[center] [h1][b][u]Kalmar's Chosen[/u][/b][/h1] [/center] [hr] Progress on the makeshift village at the Oracle was coming along nicely. For days they had tried to erect crude shelters, and after many designs, they had finally found some that worked. A number of these shelters had already been constructed around the temple, and while they were easy for a single animal to knock down, they kept out the wind and rain well enough. It was a great help, too, because others had begun to arrive in the village. Some were taken in, but others had to be turned away - the simple reality was that there were only so many people to feed. Still, they did their best to help those they did not take in, either in the form of directions, or the gift of a small amount of supplies. Valys felt a twinge of guilt, not entirely certain that meager help would be enough, but unfortunately they all had to face the reality of the situation. One day, when Ewen and his hunters had brought down a particularly bountiful hall, Valys and her subordinates sat by a fire discussing what comes next. "What do you mean what comes next?" Myla asked. "We keep ourselves fed so we can continue protecting the place. I thought was all there was to it?" Karlyn frowned. "She means what do we build next," he said with a shake of his head. "There could be better ways to survive than what we have now. Sturdier shelters, smarter hunting tactics, new sources of food or water... we just need to think of them." "Well," Lena began, "maybe we could-" but she couldn't finish her sentence. Her eyes widened, and she pointed up to the sky. "Kalmar's beard..." muttered Karlyn in awe and horror. Valys followed the gaze, and in the sky she saw hundreds of meteors. The camp fell silent, as everyone else had taken notice, and all they could do was stare... until Valys snapped them out of it. "Chosen!" she shouted, bringing everyone to attention. "Into the Temple!" [hr] [center] [h1][b][u]Forgeguard[/u][/b][/h1] [/center] [hr] "It was just a fight. You shouldn't let it get to you," Frea said soothingly. "That fool Leske 'ought to learn respect," Ivar grumbled. The two sat on the plateau edge, overlooking the sea. "You were friends once, you know," Frea reminded him. "And we're supposed to protect this place. How can we do that if you can't trust each other?" "Aye, that's true enough," Ivar agreed, "but trust goes both ways, and he hasn't done a damn thing to earn mine back. It's more than just the fight, you know. I've seen him staring at the Forbidden Cage, the thing Kalmar told us not to use and trusted us to guard." Frea frowned. The Forbidden Cage had indeed sparked curiosity from Leske, but he was not the only one; many others had been puzzled or fascinated about it, and they had given it similar glances. Rald was one such example. The Cage had since been moved to the top of the central tower, now known as the Winter Spire, and always had three guards watching over it. "Listen," she said, dropping the soothing tone. "You are the two best fighters from your tribe. Dozens of those tools have been created, and soon some will eventually come to claim them. We need you both. One way or another, you have to work it out, and it's your job to figure out how." And with those words, Frea rose and walked away. Ivar was about to call something after her, but thought better of it. She was right, he knew. It was time to make amends. By the time he had risen to his feet and stretched, however, the meteors had begun to fall. He stared on with a look of surprise, having never seen something like this before, and then turned back to the Frozen Citadel. "We're in danger!" he shouted as he began to run. [hr] [hider=Post Summary] The KC portion updates us on the progress of the huts and has the Vallamir react to the meteors. The Forgeguard portion has Ivar and a new character discuss the feud with Leske, as well as what has been done with the Goregrasp, then the meteors begin to fall for them as well. [/hider] [hider=Prestige Summary] [u]Kalmar's Chosen[/u] Beginning: 4 +1 for minor role +1 for major role Ending: 6 [u]Forgeguard[/u] Beginning: 5 +1 for minor role +1 for major role Ending: 7 [/hider]