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Welcome to the Halmae (updated 2/27/07)
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<blockquote data-quote="spyscribe" data-source="post: 2096051" data-attributes="member: 5808"><p><strong>Part the One-Hundred Fourth</strong></p><p><em>In which: the party gains unexpected information from unexpected sources.</em></p><p></p><p>Searches of the bodies yield several minor potions and scrolls, along with a mirror, wrapped in a leather bundle, which radiates divination and a hint of evocation magic.</p><p></p><p>Fearing it is a communications device, Lira keeps it wrapped and stowed away in her pack for safekeeping.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, Benedic drags the two dead bodies off the trail and into a copse of evergreens. Hatsumi—who has been tagging along after Benedic every chance he’s had throughout trip—tries to follow. Benedic notices and gently informs the youngster that “not everything is something you need to learn right now.”</p><p></p><p>Lira, observing the exchange, whispers to Reyu, “What is he <em>doing</em> back there anyway?”</p><p></p><p>“I believe,” Reyu replies, “he intends to dismember the bodies, burn the pieces, and then scatter the ashes down a mountain crevasse.”</p><p></p><p>Lira swallows. “Oh.”</p><p></p><p>The one remaining Inquisitor lies, bound and unconscious, on the side of the trail. “Why is it that you wished this one alive?” Master Genechi asks.</p><p></p><p>“Because,” says Annika as she begins to cast <em>charm person</em> at the survivor, “he can tell us how much they know.”</p><p></p><p>Having stabilized their captive, Anvil stations himself behind the prisoner, close at hand, but out of the Inquisitor’s sight. </p><p></p><p>Everyone else hides, weapons at the ready.</p><p></p><p>Gently, Annika slaps the Inquisitor awake. He blinks rapidly, disoriented. </p><p></p><p>“Thank God,” Annika says, holding his attention on her, “I thought you were dead. What happened?”</p><p></p><p>The guard seems unsteady at first, but he realizes that although he has no idea who this woman is, he somehow trusts her implicitly. “We… we were attacked,” he says. “The monks…”</p><p></p><p>“What monks?”</p><p></p><p>“From the Sharpstone Pass. Heretical traitors worshipping one of the godlings. Somehow, they must have been warned. Set traps for us. One killed, the other, he was injured, we had to leave him behind.”</p><p></p><p>“Heretics!” Exclaims Annika, “What are you going to do?”</p><p></p><p>“We have… notified our superiors, but it will be at least a week before they can reach us. Please, can you help untie me?”</p><p></p><p>Annika nods, leaving him for a moment and returning with the dullest knife she can find among their things. She saws ineffectively at his bindings.</p><p></p><p>“Were you carrying anything valuable, anything that needs to be protected?” she asks.</p><p></p><p>“The Lady Inquisitor Doroshi-san… she has a mirror. We use it to speak to the others.” He pulls futilely at the ropes around his wrists, but he’s held fast.</p><p></p><p>Annika shakes her head. “I’m sorry, this knife is no good. I’m going to try something else. Close your eyes.”</p><p></p><p>“Close my—What?... Who are you?”</p><p></p><p>“Just for a second, close them.” As the prisoner blinks Annika shoots a beseeching look over his head to Anvil. It’s a look that says, “strike <em>quickly</em>.”</p><p></p><p>Anvil reaches forward, right hand cloaked in an almost oily-looking black mist. He touches the prisoner’s shoulder. The Inquisitor just has time to jerk around, eyes wide, before he crumbles to the ground, dead.</p><p></p><p>Benedic comes forward, and drags away the body.</p><p></p><p>###</p><p></p><p>The next night at midnight, Anvil rouses the party to celebrate the feast of Kettenek Ascendant, or Mid-Winter.</p><p></p><p>A few days later, the party encounters the monks and pilgrims on their way back from the Vale. Master Genichi confers with his sistren and then they inform the pilgrims that, due to unfortunate circumstances, the monastery has been closed. A few of the monks continue on to escort the travelers back to civilization.</p><p></p><p>Alone again, Master Genichi turns to the party. “I cannot thank you enough for what you have done. My sistren and I will take the relics to our fellows in Cauldron. You are, of course, free to go on your way, but I would be honored if you would accompany me to the Vale before we part.”</p><p></p><p>Reyu bows politely. “The honor… would be ours.”</p><p></p><p>###</p><p></p><p>For another day the trail winds upwards. At last, near the top of a great mountain, Master Genichi leads the party to a small valley, sheltered within the peaks. Here, despite the incredible altitude, they find a bowl of green grasses, surrounded by dizzying vistas, and in the center, a perfectly round pool, its border broken only by a small gurgling spring.</p><p></p><p>Master Genichi kneels at the edge of the water, accompanied by the other monks, and the members of the party. After a moment of silent meditation, he turns to the party. “I cannot pay you for the aid you have rendered, but I can offer you some recompense.”</p><p></p><p>He gestures to one of the monks, who comes forward, and placing his hands in the water, begins to chant.</p><p></p><p>As the monk’s voice continues to drone, the surface of the water begins to bubble. Within moments, the water is churning, roiling from within. Foam and froth begin to rise from the surface, slowly at first, but soon a column of water rises out of the pool. As it grows, it begins to take on a shape—the shape of a woman.</p><p></p><p>She is beautiful. The water that makes up her face is clear and calm. It ripples as she moves, causing her features to shift continuously, leaving one with the impression that she has a face, yet no sense of what it actually looks like. Her body is covered with froth, as if forming a dress around her. Her hair flows, quite literally, down her back, melding seamlessly back into her body.</p><p></p><p>Thatch’s eyes go wide at the sight. It takes Eva a moment to realize that she has been unconsciously holding her breath.</p><p></p><p>The figure speaks: </p><p></p><p><span style="color: lightblue">“I thank you for this task that you have done for my children. You should consider it a birthing pain for your greatest trial, which is still far off, for it has not yet begun to begin...”</span></p><p></p><p>She then addresses each of the party members in turn.</p><p> </p><p>To Thatch. <span style="color: lightblue"><em>“…though the seeds of your part in it have been laid, and their fruit is far riper than its season.”</em></span></p><p></p><p>To Eva. <span style="color: lightblue"><em>“You have already heard my words, child. Remember that you have the choice between flowing in two channels or blowing in one.”</em> </span></p><p></p><p>To Lira. <span style="color: lightblue"><em>“The stream before you splits, child. The rough rapids shall leave you the weed whose seedlings overrun the garden. The stagnant pool shall leave you the flower whose seedlings are doomed to death.”</em> </span></p><p></p><p>To Anvil. <span style="color: lightblue"><em>“Mind your fields well, for you know not all the crops that grow there, and you are fast becoming their hybrid.”</em> </span></p><p></p><p>To Reyu. <span style="color: lightblue"><em>“Your roots have taken well to their new soil, but they must dig deeper yet. Still once more you will be uprooted and planted anew, ere the trial comes to pass.” </em></span></p><p></p><p>To Annika. <span style="color: lightblue"><em>“I see how deeply you have been wounded, child. Know that the blight of those who cut you so deep has not been fully cured. They fester until their next outbreak, in my brother’s scar, which is not yet healed.”</em> </span></p><p></p><p>To Kiara. <span style="color: lightblue"><em>“I weep for you, my twisted child. For your road home has been long, and the road before you is even longer, and though you walk a thousand thousand miles more, nature’s way shall never find you.”</em> </span></p><p></p><p>To Benedic. <span style="color: lightblue"><em>“A choice will come upon you, between your heart and your love. Choose your love, and witness the breaking of your heart. Choose your heart, and your love will be lost to you forever.” </em></span></p><p></p><p>The figure smiles—or at least appears to—and then, slowly, sinks back down, the form dissolving in the water below. Within moments, the pool is calm, clear, and tranquil once again.</p><p></p><p>Preoccupied with what they have just learned, the party quietly makes ready to depart. Master Genichi has inspected their maps and indicated a route by which they can reach the Valley of the Center of the Storm overland. Although this route will shorten the distance for the next stage of their journey considerably, it does mean that they will be traveling through the wilds of the Ketkath mountains for some weeks.</p><p></p><p>While Eva is not relishing the prospect, Benedic seems positively eager to be off. “Don’t worry,” he assures her, then corrects himself. “Well, you’d be a fool if you weren’t worried a bit… but I’ll get all of you through.”</p><p></p><p>Just as they are about to depart, Reyu notices Master Genichi standing at the edge of the Vale, looking wistfully back towards the spring. Reyu approaches him, and they stand for a few moments in silence. </p><p></p><p>Master Genichi speaks: “It pains me, to think that I will never see it again.”</p><p></p><p>Reyu replies in measured tones. “But it will be here, regardless of whether you see it or not.”</p><p></p><p>Master Genichi looks at her a moment, almost surprised, then nods.</p><p></p><p>Soon, the monks depart one way, and the party follows their own, and the Vale is deserted once again.</p><p></p><p>**</p><p></p><p>As the party disappears over the ridgeline, Benedic’s voice can barely be heard. “My heart, my love… My love, my heart… Feh! Gods.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="spyscribe, post: 2096051, member: 5808"] [b]Part the One-Hundred Fourth[/b] [i]In which: the party gains unexpected information from unexpected sources.[/i] Searches of the bodies yield several minor potions and scrolls, along with a mirror, wrapped in a leather bundle, which radiates divination and a hint of evocation magic. Fearing it is a communications device, Lira keeps it wrapped and stowed away in her pack for safekeeping. Meanwhile, Benedic drags the two dead bodies off the trail and into a copse of evergreens. Hatsumi—who has been tagging along after Benedic every chance he’s had throughout trip—tries to follow. Benedic notices and gently informs the youngster that “not everything is something you need to learn right now.” Lira, observing the exchange, whispers to Reyu, “What is he [i]doing[/i] back there anyway?” “I believe,” Reyu replies, “he intends to dismember the bodies, burn the pieces, and then scatter the ashes down a mountain crevasse.” Lira swallows. “Oh.” The one remaining Inquisitor lies, bound and unconscious, on the side of the trail. “Why is it that you wished this one alive?” Master Genechi asks. “Because,” says Annika as she begins to cast [i]charm person[/i] at the survivor, “he can tell us how much they know.” Having stabilized their captive, Anvil stations himself behind the prisoner, close at hand, but out of the Inquisitor’s sight. Everyone else hides, weapons at the ready. Gently, Annika slaps the Inquisitor awake. He blinks rapidly, disoriented. “Thank God,” Annika says, holding his attention on her, “I thought you were dead. What happened?” The guard seems unsteady at first, but he realizes that although he has no idea who this woman is, he somehow trusts her implicitly. “We… we were attacked,” he says. “The monks…” “What monks?” “From the Sharpstone Pass. Heretical traitors worshipping one of the godlings. Somehow, they must have been warned. Set traps for us. One killed, the other, he was injured, we had to leave him behind.” “Heretics!” Exclaims Annika, “What are you going to do?” “We have… notified our superiors, but it will be at least a week before they can reach us. Please, can you help untie me?” Annika nods, leaving him for a moment and returning with the dullest knife she can find among their things. She saws ineffectively at his bindings. “Were you carrying anything valuable, anything that needs to be protected?” she asks. “The Lady Inquisitor Doroshi-san… she has a mirror. We use it to speak to the others.” He pulls futilely at the ropes around his wrists, but he’s held fast. Annika shakes her head. “I’m sorry, this knife is no good. I’m going to try something else. Close your eyes.” “Close my—What?... Who are you?” “Just for a second, close them.” As the prisoner blinks Annika shoots a beseeching look over his head to Anvil. It’s a look that says, “strike [i]quickly[/i].” Anvil reaches forward, right hand cloaked in an almost oily-looking black mist. He touches the prisoner’s shoulder. The Inquisitor just has time to jerk around, eyes wide, before he crumbles to the ground, dead. Benedic comes forward, and drags away the body. ### The next night at midnight, Anvil rouses the party to celebrate the feast of Kettenek Ascendant, or Mid-Winter. A few days later, the party encounters the monks and pilgrims on their way back from the Vale. Master Genichi confers with his sistren and then they inform the pilgrims that, due to unfortunate circumstances, the monastery has been closed. A few of the monks continue on to escort the travelers back to civilization. Alone again, Master Genichi turns to the party. “I cannot thank you enough for what you have done. My sistren and I will take the relics to our fellows in Cauldron. You are, of course, free to go on your way, but I would be honored if you would accompany me to the Vale before we part.” Reyu bows politely. “The honor… would be ours.” ### For another day the trail winds upwards. At last, near the top of a great mountain, Master Genichi leads the party to a small valley, sheltered within the peaks. Here, despite the incredible altitude, they find a bowl of green grasses, surrounded by dizzying vistas, and in the center, a perfectly round pool, its border broken only by a small gurgling spring. Master Genichi kneels at the edge of the water, accompanied by the other monks, and the members of the party. After a moment of silent meditation, he turns to the party. “I cannot pay you for the aid you have rendered, but I can offer you some recompense.” He gestures to one of the monks, who comes forward, and placing his hands in the water, begins to chant. As the monk’s voice continues to drone, the surface of the water begins to bubble. Within moments, the water is churning, roiling from within. Foam and froth begin to rise from the surface, slowly at first, but soon a column of water rises out of the pool. As it grows, it begins to take on a shape—the shape of a woman. She is beautiful. The water that makes up her face is clear and calm. It ripples as she moves, causing her features to shift continuously, leaving one with the impression that she has a face, yet no sense of what it actually looks like. Her body is covered with froth, as if forming a dress around her. Her hair flows, quite literally, down her back, melding seamlessly back into her body. Thatch’s eyes go wide at the sight. It takes Eva a moment to realize that she has been unconsciously holding her breath. The figure speaks: [color=lightblue]“I thank you for this task that you have done for my children. You should consider it a birthing pain for your greatest trial, which is still far off, for it has not yet begun to begin...”[/color] She then addresses each of the party members in turn. To Thatch. [color=lightblue][i]“…though the seeds of your part in it have been laid, and their fruit is far riper than its season.”[/i][/color] To Eva. [color=lightblue][i]“You have already heard my words, child. Remember that you have the choice between flowing in two channels or blowing in one.”[/i] [/color] To Lira. [color=lightblue][i]“The stream before you splits, child. The rough rapids shall leave you the weed whose seedlings overrun the garden. The stagnant pool shall leave you the flower whose seedlings are doomed to death.”[/i] [/color] To Anvil. [color=lightblue][i]“Mind your fields well, for you know not all the crops that grow there, and you are fast becoming their hybrid.”[/i] [/color] To Reyu. [color=lightblue][i]“Your roots have taken well to their new soil, but they must dig deeper yet. Still once more you will be uprooted and planted anew, ere the trial comes to pass.” [/i][/color] To Annika. [color=lightblue][i]“I see how deeply you have been wounded, child. Know that the blight of those who cut you so deep has not been fully cured. They fester until their next outbreak, in my brother’s scar, which is not yet healed.”[/i] [/color] To Kiara. [color=lightblue][i]“I weep for you, my twisted child. For your road home has been long, and the road before you is even longer, and though you walk a thousand thousand miles more, nature’s way shall never find you.”[/i] [/color] To Benedic. [color=lightblue][i]“A choice will come upon you, between your heart and your love. Choose your love, and witness the breaking of your heart. Choose your heart, and your love will be lost to you forever.” [/i][/color] The figure smiles—or at least appears to—and then, slowly, sinks back down, the form dissolving in the water below. Within moments, the pool is calm, clear, and tranquil once again. Preoccupied with what they have just learned, the party quietly makes ready to depart. Master Genichi has inspected their maps and indicated a route by which they can reach the Valley of the Center of the Storm overland. Although this route will shorten the distance for the next stage of their journey considerably, it does mean that they will be traveling through the wilds of the Ketkath mountains for some weeks. While Eva is not relishing the prospect, Benedic seems positively eager to be off. “Don’t worry,” he assures her, then corrects himself. “Well, you’d be a fool if you weren’t worried a bit… but I’ll get all of you through.” Just as they are about to depart, Reyu notices Master Genichi standing at the edge of the Vale, looking wistfully back towards the spring. Reyu approaches him, and they stand for a few moments in silence. Master Genichi speaks: “It pains me, to think that I will never see it again.” Reyu replies in measured tones. “But it will be here, regardless of whether you see it or not.” Master Genichi looks at her a moment, almost surprised, then nods. Soon, the monks depart one way, and the party follows their own, and the Vale is deserted once again. ** As the party disappears over the ridgeline, Benedic’s voice can barely be heard. “My heart, my love… My love, my heart… Feh! Gods.” [/QUOTE]
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