Eridanus' Fortune

by **Anselm** on July 21st, 2012, 2:35 am

Anselm stared at the little box as it sang its mournful song. He was taken aback when Nira'lia offered to give it to him.

“No, no,” he said. “I must pay you something for it.” Racking up debts was not a good thing in his mind. He brought out his money bag and said, “I will gladly pay you 20 gold mizas for it.”

OOC :

by **Eridanus** on July 22nd, 2012, 5:16 pm

Eridanus nodded slowly, speaking in such a manner as well. "I will meditate on your words, Seer Anselm. Thank you for illuminating this aspect to me."

He watched the following exchange between his companion and the nuit interestedly, grinning when he saw the object that she took out. It was a trinket from the Festival of Illusions, the event that resulted in his guild being formed, and it had warm memories for him.

"It is truly a wonderful trinket," He commented. "A product of the imaginations and creativity of Ionu and the mysterious artisans of illusions."

Gently tapping Nira'lia from behind, he asked her in a low voice, but not low enough that Anselm would be unable to hear, for it was more for the effect of being an 'aside' rather than a 'whisper', "Aren't you going to ask for your fortune, Nira?"

by **Nira'lia** on July 23rd, 2012, 10:33 am

The Konti blinked. She couldn’t recall how much the box cost, but twenty gold mizas sounded like a lot to her. Frantically, she shook her head in disagreement. Nira’lia didn’t deem it necessary for Anselm to pay for it that way.

Luckily for her, Eridanus gave her an idea. She said, “That’s perfect. I’ll give this to you in exchange for an oracle.”

If Anselm was keen on giving something in exchange for the strange item, then Nira’lia could ask for his services instead. It would be her second time asking for an oracle, and since it had been helpful the last time, she didn’t see why not. The Konti seemed to think about it for a while, and soon enough something flickered in her mind.

“Now that I think about it, aside from the strange tree in Syliras, I saw something else around the time of last season’s terrible storm…” she muttered, more to herself than to anyone else. Nira’lia then looked at Anselm. “It was… somewhere fiery, and there seemed to be a surge of power that I couldn’t understand. Somehow, I can’t help but think that it was about something much bigger than all of us.”

‘Oh, right, a question.’

“Is there… any chance that was connected with our current journey?” asked the Konti, her expression filled with puzzlement.

OOC :

by **Anselm** on July 28th, 2012, 5:04 pm

Anselm was not entirely satisfied with the 'transaction', but decided to let it pass. He brought out his bones again and they again clattered on to the table. He studied the resulting pattern.

Fire above, luminous. Wind below, penetrating.
Penetrating wind blows through wood; refining fire does its work.
Impurities are burned away, leaving only that which is pure.
Therefore it is called the cauldron.

“Here is the thing to remember about the cauldron,” Master Ahn said. “Out of pain comes good and out of calamity comes new beginnings. The wise man has learned to embrace pain so that it can do its good work, but the foolish man tries to escape it. The wise man has learned to accept calamity, allowing it to sweep away the old and usher in the new, but the foolish man covers his head and tries to hide from it.”

Anselm looked up at Nira'lia. “Tell me my dear,” he said. “The Great Djed Storm. Did it bring you good fortune? Or bad?”

THE ORACLE :

by **Nira'lia** on July 29th, 2012, 7:11 pm

Nira’lia’s eyes momentarily darkened. How could that terrible storm have brought anyone good fortune? She could still remember all of the cold, lifeless bodies. There had been the bloated ones as well; they had drowned when the tidal wave hit Zeltiva with no warning.

She looked at Anselm, and she forced a smile. “I suppose,” she said simply, referring to the fact that she had been able to meet the goddess Rak’keli. However, Nira’lia didn’t believe that event was enough to say that she had received good fortune. Since other people would have seen it as good though, she chose to leave it at that. The Konti attempted to speak with caution, though she couldn’t hide her puzzlement. “Yes, you could say that. However, I’m confused. I’m sorry, but… what is your point?”

The Konti was unable to connect his answer to her question. She knew it wasn’t his job to splice it to her understanding, and she also knew how he disliked doing so, but at the moment, she was utterly clueless. Feeling like she was in the dark, she glanced at the two men around her as if they would be able to help her find answers.

“Hm, alright…” she said. Nira’lia didn’t want to push her luck. She didn’t want Anselm to end up snapping at her again. “I’ll just… I’m sure I’ll figure it when the time is right. Thank you!” With that, she glanced at Eridanus, wondering if there was anything else or if they were taking their leave.

by **Anselm** on July 29th, 2012, 8:42 pm

“When the two of you entered my tent, you asked me to foretell what you would face on this quest of yours. I told you, 'You will face yourselves', and that this would be the only really important thing that you would face.” He gathered up the bones and put them back in their bag. “You are about to enter the cauldron, the refining fire. If you embrace the fire, it will purify you. If you do not, it will not. The choice will be yours, just as it is with the Djed Storm. I wish you both good fortune.”

by **Eridanus** on July 30th, 2012, 4:19 am

"That applied to us in our previous tribulations, and it will undoubtedly apply again in our inevitable confrontation with the unknown," Eridanus agreed, placing his arm gently on the konti's shoulder.

Addressing the nuit, he nodded his head slightly, saying, "We thank you for your insightful comments. We must take our leave now, and prepare ourselves for the arduous journey ahead. I will think deeply on your words, and if I should ever return to Zeltiva again in the future I will be sure to let you know of the conclusions of my reflections."

Reaching into his robes, he took out a single gold coin, placing it gently on the table before the Seer.

"Take care, Seer Anselm. If the Fate so decrees, we shall meet again," He finished, proceeding to help his companion out of the chair and to escort her out of the tent in a gentlemanly manner.

by **Paragon** on August 21st, 2012, 7:14 am

Adventurer's Loot

Anselm's Loot :

Eridanus' Loot :

Nira'lia's Loot :

Great thread, I always enjoy reading the I-Ching Oracles. I also liked how you asked about Nira'lia's vision. Good stuff - if you have ANY questions or concerns about this grading, don't hesitate to PM me.