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We were heading north on the path. To the right, the sky looked as if it were beginning to fray from blue into nothing, as if the desert and the trap were closer, or there might be something else there that frays the sky. We continued running along the path, and the fraying got worse, paralleling us, perhaps getting a bit closer.
We debated going to the city or the farm first. Seeing the layout of the farm is useful, though it's unclear whether whatever we do to try to rectify the situation should be at the farm, or in the city, which is the ultimate destination for the purple stuff. Just keeping the farm from making it will anger whichever kathel farms it, putting us into a political mess we're not ready for.
Up ahead there were figures on the road. Seven people were sitting on the path. When we got closer, we slowed down. Jack used his spyglass, and said that they had horns of different colors, dense short fur, and wide-set eyes in wedge-shaped faces. The were wearing patchwork clothing, rather like the red man, and were sitting and talking. As we got closer, we saw that they had square teeth, not those of a carnivore.
One of them saw up, and stood up. When Thymelixsen and I waved, they all stood. When we got closer, they were gathered in a group behind one in front. Oddly, they moved in concert, except for the one in front, who was the most silvered; presumably he was the oldest. He was also the largest. Cor recognized the tracks they were making: these were a group of the fruit gatherers.
We stopped perhaps thirty feet from them, and when the front one gestured to us, I noticed that they had double opposable digits, all thumbs. Thymelixsen gestured back, and said that we use speech. The leader made some noises, and Thymelixsen replied. Their leader tried what was obviously a different language. Thymelixsen tried speaking in Elix, and the leader replied in something that was related to Elix, perhaps a very old version of it. I listened, and it started to come clear as the leader greeted us. He asked if we spoke any other language, and I tried Ovahon, but he didn't know that.
He asked about thread use, and Thymelixsen said that he knew a little. The leader drew one of his threads out, and Thymelixsen slowly drew one out. The leader's thread stayed stable around his hand, but Thymelixsen's tended to float up. He gestured about putting his thread into Thymelixsen, and Thymelixsen should reciprocate. Once the thread was incorporated, they could talk to each other, and Thymelixsen said that it was like speaking Elix, even though the rest of us heard an unknown language.
The leader asked if we were new here, and when Thymelixsen said yes, he was told that there are few new people here, so when new people come, there's celebrations. They, however, are from here, and made here, by the creators of the kathel to serve the kathel, both by gathering fruit and doing other menial labor, and by feeding them (and making more of themselves when the numbers are low). That is their role, and they seem fine with it. The leader touched Thymelixsen, and said that there was nothing of the kathel kids in him. He touched Jack, and sensed some rainbow dust in him.
The leader said that few go home, and if people stay, they must learn how to use the threads. It takes travel and exploring, and that leads to finding the edge within ourselves. Once people see all and want to become all, few choose to come back to the roots. He said that we can work so that we're no longer losing threads, but then we wouldn't be able to go home. To be able to go back to our root, we have to go from where we came drom, by the clouds.
He described how things are run in Wanderhold. Four kathel run the city. When we arrive, they'll choose to eat us or not. They recognized Toosef's name, the kathel who let us through the Veil, but everyone who comes here is let through by Toosef. Ult traders come from some roots to bring things back and forth in trade. They do not use the same gate that is guarded by the kathel, so when they go back to the roots, they may be other places or times than where they started. Still, they remember how to come here.
There are teachers of threadwork in the city. Everyone there works for the kathel, who are for themselves. And all creation is for creation.
Thymelixsen drew the triangles May had seen in her visions, and the leader said that they were the symbols of the kathel who run Wanderhold. The symbols are the same; the color shows which one is which:
an orange triangle on a green circle is Vempor;
a green triangle on an orange circle is Bove
a yellow triangle on a blue circle is Vosh (who is the kathel these gatherers work for)
a blue circle on a yellow circle is Gaunt
He told us that kathel don't oppose kathel, and all kathel are for kathel. This place is all for kathel, where they can choose whatever they want, except that are not allowed to go to the roots. The trap is for those who try to go to the roots. The kathel who choose here are content to stay here.
The leader said that they know of the bionlear, and he could feel the knowing of the bionlear through Thymelixsen's thread. The bionlear is from before the kathel. And the bionlear and the creators are from the same place, and work together. The bionlear could take the taint from us, but where the bionlear lives is too dangerous to travel there; we would die from all the creation energy. From there, the bionlear goes to the roots.
Time in the roots is one way, but time here is all ways. We need to find the name of Toosef's brother, the kathel who guards the way back, who can get us to the proper root in the proper time, rather than the Ult method of going back to the roots, which ends up being hit or miss, in world and in time.
The edgewalkers would take people to the edge before they're ready, making a deal with the rainbows to keep half of the threads for themselves, and half for the rainbows.
Thymelixsen asked about the purple plant May had seen in her vision, and the leader said it was gerelka. It's used to make a drink that makes people happy and go to sleep, though it is poison to the gatherers. Vempor uses the backpacks of purple juice for killing when there are troubles with the workers.
Interestingly, the leader said that we're not servants of the kathel, but children of the creators, made for another purpose.
Not long after that, whatever power of exchanged threads they'd been using to communicate ran out. The gatherers bowed, and headed off into the woods. Thyemlixsen told us all this, and said that the leader had said that he would not remember what he'd been asked nor what he'd said after a while, which is why Thymelixsen asked as many questions as he had. Thymelixsen, too, would forget, so he told us as quickly as he could, and told us to tell him again once he'd forgotten.
We again debated what to do, and in the end, decided that Thymelixse would cast a bird form spell on Jack, who would then go scouting to the farm. We would wait for him on the path, with Thymelixsen able to sense where he was due to the magic on him.
We debated going to the city or the farm first. Seeing the layout of the farm is useful, though it's unclear whether whatever we do to try to rectify the situation should be at the farm, or in the city, which is the ultimate destination for the purple stuff. Just keeping the farm from making it will anger whichever kathel farms it, putting us into a political mess we're not ready for.
Up ahead there were figures on the road. Seven people were sitting on the path. When we got closer, we slowed down. Jack used his spyglass, and said that they had horns of different colors, dense short fur, and wide-set eyes in wedge-shaped faces. The were wearing patchwork clothing, rather like the red man, and were sitting and talking. As we got closer, we saw that they had square teeth, not those of a carnivore.
One of them saw up, and stood up. When Thymelixsen and I waved, they all stood. When we got closer, they were gathered in a group behind one in front. Oddly, they moved in concert, except for the one in front, who was the most silvered; presumably he was the oldest. He was also the largest. Cor recognized the tracks they were making: these were a group of the fruit gatherers.
We stopped perhaps thirty feet from them, and when the front one gestured to us, I noticed that they had double opposable digits, all thumbs. Thymelixsen gestured back, and said that we use speech. The leader made some noises, and Thymelixsen replied. Their leader tried what was obviously a different language. Thymelixsen tried speaking in Elix, and the leader replied in something that was related to Elix, perhaps a very old version of it. I listened, and it started to come clear as the leader greeted us. He asked if we spoke any other language, and I tried Ovahon, but he didn't know that.
He asked about thread use, and Thymelixsen said that he knew a little. The leader drew one of his threads out, and Thymelixsen slowly drew one out. The leader's thread stayed stable around his hand, but Thymelixsen's tended to float up. He gestured about putting his thread into Thymelixsen, and Thymelixsen should reciprocate. Once the thread was incorporated, they could talk to each other, and Thymelixsen said that it was like speaking Elix, even though the rest of us heard an unknown language.
The leader asked if we were new here, and when Thymelixsen said yes, he was told that there are few new people here, so when new people come, there's celebrations. They, however, are from here, and made here, by the creators of the kathel to serve the kathel, both by gathering fruit and doing other menial labor, and by feeding them (and making more of themselves when the numbers are low). That is their role, and they seem fine with it. The leader touched Thymelixsen, and said that there was nothing of the kathel kids in him. He touched Jack, and sensed some rainbow dust in him.
The leader said that few go home, and if people stay, they must learn how to use the threads. It takes travel and exploring, and that leads to finding the edge within ourselves. Once people see all and want to become all, few choose to come back to the roots. He said that we can work so that we're no longer losing threads, but then we wouldn't be able to go home. To be able to go back to our root, we have to go from where we came drom, by the clouds.
He described how things are run in Wanderhold. Four kathel run the city. When we arrive, they'll choose to eat us or not. They recognized Toosef's name, the kathel who let us through the Veil, but everyone who comes here is let through by Toosef. Ult traders come from some roots to bring things back and forth in trade. They do not use the same gate that is guarded by the kathel, so when they go back to the roots, they may be other places or times than where they started. Still, they remember how to come here.
There are teachers of threadwork in the city. Everyone there works for the kathel, who are for themselves. And all creation is for creation.
Thymelixsen drew the triangles May had seen in her visions, and the leader said that they were the symbols of the kathel who run Wanderhold. The symbols are the same; the color shows which one is which:
an orange triangle on a green circle is Vempor;
a green triangle on an orange circle is Bove
a yellow triangle on a blue circle is Vosh (who is the kathel these gatherers work for)
a blue circle on a yellow circle is Gaunt
He told us that kathel don't oppose kathel, and all kathel are for kathel. This place is all for kathel, where they can choose whatever they want, except that are not allowed to go to the roots. The trap is for those who try to go to the roots. The kathel who choose here are content to stay here.
The leader said that they know of the bionlear, and he could feel the knowing of the bionlear through Thymelixsen's thread. The bionlear is from before the kathel. And the bionlear and the creators are from the same place, and work together. The bionlear could take the taint from us, but where the bionlear lives is too dangerous to travel there; we would die from all the creation energy. From there, the bionlear goes to the roots.
Time in the roots is one way, but time here is all ways. We need to find the name of Toosef's brother, the kathel who guards the way back, who can get us to the proper root in the proper time, rather than the Ult method of going back to the roots, which ends up being hit or miss, in world and in time.
The edgewalkers would take people to the edge before they're ready, making a deal with the rainbows to keep half of the threads for themselves, and half for the rainbows.
Thymelixsen asked about the purple plant May had seen in her vision, and the leader said it was gerelka. It's used to make a drink that makes people happy and go to sleep, though it is poison to the gatherers. Vempor uses the backpacks of purple juice for killing when there are troubles with the workers.
Interestingly, the leader said that we're not servants of the kathel, but children of the creators, made for another purpose.
Not long after that, whatever power of exchanged threads they'd been using to communicate ran out. The gatherers bowed, and headed off into the woods. Thyemlixsen told us all this, and said that the leader had said that he would not remember what he'd been asked nor what he'd said after a while, which is why Thymelixsen asked as many questions as he had. Thymelixsen, too, would forget, so he told us as quickly as he could, and told us to tell him again once he'd forgotten.
We again debated what to do, and in the end, decided that Thymelixse would cast a bird form spell on Jack, who would then go scouting to the farm. We would wait for him on the path, with Thymelixsen able to sense where he was due to the magic on him.
