Pari khan'Shald
Pari khan'Shald
Refined wildlife biologist with a specialty in eldritch and arcane-influenced ecologies. Currently wandering through an unexplored tropical jungle and "forgetting" about contacting her ethics committee.
Current Location
The Shar
Alignment
Neutrally Unethical
Age
Middle Aged
Children
Gender
Female
Eyes
Grey
Hair
Pale green
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Swarthy
Height
6'2
Weight
Muscular
Doctor's Orders
The following are my suggestions for how the Cult of the White Serpent should conduct itself following my departure from Salaq, since I will no longer be available to directly aid reparation efforts. While I speak not as a physiologist, as an herbalist and vaeýzarë of some amount of talent, I hope that these notes are at all of aid in the coming months. While I cannot speak for how to run daily operations, I believe my insight might be at least somewhat beneficial.
Firstly: All the citizens surrounding Salaq and its immediate areas will likely be experiencing the effects of long-term heavy metal poisoning, specifically of aerosolized iron within the nightly bloodmist. Small children and those with already compromised immune or respiratory systems will be the most visible sufferers of acute iron poisoning, but keep an especial eye out for the following symptoms over the course of time:
-Long-term nausea
-Trouble with bowel movements
-Stomach pain, or difficulty bending at the waist
-General lethargy or fainting spells
As this is a case of poisoning, the common magical spellforms for panacea will easily remove the metal painlessly and instantly from the body. In more severe cases, lesser restorative treatments may be required. If magical treatment cannot be spared, the leaves of bloodberry vines can be pressed for oil and then diluted into a 1:3 ratio with fresh water, and then diluted further with a 1:4 ratio of wine or other edible sterilizing mixture. For cases of long-term effects mentioned above, two sips every other day should prove effective, remonitored fortnightly to determine whether symptoms have completely subsided. I will leave notes regarding the closest and best harvesting sites within the nearby Shar, as well as stake a trellis within the Cult's apothecary garden for future long-term stocking. Notes on caretaking will be given.
Secondly: In direst emergencies, curative elixirs can save a man from death, but they are often considered prohibitively expensive to acquire, and take some active effort and talent to brew. I have spent some time researching local herblore and have discovered that the main ingredient in most Sharan Peninsula curative elixirs is derived from the pulped leaves of the salvira plant, which was believed to be endemic to the soil of the Shar. After research, I determined that it was the quality of soil in the Shar that can be reproduced within a city, and especially within potted and contained specimens, though it takes some amount of upkeep. The soil of the salvira must be very loamy and easily drained, and requires large amounts of bone or limestone to provide supplemental nutrients to encourage proper growth and flowering. Humidity can be reached using a colleague's invention, the "Mistinator (pp)", which I will ensure he supplies the Cult before we leave for Qesrir. The leaves must be kept moist, but do not need constant watch. For best harvest, cut the leaf one quarter measurement from the main stem to encourage bisection.
In the event of an inability to grow the salvira locally, I have marked the same map aforementioned with good harvest-spots, and marked it elsewhere nearest the border and Salaq where I believe cultivation can be encouraged within its natural habitat but without much danger or time needed for journeying.
Finally: In the rarest occasion that your vaeýzarë find themselves free of obligations for the day, please encourage them to create magical scrolls or potions, so that they may have stores for the future in emergencies such as this. I have done all that I can for you in the immediate interim, and I hope that it at least in part was able to alleviate the pressure from you as your organization reordered itself after the attacks. If there are ever any questions you would like to ask, or ever any dire emergency you believe I may be of help with, I may currently be found stationed in Qesrir with the Al Zaresh Academy, and may always be contacted in the normal magical methods, and promise to always respond promptly to such missives. Additionally, my work on the magical theory of using eldritch spellforms to encourage greater harvests and healthier plant growth without leaching nutrients from the soil surrounding the area is available to read from the Grand Rookery, as is the rest of my publications.
Her Pound of Flesh
[Written in Academic Tretallari.]
-Do these monstrosities have consciousness? Do they have souls? We already know they are not undead in the Dominion's taxonomic determination, as fane-hunters are unable to determine their presence. But does that mean they are alive?
-They have no mouths or vocal chords. If they did, what sounds would they make? Would they scream?
Data is inconclusive and hypothesizing with no foundational knowledge is pointless and inevitably inaccurate.
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The following passage is written in Shardscape Druidic.
I will not allow myself to lose hope for this city and its citizens. To do so would be to give in to the machinations of The Sundered, and whatever their ritual seeks. I can see dawn will be rising soon, and with it, an end to this nightmare. I will not be broken by it. I will not. I will not. I will not. I will not.
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data points
Screams silenced
卌 卌 || Data gathered from a duration of the two hours before sunrise. Full duration of event was from sundown until past sunrise.Specimen observations
Clots
A standard manifestation of Carnage Tides which consume enough biological material to spawn monstrosities. Semiacidic globules of living blood, roughly five feet in diameter. Amorphous, with the ability to extrude 'tendrils' for the purpose of locomotion. Slow, both in motion and in action, they rely on their ability to weaken and immobilize prey through their poisonous excretions in order to "feed", as well as their strength in numbers. I believe their consciousness, as it were to be considered, is a gestalt of every drop of 'blood' within a Clot forming a colony structure, for when a portion of a Clot is cut away, it is immediately mobile and functions in similarly predictable ways. Notable observations: Due to the abnormal nature of the Salaq Tide, Clots have appeared nightly in great numbers, with no seeming limit. Investigation during the day revealed that the Carnage Tide has formed a liminal plane within an underwater trench half a mile off the coast of Salaq. This is likely how the Tide has been able to consistently manifest Coagulations despite the desertification of surrounding waters of biological material. Additionally, the following manifestations are, as far as I am aware, unique to Salaq's Coagulations, and prove a worrying potential intelligence a Carnage Tide might be capable of under repeatable or predictable circumstances. Finally, all Coagulations showed potential regenerative abilities, though only Clots were confirmed. Fire is required to prevent this regeneration, or specialized necromantic techniques commonly known to spellcasters.Gristles
A Coagulation formed of what appears to be muscular structures in a roughly bipedal shape, with long arms and appendages which it uses to climb and attempt to pry open windows, doors, or other areas of entry. Its predation seems to be a combination of ambush and pack tactics: civilians, which predicted the grounded weakness of Clots and were seeking safety upon Salaq's rooftops, were accosted and dismembered by Gristles with no such weaknesses. Of all of the following Coagulations, the Gristles seemed to be the most isolated from the rest, more able to function and hunt without the need to work together with other forms of Coagulations, though all are able to take advantage of the strength of numbers and versatility of purposes shown.Sinews
A Coagulation formed of tendon and other fibrous connective tissue, the length of a human adult's spine. Bears superficial resemblance to snakes, though its movement patterns are distinctly reminiscent of "inchworms", as the common term is. It seems able to anchor itself to the ground with one end of its body. This is used to latch its other end to Clots or Bloats and act as a sort of biological catapult. Clots and Bloats are both slow-moving and unable to attain any form of height, but Sinews seem to have been formed in order to mitigate this disadvantage. I also witnessed one constrict an overbrave guard, again in a serpentine fashion, so it is not defenseless in its predation capabilities on its own. Of all the Coagulations witnessed tonight, the Sinew frightens me the most. I apologize for the lack of scientific detachment, but this is near-undeniable proof that the Carnage Tide purposefully fashioned these new Coagulations in order to unleash what could not uncharitably be called an invading force. Granted, the biological nature of the Tide may simply mean that as it grows in age and power, it is able to form specialized Coagulations to fulfill unique roles within itself, similar to how all life evolves and functions, but regardless, it is a harrowing concept that this atrocity could only be considered abnormal and undocumented because it is the only Carnage Tide to have manifested for such a length of time.Oculi
A Coagulation formed of optic nerves and eyeballs. It acts as scout and surveillance. I witnessed no offensive or defensive capabilities during the night from it and can offer little indication of its abilities. Study will be ongoing and these notes will be appended when time and knowledge permits.Bloat
A Coagulation formed of refined stomach acids inside a thin membrane. It explodes at the slightest provocation or pressure, showering the surrounding area in digestive acids strong enough to cause superficial structural damage to quarried stone. Death is nearly instantaneous for those unfortunate enough to be near it. The semi-liquidation of corpses seem to aid in the digestion processes of other Coagulations such as Clots. The situation in Salaq is ongoing. Notes and observations are not yet complete. Potential academic interests: -Examination of Coagulations to determine biological origins, cross-compared against other recorded Coagulations'. Would require a fane or other blood mage capable of such things. -Long-term effects of blood poisoning from inhaling air heavily saturated with aerosolized blood. Potential respiratory filters for the prevention of airborne ailments and weapons. -Rate of restoration to prior normal levels of biodiversity and bioactivity in an area affected by a Carnage Tide.
Princes and Pawns Alike In Ignorance
Three years after the seal is broken
"May I see that for a moment?" Pari asks one evening at a private supper, pointing to the silver curved dagger strapped to the Mistborn Prince's chest. Their eyebrows raise somewhat.
"Is there a particular reason why, or is it curiosity?" the newfound ruler asks, the lilt of a smile seeming both polite and wary, though they take the dagger from its scabbard. Pari's eyes bore into it.
"Both."
There's a moment before the saltborn hands the dagger, gently, to Pari. "May I ask why?"
"You may," she says, holding it to eye-level and peering closely, running a finger along the rippling edge of colorless flickering fire pearlescent in the silver. She does not elaborate more, silently noting the subtle hints that remain of the origins of this particular Wardens Arm.
"...Why?"
Pari khan'Shald tilts it one way and the next, seeing how the swirling carvings catch the light. "Are you aware at all of the nature of this weapon's origins, Prince?"
"My old companions and I slew a great dragon and were able to use its silver bones to craft what have been called the Wardens Arms."
"And why did you seek to slay the Grymdraigg, I wonder?"
There's a bitter silence. "It's a long story involving three sisters and a bit of trickery to get one of our companions something he desired almost more than anything else. The bones were a gift to me from the sisters, and the majority helped begin the restoration of the Spear soon afterward." Her lips quirk into a small and brief smirk.
"Hm. These three sisters, did they tell you what the Grymdraigg was? Or why you needed to slay it?"
The prince looks shrewdly at the Velherem, off-put and confused. "No. Why?" The smirk widens to a bitterly mocking grin.
"I suppose I have you to thank for it, then," Pari responds. "There's no way you could have known, but that little slaying set off quite a chain of events, dear Prince. Next time before shaping the course of the world, you should try learning a bit more first. Three questions is traditional, but you are not a traditional ruler, apparently."
She stands and turns her back on the young god, waving as she goes. "Thank you for hiring my services, Prince El'thea, by your leave. My reports are on the table."
Tea With Queen Calmaria
Mere days before the fall of Calanthis
"You've grown up so fast, dearest Pari," Queen Calmaria begins, setting down a teacup of delicately molded dragonfly wings onto a paper-thin saucer of lacquered moon-silver leaves. The tea shimmered a matching silver in its cup. There was a tone to the Queen's words that signaled a subtle shift in their conversation; before it had been polite, inquiring on the Velherem's studies and subtly shifting the responses into different areas of inquiry, bringing new light into potential theories that will, inevitably, be found to bear fruit. But Queen Calmaria's statement now is notable in its way to tell how the conversation has directly changed without even seeming effort to the Queen. What might have been long willowy hair or leafy branches is braided into an intricate golden crown or headdress, and with a wordless gesture, Pari khan'Shald stands respectfully and moves behind Calmaria, beginning the long and arduous process of shifting and changing the strange material, hair that is somehow yet crystalline yet nearly fungal or perhaps furlike. It shifts with every half-blink or peripheral view, always beautiful, never quite true. Long nimble fingers that seem more comfortable measuring instruments of science than doing something so womanly as braiding hair are slow but meticulous in their works.
Calmaria continues. "You've grown up so fast, yet I'm sure you know I haven't aged a day, or at least not enough nearly to matter. I've watched you hone your mind to a twisting puzzle of logic and as fine-tuned as a steel-wire trap, making it your weapon and your God. I've watched you in some way ever since you stepped out of that mirror in the Wyldyrsyc. Such a strange thing you were. Even then. You aren't the first mortal something-or-other that caught my eye, but I think you might be the last. My pride and joy, the princess I could only have dreamed of in strange saturnalias. Your work here in Calanthis makes all of us so proud, Pari. But still...you are not the little girl I once found and asked about a ratty cloak from my closet, not the little girl I took under my wing and tutored as best I could in the sciences..."
There is another wordless gesture that speaks entire volumes in its casual and regal ordering, and Pari khan'Shald's body is already moving even before it is given, back in front of the Queen, hands clasped at her front respectfully. The Queen eyes her with an even mixture of maternal love and cunning pawnbroker. "Yes. You've grown into the full flower of your womanhood, dearest Pari, and I think it is time that you leave our court and Calanthis and learn about the world beyond what you might in books and in dusty memories of ancient orders. Don't you, my dear? There are entire existences you can find and learn about and make me proud by doing so. Such wonders you could find if you applied your mind to hunt knowledge and take it like the countless young men that think that victory is found in standing gore-soaked and grinning like a barbarian over the corpse of another young man that hoped to do the same. Seek your knowledge of the world outside these halls, Pari, run it down as relentless as the wolf does the deer, and grasp your teeth across knowledge's neck and gorge yourself on its entrails for me.
"You'll do that for me, won't you, my dearest Pari khan'Shald? You'll make your queen mother proud, yes?"
And of course there was only one answer that the Velherem could give Queen Calmaria.
"It will be my pleasure to do this for you, your majesty."
A girl and a cloak and a queen
One hundred and seventy years prior
A thick furred cloak lay spread on a table of living wood. The sky above glimmered multi-hued like gems. Birds sang choruses in trellises and wild bowers. The cloak is masterfully made and foreign in nature; the luscious sandy-colored fur plush, and the girl sinks her hand into it far deeper than she'd expected.
"Tell me what you know of this," a queen asks the girl. To her credit, the girl does not pale at the sight of her, does not flinch or shiver or have any of those other strange emotions. Queens such as she were all she knew. It was no wonder when she'd leave she'd be gossiped of in every port city and village square. How could she not carry herself like a queen, like the world around her should shift with a glance because she believed it should? Sometimes it even did.
The girl knows some things about the cloak offhand. Rumors of where it came from. But that is not what the queen wants. The girl's other hand digs into the furs, recalling the memories of the things she was made of. "A cloak made of desert cat fur was of great value to the communities of the Pall-tanir deserts," she begins, "both seen as an esoteric luck charm and functionally as both a warmth in a cold night and offering no small amount of protection from arrows and other projectile weapons. This is due in part to the desert cat's fur and evolutionary adaptations; its prey in the desert with such size would be small things--mice, tiny lizards, and most commonly insects. The most valuable food for it to eat would be spiders and scorpions, rich in proteins and especially calcium, and thus over generations the cats with thicker fur survived more often the venomous stingers and fangs of their prey, either unable to pierce skin or having little effect due to natural resistances to such venoms."
The queen smiles indulgently at the girl. "Very good," she says, and Pari khan'Shald smiles back, bright and happy not that she impressed Queen Calmaria, but that she knew more about the world than she had before. "Keep up your learnings, dearest Pari, and we shall see if you don't make something of yourself in time. The world is filled with heroes shaking their swords, they spawn and die like salmon and dandelion seeds in the breeze. Make yourself a mind sharper than any whetstone could, and you shall be far more useful to the world than a hand wielding an especially pointed rock."
And she did.
Ruminations and Report on Shatterspear's Current Ecological State
2 years after The Rekindling begins
Ruminations begin.
There is a beauty to the fires of Shatterspear. They fight against being washed away. The people here worship among their gods To'onkoromano'oa, The Man of the Fiery Earth, in a similar manner people worship assorted thugs and organized crime syndicates. Take this offering of smoke and food and turn your eye away from us. Their leader is a plucky little thing. Pretty words. Pretty skin, where it isn't scarred across by those strange golden cracks. They're nice to everyone they meet, I think. Never saw them be anything but agreeable. They hired me on to help catalogue the natural wildlife. Said they'd heard of me from a friend, Sadida Ocala, who recommended my services. We discussed my prices and my terms, about the things I should focus on, and I left. It was all very respectable and polite, but it was the strangest thing I'd ever felt. Like that Mistborn Prince actually gave a damn about me. Don't think I liked it. Seemed like they had a decent head on their shoulders, though.
Ruminations end.
---
Report begins. Subject of the report is the riparian coastland surrounding the city of Tauavea, with special consideration to potential agricultural benefits or complications.
The surrounding areas of Tauavea are among the most reclaimed as its new capitol and portal nexus. The fire elementals have been dealt with properly through force or diplomacy, and the land itself is showing excellent signs of recovery from constant volcanic activity over the course of a year. The soil itself is thick, loamy, with a heavy ash layer that has been incorporated into its alkaline soils quite well. Already there are saplings and new growth that would have otherwise required at least five to eight years before reaching this height, but this is not in and of itself too unusual, for Shardscape chronology can fluctuate easily, especially so shaped by belief.
What interests me more is not the land, but the waters. Normally volcanic eruptions such as this should have decimated marine life and reshaped rivers, yet the coastal waters of Ali'Awea seem not just untouched, but vibrant. Like the ocean itself is rejoicing at this Rekindling effort. I had visited Shatterspear before its cataclysm, albeit briefly, and I do not recognize these waters or this land by any stretch of the definition. It is as if the air itself is lighter, as if the land itself is listening along to the beating heart of its people, and singing and drumming to their songs, dancing to their rhythm. I saw the Mistborn Prince doing a traditional wave-dancing along the shore, leading a group of younger children--for they themselves seem barely not a child--and when the waves seemed to be cresting bigger with an approaching storm, I would swear that the Prince seemed to soothe the waters back with a stern glare. There was a thrumming in the air, and then an apologetic gentle lapping. I do not know what to make of it. I still do not.
End report.
---
Rumination begins.
The Begotten Gods are no mystery, really. Gods formed from the belief of a god. The idea of a thing made manifest. But what is the limits of their power? How are their forms so sporadically manifest? What is it that makes them gods? What makes Begotten gods different from any other potent magical source of power, such as the Fey, or Trueborns? I have seen great deeds and terrible acts of power in my journeys, each often as different from another as one can be, and yet we categorize these things sweepingly, with no regard for what it might mean.
Why do we separate Begotten from True? They are both gods. And what is the difference between a force of nature or will and a god? They each reshape realities to their whims, while mere mortals quiver and beg mercy. I do not understand these things. Maybe in time I will. Maybe in time I will dissect the body of something that was once a god. Maybe I will find that it was not so different from anything else, after all. Maybe I could find an answer to where a source of power may be found, and be used by any with the mind and will to seek it out.
(The last sentence is blotted out with ink.)
Rumination ends.
--
Report begins: Subject of the report is the eastern tributaries, and a census of the endemic amphibious reptilian semi-sentient life known as The Wyrlecc that live in these waters.
(The reports continue, detailing the myriad of wildlife across the Shatterspear Peninsula and how they were affected by the events 3 years prior to writing. The addition of ruminations were not compiled into the final series of reports given to the Principality of Shatterspear's governing body.)
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