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Session 168: Day 27 of Saedan (8/1)

The trek that Galowen and Adraetha bring the other Hooligans on is slow and intentional and careful. The cairns that they follow slowly glow and light up the pathway that Galowen’s able to walk with relative ease. He notices that the ground shifts around him and returns to its natural state once they’ve passed. The earth itself is trying to exhibit some manner of cooperation.

There are two vibes at once. Adraetha has a gentle and calm demeanor. She walks with purpose and light careful steps. Butterflies flutter around her. Meanwhile at the back of the group are Mae and Tiffin, armed and silent and faces expressionless. They’re signing something back and forth to each other, their own personal cypher. It’s a much more hostile vibe.

Adraetha doesn’t talk much. She seems to be attuned into the things around her, the birds and the sound of the river. There’s a lot of distant gentleness. After a couple of hours, she lets them all have a break and suggests that they eat and rest for a bit.

Mae circles around from the back and says, “If he’s nearby enough that he can send people, then we should keep going.”

Adraetha tells her that it will be fine. Nothing will happen to them until they reach the central grove. Mae huffs and gives everyone a ten minute break. She warns everyone that she’ll leave anyone behind, which prompts Galowen to ask if he pisses for eleven minutes straight if she’ll leave him.

Mae says he’s the exception.

Audacity points out that if he was pissing for eleven minutes it would be medically concerning.

Galowen says he’s going off to go piss, but promises not for eleven minutes.

Audacity has been sticking close to Galowen the entire walk but lets him go. He continues to watch the three Kelfemma women, observing as Adraetha settles in to meditate.

Yolov clears his throat and says he knows they’re resting but he wanted to check and see if Viallo made it home safely.

Adraetha says that he did. His wounds are being tended to by their son, or rather their daughter, as though they think that their parents would not realize they’ve recently swapped their duties recently.

Yolov says that he’s glad to hear he got home. Viallo told them a little about the dangers Kelfemma is facing and they’ve learned more along the way. He’ll be happy to tell them more after supper.

She thanks him for the information and then asks if she can ask him a personal question.

He says of course, and she asks if he died recently. He instinctively touches the golden thumbprint Rova left on him and says yes, he died a month ago and Galowen brought him back.

Adraetha says he answered her next question. She says that would have made Elathias very angry. Yolov admits that it seems that way, he seems to be especially interested in their friends who have also died.

Adraetha says if he knows why.

Yolov says he doesn’t know for sure but he thinks he knows, based on what they know Elathias’ allies are planning. He also offers that they’ve learned quite a bit about the threats Elathias is bringing to the forest and is happy to share it after supper.

Adraetha thanks him for bringing information. She says it’s good to have other people around who don’t have her history with Elathias. Sometimes she thinks of what he was and sometimes she thinks of what he’s doing, and it’s good to have more objective people around her.

She also thanks Yolov for caring about and remembering Viallo. Yolov says he remembers everyone they’ve helped, but especially when they know that person will need more help in the future. She says she’s glad to have heroes around who are good people.

Yolov nods in agreement and looks around at his friends, instinctively checking on Diana, who he sees is being comforted by Audacity.

Audacity has been giving her a water skin and making her drink. He asks how she and Adrin are doing and she says she’s not good though Adrin is excited to kill him. Audacity tells her that everything will be fine, they’ve killed two dragons before.

Diana says she’s glad her friends are saying this, but she’s spent 45 years having people saying that to her and horrible things immediately happening. But she is still glad they’re all here.

The ten minutes are up, and the party resumes their trek.

Tiffin comes up to Hava and asks if her friend is all right, gesturing towards Diana.

Hava says no, she thinks Diana is in distress.

Tiffin asks if she’s from the forest. Hava says Diana is. Tiffin asks what’s bothering her. Hava says it has to do with a dragon. Tiffin says she was worried that was the case. Hava explains that Diana doesn’t give a lot of personal information but also will drop heartbreaking information in a conversation and then not discuss it. She doesn’t know much about the dragon Diana’s frightened of.

Tiffin explains that for centuries a green dragon named Rezod has lived at the borders of Kelfemma. When Mae had come of age, people had attempted to kill Rezod or drive him away for the crimes he had done. He steals people for his collection. There’s always an attempt to retrieve what he took, but usually it ends with fewer of the Kelfemma forces coming back.

Tiffin says Mae isn’t very good at talking to other people, but she asked Tiffin to ask Hava about Diana and if Diana was one of those prisoners. Hava says that could be the case, but Diana hasn’t entrusted her with that level of detail. They’re friends but she might have confided in another of their friends.

Tiffin says Diana simply looks familiar, but it was over a hundred and fifty years ago that the last person was taken, and Diana would be too young for that. She’s terrible at telling elf ages, but Diana looks around a hundred or a hundred and twenty to her.

Hava says she can try to get more information, though she thinks Tiffin should ask Diana herself.

Tiffin says she didn’t want to upset Diana.

Hava says she’ll ask Diana when they next get to rest.

Tiffin says Mae is stringent with her time. She doesn’t like Adraetha being away from the grove. Adraetha thinks that Elathias wouldn’t hurt her, but Mae isn’t so sure.

Hava says Elathias is a monster. He killed her father. Tiffin squeezes her shoulder and says she’s sorry for her loss and promises that Elathias will never leave Kelfemma again. Hava says of course not, Galowen is going to rip his arms off. Then Hava will make a soup bowl out of his skull.

Tiffin says that would taste terrible before she rejoins Mae, speaking to her in whispers and with more hand signals.

Galowen watches the glowing cairns and soon everyone sees people amid the trees, observing them. The bases of the trees get wider as the flora gets older. Eventually they reach what looks like a wall made entirely out of wood, a rounded, thick jut of what strikes everyone belatedly as a root that is tall enough that even Galowen can’t see over it.

Adraetha reaches out a hand and then elbows him affectionately and asks if he would like to help open the door. Galowen says he doesn’t know how. Adraetha asks if he would like to go inside. Galowen says he does. It feels like he blinks and where there was floor to ceiling of root, now there is a ten foot space as the root adjusts itself to provide an entry way.

Galowen says neat trick.

Adraetha says these are the roots that lead to the Temple of Creation. It’s the most sacred space in the grove, the tree from which Caletras was born. It’s very responsive to the Chosen of Caletras as a result. As she speaks, she pats the root affectionately.

The pathway opens to a relatively large, multi-tiered grove. It is built down. They all stand on a packed earth walkway and see a five foot drop to a corkscrew type incline that goes lower into the earth, where about ten more feet down there is a gathering of firbolgs and wood elves in the middle of roasting a large deer over a fire. There is someone cooking what looks like an alchemical mix in a cauldron. There are a couple early adult individuals on a woven bed made of fiber, leaves and moss.

Or at least all of them were doing those things. There are craftsmen across the pit who stop knitting and weaving. Guards who stop honing their swords. All of them turn and stare at the group.

It doesn’t seem to bother Adraetha, who sweeps forward and says that the temple keeper is waiting in Mae and Tiffin’s house if she remembers right.

Mae and Tiffin confirm it, and Adraetha leads them all downward, all of the onlookers watching them go. They travel past homes until eventually Adraetha comes to a stop outside of one. It has a woven blanket serving as a divider for the entrance, soft reds and blues and greens and golds.

Adraetha calls, “Elliralei, he’s home.”

There’s a shuffling from inside. The curtain pulls back and out steps a very tall older firbolg woman. Her hair is almost entirely white with just a little bit of threading orange and red. Her skin is much paler than Galowen’s. She carries herself with broad shoulders and sharp eyes.

She looks much older than Galowen remembers. When she tilts her head to study him, he can see a mostly healed burn scar at her throat. She seems oblivious to her wound as she takes one step towards him and then another as her eyes fill with tears and she says Galowen’s name.

She calls him her baby boy. She says to look at him.

Galowen takes a step forward. She has always been a few inches shorter than him since he had his first growth spurt but that doesn’t stop her from flinging her arms around him. She says she prayed that he would be safe. Every day she prayed for Caletras to protect him. Wildmother above, he really is all grown up. She holds his face in her hands and studies him.

When she apologizes, Galowen asks for what, his own eyes filling with tears. Elliralei says that they were his parents and they were meant to keep him safe. He must have been so scared.

He apologizes. Elliralei says he has nothing to apologize for. All she wanted was for him to be safe. That’s all his father wanted. And now he’s here and he’s safe and alive. She bumps her forehead against his.

Galowen is clutching onto her for dear life. Memories flood back to him on senses alone, the feeling of his mother in his arms, the feeling of her arms around him, the smell of the soap that she uses, of the oil that she puts in her hair, the feeling of her clothes and hair, the sound of her voice. These are things that are impossible to forget and impossible to replicate. She’s real and this is his mother, but there’s a weight and relief to her that he realizes all the months that he’s been gone she has only had hope that he was still alive.

So secluded, so far removed from the world. It was only when Viallo returned that Elliralei learned that he might be alive. He knows there was no way that she would let herself believe it until he was here in front of her. She has a death grip on him as she holds him.

Elliralei says she’s so thankful that Caletras guided him to safety. If there was one duty in her life that she could not bear failing, it was the responsibility to keep him safe. To think she’d never thought she’d see this place again or be here with him. He must have come so far, and now he’s standing with his friends.

She starts to say something then stops and then puts her hands on Galowen’s chest and says to look at him. He’s so strong. He can see pain, words that she wants to say that would hurt to speak. As she takes his hands in hers, she asks if they can find a quiet place for them to talk. She had fishermen bring fish and there’s some venison. He must have been missing home-cooked meals on the road.

Galowen says that sounds good.

The rest of the party watches her lead Galowen off to talk and have some privacy.

Adraetha has tears in her eyes as well. She says that they should have some privacy. Would they like to join her and hers for supper?

Hava says yes. When Adraetha says the twins are relatively well behaved and won’t bite, mostly, Hava asks how old they are. Adraetha says they’re almost of age, but their ceremony keeps getting put back due to all the various situations. Her son does bite, but Cal'travor mostly does it to get attention.

Mae has an expression that says she’s definitely been bitten by Cal'travor.

Adraetha escorts them towards her home and explains the twins just turned thirty. Aging and adulthood is complicated because Viallo is a firbolg and Adraetha is an elf. This coming of age ceremony is to celebrate their birthday, if there’s no complications. Their actual birthday involved attacks on the border and they want them to have their ceremony on an auspicious day. Adraetha wants them to have a good day. She and Viallo want it to be nice.

She leads them along a root a decent way further into the central pit. Audacity and Hava notice from the corner of their eye that there’s an interesting formation of vines and sticks. It looks like an animal. Then they do a triple take and see a very willowy and kind of delicate looking deer made entirely out of bark.

The second they notice it, it immediately trots down the little hill it’s been perched on and starts sniffing everyone in the group, one by one. When it gets to Audacity, it sniffs all the way up his shoulder and then down to his hand which it bites.

It doesn’t bleed but hurts. Audacity flicks it between the eyes as Adraetha sighs and tells Cal'travor not to bite guests. Audacity companionably bonks his head against Cal'travor’s antlers. When he bites Diana next, Audacity flicks him again.

When Cal'travor bites Audacity a second time, Adraetha says that he’s lost deer privileges and snaps her fingers. The deer is replaced instantly by a half-firbolg, half-elf who falls on his ass and stares up at them all, wide-eyed. Then he scrambles up and tries to hide his six-foot-nine body behind Adraetha.

Adraetha asks him where his sister is. As though summoned, a wooden fox jumps onto Diana’s shoulder and yips in her ear before scampering down and transforming into Cal’antala who immediately rattles off who she is and asks Diana if they traveled a very far way away and if they’re staying for supper.

She sticks a hand out to Diana and Diana says she likes this one. Audacity takes Cal’antala’s hand and introduces himself. She explains that she’s going to be one of the leaders and Cal'travor is going to be doing something.

Adraetha tells her that won’t be for a while yet and tells the twins to go ready supper for them. Cal’antala, all of five feet tall, drags her brother away as she compliments a bemused Az on his clothes.

Adraetha explains the twins are a lot but there’s not many people around and life here can be very lonely.

Elsewhere, Galowen’s mother leads him to a firepit similar to the one they used to have back at the temple. He remembers being set between his parents, listening to stories by the fire. There is some fish freshly roasted and some herbs and vegetables. It’s the same fish and plants that also grew by the temple. It all smells like home in a deep, familiar way.

His mother puts one of the roasted fish on his plate and settles in. There’s a nervous energy to her. She keeps looking at him and getting lost. Eventually, settled in with her own roast fish, she says she doesn’t think she noticed how much he looks like him.

Galowen says he knows.

Ellieralei says when he was just a little calf she used to joke that he looked like just a little ball of his fur when the winter came. And now he’s even fuzzier, she adds, scratching gently at his facial hair. She opens her mouth and then closes it before she says she doesn’t know where to start. She asks how he is.

Galowen says he’s here. He’s well enough.

She says that’s good. He’s here. She’s been picking at her food, fingers shaking. She says that she can’t– sometimes she just thinks that it would have been easier if they’d just let Elathias take what he wanted. Galowen wouldn’t have had to go and his father would still be alive, and they could just be home. She knows it’s stupid.

Galowen says it’s not stupid. That’s all he thought about when he was running away. He decided not to think about it at all. He didn’t think. He didn’t want to know about what had happened, if Dad was dead, if she was dead, if they were both dead. He didn’t want to come back here.

Elliralei says it’s hard to think about. She tried so hard to find him. She lived at the temple for a few months after, maybe two or three. She doesn’t know how word got out about what happened, but eventually the cleric of the grove sent someone to investigate and found her there. It was deemed too dangerous to remain. Everything of importance was removed. They have formally abandoned the temple there.

Galowen asks what she means about everything of importance.

Elliralei says everything of importance. The reason they’re destined to guard the temple is out of a sacred duty to protect and oversee something within it. It is considered one of the utmost sacred responsibilities of their people. The things Galowen and his parents were entrusted to protect are dangerous and vital.

Galowen says for her to just tell him.

She starts to say something, and he says he knows what they were guarding. She says they’d planned to tell him when it was time for him to take over the protection of the temple. She asks if he knows about the necklace his father gave him. He says it’s a deer jawbone.

Elliralei says it is one of a kind. It’s a key to a door that cannot be opened inside the temple without it. They took everything else, grave markers and scrolls and ensured that it would be impossible to access that final room without that jaw bone. They decided to abandon that room instead.

Galowen says he finds it hard to believe that it wouldn’t open for the cleric of the grove.

Elliralei says it won’t. His necklace isn’t just any deer jaw bone. She sets down the leaf with her picked-apart dinner and leans forward. He knows what is in that room. He knows what his father died protecting. When Caletras’ mortal body was laid to rest in the crypt beneath the temple, she was laid to rest alongside her companions, an elk and a deer, the first two creatures to keep her company after her birth, the first two creatures of mortal birth to follow her. They were tied to her life span, artificially extended by the nature of the gods, and when her mortal life ended, theirs did too.

Galowen looks up at Glyn who puts his chin on Galowen’s shoulder and huffs at him.

Elliralei says it’s funny how history repeats itself. Caletras went through the world with an elk and a deer and now so does Galowen. Galowen says that’s a little morbid, and Elliterei says Caletras is the god of nature and what is nature but death and rebirth. The tomb only opens for the bones of Caletras’ companions, of which there is only one. Access to Caletras’ mortal body would be disastrous to everything they know.

Galowen asks how so. It’s her body. He knows Elathias is after him and his friends and that they want to kill the gods and break into the Celestial Plane, and they’ve trapped souls in steel so that they cannot be revived, but Caletras’ soul isn’t there.

Elliralei says that she doesn’t know what Elathias plans. She only met the man a few times, when she was younger. She’s about forty-five years older than him and Adraetha. But what she does know is that Caletras is tied by physical connection to her mortal remains, and Kelfemma would be most affected by her death on the celestial plane. Her magic and power would rot and burrow into the material realm starting here where her body and birthplace is. Places of deep, unabiding faith, places of dedication are where the worlds are thinnest. Places like here in the central grove and their temple.

Galowen says there was a temple to Tsaliora in the Tessvar Forest in the other continent to the east. Elliralei says really and Galowen says that it was the final resting place of the paladin of Alaeymena.

Elliralei asks if he tried to take that place too. Galowen says he did, though he eventually left it when it didn’t have what he was searching for.

She says she gets the feeling of a storm coming and also the feeling that they’re missing something. Why would Elathias want to become a god?

Galowen says the same reason most people do: power, control, and at least for Elathias, probably spite.

Elliralei says spite seems like a good motivator. She remembers when he was twenty, a child, chasing after Adraetha with flowers and a butterfly he had caught. She pauses. She says that she hoped that seeing him would make her less afraid for him, but it hasn’t. She spent every day hoping he would come home and worrying that he would never come back again, but even now she’s still so afraid for him.

Galowen says she shouldn’t. She tells him not to tell her not to worry for him. She already lost him once. Galowen says she won’t again. She leans in and wraps her arms around him.

On the other side of the grove, dinner is being pulled off the fire in a larger pit. Viallo is settled with the twins, standing to greet them. He’s still recovering from his injuries but looks much improved. There’s a few other people with him, but it’s primarily the family. Adraetha, Viallo, the twins, and the Hooligans.

They’re all introduced in a circle as Viallo dismisses the others.

Adraetha sits and serves everyone. It’s very nice, light fare, earthy and natural. It’s early into idle chatting when Cal'travor looks up, his long ear twitching and his tail twitching and says, “Are all of you going to kill him?”

Audacity says no, they’re helping Galowen kill him.

Cal'travor asks what’s the difference. Audacity says Galowen would never forgive him.

Cal'travor says he understands. He says that it didn’t have to be like this. Yolov agrees, saying people always have a choice to be kinder or the less harmful option and it’s a pity when they choose otherwise. Cal'travor says even more urgently that it didn’t have to be this way.

He asks if they know what will happen if they fail. Hava says that doesn't matter because it won’t happen. He says that they will all rot before he says he has to go. He turns into the wooden deer and bolts away.

Cal'antala explains that her brother is a diviner and he can see all the different futures and it’s often overwhelming. He is working on controlling his visions, but it’s difficult. She explains that she and her brother both got these forms from Caletras when they were born in the Temple of Creation.

Yolov, looking at Viallo and Adraetha, asks if that means they could shapeshift even as babies. He sees exhaustion on their faces as Cal'antala says yes, she was a kit and her brother was a baby deer.

Cal'antala says she’s going to be a druid and be a leader because she’s very friendly. Yolov agrees that she’s friendly, and Adraetha says that her children have other interests besides their responsibilities. She knows that Cal’travor prefers healing people over his duties as a diviner, and that Cal’antala would rather hunt and defend the forest than heal, even if they think they are being sneaky. She and Viallo want them to live their own lives.

She looks in the direction Cal'travor fled and says she should go check on her son.

Hava says slowly that he’s a diviner. When Adraetha says yes, Hava asks if she can go speak with him. Adraetha agrees and tells her of a cliff Cal'travor goes to when he needs to be alone.

Hava sets off in search of him.