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<blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3081753" data-attributes="member: 35788"><p>Ischarus eventually caught up to Charis and in a whirling motion of intertwined bodies they tumbled to the ground. Fortunately for both of them neither of them landed on top of each other and the awkward moment of potential was avoided. Ischarus was the first one to stand up on his feet and he approached Charis with caution, fearing that she just might try and trip him. He reached out a hand and extended it to her as an offering of a sign of truce to get her onto her feet. He smiled as he spoke and his tone took a teasing position. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Now I caught you, so fess up. Where I come from Menshea is not a bad term, but it is definitely an unusual one. Menshea means something loosely translated to ‘Big Little Finger.’ I couldn’t help myself so I checked during that conversation. Your fingers aren’t oddly shaped at all. So there must be something about the name that I do not understand, right?”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis returned the smile and accepted Ischarus’ help up. <span style="color: Orange">“I suppose the name is not so much embarrassing as it is telling of my upbringing. It is a personal name given to me by my clan. Some people earn funny names while other people earn names that honestly reflect who they are. That is the case with me. I earned that name when I was little.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus chuckled as he gestured to Charis indicating the direction that they had to travel to return to the party. <span style="color: LightBlue">“You used to have a big little finger but grew into it like a puppy who grows into their over-sized paws?”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis couldn’t help but laugh again at the suggestion. It showed some serious thought, but she knew he was headed down the wrong direction. <span style="color: Orange">“No, not quite. Have you ever heard it explained how a child has a parent wrapped around their little finger?”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus nodded as he pushed a branch out of the way. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Sure, it means that the child has learned how to manipulate a parent. Sometimes it means that they can make a certain face, or talk in a certain tone. Sometimes it means they just know when to ask. But yeah, I understand what you are getting at.”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis continued. <span style="color: Orange">“My people learned of my healing talent from almost day one. My mother recovered from my birth in record time. Her birth was nearly free from pain. Once I began to be able to walk I would occasionally heal people who might pick me up in the village. This fact was especially true if their scars and the like were visible. Once the elders of the village heard about my gift and saw it with their own eyes, they knew something had to be done immediately to protect me from our dragon father. It’s not that my dragon father would’ve killed me. Rather, he would have taken a keen interest in me and most likely corrupted my abilities. The elders of the village had other plans. Throughout the village I was given the name Menshea. The villagers had come to revere my gift and knew that I could help them if they got into trouble with the dragon father or even if an accident happened in a workshop or on a hunt. While I didn’t want to be, the villagers began to treat me differently than the rest of the children. I suppose my ability to heal meant that in some respect the village was wrapped around my little finger. I was called Menshea and the name became a self-fulfilling prophecy. That way people could talk about my gift without mentioning it specifically in the wrong company.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus stopped, and Charis paused in her own walk a step or two before him. She turned, expecting to find something wrong. Instead, she found Ischarus standing there with a look of deep thought on his face. He was even lightly chewing upon his lower lip as he thought.</p><p></p><p>Charis looked to him in curiosity. <span style="color: Orange">“Ischarus?”</span> It was enough to bring him back to reality.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus replied with a question of his own. <span style="color: LightBlue">“You meant much to your people, didn’t you? And now that you have tasted freedom, your people mean even more to you than before.”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis nodded and responded in return. <span style="color: Orange">“Yes. I took them for granted before I met you three. I saw them as pawns and I saw myself as their Provenience. I saw myself as the mother of the next generation of mighty blood introduced into our community for the glory of our dragon father.”</span></p><p></p><p>She paused, turned around, and began walking once more while she continued her answer. <span style="color: Orange">“Now I am too late to appreciate what they sacrificed for me. Had you three not intervened, I would have sacrificed their trust without even knowing what they had been giving to me. Sure, I understood their goals. But I am still young. More than likely I would have been swayed by the power of my position and been unable to do what they hoped I could.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus reached out a hand and rested it upon her shoulder from behind. <span style="color: LightBlue">“The name Provenience means origin or source. They expected you to be a source of their relief. There is no reason why that still cannot be true, perhaps even more so now than ever before.”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis nodded. It was her turn to be deep in thought. After a few more minutes of walking in silence they came upon Semeion and Rhema. Semeion embraced Charis with a hug, lifting her off the ground as he spun her around. He noticed that she did not receive the hug as emphatically as he had given it. <span style="color: Plum">“Charis? What’s wrong?”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis looked deeply into Semeion’s eyes and replied, <span style="color: Orange">“My people are oppressed even harder than before as the price for my freedom. But what’s worse is that Druff has made the true sacrifice. He’s tortured daily so that my people can exist.”</span></p><p></p><p>Much of the meaning of Charis’ words was lost on both Semeion and Rhema, who had not been there to experience the sight of the village. Before they could inquire further Ischarus continued the story. His hope was that the future might snap Charis out of her pondering. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Druff has been imprisoned in a cage similar to the one described by our ghostly friend as used in the goblin village. It must be a popular form of torture used frequently in Quehalost. On account of Druff’s condition, the village is even more turned against the oppression of their dragon father. Interestingly enough, Druff has ironically become the catalyst for change. The village may not listen to us, but apparently they will listen to Druff. We have reason to believe that Druff can speak to our side.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema looked pleased at the news, if not a bit confused by the mention of Druff’s change of heart. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“Great! So we’ll use Druff. But can he be trusted?”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion nodded with Rhema. <span style="color: Plum">“Agreed. If he’s truly changed we can trust him. But I remember the ferocity that he attacked you with the last time the two of you met, Ischarus. If it wasn’t for Rhema’s ability to charm him it might have been a different story being told here now.”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis snapped, the emotional outpouring of the day’s sights getting the best of her. <span style="color: Orange">“You didn’t see him in the cage, Semeion. You didn’t see how he has been tortured on my account!”</span></p><p></p><p>A single tear fell from Charis’ right eye, but the expression on her face told Semeion that this was not a tear of sorrow. It was a tear of anger. Semeion tried to reach out to her but she pushed him off. Semeion looked to Ischarus for support. He knew that he had been there to see what Charis had seen.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus picked up on Semeion’s look and replied. <span style="color: LightBlue">“With all due respect, Charis, we haven’t spoken with Druff. We need to hear what he has to say first.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema looked questioningly at Ischarus. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“So you didn’t go into the village?”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus shook his head slowly. <span style="color: LightBlue">“We went to the edge of the village and met an old friend who knew Charis. She explained the past three months from her own perspective. We have arranged for a meeting tonight with the villagers. Well, actually the meeting is with as many heads of the families as we possibly can arrange. Charis’ friend seemed to believe that the easiest way of gaining the support of the villagers would be to let Druff speak at the meeting. That means that we’ll need to get Druff out of his locked hole and informed of our plan.”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion smiled and brought his hands together in front of his face. The tip of his nose rested on his two middle fingers as he thought for a minute. <span style="color: Plum">“Of course, he’ll need to get back in as well. But it can be done. Get me close enough to that cage and it’ll be no problem.”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion smiled as he was sure he had the answer. As he looked to Charis, he realized that his promise of freeing Druff had given her more to ease her pain than he could imagine. She slipped her hand into his and squeezed lightly. <span style="color: Orange">“Then it is possible. All we need to worry about is getting into the village at the appropriate time without my dragon father observing us.”</span></p><p></p><p>[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]</p><p>Ischarus eventually caught up to Charis and in a whirling motion of intertwined bodies they tumbled to the ground. Fortunately for both of them neither of them landed on top of each other and the awkward moment of potential was avoided. Ischarus was the first one to stand up on his feet and he approached Charis with caution, fearing that she just might try and trip him. He reached out a hand and extended it to her as an offering of a sign of truce to get her onto her feet. He smiled as he spoke and his tone took a teasing position. “Now I caught you, so fess up. Where I come from Menshea is not a bad term, but it is definitely an unusual one. Menshea means something loosely translated to ‘Big Little Finger.’ I couldn’t help myself so I checked during that conversation. Your fingers aren’t oddly shaped at all. So there must be something about the name that I do not understand, right?”</p><p></p><p>Charis returned the smile and accepted Ischarus’ help up. “I suppose the name is not so much embarrassing as it is telling of my upbringing. It is a personal name given to me by my clan. Some people earn funny names while other people earn names that honestly reflect who they are. That is the case with me. I earned that name when I was little.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus chuckled as he gestured to Charis indicating the direction that they had to travel to return to the party. “You used to have a big little finger but grew into it like a puppy who grows into their over-sized paws?”</p><p></p><p>Charis couldn’t help but laugh again at the suggestion. It showed some serious thought, but she knew he was headed down the wrong direction. “No, not quite. Have you ever heard it explained how a child has a parent wrapped around their little finger?”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus nodded as he pushed a branch out of the way. “Sure, it means that the child has learned how to manipulate a parent. Sometimes it means that they can make a certain face, or talk in a certain tone. Sometimes it means they just know when to ask. But yeah, I understand what you are getting at.”</p><p></p><p>Charis continued. “My people learned of my healing talent from almost day one. My mother recovered from my birth in record time. Her birth was nearly free from pain. Once I began to be able to walk I would occasionally heal people who might pick me up in the village. This fact was especially true if their scars and the like were visible. Once the elders of the village heard about my gift and saw it with their own eyes, they knew something had to be done immediately to protect me from our dragon father. It’s not that my dragon father would’ve killed me. Rather, he would have taken a keen interest in me and most likely corrupted my abilities. The elders of the village had other plans. Throughout the village I was given the name Menshea. The villagers had come to revere my gift and knew that I could help them if they got into trouble with the dragon father or even if an accident happened in a workshop or on a hunt. While I didn’t want to be, the villagers began to treat me differently than the rest of the children. I suppose my ability to heal meant that in some respect the village was wrapped around my little finger. I was called Menshea and the name became a self-fulfilling prophecy. That way people could talk about my gift without mentioning it specifically in the wrong company.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus stopped, and Charis paused in her own walk a step or two before him. She turned, expecting to find something wrong. Instead, she found Ischarus standing there with a look of deep thought on his face. He was even lightly chewing upon his lower lip as he thought.</p><p></p><p>Charis looked to him in curiosity. “Ischarus?” It was enough to bring him back to reality.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus replied with a question of his own. “You meant much to your people, didn’t you? And now that you have tasted freedom, your people mean even more to you than before.”</p><p></p><p>Charis nodded and responded in return. “Yes. I took them for granted before I met you three. I saw them as pawns and I saw myself as their Provenience. I saw myself as the mother of the next generation of mighty blood introduced into our community for the glory of our dragon father.”</p><p></p><p>She paused, turned around, and began walking once more while she continued her answer. “Now I am too late to appreciate what they sacrificed for me. Had you three not intervened, I would have sacrificed their trust without even knowing what they had been giving to me. Sure, I understood their goals. But I am still young. More than likely I would have been swayed by the power of my position and been unable to do what they hoped I could.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus reached out a hand and rested it upon her shoulder from behind. “The name Provenience means origin or source. They expected you to be a source of their relief. There is no reason why that still cannot be true, perhaps even more so now than ever before.”</p><p></p><p>Charis nodded. It was her turn to be deep in thought. After a few more minutes of walking in silence they came upon Semeion and Rhema. Semeion embraced Charis with a hug, lifting her off the ground as he spun her around. He noticed that she did not receive the hug as emphatically as he had given it. “Charis? What’s wrong?”</p><p></p><p>Charis looked deeply into Semeion’s eyes and replied, “My people are oppressed even harder than before as the price for my freedom. But what’s worse is that Druff has made the true sacrifice. He’s tortured daily so that my people can exist.”</p><p></p><p>Much of the meaning of Charis’ words was lost on both Semeion and Rhema, who had not been there to experience the sight of the village. Before they could inquire further Ischarus continued the story. His hope was that the future might snap Charis out of her pondering. “Druff has been imprisoned in a cage similar to the one described by our ghostly friend as used in the goblin village. It must be a popular form of torture used frequently in Quehalost. On account of Druff’s condition, the village is even more turned against the oppression of their dragon father. Interestingly enough, Druff has ironically become the catalyst for change. The village may not listen to us, but apparently they will listen to Druff. We have reason to believe that Druff can speak to our side.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema looked pleased at the news, if not a bit confused by the mention of Druff’s change of heart. “Great! So we’ll use Druff. But can he be trusted?”</p><p></p><p>Semeion nodded with Rhema. “Agreed. If he’s truly changed we can trust him. But I remember the ferocity that he attacked you with the last time the two of you met, Ischarus. If it wasn’t for Rhema’s ability to charm him it might have been a different story being told here now.”</p><p></p><p>Charis snapped, the emotional outpouring of the day’s sights getting the best of her. “You didn’t see him in the cage, Semeion. You didn’t see how he has been tortured on my account!”</p><p></p><p>A single tear fell from Charis’ right eye, but the expression on her face told Semeion that this was not a tear of sorrow. It was a tear of anger. Semeion tried to reach out to her but she pushed him off. Semeion looked to Ischarus for support. He knew that he had been there to see what Charis had seen.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus picked up on Semeion’s look and replied. “With all due respect, Charis, we haven’t spoken with Druff. We need to hear what he has to say first.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema looked questioningly at Ischarus. “So you didn’t go into the village?”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus shook his head slowly. “We went to the edge of the village and met an old friend who knew Charis. She explained the past three months from her own perspective. We have arranged for a meeting tonight with the villagers. Well, actually the meeting is with as many heads of the families as we possibly can arrange. Charis’ friend seemed to believe that the easiest way of gaining the support of the villagers would be to let Druff speak at the meeting. That means that we’ll need to get Druff out of his locked hole and informed of our plan.”</p><p></p><p>Semeion smiled and brought his hands together in front of his face. The tip of his nose rested on his two middle fingers as he thought for a minute. “Of course, he’ll need to get back in as well. But it can be done. Get me close enough to that cage and it’ll be no problem.”</p><p></p><p>Semeion smiled as he was sure he had the answer. As he looked to Charis, he realized that his promise of freeing Druff had given her more to ease her pain than he could imagine. She slipped her hand into his and squeezed lightly. “Then it is possible. All we need to worry about is getting into the village at the appropriate time without my dragon father observing us.”[/Sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nonlethal Force, post: 3081753, member: 35788"] Ischarus eventually caught up to Charis and in a whirling motion of intertwined bodies they tumbled to the ground. Fortunately for both of them neither of them landed on top of each other and the awkward moment of potential was avoided. Ischarus was the first one to stand up on his feet and he approached Charis with caution, fearing that she just might try and trip him. He reached out a hand and extended it to her as an offering of a sign of truce to get her onto her feet. He smiled as he spoke and his tone took a teasing position. [Color=LightBlue]“Now I caught you, so fess up. Where I come from Menshea is not a bad term, but it is definitely an unusual one. Menshea means something loosely translated to ‘Big Little Finger.’ I couldn’t help myself so I checked during that conversation. Your fingers aren’t oddly shaped at all. So there must be something about the name that I do not understand, right?”[/Color] Charis returned the smile and accepted Ischarus’ help up. [Color=Orange]“I suppose the name is not so much embarrassing as it is telling of my upbringing. It is a personal name given to me by my clan. Some people earn funny names while other people earn names that honestly reflect who they are. That is the case with me. I earned that name when I was little.”[/Color] Ischarus chuckled as he gestured to Charis indicating the direction that they had to travel to return to the party. [Color=LightBlue]“You used to have a big little finger but grew into it like a puppy who grows into their over-sized paws?”[/Color] Charis couldn’t help but laugh again at the suggestion. It showed some serious thought, but she knew he was headed down the wrong direction. [Color=Orange]“No, not quite. Have you ever heard it explained how a child has a parent wrapped around their little finger?”[/Color] Ischarus nodded as he pushed a branch out of the way. [Color=LightBlue]“Sure, it means that the child has learned how to manipulate a parent. Sometimes it means that they can make a certain face, or talk in a certain tone. Sometimes it means they just know when to ask. But yeah, I understand what you are getting at.”[/Color] Charis continued. [Color=Orange]“My people learned of my healing talent from almost day one. My mother recovered from my birth in record time. Her birth was nearly free from pain. Once I began to be able to walk I would occasionally heal people who might pick me up in the village. This fact was especially true if their scars and the like were visible. Once the elders of the village heard about my gift and saw it with their own eyes, they knew something had to be done immediately to protect me from our dragon father. It’s not that my dragon father would’ve killed me. Rather, he would have taken a keen interest in me and most likely corrupted my abilities. The elders of the village had other plans. Throughout the village I was given the name Menshea. The villagers had come to revere my gift and knew that I could help them if they got into trouble with the dragon father or even if an accident happened in a workshop or on a hunt. While I didn’t want to be, the villagers began to treat me differently than the rest of the children. I suppose my ability to heal meant that in some respect the village was wrapped around my little finger. I was called Menshea and the name became a self-fulfilling prophecy. That way people could talk about my gift without mentioning it specifically in the wrong company.”[/Color] Ischarus stopped, and Charis paused in her own walk a step or two before him. She turned, expecting to find something wrong. Instead, she found Ischarus standing there with a look of deep thought on his face. He was even lightly chewing upon his lower lip as he thought. Charis looked to him in curiosity. [Color=Orange]“Ischarus?”[/Color] It was enough to bring him back to reality. Ischarus replied with a question of his own. [Color=LightBlue]“You meant much to your people, didn’t you? And now that you have tasted freedom, your people mean even more to you than before.”[/Color] Charis nodded and responded in return. [Color=Orange]“Yes. I took them for granted before I met you three. I saw them as pawns and I saw myself as their Provenience. I saw myself as the mother of the next generation of mighty blood introduced into our community for the glory of our dragon father.”[/Color] She paused, turned around, and began walking once more while she continued her answer. [Color=Orange]“Now I am too late to appreciate what they sacrificed for me. Had you three not intervened, I would have sacrificed their trust without even knowing what they had been giving to me. Sure, I understood their goals. But I am still young. More than likely I would have been swayed by the power of my position and been unable to do what they hoped I could.”[/Color] Ischarus reached out a hand and rested it upon her shoulder from behind. [Color=LightBlue]“The name Provenience means origin or source. They expected you to be a source of their relief. There is no reason why that still cannot be true, perhaps even more so now than ever before.”[/Color] Charis nodded. It was her turn to be deep in thought. After a few more minutes of walking in silence they came upon Semeion and Rhema. Semeion embraced Charis with a hug, lifting her off the ground as he spun her around. He noticed that she did not receive the hug as emphatically as he had given it. [Color=Plum]“Charis? What’s wrong?”[/Color] Charis looked deeply into Semeion’s eyes and replied, [Color=Orange]“My people are oppressed even harder than before as the price for my freedom. But what’s worse is that Druff has made the true sacrifice. He’s tortured daily so that my people can exist.”[/Color] Much of the meaning of Charis’ words was lost on both Semeion and Rhema, who had not been there to experience the sight of the village. Before they could inquire further Ischarus continued the story. His hope was that the future might snap Charis out of her pondering. [Color=LightBlue]“Druff has been imprisoned in a cage similar to the one described by our ghostly friend as used in the goblin village. It must be a popular form of torture used frequently in Quehalost. On account of Druff’s condition, the village is even more turned against the oppression of their dragon father. Interestingly enough, Druff has ironically become the catalyst for change. The village may not listen to us, but apparently they will listen to Druff. We have reason to believe that Druff can speak to our side.”[/Color] Rhema looked pleased at the news, if not a bit confused by the mention of Druff’s change of heart. [Color=PaleGreen]“Great! So we’ll use Druff. But can he be trusted?”[/Color] Semeion nodded with Rhema. [Color=Plum]“Agreed. If he’s truly changed we can trust him. But I remember the ferocity that he attacked you with the last time the two of you met, Ischarus. If it wasn’t for Rhema’s ability to charm him it might have been a different story being told here now.”[/Color] Charis snapped, the emotional outpouring of the day’s sights getting the best of her. [Color=Orange]“You didn’t see him in the cage, Semeion. You didn’t see how he has been tortured on my account!”[/Color] A single tear fell from Charis’ right eye, but the expression on her face told Semeion that this was not a tear of sorrow. It was a tear of anger. Semeion tried to reach out to her but she pushed him off. Semeion looked to Ischarus for support. He knew that he had been there to see what Charis had seen. Ischarus picked up on Semeion’s look and replied. [Color=LightBlue]“With all due respect, Charis, we haven’t spoken with Druff. We need to hear what he has to say first.”[/Color] Rhema looked questioningly at Ischarus. [Color=PaleGreen]“So you didn’t go into the village?”[/Color] Ischarus shook his head slowly. [Color=LightBlue]“We went to the edge of the village and met an old friend who knew Charis. She explained the past three months from her own perspective. We have arranged for a meeting tonight with the villagers. Well, actually the meeting is with as many heads of the families as we possibly can arrange. Charis’ friend seemed to believe that the easiest way of gaining the support of the villagers would be to let Druff speak at the meeting. That means that we’ll need to get Druff out of his locked hole and informed of our plan.”[/Color] Semeion smiled and brought his hands together in front of his face. The tip of his nose rested on his two middle fingers as he thought for a minute. [Color=Plum]“Of course, he’ll need to get back in as well. But it can be done. Get me close enough to that cage and it’ll be no problem.”[/Color] Semeion smiled as he was sure he had the answer. As he looked to Charis, he realized that his promise of freeing Druff had given her more to ease her pain than he could imagine. She slipped her hand into his and squeezed lightly. [Color=Orange]“Then it is possible. All we need to worry about is getting into the village at the appropriate time without my dragon father observing us.”[/Color] [Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section] Ischarus eventually caught up to Charis and in a whirling motion of intertwined bodies they tumbled to the ground. Fortunately for both of them neither of them landed on top of each other and the awkward moment of potential was avoided. Ischarus was the first one to stand up on his feet and he approached Charis with caution, fearing that she just might try and trip him. He reached out a hand and extended it to her as an offering of a sign of truce to get her onto her feet. He smiled as he spoke and his tone took a teasing position. “Now I caught you, so fess up. Where I come from Menshea is not a bad term, but it is definitely an unusual one. Menshea means something loosely translated to ‘Big Little Finger.’ I couldn’t help myself so I checked during that conversation. Your fingers aren’t oddly shaped at all. So there must be something about the name that I do not understand, right?” Charis returned the smile and accepted Ischarus’ help up. “I suppose the name is not so much embarrassing as it is telling of my upbringing. It is a personal name given to me by my clan. Some people earn funny names while other people earn names that honestly reflect who they are. That is the case with me. I earned that name when I was little.” Ischarus chuckled as he gestured to Charis indicating the direction that they had to travel to return to the party. “You used to have a big little finger but grew into it like a puppy who grows into their over-sized paws?” Charis couldn’t help but laugh again at the suggestion. It showed some serious thought, but she knew he was headed down the wrong direction. “No, not quite. Have you ever heard it explained how a child has a parent wrapped around their little finger?” Ischarus nodded as he pushed a branch out of the way. “Sure, it means that the child has learned how to manipulate a parent. Sometimes it means that they can make a certain face, or talk in a certain tone. Sometimes it means they just know when to ask. But yeah, I understand what you are getting at.” Charis continued. “My people learned of my healing talent from almost day one. My mother recovered from my birth in record time. Her birth was nearly free from pain. Once I began to be able to walk I would occasionally heal people who might pick me up in the village. This fact was especially true if their scars and the like were visible. Once the elders of the village heard about my gift and saw it with their own eyes, they knew something had to be done immediately to protect me from our dragon father. It’s not that my dragon father would’ve killed me. Rather, he would have taken a keen interest in me and most likely corrupted my abilities. The elders of the village had other plans. Throughout the village I was given the name Menshea. The villagers had come to revere my gift and knew that I could help them if they got into trouble with the dragon father or even if an accident happened in a workshop or on a hunt. While I didn’t want to be, the villagers began to treat me differently than the rest of the children. I suppose my ability to heal meant that in some respect the village was wrapped around my little finger. I was called Menshea and the name became a self-fulfilling prophecy. That way people could talk about my gift without mentioning it specifically in the wrong company.” Ischarus stopped, and Charis paused in her own walk a step or two before him. She turned, expecting to find something wrong. Instead, she found Ischarus standing there with a look of deep thought on his face. He was even lightly chewing upon his lower lip as he thought. Charis looked to him in curiosity. “Ischarus?” It was enough to bring him back to reality. Ischarus replied with a question of his own. “You meant much to your people, didn’t you? And now that you have tasted freedom, your people mean even more to you than before.” Charis nodded and responded in return. “Yes. I took them for granted before I met you three. I saw them as pawns and I saw myself as their Provenience. I saw myself as the mother of the next generation of mighty blood introduced into our community for the glory of our dragon father.” She paused, turned around, and began walking once more while she continued her answer. “Now I am too late to appreciate what they sacrificed for me. Had you three not intervened, I would have sacrificed their trust without even knowing what they had been giving to me. Sure, I understood their goals. But I am still young. More than likely I would have been swayed by the power of my position and been unable to do what they hoped I could.” Ischarus reached out a hand and rested it upon her shoulder from behind. “The name Provenience means origin or source. They expected you to be a source of their relief. There is no reason why that still cannot be true, perhaps even more so now than ever before.” Charis nodded. It was her turn to be deep in thought. After a few more minutes of walking in silence they came upon Semeion and Rhema. Semeion embraced Charis with a hug, lifting her off the ground as he spun her around. He noticed that she did not receive the hug as emphatically as he had given it. “Charis? What’s wrong?” Charis looked deeply into Semeion’s eyes and replied, “My people are oppressed even harder than before as the price for my freedom. But what’s worse is that Druff has made the true sacrifice. He’s tortured daily so that my people can exist.” Much of the meaning of Charis’ words was lost on both Semeion and Rhema, who had not been there to experience the sight of the village. Before they could inquire further Ischarus continued the story. His hope was that the future might snap Charis out of her pondering. “Druff has been imprisoned in a cage similar to the one described by our ghostly friend as used in the goblin village. It must be a popular form of torture used frequently in Quehalost. On account of Druff’s condition, the village is even more turned against the oppression of their dragon father. Interestingly enough, Druff has ironically become the catalyst for change. The village may not listen to us, but apparently they will listen to Druff. We have reason to believe that Druff can speak to our side.” Rhema looked pleased at the news, if not a bit confused by the mention of Druff’s change of heart. “Great! So we’ll use Druff. But can he be trusted?” Semeion nodded with Rhema. “Agreed. If he’s truly changed we can trust him. But I remember the ferocity that he attacked you with the last time the two of you met, Ischarus. If it wasn’t for Rhema’s ability to charm him it might have been a different story being told here now.” Charis snapped, the emotional outpouring of the day’s sights getting the best of her. “You didn’t see him in the cage, Semeion. You didn’t see how he has been tortured on my account!” A single tear fell from Charis’ right eye, but the expression on her face told Semeion that this was not a tear of sorrow. It was a tear of anger. Semeion tried to reach out to her but she pushed him off. Semeion looked to Ischarus for support. He knew that he had been there to see what Charis had seen. Ischarus picked up on Semeion’s look and replied. “With all due respect, Charis, we haven’t spoken with Druff. We need to hear what he has to say first.” Rhema looked questioningly at Ischarus. “So you didn’t go into the village?” Ischarus shook his head slowly. “We went to the edge of the village and met an old friend who knew Charis. She explained the past three months from her own perspective. We have arranged for a meeting tonight with the villagers. Well, actually the meeting is with as many heads of the families as we possibly can arrange. Charis’ friend seemed to believe that the easiest way of gaining the support of the villagers would be to let Druff speak at the meeting. That means that we’ll need to get Druff out of his locked hole and informed of our plan.” Semeion smiled and brought his hands together in front of his face. The tip of his nose rested on his two middle fingers as he thought for a minute. “Of course, he’ll need to get back in as well. But it can be done. Get me close enough to that cage and it’ll be no problem.” Semeion smiled as he was sure he had the answer. As he looked to Charis, he realized that his promise of freeing Druff had given her more to ease her pain than he could imagine. She slipped her hand into his and squeezed lightly. “Then it is possible. All we need to worry about is getting into the village at the appropriate time without my dragon father observing us.”[/Sblock] [/QUOTE]
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