Sina pulls out Donrai's journals again to take another crack at them, this time by herself. She will lock herself in her rooms in the Rectory, and uncover her mirror on the thirteenth evening of the 9th month. She'll then open the journal and make another attempt at reading the words there. In my last @action (@action 3459), Sina noticed that the words in the journal seemed to change every time she looked at it. Now, she wants to study it in more detail, from an occult perspective.

Her study of the journal has a few different goals:

1. She wants to know if it's been warded. If so, she wants to know how it was warded, if she can possibly figure that out, and whether or not she might be able to recreate such a warding herself, because it seems pretty useful! She suspects that's why the words change on the page, and why no one has been able to decipher them.

2. She will then see if she can see any kind of pattern in the way the words change, and using mage sight, she will attmept to see if there are any glyphs or other markers on the pages that might catch her eye. She wants to know if there's a way to remove the ward, and will experiment around with it a little bit, very carefully, to see if she can figure the journal out. Is it really a journal, or is it the book of charts that Wylla painted into her hands in that one painting? Or maybe a way to find out what those two paintings mean? Or maybe it's just a journal. She wants to study it in full, putting all of her occult knowledge into the effort.

3. Finally, she will ask her Mirrorborn to see if she has any insights about the journal, and how to read it. Or, if she has any other insights in general. She'd really like to know what the Mirrorborn thinks about these recent happenings with the Eye of the Prophet and House Pravus, and whether it might relate to whatever might be hidden in Donrai's journals.

Sina hears the screams first.

When she starts to really try to study the journals, and she thinks she sees a word vanishing, the room is suddenly filled with endless wailing screams of torment that go on and on and on and on. Sina starts to black out, the room begins to spin, and the words on the page dance and change. Some of the letters on the page glisten red, like in blood, and Sina can see her reflection in them. And then her reflection reaches to grab her hand.

The screaming stops, and her mirrorborn is standing besides her.

"A Wailing Ward. Very dangerous." The mirrorborn explains, "It looks like the blood mage sacrificed thirteen thralls bound to serve him and coated the journals with their heartsblood. Their souls are bound, trapped in the journals, kept from reaching the Wheel in endless torment, and that torment nourishes the ward." The mirrorborn runs her hand through the air, and as it passes a bright red sigil of a seaserpent howling with blood red eyes appears in the air, and Sina's tattoo burns in response, "We can avoid it. You just need to move your soul a bit sideways." The mirrorborn purses her lips, "I'm not sure that's the best way to describe it, but it's the closest I can come to. I just gave yours a little tug out of harm's way, since we're bound together."

The journals unravel as Sina reads them, with Donrai's notes to himself. Much are ramblings. Disjointed. Unexplained. "Selendri lives again, in the form of Sina Izetta. Her father was marked by the Gyre, and Leviathan's hunger can be felt near her."

"Fragmented. So very fragmented. Seleni lives, an echo of Selendri. If she fragments further, will the facet rise?"

"Betrayal and Hunger, Ambition and Treachery. Knave and Leviathan twisting and turning together, and Sina comes of their union. Seleni feels her, surely. They are kin of the soul."

"Alaric III has been taken. How much power is in Sina's heartsblood?"

"Create mirrorborn to protect her. It will draw Seleni. There's so much power in betrayals. The Champions know, of course."

"The Gyre will be betrayed by his children. Destiny is dead, but glimpsed fragments of possibilities remain."

"Souls are not necessarily weakened by being split. No. It's like cutting a starfish. Cut Sina, and watch her rise. Selendri, Seleni, Sina... a pity Sina has a core of good in her. The righteous make poor tools. Even her reflection can't change that."

"Leviathan has a hook in her. Or does she have a hook in him? The bottomless hunger is in Seleni, but did Sina only inherit Selendri's need to serve? To help others? Disconcerting. Who is the Lady of Treacherous Ambition? Who is the Princess of Insatiable Betrayal?"

"Obsidian will flay her living, and draw her of every last drop of power from her body and soul. He must, or else Betrayal shall come for him in the end."

"Watch the tattoo. There is much not understood there. There is much not understood about Sina. Her mirrorborn must guard her, or we'll never have answers. Kill all the huntsmen that come for her."

"The Gyre died never knowing how close his salvation truly was. If the Queen had bid him to return, even in a shadow of her soul, he would have built Arx into a coral throne of hunger and want. The tattoo called to him, but he was kept from hearing."

"Sina's mother. Blood of the deeps? It would explain why she calls to the kraken, why the hunger has her marked. The soul of Selendri does not explain it alone. Who was she? Who IS she?"

"You shouldn't be reading this, Sina. You aren't ready to meet your mother."

The final sentence seems to flare on the page, growing bright red, and Sina feels herself pulled backwards protectively by her mirrorborn as the journals suddenly ignite, burning suddenly as if they were covered in oil and a torch was thrown upon them. Nothing else burns, but the journals all turn to ash in a matter of seconds, and the ashes then disintegrate as if carried off by a hidden wind. Leaving nothing at all.

For some time now, house Grimhall has been planning to build a school of theology at Grihem's Point, to teach Mourning Islanders about all of the Gods of the Pantheon and encourage more of them to become Godsworn. The time has come for construction to begin, and so Valdemar will be getting things in order to do this: finalizing the plans for the building, getting them out to construction crews, arranging for the import of any materials needed that are not produced at Grihem's Point, and so on. His focus is on building a grand structure worthy of the Gods, to inspire people to come and learn about all of them, not just Mangata. Vanora will be the face of the project, getting the word out about the school and coordinating with others who will be assisting with matters like finding instructors and support staff or once the school is open.

For more than a year the Grimhall family has been working towards building a school of theology the likes of which few places in all the Compact have ever seen. Called the Grihem Seminary and Philosophical Academy, it is even in its building stages referred to more commonly as the Grim Seminary.

Designs for the Seminary include a massive structure of locally sourced marble that gleams like a beacon from the top of a cliff providing stunning views of the sea, located just outside the bustling city of Grihem's Point that it can be seen by those in the city below. Interiors are to be beautiful and spare no expense, with large auditoriums for lectures and sermons and smaller classrooms dedicated to more discussion focused education. It includes a library that is well stocked yet still growing its collection, as well as several outbuildings such as a cathedral for religious rites and prayer, and housing for teachers, students, and other workers and their families.

For this initial groundbreaking and dedication, House Grimhall is focusing on the following:

1 Hosting Godsworn and Legates from the City of Arx in order to help design curriculum, perform the dedications when the Seminary opens for students, and in some cases to offer guest lectures and classes to the first class to begin their studies.

2 Spreading word of the endeavor throughout the Mourning Isles in order to drum up interest and fill the classrooms. This includes reaching out to recently freed thralls or those about to be freed, for either studying or working at the Seminary provides housing and meals to students without cost, and the same for employees in addition to a fair wage for their work.

3 Creating paying jobs not only for the construction of the school but for its ongoing maintenance, employing everything from assistant teachers and caregivers for employees children to groundskeepers and maids who keep the buildings at their best.

4 Emphasizing through outreach that the Faith is yet another of the traditional institutions that are so important to Islanders, and that Grimhall continues to invest in these that traditionalists in their holdings are able to see that though there has been great change with abolition, the Isles are not forgetting their traditions or the institutions that keep them in place.

For Vanora's part personally, she will be focused on spreading the word and emphasizing the traditions that the Seminary will be deepening Grimhall commitment to, those of the Faith. She will be traveling around Grimhall holdings as well as Grihem's Point itself to tell of the Seminary and invite students and laborers to come and be a part of it.

As the Minister of Income and Trade for Grimhall, Cassima uses her profound knowledge of economics and experience managing the finances of House Grimhall to set up a stable economic framework for building this grand school of Theology at Grihem's Point so that there is coin enough to pay for the import of building materials, the labourers and so on in this endeavour. She also drafts a financial plan for the smooth and sustainable running of the school when the time comes.

Aureth's principal position here is as a student of theology (with his mid-life career change) and as a designer of a comprehensive and thorough curriculum for the school, piggybacking upon the work of the other priests who are involved and utilizing his long experience as an educator to do so. He also dedicates his own time to the project where he can by aiding in the interview and selection of instructors "on the ground" (so to speak).

One of the things that he primarily finds it important to ensure is that new priests will be trained not only in theology but in the kinds of thing local seraphies need: basic agricultural knowledge, for example, simple economics, introductory teaching, and what training he can design in empathetic and active listening. It's super important that training for new priests take into account the actual nitty-gritty details of their jobs, not just theological questions but practical ones.

Archscholar Sina has been aware of the project to create a school of theology at Grihem's Point for quite some time, since the very early days of its inception. Therefore, she is more than willing to offer whatever aid she can when the time finally comes to set those plans into motion. Using all of the resources at her disposal as Archscholar, she will assist with providing learning materials, copies of texts, writing implements and more. She'll send a delegation of eight to ten Godsworn Scholars to Grihem's Point to begin with, so that they can help with the initial establishment of the school and remain to teach, if they wish. (Represented by 800 Social resources.)

Then, she will be journeying to Grihem's point herself, in order to give her official blessing to the School in Vellichor's name. She will also be teaching a guest lecture, which she will be calling, "Heeding the Call". During this lecture, she'll tell her own story of how she, a Mourning Islander, felt the pull to become Godsworn. She'll tell the story of her how her own mother was a thrall aboard her father's ship before it was destroyed, and how she, Sina, came to serve in the kitchens of House Thrax, and then became handmaiden to Princess Donella and then Princess Alarissa. How, during a tour of the Mourning Isles, she passed through Grihem's Point and heard the choir in the amphitheater singing praises to Mangata, of how the artists and disciples of Jayus of Escuma moved her, and how Mother Ailith inspired her throughout the journey. These things, she will tell them, are all a part of what brought her to the service of the Gods.

She'll tell them, though, that in the end everyone has a different story, and that story has, one way or another, brought them to the seminary. Whatever story has brought them here, she hopes that those choices will carry them to the service of the Gods. But if not, that's okay. To become Godsworn isn't an easy path. She will explain all that it entails, both the pros and the cons, and she will 'keep it real'. She will end by inviting anyone who wishes to ask her questions, to do so. And then she'll give her blessing and benediction over the first class of Grim Seminary hopefuls.

Vayne sets in place curricula for training new godsworn, using his considerable experience and skills to help godsworn be well-rounded servants of the Pantheon. This includes ensuring a wide range of books and other resources are available, of high quality. Lessons and education tracks are established, giving the new godsworn every opportunity to succeed. He also lends the Shrine of Tehom's considerable influence toward advertising this effort.

Sanya will be heading over to Grihem's Point for purposes of spreading word and outreach. She'll use her skill with words and her popularity among the people to encourage them (including former thralls) to study/work at the seminary as well as improve the work ethic of those working to build the school. She'll also aid in hosting the men and women of the faith that have come to help design the curriculum.

As Lilia's first major contribution to her new house, she is determined simply to help where she can. As the former Minister of Upkeep for the Telmarch, she has some experience dealing with infrastructure and public works and that plays into helping with the construction phase, organizing and keeping track of paperwork and otherwise dealing with boring, nitty, gritty details that are otherwise tiresome. As former Voice, she's used to letters and meetings and encouraging people to get with whatever program is being pushed, by whatever means necessary. At every turn she looks for ways to assist, always with the goal that the Seminary should be a triumph and a beacon of theology not just to the Mourning Isles, but to the Compact as a whole.

As an investor, Edward will be on hand to help with logistics and managing supply for the materials that are used for the school. Specifically he has helped broker deals for House Grimhall in the past and knows how the ins and outs of their merchant business dealings more than most, so will make use of that information to help get discounted goods and materials that are still of the high quality that would be expected in the construction project.

It's a massive undertaking, and the better part of a year is spent fully constructing the Grim Seminary, but it's a remarkable achievement once complete.

The response is strong, with many noble houses throughout the Isles nudging a member of the family to be among the first seminaries to study at the school, so that their houses can have another claim in support of a great institution. Of course, the response from former thralls who are struggling to return to their old lives is even stronger, and even with the massive size of the Seminary, the thousands upon thousands of responses make it difficult to sort them all into classes, but the Seminary manages. The Faith will most certainly grow, and it will make it possible to spread some of the parishes, and have better trained Seraphs that will make it less likely for there to be spiritual divisions later (with the resulting unpleasantness in heresies and crusades).

Since winter, the Stone Grove has been withered, the plants crumbling, the spirits themselves quiet and filled with pain. Now, Spring has arrived, and it's time for the Spirit Walkers to begin their restoration of the Grove. As the one who lead the ritual that inadvertently poisoned their sacred space, Mirk will be leading their efforts to heal what still remains.

Their rituals begin with a transplant of a healthy plant into the Stone Grove as an offering to the spirits. After months of cultivating each one and preparing them for transplant, it's a symbol of their devotion, one that might help breathe new life into the Grove.

For his part, Mirk aims to plant a seed from Cybele and Bashira's tree, in hopes of drawing on that special connection he has to that particular tree (See: Action 3194).

That's only the beginning, however, as Mirk leads the Spirit Walkers in calls to the spirits of the forest, begging for their presence and their aid. Perhaps this will persuade the spirits to heal the Stone Grove, or perhaps there will be an additional price to be paid for purification. He takes pains to warn each Spirit Walker privately about that possibility.

There are volunteers from outside their ranks, who do not participate in their rituals, but instead collect offerings for the Spirit Walkers and assist in the mundane aspects of tending to the land.

A special invitation is extended to the Faith, and the Disciples of Petrichor in particular, for a grove is a sacred space to Petrichor as well: The Faithful are offered space to conduct their own prayers as a gesture of respect. Mirk is careful to maintain an appearance of separation between the rituals of the Spirit Walkers and the prayers of the Faith, so that no one might accuse them of mixing the religions together.

In the end, the three groups shake out as follows:
Spirit Walkers: Mirk, Drea, Khanne, Danvir, Kaldur, Jyri, Acantha, Vano, Leonaess, Mikani.
Faith of the Pantheon: Sina, Brigida, Aiden, Sophie.
Invited Guests: Vincenzo, Petal, Darren, Cillian, Fianna.

Drea is holding rituals at the Grove. To her, it's not just about the Spirit Walkers and Shamanism, the Grove is sacred to Petrichor as well. She holds a big event that is open to all where they rededicate the grove, anoint and rededicate the altar, and offerings are made from those who attend. Rope is strung in the trees and participants hang bells up on that rope to show that they honor the Grove and want continuous evidence of their dedication and desire to help it heal and be made anew. (http://play.arxgame.org/dom/cal/detail/3285/. http://play.arxgame.org/dom/cal/detail/3267/)

Khanne has been contributing towards the recovery of the Stone Grove since she discovered it was withered. She leaves offerings to the Spirits, prays to Petrichor and Mangata, and talks to the stones. She assisted with plantings, and even gathered the Spirit Walkers to plant a Remembrance tree for Cybele and Bashira there that she hopes will grow tall for many years with branches that will stretch wide.

She knows it is not jsut about planting. It is about the Spirits. It is about the Gods... She knows the tales of the origin of the Stone Grove, and that... for her... is her point of reference in what she can do to help restore it once more. She does most of her offerings and prayings before one particular pillar, the one that was broken years ago, one that she helped repair then.

This space is sacred to her in many, many ways. She will see it recovered, and will not stop trying until it is.

Will plant 2 blueberry bushes in a spot behind the far benches in full sunlight. Will spend working the soil ensuring that it is fertilized and ready for the planting when the time comes for the planting he will join the others in planting.

Kaldur makes a trip to Pearlspire to go diving with the spirit he's linked to seeking pearls in a bed that's important to his people. A place important for centuries, possibly millennia, streching back perhaps as far as to the time of the Old Gods themselves. He dives, and swims, and surfaces with oysters from the craggy beds, returning to shore when he's exhausted. He brings these treasures from the ocean back to the Stone Grove.

Jyri will get his hands dirty and clear away dead plants, preparing for the replanting of the new. Having spent a fair deal up north around Hawkhold due to his ties with the Whitehawks, he's brought back some plants from there that grow wild; blue anemones that only blossom in spring normally. A yellow flower that starts to blossom shortly after the anemones. A purple flower that blossoms after that. A white flower that starts to grow beginning of summer. All wild flowers that grow in the meadows around Hawkhold, planted in a any patch he'll be given to do so. For every planting he will also give thanks to the spirits of the Forest for their bounty and to the Stone Grove spirits, for their sacrifice.

With Petal's assistance on selecting the best saplings and with Merek's direct help on where to plant to align with marking seasons change, Vincenzo transplants twelve trees to help encircle the stone grove. At each of the saplings, Vincenzo has paid for the best stonemasons to craft a small stone plinth with offerings of food, drink and clothing to any and all that might stop by the particular tree. But his main work is the ballad that he has composed which he plays on his harp, and he sings it for thirteen days and nights at each of the saplings. It combines his deep love of the Faith along with those who follow the Spirit Walkers and braids their stories and meanings together. His membership with the Crafters Guild, and his daily close proximity with the highest of nobles due to his craft, he is pouring a significant amount of his own social and economic resources into this action (1,500 economic and 2,000 social) to show that Jayus can inspire great things and through creation, we can connect closer to the gods (or spirits, as the case may be).

The Ballad of Nature's Prayer, for harp and voice.
Mountains reign majestic, their diamond summits gleam pale.
The wind sings with the wolves, dear pilgrim listen.
Their bones rest deep in the world, the sky scrapes on their crowns.
Petrichor's strength lays in them, dear pilgrim listen.

Dark forests stretch, like blankets they roll.
Their arms uplifted in prayer, dear pilgrim listen.
Their treasures and help they give, to any and all.
Petrichor's friends do speak, dear pilgrim listen.

Old Ashtalon, teach us to be resilient.
While the storms come and go, may we be flexible.

Beechspur, teach us tolerance.
While words like axes bite, may we not lash out.

Birchleaf, teach us to seek truth.
As darkness of ignorance falls, may we shine so bright.

Cedartooth, teach us to find inner peace.
As our days grow so chaotic and busy, may we find our thoughts cleansed.

Cherryblossom, teach us compassion.
As the seasons come and go, may our prosperity be shared.

Old Elmbeard, teach us to be wise.
While suffering comes and go, may all scars fade in time.

Hollysprig, teach us to overcome anger.
To friend and foe alike, may we always protect.

Mapletwig, teach us your generosity.
Be great or small, may we quick to give.

Old Oakheart, teach us to have courage.
While challenges may arise, may our conviction be strong.

Old Pineskin, teach us harmony.
To our enemies of all kind, may war be temporary.

Cleverwalnut, to us bring focus.
As we are pulled so many ways, may our work be fruitful.

Willowhusk, to us give an open mind.
Whether Faith or Spirit Walk, we are all Skald's children!

Petrichor, Petrichor. May we remember your words.
While dominion is ours, may we do so responsibly.
We pray for your help, and we thank you this day.
To you and your friends, we pilgrims humbly listen.

When the time comes to assist with healing the Stone Grove, Sina follows through on her promise to Mirk, and comes prepared to offer up prayers to Petrichor, as well as the other gods of the triad of creation - Lagoma and Mangata. She will bring offerings with her - a vial of water blessed before Mangata's great statue on the beach, thirteen plants of different varieties to plant after the withered growth has been cleared, and a small painting on a cut-out circle of fine vellum along with a small brazier lit with Lagoma's eternal flame. The painting is a depiction of the change of season from winter to spring with a lovely border of leaves and vines. On the left half of the painting, there are delicately-painted winter trees with bare branches and scrubby and leafless plants among snow drifts, with a pale sky of lavendery pink and gold as if at dawn or sunset. Lush green growth, trees and flowers and plants with animals frolicking among them decorate the right half of the painting.

She will kneel within the grove in an area set aside for the Godsworn to do their prayers, separate from the shaman present, and pray, slipping into that meditative state she's come to learn. Once she has prayed over each plant, she will plant them with her own two hands. Then she will pray:

"Petrichor, lord of the forest, the deep woods, and of growing things - your stewards come before you to ask for your blessing and your grace upon this withered grove. Aid us as we seek to drive away this blight, and restore the peace and sanctity of this place. Let your blessing infuse the land to sactify it once more, and heal the plants and trees here from within, to restore their glory.

Next, she will uncork the vial of holy water, and scatter droplets of it upon the ground. She'll slip deeper into meditation, and attempt to find that place within herself that weeps for the wound created here. She will add her own tears to the mix, along with the holy water. She will pray:

"Mangata, blessed of the Air and Waves, we call upon your grace to bless this grove, for life springs from you in the very air we breathe. Let your cleansing rains wash away the pain, and the sorrow, and the blight within this place. Let your nourishing waters bless this land, sustain it, and renew the life which springs from it."

Finally, she will roll up the tiny painting she created with her own hands and skill and burns it in a small brazier that she will bring with her which was lit with a spark from Lagoma's eternal flame. She will pray:

"Lagoma, Lady of Change, Goddess of seasons and the healing of wounds - we ask your blessing upon this grove, that the land may once again be healed. Let this offering be a symbol of the passage of seasons, winter to spring. So too, we pray, may this withering be healed, and new life come forth within this place."

Once she has finished with her prayers, Sina will linger in silent meditation for a time. She'll help with planting, clearing away the old and withered things, and offering her quiet support to her shaman friends. She will be very careful, however, to only call upon the Gods of the Pantheon, though she will show respect for the traditions of the Spirit Walkers, and those who hold this place sacred.

Sword Cillian Weatherwood married Petal Penrose in the grove in hopes in a offering to the spirits in hopes that they will come back and help grow the grove once more. It is a special place for him and he feels a deeo connection to it. He also attended the Ritual a few hours before hand giving a offering to the spirits, he continues to return to the grove daily to offer in hopes that it will help.

Petal will attend this attempt to help the grove. She will use her knowledge of plants to help with the plants in the grove, checking their health and well being. She was married to Cillian at the grove of which was part of the healing ritual of the grove. She will offer her own prayers as well.

Darren is more than pleased to take part in the cleansing of the Stone Grove. He provides the resources and manpower to bolster the efforts of the Spirit Walkers along with his own personal attendance.

Acantha is going to help with this by transplanting the pumpkins and the carrot garden that she was dealing with over the months in the Spirit Walkers Hall. She's been stopping in once a day and tending to things at the grove. She's been going daily at dawn along with Lord Vano. They have been making small offerings to the spirits together. She will be assisting in the rituals when it comes around to it as well.

Vano will nurse some of Riva's local flowers, the fairyslipper, to transplant into the grove where it can get good sunlight and plenty of water. As he already intends to visit the Grove every morning with Acantha, he wil spend extra effort to make sure they have sufficent water and tended soil. Additionally he will be participating in the dedication rituals when it comes down to calling on the spirits.

Archlector Brigida of Petrichor is joining in the Healing the Stone Grove. She'll be making sure that the separation between the rituals of the Spirit Walkers and the prayers of the Faith is properly maintained and will be giving making sure none of the Faith stray over too far beyond respecting and acknowledging the Spirits. There will be no mixing the religions together on her watch. Kind reminders will be backed up by her sharp tongue and the thwack of her staff if necessary.

But of course no one will be foolish enough for that right?

Brigida will be leading prayers to Petrichor during this, maintaining a presence throughout in the section put aside for the Faithful. She will take steps back to allow others to do their songs, chants and prayers during this time but ensue that there is, at the least, constant worship to Petrichor during this time.

Her own personal contribution to the proceedings will be the planting of 13 Golden Yellow Roses from Tor. These roses of course will still have thorns attached.

Once upon a time, Aiden was part of the Observers and the Courts of Arx. While he is no longer a part of either, he is still affiliated with the scholars and the Society of Explorers. Why is that relevant? Because the necessary skills and habits have been taught to the man, specifically the ability to make detailed accountings of what he experiences and observes. He has written books before, so it is not an uncharacteristic thing for him to do, during this ritual, to capture the essence of it as it transpires. Truth, to his eyes, will be documented on the pages that Arvum is lucky enough to have to properly praise Vellichor. It is on blank pages he will write, almost without looking down at the pages themselves, as his eyes turn from person to person, capturing in whimsical detail the personal touches each has to offer the ritual. He acts today as the Scholar that will preserve these memories of this day into text for all time, keeping it safe from entities that would otherwise attempt to cloud the aspects of his writing with deceptions.

Baron Archibald Chirpingtong, his loyal adviser, no really, it's quite possible the Gyrfalcon has such a standing now, is roosting near too Aiden, be it on a perch he has brought for the Baron or simply upon the branches of a nearby tree. Oddly enough, some of the words Aiden writes into documentation will carry a distinctive ... or unique, perspective - quite possibly something that humans just couldn't or wouldn't comprehend. At some point, Aiden will walk over to the Baron and the Baron will offer a plucked feather. Taking the feather in hand, Aiden will settle it before the seedling dedicated to Cybele, murmuring, "May you guide us once again." Then he goes on to make a quiet prayer to Petrichor, before retaining the pen of Vellichor to ensure he doesn't miss a single detail of how everyone is contributing - the music in the background, that harp, soothing to write alongside with.

The support of the Faith is given, at least by the Mother Mercy, Sophie Valardin and the Mercies. Sophie has procured thirteen fire lily (Clivia miniata) bulbs, and on the day of the ritual she gathers 12 of her most trusted senior Mercies, and they have formed a circle around the area containing the blight. Holes have been dug and prepared, and when the time comes they all kneel in tandem, bowing their heads in a prayer that's whispered in unison.

Our Lady of Change
Transformation and restoration are your domain.
Patron of Farmers
The land and the plants that restore us are your domain.
We beseech you both to restore this land, just as you restore the lost to the Faith
We ask that you bless the plants and flowers that grow in this holy space.
We ask that Lagoma's holy cleansing fire remove the blight from this land,
Leaving healthy plants behind.
We ask that Petrichor smiles upon the grove, that it might flourish.
We ask that the healing herbs that grow here heal wounds of the body and the spirit.
That your children might better serve you and the entire Pantheon.

Once the prayers are given the Mercies plant the bulbs, covering them with dirt.

The Stone Grove was a place new to herself but it's pain was felt with a keen sense of disruption, brows furrowing as she walked about the sickened space with an ear open to what whispers or thoughts might be gleaned from flora and fauna. Leonaess supplies two sprouted plants that had been cultivated lovingly in colorful pots, it was Anise and Lavender that would be her offering. All the while would she sing and hum, the rich soil she used in the pots used in setting the plants in their new beds where she surrounded the dark recently patted soil with seashells she had picked from the shore and glittering bits of colorful quartz. Accustomed to camping out, she'd spend a day or two in an attempt to connect with the area.

As often as she is able to, Fianna visits the Stone Grove to make her offerings and connect with the sacred space through controlled breathing and meditation. She does her best to quiet her thoughts and focus on connecting with the spirit realm and to one spirit in particular for answers and guidance (See: Action 2340) regarding the matter at hand: the cleansing and renewal of the Stone Grove. When she's not in quiet contemplation, Fianna is planting and tending to the Edelweiss flowers that she brought as seeds from the lands of her beloved Stormwall. She makes sure that her gratitude is conveyed clearly to the spirits before leaving the Stone Grove every day that she can visit.

Mika is glad to help with the cleansing of the Stone Grove. It was a place of peace and solace after her Cousin Bashira died. So Mikani brought a fireberry bush from Cedar Vale to be planted. She hoped that the bush would thrive. It wasn't that she knew much about plants but she said a soft memory of Bashira before leaving the plant at the Grove.

There's something different about the Stone Grove. Something has changed, and recently. But even so, the blight remains and so a determined group heads to the Grove to do what they casn to fix it. Sophie, Brigida, Aiden, and Sina work together on behalf of the Faith of the Pantheon. The Stone Grove is, after all, sacred to them too. Sophie and twelve of her senior mercies form a circle around the area containing the blight, and on the day they all are working, they do their best to beseech Lagoma and Petrichor to heal the land, murmuring their prayer in unison as they plant thirteen fire lily bulbs in a circle around the blight.

As the Mother Mercy plants bulbs, Archlector Brigida leads a prayer to Petrichor, praying for his help. Archscholar Sina leads a prayer to the Traid of Creation. All involved focus on healing, on rejuvenation, on cleansing the Blight that infects the Stone Grove.

Meanwhile, Aiden watches carefully, recording and protecting what they do there. At one point, he moves over to take a feather offered by Baron Archibald Chirpington, but as soon as he takes it, the Gyrefalcon takes wing with a screech, and circles the grove thirteen times.

Others come to help too - shaman and non-shaman alike, who feel strongly about the Stone Grove and its place in their history. Mikani brings a fireberry bush from Cedar Vale. Fianna makes her offerings and tries to connect to the spirits of the Stone Grove, and tending the Edelweiss flowers brought as seeds from Stormwall. Vano and Acasntha transplant things mundane and fanciful - pumpkins and carrots and fairyslippers to grow, tending the flowers as they are transplanted. Darren oversees it all, watching and helping where he can, unafraid to roll up his sleeves and do a little planting of his own. That he also supplied resources and help is just what he does as High Lord - but it means something that he would be here to help them.

Petal uses her knowledge of plants and helps coax the Grove back to health, with Cillian at her side every day. He too offers his knowledge and his assistance - and both Petal and Cillian are particularly helpful when Vincenzo starts selecting saplings and planting trees. He has paid for stonemasons to craft a small stone plinth, but the main work is the ballad he sings and plays on his harp. He plays it next to each of the saplings, and it is truly a beautiful thing. Indeed, it seems for a moment that the trees themselves start to sway when he gets to the verse about their particular type of tree.

But perhaps that's just wishful thinking.

Or is it?

The shaman perform their rituals and rites, asking the spirits to help revitalize the Grove. Drea organizes the stringing up of bells and chimes that ring pleasantly with a gentle breeze. Seeds are planted for special plants. Healthy plants. A seed from Cybele and Bashira's tree. Please, they entreat the spirits, help heal the Grove. They are willing to take a geas if they must, but will the spirits help or is the Stone Grove doomed to be Blighted forever?

Danvir plants blueberry bushes. Kaldur brings water from time spent communing with Bluewave. Jyri clears out the dead growth. Leonaess adds two sprouted plants - anise and lavender - to add to the Grove.

In the end, when they step back and look - the dead growth is cleared. New plants are everywhere - some simple plants, food plants. Others are flowers. Some from far away, some from nearby. Some common. Some less so. But with their efforts, there is no evidence of Blight - not any more. No, this Stone Grove is a green, growing place - will it stay that way?

And then the place where the seed from the tree where Cybele and Bashira died shimmers suddenly. And slowly, cautiously, a small sapling sprouts - too fast for it to be natural, it breaks the soil and grows. Six, seven inches high, with one little branch as they all watch in awe - and then ever so slowly it unfurls a single green, unblighted leaf.

It seems at last that they have succeeded, and the Stone Grove is cleansed once more.

Petal would like to lead prayers at the lodge to Petrichor in the hope that such will help to either stop, heal or reduce the withering. She is doing such as the voice of the lodge, but realizes some others are more closely connected with the gods than her and she very much welcomes their guidance. She is gathering up as many faithful people as she can and planning on to prayer very passionately at the lodge in different locations, including the lodge of rebrith, the flower gardens, the orchard and the main grounds. She plans to keep prayering regular like and to encourage others to do so. She plans to keep working on the plants in honor of Petrichor as well.

Olivia seems to have some pull when she prays at the Lodge, so she is going to help Petal with her prays as well.

Sina has heard about Petal's call for prayers to Petrichor. She may be Archscholar, but she is also Godsworn. Her faith in the Gods is unwavering, and her love for Petrichor is no less than for the other gods. And so, she has answered Petal's call to prayer at the Lodge of Petrichor. The Archscholar will make her way out to the Lodge whenever she has the free time to do so, and she will find quiet places near the withering to pray and meditate there. She will also offer to teach Petal how to pray, in accordance with the ways of the Faith, though she will be respectful of the spirits and primal entities as well. She will pray not only to Petrichor, but to Mangata and Lagoma as well - the three gods being of the triad of Creation, which she will teach Petal about. The Archscholar will also not neglect to pray to Vellichor for wisdom and guidance, seeking wisdom as to what must be done here.

She will pour the love from her heart into the plants of the Lodge, and seek to commune with the Gods, recalling in her mind the peace in the sacred grove on the Isle of Storms, and willing it to settle here. She will pray for Mangata's blessing, that her cleansing waters might wash away the blight upon the land. She will pray to Lagoma, for her healing. She will help to offer the work of her own two hands to care for the Lodge and the Land while she is there as well, planting flowers in the springtime when appropriate, at Petal's careful direction. She will treat the Lodge with all due reverence, and seek to help find the cause of the withering and bless the land in Petrichor's name as one of the Godsworn. She knows that the Abyss has no business here, and if this withering is due to an Abyssal blight, she will seek, in prayer, to cleanse it. Her heart is filled with hope, that the Lodge may endure, that the withering come to an end. She will open herself fully to the divine will of the gods, thinking nothing for her own desire or self, but only for protection of the Lodge.

Acantha is going to be making time to go and pray at the Lodge at least once a day. Benny will be accompanying her as well. They will leave little offerings as well for the spirits that might be around, but mainly praying to Petrichor and for the recovery.

While widely known to be more shaman than Faithful, Willow jumps at the opportunity to join those in prayer for the Lodge. Her love of nature and deep faith in Petrichor mingling with her obsession with druidic restoration meet and she not only brings prayers but also some offerings. Acorns carved with prayers and stained with various juices, feathers and bits of carved treebark to plant along with seeds.

Kaya is asked by Petal to help at the lodge after having help discover what was going on while coming to help with the Harvest. Kaya agrees and offers what she knows of the ritual of cleansing and her natural luck and skills she can to help see if they can heal what is going on

Cillian will go for a few reasons one to help pray to the spirits and to Petrichor to help them find a way to either stop, heal or reduce the withering. He will also go as guard just incase something may happen why they are there in prayer, it would not be the first time the lodge has been attacked. So he goes as a prayer and a protector.

Lisebet has recently taken a bit more to prayer, and she's more than willing to help Petal out, if she can. However, she's really hoping that she might learn something that will help out, through the benevolence of the gods, and Petrichor in particular. It's perhaps a bit odd, all things considered, but Lisebet is willing to add her voice to the others, in hopes that answers might be found, and action plans might be put in place.

Ysabel is asked to help Petal with the Lodge and she offers to research into what can be done and dig up anything she can find about what is happening and ways to take care of it. Ysabel is known for her dedication to research and has already been making stride among the other Scholars.

When Kael learns about the work that Petal is doing, he volunteers to join the prayers. Kael, due to personal reasons as well as being an Oathlander, has always been exceptionally devout. Though he is afflicted with fatigue, he pushes substantially in his prayer. This is not just the prayers that Petal leads (which he participates in earnestly), but also with work around the lodge. He follows Petal's lead as Voice of the Lodge and assists with her planting, but if he has permission he additionally seeks to tend to the land. He'll advise those that are less comfortable with the wilderness of various elements, utilizing his skills for this. Beyond all however, he is genuinely sincere, praying for a healing of the land. Should there be any danger, Kael will step in to defend those gathered.

The Lodge is withered, and Petal wants so very much to heal it. And so she gathers her friends and they set up as many people to pray as she can. Not just once, but over and over again. She prays while she weeds. She prays while she gardens. She prays while she spreads good fertilizer, hoping beyond hope that this will help. But Spring turns to Summer, and the withering continues.

Olivia joins her in her prayers, as does the Archscholar Sina. Devout women both, tied to the land, loving the earth and the green growing things and Petrichor. Sina adds in prayers to Mangata and to Lagoma for water, for rain, for a change to the withering, to Vellichor for wisdom to know what to do. She pours her love into the planting, into the caretaking, her heart full of hope. And Summer turns to Fall, and the withering continues.

More and more people join. Acantha and Benny go to the Lodge daily and pray, steadfast in their devotions. Willow with her deep love of nature joins the prayers, and she mingles offerings with her prayers and the plantings - acorns carved with prayers, stained with juice. Feathers and bits of carved treebark. Fall turns to Winter, and with it the frigid cold and the hope that when the thaw finally comes, so will the end to the withering.

Kaya offers what she knows of cleansing and healing, trying to help in the winter months, while Cillian and Lisebet and Ysabel search for knowledge. They're trying to find what else they can do to aid in the withering, other than just be faithful, and patient, and endlessly prayerful. Winter turns to Spring, but the plants do not return.

And Kael joins the Prayers too. Afflicted with fatigue, still he comes, day by day. To pray. To work. As a disappointing Spring comes, as it seems their prayers are not answered. That their work is not successful. Until one day - one day at last Sina arrives to pray and to work and sees... a single sprout, not withered, but green. Not a healthy green, but not brown either. One sprout, and hope springs again in their hearts.

Slowly, bit by bit, moment by moment, they do the hardest thing they have ever done. In the face of a Lodge that is not green, and not restored, still they work, and they strive, and they pray. And slowly, bit by bit, the Lodge starts to revive. Sprouts here and there. Sparse, but green. These they nurture and pray over. They rejoice. They pray more. They fertilize and weed and care for these little seeds with all the love and hope in their hearts.

And as Summer arrives it is clear - the withering is over, but the Lodge will still take work to return to its former glory. But this determined group, willing to keep working at it, bit by bit, for well over a year - they can do it. If they only hold to hope and keep the faith.

Aleksei is leading a team to conduct the rite to empower Namesake in order to sunder one of the Gargantuans attacking the Lodge. No big, right?

All right, it's a bit big.

Aleksei's team has been entrusted with Namesake itself, which means that they're gathering together at the Lodge to prepare the Rite to not just sunder a Gargantuan, but do so with Namesake. The team will be mobile, since they'll need to try and get close to a Gargantuan once it shows, and they're going to be ARMED and ARMORED because HOLY SHIT.

Aleksei is bringing with him the scorched and cracked manacle recovered from the Fortress of Choice ("a scorched and broken manacle of strange metal" from @cal 573 run by Pax) to use as a focus of the rite, sacrificing it for what memories of broken chains and freed names it might still hold. For the power that comes from weight and importance in the Dream. It was saved as a memento by someone long ago, as a symbol of someone's freedom. Maybe it wasn't someone terribly important, but what it represents is important. Freeing one soul is important. And so he'll lead his group in the rite as they know it, as they've recovered record of to replicate, but he'll be putting a heart and soul of freedom into it.

And once the rite has been performed -- successfully, it will most certainly be successful -- Namesake will be entrusted to Luca to act with.

This whole is, of course, rather DANGEROUS, especially considering they might be ATTRACTING ATTENTION from MONSTERS AND THINGS. So a crew of Valorous Few -- Shard, Audric, et al -- are setting up specifically in their vicinity to try and intercept any attacks headed in the group's direction. (See action #2762.)

Aleksei has asked Luca to murder a Gargantuan(s?) with a dagger, because he's the best at pillow talk, and Luca is easily convinced to try things like this. It sounds like a challenge, doesn't it? He'll come to the Rite, he'll help however he can with it but mostly he's there to protect the group while they do their work, at least until it's time to demand satisfaction from probably one of the gnarliest creatures on the field of battle. The danger is the danger, after all. He'll wear his best dancing outfit, the one in exotic leather and steelsilk, and maybe have a cup of coffee beforehand, also.

Briseis is at the ritual helping out her brother. More importantly, she's focusing on releasing the imprisoned names. She'll work on bringing justice to the poor souls that have been trapped by the monster, sending them back to the Wheel. She'll be working with the texts, reading from the books and putting all her energy into not only stopping the Gargantuan from destroying the Lodge, but in releasing the names.

In the hours before the undertaking, wearing her leathers, her weeping serpent, and her small sword on her hip she will prepare herself, going to the Cathedral to pray. She addresses the divinities friendly to mankind, but will keep it brief; Team Pantheon has its hands full. She will ask for the strength in the moment to see the work DONE, careful not to say too much about it. When she joins the group, her chin will be set. She will be focused on empowering Namesake, and on the souls who must be freed, as if by sheer willpower and intensity she could make it happen. Should any one of the party falter in carrying out what is necessary, she will be there to reinforce, reorganize, redirect. Plans are all well and good, but they seldom survive long. That weapon is getting imbued, and getting where its going, even if she has to haul Luca over a saddlehorn like a sack of grain and ride hell bent for leather.

Sina will be accompanying Aleksei's group for this Rite. She will be wearing her armor and carrying with her the alaricite Nox'alfar blade Brixeur'Ame, whose name means roughly Freer of Souls, or so she was told by Mother Bianca, who gave it into Sina's care. She will also be bringing her knowledge as Archscholar, and whatever power she carries within her, including that feeling of warmth that descended upon her in Lagoma's shrine while she prayed there. She will also carry with her a lantern alight with Lagoma's holy eternal flame. Sina will be clearing her mind, seeking to calm it into a meditative state, much as she did within the Shrine of the Queen of Endings, as she assists with performing the ritual, and then focusing all of her prayers, energy and heart into the Rite. Sina will assist with the Rite to empower Namesake, and she will be prepared to do what she can otherwise if needed, for anything that might come after, including offering support with Brixeur'Ame if required. Otherwise, if Luca is doing this all on his own, she's pretty light on her feet, and if things get too dire, she'll take the better part of valor (that of discretion) and retreat.

With the dual distractions of a gargantuan in the distance and the Valorous Few being VERY LOUDLY PROFANE nearby, this group still managed to focus. And though it cost them dearly, they did manage to empower Namesake, investing it to kill a gargantuan. And then Luca went running off into the distance with Aleksei, hopefully to sunder that gargantuan - with Namesake glowing in his hand.

Sorrel gathers friends and family to her, around a warm brazier. "The time has come," she says, "To cleanse the primum and to sing the world as it truly is. This is my song. This is my ritual. Yours may be different, in turn, for it must truly come from you. I pray that each of you supports me wholeheartedly in this and that you take this as a sample to perform your own ritual."

"Let me sing you a song of love in thirteen verses, each one carefully written with time and creativity. Let me sing Love into the Dream with joy and sacrifice:"

Each bit of the song is pinned to a scrap of fabric that is meant to represent the person or thing the verse of the song is about. The first one is a scrap of violet baby blanket. The second one is a square of gray fabric with a Thrax sea serpent embroidered on it. The third is simply plain gray fabric. The fourth is a bit of aeterna, very plain. The fifth is another square of plain gray fabric, this one with the sigil of the King's Own. The sixth is a square of green seasilk with a sword worked upon it. The seventh is white silk with a spiraling red vine embroidered on it. The eighth is white aeterna edged in gold threads. The ninth is a dirty piece of wool. The tenth is brilliant green seasilk, embroidered with tiny clovers all over it. The eleventh is umbra with the sigil of House Wyrmguard embroidered thereon. The twelvth is also umbra, this time with the sigil of House Thrax. The thirteenth is umbra edged in gold. As the song is sung, the appropriate bit of fabric is placed into the brazier to be consumed.

1 Kyrios is a hope for the sanctity of life, a beautiful new thing being born, something that can grow into something new and greater than that which proceeded it:

Precious love of mine
For nine long months time
Small one within me
No greater love than thee

2 Galen is love. Passion, ambition, attraction, and all the things that attract people to one another. Let the world be full of love and lovers:

My great love for you is a burning flame
Now one and whole, we are never the same
Half of me is you; what am I to do?
To your dear love I will always be true.

3 Leona is faithfulness and fidelity, the choice of a dearest friend. Beautiful and true, a close bond of spirits in trust and friendship:

Sister not of body but of spirit.
To you do I tell secrets; you hear it.
A special bond of choice and freedom dear:
Our friendship in the purest sense is clear.

4 The Choir is a group of us with similar talents who all sing the Dream as it really is. Freedom and love and beauty:

Beautiful dreamers, listen now to me
Hear my song truly; it lets you be free
Power and strength coming with every note
Let the world be as my song is so wrote.

5 Corban is strength and honor, the true knight. Given the opportunity to do something the right way, he will take the path of righteousness:

Brother you are, though no brother you be
Like my own kin is how you are to me.
To you I entrust the most precious weight
Knowing that you are a knight very great

6 Luca was a Champion, and he stood for the honor of others. He also fights for the Light as a member of the Inquisition. Although he may not be a knight, he is a great man, admirable and true:

A fighter you are, champion to all
Dueling for true, never taking the fall.
Working for Light yet behind the closed door
We're lucky to have you give 'em what for!

7 Tikva represents sisterhood and platonic love. The sort of love that comforts you through tears and is joyful for you when you're joyful, love that melds in harmony:

Beautiful singer, sing your songs with me
Together meld in perfect harmony
Best friend and girl friend and companion true
I'll always be found singing next to you.

8 Ailith is Faith, a friend who has recently found her way to greater heights. Faith and love of the gods is important, a real true religious sort of love:

Peaceful, faithful, knowing of mystery,
Joyful, respectful, caring of history.
Guide me in the ways of the gods and love:
Advice that is tempered by those above.

9 Ian is loyalty. Love born of loyalty between soldiers, comrades in arms, in the field true. Love that is camaraderie:

Always at my back, you do yourself ride
Your right sword hand always at my side
Forever my protection with your men
Come! An adventure! I'll need you again!

10 Clover represents family love, the love that comes from sharing the same life growing up and the natural love and loyalty that inspires:

Beloved sister, bound by blood ties --
We would be best of friends yet anywise.
Bubbly temperament, always a joy:
When you were born, I was glad not a boy!

11 House Wyrmguard is where I grew up and how I developed my fascination with dragons. The love of House Wyrmguard, an ancient house, is one of fealty and devotion forever:

Though on the ground, the wyrms may yet lumber
The House recalls: Not all dragons slumber.
Danger is near? They will not surrender
As Valardin lives, they will remember.

12 House Thrax is where I married and to whom I currently owe fealty. Although I am not a sailor, I am learning to love the sea, and though I have reservations about some of their traditions, I am learning to love their culture:

A mariner's dream, so the current flows
Whenever the tide is out, there Thrax goes
Rough Islanders living off of the sea
One of their number is where you'll find me.

13 Music is what I want to fill the world with. Beautiful music is the song to which we should all live our lives, singing the Dream true and full of love:

A song is a song, but in the right key,
It can be a balm for you or for me.
All the world's dreams can be sung in music:
Finding the right words is the only trick.

Cora will learn the ritual through being present when Sorrel performs it so that she might perform it herself to teach others.

Sabella will quietly watch Sorrel's ritual with rapt attention!

Charlaine will learn the ritual through being present when Sorrel performs it. Charlaine will definitely try to perform it herself later in order to spread the knowledge and asisst in cleaning the primum.

Sparte will be present to observe, learn, and lend support.

Amari will sit in to watch Sorrel enact the ritual so she might learn and perform it herself (not nearly as awesomely, but she'll try her best when it's time)!

Having been invited to witness Sorrel's ritual, and hoping to learn it, Alexis attends to bear witness - and if necessary, offer protection, presuming any danger is even physical.

Carita will observe with awe, take notes as she listens, and quietly lends her support to the cleansing of the primum. There are moments when Sorrel's song brings tears to her eyes, or a smile to her face and while she might want to close her eyes to let that song wash over her, she doesn't so that she can witness every last moment.

Invited to bear witness to the ritual, Denica will stay with them and study with her so that she might perform the ritual herself someday.

Caspian watches the ritual with interest, and when it is over, he can already be seen scribbling down verse ideas!

Katarina is but one of many invited along to bear witness to the ritual that may very well begin cleansing the primum of its poison in the land. She listens, watches with rapt attention and intrigue, ready to help however she may.

Sina has been invited to witness the ritual to learn it. She has agreed to bear witness and learn, that the primum may be cleansed.

Ohboyohboyohboy! THIS IS IT! IT IS HAPPENING! /MAGIC/!!! Well, the first step towards it anyway. When Sorrel invites her to come observe the ritual, Caith is the first one there. Bright and early. Probably even before she and Galen and the baby are even awake that day. 'Don't mind me,' she'll shout through the door at the Thrax Estate. 'I'll just wait out here in the hall until you guys are ready!' A few minutes will go by. 'Are you ready now?' A few minutes more. 'How about now?' Five minutes later: 'Do you need help in there? Have you fallen down and hurts yourselves? Come on! Let's get a move on! IT'S RITUAL DAY! WHEEEE!' Caith is there with paper and pen and ink, all bright-eyed and bushy tailed and ready to take /NOTES/. And when Sorrel is done, she will ask /QUESTIONS/ to double-check, triple-check and cross-check her notes. Because, and maybe this isn't clear but: Caith is VERY INVESTED in this.

Bianca will also be observing so that in the future she too may perform and teach others for the betterment of all humanity.

Sasha will sit and carefully watch the ritual as Princess Sorrel performs it. She is eager to learn to so she can help the Primum be cleansed.

Olivia is likewise joining in to watch and learn!

Edain willl participate and observe the ritual. He will be somber and respectful, but he will be paying close attention. His intention is to attempt to perform this rite at Cairn Valardin in the very near future.

Desiree will be there to witness and study the ritual. She is hoping to learn to perform it.

Zoey will be there as well, watching and, knowing her, probably taking notes. Because ritual. Learning rituals. Et cetera.

Fredrik will, of course, join in these proceedings, knowing how valuable this ritual is, both for himself and for the Compact as a whole. For all our futures, it must be spread.

Reese will join this and will try to assist Sorrel however needed. She will attempt to pay close attention and to learn how to do the ritual herself so that such can be done when the time comes for her own. She will be respectful, helpful and largely quiet during the ritual.

Richard will be present in Sorrel's ritual. So that he may learn it and use it in the future.

Victus is here to learn. He doesn't know much about what he's looking at, so he's taking down notes with a quill and parchment and saving all the details in his head.

Kace will be joining in on the ceremony in order to learn the ritual that she might complete it herself someday soon.

Sorrel gathers friends and family to her, around a warm brazier. "The time has come," she says, "To cleanse the primum and to sing the world as it truly is. This is my song. This is my ritual. Yours may be different, in turn, for it must truly come from you. I pray that each of you supports me wholeheartedly in this and that you take this as a sample to perform your own ritual."

"Let me sing you a song of love in thirteen verses, each one carefully written with time and creativity. Let me sing Love into the Dream with joy and sacrifice."

And then she sings, feeding each slip of verse and a small piece of fabric into the fire, and with each one she weaves love through them all. The love of a child, the love for her husband. For her sister of the heart, for the choir. Freedom and strength, chivalry and righteousness. Honor and comfort, joy and harmony. Faith now, and loyalty. The love for family and home, the love for duty carried long through the generations, for fidelity and for music and happiness.

With each verse her love, deep and abiding and joyous, wraps around all of them. It pushes away the darkness, it pushes at the poison. She is seeking to reshape the future and her contribution is love, and there is one timeless moment where everyone assembled feels that love course through them. And while it fades, each of them knows they will remember always the strength of Sorrel's heart as she fights for the people she loves the most, for her family, for her friends, for the Compact, for humanity.

Sina would like to once again start turning her attention toward figuring out what to do about this Mirroborn problem. She'd like to see if there is any way she can go about verifying the things that the Mirrorborn told her (@action 2036), especially in that she says she helps to protect the Isles from the quarrels of the various denizens of the Abyss. Sina is just really having a hard time believing that a Mirrorborn could have any good purpose, or that the person who created the thing had good intentions.

Sina isn't really sure about the best way to go about it, but she's had a vision of herself receiving a dagger from the man with the Tyde signet ring in her dreams. She believes her dreams may be the key to being able to gain some insight into what the Mirrorborn is up to, who created her, who's controling her during the time when the tattoo is green, etc. So for the next month or so, she's going to start focusing on her dreams, and keeping track of them in her black journal to see if she can make any sense of them, or get any other glimpses of what her Mirrorborn may be up to. If she can get an idea of where her Mirrorborn is, even better.

She sleeps, and dreams of snakes.

Always, always snakes. Crawling on her, slithering across her. Sometimes she is standing in a room full of them. Other times there is one very large snake, wrapped around her body. Not choking her, not compressed - but always the threat is there. Some are venemous. Others are constrictors. And Sina, being no herpetologist, spends an entire dream once trying to figure out the various differences in the types of snake that surround her.

And then she dreams of a great war, and she is standing on the sea and she is crowned. But the snakes rise up from the water to cover her, and the giant snake wraps itself around her again and hisses. And she hears a voice, with sibilant consonants, and it says, "Not for yoursssself, but for Thraxssss. Thissss time, we will asssscend for alwaysssss."

In preparation for her decision to take the vows of the Godsworn, Sina would like to spend some time devoting her attention to each of the Gods in more detail. She will be visiting each of the Shrines to all of the Thirteen gods, and praying to each one. She doesn't know if it's exactly what the Gods want for her, but it's what she wants to do, in order to balance out the potential harm her reflection and Mirrorborn could cause. She wants to be a good person, and do right by the Gods, and serve her fellow humans in any small way she can in the fight against the coming darkness. She knows that there is some purpose to her life, and what happened to her when she was a child. And even if she doesn't understand it yet, she wants to use whatever it is for the good of the world. But if the Gods have other plans for her, or if it's not the right course, she needs to know that too in her heart. So she will search her heart, pray to each of the gods, and see if she gets any kind of feelings one way or another. She'll spend a day in each of the Shrines and pray, speak to the priests and disciples there, and learn all she can about each one. She will end her tour of the various Shrines in the Great Cathedral of the Pantheon, and spend the whole day there praying for the safety of the Isles, the Compact, and all of Arvum.

Sina prays, and for a long time she feels nothing. The Shrine of the Queen of Endings? Nothing. The Shrine of Choice? Nothing. Shrine of the Sentinel? Nothing. Not until she is in Lagoma's shrine, praying before Her altar, does she feel something. The fire flickers higher. The shrine itself is warmer, and in that warmth she feels a welcome. And then through the shrine comes a breeze as the wind itself changes direction, and she is suddenly refreshed, exhilarated.

And as suddenly as it comes the breeze subsides, but the feeling of warmth in her soul lingers.

Sina will not be speaking to her Mirrorborn this month. Instead, she's going to delve into her memories to see if she can recall all the people she's ever had an oath to, all the way back to her childhood if possible. She probably swore some kind of oath of fealty to House Thrax when she began her service in the kitchens at age 10, but that's about all she can think of. Was it something her father made her do? Or maybe her mother, who was sold off when she was a toddler? She'll also be paying closer attention to her dreams to see if she can learn anything else about the man with the Tyde signet ring, or if her dreams might tell her more about who she was in a past life.

"Begging your pardon, your grace, but why her? Why my daughter?" The words seem so very faint to Sina. She spent time trying to jog the memory of her youth, of distant things long past, and it wasn't until she was half asleep that she remembered her father saying that, and she remembers it being to a man in a mask. She remembers the dead tone of the man, emotionless and without inflection, "I see in her a queen from long ago. An echo of the long dead, but more relevant now than you'd ever know. When the Kraken comes for the Mourning Isles in a decade, two decades, or perhaps longer, we'll need someone of her blood. She just doesn't know it yet. Take her and we'll see her banded, after she swears fealty to me." She was so very young, and she remembers many rough hands taking her. She remembers that kraken tattoo, even though she was very, very young, and then it vanished for many, many years. But perhaps it was always there, waiting to be seen again. Hidden.

Sina wakes from the dream, and she isn't quite sure why she feels it, but she's convinced for some reason that the man in the mask was the same one wearing the Tyde signet ring.

Aleksei is leading a group of Godsworn and Disciples to the Fortress of Chains (From clue: "The Fortress of Chains"). The purpose of the trip is to find out more about the darkness haunting the location, retrieve any hidden knowledge that might be stored there, and hopefully cleanse the fortress. To that end, the team is going in armed and armored, but not just with regular weapons and the like. Each adventurer will also bring with them a lantern lit from the Eternal Flame of Lagoma and a flask or two of holy water. And Aleksei has instructed each member of the party to bring with them an item or two of personal value that they can use as a focus in case there is dark magic that intends on trying to steal their names. Something to remind them of themselves, that they can anchor their identity to.

In the case that they find the fortress simply too overrun by enemies to reasonably stand against with their number, they'll try to make a strategic retreat.

For Aleksei's part, he'll be in mixed leather and rubicund (and maybe a bit of borrowed steelsilk) and with, of course, Chainbreaker, his alaricite longsword. He'll be bringing with him the locket and signet ring he's already always wearing, his original copy of the Doctrine of Skald, and the ruined/destroyed manacles of a strange, unknown metal recovered from the ancient Temple of the First Choice the Society of Explorers found near the Telmarch. (See @cal 573, "SoE: Choose Wisely". I do not know what metal they are! But Pax surely does.)

Jeffeth is also going in rubicund armor with a diamondplate sword. He will be focusing on protecting Sina primarily. He's used to protecting healers, and even if she may not be one, well scholars are like a distant cousin to mercies. Right? It's close enough! Otherwise Jeffeth will be following orders using his combat skill and athleticism for the good of the group! Also he will be praying to Gild all the time. As far as the items that are rooting him, he is bringing his oldest and prized posession, the tabard he was awarded when he first became a Knight of Solace, diligently washed and kept in pristine condition. His ring depicting Gild. His sword, Absolution. And finally a stuffed animal. In the shape of a corgi. Strapped to his belt.

Esoka goes in armored and armed with her diamondplate blade River's Heart. Along with the holy provisions Aleksei has provided them. She'll also consult with the senior Templars before leaving about what experience their warriors might've had with demons or hostile shavs in that general area of Arvum, to get a better handle on what they'll be facing and what the corruption of the land around the fortress might be like to fight.

Preston will be taking along his nice heavy rubicund armour, his nice big stabby diamondplate sword (and spare), and of course, holy water and his lantern of the TEmplars created for the War of the Pirate King (with the fire naturally relit from the eternal flame). Preston is a Templar, so its his duty to keep everyone nice and safe. Which is easy as Esoka is also a Templar, and Jeffeth is some kind of Knight of Solace type of Ent. Preston will ensure they have a sufficient retinue though to help move their gear, even if the retinue must be left camped off a distance from the Fortress itself. Along with this, Preston will make sure he has the ring he was awarded for the Templars at Stormwall, and his prayerbeads. And if all else fails, his pendant of the Faith. Enough to keep him rooted and sane. If they are forced to retreat, Preston will also try to get the group back to the retinue left in the woods, so they can if needed help fight off any pursuers and get the important Archlector back to Arx.

Sina, as her first real duty as a full Disciple of the Scholars of Vellichor, is along for this mission to help document the journey for Archscholar Bianca and Father Orazio, to be added to the Archives later. She will be documenting it in writing and probably in drawings and sketches as well. She will also do what she can to provide what Scholarly insights she might, and act as another set of eyes and ears as they investigate the Fortress of Chains. The personalized items she will be bringing with her are the hairpins that Princess Donella gave to her as a gift (which can also be used as a weapon in an emergency) and her beloved beaded seashell bag, within which she will keep a lock of hair from someone close to her, and a small rose made of violet satin.

Ten Thousand Shardhavens, they said. And perhaps it is an exaggeration, but staring at the entrance to the Fortress of Chains, it's difficult to believe it is anything but truth. And an oppressive truth at that, for the fortress is not manmade but Sylv'alfar by the legends, and it is a huge and ancient tree. Even from a distance there is sorrow that washes out in waves, and a heavy sort of oppression. The closer they get, the slower their steps are - not so much with trepidation as the heavy weight of - are those chains around their ankles? Surely not.

No, when they look down their ankles are free. And yet there is something in the tree itself, of the tree itself. The closer they get, the more they feel like they can't breathe. Like they are bound, chained all 'round and tight. Restricted.

There's a buzzing in their ears, a whisper repeated over and over and over again, barely heard - just the hum of bees, isn't it? No, no it is words now, a thousand thousand voices whispering. "One of us. One of us. One of us." And in their voice - many voices into one - is rage, and despair, and anger, and a weary sense of hopelessness that makes their feet drag and falter, yet somehow keeps them inexorably moving forward.

And then Aleksei and Sina are pulling them all away, away, away, and the voices turn to anger and they can feel the rage emanating from the giant, gnarled, ruined tree.

They have just enough time to turn and run.

Archscholar Bianca is reaching out to her connections within the clergy, the Academy, Heart in Hand and the discipleship of Vellichor (as well as a few others) in search of volunteers and food/supply donations for a goodwill/missionary tour in Southport regarding the 60k Shav'arvani parked outside the city’s gates. She's calling specifically upon the Scholars (NPCs) of Arx, Southport and surrounding Lyceum areas to volunteer and hoping for about 2000 bodies to assist with the efforts.

Food/Supplies - First and foremost upon arrival, distribution of ideally a week's worth of food (depending on the funding we raise) will begin in conjunction with the following tasks. This alone will be a massive effort in it of itself… but if all goes well, hopefully it will soften up the Shav a bit further and help make everything run smoothly and happily. ((Represented by the silver attached to the @action!))

Documentation - Listening is key in these efforts and as it is primarily and effort of the Scholars! The Scholars of Vellichor are hoping to document the history, culture and personal stories of the shav tribes to be added to the Great Archive in honor of Vellichor and this new union of people in honor of Vellichor and for a better understanding of the Shav themselves.

Diplomatic Efforts - To assist in the transition of the Prodigals, Bianca is enlisting translators and other entities to help explain and teach the settling shav about the core culture of the Compact and what expectations there are when bending a knee (such as freeing slaves). Visual guide pamphlets (created and overseen by Sina) are produced and distributed to help in this effort. In addition, House Malvici has provided the following to assist in integrating the population into the local culture as well: “Southport - the city of swords…” This is a visual guide to Southport, with illustrations of the harbor, the Academy of Gloria, and the shrines to the gods, the fortified Malvici hall, and the main training building. Some of the illustrations don't seem to be entirely accurate as if someone modified some features to conceal military aspects of the buildings. There's additional illustrations of soldiers sparring, doctors healing, smiths at work, and command groups reviewing maps with small tactical figurines on it.

Missionary Work - As this is an effort of the Faith, it is to be expected that missionary work coincides with diplomatic efforts in the hopes some conversions take place, relying on the volunteer Scholars of Vellichor to work with the Shav in explaining the Faith of the Pantheon and it's works throughout Arvum in an open offer of free flowing cultural exchange. In addition, another visual pamphlet (created and overseen by Sina) are produced and distributed detailing the thirteen gods and their roles within the Pantheon.

Protection - Lastly, in case things go awry or dissenters are discovered and begin violent retaliation, some individuals will attend as protection to volunteers.

(( OOC Notes: Participants - Please make sure to select ONE primary area that your character is assisting with and state it at the beginning of your assist to keep everything organized for the Staff. Let's make this as easy on them as possible. :) ))

Simone Greenmarch will be helping with the Diplomatic Efforts. Given her upbringing as a member of the Compact and her marriage into House Greenmarch when they joined the Compact, she will be using her diplomatic skills and firsthand knowledge of how other shav tribes have integrated into the Compact to provide information and to answer questions that those camped outside of Southport might have. She will also try to assist with translation efforts since she speaks Oathlands Shav to the extent possible.

Sina Izetta is assisting the Faith with this action by helping to create and mass-distribute colorful visual pamphlets designed to aid in the teachings of the Pantheon. Each pamphlet will consist of thirteen pages, one for each of the Gods, with a visual representation of each along with their imagery. The art is intentionally simplistic and easy to understand.

Mangata is represented as a divine woman with an aura of clouds and waves, surrounded by ocean themes in the form of seashells, starfishes, coral, oysters with little gleaming pearls and ships at sea.

Vellichor is represented with books and quills and scrolls, as well as images of students studying under the instruction of a priest in Scholar's robes.

Skald is represented as a lone wolf, free to roam and answerable to no one, though there's a pack of wolves in the forested background, a distant family to fall back on in times of trouble.

Aion, that mysterious Dreamer, is depicted as a an androgynous figure sleeping, with tendrils spreading out which become forests, treees, animals and men and women in a glorious homage to all of Creation, as if the Dreamer's very own dreams bring life to reality, and a thirteen-point star glimmers overhead.

Gild is represented by images of pilgrims traveling down a road, distributing alms to the poor, while the road itself is packed with merchants along its edges in a colorful bazaar of tents and stalls, hawking their wares.

Jayus is represented by the image of a hammer crossed with a brush above men and women at their various arts and crafts; from the blacksmith creating armor and weapons, to basket weavers, jewelers, and painters.

Lagoma is represented as a female figure surrounded in a wreath of flames in hues of red, gold and vermilion, the circular shape of the wreath indicative of the cycle of rebirth, change and purification. Surrounding this flaming wreath are images of change, such as a woman who has just given birth, an elderly man on his deathbed, and the Mercies of Lagoma bringing healing to the sick or injured.

Limerance is reflected in images of love and romance, with themes revolving around marriage and depecting scenes of what Arvani marriage ceremonies might entail within the Faith.

The god Petrichor is depicted as a nature figure, with a great tree with spreading branches, which shelter and provide sanctuary to all. In the distance, beyond the tree, images of farms may be seen and people working in the fields to bring in the harvest.

The Queen of Endings is represented, not in dire or dark images, but rather, in images celebrating life, surrounding an image of an old crone in a black robe, who carries in one hand a lantern to guide the way to those souls seeking their place in the afterlife, and a skull in her other hand as a reminder that death comes to all, eventually.

The Sentinel is represented by an image of an armored warrior with a faceless helm, and a sword held in one hand as he fights off a demonic horde, while in his other hand he holds a shield with a set of balanced scales. Before him are the chaotic forces of the Abyss, while behind him is a world filled with images that bring to mind a sense of balance, order and justice, which he stoically guards.

Finally, Tehom is depicted as a man staring into his own reflection in a mirror, unflinching. One half of the picture, the half where the man is standing, is filled with imagery of the world as we know it, while the other half shows what lies beyond the mirror... a world of darkness.

All of these are then mass-produced by a team lent by the Archscholar so that the Scholars of Vellichor or other members of the faith are able to use them as visual aides to bring knowledge of the Faith and its ideals to the shavs who are preparing to join the Compact.

Oswyn will be helping with documentation, as it's a task the scholar is already well familiar with. Considering he had a mission up in the Northlands during the Great Archival project, he's pretty well suited to documentation and knows bits of Northlander shav. He also has superb penmanship, writes quickly, and is super unassuming and non-threatening.

Protection - Perrach will be assuring the safety of movement for all the missionaries. He'll organize with the combat orientated that have volunteered to offer their protection among their movements through the various encampents of abandoned in Southport. Perrach will be providing escort to the Archscholar Bianca as she helps lead others on this diplomatic and charitable mission. He lacks the social skills to lend in seeing these efforts succeed. He's present to make sure peace is kept and it all runs smoothly. He's also keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity among the shavs.

Food and Supplies - Working in conjunction with the Southport Navy, Ford Kennex and the Stormward Navy work to bring in various supplies to those who need them. That's food stuffs, that's bedrolls, that's blankets, that's anything a recently exploded population would need to keep things...civil. Having some experience with dealing with a sudden and massive influx of population, Ford Kennex has a pretty good idea as to what these new Prodigals are going to need. Along with those various supplies is an army's worth of Triage tents. Not for triage, but temporary housing. With any luck, it won't be a repeat of Stormward post-abolition.

Archscholar Bianca is reaching out to her connections within the clergy, the Academy, Heart in Hand and the discipleship of Vellichor (as well as a few others) in search of volunteers and food/supply donations for a goodwill/missionary tour in Southport. And where she looks, she finds.

She finds Lady Simone Greenmarch to reach out and help talk to shavs who are about to bend the knee, about the process of joining the Compact and what it means to be a Prodigal. She finds Sina Izetta, handmaiden of Thrax, who makes helpful pamphlets to talk about the Faith of the Pantheon, and what it means to join the Faith. She finds Oswyn Spencer, who researches and writes about the process of joining the Compact from the perspective of northern shavs he interviews and reads about who have already bent the knee.

She finds Sir Perrach Seiler, who is a living example of the ideals of honor to which the Compact holds. And she finds Marquis Ford Kennex, who opens his coffers, having learned from experience the pain that unrest brings, and provides for the shav who are willing to bend the knee, offering food and supplies, clothing and necessities for the people who will hopefully join the Compact.

They reach out and they talk to people. Clan Dreadglaive take to Sir Perrach immediately, wanting to talk about strictures of honor but also differences in weapons forms and techniques. The Crimson Malvicus get along well with Marquis Ford, who builds on their shared love for the sea and sailing. Clan Brass Hawk spends time around Sina, particularly interested in her information about Jayus and all the many ways to worship him. House Gray Raptor is particularly fascinated by Oswyn and his accounts from the north. He overhears one remark happily about how joining the Compact opens up so many opportunities for exploration!

Lady Simone is popular in her own right - there are many shav assembled here who are tired of the constant fighting, and just want to join the Compact. They speak to her about transitions and the unique worries of a people who have been autonomous for many years.

And Archscholar Bianca oversees it all, and her scholar's eyes notice what many won't. The Lestatores and Shadow Falcons may come close, listening or occasionally sneering at a point made. And when they do, other clans seem to disperse immediately. And the Shadowspeakers? They're few and far between, and don't deign to speak with the scholarly delegation. But it takes no more than a glance to end what was a pleasant conversation. There's definitely division in the ranks though. And it seems perhaps the Shadowspeakers are preoccupied, but preoccupied with what is not discussed. Asking produces little more than a pale face and a hasty headnod, eyes glancing away and excuses made to leave immediately.

Huh.

Sina and Vayne have had a talk, and Vayne has told Sina about what her reflection told /him/ and not her. Now, she is curious to know more. She wants to talk to her reflection. Alone. So, she will be finding a private place with a mirror, even if she has to sneak off somewhere with a hand mirror, where she can talk directly to her reflection and find out just what is going on, if possible. Again, she will be doing this on the Thirteenth of the month. She's not really interested in leaving messages in blood in "their" room. She wants to see if she can engage it in actual conversation, back and forth, where she can ask questions and it can hopefully provide answers.

In case this can't be GM'd, assuming the simulacrum really is at her service, she'd, as politely as possible, ask the Mirrorborn to stay and talk, and ask the following questions:

1. How does my existence protect the Isles, and what am I protecting them from?

2. Who is the "powerful someone" who has set her to watch over me?

3. If she's freely at my service, does that mean she will do anything I say?

4. Where does she go when she goes wandering out of the mirror?

5. What do the green and blue tattoo colors mean?

6. That age-old question: Why me?

Whether or not the demon answers her questions, Sina will also be paying close attention to her dreams from now on as well, to see if they will reveal anything else to her about the man with the Tyde signet ring, or anything else. She hasn't decided, yet, whether this Mirrorborn is a good thing or a bad thing, but she's willing to at least give it a chance to prove that it doesn't mean any harm to herself or those she cares for before she starts seeking ways to eradicate it and break whatever bond it has with her. If it -is- protecting her or the Isles, obviously, getting rid of it would probably be bad! But as far as she's concerned, someone has bonded her with a Mirrorborn without her consent. Up until now, she feels pretty icky about that and has been leaning more toward the idea of seeking to get rid of the thing somehow. But if she can find a good reason to keep it around, then she will.

At least her mirror image is polite. In fact, her Mirrorborn seems downright fond of Sina, speaking to her with a degree of deference and respect, though her answers are not necessarily the most immediately enlightening that might be hoped for. She does answer in turn, with probably entirely too much cheer.

1. "Let's just say that the Gyre was one of many, me. He's gone, but his master and many like him remain. Though not everything beyond the mirror is allied, and some quarrel. And you and I help prevent those quarrels from destroying the Isles."

2. "Someone you had an oath to, though it's easy to miss. That's what allowed me to come and aid you. It was permission, after a fashion, by very, very old rules. Not fair rules, mind you, but rules none the less, written in blood and time."

3. "When the time is right, and if it's reasonable. You can certainly ask. I -do- owe you, after all. Besides, I like you."

4. "Now that, dear me, is a large question. Everywhere there's those enemies. If you have individuals in Arx act like they've met you, then I've been more careless than I'd like. Out of concern for me, you, us, I try not to be spotted, and I'm rarely in Arx. There's so many enemies abroad, after all."

5. "When the Mark is Blue, I Serve Only You. When the Mark is Green, Your Soul is Under Lien."

6. "Because of who you were, long ago, of course. You have a truly powerful and old soul, and it was only a matter of time before one saw that. I'm truly fortunate to be a mere shadow of you, if you ever truly awaken... well. Let's just say I don't think a mirrorborn is all that necessary to take care of our enemies, mm?"

The Mirrorborn, of course, teases her by suggesting without explaining the answers. She does just smile and say there's always next month. On the 13th night, she's honest, she says.

Sina has been considering all of the information she has at her disposal about krakens, and her father's previous apparent loyalty to the Gyre, and the tattoo on her wrist. It all seems to have some weird connection, but she isn't sure what it is. She is particularly disturbed by that tattoo on her wrist, that only she can see, in the mirror, particularly since the Gyre has been looming as a greater and greater threat. She's heard the tale about the sailors who saw reflections of ships on the waters, and other stories about mirrors. What she's heard makes her somewhat wary to stare into the mirror too long. But, she also can't seem to help it. She's going to start looking at her reflection more, particularly for the kraken tattoo on her reflection's wrist. She wants to see if there's any sort of pattern to when it appears in an effort to figure out what it means.

The pattern of the tattoo is odd. Before the thirteenth day of the month, it varies in a shade of green. After the thirteenth day of the month, it's a shade of blue. And on the thirteenth day of the month, something rather odd happens.

When she looks at her reflection, the tattoo is a blood red. Her reflection seems to not mirror her movements ever so slightly at first, and then she sees herself in the mirror look right at her despite her circumspect posture, wink at her... and then the reflection walks off to the side, leaving Sina staring at an empty mirror. For the remainder of the day and night, she leaves no reflection at all.

That night, she sleeps fitfully, and has odd dreams. She herself talking to a man she can't quite make out, foggy and distorted in the dream, with features she can't recall. But she sees her hands as his hands presses a dagger into hers, and his hands gives hers a squeeze, and she sees the signet ring of House Tyde on his fingers.

When Sina wakes the next day, blood is on her hands, and not her own- she is uninjured. Her reflection shows in the mirror as normal, though the color of the tattoo has begun to change to blue from the deep red.

The blood washes from her hands normally, but there is no indication where it came from, and no one else saw anyone come or go from her room.