Order of the Awakened Soul Initiation

For Seeker and Kenzo only

As you continue down the hall, your companions turn back but you feel dragged along as if you are walking against your will. And the scene begins to change slightly.

Now, rather than the dark mass behind you you’re passing through hostile terrain. The feeling of fear, the people coming to you for aid and comfort, pride in your brother being the hero and leading the charge against Hobgoblins, cutting a path through the mountains, to the safety on the other side. Coming to a wide, slow river, defensible, release and relief, the feel of wet earth beneath your feet after months traveling through dry dusty land. The river valley, a place that could be home. 

But tinge with sadness, as the next scene shows the masses of people divided some following you some turning north following the river the Mahar, on the fast eastern edge of Dunmar, to where it may lead, no one knows, while you can taste the dampness in the air and imagine the sheep grazing and the horses spreading across these valleys. The split is painful still.

You pass through another brief moment of darkness, and for a moment you sort of come back to yourselves. Everything is still black and you cannot see each other, but you can hear the sounds of your breathing again, while the sounds of the rustling of grass, the sounds of the water of the river lapping on the shores of its bank fades. Until you are drawn forward again unable to turn back.

You’re riding west on horseback, spreading out. The shock of finding that the river itself is only a very narrow strip of fertile ground and all around the land is ash. Riding further, coming to an empty river valley, the despair as the initial feeling of hope turns to panic, the people questioning you, the taste of dust in your mouth.

Choking winds and ash blowing from the south. The sun disappearing for weeks at a time, the cold, the dark, The hunger pangs in your belly, the parched dryness in your throat. The children crying on the fourth day of darkness, with no sun. The ash storms that rise and blow across the land, bringing famine and disease. People dying.

And you sense here you have another opportunity to turn back. 

Continuing forward, you are standing at a place you feel in your heart is very near where you are now. Then, as now, a dry river, with no water. Clouds of dust. Without even the perhaps harsh, at times, but still sometimes beautiful colors of the desert sandstone. Just barren grey ash everywhere. The doubt in your heart as people turn to you, and you have no answers for them.

And then, a miracle, the greatest miracle of your life.

Jeevali’s tears, as the rain comes, the rivers flow, the desert blooms, and the goddess fades away. You are showered and praise and yet all you can feel the shame and anger, as the rains come, the ash is washed away and the land is cleansed and healed, and yet the goddess is dead, gone, nevermore to grace the land or your waking dreams.  As you rage and cry the people rejoice and celebrate you, and say you have saved them. And the land is healed and whole and life goes on, except for the life of the goddess who should be eternal and bring her blessings forever.

And the scene fans again to darkness.

The lingering shame of that moment stays with you as you step forward again, drawn against your will. To a decision. Beginning construction of a monument, turning to pray. Asking, for anything, any way to trade your life for hers, pouring your entire soul into her being. Not carrying that her brother Aagir has commanded your brother to slay in the name of the Divine, not caring that the people are rejoicing as blood is shed and slaughter after slaughter after slaughter echoes across the land, the rivers turning red with the blood of those who were here before. Not caring that Aagir commands only Dunmari shall benefit from Jeevali’s sacrifice. 

Turning to pray. Turning away food turning, turning away water. The ache in your parched throat the hunger, the pain, the agony, as your life begins to fade away. As you encapsulate all of your belief and every moment of your life in the strength of this goddess. And ask whatever powers are out there to give it to her, to bring her back.

And you sense, you have one last moment to open your eyes and step back, to turn around and return to the antechamber and not face the final moment.

Staying, a question is posed to you. Will you give your life for Jeevali?

After a moment, Seeker opens his eyes while Kenzo steps forward. As Seeker watches in surprise and horror Kenzo falls, unconscious, his breathing slowing and then stopping entirely, his heart ceasing to beat. Despite a desperate healing word, he seems to be truly dead. Not quite believing what has happened, Seeker tries to wake Kenzo, and as he is about to rush back to the rest of the party, there is a deep gasp from Kenzo as he takes a breath and slowly, painfully gets to his feet. 

Kenzo and Seeker then proceed slowly into the cloisters. For Seeker these are plain sandstone walls, but for Kenzo the entire area is alive with stories and beauty, the walls painted with details of the Five Siblings and their myths and legends, the open area decorated with a fountain, surrounded by flowers and singing birds. 

After marveling at the surroundings for some time, Kenzo kneels in front of the fountain in prayer. For a moment, nothing happens, but then the wind begins to pick up, howling like a small tornado, picking up sand, almost sounding like it is singing a song as it gathers sand. Kenzo sees, not sand, but small crystal butterflies emerging from the spray of the fountain. 

The sand/butterflies begin to fall from the tornado in the shape of words, spelling out: “She is here with me. As always. But cannot reach Karawa. Something has been taken that should be there. Something that helps her reach the world. Find it and bring it back.”

In Kenzo’s mind, the words are accompanied by an image, a beating heart made of stone. 

As the message is spelled out and then begins to fade, the fountain, although it doesn’t disappear, begins to fade slightly and the vibrancy of the colors begins to dim. Kenzo sense that reaching into the world even to just send a message directly like this requires considerable energy on the part of the gods.

With that, Kenzo and Seeker stand and prepare to return to Wellby and Delwath.