Otataral, 956th Year in the Time Dying

[Renekin Skywalker]

"To be more explicit, Bellephoebe, drop it, and move on." Allen says.

"I think I'ld like to make a key... or a doorway..." He says to Ora. He paused midstep, his face suddenly furrowed in deep complex theories. "A doorway... Ora, is it ritualistic, making these creations?"

[albatross]

Ora thinks about this. "I have only made weapons. Swords, arrowheads, spearheads, axes, boomerangs. I don't think I have the knowledge to make a key or a door. I can teach you how to work the stone and perhaps you can do it?"

"Yes, it takes time to make a weapon. There are several steps. It is a ritual. The stone will not break properly unless you form it with the ritual. Without the ceremony you will just get chunks of rock."

[dakota]

Dryzh was willing to ride doublewith anyone who would. While the heat dehydrated him, the cold slowed him to the point he didn't have the energy to waste talking. He had to force himself to stay on his camel's back and not fall asleep. Yumi's warmth when snuggled in, and the extra allen had shared helped, but could only do so much for the frog-like Mantella.

Hee finally broke his silence, his words slurred by the cold," Dryzzz wannnt go hommme nowwww."

[albatross]

Ora says to Dryzh, "The nights will get warmer each day until we reach the mountains, and the days will cool during that time too." She brushes her fingertips across his forehead, dispelling the pain with her healing power. Dryzh knows this relief will only last a while, though the giantess seems content to heal anyone who appears to ask dozens of times each night.

[sasqaricious]

Sapphire feels badly for all those around her who seem to have difficulty with the terrain. She only wishes her magic was working here so she could help. Mind you most of her powers being completely offline is very weird to her. As such she returns to keeping apart from the group.

[shiivster]

Aki would ride double with Dryzh. for someone so small she is a small furnace of warmth, and the fact she covers them both with her robe keeps more warmth in for her odd friend Dryzh.

'Ora? does everyone stay in movement here? does everyones territory include everyone else?

*she cannot understand anything that the two odd females say .. and is getting closer to suggesting that if they wish to move about with nose high or be lobo .. to go out 50 yards from everyone else and do so. she doesn't at this time, as its NOT her place to make odd suggestions like that

[albatross]

Ora thinks about Aki's question. "All sentient life in the dyings lands follow this path or die. Some monsters are able to establish territories in thw wastes, but those that do need neither a steady supply of water or prey that needs water, so they are few like desert springs. Once we reach the foothills and can see the moutains, bandits and raiders will have territories, and farming communities will have protectorates. They will all demand tribute or trade fore safe passage. Do you long to establish a territory?" The giant asks.

[Dome]

Romidus rides along. He says nothing about Bellphoebe's thoughts on magic. He may be thousands of years old however his experiences have been limited to earth and the magic of earth.

He isn't worried about making weapons, it seems his previous incarceration has provided him with new permanent additions. Whenever the group rests he spends at least an hour a day attempting to use the chains as weapons. As they near wherever they are going and Ora keeps saying that weapons will be needed, he hopes that he will be able to use these chains as weapons. Atleast until he can locate his errant Hercules Club. There is no way he would be able to use its magic on this world, but he hopes his weapon is not lost to him forever.

[albatross]

Ora notices Romidus' training and smiles happily. "I also have learned to use chained weapons... to tell the truth I just learned recently and could use the practice. You seem rather attached to yours, so I won't ask to borrow them, but perhaps I can spar with you and help you to increase your skill."

[shiivster]

Aki looks shocked 'no . . . no no. not strong enough to get territory myself. not willing to get and then try to keep. what make trade item?'

[thorley]

Bellephoebe simply sighs at Tesla and Allen's comments and mutters something about having already dropped it.

She notices as the group travels however that Sapphire does seem to isolate herself from the rest of the group, and wonders if perhaps the over-protectiveness is counter-productive.

Of course she muses, she doesn't seem to fit in with the group at the moment herself, her comments definatly not having gone over very well so far.

Lacking any real combat skill or interest in sparring, cut off from magic, and hardly enjoying the enviromental extremes, like several of her comrades she seems to spend a lot of time moping. She has a bad habit of mumbling to herself in circumstances like this, and it's not readily apparent if she even realizes what she's doing.

[Renekin Skywalker]

"Sapphire." Allen says, trying to draw her over. "What do you know about ritual processes?" He was already pretty sure he knew what to do. He had witnessed technowizard devices and talismans on his travels, so he knew it was possible. He mostly just wanted her to feel like she can be useful and not feel isolated and the target of analysis.

[Dome]

Romidus could not help but feel concerned about Sapphire, he thinks to himself, 'perhaps I should have taken the ring and become her master. I may have then better prepared her for independence. I shudder to think what will happen to her if the wrong person gets their hands on it. I wish I could spend more time with her. Guide her, but although we have been here for months, time just seems to fly by.'

When Ora talks to him he says, "of course we can spar. I would like that. These accessories were thrust upon me on the last world and it does not seem like they are likely to come off anytime soon, so I thought I may as well learn to live with them and use them to the best of my ability. Whenever you are ready."

[shiivster]

Aki has no clue who's saying what to whom, nor does she really seem to care now. she simply ensures the camels are all healthy and well taken care of. once her odd friend Dyrzh is resting on their 'sleep break', she squats and observes what the others do

she then wanders off with Yumi so the mongoose can search for anything, even bugs to chomp on. she will pick up a rock if one is handy and drop it from hand to hand as she follows the small furry body.

[albatross]

After three more weeks, they reach the stone mines. At first, they see boulders and flat rocks sticking out of the desert sand, but gradually they come upon rock spires and short cliff edges, many gnawed with tunnels and holes from other visitors who came to mine the stone. Ora doesn't stop near the outer edges, but proceeds until they find a spring near a cliff face and a cluster of rock spires rising.

A large crescent has been hacked into the cliff, in addition to several tunnels inside the overhang and also to either side. The first couple days Ora lets everyone rest in the cool shady tunnels in the daytime, while she fills shallow pits under the overhang with water. When they wake up at night, the water is still about 38C/100F. After all, except deep in the tunnels, it is still a hundred in the shade during the daytime. The water retains its heat for a while into the starlit night, and after a couple days everyone has had the opportunity to take a hot bath. Although all their soap melted long ago, the sand is clean and useful for scrubbing. Overnight, the water drains out of the pits and must be refilled again the next day, but considering everyone has been a couple months without a bath changing the water daily all for the best.

There is even room in the tunnels for the camels to sleep the day away.

On the third night, Allen's question to Sapphire and everyone else's thoughts on the stone weapons finally come to the fore. Ora asks each person if they would like to make a stone weapon. To Allen she says, "I know you want a key. We will try that. First try a weapon. I must teach you what I know before we can change my knowledge into something else."

Ora gathers everyone who is interested, whether they actually want to make a weapon or are merely curious. They all are able to sit under the bright stars on chunks of stone. The giantess muses a moment. It has been decades since she last described this process.

"Some people say that this stone is the reason spell magic no longer functions. That a huge rock fell from the sky and made the desert, destroying magic in the process. I do not believe it. The stone fields are far from the center of the wastelands, and all the old stories of my people mention stone weapons." She absently tugged at a braid in her black hair.

"In our stories, some of the stone weapons had powerful magic. My kind have dwindled. My own weapons were sharper than steel and until I faced the bone dragon they neither chipped nor broke. But I was never trained in magic. Perhaps as sorcerers you will surpass me in the use of the stone weapons."

"The key to the weapon is its heart. I have heard some of you speak of soul magic. Perhaps "soul" is the right word. Yet, when you speak of soul magic it sounds like the life of the person is extinguished. The soul magic of stone weapons does not kill. When my father showed me the magic he cautioned me never to create a weapon using the dead. Most of the time, they break. When the dead weapons do not break, they are cursed. You may kill your enemy later, or your friend might die - that will be fine. But the person must be alive when you create the weapon."

"I am getting ahead of myself. The best weapons are made using your enemy's soul. You must meditate for eleven nights, holding in your head a vision of your enemy. If you have one of your enemy's possessions, all the better. You must also visualize your weapon. On the twelfth night, you will take up a rock and strike it upon a spar of stone while holding the vision of your enemy and your weapon together in your head. I will guide your hand the first time and show you where to strike and how much strength to use."

"You can also meditate on a friend. Friends are best for shields, and they are sometimes used for other kinds of weapons as well. The most powerful stone weapons in history were the ones which were created for a specific enemy, then used against that enemy in battle. Second best were weapons created between friends, where the friends were companions in battle. The weapons will still work against anyone. The names I used for my weapons are long dead, and they worked very well. But my father and grandfather and all the stories insist the weapons were best when the connection - friend or foe was strong."

"As for me, I will make seven small boomerangs and one large one. I will also make a long thin sword, like but unlike the dueling swords that have grown popular in the cities. It will be thin, but the stone will still be hard. I have not seen your enemies, so cannot make a weapon named after them. My weapon will be named after the bone dragon. It was a worthy foe, and I believe it is still alive."

"Before we start our meditation, please tell me those of you who plan to make weapons. Tell me what weapons you wish to make. Also, please name and describe to me the soul you wish to invoke in order to create your weapon. I must guide your hand at first. If you plan to make a shield named after your mother you must tell me her name and some details about her so that we can strike the stone together."

"Who wishes to make a weapon?"