By the grace of the ancestors we survived the night. Ethan came back into the moonless nights headquarters shortly after sunrise, meaning shortly after i had already woken up, perplexed and understandably miffed by our failure to realise he had been laying dead on the floor for longer than his spirit could hold his body together. It seems that although he had found the greater earth circle just fine, as i feared there had been nobody there to resurrect him. However by some peculiar magic the circle resurrected him itself; perhaps this is the same vacuum magic i appear to have received when travelling the mists to the waystone to get here, as i discovered last night i was able to refit my armour after combat at nearly twice the speed of normal. I am a decent blacksmith, but not normally that good.
As i said, i had already woken up shortly before ethan arrived back, so my business of dressing and preparing for the day was concluded in very short order. I left the abode with my blades on my back and my creature taming kit on my shoulder, determined to enjoy the early morning coolness in solitude and take a long way around the city to get to the hall of heroes. In doing so i was able to have «conversation» with some of the foebes in the trees, as i have practise in mimicking some of the calls of birds and anurans and those, at least, are not far different from those in the unhindered lands. Indeed a pair of foebes actually flew to a tree three stânjens ahead of me and i stopped walking in order to keep from scaring them off, and we continued to exchange their eponymous trills until another bird startled them away. Just before reaching the hall of heroes, a frog began chirruping at me from the swamp where aunt cyn fell, and i whistled a few responses before resigning myself to being social and entering the tavern.
Within the tavern were only three persons - sir mathis, a newly awakened dryad named jotai who was working on breakfast (with mathis' assistance) (or possibly the other way around, i wasn't entirely sure), and banradi. The latter was seated as before at a table far from the doorway, looking down at a sheaf of papers presumably from the uncapped shoulder tube he carried. After a moment's brief hesitation, i steeled myself and walked slowly toward the table, greeting him quietly and re-introducing myself to him. He looked up in surprise but not alarm, and greeted me back. His communication was still halted but he was more fluent and articulate than he had been the previous night.
As i took a drink for myself and offered to get one for him (he declined), we got more comfortable around each other. I tried not to embarrass him with an exact repetition of aunt cyn's stories but i did have to ask about his time «communing with the stones» and whether he was all right now that he had been out for a full night. He replied noncommittally that «yes, people have been saying i've been gone seven to nine months, depending on who is telling the story.»
I also asked if dragonreach had yet acquired springdale when he had begun his work from inside the waymaker network, and after a minute's thought he believed that yes, it had been annexed before he departed. I mentioned my idle fancy about convening the selunari clan elders to commission or build at least one waystone in the middle of springvale. This brought the first bit of emotion i had seen to radi's face; one side of his mouth twitched up in what i would almost call a smirk as he replied «there aren't many elders around anymore··· i'm really the closest you'd get to that.» His knowledge of and passion for the waystones made for an honestly intriguing conversation, as he spoke to me about how he had built waystones on the elemental planes as well, but it was easier there than doing so on our prime plane because of the «pureness» of the materials available.
In the midst of this discussion of waystones, i remembered the rumours i had been hearing about a group called «the whisperers». They were said to be people of different races so in tune with the taming of animals -- the skill i have cultivated thus far by myself -- that the animals almost seem to become an extension of their will or their senses. Thus i thought to ask radi if he knew the waystone code closest to the south shore of the lake of sighs, far more north in the unhindered lands than i had ever wandered even in my three lustres of solitude. Radi looked at me a bit quizzically, and then explained that although waystone codes had once been completely necessary for travel and then (as i was used to) beneficial for guaranteeing one might not randomly end up somewhere unexpected, the work he had done from within the waystone network made codes absolutely unneeded. He did, however, consult two of his maps and told me that the closest major waystone (given i didn't know where near the lake of sighs i might find these whisperers) would be at the ᴘᴏʀᴛ of ᴅᴇsᴘᴀɪʀ (emphasis necessary).
By this time, almost unnoticed by radi or myself, we had been gradually joined at the table by saro, 13, aragon, velnaeus, and scarlet. When we abruptly realised we were not alone anymore, i said hello to them all in a friendly manner while still worrying about radi and his fairly obvious social agoraphobia. Sure enough, though he politely greeted everyone, he also dropped a rope circle on the ground in case he needed to cast a circle of power and protect his space.
I thanked radi for all of his help, and then turned to saro, who had asked about my joining the moonless nights. I asked for some slight clarification on what the gang's mission was or what ideals they cherished, and she explained that in spite of calling themselves a gang, what they really sought to do was to prey on other gangs - bandits in particular - rather than on travellers and innocents. I took several beats to consider this new information and then told her that i saw no reason why i would not be willing to join the group. She seemed very ecstatic and said that was all that was necessary for me to become a so-called initiate, with the actual procedure for becoming a full member dependent on different tasks they would ask me to perform for or with them. She and 13 also offered to come with me looking for the whisperers (as they had heard the latter part of the conversation), and i gratefully accepted, telling them i did have to go find ardos.
Why haven't i talked about ardos before? Because the pride, the guild which he belongs to, had heavy burdens of their own and had been in valbrough long before i arrived the previous evening. Though we had been communicating in an exchange of notes at his house in bregsmourn for the week leading up to this market day (because we are rarely at the house at the same time), and he had been interested in coming with me, he had also cautioned me that his responsibilities to the pride had to be prioritised. I completely understood this, as my tiny little quest was just a matter of personal interest. So when half a ghurry later i finally tracked down ardos and the rest of the pride (most of whom greeted me like old friends), and he said that unfortunately they had to have a ritual performed that morning, i of course did not hold it against him.
Wishing him luck, i returned to the hall of heroes where our company was waiting for me. In the end it was saro, 13, aragon, velnaeus, scarlet, and pyke (who had arrived while i'd been gone) that came with me to valbrough's waystone. I cautioned them about the correct intonation and then demonstrated, activating the waystone and instructing it to take me to the ᴘᴏʀᴛ of ᴅᴇsᴘᴀɪʀ. As normal there was a prolonged flash and a slight squeezing and pulling feeling before my body and spirit emerged from the ᴘᴏʀᴛ of ᴅᴇsᴘᴀɪʀ's waystone, followed shortly one at a time by my companions. The city that comprises the port is extremely large, probably almost as bustling as valbrough itself, but since all i knew was that the whisperers lived away from society, i led us down the south road out of the port.
We plunged immediately into a boreal temperate mixed forest, spotted with wetlands that were themselves spotted with chains of ecological hammocks. As we walked i reiterated to our group that we were looking for a group which kept itself hidden from society, knowing full well that we might not actually find them if they were good enough at hiding. The elevation of the dry parts of the forest varied wildly, and the ground on the higher-rising sides was brown and dry though the swamps in the valleys were vividly brilliant and green with bog grasses. I need not write the minutiae of our sadly fruitless search. There came a point after aragon had nearly fallen into the waters for a fourth time when we all decided that we would not find the whisperers without more specific information. Still the walk back to the ᴘᴏʀᴛ of ᴅᴇsᴘᴀɪʀ was not unenjoyable, and i got to know saro, 13, velnaeus, and scarlet a bit better.
As i took a drink for myself and offered to get one for him (he declined), we got more comfortable around each other. I tried not to embarrass him with an exact repetition of aunt cyn's stories but i did have to ask about his time «communing with the stones» and whether he was all right now that he had been out for a full night. He replied noncommittally that «yes, people have been saying i've been gone seven to nine months, depending on who is telling the story.»
I also asked if dragonreach had yet acquired springdale when he had begun his work from inside the waymaker network, and after a minute's thought he believed that yes, it had been annexed before he departed. I mentioned my idle fancy about convening the selunari clan elders to commission or build at least one waystone in the middle of springvale. This brought the first bit of emotion i had seen to radi's face; one side of his mouth twitched up in what i would almost call a smirk as he replied «there aren't many elders around anymore··· i'm really the closest you'd get to that.» His knowledge of and passion for the waystones made for an honestly intriguing conversation, as he spoke to me about how he had built waystones on the elemental planes as well, but it was easier there than doing so on our prime plane because of the «pureness» of the materials available.
In the midst of this discussion of waystones, i remembered the rumours i had been hearing about a group called «the whisperers». They were said to be people of different races so in tune with the taming of animals -- the skill i have cultivated thus far by myself -- that the animals almost seem to become an extension of their will or their senses. Thus i thought to ask radi if he knew the waystone code closest to the south shore of the lake of sighs, far more north in the unhindered lands than i had ever wandered even in my three lustres of solitude. Radi looked at me a bit quizzically, and then explained that although waystone codes had once been completely necessary for travel and then (as i was used to) beneficial for guaranteeing one might not randomly end up somewhere unexpected, the work he had done from within the waystone network made codes absolutely unneeded. He did, however, consult two of his maps and told me that the closest major waystone (given i didn't know where near the lake of sighs i might find these whisperers) would be at the ᴘᴏʀᴛ of ᴅᴇsᴘᴀɪʀ (emphasis necessary).
By this time, almost unnoticed by radi or myself, we had been gradually joined at the table by saro, 13, aragon, velnaeus, and scarlet. When we abruptly realised we were not alone anymore, i said hello to them all in a friendly manner while still worrying about radi and his fairly obvious social agoraphobia. Sure enough, though he politely greeted everyone, he also dropped a rope circle on the ground in case he needed to cast a circle of power and protect his space.
I thanked radi for all of his help, and then turned to saro, who had asked about my joining the moonless nights. I asked for some slight clarification on what the gang's mission was or what ideals they cherished, and she explained that in spite of calling themselves a gang, what they really sought to do was to prey on other gangs - bandits in particular - rather than on travellers and innocents. I took several beats to consider this new information and then told her that i saw no reason why i would not be willing to join the group. She seemed very ecstatic and said that was all that was necessary for me to become a so-called initiate, with the actual procedure for becoming a full member dependent on different tasks they would ask me to perform for or with them. She and 13 also offered to come with me looking for the whisperers (as they had heard the latter part of the conversation), and i gratefully accepted, telling them i did have to go find ardos.
Why haven't i talked about ardos before? Because the pride, the guild which he belongs to, had heavy burdens of their own and had been in valbrough long before i arrived the previous evening. Though we had been communicating in an exchange of notes at his house in bregsmourn for the week leading up to this market day (because we are rarely at the house at the same time), and he had been interested in coming with me, he had also cautioned me that his responsibilities to the pride had to be prioritised. I completely understood this, as my tiny little quest was just a matter of personal interest. So when half a ghurry later i finally tracked down ardos and the rest of the pride (most of whom greeted me like old friends), and he said that unfortunately they had to have a ritual performed that morning, i of course did not hold it against him.
Wishing him luck, i returned to the hall of heroes where our company was waiting for me. In the end it was saro, 13, aragon, velnaeus, scarlet, and pyke (who had arrived while i'd been gone) that came with me to valbrough's waystone. I cautioned them about the correct intonation and then demonstrated, activating the waystone and instructing it to take me to the ᴘᴏʀᴛ of ᴅᴇsᴘᴀɪʀ. As normal there was a prolonged flash and a slight squeezing and pulling feeling before my body and spirit emerged from the ᴘᴏʀᴛ of ᴅᴇsᴘᴀɪʀ's waystone, followed shortly one at a time by my companions. The city that comprises the port is extremely large, probably almost as bustling as valbrough itself, but since all i knew was that the whisperers lived away from society, i led us down the south road out of the port.
We plunged immediately into a boreal temperate mixed forest, spotted with wetlands that were themselves spotted with chains of ecological hammocks. As we walked i reiterated to our group that we were looking for a group which kept itself hidden from society, knowing full well that we might not actually find them if they were good enough at hiding. The elevation of the dry parts of the forest varied wildly, and the ground on the higher-rising sides was brown and dry though the swamps in the valleys were vividly brilliant and green with bog grasses. I need not write the minutiae of our sadly fruitless search. There came a point after aragon had nearly fallen into the waters for a fourth time when we all decided that we would not find the whisperers without more specific information. Still the walk back to the ᴘᴏʀᴛ of ᴅᴇsᴘᴀɪʀ was not unenjoyable, and i got to know saro, 13, velnaeus, and scarlet a bit better.
Returning to valbrough, i approached gideon (seated outside the hall of heroes) with questions about vision rituals, wondering if such a thing would assist me in tracking the wanderers -- and if he did such rituals anymore, having heard rumours he did not perform them as often. After thinking for a moment he told me that, if i had given him more advance warning, and was able to provide the materials for the ritual, he might have been able to help. Furthermore, however, he pointed out that i had nothing to do the vision on, except rumours i had heard. Over the course of the discussion he and velnaeus suggested that i might continue to do the things i already do to get the attention of the whisperers, speaking with the native creatures and healing those that i find wounded or poisoned. This seemed not only practical, but easy, so i thanked them both before heading back into the tavern to see what else was going on in town.
Within the tavern, mathis, ozzrick, and ethan were huddled over a mass of scrap paper and an incomprehensible missive, of which i could only read the first word of the two-word title: «primes». I inferred from their conversation (and the half-answer which mathis started to give me before getting sidetracked) that this missive was recovered from either some of the bandits nearby or perhaps the figures who had dispatched the ritual couriers last night. Speaking of which, the rest of the boxes with the ritual fragments had been located, and between robert and pyke they had been opened and the pieces put together. Velnaeus was helping with the matching of ritual pieces before they could give the documents to the respective magic guilds, but he was muttering something about the bottom of the arcanum ritual being written like a gallows ritual. I know nothing of high magic so i did not stay long, and i could not help very much with mathis' missive either (by this point he had postured that it was using a rolling cipher, so only part of the message could be solved at any time regardless).
Within the tavern, mathis, ozzrick, and ethan were huddled over a mass of scrap paper and an incomprehensible missive, of which i could only read the first word of the two-word title: «primes». I inferred from their conversation (and the half-answer which mathis started to give me before getting sidetracked) that this missive was recovered from either some of the bandits nearby or perhaps the figures who had dispatched the ritual couriers last night. Speaking of which, the rest of the boxes with the ritual fragments had been located, and between robert and pyke they had been opened and the pieces put together. Velnaeus was helping with the matching of ritual pieces before they could give the documents to the respective magic guilds, but he was muttering something about the bottom of the arcanum ritual being written like a gallows ritual. I know nothing of high magic so i did not stay long, and i could not help very much with mathis' missive either (by this point he had postured that it was using a rolling cipher, so only part of the message could be solved at any time regardless).
I felt a bit like radi, overwhelmed by the number of people and the rapid changes within my space - for of course, a market day in a large true city like valbrough is bound to be much noisier and more peopled than a market day back in bregsmourn. I excused myself from the tavern and the rest of my company, and returned here to the moonless nights cabin to let my body and mind rest in relative serenity. If i do not sleep too long after finishing this record of my morning, i will probably go outside the city walls again, as i do in bregsmourn most afternoons, and let the wild creatures become used to me while i commune with them. I had made sure my taming kit was better stocked for this trip than the long trek to whitford, so perhaps i'll have a chance to utilise it.
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