• Event • The Sleeping Heart Stirs

[Pig Boy]

The Sleeping Heart Stirs

The Sleeping Heart Stirs

1st - The Sleeping Heart Stirs Again
A group of tunawa are found nearby one of the longhouses of House Imair. They have gone into their deep freeze, and sleep has fallen on them. Yet not before they apparently had the chance to scrawl a message on the door of the Longhouse. The Sleeping Heart Has Arrived

A few of the tunawa are brought in doors, while the rest are left in a small culvert where they can endure the freeze of the season in peace, until they awaken. The tunawa that are brought indoors to thaw, however, do not thaw. Alchemists and gardeners are wanted in order to figure out how to awaken the sleeping tunawa, so they can deliver whatever message they were trying to deliver.

In Raelia, on the 1st of Cylus 721

"Where is Jarl Eric?" Vigo, the senior Seneschal of House Imair asked of the guards, one of whom merely shrugged at him. Shrugged at him the closest advisor of the Jarl! The second most powerful noble in Melrath, one might argue, after Veldaris. And certainly the most important.

Vigo turned to the other man, who's eyes flew wide, and he stammered, "His grace is engaged in a hunt, south of the Vynmur... He said he would return in ten trials."

Vigo shook his head. More and more lately, Imair had been engaged in such frivolities, even as the unrest and confusion in Melrath deepened. People were restless, and there was talk of change on the wind. Change for the Circle, the nobles, the Sprits and Melrath itself. There was even talk of people speaking to spirits, circumventing the influence of the Aesir! To think! What good had come of inviting Outlanders to Melrath, Vigo wondered, when it only led to carnage, chaos, and upheaval. All of these Immortal worshipping fools. They were reliving the ancient days of their peoples' exodus from Ne'haer, except this time there would be no place they could escape from the Immortals' influence.

And now this business with the tunawa, the Hochojobon... And their damned cryptic messages.

Why they couldn't just say what the Sleeping Heart was, what it was about, and why it was stirring... Instead of sending everyone into a fit of rumor-mongering and panic.

Vigo pushed past the guards, and into the Longhouse proper. There, at the far end of the hall, the tunawa who were held in the small culvert carved into the Longhouse, had yet to thaw. Even though they were given plenty of heat, water, and everything else that by rumor and reputation a tunawa might like to have.

Vexed by this question, he stood in front of the culvert, staring balefully at the small frozen creatures, their delicate and arguably beautiful features marred by expressions of terror and confusion, he wondered if he should just see what would happen, if he added them as kindling to the fire...

Word had been sent out, several times for people to look into this business with the sleeping heart, and to try and wake the Tunawa. But none had yet answered their call. There were errands to run, things to investigate. Many different branches to this investigation needed covering. But for now, he would settle for someone to get a single word out of one of these blighted tunawa.

[Ashling]

Tunawa?

Ashling didn’t know much about the small beings. Well, she did know that they existed. She had seen Tunawa sometimes. She knew the general basics about them, but had never researched them in-depth. Now, her mother Sol’ange had persuaded her to do try it.

Sol’ange was a renowned gardener and healer. She had received a message asking for help with some kind of trouble that involved Tunawa. So, recently she had turned up and went to speak to Ashling.

At the time, Tristan had already decided to volunteer. But, Ashling had hesitated ... she hadn’t felt sure if she had the adequate competence. According to the brief messages they needed alchemists and gardeners. It seemed like they might already have investigate he problem and decided how to solve it. She might only be in the way.

“Or they might have been in a hurry to find help in an emergency. When people feel stressed they are prone to jump to conclusions. We don’t even know if the person who wrote the messages know anything about Tunawa. Also, we can't know if they know about alchemy, medicine, gardening and so on. People do often suggest cures without knowing anything. And your understanding of wild plant-life might be useful, Ashling.”

It had made reason. Ashling had admitted that. And so, Sol had told her the basics about the physiology and anatomy of the Tunawa. All the time while they had spoken about this, Ashling had assumed that Sol would come too. But, as it turned out Sol’s plan was to send Ashling instead!

“What? But, mother... “

“I already have some very important cases to take care of Ashling. I can’t take on to do this too.”

Afterwards, Ashling had checked and replenished the healing kit. Everything was in her backpack now. The packing including one quite thin herb ledger Sol imagined might be useful.

“It’s thin and I’m afraid the information in it is not particularly complete. But, unfortunately I haven’t been able to work so much with Tunawa. It’s all I have. Maybe you will get an opportunity to fill in some of the many gaps, Ashling ...”

That hadn't seemed so promising, but Ashling had nodded in agreement. Sol had wished her good luck, said farewell for now and left.

And so, Ashling was now standing outside the Imair family’s massive wooden lodge, near the edge of the city. She was alone, but she hoped to soon meet up with Tristan and other volunteers who might come. She guessed those had made some preparations too.

Now, she looked around. She was averse to entering alone. What if they would demand immediate alchemy crafting or gardening? No. She would wait outside until she could enter with a group!

[Tristan Venora]

Tristan did not know much about Tunawa either, having never had close contact with one, or eve really exchanged more than a handful of words with one. He knew that Tunawa were small and kind of plant-like, and that was it, pretty much. Unlike Ashling, he hadn’t needed a lot in the ways persuading to help out when he had found out about the frozen Tunawa that had been found by members of House Imair and the mysterious message though.

On the contrary, he had decided that he would offer his support right away – because he possessed something that might help solve the problem – his anti-winter potion, which had been the reason for Ashling and him meeting and falling in love (in reverse; they had gotten engaged first, because of a misunderstanding, and realized that they really liked each other later on)!

He was so optimistic that it would have some sort of effect on the frozen Tunawa that he had decided to brew a fresh batch right away rather than just mentioning it to House Imair. Fortunately, it was a relatively straight-forward potion and not very time-consuming to make at all. He made three small changes though. He didn’t use any orange sand from Scalvoris this time (because he had run out of it), and instead of wine, he decided to just use water.

He wasn’t sure if treating the frozen Tunawa with a potion that contained alcohol would be a good idea. Tunawa were so small that a few drops would probably make them dead-drunk; besides, they might have other problems besides being frozen. Giving someone who might not be entirely healthy alcohol was definitely not a good idea!

The third small change involved using pepper as an accelerator instead of some sort of obscure creature’s spinal fluid. Ashling’s being a healer had definitely rubbed off on him, and as a consequence, he tended to make sure that all the ingredients were safe for consumption nowadays.

The main ingredient had stayed the same though – fine chili powder, to make the drinker feel warm inside, and the binder was honey, just like before. It would also render the potion at least somewhat tasty, and hopefully neutralize some of the spiciness on top of it.

~~~

Tristan really enjoyed working with Ashling – they had been a great team during the potions tournament (they had made it to the final round, and he had even won), but he had left the decision as to whether she would take part in this here to her. For that reason, he was especially happy when she had decided to give it a try.

Since he had been held up by an unexpected customer, Tristan arrived at House Imair a little later than his fiancée. He had packed a few things that might come in handy into a bag, besides the freshly brewed anti-winter potion that he had filled into glass vials, and he was dressed elegantly, in a light blue tunic and a matching cloak, among other things. Even though he was in exile, he was still a duke, and he saw no reason to hide that.

With that thought in mind, the thrice marked “Immortal worshipping fool” (Vri, Vhalar and Zanik, although he didn’t shout it from the rooftops) who had been involved in the controversial spirit potion research project the cycle before (and gotten his embla around the same time), approached the longhouse.

When he saw Ashling standing there and waiting for him, a warm smile spread across his face. Seeing her tended to have that kind of effect on him. A moment later, he walked over to her and offered her his arm so that they could enter House Imair together.

“I’m sorry that I’m late”, he apologized. “I made some fresh anti-winter potion. If it makes people feel warm inside, it might also help unfreeze the Tunawa”, he told her before he abruptly broke off as something had just occurred to him. “Do you think that people who are frozen are still capable of swallowing? If worse comes to worst, we can probably use the potion like a salve and rub it into their skin though”, he decided.

“I’m glad that you changed your mind. They asked for alchemists and gardeners, but a healer will definitely come in handy in my opinion, nevertheless. Who knows what kind of shape the Tunawa will be in when they wake up? They might need medical attention”, he continued. He didn’t know much about Tunawa, apart from the fact that they were tiny, but he doubted that being frozen and thawed again left anybody unaffected.

“Anyway, shall we go in?” he asked and briefly turned around, to see if anybody else had arrived in the meantime, before he face her again. He had to admit, he was a bit worried. He wasn’t worried that they would fail to wake the Tunawa up – he was almost as good an alchemist as Padraig Augustin now. He was just worried about their message.

What would they say?

[Jasper]

Jasper
Rel
Ardiechy





The Sleeping Heart Stirs
1st of Cylus 721

Jasper actually first heard rumors of the strange events in the kitchens of house Veldaris from the servants. As a minor Aesir in the great house he had more freedom, and since currently none of the lesser members was feeling particularly disturbed by any spirits this trial the young man slipped out and made his way the Aesir headquarters.

Once there he walked through the great nave heading towards the Shaman wing to see what he could learn. One his way there he saw Tolaruth. The middle age woman was one of those extremely curious people, and Jasper liked her. While she was curious and nosy it was done out of a sense of concern for other people. She was one of those likely to show up on you door step with soup when she heard you weren’t feeling well instead of running to say mean things behind your back.

Jasper stopped her and asked. “I understand there are some frozen Tuwana who won’t thaw at house Imair.” He asked her.

“Oh yes and the left some cryptic message about Awakening of the heart or something like that.” The older woman said stopping and grasping Jasper’s hands. “Nothing they do can seem to thaw them.” She then thought of something and almost seemed to bounce. “Are you going to see if Eldloga can thaw them.”

“I hadn’t thought that far.” Jasper honestly confessed. It was a good idea thought. Jasper now faced the consequence of asking anything of Tolaruth. As she barely let him say that before she was off again on talking about everything that had trickled into the Citadel.

Eventually Jasper made his way the Imar estate. The Aesir wore his robes of office, and on his belt he wore the Eldloga’s Aspergillum on the belt around his waist as he approached. The young man wasn’t neceissarly an alchemist, but he wanted to see if his companion could help them and if nothing else see if he could come in contact with the spirit of what had imprisoned them or the spirist of the Tuwana themselves.

The dark haired Aesir arrived outside the compound and found two other people at the gates. With a friendly smile the young man approached both of them. “Greetings.” He said in his baritone voice. “Are you both also here to look into the Tuwana.” He felt safe making that assumption since a member of the house would normally just walk in. “The name is Jasper. I wanted to see if I could offer any help.”

Diri Companion

Eldloga

The First Light

[Ashling]

She smiled at Tristan. "I hope I'll be able to help out ."

Ashling was already a bit hungry. The situation in Melrath wasn't as bad as famine, but due to the failed harvest in Alivilda, the supplies of grain and vegetables were limited. As a consequence, the production of alcohol was also very limited. Food came first. Eating was more important than getting drunk. Ashling supposed this would mean a serious dip in the income for the famous beer breweries in Alivilda. A whole arc of bad business would hit them, she guessed.

It looked bleak for the celebrations of light as well. Senseless orgies required a lot of food and drink, especially drink. If they weren't going for a fish-feast? The fishermen were working overtime, attempting to compensate for the lack of other food ... and taking the opportunity to make extra money now when the fish demand was rising. The bad business for farmers and breweries was the good luck of the fishers. An old Melrathi saying came to mind. One man’s death is the other man’s bread.

Had it not been Cylus, Ashling would have been able to forage in Myrkvioar forest. She could do that in the spring. A happy thought. The food shortage already made it impossible to buy food beyond your rations. If this continued, or even got worse, Ashling would be able to provide for Tristan and little Ayla by foraging in Myrkvior forest.

This kind of thoughts was born out of living on strictly rationed food. She knew this and tried to ban them, but she always felt a bit hungry during these trials. And so, she had been thinking of food and drink when the third person arrived outside the longhouse of the Imair. She had been fantasizing about being offered nice food and drink by the Imairs for helping out with their tünawa issues. Surely they would be hospitable? But, she had to admit that she suspected that they wouldn't. It would be bad of nobles to break the rules The Circle had decided on.

Jaspers arrival tore her out of her musings over food. One look at the young man and her face lit with a smile. An Aesir! Now, this was a good sign for a true believer like her. The spirits would be with them now! She felt convinced that it was so. It couldn't have been better!

"Greetings!"

She extended her hand with the enthusiasm and respect any Melrati would feel for an Aesir, expecting to shake hands. The man was tall, but so was she, due to the eídisi inheritance that also made her skin colour an ashen mix of blue and brown. In the daylight, outdoors, the colour leaned more towards blue but indoors in the warmer light of fires and lamps it leaned more toward bronze. Slender and maturing at eídisi pace she looked younger than her twenty-four arcs, but there was nothing childish with her steady dark gaze or the way she spoke.

"I'm Ashling Grayhawk, herbalist and healer. And yes, we’re here to help out with the tünawa!”

She would listen to the brief conversation outside the longhouse. If the others would ask for her opinion about what to say when they entered Ashling would suggest a straightforward Melrathi approach. They should just say that they were responding to the call for help with the tünawa. Once they were ready to enter she would follow the group into the longhouse.

[Tristan Venora]

Just like his lovely grey-skinned fiancée, Tristan was just a little bit worried about the food shortages and the lost harvest. He had dealt with a civil war, terrible shadow beasts and an even more terrible plague among other things, but he had always had enough to eat before, so this was a new experience. Besides that, his heart went out to the people of Melrath who had to deal with food and alcohol rationing (which seemed to be a huge problem for some). He didn’t wonder if they would have to go foraging in Myrkvior forest though. He was in the process of coming up with a solution – a possible solution, at least.

“I’ve been thinking about something”, he remarked while they waited outside, in case someone else would arrive. His tone of voice was soft because he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be overheard and because he didn’t know how long it would take to get everything in place. “I have some money. I could make a donation to the Circle so that they can procure food for Melrath. There is little food in Melrath at the moment, but if we imported it from abroad … do you think the people of Melrath would be okay with that?” he wanted to know. That was his biggest worry. In the arc that he had been living in Melrath, he had learned that its inhabitants could be a little xenophobic.

There was also a second solution that he had in mind – Ship Biscuits for everyone (although they probably tasted worse than his stale old cat-speech potion) – but he didn’t have the opportunity to talk about it for it was just then that a very tall man arrived. To be honest, he had been hoping that more people would come. He didn’t mind working alone, but if there were more people, the chance of them waking the Tunawa up – and deciphering their message, which was important as well - would increase.

And what more, the man was not just any random Melrathi, he was an Aesir. Just like Ashling, he saw that as a good sign. It couldn’t hurt to have the support of the priesthood!

He waited until Ashling and Jasper had greeted each other before he stepped forward and extended a hand as well. His hand sported black nails. They were not just a fashion statement, but the mark of the Immortal Vri. Most people didn’t know though. “I’m pleased to meet you, Jasper”, he said in a very polite tone of voice and inclined his head respectfully – because a member of the priesthood deserved to be treated with nothing but the utmost respect in his opinion. “The help of an Aesir would be most appreciated. I’m Tristan Venora, Ashling’s fiancé. I’m an alchemist and gardener”, he explained.

“I invented a warming potion, the anti-winter potion”, he added, figuring that Jasper might be interested in that. He didn’t say that in order to brag about his accomplishments – although the anti-winter potion had gained some popularity in late 719 – but so that Jasper would know that he actually had something useful to offer, something that might help and that the situation wasn’t hopeless. Together, they would without a doubt be able to accomplish something. First, they needed to actually see the frozen Tunawa though!

“Shall we go in?” he asked Ashling and Jasper.

In his homeland, the kingdom of Rynmere, Tristan was the equivalent of a jarl, and he had been friends with the king before said king had decided to burn mages alive, among other things, but it seemed wrong to him to go first when a member of the Aesir, a member of the priesthood that was held in the highest regard, in almost sacred esteem, in fact, was with them. For that reason, he told the other man in a respectful tone of voice,

“After you.”

[Jasper]

Jasper
Rel
Ardiechy





The Sleeping Heart Stirs
1st of Cylus 721

Jasper was a native of the country and despite being a Aesir he was still a junior member of the order. So while he didn’t believe he was anything special he held many of the more senior members of the priesthood in a similar awe. The young man knew that he had potential, he saw now that he had been born with a natural gift to sense spirits, a gift that with the training of the Aesir and there blessing he new used as a full ability. There was more to it then that, and he was working on learning the necessary skills. Which was why he came to stuff like this.

He took the young woman’s hand. She said her name was Ashling Grayhawk. He smiled warmly at her though he felt a bit at the enthusiasm she greeted him with. Ironically that was one of the issues he found with some of the others. They seemed more impressed with there respect then with the spirits. Jasper was more interested in helping people by bringing the spirits blessings. He did say. “I am glad to see others have come to the call for aid.” His smile was warm and friendly but his brown eyes showed worry and sorrow for what was happening.

He then greeted the other young man. The young Aesir did notice the black nails, but he wasn’t aware of the symbology. The young man was far more interested in the local spirits then the Immortals. He truly believed there was enough to take care of locally with out looking for trouble else where. He also very firmly believed in allow people to prove themselves. He nodded at Tristan introduced himself and explained that the two of them were engaged. “That is wonderful.” He said with a sincere smile.

His widen slightly when Triston mentioned that he had an anti winter potion. He didn’t see it as an brag just and explanation of resources they had. The young Aesir lifted up an aspergillum at his belt. “My spirit companion is flame based and going to see if he is able to help with thawing Tunawa.” He fondly caressed the aspergillum, then turned his full attention back. “If not I will see if I can find an actual spirit involved in this freeze and see what we can do from there. So how shall we go about this?” He asked wanting everyone to feel involved. His specialty might come in handy but it was very specialized. He suspected these other two had other talents that could easily be applied.

He nodded when Ashling suggested just being straight forward about what they needed. Jasper nodded and finding that they were waiting for him to lead the way. Jasper bowed his head and stepped forward leading the way to the door. The robes of Aesir and the young man’s impressive form tended to throw people off when they open the door. Then to add the finishing touch was his friendly smile. There was just a twinkle of humor in his eyes as well. No one expects such friendliness when first confront with it. The guard blinked.

“Hello. I am Jasper, this is Ashling, and Tristan, and we have come in response to the call to help with the Tunawa.” He said in a friendly voice and extended his hand in greeting. The guard gapped for a moment in surprise, he felt he should be intimidated but everything was just so friendly.

“Oh course your holiness.” The guard said as he shook hands with any that were offered. “Let me get our lord’s Seneschal.” He said and left the crowd standing in the entryway watched by the other guard. Jasper mouth twitched in annoyance at being called holy. They stood there in silence for a moment before Jasper said to the other guard. “What is your name.” He said and held out his hand to shake the remaining guards hand.

“Ian.” Can the short reply before he returned guarding. Jasper looked at his two new companions with a shrug. It was only a moment be Vigo showed up. The man approached and his walk could only be described as a strut. Jasper had seen people like him before. They felt they were important and that the world should think so to.

“Welcome honored guests.” The Seneschal said coming up to them. He had a slightly relieved look on his face as someone had come to take the blasted vague warning off of his hands, and luckily one of them appears to be an Aesir.

Jasper smiled and extended his hand in greeting to this newest and said. “Jasper.” He then motioned for the others to introduce themselves. The Seneschal nodded towards each and offered them welcome in that polite way that left one unsure of his actual thoughts. “Can you please show us to the Tanawa in question. Oh also do you have a unused hearth? I will need it, and some supplies wood for the fire.” The young Aesir got a confused look but Seneschal nodded expecting it as part of the Aesir nature and looked towards the others to see if they would need anything even as he waved them forward. “Please follow me and I will take you to them.”

Diri Companion

Eldloga

The First Light

[Ashling]

Ashling didn't feel so well, so she left the event at this point.

(This was approved by Pig Boy in the Melrath Chat as I said I'm out and applied to remove my post.)

[Tristan Venora]

When Jasper mentioned that he had a flame-based spirit companion, Tristan’s eyes widened, much like the Aesir’s eyes had widened before, and then he smiled, because that sounded exceptionally useful. And what more, Jasper gave him the impression of being a very friendly and polite person. The young duke couldn’t help but immediately like him, and unlike the guards, he wasn’t intimidated by his size at all. He never felt intimidated by someone just because they were physically impressive. He’d only start getting a little scared if the physically impressive person also started being physically aggressive!

He followed Jasper into the longhouse, walking a step or two behind Ashling and him, as was appropriate. When the Aesir introduced them to the guard, the alchemist who had only recently become a citizen, extended a hand for the man to shake as well before he walked further into the house in order to meet with Seneschal Vigo. The man strutted, Tristan decided. There was no better word to describe the way that he moved, as if he wanted the whole world to know how important and powerful and such he was.

Unlike Jasper, Tristan did not have a problem with the Seneschal’s behaviour though. He had seen people like him before, back when he had been a Duke in Rynmere, but he would never draw conclusions about someone because of a brief first impression. There was, almost always, more about a person. Everyone had different layers. Vigo might very well a loyal servant of his Jarl, and a caring husband (provided that he was married).

With that thought in mind, Tristan politely extended a hand towards the man who reminded him so much of a Rynmeran lord and introduced himself and the lovely grey-skinned woman that stood next to him, “Tristan Venora, and this is my fiancée, Ashling Grayhawk.” Having said that, he fell silent again and waited for Vigo to take them to the Tunawa, nodding briefly when Ashling let him know that she thought it would be a good idea if he offered to donate money. Just like her, he didn’t want to embarrass the Seneschal. It would be a good idea if they discussed that idea more later on.

When Vigo explained that the Tunawa had been given everything that one of their kind might like to have, Tristan who had taken his cloak off and deposited it on a nearby chair because it was quite warm in the house listened quietly and attentively. He wasn’t sure why they had tried water – water alone would not thaw something, unless it was warm water – but he figured that they had their reasons. The people of House Imair were definitely not incompetent. With that thought in mind, he approached the three Tunawa, after he had made sure that Seneschal Vigo was alright with him doing so now.

He immediately noticed that the poor little things looked scared. They literally looked as if they were frozen in terror. The biggest one was about the size of his daughter’s biggest doll, and the rest of them were smaller. He simply stood there for a moment and observed them, and noticed how beautiful they were, and how different from each other, and then he began to speak in a very soft and gentle tone of voice, as if he were worried that speaking too loudly in front of the poor Tunawa might scare them even more.

“Can your spirit companion’s ability be extended to all three Tunawa at the same time, Your Holiness? If it is not too strong, it might be beneficial to keep it active while Ashling and I try to help the Tunawa with our potions and our medicine as it could be used to strengthen the effect – provided that your spirit companion is willing”, he added, since the spirit was a being of its own and not just a tool to be used at will. As far as he was concerned, Jasper’s companion should be asked for his or her opinion.

“I think that each of us should pick one Tunawa. I’m worried about what will happen if we use too many things on one of them at the same time. They look so small and fragile. We need something potent to wake them up, but too much might have negative effects”, he said to Ashling, still in the same soft tone of voice as before and looked at her and then at Jasper, waiting for what the two of them had to say.

~~~

Provided that none of them had a problem with his plan, Tristan would approach the middle-sized Tunawa, the one with slick white bark and regarded the little being for a moment, in order to see if there was anything unusual about it, besides the fact that it was frozen. He knelt down next to the little being and murmured soft words as he produced his potion, that he was here to help, that they were safe now, that everything was alright. He talked to them as if he were talking to a sick person. He always tended to assume that someone could hear them, even if they appeared to be unconscious, just in case.

First of all, he carefully put a few small drops of his anti-winter potion on the Tunawa’s lips, using an eyedropper, to see if they were cable of swallowing, or if it had some sort of other effect. Normally, frozen people most likely couldn’t swallow, but since there might be some sort of magic involved, things might be different here. If it turned out that the Tunawa could not swallow, he would put on a pair of gloves. Since members of House Imair had taken the Tunawa inside, he didn’t think that touching them with his bare fingers would have any negative effects, but it would be better not to take any chances.

The potion was probably more efficient when you drank it, but even external application might have some sort of effect. Chili, which was one of the ingredients, had warming properties. For that reason, he rubbed a bit of potion into the Tunawa’s skin, or what they had instead of skin, very carefully, so as to not accidentally break the tiny creature. While he did that, he observed it closely, to see if there were any signs of thawing.

[Jasper]

Jasper
Rel
Ardiechy





The Sleeping Heart Stirs
1st of Cylus 721

Jasper followed the other two as they were lead to the three frozen Tunawa. His brown eyes grew thoughtful as he studied the three creatures. Like the others he noticed the expression on their faces and the look of fear on two of the three, and the sleeping expression on the third. The young Aesir could sense that something was wrong but was exactly sure what it would be.

The Seneschal remembering Jasper’s request indicated to an unused hearth and said. “I will have some firewood brought shortly.” He said and stepped back to see if there was anything else they needed. Jasper returned to his study of the creatures even as Ashling began to give them a once over. Jasper nodded his head as he listened to what she said. His realm was the spirit, and while he knew the basics of a human, and other similar races, he wasn’t as sure of the beautiful tree people.

His brown eyed gaze lost it focus and turned to Tristan as he asked him a question. Jasper smiled and said. “Eldloga is a spirit of the hearth, fire is his obvious attribute, but he also covers all the areas associated with the hearth. That is why I am going to light a fire in a cold hearth. Once lit by him the fire holds the ability to amplify the healing of any creature within the radius of its warm. At least for a few trials.” Jasper said explaining. “So as long as we keep each of the poor tunawa within the reach of the hearth’s warmth it can work on all three at once.”

He turned his focus with Tristan to Ashling’s question. He glanced at Tristan as he answered and then smiling said. “I agree that we should work with each individual and see what we can discover. Its like when you make a good beer. You want to flavor each one at a time to see how it works.” He was sure his heritage was showing there but he didn’t care. His family was good at what they did.

It was then that the wood was delivered and Jasper got to lighting a fire. Once the base was set up Jasper carefully opened the lid of the Aspergillum and allowed the spirit to reach out as it sent little versions of itself to catch the wood on fire. Jasper was patient as the process started. Though as he sat there he entered a shallow meditation. He hummed a tune and swayed his upper body back and forth since he was sitting on the ground. He focused on the spirit of Eldloga as it worked to do its job. Do to the connect with the hearth spirit the son of the Alivildans felt a growing warming with in him as the fire began to build up. He continued to hum. The two were connected so that they could communicate normally, but Jasper liked when he did stuff like this to try and bring his continuous closer to the world of the spirit.

With out thinking about it as he hummed and swayed just being one with Eldloga he would reach for a larger piece of wood as one was needed. Soon a blaze was warming all of them and they could feel the comfort of the hearth spirit. Jasper slowed his swaying and ended his humming, his eyes slowly opening, the brown of them seeming richer. Jasper then stood up and smiled at the other two. “The flame is good to go.”

He saw that Tristan had picked the middle sized one. Jasper picked up the tallest, not because of the height but because of the look of fear on the creatures face. He set it a safe distance from the new fire, so that it would be warmed by it but not in danger from it. Jasper once again sat down but turned to look at the others. “I am going to see if I can get any insight from the spirits. If something happens don’t hesitate to get my attention, though don’t be alarmed if it takes me a few moments to respond.” He said with a encouraging smile. Then he turned his head back and closed his eyes. Sight was very important but could be distracting. Unlike last time he didn’t hum or sway. Jasper wasn’t sure what spirit if any were related to this event, so he just needed to focus. Once he had an idea he could begin trying to get in contact with the spirit. It was one of his tricks. If an meditating Aesir sang with a spirit and moved with it then it was easier to hear them talking.

This time he held the Aspergillum in his hands and opened the lid and talked with his friend mentally. ‘This Tuwana, children of the trees, have left us a warning my friend.’ Jasper paused and said. ‘Can you help me please? We need to know what keeps them frozen. Any wisdom you can provide me would help us. Otherwise can you please help so together we can search for an answer, and help heal these creatures, and possible save others.’ Eldloga was a spirit of peace and prosperity, for with out either there were no Hearths. Jasper hoped that his insights would help.

Jasper sat their meditating pull on both his natural talent, and his Aesir gifts. Searching for answers in a plain less visible. He searched to see if there was a spirit that kept these creatures from awakening or if they had been touched by one. Even one not directly responsible. Jasper aloud his mind to clear seeking that world which always called to him. Even as he did so the other two could se Eldloga growing brighter.

Diri Companion

Eldloga

The First Light