In reply to Oligur Jaffez (msg # 129):

Bingling glances at Oligur and replies in Tradetalk.

"Sedenya's Illumination? I almost ask. But. Not a mushroom. Not a human folkdance. Not a tribe of Waha's. Forgive me if I smile and nod?"

A very exhausted Sandien appears, escorted by Hofal.  After yawning, she just stares at Sanuzi and Tamarkorda.  "What is going on?" is all she manages to say.

As Tmarkorda goes to Desola, the elder lady smiles and opens her arms to him.  She kneels with him in her arms, and begins to sing a soft lullaby in Earthspeech.

Nadakar looks on, but returns toward Zeti and Bingling.  "I will accompany you to the place where this happened."

Inkarne follows Nadakar, and it seems as if she plans on following.

Eldresa, seeming to hear something no one else hears, turns and leaves the fort.

Idovanus comes over to Oligur, saying, "I am sorry to hear about your cousin."  He places a hand on Oligur's shoulder.  "Illumination is a noble path, but one must not rush the enlightenment of the Goddess."

Commander Jalmon seems perplexed by the developments.  Idovanus, leading Oligur over to the Commander, says, "something has happened to the young man.  I do not sense illumination in him, so I do not believe that is the cause of his apparent madness.  These are odd omens prior to Sacred Week, and I do not yet know how they should be interpreted."  He pauses and considers the scene, "we are permitted to conduct the rites of the Goddess within the fort, are we not?"  The commander nods in response.  "There is a story that may help us.  We will perform the story, and invite any who wish to attend.  Oligur, you and Astrelia will play roles in this tale.  There are things I must prepare, but I shall instruct you in your parts well in advance."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:00, Tue 19 Nov 2019.

Oligur nods to Idovanus with appreciation. His expression toward the Lunar illuminate is much more respectful than earlier in the evening.
"I should be most honored to participate, my lord."
"There is one other thing, whilst we are all here. I know not why, but my thoughts return to two artifacts that came back with us from the cave.
First, a sliver of the platform on which the chaos demon was perched, returned in the jaws of our brave Uz friend Bingling. Whether it can be of use to us or not, or is increasing our risk by being present in Jelmine, I do not know. Its location is unknown to me.
As for the other, I will let Sanuzi show it--if he thinks this is the right time."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 13:15, Wed 20 Nov 2019.

In reply to Oligur Jaffez (msg # 133):

It is fine, Friend Oligur. I will retrieve the sack. But I want to watch your Moonie story...

If he has time, and it looks like there will be, Sanuzi will go and return with a bag.

Spying Nadakar's approach Zeti simply says "Later" to Bingling's enquiry regarding the mystic.

To his comment about 'Mother' she replies "Sedenya teaches us that We Are All Us. It is a difficult concept for some to grasp, especially some those of our race."

She indicates he should lead the way "You say this 'Mother' is strange, but in many ways she is just like you and I. In all ways that really matter she is us and we are her."

"True learning, the Illumination that Nadakar and Idovanus have attained, takes your understanding to the purest level. I..." she looks at Nadakar for confirmation "I have not and perhaps never will attain this state, but if I have understood the teachings of others properly then Illumination takes this knowledge to it's ultimate and inevitable conclusion."

"That is to say the realisation that we are all the same, all just a part of the whole." She fixes Bingling with her gaze "All of us of all races are parts of the whole."

Her gaze returns to Nadakar again to see whether she is correct.

Nadakar simply nods as he replies to Zeti's question, "that is the common view that the Imperial Preceptors teach.  As with many things, there are many facets to the truth."  He smiles and chuckles, "the mortal mind can rarely see all the facets.  That is one truth the Preceptors avoid.  Illumination opens many paths, but poses new questions as well.  This creates occlusion in those not ready."  He stops and says to those near him, "Living in darkness the Preceptors guard the paths of illumination and guide the supplicants along the path to illumination."

(OOC: this group moves to Sandien's house)

---

Idovanus acknowledges Oligur's comments, and then moves back to the inn, leaving Oligur and Astrelia in the courtyard area of the fort.

---

Commander Jalmon, his questions still unanswered, gives up, and follows Idovanus into the inn, presumably to get some answers.

---

Save for Desola who is holding Tamarkorda, most of the Earth Priestess left the fort.
Sandien comes over to Tamarkorda, and assesses him.  Turning, she follows those that left to go to her house to see mother, not looking happy.

When Sandien inspects Tamarkorda, he says something drowsily in fire-speech

In reply to Zeti (msg # 135):

Bingling nods and laughs.
"In a sense, the hour comes around when the Enlo teaches the spear to Argan Argar."

He grins an almost human grin.

"Before the curse, we once had twins. My sisters were born together; they were thus Enlo but looked Uzko, and easily passed the testing transformation and are Uzko now. Priestess Magora was born human and reborn Uzko, and I hold her Garlin family as friends and trade partners both for our shared trust in Argan Argar, and for how they honor the honored."

He shrugs.

"The same with Arkat. And Pikat Yaraboom fancies humans with flaming hair. I do not seek your Illumination -- but I can see how heros and villains, mothers and siblings can all share a heart and a hearth. I am simple. As long as there is trade, that is enough for me, and everywhere with a road, and some without, is my home."

In reply to Bingling Hyxloriz (msg # 138):

His voice drops to a quiet whisper that should carry to Zeti.

"Skyfall Uz and Blue Moon Uz are not so different, nor are we so different from humans. But siblings fight the harshest. And we often hate most those whom we most resemble."

In reply to Narrator (msg # 136):

Sanuzi stops Sandien and presents her with the bag.

We found a special piece of stone, a Truestone, in our encounter with the deamon. I think you will know what is best to do with it. Oligur of the Lunars helped me bring it to your attention.

If Sandien looks in the bag she will see only a plain rock. Sanuzi must have hidden the Truestone elsewhere.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 04:15, Wed 20 Nov 2019.

If there is a lull, Bingling trills, tilts his head, and looks at Nadakar before speaking slowly in Tradetalk.


"I grow and sell mushrooms. I do not know many names. But I have a question.

"Time and tension and Weaver's thread, all make a spider's web. No tension, no web. No ties, no web.

"Sartar and Lunar, Uz and human and children of dragons, all make Dragon Pass. You Lunars tie the Chaos Bat to your Goddess and Emperor with your 'We are Us.'

Bingling shrugs.

"I sell mushrooms. Trolls and trollkin, humans and Uz, all are welcome to Argan Argar. For me, 'We are Uz.'

"But... Your 'illumination.' If such a one moves free of ties and tension, do they not risk dancing off the web and into the no-thing between? And do not they, like beast of chaos or unthinking dragon, risk rending that web we live?"

LIKE

Sandien looks into the bag, her face a mask of curiosity.  She takes the bag saying, "let me consider this.  We need to talk soon about what you saw.  Until then, keep an eye on Tamarkorda.  I need to stop a group of strangers from barging into my house."  She then hurries off

As Sandien leaves with the bag, Oligur raises a finger as if to object but puts it down just as quickly.Shrugging toward Astrelia and Sanuzi, he indicates Tamarkorda. "Anything we can do for him, do you think? I'm worried he's going to start trying to eat mouthfuls of hay."

In reply to Oligur Jaffez (msg # 144):

Sandien didn't seem too worried. Let us simply be with him. Perhaps you can tell us about your story. How did you come to be here? Wouldn't you like to know that, Tam?

Tamarkorda casts a bleary eye towards Oligur saying something in Firespeech.  Then he returns to his sky gazing. He appears somewhat intoxicated.

In reply to Tamarkorda (msg # 146):

“I’ll take that as a yes,” says Oligur with a grin.

“As for my story of how I came to be here, it’s not too interesting. And remember, I am a simple soldier of few words.
Well, I come from a line of Tarshian farmers, if you believe that. As a youth, I had no interest in maintaining the family farm, however.  Growing up, I had heard stories of my grandfather’s adventures throughout Dragon Pass. We were told that there were many on this fine continent of ours who did not yet walk in the Lunar Way, who were walking in darkness and outside of Our Great Goddess’s blessing.
So I decided I would go out into the world and share her love, with Word and with Sword.

In my first assignment, I was a member of a small squad of skirmishers during the campaign to keep Esrolia free. There were eight members of our squad, all foot soldiers like me, responsible for scouting ahead of the main force.
With luck, we thought, the campaign would be a short one and Lunar might would readily suppress the unease in Esrolia. The rightful queen in Nochet was a noblewoman named Hendira, whose reign was threatened by a young usurper, a mere child who was no doubt being manipulated by Orlanthi savages and other enemies of the truth. So we were there—invited by the rightful queen, mind you--to keep foreign influences out of Esrolia.

((OOC Oligur says this without irony)).

The captain of our squad, Junsov, was a kindly man, especially for a soldier. He was small of stature but great of heart, and loved by his soldiers. This generous captain saw helping the Esrolians as a good step toward winning the hearts and minds of these southern barbarian tribes.
I felt the captain was right--the more the locals realized that the Lunar army had come as friends and liberators, rather than as conquerors, the better for everyone, and the easier we would all see that We are all us.
Repairing a fence, supporting a local merchant, returning a wayward cow—these acts of generosity, individually small but large in aggregate, might help tip the balance and show that the benevolent Empire was far from the greedy, demon worshipping monsters that Orlanthi propaganda falsely portrayed us as.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:07, Fri 22 Nov 2019.

We had been scouting the area ahead of the larger expeditionary force when we came upon the overturned cart lying near the sharp bend of the road. After brief investigation, it was clear enough what had happened--the driver must have been taking the turn much too fast. The wagon belonged to a colorfully robed Esrolian merchant--Nirava? Mirava? yes, that was it, Mirava. Mirava and her young daughter had been unharmed in the crash, but her husband, who had been driving the cart, had been terribly injured from the accident. Seeing that there was not a shortage of opinions about how best to treat the injured man, I felt it best to attempt to distract the daughter (who could not have seen more than 10 dark seasons) from the grisly sights and sounds of her father's wounds being tended. Mirava's husband's injuries were truly horrific and perplexing for normal healing magic: both legs and his left arm were crushed from the cart rolling over him, and required considerable expertise. He also had a serious head wound and seemed to drift in and out of consciousness. There was discussion among some of the soldiers as to whether hacking off the unfortunate man's crushed limbs and restoring them with Rune magic would actually be the best course of action.  The four horses that had been pulling the cart were also uninjured, all of the harm falling on the unfortunate driver; they had been unyoked and were casually munching on the tall grass by the far side of the road, blissfully unconcerned with questions of medicine or politics or warfare.

In order to distract the merchant’s child, I smiled as I held a folded over maize cake up to the sky against the backdrop of the Fireday half moon.
"Does it not look like the blessed Moon?" I asked.
"The Red Moon smiles down on us, and wishes us to all enjoy her blessings. Tarshians, Esrolians... We are all us."
The Esrolian girl looked back at me uncertainly.
“I am Oligur, you can call me Olie if you like. What’s your name?”
She said nothing, but I continued, undissuaded.
"You know, many, many years ago, there was a girl up north, probably about your age, who helped bring the beautiful Red Goddess into existence. Can you imagine? We celebrate her day every time the moon is full, like this," and at this I unfolded the cake and held it up as a disc.
I remember wondering if my accent made my Tradetalk difficult to understand for these southerners. Tearing the sweet morsel in half, I handed the larger piece to the small Esrolian, who looked on suspiciously. In an effort to appear reassuring, I tore off a generous hunk of my half, and chewed in a comically exaggerated style, like this. "Yummy!" Glancing back over my shoulder at the Lunar and Esrolian discussion, I noticed the child's mother staring at us. I smiled at her. What a blessing it must be for this Esrolian trader to see her daughter being instructed in the Way!


This message was last edited by the player at 16:11, Fri 22 Nov 2019.

"Alright lads, time to lift," said the captain. "Get over here and lend a hand for once, Olie!" jested Saffonesh.  My closest squadmate and one of only two women in the squad, she never tired of teasing me.  With a sigh I climbed to my feet from where I had been sitting on the road, I brushed the dust from my cloak, and tousled the hair of the child, who remained sitting in the middle of the thoroughfare holding her untasted piece of maize cake. "Watch this for me, will you?" I asked, leaving my crescent shield next to her on the road.

The cart was heavy, but the 8 Lunar soldiers would make quick work of it. I was not in the least surprised to see Junsov himself lining up and sharing the burden. I lined up next to Saffonesh. “Any breakthroughs, o thou great diplomat?” she asked in a loud whisper, indicating the child in the road. “That’s the future over there, I’ll have you know. So, what did they decide to do with the poor husband?” “Well,” she answered, “I think we wasted more magic than we should’ve, but what we ended up deciding was--”

“On three,” said the captain. “One, two, three!”
On “three” just as we started to strain against the weight of the wagon, all three shafts of the first multimissiled arrow whistled in harmony before making three sickening thuds as they struck Saffonesh between her shoulder blades, piercing her linothorax and killing her instantly. The arrows continue to fly from the tall grass beside the road, bringing down a second soldier. "Get to the far side of the wagon!" cried Junsov. Despite my shock and horror and grief I scurried along with my comrades to put the overturned wagon between us and our assailants as the arrows continued to sing though the air, many thunking into the wagon. Lunar slingstones and javelins were flung wildly from the relative safety of the overturned cart toward the still unseen foes, although our missiles were largely unaided as the magic of the Lunar forces had been significantly weakened by the healing exercise. Neither Mirava nor her husband were anywhere to be seen.

Saffonesh! Oh, my desire to avenge her! To bring these dogs to the Emperor’s justice. My gaze darted from side to side, looking for some advantage and additional threats, when I saw the small Esrolian child, unmoved from where she had been sitting in the dusty road beside my shield, still holding the corn cake, about 10 meters up the road. She seemed unconcerned by the violence around her, but stared at me.
 "Gods!" I muttered, and for some reason, without hesitation I threw myself from the shelter of the wagon, clumsily sprinting and rolling toward the girl. Half surprised that I reached my destination alive, I snatched up my crescent shield and held it in front of the child. Why had I not entreated the quartermaster for a large shield? That would easily protect the two of us. "Come! This way!" I cried and began awkwardly dragging and scooting the resisting child, scampering on my knees in order to keep the shield as close to the ground as possible, incrementally moving myself and the girl toward the relative safety behind the wagon.

Without warning a hideous, roar of crunching and grinding was unleashed from the position of my comrades behind the wagon. I stared in horror as the location that I had occupied just a moment ago turned from solid, hard packed earth—as solid as the ground on which we now stand--to tumbling, seething rapids. The earth shook violently as Captain Junsov and the remaining survivors of the squad cried out in surprise before being sucked beneath the earth and silenced forever. The body of Saffonesh the wagon, discarded armor, water flasks and backpacks—all gone. The ground immediately returned to complete stillness, a large, diffusing cloud of dust as the only remaining evidence of the gnomes' deadly ambush.

The missiles had stopped falling. Strangely, before ever feeling any pain, I noticed that my right knee was warm and wet where I kneeled on the dirt packed road. When I looked down I noticed, almost with curiosity the pulsing flow from a deep dagger cut in my thigh, between the protection of my greaves and linothorax. My head began to swim. The Esrolian girl scooted away, holding her dagger between herself and me. Oddly I remember wondering where she got the dagger and if my injury had been an accident. The dagger was covered with a green liquid.  I tried twice to rise to my feet but crumpled to the ground. Rolling on my back, although the sun was bright it seemed that nighttime was closing in. The sounds of sandaled feet on the hard packed dirt echoed strangely. Humanoid silhouettes were cautiously approaching from all directions with spears and daggers, all pointed down toward me. Where did the child get that dagger? Mirava, the merchant who owned the cart stepped into view... I only now finally doubted that she was really a merchant... and only now it occurred to me that the brutally injured husband--was he even her husband or a victim?
These thoughts began to swirl through my mind as Mirava glared down at me.
I saw the child whom I had tried to console, as she stood beside her mother, she threw the half corn cake onto my chest. She didn’t even taste it…
The young child's words were muffled but as I lost consciousness I heard the hate clearly enough in accented New Pelorian-
"You are NOT us, invader."

This message was last edited by the player at 16:14, Fri 22 Nov 2019.

I know not how I survived. Someone had tended my leg, perhaps the Esrolians wanted one survivor from our group? I don’t remember ever climbing to my feet, the next thing I remember I was staggering northward, joining other demoralized soldiers who were also in full retreat. If anyone thought me a deserter, they didn’t question me.

I arrived at Alda Chur and checked in at the garrison. And, I was dispatched here. I know not who signed the order or why I was sent to this lonely outpost. I was unhappy to be sent here, at first…


He catches Astrelia’s gaze.

But here I stand before you, your humble servant.

(I think Bingling is still here?)

Bingling solemnly listens to Oligur's tale.

"I am sorry for the loss of your soldier-siblings. Nor do I understand human politics. But I am glad that our road finds us together, Friend Oligur."

Henetha listens to Oligur's tale, her facial expression alternating between disbelief and surprise. She comments in less than perfect Tradetalk. She seemingly unconsiously moves her right hand to touch the terrible scar on her left arm.

"You were told you'd be welcomed? You know Hendira is dead? Her alliance destroyed at the battle of Pennel Ford? And Samastina is Queen of Nochet since years?

It was cruel not to tell you the truth. Sorry for you and your friends."

In reply to Henetha Hofaktsdottir (msg # 153):

Oligur clears his throat. "Well, thank you both. Such is the way with war.
I do not hold myself any expert in politics, Henetha, but I think your people may well come to regret the unholy alliance your... your queen made with that dirty murderer from Sartar. It certainly suited her ambition, but the price will be high, and will be paid by others. At least that's what I think."

Desola stops singing for a moment, saying, "it may be best if Tamarkorda stay with the Murval family for the time being.  Eldresa will ask her husband, but I am sure it will be alright."

Looking toward Henetha, Oligur, and Sanuzi.  "Each of you come from different cultures and traditions.  What have you learned of the Green Age?"