[centre][color=tan][h2]Ha-Dûna - Capital of Stridland[/h2][/color][/centre] [hr] The travel group had eventually outpaced the sea of goats, as the herders had had to slow their pace to shepherd their flock in an organised manner. Obee and Gene had insisted that they take the scenic route, which had led them higher and higher up in the hills. Craggy plateaus and moss-grown stones had been all they had passed by for hours, but at long last, the giddy girls stopped up ahead and pointed over the side of a cliff. “Allow us to humbly present - Ha-Dûna.” Below expanded vast fields of golden crops, not necessarily neatly organised like those to the far east, but growing with their own rustic, natural aesthetic. They were sown in incredibly uneven and rocky terrain - they were likely a pain to plough properly. On the hills beyond the farm fields grazed goats, highland deer and fluffy, broad-horned cattle under the supervision of shepherds. Scattered between the fields were small wooden huts, barns and staddle granaries. At the centre of these vast fields was a small, buzzling town with wooden huts and longhouses, surrounding a palisade-walled core. Smoke oozed out of several chimneys, but through it, behind the town, was a large forest; beyond that, the wash of the sea. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Sanya caught up to the girls as they stopped, settling her spear on the ground to stare down at the expanse of crops, housing, and fields. Her gaze scanned far into the horizon, and her expression turned from one of anticipation to mild disappointment. [color=a187be]”It certainly looks peaceful,”[/color] she intoned politely, and busied herself with properly fastening her sack of supplies instead. Lucia looked down at everything, hands on her hips. She gave a whistle and then said, [color=tan]”Ah, a beautiful sight! Plus, it looks so homely.”[/color] She then put her sack down and rummaged through it before bringing out an orb. She held it out, as if letting it look at the view. [color=tan]”Look Orb! A new settlement, called Ha-Duuuna!”[/color] The orb in her hands glowed with runes and came to life in a swirl. Instead of looking out, it turned to look at her, if an orb could do that. “Lucia we need to talk.” Lucia sighed. [color=tan]”Can it wait until tonight Orb? I am a little busy right now.”[/color] “But this is urge-” [color=tan]”Tonight Orb.”[/color] she said sternly, before putting the orb back in the bag. A muffled response could be heard, “As you wish.” Lucia then turned back to the two young druid girls and smiled. [color=tan]”Sorry about that, lead on!”[/color] The two girls exchanged looks. “What was that?” asked Gene as they began descending the cliff. [color=tan]”One of my oldest friends, plus my teacher. Helped me learn the ways of mana and magic.”[/color] she said, producing a small flame in her hand that she threw back in forth to herself. The novices halted in their steps. “Wait, m-mana?” Gene blurted out, so Obee elbowed her in the side. However, not even she could hide her frown of disapproval. “S-so, uh… You practice sorcery, huh?” Obee offered diplomatically as both of them fixed their eyes on the road and the road alone. Sanya trudged idly by, eyes skimming the countryside for threats in the very unthreatening new locale. Attention briefly caught by the subject matter, she simply interjected with a dispassionate [color=a187be]”You expect a daughter of the gods to be limited in skill?”[/color] before going back to pretending her millennia-long experience as a fighter had any worth in this peaceful land. She eyed a distant, particularly nasty goat. Almost disappointed to find herself negatively unaffected by this new place, she kept to her side of the road. “Of course not!” the two of them chorused, spun around and tossed themselves to the ground. “The great [i]helgens[/i] may of course do as they wish! Please forgive us, please, please, please!” Lucia rolled her eyes, the flame disappearing into smoke. [color=tan]”All is forgiven. I forgot druids and mana don’t mix. I’ll keep my little tricks a secret for now.”[/color] she said as Sanya jostled Obee with the blunt end of [i]Sorrowsting[/i] to get her to stand back up. The apprentices rocketed to their feet again. “Th-thank you, great [i]helgen[/i]! Sorry for reacting the way we did.” They immediately turned around again and continued on. Grumpy whispers bubbled forth between them quickly thereafter, though. “... You always embarrass me this way, Gene. Why are you like this?” “Me?! You knelt down first, you dolt!” “Did not!” The two of them exchanged some jabs with their fingers while they were walking. Up ahead, the fields were closing in, and short stone fences came into view along the edges of the beaten path. [color=a187be]”I don’t remember any of this being out here the last time I was anywhere nearby. They can’t have been here that long.”[/color] Sanya muttered as she stalked sidelong Lucia, keeping an eye on the distant and golden fields. Ever watchful, even now the woman expected to be set upon by robber barons, or worse. [color=tan]”What is time to we that are ancient?”[/color] Lucia muttered. [color=tan]”Druids aren’t all that bad, they help the land and the people. Everything is going to be okay. Just relax, Sanya. Not everything is out to get us.”[/color] Lucia reassured. “Welcome home, Gene! How was the trip to Geilt?” came a voice from one of the nearby fields. A large, mustached man stood leaning over the stone fence surrounding his fields, chewing on a straw. Gene lit up and skipped over to the fence to embrace him, while Obee gave her a stinky-eyed expression. “Oh, Randall, it’s soooo good to see you again! Hey, you wouldn’t believe what I managed to find out in the wilderness!” She held onto one of his arms, whispering affectionately the news into his ear. Obee sucked disapprovingly on a tooth and leaned in towards Sanya and Lucia. “Listen to her - taking aaaall the glory. You can tell how badly she wants him and everything. Yeesh.” Sanya mimicked Obee’s disapproval as she came to a stop, leaning on her spear. She eyed the man with an appraising eye, and the man seemed to come up short for the dark-haired warrior’s attention span to linger. [color=a187be]”Well, It’s not too late to get in there and grab some glory, Obee. You could introduce us to the uh, elder?”[/color] “And stoop to her level? No, no. This was a group effort. We’ll be doing it as a pair,” she said firmly. “Hey, Obee! Welcome home!” came a deep voice from further down the road. A young, blonde man growing his first stubbles was pulling a sled fashioned from wood, bone and leather and stacked high with tanned animal skins. Obee spun around, grinned and ran over to him. “Pjodr, darliiiiing~~!” she squealed and threw her arms around his neck. “You wouldn’t believe who I met on the road!” Lucia looked at Sanya with a look of confusion. [color=tan]”They really weren’t kidding were they?”[/color] she half whispered. Sanya nodded in turn, watching Obee cling to the blonde Pjodr with a measure of bemused delight. [color=a187be]”Youth are always like this, Lucia. They see someone they like and they cling to them like wet cloth. Some things never change, no matter how far we travel. I’m just glad I’m with you. Your fame might turn eyes off of me.”[/color] “A what?! A [i]helgen[/i]?!” shouted Randall. Pjodr looked to quickly catch on, too, eyes shifting immediately from Obee to Lucia and Sanya. Other peasants on the fields were approaching, too. “What was that, Randy? You need to speak up-- Oh, hello, Genie.” An old lady with a cloth wrapped over her hair waddled her way over to the fence, followed by two other boys, a girl about the age of Gene and two middle-aged women. On the other side of the road, a handful of families with their tools still in hand came to see what all the commotion was about. “Granny Flynndatter! I found [i]helgens[/i] on the road!” shouted Gene triumphantly. Granny Flynndatter scrutched her beak-like nose. “Phwah! [i]Helgens[/i], huh? My, ol’ Kaer Pinya’s been feeding you girls something vi--...” The old woman’s eyes shifted to Lucia’s halo - as did everyone else’s. The two orbs which looked like they had been narrow, wrinkly slits for the last millennium or so, immediately blasted open to complement her dropped jaw. “By the gods…” All around Lucia and Sanya, people were throwing themselves to the ground. Lucia jabbed Sanya with an elbow before hissing, [color=tan]”You better be grateful.”[/color] before smiling widely and proclaiming, [color=tan]”Hello people of Ha-Duuuna! Please, please, stand and face us, as equals.”[/color] Reluctantly, the peasants rose back up. Many of them looked at Lucia with tears of joy in their eyes and broad smiles, though none of them dared look her directly in the eye, turning away as soon as she turned towards them. Obee and Gene, who looked at each other with the type of smirks one only dons whenever one expects fame to hit them just around the corner, raised their hands high above their heads. “Fellow dûnans! We have been blessed on this day with the arrival of the wonderful, the purehearted and the beautiful Lucia - daughter of the Sun!” “Oh, gods!” came breathy whispers from all over, and several laid themselves back into the soil. “We’re blessed - we’re bleee-he-heeessed!” came a weeping cheer from Granny Flynndatter. Sanya busied herself with moving towards the closest peasants dug back down into the dirt, leaning forwards to offer an idle [color=a187be]”She prefers when you stand.”[/color] before looking back to Lucia with a tentative smile. Her grip on her spear did not loosen, even now. Lucia gave her a thumbs up. [color=tan]”Yes, we have travelled far and wide and by chance we met Obee and Gene upon the road wherein they invited us to see your city. Town. We are honored to be in your presence.”[/color] she said putting her hands behind her back. The crowd squealed their excitement. Gene and Obee bowed on behalf of the peasants - “The honour is all ours,” they said with wide smirks before turning back to the crowd. “Yes, as you all heard, they have travelled far and wide - tired and worn from the road, they deserve chambers in the Hall of the Weary! We will take responsibility and escort them to the archdruid for you all.” “Oh, you mean Kaer Mirh? He’s off on his rounds, I think,” came a sniffling comment from Granny Flynndatter. More heads in the crowd nodded affirmatively. Obee and Gene froze and looked at each other nervously. They knocked their heads together as discreetly as they could, whispering between themselves for perhaps a little too long. Eventually, they separated again and threw their hands up in the air triumphantly. “Then it is decided - we will bring them to the highest authority currently in Ha-Dûna!” The crowd cheered. [color=tan]”Yes! We are weary from travel and would like a night of rest, but have no doubt, we will be back to meet each and everyone of you, personally. As my companion says,”[/color] Lucia pointed to Sanya, [color=tan]”We are but humble servants to the people of this land.”[/color] Lucia then grinned at Sanya, a flash of wicked playfulness in her eyes. Sanya stopped her hand in mid motion as it tried to complete the usual journey of rubbing at the bridge of her nose, and as Lucia grinned at her, a look of playful animosity quickly subsided to be replaced with as jovial and polite an appearance as the woman could muster. She leaned on her spear and bowed her head. [color=a187be]”Yes, we look forward to… meeting… each of you. No trial is too small for the daughter of the Sun Mother. I am but a humble traveller, but I shall lend my aid in whichever way I can.”[/color] The crowds all cheered and sang their praises as the party continued into town: [centre][i] Bow all, bow all! The glory in the east So bright, so tall - We thank its every beam! It’s Reiya’s light that feeds our soil; It’s Reiya’s smile that eases toils; Bow all, bow all, bow all! [/i][/centre] Sanya followed close suit, making sure to stride by Lucia’s side and ward off the closest people by sheer force of presence. Still, their singing appeared to be enough for the dark-haired warrior to touch at the necklace of the sun glowing softly around her neck, making sure to honour the goddess in her own way. As the attention drew more and more spectators, the buzzling alleys between the huts became inundated with people eager to behold the arrival of Lucia and Sanya. Obee and Gene parted the crowds to the best of their ability, but that didn’t stop many from reaching out to just barely touch the [i]helgens’[/i] forms. The four of them pushed their way through the lake of people, past wooden huts and workshops fashioning tools from stone and bits of metal. Blow forges stopped as their users looked up to behold the miracle in the streets, and wives washing clothes in communal tubs had to lay down their work to behold it as well. Before long, they had reached the inside of the walled town core, where the houses were fashioned from stone and mud, with great, wooden doorways with intricate carvings. There were six stone huts in total - one of them was particularly large, and next to it was a yard with eight megalith statues of varying sizes standing in a circle, all painted in great detail with various inks in order to resemble the Druidic pantheon. Out of the large abode next to this yard came a group of white-robed druids, all staring in awe just like all the others. The crowd parted between them and the four arrivals, and Gene and Obee bowed down before the druid in the lead. “Kaer Pinya - we have been blessed with holy visitors.” Kaer Pinya, a woman in her late fifties, most likely, waddled her way between the two girls, clapping them each on the shoulder proudly. The crowd was completely silent, only sound being the slop and slip of Kaer Pinya’s bark shoes dragging across the muddy ground. The druid grinned at Lucia and sobbed quietly, tears filling her wrinkled eyes. “Oh, Lucia…” She bowed her head. “... You are still as beautiful as the day I saw you all those years ago.” Lucia tilted her head, recognition slowly appearing on her face. [color=tan]”Pinya? Pinya! Little Pinya!”[/color] Lucia exclaimed, embracing the woman in a hug. [color=tan]”I wondered why that name seemed so familiar on the road, oh Pinya, how have you been?”[/color] she asked. The tears in Kaer Pinya’s eyes overflowed. “O-oh! To think… You remember me!” The old woman waddled closer and collected her thin, shivering arms around Lucia’s back, squeezing her affectionately. “Welcome… Welcome to Ha-Dûna!” Behind her, the other druids were sending people left and right to gather tables, benches, pots, wood, meat, bread and lots, lots more. The crowd dispersed as swiftly as it had formed, and became a swarm of people erecting decorations and digging cooking pits. Sanya took the chance to straighten her clothes when the crowd dispersed and eyes slid off of her presence. Unwilling to disrupt the tender moment between Lucia and Pinya, she instead busied herself with a closer inspection of the settlement, pacing away without truly wandering off. Lucia looked around in amazement. They were like ants, making themselves busy all in the name of the whole and they worked fast. She and Sanya must really mean a lot to them, after all. [color=tan]”Thank you for having us!”[/color] she said to Pinya. [color=tan]”But you don’t have to do all this, just for us.”[/color] her tone turned humble. “Nonsense! The visit of a [i]helgen[/i] demands a feast!” Kaer Pinya insisted and released her from her grip. Within twenty minutes or so, the fire pits were flaming and the tables were stacked with baskets of sourdough bread, root vegetables, pies filled with broth, roots and yogurt, and various meats to be roasted. Two chairs were decked from top to bottom in thick furs and placed at the head of the table. Kaer Pinya brought Sanya and Lucia over and sat them down with glee. “Go on! Eat, eat! The meat will be ready soon!” Not one to refuse a meal, Lucia dug in, sampling everything with delight. She plucked apart the sourdough and dabbed it into a broth pie, mouthwatering as she took a bite. After she chewed she gave a happy little sigh and looked to Pinya. [color=tan]”This is… So good Pinya. Everything about this place is wonderful. Do tell me, when did this Ha-Duuuna come to be?”[/color] “It was founded roughly three years ago, if memory serves me right.” The old lady pushed a slightly burnt pie over to Sanya. “Go on, dearie, eat something!” Around the table, other druids were eagerly digging into their meals, though they made certain to keep their white robes clear of filth and stains. Sanya, who had mostly been shifting in her seat and watching others eat to that point, offered the old druid a thin smile and accepted the pie. She was considerably pickier with her food than Lucia, giving everything a light sniff before sampling it, though dutifully finished whatever she reached for. The mirth of Lucia seemed to slowly rub off on her table neighbour, and Sanya eventually looked like she was actually enjoying the meal, and the bustle, despite her own best efforts. She tried not to speak, until the natural conversation and small talk of food brought her to a natural point to ask about her own favorite topic. [color=a187be]”You seem like you’re very at ease, here. Don’t you worry about the wilds,”[/color] she began, and glanced at Lucia briefly. [color=a187be]“or raiders?”[/color] Kaer Pinya gave her the sort of look reserved for those who ask whether water is wet. “Why, what have we to fear, dearie? We live here in the garden of the gods, safe from all harm under their watchful eyes.” As she reached the end of her sentence, the palisade gate closed with a grim thump. The inner city now only housed white-robed men, women and children, with the exception of a few others who were manning the fires and the cauldrons. “No one would dare attack this holy centre of the Eight Greats - not even the lowliest bandit, I tell you!” The words seemed lost on Sanya, who looked around the great feast, and the now fully walled-off little settlement, with an at best thoughtful expression. Her brief inspection before had not been enough to dissuade the dark-haired warrior from having her spear lean against the side of her seat, which no doubt was particular at best. [color=a187be]”So you evacuate the others behind here in crisis?”[/color] she asked as she searched for Obee and Gene in the crowd, and perhaps more importantly, the targets of their affection from before. Obee and Gene caught her eye and waved back, albeit from the very other end of the table, which appeared much more crowded and messier than the table reserved for the [i]helgens[/i] and the archdruid’s closest. Kaer Pinya scrunched her nose. “Forgive me, I don’t believe I actually got your name. Are you a friend of the great Lucia’s?” Sanya settled her gaze on Kaer Pinya in turn, inherently unwilling to back down from her stoic and unflappable mannerisms. [color=a187be]”Apologies,”[/color] she offered with a deadpan tone muted by the bustle around the table. [color=a187be]”My name is Sanya. I suppose it would be fair to say that Lucia and I go back a while. She has shown me the Sun Mother’s grace.”[/color] Sanya continued with stiff politeness, fingers tracing up to touch at the glowing medallion of the sun slung around her neck. Only after a sharp breath and some distant thought did she break eye contact, briefly blinking and glancing over towards Lucia again, before leaning back in her seat. Lucia put a reassuring hand on Sanya’s shoulder as she looked to her, then Pinya. [color=tan]”Sanya speaks true. She is one of my oldest friends, and she takes any perceived threat seriously. I trust her with my life.”[/color] Lucia said proudly, before taking another bite of soup. “Oh! I see - well, then it is a great pleasure to meet you, lady Sanya. Now, regarding your question, the answer is yes - while the town has outgrown its humble walls, they still serve as our bunker ‘til the very end. In peacetime, however, they also make for decent landmarks to guide newcomers to the central market, the Circle of the Gods and, beyond those, the [i]Dûna[/i].” Sanya looked at Lucia as she ate, an unspoken and still gratefulness on her features, before she refocused on Kaer Pinya and, despite her best efforts, immediately struggled to maintain anything but a polite, thin frown. Still she nodded, busying her hands by reaching for a bit of remaining pie. [color=a187be]”I would very much like to see all that your village has to offer.”[/color] she intoned after a while. A small pause, and she added a curt [color=a187be]”Thank you for your hospitality.”[/color] before she focused on food, or at least used such as an excuse to look around the table - and the area. Kaer Pinya offered her an appreciative nod before looking over at Lucia again. “Keep eating, dearie - you’re much too skinny!” Lucia chuckled. [color=tan]”I’ve been telling her that since day one. it doesn’t work.”[/color] She then looked at Sanya again and gave her a small smile. [color=tan]”I would also like to see what the village has to offer.”[/color] “Oh, but of course! Stay as long as you’d like. The Hall of the Weary welcomes all who come to Ha-Dûna from afar. We will have two of our finest beds ready for you by the time the feast is over, so you can explore as much as you’d like and then come back to rest. Come to me if you need anything - and I mean absolutely anything.” [color=tan]”We shall Pinya. Thank you, ever so much for your hospitality. It does my soul good to see kindness in this world.”[/color] Lucia spoke softly. Sanya hummed an agreement while she resigned herself to eating, doing her best to not stir up any more tension. Before anything else could be uttered, Lucia felt a familiar sensation wrap her in a warm embrace. She sat up straight, expecting her mother’s voice to come, but it never did. Instead, from the sky came a beam of light. Not unlike the same one that had enveloped Sanya and herself before. This time it landed on top of Oraelia’s statue in the circle of eight, engulfing it in the gentle radiance of the sun. Lucia stood up, eyes upon it as her Halo grew in intensity, as well as Sanya’s necklace. The very air seemed to shimmer with invigoration and floral scents. Sanya shot up from her seat, eyes darting from her own necklace, to Lucia, and finally the beam of light. The awe of sheer anticipation gripped her, and the warrioress drew her hands backwards to steady herself against the fur-clad seat. Nearly all the druids stood up with such suddenness that the bench fell backwards and tipped everyone who failed to move in time. They subsequently all cast themselves to the ground to pray, while Kaer Pinya lifted her quivering hands to the sky and stepped backwards away from Lucia. “Oh, blessings! Greatest gods’ blessings!” The druids chanted: “[i]It is the Sun that gives us sight; It is the Sun that grants us light; As long as Reiya watches me, I’ll wander Galbar sorrow-free![/i]” The Goddess spoke, her voice neither loud nor boastful, but pleasant and comforting. [color=gold]”Your work upon Galbar has not gone unnoticed dear druids. It is good to know in my absence, there were those who continued on in mine, and my siblings names, for the betterment of the land you walk upon. There is no greater duty, then to love the land born into. Come now, for your sacrifice, take these gifts and continue your good work. One to give strength to the weary, and another to bolster life. The Sun... Watches all.”[/color] and her voice faded away. The Light from her statue then exploded outwards, passing through them all before dissipating into thousands of twinkling lights, before they too, faded. When the glow subsided, Oraelia’s statue was bright hot, slowly cooling with a yellow glow. At her feet, there was a bundle. While most others were too shocked, or crying out of awe, Lucia walked over to the statue and bent down. Sanya, initially hesitant and awestruck as the rest, nevertheless dutifully grasped her spear - as always - and followed Lucia across the courtyard. Her hand on the necklace, she bowed her head when approaching the statue, remaining close to her companion. Lucia, taking note of Sanya with a nod, pulled back the cloth to find a large stone basin, rimmed with depictions of the Sun and people worshipping it and a small golden figurine of… A woman with a pregnant belly. She had a hand upon her stomach and a soft face. It stood about as tall as the basin was wide. She turned to Sanya, [color=tan]”I’ll grab the basin, if you get the pregnant lady.”[/color] she smirked. Sanya looked down at the divine gifts with a mixture of fascination and bewilderment. She seemed to have expected something considerably more embellished, but the sheer awe of being in proximity to divine artifacts had not yet entirely worn off. [color=a187be]”...Alright.”[/color] she muttered briefly, throwing Lucia a shifty glance in retort, and leaned down to scoop up the golden figurine with due reverence. Uncertain of the protocol, she glanced at the druid’s depiction of Oraelia as she took hold of the artifact, and offered a humbled [color=a187be]”...Thank you, Sun Mother.”[/color] That night, Ha-Dûna rejoiced. [hr] [hider=Summary] After escaping an early grave drowned by a sea of herded goats, Sanya and Lucia make it to the druid community of Ha-Dûna, led by the two young druid girls Obee and Gene. Lucia receives a message from Qael on her answering machine, but decides to put it off until later. Banter, reunions and pleasant times are had by all, except Sanya who intermittently continues to have no chill. Lucia and Sanya are assaulted on all sides by curious villagers, and when they realize who Lucia is, the cycle of worship begins all over again. Eventually they are brought before the resident old lady, Kaer Pinya, a druid with as much respect in the community as she has years on Galbar. Lucia and Pinya share a tender moment when Lucia recognizes her from Pinya’s youth, and the druids arrange a grand celebration for the two new arrivals! Sanya, still having no chill, uses her powers of being a mood-killer to study the village and the exclusion of non-druids at the feast, and digs a little deeper in the workings of Ha-Dûna. Lucia defuses the situation with considerable grace. The celebration is then interrupted when Oraelia herself crashes the party, deciding to reward the druids for their perseverance in the world, and slaps the village with some cool baby making artifacts and drug bowls, proving her chill to all present. [/hider] [Hider=MP] Oraelia 1MP & 2DP -1MP (Towards Renewal), Basin of the Weary. Reinvigoration I - Whoever dips their cup into this bowl and drinks deeply from it’s liquid, will find themselves invigorated. It revitalizes the weak and weary, giving back lost strength and a boost of energy. This effect does not last forever, only providing a temporary boost of life and those who drink too deeply will crash hard and sleep for a long time. -2DP (Towards Fertility), The Statuette of Prolificacy. Baby Maker II - Whoever touches the belly of this Statuette, be it male or female, will become incredibly fertile for the next day and will usually produce multiple offspring with their lover, or one really healthy baby. It must be a conscious choice, and has no effect on those that are too young. Oraelia 0MP/0DP 5/5 For Renewal ⅖ For Fertility [/hider] [Hider=Prestige] Lucia 5 Prestige 10k Chars = +5 = 10 Prestige Sanya 24 Prestige 10k Chars = +5 = 29 Prestige Circle of the Long Stride 2 Prestige 10k Chars = +5 = 7 Prestige [/hider]