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Message: <blockquote data-quote="megamania" data-source="post: 946389" data-attributes="member: 9255">UNDER A DARKSUNSEGMENT 080“Salt View”That night they sleep on top of a hard flat rock that seems defensible.  They eat the last of the Spirit’s fruit and nuts.  The purple berries were discarded long ago near Gulg.  Lunch will be the last of the dried hard meat.  Based on Bruce’s directions, they should reach Salt View today during the day light hours.Wandering along the road to the village were small patches of flowers.  Feeling no harm would be done; Cosa reaches down to pick a few.  “OW!”  The blasted plant shocked me!” She yelps.  Mania moves over to inspect her hand and goes to stomp on the flower.“Now it wouldn’t do to kick that little bud of a flower there.” comments a scarred human or ½ elf.  Looking towards a cleft of rocks about thirty feet away Mania and Cosa see three people total.  The scarred person whom spoke first and two others behind him dressed brightly and in flamboyant clothing watch them.  “A touch can kill a bug small.  To strike is something else.” Sings one of the colorful people.“Who are you?” demands Mania pulling free his clubs from his hip strap.  “Why would you spy on us like a few bandits in the desert?”“Relax relax.   I am Rio, this is my sister Gracia and her fellow artist Valin.  We were here looking for inspiration.  I believe we have found it.” Says Rio with a large warm smile.  “As for those flowers, they are shocking violets.  Bugs and insects are given a fatal shock that kills them.  They are able to produce a much bigger shock if threatened…by say a boot?”“How far until we reach Salt View?” asks Cosa envying the girl’s hairpiece.“Just around the corner of course…” replies the third person named Valin.“Thankyou.  Have a good afternoon.”  Says Mania nudging Cosa along.  Mania can feel the three sets of eyes on them the entire time they move away around the corner of the rocks.About twenty minutes later, they see it…. tents.  Brightly colored, flagged tents…about a dozen total.  They are clustered by the rocks where the path goes.  Curious, Cosa and Mania shrug their shoulders to each other and go closer.Several tents are homes to families.  Some tents seem to be more of a multi-cell place to stay, a portable inn of sorts.  A few mothers holding feeding newborn babies smile and wave as the two walk through the maze of tents.  “I’m not sure Bruce sent us to the right place Mania.”Then they see that the path leads into a large cavern.  Inside the cavern come sounds of singing and music.  Curious, they enter the cavern and are greeted by several children.  “Guides to the best plays and shows?” ask the children with joyful smiles.  Mania shrugs his shoulders again.  He is perplexed by the uniqueness of the situation.  This is not what he expected.  He opens his small bag and thinks of a ceramic bit.  He pulls out two blue bits and gives one to each child.  “What shows will you be showing us?” asks Mania both in humor and a bit of disbelief.  He honestly expects the children to run off with his money but they keep within twenty feet.  They look very excited and impatient at the same time.Inside the huge cavern are pillars of salt and torches.  The torches lead to a large walled area.  The music comes from within.  “Welcome to Salt View mister” says one child.  The other child comments that the pretty lady should look at some jewelry nearby.  Just inside the walls is a series of adobe huts and plants that grow on low light conditions.  Looking up, Mania sees there is a crack in the cavern ceiling that sheds light onto the center of the walled in town.  The center seems to have a small gladiatorial pit.  On closer inspection, they discover it is used to present something called plays.  The actor in Cosa is drawn like a sugar fly to a sweetened flower.  “Com’on Mania.  It looks like fun!”To enter the walled in area costs another three ceramic bits apiece.  They are surprised to see about thirty people watching a few people playact a battle.  “This is possibly Kilay’s best work yet.  It is called “The Last Slave of Yaramuke”.  My father even cries at the ending.  I hope to act one day.”  The boy returns his attention to the play for a few moments before being asked kindly to move along or pay to watch.Thirty minutes later the play ends.  Cosa is crying.  Mania has something in his eye, a bug his is quite sure of it.  They look about and see a few common things.  Most of the residents have noticeable scars and injuries common to veteran fighters.  A few have tattoos that are tried to be covered up but Cosa spots them and recognizes them as slave brands.  A smaller handful look much like them.  Adventurers.  Mania and Cosa avoid them and try to talk to the locals to find the Silent One.They find most people will not speak about the Silent One but encourage them to stay a few days.“Now what?” asks Mania“Best to get a room.  Looking at the homes here and the tents we walked through, housing is hard to get.”</blockquote>

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