[Serenity Garden] Alone In The Garden

[Balthazar Black]

15 Ashan 721

Oh, Elisabeth, we were so close to staying out of it all entirely. Why did you have to go and find something strange? Balthazar did not know what irked him more- that the woman he loved was being beset by strange visions or that he knew, deep down, it meant that they needed to get involved. Elisabeth had a vision, or a few visions, and she'd immediately come to Balthazar with the news. He brought her to the garden and he'd used an ability given to him by Vri to witness the visions so few details were left out. Then he told her to write to the Albarech, an impulse he found himself slowly turning against. Perhaps it was nothing. Perhaps she did not need to be told... but what could it hurt? If they deemed Elisabeth insane, they were already sending a therapist to deal with Balthazar- what was one more patient?

That wasn't why he'd come to the jubiplant field in the Serenity Garden, well not entirely. He told her he would consult his contacts but there was only one entity that Balthazar thought would have the answers he needed- well one entity he thought could hear him. Then again, now that he considered it, he was on the Induk's island and he did have a connection to it. Perhaps there were more than one place to find answers about the strange occurrence.

Fuego? Balthazar called out to his diri in his mind and the little burning rock emerged from the jubiplants, floating just slightly above them so he could be seen because if he stood among them he was far too short. Do you know anything about why Elisabeth is having visions? Balthazar asked the diri who's wide orange eyes narrowed slightly. He shook his body to indicate he did not and Balthazar couldn't tell if he believed the little spirit. Could you ask Faldrass? Could I? Can he hear us when we are on the island? Does he know anything about what is happening?

I don't know.

Could you find out?

I will try. And the diri lowered back into the jubiplant field, disappearing from view to try and help Balthazar while he turned to original reason for his visit. He looked back at the watchdog behind him and the turned his attention to the plants in front of him, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He needed to focus on why he was here, not who was watching him. They all knew he was a marked of Vri, they all knew he still had access to some of his abilities, they would learn nothing new from this deeper intrusion into his life. Certainly nothing more than they learned watching him bathe. Balthazar took another, slower breath, inhaling the aroma from the jubiplants around him and relaxing slowly into a prepared state.

"Vri, you know I've never been one to speak to you aloud and you know I prefer to think of you and your domains- to reflect more personally than to share them." He paused, considering it was not the best way to start but it was better than the prison prayer had been. "But I need to know you hear this. Something is happening here on Faldrass and in Scalvoris. Something I think is going to end with a lot of people hurt or worse. Now the woman I love is having visions and I don't have any of the resources I'm used to using to help her figure it out. I don't know how to help her and I'm afraid that if I reach out, no one will listen. I have seen the vision she had and it troubles me. I've been faithful, I've kept to the promise I made. I am here now, asking you for guidance because of what I saw and heard. Who or what are the Death Forged? What do they have to do with Vega, Arlo, and the Heart of Scalvoris? Why is this happening to Elisabeth?"

!

Message from: Pegasus

Fuego says that there's not really anything Faldrass knows about this situation. No, Faldrass isn't watching them / able to see them - and it's very unlike the whole Immortal-mark thing (this is my way of explaining it - please do so however Fuego would). Fuego's only snippet of information is that Faldrass feels whispers in the flames, like echoes of past events are rippling. But the Induk knows only that this is natural, and while those attuned to the elements feel it, your mortal magic stops it, too. It's presented as obviously the case, even though to Balth it might seem like a contradiction Balthazar's prayer goes unanswered. Except. Once he's done, the Element with him frowns and holds out a piece of paper. "This wasn't in my pocket when I left. Is it yours?" It's a map of Faldrass island. Both Hopetoun and HAven are marked on it. While Faldrass is the main part of the map, parts of the island can be seen - most distinct is the Scalvoris moutains...

[Balthazar Black]

15 Ashan 721

"This wasn't in my pocket when I left. Is it yours?" The shadow who'd accompanied Balthazar said suddenly as she produced a folded piece of paper from her pocket.

Holy shit, they speak. Well it wasn't shocking that the guard spoke to him as much as it was shocking which guard had spoken to him. Miranda Preston, one of the trio assigned, (the others being one Tib'Ron and a Trean McFrank) was not one for conversation of any sort. None of the troopers seemed to be very open to conversation but in fairness Balthazar had not pried or tried very hard to find anything out about them at all. For the moment what mattered was his settlement, he could learn about the shadows later, but now this one had spoken and more importantly they had something he knew was not his. Balthazar stood from the field where he'd been praying after a break of meditation. He was good at it now, good enough that when he got into his happy place, he could stay there for as long as he wanted. Part of him did it because he enjoyed making his shadows report nothing and part of his did it to enjoy the aroma given off by the plants. "If I had the skill to slip things freely in and out of your pockets, Miranda, we'd all be in a lot more trouble." He pointed out as he took the offered paper into his hand.

He unfolded it slowly as Fuego rematerialized to only the Fire Forged. What's that? Fuego asked, floating up to Balthazar's shoulder to sneak a peak at the map that had appeared under such mysterious circumstances.

What did you find? Balthazar thought to the diri as the map continued to unfurl before him. He recognized the island in the middle of the mass immediately because he had seen it on a few different maps at this point. It was the very island they stood on now. The rest of it took him a few more moments to piece together.

He can't see us, Fuego replied, he does not know what is happening. He feels... whispers in the flames.

What sort of whispers?

It's like echoes of the past but Faldrass says it is natural. Those attuned to the elements should be able to feel it but your magic prevents it. Fuego explained.

How? My magic is what gave me the connection to the elements. Balthazar didn't understand, immediately, how something that gave him the connection could also stop him from seeing it but he would later come to think it was something like a person's scent. You couldn't smell yourself as much because you were used to the smell. Perhaps he couldn't see the visions because he was... too smelly? No it didn't make sense. It would bother him for a lot longer than he'd admit but he'd figure it out sooner or later.

And it is what stops you from feeling the whispers. Fuego repeated like a teacher growing tired of stressing the same point repeatedly to Balthazar.

But it didn't stop Elisabeth? Interesting. Based on that, he could assume it was his fault she was having visions but at least it was an answer. He'd given her the spark and it gave her the connection that was causing her to see glimpses of the past... but why those pieces of history? What did they have to do with anything happening here and why now? Perhaps the timing was just a coincidence, maybe it was something more, but Balthazar couldn't be certain. All he knew was that the more he learned, the less he liked what was going on.

"What is it?" Miranda finally asked after a full bit of Balthazar staring into the unfolded paper. If it hadn't come from her pocket, she might not have cared enough to ask and risk engaging in a conversation with someone she'd have classified as manipulative.

"It is a map of Faldrass." Balthazar replied, noticing that both Haven and Hopetown were marked on the island of Faldrass. Most of the map was the island, but other pieces of Scalvoris were depicted around the edges- particularly the Scalvoris Mountains. "It has my settlement and Darius's marked on it but not the third which is... troubling. There were three ships that left to create settlements." Perhaps the third ship of settlers who left never prospered. Perhaps a storm took them and somewhere thirty bodies sat in need of proper rites. "There is a little of the rest of Scalvoris on the map, the mountains for example, but it's mostly Faldrass."

A message but a difficult one for someone with only pieces of the larger picture to decipher. Fortunately, Balthazar knew exactly who to talk to about this sort of thing... or at the very least, where to look for more information.

[Jackalope]

Experience: +10 xp

Knowledge: None.

Skillplay: Appropriate to level

Loot: A map of Faldrass and part of Scalvoris, with the settlements and part of the Scalvoris Mountains marked.

Injuries/Overstepping: None.

Renown: None.

Comments: It’s too bad that this is about as close as Balthazar gets to the whole Slag’s Deep action. It seems like he’d be useful to have around. Then again, he’d have to work with Kura. And Jacien. *shudders*

It was an interesting try to ask Fuego if he and/or Faldrass could shed any light on Elisabeth’s visions. It’s unfortunate it didn’t yield more.

Let me know if either of you have any questions/feedback. Enjoy your rewards!