Nemnosti session 41
Summary
Session
- Session date: March 1, 2026
- Negili Reckoning date: IE 769, Khurar
Prologue
[Nemnosti-GM] Greetings, acolytes! I'm so glad we finally had a dry day today. Now that Fikho has given way to Khurar, we can expect more of them, I hope. The river is still unsafe, though, so no spring swimming in the Pasu just yet. Now, I know that it is all a bit much right now. We are used to things being the same, and lately there has not been as much sameness as we would like. But Nemnu reminds us that the course of any river is not all smooth. There are eddies and still waters, and then there are great rapids and cataracts. And while we might be tempted to sit by the bank as long as possible, that merely delays the trip. There will soon be more interruptions, as some new acolytes arrive over the next few weeks. And so our campfires will be getting a little bigger, at least temporarily, until some of you finish up your Courses. I promise you, though, through all of this chaos and upset, the walls of the ulajeta have seen far worse, and stand firm still. And so think not of the raging river, but of the great valley that constrains it. And for the sake of the ancestors, be patient through this troubling time. It will pass, just as the wetness of spring will give way to dry summer, at which point no doubt you'll be complaining about that as well!
Izu and Rupun descend into the Inner Caves and witness the slow awakening of Lurusiru Ula
[Nemnosti-GM] Izu, you have always known that saints operate on their own sense of time. It's a thing that's been written about, talked about, debated, by Voices for centuries.
[Nemnosti-GM] But sometimes something happens that brings it all into clarity.
[Nemnosti-GM] For the last two days, Sanar and Nemnu have been secluded together in Nemnu's chambers. You've been given specific instructions not to interrupt until Nemnu calls on you.
[Nemnosti-GM] There is of course, part of you that wants to be in the room. But They are saints, and you would be a fool to try to intervene.
[Nemnosti-GM] Your instructions are rather different.
[Nemnosti-GM] Nemnu has called Rupun Lurusiri away from his hermitage up by Lurusiru Osti, to come to you, and to visit the Inner Caves.
* Rupun comes to see you at the temple.
[Rupun] Izu, my brother.
* Rupun looks rough, as if he has not slept.
* Izu will meet with him in private quarters.
[Izu] Rupun! It is good to see you again. I'm sorry for the urgency of the moment.
[Rupun] It seems strange to think of this as urgent. After two centuries and more.
[Izu] A flood is all the more damaging after a long drought. These are strange days.
[Izu] What has She told you?
[Rupun] That Sanar heard a song coming from the Inner Caves, and that this caused her to have an emotional outburst that affected others.
* Izu nods.
[Izu] That is about the size of it. We need to be sure and if what I believe is happening is... true... then it's only right for you to be here.
* Rupun nods.
[Izu] After two hundred years of a single Saint in the area, we may find ourselves suddenly with three.
* Rupun shakes his head in disbelief or astonishment.
[Rupun] Before we go down, then, come with me.
[Izu] Of course.
* Rupun takes you over to a small altar and falls prostrate before it.
[Rupun] Beloved Ancestors, Lurusiri long lost and forgotten, bless this moment with your watchful eyes.
* Izu will kneel as well, and bow his head in prayer.
[Rupun] Your memories of Cedar are fresh, while They sit against the span of time, long Forgotten by all. But I have not forgotten Them, and I have not forgotten you.
[Rupun] Give my stomach fortitude to know the answer, and if today is not the day, then give my pancreas strength to keep on one more day still.
* Rupun rises up.
[Rupun] Some of them are here, the old Lurusiri. But far too few.
[Rupun] Back at the time of the Purge ... we would take Hulti, and do horrors to their bodies, by their faith. And they would take our dead away from us, burn them.
[Rupun] A war fought by the dead, with the dead as weapons.
* Izu nods.
[Izu] It was a dark time. One still not forgotten.
[Rupun] She teaches us not to forget. And of course, She has not forgotten.
[Izu] No. She has not.
[Rupun] I'm ready now.
* Izu nods and takes a torch to head into the inner caves.
[Nemnosti-GM] You and Rupun travel through the temple and into the Inner Caves where Lurusiru Ula rests.
* Rupun navigates dark and narrow corridors and eventually you reach the place.
* Izu will place the torch in a wall sconce and survey the tomb.
[Nemnosti-GM] Lurusiru's sepulchre is simple and lightly adorned, without name or indication, save that the stone is carved with cedar branches.
[Rupun] I ... well.
* Rupun is trembling, you can see.
* Izu will reach over and place a hand on his for reassurance.
[Izu] Speak to Them.
[Izu] When you are ready.
[Rupun] What if They answer?
[Izu] Then... we will be the first to welcome Them back.
* Rupun pauses. You know he's been down here hundreds of times in his decades of service, spoken to Them.
* Rupun begins, haltingly.
[Rupun] Cedar ... Blessed Lurusiru ... I am here once more.
[Rupun] Others have heard your Song, though they do not know its words or meaning.
[Rupun] My ears are connected to my liver. My brain seeks to understand this transformation.
[Rupun] Let me know You hear me still.
* Rupun pauses, and for a moment nothing happens.
[Nemnosti-GM] Make a Perception check.
[Izu] !roll 1d20+19
* lan-werk2 rolls for Izu: [ 1d20+19 ] getting [ 5 ] which, after the modifier [ 19 ] totals [ 24 ].
[Nemnosti-GM] !roll 1d20+18
* lan-werk2 rolls for Nemnosti-GM: [ 1d20+18 ] getting [ 6 ] which, after the modifier [ 18 ] totals [ 24 ].
[Nemnosti-GM] You think there is something there ... it feels like there is something different ... and then it passes. But it felt real, for that moment.
[Rupun] Is there something we can do?
[Izu] (Would Death dialogue help or does that not work with saints?)
[Nemnosti-GM] (You have no idea honestly. This is a unique situation. Normally you just talk to saints.)
[Izu] Let me try something....
* Izu will spread his hands over the tomb and use death dialog.
[Izu] Blessed Lurusiru... please hear us...
[Nemnosti-GM] Izu, at first nothing unusual happens. Then you find yourself experiencing a sense of a place you have never been, and yet seems familiar. You see nothing, but the smells are of a cool forest in spring, with high mountain air mixed with spring water and the cedar trees. And you hear, ever so faintly, a soft humming, like a song to accompany the forest sounds.
[Nemnosti-GM] Make a Will save please.
[Izu] !roll 1d20+11
* lan-werk2 rolls for Izu: [ 1d20+11 ] getting [ 11 ] which, after the modifier [ 11 ] totals [ 22 ].
[Izu] (+2 vs charm or compulsion)
[Nemnosti-GM] !roll 1d20+12
* lan-werk2 rolls for Nemnosti-GM: [ 1d20+12 ] getting [ 9 ] which, after the modifier [ 12 ] totals [ 21 ].
[Nemnosti-GM] You feel a cool breeze, as the humming turns to a whistled tune. You can almost make out faint words. And then, nothing. It ends.
[Izu] It... it's them. They are here.
[Izu] Somewhere...
* Rupun is weeping in the corner of the chamber, completely overwhelmed, clutching his knees to his chest.
* Izu looks around in bewilderment.
* Izu will sit down next to Rupun and put an arm around him.
[Rupun] They are here. They are here.
* Rupun manages to shake it off eventually, or at least enough to be coherent.
[Izu] Perhaps... if we bring Sanar Ula here. If she sang again....
[Rupun] I don't know what is best.
[Izu] We must speak with Nemnu.
[Rupun] I am an old man. I imagined I would die with this task unfinished, just as it has for all the Lurusiri Voices before me.
[Rupun] I had lost hope that They would return on my watch.
[Izu] You have lived to see a great day.
[Izu] And you may yet see many more.
[Rupun] But for Them to Reawaken, just as there is so much risk ... the recurrence of old patterns.
[Rupun] And They are so vulnerable.
* Rupun stands up.
[Izu] Then it is our duty to protect them. To make the world safe for their return.
[Rupun] I do not know if I am strong enough, Izu. Not anymore.
[Izu] Rupun... You have been strong for so long now. You were their last voice. But you are not alone now. I will help you. This is the day you have kept your faith for. No one better deserves to usher them into a new era than their most faithful priest.
* Rupun considers your words, then nods.
[Rupun] You are right.
[Rupun] For now, though, we tell no one except Her. Not until we are sure, and not until it is safe.
[Izu] Agreed. It is too soon to rejoice, but I can feel the cycles of the unfolding at work. Things are changing.
[Rupun] I am shaking still.
[Izu] Soon, so will the whole Pardopasu.
Marga encounters Eikuuruu out in the Ghengom who takes her to where Rechegoko is heading out to kill Tocha (?), and they tearfully agree that their families suck
[Nemnosti-GM] Marga, you've had a lot to think about since Lijun visited you out in the hills and took you to Achoreza's death's nest.
[Nemnosti-GM] What have you been up to in the few days since then?
[Marga] (just uhhhh thinking, and doing my expected stuff... apologizing to Fultukhari)
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, you've been much more devoted to your regular tasks, at least, but still avoiding the central issue at hand.
[Nemnosti-GM] You're out in the southern part of the province, doing your regular duties, when Eikuuruu appears over the crest of a hill, flying southward towards you.
* Marga squints up and waves.
* Eikuuruu flies down to you.
[Eikuuruu] Cra-craa!
[Marga] Cra-craa!
[Eikuuruu] Sister, is your mate on a quest?
[Marga] A... quest?
[Marga] I mean... sort of, I guess... but I thought he decided not to...
* Marga frowns.
[Marga] Why?
[Eikuuruu] I saw him, heading up into the high hills, alone.
[Eikuuruu] And when I tried to approach him, he waved me away.
[Marga] Oh, crap.
[Marga] I should go.
[Eikuuruu] Do you need help?
[Marga] Can you take me to where you saw him?
[Eikuuruu] Of course.
* Eikuuruu flies up and heads north and west.
* Marga transforms and flies after him.
[Nemnosti-GM] You travel up, north, over Akapa Sogo, and just west of Nemnosti, into the hills. The Ghengom is so different this time of year, with snowmelt creating temporary rivers and creeks all over the place.
[Nemnosti-GM] You seem to be heading roughly in the direction of Hong Sogo.
[Nemnosti-GM] Soon enough, you see the figure of Rechegoko, making his way through the mucky spring hills with ease on foot.
* Marga circles overhead and then downward to land in front of him.
* Eikuuruu lands nearby, probably close enough to overhear or intervene if needed.
* Marga transforms back into a human.
* Rechegoko spots you, and freezes in place, as if imagining that doing so will allow him to remain unseen, as ridiculous as that is.
[Marga] um... what're you doing?
[Rechegoko] Solving our problem.
[Marga] Uh, how do you figure?
[Marga] Rupun isn't gonna like that any better...
[Rechegoko] Rupun left.
[Rechegoko] Went to Nemnosti.
[Marga] Well he's not gonna stay there forever is he?
* Rechegoko shakes his head.
[Rechegoko] You should go back.
[Marga] I'm not gonna let you just go.. kill my dad!
[Rechegoko] I won't kill him if I don't have to.
[Marga] WHat do you think will happen?
[Marga] He's got so many guys!
[Rechegoko] I have to try.
[Rechegoko] I can't abandon you.
[Marga] what if he kills you??
[Rechegoko] I can be resurrected. Now that I belong to the Corps.
[Marga] What if you come back wrong??
[Rechegoko] What if I succeeded?
[Marga] he can get resurrected too
[Rechegoko] What do you think I should do, then?
[Marga] I... don't know.
* Marga says miserably.
[Rechegoko] You deserve so much better, Marga. So much better than ... that. I can try to set you free.
[Marga] I don't know if it's possible.
[Rechegoko] Then what? We break up?
[Marga] I don't... I don't know. I don't want to
* Marga sits on the ground.
[Rechegoko] What would happen if ... we just ignored him?
[Marga] I dunno.
[Marga] Maybe nothing.
[Marga] Lijun says he's a coward
* Rechegoko shrugs.
[Rechegoko] I don't know about that. But if so, he's a very powerful coward.
[Marga] The thing is, if he comes after *us*, we wouldn't get in trouble with Rupun.
[Rechegoko] So ... we would need to do something that makes him do that?
[Marga] I don't know that it would take a lot.
[Marga] Like just... not doing what he told you
[Rechegoko] I wasn't going to do what he told me.
[Marga] I mean, just ignoring him might be enough
[Rechegoko] And then ... do what?
[Marga] Maybe I should leave *my* lineage...
[Marga] I can't get rid of my blood, but...
[Rechegoko] As long as you don't want to be a Lurusiri too!
[Marga] Haha, no...
[Marga] Maybe that new saint would take me
[Rechegoko] You would ... do that? Abandon the Gagos?
[Marga] I.. I would
* Rechegoko smiles.
[Rechegoko] I didn't think I could ask that of you.
[Marga] Well, you don't gotta.
* Marga smiles tentatively
[Rechegoko] So ... what now?
[Marga] Can we go home?
[Rechegoko] ... Yeah. Home.
* Rechegoko takes your hand. He is very dirty from having been scrabbling through the muddy spring hills.
* Marga pulls herself up with his hand and hugs him tightly, mud and all.
Alai works with Pavavi to learn lore about the greatsword Fracture and its manufacture by the Vashmala, and discuss Kuspir’s custody of it
[Nemnosti-GM] Alai, despite the interruption caused by Sanar Ula's episode of what they are calling Bliss, the research must continue.
[Nemnosti-GM] Your exploration of Abyssal / Unkind magic has definitely hit a plateau. It may be that the answers you seek are not in Her libraries.
[Nemnosti-GM] Your dark half is mostly under control at the moment, but you know it is there, just under the surface.
[Nemnosti-GM] So your attention has been drawn to the strange artifacts you brought back from Gil Pirtu, the vessel and especially the sword found by the great statue.
[Nemnosti-GM] The vessel is in the hands of Naka Igriz, but the sword remains in the Treasury. And so today you have arranged to meet Pavavi there, to discuss the sword, and to research it further.
* Pavavi has pulled out the sword and laid it on a table, still wrapped in cloth.
[Alai] A there it is. Have you learned anything from it yet?
[Pavavi] To be honest ... I have been very cautious.
[Pavavi] I have been reluctant to do anything that would be invasive.
[Pavavi] Clearly, the magic on it is exceptionally powerful transformation magic.
[Alai] Is my intention to not initially be invasive... just read its ripples on the unfolding.
[Alai] It has history. I will learn it.
[Pavavi] One thing you should know is that this sword is not forged. It is, I suppose, cast, out of this substance.
[Alai] Do you know if its shape has meaning? Is it modeled off of a particular sword. I admit my knowledge of such things is limited.
[Pavavi] Its design is older, well before my lifetime. But I suppose you knew that, from where and how you came by it.
[Alai] I suppose it was too much to think that it could have the shape of famous swordmaker Jack Bladehammer, or whatever a famous sword maker would be called?
[Pavavi] If it does, it's beyond my knowledge. The Sempi are smiths by trade, and I have some skill, but of course it has been many years since I've studied the craft.
[Alai] I'll find someone to dabble in that line of inquiry later. Is not why we are here today.
[Alai] The divination should not take too long.
* Alai will prepare to cast Legend Lore on the sword.
* Pavavi nods and stands aside to watch as you perform the spell.
[Alai] !roll 1d20+16
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d20+16 ] getting [ 15 ] which, after the modifier [ 16 ] totals [ 31 ].
[Alai] (that worked well)
[Nemnosti-GM] In a short while, your mind is filled with information about the blade before you. This blade is the greatsword Fracture, cast in Onighus over two hundred years ago. Its creators were a quintet, a collective of smiths known as the Vashmala, who were bound by a code of silence, never to take individual credit for any of their blades or to speak anything about their collective work.
[Nemnosti-GM] Fracture was created by the order of the Emperor Himself, using materials He provided to the Vashmala. Its power is that, upon command, it can turn an enemy into a kind of stone.
[Nemnosti-GM] Alai, it occurs to you that the chamber in Gil Pirtu was full of stone fragments on the floor that did not appear to be part of the construction of the building.
[Nemnosti-GM] The information conveyed, the spell comes to its conclusion.
[Alai] This blade has quite a history. I'm sure you suspected who ordered its creation, but it is very true.
[Pavavi] Mmm.
[Alai] It is called Fracture, and can render an enemy to a kind of stone... a feature it likely has used where it was kept.
[Pavavi] When She gave it to me, She indicated She thought that Kuspir-who-is-Medimur should bear it.
[Alai] He does seem to have the proper demeanor to wield such a potent and ominous of a weapon.
[Alai] Do you agree?
[Pavavi] Absolutely. And given that the more specific knowledge of its construction probably should not be shared too widely, he clearly already knows enough to be trusted with its care.
[Pavavi] He is very intimidating, even without such a blade.
[Alai] Such big strong hands... I imagine he can do so much with them, but that is not the issue at hand.
[Alai] (am I confident I could show Kuspir how to draw out the swords abilities now?)
[Nemnosti-GM] Give me a K:arcana check
[Alai] !roll 1d20+18
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d20+18 ] getting [ 12 ] which, after the modifier [ 18 ] totals [ 30 ].
[Nemnosti-GM] Yes, you're confident that you could do so.
[Alai] I have what I need to show him how to use Fracture, if it is needed.
* Pavavi wraps the blade up in the cloth.
[Alai] The crafters, they were called the Vashmala. A secretive order, but there maybe some history to be gleaned from them.
[Pavavi] I have heard of them.
[Pavavi] Very powerful, very old.
[Alai] Learning of how this was crafted could give knowledge on destroying it, if it came to that.
* Pavavi nods.
[Pavavi] Would you like to do that, or shall I?
[Alai] How would you determine that?
[Pavavi] I would start in the library. But I would have some contacts who I could reach out to, also.
[Pavavi] I would need to be very cautious, of course.
[Alai] I can check the library here, for any inkling, you stick to your contacts, where I cannot help.
* Pavavi nods.
[Pavavi] Of course.
[Alai] The Emperor themself provided the material. Which proves what has been suspected that our Lady is not the only one who can create Unkind.
* Pavavi nods.
[Pavavi] If there is a formula, there is no reason She alone would be able to use it.
[Pavavi] Even if it is a thing of stone, which ... it both is, and is not.
[Alai] I would be much surprised if its a forumla you can write on a slate. It feels like a force of will over the very structure of the world.
* Alai rests a hand above the wrapped blade
[Alai] or a tapping of a current from the very begining of this unfolding.
[Pavavi] Yes, exactly.
* Alai pulls her hand back before it starts to shake
[Alai] I would so like to know the how of it.
[Pavavi] Its power calls to you.
[Pavavi] You should be careful, Alai.
[Alai] It is subdued for now, but I still feel it... and itch, a longing... inside. Knowledge is a distraction, and a useful one.
[Alai] Care has it's time. I am mindful of that, be certain.
* Pavavi nods.
[Pavavi] Be sure to keep it so.
[Pavavi] And tell Kuspir the same.
[Alai] Care is baked into him like glaze on pottery. He could use a few cracks in it, lest he become too brittle. But there is hope.
* Alai muses to herself
[Pavavi] Hope is our great strength, at times like these.
[Alai] Strength can also be a great hope.
Kuspir, Ghorgimbe and Rubo discuss what to do about the Sanari and Detevus
[Nemnosti-GM] Kuspir, you have a new fancy sword! OK, it's old, and very dangerous, and mostly you don't just walk around the ulajeta with it on, so you ... have the right to bear an old, fancy, powerful sword that changes people into stone or Unkindness or something.
[Kuspir] (where do I keep it when I'm not actively carrying it?)
[Nemnosti-GM] Fracture is awfully fancy though, you'll admit to some pride that Nemnu has given it to you.
[Nemnosti-GM] When you're not carrying it you can definitely keep it in a safe place in the West Gate, where the stoneguards keep their arms and armor. Or you could take it home with you so Rugu can play with it!
[Kuspir] (how about not that)
[Nemnosti-GM] Today, Ghorgimbe has called you, Rubo, and herself into a meeting to discuss the security of the ulajeta after the latest incident. She has cleared the tactical room in the West Gate tower for the purpose.
[Ghorgimbe] All right, I don't need to explain to either of you that this is pretty messed up. But we have to get things sorted.
[Ghorgimbe] We can't control Sanar Ula's outbursts, nor can we predict them.
* Kuspir nods
[Ghorgimbe] The Sanari are fearful of the rest of us. The rest of us are fearful of Sanar Herself.
* Rubo nods.
[Rubo] In making Sanar safe, we make the rest of us unsafe, they are saying.
[Kuspir] People were unsafe because we blocked them from reaching her. Perhaps this is a risky idea, but what if we made it possible for them to be close to her if such a thing happened again?
[Kuspir] (Her)
[Ghorgimbe] What would your mother think of that? Or that hengi of theirs?
[Kuspir] It's not a perfect solution but it might prevent people from being trampled or killed in the process of trying to be close to the saint
* Kuspir shrugs to that
[Kuspir] I presume they don't want people to be harmed.
[Ghorgimbe] This isn't just making Her available, though. It's making Her available to a bunch of crazed obsessed people who are being forced to love Her.
[Kuspir] I don't mean to suggest that we would allow people to freely approach the saint and touch Her or anything like that, but if they could view Her, from a safe location...
[Kuspir] it might at least help with the immediate issue of people stampeding and putting themselves and others at risk
* Rubo nods.
[Rubo] I think it's a good idea, Kuspir.
[Rubo] We need to live with the Sanari, and not just for a few more weeks or something.
[Kuspir] Then we can worry about protecting people from Her power, or perhaps if we're fortunate She will learn better how to control Her power and not use it without reason.
[Rubo] And we can't risk any more amputations, which will just make people more mad.
[Kuspir] that was an unfortunate tragedy.
* Kuspir agrees
[Ghorgimbe] We need to talk about that too.
[Ghorgimbe] Clearly Detevus was outnumbered and being swarmed.
[Rubo] He should have been more careful.
[Kuspir] Yes, but it was a stressful situation. He was under a lot of pressure.
[Rubo] We expect more of stoneguards.
[Kuspir] What can we do about it at this point, though? We can reinforce to everyone to try and remain calm under pressure, but it's not like we can guarantee that they will do so.
[Ghorgimbe] I agree.
[Ghorgimbe] I'll talk to Detevus privately, but he already feels awful.
[Ghorgimbe] We can't afford to have him awaiting discipline, anyway. Our numbers are too few.
[Rubo] I've been working on that. Trying to find new stoneguards is hard work, ,though.
* Kuspir nods
[Kuspir] The new Saint needs Her own Stoneguards - we could of course help train any such person who wanted to volunteer.
* Ghorgimbe nods.
[Ghorgimbe] Raise that with your mother, when you talk to her about the other thing. She is the best person to talk to, I assume?
[Kuspir] Yes, I believe so.
[Ghorgimbe] All right then. Then unless there's anything else, we're done here.
Kuspir talks to his mother about security plans for Limping Hall, and the training of Sanari stoneguards
[Nemnosti-GM] Kuspir, you head off after your meeting with Ghorgimbe and Rubo to talk to your mother about security plans.
[Kuspir] (ok)
[Nemnosti-GM] (are you just going to meet with her at Limping Hall?)
[Kuspir] (I guess so?)
[Heru] So, is this business or pleasure?
[Kuspir] Mostly the former, but I did bring some ale if you want any.
[Heru] Sure.
* Heru will take some ale, and then sits down and invites you to do the same.
[Heru] So, what happens now?
[Kuspir] We wanted to talk about how we can best ensure safety for everyone while Sanar Ula is learning to control Her powers.
[Heru] We being who?
[Kuspir] The stoneguards.
[Heru] All right.
[Heru] There are some - a few only, so far, but there will be more if we're not careful - to want to leave. To think of this as a mistake.
[Kuspir] I suggested that we could try to make a safe way for people to be able to see Her when something like this happens. Much of the danger came from people stampeding and trying to force their way to reach Her, and if we could ensure that didn't happen, then everyone would be safer.
[Heru] To let the Nemni in?
[Kuspir] For instance, if She was available to be seen on a balcony or something like that, with people below, so they couldn't reach Her directly, but could view Her...
* Kuspir nods
[Kuspir] You might get some new recruits out of it, who is to say?
* Heru chuckles.
[Heru] Well, what you say isn't wrong.
[Heru] We can't blame people for being affected by Her Bliss.
[Heru] It's overwhelming.
* Kuspir nods
[Kuspir] I am sure She doesn't want anyone to come to harm.
[Heru] Just as long as everyone understands that that man losing his hand, that wasn't done by anyone affected by Her. That was one of yours.
[Kuspir] Yes, we know that.
[Heru] I know you know. I worry about the ordinary folk.
[Heru] People could say She made him do it.
[Kuspir] They could, but we can't control what everyone believes.
[Kuspir] Of course if we hear such whisperings we can try to correct them, but people will think what they want to think.
[Heru] Would we need to move Her? Change things around?
[Kuspir] (I don't know how the Limping Hall is set up. is it just one level? is there any kind of higher part of it, or part that would be visible but inaccessible from the outside, like a balcony or something? or could one be made?)
[Nemnosti-GM] It's one level, but quite high, not as high as the walls themselves though. There is only one entry at the moment, to the outside garden. But there are two walls that face the courtyard of the ulajeta - in theory something could be put in there, like a door or balcony.
[Kuspir] It might be possible to build something here that would help - something facing into the courtyard, like a window or balcony.
* Heru nods.
[Heru] That would work. Keep some separation while letting people see Her safely.
[Kuspir] So that She could remain here, and so that our people wouldn't have to be mingled in with your people.
* Kuspir nods
[Heru] I can get Zasko to agree to that. I'll make it seem like my idea.
[Kuspir] All right.
[Kuspir] Do you have anyone in your group who wants to become a Stoneguard?
* Heru considers.
[Heru] That is a long path, though, isn't it?
[Kuspir] Yes, which is all the more reason to start on it soon. If they want to train with the Stoneguards here and have the opportunity to learn from them, it's best to begin as soon as possible, since you won't be staying here forever.
[Heru] You want a young person, or someone who's fully grown?
[Kuspir] Any who are willing to take up the responsibility. A younger person might learn faster, but an older one will probably have an advantage in not being so hot-headed or foolish.
* Heru nods.
[Heru] Who will train them? You?
[Kuspir] Among others, I assume.
[Heru] Nalazh has been talking about the need. So you're not saying something we hadn't thought of.
[Heru] I know there are a few coming as acolytes, to be trained in Nemnu's Courses, like you were. Those are longer-term projects.
* Kuspir nods
[Kuspir] It could be a similar arrangement, perhaps. Even after you leave, if you wanted to send promising Stoneguards here to train for a time, until such time as they became able to train their own successors.
[Heru] But short term. Maybe Erdelba?
[Heru] She's a farmer, strong, hardy.
[Kuspir] (do I know who that is?)
[Nemnosti-GM] (not offhand .. not a Gargimnai, you think)
[Kuspir] If you think she would be willing and able to do it, then by all means.
[Heru] I'll talk to her. Send her your way if she's interested.
[Kuspir] All right.
[Kuspir] Is there anything else I can do to help you?
[Heru] Send Irdomila and Rugu by to see their grandmother now and again.
[Kuspir] Of course
[Heru] And send the man who defended the gate to come by.
[Heru] We want to thank him.
[Kuspir] I can do that.
[Heru] That's all, then.
[Kuspir] All right. Take care, mother.
Ifa chats with Afra, who has been struggling with her role and identity since Hojon’s death
[Nemnosti-GM] Ifa, what have you been up to, lately? Now that you're back at Nemnosti, your main duties outside your Hand responsibilities involve assisting Ajemika, where needed.
[Ifa] (That and helping the Sanari acclimate, I assume. I imagine I'm relatively busy at the moment.)
[Nemnosti-GM] You're at the iftibal, having just come out from a meeting with Ajemika about some daily business, when you see Afra playing with young Multur.
* Ifa smiles and waves at them, and will approach.
[Afra] Hi, Ifa!
[Ifa] Hello. :)
[Ifa] How are you two doing? I feel like I haven't talked to you in ages.
[Afra] Oh ... yeah, it's been a while. How was Zhustir?
[Ifa] It was...crowded.
* Ifa chuckles.
[Ifa] I suppose it's a bit crowded here, too, at the moment, though not as much. So many new faces.
[Afra] Yes, it's all a lot.
[Afra] Ajemika makes sure I have enough care for my boy. And Momuzai is ... well.
* Ifa gives a sympathetic look.
[Ifa] That's good, but I was asking how *you* are.
[Nemnosti-GM] (sense motive)
[Ifa] !roll 1d20+16
[Jevai] (sorry no work me in here, I forgot to rejoin.... just roll in ooc :x)
[Ifa] (Seriously? -_- I got a 1, for 17)
[Ifa] (I roll terribly in this game)
[Afra] I'm all right, really.
[Afra] Can I tell you something? I mean ... in confidence?
[Ifa] Of course. Always.
[Afra] Here, sit. Have a baby.
* Afra hands you Multur.
* Ifa smiles and takes Multur.
[Afra] It's Momuzai.
[Afra] He can hardly look at me, and definitely not at his son.
* Ifa frowns.
[Ifa] That's...really terrible. I'm sorry, Afra.
[Afra] I can hardly blame him.
[Afra] I mean, I am not a good wife to him. And Multur ... how can he not feel resentful towards him?
[Afra] He's not a bad man, really ... he tries ... well, he tried.
[Ifa] Why do you put it in the past tense? And how exactly do you mean you're not a good wife to him?
[Afra] We've just lost everything, when we lost Hojon.
[Afra] And now we're like, the fragments of a broken dish on the floor.
[Ifa] A dish can be repaired.
[Afra] You know that I loved Hojon. Even after everything.
[Afra] Momuzai is ... fine.
* Ifa chuckles at that, despite herself.
[Afra] I don't know what my point is, anymore.
[Afra] What am I even doing here?
[Afra] I wanted to stay so badly, for Hojon, for Multur, but now ... it's meaningless.
[Afra] Ajemika is so kind. She really is, I know that she has no reason to be, and still she is.
[Afra] That just makes me feel worse.
[Ifa] Do you want to leave?
[Afra] And go where? And leave my son?
[Afra] I stayed to keep away from my own lineage. That is still the right decision.
[Ifa] I don't mean to put you on the spot, and you know I will help you regardless in any way I can, but how would you ideally like to see this resolved, if you could determine the outcome yourself?
* Afra begins to sob.
[Afra] I'm so trapped, Ifa.
[Afra] Every choice I've made, has been the right one, compared to the alternatives, and I'm still here. Stuck.
* Ifa reaches out to put an arm around Afra's shoulders, obviously a bit awkward while still holding Multur.
[Ifa] I'm so sorry, Afra, I know you've done everything you can to make things right.
[Afra] Momuzai, he's even more trapped than I am. He didn't even have a single choice in all of this.
[Afra] He broke up with Bem because his father made him. He is married to me because his father made him. He claims his brother as his son because his father made him.
* Ifa tries so very hard not to say "I told you so" to all of this.
[Ifa] I have an idea, but it's admittedly still in the process of unfolding.
[Afra] All right.
[Ifa] Multur is a Nemni. He will have a place here as long as he likes.
[Ifa] But...you do not need to be married to Momuzai to have a place here. There is a new lineage, a saintly one at that, that has a place here now. And, even when they return eventually to their own home and Ulajeta, I imagine the ties here will remain strong, and they might need someone very familiar with Nemnosti to remain and speak for their interests and kinfolk who remain as acolytes and the like.
[Afra] I heard they don't like nobles much.
[Ifa] That's quite the coincidence, given you have some reservations about them yourself, despite your connections.
* Afra laughs.
[Ifa] You could help them navigate that world, and this one. And make your own way, your own life, without necessarily having to give up everything in it.
[Afra] Are you talking about leaving my baby here, and going somewhere else, when they leave?
[Ifa] I think you could likely stay here as long as you like. They will probably want to maintain connections here.
[Ifa] But you *would* have another place to go, if you like, when they do relocate.
[Afra] Huh.
[Ifa] I may be missing things, but I think this offers you options, not more closed doors.
[Afra] I mean ... I haven't met this new saint yet. What's She like?
[Ifa] Young.
[Ifa] Very young.
[Ifa] I think She means well, but She has come into a power almost no one else can begin to understand.
[Afra] How terrifying for Her.
* Ifa nods.
[Ifa] She is doing Her best for Her people, and everyone else, I think, but it will be a long and winding river.
[Ifa] You have some experience with that sort of thing. ;)
[Afra] You're very good at what you do, Ifa. Has anyone mentioned that lately?
* Ifa smiles.
[Ifa] That's very kind of you to say.
[Afra] I still think sometimes, about when we were acolytes, you know.
[Ifa] I would like to think neither of us is easy to forget. :)
* Afra giggles.
[Afra] I don't imagine so.
[Afra] I'll think about what you said. Truly, I will.
* Ifa nods.
[Ifa] It's a new path, at least. I can't say it won't be difficult, but it would be of your own choosing, and your own making.
[Afra] I need some time.
[Ifa] Let me know what you decide, and I will do everything I can to help.
* Afra nods.
* Ifa nods.
[Afra] Thanks, Ifa.
Jevai almost fails to connect with Eng-dur, but is able to reel him in; they discuss the effects of Unkind objects and about Naka’s research on Kinds
[Nemnosti-GM] Jevai, you regret not having seen Eng-dur last month, during your time in Zhustir. Now, though, the new moon has come around again, and it is time for your meeting with him.
[Nemnosti-GM] You head out to the Lanky Stones that evening.
[Nemnosti-GM] You don't see anything.
[Jevai] ...
[Jevai] Upward?
* Jevai will touch one of the stones
[Nemnosti-GM] Give me a Perception check.
[Jevai] !roll 1d20+15
* lan-werk2 rolls for Jevai: [ 1d20+15 ] getting [ 13 ] which, after the modifier [ 15 ] totals [ 28 ].
[Eng-dur] Peb ...?
* Eng-dur says, faintly, his form being almost indistinct.
[Jevai] I'm here....
[Jevai] Its
[Jevai] more difficult to perceive you
* Jevai tries to focus her awareness on twhat is thee, straining to see, to hear
[Eng-dur] I can't ... ... ... still.
[Eng-dur] ... ... waves ...
* Jevai frowns and tries to consider what's different, but there's really a lot of different things...
* Jevai shakes her head
[Jevai] waves?
[Eng-dur] ... goes ... waves ...
[Jevai] that's new
[Eng-dur] I don't understand it ... gone.
[Jevai] ...
[Jevai] its gone?
[Eng-dur] ... or else ... soon ...
[Jevai] are you safe?
[Eng-dur] So far.
* Jevai looks up at the sky, partly thinking, partly as though there migfht be something visible there
* Jevai wondeer i it is better ot not that she hadn't managed to bring Alai, as planned
[Jevai] ... I will be back quickly, please hold on
* Jevai will go and get some fos, to try See Beyond
* Jevai will eat the requisite fos, and cast the spell that way
* Jevai rolls [ 1d20+15 ] getting [ 14 ] which, after the modifier [ 15 ] totals [ 29 ]
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, make another Perception check.
* Jevai rolls [ 1d20+15 ] getting [ 14 ] which, after the modifier [ 15 ] totals [ 29 ]
[Jevai] (heh)
[Eng-dur] I was wondering if you'd come back.
[Jevai] is this clearer?
[Jevai] can you hear me?
[Eng-dur] I can hear you just fine. I'm transparent, not deaf.
[Jevai] You were more than just transparent.... I had to bolster my sense
[Jevai] what are the waves?
[Eng-dur] It feels like I am being pushed and pulled, as if by waves. Away from you, then back.
[Eng-dur] As if there's a disturbance. Something new.
[Jevai] I'm sorry I did not come last month. I know time is diffiult for you, but do you have any sense how long it has been?
[Eng-dur] Not until now, when you said you missed a month. It could have been a year.
[Jevai] There is a new Saint here
[Jevai] I was asked to go with the delegation to meet Her, to Zhustir
[Jevai] She, Sanar Ula, is here for nowfor Her safety. That is a change
[Jevai] but we uncovered a strange place there, built by the prime, we think, where there were onjects of Unkindness, that are here now too
[Eng-dur] Ahh ... that makes more sense, perhaps.
[Eng-dur] Saintly matters never concerned me much, and I never felt Nemnu's presence in particular, during my unusual stay here.
[Jevai] Naka is researching what we recovered
[Eng-dur] What does she think?
[Jevai] she is interested, of course, in changing Kinds
[Eng-dur] Of course she is.
[Jevai] she is exploring the potentential, still
[Eng-dur] Well if there is a connection, maybe it's not such a bad thing if these Unkind objects are causing this disruption.
[Jevai] It would be good to know if it is the case, but I don't want to risk severing our connection, either
[Jevai] has anything else changed? Can you tell me more about these waves?
[Eng-dur] It's more of a feeling than actual waves. Just being pulled closer and farther away.
[Jevai] do they effect anything other than you?
[Jevai] and what is their...center?
[Eng-dur] I can't say, Pebble. Space doesn't mean what it means for you, wherever this is.
* Jevai nods, having expected that
[Jevai] I wasn't sure if the phenomena might have provided more of a sense of orientartion. closer and farther away from something, surely.
[Jevai] I told her about you, finally. and Alai.
[Jevai] (Her)
[Eng-dur] What did She have to say about that?
[Jevai] Well. You see.
* Jevai will tell him about takign Nemnu to the Crack, and about her and Alai getting sucked into the realm there
[Jevai] ...so it seemed relevant
[Eng-dur] So what now? Are you still thinking there is a way to release me from this state?
[Eng-dur] Do you think I'm a different Kind than the six?
[Jevai] I don't know
[Jevai] I don't know if what hyou are is a property of You, or of the place, or your binding.
[Jevai] I think Naka's reseaerch is out best bet, for now
[Jevai] or...
[Eng-dur] Or what?
* Jevai puts a hand on the stones again
[Jevai] understanding This
[Jevai] the Monoliths as a tether, a binding of.... places?
[Jevai] I need to know what you did, and where.
[Jevai] It is a key piece.
[Eng-dur] I do not want to put you at more risk, Pebble.
[Eng-dur] I know you do not talk much to Saza anymore.
[Jevai] could she tell me?
[Eng-dur] She could tell you much more than I could, in the short time we have.
[Eng-dur] Would she? I cannot say.
[Jevai] well, I can see.
* Jevai says, though with a slight frown
[Eng-dur] As we have discussed, her involvement with the Hulti makes it all much more complicated.
[Jevai] yes.
[Jevai] what can you tell me, in the time we do have?
[Jevai] If I can talk to Downward, I'll need something
[Eng-dur] The spirals. The ammonites, definitely whatever they are, I do not think they are simply the result of ordinary Unfolding.
[Jevai] no.
[Jevai] Stone Ancestors I heav heard them alled
[Jevai] I wondered if they have been transformed by Unkindness in some way
[Eng-dur] I have heard you say that, though that was not Saza's language.
[Jevai] (called)
[Jevai] that was Ushukuna's term
[Jevai] what did Downward call them?
[Eng-dur] She didn't have a specific term for them. But she said something like they were the result of the twisting of the world, convolutions in the Unfolding. Like a bend.
[Jevai] hmm.
[Jevai] what did this lead you to?
[Eng-dur] Well, nothing good, obviously.
* Jevai nods, but waits
[Eng-dur] But since being here ... the strange noise, the sense of draining, and now the sense of pushing and pulling back and forth, all that. I think I have put myself on a path to utter extinction.
[Eng-dur] I have spiralled my way right out of existence.
[Jevai] Not hyet
* Eng-dur laughs.
[Jevai] The spiral dance that I told you about - it went both ways
[Jevai] perhaps we may yet reverse your course
* Jevai smiles
[Eng-dur] Well, what comes next, then, for our story? And is there any part in it for me?
[Jevai] I hope so.
[Jevai] I will try and wring what I can from Downward.
[Eng-dur] Wring. That's the right word, or close to it! I feel like I've been twisted like a cloth, wrung out.
[Jevai] Unfixed, unbound, and twisted, yes
[Jevai] keep holding on
[Eng-dur] Do I have a choice?
[Jevai] Not one I think you would make, if so.
[Jevai] you're too stubborn
* Eng-dur chuckles.
[Eng-dur] Says the woman who keeps coming back to talk to ghosts.
[Jevai] well, I learned it somewhere.
[Eng-dur] Certainly not from your new Upward.
* Jevai chickles at that
[Jevai] (chuckles)
[Nemnosti-GM] Until next we gather by the firelight, young acolytes!
