Cayzle's Wemic Site
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The Tale of Zeoll Leaving Home
The hallway has a flat floor -- the walls and roof are rounded.)
Everyone in the party ends up in the same corridor at the same time regardless of whatever portal they chose to exit the room of many doors. Once Kale steps through into the hall, the door behind him closes abruptly.
There is no sound nor scent in the hallway other than whatever the party originates.
Flat-top's scouting reveals that the corridor continues forth in a more or less straight line.
After following the dry, warm corridor for another hundred or so feet, the party comes to a blockage in their progress ... a wall?
No -- a door. One that stretches completely across the hallway -- from wall to wall, and from floor to ceiling. It appears to be gold metal ... and it has -- in highly detailed bas-relief -- a pair of crossed swords on it.
There does NOT appear to be any kind of doorknob or lever or floorplate to open the portal with, however.
Zeoll smiles broadly, inadvertently revealing the sharp canine teeth (feline teeth?) that give him his accent.
"Clearrly, this is a lock, but I happen to have the key!" he exclaims.
He removes the sword button token from the small pouch around his neck and holds it against the crossed swords on the door. As he does this, he pushes the door to open it.
Even though there is no particular place to put the crossed swords button on the large golden door, as soon as Zeoll touches it, the portal immediately irises open.
Beyond the portal is another fifty feet of corridor, at the end of which a bright glow can be seen ... and the sound of rich, rolling laughter echoes back towards you.
The laughter seems to surround you on all sides as the party advances into the hallway that spills out into large, round chamber.
Before, most of the stonework was passable, but this well-lit chamber is the handiwork of experts. There isn't a lot of carving or decoration that leads you to believe this -- in fact, it is the fact that the walls are as smooth as glass that confirms the opinion.
This brightly-lit room -- much like the corridor that leads into it -- has a flat, level floor and curving walls. You all get the feeling that you are inside a huge bubble. The impression is heightened by the fact that nobody in the party can tell where the source of the brightness within the approximately 200-foot-round room is exactly.
On the extreme opposite end of the room is a figure from which the rich, warm laughter is emanating. Each of you perceive the person to be the God of War ... and he's just exactly as you have always imagined him to be. He beckons you to approach him.
"Come ... come, my children ... " the bass voice that invites you closer does so in Tauric, " ... I want to meet those whom met all the different types of battle I sent you ... and triumphed!"
"I see that there are things that I must make clear to you ... " he says, "First of all, that ... ah ... 'holy totem' ... didn't open the portal -- *you* did ... merely by having the courage to reach out to the unknown and touch the door. The totem has a different purpose -- one young Ashrad Moonseeker here discovered ... let me show you." Suddenly Zeoll finds both the button with the crossed swords and his greatsword floating in the air in front of the giant figure, who takes the totem and presses it to the blade.
"I invoke thee!" bids the speaker, and a bright golden glow surrounds the weapon in a brief, sparkly flash. Then only the greatsword remains, and it floats back over to Zeoll. "There ... you now possess an enchanted weapon. It will aid you in battle to hit and hurt your enemy." (OOC: Zeoll now possesses a +1 greatsword.) The obviously-more-than-mortal being's eye falls upon first Flat-top and then Kenisha ... then takes in the red-robed Kale with warm regard.
"Perhaps one who has fought for his very survival for almost all his life is, indeed, flexible enough to learn the lesson lost in the time of the Sundering." Then the giant Taur looks at Thiel, his head tilting to one side as he regards the humble cleric.
"Not specific..?" the figure echoes. "You think that my bidding you to quest was not specific? You think that my bringing minotaur, centaur and wemic together was not specific? You think that initiating battles of might, magic and wit are not *specific*..?" Here the Taur sighs. "Ah, well ... the minotaurs usually are the hardest of the three parts to convince of anything ... " Looking at the entire party once more, the imposing figure addresses everyone:
"Answer me my question, then, and I shall answer yours ... what have you learned on your quest?"
Flat-top Tuesday January 16th, 2001 11:19:30 AM Flat-top advances and bows (as only a Centaur can), "What I have learned, surprises even me. All my life I was taught that Minotaurs was the enemy and the evil of everything that went wrong. And You know, Domi, I have never heard of Wemic before. But I learned a lot from them. Sometimes we Centaurs were better on one thing, and other times the Minotaurs were better. The Wemics were better in the thinking of problems. Well, what I'm trying to say is, Oh! Great Domi, is what Kenisha once said at the beginning of our quest 'Don't judge too quickly, and that EVERYBODY has something to teach.' All I want to know now is what is Your Wish, Domi?" Flat-top bows again and whispers to Domi #Thank you for the opportunity back at the doors, when Mordengast almost fell off my back.#
Thiel Tuesday January 16th, 2001 8:24:07 PM Thiel raises his head and speaks softly. I wish not to queston the great Imod . Mine is not to question, I have spent the better part of my life serving. and it is and will always be as such. My answer is that there are many parts and sides to all that is in the wold. young follows old. Peace follows War. We are all born and reborn In the wold to serve those powers that beget us. I have learned as well that fear and hate travel together. For instance we have feared and hated the centaur since the time of sundering. now that all seems so very distant and far from here.I do not fear nor hate those that travel with me and nor shpould anyone else in the wold. together we conquer all that stand in our path.
Kenisha Wednesday January 17th, 2001 1:33:16 AM Kenisha steps forward next and bows. "I have learned that knowing the truth and living the truth are two separate things. When I first awoke from the Dream you sent to us, I was afraid. Afraid to tell my fellow Questors what I knew to be true. Afraid that I would be left behind if I did. Afraid to tell them that we would not need to kill the Minotaurs in order to reunite the Sundered Heart.
"But when we were attacked on the beach, I was not afraid. That I might die, I had no doubt, but I knew that I had to help protect those who held the two parts; least they be consumed by the great beasts.
"I have learned that you can not run from your own fears. They must be faced and vanquished if you is to be victorious"
Kale Wednesday January 17th, 2001 4:27:43 AM "When I was chosen to journey here, I wanted no part of it. The thought of traveling with people I didnt know or trust terrified me. You seem to know my past, so you know what ive endured. But ive learned that not everyone in this world is out to get me. Ive learned that I can trust, and that that trust is returned. It is a good feeling, one I had forgotten." Kale says, though he doesnt move from his place, as if hes embarressed to say what he has just said
And What Grade Are You Three In..? (DM Donna) Wednesday January 17th, 2001 7:30:37 AM "I learned we could all work together, too," Holleb says, then adds: "Although Mordengast almost got us killed by that eye-monster thing by just walking right up to it instead of sneaking -- "
"Honor demanded that we be fair!" the minotaur paladin defends himself hotly. "One does NOT 'sneak up' on worthy foes like a silly centaur!"
"SILLY?" Holleb roars, turning red in the face and moving to stand practically nose-to-nose with Mordengast. Ashrad snorts and places a hand on the chest of each arguer, pushing them apart just a bit.
"We've come all this way and you two still don't perceive where we are ... and whom we're with?" the Wemic tells them disdainfully. "I don't know what Tomi could possibly see in either of you -- "
"Enough!" the God of War says sharply, cutting all three off. "You three haven't seemed to have learned to change your ways at all ... you are locked into a path that will beat you if you don't try to actually *see* what you are looking at!" The deity waves a hand and the three Taurs disappear.
"There -- they have returned to their homes, thinking all this to be a dream." he tells you. "You, however, remain, since all of you know better ... you remain -- as well as the burden Holleb carried ... " The glass case that the centaur druid had in his backpack hovers in mid-air.
"The other half..?" the giant Taur's eyes fall upon Thiel. The floating case opens up as a blossoming flower would, its glass walls peeling and withering into nothingness, leaving only the free-floating Heart of the Stag as the deity looks eagerly to the minotaur cleric, waiting ...
There is no mistaking the smile on the giant Taur's face as the Heart of the Beast is freed from its own case. It, too floats upward until it is level with the first half, then the two artifacts are drawn to each other in a slow but inexorable orbiting kind of dance, each of them whirling around the other faster and faster as they draw closer and closer together, until --
-- contact!
At first nothing seems to happen, then the reunited heart begins to glow ... faintly at first, but brighter and brighter still until it is as though the sun itself was shining in this underground chamber. Laughter, even more rich and welcoming than previously heard, swirls around you and all present feel the warmth and joy of the being that has brought you here.
"Yes! YES! I just KNEW you could do it!!!" the voice resounds within the chamber as well as in your hearts and heads. "I am Domi ... Imod ... Tomi ... and you are all my children! You have made me proud..!"
The chamber rumbles and the sensation that grips you is that of rushing up into the air as though to a great height -- and, suddenly, the chamber you are in seems to dissolve away.
You find yourselves standing atop a large stone dome -- in a circular area that is apparently an observatory of some kind, for as you look around, you realize you are in the very center of the new island and that you can see for miles around from this vantage point. To the northeast appears the unmistakeable coast of the Minotaur Isle ... and to the southwest the shoreline of Centaur Isle. If you strain very, very hard, you can just barely make out the faint outline of Wemic Isle upon the west-southwesterly horizon, even.
But ... something is different, you just know it ...
The vista from the observatory is breathtaking -- especially since, to all who have made their Spot checks, you notice that the three Islands that make up the Taur Isles now have land bridges connecting them to this newest island.
"My dear children," the rumbling bass of the god's voice breaks into your reverie, "You are standing in the midst of the island that will serve as headquarters to you -- my chosen ones. This island will serve as a physical confirmation of the bridge you all will be the living embodiment of ... the bridge between all Taurs.
"Once upon a time, I sought to create the ultimate warrior race -- one skilled in all aspects of war. Thus was born the Taur. I do not possess omniscience, however, but immortal power. I did not realize that the different perceptions of combat could fracture my vision of one perfect warrior into many different warriors ... thus was born the Minotaur, the Centaur ... and the Lion-taur, whom is called Wemic." A gusty sigh sounds from the deity.
"My Heart was torn asunder because I thought I had caused irrepairable damage to the Taur, weakening that perfect warrior race ... but you have shown me that I did not weaken the Taur, but made the Taur stronger through diversity. Now it is up to you to prove that all three aspects of Taur can unite in spite of their differences ... that all three make up a nigh-unbeatable force for good in the Wold."
When you turn to look at Domi/Imod/Tomi, you no longer see the epitome of your own race, but a large humanoid with a flowing mane and tail reminiscent of a Centaur, a broad face and upper body built much like a Minotaur, and the solid structuring of sinewy and powerful, tawny-furred lower body of the cat-pawed Wemic.
"Behold the form of your ancestor race," the god of War bids, "And know this: Bridge Island is to be your stronghold to keep and protect, as you are the first of the separate parts of Taur to begin realizing your true potential. Only those who believe that all Taurs may unite as brothers-in-arms and be a force for good in the Wold may perceive the land bridges leading to this place. Those who have the courage to walk those bridges will have earned the right to reside here with you and to keep watch over the reunited heart that will remain here."
"My beloved children," the God of War intones, "You have already accomplished the first mission that I sent to you -- the reunion of my sundered Heart. All that needs doing from now on is that you lead by example, following your conscience and doing your best ... together."
"Now, my children, I leave you to explore your new home," intones the voice of the God of War, "I leave you with the charge of keeping Hearthold safe for all who hope, and for all who are willing to fight for Good. Know that, for as long as my Heart beats, Domi ... Imod ... or Tomi, if you prefer -- " here the voice of the deity chuckles briefly, " -- *I* shall always be with you to aid you in your war against ignorance and prejudice. Fight well, my children..!"