Within the first few minutes after the earthquake and eruption, the paniced screams and shouts die down, the shock and terror gradually overwhelming people until they are numb of thought. People stare passively at the distant, fiery mountain even as those skilled in healing tend to their wounds. Some villagers close and bar their doors, fearing disaster; others stumble listlessly across debris-strewn alleys.
Gradually, order returns to Cuirlen. Healers stabilize the most injured and move them to a central location, while people who have kept their wits about them gently gather those who are more shell-shocked. Others run or ride to the outlying hamlets to assist recovery efforts there. The Elders move about the populace, offering aid as they can and doing their best to keep the people calm and collected.
As the sun begins its scarlet descent under the horizon, people from nearby hamlets begin to trickle into town. These people, especially the ones who lived nearest the river, show signs of hardship which the people in the village proper mostly managed to avoid. Broken limbs, long gashes where buildings collapsed onto them, and even a few corpses born on stretchers stream slowly into Cuirlen's central areas. Tales begin to circulate that the farming villages have been devastated. Fewer than one house in ten remains standing, and Sotera herself has been tirelessly expending her most powerful magics - creating living servants out of the River itself - to extinguish fires and prevent the surging, earthquake-driven waters from washing away what remains of the settlements.
As the rumors and tales continue to circle, threatening to start the panic anew, the members of the Council of Elders clamber up onto an overturned wagon. Phaidros casts a quick spell and raps the butt end of his staff sharply against the wood of the wagon; the noise it makes carries unnaturally far, quickly silencing the crowd. Pantheras steps forward and addresses the gathered populace; his voice, too, is amplified and projected such that all can clearly hear him.
"My fellows, tragedy has struck here today. I do not know what, precisely, has happened." Immediately, the crowd begins to mutter and murmur, but Phaidros bangs his staff against the wagon again and silence returns. "I do not know what happened, but I do know this: we are lucky. There have been deaths, yes, and few homes outside the village still stand. I mourn for those who have lost. We all do.
"However, most of the people were here, in the village, not in collapsing houses or near the river to be swept away. To my knowledge, there are only fourty-seven people missing or dead at this point - most of the missing are hunters out in the field who could not have returned so quickly - and only a few more still at risk of death from their wounds. Even now, Sotera communes with the river, expending all of her energy to turn back the second flood brought by the shaking earth. I have no doubts that she will be successful in her task. Our fields have already been planted for the spring. Our lives are, mostly, still with us. Our homes may be gone, but they can be rebuilt. We will continue. We will survive. The spirits are still with us."
As his speech winds down, Pantheras steps back and allows Eriboea to take his place. She takes a long moment, sweeping her gaze across the village square, meeting the eyes of as many hopeful people as she can, then begins to speak. "There will be much work to do. We need to get new houses built, which means we need to cut more wood. Some of the fields have been ruined by the second flood, so we will need to hunt and gather more food and perhaps even slaughter some of the herds. According to Phaidros' auguries, the earth-quake and the fiery mountain have disturbed the dark spirits of the forest and some of them may relocate closer to town; everyone outside town will need to be watched by those of us that can wield weapons and magic. Finally, we need to find out exactly what caused this disaster, so that we may prevent it from happening again if at all possible."
She takes a deep breath, then lets it out again in a slow sigh. "We will need volunteers from the village to do these things. Whatever your area of expertise is, the village needs it. We especially need hunters, for protection and for food. Anyone who can hunt or wants to learn to hunt will be welcomed, and trained if needed. We will immediately begin taking volunteers for rebuilding, hunting, healing, training new hunters, guarding the work parties, and for the exploration party. Anyone uninjured who refuses to help his fellow villagers ... will be exiled." Her eyes are hard as she ends her speech.
When Eriboea finishes talking, the Elders disperse to set up volunteer lists. Kallistrate holds the hunting list, Anakletos and Eriboea hold the rebuilding lists, Ambrosia holds the healing list, Mnason holds the guard list, Phaidros holds the training list, and Pantheras holds the exploration party list. At first the people stand in silence, then, gradually, the people being to talk amongst themselves and the crowd begins to disperse into smaller groups around each of the Elders. Even a few of the injured stand and hobble to one group or another, although they are gently escorted back to their beds and pallets.
