The First Land Herald/450-05-10
| Article Number: 114 |
| Dateline: 450-05-10 |
| A RECAP: MANA THIEVES, HOLY VISIONS, FORSAKEN IRISES IRISES AND A MIXED MANA PARTY! ~ The Pure Mana Thieves ~ Aaiyaah hosted a meeting to identify the source behind the pure mana drain contributing to the imbalance causing wild magic and adventurers gathered on the meadow outside the Liraxes machine. They were hoping to use the lens Valenal created to trace the flow of pure mana casting. Valenal was nowhere to be found at the time, and Aaiyaah did not want to empower the Heralds without knowledge to gain. While standing outside, the interior of the machine pulsated with bizarre patterns that could not be deciphered from the exterior. Aaiyaah requested everyone join him, and then moved inside to contribute sorcery in Valenal's absence. The walls pulsated with bizarre patterns, lines of light formed intricate patterns and sequences. The whine continued to build, and grew in intensity, a misty haze accumulated at the ceiling of the machine. Crackles of energy raced around the area, and with a loud *POP*, the ceiling of the machine became enwreathed in a haze of cold blue light. Deep in the haze we were able to see what appeared to be writhing vines and malleable stone. Ribbons of cold blue energy drained upward through the walls of the machine, into the haze, and streamed along into the vines and stone. The view went blurry, as the energies escaped upward and out, and eventually the view faded entirely. The walls flickered with energy briefly, continuously dimmed until they resumed their typical behavior, the symbols and components back to whatever it was they were doing. A keen observer noted this resembled the Spired encasements. Due to the visions in the mist, Aaiyaah sent scouts to clan locations to observe what was happening during the casting. Aside from witnessing the ethereal vines and stone across the ceiling of the machine, no firm confirmation or result came from the spells used during this experiment, though it is widely suspected to be the Heralds siphoning the pure mana. ~ Visions of Avatars ~ Clerics Maintain and Nawain held a congregation to hail the Wolf and the Ox at Ve Aevan Gaenan, The High Altar. Unaka was in attendance to show her support. Nawain, Maintain, and Tirost gave hopeful recitations to Meraud, Truffenyi and several other Immortals. They received a response in the form of visions. Time slowed and the air took on a golden light. Everything went silent. A majestic black wolf appeared out of a billowing fog, and strode toward everyone with confidence and a predatory grace. Piercing yellow eyes met ours, before the wolf bowed its head, one leg outstretched. Silently, it turned and padded away back into the fog. Out of the corner of the eye, a shrew scrambled back through the fog after the wolf, and a billowing breeze drew all eyes upward to spy the flight of a great horned owl. A magnificent golden-hued ox lumbered through the area. It shimmered into existence as if stepping from a mirage. It strode over to Unaka, who towered over the beast despite its great form, and gently took its cheeks in her hands. She placed her forehead against its own for several long moments. When she stood again, she looked refreshed and newly determined. The ox turned its huge head to go, but lingered, one soft eye catching ours in a long stare, followed by a quiet, sighing snort. With that, it walked away, and shimmered until we could no longer make out its figure. After this vision, everyone departed this gathering for the next, Forsaking the Iris. In the meantime, another avatar appeared when Cleric Zynell took up donations for Damaris at the Eyes of the Thirteen shrine. The priestess gave a speech, and prayer, and asked for offerings to protect the children of the clans. Items like toys and dolls were donated for the impacted youths, and it was requested they assign the intention of tenderness into the offerings. In reference to the gifts given, Zynell recited, "Let them find peace in the dark. Lend them the comfort of your furs when they remember the monsters. With the meteor induced changes, I hope these offerings ease your workload. If you happen across anything behind the vine walls that we should know. We would appreciate the enlightenment of your reconnaissance. Let us know how we can better aid the plan." Crobin chimed in, and chanted, "Be with the children and families of those who were hit by the meteors". Cleric Gragnel offered his own prayer, ending with, "Please receive these gifts we offer in honor of you, so that those who are most innocent can find some small comfort during these storms." Unaka was also in attendance at this holy event, and had a few words to add of her own: "Hey, Damaris. I know we don't see much of each other, what with me being a Paladin and all. You've got your place, and I've got mine. But one thing I really like about you is how much you watch over the children. We've got that in common. We're both protectors. And... and I've seen some of the kids affected by the loss of our Clans, and it's real hard on them. Kids like things to stay the same for a long time. They're like trees. So when they get uprooted, it's real scary for them. That's why I'm glad these folks here are gathering toys for the kids. It's as important as food for them, or near enough. Their little hearts have got to have a hint that things are going to be okay, somehow." Unaka firmly said, "And they will be. We will make sure of it. So, Damaris, you just keep doing what you do, with our support. Get these toys to the kids. And in the process, give them a little nod and they'll know in their hearts that we are working to make things right. Thanks." Afterwards, as offers of panther figurines and totems were placed on the altar, there was a sense of being watched. The sense of being watched increased, eventually all eyes adjusted to a shadow before them, and saw the outline of a crouching panther. In a blink, it was gone. ~ Irises Forsaken ~ As we began, someone cast a spell within the greenhouse where we stood that caused quite a large surge, a constant reminder that wild magic is still there haranguing us. I opened the event with a short speech about why I still aligned with the Heralds ideas about sorcery, and why I did not. It had become evident by this point through the Elanthia's visions given to life mana users and Bardic Historians that Elanthia hurts when sorcery is cast. Also clear were the Immortals' visions that sorcery must be utilized right now to win the battle ahead of us. My initial and current opinions aside, we'd seen solid proof at the pure mana party that in the specific instance of curbing wild magic, the absence of sorcery actually made things worse. I felt, in that sense, the Heralds were spreading a false message, and therefore could not condone the illusion of the Iris which was in favor of spreading the idea based on Miraena's feelings from the Heralds. I still find myself inclined to agree with the proposition that we abstain from it, eventually. What I sought to achieve, more than anything else, from hosting this event, was to pray for Miraena to find her way back to the Immortals, and she expressed to Unaka she would after the disturbance in balance had passed. A few of us would regretfully lie down our irises, and we composted them, returning them in an offering to the earth, before moving on to the next foray. ~ Mixed Juice Mingle ~ Immediately after our thoughts for Miraena were shared and some remorsefully left our irises behind, we all moved together to the Grassland Road Meadow to congregate outside Liraxes machine. It was unusually quiet, except for the simple celebration of knowing which direction we were headed in our attempts to quell the effects of wild magic and bring its fluctuations back into balance. Allye, the hostess, served everyone a delightful spread of fruity concoctions and cocktails. For the time being, things felt peaceful and jovial. Unaka stayed with us through the evening until all the juice and our energy had been consumed. Weary, but somewhat comforted, everyone took their leave for the evening. With simultaneous hope and trepidation, Shaylynne Kendialahle |
| Real Date: Unknown Date |
| Subject(s): Wild Magic |
| Author(s): Shaylynne |