The Broken Circle

[Caelum]

Caelum watched the young woman approach, seeming to form from the mists of his mind. It was as if a page had turned, the book of his brain moving forward through whatever tale it was the trees were so convinced he was part of. An uneasy glance was cast the vibrant shadows of nearby elms and he cautiously side stepped to be a little farther away from them. He wondered if their roots were going, any moment, to start crawling for his toes.

Vega, his equine and sole companion, blinked lambent eyes at Avi, stretching out a strong neck to snuffle with absurd delicacy in her direction.

"Caelum," he answered shortly. All of his conversations seemed to begin on this jarring, uncomfortable note wherein he was forced to offer something to call him by and hated the mocking memory of his true name bumping up against the backs of the teeth, unable as ever to escape into utterance. A long fingered hand crawled into his vest, paper rustling as his fingertips brushed against the edges of his star chart or his world map. It was difficult to say which it was if only because it seemed both at once, ink overlaying ink and littered with endless notations.

"You're one of the people I'm supposed to find," he sighed at length, accent other-wordly and undiluted even after all these years. "The trees told me. Bloody trees." He waited to be called crazy and left alone. Find them, he had been told, and, well, one down, two to go. Found, found, found and done, perhaps. He did not honestly think he was that lucky, but hope was hope and he was tired. For good measure, he added, "Not that I've idea as to why or are particularly pleased about the notion."

[Avi]

She grinned at Vega, holding her hand out carefully for the mare to investigate. "Hihi there," she greeted her. Some may have found it weird to greet a horse. Avi wasn't one of them. You paid respect to Caiyha's children - the mare had greeted her, after all, so Avi needed to return the favour. It was that simple. She liked horses... even if she didn't mind catching something as big as one and dropping it from higher up to break its neck in the fall so she could eat it. Food was food. Not that Avi ever caught someone's owned property - she knew better than that. Wild though she may be, she understood personal property. "Pretty, pretty mare. What's her name?"

Caelum. Avi bobbed her head. The next bit of information that the horned one uttered, though, made the young woman's eyes go from ruby to an astonishing gold, and the smile broadened into an enormous grin. She looked up at the towering trees above and around them, spreading her free hand out to them. "Really?" she was oddly excited by this, and sounded rather thrilled. "Thank you!" she called to the trees. Caiyha was helping as she could - she knew Avi couldn't bring anyone on the way... so she was making sure that others would be there. Avi was grateful for it.

"If I'm 'one of the people', then that means that there are others, right?" the Kelvic looked hopeful at this. "This is good. I need your help," she told him. "The Spires are in trouble... so Caiyha wants us to fix it," the amber-gold eyes swept around as she started forward. "We need to find them, and we need to hurry before it's too late. I left some time ago, when She asked me to, but for all I know, I could already be too late. Please come?" she set off at a trot, moving backwards so that she was able to see him and try to see if he would follow her all at the same time. Time was running out!

[Caelum]

"A monocled Jamoura and an Akavatri," he mumbled, resigned. All the same the corners of his mouth twitched with unforgiving irony because saying what he had seen sounded that much more ridiculous. "And you," he added belated, spilling into a loose-hipped stride after her.

"Vega," he offered belatedly, "The name of my horse. Caiyha wants us to save the Spires?" You have got to be kidding me. "From what? Talking trees? Avi, slow down. There's no point in rushing when you don't know where you're rushing to." And he was tired, darnit.

And grumpy, too, apparently. A goddess wanted his help, did She? Ungrateful creatures, goddesses. Only he was still following the bright-eyed lady through the Outer City, passing through the amber dappled shadows, for reasons he did not care to admit to himself.

Afterall, he might yet still find what he needed here in the Spires; and if the place went to hell in a handbasket, well, his chances went right out the window.

[Skroth]

“Nimvahlis.” Skroth mouthed the name. He said it several more times to familiarize himself with the sound of it before nodding. “A most excellent name, my winged friend.”

They had walked the short distance to Grath's inn in relative silence. Well, Skroth walked while Nimvahlis fluttered about beside him, but each seemed perhaps trying to get a feel of the other. The Jamoura deposited the tree trunk right before what seemed to be a giant beetle – Grath's Rest for the Weary Traveler Inn. He explained that others will take the log later and chop it down to firewood for use by non-Jamoura to keep themselves warm at night.

“But come, we must return from whence we came.” Skroth gestured towards the direction of the gate. “You will return here later when you require rest for the evening.”

As they came in sight of the great bloodwood trees that made up the city gates, the pair noticed what seemed to be a horned man astride a horse conversing with a young Vantha woman. Skroth raised an eyebrow. “More guests. It seems the Mother spoke true.” He turned to his companion and gestured at the new arrivals. “Shall we make their acquaintance, friend Nimvahlis?”

[Ja'soth]

Our intrepid group is quickly assembling and Caiyha awaits them at the center of the Temple grove as Skroth knows. There the secret of the gray Jamoura will be revealed.Avi has heard the mention of Dark Jamoura in her vision and just exactly what that means will come soon. In the mean time they meet and will discuss what they each know.

(cave some where in Taldera) The Dark Jamoura Hramath kneels at the altar dedicated to Rhysol. He waits for a sign, some hint that his lord accepts his prayer and of course he receives none at this time. The lord of chaos simply chooses not to answer now and it is probably good that he doesn't since it is unpredictable what he will do when he does.
Hramath rises and goes to another room in the cave. Here there is a table hewn from the rock that has some kind of putrid looking cocoon on it. He whispers a few words to it and it pulses. He knows that he can only raise a barely sentient being from this mass of rotting chaos, but it will serve his purpose. He also knows he has to raise guardians to protect the abomination until it hatches. He begins to contemplate

[Nimvahlis]

"Yes, it is an excellent name." Nimvahlis' wings stirred a few nearby leaves as they passed, hovering a few feet away from Skroth. "Though by no fault of mine. The name is obscured to most, veiled by even the light of the other stars. But I enjoy the quiet." Nim dropped off into another silence while he waited for Skroth to drop off the tree at Grath's.

Moving back down to the forest floor with Skroth, they noticed a pair of people. A young woman and a man. No, not a man. He was another Ethaefael! With the chances of clouds colliding... A jolt shivered up Nim's spine, the sight of another Ethaefael felt novel. Shimmering wings propelled Nimvahlis toward the pair, but something fell out of place as he approached. This Eth was strange. He shouldn't look like this, should he? Doubt preyed upon his naivity, and Nimvahlis pulled up fifteen yards before the pair. The man unnerved him, he is not right. It rung true and clear, Nim thought, that the Ethaefael before him was of Syna; otherwise he would not look this way whilst light flooded the forest.

Nim saw his eyelids for a few seconds, before opening them again. He saw the Eth outlined by a sickly yellow aura, it spoke of corruption and forsaken dreams. It whispered mute words about cynicism and forgotten hopes. This aberration before me is not an Eth, here stands naught but a Forsaken. A forgotten emotion welled up within Nim, vexation and even anger surging forth from forgotten depths. How dare this monstrosity abandon her. How dare he forsake Syna. The one who gave this wretch a second chance at life, forgotten as dust. Nimvahlis' hands clenched and released until his knuckles were white, and his tail began twitching. A trip to eternity and back had occurred since Nimvahlis had last attempted to influence someone, but this wretch deserved no less than fear. His wings rapidly beat at the air and he began to extend his djed to the beast's mind, but then his anger collapsed. Collapsed upon itself as a man becomes catatonic in his last moments. Nimvahlis did not move to the pair, but simply waited for Skroth to catch up. The point has become lost, or perhaps it was never there. Assaulting this abomination solves nothing, does not ease this plight. Let me share this being's despair, for I truly deserve it in my foolishness. Nimvahlis hung his head.

[Skroth]

Skroth was pleasantly surprised to see his companion flutter forward to greet the newcomers. Already excited to make new friends? Perhaps Nimvahlis' melancholic mien was just a facade, and he was truly a sociable and excitable creature. But no, as he watched the Akvatari halt his forward momentum to wait for him, he thought he felt an even greater sadness envelope Nimvahlis.

Ah, but this one needs healing of the soul.

The Jamoura lumbered forward to stand beside the floating Akvatari and waved a massive hand to the Spires' latest guests. “Greetings and welcome, friends! I am Skroth, and my winged companion here is called Nimvahlis, a recent arrival to the city like yourselves.” He gave a slight bow to the strangers before continuing. “If I may be so bold, may I escort you to the middle of the city, to the Hahk'maghtar? I feel as if this congregation is but more than a chance meeting...”

[Caelum]

Caelum had swung to a halt at the approach of that strange, fascinating creature he knew was called Akvatari. There was no mistaking the race, but it was not the man's wild appearance that had Caelum's eyes narrowing. It was the expression on the Akvatari's face, shifting as the sands of a much troubled shore, and for reasons he did not understand his heart pounded, tolling like thunder, in the cavern of his chest. Worn fingers tightened about Vega's reins as he stepped back, shoulder blades brushing the Windrunner's broad side like the stubs of rendered wings.

Patterns of light scrawled through his mind before vanishing like smoke, settling his mouth into a grim line. At that monocled Jamoura's approach, he cast a glance towards Avi and wondered what any of the gods wanted with him now.

"Caiyha communicated to both of us," he finally spoke, offering wary, polite nods to the pair. "Avi here says the goddess claims the Spires are in danger, and to me, well," a thin twist to an otherwise perfect mouth, "You three are who I was supposed to find. Found," he claimed and, having put it off as long as possible, added, "Caelum," by way of introduction.

[Avi]

"She's a pretty mare," Avi grinned at Vega briefly, her eyes gold, and by then, she was already moving, even as he told her to slow down. "We gotta go! There's no time to waste," she told him over her shoulder. "And I do know what I'm looking for, you just said - a monocled Jamoura and an Akvatari..." as she stepped quickly, her eyes, having faded to a mixture of gold and emerald, her grip tight on her heavy-looking staff. There was no time to wait. "Caiyha needs us, Caelum. We need to hurry!" She trotted along. There was so much to do, so little time. She had to find the others, and once they found them, they could find that place where Caiyha had summoned her earlier. Even if she had to fly to find it, but she was pretty sure she would be able to. If worst came to worst, she would snag one of the Jamoura around here, describe it, and go from there. Someone had to know about it.

"Oh!" Avi brightened to see the others approaching them as well. "There, Caelum, there!" She was thrilled to see the monocled Jamoura and the seal-tailed Akvatari, and made a beeline in that direction. They'd found them! Or maybe the other pair had found them, but that didn't entirely matter to the youngster. They had found the other two Caelum had mentioned, which meant the first step was done. "Hihi! Hello!" She waved her free hand at Nimvahlis and Skroth, smiling widely, hopefully. With a little luck, they would be receptive to this. To some it was rather far fetched - a goddess like Caiyha asking them to do such a monumental task. Avi sensed a bit of agitation from the Akvatari, even if she didn't entirely know the cause of it. It didn't dampen her enthusiasm, though. It would take a lot more than that to pull such a thing off.

"I'm Avi," the Kelvic introduced herself. "Hahk..." she struggled to get the name of it, "hahk-thingy... Hahk'maghtar...! Is that a grove of Bloodwoods? Near the center of the Spires?" She didn't mean nay disrespect whatever by puzzling through the name of the ancient stand of trees - it was just a strange word to say for her. She was practically bouncing as she looked up at Skroth. "Can we go there? We need to hurry. Caiyha told me that a Jamoura, she called it a dark Jamoura, named Hramath is going to defile the Spires, and to gather companions. She's helped me - you all are here. But we need to hurry, and we need to get moving, find him, stop him!" The Kelvic bounced on her toes, practically radiating urgency. It wasn't impatience, not quite, but a desperate need to get moving.

[Skroth]

"A pleasure, a pleasure," Skroth rumbled at the greetings and introductions, nodding with respect at the new arrivals. He found the dark and somewhat sardonic Caelum quite similar to his companion Nimvahlis, yet different. Avi on the other hand was a joy to witness, an energetic ball of perkiness.

Such interesting guests you have called, Mother!

"Of course, friends. Were this meeting not of such dire importance I would invite you to view the many sights of our humble city. But come."

He beckoned for them to follow as he took off in the direction of the Hahk'maghtar, his pace measured and patient.