#harrada

[maxandkon]

I don't expect many people to get the joke, point is that the 4th effect of the plant is paralysis

[wally-b-feed]

Anthony Fineran (B 1981), 'Harrada Leather', 2024

[protectermaji]

Shaman's Dream / Harrada

Harrada stood, heavy chainmail boots resting nearby, her bulky shoulder armor and weapons with them, her sand toned skin carried just a hint of the fel corruption that had tainted the orcs who originally went through the portal. With her boots off her toes dug into the sand and waves of the nearby ocean advance up the beach, washing over her feet the ebb and rush of the waves whispered soft words. Most of the elements were like this barely audible, hardly there. It wasn’t until she took these breaks away from society and the hubs of people that she could almost make out what they were saying. It was frustrating during the rare moments where she sought their wisdom their messages came in incomprehensible sights and sounds jumbled together. One of her former clients, an old Orc shaman, who hired her to play bodyguard through harpy infested lands. She suggested to become attuned to the elements.

The first element she came upon was a smoldering fire elemental. It’s words came like a the roar of a stoked engine flame. “Be purified,” it said as the smoldering embers blazed to life engulfing her. The heat felt like it would melt the flesh from her bones, the straps to her armor disintegrated in the searing flames. She was left trying to hold together pieces of her armor. So concerned with keeping her armor, keeping herself decent, she was unprepared for the buffet of flame that painfully reminded her of the elemental towering over her. There was power to be grasped here and she took staggered steps forward to brazenly stand before the elemental. “The cleansing is almost complete..” its words became distorted as she watched the clear yellow-orange flame turned green and it beckoned to her, “Drink of my power!” It lifted a green tinged molten finger aimed to touch her lips. “NO!” she said loudly trying to step back, but she found her boots welded down. The prospect of it touching her or even putting her lips to this corruption made her recoil, so the elemental advanced and she found herself looking down her nose as the flames about her grew intense. It brought the tip of its finger close, the ripples of heat coming off the molten green flame dripping as if it were a liquid. Her eyes shifted up at the elemental as her hands went to grab it’s arm, forsaking her decency, she would not be corrupted by this foul thing.

The pain was immense for just a moment before a wall of wind came from behind her, throwing her forward onto her hands and knees, it rushed over her tearing the corrupted flame elemental from it’s towering place and sending it away. Immediately she looked from the soil to her savior, the translucent airy body of swirling wind, now it was in the place where the corrupted flame had been. Turning to her the large elemental looked down, seeming uninterested in the orcess’ bare form, it said, “Come.”, then began to move up the rise not waiting to see if she would follow. Untangling herself quickly from the clothes that wrapped about her legs, she was not far behind the wind. It motioned as if pointing out over the high ridges of the other nearby jutting rises, “Throw it away.” the wispy voice was firm. She looked between it and the rest of the plateau, then as if something was settled she shrugged and threw her ruined armor and clothes out into the wind. A violent gust swept up without warning and threw her off the ridge as well, looking back she saw the air elemental reaching out to her, but it was no use. She was utterly at the mercy of the wind, it whipped and sliced about her leaving shallow cuts in her skin. A down draft then took her plummeting toward the flat hard ground below. As she fell, a panic set in, sending a cold chill through her body as if death really did have its grip on her.

At the moment where she thought the ground was going to be littered with the gore of her impact, the very soil cracked and a geyser of water with such force rose up to cradle her decent. There as the waters coalesced into an elemental form she could feel it infuse into her skin and around her body. She was recovering from her moment of panic and her fear of certain death. As she looked at the elemental the waters grew tainted and it rushed forward to grab her by the throat and lift her. She frantically grabs at it’s arm, the water elemental gurgled, “You- you have brought this corruption..” its words pained her as her hands were finding no purchase on the elemental’s arm. “P-please..” she croaked out. It was clear however that the elemental wasn’t going to listen. For a moment there the voice of her teacher, Darqoth, reached her ears, “Earth is stubborn.” and she had told him, so was she. As she hung suspended by the elemental’s grasp of her neck, she lidded her eyes and cleared her mind. Opening her arms out wide she slapped her hands together in front of her and for a moment nothing happened, but she held her pose, even as the water elemental laughed. “Pathetic..” As always with her luck the earth had taken a moment to respond, but two massive slabs rose up from below and with a finality they did just as her hands had, with tremendous force they slammed together catching the water elemental between them.

She woke, sitting up straight, looking around to reorient herself, it was then that she noticed she was drenched, so was her bedding.. and a puddle on the floor. Her eyes shifted to the crackling fire in the hearth. There just past the foot of her bed was a small stacked pile of pebbles, the rubble looked inert. This is the first time she’s ever had a dream like that.