Chapter One: The Golden Age [Interstice]

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

3rd Ascending Air, RY 770. Kokito Village and surroundings.


Creation is much as it has been these past seven hundred-odd years. The moon has since stopped its circuit of the sky, Ignis Divine breaks the plane of Creation. Mercury shines for one last second before being engulfed by the light.


The sun dawns with a hint of red in its golden perfection. Soon, the world begins to wake. It is as it has been since the beginning of Time and even before then. A rooster belts out the dawn in Kokito, songbirds begin to let out little arias in the trees of a grove, and a small camp alongside the Wailing Road wakes.


To Garda


You'll walk in the door of the inn right as the innkeep comes out, yawning still, sweeping the steps of dust. "Oh! Hello there...I thought you had simply left last night. How goes?"


To Blef


You'll awaken alive and well in the inn...thank the Dragons. Perhaps, just for now, this place is well outside the Society's grasp. Perhaps.

 

[Persell]

Garda


"No, it was simply a beautiful night and I wished to spend it under the stars, this place reminds me of home."


"Breakfast would be wonderful if its available."


I'll sit and eat awhile. If Blef doesn't stir for awhile I'm going to take back off into the town and countryside to get a clearer look around.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

To Garda


A light fire is going to stave off the cool air seeping in the cracks of the stone and windows.


"How did you enjoy your first view of the Floodplain and so on? This region is rather renowned, well...further north is. This part of the 'Plain is regarded as cursed because of Siren and the Orleans Barrows some miles north of here. It's a small shadowland, often heaped in with Siren. Far as we know...nothing truly happens round here save the occasional mad ghost needing put down by the thaumaturges from Shalebridge, but I can't rightly say. This is a quiet part of Shale, for the most part." The innkeep rattles on, bringing out a small glass of wine for your breakfast.


"Now, that's not to say we don't have issues with small gods or perhaps the inhabitants of the Bogs. But that's a decidedly ingrained thing anymore. No one knows why or how, just every so often, we get up in arms with one another." She laughs, "Shut me up when you feel it necessary."


A few of the other tennants must be awake, you'll hear footsteps coming down the stairs behind the check-in desk.

 

[Persell]

Garda


"ah, no wine for me yet, not till the sun crosses the yard hour. But do continue I find this place rather fascinating, me and my compatriot are planning on heading into Shalebridge, how much further is it?" "And do you know what may be of some interest there?"

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

To Grin


"Waken, louse. You sleep far too much for a man who has higher ambition." The snake's metallic voice rings in your ear.


You know it to be the snake, but in your mind's eye it turns into a wail at the center of a hurricane the size of the world. All flowing to a center filled with lightning and falling ethereal forms like silk seen through sunlight. Flowing into it like an unstopped drain, catching all the wailing filth of the world. The forms have faces. So many faces.


There from the center...it's like an arm coming toward you, millions of souls lashing out in a stream. Coming closer, thousands of faces and arms and such wounds they carry...


You'll jolt upward in your tent, looking around only to see the snake looking up at you calmly, tasting the air.


"Nightmares are the sign of a guilty mind, cleanse it. It is of no use to you."

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

To Garda


She'll hold up a finger, walking over to the desk and fishing around under the desk for an old and cracked map. "Oh...if you boys are just goin' on foot, probably...two, maybe three weeks to get there? There are some caravans that usually run on the Wailing Road north of here. Usually heading east, west or north. They most likely can get ye where you're goin'."

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

To Anju


You are the hunter in the night, there a rabbit quietly moving along in the brush, finding the best clump of grass to gnaw upon. Quietly, you stalk up, avoiding any branches or thick roots or leaves underfoot. No noise. Never any noise. Your tail twitches as you get closer, every scent and brush of air flicks your whiskers.


...


...


Then the pounce! The little rabbit tries to flee, only caught in your jaws and wrung about until its neck snaps. Its little bloody mouth opens to a great, horrid scream slowly dying out as life drains away. Pleased, you tromp back through the dark, black wood around you. You lose your way and soon find yourself going in circles.


Time passes. There is a clearing ahead, light...precious light!


Slipping into it, kill still firmly in your jaws you come upon an old rotting tree, black and surrounded by bloated, great roots seeping into the earth. Between each knot of wood thrusts out a human arm, leg or just hands, all covered in blood.


Then it starts, coming from the tree, the roots, the mouth of the dead rabbit clamped in your own. The rabbit starts to move.


Then you jolt awake.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

To Lyrik, Kaya and Adair


You three, and a large part of the camp will be awoken be a loud gasp and shriek and the sounds of flailing and a bout of the most childish curses you've yet to hear in your lives. Then the sound of spitting and the tripping of a flailing young girl. Anju's dreams again. Never a better faithful alarm clock in the whole of Creation!


Might as well wake...even if it is the literal crack of dawn.


To Kaya


In point of fact, she'll trip into your tent for a moment and then sprawl on the ground, swiping at her tongue.

 

[Persell]

Garda


"Well if I can find a caravan that wouldn't mind some hangers on that would be excellent, I could certainly offer some guard services in exchange for passage."

 

[Yu Jie]

Kaya


Jolting awake at the sudden intrusion into her tent, Kaya's hands reached for her blades. Realizing that the shape was somewhat smaller and familiar, her hand eased away from the daiklaives. Squinting through her sleep-fogged eyes, her brain managed to identify the intruder. She rushed over to hover over the slight form lying on the ground. "Anju? Gods...the dreams again? Anju!" Roughened hands closed over the slight girl's shoulders, picking her upper body up, cradling her carefully.

 

[Foxtailed_Teki]

Anju


“Phhbft! Phhbttthh!†Anju finished the last of her flailing as she finally ditched her blanket now several yards away from her tent. Later she’d be thankful that at least she managed to find the proper exit to her tent instead of taking on one of the tent walls. For the moment, she was concerned that wiping her tongue on the traitorous piece of fabric that was her blanket had not –in fact- assisted in cleaning her tongue off.


One might say it made it worse.


Before ceasing flailing lead to better balance, Anju tripped over a root –“Shap bweeding trees!†and topped into a tent. Kaya’s tent. At least it wasn’t Saeka’s tent. And up she was hoisted from the ground into a more dignified position, her jaw and tongue working fast to reject some flavor or texture.


It did beg the question, which tasted better, dirt or zombie rabbit?


“Harro,†Anju tried a half swallow, and then perked up long enough to spit out the words, “Doyouwanna checkthe foodupplies with me?â€

 

[Thorn Darkblade]

Impetuous Grin


He looked about the tent, then at the snake.


"Not a nightmare of guilt. No, one of deeper meaning, I reckon. I saw that...void...again. Like last time...but, I'm not sure what it means yet..."


He got up and found some finery for the day, carefully donning it.


"Now, to make sure my little speech actually got through to my men..."


He casually motioned his arm be the snake, allowing it to slither up and clasp around his neck once more, before leaving the tent to see what the day brought.

 

[Yu Jie]

Kaya


"Little one, I'm not sure what I should say to that request. I should hope that after all that tongue wiping that I saw, that it was not the food supplies that you've recently been in." Seeing the younger Lunar's small attempt at levity, Kaya's expression softened, along with her voice. At least this time Anju fared better, seeming to recover swiftly. Though in truth, the horrible sight of seeing her sprawled on the ground made her stomach clench tightly, thinking that someone had come upon them in the night and attacked.


Her hand rubbed comfortingly on Anju's back, Kaya's eyes scanned the campsite, seeing a few people peeking out of their tents, hair still mussed in crazy angles. "That looked like a rather bad one this time. Do you want to talk about it?" It was the same tone she used on her younger sisters when they'd wake up crying in the night. Soft and soothing.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

To Grin


"Because you touched a Soulbreaker. They're a slice of what savants call the Void, you're seeing exactly what you're meant to see. Nothing more."


Despire the Asp's words, your men do surprise you some with what you see. They're already packing and getting ready to get onto the road. They'll be ready within the hour or so, it seems. Very fine indeed. The porters are working like machines, much like all porters and teamsters when so motivated. Ox is quietly aiding his men; Delios and Grisco are looking at maps and gauging the weather and winds.

 

[Foxtailed_Teki]

Anju


As politely as possible, Anju took a final few swipes at her tongue while Kaya talked. A tentative swallow and nothing irritated her beyond belief. Probably the best part of the morning so far- that and the backrub.


“First, I must check the food supplies!†Anju declared as she stood up, “It’s important.â€


After a second she tacked on, “I was trying to get blanket lint off my tongue.â€

 

[Thorn Darkblade]

Impetuous Grin


"Well, it seems they did listen after all."


He walked over to his men.


"So, which route appears to be the fastest?"

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

To Grin


Delios turns round to greet you, "Morning. We've checked the maps, and really, we're on the quickest path for this area. Just head east along this Wailing Road and then hook north when we come to Iglon Glade. Simple as that, another two hours or three east and we should find it. Nothing more than a crossroads with an inn." He shrugs, scratching his pocked chin, "Best way to go."

 

[Yu Jie]

Kaya


Chuckling, Kaya gave the little Lunar a few more comforting swipes across her back after she rose, a single swift unfolding of her long legs. "Let me assist you in checking the food stores then." With a quick duck back into her tent, she retrieved the long wrap that she used to cover head in the daytime and her twin blades. In just a few twists, her long, flowing hair was hidden from view, the weapons sheathed at her back.


"Lead on," she encouraged Anju with a smile as she reappeared. "And hopefully we'll have ourselves a good breakfast."

 

[Foxtailed_Teki]

Anju


“We always have a good breakfast, and Jonas and I went hunting last night, so maybe we’ll have more than beef.†Anju chattered as she went straight for wagon that held the caravan’s food.


Now, Jonas’d dressed the rabbits last night, so it wasn’t like she was going to find whole rabbits to count. Not that a lump of legs could be mistaken for a body. Still, that didn’t mean it’d hurt to check.


“I’d like venison.†Anju decided out loud as she clambered into the wagon.

 

[Chaka]

Amilar Blefuscu


Sitting upright, checking himself prefunctorily for needle-marks and checking the floor for caltrops, Blefuscu swung his legs out of bed, lowering his feet directly in to his boots (after removing the hairs stretched almost to breaking point across the lip; no scorpions in his shoes). Checking the various warning systems he'd jerry-rigged about the room (mostly further strands of hair to detect if anything was moved) and finding them all unbroken, Blefuscu nodded satisfactorily, completed his morning ablutions and headed downstairs in search of an ale and some breakfast.


It's not paranoia, he reflected. Not when they really are out to get you.

 

[Thorn Darkblade]

Impetuous Grin


He nodded at Delios with a slight smile.


"Very good, then. The men will enjoy a short stop, and we can resupply. Everyone sleep well through that blasted Siren?"

 

[Negative Thac0]

Adair


Adair had refused the light's greeting twice that morning, but Anju's yelp finally wrestled him from slumber. His hand went to his sword, but he only sighed, shaking his head.


"Poor thing." He thought, pulling himself up into a standing position. He was still dressing himself when he poked his head out of his tent to confirm the status of the camp.


"The sun is barely up, and already you two are up to no good, eh?" He smirked at Anju and Kaya, pulling his shirt on. "And without me, even."

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

To Amilar


Hmm, nothing of note in the hall either.


You'll find yourself coming downstairs along with several of the other guests. An elderly couple, Nathirian by dress you'd venture. Another is simply some wayfarer much like yourself, dressed in old leathers, wools and such with a shaggy mop of red hair. He's mumbling for a beer when he sits down at one of the tables. The old folks ask for wine.


Garda's sitting at the far table again, eating breakfast and speaking with the innkeep. The common room is cool, but looks to be warm soon with the madam's aides tossing logs on the fire.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

To Grin


Grisco quirks an eyebrow. "What, you heard it again last night? We all slept like babes in our cradles."


Delios clears his throat, "Spooked, boss?" Both men laugh. "I'll admit it's like nothing I ever heard, but not too horrid."

 

[Chaka]

Amilar Blefuscu


Amilar walks over to the bench with Garda and sits down, his headscarf hanging about his shoulders. "Morning all. Have fun, Garda?"