RandomWiki | ShadowWorld / Session 69 browse

Holmes: Haikain sits on the shore of the lake, resting from the exertion, Elle and Okhfels now gone their separate ways. As he does so, his vision begins to swim, and he feels the spirits calling to him, familiarly.
Holmes: The spirits lately of the temple, but calling still from the lake.
Haikain smiles and slowly wades into the water
Holmes: Once in the water, Haikain loses control of his body, and before he leaves it, wonders momentarily if it'll drown while he's gone. Somehow this doesn't have the punch of danger it should, however, and he has no time to really worry about it now. His spirit plunges into the depths rapidly.
Holmes: As he descends, Hakain notes that in the water there are images flowing backwards. He is going back in time, the spirits drawing him there.
Holmes: Then he's looking up out of the water at a scene, as if from below the surface. It is the temple, but not as it is now, aged by eons under the water, but new, recently built, and bright with fresh paint.
Haikain stares in wonder
Holmes: Above him, a ceremony plays out in and about the temple. He should not be able to see at the angles he is seeing, but he does. As the ceremony progresses, he notes that there's a point where a priest seems to have a duty to make a hole in the surface of the water. And this he accomplishes. For a moment.
Holmes: Haikain feels himself hurtling forward to come through the opening. And for a moment he is there with the priests. Yet still lacking a body.
Holmes: Then something goes wrong
Holmes: The priest, straining to hold the opening wide, falters. Straining, he cannot keep it going. The leader of the ritual tries to help, but something holds him back. A moment later, and Haikain is propelled back into the water.
Holmes: Then looking back above, the temple begins to shake. Eerie moments pass, events reeling forward too quickly, and he has trouble taking it in.
Holmes: But he sees the people of the temple drowning as it plunges down beneath the surface of the water, their edifice being drawn down, instead of the spirits being drawn up.
Haikain: screaming with no voice, Haikain reaches out as if he could pull the temple back...
Holmes: The waves of time in the water wash back over him, and Haikain is relieved to find that his body has not drowned, but naturally taken a floating position in the calm lake water. A single vision sticks in his mind, that the vision was meant to impart to him the failure of the one weak link in the ceremony, the priest who could not hold the opening.
Holmes: In fact, it occurs to Haikain, somehow, that what's needed is not a temporary opening here, but a permanant one. Else the weight of the spirits cannot be held up permenantly. Or could not have been. The time issues are confusing.
Haikain Haikains knits his brow in thought as he slowly backstrokes back towards shore, enjoying his movement through the water even while he tries to control his rapidly beating heart

Holmes: Sebastian approaches the skyship landing at south lake. As he does so, he notes that the yellow aura seems to have extended itself. Not here when the ship landed first, the lake is now surrounded by the yellow, too.
Holmes: Up ahead, the ship seems to be taking off.
Sebastian: Sebastian breaks into a trot muttering, "They were supposed to wait, dang it."
Holmes: Looking over the rail of the ship, Timothy Dolnegan shouts down to him. "We're just doing a test flight, we'll be right back down!"
Holmes: The ship rises slowly at first, and seems to be having no problems. It rises high above the small lake, and then does a delicate turn to head back down.
Sebastian: Sebastian pauses for a moment, overcome by a strange feeling of unease.
Holmes: Suddenly a strange, bright yellow energy that feels sick to look upon, crackles across the xenium hull of the skyship. Slowly the ship then begins to cant off it's port side. By the time it reaches the earth, it's speed is unabated, and it's nearly on its side. The size of the vehicle making it's speed seem deceptively slow, it impacts at what is really a terrific speed.
Holmes: The ship explodes into fragments of wood flying everywhere.
Sebastian: Sebastian rushes toward the wreckage, looking for survivors.
Holmes: Bodies are flung across the landscape everywhere amidst the wreckage.
Sebastian: Sebastian mutters darkly under his breath and begins looking for somewhere to set up a field hospital.
Holmes: Some other sailors who were camped out on the shore and who'd not been in on the test flight also come forward taking Sebastian's lead.
Sebastian: Sebastian quickly organizes work gangs desparately hoping to find someone with medical experience to do triage.
Holmes: *
Holmes: Later, the few survivors that could be saved are resting peacefully.
Holmes: Timothy is barely awake, and looks at Sebastian through narrowly open eyes, "Oh, man. Somebody hit us with the ground..."
Holmes: That's Tim, always with a good attitude, even in adversity.
Sebastian: Sebastian smiles in spite of himself, "I'm glad you're okay, Tim."
Holmes: The first mate looks over to see his companions and frowns. "Lots dead? What of the captain?"
Sebastian: Sebastian shakes his head slowly, "It was a bad crash, Tim. I think you're in charge now."
Holmes: He nods slowly and soberly.
Holmes: "Nothing to be in charge of. There's no repairs when a shyship crashes like that. All that's to be done is to salvage the xenium..." he trails off weak.
Sebastian: Sebastian takes a deep breath, "I also predict that you will not be seeing another ship for a while. Perhaps ever. No one's going to risk another one."
Holmes: Timothy nods. "Oh, I may still get out of here. Dad might send a navigator for me, or something..."
Holmes: He shrugs and tries to rest.
Sebastian: Sebastian squeezes his shoulder softly. "I'm going to make the rounds again. Get some sleep, okay?"
Holmes: Tim nods and is out cold a moment later.
Egani: Egani's wagon arrives at speed. As he dismounts he looks for whomever is in charge. "I just heard. What happened? Who's hurt? What was the triage protocol?"
Sebastian: Sebastian quickly fills Egani in with the disclaimer, "I'm no medical specialist" appended.
Egani begins inspecting the victims, starting with those worst off, looking for opportunities to help.
Sebastian: Sebastian follows Egani quietly, muttering, "So much for getting out of here quickly."
Holmes: As he attends to a particularly bad leg wound, Egani notes a chunk of xenium on the ground nearby. Valuable enough to purchase a small villa, that...
Egani: As a matter of policy, not because of any crude monetary value but because it's just about the coolest stuff in the world to play with, when Egani notes some xenium, he pockets it.
Sebastian: Sebastian frowns briefly at Egani, but makes no commetn... for now.
Holmes: After a bit, the wounded are all attended to, but they'll need to be transported somewhere safer. The few sailors who avoided the fate of their companions aren't enough to tend to them all.
Egani saves life and limb in copious quantity. Surely a little broken metal fragments won't be a problem...
Sebastian: Sebastian organizes teams to move the wounded into facilities closer to the camp.
Egani: Egani's wagon is available.
Sebastian: Sebastian supervises the final setting up of temporary shelter for the skyship crew while thinking to himself, "I suppose I will have to have a long discussion with Isadora after all..."

Holmes: As Okhfels approaches Isadora, she's speaking with Dhazari. The hunter finishes,"...even though it may sound preposterous to you. But the fact is the Elders are probably going to accept Egani into the tribe."
Isadora laughs. "If I took a knife for him, I can believe it."
Okhfels: "Egani? Well, he's no more insane than any of the other shamans and wizards I've seen among the Riani."
Holmes: Dhazari tilts his head to one side in a gesture that says an ironic, "I guess so..."
Okhfels: "Less so than some."
Isadora: "The elders have been considering many new things recently," Isadora adds in a more serious tone. "How are the warriors taking it?"
Holmes: "Taking? Your proposal? Well, they've not walked out yet." Dhazari looks at Okhfels, "Do you refer to Fahd? He seems quite sober to me. It seems to me that the crazy magic men are from outside the Rhiani."
Okhfels: "Aysha."
Holmes: Dhazari's eyes go up as if to say, "Well, her, sure..." as if she doesn't count because she's not of his tribe. "I'm not convinced she's Rhiani, actually."
Okhfels: "Well, you're welcome to him," says Okhfels. "And good luck to you."
Isadora: "When will they make a decision? I know it's a weighty matter, but I can't wait forever before starting the next part," Isadora says to Dhazari.
Okhfels: "The next part of what?"
Isadora: "Building a foundation here," says Isadora, with a strange light in her eyes--almost religious--she's sometimes had, recently. "Finishing a story started a long time ago."
Okhfels: "Ah," Okhfels says, nodding incomprehendingly.
Holmes: Dhazari cuts back in, "In any case, they wanted me to ask you your opinion of Egani. That is, they feel that you know him better, because he's foreign. So they'd like to hear you out on it. "
Holmes: "I can take a message back if that's..."
Isadora shrugs. "He's evasive, absent-minded, and quite likely a rotten bastard at heart, but I don't hold that against people. For whatever reason, he seems to have adopted us out here."
Okhfels: Okhfels chuckles.
Holmes: Dhazari frowns, and then comments on the only one that he sees as a potential flaw, "Evasive? Does that mean dishonest? Or does it mean that he simply avoids telling the truth?"
Holmes: To the Rhiani avoiding telling the truth is not a sin, as long as one doesn't actively make falsehoods to do so.
Holmes: No sin in merely not speaking, for instance.
Isadora: "If I'd ever caught him in a lie, you'd know about it. He's just good at changing the subject."
Isadora: "I'm not sure what else to say about him, really. He seems all right."
Holmes: Dhazari frowns. "I guess I'll pass that on."
Isadora looks back to Okhfels. "Were you looking for me or Dhazari just now?"
Okhfels: "You."
Isadora nods in farewell to Dhazari, then turns aside with Okhfels. "What is it?"
Holmes: Alshor comes loping up, "Okhfels, remember how you said to tell you if I found any more of those...what do you call them? Roons? Ranak found some in the swamp."
Okhfels: Okhfels chuckles. "It never fails. Tonight, love?"
Isadora: "Hold on. I always miss the discoveries." Isadora waits to hear what Alshor has to say.
Okhfels: Okhfels gestured, "Well, you heard the lady."
Holmes: Alshor looks a bit lost, "Well, that's it. I don't know what they say or anything. But I can show you where they are. They seem pretty well preserved, and there are lots of them. On a huge stone..."
Isadora grins. "Let's go."
Okhfels: "Lead the way, Alshor."
Holmes: *
Holmes: *
Holmes: As they approach the rock in question, Alshor in the lead, one wonders how many other large things this swamp hides. If they'd not seen this previously, how many other secret ruins could be lost amongst the mangroves and reeds?
Isadora: "...And so I think we can bind the spirits to our people here," Isadora finishes saying to Okhfels as they reach the rock. "At least it'll be one hell of a show trying."
Holmes: The rock stands twice again as tall as Okhfels, and just as wide, looking as though it's been split in two. It's other missing half must have a surface as smooth and clean as this one's.
Okhfels: Okhfels whistles at the scale of the rock.
Holmes: Across the clean face are runes, each larger than a man's face. It appears that, more than once perhaps, somebody has tried to scratch the symbols off the rock face. But in vain. Whoever carved these meant them to last an eternity against the seasons.
Okhfels: Okhfels looks over the runes, trying to make sense of them, from the limited amount he has learned so far.
Holmes: The same symbols he recognized in the dome building are also here on this rock amid many more. And Okhfels can tell a few more things looking at them. One indicates a direction, probably from the rock. And these are well enough carved, with the proper subsymbology on them, that a trained diviner could use some of them to discover things related to these runes using certain magics.
Okhfels: "They're magical... part of the same magic of the dome." He stands up straight and looks off into the middle distance. "We need the mapmaker."
Holmes: Alshor looks like he's considering suggesting something, but balking for some reason.
Isadora looks at Alshor as Okhfels goes thoughtful. "What is it?"
Okhfels: "Alshor, I want you..." he looks over at Alshor and notices his expression. "Speak."
Holmes: "Well..." he still delays a bit, but understanding that Okhfels prefers a straightforward approach, says, "At the temple, Beliria seemed to understand these runes well. Should I fetch her, perhaps?"
Okhfels: "Later. No need to rush."
Holmes: Something about how Okhfels glances off of the stone sends Isadora's eyes looking off into the swamp to a nearby rise, a mound in the earth that sticks out of the ground here. Uncharacteristic of this swamp.
Isadora: "One moment," Isadora says, and heads in that direction.
Okhfels: Okhfels waves for Alshor to join him in following her.
Holmes: As she gets nearer, she notes that the mound is actually a very overgrown building. Closer, and it's apparent strength of construction explains why it can exist under the weight of the growth. Circling about, a door presents itself, buried almost to the top with mud.
Isadora: "See?" says Isadora to no one in particular. "I'd have missed this." She glances back at Alshor. "How long would it take to get a shovel or two out here?"
Okhfels: "Alshor. Round up the troop. Bring whatever you can find to dig with."
Holmes: "There are some at the dome, actually, not too far from here," Alshor says, looking at Okhfels.
Holmes: "Shovels and men," he repeats back, "Aye."
Holmes: Alshor lopes off.
Okhfels: When he's out of sight, Okhfels has a look around, and then smiles to Isadora.
Okhfels: "Maybe we won't have anyone butt in for a few minutes."
Okhfels: "I wanted to ask you something. Something important."
Isadora: "Not too loud--someone will hear you, and come knocking on a tree." Isadora laughs, looking back over her shoulder at him as she prods at the mound with one boot. "What?"
Okhfels: "I think we should get married."
Isadora loses her balance and pinwheels her arms wildly for a second, then lands her foot solidly and spins to face him. "You what?"
Okhfels: Okhfels takes Isadora's hand between his meaty paws. "Isadora Delaunay, will you marry me? I don't have the traditional knife forged on a clan anvil to give you, but I can handle that later."
Isadora sputters. "I can't just marry some foreigner--I stand to inherit... well, not that much, come to think of it." Isadora looks shocked, then thoughtful, then glares at Okhfels. "I mean, why?"
Okhfels: "Well, first, because I love you."
Isadora: "What does that have to do with marriage?" Still, Isadora doesn't pull back her hand.
Okhfels: "Second, because I love you, and third, because maybe you love me. Fourth, it would tweak those stiff Riani who say I'm not a man, and fifth... well, four is enough, isn't it?"
Isadora: "You're insane, but probably right about the Rhiani." Isadora seems to be... stalling.
Okhfels: "I want to tell everyone that there is no other woman in the world for me, but you."
Isadora: "That's, ah, very... binding." Isadora looks up at Okhfels, and seems to be struggling a bit with what she says next. "A few months ago, I was hoping to be out of this place on the next boat. Don't you think about the future?"
Okhfels: "As far as I'm concerned, my future is with you, wherever that leads."
Okhfels: Okhfels pats her hand gently. "You don't have to answer now. It'll give me time to find you a proper engagement knife."
Isadora: "All right," Isadora says, looking pensive. "I'll have an answer for you soon, I promise."
Okhfels: Okhfels bent down for a kiss.
Holmes: *
Holmes: *
Holmes: Alshor beckons the men to move back, the door now uncovered. Massive, it took longer to dig out than they'd at first thought. To say nothing of the tangled roots, and water that keeps trying to seep into the hole.
Holmes: He nods to Okhfels to indicate that it's his to open if he wishes.
Okhfels: Okhfels wades through the muck to the great metal door and grasps the pull-ring with both arms. Bracing one tree-like leg on the door's sturdy stone frame, he heaved.
Holmes: The door opens part way, and as Okhfels looks back at it, he realizes that the entire decorative design of the door is one great big rune. The symbol for Tethium.
Holmes: An ancient smell comes out of the chambers beyond the door.
Okhfels: Okhfels coughs lightly, and pulls the door open further.
Holmes: It takes a moment for Okhfels eyes to adjust to the dim light coming in from outside, but less time than for those who have not lived underground. Looking about, he notes that this is a sturdy complex of rooms that reminds him of someplace...
Okhfels: "Ash and Smoke..."
Okhfels: Okhfels reverently enters the chambers, peering into the gloom.
Holmes: As he descends into another room, he realizes that the place must be rather waterproof as he must now be below the water line. This is even darker, but his familairity serves him well, and soon he identifies it...this is nigh identical to the Tethium forges from Teth hold! There, in the corner, is the salamander forge...
Isadora: "What is it?" Isadora can barely see a thing, stepping to the doorway behind Okhfels.
Okhfels: "I can't be sure, I've never actually seen one myself... but I think this is a Tethium forge."
Isadora: "Long way from home, isn't it?"
Holmes: "Not really" says a voice from the open door. Beliria's.
Okhfels: "No. Our people came from here. We were far from home, in Teth."
Holmes: "Indeed. You should see how the stone out here reads," she offers.
Isadora: "How old is it?" Isadora asks, half-turning to address both Beliria and Okhfels. "As old as the island temple?"
Holmes: "I'd guess older, perhaps far older," Beliria replies, "but I'm only guessing."
Okhfels: "Does it matter? This is an incredible find. Beliria... will it work?"
Holmes: Beliria shrugs. "We'd need somebody trained to make it work, right Okhfels? Requires a deep understanding of magic and materials."
Okhfels: "You worked in the forges in Teth."
Okhfels: "Before... well. I hoped you would know how they work."
Holmes: "Only enough to understand the operations. Oh, I could run it if I had the artificiers. But the only ones I know of are at Teth," she says.
Isadora stays quiet for a minute, watching the two of them as her eyes adjust to the gloom.
Holmes: Beliria steps inside, squinting to find anything. She notes something on the wall. "Ah, this may help."
Okhfels: Okhfels moves closer to Isadora. "My people need to come here," he says, quietly. "And not just by luck."
Holmes: "No, not by luck," Beliria says enigmatically and then points to the wall changing the subject, "This is a magic forging diagram. A skilled mage might be able to interpret it for us to use."
Holmes: *
Holmes: Outside, a bit later, Beliria recites the prophecy found on the rock:
Holmes: Forces within and forces without
Holmes: Will cause the city to fall
Holmes: The faithful of Kuor
Holmes: Will then pay penance
Holmes: And wander the heights
Holmes: For an age
Holmes: One people will become three
Holmes: In the land of the tall spires
Holmes: But the most faithful of all
Holmes: Will take a hall from a serpent
Holmes: A hall where Tethium
Holmes: Again will be made
Holmes: They will bide their time
Holmes: In that hall of stone
Holmes: Until an enemy besets them
Holmes: Then these shall return
Holmes: To the city once lost
Holmes: And raise it anew
Holmes: And Tethium will
Holmes: Once again
Holmes: Be the source
Holmes: Of their strength

Holmes: A Rhiani woman stands helping Orca stand, looking at Egani,"She says she's got woman's pains. The child."
Holmes: She points at Orca's midsection as if it might need explaining.
Holmes: "Our healer said he doesn't think he can help such a...person...as this," she explains.
Egani gestures to a wooden bench and invites Orca to lay down.
Egani: Taking down an uncharacteristically small manual, he consults it while waiting for her to climb up.
Orca reclines on the bench, obviously with some pain.
Egani: "How long has this been hurting?" Egani prods, gently at first, around the strange woman's lower abdomen -- mapping the location of the tensed muscles.
Holmes: As she looks over to Egani, she sees a face that gives her a start as it looks to be Lugroki for a moment. Then she sees that its....well, part lugroki? The Lugroki were competitors back home, competing with Orca's people for raiding territory. Uncivilized raiders, the lugroki, not even capable of making a boat. Completely primitive.
Orca squints at this question, but says, "After I left the tent and the woman."
Orca shudders suddenly and makes a warding motion with her hand, blocking the seat of the Lugroki's totem.
Holmes: Egani looks back and sees Rhosiar's companion behind him peeking around the corner into the room.
Holmes: Arblak retreats for a moment, but his curiosity has him peeking back in after a moment.
Egani: "Arblak, please bring that blanket over here. And if your mistress is about, fetch her."
Holmes: This isn't the first time that Egani has caught Arblak watching him as he manipulates the essence. Arblak does as he's told, and retrieves the blanket. He then retreats quickly to go get Rhosiar.
Egani: "Lady Orca, please chew these leaves. They will help you to relax. I'm not sure what's wrong here -- do you think you're ready to deliver? You seem early to me."
Egani drapes the blanket over Orca and finds something soft to prop under her head.
Orca shakes her head, unsure. "Fifth child. First four... not The Special One."
Orca accepts the leaves after smelling them, but glances concernedly back where the half-lugroki was.
Egani: "Tell me how this one is special." Egani continues to manipulate Orca's abdomen under the blanket. "Is there a problem?"
Orca: "No problem. This one is very, very not a problem. This one will save us all."
Egani: "How? What from?" Egani smiles as he sees the look of concentration on Orca's face slip just a little. "The herbs that you're chewing are already helping you."
Orca: "I was sea-walking. Basketing mussels. And..." she sighs. "And a seal beached. It said... 'He will be The One That Brings Swiftness'..."
Orca: She looks calmly at Egani, "That's how."
Egani: "What is 'swiftness?'"
Haikain: A polite-sounding knock from outside intrudes into the conversation....
Egani: "Ah good, Rhosier is here." Calling to the door, "Come!"
Haikain enters, blinking rapidly with the light. "Ah....apologies, but it is me, Egani. I wished to..." he sees whats happening, and flushes bright, bright red
Egani: "Oh, Haikain, please come in. I'd offer you tea, but..." Egani shrugs.
Haikain: hastily averting his eyes, the cartographer clears his throat three or four times. "Ah...I can come back later, if..."
Egani: "No, no, I might need some help anyway, come on in."
Orca stares deeply into the patterns of the ceiling above her. Imagining seals jumping among them.
Haikain: "Well, if you insist." Haikain finds a seat somewhere out of the line of sight of Orca, keeping his eyes on the floor.
Egani: "What can I do for you?"
Egani is oblivious to Haikain's discomfort.
Haikain: "If you will remember some of our previous conversation, Egani, I beleive we had discussed the possibility of establishing some kind of...gateway....between this world and that of the spirits." As he talks, he manages to ignore Orca's presence with more success.
Egani: "Of course!" Egani removes his hands from under the blanket and just rests one on his patient's belly while attending to this more pressing issue.
Egani: "The time is near when we must act, however. We can consult Archealus, but Charon is drawing near."
Orca begins quietly singing a song to the dream seals who swim about the ceiling, asking that they quiet her restless child who is not yet ready for the world.
Haikain makes a gesture, as if to say that Archealus's opinion is of no matter. "Yes. Well...as you know, I have had some contact with the spirits of the lake as of late, and..." the singing breaks his train of thought
Holmes: Rhosiar enters with a scowl on her face, following Arblak.
Egani Turns his attention to Rhosiar, "I'm sorry to have summoned you if the timing is bad, but do you have the skills of a midwife?"
Egani: He's holding one raised finger to Haikain during the interruption.
Haikain politely waits until Egani is not longer busy
Holmes: "I delivered him from my own womb, didn't I? The law of the swamp is all one needs to know!" she rants at Egani, pointing back at Arblak. "She should just go off by herself if it's her time."
Egani: "I don't think it's her time and she's in pain."
Egani: "If you don't know how to help, that's fine, but I thought you might."
Orca stares at the intruders, especially Arblak. She stops singing.
Holmes: Arblak steps forward, and reaches for one of the herbs. As though he understands their use here. Rhosiar, startled, steps forward, and slaps his hand. "Stop that, you beast!"
Orca mumbles something in her native tongue at Arblak.
Egani looks strangely at the pair and then looks at Orca.
Holmes: Arblak looks at her, but obviously doesn't comprehend.
Haikain looks at the floor
Egani: "Arblak, do you know Orca?"
Holmes: Arblak looks at Egani, and shakes his head. As he does so, his hands reach down to stir some essence paste in a jar laying nearby. Egani notes that his technique is textbook mixing to preserve essence viability. It seems he's doing this without even knowing that he is.
Egani raises an eyebrow.
Egani: Turning back to Haikain, "So, what were you saying, my friend?"
Holmes: Arblak takes several moments, but after a bit notices what Egani noticed him doing. He stops suddenly and very self-consciously.
Haikain: "Opening a portal. How were you planning to go about it?"
Orca rubs her eyes.
Egani: "There is a procedure, followed by A'Kesh in ancient times to master the power of portal construction. Through some interesting circumstance, the most favorable time in centuries to attempt replicating his results is approaching. Why?"
Haikain: "Could you tell me more of this procedure? What was the goal of his portal-building?"
Orca strains to lift herself into a sitting position.
Egani: "Once one can construct a portal, it is an asset. All of the great magical academies maintain one. It is flexible -- able to turn to any interdimensional use, making many, many kinds of other rituals easier. It is not so much a thing of value in alone, but a bonus to every other magical pursuit."
Egani Egani helps Orca to sit. "What is it?"
Holmes: Haikain seems stunned as the dream reasserts itslef over him very momentarily. He sees the red orb of Charon hanging in the sky above the ceremony. Then he is himself again.
Haikain shakes his head "The spirits of the lake....they have been sending me visions. Visions about the portal. Well, a portal, at least..."
Orca waves Egani away and gets to her feet, leaning heavily on the spear.
Orca: "I cannot be here. This is not right."
Holmes: Rhosiar eyes Orca evilly.
Egani: "Why not, my lady? Have you too had visions? I thought I might observe you overnight to help assess your situation."
Haikain: "Perhaps I should come back when you have less to take up your attention."
Orca tilts her head at Rhosiar and Arblak. "All I see is them."
Egani: "If you would like them to leave, I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem."
Holmes: Rhosiar growls almost subsonically.,
Orca shakes her head. "No, I will leave."
Orca struggles with one hand to rearrange her robes, covering her exposed flesh.
Haikain: "No! That is, I don't intend to drive you out. I should not have intruded upon you in the first place." Haikain makes for the door
Egani holds up a finger to Haikain, asks Aaron to escort Orca to wherever she's staying "and make sure she's safe", and pulls Rhosiar aside. "What is going on?"
Orca follows Aaron out, but tries to wave him off once she leaves Egani's view.
Haikain steps aside to let them exit, still mumbling an unintelligible apology
Holmes: Rhosiar watches as Orca leaves, and says aside to Egani, "She reminds me of the thing that fathered this one."
Holmes: She offhandedly indicates Arblak.
Egani: "Are they related?"
Egani: "I mean, they look like different creatures..."
Holmes: "Beastmen!" she throws all hairy non-humans into one group. "What difference a tusk here, or a tuft there?"
Egani nods absently and turns to put his books and blankets away.
Haikain: "Egani, I will find you again when we can talk for longer. Have a restful night."
Egani: "You too. I'm interested to hear your thoughts about the portal."
Haikain: "I certainly hope so." He gives a half-bow and exits.
Holmes: Egani notes Arblak paging through one of the A'kesh tomes. He seems for a moment like a child simply looking at pictures. But then Egani notes that, though he is focusing on the symbology, charts, and figures, that there's something intelligent about how he's doing it.
Egani: Arblak, I'd discuss some things with you, if you have a moment?
Holmes: Arblak turns and closes the book behind his back, looking at Rhosiar in fear.
Egani: "Once again, I apologize for disturbing you. Thank you for your consultation." Egani shows Rhosiar the door.
Holmes: "I'm not leaving without him!" she points at her son looking guilty. "Who knows what trouble he might get into here."
Egani: "Well, OK. Have a good evening, you two." Egani looks into Arblak's eyes allowing a bit of nebulous communication to transpire.
Egani is sure that he'll be back alone.

Shadow World

Back to Main Wiki

Heroquest Homepage

Pm Wiki