The Long Walk
If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.
From Kayapo's Musings...
Saman Ziv has told me of the three great spiritual paths. The first, that some people experience the larger world of the Great Spirit through prayer, ritual and meditation; usually through a cultural focus such as the worship of the passions in Barsaive. The second, that some people explore the world of the mind and thought, and learn to see the fingerprints of the Great Spirit through science and art. The third, the path of the Shaman, is to go out and experience the world; open, accepting, and to test each moment for the weight of reality it might contain. A moment of idle chatter might not be “real”, though the love and connection the chatter is on the surface of may be. The moment when a woman gently touches the face of her child carries weight, as does the moment when we choose to embrace anger, hatred, fear, gentleness, love… The shaman is open to the world of life and the world of spirit, and EXPERIENCES reality.
So, to experience.
I flitted on the breezes in Throal and saw several animal spirits congregating around a pair of elven beastmasters Named Skribilz and Orfen. The spirits told me that the two had good hearts but were going into the shadow of danger. They were accompanied by a quiet troll Swordmaster Named Bronom and a very strange human troubadour Named Patrique.
The human seemed to have a need to be the center of attention and was involved in some sort of strange competitive ritual with Orfen, as the two of them talked louder and louder, venting strong opinions about things they seemed to know little about. I do not judge, but I did wonder what was going on within the silence of their spirits, that they needed to work so hard to drown it out.
Evidently, the administrators of Throal had concerns about a place called the Valley of Marrek to the east. Records showed that a number of kaers in the area did not make it through the Scourge and had been looted. Our employer wished us to go to a kaer not yet heard from, Named Owresa, and determine its fate. They provided Patrique with a map <to hex 48.06> and a charm that could be used to contact people inside the wards if they were still sealed within. They also provided tickets for passage on a riverboat to take us to the valley. We were to meet the boat in the River Town of Sosanopa.
And so we set out.
We walked the road from Throal to the Sosanopa to meet the boat. Orfen and Patrique continued their game, while I found the companionship of Skribilz and Bronom restful.
We did not spend much time in Sosanopa, just passed through to the docks. The river boat was a marvel and the t’skrang moved like dancers on the voyage. I think I shall never tire of the beauty of the river and the feel of the breeze as I watched from up in the rigging.
After debarking on the far side of the Throal mountains, we walked within the deep forest I love so well. The wilderness speaks to my spirit so profoundly. The veil between the worlds is thin when light shafts through the forest canopy and glints off the clear waters of a stream.
While in the forest depths, we ran across a Great Tree nestled in a node of spirit and of life magic. At the roots of the Great Tree water bubbled to the surface in a joyful spring. Bird and squirrel spirits added their song and playful dance to its branches. I paused to meditate for a moment while my companions darted into the water to splash like children.
The Tree Spirit’s child, Water-Bubbling-Up-Around-Roots, was playful, but also powerful and dangerous in the way of Nature; Nature always demands respectful caution or there are consequences. As I spotted the spirit, he began to “play” with my companions, taking the form of a waterspout. They began to choke on the spraying water, unable to leave the spring. I quickly made distracting toy boats with offerings and placed them in the water, singing to the spirit that we honored him and that here were gifts for him to enjoy. Patrique joined me and we were successful in luring the spirit away from our companions, so that they might leave the water safely. I made a final offering to the Great Tree and Water Bubbling, bowed, and we left the spirits to their grotto.
We traveled for several days and located the site of Kaer Owresa. As we arrived, we saw a group looting the broken kaer. There was a beautiful human woman leading the looters, as well as a scout and several warriors. We noticed that she had a diamond symbol with a castle and the letter “M” on it; some sort of emblem (see sketch below).
Patrique and the woman exchanged words, and it was clear the woman was taking everything of value she could find and loading it onto a wagon.
Patrique arranged for us to peacefully enter the kaer when they were done, to gather records that might be of interest to Throal.
It appears that the unfortunate inhabitants passed away long ago, and that the adepts had done significant work to clear the kaer of remaining traps and dangers. We gathered the records and brought them back to Throal. We also noted that the direction the woman and her wagon went was from <border of hex 49.07 and hex 50.08, headed toward the mountains in hex 63.09>
Sketch of emblem

Statistics:Posted by Serespar — Mon Feb 08, 2021 9:04 pm
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