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It's winter, and all is well with the tribe. Their new magic, an ability to make portals from one place to another, which was found by one of their members during the early-summer trip to meet with the other tribes in the area, let them both build up a decadent food stockpile and move to a much deeper part of the cave system without the worry of being unable to find their way back out. No-one has had to go hungry, and even the fiercest ice storm doesn't reach them; they are as content as kobolds can be.
Well, aside from their new mage, that is. She's bored, and curious. Making portals to known places is straightforward enough, with the magic she found, but that's far from the limit of what it can do... so one day, she slips away, portals off to a different cave system - one can't be too careful, after all - and experiments.
Temperature roughly the same... gravity roughly the same... air the same, not into stone or underwater or in a volcano or on top of a mountain... but, instead of patterning it after a place she knows, what happens if she only specifies those things, and lets the innate patterns of the spot she's casting on do the rest? Particularly this one part, which seems to specify the world...
She finishes the spell, and hesitates for just a moment before activating it.
lurkingkobold
And here is an aisle of high wooden structures, each laden with rows of tall rectangular objects in ever color, in leather and paper.
lurkingkobold
She peers through, and, when the place on the other side seems to be deserted, touches a different part of the portal's frame - setting it to close after a minute - before stepping through and examining the leather things more closely.
There are lots of them. If she tips one off the shelf, it opens up on three sides to show marked paper.
lurkingkobold
The kobold isn't familiar with paper, and spends some time examining it - she's careful not to damage it or make too much noise. After a few minutes, though, she puts the strange object back, and starts looking around the rest of the area.
It's mostly more of the paper things. Rows and rows of shelves and shelves of paper things. And a nook with some chairs and couches around a low table, and over there some desks with oil lanterns on them.
lurkingkobold
Whoever lives here sure does love their paper things. They might not be too happy about the kobold lurking around among them - it might be a good idea to find out about that, before she runs into any unpleasant surprises.
She explores the nook, finds that she can comfortably hide behind one of the chairs and still see out, and settles in to wait and see who might show up.
She explores the nook, finds that she can comfortably hide behind one of the chairs and still see out, and settles in to wait and see who might show up.
calescent
Eventually, there are footsteps, which come with increased light.
calescent
The footsteps are a tall creature with two legs, two arms, and a head, wrapped in elaborate fabric mostly in red and orange. There are a dozen tiny candle-sized flames in a halo around her head, lighting her way.
When she gets about five feet away from the kobold's hiding place, she stops.
When she gets about five feet away from the kobold's hiding place, she stops.
lurkingkobold
[curiosity [person [spellbearer?]] [lights [spelled?] [impressive]] [something else?]], the kobold is thinking, and then [alarm [freezing in place]], as she notices that the person is acting oddly.
calescent
With no language to borrow, Kiri can't exactly say anything reassuring. And if she backs up to seem less threatening she won't have anything.
...Well, the lights are impressive, and impressiveness isn't alarm?
The candleflames start orbiting her head.
...Well, the lights are impressive, and impressiveness isn't alarm?
The candleflames start orbiting her head.
lurkingkobold
...spotted, spotted, the kobold is definitely spotted. How, she has no idea, but it's definitely happened.
Why is the light moving. Is she about to be attacked. She scoots back fully behind the chair - it's not much cover but it's better than nothing. Can she get home - no, she's too alarmed to aim properly, who knows where she might end up, it might be better than sticking around but she's going to wait until she knows she's in danger before risking teleporting herself into a mountainside someplace.
Why is the light moving. Is she about to be attacked. She scoots back fully behind the chair - it's not much cover but it's better than nothing. Can she get home - no, she's too alarmed to aim properly, who knows where she might end up, it might be better than sticking around but she's going to wait until she knows she's in danger before risking teleporting herself into a mountainside someplace.
calescent
The lights stop moving. That was not the intended effect. Sigh.
lurkingkobold
Well, that's better, at least.
The kobold gives it another moment, and when both the lights and the person show no further sign of moving, she peeks out again, staying behind the chair as much as possible but not worrying about whether she's seen.
The kobold gives it another moment, and when both the lights and the person show no further sign of moving, she peeks out again, staying behind the chair as much as possible but not worrying about whether she's seen.
lurkingkobold
She looks back, assessing the situation, tentatively concluding that this person is not an immediate threat, even if they are almost certainly a spellbearer and probably a mage on top of that. But they aren't being threatening; they don't even seem upset, just cautious and a little curious - reasonable, considering.
Well, the kobold can be sociable. How will a greeting go over, in Animalperson? Hopefully the tone will help, even if the language isn't one they speak.
Well, the kobold can be sociable. How will a greeting go over, in Animalperson? Hopefully the tone will help, even if the language isn't one they speak.
lurkingkobold
Well, that seems like a good sign. The kobold spends another moment gathering her courage, and then steps into view.
calescent
Slightly more smile.
Fire person points at herself and says, "Kiri."
Fire person points at herself and says, "Kiri."
lurkingkobold
"Kiri," she repeats, with a small nod, and then she gestures similarly, "kobold."
calescent
Kiri repeats the animalperson greeting and follows it with "kobold".
lurkingkobold
This gets a grin and a little bow - she's not moving any closer yet, but she's not braced to dive back behind the chair any more at least. And then... she does have to ask... she points to the candleflames, "fire", and then looks back to Kiri, "Kiri do of fire?"
calescent
"Kiri do of fire," repeats Kiri, and she reaches into her halo with her bare hand and takes a flame like she's picking a fruit. It dances on her fingertips.
lurkingkobold
The kobold blinks. [fire [illusion?]] - she steps forward, watching Kiri carefully for objections, and reaches up to see if it's hot as well as bright.
calescent
Since she's not planning to actually touch it, just get close, Kiri holds it out.