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A Rose In The Wind: A Saga of the Halmae -- Updated June 19, 2014
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<blockquote data-quote="Ilex" data-source="post: 5219015" data-attributes="member: 82687"><p><strong>13x01</strong></p><p></p><p>Not long after the extravagant dinner had ended, bells across the city began to toll. It was midnight, Kettenek's time. Savina wearily accepted her cloak from Arden and followed the others out into the courtyard of the Adept House. In the darkness, warm winds of spring were gusting over Cauldron's rim, stirring the lake far below and spiraling back around to whisk at Savina's cloak, bearing a hint of sulfur. Adepts, apprentices, and servants filled the courtyard. The place was lovely in the starlight: pebbles and rocks twined in patterns through low shrubbery. A fountain trickled in one corner. Incense joined sulfur in the capricious breeze. </p><p></p><p>Savina suppressed a smile as the thought occurred to her that this was the most comfortable Kettenite shrine she'd ever seen.</p><p></p><p>Lord Masa sat near the front, but did not speak, leaving the service in the hands of younger Adepts. Savina listened to the chants in fascination: <em>Kettenek, Lord of All, whose firm earth gives strength to all crops, whose strong stone contains the power of fire, whose mighty mountains shelter us from the fickle winds of all storms...</em> </p><p></p><p>The theology was all wrong, but the music was beautiful. </p><p></p><p>Fifteen minutes later, she joined the rustling throng headed back inside. Arden took Savina's cloak, her shoes, turned down the bedclothes, and, when Savina was ready, blew out the candle and closed the door softly behind her. Savina fell asleep to the sound of the breeze tossing and fluttering leaves outside.</p><p></p><p>When the pre-dawn light woke her, she was nervous and groggy, all at once. The light grew brighter, but it seemed an unusually long time until the sun heaved itself over the city's rim and Savina could say the dawn prayers. This was a strange place, and even though she hadn't said prayers with another Alirrian since <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/story-hour/251423-rose-wind-saga-halmae-updated-june-21-2010-a-4.html#post4782481" target="_blank">that morning</a> in Lord's Edge, so long ago, she still felt especially alone and alien at this moment. <em>Today I have to advise a Lord of the Sovereignty about Alirrian matters. And maybe I'm the only one in this city who can.</em></p><p></p><p>By the time that she, Arden, and Nyoko presented themselves at Lord Masa's audience chamber, she had Mena's over-breakfast advice ringing in her ears: "There is no need for deceit. Sedellus can do that all by herself. But be tactful. Don't proselytize. Stick with statements about your beliefs. Say '<em>I</em> believe' and '<em>I</em> feel.' And be confident. You trained for this."</p><p></p><p>A servant bowed them into the room. Arden waited by the door as Savina and Nyoko stepped forward. Nyoko bowed low before the head of her order and he returned the gesture, smiling with genuine affection. Savina did her best to follow Nyoko's lead, and received a bow in return.</p><p></p><p>Lord Masa gestured toward two cushions awaiting them before his low desk. </p><p></p><p>"Honored Adept and Honored … Honored Daughter?" he said, both invitation and graceful question.</p><p></p><p>"Blessed Daughter," Savina corrected him, as she and Nyoko knelt on their cushions, Nyoko with far more delicate grace that Savina. Lord Masa sat down opposite them with the neatness of a cat. </p><p></p><p>"Yes, of course," he smiled. "<em>Blessed</em> Daughter. A priestess of Alirria."</p><p></p><p>"A – a young one," said Savina, in a shy disclaimer. Then she remembered Mena's words. <em>Be confident.</em> "But yes, a priestess of Alirria. What may I do for you?"</p><p></p><p>"An issue has come to my attention that requires knowledge of Alirrian ways," he said, revealing no more than he had last night. Then he smiled and spoke less formally. "Rather, a relation of mine has been pestering me, claiming his liege lord is perpetrating an Alirrian heresy. It's a matter for the Inquisitors, not us Adepts, but they have already investigated and found nothing amiss. Yet my cousin persists. He insists that the initial Inquisition was … less than perfect."</p><p></p><p>"What does your cousin find troubling?" Savina asked.</p><p></p><p>"Let me be clear, he is no fan of saint worship," Lord Masa said. "His liege lord, by contrast, converted to Alirrian worship some years ago after marrying a secret Alirrian. Certainly one can imagine that this might bring about tensions in the district. My cousin is a minor noble, new to adulthood, and he is reticent to discuss the situation with anyone not directly involved. I've thus told you everything I know. But, if you would be so kind as to meet with Lord Ono Kenji, the Head of the Inquisition here in Cauldron, surely you can help him get to the bottom of the matter."</p><p></p><p><em>The Inquisition.</em> For the second time that morning, Savina found herself thinking back to morning prayers that first day in Lord's Edge. This time, she remembered the <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/story-hour/251423-rose-wind-saga-halmae-updated-june-21-2010-a-4.html#post4791490" target="_blank">snarling Inquisitors</a> who'd broken up the gathering. She remembered how angry she'd been.</p><p></p><p>"I want to make sure I understand," said Savina, remembering to use "I" statements. "I wouldn't feel comfortable contributing to the inquisition of a fellow Alirrian."</p><p></p><p>"Certainly not," he said. "These are not the old days, and orthodox Alirrian worship is legal. I simply ask you to help determine if my cousin's lord's practices are, in your expert opinion, heretical." </p><p></p><p>Savina wondered if he knew that it seemed to be very much the old days in Lord's Edge. She said nothing, however, and bowed her head in consent. At the very least, she did want to know more. "I will do my best to assist you," she said.</p><p></p><p>"Excellent," said Lord Masa. "Do priestesses of your order charge a fee for such services? How may we repay you?"</p><p></p><p>Savina shook her head. "Your hospitality has been so delightful, Lord Masa. We should not speak of debt among friends." </p><p></p><p>Lord Masa smiled. "Then I will alert Ono-san to your coming. Nyoko, if you order a carriage for just past lunchtime, I venture to speculate that you and the Blessed Daughter will be a priority among his afternoon appointments."</p><p></p><p>With that, he bowed them out of the room.</p><p></p><p>### </p><p></p><p>Twiggy was back in the library, surrounded by the smell of vellum, the sound of shuffling pages, and Acorn's radiating affection for the orderliness of the shelving system. Despite that, she was frustrated. As before, Mena had come with her to the library, and this time, they had met with an Adept Loremaster, Lady Tomako, a reserved woman with thin gray hair bound back and tattoos covering her face. At the moment, she was staring at them skeptically. Mena was staring back like the Defier she was. This stalemate had been going on all morning. </p><p></p><p>The problem had begun, Twiggy realized, even before they arrived at the library. Over breakfast, the group had debated whether to tell the Adept Loremasters about the <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/story-hour/251423-rose-wind-saga-halmae-updated-june-21-2010-a-15.html#post5125819" target="_blank">prophecy</a>. As usual, Mena, Kormick, and Arden favored caution and secrecy – even Arden spoke up to say as much. Twiggy understood their trepidation, but favored the opposite: since they had access to the riches of the Adept Loremasters' knowledge, why not enlist the Loremasters’ aid—share what they knew, and seize the chance to learn all they could? She'd been overruled.</p><p></p><p>Now—after spending hours asking Lady Tomako vague, roundabout questions and getting nowhere—Twiggy felt vindicated. <em>Lady Tomako knows we're not telling her everything,</em> Twiggy thought. <em>It’s no wonder she’s annoyed. If we don’t tell her anything, she won’t tell us anything.</em> It wasn’t just the practicality, either: keeping the Loremaster in the dark felt wrong, like convicting someone without proof. Twiggy shot Mena a glance. The Defier clearly knew they weren’t getting anywhere with this approach—but was prepared to keep Rose's secret forever nonetheless. </p><p></p><p>"Perhaps," Mena tried again, "you might bring us any texts about sieges in which walls were battered down?" </p><p></p><p>"That," answered Tomako-san skeptically, "is virtually <em>all</em> sieges. If you could give me <em>any</em> additional details –" </p><p></p><p>"I thank you for the trouble you're taking, Tomako-san," interrupted Mena, blandly but defiantly. <em>At least she's being polite,</em> Twiggy thought, <em>but we can't keep going on like this.</em> </p><p></p><p>"I will begin with siege warfare during the era of the first five Rikitarus," sighed Tomako-san, and turned away to fetch the books. As soon as she was out of earshot, Twiggy turned to Mena. </p><p></p><p>"We <em>have</em> to trust her," she whispered. </p><p></p><p>Mena shook her head. "The Twilight Lurker has many masks," she said. </p><p></p><p>"You think she would disguise herself as a <em>librarian</em>?" Twiggy demanded, sounding glibber than she had intended.</p><p></p><p>"It's too dangerous … "</p><p></p><p>"Mena, with respect, you can't figure out why the world works the way it does until you've done the very best research you can. <em>You</em> taught me that. And we aren't doing the best research we can."</p><p></p><p>Mena sighed. "I know," she admitted. "But what choice do we have?"</p><p></p><p>"Trust them!" Twiggy erupted, her voice rising. Mena opened her mouth to object again. "Please," Twiggy said, forestalling her. "You have always said that Sedellus sows mistrust. Maybe by failing to trust, we are falling into her trap." </p><p></p><p>Lady Tomako was back, pushing a pile of manuscript books on a trolley. Mena looked at Twiggy. Twiggy looked back, silently willing her to agree, to take the risk of trusting.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ilex, post: 5219015, member: 82687"] [b]13x01[/b] Not long after the extravagant dinner had ended, bells across the city began to toll. It was midnight, Kettenek's time. Savina wearily accepted her cloak from Arden and followed the others out into the courtyard of the Adept House. In the darkness, warm winds of spring were gusting over Cauldron's rim, stirring the lake far below and spiraling back around to whisk at Savina's cloak, bearing a hint of sulfur. Adepts, apprentices, and servants filled the courtyard. The place was lovely in the starlight: pebbles and rocks twined in patterns through low shrubbery. A fountain trickled in one corner. Incense joined sulfur in the capricious breeze. Savina suppressed a smile as the thought occurred to her that this was the most comfortable Kettenite shrine she'd ever seen. Lord Masa sat near the front, but did not speak, leaving the service in the hands of younger Adepts. Savina listened to the chants in fascination: [i]Kettenek, Lord of All, whose firm earth gives strength to all crops, whose strong stone contains the power of fire, whose mighty mountains shelter us from the fickle winds of all storms...[/i] The theology was all wrong, but the music was beautiful. Fifteen minutes later, she joined the rustling throng headed back inside. Arden took Savina's cloak, her shoes, turned down the bedclothes, and, when Savina was ready, blew out the candle and closed the door softly behind her. Savina fell asleep to the sound of the breeze tossing and fluttering leaves outside. When the pre-dawn light woke her, she was nervous and groggy, all at once. The light grew brighter, but it seemed an unusually long time until the sun heaved itself over the city's rim and Savina could say the dawn prayers. This was a strange place, and even though she hadn't said prayers with another Alirrian since [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/story-hour/251423-rose-wind-saga-halmae-updated-june-21-2010-a-4.html#post4782481"]that morning[/URL] in Lord's Edge, so long ago, she still felt especially alone and alien at this moment. [i]Today I have to advise a Lord of the Sovereignty about Alirrian matters. And maybe I'm the only one in this city who can.[/i] By the time that she, Arden, and Nyoko presented themselves at Lord Masa's audience chamber, she had Mena's over-breakfast advice ringing in her ears: "There is no need for deceit. Sedellus can do that all by herself. But be tactful. Don't proselytize. Stick with statements about your beliefs. Say '[i]I[/i] believe' and '[i]I[/i] feel.' And be confident. You trained for this." A servant bowed them into the room. Arden waited by the door as Savina and Nyoko stepped forward. Nyoko bowed low before the head of her order and he returned the gesture, smiling with genuine affection. Savina did her best to follow Nyoko's lead, and received a bow in return. Lord Masa gestured toward two cushions awaiting them before his low desk. "Honored Adept and Honored … Honored Daughter?" he said, both invitation and graceful question. "Blessed Daughter," Savina corrected him, as she and Nyoko knelt on their cushions, Nyoko with far more delicate grace that Savina. Lord Masa sat down opposite them with the neatness of a cat. "Yes, of course," he smiled. "[i]Blessed[/i] Daughter. A priestess of Alirria." "A – a young one," said Savina, in a shy disclaimer. Then she remembered Mena's words. [i]Be confident.[/i] "But yes, a priestess of Alirria. What may I do for you?" "An issue has come to my attention that requires knowledge of Alirrian ways," he said, revealing no more than he had last night. Then he smiled and spoke less formally. "Rather, a relation of mine has been pestering me, claiming his liege lord is perpetrating an Alirrian heresy. It's a matter for the Inquisitors, not us Adepts, but they have already investigated and found nothing amiss. Yet my cousin persists. He insists that the initial Inquisition was … less than perfect." "What does your cousin find troubling?" Savina asked. "Let me be clear, he is no fan of saint worship," Lord Masa said. "His liege lord, by contrast, converted to Alirrian worship some years ago after marrying a secret Alirrian. Certainly one can imagine that this might bring about tensions in the district. My cousin is a minor noble, new to adulthood, and he is reticent to discuss the situation with anyone not directly involved. I've thus told you everything I know. But, if you would be so kind as to meet with Lord Ono Kenji, the Head of the Inquisition here in Cauldron, surely you can help him get to the bottom of the matter." [i]The Inquisition.[/i] For the second time that morning, Savina found herself thinking back to morning prayers that first day in Lord's Edge. This time, she remembered the [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/story-hour/251423-rose-wind-saga-halmae-updated-june-21-2010-a-4.html#post4791490"]snarling Inquisitors[/URL] who'd broken up the gathering. She remembered how angry she'd been. "I want to make sure I understand," said Savina, remembering to use "I" statements. "I wouldn't feel comfortable contributing to the inquisition of a fellow Alirrian." "Certainly not," he said. "These are not the old days, and orthodox Alirrian worship is legal. I simply ask you to help determine if my cousin's lord's practices are, in your expert opinion, heretical." Savina wondered if he knew that it seemed to be very much the old days in Lord's Edge. She said nothing, however, and bowed her head in consent. At the very least, she did want to know more. "I will do my best to assist you," she said. "Excellent," said Lord Masa. "Do priestesses of your order charge a fee for such services? How may we repay you?" Savina shook her head. "Your hospitality has been so delightful, Lord Masa. We should not speak of debt among friends." Lord Masa smiled. "Then I will alert Ono-san to your coming. Nyoko, if you order a carriage for just past lunchtime, I venture to speculate that you and the Blessed Daughter will be a priority among his afternoon appointments." With that, he bowed them out of the room. ### Twiggy was back in the library, surrounded by the smell of vellum, the sound of shuffling pages, and Acorn's radiating affection for the orderliness of the shelving system. Despite that, she was frustrated. As before, Mena had come with her to the library, and this time, they had met with an Adept Loremaster, Lady Tomako, a reserved woman with thin gray hair bound back and tattoos covering her face. At the moment, she was staring at them skeptically. Mena was staring back like the Defier she was. This stalemate had been going on all morning. The problem had begun, Twiggy realized, even before they arrived at the library. Over breakfast, the group had debated whether to tell the Adept Loremasters about the [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/story-hour/251423-rose-wind-saga-halmae-updated-june-21-2010-a-15.html#post5125819"]prophecy[/URL]. As usual, Mena, Kormick, and Arden favored caution and secrecy – even Arden spoke up to say as much. Twiggy understood their trepidation, but favored the opposite: since they had access to the riches of the Adept Loremasters' knowledge, why not enlist the Loremasters’ aid—share what they knew, and seize the chance to learn all they could? She'd been overruled. Now—after spending hours asking Lady Tomako vague, roundabout questions and getting nowhere—Twiggy felt vindicated. [i]Lady Tomako knows we're not telling her everything,[/i] Twiggy thought. [i]It’s no wonder she’s annoyed. If we don’t tell her anything, she won’t tell us anything.[/i] It wasn’t just the practicality, either: keeping the Loremaster in the dark felt wrong, like convicting someone without proof. Twiggy shot Mena a glance. The Defier clearly knew they weren’t getting anywhere with this approach—but was prepared to keep Rose's secret forever nonetheless. "Perhaps," Mena tried again, "you might bring us any texts about sieges in which walls were battered down?" "That," answered Tomako-san skeptically, "is virtually [i]all[/i] sieges. If you could give me [i]any[/i] additional details –" "I thank you for the trouble you're taking, Tomako-san," interrupted Mena, blandly but defiantly. [i]At least she's being polite,[/i] Twiggy thought, [i]but we can't keep going on like this.[/i] "I will begin with siege warfare during the era of the first five Rikitarus," sighed Tomako-san, and turned away to fetch the books. As soon as she was out of earshot, Twiggy turned to Mena. "We [i]have[/i] to trust her," she whispered. Mena shook her head. "The Twilight Lurker has many masks," she said. "You think she would disguise herself as a [i]librarian[/i]?" Twiggy demanded, sounding glibber than she had intended. "It's too dangerous … " "Mena, with respect, you can't figure out why the world works the way it does until you've done the very best research you can. [i]You[/i] taught me that. And we aren't doing the best research we can." Mena sighed. "I know," she admitted. "But what choice do we have?" "Trust them!" Twiggy erupted, her voice rising. Mena opened her mouth to object again. "Please," Twiggy said, forestalling her. "You have always said that Sedellus sows mistrust. Maybe by failing to trust, we are falling into her trap." Lady Tomako was back, pushing a pile of manuscript books on a trolley. Mena looked at Twiggy. Twiggy looked back, silently willing her to agree, to take the risk of trusting. [/QUOTE]
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