Homoventures Chapter 4, Part 5
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Summary
Eosphoros the Saytr tells them the story of Orelius and the Djinn - or at least one version of it.
Session
- Session date: June 30 2014
- Diablotin date: Spring 2275
* Satyr continues playing his music for a bit.
* Xandhil snuggles with Justen and listens
* Justen snuggles back
<Justen> pretty
<Xandhil> yeah
* Xandhil nods
* Satyr eventually puts his pipe down and goes for another swig of the wine
<Xandhil> do you just like... wander around and play music for random travellers?
<Satyr> (that was in psyrene I assume?)
<Satyr> (we can just assume it is in psyrene unless otherwise specified if you want, since most of it will be)
<Xandhil> (yes)
<Xandhil> (that makews sense)
<Satyr> Sometimes they hear me, but most will never see me.
<Satyr> but you are children of the djinn - you're different
<Xandhil> we are?
* Xandhil asks curiously
<Satyr> Aren't you?
<Xandhil> well, I've never met a djinn
<Xandhil> I have some theories though
<Satyr> Many children will never know their fathers, it happens.
* Satyr says with a shrug
<Xandhil> (I'm trying to decide how honest charmed Xan would be ;)
<Xandhil> We know who our parents are. Maybe some would consider them Djinn
<Xandhil> I thik it is probably similar
* Satyr gives you a quizzical look
<Xandhil> it depends on where the Djinn come from
<Satyr> They come from the air and the fire and the earth and the water...
<Xandhil> are they elementals?
* Satyr considers this for a moment
<Satyr> They embody their elements, but they are not *of* the elements.
<Xandhil> hmm
<Xandhil> I don't know
<Xandhil> we were hoping we would meet one, maybe
<Xandhil> that might help us figure it out
<Satyr> oh?
<Satyr> where do you hope to meet one?
<Xandhil> I don't know
<Xandhil> where shoudl we look? :D
* Satyr chuckles
<Xandhil> ou're not one, are you?
<Xandhil> I thik we would know
<Satyr> No, no...
<Satyr> I'm just a guardian of these hills.
<Xandhil> do you have a name?
<Satyr> Eosphoros.
* Satyr is now known as Eosphoros
* Xandhil nods
<Xandhil> I'm Xan, and he's Jsten
<Xandhil> (Justen)
* Justen nods his greeting, knowing enough of what you're saying to get that ;)
<Xandhil> do all the hills here have guardians?
* Eosphoros 's face falls a little
<Eosphoros> Not so many, now. The streams and ponds and trees and hills... their guardians fade away.
<Xandhil> Sorry :/
* Eosphoros half-shrugs
<Xandhil> we're supposed to be going [general direction of dig], d you know if there is a guardian there?
<Eosphoros> maybe... once. I don't know now.
* Xandhil nods
<Xandhil> that's... probably good, I guess >.>
<Eosphoros> you can always leave wine, if you want to find out. make friends.
* Eosphoros says with another swallow
<Xandhil> we might give it a shot :)(
<Xandhil> is that a traditional things for guardians like you?
* Eosphoros nods
<Eosphoros> It used to be, there would be offerings left.
<Eosphoros> now, not so much.
<Xandhil> is that why there are fewer?
<Eosphoros> More people come now - more machines, less quiet, less wild space.
<Xandhil> :/
<Xandhil> yeah
<Xandhil> with the railway...
<Xandhil> they're putting one in out that way, probably
<Eosphoros> And the wheels...
<Xandhil> the gods?
<Eosphoros> is that what they are?
* Eosphoros asks, perhaps rhetorically
* Xandhil shrugs
<Xandhil> I guess
<Eosphoros> they take more and more of the ...
* Eosphoros waves his hand sort of vaguely in the air
* Xandhil nods
<Xandhil> (I can't remeber what we call it >.>)
<Eosphoros> (star substance? ;)
<Xandhil> star substance
<Eosphoros> (I'm not sure what you're asking about. that's the elfy term anyway)
<Xandhil> (yeah I coudlnt' remember if there was a more wheel-y way of saying it)
<Eosphoros> (I can't think of one, although there probably should be)
<Xandhil> I thought there was supposed to be more being made
<Xandhil> now that Serpent is back...
* Eosphoros nods, listening with interest
<Xandhil> It was supposed to make more
* Eosphoros sort of comes closer and sits down by the fire with you
<Xandhil> did people here ever know about, or worship Serpent?
* Xandhil smiles when he comes closer though
* Eosphoros shakes his head, but seems a bit uncertain
<Eosphoros> it was so long ago
<Xandhil> it would have been
* Xandhil agrees
* Eosphoros offers you back the bottle
* Justen reaches out to take it
* Xandhil lets him
<Eosphoros> If you're travelling to [general direction of site], you should be careful.
<Xandhil> oh?
<Eosphoros> the guardians there were strong ones, and not welcoming to outsiders. if they're still there.
<Xandhil> yeah...
<Xandhil> that makes sense
<Xandhil> the people building the railroad found something out there
<Eosphoros> did it break their metal tracks and wheels?
<Xandhil> I don't think so
<Xandhil> ther found something buried
<Xandhil> we don't kwno what it is yet
<Xandhil> if it is a tomb or a city or something
* Eosphoros arches his eyebrows, looking surprised but wary
<Xandhil> some people thikn it might belong to a very old king, who had a way of commanding the Djinn
<Eosphoros> Oh, that is not good. buried things should stay buried.
* Eosphoros shakes his head worriedly
<Xandhil> have you heard anything about it, or is that just a general recommendation?
<Eosphoros> This king, this horse-lord, he was not a good man.
* Xandhil listens
<Xandhil> (and sec)
<Eosphoros> ('k)
<Eosphoros> (the word he uses that translates as 'horse-lord', you're not sure if that's a title or something literal)
<Xandhil> (I'm listening >.>)
<Eosphoros> He may have commanded the djinn, but in the end they controlled him.
<Xandhil> how do you mean?
* Eosphoros settles in more comfortably, as if for a story
* Xandhil does also, and takes a sip of wine before passing it back to our guest :)
* Eosphoros accepts it with a smile
<Eosphoros> This is the story as it was handed down.
<Eosphoros> Once there were many peoples, many tribes. But the horse-lord grew arrogant and wished to set himself above all the other lords.
<Eosphoros> He was powerful, and his warriors were strong, but not strong enough to conquer unaided.
<Eosphoros> So he bargained with the djinn for more power, more strength.
<Eosphoros> And through trickery he gained their names, and gained control over four of them.
<Eosphoros> And so he rose higher and higher, becoming king over all the peoples of this land, and he was respected and feared in equal measure.
<Eosphoros> But the djinn plotted too, how they could gain their freedom.
<Eosphoros> There came a day when this king wished to marry a beautiful maiden.
* Xandhil rolls his eyes
<Xandhil> of course
<Eosphoros> She pleaded as a gift that he have the djinn build her a palace, and bring her jewels and silks, and so he commanded them to do so.
<Eosphoros> Finally, she asked him to tell her the names of the djinn, so that if he were to die, she would still have control of them, for their children and their children's children to command one day.
<Eosphoros> He loved her, but more than that, he loved the thought of his descendants becoming still more powerful, so he agreed.
<Xandhil> idiot
<Eosphoros> Yes
* Eosphoros agrees
<Eosphoros> For once she had the names, she wished to use them. And at first it was for frivolous matters, to fetch ice from the mountaintops to cool her drinks, or to bring pearls from under the sea.
<Eosphoros> But once she had borne the king a son and a daughter, he began to stray from her, and then she grew angry.
<Eosphoros> There are some who say that the djinn placed such temptations in his path in order to cause a rift between them.
<Eosphoros> The king had enemies, of course, and still had to fight to keep his place when one or another would rise up against him.
* Xandhil is still listening
<Eosphoros> He took his djinn into battle, as he always had done before
<Eosphoros> His wife could not command them to kill him, for they could not kill their master.
<Eosphoros> But instead (and perhaps one of them whispered this in her ear, I cannot say) she could call them to her side at the time when he needed them the most.
<Eosphoros> He died on the field of battle, and she ordered that a great tomb be built for him, hidden away - and the djinn obeyed her in this.
<Eosphoros> The king and his fallen warriors were buried where no one could uncover them.
* Xandhil nods
<Xandhil> at the time, anyway... >.>
<Xandhil> what happened to her and the djinn?
<Eosphoros> She died of a sudden sickness before she could give the names of command to her children.
<Xandhil> convenient
* Eosphoros nods
<Eosphoros> With her death, the djinn were freed - or should have been. But there are some who say that even in death, they continued to serve the king, guarding his tomb.
<Xandhil> hmm
<Xandhil> I hope not
<Eosphoros> I don't really think they would
* Eosphoros says, dropping back into conversational mode and out of epic storyteller mode ;)
<Xandhil> not if they didn't have to, no
<Xandhil> I imagine they had better things to do :p
* Eosphoros nods
<Xandhil> anyway, thank you
<Xandhil> that;s more detail than I'd heard before
<Eosphoros> it's an old story
* Xandhil nods
<Eosphoros> probably many don't remember it now
<Xandhil> some people like old stories ^-^
* Eosphoros smiles
<Eosphoros> I'm glad, then
<Eosphoros> thank you for the wine
<Xandhil> you're very welcome
<Xandhil> I don't think we were planning on finishing it...
* Eosphoros has finished off the bottle, and sets it aside
* Justen has another one anyway >.>
<Xandhil> (heh)
<Xandhil> (Is it pretty late by now?)
* Eosphoros lounges back a bit, stretching his goatish legs out
<Eosphoros> (yes, it's probably around midnight by this point)
* Eosphoros will lounge for a little longer, but then will get up, gathering his few items
<Eosphoros> it's been very good indeed
<Eosphoros> thank you
<Xandhil> hey, thanks *you*
* Xandhil says, leaning against Justen
<Justen> yes, thank you
<Eosphoros> stay safe in your travels... especially if you find what you're looking for
<Xandhil> we'll try
* Eosphoros nods
<Eosphoros> farewell
<Xandhil> farewell....
* Eosphoros gives you a warm smile as he departs
* Justen stretches and puts his arms around you comfortably
<Justen> that was... unexpected, but not unwelcome
<Xandhil> yeah...
<Xandhil> weird
<Xandhil> enh
<Justen> we should probably try to sleep
* Xandhil nods
* Justen gives you another kiss
* Xandhil kisses happily back and snuggles down
