• Solo • [Hopetoun] Holed Up

[Darius Baer]

Arc 723, 3rd of Cylus

Darius stared out at the settlers gathered before him.

There was every reason for them to feel crestfallen. Faldrass was under the thickest layer of snow in living memory, and the Hopetounians had been forced to find a place of shelter.

That place turned out to be the Hopetoun Hole.

By sheer good fortune, Faith Augustin had been in Hopetoun to visit the Order of Adunih outpost. She had proven invaluable, and Darius knew the settlement - and the proud people who called it home - would have been far worse off if that had not been the case.

Their journey had still been difficult, however. They had evacuated Hopetoun in the middle of the night, and were it not for the Faldrass fire worms that lit up the Hopetoun Hole - and the settlers' gift of using items as lightsHoly Land of Xiur - they might have been stumbling in the dark.

Now, it was the following trial, and Darius stood before them. Few of the settlers had slept, and fewer still had slept well. They had tried to find a way to be comfortable in a place that shielded them from the wind and snow, but provided little else in the way of comfort. The settlers had brought as much food and livestock as they could, and even the shaggyoats had behaved...mostly. One brave buck had evaded the clutches of its handler and escaped to the edge of the Hopetoun Hole, but upon feeling the cold, it returned and hadn't attempted another escape.

The third trial of Cylus was a significant one for Hopetoun. It was known as Reclamation Trial, and it was an opportunity to commemorate each and every trial since their journey began on the same date in arc 721.

Weary faces. Tired settlers. But not defeated. The fire of Faldrass burned within their hearts, too - in a figurative sense, at least - and it would take more than a blizzard to smother those flames.

Hoping to add fuel to that morale fire, Darius stepped forward and began to speak.

[Darius Baer]

"Our return to Faldrass has required us to face many challenges and hardships," Darius began.

His voice echoed off the cave walls and carried down the various nearby tunnels, ensuring he could be heard. In a way, it felt as though he was speaking to the very heart of the island itself.

"For many of you, this is not the first time you have had to seek solace and shelter in the Hopetoun Hole."

Those who had been in Hopetoun the longest would remember a similar journey almost exactly two arcs prior. The settlement had been smaller then, and the logistics of an evacuation seemed to have fewer moving parts - but then, in contrast, they lacked the expertise that they now had. Lessons had been learnt then, and, Darius expected, more would be learnt in the coming trials.

"But for some of you, this may be your first time finding shelter in Faldrass' bosom. To you, I say: 'Do not lose heart'. There is plenty of room in here - more than we need. In fact, we have allocated separate areas for the livestock, the food supplies, our communal area, and the individual living spaces throughout these caves. And we are safe."

Darius gestured towards the large cave entrance. The gloomy light did not creep far into the Hopetoun Hole, and it did nothing to mask the steady snowfall outside. A few armed silhouettes could be seen, with one leaning on the spear she held.

"Our faithful garrison will continue to guard us and keep watch for however many trials and nights pass before we're able to return home."

The bearded blond looked back at the settlers. They still looked weary, as before, but it seemed as though some of them were standing a little bit taller...or perhaps he was imagining that.

"Reclamation Trial is an important date on the Faldrass calendar. For Hopetounians and Havenites alike, it is an important reminder of just how far we've come. Unfortunately, this weather means we are unable to bring the two settlements together like we have in the past, but we can still commemorate the occasion in our own way."

Turning, Darius pointed towards the river that flowed within the Hopetoun Hole. It was a popular spot for visitors, because the water was refreshing, and safe enough to drink. But the bearded blond had something else in mind.

"The Hollow Sea might not be within our reach for now, but our vellum vessels can be launched here instead."

At that, he heard murmurs of support, and when he looked back out at the settlers, he saw several of them nodding. This time, he was satisfied that their mood really had lifted.

[Darius Baer]

Not everyone shared this newfound sense of community spirit.

There was a group - small but not insignificant - who had misgivings, and as the main group of settlers busied themselves with enjoying the ample supply of food and sending boats of paper down the underground rapids, this circumspect group of Hopetounians discreetly began to ask questions.

"Are we being punished for something?"

"Have we lost Xiur's favour? Are we no longer on holy ground?"

"Shouldn't the Immortals have known this was going to happen?"

"Is there something wrong with Faldrass?"

"Has Ziell turned his back on us against us and left us to freeze to death?"

"Have the Immortals abandoned us?"

Darius was careful not to dismiss any concerns out of hand, no matter how dismissible they might seem. Their worry was sincere, and a proper response was warranted.

So, as discreetly as he could, he guided the group to one of the many offshoots in the cave network. That would provide them with some privacy, without taking them out of earshot of the Reclamation Trial festivities.

There, in that small, unfamiliar passageway that had been formed by the Faldrass eruption of 720, they were able to begin the discussion in earnest.

Darius didn't pretend to know how best to answer each question. He didn't pretend to know any deep mysteries of the Immortals - and he was sure there were many - so he could only rely on what he knew of them, with a healthy dose of common sense.

"Aye, it's true that some think the Immortals might have seen this coming," he acknowledged, though he wasn't entirely sure if he believed that himself. "But if that's true, couldn't we also say that that is precisely why we established Hopetoun precisely where we did?"

The other questions fell away when he asked his own, as the group tried to make sense of what he was asking.

"Look around us," Darius continued. "Snowfall heavier than anyone can remember has fallen over Faldrass. This island is the warmest place in all of Scalv, so if there is heavy snow here, one can only imagine how other places are faring."

He had no way of knowing how widespread the snow was, or how heavy it was in other parts of Scalvoris, but he was confident in the logic of his argument.

"And yet, here we are, in the warmth of Faldrass' bosom, with not a single snowflake weighing us down."

He saw nods from some of the group. It was hard to deny that despite having had to evacuate Hopetoun, they were now in a safe - and warm - place of refuge.

"If it's true that the Immortals could see this coming," he added, "then I like to think that Saoire gifted us this location when she invited us back to Faldrass. And Xiur made sure his holy ground would protect us in times of need. And that seems pretty hopeful to me."

[Darius Baer]

The remainder of the trial ran smoothly. Whether it had been a case of good planning or good fortune, Darius appeared to have allayed the fears of the group of settlers. In truth, all he had done was offer a different perspective, but it seemed to be what they needed to hear.

Most of them joined in on the commemoration. Food was shared, and boats made of vellum ran down the small rapids that had been birthed deep within Faldrass. They bobbed about atop the water, constantly threatening to capsize with every new current. For the children, it was a fun game, but for the adults, they recognised the symbolism: every dip of a paper bow, and every time a boat rolled and threatened to capsize, it represented some kind of challenge that had been faced by either an individual settler or Hopetoun as a wholeHopetoun Hole wordplay!.

And yet, not a single boat sank beneath the waves. It was as if Faldrass himself, controlling the underground waters that flowed out of his heart, wanted to remind the settlers that they had met and surpassed every challenge that had been sent their way.

The boats floated their way through the cave, following the currents as they disappeared down a tunnel that was too small for anyone to follow. But if they crept down - and the youngest settlers squealed with delight as they did - a small light could be seen at the other end. Perhaps Faldrass was ensuring that despite their current situation, the Hopetounian's vellum vessels would still eventually make their way to the Hollow Sea. And perhaps that light was simply the white of winter; or perhaps it was a glimpse of a star, for it was now past sundown. Whatever it was, it quickly came to symbolise peace and hope to the settlers.

And perhaps – just perhaps – Xiur, Ziell, and the others had not abandoned them at all.

[Darius Baer]

Rewards Requested

Notes/Warnings: No.

Thread: [Hopetoun] Holed Up
City/Area: Faldrass Island

Renown: If applicable for guiding the community through their time in the Hopetoun Hole during the extreme weather event.
Wealth Points: N/A
Collaboration: No.
Local Language Thread? No.

!	Message from: Pig Boy
	Done!

[Pig Boy]

Darius Baer

Feedback

Excellent work. It's great to see how other pcs have stepped up during the snowstorm event, and Darius is certainly no slouch with his ability to inspire faith in his followers and settlers. I think the speech was well written and delivered, Darius should give his speech writer a raise!

That said, it was seemingly a good idea to shelter in Hopetoun Hole, given the natural warmth of the place, and the spaciousness of it. I would also hope that the Green Knights would allow some to shelter in Shellknight Lodge, if they needed, which isn't far from there. But Darius being the self-reliant person he is, he wasn't going to put all his chips on that obviously.

All in all a good decision. Good writing!

Rewards

• Renown: 10
• XP: 10

Knowledges

• Socialization: Knowing how to read the mood of a room.
• Socialization: Knowing when an inspiring word is called for.
• Psychology: Recognising the inportance of morale.
• Leadership: Listening to the needs of your followers.
• Leadership: Providing hope in a time of doubt.
• Psychology: Sometimes, a little nudge in the right direction is all that is needed.