A serene pool in the center of a cavern

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A comforting feeling of privacy pervades the area. A still, shallow pool fills the very center of the great cavern, rippling and shimmering with reflected light; tiny silver shapes dart and flicker within it, likely carried into the warm depths by the trickles of water spilling down from the forest above. Thick, verdant mosses line the pool's edges, accompanied by the occasional riot of bright, flowering growth, and the air is full of the quiet, echoing noise of shifting water. The cavern stretches away in all directions, the dark stone of its walls and floor lit fitfully by natural radiance from above, or the flickering orange glow of numerous braziers. Sand and gravel are scattered across the cave, shifting quietly underfoot. A sigil in the shape of a small, rectangular monolith is on the ground. Oranis overlooks the tranquil pool here, his quarterstaff clutched firmly in hand.  The rippling of the pool sends splashes of fragmented light playing across the cavern walls.

You see exits leading north, east, south, and west.

Kjarni arrives from the south.

Kjarni raises his staff before him in wordless greeting with the soft clatter of bone.

You raise your staff in wordless greeting to Kjarni with the soft clatter of bone upon wood.

You tell Arbre, “You will be accompanying us, love?”

Macian enters from the south, riding a grey mule.

He is followed by a raven spirit.

Macian raises his staff before him in wordless greeting with the soft clatter of bone.

You raise your staff in wordless greeting to Macian with the soft clatter of bone upon wood.

Arbre tells you, "I will... come... Make them.. leave me.. be.. Please...."

You tell Arbre Aquila, Wolf of the Praadi, "Make who?"

Arbre tells you, "When they ask."

Lips pursing as he leans against his quarterstaff, you say, "We are going to perform a ritual to pay homage to the Lord Hunt."

Auspice Kjarni says, "Excellent."

 (Shamans): You say, "Kheoss, Leana, Corabb, are you three in the middle of something?"

You tell Arbre Aquila, Wolf of the Praadi, "You're not quite making any sense."

Arbre tells you, "Wait."

Having greeted Kjarni and you Macian makes his way to the edge of the pool, where he sits, crosslegged, on a smooth rock. He places his staff across his knees and watches with a contented smile.

(Shamans): Leana says, "What's up?"

Allowing a slow exhalation of breath to escape his lips, you say, "We are waiting yet for the Hand. I do not believe the other two are going to c-."

Kheoss arrives from the south.

He is followed by a spider spirit.

A cloaked figure raises his staff before him in wordless greeting with the soft clatter of bone.

Kjarni raises his staff in wordless greeting to a cloaked figure with the soft clatter of bone upon wood.

(Shamans): You say, "We're going to be performing a ritual within the guildhall. I would appreciate it if you would accompany us."

(Shamans): Leana says, "Oh?"

(Shamans): You say, "No, I made it up in its entirety."

(Shamans): You say, "Yes."

Leana arrives from the south.

Kjarni smirks.

Kjarni raises his staff in wordless greeting to Leana with the soft clatter of bone upon wood.

Leana raises her staff before her in wordless greeting with the soft clatter of bone.

You tell Arbre Aquila, Wolf of the Praadi, "I do believe you are the only person we await. No pressure."

Arbre tells you, "Coming."

Leana removes a weeping mask of crudely carved bone.

Looking up, Macian Amaratha says to you, "I believe Corabb may have just woken up."

You have emoted: Aldric's eyebrows raise towards Macian as he speaks before offering a brief nod.

You tell Corabb, Disciple of the Heartwood, "We are going to be gathering within the guild hall to perform a ritual, if you'd like to join."

Arbre arrives from the south.

Leana raises her staff in wordless greeting to Arbre with the soft clatter of bone upon wood.

Leana ponders Arbre's profile, deep in consideration.

Arbre steps immediately up to your side. Her face is red and splotchy and her body shakes slightly: it's clear she's been crying and she's even now struggling to stop.

You have emoted: "Corabb seems to be in somewhat of a daze," Aldric announces as he offers those assembled a rather pleased-looking nod, gaze lingering upon Arbre for but a moment extra with a look of subtle concern. "Nonetheless," he announces.

Leana's eyes widen as she looks to Arbre, "Maybe," she says to the general assembly, "We postpone a short while while we collect the rest?"

Kjarni rests his gaze upon Arbre, trying to catch her eye with a worried glance.

You have emoted: "It is up to you, Hand," Aldric says almost hesitantly as he turns his focus to Arbre.

"He is the only one missing, yes?" Arbre says, her voice choked as she wipes at her face again.

You nod your head at Arbre.

Macian frowns, and levers himself from the ground with his staff, "It seems like we are only waiting on Corabb. We can't wait on everyone." he says, idly spinning in staff in small circles. He frowns at Arbre for a moment, and asks bluntly, "What is the matter?"

"Then go. He is not even Pra-" Arbre cuts off, coughing a few times before continuing, "not even Praadi yet. If we linger, people will leave." It's clear that she's doing everything she can to speak in a confident manner, ignoring her own tears.

Leana slinks herself closer to Macian, leaning in to murmur something.

Leana murmurs something softly to Macian.

You have emoted: Aldric offers Arbre a slow nod, though concern is clearly written upon the Azudim's countenance. Despite such, he returns his attention to the gathered Shamans as he begins to slowly pace around the cavern. "We are gathered to pay homage to the Lord Hunter in a ritual," he says. "We are suffused by His power in the blessing He so generously gifts us with, and it is through knowledge of His tenets that each of us continue to remain the hunter, rather than the prey."

A cloaked figure nods his head at you.

Macian looks confused for a few seconds, and then shrugs at Leana.

Macian murmurs something softly to Leana.

Comprehension flashes across Leana's face.

You have emoted: Aldric approaches the corner of the cavern where the corpse of a great white stag lies limp - the creature appears to have been killed quickly, a single bloody gash upon its neck evidence of such.  Pulling it towards the center he announces, "If you would all please gather in a circle."

The deepening dusk yields to impenetrable darkness as night claims the land.

Leana's staff lightly taps upon the ground as she makes her way to an open space.

Kjarni steps back and into alignment with the emerging circle, sure to position himself next to Arbre.

Arbre steps forward obediently, keeping herself between Kjarni and you. She pointedly ignores Macian and Leana's whispering, coughing a few more times and wiping at her face as her tears seem to slow to a stop.

A cloaked figure moves into position within the circle.

Kheoss deftly lowers the hood of a cloak of obscurity, revealing his identity.

Macian opens his mouth, then closes it quickly as you finishes speaking and makes his way slowly toward the center of the cavern. Stopping a few feet from the stag, he looks intently at the dead creature for a moment, then nods, once, before looking up at the roughly forming circle.

You have emoted: Aldric withdraws a small pouch from his pack, then approaches the outside of the circle. "A circle of ground bone dust will represent the deepness of the bond we share as Shamans," the Azudim explains as he slowly traces the outside of the circle, sprinkling some of the dust behind the feet of those present. "Our service supersedes what is only visible upon the surface."

A sleek orange carp flickers through the depths of the pond, stirring the sand with the sweeping of its tail.

You have emoted: Aldric then produces a wooden bowl from his pack, which he empties the remnants of the ground bone dust into. Approaching the carcass within the center of the cavern, he slides an obsidian dagger from his weaponbelt which he uses to make an incision within the felled beast's neck, producing blood which he collects within the bowl.

Macian's eyes flick toward the pond as he is momentarily distracted by the movement of the fish within, but he quickly turns his attention back to the gathered circle, looking around it slowly as if taking in each face.

Arbre wipes at her face one last time and takes a deep breath, her attention focused entirely on you, her eyes a bit dull.

Leana's lips stretch wider as she watches the process, focused upon the spilling blood.

Kheoss is enveloped in translucent fire for a moment and is gone, his soul safe until he returns to Aetolia.

You have emoted: Content with the bowl's contents, Aldric rises with it and begins to now walk amongst the inside of the circle, gradually presenting the bowl to each Shaman present. "Dip both your pointer and middle finger within this bowl," the Azudim instructs. "For the blood upon your hands will symbolize the sheer necessity of it in what we do. Our path is not a clean one devoid of such," he somberly explains.

Kjarni extends his hand towards the bowl, immersing the two fingers within.

Arbre reaches out in mimicry of Kjarni, turning her fingers in the bowls as if she's going to scoop something out of it.

Leana makes no hesitation as her long fingers dip into the bowl, turning them slightly as she removes them so they are coated amply.

Shifting his staff to his left hand Macian places his right in the bowl, the blood covering the palms of his two fingers.

Withdrawing his hand, Macian gazes at the blood coating his fingers, and then looks to you for further guidance.

You have emoted: Offering Macian a nod, Aldric returns to the center of the circle beside the corpse.  "We will merge these symbols that represent us, with words that represent Him," he proclaims. "Mirror my movements, then chant the same chant I do."

You have emoted: Aldric raises his two fingers to hover over the top of his forehead, then makes contact with the skin beneath. He drags his fingers down towards his brow, leaving a vertical marking with the blood.

You chant, "In Defiance."

Kjarni marks his brow with a vertical line, mimicking you. "In Defiance," he chants.

Leana repeats the vertical mark down her forehead haphazardly as the blood continues to drip down the bridge of her nose, "In Defiance," she chants.

"In Defiance," Arbre mimics, drawing the line down her forehead. Where the blood crosses her divine tattooing, it doesn't stick, the line sliced apart by the lava-like lines.

Mimicking Aldric, Macian smears two messy lines of blood down his forehead, chanting, "In Defiance."

Glancing skywards, you say, "We serve You, Lord Hunter, in Defiance. We recognize the fact that the boundary between predator and prey is a thin one, but we fight to remain vigilant so that we may maintain claim upon our position as the former."

You have emoted: Raising his fingers to his left cheek, Aldric makes a horizontal line now.

You chant, "In Severity."

Mimicking, Arbre draws the line, the same split happening with her tattoos. "In Severity."

Kjarni mimicks you, drawing his fingers across his left cheek in a line. "In Severity."

Leana swipes her blood-covered fingers along her left cheek, just below the eye, "In Severity," she chants.

Macian draws his fingers across his cheek, leaving two lines of blood, "In Severity".

Gazing intently upon those gathered, you say, "We serve You, Lord Hunter, in Severity. What we do is done quickly, efficiently. Prey felled for our own goals will be done in a manner that elicits little suffering, for it is the accomplishment of our goals that matters most. Time will not be wasted."

You have emoted: Aldric raises his fingers to make one last, horizontal marking upon his right cheek as he gazes upon those present.

You chant, "In Destruction."

Kjarni marks his right cheek. "In Destruction."

Arbre Aquila, Wolf of the Praadi says, "In Destruction."

Leana mirrors the stroke to her right cheek, "In Destruction," she chants.

Macian marks a single crooked line of blood on his right cheek, "In Severity" he intones.

Macian coughs hastily, and blushes bright red, "Destruction.”

Arbre cuts her eyes over to Macian and her lips twitch, the first sign of happiness she's shown.

Seemingly overlooking Macian's slip, you say, "We serve You, Lord Hunter, in Destruction. We acknowledge that death and loss are a part of the Rhythm, a necessary one at that. We will not be impeded by it, but rather acknowledge it as a tool to allow life to continue to flourish as it does."

A spectral shape moves beneath the surface of the water before quickly vanishing from sight.

Macian scowls at Arbre for a moment, still red, then turns his gaze back to you, the faintest self-conscious smile crossing his lips for a fraction of a second.

Solemnly, you say, "Join hands."

Arbre reaches out, grasping Kjarni's and holding her other open for you.

Kjarni takes Arbre's hand, and the hand of the Praadi on his other side.

Leana lets her staff fall to her chest as she extends her hands outward for those to take.

You have emoted: Aldric wraps his hand around Arbre's tightly, if not comfortingly, his other hand reaching for Macian's.

Macian slides his staff into a loop on his back, and grasps the hands of those who stand next to him.

 A sleek orange carp performs a circuit of a shimmering pool of water, darting through the crystalline water.

You chant, "In Defiance, Severity, and Destruction do we serve You, Lord Hunter. We are grateful for Your presence and the power you instill within us. Through blood and bone we solemnly swear it."

Arbre Aquila, Wolf of the Praadi chants, "In Defiance, Severity, and Destruction do we serve You, Lord Hunter. We are grateful for Your presence and the power you instill within us. Through blood and bone we solemnly swear it."

Auspice Kjarni chants, "In Defiance, Severity, and Destruction do we serve You, Lord Hunter. We are grateful for Your presence and the power you instill within us. Through blood and bone we solemnly swear it."

A strange and somewhat melancholic look crossing his face, Macian Amaratha says, "In Defiance, Severity, and Destruction do we serve You, Lord Hunter. We are grateful for Your presence and the power you instill within us. Through blood and bone we solemnly swear it."

Leana chants, "In Defiance, Severity, and Destruction do we serve You, Lord Hunter. We are grateful for Your presence and the power you instill within us. Through blood and bone we solemnly swear it."

You have emoted: Aldric's lips seem to break into a content smile as he nods his head. "Excellent work," he says as he releases Macian's hand, but not Arbre's. "Very good job."

/fin