Awksa Dzilvawta Ala

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Awksa Dzilvawta Ala

Rakash Favour cave in Siksraja.

1. Gather at least three logs and light a fire.
2. Kneel and place your statuette in the niche.
3. Offer statuette in niche.
4. Remain kneeling while the visions continue, until you feel stronger.

Statuettes can be purchased at the general store in Siksraja.

Favor Visions

START:

Warmed by the bright fire, the redivawzis shard suddenly begins glowing with a multihued intensity, as if lit from within by the combined light of the moons. A warm glow begins to emanate from the niche, spreading a shining golden light that completely fills your field of vision. The world around you fades, and you are left drifting in a never-ending plane of grey. You are drawn slowly toward a yellow light in the distance.

---

You feel a slow chill crawl over your body, as if it was shifting suddenly into moonskin and then back again. You find yourself staring into the dark surface of a pond, and a feral face gazes back at you. The image in the water moves as you move, but then suddenly stops and bares its fangs in a low snarl.

A small, cloaked figure sneaks quietly among what remains of a gathering of undead after a great explosion. The figure stoops to pick something up from the ground, before turning to run. An adolescent girl lies dead on the ground, ragged claw marks etched across her face and body. Her tiny hand clutches a small shard of familiar rock. Cold tears stream down your face as you recognize both her sacrifice and bravery.

The rising sun shines over the distant horizon, wisps of cloud turning brilliant hues of crimson and purple. The air holds the still, tense quiet that often precedes a storm. A large, grassy field stands completely empty, the slowly waving grass slightly yellowed from lack of recent rain. A lone Rakash in human form stands upon a large grey rock facing westward toward an expansive forest on the edge of the plain.

The deserted town lays still, quiet and abandoned as a hoard of undead marches into the town, led by a figure seated on a skeletal horse. Houses are entered, carts overturned, possessions trampled; but not a single living creature is found within the village. Furious, the necromancer turns and leads her puppets away from the town, and the wary townspeople resume normal life once more.

Skeletal hands reach for a tree where a whimpering Rakash boy is hidden within its branches. A low chanting is heard as one of the cloaked figures takes a hold of the lowest branch of the tree. Suddenly, a brilliant white light cuts through the darkness, searing the undead to ash. A moonskined High Priest gently lifts the boy out of his hiding place, seating him lightly on his shoulder.

You see a small, makeshift rowboat floating upon a lake, a lone fisherman paddling in search of fish. Children play at the water's edge, skipping stones across the surface. Suddenly, a bell starts sounding frantically, and the town becomes a flurry of activity. Mere seconds pass and the town lays quiet again, now completely deserted.

Stars sparkling like shards of glass in the sun fill the sky above you. A chill wind gusts around you, drawing your attention to the warmth of a nearby campfire. Dozens of warriors in moonskin huddle around the flames, signs of exhaustion apparent on all of their faces. As you move closer, you are able to hear the tale of a great battle that one of the warriors is recounting. His words pull you in, and fill your heart with feelings of triumph and pride before everything fades.

Visible through the branches of towering pine trees, rosy clouds reflecting the light of dawn drift lazily across the sky. A cool morning mist rises from the ground, shrouding a cluster of what appear to be statues dressed in battle raiment kneeling before a rock. It is not until one of the forms tilts its head back and releases a bloodthirsty howl that you realize your mistake. As the warrior's call ends, a warm glow begins to emanate from the rock, briefly coating the figures in shining golden light before completely filling your field of vision.

You watch in horror from a great distance as a necromancer surrounded by shambling undead hands lifts a black dagger and plunges it into the heart of the high priest. His blood drips down onto the sacred rock he lies on. All traces of blood vanish from the rock's surface as if the stone itself drank the red liquid. With the priest's last breath, the ground begins to tremble violently. You are thrown to the ground by a powerful blast, and the world goes black.

A Rakash storyteller, her elderly form decorated with beads and feathers, sits cross-legged in front of a small group of children, their ages and races varying greatly. A small butterfly alights on her shoulder, and as she speaks to them, the sky begins itself to shift, the clouds and moons painting the images the storyteller weaves with her words.

Twilight falls. A Rakash child sits hidden in the rough branches of a tree, warily watching six cloaked figures move about in the woods below him. A slight shift and snap of branches betrays his presence, five heads jerk sharply to gaze upward.

Your muscles are weary, and your heart is heavy as you trudge forward following your pack. Children and elderly ride in carts, but you know that this ease of travel has not prevented hundreds of them from dying on the road.

A murmur of hope sweeps back through the long line of migrants. You rush forward to view what has caused people;s spirits to lift.

Hundreds of your pack line up along the shore of a beautiful green lake. The water's surface seems to be alive as it shivers and shimmers in a strangely random pattern.

You drop to your knees in awe as millions of pale green butterflies lift off the lake's surface, taking to the sky. A lone badger pokes its head out from a burrow under a large boulder, briefly sniffs the air and ducks back in. Closing your eyes, you weep with joy realizing you have come home.

---

END:

As the light dims, the room slowly comes into focus, and you find yourself back in the cave, kneeling limply before the small niche. The redivawzis shard, which was glowing intently, is slowly fading back to a darkened red. Your body feels completely drained by the ritual, and you wish nothing more than to take a long rest. However, despite your fatigue, you feel somewhat stronger.