Omen Special: The search for Radag'hén
Apr. 29th, 2012 11:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
janestarzTo see is to know, to know is to act, to act is to change...
Friday
They were a motley group gathering at the Mayaranti camp that evening. Four Mayaranti, four Eventyr and three Anarquendor sat around the candles that were flickering in the breeze. Wolf had been the one to call on them, hoping they would join his hopeless mission. Or so it seemed to captain Beridanwen; to her it seemed likely the mission would fail.
Lyavanna had been the one to caution them, in a clear voice, stressing the importance of what they could and could not do. Their path would lead to the Lifeweb, where the lifelines of all living beings were the fabric of reality. It was hard to imagine how it would look, or what could happen there. Lyavanna was trying to warn everyone: even touching the lifelines could be disaster to the person whose life it was. Weapons would be of little use, and there was but little chance they could actually get onto the lifeweb, but she must warn them before they went.
Beriadanwen was unsure why they had all signed up for this mission. Wolf was adamant to return Radag'hén, the Anarquendor seeress, that had departed to live with the Timefauns on the lifeweb. Beriadanwen had encouraged Radag'hén to pay the price she had agreed upon, and would not force Radag'hén to return with them, or even encourage her to try. Beriadanwen was quite sure there was no going back for Radag'hén, but not because she didn't want the old elf back at her side. Being one of the beings safeguarding the Lifeweb would change Radag'hén, and in the cryptic riddles of the faun who had taken her, she was sure that the old Radag'hén was gone.
No, Beriadanwen had chosen to go along because both Arevalo and Lyavanna would go also. She was protective of the elves of the Anarquendor, and would try and protect them, all the while realising that it was more likely Lyavanna would protect her more than the other way around.
While they had been gathered around the candles and were discussing the coming mission, someone approached them. Arevalo touched Beriadanwen's arm and told her that is was a creature of Rystill. It spoke in riddles, a prophecy of things to come. When it was finished, it asked them if they had heard and understood. When it was clear that not all of them had, he repeated the message. "It starts with mountains shaking..."
Slowly, they followed the being out of the village. Wolf was anxious, ready to start on their mission, but as Lyavanna had pointed out earlier, one could not just step onto the Lifeweb easily. When the spirit sighed after a second telling of his prophecy, and chose to rest, Wolf found traces of Radag'hén's scent. Although he was adamant, and pointed out signs during their long trek through the woods, Beriadanwen could not find any trace of her, nor any tracks except those of animals.
They met several beings among the way, even barbarians and inquisitors of the Order of the Hammer, but their path did not cross Radag'hén's yet. Instead, others seemed to be pulled towards another destination. Orothan thought he saw his brother Leander, and Beriadanwen was sure she heard the voice of an Anarquendor calling to her in pain. She was ready to leave the rest behind, but Arevalo stopped her. "Sumolan will take care of them while you are here."
Most of the evening they walked through the forest, following Wolf's scent. By the time they reached a satyr's campfire especially Wolf's nerves were frazzled. The satyrs invited them to join their fire and tell stories so the moon would come up, but Wolf was too nervous at first to stop for a while. In the end, they joined the fire for a while. A human there asked them to trade their stories for answers. If one would tell a story, they could ask a question and he would answer it. Several told a stories, including Lyavanna, who graciously passed on her right to a question and an answer to another. And finally, finally the man said that to find the Lifeweb, they would need to walk in his footsteps.
He led the group into the forest, all except Orothan who had disappeared earlier. After another long walk, they saw Orothan again. He was kneeling in front of a web of lines, that looked inexplicably intricate. When asked what he was doing, he replied that he had found his line, and that of his brother, but they did not cross again. He was holding onto the two lines, and was pondering aloud that perhaps he should tie them together himself.
Lyavanna and the others tried to convince him that that would be a very bad idea, but Orothan didn't seem to listen. Beriadanwen hung back, as the discussion raged on, with Orothan and others, until Lyavanna cried out in pain. From beyond the web a knife had sliced through the lines, and someone looking very much like a younger Radag'hén was tearing it apart. Several people beyond the web were tearing the lines apart now, with their hands, and one pulled Arevalo through the web. As Beriadanwen helped Lyavanna to her feet, the latter was pulled towards the gap in the web. Together, they stepped through.
Saturday
It was quiet in the forest. Birds sang, humans stayed far, far away, and the trees were humming praise to Rystill. All was perfect, so perfect that Beriadanwen was no longer needed to protect its frail beauty. It was well, and she was happy.
All of a sudden, behind her, she heard the rumbling of earth, and in the distance she saw a flood of lava. While she turned and ran, the animals ran with her, trying to outrun the impossible, to save her life, while behind her the forest was swallowed whole.
A voice spoke while she ran. "Can't you hear the birds singing? Don't you hear them any more?" First from her left, then later from her right. Until the lava swallowed her and she died.
Again she was in the forest, Rystill's garden so perfect, and all was well, the vision forgotten. Until once more the voice spoke as frightened children ran past her. There were dogs baying and rough voices, chasing her once more, calling her a traitor. Arrows flew around her until one found her leg. The voice, a faun she saw now, was next to her. "What are you doing? What are you doing?" It did not understand, as she folded her hands on her head, elbows out. "Can't you hear the birds? Why not? Don't you see?"
An elf bent over her, his face familiar. Her heart seemed to shrink as Captain Fenras bent over her, and called her a traitor. And then all was black once more.
Again, the perfect vision of a forest, the perfect place. As the next doom began to gather, Beriadanwen fell to her knees in a perfect patch of moss, calling on her Goddess. "Hear your servant, show me my path." the words tumbled out. The faun was looking at her, his head tilted to the right. "Can't you hear the birds?"
"Yes." Beriadanwen said. "I hear them." She stumbled to her feet. "There was... a woodpecker."
The faun rapped his flat palm on a tree, mimicking the sound. Beriadanwen faced him, finding again that perfect place. Above her, a great tit flitted from branch to branch. More birds gathered above her, great and small. Birds of prey. They eyed her hungrily, but surely she would be too large to attack?
But attack her they did, and they pecked at her eyes. Beriadanwen tried to protect her head, but she stumbled and fell to her knees.
A female found her with her arm covering her bleeding eyes. "You must come with me. This is a dangerous place, and if you believe - things will happen to you."
Unsure if the woman was real, Beriadanwen reached out, grabbed her shoulder in stead of holding her hand, and followed her. Behind her, the faun was still asking her questions, but she walked away and he was quiet. Blood was streaming from her eyesockets, and they burned like fire. The woman -- Beriadanwen thought her voice sounded familiar -- continued talking. She explained that the visions were not real, and by believing them, they came to pass. "To want is to be able to. Open your eyes, there is nothing wrong with them."
Beriadanwen tried opening her eyes. The light hurt her eyes, but she could see, and blinking, she looked into the face of Serafine Eventyr.
There were five Timefauns, and they were lively. They were not like other fauns in the normal world, but still had some of their characteristics. The one that looked like Radag'hén was more elvish, the ones that looked like fauns moved more like nimble animals, but they had many things in common too. One of the fauns was attacked now that the group knew that willpower was a power to change things, Immanuel had imagined the faun that had taken Radag'hén away was old and feeble. Beriadanwen approached the faun as it fell on the floor, writhing in pain, while others took Immanuel away. "I see you." she said to the faun. One of his eyes, half-obscured by his long mane, focused on her. "I see you like you were in the real world, young and strong." The faun straightened visibly, and strength returned to his limbs.
Beriadanwen turned to the group. "The first one to harm these fauns will have to answer to me!" she shouted. "They are creatures of Rystill too, and they will not be harmed."
One of the others pointed to Wolf. "Would you sleep with an animal next to your bed?" Wolf was sitting next to a women, bathed in blood. There was blood on his claws and snout, and the fauns were raging at him. Wolf denied them, denied their words, and only clung to his stubbornness. Beriadanwen observed, and listened, Lyavanna at her side. "Wolf does not see." Beriadanwen said. "He refuses to choose. And he doesn't accept the consequences of his choices."
Nostra looked at her for a long moment. "You understand it better than I thought."
The fauns were raging at Wolf. "You come here to get one. You will sacrifice the seven to get the one."
The female faun with the white hair pointed at Arevalo. "Three."
The first faun raged on. "One for seven, seven for one. Already two have died. Who is next?!"
The male faun that had been attacked pointed at Beriadanwen. "Six."
Other fauns pointed at others, calling numbers. Sifka, Victor of the Eventyr.
"Make a choice! Who!?" the first faun raged on. "Seven for one!"
Wolf did not see. But others did.
They lined up to a side, the five who had been given a number. Two Eventyr and three Anarquendor. Wolf raged. "Why are you doing this?" He still did not understand. "Why would you give your life? Don't you see I don't want to lose you too?"
Sifka pleaded with Wolf, trying to make him see.
"You would sacrifice seven to save one!" the faun raged. Wolf shook his head, trying to deny what was so inevitably in front of him, and refusing to make a choice.
Beriadanwen whispered to Lyavanna who nodded gravely. Wolf did not see, and Wolf did not learn.
Immanuels first lesson was harder. He had stabbed one of the fauns, who in turn came forward with a weapon. He kneeled for Immanuel, inviting him to strike. But as Immanuel let the axe descend, the faun in front of him changed into Radag'hén. Arevalo whispered softly "They are all one."
Beriadanwen stood ready to attack Immanuel, but in instead sheathed her weapon. When later a faun asked her why, she told him that they were capable of protecting themselves, and that what they did was worse than whatever she could do to Immanuel.
At the Barbarian moot Lyavanna stood behind Krughal of the clan of the Bear, and the Mountain Lion leader spoke. The clan of the Raccoon was there, and Beriadanwen was speaking for the clan of the Spider. Lyavanna took her dagger and when she demanded it back, the small seeres told her there was an assassin. But Beriadanwen was taken over by the vision, and took her dagger back. Lyavanna fell to the ground. The moot continued. When all the clans swore their oaths, the moot dispersed. Arevalo followed the clan leader of the clan of the spiders. He spoke in elvish, which she did not fully understand, but slowly the memories returned and Beriadanwen returned to herself.
Lyavanna was changed, however. She did not remember much about her time in the village and she threw her jewelry away. Arevalo and Beriadanwen spoke with her, telling her about her life, but it was no use. The life line of Lyavanna had been changed, but how to change it back to the way it was before?
Suddenly, an elf appeared at their side. "Pengyll Beriadanwen, come." he said. She sprang to her feet and followed him. They were at the edge of the forest, all the Anarquendor. Sigil and Tegingûr, Arandur and Asterion the druid. She carried the bow of Captain Fenras, who was in front of her, approaching a farmer who was working the soil.
The farmer told them off, telling them to get off his land. To the left, Sigil crouched down and with that wicked smile of his, cut one of the plants with his knife. Fenras tried to reason with the farmer, but suddenly the farmer stabbed him.
Beriadanwen covered the wound, tried to apply pressure, while Fenras gasped for breath. "Don't hurt him." he said. "The man, he did not know."
"No, no, no, captain, stay with us." Beriadanwen said. Blood gushed over her hand from the wound. She turned, called for a healer, knowing they were behind them, in the high grass, near the forest.
Fenras gasped again. His fingers grasped her sleeve. Beriadanwen turned to him again. "Radag'hén had seen it." he said. "Radag'hén had seen it." More blood. A cough racked his body, and slowly Fenras choked. His head rolled towards Beriadanwen, and then he died.
"No, captain, no..." she said, and fumbled at his neck for a pulse.
The other elves were watching her, Sigil and Tegingûr standing near the farmer, who was dying in turn. Beriadanwen looked up at Tegingûr. "He is with Rystill now."
She closed his eyes.
"Avo-dhago hon." she said to Sigil. "Don't kill him."
"He killed one of us!"
"It was Captain Fenras' final command." she said. "Heal the human."
Asterion bent over the farmer and murmured the words. The farmer's shaking subsided, he gasped for air.
"We shall make a litter and carry captain Fenras home. And we will leave this man here." Beriadanwen commanded.
Sigil stood over the farmer, who was too afraid to move. Tegingûr asked her something, and when she turned her head she could see from the corner of her eye that Sigil stabbed the farmer once, as if to avenge his captain.
"And why are you captain now?" Tegingûr asked her.
"Because none of you have taken command." she said. "Because I have, and you have not spoken against it."
She waited for a moment, to see if any would, and then repeated her command. "Gather wood to make a litter."
"The queen must know the treachery of these humans!" Tegingûr said brusquely.
"She will." Beriadanwen said.
Tegingûr and Sigil went into the forest to gather wood with Arandur, and she turned to the human. He was still bleeding, but it didn't appear to be a mortal wound. "Get up;" she said in elvish, and remembered to repeat the command in the human tongue. The farmer got up with some difficulty. "We shall leave. But we shall remember."
As they left, Arevalo walked up to Beriadanwen. "Captain, I have a quiet place in the forest, where you can stay and rest for a while."
"No, Arevalo, we cannot." she replied. The vision was over and she knew exactly what had happened. And she had learned her lesson, the lesson the Lifeweb needed to teach her. "I need to be alone for a little while."
They left her in peace, and Beriadanwen knelt, the bow of Captain Fenras still in her hand, and let the tears wash over her.
She had lived through this moment once before, and perhaps she had always wanted to know. Now she did. The farmer had not shown much warning, and she had been too late once more to save her captain. She had again taken up command. She had done exactly as she had before.
Perhaps that was also what she needed to learn here: to carry the consequences more lightly. It was easy, tempting, to go back to every decision, to question if they were the right ones to make. She had even hinted at it when she spoke with Sifka. "If I were to see all the lifelines that would end at mine, all the death I have caused..."
But Sifka replied kindly: "Perhaps you could also see the life lines of those who are still alive thanks to you."
Lyavanna was still not herself, but she was talking to three people who might have a solution for her. When they left, Lyavanna told them about the solution. "They want the eye of a faun, to restore my life to what it was, to restore me to the Lyavanna you know."
"That price is too high." Beriadanwen said. "I cannot condone that."
Others were speaking, trying to figure out the puzzles the lifeweb gave them. Alanë had run off with a young elf, and the Eventyr were trying to figure out how to disentangle a chest from the lifeweb, a chest that supposedly held the essence of Radag'hén.
Suddenly, Radag'hén was there, walking over the lifeweb that surrounded the chest. "There is not enough time." She said. "You must leave."
Lyavanna spoke to Radag'hén, who seemed to be more like the Radag'hén from before. Another solution was presented: Lyavanna could become one of them in exchange for her old lifeline. She would have one month to say goodbye, but then she would be what Radag'hén had also become.
Neither becoming a Timefaun nor stealing the eye of a faun were viable options, but Arevalo was still trying to figure out if Lyavanna herself could change her lifeline back. "You were one of the most powerful seers I have met. If anyone can do this, it is you." he said.
Lyavanna showed Beriadanwen what should have happened at the barbarian moot. it was different than what she had lived through. When the vision was over, she tried to remember. "You told me there was an assassin. You stole my dagger. I took it back."
Our thoughts were rudely interrupted. Radag'hén was still trying to persuade us to leave, and the woman in black returned. Three had spoken with Lyavanna earlier but she was alone. "Now you have to decide." she told Lyavanna.
She was still trying to figure out how to go back to the vision of the barbarian moot, and did not reply. When the woman insisted, Lyavanna curtly told her that she would not give the eye of the faun.
"Then I shall take it myself." the woman replied.
As she walked away, Beriadanwen drew her bow, Captain Fenras' bow, and loosed an arrow at the woman's back. The arrow flew true, and would have hit the woman in the shoulder or lung, but at the last moment the world twisted around her and the arrow missed.
They ran after her, trying to get to her, but she was somehow faster and suddenly disappeared.
The next thing that happened was that people appeared, screaming loudly.
"Their lifelines are broken." Radag'hén said. "This is what you are doing, by staying here now. You must leave."
Nostra and Lyavanna pointed towards the forest and the group went. One by one, they had visions of what was happening. Some started shouting. "Aras is on fire!" The screaming people tried to get to them, but when they were beaten, they would inevitably get back up.
Beriadanwen had put down Fenras' bow so she could fight, but when the time came to run on, one of the screamers was too close to it.
"The bow!" she screamed. "Arevalo, Wolf, help me."
"Leave it!" shouted Wolf.
"I will not leave it!" she turned to Arevalo. "It is Fenras' bow."
Arevalo distracted the screamers, and Wolf jumped to his aid. It was Arevalo who picked up the bow and returned it to Beriadanwen. More and more visions urged them to haste. Beriadanwen saw the Queen topple from her throne, and she saw the High Commander die suddenly in his garden. She screamed in terror.
At the edge of the forest, they stopped. More people whose lifelines weare tearing loose of the web appeared, and they tried to hasten us to go. Lyavanna was torn, she didn't want to return if it meant being stuck in a life that meant nothing.
"If you stay, you can help the fauns." Beriadanwen said. "If you become one of them, you will share your strength with them. You can set this right, not just your own life line, but those of others too."
Lyavanna thought about it. Beriadanwen called Nostra to help think about the situation, because it was so horribly complicated. Even if she understood some things, she was not a seer. But Nostra was too busy and would not help. Arevalo stood over one of the screamers, and every time it tried to get up, it met half a tree trunk coming the other way in Arevalo's hands.
Finally, Lyavanna had made her decision. When she told Beriadanwen, the tall elf sank to her knees. She pressed Lyavanna's hand against her forehead in thanks.
"I cannot ask you to make this sacrifice." Beriadanwen said. "I came here hoping to protect you, and I never realised this would be the consequence."
"You must go."
The others were already walking, calling back to the three Anarquendor to make haste.
Beriadanwen and Arevalo each hugged Lyavanna in turn, and walked. "Go;" Beriadanwen said. "I will watch our backs."
As they rejoined the others, Lyavanna slowly disappeared between the trees.
Dusk came, and nightfall after. Nostra was still trying to lead them from the web, but it was very hard. He asked the others to tell a story about Lyavanna and Radag'hén, to strengthen them in their task. Each told a story, sometimes about one or the other or both. And when night had fully fallen, they continued their journey only to return to a clearing much like the one they had rested at earlier.
Suddenly Lyavanna appeared in their midst. Her appearance had changed like Radag'hén's, and the mark of the Timefaun was on her. She was clutching another timefaun by the shoulders, blood running down his face from empty eyesockets.
"See? See?" he asked in a quavering voice.
"They took his eyes." Lyavanna said. "There are seeers of Kalithé on the Lifeweb. They came because we did, they followed us here. You must fight them, because they will take our eyes."
"Where are they?" Nostra asked. "Can you tell us?"
"No, you must look for them yourself. Hunt them yourself. If I look, they will take my eyes."
Hunt. Beriadanwen could hunt only if she had arrows. "Remember, to want is to be able to." Lyavanna said.
Nostra tried meditating, tried seeing where the seers of Kalithé were. At some point he forgot what he was doing. Immanuel and Serafine tried to help him, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Beriadanwen stalked around, trying to find tracks that would lead her to their prey. But no tracks nor scent except those of animals crossed their path.
Serafine was afflicted with shaking when she tried seeing, and even when once the seeers they were hunting appeared, they could not harm her at all.
"You're not listening to me!" Lyavanna raged. "Your willpower is a powerful force. To want, to will something, is to be able to. She wanted arrows. She has arrows Are they real?"
"See? Can you see?" the hurt faun asked. Nostra ran away in terror after looking into the empty holes in the faun's head.
The group formed a circle. Even Alanë and Orothan, who were not sure who the rest were anymore. They started chanting, but it seemed to be useless. Beriadanwen fell to her knees, choking, but she didn't let go of the hands of Wolf and Arevalo next to her. Finally, the feeling stopped, and she gasped for air.
Their voices were muted, but they continued, hands clenching, stamping their feet. It didn't seem to help, no matter how loudly they thought of the things they wanted. None of it seemed to work.
Suddenly, someone broke the circle. The chanting stopped.
Nostra and Serafine were looking in horror at something on the ground. "A pit of black, oozing, the black coming towards us." Serafine described it. The lifelines of each had been touched by it. But what it meant, that was unknown.
Finally, finally, after what seemed an age, there was an answer. Radag'hén told them there was enough power left in one junction of the Lifeweb, that they could leave, return to the real world. "Take a lifeline." she said.
With a ringing headache they crashed back to the real world. Beriadanwen's lips were cracked, her throat was parched. But everyone was there.
Even Lyavanna.
"I have one month, so I can say goodbye;" she said.
-----
The Omen special was a great success, even if I had no clue what was going on most of the time. Many praise and thanks to the wonderful GMs and monsters, who each played with gusto. It is not easy to recreate scenes from people's past and backgrounds, but I think you did a marvellous job.
Extra special kudos to Harmen, who was a very convincing and very handsome Captain Fenras. I would follow you anywhere, sir, if only to see you swagger.
Most importantly, I think I got what I was looking for with this special, even if we have no idea what the repercussions will be. Our characters will in some small or large way, be affected by what happened on the Lifeweb. We cannot know what the future will bring.
Because to see is to know, to know is to act, to act is to change...
Friday
They were a motley group gathering at the Mayaranti camp that evening. Four Mayaranti, four Eventyr and three Anarquendor sat around the candles that were flickering in the breeze. Wolf had been the one to call on them, hoping they would join his hopeless mission. Or so it seemed to captain Beridanwen; to her it seemed likely the mission would fail.
Lyavanna had been the one to caution them, in a clear voice, stressing the importance of what they could and could not do. Their path would lead to the Lifeweb, where the lifelines of all living beings were the fabric of reality. It was hard to imagine how it would look, or what could happen there. Lyavanna was trying to warn everyone: even touching the lifelines could be disaster to the person whose life it was. Weapons would be of little use, and there was but little chance they could actually get onto the lifeweb, but she must warn them before they went.
Beriadanwen was unsure why they had all signed up for this mission. Wolf was adamant to return Radag'hén, the Anarquendor seeress, that had departed to live with the Timefauns on the lifeweb. Beriadanwen had encouraged Radag'hén to pay the price she had agreed upon, and would not force Radag'hén to return with them, or even encourage her to try. Beriadanwen was quite sure there was no going back for Radag'hén, but not because she didn't want the old elf back at her side. Being one of the beings safeguarding the Lifeweb would change Radag'hén, and in the cryptic riddles of the faun who had taken her, she was sure that the old Radag'hén was gone.
No, Beriadanwen had chosen to go along because both Arevalo and Lyavanna would go also. She was protective of the elves of the Anarquendor, and would try and protect them, all the while realising that it was more likely Lyavanna would protect her more than the other way around.
While they had been gathered around the candles and were discussing the coming mission, someone approached them. Arevalo touched Beriadanwen's arm and told her that is was a creature of Rystill. It spoke in riddles, a prophecy of things to come. When it was finished, it asked them if they had heard and understood. When it was clear that not all of them had, he repeated the message. "It starts with mountains shaking..."
Slowly, they followed the being out of the village. Wolf was anxious, ready to start on their mission, but as Lyavanna had pointed out earlier, one could not just step onto the Lifeweb easily. When the spirit sighed after a second telling of his prophecy, and chose to rest, Wolf found traces of Radag'hén's scent. Although he was adamant, and pointed out signs during their long trek through the woods, Beriadanwen could not find any trace of her, nor any tracks except those of animals.
They met several beings among the way, even barbarians and inquisitors of the Order of the Hammer, but their path did not cross Radag'hén's yet. Instead, others seemed to be pulled towards another destination. Orothan thought he saw his brother Leander, and Beriadanwen was sure she heard the voice of an Anarquendor calling to her in pain. She was ready to leave the rest behind, but Arevalo stopped her. "Sumolan will take care of them while you are here."
Most of the evening they walked through the forest, following Wolf's scent. By the time they reached a satyr's campfire especially Wolf's nerves were frazzled. The satyrs invited them to join their fire and tell stories so the moon would come up, but Wolf was too nervous at first to stop for a while. In the end, they joined the fire for a while. A human there asked them to trade their stories for answers. If one would tell a story, they could ask a question and he would answer it. Several told a stories, including Lyavanna, who graciously passed on her right to a question and an answer to another. And finally, finally the man said that to find the Lifeweb, they would need to walk in his footsteps.
He led the group into the forest, all except Orothan who had disappeared earlier. After another long walk, they saw Orothan again. He was kneeling in front of a web of lines, that looked inexplicably intricate. When asked what he was doing, he replied that he had found his line, and that of his brother, but they did not cross again. He was holding onto the two lines, and was pondering aloud that perhaps he should tie them together himself.
Lyavanna and the others tried to convince him that that would be a very bad idea, but Orothan didn't seem to listen. Beriadanwen hung back, as the discussion raged on, with Orothan and others, until Lyavanna cried out in pain. From beyond the web a knife had sliced through the lines, and someone looking very much like a younger Radag'hén was tearing it apart. Several people beyond the web were tearing the lines apart now, with their hands, and one pulled Arevalo through the web. As Beriadanwen helped Lyavanna to her feet, the latter was pulled towards the gap in the web. Together, they stepped through.
Saturday
It was quiet in the forest. Birds sang, humans stayed far, far away, and the trees were humming praise to Rystill. All was perfect, so perfect that Beriadanwen was no longer needed to protect its frail beauty. It was well, and she was happy.
All of a sudden, behind her, she heard the rumbling of earth, and in the distance she saw a flood of lava. While she turned and ran, the animals ran with her, trying to outrun the impossible, to save her life, while behind her the forest was swallowed whole.
A voice spoke while she ran. "Can't you hear the birds singing? Don't you hear them any more?" First from her left, then later from her right. Until the lava swallowed her and she died.
Again she was in the forest, Rystill's garden so perfect, and all was well, the vision forgotten. Until once more the voice spoke as frightened children ran past her. There were dogs baying and rough voices, chasing her once more, calling her a traitor. Arrows flew around her until one found her leg. The voice, a faun she saw now, was next to her. "What are you doing? What are you doing?" It did not understand, as she folded her hands on her head, elbows out. "Can't you hear the birds? Why not? Don't you see?"
An elf bent over her, his face familiar. Her heart seemed to shrink as Captain Fenras bent over her, and called her a traitor. And then all was black once more.
Again, the perfect vision of a forest, the perfect place. As the next doom began to gather, Beriadanwen fell to her knees in a perfect patch of moss, calling on her Goddess. "Hear your servant, show me my path." the words tumbled out. The faun was looking at her, his head tilted to the right. "Can't you hear the birds?"
"Yes." Beriadanwen said. "I hear them." She stumbled to her feet. "There was... a woodpecker."
The faun rapped his flat palm on a tree, mimicking the sound. Beriadanwen faced him, finding again that perfect place. Above her, a great tit flitted from branch to branch. More birds gathered above her, great and small. Birds of prey. They eyed her hungrily, but surely she would be too large to attack?
But attack her they did, and they pecked at her eyes. Beriadanwen tried to protect her head, but she stumbled and fell to her knees.
A female found her with her arm covering her bleeding eyes. "You must come with me. This is a dangerous place, and if you believe - things will happen to you."
Unsure if the woman was real, Beriadanwen reached out, grabbed her shoulder in stead of holding her hand, and followed her. Behind her, the faun was still asking her questions, but she walked away and he was quiet. Blood was streaming from her eyesockets, and they burned like fire. The woman -- Beriadanwen thought her voice sounded familiar -- continued talking. She explained that the visions were not real, and by believing them, they came to pass. "To want is to be able to. Open your eyes, there is nothing wrong with them."
Beriadanwen tried opening her eyes. The light hurt her eyes, but she could see, and blinking, she looked into the face of Serafine Eventyr.
There were five Timefauns, and they were lively. They were not like other fauns in the normal world, but still had some of their characteristics. The one that looked like Radag'hén was more elvish, the ones that looked like fauns moved more like nimble animals, but they had many things in common too. One of the fauns was attacked now that the group knew that willpower was a power to change things, Immanuel had imagined the faun that had taken Radag'hén away was old and feeble. Beriadanwen approached the faun as it fell on the floor, writhing in pain, while others took Immanuel away. "I see you." she said to the faun. One of his eyes, half-obscured by his long mane, focused on her. "I see you like you were in the real world, young and strong." The faun straightened visibly, and strength returned to his limbs.
Beriadanwen turned to the group. "The first one to harm these fauns will have to answer to me!" she shouted. "They are creatures of Rystill too, and they will not be harmed."
One of the others pointed to Wolf. "Would you sleep with an animal next to your bed?" Wolf was sitting next to a women, bathed in blood. There was blood on his claws and snout, and the fauns were raging at him. Wolf denied them, denied their words, and only clung to his stubbornness. Beriadanwen observed, and listened, Lyavanna at her side. "Wolf does not see." Beriadanwen said. "He refuses to choose. And he doesn't accept the consequences of his choices."
Nostra looked at her for a long moment. "You understand it better than I thought."
The fauns were raging at Wolf. "You come here to get one. You will sacrifice the seven to get the one."
The female faun with the white hair pointed at Arevalo. "Three."
The first faun raged on. "One for seven, seven for one. Already two have died. Who is next?!"
The male faun that had been attacked pointed at Beriadanwen. "Six."
Other fauns pointed at others, calling numbers. Sifka, Victor of the Eventyr.
"Make a choice! Who!?" the first faun raged on. "Seven for one!"
Wolf did not see. But others did.
They lined up to a side, the five who had been given a number. Two Eventyr and three Anarquendor. Wolf raged. "Why are you doing this?" He still did not understand. "Why would you give your life? Don't you see I don't want to lose you too?"
Sifka pleaded with Wolf, trying to make him see.
"You would sacrifice seven to save one!" the faun raged. Wolf shook his head, trying to deny what was so inevitably in front of him, and refusing to make a choice.
Beriadanwen whispered to Lyavanna who nodded gravely. Wolf did not see, and Wolf did not learn.
Immanuels first lesson was harder. He had stabbed one of the fauns, who in turn came forward with a weapon. He kneeled for Immanuel, inviting him to strike. But as Immanuel let the axe descend, the faun in front of him changed into Radag'hén. Arevalo whispered softly "They are all one."
Beriadanwen stood ready to attack Immanuel, but in instead sheathed her weapon. When later a faun asked her why, she told him that they were capable of protecting themselves, and that what they did was worse than whatever she could do to Immanuel.
At the Barbarian moot Lyavanna stood behind Krughal of the clan of the Bear, and the Mountain Lion leader spoke. The clan of the Raccoon was there, and Beriadanwen was speaking for the clan of the Spider. Lyavanna took her dagger and when she demanded it back, the small seeres told her there was an assassin. But Beriadanwen was taken over by the vision, and took her dagger back. Lyavanna fell to the ground. The moot continued. When all the clans swore their oaths, the moot dispersed. Arevalo followed the clan leader of the clan of the spiders. He spoke in elvish, which she did not fully understand, but slowly the memories returned and Beriadanwen returned to herself.
Lyavanna was changed, however. She did not remember much about her time in the village and she threw her jewelry away. Arevalo and Beriadanwen spoke with her, telling her about her life, but it was no use. The life line of Lyavanna had been changed, but how to change it back to the way it was before?
Suddenly, an elf appeared at their side. "Pengyll Beriadanwen, come." he said. She sprang to her feet and followed him. They were at the edge of the forest, all the Anarquendor. Sigil and Tegingûr, Arandur and Asterion the druid. She carried the bow of Captain Fenras, who was in front of her, approaching a farmer who was working the soil.
The farmer told them off, telling them to get off his land. To the left, Sigil crouched down and with that wicked smile of his, cut one of the plants with his knife. Fenras tried to reason with the farmer, but suddenly the farmer stabbed him.
Beriadanwen covered the wound, tried to apply pressure, while Fenras gasped for breath. "Don't hurt him." he said. "The man, he did not know."
"No, no, no, captain, stay with us." Beriadanwen said. Blood gushed over her hand from the wound. She turned, called for a healer, knowing they were behind them, in the high grass, near the forest.
Fenras gasped again. His fingers grasped her sleeve. Beriadanwen turned to him again. "Radag'hén had seen it." he said. "Radag'hén had seen it." More blood. A cough racked his body, and slowly Fenras choked. His head rolled towards Beriadanwen, and then he died.
"No, captain, no..." she said, and fumbled at his neck for a pulse.
The other elves were watching her, Sigil and Tegingûr standing near the farmer, who was dying in turn. Beriadanwen looked up at Tegingûr. "He is with Rystill now."
She closed his eyes.
"Avo-dhago hon." she said to Sigil. "Don't kill him."
"He killed one of us!"
"It was Captain Fenras' final command." she said. "Heal the human."
Asterion bent over the farmer and murmured the words. The farmer's shaking subsided, he gasped for air.
"We shall make a litter and carry captain Fenras home. And we will leave this man here." Beriadanwen commanded.
Sigil stood over the farmer, who was too afraid to move. Tegingûr asked her something, and when she turned her head she could see from the corner of her eye that Sigil stabbed the farmer once, as if to avenge his captain.
"And why are you captain now?" Tegingûr asked her.
"Because none of you have taken command." she said. "Because I have, and you have not spoken against it."
She waited for a moment, to see if any would, and then repeated her command. "Gather wood to make a litter."
"The queen must know the treachery of these humans!" Tegingûr said brusquely.
"She will." Beriadanwen said.
Tegingûr and Sigil went into the forest to gather wood with Arandur, and she turned to the human. He was still bleeding, but it didn't appear to be a mortal wound. "Get up;" she said in elvish, and remembered to repeat the command in the human tongue. The farmer got up with some difficulty. "We shall leave. But we shall remember."
As they left, Arevalo walked up to Beriadanwen. "Captain, I have a quiet place in the forest, where you can stay and rest for a while."
"No, Arevalo, we cannot." she replied. The vision was over and she knew exactly what had happened. And she had learned her lesson, the lesson the Lifeweb needed to teach her. "I need to be alone for a little while."
They left her in peace, and Beriadanwen knelt, the bow of Captain Fenras still in her hand, and let the tears wash over her.
She had lived through this moment once before, and perhaps she had always wanted to know. Now she did. The farmer had not shown much warning, and she had been too late once more to save her captain. She had again taken up command. She had done exactly as she had before.
Perhaps that was also what she needed to learn here: to carry the consequences more lightly. It was easy, tempting, to go back to every decision, to question if they were the right ones to make. She had even hinted at it when she spoke with Sifka. "If I were to see all the lifelines that would end at mine, all the death I have caused..."
But Sifka replied kindly: "Perhaps you could also see the life lines of those who are still alive thanks to you."
Lyavanna was still not herself, but she was talking to three people who might have a solution for her. When they left, Lyavanna told them about the solution. "They want the eye of a faun, to restore my life to what it was, to restore me to the Lyavanna you know."
"That price is too high." Beriadanwen said. "I cannot condone that."
Others were speaking, trying to figure out the puzzles the lifeweb gave them. Alanë had run off with a young elf, and the Eventyr were trying to figure out how to disentangle a chest from the lifeweb, a chest that supposedly held the essence of Radag'hén.
Suddenly, Radag'hén was there, walking over the lifeweb that surrounded the chest. "There is not enough time." She said. "You must leave."
Lyavanna spoke to Radag'hén, who seemed to be more like the Radag'hén from before. Another solution was presented: Lyavanna could become one of them in exchange for her old lifeline. She would have one month to say goodbye, but then she would be what Radag'hén had also become.
Neither becoming a Timefaun nor stealing the eye of a faun were viable options, but Arevalo was still trying to figure out if Lyavanna herself could change her lifeline back. "You were one of the most powerful seers I have met. If anyone can do this, it is you." he said.
Lyavanna showed Beriadanwen what should have happened at the barbarian moot. it was different than what she had lived through. When the vision was over, she tried to remember. "You told me there was an assassin. You stole my dagger. I took it back."
Our thoughts were rudely interrupted. Radag'hén was still trying to persuade us to leave, and the woman in black returned. Three had spoken with Lyavanna earlier but she was alone. "Now you have to decide." she told Lyavanna.
She was still trying to figure out how to go back to the vision of the barbarian moot, and did not reply. When the woman insisted, Lyavanna curtly told her that she would not give the eye of the faun.
"Then I shall take it myself." the woman replied.
As she walked away, Beriadanwen drew her bow, Captain Fenras' bow, and loosed an arrow at the woman's back. The arrow flew true, and would have hit the woman in the shoulder or lung, but at the last moment the world twisted around her and the arrow missed.
They ran after her, trying to get to her, but she was somehow faster and suddenly disappeared.
The next thing that happened was that people appeared, screaming loudly.
"Their lifelines are broken." Radag'hén said. "This is what you are doing, by staying here now. You must leave."
Nostra and Lyavanna pointed towards the forest and the group went. One by one, they had visions of what was happening. Some started shouting. "Aras is on fire!" The screaming people tried to get to them, but when they were beaten, they would inevitably get back up.
Beriadanwen had put down Fenras' bow so she could fight, but when the time came to run on, one of the screamers was too close to it.
"The bow!" she screamed. "Arevalo, Wolf, help me."
"Leave it!" shouted Wolf.
"I will not leave it!" she turned to Arevalo. "It is Fenras' bow."
Arevalo distracted the screamers, and Wolf jumped to his aid. It was Arevalo who picked up the bow and returned it to Beriadanwen. More and more visions urged them to haste. Beriadanwen saw the Queen topple from her throne, and she saw the High Commander die suddenly in his garden. She screamed in terror.
At the edge of the forest, they stopped. More people whose lifelines weare tearing loose of the web appeared, and they tried to hasten us to go. Lyavanna was torn, she didn't want to return if it meant being stuck in a life that meant nothing.
"If you stay, you can help the fauns." Beriadanwen said. "If you become one of them, you will share your strength with them. You can set this right, not just your own life line, but those of others too."
Lyavanna thought about it. Beriadanwen called Nostra to help think about the situation, because it was so horribly complicated. Even if she understood some things, she was not a seer. But Nostra was too busy and would not help. Arevalo stood over one of the screamers, and every time it tried to get up, it met half a tree trunk coming the other way in Arevalo's hands.
Finally, Lyavanna had made her decision. When she told Beriadanwen, the tall elf sank to her knees. She pressed Lyavanna's hand against her forehead in thanks.
"I cannot ask you to make this sacrifice." Beriadanwen said. "I came here hoping to protect you, and I never realised this would be the consequence."
"You must go."
The others were already walking, calling back to the three Anarquendor to make haste.
Beriadanwen and Arevalo each hugged Lyavanna in turn, and walked. "Go;" Beriadanwen said. "I will watch our backs."
As they rejoined the others, Lyavanna slowly disappeared between the trees.
Dusk came, and nightfall after. Nostra was still trying to lead them from the web, but it was very hard. He asked the others to tell a story about Lyavanna and Radag'hén, to strengthen them in their task. Each told a story, sometimes about one or the other or both. And when night had fully fallen, they continued their journey only to return to a clearing much like the one they had rested at earlier.
Suddenly Lyavanna appeared in their midst. Her appearance had changed like Radag'hén's, and the mark of the Timefaun was on her. She was clutching another timefaun by the shoulders, blood running down his face from empty eyesockets.
"See? See?" he asked in a quavering voice.
"They took his eyes." Lyavanna said. "There are seeers of Kalithé on the Lifeweb. They came because we did, they followed us here. You must fight them, because they will take our eyes."
"Where are they?" Nostra asked. "Can you tell us?"
"No, you must look for them yourself. Hunt them yourself. If I look, they will take my eyes."
Hunt. Beriadanwen could hunt only if she had arrows. "Remember, to want is to be able to." Lyavanna said.
Nostra tried meditating, tried seeing where the seers of Kalithé were. At some point he forgot what he was doing. Immanuel and Serafine tried to help him, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Beriadanwen stalked around, trying to find tracks that would lead her to their prey. But no tracks nor scent except those of animals crossed their path.
Serafine was afflicted with shaking when she tried seeing, and even when once the seeers they were hunting appeared, they could not harm her at all.
"You're not listening to me!" Lyavanna raged. "Your willpower is a powerful force. To want, to will something, is to be able to. She wanted arrows. She has arrows Are they real?"
"See? Can you see?" the hurt faun asked. Nostra ran away in terror after looking into the empty holes in the faun's head.
The group formed a circle. Even Alanë and Orothan, who were not sure who the rest were anymore. They started chanting, but it seemed to be useless. Beriadanwen fell to her knees, choking, but she didn't let go of the hands of Wolf and Arevalo next to her. Finally, the feeling stopped, and she gasped for air.
Their voices were muted, but they continued, hands clenching, stamping their feet. It didn't seem to help, no matter how loudly they thought of the things they wanted. None of it seemed to work.
Suddenly, someone broke the circle. The chanting stopped.
Nostra and Serafine were looking in horror at something on the ground. "A pit of black, oozing, the black coming towards us." Serafine described it. The lifelines of each had been touched by it. But what it meant, that was unknown.
Finally, finally, after what seemed an age, there was an answer. Radag'hén told them there was enough power left in one junction of the Lifeweb, that they could leave, return to the real world. "Take a lifeline." she said.
With a ringing headache they crashed back to the real world. Beriadanwen's lips were cracked, her throat was parched. But everyone was there.
Even Lyavanna.
"I have one month, so I can say goodbye;" she said.
-----
The Omen special was a great success, even if I had no clue what was going on most of the time. Many praise and thanks to the wonderful GMs and monsters, who each played with gusto. It is not easy to recreate scenes from people's past and backgrounds, but I think you did a marvellous job.
Extra special kudos to Harmen, who was a very convincing and very handsome Captain Fenras. I would follow you anywhere, sir, if only to see you swagger.
Most importantly, I think I got what I was looking for with this special, even if we have no idea what the repercussions will be. Our characters will in some small or large way, be affected by what happened on the Lifeweb. We cannot know what the future will bring.
Because to see is to know, to know is to act, to act is to change...
