Church of the Tidemother/The Mystery of Barrow Peaks
The Mystery of Barrow Peaks
The morning was growing bright with the early summer sunrise by the time Lucius was packed. He packed light, as he always did - a change of clothes, his swords, a bow in case he needed to hunt, some travel good and water Based on the map he had received, there would be a path, little more than a hunting trail, from Mech Alb to Barrow Peaks. If they planned properly, they would only be gone a couple of days, and be in Barrow Peaks the following morning.
Lucius, with dark circles under his eyes, took a deep breath of fresh air as he stood outside. Another night of poor sleep reared itself, and yet he kept standing. In the back of the estate, Erik was getting the smithy up and running. Emma was trying to get a travel breakfast together and Ember was taking care of the horse. The few other servants were running around and starting their chores. With Lucius gone it wouldn’t be a busy day. From within his cloak he removed a metal crest with odd edges and bits to it. It was supposed to be the first key, but he had no idea what to do with it.
He was waiting for Ede, but something lingered in the air that morning, a feeling he didn’t recognize, but gave him a sense of calm and expectation. Sometimes being up so early wasn’t bad.
A light breakfast was already being offered by the time Edelyn had slipped into her aketon and riding britches, she would not be riding in her robes again. It took her longer than usual as she spent most of the evening speaking with the help, and so had to have her things brought up once she had awoken. She had tied her hair up with a pretty purple ribbon, and soon was gliding down the stairs to join Lucius on his journey.
"Ah, Earl Demyansk, I see the wonderful horse are ready for a fabulous journey to the Voidmouth above," She surmised, her voice jovially formal walking up to Lucius.
Edelyn had a young man help her tie her case to the back of her horse, who had already been well watered and fed for the morning. She was oddly looking forward to this, even though she hated the lord of the Peaks with a passion.
"Apologies for being late, but as a lady I had to get ready for the day. And what a wonderful day it will be! Let us tackle that mountain and anything within!" She exclaimed while swiftly hopping upon the horse.
The start was full of hope and promise, treasures and mysteries left by an old man with a twisted sense of humor. As they moved along it seemed the wind was constantly at their backs, urging them forward as if in a rush to help them find something.
By the time they reached Mech Alb, Lucius was suspicious of the wind, but he didn’t voice the concern aloud. Instead he tried to focus on it, in between conversations of monsters and gods, and what the Zuma were like. Svari had mentioned it being like a relationship, and that seemed to resonate with his uncle as well. As they spoke, Lucius kept his further communications with the Zuma ruler a secret for the time being. He had something planned for the future and did not want to tip his hand too soon. The words of his uncle came back to him, that he had the blood of a true Calanar flowing through him, and somehow those didn’t bother him any more. Facing Kettle had done more for him than he expected, and staring down one more piece of his past with a friend beside him, he braced himself internally for whatever he may find.
The ride to Mach Alb had gone without a hitch, and the small conversation had helped bury her worry about the Zuma and Calypso. Edelyn was still a bit irked that Solomon had sent her away the moment the Zuma arrived, in her head, the repromotion had more to do with getting rid of her than it did trusting her, but that wouldn't matter soon. The wind blew at their backs in a graceful and pleasing manner as if the Tidemother herself was expressing her pleasure at their companionship.
"Luc, you feel the gloriousness of the wind?" She asks with a deep inhale. "I think the Tidemother truly wishes for this. I don't know why, but she seems to approve of you despite you doubting your own faith."
A few more moments pass as she basks in the warmth of the sun moving across her skin. "That bird you captured for me is a fine specimen. It reminds me of the myths of the Turul from back in Beluaterra. That bird was on my mother's mothers family crest, you know, so perhaps it is appropriate that your uncle sent you after it instead."
Lucius smiled as he glanced over at Ede. “I’m glad you like it. Velden has a knack for -” For what? Trouble? “Stumbling into the right answers from what I’ve seen,” was the best he could come up with. “Honestly, with the wind, I’d almost think he was right here with us. Svari thinks he treats the wind as a friend, maybe he hears the Goddess, maybe not, but he certainly has a deeper understanding than I do.”
“You know, I found some stories about the bird. Some people consider them as familiars because they have loyalty to their caretakers. Shadow Bird, Witch Bird, they have a slew of nicknames varying by region.” He caught something in the way Ede looked at him, maybe he was imagining it, but it prompted something else. “I had to take care of it. May as well learn about it, right? I know Beluaterran beasts better, and just have to hope the body types match up,” he laughed.
The wind blew ever so slightly harder as Lucius began to speak. Most people would not even be able to perceive such a breath, but as one who listens to her goddess intently, Edelyn certainly could. Almost as if pushing things along, the gentle caress of the wind continued as they started to enter the foothills of the mountains.
Edelyn pulled up close to Lucius and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I know you avoid this every time we see each other, but anyone who shares her grace is a friend to the wind. Those that do not feel its wrath. Just see Astrum and their fall in the war, or Westgard and theirs. Westgard, the ones 'Bastion of Humanity against Monsters' fell when they turned against humanity. Just as Astrum did when they joined D'hara and their undead marches. I wish I could get you to understand her as I do. I know she has plans for us specifically, I just don't know what they are. She notices you though."
She takes a breath before she continues, "As for the bird I will train it well. You will see me use it in great hunts that I will soon commence in my demesne. It will help me hunt even more elusive prey that I need for my studies."
Lucy couldn’t help but grinning, thinking of Ede trying to perch the bird on her arm. Not that she wasn’t strong enough, but it was rather large, and it may be a little funny to see. He tried to use it as a distraction, but he knew Ede would not want to let this go.
His grin faded as he tried to find the best way to put feelings to words. “I have… I was,” he corrected, “raised with two family lines of thinking. The Daishi and the Old Gods were dominant in my family. Don’t get me started on the remnants of other faiths. Yet never once did I feel like I was a part of something. As I grew up, it seemed as if the gods were failing me. I believe, Ede, but I don’t have a lot of faith. Coming to Tol Goldora has… started to change that, but I’ve already been burned twice...”
Edelyn smiled as she heard the words of belief. It was a start and a huge upgrade from when he denied ever following her in the first place. Removing her had from his should, Edelyn thought about how to respond for a few moments.
"The metal men," She started, "I know nothing of these Old Gods, but I do have vague memories of those in Obia'Seyla mocking the Daishi metal men. How could anyone think giant slabs of walking metal cares for them when their own teachings supposedly explicitly stated they do not? It is easy to be burned by fanciful stories and false idols, however, did these metal men ever talk to you? You may call me crazy, but the Tidemother talks to me."
After a few moments, Edelyn sighed to herself. She knew all too well the struggles of finding doubt in things you once trusted to care for you without a doubt. Bringing her hand up to his face and turning his eyes to match hers, she continued. "My friend, we all have our troubles, things we struggle to understand, things that hurt us more than others know, including me. It's okay to question whether she cares for you or not, but I can tell you she does. She wouldn't have sent you to me if she did not, and regardless of what you say, I fully believe we were brought together."
Lucius chuckled. The way she said that to him, it was almost as if she was trying to make him believe it too. He wasn’t sold on it, but Ede had proven to be very different compared to when they met. “I must say it’s turned out quite differently from where we started." He looked at Edelyn, admiring her dedication to the idea at least.
“I’d never call you crazy,” he added. “My uncle talks to the wind like it’s a co-conspirator in his daily adventures. Who do you think is the crazy one?” he asked with a barking laugh. “You should see him fight though. At his age, it was like he knew where every strike would go and was already slipping away by the time his enemies moved. You would think it was all choreographed.”
A smirk spread across Edelyn's face as she thought about what he said. "Things rarely turn out how we want. If they did, things would be different for both the Tidemother and me. I will always be dedicated to my goddess for when one speaks it is best to listen."
The full majesty of the mountains was coming into view now as they approached the foot of their destination, the main mountain. The sun peeked over and bathed the valley in a brilliant orange as the trees dropped low and swayed in the wind as Edelyn finally let the subject change not wishing to push too much.
"I am sure he is a great fighter, but from what I saw he did not listen to the wind, he commanded it. It scares me a little if I am being true. Almost like an abuse, a perversion. I don't expect you to just buy into everything I say just because I say it, everyone must find their own path, but please don't wind up like him. I trust you too much for that and would fear for Svari if you did."
Lucius laughed. It was meant to be reassuring, but he wondered if it was.
The pair had found a place to stay for the night outside of Barrow Peaks on the border of Mech Alb. A small roadside inn that seemed to get by on its remote location and charging a few extra coins because of it. Despite the pair spending some time drinking into the night, it was Edelyn that relented to bed first.
The following morning, Lucius was the first one up and still had dark circles under his eyes. He usually did pretty well hiding them, burying himself in one thing or another until they went away. When he was with Svari, he actually got some sleep, but there was little to hide them with this morning, so instead he spent some extra coin for the whole pot of tea and set about waking himself up. Pressing his thumb and forefinger into his eyes, he pushed away some of the sleep deprivation between sips of tea. Today they would go into the mountains, and with a vague map, they would look for a vault.
Edelyn awoke early but stayed safely in her room. Things had been quieter between the two of them since she brought up the Tidemother and his uncle, and there was little more than idle chit chat and joking about between drinks in the common area the night before. Part of her wondered if she had pushed just a bit too hard, but with how much she worried for him she didn't know what else to do.
Lucius was already sitting at a table with a large pot by the time she finally emerged from her room. It was quite obvious that he had not slept well despite how hard he tried to cover it up. The attempt might have been successful if she were not used to dealing with such issues, if not worse, in others.
"Today we should get inside," She stated slipping into the seat next to him, "I promise I won't hound you about the Tidemother today. Perhaps you might sleep better if I do not. No, let us go and get your inheritance." Her words were clear, and precise, in hopes to show at least a bit of support for him as a person rather than just his abilities.
Lucius looked at Ede as she greeted him and smiled. “The Tidemother doesn’t trouble my sleep, Ede,” he said as he took another sip of the tea and offered her the pot to partake as well. “It’s just the dead,” he said casually, as if he were describing the weather. “These days I’m getting pretty used to it, but the ones from my days on Beluaterra still bother me.” He did not mention that he was still a child then, and killing had to become natural, damn the consequences later. He knew too many people that had trouble sleeping after what they did. At least he used to.
He glanced over to Edelyn and shrugged, suggesting he didn’t want to dwell on it much by making it seem like nothing. “You’ve opened up to me several times now. It’s only fair I try to be honest with you and do the same.”
As Edelyn poured the tea into a cup, it came out darker than she was used to. She was never a big partaker of tea, to begin with, but at least this might help ease his mind. "The Tidemother doesn't trouble anyone but the unfaithful, of which you are not, despite you questioning the faith. That is normal for beginners."
Edelyn took a few more moments to reflect on the rest of what he had to say. The shrug might have meant to come off as nonchalant, but she knew there was something underneath. Not willing to push too far, but wanted to show support, she moved over next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"My friend, I have told you only a little," She began, a smile spread but eyes darker, "There are things I have told no one. Trust me, you are not the only one that laments the dead. Half of my estate is filled to the brim with the families of the fallen soldiers that once fought for me in the Gold Coast war. They were the last remnants of a dead realm, you know, not Goldoran but Ferratan."
Lucius nodded. “I wish it were as simple as that. Not that yours is, but... “ He trailed off for a long moment, searching for the right words. “You don’t easily move on from a childhood of killing off daimon worshiping camps, or watching the kids you trained with make a mistake and get killed. Accepting whatever fate because your life was insignificant to the daimon threat. The worst was the other kids. If they were young enough we might take them in, but we didn’t want festering grudges. The number of nights I spent crawling through mud under the cover of a storm -”
He cut himself off and let out a laugh. “That’s enough dwelling on my past though. We have a vault to find and I won’t be able to focus if I start drinking now.”
Edelyn listened to his words, and they were troubling, but he was hardly the only one with issues in the past.
"You don't easily get past having to flee a continent because a group of those claimed 'daimon slayers' try to burn you alive just because your aunt, not even you but your relative, asked who their particular goddess was," She spoke in an open, yet accepting, tone as her intent was not to trivialize his experience. Just to show him that Beluaterra was a place full of monsters, and those monsters were not of the storybook variety. Though she would willingly take forced daimon slayer training over one innocent question leading to condemnation and death, "As I said, I've opened only a little to you, and my point is to show you that some of us understand things more than you know."
Edelyn sighed a bit, not really wanting to press the issue, but wanting to make it clear she handle it if he needed, "But yes, let us continue if that is your preference. I hope there will be little drinking on this trip. I hope to get to know the real Luc with a clear head."
“Tidemother help me if I was ever a part of any of those groups,” Lucius said as he finished his own breakfast. “My brothers and I already paid enough for our resistance. I hope the real me doesn’t disappoint,” he added with a stretch, feeling the cracks down his spine as he fixed his posture for the first time in a while.
Edelyn walked over and slipped her arm through his and started to walk him out the door, "Come now Luc, let us move on to less dreary speak. I am your friend and hope you trust me enough, at least, not to intentionally steer you wrong."
Barrow Peaks was very different from how his uncle had described it. There was an ominous air to it, a feeling that he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Was it their task, or the weight which his companion put into wanting to avoid the local lord. Based on the map they were given, they followed an old animal trail that only a few hunters would know about. A path worn down, but difficult for mounted travel. It was here that the pair had to switch to travel by foot in order to avoid the risk of injury.
“Leave it to my uncle to put us in the middle of nowhere,” he grumbled, but there was a light in his eyes that few things elicited from him. It was a sense of adventure as they walked along, not knowing what was waiting at the end. Edelyn held two plain keys, and Lucius the third, an intricate metal symbol of the Calanar family crest. His inheritance, as he was told, was a pair of swords, and whatever was contained in this vault while the swords rested on his hips
As they made their way down the path some of the unique plants and crops to the region poked their heads out. Nuts and berries, and the occasional wild fruit tree, scattered though they were, were a testament to the first lord’s attempts at making some kind of economy in the region. Whenever they passed something interesting, Lucius would let his gaze linger on it for a long moment, trying to capture the moment in his mind.
The dreaded mountains. Edelyn wasn't sure exactly what she expected when she arrived, but it wasn't this. The old trail that Lucius had chosen was nothing Edelyn could not handle, she had spent years chasing fabled beings down such things. Swiftly, she moved ahead of Lucius, as he took things a bit more cautiously. Up ahead, Edelyn had already picked a few of the fruit from the tree, placed it in pouches, and was munching on one of the apricots.
"If I am being honest, I am glad he led us here," She responded to his slight complaint about his uncle, "I have never tried this fuzzy fruit before. They don't grow in the Lurian regions. You should try one." To be true, she was glad to avoid "Baroness" Mina, but the fruit was a nice perk.
Edelyn was back at his side now, walking beside him as she ate. She noticed how he would linger on some of the scenery along the way, and found herself wondering if it was because his family ruled from here long ago.
"Luc, before we get into the thick of it, I did want to thank you for bringing me and being more open. I know it's not easy for you, especially considering our complicated relationship." She was closer now, next to him, but not cross-armed like in the tavern. "Sometimes I find myself hesitant around you, as I am sure you do me. Always afraid I'll say the wrong thing. Make a mistake."
Lucius nodded as she spoke her piece. He did understand. There were some definite walls between them, things that were almost taboo to talk about. “Of course I brought you with me,” he said first. Certainly his uncle had a hand in it, but there was a strange feeling in his gut... “If it wasn’t you, somehow I doubt the trip would have the same meaning,” he told her truthfully.
He stopped as he spotted another one of the trees she had grabbed the fuzzy fruit from. Taking one he judged to be of similar quality to Ede’s, he took a bite. It was sweet and tart, but good. He imagined the exports of Barrow Peaks being minimal at best, but maybe with the right hands involved… He didn’t linger too long on the thought and went back to the point of Ede’s words.
“I think we both know we have a sore spot between us,” he said. “And regardless of how it happened, I think we both want to continue our friendship because we know there’s a lot there, even if it took a while to find it.” He looked over at Ede to see if he had hit the nail on the head as he produced the map of the region for the first time in a while. The trail they were on would end in a little bit, and it was there the trail they were following ended as well. “Is it something you want to talk about?” he asked at last.
As the trail they followed came to an end amidst a thick barrier of trees and bushes, Lucius stopped once more to look at the map, wondering if the next step would be to dig. “Want to take a break?”
Edelyn stood there for a bit while he looked at the map, wistfully looking off into the distance. Things had become so overcomplicated, far more so than she was comfortable with. She wanted to be friends with him, and the Tidemother had brought them together, but there was this rift neither dare speak. Normally Edelyn was very outspoken in her beliefs, any argument with the Autarch would show that, but she feared losing what little she had outside the church.
"Is there a point?" She asked bluntly in response to his question, "Your friendship is important to me, and I wouldn't want to ruin that. I would play things differently if our roles were reversed, but they are not so there is no point in risking what we have by discussing it."
She began to look away again, biting her lower lip slightly. The trees, they were beautiful, worthy of transplantation. Yes, she would have to take the seeds from these trees, see if she could grow them back home. That would make a nice distraction, a hobby. "Luc, I will be taking some of these seeds home," she spoke more, walking over and awkwardly picking some of the fruits and nuts from the trees hoping he would not notice her discomfort, "I have not seen most of these and wish to see if they will grow outside of here so I don't have to deal with the Baroness."
Lucius rolled his eyes behind the map, letting Edelyn wander off rather than push the confrontation. The strange crops of Barrow Peaks would certainly be something to bring home though. The map itself made no sense. They had to be in the circled area where the trail ended. The trees were too old, he thought, but then second guessed the idea. Maybe not.
“I bet they didn’t even grow here to begin with. Most of these are rare for this type of land, and I barely know a thing about farming, let alone trees.” While Ede picked nuts and fruit, Lucius began checking the dead end they had found themselves in. Something had to be around here.
“Maybe you don’t want to talk, but I feel like we should,” he said after checking a tree for a keyhole or something that might give a clue. “We had different upbringings, different outlooks on relationships, and while I don’t think your views are wrong, is it so wrong for me to have my own?”
He walked over to a second tree, ignoring the faint breeze that was stirring up the clearing. “Though our lives are but leaves, buffeted and swept along the currents of the sky and sea, we sometimes seek direction,” he recited the first part of a prayer to the Tidemother as he felt around another tree, trying to see through the flora and fauna. “I’m lucky to have her, and that’s not to rub it in your face, but because I never thought I deserved any happiness. Can you understand a desperate man for not wanting to let it go?” If it was going to be a thorn forever, they may as well find some kind of understanding, right?
Part of her truly felt for Lucius, but another part was so furious that he would even think she would try to take Svari away. A promise had been made, and she planned to keep it, even turning down the one chance she knew she could be with Svari out of respect for him. Not that she could ever tell him that, she knew.
"You're a fool," She said through gritted teeth, with a cracked voice, and a balled-up fit, "You're a fool If you don't see it."
Deep breathes, inhale, exhale, Lucius was too dense to realize. Slowly, over the next few moments, fought back the tears of defeat. Her fists steadily relaxed as she regained composure, "Luc, there is a reason I avoided this, I made a promise to you, but you are an idiot if you ever thought you would lose her to anyone. She has clearly already chosen you so strongly I am nothing in comparison."
Her voice was low, sorrowful. Slowly, she turned to face him, her wet, green eyes locking with his, "Even if she hadn't, I made you a promise to stay out, and I have. You misunderstood what I meant, and I'm not sure I should explain, but I will upon your insistence. All I meant was that were the roles reversed, if I knew I could never lose her, I would not keep her from you. In fact, I would explore the idea of you with her, but I respect this is not your way."
Realizing what she had inadvertently said, Edelyn turns once more face flushed, "Forget it, my father warned me those of this continent would not understand. Let us put this behind us with my reassurance that I accept I will never know her that way, would not wish to come between you, and what I think means little."
The breeze that carried through the trees was almost unnatural, ethereal as Edelyn’s temper turned on Lucius. “Ede, I have never said that your thoughts mean little. I’m trying to understand here.
The light dance of air seemed to try to guide each of Lucius’ steps as he tried to talk to Edelyn. “Time and again you do this. You shut yourself away when I try to talk to you seriously. If it makes you that uncomfortable, I’ll drop it, but at least I’m trying to listen.” Step. Step. Closer to the tree line Lucius walked, almost purposefully. “I see a lot, but you aren’t exactly an open book.”
He started to take another step toward the trees and forced himself to stop short. “Cut that out!”
His gaze sharpened into a glare as he turned from Ede to the trees. Resting a hand on one of his swords, he started toward where the Tide Mother was taking him. “I did say I would listen, but not without my own defense.” Hesitant, he pushed into the trees and bushes.
The first thing Lucy found was the remains of an old fence. Aged to a point of rot, he wouldn’t trust it for anything other than the warning of the second thing he found, a drop to the ground below. Looking to his left, a path was spotted, easing down into the dene below. “Ede, I think we are supposed to find this place,” he called back.
At the base of the path down was a door into the mountain. The door itself was covered in old imagery, the likes of which Lucius had never seen before. Depictions of something great. A god? A goddess? If he could judge it was tied to the winds more than anything. The only thing that stood out was a unique set of grooves in the center of the door. A strange locking mechanism if Lucius had ever seen one.
Aggressive push when things get tough, this was the way of the Luitolf family, and Edelyn was no exception. She could at least take solace in the fact that he seemed not to understand, even if she would have to explain. Taking deep breaths to help calm her racing heart, Edelyn spoke in a low raspy voice, "You're right, I am guarded, and you deserve better than that. You might not have said it, but I know my feelings go unrequited and therefore mean little. I should be used to being an afterthought by now, it's only been common for friends, family, and lovers alike for most of my life. Believe it or not, I do care for you too."
The young woman chuckled to herself, then heard Lucius screaming, and spin around wide-eyed looking and alert for anything he might be threatening, just to see him yelling at and pushing through trees. Following cautiously behind, she wondered if that is what she used to look like before she learned to control the wind's whispers. The other side was spectacular, and shouldn't be there.
"I think we were indeed," She spoke, ignoring the grotesque fence post, pulling out the key she carried, "Let us thank Her Holiness for showing us the way." Edelyn walked up and ran her hands across the grooves in the door, "Though maybe we should ask for more help. I don't have anything that would fit this."
Edelyn turned back and looked back at Lucius in confusion, "Your family is from here, have you ever seen anything like this?"
Lucius studied the door some more. The region was called barrow peaks for a reason. He wondered if this could be an ancient burial site or something similar. However, Lucius went into a pouch at his hip and pulled out a family crest.
A family of wolves and dragons, and yet the crest itself was a fox before a tower. The words Seize Life were etched underneath. The crest itself looked nothing special except for a series of edges coming out of the bottom in a circle. “This was supposed to be the entry key,” he told Edelyn. “I think I get it.”
Lining the edges up with the grooves, he felt something connect in the door. He twisted the crest like a door knob, and a soft click came back in response as the heavy door opened. The first thing they had to deal with was the assault of mostly stale air. Several torches sat by the entryway, no doubt past their usefulness, forcing the pair to adjust and use their own. Then came the strain of adjusting to the new light as Lucius stepped foot inside ahead of Ede. They were the first people in decades to enter this place. Lucius peered as far in as he could down the slowly descending path, hoping it was still safe, and nothing like the hidden path to get here. “Shall we?”
Her outburst being ignored was the best outcome possible, she knew, even if it was the first time she'd expressed herself in a while. The Tidemother provided all Edelyn needed, she even provided this. It was her that brought Edelyn and Lucius together still but for still unforeseen reasons. She looked as Lucius made his way into the spoiled, and think-standing air.
"Of course," Edelyn spoke as she started behind him down the stairs, "The air here seems most foul though. It seems like Her Holiness has not been welcome here in some time."
As the couple moved more into the deep, twisting path, there seemed to be several split-off alcoves along the sides. Most were bare, but a few did have odd artifacts along the way. The air became heavier the deeper they ventured, and eventually, they came to a crossroads path, one ascending, and the other descending.
"I say we head down. Everyone expects that passages within a mountain would head upward, and we can certainly double back that way, but a downward path is more shocking to me." Edelyn grabbed Lucius's hand firmly, and without an answer started to explore the area. She had keys that must go to something, and a downward position would protect a vault of some sort better than a higher one in her mind.
Lucius said nothing, but was tense. Something had him on edge and it showed in the way he carried himself. There was a presence in this place unlike anything he had ever felt before, something watching from the shadows. This undisturbed place… What did Velden do?
They made their way down for what seemed like eternity, but was in reality only a few minutes, guided by the flames of their torches. Each twist posed no real threat to them, but somehow that made the ominous feeling worse.
At a new crossroad, two paths seemed to stretch infinitely into the dark. Lucius looked left and right, and just as he was about to pick the left path, a feeling told him to go right instead. An odd twist of the wind, something making its way in for the first time in decades. He wondered how he could even feel it in here. “This way,” he told Ede as he set off, taking the lead this time. Velden followed the wind. If the wind was guiding him, he should let it do the same, right?
He did not have to wait long before the path told him he had gone the right way. A door stood before them with a simple key lock. Lucius looked to Ede. “I guess you’re up,” he told her.
Edelyn was a little caught off guard after being pulled along by Lucius. It was not often that someone else took control with her and she was often either left to her own devices, something she was known to take advantage of in the past. Even the former Autarch would do little more than argue with her. What's more, he seemed to be oddly in tune with the wind, almost as much as she was.
"Of course, yes," She hesitated for a moment, her eyes curiously moving over him as she tried to figure out what exactly was going on. Edelyn approached the door, with a large key in hand, hearing a large click after a twist. "I... think that worked." Were her only words, making a mental note to quiz him intently later.
As the door swung open the pair were assaulted with light, reflections bouncing back at them from every direction. Lucius squinted into the room, hand pulled from Ede’s and pressed to a sword, but nothing attacked. Peering into the room he saw some old torches and pitch that looked considerably in better condition. Had his uncle been down here recently?
Flames sprang to life, flickering weakly in the underground, providing enough illumination to reveal the perpetrator of the blinding assault. Gemstones, runestones, and rocks. Hundreds of them lined shelves carved into the stone walls. A central display glittered with color and finery that Lucius had never seen before.
A flashback to his youth reminded Lucy of a day when he spoke to his uncle. He had asked him what he liked to do in his spare time. Velden’s reply? “I collect rocks,” he had said with a laugh. Rocks was an understatement.
“What in the Tidemother’s name was he doing here? This must be the vault,” Lucius muttered, unsure of what he would do with all of this.
Two things drew Lucius’ attention above all else. The first was a second locked door on the other side of the room. The second was the large, green orb in the middle central display. The way the crystal had formed, it looked like the wind was trapped inside, trying to escape. He went up to it and there was even a fragile note. The text was similar to Tol Goldoran, but there were some accents Lucius was unfamiliar with dating back to the original realm on these lands. With some simple logic he translated the note. “Left Eye of the Goddess,” he read aloud.
He immediately regretted picking it up. It felt like he held the wind in his hands, and that it could blow away at any moment. A trick of the mind? The watchful presence seemed to bear down on him even harder than before, as if in warning. Lucius grumbled but held on to the crystal anyway, getting the feeling they would need it as they progressed.
The room seemed to burst into flame as they entered the room, and just as Lucius's hand left hers for a blade instinctively, she shrunk into the shadows disappearing from sight. His words commenting on the vault were uttered before the man even realized she was gone. Not even aware if he knew she was gone, Edelyn watched from the shadows as he approached the display in the middle. The large green gem glimmered in the weak light of the now dimmed fire, and by the look on Lucius's face, Edelyn could tell he was uncomfortable with the object.
Allowing her friend to come to terms with whatever he was dealing with, Edelyn slinked through the shadows. Knowing there was no danger by now, she was not purposely moving stealthily but was careful to be quiet so as not to disturb him. A soft click, like the one from before, could be heard and the second door swung open before Edelyn stepped from shadows once more.
"Luc, If you want I can take that. I can tell you are a bit uncomfortable," she said as her hand went up to his shoulder, hoping to console him. "Either way, the next door is ready whenever you are."
Her eyes caught his as she spoke matching the concerning tone in her voice. This trip was turning out to be more than just artifacts, and she could feel an entrance not only to the next room opening. Edelyn grabbed his hand once more, "I am here if you need to talk about whatever it is that is happening, and if you, ready to move whenever you are."
Lucius continued to look around the room one more time. Only one eye, he noted, wondering whatever happened to the other one as he made his way over toward Ede. “There’s… a presence here. Nothing like I’ve ever felt before,” he admitted.
The words of his uncle played in his head. He couldn’t be completely ignorant. “The Tidemother,” he mumbled, pressing the large crystalline orb into Ede’s hands. He offered Ede a soft smile, difficult to see in the torchlight. “I think that’s yours anyway. The wind. This constant presence weighing down on me. The Left Eye of the Goddess… Velden said I would know what was yours,” he laughed, trying to push away the dark mood that was creeping up on him. “Know-it-all, jackass that he is.”
He didn’t mean to sound so irritated. This time when he took her hand to guide her along, they went smoothly down the passage. Lucius tried lighting one of the braziers on the wall and was pleasantly surprised to see the flames take. The new light revealed another further down, and now they had a goal in mind as they traveled further down into the depths. He was determined to find what was at the end.
Still, the silent trek downward was troubling him. “You know, Ede? I haven’t told Svari yet, or anyone, but I’m thinking of running in the next Autarch election. She’d love to hear me say that…” He laughed to himself. Speaking it out loud sounded insane. “The Zuma were the tipping point. I started thinking, maybe I can do something more, you know? “ More than once he had thought leadership needed to change. He just hoped he would be ready if it came to pass.
“Maybe you think I’m crazy,” he laughed, given all the other times he’d suggested that to her. Compared to the watchful weight of a Goddess and trying to pray to the wind, maybe this was a bit more tangible for himself. “I still want to try though.”
The stone still heavy in her hand, Edelyn walked allowing him to lead. The words he spoke were heard, but her reactions were slow as she felt the immensity of stones weight. Where the Tidemother's voice before was but a whisper, it now seemed to be as if she was screaming through a violent storm. While the words of her goddess came more clearly, she was not sure if she liked the added intensity. Perhaps this was why there was always a barrier between the gods and their mortal servants.
"Autarch," Edelyn starts after a few moments, "Can't be worse than Solomon. At least don't publicly insult, and privately ignore, your greatest supporters and you'll do fine if you win. Though I do find myself uneasy around the Zuma. I know that you might not believe as I do, but the Tidemother teaches the void gods transformed their followers into monsters, or gave others the power to raise them as undead. Considering Kettle turned Darren's arm into a rainbow effigy of its former self, it gives me pause. What else can they do to people?"
Lucius nodded. “I can only promise to try, and rely on you and Svari to knock some sense into me from time to time,” he laughed.
The path itself was singular this time. No random offshoots, no secret rooms, just a long, winding path creeping slowly into the darkness. Like before, it was hard to tell time in the dark as seconds stretched to eternity between each torch. Ahead, a green light creeped into view, a gentle wave, washing against the darkness and testing the eyes once more. “Whatever we’re looking for must be up ahead,” he told her, caution warring with excitement in his voice.
At the bottom of the path, the pair got their first look at the source of the light. Daimonfire Mushrooms. Rare mushrooms that illuminated the darkness with their eerie green light. Usually they served as a warning to pending danger, but here… he could only wonder as they started through the entryway.
What lay beyond the entrance was breathtaking. Lucius almost forgot to let Edelyn in after he stopped short to take in the sight. There must have been thousands of mushrooms illuminating the walls of the cavernous room and beyond. In the center of one of the walls was the enormous bust of a woman. Her nose alone was easily the size of Lucius, and her gaze had been captured somewhere between motherly and stern. Notably, the statue appeared to have once had two crystals in their eyes, both missing. The left eye of the goddess, he thought to himself. It looked to be about the right size.
Following the gaze of the statue, she looked out over a pool of water. As Lucius stepped further into the room, he went over there first. A spring if he were any judge. There was a faint ripple to the clear water, even if there was no sign of life. He took a deep breath and for the first time noticed the air wasn’t as stale in here, like it had its own natural air currents.
Edelyn was utterly taken aback by the room filled with glowing mushrooms. The only time she had seen such a thing, usually, some sort of beast or monster made its layer. The walls were more smooth the deeper they went, and the air was easier to breathe; almost as if there was a fresh stream filtering to this deep, dank cavern. Edelyn's hand moved swiftly to the paramerion at her side, ready to draw blade if need be.
Lucius seemed to be mesmerized by the giant women in the center of the room, with its pool in front and the glowing fungi strewn about it. The air around the hand that grasped the stone seemed to move in a familiar pattern, one that might seem erratic to those initiated, but to those with a true connection to the Tidemother, it was known all too well.
"Lucius, This is unlike anything I have ever seen. It is time to speak. What is this place, and what is this stone you have handed me?" The woman asked, looking at the bust in the center of the room. Slowly, her hand left the blade at her side while she lifted the stone in the other hand to look at it. "If this is mine, then why..." She trailed off, lost in her own thoughts, walking up to the statue in the center of the room. For a few brief moments, she stared intently up at the eye sockets.
She knew that Lucius must assume this was the Tidemother, but it looked nothing like the statues in the churches. Edelyn looks to Lucius, then back to the statue before starting to move closer. Carefully, the young woman pocketed the stone and started to ascend the colossal bust. The stone was smooth and cool to the touch, yet well-weathered at the same time. It was easy to climb at first as the bioluminescent mushrooms made for excellent footholds, lulling Edelyn into a false sense of security. She started to move faster, trying to make it to the top to place the stone when she noticed too late that there was a spot slick with dampness when the fungi ended. Losing her grip, Edelyn fell from the gargantuan bust, tumbling down fast and landing in the large pool at the bottom with a big sloosh of water.
She sat there in the water for a few moments, dazed and confused. "Okay, careful if you try to get up. Don't let the mushrooms fool you, there are wet spots." She spoke once she came to her senses still sitting in the pool.
Lucius reached out a hand, offering to help Ede up, a smirk on his face at how she ended up in that predicament. “The stone was called the Left Eye of the Goddess,” he said as she got up from the water. “There was no right eye, and I think this place predates the church,” he added.
The young lord set some of his belongings down and offered Ede his cloak. “You should probably put on something dry,” he suggested. “This place looks like an old temple to the Tidemother,” he suggested, noting the statue and the natural pool of water. “And maybe it’s me, but it feels like…” he paused, unsure of how to explain the feeling. An awakening? Lucius did not fit well with religion, but he could not deny the presence he felt in what he now assumed was once a temple. “The air is alive here. I feel like I could meditate and maybe learn something,” he suggested with a laugh.
The sopping wet woman accepted Lucius's hand, standing and walking out of the pool. She looked back at the statue and grimaced, climbing gear would likely be needed to climb the thing it was so weathered. The stone, still in her hand, seemed to hum with power.
"Left Eye of the Goddess, hmm?" She repeated after Lucius, "And just because something predates the church does not mean it predates the faith. The Song of Storms is ages old, sung for many generations, all the way from the fabled Atamara they say."
Edelyn started to strip out of her aketon armor, setting it out to dry, and thanking the Tidemother profusely that she decided against bringing the hauberk. She was already standing there in her smallclothes, which was only slightly damp given the akteon absorbed most of the water, before Lucius had offered the cloak.
She stood there and thought for a moment before accepting the cloak, "I guess I do need to keep warm lest I catch a cold in here. I must say though, I did not peg you for the gentlemanly type."
Edelyn draped the cloak around her shoulders, careful to leave it open enough to allow her smallclothes to dry some themselves, after her small jest. "Luc, I know you don't believe as I do, but the Tidemother lives in the wind. It is her voice, her gentle caress." She made it her mission to catch his eyes, "I know you have an issue with religion, and we might not always agree, but trust me what I say things would go smoother if you stopped fighting her. I know she has been reaching out to you, I know because I have not been pushing as much as I should be. She tells me so, but I respect you enough for you to make your own choice."
Lucius shrugged, making a point to look away as she stripped down, lest he be accused of staring at her. At least the darkness and strange lighting hid a slight flush to his cheeks. He may be hopelessly in love with Svari, but he wasn’t a blind man.
He continued looking away until she had the cloak around her, and then he smiled as he met her eyes. “I think I’ve made my choice, Ede. I just need to come to terms with the fact that I could end up like Velden if I’m not careful. Not that you’d let me, but the man does have an unusual force with the wind.” He paused to give that thought. “There was that faith called Verdis Elementum. The wind god is seen as a child of the Tidemother. Perhaps it’s not her he holds sway with,” he wondered aloud.
He looked at the statue in front of them. “Hard to argue with a place like this, don’t you think?”
Stepping closer to the statue, he looked up. One eye had been missing. He wondered if it was worth returning it just yet. “Maybe hold on to the stone,” he suggested. “At least until the second is found, right?”
Edelyn smiled as Luicus turned away, it seemed the reputation of her being guarded in her body was still strong. She may be for people she didn't know, but there could be worse people to see than he. A slight smirk was still on her face when he turned and spoke again.
At first, she didn't understand what he was saying, until he followed up with the comment about his uncle, and she had to stifle a laugh.
"Is that what you are worried about? Being like him? Luc, you just turned away from a, if I do say so myself, beautiful, half naked woman while she covered herself. Yet, I once watched Velen abuse the wind to blow the skirts of women up to see half that!"
She couldn't hold it back any longer as she laughed at the thought of Lucius being like his uncle. "But perhaps you are right about the eye. Let us continue deeper, unless you need more here. Oh, and be a dear, grab my armor."
Edleyn spun, her intent to start toward the door, but paused and teased him over her shoulder, "It's not like I can carry it and hold the cloak. Unless that was your plan, offer it then make me drop it to grab the armor. That can be arranged."
Lucy shook his head, the excuse, the deflection, caught in his throat, and something seemed to slip into place for just a moment, a spark of the man beneath the burdens he tried to shoulder. “Seems like a lot of work when I could’ve just left you there,” he teased back. “I tend to think ancient statues rarely compare to flesh, wouldn’t you agree?” he suggested as he adjusted his pack so he could try to carry her armor slightly unburdened. “Unfortunately, exploring underneath the Baroness’ nose is probably not the time to change the scenery,” he added as he started to do a more than cursory exploration.
The next open way just leads them to a small alcove containing an old pedestal and some molded remains of what was once some kind of cabinet, now empty. The pair walked around, checking and finding similar paths, all the while something nagged at Lucius about the great statue.
“I don’t think we can go any further,” he admitted as they completed their circuit back to the entrance they had come from. He didn’t know if he was disappointed or in awe of the place, but it was certainly something.
Once more, something nagged at Lucius. Easing the armor and his pack to the ground, he looked at Ede curiously. “Do you feel this place?”
Lucius walked back to the center of the room, by the pool of water and looked up at the statue. The constant watching presence was weighing heavily on him. Was it the statue? He didn’t know why, but he knew he had to try something. He closed his eyes.
For a moment, every opening in the underground temple spoke to him at once, and it felt overwhelming. His eyes immediately shot open as he inhaled sharply. “What was that?” he demanded aloud. “Ede,” he began, but trailed off as he stopped to contemplate what was going on. Maybe... He closed his eyes once again
This time, he could feel each breeze from the air holes as clear and separate from the others. It was almost as if the tidemother was trying to teach him what being a Galecaller meant, how to read the wind for prayer. In the year he spent at sea, Lucius had never felt anything quite like this.
His breathing leveled off, and somehow it felt like he was reaching for a door. He just. Had. To. Open it. In that instance Lucy’s eyes opened, and the feeling vanished almost as quickly as it had come.
“This place is like a Galecaller’s holy site,” he finally said, finishing his sentence from before, unsure of how much time had passed.
The luminance of the chambers hid the smirk that grew across Edelyn's face at hearing the man stumble across his own words. "Could be more work or a way to claim innocence should I not have been interested, but I suppose you are right about the wicked witch," she concluded following as he went about looking more. All but one of the surrounding passages were useless to them while Edelyn was there in her skivvies, leading her to curse herself in her head for being so foolish.
Edelyn watched as Lucius made his way back to the statue, staring at it as if it were some sort of mystical object. He seemed to be standing there, on edge of something unknown, but even she could feel the breeze blowing through the corridors as strongly as if they were standing out in the forests of the mountains.
"Luc, I would listen if I were you, the wind has never lead me wrong," She spoke after a while, having already been through this and knowing how one could feel insane when it first started. The voices could be terrifying at times, and soothing at others. She stood there, studying the statue herself for a few moments after his proclamation. The vast monolith was the upper half of a woman, but distinctly lacked the lower part of what they knew to be the Tidemother. However, it did stand in a pool, perhaps signifying that part was beneath the seas.
"I think this place will need to be studied more to make such a decision, but it would be wrong to deny this thought if it came from the Tidemother herself," Edelyn spoke after the revelation, "I think it might be time to leave, however, before I catch a cold from the chills in the air." Edelyn walked to Lucius, placing her hand on his shoulder, urging him as she did not wish him to be overwhelmed like she was the first time, but placing the blame on her to save his pride.
