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| Action Id: 3514 | Crisis: | Participants: Lou, Mason, Calaudrin, Amantha, Cufre, Arcadia(RIP) and Quintin | |
| Status: Resolved | Submitted: July 30, 2019, 8 a.m. | Public: True | GM: Puffin |
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Action by Lou
Lou brings everyone to the Society of Explorers, and bars the doors against entry for the evening. Only those that are partaking in the ritual will have permission to be in the spacious Explorer's Hall. For those who have not experienced the ritual previously, she has taken extensive amounts of time to talk to them about what's involved, and teach them what's needed to perform their own, and expresses that the ritual is very different for each person, as it is their own vision that's required to make it a success, and then she invites them, and others, to help her with her own ritual.
The thirteen candles are set up around the grand map in the Explorer's hall. Each is placed in a spot where Lou has directly explored before. Everwinter, Eventide Vast,
Lastlight Hold, where Morien's final stand took place, the location of the Battle of Blackwoods where Pena Stormryder asked Petrichor to help against their Sylv'alfar foes, the Isle of Storms, Whitepeak, the beautiful aerie in the mountains where Brass's magical map to help find the dwarves was located, the caves at the Lodge of Petrichor, the not so general location of the Wolfheart Tribe, the blackened ruins of the where the great hold of Eastguard once stood, the general location of the four castles from the Northern Sea Marches, Icefall, where she met and helped rescue 5 live dwarves, the general location of the caves she shared with a pack of wolves for the evening. (OOC: these are locations from @actions and/or @clue 45 - Lou's Travels.)
Once the candles are set up, they are lit at the proper time, and Lou takes the time to meditate over each item, and infuse both herself and her item with her intention. When she's ready, she starts to feed each of the items into the flames, passing her vision and her intention into the fires. As she does, she says the following.
"There may be darkness, but in the darkness there is always light, and where there is light there is always wonder and hope in the world, and in the dream. My wish, my intent, is for the dream to be ever filled with wonder and hope, that people get to experience all of the amazing things I have experienced over the years, from the beauty of the mountains, to the strange wonders of an unknown ocean. To run away form an avalanche, and be able to discover an old people, or new to you people, long thought lost and dead, only to have them revive before your very eyes, having the chance to bring a long thought lost race back into the world. To have passion, and spark of imagination, and to see it grow, and unfold, until you're holding your own tiny clockwork griffon in your own hands - and watching in amazement as it flies around, not once, but three times, before landing at your feet. To experience the fear and worry, but then also the joy and warmth, of sharing a night with a pack of wolves, in an agreed upon truce for a peaceful night of slumber out of the worst storm you've ever experienced. To play, and learn new songs from children of a people long descended from a great people, even if they give you a bit of a scare with one of their games. To always, always want to dream, and explore, and learn something new, and bask in it. For, adventure awaits in everything that we do. Adventure Awaits."
Each of the items she puts to the fire are tiny souvenirs, things that mean only something to Lou, based on her finds from her adventures. Some are more precious than others. A scarf from Viktarkim from their trip to Everwinter, a piece of Mason's shirt from the day they first met when he fell into her encampment while she out exploring, that arrow that was accidentally loosed against Luca when out on patrol, that was meant for an abyssal wolf, a copy of the map she drew of Brass's magical map, a copy of the schematics she made of the clockwork bird she helped make which gave her the other half of the map to find the living dwarves, bits of dried flora she collected from Whitepeak, and a number of other things, until all thirteen pieces are delivered to the flames and burned.
Once that last piece is burned, she whispers again, "Adventure Awaits."
Action by Calaudrin
Calaudrin is here to observe and not break anything!
Action by Arcadia(RIP)
Arcadia is here to watch, learn and support. She will focus on good thoughts on adventures and exploring as guided too and be quiet and still when she needs to be.
Action by Quintin
Quintin is along to watch the ceremony, participate as needed, and make mental notes for his own ceremony (hopefully).
Action by Mason
Having already done his own ritual, Mason is here to support Lou and assist her in adding her own vision to the Dream. Given the theme of adventure and exploration, he will focus his thoughts on the many many adventures he and his wife have gone on together, (and the ones he's only heard about from her). There seems to be no worry or doubt on the man's face, as he fully believes in Lou and supports her. When the time comes for the ritual to be completed, he will also try to meditate and see if he can't witness the culmination of her efforts with Mage Sight.
Action by Amantha
Amantha will help out as and when asked to as she takes mental notes of the ritual and everything around it.
Action by Cufre
Cufre is among those who relatively new to the ritual, so she briefed on what was to come and its personal nature. She lends a hand, as needed, during the setup the precedes the ceremony. Once the ritual begins, Cufre's attention is fixed on Lou's countenance and words far more than on the individual offerings.
Result
Lou closes the Society of Explorers for the evening, bringing only those who will witness her ritual to the Explorers' Hall. Still, it's important to her to have this here, and now. Even as she explains what's needed, it's fitting for her, she feels, that she is explaining such a thing in a place that is so very much a part of who she is. Of how she sees the world.
And then she sets up her thirteen candles around the map in the Hall, each one placed in a spot where Lou has directly explored. And in the thirteenth hour on the thirteenth day she lights them, feeding her sacrifices into the flame. As she does, she speaks.
"There may be darkness, but in the darkness there is always light, and where there is light there is always wonder and hope in the world, and in the dream. My wish, my intent, is for the dream to be ever filled with wonder and hope, that people get to experience all of the amazing things I have experienced over the years, from the beauty of the mountains, to the strange wonders of an unknown ocean. To run away form an avalanche, and be able to discover an old people, or new to you people, long thought lost and dead, only to have them revive before your very eyes, having the chance to bring a long thought lost race back into the world. To have passion, and spark of imagination, and to see it grow, and unfold, until you're holding your own tiny clockwork griffon in your own hands - and watching in amazement as it flies around, not once, but three times, before landing at your feet. To experience the fear and worry, but then also the joy and warmth, of sharing a night with a pack of wolves, in an agreed upon truce for a peaceful night of slumber out of the worst storm you've ever experienced. To play, and learn new songs from children of a people long descended from a great people, even if they give you a bit of a scare with one of their games. To always, always want to dream, and explore, and learn something new, and bask in it. For, adventure awaits in everything that we do. Adventure Awaits."
Each of the items she sacrifices are mementos, precious to her for their experience, and her relationship to each one. And as the last piece burns, she whispers again, "Adventure Awaits."
The phrase echoes through the hall. "Adventure awaits, awaits, awaits." The fires flame up, bright as sunlight, and suddenly they are not in the Hall at all, but they are on a mountainous peak, and from the peak they can see all the world spread before them. For a moment, they see not just the world at their feet but the fabric of the Dream itself - the feeling that everything is connected. The thrill of knowing all the threads that have gone into weaving this tapestry, and the thrill of not knowing what will come next. The joy in the adventure, in the story. Tales of love and laughter. Tales of sorrow and betrayal. Adventures of discovery - of the world, of the people within, of oneself. For a moment, they can see it all spread before them and then they are back in the Hall, and the candles gutter out as one. "Adventure awaits," comes the whisper again, though not from Lou's voice this time. "Make it a good one."