Quest Finding Answers To Questions Not Asked

[Gossamer]

Timestamp: 2nd of Fall, 519 A.V.

There was a bitter taste in the air. One could almost describe it as fruit gone into fermentation, though that was not the whole truth of the taste in the air. It was something beyond recognition, but quite like a few fleeting things that lingered and teased at the memory, never fully forming. It made the whole settlement have an unusual tang to it, one that Mathias himself was about to go investigate.

Mathias snorted, coiling his body around himself and holding aloft the orb that was now darkened by Akvin’s touch. The pair studied each other and Mathias shook his head. “I’ll have to call a meeting. People will be in a panic.” He decided, giving the God a long hard look.

Akvin just smiled.

“Sometimes people need a shakeup, Mat. Sometimes its better they don’t wake the same as they woke the day before. It reminds them of how precious and fleeting life is and how transient it can be. It drives change, old man. Don’t you think the people of this settlement are a little too comfortable? It’s deceptive, this peace you’ve brought them. You know the world is more dangerous than this little city lets on. They have to be stronger, faster, smarter to survive. Some of them are. Some of them are woefully behind.” Akvin said, rising up and pacing the length of Mathias’ deck before settling in a chair there.

“Life is easy here. Food is plentiful. They have fresh water. They hardly need roofs over their heads though Randal has seen they all do.” Akvin started out carefully.

“But it’s a lie. The first storm, the first invasion, the first time a God turns their way that isn’t benevolent…. and they will be in true trouble.” He said, his words chopped as if checking off some verbal checklist.

Akvin continued. “You need them to be digging deeper. You need them to learn more of the secrets you are here to uncover. Pavena should live again. It’s more than time that you and your hand-picked citizenry wake up the city. Even I feel sleepy here, lazy under Syna’s warm light, because this great place slumbers all around us. This little sphere is just one of the toys laying around that the people of this place’s past left abandoned. There are far worse, far deadlier, and you’d best get them secured before more time passes.” The God of Invention said softly. He was, of course, referring to the created life that thrived in the jungle all around. There were true monsters out there, not just things that went bump in the dark.

“And you’ve been lucky, Mathias. You, Randal, and James have been really lucky. This is just a shitstorm waiting to hit if these settlers here start poking around unguided. I’ve seen the caliber of people your little experiment has netted. There are mages here from Sahova. There are deep thinkers and old souls. I know of at least one Chaktawe in this settlement that has lived here before. There are Kelvics of such power that they can trace their bloodlines straight back to Marcus’s labwork himself. And the fact that there are witches here tells me Caiyha isn’t uninvolved. How much she’s told her followers, I don’t have a clue. Then we get to the Verusk. The Verusk! They’ve settled here as if they have a right to it. Half-human and half Velispar? Do we even know how long they will live and how powerful they are? I don’t. And that Svefra! Do you know he is a brand new soul? Do you know how often Lex does that? Almost never. So why is he here?” He added, shaking his head.

“Mathias… you need more than a meeting. You need action.” Akvin said softly, shaking his head. “I just don’t know if you see it or not.” The God muttered, looking worried.

“I see it.” Mathias answered him immediately. “Some of this I knew. I didn’t know about Finn though. New souls are rare. And I didn’t know Ines was one of Marcus’ line. Witches… I was aware. Caiyha is everywhere here. I’ve been watching Jehu. I’m an old hand at the reincarnation game. He’s not awakened yet. We have time with him.” Mathias muttered, glancing at Akvin.

“You have no time.” Akvin countered.

“None at all?” Mathias asked, even as two other people joined him on his porch. James and Randal had heard much of the conversation, keeping quiet on their approach. James – a somewhat hairy Jamoura and Randal another Dhani like Mathias – didn’t seem surprised.

Akvin nodded. “None at all.”

The three founders glanced between each other and then took in Akvin’s gaze.

“I’ll spread the word there is to be a meeting then.” Randal said, trotting off before he could get too involved in the conversation. He knew the gist of what was going on. And so, he took time to start at one end of the settlement to the other, talking to everyone he knew – in whatever forms they’d taken – and told them there’d be a meeting along with a sunset dinner. Everyone was invited, and at that time quite a few things would be explained including what was happening to them.

Meanwhile, back at the meeting, the big jamoura squatted, staring at Akvin as if he expected the Godling to have all the answers. Akvin didn’t, but that didn’t stop James from trying to intimidate him with his new body. “Do you know what you are going to do? What you are going to ask of them?” The big upright ape queried Mathias. Akvin raised an eyebrow, also curious.

“Yes. Of course. I’m going to ask them to do what I should have asked them to do ages ago… when we first got here.” Mathias replied.

Then, without another word to the other two, Mathias set off to make arrangements for those on duty to cook to start a community meal and for others to contribute to what would be a big meeting at sunset in the Communal Center.

.

[Vancha Heliconia]

Vancha had barely even been in Syka for a day yet and the settlement seemed to be in panic. The panic was understandable, Vancha too was in shock and the mysterious magic that had turned him human seemed to be affecting everyone in Syka. He was staying in the guest quarters for the time being. He laid back in his hammock and stared up at the clear blue sky examining the odd cloud that passed through the sky.

Vancha seemed to have thousands of thoughts whizzing through his mind, he wasn't even sure he could survive in this body, he hadn't eaten since the transformation took place. Vancha worried that his own venom from the food he had prepared would could cause him some serious harm and the small fruit he had tried to eat almost choked him to death. He had seen the locals preparing entire animals on a spit and it perplexed him how they could even get it down.

An argument seemed to be happening just down the beach, Vancha wasn't really paying attention it was just a bit of background noise distracting him from his thoughts. Hearing mention of a meeting Vancha snapped out of his thoughts and back to reality. "a meeting, maybe someone knows what's going on" Vancha thought to himself. hopping out of his hammock he approached the group and called out "Hey what's this about a meeting?" He seemed to catch them by surprise almost as if they hadn't realised they were even arguing and how loud they were talking. One of them an Akalak Turned to face Vancha. "Yeah later on at the communal centre, Randal came by and told us. Well I think it was Randal." Vancha rubbed the back of his head "Perhaps I could tag along? I only just arrived myself, could you show me along to the meeting? I would be very grateful" The Akalak agreed and they headed off down the beach together. If Vancha had learned anything since arriving it was that the locals always seemed friendly and willing to help.

As the sun began to set the more and more, people of all races began to arrive. Vancha had never seen a group quite as diverse as this, some of which he didn't recognise at all. The smell of food filled the air it seems there was to be a meal along with the meeting. Although Vancha was hungry he wasn't sure if he could face eating. Looking around Vancha found himself an area off to the side to take a seat and just admire the view while he waited for it to begin.


Boxcode by Allassanachassanya.

[Sophia Sunshore]

"Speech"

Sophia was still nowhere near used to being a Dhani. It was an odd thing, for her body felt completely natural, moving exactly how and where she wanted with no extra thinking required. However the sight of it, that thick, golden scaled tail was so startling to her still very human mind. And her face. She barely recognised herself anymore with the high, scaled brow and golden eyes. The Svefra hadn’t realised before how much her appearance had been a part of her identity, her personality even.

Despite the strangeness of being something other than what she was used to, Sophia had to admit that there were things she found appealing about her new form. She was able to move fast, so much faster than running on two legs. She was also a little stronger, or at least she felt she was, things that were heavy to her before now didn’t seem to be quite so hard to lift. And her senses had changed. She thought she could hear everything and more. She had watched a crab scuttle across the sands and realised that the odd scraping noise she could hear was its body moving over the grains. The smell of the salt in the sea air surrounded her even without a breeze.

And her sight. During the daylight bells she hadn’t noticed a difference. But at nightfall when the settlement had fallen into darkness, her eyes had woken it back up again. She could see people moving around, animals too. It hadn’t taken her too long to realise that she could see only living things, or things that ran warm. It had fascinated Sophia, and she had spent many chimes simply watching things move around in the dark.

Sophia was on the beach, absently watching her tail as she coiled and uncoiled it when Randal appeared. Much like Mathias the day before, he was also a Dhani. She wondered how many of the other residents had taken on the reptilian forms. Randal’s message was a simple one, to tell of a meeting at sunset. She wasn’t surprised, for something strange had clearly happened yesterday to cause such changes in the settlers. The Founders clearly had an idea as to what was going on and appeared to have some sort of action plan. She hoped that one of them might also know if this… ‘happening’ had caused the air to stagnate too. For the last day her mouth had felt bitter, and she was sure it wasn’t just down to her new form.

And so, as the sunset drew nearer, Sophia made her way over to the Community Centre. Mathias had told her the previous day that Dhani could take on a human form, and while Sophia longed to be herself again, the idea of changing her entire body was completely terrifying and mind-boggling to her. She crossed the beach quickly in her Dhani form, gliding almost effortlessly across the sand. She had her large orange scarf tied round her neck in the hopes that it would help people recognise her - though her Gnosis mark still obvious on her forearm would do much the same job.

Sophia also carried a bag of oranges with her, for Randal had said the meeting would be over dinner. She hadn’t eaten since her form had changed, though not for lack of hunger. The oranges she had with her were meant to have been her meal the day previous, but her stomach had turned when she had gone to eat one. There was also the fact that her teeth and mouth no longer appeared suited to chewing the likes of fruit. Hopefully, with two of the Founders Dhani like herself, she would be able to find something more palatable.

She was quickly at the Community Centre, handing over the oranges to someone much better than herself at cooking. There were a few others milling around, the most startling form being that of a large ape. It didn’t take Sophia long to discern it was likely James, as he was speaking with the Dhani founders. Most others she didn’t recognise, but one human in particular drew her eye as he was sat alone, seemingly enchanted with the view in a way that only those new to the settlement were.

Sophia settled herself not too far from the Founders, smiling as best she could around her new fangs when they looked in her direction. She was a little awkward, still unused to the size of her new form, but thankfully the centre wasn’t too crowded yet and she managed to make herself comfortable. Golden eyes flicked between the Founders and the entrance, wondering who she would see enter next and if she would recognise any of her friends.

[Ines]

Ines felt distinctly uncomfortable in her new body. Her head was crowded with another mind, her limbs were far too long, she barely fit her clothing, and if the inner headache wasn't enough, she ran into things because her spatial awareness was calibrated for someone just over a foot shorter than she was. Her new body had its uses, too - she had already noticed how much easier it was going to be to harness the ashta, and she was stronger, with more visible muscles. Still, the bat-turned-Akalak missed the hot, metallic tang of blood and the comfort she took in her animal form.

She was still herself, though. Well, still herself and her new head-mate Adeliz. Adeliz was the antithesis to everything the bat stood for, felt, thought - she was timid, anxious, overly-apologetic and overly-familiar. On instinct, Ines hated her. Her presence felt wrong and she had used every ounce of willpower to keep her shunted in the back. That twin soul couldn't figure out what she had done wrong, and the witch couldn't explain that her existence was an anomaly, an accident, a curse that seemed to have befallen the entirety of the settlement. An important part of her identity had been torn out and replaced with this, and if the witch was going to have two parts she wanted it to be her blended self of human and bat, not this other woman. She could feel her, gloomy and sulking, feelings that tainted the already sour mood of the bat.

The ashta knew something was wrong, though they greeted her as warmly as a purple freak as they did when she was normal. They were smart enough to know that she was the same person, and that brought her comfort. Ines had never considered how important both forms were to her identity. Now she realized that losing one side was worse than losing a limb. She lost everything, and that deep-seated kelvic need to find what was missing was turned up ten-fold. Even this new body couldn't take away her nature.

Ines rarely felt so overwhelmed, and her emotions made the humidity all the more oppressive. After greeting the ashta she decided to submerge herself in their wading pool. She wasn't a swimmer, but the water was cool and allowed her to cloister herself from the outside world. When was under the water, she could almost pretend through her blurry vision that Caiyha's gift didn't look so wrong on her purple arm. Adeliz tried to comfort her, but it had the same effect as being pat on the back by your worst enemy. Ines just wanted her to go away.

Something touched her shoulder, and to her horror as she emerged, that something belonged to a shimmering pile of scales and flesh. Even living in Syka for a season wasn't enough to get her wholly used to the idea of a Dhani as a neutral party. Ines's nerves were so uncharacteristically high that the bat simply fell onto her ass at the sight of him. A look at his face and she realized it was Randal.

"Ines?" He asked, the end just-too-sibilant. The kelvic- no, the akalak woman nodded. "There is a meeting today, in the commons. A dinner at sunset, too. It will be to talk about what has happened," He continued, gesturing to himself and to her, and she nodded again.

"I will come," she replied, wincing at her voice. It was huskier now. He left after that, clearly in a hurry to contact more of the settlement. Ines watched him leave, the sight of the scales resting like a stone in her stomach. She didn't think she could get anything down without throwing up, but she craved an explanation more than a meal. The witch extricated herself from the mud and dipped back into the wading pool to clean. Just looking at her reflection in the water was enough to send her spiraling again, and with such timing from Adeliz the twin soul forced herself to the front.

The kelvic protested, but Adeliz was tired of her attitude, for such despair would only lead down bad roads. Adeliz believed that this happened for a reason, and knew it would take some convincing of Ines to believe so, too. The akalak was much more graceful in their body and she managed to bring them to the commons unscratched and untripped. She recognized Sophia's face, but while she had no qualms with Dhani, the commotion and unfamiliarity was enough to keep her distance from the mingling. Randal was easy to spot, too, as was Mathias - they were Dhani, too. Many of the creatures she saw were far different from anything she had been exposed to in Taloba, though. Adeliz decided it was far better to stay on the edges.

Once Sophia caught her eye, however, Adeliz waved to get her attention.

wc: 817

[Jehu]

Jehu

Some semblance of sanity had come to Jehu when he learned that Kamilla had been changed too. Luckily, his friend's new identity was far less frightening than his own. She had become a Konti. So they learned it was not just an individual thing, that others took on the changes.

Jehu had spent most of the day in his tent, or lingering in the shade at the jungle fringe. His Zith eyes were amazing at night, but sensitive during the day. When it rained or was cloudy, it wasn't too bad, but when the sun peeked through the clouds, he had to squint. Eventually it made his face hurt. later, Randall had slithered by to deliver the message, appearing a bit started when Jehu appeared. In an odd way Zith Chaktawe was further comforted to see even Randall didn't escape the strange incident. It seemed everyone was in the same boat, and there would be a gathering at sunset to discuss the matter.

Jehu still dreaded facing others, unsure if others could see past his wings and claws to recognize him. Kam eventually had. There were some things that were not much different about him, really. His hair hadn't changed in color or style and his facial features appeared the same, aside from the dark color. But his deep indigo skin, or rather, thin coat of fur and the broad bat-like wings were far from normal. Even his telltale black eyes were now only black in the irises, the rest turning white.

The Zith-Jehu found clothing undesired, and nearly impossible to get on. He would have to have Kam make special shirts for him. He could wear pants, but didn't like the feel, so went with a simple loincloth. His shoes would not fit on clawed feet either, but the soles of his feet were exceptionally leathery, and he figured he could go without.

Jehu had no more excuse to delay. He didn't even think of walking, his Zith nature already expecting to fly to the Commons than to walk. That would be some kind of entrance. The sun dipped, hovering over the horizon, as long as he didn't look that way, he could see alright. With a sigh, Jehu slipped from his tent. He stumbled, his wings catching on the tent fabric as he exited. He had to get used to those sticking up. He got clear of his tent. With wings stretched, Jehu beat them rhythmically until he lifted from the ground, and made his way the short distance along the shoreline to the Commons.

He landed on the beach, instead of right at the Commons, to keep from alarming anyone. The new ZIth's touchdown was much more graceful than when he was first tried the night before. His wings folded, pressed to his back. The Jehu made his way to meet with the others.

Jehu kept back, still worried about reactions. He began to gaze over the motely crew gathered. He picked out Sophia, the Svefra botanist was more reptile than human, but still had her charming smile. The founders he figured out because they spoke together one being a giant hairy beast. There was a human he didn't recognize. And the purple woman? It was Ines, the kelvic that hung around Lars. She looked like an Aklak woman, though he didn't know such a thing existed.

Lingering at the fringe, Jehu's wings instinctively wrapped around him like a protective cloak.

[Kamilla]

Kamilla had kept to herself for most of the day before, only seeing evidence that the strange metamorphic magic had swept through the settlement, and perhaps even the world, from the two unexpected visitors she'd received on the day. Sophia had become a terrifying creature, a Dhani, Jehu an unsettling Zith and she'd become a Konti, she was still completely unable to wrap her mind around what kind of magic could cause such a miraculous change in someone, let alone on such a large scale. She wondered just how far the phenomenon had spread.

She'd been at Treasure Point, looking out over the waves and enjoying the feel of the water and sand against her, for once, exposed feet. The transformation had removed the giant burn scar that she'd done so well at hiding over the years and so she was taking advantage of that. She felt anxious, looking at the water, she understood that Konti were a semi-aquatic race and as much as she wanted to put her new body to the test, she couldn't seem to bring herself any further into the water than ankle depth without reliving the previous season when she'd have drowned if not for Jehu's impeccable timing.

It was then, just as she'd been about to leave that the new Konti had spotted an exhausted looking person stumbling towards her. The man had been abnormally tall and slender, his skin and hair paler than even her own, and he wore a loincloth that barely fit along with what looked like a giant machete, clearly weighing him down, strapped to his back. The weapon was a giveaway. It was Ken.

Concerned that the lanky man would topple over at any second, Kamilla had moved to meet him halfway. According to Ken, he'd been turned into a "scrawny good for nothing Symenestra with no muscles in sight". Despite her amusement, Kamilla could surmise that the once handsome, muscular and heroic Ken was not happy with his new form. She'd felt bad for him.

Their exchange hadn't lasted long, Ken had bumped into her unexpectedly, but she was grateful for his desperate attempts to exercise in hopes of building some muscle, otherwise she might not have caught wind of the meeting that was to take place later that day.

From there Kamilla had gone home to get dressed, a dark purple dress being the best option in her wardrobe and no shoes to accompany them. Since the meeting was also, supposedly, a dinner, she grabbed a pie from her magic pie cozy before leaving her cave and heading in the direction of the meeting.

Finally arriving after a brief walk, Kamilla's pale skinned and somewhat scaled form arrived at the edge of the meeting place, lavender irises dancing over the various figures there, all of them unfamiliar until closer inspection revealed some of them to be people she knew.

It seemed as if Dhani, the snake people that made her very uncomfortable, were in the majority, Kamilla making out Randal and, across the community centre, Sophia, as well as one other she assumed to be one of the founders. There was also a giant ape whom she could not place and a large purple skinned woman, though unlike the new Jehu, it appeared to be skin not fur… the haircut drew her interest and after a few moments of impolite staring, Kamilla recognised what she now realised to be a female akalak as Ines, the once petite naked ant girl from Taloba. She'd lived in Riverfall and never once seen a female akalak, so Ines' form intrigued her.

Making her way around the back of the crowd to place her pie on one of the tables, having no idea what flavor the pie cozy had produced this time, Kamilla spotted one more person she was familiar with, his large leathery wings being a dead giveaway. It was Jehu, looking uncomfortable near the outer edge of the meeting, she decided to join him there. "Don't look so concerned. There are bigger and scarier things here than you." It was kind of true. To Kamilla, who'd had a bad experience, Dhani were far more terrifying than the Chaktawe's new, admittedly unsettling, Zith form.

717

[Gossamer]

The Syka Commons was a natural gathering place just off Swing Beach and the dock. The Mercantile was within easy access of it and the Communal Kitchens, Forge, and Events Center were all in sight. The Commons were elevated, overlooking where several people were cooking flakey but delicious white fish over the fires for what would in essence be a massive feeding frenzy of fish tacos. Randal himself was making flat bread wraps by the dozens, his construction skills coming in handy when someone handed him the dough and showed him how to flatten it out to make the incredibly thin bread. Everyone’s offerings were accepted and the pies, desert, and drinks piled up on the tables of the Events Center. People were free to grab plates of food.

The crowd was a mixture of rarely seen creatures, with a high percentage of Dhani. The Verusk – those that were recognizable, were almost all human now. One or two had doubled or tripled in size and looked like scaled lizards of enormous proportions though beautiful in their vivid coloring. The Founders, though one was vastly changed as a Jamoura, were fairly recognizable as they were wandering around directing the meal and setting up the meeting.

Newcomers like Vancha and Tajo were welcomed. So too were things like pies and oranges that were added to the pile of foodstuffs which were cut up and served. Sykan’s ate well and often. The jungle provided. Nor did anyone scream as Jenu landed as a Zith. While vastly changed physically – especially with the wings – he did look like Jehu which was familiar to a lot of people. Kamilla as a Konti was something different, for Syka had very few of the scaled mer-women. But all and all, as the settlement all grabbed food – even the kitchen helpers – and headed to the Commons to eat, the Founders gathered with their own plates and started the meeting still nibbling.

Part of it was show. The meeting screamed ‘casual’ rather than ‘emergency’ and the fact that the Founders were keeping it formal was important. The Jamoura – who turned out to be James – didn’t speak, his voice too gruff and low to carry. Instead, Mathias took the lead.

“As some of you might have noticed, we all changed.” He said without preamble. He was joined at his side by Akvin, who leaned casually against a railing, eating a slice of what looked like butterscotch pie. Akvin wasn’t a really well-known person about the settlement. He was just ‘a friend’ of the Founders who was visiting for a few seasons for some relaxation and investigation of the local area.

Mathias continued. “We know why this happened. An artifact was found in Stair Step Falls and we accidentally activated it. Upon studying it, we determined we’d all have to endure these changes for about a season. It is very likely we will all revert back to our normal forms come Winter. However, as a forewarning, there is a slim chance you will retain your current form. Do not be alarmed if this happens. If you do not revert back when everyone else does, there are things we can do to help…. maybe.” He added. Then he took a bite of his food, oozing casualness, and glanced around. Chewing softly, he didn’t continue until he swallowed and took a sip of what appeared to be some of The Tidepools local brew.

“But this leads us to a problem. We’ve taken more and more artifacts out of Stairstep Falls in the recent seasons than we ever have before. That leads us to believe there is source of these artifacts up stream. We’ve scouted up the falls and found a lake at the top. Within the lake is a ruined citadel. We believe the source of the artifacts is this citadel. We need to take a party up the stairsteps, cross the lake, and investigate. No one’s actually been on the island yet. We need to figure out where these artifacts are coming from and secure the source so we can study each and every one of them and carefully contain them so nothing like this happens again.” He added. Then he took a few more bites, chewing carefully and letting that digest for the crowd. He was hoping angry catcalls and rage against some of these changes being potentially permanent didn’t burst out.

“As some of you know, and some of you don’t…. Syka is settled on the ruins of an old pre-Valterrian specialized city called Pavena. It is the reason we have so many groves of fruit around here, such a ready supply of food, and even things like the Isuas growing. We are reaping the fruits of their labor and harvesting crops that have gone wild and utilizing them for our benefit. We did not fully understand this when Syka was settled. We simply picked this spot for its fresh water, food availability, and mild weather. As most of you know, The Verusk are here because of the world gate. Some of our people are still on the other side of this gate, exploring and looking for Morwen. And what we’ve learned from that is Pavena used to be a science center, based around exploration and magical development. We have no idea where these artifacts are coming from, but the fact they keep getting more and more potent leads us to believe this needs to be investigated. We want to secure and catalog the items, maybe even study them for future reference and perhaps use. They are absolutely dangerous – as this recent happening demonstrates – to be left out in the wilds unsecured.” He said, pausing again to let more of what he said digest. He took another couple of bites of his fish taco, washed it down, and glanced around.

“We want volunteers to go on this short expedition. The Stair Step Falls isn’t far, and up to the top will take less than a day. The dangerous part is crossing the lake to the ruins and exploring there. We have no idea what we are going to find or what we are up against. There might very well be residents in the ruins or lake, creatures we know nothing about. I am not going to go on this one. I’m going to sit this one out and stay here to keep the peace. But Randal and James are going to take point on this project. Anyone else that wants to come along can meet us tomorrow morning. We’ll get started and head up to the Falls at first light.” He added, looking thoughtful and glancing around.

People had definitely stopped eating. Even Akvin paused mid-bite to look at Mathias curiously. It wasn’t like the Founder to sit things out. The Magecrafter glanced at the Jamoura and other Dhani as if judging James and Randal’s reaction. Nope. Nothing. The other two founders gave nothing away. Jansen and Kalum Alavarth, twin humans, stepped forward and volunteered to go immediately. The party would need healers after all. Buraga and Brosh, both Akalak, stepped forward to volunteer as well. Among the Verusk, Seladonna and Zed both nodded that they’d be going. After a few moments, Kajun'tar also stepped forward. All three of the former Verusk looked human.

Mathias spoke again. “Who else is interested in joining us? If you are, let me know and I will meet you all back here in the morning. Pack to be gone a few days… maybe longer.” He added, hopeful that others would join.

.

[Kamilla]

Kamilla accepted what would usually be a charming grin from her formerly Chaktawe friend, now made an unnerving baring of fangs by his Zith form. It was quite interesting to her, how influential her subconscious mind could be, defying the fact that she knew, logically, that Jehu posed no threat to her despite his new appearance. She did not like it, the idea that she wasn't in complete control of her own thoughts, feelings and reactions, things she tried her best to tame over the years.

Besides the fear, wonder and mystery of everyone being in a miraculous new form, the meeting did not feel very much like a meeting. All around her, creatures she knew to be her fellow Sykans gathered their plates of food to eat, as if it were simply a celebration, though everyone had the same question on their lips, they just seemed to be patient enough to wait for the founders to address it. Kamilla was not hungry, she hardly ever was, and so remained standing in place as others went about their business, her arms crossed as she waited for the actual meeting to begin.

Finally the time came, the Dhani Matthias taking the lead, an unfamiliar handsome man standing nearby, she wondered if he were simply someone she didn't recognise because of their new form.

The meeting turned out to be quite enlightening. According to Matthias, the metamorphosis had been a result of the activation of an artifact, a powerful one no doubt, and would last for an entire season, if not forever. Although uncomfortable with the thought of losing her actual form, Kamilla supposed that if she did, she'd have gotten a better deal than most. She'd have liked to see the artifact responsible but it seemed that the founder had far more to say, beyond a simple explanation of their current circumstances.

A citadel. An investigation to find the source of the artifacts that seemed so abundant in Syka. Discovering that the settlement was built on an ancient city known as Pavena, a magical research centre… like Sahova. With each new discovery, Kamilla's excitement and curiosity grew, bubbling within her. This was it, her chance to redeem herself of her failure to progress beyond the rank of apprentice on Sahova. A chance to be part of a noteworthy discovery. The World Gate. Morwen. By the time Matthias had finished his speech, the Konti felt as if her head was spinning with all the delicious new information it had just been fed.

Kamilla had been so overwhelmed by the influx of information and the questions that followed that she'd unintentionally blanked out for several ticks, only coming to when she realised that people were volunteering. Several. Her heart wrenched, not wanting to be left behind on such a potentially historical expedition. She stepped forward.

"I'll come too. I might be of use…" She left it at that, lavender irises drifting between each of the other volunteers before returning to Matthias and finally, settling on the handsome stranger and narrowing slightly. She couldn't help but wonder who he was and whether he would be involved in the expedition too. She could feel the eyes of others on her, possibly asking themselves what possible help a seamstress could be, she'd specifically chosen her words to be vague in that regard and unless she was questioned on her alleged skills, she would leave it at that.

In the back of her mind, the surprisingly anxious Konti wondered if any of her… friends would volunteer.

576

[Sophia Sunshore]

"Speech"

As Sophia patently waited for the Commons to fill up, she watched each newcomer carefully to see if she would recognise them. She was a little comforted that there seemed to be so many who had taken the form of a Dhani. Sophia would have felt even more like a monster had it just been herself. The smell of cooking food was everywhere, and it made her even more hungry than she already was.

Sophia made her way over to where the food was being served, bypassing all the fruit. For some reason the thought of eating it made her feel odd, even though she knew she adored the taste of most of it. The meat on the other hand smelled even more delicious than usual and she made up some sort of meat-heavy meal on her plate before winding her way as carefully as she could back to her still empty seat.

As she made herself comfortable once more, golden eyes fell on purple-limbed figure entering the Commons. Her brow furrowed a little, as there was definitely something very familiar about the person’s features. The wave they gave Sophia when their gazes met confirmed that she knew them, and her expression cleared as she realised it was Ines. Ines had been changed into a female Akalak. Sophia had never heard of such a thing, even during her time in Riverfall. She raised her hand in a waver of her own, though she suppressed the instinctual smile, knowing that it appeared less friendly than she hoped.

The next person to catch her eye was another purple figure lurking at the back of the Commons. He had Jehu’s face and… were those wings? The name of a creature she had heard whispers of flickered at the back of her mind, one she had been taught to fear. But it was certainly Jehu, and besides, who was she to talk about scary appearances at the moment. He was joined by Kamilla, who’s Konti form she instantly recognised.

Before she could wave or move to speak to either of them, another Dhani appeared, requesting to sit with her. While she didn’t recognise him, she nodded, as the realisation that all the seats around her were empty. Just one side-effect of her new appearance, she supposed. Sophia gave the man a smile and returned her attention to her food.

Her plate was forgotten however, when Mathias started to speak to the assembled. An artefact had done this to everyone? One object? Sophia had no idea that magic could be contained in such a way. Before she could think too much on it however, the prospect of being stuck as a Dhani forever pushed that out of her mind. It was rather alarming, though the casual way with which Mathias spoke of it was a little reassuring.

Even that thought was eclipsed by the next statement. Pavena? Syka was founded upon the ruins of an ancient city? Sophia’s golden eyes widened a fraction at the founder’s words. She had just assumed that the weather had been responsible for the abundance of food. The World Gate of course she knew of, but to think it was part of a much greater settlement, a science centre no less, was a little mind boggling.

At Mathias’ talk of an expedition, Sophia watched him intently. Of course she would volunteer to help if he needed anyone. While magic was still something she often struggled to understand, the fact that there were things out there that posed dangers to the settlement and the people that lived here meant she would help to find them.

Several people stepped up immediately, and Sophia was about to step up when Kamilla’s voice sounded from off to the side. Sophia nodded at her friend before returning her attention to the founders and raised herself off her seat. She didn’t know how useful she might be on such an expedition, but there was no doubt that this form was far better suited to jungle travel than her human one.
“I will also come.”

[Vancha Heliconia]

A whole variety of people began to arrive at the meeting. It was quite the site to see so many of the different races all gathered together peacefully for what seemed to be a casual meal. Vancha was surprised at the lack of reactions to a Zith arriving to the meal. He knew they were dangerous but he had become used to seeing them back in Kalinor, as many would go and stay at the Opsum house. However Vancha figured the lack of reactions was partly due to them knowing whoever it was, wasn't truly a Zith, just as Vancha knew he wasn't truly a Human.

The smell of the food made Vancha even hungrier then he was. Having not eaten much since he changed Vancha thought he should atleast try to eat something. choosing from a selection of fruits he took a seat in one of the available chairs and began to mash up the fruits into a bowl until it looked more like watery mush then anything else. Vancha still hadn't quite mastered the art of swallowing solid foods.

Who Vancha assumed was the founders began the meeting once everyone was settled in and chowing down on a variety of food. The whole affair seemed very laid back and casual very much inline with the whole aesthetic of Syka in general. It seemed according to them it was in fact everyone who had been affected by this change. Vancha wondered to himself how far it could have spread.

According to Mathias it was an artefact from a nearby ancient ruin that had caused such a dramatic change in the settlement. Vancha pondered what other artifacts there may be and what affects they might have and what they may be used for. However intriguing this thought was they were right. If left unchecked it could pose a great danger to anyone living in the surrounding area. If anything Syka may have gotten of lightly. Fortunately from what they knew the effects would only last up to a season. He was relieved to hear this he hadn't really had time to think about what he would do if the effects were permanent.

Mathias proposed an expedition to what he believed was the source of these artifacts and began asking for volunteers. A whole array of different people began to put there name forward as volunteer. Vancha knew he didn't want to miss out on the potential opportunity to delve into an ancient citadel. even if he may not be of much help, he would go just for the experience and it would give him a chance to gain the trust of the locals. Standing up from his chair Vancha raised his hand and declared "I will join you"


Boxcode by Allassanachassanya.