[Year 1, Water] No Dragonblooded Left Behind [Lighting A Fire]

[Laundreu]

Welcome to the Heptagram!


It was the 1st day of Ascending Water, and the seas off of the Shadowed Coast were choppy. Dark clouds mirrored the sea, promising snow later, and cold winds now. While most of the Blessed Isle remained free of the worst of winter weather, the presence of the Imperial Mountain halted storms from the Northeast over the Shadowed Coast. All in all, it would be a poor time to be at sea - for a normal ship.


The Vessel of Wisdom was not an ordinary ship. She was a rarity even in the Realm - a First Age warship refurbished to the point of being like new. No longer armed, the Vessel of Wisdom nonetheless gave an imposing and awe-inspiring impression to the inhabitants of wherever it made berth, which is why the Heptagram used it for, among other things, collecting students from the coastal towns of the Realm. The ship was nearly thirty yards in length, with a smooth - almost organic - hull formed of jade. A great mast rose from the middle of the ship, but the sail hung limp and unmoving in the storm. All around the ship, for a dozen yards to either side, the seas were glassy and calm, and for all the noise of the storm the wind never touched the ship itself.


In the distance, a greenish smudge slowly grew to a mountainous island. On the eastern end, a great sinkhole sat, hedged in with lines of salt and sorcery laid so thickly they could be seen from even this far. The air above the sinkhole shimmered with twisted Essence, and the wind briefly changed, bringing the faint sounds of dying screams and a whispering voice speaking blasphemies, before the form of a bear appeared in the clouds above, forcing the winds back to their proper strength and direction.


Finally, they passed the final cape and the Vessel of Wisdom turned towards the shore. A small, sheltered harbor sat at the base of steep granite cliffs, at the top of which could be seen the walls of the Heptagram itself. At the base of the cliffs were a dozen long stone wharves, with a number of ships tied up. The Vessel of Wisdom slid gracefully past the mundane wooden junks and came to a halt next to an empty wharf. Ropes were flung from the ship to a trio of strange, multilimbed workers, who tied the ropes to the wharf in knots that weren't humanly possible before loping away again. The hull of the ship made a creaking noise as a jade-and-steel gangplank extruded from the side of the ship and down to the wharf.


The students who couldn't arrange for their own passage to the Heptagram came out on deck first, followed by the new students - all thirty of them.


" - you hear what happened to Ragara Zhi?" one boy was saying to the girl next to him, just barely audible to the new students as they mulled about on deck.


"Who - oh, I know who you mean. He was pretty cute, for an Earth Aspect. In a big, solid sort of way."


"Well, apparently he didn't bind his neomah right - " The pair began walking down the gangplank, the last of the older students to leave. The boy's voice carried behind him, due to some trick of the wind. " - burned it right off, now he has three more growing out of his arms - "


A rotund figure stepped off of the gangplank and onto the deck, looking at the collection of new arrivals with a broad smile. "Ah, beautiful! Just beautiful! New students always bring such a smile to me. Ah, but I forget myself," he said and threw his arms out wide. "My name is Tepet Vigara, one of your teachers in the coming years, and I have the great pleasure of enrolling you in this academy. Now, if you could do me the favor of waiting under that awning - " he turned and pointed to a roofed waiting point at the base of the cliff - "while I speak with the captain for a moment, that would be just grand. I must arrange to have your luggage brought up while you go through testing!"


------


All right, we're starting this mother up! Posting format is pretty simple - Your character's name and location at the beginning of the post in bold, and seperate OOC commentary like stats and dicepools and such at the end in italics, separated from the body of the post. Basically just follow the format of this post and we're good!

 

[Persell]

Tepet Arna - Beneath the Awning


Bowing briefly to Vigara in what she hoped was a universal sign of respect to one's betters, Arna steps down the gangplank and off the boat. Humming a little tune, Arna sets a casual pace, enjoying the sights of the wharf and even, once she exits the Vessel of Wisdom's aura, the feel of the storm. It's been too long since I had a nice storm, and I am certainly glad I don't have my armor on now! If we're going to have more of these, though, I should break out the storm cloaks...


With a smile on her face and thoughts of the days to come, Arna steps under the awning. Keeping a slight distance from the gaggle of Dynasts, Arna leans against one of the corners of the awning and waits.

 

[Persell]

Peleps Koji - Beneath the Awning


Koji left the vessel with a certain amount of sadness. Armed or not, the Vessel of Wisdom was a magnificent vessel and it had been too long since he'd had the opportunity to spend any time at sea at all, much less on such a ship. His curiosity had caused him to ask a number of questions, along the way, while stopping short of becoming a pest. Still, Koji certainly couldn't complain that they hadn't arrived in style or comfort. Quite the opposite.


The way forward promised plenty of challenges, and Koji was keen to face what was to come. Bowing politely at Vigara, Koji dutifully made his way toward the awning quickly, the better to prevent anyone behind him from being slowed up. He joined the main grouping of students, offering up polite smiles to any nearby, as he informally joined the group.


Here we are. Pause. Consider. And I'm going to be very careful in binding any neomah I encounter. I like myself configured just the way I am.

 

[trowizilla]

Ledaal Coreen


Coreen practically skipped off the Vessel, her eyes wide and her accompanying breeze swirling excitedly. She'd never, ever been around so many Dragonbloods before  actually, it was generally only Grandmother Coriko, and sometimes Honored Guest Jokan, and Negevin now that he'd Exalted, but he hardly counted 'cause she'd known him since they were both tiny and also mortals  and the proximity not only of other exalts but other exalts her own age was exhilerating. "Whee!" she laughed out loud as the winter winds fluttered around her, utterly ignoring her grandmother's advice about proper decorum.


I'm at the Heptagram! Well, almost at the Heptagram. At the docks to the Heptagram, actually, but still, very very close! I wonder if there'll be as many books as Grandmother said. She's never lied, but I dunno if there's that many books in the whole world! I bet those were demons that tied up the Vessel of Wisdom... hee hee, vessel... and those kids were talking about Neomah. Ooh, if Neomah are anything like in the books, I guess you'd have to be really careful what you asked them. That was really neat the way the water was calm just for us. I bet someone talked the Water Elementals into it. Wonder if it's going to snow; I hope not! At least, not until we get to the Heptagram proper.


Too excited to think of disobedience, she followed the other students under the awning. "I wonder what's taking Professor Vigara so long," she said out loud, trying not to bounce with impatience too obviously. Her efforts to hide her wide grin were much less succesful, but what could be the harm in smiling, she reasoned. Enthusiasm was a good thing, Grandmother always said, although she usually added up to a point. "And what's this testing about?"

 

[Persell]

Mnemon Harati - Beneath the Awning.


Harati disembarked with dignity, carrying himself like a true prince of the earth with one hand resting gently on his hilt. He listened calmly to the Tepet, and followed the rest of the students under the awning, glad for any shelter from this terrible weather. Privately, he wished that it was warmer, but voiced no complaints.


With a long sigh that allowed wisps of smoke to drift from his mouth, he turned his attention to his supposed peers. As he did so, he noticed the smoke he had just exhaled being drawn into an unusual air current. The source was obvious. One overly loud, and overly excitable Child of Mela. Clearly, she had to be from some distant part of the Threshold, for no child of the Realm would act with so little restraint. No fault of her own, but annoying none the less.


At least she had the good sense to wonder about that mention of testing. He wondered what they would be asked to do. Oh well, no way to find out now, and it would be unlikely he couldn't handle whatever was asked of him. Still maybe talking with the girl would be interesting. She seemed a lot less dull than the rest of his fellow students. Putting on a smile, he moved closer and replied "I also find myself wondering about those tests he mentioned". He smiled at her, and inclined his head slightly. "Mnemon Harati. And you are?".

 

[Arynne]

Ledaal Larissa -- Still on Board


Larissa had nearly missed the boat.


Arjuf had showed a dingier, noisier side to her fascinated gaze. Beneath huge concrete embankments were wooden docks and warehouses black with age, a water-bug come and go of little boats and houseboats wrapped in flowering vines, fluttering sheets and the sickly-sweet odor of sewage. She had scurried across the wharf just as the Vessel of Wisdom's crew was pulling in the gangplank. She had shouted, they had shoved the gangplank back down, and she had scrambled aboard. Not an auspicious beginning.


Now she leaned on the railing, unmoving, scarcely noticing as the flock of chattering students disembarked. She welcomed her recovered solitude, which left her eyes to see.


On the map, their destination had been a dot. Now, it appeared as a blur of whitish walls in the gathering darkness, dim, horizontal windows, smells like dust and dung and rotting vegetables and a strange, dry sweetness like alpine air, a faint hubbub of voices and the clatter of feet. A gleam of rusty light shone on some kind of high, pale, distant bluff, where a cluster of ornate roofs appeared against the last greenish-blue clarity of the fading sky.


The air darkened, the water held the light.

 

[EndOfTheWorld]

Ledaal Syme - On The Shore


A bit apart from the rest of the group, Ledaal Syme squats and watches the dark, choppy waves crash against the bow of the ship. The vessel truly was a marvel of engineering, he had to concede. But it stil travelled upon the choppy waves of the sea, something Syme considered a fundamental defect of design. He was sure that as ocean-faring vessels went the ride would be smooth, but it would still mean time spent on the pitching and bucking waves. Up and down, up and down.


It was a good thing that Syme was a light eater.


Short for his age, and rail thin, Syme could feel the chill air that seemed to find every seam in his heavy, white coat. Brushing a lock of auburn hair now damp from the ocean out of his eyes, he stands up and hurries back to the warmth of the group under the awning.


Checking to make certain the steel and brass essence caster hung from his heavy leather belt, Syme allowed himself to daydream. One day, perhaps, the only boats would be airboats -- splendid airships powered by whirling turbines and mighty jade engines. And he'd get to build them, and fly in them. That was Syme's dream.


Once he'd varified the presence of his little essence caster (his first attempt at wielding a daiklaive was a disaster. He still felt awful about Aunt Risai's vase), Syme took out his other source of comfort -- a letter from Ledaal Kes himself encouraging him to follow his dreams and do the family proud at the Heptagram. The letter was practically pro-forma, but that was alright. It wasn't his esteemed relation's words that cheered him. Penned in the very bottom right hand corner of the letter, in red ink, was a brief salutation.


"You'll do great, kiddo. Just don't let them try to make you learn Stormwind Rider, you'll be the air-ferry for every jerk you owe a favor.


Kidding! Love, Ilsa."


Joshing aside, it was a note of confidence from his favorite cousin, and his personal hero. Folding the paper up, and stashing it back in his pouch full of personal items, Syme looked toward the boat with anticipation for the future awaiting him.

 

[trowizilla]

Ledaal Coreen


Coreen's bow was a mix of adolescent gawkiness and natural grace, but her face was clearly hiding a most undecorous grin as she straightened up. "Ledaal Coreen, very nice to meet you!" she chirped, looking him up and down. Huh, a fire aspect. Like Negevin, only they don't look all that similar. Guess it manifests differently a lot, unless Negevin's started breathing smoke! Hee, I wonder if it bothers him; I wouldn't want everything I ate to taste all smoky! Maybe he can turn it off, or hold it down like I can with my breeze. He's awfully pretty, though! And those clothes!


With a flash of embarassment that colored her cheeks, she remembered her own garments. Ledaal Coriko's household had done their best, and the patches and mended spots were hardly noticeable, but Coreen was still painfully aware of them. "Um," she said, scuffing her toes against the paving stones and hoping her new acquaintance hadn't noticed the difference in their attire. "The testing, I guess they want to check us out before we go in. For spirits and stuff, that kind of thing could ride a student in. And to make sure we didn't cheat on our entrance exams, not that I think people would but, erm, the competition to get in is supposed to be pretty fierce."

 

[Persell]

Mnemon Harati - Beneath the Awning.


Noticing the scuffing, Harati takes a closer look at Coreen. Well, she's definitely not wearing her familiy's finest, wherever she's from. But really, doesn't she realise that acting like that only makes it more obvious that she's from the threshold? I suppose I should be nice and not point it out to her. I'm sure she'd be terribly embaressed. Attempting to not embaress his companion futher, Harati carefully slides his arms, bearing his buckler and bracelets, behind his back. No sense in alienating her more by drawing attention to the difference in means. "I am sure at least one person tried to cheat their way in. It is far too prestigious an academy for someone not to try it" he replies cynically, "Though I doubt they would need to check us for spirits or the like. After all, a simple glance by anyone capable of perceiving immaterial beings would likely be more than enough to tell, and I am certain that anything I can do, our teachers are more than capable of as well". Throwing a beneficient smile, he closes his eyes for a moment. The flame-like specks of his aspect markings glow for a moment, like the embers of a fire, and he snaps open his eyes again. Carefully, he surveys the area, watching the various spirits and demons at work, not to mention checking each of his fellows - just in case.


--------------------------------------------------


1m on Spirit-Detecting Technique. Harati's interested to see what is around.

 

[trowizilla]

Ledaal Coreen


"I guess people would try to cheat their way in, although I don't know what they'd do when they got here," Coreen said, chewing her lip. "If you can't pass the entrance exams, you probably wouldn't do so well in the classes. And my grandmother tells me that the entrance exams are considered extremely challenging, so probably the classes aren't too easy."


She peered at the Mnemon boy for a moment, watching the sudden glow of his markings — There's another sign of good Breeding, huh? — and wondering what he was up to. "The professors can probably tell if there's immaterial spirits around, but, you know, there's lots of spirits that can possess even Dragonbloods, and those are lots harder to see. Tepet Valdeo's Corrupt Seed in the Verdant Field gives lots of examples of those, like the ghost Veiled Spinner of Spidersilk, who rode Cathak Kirani all the way into the Tourmaline Manse. Anyway, standard charms don't usually let you see those, 'cause they're inside someone normal."

 

[Laundreu]

Heptagram - Under The Awning


Harati saw the area around him suddenly glowing with dim Fire Essence, as every spirit within sight was outlined with sparks of sullen red. Far out at sea, a pair of ghostly fisherman carefully maneuvered their boat farther away from shore - for good reason, as the head of a water hound crested the waves briefly, glancing at the two ghosts and giving a single warning growl. The docks were covered with immaterial spirits going about their business. On the deck of the Vessel of Wisdom, Vigara had just left, leaving a pair of golden hounds behind him, who were carefully inspecting the piled luggage of the students. On the edge of the cliff, three demons sat staring down at the docks - a great red-furred ape clutching a bone club, an armored figure wielding a long two-handed sword, and on the ape's shoulder an insectoid creature with three massive multifaceted eyes.


Tepet Vigara returned to the assembled students, glancing up at the leaden clouds. "Hah, perhaps we had better rush, before the snows begin! Laughing Bear is delaying the storm for us, but he can only wait so long." He clapped his hands together once, and two other robed faculty members stepped forward, handing out clipboards and pencils with sheets of parchment paper attached. "If you would do me the favor of listing what Charms you are capable of, we can proceed," Vigara continued, smiling. "Once you're finished, please step through this gate with your clipboard, and we'll proceed to the second part of testing."


The gate he indicated was cut out of the cliffside, a simple affair of two pillars with a third stone laid across the top. A misty curtain hung across the opening, preventing the inside from being seen. Odd how it wasn't there until a moment ago, though.

 

[Persell]

Tepet Arna


When Vigara had said a test, Arna had expected something a bit more significant; still, this was only the first part. Taking a clipboard, Arna hesitates briefly, trying to recall the names of the Charms she knows, and more importantly how to write them in the language of this place. A few moments later, and Arna has a scant, humbling list scrawled on the parchment.


I hope we're not going to get judged too badly on what kind of charms we have, muses Arna, looking over her list of very... physical charms and feeling a touch ashamed. Suddenly I feel much more out of place. Oh well, no point worrying about it now. With a quick shrug, she steps forward and joins the flow of students, heading towards the gate.

 

[Arynne]

Ledaal Larissa


Still in the passive trance of the journey, curious, nervous, alert, Larissa lifted her solitary bag, slung it onto her shoulder, and walked down the gangplank towards the awning where the other students were already clustered. Accepting a clipboard from one of the robed professors passing them out, she peered quizzically at what the other young Exalts were writing.

 

[EndOfTheWorld]

Ledaal Syme


Scratching the names of his charms down with the small, precise lettering of an engineer, Syme couldn't resist the a peek at what the really tall, dark kid next to him was also committing to the record. Ghost-Fire Blade, huh? Syme hadn't learned anything that fancy yet. Mom and dad had stressed the fundamentals, so that's what Syme had learned -- practical essence excellencies wherein he could directly focus the essence into whatever he did, rather than do anything really cool like that. Well, he had learned Threshold-Warding Stance, but that was just a side-effect of having an older brother who loved using him as the subject in fencing practice.


The last charm written, Syme tucked the clipboard under his right arm and hurried toward the gate.

 

[trowizilla]

Ledaal Coreen


A bit tentatively - Hopefully he won't explode or do anything weird if I bother him - Coreen tapped her new acquaintance on the shoulder. "Um, Professor Vigara says we should write our charms down," she said, passing him a clipboard. "Didn't know if you could hear him, 'cause it seemed like you were paying attention to something else after you got all glowy."


Chewing the end of her pencil, Coreen allowed her breeze to flip over the sheaf of papers in the clipboard. Wonder if there's a hint to the test in here, she mused, less than half her mind going over the list of her charms while the majority basked in anticipation.

 

[Persell]

Peleps Koji - Under the Awning


Listening, curious, interested, Koji didn't feel the need to get involved in a conversation he hadn't been invited to, but still found the things spoken about interesting. It was interesting, also, to see someone less polished and traditional in the mix. It would shake things up.


Waiting patiently for his turn, Koji takes the clipboard with a polite smile at the prior user and lists his own talents in a flowing, graceful script. While he was never going to be mistaken for a master caligrapher any time soon, he took a certain amount of pride in his handwriting. When he's done he smiles at the student-to-be next to him and passes the clipboard.


"Good luck."he offers in a genuine, pleasant tone, in regards to the tests that come.


Then he's off for the gates as instructed.

 

[Laundreu]

Coreen's Investigation


It looks like any number of other official forms - sections for name, date of birth, House affiliation, and so forth, which were filled in beforehand, as well as a coded line at the very beginning, which was probably test scores or something similar. On the third page is something odd - a chart with a number of oddly unidentifiable codes followed by a blank section titled 'Notes' in Old Realm.

 

[trowizilla]

Ledaal Coreen


Not all that interesting. Wonder why this bit's in Old Realm when the rest isn't? Hmm, Old Realm's what elementals and demons and stuff speak, so maybe we'll be dealing with someone non-human? Grandmother always said it's more polite to use someone's native tongue, or something's. I wonder if she misses me at all? Well, I'll write her a nice long letter as soon as we get settled in; that way she can't complain that I never write. Ooh, and maybe I'll write Negevin, too, 'cause I bet he's jealous I get to go to the Heptagram while he gets stuck running up and down all of Tepet Jokan's stairs a zillion times. That guy seemed polite, wishing people luck; I wonder why nobody's talking? Maybe everyone's really scared or something.


Absentmindedly. she filled in the rest of her charms in chickenscratch Old Realm and skipped off toward the gate, throwing an encouraging smile toward the skinny orange-headed kid and the tall, foreign-looking girl.

 

[Arynne]

Ledaal Larissa


Larissa stood, feeling the knife-edge of the wind and her shoulder bag dragging her down, penning a list of Charms as quickly as possible in order to make up for lost time.


When she was finished she tucked the clipboard under her arm, shifted her bag slightly, and walked though the gate. She did not look at the other students.

 

[Laundreu]

Through The Gateway - Everyone Individually


As each student stepped through, he or she was struck by how cold the curtain was - so cold that everything went briefly white. When they could see again -


You stand in a room, a hundred yards wide and half that in height. In the center is a concave depression, perhaps ten feet deep in the very middle, over which a cloud of faintly glimmering lights floats. The room itself is tastefully decorated, in scrolls and tapestries rather than the usual Dynastic tradition of mosaics and statuary. At seemingly random intervals along the walls, great oaken cases stacked with scrolls stand, with the unmistakable presence of sheer magical power radiating from each.


"Welcome," says a mellifluous voice, the tone feminine and somehow amused. A few feet away, hands politely tucked within her sleeves, stands a tall, graceful woman. Her hair is black and bound in a simple, severe bun, and she wears finely decorated robes akin to those of the faculty at the Heptagram, but infinitely better cut. Her eyes, though, are nonexistent - instead, a starry void could be seen where each orb should be.


"Welcome," she says again. "As is tradition, I am to give you a simple test." She gestures to the depression in the center of the room. The motes of light whirl faster and faster until, with a flash, an incredibly lifelike image is formed, of a small archipelago somewhere in the West. There are four islands, all of which are inhabited by mortals. The largest island is an active volcano, and the largest city had sprung up there, growing wines on the fertile slopes. Slowly, the cone of the volcano begins to glow red, slowly, and curls of smoke rose from the peak.


"Your challenge is simple - to decide how you will attempt to save the city. There are many options available to you, but none are certain. There are engines forged of magic and steel that once drained the heat from this mountain, but they were forged thousands of years ago and have not functioned since the First Age ended. The gods of the volcano are there, but proud and have no loyalty nor love towards the men of the city, or the Immaculate Philosophy. For that matter, the men of the city do not see their danger and are not prepared to leave their homes."


The mountaintop grew redder and redder before the scene froze, and the woman spoke once more. "So, student, what path will you take?"

 

[Persell]

Tepet Arna


Bringing a hand up to her chin, Arna surveys the archipelago briefly, very quickly going over the three possibilities proposed by the spirit. Somewhere in the back of Arna's head, a voice points out that this could easily be her own hometown, but Arna ignores it; even assuming that she had all the time she wanted now, in this situation a fast decision would be necessary (and, she suspects, taking too much time would lose her points.)


The likely outcome of all of the options brings a frown to Arna's face, however, and she turns to possibilities not put forth by the test's administrator. Unfortunately, I don't see any variables that haven't been put forth, and I'm not bringing anything other than my own abilities in.


Confident she has appraised all the variables, Arna makes her decision without hesitation. "I would persuade or coerce the gods to stop, or at least delay, the eruption. Repairing the machines would take time and skills I do not have. Even assuming that they still work and simply are not functioning- you did not explicitly say they are broken, after all- figuring out how to activate them could still take longer than I appear to have, given how fast the volcano is coming to eruption." Of course, if I had been allowed to study even for a year more back home, my answer might be different.


"However, with four islands to cross and all the people unwilling to listen, evacuating the people would also require too much time; at best, I would have to make the same argument four times, and I don't even know if I have the time to make it once." Though it falls outside the parameters, Arna smiles slightly and adds, "Plus, people take time to prepare to leave. Everyone who was unprepared would stand to lose greatly; everyone who stayed to prepare very likely would not make it. At best, it would be a small victory."


"The gods, on the other hand, are both a known quantity and a single group. Though capricious, we can negotiate with them, whether by force or persuasion; and while you say they have no love for man or the Immaculate Philosophy, you do not say they have any hatred towards it, either, so they should be willing to hear my argument.. They should be able to control the volcano, and even if all I can get out of them is a delay, that gives me time to enact one of the other plans."


Confident in her answer, Arna turns to look directly at the being administrating the test, partially a confrontational gaze that dares the being to find a flaw in her logic and partially because she wants to know what the Dragons it is.

 

[Arynne]

Ledaal Larissa


Larissa thought rapidly before answering.


"I can't give a real answer to this question unless I know more. For instance: am I alone or do I have other Dragon-Blooded or even mortals with me? Do I have proper equipment or only my hands? Is this what I would do in the future when I know sorcery or what I would do right now?


"If there are other people with me, I would send some to the city, some to confront the local gods and so forth. If I had the right artifacts or spells I would try repairing the engines. But if it's only me right now...


"I'm not such an idiot as to think I can fix First Age devices all by myself yet, and I don't know anything about gods. That's what I'm here to learn, after all. But I can warn the people in that city they're in danger and help them evacuate. They'd have to listen to an Exalt."

 

[Persell]

Peleps Koji - In the Testing Room


Koji considers for a moment, tapping his lips with his finger. His mother's son. He doesn't consider long. He's not rash by any means but while he doesn't want to appear short sighted and rash nor does he want to look indecisive. He then smiles, as an idea presents itself.


"I would first speak with the volcano gods and make a proposal. If their volcano overflows the people will either be driven away or destroyed, which means that no worship is to be forthcoming. That is not suitable to their needs. I would suggest that they show some of their power, and cause the volcano to show some of its strength, but prevent it from destroying the people in exchange for the appropriate obeisances, as permitted by the Immaculate Texts. I would then speak with the people, and advise them in how to appropriately make offerings to the gods to stave off their ire at being ignored. I would make great show in having approached the gods, to speak on their behalf. I do not doubt that they will make such offerings, rather than being destroyed."


He shrugs.


"In this way I am owed by both factions. The people, for preventing their homes and assets from being destroyed, and the gods for garnering proper and appropriate worship. I have forged a relationship between the two that causes a debt to me, and a suitable arrangement for both factions that preserves the profitability of the island's resource gathering."


He then pauses and bows a little, his answer finished.

 

[EndOfTheWorld]

Ledaal Syme


"A good airship would solve all of the problems. Best method around for evacuating large volumes of mortals, especially from such a place as a volcanic island. But, I suppose one isn't available or you would have mentioned it. I would do my best to direct the mortals to evacuate before going to negotiate with the spirits. Even if they don't respect mortal lives or Immaculate dogma, they must want something. Speaking with them, even if it proved fruitless, would at least get me close enough to the ancient machinery to see if I could deduce what the problem was."


Syme nodded. His answer sounded correct, at least to him. He secretly hoped this wasn't one of those damnable koans where the answer was some piffle like "you must divorce yourself from desire" or "have faith in the dragons, and creation shall unfold as it should." If he wanted answers like that, he'd have gone to the Coil.

 

[trowizilla]

Ledaal Coreen


"Ooh, interesting," said Coreen, chewing her upper lip as she thought. "Um, okay, first I'd contact the local elemental courts and any other elementals around. If the gods are being all rude, the elementals might be more inclined to help, particularly if they thought they'd gain some importance. Plus, they're usually much nicer to Dragonbloods; they fought on our side against the Anathema, after all. Besides, they're so used to not getting much respect from mortals that it wouldn't take too much to bribe them."


"Anyway, I'd probably try to talk to the Fire Court first, 'cause they're usually more benevolent and also, well, it's a volcano! Plus, garda birds actually kinda get along with the gods, so probably that'd help keep them from interfering, or maybe even make them inclined to be pleasant. Other than water, the other elementals don't usually dislike fire, so they'd be good for maybe getting earth to help out. Either way, I'd see if the fire elementals could keep the volcano from erupting, or else arrange for it to vent there," she pointed to the other side of the island from the bustling city, "kind of in a slow leak to let the pressure out. It'd just go into the ocean there, probably making the island a bit bigger, but that's not a bad thing, and volcanic soil is supposed to be really good for growing stuff." She stopped, catching her breath and wishing very much for a glass of water.


"Um, anyway, as soon as the volcano is vented, I'd probably talk with the sea gods and water elementals and arrange a safeguard agreement, so if people ever do need to escape, they won't drown or get capsized. Probably a regular offering would do it okay, especially 'cause the gods won't have to do anything mostly, except keep their promise just in case. And then I'd call for a really good crafter to come fix the heat-draining machines. And then I'd probably write a bunch of letters expressing a need for a decent governer, because if the island people don't already have arrangements for if their volcano is about to go kaboom, they really need someone to keep an eye on them."


Phew! Hopefully that wasn't too much, Coreen thought, as her fountain of words finally ran dry.