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Message: <blockquote data-quote="spyscribe" data-source="post: 2609917" data-attributes="member: 5808">Part the One-Hundred Fifty-NinthIn which: Gong.With the coming of the dawn, Manaal awakes for sunrise prayers.Gong.Assuming she slept at all.Gong.Lira groggily pulls herself out of her bedroll, and begins the climb to the top chamber of the tower.  She must sleep, Lira tells herself.  All wizards sleep.  Still, Lira has to admit, Manaal is like no wizard she has ever met.  Who knows how the Chosen Son of Ehkt renews her spells each day? Gong.Well, Ehkt would, obviously.Gong.By the time Lira arrives, Manaal and Reyu are already there, both disgustingly alert and refreshed.  Lira settles to her knees on the scratchy wool carpet as the gong rings one last time and Manaal begins her rituals greet the new day and the return of the sun.The uppermost chamber of the tower is swelteringly hot, the warm air from the single window adding movement to the baking atmosphere, but no relief.  Lira closes her eyes.  Meditate, she tells herself. Don’t sleep.  A wave of heat passes over her.  Or, she adds, pass out.**********Lira and Reyu rejoin the others for breakfast.  “Where’s Manaal?”  Thatch wants to know.Lira finishes her third glass of water and holds out her cup for more.  “Upstairs,” she replies.“She is conducting her private meditations,” Reyu adds more usefully.  “Perhaps to determine whether she shall aid us in the next leg of our journey.”*Before retiring the previous night the party had asked Manaal if she would be able to assist them on completing the next leg of their journey to find the archmage Barnabus.  Manaal had never heard of Barnabus, and so could not take the party directly to him, but the party hoped she might get them as far as Nyarii, saving them another long trek through the desert.Manaal had fixed Lira with an odd look when she posed the question.  “Do you not desire the challenge of making the journey yourselves?”Although some members of the party would be quite happy to frankly reveal their thoughts on challenges for the sake of challenge, Lira chose a more diplomatic approach.  “A long desert crossing is a challenge we are ill-equipped for, and we would not do ourselves or our superiors any service by dying before our last invitation was delivered.  We do not wish to impose, but any assistance would be appreciated.”Manaal had at least seemed satisfied with that explanation, and promised to mediate on her response.*“I have made a request of Kettenek that he ask Ehkt to intercede on our behalf and tell Manaal to transport us back to Dar Pykos,” Anvil announces.His companions pause to stare at him.“Do you think that will work?” asks Eva.“It is more likely to work than not asking,” he replies.No one can argue with that.###When Manaal descends about an hour later, the party is eager to learn if Anvil’s entreaty has been effective.“I have not yet consulted with the Lord on that matter,” Manaal replies soberly.  “In fact, I came to offer you the chance to speak to Him yourselves.”The members of the party are a bit stunned.  Manaal, however, is not finished.  “I can offer you each an opportunity.  For the faithful, Ehkt will answer one question.  If you can pass the test.”“What kind of test?”  Anvil asks.Manaal smiles—just a little—as she replies, “It is a trial by fire, naturally.”Eva, remembering her last trial by water, looks uncertain.  Reyu purses her lips, careful how she phrases her question.  “The faithful… Do you mean those who worship Ehkt?”“Not only those who have faith in my Lord.  There are many kinds of faith:  faith in His siblings, in oneself.  Pursuits of knowledge or higher truth are also valid for this test.”Kiara shifts anxiously from foot to foot.  “Can we ask a question of prophecy?”“You may ask any question you like, as long as it can be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”Manaal informs the party that while the trial is not without risk, she will do her best to be sure they are not permanently harmed.  They may use whatever means are at their disposal to protect themselves from the flames, and if they wish to cease the test at any time they can call out to her and she will come for them.“Can we help each other?” Lira asks.“Certainly.  Also, if some of you do not have questions of your own, you may endure the test to ask a question on behalf of one of your companions.”The party asks for time to prepare spells and formulate questions.  Manaal takes her leave, promising to return in one hour.Reyu quickly decides what question she would like to ask the Lord of Light.  She notices Lira, sitting to one side, unconsciously chewing on her lower lip.“It is certainly a challenge,” she tells the young sorcerer. Lira stops short of rolling her eyes… barely.  “Yes, Reyu.  Thank you for pointing that out.  The only problem is ‘Why me?’ and ‘What the hell?’ aren’t yes or no questions.”Anvil shrugs.  “I have no polar questions for Ehkt.”Annika and Kiara look up from an intense conversation.  “If you wouldn’t mind, there’s a question we might need you to ask for us…”**********When the hour passes, Manaal returns and leads the party upwards through the tower, past the top chamber, and onto the roof.The roof is perfectly flat, in the shape of a circle fifty feet across.  There are no guardrails or crenellations, and more than 100 feet above the desert sands, the wind whips around them all mercilessly.Manaal gestures for the party to wait in a cluster to one side of the roof, and positions herself across the diameter.“To pass the test, all you need do is cross to me.”And with that she casts.Although Lira and Annika both recognize the arcane phrases Manaal invokes, they correspond to no spell either is familiar with.  Ehkt is invoked numerous times, and when Manaal lowers her arms, a column of fire leaps from the surface of the tower and races towards the sun.The burst of heat that follows is immediate and intense.  It surely would have singed the party had not everyone already been under the effect of resist elements or protection from fire.  Lira takes the additional precaution of casting create water directly above her head, soaking herself.Anvil and Reyu immediately stride forward into the flames.  Lira and Eva each throw the other a look that seems to say “here goes…” and follow.  Annika grips Kiara by the hand, and wizard and familiar step simultaneously into the fire.Thatch sets the pitcher on the roof.  “Fresh geyser.”  A stream of water shoots upwards.  When he’s sure the force of the stream isn’t going to send him flying off the the edge, Thatch tips the mouth of the pitcher towards the flames.The fire is completely unaffected.  Thatch sighs.  “Stop.”  Thatch picks up the now empty pitcher, and sets aside 18 years of common sense.  Alirria, help me do my job, he intones silently, and with no further hesitation, strides forward.</blockquote>

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