Mountain Musings & Molten Meditation

[Arlo Creede]

There was quite a lot that Vega was privy to, that Arlo was not. Voices that only she could hear, feelings shared between her and those disembodied souls but not him. It should have made things more difficult for him, assuming that that it was the motivations and feelings that were important. But for him, they weren't. All that mattered was that Vega was free of it all. And there was plenty happening without him needing to worry about who said what, when or why.

Arlo did somehow sense and understand though that he and Vega had help of a sudden. He didn't need to know why, but only appreciate it when something he wasn't quite sure of intervened on his behalf and saved him from an uncertain fate. He was doing fairly well so far at avoiding the vines and thorns, which meant he was better able to focus on throwing the ice crystal. Even though he had another two, maybe three of the things within reach, accuracy was vital and it was better to strike center the first time, rather than the last. Unfortunately, close, but not close enough.

He'd need to throw another, but when he landed near a collection of stalagmites and...tites, before reaching for another ice crystal he broke off one of the sharpened rock formations and threw it at the core like a spear. And then he was on the move again, as much to make a moving and elusive target of himself, as an attempt to distract and confuse their adversary.

Vega's warning of course helped Arlo to avoid the thorns, and the things helping them were also much appreciated. All of it gave him the time and opportunity to reach into his sack and grab another ice crystal. But this time? Well the things weren't heavy at all, so Arlo used a bit of string to bind the crystal to the tip of an arrow, which he then loaded into his bow. He was decent enough with the bow to feel confident about his ability to account for the slight change in weight. And so quickly taking aim, he adjusted accordingly and fired the second crystal right at the center of the flower.

[Aegis]

Date

'She can beat it.'

'She can set us free.'

'She won't join us.'

'We'll join her!'

And so the voices that had gone latent for so long, the voices that Iris had sacrificed herself in order to tell Vega about, overpowered the naysayers and corrupted. And in a flash, Vega's sword grew molten, just as it had before, and her eyes followed suit, but the cacophony of chaos did not accompany the imbuement. For while Vega was holding back one of the vines, the voices were holding back the mental corruption. And it came with a cost, one of time. As they protected Vega from the spread, to allow her control, voices on both sides were burned up with a single scream. Their souls were burning in her place, and it was evident that time was not on anyone's side in this.

And the magma sword sliced cleanly through the vine.

Half the vinefell away, splashing down in the lava, spraying small, lava globlets toward Vega, not all of which could be avoid. And the creature screeched in pain. The injured vine flailed for a bit, before it too was stuck into the lava, to suck up more of the life giving heat.

Meanwhile, Arlo's impromptu javelin of stone was thrown and fell comically short of its destination, plopping into the lava and disappearing. But the arrow with the snow crystal flew much more true. For the man was not simply decent with a bow, but among the best in the world. The arrow itself struck the growing, freezing skin, and with the tinkling of shattered glass, the outer lay broke away. The arrow and crystal carried on through, straight down the gullet of the now revealed mouth, full of sword length teeth.

The arrow sank into the uvula of the creature, and the string smashed the crystal upward into the roof of the creature's mouth. And the freeze spread, truly at the core now. The scream echoed through the cavern, and the vines no longer seemed to care about either Vega nor Arlo. Two more plunged into the lava, pumping more and more heat into its body, to attempt to counteract the icy touch. That left one to flail about wildly, defensively, as the creature was in a blind, pain fueled rage. It smashed through the stalactites and stalagmites, sending shards of stone scattering through the room.

The elemental beings moved to provide shields for the pair of lovers. And in that moment, several cores were struck, spreading all about the stone pathways, glowing hot before exploding, sending more and more shards all about, filling the air with dust. One core, though, rolled straight into the alcove, and there it exploded. And this blast took out a load bearing wall of the cavern.

The ground shook, but the roof shook worse. And just as the dust started to clear up, Vega would see a precarious pathway of leaping stones before her, leading straight to the creature's maw. Time was not on anyone's side though, as a piece of the roof broke away, landing with a heavy splash of lava near to Arlo. Moonlight poured in, and a few flakes of snow joined it. The cold was felt as a threat, and the remaining vine swung at the little dustings, eventually latching onto the roof.

It was exposed.

Arlo had the vantage point to see the spread of ice growing faster, could see the situation as a whole. He could see the two remaining elemental beings left, flitting about Vega. He could see the smaller stones and blobs of lava being tossed about. But most importantly, he could see the thin stalactite having just detached itself from the roof, plummeting downward. And while not immediately in her path, if she continued forward, a collision was certain.

The voices in Vega's head screamed one phrase in unison, as more of them fell in the internal civil war that waged, "Everything burns!"

!	Message from: Aegis
	Final round of combat! Do or die time

[Arlo Creede]

Vega's eyes and sword glowed hot, as Arlo had seen them do nearly a dozen times now. But this time was different than the others. In the thick of it, it was hard to tell for sure. But she appeared more in control of it this time. Or at least she seemed less harassed by something other.

The vines meanwhile continued to be a problem. A deadly nuisance that he worried would undo Vega on the one hand, and on the other, interfere with his ability to help her. But he was good enough with the bow that he could spend most of his focus there. And his aim was much truer this time than the last. Arlo grabbed another arrow immediately in the wake of firing the last one, and nocked it into place. Then looked to see how he'd done. He'd have celebrated the excess, but now wasn't the time.

At least the vines had stopped bothering them, and they apparently had some help that had shielded them from the worst of it. But then of course it all went to bits and pieces exploding around them, the ground shaking beneath their feet and even the ceilings and walls. It was all Arlo could do to avoid the projectiles sailing through the air, and stop himself falling into the abyss.

The ceiling opened up to the sky, which was good. But the risk of deadly things breaking away and falling was not. Vega still had work to do, and the best thing Arlo could do would be to watch and protect her while she did. There came that stalactite, breaking away, swinging and then coming down like a javelin straight at Vega. Arlo took aim at the same time he called out to Vega, "Duck right!" And he let loose his arrow, intending to strike the thing, knock it into pieces and scatter them away to the left, well away from Vega.

[Vega]

...

"It's workin', Arlo! We've gotta be quick!!" Vega yelled but mostly she just spent her time making sure that he was safe. That was what her job was here, to protect him while he used his bow. Vega felt the flames in her eyes, which was a strange thing to feel, but it was so different, feeling the war which raged within her. They were winning, there was no doubt, but it was at a cost. Not least, though, the cost of the voices which had plagued her now for however long it was. Forcing themselves into her subconscious and unconscious mind, shouting so loudly she could hear nothing else.

And he shot a second crystal with his bow. It was beautiful, that shot, and it did exactly what it was supposed to do.

Which meant that chaos broke loose.

Wanda the Wonder Weed flung itself about, screaming and crashing and making a mess of the place. Vega wondered just how long this thing had been here, that it took so much for it to die, but judging by the number of voices and so on, she suspected that the answer was in fact a very, very long time. Still, she did her best to make it safe for them both, but suddenly there was a thrashing uber-plant, exploding fire-dudes and all in all it was just a cacophony of sound and explosions and force and sensations everywhere.

She saw the stones, saw that she had the chance to get to the creature and she took it. Arlo was more than able to fire past her these trials, she didn't need to worry about that and so she moved, molten sword at the ready for what was, in her head, some serious splattage. But then she heard her lover's voice shout two words and Vega didn't think, didn't consider, simply acted on instinct and she followed instructions shouted in the heat of battle. Ducking to the right as far as she could, she kept her movement going in the same direction whilst still ducking that way.

If she didn't die, her aim was continue down this pathway, leaping from one to the other until she got to the thing in the middle. To Wilma and her to shatter her gaping, fire-inducing, nightmare-creating, hell-on-Idalos bringing festering gob into a thousand pieces. Said maw was frozen and her sword was molten and whilst the screaming crazies in her head might be right that everything burns, her plan was to spin her sword in an arc and to smash the damn thing into a million pieces with the hilt and pommel.

Not the fiery blade.

..

[Aegis]

Date

The arrow struck true, and the stalactite shattered, merely spraying Vega with gravel instead of cleaving her in two. The path was cleared, and Vega hop, skipped, jumped her way along, and soon she was before the creature that had brought such 'mild' inconvenience to her life. And while the Rose Warrior ignored the voices, to burn the monster, her instincts spoke of a much better method. Hilt and pommel struck the freezing maw, and for the absolutely smallest measure of time, it seemed as though nothing happened.

And then it shattered. Not explosively, but rather like a falling pane of glass, it just cascaded down in a deluge of broken, crystalline metal. The mouth, the core, the main portion of the body was destroyed, severing the connections it had with the remaining vines. All of the vines that were stuck into the lava, in order to empower the creature, slipped fully into the molten pools, disappearing. What remained was the vine that had latched upon the hole in the roof, hanging there limply, lifeless.

It was over. Finally, it was over.

Everything became still, quiet. Even the voices within Vega's head were devoid of sound. With the creature not pulling on the roof, no more chunks and stone fell away, there was no more danger around them. They were simply in the heart of a volcano, with the remains of a dead plant. And still, the snow continued to fall through the hole. The lovers were victorious.

And when Vega finally touched the hilt of her sword, as one is often to do when to put it away, she would feel a tingle in the scar on her palm. Not a burning, accompanied by no pain. It was little more than the feeling of a feather tickling at it. Further investigation would show the scar was gone, transferred as a brand into the hilt. And she would know, just know that her sword now carried the molten power, and not her.

A quick glance around would reveal that during the thrashing about, the original pathway from the stairs was caved in. Wilma-Wanda the Wonder Weed, ever the spiteful plant, even in death. The two remaining elemental beings floated over to Vega. "Thank you, Death Forged. You've destroyed her." One flitted over to the massive crystalline flame that the creature had been coiled around, that still stood proud, "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," it peered over at Arlo, "Even if one of you doesn't belong here..."

Looking back toward Vega, "Let us get you of here. We will rebuild the temple, replenish our forces. Please, keep brother Chuckles there with you. It will let you keep a bond with us, and he has always wanted to see a world beyond this temple. Put him in your campfires as often as you can, and he should return to normal. Shall we go? We can carry you both out. Unless you wish to climb..."

Regardless of whether they climbed out or let the fiery beings carry them out, soon, the tired, injured pair would find themselves deposited atop the mountain that is actually a volcano, looking at the entire world around them. There were no clouds this night. The moons and stars ever brilliant and clear. They were together, and they were free. And it was cold as balls up here, and they had a long trek down the mountain.

On the inevitable hike down, they would eventually hear a series of men's voices, laughing, talking, carrying on loudly. Around a series of snowy boulders, a campsite could be seen, and there around a fire with some creature roasting over top it, were three very familiar faces.

"I came here to be alone and wait, Cassion. And to see my stars from one of the best views across all of Idalos. Why must you always be so loud?"

"Because I know how to truly enjoy my life here! Was not the climb here wonderful? Freeing? Exhilarating! I nearly fell into a ravine and died on my way up. And I feel so alive!"

"At least one of us feels alive."

"Oh come now Biffuno, being a spirit on this lovely mountain isn't so-- ah! The guests of honor are here."

Cassion stood up at Vega and Arlo's arrival, "Come, sit, join our fire, eat the food I cooked. I look forward to hearing this tale of yours. Biffuno here tells me you've had quite a go of it since you killed him. I must hear everything. Leave nothing out."

Xiur sat there, quiet, looking to the stars, paying Cassion little mind now. He broke his gaze one time to look at Vega, and a proud smile shone upon his face. Then once more, his eyes cast upward, to look to his stars, while Cassion sat upon a stone, waiting eagerly to hear this tale of the Death Forged Rose.

[Vega]

"Thanks!!" Vega called as the thing that would have probably landed on her and killed her got hit out of the way. She jumped and hopped and skipped and arrived at where she needed to and she drove the hilt of the sword where it needed to be and for the slightest trill, nothing happened. In that tiny speck of time she felt fear, fury and all sorts of emotions but then the entire thing shattered beneath her. Breaking away like glass, Vega let out a whoop of absolute, primal emotion as it crumbled into pieces, the vines sinking and dissipating into the lava.

And it was silent. That strange, almost heavy moment after a victory in battle as the realisation of having lived hit like a weight and silence echoed around them for a brief time. But, whilst it was silent, whilst she was, she was not still. There was no hesitation, no concern for anything else and no doubt what she would do as Vega turned and ran into Arlo's arms. "They've gone," she whispered, her face buried in the crook of his shoulder as she clung on to him. "It's quiet. It's over, is it over?" In the heart of the volcano, with snow falling onto their hair, she lifted her head and kissed him. For a few moments, she cared about nothing and no one except them, there, together. However, she forced herself to step away with a muttered, "Right, well, not in front of the fire-dudes, yeah? Later. In a bit. While. Stop it." But then, he knew her well enough to know that she was mostly talking to herself.

"Oh, Arlo, look!" The scar on the palm of her hand had faded, transferred on to her sword and Vega looked at it with a frown, then said what she knew was true, although she didn't know how she knew. "It's in the sword. The fire, the power of it. It's in there." But then the fire dudes came and spoke, calling her "Death Forged" and explaining it was about the crystal. She looked at the one that spoke and answered him, immediately and in the way that she always would. "Right, well, I'm not death forged. I'm Vega. If I'm forged by anythin' it's you lot. Fire forged, if we've gotta an' as for him, we belong together so if one of us belongs, we both do." She had her arm wrapped around him and wasn't moving from that any time soon.

In terms of how they left, Vega was fine with being carried as long as they didn't burn or anything, because that would suck. But she'd go with what Arlo wanted, fundamentally. Before they left, she looked for something, a stone or pebble, something that they could take with them as a memento and when they offered them "Brother Chuckles" Vega had the good grace to blush slightly. "We'll look after 'im, you bet."

Once they were out, she gave in to the emotion she felt and she clung to Arlo for a few moments as she took in the fact that the voices were gone, genuinely gone. "I 'aven't got the words, Arlo, you know that don't you? I mean, I'm crap with words at the best of times an' I don't think anyone's born who's good enough with 'em to say what I feel." But they could go back to the Wanderlust, she said, back to their ship, their life. "I wanna put my bracelet back on, more than I can tell you." So, with her arm around him where they could do so, they started their way back.

But then, as they walked, voices came to them and Vega strained her ears and then looked at Arlo in amazement. Yet, there in front of them was the evidence, in front of their eyes. Cassion and Xiur, together, on a mountain in Scalvoris. Cassion spoke and Vega looked between the two of them, bowing her head to them both. "I.. thank you." Sitting, and trying not to think that last time she'd seen him, Cassion had kissed her, Vega caught Xiur's glance and she smiled at him, relief washing over her as he smiled back. What food there was she would accept most gratefully, delighted to be able to taste the cooking of the Immortal. Either way, she sat next to Arlo, her hand draped on his leg, and she glanced at him, then realised that it had started when she was on her own. "Well, I went to the Order of the Adunih to get some stuff to stop me gettin' pregnant when we.... well, you probably didn't need to know that, now I think on it. But, yeah, there I was, jus' 'avin' a cup of tea that does that.. you know what?" Vega looked at Arlo and a sudden, genuine and entirely uninhibited grin came over her face, the kind he had not seen since the story he was about to tell had begun. "Why don't you tell it, before I'm spillin' every secret I've ever 'ad. An' a few of yours while I'm at it, an' I'll interject details."

With a thoughtful frown, she added, "Just, 'opefully not too many."

[Arlo Creede]

Even had Arlo been able to hear or see most of what went on between Vega and the entities that had dogged Vega, he probably wouldn't have known one from the other or been able to keep their identities straight. He suspected though that by now, Vega knew each and every one of them, and was fully aware which had sacrificed themselves for her and which were still there. What mattered to him though, was that it all seemed to be finally over. And if he'd had some hand in that, all the better. He'd moved the heavens and all of Idalos for Vega, if only he could.

He held her tight when she came to him, and smiled as they embraced and kissed. There with flurries of snow spiraling down onto their heads, their lashes and noses. "It's over," he reassured her. "If it's gone quiet, then it's over." Except that where the scar was gone, her sword still bore some trace of what she'd been through. It could have been far worse, he guessed and she was right. It was both of them. Or neither. Still, if she didn't mind he'd rather climb out under his own steam.

Once they were up top however, he reminded Vega that she didn't need to say a thing. Where else would he have been. What else would he have done? "I want to see it back on you," he said. The bracelet, that was. And that's what he figured they'd do. Straight back to camp where they'd pack it all up and head down the mountain, all the way to the Wanderlust. Except that's not how it went. He spotted the campfire first, but then there were the voices. There was Biffuno of course, and Arlo recognized his voice. But there was another that he recognized more.

He stopped short beside Vega and looked on in wonder. There sat Xuir, Cassion and Buffino round the fire as if they were any other, ordinary travelers. They were far from that though. And he could relate. Maybe Vega could too. They'd fallen down ravines, fissures and sinkholes and speaking for himself at least, it had been exhilarating every single time. And like Vega of course, Arlo dipped his chin in deep respect. What were they doing here?

So they wanted to hear the story of what had happened? It didn't surprise Arlo in the least. Stories were in Cassion's wheelhouse after all. And so Arlo grinned and sat down beside Vega as she started. Of course he hadn't expected her to supply so many details. Things that even he hadn't known, and personally hadn't felt any need to. Her trip to the order after all, the reason for it at least, could have remained a happy mystery, so far as Arlo was concerned. "Most of this is your story Vega, and I think it's you that needs to tell it," Arlo insisted.

Besides, there was so much of it that he only knew because she had told him, or because he'd observed her while she'd struggled. As for himself though? "That night that Vega went to the Order," he told the trio, "I went to the gambling house for a drink, and to get out of the storm." There he'd been, minding his own business when a group of toughs began harassing the barmaid, and loosing the straps of her dress. She'd run out and he'd followed to make sure she was alright. Given her his coat and made sure she got home.

But then they'd got there, there was a kid hiding inside of her home. And so the story went, the orphan boy armed with a sword. The one that had taken something from a demon, then lost it, who was bent on finding that demon again and killing it. The little girl with the yellow ribbon, and the flames that danced when the boy was nearby. All of this of course had gone on while Vega was off at the order. But then? He'd been spirited away by Schubert, and only found Vega, once again, on top of this mountain. And the rest? That was for Vega to tell.

[Aegis]

Your Thread Review is Here!

What an incredibly fun thread! I greatly enjoyed the culmination of this plotline. You all did fantastically at running with this plot and making the most out of it. If you don't mind, maybe do an Impact Post including every link involved in this plotline. Also... check the rumors I'm about to update...

Vega

Below is your well deserved loot. If you have any questions, please PM me.

Loot

Reward	Amount	Comment
Skill Points	+20	Mod Event
Magic Points available?	N/A	--
Renown		--
Neck Scar	Permanent	Slash like scar along the left side of Vega's neck, from a molten thorn slicing through and cauterizing the wound.
Minor Bodily Scarring	Permanent	Various small specks of burns upon Vega's body from the spray of lava upon her.
Chuckles' Core	Fire Entity Core	If the Core of Chuckles is placed in a source of fire or heat for a full season, Chuckles will become Vega's companion. He has a desire to travel, to see the "fires of the world" which he will bring up constantly. He dislikes water and cold. He is also especially sarcastic toward anyone that isn't Vega or a Fire Defier. He is only kind to others if they are actively working with fire in a kind way. If his elemental body is damaged, he will revert to his core. If his core is damaged, it will explode and he is dead.
Longsword Enchantment	Permanent Enchantment	Vega's intricate rose scar has transferred to the hilt of her longsword. As such, she can activate the Molten enchantment within her sword by mentally focusing on it. This Enchantment allows her to burn through anything that would normally be burned by magma/lava, while maintaining the strength, edge, and edge of her blade. In addition to this, Vega's use of this ability has burned away impurities in Vega's blade, so that it is sharper and stronger while in either form. All previous abilities of the Death Forged Rose are lost and replaced by this.
Fog Bank	Nalos Ability	The Blessed can generate a concealing fog to aid an innocent or threatened person to escape harm. If the target is instead genuinely guilty of some wrong, for which he was being pursued, the fog will instead leave trail behind him; as well as a revealing nimbus around him for a number of breaks equal to the Blessed's Etiquette skill. The target will have to run through the fog bank to activate this trail. During this time, placing this fog a second time will immediately dispel the current one.

Knowledges
Skill Knowledge:

1. Endurance: The agony of having your soul burned
2. Leadership: Giving a choice that is no choice at all
3. Leadership: Finding those with a similar goal as allies
4. Leadership: Making your common enemy appear lesser
5. Leadership: Giving clear, concise commands
6. Leadership: Passing along important information as it is learned
7. Tactics: Recognizing indicators that come prior to an attack
8. Endurance: Having a wound cauterized as it was made
9. Combat: Blades (Longsword): A molten longsword will cut through metal
10. Leadership: Sacrificing those under your command for the greater good
11. Tactics: Taking a path when presented with one
12. Combat: Blades (Longsword): Using the crushing power of hilt and pommel when enemy needs shattered, not cut
13. Etiquette: Not kissing in front of Fire Entities
14. Storytelling: Some details are best not shared

Non-Skill Knowledge:

1. Location: Temple of the Mystery Fire Crystal, The Heart of Scalv
2. Chuckles: A Fire Elemental Entity
3. Chuckles: Uses a whip
4. Chuckles: The Elemental Core does not feed
5. Chuckles: Will explode if the core is damaged
6. Death Forged Rose: A metallic plant like creature that feeds on fire
7. Chuckles: Created to protect the Heart of Scalv
8. Chuckles: Will return to normal after time is spent in campfires
9. Chuckles: Will allow me to maintain a 'bond' with the Heart of Scalv
10. Xiur: Scaltoth Mountains is one of his favorite places to view the stars
11. Cassion: Risks his life for excitement

Arlo

Below is your well deserved loot. If you have any questions, please PM me.
Loot

Reward	Amount	Comment
Skill Points	+20	Mod Event
Magic Points available?	N/A	--
Renown		--
Injuries		--
Boots Enchantment	Permanent	Biffuno the Mountain Spirit has imbued Arlo's boots with the properties of Ice. This will allow him to move along hot surfaces unburned, his boots not melted, so long as he keeps moving. Staying still for too long on a hot surface will override the enchantment and destroy the boots. Once the boots are destroyed, the enchantment is lost.
Snowcrystal	-2	--
ScarTale	Sojourn Ability	An Adventurer can tell a story by every scar they have. Each one is earned. A Sojourner can invoke a scar’s story by displaying it proudly and explaining the circumstances by which they received it. Doing so grants them an innate resistance to being injured by the same means. Against an adversary, a Sojourner may find that their skin is resilient and tough to the blades of this particular foe, netting only shallow wounds as the opponent must redouble efforts to hurt them in such a way again. Often the invocation of this ability is conditional on when the situation arises. There must be at least one witness to the story as it is told and the scar must be clearly visible. No small nicks or minor injuries will apply. A ScarTale is the story of a deep mark earned by the adventurer. The story itself resents being replaced and will shield the user against a similar injury occurring. While not a perfect defense, it can be remarkably strong. A Sojourner cannot lie about how they received their injury, but even dishonorable or embarrassing stories have their place if the wound is prominent enough. Once invoked, the protection can last for the better part of a break. These bonuses do not stack. If you were wounded twice by an adversary, you are not double impervious to them, only one story per cause of damage can be invoked at once.

Knowledges
Skill Knowledge:

1. Caregiving: Taking on more responsibilities to spare those who are having a tough go of it
2. Discipline: Refusing a choice that would result in your own harm
3. Endurance: Walking through acrid smoke and heat
4. Tactics: Using the power of ice against the power of fire
5. Throwing (Javelin): Using a broken stalagmite as a throwing spear
6. Tactics: Create as much distraction as possible
7. Ranged Weapon (Shortbow): Attaching a snowcrystal to an arrow and compensating for weight
8. Ranged Weapon (Shortbow): Destroying a moving target before it reaches its target
9. Leadership: Giving clear, concise commands
10. Tactics: Providing cover for those able to strike at the heart of an enemy
11. Acrobatics: Avoiding being crushed by molten vines
12. Etiquette: Not kissing in front of Fire Entities
13. Storytelling: Letting others fill in gaps in a story

Non-Skill Knowledge:

1. Location: Temple of the Mystery Fire Crystal, The Heart of Scalv
2. Chuckles: A Fire Elemental Entity
3. Chuckles: Uses a whip
4. Chuckles: The Elemental Core does not feed
5. Death Forged Rose: A metallic plant like creature that feeds on fire
6. Chuckles: Created to protect the Heart of Scalv
7. Chuckles: Will return to normal after time is spent in campfires
8. Chuckles: Will allow Vega to maintain a 'bond' with the Heart of Scalv
9. Xiur: Scaltoth Mountains is one of his favorite places to view the stars
10. Cassion: Risks his life for excitement