The Broken Circle

[Avi]

Avi breathed in relief when Skroth caught the fallen Akvatari, and bobbed her head at Caiyha's explanation. Admittedly, she hadn't been so affected, and neither Caelum nor Skroth appeared to be. But who knew the secrets of others? Certainly not Avi, curious though she may have been. But the others certainly hadn't asked any such questions of her, and... well, normally, normally, Avi would ask. She didn't used to not ask questions when they came to her. This, she felt, was likely part of her time spent with her bond-mate. She found she spent a little more time thinking of society's rules on etiquette... even if she didn't like them... even if she didn't really feel that they applied to her... she was more or less adhering to them anyway. Not so much as to have any noticeable change of personality, but...

Well, you couldn't just ask a Goddess like Caiyha why the Akvatari had had that reaction. You didn't do it. That was rude and interrupting. She would have to ask Nimvahlis later.

She absorbed what Caiyha told them, adding it to and reconciling it with what she already knew. The Kelvic's eyes were shifting between gold and a dark amber, until they seemed to finally settle as an odd mixture of both, with a few scattered flecks of ruby. Her long hair hung loose around her as she watched Her with no small degree of reverence in her features. Her eyes flicked to Skroth and to Caelum as they asked their questions of the goddess, but she had none to add for the moment - everything she could think of was contingent on the two just asked, and on the map the goddess had given the Jamoura. She bit her bottom lip, her gaze settling on Caiyha once more. Avi understood urgency, and understood it well. They had to hurry. Only so much time could be spent here.

[Ja'soth]

The First Druid simply listened to her children and the Ethafel that she had called to join them. Normally she was as slow to respond as her children, the Jamoura, but this time she had waited as long as she could before acting. Hramath had to be stopped and these were the champions she had chosen to do it. However she was wise and gentle for the most part and the questions she had been asked were pertinent. She smiled a radiant smile and her voice carried in the very plants and animals around them.

My child Skroth you ask a very good question, why do I not mobilize all of my Children to respond to this crisis? I tell you now that I am, but however should you fail to stop Hramath before the Abomination hatches, then the city must be prepared for its onslaught. A small part will be less obvious than a large one, should Hramath be alerted to your purpose, he might move the Abomination before we can act. No a small party is wiser and between you all you have the skills to overcome it.

This of course brought her to Caelum and his question as to why this particular quartet. The truth was there were more able warriors out there, but these four had specific qualities she sought. She spoke calmly.
Caelum, you are correct to ask why I have chosen the four of you. It is true that more capable warriors exist that I could call. But a warrior would charge in and try to take Hramath head on, the fact that none of you is a warrior means that you will more carefully consider your course of action. You are a being of thought, however resentful those thoughts are at times, properly channeled that emotion can be to your benefit. I chose Nimvalis for much the same reasons though he is not as resentful as you are, he is a thinker despite trying to read a divine aura. Avi and Skroth are my children, Skroth by birth and Avi by choice. They are fiercely loyal to me and to nature, I know they will fight with every fiber of their being. Does that help you a little?
She knew that the divine reasoning was not always clear to those who were mortal so she hoped that what she could tell him would help.

She turned her Gaze upon Avi, whose questions were unasked. She appreciated the Kelvic's respectful attitude and she answered what she could see in the young Owl's mind. Nimvalis was overcome by my aura, my energy, he can sense it and that's what knocked him out. Now I ask that you leave this place and begin your journey toward Hramath, beware his power for Rhysol give the power of Chaos to his servants.

With this the First Druid faded in a burst of green light and she was gone.

[Skroth]

In a blink, the Mother was gone. Skroth spent a few moments pondering Her words before tucking the jar containing the map under his arm and turning to his companions. His face showed uncertainty, as much as a Jamoura could reflect such expressions.

“It seems I have been tasked to lead this group. I am no leader of… people,” he confessed, almost saying men but took note of the beings surrounding him and exchanged the word with a more appropriate one. “But each of us have been called. Chosen, as the Mother had said. And we have answered that call freely. I guess it is time to live up to it.”

He lumbered forward but stopped just at the edge of the grove and turned to his companions. “I will show you to the bazaar should you need to resupply for the journey. Then we meet at Grath’s inn to discuss our plans for this monumental task set before us.”

[Nimvahlis]

Small grains of dirt scattered like insects fleeing from the sun when Nimvahlis fluttered reflective wings of silvers and violets. Instability plagued his ascent, concentration impossible through the fire that clung desperately to his brain. It seared his nerves as it spoke to him, begging an audience with fallen immortality. The pain persisted.

Nim's body, long used to the habits of flight, took over. His body lifted itself nearly autonomously, rising like a gout of smoke. Unle the acrid substance though, Nimvahlis halted several feet off the ground.

The steam that eddied in Nimvahlis' head began to siphon off, the world coming to focus. Caiyha, The Spires, Skroth... Memory recalled shards of information, piecing them back together like a shoddy painting snapped over the knee. Akvatari eyes blinked, perusing the strange faces. Through eyelids half closed Nimvahlis saw the forsaken one, and the energetic one. He neither knew their names nor summoned the social forces required to ask them, for the lightning that still stabbed at Nim's mind was a more prominent concern by far. By the edge of the clearing, the familiar face of Skroth emerged from the haze, almost inviting. Nimvahlis silently fluttered towards the simian.

Curiosity still piqued within labyrinthine confines, and it emerged to speak with Skroth. "Friend Skroth, eyes faltered and ears failed for some time. What has occurred in my, absence?" Nimvahlis' voice quietly resounded from his larynx, a small finger's length of despoiled divinity.

An eclipse flashed into existence as Nim realized Skroth's tongue would deceive both of them. It was not of the simian's accord, he was the victim of this tragedy as well. Lies spouted forth in black sludge, and regret etched both of their faces. Nimvahlis knew that Skroth did not want to lie to him, and Skroth knew that now too...

Wait. Clarity represented itself anew. Skroth speaks nothing but the truth, regardless of influence. Djed sunk back down to the ocean floor, regretting the faux pas Nim had imposed, but regardless released from the moon's gravity for now. Leth save me.

Nimvahlis smiled wearily at Skroth, hopeful camouflage against discovery of his lapse. Coals sat on his head.

[Caelum]

In the wake of the goddess, Caelum tucked his hands deep into his pockets, shoulders huddling up against the dangerous elements of divinity yet lingering in this place. He watched the trees again a touch warily and when Skroth spoke, he nodded his assent.

Vega nuzzled against the back of his shirt and ultimately he twisted around to rub the horse's nose. His sleeve slid up, revealing a glimpse of the thick scar tissue manacles left behind. He watched the Nimvahlis from the corners of his eyes, silently assuring himself of the creature's health.

Throughout it all, his head reeled. Tired, hungry, soul worn. He wondered if he was up to this. The goddess thought he was. A thinker. The corners of his mouth flickered as he waited for Skroth to show them the way.

[Avi]

Avi listened intently to the goddess, bobbing her head from time to time, her eyes a bright purple, her thumbs hooked into the straps of her backpack. Caiyha was wise - the Kelvic didn't at all doubt what she said. It simply made sense - you could do more with a smaller group when you needed to hit and run than you could with a larger group, which took more time to mobilize... besides that, the Jamoura were rather peaceful. Avi was sure they would defend their home, but still, an act of violence would probably be the first for many of them. The Kelvic, however, was a predator, a killer - this was what she was used to. This was what she was used to. The fact that one of Rhysol's followers was responsible for this sent warning signals through her brain. Terminus had mentioned Rhysol before...

But if Caiyha had picked her, then Avi had faith. It was as simple as that. It wasn't that she followed blindly - not at all. But she respected her goddess greatly, and trusted Her. This was a challenge, and challenges were good. She bobbed her head in understanding at the explanation. That was interesting indeed. Maybe it was something like how Stitch was able to see? Avi didn't know, but she suspected she would find out eventually. With that, then, the goddess was gone. The Kelvic let her breath out slowly, looking back to the others now that Caiyha was gone. "Thankyabigbig," she said to no one in particular - She was already gone.

She puffed her cheeks before exhaling. "I have everything I need, I think... but when we get there, can I see the map? I've flown over Taldera... I might be able to recognize where we're going."

[Skroth]

He blinked as his gaze met the now-aloft Akvatari. For a moment, it felt as if the winged creatures eyes were compelling him to respond to its query. It was a strange sensation, and it left him wondering if there were more in the air around the sacred grove than he realized. He scratched the red patch on his forehead, somewhat confused. Perhaps it was just an illusion of the morning light.

“We will speak more once we have settled down to plan, friend. Come, this way.”

He led them to the bazaar, the group quiet as the trod upon the winding ways of the Spires. He bought nothing for himself, not needing anything other than what the Mother provided around him. As he waited for his companions at the edge of the marketplace, Skroth gazed at each one of them, wondering what their ragtag group could do against one twice marked by Rhysol. Were they all even thinking of the quest set before them as he was? He could only assume. The task daunted him and he feared – for his people, for his home, and for the three other individuals called to accompany him.

The group finished their purchases and he brought them to the Rest of the Weary Traveler Inn, nodding at the proprietor in greeting. Settling at a private booth, Skroth set the plant/map on the table and unfurled it leaves for his companions to see. He pointed at the location of the Spires and the location where the Mother had indicated Hramath was.

“I have never gone farther than the outskirts of the city,” he declared as he traced a small area outside the splash of color that represented the Spires. “I would ask the more seasoned of you for advise on how we should approach this expedition.”

[Nimvahlis]

The aching curtain of fire had begun to recede by the time the four reached the bazaar. Small flashes of oblivion presented themselves now and again, but for the most part control remained in Nimvahlis' grasp. Guilt crept up on Nim's consciousness as he hovered beside Skroth, lacking the desire to purchase any supplies. He had almost attempted to force his will upon the only ally he had in this group.

Nimvahlis wrapped himself in his silence, not wishing to superimpose himself upon Skroth or his companions. Idle contact was like pleading to lose control. It was unnecessary, it was dangerous. So he hovered about the group, indubitably allowing his melancholy and guilt to emanate like full moonlight.

Ineptitude plagued Nim at the Weary Traveler. In order to pass the portal, Nimvahlis needed to set himself on the ground and writhe through the doorway clumsily. For all the grace he had in the air, it was a pathetic scene watching him struggle through the doorway. Once inside the spacious shelter, Nim lifted himself off the ground as much he could to flutter to the private booth. Nim could see the patron's eyes on him, examining the new specimen. For all the scholarly knowledge of the Jamoura, Akvatari were still an exceedingly rare sight this far north. But Nim was here out of necessity, fleeing the sun.

He addressed Skroth, voice scarcely breaking a whisper, "I have some experience in the matter of travel. But it is dewy, unfocused." Nim's eyes began looking through Skroth, instead attempting to recall memories from past lives. Paints, glows, moon, tides, water, clarity. A haze of thoughts was all he could summon. "I, I have not examined the city's surroundings though" His head dropped to stare at the ungainly tail welded to his body. "If we commence before Dusk, flight may be of assistance." Nim's guilt was retreating with the pulsations in his head, calm replacing fear once more.

[Caelum]

Caelum had long since wasted the majority of his gold on necessities. It had been stolen, that money, upon his escape and there was little enough left for purchases now. Thus he wandered the bazaar, soaking in the sights, searching the faces of those in it for the one that would call to him familiar. She was not there, of course. He did not find her. Tucking it away, he turned his mind towards the task at hand, frowning thoughtfully when settling in Vega in the inn's stables.

A piece of hay was being plucked from his hair, stirring embers against the elegant sweep of his horns, as he ducked into the common room. His shadow poured across Caiyha's map when he came to a halt at the edge of the booth, bright eyes tumbling down to study it as he nodded to the others and pulled up a chair. It was swung around backwards so that he could straddle it, slumping down with a fold of arms across the chair back and a bruised knuckle scratching against the bloody haze of a beard's stubble. He needed a shave. A hair cut. A couple of decent meals.

"I'm considered about the marks of Rhysol," he admitted, words charcoal colored. "The goddess mentioned Hramath has those powers, the powers of nightmares. He can get into our heads." Molten eyes lifted, sliding over the strange group. "Twist them. Cause us to do things we otherwise would not. We need to be prepared for that, both in ourselves and in each other."

[Avi]

The Kelvic hadn't anticipated buying anything, but she had kept an open mind as she trotted through the bazaar, her eyes going every which way in every which colour. She hadn't actually walked through the Spires before. She'd flown past it, sure, but she hadn't actually stopped here and gone through it. However, she kept reminding herself of her mission... which did not allow for the extravagant waste of time that she may have wanted to spend for shopping. Avi, after some consideration, had gotten herself three 50' lengths of hempen rope (3 gm). She knew from experience how useful rope could be, but seeing as she had left hers back in Avanthal, well, you never knew when it would come in handy.

She tucked the skeins in her bag as she walked, following Skroth towards the inn, and seated herself in the booth. Considering how it was made for creatures as large as Jamoura, Avi fit easily, and rested her elbows on the table. She cocked her head slightly as she studied the map, taking it in, licking dry lips thoughtfully as she considered, and puffed her cheeks. "We need to leave soon, either way," the Kelvic looked at each of them. "So we need to think quickly, and move quickly." Time was of the essence here.

She considered Caelum's words. Have you experience with those with Rhysol's followers?" Terminus had some experience with them, but she hadn't. She knew only what he had told her about them. She nibbled away on her snack - Avi figured on hunting later, but for now, she was munching away on dried apple rings, which she offered to the others as well. "Stick together and strike quickly. Expect to kill." It sounded almost strange coming from a cheerful looking young woman, who, aside from the spear and her almost slightly feral way of carrying herself, seemed like a perfectly well-adjusted civilian. She paused to finish the ring she had been eating as deadly serious sapphire eyes swept around the table.

She turned her attention back to the map, lips pursed. "How fast can you all travel?" she wanted to know as she looked from one to the other. Caelum she could carry, but Skroth... not a chance. Not over long distances. Nimvahlis had wings of his own. "I can carry Caelum, if he plans to leave Vega here."