====================
====================
Quietly Imix came up on the boats. At any moment he expected to find the guards - but there were none.
None alive. The dead were plentiful here, and Imix took the time to search each corpse carefully. Checking for death. Then looking for marks, weapons, tools, even callouses.
Imix floated in the water, motionless as the dead man that bumped against the boat next to him, foot caught in a rope. Thoughts swirled lazily through the Suriname mind. Risk. Loss. Gain. Unable to see a clear answer he flicked over to a rope ladder and climbed aboard the first boat.
'What were they doing here?' he wondered. 'Were they repairing? Learning?
The question haunted him: "Why would the frozen need to sail?" Try as he might he could see no good answer.
==============
Gozran 24, Oios
==============
**
Sarre
**
Soft? Oios says questioningly. In what way? I need to know Sarre; in times as dire as these any divisions between us could be fatal
**
Aktuk
**
Disagreement? Oios queries [b]About what pray tell. It does not take a Shadow to know that the cause of the disagreement has not been resolved and this concerns me deeply.
=================
=================
Mother Hunger sniffs the air, her eyes shut and nose wavering. "I remember your smell, Monk Istiel."
"As to your question... The Mountain Men don't tell me because I don't ask. But, I can draw lines of logic, Monk Istiel. The Fire Peaks priests whip the Men into religious fervor. Stupider things have been done at the behest of priests. Also, the Mountain Men fear the Nargun, and the Nargun shake their villages more and more these days. They see another cataclysm in their future, perhaps?"
The wolf looks from Istiel to Drazan and back. "I'd like to know this Suriname Imix's smell, Monk Istiel. Take me to the Suriname."
====================
====================
You climb aboard the keelboat, and find a few personal possessions strewn about. Blankets, some half-eaten food, clothing, and the like. The food sits, long cold and soggy - it seems your monsters interrupted their - unknown to them - last meal.
Istiel didn't have any hope that Mother Hunger would be able to tell them anything, but it was worth a try. "We have come to the same conslusions. The mountain men are here at the driving of the First Flame." There was a hint of satisfaction in her voice as she learned the Frozen feared the Nargun. "Good. They should know fear."
The monk considers Mother Hunger's request, wondering what the Suriname and the strange, decidedly supernatural, wolf would speak about. It couldn't hurt.
"We still take you to the Suriname. However, Drazen" Istiel looks to the Man from Fire Peaks to indicate his identity to Mother Hunger. "and myself travel to Te-Moak. The city to the east past the farmlands and along the Father of Waters. The great river. We must scout a path to it for our people to travel. If it still stands."
"If you know the city has fallen to the mountain men we will take you to the Suriname tomorrow morning. If not we must make our way there. Find us when we return this way in a few days. We will take you to Suriname Imix."
=================
Istiel and Drazan, Gozran 25
=================
Drazan continues to stand there and glare at the large wolf known to Istiel, though his mind is frantically dancing between fight, flight, or bargaining. From where he stood, he was easily at a disadvantage for not knowing where this creature was coming from or what it wanted let alone any history, though the demands and way it carried itself was not sitting well with him. The best bet was to let Istiel keep talking, and hope it would just go its own way when it realized it had nothing to gain here.
======================
======================
Sarre stares at you a mix of emotions playing across her face - anger, distaste, shame - "He's got compassion. This is no time for it."
------------
Antuk sighs and looks away. "The Garrison-Captain's death resolved it. Know that it isn't easy for me to say this to a Shadow... but he was working on, in my opinion, corrupting the guard. He set up "meetings" with the Frozen captive. The soldiers would beat the defeated to within an inch of his life. Then, the next day, again. Sarre... she saw value in letting the men engage in such cruelty. Myself? I've made no friends in the soldiery these last few days."
The sergeant takes his wooden helmet off, runs a hand through his hair. "Now, I betray my men even more by talking with you. Leave me be, please."
================
================
Mother Hunger cocks her head and stares at Istiel intently. "Te-Moak burns, so the Mountain Men say. The fires started three nights ago." The wolf raises a paw, a very human-like gesture. "Before you ask - I don't know why. Could be that they knew they couldn't hold the city, with the numbers they had. Could be it was simply an orgy of destruction, with little thought or planning behind it."
A wave of her paw gives her thoughts emphasis. "But most of them know. They speak of it, in hushed voices, around their campfires at night. Te-Moak has been been wiped from this-"
For the first time, Mother Hunger's gaze shifts to Drazan, and her yellow eyes narrow. Rising, she moves forward a few steps, a low growl rumbling in her throat, the hackles on the wolf's back rising. "Where did you get that axe babe-in-the-woods?"
======================
Gozran 24, Oios
======================
**
Sarre
**
The weird mix of emotions tells Oios a fair bit, information that is confirmed when he speaks to Antuk later. Save your lack of compassion for the people who are actually trying to kill you and perhaps you will not become that which you hate. A road you seem to be well down the path of. He changes the topic Hamfatten wishes to lead the armed forces, what think you of this? Is there anyone else?
**
Antuk
**
Tell me which of the soliders agree with you, I imagine it would be a small number. As well Hamfatten wishes to lead the armed forces, what think you of this? Is there anyone else?
====================
Gozran 24, Imix
====================
Imix growls through sharpened teeth in his extended muzzle. Anger rises, not at the Frozen, but himself. "Clues are here, but I don't know what they mean." he rumbles to himself.
He fingers the fishing nets. 'Fishermen? There are small lakes in the mountains, perhaps these were the frozen from there? Cursed rain! I need the sun to warm myself!'
In the end he decides to do nothing. He continues his scouting, then heads back to Shadeholme.
====================
Gozran 24, Imix, Oios and Naira
====================
As soon as he is back Imix, still dripping wet, seeks out Oios and Naira. "We need to talk. Now." he demands, all but dragging them off to talk in confidence.
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Gozran 25, Drazan and Istiel
================
What concern is it to you, howling wolf? Drazan growls back as his left foot slides back to angle his body. Do you think it yours? Or do you think it has or will wrong you?
Istiel, how can we know if not with our own eyes that this creature speaks the truth of Te-Moak? What proof do you have that it does not lie simply to get what it wants now or is not working with the mountain men? Any plans of hope that there may have been will truely have been lost in telling it what you were entrusted with.
"In the canal" Pronounces Imix "The boats lie empty. Twelve canoes. Six good keelboats. The Frozen gathered them for some dark purpose. Now they lie empty I do not doubt they will be moved or destroyed."
He squints a little in the deepening dark "I want to take them from the Frozen first. Sink them. But do so in such a way that if the forest is denied us, and we need them, then we can quickly recover them."
"Naira. Your skill with water and wood exceeds mine. I need you to help me sink what may be our last hope - so that it will float again if we need it."
"Oios. I need your blessing before I undertake the action. The Gods alone" Imix's voice makes it clear he speaks with reverence and blasphemy "know if these boats are a miracle or a curse."
================
Gozran 25, Drazan and Istiel
================
Istiel lets out a long sigh as Mother Hunger reveals the Mountain Men's rumors. It is as I feared. Perhaps only the capital stands now. Though what happened to Te-Moak? Three days... enough time for the horde that attacked Shadeholme to attack Te-Moak. The other alchemist could be responsible for the fires. Though if the Frozen whisper, perhaps something strang-
The monk is interrupted from her thoughts and Mother Hunger's explanations as she suddenly assumes a threatening stance. Drazen, in turn, assumes his own. In third, Istiel springs up from the ground, bursting from her deer skin blanket.
The blanket flutters to the ground as she looks between Drazen and Mother Hunger, trying to judge the situation. "I do not know if she speaks the truth. I have no proof." Istiel says plainly, looking sideways at Drazen. "I only have intuition that Mother Hunger is on no side but her own. The Towering Woods is her home. She fights to protect it from the Mountain Men just as we fight to protect Shadeholme and our people."
She turns to face Drazen, crossing her arms over her chest. "I do not blame your doubt. But every day is precious. We have only so much food and time."
==================
==================
Mother Hunger stares back at Drazan, her lips bared, before with a vigorous shake, she sits back onto her haunches. A long yawn precedes her words, her head tilted a bit to the side, watching Drazan. "In a manner of speaking, babe-in-the-woods, yes and yes."
"You flatter the mountain men, associating them with me. How do we know you don't work with them. You look much more the part, after all."
==================
Gozran 25, Drazan and Istiel
==================
Drazan regards the masked monk a moment before he steps forward out of his stance to face the wolf. There was no fighting this. Istiel would likely impede any hope of a real fight anyway, but that didn't mean he wouldn't give up some kind of resistance. He held up his axe for the wolf to see plainly, "Share your story of this axe and your service will be repaid; you'll be escorted to Imix. But do so without the nickname; We are not your servants, not today. Even if you think us your lessers. These are the terms."
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Gozran 25, Drazan and Istiel
==================
Istiel can feel the threat this situation has behind it- on her right, a talking wolf with vast knowledge, unknown strength, and an entire pack of unseen wolves in the darkness. On the left, the greatest warrior she had ever witnessed in battle. I do not want to fight the wolves. But I will not turn my back on Drazen if he attacks.
She relaxes a bit when Drazen relents his aggressive behavior, saying nothing about his terms. Reasonable enough. Istiel resumes standing still with her arms crossed over her chest, looking at the strange axe blade shining like solid quicksilver in the moonlight.
The night's chill begins to prick her skin as the adrenaline fades.
======================
======================
Sarre snorts, shaking her head. "I've got no compassion for them either. And you're mistaken if you think I'll become a savage. I'm just seeing the world for what it is."
"As to leadership? I should lead."
-------------
Antuk shrugs, his face reddening with embarrasment. "Not many, I'm afraid. My squad respects me, I think."
"Hamfatten? I'm not sure there's anyone better, from the standpoint of knowledge and position. But I may be more loved than him, ha!"
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=======================
=========================
It happens subtly at first; a little grey streaks through Mother Hunger's coat, her eyes fade from yellow to a deep grey. And then, just as your mind realizes something is happening, it quickens; much of Mother Hunger's hair falls from her body, her hind legs shorten and straighten, and as she leans back on her haunches, her front legs straighten as well. The claws fall from her paws, which elongate into hairy hands, stubby fingers sprouting.
The most striking transformation happens to Mother Hunger's face; her snout recedes, replaced with a large, bulbous nose, topped by bushy red-grey eyebrows. Much of Mother Hunger's features are obscured by hair; where much of her hair has fallen from her body, on her head it seems almost as if has just shifted locations. The mop of hair atop her head is tangled and unruly, almost like a shrub. Down Mother Hunger's face and covering much of her chest runs a long red beard, streaked with grey, almost completely covering her mouth, from which her fangs have fallen.
Mother Hunger stands and stares at you, naked and obviously male. He runs a finger through his beard and brushes his hair back with his hand. Years of scars - bites, weapons, talons all have made their mark - cross Mother Hunger's body, a body that is thick and broad, human-like but not human.
"I dunno the story of that exact axe, boy, but I know my people made it, while your people were but a glint in your gods' eyes, most likely."
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=======================
Gozran 25, Drazan and Istiel
=========================
It had been 5 days since the attack on Shadeholme, and through the turmoil Istiel thought she had found her way in the world. Despite the loss of her Master and his guidance, she found direction, purpose, and a sense of wholeness in the righteous crushing of enemy windpies. Even the part where Thom transformed into a horrible bird-monster, tried to kill her comrades, and sprayed her in black, fetid, offal as she ripped his head clean from his body was successfully internalized as some corrupting magic.
Yet, none of that prepared her for a talking wolf to suddenly transform into a strange shrub of a man. The laws of nature were no longer looking less dependable, now.
Though unseen, the monk stands slack-jawed behind her mask as Mother Hunger transforms into something familiar yet foreign. The proportions are eerily off. The little part of her brain that warns her of danger, the part that makes her the first to throw a first punch or toss someone into a latrine, can only contribute a single thought to the rest of her stunned mind; his center of gravity is very low, and he would be difficult to knock over.
As the rest of her brain chimes in Is this what happens when a beast-touched stays changed too long? she closes her mouth from the chill tickling her tongue.
Istiel looks over at Drazen, then back to Mother Hunger, opens her mouth, closes, it, swallows some cold spit that had accumulated, and tentatively says "Who... What... are you?"
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==================
Gozran 25, Drazan and Istiel
==================
The transformation of this Mother Hunger drew a surprised and confused eyebrow into a arch over one of Drazan's eyes. He had heard stories of beast-shapers back before the fighting pits, but only as myths, and yet here one was in the flesh. Drazan's instinctive guts reminded him that just because it looked almost human, didn't mean it had any sense of humanity. It took the form of a predator and could still have no qualms about eating him or Istiel if it didn't get what it wanted.
Istiel gathered her words before Drazan could recover, but while they certainly revealed surprise from behind the mask, the question was the right one. The only one. Drazan smiled, though deliberately careful not to bare his teeth.
=================
=================
Mother Hunger stands straight and stretches, eyeing you both warily as he does so. "I'm a Dendarim, a Sworn Ranger. Last of my kind, likely. Haven't seen any other Dendarim in decades, I'd wager, but you lose track of time..."
"If you're asking what species I am... this is my birth body. It is a Mynyth Darohm. A Person of Metal and Earth. We were the masters of these lands long before your peoples came crawling through, from the north and the south."
Mother Hunger pulls a twig from his beard and pops it into his mouth, chewing absently as he continues to talk, all the while flexing and stretching. "Make no mistake, boy and girl of the mountains - you're no friends of mine. But I prefer your adopted peoples to those of your birth. I'm not lying to you, but if you need to go see for yourself the fate of Te-Moak, I understand. Give me the name of your Nargun-summoner, and I'll be on my way..."
"After you tell how you came by that axe, boy. If the story is good enough, I may even let you keep it."
=================
Gozran 25, Drazan and Istiel
=================
Istiel returns the weary eyeing, before settling into a dull stare. Everything sentence the... Minus Da Roam...? said caused her mind to cascade into a thousand questions, which all inevitably crashed into each other and canceled to a net zero. She wishes Imix, Oios, and Naira were here to make sense of all this.
She finally collects her wits enough to ask a few obvious questions. "Your kind ruled this valley before Damballah brought life to it? Where did they go? Why? What is a Sworn Ranger? Who are you Sworn to?" And perhaps, the most important question: "Why do people that turn into wolves need metal axes or earth?"
The monk shakes her head at the mention of Te-Moak. "No. If you lie it is the greatest tale I have heard. We will take you to Suriname Imix. He will be eager to speak to you. Others as well."
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Drazan sneers at the shape-changing man, and takes his axe into both hands tilting his chin up in defiance. The axe was pried from the dead hands of a restless skeleton. There is no skald here to make it interesting for you. What do you intend to do when you come face to face with the Suriname?
================
================
Mother Hunger cocks one bushy eyebrow, the slightest hint of amusement sparkling in his eyes.
"Well... you're right. You're certainly no skald. I intend, Man of the Loincloth, to ask the Suriname how he did what he did. I've not seen that... ever, actually."
"But my people have long treated with the Nargun. Or so the myths say. And we all have myths, Lady Behind the Mask. Damballah brought life to the Valley, or he did not. Or he did and then we came along. Who is to say? Not I, She Who Hides Her Face. But we can share myths on the way back to your Shade's Home. I'll come back at dawn, and we'll make the journey."
"You can keep the axe, Tall, Bald, and Fearsome."
To both of his targets he ends the interview first with a warning.
I do not expect you to agree each other, I do not even expect you to even like each other, but the people of Shadeholme need BOTH of you working and not against each other. Shadeholme comes before your petty dispute.
Then Oios mutters a prayer to Damballah under his breath and motions towards them.
A blessing for us all in the hard times ahead he says gnomically.
In his meditations since the terrible events of the grove Oios had started to feel... glimmerings of insight into the nature of the world. It was as if being exposed to mad impossibilities of the recent days had somehow expanded his understanding of the world instead of upended it. With the expanded understanding came a... sort of divine sixth sense.. into the taint of magic, the presence of armor, an understanding of rifts into distant places and planes.. and into the mind of others. He had spent time with Telowo and on his own coming to grips with the new gift. With his words he put them into practice in sensing what truly mattered to the commanders in whose hands the safety of the people of Shadeholme would be placed.
Oios nods at the Suriname and follows.
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Gozran 25, Drazan and Istiel
================
Istiel shrugs, content to wait until tomorrow for her answers. "I look forward to it. This is new to us all. The Suriname will also be pleased to speak with you." She says while settling back on the ground, pulling the deer hide blanket back around her body.
The monk leans her back against the tree, watching the retreating form of Mother hunger. "These are strange times." she remarks to Drazen when the Mynyth Darohm was gone. She leans her head against the bark of the tree, staring up at the stars for a moment.
Sleep would come easier tonight, knowing the wolves ate Mountain Men. Well, the mountain men they didn't like...
==================
==================
Sarre snorts, disdain showing on her face. "Fine. I'll leave Sergeant Serious alone."
---------------
Antuk nods, face grave. "Of course. Although - respectfully - our dispute is not petty. It gets to the heart of who we wish to be. Are we to be savages too?"
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Gozran 25, Drazan and Istiel
================
Drazan shakes his head in disbelief, Calling this strange is putting it mildly. Shadeholme will regret aligning with this monster but for now there is no other choice. Any wicked thing willing to push out the First Flame, will find a desparate Shadeholme friend. We just make sure that if and when this is over, Three People or Shadeholme are on top.
====================
Gozran 24, Naira
====================
Naira attempted to wrap her mind over what was going on. What magic could do this, surely none that she had known. In the absence of life, she searched for death. Small bugs, fish, even sifting the bottom of the pond for leeches. Were they disintegrated, dead, or had the time to leave the grove, she wondered.
The fetish hadn’t broke with her touch, the Undine knew this meant it to be magic. Her initial assessment was that it was the cause of the corruption, but through study, developed the idea that it instead attracted the blight. Had someone developed an arcane talent for corruption and pollution just as Naira had honed her talents over the domains of water and weather? Is that what the Frozen train their sorcerers for?
As Thom’s home disintegrated with her touch, Naira stopped, noticing the cracked black shards. Waiting for her gloves’ magic to expire, she examined them more closely. First, she attempted to place them back together, as if it was a child’s puzzle or sorts.
Placing her equipment and the black-egg (shards?) into her bag, Naira returned to Shadeholme.
====================
Gozran 24, Imix, Oios and Naira
====================
"Naira. Your skill with water and wood exceeds mine. I need you to help me sink what may be our last hope - so that it will float again if we need it."
Naira nods. She was certain that with a night of rest, she could rend the canoes and keelboats to the point that only her magic could repair them. It would take time, but she was confident in her powers. Taking the boats, however, was another matter. “Perhaps we can steal them under a blanket of fog... Should we bring soldiers for protection?”
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Gozran 24, Imix, Oios and Naira
====================
I believe the Suriname wants to leave them there, destroyed, for now but have you repair them should we need them when we flee. How long would it take for you to destroy and how long to repair Naira?
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Gozran 24, Imix, Oios and Naira
====================
"A dozen canoes? No more than ten minutes." she guessed. "The keel-boats however, depending on their size..." Her voice quiets as she quickly computes the time. "Maybe thirty minutes to an hour for six of them. Same time to fix it all, though create or destroy, I'll be drained by the end of either act."
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Gozran 24, Imix, Oios and Naira
====================
"How much to make them look damaged, then?" Imix hisses. "Every day we leave them there is a day they might be taken. If we cannot ensure they stay, we should ready ourselves to take them now. Twelve canoes, Six boats - with this we could move the whole of Shadeholme."
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Gozran 24, Imix, Oios and Naira
====================
Naira puts her hands to her brow in thought. "Why destroy them, let us keep the boats intact, cripple their effectiveness. Rudders, sails, paddles. I'll have our fleet useless or repaired in minutes. Short of the current, they'll be without a means to be used by the Frozen."
Naira's gaze shifts back to the Suriname, brow low, irked by his tone. "Well, Suriname," she grins a taunting smile, "does your magic contribute nothing here? Let us hear what you can do."
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=================
=================
Yellow eyes reflect from the treeline in the morning light. Quickly, you pack your things and get on your way, Mother Hunger and her wolves moving silently through the woods beside you. As before, you take a circuitous route, avoiding the occasional warbands you come across.
Breaking for lunch, Mother Hunger shifts to her birth form and joins you. Chewing thoughtfully on a bit of dried eel jerky, he pulls a bramble from his beard and begins the story of his people.
"Not all of my people can take other forms. Just us Dendarim. We're an ancient order, the Dendarim. Fifteen generations, by my memory, have stalked these lands above, watching. For when the Mynyth Darohm return. My people worked this Valley, thousands of years ago. It was a far outpost of our kingdom, which stretched to the east of your Father of Waters and into the mountains, and to the south, all the way to the coast. Great underground roads connected the towns and fortresses of the Darohm, both on this world and the one below it, under the trees and rivers, where the Nargun dwell."
"Trade stretched along these subterranean roads: wood, food, salt, made their ways into the earth, to the center of our kingdom, while metal and jewels came up, in the form of weapons, like your axe, and like your goldstones, and your armor, but stronger, tempered in fire. My people were great craftsmen. Better warriors than yours, and better builders as well."
"Then, the cataclysm. The land to the south dropped in one horrific shaking of the earth, one thousand feet in a day. When the land dropped, the old roads that stretched across my people's kingdom were severed in horrific moment. Many - most, perhaps - of my people died; the Kingdom of the Mynyth Darohm was sundered."
"Those of my people that lived here, in the now-called Baunti Valley, could not decide on a plan. There were two that eventually emerged."
"Those to the east of your Father of Waters would tunnel down, and abandon the surface world... for a time. They destroyed the surface entrances the great city Ahalem Mynon, which lay below the floodplain to the east. From Ahalem Mynon they would tunnel south, eventually reconnecting with our people."
"Those that lived in the west of the Valley would go overland, through the ruptured lands of the cataclysm, and find our people. A caravan of thousands set out, on a fine spring day, including many of my relatives."
"The Order of the Dendarim would stay behind. We were to watch over the land above, and once our people returned, we would be the lorekeepers, the guides, the diplomats for what came in my people's absence. We were once plentiful, a couple of hundred knights. But time makes all things weak, even the Gods. Our number dwindled, less children were born."
Mother Hunger absently lifts another piece of eel jerky to his mouth, his eyes staring into the past. Shaking his head, he looks to you.
"I fear I am the last of my people."
====================
Gozran 24, Imix, Oios and Naira
====================
It would be simpler to just take the boats, and if we are stopped from doing so than sink them. Oios says How proficient are you at controlling the currents Sorceress? Could it aid us in our flight if we choose to go over water?
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Gozran 24, Imix, Oios and Naira
====================
"Aid, certainly. I could have a storm trail behind us, or conjure whirlpools at any who dare chase us. I could have a fog cover our numbers where the waters slow." As her bragging ends, her smile fades. "But the current itself? I can do little to shift its course."
=================
Gozran 26, Drazan and Istiel
=================
The morning brought the rebirth of Ayida-Wedu, light, warmth, and on this particular day, a hairy talking man-wolf thing.
A half day's travel back west finds them back where they were before, and as they walked Istiel wondered how the news of Te-Moak's supposed destruction would be received. Naira would not take it well.
At lunch Istiel sits on the lichen covered remains of a fallen tree, the bottom half of her mask unclasped to allow for handfuls of nuts and hard cheeses to disappear under the black silk that covers the entirety of her head and neck.
She listens to the story with equal parts confusion and awe, allowing Mother Hunger to finish before commenting. "Your story is fantastical. But I have no reason to believe you are lying. Drazen's axe is evidence as well."
Her hands reach behind her head to begin tying the lower portion of her mask back around her neck. "You say there have been fifteen generations of Dendarium. Yet our people have been here for over seventeen thousand years. Yet we have never discovered your kind. Those are not human lifespans. How old are you? How did you learn our language?"
"This city... Ahalem Mynon? It is under the ground?" She seems to be particularly interested in this idea. "Abandoned? Do you know where it is? Is there no way to get to it now? Are there other cities under the ground?"
If we could escape under the ground the Frozen all never find the villagers. It would be a safe place for them.
====================
Gozran 24, Imix, Oios and Naira
====================
"Suriname magic is inherently risky. I could turn the boats into birds, I suppose, and fly them into Shadeholme. Magic on that scale could just as easily shatter them to splinters though." Imix seems thoughtful as he continues "I should be able to help speed our flight, at least a little, without too much risk."
At Oios' comment the Suriname's forehead wrinkles in annoyance "Obviously. But without a secured port, once we take them we are committed. If we moor them outside Shadeholmes walls, even unobservant barbarians could hardly mistake our intention. If we take the boats, we need to use them immediately." The gruff magician flicks his fingers in irritation "Unless you are suggesting we ready ourselves to leave tomorrow? Or just risk leaving the boats there until then?"
=================
=================
Mother Hunger shrugs. "Your people haven't been here for seventeen thousand years. How many, I don't know. Myself, I quit counting my age at two-hundred and eight winters."
Swallowing his last bite of eel, Mother Hunger clears his throat and spits a glob of yellow flem onto a nearby tree. "I learned your language from my mother. It will important to our people, after all, to treat with yours, when they return. Thank you for lunch."
A few seconds pass, and again the wolf stands in front of you, her tongue lolling from her mouth. "Ahalem Mynon is across the Father of Waters. Above the marshy lands to the east, in the foothills of the Teeth of the World, there was once two great statues of our people carved into the foothills. They were destroyed when the entrance was covered. I haven't been there myself - my charge is to remain in this great forest - but I know, roughly, where it is. As to whether Ahalem Mynon is abandoned, I cannot say."
"There were not many of my peoples' cities around here - mostly logging camps and small towns. These woods were sparesly settled by my people. We tarry. Let's move on, back into the storm.
===================
===================
The rain comes down relentless. In the distance, three forms come crouched from the treeline, and make their way across the blackened bridge over the Cheya Canal. Drazan and Istiel, accompanyied by a large red-coated wolf. Aktuk opens the gate, the guards weapons drawn...
====================
Gozran 24, Imix, Oios and Naira
====================
The undine stepped forward. "Tomorrow. Early morning or late evening would perhaps be the best time. I need my rest, you should see what I did at Th-"
Naira reaches into her bag, and removes the black, heavy egg-shell shards. "Have you seen anything like this? I found them in what remains of Thom's home."
==================
==================
Slipping out the secret tunnel, you make your way up the canal, both of you expert swimmers. The canal, as Imix discovered before, is silent, the rain slowing as you make your way towards the boats, until it is just a drizzle.
Wading onto the levee and then out of the canal, you stop at the first keelboat. As before, the levee is abandoned, though not unchanged.
Carved into the side of the first keelboat, facing southward towards Eel Mound, a message, written in the Takayan alphabet: Leave the priest, take the boats.
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Mother Hunger shrugs. "Your people haven't been here for seventeen thousand years. How many, I don't know. Myself, I quit counting my age at two-hundred and eight winters."
Istiel corrects herself. "Hundred. I meant seventeen hundred. This is the year 1767 since the maesters began recording it."
She stays silent as Mother hunger describes the potential location of Ahalem Mynon. Hazel eyess stare for a few moments, lost in thought. The foothills? It is a longer distance than Te-Moak. Perhaps we can bargain for information. There must be other places similar to the tomb Drazen found.
Wordlessly, she rises as the wolf takes off, effortlessly hefting her traveling supplies over a shoulder.
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As they slip into the gate, Istiel gestures at Aktuk to lower his weapon. "Stand down. This wolf is Mother Hunger from the Towering Forest. She is my guest and under my protection. See no harm comes to her."
The gate closing behind her, Istiel glances from the rapidly vanishing outside to the mud-caked safety of the inner walls. "Send men to fetch Suriname Imix, Oios, and Naira. We must speak with them. We will be in the High Hall."
She begins to walk to the nearby High Hall, gesturing for Mother Hunger to follow. The monk walks with the air of confidence that should temporarily dispel any panic stemming from leading a wolf about town.
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Gozran 24, Imix, Oios and Naira
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We could use them, or use them as a decoy.. Oios says But this magic is beyond me, if you two can come with a scheme that keeps the element of surprise then by all means.
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Gozran 26, High Hall
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Mother Hunger... Oios says, somewhat shocked, to see the wolf padding along the beleaguered streets of Shadeholme as if it was the most natural thing in the world. This is a... surprise. he closes his eyes and mutters an increasingly familar prayer to Damballah to unveil what is usually obscured.
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Gozran 26, High Hall
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Drazan hasn't let go of his axe since encountering the wolf shifter, and even now still holds it at the ready. Mother Hunger, is looking for Imix, that Suriname, Drazan barely contains his mixed disapproval and digust, 'He' is curious on how Imix managed to summon the Nargun, or whatever that monster is called.
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Mother Hunger paces in a circle, her eyes on the guardsmen, before tilting her head and looking at Oios. "Hello, Babe-In-The-Woods. Nice to smell your scent again. Do you still have the ghandasa I gave you?"
Aktuk nods to Drazan and gives a curt order. "You heard the man! Aelish, fetch the Suriname!"
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A guard approaches, breathing heavily. "S-s-suriname! A... talking wolf asks for you! At the High Hall!"
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Gozran 26, High Hall
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Oios nods. Recent events had completely driven the blood stained knife, a relic of a time when a few murdered bodies in the woods was of utmost importance, from his mind. But it was still there in his pack.
Yes, it was of great value in uncovering certain mysteries. If they had been uncovered years before then it might even have made a difference. As it is it other happenings have quite overshadowed the meaning behind the bloody knife though it is, of course, all connected. pleasantries down Oios looks to Drazan and Isitel It seems your scouting expedition bore fruit.
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Gozran 26, High Hall
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Drazan locks eyes with Oios, and shakes his head with a mix of sadnessc and hatred, According to Hunger's account, all lost to the First Flame's attack, lost to their fires. A revisiting of priorities will need to be made quickly when the time is right.
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Gozran 26, High Hall
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Istiel unceremoniously throws herself into a seat at the meeting table, the legs scraping across the stone floor with a high pitched squeal. The monk seems agitated.
"Mother Hunger says Te-Moak burns." She reports to Oios, crossing her arms and looking at the large red wolf. "Frozen patrol the roads heavily." Istiel continues, unfocusing and staring off into the distance. "They do not patrol the canals. But they hold all the bridges over them."
She turns her head to Oios, no expression on her wooden face. Instead, a deep scowl rides her voice. "The hamlet of Emmon's Way has been occupied by a Frozen clan called The Carapace. Their women and young live in the homes of our people."
Anger reverberates through her throat,just as thunder shakes an anvilhead cloud. "This is not a war. It is an infestation!"
Naira grins as they exit the frigid water. Freezing, surely, but the water was pure, unlike what she'd been standing in and examining for the last few days. Before she can say anything, she reads the text inscribed on the boat.
"Not a message for us, is it?" The sorceress slips on her leather gloves, and wraps her fingers along the side of the keel boat. She prepared to pull herself up. "Break them or take them, now is the time to decide."
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Naira reaches into her bag, and removes the black, heavy egg-shell shards. "Have you seen anything like this? I found them in what remains of Thom's home."
"Never." admitted Imix reluctantly. It does bear some familiarity though. Did you find this in the water? How go your investigations? Have you learned anything?"[/b]
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"Devil's Deal." murmured Imix, and thinks for a moment.
"Break them." he grunts. "Any gain they make, we lose. There can be no compromise with the Flame. Perhaps they'll take this as a message."
Once the boats are sunk, he looks at the Engineer with new eyes. "That was a significant display of power, Naira Boatbreaker. I had worried you were too young for such a task. Skill - not strength - is what determines the power of a Suriname. Thus age equates to power. I had known it was not the same with sorcerors, but I had worried I would be carrying you back from this task. How tired are you?" He hesitates "No. This is a conversation for having in a quiet room in Shadeholme, tomorrow."
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Imix responds with characteristic alacrity when Aelish delivers the summons. Stopping only to gesture for Naira to accompany him, he had taken off through the halls, struggling to secure the ceremonial gear that has become his habitual wear.
He slows abruptly just before the entrance, then enters calmly, careful to hide his panting.
"Infestation?" He asks curiously, then turns to the wolf and bows from the waist. "I am the Suriname Imix."