eXodus
A post Hidden World httyd Roleplay
you cannot hold me captive
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[FINISHED] An Unprecedented Meeting of Like-Minded Sorts
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 2, 2019 7:18:47 GMT
To say he'd been nervous of the approaching summit would have been doing a grave disservice to how he really felt about all of this. It was a meeting of chieftains held relatively annually weather permitting, and it was the first one he'd been set to attend after Berk's supposed defeat at the hand of Grimmel and his armada. As far as many of the chieftains were concerned, that was the end of it, the last remnants of Berk fled into the night, only managing to set up a small village on an island no one cared about, that was the narrative he'd intended to hold fast to upon arrival.
That was, of course, until life threw a curve-ball at him, as it always seemed to do. Hobblegrunt Isle was a dinky little place, barely enough land mass to be considered worth naming, but they'd done so for the sake of marking it on a map. Usually the island was uninhabited apart from the odd dragon true to its namesake, but this time it appeared to be inhabited by much more than that. Curiosity told Hiccup to investigate, responsibility told him to attempt to skirt around unnoticed. Neither intent mattered though, as they'd seen him, and now he was being pulled in to shore.
The scope of the biggest ship dwarfed his small ship by a long shot, and its make didn't match any he'd ever seen in these waters, which told him that whoever owned this fleet was from beyond the Archipelago. He felt like this fact should unnerve him, but he found himself more curious than anything as he was led ashore and towards the large vessel. He tried to get a read on the people dotted around, catch a banner, a style that would tip him off as to whom was behind this, but he could glean nothing from them at a cursory glance, deciding instead to just wait and see just who he was being taken to see.
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Post by muse42 on Mar 2, 2019 8:00:07 GMT
[ASHRIJI TA-MUNIR]
Where are you, King of Dragons?
Ashriji had sent out her finest fleet earlier in the month to sail the Archipelago. It was a simple place filled with simple people, and the warring tribes reminded her numbly of Ri-Radilan before its unification - disjointed tribes, needless wars, and a rampant pandemic of idiocy and small-mindedness.
She wasn't here to admire the people or the sunsets, though. What she wanted was the King of Dragons, the alpha. Not to torture or abuse him, no; rather, she wanted to befriend him, earn his loyalty, and use his powers to bring peace to the world, with force if necessary. She knew a little about the alpha - he was a Northern Night Fury, purportedly the last of his kind, named Toothless and under the kinship of a young Viking named Hiccup. She'd been one of the major forces backing the armada that tried to capture him, after all, though that effort had failed spectacularly.
So here she was now. Taking matters into her own hands, such as they were.
"We've got somebody, my queen!" called a voice. Ashriji snapped out of her line of thought.
"Are you pulling them ashore?"
The servant bowed hastily. "Yes, ma'm. It's a small ship, Viking style, sailing in from the west. We only found one passenger. We've flanked their ship and are steering them towards shore."
"Good. Let's see this fellow for ourselves, then," she said, hefting herself out of her seat. She grabbed her spear - propped up against the nearby wall - and set a brisk march out of her quarters aboard the largest of the ships.
She sighed a little as she peeled out onto the main deck and the frigid northern air hit her lungs. It wasn't even winter, and yet the chill was so distinctly different from home. The wind was salty and wet, and just a little too chilly for comfort.
She gazed over the shoreline and spotted the ship in question. Even between her skiffs, it was dwarfed. Hell, it was probably smaller than the primary sail of her main ship, which was dyed red and emblazoned with the golden sigil of Ri-Radilan. When the stranger's ship slowed to a halt along the beach, she disembarked her vessel and trekked across the sand to it.
"Ho there!" she called. "Who are you and what's your business in these parts?"
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 2, 2019 8:16:06 GMT
Hiccup had traveled over enough of the Archipelago to know that none of these people came from these waters. They all seemed draped in clothing ill suited for the climate, and the myriad of skin tones and shapes about the group intrigued him, making him all the more curious about these new visitors. He knew better by now than to be overly open and welcoming, too many stabs to the back and too many times where his trust had been misguided, so he stayed cautiously curious, eyeing them all before his gaze rested on the woman who was very clearly in charge, if not by attire alone than by the way she carried herself.
When his ship was settled safe enough that he could disembark, he jumped out into the sand of the beach, holding onto the side until he was completely sure of his footing before he strolled casually along, minding the rest of her crew watching them, "my business? Well last time I checked it's not a crime to be sailing through these waters," he laughed and waved his hands a little dismissively, "unless I missed a treaty somewhere along the lines, been pretty busy the last year or so, so that's entirely likely!" He kept his words vague, his answers guarded, "but since you asked so nicely, I'm Hiccup, chief of the Hairy Hooligans," he gave a sort of comically flourishing bow, before reaching a hand to run it over the back of his neck, "or what's left of them."
He gestured vaguely in the direction he'd been sailing, chuckling softly, "I was heading to a summit, have to tell the rest of the Archipelago that we're not, in fact, burned to a crisp," he cleared his throat, "sooo I guess I oughta' be going, that way." He tried for a disarming grin, hoping that perhaps this was one of those instances where the gods would be kind and let him go without the trouble that seemed to follow him everywhere.
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Post by muse42 on Mar 2, 2019 8:26:47 GMT
[ASHRIJI TA-MUNIR]
Ashriji stopped in her tracks to scrutinize the traveler. Young adult. Scrawny. Brown-haired. Peg-legged.
She squinted. He quite matched the descriptions she'd heard of-
"I'm Hiccup, chief of the Hairy Hooligans," he said. Ashriji could've sworn that she heard a pin drop within her mind. This was him, the boy who'd befriended the alpha, standing in front of her thanks to nothing but pure dumb luck. This was the needle she was searching for within the proverbial haystack, the key to her plans.
She waited for him to finish his talk, then gave him a polite bow. "I'm Ashriji," she said, gesturing to herself. "War-Queen Ashriji, of the Kingdom of Ri-Radilan." Now was the trick - if she was going to get what she wanted, she needed him to participate. And for him to participate, he needed to stay right where he was. "I'd prattle off my list of titles to you, but it's quite the mouthful, so I'll keep it short." She shot a grin back at him, and leaned a little on her spear for support.
"The summit can wait, yes? I have my reasons for being in the Archipelago, and if you are who you say you are, I'd love to have a word. I'll even introduce you to Akkris." Akkris was her best friend, a Southern Night Fury with fire and fury to match her own. This Hiccup seemed innocent enough. She'd wager that he'd love to see another Fury, even if it wasn't a Northern.
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 2, 2019 8:41:19 GMT
War-Queen. He didn't entirely like the sound of that, war was something Berk needed no part in at the moment, but her words still piqued his interest. She was from somewhere beyond his familiar waters, someone clearly powerful, someone clearly dangerous, and he was in no mood to be making new enemies so soon. Berk was only just starting to get comfortable in their new home, the last thing they needed was war queens and armadas from beyond the Archipelago knocking on their door.
His interest was caught though when she seemed to know of him, it was unsurprising within his own waters, but for someone to know of him outside was slightly off-putting, but he was hardly in any position to argue, "I guess it'll have to, wont it?" He agreed, with a slightly bemused look at the gathered people around him, "not really in any position to argue, given it's just me and this boat against...Well all of that," he chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest as he approached her, furthering himself from his vessel and his only means of escape should he need to.
"Alright, so you have my attention, which it sounds like you may have wanted," funny how the gods tended to turn your toes where they were meant to go, or where someone else wanted them to go, "so why are you here? You clearly know who I am, but I have no idea who you are," he admitted, then tilted his head, "and Akkris? Is this a name I should know?" Questions, he had a whole plethora of questions, but he figured he wouldn't get any of his answered until she got to say whatever she needed to say, he was ready to get to the point.
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Post by muse42 on Mar 2, 2019 8:55:55 GMT
[ASHRIJI TA-MUNIR]
Ashriji laughed a little at his jest. Her forces were certainly an intimidating sight; a thing done entirely on purpose.
"I'm not surprised you don't know of me. Ri-Radilan is located beyond the Archipelago, and in my experience, the Archipelago tends to operate within its own little bubble of influence." She pointed a foot at her ship, ready to begin walking again, and gestured lightly for him to follow.
"Come, and ask your questions. I'll explain myself a little for your convenience: I have come here in search of something and someone - and, to be perfectly honest, that someone is you. It was pure dumb luck that we stumbled across one another today."
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 2, 2019 9:04:55 GMT
Hiccup couldn't disagree with her words, but there was a sort of reverence in his eyes as he watched her, "that's more true than you realize" he admitted, sighing a little, "there was a point where I wanted to explore far past these waters, but my duties to my people pulled me back," he wanted to pretend like there wasn't the slightest hint or remorse and perhaps even spite to those words, but it would be a lie. He hated that he couldn't explore the way he once had, or, he hadn't been able to until now...Kidnapping was a good excuse to explore, right?
This thought in mind, Hiccup didn't hesitate to follow behind Ashriji as she made her way back to her ship, glancing over at her when she gave him permission to ask questions, "Ri-Radilan? I've never heard of this place, not even when the trade ships come through, I admit I'm pretty curious," he chuckled, running a hand over the back of his neck.
When she said she'd been looking for him he stopped short a moment, looking surprised at this, "me? You were looking for me?" He felt the slightest hint of suspicion again, he had many enemies stretched far and wide, yet she didn't seem to be affiliated with any of them, "what do you want me for?" He laughed and rolled his eyes, "gods, I hope you weren't hoping for some imposing monolithic figure, only to get a talking fishbone, stories kinda tend to hype me up a little too much!" He laughed, with just the slightest hint of a nervous edge to it. He was outnumbered and relatively unarmed here, or at least underarmed[/i] to deal with this many.
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Post by muse42 on Mar 2, 2019 9:15:23 GMT
[ASHRIJI TA-MUNIR]
Ashriji trotted lightly along the sand, with a grace that contradicted her age. "Oh, it's to the south, on the continent. It does border the Archipelago, but only barely, and what little trade there is with the Vikings is limited to a handful of groups in the southern isles."
She boarded her ship using a makeshift gangplank, and paused a moment as he scrambled his way up. When he'd boarded, she waved away the sailors who came to investigate and guided Hiccup into the belly of the beast, into a small chamber that had been decorated to be far more comfortable than the splinter-ridden interior of most ships. The place was a lounge, of sorts, decked out in cushy furniture and draping silks in shades of red and gold.
She propped her spear against the wall and seated herself. "Please, make yourself at home," she said. "I have no hostile wishes towards you. And, I must admit, you are more than I was expecting." This was a half-truth wrapped in flattery. She had heard everything from tall tales of a dragon-riding demon to derogatory stories of a walking cactus spine who fancied himself a dragon conqueror.
"And as for what I wanted to speak to you about, I've been told you have a way with dragons." She chose her words carefully, speaking with precision. It was imperative, now more than ever, that she not intimidate him.
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 2, 2019 9:29:42 GMT
Hiccup's pace was much less graceful than the war-queen's, especially given the sandy shore of the beach they walked along. He nodded as he tried to make a mental map of where that might be in relation to New Berk, not close enough to be a cause for concern he felt, but he supposed he would cross that bridge when he came to it. Protecting New Berk and the dragons was his only goal, as long as she wasn't here for that, he could play nice.
The ship was even more behemoth upon closer inspection, and he felt dwarfed as they boarded the massive vessel, glancing down the further they walked up the gangplank. He got an even better look at her crew as they boarded, just as diverse and ill-dressed as the ones he'd seen on the shore, it made him wonder what kind of climate they must come from to warrant such dress, clearly very different from his own.
"Really? That's a first," he laughed the words off, before finding himself wandering around the comfortable space, taking in the styles and the make of everything here, still trying to glean something about where she came from. To anyone looking for such subtleties, there was a noticeable flinch when she mentioned dragons, and he glanced over at her, "Yeah?" He laughed and ran a hand over the back of his neck, "you could say that, my village was a dragon haven at one point, living in harmony with them," He said carefully, before his tone and expression shifted, "we're not so much known for that anymore," he looked over at her and gave a sad shrug, "but yeah, I guess you could say I have a way with dragons," he tilted his head to the side, "you have me curious, just what do you need me for involving dragons?"
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Post by muse42 on Mar 2, 2019 9:39:20 GMT
[ASHRIJI TA-MUNIR]
"Really? Well, that's sad to hear," Ashriji said, feigning sadness. She'd noticed that his movements had become more jumpy, guarded. She was onto something. "I've heard, quite specifically, that you have a penchant for Northern Night Furies. I thought you might like to see a Southern."
She put a finger in her mouth and whistled, long and clear. There was a moment of silence once she finished, and then a thump-thump-thump in the outside hallway. Another moment passed, and Akkris came bounding into the room, through the same door that Ashriji and Hiccup had entered.
Akkris was a great old beast, a bit large for her species on account of extra nutrition and years of combat. Her hide was a deep brown-black, and her eyes a dusty gold. She was covered in well-earned scars.
"This is Akkris," Ashriji said, resting a hand upon the dragon's head. Akkris purred at her human's touch, then moved to eye Hiccup warily.
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 2, 2019 9:49:25 GMT
Hiccup nodded and glanced to the side, "we were too great a target, and it became dangerous for the dragons in our care," he spoke with a mournful tone, and at least some of it was truthful. He still felt the loss of their home, everyone who lived to see New Berk felt it, but the loss of dragons was greatly fabricated, and he hoped to keep that secret, "it was safer for us and them to part ways," he said, again fairly vague.
Her words caught his attention though, Southern? He jumped when she whistled, then glanced back at the door to heard the approaching thump of something large. When the great beast bound into the room Hiccup stumbled back to the floor, eyes wide in disbelief of what he was seeing. This wasn't like the Light Fury, so vastly different that she could have barely been called a relative, this was so similar it was unbelievable, [/b]"oh my gods..."[/b] He breathed out the words in an awestruck voice.
He was careful as he got to his feet, feeling his heart hammering so hard with glee, he was surprised it wasn't audible, "this is...How I mean..." He put a hand to his head, "Grimmel said he...Wait...You said Southern?" He looked up at her for just a moment before his attention was drawn back to Akkris, "she's beautiful...She...Are there more? Where you come from?" He finally turned to meed Ashriji's eyes, all thoughts of where he was meant to be abandoned completely in the young chief's mind.
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Post by muse42 on Mar 4, 2019 4:13:50 GMT
[ASHRIJI TA-MUNIR]
Ashriji leaned back in her chair. Akkris was truly admirable, and it was relieving to meet somebody who didn't recoil in fear or repentance the moment they saw her. Those reactions use to spawn good feelings, but lately they'd just gotten boring.
"Grimmel was a genocidal maniac who didn't know a damn thing about how nature works," Ashriji said, shaking her head. "He eliminated a link in the food chain, and wonders why so many of the ecosystems back in his home are collapsing."
She sighed, and waved Grimmel away from her mind. The rat-faced traitor wasn't a problem for her anymore.
"And yes, I said Southern. There are plenty more where I come from - I've befriended a whole coven of them, in fact. For the sake of their safety, though, I don't take all of them out when I go on such farfetched expeditions. Too dangerous and chaotic, as I'm sure you understand." She leaned forward a little to stroke Akkris as the dragon slid by, gradually approaching Hiccup.
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 4, 2019 4:32:11 GMT
Hiccup had a thousand questions to act, and really all he wanted to do was gush over this magnificent dragon like a giddy child, but he was still a chief and still needed to retain at least a little bit of dignity, that didn't stop his eyes from practically shining at the thought of more of these dragons, the thought that somewhere out there still existed Night Furies in some scope.
His expression darkened when she spoke of Grimmel though, a thousand wounds still far too fresh in his mind to not elicit an almost savage growl from him, "I'm not a violent person, but I was glad to watch him burn." He left it at that, the man didn't deserve more than that, didn't deserve any more thought that he'd already been given, and there were more pressing matters on his mind right now.
"A coven?" He looked up to her, feeling a sort of pulling in him now, and before he could really ruminate on the words they were spilling out, "can you take me to see them? Your home?" He felt a sort of guilt, sort of, but not enough to make him take the request back. Hiccup was an explorer at his core, and the subconscious need to run from his problems made the decision easy. He met Akkris' eyes as she approached, before looking away and holding out a hand to her, "I knew there had to be more of you in the world, I knew it."
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Post by muse42 on Mar 4, 2019 5:08:06 GMT
[ASHRIJI TA-MUNIR]
Ashriji nodded in agreement with Hiccup's assessment of Grimmel. The man was horrid, but the business was done, and he had gotten exactly what he deserved - a grave at the bottom of the ocean.
At Hiccup's request, she felt a rising sense of bemusement. It had been a long, long time since she'd seen such pure-minded curiosity, and to say that it was refreshing was an understatement. She did want something from Hiccup eventually, yes, and was certainly going to do all in her power to get her way in the end, but there was no reason to be dismissive to Hiccup or denied what he asked; it all worked in her favor anyway, and she wasn't an unkind person.
Besides, she definitely wasn't planning on telling him that she wanted the alpha until he was too far from the Archipelago to make a run for it.
"A coven's a word for a group of Southerns," she said. "They function in family units, sort of. There's a mated pair at the very top - Akkris here is the matriarch - and lots of offspring and their mates in the mix."
Akkris sniffed Hiccup's hand and shot Ashriji a wary look. Ashriji nodded, with a light sort of smile, and Akkris pressed her nose briefly against Hiccup's hand with a short chuff.
"And yes, you're more than welcome to see my home, if you so wish. It's a long journey with a number of stops, I should warn you. You'll be away for a while, especially if we go all the way to the capital, Sohai."
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Post by Hiccup on Mar 4, 2019 5:24:47 GMT
Hiccup couldn't help the grin that broke his attempt at being dignified and serious when Akkris pressed her nose to his hand, the same kind of thrill he got anytime he was around dragons. He'd forgotten how much he missed this, missed learning about new species and discovering things he'd never seen before. He'd resigned himself to hanging up that part of his life with New Berk, but did he really have to?
"Amazing, that's amazing," he breathed out, looking over Akkris' face and the shape of her head compared to the familiar shape of his best friend's, "She's so different from our Night Furies, but so similar," he didn't entirely realize that he'd let slip that he was, in fact, familiar with night furies, but that was something she likely knew if she knew of him as she seemed to. He felt a sort of pang of remorse that Toothless wasn't here to see this.
He chuckled at her warning, giving a shrug, "I'll send word to them as soon as I can, let them know I'm alive," he looked over at Ashriji with an eager grin, "Astrid can take care of everyone while I'm gone anyway, I can't just turn this chance down," he looked thoughtful, raising a brow at her, "besides, you wanted me for a reason, and I still don't know what that reason is, I'm not really in no position to resist even if I wanted to." He glanced over at her, he didn't want her to think he was oblivious to his position, that he was dumb. Eager or no, he really had little choice if she wanted him to come with him.
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