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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: 6292699" data-attributes="member: 82687"><p><strong>38x04</strong></p><p></p><p><strong><em>Good morning! Meet you in the assigned spot?</em></strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><em>Lady be praised. Thank you! I’m on my way.</em></strong></p><p> </p><p>### </p><p> </p><p>After meeting up with Aeton that morning, the party agreed that another day spent in reconnaissance couldn’t hurt. After all, they had as many days as they wanted. Twiggy, in particular, was eager to hunt down more of the mysterious trail markings, which she was increasingly sure must be Sheh. She felt glad that the others were willing to give her the time for more research. After all, one of their major goals on this journey was to learn more about the Sheh. Furthermore, the time loop seemed triggered by the Sheh attack on the Sovereign camp. Learning their ways might be a key to escaping the loop.</p><p> </p><p>Kormick and Nyoko decided to hike to the Sovereign encampment to investigate the high priest, whose actions in defense of the camp Aeton believed to be directly linked to the loop. Sending the two off alone seemed risky, but, as Kormick pointed out, everything would reset at midnight even if they died horribly. </p><p> </p><p>And so Twiggy found herself leading the rest of the group through the forest, following the trail she’d discovered the previous day. As it crossed a small stream, Twiggy spotted an elaborate set of markings on a rock. One reminded Twiggy of a mark she’d seen before near a different water source—did it mean “water”? Another suggested that a second trail branched off from the first, climbing up a slope. Twiggy and Mena decided to explore that branch, because the first trail was continuing to lead them ever closer to the Sovereign encampment. Aeton, perhaps not surprisingly, was pleased about the detour.</p><p> </p><p>At the top of the slope, the trail ended at the entrance to a small cave. It was dark inside, with the sound of dripping water. </p><p> </p><p><span style="color: sienna">Oh no,</span> groaned Acorn in Twiggy’s mind.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh yes,” she told him.</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: sienna">But it’s dark and dank and dirty. Can’t we send the slave, Chelesta?</span></p><p> </p><p>“Her name is <em>Arden</em>, and you know very well that she hates caves,” Twiggy said. “Be brave.”</p><p> </p><p>As they stepped inside and Twiggy cast <em>light</em>, they could see that the cave was not deep: a short passage opened quickly into a large, single chamber. A dusty pile of firewood was stacked next to a long-cold firepit, and a rotting pair of fur cloaks lay in a corner. </p><p> </p><p>Arden, Twiggy noticed, seemed happy to linger nearer the entrance, where a shaft of sunlight fell warmly on the stone walls.</p><p> </p><p>“No footprints, nothing’s been disturbed,” said Mena. “I’d imagine no one has been here for at least fifty years. Maybe more.”</p><p> </p><p>Twiggy scanned the room once more, disappointed not to find any more revealing clues about the Sheh. </p><p> </p><p>“This might be something,” said Arden suddenly, brushing at the sunlit wall. “It’s worn away, but it gets clearer…” She brushed more dust and cobwebs off the wall, stepping deeper into the cave. Twiggy hurried over. There were markings drawn on the wall: <a href="http://shehlanguage.blogspot.com/2014/04/blog-post.html" target="_blank">a huge collection of cryptic symbols</a>.</p><p> </p><p>They cleared it off carefully, then everyone stepped back and studied it.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s a map,” Twiggy declared. “See this line of symbols? They must mean 'water,' like we thought—that’s the stream we just crossed down the hill. It’s a map of this exact region.” She was delighted. The mark in the spot they seemed to be standing must mean “cave.” They could correlate the other markings to the land’s features to learn more Sheh writing. This map was a major find.</p><p> </p><p>Mena felt the same way. The two of them got to work at once, copying down markings, debating their meanings, beginning to build a glossary of Sheh symbols. It reminded Twiggy of her best days in Mena’s schoolroom, the two of them working as a team on some difficult logical problem. </p><p> </p><p>Savina helped for a while and then disappeared to bathe in one of the stream’s quiet pools. Aeton set off to explore the nearby forest; Tavi and Rose meandered in the opposite direction. And Arden stripped off her gear, weapons, and boots before lying down in the sunny grass outside the cave’s mouth, falling asleep in an attitude of graceful relaxation that would have befitted an Ebisite sultana dozing under a gold-fretted trellis. </p><p> </p><p>It was a good day.</p><p> </p><p>### </p><p> </p><p>Kormick clutched a rag to the bloody stump where his finger had been and raised an eyebrow at Marshal Tomahura and the Chief Inquisitor. </p><p> </p><p>“I will… send out additional patrols,” said the Marshal, staring.</p><p> </p><p>Nyoko couldn’t help staring a little, too. She had been aware that Kormick was prepared to repeat his … unorthodox gesture … to convince the Sovereign leaders that their story of the time loop was real, but it was another thing to Witness him doing it as the climax to hours of attempted persuasion. She wrenched her attention away.</p><p> </p><p>“Additional patrols will not be enough,” she told the Marshal. “We have reason to believe that the defenses set by your High Priest are implicated in the problem.”</p><p> </p><p>The Marshal looked puzzled. “We have magical defenses, of course,” he said, “but nothing that affects time.”</p><p> </p><p>“Can the Priest be trusted?” asked Kormick. </p><p> </p><p>The Marshal’s look of offended disdain was answer enough, and Nyoko stepped in quickly. “We do not question his loyalty,” she said. “But given that our Lord Kettenek makes all our magic possible, and even our best scholars cannot hope to understand all of His laws, perhaps something unexpected has occurred—”</p><p> </p><p>With a flash of light followed instantly by a crash of thunder that shook the earth beneath them, the attack began.</p><p> </p><p>It was a strange thing, Nyoko reflected, to find herself under assault, yet wanting to roll her eyes rather than seize her bow. </p><p> </p><p>“Here we go again,” sighed Kormick.</p><p> </p><p>“TO THE DEFENSES!” roared the Marshal, racing out of the tent.</p><p> </p><p>“We must follow the—” Nyoko began.</p><p> </p><p>“Find the Priest, yes yes,” said Kormick. </p><p> </p><p>They followed the Marshal out of the tent, then followed the messenger he sent racing across the encampment with orders for High Priest Ozishi. </p><p> </p><p>After a hard sprint, dodging the chaos as Sovereigns dove for their weapons, they approached a large tent decorated with Kettenite holy symbols. A guard, her eyes wide, lunged at Kormick and grabbed his arm. “No heathens permitted!” she yelled.</p><p> </p><p>Nyoko didn’t wait to see how <em>that</em> played out. She dodged around and ran into the tent. </p><p> </p><p>Inside was a warm den of seeming safety: candles flickered, illuminating the priest who knelt at the center of a carefully crafted ritual circle, praying. Nyoko instantly catalogued the symbols and ritual artifacts incorporated into the circle so she could recall them later. The messenger, beside Nyoko, looked uncertain about interrupting. </p><p> </p><p>“Father—?” the messenger began, but the priest ignored him.</p><p> </p><p>“Kettenek, Holy Father, Strong Arm, Defender, keep us safe. Preserve us upon this day—”</p><p> </p><p>The ground beneath the priest simply opened up like a mouth, swallowed him and half of his circle, and closed again.</p><p> </p><p>He was gone, beneath the earth, in one of the gulping holes that had plagued the party the first time they endured this battle.</p><p> </p><p>“Wake up. Let me see your hands,” Mena barked. Nyoko blinked. She was back at their campsite, and Mena was striding up to Kormick, who groggily sat up from his bedroll. </p><p> </p><p>Mena knelt and looked at his fingers carefully, then at him. </p><p> </p><p>“All ten,” Kormick said. “And if a man can’t even cut off his own finger to make a point—”</p><p> </p><p>Mena sighed. “Just don’t do when it counts, dear.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ilex, post: 6292699, member: 82687"] [b]38x04[/b] [B][I]Good morning! Meet you in the assigned spot?[/I][/B] [B][I]Lady be praised. Thank you! I’m on my way.[/I][/B] ### After meeting up with Aeton that morning, the party agreed that another day spent in reconnaissance couldn’t hurt. After all, they had as many days as they wanted. Twiggy, in particular, was eager to hunt down more of the mysterious trail markings, which she was increasingly sure must be Sheh. She felt glad that the others were willing to give her the time for more research. After all, one of their major goals on this journey was to learn more about the Sheh. Furthermore, the time loop seemed triggered by the Sheh attack on the Sovereign camp. Learning their ways might be a key to escaping the loop. Kormick and Nyoko decided to hike to the Sovereign encampment to investigate the high priest, whose actions in defense of the camp Aeton believed to be directly linked to the loop. Sending the two off alone seemed risky, but, as Kormick pointed out, everything would reset at midnight even if they died horribly. And so Twiggy found herself leading the rest of the group through the forest, following the trail she’d discovered the previous day. As it crossed a small stream, Twiggy spotted an elaborate set of markings on a rock. One reminded Twiggy of a mark she’d seen before near a different water source—did it mean “water”? Another suggested that a second trail branched off from the first, climbing up a slope. Twiggy and Mena decided to explore that branch, because the first trail was continuing to lead them ever closer to the Sovereign encampment. Aeton, perhaps not surprisingly, was pleased about the detour. At the top of the slope, the trail ended at the entrance to a small cave. It was dark inside, with the sound of dripping water. [COLOR=sienna]Oh no,[/COLOR] groaned Acorn in Twiggy’s mind. “Oh yes,” she told him. [COLOR=sienna]But it’s dark and dank and dirty. Can’t we send the slave, Chelesta?[/COLOR] “Her name is [I]Arden[/I], and you know very well that she hates caves,” Twiggy said. “Be brave.” As they stepped inside and Twiggy cast [I]light[/I], they could see that the cave was not deep: a short passage opened quickly into a large, single chamber. A dusty pile of firewood was stacked next to a long-cold firepit, and a rotting pair of fur cloaks lay in a corner. Arden, Twiggy noticed, seemed happy to linger nearer the entrance, where a shaft of sunlight fell warmly on the stone walls. “No footprints, nothing’s been disturbed,” said Mena. “I’d imagine no one has been here for at least fifty years. Maybe more.” Twiggy scanned the room once more, disappointed not to find any more revealing clues about the Sheh. “This might be something,” said Arden suddenly, brushing at the sunlit wall. “It’s worn away, but it gets clearer…” She brushed more dust and cobwebs off the wall, stepping deeper into the cave. Twiggy hurried over. There were markings drawn on the wall: [URL="http://shehlanguage.blogspot.com/2014/04/blog-post.html"]a huge collection of cryptic symbols[/URL]. They cleared it off carefully, then everyone stepped back and studied it. “It’s a map,” Twiggy declared. “See this line of symbols? They must mean 'water,' like we thought—that’s the stream we just crossed down the hill. It’s a map of this exact region.” She was delighted. The mark in the spot they seemed to be standing must mean “cave.” They could correlate the other markings to the land’s features to learn more Sheh writing. This map was a major find. Mena felt the same way. The two of them got to work at once, copying down markings, debating their meanings, beginning to build a glossary of Sheh symbols. It reminded Twiggy of her best days in Mena’s schoolroom, the two of them working as a team on some difficult logical problem. Savina helped for a while and then disappeared to bathe in one of the stream’s quiet pools. Aeton set off to explore the nearby forest; Tavi and Rose meandered in the opposite direction. And Arden stripped off her gear, weapons, and boots before lying down in the sunny grass outside the cave’s mouth, falling asleep in an attitude of graceful relaxation that would have befitted an Ebisite sultana dozing under a gold-fretted trellis. It was a good day. ### Kormick clutched a rag to the bloody stump where his finger had been and raised an eyebrow at Marshal Tomahura and the Chief Inquisitor. “I will… send out additional patrols,” said the Marshal, staring. Nyoko couldn’t help staring a little, too. She had been aware that Kormick was prepared to repeat his … unorthodox gesture … to convince the Sovereign leaders that their story of the time loop was real, but it was another thing to Witness him doing it as the climax to hours of attempted persuasion. She wrenched her attention away. “Additional patrols will not be enough,” she told the Marshal. “We have reason to believe that the defenses set by your High Priest are implicated in the problem.” The Marshal looked puzzled. “We have magical defenses, of course,” he said, “but nothing that affects time.” “Can the Priest be trusted?” asked Kormick. The Marshal’s look of offended disdain was answer enough, and Nyoko stepped in quickly. “We do not question his loyalty,” she said. “But given that our Lord Kettenek makes all our magic possible, and even our best scholars cannot hope to understand all of His laws, perhaps something unexpected has occurred—” With a flash of light followed instantly by a crash of thunder that shook the earth beneath them, the attack began. It was a strange thing, Nyoko reflected, to find herself under assault, yet wanting to roll her eyes rather than seize her bow. “Here we go again,” sighed Kormick. “TO THE DEFENSES!” roared the Marshal, racing out of the tent. “We must follow the—” Nyoko began. “Find the Priest, yes yes,” said Kormick. They followed the Marshal out of the tent, then followed the messenger he sent racing across the encampment with orders for High Priest Ozishi. After a hard sprint, dodging the chaos as Sovereigns dove for their weapons, they approached a large tent decorated with Kettenite holy symbols. A guard, her eyes wide, lunged at Kormick and grabbed his arm. “No heathens permitted!” she yelled. Nyoko didn’t wait to see how [I]that[/I] played out. She dodged around and ran into the tent. Inside was a warm den of seeming safety: candles flickered, illuminating the priest who knelt at the center of a carefully crafted ritual circle, praying. Nyoko instantly catalogued the symbols and ritual artifacts incorporated into the circle so she could recall them later. The messenger, beside Nyoko, looked uncertain about interrupting. “Father—?” the messenger began, but the priest ignored him. “Kettenek, Holy Father, Strong Arm, Defender, keep us safe. Preserve us upon this day—” The ground beneath the priest simply opened up like a mouth, swallowed him and half of his circle, and closed again. He was gone, beneath the earth, in one of the gulping holes that had plagued the party the first time they endured this battle. “Wake up. Let me see your hands,” Mena barked. Nyoko blinked. She was back at their campsite, and Mena was striding up to Kormick, who groggily sat up from his bedroll. Mena knelt and looked at his fingers carefully, then at him. “All ten,” Kormick said. “And if a man can’t even cut off his own finger to make a point—” Mena sighed. “Just don’t do when it counts, dear.” [/QUOTE]
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A Rose In The Wind: A Saga of the Halmae -- Updated June 19, 2014
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