<Dionysus> A servant comes to your room, "Ma'am? A package has been sent to you."

• Taka blinks. "A package?"

<Dionysus> He nods, "The Church of Fauna has it, ma'am. They said you may stop by & retrieve it at your convenience."

<Taka> "Thank you."

• Taka will go and see what it is, then.

<Dionysus> The temple of fauna is notone of the finer temples on Temple Street, but it's not shabby, either. It's made of wood, & it encases small oasis.

<Taka> Nice

<Dionysus> Inside, there's a lot of tribals kneeling in what would be the cathedral of most temples. It's just a bare room here.

<Dionysus> Amongst these is Gujumba, the Mountain of Pain, from Bellflowers' personal tribe.

<Taka> [how about that.]

• Taka makes note of that, and finds someone to ask about the package.

<Dionysus> A man in brown robes tells you it's out back. He leads the way.

• Taka follows

<Dionysus> He leads you to a small room & pulls a package out of a stack of packages. "No return address, no nothing. Just a note saying to see to it you received it. Given to our temple in Ranscar up north. They sent it south by condor."

<Dionysus> He handsit over.

<Taka> "Thank you." She takes a look at it.

<Dionysus> A sling, a piece of paper, & a weather holy symbol.

• Taka reads the paper curiously.

<Dionysus> "Dear Taka, I have realized that until I am worthy of protecting you, I am nothing. As such, I have sought out & found a way to destroy the Indestructibles. I doubt we will ever meet again. This is my last present to you. With unworthy love, Jean Luc."

• Taka pauses for a long moment, then thanks the priest[?] again and heads back to her room, inspecting the sling and symbol.

<Dionysus> As you leave, Gujumba stands & bows to you. He says in Berellian, spoken poorly, "Lead Scout, it is good see you again."

• Taka smiles at him, bowing back. "Good to see you too. How are things?"

<Dionysus> "We come to bring message from Lady of Fauna." He means Bellflowers. "To council of crowns. Are you servant of Great Ivory?"

<Dionysus> The latter of which is his pachydermion way of saying Father of Fauna, of course.

<Taka> "Aye, I serve Thousand Tails." [I figured.]

<Dionysus> "Come. We see."

<Dionysus> He starts for the oasis.

• Taka follows him.

<Dionysus> The oasis is full of normal animals for a savannah watering hole.

<Dionysus> But they all seem to be getting along fine.

• Taka perks her ears quite happily.

<Dionysus> Gujumba sits, cross legged (which is impressive) by the pool.

<Dionysus> "Sit."

• Taka does.

<Dionysus> He reaches into a pouch & pulls out a strange smelling herb. He tears this in two & hands par tto you. He eats the other half. "Eat."

• Taka sniffs it curiously, then does.

<Dionysus> After you eat it (it tastes foul), he says, "Meditate."

• Taka flicks an ear and nods.

<Dionysus> Roll will.

<Dionysus> You meditate, clearing your mind. As you do so, the drug starts taking effect.

<Taka> oh fun

<Dionysus> You see animals of all manner around you, all serenly approaching, saying nothing.

• Taka looks quite content.

<Dionysus> As you do this, a voice asks, "Where is the sun?"

• Taka blinks and looks around.

<Dionysus> The voice's source cannot be seen. The sun is easy to find.

<Dionysus> Do you answer?

• Taka cocks her head slightly, a bit confused. yes.

<Dionysus> "Where is your heart?"

• Taka puts a hand over it.

<Dionysus> "Where is your /heart/?"

• Taka looks up slowly. "Here...all around, in this place...my heart is with the Fox Father." She doesn't even really understand the answer, but there you go.

<Dionysus> "Where else?"

• Taka looks down now. "...with the one I love...wherever he may be."

<Dionysus> "And nowhere else?"

<Taka> [this is deep.]

<Taka> "...with those I care about...home...that's all..."

<Dionysus> "Where is your path?"

<Taka> "Ahead of me."

<Dionysus> "Where does it lead?"

<Taka> "Only Thousand Tails knows."

<Dionysus> "Where do you wish to be?"

<Taka> "...in a land of peace." she looks round. "a place like this..."

<Dionysus> "There can be no peace."

<Taka> "Why?"

<Dionysus> "The world is cursed."

<Taka> "Can the curse be broken?"

<Dionysus> "All curses can be broken."

<Taka> "How can this one be broken?"

<Taka> "how can I break it?"

<Dionysus> "We do not know. Very few understand curses. This one was laid by a god."

• Taka bows her head slightly, ears wilting a bit.

<Dionysus> "But there is one who knows the way of curses quite well."

• Taka looks up. "Who?"

<Dionysus> "The Curseweaver."

<Taka> do I have any idea who that is?

<Dionysus> Not a clue.

<Taka> "Where can I find him?"

<Dionysus> "He left the world long ago."

• Taka lowers her ears again.

<Dionysus> "But he can still be found by one who can truly see."

• Taka pauses a moment, then nods.

<Dionysus> "Can you see?"

<Taka> "I...don't know...but I think I know someone who can."

<Dionysus> "Who?"

<Taka> "Shideezhi...Spirit Walker."

<Dionysus> A laugh. "He is not dead, Lead Scout. He is just gone."

<Taka> pause. "Then I think I can find him."

<Dionysus> "Do you have a plan?"

<Taka> "...no." darn truth blessing..

<Dionysus> "What do you see?"

• Taka looks around.

<Dionysus> An oasis with lots of animals.

• Taka says this, then pauses. "but...I was given a charm of sight by a friend that could aid me."

<Dionysus> "What does that show you?"

• Taka takes it out and looks.

<Dionysus> Where do you tyr to look/what do you look for/etc?

<Taka> well, she really has nothing to go by except Curseweaver, so she's trying to see where he is. not knowing the limitations of the stone, other than void, it's a fair try.

<Dionysus> You get nothing.

<Taka> Something that will help her find him

<Dionysus> The stone can't find something that nonspecific.

<Taka> "Nothing...I'm not sure what to look for..."

<Dionysus> "Your eyes are not open."

• Taka looks confused. "...how do I open them?"

<Dionysus> "Look wihtin."

• Taka looks a bit more confused and looks down at herself, trying to do so - not physically, mentally, just to clarify.

<Dionysus> Roll will

<Dionysus> Eklem Dionysus [diff taka: 17] 20 23 24

<Taka> [damn am I glad I rolled a 10]

<Dionysus> You see a forest, like the one at home.

<Dionysus> There's a path that is surrounded by wolves.

<Dionysus> And there's a glimmering in the sky that is unusual.

<Dionysus> You see everything as sharply as you can usually smell it

• Taka stares in awe, looking round, and moves to follow the path.

<Dionysus> Down the path is a place where it forks in an infinite number of ways.

• Taka hesitates, unsure which road to take.

<Dionysus> Most of them end in death, but some seeem to go on forever.

• Taka bows her head for a moment, muttering "Fox Father guide me..." and takes a step, eyes closed. then she looks to see which path she ended up on.

<Dionysus> Give me an empty roll

<Dionysus> Your eyes open & you are on a road that leads on for what looks like forever.

• Taka looks slightly relieved and starts walking.

<Dionysus> As you travel, spiders, roaches, rats, & crows assault the edges of your vision, while foxes, wolves, swans, & other animals fight them

• Taka hesitates, wanting to help in the fight.

<Dionysus> You'd have to be able to walk on thin air

• Taka keeps going, then.

<Dionysus> You come to a part where everything is utterly blurred. All you can see is a cloud of roaches, a red fox, & the smell of blood.

<Dionysus> Then, you come to another fork. One fork leads beyond Shem, one leads to a warzone.

• Taka hesitates, then turns her steps towards the one leading beyond Shem.

<Dionysus> You see infinity.

• Taka pauses.

<Dionysus> Infinity swirls around you & you hear a voice, "There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only our time alive."

• Taka looks around for the source of the voice.

<Dionysus> None can be seen

<Taka> "...just the now...?"

<Dionysus> "There is no present."

• Taka looks confused.

<Dionysus> "Where are you?"

<Taka> "Here...I don't know..."

<Dionysus> "Where is here?"

<Taka> "...I don't know."

<Dionysus> "Yes, you do. Where are you?"

• Taka looks around again. "...Nowhere." she still looks confused.

<Dionysus> "You are not thinking."

<Dionysus> "Where are you?"

<Taka> [in all honesty, her player has as much idea as she does ^^; this may take a while.]

• Taka lowers her ears, thinking...and says the next thing that comes to mind. "On a path...on my path..."

<Dionysus> "Where is your path?"

• Taka pauses in thought once more.

<Taka> "...Within?"

<Dionysus> The question hangs in the air.

<Dionysus> "And where are you without?"

<Taka> [sorry. I seriously did not have an answer for a while...]

<Taka> "...the Temple of Fauna...in Ienova."

<Dionysus> "On your path, when without, where are you?"

<Taka> "...Where I should be, with the Alpha Wolf."

<Dionysus> "Where is he headed?"

<Taka> "to bring peace."

<Dionysus> "Through violence?"

<Taka> "It is not the method of choice, but sometimes there is no other alternative."

<Taka> [brb]

<Dionysus> Okay

<Dionysus> "And when peace is achieved?"

<Taka> [back]

<Taka> "Then my task will be complete."

<Dionysus> "Whom will you serve after that?"

<Taka> "Always I serve the Fox Father. Once my task is complete...I believe I will stay with the Alpha Wolf, should he have need of me."

<Dionysus> "So you give up your place as a Berellian?"

<Taka> "If I can serve Berellia as well by staying, then no. but if I must...when the time comes, we will see."

<Dionysus> "And the one you love?"

<Taka> "...If we should meet again when all is over, I will be glad. If such is not our fate, I will grieve. But I left the choice to him when last we parted, and his last message does not leave me much hope that our fate will be a happy one."

<Dionysus> "If he asked you to leave your path?"

<Taka> "...I could not do so when we parted. I could not do so now, or in the future. It would grieve me...but I could not."

<Dionysus> "And if the Alpha Wolf asked you to?"

<Taka> "My path is in the service of the Fox Father, whom I serve above all else."

<Dionysus> "Have you taken vows to him?"

<Taka> "I have not."

<Dionysus> "If you serve him above all, what prevents you?"

<Taka> "My path has not led me to do so yet."

<Dionysus> "You must open your eyes."

<Taka> "I am trying."

<Dionysus> "OPEN YOUR EYES."

• Taka does...or tries to...just on reflex.

<Dionysus> Roll will.

<Dionysus> Eklem Dionysus [diff: 19] 21 23 23

<Taka> dammit, cna I take karma on that?

<Dionysus> Yes. Nega?

<Taka> Both. I rolled an 18, with a high of 23.

<Dionysus> Fair enough.

<Dionysus> You see infinity again, but this time, you see reality on top of it. It is... intense. Gujumba is before you.

<Dionysus> He grabs you gentles & places his hand over your face.

• Taka blinks at him, ears flattening out of reflex.

<Dionysus> "Do you wish to serve fully, as a shaman of the Great Ivory?"

<Taka> "I...yes..."

<Dionysus> "Then stand, shaman, & see the world as it is."

• Taka does, looking around.

<Dionysus> You see the carnage of war, starvation, evil of all stripes, & the mercy & goodness of all things. You see the balance of nature.

• Taka stares in awe.

<Dionysus> Then it slowly tunes down.

<Dionysus> Gujumba says, "Now, you must pass the test."

• Taka looks at him. "What is the test?"

<Dionysus> "Go in & face the master."

<Dionysus> He points to a shaded area in the oasis.

• Taka glances towards it, looks back at him, then nods and takes a breath, heading for it.

<Dionysus> Within is a beats you

<Dionysus> 've no name for.

<Taka> What's it look like?

<Dionysus> It is a squat creature, with horns, looking like a badger, almost, & it has a lizard's tail, & glowing yellow eyes.

• Taka just stands there for a moment, not sure what to do.

<Dionysus> It hisses, then asks, -Why are you here?- in its own language.

<Taka> -To pass the test.-

<Dionysus> -Why?-

<Taka> -To serve the Fox Father.-

<Dionysus> -Why do you wish to serve?-

<Taka> -I follow the Fox Father above all else...- she pauses, unable to translate emotion into words.

<Dionysus> -Why do you do so?-

<Taka> -...It is what I feel is right.-

<Dionysus> -Why?-

<Taka> -...I cannot explain what I cannot put into words. but I trust that He knows me. He is in my heart...my heart is with him...- she trails off, again stuck for words.

<Dionysus> -If you do not know why you wish to serve, you are unfit. Why do you wish to serve?-

• Taka closes her eyes for a moment. -...to help. my path has led me here, guided by the Fox Father.-

<Dionysus> "What makes the fauna of the world superior? Why are animals what you serve? What makes him sacred?"

<Dionysus> s/"/-/

<Taka> -Look around...look and see the balance that they keep. They are beautiful and terrible, graceful and powerful. They are teachers, as he is a teacher, if one can but listen for even a moment. The Fox Father brought these treasures, these animals into our world...and for that we owe him greatly.-

<Dionysus> -So you owe him a debt?-

<Taka> -no more than anyone else. I wish to serve him in the hopes that I can learn further, from both him and the animals around us, and in the hopes that I can help bring peace to this land...to this world...for everyone. Man and animal.-

<Taka> [and whatever other race I should've added to include everyone.]

<Dionysus> [It goes through the filter]

<Taka> [rock.]

<Dionysus> The creature syas, -Then you may serve. Open your eyes.-

• Taka does...or tries to. whichever.

<Dionysus> You do.

<Taka> whee.

<Dionysus> The shadows fall away & you discover you were speaking with a simple rabbit.

<Dionysus> It bounces away.

<Dionysus> You now have 13 fauna faith & +6 awareness

<Taka> Dude.

<Taka> sweet.

• Taka watches the rabbit bounce off, then returns to the main oasis.

<Dionysus> Gujumba says, "You must find the last sword."

<Taka> [which one didn't we have...the one with the Reevers?]

• Taka looks thoughtful. "The last sword?"

<Dionysus> [yes, reevers].

<Dionysus> "The last piece of the Stormbringer's soul. Free it, or Chryandemus cannot be killed."

<Taka> [*nod*]

• Taka nods. "Aye. I will."

<Dionysus> He nods. "There are answers nearby. Seek them."

<Taka> "Can you tell me where?"

<Dionysus> He shrugs, "Use your nose."

• Taka nods and, figuring there's nothing to lose by taking that literally, sniffs the air.

<Dionysus> What's you smell score now? With that last bonus?

<Taka> er...base of 28, I think.

<Dionysus> Right. You smell everything in the city.

<Dionysus> Including salty sea air.

<Taka> ...except for the fact that we're in the savannah. interesting.

<Taka> [last I knew we were, anyway...]

<Dionysus> Right.

<Taka> So I follow that scent.

<Dionysus> You come to a dirty bar in the outskirts.

<Dionysus> Six sailors sit around talking & drinking. The barman ignores them & focuses on a steady drinker in the corner. No one else is in here.

• Taka acts like she belongs here and scans the room for anything even remotely promising - talk, a sword, whichever.

<Dionysus> They seem to be sharing stories of recent troubles on the high seas.

<Taka> Quick question, because I'm not sure. does Taka know the final sword is with reevers?

<Dionysus> Yes.

<Dionysus> It's been discussed in her presence.

<Taka> Oh good. Any mention of reevers, therefore, in their talk?

<Dionysus> Reevers, yes. Jorgendish raiders flying a wolf flag. The Imperial navy.

<Dionysus> The thing is, the Jorgendish raiders recently sailed to a reever outpost & sacked it, leaving a whole mess of treasure. They only took a young boy & a sword, so goes the story.

• Taka perks her ears up at that. does the story say where they went afterwards?

<Dionysus> All over. They've been destroying every ship in the shipping lanes of the west coast for months now.

<Taka> Wonderful. So now I gotta get to the west coast. hm.

<Dionysus> Err, to be clear, Gujumba just wanted you to find out where it was.

<Dionysus> Not to actually go get it on yer own. It would take ages to go do that.

<Taka> hee. either way, to destroy it, someone has to get there.

<Taka> or get it here.

<Dionysus> Indeed.

<Dionysus> If you've got ideas how to do that, feel free to pursue them

• Taka will first leave the bar and go find someplace in a better neighborhood to peer into her moonstone to get a better idea of where the sword is now.

<Dionysus> You see a Jorgendish ship, with the name /Comet/

<Taka> Can I get a better idea of a location, or is that all I can get?

<Dionysus> That's as best you can get

<Taka> It'll do. I then track down Viollca.

---

<Dionysus> When alone, he says, "You're aware of the Order?"

• Taka nods. "I am."

<Dionysus> "We need good people. The others, they... they're too tied to what's going on. You, however, are... outside."

<Dionysus> "You coul be very useful to the Order. You know about the Curse."

<Taka> "I...yes. Only recently, though..."

<Dionysus> He nods. "When this is all done, would you be willing to join the Order? It would mean leaving your friends."

<Dionysus> "We could use you. We need, desperately, to find the Curseweaver."

• Taka glances back at the door. "I..." her ears perk at mention of the Curseweaver. "Yes. That is where my path leads. I will miss the Alpha and the others...but I cannot step off my path."

<Dionysus> He smiles, then nods. "Good. Then I will give you something..." He glows blue, then glows all the colors you can imagine.

<Dionysus> Then all your charms glow.

• Taka flattens her ears in surprise and a bit of awe.

<Dionysus> The weather charm allows you now to catch lightning.

<Dionysus> As well as hat it did before.

<Taka> sweet!

<Dionysus> The water charm is strengthened to a vast area effect.

<Dionysus> The wind one is stronger by a great deal.

<Dionysus> The flora one gives the armor bonus now without the penalties.

<Dionysus> The fire one allows flame on any weapon.

<Taka> niiice

<Dionysus> The sun one allows you to fire a stronger sunray

<Dionysus> The moon one allows further & stronger sight

<Dionysus> And the fauna one... allows a second animal form, at a stronger rune

<Taka> Whee!

<Taka> and there's a flatrock, too.

<Dionysus> Oh, it works faster.

<Taka> Nice. very nice.

<Dionysus> Caliban says, looking tired, "Pick a fierce animal. You'll need a strong one to face the new gods."

• Taka nods and looks thoughtful.

<Dionysus> "I need to rest now. Father will send you all back soon."

<Taka> "Thank you."