Quest The Secret of the Swamplands

[Verena Lorak]

Qamur is a force, greater than a spirit or phantom, older than the written passages of mankind. It transcends man. It is a rejection of change. It is an entity of stillness. And Lady Caiyha wishes to preserve it. For Qamur preserves itself in nature. It, in its own way, has defended the swamp from human putrefaction.

“Who are you, really?” the healer questioned blatantly. “You serve . . . a goddess?” The way the woman pronounced the name Caiyha - with a tremendous amount of reverence and respect - reminded Verena of herself. That amount of devotion was quite distinct. Even Verena, who was untrained in reading expressions, could very well understand just how serious and driven the woman was. She rarely met someone like so. Once again, she was reminded of Caedmon Paille and the glowing mark on the back of his neck.

The mud-covered woman continued on, leaving more questions echoing inside the healer’s head. “You and your precious Dynasties have tried to carve your legacy into the heart of the swamp and my Lady has been... tolerant of it. However, she will not allow Harameus and his playful machinations destroy such a force. And that is why this... Lessiya must die.” The fact that this woman knew Lessiya’s name was unnerving. Did they know each other? Or had this goddess – Caiyha – had truly been aware of what was transpiring so far?

“Die?” Verena asked, taking a hesitant step back. “You are asking us to assist you in murder.” At the last word, her fingers found their way to the base of her throat, where the mark of Rak’keli was drawn on her skin. It may be her imagination, but she felt the mark throbbing with discomfort. A resounding no was building inside her mouth, but something about the woman made her pause. Taking another human life . . . that went against everything she believed and held dear – even if she was not the one holding up the blade. “There must be another way to solve this matter.”

This little adventure had turned into ways Verena had never imagined. They had barely entered the swamp, but their leader had been taken by this thing called Qamur and another woman had emerged asking them get rid of said leader. They were left here, with no guide and no way to leave the swamp.

The Lorak glanced at the odd woman once again, her violet eyes trying to discern everything.

[Alexander Hamish Moore]

The machinations of the gods was something that was beyond Alex’s understanding. He had spent most of his life on the move, but he couldn’t deny the power of the gods. They had mostly stayed their hand in his life, but many times he had reached out to them for guidance, and help. Two gods in particular Alex had called to many times. He wondered if they heard him or not. Perhaps they had guided an arrow to hit its mark, or allowed an animal to cross his path. He could not say with certainty whether or not Caiyha or Dira had influenced his life.

But that did not stop his faith in them. He had turned often to these beings of great power when it seemed his own strength would fail, and simply believing that they might hear his plea for counsel, gave the man strength. Seeing a person who had the favor of the lady almost made his heart skip with joy. Her sight confirmed that Caiyha was in the world, and she made an impact on a person’s life. The woman asked for their help, who were they to deny the request? How could Alex turn down his lady, after all the times he had supplicated her for direction, and resiliency?

The Dynast wanted to keep talking, but couldn’t she see that they were beyond the time to talk? He didn’t wait for Edmund to speak, he didn’t have to. There were more important things at stake. Alex lowered the bow, and kept it well away from her. He had never meant to threaten an emissary of Caiyha. “I am sorry, if I woulda known who you were, I would not have raised my bow at you in anger.” He meant that, and he hoped that the woman would be able to see that he was sincere.

“I will help you to the fullest extent of my abilities.” he wanted to keep talking, to ask her questions until the clouds fell from the sky, but he steeled himself for the witch. He wanted to help the her, Caiyha, and the swamp. All of these things were important to the young man. He had not came out into the swamp for money after all. There were things beyond wealth that he cared about.