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#970964 Sun 12/05/19 19:11 UTC
Joined: Jul 2011
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Wolf Offline OP
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The Heartwood
Dawnview Vale
Dawnview Castle
Hasday, the Eighteenth Day of Tiger


Bekkah, Cesare, Daxia, Keiko, Lyric, Karina, Kisa, Linnell, Reena, Tomomi, and various Dayalans

It was a five-day ride from Snowgate to Dawnview Castle. They took the southern route, which hugged the interior foothills of the Black Mountains. While there was a village at the end of each day, other trails were broke off now and then, leading to the smaller hamlets and homesteads hidden in the mountain valleys above. To the south of the trail was Sapphire Lake — clear and bright and so very jewel-like, a beautiful reflection of its namesake. Somewhere along its shores was the farm where Daxia and Bekkah had been born.

There was also something very different about this ride.

As opposed to every other day, between the Sea of Opals and Snowgate Pass, it was a safe and comfortable ride. The only people they saw — and there was a fair bit of traffic — were farmer families or local craftsmen on their own business. There were friendly greetings, perhaps even a shared midday meal. While they were certainly safe on the Highland Path, it had been because they were traveling with their own escort. But still, anything could happen on that trail, from bandits to griffins.

But here?

There were Mountainhawks, but they were only a problem if you were a rodent or other varmint.

Tomomi didn't count.

* * *

Then they made that last turn of the trail.

Even if it was, technically, a familiar sight, it always took one's breath away.

The path entered this most eastern valley on one end, the low end, the path following the side of a sparkling brook that ran the valley's length. Looking up the valley, the land rose, and at the far end, two tall structures rose into the sky.

One was very pragmatic and practical. In truth it held the eastern mountain wall, to greet the Sun's light first. It was a familiar form to some. Like all the other keeps except Montague, it was built of honey-colored marble. Like the Temple in Bordertown, it too rose in a pyramid of terraces, topped by a square cap. A set of stairs were cut from the valley's base all the way to the very top.

Interestingly, one side was lined with wildflowers, the other bare.

But on the other side of the valley?

There was a keep that actually rose higher than the Dawnview Temple. While the Temple technically caught morning's first light, the best view of the rising Sun had to be from this place. It was different, very different. The other Keeps of the mainland, from Montague's motte and bailey to the Citadel at Talesan's vIllage to Grand Talantal, they were designed to serve, primarily, pragmatic functions. This keep had a moat, but only in name — in truth, the ring of water was the valley's stream that had been cut and redirected in grandly sculpted waterfalls around the keep's base. The keep had an outer wall, which rose above its own set of terraces, protecting fields for farming and gardens for, well, for just being gardens. Then there were the towers. There had to be at least fifteen of them, rising one against the other, each capped with a conical roof, many with dormers and banner posts.

Keeps were Keeps.

This one, this one truly deserved the title Castle.

"Dazi?"

Kisa asked of her Knight quietly.

"Do you think it's at all possible to get from here to the Castle before Aunt Karina notices us?"

Daxia's answer was a simple one.

"Of course not."

Kisa let out a long breath at that and then continued forward. Her expression had changed, from someone who may have been looking forward to homecoming to one who was not looking forward to an inquisition. She nudged herself forward and into the inevitable. The ride up the river bank was easy. It was wide and well maintained, a raised berm for riding with a well-paved stretch for wagons and such to move on. Every so often there was a bridge or overlook as if the grandeur of the Castle began here.

Kisa's gloom deepened when riders appeared, from one of the Temple's lower terraces. There were six of them, they rode in two groups of three.

She closed her eyes for a moment, looked toward the keep and closed them again.

Of course, they all met at the base of the Castle, where one could turn to enter the Castle or continue on to the Temple.

It was the temple guards who arrived first. They were lead by a woman in armor, wearing the black and silver of Dayala. She had long red hair and more than a passing resemblance to Kisa, except for being much older and as if her features were carved from stone instead of flesh. Her sword was scabbarded, and a black shield with a silver star hung from her saddle. She was flanked by two very serious looking Dayalans, with three more behind them. Those three urged their mounts forward, enfolding the group.

One, a blonde, could not help but go a bit wide-eyed at Daxia's mount; only to be silenced by a cuff from her senior. She tried very hard to look very stern once more.

The lead redhead intoned.

"You are late, young lady."

Kisa swallowed.

"You have quite a bit of explaining to do. All of it, of course, will be an excuse. The first lesson a Dawnview Khorall needs to understand is that the Vale comes first and everything else second. You obviously have no realization of just how much danger you put the Vale in for your childish whims."

Kisa swallowed again.

"Da, Aunt Karina."

"...and you!"

The full force of Dayala's High Priestess then fell upon Daxia.

"You should have known better. You should have tied her to her horse and brought her home. Months ago. Safe and sound behind Snowgate Pass. Your duty to the Vale and Dayala comes before everything. That is the problem with you wild ones, you are like an unbroken colt, not knowing if the long narrow strand you are playing with is a rope or a snake. What were you thinking? Don't answer that. We both know the answer. You weren't thinking."

With a sweep of her hand, Karina Allaine gave her followers a silent command. Three rode forward and, as befitted trained equestrians, split the party in two — Kisa and Daxia at the front, the rest, the common folks, at the rear.

"Now...

"As she has chosen to return to Dawvniew Castle, the Temple Guard will escort the Heiress inside."

At that command, the gates to the castle began to open.

"You, Yurisdotter, you shall ride to the temple, and when I return, we shall have a talk.

"The rest of you, there's an inn an easy walk back the way you came."

That was when Kisa spoke up.

"Not Heiress. Khorall."

"Hush, Niece. Not as long as your Mother still sits on the Castle's..."

"Hoi, Kari-kins, she's right."

High Priestess Karrina Allaine suddenly looked as if she would explode. Or spout dragon fire. Or turn purple. The person who spoke was another redhead, older, wiser, and looked even more like Kisa. It seems they had gained two more once the gates had opened enough to let someone through. The first, the redhead, was dressed elegantly, in the Vale's colors. To her left was another Dayalan warrior, in a sturdy brigandine, sword at her side. She seemed more than a little amused. Her companion redhead continued to speak.

"I sent her to Council. After last year's mischief do you truly think Dorian Korie would have taken her seriously if she was just my daughter? I keep telling you Kari, the world is far bigger than the Vale."

Linnell Allaine, ex-khorall, was probably the only person in the world who could get away with using her sister's nickname.

"And I keep telling you, the rest of the world can fall to chaos. Dawnview stands! That takes discipline. Or do you really believe there are enough of us left to stand against the entire world if it turns against us?"

Linnell wrinkled her nose. "You know I know that."

"You may understand the outside world better than me. But I am the one one who is responsible for the security of the Vale and the security of our Family. Deal with it, sister."

"Hold!"

For the first time, anyone could remember, Kisa Allaine had just yelled.

"May I ask a question? You see, I am confused. It is my understanding that the Khorall of Dawnview Vale is the one who has the final say on how we deal with the outside world, maintains the security of the Vale and is responsible for the welfare of the Noble Family Allaine. Correct? Correct.

"Now, of the three of us, which one is Khorall?"

The Dayalan next to Linnell snerked. Linnell looked proud. The Aunt, she looked like she would explode again.

"Fine. But don't you forget. She is MINE."

And with that, she pointed a finger directly at Daxia.

"Just as the Captain carries my Mother's favor, Dazi carries mine. Please let me borrow her for a bit, my dear beloved Aunt."

Karina's eyes narrowed.

"She is mine. But I am nothing if not kind and benevolent when it comes to my Family. Please return her before sunset."

The Priestess then turned, but not without two final orders.

"You two, give our... Khorall... a proper escort. And you..."

Her wrath then fell on the blonde.

"You post watch here at the gates to ensure our wayward Khorall does not become wayward again."

With that, the Temple Dayalans turned and made a slow but deliberate way back up the trail to the temple. They made sure it was known to be their decision to do so and no others. When they were out of earshot, Linnell smiled.

"Come. My last command; remember you promised me one last command before leaving for Council. Come give your mother a hug."

That Kisa gladly did.

"And one from Eleni. I promised her."

Leaning back Linnell just shook her head, she looked into her daughter's eyes and proved that she was just as skilled as reading the patterns as her child. But then, this was an obvious thing to foretell.

"Yes, she really is my sister and your Aunt. My dear sister. And yes, you must have patience with her. For all her manners, she truly does love you and has always set you and our people before everything else, even her own happiness.

"Come, let's get you and your friends inside."

It was not late in the day as they made their way up the road to the noble house proper. In some ways, it was similar to Talantal: three rings leading up to the Allaine's home. But while smaller than Talantal it had a very different quality; as if the two keeps, if one had to put a cost in crowns for them, were the same, but because Talantal was far larger, here in Dawnview castle that same amount of coin went much farther.

The main courtyard was much prettier, with stone paths weaving through areas of green lawns and colorful gardens.

The main hall was similar to Snowgate's, yet lacked Eleni's homespun touch. There was a high table, but it was at the end of the hall, right below the dais where a single tall, wooden chair looked over the room. The rest of the hall was open, as befitted a noble court. Like Snowgate, there was also a gallery above, and both sides were lined with tall, stained glass windows, each one a scene from Dawnview's history, but these were about the Temple and Castle. Instead of one large hearth, here the center chair was flanked by two smaller hearths.

Interestingly, the banner behind the chair was the banner of the Family Allaine. Nowhere in the room was there any hint or sign of anything Imperial.

"You all must be tired. I know I am even after the shortest dealings with my sister.

"Let me now do something I haven't done in decades... be host instead of a ruler.

"Welcome to Dawnview Castle."

Wolf #970990 Mon 13/05/19 03:01 UTC
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Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

Before leaving Snowgate, Daxia had only one more task to accomplish — teaching TeeCee the spell she’d learned from Tashka. Perhaps it had been forgotten because it didn’t invoke Dayala Herself or because there was less application for it in a fight. Why it had been lost wasn’t an issue to worry over... bringing it back to the Dayalans of the Third Age was the important thing. First Poppy, now TeeCee... eventually, the Temple Dayalans — something good for her Sisters ought to come out of that experience.

As they made their way to Dawnview Castle on the last day of travel, Kisa wasn’t the only one whose mood changed. From the realization that the Temple Dayalans would likely intercept them to the moment the party met Karina and her warriors, Daxia gradually lost her relaxed, cheery, almost carefree attitude and became every inch the stoic Dalayan Kassia had trained her to be in court. This wasn’t Khorall Linnell’s court, of course. It was something far stricter: High Priestess Karina’s domain.

“You’re the Khorall, Kisa. Don’t let your Aunt bully you,” she whispered while still out of earshot of the High Priestess.

Daxia said nothing when Karina berated Kisa... it wasn’t her place to defend her liege in Family affairs.

And Daxia said nothing when Karina berated her for not returning Kisa to the Vale on the High Priestess’s timetable... it wasn’t the time or the place to correct the High Priestess’s misconceptions. The only evidence that either the Rider or the Unicorn were discomfited by Karina’s lecture was the light pat on the neck Dazi gave Morning Star.

Kisa remembered then that she was the Khorall. And that was good. It would have made Dazi smile in other circumstances — virtually any other circumstances in which they were not in Karina’s presence.

Daxia said nothing when Dama Linnell and Verchovai Reena rode through the gates. She didn’t even look at the Captain because she knew she’d want to break character here. Other of her Sisters might get away with relaxing around the High Priestess — Dazi couldn’t. Not yet.

Being tapped on the back of her head for years by Kassia gave Dazi the ability to remain as still and quiet and nonreactive as a tree on a windless day. It was a handy trick while the elder Allaine sisters interacted, when Kisa metaphorically put her foot down, when Karina benevolently allowed her to stay with the party — at least for a little while.

In fact, Daxia said nothing, made no sound, made no move until the High Priestess was out of earshot and Dama Linnell spoke again.

Then she slowly smiled as she looked at Kisa and her mother. She relaxed and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, before dismounting and leaning her cheek against Morning Star’s neck. Only then did she manage to look at Linnell’s Captain and grin.

“She won’t throw crockery at me like Kassia used to do to Koromov, will she? I don’t think I’m as annoying as Dandelion. Yet.” Dazi looked at Morning Star when he nudged her. “Oh. Yes. You’re right. With you at my side, maybe I am.”

She shrugged then and followed Linnell, Kisa and the rest of the party into the castle. Tomomi looked nervous. Maybe? Probably. But Keiko’s arm was around her shoulder, and that seemed to help the Mouse lass. It was probably good that Dazi would face Karina on her own. TeeCee had been right — the High Priestess would not be calm and pleasant when she learned about the Mouse Person and the Fae Princess who were now inside what she considered her realm.

Fortunately, Dama Linnell saw the world differently than her sister did.

Walking into the main hall was like coming home. True, she had lived in the Temple most of her life. But her best memories — memories of becoming Kisa’s friend — had been formed here in Dawnview Castle.

“Dama Linnell, may I have the honor of introducing our friends to you before I go off to my interrogation?”

Daxia’s smile was more relaxed than she had ever managed before leaving the Vale. The Initiate’s Journey really did change a woman. She no longer looked at the matriarch of the Noble Family Allaine with the awe of a girl, but with the respect of a seasoned warrior.

“You remember my sister, Bekkah, of course. I’m sure the stories of her compassion and kindness have reached this farthest corner of the Vale.

“I met Cesare on the path down to Cragside, and he has been a stalwart companion through several... adventures.

“His kinswoman, Keiko — and I won’t pretend to understand the full complexity of the Rhoni kinships — holds a wealth of knowledge, and is a Card Reader of quite some skill.”

Dazi looked at Tomomi and Lyric, biting her lip as she ordered her thoughts and words. She nodded, more to herself than to them, before turning back to Linnell.

“Tomomi and Lyric have also been true friends with their own secrets that they may share as they will. May I just say that I take my oath to Dayala seriously and will stand between them and any harm.” Her lips quirked up in a weary smile. “Not that I think anyone in this room would harm them, of course. But they would be defenseless against the High Priestess.”

She took her place at Kisa’s side. She didn’t have long to enjoy Linnell’s hospitality. No doubt she would need to recount her entire journey and the lessons she’d learned to Karina. Not for the first time — nor the fifth or even twenty-fifth time — since meeting Romana in a glade off the Brementown Road, she missed Kassia.


"Everything is bad except unicorns." -- Phoebe
Kel #970996 Mon 13/05/19 11:38 UTC
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Bekkah

As they traveled from village to village, Bekkah always inquired if any were in need of her Lady's healing. Despite being in the vale where Imperials were not treated the same elsewhere, some still would accept her Lady's blessings.

When they arrived and Karina confronted them, she remained silent. Not out of any fear. All her companions knew that Bekkah didn't fear anything, she truly did believe that none would harm her, even if they didn't believe in her Goddess. If they'd been truly forced to walk back to an inn, she would have done it without complaint, but she was certain that it would not happen.

When she was introduced, something she guessed was not at all necessary, she bowed her head.

"It is good to see you again. It seems like another time since I was back in my homeland." she said with that room brightening smile.

Wolf #971001 Mon 13/05/19 12:36 UTC
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Cesare

He watched the initial interchanges with something bordering amusement but was careful not to let that show on his face. It was not for himself he was concerned but he had no wish to make things any more difficult for Daxia than they already sounded. However, when Kisa found her voice, he was silently applauding from within. And now he felt that Kisa and Daxia deserved each other. A more equal relationship that he had maybe understood before.

But he stayed out of all of the conversations, his voice not asked for and likely unwelcome. Instead he stayed on his horse, a relaxed observer, and waited to see what the outcome would be, back to the inn or onward with Kisa.

He is impressed with her mother though. A lady with grace and steel. And as he is introduced by Daxia, an introduction that allows a small smile to touch his face at the slight hesitation, he bows slightly.

"Dama."

Not often he gives respect at the outset. Rank, in his view, does not grant respect on its own. For him he has to see something within the person to offer that, and usually that takes time.

Wolf #971382 Sat 18/05/19 01:36 UTC
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Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

It was a rare thing for a Rhoni Caravan to travel the length of Dawnview Vale. It had been generations since a Family rode the paths of the Vale; Keiko’s Family never had. Most Rhoni who traveled to the Vale were those riding their own individual waves. So Keiko had more firsthand knowledge and Lore about the lands of the East beyond Trundle than she did about Dawnview Vale. She was more than happy to add to her experiences... and to see new places she had never visited before.

Tomomi tended to travel with her hood covering her Mouse features, at least when strangers were nearby. Keiko understood why she made that decision. It would only take a single frightened person to cause trouble for Dama Kisa and Lady Daxia — the fact that they were in the company of two Rhoni was probably enough of a burden. This was their home — Dama Kisa’s, Lady Bekkah’s, Lady Daxia’s. It was only polite to be respectful guests.

The week traveling across the Vale was far nicer than the journey through Snowgate Pass. The weather was mild and the people friendly. Keiko had expected Lady Daxia to pepper Lyric with questions, but she hadn’t. It was as if the inquiries she might have had weren’t all that momentous, after all. The young Rhoni was beginning to think the people she’d met in her travels with her Family were much more stuck in their ways than many of the folks she’d met on this Journey of hers.

It was an interesting thing to consider.

As the group drew closer to Dawnview Castle, it didn’t escape Keiko’s notice that neither Dama Kisa nor Lady Daxia was as happy about returning home as she would have expected. Yes, it would be the end of an adventure for Dama Kisa, but aren’t endings also beginnings? It was Lady Daxia’s growing stoicism that baffled the Rhoni. She smiled less, she was much quieter... almost as quiet at her sister.

She was perplexed until the party reached the castle gate and the squad of Dayalan warriors... it was an unexpected greeting after their stay in Snowgate and journey across the Vale. Keiko edged closer to Lyric and kept her arm on Tomomi’s shoulder. The rudeness with which the High Priestess treated Dama Kisa and Lady Bekkah and Lady Daxia surprised Keiko. True, Lady Bekkah was an Imperial, but it was common knowledge that the Ladies of Attera were welcome everywhere — well, everywhere except east of Kh’Lhy’Ra Pass. And perhaps the Plains of Kaa.

But Dama Kisa was the Khorall! It’s true that Lady Daxia couldn’t seem to make up her mind about calling her “the heir” or “khorall.” It just seemed to be a way of teasing Dama Kisa as far as Keiko could tell.

And Lady Daxia herself was a Dayalan Priestess! With a unicorn! Shouldn’t that at least earn her a measure of politeness from the other Dayalans?

Perhaps this Karina had just been overly worried about Dama Kisa. It didn’t excuse her, of course, but it did explain her tone and actions. Keiko reached over for Lyric’s hand as the two women emerged from the castle grounds. Another warrior and... Dama Kisa’s mother? Dama Linnell, then. And when Dama Kisa finally did speak up for herself, well, Dama Linnell’s companion reminded her just a little of Dama Eleni’s guards — speaking their mind, even if it was just a snicker in this case.

She very nearly gawked at the castle gardens — Keiko had never seen a garden so colorful and beautiful, not even in the East. The keep itself was magnificent. The main hall, at least, was similar to Dama Eleni’s.

And Lady Daxia had finally returned to something that Keiko had come to think of as her natural state. She was relaxed and smiling as she introduced all of them to Dama Linnell. Her heart skipped a beat when Tomomi’s and Lyric’s secrets were mentioned, and Keiko stayed closer to her friends. Although the warrior pledged herself to protect them from harm, the High Priestess had not instilled a sense of welcome... if it came to that, Keiko would defend her friends, as well.

She did, however, curtsey to Dama Linnell. And she hoped very much that the warriors of the temple were the anomaly in the Vale.


"Everything is bad except unicorns." -- Phoebe
Wolf #971542 Sun 19/05/19 14:12 UTC
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Lyric, a Minstrel in the Vale

Lyric chose to ride in her new garments and kept the cloak loose over her shoulders. But she also chose to continue the travels under the guise of her illusions. A personal decision, but one measured against the welfare of her friends. The young Khorall was going home, to her Keep, one that surveyed all of her lands. There she was to meet her mother, a previous Khorall and any other of the people who knew her all her life. Lyric felt it would not be right to draw attention from Kisa, alter the conversation, or create tensions that required long explanations. She was just another friend on the journey. And that was true.

The ride gave her time to reflect upon friendship. It had endured that final revelation and she was welcomed for who she is, not what she was. Or something. Lyric got lost in the tenses for a bit of the ride, allowing Lyssica to follow the horses with only a loose gather of the reins while Lyric spent time 'thinking'.


****

At the introductions, Kisa's return, Lyric kept quiet and in the background. That was probably the best thing a friend could do in complicated family matters where children had become rulers. Though Lyric did feel for Daxia a bit. The former Khorall's sister... was that right? was in charge of the warrior Dayallans... was that right as well?... and seemed inclined to assert her position as a reminder to her former student. Or maybe she was just a cranky and surly woman who just wishes she could wander the land and make new friends and see distant places and do exciting things. But that is a thought the Lyric will keep to herself until she sees the last day at the end of time.

Lyric responded respectfully and offered the curtsey as Keiko did, and followed her Rhoni friend's lead in these matters.

Wolf #971553 Sun 19/05/19 15:55 UTC
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The Heartwood
Dawnview Vale
Dawnview Castle, Main Hall
Hasday, the Thirteenth Day of Tiger


Bekkah, Cesare, Daxia, Keiko, Lyric, Linnell, Reena, Tomomi, and two Temple Guards

"No, she won't throw things at you."

The Khorall's bodyguard answered Daxia's question with a slow shake of her head.

"Though she may try and do to you the same thing she did to that other poor lass... post you to the Castle's gate. The most boring and useless watch between here and the sea, I suspect."

As she spoke, Linnell and Kisa exchanged a glance, the younger woman's eyes narrowing and the older one's managing a worn smile. Then Linnell offered her own observation.

"Karina hasn't seen it yet, but your biggest worry should be becoming a stone tile in play between her and the Khorall. And I say that quite specifically. Kisa doesn't have the advantage of having a sibling in the Temple. You can be assured that sometime soon, Karina is going to try and use her blood relationship — Aunt to Niece — to further her own desires. On the one hand, they are good and proper aims; maintaining of the Church, the safety of the Vale and thus serving House Allaine. On the other hand, though I love her dearly, she is a horrible Doublebluff player. Her best strategy has always been upturning the board and reminding us that life is not a game."

"Mother, what do you call facing down Dorian Korie then?"

Linnell's brow rose at her daughter's sudden interruption. Captain Reena had a very different look... a you-just-walked-right-into-it-didn't-you kind of look. Linnell's response was but a single word.

"Practice."

The introductions were properly returned; the habits of rulership were hard to break after a lifetime of service. Each of them was met with a polite dip of the Noble's head, each courtsey matched by a slight bow.

"Lady Yurisdotter. It is not often that we have a visitor from the Imperial Court; most members of the Court find us more than a little provincial and thus more than a little uncomfortable. That you, one of ours, have found a place there brings us great pleasure and pride. Thank you. It is the very best way to ease tensions between the Older beliefs and the Younger, da?"

Cesare received a smile from Linnell and a stern look from her bodyguard. Linnell, however, seemed to ignore that for the moment.

"It would be hypocritical to say that the Rhoni are not welcome in the Vale or Castle, as our heritages have been entwined since Ancient times. Fair guests shall always be met with our hospitality."

Keiko got a smile.

"Fair warning, my wise guest.

"My companion here is absolutely enamored of your skills, and if you let her, she will dog your path like a herd-ruff, asking all sorts of questions for you to provide insight in. Now, most will be insightful and actually interesting queries. But every now and then..."

Captain Reena looked to the side, trying to appear, well, innocent.

"She's the only person I know who has ever had a deck of cards thrown in her face.

"Her question had something to do with syrup, weasels, waterfalls, and cats."

"It was a very good question!"

Verchovai Reena finally couldn't help but interject. Linnell gave her a stern and playfully exasperated look.

"It was most certainly not."

"Well, I wanted to know what they all held in common."

"You also wanted to know if Dayala decided to rise in the West, which, being a Goddess and all, was certainly within Her powers and rights, would it still be West or would it now be the be new East and if it was, what would happen to all the old maps and would we have to rename the Vale? You do realize that was the question that got you banned from the Temple."

"Best question I ever asked."

Linnell shook her head, her long red locks cascading back and forth playfully. She knew there was only one thing to do now.

"Miss Tomomi. Welcome to our home."

That was, of course, to quickly change the subject.

"So you have the protection of my daughter's guard and oldest companion. That bears a certain amount of weight. Let me tell you a secret, little one. When you are a Khorall, you sometimes have to make some very hard decisions. You'd like to treat people well and with honor, but sometimes you look ahead and know there is no choice. So I would be remiss if I did not trust Daxia's word on this. I trusted her with my daughter's friendship, after all.

"So, you must be a wonderful person."

Her attention then turned to the Minstrel.

"I suspect the same with you. And there is another reason for that."

The ex-khorall took a step back. With a nod, she indicated the trio that was a little apart. It was happenstance, a slight change that occurred when Keiko decided to stay closer to her friends Lyric and Tomomi.

"All good things come in threes.

"It has also been far too long since we have had a songstress in our halls. True, there a few over in the temple who can sing, but that only seems to be allowed on the summer and winter celebrations. It would be nice to add something bright to these halls. I admit these halls have felt lonely and more than a little empty without Kisa. It's odd, you'd think someone as quiet as my scholarly daughter would not be missed.

"But it's the exact opposite. They are the ones you miss the most, da?"

A few paces away Kisa was blushing and trying to hide behind Daxia.

"No hiding. Come, let's all sit."

Linnell nodded to the big wooden chair at the head of the hall. That was for Kisa now. Obviously enjoying her new found freedom, her Mother sat herself quite informally on the stones next to the chair. It was an odd role reversal; anywhere else, from Keep to farmhouse, the natural tradition would have been the mother in the chair and daughter at her feet.

"Now. From each of you.

"Please.

"Tell me the story of the most memorable thing that has happened to you, between the time Daxia left the Vale, between the time you joined her company, and you all appearing here."

Kisa's brow raised.

Once a Patterner, always a Patterner.

Wolf #971878 Thu 23/05/19 02:27 UTC
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Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

She glanced between Dama Linnell and the Dayalan Captain, raising her eyebrows when the ex-khorall recalled the substance of the Captain’s question. It didn’t seem so much a question for a Card Reader but rather a riddle that Renyard might pose. And Renyard’s questions weren’t meant for the Cards. They were meant for people to figure out. So, no, it did not seem to be a very good question... for a Card Reader.

Although...

“Verchovai Reena, are you a Patterner, too?”

That might explain the strange question.

Keiko smiled at Dama Linnell, then her friends beside her. Most things come in threes, but the best things are the good ones that come in threes. At the Dama’s urging, Keiko sat down right there on the floor and encourage Lyric and Tomomi to sit beside her. Then she looked around at the others before taking a breath.

“The most memorable thing since leaving my Family’s Caravan happened before meeting Dama Kisa and Lady Daxia in Bordertown,” she said with a fond smile at her Forever Friend. “The most memorable event since Midwinter...?”

She tilted her head in thought.

“That certainly must have been finding the Caravan of my promised husband camped outside Bordertown combined with the occasion of the Young Master’s marriage to Miss Emerald.

“But what kind of story can I tell of Midwinter? I’m not the storyteller Friend Lyric is. I am more accustomed to reciting the Teaching Songs. It was nice to see Michi again. I am certain our elders made a wise decision in promising us to each other.

“There is so much joy at a wedding, and although both Captain Koromov and Verchovai Daxia had seemed quite annoyed with the Young Master earlier in the day, they forgave his mischievousness. He can’t be other than who he is, ja? Verchovai Daxia had some very pretty words for Lord Dominic and Lady Emerald. Michi and his family shared music, there was dancing and song. Michi’s cousin taught Lyric some of our dances!

“Perhaps the most amusing thing was watching Morning Star dance with Lady Arilys.”

It wasn’t her imagination that Daxia chuckled softly at that comment.

“And that is my story of this past Midwinter celebration.”


"Everything is bad except unicorns." -- Phoebe
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Bekkah

She smiled at the thoughts of their journey. So many moments to share. Most would probably consider what she did for the Forest Folk as her fondest memory, or the duel of words she had with the crazed prince in the forest, but as her sister knew well and the others had probably learned by now, Bekkah Yurisdotter was a simple person. Certainly, she carried herself at most times as if she were a queen, but in truth, that was out of respect for her Lady.

No, the moment that stood out by far was a much simpler one. One that made her smile and laugh. A moment of pure joy.

"There have been many, but if my friends think back to a time they truly saw me smile with great joy, they will know what I will say. My sister for certain can probably guess."

She paused for a moment before a bright smile appeared on her pretty face, along with perhaps a blush.

"It was Midwinter, a chance to relax and celebrate. I shared a dance, well many dances in fact with a blacksmith. Seldom have I experienced such personal joy and freedom. I felt like all eyes were on us and at the same time we were alone, just the two of us."

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Cesare

"I am not a story teller but if I was I would be spoiled for choice: sacrifices to shark gods, travelling back in time to the scene of a momentous battle, rescuing those help captive, freeing the forest folk.. so many.. but the one that stands out for me was the first time that I learned that Daxia was a person who changes the world and makes a real difference to others."

He grins at her, though he knows by now that she knows this and how he feels.

"Near Bordertown we discovered a lost Dayalan temple underground which we found by climbing down a well. Inside it was an area and two people trapped in time, destined to repeat their deaths over and over again in some awful cycle that was never ending. We fought those and their creatures that had created this curse and freed those two women. It was a moment I will never forget and I have followed Daxia ever since."

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Lyric, a Minstrel in the Vale

Lyric would have been content to keep her thoughts and words to herself. Bow when expected, smile when appropriate. Even though the woman, Dama Linnel, was the mother of Khorall Kisa of the Whole land and Khorall Eleni of Snowgate Keep, and was the previous Khorall of All herself, Lyric did not know her and dared not reveal herself up front out of any sense of propriety. Moreover, those who served the Dama and advised Khorall Kisa, might not be as easily tempered again by Kisa's assertion of leadership if the found they were in the company of the 'dreaded and fearsome' Fae. She saw the reactions in Snowgate. Here, Kisa's word was supreme, but she had not been home for a time and many were only just now having to accept the reality that the heir was now the ruler, and the ruler was returned to her lands.

All very poetic these thoughts were. But that didn't lessen their truth nor the apprehension Lyric felt when Dama Linnel asked for a story from each. How could she refuse? She was doubly damned here. The Dama's request was not inappropriate in these lands and Lyric was a proclaimed Minstrel. And yet, Lyric now knew that the Dama shared some form of the Gift that her daughters possessed. Her request involved more than an interest in hearing news from beyond the high pass. No, the Dama wanted to read them all. To hear them speak, watch them in her presence, and delve into the threads of the magic that came from the interactions.

Lyric couldn't simply refuse and feign an excuse. It would be rude and disrespectful of the hospitality shown and offered. But any story she told of her travels, and mind you, the Dama's request wasn't for a story, but rather she wanted to hear a personal tale of a memorable event. She wanted each of them to reveal their emotions in the telling of their story. This was an impossible moment for the Fae Minstrel. And she sat quietly as others recounted important events and she considered how she would respond when finally there was no one left to speak but her. She probably would not actually be the last to speak despite her desire to stall for as much time as she could steal.

What could she say? What could she choose to be the most memorable?

Meeting Ser Pietro? He was the first human she had ever encountered and he was kind to her.

Smelling the flowers on this side of the Veil? These were the most amazing smells because they were the first new flowers she had ever smelled in such a very long time.

Meeting Keiko and all the others who become her travelling companions? They accepted her under a ruse and cared for her and protected her, and still held faith with her when the truth was revealed.

What of Home and the Forest Folk? Tomomi who was now counted among the travelling companions and so many others who trusted her to create a plan to raid the heart of their darkest nightmare.

The raid upon the Mad Prince's Keep? So many moving pieces in her plan, so much happiness gained and yet the losses were deeply intense in the emotion of grief. Friends lost while evil was fought. So many separate memories there.

What of the moment she revealed herself to the Pack in combat. The choice to do what was right for the good of those who had trusted her with their lives weighed against her own self interests. There was no doubt that was memorable to her. They had seen the most dangerous aspect of her magic in action. They had seen the part of her that earned the Fae the 'dreaded and fearsome' reputation. It was memorable because it was a choice she made to do something for another at the risk of her own self. That was new to her. But was it the most memorable?

Losing Kadri? Feeling that if she could have only thought through more variables in her plan? If only she had not been wounded by the 6 legged weasel creature in the same fight split her from Kadri and One tooth? So yes, it was memorable but very painful, and so very hard for her to come to terms with the emotions. Living as long as she had, emotions were less than memories themselves to her. Things to be feigned in Court and among your own kind, like a pantomime of a time as equally lost to memory as the emotions themselves.

The return to Home with so many souls who were experiencing freedom for the first time in their previously miserable existences? That truly was memorable and worthy of a high place in her considerations.

And what of being accepted by the Pack and granted a place among them, as a part of them? It was a reward of unequalled and unrivalled honor for her though she struggled to understand why? The choice she made to come back for them, and make sure they weren't left behind despite their acceptance of the mission and the odds against them, known before it ever began. She came back for them and that meant they had value. They were not tools to be discarded when their purpose was done. That Lyric would take the same risk with them and live or die among them made them an equal to her(though she never saw herself as above them) and it made her an equal to them. It was a part of their beliefs and the core of what gave them the courage to risk themselves so often to free others from the Dark Keep in the Lake. Oh this one sat very firmly at the top of her mental list. But, the toehers were so important to her as well... and then the journey continued.

The Flowered Path? walking in the steps of Human Gods, the beauty of it and the sorrow she felt. She still could remember feeling it. Did that make it the most memorable?

Dominic? Meeting him in Waverider's Reach, and journeying with him to the Fell Lair of Insanity in the Twisted Forest,, and again back at Waverider's Reach. When he revealed to her that he knew she was Fae and proved her knew it and accepted her. And there was his wedding in the glen near Bordertown. Married now to the most memorable Emerald Mouse. And that brought her face to face with a Goddess of the humans who had made it a point to seek Lyric out. Oh what if her people had not hidden themselves away as they did? Would they be so much more fearsome and dreaded with the mantle of greater powers? Or was the fearsome aspect gained because they fled beyond the Veil to the timeless realm and lost everything that once made them good souls? Maybe that was what the Goddess wanted to see... What kind of soul was Lyric?

Now what of the events that brought them to this moment? Her revelation of her true nature to her friends? She would always remember that. Although she, better than most, would understand the nature of 'Always' and how things slip away no matter how hard you try to cling to them. Eleni and the conversation she had with the young and gifted Khorall was the inspiration to recognize the moment was at hand to reveal herself.

How could she possibly choose something out of all of that, when all of that was part of a greater whole? Or maybe she speak of the something from before her exile? No, that would only betray her nature before truthfulness was required. In those regards she would follow the lead of her companions. Their judgement would guide her. She wore her illusion and they had not advised her differently. She would keep it in place for now. A story of something memorable from before crossing the Veil would also be outside the bounds of the Dama's request. So too would much of the other important remembrances in a technical sense, since she did not meet Daxia until the Inn in Bordertown. But Lyric suspected the nature of the parameters was flexible to the Dama, within reason, because it was the words and emotions that created the patterns and connections the Dama wanted to read.

Besides, Lyric was born of Chaos. Following rules precisely has never been one of her strongest giftings.

When it was her turn, and then even after some delay as she sat still, seemingly frozen in time, she finally nodded and smiled.

"There are many things that I have found memorable and it would be unfair to choose any one of them over another, especially when they are all woven to be a part of a larger, greater tapestry of experience. So, without meaning disrespect Dama Linnel, I will offer the First memorable experience of my journey. It is short and simple and yet everything came forth from it, because of it."

"I was walking along a cart path. To my right there was a large vast forest that was sivcckly and twisted with a magic terrible and wrong and it pained my heart and soul. But there was life to be found along the hard scrabble ground. Small flowers, fighting to survive in the shadow of the sorrow and pain. I stopped to smell them. I had never smelled anything like them before. It was so new to me. And then a man upon a horse came upon me on this cart path. He was dressed so formally, a knight, a soldier, trying to find his own path along the path I walked. He was kind to me when he didn't have to be. He could have done far worse, or simply ignore me altogether. He knew I was going to be a burden to his travels and yet he took the time to greet me and welcome me, and to shre his provisions with me. He offered me an apple."

She paused.

"It was a most amazing taste. A most amazing sensation. It was the moment where I felt that there was Hope. That I might have a chance to thrive, like the little flower along the pathside. An apple? A kindness of spirit. A first companion. Hope. I could have a new life and realize what it actually meant to live life again for the first time in a long time. Truly live and feel and experience. A Flower, a Knight, and an Apple... after that, it was the sharing of sinnoman bread and then I knew then that nothing was impossible and everything could be within my reach."

She had never let her eyes waver from the Dama while she spoke. It was honest and truthful. Everything the dama needed to know was to be found in those words.


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Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

Reena’s reply wasn’t a surprise, although it was disappointing. If Karina’s aim truly was the protection of Dawnview Vale and the Allaine family, assigning a priestess and her unicorn the duty of guarding one of the innermost gates in the Vale seemed... well, stupid.

Even as Linnell was speaking, Dazi’s lesser skill of seeing Patterns put her exactly where Linnell warned her she might wind up.

“Da, Kisa,” she murmured. “Khorall Korie was only practice. He couldn’t make a kinship claim, and he didn’t try to use me as a pawn against you.”

Daxia gave Kisa a sympathetic smile as the Khorall reluctantly seated herself on the chair. It was hers now; it was something even Dazi would need to get used to. Learning the question that had caused Reena to be effectively banished from the Temple shone some light on some of her conversations with Kassia, particularly the hard questions concerning Dayala. Kassia had at least taken the younger Daxia seriously when she posed uncomfortable questions about the nature of their Deity, other Deities, and the purpose of service to Dayala.

Perhaps you are not such a Cobbleblock after all. As long as you are my student, it would be wise to keep such conversations between us.

At the time, Daxia had wondered and worried that she had somehow been heretical and that the High Priestess would punish her. Now? She was no longer Kassia’s student. And if Reena was any example, perhaps now was the right time to ask deeply theological questions.

No, life was most assuredly not a game. But politics was.

After glancing at Reena and the two women Karina had attached to the party, she chose to remain standing rather than sit as Linnell had suggested. While everyone else spoke, sharing their memories and stories with Linnell, Daxia tucked her thumbs in her belt and gave each of them due attention.

Oh, she had certainly been annoyed with Dom Dominie! And his Lady might have even found it amusing if she had whacked him on the head with a tree branch. Still, she had forgiven him because he was, after all, a Shadowlord, and it was his wedding day. Had her words really been pretty? She had thought they had just been heartfelt.

She grinned at Bekkah when she spoke of dancing with Finn. She had never before seen her sister so happy! Dazi wanted Bekkah to share the rest of her life with Finn; seeing Bekkah happy meant more than her own happiness. And it would probably be easier to do Attera’s work while living near Finn than it would be for Dazi to do Dayala’s work while living in the Vale near Kisa.

That thought and Cesare’s words cause her smile to slip. His faith in her was daunting — after all, she hadn’t been able to save Celi. Dazi understood the circle of life, but it had been her duty to protect the young Covener.

And lastly, there was Lyric... surprisingly, and yet not surprising really, the minstrel’s thoughts mirrored her own on the matter of what was memorable.

When it was up to her to speak, she simply gave Linnell the same attention she had given Kisa under Kassia’s tutelage. After several heartbeats, she turned her gaze on Kisa. Finally, she sighed as she looked once again at the woman whose court she had observed for nearly two handfuls of years.

“Choosing the most memorable event of my Dakeshtova would be equivalent to you choosing your favorite daughter, Dama. No decent person would ask you to choose between Kisa and Eleni, and it’s not a question any mother should answer... from khorall to commoner.”

The priestess smiled softly and shook her head.

“One might think having Morning Star show up in my life would be the most memorable thing to happen to me. Not to diminish the importance of his presence, but how can I choose between that singular event and the day Kisa gave me her favor...

“...and the day I found my sister after not seeing her for more than fifteen years...

“...and the day I met an Eastern princess on the Brementown Road...

“...and the night I faced an Eastern Avatar to free two priestesses trapped out of time...

“...and the night I witnessed the battle of Silk Creek Bridge...

“...and the morning I pulled a young warrior out of her time into ours...

“...and the day I speechified in Dorian Korie’s court...

“...and the evening I officiated at Dominic Korie’s wedding...

“...and the days on which I met people of the Dirkwood Forest — both before and after my sister asked her Lady to grant them souls?

“Or what of the smaller, but no less dear, memories of realizing Romana had become a friend...

“...or seeing the tides of the Opal Sea coming in and washing out again...

“...or watching young Kay adapt to a world without a war with the East...

“...or seeing the happiness on Dominic’s and Emerald’s faces on their wedding day...

“...or watching Kisa grow from Heir to Khorall...

“...or coming to understand that Kassia wasn’t nearly as cruel as I thought?”

Dazi smiled more broadly.

“I’m not avoiding the question, my lady. I could entertain you all evening, I suspect, with stories of my travels across the High Tarn, and visits to Cragside, Bordertown, Talantal, and Talesan’s Village.

“Which tale would you like to hear, Dama Linnell? I don’t wish to antagonize the High Priestess by spending arriving far past sunset.”

She didn’t need to say it, but Karina was likely to be plenty annoyed even if Dazi arrived on time, as instructed.

Such was the fate of a Wild Dayalan in the Dawnview Temple.


"Everything is bad except unicorns." -- Phoebe
Wolf #972225 Mon 27/05/19 02:24 UTC
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The Heartwood
Dawnview Vale
Dawnview Castle
Hasday, the Eighteenth Day of Tiger


Bekkah, Cesare, Daxia, Keiko, Lyric, Kisa, Linnell, Reena, Tomomi, and various Dayalans

Tomomi blinked once Daxia had finished her long list of adventures. Her eyes had been widening with each one noted, so it was quite a blink when she found herself suddenly having gained Linnell's attention, being the last one of their group left to answer. She looked down, she looked up, or at the least, that was what the hood of her cloak did, and then she just leaned against her Forever Friend.

"Well, of course, it was being helped when I was Homesick. That was so scary, and it hurt a lot. Not wanting to be me. Being told I was a good Mouse, that... that literally saved my life."

The once-Khorall sat up straighter. Kisa hid a small smile; it was not often she saw her Mother surprised by anything.

"A good Mouse?"

To answer, Tomomi slowly drew down her hood and shook out her long blonde hair. Finally, after so long on the road, it was just about as long as when Keiko had first seen her, selling lace scallops in the market. Her big ears twitched, and she pressed two teeth into her lower lip, shy and worried. She knew Kisa understood, but you could never tell with anyone else.

"You are a mouse? You are a MOUSE!"

"Oh, Karina is going to have a fit. She's going to call you a child of chaos..."

Captain Reena spoke after Linnell, her words very serious and grim. One did not need to be able to read the patterns to know the storm that could suddenly descend from this particular priestess discovering something outside of her strict world view.

"Actually..."

Tomomi looked down and swallowed, her words quiet.

"Lady says that if anything, we are the children of Law — the children of Law not tempered by kindness. That it is then up to us to be kind to each other, to fill that emptiness."

Linnell still looked shocked.

"Reena. We have a Mouse in our Castle."

Reena answered quite pragmatically.

"Dear sweet Linnell, it's Kisa's castle now. And she doesn't seem to mind. She also doesn't seem to be much of a threat, seeing that both Kisa and Daxia brought her here. Also, Eleni must have seen her and let her into the Vale. Though how she slipped out of Eleni's grasp is an even bigger question. To your youngest daughter, however, she is a threat. Eleni has no defenses against cute."

Linnell suddenly refocused, looking at Tomomi with serious intent.

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Do you know who else wears a cloak like that? Renyard! The Councillor. You know, the one person in all the mainland that every Knorall listens to? Is he a Mouse too?"

That got the brightest of smiles from Tomomi, as she happily explained.

"Oh no, Mister Renyard is not a Mouse. He's a Fox!"

Linnell just looked at Tomomi.

"He's a Fox, and so are Lady and Girl. Broke and Wrath and One Fang and Wuff-Wuff and the rest of the Pack are wolves, well except for Miss Lyric here. Then we have the Raccoon sisters, who aren't sisters, and The Lockpick, oh she is a Mouse and Aelfrec is a Horse, and then there are all the Rats, and Mister Hinata is Mister Hinata-Cat. But he's going to be a swordsman for Mister Jvrill and trade beating on folks for sunbeams and burned fish."

The eldest Allaine sat back down, she sunk into herself and leaned back against her Captain. She let out a long sigh.

"Renyard is a Fox. I guess that explains everything."

With her liege at a loss for further words, Reena spoke up, to answer Keiko's query.

"Patterning? Me? Oh no. I have no skill at that at all. I just ask annoying and unanswerable questions. My mentor, my Verchovai Alena, who now watches us from the night sky, took me in when I was little. The first lesson she taught me, in her attempt to be wise and proper, as she had never had taken in a child before, was to tell me that there was no such thing as a foolish question. She then said I spent the rest of my life trying to prove her wrong. It's how Linnell and I met, actually."

The Dayalan smiled a very soft smile.

"I got posted to the Castle and started to follow her around and kept asking her questions because everyone else knew better than to let me get started and so she eventually ended up having to make a choice. She could either toss me out of the Castle or make me her bodyguard. Most times, she knows she made the right decision."

As Keiko told her story, Linnell's expression darkened. Her nose wrinkled before she spoke concerning the Young master's Midsummers.

"Yes, That was. News."

Reena acted first, simply reaching down and rapping Linnell once on the very top of her head. It seemed that there was some manner of tradition that Allaine bodyguards could get away with such things. Linnell just sighed once again.

"Oh. I know. And I am glad he is happy. He is such a contrary brat though. I had wished, I had really hoped and wished..."

That was when Kisa suddenly sat up.

"Mother! He's my Brother!"

It was Kisa's turn to look discombobulated.

"Fine, he's my Foster-Brother, so that makes him just like my brother. I dearly love him, he is a dear idiot, but he is Family! If you wanted me to marry a Korie, you should not have fostered the nicest one of them!"

"But he would have been good for you, you care for him and he for you and it would have truly settled any differences between Dawnview and Talantal..."

That got Linnell another rap on the head.

"Dama Linnell Danielle Allaine, this is a homecoming. No politics allowed."

"But it's going to be forever before Eleni sees what's right in front of her nose. I'll be dead before I have grandchildren."

Kisa turned red. Linnell finally sat up again, turning her attention to Bekkah.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful. It sounds just like when I first met Kisa's father, on a Midwinter's night so long ago. We could have, and we actually did, dance the night away. Midwinters, midsummers, and then midwinters again. So when do you return to Talantal? You must, you know. Meetings like that are not chance, and the very last thing you want to do is look back and regret. Regrets are only acceptable for things you have done. To regret something you let slip away, that is tragic.

"And it turns your heart to stone.

"Believe me, I know. I see that every day when I look at the Temple.

"It is so easy to say something can't happen. Always take the harder route and figure out how to make it work."

For Cesare, Linnell slowly nodded.

"Everyone in the Vale knows that story. We saw it first because as She set in the West our skies darken first and thus we see the first stars come night. It is so hard, so very hard, to find a new star when they shine; only the Astrologers in the Jambles keep records detailed enough to track Her servant's lives. But two stars in the Dark Patch?

"That was unmistakable.

"It is now not just your memory, but something that will be remembered for ages and passed down for as long as children look up into the night and ask why are there two stars where there were once none.

"That is a good thing to call your own.

"The real question, of course, is the nature of that story. Is it a story of vengeance or is it a love story?"

"And for you, Minstrel, a minstrel who is not a wolf..."

Linnell leaned forward.

"Thus it always is. The most important things in this world start simply. Taking a bag of tiles up to someone's room. For me, it was a warm cloak draped over my shoulders on a cold night where my Mother's Court had gone far too long. We think of these things, from the simple to the complex. Memories are strong, are they not? And they must be cherished. We only have a short time to gather them all before we, in our turn, become nothing but memories. That briefness makes them all the more valuable.

"But isn't that always true?

"That we are nothing but collections of memories? The things that make up who we are? In order to know, one must be taught. And then, of course, the question is how do we create more.

"One would hope that we always try and create better memories, good ones.

"Because bad ones, no one truly wants."

"And when it comes to building new memories..."

Her attention then fell on Daxia... Daxia and her long list.

"Do not worry, Dazi. While you do not have the right to antagonize Karina, I do. Not only do I have the right but it is a moral imperative. It is one of the few privileges of having a sister, and the best part is that she has to put up with it. The only disadvantage is that it is a sword that slices both ways.

"It is good to have the Koromovs back.

"But last night, as we looked into the Dark Patch, Reena asked me something. She wondered if we would ever know the answer to a question that was vexing her. Which was prettier? Dawnview Castle or the Towers of Kh'lhy'ra?"

Linnell Allaine drew up her knees, set her elbows on atop and rested her chin in her hands. She looked both wistful and serious. It was a look Daxia had often seen mirrored in Kisa when there was a pattern, a question, that reached farther than the surface of the sea.

"We have heard rumors.

"Of a hospice in Talantal with a well out in its courtyard. Perhaps courtyard is a bad word; the well is in the square in front of the hospice, in the poorest of Talantal's rings. There a white-haired monster lady that heals those who are hurt regardless of coin, regardless of man or woman, good or bad. Where a black-haired troublemaker teaches girls from broken homes how to stand up against a life that only promises being beaten or the selling of themselves.

"That is the tale I would hear.

"Of all the stories you have started, Daxia, of all the tiles you have set falling, one to the other to the next, of all the things you have done...

"Isn't that one, isn't that the most important tale of our lives?"

Linnell Allaine considered something that no one else in the world might.

"Do you truly believe we can set the tiles and gain an understanding between the West and East?

"We may never be able to truly see eye to eye. But in your tale, of that Hospice, of that Well, is there actually hope that we just might be able to live together without killing each other?

"If there was one more tale to tell...

"Would this not be the one most worth discovering?"

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Lyric, a Minstrel in the Vale

Lyric shifted from left to right, and then back again as Linnel's focus took a turn upon her. Weight on her left foot and then right. She kept a shoulder behind Keiko's shoulder, briefly touching depending on how she shifted herself while the former Khorall spoke.

"...not a wolf," she acknowledged in a soft voice.

Without direction from the others in the group, a reassurance of trust, she didn't want to reveal any more than she had to in this informal gathering of Court personages. Without preamble this would likely not go very well, and result in a mad hurried effort to explain things that maybe should not be kept hidden, except that Lyric had no plan for this moment. She had no way to offer context to secrets and truths, especially when she had not been given advice of any kind. Maybe those that expected this moment, this meeting, wanted to see what would happen. Lyric was less worried by the reaction of Kisa and Eleni's mother, not because she wasn't capable of it, but rather she would probably approach any situation where surprise might be a factor in a manner similar to or somewhere between that of her daughters. No, it was those around Dama Linnell that Lyric felt warranted concern. The Guards and Reena, another of similar title to Daxia were currently foremost in her mind right now. Oh, and should the one named Karina, all sharp and jagged of personality, return then there would be added cause for concern.

Lyric didn't want to lie to the woman talking to her about memories. Perhaps Kisa and Daxia were watching the Minstrel as well, to watch how she protected her secret. To see if she respected Dama Linnell, an important person to them both, and her position to give her the respect she was due. Perhaps they were watching Linnel as well, to see what and how she 'read' people when they both had an advantage over the former Khorall. Neither of them had seen through the illusions nor the masquerade that accompanied it in the time they had been together. Only Eleni, in so much less time, had even come close.

Well, there was Dominic. He figured it out. He was quite pleased with himself, even to the point of making sure his Deity knew as well. That was a Wedding memory she kept to herself.


Quote

We only have a short time to gather them all before we, in our turn, become nothing but memories. That briefness makes them all the more valuable.

But isn't that always true?



"You are probably right, Dama."

There was the urge to say more. Maybe to mention that for some it was most important to keep the memories you already have, for when you have so many and the days and nights are endless, it seems you lose something important with each new memory created. Lose enough and you forget the truths about the choices you once made and are left to accept a fabricated truth of how things must have been based upon how things are now.

No. Lyric resisted the urge. She would have to speak with the others before saying anything that might focus the Vale's attention upon her. Her companions knew Lyric was no threat. Let the truth find it's own path to light. Let her friends guide her on the journey.

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Bekkah

She kept quiet for now. Sometimes, it was just best to let things unfold naturally as others took in the truths around them.

As far as her and Talantal. Yes, she would return. She was not sure to what end, but she suspected she knew. She had to be sure in her own mind that the end she foresaw was what she indeed desired. It was not one she would ever turn away from once she accepted it.

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Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

Watching her Forever Friend interacting with Dama Linnell brought a smile to Keiko’s lips and happiness to her heart. Tomomi was an exceptional ambassador for the Forest Folk!

Keiko couldn’t maintain a solemn composure at Dama Linnell’s lament about grandchildren. She did manage to hide the grin behind her hands, but that didn’t stop her laughter from bubbling up.

“You sound just like my mother, Dama!”

Her eyes sparkled like amethysts as she lowered her hands and hugged herself.

“There were no words to convince her that her children were too young to have children, even though my sisters are absolutely too young and my brother and I don’t think we have the fortitude yet to be parents.”

The Rhoni’s smile evened out to embrace the kindness of her heart.

“Grandmother would say to Hikaru — that’s my brother — and me that Mother wanted us to have the same happiness she enjoyed with her children. Father always said it was a duty to posterity, but Grandmother would say that her son was a silly person and that it was all about love.”

Keiko studied Linnell for a moment before looking at Kisa.

“Maybe Father was more right than Grandmother would admit, but Grandmother is certainly wiser than Father.”


"Everything is bad except unicorns." -- Phoebe
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Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

Perhaps Daxia was, indeed, watching Lyric — at least insofar as she was watching everyone and everything in the hall. Old habits died hard, especially in a room where the additional guards weren’t as familiar to the priestess as Reena was.

Watching. Evaluating. Noting not the set up or the fall of tiles but the meandering Paths of possibility. Lyric’s silence — but for the agreement that Linnell could be correct — smoothed the Paths, avoiding the rock-strewn ones for the moment.

Daxia wasn’t quite as successful as Kisa at hiding her smile at Linnell’s reaction to Tomomi. But she tilted her head as she considered the young Mouse woman’s words.

Children of Law...

From what she’d picked up about the group’s activities in the Forest, that was an apt description, both generally and quite literally. Created by a mad Imperial prince... treated as tools, as little more than exquisite machines, the Forest Folks hadn’t even possessed souls until Bekkah came along. But now? Now they were more than they had been. If they didn’t understand that already... well, it took time to come around to accepting new ideas and new ways of being.

And Dazi couldn’t stop her chuckles at Kisa’s and Linnell’s reaction to the news of Dominic’s wedding. They were both right — politically, Linnell’s plans made perfect sense; in reality, Kisa viewed Dommie as a brother, and that was that. Her gaze shifted between Linnell and Bekkah for several moments before deciding that the lamentations each of them professed about the lack of grandchildren or children was not something she’d ever understand.

...settled any differences between Dawnview and Talantal...

That was a bit of gristle Dazi would worry over for hours or even days. Just because alliances were so often made by marrying off the child of one family to the child of another family did not mean that should always be the way. Did it?

“If I might interject, Dama...” With furrowed brows, she glanced from mother to daughter and back again.

“I certainly don’t see Patterns as well as you and Kisa, but are there not Paths where the unpleasantness between Dawnview and Talantal can be smoothed out with the simple acts of friendship? Dawnview can be a better friend to Talantal than Montague was. Yes, isolating Montague — as I seem to have initiated — presents its own set of problems.”

She gave Kisa a brief half-smile.

“I know. The time for talking about politics will arrive all too quickly. But it is never the wrong time to think about friendship.”

Then she very pointedly looked at Bekkeh and her non-response to Dama Linnell and rolled her eyes at her sister. This was followed by a weary sigh before she gave her attention back to Linnell and her observation of the hall.

Dazi had her own opinions about that fateful night outside Bordertown. Linnell’s question was an interesting one because the story could be told either way. What lesson was meant to be learned from it? That in the fullness of Time, Dayala’s displeasure with the Chaos Lords would become known? Or a simple tale of two women finding the bonds of friendship and seeing it grow to love in the most trying of circumstances?

Yes, Dazi had her opinion, and it wove itself through the story Linnell suggested she tell.

“The rumor is the tale, Dama, or the bones of it, at any rate.

“And you understand the importance of the story. The details can be embellished in countless ways. I have no doubt our minstrel friend here could write a ballad of such poignancy as to make people weep from the beauty of it.

“It all starts with friendship... with a willingness to set aside preconceived notions we have of people who are different from us. From there, m’Lady, I believe anything is possible.

“I’ve already set some of the tiles for you. Kay Koromov is setting up more. Both of us see Romana of Kh’Lhy’Ra as a friend.

“We have proved that an Eastern Princess and Dayalan warriors can live together without killing each other. Can others do the same?”

The priestess shrugged.

“I only have my own experiences, my observations of my Initiate, and my interactions with the Immortal Morning Star to guide me.

“I was taught that we might fear and fight the East. Clearly, not everyone is taught this. Keiko’s family travel freely along the Road East and beyond Kh’Lhy’Ra Pass, interacting with Easterners and the people of the High Tarn. And I count Romana among my dearest friends.

“Kay fought the East longer than I spent traveling outside the Vale. Her friend died at Jeminy’s Hill. We wrote a song about her friend and the other Dayalans. You named your daughter after that friend. And she has taken up the duty of protecting the princess who embraced the teachings of Attera.”

This time, Daxia glanced at Reena and smiled softly.

“It’s not just Allaines that we find ourselves drawn to, it would seem.”

Then she looked at Linnell again and chuckled.

“If a unicorn whose brothers were killed by the warriors of the East can be moved from homicidal thoughts on seeing a young Eastern woman to a grudging acceptance...

“Well, I will repeat myself: anything is possible. And those are the adventures to seek, the Patterns to find, the Paths to walk, and the stories to tell.”


"Everything is bad except unicorns." -- Phoebe
Wolf #974117 Sun 16/06/19 15:12 UTC
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The Heartwood
Dawnview Vale
Dawnview Castle
Hasday, the Eighteenth Day of Tiger


Bekkah, Cesare, Daxia, Keiko, Lyric, Kisa, Linnell, Reena, Tomomi, and various Dayalans

Linnell Allaine had spoken about so much, addressing each of her guests in turn. She listens to the responses with the earnestness of an attentive host, whether they be a few words or many. Only when things had gone full circle did she make her reply.

"I would like to think that if it were a love story, it would be a stronger tale. No tale, no song has any meaning unless it speaks to how we treat one another; unless it teaches us something about ourselves."

And with that, her attention spun to the Mouse in her house. She couldn't help but smile, just a little bit.

"To fill the emptiness with kindness. Has anyone ever told you that you have a wonderful way with words? They have a simplicity that is lacking between here and the Seas. I would like to meet this Lady of yours; she sounds much more down to earth than the Councilor. To fill the emptiness with kindness. It is a shame our world does not think of that more. We have so many stories about great events and the buckling of swashes and the happenings of the past. Why is it that we have so few songs about what is really important? To be taught this by a strange — strange only because we have just met — Mouse makes me feel more than a little ashamed. Reena is correct, this must be what my daughter saw."

Tomomi just swallowed at that, eyes wide as saucers and her ears as pink as a beautiful sunset. Of course, Linnell saw this, and of course, she then chose to speak to Lyric.

"How come there are not more such teaching songs?"

The ex-Khorall offered the Minstrel an odd smile at that. Kisa blinked and raised her hand to her mouth while Captain Reena raised her hand over her liege's head as if getting ready to rap Linnell once more.

"You are very quiet for a minstrel. I have never met one with so few words. You are even quieter than the oft-spoken-of Temple critter. No offense to our Miss Mouse, of course. Are you quiet because being surrounded by Allaines is as mystifying as some High Court or Council where you have no right to be at or are you afraid of what you might say? So you are not a wolf. What sort of Minstrel are you?

"Are you a minstrel first, one who simply watches the world turn around her or are you a minstrel second, taking hold of who you are and what you do and the songs come naturally after?"

Reena simply snorted at that, taking her hand back.

"Linnell, my dear sweet innocent Linnell, you are going to be so vexed if she answers that question with a simple, single word: yes."

Kisa giggled, and her mother looked grumpy for a moment or two. To resolve that conundrum, Linnell chose to question Bekkah.

"So what do you think, what sort of minstrel do you travel with? And I challenge you, Yurisdotter. Prove to us that Daxia did not inherit all your family's words; I have heard a rumor, and I would like to know if it is true, that once she left the Vale, she has been forced to use your allotment of words and has thus been given less than an agreeable nickname. Show us that this is not true; that it is not yours and Lady Attera's fault. I am curious about your answer, in more than a handful of words."

As she waited for Bekkah to formulate her answer, Linnell took a breath, before she responded to Keiko concerning grandmothers and fathers and their feelings.

"Love is something that a Noble has to place third or fourth or fifth in the Order of things important. It is the way of the world. It is right because it simply is. The Noble Families must be maintained. Allaine cannot fall, cannot be let to fade away. For all that my sister is rigid and narrow-sighted, she is correct in that. It is not a matter of pride.

"It is a matter of service."

She sat up a bit straighter.

"It is our duty, which we gladly take. In return for our position, we give everything else up. It is our task to provide for our people. Their security comes first. They must be safe and able to live without fear. Their welfare comes first. They must be able to live a life in good health, with enough food, water, and sustenance. Their happiness comes first. They must be able to live, not just survive. Their smiles are our smiles. Their success is how Allaines measure ours.

"For us to find happiness? That is a rare thing. Something to be cherished. Mayhaps, this is why Allaines tend to care so much for those chosen to protect us. For who else would care? Who else would look after us in the same way? I know I would be lost without Reenashka."

"I find myself doubly lucky. I have Reena, and I can think of Kisa's Father and smile. I suspect his responsibilities to his caravan are as significant to him as mine is to the people of Dawnview Vale.

"This is true, isn't it, Keiko?

"It must have made the Goddess laugh, that a Waverider and a castle-bound girl found each other. I would hope that somewhere he still thinks of me in the same way. His last Midwinters in the Vale was when Kisa was still so little. I have never asked why he stopped visiting the Vale come the Storm Season. I have never followed that pattern. In my head, I know what is most probable. But my heart refuses to ask that question. If I do not ask, if I do not seek that pattern, it will always be as if he is just over the next hill.

"One day, Kisa. One day, Daxia. Both of you will learn that there are some questions that are better never answered."

Daxia got her answer next. Of all the answers in the world, it came from somewhere near, or in, the least expected territories.

"I never saw it."

Linnell shoulders raised and fell.

"The pattern that you and my daughter set in motion? I never saw it. It was beyond the limits of my world, it was a question I would never have even thought to ask. That disturbed me, for quite a while, as these odd rumors came in, about a strange Lady of Attera being watched over by a troublemaker Dayalan. And then I realized it was perfectly fine.

"This is your time.

"Not mine.

"These are your stories to tell, your songs to make. Does the stone in a castle's foundation have any idea of the Castle it supports? Probably not. But it is still part of the Castle's story, and without being there, there would be no castle.

"I can certainly live with that. And take a mote of pride and happiness in being that foundation stone. Besides..."

The redhaired woman leaned back against her bodyguard.

"I am looking forward to being spoiled in my old age, having all the benefits of being a grand Allaine and none of the responsibilities, being doted on by my loving daughters."

Kisa raised a brow at that.

"Doting? Bah. Follow the tiles, dear Mother. Two weeks of being doted on and you will be bored to tears."

Linnell just laughed looking across to her guests.

"Maybe yes. Maybe no. But until then, the sun is heading to its rest in the West and we should too. Daxia, you probably have just enough time to cross the Valley to the Temple, and if you say that your liege demands your return, limit her words to you so you may get back before morning. The path is lit, so the dark is not a worry."

Kisa nodded.

"I so demand."

She then paused, giving Tomomi an inquisitive look.

"I also demand that Miss Tomomi Mouse accompany My Knight and to not leave her side. If anyone says this is inappropriate, pray inform them that the Khorall would then like to speak to her Priestess. Immediately."

This was immediately followed by a quick apology.

"If this is acceptable to you, Miss Mouse. I ask it as a favor, as it would be valuable for everyone and my sister if you saw that inside of the Temple."

It was Linnell's turn to quirk her brow. Tomomi just nodded in reply. After an awkward pause, Linnel swept her hand across the room.

"As for the rest, you are our guests. Rooms will be found in the second tower for you, the main hall and the terraces free for your use. The Allaine tower, of course, is for family only, and if you find a door closed, we expect that it to stay closed. Otherwise, a fair night. Reena and I shall take evening promenade. Feel free to stay here and make your plans for the morrow; if you are going further on..."

Linnell nodded to the two Dayalans also watching over them.

"Let them know what you need, and they will ensure it is collected."

She then, with her captain in tow, she took her leave, heading upstairs to the gallery and then deeper into the castle. As they left, a few snippets of conversation drifted down in their wake.

"Hey Linny, can I ask you something..."


[[OOC note: If you have a further response to Linnell, feel free to include your closing thoughts in your post. Tadaa! You get the last word! Otherwise, you should plan what you want to do next and how to go about it. If Daxia wants to visit the Temple she can do so between now and sunrise - and anyone who wants to accompany her is fine by me; you just need to get Daxia to agree. I'd like the next post for all of you to be moving on to your next adventure!]]

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Bekkah

She smiled at Linnell's question.

"Ahh Linnell, you know quite well that I was never all that talkative. Certainly, I used to read to my sister when she was little before I left, but I was never much for politics or other such things. And no, my sister is under no word restriction. Come with us when we leave, I'm certain you'll find out the answers to so many of your questions, simply by spending time with us."

"In fact, I met a prince in the dark forest who would trade questions and answers with you endlessly."

Wolf #974225 Mon 17/06/19 14:09 UTC
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OOC: I am going to respond based upon how this post reads to me. Linnell likes to talk. A lot of us do. Nothing wrong with it. I feel she asks questions and doesn't necessarily need the answer, just the reaction. Answers would be accepted, but she moves on quickly to the next. Quickly from Tomomi to Lyric when a thought about how the Mouse' philosophy should be a song, a teaching song. To the Minstrel. She poses a couple questions but then shifts to Bekkah after Reena intervenes.

***

Lyric, a Minstrel in the Vale

Lyric watched and listened as Dama Linnell filled the empty void of sound with a running patter of her own thoughts. It wasn't as though the former Khorall didn't want the answers, but Lyric came to a possible conclusion that the woman didn't really need the answers so much as the reactions. She was a reader of Patterns like her Daughter, and asking probing questions allowed her to see more truth in reactions than in words.

Lyric had lived thousands of years, and stood in a Court of Elders and 'Nobles, before a High Queen, among the Clanns, in the midst of two Courts, Ice and Rain. She was well versed and practiced in managing her expressions and emotions, and her words. In fact, that was part of a realization that her whole life was a regimen of deceiving herself so often that it became natural, and ultimately corrupting. When everyone lies, then lies become truth, and truth has no meaning.

Lyric didn't want to live that life. Her time outside of Faere was little more than a blink of an aye in comparison to how long she had lived, but being able to live in the truth and feel the freedom of her real emotions influencing her soul was not something she ever wanted to lose. Not something she ever wanted to give up again.

Great care would have to be taken in her responses. Lyric's appearance was a deception. But her travelling companions knew her truth. That revelation had caused some concern and consternation, especially for Kisa. Maybe because she suspended her reality around her own ability to read Patterns and that enabled her to be prepared for things that might come her way. Dama Linnell was probably quite the same. But Eleni was different, and she too was a daughter of Linnell. Eleni read People, and not Patterns.

Lyric had revealed herself to her travelling companions because the Truth was important among those where Trust was necessary. Given and received. Lyric struggled with that then because she feared she might lose something she never knew she so desperately needed... friends.

Here, in this place, Lyric had to rely upon others for guidance in dealing with intuitive-savants who didn't know that Lyric is Lyric is Lyric.

Quote
"How come there are not more such teaching songs?"


Lyric saw the reaction of Reena, but did not understand why the Dama's companion and protector would be so prepared to physically chastise the former Khorall. Oh, she could never imagine anyone rapping The Queen of Rain atop her head for any utterance... or for any reason at all. Lyric didn't have to shift her eyes to take in Kisa's reaction either. It was a combination of surprise, mixed with the unspoken statement, 'Oh NO, she didn't'. Lyric didn't understand the reason for that either. But apparently, Dama Linnell often said things aloud that others would probably keep to themselves, especially in a 'first greeting' situation.

It was not a question that could be answered by Lyric. But, again, it didn't feel like it was a question that required an answer. it felt more rhetorical in nature. Lyric could make a general speculation but her understanding of human nature was rather limited, and so she waited and watched.


Quote
"You are very quiet for a minstrel. I have never met one with so few words. You are even quieter than the oft-spoken-of Temple critter. No offense to our Miss Mouse, of course. Are you quiet because being surrounded by Allaines is as mystifying as some High Court or Council where you have no right to be at or are you afraid of what you might say? So you are not a wolf. What sort of Minstrel are you?


Still not a wolf...

But those were words she would never speak aloud.

...and you might not yet be ready for the truth, Dama.

Lyric kept her passive stance, meeting the Dama's eyes as she asked two more questions in all the words she used to verbalize her thoughts.

Your daughter will let me know...

Quote
"Are you a minstrel first, one who simply watches the world turn around her or are you a minstrel second, taking hold of who you are and what you do and the songs come naturally after?"


Either- Or statements were the fertile ground upon which wordsmiths plied their trade. Lyric did not want to lie to Kisa's mother. Her friends might be paying close attention to how Lyric danced around such questions, step and counter-step with her answers. Deception at this point was a dangerous risk. Not just from the standpoint of being a guest before Nobility of the Vale, but also in terms of how she handled herself under this pressure.

Quote
"Linnell, my dear sweet innocent Linnell, you are going to be so vexed if she answers that question with a simple, single word: yes."


Lyric continued to be patient and let this moment play out before her. Having something to say and not having the opportunity to speak was a fault of others. Having nothing to say and speaking anyway was a fault of self. When the Dama determined that answers to her questions were essential, she would pause and focus on the Minstrel... and wait. Reena intervened. The Dama accepted the premise of Reena's query as a possible truth and she shifted her attention to Bekkah. Although, the subject of inquiry was still the same, just a new angle. And so Lyric also shifted her attention to Bekkah. Lyric's expression remained still and placid. It betrayed nothing except a quiet serenity and a calm control.

What would the the Atteran Priestess say?

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Keiko khal’Nakano Hoshiko
[pronounced KAY-ko... do you think the GM has memorized this yet? Nope, not yet...]

An important part of a Card Reader’s training is learning to hear the questions behind the questions that people ask so that one addresses the Cards an appropriate manner. Another important less, and one that was harder to learn was to hear the questions that someone might not want to be answered at all.

It was clear what question Dama Linnell didn’t want to be answered. And yet... she was asking for some small measure of comfort to ease her heart about the fate of Dama Kisa’s father.

Keiko smiled, acknowledging what wasn’t said, what couldn’t be said.

“I will tell you that the duties and responsibilities of Rhoni women and men differ from those of the Gaija. But the duties and responsibilities are as demanding and exacting as those imposed on Nobles and Imperials and Royals.

“Your head is intelligent and understands this. Your heart is wise to maintain your ignorance, for that is where hope resides.”

She spread her hands wide as she shrugged.

“Trusting the Fates makes anything possible.”

Then the Card Reader chuckled.

“If you would take a small bit of advice from a commoner, Dama, I would say that trusting Dama Kisa and Dama Eleni will add to everyone’s happiness, at least in a small measure — yours, theirs, and even Verchovai Daxia’s. You have raised them to be the best Khoralls they can be. You have done your best. As you said, it is now their time.

“It is not necessary to consult the Cards or read the Patterns to know that they would never willingly betray that trust.”

And then she simply offered her hand to Friend Lyric, both an acknowledgment of her friend’s discomfort and an offer of support.


"Everything is bad except unicorns." -- Phoebe
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Lord Protector, Her Ladyship Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter
[Daxia serves DAYALA... the GM ESPECIALLY should get this right]

Dazi sighed heavily at Linnell’s reference to that particular nickname, the one that hadn’t been fair at all. Was it her fault that she understood the broader implications of the events that had swirled around her and her little gang of misfits? Would it have been fair to any of them for her not to share potential problems that might surface due to those implications? Was it her fault that explaining all of this had used far more than the usual number of words she had been accustomed to using? No, no, and no.

And Bekkah was absolutely correct — neither of them had been particularly talkative as children. Yes, she had been inquisitive and had asked a lot of questions of both Gilly and Kassia and, to a far lesser extent, Reena. But questions weren’t the same as Using Many Words. She only took up the mantle of Using Many Words when the leadership of the group had defaulted to her. And if Bekkah had chosen to lead their little gang — a thought that nearly made Dazi giggle — Bekkah would have been the one to Use Many Words.

Her sister’s suggestion to the ex-Khorall did finally cause laughter to escape from Daxia.

“My sister is every bit as brilliant as certain people claim that I am! It would be an honor to have you and Captain Reena join us — even if it’s only as far as Glacier Keep.”

She gave Kisa a pointed look. Despite the fact that Dazi had walked the Paths that had led to the discovery of Innocence Allaine’s and Danton Kierkegaard’s fates, she had steadfastly maintained the opinion that the story should be Kisa’s to tell. Perhaps a large part of it was simply that Dazi couldn’t bear being the person to confirm rumors of that nature.

Then she tilted her head in consideration of Linnell’s admission that she hadn’t seen the patterns that Kisa had sent her Knight into the world to affect. It explained some things. Daxia already understood that some questions — or rather, the answers to some questions — would be better off left as mysteries. Linnell’s comments came close to voicing the reason for maintaining the mystery: the closer questions and answers came to touching her heart, to knowing the realities of Kisa’s responsibilities to the Allaine Family, the less interested Dazi was in knowing the answers.

“We know what we know. We know what we don’t know. But something that is completely outside our frame of reference... well, we can neither know or not know anything about such things until we actually know they exist.”

Daxia shrugged. It made sense in her mind. If it didn’t make sense in someone else’s, it could simply be a matter of not having all the same experiences she did. And that was fine.

She nodded at Kisa’s demand that Dazi return by morning. She opened her mouth, thinking to protest sending the Mouse along, but then snapped it shut again and smiled. Tomomi could only go to places she’d already been. She’d already laid claim to Snowgate as her new home. Eleni wouldn’t take advantage of the Mouse’s abilities, but if the need arose, Tomomi ought to be able to find herself around the whole Vale.

Lyric’s silence wasn’t surprising. She had seemed more comfortable around Eleni but then, nearly everyone was comfortable around Eleni. Dazi gave the minstrel what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Lyric was Lyric was Lyric — so she’d been told — and however Lyric needed to be in this place at this time was exactly the way she should be. She posed no danger to the Allaines or the Vale that Daxia could see. Silence was often the wisest course.

Dazi watched Linnell and Reena head off, shaking her as a handful of Reena’s words drifted back to them.

“I will return by morning, my liege, for you have demanded it,” she said to Kisa with a grin. “Come, Miss Tomomi, let us fetch His Magnificence and present ourselves to High Priestess Karina!”


"Everything is bad except unicorns." -- Phoebe
Wolf #974654 Sun 23/06/19 21:18 UTC
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Wolf Offline OP
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The Heartwood
Dawnview Vale
Dawnview Castle
Hasday, the Eighteenth Day of Tiger


Bekkah, Cesare, Daxia, Keiko, Lyric, Kisa, Linnell, Reena, Tomomi, and various Dayalans

"No, thank you, I'm a mountain girl, not a forest dryad. And that Forest is a fair hike away and I am no longer as young as I used to be. That is my kitten's age. And as for... for... wait! I'm supposed to be enjoying my time now! Not wandering all over the place and sleeping on rocks. That sounds far too much like work."

But when Daxia also agrees, her head tilts.

"Oh. Did you mean to visit my sister? Well. Maybe. Perhaps."

Kisa smiled.

"Yes, Mother, perhaps if you rested on Auntie's hospitality for a while I could settle into my place here in relative peace."

Linnell wrinkled her nose.

"I shall make my decision...

"...by breakfast. Perhaps."

Cesare and Bekkah were shown to their rooms. They were similar to the ones they borrowed back in Talantal, though there were hints of differences. The wood used to frame the beds and make up the furniture were more beautiful and of more rare types. The finishing was better too; sanded, stained, and polished smooth, one could run one's fingers along a bed's entire length or over a small tables top without any fear of the smallest splinter. The windows that let in Her light were diamond paned — just like Talantal — but there were more diamonds of stained glass than at the more western keep.

Cesare's silence on matters of the next day was undoubtedly noted but not spoken of. If nothing was asked for, then it was a natural presumption that nothing for the morrow's travels was needed and that they must feel they were prepared for their upcoming travels — be it the easy path to Glacier Keep or deep into the unmapped glacial Jamble beyond.

The night's sleep was what was expected in a Noble's Keep at the eastern edge of the mainland. In the Frontiers. Quiet and uneventful.

For the others, well, their path to their rooms was a bit different. Lyric was both wrong and correct at the same time. While certain things were never meant to be answered, it was only that way when viewed as part of the main hall conversation.

It was not a matter of where.

It was a matter of when.


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