To Lighten the Load

As I followed various leads regarding my mysterious mark I found myself traveling the width and breadth of Althanas. One of the more memorable locaels however was the mighty forest Luthmor home to the Fae, and if rumors were true an enchanter with the power to “lighten ones burdens”.

Having made no progress on tracking down a lead on the councilor’s wife, whom I am more than certain preferred it that way. I decided to try my skills at locating the enchanter. After all what did I have to lose, but perhaps a bit of my burden… whatever that meant. Perhaps the biggest motivator was that this shadow chasing had left me a little burnt and I need to get lost in the wood for awhile.

It had taken me a few hard days of trailblazing, but the stories were accurate enough and I was within sight of the ruined temple rumored to be home to this enchanter. I made camp for the night deciding it best to approach the ruins in the day light. These secluded mystics, I’ve come to find, have a thing about their privacy and maintaining proper business hours.

I had managed to snare myself a native porcine brute that was roasting up nice beneath my canopied fire. I’d heard there were some nasty beasts in these parts; so far I have fared well enough. Perhaps the enchanter was powerful enough that the local predators knew better then to infringe upon his turf.

Had the hunter paid the temple a visit any earlier, he’d of found the same curious welcome had he barged in on two people mid-coitus. It mattered not who he was or what reason he had for visiting, the child within always held a good deal of interest in every person whom made their way to his humble little shrine. However, such was currently not the case, for Kially took his time drinking from a clean water spring that bubbled up in the inner sanctum of the protected shrine. Sip by sip he prepared himself for a usual quiet night of appreciating the wild life outside, speaking their nonsense of squawking, roars and chirps, holding the night in a frequent embrace of volume.

The inner sanctum of the shrine was one consisting of stone held up by vines, some of the roof had caved in to the elements and gave way to morning sun beams that gave the location a beautiful and eerie divine aura in the early hours and a breath of fresh air in the evenings yet just enough coverage from trees to keep the majority of the rain out.

Butterflies of all shapes, colours and sizes occupy that of the shrine, fluttering a gentle innocence about the small little room, leaving the dainty child inside looking like a heavenly avatar of purity and peace. Kially had fallen to a soft sleep, curled up by the spring where butterflies quickly made to land upon him and share in his body heat where the lad made no attempt to bat them away, contented in their presence.

Slowly but surely, the night would wear away.

That night I had slept more soundly then I would normally allow. Certainly more so then I would have liked, being alone in the depths of such a mysterious forest as the Luthmor. Perhaps it was the overwhelming sense of harmony about the area. This portion of the jungle seemed to exude an almost tangible sense of calmness. More likely the damn beast I had feasted upon the night before had some strange quality to its meat, likely a result of the mysterious local flora upon which it had dined, at least until last night.

Regardless the cause I had overslept and the sun was already on the rise by the time I had awoken. The first shafts of light were already bursting through the canopy above by the time I had broken camp and prepared to approach the ruins. As I had predicted it only took me another hour’s effort to breach the clearing surrounding the ruins. For a moment I was distracted by the pageant of colorful butterflies which played within the cascading streams of light. So many vibrant colors reflecting the early midday sun it was mesmerizing.

I could not afford to stand slack jawed at the fringe of the clearing, however, I needed to keep my wits about me. I still had no idea what to expect from the enchanter assuming he… she… it? truly did exist and I wasn’t simply wasting my time. I wasn’t exactly invited here and so caution would be the word of the day. Taking a few steps forward into the clearing proper I stood before what appeared to be the primary entrance to the ruins and called to any within. “Greetings, I come in search of the enchanter” I attempted to maintain a strong and steady tone, showing doubt or uncertainty in such a situation would only further weaken my hand.

The voice of the one seeking the presence of the boy carried down the corridors and into the shrines very heart, awaking the boy with much ease as he were a light sleeper. Stirring, a flurry of butterflies took flight from his thin form, finally allowing their own rest to be disturbed by their guardian and growing god.

Sitting himself up, Kially rubbed his eyes, trying to figure out just what it was that woke him. No matter where his gaze fell, he couldn’t see nor hear a second sign of what dragged him from his own little world. Standing, he took slowly dreary steps towards a broken pillar, seating himself atop it where a warm beam of light warmed his aching muscles from a night upon solid rock, stretching, he arched his head from side to side, trying to loosen his now stiff neck. Oh how he missed that bed he’d once experienced…

So quietly, he remained sat, the wind child, awaiting yet another signal which he would not respond to, though still with bated curiosity, he’d wait wait wait and wake up, allowing the costs of sleeping on stone to ease off.

The hunter, should he attempt to go deeper would find himself moving through several corridors, some requiring climbing through small gaps where walls had collapsed in and some requiring a tight squeeze through ancient and ever lost halls.

I stood outside the ruins as a moment passed, and then another without the slightest response to my call. I contemplated turning back, but I’d come too far to go back without at least exploring a bit. Carefully and slowly I worked my way up the ruined stone steps. Making my way between fallen pillars and around collapsed sections of the ancient architecture I worked my way deeper into the complex. In the ancient shadows the light grew dim but I was still able to see well enough. I used my short sword to clear the vines and roots from my path.

I wasn’t certain how long I had been within the ruins now. They were far more labyrinthian and extensive then I had imagined from the exterior. Nature had worked hard to reclaim the place, and much of the stone work lay in shambles. The walls and ceilings were supported more by the growth around them than any crumbling masonry. It was as if nature was reconstructing the building to suit its own aesthetic desires. I hoped with each slice of my blade I would not bring a portion of roof or wall down on top of myself by disrupting the delicate balance which held the ruins together.

After what must have been several hours, as the shadows were now growing long in the places where the sun still cut through the undergrowth, I called out again “Hello, I am Kuldroc I seek the enchanter!”

And ever still, the hunter would receive no response, the child sat quiet and stern as he finally gained the result he’d been listening for, the voice carrying deep into the chamber, disturbing the many butterflies and small spiders that occupied within.

The sun quietly illuminated a beam down upon the child, leaving him in a pure warm luminescence that eased him from his nightly rest into a beautiful new morning. As ever, the sounds of the forest continued their way and for a short while, made the forest same benign and safe, despite its’ many deadly creatures, be them small or large.

As if it were some sort of sign, a loose rock crumbled from the ceiling, falling into the fresh water spring with a loud splash, that echoed long down the corridors and ruined halls of the shrine, a sound of life if ever there was one…Even if such sound came from no life but that of the planets will growing into the ruins foundations.

Kiallys’ little head swung to stare deep into the little spring to his right as the stone made impact with the water, such causing another burst of bright colours, more butterflies disturbed from their rest in dark alcoves, also disturbed were the fireflies, which began to loudly chirp and show their lights far out of mating season. They to were now aware of something invading their peace.

I had by now spent the better part of the day stomping about the ruins cutting and hacking my way through the undergrowth and squirming through crevasses where decay had left the way nearly impassible. I was by this time truly exhausted from my efforts and dripping with sweat from the smothering, wet, hotness of the rain forest. I took a perch on a slab of fallen wall and tried to regain my strength. Pulling a bit of the meat from last night’s roast out of my pack I ate it while mulling over my choices. I could either press my luck and venture deeper into the ruins, of which I would estimate there could be too much more left unexplored, or I could cut my losses and turn back.

As I sat there chewing over the options I heard the first splash. Something had fallen into what sound like a sizeable pool somewhere deeper within the ruins. The echo was loud enough that it could not have been all that far away. The promise of a possible fresh water source strengthened my resolve. Scrambling back to my feet I made haste down the dew slick corridors nearly losing my balance twice. As I made my way nearer the source of the water I could see the condensation building on the walls along with an increase in the amount of moss and lichen. The number of butterflies in this area increased dramatically as well, each one unique and colorful like living pieces of art.

Finally I made my way into some sort of chamber within the ruin. The Chamber seemed to be mostly intact though shafts of light were raining down from some gaps in the canopy. The walls and floor were nearly completely carpeted in a blanket of flowering mosses. In the center of the room a spring feed pool of cool blue water rippled enticingly. After a moment I realized that the moss was not flowering after all, instead the walls, floor, and even the ceiling were decorated with colorful butterflies gently fanning their wings to keep them dry.

Sitting silent, like some sort of siren awaiting its’ kill, Kially brought his legs up underneath himself as he gazed upon that of whom had entered his claimed territory, curious, in his silence, his gaze brushed over the male across the pool, his strange features and peaceful demeanor led the boy to believe he meant no harm nor damage to the tranquility.

“Hello?” A sweet shrill voice cut out, immediately the fireflies gave up their chirping and the only sounds that graced the chamber were that of the trees outside bustling in the wind and the water of the pool lightly lapping against stone. All but the elements of nature had fell quiet for the boy, as if he commanded some higher power, his unmarred form framed by a single beam of light down upon his young little form. Sure, his perfection was spoilt by dirt that had accumulated during his sleep, but what he lacked in cleanliness, he made up for in innocence, the sun catching upon his ice blue eyes, causing them to shine brightly, hinting, perhaps, at his inhuman divinity.

“You’re here… …Why?” A badly formed sentence, but at least it was spoken in common, something the child had only the briefest grasp of to share with the man. Leaning down to his right side once again, a little pale hand scooped into the pool beside him, taking up a single few beads of water which lifted to pink healthy lips. Something was keeping the boy both fed and healthy, leaving a strange and mysterious edge to the shrine he remained within. There were no signs of the chamber being a home, save for the boy inside. No signs of adults, no blankets nor a bedroll.

As Kially stirred the water further, one or two butterflies dropped down from the sunshine above, landing upon his shoulders to pay him company and rest their little wings. Something about the child radiated purity and the temple only assisted such.

Had the hunter any injuries and did not resist the magicks of the shrine, he’d find the damaged areas of body to be lightly tingling as the healing of such had increased to three fold and should he so such accept the energies that intertwined within the shrine, would he feel an overwhelming sense of self and warmth, like one had awoken next to their most beloved on a perfect day.

I was caught by surprise when the shrill voice pierced the serenity of the antechamber. My muscles tightened reflexively readying themselves for action. As my eyes fell upon the boy, however, my well trained reflexes were dumbfounded. A torrent of questions raced through my mind. How could I have missed this child? For that matter who was this he? Where were his parents? Were they the enchanter… enchanters the rumors only spoke of one… but then I guess he could have a family couldn’t he? Or she? Or maybe this was the enchanter apprentice? What if this was the enchanter? What if this is a TRAP?

I took a step back uncertain of what to do next. When did it become so oppressively silent in here? Realizing I still had my short sword in hand I slowly slid it into its sheath. No need to frighten the poor guy, I probably looked like a monster to him as it was. Squatting down to the child’s height I raised my now empty hand in greetings and offered a tusk filled grin. “Hello there little one” I waved my hand gently. My throat was dry and sticky, I coughed to clear it. “My name is Kuldroc, I had come here looking for someone.” I was drawn once again towards the crystal blue pool splashing gently against the stone.

I took a step forward “Would you mind terribly if I had some water?” I pointed to the stream and then back to myself indicating my intent. Again my tone was soft and my gestures slow. Don’t need to scare the little one. If his folks were the enchanters it would not serve me to send their little one running for their pant legs.

Kially returned with the same gesture, a little set of five digits daintily waving back in the silence. When names were exchanged, Kially remembered an earlier exchanged with friends gone by and decided to simulate just what he could recall was required of him. “I’m Kially.”
Perhaps it was obvious the difficulty he had in speaking that of spoken common, though what he could say was perfectly spoken, well trained, as if of an upper class.

The chamber had a comfortable warmth about it that soothed the heart and soul, such warmth kept Kially both calm and stable even as the odd man made strange and unnerved movement motioning towards the water.

Given that the fellow wanted water, he wouldn’t deny him a refreshing drink and at the question which obviously referenced it, Kially could only respond with a kind hearted and eager “Sure!” Cupping both hands together, he reached down into the spring himself, gathering a fresh mouthful of the substance for himself, pouring it into his mouth and down his chin through the gaps in his fingers. “Ahhh…”

Parents were not in sight, but nothing really stated that this were the ‘living room’ of the ruins, thus leaving much to question about the child and his choice of living quarters, that and just who and where his parents were, but without audible questioning, Kially would give no answer, for an unasked question oft’ goes unanswered.

I stood up slowly, putting my hand back down by my side “Thanks, Kially”. Walking slowly towards the pool I made certain not to step on any of the butterflies which had seemed to freeze with the boys first utterance, how odd. Making it to the pool I tried my best to control my enthusiasm as I hunched down. It was pure pleasure to submerge my cupped hands into the cool water. Quickly and carefully so as not to waste a drop I brought my hands back to my lips. After a tentative sip to test the waters, I found the stream to be as refreshing as it looked. The water was so pleasing to my thirst that I could not help but plunge my hands again and slurp down a second helping before turning back to the child.

After rubbing my face vigorously with my cool wet hands, I wiped dry with my sleeve and was feeling pretty near top form again. Turning back towards the boy I gave him another broad grin punctuated by my protruding tusks. “Ahhh… Just what I needed thanks. So kid where’s your folks? This doesn’t seem the place for a boy to be all by his lonesome. In fact I’ve heard rumors of some pretty powerful movers making this turf their home. Might be dangerous to be here.”

Feeling far more relaxed and at easy after taking a couple of sips from the pool, and just taking in the beauty of the place I slipped my hand into my pack and produced my three favorite dice. Without thinking I began tossing them about in my hand as I so often did to pass the time. I wasn’t quite sure why I was feeling so at ease in this place, I still had not found the enchanter, and who knew what could be lurking beyond the next corridor. In spite of all that however I could not keep myself from smiling and jostling the dice about in my hand playfully. “Lovely spot you found though kid, I’ll give you that.”

Shifting his legs from underneath himself, the lad slowly swung them backwards and forwards, letting them move forward and back, banging into the dark grey stone pillar below him, contenting himself into his own little world as he still found his muscles to be rather stiff from sleep…Finally came what he needed, a long yawn and a stretch of arms into the air above him before flopping back down lifelessly to rest in his lap. “Folks? …I just me here.” It was a shame his grasp of common was so terrible but his message was clear, he was alone, save for the insects that gave him a strangely large amount of company, the amount of butterflies, in particular, was definitely unnatural.

When the die were brought out, Kially found himself mesmerized yet lightly threated, something he’d never seen before. He was more psychologically intimidated by three small cubers than he had been by the sword that had been drawn earlier, the unknown was always much more unnerving than that of what he’d seen before. Of what he could make out, they were cube shaped with little dots on them but just how many dots were on them was not in his cognitive power given their movement and the fact he had not long since woken.

Regardless, however, the boy was now transfixed upon these strange dotted blocks that moved with such seemingly simple ease. Just what were they? Were they some sort of strange weapon that would end him in a matter of moments? Perhaps some sort of magical device for telling the time? He honestly couldn’t tell and that lack of knowledge found him moving to the very edge of the pillar to get a closer look. The half Orc had clearly caught the lads’ attention though such boy was so eaten up in this new discovery that he could not find the words to ask what they were, though a cute little set of parted lips showed that he was at least searching for something to comment on that his vocabulary would span into.

I tossed the dice about in my hand a few more times. Watching as they tumbled through the false twilight of the chamber. “Just you huh? No folks? No great and powerful enchanter either I’d wager?” I punctuated my disappointment by tossing the dice even higher into the air before snatching them back. “That about figures. should have known a drunken yarn when I heard it.”

I realized that the child’s eyes had become transfixed upon the little cubes as if they were equal parts terrifying and tantalizing. With each toss the boy’s eyes would follow the little travelers to their apex and then back down to my waiting palm. With a grin I closed my hand around the dice in a loose fist and rattled them about within before casting them across the soft mossy carpet towards the pillar the boy was hiding behind. “What’s the matter son, aint you never seen dice before? Where you from anyhow?”

As the dice rose, so did Kiallys’ head, lifting up slowly until they once again fell, his attention glued upon them as they moved effortlessly through the air and then back into the half-orcs almighty hand.
It would be a lie to say he were not lost in the moment and his fixation upon the dice, that he gave no thought to just whom or what he was talking to.

"Zrva Rygreagrvy vfg avpug iba Vuere Fbetr, fvr vfg urehz mjne xrvarf xnaa frura, qnff fvr… vpu avpug jrvß, jnf Fvr… fcerpura, nore qvrfr zrexjüeqvtra Ibeevpughatra…, jnf fvr fvaq?"*
The words he spoke were perfect and flowing much like the pool at his side, and ever still did his gaze fall tightly upon the dice, trying to gather further information on their purpose, as if staring at them would break them down into a frightened discussion of their purpose and why they were here. With them suddenly bounding towards him, bouncing and ricocheting off the soft ground, Kially immediately went pale, flicking one hand out towards where the strange items fell, in hand now crackling a single ball of latent kinetic energy, a creation of air and lightning ready to be thrown at the dice the second they made their first offensive towards him.

Kially was well and truly lost with technology, it both frightened and intrigued him, for what was not of his mothers making was oft a tool for destruction.

Out of Character:

* - “My parent is not of your worry, she is around though none can see her...I know not what you speak of...But these strange devices...What are they?”

To say I was caught a little off guard when the boy started babbling like the brook behind me would be a gross understatement. I suppose I should have seen something like this coming. Little boys don’t tend to wander off into the rainforest and make it very far. At least not before they either run back home to ma, or never make it home again. If the strange language and the mysterious nature of this camber had not begun to raise my doubts about the genuineness of this little fella, the ball of crackling energy he was now directing towards my favorite set of dice sealed the deal.

I tried to remain calm but a certain level of tension broke through my voice “WHOA! Whoa, now boy. Those are my good dice. I thought you’d want a closer look. Toys they’re just toys, you know play things?” What the hell was this kid, and how had he never seen dice before. “Look you roll them. You can just pick them up. Shake them a bit and send them back towards me.” I pantomimed the directions as I spoke.

Fantastic now not only would I be out a couple of day’s worth of hunting, but I’d be out my favorite set of dice when nature boy here zaps them into ash. If I ever see that drunken scribe again he best be running fast and far. That is of course should I ever make it out of here again…

Kially was about ready to destroy the little things into dust until one of the more simpler words the orc fellow spoke made sense to him. “A toy?” As trusting as ever, the ball began to crackle less and less, leaving only a small ball of whirling air which slowly dissipated into nothingness, though the air in the room would be briefly purer had the male any way of noticing such.

It took both a great deal of bravery and naivety for Kially to reach down towards the dice with the very same hand that had prepared to annihilate them, though with tentativity, his hand slowly fell towards the dice to collect them, stopping and backing away for a moment like he were reaching into fire, before closing his eyes and with a grab of faith he blindly swooped to collect them, this was it, this was where he was going to find out just what they were and how they would be his demise.

In his grasp now, were two of the three dice that his blind collection had obtained him, much to his surprise as he opened his eyes, he did not find they were of any violent nature (at least at first touch) but instead a soft white substance that he could not determine for himself but the more educated eye would define as ivory.

“Soft.” He stated simply as it were the best word in his limited vocabulary that he could use to describe the pair. With little movements of his palm, he allowed the two dice to roll and bounce about where he examined each set of dots imprinted into them, he wasn’t completely uneducated and was soon able to discern the numbers 2, 5 and 3, another roll however brought both dice to show a single eye, one on the dice side facing Kially with the second dice eye on the top side.
These unnerved Kially a little but as if they were looking deep into his soul, he returned the gaze until he was completely sure the items would not hurt him he once again gave attention to Kuldroc, taking note of his actions then replicating them, rolling the dice back towards him which brought Kially a strangely large amount of ease and comfort to have them back out of his possession, only one dice remained on the floor in front of him, staring up at him as if some silent opponent.

As the fist sized thunderhead slowly fizzled away I released some of the stress which had been building up within through a soft slow breath. I watched the powerful boy delicately play with the dice as if he feared them lashing out at him should he raise their ire. The boy tossed them about a few times and then with a gentle flick of his wrist he sent the two he had been playing with back towards me.

I scooped the two dice up off the mossy carpet before they came to a rest. I was oddly relieved to have them back in my possession, safe and sound. Well at least as safe and sound as I was in this particular instance and the jury was still out on that one. “You like them? These were my first set of dice. They’ve been pretty lucky for me.” Swallowed harder than usual “well at least they had been.”

I looked about the place noticing that the butterflies had slowly begun to fan their wings again. It seemed as though they were being very careful not to make any sound in the process. This among the other bizarre circumstances sent a shiver down my spine. “So then, what language was that earlier? I’m afraid I didn’t understand any of it.”

With the two dice away from him, there was only his solitary opponent to face. With renewed resolve and a deteriorating fear, Kially finally took the last die up in his hand. Much to his relief he found it in the same manner its’ relatives. The softened cube of bone with rounded corners was more comfortable to handle than a pair of such, this one rolled freely and didn’t conflict with a brother, the single dice moving haphazardly as moment carried it about in his hand, with a finalised self-summary, Kially decided that cubes were not to be his bane, offering it out to be returned to its’ owner.

When Kially relaxed, the butterflies occupying the shrine once again fell into their merriment, fluttering about without purpose nor reason other than to be decorative, some of them fed upon the nectar of flowers growing in the ceiling whilst others would attempt to land upon Kially and the shrines new occupant in a silent ceremony of his acceptance as a safe and none threatening being.

With the question at hand, the correct way to answer such would be in his native tongue and just such he would do, as the common word for his language was not one he knew. “Anghevfpu!”* The wording was as fluent as one could imagine the language of a magical race to be and coming from a small child, it streamed like a spiritual message, a haunting tone of purity.

Out of Character:

* - "Naturian!"

The fluttering of the butterflies about the boy had clearly stirred the pollen in the area causing him to sneeze. “Gesundheit!” I replied wishing the boy health as I leaned forward to retrieve the last of my dice from the timid boy. Taking it gingerly from his hand I returned it to its brothers. “You’re not much of a talker are you boy?”

I rose slowly to my feet and brushed off the moss and dirt from my slacks. It was time I cut my losses and start my way back out of the forest. The sun would be fading away soon and I needed to find a suitable camp site for the night. I decided to try one last time before giving up “I don’t suppose you know anything about the enchanter” I mimicked a spell being cast “ they are supposed to live in these parts” I indicated the ruins around us “Supposed to ‘make light one’s burdens’” I lifted my pack off the ground the demonstrate. I felt a little foolish about it all, but I had to at least give it a shot.

I waited for the child to process what I was saying. Rolling the dice about in my hand one last time I noticed that the chamber had come back to life. The butterflies murmured and flitted about haphazardly once again. Now even some of the colorful critters were exploring me as if I were some great new mountain to climb. Tucking the dice back into a pocket I contemplated one last sip of the spring before heading back towards the entrance.

“Oh! …Lighter! You mean lighter, yes?” With such, Kially grabbed up a piece of fallen stone from the roof, immediately making it temporarily lighter leaving it at the weight of a feather. Holding out the piece of stone towards the half-orc, Kially gave a proud grin at his little trick, awaiting the fellow to take the stone and examine it for himself.

Of course though, it wouldn’t be long until the temporary enchantment left the item, returning it to the normal weight of the stone, however it shouldn’t be all that overwhelming, especially to a hulking fellow like Kuldroc.

“See! Light!” A little childish giggle announced his success, awaiting the response of Kuldroc and the much expected surprise he’d probably show in the sudden change in the rocks weight.

The butterflies seemed to revel in the child’s laughter, flying round him in rapid circles before finding their own landing spots in little alcoves and vines that securely held the roof up.

Curious at the child’s strange reaction I reached out and took the offered rock “I’ll be damned” the chunk of ceiling weighed next to nothing. I bounded it once in my hand just to test it and couldn’t help but smile “Well, yes I guess that would count as lightening a burden wouldn’t it. Little more literal then I was expecting but hell.” After using my foot to clear away any of the butterflies on the moss below me I dropped the stone and let it fall to the ground. When the rock hit the ground without any crash or expected repercussion I couldn't help but chuckle quietly to myself.

Looking back to the child I grinned and pointed at the rock “Where did you learn to do that?” I pushed the rock about on the floor with the lightest of efforts. “That is some trick, and I was all set to call it quits.”

“Do you think you could do that to other things? I bet you’d be quite the popular one if you could.” I produced the dice once again from my pocket, and showed them to the child. “If you could make my Jerkin lighter” I pointed to my dark leather armor, and tugged at the shoulders lifting it up to demonstrate “I would give you my lucky dice in return.”

“Sure!” Kially chirped, he was always eager to show off his little tricks, they were great fun and if he were honest, still impressed himself just as much as he would the viewer. “Lighter! …Jerkin. I make ligher.” And whaddaya know, that was a new word for him, jerkin, was what he was wearing, a jerkin? Not that it mattered, either way he was going to make it weigh less.

The question of where he’d learnt such a trick seemed to go unanswered as little arms held out to obviously take the item in question. “Give. P-P-Please” Such request was of course for the jerkin and not the reward for his services.

Steady eyes gazed over the armour and awaited its’ removal. Sure, he could do it whilst on him, but that would be a great deal more tedious and meant him moving from his comfortable position, his buttocks having warmed the stone beneath him a little to accommodate his seating choice.

The butterflies once again grew still, as if watching the exchange between the occupants of the shrine, one landed upon Kiallys’ head and opened out its’ majestic red and gold wings, black specks on its’ abdomen making it look all the more important.

Outside was a loud rumble of thunder in the distance, a storm was approaching to further cleanse and water the plants, soil and live-ins of the forest. The storms had seemingly become more frequent since the arrival of the child and had triggered rumours he was completely unaware of.

I carefully removed my gear and piled it neatly on the floor whilst I began to undo the toggles which held the black leather jerkin on. The process left me feeling oddly naked. I still had on my grey tunic, which was admittedly soaked with sweat, but still I felt bare. It was rare for me to take off my jacket it had taken more than one blow, that may have otherwise cost me my life. It was otherwise pleasant to be without the burden of the heavy leather. My skin could breathe easy for a bit anyhow.

I offered the Jerkin to the boy which seemed ridiculously large in his small hands. I then made my way back to the spring and took another drink of the cool crisp waters. Again I wiped away the excess water with a sleeve. I ran my hand along my jaw line as I peered into the pool noting that my rippling reflection was in need of a good shave. Something I would take care of once back in civilization.

“You don’t get out much do you son?” I looked about the place as I had so many times now, yet it still did not disappoint. The large white blossoms that crept along the vine choked ceiling seemed to be the preferred food of the butterflies. Their petals were so pure and white they seemed to radiate their own soft glow about the place. As I watched the insects drift playfully from one blossom to the next I wondered what the boy ate, hopefully not the butterflies...

Once the armour had been received Kially showed no interest in the actions nor words of Kuldroc, instead immediately starting onto his task, resting the jerkin in his lap as to slowly but surely make it lighter. The leather would lightly ripple as air energy pulsated through it, the child closed his eyes to gain a deeper focus and embed further energy into the garment.

Kiallys hands began to glow a gentle white and the armour became warm to the touch as it conducted and accepted more and more energy, particles of air pushing in and connecting themselves as a permanent attribute of the armour, resulting in its’ overall weight lowering due to the air replacing unneeded atoms within.

The whole scene was quite remarkable, many mages oft’ hid their ways and methods of old, but Kially knew no better and thus shared with Kuldroc a view of his technique. Such technique of course would be unexplainable in words but the moments in which it happened could be quite a memory and tale to share at the tavern in days later to come.

The waters of the shrine were pure and clean and even retained some of the enchanted properties of the temple, they allowed advanced healing and sharp crisp refreshment to those whom used them, applying it directly to a wound would rapidly clean and close it, whilst drinking the water would bring a lesser effect but upon the whole body, causing bruises to immediately disappear and seal up very small scratches whilst deeper cuts and none fatal wounds would heal at an ungoverned rate, much depending on the system they were effecting.

My attention was drawn back to the boy and my black leather jacket when the glow began. This time it wasn’t some gentle illumination from the flowers. No in fact I watched with my own two eyes as my poor sturdy Jerkin was coursing with energies the likes of which I’d never witnessed. I’ve seen a lot of things. Plenty of things most folks are fortunate never to see, and I consider myself a pretty worldly and steady individual. That said this boy was beginning to scare the warts right off of me. To see that much raw power possessed by that small and naive a package, it was more than just a little unnerving. What’s more, I’m pretty sure the boy has no real concept of just how powerful he is. Thankfully it doesn’t seem that anyone else does either.

I watched for a good long while as the boy continued to work. The child’s focus and concentration wholly vested in his work. I realized that by this time I was becoming quite hungry and made my way over towards my gear. Stowed away in a bit of oiled hide cloth was the last of the meat I’d cut away from last night’s roast. Smelling the package I figured it still had a day to it and pulled away another hunk of slow roasted beast and ate while I watched the butterflies dance about. As good as the spring water was nothing would have pleased me more than a tall light stout to go with the sweet tasting meat.

I can’t say for sure how much time had passed since the boy first began working on my jerkin, but the sun had long since set while the boy continued to labor over the work. For a long while the only light to be found in the chamber was the magical glow of my jacket. Eventually moon beams made their graceful decent into the chamber from the skies beyond. These silver travelers danced upon the surface of the pool and created their own eerie atmospheres to the ruins. The glow from my jacket dimmed slightly and I thought perhaps the rite was coming to an end, I dared not bother the child until I was certain however.

Kially would work and work his gifts into that solid leather until he was satisfied he could do no more, the jacket now comfortable straddled his lap as he lifted his hands away, causing the jacket to suddenly bounce a little with all the latent energy inside then flop back onto his lap like a leaf caught in a light summer breeze.

The moonbeams were strangely comforting though the insects that inhabited the strange ruins now decided upon rest and most quickly crawled into their own little hidey holes embedded into the crumbling ruin walls, all but the most hardy butterflies disappeared, and over time, even they to would eventually flutter to their stone beds for rest that was guaranteed. All you could eat nectar from the flowers and a pool for bathing and drinking from. It was a definite life of luxury.

“Here. Done.” The jacket was held out with a single hand, showing now that even the child could lift it with utmost ease, lightened permanently with a magical energy enchantment that would last for the life time of the items use or until such enchantment be professional removed.

Kially patiently awaited the jacket to be retrieved before he’d look up at the hole in the roof with a gleeful smile. “They are here soon.” Just -what- was here soon was only to his knowledge, but the fact he showed happiness in such coming only enforced that whatever was coming was something of peace and no danger.

I walked over to the smiling child and retrieved my black leather jerkin. As I expect the jacket was now remarkably lighter to the touch. As I slid the jacket over my shoulders and began to rebutton the toggles I could hardly believe the difference. It was like pulling on a second shirt in comparison to its former weight. It didn’t seem that the process had any effect upon the quality of the boiled leather itself. The armor seemed as stiff and resilient as it had been before, but something was certainly different.

I reached into my pocket and produced the three dice the boy had nearly obliterated earlier in the day. Holding them in an open palm before the boy I smiled “Here you go. These are yours now. I hope they bring you as much luck as they did for me.” I was a little sad hearted to see them go, but I could always carve a new set, and I didn’t have anything else I could afford to part with.

Once the boy had taken the dice from my hand I walked over to my pile of gear. I began to position my kit and make ready to leave. It was dark out now, but I was feeling remarkably well rested and decided that I could travel through the cool night and most of the early day. I’d take a rest during the hottest part of the day. Most of the animals would be seeking shade at that time anyhow so I should not have much trouble. That of course was to assume that nothing wanted my shady spot for its own.

Kially received the strange cubes with an air of confusion but did not refuse them, allowing them to slip into his hands where they were once again met with invigorated interest, giving them the once, twice and thrice over before sliding them into his own pockets to examine and play with later. “Th-Thank…You.” He’d state with a struggle.

As he’d promised, in they came through the hole in the roof, a plethora of moths to take the place of the butterflies, the moths however did not meet all the colours of the insects that had earlier filled the chamber with a rainbow.

It was then, and only then, that Kially noticed in all his time of waking hours and enchanting that his bladder had become rather full from the water that had sustained him, and with no question of permission, he suddenly dashed into one of the inter-linking corridors to release his bladder,
Such would be announced by the sizzle of urine upon cold stone and the sighs of relief from Kially in the very short distance he’d travelled to relieve himself.

After a minute or so, Kially returned to the dancing moths to note that Kuldroc was on edge and seemed ready to leave. “Dark now…Stay?” No sooner had he spoke did a loud roar of coincidential thunder announce the arrival of solid and heavy rain which beat with impunity against the roof, dripping in through some of the few holes in the ceiling, but more so the one where the moths had came in through.

When one large grey moth found it to be assaulted by a large droplet of water, the whole group quickly made good to land, scattering themselves about the roof and walls yet not the damp mossy floor as the moths were less adapted to water than their colourful daylight counterparts.

It seemed sense now, to put the light on. Kially had learned in his unfortunate wisdom that fire kills butterflies and moths, so such source of light was out of the question, he had however found that whomever had occupied these ruins years before had left behind large quartz crystals embedded into the walls that absorbed energy when offered to them in exchange for a flickering candle like light that was renewable simply by offering more energy.

Kially happened to be an abundant source of this energy, so, creating a single air ball full of light in his right hand, he shifted himself up against the wall and stood on his tip toes, pushing the ball of light into the crystal as if it were some sort of key. With no warning, the crystal sucked every portion of energy the child would offer and returned in favor a soft glowing nightlight to illuminate the chamber and safely entertain the moths whom would soon flock about it without any harm.

Realizing that the journey back out of the forest would be a grueling one I decided to fill my empty water skin with the cool flowing waters of the stream. I knew it wouldn’t remain cool for long, but at least I was fairly certain it was clean. Cleaner than most I was likely to find anyhow. I considered asking Kially’s permission, but decided that he would likely have little opinion on the matter. If in fact he understood what I was asking at all. So while the boy relieved himself I filled the skin with the pool's cool blue water as best I could.

While I appreciated the little guy’s hospitality, I had met my fill of surprises and oddities and didn’t think I could take a night in the ruins. I was preparing to tell the kid that it was best I be on my way, and that travel would be easier in the dark. Then the storm broke. A deep down cynical part of my mind still believes that the kid had something to do with that nasty little squall which raged just beyond the protection of the chamber. My resolve wavered slightly knowing how much harder my journey back in these conditions would be, but just the fact that I could even imagine this storm to be the work of the boy told me I had to get out.

Making my way back to the entrance of the chamber I looked back to the child “Time for me to be moving along Kailly. A pleasure meeting you kid. You take care of those dice and they’ll take care of you.” Standing there, watching him power the crystals which provided him with evening light I considered asking him if he could do anything about the storm. I left without another word however just a simple wave. I wasn’t sure if I was more concerned that I was crazy or that he might actually have done it.

The journey back out of the Luthmor took me three days. It proved uneventful, but none the less perilous. I was surprised that I hadn’t encountered any of the Fae who are said to rule the forest. I imagine that they saw me, but so long as I didn’t cause any problems they left me be. Who knows, perhaps they even kept some of the more dangerous denizens of the Luthmor out of my way. I’m not sure if I’ll ever see the kid again. I’m not sure that I want to. He seemed like a good enough kid, but so much power. I’m sure at the very least I’ll be hearing stories about this region for years to come.

Out of Character:

I would like to request a brief summary of my scoring. Thanks very much. I'd like to please request the following spoils: (1) I would like to keep the enchantment upon my armor as per Kailly’s ability. Changing it to Featherweight Leather armor. (2) I would like the keep the skin of temple blessed water. Once per thread it can be used to directly heal a wound if poured upon it. Or if drank the water removes fatigue and doubles a person’s natural healing for six hours or the end of the thread which ever comes first. The what remains magically cool and crisp to the taste and seems to replenish itself overtime.

Kially gave no objection to the fellow leaving, returning a light hearted wave just as he had been offered. Just another strange day he thought to himself in his native tongue. The storm was still however relentless regardless that his new friend had left, continuing deep through the night giving the forest more than its’ fair share of sky moisture.

Kially, however, was dry and warm through the late hours and was content to sleep amongst the creatures that kept him company, he’d curled up next to the pool much like the following night and eventually slid into an uncomfortable sleep. Before his eyes had come to a nightly close, he vowed he’d have to find one of those bed thinguh-majigs he’d once slept in, no more aches and pains in the morning!

As daylight once again broke, he awoke to find a simple yellow butterfly perching upon his nose, one blink, two, at which the creature recognized that the child was awake and took flight. Carefully sitting up Kially gave thought to the day before and remembered what he’d put in his pocket.

5 Pale digits collected the three dice from his pocket and held them in silence.

Now to work out how to use these things…

Out of Character:

Please may I request the following spoils: (1) Kiallys’ Temple be acknowledged as an official Althanas location and perhaps a Luthmor Subforum for such pending the permission of Witchblade. The temple, I would like to request has the following enchantments: - Being inside increases the healing of injuries three fold at the acceptance of an entrant - Being inside causes a feeling of peace and well being at the acceptance of an entrant - Water from the temple may be taken for double healing rate and remains forever clean and cool. (2) 3 Dice – No use, but a toy for Kially to occupy himself, received from Kuldroc (3) +5 Pounds extra to his limit of either adding or removing weight from items. That’s my requested spoils! Thanks for your time, please could I just have numbers for the judgement? I understand how long the process takes and appreciate you just reading all of this! Keep being awesome! Danny~ <3

QUEST JUDGING
To Lighten the Load

To make my footnotes short and blunt: You two needed to work together a lot more, and this should've probably been a good bit shorter. The disconnect from first person to third person and the lack of certain actions (more so with Kially) would've been nearly terminated if you two had just...worked together more. You did this more like roleplayers in a chat room than co-op writers on a message board. While there's nothing necessarily wrong with that, it hurt you because you didn't show much trust or communication in the process: There's absolutely nothing wrong with bunnying one another or with not having equal thread time.

Not to sound mean, of course. Fitz's memoiresque writing style is a nice change of pace from most of the third person folk around here, and Kially is refreshingly Upbeat compared to the Vast Population of Fuck-Ups that make the world go round. You've both got good concepts and good ideas, you just need to better your implimentation of them.

STORY

Continuity: 4. The intro sequences were rough, and while the characters basically stayed consistent throughout, the backstory could've been better.
Setting: 4. Nothing really eyecatching, nothing really awful. Almost made it to a 5, but not quite.
Pacing: 7. Pacing was generally consistent and Fitz actually stumbled into some of the easiest transition sequences I've seen in ages, which bumped your score up a good bit.

CHARACTER

Dialogue: 7. Dialogue was rough, especially early on. You kind of hit your stride about two thirds of the way through.
Action: 5. Nothing stood out, nothing was godawful.
Persona: 6. Barely. I'm honestly torn on this one: Fitz read as some sort of likeable English explorer (with the obvious caveat that he wasn't), while Kially's focus on childlike purity was just...offputting. And there's no easy way to remedy that short of aging him a bit.

WRITING STYLE

Technique: 4. Barely. Your lack of cooperation with each other hurt this pretty bad. The attempted purple prose didn't work too well either.
Mechanics: 4. The transitions from first to third person were jarring and both of you could use some work on grammar (plenty of smaller spelling errors and poor word choices scattered throughout).
Clarity: 4. See above. It improved near the end, but it was like slogging up a muddy hill to get there.

MISCELLANEOUS

Wild Card: 7 for the fact that I kept hearing Fitz's written voice as Stalvan Mistmantle, while his spoken voice was Kevin Conroy's Batman. Not necessarily singing, but...come on. Charming English Axemurdering Cowboy Batman Sings the Blues in the Jungle. Tell me that mental image isn't worthy of of a 7. I fucking dare you.

OVERALL: 52/100

EXP/GP

Fitz gets 630 EXP and 105 gold.
Kially Ganth gets 945 EXP and 105 gold.

Rewards

Fitz gets the Featherweight Leather armor enchantment and the Skin of Temple Blessed Water. Please work out the size and refill times with an RoG mod.

Kially Ganth gets three dice, and an upgrade of +5 pounds to his ability to add or remove weight from things. You'll need to speak to someone else about adding a subforum, preferably Witchblade or an Admin.

Out of Character:

Purple prose is purple. Kially's intro made my head spin for a second. It's probably a mark of all my time on The Internets that I see his post and think, “Somebody call the party van. For the love of god, SOMEBODY GET ME CHRIS HANSEN!” Happy happy happy happy...happy... Frequent Problem #332 in 90% of RPs: Both people try to play at once without having a clear starting point. A better intro would be Fitz soloing for about two posts to build the scenery et al, then bring in Kially instead of having their meeting get...I don't know. Lost somewhere. You guys are a bit wordy and I'm a bit stupid from having spent the last couple hours mugging a Spanish language course with a half-brick. Lo siento. It would help if you two had collaborated more: Since Fitz is using first person and Kially third, Fitz should be the viewpoint character and maybe Kially should be the one tasked with scenery. Or something. It's hard for me to explain, but perfectly doable. Maybe both of you could post the same situation from differing viewpoint: Fitz's first for a limited, detailed view, and then Kially's for something broader and less (alternately more) detailed. Really, the lack of cooperation and forethought is going to hurt you. This thread would make a good model for showing the division between roleplay and co-op writing. Don't be afraid of certainty, of bunnying, and of simple wording! (Incidentally: Spoken sentence structure's a bit poor. And Kially focuses way, way too much on his character's Perfect Childlike Innocence And Purity, which just makes me want to scream for the /co/ps before the /b/astards get here. I've been lodged in the asshole of the internet for way too long...) ...and some time later, Kially finally loses me with a post dedicated to a seven year old taking a leak in the rain. I have no words for this. D:

EXP and GP added