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<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 2507909" data-attributes="member: 5203">Smoke and MirrorsIt was a week’s ride before the party was able to cross the range of low mountains that separated the Haran Desert from the rolling grasslands that marked the Khag Steppes.&nbsp; As sand gave way to waist-high grasses, Osborn and Lanara’s moods visibly brightened as they looked out over familiar territory again.&nbsp; Osborn took a deep breath and smiled.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Home,” was all he said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; They continued to ride east, tending slightly south in order to reach the city of Miracle, which would then allow them to cross the river into Medos.&nbsp; Once they had left the desert behind, the party was reminded of the fact that it was the middle of winter.&nbsp; Though still far enough north to avoid the worst of the cold, they awoke every morning to frost covering the ground, and occasionally rode through a light flurry of snow.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Along the way, both Osborn and Lanara instructed the rest of their companions on life in the Steppes.&nbsp; “There’s two types of people who live out here,” Lanara said, “settlers and wanderers.&nbsp; The settlers gather in small towns and villages all over the Steppes.&nbsp; None of them big enough to show up on a map…”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Except for Miracle,” Osborn interjected.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “…except for Miracle.&nbsp; Of course, there’s really no such thing as a ‘permanent’ settlement here.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Why is that?” Tolly asked.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, you know, things happen.&nbsp; Maybe the people living there just decide to move on, maybe whatever brought them there in the first place runs out or leaves, maybe the town gets destroyed by raiders, whatever.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly sniffed.&nbsp; “I don’t see how people can live with such uncertainty.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “It’s the way of life out here,” Osborn answered.&nbsp; “Actually, most of the people living on the Steppes don’t settle in one place for very long at all.”“It’s true,” Lanara agreed. “Most folks wander from place to place in groups, like the hin family clans.&nbsp; Most are fine, although there are a few you have to watch out for.&nbsp; There’s the cults, the bandits, the raiders, the looters…”“Ah, yes, now I see the appeal,” Tolly snorted.“Hey, at least life never becomes dull out here,” the cansin retorted.They rode for another week through the grasslands.&nbsp; As Osborn predicted, they did encounter one or two small groups of natives.&nbsp; One was a small group of hin merchants that exchanged news and a few odd trinkets with the party.&nbsp; The second was a mixed group on a pilgrimage through the Steppes to Sargia, who made an amicable, if persistent attempt to convert the party to worshipping Dakotha.Early in the afternoon, two weeks after leaving the tomb of the karrak, the group spotted a rather large group of wagons in the distance ahead.&nbsp; The wagons had stopped on a rise leading up to a small town, and now lay between the party and that town. They rode up on a low rise to get a better look.“What do you see, Kavan?” Lanara asked.“They’re flying some sort of banner,” he replied.&nbsp; “I’m trying to make it out, but the wind… it’s a yellow banner, with something on it… looks like a very tall woman between two men standing on their heads…”Osborn’s eyes went wide, and with a joyous whoop he quickly turned his riding dog Rupert around and began heading down the hill toward the wagons.&nbsp; He soon vanished in the tall grass, leaving a long trail of flattened stalks behind him.&nbsp; The others, confused, turned their mounts and followed after him.The party came upon a group of a half-dozen hin outriders on canine mounts a few dozen yards from the wagons, obviously some sort of perimeter guard.&nbsp; Osborn’s trail led past the group, continuing on toward the wagons.&nbsp; With a smile and a nod, the perimeter guard waved the rest of the party through.“Odd,” said Autumn, “that they didn’t even ask our names.”“No,” replied Arrie, “that was just unusual.&nbsp; That is odd.”They all looked to where Arrie was pointing.&nbsp; They had emerged from the grass into the clearing made by the passage of the large wagon team, where a number of people were scurrying about.&nbsp; Most were hin, though a few odd humans, cansin, and air-touched were among them.&nbsp; A trio of hin was leading a lion on a rope toward a series of iron cages to their right.&nbsp; On the left, an air-touched woman with light blue hair was sitting on a crate, contorted in what seemed an impossible position.&nbsp; But what drew their attention was what Arrie had seen; standing a short distance from them was a group of four people, waving at the party.&nbsp; One was a middle-aged hin, dressed in bright colors.&nbsp; Next to him was a younger hin in similar attire, but who looked like the spitting image of Osborn.&nbsp; Osborn himself was sitting atop the shoulder of the fourth person, beaming.&nbsp; The woman who held him aloft looked like a hin, bearing their distinctive elongated skull.&nbsp; But she was easily over six feet tall, and as broad as Autumn’s warhorse Defiance.“Hey guys,” Osborn said as they rode up close, “Welcome to The Amazing Traveling Circus.&nbsp; This is my mom.”*&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The party soon got a full introduction to the Greenbottle family from Osborn; his father Bartlebee, and his twin brother Gerald, who were the knife-throwing act for the circus.&nbsp; Lillian, who was Osborn’s mother, was introduced as the circus fat lady.&nbsp; The amiable woman took no offense at the title, as she shook each of their hands with thick, sausage-like fingers.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Mom’s Talent was the ability to grow to enormous size,” Osborn explained.&nbsp; “But she could never control it very well, and one day she just got stuck like this.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Osborn took the party around to meet other members of the Amazing Traveling Circus.&nbsp; They met the circus boss, Billyup, and the ringmaster, a cansin midget who went by the name ‘Tallfellow’.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, it’s not entirely inappropriate,” Lanara said upon meeting him.&nbsp; “He may be short to me, but he’s still a foot taller than most of the hin.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Indeed, madam,” Tallfellow said cheerfully.&nbsp; “And as far as being too short for you, let me assure you that when it comes to meeting young women of your… stature, I find that my height is ideal to fully appreciate their… assets.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lanara smiled at Tallfellow.&nbsp; “Those aren’t my assets you’ve been staring at, my good man.&nbsp; Allow me to illustrate.”&nbsp; With that, she turned on her heel and walked away.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Osborn gave the party a full tour of the circus, shouting greetings to people who walked by.&nbsp; There were a few new faces, and a few faces that had disappeared (“We had to hire a new Boneless Woman,” Bartlebee quipped, “the old one grew a spine.”).&nbsp; Many of the hin there came up and spoke eagerly with Osborn, asking how he was, and how the school had been.&nbsp; But the conversations were brief; there was a show to put on, and everyone was busy getting ready.&nbsp; Boss Billyup invited Osborn and his friends to watch the show free of admission.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It was a spectacular show.&nbsp; Though each of them, in their time had seen performances by other traveling carnivals and performers, none of them rivaled the performance of the Amazing Traveling Circus in their breadth, or complexity.&nbsp; There were lion-tamers, and tiger acts, and even a trained dire bear.&nbsp; The strongman, a human with rippling muscles, went into the audience and hefted the bench that Autumn, Arrie, Lanara, and Xu were sitting on with ease, drawing applause.&nbsp; There were trapeze artists, acrobats, and contortionists.&nbsp; There was the knife-throwing act, featuring Bartlebee and Gerald, which drew extra cheers from the party when they invited Osborn down as a ‘guest performer’.&nbsp; All of the acts were enhanced by a choreographed display of light, sound, and color, provided by the circus band as well as a trio of illusionists.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It was late by the time the performance had ended and the townsfolk had returned home.&nbsp; The Greenbottles invited the party to join the performers for a late meal.&nbsp; They returned to the main tent to find that two long tables had been set up side by side inside, packed with performers and circus workers.&nbsp; Boss Billyup sat at the head of one table, next to Tallfellow.&nbsp; The ringmaster waved at Lanara and motioned for her to sit next to him, but the bard stayed with her friends and sat near the Greenbottles.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “So, where have you been recently, son?” Bartlebee asked.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, we just got back from the desert.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Really? How was it?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Hot.&nbsp; Full of orcs.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “What were you doing out there?” Lillian asked.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We were looking for diamonds for Tolly,” Osborn explained.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; There was a sudden hush in conversation nearby.&nbsp; Several pairs of eyes fell on Tolly.&nbsp; “Really?” Gerald asked.&nbsp; “What kind of diamonds?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Big ones,” Lanara interjected.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Really?” Gerald repeated.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Yeah, they’re for his church,” Osborn said, loud enough for everyone listening in to hear. There was a barely perceptible sigh, and everyone went back to their own business.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “But look!” Osborn said, pulling a leather cord out from around his neck.&nbsp; “I’m a brother to Clan Hulg!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Oh!” exclaimed Bartlebee, “is that what that tooth is on there?” Osborn’s father took a closer look at the totem.&nbsp; “Tell me, do the orcs always carve designs on their teeth like this?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Sometimes,” Osborn shrugged, “if they want to.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Before or after they take them out of their mouths?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Either.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Huh.”&nbsp; Bartlebee let the tooth drop down onto Osborn’s chest.&nbsp; “Orcs.&nbsp; Never understood them.”&nbsp; His face brightened.&nbsp; “So what else have you been up to?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Oh, we’ve been on lots of adventures!&nbsp; I’ll tell you all about them!”&nbsp; He paused, then reached into his pocket.&nbsp; “Say, want some bacon?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, sure.&nbsp; Who wouldn’t?&nbsp; But we don’t have any, son.&nbsp; Kind of hard to raise pigs when you’re on the move all the time, you know that.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Osborn grinned and pulled out a small statuette of a pig rendered in white marble.&nbsp; He rubbed the belly of the figurine, whispering something in its tiny ear.&nbsp; Instantly, a large slab of bacon appeared on the table.&nbsp; The rest of his family gasped in delight.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Wow!” Bartlebee shouted, nearly falling out of his chair.&nbsp; “Magic bacon!&nbsp; You’re the best son ever!”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Across the table, Kyle smiled to himself.&nbsp; The “Magic Bacon Pig”* had been his idea, and he and Kavan had worked on it during the sea voyage to the desert.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Osborn spent the rest of the evening regaling his family, and other listeners, with the tales of his exploits after leaving the Tower.&nbsp; It was very late by the time people began to turn in.&nbsp; The Greenbottles invited the party to pitch their tents near their wagon; Osborn, of course, was invited inside.&nbsp; Boss Billyup walked with them.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “So, where are you headed now?” he asked.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “We’re heading to M’dos,” Osborn said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, we’re heading east for a while ourselves,” he replied.&nbsp; “Why don’t you all stay with us for a spell?&nbsp; Of course, you’d have to take on some work around here, pull your weight and all.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “That’s right,” Osborn agreed.&nbsp; “No free rides here.&nbsp; I don’t see why we couldn’t – makes sense, since we’re all going in the same direction and all.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “All right, then.&nbsp; We’re moving out in the morning – this town’s not big enough to stay another day.&nbsp; Come see me in my wagon in the morning and we can talk about what you can do around here.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; After a good night’s sleep, the party met with Boss Billyup.&nbsp; Osborn, naturally, was incorporated into the knife-throwing act.&nbsp; Xu offered to perform a display of her martial and acrobatic skills as a sideshow act, which was eagerly accepted.&nbsp; Lanara offered her usual skills, but Billyup informed her that a circus was a poor venue for a bardic performance.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I could use a carnival barker, though,” he said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Sure, I’ll try anything twice.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Twice?” Kyle asked.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Yeah.&nbsp; First time to try it, second time to see if I like it,” she said with a wink.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tolly, who by his own admission had no suitable performance skills, offered to help out with repairs around the camp.&nbsp; Kavan offered to work on costumes.&nbsp; Kyle offered his magical talents, but had to admit that his repertoire of illusion magic, which would have been most useful, was fairly meager.&nbsp; But when he mentioned his skill with alchemy, Billyup assigned him to help make flash powders and colored smoke bombs.&nbsp; Arrie and Autumn offered to help with general labor, as well as care of horses and general security.&nbsp; There was some talk of reviving the ‘butter wrestling’ that marked last Midsummer’s festivities (a proposal of matching up Autumn and Lanara was enough of an image to cause Kyle to lose his train of thought), though that discussion was curtailed when Arrie hefted what she called “a 15-pound ball of no”.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Their jobs assigned, the party spent the next week as part of the circus.&nbsp; Though they never had the chance to perform, the party got a chance to meet and talk with several members of the circus.&nbsp; Tolly spent a good deal of time with the orc-touched tinker named Nadoc, who’d lost an arm several years ago while apprenticed to a smith in Sargia and came out to the Steppes to ply his trade.&nbsp; Lanara spent most of her time staying out of sight of Tallfellow.&nbsp; Autumn and Arrie spent hours riding out on patrol for the circus, getting a rare opportunity to talk as sisters without being overheard.&nbsp; Osborn and Xu practiced for their acts, Kavan helped with costumes, and Kyle picked up some pointers from the circus’ spellcasters.&nbsp; For a week, they were able to forget their cares, forget that they had apparently been thrust into the middle of a millennia-old war with forbidden powers.&nbsp; They were able to forget, but not completely.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It was Kyle who first broke the spell of circus life.&nbsp; The party was sitting around their campfire, finishing the last of their meal, when the wizard looked Kavan in the eye.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Kavan, I think I’m ready,” was all he said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The others knew what he meant.&nbsp; Since their encounter with the psion Aran in the dream-realm, Kyle had argued that they needed more information to base their decisions on.&nbsp; The arguments between he and Tolly had grown quite heated, until they suddenly stopped a few days later, shortly after leaving the tomb of the karrak.&nbsp; It was soon after this that Kyle asked Kavan if he could determine what Erito’s view would be on the issue of psionics.&nbsp; Kavan told him about the relic he carried, that allowed him to communicate directly with Erito and ask questions of her.&nbsp; Kyle had told Kavan that he would need time to decide what to ask.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “All right, Kyle,” Kavan said.&nbsp; “I’ll need a few minutes to prepare.&nbsp; Would you like to do this in private?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “No, everyone should hear the answers, no matter what they are,” Kyle said.&nbsp; “That’s only fair.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The rest of the party stood up and went for a short walk around the camp while Kavan meditated in preparation for the ritual of communion.&nbsp; Autumn caught up with Kyle out where the animals were kept, and they watched as a pair of bear cubs wrestled under the watchful eye of their mother.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Kyle,” Autumn said at last.&nbsp; “I know that you believe Aran told us the truth, but…”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I don’t believe anything, yet,” he answered before she could finish.&nbsp; “I’m just willing to accept that he might be telling the truth.&nbsp; And there are parts of his story that I just find easier to swallow than… other people’s versions.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Kyle, why is it so difficult for you to understand where Tolly is coming from on this?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “It’s not that hard to see where he gets his opinion.&nbsp; What I don’t get is why he can’t see the common sense in my point of view.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “That has nothing to do with it.&nbsp; You know that Tolly is only following what he believes his goddess tells him.&nbsp; The works of the gods don’t always make sense to us.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “And that’s why I’m asking for this ritual from Kavan.&nbsp; I’m giving Erito a chance to explain herself a little.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn’s eyes narrowed.&nbsp; “Careful, Kyle.&nbsp; Sometimes I have to agree with Tolly that you sound a little blasphemous when you talk about the gods like that.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I don’t think Erito’s going to get her knickers in a twist over it, so I don’t think you should, either.”&nbsp; Kyle laughed.&nbsp; “As for Tolly, and Ardara, well… all I can say is I don’t see how she can expect Tolly to do her work in this world without telling him the whole story.&nbsp; But, that’s never stopped him, right?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; There was a brief silence.&nbsp; “Kyle… you do realize that when you do this ritual, there’s a chance that Erito will be in support of Tolly’s views, rather than your own?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “The thought had crossed my mind,” he admitted.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “What will you do then?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; He thought for a moment.&nbsp; “I’m not sure.&nbsp; But even if it does turn out that Erito has the same view as Ardara’s archon gave us, I’m not so sure I could go along with the wholesale slaughter of anyone born different.&nbsp; You just never know who that might turn out to be.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn shivered, from more than just the cold.&nbsp; “It’s probably almost time to go back,” she said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Yeah, guess there’s no show without me, is there?&nbsp; If I don’t show up, then Osborn’ll probably take my place, and I don’t think Erito wants to answer that many questions about bacon.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn laughed as they turned and began walking back to camp.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I like to hear you laugh,” Kyle said.&nbsp; “I haven’t heard it much lately.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “There hasn’t been much time for it,” Autumn replied.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I remember you used to laugh quite a bit, back when we were in the palace at Noxolt,” he said.&nbsp; “Especially when we were alone.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Kyle, we agreed…”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “What?&nbsp; I’m just remembering a good time.&nbsp; It’s not like I’m trying to seduce you… again.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “You never ‘seduced’ me, Kyle.&nbsp; It was by mutual consent.&nbsp; And you’re treading on thin ice now.”&nbsp; Autumn’s voice was stern, but the look in her eyes belied the fact that she was more amused than irritated.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Okay, okay, fine.&nbsp; But just because I agreed to let you have some time alone to sort your life out doesn’t mean I’m going to forget what we’ve had, or that I’m going to stop hoping that we can have it again.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn stopped, and turned to face Kyle.&nbsp; “I’m not going to forget it either, Kyle.&nbsp; It meant a lot to me.&nbsp; And I do hope that one day things can go back to where they were between us.&nbsp; I’m just… still not sure.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Well, until you do know for sure, I’ll wait,” he said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn pulled Kyle toward her and hugged him.&nbsp; “Thank you,” she said.&nbsp; As she held him, familiar memories stirred in her mind and warmed her heart.&nbsp; She looked up at him, and her left hand drifted up and slipped behind his head.&nbsp; She felt his hair between her fingers; it was much longer now than it was the last time she’d been this close to him, almost… dear Bail, had it been four months?&nbsp; It seemed as though it had been both far less than that, and far more at the same time.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Her lips were within a finger’s width of his when he pulled back.&nbsp; “Now who’s breaking the rules?” he said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn stepped back quickly, though not without a pang of regret.&nbsp; “I’m sorry,” she said quickly.&nbsp; “I was just…”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “It’s okay, Autumn,” Kyle said.&nbsp; “No harm done.&nbsp; Maybe you were right to warn me about bringing up old memories.&nbsp; I’ll keep them to myself for now.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Autumn smiled, the flush slowly receding from her cheeks.&nbsp; “I’ll do the same.&nbsp; Shall we head back now?”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “I’ll hang back a minute,” he said,&nbsp; “let the others think we never met up.&nbsp; I do still remember that I’m supposed to keep ‘us’ a secret.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; “Very true.&nbsp; It’s been a while since I’ve had to think about that.&nbsp; Well, then, see you at camp.”&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle watched Autumn walk away, her hair flowing in the slight breeze like waves of wheat.&nbsp; He smiled broadly as she vanished around a corner.&nbsp; He really hadn’t intended to stir things up quite that much, even though he’d quite deliberately brought up the memories of their past romantic encounters.&nbsp; Kyle knew that Autumn’s current desire to remain separate and think about the course of her life stemmed in some small part from that fact that after Noxolt he’d become so wrapped up in his own problems that he’d neglected her.&nbsp; So much so, that she’d had to go to someone else to get the attention she needed.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle sighed.&nbsp; Although there was still the chance that in the end Autumn would decide that she simply couldn’t stay with Kyle as anything more than a friend and adventuring companion, this time it wouldn’t be due to lack of effort on his part.&nbsp; He just had to be careful not to overdo it.&nbsp; He did genuinely respect her wishes to back away from any sort of intimacy until she got things sorted out, but he saw no harm in ‘nudging’ her thinking in certain directions once in a while.&nbsp; And as for Tolly… well, that issue would probably take care of itself.&nbsp; He shook his head in disbelief, remembering how upset he’d been when Arrie had confided in him that Tolly was interested in Autumn.&nbsp; It had taken a few days for him to come to his senses.&nbsp; He still wasn’t sure why Autumn had allowed Tolly to continue his pursuit for so long – maybe it was just because she needed someone to talk to while he’d been ignoring her.&nbsp; But Kyle was certain that she’d soon let him down easy, telling him there was no future between them.&nbsp; Maybe she already had – Tolly had grown suddenly very quiet on the way out of the desert, and he’d stopped constantly haranguing Kyle about ‘the peril to his soul’.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kyle shook his head to clear it.&nbsp; There were other things to think about now.&nbsp; The ritual was ready.------------------------* Magic Bacon Pig - The small figurine of a common barnyard pig is carved from white marble.&nbsp; Once per day, the owner may rub the pig's belly and speak the command word to produce one pound of uncooked bacon, cured as to the owner's desires.&nbsp; This bacon is not sufficient to sustain life or prevent starvation.Mild conjuration; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous Item, create food and drink; Price 500 gp.(For those who wonder, our DM is pretty liberal with allowing cooperative magic item creation; Kyle provided the feat, Kavan the spell.&nbsp; It's cheap because it's intended as a 'flavor' item; we limited it by saying you couldn't just live off the bacon.)</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 2507909, member: 5203"] [b]Smoke and Mirrors[/b] It was a week’s ride before the party was able to cross the range of low mountains that separated the Haran Desert from the rolling grasslands that marked the Khag Steppes. As sand gave way to waist-high grasses, Osborn and Lanara’s moods visibly brightened as they looked out over familiar territory again. Osborn took a deep breath and smiled. “Home,” was all he said. They continued to ride east, tending slightly south in order to reach the city of Miracle, which would then allow them to cross the river into Medos. Once they had left the desert behind, the party was reminded of the fact that it was the middle of winter. Though still far enough north to avoid the worst of the cold, they awoke every morning to frost covering the ground, and occasionally rode through a light flurry of snow. Along the way, both Osborn and Lanara instructed the rest of their companions on life in the Steppes. “There’s two types of people who live out here,” Lanara said, “settlers and wanderers. The settlers gather in small towns and villages all over the Steppes. None of them big enough to show up on a map…” “Except for Miracle,” Osborn interjected. “…except for Miracle. Of course, there’s really no such thing as a ‘permanent’ settlement here.” “Why is that?” Tolly asked. “Well, you know, things happen. Maybe the people living there just decide to move on, maybe whatever brought them there in the first place runs out or leaves, maybe the town gets destroyed by raiders, whatever.” Tolly sniffed. “I don’t see how people can live with such uncertainty.” “It’s the way of life out here,” Osborn answered. “Actually, most of the people living on the Steppes don’t settle in one place for very long at all.” “It’s true,” Lanara agreed. “Most folks wander from place to place in groups, like the hin family clans. Most are fine, although there are a few you have to watch out for. There’s the cults, the bandits, the raiders, the looters…” “Ah, yes, now I see the appeal,” Tolly snorted. “Hey, at least life never becomes dull out here,” the cansin retorted. They rode for another week through the grasslands. As Osborn predicted, they did encounter one or two small groups of natives. One was a small group of hin merchants that exchanged news and a few odd trinkets with the party. The second was a mixed group on a pilgrimage through the Steppes to Sargia, who made an amicable, if persistent attempt to convert the party to worshipping Dakotha. Early in the afternoon, two weeks after leaving the tomb of the [I]karrak[/I], the group spotted a rather large group of wagons in the distance ahead. The wagons had stopped on a rise leading up to a small town, and now lay between the party and that town. They rode up on a low rise to get a better look. “What do you see, Kavan?” Lanara asked. “They’re flying some sort of banner,” he replied. “I’m trying to make it out, but the wind… it’s a yellow banner, with something on it… looks like a very tall woman between two men standing on their heads…” Osborn’s eyes went wide, and with a joyous whoop he quickly turned his riding dog Rupert around and began heading down the hill toward the wagons. He soon vanished in the tall grass, leaving a long trail of flattened stalks behind him. The others, confused, turned their mounts and followed after him. The party came upon a group of a half-dozen hin outriders on canine mounts a few dozen yards from the wagons, obviously some sort of perimeter guard. Osborn’s trail led past the group, continuing on toward the wagons. With a smile and a nod, the perimeter guard waved the rest of the party through. “Odd,” said Autumn, “that they didn’t even ask our names.” “No,” replied Arrie, “that was just unusual. [I]That[/I] is odd.” They all looked to where Arrie was pointing. They had emerged from the grass into the clearing made by the passage of the large wagon team, where a number of people were scurrying about. Most were hin, though a few odd humans, cansin, and air-touched were among them. A trio of hin was leading a lion on a rope toward a series of iron cages to their right. On the left, an air-touched woman with light blue hair was sitting on a crate, contorted in what seemed an impossible position. But what drew their attention was what Arrie had seen; standing a short distance from them was a group of four people, waving at the party. One was a middle-aged hin, dressed in bright colors. Next to him was a younger hin in similar attire, but who looked like the spitting image of Osborn. Osborn himself was sitting atop the shoulder of the fourth person, beaming. The woman who held him aloft looked like a hin, bearing their distinctive elongated skull. But she was easily over six feet tall, and as broad as Autumn’s warhorse Defiance. “Hey guys,” Osborn said as they rode up close, “Welcome to The Amazing Traveling Circus. This is my mom.” [CENTER]* * *[/CENTER] The party soon got a full introduction to the Greenbottle family from Osborn; his father Bartlebee, and his twin brother Gerald, who were the knife-throwing act for the circus. Lillian, who was Osborn’s mother, was introduced as the circus fat lady. The amiable woman took no offense at the title, as she shook each of their hands with thick, sausage-like fingers. “Mom’s Talent was the ability to grow to enormous size,” Osborn explained. “But she could never control it very well, and one day she just got stuck like this.” Osborn took the party around to meet other members of the Amazing Traveling Circus. They met the circus boss, Billyup, and the ringmaster, a cansin midget who went by the name ‘Tallfellow’. “Well, it’s not entirely inappropriate,” Lanara said upon meeting him. “He may be short to me, but he’s still a foot taller than most of the hin.” “Indeed, madam,” Tallfellow said cheerfully. “And as far as being too short for you, let me assure you that when it comes to meeting young women of your… stature, I find that my height is ideal to fully appreciate their… assets.” Lanara smiled at Tallfellow. “Those aren’t my assets you’ve been staring at, my good man. Allow me to illustrate.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked away. Osborn gave the party a full tour of the circus, shouting greetings to people who walked by. There were a few new faces, and a few faces that had disappeared (“We had to hire a new Boneless Woman,” Bartlebee quipped, “the old one grew a spine.”). Many of the hin there came up and spoke eagerly with Osborn, asking how he was, and how the school had been. But the conversations were brief; there was a show to put on, and everyone was busy getting ready. Boss Billyup invited Osborn and his friends to watch the show free of admission. It was a spectacular show. Though each of them, in their time had seen performances by other traveling carnivals and performers, none of them rivaled the performance of the Amazing Traveling Circus in their breadth, or complexity. There were lion-tamers, and tiger acts, and even a trained dire bear. The strongman, a human with rippling muscles, went into the audience and hefted the bench that Autumn, Arrie, Lanara, and Xu were sitting on with ease, drawing applause. There were trapeze artists, acrobats, and contortionists. There was the knife-throwing act, featuring Bartlebee and Gerald, which drew extra cheers from the party when they invited Osborn down as a ‘guest performer’. All of the acts were enhanced by a choreographed display of light, sound, and color, provided by the circus band as well as a trio of illusionists. It was late by the time the performance had ended and the townsfolk had returned home. The Greenbottles invited the party to join the performers for a late meal. They returned to the main tent to find that two long tables had been set up side by side inside, packed with performers and circus workers. Boss Billyup sat at the head of one table, next to Tallfellow. The ringmaster waved at Lanara and motioned for her to sit next to him, but the bard stayed with her friends and sat near the Greenbottles. “So, where have you been recently, son?” Bartlebee asked. “Well, we just got back from the desert.” “Really? How was it?” “Hot. Full of orcs.” “What were you doing out there?” Lillian asked. “We were looking for diamonds for Tolly,” Osborn explained. There was a sudden hush in conversation nearby. Several pairs of eyes fell on Tolly. “Really?” Gerald asked. “What kind of diamonds?” “Big ones,” Lanara interjected. “Really?” Gerald repeated. “Yeah, they’re for his church,” Osborn said, loud enough for everyone listening in to hear. There was a barely perceptible sigh, and everyone went back to their own business. “But look!” Osborn said, pulling a leather cord out from around his neck. “I’m a brother to Clan Hulg!” “Oh!” exclaimed Bartlebee, “is that what that tooth is on there?” Osborn’s father took a closer look at the totem. “Tell me, do the orcs always carve designs on their teeth like this?” “Sometimes,” Osborn shrugged, “if they want to.” “Before or after they take them out of their mouths?” “Either.” “Huh.” Bartlebee let the tooth drop down onto Osborn’s chest. “Orcs. Never understood them.” His face brightened. “So what else have you been up to?” “Oh, we’ve been on lots of adventures! I’ll tell you all about them!” He paused, then reached into his pocket. “Say, want some bacon?” “Well, sure. Who wouldn’t? But we don’t have any, son. Kind of hard to raise pigs when you’re on the move all the time, you know that.” Osborn grinned and pulled out a small statuette of a pig rendered in white marble. He rubbed the belly of the figurine, whispering something in its tiny ear. Instantly, a large slab of bacon appeared on the table. The rest of his family gasped in delight. “Wow!” Bartlebee shouted, nearly falling out of his chair. “Magic bacon! You’re the best son ever!” Across the table, Kyle smiled to himself. The “Magic Bacon Pig”* had been his idea, and he and Kavan had worked on it during the sea voyage to the desert. Osborn spent the rest of the evening regaling his family, and other listeners, with the tales of his exploits after leaving the Tower. It was very late by the time people began to turn in. The Greenbottles invited the party to pitch their tents near their wagon; Osborn, of course, was invited inside. Boss Billyup walked with them. “So, where are you headed now?” he asked. “We’re heading to M’dos,” Osborn said. “Well, we’re heading east for a while ourselves,” he replied. “Why don’t you all stay with us for a spell? Of course, you’d have to take on some work around here, pull your weight and all.” “That’s right,” Osborn agreed. “No free rides here. I don’t see why we couldn’t – makes sense, since we’re all going in the same direction and all.” “All right, then. We’re moving out in the morning – this town’s not big enough to stay another day. Come see me in my wagon in the morning and we can talk about what you can do around here.” After a good night’s sleep, the party met with Boss Billyup. Osborn, naturally, was incorporated into the knife-throwing act. Xu offered to perform a display of her martial and acrobatic skills as a sideshow act, which was eagerly accepted. Lanara offered her usual skills, but Billyup informed her that a circus was a poor venue for a bardic performance. “I could use a carnival barker, though,” he said. “Sure, I’ll try anything twice.” “Twice?” Kyle asked. “Yeah. First time to try it, second time to see if I like it,” she said with a wink. Tolly, who by his own admission had no suitable performance skills, offered to help out with repairs around the camp. Kavan offered to work on costumes. Kyle offered his magical talents, but had to admit that his repertoire of illusion magic, which would have been most useful, was fairly meager. But when he mentioned his skill with alchemy, Billyup assigned him to help make flash powders and colored smoke bombs. Arrie and Autumn offered to help with general labor, as well as care of horses and general security. There was some talk of reviving the ‘butter wrestling’ that marked last Midsummer’s festivities (a proposal of matching up Autumn and Lanara was enough of an image to cause Kyle to lose his train of thought), though that discussion was curtailed when Arrie hefted what she called “a 15-pound ball of [I]no[/I]”. Their jobs assigned, the party spent the next week as part of the circus. Though they never had the chance to perform, the party got a chance to meet and talk with several members of the circus. Tolly spent a good deal of time with the orc-touched tinker named Nadoc, who’d lost an arm several years ago while apprenticed to a smith in Sargia and came out to the Steppes to ply his trade. Lanara spent most of her time staying out of sight of Tallfellow. Autumn and Arrie spent hours riding out on patrol for the circus, getting a rare opportunity to talk as sisters without being overheard. Osborn and Xu practiced for their acts, Kavan helped with costumes, and Kyle picked up some pointers from the circus’ spellcasters. For a week, they were able to forget their cares, forget that they had apparently been thrust into the middle of a millennia-old war with forbidden powers. They were able to forget, but not completely. It was Kyle who first broke the spell of circus life. The party was sitting around their campfire, finishing the last of their meal, when the wizard looked Kavan in the eye. “Kavan, I think I’m ready,” was all he said. The others knew what he meant. Since their encounter with the psion Aran in the dream-realm, Kyle had argued that they needed more information to base their decisions on. The arguments between he and Tolly had grown quite heated, until they suddenly stopped a few days later, shortly after leaving the tomb of the [I]karrak[/I]. It was soon after this that Kyle asked Kavan if he could determine what Erito’s view would be on the issue of psionics. Kavan told him about the relic he carried, that allowed him to communicate directly with Erito and ask questions of her. Kyle had told Kavan that he would need time to decide what to ask. “All right, Kyle,” Kavan said. “I’ll need a few minutes to prepare. Would you like to do this in private?” “No, everyone should hear the answers, no matter what they are,” Kyle said. “That’s only fair.” The rest of the party stood up and went for a short walk around the camp while Kavan meditated in preparation for the ritual of communion. Autumn caught up with Kyle out where the animals were kept, and they watched as a pair of bear cubs wrestled under the watchful eye of their mother. “Kyle,” Autumn said at last. “I know that you believe Aran told us the truth, but…” “I don’t believe anything, yet,” he answered before she could finish. “I’m just willing to accept that he might be telling the truth. And there are parts of his story that I just find easier to swallow than… other people’s versions.” “Kyle, why is it so difficult for you to understand where Tolly is coming from on this?” “It’s not that hard to see where he gets his opinion. What I don’t get is why he can’t see the common sense in my point of view.” “That has nothing to do with it. You know that Tolly is only following what he believes his goddess tells him. The works of the gods don’t always make sense to us.” “And that’s why I’m asking for this ritual from Kavan. I’m giving Erito a chance to explain herself a little.” Autumn’s eyes narrowed. “Careful, Kyle. Sometimes I have to agree with Tolly that you sound a little blasphemous when you talk about the gods like that.” “I don’t think Erito’s going to get her knickers in a twist over it, so I don’t think you should, either.” Kyle laughed. “As for Tolly, and Ardara, well… all I can say is I don’t see how she can expect Tolly to do her work in this world without telling him the whole story. But, that’s never stopped him, right?” There was a brief silence. “Kyle… you do realize that when you do this ritual, there’s a chance that Erito will be in support of Tolly’s views, rather than your own?” “The thought had crossed my mind,” he admitted. “What will you do then?” He thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. But even if it does turn out that Erito has the same view as Ardara’s archon gave us, I’m not so sure I could go along with the wholesale slaughter of anyone born different. You just never know who that might turn out to be.” Autumn shivered, from more than just the cold. “It’s probably almost time to go back,” she said. “Yeah, guess there’s no show without me, is there? If I don’t show up, then Osborn’ll probably take my place, and I don’t think Erito wants to answer that many questions about bacon.” Autumn laughed as they turned and began walking back to camp. “I like to hear you laugh,” Kyle said. “I haven’t heard it much lately.” “There hasn’t been much time for it,” Autumn replied. “I remember you used to laugh quite a bit, back when we were in the palace at Noxolt,” he said. “Especially when we were alone.” “Kyle, we agreed…” “What? I’m just remembering a good time. It’s not like I’m trying to seduce you… again.” “You never ‘seduced’ me, Kyle. It was by mutual consent. And you’re treading on thin ice now.” Autumn’s voice was stern, but the look in her eyes belied the fact that she was more amused than irritated. “Okay, okay, fine. But just because I agreed to let you have some time alone to sort your life out doesn’t mean I’m going to forget what we’ve had, or that I’m going to stop hoping that we can have it again.” Autumn stopped, and turned to face Kyle. “I’m not going to forget it either, Kyle. It meant a lot to me. And I do hope that one day things can go back to where they were between us. I’m just… still not sure.” “Well, until you do know for sure, I’ll wait,” he said. Autumn pulled Kyle toward her and hugged him. “Thank you,” she said. As she held him, familiar memories stirred in her mind and warmed her heart. She looked up at him, and her left hand drifted up and slipped behind his head. She felt his hair between her fingers; it was much longer now than it was the last time she’d been this close to him, almost… dear Bail, had it been four months? It seemed as though it had been both far less than that, and far more at the same time. Her lips were within a finger’s width of his when he pulled back. “Now who’s breaking the rules?” he said. Autumn stepped back quickly, though not without a pang of regret. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I was just…” “It’s okay, Autumn,” Kyle said. “No harm done. Maybe you were right to warn me about bringing up old memories. I’ll keep them to myself for now.” Autumn smiled, the flush slowly receding from her cheeks. “I’ll do the same. Shall we head back now?” “I’ll hang back a minute,” he said, “let the others think we never met up. I do still remember that I’m supposed to keep ‘us’ a secret.” “Very true. It’s been a while since I’ve had to think about that. Well, then, see you at camp.” Kyle watched Autumn walk away, her hair flowing in the slight breeze like waves of wheat. He smiled broadly as she vanished around a corner. He really hadn’t intended to stir things up quite that much, even though he’d quite deliberately brought up the memories of their past romantic encounters. Kyle knew that Autumn’s current desire to remain separate and think about the course of her life stemmed in some small part from that fact that after Noxolt he’d become so wrapped up in his own problems that he’d neglected her. So much so, that she’d had to go to someone else to get the attention she needed. Kyle sighed. Although there was still the chance that in the end Autumn would decide that she simply couldn’t stay with Kyle as anything more than a friend and adventuring companion, this time it wouldn’t be due to lack of effort on his part. He just had to be careful not to overdo it. He did genuinely respect her wishes to back away from any sort of intimacy until she got things sorted out, but he saw no harm in ‘nudging’ her thinking in certain directions once in a while. And as for Tolly… well, that issue would probably take care of itself. He shook his head in disbelief, remembering how upset he’d been when Arrie had confided in him that Tolly was interested in Autumn. It had taken a few days for him to come to his senses. He still wasn’t sure why Autumn had allowed Tolly to continue his pursuit for so long – maybe it was just because she needed someone to talk to while he’d been ignoring her. But Kyle was certain that she’d soon let him down easy, telling him there was no future between them. Maybe she already had – Tolly had grown suddenly very quiet on the way out of the desert, and he’d stopped constantly haranguing Kyle about ‘the peril to his soul’. Kyle shook his head to clear it. There were other things to think about now. The ritual was ready. ------------------------ * [I]Magic Bacon Pig[/I] - The small figurine of a common barnyard pig is carved from white marble. Once per day, the owner may rub the pig's belly and speak the command word to produce one pound of uncooked bacon, cured as to the owner's desires. This bacon is not sufficient to sustain life or prevent starvation. Mild conjuration; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous Item, [I]create food and drink[/I]; Price 500 gp. (For those who wonder, our DM is pretty liberal with allowing cooperative magic item creation; Kyle provided the feat, Kavan the spell. It's cheap because it's intended as a 'flavor' item; we limited it by saying you couldn't just live off the bacon.) [/QUOTE]

Verification