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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Zurai" data-source="post: 3929617" data-attributes="member: 52324">Artemisia leans against a wall, shaking her hair out, and says simply, "Then we wait."_____________________The group waits in the small antechamber for another quarter-turn, making small talk (or not, as their preference lay). The wind howls around the eaves of the council building and rattles the shutters occasionally, but when the door opens again, no wind-borne ash swirls inside. Instead, Pantheras strides into the chamber, then turns and holds the door open for a younger woman with tiny wavelets splashing and dancing around her feet. Whether through direct knowledge or inference, it's easy to place the woman as Sotera, the spirit-talker marked by Old Man River.Sotera smiles at the gathered party, then crouches down and appears to address the waves at her feet. The words that pour from her mouth are indecipherable, sounding like the crash of waves on a shore or the gentle trickle of a forest stream. When she finishes speaking, each of the wavelets seems to twist upwards and evaporate into the air, almost like a reverse rainstorm. She turns her attention again to the group, curtsies, and says, "My apologies for our lateness. Our communion with Old Man River disturbed a crocodile and we had to start over again after soothing it."Pantheras also apologizes. "I had intended to have you on your way well before highsun. Still, there is news you will need to know, and I have provisions for you inside. Come, let us talk in the council chamber, where there is less noise from the wind to interfere" He leads you all into the large circular center chamber and takes one seat at the round table in the middle of the room, gesturing for you each to take a seat as well. On the table are seven bundles; inside each bundle are an assortment of food and basic survival tools, as well as three small clay pots, each a different color."There is enough food in each of those bundles to last you a week, and gear to keep you safe and warm in the wilderness. The pots contain magical drinks from Phaidros; the blue pot will close wounds and restore strength to your body, the red pot will protect you from extreme heat or cold, and the green pot will allow you to see more easily in the darkness."In addition to these gifts, we have some information for you. After a discussion with the traders and our communion with Old Man River, we believe that you may be able to follow the banks of the Spiritwash River through the forest nearly to the base of the mountains. However, there is a great expanse of water there that you would have to cross. Another possible route would be to skirt the edge of the Noonshadow Forest westward; the traders say that the forest eventually turns northwards and ends at the base of the southernmost end of the mountains. The most direct route would be to cut a path straight through the Noonshadow Forest, which will avoid the great water and hasten your passage by many days; with the ash storm, it might even be preferable to stay under the canopy as long as you can."It will be your decision which path you take. The spirits do not know which way will provide the least danger or the highest chance of success." As Pantheras finishes speaking, Sotera again addresses you."If you choose to follow the river, I can provide you with charms that should quiet the currents and allow you to cross easily, but they will only work once."[sblock=OOC]Feel free to make comments at any point during this section. If you want to ask Sotera about the wavelets, or whatever, feel free to do so. I just figured that the thread has been slow lately, so I thought I'd speed things up a bit.[/sblock]</blockquote>

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