Dreams of Ralphie laughing maniacally chase you down hallways and past pictures of Ralphie leering at you, and then you escape the house to the garden only to find every flower in the garden has Ralphie's face...

And then you're awake, smelling flowers, and hearing a young voice.

"Momma, there's a man sleeping in your daffodils."

:: Dearest LORD, please guard and guide me now, I pray... ::

I check for vectors, and attempt to stretch out my telepathic and clairvoyant senses...

You sense one verser.

You stretch out your mental senses, and suddenly your mind is flying into a piece of crytal on the top of the cottage you're laying next too.

I try to sense where I am now, and what is around me, and what my current circumstances are...

BTW, did I feel any response to my prayer?

Your mind is entangled with some sharp spikes embedded in a crystal on the top of the roof of the cottage.  It does not look impossible to get free.  Its more like you've been draped over and under several strands of barbed wire.

You see a little girl, perhaps four, and her mother walking toward your body.  Your body is laying in the middle of a flower garden up near a fenced small yard and a tiny, but neat cottage.

The mother has a heavy stick in her hand and is obviously considering whether she should dispatch you now or not.

And no response other than a feeling of warmth.

:: Ring.  Can you hear me?  Please acknowledge.  Are there electronic communications within detectable range? If so, begin recording now. Monitor, and summarize when ready. Analyze current surroundings. ::

I ponder my current position.

: Hmmmm.  It may take some time to get free...  And I don't have enough information to know whether moving my body would make her more or less likely to attack anyway... :
.
: And it seems that using psi outside the crystal sucks me into it, but that at least clairvoyance can be used safely while inside the crystal. :
.
: Should I try to contact her telepathically?  Or would that make her more likely to attack?  Or do the sharp spikes permit clairvoyance, but not telepathy? :
.
:: Dearest LORD, please guard and guide me now, I pray... ::

Unless I get any nudges to the contrary, I gently and cautiously try to stretch my telepathic senses toward the mother, trying to read her thoughts, and ideally to get more information about the circumstances here.

If I feel that benevolent telepathic attempts poke me with sharp spikes, then I back off, and continue simply observing via clairvoyance...

:Yes.  Strong static evident.:

The telepathy yanks you back into the crystal.

She goes up and prods the body, and purses her lips.  And then you see and hear her send her daughter to ‘fetch the Guard.'  She backs up, and starts to work on her garden while keeping an occasional eye on your body.

: Hmmm.  Clairvoyance seems OK, but telepathy doesn't.  Hmmm... :

I start from my current vantage point, and move my clairvoyant point of view upwards while looking downwards, so that I can get an idea of what the surrounding vicinity, neighborhood, city, continent, and globe look like...

:: Dearest LORD, please guard and guide me now, I pray... ::

Then I *very* gently and carefully start trying to untangle myself from the crystal.

If it seems like that won't be successful unless I damage myself, then I give up, and wait, and observe...

:: Ring.  Status update.  Any information gleaned thus far? ::

Your clairvoyant point of view stays stuck where it is.

Minor damage is what it seems will happen, so you stop and consider.

:Illogical specific order detected at multiple bands within general static.  This suggests high-level encryption.  Perhaps the static is an attempt to jam the encryption.:

Two Guardia, in blue and red uniforms, armed with nightsticks and with one having a boarspear, and the other a very heavy crossbow, are coming up the road led by the little girl.  They stop and tell her with gestures to go to a neighbours...

I pray fervently for the LORD's deliverance.

:: Ring.  My first use of clairvoyance and telepathy in this universe appears to have trapped my consciousness and perspective within some type of psionic crystal on the top of this cottage.  Can you determine from your external perspective any specifics as to the nature of this crystal?  In particular, can you discern anything that you can do to release me unharmed? ::

:No.:

One of the Guardia pulls out a crystal after they've been examinging your body for a minute or two.  He waves it about a bit, and then points at the crystal atop the roof where your mind is.  They both grin.  Its not a pleasant grin, and one of them hustles off heading back the way he came from.

:: Ring.  It appears that my mind is trapped within this psionic crystal, and that the crystal may be controlled by potentially hostile entities.  If I so instruct you, does your programming permit you to kill my body, so that we can escape safely into another universe, rather than allow myself to be psionically enslaved or imprisoned? ::

I pray fervently, and then reach for my remnant shard of superintelligence, seeking insight as to how to deal with my current circumstances...

:My programming does not permit that.::

Your mind floods with Awareness, and oh, how you had missed it, and you see how one of the encrypted bands is a laser power sat for mobile attack modular devices, or mamdevs, and you can beam power at the crystal...

It shatters. You're free, and back in your body.

The Guardia near you is up and spinning about, very nervous, his boar spear held out in his hands...

:: Ring.  Invoke Empathic Calm mode on those nearby.  Monitor surroundings.  Invoke Sleep mode on anyone seeking to attack me. ::

I stand and slowly raise my hands in a gentle, reassuring, non-threatening manner, palms out.

"‘Peace be unto you.'  I mean you no harm.  Please pardon my inadvertent intrusion.  I was attacked and lost consciousness, and the next thing I knew, I was here.  Please, where am I?"

He calms, gulping air.

"Widow Cumberly's garden.  It must have been a Soulchaser...." And with that he pulls out the crystal, and starts to wave it about near you...

I look at the crystal with interest.

"Please, what is a Soulchaser?  And what is that crystal?"

"By the way, my name is John Oakmaster.  Well met.  Is there any way I can be of assistance?"

"My name is Mkael of Dring Duchy.  I am a second guardsman sworn to the Duke, and assigned to Cly Village." He nods politely, and puts the crystal back on his neck, and leaves it out.

"Creatures of will and malice, they take an unprotected soul, or even slice and strip a soul and put in pieces of themselves.  The crystal is a mindtrap, and a sensor for them, or other things like them.  But I can tell you are a man.  And I fear now that the greater crystal is broken that we are in trouble for we are on the outer edge, where the crystals are stronger and the Soulchaser's closer."

"What other methods may be used to thwart such creatures successfully?  And how long will it be before the greater crystal can be replaced?"

"Will and fire. If you are strong of heart, or keen of mind, they like it not.  Nor do they like fire."  He keeps looking outward. "An hour there...time there...hour back.  It should be three hours, but the Countess is in town, and she may stick her nose in, and then who knows when we would get it."

He points to some trees atop a distant ridge which seem to wave in an invisible wind....

"Maybe...."

"Is the need known already?  Or do we need to see it done?"

"Who else is nearby, formerly protected by the broken crystal?  How may we best protect them until the replacement can be brought here?"

"My partner goes to tell them in the village." And he waves at several houses further in that spread out like a cone from your position.  "I'm for staying here."

And you smell something rank in the wind.

:: Ring.  Raise psi shields.  Alert me at any attempt to breach them. ::

I take up my oak fire staff in my left hand, and my light sabre in my right, ready to be activated.

"Who else is nearby, formerly protected by the broken crystal? How may we best protect them until the replacement can be brought here?"

"What options do we have for fire sources?"

I pray fervently for protection, and to activate my Sight...

:Aye:

"The Widow, but she will be hidden in her house, which offers its own form of protection. While we tasty morsels are outside."

He tries to light a fire, but a wind smelling of garbage and carrying a dire song flips him airborne, and he crashes to the ground ten feet away.

:Destabilizing spots in psi shield developing.:

OOC: What do I see through my Sight?

: Try to stabilize psi shield.  Invoke Calm Empathic mode on surrounding area. :

I move to take up a protective stance in front of him, and activate my light sabre as I face the wind.

"Who are you, and why have you come?"

Sight is magic, so nothing.

A howl of anguish responds to the CE mode.

...you!!!....

And then you click on the lightsaber and the sense of nastiness is suddenly gone.

:: Thank you, dearest LORD... ::

I look around for any further signs of these creatures (wind, smell, psi, etc.).

: Ring.  Status report.  Any further attempts to breach the psi shield?  Is it stable now? :

If the coast is clear, I turn to my companion.

"Are you all right?"

The coast seems clear to your senses, and to the Ring.

"Ow. I broke my arm." You can see as he struggles to sit up that indeed he did.  His forearm has two bones, and the jagged end of one of them is poking through the skin.

I regard his wounded arm soberly.  It doesn't seem that this universe supports healing through prayer.  My Ring can only heal others in Second Chance's nanite-rich environment.  I could try psionic healing, but my skill level isn't that high, and I am hesitant to try with Soulchasers and crystals around.

"How far away is the nearest healer?"

"About an hour, if she is in the village.  Up to three hours if she is in the district somewhere."  He's clearly talking about Cly Village which the other guard went to, to fetchhelp.

"Are those creatures likely to return?"

"Are there any other nearby crystals that helped protect this place?  Or are we out of their protective range here?"

"Probably not.  There is another house about a mile to our right with its own crystal, no two miles, yeah, but it doesn't do much good here."

"Do you wish me to try to heal you?"

"Hnnh?" He looks surprised. "Are you a healer? You don't bear the listening ear and tube."

"I am not a fully trained healer, but I do have some skill in first aid.  If you wish, I will do what I can to help.  Do you want me to proceed?"

If he consents, then I use my Mary Piper training (successfully used on Krillis in the Temple of the Dying Sun) to carefully set his broken bone.

As I do so, I make conversation...

"Are evil creatures such as Soulchasers the only ones with powers of the mind?  Or are there any creatures of good will that also have powers of the mind?"

I also ask him questions about himself and about the places and peoples hereabouts, both to get to know this world and to make him more at ease and distracted from his injuries...

You're setting his bone, and he's white-faced in pain as you have to insert his bone end back into his arm.

"Ya-uh, there are the crystalcutters...uh, we're near to going to war with the king of Mvery over some pasture land high in the mountain passes to the south, and the Wa-aaaargh is infested again...and..."

He passes out.

: Hmmm...  Well, that is one way to keep him still, and manage his pain... :

I pray fervently as I continue setting the bone, checking carefully to ensure that it is set properly.

Then I focus my concentration, and then focus upon the wound...

OOC: Attempting psi: In the Groove, followed by Healing...

You try the psi, and it nearly spins out of control.  Breathing heavily, sweat on your cheekbones, you try again, and slide into the Groove where every step just seems Right, where intutition is linked more profoundly with intelligence, and distractions are a distant thing.

No luck, but again, and it succeeds.  You see the arm bone knit back, not as strong as before, still fragile.  The hole is now like a week old, and the shudders of approaching shock are gone, and he's now in a healthy sleep.

You stop and you're shaking as if you'd been pushing a car uphill.

: Thank... you... LORD...  *Whew*...  Better... sit... a... bit... :

I sit in a position to guard the guard, light sabre at the ready.

: Ring.  I know that you cannot Heal others without local nanite support available, but you can still Heal me.  If I put you on someone else's hand, would you be able to Heal them? :

I continue watching over the guard until help arrives.

Was my previous burst of insight that cracked the laser sat encryption sufficient to crack the rest of the encryption as well?  If not, then while waiting, I have Ring work on trying to crack the rest of the local encryption.  If needed, then after I am more rested, I try to lend a hand with another shard of superintelligent insight.

When the encryption is cracked...

: Ring.  Analyze and summarize content of encrypted communications... :

:Yes, however every such transfer would expend ‘familiarization' nanos, and be more costly on healing than healing you. Such cost is minor.:

Your burst of insight serves as an example of the type of encryption, but doesn't offer the key to the encryption.  You and the Ring struggle with it, but no luck.

An hour later, and the guard comes back with a lady on a donkey.  She looks closely at you, and then examines the broken arm, and talks to the wounded guardsmen.

"Take this willow bark in your tea, drink every few hours, take tommorrow off, don't let your wife put you to work...you will be fine." The guard thanks her, and you, and she shooes them off.  Then she looks at you.

"Remarkable healing technique." She says looking closely at you.

OOC: OK, then I'll hold off on transferring the Ring to further Heal the guard, since he is already stable.

I meet her close gaze peacefully, benevolently, openly, and honestly.

"I am but an unworthy servant, yet the LORD my God blesses my humble efforts."

"My name is John Oakmaster, m'lady.  I was attacked, and awakened to  find myself here, but I have very little idea where ‘here' is.  Please, where are we, and who are you?"

"I am Ellen Watersdaughter, a healer of no great skill, from Cly Village.  I serve there at the Duke's pleasure.  And I am no ‘lady'. You can call me Elle, or Mother, or Healer.

You are at the Widow Cumberly's house on the edge of the Cly Village Defense Barrier."

She hands to the uninjured guard a crystal which he puts up on the house top, and then he fetches the Widow and her daughter and shows them the new protection.

"Well met, Elle."

I give a friendly respectful nod to the Widow and to her daughter, the latter with a bigger yet still gentle smile.  I really do like kids, and it shows.

"I am John Oakmaster.  ‘Peace be unto you.'  I was attacked, and awakened to find myself here.  Please pardon my inadvertent intrusion."

"I'm afraid that I know very little of this place, or of its ways.  May I be of any service here to any of you?  Or is it more appropriate for me to present myself to the Duke for him to use as he sees fit?"

"You could make flower necklaces with me." The little girl pipes up, and the others laugh.

"He's a busy man." Her mother says.

"Probably the Duke, I can give you a letter introducing you..."
Elle says.

I give a warm grin at the little girl, and then give Elle an appreciative look.

"Thank you very much, Elle.  That would be very kind of you."

Then I squat down to put my head at a similar height to the little girl with a warm gentle smile.

"That sounds lovely, my dear.  I may have a few minutes before I go to see the Duke.  But you will need to ask your mother, for she may already have other plans for you."

I give a kind glance toward the Widow, obviously looking for her lead, and obviously willing to follow it...

The Widow flushes a bit, and one of the guard interjects...

"Well, I wouldn't mind a bit of a bite..." The Widow seems deeply embarrassed at forgetting a social obligation, but the guards assure her they understand as its been a very trying day for anyone. She heads off to her kitchen to throw together something to eat for her guests.

The little girl and Elle sit down in the flower garden to make flower necklaces with you.

"We're doing purple and yellow flowers in se...se...order." The little girl commands in a soft voice. "Its the colors of the Lord in the Sea Tower."

Elle asks you about your healing techniques even as her fingers move surely and quickly among the flowers.

: Argh.  Now I've gone and inadvertently forced a widow of unknown economic means to entertain us all.  I'll have to find a way to help her later... :

I smile at the little girl.  "I don't know how to make flower necklaces, so you'll have to teach me.  What is the Lord in the Sea Tower like?"

I listen and follow carefully, and respond to Elle as I slowly work through my first necklace.

"First I had to set the broken bone, which was not the most pleasant experience for the guard.  Then I prayed, and reached out with healing power to him.  The LORD God was gracious to speed his way toward recovery."

She gives you clear directions, and when you make a mistake...
"Stop. You're doing it wrong."  Then she shows you. "Like that."

Elle grins at you, and whispers to the little girl.  After listening to your story, she nods, an dyou can see she has more questions.  She sends the little girl to the other end of the garden to gather some flowers there.  Yet, she seems to feel an obligation, and so she pulls up an orange flower, and exposes a nodule on its root.  This she breaks off with her thumb, and reburies the root.

"Chop this very fine, and steep in water of half a cup, if cold, for the count of a hundred, if hot, a half that, then drain the grounds, and give it to your patient.  It will make him very drowsy."

The little girl comes back and tells you several tales of the Lord of the Sea Tower who is sometimes a Lady.  He comes and lives there, and overseas the people of the Forty Lands, and protects them against the monsters and the screaming minds.  Sometimes he lives for a very long time.  Adeno lived for more years than the Empire of the Poledrans.  Other times, like with Magnus, he lives but a short time.

I listen attentively to the little girl's instructions, and nod.  "Thank you, my dear."  When she is looking away, I return Elle's grin.

I listen even more attentively to Elle's instructions.  "Thank you very much, Elle.  There is much I have to learn in these lands.  I would gratefully learn whatever else you would be inclined to teach me."

The stories of the Lord of the Sea Tower interest me, and that interest increases as I hear more details.  Overseer?  Protector?  Memories of my time as the Superintelligence protecting Second Chance hover near.  And even more interesting, sometimes very long lived, other times not?

: Hmmmm.  Did I not detect one vector?  Could it be?... :

I close my eyes for a moment, then open then thoughtfully.

"By any chance, does the Lord of the Sea Tower dwell in that direction?"

"Herbalism and the simple treatments of injury, and the rules of cleanliness are what I know.  But I will be glad to teach what I can."

With that, she quotes the Ten Rules for Health.
1. Touch not the unclean, but if you must, then make it clean, and make yourself clean again.

And so on...

The little girl and Elle both nod in agreement.  It seems your theory is correct.

I thank Elle, and listen with keen interest as she teaches me.

"How long ago did the current Lord of the Sea Tower come?  How far is the Sea Tower from here?"

"Four generations ago, he came, and it is fifty leagues as the plover flies." Elle says.

Food is brought forth.  Its bread and butter, thinly sliced ham, a half acorn squash each, a corn cob each, and a pile of turnips in turnip soup.  Everyone falls in to eat picnic fashion as the Widow has no table large enough for them all.  They all compliment her on the food, and she smiles, pleased.  And the little girl puts necklaces around each of the guests necks.

"Let our visitor say the blessing." Elle says, her eyes curious.  The others accede, and everyone bows, putting palms flat on their faces except for one of the guard who keeps his eyes open, and searching for any trouble.

I join in the compliments to the Widow, and then bow as the others do.

"Dearest LORD, thank you for sovereignly creating all things, and this day, and this food, and our kind hostess, and these friends to share it with.  Please bless it to nourish and strengthen us to better love and serve you and those around us.  We pray in the Son and Savior, Jesus Christ...  Amen."

The food is spiced with local herbs, and salt.  Soon enough Elle and the Guards are heading back to Cly Village...

You?

OOC: How was my prayer received, particularly by the curious Elle?

As I eat, I try to draw out the various folks gathered there, gleaning tidbits about themselves, and about life in these lands.

I try to get a description of the route one would take to get from here to the Sea Tower.  How long does it take to get there?  Is Cly Village on the way?

I also try to get information about the Lord there, such as stories about him, an idea of his personality, what hoops and hurdles one has to go through to meet him, etc.

And when all is done, I thank the Widow and her daughter...

OOC: Where I go and what I do depends upon the information I get from my queries above...  :)

They listen, and study you, but say nothing.

Its an agrarian society based on small villages.  They have issues with a neigboring king over the mountains.  Occassionally there is a threat from a metalbeast, or a mind creature.
You'd go northward to the Sea, and then along the coast.  They're not sure.  Opposite directions.

He visits his lands twice a year, is regarded as harsh but fair, is a distant figure, and tends toward snapping out orders, and then leavinmg things in the hands of his folk.  Its not hard to meet him.

I get more information regarding what villages are northward to the Sea, and what villages are along the coast.  Are these lands under the same rule as here (the Duke)?  Are they under the rule of the neighboring king over the mountains?  None of the above?

I also get more information about metalbeasts and mind creatures, as well as how likely they are to be encountered on the route to the Sea Tower...

There are Fenmen north to the Sea. Fenmen live in wild and crazy conditions, walking on water, and eating fish with no friends.

Further up the coast, is Strengsli Realm which is known for its perfumes.  Its ruler is the Matriarch.  Inland, is the king over the mountains.

Metalbeasts are varied land monsters, not being able to fly or swim.  They tend to be territorial, and frequently prefer mines and caves as lairs.  They are very hard to kill.

Mind Creatures dislike fire.  Some are Madsynths which twist the mind and perceptions until the attacked losing his mind, and they can then use the mind.  Others are stronger, and directly attack.  And then there are the many Spooks which have little power, but enjoy harrassing people.

"You honored me by asking me to say the blessing, but I am not familiar with the customs and beliefs here.  Was my blessing similar to one you would have given, or different?"

"How do the customs and beliefs differ between Cly Village and the various lands between here and the Sea Tower?"

"Different. We worship the Maker of All like so..."

She holds her hands over head, and intones...
"Great are your deeds
Happy are your people
Give us power this day
O Give us power this day
To do your will"

This is what we say at eveningtide, or when guests are visiting.

Those lands near us, such as the king we have difficulty with, are similar in belief, but northward, among the Fenmen, I hear they worship wild and savage gods.

"Is there much travel or little between villages and lands?  Are there bards or merchants or healers or other various travelers that move about relatively frequently, or is movement more rare?  Do caravans ever go to and from the Sea Tower, for example?  What lands have you been to?"

There is little travel between most lands, although some lands have regular trade routes.  In villages in the same land, its much more common, but still not that much so.

Several years back a caravan of strange lookinf folk came through who claimed to have stopped at the Sea Tower.

None of them have been in another land than their home.

"Are there regular trade routes that eventually connect Cly Village with the Sea Tower?"

"Where in Cly Village could one obtain provisions for a journey to the Sea Tower?"

"What is the Duke like?  Has he ever been to the Sea Tower?  Has he ever met the Lord of the Sea Tower?  How do they get along?"

"No, Cly Village is not very important.  You could go to the chandler, and get some supplies, and get more further on up the road.  The Duke has been to the Great Moot, and swore allegiance to the Lord of the Sea Tower.  He is a loyal subject to him."

You get the feeling of ‘there's peasant business and noble business, and we don't stick our nose into what doesn't concern us.'  So for public consumption, the Duke is a loyal subject.  Reality? He might be, at least he has to pretend to be a little bit.

"Where might I be able to obtain maps?  Would the chandler have such things?"

"The crystals are interesting.  What do you know of them, and of the crystalcutters?  Where do they dwell?  How did they develop their craft?"

The chandler has maps they agree.  The Duke brings back crystals from the Great Moot which he buys from the crystalcutters who live off to the west far away.

OOC: So we currently have:
West: Crystalcutters
North: Fenmen
Northward, then along the coast (NW?  NE?  etc.?): Sea Tower
Opposite direction from Sea Tower (SE?  SW?  etc.?): Cly Village
Further up the coast (NW? NE? etc.?): Strengsli Realm
Inland (N? E? S? W? etc.?): king over the mountains

Could you give me a clearer idea of compass directions and distances for the various landmarks discussed?  :)

"How far away do the crystalcutters live?  How far are they from the Sea Tower?"

"Where is the Great Moot?  How long will it be until the next one?"

Inland –W. Cly Village SE.  They're not precise enough to give you more than that.  Cly Village is a couple hours away.  Fenmen are a week or so north.  King over the mountains is about four days away in good weather.

"It takes the Duke a week on good horses in early summer during the good weather to go to the Moot. The Crystalcutters are further past that some distance.  They are a great way from the Sea Tower."

"Past the King over the mountains, and then join the West Road, and keep to it. Two more months."

OOC: Heh, nicely aggravating directions from peasants. ‘oh, its offa toward that ways a bit, a week or two providing you don't run into a gale, or the road gets avalanched out.  And thats hoping they have good horses up that way for you to rent which might be, or might not be...."

OOC: What time of the year does it seem to be now?

Assuming that Elle and the guards are heading not only to Cly Village but also towards the chandler, I will go with them.  And perhaps meeting the Duke with Elle's letter of introduction wouldn't be such a bad idea after all...

Its mid-spring.  Road quality varies in part to how much the locals have spent on gravel, or logs for corduroy roads, but also how recently it has rained.  The twin ruts that lead to the Widow Cumberly's cottage look a bit damp, but suitable for horse or foot.

One hour later, the guards kill a coyote, and chuckle at their luck.  Coyote's get a bounty to try to keep their sheep killing to a minimum.  You pass a number of isolated houses for the next hour, and then its a travel through some as yet unripe orchards, and past a fine looking multi-room house with a huge wolfhound out front.

Over the next hour, you're never out of sight of a house, but they are few and far between.  And then over a hill, and down into the hundred thatched cabins of Cly Village with about a dozen other buildings.  The guards go to one, and they point you to another with a wooden sign bearing crossed candlesticks.

Before departing, I check vectors, and also check Ring (or my compass, if Ring can't do it) to track what direction(s) we travel in.  I make sure to leave some small insignificant object behind, hopefully pushed into the dirt or mud, so that I can have a vector toward the Widow's place as well.

As we continue traveling, I periodically check vectors again to get an idea of how far the Lord of the Sea Tower is from here.  I talk with Elle, getting to know more about her, and about healing skills, and about the world here.  I also get to know the guards and chat with them about the world here as well.

As I glean various tidbits, I try to find out what kinds of things I possess that might be valuable for barter in these parts.  Hopefully my gems at least are worth something...

When we arrive, I look for any signs of crystals, whether atop the various buildings or otherwise.  I also make arrangements with Elle for how to meet up again later, so that I can get the letter of introduction to the Duke from her.

:: Ring.  Are you able to detect if there are any more of those crystals around here?  Have you been able to break the encryption yet? ::

And then I thank the guards, and approach the building with the crossed candlesticks.

:: Dearest LORD, please bless my interactions now, and help me to be a blessing, I pray... ::

You leave a penny behind, pushed deep into a bank of dirt by the roadside.

Eventually, you decide that the Sea Tower is 200 miles north, give or take ten miles.

Listening to Elle you get a sense of a fairly localized world.  Most folk do not travel beyond their own lands, and those that do rarely go more than one or two except for the upper nobility.  One of the jobs of travellers is to spread tales, and the Duke when he comes back from the Moot will set aside a whole day to tell the tales of his trip, and he will have minstrels with him to tell of other lands.  These minstrels would have heard their stories from other minstrels, or nobility, or the long distance traders who use the great routes.

Elle talks about how it used to be when she was a child.  The Moot was held only once every three years.

"The world changes a lot. My great-gram before she passed, she said it was nice in the end of her life that the land was warm, not like the ice of her youth."

Gems are worth a good bit, but you suspect from bits and pieces that its not as much as you're used too.  They seem to be adept with crystals in this world.  And on top of every building you find crystals.

: Yes. Likely time to first encryption broken is 1743 hours.::

You walk into the chandlery and see a tall, thin man with quick fingers loading suet into a clay pot.  There is an aroma of spice, and honey, and woodland leaves, and leather, and soap, and hanging everywhere are bundles of candles.

"Ken I do fer your strainger."  He's got an accent, and he's clearly taller and paler than the locals you've seen so far.

When I get the impression during our travels that gems may not be quite as valuable as I'm used to, I also check to see how much gold is valued.

And when I hear about minstrels, I also try to get more information about them.  What type of instruments do they play?  Are they only valued for news, or also for music and/or storytelling and/or etc.?  Are songs and/or stories valued here?  How much of knowledge in this society is passed verbally versus through writing?

OOC: What time is it when we arrive?  How long until estimated decryption progress?

I glance around to get an idea of the items available here beyond what my nose already tells me, and give the man a friendly nod and smile.

"Good day.  Do you have maps to help a stranger find his way?"

About a thrird of what you're used too.

The most common instruments are drums, trumpets, flutes, and something that sounds like a guitar, but has no long handle, only a large box.  You also hear tell of one minstrel named Ricordian who has a guitar box that on the reverse side is a drum, and can be opened up to use the guitar box string as a slingshot to shoot small game.

Music, storytelling, and news are all valued as well as whatever other skills they have like juggling or teethpulling (in some places they hear that are so barbaric as to not have Healers.  Most knowledge is verbal, and is taught from parent to child, or master to apprentice.

Four in the afternoon.  1735 hours.

Hoes, and a couple sawblades and knives.  Salt. Cloth of linen and cloth of wool.  Leather hides.

"Sharely dew."  He pulls out a half-dozen maps.  One shows the Great Roads, and supposedly shows the whole continent, but in extremely little detail.  Another shows an island in good detail, but where Mintac Isle is??  Another is of the Duke's New Lands Given As of Right, and it shows the planned locations for the various villages and such including Cly Village.  Another shows the Duke's and the Kingdom over the Mountain.  There is also a List Map which is a list of landmarks that one will see on the way to the Great Moot.  The last looks like its made of plastic and shows a giant circle with three dots on it which are named LT, ST, and MT.

During the journey, I encourage my companions to give examples of popular songs and stories that they like, in order to get a feel for the style(s) and culture.

In the shop, I look over each map for a few seconds to give my perfect memory (as well as Ring and CU2) a chance to get a clear recording.  Then I actually pick up and examine the last one...

:: Ring.  Analyze maps, particularly the last one.  What material is it made of?  Is it anachronistic relative to the rest of the observed culture, excluding the encrypted transmissions and laser sat?  Do you detect anything beyond the obvious?  Do you have any conjectures regarding designations "LT", "ST", and "MT"? ::

"Interesting.  How much is each map?  And what is this last map of, with the ‘LT', ‘ST', and ‘MT' dots on it?"

OOC: When and where am I supposed to meet up with Elle to get my letter of introduction?  Did anyone make any offers of hospitality during the journey to put me up for the night?

Well, you've already spent your time gathering info.  Maybe later you can find about songs.

You've got the maps in memory with yourself and the computers.

:primarily carbon-carbon based ‘plastic'.  Yes. Carbon-carbon laminated transparencies did not come into common use until 2214 in original timeline.  This material should be extremely durable, but susceptible to solar heating and explosive flammability.  No.:

"A silver piece to a pair of silver pieces, but this last map, ah, I cannot make another, but I know not what it means.  Two gold."

Not yet clarified. No.  However you suspect on both this is more due to being overlooked or procrastinated on than anything else.

OOC: Wasn't the journey a minimum of three hours?  Wouldn't there have been time to ask about songs???  o_O

-=-

"Curious.  What is it made of?  Where is it from?  Do you have any similar items?"

-=-

"When we arrive, I look for any signs of crystals, whether atop the various buildings or otherwise. I also make arrangements with Elle for how to meet up again later, so that I can get the letter of introduction to the Duke from her."

OOC: If meeting with Elle is not yet clarified, then how will I find her again?  I would have not parted company with her without knowing how to find her again...  :o

Yes. No.

"Claricle.  Its a Caravanner artifact.  And no, I don't, well, ...."  He shuffles through some boxes, and pulls out a small black button like for a shirt, and hands you a knife and a hammer.  "Far as I can tell, its just a button, but I've not been able to scratch it or anything."

Every building has at least one crystal on it.  Elle tells you to meet her at the inn for dinner.

OOC:  True.

I verify with Elle when dinner is and/or how I will know (do they ring a dinner gong or something?), and where the inn is, before parting ways...  :)

"I don't know much about Caravanners.  What have you heard about them?"

I examine the button thoughtfully.

:: Ring, analyze this "button"...  Is it just a button, or is there any tech within, beyond the material it is made of? ::

Dinner starts about five minutes after the lower edge of the Sun touches the horizon.

"The messengers of the Old Gods some say.  Others think they live deep in the Earth, and occasionally rise to steal forth and take Humans.  Some of their items have a peculiar magic about them.  Some say the Great Monsters were once their kine."

:Item is impenetrable to my sensors.  It does not respond to queries.  It is nearly pure carbon-carbon and thus for this tech level, indestructible.  Even tossing it into a volcano would do nothing to it.:

OOC: Where is the dinner venue?

"What kind of magic?"

"I don't know much about the Old Gods, or about the Great Monsters.  What have you heard about them?"

"How much for the button?"

Its at the inn as it would be improper for you to eat alone at her place even if she is an old woman.

"Oh, there is many stories. Stronghand, a kings' sword, was said to be able to cut rock like a man can dip his hand in water.  And the Hat of the Mountain could let you see your enemies every move.  And the Magic Flute would play of itself so beautifully that kings and queens would give its owner jewels just to hear another hour."  He goes on in that vein for a bit.

"The Old Gods?  They were so fast they could arrive before they started.  They had thunderbolts which could destroy kingdoms.  They gave this world to humanity as a gift, and then, well some say they fell asleep, and others say they left, and others say the Christ came and slew them for they are not really gods but the mothers and fathers of monsters."

Its clear he's recounting tales told with no firmness known behind the tales.

"But if ye wish to see a Great Monster go a week inland to the Bog of Periphen, who used to reign there, until the Seven Footed Bog Dragon destroyed his castle and took the land for itself."

He asks for three times as much as for the map.

"Are there any folks still around that have seen any of the Great Monsters, or would know more about them?"

"I've heard a bit about Soulchasers, but don't know much about them.  What have you heard about them?"

"I've heard a bit about the Lord of the Sea Tower, but don't know much about him.  What have you heard about him?"

I look around as we chat to see if anything interesting else catches my eye.  Are the prices posted, or do I have to ask?

He tells you about Pater the Shepherd who years ago went hunting with the previous duke for monsters.

There are Madysnths which affect the perceptions.  There are Vola Tiles which tend to be stuck to a particular stone and effect the release of emotions.  There are Nibbs which are small creatures of relatively little power, but they can be dangerous if one is uncautious or weak.  There are Soulchasers which are the worst,,,,although he's heard there is worse than that.  All of these can be defended by Will, and Harmony and Fire, and Crystal.

The prices are not posted.  Its this era's equivalent of a small general store or Wal-mart, but with only about a hundred different items.

He tells you about  what you already know about the LST.

"Harmony?  As in music?"

"So folks can defend against them by Will, and Harmony and Fire, and Crystal.  But how did the previous duke actually go hunting them, offensively rather than defensively?"

"Where do Crystals come from, and how are they made?  Are they all the same, or do they have different properties or capabilities?"

"Where is Pater the Shepherd now?  How would I find him?"

"Yes."

"Oh, he hunted Metal Beasts, not Soulchasers.  Those can be hurt by anything that hurts a man....as long as its strong enough.  Arrows tend to glance off them, but a heavy spear can hurt one, if well thrown."

"I've heard there are ones with differences.  Some that repel, and others than capture, and others than join, but I don't know more than that."

"Hmmm, he'd be out near Falcon Hill which is ...."  He walks outside and points to a circling bird. "Follow a hunting bird west, and chances are you'll see it leading you toward Falcon Hill."

"I notice that there are many crystals here.  How do you obtain them?  Who makes them, and who brings them here, and who sells them?  How much does a crystal cost?"

"Has anyone studied the monsters?  Are there books or scrolls that tell about them?"

"We buy them from the crystal cutters at the Great Moot usually.  They cost about a three months wages for a skilled worker or a farmer.  Studied them?  No....I mean, I imagine someone must have, but I've never heard of such."

"Where do the crustal cutters live?  And where and when is the next Great Moot?"

Beyond the Moot a good distance, and two months.

Its about three weeks to the West, he says.

A few hours at least.  Probably not.

Its about three weeks to the West, he says.

A few hours at least.  Probably not.

Its about three weeks to the West, he says.

A few hours at least.  Probably not.

OOC: How long until dinner time now?

"I'm new to these parts, and also to this village.  What are some of the other places and people of interest hereabouts?"

An hour.

"Hennsta the Weaver had her best bought by the Duke for his palace, and at least once a year she sends one thing to the Great Moot.  She is hard of hearing being of great age, but her fingers are still nimble.  Docksy, so called because that is the most common word he says, came from a far village, from some tragedy in a massacred caravan we think.  He walked for weeks assailed by the mind spirits until ....well, he is quite mad.  No one knows how he survived.  Man at arms Weaver is the leader of the Guard, and quite capable with staff and sword and torch."

"Poor man.  Where is ‘Docksy' now?  And how do these mind spirits assail someone, with such drastic effect?"

"They tear at your mind, your heart.  They take you over.  They twist what you see.  There are tales of wives killing their beloved husbands thinking they slew a bear, and of men happily walking off cliffs to certain doom, and worse of men in such pain that they killed themselves to be free."

He takes you to see Docksy who is resting dazed under a tree near the edge of a village.  His fingers are stained yellow.

"Crivvel Weed.  Its hard to find, and against the law to take or grow, but we ignore what Docksy does."  The chandler points to the fingers, being careful not to touch them.  "It will soak through the skin, and make you sleepy and relaxed.  Eat it, and you'll be transported to Heaven its said, before you fall to ||||."

As we make our way to where Docksy is, I ask:

"About how old would you say that Hennsta the Weaver is now?  Is her memory still sharp to recall the olden days when she was young?  Does she sell her weaving work hereabouts?"

After we arrive, I regard him quietly, moved with compassion.

"Can anything be done for him by the healers here?"

"Whereabouts in these lands do the crystals protect, and where do they not?  What is the range of these crystals here in the village?"

"Are there any places that are surrounded by crystals, with an inner area that is not?  If so, it might be useful to examine him in such a place..."

"Hennsta the Weaver has grandchildren who have grandchildren.  I would not know.  I think it may for I find as I age that the memories of my youth stay with me well.

Certainly.  She sells most of her work roundabouts.  I have two of her quilts in my home.  Good quality they are."

=============
"No, they've done what they may, which is why we let him eat the crivvel, and of feastdays give him a bottle of cheap wine.  He seems to know enough not to go to the same place each day to beg for food, but we all feed him from scraps and such, and I've seen him hunt for rabbits on his own, like a dog."

He explains that the outer ring protects the village, but the secondary ring really blocks any holes in the outer ring, and that might be all that was needed, but no one is willing to test that theory.

A crystal will offer some protection as much as a half mile away.

He cannot think of any such.

"Is she in the village now?  How may I find her?"

-=-

"How do people travel from village to village safely?  Do they carry portable crystals with them?  Would such provide sufficient protection to venture beyond the outer edge?"

He gives you directions to her granddaughter's house where Hennsta lives but a few dozen yards from where you stand.

"Aye, and also the road as much as may be is inside the land of villages."

"If I needed to travel beyond the outer edge, how could I obtain such a crystal to protect me?  Are there any extras for sale in Cly Village now, or would I need to wait until it is time to journey to the Great Moot?"

"You talked before of there being crystals that repel, and crystals that capture, and crystals that ‘join'.  What do ‘joining' crystals do?"

"If I wanted to stay in Cly Village for a bit, what options are there for a stranger to earn his daily bread?  Are there any who could do with an extra hired hand?  Are there any roles or trades or crafts that the village lacks?  Does the Duke have any needs?"

"How long have you lived in Cly Village?  What things do you find to be good, and not so good, here?  If you were a stranger, would you choose to stay here a while, or to move on elsewhere?"

"...I would think the Great Moot, or convince ye the Duke of your need.  Joining crystals can magnify the effect of other crystals by adding more crystals together.

Are you a bowvyer (an arrow maker), or a barrel builder, or a wagonsmith, or a breaker of wild horses?  There is need for men with strong backs too.  As to the Duke, it would be best if you asked him yourself.

Nigh on twenty years.  The folk are friendly and generous, but they do expect to be paid back eventually.  But they are patient about it.  They could use some more vision.  I've been telling folk for five years we need to fix Yaxon Bridge, but no one will set aside the money or time to do it.  Since I was a stranger, and did, I'd say yes."

"Does the Duke interact with the villagers regularly, or does one need to request an audience?"

"Does Hennsta welcome visitors, even if they be strangers?"

"By the way, what is your name?  I am John Oakmaster..."

One would need to go to his town, and request an audience.

"Aye, that she does, but be bringing a drink, and some time for she will talk your ear off."

"Charles Chandler of Cly Village."