While the destination had changed, nothing else about the trip south towards Emberscale Caverns was much different than it was for the trip towards the town. They trudged along beside the plodding oxen until the early fall sun was most of the way to the horizon before stopping for the evening at ...
2025-07-16 05:31:06 +0000 UTC View PostBy the time that Kori departed Gnomish Delights, it had been several hours since she’d absconded from the enclave, a bit longer than she’d intended and probably long enough that Har had noted her absence. Her attempt at sneaking back in was not nearly as successful, at least in her mind, as h...
2025-07-11 05:09:50 +0000 UTC View PostHar continued to evade her questions about whatever it was that he was obviously planning, frustrating her with her mentor even more than she had already been. She didn’t see why he was excited about the concoction, the suspension of mending wasn’t really even something new, by all accounts i...
2025-07-11 05:09:23 +0000 UTC View PostWith a few moments to collect himself, and a grin that seemed wider than his face should allow, Har finally settled his gaze on the youngling standing opposite him. “A silver… do you have any idea how much that potion seller would sell such a craft for?”
Nodding to confirm she in fact...
2025-07-07 01:26:45 +0000 UTC View PostDeciding to take a different tack with her this time, Imelda instead asked a question, “Kori, just how much do you know about potions?”
The subject dragged up the memory of her previous attempt to learn more about them, Kori grimaced before grumbling out, “Not much… no thanks to tha...
2025-07-04 02:31:17 +0000 UTC View PostWith a quick appraisal, Imelda confirmed that the paste was indeed the same Imbued Herbal Healing Ointment that Kori had intended to make, though at a quality of inferior which was likely due to the state of the moss that she had provided.
“It actually worked… water and moss…” She s...
2025-07-03 17:20:58 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: Sorry about the delay, I guess I wasn't quite as ready to be back as I thought I was. With the lack of chapters the deadline for resuming billing continues to push back as the backlog grows. it's going to be at minimum mid July before that happens.
“Yes?” Kori replied tentatively, ...
2025-06-27 21:13:35 +0000 UTC View PostChapters are resuming!
Antibiotics did their thing and I am feeling so much better.
In light of that, how about some reader participation?
Kori is set up to do a bit of experimenting. Ostensibly this is to find an alternative to luminous moss from among the surface plants, bu...
2025-06-20 14:46:53 +0000 UTC View PostThere’s a saying about mortals making plans and deities laughing that seems appropriate right about now…
No sooner had I announced my plans to catch up and started working on chapters, then I got one of the worst respiratory infections I have had in many years.
Between the wrack...
2025-06-13 12:36:41 +0000 UTC View PostThe work of gathering the dried and hanging the fresh herbs went fairly quickly, though not without an awkward moment when Imelda asked if s
The work of gathering the dried and hanging the fresh herbs went fairly quickly, though not without an awkward moment when Imelda asked if she had hea...
2025-06-06 02:31:59 +0000 UTC View Post“You still deny it?” Zln replied, a thread of mana joining into the spiritual energy swirling around her body, feeding it like fuel to a flame. “You’re not the only one with [Spiritual Sense] you know.” Her words still impassive and cold, but with a thread of sarcasm bleeding through. ...
2025-06-04 04:55:58 +0000 UTC View PostSo I wanted to give a quick update, I wasn't very good about communicating that I was going to be away for a trip and wasn't going to have opportunity to write, so I apologize for that.
I'm back now and chapters will be resuming, well now, as there should be one following this post.
In a turn of events from many of their nights out, it was Har who had to practically carry Kori back to the enclave. A trip that was much further than their typical stumble home from Maribel’s café since they were clear on the opposite side of Whatzakt. After hours of investigating every nook ...
2025-05-22 01:54:31 +0000 UTC View PostDeparting the potion shop in such a manner left a foul taste in Kori’s mouth, the things she had said and the way she said them was something that Kori had never experienced before. Sure, Bolst was a bit mean the night of the festival, but he was drunk and she knew he didn’t mean to say the t...
2025-05-16 20:54:18 +0000 UTC View PostKori’s grin at successfully obtaining the skill, and creating a mostly okay bottle, extended into a little wiggling dance as she swept her tail around and cheered.
“Yes, yes, you made a bottle. Not sure why you’re so excited about it…” Ulteran said, placing his hand on her shoulde...
2025-05-16 02:31:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe morning following Har’s catching up with his acquaintance and Kori’s making of a new friend came quickly, and for Har, quite unpleasantly. When she saw him at breakfast his eyes were striated with bloodshot lines and his scales had an unmistakably pale hue. He returned to his work, grumbl...
2025-05-15 21:28:49 +0000 UTC View PostFollowing along behind the elder as he did his tasks was not what Kori had in mind when she found out she’d be visiting the surface. Watching him going over ledgers and inspecting goods that awaited transport back to the caverns, reading letters in a language she didn’t understand, they didn...
2025-05-09 18:19:54 +0000 UTC View PostAfter the evening’s discussion while training her senses with Snq, images of puddles erupting from beakers and engulfing her while she worked coloured her dreams and left her mood soured the following morning.
<<Skill proficiency improved. Mana Sense level 3 -> 4>><...
2025-05-08 01:51:13 +0000 UTC View PostA little ointment went a long way towards brightening Snq’s evening, though she still wasn’t in the greatest of moods for the remainder of it. Suffice to say, there would be no playing hide the mana mote that evening, which was in no way, shape, or form a euphonism.
Kori had enough on h...
2025-05-01 02:22:28 +0000 UTC View Post
I keep referencing places, figure I should give you a better look at the world map. This is a political map for the world, Emberscale Caverns is marked in the northeast.
2025-04-22 22:53:22 +0000 UTC View PostThe travel day was much shorter than Kori had envisioned, it seemed that they had barely gotten started with the day when they were already pulling off the road onto a cleared patch of dirt that seemed purpose built for them.
“Already?” She asked Har as the other traders began unhitchin...
2025-04-22 20:52:51 +0000 UTC View PostMinutes passed as Kori just stood there, stunned by the novelty of her surroundings. The abundance of sensations was overwhelming to the young kobold who had never imagined that the surface could be just so starkly different to the underground life she had known. Sounds of life permeated the air,...
2025-04-16 21:04:25 +0000 UTC View PostWith the new workspace still a work in progress, Har decided it was the perfect opportunity to go spend some of the budget that they’d been given. He had the list that Kori had provided him, but what better opportunity would he have to introduce his newest apprentices to the wonders of commerce...
2025-04-15 06:07:57 +0000 UTC View PostThe days to follow were a whirlwind of activity for some, and utterly mundane for others. Unfortunately for Kori, her days fell into the latter. Warriors, mages, miners, Elders, and even a few members of the Circle, all came together to deal with carving out a new space for the ambitious younglin...
2025-04-14 20:05:34 +0000 UTC View Post<A/N> Holy crap, chapter 50! (Well, technically the 55th chapter, cause prologue, but still, chapter 50!)
The discussions petered out soon after, most of the matters agreed upon and not much else to do while they awaited a new work space. Kori and her new mentor Har leaving the Elder...
2025-04-11 02:56:30 +0000 UTC View PostTheir conversation continued onwards, debating everything from where the youngling’s work would take place, which ended up being ‘as far away from the clan’s caverns as could be considered practical’, and how they would acquire supplies and determine what projects were safe to work on. Th...
2025-04-10 02:38:56 +0000 UTC View PostTea distributed; the Elders came together in a more relaxed setting than Kori had ever seen them in in their chamber. Sat around just a single table, elbow to elbow, some with heavy lidded eyes still betraying their actions from the night before. Har clearly the worst off with his head laid down ...
2025-04-07 17:57:05 +0000 UTC View PostMorning came all too soon for most members of Clan Emberscale. It was an unspoken rule that no one was really expected to arrive on time for their work on the morning after the festival, even the Elders started their meeting later than usual. While Kori was up at her normal time, tired from her l...
2025-04-04 01:19:57 +0000 UTC View PostThe feast laid out before them disappeared faster than the young group had expected it to. None of them held themselves back from devouring the soft, moist flesh that had been revealed once the shell had been cracked. While they found themselves satisfied with their meal, none were sated. They kn...
2025-04-03 01:29:55 +0000 UTC View PostUntil recently, Kori had never spent much time with her sister. Beys had been a bit of a bully for much of their early years, but she’d grown out of it since the beginning of their apprenticeships. And as the only two of their clutch who had failed in their initial calling, they had a shared ex...
2025-04-02 03:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post