On the way to the Valley of the Brownies

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

Talia stares at Capher. He is awake! And he knows the name of the dwarven woman she hadn‘t known. Looking back and forth from Capher to Eden, she just manages to say:

„You two know each other?“

***Astropic of the day***
"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path   that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"

[Talas Anthavin]

Ta'las grabs his waterskin from his pack and sets down on one knee next to Capher.  "You never cease to make a lasting impression, my friend," he says with a smile, referring to both his shapeshifting and his ability to know so much more than the rest of the group.  He lends Capher a hand to help him up to a sitting position, and then hands him the waterskin.

"I fear that our breakfast may be burned, but we shall see.  Do you think you can stand with our help?"

Ta'las

[Eden Blunter]

Eden glanced over to find the human woman staring at her ample bosom most intently. Self conscious and somewhat alarmed (she would never grow used to these rude human tendencies. It only reminded her of the children who tugged so hard on her beard in curiosity), Eden nearly got up and left. It was then that she heard the distress in the woman's voice, and glanced down at the man. Sighing to herself, the cleric made an effort to focus on her words.

„Do you know by any chance a way, to bring this man out of his unconsciousness? We need to travel on, and carrying him would be quite uncomfortable, for him and us.“

"Aye... I don't know if it works on... shapeshifters," she stumbled over the unfamiliar word, but pretended not to notice, "but this should do the trick..." Ignoring the other happenings and discussions that went on about her, Eden swung the large pack from her shoulder and began noisilly rummaging through the contents, curious vials, jars and satchels of ingredients and experimental products toppling onto the grass.

Her quiet mumblings and knapsack plundering came to an abrupt stop when the supposed unconcious fellow spoke.

"Well hello there Eden."

Startled, the dwarf's stubby fingers fumbled the corked vial she had in her hand, tossing it into the air whilst the seal came undone. Before she could know what she had done, Eden gasped and inhaled the growing plume of rich, coral-colored spice. It inflamed her nostrils strikingly and the dwarf's face flung backwards and then forwards suddenly, letting out a masterful bellow of a sneeze.

"Mercy!" she cried after a few more sneezing bouts, Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, Eden stared at the man. "No. We do not know each other. Who are you and why might you know my name and who I am!?"

[Capher]

Capher smiled weakly when Ta'las came up and offered some water, talked about their breakfast and offered to help him up, but he liked where he was.

The look upon Talia's face when he said hello to Eden was precious, "Ta'las my boy, if you do not mind I think I would prefer to be lying in the lap of Talia.  However I suppose that is up to her, is it not?  And, yes, I still surprise myself sometimes as well.

Suddenly Eden who had been searching in her bag of things when he spoke her name became startled and many things happened at once. She somehow inhaled a strange substance which caused her to sneeze, and a dwarven sneeze was nothing to sneeze about as they are very loud.

Capher burst out laughing watching Eden trying to stop sneezing; the whole scene was quite comical, and relaxing at the same time.  Strength returned to him quite quickly as well as his humor.  He looked up into Talia's eyes. "Talia do you still have that regeneration liquid you gave me a long time ago when we met Bium? Now that would help me recover."  Then he chuckled, "However I recall that too much of that stuff caused an...embarrassing side-effect. Do you remember?" He asked, then Eden stopped sneezing and said "No, I do not know him, and how did you know my name and who I am?"

Capher looked at Eden, smiled with a twinkle in his eye. "That my dear lady is my secret. None the less, welcome to our party."

He looked at the others standing around, Ken was still babbling, Zdoth seemed to be in a state of disbelievment and then there was Teri and Terra, They both seemed to be exhausted, but Terra's exhaustion seemed to be more mental than physical, though Capher knew that if you did not have mental toughness, your physical self could become weak.  All your body then relied upon was pure instinct, and though it was good for awhile, it was the mental that could help you through the real tough times.

He then remembered the ogre and using the helpful hand of Tal'as stood up and looked around. His legs were still a bit wobbly, but he recovered quickly with Tal'as's help. The ogre lay dead; his blood slowly seeping into the ground from a deadly wound to his throat.  He looked inquiringly between Teri and Terra, "Which one did him in?" He asked.

Capher.

[Aueniteri]

'Teri feels her cheeks and forehead heat up uncomfortably as Capher, weakly standing, asks of herself and Terra which it was that gave the ogre the final blow. She slowly, almost as if she wishes it were not seen, slides her blade back into its sheathe,  and drops her gaze to Capher's feet, though he is a good distance off. "'Twas... my blade, sir," she responds softly, shakily, yet hopefully with enough strength that it can be heard. "I felt it was the best asnwer."

-------------------
Silence! You could give your excuses until Injèrá hides her head from all Santharia, but it will never preserve your life.
I have so sworn...
____________________
Listen to the songbird, don't ignore it...
Legacy of the Songbird

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

Talia‘s face looks pallid, despite the desert-tan she hasn‘t lost over the last weeks in the deep forest. Now, that the ogre lies dead to their feet, they all could get back to normality, go to the camp and have breakfast. But why is she then so trembling? Capher, though still weak and needing Ta‘las help stands upright! Nobody seems to be hurt, what is a miracle when she looks at the dead creature on the ground. All are standing around, nobody moves on.

Teri has it done, she has killed the ogre, she has done, what Talia was unable to do, though it was obviously the only right thing to do. At the beginning of their journey, Talia had still called herself „fighter“, but she had laid down this title for her quite some time ago. But nevertheless, she had always thought, that she was brave, capable of mastering a situation. This time, she had failed. Not long ago, Talia had thought, that Teri was a guarded, maybe even timid person, with her fear of her brother and her low-key demeanour. And now she has killed the ogre. But it has not come easy to her either, as her reaction to Capher‘s question shows. She has outgrown herself, and now her hands are shaky, though she tries to hide it.

Talia looks at her, and a small smile comes to her lips. She doesn‘t know Teri for long, but a warm feeling for her fills her heart and she is happy, that she has found another friend. And despite the ogre still lying between them, she feels like a blessed person, having found another true friend. Impulsively, she goes over to Teri, stops short before her saying a „Thank you“ which comes from the heart  and then hugs the smaller woman tightly, putting her arms around her shoulders and drawing her near, not noticing, that Teri has still her hand at her swordhilt. Releasing her again after quite some time, she smiles now broadly in Teri‘s face:

“With friends like you our quest can‘t fail, I‘m sure of it!“

***Astropic of the day***
"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path   that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"

Edited by: Talia Sturmwind  at: 6/9/06 14:32

[Terra Artemos]

As everyone stood, Terra to made an effort to regain her balance and stands as well, staggering a bit but able to stand on her own. A small smile comes to her face as she looks around to see everyone she had come to know unharmed.

"Capher, my strength failed me. But I am glad no one is hurt. Should we not move on?"

Terra Artemos aka Mortus Pryde

[Aueniteri]

'Teri's eyes raise a little as she sees Talia approaching her, although she dares not meet her companion's eyes, through shame for having destroyed the ogre after its defeat. She is a little surprised at Talia's smile, and considerably more so as Talia first thanks her, then hugs her tightly.

Aueniteri is almost completely stunned, and only just manages to release her blade and raise her hands enough to have touched Talia's waist before the embrace is over. Now, her own face reflects mildly the smile on Talia's face, although a little less certain, and she reaches out to put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

A little timidly, she looks Talia over, and her smile gains strength. "Your clothes are hardly sufficient. I might be able to help, though. I tend to carry a few replacements."

-------------------
Silence! You could give your excuses until Injèrá hides her head from all Santharia, but it will never preserve your life.
I have so sworn...
____________________
Listen to the songbird, don't ignore it...
Legacy of the Songbird

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

Talia looks surprised down her figure and her eyes go wide for she realises only now, that she has only her cape wrapped around her form. She had completely forgotten about it, for it had been quite comfortable. She feels that she blushes and hopes, that it is not too visible under the canopy of the trees.

“Oh thanks, Teri, I have a second set as well. I think I can still use my trousers over there, though I surely will not touch my tunic.“

Talia feels now, as if all her companions are staring at her and her unusual outfit. Plucking at the cloth to get more of it around her waist to cover her legs as well, she waves with her other hand as if she wants to distract the views eying her.

“Come on, let‘s go to our camp and see, if we can save any of the breakfast. “

And turning to Eden, she asks her:

“Don‘t you want to come with us, Eden? .. And I apologise for staring at you, I was just not myself.“

***Astropic of the day***
"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path   that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"

[Eden Blunter]

"That my dear lady is my secret. None the less, welcome to our party."


Rude! Eden could not believe what the fool was going on about, and was nearly steaming at the ears at the thought of him knowing her and she not knowing him. She stewed on the possibilities for a moment, red in the face and not letting her eyes leave the shapeshifter. Finally, when a series of glorious words had finally come to mind, the dwarf raised a finger and shook it, opening her mouth to speak.

“Come on, let‘s go to our camp and see, if we can save any of the breakfast. Don‘t you want to come with us, Eden? .. And I apologise for staring at you, I was just not myself.“

The dwarf looked Talia over. She was disheveled and curiously dressed, though the cleric had long learned not to hold such peculiarities against humans. Suddenly aware of her own appearance, the soiled black robes and disasterously unkempt beard, Eden flushed. It seemed these people would be heading off with or without her, and the dwarf was not about to let the queer fellow get away without an explaination. Besides, she could use the chance to get cleaned up and have another bite to eat.

Nodding curtly, she shot a glance to Capher. "I'll talk to you later," the cleric huffed, picking up her small bundle of roots and herbs, stamping her feet on the grass and looking about. "Well? Git a move, if you please!"

[Talas Anthavin]

As Ta'las helps Capher back to the camp, he overhears the women speaking about Talia's lack of clothing.  From his journeys outside the lands of the Shendar, he knows the tendency of most tribes to fuss over nakedness, though he still cannot understand the reason.  He looks back over his shoulder at the women, and notes that Talia is now covered up.  She has no need to worry, Ta'las thinks.  Perhaps it is because she has spent so much time away from our people.

The Shendar shrugs.  Then he glances at Capher, his eyes mirroring his concern.  "My friend, you seem as frail as you did when you healed Talia.  I suspect that was a powerful spell you used turning into an ogre, but I fear you may not be fully recovered.  Do you think you can seek healing in the Valley of the Brownies as we are doing for my Shendar-sister?"

Ta'las

[Capher]

Capher was kind of surprised that Talia did not say anything to him, Not even about Bium or her strange liquid that helped him recover... He shrugged his shoulders, maybe she was happy that I was ok and now she was concerned about Teri, he thought.  As she walked toward Teri and hugged her.

Capher answered Teri in his own way, "Teri, it would seem that perhaps coming along is a way to test your mettle and harden you, as the steel you carry, so that when the time comes to confront your brother you may surprise him with your strength; outer as well as inner."

Eden was offered to come back with them to camp. She accepted but not without telling Capher that she was not through with him yet.  Capher chuckled, "My dear lady those moments will be a pleasure and I look forward to them.  Perhaps even during breakfast."

Terra came and told him that she had lost strength. "Terra, it would seem that you had enough strength to do what you had to do.  Your effort was not worthless, but as the matriarchs of your tribe did so long ago, they percevered, as did you."

Tal'as helping him up looked at him and told him that he did not look so well.  Capher thought, I feel well, I may be a bit weak...physically, but mentally I think I feel ok. I wonder if it is just my physical appearance that makes Ta'las think what he does?  And I doubt that the brownies would help.

"Ta'las, my friend. I do feel a bit exhausted physically, but my mind seems to be sharp.  I know I should not be this physically exhausted after what I did, so I know that I am not prepared to meet many such challenges.  However the brownies may help, but I believe the elves were telling me to go someplace else to receive my full powers.  But, to the vale we go for Talia and Terra and even possibly Teri could definately use their healing powers.  I too could use them as much as they are able to help me reach where I need to go."

He leaned upon Ta'las. "Now would you be so kind as to help me to our camp so that Eden can continue her tirade." he chuckled, "She sure is something else, is she not?  I am sure Seyella sent her to us, I just wonder why she sent a female dwarf to us to lead us to Kurik's Anvil and not a male?  It will be interesting to see how events turn out.  Will it not?  Oh, the best is yet to come, you proved yourself very well with your riding and swordmanship skills.  Your mother, or whatever you call her, I think would be proud of you. You protected the person you were sent to protect and did it well.  I am proud of you as well."

He looked around and noticed Zdoth in the distance he looked at Ta'las. "I wonder if our guide will ever get over the fact that I can shape-shift. You seem to have accepted that fact well, though I cannot for the life of me image why, most are frightened of shape-shifters.  I have never come across another one of my kind in many many years.  The last ones of my kind died over a mi...lets just say a long long time ago."

He paused, "I guess it is time to eat and I think Ken will be eating before we get there," he chuckled once again,
" then we should move on, the sun nor time waits for anyone.  Shall we go?" He asked his young friend who had been slowly helping him walk back to their camp.

Capher.

[Aueniteri]

Though earlier the thought might have been enticing, the battle has removed most any hunger from Aueniteri, and instead of joining them, she perches herself in a tree, her left hand reaching up to a thinner branch for balance, while on one knee she watches the return to breakfast from above.  On one hand she feels it will be short, as few will wish to remain so close to the dead ogre; while on the other, it bears a good probability of being a long breakfast, as many will wish to recover, and Capher, at least, will wish to converse with their strange new companion.

Ken has managed to round up the remainder of the fish, and, of all the curiousities, appears to have sweetened it as he fried it with and - Ava only knows where they came from - a number of taenish eggs, as best she can tell. He is speaking of birds, and nests and wood, and fires, and cooking, and cinnabark, and rosemint and stuffed noses and a plethora of subjects that eventually fade into a continuous drone of chatter, which she fails to pick out more from unwillingness than inability.

-------------------
Silence! You could give your excuses until Injèrá hides her head from all Santharia, but it will never preserve your life.
I have so sworn...
____________________
Listen to the songbird, don't ignore it...
Legacy of the Songbird

[Mortus Pryde]

Terra nods at his words and follows Capher and Ta'las back, and a smile comes to her features, then she looks to Capher.

"Perhaps you could tell me more of these people of mine after we have eaten?"

Terra stumbles a bit though quickly regains her feet and watches the others move toward their camp.

Mortus Pryde aka Arisa Moon and Terra Artemos

[Capher]

Capher again was surprised that another of his party did not seem fit to acknowledge him, Teri had left and was sitting in a tree as Ken prepared breakfast.  Perhaps she had enough? He thought.

Terra did acknowledge him and asked him to speak more of her ancestors. "Lady Terra it would be a pleasure to tell you more of your heritage. However as you have stated, after breakfast, I do not know why, but all of a sudden I am ravenous as a wolf and Ken's cooking seems to be inviting. Besides I also want to get to know our new-comer, our female dwarf, Eden.  Are you not curious as to how she came to be on this path?  I sure am."

Capher.

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