The First Land Herald/434-10-11
| Article Number: Unknown article number |
| Dateline: 434-10-11 |
| GORBESH PARLEY ATTEMPT RESULTS IN TEMPORAL RIFTS After months of town meetings, battles with the Gorbesh, and studies of feral tomes and time travel, Ayrell proposed seeking out some answers directly from the Gorbesh. She organized a diplomatic party that gathered in Dirge, at the ruins in the Lava Fields, its members eager to see if the enemy would accept the invitation to parley. Two triages and strike forces were formed in other locations that will remain undisclosed. Ayrell reminded everyone that there was no guarantee the Gorbesh would show, because while they were invited, their acceptance was not confirmed. Under a Paladin's Banner of Truce and a Bard's Sanctuary spell, everyone interested in a chance to rendezvous with the Gorbesh stood by, ready for anything. Suddenly a rift, similar to the one in which Veralos' face was seen before, opened up. The winds gathered and an anomaly rippled, unfurling into an open rent as it threw delayed light about the area in the form of bizarre reversed rainbows. The rift shattered. The anomaly would tear open, again and again, each time providing a new view of the alternate time period. This time, it was clear, the rift was working both ways: the Gorbesh could also see those watching them before each closure. The following views through the rifts were reported to me by Navesi, each ending abruptly - 1) A large gathering of confused-looking Gorbesh soldiers cocked their heads and blinked at the assembly before them. Clad in armor and weapons that have not been in style for over a hundred years, they formed a vanguard of shield and spear bearers, and each carried engineering and gathering tools. 2) In the deep woods, the southern face of the city of Shard in the far north, a small Gorbesh warband felled trees and broke stones under the watchful eyes of scouts and foresters. Strong-handed men and women laid the foundations of an encampment, guided by Gnome engineers with personal bodyguards. One of the Gnomes turned toward the rift and squinted as they tapped the leg of one of their guards. 3) Inside a large tent, a Gnome leapt from a rough-hewn table covered in maps and diagrams. A pair of Gorbesh bodyguards reached for the Gnome, who swung behind them. The pair pointed and shouted to alarm others, and the Gnome threw a crackling vial towards the rift, though the opening closed before the vial could reach it. 4) The groaning of timber was heard and the heavy *thunk* of a falling axe blade. After a long moment, a Gorbesh woman carrying a large tree trunk over her shoulder walked through the forest. She dropped the lumber in surprise at the sight of the rift and swung her axe into a battle ready position as she shouted behind her, "It's happening again! They're back! Come quick, the spies, the spies!", and rushed towards the rift headlong. The rift shattered. 5) Outside a longhouse, covered in foliage to blend into the forest, Gorbesh men and women came and went carrying supplies, pulled wheeled carts laden with stone and clay, bushels of fiber and raw timber. A Gnome peered around the edge of the anomaly and was quickly pulled back by a large pair of hands. Someone shouted, "Be careful!", but the Gnome appeared again a moment later and peered back at the rift. The Gnome's eyebrows suddenly raised in surprise, and a voice was heard, "Not who, but whe-". Shattered. Next, the voice of Veralos, youthful and haughty, old and tired, adolescent and uncertain, scolded, "A circle, a circle, looped and knotted. The lines cannot cross, but they're so so twisted. You have snarled them with your meddling, with your picking, knotting, knitting tied (sic). Will you continue, or will you them untangle?" He urged the crowd to choose by learning forward into the rift or backwards away from it. The snarl would resolve itself if the choice was to lean backwards, presumably as people relaxed their focus on the temporal tearing, and the meddling would continue by leaning forward, pressing onward. Time tore open again as the majority leaned forward. The familiar longhouse appeared, and almost immediately an alarm began to sound. An attachment of mages and enchanters rushed the opening and crossed over into our time. Reality groaned and crackled with the displacement, and the anomaly ripped further. The Gorbesh were trapped on our side. A battle sphere thrown by a Gnome hovered nearby as the Gorbesh attacked, without a moment's notice or a chance for peaceful talks. They were interested in coming through to our side, but not for a parley. Once defeated, the anomaly rippled again, then evaporated into reverse rainbows and bizarre shadows. The echoing voice of Veralos, youthful and haughty, old and tired, adolescent and uncertain, chimed around the area, "Ah, well, it's cleaned now, a twisted line cut. Works. Next time don't let the Inquisition proffer your lands to invaders from the past." Sir Tankata led a group then to the nearby Gorbesh Fortress, but they could not eliminate all of the Gorbesh within. The future is uncertain, and people now have many questions. What did Veralos mean about the Inquisition proffering our lands? What will happen if we continue meddling with time? If the Gorbesh can cross to our time, can we cross to theirs?? Where Veralos is concerned, there seem to always be more questions. Will we ever get answers? Only time will tell. Sincerely, Shaylynne Kendialahle |
| Real Date: Unknown Date |
| Subject(s): |
| Author(s): Navesi |