selling cabbages on the side of the road… because just like them that memory isn’t you… not anymore.” She gently caressed their cheek cold to the touch. “But you should just forget those memories. And you shouldn't treat them poorly….” She slowly opened her eyes, they half open and tired but looked free and relaxed. “You should send them away to be cherished… and bury them before they can suffer anymore then what they have… like you have... “

She gently kissed the cheek barely missing the lips on the girl who was only a year or so off form Jumanah’s age her lips lingering as she pulled away looking at the girls lifeless eyes and limp body, she and her brother had saved her the day she should have died with the bandits. She looked to her brother's corpse only a few feet from her, his hand outstretched towards his sisters. Jum moved over and pulled him over to his sister, resting their heads together and interlocked their fingers together. Her hand lingering on theirs. She wished she had killed them at the same time but they died shortly after the other… but at least they died together. She grabbed her mask and turned resting her hand on her hip looking at the bodies littering the tribal area and smirked holding her mask half up towards her face.


At least they died with the rest of their people… and none of them would have to suffer any longer… She laughed as she put her mask on. “I didn’t even explain to you about how I did all this but I suppose you don't need to know do you…? I know I wouldn’t even want to know when I was told how mine were taken… So I’ll save you that… I suppose I could look back on it though… I did say we should never forget our pasts after all even if they aren’t us anymore…” She said softly to the body of the girl behind her on the ground as she thought back to only a few hours ago...

[ OOC: Battle and fighting elaboration next post stay tuuuuned ]

Jumanah stood at the gates of the small tribe, her skirt fluttering in the wind with her hair, her new staffs assorted ornaments dancing with the wind as storm clouds slowly rolled in. An older woman slowly stopped seeing her out of the corner of her eye. She walked over and smiled at her. “Jumanah dear is that you?” She asked walking over to her gently caressing her face with her tired hand and looking at her with a warm gaze.

“It is mam…. I have important news for everyone.” She said gently holding her hand.

The woman nodded to her. “I’ll gather everyone to the town square…. You look lovely darling, a bit revealing but lovely.” She said making Jumanah hold a hand to her chest bowing her head to her in thanks letting her walk off to gather the others. Jumanah slowly made her way to the town center waving to the people who looked up to her and smiled at the familiar mask waving back to her following her to the town center they all knew her from her time she spent here resting after taking out an entire bandit camp. The tribe reminded her of how she remembered her own tribe. Rain slowly started to come down as the remaining people finished gathering.

Jumanah slowly taking off her mask as she held her new staff in her other hand smiling softly to the girl who had visited her every day when she was stuck in bed who was excited to see her back her brother smiling fondly to her nodding to her the two she had saved from bandits a while back ago and had pulled her from death’s embrace when she came so close to it. She sighed happily looking at them all with a warm smile and a calming tone Cool Tone if you would.  

“You all have been so good to me, took me into your embrace with open arms… you never judged… you never were hostile… you were loving and open to let others in.” She said with a charming and warm smile looking amongst the crowd around her that had rain slowly dropping upon their hair and clothes. Some couples holding their significant other lovingly smiling warmly. She herself felt the touch of the rain on her cheeks that she hadn’t felt directly in a long time. “You survived so many heartaches and held strong never faltering... and now holding each other in your arms… this is a perfect time to show you a gift I bring that will help you all stay this way for the rest of time the way it should be.”

She said with a warm smile as the others started to get a bit excited by her words. She slowly filled her staff with magoi rain slowly rolling down her face and around her curled lips following her jawline to drip off her chin. “This gift will help you be saved from fate. A fate that would see you suffer in pain. For every fate is to suffer eventually… and I will never let that happen to anyone ever again… especially to none of you.” She said in the same tone as the people started to look a bit confused. “I will defy your fates… for you.” She said holding up her staff the girl and her brother catching on and turning to run as she slammed her staff down casting out her Flash Freeze going out 50 m in all directions from her besides a small area of 3 m around herself where it became nice and warm while everywhere else had all its heat syphoned so rapidly it caused B - Tier damage level of frostbite on all the citizens of the tribe that some tried to turn to flee but only feel  to the ground as the heat remaining in them totally left them freezing them to their core. Jumanah looking over to the falling over Brother whose back was barely caught in the blast.

“Run!” He shouted to his terrified sister who ran to hide behind a building to catch her breath. Jumanahs eyes grew soft as she tucked her mask to her side, sash slowly unclasping her sword as the brother cried in pain and sobbed slowly dragging his body along the muddy ground. Jumanah slowly kneeling down beside him he clenched his fists and teeth sobbing. “H how could-” He started looking up to her as his eyes went wide as she gently ran her fingertips down his cheeks.

“I’m sorry… I meant this to be far less painful for you…” His eyes trembled as he saw her tone had not changed and her kind smile returning as she pulled out her sword. “I’ll fix this for you.” She said simply stabbing him for basic D - Tier Damage in the back of his neck to help him bleed out before standing up and sheathing her sword. Her ears tuning into soft sobbing in the distance. She reclasped the swords buckle shut and followed the sounds. Her hair heavily hung from the rain that filled it and held it close to her skin clinging onto it as it dripped water as more rain fell along her figure and onto the ground. She focused herself on her new spell before pointing her staff towards herself as she casted out Frozen Kiss  causing an aura like effect around her to be constantly syphoning off heat while keeping herself warm.

She walked around the corner of the building to see the girl there sobbing who scurried back falling onto her bottom as she saw Jumunah and her brother desperately clinging to life as he bled out and dragged himself closer desperate to save his sister. “Shhhhh” Jum let out softly as tears rolled down the girl's cheeks blending in just fine with the rest of the rain on her face. She kneeled down as the ground further froze under her touch. “It’ll be all over now… Rest” She whispered as the cold hit the girls skin from her scaled up B - Tier frost bitten damage sunk into the girls very core as Jumanah gently gripped her neck in one hand. She set down her staff and caressed her cheek with her free hand pressing her forehead to the girls as the girl's breath left her lips one last time as a cold puff of air, her body now frozen at its core.

And hers align with her brother’s hearts stopped at the same time as he went limp with one arm outstretched towards his sister. Jumanah sighing as she smiled softly sitting down seeing her Rukh and her brothers fluttering away. “I know you are no longer here… but I wish I could have made it more peaceful for you to go...For you and your brother… but now you can live in peace with your people unable to suffer any longer…” She slowly sat down next to her  in the rain that held up for a long while before passing. And as it did she spoke once more. “Here… I’ll tell you a story…. To make up for it…”

---

Jumanah finished putting her mask on as she finished thinking back to what happened not too much earlier in the day and sighed but smiled contently. “I finally was able to help people… and so many of them as well…” She smiled widely up to the sky holding out her hands to her sides happily “Thank you Connie for showing me this path~! Now.. I can help… everyone….” She said gratefully and happily before lowering her arms and looking forward again. It was time to go back to that other tribe… and help them… or as many of them as she could.

”Traits Used”:

”Abilities Used”:

”Weapons Used”: