| 319 In the night's bitter cold you could do with a warming fire. There is plenty of dried wood within the homestead and is does not take long to get a small fire going. Once the flames have started to warm the confines of the homestead you get Pallenten settled and make yourself a hot meal. (Deduct one ration from your character sheet.) Outside the wind has started to build again in strength. Settling down next to Pallenten you watch the fire and listen to the howl of the wind as it buffets the plains outside. Here, inside your stone shelter you sit in the comfort of your fire's warmth and think about your quest and the trials of the day. In the main your thoughts lie with the Kalboreans and the objective of this quest. Your captors at Maenum have proven that they know a considerable amount about the history of the Dwarvendim, and the circumstances that led to the loss of the Tellandra. It was equally plain that they do not have a good understanding of the real nature of EarthMagic nor the true power of the pillar of stonewood. The Kalboreans certainly have sent you on this journey, and they have ensured you complete it by the use of this metal collar that rubs uncomfortably at your neck. But what they do not realise is that the act of fixing the Tellandra will forever take it out of their grasp. Your early training at the Temple of the Suns, and the echo's of more than one learned voice, have told you that the magic the Kalboreans wield with the Tellandra is only a pale reflection of its true power. This power is something they have never experienced, and because of this will be wholly unprepared for its restoration. Since the demise of the ancients only the Dwarvendim have attempted to test the limits of the powers of EarthMagic. Having done so they have respected it enough never to do it again, the consequences of the Tellandra's full power are simply to too overwhelming to control. With the Tellandra restored the Kalborean's hold on it will falter, then the Dwarvendim LoreMasters will be in a position to take back their mastery of it. It is true that the Kalboreans sent you on this quest, but you resolve to complete it because you know what it will mean to your people, and to their chances of shrugging off their servitude. Of course, there is the small matter of what the Kalboreans will do to you once they realise that the Tellandra has been restored, and that their control of it has ceased. But then you've never been one of their favourite thieves anyway, and you feel sure that no matter what happens you will be little appreciated. The crackling of the fire brings you back from your musings and you feel the heavy hand of fatigue grab you tightly. For a short while you listen to the wind as it howls through the many cracks in the old stone walls, but then your eyes close and you fall into a dreamless sleep. In the chill of the early morning you awaken, the cold has found its way into your very bones and it brings a numbing stiffness that takes a moment to loosen. Sitting up you look about the homestead. The fire is nothing but a pile of glowing ashes, the living area as sparse and neglected as when you went to sleep. Something is not right though. Clearing your sleep-fogged head you focus upon your surroundings and then you realise Pallenten is missing. Jumping to your feet, your heart pounding in your chest you search the other smaller rooms at the back of the homestead and find nothing. Running outside you scan the plains but cannot see her. Calling her name brings no response, however a second call is answered with a whinny from somewhere out behind the homestead. Relief rushes through you, Pallenten is grazing on a patch of lush grasses behind the building's northern walls. Leaving her there for the moment you return to the homestead and stoke the fire back to life. Before you leave you will have a hot meal. It may be the last you have for a while, so you take the time to make it a good one. (Withdraw a further meal from your pack and record its use on your character sheet. The comfortable rest and hot meal will restore seven points to your endurance level if needed.) After eating you repack your equipment and call Pallenten to the front of the homestead. With the weather clearing you remount your horse, and start on what will be the last leg of your journey to Stoneholme.
| Turn to section 311.
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