Prophecies & Intrigue 5: Visions Before a Fight.

Starting up the road after the crowd, the adventurers hear Herring Hasseldorf call out to them offering to either sell the fishing equipment or return it. He’d be happy to sell since they’ve had a hit to their business with the Canly farm at minimal operation. He calls out to Ben, a halfling boy about 12 that runs out to Herring to gather the equipment and exclaims instead “Oh, you found em!”. The party finds that Mr. Canly was the man in black that they met on the road and tried to offer tactful assistance in any way possible in regards to his wife in the coffin in the back. The group remembers the interaction and learns that somehow Mr. Canly sent a message ahead to these folk. For their kindness, he has offered his home since he will be away sometime and it lays empty.

Sai, Hung, Malkey, and Malachite, listen to Ben as he leads the way telling them about the small town, its pride in ale; and the 3 main families that make it. Hasseldorf has the strongest kick from the Canly grains, and the VonBrandt’s ale is smooth and pure unmatched, no idea how, and the Baumbach's are pretty average but you wouldn’t think that due to the attention they get from Starosta Fryda. They approach the quaint Canly farm, Sai makes her way straight up the main stairs and finds a four poster bed on the right and falls fast asleep, the room spinning as she closes her eyes. The Canly’s house is cozy, Hung admires a painting of the Mr. & Mrs. in the dining room that brings his thoughts to his parents and where they might be and how he’s going to find them. Malkey found a hidden altar to the Wildmother, another of the restricted Gods of the empire. When he shows his friends, Sai accidentally steps on a loose floorboard and pries it up to look under finding a stash of SP, must be the Canly’s savings, after some consideration they leave the silver where they found it. They drink from a ceramic jug of the purest water that seems to have an endless supply. Sai awakes feeling much better and also partakes in the wondrously fresh water. She goes out on the porch where Hung and Malachite are sitting and sees Ben coming in from the fields with a horse & plow and notices the horse was floating about 4 inches off the ground. She watches as the horse lowers to ground level when Ben takes the (what she can only figure to be special) horseshoes off and stables him before escorting them to Bumbach’s Tavern for the next event.

The Bumbach’s Tavern is in the center of town and the lively crowd and song are flowing in and out of the doors. You enter and it definitely doesn’t look like they could hold a fight here and you guys heard there was a fight. Sai stops a halfling woman that points out the back door and tells you to sign up with the dwarf. They enter into a large arena kind of like a quarry and Sai, Hung and Malachite excitedly sign up. They are to fight the current champion Brad Bumbach, a handsome, strong, and young Human man. Sai was first up and thank goodness for Malkey’s Nutbag, got him to surrender the fight when she had clearly already won. They climb out of the arena and go topside to the medic tent sponsored by Herb of Import the local apothecary. Sai notices that Brad looks ashamed and keeps glancing at the head tent where his mother/father and Sarosta Fryda are looking very disappointed. They are doctored up and sent back out when Sai and the rest of the party realize that they are now going to fight amongst themselves and next up for Sai is Malachite, then Hung will fight the winner of that match. Malkey, getting an idea, decides to join the fray himself and seeks out the dwarf to enter. The dwarf chuckles in disbelief but ends up signing him up.

Hung knows fights are first won in the mind so he settles himself up against the wall and focuses on his Ki and training. He clears his mind and as he closes his eyes and centers his energy, a familiar blue energy starts circulating and forming into the very symbol Hung wears around his neck. He sits with it, and inside the symbol, a new form starts to take shape and seems to be walking towards Hung, out from the center; Hung starts to hear familiar chanting in his mind's eye; he knows that he has reached a Ki trance. As the figure continues to approach in Hung's altered consciousness, another sound can be heard. The sound of justice and battle comes from the direction of the approaching form. The large Orc figure stands before Hung, comfortably matching his position. Their eyes meet and he holds up his hands up to Hung, palms out almost like he's holding them up to glass. Hung follows his insight that there is no malice from the large trance energy Orc. Hung reaches up his hands and presses them against the Orcs - blue energy bursts forth and starts circulating and surrounding them, creating the symbol around them. At the moment that the symbol completes, the blue energy jumps out of the Orc's chest into Hungs connecting them both. His life flashes before Hungs eyes and Hung can feel and sense that this Orc's life is full of truth and justice and intent as well as the courage and valor for the purpose for which he died. Hung knows that in turn, the ethereal Orc has seen Hung's life. Training with the monks of Othe, along with the innocent vulnerability in the memory of when Hung stowed away to the market with his father in the cart at around 4 years old. Even though Hung apologized for that, for a while he thought this was the reason his parents decided to give him up; regardless of the words they told him.

The ethereal beings' hands clamp down interlocking with Hungs and a surge of energy projects the image of the spear into his mind. Hung and the Orc's eyes meet again, telepathically Hung hears, "Power in the wrong hands, never meant for him; always meant for you. It cannot see, no eye." He points to the carved eye that looks like it's missing something. A new vision, a small black sphere. The Orc telepathically speaks again, "Awaken it, I will help show you the true meaning of what is written (in the vision the sphere is placed into the spear, and the words on the spear glow a golden hue). "This is our destiny long known since our very first consecution; we are one, do you accept?" Hung does. The Orc abruptly releases Hung's hands and pushes its arms through Hungs chest; the sheer force of it breaking his trance and returning him to the arena in the present, no time had passed.

Sai and Malachite face each other and get ready for their fight. As they bow, Sai leans down and feels a sensation roll through her body, a pull in her gut. It’s familiar, yet more persistent and overwhelming. Her vision starts to close in... She opens her eyes and looks around finding herself in a featureless landscape with a turquoise hue, there is no sound, no breeze - she turns to look for her friends - where they would be standing there are only shadows of them. She draws nearer to them and can hear their muffled voices as if they’re underwater. She tries to get their attention, but they can't hear her. A voice calls out to get her attention. She whips around to see an ethereal face pressing in above her. An older woman, with three eyes. "Your will is strong, I’ve been calling to you. You do not know me, but I know you. There is something here that you need, and Wildemount needs something from you."

"Who are you?" Sai asks looking up at the strange unknown face.

"I am Ioun, and I've been watching you. It is I who brought you here. This is the only place where we can talk This is also a part of you." She gestures to the empty turquoise landscape.

Sai takes in the words but doesn't really understand, "Well, why am I here? Something is needed? What?" She asks the being whose words return with a tone of knowledge and wisdom.

"There is a side of you that you ignore, that you hide, that you find shame in. Take a look around here and you will see how poisonous that can be. Yes, the War of Ash & Light is over and yet still there is segregation and prejudice 20 years later. Theirs is outward, yours is inward. As for Wildemount, I see much; and have seen some that want to upset the outcome and progress that has been made after the War of Ash & Light, they want to bring darkness for their own power, and they have struck a deal. In my knowing I have a counter-offer; you and your friends are the key. The fates have foreseen this and shown it to me. I cannot help you or tell you any more for fear of interfering with the overall outcome. You are a part of all this (she gestures to the ethereal realm again), and I can grant you a way to harness it." The ethereal head draws near and leans in to kiss Sai on the forehead. Sai accepts the blessing (at least that's what it feels like it is). "Find the prophecy; inform the queen." she says before her form dissipates and Sai is snapped back into the present moment; no time has passed. She is back in the arena, looking at Malachite feeling a bit anxious before being filled with a well of encouragement. Fight!