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 Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2020 3:55 pm
The whole party had booked it out of the Forest of Faces, and Ralir had followed along happily enough then. But as he'd run - the heavy weight of a rat pup (of all things!) strung across his shoulder, and the heavier weight of the discoveries they'd made lingering in his mind - he'd felt hesitant.
He didn't disagree with what the party had done. As Father had always taught him, noulicorns needed a bottom line. Even if those crystalline beasts - whatever they were - were native to Vykeli, it didn't make sense to sit there and let them do - do - whatever they were doing to Wanderlust and the party they'd gathered. But something about the tree's purported mission seemed wrong. How could noulicorns be Vykeli's healers if the things that'd come before objected to them so strongly? How did those strange blue crystals resonate more with dire rats - obvious invaders - than they did with noulicorns? And what was Ralir supposed to do about any of it?
In times of trouble, he'd always been taught to look to the grandfather tree. He'd only been there once, but of course he remembered the way, and once it became clear that they'd run far from those beasts he'd walked quietly up to Viltalta and Wanderlust and told them that he wanted to make a detour to the tree. He had needed its solace, he had explained.
In all honesty, he asked only because they were in charge. But everyone was safe now, and parts of the party were splitting off, too. His journey to the tree was sedate and lonely, and he had no companion but his thoughts and the occasional gurgle of the rat he'd carried through the Barrens for so long.
At the foot of the tree, he looked up and meditated. He had come a long way to get here, and the rat he carried grew heavier and plumper by the day. He and it were sustained on the dried herbs he'd packed for a journey which he'd expected would take months, and each night he prayed that it would understand everything he'd done, even in taking it from its den. For the tree, he made a quiet confession, murmuring aloud all the doubts he'd had.
The tree doesn't talk, Father had always said. You cannot expect it to answer. Ralir, though, expected it to hear.
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:21 pm
Grandfather tree sways toward Ralir as they approach, as if in recognition. The ground around its roots hums with ancient power.
Choose one of the following prompts for Ralir's dream vision.
Quote: Many fear what the Others have left behind. Their buildings and their books contain treasures and horrors in equal measure. You find yourself inside on the habitation units abandoned by the Others, surrounded by winding hallways devoid of light. Will you try to find a way out or go deeper in the hunt for knowledge?
Quote: You find yourself in your childhood home, a foal once again. Even though you know this is only a vision, you have free reign to do anything you’d please while you’re in the dreamscape. How do you spend your time? Do you try to fix something from your past, relive joys, or visit with someone who has since passed on?
Quote: During times of famine, a good leader helps their community survive. Grandfather tree shows you a Homewood where everything has stopped growing and food is scarce. What do you do?
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ll Grandfather Tree ll Vice Captain
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