Revelation Part 2: Session logs

[Idris]

Session 1: Hard choices
Session 2: Time to think
Session 3: The First & Last Room
Session 4: Friends old & new
Session 5: The Academy
Session 6: A lot to learn
Session 7: An Education
Session 8: Field Exercise
Session 9: Into the valley
Session 10: The Raven & the Riddle
Session 11: Mind the Gap
Session 12: Murderous Maggot Mire
Session 13: A Cavern of Gems
Session 14: Open the Box
Session 15: Dive in!
Session 16: A cosy cave
Session 17: Warm Reception
Session 18: Fire Fighting
Session 19: Bottle Trap
Session 20: About Djinn
Session 21: A quick trip
Session 22: Fire Trail & Rat Chat
Session 23: Fire Power
Session 24: Rat Guides
Session 25: Up & Round
Session 26: The Djinn at last
Session 27: The Djinn's story
Session 28: Traitors
Session 29: Grand Slam!

[Idris]

Session 1 - 3/9/22

IdGM: The light came nearer... was it moving or were they?... and then nearer until it filled all their vision.. Each of them had their eyes tight shut, their heads turning from side to side to escape the burning blinding brightness of the fierce whiteness. A moment’s thought...shouldn’t it be red? And then all thought was snatched away. There was a sensation of weightlessness, a horrid disorientation as the world - or their place in it - seemed to lurch sideways, and then gravity returned with a rush, pinning them down.

Very slowly their bodies adjusted and their senses untangled. They could feel the padded benches beneath them, hear the crackle of logs burning in the brazier, smell the pungent smoke, even taste the last remnant of the cloudy liquid they had drunk from the amber cup. Opening their eyes, they saw the vaulted ceiling soaring above, eight ribs of stone supporting it.

They lay as they had before the test had taken them... wherever they had gone. It seemed no time had passed at all, but the flames had died in the silver bowl and there was no sign of the jewel. Nothing of the red light it had emitted, nor the white light that had burned through their eyelids - just the soft glow of several illuminated globes that hung from the centre of the vault. And although they lay in the same position, lengths of silken cloth had been wound around their joined hands, binding them loosely together. Had they been gone hours or days?

A face appeared in Maddie’s vision - it took a moment to recognise the large figure of the Seer bending over here and removing the bonds. “Don’t panic, this was to keep you linked, to ensure you all returned together.” She went around them all - Emily could tell that she was also subtly but carefully checking them over, looking into their eyes and gently easing their hands as she untied them.

Arberyonwth smiled at Emily. “Making sure you are in one piece.” she said.

“Inside as well as out.” There was amusement of a sort in the Owl’s deep voice, but they could tell this was no jest. “In case the person who comes back is not the one who set out.” She rose from her tall chair and crossed the room to where they were now beginning to sit up - their heads swimming slightly - with Arberyonwth’s help. “Welcome back.”

When they were finally able to move - slowly and stiffly - the Seer led them across to a carved circular table set with six chairs. Dishes of simple, unspiced food had been set there, together with beakers of a warm drink something like mulled wine. Now the disorientation had worn off they found they were ravenous. It was indeed as though they had been away for several days.

The Owl sat with them, drinking a little and speaking to them as they ate.
“You have all survived the testing, and that in itself is a good thing.” She smiled, genuine warmth on her face. “There are those who believe that we Tuath have no interest in the lives of mortal beings, but this is not the case. Even the most chaotic of us makes connections with those who come into their sphere... although in such a case likely not much to their benefit,” she added wryly.

“You have survived, but far more than this. Your have each discovered your inborn Elemental Bond, and in doing so, have uncovered your own ancestry, for that Bond reveals that at some point you are descended from one of the Tuath. More importantly, you have each proved your willingness and capacity to reach out to the Elemental Flow, and to employ the Power that the Flow can provide to you, to shape that Element for your own purposes.

This is just the beginnng. What you experienced in the test is far beyond your present capabilities. To shape the Flow to your needs will require much study and practice. More importantly, as you may have realised during the testing, the employment of Elemental Power takes an effort of will. To restrain the Power itself to achieve what you want of it, but also to restrain your own desires. There will be situations when you are tempted to let the Power rip through you unrestrained. Without learning control you will be a danger to yourselves and others.

So, you have choices before you. Firstly, as beings of the Mundane but with Tuath ancestry, you can make a life in either World. The second choice is more difficult perhaps. If you remain here in the Summer Lands, you can each develop your Elemental Bond and learn to use your abilities. But if you choose to return to the Mundane before you have learned to control that Power, the Bond will no longer manifest, even if you return here.

We do not expect you to make such a decision immediately. Take some time, rest and refresh yourselves. Arberyonwth will answer such questions as you have. Tomorrow return here and give me your answers.

Dismissed from the Owl’s presence, they returned to their own quarters accompanied by the Seer. They had much to think about.

Maddie: Maddie sat blinking, so uncharacteristically quiet that she even let the Owl finish her monologue without interruptions. "Jesus Christ, it felt like we were doing that for fucking years," she said finally. "Umm..." She looked at Arberyonwth. "If we returned to the Mundane, where exactly would it spit us out? Would it be where we came through or what? I mean, I'm not sure if I want to stay or go, but if I go I'd rather not find it's spat me out in Pyongyang or something."

Emily: Emily glanced over at Maddie's question and came to the conclusion about the length of time, "What about time as well? I can vaguely recall some stories about how times move on at different paces. Would we find ourselves years ahead or as if no time has passed at all" She considered this carefully.

Maddie: Maddie nodded at Emily. "That was going to be my next question. I don't want to have my parents and my partners spending months or even years afraid that I'm dead just so I can learn to throw goddamn fire around."

Hannah: Hannah had been looking down at her feet, contemplating what they'd heard, but she looked up sharply when Emily and Maddie discussed time passing, nodding in agreement at Maddie's concern.

IdGM: Arberyonwth sat quietly as they ask their questions, waiting until they had all had a chance to speak.

Stephen: "I do not know what my friends will decide, but I DO know I want to stay here and learn as much I can."said Stephen, without hesitation

Hannah: Hannah smiled at Stephen's enthusiasm. "That learning... Does that mean we can take it with us to the Mundane, if we learn to shape the Flow? And if we decide to stay, can we later choose to leave, or is it a... commitment until we've reached some level of expertise? "

IdGM: Stephen's response brought a smile to the Seer's lips. "I felt much the same." She looked round at them all, her face serious now. " We understand this may be a hard decision for the rest of you. I will try to answer you about time first., and then deal with Hannah's question."

Emily: Emily looked at her with interest regarding the queston of time.

IdGM: The Seer frowned slightly. "It is true that time passes differently in our two worlds. I am sure you have heard old tales of those who entered the other realm through caves, or doorways in hills, or fell asleep in magical places, and found that many years had passed when they finally returned to their own world. There is truth in this. I do not say that you will return hundreds of years later, but time in the mundane will have moved at a different rate."

Maddie: "Does it always move faster here, or can it be faster or slower?"

Emily: Emily nodded as the Seer confirms the stories of time difference for both of their worlds.

IdGM: "A good question." The Seer nodded. "It is much rarer but I have heard that it is possible to spend years in the Summer Lands and return only to find that virtually no time had passed in the mundane. I believe your stories have referenced this too."

Emily: "They do" Emily confirmed with a smile.

Maddie: "And what about location? If we went back, would we all end up back on an archaeological dig in the middle of Turkey that's just suffered a terrorist attack, or could it be somewhere else?"

IdGM: "That is easier to control," Arberyonwth said. "There are pass-ways between the worlds which join specific places in the Mundane and the Summer Lands."

Maddie: "Alright. I was worried about ending up back in Turkey if I went. Right before we went, you see, I uhh..." Maddie sighed. "Well I killed someone. I'd rather not have to explain to Erdogan's thugs why I kicked a terrorist's head in. I don't like police and I'd probably end up saying something stupid."

IdGM: The Seer sighed. "We would not send you back to such circumstances, And I believe the pass-way through the city has been closed. I think one day you may wish to hear the story of that city and how its glory turned to horror."

Maddie: Maddie nodded. She reflexively pulled out her phone, sighed, and put it away. "Fuck man, I don't know. Sorry, I was interrupting, you were going to answer Hannah's question about learning to control the Flow."

Emily: Emily bite the inside of her cheek, thinking on just how bloodly horrible it must be, just from their first impression of the ruins.

Stephen: "I'm sorry to interrupt, and my choice is made, but since the passage of time has been brought up..." Stephen interjected "In our world there are are legends of people ending up in enchanted lands and coming back to the Mundane only to find off those they know were dead, yes, I am familiar with them..." he seemed somewhat apologetic as he said this, as if realizing this would be unpleasant for his undecided friends to think about "But I have a question myself - I believe you implied you had to make a choice yourself, once? Could you tell you give us an estimate of how long ago that was, in mundane years...?"

IdGM: The Seer looked surprised at this question, but she nodded and spent a few moments marshalling her thoughts. "I have spent so many years in the Summer Lands that it is strange to think back to those days... and I am rather a curious case, at least for one born in the Mundane. As you can see, I have inherited something else apart from Tuath blood," with a smile she indicated her size. "Which I got from my father, but my mother was one of the remaining giants of the Mundane. Even at the time - which was during what you know as the Dark Ages - it was something to be marvelled at. When my father died my mother followed her own people to the Summer Lands, and eventually I did the same."

Emily: Looking on wonder, Emily felt slightly sad that their world lost so much in the past especially something so recently in the Middle Age.

Stephen: "Thank you."said Stephen, smiling in return "It reminds me of the many legends of giants in Britain. Who knows, I may even have read stories of your ancestors."

Hannah: "There are some Korean stories about giants," mused Hannah. "I think I remember Jang Gil-son making a literal mountain out of his, uh, excrement. Not surprising the only giant my parents brought up much was Goliath from the Bible."

IdGM: "You may well!" Arberyonwth replied to Stephen and gave Hannah a broad grin. "But now to answer Hannah's question, and one which I suspect all of you wish to know. Your first decision must be whether to remain in the Summer Lands or return now to the Mundane. As you have discovered your Tuath heritage, to remain requires learning to control that power but if you return to the Mundane, you will lose the connection to it. Once you have learned to control it, you may return to the Mundane but using the power is much harder there and you would have to be very very careful. To show such talent can attract some very undesirable attention."

Maddie: "Wait, it works in the Mundane too?" Maddie had been assuming it wouldn't. "I guess I'll be able to make really good Molotovs."

Hannah: "Right after being warned about attracting attention," said Hannah with a chuckle.

Emily: Frowning for a moment at Maddie for beging so flippant, "Are there.... others in Mundane who are aware of such otherworldly aspects."

IdGM: Arberyonwth sighed. "There is some flow in the Mundane but it is weak and much harder to access. But you still have to control yourself and not misuse the power. There have been humans who did so - they end up reviled."

Maddie: "I can control myself," Maddie said. "While we were...whatever it was we were just doing, having a vision or something...there were some people who told us about a city called Omer, where children were going to be taken and sold as slaves. Is that place real, or was it just an illusion or a dream?"

IdGM: "Well remembered - sometimes it is hard to recall much from the test, though some images may return in your dreams." Arberyonwth frowned. "The place you encounter is actually most like a dream, and you yourselves help build it and tell the story. But that city of Omer did really exist once, though it is now entirely forgotten. Sadly there were many places where children were sold as slaves throughout Mundane history."

Maddie: "I know, people being sold as slaves is how I was born where I was. But I guess that happened a long time after you left the Mundane." Maddie looked at the ceiling. "I could do with some air and a smoke."

Maddie: "We have to decide by tomorrow?" Maddie looked at Arberyonwth for confirmation

IdGM: "The Owl will meet with you at noon, to give you time to eat and rest," the Seer replied. "Now I shall leave you to sleep, and consider." She nodded to all of them and left the room.

Maddie: Maddie fumbled for her vape machine. "I need to burn off some energy, I might go have a run or something. If there was a football here we could have a game but I don't know if anyone's brought that over from our side." She recalled the game they'd had at Gece Yeri, before the Great Door had opened, and smiled.

Stephen: "I do hope you will decide to stay here for at least a while." said Stephen to all of them "But of course, if you decide to return to the Mundane, I wish you the best. And who knows, I might try to visit someday..."

Hannah: "I don't know how the choice can be this easy for you, Stephen," said Hannah, shaking her head. "There are some amazing things about this place, and these powers. But not knowing how long will pass in our world..."

Emily: Yawning before looking around, "Well, for now, we are safe." Emily frowned for a moment, "We do not know anything about this place. It may look amazing but it can clearly can kill us if we are not paying attentions. Frankly, we should know much as possible about this world. I did feel there was something odd going on even before we came to this world."

Stephen: "That is true, Hannah. But consider that, for all we know, hundreds of years may already have passed and going back now or, apparently, much later, might make little or no difference. As for something killing us, Emily, that already nearly happened in the Mundane didn't it?"

Emily: Emily closed her eye for a moment, "I think so and I would not be surprised if there are groups or people who are aware of these occurances. We may return home but what if location if guarded by someone else who may be hostile."

Maddie: Maddie had filled her vape machine. "Heading outside." She considered inviting the others, then decided she would rather be on her own to think and simply left abruptly.

Hannah: Hannah clenched her jaw at Stephen's words, and gave Maddie a nod as she left, but otherwise didn't say anything more immediately. Her face had an intensity, as if thinking hard enough she could find an answer to the question before them that somehow avoided the risk of what Stephen had described.

IdGM: The rooms they had been given were in a quiet area around an internal courtyard, floored with beautifully decorated tiles and a delicately carved fountain which cascaded into a bowl made of some translucent green stone. It must be night already but the air itself seemed to be lit by a soft glow. Beyond the courtyard stretched passages and pillared halls. Clearly the Owl's Court was enormous.

Hannah: Hannah glanced at Emily after a time. "What are you feeling, Emily? You've talked about the potential dangers here or going back. But what's your heart telling you?"

Maddie: Maddie sat by the fountain and puffed at her vape. If she stayed here, she was going to go crazy when it ran out. "Well they have magical vegan bacon here, they must be able to get some weed or something," she told the air. When she finished vaping she stood up and decided to go rambling around the Court, trying to work out if it was really all one gigantic building.

Emily: Emily considered this for a moment, "I don't know." She paused for a moment, "I think we should stay and learn what we can, Beside, this is once in our lifetime and we should take it." She smiled with a hint of encouragement

IdGM: Maddie's wanderings took her through many halls and courtyards, many with fountains and flowers and trees in abundance. The place was almost empty, though she did occasionally hear sounds of voices and movement in the distance. As she trotted along a pillared hall, Maddie got a sudden feeling as though something was watching her. She swung round but could see little other than shadows beyond the pillars.

Emily: Looking at Hannah with a hint of concern, "Are you worried about home then?" Emily asked

Hannah: "I've got family. If I leave now and find a long time has passed, it'll be difficult, but there won't be anything I could have done. But if I stay for a while and then leave to find out that they've... I'm just saying it's a risk." She smiled a little to try to put Emily at ease.

Maddie: "Anyone there?" Maddie asked into the shadows. She didn't think it was likely that there would be anything directly hostile in the Owl's court, though as she spoke she thought that might not be a safe assumption. too late to recall the words, though.

IdGM whispers to Maddie: There was no reply and no movement in the shadows.

Maddie whispers: Maddie shrugged and immediately forgot the feeling, assuming she was just being paranoid

IdGM whispers to Maddie: As Maddie wandered further, she found an archway which led into an open space. Fresh night air blew in her face, and there was a large area of soft grass. The sky burned with stars - she had never seen so many - and their light illuminated the whole area quite clearly.

Maddie whispers: relieved at finding a way outside, Maddie stepped out through the archway and looked up at the stars. "Dionysia would love this damn place. As long as there was magical estradiol and spironolactone she'd never want to leave."

Maddie whispers: Maddie decided to see if she could trace the perimeter of the place. surely it couldn't take her that long.

IdGM whispers to Maddie: The sensation of running on the grass in starlight was incredibly exhilarating, inviting Maddie to go faster. As she did, however, she had the oddest sense that she could hear something running off to her right, the distinct sound of heavy feet... or hooves.

Maddie whispers: she wondered if one of the Kentauroi might have decided to go for a run, but now that she was outside she felt less certain of being secure, so she slowed down and moved more quietly

IdGM whispers to Maddie: The hoofbeats - if that's what they were - stopped a second after. Looking to her right, Maddie could see a large dark shadow some metres away from her.

Emily: Emily smiled sadly, "At least I no longer got anyone waiting for me back home." Her eyes turned ice cold for a moment as if she particularly do not want to remember people in her family.

Maddie whispers: Maddie dropped down low. It would be just her luck to go and blunder into getting herself killed in order to avoid having to make this decision.

Hannah: Hannah looked a bit taken aback at that, and perhaps guilty at focusing on her own enviable problem. "Well, the thing that makes it hard for me is that I don't want to leave you all either. You Emily, and you Stephen, and of course Maddie. You go through the things we have together, and you get close to people."

IdGM whispers to Maddie: As she dropped the hoofbeats started up again and the large dark shape with them. To her surprise a deep voice spoke out of the darkness. "Oh my, are you alright? I hope I didn't scare you!"

IdGM whispers to Maddie: As the shape got closer it resolved itself into the blackest horse Maddie had ever seen. It seemed like a hole in the world filled with night. The voice was quite at odds with this apparition.

Maddie whispers: since whoever this was knew she was there anyway, Maddie stood up. It was so pitch black that she instinctively clicked her fingers to make a light appear, as if this was a natural thing she had done many times before and not something that ought to be physically impossible

Emily: Emily grinned at these two people, forgotten about her past, "Well, there are no better bunch of people than you all that I rather want to stick with. We got this far and we can certainly trust each other. That is perhaps the only certainly we can hold on to."

Stephen: "That is very sweet of you, Hannah." said Stephen "I do think staying here at least until we have developed our powers and knowledge of this world is the most reasonable coures of action, but if you do not see it that way - please, do not stay here only because of us!"

IdGM whispers to Maddie: The sudden light made the horse - if that's what it was - shy back a little, but it didn't seem at all surprised to see flames coming out of someone's fingers. It still seemed like a horse-shaped black hole, but now Maddie could see a pair of shining dark eyes that were looking at her in great interest. A incredibly long mane and tail swept almost down to the floor. It was a magnificent, if somewhat spooky, beast. Now it bowed in a very ceremonial way as though greeting someone of high standing. "I have heard of you and your companions. I'm sorry if I startled you, but I couldn't resist running with you."

Maddie whispers: Maddie smiled. "Well now that I know you're not intending to ambush me we can run a bit more if you want. I'm Maddie. I guess you probably already know that."

IdGM whispers to Maddie: The horse shook its mane. "I go by Shadow. By all means, let us run!" He raised his head and sprang forward, his mane and tail streaming in the wind.

Maddie whispers: Maddie went rushing after Shadow

Maddie whispers: Maddie tried valiantly to keep up with Shadow, but trying to outrun a horse, especially one as swift as Shadow, was doomed from the start. When she had stopped for a rest she looked up at the stars. "Oh God, I should go back I guess." She had not thought at all about what she was going to do. "Shadow, do you want to meet the others? One of my friends will definitely want to meet you." Emily often looked like she wanted to kill Maddie when she said something foolish or rash, but she thought she would literally do it if she failed to introduce her to such a beautiful horse, and one that could talk to boot.

IdGM whispers to Maddie: Shadow's eyes gleamed under the long mane. "I would be honoured." Clearly he knew his way around the court and led them back by a swifter rout than Maddie had taken. They were soon outside the door to their rooms.

Maddie: Maddie had been gone for quite a long time, and it was beginning to appear as if she intended to be out all night when she knocked softly on the door. She hoped they hadn't all gone to sleep.

Emily: Glancing at the door, Emily was clearly waiting for Maddie to be back after her rather long jog, went over to open the door.

Maddie: "Sorry I was gone so long. I bumped into someone I thought you'd want to meet," Maddie said. She wasn't alone.

IdGM: As Maddie moved into the room, a massive shape loomed behind her. A horse - or what looked like a horse - but so black he seemed to swallow the light. A mane and tail that reached to the floor, and a pair of very bright, very intelligent dark eyes that looked at each of them with warm interest. He bowed to them all and spoke in a deep voice. "I am most happy to meet you."

Maddie: "Shadow, these are Hannah, Stephen, and Emily," said Maddie.

Emily: Emily looked at this odd shadowy creature with a hint of surprise, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Shadow." She replied warmily,

[Idris]

Session 2 - 17/09/2022

IdGM: By the time the excitement of Shadow’s arrival had died down, it was very late. The horse left, promising to meet them in the morning. The group had their own individual rooms for sleeping, seperated from their communal area by curtained archways. It was quiet and peaceful, and although it was an inner area of the court, soft airs move through the rooms bringing the scent of green things and the distant sound of a night bird, lulling them to a dreamless sleep. When they next opened their eyes, shafts of early sunlight were shining down from somewhere above. It was like the most perfect early summer morning, and the nightingale had been replaced by the singing and chirping of many other birds.

Hannah: Hannah had gone to bed still unsettled about the big decision that lay before them - to stay in this world or return home. But in the morning she looked more certain and resolved. She sat for a while enjoying the birdsong and the feel of the air, a luxury after all the hardship they'd gone through.

Maddie: Maddie had yet to spend a single instant thinking about what to do, having been somewhat distracted by meeting a talking horse. But rather than start, she did a few stretches on the floor while waiting for the others to rise and get ready for breakfast

Emily: Emily did her best to go to sleep, prehaps exhausted by a already long day they all just had, she sleeped soundly for once, taking advantage of a rare measure of safety in this lands..

IdGM: When they rose they found that one of the rooms held a bath - more like a natural pool, surrounded by plants, with a scattering of petals that had fallen on the surface - but steam rose from the scented water.

IdGM: A wooden bench held a number of towels.

Maddie: Maddie had known some crusties who had gone far too long between baths in her time, but she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity, especially after all the exertion she'd gone to the night before trying to outrun a horse. She pulled off her dark t-shirt and climbed in the bath.

IdGM: At its centre the pool was deep enough to float in, though not large enough for much swimming.

Hannah: Hannah traced a finger in the water, reaching out her senses.

Stephen: Stephen had risen up eagerly, excited at the thought of facing the new day - though perhaps also wondering about his companions would decide.

IdGM: Hannah had heard of people being able to sense the presence of water beneath the ground and tell how fast it flowed. This must be something akin to what she was aware of now, but without the need for bent twigs or metal rods. She could almost touch the water as it flowed through channels in the rocks below the pool - it seemed to come from somewhere deep underground though it had none of the sulphurous smell of hot springs.

Hannah: Hannah smiled a bit, then stripped down to her underwear and hopped into the pool, dunking all the way under so that just the ends of her hair were visible on the surface. After a short time she popped back up and gave a satisfied sigh.

Hannah: She looked over at Maddie. "How are you feeling?"

Emily: After yawning off the last of her sleepiness, Emily wandered around the chamber to double check her surroundings, preahps looking for a bite to eat, fruits or anything!

Maddie: Maddie sat back in the warm water, covering up to her neck. "Oh God I don't know. I think this is the first time since we got here that we haven't had some urgent need to go to somewhere or to run for our lives. I'm not good at relaxing. Have you decided what to do?"

Stephen: Stephen took note of the pool and seemed to briefly consider bathing, but then decided that could wait - perhaps it might be best to have breakfast first.

IdGM: Emily found that at some time a jar of some kind of liquid and a plate of small cakes had been left on the table in the main room.

IdGM: Together with four goblets of fine engraved glass.

Hannah: Hannah nodded. "I know what you mean. It's all been a big blur. And I was never too good at relaxing even back home, myself. But this place..." She looked up and around and sniffed the air. "I think I'm going to stay. I kept going back and forth, telling myself it was cowardly to run away from here or cowardly to run away by staying here. But in the end this is an opportunity that so few have, in a place unlike anything I had ever thought might exist, and it seems right to me to see it to the end."

Emily: Emily frowned at this poor fare and glanced over at Stephen, "Mabye these are midnight snacks rather than breakfast" She asked Stephen.

Emily: "Morning!" Emily addd quicklly afterward amost forgotten her manners

Stephen: Stephen too noticed the food and beverage in the main room. He arrived there shortly after Emily and bid her good morning. "I wouldn't know, though they look tasty enough to me! But it would be less than corteous to eat them without waiting for Maddie and Hannah anyway."

Maddie: Maddie listened to Hannah carefully. "It's not easy to decide. There are so many people in the Mundane that I'm worried about leaving behind - my mother loses enough sleep because of me, and my father, and Dionisia...man, I wish I could bring her here." Maddie frowned, then got up from the bath and towelled herself down. "I still need to think."

IdGM: There was a tapping at the door.

Emily: Emily looked at the foods and nodded, "I suppose so." She agreed with Stephen, "Time for a bath then." She went over to the main door and before opening the door, she started to smile, keeping it as she open the door but ready for any possible dangers

Hannah: Hannah gave Maddie a sympathetic look. She'd had many of the same concerns. "With my parents, I'd feel bad but... they'll be okay, and for once I think I need to make a decision without them at the center. With Zadie... well, she'd laugh at me if I turned this down. Leaving my sister is the hardest, and I'm praying I'll see her again. But you have to do what's right for you. Tell me if you want to talk about anything."

Stephen: "I suppose the others might be already there." said Stephen as he went with Emily, not looking especially worried by the thought of potential dangers.

IdGM: A tall thin woman in a long green dress stood on the threshold with a pile of materials over her arm. Red hair drawn back revealed rather pointed ears, but her expression and manner put them in mind of a human housekeeper. . She smiled pleasantly at Emily. "I hope you slept well?"

Emily: Nodding with a happy agreement, "Indeed, one of the best for a long time!" She positively agreed, She stoood back opening the door in full to let her in.

Maddie: Maddie had pulled her clothes back on and stepped out of the bathroom. She glanced at the woman with the pointed ears who was speaking to Emily, but said nothing, instead heading back to the main room and taking up one of the small cakes.

Hannah: After Maddie left, Hannah stayed for a while to keep relaxing and chat with Emily and Stephen, before emerging from the water and wrapping herself in a towel. "I do wish I had moisturizer..." she muttered.

IdGM: The woman nodded her thanks and glided into the room. "The Owl sent me to make sure you have everything you need. You may have realised that these rooms are for our human visitors and sometimes they do arrive with very little" She moved accross the room and touched the wall, which slid back to reveal a kind of dressing room, with racks of clothes and footwear. There were tunics and trousers and long gowns and robes, as well as boots, bags, belts and other accoutrements. "Your own clothes will be laundered and mended and returned to you but please take whatever you wish to wear"

Hannah: Hannah's eyes lit up upon seeing the treasure trove of apparel and accountrements. She'd clearly been uncomfortable sticking with the same meager clothing options for this long, and she immediately began feeling the fabric and checking the pieces for fit.

Stephen: "Thank you."said Stephen, looking at the clothes for a while before picking something that was to his liking. "Though I should bathe first before putting that on....I'll be quick" he said just before he left for the room with the pond

Emily: Emily blinked in a rare amount of surprise. "Well, that would be helpful." As she eyed the recently opened wall looking at the ones that is most useful for travel.

IdGM: Some materials were thicker and tougher but all felt comfortable against the skin. There were even simple undergarments.

Maddie: Maddie gave the robes and gowns a disgusted look. A part of her soul rebelled against the idea of wearing these things that weren't hers, then she momentarily wondered if she shouldn't go back to the Mundane just to grab some more clothing. "Be careful with my jacket, I don't want to lose those patches," she said, then, remembering the person she was talking to was, after all, a worker, she added, "please." She then started to look at the trousers and tunics, hoping they had some in black.

IdGM: There were black trousers and tunics as well as more colourful garb.

IdGM: While they were selecting clothes, the woman introduced herself as Delphinium. She held up the materials, which they could now see were intensely coloured and richly embroidered. "These are for tonight's feast."

Hannah: Hannah, unlike Maddie, was quite taken with the more colorful and feminine options. She picked out a few versatile and practical tops and bottoms in various complementary colors to keep for the road, but she was immediately interested in the feastday wear Delphinium offered up.

Maddie: Maddie tried on several black trousers, checking to make sure they didn't hinder her movement, and finally settled on simple black trousers and a matching tunic. She refused to pick any boots, being unsure if any of them were made of leather and certain in any case that she would have her Docs back soon.

IdGM: Delphinium seemed to sense Maddie's uncertainty about the boots. She picked up a pair which looked not unlike Maddie's own. "These are made from a plant material - very strong and supple like leather but without having to kill to provide it." She sounded approving.

Maddie: Maddie looked distrusting for a moment, then shrugged - if they had magical veggie bacon here, why not a leather substitute as well? "I still want my Docs back though, my girlfriend got them for me as a birthday present."

Maddie: she did however try on the pair Delphinium handed her

Emily: Emily perked up hearing the feast that they may attend for tonight and went over looking some of the clothings while listening for Stephen to finish his bath so she can have her turn.

IdGM: Delphinium smiled. At that moment there was another knock on the door but this time it was thrown open and Growmiang marched in, a broad smile on his rather battered face.

IdGM: With a nod of greeting to Delphinium, Growmiang jumped up onto the table and without ceremony ate one of the remaining little cakes. "Good stuff!" he muttered with his mouth full. "You all ready?"

Emily: Grinning at seeing this cat once more, "So good to hear you again" and when the cat asked, Emily shook her head, "Not yet" As she quickly went off to have her bath,

Stephen: Stephen had quickly bathed, dried off and worn the new clothes he had taken from the racks, and he went back to the others.

IdGM: Delphinium shook her head at Growmiang but clearly she was used to him, as she just nodded to them all and left. The cat stretched and washed a paw. "Breakfast first and then some fun. The Owl is seeing you at noon but you're free till then."

Hannah: Hannah laughed happily at Growmiang's unceremonious entrance. "It's good to see you Growmiang." She had changed into one of the new outfits she'd selected: a long dark gray skirt and black jacket with a pale pink undershirt - almost reminscent of what she might have worn in court, though in a style more suited to the norm in this land. "I'd like to hear what fun you have in mind. Though now that you mention it, I'm ravenous..."

IdGM: Growmiang grinned, making his whiskers point forward. "Good! I'm fair starving myself, and not permitted even the odd mouse here." He gave a deep sigh.

Maddie: "Of course not, it would stop them from using the computer," Maddie said. "Let's get food."

Stephen: "What a pleasure to see you again!" said Stephen smiling at the cat. "And it looks like I'm back just in time for breakfast."

IdGM: With a funny look at Maddie, Growmiang led the way out. As Maddie had found, there were many passages, halls, courtyards and other large areas, but this time there were others moving about. As they walked past one of the great arches to the outside, a huge black shape hurtled in and stopped with a fluffy of mane and tail. Shadow!

IdGM: Growmiang leaped into the air, "Would you stop doing that!" he sounded quite put out. "I see you've met this lump of horseflesh?" he sniffed dismissively.

Maddie: "We bumped into each other last night. You good Shadow?"

Emily: Emily freshly washed and dressed nodded, "Indeed"

IdGM: "Oh yes!" Shadow said enthusiastically. "Nothing beats a good run on soft turf first thing!"

IdGM: "Breakfast does," Growmiang muttered.

Emily: Smiling for a moment, "I have to agreed with Growmiang." as her stoimach rumbles for foods

Hannah: Hannah leaned over to Emily. "Black Beauty was one of my favorite books growing up. I always think of it when we see Shadow..."

IdGM: Growmiang led them at a fast pace to the large pillared hall where they had eaten before - it seemed a very long time ago. There were the low circular tables heaped with all manner of food. They recognised fruit, cheese, pastries and breads, and covered dishes held a variety of hot food - most of it vegetable based. But the room was filled with many different beings and it seemed unlikely there were no meat-eaters among the crowd.

Emily: Emily nodded, "I can see why" She whispered back, "And many films as well! Worn out the tape back then." As she recollected one of the childhood memories. "Still, this should be interesting to see what they actially wanted." She paused for a moment,

Emily: As she eyed over the breakfasts, looking at the eye candy of new foods and potentialy different tastes to try

IdGM: Growmiang leaped onto one of the low cushioned seats and started to investigate the dishes. "Why so many vegetables? Even the bacon!" He gave a martyred sigh, shovelled something like scrambled egg onto a plate and started to eat it.

Maddie: Maddie was grateful to have such a guide, knowing that she could safely eat anything Growmiang rejected and nothing he picked up.

Hannah: Hannah enjoyed watching Growmiang devour his food and Shadow prance about elegantly. It seemed much more natural to spend time with these talking animals now than it would have when they first arrived. She made her way through tables, grabbing small bits of everything that caught her eye.

Stephen: Stephen sat down beside the others ate with gusto, sampling many different foods, though careful not to overstuff himself.

Emily: Emily opted for a healthy mixes of fruits and any nice looking strips of meats for protiens.

Emily: She looked for any honey or anythng that look drinkable?

IdGM: There was even more of a crowd here for breakfast and a dizzying array of different beings - many of them recognisable from their mythology and folklore.

Maddie: not wanting to have anything hot for breakfast, Maddie piled her plate with salad, snatched up a few pieces of fruit, and sat near Growmiang to annoy him with their incompatible culinary tastes

Hannah: After sating her hunger with a few quick bits of pastry, Hannah continued to nibble on various treats while mingling with the crowd, happily introducing herself to various mythological beings with a sense of interest but not astoundedness.

IdGM: There was honey on the table as well as other pots of interesting sauces and dressings, some hot or spicy.

Emily: Emily took some honey and found a suitable hopefully hot drink to mix the honey into it. "Make a real change from the custom fares we had previously" as she sit down beside them with a healthly helpings of foods

IdGM: Some pots contained olives, and other familiar foods, but as Hannah moved about she spotted far stranger food on some of the tables. Piles of what she was pretty certain were deep-fried locusts were being savoured by a pair of froglike beings, and there were plant-people drinking their dark brew. It seemed that whatever they were, all the inhabitants of the Owl's Court came together for meals.

Maddie: "Maybe, but I could go for some chips and a spliff," Maddie said around mouthfuls of leaves and olives.

Stephen: Stephen's attention was split between the food - which perhaps reminded him of recipes he read on ancient books and might even have tried reproducing himself - and the otherwordly, inhuman beings sharing their food and drink.

IdGM: Among the dishes were tall jugs of fruit juices.. A group of Dwarves were raising tankards of ale, but many beings such as Dryads and Nymphs were happy to just drink water.

IdGM: Hannah found most were excited to meet a new human and happy to talk with her.

Maddie: Maddie grabbed herself a glass of cherry juice, but didn't introduce herself to anyone new, needing to finally spend some time thinking about what she was going to do.

IdGM: Eventually breakfast came to an end and Growmiang sprang from the seat. Shadow nudged Maddie gently on the shoulder. "Are you running this morning?"

Stephen: Stephen seemed to wonder if some of the more exotics food and drinks consumed here might be suitable for a human such as himself , and mentioned that to his companions between bites and sips, though for now he did not seem brave enough to try - yet

Maddie: Maddie gave Shadow a friendly pat. "I'll run later. I'm meeting the Owl at noon and I need to think before then."

IdGM: Growmiang led them through parts of the Court that they had not seen yet. There were many beings moving about purposefully. Soon they realised how much activity went on here. They heard music from some rooms, in another there was dancing going on, and as hey passed one of the archways giving onto a spread of green grass, they saw a mixed group of the more athletic beings playing some kind of game with a ball that looked like a cross between football and rugby.

Maddie: "Does everyone who's part of the Owl's court live in this building? I assume there must be farms nearby at least, unless she magics the food into existence."

Stephen: "Reminds me of Gaelic football from Ireland - you may have heard of it before." commented Stephen watching the game with interest

IdGM: Shadow shook his mane. "The Court is not just the buildings but all the land around. I often visit the outlying parts where there are fields and farms."

Hannah: "I imagine if what we are learning to do is so tied to the elements, there will be places in those lands that will be useful for our training," suggested Hannah.

Emily: Emily looked at the surrounding areas, "That would be handy in practising and improving our abilities then! Cannot wait to make a start on it already"

IdGM: "I expect you'll get to see all that later," Growmiang said.

Stephen: Stephen smiled at Hannah's words "I hope that means you are more likely to decide to stay here, at least for a time."

Hannah: Hannah clearly had broken through the mental predicament of the night before, and seemed almost lighter. "Yes. I've decided to stay. It'll be an honor to learn more together." She glanced at Stephen and at Emily, but her eyes looked away before they turned to Maddie, still unsure what she would do.

Maddie: Maddie glanced back to where they had been eating, then suddenly burst out laughing. "Jesus Christ, what was I even thinking? I have a chance to hang around talking horses and learn to control fire, Dionisia would think I was a goddamn idiot if I decided to pass on that because I was worried about her."

Hannah: Hannah grinned and then laughed as well. She'd had the same thought about Zadie. But moreso she was glad that Maddie would be staying with them.

IdGM: Shadow leaped about kicking his hooves up in joy at this, and Growmiang grinned and purred loudly. "We'll have some grand adventures!" he said..

[Idris]

Session 3 - 15/10/22

IdGM: With the meeting with the Owl due at noon, Growmiang and Shadow accompanied the party back to their quarters in good time and left them there. “You’ll be collected,” Growmiang said with an odd grin. “Good luck!” Before they could ask anything more, he and Shadow had skipped off down one of the passages and disappeared.

IdGM: Shortly afterwards four shrouded figures appeared in the main room. There was something insubstantial about them, almost as though they were composed of smoke rather than substance. The figures each beckoned to one of the group and as they stepped forward they were seized by the wrist and suddenly felt themselves whirled away, like feathers in the wind. The sensation last only a second, and then they staggered to a halt. They were in a windowless and doorless polygonal chamber, walled by blind arches, the vaulted ceiling rising out of sight in the shadows above. The wraithlike forms moved back but remained near the walls of the chamber as if standing guard. It was a curious thing, but if anyone wished to count the number of walls they would find it impossible. Everything was subtly out of kilter as though the normal dimensions did not apply here.

sd: Maddie kicked out at whatever it was that had grabbed her, which did no good at all. "Is this another vision quest?" she asked no one in particular, looking around at the entrance-less chamber they had entered.

Stephen: Stephen seemed slightly confused, bot not quite worried, presumably trusting in their safety as long as they were in the Owl's Court - or at least, in a place connected to it

Emily: Emily keep an interesting eye out, carefully as she is on guard.

IdGM: They suddenly realised the Owl was standing in the centre of the chamber, on a disc of shining metal which almost seemed to hover above the black, light-absorbing floor. A diffuse golden light seemed to be emanating from her, as she looked at each of them for a long moment.

IdGM: “This is the First and Last Room in my Court,” the Owl said, her deep voice resonant. The words had the weight and solemnity of ritual, but they were loaded with meaning. “What is said here has the power to bind. Each of you has made your choice. Now come forward and speak it in words.”

IdGM: The Owl beckoned them forwards one by one, beginning with Emily.

IdGM whispers to Emily: As she stepped forward, Emily could feel the words forming in her head and knew that they would have the weight of the most solemn oath.

Emily: Emily looked serious and strolled forward toward to this powerful figure, ready to commit herself to what cause she is up for and considered it carefully.

IdGM: As she took the step, Emily found herself surrounded by a soft green light, the green of sunlight on spring leaves.

Emily: She closed her eyes as she said the words that feel right, curiousity and interest sparkle in her eyes. "I decided to remains and learn of this world, all its beauty and wonders."

IdGM: "Emily of the Green, your words are heard." The Owl's voice seemed to come from a long way off. Emily was able to step back, her heart feeling extraordinarily light.

IdGM: The Owl indicated that Maddie should step forward next.

IdGM whispers to sd: As she stepped forward, Maddie could feel the words forming in her head and knew that they would have the weight of the most solemn oath.

sd: Maddie had shown uncharacteristic patience and waited for Emily to finish before speaking. She could feel a strange weight on her tongue - would it still have the same effect if she didn't step forward? She decided to test it. "I don't really appreciate being magically snatched, put in a room with no fucking exits, and told to swear a magically binding oath. You could have told us in advance that this would happen and you didn't. I'm glad words spoken here are binding, Owl, because I want your oath that you'll never do anything like this to me without asking."

IdGM: The Owl looked at Maddie and for a moment there was a spark in her eyes which could have been humour or as easily anger. Maybe it was both. "Speak the words and I will never need to do it again."

sd: Maddie had expected her to refuse, and expected her to refuse in this kind of slippery fashion. Maddie stepped forward. "I have decided to stay here and not return to the Mundane until I've learned to control my Elemental Bond to my satisfaction." Maddie paused briefly but she clearly wasn't finished.
"Also, if you ever use your magic on me again without having the decency to ask first, then I swear I will make you regret the day you were ever born, or however it is that Tuath come into existence. I'm not your lackey and I never will be."

IdGM: A bright red glow, the red of burning embers, surrounded Maddie as the Owl looked steadily at her. "Maddie of the Fire, your words are heard". And in the silence that followed, they could all feel that other words could have been added...

IdGM: The Owl beckoned to Stephen.

IdGM whispers to Stephen: As he stepped forward, Stephen could feel the words forming in his head and knew that they would have the weight of the most solemn oath.

Stephen: Stephen stepped forth slowly but with no hesitation - relentlessly, as if no one could divert him from the path he had decided to trod - and spoke thus, each word deliberately heavy and unwavering with stony resolve: "I shall not return to the Mundane before I have mastered my Bond to the Earth."

IdGM: The Owl nodded to Stephen, as a soothing brown light - the brown of rich soil - surrounded him. "Stephen of the Earth, your words are heard."

IdGM: Finally it was Hannah's turn. As she stepped forward, her light was blue - as blue as the sky seen through clear water, or ice. In a clear voice she made her promise,
"I swear that I will stay here and study the Elemental Bond of Water, until I can control its flow, before returning to the Mundane."

IdGM: As Hannah finished and stepped back, the Owl smiled in sudden delight. And now as they looked about them, they saw that the room had changed. The wraithlike beings had vanished, the archways opened onto gardens with sunlight streaming through the dappled shade of leaves. In the centre of the mosaic floor stood cushioned seats and a table with food and drink.

Emily: Emily looked at this particular table of foods and drinks and her somatch growls as she approach the table.

IdGM: It seemed a long time since breakfast. The Owl sat on her tall chair and took a glass of what appeared to be some kind of wine.

sd: Maddie grabbed a glass of wine and wandered to the nearest archway, pulling out her vape machine. She was going to run out of juice sometime soon.

IdGM: As they sat down to restore themselves, there was the sound of voices outside. The Seer appeared with Growmiang at her side. and Shadow trotting behind them.

IdGM: "My friends, it is good to know you will be staying here," Arberyonwth said, with an enormous grin on her face.

Stephen: Stephen had been enjoying the food and drink and he smiled back at Arberyonwith's words "A decision I do not expect to regret anytime soon, or ever." he said

sd: Maddie took a puff on her vape machine and thought about her partners and when she would see them again.

Emily: Emily nodded with agreement, "I look forward to seeing more of this world" She agreed

IdGM: "Now you have decided to remain, at least for now, we can tell you more," the Owl said to them. "You have arrived at a time of change, and both our worlds are facing great dangers. But for today we will celebrate."


sd: "You always could have told us more, you just decided not to," Maddie muttered into the vape machine as she drained it. Sighing, she pulled it from her mouth, then spoke more loudly. "Hey Emily, I had an idea."

Emily: Emily looked at the Owl with interest hearing about the potential dangers facing her world, upon hearing Maddie and smiled patiently, "Which is"

IdGM: The Seer and the Owl exchanged a look. Arberyonwth poured herself another glass of wine and sat back in comfort. She pulled a long handled pipe out of her robes, and from somewhere else fished out a pouch which she opened, removing some leaves and proceeding to fill the bowl of the pipe.

Emily: EDIT: As she reached out toward the drinks and goods.

IdGM: The Seer flicked her finger and a spark flared up and lit the pipe as she drew on it.

sd: "Well I'd like to think that our time here is going to be all kumbaya and rainbows, but it seems likely we're going to have to fight for our lives again at some point," Maddie said. "So far my hands and feet have been up to the task but I could probably do with something that's got a bit more reach. You know how to work with wood, yes? Could you make me a baseball bat?" Maddie had been very good at baseball when she was younger, until a candidate for the provincial Conservative party had tried to use one of their games as a photo op and she took the opportunity to pie him.

Emily: Emily nodded, "Shouldn't be too difficult to do. Just give me some time to fashion one up" She agreed

IdGM: Arberyonwth leaned forward and looked at Maddie. "This thing you puff on, it's a kind of pipe that uses a liquid?"

Stephen: "Not to spoil today's celebrations" said Stephen "But I would very much like to know about these dangers"

sd: Maddie had been concentrating on Emily and therefore hadn't noticed the Seer had pulled out a pipe. "Yes! It's this," she pulled out her vape liquid, "only it's going to run out soon. What are you smoking? I definitely need something to fill in. This stuff keeps me mellow, but if I don't have something to smoke I'll end up with a horrible temper."

IdGM: The Seer raised one eyebrow an infinitesimal amount at this, but she smiled cheerfully. "There are several plants that work well in this way, although we might have to experiment if you need only the juice."

sd: "Oh I'm happy to just smoke a pipe. There are cigarettes in the Mundane but they're extremely unhealthy, while this is only - well, they're not really that sure yet, but less unhealthy. Growmiang, were there cigarettes when you were in England or had they not turned up yet?"

IdGM: "O course I've seen cigarettes!" Growmiang said. "Though cigars and pipes were more the thing last time I visited the old country."

sd: "I don't suppose you have them here - cigarettes I mean. I could just smoke those, although I'd probably want to try out the pipes as well."

IdGM: The Seer nodded. "No cigarettes but I have several spare pipes and we will get you some sweetleaf - that is likely the nearest thing to your liquid if the smell is anything to go by."

sd: "Thank God, you're a lifesaver," Maddie smiled at Arberyonwth. "That'll let me actually be able to concentrate while I learn about how to control fire. How's that going to work exactly? Is there someone who teaches us?"

IdGM: Arberyonwth looked to the Owl who nodded. "The Academy is part of the Court, and training is provided for all those with magical potential who come within our orbit, including any humans from the Mundane but also many different kinds of beings. The Academy also provides training in many other skills, both mental and physical, and have access to the vast library and collections. It's quite an experience! "


Emily: Emily perked up at this and smiled at Stephen, "I am sure you would love to go to the library!"

Stephen: "Of course I would!" said Stephen sounding obviously delighted "The wealth of knowledge found there might dwarf the famed Library of Alexandria of our world!"

IdGM: The Owl smiled at this. "It is somewhat larger and more comprehensive."

Emily: Emily leaned back as she bite into an apple and wonder what kind of knowledge they are biting into

IdGM: The Seer looked around them all. "You may have been students already in the Mundane, and in a way this is similar but much more intensive. You have a lot to learn in a relatively short time."

Emily: Emily nodded, "It does feel like we got fires lit under us. Everything that we learn will be of a great help in survining in this world after all." as she considered the languages barriers they are facing so far

sd: "I'll try not to get expelled from this school. I trust no one here is going to sexually harass one of my friends and necessitate me beating them up like what happened at Citadel High."

Stephen: "I have been both a student and a teacher." said Stephen, smiling "I'm sure there will be much to learn, and not just about magic."

IdGM: "We hope that you will help this world, and your own, to survive too," the Seer said, her manner now serious.

IdGM: Growmiang sighed. "Leave the pain for later, it's time for the pleasure!" He stretched. "I'm off to have a rest ready for the frolics tonight!"

sd: "Of course, although I have to tell you that the Mundane is probably fucked in the long run, or even the not very long run. I hope this world doesn't have some kind of symbiotic relationship with the Mundane which will cause it to sicken in the event of a thermonuclear war or runaway climate change."

IdGM: The Owl stood up. "Very well, we will talk tomorrow of the situation in which both our worlds find themselves. The Cat is correct - we have time to celebrate and to welcome you to the Summer Lands. Rest if you wish for now."

sd: Maddie was nowhere near tired enough to rest yet. "Hey Shadow, want to go for a run?" she called

IdGM: Shadow neighed in delighted agreement. "I have some friends who would love to join us."

IdGM: As they exited one of the archways, there was the sound of excited barking, and several dogs ran up.

[Idris]

Session 4 - 29/10/2022

IdGM: The Owl stood up. "Very well, we will talk tomorrow of the situation in which both our worlds find themselves. The Cat is correct - we have time to celebrate and to welcome you to the Summer Lands. Rest if you wish for now."
Maddie was nowhere near tired enough to rest yet. "Hey Shadow, want to go for a run?" she called. Shadow neighed in delighted agreement. "I have some friends who would love to join us." As they exited one of the archways, there was the sound of excited barking, and several dogs ran up.

Maddie: Maddie reached out instinctively to pet one of the dogs, then had a thought. "Are you able to speak like Shadow can?" Something felt wrong about trying to pet something that might be able to talk, though it shouldn't make a difference.

IdGM: The dog's mouth opened wide in a canine grin. "We speak though not like Shadow." Her voice had slight whining and growling undertones but was easy enough to understand. "We run now?"

IdGM: They all had time before the feast to do as they pleased. Despite the apparently limitless size of the Court, there were always Beings to be found, moving about or gathering in the halls - communicating, performing, some playing what appeared to be mysterious games. Yet if they wished for solitude, it could easily be found, especially in the courtyards and gardens.

Hannah: Hannah, who had seemed quite uncertain until her decision was made, now had an air of confidence. The Seer had suggested their training would be much like being a student, and that was something she knew she was good at. And part of being a student - at least once one reached law school - was schmoozing with potential future employers and colleagues. She happily took to making small talk with the strange Beings of the Court.

Maddie: Maddie laughed. "I meant that dogs don't speak in the Mundane. I bet it would be easier to convince people to be vegans if the animals on our side could talk. What's your name? I'm Maddie."

Stephen: Stephen was obviously looking forward to their training - and not merely because of the magical power to be gained. Always eager for knowledge, he too spent time talking to the Beings there, but unlike Hannah he seemed more interested in discovering and gathering tidbits of knowledge.

Emily: After having her filling from the feast that was laid out, she made sure that she at least finish off her plate while sampling more of the unusual fares. She heads off among the courtyards and gardens, slowly inspecting the plants and herbs that she may never seen before in this world

IdGM: The dog, who was like a large version of a Mundane border collie, made a collection of barks ending in a small howl. Shadow shook his head at her. "You need to tell Maddie that in common speech Feathertail!"

Maddie: "Is it alright to pet you? On our side you don't usually pet people who can talk, but then in the Mundane that's only humans and most humans don't like being petted." She had known a few who did, but that was hardly here nor there.

IdGM: Hannah and Stephen were able to speak to many types of beings, even the plant people, and had many interesting conversations. There was a great deal of interest in what the two had experienced, and how they had arrived in the Summer Lands.

IdGM: Emily found a walled garden dedicated to herbs. Some were easily recognisable from the Mundane, others strange to her. Some small Beings were moving about between them, checking them, and a tall woman with pointed ears, very like Delphinium, was collecting sprigs of various plants in a trug.

IdGM: Feathertail gave a dog laugh and ran up to Maddie, almost pushing her over. The other dogs - one similar to a lurcher and a pair of short-legged terrrier types, ran over too, gathering around her and jumping at each other. "We're not like you humans, we love petting!" Feathertail said.

Maddie: Maddie smiled and petted Feathertail and the other dogs. She considered inviting one of the others for a run, but she couldn't spot Emily and Hannah and Stephen were busy talking to others in the Court. "Alright, ready to run?"

IdGM: "Always!" the dogs shouted in unison, and Shadow kicked his heels in the air. Running with Shadow and the group of Talking Dogs, Maddie found that their route led up a long slow grassy hill, at the top of which was a copse of trees. These appeared to be oaks of great age, with massive trunks.

Emily: Moving closely as she looked over these lovely plants.

Maddie: Naturally, the horse and the dogs were able to outrun her easily - the dogs regularly circling back and running around her as was their wont. Maddie ran up the hill and went to catch up with them at the base of the great oaks. "Water, why didn't I bring some water?" Maddie mumbled, patting at her sides for a water bottle that wasn't there. Planning ahead had never really been her strongest point and she wasn't really winded so she guessed she would have to just wait. "How long have these been here? They look very old."

IdGM: The dogs flopped down on the ground in the shade, their tongues lolling. Shadow gazed up into the leaves. "They are indeed! I believe oaks can live for hundreds or even thousands of years in the Mundane, yes? But these are some of the oldest living things in the Summer Lands.

IdGM: The woman smiled shyly at Emily and glided closer.

Maddie: "They can live a really long time, there are very old trees in Kjipuktuk although a lot of them came down in the hurricane when I was a child."

IdGM: "A storm?" Shadow asked. The dogs stared at Maddie.

Maddie: "Yes, Hurricane Juan. We don't normally get hurricanes where I'm from - or at least we didn't, there are more now because of climate change - and it caught a lot of people off guard. We had no power for a week or so and some houses and cars got smashed under falling trees." Maddie frowned and realised that the animals would have no idea what she meant by power and wouldn't know what a car was. She spoke on rather than explaining. "It's better to have them still standing."

Emily: She really admired the look of these gardens, the walled garden was reminiscent of the National Trust like to create at their grand homes in her country, very overpriced! She smiled at this elfin woman friendly, "Hello." She introduced herself as Emily, "So peaceful here and these garden look wonderful." Emily looked at the lovely surroundings.

IdGM: The dogs clearly had not followed much of what Maddie had said, but they wagged their tails politely. Shadow looked troubled, then he shook out his mane and challenged them all to a race. "Time to prepare for the feast!" he said, springing forward.

Maddie: Maddie went darting off after Shadow.

IdGM: The woman smiled again and looked delighted. "My name is Bluebell," she said, her voice as light as the breeze in the leaves overhead. "You have the... the feel... er, sense? Of growing things?" She looked closely at Emily.

IdGM: As Stephen moved about, talking to various Beings, someone approached him. The figure - short and stocky, with a long grey beard and rather wild hair - looked exactly as he would expect a Dwarf to be. The Dwarf stared at Stephen and then nodded. "Man of Earth?" he spoke in a deep, gruff voice,

Stephen: "You could say that." Stephen smiled back kindly "Though I haven't started my proper training yet." he added, almost apologetically

IdGM: For her part, Hannah had found herself approached by a group of sylph-like Beings, their smooth skin a pure blue, who asked if she would join them in the river.

IdGM: The Dwarf nodded, his lined face showing satisfaction. "When you are ready, visit us in the mountains."

Emily: Emily considered her question with a smile on her , "More like all creatures great and small." She paused for a moment, "But these plants bright and beautiful always bring calm to my heart."

Hannah: "I'd be honored." Hannah followed the sylphs, doing her best to emulate their grace.

IdGM: "We are honoured to have you among us," Bluebell reached out and touched Emily's arm. "I will see you here again."

IdGM: The sylphs left through an archway and crossed a perfect lawn, which to Hannah's surprise ended on the bank of a slow-flowing river, unseen until now. With glad cries they dived into the green water.

Stephen: "I hope I will have the opportunity soon."Stepehn replied, smiling again at the Dwarf's words.

Hannah: Hannah removed her carefully chosen feastday clothes, laying them in a neat pile on the bank. Thankfully, she'd been prepared for this eventuality and worn the closest to swimwear she could find underneath. She dived into the water, emulating the sylphs' form.

IdGM: Maddie raced down the hill, feeling a surge of energy running through her, speeding her forward - something in the air here. A bridge ahead of her led over a river, and as she neared it, a group of blue Beings raced down the bank and dived with incredible grace into the water, closely followed by Hannah!

Emily: Emily smiled back at Bluebell, "I am looking forward to it already." She replied softly as she glanced around the garden and the open sky, always looking forward to seeing more in the future.

Maddie: Maddie waved at Hannah and stopped by the riverbank.

Hannah: Hannah burst up out of the water and waved back with a smile. "Good run?"

Maddie: "Forgot to bring any water but it was good exercise. There's some nice trees up there, I'll show you sometime."

IdGM: The dogs rushed to the river bank, lapping the water. One of the terrier-types threw himself in with a great splash, causing laughter among the sylphs.

IdGM: Suddenly they hear a sound like a sonorous bell, deep and clear, which seemed to come from all around them. "Time to get ready for the feast!" Shadow called.

Hannah: "I'd like that." Hearing the bell, Hannah moved to dry herself off and get dressed again.

IdGM: Inside the halls, Beings were moving everywhere as many of them went to dress and prepare for the great occasion. The four humans found their way back to their rooms, where Delphinium was laying out the special robes for each of them.

IdGM: The pool was steaming, with petals scattered on top, ready for them to bathe first.

Hannah: Hannah went for another dip, the heat of this pool particularly refreshing after the cold water of her last dive. After bathing, she changed into a pale blue robe with elegant white embroidery. She'd thought of doing up her hair for the occasion as well, but decided instead to let it hang past her shoulders still slightly damp, moving with a wave-like shimmer against the fabric of her robe.

Maddie: Maddie got herself a drink first before having a quick bath and going to check on the robe they'd made. She'd not worn anything like a robe or a dress since she was about five, but at least this was in black. She'd sketched the image of the anarchist wildcat as best she could from memory, and this had been faithfully embroidered on the back, between her shoulder blades, in a large red circle. There was also orange-red embroidery around the sleeves meant to be suggestive of flames. It felt unusually soft against her skin, but if she couldn't wear her normal clothes she could at least tolerate this. "I still prefer jeans and a t-shirt, dresses and robes are more like Dio's kind of thing," she said to Hannah.

Emily: Emily looked at her chosen robe and was looking forward to wearing them. First, she went for a quick dip in the pool before rushing off drying herself with a fresh pair of towels. Eventuially, after some figuring out how they are to be worn, the robe was finally wore.
Her robe is typical green but with a range of spring and autumn colours embroidery. Some of the former are the animals that are most active in spring time and latter are the animals most active in autumn. Meanwhile a lot of them are also in shape of leaves and the horses are most prominent of animals shown on the robes.

Hannah: "I get it, we've all got our styles" replied Hannah to Maddie. "But I have to say, you're pulling off the look! Maybe we can make a deal - you wear something fancy once in a while, and I'll try to find their equivalent of jeans and a t-shirt - and some thick boots."

Maddie: "I'd rather get my own boots back, they were a present. But I'll consider it. I could probably wear this although I don't know if I could fight in it."

Hannah: "I know you would keep your boots, I meant I'd try some myself," said Hannah with a chuckle. "I'd be slow to walk I imagine."

Stephen: Stephen bathed and dried himself quickly - obviously looking forward to what would come later. The robe that had been prepared for him was white-and-grey, with a texture and pattern strongly reminescent of marble and decorations resembling clear quartz crystals; had he stood still, the robe might have been mistaken for the stone-work of a master craftsman and reminded the observer of a beautiful statue.

Maddie: "Oh right," Maddie laughed. "Docs are usually really uncomfortable for a few days or a week and then you break them in and they're great. These things Delphinium gave me seem to be comfortable right away though."

IdGM: As they finished robing themselves, there came a tap on the door and Arberyonwth appeared, amazingly apparelled in a dark blue robe that glittered like a star-strewn sky. There was silver glinting in her hair. She stood and beamed at them. "You look wonderful!" she said.

IdGM: In her hands there were four boxes, beautifully carved and inlaid. She gave one to each ot them.

Emily: Emily lifted the box and turned it around looking at the craving with an expert eyes.

Stephen: Stephen eagerly took the box, obviously interested in knowing what was inside - though he managed to restrain himself from opening it, for now.

Maddie: Maddie took her box and put it in a pocket.

IdGM: The Seer encouraged them to open the boxes - these were presents. When Hannah opened hers she found a circlet of pure silver, with a deep blue stone like a teardrop in the centre of it. Maddie's was of dark red gold with the hint of ruby flames flickering around it, Stephen's of a black stone like obsidian which sparkled with the glint of hidden gems. Emily found a circlet of leaves and flowers which looked so realistic she expected them to move in the draught from the roof light, but of some kind of worked glass that reflected the light with ruby, emerald and sapphire.

Maddie: Maddie pulled out her circlet, looked at it skeptically, then put it on and looked in a mirror, thinking she looked like concept art for a superhero movie but deciding for once not to vocalise this thought.

Emily: Emily looked at this beautiful circlet of leaves and flowers and nodded, "So breathtaking. Where are they friom?" She asked Arberyonwth curiously.

Stephen: Stephen was obviously pleased as he held the black circlet in his hands for a short while to examine it before putting it upon his brow, where it stood steady and unwavering.

IdGM: "Yours was made by the Elves, and Hannah's too," Aberyonwth said, gazing at the delicate objects. "Stephen's and Maddies by the Dwarves. Great makers both."

Maddie: "They've done a good job, I'll try not to lose this. If I had to run it might come off or something." Maddie said, fidgeting with the circlet

IdGM: "You shouldn't need to run tonight," Arberyonwth laughed. "But it will stay on, that is part of its quality. Even when dancing!"

Maddie: "I don't know if this would stay on in a mosh pit but I'll take your word for it."

Emily: Emily accepted this rather generous gift, "Thank you." She thanked Aberyonwth hoping that she will pass on their thanks.

Stephen: "Thank you. It is a wonderful gift and much appreciated."said Stephen

Hannah: "Lovely," said Hannah. Like Maddie she was thinking that it made her look like a fictional character, but in her case more like a Disney Princess.

IdGM: Arberyonwth bowed in response to their thanks. "And now for the feast," she announced, shepherding them out of the door and through the many passages and halls until they stood outside the vast doors of the Great Hall. As they stopped, the doors were flung open and they entered into an eruption of sound. The Seer led them through ranks of Beings of all kinds, and up onto a dais where the Owl sat in her great chair. She rose as they approached and there was silence.
"Welcome to our Court and to the Summer Land, Maddie, Stephen, Emily and Hannah. You are now part of our world, and have already made a mark on it."

Cheers and shouts and clapping broke out - a wild cacophony of sounds all mixed with the barking of dogs. Looking out over the Great Hall, there seemed to be a sea of faces of one sort or another in front of them, all showing signs of joy and welcome. Among them, they saw many who had become familiar - Growmiang and Shadow, Ariath with several other Aetherials, the dogs and sylphs and dwarfs, and others they had met in the short time they had been at the Court. And among them Eurytion of the Chlorosoi and his entourage of Kentauroi warrior women, and two humans they recognised - the large figure of Fintan Magorian with his massive dog at his side, and a dark young man with an acquiline nose they recalled from the underground city. James Shirazi!

"Now let the feast begin!" the Owl cried, and immediately the company sat down on benches at the long tables, where great dishes of all kinds of magnificent foods were waiting for them.

Emily: Emily went for a drink and started to consume some titbits, "Every day, I just get more surprised!" She commented, "It would be nice to just not have any more surprise for tonight." Emily looked around as she made note of others in their surroundings.

Maddie: Maddie grabbed herself whatever most closely approximated to the vegan chillies she often made herself and, without bothering to take a table, went over to see James immediately. "Hello! I'm glad you're on the mend. I wish we hadn't needed to leave you at the bottom of that rope."

IdGM: "Maddie!" James grinned like a Cheshire Cat and opened his arms to hug her.

Stephen: Stephen joined the celebrations with this others, but before eating he decided to speak to James with Maddie - obviously he was pleased to see someone else from their world.

Maddie: Maddie gave James a warm hug. "James, I think your dig was a bit more successful than you'd meant it to be, unless you meant for us to end up in Fantasyland."

Hannah: Hannah joined the others catching up with James, showing her relief and happiness to see someone from back in their world. Once the initial greetings had been said, she inquired about mauling he'd suffered. "You healed up well, I hope?"

IdGM: James laughed. "It was rather unexpected. A bit touch and go for a while, but I'm fine now. And I'm not complaining. Just sorry some people didn't make it."

Emily: Emily followed the rest of the party, cast an eye over the wounds James might be suffering

Maddie: Maddie made a fist. "We don't know yet if anyone didn't make it, and if they didn't I'll go find whoever closed that door on us and make sure they regret it."

Stephen: "We don't know much about what happened back there." Stephen interjected "But we might find out soon. And perhaps it will help the others, too."

IdGM: James nodded in agreement. "But this is just wonderful. All those old stories, all our folktales - they were true. And now you have joined the Court. You'll be training in the Academy?"

Emily: Emily confirmed the idea, "Something to look forward to, I got a feeling it would not be a simple walk in the park!"

Hannah: "How about you James? Are you training here?"

IdGM: James nodded. "I'm starting tomorrow with you. Going to be hard work!"

Emily: Emily perked up on hearing this, "That's wonderful!"

IdGM: "Did I hear you talking about folk tales?" Magorian's voice boomed out behind them.

Maddie: "Did they dress you up like a comic book character too or is that something they've reserved for us?"

IdGM: James drew back and showed them his robes - the colour of stormy skies with flying clouds and birds embroidered in silver. A simple circlet of silver in his black hair. "I already got introduced - this is your special welcome."

IdGM: Magorian was talking with Growmiang and Arberyonwth. Dressed in a vast purple robe covered with symbols he seemed almost as large as the Seer!

Looking around they could see most of the Beings wore splendid robes - it was like an assemblage of butterflies although the plant people and Talking Animals and some others did not need clothing. Growmiang, however, had his own grand robe in deepest red, and bore himself like a king, though it couldn't diguise his chewed ear and battered face.

IdGM: As they were standing there talking, Maddie became aware that she was being watched.

Maddie: Maddie felt the itch between her shoulders - usually that meant cops or security but those were less likely here - and looked around.

IdGM: There was a swishing sound and a large bird with a long tail flew towards her, perching on a metal lamp stand. The feathers seemed to drip sparks onto the floor. The bird bowed to Maddie. "Lady." it said in a scratchy voice.

Stephen: Stephen seemed puzzled, though not worried, about what had just happened to Maddie.

Maddie: "No, I'm not really one of those. Or is that your name?"

IdGM: The bird looked puzzled for a moment, then shook its head with a sigh. "It is a customary greeting where I come from. But you are a Wielder of the Flame are you not?"

Maddie: "I've not heard that term before but I guess that means I have an Elemental Bond with Fire? Then yes."

IdGM: James turned then and saw who Maddie was speaking to, "A Firebird," he breathed in awe.

IdGM: "THE Firebird!" the bird said somewhat reprovingly. "But you are right in identifying me."

Maddie: "I assume there must be others like you? Or were you on your own where you came from?"

Emily: Emily eyed this wonderous creature, taking in clearly magical creature.

IdGM: "I am the Firebird, there is but one, " the bird replied. "I have come to bring you something you will need. You will be going on a long and difficual journey, a perilous quest indeed."

Maddie: "No one's told me that but it seems like something I'd do. What have you got for me?"

IdGM: The Firebird leaned forward, and a flame moved with it. "Not here, when you have finished I will come to you." And without further ado it took off in a shower of sparks and flew up into the darkness of the high roof above.

[Idris]

IdGM: After the Firebird had flown, the party continued into the night, though nobody seemed to get tired. Everyone wanted to speak to the four - including Eurytion, who brought news of the Chlorosoi. Now that the opening to the cursed city had been blocked, they were able to concentrate on other threats - these coming not only from the Wolf but also monstrous incursions from east of the Green Mountains. Since they had last met, Eurytion had initiated martial training for the entire tribe, led by the warrior females. His entourage included his sister Amyka, who seemed a lot less fraught than when they had last seen her, and her lover Ev.

Maddie: Maddie went among the Chlorosoi to try to find Mima, only to learn she'd remained in charge at home - it was sad but she supposed if the centaurs needed to have a leader at all times then she was probably the best person who could have been left behind

IdGM: "The threats are great," Amyka told Maddie. "Mima is good at organising and making plans to keep our people from harm."

Maddie: Maddie nodded. "It's good to have someone who can do that sort of thing, but better if all the people can do it for themselves, together. Relying on having leaders makes everyone passive and liable to getting taken over by someone like Medon."

IdGM: "All our tribe play their part," Eurytion said. "They have come a long way in a short time."

Emily: Emily was pleased to see them, especially now they are more prepared to defend themsleves against more nastier elements of the trube. She enquired after Dryatos.

IdGM: "He is very well," Ev said, with a grin. "Looking forward to another dance."

At last another sweet, resonant note sounded. They noticed the lights dimming, and groups of Beings preparing to leave the Great Hall for their various places of rest. Many came up and said a few words, and some went further, bowing and in some cases embracing the new members of the Court. The Kentauroi left with the hope that they would return to the Green Valley one day.

Stephen: Stephen was pleased to see the centaurs again and wished them the best - he seemed hopeful about their future.

IdGM: Eventually the Seer accompanied them to their rooms, bringing James with them. As he would also be beginning his training, he would now have a room there.
“You may all find it a little confusing in the morning because this set of rooms will have moved,” she told them. “The Academy occupies its own area in the Court, where those learning to control their powers can safely practice,” adding with a grin, “you may have noticed that the geography of the Court is not exactly static.”

Maddie: Maddie spent the night feeling vaguely uncomfortable - she neither liked the Owl nor wanted anything to do with her Court, other than that it made sense to learn to control her magic, or Elemental Bond, or whatever term they wanted to use for it. Being treated as another member of her Court irritated her on some small level, but she knew it wasn't worth arguing over, so she drank instead.

Then the Seer came to bring them back to their rooms. There'd been some music throughout the night but it wasn't exactly to Maddie's taste, and even if she'd known the chords to songs she liked, she neither knew how to play any instrument, nor had any of the instruments she was familiar with to actually learn anyhow. She could at least sing, so while they were heading back to their chambers she did, although not very well.

"Through the best of times, through the worst of times
Through Nixon and through Bush
Remember 36? We went our separate ways
You fought for Stalin, I fought for freedom!
You believe in authority, I believe in myself
I'm a Molotov cocktail, you're Dom Perignon
Baby what's that confused look in your eyes? What I'm trying to say is that...

I burn down buildings, while you sit on a shelf inside of them
You call the cops on the looters and pie-throwers
They call it class war, I call them co-conspirators.

ONE...TWO...THREE...FOUR!

Yes baby, I'm an anarchist!.
You're a spineless liberal
We marched together for the eight hour day
We held hands on the streets of Seattle
But when it came time to throw bricks through that Starbucks window
...you left me all alone! ALL ALONE!"

Maddie adopted a tone of false sadness as she sang the ironic last line, paused, and then shouted. "Aww fuck! I don't remember the rest of the song." She took her phone out to look up the lyrics, remembered, and put it away again.

Emily: Emily winced at hearing awful out of tune song with a strained smle.

Hannah: Hannah looked thoughtful as Maddie was singing. "I think Zadie once played a bit of that song specifically to make fun of me." She smiled, as the memories of home no longer seemed as much of a weight as they had.

Stephen: For a moment Stephen looked like he might clap to show appreciation for Maddie's efforts, but then he didn't - perhaps not wanting to risk offending her! He did smile, however.

Maddie: Maddie laughed. "That's kind of mean, but funny."

Hannah: "Yeah, she's good at that." Hannah laughed too. "But well done Maddie."

IdGM: James applauded as Maddy finished. "There is plenty of music here," he said. As they opened the door he went quickly in, looking around in a moment of confusion, then went into a room they hadn't seen before. Coming out he waved something in Maddy's direction. It was some kind of musical instrument with multiple strings and pegs.
"If you want accompaniment?" he grinned, striking the keys. It produced an extraordinary sound, or combination of sounds, something like a sitar, something like a bass guitar, and wholly individual.

Maddie: Maddie laughed. "Shit man, I'm just singing because I'm drunk, not expecting some backing! Although maybe you know more of the chords to Baby I'm an Anarchist than I do the words."

Stephen: "What an interesting instrument!" commented Stephen, smiling widely and perhaps curious about its nature, but obviously not that surprised given the many wonders they had seen in this world.

IdGM: "I don't know it well but if you hum it I can pick it up," James said, running his fingers over the strings.

Maddie: Maddie did her best to hum the tune while feeling slightly absurd

Emily: Emily's ears perks up at this rather unusual sounds. "I can listen to that." She smiled after finding a good tune rather than truly interesting sounds from Maddie

Hannah: Hannah looked at the instrument with interest. "I wonder if they have anything that uses a bow. I'd always thought about picking back up the cello, but never had the time."

IdGM: Clearly James was a practised musician - he quickly picked up the tune and began to play chords and then runs of notes. The instrument produced so many sounds at once - some recognisable but others quite strange to their ears. Finally James strummed a last chord.
"You'll find all kinds of music here, I'm sure they have something along the lines of a cello. This is just something I suggested - there are some incredible makers among the Gnomes - they can build anything you ask for!"

Hannah: Hannah's interest was piqued, and she mentally noted to investigate their instruments or ask for a recreation.

Stephen: "We did met Gnomes before, though neither music nor toolmaking were involved...."said Stephen, remembering that time they handed over the subdued Thaumaturge.

Emily: Emily considered this really fun point, "Haven't played a fiddle for few years" as she looked down at her hands for a moment.
She then smiled for a moment, "Maybe I can start playing it again"

IdGM: Arberyonwth had been watching James and Maddie with great interest, and joining it with low humming. She looked round at the group. "There are many opportunities to make music, to practice with familiar or new instruments. Music is very important to us."

"Stephen, those were not Gnomes, though the Reds are something like" the Seer added.

Stephen: "It did occur to me they didn't look much like artisans! Thanks for correcting me."said Stephen

IdGM: Arberyonwth smiled. "You'll learn of all the races of the Summer Lands over the next while."

Stephen: "Can music also a form of magic here, perhaps?" Stephen inquired "In our world we have myths about musicians who could charm beasts and do other wonderous things with their art..."

IdGM: The Seer nodded. "There are many kinds of Magic associated with music, but this is a matter for another time. You have an early start!"

Emily: Emily nodded as she yawned, as she asked Stephen curiously, "Was you thinking about Taliesin or some other legendary bards with that?."

Stephen: "I was thinking of Orpheus, actually. "Stephen smiled "The Greek musician who was so skillful with his lyre he could persuade even grim Hades, Ruler of the Underworld, to give him back his lover, provided he did not look back at her on the way back to the world of the Living. Sadly, this tale does not have a happy ending..." Stephen's smile faded at the end, perhaps because, given all he had learned and experienced recently, he was now not so sure that it was just a legend

IdGM: Arberyonwth beamed at Stephen, "Well told, a sad tale. But Taliesin is the most famous Bard in British history - playing for three kings. And one of my ancestors."

Emily: Emily glanced at Arberyonwth with surprise with a simple word, "Wow..."

IdGM: "But I must go. Goodnight and I will see you tomorrow, although it will be under more formal circumstances." The Seer gathered her blue robes around her and finally exited the main room, leaving the humans wondering what tomorrow would bring.

The next day they rose early as sunlight beamed through the lantern high above. Some simple oat cakes and fruit juice had been laid out for them on the table, there was warm water with a scattering of flower petals in the pool, and fresh towels at the side. They also found the practical clothing they had selected.

This time on leaving the main door they came out into a wide passage busy with many Beings, of different kinds, all moving in one direction. Following on, they entered another large hall, with a long platform at one end. Everyone stood about as though unsure what to do, until another of the resonant tones sounded, and they realised that several figures had appeared on the platform.

A very tall, very thin Being - an Elf, or maybe something else - stepped forward, and spoke in a clear voice with an edge of cool ice. “Welcome to our new scholars and apprentices. I am Estaria. the Head of the Academy. These are your tutors who will be training you in the use of your abilities,” she indicated the others on the platform who then moved down into the hall and started gathering up groups of Beings, and moving off in different directions, until just the five humans were left.

Estaria came down to them, and indicated that they should accompany her. They walked along a long passage which seemed to have no openings and then reached a heavy wooden door at the end, which opened to Estaria’s touch.

They found themselves in a study, panelled with dark wood and lined with books, strange objects and even stranger pictures and hangings. It was intimidating and yet somehow also comfortable. Astaria let them find seats on the cushioned benches, and then sat on a tall chair and surveyed them. “You may wonder why I have picked you out to speak to. It is unusual, but then this situation is almost unique.”

Maddie: "What's unique about it?" Maddie asked. "Do you not normally get this many students at once at Hogwarts?"

Stephen: Stephen cast curious glances all around as they walked behind Estaria, and seemed very eager to find out more about everything.

Emily: Emily listened with interest and asked softly, "I imagine you don't get vistors from our world that often?"

IdGM: Estaria smiled and it was like the moon coming out from behind a cloud. "Indeed Emily, visitors from the Mundane have always been rare and that is the point. But in recent times we have found more arriving, through ways we had overlooked. And to have four of you together is... extraordinary. Even more so as you ALL have an Elemental Bond, and so does your friend James who was with you when you passed into the Cursed City. This is unknown." She sat silent, looking from one of them to another.

Maddie: "Are the people arriving from our world coming from the same kind of places? Or all over?"

Stephen: "So what you are saying here is that, for some reason, the number of visitors has been increasing." Stephen said "Any idea as to what might be causing that? And has the relative number of people with a Bond increased, too?"

IdGM: "A good question Maddie." The cool grey, almost colourless, eyes of Estaria gazed at her thoughtfully. "There seem to have been ancient ways which were closed, and which have been opened up, allowing - or in most cases forcing - people from the Mundane into this world. But not in groups at least, until now.. as far as we can see."

Maddie: "Well it was definitely forced for us. Are there any people like this in the Owl's Court? It'd be interesting to speak to others who came over recently."

IdGM: Estaria turned. "To answer your second question first, Stephen: no, the number of people with a Bond has not increased relatively. In fact there have been many human entrants who have no Elemental Bond. Those who find their way here usually have some relation to the Summer Lands - a distant ancestor - though not all can reach the Flow or only very slightly. .But these are truly Mundane humans and they do not belong here in any way. Which brings us to your first question - we have no doubt as to those responsible. Those who wish to cause chaos and destruction for their own gain or simple pleasure."

Estaria looked at Maddie. "There are some humans in the Court," she said. "Only two, and arrived long ago. Hence your own group is unique. Magorian has no Elemental Bond, though he is Tuath descended, and is most learned, but the other five of you are all Magically Potent. We are concerned that individuals have ended up with the Wolf and others who would use them for their own ends." Her face became frozen like a marble statue.

Maddie: Maddie sat quietly for a moment, wondering if she should hold her tongue. The answer came back the same as it usually did - no.
"Why would truly mundane..." Maddie's tongue twisted with distaste "people not belong here? You have talking animals - every crustie I know would love the goddamn place. You have magic veggie bacon for fuck's sake. I'd want to at least be able to come here even if I couldn't learn to shoot fire out of my ass."

IdGM: The cool eyes held Maddie's for a long moment. "It is the nature of the two worlds, that those without Tuatha inheritance do not survive long in the Summer Lands. Your fellow humans are being brought here - dragged here! - against their will. It's no different to throwing a cat into a river, which is something I believe some humans have done without a second thought."

Emily: Emily frowned for a moment as she considered their travel and said, "We came across strange stories about the place that we was staying by. The locals called it A Place of Night. We certainly came across really odd going ons at the time as well."

Maddie: Maddie had hoped she might be able to bring people across here to escape the ongoing climate catastrophe, and her hopes faded as Estaria spoke. "Alright. So people are being dragged across unwillingly. Is it people like the Wolf who are doing this? I don't know why they'd do that, but I don't understand much of how this place works yet. Are they to be slaves, sacrifices, or what? Or do they want knowledge of the Mundane?"

IdGM: Estaria answered Maddie first. "We are sure it is certain Tuatha - like the Wolf - who have been doing this, but what they are doing with the humans who fall into their hands we still do not know." The narrow face was cool, almost expressionless but the eyes flashed silver fire, then she turned to Emily. "It is often the case that strange tales and fears accumulate around ways, and about that ancient city in particular. It was also unique, for it was an attempt by Beings from both sides to create a place that existed in both the Mundane and the Summer Lands. As you found out, it failed."

Stephen: Stephen was silent, obviously in deep thought, before speaking "So obviously they are not just exploiting a phenomenon caused by something else. Is the Court of the Wolf truly that powerful? Or do you mean that is the Courts of Chaos, as a whole, who are doing this? They have non-Tuatha agents in the Mundane, don't they?"

Hannah: "If I'd known this was happening, the decision to stay would have been easier," said Hannah, her voice firm but concerned. "We can't let that continue. What's being done to save them? What can we do to help?"

Emily: Emily's eyebrows raised in surprise at this very interesting information about the city

IdGM: Estaria looked around at them. "There is more you need to know - about the connection between this world and the Mundane."

Maddie: Maddie sat in thought for a while. "After we came out of the Cursed City, that fucker Medon and his goons attacked us almost immediately, as if they had reason to expect we were coming through. They would have sent us to the Court of the Wolf if we hadn't escaped with Mima's help. Seems to me like this wolfish fucker dragged us across."

Emily: Emily nodded thoughtfully, "It look like we got a lot to learn then!"

[Idris]

Session 6 - 20/11/2022

IdGM: “Come with me,” Estaria stood and started to climb the creaking curved staircase to a kind of mezzanine level which overlooked the study below. She opened a heavy ancient door and beckoned them to enter. They found themselves in an enclosed room entirely carved out of stone, which glowed softly, illuminating the room with shifting blue and green waves of light. It was like walking into an Aurora

A round table surrounded by chairs, all made of the same material, occupied the centre of the room. Three Beings were already seated - the Owl clearly waiting for them, with the Seer on her left. To her other side sat a man - built like a dwarf, sturdy and powerful, but with a more human face, weatherbeaten and marked with laughter lines, although right now he was not smiling. It seemed there might have been some disagreement just before they entered, but if so it ended immediately.

The Owl began without preamble. “Estaria has explained some of the problems we are facing here in the Summer Lands. There is more that you need to know, not only for your own sakes but for both our worlds.” She appeared to gather her thoughts and then continued.

“Our two worlds have been linked for a very long time, perhaps since the first living things appeared in the Mundane. We call this Bond between the worlds the conjunction, and it has worked to the good of both. We Tuatha travelled freely between the two, revelling in the new life and multiplicity of Beings that your world threw up. Many Beings from the Summer Lands came to dwell in the Mundane and came to form relationships with the living things there. It became a world both mundane and magical, with Dryads in the trees, Naiads in the rivers and Mermaids in the seas, Dwarfs in the mountains, Elves in the forests, Dragons flying overhead and many more. And when the humans appeared, we Tuatha took a great interest, for these were Beings of great potential.”

“For millenia of your years we visited the human Beings, sharing much with them, and delighting to see them develop. But as you know, the ingenuity of humans can harm and destroy as much as it protects and creates, and eventually they started to damage the very world that sustained them. And the Beings of the Summer Lands who had fallen in love with the Mundane world were cruelly awakened to the danger, in some cases too late…”

The Owl’s face was very grave as she recounted tales of Dryads whose trees were hacked down or burned, Naiads whose rivers were poisoned, many Beings driven out by those who believed they were evil spirits, and the humans who had been their friends condemned and even executed. "Humans were taught that the Tuatha, whom many had called gods but others took as lovers, were demons who must be shunned and denied, or belittled them as puny fairies. Our people - those who could - fled back to the Summer Lands, hid in the deepest wilderness or dug themselves in like some of the Dwarfs. Of course there are always some who move between still.”

The Owl sighed. “Now some Beings of the Summer Lands see Humans as congenitally imperfect and wish to remove them from our world. It is true that you develop slowly and unevenly and even the oldest and wisest are not complete - you do after all have very short lives. Or maybe it is because you are made to feel that your lifetimes are too short. You live much longer than cats in your world, but I have yet to meet a cat who did not embrace life with joy and live it to the full, without feeling that they had missed something. It is your nature to be constantly seeking, desiring, reaching for what you do not have. This is your great weakness - because to possess is not the same as to enjoy. And you are well aware of how your kind have misused their power - mandane though it may be - in your own world. Yet it is also your great strength. Even the oldest and wisest human is unfinished, and that means there is still room to grow, if it has not been crushed out. You know your world well, and the history of your kind. You are a long way from the time of your ancestors who for so long enjoyed their human lives. It could be hard - yes. They faced dangers - yes. And in the end Lord Death ruled over them as over all mortal beings. But they cared for their aged and their sick, who also had a place among them. And they cared for the world around them. They were so… beautiful… then.”

The Owl smiled, illuminated by some memory from the millenia of their own human pre-history, then her clear, sharp grey eyes rested upon them again, one by one

“Some of those ancestors came into this world, as beings of all kinds have throughout time. You will meet more than one type of human as you move around the Summer Lands. Some your direct forefathers and mothers, others more distantly related.”

Maddie: "If the Conjunction relies on the natural world in the Mundane being healthy or in balance, or for humans to stop damaging the world, then the Summer Lands are probably fucked," Maddie said bluntly. "I don't know if Magorian or anyone else who's come through has explained what a nuclear weapon is, or runaway climate change. Over in the Mundane there might be a 50/50 chance that the ruling classes irrevocably ruin the planet in the next century or so."

IdGM: The Owl's ancient eyes rested on Maddie with a kind of compassion. "We are only too aware of what is happening in the Mundane. And of the damage it is doing to our own. Whether it is the destruction taking place in the Mundane or due to actions of the Dark Courts, the Summer Lands themselves are under threat. It seems that when one of our worlds is harmed, the other gets sick. It may be that there are those working to divide the two - if that happens we believe both worlds will be destroyed.”

Stephen: Stephen paused in thought for a while to take in all the knowledge the Owl was sharing with them before addressing her "Is there a chance we will meet our Tuatha ancestors too? Would they still be alive, or could they have truly died or faded since it was such a long, long time ago? We heard you are immortal, but one wonders how absolute that is..." he seemed almost apologetic with the last sentence, as if realizing that pondering their own lack of complete immortality might not be pleasant for these beings

IdGM: The Owl smiled at Stephen. "You may meet your Tuath ancestors, though in some cases you might wish you had not." She sighed again. "You will find us what you humans would call a very mixed bunch."

Emily: Emily considered the implication of other types of humans, "We will need to be more careful when interacting with other humans then, especially if they have a different point of view or at least a way of looking then." She frowned with a hint of concern hearing about the Owl's shocking statement about the furture of their world, "Are there any way we can help to prevent that spiral into death for both worlds from happening or however small we can?" She asked with concern

IdGM: "They will still be alive, though strictly speaking that isn't a meaningful term, as Lord Death never comes for us. And no, a Tuath will not fade away, although they might retire from direct contact with the world," the Owl answered Stephen, then turned to Emily.

IdGM: "You are not bothered to meet with other kinds of Beings who are not related to you, I am sure you will not have a problem with your cousins. About the worlds," her tone was now grave again. "This is what we hope, that you will be able to help rescue both of them."

IdGM: She looked to Arberyonwth, who cleared her throat and began. "I believe that prophesies are not highly thought of in your world. Which would make my work rather hard to justify. But here in the Summer Lands a prophesy which rings true will carry as much weight as the most solemn promise. And those of us with eyes to see have seen. Human Beings who will change the worlds, though whether that will heal or break them, is much harder to see."

Maddie: "Change them in what kind of way? Or is that not clear either? In the Mundane, everyone claims to want to change the world in this way or that, the key is to work out what they mean."

IdGM: The Seer actually laughed. "That is exactly the problem with prophecies! We only know that a group of humans will make a difference to what is looking more and more like an inevitable outcome, one that would be very bad for all of us."

Stephen: "Reminds me of king Croesus of Lydia, who was told by an oracle that by attacking Persia he would destroy a great empire...which turned out to be his own." commented Stephen, drily but not unkindly

Emily: Emily smiled faintly hearing about how prides can lead to such a result.

Maddie: "I've been trying to make a difference to bad outcomes that appear inevitable for as long as I've been old enough to try, and I'll keep doing it whether a prophecy predicts it or not," Maddie said. "I was only in the Cursed City at all because me and a few other comrades had sabotaged a factory that produces weapons used against the Palestinians - a besieged and oppressed people in our world - and I had to get away in order to not be thrown in prison. I don't think I could stop fighting people who were more powerful than me if I tried. But I don't understand how to do that here. In the Mundane we attacked the ruling classes by attacking the source of their power, which is their wealth and their profits. How would I do something equivalent here to the Dark Courts? If what Estaria said is true, then the Wolf probably arranged for us to be abducted in the Cursed City and told the centaurs that we'd be coming across."

IdGM: "That might well be the case," the Owl replied. "There is much that is hidden even from ourselves. The Dark Courts keep their activities secret. But now you are here and you have already proved to be brave, honest and compassionate. All traits the Wolf and his associates would not have selected from choice. Now you have shown your Elemental Bond. The Academy will train you and then we shall see. I hope that you will stay and fight the coming darkness, but you will not be forced to if you wish to return to the Mundane."

Maddie: "I'm sorry to push on this, but I'm trying to understand. Is it fair to say that you and the Wolf are at war? Or at least in serious conflict that's unlikely to be reconciled."

IdGM: A look passed over the Owl's ageless face, as though recalling something that gave her sorrow. "In the beginning, when the Tuatha were moulding this world to our own designs and desires, we were close, of one mind almost. Gradually we grew apart from each other, as individual Tuath developed their own ways and ideas. Some cherished fierceness, or strength, others love or guile. There were those who learned to embrace the darkness, and be feared. There was conflict but still we were like a family who had chosen different paths and fallen out, but not to the point of killing each other. Now... something has changed. The conflict is real, angry, ferocious, escalating. The Wolf was like my brother but now he is also a deadly enemy."

She suddenly spoke with more passion than they had heard before, "There must be a way to stop this!"

Maddie: "So you are now at the point of killing each other? Because that's what I'm trying to understand. Is that even a thing that can happen? Can Tuath be killed or diminished or forced to...what was it you said...retire from the world? In the Mundane, usually wars are so one side or another can take the other's resources, and often the leaders on the losing side either end up spending their entire lives in prison or they're killed. When I was a kid, the United States, the most powerful empire in our world, launched a war that almost everyone in world opposed and hated. My parents took me on protests against it. They invaded another country, Iraq, took over its resources, installed a puppet government, and when they captured the former dictator of Iraq they had him executed after a show trial. Is that what the Wolf would be aiming to do?" Maddie paused for a moment. Her questions probably seemed very direct and harsh and the subject obviously caused the Owl pain. A part of her brain reminded her that she didn't like the Owl and thought she wasn't a hundredth as wise as she or all the people around her said she was, so she almost left it at that without softening.

But then she added, "I don't ask these things because I want to upset you. Until you just said what you did, it wasn't even clear to me if Tuath could die. I want to understand because I want to know if the Wolf can be killed, or overthrown, or at least beaten so decisively he can't ever threaten people again."

Stephen: "Banished, perhaps?" suggested Stephen, remembering both how popular exile used to be as a punishment in his world and legends of evil forces not truly destroyed but trapped in far away places where they could do no harm

IdGM: The Owl sighed again and shook her head. "Tuath do not die, but the Beings they lead or who fight for them can and will if we keep escalating this conflict. It is not open war as you know it, but the way it is going... Stephen is right, it is possible to banish a Tuath, and this has been done before. Loki has been exiled for his activities in the past, and we suspect he is behind much of the troubles we are facing now."

Maddie: "Exiled where? To the Mundane? Or elsewhere?"

IdGM: "Not to the Mundane, that would be giving him the chance to do even more damage! Elsewhere is a good name for it." The Owl said with a half smile. "But now you have your training. This is Professor Adalmar," she indicated the man sitting with her.

IdGM: The small man stood up and bowed to them each in turn. "I am the Head of Magical Training here at the Academy. You will each have a specialist tutor of course, as you all have a different Elemental bond. But today I will give you the tour and the special chat." He grinned - clearly his normal expression - and gathered them together to leave the room. His rather gravelly voice held a slight accent of northern or eastern Europe.

Emily: Emily stood from her seat and bowed back respectfully, "Nice to meet you, Sir."

Stephen: "We are looking forward to our training."smiled Stephen, obviously sincerely meaning it

IdGM: "Glad to hear it!" Adalmar bowed again, then led them from the study with a surprising turn of speed. He was an amusing and informative guide, showing them around many of the areas of the Academy - there were meeting halls and quiet rooms, libraries full of books but also scrolls and even wooden and clay tablets, what looked like a gymnasium where two winged girls were swinging upside down on ropes and chatting, music areas and performance spaces, courts for ball games and sword practice, outside areas where Beings were riding and a group of Elves were firing bows at targets. There were even kitchens and workrooms full of tools. "This is where you will learn all the unmagical skills," Adalmar explained. "You will learn to control the Flow and make it work for you, but much else besides."

IdGM: James asked where they would be doing the magical training.

"Over there, well out of the way!" Adalmar replied with a laugh, pointing to a kind of pavilion a good half mile distant. "Just in case. Though you won't be throwing balls of fire or raising floods just yet!"

Emily: Looking around with almost renewed vigor, Emily is getting to look even more forward to trainings. "Safety is paramount I see. " She approved.

IdGM: "Weell, we do try to prevent disasters, but you know using Magical power will never be SAFE as such. Still the training will give you much better control. I am afraid not every Court does this." He looked pensive. " I believe you have met Otmar von Feuersturm?"

Stephen: "We have, and can't say it was a pleasant meeting." Stephen reminesced, going over some painful memories "We handed him over to the Reds."

Maddie: "I belted him over the head with a brick, yes."

IdGM: Adalmar nodded vigorously. "Much the best way to deal with him. You did a great service by capturing that wretch. I knew that man in the Mundane, when I was teaching at the university. He was one man who would have deserved burning - it was very popular in those days you know. But by the time the extent of his crimes had been discovered - what he did to animals and peasant children in his 'experiments' - he had fled to the Summer Lands. He has served the Wolf for many centuries. Then I knew I had to return here, and make sure the humans who came to us with Elemental Links were trained and ready to take such people on."

Emily: Emily just looked appalled hearing about just how nasty Otmar as been, "We will do our best!"

Stephen: "What did you teach, if I may ask? And when and where was this?" asked Stephen, curious as always

IdGM: "This was in Prague, sometime before all the major unpleasantness over religion. I never was good at Mundane dates." A quick grin lit the broad face. "I taught Ancient Lore and practised Alchemy at the time. Fortunately I had been taught well by my mother's people."

Stephen: "A tumultuous time indeed." said Stephen "Not that these times are more serene, of course."

IdGM: "Well no, but I believe human times have become more un-serene over the last few thousand years," Adalmar said with a quirk of his brow. "Now we much get back to the Great Hall so that you can meet your fellow students and then it will be time for dinner. The food here is very much better than Prague university!"

IdGM: As they walked back to the Great Hall, Adalmar told them they would start their Magical training the next day with their individual tutors."

Emily: Emily grinned while saying, "Oh that I agreed with the foods! So many new tastes and wonders to try!"

IdGM whispers to Maddie: That night when they had gone to bed, Maddie heard a scratching sound above her head.

Maddie whispers: "Gro?" Maddie wondered aloud.

IdGM whispers to Maddie: "You thought I was a CAT?" the dry voice of the Firebird was loaded with disgust.

Maddie whispers: "Cats often pester people when they're in bed, I thought he might be trying to mess with me. Hello again."

IdGM whispers to Maddie: "Pester!" the Firebird managed to spit the word despite having a beak. "Humans have no respect any more."

Maddie whispers: "I didn't mean you were pestering me! I meant that I thought you might be the cat here to do that. Never mind. Is this about what you told me about before, going on a quest?"

IdGM whispers to Maddie: There was a flap of wings and then the scratch of claws on Maddie's blanket. The fiery head suddenly appeared in front of her as the feathers seemed to burn. "You will need all the help you can get. Pull one of the feathers from my tail. If you are in grave need just hold the feather and call to me. I will be there."

Maddie whispers: "Alright. One moment." She reached out and pulled at one of the fiery feathers.

IdGM whispers to Maddie: Maddie could feel the heat as her hand took hold of the feather, although it didn't burn her. The Firebird gave a twitch of discomfort as the feather came away and then he turned and peering into Maddie's eyes with his own golden ones. "Keep it safe, it may be life or death and who knows, maybe for far more than yourself or your companions." With that he flew up into the high ceiling like a spark from a fire, and vanished.

[Idris]

Session 7 - 4/12/2022

IdGM: The next day they began their studies. In addition to their Magical education, all the students learned some form of self-defence and most trained in the use of weapons, which might be swords, bows or more exotic weaponry. Survival skills from first aid to woodcraft were also important. They also learned much about the Summer Lands and its Beings. Outside their training, they had the opportunity to practice other useful skills - cooking, brewing, sailing, building and other crafts, creative arts and music, play games and sports, and generally to experience being part of the varied population of the Court.

Their Magical training would have normally been a slow and comprehensive process to ensure the practitioner was thoroughly grounded and able to fully control the power. However time was pressing, although it would take three months spent intensively training to safely tap into and employ Magic. As long as they passed the tests which would be set for them.

Their Magical tutors were individual practioners and very different from each other. Hannah was sent to the river, where it coiled around the hill and valley set aside for Magical training, to meet with a water nymph named Thalia - a beautiful mature Sea-Nymph with long green hair. She soon discovered that Thalia was one of the famed Nereids, a daughter of the Old Man of the Sea himself.

Stephen’s was a quite different Being - a strange, rather crooked man-like Being with a very scratchy voice whose skin always slightly sooty. He introduced himself as Farlibean and, it turned out, was a Knocker, who lived in caverns and either helped or hindered miners. Emily was sent to a deep forest, where she wandered for a while before noticing a kind of face watching her. This was her tutor, a Wild Man, who never gave her a name but communicated with songs, bird sounds, whistles and, when they were speaking with animals, a kind of mental resonance. He may have been Wild, but he was kind to the creatures they came across.

Maddie’s tutor was the only Human - though actually born in the Summer Lands. A thin and twitchy individual called Rex, with a rather scarily intense stare and a habit of flicking his fingers producing small sparks.

Hannah: Hannah dove headfirst, literally and figuratively, into training. Pushing herself hard, she at first suffered from overexertion both in learning to manipulate the flow of Water and in pure athletic training, suffering from cuts and bruises and a bout of nausea. After that, however, she continued to improve her magical skills, studying as if for the bar exam until her Elemental Bond felt simple to access. Her skill with the crossbow improved as well, learning to make successively more difficult shots. In between she found some time to practice with a cello-like instrument for relaxation, and enjoyed consorting with the beings of the Court.

Emily: During her training at the new place of learning, Emily started to study arduously for her own learning and to improve her knowledge of this strange and new world. She started with her new tutor on learning how to focus and to learn on using her own power. She did however had a mixed results regarding her ability to control her powers, her very first major try with the Wild Man who is her tutor overwhelmed her with a panic attack that took sometime to recover from. Over the course however, she did managed to get a firmer grip on controlling her power that helps her with working with animals. Which is especially handy when dealing with animals, especially getting taught by someone who generally communicate in a wonderous range of animals's sounds. Among her efforts of training at the Academy, Emily did find time to carve in order to craft something similar to baseball bat for Maddie to play on very unfortunate enemies. She did find it a useful practises when needing to carve spikes in the trap just in case they are facing a large enemy in the future. After two tries in which the wood shattered in her first attempt and the tool could not cope with her effort in her second attempt, Emily finally managed to do an okay job with the baseball bat which she handed it over to Maddie for her to play with. Emily is also painfully aware that they are in very dangerous positions so she took advantage of the courses available at the Academy in which she kept practising her archery skill which is improving slowly but surely. She even managed to hit a target once in a while on the bullseye. Lastly, she focused on improving her athleticism, focusing on strength and fitness as they will face creatures who will ultimately be better than her and her friends in every way possible. But her efforts does not shine in that aspects. Nevertheless, she certainly shine when it come to surviving in the woodlands and surrounding areas, especially when making one's way in the natural lands. With extra tools in her arsenals and with little more power and abilities to her name, she look even more forward to seeing ever more of the lands.

Maddie: For quite some time, Maddie found she wasn't making much progress with manipulating the Elemental Flow. This was probably in large part because she got off on the wrong foot with her tutor - on their initial meeting, it was impossible for her to not blurt out that he was the first person named Rex that she'd ever met that wasn't a dog. Having spent a lot of time in squats with people who were often high, highly antisocial, or both, she didn't find his strange stare intimidating, but their personalities clashed uneasily. In her first few weeks she made little progress, even making herself ill with a sudden fever from her inept attempts to control the Elemental Flow.

While Maddie had never been inclined towards academic excellence - to the great disappointment of her mother, a social studies teacher - she was extremely stubborn, and she wouldn't stop trying no matter how many times she made herself ill. Eventually, she hit on a trick that allowed her to progress. She was, at first, only trying to form a single ball of light. She already had a set of juggling balls, and found juggling calmed and focussed her mind. While she was concentrating on keeping them in the air, she didn't overthink things. It was therefore easy for her to start incorporating one extra ball into the set, with the only difference that this one was made of fire.

She knew there were other things she needed to work on as well. She had always tended to cook for herself, as it made keeping vegan far easier, and she busied herself working out how to cook with some of the ingredients in the Summer Lands that didn't exist in the Mundane.

Once Emily had finished her baseball bat, she also started training with it. She'd been in many fights even before she came through the Great Door, but even the fascists of Golden Dawn had only come at her with fists. She needed to learn how to deal with enemies that might come at her with weapons, and having greater reach would be of great help. Unlike manipulating the Elemental Flow, Maddie didn't struggle with this aspect of her training at all.

She also wanted to keep up with some of the skills she had that were less entirely honest. She'd learned how to pick pockets in high school, when her and her friend Jas had devised a game to amuse themselves. Jas had a little trinket, a badge of Crono from Chrono Trigger which Maddie loved, and they had spent years stealing it back and forth from one another. They had even come up with rules for the game - whoever had Crono had to keep him on their person all day, and if the other person successfully stole him and kept him until the end of the school day, the other person would need to buy lunch the next day. They'd only stopped the game - with Crono back in Jas's hands - because Maddie got expelled. Here at the Academy, she looked around for someone to revive the game with. She also sought out a locksmith, so she could acquire various locks and practice picking them in her spare time.

Stephen: Stephen was so eager that he clumsily overtaxed himself during his earliest efforts in channeling and manipulating the flow of the Earth. However with his tutor's assistance he was able to find the right way to focus with true steadfastness rather than mere stubbornness and reach out to grasp the spiritual essence of his element, achieving remarkable results for a novice.

His swordfighting and athletic practice also started with a minor accident caused by an excess of enthusiasm and a lack of proper technique, but here too he was able to persevere and, after some bandaging to take care of some cuts on his sword arm, was able to develop his abilities and show some promise.

Last but not least came Stephen's forte – ancient tales, legends and folklore. His knowledge was already great, but now, through his tutors, the Library and conversations with the many Beings gathered in the Courts of the Owl he had a chance to separate the more accurate beliefs from myths and stories that were mostly unfounded or gross exaggerations, and he enjoyed it greatly. He also did not neglect to practice his language skills, understanding the importance of being able to communicate with the Beings of this world, many of which spoke tongues reminiscent of those of the Mundane.

IdGM: Aside from their Magical education, their training was among varied groups of Beings of all kinds. They all came together for the evening meal and found this a great opportunity to socialise, find out more about their fellow students and have fun. Stephen listened to endless tales, including many that resonated with his knowledge of Mundane folklore. Hannah found a group who met to play music together, and word of Emily's link with the Wild had spread among the animal members of the Academy who often sought her out. She also found her way to the stables, where common horses (as opposed to Talking Beasts) were kept for anyone who wanted to ride.

Maddie came on the people she was looking for quite by chance one evening at dinner time. A small female person - she was child-sized, but with some experience by now Maddie could judge that she was the Gnome equivalent of a young adult - came to sit at the same table. She was strangely dressed in a colourful frilly dress with her wiry gold hair in bunches tied with big red ribbons, and masses of clanking bracelets adorned her arms, which she waved about as she spoke rapidly to her companion. This was a slim young man, with a rather pointed face and a lot of thick russett hair. Despite the girl giving him no chance to speak, he seemed patient with her. He gave Maddie a friendly smile, showing rather long, sharp canines.

IdGM: The young gnome continued to talk, spinning around on her seat as though unable to keep still. As Maddie ate, she could hear parts of what the girl was saying, even over the noise of the hall. "It's not fair Barnard! Why can't grandad give me those old things. He's making YET another set of special locks for it, and won't make time to just sort out some old ones for us. SO mean!" She flounced round, folding her arms with a massive sigh and a rattle of bangles. The young man - Barnard - also sighed. "We'll just have to find something else." As he pushed back some of the thatch of hair, Maddie could see one vulpine pointed ear.

Maddie: Maddie's ears perked up. "Sorry, your grandfather makes locks? I'm Maddie, by the way."

IdGM: Barnard bowed and grinned as he introduced himself. The Gnome jumped up in surprise then she too grinned widely. "Gitta!" she said with a very noisy wave across the table. "Yes, he is the famed locksmith Larkin. Why, do you have an interest in locks?" She leaned forward eagerly.

Maddie: "Well, a little. Back in the Mundane, there are bosses and landlords and other disgusting people with more than they need who like to keep things hidden behind locks, so I learned how to open them. I don't want to get rusty."

IdGM: Gitta stared at her and then she burst into peals of laughter. "Rusty.. rusty locks!" she managed to get out and then fell about laughing again. Barnard gave a wry smile. "She does get very excited about locks," he said, adding in a stage whisper to Maddie. "It's a Gnome thing."

Eventually Gitta got her breath back. "So you want to get in a bit of lockpicking practice?" she said. Barnard elbowed her. "That's one of those things we talked of, that you don't shout about." he said, looking around them to see who had heard. "People get the wrong idea!"

Maddie: Maddie snorted with laughter. "Yes. When I was in high school, me and my friend Jas used to pick each other's pockets for fun. One of the teachers caught her at it once and didn't believe me when I told him it was a game we played. Made us promise we'd never do it again. We said we would and as far as he knew we never did again, because we got better at it after that. Does your grandfather need someone to test security? I could take some of his locks and see how long it takes me to get through them and whether I think the designs could be improved."

IdGM: That brought another burst of laughter from Gitta, "Larkin is the master of all locksmiths. What he doesn't know isn't worth knowing. But I would like to get some practice. If only he wasn't so busy all the time, he's got HUNDREDS of old locks in his workship. But maybe..." she put her head on one side and examined Maddie. "Maybe if YOU asked him... You're a human aren't you? He's always been fascinated with humans."

Maddie: "Yes, I'm human. I'll ask him, having some old locks around would be really useful."

Emily: Emily upon finding that there is an actual stable for riding took a good time in riding and felt herself more calm now there is something more familiar in this wonderous lands.

IdGM: "Come along then!" Gitta leaped up and beckoned to Maddie. They set off along various passages and then slipped through a door and down a very long and badly lit spiral staircase and through a series of rooms. This was below ground, a stuffy, dark place of mysterious objects and strange sounds. But not in the least creepy, for as they went, Gitta kept up a running commentary, and Barnard asked Maddie about herself. By the time they heard the clank of machinery in the distance, and the smell of hot oil, Maddie had discovered that there was a large community of Gnomes living here, making all kinds of wonderful things. She also learned that Barnard was a Shape-changer, his animal form being a fox. He retained the tail and ears when in human form, in fact Maddie had seen the former as he got up, hanging from his specially made trousers.

IdGM: Emily found that the horses here were very well looked after. They ranged from massive, magnificent beasts, who carried the larger Beings, to some the size of Shetland ponies. One horse in particular caught her eye, a grey mare with large expressive eyes who looked at her most particularly.

Maddie: She noticed his tail and shook her head. "It's strange being here, in the Mundane you don't meet people with tails. Well, furries, but theirs aren't actually real."

"Hi there! Gitta said I should meet you," she said to Master Larkin. Considering what Gitta had said, she thought she'd have better luck with Master Larkin by prominently dangling the fact that she was human and from the Mundane first, and then sliding the topic over to the old locks later, rather than opening with a request to pick his locks.

Emily: Emily felt drawn in by the mare's brilliant eyes and smiled at the horse as she approached the mare, ready to spoil her.

IdGM: Master Larkin came out of his workshop as soon as he heard them coming, it was hard to miss Gitta's voice. Larkin was a old, whiskery Gnome, a little bent but still with strong hands and muscular arms - he must have been powerfully made in his youth. As soon as he saw Maddie he moved forward and smiled broadly. "Greetings to you!" He drew her through the workshop and into a snug sitting room behind it. A fire burned in an iron range, and a kettle was singing on top. "I know you humans love your tea, but maybe you would like some of our Barley Wine? I have a good vintage laid down in the cellar."

Maddie: "Sure, I like wine more than tea anyway."

IdGM: Barnard grinned at her. "It's not so much wine as spirit, and a pretty strong one at that," he muttered. "But it's good stuff nonetheless."

Gitta flounced over to a chair. "That stuff rots your teeth!" she exclaimed. "Don't you have the apple juice Gran-Da?"

With a certain amount of tutting, Larkin found a jug of apple juice in his larder, poured out what seemed very like a fiery plum brandy for Maddie and Barnard and himself, and settled in another old chair by the fire. A cat came out of nowhere and rubbed around their ankles. It was homely though rather surreal being underground and not in some old village. Larkin asked Maddie all about herself and what was happening in the Mundane. Clearly he took a great interest in current happenings.

Maddie: Maddie drank her brandy while petting the cat and explaining what was happening in the Mundane as she saw it - in short, there had been a major economic crisis, things had been getting worse for most people ever since, and there was a general failure all around to retool society to prevent ecological collapse.

IdGM: Old Larkin nodded as he heard Maddie's news. "Sad times in your world," he said. "And in ours. But there are other things you came to talk about I'm sure." He looked questioningly at her,

Maddie: "Well there was something I wanted to ask but I thought you might be unhappy if I just asked it upfront." Maddie paused. "So almost immediately as soon as I got in the Summer Lands my friends and I got taken captive and tied up. Fortunately, I know how to do things that I'm not supposed to know how to do, so I untied us. I don't doubt that the Courts of Chaos might use chains and locks if they get the chance. So I wondered if you had any old locks I could have. I don't expect to need to pick a lock regularly but when I do need to it's probably very important and I don't want to have lost my touch."

IdGM: Larkin stared at her, and then he broke into a radiant smile. "A lock-picker! That's a noble art. And it served you and your companions well! Indeed I do have old locks. Never throw anything away - everything finds its use eventually, and it might be tomorrow." He ignored Gitta rolling her eyes - she must have heard this many times - and got up, pulling out a large iron key from a pouch in his waistcoat and leading them out and down the underground street of workshops and dwellings, so strangely like an aboveground village. Gnomes were everywhere, there was a constant sound of voices and hammering, and machinery clanking, as they worked on mysterious projects or sat about talking, and every one had a greeting for old Larkin and a word to say with his guest.

Eventually they worked their way to a large windowless building at the end of the street and Larkin unlocked the door, throwing it open with a flourish. It became light inside as he did so, and Maddie could see shelves and boxes stretching back inside the building which had been dug back into the solid rock. Larkin led them unerringly to a set of shelves on which stood many wooden crates. He pulled one out and showed it to them. Locks - hundreds of locks. These were quite small, but Larkin showed them more, all different kinds and sizes and metals. Maddie had more locks than she could pick in a year!

[Idris]

Session 8 - 18/12/2022

IdGM: As they reached the end of their three months training at the Academy, Emily, Hannah, Maddie, Stephen, James and the fellow students in their cohort were informed that they would be undertaking a practical exercise, designed to practise all their newly acquired skills and show their competence. Their tutors explained that they would be sent out in their groups to an area of wild country where they could test out their control. They would be expected to undertake a task before returning to the Academy, and would need to use all their abilities.

The morning of their final test dawned fair and bright as usual. In an atmosphere of growing anticipation and excitement, the five of them selected suitable clothing and made sure of their equipment.

Hannah: Hannah had wholeheartedly embraced both her training and the fashions of their new world (or at least those she thought suited her). Much of the time she wore flowing cloaks or dresses in blue and green, such that she resembled the water nymphs with whom she was learning to manipulate the Flow. On the dawn of their test, however, she chose a more practical outfit for moving in wild country. Fitted trousers and top in a waterproof material in case diving was needed, along with thicker layers for protection from the cold, thorns, and possibly other dangers – all in dark greens and browns, more reminiscent of a woodland creek than of the sea. For a bit of contrasting color, her hair was braided back and interwoven with light blue twine. She also wore thick boots that rather clashed with her usual aesthetic, but would be practical for hiking – something she’d found in her little agreement with Maddie to do some style trading, and ended up appreciating for their ruggedness.

At Hannah’s back was a pack with provisions, torches, climbing gear, and a sleeping bag, among other things (for the first time she would be without her limited supply of cosmetics from back home, though she had procured a small amount of the local equivalents of eyeliner and lipstick in case they ran into a special occasion in the wilderness). At her side was a long knife and a pouch with things she’d want to access quickly – water and snacks, gloves, some citrus-based insect repellent. Attached to her backpack’s shoulder-strap was a new, compact (and elegantly filigreed) crossbow that could be held and aimed comfortably with one hand.

Edivad: Stephen looked mostly the same, though he seemed to carry himself with slightly more confidence and a firmer resolve.

He wore a knee-length tunic - somewhat reminiscent of the robe he first put on months ago, owing to its stonelike texture, but thicker and closer in color to brown soil rather than grey rock – and sturdy travelling boots and a large backpack of the same color, filled with various travelling supplies including some that were for his companions’ benefit.

At his side he had the sword of the centaur Krenaios, though it looked to have been polished and sharpened, perhaps by more than mundane means, and he seemed eager to put his newly acquired knowledge and skills to the test while also still knowing that he had a lot more to learn.

Maddie: Maddie had spent months training, refining her skills and examining the society around her. In all the time she spent at the Court, she never saw any sign of money being used, there appeared to be no private property, and she hadn't read enough theory to decide whether the people organising things around the Owl constituted a state or not. The fact that the entire Court was named for and revolved around a singular leader both worried her as an anarchist, and frustrated her because it wasn't as if 'centre your society around an immortal Being with immense magical power' was a model that could be employed in the Mundane.

In their months of training Maddie was very relieved to have her clothes and her prized Docs returned to her. She could hardly wear the same thing all the time, despite having known some crusties who gave it a good try, but she made certain that the clothes she'd arrived in were clean for the field exercise. When she arrived, her clothes were exactly as they were when they'd first spotted her on the bus to Gece Yeri - black jeans and a dark t-shirt with the logo of a German queercore band who'd performed at the Schwules Museum when she was staying in Berlin. She also had on her beloved red Docs and her black jacket festooned with patches.

She'd been able to secure a strong backpack made of some kind of plant material that the Dryads had made. Within were some basic supplies - a few changes of clothes, some bandages, several carefully wrapped pots containing nuts, dried fruit & berries, and some dark bread. Despite them being dead and of no use to her, she also kept her phone and her vape machine with her - she wanted to have them with her at all times, as if they might somehow find themselves as unexpectedly back in the Mundane as they'd found themselves away from it. At the top of her gear were some lockpicks, small knives, and other burglary tools she'd managed to persuade the Gnomes she should have

Maddie had also got a hemp rope and some climbing gear which were strapped to the backpack. She had three pouches at her waist. One had her juggling balls, and the second contained leaves. As she walked to the meeting point the third was empty, because she'd pulled out the dark brown pipe she'd taken to smoking and was puffing on it as she walked. The baseball bat Emily had crafted for her was thrust down through a loop in her backpack, ready to be pulled free at a moment's notice.

Emily: Emily glanced over her equipments, some she bought with her from the old world, some she brought to this place and time and certainly some that she picked during her interesting stay with the Academy. First of all, she checked a new shortbow as she been practising rather diligently on protecting herself along with a pocket knife and an axe that is still useable after sharpening it. . Emily looked at her backpack, full of useful items such as a basic firestarter, herbs and materials for first-aid treatments, some rations for the trip a few balls of twines, some are even braided with metal wires. She knew how long a simple “trip” can be much longer than one can expected. Emily certainly can recalled some foolish tourists was “ill” prepared for the walks up the fells with just a smartphone and flip flops. Good thing that the mountain rescuers tend to be rather blunt when it come to donations!

She then looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes perhaps a little tired from the trainings they undertook but she felt slightly fitter than in the recent years in her job as the ranger on an Highland estate. Her short black hair is longer after three months although she have not yet decided if she should grow it out further. She looked at her hands and smiled faintly seeing her hands is covered even more callus criss crossed even more scars. Some things never changed, either in old and new world. On her chest, she is still wearing a silver cross with amber embedded in the middle as memento of the old world. As she checked out her new brand of slim clothings as her old clothings are long packed away however, instead, she opted for more practical clothings that made her at home in the middle of the forest, especially Emily managed to co-opt in some old military camouflages that break up the pattern that actually make it harder to see among the brushes and trees. However, she got a lovely cloak which is made with some form of waterproof to keep the worse of the rain off her. Although, she grimaced for a moment, there is no such thing as truly waterproof clothings from her personal experience. Finally she checked out her boots for which she still managed to keep as they are still steel toed which is handy for kicking loose things out.

During her time, she managed to keep up her riding skills, especially with the mare she found in the stable down and more importantly, she did her very best to learn what appears to be endless list of herbs and various materials that can be used to improve the people Emily may have to treat along. Also, in her mind is the list of eligible goods that may be available “just” in case they ran out of foods.

IdGM: With their preparations complete, they left their apartment, finding Arberyonwth and Growmiang waiting for them outside the door. They had not seen much of either of them lately, but by now they knew better than to ask where any member of the Court might be. The Seer and her feline companion came and went on the Owl’s business, and even within her Court it was as well to be circumspect.

As they opened the door, the Seer and the Cat had clearly been in the middle of a serious conversation, which stopped immediately. For a moment they saw Arberyonwth’s exhaustion and the concern in Growmiang’s yellow eyes. But then the two turned, the Seer’s broad, tanned face full of cheer and the Cat virtually dancing with excitement.
“I can see you are all ready,” Arberyonwth said, looking them over with approval.
“Big day ahead!” Growmiang announced

Hannah: Hannah clenched her fists with a bit of nervousness - it felt like starting an internship at a real practice after just being focused on exams. "Looking forward to it!"

Emily: Emily smiled faintly seeing them again, "I hope that it will go well!" She hopefully commented

Stephen: Stephen smiled, not seeming especially worried. "I can't wait to find out where are exactly we are going and what we are supposed to do." he said

Maddie: "I hope everything's alright?" Maddie asked. Clearly some kind of worrisome talk had been happening when they came out.

IdGM: "I am sure you will enjoy it and do well," Arberyonwth said, and the confidence in her voice made them all feel very positive. She turned to Maddie. "They are for for now. There'll be plenty to talk about when you return." It was clear she had no intention of saying any more about it.

They walked to the Great Hall talking and laughing, which helped to reduce their tension, the Cat keeping up a stream of instructions and advice, which didn’t. As they entered the massive doors, the sound of many voices hit them. The Hall was full of Beings - it seemed the entire Academy had turned out. Various groups of students stood about in anticipation as they waited for the testing to start.

Before Maddie entered the room, Arberyonwth indicated she should stay a moment. The Seer took a wrapped package from her robe and held it out. “Some special sweetleaf I get from a friend I don’t see often,” she said with a smile.

Maddie: "Oh, thank you! I'd have been completely lost without this stuff over the last few months, thanks for introducing me to it." Maddie took the package, and once it was carefully placed in her leaf pouch, gave Arberyonwth an appreciative hug.

IdGM: After a moment's hesitation, the Seer carefully leaned down and hugged Maddie in return. "This won't shorten your breath, or your life," she said quietly.

Maddie: "Good to hear, I'm pretty sure there's already a long list of people who want to do that."

IdGM: Arberyonwth shook her head at that, though she was smiling.

They joined the mass of Beings, being greeted by many of those they had got to know over the three months. Then the tutors filed out onto the dais, seating themselves in the arched chairs. Thalia nodded gratiously to Hannah, Farlibean gave a quirky grin at Stephen, the silent Wild Man waved shyly to Emily. Rex the Fire Mage gave Maddie a quick look, then he stared at the floor.

Everyone fell silent as Estaria followed them in, striding to the centre of the dais and welcoming everyone. “Many of you are now about to undertake the final assignment of your time here at the Academy,” she said, her cool voice filling the enormous space effortlessly.”You will be taken to your area in your group. Your goal is to discover and retrieve an item, and then to return with it to the House on the Bridge.

They all knew this strange structure - a plain windowless and doorless block of stone which stood foursquare on the far side of the main bridge across the river. Doors would appear, to let students and others from the Academy and Court pass through.

“You will need to work out what the item is and where it is to be found, and then how to retrieve it, using all the skills you have learned in your time here,” Estaria continued. “Please remember that this is not a competition, although some of our students do treat it as such,” she added with a sigh. “Good hunting!”

Maddie: Maddie looked confused. "What kind of cryptic crossword bullshit is this?" she muttered to Hannah, deciding not to just blurt this out in front of everyone for once. "I hope they at least have every group in different areas looking for different items or this is going to get really damn confusing."

Hannah: "I can only hope it's as easy as a crossword," replied Hannah. "And yeah, if they don't want us competing they'd better not have us overlapping."

Stephen: Stephen smiled back at Farlibean before turning to address his companions "I wonder who these students are and if they are going to try and get in our way. That is something we might want to watch out, just in case."

Emily: Emily waved back at the Wild Man with a thankful wave, "Let do this safely, we only need to survive this with all our health and limbs intact."

IdGM: Then all the groups were on the move, exiting the Great Hall through the enormous arches into the sunlit main courtyard, which opened onto a long, perfect lawn running down to the river. A track ran from here to the bridge, and along it they saw approaching a line of strange vehicles, They were like coaches or cabs, with all the windows blacked out, drawn by pairs of fine black horses.
"So you don't see where you're going!" Growmiang told them.

Emily: Emily nodded softly, "Interesting!" as she eyed these cabs-like wondering if they are like these victorian horse cabs in the 19th century.

Maddie: Maddie eyed the coaches with unease. "Those blacked out windows will make us sitting ducks if anyone decides to ambush us."

Stephen: "Can't say I'm happy about not knowing where exactly we're going, but I guess it's part of the exercise."said Stephen, not sounding too concerned

IdGM: Each group clambered aboard one of these conveyances, and was immediately borne away, along the road over the bridge, through the grey House and away to who knew where. Cheers and shouts of 'Good Hunting' followed them, as the rest of the Academy, both students and tutors, had now moved outside to see them off. The atmosphere was electric, like the start of an extraordinary sporting event.

And then it was their turn. The driver, who looked like a very short gnarled old man with skin like teak, grinned at them - showing rather a lot of teeth. "Up ye go!" he called, as they clambered in. They barely had time to slam the door before he shouted something unintelligible at the horses and they were off, the carriage swinging round and speeding up, rattling and jolting along the rough road.

Emily: Emily is keeping a close attention to her surroundings, even the journey to the events can be a test itself she considered herself.

IdGM: They were effectively travelling in a dark box, lightless and rather stuffy. They had found long seats each side as they entered, but now it was completely dark.

Hannah: "It's like we're off to the worst prom ever," said Hannah.

Maddie: Maddie sat down uneasily. One of the things she missed most about the Mundane was being unable to pop in headphones and listen to music or a podcast - instead she just had her own thoughts in her head and those often made her uneasy. She decided to try to make a light since it was extremely dark inside the coach

To her surprise, she was able to focus immediately and conjure a bright ball of light in her hand. it looked like flame, but it didn't burn or emit heat. Maddie let the light float up to the ceiling, where it sat at the perfect centre like a lightbulb.

Hannah: "There you go!" said Hannah with a smile. "Now make it a disco ball and I'll be excited for the dance."

Emily: Emily looked at this magical bulb, "Hmm... would be handy for blinding people if it can be bright as the Sun!" She considered the possible use of such magic. She sighed for a moment, "If only we got some sunglasses", mourning them.

Stephen: "Or revealing hidden mysteries, perhaps." suggested Stephen "We'll likely have a lot to investigate when we get there, I wish we had been told more on what exactly we have to do - we have no idea at all on what the item is supposed to be..."

Emily: Emily spitballed some ideas, "Can be an item, a person, an enemy, can be anyone or anything!" She agreed with Stephen's concern

Maddie: "I don't think I can manage that." Maddie concentrated and the light changed colours and brightness several times before flicking back to its original orange-red. "No disco ball unfortunately. I could dance but I think the driver would get angry."

She glanced over at Steven. "I think keeping unnecessary secrets is something the Owl teaches her people to do. Arberyonwth and Growmiang were obviously discussing or arguing about something important this morning."

Stephen: "The fact that we need to work out what the item is, where it is and then how exactly to retrieve it suggests the item might not be so easy to carry...or perhaps it is well-guarded." Stephen anwered Emily before turning to address Maddie "I did notice that, but I thought it wasn't the best time to inquire - I am assuming it has something to do with the Chaos Courts based on how worried they were."

Maddie: "Most likely something that we need to know that they've decided it's not the right time to tell us, and by the time they decide it is the right time it'll be too late." Maddie groused. "If Arberyonwth had told us when we first rescued her that we weren't the first group to be dragged through from the Mundane recently I'd have realised someone from the Wolf's Court had probably tipped off the centaurs that we would be arriving, considering they were there to ambush us the instant we came out of the Cursed City. If I'd known that I wouldn't have been so quick to kick that shit Medon off a cliff. We could have captured him and found out something about who the Wolf sent to him and how." Maddie had been annoyed about this for months and had nearly confronted the Seer about it a few times. She'd decided against it because she got in enough arguments without starting new ones with people she actually liked, but now she was regretting it.

Hannah: Hannah looked serious, though less angry. "I agree Maddie, though I can also see why they'd be wary of putting too much trust in newcomers or burdening us with those things as we find our way. If we do well here, we'll have grounds to ask to be brought into these conversations more."

Stephen: Stephen shrugged before saying "I do want to know what exactly happened as much as you do, but it's possible they just didn't want to delay or slow down our training so that we can help in the war against the Wolf as soon as possible...when we're back from this we'll inquire about it."

Maddie: "I'm sure they have their reasons, I'm just not convinced they're good ones." Maddie spread her hands. "Nothing we can do about it now."

IdGM: They could tell nothing of their surroundings - the carriage swaying and bumping too much to tell when they turned and so noisy they could hear nothing but creaks and rattles. After a while they seemed to settle down more as though they were on some smooth surface , and their journey became less arduous, although it felt as though it was going on forever, being unable to see what was outside. It was long enough that they becan to feel hungry and need some of the supplies they had brought with them.

At last they started to slow down, and again the carriage started creaking and groaning as it rocked and bumped over much rougher ground. Eventually they heard the driver shout, and it came to a stop at an angle as if perched on a slope. As they found out to be the case when the door opened, and they were able to stagger down the steps, blinking in the daylight. The minute they were out, the carriage took off along the track and was quickly out of sight over the curve of the hill.

They were standing on the short, windblown turf of a hillside, which sloped down to a valley below. It was not that steep but higher hills lay all around, and in the distance they spotted the ghostly white shapes of snow-capped mountains, which they had never seen before. Lower down the slope bent bushes and stunted trees bore witness to the prevailing wind from the mountains, which carried with it the touch of ice. The sky was a uniform grey and the air chilly damp, and they were glad of the warmer clothes they had worn today. Their impression was of a bleak and forbidding place, although to one brought up in the Highlands it was familiar, and even beautiful.

Emily: Emily blinked her eyes several times to clear that nasty red and pink glares from her eye and focused her attention on her surroundings and she feel really calm at such sights, "This remind me of home" she muttered to herself, She basked in a fond remembrance for a moment before turning around taking in much as possible, "Right!

Maddie: "Well that's good. There's an entire fucking mountain range where they could have hid this item we're looking for, I'm glad that we don't have too wide an area we need to search," Maddie said. "Better to start with the valley I think. I mean, if I were designing this test I'd probably be tempted to just hide whatever it was below the ground directly at our feet because we'd probably not think to look there, but if I were designing this I'd actually just tell you what to damn well look for."

Hannah: "They didn't send us here until our powers were developed," said Hannah. "It may be that they'll help us figure out what we're looking for. Animals might be able to tell Emily something, or there might be veins in the earth to guide us via Stephen."

Emily: Emily nodded with agreement, "That would be helpful! To be fair" She glanced around to see if there is anything odd.

Stephen: "Well this is not quite as strange as it could be." commented Stephen "You could find this kind of landscape in the Mundane, too. And if they sent us here, they expect us to be able to find the item even if it takes serious effort."

Maddie: "Asking any animals we spot is probably a good idea. Something along the lines of whether anyone from the Court has been here recently? Presumably the item they want us to find is one they've put here specifically, and probably recently?"

Stephen: "I will try to focus on the Earth to find out if there is anything unusual about the minerals in the area. Although I doubt it will be as simple as what we're looking for being a hord of gold..." said Stephen, as he slowly and patiently reached out to the Flow...

IdGM: Stephen found the Flow without trouble, but there was nothing unusual or special in the rocks around them or the ground below.

Stephen: Stephen did not seem especially surprised or concerned by this and commented that perhaps nonmagical exploration might be, at least initially, more useful

Hannah: "Alright then. Let's do as Maddie suggested and head down to the valley. Emily can speak to any animals and I can investigate any water sources we find on the way."

IdGM: As they moved off, they could hear a distant croaking cry of a raven, although there seemed to be a dearth of other birds.

Maddie: "Should we head towards that bird? Course it could just fly off before we get close enough, I don't know how near you need to be Emily."

Emily: Emily agreed with a nod, "I need to be within 40 or a little more yards of the animal in question. I did some testing on the range while training."

IdGM: The raven sounded as though it were some distance away, up the valley.

Emily: Emily smiled for a moment as she stomp on the track for a moment, putting feelings in her feet, "Shall we make a start?!"

[Idris]

Session 9 - 14/1/2023

IdGM: The best way to move up towards the mountainous country where they could hear the raven’s call seemed to be to follow the stream. The hillside they stood on sloped down into the valley, where they could see glimpses of water splashing between rough muddy banks. They had to step carefully as they moved downhill - brambles ran out across their path, ready to catch unwary feet, there were loose stones and pits hidden in the grass, and now and then a hardy bush with giant thorns. Their way led through a copse of trees - gnarled and bent by the wind.

IdGM: The wind dropped slightly as they entered the grove. In the sudden quietness they could hear the rustle of dead leaves and tapping of twigs, though the litter below their feet was damp enough to muffle sound. As they looked around, Maddie suddenly saw movement from the corner of her eye.

A creature stood on a branch not far from them. It was long, sleek and sinuous, dark brown above and light below, with a sharp pointed face and almost cat-like ears. Bright dark eyes watched them with interest.

Maddie: Maddie stopped and pointed the animal out to the others. "Hello there," she called out softly - Emily might be needed to communicate with the animal, but on the other hand there were animals who could speak in the Summer Lands so perhaps this was one of them.

Emily: Emily's eyes lighted with interest, "Ah, a pine marten!" She whispered as if not to scare away the creature before them.

IdGM: The animal looked at Maddie but made no effort to reply. When Emily spoke it moved closer, its mouth widening as if in a grin, revealing very sharp white teeth.

Stephen: Stephen looked at the creature with interest - while it looked like the kind of animal one could find in the Mundane, things were often not what they seemed in this place and perhaps there was more to it...

Emily: Emily concentrated her focus on understanding the creature in front of her, hoping that it will work.

IdGM whispers to Emily: As Emily reached out to the Magic she felt it flow into her, strong and malleable at her command.

Emily whispers: Emily closed her eyes for a moment as it was a successful attempt, She reached out to the creature, "Hello!" She mentally called out kindly.

IdGM whispers to Emily: The Pine Marten's mind was sharp and bright as its eyes, like a small silver blade. It greeted her with respect and then asked if it could help her. There were no actual words, but the thoughts came through as clear as language.

Emily whispers: Emily thanked the pine marten's time and asked if it seen, heard or smelt anything odd apart from themselves she pointed out amusingly.

IdGM whispers to Emily: The Pine Marten found that amusing too but he plainly didn't understand what Emily meant. However he replied that if anyone knew it would be the Elder Raven, who lived higher up the valley.

IdGM whispers to Emily: There was something odd though, he added. In the wooden places over the stream.

Emily whispers: With a smile, Emily thanked the Piine Marten, taking note of the mention of Elder Raven and gathering the location of the wooden places over the stream. She digged out some of the items., flashng some foods that Pine Martine might like to eat.

Emily: Emily smiled friendly as she starts rummaging through the bag getting the reward out and leaving it a respectable distance from the Pine Marten. She know very well that it is a wild creature indeed. She relayed the message, "That was interesting! There is a bird which is called Elder Raven which may know more about the area up the valley. I did ask if it see anything odd and the only lead on that is wooden places over the stream. She relayed what the animal told her to others

Maddie: "I assume you'll recognise Elder Raven? Or they'll recognise us maybe."

IdGM: The Pine Marten slinked down and picked up the food, winked at Emily then made its way back into the treetops.

Hannah: "We have a good lead at least!" said Hannah, watching the marten scurry off.

Stephen: "An Elder Raven? Interesting." mused Stephen "I would expect such a being to be very wise. But how are we to find it?"

Maddie: "Wooden places over the stream? Like buildings?"

Stephen: "It's a bit vague, but it cold be something like a small bridge, or a stilt house, I suppose."

Emily: Emily smiled faintly, "Pine Marten mentioned the Elder Raven lived up the valley so if we want to make a start, we can head up the valley and we can certainly spot a raven and ask them." She turned her attention to Hannah's question, "I am not sure to be honest. Animals do not communicate in words, more like feelings and thoughts."

Emily: "The wooden places are on other side of the stream" she added.

Hannah: "Alright," said Hannah. "Then we head uphill and keep an eye out for the stream and any wooden structures."

IdGM: They continued through the rest of the copse without seeing any more living things. The trees petered out and they found themselves on a rather boggy area beside the stream, which bubbled and splattered quite cheerfully down the valley, disappearing between high hills. There was a larger area of flat ground on the other side of the water, with a high wall of rock beyond it, and above that a steep hillside covered in a thick and very dark forest of mostly conifers. When they looked upstream they could see high rocks and sharp slopes. Nearer to them, a stone plank lay across the stream as a simple bridge, and there were hut-like shapes on the flat ground beyond it.

Emily: Emily eyed the surroundings, "Well, we did find something at least." Upon spotting these wooden places

Stephen: "Some form of settlement! I wonder who lives there" said Stephen quickening his pace, obviously wanting to find out exactly that.

IdGM: With Stephen in the lead they crossed the little bridge, which seemed quite sturdy. As they neared the huts it became clear that these were ruins, the wood rotted and most of the roofs fallen in, deserted for who knew how long.

Stephen: Stephen quickly got over the disappointment and set out to investigate the ruins

Emily: Emily looked around as well, eyeung the ruins and the surrounding

Stephen: Stephen reached out to the Flow, trying to sense the presence of metallic tools and objects that might be provide useful clues

IdGM whispers to Stephen: Stephen found that he could touch the Magic easily, and shape its power. He could sense the rocks beneath his feet and all around him, but when he focused on searching for traces of metal they were strangely absent. No tools, not even an iron nail holding the wood of the huts together. Yet there were tools here - minerals shaped by hands - only they were of stone and wood. Even the huts were held together with wooden nails. Whoever made them had either not known how to work metal, or for some reason had avoided it

Stephen: Stephen called out to the others, eager to share his findings: "No metal at all! I sense tools and nails, but only from stone and wood. Might be Fair Folk, or simply someone who didn't know how to work metal."

Emily: Emily raised her eyebrows with interest as she eyed the surrounding even more closer. "How odd." She muttered to Stephen's exciting outbrust

Stephen: After catching his breath for a moment, Stephen added "I do think the latter is more likely - this doesn't really look like the kind of place Fair Folk would generally live in, they'd rather be inside hills or under lakes."

Maddie: "Maybe it was a place where people met the Fair Folk?"

IdGM: As they were standing there discussing this, Maddie felt a strange sense that she was being watched.

Maddie: Maddie felt the itch between her shoulder blades. "Feels like something's watching us," she muttered to the others. She wanted to put something solid at her back so nothing could sneak up on her, but the only thing around was the ruined huts and something was as likely to come out of those as anywhere else

IdGM: When Maddie looked around she spotted an angular face at the empty window of the furthest hut.

Maddie: "Umm...hello." Maddie held her hands up peaceably. She had some mild hope that the Academy wouldn't send them out into situations in training that were certain to end in combat, though she could defend herself if they did. She moved towards the hut where she'd spotted the face, gesturing to the others.

IdGM: As Maddie approached, a small skinny figure suddenly dashed out of the hut towards the rock wall behind the settlement. To their amazement, it leaped up in giant bounds as though the sheer rock face was flat ground, vanishing into the dark forest at the top.

Maddie: Maddie started instinctively to chase after it, then immediately realised this was completely pointless. "Did you see that?" she asked the others.

Emily: Emily shook her head, "Not very clearly." She answered

Stephen: "I did! Well, sort of" said Stephen, amazed "Whoever that was, they didn't seem intent on talking to us."

Hannah: "What could it be, I wonder? And should we be worried that it's telling someone, or something, up above about us?"

Maddie: "Maybe? I mean we don't know what it is, or who it's going to tell. There was only one of it, it was probably afraid of us, maybe thought we were intruding on its territory."

Stephen: "A servant of the Elder Raven, perhaps?" mused Stephen "But I think it would be strange for someone who can fly to rely on spies and look-outs who walk. However stranger things have been known to happen..."

Maddie: "We should check the hut it came out of," Maddie indicated. "Maybe it dropped something there or there's some other hint as to who or what they are."

Emily: Emily eyed the woods where the stranger flounced into and nodded, "Might be a bit tricky to track it as well." As she walked over toward the hut where this creature fled from

IdGM: This hut was slightly less battered by time than the rest. Most of the roof remained, and there was still some heavy wooden furniture. It also appeared that someone had been using it recently - there were warm embers on the fire stone, and a dark green blanket woven from some kind of plant fibre on the bedstead. On the table lay some items - a black feather, a vial of viscous liquid and a wreath of dried flowers - or were they herbs of some kind?

Stephen: After a quick glance at the rest, Stephen's gaze was drawn to the items on the table. "I wonder if it's a raven's" he commented about the feather. "So we have a feather and what might be ink...I would expect something like paper or parchment too..."

Hannah: "It looks too viscous to be ink," said Hannah, peering at the liquid. "Maybe some kind of potion? This world's equivalent to cough syrup."

Maddie: "Or it could just be a drink?" Maddie shrugged. "The furniture is human sized, bed's a little short though. We should leave these things here, maybe with a token of something to prove we're not enemies for when it comes back for its stuff."

Emily: Emily also pointed out that these plants are more used for healing as well rather than for eatings.

Stephen: "We could do a more through search..." Stephen said "Of course, that would hardly be respectful of whoever lives there" he added recognizing the validity of Maddie's concerns

Stephen: "As for the vial...if it isn't ink, then the feather might be for something other than writing. It might be a token or talisman connected with the Elder Raven, perhaps?"

Maddie: "The Firebird gave me one of its feathers so I could call on it if I was in grave need, maybe the Elder Raven does the same? But maybe it's just a feather."

Hannah: "There doesn't look to be much more here," replied Hannah. "If we do leave something, what should it be? Perhaps a little food?"

Maddie: "I could leave this thing some nuts and dried berries, I don't know what it eats though."

Maddie: "It's a pity that isn't ink, if it was we'd know it was literate and we could just leave it a message. Maybe we should do that anyway in case it can read?"

Emily: Emily agreed, "It is still worth a try, Foods are best route after all,"

Hannah: "The key to an unknown supernatural being's heart is through its stomach?" said Hannah.

Emily: Emily grinned for a moment trying to make a light if the situtation, "Everyone need to eat and drink...."

Maddie: "Or stomachs, if it's like a cow." Maddie shrugged and pulled out one of her pots of nuts and dried fruit, sprinkling some out on the table.

IdGM: At this moment James, who had been outside the hut and absorbed in looking up at the sky, put his head in at the door. "I think we need to move, the weather is going to close down and we still have to get up there," He nodded towards the steep slopes further up the valley.

Hannah: Hannah hurriedly ripped a sheet from her notebook and wrote "A gift" alongside a smiley face, placing it next to Maddie's offering of food in case the creature were able to read their tongue or at least recognize a symbol. "Alright, let's get out of here then."

Maddie: Maddie stepped outside, pulled out her pipe and lit up to smoke as they walked.

Emily: Emily grimanced at the possible bad weather and made ready as she leave the hut as well

IdGM: They strode along the flat area beside the stream, which soon became only a narrow strip and then petered out completely. The going got a lot rougher and slower as they had to negotiate the rocky ground and the rising slope. Heavy clouds came low over the heights above them, and a thin sleet driven by a cold wind started to blow in their faces.

IdGM: As they struggled on, Emily heard a sound in the distance. The distinctive 'Kraak' of a raven!

Emily: Emily glanced around, trying to see a black spot tell tale of the raven.

IdGM: On a tall spire of rock, a large black shape appeared. The Raven stood and looked down at them, its eye cool and measuring as though considering how they might taste. Then it opened its beak and spoke.

IdGM: "Come, into the shelter." The Raven fluttered down and disappeared behind the rock.

Emily: Emily perked up seeing the bird, "Look like we manage to find Elder Raven" She sighed with a relief

Hannah: Hannah looked to the others with a smile before following after the Raven.

Maddie: "It'll be good to get out of this," Maddie said, following after the Raven

[Idris]

Session 10 - 29/1/23

IdGM: Not waiting for them, the Raven stalked ahead into a dark space behind the tall rock. As they rounded it, they found themselves in a cave, not huge but well protected from the wind and sleet that were now making it very unpleasant outside. A light came from some kind of crystals imbedded in the wall.

"I have been expecting you," the Raven declared in his creaking voice. "My name is Aarkrak."

Emily: Emily was glad of a shelter especially from sleet and winds as she looked over the bird with morbid fascination. "Thanks for your kind hospitality" thanking him for the shelter. "My name is Emily." She smiled with interest as she waited for others to introduce themsleves

Hannah: "We're glad to have found you, Aarkrak! I'm Hannah." She gave a little bow. "We met a pine marten who mentioned you resided around here."

Stephen: "Greetings, Aarkrak! I am Stephen. We heard that you know much about this valley." said Stephen, obviously looking forward to the bird sharing his knowledge
.
Maddie: "I'm Maddie. Do you mind if I smoke in here? That sleet didn't really let me light up for the last little while."

IdGM: Aarkrak nodded his head to Emily. "Welcome Wild Speaker," he said. He examined each of them with a critical eye, and then looked beadily at Maddie.
"Smoke?" he croaked.

Maddie: Maddie pulled out her pipe. "I can stand near the entrance, I just want some shelter or it might not stay lit."

IdGM: The Raven stepped across and eyed the pipe with his head on one side. "What do you burn in this?"

Maddie: Maddie pulled out some of the pipeweed from the pouch at her waist. "This. Why, did you want some?"

IdGM: Aarkrak's dark eyes stared at hers. "I have never needed this, although I believe some of our Elders do. But carry on, and we will talk - there is not much time."

Emily: Emily stood up a little and gave the raven her full undivdied attention as what is may be causing troubles in this areas.

IdGM: The Raven indicated they should sit on the floor of the cave, which was sandy and quite dry.

Hannah: Hannah pulled out a small embroidered towel from her pack and laid it carefully on the floor before sitting.

Maddie: Maddie stayed by the entrance with her pipe, making sure to blow the smoke outside.

Emily: She laid down on the cave ground, not minding the coarse sands and sit down on it leaning back against the bag, she sat on far worse things than mere sands. "So what is going on?" Emily asked with interest.

Stephen: Stephen sat down, eager to listen to the Raven's explanations.

IdGM: Hopping onto a large flat topped rock in front of them, Aarkrak surveyed them. "Many many groups of aspiring students have come here before you." He nodded his head. "I think that you may do." He held up a gnarly claw to forestall any comments. "Be advised, I will not answer questions. You wish to know how to reach that which you seek, but you must use your wits to do so"

Hannah: "We'd appreciate whatever help you can give," responded Hannah. "We're ready to take on the challenge."

IdGM: Aarkrak nodded again, clearly pleased with this answer, and his eyes sparkled, "I do have a riddle for you, this will aid you in your quest." The old raven took up a stance as he declaimed:

Keep in or keep out.
Turn, and turn about.
A shout will not do -
Whisper! Then keep true.
Be wary up here -
A misstep will cost dear.
The way tight, and then narrow
Leads straight as an arrow.

Stephen: Stephen seemed disappointed by Aarkrak's refusal to answer questions, but this disappointment was quickly replaced by deep thinking over the bird's riddle.

Maddie: "I'm a squatter, I've always disregarded things that say keep out," said Maddie, finishing her smoking. She put her pipe back in its pouch and came and sat down with the others. "Are you allowed to tell us what we're looking for? Is the real treasure the friends we make along the way or something?"

Emily: Emily's eyes grimanced for a moment as Maddie barrels into saying that she considers rude for their host but turns her focus on the riddle instead.

Stephen: "A place where one should not shout, and tight paths where a misstep might prove fatal... this makes me think of narrow, dangerous mountain paths, where loud noises might set off an avalanche..." Stephen mused, thinking aloud.

IdGM: A beak is not made for smiling, but the Raven gave a caw that was clearly a laugh. "You humans and your metaphors! But yes, this is something real and precious. I can tell you that you will face difficulties and dangers, but you knew that already."

Emily: Emily considered the riddle carefully, "Indeed" She agreed with the Raven's words on the dangers. She gave her thought on this riddle, "The first one sound like a keep as ruined place or a wall and fence for keeping in or out. Turn and turn about reminds me of a winding stairway that can go down or up." She shook her head at that, "Or I got the wrong end of the stick here."

Maddie: Maddie stretched and spoke, but rather than ask about the riddle, she said. "While we were down below in the valley, we came to what looked like a ruined settlement by a boggy stream. We crossed a flat slab of stone to get across the stream to the settlement. While we were there I spotted some kind of skinny figure which dashed out of a hut and then leapt up the rock wall as if it were nothing before vanishing. When we looked in the hut there was a black feather in there. Do you know what it was that we saw? I hope we didn't frighten it if it's a friend of yours."

IdGM: Aarkrak looked at Maddie with interest and some respect. "That settlement was abandoned many years ago, but there are still those who use it. One of the Fey - a Healer - comes down into the valley to find herbs and to aid any that need their help. It may be that the Being you saw was waiting for her. There are many who have taken to the forest, since this area has become... less safe."

Maddie: "There was a wreath of dried flowers and a vial of some kind of liquid as well, so a healer would make sense. We left a note apologising," Maddie shrugged. "So some kind of narrow, dangerous path. Well I'm good in places like that, I'm even good at keeping quiet when I need to."

IdGM: The Raven nodded with approval at Maddie's words. "You may stay here in the dry for a little while you consider the words, but time is passing and it will be dark in three hours. When you leave, keep your eyes about you."

Hannah: Hannah had already written the riddle down in her notebook and was tapping her pen against the page as she thought over the lines.

IdGM: As they sat puzzling over the Raven's rhyme, it occured to Hannah that Aarkrak had spoken the lines in a specific way, with pauses and breaths between. When asked, he was happy to repeat them, and this time she included commas and periods. It seemed important to the reading of the clues, that there were these breaks. Perhaps they represented seperate clues, to be taken one after another.

When looked at this way, the first clue was 'Keep in or keep out'.

Stephen: "You know..." said Stephen "at first I was looking at the first clue as if it was a command or suggestion, and it made little sense, almost as if it was a red herring. But perhaps it's pointing to a specific object instead, something that can keep people and things in, but also out. A door, or some sort of gate or barrier perhaps?"

Maddie: Maddie had been unable to sit still and was pacing around the cave. "Shall we go look for it then? I assume from the fact that Aarkrak is here to dispense cryptic hints that we must be on the right path."

IdGM: The old Raven bowed and gave his cawing laugh. "A good start. Now you can see there are no doors in here, so off you go to look for one. Time is passing!" He stretched his wings. "You might want to cross the stream."

Hannah: "Yes, perhaps if we can find this door the next clue will tell us what to do - to turn it, perhaps." Hannah stood and packed away her towel.

Emily: Emily stood up and put on her rucksack she been carrying on, looking around as to check if there is a door and smiled at Stephen and Hannah with delight, "Nice one!" She turns towards the Raven, "Thank you for your time, Aarkrak" She bows in response.

Stephen: "And then turn about...it might be more obvious what exactly that means once we get there. Hopefully." considered Stephen as they got up, ready to bid farewell to Aarkrak and leave.

IdGM: James also bowed to the Raven.

IdGM: "Fare well," Aarkrak said in his harsh creaking voice. "Don't forget to use your eyes and ears."

Leaving Aarkrak in the warmth of the cave, they rounded the rock and faced the biting wind again. The sleet had lessened but it threatened to return at any moment. Ragged clouds were streaming overhead, making the day even gloomier. The stream was splashing loudly, and as they moved up the valley, the ground became more broken and the stones underfoot unpleasantly slippery.

The valley narrowed as they climbed higher, scrubby hillsides giving way to steep rocky slopes, conifers replacing scrubby grass on their side of the stream.. Not far ahead they could see another of the flat stone bridges.

Maddie: "Well bridges don't really keep in or out, but the last one was right near an old settlement," Maddie said.

Emily: Emily, "He did say we might want to cross the stream right?" She asked as she glanced up and down the stream.

Stephen: "We might need to walk further before we find the object of the next clue...but before we cross, we'll want to be sure it's safe." said Stephen, obviously referring to what they had been told about using their eyes and ears.

Maddie: Maddie went across first, rather carelessly. She almost slipped, but very quickly righted herself. "Uhh, watch that spot there."

IdGM: Looking around them and listening carefully they could see or hear nothing that indicated a risk, apart from the slippery stone of the bridge.

Stephen: Stephen was able to make it across the bridge by moving slowly and steadily - although there were a few moments where he did look very close to slipping and falling.

Hannah: Hannah walked across slowly, arms out for balance. This wasn't her forte - but with concentration she found that she could sense where the slickest places in the rock were, even when invisible to the eye. Eventually she was able to hop over to solid ground.

Emily: On her turn Emily gingerly made her way across the bridge, making note of the bridge style and carefully avoided the wet spot highlighted by Maddie.

IdGM: James came last, cautious but with prior warning he avoided all the worst patches.

They were faced with a narrow path, if it could be called that being more like a stairway of rocks running up beside the stream. A wall of rock lay on their right as they toiled up it, though this was about ten feet high and appeared to have a flat area on top, before the sheer bare slope rose up beyond it.

They reached a relatively easy path for a bit. As they walked, Stephen was looking at the rocks on his right. For a moment he thought his eyes were playing tricks, a kind of optical illusion, and then he realised he could see steps, actual steps, cut into the solid rock and leading up to the flat area above. They were very cleverly disguised.

Stephen: "There are steps in the rock here" Stephen said pointing with his hand for the others to see "But do be careful."

Maddie: Maddie went ahead, clambering up the steep and slippery steps with a rope to drop down to the others. Near the top she managed to crack her elbow on a jut of rock and gave a yelp of pain while her arm went numb for a time. Eventually she was able to massage feeling back into her arm and drop the rope down.

Emily: Emily managed to caught the rope and went up the rock craved stair with some ease. When she caught up with Maddie, "Are you okay Maddie?" She asked with concern.

Maddie: "I'm fine, I'm fine," Maddie waved dismissively.

Emily: "Okay" as Emily watched the others coming up the stairs

Stephen: Stephen was able to climb up using the rope, though it took serious effort.

Hannah: Hannah followed Stephen. Huffing at the top, she looked back down at the rope. "They only used to make the boys climb to the top of the rope in elementary school."

Emily: "Ever tried abseiling? " Emily smiled, "Great fun, esepcially when over great views." She added.

IdGM: James took the end of the rope and began to climb up. Suddenly the wind blew wilder and the sleet was turning to snow. Staggering a little, James found his feet sliding away and he grabbed the rope harder as he skidded down several steps and slammed into the rock.

"My leg!" he cried out.

Hannah: Hannah gasped. "James! Hold on - we can pull you up and have Emily take a look at you!"

Maddie: Maddie took hold of the rope to help pull James up.

Stephen: Stephen helped the others pull James up so that he could be looked at.

Emily: Once James got to a safe position among them, Emily made a quick look at James.

IdGM: James' leg had been gashed quite badly against the rocks.

Emily: Emily winced at seeing the wound but got her first aid kit out, some items are what she bought over from their world and some are from this world in which she is living in. "Not too serious" As she cast an eye over the wounded left as she takes out some painkillers, "Take some of this, this will help with the pain." She quickly went on with her focus, cleaning up the nasty gash with some sterilizing potion and with a different potion which have some antimicrobial effects. Lastly, she bound James' leg up with bandages. She asked James, "How are you feeling?" once she finished her part in this.

IdGM: James gave a weak smile, though he had groaned and grimaced a good deal while Emily had been dealing with the wound. "A lot better for your treatment.". With their help he managed to stand, though he could not put all his weight on the injured leg.

Hannah: "Hopefully we're past the worst of the terrain," said Hannah as she supported James on one side.

IdGM: The rocky shelf on which they were standing was about ten feet wide, though it narrowed as it curved around a shoulder of rock further up the valley to their left. To their right the shelf ended in a strange folded outcrop. Maddie stared into the shadows formed there, and realised what she was looking at.

Maddie: "Well, there's the door we're looking for," Maddie said, pointing to what she'd spotted hidden on the outcrop.

[Idris]

Session 11 - 11/2/23

IdGM: The door was shadowy and hard to see in the dark recess, and well hidden from the path below.

Maddie: Maddie went over to examine the door more closely

Hannah: Hannah followed, looking at the area around the door along with the portal itself.

Joe: Emily just finished off cleaning her hands after treating James' nasty wounds and glanced up at what at the door might be and joined the rest of the group in looking at the doors

Stephen: "Be careful" whispered Stephen to Maddie as he went with her to get a better look at the entrance

IdGM: The door was a dark grey and marked and stained, so that it was hard to see what it was made of. On closer inspection, Hannah could tell that it was constructed of some kind of incredibly hard wood. There was no handle, but hidden among the seams and marks she spotted a slot that might be a keyhole of some kind.

Hannah: Hannah pointed the slot out to the others.

Maddie: Maddie went to examine the keyhole.

Joe: Emily taken into the account of that riddle quickly look behind them to see if anything interestinf just in case

IdGM: The keyhole was very narrow and rather strangely shaped, but on investigation, Maddie reckoned that with care she should be able to pick the lock.

Maddie: Maddie unslung her backpack and pulled out the Gnomish lockpicks she'd procured, which she'd carefully packed at the top of her gear. "I suppose we won't be squatting here but it's fine, I'll just imagine this door belongs to some absentee landlord who's leaving their seventh property empty to go up in value while they're living in Florida."

IdGM: The lock was complex and unusual, but Maddie felt each guard sliding away as she worked the picks through it. As she clicked the final one aside, the door swung open on its own, silently, and a dark opening appeared before her.

Joe: Emily whispered, "Well done Maddie!" seeing how amazing Maddie is with her lockpicks

Hannah: "Excellent!" said Hannah with a little clap of her hands. "It makes me wonder how they expected anyone to get through without someone with your skills. Perhaps we bypassed a key hidden somewhere. Or maybe the challenge was developed specifically to test your skills."

Maddie: "I think it's probably the latter." Maddie tucked her tools away, then glanced back over her shoulder in case the 'turn about' part of the rhyme was meant to mean they needed to turn round once the door was open

Stephen: "I'd say I'm surprised the lock could simply be picked like this - but then they do want to test our skills...congratulations!" commented Stephen

Joe: Nodding thoughtfully at Hannah's final sentence as Emily agreed that it is the very point of these exams and tests

IdGM: Nothing had changed in the grey valley behind them. The darkness loomed ahead.

Maddie: "Ok, I thought that would be a bit silly to be fair." Maddie stood up, concentrated for a moment, and a ball of light appeared in her hand. She thought at it, and the light floated ahead of her to illuminate the darkness

IdGM: The light showed that they were standing in a large cavelike space, which showed signs of having been carved out and worked. Pillars of rock held up the ceiling high above, shadowy spaces out of reach of Maddie's light. In the distance ahead they could see an arched opening, which seemed to be the only way out.

Stephen: Stephen focused on the stony surfaces all around - it was his element and perhaps he thought he might find clues that they were not simply supposed to go for the obvious exit.

IdGM: As Stephen reached out for the Flow he felt his senses touch the rocks all around him and seem to sink into them, as though they had become liquid that he could see through. Ahead he sensed a twisting and branching passagway, narrower than the cavern they stood in. Above was solid rock, but there were spaces to the sides and below.

Maddie: "I'll go ahead. Probably not much point trying to be stealthy what with this light floating ahead of us." Before she went in Maddie examined the door to see if she could close it behind them - she didn't want some random animal to blunder in and then get lost or trapped

IdGM: The door could be pushed closed and did so silently as if on oiled hinges, though there were none to be seen.

Stephen: Stephen seemed to feel a sense of relief when he realized the ground was safe enough to walk on.

Maddie: Maddie reached into her pack and pulled out several lengths of red, white, orange, and yellow chalk. "In case we get lost or separated. Red means the most direct path back to the exit." Once she had the chalk out, Maddie went ahead to the arched exit, periodically stopping to chalk red arrows on the walls and floors, pointing back to the exit.

Joe: Emily looked around the dark caves with wariness and kept a careful look for any dangers on floor and ceilings.

IdGM: Beyond the archway, Maddie's light showed a long passageway running away into the distance. About thirty feet along the passage a dark opening suggested a branching way to the left.

Maddie: "I guess it's time to start turning about." Maddie went to where the path branched and sent her light ahead of her, also chalking the wall with an arrow as she did

IdGM: The passage continued for some time before another branch curved away to the right.

Maddie: Maddie continued along, continuing to mark the walls to show the path back, although at the moment at least it didn't seem entirely needed

IdGM: They met with several more branches, the straight passageways leading off who knew where. They were dry, dusty underfoot, silent and with no sign of life. Eventually the passage ran in a long, downward curve and they could sense something different ahead of them.

Emily: Emily is still staying silent, eyeing the branches as they may be potential threats as they walked along the main bryunch. Emily perked up for a moment as they may be approaching their goal

Stephen: Stephen mouthed the words "whisper, don't shout" to the others - obviously thinking that it might be a good idea to make as little noise as possible, as suggested by the Raven's clues

IdGM: By Maddie's light they could see that the passage entered a dark space through another of the archways. Nothing could be seen to the sides or ahead, implying it opened into a large area. As they neared the opening, Stephen became aware that he could hear sounds, confused and hard to make out but they seemed to be coming from beyond the entrance.

Concentrating hard, he thought they might actually be some kind of echoes of their own footsteps.

Stephen: Stephen brought a finger to his lips and tried to be as still as possible for a while

Emily: Emily followed Stephen's request for quietiness and stayed stood

IdGM: They all stood like statues, barely daring to breathe. After a few minutes the sounds died away completely.

Emily: With no more sounds, Emily pointed at the entrance silently, perhaps saying someone can go forward

Maddie: Maddie nodded and went ahead, moving very quietly, and leaving the light hovering about halfway between her and the rest of the group

IdGM: Maddie entered a large cavern, and this one looked natural. The walls were strangely formed, perhaps by the flow of water over millenia. Her feet made little sound on the sandy floor.

Maddie: Maddie waved to the others to follow carefully, looking around the cavern for any kind of exit or passageway

Hannah: Hannah nodded to the others and headed after Maddie, using the path her friend had laid out to move as quietly as possible.

Emily: She was wondering about how James keeping on whom they left behind. Praying for their best chance, she went into the dark area where Maddie went into, hopimng that they do not make any missteps here

Stephen: Stephen tried to follow silently but seemed to have a hard time matching the attempts of the others, despite having had some practice with sneaking in the past

IdGM: Following Maddie's lead, the others ghosted across the cavern. Stephen had almost made it when his foot slipped on a small rock and the soft sibilance of this slight sound echoed around the cavern.
Nothing came out of the darkness to attack them however. Ahead another archway led into a passage which appeared to run straight for a fair length.

Stephen: Stephen breathed a quiet sigh of relief and resolved to be more careful.

Maddie: Once the others had caught up and she'd marked their way back, Maddie sent her light ahead of them into the straight corridor

IdGM: The passage now began to climb, and eventually the light revealed a long set of stairs cut into the stone.

Emily: Emily was about to sigh a sigh of relief but realised that it is not over yet, perhaps not just yet. Going up the stairs can make nosies as well

IdGM: The stairs were steep and exhausting but eventually they came to an end, at a dark opening.

Maddie: Maddie sent her light ahead of them again

IdGM: The light went through the opening but little could be seen - this was plainly another large cavern.

Maddie: Maddie went ahead very carefully, thinking that they were probably now at the point Aarkrak had described as 'up here' and that a mistep could therefore cost dear

IdGM: As she came to the head of the long stairs, Maddie could see darkness below. She stepped out onto a narrow ledge which projected over... nothing! At least that's what it looked like. Wherever it ended was a long long way down.

Maddie: Maddie stood casually at the edge of the sheer drop and looked down for a moment before turning back to the others. "There's a very narrow ledge here and it drops down a long way. If any of you are afraid of heights, brace yourselves first. Actually you might want to do that even if you aren't."

Maddie shone her light around the open space beyond the ledge. Her throat itched for a smoke and she found she'd pulled her pipe out and lit it without even being aware of what she was doing.

IdGM: Moving her light about, Maddie could see to her right that there were projections from the wall running around the side of the pit. At some time they were likely part of a construction which had now fallen away. Now, with care, it would be possible to make one's way round, stepping from one of the projections to the other, to an opening just visible as a black shadow on the other side of the cavern.

Emily: Emily looked around as well, "I would not like to fall in here!" She whispered to herself

Stephen: "I wonder what's at the bottom....."said Stephen gazing at the sheer darkness for a short while "Alas, that is not what we are supposed to find out."

Maddie: Maddie shone her light along where the projections were. Noticing a metal ring in the wall, she pulled a rope out and attached it to the metal ring.

Emily: Emily took out her little lantern from her backpack and lit it with some form of firestarter used in this world and a little amount of light shone from it. Not good as Maddie's magical light but it would do, Emily hoped

IdGM: They roped themselves together and set off, Maddie leading, with Hannah and then Stephen behind her, and Emily bringing up the rear. The projections were wide enough, but stepping over the gaps was a nasty business, with nothing to hold onto but the rough rock wall of the cavern. Both Stephen and Emily came too close to slipping for comfort. By the time they reached the far side and were able to step onto a larger ledge of solid rock they were all sweating, and Stephen and Emily were both shaking.

Stephen: Stephen breathed another sigh of relief - deeper than the one earlier after he mistepped - and then had to sit down for a short while. Perhaps he regretted his earlier curiosity.

Emily: Emily sighed for a moment, "That is way too close for my liking. I ususally like to see the bottom when cross something thin like that" She want a drink at the moment but that will have to wait.

Hannah: Hannah had managed to maintain her composure despite her heart pounding as they crossed. Seeing that Stephen and Emily had suffered more from their ordeal, she helped usher them to sit and offered water and snacks as they took some time to recover.

Maddie: Maddie leaned against the wall and took another smoke while waiting for the others to collect themselves. Her hand half twitched towards the pocket where she had previously kept her phone, then she shrugged it off.

[Idris]

Session 12 - 25/2/23

IdGM: Once they recovered their breath, and Stephen and Emily had stopped shaking, they picked themselves up and set off up the long, narrow passage. In the distance ahead of them, Maddie's light picked out a set of steps rising steeply upwards.

Hannah: Hannah helped Stephen and Emily up, and moved on once she was sure they were alright.

Emily: Emily sighed for a moment wishing she can get some hand on drinks to warm herself up after their close run with the bottomless pit. She eyed the coming stairs and nodded, "Well, so far so good!" She tried to reassure herself of that.

Maddie: Maddie tucked her pipe away, then headed towards the steps, levitating her light so they could see up them.

Stephen: Stephen seemed somewhat embarassed by his earlier accidents, but he tried to keep his spirits up and, with Hannah's help, got up to continue their quest

IdGM: The stone of the steps was somewhat worn in the centre where it seemed many feet must have climbed up and down. It was a long flight and they were all exhausted by the time they came to the top, where they found a flat area running on for about thirty yards.

Maddie: Maddie retrieved her chalk and went ahead, continuing to mark the walls - although if Aarkrak's riddle was any guide, they were reaching the part where the way would be tight, then narrow, and run straight as an arrow, which probably wouldn't require much effort to not get lost in.

IdGM: As she moved along, Maddie noticed there were small holes in the wall at about head height.

Maddie: Maddie shone her light into one of the holes. "If this were the Elder Scrolls or something, that'd be a trap that shot spears at you."

IdGM: The hole appeared to be open all the way through to a dark space. There was no sign of a spear or anything else within it. The holes were about three inches across.

Maddie: Maddie floated her light through the hole so they could see the dark space beyond

Stephen: "Do be careful." said Stephen. "A trap does seem very likely"

IdGM: It was difficult to see far, but what it did show seemed to be part of a large natural cavern dropping far below. The sound of rushing water came faintly to their ears.

Emily: Emily quickly exmained the stone floor, "Maybe there are triggers in the floor? I mean the riddle says that we have to keep straight?" She wondered.

Maddie: "If I have to be straight to get through here then my girlfriends are going to be very disappointed."

Emily: Emily merely smiled at Maddie's humour.

IdGM: After puzzing over the holes for a time, it came to them that they might be a method for bringing fresh air into the caverns. Certainly it seemed cooler and less close when they stood in front of them. Hannah suggested the running water also aided in cooling and circulating the air.

Stephen: "That sounds reassuring - no spears flying at us "straight as an arrow", then." smiled Stephen, relieved.

Hannah: "This place must have been quite an extensive project," said Hannah.

Emily: "Of course!" Emily mumured with surprise, "Vents!" She understood what Hannah was saying, "I wonder what they are looking for?!" She wondered curiously.

Maddie: "And who built it, and when. I assume they know at the Academy given that they sent us here."

Stephen: "I might ask a few questions once we're back there." said Stephen. "It does seem like this place might have a more complex history than expected at first."

Maddie: Having worked out what the holes in the wall were, Maddie brought her light back around and shone it ahead of them.

IdGM: Beyond the short plateau on which they stood, the passage dipped down sharply. They would need care to keep their footing.

Maddie: Maddie started down first, keeping her balance easily.

Hannah: Hannah stepped down shortly after Maddie, but after a few moments stepped awkwardly and found herself starting to slide down the slope.

Maddie: Maddie whirled around and grabbed Hannah by the wrist as she started to slide. Once she had a firm grip she pulled her friend back up to her feet

Stephen: Stephen came after Hannah, having breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Maddie grab her. With steady, careful movements he made his way down without losing his footing.

Emily: Emily making up the rear of the queue attempted to get down what should be a pretty straightforward descence but her footings was not sure foot as a goat so she began to slide making a sound to let someone down the path that she may be careering into them

Stephen: Fortunately Stephen was able to catch Emily and help her to her feet

Emily: Emily grimanced as she made hold of herself, " Thanks!" She thanked Stephen.

IdGM: They eventually reached the foot of the sloping passage, where an opening to another dark space awaited them. From beyond they heard faint gurgling sounds, and there was a strange cloying smell of decay.

Maddie: "The fuck..." Maddie murmured, hearing gurgling noises. She brought her light around and shone it ahead - there wasn't much point trying to be stealthy in a place where they couldn't see.

IdGM: The opening led into a long cavern. A narrow path ran around the curving wall to their left and disappeared in darkness. To the right, filling the floor of the cavern, lay something dark that rippled like skin on custard, if custard were dark brown and smelt like a newly opened grave. As they watched, a large bubble rose to the surface and burst with a pop. The smell intensified.

Hannah: Hannah covered her mouth and nose with a hand, trying not to gag. "Let's get past this quickly."

Maddie: "Don't move too fast, I don't think you want to fall into that stuff."

Emily: Emily puts on a form of scarf that wraped around her nose and mouth.

Stephen: "Some sort of natural gas or oil, perhaps..." mused Stephen, though disgust at the awful smell was clear on his face

Maddie: Maddie followed Emily's example - her days on black bloc demonstrations meant she was very comfortable wearing face coverings.

Hannah: Hannah followed suit covering her nose and mouth with a cloth.

Stephen: Stephen did likewise - luckily the supplies he was carrying included cloth to use for situations like these.

IdGM: They moved forward, slowly and carefully. Suddenly there was a disturbance in the muck and a long fleshy thing started to squirm its way out onto the path in front of Stephen. As it was illuminated by Maddie's light, he could see the body rippling like an obscene giant maggot or worm. It had no eyes but at the front of its body there was a round opening ringed with sharp teeth. It swung itself to and fro as though trying to scent prey.

Stephen: Stephen's hand went to the hilt of his sword, but then he stopped and tried to be completely still - perhaps hoping the creature would soon lose interest.

Emily: Emily noticing that Stephen came to stop still also came to a halt as well.

IdGM: The thing heaved itself out of the mud and squirmed rapidly towards Stephen, its round toothed maw open wide. As their attention turned to Stephen, another of the grotesque things heaved itself up and onto the path in front of Maddie.

Stephen: Stephen decided stand his ground - there wasn't much space to move anyway - but this time, he did grab his sword.

Maddie: "More ahead, we need to move," Maddie hissed, pulling her bat free.

IdGM: Another flopped out of the mire next to Hannah. The one in front of Stephen reared up and moved forward towards his leg.

Emily: Emily stared at these awful monsters and "Not going to bother!" She muttered to herself as Emily pulled out an axe to fight them.

Stephen: Stephen slashed downwards at the closest maggot, tearing its hideous body open and unleashing a disgusting torrent of putrid, semi-digested blood. The thing twitched briefly before stopping completely, dead as it should be.

IdGM: A further two of the hideous things squirmed from the mire and moved menacingly towards Stephen and Emily.

Maddie: Maddie pulled her bat free, noticing another of the worms approaching Hannah from their right. Although she primarily used her right hand, Maddie had learned to switch hit when she used to play softball as a teenager. Taking a left-handed grip on the bat, she swung round in a wide arc, utterly pulverising the worm in front of her, then whirled around and clubbed down the one approaching Hannah as well. "Way's clear, let's go!"

Emily: Emily leaned forward to try to hit one of these awful thing that slowly crawled their way toward her and managed to miss her mark. She muttered a swear word under her breath.

IdGM: The creature lunged forward, its maw opening wider to grab at Emily's leg.

Emily: Emily eyed it with a slight nervousness managed to leap back as far as possible to get away from its horrid maw. She barely managed to do it but it only put her further from the rest of the group. She eyed at Stephen as well, praying that he is doing okay.

IdGM: Taking advantage of Stephen's distraction, the other creature lunged at him It overextended itself and flopped down on the path.

Hannah: Hannah raised her crossbow at the nearest, too worried about getting close to the thing to try with her knife. She took a deep breath and steadied her aim, waiting for a moment where the thing was swaying only a little. When that moment came, she pulled the trigger, and her bolt exploded through its thin body.

Hannah: Another of the creatures happened to be rising up from behind the first, and the bolt struck it as well before being consumed in the muck.

Stephen: Stephen brought down his sword on another maggot, slashing it open.

Maddie: Maddie took a few steps backwards to give herself a run up, then rushed forward and smoothly flipped over Hannah's head to land straight between her and Stephen. "Come at me then!" she shouted at the worm she'd seen emerge near Hannah. Realising that verbal taunts would be useless against worms, she began to hit the earth with her bat, hoping the vibrations would draw any fresh worms towards her instead of having them go for Hannah or Emily who were less able to handle themselves in close combat

Emily: Doing forward in attempt to get through, she attempted to make go for another horrid monster. As her axe went for the monste's slimy wriggling form, it attempted to avoid the blow but Emily managed to hit it with her axe

IdGM: The other vile creature took advantage and slimed forward to attack Emily but she was just able to avoid the ravening maw. The sight and smell of the dead monsters was making her feel nauseous but she managed to choke it back.

IdGM: The final creature rushed at Maddie, made even more aggressive by the thumping of her bat on the ground.

Maddie: Maddie managed to dodge aside with some quick footwork.

Hannah: Hannah paused amidst the fighting, watching the creatures' behavior before suddenly having an insight. "Push the bodies into the muck! It might confuse them!"

IdGM: Three more of the vile things crawled out of the mire between Maddie and Stephen. Her strategy with the bat seemed to be working well.

Maddie: Maddie nodded at Hannah, then grinned as three more maggots came up. "Look, some volunteers are coming!"

Stephen: Stephen slew the maggot threatening Emily with a quick blow and shouted some words of encouragement at her "Stay strong, we're nearly done!"

Emily: Emily smiled back at Stephen with a wanly smile.

Maddie: Maddie had Hannah's words in mind, but there were rather too many maggots around for her to attempt such a move. Instead, she lined one of the creatures up, swung her bat underhand and struck it hard and square. Its body line drived out and landed in the midst of the muck.

IdGM: The mud roiled about the spot where the maggot's body had been sucked into the mire.

Emily: Emily rushed toward Stephen who is surrounded by smashed smithness of these monsters and focused her focus on the monsters over giving Stephen a quick look over to see if he was wounded in any way, and kicked the dead maggot remains into the smily gunks.

Hannah: Hannah likewise busied herself pushing the fallen creatures into the mire - cursing at soiling her shoes all the while.

IdGM: Two maggots launched attacks on Maddie.

Maddie: Maddie narrowly sidestepped one, then the second maggot launched itself at her, but slowly - she threw herself into the air, turned a full somersault, and landed upright as it flew past her.

IdGM: The other creature flung itself at Stephen, but was confused by Maddie's actions, and narrowly missed fastening itself onto his leg.

Stephen: Stephen quickly slashed at the leech and killed it before it had a chance to attack again.

Maddie: Maddie landed, then immediately swung her bat round, smashing both maggots attacking her in one smooth arc.

IdGM: The path was strewn with bloody remains, but the mire was seething - there were clearly many more of the vile creatures in there.

Emily: Emily spotted her chance to rush up the path she can get away from these horrid maggots along with the others. While kicking these messy remains back into the bubbly mire on the way. "Good riddance!"

Maddie: Maddie let the others past, intending to act as rearguard.

Hannah: Hannah moved as quickly as she could along the narrow path, heart pounding.

Stephen: Stephen kicked the remaining dead corpses into the mire before moving forward along the path, leaving Maddie behind him

IdGM: They were able to safely reach the end of the path. Looking around they saw the only way out was through a hole, just wide enough for a human to climb into, and five feet above the ground.

Maddie: Maddie shone her light into the hole quickly so they could see how much space they had to work with.

IdGM: The hole was just high enough for a human to crawl though on hands and knees.

As they stood looking at the hole, they spotted writhing bodies making their way towards the path, perhaps drawn by their own pounding feet.

[Idris]

Session 13 - 11/3/23

Emily: Emily frowned with concern, self conscious that they are in bit of a bind....

Maddie: Maddie strapped her baseball bat back in place, as trying to crawl with it in hand would be very awkward. "I'll go up last." She didn't seem worried.

Stephen: "I suppose I should go first." said Stephen just before taking some rope from the assorted collection of tools and travelling gear they had brought with them, tentatively looking at the hole for a few moments and then trying to climb...

Emily: Emily clenched both of her hands together to give Stephen a lift up as well. "I give you a boost up then" Emily confirmed.

IdGM: With Emily's help, Stephen had no trouble getting up to the opening, though the passage it led into was little more than a tube hollowed into the rock. Fortunately it was smooth but clearly a very tight fit. He would have to remove his pack and push it ahead of him. Also it was pitch black.

IdGM: The Maggots on the pathway advanced, maws agape, swinging from side to side as though seeking for their prey.

Stephen: Stephen threw one end of the rope down for the others and called out to them.

Hannah: Hannah glanced at Emily and Maddie, then stepped forward and grabbed on to the rope, also taking a push from Emily to keep Stephen from having to bear her full weight.

IdGM: As Stephen moved forward to make space for Hannah to crawl in, the rock seemed more oppressive and the air stale and warm.

IdGM: The maggots were moving faster now, drawn by... scent? The sound of their quarry's heartbeats?

Emily: Once making sure that Hannah are okay getting up there, she glanced back to check on Maddie to see if she is still doing okay then quickly climbed up the rope as well. "Your turn!" Emily called out as she squeezed into the what appears to be a deep black hole.

IdGM: Everyone had to wriggle forward to make space, pushing their packs ahead of them.

IdGM: As Maddie seized the rope one of the maggots threw itself forward at her leg.

Maddie: Maddie responded with a quick kick, catching the maggot in midair and sending it flying back. While it was still stunned she pulled herself up on the rope.

IdGM: One they were all in the tunnel, the only way to advance was cautious wriggling, avoiding the feet of the person in front. They began to feel like some kind of worms themselves. Despite this they managed to keep going, not letting the heat, dark and tight walls oppress them.

Stephen: "This reminds me of a nightmare I had back in the city...that was far worse, though." said Stephen sounding cautiously optimistic at their current situation.

Hannah: Hannah didn't respond to Stephen's muffled words, too focused on crawling her way forward and putting as much distance as possible between them and the worm creatures.

IdGM: They continued on and on for what seemed like hours, getting cramped and tired. As he struggled with exhausted muscles, Stephen felt something - a faint touch on his face as though something had fanned air towards him. It was cooler now, and in the distance ahead he could hear a sound - a kind of distant roar.

Stephen: "I feel like a faint breeze...and perhaps the sound of a waterfall."said Stephen hopefully loud enough for Hannah to hear.

Hannah: "Thank God!" grunted Hannah. Since the awakening of her Elemental Bond, the thought of water in particular was deeply refreshing.

IdGM: With renewed energy they continued, and soon Stephen noticed the faintest light ahead. The end of the tunnel was in sight, and now it widened out and they were able to crouch up on hands and knees.

Emily: Emily sighed with relief as she took advantgage of slightly larger gap surrounding her.

Emily: "Finally a light at the end of the tunnel!" She commented, "Good thing that trains doesn't exist in this world!"

Stephen: Stephen smiled briefly at both reaching a wider space and Emily's joke.

IdGM: The passage ended in a rather rough arched opening, through which they could see the light - it wasn't bright but it had the look of daylight, a great relief after their sojourn underground. The roaring was now extremely loud and seemed to come from below.

Hannah: "Watch out, could be slippery," called Hannah as they approached the exit.

IdGM: This was good advice, as the opening led straight out onto a ledge of rock which was damp with spray. It was halfway up the side of a deep and narrow gorge. Far above them they could see a slice of sky. To their right a torrent of water flung itself down from the heights and dashed between sharp boulders a long way below, running off to their left as a wild stream which disappeared into darkness. Ahead of them, a slender bridge of stone projected across the gorge to the opposite side.

Maddie: Maddie looked over at the narrow stone bridge. "Ok, who wants to be Gandalf and who wants to be the Balrog?"

Hannah: "Is that the big guy with the wings and the fire sword?" asked Hannah, drawing on her years old memory of the films. "Because there's only one of us who can make fire!"

Emily: Emily looked at the bridge as she made sure of her footings. "Hopefully no one will Pass out here..." She added.

Maddie: "I mean if I can learn how to make wings of smoke and fire I'm gonna obviously do it, but I'm not there quite yet." Maddie laughed.

Stephen: "Compared to what we had to face earlier, this isn't a bad view. Or smell." said Stephen, obviously thinking of the awful worms.

Maddie: Maddie pulled a rope out from her bag. "Right, I'm going to shimmy across there, tie this to whatever I can, and throw it across so you have something to hold onto. I need to bring my light with me, when you're coming across I can send it over to whoever's crossing so you don't need to hold a lantern but for the moment you three will want a light that isn't magic."

IdGM: Maddie was able to cross the span although there was a moment in the middle when it seemed to shift a little, but she was soon at the other end. Looking around she found another of the metal rings in the wall - clearly there had been a rope tied there many years before.

Maddie: Maddie tied her rope securely to the metal ring, then threw the rope across to Stephen on the other side.

Stephen: Stephen held the rope tightly and slowly and tentatively began to make his way along the bridge. Though this time he at least managed to resist the temptation to look down, he was relatively clumsy and there were a few times when it looked like he might lose his balance and fall to his death had it not been for the rope. Luckily, step after step, he finally made it over to the other side and breathed a side of relief.

Hannah: Hannah followed, taking each step slowly and cautiously. More than once she felt her foot begin to slide, but she'd steady herself on the rope and take a breath. Finally she was across.

Emily: Emily took another look at the grave dangers posed by the plunging depth of the area they are in and gave an reassuring pull to make it that it is still trustyworthy after some heavy pull by Stephen and Hannah. She nodded as she put on her pack and walked across the bridge, relying on her skills often in the misty miserable wet slippy Scotland. "Just in case we need to make our way back quicky." She added as she reached her goal. "Look like we did all Pass here after all." She ended it with a smile.

IdGM: Finally they were all standing, some slightly breathless, on the far side of the chasm. Ahead of them, a large opening loomed.

Maddie: "We might as well leave the rope here for when we come back," Maddie said, continuing on towards the opening and sending her light ahead.

IdGM: As Maddie's globe moved forward, there were sudden bright flashes ahead. They were entering a vast cavern - so large that it encompassed a lake - and every surface was studded with what must be gems that glinted and sparked back the light. It was an awesome sight, though the flat waters of the lake lay dark and menacing below them.

Emily: Emily admired the views, almost gone quiet as if awed by the sights. Still, beneath the surfaces, Emily can expect some dangers murking in the endless darkness,

Maddie: "I mean I'm not about to criticise workers who feel unmotivated, but it feels like these miners might have missed a spot or two," said Maddie.

Stephen: Stephen gazed all around, his eyes full of wonder as they reflected the sparkling of the gems.

Stephen: He drew a deep breath and focused, obviously trying to reach out to the Flow...

IdGM: Stephen found it easily, perhaps helped by being here in the presence of so many rocks. It was strange - where he would have expected one kind of gem only, and this formed by heat and pressure within the substrate, here there were all kinds of precious stones packed into a rock he didn't recognise, like mixed fruit in a wedding cake. The rock itself seemed formed by neither volcanic action nor that of water.

Stephen: After gathering his thoughts, Stephen spoke "This is fascinating, I feel like this rock might be like nothing in the Mundane - perhaps it was created or shaped by the Tuatha themselves. I don't know if and how knowing this this can help us in our quest however..."

Maddie: "Well we might as well take a look. I don't remember anything about a cave of glittering gems in that rhyme though, feels like something you'd want to mention."

Stephen: "We did pass the way tight and then narrow."observed Stephen, referring to the tunnel and then to the bridge.

IdGM: The gems were extraordinary but the lake was what drew the eye. All around it the ground was broken up, full of rough rocks. In the centre of the black water rose a small island. Athough it was underground and far from the sunlight or rain, a tree grew in the middle of the island - a gnarled old thorn tree, half dead looking - and beneath its blackened branches was a small square stone block.

Hannah: "If we've completed the rhyme, that could be what we seek," said Hannah with an air of gravitas.

Maddie: Maddie headed towards the impossible tree, looking towards the block.

Emily: Emily still remains tense. "I hope so" As she glanced around the lake and trees. She moved closer to see anything partiulrarly odd about the tree and the stone block."Maybe it is trapped even".

Stephen: "It does seem rather obvious, doesn't it?" suggested Stephen "Maybe a bit too much, though?"

Hannah: "I can see if I can sense anything unusual in the water," said Hannah, moving toward the bank.

IdGM: It was too far to see any details of the block. The lake lay black and forbidding - it looked deep.

Hannah: Hannah kneeled down beside the dark water and lowered her palm against its surface before slowly submerging her hand. Eyes closed, she reached out to feel the subtle undulations.

Emily: Emily's eyes narrowed as she was expecting troubles popping out, she does feel tense.

IdGM: It was intensely cold, painfully so. As her consciousness moved into the water, Hannah could feel the slight flow of it, from some inlet below the surface fed by the same river that rushed down the gorge, to an outlet beyond her sight on the far side of the cavern. The lake was too deep to ford and sloped steeply from the edge. She also thought it was populated by... something, or things. There was a sudden impression of malevolent interest and she quickly took her hand from the water.

IdGM: While Hannah had been investigating the lake, the others had found something of interest. Clearly this cavern had been mined at some time, for there were the remains of wooden scaffolds and ladders lying by the wall. Some were still drunkenly upright, their framework still tied by what looked like tough vines.

Emily: She glanced around the place, "Maybe a raft?" She flexed her hands, "Shall we make one then?"

Hannah: Hannah stepped back from the water, shivering. "I think there's something in there... I sensed an outlet at the far end, and it's very deep. But I felt something... unpleasant."

Stephen: "As we did once before. Granted, since we're sailing across a lake, we can't really call this one Hippopotamus, river horse." joked Stephen.

Emily: Emily smiled...."What is Greek for a lake then Stephen?!"

Maddie: "Well I guess it wouldn't be a test if they didn't send us into mortal danger just to fetch something or other they wouldn't tell us the specifics about."

Stephen: "Something like limni, I think."said Stephen after some thinking. "Hippolimni doesn't quite have the same ring to it." More serious, he turned to address Hannah "I'm not surprised there are things in the water, and I wonder how exactly we could deal with them"

Maddie: "This is the point in the movie where whoever is our equivalent of Pippin throws a rock in the damn water and wakes up the tentacled horror thing," Maddie said, then paused for a moment and added "I guess our equivalent of Pippin is probably me."

Emily: Emily looked slightly crestenfallen at the Greek's word for the lake. "I suppose so. We can come up with something better. Let crack on" As she stook her axe out.

Emily: She begun discussed the plan with the group on the layout of the raft although this time, they got access to less materials than Emily would prefered. Still, this is a challenge for them! Once it is all settled as to what the overall project plan is, she made a start on the wooden remains in this cavern.

Emily: Stephen and Maddie helped out by moving the heavy stuffs that was cut down by her axe and Hannah helped out by stuggling good ideas such as using the vines in a certain way and to softening them as they lacked a proper riverworthy vines to bound them altogether in the darkness. But still, their efforts and alliance of them all finally crafted a raft.

Emily: Once they are confident with raft, Emily and others carved out the paddles for using on the oars. She also told them how to best paddle as it has been a while since they floated in their last worthy vessel called Hippopotamus. Lastly, Emily stood solmely at the front of the raft. "I named her Naiad! May she keep us safe and afloat, however short or long it is!"

Hannah: Hannah smiled at that, hoping the spirit of her Naiad friends and teachers would be with them as they traversed the water. "Well done all!"

Maddie: Maddie took a puff on her pipe and looked out over the water, wishing she could blow smoke rings as elaborate as Gandalf.

Stephen: "Cheers for the Naiad!" said Stephen, smiling, just before wiping some sweat from his brow.

IdGM: It was time to test out their new vessel. With hope and trepidation, they stepped carefully onto the raft and sat themselves evenly, dipping the paddles into the water. Emily pushed off from the shore and took her place. As they floated forwards, the surface of the lake shivered slightly.

[Idris]

Session 14 - 18/3/23

IdGM: They floated forwards, the raft wallowing somewhat as they settled themselves and began tentatively paddling. Ripples spread out across the still water. The splashing of each stroke seemed horribly loud in the dead air.

Emily: Emily kept an eye on the still water, trying to see if there is anything odd from the deep depth of the lake.

Maddie: Maddie took up an oar, feeling like she was out camping again with her mother at Kejimkujik - though there had always been a sky above her when she canoed there

IdGM: As they moved forwards, Emily thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Maybe it was nothing, or maybe movement under the surface of the dark water. A moment later, Maddie noticed a bubble which floated up beside her paddle before bursting silently.

Emily: Emily felt even increasingly tense, wondering if there may be a Nessie in here. She whispered to others on the raft that maybe there is something in the dark gloomly watery depth.

Maddie: Maddie pointed to the bubbles with her oar, tensing up and preparing for an attack.

Stephen: Stephen was caught completely unaware, having been too focused on both paddling and some now scarcely relevant details of the scenery.

Hannah: Hannah swished her fingers through the water, trying to reach out and sense how it might be being displaced by a large body in the depths.

IdGM: The water was bone-numbingly cold here in the deep part of the lake, although since discovering her affinity to water, Hannah was no longer bothered by it. As her consciousness reached down into the depths, she was suddenly aware of movement - not of a single large thing but many smaller ones. And then a sharp change in direction as the things came rapidly closer!

Hannah: "They're coming!" she said, nodding urgently down toward where she sensed the swarm. "A lot of them!"

Emily: Emily looked around with a tint of alarm. "Time to pick up some speed!" she suggested.

Hannah: She jerked her hand out of the water as she warned her friends, and went to rowing.

IdGM: They all peered anxiously into the water, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was rushing towards them, but the splashing paddles and the surging raft made it almost impossible. Maddie stared at a clear area near the side, and suddenly she saw a flash of silver, as many small bodies turned together to pass under the raft. She had a distinct impression of scales and fins.

Maddie: "Some kind of small silver fish, lots of them!" Maddie pointed quickly with her oar.

IdGM: The fish - if they were fish - disappeared under the wooden planks. Stephen and Emily on the right side of the raft stared down into the water expecting to see them emerge, but there was no sign of them.

IdGM: As they looked about, Emily noticed something strange happening in front of her - the ropes which held the raft together were moving slightly, as though being tugged about.

IdGM: Through a small gap between the planks, Maddie saw a small mouth with many sharp teeth reaching up to grab at the vine rope.

IdGM: It was clear to all of them that the fish - if that's what they were - intended to bite through the ropes and disintegrate the raft to get at its passengers.

Emily: Emily frowned for a moment, "I wonder what they want... or taste like." She commented to herself, "Let see." As she kept on paddle, she focused her attention on these fishies in the dark water.

IdGM: Emily reached out and found the Flow with ease this time, in spite of the stressful situation. As she touched the minds of the fish, she became aware of three things. Firstly, these were actual fish, not magical or mythical beings. Secondly, they were very like pyranhas - small but in a group quite deadly in their desire for flesh. And thirdly, although individual they seemed to have strong mental connections with each other, so that they could react almost as one being. Emily's contact created surprise and consternation among them.

Emily: Emily nodded as she looked at the others, "They are carnivorous after all." She offered the impressions and thoughts of some particular tasty rations that they can have without any need for the efforts, and much more if they made their way back over the lake

IdGM: The fish were clearly both puzzled and excited by this contact with another species - a land creature no less. After a short exchange of images and impressions, they left the ropes and moved out, appearing just below the surface on Emily's side of the raft. Small heads popped up, examining the strange beings with cold eyes, and opening mouths filled with rows of small but pointed teeth, looking forward to the food.

Maddie: "Well don't look at me unless they want some hummus," Maddie shrugged.

Emily: Emily smiled for a moment as she quicky went through her pack taking out of it a variety of smoked meats and took about a third of the meats, and making sure they are easy to eat, Emily threw the meats into the hungry mouths of the fishes and the water surrounding it. She glanced at the others if they like to join in if needed.

Stephen: "Good thinking, Emily!" said Stephen, appreciative. "Hopefully what we have left will be enough for the return trip, or we'll be quick enough that they won't be hungry again yet."

IdGM: The water boiled as the fish grabbed at the meat, spinning and twisting, almost leaping into the air in their efforts to bolt down every scrap. When the meat was finished, the entire shoal surrounded the raft as it moved forward again - a very strange guard of honour as they paddled the remaining distance to the stony shore of the little island.

IdGM: They grounded the raft easily and were able to drag it out of reach of the water. It was a very small island, rising slightly in the middle. There was no vegetation - the shores consisted of large rounded grey pebbles, and the centre of large, angular boulders piled randomly on top of one another around a clear area. Here, the gnarled tree reached out its blackened branches protectively over the cube they had first seen. Now they realised that it was some kind of box made of stone slabs.

Hannah: Hannah looked back at the water, glad to be out of it despite her Bond. She walked cautiously around edge of the island, looking toward the tree and its contents, to make sure they weren't missing anything else dangerous or useful.

Maddie: Maddie went and stood under the tree, pulling out her pipe as she went.

Stephen: Stephen looked at the cube with interest. "This almost looks like some sort of stone coffin or container for remains... they're sometimes called cists in our world. I wonder exactly what is it we're meant to bring back..." he said.

IdGM: The stone chamber looked far too heavy and solid to remove from its place.

Stephen: Stephen focused even more intently on the stone, obviously trying to reach out to the Flow...

Emily: Emily thanked the fishes once they arrived at the island. Emily then looked at the tree cynically, wondering about the oddness of the branches and look at the tree much closer to see if there is anything odd whie Stephen looking into the stone box.

IdGM: Again it was easy to touch the Flow, but his use of it did not give its usual results. The cist was certainly made of stone, but it was strangely obscure to him, its composition mysterious, and although Stephen could sense the hollow interior, it was just an impression. There was something inside there though, he knew it.

Stephen: "It is hollow inside and there's something in there - but that's hardly a surprise." said Stephen. "I wonder if there might be something to the tree too... but that's not exactly my field." he added looking up to Emily.

Hannah: Hannah stepped this way and that around the box, examining the design of the stone, trying to determine how the pieces had been put together and therefore how it might be opened.

IdGM: Looking closely at the cist, it was not put together from stone slabs but seemed to have been carved from a single cube of stone. It was not even possible to find a join or seam where the lid might fit.

Emily: Emily nodded as she strolled forward, "I certainly can have a look at the tree”, agreeing with Stephen.

IdGM: The tree appeared to be a thorn of some kind similar to Hawthorn. At some time in the past it had suffered a catastrophic event - lightning seemed unlikely inside a cavern, but it had obviously been damaged by fire. Though whether accidentally or deliberately, mundanely or magically, Emily could not tell. It was definitely dead now.

Emily: Emily sighed for a moment as she considered the tree, "It is certainly a dead tree. How did it die, I am not sure but I am sure this place got history anyway." She nodded . "Any joy with the stone box?" Emily asked the others curiously.

Maddie: After finishing her smoke, Maddie knelt by the box and tried to work out if there was any kind of locking mechanism.

Stephen: "I wonder if other students of the Academy have been sent here before and if they might have something to do with the tree....." mused Stephen.

Emily: Emily looked at Stephen for a moment, a sudden thought occured to her. "Maybe last time these nice fishes ate was the previous students?! Poor things..."

IdGM: Maddie ignored the others, focusing her full concentration on the stone cist before her. There must be a way to open it, she knew, yet the entire thing seemed to be formed as one. Not a crack or mark on it, no keyholes, nothing to say which part could possibly open or what form the opening would take.

IdGM: Yet as she ran her hands over the stone, she felt something else. This container did not open by mundane means, but by magic. And her own fire magic must play a part in that.

Maddie: "So this doesn't have any kind of mundane lock," Maddie said. "I feel like I need to channel fire into it, but I don't know how that would work."

IdGM: As Maddie said this, Emily had a vision of how the tree might have been burned.

Emily: Emily looked at the tree thoughtfully and pointed at the tree. "The tree does show the sign of fire damage. Maybe we need to burn the tree with your magic" she suggested.

Maddie: Maddie looked up at it. "Well whoever did it before, it doesn't seem to have worked, so maybe there's a different way."

Stephen: "Wait." said Stephen, firmly. "It looks like hawthorn, doesn't it? They're symbols of protection and this one might have been put here to protect the box from those who would try to open it. Whoever burned the tree may have done it to reach what's inside, though that doesn't seem to have worked anyway, as Maddie pointed out. Now, hawthorns are also associated with sacrifice, and perhaps that might be something to think about too..."

Emily: Emily throw out an idea. "Sacrifice?" She considered this, "Maybe we need to shed some blood?"

IdGM: They stood for a time, staring at the mysterious cist and the poor dead Hawthorn, and wondering how they could put their skills to use in solving this puzzle. And then light slowly began to dawn. Maddie had already felt that her fire magic was important to opening the box. Maybe it required all of them to channel their own elemental Flow into it.

Stephen: "It occured to me that if we discount the one at the top and the one at the bottom that we cannot see, the cube has four sides and there are four of us here, with four different elements...perhaps if we were to touch the cube at the same time and channel our magic together..." Stephen suggested tentatively

Maddie: "That seems like a better idea than using blood. I guess whoever tried to open this before should have just got some friends instead of attacking a damn tree."

Emily: Emily perked up at that. "Great! Let give it a try!" she answered cheerfully.

Stephen: "It is unfortunate that James is not with us or he could also try to channel his own Flow into the remaining side that we can access... but perhaps just us four will be enough."

IdGM: Stephen's plan required them to position themselves round the cist, which was not that easy - the ground was uneven and someone had to crouch to avoid the branches of the dead tree.

Maddie: Maddie wandered around to the left hand side of the stone box and began to channel. For a time it looked like nothing was happening, then they saw a flicker of flame in her eyes.

IdGM: Hannah reached deep into the Flow, feeling the coolness of water flooding through her being and into the stone.

Emily: Emily went under the branches of the dead tree since she is more used to having annoying irritating branches in the way. She focused on her will to channel into this box although she was distracted by the incessent poking of the dead tree branches.

IdGM: Seeing Emily's distraction, Hannah let a little of the restful power of water trickle towards her.

Stephen: Stephen put his hands on one of the stone box's sides and reached out to the elemental flow of the Earth, firmly channelling it into the stone itself.

Emily: Emily gave a mutter of thanks for Hannah.

IdGM: As they channeled the Elemental Flow into the cist, they felt something more - their elements combining in some way, strengthening and furthering their power and reach. The Fire's warmth, the Water's coolness, the sturdiness of Earth and the aliveness of the Wild, all filling them and the strange cube beneath their hands.

IdGM: The top of the stone cube was becoming almost transparent now, and as they watched entranced, a circular opening appeared, widening out as though the stone itself were disolving.

Maddie: Maddie watched as the opening appeared, then she floated her light over top of it.

IdGM: The light revealed a square sided space within, about two feet deep. In the centre of this stood a kind of jar, made out of some intricately carved mineral.

Maddie: "Well, if that isn't what we're here for then I'm going to be very grumpy with them for sending us here when we get back," Maddie said. She reached out carefully to pick the jar up.

IdGM: The jar felt strange - the carving covering it seemed to move beneath her hand, and it was very light for its size. Still, she was able to draw it out of the cist without incident.

Stephen: "We did it!" said Stephen, elated and obviously interested in examining the jar closely.

Emily: Emily grinned at this show of success. "Wonderful!"

Maddie: Maddie held the jar out for Stephen to take. "You're the historian, you're probably a bit better suited to take this than me."

Stephen: "I'll be glad to!" said Stephen, excited but also careful not to damage the jar as he took it from Maddie's hands.

IdGM: The shape reminded him of a canopic jar, but much smaller of course. It was beautifully carved with incised, seemingly abstract patterns, and as Stephen stared at them he felt he almost recognised something, but then it was gone. A lid fitted tightly over the top, and was sealed with some kind of black substance. Clearly this jar was not supposed to be opened.