| 256 Lighting a fire proves difficult, the small amount of tinder you find about the outcrop is wet from the rain but eventually you are successful. The warmth is welcome and the additional illumination provides a comfortable shelter from the gale outside. Even with the exertions of the day sleep comes slowly. Lying amongst the rocks, with Pallenten close and the wind howling its own song, you find you cannot help but think about the events of the past days. In the main your thoughts lie with the Kalboreans. Your captors at Maenum, by their words and deeds proved 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 fully understand how the EarthMagic works, nor the place the pillar of stonewood has in being able to harness it. The Kalboreans sent you on this journey. They have ensured you reach your goal by the use of the metal collar that rubs uncomfortably at your neck, but you know the act of fixing the Tellandra will forever take it from their hands. Over the years you have heard more than one learned voice echo the suspicion that the magic the Kalboreans wield with the Tellandra is nothing more than a pale reflection of its true power. Fractured and diminished, the pillar stands unable to properly channel the vast power that EarthMagic can unleash. Whole it is the conduit for an unlimited reserviour of magical energy. Such energy the Kalboreans have never experienced, and because of this will be wholly unprepared for its restoration. Since the demise of the ancients only the Dwarvendim have tried to determine the real power of the EarthMagic, and having done so have respected it enough never to use it to its fullest extent. With the Tellandra restored the Kalboreans' hold on it will fail as surely as tethering a wild horse with string. Then the Dwarvendim LoreMasters will rise again and take back their control of it. It is true that the Kalboreans sent you on this quest, however you resolve to do it because you know what it will mean to your people. There is of course the matter of what will happen to you once the pillar is restored, and the Kalboreans realise what has happened. Their need for vengeance will make you a marked man, but you've never been one of their favourite thieves anyway, and you feel sure that no matter what happens you will be little appreciated. They were the ones who placed the wheels in motion. They will no doubt bear the consequences of it. Lying amongst the stones of this outcrop you look to the sky and consider the flowing tapestry of swift cloud and darkness above. For a short while you listen to the wind but then the fatigue of the day finally takes hold and you fall into sleep. The remains of the night pass without incident and the dawn brings with it clear skies and lighter winds. Well rested you make yourself a hot meal while Pallenten grazes on the plain beyond the entrance to the outcrop. (Record this on your charcter sheet.) After eating and putting away your equipment you walk out into the field and call her to you. At first you cannot see her but an answering neigh from behind a pile of boulders to the west marks where she is. After a moment the big horse canters out from behind the rocks and breaks into a gallop before coming to a halt at your side. As the horse stands there you can sense that something is wrong. She is still, a look of unease in her eyes but then, as if by some distant call, she rears on her hind legs and turns and races for the distant forest road. For a moment you do not understand what has happened, then you remember Tak Lovar's words. The horse was only to take you as far as the foothills. Now the horse must return to its master. Although you do not like it the rest of your quest will now have to be on foot. For some time you watch Pallenten disappear into the haze of the morning and the dark forests beyond. You admit to yourself quietly that you have come to depend upon that horse a lot, and your task will be all the more difficult without her strength to aid you. Collecting your belongings you strap your sword to your waist, shoulder your pack, and begin the last leg of your journey to Stoneholme.
| The hot food and decent rest has given you new energy. Restore all lost endurance points to your character sheet and then turn to section 107.
__________________________________________________________ Home | ReadMe | Instructions | Inhabitants | Map of Northern Kalborea Quick Find Page| Email | Book Two - Earth and Stone