D O D: Session 04 -- Prologue; Two Spires and the Aspiring

At the bottom of a small gully, a side chute -- if that -- of a much larger chasm, Sinquenqayda looked up and around in confusion. Being confused was nothing new to the chaeryn warrior.

Sinquenqayda, Chaeryn Warrior, Red Elemental Spire




He was often 'the last to know'. He grinned to himself despite his 'not better' judgement. He thrived on uncertain moments like this one. He could hear no sounds of combat but the mere fact that he had appeared in this poor position made him assume that he was to be set upon. A better spot for an ambush couldn't be imagined. Most would be concerned but that was not his way. Sinquenqayda was unique.

"Good! C'mon, fire your bows. Loose your traps!", he shouted. He needn't have made his voice so loud. It battered the rugged, rocky walls of the chasm making him wince.

A quiet voice answered from next to the chaeryn, "Not so loud. The undyne can't be woken as they never rest but still..."

Mifooney, Red Fragment Spire




"Mifooney... the archer and swordsman."

"Sinquenqayda, it is good to meet you outside of Conclave." The two exchanged formal bows. Then they smiled at the formality. The slighter man pointed down the length of the trench. "That way."

"That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Should I blindly head ahead of you as well?"

"Heh, don't worry, big man. You'll still be alive and likely regretful when you see what's down that way."

"I can't wait."

Mifooney paused to watch the chaeryn head away. Sinquenqayda moved with a litheness that shouldn't be possible for so large a figure. Mifooney had more knowledge of the chaeryn than most and even more than any of the chaeryn probably realised. Mifooney had his reasons for learning so much about these elemental warriors but his interest had started with admiration. Chaeryn were magnificent in his eyes. He had learned that they were few in number. This was their strength and their ultimate weakness. They could have been much more if not for their small number. He knew as well that they were somehow different from the other types they were grouped with. Both the geli'qys and the monstrous were understandable. These other groups had their origins to be seen, if one knew where to research. Origins unusual but straightforward.

The chaeryn were not to be understood in the same way. Mifooney had looked. The answers weren't in books to be found in a hard to reach, chantried, library tower. Nor was the scroll inscribed with their history to be found in a plain chest wrapped in chains at the bottom of an ocean.

Instead, Mifooney had learned about the chaeryn from an arbiter of the Array. The Sylvanian knew and had told Mifooney what he wanted to know. The chaeryn were different because they had come from beyond the confines of known existence. Not only from beyond Mifooney's realm but from beyond the the Old Realm. Mifooney had long known of the potential influence of the Old Realm upon his own New Realm. The Old Realm had had gods. The New Realm had Colour instead. There were some examples of beings of the Old Realm that had made a transferal to the New Realm. This had been seen in the influx among the Spires. Did Colour allow this to in some way subvert their power? Clearly Colour was willing to accept these 'oldcomers'. Mifooney shook his head to halt his mind of wandering. He needed to make introductions.

"Sinquenqayda of the chaeryn, Red Spire and adept of the punchknife and gauntletblade, may I present Tuan Zi, Prefect of Deii Koam of the High Sun Isolar."

Tuan Zi of Deii Koam



"A pretty introduction, Mifooney. I have to think this young man is important to more than just you. I'd be right, yes?"

"More than you can assume and double that, big man."

"You said I might regret this meeting..."

Mifooney took a deep breath and spoke his next words in a methodical way, "I did. Tuan Zi needs your help. He needs to find a way to become what he aspires to be. I know that the chaeryn are talented teachers. Gracious to those who are isolated. I have learned that you are also pledged to help the child who is lost among the realms. Is it not your creed that moves you to aid the innocent and the lost?"

"Well, well. You have memorised that speech? I should be curious as to who has told you of the chaeryn way but I do not want to hear you explanation now. I will seek out A'brahma and he will hear of what you have repeated from your teacher. If he has no problem with it , I will let you live."

"Heh, I am sure I will be allowed this familiarity. A'Brahma is a noble presence. I have confidence."

"You do... Alright, what exactly can I do today? You surely don't mean for me to adopt this youth so what do you mean for me to do for him?"

"He needs to be shown the way."

"To the bin, to the grave or to the peak?"

"Better the peak than those other choices, heh." Mifooney smiled with his eyes but could not bring his hopefulness to sit on his mouth. He needed the chaeryn's abilities and his cooperation, in equal amount.

"Let me look at you, neh? What do I think of you?" Sinquenqayda looked the young human up and down, paying particular attention not to his sword but his face. "An unlined face is an unworthy face." This was said as though it was an often repeated mantra. "Stance... Decent. Some skill, some trials have been met... Elbow ready. That's good. Respect shown but too much revealed to an opponent still... Not the worst by far that I have seen... Now this robe. A classic wrap, neh? One for the castings and the blade. A noble effort to be sure. It's been a time since one tried it. This I can approve... Love your parents? Know your parents, neh?...Hmmm... I see. A thing to worry about but not too much. Shoulders have room too. Could they bear up under a burden that has more weight than stone? Perhaps... Some have shouldered the weight but then tired of it. Too self-concerned for a task that is selfless."

The chaeryn finished and pulled at his lip, thoughtfully. "I can help you or I can move you. Both may work out or both may be seen to be worthless. will you tell me to do as I wish? You must know that a chaeryn must have your permission by an ancient pact made."

Mifooney eyed his young companion for a sign of understanding. "We ask you to move us as you see fit. We will let fate determine its value."

"Good. Let us see if I can still do this trick, neh?" Sinquenqayda raised a broad hand turned fist to the thin piece of sky visible above. Some animals nearby halted their activities, senses made alert to a gathering of subtle power that simple creatures have an affiliation with. Hill mice lifted their noses to scent the air. Birds cocked their heads to get a better idea of the source of the change. Fox let rabbit free that both might learn more.

The ground shifted, not violently but lifted as if to greet the descending sky. Where they touched in active embrace, the air formed a clear, crystalline and expanding sheet. Sinquenqayda motioned toward it.

"Your path is clear."

Mifooney bowed extremely low. This out of respect but mainly to hide his broad smile. He hoped that Sinquenqayda had meant the pun but could not be certain. Tuan Zi had been caught off-guard by Mifooney's bow, his attention on the caste path that had formed and the chaeryn that had caused it. No Colour had been used. It was literally an impossibility. Zi's eyes met Sinquenqayda's and saw a merriment there.

Zi said, "This is no lens portal. What can this be?"

Sinquenqayda said, "That's what I call magick! Your teachers await you at the other end of this transparent route but they don't know we're coming and they don't know they're teachers! Let's get to it, neh?"

Both humans each had reason to believe that their needs could actually be realised. They followed the chaeryn on to the crystal road and into a clear nothingness that began to turn, after a time, glass-green, refracting... a forest?