Amara arrived bowing before where she felt the spirits presence "We know we do not have the right to demand this boon of you, to heal our brother and friend. We ask you as fellow survivors, as those who face the wilderness and despite everything, we thrive in the face of scant resources. We know we already demand much from you and the tamarisk you keep. You provide salt for our herds and for us, to survive the heat. You provide the sugar that we use as treats for the young ones and for the times to celebrate." Amara moved over to Kobal "We do not ask for anything from you, we instead place great value on your friendship, and perhaps a gift." Amara reached into her pouch and pulled out the bloody claws of the leaping bear. "These claws are to show you our respect for you and your kin, great Askuwhetu, and the hope that our tribes may grow closer in friendship and understanding. We know our brother was hurt in the fight with the leaping bear. We would respectfully say that he exhibits all the things for which you are known and hope that you might choose to restore him to his former self that we all might learn from you."

Two hours after Midday

The wind abates as Tamarisk Man listens to the demands, promises and the offerings of the desperate braves.

When they finish a calm falls on the space between the trees, with a Harmony rune glowing brightly for a moment....

"Survival....

It is a need and should not be denied in times like this.

I demand worship from all....Expect prayer and good treatment. No Tamarisk shall you mistreat or let be mistreated. Talk to your Copper women and the men who walk where I walk, they will ensure that you do as I wish.

For this I will help, and for the bond it makes between us all.

Love for a friend and blood spilt in protecting the greater good, is honourable and worth dead wood and new. My sap is strong and my salt biting.

I can not heal your friend but I can show the way."

Kobal's eyes flutter and open, woken by Greeshar's healing charm, and all can see that his leg is covered by a soft sap coloured glow.

"Be quick....Amongst the rocks here, you will find Fingersticks growing on the eastern side. Soft and fleshy like your fingers. Cut them with bone blade and smash them between rock....cover his leg.

Then high above between the rocks, Jang flowers bloom....Pick as many as there are of you.....Their purple petals placed on tongue....

But this is not enough....For that you must thank one now long dead....He lies within the cave.....He is known to one of you.....In his possession is the Healing sap....This will fix your friend's broken branch...

Now go...."


As he talks, magical essence gifted by the braves becomes visible, arcing overhead, drawn from their bodies and sucked into the two trees.

There is a contented sigh.

Worship....

Hacha nods at the Tamrisk man's words, and runs back into the cave.

In reply to GM (msg # 222):

Thank you Askuwhetu, we are in you debt Melock will start climbing up the rocks to find the Jang flowers. he will take his sword just in case there is anything else nasty around, he then grabs a handful of dung. when he gets to the flowers he will pick 7 blooms, careful not to pull the rest of the plant up thank you Jang for you flowers, they will help my friend and he then places the dung around the base of the plants he has taken the flowers from. Melock climbs back down to the group and places the petals on Kobal's tongue

As braves go to do Tamarisk Man's bidding, Hacha Lor returns, clutching a worn leather satchel.

Kobal wakes to find himself outside the cave, his brothers (and sister) around him.  He feels exhausted, and also a dull pain in his leg.  It comes back to him: Melock and Hacha suddenly at his side.  The leaping bear, great fangs bared, tearing into his leg, tearing.  The excruciating white pain...

"What, what happened...?" he manages weakly.  He's unable to say much more as soon Melock is placing many petals in his mouth.

Is the leaping bear dead?  Who was that talking to them all?  What will become of my leg?  Thank you, Great Khan, for watching over me.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:36, Sat 14 Sept 2013.

Hacha opens the satchel, and pulls out a bottle containing an amber-coloured paste. He  scoops some of the paste out of the bottle, and applies it to Kobal's leg-stump.

"That's it" comes the voice of the trees, as Petals and Salve are applied.

Kobal can only stare as his tattered leg begins to mend, with bone, muscle and sinew knitting together as both magical and natural healing courses through his body.

The amber paste, found by Hacha Lor and imbued with the powers of the Life rune, are what puts the leg together, with Jang petals speeding the recovery to come. Now only the application of fingersticks, an ancient remedy, is needed to complete the task.

The leg will be mended, but Kobal will still be sorely wounded, the magic just enough to return his leg to its rightful place. Further magic and time will do the rest....

"Rest....Somewhere safe for the night....Near here, a half days journey Westward, is a haven ringed by my trees. Stone arches atop a rise, where Air spirits play, their sounds heard for many miles on a clear day. Secure and good for the telling of stories. You must beware the night, for danger stalks your people....Go there and be safe, before you carry on."

Fireborn already completely awestruck from having seen Melon Boy and now having been helped by the Tamarisk Man raises his eyebrows in surprise by what the spirit says..."Singing Safe Spot! I have heard tale of this place but no on I know has ever seen it. From the word of the Spirit and from the elders, that is surely a place for us no only to rest but to revel in! This day has been like one out of childhood stories!"

In reply to Kobal (msg # 226):

once Melock has placed the petals in Kobal's mouth, he will head over to the fingersticks and harvest some of them. thank you fingersticks for helping my friend, please take this offering in exchange for your leaves and puts some more dung round the plant he has harvested. then he will head back to Kobal's side and mash the leaves into a sticky goo and paste them on to his leg

Kaonu looks in nothing and says "oh, yes, Singing Safe Spot". He then mutters as for himself. After a while, like awaking from a dream he stands up "we shall now take care of the dead bison and burry his tail. And perhaps do the same for the leaping bear : after all, Waha's rule shall be applied to all"

The magic salve works, quickly as magic is wont to do, with all those present having seen at some stage, serious wounds healed by their Herd Sisters amongst the clan.

Though it is a surprise to all, that Hacha Lor knew where to find something so useful....

The herbs, gathered by Melock and his helpers, will work more gradually, assisting the injured man on his trek to recovery and perhaps healing the mental scars too.

Kobal is now, with assistance, able to stand, though he will need some extra help from either Greeshar or Amara's healing charms to get back to full health, and for the rest of his life he will have a slight limp to remind him of his bravery.

Tamarisk Man is still present, his aura filling the shady spot beneath the two trees, less smoky now that Fireborn's fire has begun to die down. He is quiet, content, a teacher amongst pupils...

As Kaonu suggests there are animals to bury, questions to be asked and perhaps places to be searched, before continuing on their patrol.

In reply to GM (msg # 232):

now that Kobal is healed Melock ask Hacha what did you find in the cave, was it someone you know like Askuwhetu said it was?
This message was last edited by the player at 19:36, Sat 14 Sept 2013.

O, wise Tamarisk man, do you know if the leaping bear was alone or if some other of his species are still lurking and threatening us? Did anybody recently come here? Somebody desecrated a shrine were Tripanandar had been worshipped to keep his sons away from our herds, and sent the leaping bears to them. Who can do such a thing? Who can wish beasts to die unnecessarily, breaking the fragile cycle of life? Is there any Chaos behind it?

Standing in the wind and looking at the trees, Kaonu waits for the answer.

Amara bowed her head in respect. "Askuwhetu all among us shall know of our friendship. We shall rest in the place you have given to us and spread word of your generous nature." Amara tilted her head to the side as she contemplated asking a question. "I have a question Askuwhetu if you would be so kind as to answer. The leaping bear we have slain, had a rune drawn on it. Leaping bear cannot cannot draw on themselves. So it seems as though we have more enemies than mere nature itself. My question is did you see or can you tell us anything about the person who has set this curse on our clan."

As he's still unstable on his feet, Kobal asks his fellow braves to bring him his melons and water.  He goes down onto his knees near one of the tamarisk trees and cuts up some of the melons in strips and chunks.

"Askuwhetu, Wise One, Honoured One,

"I am Kobal, a brave of the Prairie Thunder Clan, of the Bison Tribe.  My father is Colnar Three Steps, an elder of the clan.

"Askuwhetu, Deep One, Tall One,

"Your roots search far.  Your reach is high.  You flourish where others wither.
I offer the water you seek."  He pours some of his water around the trunk of the tree.
"I offer shelter and food."  He pushes the mulched melons around the trunk of the tree.
"I chased away the leaping bear from your grounds.

"Askuwhetu, Hard One, Green One,

"You master the Wastes.  You endure the dry.  You know the secrets of the Earth.
I thank you for your knowledge.
If it please you, I will plant your seed pods at our clan's grazing grounds.
I am Kobal.  I swear this."

He gets up again, collects some seed pods which had fallen from the tree and put them in his bag with the melons.

"My thanks to all of you," he says, looking around at his fellow braves.  "You saved my leg."  He even gives a nod to Greeshar.

"We should search the cave of the leaping bear, to see what else can be found in there.  But use only dead wood for our torches."

Hacha nods his head in satisfaction as Kobal recovers both his leg, and his voice. He murmurs a short prayer of thanks to the Tamarisk Man.

"There's a body in there. Follow me." Hacha will lead the way into the Bear cave, back to the corpse.

As Kobal says his piece, the wind whips about the brave's feet, pulling up twigs, leaves and seeds, to form a rough interpretation of a human figure.

Powered by each of the braves words and gifted essence, the figure sits cross legged, centre spot beneath the shade....

Eyes form, staring out from under bushy brows.

Ancient....As old as time....

"Sit all of you, survivors each.....Your branch is fixed young sapling, by your friends' hands not mine....I am but a teacher....Remember this...I sense there are questions?....




Askuwhetu nods at this

"Hail Kaonu... He who speaks to the wind."

and turns his head to.....



"And you Amara Brightsky...Who is far from the Verge."

Shards of bark intertwine, woody fingers, as the spirit contemplates both.

"I know little of what goes on in your world, except what happens close to my trees.....I see what I see....Tripanandar walks the land. Why? To kill that's why.

Who has summoned him here I do not know, nor really care, for the worst he does is lick my salt and chew my sap.

Runes....Painted? Pah that is for those who walk to find out.

I have seen Tripanandar from East to West. He kills everything he meets. Go to Singing Safe spot. There the stories are told, since the Darkness.... When Hunger and strife ruled the land. No Tripanandar has walked there since Genert left his palace, torn to pieces and spread to the far corners of the Wastes....

You ask who has cursed you? Who hates you? This I do not know.

Now answer me this, why are the Rivals walking together....Fighting together.....This I have not seen.

Though you are missing one......"
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:17, Sun 15 Sept 2013.

Kobal nods as he listens to the spirit's words.

"We have only recently become braves of our clans.  During our rites, each received a feather from one of the Rivals.  Our shamans too say that this is a rare thing, but they did not explain what it means.  We were sent out this morning as a group, to scout for our clans.

"There is no Condor among us, Wise One.  Can you tell us about Condor?"  He had been wondering about Condor himself when the shamans told their stories in the tent.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:40, Sun 15 Sept 2013.

"Condor?....I sense his birds close now....Eating Bison......He is a loner, a drifter who I only ever sense, high above, or low when he comes to feed on the dead.

Condor....Vulture....Sons of Vrimak. He is the weakest of the rivals, beaten by all, but needed for his skills. He is the guide...the Tracker...The finder of the lost places.....King Condor lives West of here, atop his rock throne...."

Askuwhetu rustles and creaks in the wind.....
This message was last updated by the player at 08:59, Mon 16 Sept 2013.

In reply to GM (msg # 240):

Askuwhetu, I do not know of this Singing safe spot, please could you tell me what it is. It must be a mighty place if it can keep the leaping bears away

In reply to Melock (msg # 241):

I think I, too, heard about this. Isn’t it this place nearby where one can rest safe at night and from where the land can be watched? There are ancient stories to learn there, they say, but I was not sure if it was true oo if this place was only a legend, since I know nobody who’s already been there.

Tamarisk Man, turns to take in Melock and Kaonu, twigs and leaves fluttering in the air.

"Raven and Thunder Bird....Two who wish to walk in other places, beyond this realm, Masters of the spirits....I have said what it is. It is a place of rock. A place for stories to be told. I am a tree. Perhaps Tripanandar is frightened of the stories. Air spirits are strong there....

Aye it is a safe place. No legend but true.

Now answer me.... Why do the Feathered Rivals walk together?"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 08:59, Mon 16 Sept 2013.

Amara shrugged "We do not know why the feathered rivals have chosen us. We all walk different paths, but we all together. Perhaps they realise that our future has enough dangers in it that it is time to settle rivalries and look for the true enemies. Each has strength and weaknesses. Each can complement one another, but we don't know the wisdom of the rivals. It was the first time we have walked with them and we were marked by them. Only time will really tell what is to happen next."

Askuwhetu seems happy with Amara's answer and he settles comfortably, eyes watching those still seated with him.
This message was last updated by the player at 08:59, Mon 16 Sept 2013.