[Wind Reach Quest - Closed] Hunger Runs Deep

[Dreamcatcher]

Timestamp: 40th of Summer, 510 AV Location: The Inner Warrens Time: Early Morning Status: Opened to the first four or five people Over the past ten days a rumor had been spreading amongst the drudges that unpatrolled pathways had began to change and shift paths. The rumors spoke of new passages appearing with small amethysts crystals veining throughout the corridors, while previous pathways had changed. The rumors had been dismissed by the Avora reimancers as people getting lost or turned around in the warrens. Knowing that their safety was endangered, the drudges told one another which hallways had been turned and kept away from them. Everything settled back to normal as the no new hallways were discovered and the drudge’s rumor slowly disappeared. On the morning of the 40th cries could be heard sounding along the Inner Warrens as the common pathway from the Common Rooms to the Communal Kitchens seemed to be gone. The pathway had been replaced with a dark stone corridor that held veins of amethyst crystals. Spirals of rocks seemed to weave across the ceiling and water smelling of sulfur seemed to sweat from the dark rock. People called out in the sing song language of the Nari, warning others to find different pathways. As people filed into the Communal Kitchens from different routes, they noticed that the food slates had been wiped clean. Written upon them in simple script was a single task from Chef Davoid. “This morning someone has changed the pathways to the kitchens. They have sealed the food storage hallways from common access. We have Earth Reimancers breaking through the new pathways, but for those that can find the person or persons involved in this crime and bring them to justice, thirty days worth of food chips will be issued to them.” Tables were alive with conversation and speculation about who could have done such a thing. Many thought Lorlyn had finally reverted back to the long walk she once took; that her sweet whispers had flooded her mind and began reform the common pathways. Earth Reimancers spoke in hush tones about the massive Djed left in the hallways, assured that not one person could have done such a thing, they worry that the ghosts of insane Reimancers now inhabit the Drudges and are taking their revenge. Everyone seemed to have a theory, and many spoke of violence against the possible individual or group that could have done such a thing. While some believe this was a chance to settle old feuds, others wanted the reward of food believing that a month without work was a fortune onto itself.

[Fenilen]

Secret :

Sorry it's so short, I had a brain fart X_X

Fenilen had heard rumors of the shifting tunnels only a few hours before the word got out that they were indeed true, and that someone- or something- had sealed off the food storage. This worried Fenilen. If these random tunnel shifts continued, Inarta could become locked in their rooms, or in dark corridors of the mountain, or, worse, but if the food continued to be closed off? They would starve without their stores, they just couldn't produce enough food from hunting alone, and it was no where near harvesting season for the food the Reimancers grew.

Of course, the thirty days worth of food chips was always wonderful incentive to try and solve this mystery. He walked calmly into the Kitchens, his eyes scanning the area curiously. Gathering his courage, he approached a knowledgeable looking group. He settled down in a chair near them, listening to the bantering they exchanged, trying to pick up any hints that might lead him to the perpetrator.

[Dreamcatcher]

Fenilen sat down near the Reimancers that seemed to be talking in hush tones. There was three of them, an old man with the look of exhaustation upon his face and a boy and girl that looked to be just out of the yasi caste. As Fenilen sat down, the old man seemed to have a plate of untouched food in front of him. “… are you sure Harmon, I mean who else could have done it besides Lorlyn?” said the young girl to the elderly man. “Jess, I have spent the last two hours carving a small tunnel to the food storage hallway. I have spent my Djed to its end and we were only able to penetrate four feet. Whoever wove the stone back into place made it so dense that it is taking three times as much Djed as normal to cut through, that why I didn’t call either of you, you would have overspent and gone on your own long walks. If it was Lorlyn, she would have died in the attempt, unless she has found some kind of focus or discovered a complete new technique. If she had found either one of those thing then, the courtyard of the sky would have changed so fast the birds would be screaming. No Lorlyn, is an artist with stone, but her obsession with the Courtyard makes her predictable.” Harmon seemed to finally notice the bowl of soup in front of him and weakly brought the spoon up to his mouth. Vegetables clung to his graying beard as he licked his moustache trying to get to the broth. Jess quickly took a cloth and wiped Harmon’s face, while the boy spoke up. “Your spent Harmon, in the last year I haven’t seen you work this hard for anything. Why is it taking so much out of you?” The boy spoke as he revealed Harmon of his spoon and began to feed him like a babe. Harmon took another bite and finally spoke, “Something has changed, while I was cutting the rock sang to me. The crystals seem to reinforce the harmony in the rock, and making any changes to it hard. When I was young, I stumbled across a hallway like that deep in the warrens. Though the harmony was old, it was the same as the one I heard today. The tunnel seemed to be heating up from a lava vent and as I went deeper into it the amethysts changed to emeralds and diamonds. I took a few of the gems that had fallen on to the ground, and made my way back up to the city. The jewel crafter's were able to make pendant with a diamond the size of a robin’s egg as its center piece. We were able to sell it for 3 months worth of grain. I think it’s probably more possible that an old ghost of a mad reimancer has finally made their way up to the city and are possessing people.” Jess and the boy looked stricten by the thought. Jess with a shaking hand and an almost tearful look spoke, “Harmon, you can’t be serious? A ghost? Who?” Harmon patted the girls hand and spoke, “Don’t cry Jess, I am sure that Whisper has every Reimancer that has gone crazy memorized, along with all their tools secured. If that’s the case someone just needs to find it and speak with it. Heck, I heard the lower mine shafts are getting very hot, it could be as simple the ghost just wants us to move his body or some such nonsense. Now, if you could help me to the spare kitchens Chef Daviod has setup beds for us and I am schedule for another shift this afternoon.” The Boy swung his legs over the bench and helped the man towards the spare kitchens. Harmon, looked so weak that Fenilen wondered if he hadn’t already put in a whole day’s work. Jess wiped up the mess left by her two companions, and then simple stared at the table for a moment trying to regain her composure.

[Shadoran Neckrender]

Shadoran paced toward the kitchen, confused by the overwhelming number of voice, Reafling close behind. As she entered, she caught snatches of conversation. So, something was wrong... reward... She smiled. Perfect. No food, not that perfect.
I'm getting hungry. Food chips sound good, maybe they'll have meat. Just find someone who knows what's going on.
She moved towards the nearest table, and sat down, turning to Reafling.
"This happen often..."
Reafling glanced up, shaking his head.
"No... Not that I know of."
Shadoran gave a little frown, as she strained her ears.
So many voices, even with her hearing, it was hard. She grabbed snatches of conversation, before glancing at the table, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"They do have something to eat right, Get me some food Reafling."
She turned towards him, but he had already left in an attempt to find something for her, before she got too peckish.

[Fenilen]

Fenilen nodded as he listened to the Reimancer talking to the two people, rising to his feet as soon as they had departed. This was most curious indeed. If it was a ghost doing this, then he had to agree with them. Whisper would have most likely noticed something. That was the best place he could start. If she did not know anything, than maybe he would be forced to wander the tunnels himself... which he did not want to do. A ghost in the tunnels possessing people to change the tunnels could easily cut him off, leaving him to starve to death in the deep reaches of the mountain.

He set off to the Shrine, his gait quick, his eyes sweeping, absorbing things like a sponge. When he arrived, he tread lightly, his step becoming notably slower. He didn't like the Shrine, especially now that he had heard Ghosts could possess people. The quietest noises made him jump, only to find nothing was there.

He scurried around like a frightened kitten in this state, trying to find Whisper, so he could speak to her.

[Brunhild Alalia Ambros]

Timestamp: 40th of Summer, 510 AV Location: The Inner Warrens Time: Early Morning Brunhild entered the kitchens casually, her thick red curls tied up in a loose ponytail. She had recently heard about the rumors of the drudges and such, but found it far too interesting to dismiss. Axel, her Wind Eagle, had returned to their Aeries to rest, since they had recently returned from a hunting trip, as well as a roundabout just outside to check up on the premises. Brunhild, on the other hand, had made her way into the Communal Kitchens to further investigate on the said rumor. As she had hoped, the place was teeming with people, talking amongst themselves about the situation, and probably attempting to solve the sudden dilemma as well. Removing her ponytail and smoothing her hair, she made her way to the table with the most people, who all seemed to be worked up and quite passionate about their discussion. Her face was schooled to its usual bemused and confident expression, and her hair fell gracefully around her shoulders. She hoped that they'd be able to fill her in on the situation a little more. "Greetings, mind if I join in on the discussion? I heard about the pathways to the kitchens being tampered with, as well as the food storage. Any updates or news on who the culprit is?" Brunhild gave a slight nod and a small smile to the people at the table. She fixed the quiver of arrows that was flung behind her back as she took a seat on a nearby stool.

[Dreamcatcher]

OOC : Shadoran, sorry but until Goss accepts you into the city or gives me a heads up that you will be acceptedI am going to continue on with Fenilen. However, don’t worry too much I will write you in when it happens. ~Fenilen~ Fenilen headed out of the kitchens back into the warrens. As he entered the caverns, his feelings were perhaps intensified by the people who were now searching and mapping the new pathways. People were working hard to put order and safety back into their home. Fenilen could see that a great deal of people were shaken by the incident. People were now afraid, someone or something had changed the very foundation of their home. It was terrifying to think that something with that much power had attacked Wind Reach. Fenilen saw Endal and Dek working together to free the stores of food, or open main branches of the warrens. Those Avora with Reimancy were working hard on making a opening to the food vaults. Others were using hammer and chisel to break free the rock. At times it looked like they were just scratching at the stone, but for those that persisted and worked for two candles they often removed a chuck the size of a man’s fist. As Fenilen entered the Shrine of Those That Have Passed, he heard an almost eerie quiet, as if everything was afraid to even breathe within its hallowed caverns. He saw Whisper brushing the hair of a ghost, the ghost was a small red haired girl with a bit of freckles on her cheeks. As Fenilen approached carefully, Whisper hummed a soft lullaby. The ghost appeared to have starved to death, looking at her clothes Fenilen saw that rock dust and rips had near destroyed her clothes. A small creep of fear came to Fenilen, for this girl had been lost to the deep warrens the very place where Harmon said the Ghost would reside. {“Whisper, thank you for brushing my hair, it has been so long since someone done that.” The ghost child spoke. “I think I am ready now.” The ghost began to glow softly at first; the light pulsed like a heartbeat. In fact, Fenilen felt his own to began to beat along with the light, then a soft wind began to stir among the Shrine’s caverns. Fenilen felt like the air carried eagle wings and as he looked at the ghost feathers began to sprout here and there on her. So the light became so bright that Fenilen was forced to turn away and he heard an eagle cry before the light vanished leaving everything in the dark. Slowly Fenilen eyes began to return to normal and he saw Whisper looking at him. The Konti was pale all over and seemed to almost have a tired look on her face. “Ah another seeker, I am afraid that I don’t have a lot of time to answer questions. The ghosts of those that have been lost in the deep warrens seem to finally be coming to the shrine and passing on, but for the moment I seem to be free.” ~Brunhild~ Brunhild asked her question to a young man covered in rock dust, his arms spoke of someone who worked the forges. As he was about to say something, when shouting erupted from two individuals at the table. “For Petch sake Tam, were you born with feathers in your ears, as well as, inside your head. I said that some Foreigner has come in and done this to us. It was a mistake to even let them stay amongst us, they eat our food and impregnate our women. I bet if we kill every last one of them then the problem will stop.” The man that was shouting to another woman Endal, had hawk like features on his face, and seemed covered in scrapes and bruises as well as rock dust from trying to clear the tunnels. The man was facing a woman, who Brunhild could see was getting pretty hot as well. Her face seemed to be flushed with blood, and from her clothes she was another Endal. “Tor, if you thought as much with that brain between your ears, as you do with that worm between your legs, you would know that Lorlyn is the only real person who could have done this. The only reason why she isn’t trying to fly half the time is her brother! So why don’t you stop blaming your sister for bedding every dark haired man that comes through the gate and start thinking.” Tor appeared to reach for his dagger when a hard metal cane slapped the table and forced everyone to look at the elder man. It was Val, the gate keeper, and he had a looked that quickly made Tor and Tam look down in shame. The man with rock dust finally spoke quietly to Brunhild. “Please sit down Endal. I am Sham and just came from chiseling the warrens.” Val looked at Brunhild waiting for her to sit before he spoke again. “Tam, Tor…. I won’t hear any more stupidity from either one of you. Tor, first off no forgeigner has been seen roaming the hallways before or after the incident. In fact most of them are trying to help us get to the food vaults. Tam, Lorlyn might be a good suspect, but Herth swears that he locks her room every night, and plenty of people have searched her room for an escape tunnel. Now what we need to do is organize ourselves, Tam, you are to go to Lorlyn and Herth to see if they have any information about the new tunnels. Don’t petching be rude or unkind. Tor talk with of the mining Avora to see if they have uncovered previous hallways like this, if they have then we know it’s from the deep warrens.” Val stopped talking and Tam and Tor did nothing besides stare at one another. Finally Val spoke up, “What are the two of you waiting for? Should I ask Sham to chisel you two instructions?” They finally rose up and left the table, Val looked to Brunhild and then spoke. “Now that we have stop some of them more destructive chatters, would you like to join our discussion miss?”

[Brunhild Alalia Ambros]

Timestamp: 40th of Summer, 510 AV Location: The Inner Warrens Time: Early Morning "Thank you," Brunhild uttered almost inaudibly to Val as she took a seat. She was a little bit stunned by the sudden outburst of the two Endals that were seated on the same table, but shrugged it off. She giggled as the two rushed off after Val instructed them with orders, and then turned to her and asked if she'd like to join their discussion. "Of course, thank you," she nodded vigorously, and smiled. A nice debate of sorts would do her well at the moment, and so she was eager. OOCI hope my posts aren't too short, please let me know so I can add more to it or something!

[Rhian]

The kitchens were buzzing more than usual these days. Rhian did not need her limited web of informants to tell her why; even the blindest, deafest person would have heard of the city's most recent emergency. The young woman was not particularly worried, things such as these tended to fix themselves more often than not. Somehow, Rhian just refused to accept the fact that they will starve to death because of their inability to chisel rock. Rhian sat alone at a table, listening to the prosaic discussion around her. Amazing how often people changed their minds. One moment they vehemently defended their position, another they attacked a newcomer with the latest theory they have heard. Good thing she was sitting there for quite a while. Was it hours? Seemed like days. Absent-mindedly, Rhian's finger grazed her neck, searching for the pouch that used to hang there. My luck, she thought glumly, gone. The commoner's ear twitched at the iron sound of orders and she turned around to see the source. Rhian ran her tongue across her lower lip as her mind raced with the effort of risk taking. Could she afford sending her only benefactors in the room after the quarreling Endals? Rhian played with the empty fork in her hand as she thought and when they stood up to follow their orders, Rhian made her decision. "Silence is golden," She prayed silently to the Night's Mistress and sent a wink to each of her friends, the two men promptly stood and left the room after the pair. Rhian allowed herself a mildly arrogant, self-satisfied smile; there was something about ordering people around and seeing the results. With luck, she'd have knowledge regarding the hallways and tunnels before the gatekeeper would. Casually, the Chiet crossed her legs and leaned just a little bit forward to better hear the gamekeeper. "I've heard no mere person could do this," She donated with a trace of dull-mindedness, "That only a god or a ghost could be responsible."

[Fenilen]

Fenilen watched, shielding his eyes as the light shone through the cavern. His eyes squinted tight, and as the light finally subsided, he removed his arm. A confused eyebrow was raised, and then he finally spoke, sounding surprisingly formal.

"First things first, I would like to thank you for what you do for the community, Whisper," he said, his voice quiet and somewhat uncertain, despite his formality. He scanned her from head to toe, as if he was absorbing every detail of her figure. Which he pretty much was. He was weird like that.

"I understand, and I promise I'll try to keep this as short as possible," he said, smiling slightly. "I'm investigating the shifting tunnels, and I'm certain that I'm not the first person to come to you with questions in regards to this event. Please, take a seat. You look a bit drained," Fenilen made his way over to a seat himself.

"I was in the Communal kitchens. Some of the Reimancers were talking about how the stone was woven so dense that it was taking them three times the amount of Djed to cut through the rocks. Also, one of the older Reimancers noted that the crystals in the rock appeared to sing to him, the harmonious melody reinforcing the strength of the stone. Do you know of any Reimancers, now past, who might be capable of performing an act like this...?" Fenilen finished, watching her with his head tilted.