Homeland, and the Fetish
Thursday, 19 June 2014 23:00![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
littlesilvertipSunday, 15 June - Morning - Preparations and the Trip to the Homeland
Wet, cloudy day with changing weather. My battle scar on my leg was in pain from the get go. I’m limping like I’ve been hit with club overnight. I attuned the fetish one last time - I always feel like I’m covered in slick snot when I do it. I was tempted to use it one last time, but… no. No, this is exactly why it needs to go.
I called my cousin over - I think she forgot about meeting me this morning. She wanted to know if we were going into the umbra, or to Clear Water. I had her change into her nice kuspuk (she’s going to be a guest there…). I suggested she bring some stuff to trade, but she didn’t. Unfinished Business spied on us a bit, wondering what we were up to. I chided her for being in lupus in the kin place again. Geeze.
The Rite of Homecoming is always is a long one, and the dance always winds me. My cousin drummed, I danced and sang. It’s weird doing the dance standing up, but it’s easier to get to the part where you start making the connection.
The Homeland is great as always. The spirits, the people, the fact I can always find a little bit of how things were behind every rock, the representation of all that we come from… it fills my heart with a feeling a peace, and belonging. We arrived near the biggest pueblo, and I gave my cousin directions to some of the more interesting places. She gave me the books she brought into the umbra, and I headed to the main pueblo village - if only to get out of the sun. Since I had undedicated books, I had to stick to the ape shapes, so I flew to make it easier on myself.
Sunday, 15 June - Noon - Sharing news, and seeking information
No one recognized me. That isn’t a surprise. As soon as I landed, I was asked to identify myself, and so on, but the guards around. They seemed to believe that I wasn’t dead, and after stating my intention to go visit with the other Chiefs, they lead me through the pueblo. The Council building. They never let me in when I came last, but I was a new second ranked warrior. The ancestor spirit of Red Spirit was still there this time, guarding the Door. I told her I wanted in, and that I belonged in the discussions they had inside. I’m fourth ranked, so she didn’t really have a choice. Well, she did have a choice, but she choice right.
My first time allowed inside… It’s a lot different than I imagined it would be. It’s very… southern. I keep being reminded that my northern ways are a minority in the tribe. It was also smaller than imagined. Hard to think that there could be elders and ancestor spirits packed in here during a grand moot. I spied at least four Skywalkers, three Earth Guides, an odd Scout, and about five or six who didn’t pledge allegiance to anyone. All fourth and fifth ranked. Plus a few ancestor spirits, and couple dragons and Uktena. I tried not to stare at any of the dragons too much. If that’s how our totem wants to be seen sometimes… White Bison wasn’t there, though Words-of-Long-Knives was and was speaking for the group as much as the group ever has a speaker.
After they finished their discussion on something else, I told them that Sept of the Green fell, and we’d received their refugees, and that we were next in the enemy’s crosshairs. I mentioned the mage findings, and how confident we were that we had the area of chaos narrowed down, and that some other supernaturals had fled the approaching chaos. I told them I knew Beast-of-War was the head of the horned serpent most responsible (though this is no surprise to any, at this point). A few looked at me expectantly, and it lead very naturally to discussing the fetish. I shared that I hadn’t used it, and why I couldn’t use it anymore, safely. I explained I was now ready to trade (Trade. Not surrender. Trade.) it to individuals, for the good of the tribe as a whole. The amount of interest in what I had to say skyrocketed. Words-of-Long-Knives asked me to leave and come back later, to discuss deals, as they had other stuff. Great, I’m athro, but they still would order me around like a cub. I think I was polite about the snub, though, and told them that I had other things to be doing.
Sunday, 15 June - Evening - Do you know the name Apash?
I used the time to begin my other chores. First, I went around and had tea with maybe six or seven different medicine workers and story keepers, looking for information about the supposedly ‘haunted’ house. Each time, I had to explain I wasn’t dead, and yes, I noticed I was a woman. I tried not to act too tired by it - to them, this was strange news. Everyone was interested in my collection of secrets I had with me, but none had anything to offer about the house. I sew the seeds for the next day, when I’d research the Fenrir’s problem, and got several to use the night to consult their own stories, books, spirits, and so on.
A young boy came up after a very fruitless discussion with a story keeper, and told me Apash Wyakaikt sent him to fetch me. He was clearly a spirit, or a phantom of some sort; he spoke of the black ichor, which I’d mentioned to none. A sure sign. I followed him to a dead end, where I felt as if I walked through a wall, and was… moved to a place far away. It was our homeland’s representation of the Columbia, in the long ago times. Pure and idealic. Apash was beginning to age, full of wrinkles, but only beginning to grey. She had the most beautiful dress… close to, but not exactly the Yakima style.
Apash said she was also Ekeg Pogpokz, and it was clear she was some sort of spirit, probably an ancestor spirit. She invited me to her village. She seemed very grandmotherly, and trustworthy. And who am I to turn down a visit to a home? I did warn her I had so much white blood, but she told me to come anyhow. As we walked, we talked of the black water; she told me her grandmother’s grandmother had encountered it, and what I’d seen is a small drop. She said it is Not. A Nothing. And showed me the Nothing.
A great chasam. Impressive beyond words. She threw a stone, it never hit bottom. It was like I stared into the abyss. I had to keep from looking at it. This Eater consumed everything, Apash expained, down to the bones of the earth. All I heard from the stone hitting the side was an echo, and if I stared too long, it would make me an echo too. The Eater does this, throwing drops about, those drops consuming to grow. Something awoke the Eater, and there will be other drops we haven’t found yet. This is a great worry to me.
She confirmed some of my thoughts - to exorcise, cleanse and maybe purge the problem; it would call allies to defend itself, of course. It travels in our thoughts, like I suspected. The mark inside where I found the drop must be destroyed, and left unread, and unremembered. Similar to the Nephandic symbology. She gave me more guidance, but left me worried there’s a great spirit lurking somewhere, ready to erupt from the ground. I asked what gift she’d want for her generosity, offering to dance in her honour, but the only thing she asked for was for me to find her. She vanished without a trace, and I was back in the pueblo canyon.
I didn’t know how much time remained before the council was done, so I used the time to hear the latest gossip, and mention my most recent deeds, when I could. I asked a few if they knew of Apash. They didn’t. I also asked a few if they knew Ekeg Pogpokz. They didn’t either. I got a few strange looks, though…
Eh, homids.
Sunday, 15 June - Afternoon - The Ancestor Mirror
I got notice that they were done while I was eating frybread with someone from the Water Jaguar’s lands (and chewing coca!) and asking how Hummingbird had been, and had to cut it short before I found out. Red Spirit let me back in without blinking, or explanation. That’s a step in the right direction! Words-of-Long-Knives sent the others away. Apparently there’d be some infighting over the fetish. Many of them wanted it, and he had challengers to deal with. This doesn’t surprise me. The Ancestor Mirror is worth a dozen klaives. Back after I first was made aware of its existence, I could barely contain my excitement. A fetish that let me talk directly to Ancestor Spirits in Malfeas? To steal secrets from the wyrm itself from its most knowledgable sources? How many great secrets had I uncovered with it? How many mysteries solved? It’s too dangerous now, though. I knew it, and unfortunately, he knew it too. But he tipped his hand as to how many would drool to get their paws on this, and tell their own lies to the Ancestor Spirits of the fallen tribe.
He proposed keeping it here, and not at any sept. Good, something I agreed with. There are more dangerous artifacts here, anyhow. It’ll be in good company. I asked what he was offering. He told me a story about a book. An interesting book, that could write itself, and would contain ‘everything skipped by other books.’ It would allow me to uncover anything of spirits within. But what stood out to me, first and foremost, is that how he spoke of it, Harabi did not actually have it in his possession. He claimed he knew where it was, and that it’d be recoverable from the mage who had it, and didn’t understand what it was.
A fetish in paw, for the hope of a fetish later. A terrible deal. I told him I could go into the street and leave with a Fang Dagger immediately. I asked for more, and to encourage him, I offered the book full of Fenrir embarrassments - I’d claimed that as my compensation for the steep price I paid the salmon spirit earlier - if he’d offer more. He called my bluff, and said I wouldn’t trust just anyone with the Ancestor Mirror. After some more pushing, even offering him several other secrets, he offered Obsidian that had absorbed much of the area’s magic, and was sharper than sharp. He suggested them for talens, but when I examined them, they felt… tass like. The obsidian pieces definitely had a sort of innate magic. He asked for the book of Fenris blackmail, and I agreed.
It’s not the best bargain, but… hunting down a lost fetish seems to be something I do, and maybe it’ll work out for the best. Now I know the Fetish’s name, I can be put on the trail with rites and more. He also gave me the location of where he scried it. I’ll have to go soon, before the chaos gets worse. He also shared the information they had about the horned sperpent’s movements. I immediately communicated them to Earth whisperer over our shared link, and told him to warn the others that Grey Sky was near empty, and many gathered near Hanford, as well as other details. Harabi agreed to give any fresh information they had to a spirit I’d send in a few months time, and I trust him.
Sunday, 15 June - Night time messages
After exchanging our goods, I found a place to drum up a sparrow, and fed it gnosis. I sent it to Rifthealer, urgently telling her what I found about the house being consumed by the Eater’s Nothing.
I had a short conversation with my cousin over our pack’s link - apparently she was having a hard time with the homeland. I didn’t have much time to talk about it, though.
Next, I drummed up Tail-Eater’s spirit guide, and fed it gnosis too. I gave him a warning about the movements of the enemies, and let it return.
I was low on my spiritual reserves, but it was too late to meditate, so found a place to sleep on top of some soft bedding.
Monday 16 June - How do you solve a problem like Dagny?
I was so comfortable that I slept more than I meant to, and it was almost mid-day before I got up. I asked Harabi for a few medicine workers in addition to the ones I talked to the day before, and I tried a few on his list before I started on mine. One of them, a medicine worker from the Big Island, seemed to have some interesting insight. She thought it was a Slow-waking seed of Khaaloobh, the Urge Wyrm of consumption. Such a thing spreads itself around when fed, growing tendrils and sprouting like mold, blooming when there’s power to feed off of. Based on Fells the Wyrm’s story, it must have struck her in the head and physically implanted it in her. I can believe this. If she doesn’t remember because, well, she suffered a head injury. It’s happened to me, too. I’ve lost most of the day before I’m told Touch Deer cracked my skull open. I ended up trading the Hermetic book for this, and I feel like I got the better end of the bargain. I asked her if she’d seen Malia recently, and to pass her my best. She asked if she should tell Malia I’m a woman now, and I agreed. After some more news, I also asked her to apologize for all the coconuts. Malia’d understand what I meant.
The rest of Harabi’s list was a bust, but one of the Story Keepers I returned to - A young looking Metis named Tree-Farmer, said he had talked to his helper spirits, and figured out some interesting things, if I still had the Hermetic book. I asked him what he had - it turns out he had how the spirit was lurking in her head figured out. Or, a trout had. Trout. I should have asked Trout instead of Salmon. I negotiated Tree Farmer down to the Fianna journal, and got him to agree. Finally, I feel like I got a good deal. Trout figured that the spirit was doing something very clever, in that it was lurking in her metaphysical mind, yes, but it was hiding using the gauntlet. Part on one side, part on the other, subtly hidden in both. On the Umbral side, it could cover itself with invisibility, or a small shroud, and go unnoticed. But, now that I know what to look for, it should be easier.
I never did find out where Tree-Farmer was from.
Given my late start, and the number of people I had to talk to, it was late by the time Tree Farmer and I finished. I mentioned to him (and a few others) that I had some interesting magic herbs to trade, and spread word around a few camp fires at night. A few other warriors were going out pronghorn hunting, but I declined, and slept instead.
Tuesday, 17 June - Wheeling and Dealing
I managed to get up at a reasonable time, but I missed out on an amazing hunt, it sounded like. I guess pronghorn aren’t my kind of spirits, anyhow. After spreading around my interest even more, I and a few Uktena looking to trade got together, and bartered for a bit. I like to feel I can drive a good deal, but these people… they excel at it. Scouts and Raiders, mostly, so they spend their days practicing how to get every last bit of worth from their hunts. Most nice things were more than I was interested in trading for. One of them, from the Southeast, near where Copperhead came from, expressed interest in my Peyote, since it’s harder to get that far away without buying from suspect sources. I ended up getting two fairly nice bits of mundane jade. I was told soon after I could have easily got far more, since, apparently, northerners have lots of it, and peyote is more expensive to humans. I would have been pleased with my deal if I hadn’t heard that.
The bawn fruit got more interest because of the innate magic, and I told others I had no interest in anything mundane. I ended up rejecting a lot of offers after the poor deal I got on the Jade. Finally, a raider from Nebraska said she had a feather from a Thunderbird. That caught my attention. /Very/ interesting. It doesn’t… do anything, on its own. But it’s definitely full of it’s own bits of potential, from the wings of a Thunderbird. An easy agreement. We both left pleased, I think. The other piece of the wyld-filled fruit went to one from the Southwest, who had heard that I’d suggested magic skystone to Harabi in some deal, and, in fact, had a bit of his own. He told me he’d got the turquois from a glade), and assured me it’s excellent for preventing evil spirit possessions. I spent a while investigating that claim (it definitely does have some good medicine about it), before we bargained a bit back and forth. I threw in a bit of coca, and we agreed. I’m going to put it in a bracelet, I think.
Our little meeting was broken up when several younger, more hot-headed warriors became enraged over… I don’t know. All I know is next, everything was getting scattered, and we were beating a law keeper and a warrior out of frenzy. I didn’t lose anything (the feather was okay!), but several others did. There’s going to be some swift justice on this. It also put a damper on the mood of the night. The warrior makes our whole auspice look brutish. We are, but we don’t have to look it.
Wed, 18 June - Following up on flux.
My wounds from the previous day were looking better, so I gathered my things and prepared to leave Pueblo Canyon. Leaving, I very discretely asked a few of my rank and greater about ideas about dealing with the after-effects of Flux. That was a very solid miss - the workable suggestions ranged from binding vortexes (no) to going back to Flux (no no no). After tea, a few more stories swapped, and encouraging a few wide eyed first-ranked Uktena to come to my sept and make a great name for themselves, I left for the pond where I stopped being outwardly white at.
Singing Mother of the Waters was there, and welcomed a little gnosis as a gift. She was very pleased I’d kept my geas perfectly, and was fairly nice towards me. Not surprising, given how much I’d given her over the years. She confirmed that she could change my skin and fur colour again (no thanks), and even a few bones, but making me a man was beyond what she could do without destroying herself, and several child spirits in the process. Destroying a brood of a dozen or more spirits is not an option, to me.
I visited the beaver couple, made sure the dam work I did was still okay, knocked over a tree for them (she offered to ‘pack me a lunch’ again; it was birch), and then went north to go visit the little bit of land that us northerners have in the homeland, and told my cousin to meet me there.
Thurs, 19 June - Settling up and going back to the sept
The North made me horribly heart-sick for Clear Water. The aurora, the villages, the caribou… It all made me think of my adoptive family. I want to see them again, badly. I ran into a second ranked law keeper while I waited for my cousin to arrive, Chases Caribou Through Rivers. There’s so few of us who follow northern’s ways in our tribe, so I was happy to talk to him. He’s half Inuk, half Cree, and was raised in Nunavut. He’d been ‘studying’ his Inuk kin for years, learning more and more. I asked him if he knew if women over there were allowed to go whaling, and he couldn’t remember any having ever. So, that’s probably one thing I can’t do, now. He suggested asking a whale if I wanted to. He’d heard of women wearing masks when they’d worked spirits, at least in Nunavut. So I still have that going for me. We talked about how few of us there are, and how the rest of the tribe doesn’t get it some times. I think he looked up a bit to me: someone who keeps the Real People’s old ways, and has risen to the fourth rank in Uktena’s tribe. Even after I reminded him I was mostly white-blooded. He definitely seemed a bit eager to please me.
Oh, grandmother, that’s a terrifying thought. What if I’m the face for us northerners in my tribe? Are there any Elder-ranked Uktena Inuk? I don’t think so. I better not bring any shame on us.
He went to go find his packmates, we parted ways. I borrowed a boat from the village and I went sealing. I got a ring seal… or, a spirit one, anyhow. I performed the prayer for the prey, and after I shared it with the eminations in the village, I got to ‘eat’ some of it. A little of my gnosis back. The spirit was pleased I kept the old ways, and the old pacts, and said maybe next time I wouldn’t have to paddle as hard to catch it, before slipping back into the water. My cousin arrived that night, and I headed off with her for a gateway back to our sept’s lands.
Wet, cloudy day with changing weather. My battle scar on my leg was in pain from the get go. I’m limping like I’ve been hit with club overnight. I attuned the fetish one last time - I always feel like I’m covered in slick snot when I do it. I was tempted to use it one last time, but… no. No, this is exactly why it needs to go.
I called my cousin over - I think she forgot about meeting me this morning. She wanted to know if we were going into the umbra, or to Clear Water. I had her change into her nice kuspuk (she’s going to be a guest there…). I suggested she bring some stuff to trade, but she didn’t. Unfinished Business spied on us a bit, wondering what we were up to. I chided her for being in lupus in the kin place again. Geeze.
The Rite of Homecoming is always is a long one, and the dance always winds me. My cousin drummed, I danced and sang. It’s weird doing the dance standing up, but it’s easier to get to the part where you start making the connection.
The Homeland is great as always. The spirits, the people, the fact I can always find a little bit of how things were behind every rock, the representation of all that we come from… it fills my heart with a feeling a peace, and belonging. We arrived near the biggest pueblo, and I gave my cousin directions to some of the more interesting places. She gave me the books she brought into the umbra, and I headed to the main pueblo village - if only to get out of the sun. Since I had undedicated books, I had to stick to the ape shapes, so I flew to make it easier on myself.
Sunday, 15 June - Noon - Sharing news, and seeking information
No one recognized me. That isn’t a surprise. As soon as I landed, I was asked to identify myself, and so on, but the guards around. They seemed to believe that I wasn’t dead, and after stating my intention to go visit with the other Chiefs, they lead me through the pueblo. The Council building. They never let me in when I came last, but I was a new second ranked warrior. The ancestor spirit of Red Spirit was still there this time, guarding the Door. I told her I wanted in, and that I belonged in the discussions they had inside. I’m fourth ranked, so she didn’t really have a choice. Well, she did have a choice, but she choice right.
My first time allowed inside… It’s a lot different than I imagined it would be. It’s very… southern. I keep being reminded that my northern ways are a minority in the tribe. It was also smaller than imagined. Hard to think that there could be elders and ancestor spirits packed in here during a grand moot. I spied at least four Skywalkers, three Earth Guides, an odd Scout, and about five or six who didn’t pledge allegiance to anyone. All fourth and fifth ranked. Plus a few ancestor spirits, and couple dragons and Uktena. I tried not to stare at any of the dragons too much. If that’s how our totem wants to be seen sometimes… White Bison wasn’t there, though Words-of-Long-Knives was and was speaking for the group as much as the group ever has a speaker.
After they finished their discussion on something else, I told them that Sept of the Green fell, and we’d received their refugees, and that we were next in the enemy’s crosshairs. I mentioned the mage findings, and how confident we were that we had the area of chaos narrowed down, and that some other supernaturals had fled the approaching chaos. I told them I knew Beast-of-War was the head of the horned serpent most responsible (though this is no surprise to any, at this point). A few looked at me expectantly, and it lead very naturally to discussing the fetish. I shared that I hadn’t used it, and why I couldn’t use it anymore, safely. I explained I was now ready to trade (Trade. Not surrender. Trade.) it to individuals, for the good of the tribe as a whole. The amount of interest in what I had to say skyrocketed. Words-of-Long-Knives asked me to leave and come back later, to discuss deals, as they had other stuff. Great, I’m athro, but they still would order me around like a cub. I think I was polite about the snub, though, and told them that I had other things to be doing.
Sunday, 15 June - Evening - Do you know the name Apash?
I used the time to begin my other chores. First, I went around and had tea with maybe six or seven different medicine workers and story keepers, looking for information about the supposedly ‘haunted’ house. Each time, I had to explain I wasn’t dead, and yes, I noticed I was a woman. I tried not to act too tired by it - to them, this was strange news. Everyone was interested in my collection of secrets I had with me, but none had anything to offer about the house. I sew the seeds for the next day, when I’d research the Fenrir’s problem, and got several to use the night to consult their own stories, books, spirits, and so on.
A young boy came up after a very fruitless discussion with a story keeper, and told me Apash Wyakaikt sent him to fetch me. He was clearly a spirit, or a phantom of some sort; he spoke of the black ichor, which I’d mentioned to none. A sure sign. I followed him to a dead end, where I felt as if I walked through a wall, and was… moved to a place far away. It was our homeland’s representation of the Columbia, in the long ago times. Pure and idealic. Apash was beginning to age, full of wrinkles, but only beginning to grey. She had the most beautiful dress… close to, but not exactly the Yakima style.
Apash said she was also Ekeg Pogpokz, and it was clear she was some sort of spirit, probably an ancestor spirit. She invited me to her village. She seemed very grandmotherly, and trustworthy. And who am I to turn down a visit to a home? I did warn her I had so much white blood, but she told me to come anyhow. As we walked, we talked of the black water; she told me her grandmother’s grandmother had encountered it, and what I’d seen is a small drop. She said it is Not. A Nothing. And showed me the Nothing.
A great chasam. Impressive beyond words. She threw a stone, it never hit bottom. It was like I stared into the abyss. I had to keep from looking at it. This Eater consumed everything, Apash expained, down to the bones of the earth. All I heard from the stone hitting the side was an echo, and if I stared too long, it would make me an echo too. The Eater does this, throwing drops about, those drops consuming to grow. Something awoke the Eater, and there will be other drops we haven’t found yet. This is a great worry to me.
She confirmed some of my thoughts - to exorcise, cleanse and maybe purge the problem; it would call allies to defend itself, of course. It travels in our thoughts, like I suspected. The mark inside where I found the drop must be destroyed, and left unread, and unremembered. Similar to the Nephandic symbology. She gave me more guidance, but left me worried there’s a great spirit lurking somewhere, ready to erupt from the ground. I asked what gift she’d want for her generosity, offering to dance in her honour, but the only thing she asked for was for me to find her. She vanished without a trace, and I was back in the pueblo canyon.
I didn’t know how much time remained before the council was done, so I used the time to hear the latest gossip, and mention my most recent deeds, when I could. I asked a few if they knew of Apash. They didn’t. I also asked a few if they knew Ekeg Pogpokz. They didn’t either. I got a few strange looks, though…
Eh, homids.
Sunday, 15 June - Afternoon - The Ancestor Mirror
I got notice that they were done while I was eating frybread with someone from the Water Jaguar’s lands (and chewing coca!) and asking how Hummingbird had been, and had to cut it short before I found out. Red Spirit let me back in without blinking, or explanation. That’s a step in the right direction! Words-of-Long-Knives sent the others away. Apparently there’d be some infighting over the fetish. Many of them wanted it, and he had challengers to deal with. This doesn’t surprise me. The Ancestor Mirror is worth a dozen klaives. Back after I first was made aware of its existence, I could barely contain my excitement. A fetish that let me talk directly to Ancestor Spirits in Malfeas? To steal secrets from the wyrm itself from its most knowledgable sources? How many great secrets had I uncovered with it? How many mysteries solved? It’s too dangerous now, though. I knew it, and unfortunately, he knew it too. But he tipped his hand as to how many would drool to get their paws on this, and tell their own lies to the Ancestor Spirits of the fallen tribe.
He proposed keeping it here, and not at any sept. Good, something I agreed with. There are more dangerous artifacts here, anyhow. It’ll be in good company. I asked what he was offering. He told me a story about a book. An interesting book, that could write itself, and would contain ‘everything skipped by other books.’ It would allow me to uncover anything of spirits within. But what stood out to me, first and foremost, is that how he spoke of it, Harabi did not actually have it in his possession. He claimed he knew where it was, and that it’d be recoverable from the mage who had it, and didn’t understand what it was.
A fetish in paw, for the hope of a fetish later. A terrible deal. I told him I could go into the street and leave with a Fang Dagger immediately. I asked for more, and to encourage him, I offered the book full of Fenrir embarrassments - I’d claimed that as my compensation for the steep price I paid the salmon spirit earlier - if he’d offer more. He called my bluff, and said I wouldn’t trust just anyone with the Ancestor Mirror. After some more pushing, even offering him several other secrets, he offered Obsidian that had absorbed much of the area’s magic, and was sharper than sharp. He suggested them for talens, but when I examined them, they felt… tass like. The obsidian pieces definitely had a sort of innate magic. He asked for the book of Fenris blackmail, and I agreed.
It’s not the best bargain, but… hunting down a lost fetish seems to be something I do, and maybe it’ll work out for the best. Now I know the Fetish’s name, I can be put on the trail with rites and more. He also gave me the location of where he scried it. I’ll have to go soon, before the chaos gets worse. He also shared the information they had about the horned sperpent’s movements. I immediately communicated them to Earth whisperer over our shared link, and told him to warn the others that Grey Sky was near empty, and many gathered near Hanford, as well as other details. Harabi agreed to give any fresh information they had to a spirit I’d send in a few months time, and I trust him.
Sunday, 15 June - Night time messages
After exchanging our goods, I found a place to drum up a sparrow, and fed it gnosis. I sent it to Rifthealer, urgently telling her what I found about the house being consumed by the Eater’s Nothing.
I had a short conversation with my cousin over our pack’s link - apparently she was having a hard time with the homeland. I didn’t have much time to talk about it, though.
Next, I drummed up Tail-Eater’s spirit guide, and fed it gnosis too. I gave him a warning about the movements of the enemies, and let it return.
I was low on my spiritual reserves, but it was too late to meditate, so found a place to sleep on top of some soft bedding.
Monday 16 June - How do you solve a problem like Dagny?
I was so comfortable that I slept more than I meant to, and it was almost mid-day before I got up. I asked Harabi for a few medicine workers in addition to the ones I talked to the day before, and I tried a few on his list before I started on mine. One of them, a medicine worker from the Big Island, seemed to have some interesting insight. She thought it was a Slow-waking seed of Khaaloobh, the Urge Wyrm of consumption. Such a thing spreads itself around when fed, growing tendrils and sprouting like mold, blooming when there’s power to feed off of. Based on Fells the Wyrm’s story, it must have struck her in the head and physically implanted it in her. I can believe this. If she doesn’t remember because, well, she suffered a head injury. It’s happened to me, too. I’ve lost most of the day before I’m told Touch Deer cracked my skull open. I ended up trading the Hermetic book for this, and I feel like I got the better end of the bargain. I asked her if she’d seen Malia recently, and to pass her my best. She asked if she should tell Malia I’m a woman now, and I agreed. After some more news, I also asked her to apologize for all the coconuts. Malia’d understand what I meant.
The rest of Harabi’s list was a bust, but one of the Story Keepers I returned to - A young looking Metis named Tree-Farmer, said he had talked to his helper spirits, and figured out some interesting things, if I still had the Hermetic book. I asked him what he had - it turns out he had how the spirit was lurking in her head figured out. Or, a trout had. Trout. I should have asked Trout instead of Salmon. I negotiated Tree Farmer down to the Fianna journal, and got him to agree. Finally, I feel like I got a good deal. Trout figured that the spirit was doing something very clever, in that it was lurking in her metaphysical mind, yes, but it was hiding using the gauntlet. Part on one side, part on the other, subtly hidden in both. On the Umbral side, it could cover itself with invisibility, or a small shroud, and go unnoticed. But, now that I know what to look for, it should be easier.
I never did find out where Tree-Farmer was from.
Given my late start, and the number of people I had to talk to, it was late by the time Tree Farmer and I finished. I mentioned to him (and a few others) that I had some interesting magic herbs to trade, and spread word around a few camp fires at night. A few other warriors were going out pronghorn hunting, but I declined, and slept instead.
Tuesday, 17 June - Wheeling and Dealing
I managed to get up at a reasonable time, but I missed out on an amazing hunt, it sounded like. I guess pronghorn aren’t my kind of spirits, anyhow. After spreading around my interest even more, I and a few Uktena looking to trade got together, and bartered for a bit. I like to feel I can drive a good deal, but these people… they excel at it. Scouts and Raiders, mostly, so they spend their days practicing how to get every last bit of worth from their hunts. Most nice things were more than I was interested in trading for. One of them, from the Southeast, near where Copperhead came from, expressed interest in my Peyote, since it’s harder to get that far away without buying from suspect sources. I ended up getting two fairly nice bits of mundane jade. I was told soon after I could have easily got far more, since, apparently, northerners have lots of it, and peyote is more expensive to humans. I would have been pleased with my deal if I hadn’t heard that.
The bawn fruit got more interest because of the innate magic, and I told others I had no interest in anything mundane. I ended up rejecting a lot of offers after the poor deal I got on the Jade. Finally, a raider from Nebraska said she had a feather from a Thunderbird. That caught my attention. /Very/ interesting. It doesn’t… do anything, on its own. But it’s definitely full of it’s own bits of potential, from the wings of a Thunderbird. An easy agreement. We both left pleased, I think. The other piece of the wyld-filled fruit went to one from the Southwest, who had heard that I’d suggested magic skystone to Harabi in some deal, and, in fact, had a bit of his own. He told me he’d got the turquois from a glade), and assured me it’s excellent for preventing evil spirit possessions. I spent a while investigating that claim (it definitely does have some good medicine about it), before we bargained a bit back and forth. I threw in a bit of coca, and we agreed. I’m going to put it in a bracelet, I think.
Our little meeting was broken up when several younger, more hot-headed warriors became enraged over… I don’t know. All I know is next, everything was getting scattered, and we were beating a law keeper and a warrior out of frenzy. I didn’t lose anything (the feather was okay!), but several others did. There’s going to be some swift justice on this. It also put a damper on the mood of the night. The warrior makes our whole auspice look brutish. We are, but we don’t have to look it.
Wed, 18 June - Following up on flux.
My wounds from the previous day were looking better, so I gathered my things and prepared to leave Pueblo Canyon. Leaving, I very discretely asked a few of my rank and greater about ideas about dealing with the after-effects of Flux. That was a very solid miss - the workable suggestions ranged from binding vortexes (no) to going back to Flux (no no no). After tea, a few more stories swapped, and encouraging a few wide eyed first-ranked Uktena to come to my sept and make a great name for themselves, I left for the pond where I stopped being outwardly white at.
Singing Mother of the Waters was there, and welcomed a little gnosis as a gift. She was very pleased I’d kept my geas perfectly, and was fairly nice towards me. Not surprising, given how much I’d given her over the years. She confirmed that she could change my skin and fur colour again (no thanks), and even a few bones, but making me a man was beyond what she could do without destroying herself, and several child spirits in the process. Destroying a brood of a dozen or more spirits is not an option, to me.
I visited the beaver couple, made sure the dam work I did was still okay, knocked over a tree for them (she offered to ‘pack me a lunch’ again; it was birch), and then went north to go visit the little bit of land that us northerners have in the homeland, and told my cousin to meet me there.
Thurs, 19 June - Settling up and going back to the sept
The North made me horribly heart-sick for Clear Water. The aurora, the villages, the caribou… It all made me think of my adoptive family. I want to see them again, badly. I ran into a second ranked law keeper while I waited for my cousin to arrive, Chases Caribou Through Rivers. There’s so few of us who follow northern’s ways in our tribe, so I was happy to talk to him. He’s half Inuk, half Cree, and was raised in Nunavut. He’d been ‘studying’ his Inuk kin for years, learning more and more. I asked him if he knew if women over there were allowed to go whaling, and he couldn’t remember any having ever. So, that’s probably one thing I can’t do, now. He suggested asking a whale if I wanted to. He’d heard of women wearing masks when they’d worked spirits, at least in Nunavut. So I still have that going for me. We talked about how few of us there are, and how the rest of the tribe doesn’t get it some times. I think he looked up a bit to me: someone who keeps the Real People’s old ways, and has risen to the fourth rank in Uktena’s tribe. Even after I reminded him I was mostly white-blooded. He definitely seemed a bit eager to please me.
Oh, grandmother, that’s a terrifying thought. What if I’m the face for us northerners in my tribe? Are there any Elder-ranked Uktena Inuk? I don’t think so. I better not bring any shame on us.
He went to go find his packmates, we parted ways. I borrowed a boat from the village and I went sealing. I got a ring seal… or, a spirit one, anyhow. I performed the prayer for the prey, and after I shared it with the eminations in the village, I got to ‘eat’ some of it. A little of my gnosis back. The spirit was pleased I kept the old ways, and the old pacts, and said maybe next time I wouldn’t have to paddle as hard to catch it, before slipping back into the water. My cousin arrived that night, and I headed off with her for a gateway back to our sept’s lands.
