Author: robinmcentire

Rhonda Floam’s Diaries: The City of Yemnash

Posted on by robinmcentire

Dollano 28 (two hours later), SP~4,909

Rhonda Floam

The City of Yemnash

It was less than two hours ago that I fell asleep, but it will (it must) be enough for now.

It is time to recount the remainder of yesterday’s events and finish with where we find ourselves at this moment, provided I am given the time to do so.

Before I go on, I have to say to myself (so that I am reminded of it in later times) that I don’t want to tell this story. The events are almost too much to bear, but I am a reporter, and so I will report.

We were chased down the tunnel for several hours, and we ended up in a large cavern, though to call it a cavern does not tell even half the story. It was an underground city. At first we thought it was abandoned. The buildings were all of stone, somewhat lighter than the stone of the walls, and they were stacked one against another in many long rows. Each was many stories tall, reaching at least fifty feet from the cavern floor, leaving some room, though not a lot, between their roofs and the ceiling.

Thick, black vines covered the face of the buildings and had sprawled inside through windows, doors, and deep fissures. For many buildings it looked like the vines were all that kept them standing.

I remember glancing over at Donnessling and Sheshoffiss and seeing the looks of surprise and wonder (and fear?) on their faces. When they glanced at each other they did not seem happy about what we had found.

They whispered together and then chose a path down one of the winding lanes.

No one spoke. This place had placed a fear on all of us, and we treaded lightly as we made our way along the cold stone cavern floor.

We were only perhaps a hundred yards along when we heard the first chittering sounds. If it had not been so completely silent we would have mistaken it for ambient sounds in the deep cavern, but there was something more determined and menacing about the sounds.

We moved quickly but the sounds also picked up and some of the vines on the side of the lane were trembling.

It was when a length of vine stretched up from the floor to meet another that was dangling from a second-story window that we saw them. Allsassring and the nossring who had gone with him were splayed against the surface of the building, just above our reach, bound there by criss-crossing vines. Their bodies were ashen and lifeless and disfigured by the crushing strength of the vines.

We were all stunned, stopped in place while we absorbed the tragedy of what was before us. I think I heard Donnessling weeping.

A cry from one of our companions behind me broke our silence. We turned to see Prassalling being dragged across the cavern floor toward a doorway across from us by one of the vines. We were unprepared for how quickly it moved. Prassalling was hacking at its length with his sword but having little effect.

Three other of our companions leaped to his aid, and each hacked at the vine. But as soon as they had sliced through three others grabbed Prassalling and pulled him into the building. Another vine shot out of a window and wrapped itself around the neck of the nearest nossring, dragging him into the building as it strangled him. The others tried to help but vines were throwing themselves at them, too, and they could do nothing more than fight for their own survival.

In less than a minute we had lost two of our companions, and the rest of us gathered to charge into the building’s dark opening.

“Stop.” It was Donnessling who knew the fate of the two who had been dragged away and would not allow the same to happen to the others under his charge.

“There is nothing we can do to help them. Follow me. Quickly!”

Then we ran, once again. This time, though, we were dodging vines, which were now thrashing wildly and attacking us from every direction.

The nossring are an agile and quick folk, as I’ve learned so well during our travels. They managed to avoid most of the vines, and others they sliced apart or slapped them away with their swords. Some were caught. Some of those were freed by their companions, but some did not make it and were dragged back into the reaches of the abandoned buildings that loomed on either side of us.

I was a burden. I must say it. If it had not been for the aid of my nossring companions I would have been taken by the vines almost immediately. Several formed a guard around me and even carried me at times. I am ashamed that I was such a burden to these stalwart folk, but they would have it no other way. A few times I drew my knife and managed to deal a consequential blow to our ferocious foes, and I met with approving glances from my comrades when I did so.

We ran, and stumbled, and fought, like this for a long time, until we finally reached the end of the buildings and their inhabitants.

Once beyond their reach we looked back and saw tendrils writhing in anger and squealing some kind of high-pitched angry dreams in our direction.

Then we saw a sight that none of us will ever be able to excise from our memories. From above the walls of the buildings at the end, those closest to us, there arose a hideous, unnatural form. Like a surge of feces it rose above the walls to reach the ceiling and then poured down over the sides to the cavern floor. It was a thick, foul-smelling muck, and, as we watched it slowly extruded from deep within the bones of many creatures. There were long bones, and short ones. Most were covered in the brown goo, but some, clearly, still had meat or skin clinging to them. There were skills, some of which still bore their former owners’ eyes or a semblance of eyes created by this mass of malevolence.

The creature (and, though it emerged in several places it seemed one single thing) rose and, forming a wide hole in the sludge that comprised its shape, it bellowed at us. It was a sound as disgusting as its form. We then heard the same kind of sound as we saw that other openings had formed that also seemed to be calling out to us. The combined sounds began as deep rumblings, chaotic and rough, almost like an earthquake. Then the chorus grew to a higher pitch and became so loud we had to hold our hands against our ears. As it became louder, and I think angrier, blobs of dark spittle and detritus of all kinds flew out from each opening. The stench became unbearable and the sound was amplified by the walls of the cavern.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw Donnessling motioning me away from this thing to move down the corridor. Sheshoffiss was doing the same.

Slowly and painfully we made our way down the cavern. As we did it narrowed to a wide tunnel. We continued our march away from the deadly city and yet the odious sound of the hateful bellowing continued, diminished only by our distance from it.

Then came a slight hesitation in the voice, an instant of silence, followed by a huge blast that shook the walls all around us. Then there was silence.

We had lost many, too many, and those of us who remained were shaken to our core, our clothes stained by the putrid ooze from that beast.

The silence was a relief and we all, as one, slumped to the floor of the tunnel to weep for our comrades and to recover ourselves as best we could.

“This was the ancient city of Yemnash that has been lost to the world since the ending of the Second Era of the World and the beginning of our own time, the Third Era of the Fifth Age of the World.” This is what Donnessling said to us.

When we looked up at him, we could see how weary he was as he continued, “We are now safe, beyond the reach of that corrupted place. And, there is no sign of the enemy from whom we ran before.” He looked from one to another of us, “Eat something and rest. If I am right, we are not far from a way out of this mountain and a path home.”

Several hours have now passed since we stopped in this place. I ate something before I wrote my previous entry, and then I slept because I could do nothing else. With this entry I have finished our story, and can set aside my pen and rest. I will eat a bit more, and, hopefully, will find sleep again. I do not think, though, that I will find rest from the unbearable sorrow in my heart.

Our Solar System: Mammarrell

Posted on by robinmcentire

The Fekxtah planet Mammarell

Mammarrell

Mean Distance from Oma: 2,739 WA

Orbital Period around Oma: 391

Mean Diameter: 28,105 miles

Length of day: 94 hours

Gravity: 7.8 Ethems

Description:

Mammarrell is known as the Fekxtah with a Thousand Fingers. This, of course, is poetic license taken by the Elzheni Astronomers to describe the myriad number of magnetic and electrical fields of force that extend out from the planet to pierce space for thousands of miles beyond the physical bounds of the planet itself.

We will first note that this Fekxtah planet has no atmosphere. None at all. The empty immensity of space begins at the very surface of this rocky world. The only thing that breaks the darkness of Mammarrell’s rocky surface and the empty void surrounding it are the lines of Energetic force emanating from it. Usually these astronomical tendrils are invisible to the Astronomer’s eyes. There are times, however, when activity within the Fekxtah cause them to burst into color. The ancient Elzheni Astronomers called these events Moments of Energetic Chromatics, or MEC. An MEC might last for only seconds, but they can, at times, linger for days or even months. Regardless of their duration, an MEC event comprises every color imaginable (and some that can not be imagined). These tendrils, or as the Astronomers called them, their “lines of force”, are alive with constant movement. There are accounts that describe lines that cross each other and burst into explosions where they touch, scattering fiery bursts of light out into the cosmos, and down onto the planet below. At times the lines of force twirl around each other and combine to create ever thicker and longer forms. As one Elzheni Astronomer wrote in the ancient texts, “It was as if Oma lit fireworks over one of its most distant children to illuminate the distances among all of its children.”

There was speculation that, for countless eons, Mammarrell had been home to many of Oma’s Fire Daemon. Some Astronomers believed that the Fire Daemons spent their lives in constant motion on Mammarrell’s surface and that, periodically, these dances became so ferocious that they caused the Energetic Chromatics to flare into visibility. While this may be an artful and delightful story for Elzheni children (or our own), current scholars agree that it is no more than that — a fantastical children’s story.

It is interesting to note that, even though the Fire Daemons story is not to be taken seriously, the ancient Elzheni Astronomers did indeed find strong evidence of the existence of an Energetic life form on Mammarrell. There are accounts of Astronomers who tried to contact these creatures. These attempts almost always resulted in the death, or the total incapacity, of the curious and brave Astronomer; however, several explorers did return alive from their encounter and described their experience. Each of them told almost identical stories. At first the Daemons, called Mammarrs by the Astronomers, seemed uninterested in the Astronomers. In fact, they seemed not to even notice their existence. They were far more interested in the pockmarked, charred surface of Mammarrell. They wandered aimlessly over the rocky terrain occasionally bending to more closely inspect the stony expanse. Then suddenly, and inexplicably, they would halt seemingly fixated by a particular site. Like a small, slow-moving whirlwind they would surround this point on the surface and, as they spun around it, they would sink into the stone until almost all of their “body” was below its surface. The creature’s fiery glow would suddenly erupt into an intensity of heat and light. The rocky area they had surrounded immediately melted, turning into a slushy lava. With a final flash of incandescence the Mammarr would launch itself into the dark reaches of space that surrounded Mammarrell, carrying the molten stone with it. The Mammarr would fly far away to find a home on one of the many tiny moons that surround it, or deeper into space to a destination unknown to the Astronomers.

The Elzheni Astronomers speculated about this odd event, and though they were unable to arrive at a conclusive explanation, many were convinced that the Daemons were feeding on the material substance of Mammarrell.

Finally, it is helpful to note that there was much discussion in the ancient texts about the similarities between the Mammarrs and the Flamen who inhabit our own world here on Ethem. On our own Fekxtah the Flamen are a rare thing to see, and, when they are seen, it is usually quite brief as they fly out of the ground into the sky or from the sky into the earth. The fiery Daemons of Mammarrell were, however, ubiquitous. The Astronomers rarely looked out onto this world without seeing a number of these creatures busily exploring Mammarrell’s surface.

Fekxtah Station #11:

Fekxtah Station number 11 is located well beneath the surface of Mammarrell. It was constructed of a special substance created by the Elzheni Materials Masters which was impervious to the destructive desires of the Mammarrs. It is reported that the first stations, created out of the stone and rock of Mammarrell itself, were quickly destroyed by the Mammarrs, who seemed drawn to the oddly shaped spaces that had suddenly been carved out of their world. Once found by a Mammarr, a station would soon find itself inundated by any number of these creatures, each eager to consume the edifice. This gave rise to a belief among Astronomers that the Mammarr had the ability to communicate with each other. It was assumed that this communication occurred strictly through the Physic Energy that was so abundant on this particular Fekxtah

The construction of this Fekxtah Station took many years. Several dozen attempts were attempted before a solution to the Mammarr problem was discovered. The Elzheni were able to finally develop a material, and kind of metallic stone, that the Mammarrs would not consume. Accounts tell of Mammarrs descending on through the natural rocks of Mammarrell that stretched between its surface and the first walls of the Station. Once they had found the stations boundary they would latch onto it and begin to gyrate. After only a few seconds, however, the Mammarr would abruptly break away from the material and fling itself back up to the surface. There it would quickly find, and consume, some of the natural stone of the planet. It was almost as if the Daemon had suddenly bitten into something highly distasteful and had to excise that objectionable material with something more to its liking.

Our final note about this Fekxtah Station is that it was by far the largest of the Stations, other than Ethem of course. It comprised at least 20 floors and extended almost a mile wide in some parts. It was constructed at this large size for two simple reasons. The first was that the Fekxtah planet Mammarrell had very unique Energetic properties of great interest to the Elzheni scientists. There were two Energies in particular. One was Physic Energy. There were quite powerful and ancient forms of this Energy on Mammarrell. The other was Transference Energy, which is a Shadow-inflected type of Physic Energy (see the scholarship on Non-Junovalent Energies for more).

The second need for such a large Station is that it served as a transfer point to the Fekxtah Stations of the planets further away from Oma herself. These Fekstach could not be reached directly from Ethem because the distances were simply too great, and so the Mammarrell Station served as their entrance.

Rhonda Floam’s Diaries: Death from the Walls

Posted on by robinmcentire

Dollano 28, SP~4,909

Rhonda Floam

Death from the Walls

Yesterday we ran.

Donnessling had woken early in the morning or, at least, what we believed to be the morning outside of this hole inside the mountain. He was weak, but his wound seemed to be mostly healed and he could walk, though slowly.

That was when we felt the stone shake beneath our feet. Sheshoffiss immediately pulled the white stone out of his tunic and uttered soft tones to it. He looked up at us in surprise.

“It has not moved. It stands outside of these walls.”

He looked around the cavern as we felt another tremble in the stone. This time some cracks appeared in the walls and ceiling.

Sheshoffiss could not conceal his astonishment, “How could this be? This place is ancient and its walls have held for eons before our passing.”

As the shaking grew stronger three of the cracks widened, and dark wisps of clouds curled out. At first they looked like nothing more than billows of smoke being blown into the cavern, but as they fell away from the wall they slowed to a stop and formed into something more menacing. They took on the shape of strange creatures with bony heads protruding from stiff, thick cowls.

From their sides each formed long, slim arms with seven-fingered hands at their end. Each finger ended in a long, gray talon. From their black heads, I saw white slits form into eyes. One creature had two and the others had three.

We could feel a coldness inside as those terrible eyes passed over us.

I heard Sheshoffiss cry out, “Meergates!” and waved to all of us to move behind him as he threatened these creatures with the white stone. Before we could react two of the ashen creatures launched themselves at us. I saw nossring turn to face them and swing their swords through the fell beasts, but they swept through the bodies hitting nothing, each left with a deep black soot along the blade where it had passed through.

Each of the creatures captured one of our companions, holding them fixed to their spot and writhing in agony as their foggy hands reached into their chests, wrenching their innards out of their bodies.

Portalling, the nossring that Allsassring had left in charge, commanded all of his soldiers to move back. The two stricken nossring slumped to the floor dead. I can’t be sure, but I thought I saw the flick of a white tongue from their attackers as if they were licking their lips with the blood they had just spilled.

Sheshoffiss raised his stone higher into the air and tried to cast the dark beasts away from us. The three of them were momentarily shaken by the white light, but then slowly started to advance on us.

It was then that a dazzling green bolt of lightning flew toward the creatures and struck the center of the leader. It shrieked with surprise at this sudden unexpected force and it reeled back in pain. Its two companions saw their leader and retreated to its side. Donnessling was standing at Sheshoffiss’ side, holding the Stone of Darmyn in front of him.

It was then we heard another shriek, louder but much further away on the other side of the stone of the cavern. It was the shadow creature, which was still waiting for us. It had found and released creatures of Shadow Energy from the walls of this place. Even though it could not move through the walls of the cavern to attack us itself, it had found a way to release foul things that would do its bidding.

As this realization hit us, we felt another shake of the cavern’s stone and several more gaps had opened with new dark, cloudy menaces oozing from their reaches.

Donnessling cried out, “There are too many! We must flee! Down the tunnel my comrades!”

And so we flew down the tunnel protected by a final spell that Sheshoffiss and Donnessling cast together that sealed the opening behind us. I don’t know where Donnessling found the strength to lead us, but he did.

That was yesterday and we marched many long miles, always traveling deeper into the mountain. We ended the day in a place that had once been used by creatures not entirely unlike ourselves, but that story and the story of today’s journey must wait a few hours because I am too exhausted to write more now.

Our Solar System: Yunah

Posted on by robinmcentire

The Fekxtah Station on Yunah with one of Yunah’s moons passing near

Yunah

Mean Distance from Oma: 1,840 WA

Orbital Period around Oma: 336 years, elliptical, 90 degrees to plane

Mean Diameter: 7,200 miles

Length of day: 63 hours

Gravity: 0.9 Ethems

Description:

Yunah’s life ran out many ages ago, and is now no more than a sad remnant of a dead Fekxtah, a lifeless body of rock and stone that is pushed to and fro by the Fekxtah that surround it.

We would forgo the inclusion of Yunah in this document but for two reasons. The first is historical. For many Long Times of the Whole World Yunah was a vibrant Fekxtah planet. According to the Elzheni astronomers, when Oma was still young, Yunah lived closer to Oma where it could absorb the tremendous warmth of its fire. During this time it was a world covered completely in water. No dry lands broke above the great waves that dominated Yunah’s life cycle. The planet-wide ocean was hundreds of miles thick, and in some places the waters reached down into the rocky core of its own self. There was a great abundance of life in Yunah’s ocean. The currents carried vast islands of sea leaves in predictable routes that circled the planet. There were certain places, near the poles of the planet, where islands were overcome by the seas. The masses of vegetation were submerged by ferocious currents and carried deep to the bottom of the water world where they provided nourishment to the tiny creatures that lived in these depths, and there was evidence of a rich, intricate system of life that provided a place for the tiniest of creatures, some too small to be seen, all the way up to behemoths many miles in length that roamed all the reaches of the ocean.

As the Long Times passed, Yunah grew greedy and thought too much of its own power. It gradually moved closer and closer to Oma to bask in its radiance and claim a place as Oma’s First in its Family. At first Oma brought wondrous heat and succor to Yunah, which delighted in the glory of its warm wealth. The vegetation that populated the oceans grew to new heights, extending thick tendrils many miles above the Fekxtah’s watery surface. But there came a time when Yunah became too close to Oma. Its fiery emissions, and the fire daemons who escaped from, or were pushed out of, its body came too quickly and too fiercely to Yunah. Soon the plant life was scorched, and eventually it began to burn. They tried to save themselves by sinking down below the waters but to no avail. As time passed the waters boiled and the plants died. Yunah felt pain as its deep oceans evaporated into the cold, empty space surrounding it. Then the planet Fekxtah saw its peril and it worked mightily to eject itself from its descending orbit and to free itself of Oma’s heat. Alas, though, it took a great time for it to accomplish that feat. It had spent too many eons descending toward its great, fiery mother. As it struggled for release from Oma’s pull, the waters of its world steamed and boiled, and its atmosphere filled with thick clouds but they were not thick enough to protect its oceans.

Eventually, Yunah flung itself away from its great mother Oma, but by then it was too late; all that remained of Yunah was a husk of charred rock and lava that hurtled to the outer parts of Oma’s family. As it flew away it lost its strength and it slowed, and was eventually bound to a new orbit that was determined for it by the Fekxtah that roamed the outer reaches of Oma’s family, and there it sits today.

The second reason for including Yunah in this tome is that even though it no longer lives and it’s orbit is very far from Oma, it holds, according to the ancient texts, the frozen, lifeless remains of one of the early Fekxtah Walkers, the race of creatures that tended the World when it was young, during the Age of the Fekxtah. The Walkers were the shepherds of the Fekxtah. They tended all of the Fekxtah to keep them each in their appropriate place and to stop many of the wars among so that they would not destroy themselves and all that was to come. It is told that the Walkers have the ability to move throughout the Entire World with their ability to step from place in the World to any other place of their choosing. They behave as though there was no restriction in how far they might move in a single step, as if there was no such thing as distance between different places in the world. If it is true that this ancient corpse from the very beginnings of time exists, then its recovery would give us boundless knowledge about the Great World and its Making.

Fekxtah Station #10:

This Fekxtah Station was carved out of one of the many rocky towers that dot the Fekxtah planet. These stone structures are highly stable since they have been in place since Yunah left its near orbit around Oma. The structures were forged by Oma’s fires and fire daemons and the ancient texts say that there are still markings from the many daemons that found a home for some time in the solid, rocky parts of the planet.

The ancient texts say that there is an atmosphere on Yunah, though it is far smaller and less dense than what we are used to here on Ethem. A sect of Elzheni that specialized in the invention of flying objects apparently found Yunah to be a particularly good location for their work. The composition of the stone found here is such that it easily absorbs, and holds onto, Physic Energy. This is no doubt due to the terrible assault of Oma’s fire on the planet. Whatever the cause, the Floating Energicians, as they were called by the Elzheni, were able to construct many stone floating and flying transports. It is said that there were so many that at times they would cover the entire sky.

Rhonda Floam’s Diaries: Allsassring Departs

Posted on by robinmcentire

Dollano 26, SP~4,909

Rhonda Floam

Allsassring Departs

It has been three days, and little has happened. We wait in this immense, and very strange, cave, biding our time and hoping that the creature outside will lose patience and go away.

Sheshoffiss keeps checking. He is able to tell whether or not the creature is there by checking in with his Stone (or Eye or whatever it is). It takes him a few minutes. I don’t know exactly what he’s doing, but my guess is that he’s scanning the Energies outside of this cavern. He holds the Stone, closes his eyes and then mumbles something indecipherable in that ancient language I’ve heard before. He sometimes turns his head a bit this way or that, and then suddenly I see him jerk up, like he’s found it. Then he puts the Stone away and turns to us and shakes his head to let us know that it’s not yet safe.

Donnessling is still unconscious. His shallow breath shows us he’s alive, which is a huge relief to me, and to us all, but, other than that, he’s been unresponsive.

I know Allsassring is upset about his good friend, but he doesn’t show it. He’s taken charge since Donnessling has been out of it.

Our time has been spent exploring the cavern. If the situation weren’t so perilous, I’d be enjoying myself. There are small tunnels that extend far into the mountain. They, and a lot of the main cavern, where we are now, are covered in a light green algae that emits a soft light. We discovered that we could extinguish our torches and in a few minutes, once our eyes have adjusted, we could see very well by this eerie glow.

Sheshoffiss spends some time each day healing Donnessling’s wounds. He’ll take the Eye of Darmyn, the green stone, from Donnessling’s pocket and place it on his chest. Then he’ll pull his own white Stone (the Eye of Dey) out of his coat and hold that in his hand not far from the other. He shuts his eyes and speaks an incantation, almost singing. I heard something like, “ta eemessetra doll ara felshadala”. As the chant gets stronger, both of the stones glow each in their own color and this seems to help Donnessling.

When Sheshoffiss did this last night something quite peculiar happened. The green moss that covers the walls of the cavern started to glow, and they glowed in rhythm to the cadence of the chant. At one point I thought I saw something like a stream of smoke or cloud come out of several of the larger mosses in the ceiling and reach down to touch the green stone on Donnessling’s chest. I think everyone else was asleep, so I may have been the only one to see it. Except, Allsassring, of course. He notices everything.

Before we slept tonight, Allsassring announced that he was going to explore some of the tunnels more deeply to find a safe way out. There is one tunnel that leads out of the cavern, and then soon descends, quite quickly, down into the depths of the mountain. He took two others with him.

They’re leaving first thing in the morning, before the rest of us are up, so I said my good-bye’s tonight.

I’ve seen that tunnel. In fact, Allsassring doesn’t know it, but I spent some time following it the other day. It’s long and it kept descending into the roots of the mountain. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the feel of it. There was something unnatural about it and something that felt evil or at least dangerous. I turned back when I started smelling something terribly foul and not just foul, but like something that had been foul for a long, long time. And, now my friends are going to explore it. I’m worried.

Hallsassring’s Journey: The Story of a Nossring

Posted on by robinmcentire

Chapter 2: Welcome to Tarnath

Belltros’ Farm on the West Road outside Tarnath

Hallsassring made progress as the sun rose. She was slowly descending into a wide valley spanning the forest to the west and another set of mountains far to the east. Occasional rises broke the broad lands. To the north the lands smoothed into a plain that extended to the horizon; to the south foothills of the eastern mountains gave way to what looked to be a large bay with many docks and ships.

The openness was strange to her, so different from the valleys of the Rimmel Mountains where she was always enclosed and protected by the mountain’s tall arms. Here she felt exposed and vulnerable.

In spite of her unease, she could see that these lands had their own kind of beauty. The earth was not the rich brown soil of the Nossring Nation, but it was a healthy place where growing things were well tended and flourished happily. The fields were filled with grains and other crops she did not recognize. They added soft browns and greens to the landscape, and — she inhaled deeply — an earthy fragrance. When she listened closely, she could hear the tall grasses softly brushing each other whenever the wind gusted.

“Surely, I will find Alliss in this place,” she told herself, trying to bolster her confidence.

Without warning the low country noises were interrupted by another, unexpected, sound. A voice called out to her.

“Greetings!” It came from somewhere to her right. Looking in that direction she saw a small woods. She scrutinized the area to find the source of the voice, but saw nothing. A short tree near the front of the wood shook, and then started moving toward her. Shocked, she jumped back, crouching with her fists in front of her.

“Oh, my goodness. I am so sorry to startle you, stranger,” came words from the same voice.

Hallsassring did not move, and the tree-ish thing also stopped. She waited to see what or who it was.

The tree raised its branches — arms? — in a sign of peaceful intent.

To all appearances, it was no more than a small tree about the same height as Hallsassring herself. However, it had moved the way folk would. Looking closer, she saw two burly legs with long roots for feet that seemed to extend from the thick trunk. The two limbs that it held in the air looked as much like arms as branches, and its head was crowned with a bramble of thin hairlike stems and small leaves. She thought she saw a pair of eyes where a face might be.

Then she remembered. Her instructors had taught her about the Ten Races, ten types of sentient creatures that dominated the Tamarran Continent. One of them was a race of tree-like beings who called themselves Kamari. Hallsassring’s realization eased her concern, and she relaxed her stance somewhat, gazing more closely at this extraordinary being. In every way it looked to be a tree, and yet it moved as nimbly as any of her Nossring kin.

Her face must have given away her astonishment. Seeing this, and her relaxed posture, the creature smiled and gave a good-natured laugh.

Hallsassring rose to her full height. “Greetings,” she said, using the same language that had hailed her; Sessym, the common language of the northern half of the Tamarran Continent. She extended her arms with her hands open in customary greeting and looked to see what reaction she would receive.

The creature seemed pleased at Hallsassring’s courtesy. “Yes, greetings and welcome, stranger,” it replied, giving a polite bow in return. “Please allow me to introduce myself.”

When Hallsassring said nothing, the being continued, “My name is Belltros, and I am, as you can see” — he held out his arms and spoke with great pride — “a Kamari, though I have no tribe other than my family.”

Hallsassring was heartened to know she had guessed correctly, and that her long lessons had been helpful. However, her teachers had told her that Kamari were fiercely proud of their tribe, and it was highly unusual not to be a member of one. Yet Belltros said that he belonged to no tribe. Curious, she thought to herself, but quickly placed that aside and responded, “I am honored to meet you, Belltros.” She hesitated as she wanted to offer more than this, but the warning from her elders sounded in her head; “We Nossring are not always well-received in the world outside our lands,” and she said no more.

Belltros seemed satisfied with Hallsassring’s answer and continued, “You look to be a traveler, perhaps one from far away.” Belltros paused. Pointing to the east, he asked, “If I may be so bold, are you going to the city, to Tarnath?”

“Yes. Yes, I am,” Hallsassring answered. She was not used to such a direct question from such a strange creature.

Belltros responded amiably, “Speaking for myself, I’m not much for Tarnath. Too busy, and not enough grass or trees or fresh air.” He looked toward the land on either side and kept his gaze there, away from Hallsassring, trying to put her at ease.

After a few moments he turned back and said, “Well, I shouldn’t keep you if you have traveling ahead of you. I will wish you …”

“Hallsassring,” she blurted out, momentarily embarrassed by her awkwardness, and hoping she had not been rude. “That is my name.” She bowed her head slightly and added, “I come from the Nossring Nation far to the west.”

She was relieved to see that Belltros was smiling and had taken no offense.

“It is my honor to meet you, Hallsassring,” Belltros said graciously and with a gentleness that took Hallsassring by surprise. “It has been many years since one of the noble folk of the Nossring Nation has crossed my lands, and you are welcome here.”

Hallsassing wasn’t sure what to do. Not only had she revealed her name far too casually to a complete stranger — names are an intimacy that should only be shared when trust has been demonstrated beyond all doubt — but it seemed that this stranger already knew something about her, or at least about her folk.

Belltros could see Hallsassring’s discomfort. “You have shared generously with me, Hallsassring. If you would allow it, I will endeavor to return the favor, at least in part.”

Before Hallsassing could respond, Belltros continued, “It looks as if you have been traveling for some time and are perhaps hungry? You are welcome to share food with me.” He pointed to a table nestled just inside the woods. “It is only bread, berries, and a small cheese, oh, and a bit of fresh honey. Oh, yes, and I think there is some cream. In any case, I was about to sit down for my mid-day meal when I saw you.” Pointing again at the table, he added, “I assure you there is enough for all.”

“All?” Hallsassring posed the question to herself, wondering at the unusual turn of phrase, but quickly dismissed it. She calculated that it would be imprudent to refuse this offer, and yet it would be incautious to accept it. However, she had already disregarded caution, and, more importantly, if she were to accomplish her mission, she must take chances and find allies. The final piece of internal math that led her to a decision was her realization that she was very hungry and the food looked particularly delicious.

“I thank you for your generosity, Belltros, and will gladly share your food and perhaps some conversation.”

“Excellent!” Belltros said, clearly pleased that Hallsassring had accepted his offer. He led her to the table, chatting about where each of the foods had come from — most from his own farm.

As the two sat down at the table, Hallsassring realized that Belltros had been far too humble about the meal. There was indeed plenty for them both and for several more besides. Belltros handed her a wooden plate inviting her to help herself, and she eagerly obliged.