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Holmes: Agnes stands below a crystalline blue sky, on the steps of the tan colored stones of the temple. Green Lake is living up to it's name, it depths showing a hue from far below.
Agnes continues up the steps, not sure how to initiate the conversation she has in mind.
Holmes: Agnes comes to one of the tiers of the ziggurat-ish structure, and sees from yet another perspective how massive it is.
Holmes: The bas-relief carvings show images of the people of that ancient city that once sat on the shore to the north of the sandy island on which the temple sits.
Agnes: As she climbs she wonders what kind of accord might be found between the High King and these great spirits. She hopes that their common bond with the earth will help.
Agnes: As Agnes reaches the top and then nears the dias with the great gems, she observes the forms as she understands them, kneeling and calling out their names, identifying herself and so forth. Eventually she approaches the gems and touches them -- trusting the spirits not to find her wanting and strike her down.
Agnes: Trying to control her breathing from the exertion of the climb, Agnes slashes across her chest above her breast with the ancient paw. Soon her fever will blossom.
Agnes: She then addresses the godlike spirits. "Great Scorpion and Great Badger, hear me. I have pacted with you so that I might work to make this place on the shores of the Green Lake prosper."
Holmes: Agnes can sense a shuffling. The spirits are there. But are they listening?
Agnes: "But there is danger lurking; heading toward us. It is of a might that I fear you will not be able to stop. And so, I come to you seeking to find common ground with the dangerous force. Can you live with another entity dominating the surroundings? What do I need to know?"
Agnes: "The High King is a very powerful and fundamental force of the earth. It is currently directing the rise and organization of the goblin empire. I believe that soon, this force will come here as part of a much broader campaign for control of the earth. I am here to do what must be done to preserve this place in the face of the coming challenges."
Holmes: "We are committed to the protection of Green Lake," Agnes feels them replying in unison to her. "If it comes here, we must fight this thing."
Agnes takes a deep breath and gathers her courage.
Agnes: "But what if your actions _cause_ the destruction?"
Agnes: "What if you cannot protect through force. We might be able to protect by pre-empting a forceful encounter through diplomacy."
Holmes: Agnes can feel that the creatures are not particularly comfortable with the whole idea of diplomacy, in some ways. But then there's their co-existance... the legends speak to how they manage to get along with each other despite their opposing natures.
Agnes: "The High King will come here. His forces will wash over and destroy us. Unless we work something out. We can find a way to make him happy and keep us semi-autonamous. We can survive this destiny."
Holmes: "He is of earth?" it's rhetorical.
Holmes: "Maybe, but how?"
Agnes: "I have spoken with the High King. I can't claim to understand his motives but my father works for him. I could try to work an agreement up. Or I could try to get you in contact with him."
Agnes: "A peace between you and he would be the best thing for all of us -- the mortals you protect."
Holmes: "What would it mean?"
Holmes: "What agreement?"
Holmes: First the badger, then the scorpion.
Agnes: "I don't know that yet. What might we offer to a prospective conquoror to forestall war? Can we become a vassal state?"
Holmes: "What would he demand as tribute?" this idea clearly rankles with the spirits.
Agnes: "I can't say for sure, but my father explains that he is collecting some kind of essence nodes under the earth. Power sources of some kind. He is likely to at least require unfettered control of those. Do they affect you at all? Perhaps we would be able to gain things as well -- not just survive."
Holmes: "That magic centers below the lake" they relay with disdain. He can tell that they fear it to some extent. Suddenly the presence of the forge here somehow makes much more sense to Agnes.
Agnes: "I will speak with the forge as well then. Thank you for hearing me. I will return when I am able to present more detail."
Holmes: The spirits seem to hold Agnes in their sight for a while, the power radiating from the gems that contain them. Then she can feel a wave of enthusiastic approval. If not for the plan, at least for her being their advocate in this.
Agnes withdraws from the forge, feeling good about the encounter -- but remaining careful to observe the correct postures as she leaves. She stands at the top of the steps looking out over Green Lake, wondering about the future before she passes out from the exertion of the ritual. When she comes to, it is night and she returns home to nurse her splitting headache.

Holmes: Fahd sits in his tent, across from Chimrea. Apparently, while most of the population of Green Lake have upgraded to permanent edifices for living, Fahd still uses the housing that his forbears did. He looks skeptical at the proposition Chimrea has just laid out. "Once more? Did I hear you correctly?"
Chimrea takes a deep breath, trying to look adult and not plaintive. "Teodric says my parents are dead, but he didn't really know. I want to look for them, and I need your help."
Holmes: "What do you think has happened to them?"
Holmes: Fahd has his usual unreadable expression, as he goes about cleaning a fish to eat.
Chimrea frowns. "They've gone away before. They could just be on another trip. I know..." she hesitates, then pushes on, "I know that's probably not it, and so I want to be sure."
Holmes: "It's no trip," Fahd says. "I can dispell that idea right now. They left of their own free will. But it was a sacrifice they made. The agreement they made seemed very permanent to me."
Chimrea: "'Seemed'?" she asks, seizing on that word. "No one seems to be sure. What agreement did they make?"
Holmes: "They agreed to go to the spirit world if the spirits here would align to protect Green Lake, instead of being in strife," he replies, finally cutting the head off the fish.
Chimrea tries to imagine her parents doing that, and finds it a little too abstract. "So... does that mean they're dead?" She winces a bit at the fish-chopping, but she's gotten used to this sort of conversation with Fahd.
Holmes: Fahd gets a semi-frustrated look on his face. "They are not here. They are in the spirit world. And they have gone over in a way that is similar to how one might if one were dead. Yes, they still have their bodies. So, I suppose if they were to return...'
Holmes: Hs shakes his head. "But if they wanted to do that, then they would not have left."
Holmes: "You are meddling with an order set up by powerful spirits," he says. "Are you prepared to deal with what problems may occur if you disrupt that?"
Holmes: "You are still a child," he says. "The comprehension may be beyond you."
Chimrea: "I'm not trying to bring them back," she snaps. "I'm not stupid! I just wanted to know if I should be mourning them like Osalder is." Well, the thought of trying to bring them back had crossed her mind... but only once. Twice, maybe.
Holmes: Fahd looks at her square in the face. "If they were dead, as you expect people to die, would it be different? When people die, we mourn that we will not see them until we join them in the afterlife. No? So in what way is this different?"
Holmes: "If you are sad, mourn," Fahd says. He puts the fish in a pan over his small fire.
Holmes: As they sizzle, he turns the sugarcane spit, and the sap oozes out on the fish.
Chimrea: "Of course I'm sad," she says, her voice a little choked. "But now that I know they're not lost, I don't have to worry about them."
Holmes: "No, no," says Fahd. "I can't tell you where they went. They may be in some dark hell, for all I know. Though I doubt that. And I can't say if they are lost or not. Worse, you may not be able to find them when you pass over."
Holmes: "They may or may not be lost - that I can't tell," he say. "But they are gone. And that's what's important to the living."
Chimrea: "Wait, what? Aren't we supposed to see that people get to... wherever they're supposed to go once they die?"
Holmes: "We are," says Fahd. "And you have pointed out my failure. But, once they are off the path, they are lost to us. To find them...well, that would be the stuff of legends."
Holmes: "For the living, it should suffice that we still have life, and will go to the endless plain when we die," he repeats the sayings.
Chimrea looks like she's about to argue further, then stops and looks thoughtful instead. "Thank you for answering my questions, teacher," she says.
Holmes: Fahd looks at her questioningly for a painfully long time. Then he pulls the skewer around and puts it in front of her. "Fish?"
Chimrea: With a great effort of will, Chimrea manages to look only a little shifty under Fahd's stare. Scooting a little closer to the skewer, she pulls out a packet of dried apples and a small loaf of bread and sets them by the fish. "Thank you," she says, calmed by their talk.

Holmes: Chimrea is looking at the ground as she moves along, and so is alerted to the approaching skyship by it's odd shadow cruising over the ground. As she looks up, the ship is heading to it's usual mooring place in the lake.
Holmes: With a gentle splash, it touches he surface and settles in.
Holmes: On the deck, the captain, one Porsta Ullizi says to Kerem, "OK, my debt is paid to you, Fixer." He reaches out to grab Kerem.
Holmes: Porsta is not the typical skyship captain... he looks more like some huge pirate, in demeanor.
Holmes: "I've had enough of your blasted luck!" he cries.
Kerem: "Oh, cmon. I didn't beat you THAT badly...you've still got half your take left. Everybody draws into an inside straight once in a while."
Holmes: Despite Kerem's protests, the burly Shay man, throws Kerem overboard into the lake.
Holmes: Kerem lands in one of the fisherboats that happens to be moored nearby.
Holmes: Porsta growls with rage that his attempt to demean Kerem, looking over the rail.
Kerem just smiles and heads for shore, brushing a stray bit of dust off his label.
Holmes: The captain rolls his eyes, and heads back to take care of mooring his ship.
Holmes: On land, Kerem can see a substantial little city - nothing compared to the urban sprawl of Kaitaine, of course.
Holmes: But not the smallest city in the world, either.
Holmes: Many people are coming to see the skyship, and what wares it might disgorge.
Chimrea is on the lake edge near the boat holding Kerem. "Hello!" she calls to him. "Are you in trouble?"
Holmes: As she gets closer to Kerem, she can see that there is a strange spirit in his pocket.
Kerem: "Nah, I'm all right. Some people are sore losers, that's all." Kerem brushes back his hair and takes a moment to size up the woman speaking to him.
Holmes: Not far off, Kerem notes a figure first to disembark by the proper manner. One of his former employers, who had also fled the city, Kloto was a boss for an underground racket back in Kaitaine. A couple of his men follow him off the ship.
Chimrea is a slim girl, a little shy of adulthood, complexion caught between a dusky mother and a ruddy father. She looks at him with open curiosity, staring at his pocket longer than most people would. "Rhiani can be really sore losers, so be careful," she says helpfully. "Where are you going?"
Kerem glances idly at Kloto. "Well, I was planning on looking for a place to stay, a place to drink, and a place to do...some other things I like to do. And to have a little chat with that guy."
Kerem: "I don't really know this town at all, though." Kerem looks back at Chimrea, grinning. "It'd be nice if I could meet someone who knew the area and could show me around a bit."
Holmes: Kloto starts flashing money around and asking about lodging. The man he's asking looks Ikaiti. A good percentage of the people here do. The rest seem to be Rhiani. With some occasional Laan persons.
Chimrea: "I was born here," she says, looking thoughtful, "and I could show you around. If I did, would you tell me about the spirit you're carrying? I'm curious." She glances over at Kloto, trying to see what kind of person she's dealing with here.
Chimrea: "Oh! I'm Chimrea. Nice to meet you."
Kerem blinks a bit, but keeps a smile on his face. "My name's Kerem. Good to know you." He proffers his hand.
Kerem does his best to listen in unobtrusively on Kloto's plans as he makes time with Chimrea.
Holmes: Kloto, apparently, is wasting no time in getting set up. From the sound of it, he should have his normal operation working in no time. Kerem even gets the location of where he's going to be staying.

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