Quest Fire In The Sky (Grandfathered)

[Gossamer]

The two strangers stared at Ialari as she began questioning them. Luckily they were awake or almost so as the two groups joined together as one once more. The strangers glanced at each other, seemingly coming to an understanding without words. The first one, with the coppery skin and the teal highlights to his skin answered first. “You are correct. This is not how we both saw our day going, though we knew there were humans and others about. Thank you for asking questions first. Humans have a reputation for not doing so. I believe you might be Isur. Am I correct? “I am Kajun’tar, Loremaster. This is Kiveth, Leafshaper.” Kajun’tar’s voice was pleasant. Despite the fact he was just hauled around by Vas like a sack of potatoes, he didn’t seem to be holding it against anyone.

Besides, both him and Kiveth had come in contact with Vas’ form. They knew now what they were dealing with in regards to him. His memories said it all. But these others, they were complete unknowns.

Both creatures listened intently to Ialari, focused on her since she seemed to be directing the interrogation. Kultra and Vas looked on, both a bit puzzled though with a few whispered words to Kultra, Vas seemed to enlighten him a bit as to something they were puzzled about.

Kajun’tar nodded. “Again, they live up to their reputation. Kill first. Ask questions later. This is why we assume you are Isur, one of the first children. Ialari, you seem to wise enough to walk a different path. For that, we are grateful for our people are peaceful. You know who we are now. I can answer what we are as well. We are Verusk, the children of Humans and Velispar. We have been trapped behind the world gate for almost eight hundred years. It recently powered itself up and we were able to travel here, to our legendary lost home, and we were just starting to take the first steps to rediscover it. There was supposed to be a city here, but there is nothing but ruins. We know this is the right place. The World Gate tells us so. But what we knew of this place, many of us first hand, is not what this place is now. Can you tell us why?” He asked carefully.

Kiveth nodded. “There are some things the same. The climate and the plants. I am a leafshaper. I know this. But there was no ocean here where there is one now. We find this quite strange and not a little bit alarming.” He added, glancing at Kajun’tar as if wondering if he worded that fear correctly.

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Kultra met Satevis’ gaze. “Don’t take me to task Immortal. I was just speaking the truth. You, all of you who follow Leth and Syna and now walk this world are here because you were cast from their realms for crimes of various degrees. Some, because you were spoiled. Others, because you found no pleasure in their Domains. And some just because you rubbed them the wrong way. The rumors that you fell through a crack caused by the Valterrian has been a lie those celestials have cultivated to pacify you. Is it any coincidence that you both are here in the lap of paradise looking for an easy life? A fresh start? It shouldn’t be. We asked for volunteers… assistance. We didn’t ask for babies to nanny.” He said with a snarl, looking like he’d had just about enough from the children of Leth.

“But a word of advice. Don’t continue to walk down that road of self-pity and loss. It is the great weakness of your otherwise immortal lives. Do something better with it. This is your second chance and your means to prove them wrong in their initial decisions. Don’t waste such opportunities. Embrace them and help us if you can. Don’t hold us back like some sort of anchor.” HE said, shaking his head and meaning his words utterly.

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The pair of strangers, Vas and Kultra, looked at the Isur as he spoke. “We are trying. You and your party are not so cooperative. Besides, the weight of these prisoners are nothing to Vas. If your little Leth follower there is so good and her convictions are true, she wouldn’t’ have made the suggestions she has and she certainly wouldn’t have started to whine incessantly like she has since she’s been here. It’s lovely that you are defending her, but let the woman speak for herself and let her actions, more importantly, speak for her. We’ll see how much of a good and convicted person she is by the time this day is done.” Kultra said, then went back to chatting with Vas, as if dismissing Aladon.

When Aladon suggested the floating ship sounded like one of the Kelvic Vessels the scouts nodded. “Yea what we were thinking. These might be Myrna’s people.” Buraga said, glancing at Rain who nodded. “We’re not going to assume much though. Not until we can ask some hard questions.” He added.

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Kiveth and Kajun’tar both heard Aladon asking Ialari to ask them if they were scientists. The pair of Verusk looked at each other and shrugged. “We are all kinds of people. There are scientists among us. I am a Loremaster.” Kajun’tar said. “We also have carpenters, artists, and even an Engineer with us. One of us is a Dancer. We even have a Charmer.. a Verusk who works with bees to cultivate them.” He added, trying to explain. “We are just explorers, who volunteered to go through the gate and see if Pavena still stood.” He said, trying to add to what the pair knew.

“We have no weapons on us. We would like to be released. We have no desire to harm you unless you harm us.” Kiveth said gently, the man’s deep gunmetal silvery skin highlighted by ice blue. “We can even take you to meet the others. There is no need for fighting. We’ve been cautious in approaching you, but with a still common language between us and races we still recognize, I think we can come together without bloodshed.” The deep silvery Verusk said.

They both looked at Anibesa as if she might have questions. The Leth kept silent though, so there was nothing much for them to add other than to wait to see what their captors did. Kultra and Vas conversed, but they ultimately left it up to the settlers and the Founders to decide.

[Satevis]

Satevis looked at Kultra as the man spoke, feeling a flash of anger. First, he insulted Anibesa and all of the volunteers with her, and now he was questioning Satevis's connection to his god, Satevis's very motivations for coming to Syka.

"You don't know anything about me and my 'motivations'," Satevis said. As much as he tried to keep the anger and heat out of it, it came through anyway. "I'm certainly not here because I would like an easy life. And if there is something you need to correct me over, I'd prefer if you did it without spreading lies about Leth."

He turned away, not wanting to keep up that thread of conversation any longer. It felt as if every part of his being wanted to remove himself from that interaction, from considering those thoughts. Because of course Kultra had to be lying. There was no way...there was absolutely no way that what he was saying could be true.

It couldn't be. He had found the thread that would wound them, that was it, and he was lashing out, saying things that he knew would hurt. That had to be the truth, because if it wasn't...

Satevis ran his thumb along the outline of the wooden bead that rested on his chest, drawing in a calming breath as he tried to push away the anger. There were other things to focus on here and now, but the insinuation that he had come to Syka to live an easy life still stung. If he had wanted to live an easier life, he would have stayed in Zeltiva or Lhavit. Somewhere where he could study magic unimpeded, without having to worry about medicine, or strange civilizations in the forest, or whether his home was ever going to get built. And he certainly wouldn't have volunteered to go out into the jungle.

But...he conceded as his anger began to fade, perhaps Kultra was right about some things. Some. So he listened carefully as the strangers gave their answers, blinking in surprise when they spoke in easily understandable Common. Kiveth and Kajun'tar. Leafshaper and Loremaster. He took note of their names, his natural curiosity cutting through the remaining traces of his anger.

It was easier to look at them alone, to listen to them alone, and to not think about Kultra.

His eyes widened as they spoke, revealing that they had been trapped behind the World Gate for the past eight hundred years. The children of the Velispar and humans. Verusk. From the sound of it, they weren't even aware that the Valterrian had happened. The promise of so much knowledge, of so much possibility, pushed away the remainder of Satevis's concerns. He stepped forward, glancing at Ialari to make sure that he wasn't overstepping his bounds by doing so.

"The two of you are likely talking about Pavena," he said, breaking in. "The city, as far as we can tell, was lost during the Valterrian, roughly five hundred years ago." He glanced around at the others to see if any of them would correct him or clarify things before continuing on. "The Valterrian was..." Kultra's words, about there being no tear washed over him, making him stumble in his speech. He breathed in, forced those words away, and continued on. "...it was a great catastrophe that destroyed most of the old world. Many of us did not know that this city existed until very recently."

He left room for others who knew more about Pavena, or the founding of Syka, to step in. His concern was on other things. In particular, though he wanted to ask questions about all these 'Verusk' knew, this was clearly not the time. There were certain questions that were more important than others.

He listened as Kiveth and Kajun'tar asked to be released. Looking at them, he could believe that they didn't mean any harm, but there was still the question of the way they had marked Aladon, Anibesa and potentially others. "If you don't mean us any harm, and you could speak Common, why did you attack and mark our settlers?" Satevis asked, looking between the two of them. "Given that you can speak our language, there are other ways to get information you might seek."

He wanted to believe them, but he only had their word, and he had been accused of being a fool enough times tonight to risk one more. Regardless, Satevis wasn't going to make the final decision about whether to release them or not. He would leave that to those with more experience. At the moment, he was thinking about the World Gate. Morwen was still, as far as they knew, trapped behind the World Gate. The appearance of Myrna Kelvic's people did not necessarily change that, unless they had the goddess hidden somewhere on their flying ship.

"You mentioned that the World Gate 'told' you that the city could be found here," he said, turning towards Kajun'tar. "How did it do that? Can you operate the World Gate?" He chose not to reveal to them that Morwen was lost. Until they were sure they could be trusted, that seemed like too much information to share. But if the Verusk could operate the World Gate, and they were truly non-hostile, it seemed as though this was their best lead to finding a way to get Morwen back.

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Satevis

[Ialari Pythone]

Ialari tried to hide her surprise, yet succeeded only marginally as the two strange looking humanoids began answering questions in earnest; both the ones she’d asked and those she hadn’t. There was a part of her that felt a little disappointed in how easily the two chose to cooperate while the rest of her felt a bit relieved considering the already tense situation her group found itself in. The two had a grasp on the common language that was rather strong. As they introduced themselves and proceeded to talk, Ialari took the opportunity to get a closer look at each of them while she listened to what they had to share. When the one who introduced himself as Kajun’tar questioned Ialari being an isur, she nodded and motioned for him to continue.

Ialari observed how the two were dressed, noting how they were wearing clothes and carrying gear that seemed pretty standard for those who would be wandering about the jungle. The revelation that the two were descendants of humans and Velispar, trapped behind the World Gate for centuries was something of a leap. However, as Ialari’s mind processed the information being shared, she considered the possibility of what was said. Mathias had already revealed that Syka was built to watch over the ruins of a magical research facility. He had revealed the existence of Velispar, one of which serving Morwyn which couldn’t have been a simple coincidence relative to situation Ialari and the group found themselves in. They seemed to also know of Pavena although they obviously had no real idea of why things were so different from what they knew to be true over 800 years ago.

With the interrogation quickly turning into something far more benign, Ialari relaxed her posture. She did however remaini in extremely close proximity to the two and weaved between the two trees holding them. She ran the fingers of her metallic hand over the shoulder of the one calling himself Kajun’tar before tracing her finger from the middle of Kiveth’s chest up to his neck as they spoke. She examined their facial features and the way they changed as the two spoke. Ialari was looking for any signs of deceit. She remembered something her father had told her so many years ago about humans. You can always tell when a human is lying. They avoid looking you in the eye. They fidget about as if unable to focus on anything since their minds are too busy looking for things to add to the lie. They will be tense and their sweat will smell of stress; human stink at its strongest. While these individuals were not human, Ialari figured such concepts would still have some use.

Ialari looked for these signs as she listened, touched, watched and even smelled the two captured Verusk. When Kajun’tar asked her why things didn’t look anything like they thought they would on this side of the gate, Ialari paused in front of the two, her back initially facing them. It was then that Satevis, relatively silent before now save for his argument with Kultra and Vas over Anibesa, stepped in and started his own interrogation. Glaring at the Ethaefal, Ialari allowed him to ask his questions and reveal that their group indeed knew of Pavena. She felt it was foolish and unwarranted to share such knowledge yet it was something that she would deal with when the circumstances weren’t so complicated. These creatures, although seemingly cooperative, did not need to know everything that their captives knew of the immediate situation. Satevis' impatience and inability to keep some information to himself caused her no small amount of concern.

When he was done, Ialari continued although with far more irritation than before. “If what you say is true and you’ve not set foot in this world for so long, then you missed what has become known here as, the Valterrian. While there are numerous perceptions of what exactly took place, as my people know it, Ivak, the God of Fire, suffered a terrible crime committed by human Emperor of Suvan.” Ialari remembered the story all too well and repeated it as had been to her. When she was a child and asked her mother why the isur lived beneath the mountains; away from all that existed above, her mother told her the story of Kova and the Emperor of Suvan and how, in a selfish rage, he had her killed though not before parading her through the streets as an example of what it was to cross him. The Emperor’s actions enraged the God of Fire. Ivak’s wrath was unfathomable. The world was torn asunder. Entire cities, kingdoms like the Old Kingdom of the Isur, were wiped out. Mountains rose, seas formed and the entire world was reshaped.

Ialari paused to see if Satevis would engage further. When he actually paused, she continued.

“The people of Mizahar exist as a shadow of what they once were. The world is not what it was. My people, nearly eradicated by the volcano that erupted in the center of our ancestral home, fled into the mountains and buried themselves beneath. So long ago we led and guided the world into an age of great prosperity. Now, we hide from a world that seeks to exploit us.” Ialari’s face twisted slightly with constrained rage as she spoke and thought about it all.

Although she no longer felt the pure, unbridled hatred for humans whom she felt brought about the Valterrian, she could not let go of the anger at what happened. While she could not let it go, she did swallow it, burying it deep. “So much of the world…and beyond…has been damaged. Some of us hope to fix it…”

Ialari righted herself and raised an eyebrow at the mention of being led to meet the rest of the group the two strangers were a part of. She noted that they indeed were unarmed; an odd and even somewhat stupid idea, all things considered.

Satevis stepped in again, asking about the World Gate and if they could operate it. Ialari decided to cease her questioning and commenting. Too many people engaged in an interrogation would get nowhere. With no regard given for the process at hand, Satevis was revealing his impatience. Child of Leth he may be, there is no doubt he was human before. She thought to herself. He did have one good point regarding the assaults on Syka settlers yet his approach was still typical of a human. Unfortunately, by his movements and tone of voice, Ialari could tell that Kultra had gotten to him. He was acting out, speaking out with little regard for tact and no regard for keeping some of one’s hand of cards secret.

As much as the darker side of her wanted to disbelieve the two strangers and as much as it wanted to suddenly rip Satevis’ tongue from his mouth, it was silenced almost immediately by the side of Ialari that had strived for so long to be more than that. Turning to Mathias and the others assembled, she offered, “Regardless of whether or not they can operate the gate, they are unarmed, more than willing to share information, even if it is a bit…out there. They smell somewhat afraid although they don’t act like those who are simply trying to save their own skins.” Her experience with interrogating others was limited to dealing with the undead so, while she could be mistaken, Ialari still felt confident in her view on things.

“Of course, they could be lying; especially skilled at deception. They could be looking to lead us into a trap. It seems to me though there could be much more reliable, less complicated methods of doing so if that were the case. Besides, if they were going to lie to save themselves, I can imagine countless other ones that would be more effective. I think we should consider what they offer while keeping all other options open if necessary. Unless anyone has a better idea.” Ialari, offered an annoyed look to Satevis with her last comment. Although conflicted in her feelings, in the end wanted to believe the two. If their people were indeed simple explorers willing to work with her group, it would make things so much easier.

Before the group decided their next move, Ialari eased her way from the strangers to stand next to Satevis. Leaning in close so as to keep her words between her and him, she whispered, “If you wish to take the lead, be my guest. I suggest you learn some patience however.” She said, referring to Satevis’ sudden stepping up in his own interrogation after having been put in his place by Kultra. Her words, although not said in an overtly threatening tone, did have a hint of poison to them.

Stepping away and moving to where Mathias, Kultra and Vas stood, she awaited the collective decision on how best to continue.

[Aladon]

Aladon was sort of startled when the strange creatures started to talk perfect common to him when he was talking to Ialari. They revealed that they had scientists with them, but they were just explores like the rest of Syka. When the creatures explained that they were just explores to Mizahar. Aladon relaxed his posture around them and gave them a friend smile. He knew if they just talked to them that they could avoid conflict with the visitors. He was a little surprised that they would venture into the jungles without weapons. Did they have some sort of natural defense from the predators in the jungle? These people were strange, and he figured that they would get to know them in the coming future. Aladon gave them a friendly smile and said with a nod, “Thank you for being generous with information about yourself, but I will let our interrogator question you a bit longer before we can decide on our next move.”

Listening to the interrogation from his spot on the ground, Aladon sipped his water and listened to the Ialari interrogate the prisoners. The prisoners called themselves Verusk, and they were long lost children of both humans and the creatures called velispar. The Isur sat their intrigue by the new race as they told their story; however, he was a little concerned when they told them that the world gate recently powered up. If it wasn't them who activated the World Gate, who had the power to start up the portal? It wasn't a surprise that they didn't know about the Valterrin. If they were off world when it started five hundred and seventeen years ago. He was curious where these Verusk settled after they left Mizahar. It would be a intriguing question to ask the explorers. He would wait until Ialari was finished with her interrogation to ask his questions of them.

Satevis seemed unhinged by Kultra's tongue lashing interrupted Ialari rhythm and took over the questioning. The Isur was surprised on how quickly Satevis took over the interrogation with his line of questioning, but he gave the Verusk as freely as they gave them information. It didn't bother him, but Ialari didn't seem her calm self when she started questioning or answering the Verusk questions about the ruins where Pavena stood. As the Isur women told her story about the Valterrian, she started to reveal the Isur perspective of the event and the impact on their people. Aladon wondered if the look of rage on her face would even be there if she wasn't interrupted by Satevis. Regardless, the interrogation ended by his companions, and he was rather disappointed at all of it. However, he was happy that Satevis did ask about why they attacked the settlers of Syka. In Aladon's mind, it was a attack, and they needed to give them a answer for the devices that they put in Anibesa and himself.

Standing up from his spot, Aladon did have a set of questions that he wanted to ask the Verusk. He walked over to them, looked at them for a moment, and asked with another friendly smile, “You said that you were volunteers to explore the other side of the World Gate. Your forefathers must have settled somewhere beyond the gate. Where does your people reside now? Is your world like Mizahar?” If the Verusk decided to answer his question, or if they don't. Aladon would wait and listen to them. When he was finished talking to them, he rejoined the others to talk to the founders and the other people in the party about there next step.

[Gossamer]

Kultra just shook his head at Satevis’ little show of temper. Toddlers, all of them, had similar fits. To him it just reinforced why Leth booted him. And then, to add further amusement to thinks, Satevis started speaking about Pavena as if he was an expert. Had he dated the city? Had he determined anything at all about what they assumed was Myrna’s Stronghold? Kultra shook his head at the arrogance and nativity of The Lethefal. If he was such an expert now…. the mage was just going to let him talk.

He leaned back against a nearby tree and glanced up at Vas as the giant of a man joined him. His otherworldly eyes spoke volumes as they came to rest on Kultra. “Don’t bait them any further. It solves nothing and they are as likely to believe you as they are to believe the mortal realm they walk on is just a tiny slice of what the world holds.” He whispered, glancing at the pair of Founders who where having similar thoughts. Mathias glanced at Vas who shook his head slightly, and Randal shrugged at what Satevis was saying. They’d just told Satevis about Pavena.. he was no expert. He only knew what they’d shared with him and their knowledge was shaky as well.

As for the Verusk who were sensitive to subtly, they listened to Satevis but also kept an eye on the pair of strangers and the founders and everyone else with all the looks and whispers happening. They picked up on Satevis’ anger, which confused them, because they hadn’t been privy to his talk with Kultra. His attitude made them nervous and they looked it, suddenly less confident than they had been before.

Vas noted to Kultra, however, somewhat amused…. “Don’t we usually interrogate prisoners, not educate them?” Kultra chuckled, nodding, and just offered a very similar shrug to the one Vas had given him a few moments ago.

It was Kajun that answered Satevis’ question about the attacks and marking. “That wasn’t us. Like I told you, we are not warriors.” He repeated, then glanced at the other Verusk who nodded.

At Satevis’ next question, they both looked at each other. Kajun’tar repeated what he’d said more slowly so Satevis could understand. “I said ‘There was supposed to be a city here, but there is nothing but ruins. We know this is the right place. The World Gate tells us so.’ Meaning that we once lived in Pavena, at least some of us who are older, and we know this is the city where we are from because the world gate is here. It exists no other place. There is only one. It is still here, yet the city does not stand any longer.” It was clear to the Verusk that Satevis misunderstood them. The world gate did not speak to them. It’s presence was an indicator that they were in the right place. And that’s all he meant.

Kiveth answered the next part. “Not all of us. But some of us can operate the world gate. It is not a skill commonly taught.” He added, not giving any more information than that.

The Verusk didn’t like Ialari touching her, but they weren’t shy about meeting her gaze or watching her avidly. To them, her behavior was odd, inconsistent, and somewhat fascinating since they’d never met an Isur. They glanced at Aladon to see if he would do the same thing, curious and seemingly itching to find out more. There were no obvious tells in terms of lying or deceit that Ialari could note. But of the two of them, Kajun’tar seemed far more interested in her than Kiveth did. Kiveth even seemed a little fearful.

While they Verusk had listened to Satevis talk of the Valterrian, they paid equal attention to Ialari’s version. At Ialari’s words about the people of Mizahar being shadows of their former self, and the fact that Pavena was in ruins, a lot more seemed to clear up for the Verusk. Such drastic change, even after so many years was a shock to them, but there was enough explaining in her recitation that Ialari go through to them as to why things were so different.

Kiveth nodded at Ialari’s words about hoping to fix the world. He too was a fixer. He appreciated that she was like that.

Kultros and Vas wandered over to The Founders and the four of them spoke with Buraga and Rain joining Jansen at their side. They seemed to hold a sort of senior council while the three were talking to the Verusk, pausing only in their discussion to hear the answers Kajun’tar and Kiveth gave to their questions.

Aladon had his own set of questions and when he was done asking them, Kiveth and Kajun’tar looked confused. “Our forefathers? What? No. Most of us come from here. From Pavena. All of our parents did. Those of us who do not were only born after being trapped beyond the crossing. We just volunteered to cross back over to see if Pavena still stood.” Kajun’tar said thoughtfully. He didn’t elaborate nor did Kiveth.

Kiveth did speak on the other side of the gate. “Many worlds the gate can go to are not like this one. One has to be careful traversing the gate because of that. Where we are is like places on Mizahar, though not like this one. There is no jungle or trees. It is hot and dry, with very little water and no relief from the heat ever. We dwell below the ground because of it.” He added with Kajan’tar nodding his agreement.

The little pow wow via The Founders and the two strangers broke up with Rain coming over and gently cutting the prisoner’s free. Buraga didn’t take his eyes off them for a moment, but everyone else seemed at ease with releasing them for now. The Verusk themselves looked relieved and after a very quick consultation the group began to pack up. It was obvious that Mathias and the Randal agreed with the settlers that it would be best to meet the rest of the Verusk and see the gate first hand.

With that, they set off, hiking slowly and carefully, the gate in the distance – where they could glimpse it through the trees – growing larger and larger until they came out at a camp settled at its base. Kajun’tar and Kiveth lead them confidently through the underbrush, along vague game trails until the pair spilled out in the clearing at The World Gate which was glowing faintly even in the morning light. Their appearance seemed to disturb the others at the camp that all spilled out to meet them holding the strange guns that looked like crossbows without a cross piece, much like the one Ialari carried.

As one the rest of the Verusk not with the Syka group raised their weapons, pointed them at the party, and yelled at them to freeze, raise their hands, and surrender.

[Satevis]

Satevis turned towards Ialari as the woman spoke to him, momentarily surprised both by the hint of reproach in the Isur's tone and his own reaction to it. Her words weren't particularly harsh. She was reminding him to be more careful, to exercise patience. Patience. The urge to snap at her, to say that he had been patient, that he was only trying to help, came to him, but he quickly smothered it, tamping it down before it could break free and escape. It wasn't Ialari he was angry with, he reminded himself, and it would be unbecoming to lash out at her in that way.

It wouldn't...it wouldn't be right.

So, instead, he forced it down, shoving those feelings down with the traitorous thoughts and feelings that Kultra's words had brought to bear. Later, he told himself. Always later. He would deal with that later. For now.

For now, he inclined his head, acknowledging that Ialari had the right of it. "My apologies for overstepping my bounds," he said, keeping his voice to a whisper. "If I offended you, it was not my intention. I'll toe the line." If there was an edge to his voice as he spoke, it was certainly not intended.

Besides, he thought, it wasn't as if his interjection hadn't borne some fruit. If Kajun'tar was telling the truth, it suggested that these 'Verusk', whoever they are, were split into at least two factions. One that had attacked Aladon and Anibesa, and one that hadn't. His misunderstanding about the World Gate was unfortunate, but the fact that the Verusk had once lived here was interesting. Something had caused them to leave Pavena before the Valterrian. Something had caused them to go through the World Gate.

And some of them could operate the World Gate. Which meant that, if they could enlist their aid, they might have found a way to reach Morwen.

He listened to Kajun'tar and Kiveth's description of their homeland. The sands of Eyktol were never far from his thoughts; they had been home for his mortal seeming hundreds of years ago. Not his true home, not the one that called to him, but still, significant. If Morwen had gone to this desert...but no, they couldn't assume that; from the sound of it, the World Gate could go to many worlds, not just one.

Satevis looked back at the Founders as they started to free the Verusk, and, studiously not looking at Kultra, approached Mathias and Randal. He spoke in a whisper, trying not to be heard by the Verusk. He had a feeling that he was quickly falling out of favor in this group somehow, but as much as that made him want to keep his ideas to himself, he forced himself to speak up. He would continue to try to help until he was asked not to, otherwise, why had he even come along on this quest.

The last thought was directed with no small amount of spite towards Kultra, but Satevis decided that not looking at him was easier than addressing him for now.

"From the sound of it, the World Gate can reach more than one world," he said. "Even if we can get them to open it, we might have difficulty finding the world where Morwen is. It's possible that she might have gone to their..." He struggled to find the Common word that he was looking for. "...homeland, but if not, we may have to do some searching. Do we have a way of finding her?" A being as powerful as a goddess had to leave some trace, but Satevis couldn't even begin to imagine what it might be.

When they walked out into the clearing and were immediately stopped by a group of Verusk, Satevis's initial thought was that Kajun'tar and Kiveth had led them into a trap. He went tense, his mind going to magic before he could truly think about what he was doing. A thin sheen of Res coated the palms of his hands, barely even noticeable to anyone who was watching, before he caught himself, drawing in a sharp breath.

Caution... he reminded himself. Caution, not haste, would serve him here.

Breathing deep, and chiding himself for being so hasty, he absorbed the Res back into himself. Slowly, so as to show that he wasn't armed, Satevis began to raise his hands, keeping his palms faced towards them. As he did so, he kept his attention focused on the situation around him, ready to call up Res again at any time.

"Kajun'tar, Kiveth," he said, keeping his tone measured as he addressed the two Verusk, not taking his eyes off of the group in front of him, "Is this some sort of misunderstanding?"

He wasn't going to be the first to start a fight. He knew too little, about combat in general and about the current situation, to take on that role. He understood and accepted that. If the situation could be smoothed over with words, so much the better. But if one broke out, he would do his best to assist.

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Satevis

[Ialari Pythone]

Ialari considered Kiveth’s description of the world his kind came from while at the same time imagined the wonder involved in the idea of the gate allowing access to many other worlds. A heat-blasted wasteland is not exactly a place one would expect to find the Goddess of Winter however. This brought a new round of questions to Ialari’s mind related to Morwyn’s disappearance.

When the two Verusk were released and the group made their way further into the jungle and closer to the World Gate, Ialari felt a tingle at the base of her neck when glimpses of the gate came into view. It was a similar feeling that she got when she thought of her Dominion; the feeling of anticipation and excitement. Ialari was careful to walk as quietly as possible to hopefully reduce her contribution of sounds that may alert any other potential threats as the group grew closer to the gate. While the two Verusk seemed helpful enough as far as providing information she was still suspicious of them. She had supported them being freed due to not appearing to be much of a threat to their group yet that didn’t mean the rest of the jungle would suddenly open its arms and be welcoming. This in mind, she stepped slowly and deliberately; looking to step where there wasn’t so much of the sucking sounds of a foot sinking in and pulling out of mud. She ducked and dodged vines and tree branches instead of pushing them aside, breaking or otherwise cutting them away.

As the Verusk led them into the clearing at the gate, Ialari sighed deeply in disgust as the rest of the Verusk greeted them with raised weapons; just like the one she carried. Their orders to surrender caused her to rub her hand heavily over her forehead. Divine Father grant me strength. She prayed silently to herself. With each new obstacle in this rather odd outing, either from her own group’s bickering and ignorance or from the Verusk and their very presence and what it brought with it, Ialari was growing more and more irritated. Her patience was holding well enough but it was taking a bit of effort.

She looked to Kiveth and Kajun’tar just as Satevis questioned them about a misunderstanding. She then looked back to the opposition. A time for patience and a time for action. I’m sick of being at the mercy of others. She thought to herself immediately before going with the option for action.

Raising her arms so that her hands were in front of her and level with her head, Ialari spoke out loud enough to be heard, deliberately focusing on keeping her accent at a minimum. “Hold on! We mean no harm! These two have led us here with the understanding that we can maybe help each other out!” Ialari motioned to Kiveth and Kajun’tar with a nod in their direction.

“We keep our weapons down, you lower yours! I think we both have valuable things that can be exchanged in peace!” Ialari wasn’t the most experienced negotiator however she did know that presenting mutual benefit to a potentially unstable situation like this had worked for her in the past. That was the part of an old isurian cliché involving a carrot and a stick; the possible trade being the carrot. However, she also had a good feeling that, even with their admittedly superior physical weapons, the Verusk were at a disadvantage for two specific reasons.

For those two reasons, she followed up with the stick. “Of course, if you’re not interested in a peaceful resolution that could bring both parties what they want, you could shoot us! However…” Ialari glanced over to Kultra and Vas. “I don’t think that would work out very well!” Ever since the two odd men had been introduced back at the Tidepool, their comments to her, their perspectives on things going on in the world in general, their seemingly outsider way of behaving, had caused her no small amount of confusion at first. Since then, that confusion had turned to suspicion. Ialari had been around her fair share of strangeness; divine realms, gods, obsessive undead, mad-tortured ghosts, hungry zith, ancient magic and murderous golem divine champions. She tended to pick up on some of the subtler details that others may otherwise miss. She normally had something of a passive sense of the whole interconnectedness of all things thanks to the way her Dominion, the Ukalas had changed her. Kultra and Vas were ones who she couldn’t really get a sense of. That in itself spoke volumes even though it was all still suspicion. Whoever or whatever they were, they were obviously special. Whether or not her suspicion of what exactly Kultra and Vas represented was true, her faith in her belief could be seen in her eyes as she looked at them.

Looking back to the group of Verusk, “Kiveth and Kajun’tar have led us here for a friendly meeting. My name is Ialari Pythone and on behalf of all of Mizahar, I ask for your help.” She hoped that if what Kajun’tar and Kiveth said was true, these Verusk would see the value of her words. If not, she would likely be the first to be shot by the storm-fueled weapons pointed at her. Either way, she held strong to her faith in the belief that the gods themselves would see to their success in one form or another.

[Aladon]

Aladon listened to the Verusk tell him that some of them were from Mizahar during the time Pavena existed. The Isur listened to them tell about the worlds that they visited too, but they admitted that the world that they lived on was a barren and forced to live underground. He could relate, but he had to admit that he did miss the safety of his underground home. He could tell they were hiding something, but honestly their existence was just a side importance to the greater goal in returning Morwen to Mizahar. The blacksmith listened to the Verusk and said to them with a nod, “Did you activate the World Gate, or did you just took the opportunity when it activated to come through it?” Looking at him, he had one more question, “What resides just beyond the gate? Is it your barren world or is it just empty space?”

When Aladon was finished with his questions, he rejoined the founders and the other companions. It was already decided that they should set them free. The Isur figured that Mathias and Randal wanted to meet the rest of their group without prisoners in tow. Smart plan. When Rain cut the prisoners free, the Isur decided to keep his distance from the strangers just in case. They did anything rash or hostile. As they walked through the jungle, the blacksmith kept his eyes on the looming World Gate as it got closer with every step. The Isur was starting to feel his heart race with anticipation of the future. He was starting to get excited to see what was on the other side of the gate. He wanted to see Morwen with his own eyes and marvel at her godly beauty and perfection.

With each step the fear in the earlier part of the adventure was starting to subside. He was eager and willing to take the next step into the unknown. When they seemed to be following a game trail through the jungle, so it was much easier to traverse than the Maw closer to Syka. Eventually, they came to a clearing, and Aladon eyes widened and marveled at the architecture used to construct such a beautiful wonder such as the world gate. Suddenly, the inhabitants of the camp surrounding the gates came out with unknown weapon similar to the weapon in Ialari's possession. Satevis was the first one to put his hands up in surrender. When he asked if it was a misunderstanding. Aladon looked at him and said gently because the Eth seemed rattled, “If they walked into our camp armed, you would react the same way. Relax Satevis...”

When they pointed weapons at him and yelled to drop his sword and shield, Aladon just stood there with his arms crossed. He didn't know there combat capabilities, but he wasn't going to disarm himself in a potentially hostile camp. Besides, these were the petchers who assaulted him in the first place. The Isur put a mask of stone on his face when Ialari started to plead with them to not shoot. He decided to stay silent when she asked for help. Walking up to stand besides Ialari, Aladon said with a tip of his hat, “Ialari speaks the truth with us needing help and not wanting violence between us. None of us want violence because it won't settle anything for both sides to have any bloodshed today. Keveth and Kajun'tar said you are explores from the other side of the World Gate, so in the name of discovery and first contact lets just relax and have conversation to find common ground between our people...”

[Gossamer]

At Satevis’ question, the others frowned. Kultra and Vas looked interested but weren’t forthright with any answer at all. Mathias had something to say though, which wasn’t probably much of an answer. “We have ways of tracking someone that has went through a doorway… ancient ways. You can use auristics or somethings pathfinding, you can even use a Gnosis’ to touch where they have touched and glean information on what they were thinking of feeling or maybe their intentions. But I don’t think any of us are well versed in anything of that nature that would truly work. And despite what you must think, a Goddess among us would perhaps look nothing like what you might think one would look. They would probably be just as ordinary as any other humans.” Mathias said quietly. He looked as thoughtful as Satevis.

He glanced at Vas a moment, his face expressionless. “But it was a good thought process. Perhaps these folks know…. If she went to their land.” He added, glancing at the Verusk.

Vas interjected. “One would think Winter would follow where Morwen walked, but that is not always the case. She’d have to be actively using her powers. It’s one of the reasons the Seasonal Gods are restricted to walk for just a simple season. They’d expire their powers otherwise, using them continually without letting them recharge. It would be a lot like overgiving to mortal mages.” He added.

Aladon’s question to the Verusk was smartly spoken. It was Kiveth that answered. “We activated it. We know how to use it. It was done on orders. We came through as requested to scout the area and see what remained of Pavena. The World Gate takes power and it was something for some reason we did not have enough of to operate until just very recently. But once we could power it up on our end, we had no problems returning here. We grew up on stories of Pavena. It’s sad to see this great city in ruins and interesting timing as well to see that humans are once more trying to repopulate it.” The Verusk answered, looking intently at Aladon.

“As we said, the world we lived on was on our side… a dry sweltering place of endless desert. We do fine within it, but it is not as comfortable as here. The humidity was far more to our liking the moment we came through the gate. We have many skin issues on the other side, most related to water which is a precious recourse, and here most of those issues immediately vanished. Even our eyes do better here. We don’t have to protectively cover them to seal in the moisture. Here, they are always wet enough. This place is paradise compared to the other side.” He added, glancing at Kajun’tar who also nodded.

Several others of the group nodded, Kultra and Mathias among them. Buraga remained quiet, eyes ahead and scanning around them, waiting for other issues to occur.

When the Verusk drew weapons on them, Kajun’tar and Kiveth halted. They didn’t seem upset or surprised. Instead, they seemed happy to see the other Verusk. Ialari immediately stepped forward, arms up, speaking boldly. Weapons immediately trained on her, but nothing was forthcoming in terms of fire or violence. Instead they listened, eying the party and seemingly assessing what the new-comers meant to them.

When Aladon stepped forward and added in his two copper miza’s, the pack of Verusk in front of them seemed to relax even further. None of the Syka party had drawn weapons and that of course had helped. They hadn’t released their weapons either, but there was no offer of hostility among them to make that situation more dangerous.

Kiveth and Kajun’tar walked forward, clasped arms with a few of the others, and slowly weapons were lowered. The pack of Verusk, which was about a dozen thick, seemed to part and a female stepped through. She was delicate though wore an air of authority about her that the others deferred too. She had blond hair cut in a neat bob with pale golden skin and a pale cobalt highlight running across her face and down her throat. The contrasting coloring was repeated on the back of her hands and down the back of her bare arms as she strode forward. “I am Shar’tay’mal. Welcome to our camp. Will you come join us for refreshments and discussion. If you are truly here in peace with just a need to talk, then you are indeed welcome.” She said, gazing intently on the newcomers, studying them one by one.

Her gaze seemed to slide over the humans and Eth, but lingered on Kultra and Vas as if something indeed were different about them. The dozen Verusk, with Kajun’tar and Kiveth included, walked them towards the World Gate and what appeared to be a camp. It was a simple thing, made up of sleek tents of an alien design. There were chairs scattered around a fire, and several tables loaded up with what looked like equipment. There was indeed a sort of ocean-going sailing ship that floated above the ground, though it was roughly the size of a bloated casino and was tethered to several rock outcroppings. No one would have realized it was actually above ground, so close it was to the earth, but it bobbed and wiggled in the breezes that danced through the trees.

Shar’tay’mal along with the other Verusk lead them to the fire where there was palms shading and offering some protection from the sun. The Verusk looked as if they’d cleared out the jungle here to form this clearing… signs of newly fallen trees and construction everywhere. The World Gate rose above the camp, somewhat intimidating though it was quiet at the moment. There were crates littered about the camp too, mostly filled with fruit and other forms of food, as if this mission was less of a ‘invade mizahar’ and more of a ‘hunt and gather’ type.

The pale gold Verusk with cobalt highlights gestured for them to take a seat. More chairs were being brought by the remainder of the Verusks, piled two and sometimes three deep around the fire. The fire was not lit, just a remnant pit, for the temperatures here in the clearing were hotter than even on the beach since the winds did not cool the area. The Verusk didn’t seem to have any issues with the heat, and almost seemed comfortable. The mood was cautious, wary, but not tense in the way that violence would explode at any moment. Verusk were settling to seats all over the place, having done so just as soon as Shar’tay’mal took hers. There were enough chairs left for the remaining party from Syka.

“I think Introductions are in order. I am, as I’ve said, Shar’tay’mal… leader here. This is Seraya, our guard… Kajuntar our Loremaster… Zedavor our engineer. We have Abanath, our tinker, Relia’ssa our Entomologist and shielder, then Sinaetri our entertainer, Talivindra our artisan… you’ve met Kiveth our Leafshaper, and T’aidell our Alchemist. We also have Suntaval, our seeker, and Desmira, our magecrafter and structural expert.” Shar’tay’mal said, pointing in turn to each Verusk and naming them. Then she paused waiting for someone from the Syka party to do the same.

Mathias rose and provided the same courtesy, naming everyone in the party and giving the Verusk a brief idea of what the person did. He kept it simple, saying Founder or Settler or Guest. Vas and Kultra were, of course, named guests.

The Syka Founder launched right into the heart of the issue, voicing his concerns right away. “I fear we are right in the middle of a land dispute. We’ve settled these lands the last few years and have been slowly rebuilding a city here while taking time to explore Pavena quietly on the side. Your presence here is disturbing because we don’t know why you are here. The fact that some of you have claimed to be original members or children of members of Pavena is disturbing to us. We don’t want any land issues.” He said voicing the Sykan issue. He didn’t mention Morwen or the fact that they were suddenly looking at maybe a full scale invasion of Mizahar.

Shar’tay’mal nodded. “That is understandable. And we didn’t exactly come out and approach you in a friendly manner. The truth is we were sent here by our Master to seek out more of what recently appeared in our world. I know at least two of you fit that description. Without her, we wouldn’t have been able to power up the World Gate again because the skills to do it have been lost over time and she has been the only one with enough sheer power to make crossings possible. But now there are two others here, and I wonder if their purpose is to not find their lost sister. Our Master has no interest in giving her up though. Our world burns hot and there is no relief…. None at least until she came. She has enormous power and its all centered around cold and it has been such a relief since her capture. We have been growing so hot on the other side food production hasn’t been possible… and slowly our kind have perished due to starvation. But now, with her, we can cross and gather fresh food, water, things that were in low supply. And with you two here… we might be able to hold the gate longer, go other places besides here… she only knew here… which was fortunate. Pavena has been lost to us for a long long time.” Shar’tay’mal said softly, looking up and smiling.

“We have technology you don’t have. We have knowledge you have lost due too…..” she hesitated there, not sure how to voice the ruin she saw all around her. Kiveth pipped in at that point. “Valterrian. They call it the Valterrian. Yet another of their powerful race went crazy and destroyed the world. That is why there is a sea here now where there was none before.” He said, supplying the information to Shar’tay’mal that she obviously lacke.d

‘Ahh… so it has a name. I’d love to hear more about it.” She said, glancing between the newcomers. “But I’m sure you have questions too. We can see what we can do to answer them.” She added, nodding to another Verusk that had appeared. This dark-haired Verusk had appeared with a huge tray of drinks. They’d introduced her earlier as Desmira, the mage. She began passing out the drinks, fruit juice made from mangos and bananas.

“So…. You know why we are here now. Why are you here?” She asked in return as a drink was placed in her hand and she began to sip it. Desmira emptied her tray and departed, obviously off to get more.

[Ialari Pythone]

As they group continued on to the gate, Ialari listened to the answers the two Verusk gave to the others in the group and took note of the things Mathias said about tracking someone through the gate. Hearing that the other side of the gate was an endless desert left her with the realization that the group was getting involved in something far more dangerous than she first thought. Still, she remained quiet as they walked; not wanting to add more noise that could alert of their presence.

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

When it seemed that those in the Verusk encampment weren’t going to use their weapons, Ialari gave a sigh of relief; she was not yet ready to die. When Kiveth and Kajun’tar greeted their comrades and the tense situation diffused, Ialari offered a prayer of thanks to Izurdin. She then offered a smile of gratitude to the apparent leader, Shar’tay’mal’s offer of welcome. At the sight of the camp itself, Ialari’s interest was peaked by the odd design of materials. The strange ship also grabbed her attention as it seemed so out-of-place in the jungle. Indeed the entire setup looked less threatening than she had imagined it would.

When offered a place to sit down, Ialari sat while observing the different Verusk who gathered about. As the introductions began, she listened and tried to commit the names and who they were to memory. She noted the titles each Verusk had; taking special note of Desmira the Magecrafter. As Ialari herself was skilled in magecraft, meeting another, especially one from another world, made the whole occasion that much more intriguing.

Ialari looked to Mathias as he jumped right in on the whole situation. She had to admit, that for a human, Mathias had a way about him which made it clear why others followed him. While the whole thing about the land dispute was a possible issue in Ialari’s mind, it was far from being the most important topic at hand. However, Shar’tay’mal’s response to Mathias appeared to answer questions that weren’t yet asked; quite an interesting discussion tactic if indeed that is what Mathias had planned. The Verusk leader’s revelation that Morwen had been captured by someone and that there were two others like Morwen with the Sykans. This caused Ialari to choke back a bit of coughing as she glanced at the two whom she suspected Shar’tay’mal was speaking of. Then the Verusk’s mention of using those two to hold the gate open longer was chilling considering this, “Master” had already taken and was using Morwen, preventing her from returning.

As drinks were offered, Ialari took hers and dipped a finger in it. She smelled and tasted it, a precaution considering her momentary relief at not having been shot was quickly vanishing at the thought of what these people were capable of. Assuming there were no signs of possible poison, she proceeded to drink.

When Shar’tay’mal offered to answer some questions, Ialari had a number of them ready to go.

In her typical way of speaking, she did so slowly and deliberately as to soften her sometimes thick isurian accent. “You say that the one with great power, the one who now makes things cooler on your world, was captured by your master. When you say master, do you mean that you are apprenticed to them or enslaved by them? You also mentioned two among us who are like the one who was captured. It sounds like you have designs on perhaps taking them to your master as well. Did I misread you on that?” To Ialari it had sounded like the Verusk were already thinking about capturing others for their master. It didn’t take much for her mind to start putting together who Shar’tay’mal was speaking of. While Ialari had extreme doubts about the Verusk being able to capture two gods in their own world, the whole concept had a previously silent voice in her head shouting.

“These powerful beings you speak of are essential to life on this world. They are connected to all things and in turn, all things are connected to them. What your master is doing, is not only blasphemous in the extreme, but also threatens to destroy this world; potentially turning it into one as inhospitable as yours.” Ialari rubbed her metallic shoulder as she spoke, her fingers absently tracing the marks of Izurdin for comfort.

She took a moment to allow others in the group to ask any questions they may have and to allow the Verusk to respond. She had many other questions however they would be pointless if the Verusk were intent on following through with their master's task of finding others like Morwen. Her anger at the thought of Morwen being captured and used in such a manner also kept her from being able to really ask much more without completely losing hold on her patience. To her, the gods were more than simple powerful beings with great influence over the world. They were an intimate part of everything. If she concentrated hard enough, she could literally feel that connection thanks to the years she'd spent in the Ukalas.

As soon as the opportunity presented itself however, Ialari answered Shar’tay’mal’s question of why they were there. As she did, she watched the Verusk leader's reaction and postured herself in a way that she could act swiftly if the Verusk's response merited it.

“We are here to bring the one you speak of, Morwen, Goddess of Winter, back home.”