Runemaster Olto - Setting Battle Plans and Fixing Misconceptions

Mariena

--You do such a good job of showcasing each npc's personality!--

You give a glowing, luscious fruit to Runemaster Olto.

With a smile and presentation of the glowing fruit that the Core offers, you say to Runemaster Olto, "Hello, Runemaster. I am glad you called, actually. We're about to do something quite risky."

Runemaster Olto offers a low bow to you. "Hand," he begins, taking the fruit with a faint smile. "Thank you."

Slowly inspecting the fruit, Runemaster Olto says, "Oh?"

With a shake of her head, misted tones leaving her eyes, you say, "We're going to wake Dendara."

Looking up from the fruit with a laugh, Runemaster Olto says, "Hand?"

Hand lifting to run through her hair, you say to Runemaster Olto, "Well, we were told Dendara slumbers along with Kaarn, which is why the Hollow's bonds grew lax, aye? This is the information we gathered from the High Keeper. Kaarn sleeps, which is why his nightmares manifest and he can slip into our consciousness. Valakris is the nightmares of Dendara, the worst of the worst - this was told by the Daughter of Ivaryen. So!"

Mariena spreads her hands and offers simply, "We attack Kaarn into waking. Kaarn wakes, Dendara hopefully realizes that one of its biggest atrocities is awake and tightens bonds. Dendara would then be awake and could then stop sending nightmares into this realm, allowing us the chance to find where Shadow leaked into her in the first place."

Runemaster Olto gives a slow shake of his head. "No, Hand. You misunderstand," he gives a slow sigh, running a hand over his pate with a grimace.

Mariena huffs out a breath and asks (despite the huffing) humbly, "then please, teach me so I DO understand."

Runemaster Olto leans against the primordial durdalis, giving a glance upward. "Where shall we begin," he mutters to the great behemoth, though mostly to himself and offers a nod to you. "There is a saying amongst the Karnagh, Hand. 'Never trust a dryad.' They're rather fickle and, truthfully, rather grim. They teach us much, but it's always best to be a little leery of them. For all those ill-omens and portents, it remains to be said that Dendara is not so single-minded in her dreams as you would believe."

With a raised hand, Runemaster Olto says, "Now, it is my turn to be grim. The Karnagh have spoken to the durdalis, some of the most ancient and great, much like our friend here."

Mariena listens and nods. "Aye?" She asks in great curiosity.

Runemaster Olto says, "From all that they have seen and all that the treants who stood vigil alongside them have said: it radiates across the whole of her from the darkest vale to the cracked heavens. This is something that will not end, Hand, unless Shadow itself were to be extinguished."

His voice hard, Runemaster Olto says, "What did the people of Sapience unleash, Hand?"

As Mariena stares at Runemaster Olto, the light tones of her eyes shift, spiraling into a deep ebon stain, tinged with crimson. "At which time?" She inquires.

Runemaster Olto says, "If that is truly the case, then the war shall be fought on numerous fronts."

Slowly, you say, "There have been several catastrophic events in Sapience, Runemaster. Several. I couldn't convince the Seer to cast back, to remember. She said quite loudly that Dendara didn't wish to. Most recently, there was the plague that the Lord Hunter tried to cure in the Aalen. That resulted in him having a corrupted sickness that seeped into the halls of Dendara. The Lady Lleis gave her essence in such a burst of power as to cleanse Her Brother, Dendara, and raise this mighty Oak."

Runemaster Olto crouches down, idly tapping the end of his quarterstaff. "And what of Shadow's place here, Hand?" He glances up, idly rubbing a finger atop the bridge of his nose.

Runemaster Olto gives a rough laugh, almost cold as he thinks of something for a moment. "You think the Hunter 'cured', Hand? Goodness, He's just a rough mess then," he mutters. "That's a damned shame."

Pointing to herself, you say, "That is when we first learnt our Shamanry. That is the first time our history fortold of the Praadi. Casting further back into history, things that could have effected Dendara with shadow would be the Artifice. We have wells of power beneath our lands, Leylines run across us richly. It was told that Albedos, another land mass well across the seas, depleted their own. The Dreikathi - nasty ones they were - came to war with Ankyreans? The Shadow Lord himself, Severn the Artificer.."

You say, "Well, I don't know what He did but there is a helluva lot we don't know now."

You say, "It came across that He blocked the knowledge."

With a nod, Runemaster Olto says, "Mm. I see."

You have emoted: Mariena taps her forehead. "Here." She looks at Runemaster Olto. "Could be that type of large-scale magic could have caused a rent in Dendara too."

Mariena shakes her head and shrugs slightly. "Other options include the Sciomancers releasing the Kerrethrim, the Shadow Mother being a general threat, that time things got free from the Abyss.."

With a mutter, Runemaster Olto says, "It may even predate that. Time is a spiralling stream within Dendara, not a line with marked events."


Elyni arrives from the ether.

Runemaster Olto says, "That is rather troubling."

Runemaster Olto casts a glance to Elyni, chuckling before looking back to you. "There's something to be said for the royal amount of trouble the people of Sapience cause, Hand."

Smiling dryly, you say to Runemaster Olto, "There is something to be said about how much is unknown."

Elyni peers about herself, inclining her head to the two speaking before turning to exit.

Taking a slow bite from the fruit, Runemaster Olto says, "Troubling, as I said."

Runemaster Olto says, "How many wars have your people seen, Hand?"

Daweson arrives from the ether.

Fingers tapping her staff, you say to Runemaster Olto, "Depends on your definition. Do you mean mortals fighting mortals?"

Shaking her head sadly, Mariena answers, "A good many. Skirmishes, wars, battles.. Sapience is a giant clash of ideal against ideal."

Runemaster Olto gives another nod as he takes another bite of the fruit, glancing back to the durdalis. "This fruit isn't bad," he mumbles with a mouthful. "Too bad you don't eat. I bet you'd like it if you could."

Somewhat morosely, you say to Runemaster Olto, "We look at each other to fill the same sort of holes in our knowledge, I wager. We want to know about Dendara. The people within a land meant for the spirits, this land we were charged to protect and given the skills to do so. . yet our knowledge of her is scarce, and scarily so."

You say to Runemaster Olto, "You are searching for what on this plane caused such Shadow to harm your home. Why we would wreck our home in such terrifying manners. I can tell you as you told me on the Dryad.. Some mortals are their own breed. They start wars for the glory of it. They exult in their shadows, their abilities to manipulate them.. But we aren't all the same or believe that way."

Swallowing audibly, Runemaster Olto says, "Oh, I certainly don't believe so. It's moreso preparation for things I've to do on Dendara."

Ending in a grumpy mutter, you say, "And what we do learn is constantly contradicted by other information gained."

Runemaster Olto waggles a finger. "Never trust a dryad. No matter how pretty they might be," he bobs his head in a nod. "There are a number that assist us and teach us, but they're all fickle as they come."

Head tipping, you say to Runemaster Olto, "Are Treants born treants, or do they start as dryads and mature with age?"

Runemaster Olto says, "Treants are treants. Dryads are awakened by them from their glades and groves."

"Huh," Mariena returns with a nod. "Always wondered that." She looks up at a primordial durdalis, and then back to Runemaster Olto. "Olto, it is a troubling time to be Hand, it feels a hopeless quest to be on, stemming the flow of corruption from a place I should be protecting, when the Shadow is such a part of this realm. I don't think it CAN be extinguished."


With a shrug, Runemaster Olto says, "It's hardly your fault, Hand. I wouldn't be entirely hopeless about it, though and there's a number of things we can still do to make more of Dendara safe once again. I aim to reestablish the songlines with the cairns and waystones. I've got to make contact with a number of the Karnagh, the dryads, centaurs, and satyr as well."

You say to Runemaster Olto, "Is there anything you need that we could provide you to do this?"

Attaining her fullest glory, the shining sun sits upon her throne at the apex of her daily trek through the firmament.

You say to Runemaster Olto, "Also! In your opinion, is it hopeless to wish to free Tocer from Valakris? Or has the Wyrm been too saturated with corruption? I just.. it hurts to think we would slay a Guardian of Dendara without following all possible courses of action, including luring him with corpses and trying to send healing surges through him.."

Runemaster Olto says, "Mm, inks, a great deal of stone, and, woefully, the way to be open to the Prophet's Hollow. One of our first waystones lies within there."

With a shake of his head, Runemaster Olto says, "I'm no priest of the guardians, Hand, but they are always reborn. Valakris might shed that shadowy husk and reawaken as Tocer."

Grabbing a sharpened chunk of charcoal bound in leather and a scrap of designing parchment, you say, "Inks. Stone. Any certain ink color?"

You say, "Specific stone types?"

Runemaster Olto says, "Any sort of stone might do, I suppose. And, ah, green and gold inks."

Mariena jots these notes down. "We will begin stocking them in the shop in preparation then. Now, when you say 'Get into the Hollow," she questions, looking up from her scribbled note-taking, paper still pressed against her thigh and staff balanced in the crook of her left arm, "how will that affect Kaarn, who is there from what we know?"

You say, "Do we prepare for War so these songlines and waystones can be erected or will this effect him at all?"

Runemaster Olto shakes his head, giving a flash of a white-toothed grin. "It'll come with his fall, Hand. I wish to rebuild the waystone there as it's among the strongest," he pauses. "Hand, have you given thought as to how you will breach Prophet's Hollow? The High Keeper has been awaiting your decision along with that of the Prideleader's for the Rangers who've given us aid."

I missed grabbing my response. It was pretty much 'hit it until it's dead?'


Runemaster Olto says, "Might need bit more of a strike, I'm afraid. The three of our peoples, mm."

You nod your head at Runemaster Olto.

You say, "That is what I mean. The whole of us. The Pride, the Praadi, the Kindred, Karnagh, Rangers.."

You say to Runemaster Olto, "We can have the inks ready for you, numbered in the thousands, quite easily enough."

You say to Runemaster Olto, "You see about coordinating with the High Keeper for Two months from now?"

You say, "And I'll badger the PrideLeader into doing the same."

Runemaster Olto says, "Might take a bit longer, I'm afraid. Give me four, at the most, to gather up what I can along with the High Keeper. Rangers are worn ragged."

You nod your head at Runemaster Olto.

You say to Runemaster Olto, "I can certainly do that. I do not know if you would find this helpful.. but I can certainly brew up some sort of bottles using that fruit. A bit of an energy boost and some liquor to ease the mind for the troubling task ahead. Could also feed you lot too. Get some nourishment into the frontlines.."

Runemaster Olto slowly stands, turning to regard the primordial durdalis. "That'd be excellent, Hand, and I'd welcome it. As for now, I'd better get to fixing these runes again," he begins, giving a nod to himself. "It should make our friend a little more wakeful."

You nod your head at Runemaster Olto.

You say, "I will leave you to that, though I would love to see the process. It sounds like it would take much concentration."

You incline your head politely to Runemaster Olto.