• Closed • [Haven] Visions & Volcanoes

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 19 Ashan

It was a typical morning in Haven. Ashan was beginning to warm a bit and although the burnt-orange sand beaches of Faldrass were warm on her feet, the air was still a bit chilly. The young mage couldn’t put her finger on what it was about the island that made her feel so…at peace. Putting it into words was something Elisabeth was having difficulty with…and she never had difficulty with words. Curiosity, yes. Words no.

It had begun the first time she stepped foot on Faldrass – Cylus Dusk. There was something about the island that called to her. A feeling of…serenity, perhaps? Something she had so rarely felt in the arcs previous. When she had learned that Balthazar had been asked to lead a settlement on the island, gratitude had filled her, feeling like she had been given a gift.

Then Almund happened.

Focus on the positive, Elisabeth. They were there now. They were together. That was what was important. They were helping people and being productive.

Just having finished her meditation, the young woman quickly moved back to the tent she shared with Balthazar, organizing a few things and slipping her boots on before setting out to see what he was up to. Along the way, she stopped in to talk to a few of the settlers, checking in and making sure things were alright. Every trial, she tried to make connections with at least a few people, seeing if there was anything she could do.

Catching sight of Balthazar’s shadow through the maze of structures, Elisabeth craned her neck a bit and caught sight of the man, talking to Balder. Just as she started to make her way in that direction, a voice called out from the opposite direction, near the beach. “Ship!!”

Turning, the raven-haired mage caught sight of a ship in the distance. It wasn’t unusual to see ships passing…but this one was too close to the island to be a coincidence - they were about to have company. Arching her eyebrow gently, she slowly began heading towards the beach.

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Kura looked over the railing to the small settlement of Haven. She'd been getting regular reports from both Haven and Hopetoun, though she was getting the feeling that the people of Haven were rather divided about her at the moment. She had no doubt that Balthazar's magic had been helpful to the people there, and she had known that when she made her decision. She hadn't let it affect her decision since such a crutch had a more likely chance of hobbling the settlers in the long, especially if Balthazar's apparent deterioration had continued. If they'd become dependent on his magic and he had decided up and run off on his own again, they'd have been very thoroughly screwed.

Granted, she admitted to herself, it was a touch hypocritical for a Mortalborn to be critical of special powers, but she rarely used the vast majority of her powers. And even then, power without restraint or moderation was a foolish thing indeed. Then, as the ship pulled up to Haven and Kura was called to leave the ship, she shook her head and put thoughts of Balthazar out of her head. He wasn't why she was here today, after all. So she followed the bosun off the ship and onto the shores of Haven, Cally following behind her. Once there, she nodded to the people who had gathered, then spied her target. "Cally, nose about and see what the people here need most. Focus on agriculture in particular. Huntin' and importin' food is all well and good, but our people here will need to start growin' stuff soon, and that takes set up." she said. The ghost nodded and headed off into the crowd while Kura walked up to Elisabeth.

"You're lookin' well, Miss Angelus." she said, nodding to the woman. "I'm here about the letter you sent me. We should go somewhere private to be discussin' it, though, I think." she said, her tone poltie but firm.

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 19 Ashan

The ship wasn’t recognizable to Elisabeth but then again, she was new to Scalvoris. The two off-duty Elements strode towards the water, which should have been a clue to Elisabeth as to who their visitor would be. It wasn’t until she saw her form, however, that the young mage knew it to be the Albarech.

Her mind whirled, wondering why Kura would be visiting. Was she checking up on Balthazar? Was something wrong? A mild panic rose, each reason for visiting more fantastical than the last. Were they going to take him away again? Elisabeth remained calm on the outside but unfortunately, she couldn’t control the whirlwind going on in her mind.

Sapphire eyes landed on Kura as she approached. A genuine smile was offered in greeting. “A pleasure, Albarech. Welcome to Haven. I hope you are well?”

Elisabeth saw Balder out of the corner of her eye, watching him sprint off. She knew exactly where he was going as well. The guards were well trained, and it wasn’t as if Balthazar wasn’t going to figure out Kura was in the settlement. At that point, it would be up to him what to do.

When Kura mentioned the letter, relief flooded her insides. Of course. She had almost forgotten about the letter and oddly enough, she had new information to add. Nodding her understanding, she gestured towards Serendity Garden, leading the Albarech in that direction. As they moved off, the crowd dispersed behind them, leaving them to speak on their own, plus any personnel Kura might have with her. Speaking softly, Elisabeth informed Kura of something she didn’t know yet. “I’m glad you are here. I had another episode, just yestertrial. “

Serenity Garden was a brief walk, on the edge of the settlement. As they entered, one would notice the tall trees, benches and beautiful flowers. There was no one else seemingly within the garden. Oddly enough, there never was when Elisabeth visited but she had never thought much of it. Most of the settlers seemed uninterested in the beautiful setting but for her, it was a place of peace. Something worth protecting.

Motioning to a bench, she smiled. “Please…”

Taking a seat on the bench, she absentmindedly played with the silver ring on her finger, waiting to see what questions Kura had for her.

[Vega]

Vega was more than a little bit grumpy.

This was not unusual for Faldrun's daughter, but she was specifically grouchy to-trial. The heat of her father's curse was irritating her, she was feeling irked because she was awake and - mostly - she could not be bothered with this. Whatever this was. Still, she'd got a notice from one of the Elements, and then she'd been told where to go. Serenity Garden. That did not sound like the kind of place where Vega felt comfortable. Gardens, for one, were false illusions of controlling nature - something which Vega objected to on a fundamental level. And that was long, long before she got to any notions of serenity.

Serenity and Vega Creede were not on speaking terms at the moment.

Still, she was here and she would behave herself. Play nicely, and all that. She had no idea why she was here, and it had taken a boat ride around the island and then a rather significant stomp about with a frown on her face and here she was. The Element who had told her that she needed to be here at this time and place had offered to escort her and she had let out a humourless bark of laughter. "What for?" Vega asked. "You gonna help me find my way? Or help me survive in the wilderness, or, hang on?" She considered it and then asked again, "are you honestly thinkin' you're protectin' me? Cos frankly, in all of those you'll be less use to me than a wart. An' I've got zero use for a wart. So, do us both a favour an' run along back to yer job, an' don't irritate me more than you have to by jus' livin', would you?"

As she spotted Elisabeth - the woman she'd met before when they went to the Umbral Caverns and she'd been there as a researcher - and Kura, Vega breathed in. Elisabeth was someone Vega had met, but Kura was something else. In fairness, Kura was the reason that Vega was irritated. Or, so she told herself. In truth she was hot and felt a bit nauseous; it was a more than common thing for her - but she hadn't felt sea-sick for a lot of arcs. Still, it was what it was. Last time she'd seen Kura, Vega had been in the Scalvoris Docks when they collapsed and she'd burned to death. If Kura was here, they'd have to talk about it, or they'd have to acknowledge it. Or something. Vega didn't really know how to deal with it, because Kura had seen her vulnerable. More vulnerable - and more angry - than Vega had been before that. So yes. She was grumpy.

So, the redhead stomped towards the pair who seemed to be getting themselves settled on a bench. Kura might be expecting her to arrive with an escort, Vega realised, but she walked up to them alone and with a definite air of stomping in a grumpy fashion. She was wearing a long green dress and had a shawl which she held wrapped around her. There was a sword at her waist, and a fiddle the other side. At her back, there was a bow. Vega's hair was loose and she looked at the two of them. "Wotcha," she said, with a moderately irritated expression on her face. "I know you both. You both know me. I've jus' been fightin' in a war for over an arc an' I'm tryin' to get myself some quiet time. But, apparently, you two lovely ladies can't manage serenity without me. So, I have jus' the one question. Why am I here?" She considered for a moment and then added. "No, actually, I've got two. Why am I here an' what's the issues goin' on here?"

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Kura nodded at Elisabeth when the other woman greeted her and gave a slight smile. "I'm doin' all right, all things considered." she said, before explaining why she was there. She followed Elisabeth to a quiet little garden that was quite nice all things considered. However, Kura was more interested in Elisabeht's second vision. When they sat, Kura leaned forward. "I've invited someone else to join us, someone who can, I believe, help shed light on these visions. Originally, I was worried she wouldn't be able to make it, since she works for the Lightnin' Knights, but as luck would have it, she's already on Faldrass." she said, before looking up as a red-headed woman approached and started talking.

Kura had met Vega before, and she was easy to recognize. They didn't know each other super well, but they weren't generally at odds with each other either. When she asked her questions, Kura nodded. "Two questions with one answer, for the time bein'. Miss Angelus here has been havin' visions, and you're in them. This bein' Scalvoris, where the weird is frankly startin' to become expected, I'm inclined to believe their important to what's going on as a whole. As to that, we woke up an Induk here recently, a volcano spirit, and that seems to have set off somethin' of a chain reaction of weirdness. There's also a bit of a war on, but nothin' like that siege over in Rharne. Just a crime-lord with a bit of power and delusions of sovereignty, who managed to finagle himself a prison fortress." she said, shrugging. "At least, so far as I'm aware at this moment. Could be he's got somethin' dangerous down there, but we'll have to deal with that as it comes."

Then she turned to Elisabeth. "Miss Angelus, as Vega is rather relevant to the vision you wrote to me about, could you repeat it for her? And describe the second vision as well. It could be that the second provides answers to the first, and regardless it'll be best to look at them as a whole, rather than seperately." she said, her tone calm. As she spoke, Speck settled on the bench next to her and Kura reached out to stroke the owls feathers.

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 19 Ashan

As Kura began to explain about the third person, someone from the Lightening Knights, Elisabeth’s mind raced. Vivian, maybe? Varlum? For all her powers of observation, Elisabeth could be dense at times, really. Turning her head as she heard another approach, she thought it would be Balthazar or one of the guards, delivering a message. But no…it was the woman she had seen in her visions – Vega.

Rising, Elisabeth’s eyes widened. Truthfully, she had worried about the redhead, not understanding the visions gifted to her. To have her there, eased her heart and mind more than she could express. Vega was safe.

Before she could greet her, Vega asked why she had been summoned. It was an appropriate question… and one that Elisabeth allowed the Albarech to answer. Kura got to the point quickly, asking her to retell the tale of the first vision and apprise them of the second. Nodding her head gently to Kura, she turned to give Vega a smile, speaking softly. “It’s good to see you, Vega. I’m glad you are safe. I was worried.” The young woman worried that she was being a bit silly again, but she felt relieved that Vega was unharmed, and that Kura was taking what she had seen seriously. Elisabeth was worried about Faldrass and had been unable to find any answers. Kura's comment about war did nothing to ease that concern.

Offering her seat on the bench to Vega, Elisabeth moved a few steps away and turned to face both, focusing her attention on the first vision...but not before noticing the adorable owl next to the Albarech. Where had it come from?

“The first vision was a bit more involved really. There was fire, everywhere. There was a mountain split down the middle and two people, one of which was you, Vega. I saw a glow coming out of a rift in the mountain, like fire possibly and then a figure lifted out of the rift, made of fire...and all three descended into the rift.

There was also a voice that said… 'I can only guarantee safe passage to the Heart for the Death Forged.’ I then saw a cavern with a single, large rose on a vine curled up over a massive glowing crystal. There were thorned vines at the base that radiated into the lava and glowed orange as if absorbing the lava and spreading it throughout the vines.

Finally, a campsite with boulders and a fire. Two figures were there. One I recognized as Xiur. I did not recognize the second.”

Taking a bit of a breath, Elisabeth remembered her letter to the Albarech. She had mentioned some information that she had found in the Smooglenuff books…but Kura hadn’t said anything about her repeating that, so the young woman left it be for the moment, returning her attention to the visions.

“The second one happened just last night. It was a bit more intense than the first. Happened in the same manner – during meditation. I saw Vega and the same man from the first vision, but they seemed like they were someplace else. On a mountain someplace. Not Faldrass. Certainly not Faldrass. It looked like the same scenery from before, but the perspective was shifted. That’s how I could tell it wasn’t Faldrass. And as before, the glowing rift opened. That's when I realized it was the same location. But then the scene shifted to someplace else.

There was a structure. A large structure…like a two-story house or….no….Inn, perhaps? Something of that nature. On fire and the death of a young man.

This time, the fire in the vision was bright and brilliant, almost as if I were on fire. The scene shifted and showed the same place but a new structure, like the old one. And Vega was there…again.”

Looking at the Albarech, Elisabeth gave a small smile. “I apologize. I made a mistake with the first vision and what I told you about it. I assumed because I saw fire and lava that it was Faldrass. The second vision corrected me. I realized when I saw the environment again that it was not Faldrass. I don’t know where it was though.”

She may not have known, but she had a feeling Vega did.

Addressing Kura again, Elisabeth toyed with the silver ring on her hand, needing to convey something to her in the spirit of openness. She would never lie to the Albarech, only wishing to help. Giving her a smile, she spoke again.

"Balthazar knows everything I've just told you. I felt it important, as leader of Haven, that he knows, in case Faldrass or Haven were in danger. I'm not the leader of Haven. If something comes up in this conversation that has to do with Haven and its well-being, I respectfully ask that Balthazar be asked to join us as he is tasked with ensuring the safety of everyone here."

[Vega]

Vega smiled slightly at Kura, and then Elisabeth. Kura nodded back and then Elisabeth said that she'd been worried about her. That caused a single eyebrow to raise. But, Vega kept quiet and listened. Elisabeth was having visions and Vega was in them? Kura was brief in her assessment of what was going on, and she was clear. That worked for Vega. She listened to the visions that Elisabeth was having and Vega's eyes swirled in fast-moving colours, mingling and mixing. For a moment, she was quiet. Then, she lifted her head.

"Schnizzle my snoot," she said. But, in typical Vega fashion, she addressed the last point Elisabeth made first. She spoke to the two of them. "If whatever's goin' on here is only impactin' this place," she said, gesturing to the area they were. "Then that would be reasonable. The Death Forged is not Faldrass. It's the whole island" She frowned, and sighed. "If you want to let people know, I'd suggest you pull in Saoire an' Darius an' the other Barons, too. It's much bigger'n Faldrass though. An' if your crime-lord might be involved, he's tappin' into a lot of power." Lets go somewhere quiet, Vega, Arlo had said. Bloody hell.

"A'right" Vega said. "I'll tell you what those visions are about an', if you want," she said to Kura. "I'll introduce you to someone who was there." Vega sighed, slightly, and then sat on the floor. "I was in the Order of the Adunih, in ScalvTown," she explained. "It were Cylus, in arc 718. An orphan kid had gone missin'," she said. "Ser Danzek, he were pretendin' to be a knight, he'd gone to 'slay the fire demon' accordin' to his friend, a kid called Zanadika who was there. So, I went lookin' for him." Vega shrugged slightly.

"I followed his tracks, an' found an' Inn. The one you saw," Vega said to Elisabeth. "I guess, anyhow. Burned down. He'd gone in there, I tracked him. But all that were there was this molten rose. Like, the metal were normal metal, but the flower it was glowin'." She shrugged slightly, like it was an important, if irritating detail. "Then, the place started burnin' around me an' this person formed out of fire. Pure fire, he was. An' he told me I have to get out." Vega looked at Kura then. "This were before the Docks." Vega figured Kura would know that this was important, and why. Fire didn't bother her as much, back then. "An' I told the fire dude to jog on. I needed to save the kid an' he could help or get lost. Then, the fire dude talked about the," she frowned slightly, remembering. When she closed her eyes she could still smell the place. "The Prince of Eternal Mercies. He killed someone there, in that Inn." Looking between the two of them, Vega spoke earnestly. "It's important that you understand this. Really understand it. The fire-bloke was like a mish-mash of every person that it had killed. It were some kind of fire spirit, I think, but every soul that had died, it had consumed them. So, it had a jazillion different personalities, an' a jazillion more voices. That's important."

It was. It was important for the ending. "Then, the fire-bloke said that Ser Danzek had tried to kill it, an' failed. Then, in a different voice said I had to escape, but then turned into this avriel-lookin' winged nasty fire dude, an' the whole burned out Inn reformed, but it was fire, an' smoke. So, I hit the molten rose with my sword." She'd been so very afraid. She couldn't breathe, the fire had been all around her. "It were annoyin' me, for one, an' I figured it might be controllin' the fire. So, I hit it." She smiled slightly, then shrugged. "It was like hittin' a wall of iron. My sword was stuck there, somehow, an' the fire-dude walked over to me. As he walked, he were different forms, constantly shiftin' an' changin', an' then he was the Avriel again, an' he pointed at the rose an' said 'Burn'. Jus' that. One word." She pulled the sword she had with her, and laid it down on the ground, gesturing for either or both of them to have a look. "It were that sword. It turned molten, an' then so did my hand an' my arm, an' then I passed out." Vega smiled. "An' it were inside me then. All the voices, all the people. The kid, it wanted to kill the kid so bad."

Vega looked down at her hand, which she then held out, palm upward. On it was a scar in the perfect shape of a roseMod description: an impossibly ornate rose. "It was strong, so strong in my head," she said. Lifting her gaze, she looked at Kura and then Elisabeth. "It told me that I would burn the boy, consume him. That I was them, now, that I was it. An' I heard them in my head. There were so many voices. Hundreds, maybe thousands. An' every one of them had died in fire." She smiled at Kura, then. "When I burned alive, in the docks, I recognised the feelin'. They'd all done it. Every one." Vega sighed slightly, then carried on. "It started then. The draw, almost impossible to resist, to go an' find the boy. To kill him. To burn him." Literal embers started to spark off Vega as she spoke, and she stood up. No longer willing to sit, she stood and spoke. "An' all these voices tellin' me every fear, every insecurity I'd ever had. Tauntin' an' pokin' an' tryin' to break me." She shook her head. "Idiots. Anyhow, then I heard another voice. A kind one. A nice man, the Prince of Eternal Mercies killed him. He saved a baby in that fire. An' he told me that I could quiet the voices a while. But then, they jus' kept shoutin' over him."

Picking up her sword, Vega spoke calmly. "I'm gonna show you what was happenin', nothin' for you to worry about," she said. And, holding her sword, the blade turned into molten lava. The heat emanating from it was incredible. She did that, then stopped it and it was once again a sword. "Whenever I picked up a blade, or a weapon, the weapon an' my hand, then arm, did that. I never let it get beyond my elbow." She'd known what would happen if she did. But just so that they knew. "I knew that if I let it, it would reach my heart an' I'd be gone." Vega sighed, slightly. "An' the voices were constant. Every fear, every insecurity, an' pushin' me always to go an' find that boy. I wanted to, I really did. Jus' to shut them up." She wasn't ashamed to admit that. Because that was just what she had felt. Vega very much believed that you judged someone by what they did.

"So, I left." Vega grinned slightly, but her eyes were serious. "I'm tellin' you this so you understand why." She lifted up her hand, showing her wrist. "Arlo made me this,". On it was a braided leather band style bracelet. Woven into the band were stones; the largest of them was a large faceted mystic topaz which shone in a range of colours as it caught the light. Fixed into the braid were six brilliant blue zircon stones on either side. "He made it for my birth-trial, in 717. I have never celebrated it, because it was the trial my mama died. But, on that trial, Xiur marked me an' Arlo made me this." She showed the small area of the mystic topaz that was burned, slightly charred. "He got it out of the docks for me. Re-made it. Reforged, I suppose." She shook her head then. "I don't care about things, not at all, never have. But this is the most important thing I have." She was quiet a moment, then took a drink from a hipflask she had in her pocket. "I went back to our boat, an' I left it on the table. I couldn't write to him, because I hadn't learnt to read by then. But I knew he'd know. I left that, an' I went up the Scalvoris Mountains." Smiling at Elisabeth, she shrugged. "I reckon you saw me there. I figured, it were Cylus an' it could freeze Treid's todger righ' off. So, I weren't around people an' I weren't likely to burn anythin'." She paused, then, and glanced at them.

"Both still with me?" It was a straightforward and linear story, but just in case. Once they'd both acknowledged they were, or they had asked any questions, Vega carried on.

"I were up the mountains four trials. I couldn't sleep an' the voices were jus' constant. I couldn't control them. I couldn't hunt, because every time I lifted a weapon, I started turnin' into lava-lassie, an' I couldn't eat anythin' because I couldn't prepare it, skinnin' requires weapons. Even a bread knife did it." She shook her head. "I knew that either I'd get it under control, or I'd die. Those were my two options, an' I was fine with that. But then, Arlo arrived." She rolled her eyes and did her best not to appear deeply in love. "Cassion had pulled him in for some thing they did. Cassion's Gambit. Anyhow, he dropped him back home. An' for Arlo, home is where I am. So he turned up an' he wouldn't go away." Of course. She smiled. "So, he hunted an' cooked, an' I tried to control the lava. He protected my sleep, too, stopped me from burnin' in it, so I slept. Three trials later, I were feelin' much better. An', then, I heard the voices say it was comin', an' I felt my soul burn. Nothin' has ever hurt more, before or after, not even bein' burnt alive. It roared through me, an' all of me turned molten within a trill."

She looked at Elisabeth, and she smiled. "That's when the mountain ripped in two. The whole mountain were shakin', an' the nice guy, he said 'it's time', in my head. An' then, risin' out of the steps were a fire creature. I called him Chuckles" She looked down at her hand, at the scar. "An' he said that the Death Forged had to go down there. An' then it threatened Arlo. An' I realised." She sighed. She didn't want to tell them this. But if it was important, if it could save someone, somehow. "I realised that it needed me to give in to it. It couldn't force me, I had to join it. That was why it was showin' me my fears. So, I told it that it was both of us, or neither. The ghost of a man who'd died in the Darbyton Derby" - Kura had been there, Vega recalled - "he helped us, an' he helped Arlo get down there. It would have melted him to nothin' in a heartbeat, if not. Jus' the heat."

But Chuckles had agreed, Vega said. "An' Chuckles said that line you heard. So, we went down, an' down, into the Heart of Scalv." And there, they had fought. "There was a rose, jus' like the one in the Inn but about fifty times bigger," She sat again, a frown on her face. "The Death Forged Rose, it were restricting this crystal, an' the crystal was flames. It's the ScalvFlame," she said. "We fought Wilma the Wonder Weed, an' we killed it. It released the hold it had on the ScalvFlame." Ironically, since the battle itself had been so epic, she summed it up quickly. They fought, they won, Wilma snuffed it. "Arlo touched a snowcrystal to the molten rose I called Wilma an' eventually, it spread out an' Wilma turned to ice." She shrugged slightly. "An' Chuckles an' the other fire elementals, they protected the ScalvFlame, but all the voices in my head, they saw that we were winnin', an' they helped. In the final reckonin', they helped." Sitting, Vega fiddled with the bracelet she had shown them earlier. "An' then, we left an' on the way down we met Xiur an' Cassion." Vega pulled her dress open slightly and on her chest was the pulsing heart of Daia's mark, but it was the heart of a beautiful glowing dragon made from what seemed like stars. To anyone who knew, the intricacy of that mark told just how blessed by Xiur she was. "Arlo is Cassion marked. I'm Xiur. I guess that's why the two of them were there." Of course, Cassion was also her father-in-law, but that wasn't hers to tell.

"Deep down there, there's the Heart of Scalv. An', so Chuckles tells me, it isn't until balance is restored that it'll be safe there again. It's lava down there, but it's more than that. It's like the flame what burned was ice, too, an' it was earth, an' it was air. But all flame. I dunno, I'm not the best with words." She smiled, sadly. "That crystal flame. It's... well. It's the ScalvFlame." Sitting up, Vega turned her gaze to Kura, and she spoke seemingly to the Albarech alone. "I've burned an' bled for this place. You know that. An' I trust you to be doin' the same. So. I'll do two things. First one, I'll tell you what they said to us, when it was over."

"They said, "We are the protectors of this crystal. It is older than all of us. Older than those whose marks you carry. We don't even know what it does, what it is. Just that it is important. We were created to protect it, and had it not been for you, we would've failed entirely. We owe you an unpayable debt. Both of you,." they said." The words were etched into her mind, the moment vivid. "An' then, " We will rebuild the temple, replenish our forces." an' then they asked me to help one of them. " Vega smiled softly. "Chuckles, as I called him. He's here, with me, but he's a bein' made of fire. He's protected the ScalvFlame for thousands of arcs, or however long. If it's in danger, he'll want to help you."

Vega smiled softly. "If it's involvin' that place, I think you should meet him. But he protects me, an' I'll need to persuade him to go with you." She shrugged slightly. "An' that's the second thing I'll do, if you want, that is. Because I can't. I can't help you." She turned an earnest gaze to them. "I'm pregnant. An' I'm not riskin' my baby. But Chuckles will help, I'm sure, if I ask him to an' you want me to. Either way, I imagine you've got questions." And then, she lapsed into silence and waited to hear them.

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Kura listened quietly as Elisabeth went over the visions, deciding to wait for Vega's explanation of her part in events before asking questions. At Elisabeth's suggestion about Balthazar, she shook her head as Vega spoke, then followed up. "If it only impacted Haven, I would do so. However, that likelihood is small. Even if it's just Faldrass, I'd have to call in him, the barons, and Saoire into a meetin'. If it's the whole of Scalvoris, then decisions will fall to me and the rest of the council. Either way, that'll be decided after we hear Vega's part of the story." she said, her tone calm.

Then Vega started to unfold the story of the Death Forged, and it was quite a tale. Even by Scalvoris standards there was a whole lot of weirdness going on with that. Kura remained silent throughout, quietly petting Speck, and when Vega's story was done, she remained quiet a bit longer, thinking. Finally, once she had her thoughts in order, she spoke. "At the time, I assumed that fire spirit to be Faldrass or an aspect of him. When we freed Faldrass, though, he had no memory of you. This explains that disconnect quite well." she said, her voice musing. "And he said he was not the only one of his kind here on Scalvoris. I suspect I know where the others are, but if they can be reached is another matter entirely." she said, before she shook herself slightly.

"There's no immediate danger to Faldrass, miss Angelus, but if you could inform Balthazar of Vega's explanation of the visions, I'm sure he'll appreciate it. I'll be returnin' to Scalvoris proper to set things in motion or I'd do it myself." she said, seeming to come back to her more usual manner. "But your visions say a lot. A crystal older than the Immortals is a powerful thing indeed, and it bein' so out of balance would go a long way to explainin' the natural weirdness that occurs here." she said, before looking at Vega. "I would like to meet Chuckles. I can't say for sure that what is goin' on is a direct threat to his crystal, but with this place's luck, I wouldn't be surprised. Plus I may be able to help bring it to balance." she said, her tone showing a calm she did not quite feel, because she wasn't at all sure she'd be able to be of any help for the crystal, but she'd certainly try.

"And no, I'll not be havin' you risk your wee one. As for questions, I've got a few. Do you know, roughly, where underneath Scalvoris this crystal is? And for that matter, what happened to all those burnt people that were havin' themselves a ride in your head? Or where Wilma the Wonder Weed came from?" she asked, her tone carrying a note of intent to those questions, showing she wasn't just being curious. "Finally, this crystal. Was it all these elements at once, or did it change between them?"

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 19 Ashan

Both women addressed her comment about including Balthazar quickly, and both pointed out that more wide-ranging issues would require informing not only him but others. That was fine, but from her limited perspective, she really did not understand how far the impact of what was going on reached. That would come after listening to Vega and Kura speak. The young mage did not like that she was part of the meeting and Balthazar was not, but it was out of her hands for the time being. All she could do is listen.

Once it appeared that Vega was going to tell the story of the visions, Elisabeth reached into her cloak pocket, pulling out a small notebook and writing utensil that was used when taking notes around the settlement. It generally contained gibberish and scribbles only Elisabeth could decipher but on that trial, it would be where she wrote the information told to her.

The first note was “WHAT is Death Forged?”. That had been tripping Elisabeth up since hearing the term. She knew Balthazar and Kura were Fire Forged. Was it simply another thing? The first place her mind always went was it being something for people that had died and come back to life. Personally, she only knew one such person, but it was not entirely impossible that Vega also had done the same at some point.

Vega filled in details that Elisabeth had not seen with the raven- haired woman scribbling quickly to keep up. “Prince of Eternal Mercies.”She then showed them what she was capable of with the sword and fire, explaining the challenge that had been presented in controlling the fire.

Elisabeth nodded to Vega when she smiled at her, remarking that the young mage had probably seen her up in the Scalvoris Mountains. She had…although it had taken the second vision to realize that is where she had been for both visions. It was good confirmation though that at least she had interpreted some of the things she had been shown correctly.

Thus far, Elisabeth did not have any questions that couldn’t wait until the end, so she nodded again, continuing to write the details that mattered.

It was then that they got to the heart of the visions. Vega mentioned Arlo – she assumed that was her husband whom she had seen with Vega in the visions – and that he had arrived where she was. The redhead stated plainly that home for Arlo was where Vega was…which was a sentiment Elisabeth could relate to. She had come to a remarkably similar conclusion on the trial of the first vision regarding Balthazar.

ScalvFlame. That was the first time she had heard that term before. The mention of fire elementals was also new. Elisabeth had seen…something, but she hadn’t known exactly how to interpret it – Vega clarified that. There seemed to be pieces of the puzzle that Kura would understand better than her. In fact, probably most. Elisabeth had simply been the messenger but now that Vega was imparting the larger story, there would be nothing for her to add.

Vega spoke directly to Kura and while Elisabeth listened, she didn’t interrupt. She was beginning to understand the larger scope of what was happening and needed a few bits to try and make sense of it all. The news of Vega’s pregnancy brought a smile to Elisabeth’s face, but she said nothing, not wishing to intrude. She would remember to congratulate the redhead after the meeting.

Elisabeth waited until Vega was done answering Kura’s questions before she spoke her own. She didn’t really know if it was her place though but she figured one of them would tell her if that was the case. She had already spoken out of turn with Kura once in her life – Elisabeth didn’t want to pull on that string again if she could help it.

“Excuse me, Vega…you said that there's the Heart of Scalvoris. “

Looking at both women with an apologetic smile, she continued. “I’m sorry. I’m not going to be able to lay this out very efficiently. I am still trying to put pieces together.”

Returning her attention to Vega but glancing at Kura occasionally because it was only proper to do so – she knew a lot and maybe could shed light where the other two couldn’t. “But you mentioned fire and earth and air…but surrounded by flame. After I had the first vision, as Kura knows, I researched a bit in books that were written by Baron Smooglenuff. He talked about the “Heart of Scalvoris" - in the Scalvoris Mountains. He described a legend where there were the "Quintessentials". Five essentials - or five elements. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and the Heart which binds them. He believed the "essence of Faldrass" was the Heart of Scalvoris. The last thing he mentioned was how the head of the Faldrass volcano runs beneath the ground and warms the earth in Scalvoris Town.” Kura had not mentioned anything about that piece of information she had uncovered so the young mage thought it best to put it in the light and see if either of them had anything to say about it.

“I got confused when Balthazar said he had been in the Heart here on Faldrass, and then to realize that Vega had been there in the Scalvoris Mountains. But maybe it is just a play on words? Vega’s description and experience seem to indicate ‘the heart that binds’ them, the entrance at least in in the Scalvoris Mountains. Faldrass, Fire. So Air, Earth, Water are still unknown. The ScalvFlame is in the Heart. Faldrass the Induk – Fire – was awoken. Are there other Induks where Air, Earth and Water are?"

[Vega]

When Kura spoke of her assumption and how Faldrass had not known Vega, the red head nodded. "I've been meanin' to go pay my respects, an' offer my sword an' fiddle to him. An', of course, my charmin' personality." she grinned at that. "We're livin' on Faldrass for at least until the baby comes, so I figure." She grinned. "I can't help myself, it seems." She gestured to Hopetoun, in the direction of there. "I'm protectin' that place, an' I reckon that might count for somethin'. What do you reckon?"

First, Kura asked her some questions. Vega nodded her head. "I know exactly where it is, not roughly. I were up that mountain four trials before Arlo rocked up. Arlo was up there with me another four trials. I know exactly where it were, an' how far down it was." She smiled. "I can show you on a map if you want." Vega was used to charts and maps and navigating. When Kura went on to ask her what happened to the people, Vega looked at her and her eyes swirled. "They're gone," she said, softly. "They're gone. I don't know if Pier an' Pre judged them, or if they went on where they were supposed to. I don't know. But I reckon that's what's they were doin', you know. All the people who died in fire, they fed Wilma. An' that's what the asshats at the docks were feedin', or thought they were."

Vega shrugged. Where had it come from? "I don't know. Not for sure. But, those Fire Masks, those men what chained us up an' were sacrificin' us to the four elements? I reckon they were feedin' Wilma. Or thought they were. An' that's why burnin' me alive didn't work." Vega shrugged slightly. Then, she glanced at Elisabeth. "I mentioned the dragged through the earth an' burned alive to you in the Umbral Caverns when I told you why I'm twitchy about earth an' bein' buried. I didn't mention that Kura was there, but she was."

Thoughts collided in Vega's head then, as to where Wilma had come from. "It were a rose, a flower, it grows. I reckon it's natural, somehow. Maybe it's a weed. Growin' out of imbalance or somethin'? I dunno." But as for the crystal? Vega grinned. "It were more than jus' all the elements. It were all of them an' what holds them together. I don't know how else to say it." She shrugged slightly. "Whatever makes my eyes do what they do, the ScalvFlame is like that. All the colours, sometimes more one colour than another, an' they're always changin' but they're always all of me, an' all of my emotions. It's like that."

Elisabeth had things to say, then, and Vega listened. Baron Smooglenuff spoke about things and told of legends. Vega gave a slight shrug. "I guess when you're talkin' about legends, like he was, you're likely to come across stuff what contradicts." She wasn't sure if that was the question Elisabeth was asking, so she unpicked it a bit more. "So, Balthazar has been to the Heart of Faldrass, yeah? An' I've been to the ScalvHart. They're different places, if one's in Faldrass, because the place I was in wasn't." She shrugged slightly. "I reackon, there's a heart of Ishallr, too. Arlo an' I have been there together. Arlo's been there, too, with Cassion," she said to them both. "An' there's these statues an' these ice wolves. An' these deer. The statues are important, too. "

Vega grinned. "Look out, there's a story comin'." She smiled. "Arlo an' I saw a lot of things in Ishallr. We saw the statues, an' I tell you..." She frowned suddenly. "It's like the ice jus' took them. Suddenly. They're so damn perfect, those statues, you know? No tool marks, nothin'. People dancin', bowls of food an' each pea is individual, but it's all ice." She frowned thoughtfully. "An' when Arlo an' Cassion went there, they fought a flame wolf too an' Cassion told him...."

She paused, thinking about what Arlo had told her. "He said that the wolves used to walk on Scalvoris. That they stopped doin' that when the statues were made. He said that they were sacrificed." Vega looked at Kura and Elisabeth, and her eyes swirled colours. "The fire to forge the ice. There were four. One for each Element." She raised an eyebrow. "That's what Cassion said to Arlo. In..." Vega shook her head then.

"In Cylus. 718." She looked at Kura. "I asked you to introduce me to Faldrass. An' I'd like to join, I would, but I'll help Faldrass whether I'm a member or not, an' frankly, I reckon I jus' realised something. I reckon you should take the time to take Arlo down there. Cassion did this with him before. He did it for a reason." She looked at Kura, her eyes determined. To Elisabeth, she said. "I reckon, there mus' be Earth an' Air somewhere. An' it'll be somewhere on Scalv. Maybe you could find that out."

She wanted to get involved, she did. But, Vega knew better. And - in this instance - Cassion had been getting Arlo ready. So maybe, Vega figured, that was her job.

For future reference:
The thread with Arlo & Cassion
Arlo & Vega