"I don't fear you. I'm like a storm, too. But storms don't have to destroy. And I bet if you gave people a chance you'd find out why it can be so nice to have them around.""I don't understand."
"I don't care if beings fear me. They just do."
"I am like a storm."
"If people were around me it'd be dangerous. One of them would be bound to make me angry."
"I don't understand. Something about balance."
"They are to bring me things and make me happy."
"Yeah, I have that problem too. When I get mad, Boom! Lightning and wind and hail and people get hurt. Some of them died. I'm trying to learn how to control it. It's not very easy, but I don't want to be all alone forever, so I'll keep working at it."
"And listen to you, selfish girl. Why can't you get things for yourself? People don't exist to be your servants. You should learn to be nicer. Then you'd have friends and that would make you much happier."
She sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. There's no reason for us to argue. If we're both not safe to be around others, then there's no reason why we can't play together, right? Here, catch," she said forming a miniature waterspout and sending it towards Tempest.
"I don't fear you. I'm like a storm, too. But storms don't have to destroy. And I bet if you gave people a chance you'd find out why it can be so nice to have them around.""I don't understand."
"I don't care if beings fear me. They just do."
"I am like a storm."
"If people were around me it'd be dangerous. One of them would be bound to make me angry."
"I don't understand. Something about balance."
"They are to bring me things and make me happy."
"Yeah, I have that problem too. When I get mad, Boom! Lightning and wind and hail and people get hurt. Some of them died. I'm trying to learn how to control it. It's not very easy, but I don't want to be all alone forever, so I'll keep working at it."
"And listen to you, selfish girl. Why can't you get things for yourself? People don't exist to be your servants. You should learn to be nicer. Then you'd have friends and that would make you much happier."
She sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. There's no reason for us to argue. If we're both not safe to be around others, then there's no reason why we can't play together, right? Here, catch," she said forming a miniature waterspout and sending it towards Tempest.
Tempest turns and smashes the waterspout with her tail, sending a wave out of the pool towards Arielle. She disappears under the water.
"I'm sorry, Arielle. Tempest is very young. And she is drawn to violence."
"Thank you for trying. Let her digest your words as best she can. We will hope they take root."
"I'm sorry, Arielle. Tempest is very young. And she is drawn to violence."
"Thank you for trying. Let her digest your words as best she can. We will hope they take root."
"It's okay. I'm not actually any older than she is. And just as dangerous," she added miserably, looking down. "I've just been lucky enough to have people around me that love me. Obviously it makes a difference. I'll keep trying to be her friend if that's okay," she added looking up.
"It's okay. I'm not actually any older than she is. And just as dangerous," she added miserably, looking down. "I've just been lucky enough to have people around me that love me. Obviously it makes a difference. I'll keep trying to be her friend if that's okay," she added looking up."I'm sorry, Arielle. Tempest is very young. And she is drawn to violence."
"Thank you for trying. Let her digest your words as best she can. We will hope they take root."
"Dangerous and powerful, but Tempest is a Fury. She's very...primal...ruled by her power and emotion."
"Friendship is not anything her kind has ever known. I've tried, but you might succeed where I have yet to. But, please careful."
"Dangerous and powerful, but Tempest is a Fury. She's very...primal...ruled by her power and emotion."
"Friendship is not anything her kind has ever known. I've tried, but you might succeed where I have yet to. But, please careful."
"I'll be careful," she promised. "I guess she and I have a lot of the same problems, huh? That's what you were talking about earlier."
"I didn't really do much listening to the wind around Yggdrasil. I kinda got distracted. I'm sorry."
He speaks a word and the orb glows to life.
"Sir! I--there's--it--she's at the Grove!"
She looks up, startled. Her shoulders droop a little as she realizes that she's been spotted. So much for breathing room.
"Hon, I think we have some unexpected company," she calls out to CH.
He speaks a word and the orb glows to life.
"Sir! I--there's--it--she's at the Grove!"
She looks up, startled. Her shoulders droop a little as she realizes that she's been spotted. So much for breathing room.
"Hon, I think we have some unexpected company," she calls out to CH.
CH looks up at the sound of LJ's call and spots the man. He walks over to LJ's side.
He speaks a word and the orb glows to life.
"Sir! I--there's--it--she's at the Grove!"
She looks up, startled. Her shoulders droop a little as she realizes that she's been spotted. So much for breathing room.
"Hon, I think we have some unexpected company," she calls out to CH.
E7 turns at the sound of the call and CH's movement. He sighs. Animals begin to stir in the area, some moving away, some moving in closer. The ground itself ripples in anticipation.
"Servant! Tell your masters that this Grove will not be violated again so soon. These three are here as guests, as friends, and under our protection. Take care that you do nothing to jeopardize your presence here, or that of the Servants."
"If you want LJ, I can move him to the far edge of the forest so you can enjoy your stay here again."
"Or we can leave him alone on the terms that he does the same."
"The Grove has many protections. His undead masters may not wish to test them. They have no place in the Weave."
"For the living, there are always...other wards."
"So close to the One Tree this druid circle is unlike any other. Once named friend, all in the Grove and its forest know that person."
"If you want LJ, I can move him to the far edge of the forest so you can enjoy your stay here again."
"Or we can leave him alone on the terms that he does the same."
"Leave him be. If he decides to make trouble, then yes, moving him to the far edge of the forest would be a great idea."
"Well... that can't be good, now can it?"
She looked sad. "I had hoped for more time. And now they know I'm not dead, and where we are." She shook her head. "Nothing we could have done about it I suppose."
He puts down the orb. "W-we have done nothing to violate your Grove. We came to remove the fire. He raises the orb back to his mouth. "Lynora lives!" Then he runs away.He speaks a word and the orb glows to life.
"Sir! I--there's--it--she's at the Grove!"
She looks up, startled. Her shoulders droop a little as she realizes that she's been spotted. So much for breathing room.
"Hon, I think we have some unexpected company," she calls out to CH.E7 turns at the sound of the call and CH's movement. He sighs. Animals begin to stir in the area, some moving away, some moving in closer. The ground itself ripples in anticipation.
"Servant! Tell your masters that this Grove will not be violated again so soon. These three are here as guests, as friends, and under our protection. Take care that you do nothing to jeopardize your presence here, or that of the Servants."
"That one must be Captain Obvious. If they were in touch with the Green they would have known that. Oh well."
"You will be safe here for as long as you wish."
A whorl appears, and through it steps Kaelar.
"Life is like a river, sometimes you must endure the rapids to enjoy the rest. If the Servants choose to attack, dare to, we will turn them away. We have before, and unless they have some new surprises, we will again."
"But that is not important right now. It has been a long time since I've seen you all, how are things?"
He puts down the orb. "W-we have done nothing to violate your Grove. We came to remove the fire. He raises the orb back to his mouth. "Lynora lives!" Then he runs away.
From a tree near where the man stood a large hunting cat drops down. It sniffs the ground, taking in the scent.
A whorl appears, and through it steps Kaelar.
"Life is like a river, sometimes you must endure the rapids to enjoy the rest. If the Servants choose to attack, dare to, we will turn them away. We have before, and unless they have some new surprises, we will again."
"But that is not important right now. It has been a long time since I've seen you all, how are things?"
"Kaelar!" she says with a smile. "It has been a long time. It's been...eventful. I'm not even sure where to start."
Now that Tempest has decided she doesn't want to play, Arielle does as she was asked before and sits beside Yggdrasil, listening to the wind around it.
"Kaelar!" she says with a smile. "It has been a long time. It's been...eventful. I'm not even sure where to start."
"Considering the fire in this forest alone? I'd say so. You don't have to start is you don't want to. Did you know Nymora and Mirathan are togther now? A wedding is being planned right now I believe."
Now that Tempest has decided she doesn't want to play, Arielle does as she was asked before and sits beside Yggdrasil, listening to the wind around it.
E7 walks over to her to instruct her better, "Not just the winds around the One Tree, and not just the ones that brush against her. Listen well and you may hear Yggdrasil breathe. Then you will understand."
"Kaelar!" she says with a smile. "It has been a long time. It's been...eventful. I'm not even sure where to start.""Considering the fire in this forest alone? I'd say so. You don't have to start is you don't want to. Did you know Nymora and Mirathan are together now? A wedding is being planned right now I believe."
"Hail, Kaelar! Finally some good news for a change."
"Oops, you may not recognize me. I've found something. A bit of the past, and my old body."
"Kaelar!" she says with a smile. "It has been a long time. It's been...eventful. I'm not even sure where to start.""Considering the fire in this forest alone? I'd say so. You don't have to start is you don't want to. Did you know Nymora and Mirathan are togther now? A wedding is being planned right now I believe."
"No, I didn't know. That's wonderful."
She sighed. "The short version? I tried to get settled in to the whole goddess thing. It didn't take well. CH went on a spirit quest to find out the truth about his past and then to right some wrongs done to his people. He can tell you more details if he likes. Arielle's friend Tristan was being hunted by some bad people and the kids called up more power than they could handle while fighting off an attack. And then the Servants tried to kidnap her. She fought back and got away, but she's been pretty upset since. And I went looking for the truth about my past, found it, found it a lot more complicated than I had guessed and had to give up the whole deity thing. Which leads us to here. Obviously a pretty big oversimplification of events, but it gives you the idea."
Now that Tempest has decided she doesn't want to play, Arielle does as she was asked before and sits beside Yggdrasil, listening to the wind around it.E7 walks over to her to instruct her better, "Not just the winds around the One Tree, and not just the ones that brush against her. Listen well and you may hear Yggdrasil breathe. Then you will understand."
She frowns. "I'll try. Is this like listening to plants talk?"
She frowns. "I'll try. Is this like listening to plants talk?"Now that Tempest has decided she doesn't want to play, Arielle does as she was asked before and sits beside Yggdrasil, listening to the wind around it.E7 walks over to her to instruct her better, "Not just the winds around the One Tree, and not just the ones that brush against her. Listen well and you may hear Yggdrasil breathe. Then you will understand."
"No, this much more quiet. It is very hard to achieve."
"Kaelar!" she says with a smile. "It has been a long time. It's been...eventful. I'm not even sure where to start.""Considering the fire in this forest alone? I'd say so. You don't have to start is you don't want to. Did you know Nymora and Mirathan are together now? A wedding is being planned right now I believe.""Hail, Kaelar! Finally some good news for a change."
"Oops, you may not recognize me. I've found something. A bit of the past, and my old body."
"The body may change, but the spirit stays the same. I am a bard, you'd be surprised by the amount of knowledge I have. Or not, seeing as I can't tell the future and thus have no way of determining your reaction. What name are you going by now?"
"No, this much more quiet. It is very hard to achieve."She frowns. "I'll try. Is this like listening to plants talk?"Now that Tempest has decided she doesn't want to play, Arielle does as she was asked before and sits beside Yggdrasil, listening to the wind around it.E7 walks over to her to instruct her better, "Not just the winds around the One Tree, and not just the ones that brush against her. Listen well and you may hear Yggdrasil breathe. Then you will understand."
She made a face. "That means it's going to take patience. I'm not very good at patience. But I'll try."
She sighed. "The short version? I tried to get settled in to the whole goddess thing. It didn't take well. CH went on a spirit quest to find out the truth about his past and then to right some wrongs done to his people. He can tell you more details if he likes. Arielle's friend Tristan was being hunted by some bad people and the kids called up more power than they could handle while fighting off an attack. And then the Servants tried to kidnap her. She fought back and got away, but she's been pretty upset since. And I went looking for the truth about my past, found it, found it a lot more complicated than I had guessed and had to give up the whole deity thing. Which leads us to here. Obviously a pretty big oversimplification of events, but it gives you the idea."
"Well, it seems I should scry more often. When will the Servants learn, you don't mess with people when they are doing nothing wrong? I have found that children... display amazing abilities when in great danger or very, very angry. No surprise that the same holds true for Arielle."
"So you traveled the Twin Rivers of Time and Spirit? No worries, it's good to have the original Champions back in action, even if there is little time to rest and relax. How is Ellara? I asked her to help at the Eyrie and have had little time to check in on her. Some lady sea-elves seem to think I'm a catch, and keep throwing nets on me to drag me away... Pun intended."
"Well, it seems I should scry more often. When will the Servants learn, you don't mess with people when they are doing nothing wrong? I have found that children... display amazing abilities when in great danger or very, very angry. No surprise that the same holds true for Arielle."
"So you traveled the Twin Rivers of Time and Spirit? No worries, it's good to have the original Champions back in action, even if there is little time to rest and relax. How is Ellara? I asked her to help at the Eyrie and have had little time to check in on her. Some lady sea-elves seem to think I'm a catch, and keep throwing nets on me to drag me away... Pun intended."
"Ellara was fine the last time I saw her. She seems nice."
"Hehe, last time I saw her she had just stopped screaming at me. But she can be very loyal, and she is a good friend. Always thinking she is, and like most spellcasters, it isn't always about her spells or her god. She sees more than she lets on, and has talents that still surpise me..."
"So, I was told Aidan had a little 'hiccup' as the Fire Champion?"
"Hehe, last time I saw her she had just stopped screaming at me. But she can be very loyal, and she is a good friend. Always thinking she is, and like most spellcasters, it isn't always about her spells or her god. She sees more than she lets on, and has talents that still surpise me..."
"So, I was told Aidan had a little 'hiccup' as the Fire Champion?"
"Yeah. I think the Steel Tsar's armor was probably a bad idea, Kaelar. It's gotten all mixed in with his nightmares from his time at the dark carnival. The stuff he said...He sounded a lot like Ash. She turned to evil for a lot of the same reasons. I'm worried about him."
"Not good, I thought I had washed away the Steel Tsar's sentience. He seemed fine when I last saw him, not very talkative, but fine. If the armor was affecting him, why didn't he say anything? Now he's gone into the forest, alone, and seems determined to do something. My whorls can't find him anymore, and he needs to in sight if I want to renew them. He is a very frustrating child right now."
Kaelar rubs his temples.
"Do you know where the armor is now?"
"Not good, I thought I had washed away the Steel Tsar's sentience. He seemed fine when I last saw him, not very talkative, but fine. If the armor was affecting him, why didn't he say anything? Now he's gone into the forest, alone, and seems determined to do something. My whorls can't find him anymore, and he needs to in sight if I want to renew them. He is a very frustrating child right now."
Kaelar rubs his temples.
"Do you know where the armor is now?"
"To all appearances it burned away. If you can get him back here, Arielle can probably tell you more accurately. Natural truesight tends to make that easier. I don't know, Kaelar. He seemed to shake off its influence. He felt really bad about what he'd done. But I just can't help but wonder if this is really over."
"I wouldn't worry about that right now. There are other things that require our attention, and finding Aidan before the Servants do is probably a good idea."
A myriad of whorls form around him.
"Great, just great. There are too many choices he can make for me to determine where he will be and when he will be there."
He stops and stares at one whorl, which turns black and splits in two.
"We need to find him before he finds what ever he is looking for. If he finds whatever it is, the Aidan we know will cease to exist or die."
"I wonder...This may not work. His Song may have been changed too much. But it can't hurt to try."
She concentrated as she started to hum the tune that she thought of as Aidan and wove it into a Song of Finding, trying to get some idea of his direction.
"The body may change, but the spirit stays the same. I am a bard, you'd be surprised by the amount of knowledge I have. Or not, seeing as I can't tell the future and thus have no way of determining your reaction. What name are you going by now?""Kaelar!" she says with a smile. "It has been a long time. It's been...eventful. I'm not even sure where to start.""Considering the fire in this forest alone? I'd say so. You don't have to start is you don't want to. Did you know Nymora and Mirathan are together now? A wedding is being planned right now I believe.""Hail, Kaelar! Finally some good news for a change."
"Oops, you may not recognize me. I've found something. A bit of the past, and my old body."
Ch'ack Hammer. Honoring both of my families.
Ch'ack Hammer. Honoring both of my families.
"A good choice for a good person. Remind me to get you a re-birthday present later."
"I wonder...This may not work. His Song may have been changed too much. But it can't hurt to try."
She concentrated as she started to hum the tune that she thought of as Aidan and wove it into a Song of Finding, trying to get some idea of his direction.
She follows the music as it leads her towards Aidan. She stops at the base of a tree and look up.
"Hello, Aidan."
Ch'ack Hammer. Honoring both of my families."A good choice for a good person. Remind me to get you a re-birthday present later."
"Speaking of births, have you been introduced to our daughter, Arielle? She's sitting next to Yggdrasil."
"I wonder...This may not work. His Song may have been changed too much. But it can't hurt to try."
She concentrated as she started to hum the tune that she thought of as Aidan and wove it into a Song of Finding, trying to get some idea of his direction.
She follows the music as it leads her towards Aidan. She stops at the base of a tree and look up.
"Hello, Aidan."
"Hello. I'm not coming down, all the animals keep attacking me."
"Speaking of births, have you been introduced to our daughter, Arielle? She's sitting next to Yggdrasil."Ch'ack Hammer. Honoring both of my families."A good choice for a good person. Remind me to get you a re-birthday present later."
"I assumed that was who LJ was talking about earlier. Congratulations Ch'ack Hammer, on a beautiful daughter."
"I assumed that was who LJ was talking about earlier. Congratulations Ch'ack Hammer, on a beautiful daughter.""Speaking of births, have you been introduced to our daughter, Arielle? She's sitting next to Yggdrasil."Ch'ack Hammer. Honoring both of my families."A good choice for a good person. Remind me to get you a re-birthday present later."
"Thank you. Sorry I don't have a cigar to give you."
"No worries, I don't smoke. I tend to spend my time near or in water, so cigars wouldn't stay lit. Smoking would also hurt my lungs, which could make my songs weaker."
"No worries, I don't smoke. I tend to spend my time near or in water, so cigars wouldn't stay lit. Smoking would also hurt my lungs, which could make my songs weaker."
"I had bubblegum and chocolate cigars too but I think LJ ate the leftovers."
"Hello. I'm not coming down, all the animals keep attacking me."
"Hello, Aidan."
"Yes, I can see where that might be a problem. I don't think that they'll attack you while you're with us. But if you'd rather stay up there, I'll just tell Kaelar where you are. He was looking for you."