eastbound | audio & text | un: xianxian of yunmeng (the day before stone kidnappings)

Gather round for a story, ah? Xiao Xingchen, I'll come tell you in person, the rest will get to read along.

( A pause. )

The Stairs of Sighs are named after our ghost general Arha, for the sighs of pining between himself and his lover, Hatisse. The Stairs of Sighs opens on the day Arha arrived with his people, setting off to win his lover free. As may be apparent, it did not end well. Arha's campaign ended in death, and Hatisse survived her love, going on to become a high priestess of some influence.

Arha's army did not reach Taravast. In Mazyar's recounting, "The people spoke of great, uncontrollable fires that suggested the presence of the higher-numbered witches of Bessis defending the city. In the end, the flames grew so high that Taravast called down summon-rains to stop them. After this vast tragedy, all sorcery schools buried their previous animosity and agreed to stand together, allied for the greater good of Taravast. Hatisse made no comment or statement amid the destruction, but her presence was accepted as part of the truce, and she proceeded with a life of charity. It is said she paid to have the bones of each of the fallen of Arha's people found and buried from her own coffers."

I think even now, the Bessis and what is it, the Attareal? Are lines of magical learning in Taravast. Has anyone talked with anyone of the refugees or the ghosts to confirm or deny?

( A pause: )

I'm equally curious what else everyone's heard regarding our armed escort, or what may have truly happened all those years ago.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I am only linked to my constellation, nothing else. That is where my power comes from. I cannot feel anything particularly spiritual or any other energies beyond that.

Ah, well, that should at least keep things more peaceful. I'm actually surprised at how manifested our accompaniment is thus far. I wouldn't claim it to be usual back home, but here? I don't know enough to say, but I'd presume a great deal of energy is required from somewhere. A driving obsession with love, sure, loyalty that makes the rest follow after at high enough degree? That's unusual, even when people are strongly loyal. Death dissolves certain ties, why are they so unshakeable here?

It may also be as simple as this world having no cycle of reincarnation to pursue. Still, the undead we've met so far, their... what's inside didn't quite match. I don't know how much of a soul, a spirit, from the one born with that body seemed to truly linger.

Something certainly seems to be amiss with the natural cycle of life and death here, for sure. Our 'friend' Anurr seemed strangely reluctant to let himself be taken over, and so did Unhalad, and if Unhalad has 'brothers', then I have to assume they are the same as he is.

Each with armies of bodied dead walking and at their disposal. The danger being one of our souls being consumed for their gifts—that's another consideration, too. Is this preventing souls from being consumed? Is it powering something else, by making them relive this march, year after year?

I still do not quite get how those whole 'stealing' of abilities could occur.

... I knew someone who could negate other people's abilities, but not take them for her own, temporarily or otherwise. And it seems that what the mirror did was temporary. People recovered.

Those powers were recovered after taken away from the mirror for long enough its effect didn't hold sway, but their memories, those were in the lake, weren't they? Some things were lost. The mermaids, not one of them survived, yet none of them were allowed to truly pass on either.

The magics here are not ones that follow the natural laws or heavenly energies or even the resentful energies from my home. For what we know, consuming a soul passes on the soul's abilities.

They certainly seem to believe so, at least, and whatever those mirrors do seems to corroborate that.

The mirrors, the lake, the dead body at the bottom of it that somehow seemed to absorb what the mirror first took... and that was dead and yet not himself. This defies all logic.

I mean, mine too, and in my world I manipulated the lingering resentful energies of the dead, so we're all on a steep learning curve here, my friend.

I would still say you have a leg up on me here, because my world does not have ghosts or spirits or anything of the kind.

Meanwhile inherited powers linked to the stars seems like an oddity to me, and yet I'm wondering if at some point we might not run into something similar here, ah?

( being: everyone's got weird things going on huh? )

If we do meet actual Star Masters here, I will be very intrigued.

[He has been studying his star map quite diligently.]

For now though, I think you are probably more equipped than I to deal with our escort and their troubles.

Hey, you have military experience, ah? Maybe discuss with him from that standpoint, about defenses he'd hold against fire attacks?

.... How would that help?

It might give us insight into what to expect as we get closer to the end of our journey.

You expect that we might meet the same fate these men did? This is a refugees caravan, not an army.

... I expect the men who died will meet the same fate, in some form.

And you do not wish to let them.

[... They're ghosts, which means, no matter how illogical, that they're already dead. They can't really get dead-er.]

I don't believe anyone should be caught in a cycle that does nothing but cause them to revisit their own death like it's the first time, each time, if that's what's happening here. But no, in this case, I really do just want an idea of what Lord Arha would think to do facing such an attack for an idea of what he might ask his people to do.

That's very commendable, Master Wei, but... I honestly, truly do not think I can even fathom getting my head around to talking to someone who is already dead, even if they don't seem aware of the fact.

I am having a hard time getting my head around the fact that they exist at all right now. I am quite sure I might end up getting impatient and insensitive about the whole thing.

[Ghosts are one thing and illogical to start with, but ghosts who don't know they're ghosts and are in denial about their death somehow makes it even worse.]

Oh, it's fine if you do, you'll just shut up!

( he says this so... so... cheerfully... )

.... And why would I want to subject myself to that?

At this point I kind of want to say to amuse me, but that wouldn't be honest—just a byproduct.

[... Well, at least he's honest.]

I will have to respectfully decline to serve as your amusement, Master Wei.

Hey, at least you're declining respectfully. Were you taking up any of our caravan master's quests instead?

I am also going to leave this to our more energetic youngsters.

[Shut up Moran you're 26.]

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