As soon as the Shield slid into place, the woman's eyes opened wide from shock in her face, which was covered by tattoos coming up from the back of the neck, under her ears and onto her face, where it spread like blossoms on her cheeks. However, as soon as she recognized the Chosen's face, she dropped to her knees and prostrated herself, her wide silk dress pooling around her.
'Well done, my pet,' Moghedien spoke softly. She moved around the strange room, glancing out a window to see the Ayyad village life.
'Tell me, why has the stream of imported slaves almost dried up?' she asked in a soft tone. Too soft.
The woman on the ground started yammering, how the Sea Folk woman was bringing people, but far too few were apparently willing to travel with the Sea Folk. Especially the insignificant types whose disappearance would arouse no suspicion.
Moghedien knelt down and cupped the woman's chin. 'Shush. You will increase your efforts. Send raiding parties if you must. Take whomever, regardless of station. You will not disappoint me again.'
The threat hung in the air as she stepped through the Gateway.
~@~
Seana stood peering up at the snow-capped mountains of the southern Spine. She had left the Stedding less than a week ago, searching for the Dreamspike that had appeared in this area. She could see the purple dome covering the land in the World of Dreams and even found the approximate location of the object in her dreams, but she knew enough that an item like this and its use was rare and likely the work of one of the Shadowsouled. It was likely, it would be surrounded by wards and potentially traps. Finding where it was hidden had been a monumental task, given the lay of the land. While not as desolate as the Waste, this was a land of plenty in comparison, the rocky crags and sharp escarpments made combing the area a tedious task. It was easy to get turned around between the cliffs and ravines. It had taken her a long time to reach the area once the dome had been discovered, walking from the Waste to here. She had stood at the foot of a towering cliff that could not be traversed, looking up, knowing she was tantalizingly close, but so faraway.
She had retreated a bit, finding water and sustenance a few miles off and lay down to sleep in order to reach out to the other Dreamwalkers. The three women were talking as she appeared in the dream. She explained that she had found the location, deep in the southern Spine, but that given the terrain, she would need help. Either to traverse the cliff and uncover the object in person, or to undo the traps in the Dream.
Sleeping as she was, she never saw the strangely dressed men creeping up to her camp. A thud to the side of her head pulled her from the dream, leaving behind the three other Dreamwalkers.
~@~
'Do you know how rare Dreamwalkers are, Rhuarc? Four of us. Four! Among all the clans! Wise Ones do not fear death, but these Wetlanders clearly do not follow ji'e'toh. Enslaving a Wise One!'
'Peace, Melaine.'
The woman's eyebrow shot up dangerously and Rhuarc made a soothing gesture.
'I will send volunteers to the Wetlander cities and the Spine to see if they can track who took her. You and the other Dreamwalkers find out what you can about where she is being held. When we know where she is, we will take her back and show these goat-kissing fools the magnitude of their error.'
How things came to be...
Re: How things came to be...
For relevant backstories, see:
Lokras and the strange shifts in the World of Dreams and the start of the final iteration of the now defunct Darkfriend system:
viewtopic.php?f=112&t=18680
The Sharan involvement:
viewtopic.php?f=112&t=18944
There's also something about Aiel venturing west, but I couldn't find a post about that. Anyway, there's Aiel west of Jangai that weren't there before.
This is an attempt to combine the Darkfriend/ Moghedien/ Dreamspike/ Shara storylines along with the Aiel thing and work towards a resolution.
Lokras and the strange shifts in the World of Dreams and the start of the final iteration of the now defunct Darkfriend system:
viewtopic.php?f=112&t=18680
The Sharan involvement:
viewtopic.php?f=112&t=18944
There's also something about Aiel venturing west, but I couldn't find a post about that. Anyway, there's Aiel west of Jangai that weren't there before.
This is an attempt to combine the Darkfriend/ Moghedien/ Dreamspike/ Shara storylines along with the Aiel thing and work towards a resolution.
Re: How things came to be...
Tariq Ibrahim surveyed his little cave. His time in the Termool had been hard and this area overlooking the so-called Drowned Lands was positively lush in comparison. He put up his feet as someone tended the fire nearby, the food almost ready. Tomorrow, they would begin scouting and planning their raids.
Re: How things came to be...
Tariq toyed with the throwing knife the brightly clad man had thrown at him right before he was overwhelmed. By his garb, this person was clearly not a hunter. Tariq chuckled. If only he could make him keep his mouth shut, though. The man kept singing incessantly and they could not keep knocking him unconscious.
~@~
Somewhere in Tear, a gleewoman called 'Bertrand?' and when no answer came, she repeated 'BERTRAND! Get your behind out of bed. You need to pick up those supplies!' When no answer came again, she looked into Bertrand's chambers to find them empty. Clearly he had left already.
Two days later, she decided enough was enough. Her network of gleemen had come up with nothing, except that he had left the east gate and he had not been seen since.
~@~
Somewhere in Tear, a gleewoman called 'Bertrand?' and when no answer came, she repeated 'BERTRAND! Get your behind out of bed. You need to pick up those supplies!' When no answer came again, she looked into Bertrand's chambers to find them empty. Clearly he had left already.
Two days later, she decided enough was enough. Her network of gleemen had come up with nothing, except that he had left the east gate and he had not been seen since.
Re: How things came to be...
Tariq felt at the throat of his soldier. The man was sporting a solid head wound after being slammed in the head by the scrappy blacksmith, but he was alive, at least. He would surely be less tolerant of the singing captive now, Tariq mused.
Their newest captive had been driving a wagon full of well-crafted armor around the Drowned Lands. A blacksmith for the Mayeners. A very fortunate find. A slave with skills like that would fetch a good price. This master Talhar might even be allowed to keep his own name.
Their newest captive had been driving a wagon full of well-crafted armor around the Drowned Lands. A blacksmith for the Mayeners. A very fortunate find. A slave with skills like that would fetch a good price. This master Talhar might even be allowed to keep his own name.
Re: How things came to be...
Tariq sniffed the contents of the phial that had come into his possession. A faint aroma of tea, along with something pleasantly pungeant wafted up from it.
'Do you have anything that kills a man's voice?' one of his men asked while clutching his head as another captive burst into song.
'I am a Healer, I am not in the business of harming people,' Guenna said, rubbing her arms. 'I'm also not aware of any herb or potion with that ability.'
Tariq took note of the order of her answer. She refused first, before saying such a thing did not exist. The woman's stash and knowledge would be worthwhile, though.
'Do you have anything that kills a man's voice?' one of his men asked while clutching his head as another captive burst into song.
'I am a Healer, I am not in the business of harming people,' Guenna said, rubbing her arms. 'I'm also not aware of any herb or potion with that ability.'
Tariq took note of the order of her answer. She refused first, before saying such a thing did not exist. The woman's stash and knowledge would be worthwhile, though.
Re: How things came to be...
Somewhere, far to the east of the Mayene peninsula, a walled port city in Shara burned. After the disturbance at the slave cells and the liberation of several exotic Westlanders, the local slaves had revolted, setting fire to parts of the city.
In Mayene, Bertain Galenne demanded speaking to the Sea Folk captain and told her that any Sea Folk ship taking or bringing anything but goods from Shara would no longer be allowed to berth in Mayene.
Master Talhar embraced his wife and children. Bertrand sang for whomever wanted to hear. Mother Guenna forsook her healthy potions for once and downed some cider, and then another.
In a bedroom, an Aiel Wise One removed a blanket from the bed and spread it on the floor. Laying down on top of it, she closed her eyes and calmed her mind, reaching out to her fellow Dreamers far away. She knew the location of the Dreamspike and shared the view of the cliff she had seen, impossible to scale, and discussed how a force could reach on top of it, without the ability of weaves and without the aid of Wetlander Dreamers, as they had none.
In Mayene, Bertain Galenne demanded speaking to the Sea Folk captain and told her that any Sea Folk ship taking or bringing anything but goods from Shara would no longer be allowed to berth in Mayene.
Master Talhar embraced his wife and children. Bertrand sang for whomever wanted to hear. Mother Guenna forsook her healthy potions for once and downed some cider, and then another.
In a bedroom, an Aiel Wise One removed a blanket from the bed and spread it on the floor. Laying down on top of it, she closed her eyes and calmed her mind, reaching out to her fellow Dreamers far away. She knew the location of the Dreamspike and shared the view of the cliff she had seen, impossible to scale, and discussed how a force could reach on top of it, without the ability of weaves and without the aid of Wetlander Dreamers, as they had none.
Re: How things came to be...
The aft cabin of the massive raker spanned the bredth of the vessel, its glass panelled windows looking out over a moonlit ocean. Inside, a lantern hanging from the ceiling cast a wavering light as the ship rode the waves. Nesta din Reas Two Moons, the Mistress of the Ships of the Atha'an Miere was speaking with her Master of the Blades. Together, the leader of the Atha'an Miere and the highest ranking man, tasked with trade and security, they were discussing how to respond to a situation involving a Sailmistress, the Mayeners and the Sharans, of all people. The Sharans!
Trade with Shara was nothing new to the Atha'an Miere. Their silks, gems and ivory fetched great prices in the ports along the Sea of Storms and the Aryth Ocean. However, the Sharans had refused to allow passengers off their ships and thus they had refused the Gift of Passage to and from Shara for as long as their collective memory went back. It was not a place for the foolhardy. Even as Sea Folk, it was easy to fall afoul of the Sharans and their society was built on slavery. A foreigner incurring a debt could easily find themselves covered in tattoos and taken as a slave. The thought of being taken and never sailing the ocean again made her queasy. And the worst of it was, that once a slave, there was no going back. The ones with the most power in Shara, had the fewest tattoos. Any fall from grace was permanent, with no way to regain standing. A dangerous place.
And now a Sailmistress had offered the Gift of Passage to hapless passengers to this place? Some had made it back, thank the Creator, but others had not. Rumors in ports on the Sea of Storms spoke of a darkfriend plot to traffic people to Shara, to cause chaos. That sounded exactly like something the Father of Storms and his servants would do.
The Master of the Blades pointed out that their ability to enter ports and conduct trades anywhere along the Sea of Storms or the Aryth Ocean hinged entirely on their reputation. Sure, they could negotiate a tough deal, but the Atha'an Miere were not in the business to con people. The livelihood of everyone aboard the many ships in the Twelve greater clans and the many lesser could be affected by this miss-step. Their entire way of life at risk because of this foolish woman thinking it would be a source of pride that she was allowed to bring passengers!
After going back and forth over the events and their implications, her Master of the Blades leaned back in his chair and finally spoke.
'If there were darkfriends involved, they must have learned about us from up close. Not as mere recipients of the Gift of Passage and spending a short amount of time amongst us. We must have been observed at length to know how to manipulate the pride in clans, our ships. There is only one place where that could have happened: on the islands, where foreigners are free to visit. Where they can live among those of us who aren't currently on ships and who may be speaking a bit too longingly of being on the waters.
We should bar access to the islands, at least for a time.'
The Master of the Blades' word on security was as good as law. Nesta din Reas Two Moons nodded.
'It will be so. Light send this storm will pass, soon.'
Over the next few days, as time permits, the Island of Tremalking will be closed. The portal stone, ship, port and rent will remain ingame, but cut off from the island. They are likely to be connected elsewhere at some point.
Trade with Shara was nothing new to the Atha'an Miere. Their silks, gems and ivory fetched great prices in the ports along the Sea of Storms and the Aryth Ocean. However, the Sharans had refused to allow passengers off their ships and thus they had refused the Gift of Passage to and from Shara for as long as their collective memory went back. It was not a place for the foolhardy. Even as Sea Folk, it was easy to fall afoul of the Sharans and their society was built on slavery. A foreigner incurring a debt could easily find themselves covered in tattoos and taken as a slave. The thought of being taken and never sailing the ocean again made her queasy. And the worst of it was, that once a slave, there was no going back. The ones with the most power in Shara, had the fewest tattoos. Any fall from grace was permanent, with no way to regain standing. A dangerous place.
And now a Sailmistress had offered the Gift of Passage to hapless passengers to this place? Some had made it back, thank the Creator, but others had not. Rumors in ports on the Sea of Storms spoke of a darkfriend plot to traffic people to Shara, to cause chaos. That sounded exactly like something the Father of Storms and his servants would do.
The Master of the Blades pointed out that their ability to enter ports and conduct trades anywhere along the Sea of Storms or the Aryth Ocean hinged entirely on their reputation. Sure, they could negotiate a tough deal, but the Atha'an Miere were not in the business to con people. The livelihood of everyone aboard the many ships in the Twelve greater clans and the many lesser could be affected by this miss-step. Their entire way of life at risk because of this foolish woman thinking it would be a source of pride that she was allowed to bring passengers!
After going back and forth over the events and their implications, her Master of the Blades leaned back in his chair and finally spoke.
'If there were darkfriends involved, they must have learned about us from up close. Not as mere recipients of the Gift of Passage and spending a short amount of time amongst us. We must have been observed at length to know how to manipulate the pride in clans, our ships. There is only one place where that could have happened: on the islands, where foreigners are free to visit. Where they can live among those of us who aren't currently on ships and who may be speaking a bit too longingly of being on the waters.
We should bar access to the islands, at least for a time.'
The Master of the Blades' word on security was as good as law. Nesta din Reas Two Moons nodded.
'It will be so. Light send this storm will pass, soon.'
Over the next few days, as time permits, the Island of Tremalking will be closed. The portal stone, ship, port and rent will remain ingame, but cut off from the island. They are likely to be connected elsewhere at some point.