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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: 6284669" data-attributes="member: 82687"><p><strong>38x01</strong></p><p></p><p><strong><em>WAKE UP. It’s the new people. Meet us at the northern pass unless you have a better idea. Reply in twenty-five words or less.</em></strong></p><p> </p><p>The words burst into Aeton’s sleeping mind like a clanging bell, charging him with adrenaline and sending him leaping to his feet before he fully understood what was happening.</p><p> </p><p>It was dark. He was in the forest. A breeze played fretfully in the invisible treetops.</p><p> </p><p><em>It was still dark.</em> He dodged backward from his campsite to hide in the brush, his heart racing.</p><p> </p><p><em>I woke up in time. Oh, praise the gods, I woke up in time.</em></p><p> </p><p>—Unless it was a dream. He’d had dreams before, or sometimes hallucinations in the early days before he’d learned how to avoid the worst torture from the Sovereigns, dreams of freedom—dreams of simply <em>waking up in time</em>, before they found his campsite and woke him with a kick to the head and dragged him away as their prisoner, every single identical dawn for all these years.</p><p> </p><p>But the <em>dreams</em> of waking in time never came true. When the time loop reset he was always deeply asleep until the rude awakening, the kick, the capture, the ropes and questions and knives.</p><p> </p><p>Well, if this was a dream, it was a great one, a fantastic wonderful ecstatic one, and he would enjoy it. The novelty alone was like a rich dessert, sweet and almost overwhelming.</p><p> </p><p>The new people had awakened him. They had to be the people who’d burst into the tent where he was being held just before the battle reached its lethal peak and time invariably reset. Peninsular people, they’d been, all but one. And now they’d used magic to wake him up—<em>Reply in twenty-five words or less.</em></p><p> </p><p>Right.</p><p> </p><p><strong><em>Gods bless you, and the Lady’s fortune favor you! Will find you as soon as I can. Repeat at noon if I’m not there.</em></strong></p><p> </p><p>###</p><p> </p><p>As the party hiked toward the northern pass where they’d arranged to meet Aeton, Twiggy posed the question that Mena was also turning over in her own mind: “His phrases about ‘the Lady’ are Sedellan, right? What kind of Sedellan follower gets stuck in a time loop in the Sovereignty?” As usual, Mena thought, Twiggy was asking an excellent question.</p><p> </p><p>“A confused one?” ventured Kormick.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure there are Sedellan sects who might send emissaries to the Sovereignty,” Savina said, “although it’s true an Ehktian Questor or an Alirrian Water Walker would make more sense.” </p><p></p><p>“None of them make sense,” Twiggy reminded them. “He said last night that he’d been here sixteen years. That’d mean before the Affirmation, so his mere presence was illegal. Whatever he was doing out here was probably secret.”</p><p> </p><p>“I can think of only a few reasons Sedellans would be travelling into the wilderness of the Sovereignty. Into Sheh lands,” said Mena. “And only a few sects who would do it. One is the Advocates.”</p><p> </p><p>“Who?” asked Savina, frowning.</p><p> </p><p>“Never heard of ‘em,” said Kormick. “Not that I’m famed for my encyclopedic religious knowledge.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s no surprise you haven’t,” Mena said. “The Advocates keep themselves a dim, rumored secret at best. They are rarely approved of and their actions are rarely legal.”</p><p> </p><p>Mena could feel Arden’s eyes on her, a particular meaning in her gaze, and for good reason. She and Arden had already had a number of private talks about the Advocates, one of whom was a likely player in the complicated mess that was Arden’s history. And “player” was a kind term. “Liar and murderer” was probably more accurate for that particular Advocate.</p><p> </p><p>But back to the present. The aggravatingly repetitious present. </p><p> </p><p>Mena offered them the same brief lecture she’d given secretly to Arden not too long ago. “Sedellus is, among other things, the goddess of change, and the Advocates attempt to create change in the world, usually in the realms of religion, politics, culture. They divide within themselves into two groups: the West Wind, which generally seeks progressive change, and the East Wind, which seeks regressive change. Means don’t concern them. I cannot stress that enough. They care only about accomplishing the changes they seek, no matter how many laws they break or people they hurt in the process. Which is why we Defiers often find ourselves hunting them down, and why they need to keep a low profile.”</p><p> </p><p>“What makes you think this man’s an Advocate?” Twiggy asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Because they’ve been known to be active in the Sovereignty. In particular, we have reason to believe the West Wind helped to provoke the Affirmation.”</p><p> </p><p>“How?” asked Nyoko.</p><p> </p><p>Mena cast a wary glance at her, wondering what the Adept’s reaction would be to her next words. “I should caution, although your first instinct may be to hate the Advocates and expose them—a worthy instinct—it would be prudent not to share what I am about to say next. The Affirmation is a good thing; to undermine it by publicizing past deeds that cannot be undone should require careful consideration first.”</p><p> </p><p>Everyone nodded but watched Mena with tense concern, including Nyoko—but excepting Arden, who was glaring at the ground as she paced along.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you remember when I told you about the <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?251423-A-Rose-In-The-Wind-A-Saga-of-the-Halmae-Updated-November-21-2013/page2&p=4728879&viewfull=1#post4728879" target="_blank">sacrifices made by Rose’s mother and her comrades</a> to the Sedellan angel they’d summoned? Rose’s mother made the sacrifice of death, which is why we’re here. But Giovanna’s companion Eva made the sacrifice of deceit—she confessed that she had betrayed the Alirrian monks of Sharpstone to the Inquisition. It’s <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?251423-A-Rose-In-The-Wind-A-Saga-of-the-Halmae-Updated-November-21-2013/page8&p=4805630&viewfull=1#post4805630" target="_blank">how they came to be massacred</a>. What you did not know is that Eva was working for the Advocates at the time.”</p><p> </p><p>Arden had raised her gaze from the ground—a distant, tight-lipped, cold gaze that peered back across the world to the Peninsula. “That massacre, as you might recall,” Mena continued, “rightly appalled so many citizens of the Sovereignty that religious toleration finally found the support it needed, and the Lord High Regent declared <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?251423-A-Rose-In-The-Wind-A-Saga-of-the-Halmae-Updated-November-21-2013/page27&p=5200676&viewfull=1#post5200676" target="_blank">the A</a><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?251423-A-Rose-In-The-Wind-A-Saga-of-the-Halmae-Updated-November-21-2013/page27&p=5200676&viewfull=1#post5200676" target="_blank">ffirmation </a>to be law. That’s a common Advocate tactic: generating change through outrage. It’s possible—likely, even—that the Advocates of the East Wind are involved with the Tide. <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?251423-A-Rose-In-The-Wind-A-Saga-of-the-Halmae-Updated-November-21-2013/page28&p=5280343&viewfull=1#post5280343" target="_blank">Lord </a><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?251423-A-Rose-In-The-Wind-A-Saga-of-the-Halmae-Updated-November-21-2013/page28&p=5280343&viewfull=1#post5280343" target="_blank">Nishi’s Alirrian heresy </a>in the Hillside District reeks of their tactics. Trying to generate enough outrage about Alirrians to get the Affirmation revoked.” </p><p> </p><p> “So you’re saying this man we’re going to meet may have been party to the murder of innocent Alirrians,” Savina said slowly.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s best not to say or assume anything yet,” Mena said. “The poor man has certainly suffered, and I see no reason to accuse him of being an Advocate on top of that until we know more. And we must explore the topic delicately.”</p><p> </p><p>Kormick grunted agreement. “Not that I don’t enjoy a flying leap into a conclusion now and again, but Dame Mena’s right. For all we know, he’s just mixing up his religious phrases. I have some sympathy there.”</p><p> </p><p>“He will have my compassion first,” Savina said. “But if he was involved in the Sharpstone massacre….” She left the threat hanging.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ilex, post: 6284669, member: 82687"] [b]38x01[/b] [B][I]WAKE UP. It’s the new people. Meet us at the northern pass unless you have a better idea. Reply in twenty-five words or less.[/I][/B] The words burst into Aeton’s sleeping mind like a clanging bell, charging him with adrenaline and sending him leaping to his feet before he fully understood what was happening. It was dark. He was in the forest. A breeze played fretfully in the invisible treetops. [I]It was still dark.[/I] He dodged backward from his campsite to hide in the brush, his heart racing. [I]I woke up in time. Oh, praise the gods, I woke up in time.[/I] —Unless it was a dream. He’d had dreams before, or sometimes hallucinations in the early days before he’d learned how to avoid the worst torture from the Sovereigns, dreams of freedom—dreams of simply [I]waking up in time[/I], before they found his campsite and woke him with a kick to the head and dragged him away as their prisoner, every single identical dawn for all these years. But the [I]dreams[/I] of waking in time never came true. When the time loop reset he was always deeply asleep until the rude awakening, the kick, the capture, the ropes and questions and knives. Well, if this was a dream, it was a great one, a fantastic wonderful ecstatic one, and he would enjoy it. The novelty alone was like a rich dessert, sweet and almost overwhelming. The new people had awakened him. They had to be the people who’d burst into the tent where he was being held just before the battle reached its lethal peak and time invariably reset. Peninsular people, they’d been, all but one. And now they’d used magic to wake him up—[I]Reply in twenty-five words or less.[/I] Right. [B][I]Gods bless you, and the Lady’s fortune favor you! Will find you as soon as I can. Repeat at noon if I’m not there.[/I][/B] ### As the party hiked toward the northern pass where they’d arranged to meet Aeton, Twiggy posed the question that Mena was also turning over in her own mind: “His phrases about ‘the Lady’ are Sedellan, right? What kind of Sedellan follower gets stuck in a time loop in the Sovereignty?” As usual, Mena thought, Twiggy was asking an excellent question. “A confused one?” ventured Kormick. “I’m sure there are Sedellan sects who might send emissaries to the Sovereignty,” Savina said, “although it’s true an Ehktian Questor or an Alirrian Water Walker would make more sense.” “None of them make sense,” Twiggy reminded them. “He said last night that he’d been here sixteen years. That’d mean before the Affirmation, so his mere presence was illegal. Whatever he was doing out here was probably secret.” “I can think of only a few reasons Sedellans would be travelling into the wilderness of the Sovereignty. Into Sheh lands,” said Mena. “And only a few sects who would do it. One is the Advocates.” “Who?” asked Savina, frowning. “Never heard of ‘em,” said Kormick. “Not that I’m famed for my encyclopedic religious knowledge.” “It’s no surprise you haven’t,” Mena said. “The Advocates keep themselves a dim, rumored secret at best. They are rarely approved of and their actions are rarely legal.” Mena could feel Arden’s eyes on her, a particular meaning in her gaze, and for good reason. She and Arden had already had a number of private talks about the Advocates, one of whom was a likely player in the complicated mess that was Arden’s history. And “player” was a kind term. “Liar and murderer” was probably more accurate for that particular Advocate. But back to the present. The aggravatingly repetitious present. Mena offered them the same brief lecture she’d given secretly to Arden not too long ago. “Sedellus is, among other things, the goddess of change, and the Advocates attempt to create change in the world, usually in the realms of religion, politics, culture. They divide within themselves into two groups: the West Wind, which generally seeks progressive change, and the East Wind, which seeks regressive change. Means don’t concern them. I cannot stress that enough. They care only about accomplishing the changes they seek, no matter how many laws they break or people they hurt in the process. Which is why we Defiers often find ourselves hunting them down, and why they need to keep a low profile.” “What makes you think this man’s an Advocate?” Twiggy asked. “Because they’ve been known to be active in the Sovereignty. In particular, we have reason to believe the West Wind helped to provoke the Affirmation.” “How?” asked Nyoko. Mena cast a wary glance at her, wondering what the Adept’s reaction would be to her next words. “I should caution, although your first instinct may be to hate the Advocates and expose them—a worthy instinct—it would be prudent not to share what I am about to say next. The Affirmation is a good thing; to undermine it by publicizing past deeds that cannot be undone should require careful consideration first.” Everyone nodded but watched Mena with tense concern, including Nyoko—but excepting Arden, who was glaring at the ground as she paced along. “Do you remember when I told you about the [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?251423-A-Rose-In-The-Wind-A-Saga-of-the-Halmae-Updated-November-21-2013/page2&p=4728879&viewfull=1#post4728879"]sacrifices made by Rose’s mother and her comrades[/URL] to the Sedellan angel they’d summoned? Rose’s mother made the sacrifice of death, which is why we’re here. But Giovanna’s companion Eva made the sacrifice of deceit—she confessed that she had betrayed the Alirrian monks of Sharpstone to the Inquisition. It’s [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?251423-A-Rose-In-The-Wind-A-Saga-of-the-Halmae-Updated-November-21-2013/page8&p=4805630&viewfull=1#post4805630"]how they came to be massacred[/URL]. What you did not know is that Eva was working for the Advocates at the time.” Arden had raised her gaze from the ground—a distant, tight-lipped, cold gaze that peered back across the world to the Peninsula. “That massacre, as you might recall,” Mena continued, “rightly appalled so many citizens of the Sovereignty that religious toleration finally found the support it needed, and the Lord High Regent declared [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?251423-A-Rose-In-The-Wind-A-Saga-of-the-Halmae-Updated-November-21-2013/page27&p=5200676&viewfull=1#post5200676"]the A[/URL][URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?251423-A-Rose-In-The-Wind-A-Saga-of-the-Halmae-Updated-November-21-2013/page27&p=5200676&viewfull=1#post5200676"]ffirmation [/URL]to be law. That’s a common Advocate tactic: generating change through outrage. It’s possible—likely, even—that the Advocates of the East Wind are involved with the Tide. [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?251423-A-Rose-In-The-Wind-A-Saga-of-the-Halmae-Updated-November-21-2013/page28&p=5280343&viewfull=1#post5280343"]Lord [/URL][URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?251423-A-Rose-In-The-Wind-A-Saga-of-the-Halmae-Updated-November-21-2013/page28&p=5280343&viewfull=1#post5280343"]Nishi’s Alirrian heresy [/URL]in the Hillside District reeks of their tactics. Trying to generate enough outrage about Alirrians to get the Affirmation revoked.” “So you’re saying this man we’re going to meet may have been party to the murder of innocent Alirrians,” Savina said slowly. “It’s best not to say or assume anything yet,” Mena said. “The poor man has certainly suffered, and I see no reason to accuse him of being an Advocate on top of that until we know more. And we must explore the topic delicately.” Kormick grunted agreement. “Not that I don’t enjoy a flying leap into a conclusion now and again, but Dame Mena’s right. For all we know, he’s just mixing up his religious phrases. I have some sympathy there.” “He will have my compassion first,” Savina said. “But if he was involved in the Sharpstone massacre….” She left the threat hanging. [/QUOTE]
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A Rose In The Wind: A Saga of the Halmae -- Updated June 19, 2014
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