Seeking direction - Hamar - Samheen 27th MT

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Hamar so`Bergliin
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Seeking direction - Hamar - Samheen 27th MT

Post by Hamar so`Bergliin »

Hamar enjoyed the feeling of a full money pouch. The expedition to seek out the new vein of crystal may have failed on that score, but their ship came home laden down with ivory and meat. His share was small as befitted his few needs and low station but it was still more money than he had ever had before. Hamar found his steps heading towards the Temple of the Ice Queen for it was proper to give thanks for his good fortune.

Hamar long marvelled at the crystal dome that housed the temple, the ultimate example of the crystal crafters art. Hamar dreamed of one day being skilled enough to add his own runes along side those of the masters. Often he walked these halls simply to seek inspiration for his own crafts.

Neither of these was the true reason he visited the Temple. He needed guidance and from those far wiser than himself. The invitation from the Svafa to learn the craft of runes was a once in a life time opportunity not to be ignored yet he felt unworthy of it. The priestesses of the Temple would know for sure.

As you look around in appreciation of the simple beauty surrounding you, a young girl, not yet an adult, as indicated by her featherless braids, approaches you.

"Greetings. What might you seek from the Ice Queen this day?"


Hamar dipped his head in greeting. "I seek the guidance of the Ice Queen to direct me down which path should I walk. A great choice is before me and I know not which way to turn."
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Post by Vanadius »

OOC: Greetings and welcome!


IC:

The crystal and ice shimmered and gleamed. Those who were unfamiliar with the sight would have involuntarily paused to take in it's beauty. But those inside were accustomed to such things and went about their business just like any other day. Indeed it was nearly like any other day in the northern settlement of Rimmerhold. The runes Hamar admired shone brightly as they always had and in the light of the day they sparkled clearly. He recognized many, but as always, he found a few that were beyond his meager learning and studies thus far. They seemed to gently mock him as they looked down on him from above.

After Hamar spoke, the young girl paused for a moment, unsure at first of how to reply.

"A great choice you say? Then please sir, enter the Temple and ask the Wise Ones inside. They shall know the path you should take."

She indicated the way he should walk with a sweeping gesture with her hand. It led inside, around the empty dias and to some benches were a woman sat. It was easy to tell she was a priestess, every bit of her clothing and demeanor practically shouted it. She rose to greet him.

"Good tide to you. How may I help you?"
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Post by Hamar so`Bergliin »

Hamar brought his fist to his chest and bowed low to the priestess. "Wise One, I have come here for guidance, for," Hamar paused not quite sure what to say, "for a second look into my soul." He said at last.

"I am Hamar so`Bergliin, a carver of crystal and until recently I was content to be so." Hamar began. "Then I went on a sea expedition. I saw mountains of ice, great herds of walrus and seal and the great hunts that followed." Hamar smiled softly in remembrance then sobered.

"None of that is what brings me here." Hamar continued. "I was chosen by a wise woman of Svafa as a servant. She was a scriber of runes, a masterful user of crystal carvings that I was only worthy enough to polish and then only reluctantly." Hamar lifted his head to look the priestess in the eyes. "At the end of the journey her last words to me were that I may have the gift and I should present myself to the Svafa."

Hamar dropped his head again. "I know it is wrong to question the words of a wise woman but I can barely believe that such ability lies within me." Hamar fell silent again. "I think I came here to ask if you could see it too."
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Post by Vanadius »

The eyes of the aged priestess flicked up and down the young man, gauging him and his words with a look that betrayed her curiosity about him. The braids and beads in her hair clicked against one another as she turned her head to look at the runes that were etched into the walls of the chamber itself.

"Faith is a powerful thing." She said, cryptically at first, but she went to clarify, still examining the runes above them.

"It defines us. Shapes us. Molds our future.

She returned her attention to the young man before her.

"If the elder of the Svafa has decreed that you have the gift for such things within you, why would you choose to not be accepting of that judgement and not believe it yourself?"

"Why would you doubt your own abilities and talents child?"

Instead of waiting for any sort of reply, she placed a hand cautiously on his shoulder and urged him forward, deeper into the chamber.

"You have seen the hunts. You have seen the great snow fields and the seas of frost. Yet you question such things. Let me share something with you young one. Wisdom comes from within. Do not seek it elsewhere."

She pointed to one of the magnificent runes. It was a difficult one for the young apprentice. It was something to do with the Gods, but beyond that, he simply could not be sure...

"Can you name that mark?"
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Post by Hamar so`Bergliin »

There were many answers to the questions of the priestess. Why did he doubt himself? Because of a father that for years disdained him for the lack of talent at the forge. Because of viewing his clumsy forms of the crystal next to the masterpieces around him. Because no one trusts having all of his dreams fulfilled in one sentence.

Hamar looked at the rune that the priestess pointed out and answered truthfully. "No I cannot, Wise One. I can tell that it speaks of the Gods but no more. Only if the rune had no name and required one could I name it." Hamar immediately felt foolish for adding the last but what was said was said.
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Post by Vanadius »

The priestess gave him a flat look, clearly taken aback by his answer. Yet, her expression softened into one more of curiosity and wonder. There was clearly interest in the intrigues of his answer. There was now a sincere questioning of this young man, done with the best of intentions for his future.

"I wonder child. You have me curious now. If such a thing had no name, what would you name it? What would you call something that thousands have passed before you and been unable to define?"

She sat back and watched him intently now, almost breathlessly awaiting whatever answer was forthcoming.
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Post by Hamar so`Bergliin »

Hamar swallowed nervously under the intent gaze of the priestess. He had only meant that something without a name could be given any name, not to imply he had some secret knowledge. On impulse, he almost named it Snurri after a sled dog he once befriended. Glancing up at the priestess he knew she would not be amused.

Wisdom comes from within. So what is inside me? Hamar stared at the complex rune, a rune made up of other runes all angling and merged into one another. It was impossible to tell where one began and another ended. Did the carver deliberately hide the meaning or was it the point that everyone found their own meaning from it.

So what is inside me? Fear, uncertainty, skill and power slowly growing, faith in the wise and the Ice Queen. The Ice Queen. From the top center, Hamar thought he found the runes for ice and queen entwined together. They were superimposed over those rune depicting the rest of the gods. It was curious that. Why in a temple to the Ice Queen was there a mention of other gods. She was before the rest of them. More she was between the viewer and the other gods.

"Its a line etched in the ice." Hamar said at last. "A line no other gods should cross for these are Her lands." Hamar shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that."
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Post by Vanadius »

Silence...

Awkward, terrible silence...

The priestess' look changed from one of warm curiosity to outright and abject amazement. Clearly he had struck a nerve.

"By the breath of the Ice Queen..." She breathed.

It took a moment for her to compose herself. She swallowed roughly and smoothed her hair and the many braids and beads that hung from them in an almost frightened gesture. Her hands eventually made their way down to her sides where she smoothed imaginary wrinkles from her priestly vestments as well.

"You can indeed see child! The elder of the Svafa spoke true! I have asked many others to identify that mark and all mentioned something of Gods and of faith, much as you have. But you have hit upon something not seen in many yahren. The line you see is a secret path that few could ever speak of. The hidden is revealed to you."

"This mark is called Vaal, 'the wall'. You are correct child. It is a line that none shall cross. It is a line that signifies both blessing and curse to our people. You are the first to identify it in more than six generations. The last was a man named Skaalyr of the Waelkyrige."

The priestess glanced about, as if what she was telling him was something forbidden, something... awful. Her voice lowered, shielding it from unwanted eavesdropping.

"Skaalyr sought the Vaal and set himself upon the secret path. It whispered that the Ice Worms would writhe and blister when he approached. That the Great Bears would bow and cower to him in his passing. That his ghost still haunts the ice flats and the Talons of Gymir."

She placed a hand upon his shoulder in a gesture full of both motherly concern, and fearful respect.

"You Hamar of the Bergliin may have been chosen by the Queen to walk this path as well. You are the first of the seventh generation to identify the Vaal."

"SISTERS!" She suddenly shouted. "HE SEES THE HIDDEN MARK! SOUND THE DRUMS! CALL THE MOOT! HE SEES THE SECRET PATH!"

A cry of great joy and fear went up through the temple. The priestesses shrieked in fear and wonder, and Hamar suddenly found himself in as the eye in a great storm of frenzied activity all around him.
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Post by Hamar so`Bergliin »

Hamar watched all the frenzy about him with the detachment that only comes from the soul accepting something that the mind cannot wrap itself around. His spirit exulted. At long last he had found where he was supposed to be. He had been given a sign from his Queen and there was a path to walk. Nothing else mattered. His thoughts however whirled around that calm center just as the priestesses whirled around him.

A blessing and a curse... what will mother think and father... ice worms writhed and blistered... even the priestess fear what I might become... the Vaal, it is a line that none must cross... the secret path,the path to power...still haunts the ice flats...is that my fate?

Hamar swallowed thickly. "Wise One?" He called softly. Somehow he felt his words might disturb the tumult of activity about him were they all to hear. "What happens now?" He asked.
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Post by Vanadius »

The priestess gave him a look of confidence and support. She wanted to instill in this young man a sense of purpose and of peace. The Ice Queen had chosen this... almost frail looking young man to walk a path that few ever knew of.

"Be at peace young one. There will be many questions to answer, but few that you will need to reply to yourself directly. Secrets shall be revealed, but fear not, these are signs of her will. Many plans that we have been preparing for will now be set in motion."

The many sisters within ushered out all other visitors save Hamar, and closed off the Temple to any others for the rest of the day. The priestess led young Hamar down to the icy floor of the temple and he was instructed to sit on a skin rug that was moved to lay across the bare ice. A circle was cut into the ice around him, separating him from all others by the rough cut groove, that had just now been freshly carved into the ice.

More runes were inscribed into the ice before him. All were familiar, and recognizable as a crude form of Hamar's name and tribe. Trothgard had no real written language to speak of, so such things were completed with simple symbols and lines.

"Hamar so`Bergliin, we welcome you to the Covenant of the Secret Fire. Be at ease young Bergliin, for a great many things will be revealed to you. You have recognized the Vaal, now we shall set you upon the markings of a new rune."

A symbol was carved into the great sheet of ice before him. It was a mountain, with a twisting path going up the side of it.

"This is Ruud. The mark and sign of 'the road'. You shall become very familiar with this rune, as it is a great and telling symbol of the future."

Many eyes looked to him as the wise woman spoke. They all waited for his reaction.
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Post by Hamar so`Bergliin »

While the priestesses worked on their carvings, Hamar eyed the groove of ice around him with growing unease. A barrier between me and the world. A Vaal of my own. Will that path always be a wall? Will I be able to let another in to walk beside me. Unconsciously, Hamar reached up and fiddled with the feather lying low in his beard. It should have been the least of his concerns yet seemed all the more important in the light of his new life.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step." Hamar murmured as the Ruud was explained to him. He raised his head from the floor to question and found nothing but faces eager to hear an answer.

Seek wisdom within. He reminded himself. Hamar steadied himself with a deep breath and focused once more upon the rune. Yet another rune of runes within runes. This was no road. It was a maze and with so many different paths. Hamar focused upon the the part at the base of the mountain seeking the beginning of the Ruud.

Hamar stretched out his hand and pointed. "I see here the rune for fire and here a set depicting knowledge." He said at last. "My first step upon the Ruud must be the understanding of flame." He said with far more confidence than he felt.
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Post by Vanadius »

The many Wise Women looked on and nodded in assent.

"Both Fire and Ice are great teachers to our people young one. The flame is a living thing. It shows us how to live and breathe and sometimes even to die. It is fast and furious and brings us warmth and comfort. When used as a weapon, it can destroy utterly and completely."

"Ice is different. Ice is the preserver. It hold and contains, and shows us it's smooth and easy surface. It is slow and steady, but when broken, it can be jagged and harsh. Both flame and frost have a place and a purpose."

"We are but poor teachers of this wisdom. But there are answers to be had. Many generations ago, it is said that the wise women instructed Skaalyr to seek out the secret fire and learn vyrd, the word from the lips and hearts of the Keepers. No one living today understand who or what the Keepers are, but our lore speaks of them. We have sent out many expeditions to find them and speak with them and many have returned lost and afraid, crazed and broken. The Queen hides them from our eyes. For what purpose, we do not know."

"It is said that Skaalyr briefly returned to the settlements after visiting with them. He said little of their wisdom save that it was great and terrible, and that their secret fire would turn our settlements to ash and our children to bones. It is whispered still to this day that he kept that knowledge hidden from the eyes of even the wise ones and that it died with him in the great sea of ice and snow. We hide these tales, and for good reason. It is to discourage the young or the foolish to seek out things that cannot or should not be explained. It is to dissuade those who seek that power and madness and covet it for themselves. This is the secret path young Hamar. Do you understand?"

"The Keepers must have the lore you need. If you wish, we can set out into the Great Talons to try and find them once more. Or, if study is more to your liking, we can share our knowledge here. I fear that knowledge will be but a trickle compared to the rivers of these mysterious ones, but we will share all the lore we have freely."
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Post by Hamar so`Bergliin »

Hamar focused intently on the words of the priestess trying to commit as much of this to memory as he could. The only clear thing about this path of his was the danger and he would not be caught unawares.

So. I can stay here, safe and warm among my family and friends, reading stories and learning from the Wise Ones themselves. Or, I can go traipsing off into the Gray Talons after Keepers that may or may not still exist where everyone else who tried came back broken or never returned. This was not even a choice.

"My destiny lies in the Gray Talons." Who said that? It sounded like my voice but it was saying the most ridiculous things. "But I must be as prepared as I can for the journey. I would hear the tales you do not tell before I go."
Last edited by Hamar so`Bergliin on Fri May 12, 2006 5:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Vanadius »

Many nods of assent followed young Hamar's words. The Wise Ones held their heads close together and conversed in hushed tones as they consulted one another on the best course of action. Finally, the Priestess spoke.

"Young Hamar so`Bergliin. We shall grant your request. You will be brought all those who know the tales and each shall be told to you before you depart."

She turned her attention to the many priestesses in the hall.

"Those who have knowledge and tales of the vyrd and the vaal please stay, the rest are free to go!"

The many women looked around at each other expectantly and then nearly all of them stood in unison and began to file out of the great chamber. When all was said and done, only two women remained seated and present, and both were old and frail looking.

"A trickle indeed..." The priestess spoke.

"Maha. Please come forth and tell this one of the vyrd..."

The older of the two remaining women stood slowly and approached. She was a grim and sombre looking woman, thin as a post and nearly as hard. She was of the Yrsa clan and regarded the young man with rheumy eyes full of both wisdom and disdain.

She began to speak, her voice sounding like cracked leather and her skin looked to match it in every way. She began to speak of ancient tales about the mighty magicks and runes of old, the knowledge and wisdom of many years bubbled up from her like a spring...
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Post by Hamar so`Bergliin »

Hamar had never really liked to be in a crowd but the almost complete emptying of the temple disturbed him greatly. It was truly sinking in how alone he was in all this. He crossed his arms in front of him and rubbed his arms to ward off the sudden chill he was feeling.

Hamar leaned in as the ancient Yrsa began to spoke. He attened her words with all his being once more willing himself to remember as much as he could.
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Post by Vanadius »

Maha was old. Older than many would ever dream to reach in age. Older than the High Priestess, older than any tribal elder that young Hamar had ever seen before. She wore two rings on her bony fingers, one on each hand made from crystal and bone interwoven together. She folded her hands in her lap as she sat.

She spoke in a papery voice, cracked and broken.

"Before there were clans, there was the vyrd. It bound the wise women together. They used it to craft runes of indescribable beauty and elegance. Great magicks were caught up in their weavings, and the old Gods held sway. The runes bring forth the power of the vyrd, like cutting a hole in the ice to catch fish."

"The Runes around the temple are their forgotten legacy. They mock us and shame us for not remembering their power! The Queen will take us all one day. She will take us to the top of her mountain and we will stand before her. She will ask us questions about her will and her word boy, and you will be judged!"

She seemed agitated. She took a few flickers to compose herself. After a few deep breaths, she continued.

"The runes are bound together. What affects one, affects all, and all effect each other. Too long we have coveted their power. Trying to hone and glean it for ourselves. But what was once lost shall rise again. The ice will always melt and the snow will be blown away to reveal that shame. The power of the elders live on in the runes. When you understand this, you will understand everything boy!"

"Tell me so`Bergliin. Do you dream?"
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Post by Hamar so`Bergliin »

Hamar was so intent upon remembering Maha's words that it took almost a burn to realize he had been asked a question.

"Do I dream?" Hamar echoed. "Of course I dream." Hamar blurted out defensively. Did the Wise One think he could not? More to the point, was his dreaming a good thing or not? Suddenly it became very important for him to remember what he dreamed. "I usually don't pay much attention to them." He admitted. "Too much work waiting for me at the workbench or the hearth to think on dreams. Still there a few I remember." Hamar closed his eyes and cast his mind back.

"Many times I will dream of my workbench." Hamar began. "I will be carving a piece that I had already carved that day but find a way to do it easier or a better shape than my real work. I never seem to remember the secret upon waking though." He sighed with regret. "But sometimes I dream that I am working all night on an elaborate crystal figure. I can never see what the whole is going to be or even what the part I am working on is. Yet I know it is the same crystal I am working on from dream to dream." Hamar opened his eyes and caught Maha's gaze. "That is what I dream."
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Post by Vanadius »

Maha closed her eyes and listened to his words as he spoke. When he was finished, she opened her eyes and looked pointedly at him.

"Unfinished business. This is good young one. This is very good. Much better than many other dreams. I'd rather you dream of crystals and workbenches and things unfinished, than of blood and things blistering in the flames."

She seemed contented by his answer and she relaxed some.

She nodded over at the other priestess and looked on expectantly. A silent signal was given and after a few flickers, a novitiate brought in a crystal decanter and some some clay cups were brought forth and set near her. When the novitiate was safely away, she resumed her conversation. She poured water from the decanter into the cups and offered him one. Then she drank, the cool water made from melted snow.

"Tell me. From these dreams, is this where the knowledge of the vaal and the vyrd came to you? Did you ever see these runes in your dreams?"

She closed her eyes again as she waited for his reply.

"Cast your mind back. Think. Remember..."

A vision of a giant figure loomed up before Hamar from the shadows, leaping up to stand before him from the flicker of the many crystal lanterns. It was tall and strong, this figure. Carved entirely from crystal. A warrior figure with a mighty beard and a huge axe twice his size clutched in one mammoth fist. The figure seemed frozen in place, but ready to break loose at a moment's notice.

In a flash the vision was gone, and then only Maha sat there, quietly sipping her water. This was the figure that Hamar was constructing. This was his continuing dream... and more.

"Unfinished business indeed." She whispered.
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Post by Hamar so`Bergliin »

"Did you see that too?" Hamar asked in wonder as she seemed to comment on his flash of insight. "A great being of crystal with a wild beard and a mammoth axe." He babbled on. "I've been building it in my dreams for years." He said in wonder. "What could it be? What does it mean?" He looked to the wise women for answers then remembered how futile that had been in the past.

He feel silent for a moment and suddenly remembered Maha's actual question. "But that dream is not where I saw the runes, the vaal. That came from here." Hamar placed his hand a little below his heart. "The knowledge came to me from here. A feeling of oneness that I reached looking deep into the rune."
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Post by Vanadius »

Maha smiled sweetly.

"Indeed young one, I saw it too. In time you might be able to induce such visions in others as well. It was a trick taught to me by my mistress long ago. Dreamsight is a powerful tool to discovering one's heart and the nature of one's desires."

She sipped her water gently, as if what she spoke of was as plain as mentioning that there were fish in the water.

"What could it be indeed? That is precisely the right question to ask. In the answers will lie it's meaning as well. The figure is mighty, and fierce. A warrior. This is perhaps the warrior in you, crying out. Many would say this is the man you are to become, and that this vision should order your steps and spur you into action. The Priestesses always like the menfolk to aspire to strength and prowess, but that is not your way is it boy? This was no dream of a mighty future, this was something else wasn't it?"

She paused to consider his words about where his knowledge of the vaal came from, and of his sharing his wisdom from within.

"You share yourself with the vaal, and you are one with it. Then this is a waking dream of something or someone yet to come. A vision of prophecy. This figure you carve in your dreams is your magicks at work. Others paint on skin or cloth. Some carve and sculpt. You carve here in the flesh, but you also carve in the Aether realms as well."

She took another dainty sip of water.

"Match the dream man of crystal with a real man of flesh and bone, and all the questions shall be answered." She said matter of factly.
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Post by Hamar so`Bergliin »

"Match the crystal man with a man of flesh of blood." Hamar murmured to himself. Hamar knew it was not someone he had met before. Someone like that would always loom large in the memory. "Then I shall await our first meeting."

Hamar looked to the second Wise Woman that had yet to speak. "and you Wise One? What will you tell me?" He asked.
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Post by Vanadius »

The priestess, also an older woman named Dalla, came forward and sat next to Maha. She was not nearly as old as Maha was, but she was obviously one of the older women in the Temple. She was of the Bergliin clan, and had several apprentices of her own, all well known for practicing runecraft, and wielding the power of the vyrd, as given to them by the Ice Queen.

At first she said nothing, but instead merely studied the young man with intense, fierce scrutiny.

Then she finally spoke up.

"To know the power of the vyrdis to know the powers of the secret fire. The Queen bestowed much knowledge and ability into her peoples. If we are disciplined, and we use it wisely, she will allow us great freedom in using these powers to better our clan, better our families, and better ourselves.”

Maha broke out into a fit of coughing, whether it was a case of poor timing, or intentional, she quickly regained control of herself, took a drink of water, and gestured for Dalla to continue.

“This power is in more than just runes and crystals Hamar. It is the very wind itself. If you choose to learn the ways of the secret fire, this can be a tool for use. But beware, these secrets take time and great energy to learn. The path of the secret fire is a ruud all unto itself. You are a shaper Hamar. This is a road to shaping with your own power, your own mind. Your tools will no longer be a hammer and a chisel. Your tools will be the wind and ice. These would be what you would use to shape your destiny.”

She fell quiet, expecting questions from Hamar, or at the very least, some sort of commentary from Maha. The elder priestess said nothing in words, but the smirk on her face was loaded with disdain and contempt for Dalla’s words.
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Post by Hamar so`Bergliin »

"I knew this would be a long road when I chose to take the first step, wise one." Hamar nodded to the priestess. "To use wind and ice like I use a hammer and chisel now." Hamar fell silent at the thought. He could not even picture it. What would air feel like in his hand?

"I cannot even picture it." Hamar said at last. "Is this something you can teach me here?" Hamar asked. "Or do you merely describe the path I must walk elsewhere?"
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Post by Vanadius »

"That is something only you can decide Hamar. We can show you the beginning, but only you will see it's end." She replied cryptically.

Maha seemed much more content and pleased by that exchange. The wise woman was unable to hide the smile at the priestess' words and she looked on in interest. The priestess Dalla continued.

"You must know that there have been only a handful of men that have ever been set upon this path. Nearly all have gone insane or disappeared, and none have ever succeeded at mastering such arts. The Queen's will is clear in this. No man may be taught these disciplines without a price. No price has ever been paid in full."

"Shush." Maha interjected. "Skaalyr paid that price. And the people did as well. Stop trying to scare the boy and give him something to work with, instead of an attitude of fear."

But..." Dalla started before Maha interrupted her.

"Quiet now. The boy is like to be confused and addled with this right now. Perhaps simply answer his questions and leave the omens and portents out of it."

Dalla sat, quietly fuming.

"Ask boy. Ask now whatever you wish to know. Let's be done with your questions and begin to use the answers."

Both pairs of eyes returned to Hamar, expectant of more questions from the young man.
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Post by Hamar so`Bergliin »

"I have only two questions, Wise Ones." Hamar said with a confidence he did not feel. "What was the price that Skaalyr paid?"

He let that question hang in the air before asking his second. "As for the second, what is the best route into the Great Talons? My true answers lie there."
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