Sil'Rana

Silrana

The Library looks like a small castle, based upon a form of architecture that I recognize from the books within my families home. A very old style, shall we say.

Within we found a well-kept, tidy, and dust free environment, and the promised wealth of information that we had hoped to find. There was also a strange woman, Anna. She said that she had been made by Delwin, a construct, and that she was the caretaker. She requested that we leave our weapons at the door.

My companions each went their separate way, in search of information that might give us a clue to the effect we first witnessed in the Glade, and on whatever other topics that held personal interest.

After a short time it became apparent that there was a location called Amber which had once existed alongside the provinces, and that this place had held some kind of great importance to the line of those whom had established this Library and filled its walls with history and knowledge.

I asked Anna to take me to records which would pertain to my own family's history. She took me away from the rest of the library, away from where she had directed the rest of mine companions. We took a winding stair to what seemed to me to be a tower. There we came to a door that led to a private study. A few odd things to note here: out of all the places in the Library, this room was kept locked (Anna, not possessing much in the way of stealth or practical sense, was comical in her vain attempt to conceal the location of the key), secondly, the inside of this room had a fine layer of dust over it which was missing from the rest of the Library, and thirdly it felt very familiar - as if the style of the trappings and furnishings were similar to that which resides within my own family's estate.

Here I found the personal journals of Nuin, whom we had learned from Anna was the woman who had been in the Glade, and had called herself the relation of the now-dead Darwin.

And I discovered many things within those journals of hers, of which I will not mention all herein. The journals dated from 10,000 years ago up until only 200-300 years ago. Making Nuin something far more than human if it were to be believed.

Nuin was, by her own account, a member of the royal family of Amber. A powerful and cunning group of folks that could not be trusted by her own words, although she seemed as if she wanted nothing more than to be able to do just that. There were far too many volumes for me to cover each one thoroughly, so I began to skim for pertinent information.

I learned that she was an artist, which explained the easel and paints within the room. She must have spent an awful lot of time in this room over the years. Until it became inaccessible to her. Why was she cut off from it, and we were able to gain access? I learned also that this Amber was sealed off from the other lands over 5,000 years ago by the design of those who dwelled there. Leaving Nuin to watch over the lands, and my own family it seems.

I learned that she believed my survival was important, for she wrote of me near the end of her journals. But how this could be so, I cannot understand. It would make me centuries old, and I think I would recall an extra 150 or 200 years of my life. I am only five and half decades old by my own recollection. Indeed, my parents should have only been children at most, and most likely not even born when this was written. Was this an indication that time had been slowing for much longer than we ever dreamed?

Was this perhaps telling me that by some standard rate of time, which Nuin possessed, that in the span of 54 years almost three centuries should have passed normally?

It could mean that the death of Darwin was perhaps only the loosening of the proverbial 'finger in the dyke', and that his death merely hastened a process which had begun long, long ago.

Further readings indicated that Nuin did believe there was some timeline involved, and that at some point people from the lands would need to open the way back to amber. Was this 'effect' her de facto timeline?

She indicated that I was the last of my line, that now was the time, and that it would have to be me who did it. But there are others needed too, I know it. What is the connection between myself, my new companions, this effect, and our supposed ability to open the way to Amber? Nuin wished to return there greatly after it was closed, was not pleased at having to watch over the land or keep track of my line. She was pushing us now to do it for her, because she seemingly does not possess the ability to do it herself. I do not like being pushed, nor manipulated. And yet, what choice did any of us really have. Push on, or give up. And giving up is never an option. So, we have no choice. I only pray I have a chance to make her talk before this is over, for she owes us some answers, some explanations, and justifications for not being frank with us to begin with. And I had better like them. Whether she was a friend to my parents or not, I had better like them. The fact that she was a friend to them only makes it seem more suspicious that she had never approached me personally, nor informed me of these things she knew which concern me.

She also remarked on a number of objects, each one seemed to be in reference to one of the provinces. I marked them down for later discussion with my companions. The ring in my pocket was among them; the ring of King, the symbol of rulership over the Provinces, and of great service to the land and its people. As my father had taught me, as his father had taught him, the greatest among men and the greatest of leaders, were first the greatest of servants to their fellow man.

Nuin had followed the location of the ring throughout her watch. She had indicated that it was in my possession, as well as the armor of my father, the only thing missing were 'the books' that she referenced. But the ring had been lost, and my father had believed it gone for good. But it found its way back to me. And somehow she had known it would? How is that possible? Unless she was directly involved in making it happen. And if that were truethen she would have had something to do with the death of Justinian. Yes, she would answer to me for these things. I hoped that she was not as dark as these new thoughts of mine might suggest, but I must proceed as if they were true. She is dangerous, and easily capable of murdering good men for her own scheming. I hoped that it proved not to be true. Light, she wrote this hundreds of years ago. I don't even know what to make of it all, really. But possible threats must be treated as true threats accordingly, until they are ruled out as such.

I took a break from my readings, found Anna, discovered the wonders of 'coffee' and seated myself in the map room. It was plain from the writings of Nuin that gaining entrance to Amber was somehow necessary and tied to the effect which we had witnessed. Someone had already been there, Laurent for sure, so I had no need to dig for the maps. There on the table was a group of them, each with different dates, each one with a different configuration for the lands, and Amber. I put them in chronological order, and flipped through them, watching as the lands moved and Amber moved away to the South before it disappeared.

From what I had gathered the sealing off of this land was far different than the closing of the ways, at least in magnitude if not in the exact effect as well. Nuin had been a Wayfinder for sure, and she had been able to traverse the Ways easily, but was blocked from gaining access to Amber. Somehow, we must possess the ability, the key, but how or what that could be? Who knew, and without any help from Nuin, we were left to sally forth with the blind hope that the answer would reveal itself to us. Faith, it seems, is the only thing that is sustaining us at this point.

I gathered more coffee from Anna, and then headed upstairs to continue my reading of Nuin's journals. Anna, it seems, was having trouble each time she entered the study. The lights were somehow triggered by voice to come on, "lights, on" she repeated several times to no avail. "LIGHTS", I said, and they sprang to life without the sputtering fitful difficulty with which Anna had light them earlier. She looked at me in surprise and left.

In the morning we gathered for breakfast, which was better than any meal I had had since the days of my mother's cooking. Simply delicious. Our small talk was cut short as Meridian was anxious to get down to business - natural of course for the more than orderly fellow. He launched into his theoretical mathematical model for two fundamental forces involved directly with the effect that we had all witnessed. Together, it seemed, they hold a kind of tension in balance, maintaining the status quo within the physical realm. His theory was that one of these forces had been weakened or eliminated someway, and that we were witnessing the effects of this. His theory, of course, pointed towards Amber as a source for one of these forces. Which could be true, I suppose, and considering how we were being herded towards Amber I would not be surprised to find that he is correct. But, for all his pontificating, there really seemed to be no mathematical basis in his theory for believing that Amber would be the focal point for this force, or that there was even a focal point for these forces in the first place. Perhaps he had found something in his studies which indicated otherwise. Either way, Darwin himself was the most rationale place to begin looking for a focal point. We all witnessed the strange wave-pulse of energy which left him as he died, and it was this that began the strange effect that we had all been witness too. However, it is my belief that his death actually only hastened an effect that had already been progressing for quite some time. This indicates to me that Darwin was some kind of anchor, or focal point for some kind of force, since his departure hastened things.

Once again, we could only press on with the blind hope that there were some answers to be found in Amber, that there were other focal points for the theoretical force in Meridians equations, and that they could be repaired, or re-established. For certainly, if they did exist, they were broken. But then again, Meridian's way of thinking was just one way in which to view the information that we had uncovered. There were other ways of interpreting things, and we might end up finding some that painted a fuller picture than his page of equations.

I could see that his wordy, and never-ending, explanation of his math was not making much sense to our companions - except for perhaps Laurent, who seemed as smug as Meridian as he looked about at the blank stares of the party. My own attempts to put Meridian's ideas into a different light, something easier to grasp for those of us with a more spiritual view of nature and less mathematical, was not met well by the bookworm.

So I opted to change the topic, since it had been clear to me since we had arrived at the library that we would be seeking out Amber. I began to relay some of my own discoveries into Amber, it being cut off from the rest of the lands, my deductions on where it might be, the items connected to each Province and their implied importance. We soon discovered that most of our companions actually carried a fair amount the items already. There is no coincidence, is there? There it was then, at least a piece to the puzzle about how we are all connected somehow. I actually had to shush Meridian, though, just to get more than two sentences into what I had uncovered in my night of research. Really, sometimes I think the man never stops talking, let alone stops to listen. And as much as I actually have a fondness for him, he seems so used to being the teacher and the authority in the little hamlets he has visited that he doesn't always know how to relate to people properly. Then again, light knows none of us are perfect.

I had been silent about my suspicions of Peter's ability ever since we left the Glade. It was his to deal with and to reveal. Which he timidly did at breakfast. We packed up and headed out for his homeland that morning, with the hopes that he could find us a Way there without having to cross the sea between us.

Our travels went quickly. The first night out we camped, and on my watch I went out to pray and to find the strength for what was to come. I had a growing feeling that conflict was in the stars for us, and that I would need all my faculties to keep us safe.

I found a secluded place in the wild, far enough from camp for privacy, but near enough I would be roused by trouble. I knelt there under the clear night's sky, and drew my four quartered circle in the earth with my father's sword, by the direction of the stars.

"Light Above, Ally of my Ancestors, hear my call" I said aloud in the
direction of the moon in the night's sky.
"Light protect us, light keep us, light cleanse us and prepare us for
the task that is set before us."
"Light make me thine instrument upon Earth, which is in peril."
"Spirits of the 4 directions hear me, Golden East where the light
enters our sacred circle, Sacred South which brings the fire of Youth,
Dark West which shakes us to our core with the fears of our making,
White North land of our Ancestor spirits and those who have gone before
us, hear me your as I sit within your sacred circle."
"The land is in peril, the people are in peril, the beasts and fowl,
and green things are in peril, even the stone and earth is in peril
now. Four Directions send me your guidance and strength. I seek the
solution, I seek the source, I seek the hope for all that is good
within the light."
"Ancestors, ancient fathers, your son calls upon you for wisdom. It is my
time to walk the earth and carry the burdens you have left for me.
Grant me wisdom to do so with grace and honor."
"Light be with me. Light Surround Me. Light Protect me. Light be my
guide in the Darkness. And May I Be your Light upon the Earth."

Within my meditation I saw a light, a visible light, expand and grow brighter at the edge of my awareness until it completely enveloped my inner sight. I saw my own hand reaching towards the light, reaching and turning, and then I saw the Ring of the Kings upon my hand. It was good, and it felt as if it was right.

I returned to myself and took the ring from my pocket. I looked upon its symbols, and then placed it upon my hand. My feeling of connection to the land and the people was intensified. The inner sense of things which I had always carried with me became crystal clear. It did feel right, it felt like a part of me.

And that is when I sensed the Darkness within Syrone. I could see it. She had not been easy to read, and now I knew why. There was nothing there but darkness and her mind full of questions.

I returned to the camp in time to see her skulk off. I shadowed her and witnessed her beastly transformations, and then I returned to the camp ahead of her, tripping Susan's strange rabbit wailing witch's ward. We had a brief discussion about it, and then I went back to my watch.

What is Syrone? Why would I see only darkness within her? I was startled by the discovery, especially considering that I worship the Light. Could she be afflicted as I feared? Could the darkness by symbolic of what she is capable of? That she could be soulless? Corrupted? Too many questions, and no answers. I would have to watch her, for all our sakes.

The next day proved my fears correct, and we were found by vile and mutated creatures. I was alerted to a strange sound and went to investigate. It turned out to be some farmer's cow that was now enormous and hideous. I easily kept ahead of it and rode to a rise in order to signal Daigoro. I sent him the hand signals to move out the group at a fast pace, which he did. I flanked them and we rode on through the shallow valley. Then two Beastly mountain cats swooped down upon them, halting the horsed and sending my companions into disarray. I rode hard towards them unsheathing my sword. The were doing their best to fend of the beasts as I rode down among them taking healthy chunks from their backsides with my blade. Down the slopes of the valley then came a dozen wild mutated hyena's. I bellowed for the group to ride on at all speed, to which Peter and Syrone had no choice since their untrained mounts thankfully bolted at a gallop. It was roughly the right direction so we all rode on hard, the dogs behind, the cats stopping to eat the ugly cow. Daigoro and I hit them with arrows from our saddles, but some outflanked us and one took down Syrone's horse within the lead. She tumbled to the earth, transforming into something with extra limbs, and scales, and spikes. From the look of our companions I could not tell if they were more horrified by the beasts or Syrone.

Meridian had his senses about him, and aided her onto the back of his horse. I was glad to see that his rational detachment was intact as he did not hesitate to aid her, a good trait in dangerous and stressful situations. I noted it for later, he would be worth training.

I urged them all to ride on, which they did. The dogs stopping to feast upon the fallen horse. Daiogoro and I stopped a distance away and picked them off easily with our bows, then returned for Syrone's personal items. After regrouping and redistributing the pack animal's stores amongst us, we were on our way again. And not a word about Syrone or her uncontrolled transformation.

We reached the sea, and it seemed that Peter could speed us along but crossing the ocean was not to be hoped for. We traveled up the coast in search of a port town, which we did find. I asked Laurent and Daigoro to see about procuring us a ship for our journey to Vespa. Susan left to get drunk, and Meridian went off to tend to the medical needs of the townsfolk. That left Peter, Syrone, and I to find us rooms and stable the horses.

When that was done I sat outside with Syrone and Peter. And I could not take my eyes from her. Her uncontrolled display further concerned me, what other changes could be taking place, was she a danger to us without even meaning to be?

She saw my look, and answered me with a challenge, "Just say it!" And so it began, and I don't react well to being challenged. So I aired my concerns, why hadn't she said anything, why wasn't she speaking about it to us, my concerns that she could hurt someone, my encounter with the wolf-man, but it was all lost in the heat of our exchange. She was attacking, defensive, hurt, scared, but I needed to know if the changes were affecting her mind as well as her body. She left in a huff, intent to walk it off. But it ended up that she never came back.

In the morning I searched for her, I found her tracks, and she had spent the night walking, and sitting, and thinking by the sea, and then she had left us altogether. Damn. That was not how I had wanted things to go, and I was saddened to see that she had left.

But by this time we were all preparing to leave upon our vessel. Peter had convinced the captain of the truth of our words and our mission. His sincerity and truth and innocence are his strength, for sure. It alarms the others, the influence he has upon people, but I am comforted by the fact that it is the truth and goodness inside of him which is all that is really shining through to affect others in a positive way.

When the others learned of Syrone's disappearance it did not take long for them to hear of our discussion. Blame was in the eyes of Meridian, and in his words. It would have mattered little to explain that it was Syrone's own fears which had made her fled. I had confronted her, indeed, and all that mattered to Meridian was that she was gone and I had something to do with it.

And somehow, the need of Meridian to reach her was great enough, for he found a way with Susan to contact her and convince her to return. With all of us aboard the ship the hurrying form of a human Syrone came dashing up to catch us. How she had traveled so many miles in such a short time I could only imagine.