23 march 2006

• M.Holmes: Artanis, attracted to the waters of the lake in the late afternoon for no reason that comes to his elven mind, finds himself stumbling onto the small camp of some sort of large person. A woman, in heavy clothing?
• Orca: Scaled and gutted fish are hung up on lines to dry in the sun.
• Orca: Likewise with bundles of gathered plant material.
• M.Holmes: At the same moment, Orca and Artanis both feel something...aetherial. Something in the air coming from the direction of the colony, but heading out toward the lake. Like something straining to get somewhere...somewhere peaceful.
• Orca is busy hanging bundles of wild onions.
• Orca: She looks up and breathes deeply of this rushing force.
• Artanis stops, looks at Orca, slowly loosing focus and looking way behind as the air tingles. His eyes slowly lower...
• Orca reaches for her spear.
• Orca: Using her fingernail, she scrapes the remaining dried blood into the palm of her hand and walks to the edge of the lake.
• Artanis: A gust of wind brings animal-like odors to Artanis. The disgust immediatly draws him back from his dreaming. He observes the hairy woman with a frown.
• Orca: She mixes the dried blood with a little water from the lake, making a thin red liquid in her palm.
• Artanis sits down on a big rock half hidden in the high grass. He now seems somehow amused.
• Orca drops her handfall in the water's surface and blows on it, the red billows into the lake.
• Orca: "Farewell," she says.
• Orca turns to Artanis. "Did you feel him ride off?"
• Artanis grins. "What are you talking about, woman?"
• Orca frowns. "Maybe he didn't like you."
• Artanis: "Perhaps... perhaps..." he responds, chin resting on one hand
• Orca's pregnancy is making her a bit grumpier and direct than usual. "What do you want?"
• Artanis: "Oh! I found you per chance, I have no precise motives. I will now leave if my presence upsets her holiness..." Smiles slyly and starts getting up.
• Orca: "If you wish to leave, fine. But I will not drive you away."
• Artanis: Jonathan, perhaps do you want to end the scene for the while being, keeping it as symbolic first meeting?
• Artanis stands up, turns around and walks off. Artanis is not smiling anymore. How could this savage sense his illness pointing?
• M.Holmes: As Artanis retreats from Orca, the feeling in the air intensifies somewhat, inexplicable to him. Suddenly his sword, ancient family artifact, starts rattling in it's scabbard as if it's come to life itself.
• M.Holmes: The sword starts to rattle so badly after a moment that it looks like it may leap out of its scabbard.
• Artanis grabs the hilt. The sword comes out as of its own accord, Artanis cannot withstand the sudden impulse. He sees that it glows faintly in the dying afternoon light as he manages to stabilize it in front of him, bladepoint turned to the sky.
• M.Holmes: It quavers there for a moment, and then turns toward the camp as if pointing the way.

• M.Holmes: Egani arrives at Sebastian's tent, and a soldier stops him with a grim look on his face. "Mr. Sebastian is...no longer amongst the living."
• M.Holmes: Then not knowing what else to say, "sorry."
• M.Holmes: From inside Laura can be heard sobbing.
• Egani: "I was summoned to see to him." Egani moves to pass the guard.
• Egani: "He may not actually be dead. I'm the only doctor here, what are you doing?!?"
• Egani: "There are means well beyond your understanding of preserving and helping, even deeply wounded people...and every second counts."
• Egani brushes past the guard, not even pausing to determine whether he's merely confused or actually contrite.
• M.Holmes: Inside the tent, Egani sees Laura still holding the shell of Sebastian, obviously devoid of it's normal empowering life force. Almost devoid, actually. A tiny thread still clings.
• Egani: Kneeling at Sebastian, Egani attempts to diagnose his status and condition. "Laura, how long has he been still?"
• M.Holmes: Closer now, Egani can see it's not the sort of thread that a person can normally come back from with simple fixing of the body.
• M.Holmes: He's dead.
• M.Holmes:The life essence is just not quite all gone yet.
• Egani throws open two books, lights Sebastian's desk candles and tries to put Laura to work.
• M.Holmes: "Wha...what are you doing?" says Laura weakly. "Can...it's not too late?"
• Egani: "The stretch from life to death is much longer than most people think. It is often not too late when others claim that it is. Here, hold this. Damn, there's blood all over."
• M.Holmes: Laura reacts to this with unthinking action, doing precisly what Egani tells her.
• Egani begins a Kriteiri incantation as he stuffs moss into Sebastian's chest around the blade.
• M.Holmes: Laura helps Egani, and after long minutes, the ritual is complete, and Egani says the final incantation to reach across the barriers of time and space to return Sebastian's essence. As he does so, he realizes that he's reaching into that strange otherworldly space that's inhabited by the "spirits" of the Rhiani. The thread is hard to follow in this world of strange emotion and ephemeral beings.
• M.Holmes: But he finally feels it, and reels it back in. As the essence comes back into the world, however, Egani notes with dismay that he has a weak grip on it.
• M.Holmes: Not having any time to do anything else, and not wanting the essence to escape into the aether once again, possibly never to return, Egani throws the energy into the nearest suitable item.
• M.Holmes: Isadora's blood soaked rapier.
• M.Holmes: Artanis, lead by his sword, enters the tent.
• M.Holmes: There is a flash of light, and energy arcs from one sword to the other. Egani reacts quickly using some of the preparations on hand, and instinctively tries to stop whatever is going on here. But it's over terrifically suddenly. Egani finishes his spell perfectly only a moment too late. The essence of Sebastian is transfered to Artanis' sword.
• M.Holmes: But Isadora's sword still glows...as if part of Sebastian is still there, too. Laura looks about wildly and shouts, "What does this mean?"
• M.Holmes: Looking at Sebastian's corpse she then says, "He's not moving, Egani!"
• Egani: In silence, Egani looks back and forth between Artanis and Sebastian and Laura for a stunned few seconds.
• Egani: "Correct me if I'm wrong, Artanis, but I believe you just ate my friend's soul." Egani stands with a groan as if he were years older than when he hunkered down half an hour ago and draws his own sword.
• M.Holmes: Laura's face goes ashen. "What?!?
• Artanis's eyes are turned up, only the white showing. His head is turned up towards the tent. "Get out of my way, mortal" he replies in a voice resounding with a trace of echo.
• Egani: "Drop your weapon, elf. You may yet avoid the steepest penalties."
• Egani: "Do you recognize this blade? I ate your brother who came here carrying it."
• M.Holmes: Artanis tries to make a break for it, coming to himself as he does. But Egani's voice hits him in the back of the head like a club, as he speaks in Artanis' native tongue. A moment of hesitation, and Egani is at his back with his sword, one that may have belonged to another dead elf.

• M.Holmes: As Isadora dispatches Fahd to Sebastian's tent, she lingers a moment seeing Okhfels striding up.
• Okhfels: Okhfels sees the look on Isadora's face and stops, concern coloring his features. "What's wrong?" he asks, one hand gently touching her shoulder.
• Isadora shakes her head, hand rising to grip his briefly. "Sebastian's dead. Narbin's taking an expedition for Kaitaine in the morning, and it looks as though I've a long night ahead of me." She looks out of sorts--her expression is angry, her sword is missing, and there are traces of blood on her hands still.
• Okhfels: Okhfels starts to speak, but then just nods. "I'll... stay with you."
• Isadora: "No one's available to take Marvars to Sel-Kai, now, and there's no ship to do it anyway. I have to decide what to do with him, and soon." Her expression suggests that tea and crumpets are unlikely to be involved.
• Okhfels: Okhfels nods. "You should clean up first."
• Okhfels: "If you need, I can do what needs to be done... on Marvars, that is."
• Isadora looks a little startled, glancing down at her hands. "I suppose I should, yes." Glancing back up, the angry look is back on her face. "Damn it, what was he thinking?"
• Okhfels: "Marvars?"
• M.Holmes: Before Isadora can respond to correct Okhfels, the earth starts to heave beneath them. Before either of them know what is happening, a huge hand of earth comes up from the ground and grabs Isadora. She pushes back on the earth with her legs heroically, her arms trapped, but inexorably the hand descends into the ground carrying her with it.
• Okhfels tries valiantly to help Isadora resist the dirty paw, but fails rather than rip her arm out of its socket. "Wizards!" he shouts in frustration.
• Okhfels goes running in search of Fahd.
• M.Holmes:A painful amount of time later, Okhfels returns to the clearing with Fahd. Isadora is nearly up to her neck now, but still fighting tremendously to try to slow her descent.
• M.Holmes:Fahd looks at the situation and for a moment his clinical expression almost breaks into a look of astonishment at what's happening here. He seems to see something in what is going on, and turns to Okhfels, "There is no time to get anyone else to help with this, you and I must save her."
• Okhfels kneels and starts scooping earth away from Isadora's body. "What do I do?"
• M.Holmes: Fahd grabs his hands, and leads Okhfels to the circle. "Sit down, and we'll link hands around her, and call on the spirits to aid her."
• Okhfels does as he is told.
• M.Holmes: Fahd sits quickly with him and they join hands. "Repeat after me. Oh great spirit Rozgar, guide of the dead. We commend our spirits to you after our deaths, should you aid us in this our hour of need as this foul spirit takes one from us before her time."
• Okhfels: "Oh great spirit, uh, Roz... Rozgar? Guide... guide of the dead. We commend our spirits to you after our deaths, should you aid us in this our hour of need as this foul spirit takes one from us before her time."
• M.Holmes: As he speaks the words, Okhfels can feel a new presence, something entering into him. It asks him a question, "Do you understand what you're saying, Tethian? That your spirit will go with me after death?"
• Okhfels: "Yes. I don't care. I have to save her."
• M.Holmes: Okhfels can't explain it, but he feels something change inside him subtly, and the presence seems satisfied with him. Fahd seems to learn something, and nods. "This spirit is an earth servant of...of the goblin demon lord!"
• M.Holmes: His eyes are now wide.
• Okhfels: "Goblins," growls Okhfels.
• M.Holmes: Fahd concentrates hard, and seems to be giving his spirits suggestions and advice in grunts under his breath, sweat breaking on his brow. After a bit of this he speaks quickly to Okhfels. "The spirit is going to be held in a moment. When this happens, let go of me, and quickly pull her out of the ground and get far away."
• M.Holmes: "Understand?"
• Okhfels: "Yes."
• M.Holmes: Moments later Fahd nods to Okhfels and they drop their hands.
• Okhfels digs his hands into the soil, grabs Isadora under the shoulders, and hauls her bodily out of the ground.
• Okhfels: He drapes her unceremoniously over his shoulder, and runs towards the nearest large rock he can think of.
• M.Holmes: The nearest rock is some distance away up on the rise, but Okhfels makes it in short order, Isadora's weight hardly registering on his speed. Once there she seems to have passed out for the moment. But checking her over after the extraction from the earth, Okhfels finds that she has only very minor scraches and such.
• M.Holmes: Otherwise she seems unharmed.
• M.Holmes: Aftter a bit Okhfels notes Fahd coming their way.
• M.Holmes: He is not rushing and seems very calm, like normal.
• Okhfels lays her down gently on the rock, and then strides over to Fahd.
• M.Holmes: "It is gone, Okhfels, run off by the clean spirits of death," says Fahd with the slightest hint of pride in his face.
• Okhfels:Okhfels grabs the front of Fahd's tunic in his hands and hauls him up until his nose is right in front of Okhfels face. "How in the name of TETH does a puny GOBLIN spirit get to just attack her!?"
• Okhfels: "This is YOUR fault, shaman!"
• M.Holmes: Fahd seems not to quite know what to make of his situation, never having been manhandled quite like this before. After a bit he figures he'd better respond somehow, "I"m not sure how it's my fault. Yes, the guardian missed this invader spirit. But that's just it...this was no 'puny' spirit, Okhfels. This was a very subtle and powerful spirit."
• Okhfels: "She is your student, yes?"
• M.Holmes: "Isadora? Yes, I've shown her the ways of our spirits," his eyes frown not understanding where Okhfels is going with this.
• Okhfels: Okhfels sets Fahd down. "You're the one who has her messing around with spirits. That's fine, that's what she wants, but since you're teaching her, it's your job to keep her safe."
• Okhfels: "She almost died because YOU failed her."
• M.Holmes: Fahd's eyes get large again at Okfhels heartfelt expression. "I...I don't make excuses for this. Our spirits do protect the people, and they usually do better. But are you, yourself, perfect in your protection of her against harm from beasts and such? Can you always be?"
• M.Holmes: Fahd's face gets somewhat sympathetic and he tries to console Okhfels the only way he knows how to, "In the end we all die. The only security is knowing that we'll be with our ancestors once we do."
• Okhfels: "Yeah, except for ME. I'm going to be with YOUR ancestors."
• M.Holmes: Fahd shrugs, "Is that so bad? If you had not, would your spirit have ended up roasted by demons? Where do you believe your people go when they die?"
• Okhfels: Okhfels shoves Fahd back, and then drives forward. "Remade on the forge of heaven. Swords to plowshares, horseshoes to crowns. Except for me."
• Okhfels: "So I'm just a LITTLE bit angry with all this."
• M.Holmes: "Oh," says Fahd. "What would you have me do? What could I have done, other than call on my spirit friends to save her?"
• Okhfels: Okhfels glares one more time at Fahd. "I don't know your business, shaman. But this had BETTER not happen again, or you'll be making your deals with Razgon personally."
• Okhfels: Okhfels spins and goes back to check on Isadora.
• M.Holmes: Fahd considers correcting Okhfels for a moment, but instead shuts his mouth and heads back down the slope to where the Rhiani are just starting to light the fires for the evening meal.