A colossal cityscape stands in the nearly-desertified savannah. Flat-topped buildings of sandstone fill the space tightly, with walkways decorated by strange trees you have never seen before (Baobabs). These residential areas also act as economic and industrial areas, with individual craftsmen and craftswomen preparing their goods within their own homes, in separate workplaces, or just outside. The majority of the area is such, but there are almost as many outliers:

 - In the four cardinal directions of the town, and in the very center, stand the largest buildings you have ever seen, to the point you doubt your own eyes. Ziggurats, they are called, and they seem to pierce the sky, casting shadows over the entire land when the sun moves past them, as though they act as a sundial for real and true gods that walk the earth. Around these five megastructures, there are massive gardens, decorated with pristine fountains and numerous excellently-carves statues.

 - A large cross-shaped section rests at the south end of the city, where eightfold-wide walkways are line on either side by bleached stalls, and a number of pack animals and rare products. Old crones can be seen beading fabulous works of art, while grungy middle aged men can be seen yelling at their oxen. Children run around, and occasionally get caught pickpocketing merchants, before getting slapped around rather cruelly.

 - In a vast crescent to the north (from northwest to northeast), a vast space of land has been prepared for agricultural purposes. It is hard to grow much in this arid land, yet these people seem to have found a way. Rubber trees, acacia trees (for gum arabic), flax and barley

 - Dotted around the city proper, numerous estates exist, built mainly of limestone and rosewood (rather than sandstone and baobab), and decorated in emerald, sapphire, gold, textiles (linen or wool) and ivory. Some of them have sparkling pools, clear as crystal, while others have entire gates built of well-polished copper.

 - The western edge of the is protected by a continuous palisades, most of which is currently under construction. Sweating men with bronzed skin, from ages 10 to 60, can be seen carrying rods of lumber, large rocks, or even the bones of beasts. The work is tireless and neverending, with the men taking just one water break every four hours, during which they can be seen nearly-drowning themselves until their bellies swell painfully.
Among this palaside, are a number of spiked, sandstone watchtowers, where a number of men laze about in thick leathers, fanning themselves or playing cards, or both. There are even a couple giant braziers made of copper, smoldering with the extinguished embers of a coal flame.

 - There are also several pockmarks in the city where residential/economic areas make way for open-spaces filled with gardens, parks, lounges and... larger buildings which seem to be some sort of academic facility. How intriguing.

Yet, the most breathtaking feature of the whole city of Aderun.... the Supreme Temple

It stands in the perfect center of the city, and casts a massive shadow. It is taller than the other four temples by a large amount, and it is many times wider and more massive. The temple is incredibly strange, with massive hallways piercing into it from the four cardinal directions, which are entirely lined in golden scripture. The peak of the temple is beveled, distinct from the rest, and is covered in sparkling flowers and streams, that fall down the sides of the whole building in carefully-maintained funnels.

On the east and west of the temple, two tremendous sculptures face outwards, each of them eighty feet high. The first sculpture is of a hand with two palms, split at the wrist, holding a glorious scimitar and a majestic segmented wheel depicting carvings of priceless treasures, while the other is a similar dual-hand holding an ornate goblet, tipped over to the point of overflowing and a scroll of law, burning and surrounded by mystical figures.

Something within the Supreme Temple gives off a heavy and dignified aura, that reaches to the edges of the great city.

You have now arrived at Aderun, "The Heart of The World".

---

"Ah, I feel so much better returning home. The weariness is leaving me already!" Balshad basks in the glaring sunlight and the scorching air of these arid lands. Even some other merchants you can now recognize as Sedorian look at him strangely. Perhaps Balshad is a true patriot, or just that relieved to have finished his journey without incident.

As you all depart your carriages, a mind-boggling sight can be seen not far away.

The people in the city are strange to Li Hua as well, as most men, and many women, are topless. The garments they do wear are wrappings of linen or wool, with the wealthy signifying themselves through strips of dyed cloth or jeweled ornamentations. Piercings are very common, strangely especially amongst the priesthood, who have symbols emblazoned on their clothing, and some of them are even completely covered head-to-foot, which must be truly awful in this sweltering heat. Young children from poor families are the strangest of all, many of them run around wearing nothing, but nobody seems to mind.

The people in this town work strangely; they are either always doing something, or taking long midday breaks. In fact, it seems at several times throughout the day, people will collectively gather and relax in public lounges, resting, communing over food or game, smoking strange substances, or collectively bathing.

All in all, the atmosphere is ripe with layered emotions, from ascetic calmness to sorrowful/raging madness, both burning desperation and blazing hope and gratitude are present. The city is vast, ancient, and changing.

Countless scents drift through the air, but underneath them all is the pleasant, soothing smell of lavender, which seems to be burned constantly by massive sticks of incense, which mark the perimeter of all five temple grounds

Truly, a mythical place.

Within the center of the Supreme Temple, something not fully visible glints.... just gazing at it gives off a feeling of weight and dignity, possibly the centerpiece of an entire emperor... yet, it is not easily seen from outside the temple...

---

You notice, in that moment, that every person in the caravan other than you has prostrated themselves completely before the gates in front of you, but they are not bowing to the guards, rather, they are bowing to the Supreme Temple. Your studies in Sedoric have gone well, so you can make out most of what they mumble to themselves.

Following their lead, you kowtow along with them - this practice of paying respects familiar to you, and ingrained deeply in your own culture.

Afterwards, seven guards emerge and witness this scene. They briefly scan your body, noting you are a foreigner, but they don't react negatively.

The guards speak to each other before they nod an bow back to the Caravan Members. Then, one of the guards has his face go pale as he looks at something behind you all... and he immediately retreats into the city. The others stay stock still, and time flows by.

Eventually, a huge man with nearly-perfect features emerges, covered head to toe in intricate, heavy bronze armor, carrying two curved blades that are as long as some people.

As he arrives, he nods to Balshad, and simply says, "Welcome back, Balshad the Merchant." and then he turns and lowers his head to the back of the group. "The city greets you, Adversaries of the Forbidden."

With that, a number of presences explode within the group. Li Hua had likely already sussed out that the reason for their ""extra special"" reception, and maybe she had even been keeping an eye on them. It is the Legonites, of course.

However, despite her constant attention, Li Hua had never been able to fully track how many Legonites there were. However, certainly, she never saw more than seven. They had always stood at a fair distance from the merchants and Li Hua.

In this moment, though, dozens of presences reveal themselves. They are among the main group, not separate, but assimilated so completely that they had stayed totally hidden for the entire month-long journey from Mazan.

The merchants shiver at this realization, while Balshad just hangs his head and lets out a deep sigh. Clearly, he had been the only one in the know about the true extent of the Legonites presence.

The group begins to split up, with the merchants other than Balshad leaving first, almost fleeing into the city with their goods, and their measly gains (there were few stops along the way, so most their goods just sat there).

The Legonites move away from the group, signifying them distancing themselves from their mission, and seem to be ready to head towards the temple of their dark god.

Some more words are exchanged, and Balshad looks at you, "I must return to the temple of the Legonites, where I can finally wrap up this... stressful... business. You are free to join me, or we can say our goodbyes here. Regardless, I have enjoyed our time together, and I wish you the most golden of opportunities in your future, Young Misstress." Balshad goes in to shake your hand, if you accept it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:13, Mon 29 Jan.

"Well my goodness, friend Balshad. I had no idea" Li Hua exclaimed as the city and its giant ziggurats came into view. She was perhaps a little slower than the others in prostrating herself, but not much. In her culture Kowtowing was a right and proper means of showing respect and even if she'd not 'felt the aura' since everyone else was she would have too.

And then a great sense of happiness came over her as the Legionites left, tinged with just a hint of sadness. She'd come to quite like Balshad and his lessons and she would miss him. Taking his hand, which was a little alien to her but she took the meaning, she thanked him for all his help. Without him she would be feeling utterly helpless in this strange city. No language. No briefings about cultural norms and taboos and things to do. Now... she had enough to survive. A pidgin language in which she could at least express the basics, and knew enough if she was careful not to put her foot in it. And just as important she understood much better how caravan's operated. Something that was going to be of great value in her future she knew

Somewhat to her surprise she was torn. She was so mentally prepared to 'seize the opportunity and flee' that it was hard not to think about just leaving the city 'now'. Going to the gate of the city that the Fen Guxi left on and finding a caravan to join. But... this place was ... awesome. And she felt something in that temple. Something that she hadn't felt before

Not one to vacilate she asked for directions to the gate that lead onwards and headed there. She could explore the options of joining, find a place to stay and then in the position of more information make choices. And she would have to change her threat model. For all the worries about the Legionites, and worries about whatever dark deal her father had made for their help, they had kept her safe. Now she felt on her own. Freedom was both empowering and scary and she wasn't used to it.

Saying farewell to Balshad, Li Hua takes her personal belongings (including her two horses, which are carrying much of the stuff) and heads off through the gate, straight towards the Supreme Temple which has drawn her interest.

She is given an understandable warning to not draw her sword in the city, but nobody stops her from bringing it in. It seems it is rather common in the West for people to carry weapons wherever they go.

--

Indeed, freedom was both a blessing and a curse. Despite her dislike for and discomfort with the Legonites, they did undoubtedly prevent trouble.
In fact, already Li Hua can feel eyes on her. This was true ever since she left Kri Tan, but the gazes in this land are subtly different...

As soon as she enters the walls, the gazes are more untrusting, confused, shocked, and even a little hostile!

Walking forward, the city is densely populated, and she spots hundreds if not thousands of people - yet not a single one of them is Krissh. Two of them are Caerish, but they seem just about ready to leave.

It is not as easy to tell a Ghanbaran from a Sedorian, as they are both Jakadim in ethnicity, but Li Hua has studied hard with Balshad, and has seen significant samples of both peoples, she can spot the subtle differences - mostly in clothing or mannerisms, rather than physical features.
This leads her to an interesting conclusion - there are also no Ghanbarans in the city. This is very strange! Li Hua had seen Ghanbarans as far out as Tav Andor, and yet in this place, so much closer to Ghanbar, none of them are present?

Li Hua feels that this is meaningful.

--

As she heads towards the Supreme Temple, Li Hua is happy that she has a weapon, just in case.

But, instead, as she nears the Supreme Temple, her heightened senses pick up that some of the gazes upon her have become explicitly hostile, and she immediately pauses in her tracks, going no further. In her mind, this has gone from a matter of general dislike for foreigners, to her having committed some sort of cultural taboo.

The pressure and dignified feeling from the temple has also gotten stronger the closer she has approached, and her ears have started to pick up a noise... or perhaps they are ringing - either way, it is not unpleasant or painful, and is even rather interesting - drawing her attention to the masked complex sounds - but it is slightly annoying, too, since it is unabating.

Through the massive halls leading into the temple, Li Hua can vaguely make out more of the thing she glimpsed earlier. At this angle, she can see a large sphere... it seems ornate, but the details are obscured... it is... moving? Spinning, perhaps.

Still, she will need to enter inside to get more than a slice of a view... and she does feel drawn. However, she decides not to approach any closer, and instead reverses her course.

In that moment, as she is still about a hundred meters from the massive temple, and heading away, a figure completely covered in white cloth appears. Their clothes have strange red and golden symbols built into them.

They speak, and the voice is slightly feminine, "Stop! Why you are nearing come the Temple, foreign woman? What meaning [...] you here?"

It seems that someone had been watching her from the crowd, perhaps one source of the ill intent she felt since entering the city.

Her grasp of the language isn't perfect, but it's enough to pick up the important things. This woman, likely a priestess to some God, is suspicious of Li Hua's intentions.

What will Li Hua say or do in response?
(Keep in mind, her spoken skills in Sedoric are imperfect, and so are limited to basic words and sentence structures
Also your horses are still following you, in case you are wondering)
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:15, Fri 02 Feb.

Li Hua didn't actually get anywhere near the temple. Once she started getting bad looks, and intimidating glares she realised that perhaps this was not the wisest of moves. There was a thing she was just learning called 'cultural sensitivity' and this skill she was painfully acquiring told her 'when people glare at you probably you are doing something wrong'.

It could be anything. Taking a weapon near the temple. Being a foreigner near the temple. Hard to tell. But there was one of her, and lots and lots of guards. Not really a good idea to continue.

The best thing really was to go find an inn... perhaps see if she could find Balshad. And try and talk to find out what was going on.

OOC: The city doesn't just have a classic 'guards' system. Rather, law and order are maintained by enforcers from certain temples. Also, rich people can avoid private mercenary companies as protection, who are more trained than regular city guard, or even some professional soldiers.

Having done her best to mind her surroundings, it seems it was not so easy to avoid suspicion. Li Hua was about a hundred meters from the temple before the gazes turned hostile, but she had only managed to backtrack for a few moments with her two horses, before being accosted.

Perhaps the crux was with the fact that she had entered the city moving directly towards the temple, rather than her proximity to it.

Missing the guidance of her ally Balshad, Li Hua was left to face the likely priestess, who stands about ten meters from her.

"I don't understand, please use simple words" That was really easy vocabulary and some of the first words she'd learned along with 'slow down'. "I am not close to the temple" she said accurately wondering why she was being stopped as she was most definitely moving in the opposite direction.

"It is a beautiful place. A beautiful idea. I would like to honour it. To give respect. But it is clear I am not allowed to. So I am leaving" It was pretty hard to say much more. Even that was pushing her vocabulary. But hey she was trying her best.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:48, Fri 02 Feb.

The figure's face is covered, so it is difficult to be certain, but Li Hua gets the sense she is being stared deeply at - as if attempting to peer into her true intentions.

A short and faint sigh can be heard, though it may be the wind.

The woman speaks up, her voice a little gentler. "Okay. I believe you... If your words are honest, you still want to [probably the word for visit]? Then, follow me and I will lead. Then, [some unfamiliar words] no problems" if Li Hua's ears are right, the priestess's voice is even a little expecting at the end. The offer is not entirely neutral and detached, which Li Hua may or may not appreciate.

She is clearly attempting to use simpler vocabulary, but Li Hua gets the sense the woman has a dignified manner of speech that would be hard to dumb-down. The same thing would be a problem in Krissh if one asked an imperial official to speak like a common farmer... Fortunately, the woman does not seem insulted, as most Krissh would be if asked to simplify their language.

Zhao Li Hua didn't take a risk here though, because she already managed to learn from Balshad that Westerners didn't place as much inherent value into the sanctity of their language, which had been interesting to learn. Perhaps it was a Tanist value to innately reject speaking without grace or elegance, and with deep or layered meaning.

Regardless, Li Hua is left with a choice to make.

Visit the Supreme Temple while accompanied by this priestess,
OR
Give up on seeing the inside of the Supreme Temple, and do something else (such as looking for Balshad right away)

Li Hua had felt quite unpleasant at first. The nasty scary looks... especially after her bad experience with the Legonites. She didn't know the relationship between this temple and that group of death worshipping religious fanatics. She found herself warming to the woman though. She'd been steeling herself for a fight. With her copper sword she felt she could have 'dealt' with this group. But then she would have been alone and hunted in a city. There were few good endings for that scenario. And many very very bad ones. So it was nice that there were positive emotions from the priestess. And even support. Visions of disaster left her as Li Hua responded

"Simpler. Slower" again very early vocubulary. Although she got the feeling the woman was trying, when unknown words used it was impossible to understand. Still she could learn. One thing she'd found is that when she 'needed' to learn the language it was so much easier than when she was just 'playing' "What is the meaning of <the words she didn't get>. In my home we would" she reached for the words "Three incense. Three bows. Three prayers. Is it the same here? I have no incense. Do I need to buy?"

"My name is Zhao Li Hua" a little bow of greeting. She wouldn't ask for the woman's in case that was forbidden but the invite was in her body language "Please lead on, I will follow"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:35, Sat 03 Feb.

The veiled priestess gives a slight nod, clearly satisfied with her manners.

She speaks up as she begins to returns to the Supreme Temple, responding to the end of Li Hua's sentence, and working backwards, "You can call me as Silent Sister, we have no names."

As they move closer to the temple, the ringing and pressure return, but if Li Hua isn't mistaken... it's softer this time, gentler.... the feeling of dignity is still there, though.

The Silent Sister says some difficult words, before realizing her mistake as she looks over her shoulder and notices Li Hua's non-understanding, she reconsiders her words before re-phrasing, "Any showing of..." she tries out a series of words, but none of them are familiar, and for the first time the Silent Sister sighs before performing a strange gesture and speaking again, "Respect" and then she performs the gesture again...

Li Hua is reminded of the time Balshad struggled to speak about the Gods without 'insulting' them... it seems there is an unique set of vocabulary, grammar and syntax when speaking about divine beings.

Knowing this is a sensitive topic, Li Hua might be rather surprised when the priestess ignores all of that and simply uses the familiar word 'respect'. Perhaps those gestures were a sign of repentance or something?

The woman continues, "is okay, but only if it comes from your heart."

The whole sentence took moments to speak, but all these ideas and considerations fill Li Hua's head... indeed, learning a language is much quicker when you have no other choice. Though, without Balshad's primer, even this much would have been impossible.

Overall, the whole sentence was "Any showing of '''respect''' is okay, but only if it comes from your heart"

As they near the temple, the priestess slows her walk to give herself some more time as she struggles, but eventually manages - with quite some effort - to explain all the unfamiliar words to Li Hua.

The original sentence seemed to mean something like, "Okay. I believe you... If your words are honest, you still want to ((make the pilgrimage / offer attendance))? Then, follow me and I will lead. Then, ((the others of the clergy will have)) no problems" "

Honestly, a lot of these ideas are foreign to Li Hua, but thanks to her upbringing, she has extensive knowledge of Tanist customs, and therefore most of the ideas are close enough to things she already knows for her to relate them - even if she is sure the context are wildly different.

--

The two of them now stand right before one of the four entrances to the Supreme Temple. The massive hallway that leads in does taper downwards slightly, but only by at most 30% it's original height. Thus, Li Hua can now make out what is within the Supreme Temple... and the source of that pressure which has both calmed but also grown more powerful as she has gotten this close.

But first,

The Silent Sister looks over to Li Hua and nods her head in a way that Li Hua immediately recognizes as a sign of respect and acknowledgement, something she is very familiar with given her status as the Divine General's daughter - and something that is greatly valued by honorable warriors of any creed - though Li Hua isn't sure why she gets the feeling of a warrior from this lithe and immaculately-adorned woman...

"Good. It is... not often... that (totally unfamiliar word) can feel the... power, I guess... of the Supreme Temple"

Two interesting things about those words.

First, normally Li Hua would not know the words "Supreme Temple" but she has manages to pick up on it due to there being a lot of references to it in any reference to the divine... It is almost a revelation then, when Li Hua realizes the phrase "Supreme Temple" literally translates as "Ad'Shur" with 'shur' being the common word for 'place'... and that prefix, "Ad" finally being clear in it's meaning: It refers to Ader!

So when the god Ad'Legon was called as such, it means the 'Ad' was actually more of a pronoun, something like "The Legon" or in this case... "Supreme Legon"? Li Hua begins to understand more about the nature of the divine hierarchy within Sedoria.

The second thing is so subtle that Li Hua doesn't notice at first, but when she does, her breath hitches involuntarily with... fear? Not quite, but similar...

That 'totally unfamiliar word'? She actually knows its meaning, just from hearing it. She hasn't heard it before, and she can't really translate it, but by some means she can recognize exactly what it is meant to say.

"Mortal"

That is the meaning of the word, which is directly understood by her mind, despite that being impossible - to her knowledge.

--

Now, on the precipice of the Supreme Temple, Li Hua looks inside and sees the source of the incredible aura blanketing the city.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
A gigantic sphere of... unknown material. Only the lower half can be seen, as from the proportions, this massive orb must fill the entire central space, from top to bottom (though leaving room on all sides for thoroughfare)

This tremendous object scintillates with strange lights, and almost-musical thrumming is given off by it. Hundreds of people can be seen praying, while strangely-dressed individuals can be seen... are they meditating? It seems so, even if the form is not the familiar Lotus Position practices within Kri Tan. Those strangely-dressed people are clearly priests of other denominations, and Li Hua even spots another Silent Sister engaged in the practice

Across most the orb, the color is a dull gray... which gives off a feeling of... emptiness - but also... anticipation?

Meanwhile, the shimmering glow seems to move around inside the sphere - though that could simply be a trick of the light. It is a similar effect to placing your hand beneath the surface of a clear-lake... a sort of distortion that makes it impossibly confusing to tell exactly what the true form of what you're seeing is.

The scintillating energy flits about lazily... almost... alive? No, no way... but maybe? It's on the verge of feeling animated - but somehow, it doesn't come off as uncanny or eerie... almost like... a child born a few weeks to early? Perhaps an immature lamb that has entered the world before it's proper time... not exactly a mistake of nature, but something more like an unfortunate outlier of the natural processes - though still by all means part of that cycle

The shimmering light flits about, sometimes more active, sometimes not... The whole gray sphere seems to slightly move with it, though that may just be visual pollution giving off that effect. Maybe a scholar who knew more about this sort of thing would be able to get a better grasp, but Li Hua's intuition told her subtly that even they would be stumped...

---

Will Li Hua enter the empty hallway, which leads into the central chamber?

Well it wasn't hard to have respect. There was something in the temple that .. Li Hua wouldn't use the words 'Called to her'. But something there that she wanted to see. So did she tell the priestess? If it hadn't been for her terrifying experience with the Legonites followed by the menace so very close to where they were, she would have. But for all she knew that was the same as saying 'please sacrifice me'. Perhaps this was a death god too... although she didn't really get that feeling.

The use of strange words was confusing. This was a specialised vocabulary and at the moment she was going off the very limited words she knew and making guesses. In Mazan for instance mortal would be ner-xing and a god like being would be shn-xing, and it would be very easy to mix them up with other similar sounding words. Even so Li Hua's eyes flickered in some confusion at the word 'mortal'

All of that was driven out of her head by the sight of what was inside. "Oh wow" she breathed. The flickering of her eyes replaced with awe. She looked for signs of incense: the sacred smoke that carried words to the gods. Without it she settled for what she would have done. Holding her hands together even without the incense she advanced into the hallway. Bowing three times between each step. Each time making a wish. A wish for health and long life for the state of Fa. A wish for health and long life for her father. And finally a wish for health and long life for herself. The traditional words she would have used in Mazan left her unbidden. Literally translated they were 'ten thousand times ten thousand years' but their meaning was really 'without count'.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:08, Wed 07 Feb.

As Li Hua advances down the hallway of the Supreme Temple, the Silent Sister trails beside her. Her movements are graceful and silent, subconsciously reminding Li Hua perhaps of the Legonites, though there is a less... insidious... feeling to the subtlety of her presence.

Regardless, as Li Hua makes her wishes, her heart feels a little lighter, perhaps a sign they have been heard, or maybe just the fact that traditional prayer like this (though without any available incense) allows her to relieve some stress.

At the end of the hallway, the full central space of the Supreme Temple is shown in it's full glory!

itchy...

The ceiling is domed, and the four curved archways leading into the place are a marvel of architectural engineering, unlike anything else seen across the rest of Kalatoria.

The mysterious centerpiece turns out to be a tremendous sphere, somehow affixed to the ceiling, and hanging about fifteen feet off the floor.

The room is filled with many priests and some commoners, as well as a number of noble-looking folk. Overall, there are actually not that many present, but there seems to be no explicit trend on who is allowed inside or not...

Somehow, this place feels like it should be more popular.

The decorations of the room are quite interesting. There is no incense, but a number of colored sticks of wax are lit, giving off pleasant-smelling aromas (OOC: scented candles) but little smoke.

Huge tapestries line the walls, and a number of interesting, but broken, armaments can be seen on small, hand-made altars that have been constructed impromptu. These altars are usually carved blocks of wood, or slabs of marble, some with streaks of blood (perhaps human or animal)

There is also a flower bed present, with an assortment of flowers. Hundreds of trinkets are placed in alcoves along the walls.
A large pot (directly beneath the center of the sphere) contains sparkling pieces of silver and gold

Li Hua also notices a couple people sleeping, or resting. Nobody seems to mind. One of these people even has some food and a scroll with them, as well as some wooden pieces on a wooden board... clearly a game, but the game is unfamiliar.

The man looks like he has been here a while.

it feels strange...

As Li Hua enters the central chamber, a few glances are spared her way, and some linger briefly, but overall they quickly disappear... How relieving... and strange... it seems that the inside of this temple is by far the friendliest place she has been in the city, so far.

It seems like it should not be so, but then the Silent Sister speaks up.

"You may not understand why it is, but you have felt this place does not... judge... , yes?"
If Li Hua affirms this, the priestess continues, "Honestly, I am very surprised. It is not much that people can enter this place."

The priestess explains her words further, being careful to use simple language, and being better at it now that she has had some time to practice with Li Hua. The Silent Sister explains that the pressure of the Supreme Temple is very heavy, and most people find it impossible to willingly enter.

For that reason, the Silent Sister explains that it is their tradition to show the minimum level of respect to anyone who can enter the Supreme Temple on their own two feet, without any aid.

The Silent Sister finishes her explanation by informing Li Hua of something incredible, "Because you visited here by your own power, you are free to remain forever. If you leave, you can always visit again, too."

The woman opens her mouth with a slight smile, to say one more thing, perhaps congratulating Li Hua or saying a fond farewell... but her words trail off... her face goes slack. Her eyes open wide in terror.

! Who _s It..?

Despite the serene atmosphere when she first arrived, the hair on Li Hua's neck now stands up...

Something... has been... to her... she has heard... what was it?
When did the ringing in her ears change to... the words?

!! What Are!? __*_

Her heart races, for no apparent reason.
Looking up unconsciously from her prayers, the entire room is staring in terror at something... in the middle of the room.

Eyes drawn helplessly towards the center, Li Hua realizes the nature of the anomaly.

The sphere has changed.

Before, it was a sphere with mottled colors within.

Now, the colors have solidified.

Into an iris and pupil.

The whole sphere is an eye.

And it is staring directly at her....

Unimaginable!!! HOW!?!? An E__r__l Exists Here???

Why Have You Come...!? WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY W--!?!?!?

The beautiful colors have all disappeared from the pupil... All that remains is an ambiguous crimson gold...

---

The color of hard-earned wealth and luxury
The color of a treasury drowned in vermillion jealousy

The color of dignity and glory
The color of a royal scepter, refashioned into a thirsty blade

The color of passionate ambitions
The color of a king's throne stained with blood

The color of a sacred sacrifice to the one you are devoted
The color of a terrible war for the crown

The color of the rising sun over the land of plenty
The color of a fallen empire

The color of ten thousand warriors, ready to die for their country
The color of an army of ten thousand burning souls

The color of a rosy, beaming smile
The color of a vessel occupied by devils

The color of the heart of the world
The color of a sunset over the land of death

---

As Li Hua stares into the pupil of the eye, absolutely transfixed and unable to avert her gaze...
Her soul trembles.

She doesn't know what that means. Who has ever felt their soul?
But in this moment, it is clear. A fundamental part of her is shaking... being crushed under the monumental pressure of this existence.

It is inherently obvious. This being is a God. A Divine Existence.
... And what is Li Hua in the face of that?

A mere mor-

Wait.

Why...?

The Eye of Ader Is Terrified Of You.

At first it was nice. Li Hua couldn't help but like the priestess and be impressed by her composure and body skill. The central space of the Supreme Temple was in fact seriously impressive. It surprised her a little there were so many given the hostility she'd received. That had made it feel like 'only the chosen' could attend. Well prehaps the chosen was 'everyone who did it properly'.

Li Hua had no idea how it would be even possible to have something like that sphere there. Or even how you could make a sphere that big! Never mind the room: How was it that the roof wasn't just collapsing?  What was holding it up? She'd seen what happens if you tried to just build things higher, and the answer was usually 'catastrophic and painful collapse'. Her mouth opened and eyes went wide, which afterwards she suspected was the response of most people entering the room the first time

It took her a moment to hear what the unnamed priestess said. With a snap she closed her mouth. "Ah I see" she said not fully understanding the meaning until the explanation of the 'pressure' was given. "I do feel something. Not a pressure a..."

But her words were cut off. It all went wierd. Crazy. Terrifyin. Like others perhaps, a little sound of shock left her. A 'what the' sort of noise that was probably universally understood. The 'what the' turned into 'oh gods' perhaps literally. Li Hua's heart was racing and she could feel her 'fight or flight' kick in. Normally the adrenaline was welcome: a chance to show her skills. Now though... an involuntary whimper left her. Utter confusion and terror for long moments, only her long training in meditation stopping her fleeing like a bunny rabbit.

It took some time for her to realise that it was changing. That she wasn't the only one afraid. Sure the other people in the room were. She wasn't alone in the little whimpers, although she was the one the eye was looking at. What was it afraid of her? Was it confused? Did it think she was someone else? Was this a remnant of her interaction with Legonites... unlikely? What could it possibly be? What mistake was the God making?

The only way for this was to pretend this eye was a person. She held her arms in that 'hey I am here in peace' sort of way and mumbled something in her home language which was meant to be something like 'I travel in peace. I wish you no harm'... but was perhaps a little garbled.

Indeed, a barely contained chaos has broken out around Li Hua when the God made it's move...

Some eyes are obscured by heads are bowed low, while others dance frantically. Some gaze in terror at the Eye, while a few pairs hold shocking malice as they bore holes into Li Hua.

Normally, such hostile gazes would be extremely distracting and uncomfortable - but they are utterly drowned out by the attention of the Eye on Li Hua!

After gathering her bearings enough to form a shaky sentence, Li Hua realizes her words are indeed garbled, but perhaps not how she expected. They come out dampened, as there is a pressure in the atmosphere, as though a giant hand is preparing to crush the entirety of the surrounding space. It is a surreal experience, similar to if one were to suffocate during a night terror...

With her words, though, the pressure eases slightly. The Eye of the God still stares at her incredibly sharply... but it seems to believe her words, yet it's guard is still up... or at least, that's what it seems like given the fact that the atmosphere still feels like thousands of knives pointed at her from every imaginable angle.

Eventually, the God speaks again, this time in a clear, booming voice, that completely surpasses the dampening effect and echoes around the interior Temple, causing the whole building to lightly shudder and shake....

If you have no ill intentions, then leave this place!

Those are the words spoken, but Li Hua alone hears the sentence in a different tone and with another word... as if the sound has been layered in an impossible way...
She alone hears it as,

If you have no ill intentions... then please leave this place...

You intuitively know that 'this place' does not refer to the Supreme Temple... it refers to the entire republic.
The Supreme God of Sedoria seems utterly unwilling to house you within his domain

In a more subdued voice, that Li Hua does not hear but instead appears directly in her mind

I am willing to part with something of your request... if it is necessary for your appeasement

In that moment, she notices small cracks have begun forming on the sphere... the God also has begun to sound... unwell...

Regardless, the pressured atmosphere is beginning to lift, and some people are beginning to move slightly... A few among them look as though they want to tear her apart (others seem terrified of her)... It is probably good to answer the God (and make any requests you may have) then leave quickly.

It was hard not to just turn into a gibbering wreck. Or run! Li Hua had never been the centre of attention like this. Such hatred was difficult for her to comprehend. If she knew why that might help, but she hadn't the first clue what was going on. Mad ideas ran through her head. A curse put on her by the Legionites? A protective magic arranged by her father? The God confusing her with someone else? Could that happen? Did Gods get confused like normal people?

She did know she needed to do something to survive though. Much as the idea of running in circles and flapping hands was surprisingly tempting, if she gave into that primal fear she'd probably be slaughtered by the people who were glaring at her.

"Of course." inside she was shaking, but she mentally she grabbed the emotions she was feeling and stuffed them into a tight little box. "If you would tell your followers I am not to be harmed and that I am to be escorted safely and in comfort to the next place along the Fen Guxi, with all my possession intact I will be happy to leave now." that wasn't quite right. Happy wasn't the emotion she was feeling it was more 'Can I get out of here alive'. Probably if she thought about it more she could try and 'get something out of this'. But right now she'd settle for arriving in one piece.

It was tempting to appologise. To say something about causing this distress. But she had not the first idea how to do that without making the situation even worse than the current catastrophe. "Lead on" she said to the priestess, her white face rigid with control. The sooner this was over the better

At her request, a wave of ... something ... passes through the surroundings. It doesn't affect Li Hua in any way, but it does something to the people around her... She instinctively knows this unseen action was purposefully made visible to her... it's the equivalent of someone moving very slowly and with their hands always visible...

After the energy touches the people around her, most of them simply turn away, their eyes glazing over and faces going slack.... are they... no, she can see they are still breathing. But, they're not all there... hopefully it's just a temporary measure by this being, which is surely a "God" - whatever that truly means.

The veiled figure that brought her in here and was beginning to show quite some interest and respect for Li Hua, which has been a scarce thing for her as a foreigner in Aderun... suddenly jerks. Inhumanely.

The Silent Sister turns to her... and perhaps it is a thankful thing that her face is covered by a veil. -So she cannot see the expression on her face. Is it one of subdued hatred? Fear? Confusion? Betrayal? Or maybe the same empty look as those around her.

The Silent Sister silently slinks (ooc; i couldnt help myself) out of the temple, with Li Hua in tow.

The God's strange and fearsome magick is not evident... but nevertheless, the pair are not noticed as they glide across the city without sound, not even disturbing the grass beneath their feet... perhaps the Silent Sisters possess a power similar to the Legonites?

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
OOC: The following is for world-building, flavor and narrativization. It's something that is happening in Li Hua's proximity that she is not aware of. If it turns out everyone hates this, I won't use this technique again. This is a common thing in stories with a narrator of the local omniscient style - and I thought to try it out here

Just as Swordswoman Zhao Li Hua, Daughter of the Divine General of The State of Fa leaves the Supreme Temple within Aderun, "The Heart of The World", she does not notice that a few drops of crimson-gold blood begin to drip out of the minute cracks that have appeared within the Eye of Ader

---

--

Soon, Li Hua is at the bound of the city.
It's a different direction she came from.

The Silent Sister's voice rings out. It's the same, familiar one... but the tone is subtly different.
Li Hua didn't get to know this woman well enough to be able to tell if she is hiding complex emotions, or is being possessed in some way...

Who knows which one would be more upsetting?

Anyway, the words are thus:
"The Fen Guxi does not stretch beyond Aderun. However, to the west you will find the godless land of Ghanbar"

Usually "godless" would be an insult, similar to "savage" or "uncivilized" but in this case, there seems to be no such connotations. Whether it's the priestess or the 'God' speaking to Li Hua, they are speaking literally.

The Priestess smoothely raises a hand and points at something, gesturing for Li Hua to look.

Should she follow, she will find that at 100 paces from her,
a strange vehicle stands in the sands.

A rather plain chariot... made entirely of Gold?!

That would be utterly shocking...
But it's overshadowed by the 'creatures' that replace the usual horses - or rather, in this part of the world - oxen

Two golden threads make the bridle that attach to two mythical creatures
These creatures resemble horses, but are six-legged and have long, heavy tails that drag on the ground, like some lizards Li Hua has seen before.

Instead of heads, the necks of these creatures end at a stump, with a fanciful silver seal covering where the gore would be.

The chariot and it's two drivers are surrounded by a silver mist with a pink hue... this mist gives a tingling feeling, leaving the eyes heavy - but it is also relaxing and peaceful - a bit like the incense of her homeland, though with a very sweet floral scent... and a lot heavier, it nearly sinks and mixes with the sands.

In that moment, the Priestess speaks again. but her veil doesn't shift as her mouth does not move below.
This time, it is clear at least, that the God is speaking.

"The Chariot of Peerless Travel"
he nods to you,
you have his permission to enter.
"Worry not of any amenities. The Chariot of Peerless Travel will grant you a Restful Sleep, and shall always arrive at it's destination within One Day, no matter its location on this continent."
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:46, Mon 04 Mar.

Just let me get out here alive. Just let me get out of here alive Li Hua kept repeating the mantra in her head as she walking through the people that had been wierdly affected on some way. Or perhaps she had been weirdly affected? Was there a difference? Did it mater

She kept enough presence of mind to steer them to her horses where she had the wealth her father had gathered for her. Without that she wasn't going to last too long in foreign parts. And perhaps more importantly it was a dereliction of duty to abandon them.

Gradually she began to relax as it seemed she was getting out alive. Then an idea came to her. A way to prevent this happening again

Li Hua got to her idea "Great One, It is with sadness that I discover I have caused you distress. Know that it was not intentional. If you give me a token to seal letters with, we can talk without this unpleasantness. There may be ways we can help each other. Ways to avoid awkwardness and pain like this again." The biggest way of course was that she could 'sense' Adur and next time that happened she was walking the other way as fast as possible! But some way to communicate would perhaps let her understand what had happened

While the Priestess, or whatever was possessing her, considered that Li Hua moved her bags onto the chariot and looked to see if she could get her horses onto them as well. She'd grown fond of the horses, and didn't want to leave them here where anything could happen to them.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:56, Thu 07 Mar.

OOC: right! I totally forgot about your stuff! Sorry, lol xDD

The Chariot is unfortunately not designed to carry cargo like a caravan wagon.
It is meant to fit at most a small group of persons

Also, if I remember correctly, Li Hua just sort of took some stuff from Mazan when she left, her father had no hand in it?
I assume she didn't steal anything from the treasury or whatever, but sort of just brought a portion of what could be considered her 'inheritance' with her, under the implicit consent of her father (generally, heads of households would manage the finances and personal properties of their dependents until those dependents came of age)


The Chariot of Peerless Travel was not designed for storage. It's just a simple two-horse carriage (with only a single seating bench inside, enough for one or two persons to sit comfortably, but three to six could squeeze in shoulder-to-shoulder), without any sort of attached storage compartment (the interior is also rather plain, lacking any sort of shelves)

At most, Li Hua realizes she could fit several bags with her, comprised of some combination of essentials or valuables (her decision). She is being forced to downsize, here...

She also doesn't know how long this Chariot will be available to her. If she overpacks, she won't be able to carry the rest of her stuff.

As for the horses - Even one of horses absolutely would not fit inside of the Chariot (unless it rode alone, without her)... The possibility of tying the horses to the carriage next to the strange mythical creatures is probably a bad idea, since no horse is able to travel such long distances in a single day, as these creatures supposedly are able to.

Also, Li Hua quickly realizes that the horses don't actually seem to be aware of the Chariot of Peerless Travel. Only she and the Eye of Ader are able to perceive it at all! Maybe an effect of the dreamlike mist?

---

OOC: Not entirely sure what your plan was here, so I'm just going to have the God respond to your words.

As Li Hua speaks to the Eye of Ader through the Priestess, she notices something.
The attitude of the being seems to be changing.

Before, it seemed terrified and panicked... but now that they have left the Supreme Temple, the being is given off a silent atmosphere of intense consideration. As though it is... suspicious of her?

Ultimately, it seems to err on the side of 'caution' and responds simply through the Priestess, "... It is best for us to go our separate ways ... If you do not return to my earthly Empire, we shall not encounter each other again ... "

There were no safe options here. Everything was insanely dangerous.  Li Hua suddenly realised that she'd nearly done something very stupid.

"Sadly this is not suitable" Li Hua explained "I will take my leave across land. I cannot abandon my friends the horses." While that was true it wasn't the real reason. For all she knew this was going to fly to the sun and drop her in it, or drop her in the middle of a huge lake. This God really wanted her gone, and for some reason was afraid of her. So she had some leverage. But once in 'the Chariot of Peerless Travel' she would be at his utter mercy.

Li Hua didn't think it would be that hard to follow the trade route. She'd just lurk some distance away, wait for a caravan to leave and join that. She already knew the eye didn't sense her unless she was close. Perhaps that wasn't really true for 'the future' but she doubted very much if the Eye wanted to bleed again

"Perhaps a guide and a few guards would reasure you I am leaving" Sure they might try and 'do her in' but that was a lot safer than getting on board this magical trap that wasn't big enough anyway. And it was probably safer than trying to make it on her own
This message was last edited by the player at 17:18, Mon 04 Mar.

Li Hua begins to realize the actual nature of the situation. As she does, she quickly changes her approach - intelligently using the very little leverage she ever had in this encounter.

It works very well.
The God's renewed nervousness is almost palpable as he responds tersely to her 'displeasure',
"... Very well"

With a wave of his hand, the Chariot of Peerless Travel vanishes immediately, leaving no trace of its existence in this world.

For some reason, the God does not seem to question her commitment to the horses in the same way he had begun growing suspicious of her for her previous remarks. Li Hua is well aware she is playing with incomplete information...and wisely makes the decision not to stick around and make any requests...

However, she also knows if she does not make a request, the Chariot will not be able to transport her goods with her (she also suspects it may be an additional danger, now that she realizes the situation). Thus, she makes the decision to reject the God's gift. This seems to be another point in her favor, as he showed no hesitation to dismiss the Chariot, as he had when using some previous magics.

The game here seems to be to reinforce the God's belief that she is a bigshot... though Li Hua knows the longer she plays the game, and the more clues she leaves the God with - the more likely she is to lose the game.

Then, Li Hua makes another wise move - one that could almost be called brilliant. She requests protection - as she will now be travelling alone - but it is not phrased as a request.

Instead, it is phrased as an offer of 'assurance' to the God...

Unfortunately, this falls through.
The God responds unfavorably, "There is no need. I will know once you have left the domain."

Li Hua is not stupid. In fact, she is both very well-educated person and possessing of a natural decisivenes - owing to her military training.
She realizes the situation now, created by her own choices.

She gets to keep her items and horses (and avoid using the Chariot of Peerless Travel, which could be a risk) but she will have to travel to Ghanbar alone, without protection...

Perhaps it was better to take the Chariot and abandon her things, but her decision was not to do so. Now, if she were to change her mind, it would have a very high chance of allowing the God to realize the truth... she has to suppress a shiver just by thinking that.

---

Does Li Hua do or say anything else, or does she enter her original carriage and renew her journey to the west?

OOC: Hopefully I read into everything correctly here. Overall, this was a good comeback. I don't know how attached you are to your items, but if you're not I would have taken the Chariot.

By the way, now that you're NOT entering the chariot, I'm going to edit the last few posts slightly. To avoid confusion to any who ever return to read these threads.

The only things I will be changing will be any mention from your or I about 'falling asleep' on the carriage.
Hopefully this is not offensive. I don't edit player posts for 'content' but I will edit it for matters of 'continuity' like this, or of 'censorship' (if I worry it is necessary per site rules)

Well that was that! It could have been a lot worse. A lot lot worse. Li Hua gathered some supplies while still everyone around was still wierdly effected threw them on the horses and led them out of town. She wasn't sure how this 'people being wierdly affected' was going to end. Would it end when she got some distance away, or only when she reached her destination? Well soon she would know!

Her plan was simple. Walk for a while until she was tired. Then she could make better plans. For instance... would she get tired in while wierdly affected like this? The simplest plan was of course to start heading along the trade road, and at some point either catch up with a caravan or wait for a caravan. She'd know more as she got further along.

As it was she walked next to her horses: they were so laden with supplies that seemed better than getting them to take her weight as well.

And all the time she pondered 'what was going on?'. What could possibly cause the God to get so physically distressed at her presence? A distress that manifested itself in physical damage? Was it a spell or curse cast on her? She didn't feel cursed... Was it a protection from her father? A consequence of the Legionites? What?
This message was last edited by the player at 17:57, Thu 07 Mar.

As Li Hua loads up her two horses with all of her stuff, she realizes she is going to have to walk. Without a wagon or even a cart, the horses are the only way to transport her goods. That means she has no room to ride them, since she can't share the saddles with all the stuff she has tied up on there.

With their current pace, it will take about two weeks to arrive at Ghanbar. Two weeks of foot travel for her, and two weeks of nearly-overburdened saddles for the horses. This will not be a pleasant journey. She has food and water, a bedroll, and the ability to make fire for warmth - but she doesn't have anything except her own sword to protect her from any wild beasts or bandits.

Though, wild beasts are going to be the larger threat, she can already tell. There are no roads between Sedoria and Ghanbar, even discounting the Fen Guxi. These two kingdoms have been at war since their inception, so that much is obvious.

Therefore, she probably won't encounter anybody else at all, let alone any waylayers.
However, with the absence of human presence, the dangers of wildlife has increased - especially she is travelling alone, save her two horses - which are large and intelligent, but not particularly threatening creatures - especially not encumbered as they are.

She'll have to find ways to keep safe. Most likely, she will have to accustom herself to sleeping during the day, where visibility will allow her to ensure no creatures are on the horizon - allowing her a couple hours of sleep before she'll have to wake up and check again.

The land here is flat, with few caves and little foliage. This is good because it means fewer ambushes, but bad because it means fewer places to hide from any dangers.

If it rains, Li Hua will have to sacrifice some of her valuable textiles to serve as a tarp, lest the whole lot be soaked and ruined.

Li Hua has fighting skills, but she has been trained to fight against other humans - not wild creatures...
In fact, she isn't even in her homeland anymore! Who knows what kind of creatures live out here...

She also is unfamiliar with the area, so she wouldn't be able to guarantee finding a village or town - even if she wanted to risk reneging on her promise with the God - who all but told her to live immediately and not come back.

All she can rely on are the stars to guide her due west, which will land her somewhere in Ghanbar... This will pose it's own issues.

Regardless of all this, Li Hua now has a lot of time on her hands. Time to think. About why the God had reacted as he did. About what her future held. About why she had to be in such a dismal situation? ... About ... her home state of Fa, and if they were safe...

Also, she ponders about the functioning of the God's magic.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:52, Thu 07 Mar.

Li Hua had of course trade goods that were protected against the weather. Even if they hadn't been when they started because of an oversight on her part, that would have been fixed on the earlier part of the journey.

She was somewhat surprised that she didn't meet anyone else on the trade route. Surprised and worried. It wasn't fun traveling with the horses in a place where there were dangerous animals. Fortunately the density of dangerous predators was as low as you would expect, and with a fire pit she was able to have burning brands. And perhaps more fortunately her horses had much better senses than herself. She did reflect that if she survived this she would get a dog. A big one. Perhaps two.

East west navigation wasn't that bad. She made a note of the rising and setting of the sun, and marked the direction. The stars wheeled around the central point of the sky and thus 'north' was easy to see at night as long as the weather wasn't that bad. That only 'got her close' so she was pleased when she finally got somewhere where there were people she could try and communicate with.

Li Hua made her way west to Ghanbar, venturing through the unconquered grasslands.
On her trip, she doesn't encounter any other wanderers. No bandits, no merchants, and no habitual nomads.
Just her and her two horses.

For the most part, she doesn't even encounter much animate wildlife. Lots of plants though, mostly weeds and far fewer flowers.

The birds in the sky are pleasurable to admire, but are far out of her reach - and they know it.
The few streams and creeks she stops by have some small fish and prawns.

She is a bit too far north for the climate to accommodate any reptiles.
It is too dry of a land for amphibians to make their homes.

As for the small mammals that likely live here, she sees very few of them - most of them notice her coming in advance - and avoid her.

However... she does encounter a few things!

--
The first few days are stressful indeed. Though it's not totally alien, many of the plants and animals of these foreign lands are unfamiliar to her. She doesn't know what is dangerous, and what isn't - so she avoids everything she can.

So, she begins the practice of making burning brands - as an extra line of defense if her sword proves not too useful... It's likely, as swords are weapons designed by humans to fight other humans - not for hunting.


During the third day, Li Hua wakes up to a terrifying sight.
The biggest creature she has ever seen. At least twice the size of a fully-grown oxen, and covered in rough grey skin that is so thick it's almost armor.
This creature's head is bowed low near the ground, and it is massive. It's jaw is probably large enough to eat Li Hua in two bites.
Fortunately, nothing comes of this - as the creature is a herbivore.
It almost seems amused by Li Hua, it's sunken green eyes staring at her with a placid tranquility... Though there is an edge of readiness in there. This is not a domesticated creature - just a peaceful one. It clearly doesn't see her as a threat - which is probably a good thing. She doesn't know if her sword could pierce this huge beast.

She quickly leaves, and time continues on...

--

As the first week ends, Li Hua has grown a bit more confident in her alertness.

Unfortunately, the second weeks starts terribly. Li Hua notices a pack of wolves prowling on ths distance.... They seem starved, which is a bad omen - they are more likely to attack her if they are desperate.

They close in, even as she rouses her horses. Fortunately, she doesn't need to intitiate combat - as her swinging of her brands and torches is enough to finally scare off the wolves, and they all retreat for easier prey.

Li Hua remembers her desire for a big dog... the idea of trying to tame these creatures... well, it's hard to know whether to laugh or cry at such a terrible idea.

--

Soon, the second week is coming to a close. Li Hua has traveled almost a hundred miles in her carriage, though it was not relaxing like most the journeys in her life - as she often had to step out of the carriage to make sure nothing dangerous was around her. Her field of view is obviously decreased within the carriage, and she has no companions to keep watch - so it's all on her to manage many things.

Li Hua was never raised to be dainty - however she must admit that even though she has gone through physical training as part of her sword practice, she has never been dragged through the mud like this (metaphorically and literally) - she is filthy, and she has not found any streams large enough to bathe in. At least, she has been able to wash her hands and face - on occasion.

Ultimately, it's a bit of a shock. From the 'lap of luxury' (though, she may have issues with that turn of phrase) to marching across the earth... perhaps it's a positive thing nobody she knew from back home is here to see her, it would have been a huge embarassment for her family name to be seen like this... She definitely was not at her most 'beautiful' right now.

However, none of these concerns remain pertinent for very long...

Because on the very last day before Li Hua believes she will begin seeing signs of civilization...
A pained scream from a horse, and a snarl wakes her up in the night.

Instantly awake and with a sword in hand, the dim embers of the campfire do not reach far enough to illuminate the source of the monstrous sound.

Normally, the two horses and her sleep relatively close together, their senses are better than hers anyway.

Now though, one of the horses has been dragged about fifty feet away - near the edge of the firelight's periphery!
Li Hua smells blood more than she sees it... one of the horses has been attacked - and it's scream woke her up!

Just as she is ready to make her first move - whatever it may be, she sees the source....
A pair of eyes, with yellow sclera and red irises, glances up at her from the dark.
The contours of the beast's face can hardly be seen at this distance.

The sound of something being dropped to the ground - with a 'thump'...
The injured horse lets out a strained sound. Still alive. Hopefully no fatal wounds.

For it's part, the other horse is still struggling to stand up and make distance between itself and the predator....

The eyes are locked on Li Hua.
A black-furred paw, with a silvery glint, steps forward, still forty five feet away, into the campfire's light.

The head is revealed in part - something between a wolf and a bear in features... but much larger, and with a long scar across it's face.
Fangs the size of a large knife can be seen as the creature snarls, reeling back - evidently preparing to attack Li Hua!

How will Li Hua react to this threat?

OOC: Combat, yay!

It had been a time of discoverey and self exploration for Li Hua. No stranger to hard training this was different and powerful in it's own way. There was a strange savage joy in the raw feral nature. Sure it was scary, but that was something to relish. The dirt and mud could have been distressing, but in another way 'it was hers'. She'd earned it. And when she found a stream she was able to clean herself: reminding her that 'this too would pass'.

Li Hua did learn from this, and by a few days into the first week she was making a hacking spear. Fire hardening the end. The spear just let her keep distance between herself and the animals. Although there was no doubt that the burning brand was just the very best thing she had. With her back to the fire, and even more fire in her hand she fended off the wolves. That had been an eye opener. She wanted a pet like that even more now! Mind you she'd never heard of them attacking a person before, in fact she'd been told many times that never happened and could only occur when someone was sick or old.

The strange wolf bear was just plain terrifyin. Li Hua had no real idea what it was. There were only a few options open to her: to stay near the fire and hope it would ignore her. That was certainly possible. An animal that size would only hunt perhaps every week and with luck Li Hua would be hundreds of miles away by then. Perhaps even back into civilisation. It was a gamble though, and not one she was motivated to take.

All predators had a problem, and she suspected that creature really understood that problem from the scar on it's face. They couldn't afford to be hurt while attacking. All it took was a bad cut and the predators life was threatened. A broken bone was an end of life event for the wolf bear. Combine that with fire...

Li Hua began to yell and wave the fire. Sword in one hand, a brand in the other. If the creature came close she would throw burning brands at it.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:36, Sat 23 Mar.

Li Hua's instincts were healthy. She had been trained in warfare and fighting techniques, but had little experience with actual combat or war.
She had virtually no experience with 'roughing it' like this until these last several days ... The strange thing was, she didn't entirely hate it.

Of course, it would be preferrable to be safe in a city, maybe with some other humans - ones who spoke her native language, if possible. But, there was an undeniable feeling of satisfaction at being so engrossed in nature like this. She felt proud of her ability to survive, and maybe a small part of her felt more in touch with nature because of this.

Krissh Philosophers had long parroted the wise words, 'Man is of the Earth' (Tan de'u Kris) - which was somewhat obvious - but easy to forget. Humans were the only creatures that constructed their environments in such a way. No other creature plowed fields or replaced roof shingles.

...

Still, her rapidly-beating heart could have gone without this encounter!

Waving her flame, a glint of apprehension does indeed flash across the massive predator's eyes... But, Li Hua also gets a strange feeling from it...

This creature... Is it truly just a beast? She feels... strangely, as if malice is directed at her. Martial artists and even normal folk had often believed the superstition that one can 'sense intent' in some conditions... Right now, bells are ringing in Li Hua's head that this thing is bloodthirsty - far more bloodthirsty than even an apex carnivore should be able to be...

The creature has inched forward a while, but stopped at about forty feet. Combining that with Li Hua's waving of her flame, she is able to see more of the large beast.

Larger than a bear, the thing is almost seven feet at the shoulder. It's long too, a bit over ten feet! This thing is a giant!

It's unfamiliar face is rather normal, but what isn't is it's tail, which Li Hua only gets occasional glimpses of... It's tail is long, longer than her torso. It's big, too.

The creature claws at the ground, it's vicious black claws rending deep through the ground. It's best not to think what that would do to human flesh, lest one shudder and lose heart.

The beast's all-black eyes are trained on Li Hua for a long time... It's considering whether to attack. The creature does not appear starved like the previous wolves she had scared off. This creature... appears hateful! It's snarling has barely decreased since it came here...

In that moment, Li Hua notices something incredibly crucial.

Something so deep crimson it is almost black. Along the antsy paw of the creature. A latticework of unsightly veins pulse beneath the skin. Almost unnaturally... Even a horrible infection wouldn't do that to a body.

A slick substance can be seen on the ground, trailing behind the creature... a foul-smell hits her nose and it's all she can do not to immediately bend over and hurl. Still, her stomach wrenches.

The scent is WRONG. It's foul, but not like rot or poison... It smells like what it looks like to watch a horrible, evil act! It reeks of something that Li Hua's frantic brain can only interpret as evil!

A flash of crimson surges through the creatures eyes and it all but has a seizure as it's body topples forward another five feet. 35 feet away!

It stands up, and it's eyes have a crimson ring around them... Hopefully, that's normal for this creature.... but it's mouth opens, and it's teeth are suddenly stained black....

The creature once more paws the ground, this time violently, and Li Hua sees it. A repulsively crooked thorn with spiraling ridges sharper than a knife's edge. Who knows how long it is, but it's implanted at least a half foot into the creature's front right paw.

It's appearance is as thought it was driven half-insane...

The creature finally lets out a low, mournful howl that seems to shake the ground! The uninjured horse lets out a terrified scream!

The tormented, monstrous beast gazes at Li Hua - and she realizes that it's moments away from attacking!
She needs to find a way to turn this situation around!

What will Li Hua do? She doesn't know if it's possible to fight this thing, but curing it's madness may be equally impossible!
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:37, Sat 23 Mar.

Li Hua swore mentally. It wasn't like she was an 'animal whisperer' or something, but she couldn't help but feel for the creature. That could have been herself wounded like that. In constant pain.

She was pretty sure if the beast attacked she could kill it. A sword was an unmatched advantage. If the creature charged it would impale itself, that would be 'game over'. The problem wasn't 'could she kill it', it was 'would she survive'. Size and strength and ferocity were advantages too, especially if she couldn't rely on the creature to be afraid of the fire. If she had a tree behind her to protect her from a 'bear hug' she'd be a lot happier, but she didn't.

The thorn was the secret to this of course. If removed there was a good chance the creature, whatever it was, would recover. Was that even possible? Could she communicate with this thing?

Whatever it was, it clearly had some glimmer of intelligence. There were stories she'd read of animals responding to helpful gestures and sounds. She knew herself that her soothing words would work on her horses and pets. Would they work on this? Well if they didn't she was probably not much worse off. And if they did perhaps she could help it and avoid getting killed

She tried talking the beast as though it was her horse. Explaining what she wanted to do even though she knew it couldn't understand her. Her tone quiet and calming. If it charged her... well she'd go down fighting. But maybe they could both get out of this alive.

Li Hua does not expect her soothing voice, which she had developed as part of her horsemanship training, to have much of an effect on the creature.

However, she is pleasantly surprised by the beast's reaction, a slight amount of tensions drops from it's body. Perhaps this is the flip side of the Wei, after such bad luck with the God in Aderun - some good fortune was bound to come her way. At least, some Tanist principles would proclaim such.

Regardless, now was no time to be distracted, she had to be in the moment and act carefully but decisively.

The beast had clearly displayed a sharp amount of intelligence. Whatever this thing was, it was at least as smart as a wolf. She could tell just by it's body language and it's eyes. In fact, the thing might even match a trained horse, it's mind seems clouded by the pain.

Still not without a great amount of confidence, Li Hua slightly lowers her sword and inches closer. The beast does not react, though it's eyes track her warily. It twitches occasionally, but seems to be ... almost restraining itself? Well, it would be stranger if an apex predator like this was not a bit freaked out by letting an unfamiliar creature approach so closely.

...

Woah. A wave of awe rushes over Li Hua. She hadn't realized, but she had moved closer to the beast, almost without thinking. She was now almost within strike distance. She realizes she has been looking at the creature's eyes this whole time. They seem deeper than ever, drawing her in... What is going on?

In that moment, Li Hua's trained mind feels a tinge of something in the back of her head, writhing just outside the edge of her perception.
On instinct, she does something arguably foolish. She closes her eyes.

Trained in meditation and swordmanship, Li Hua in a heightened state such as this doesn't absolutely need her eyes open to react to a sudden attack... and something is grabbing at her attention. A worming sensation, extremely unpleasant and demanding immediate attention.

Gazing at her inner self, Li Hua strains the boundaries of her consciousness... There she finds it. It's an unsettling feeling, in the corner of her heart and the edge of her mind. A sharp, prickly thing. Not... not her own?

Shocked back to her standard level of awareness, Li Hua's eyes are slightly wide. Something... unfamiliar... is in her mind.

The creature, looking at her, gives off a sound like a snarl... It's a warning sound. It's eyes are not locked at hers anymore... but at it's own paw, where that terrible thorn is still embedded.

A cloying feeling fills the space between them. Uncomfortable and irritating. The beast's eyes are growing redder... literally.

The thorn in it's paw is... well, it looks the same. But, Li Hua's instincts tell her something is happening... and the source couldn't be clearer!

Still, the final step is up to her. Her instincts not driving her, how will Li Hua close this out? Will she take the risk of entering the creature's range... and will she pull out that thorn, even though the idea of touching it gives her a dangerous feeling? Does she have another choice, now that it's come to this?

OOC: I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out the pacing of this scene.

Mostly because I don't want to move your character for you, but we're basically in combat here, so it can get extremely granular - with every action and it's grandmother needing to be directly adjudicated. In this case, I'll give you permission to narrate a little here, since it's not fun or interesting to force you to respond with 'I do the thing' or 'I don't do the thing' - it's a waste of your time and would be rude of me, I feel

So, here you can describe exactly what you do, with the assumption it will succeed. I'll handle the aftermath

It wasn't getting any better. Li Hua's heart was pounding. She could feel her terror rising. The panic. The need to run.

But she knew what would happen if she ran. She'd run into the darkness and this thing would follow. Driven mad by the pain. And maybe controlled and driven by what was trying to get in, or maybe was actually already in, her mind.

That she couldn't do anything about right now. It was magic and she knew nothing about magic. But she wasn't being controlled by it. So frankly given the nightmare situation she didn't give a damn about it. She had to survive and that meant she had to do something about this beast

As it happened she was a lot happier moving closer to the beast. Her visual reflexes were good, but they were nothing campared to her touch reflexes. All her training in fighting was about how to 'bridge the gap' to get 'the collision' where she could make contact with the opponent. And then her trained touch reflexes would take over. She was far safer touching this creature, even with its enormous strength advantage than she was at close range. Well as long as she could stop it grappling her.

Li Hua wasn't going to touch the thorn though. Not with her flesh. That idea made her queasy. That thorn was probably the conduit to whatever icky thing was happening, and for all she knew it would magically 'get' her. Pulling her eating knife she used that as one half of an impromptu 'tongs'. The other half just a piece of kindling. "Hey big guy. I've got this" she kept up her words. The tone calming and soothing. One hand on the limb, the other other fulling the thorn out before tossing it on the fire

As Li Hua begins removing the thorn, the creature begins to shake, and black fluid begins to leak from its eyes!

However, the creature is not fighting her, and Li Hua manages to keep it's limb steady enough to remove the thorn... even as the strange object seems to jostle in strange ways, as if trying to keep itself embedded!

The instant the thorn is removed, the creature leaps away by over ten feet without even turning! An insane jump - especially since it did so backwards, and a far stronger movement than it had shown up until now!

Now freed of the agony, the creature raises its head to the sky and lets out an earth-shaking cry!

"HARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

The cry is one of extreme jubilance, sharp and resonant. The tone of its voice is actually more similar to a bird's squawk than a beast's roar. Strange, but not overly.

Meanwhile, Li Hua - without handling the thorn - tosses it directly into her campfire.

In the moment that it flies through the air, a horrible screw of pain goes through her head, and she nearly collapses to her knees!

She watches - almost in slowed motion - as the thorn soars towards the flame. A dark compulsion overtakes her... a voice - not her own - tells her without language to grasp for the thorn... an instinctive desire implanted in her mind to catch the gnarled object...

Li Hua barely manages to power through for even a few moments... but that is long enough! The thorn lands in the flames, and the moment it does - all traces of the evil, foreign presence vanishes from her mind. She feels clear as ever , though certainly tired from being woken up and a bit shaken from the strange, magical events.

Another change occurs simultaneously, as the bright yellow flames of the campfire begin to burn in a deep crimson as soon as the thorn touches...

After a few seconds, the flames begin to turn BLACK... and the light is rapidly smothered... worse still, instead of heat, the campfire is not giving off a chill far deeper than the simple cold of the night!

Pitch black smoke begins to balloon in vast clouds out of the campfire, causing the horses to flee - and probably Li Hua as well.

In the smoke, strange images can be seen... distorted shapes that resemble faces twisted in agony... glowing embers that resemble devillish eyes!

....

About five minutes pass before the phenomena come to a natural end, slowly fading away, with a horrible, stretched-out hissing sound - only bearing a slight resemblance to the natural sounds of a campfire burning its last.

The ebony spike remains in the extinguished firepit. It no longer gives off any presence, but instead, a slightly cold aura... the sound around it is also slightly muffled and the sights slightly grayer than they should be. It feels even hollower than emptiness... if such a thing is possible.

As the fire burned, Li Hua is able to do get her bearings however she pleases. Unfortunately, her horse that was attacked was killed by the beast. Even though it is the backup horse, it still means she will not be able to carry all of her things with her...

Well, maybe not, actually. Because the beast has not left the site. After spending a couple minutes pawing at the horse it accidentally killed, Li Hua gets the sense it is feeling remorseful... Though, maybe it is just confused why the creature died.

The beast also approached the remaining horse and made some strange guttural noises, that the horse responded to with what seemed like a sigh.

Regardless, the beast has not left her presence. Now, it has half-perched nearby (about 30 ft), and is calmly watching her and the surviving horse.
It doesn't show any indication of leaving anytime soon. It's eyes are back to their normal deep black, and it's used it's tongue to mop up the blood and other unusual fluids from its wound... the wound has also quickly settled down, the veins beneath the surface no longer visible.

It still has a hole in its paw, but it actually doesn't seem very bothered by it.

---

One more thing Li Hua notices:

The knife she used to ply out the thorn is completely ruined. Somehow, the entire edge of the blade has rusted with a black coloration, and the whole thing looks on the verge of falling apart.

---

As Li Hua tries to figure out a way to salvage as much of her cargo as possible, something unexpected occurs. The beast lumbers over, and lowers its head, showing its large back...

For all intents and purposes, the creature seems to be offering to bear her burden... Does it feel guilty? Well, who knows what level of intelligence this thing even has...

In fact, the creature had clearly not just been driven mad by pain... it had been resisting mentally, as well. The light in its eyes is far sharper now, and its movements are far more controlled - less chaotic. It even makes occasional chirping noises, as if mumbling.

If Li Hua trusts this creature to take her cargo, it can easily carry everything she has (leaving her surviving horse without any burden), as well as giving her a spot to ride (the beast will allow her to mount it)

If she doesn't choose to go with this, she will be forced to leave some stuff behind since her remaining horse can't carry everything by itself.

OOC: A good resolution! I smiled a bit when you said you didn't touch the thing and instead used a blade to wedge it out... I indeed had prepared a trap for you, if you made contact with the thorn :evil laughter:

This is probably the end of the travelling arc.
I'll let you get another post in about how you react to all the craziness here, and whatever else you like
My next post will be a time skip of some amount of days, and will show you finally arriving at Ghanbar!

I look forward to the future of your story!

Li Hua was pale and shaking by the time this was resolved. One look at the fireplace, and another at what was left of her beautiful copper knife told her just how close she'd come to dying. This was perhaps as terrifying in it's own way as the run in with the God. What was it that was attracting all this magical attention? And what if she'd not had the knife?

She did though have a good feeling as she began to gather herself together. Sure her knife was gone, but it had saved her from death or worse... and what more could you possibly ask from a possession? The beast was still here. And even though it was terrifying in it's own way, after what she'd been through (twice now) somehow that wasn't nearly as bad as it might have been.

Perhaps the path of wisdom was to say 'goodbye' to the beast, but it was clearly intelligent. "I accept your kind offer Xiang Di" she said naming the beast after a slang mixture of 'brother' and 'big wild beast'. "I am glad to have been able to help you" which was actually true even though it had come at a huge emotional cost "Let us travel together for a little while"

Like Xiang Di she really wanted to get away from here. The fire pit was now not a place of safety: far from it.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:56, Sat 06 Apr.

Though it didn't seem wise, it turned out to be the right choice.
Zhao Li Hua made shockingly good time. "Xiang Di", as she had taken to calling the beast, could really run.

Perhaps she even let out a whoop or two of enjoyment as the beast ran at a great speed through the plains. The creature did not seem to tire, either.

It could run for up to eight hours a day, and it was twice as fast as her horses!

As it ran, the surrounding wildlife would flee. While they camped, none would dare approach.

The best privilege, perhaps, was that the beast even went hunting, and it always brought back fresh meat to share with Li Hua. She obviously had to cook it, but the creature was very generous with the portions it gave her, giving the size differential between them. It was honestly a bit of a gentle giant. The fresh cooked meat was much preferable to the rations she had packed.

---

Thus, it only took three days to cross the rest of the wilderness.

Soon, a small town can be seen in the distance.

The beast stops on the edge of civilization. It gives her a meaningful look, and Zhao Li Hua feels like it is saying it's farewells. She has the impression she has gotten good at reading the beast's emotions and thoughts (however primitive they may be) after their days of travel together.

Although they had been forced to put the one horse out of its misery back at the campsite of the fateful encounter, everything since then had been a blessed journey. Even the weather had been pretty decent.

Now, though, it is time to say goodbye. Perhaps Li Hua recalls the ancient phrase, "Life is as full of greetings as it is farewells" said to have originated as far back as 100 DW in the Kri Tan calendar.

Li Hua also knows by now the different calendar used in the west. They measure based off the founding of the Republuc of Sedoria, rather than the First Divine War that was limited to her homeland. The current year is 412 AR (in the west) which corresponds to 336 DW in the eastern calendar.

Once she is ready to continue her journey, Li Hua makes her way to the small Ghanbaran town.

(--> Benashter)

It was with regret that Li Hua said goodbye to 'Big Brother'. She gave the beast a hug as it made it's farewells. They'd been through something close to 'hell' together, and she'd really enjoyed the beast's company. She did have to wonder what to do about her trade goods, but they were well wrapped and it probably wasn't going to be too hard to hire some people to carry them.

(--> Benashter)