Chapter 1: The Black City

[Marullus]

Nutesh, who has been listening to the voices for a moment, wondering, suddenly hears a roar of shouting whispers, cacophonous, incensed, raving. (Perhaps you would like to send Carrock to see what can be seen? If so, Ob 1 Perception test, but your body is left behind in the midst of whatever is coming)

Well, that IS his instinct. And this certainly causing him trouble.
Perception G3 +1D Help from Nutesh
Perception [1d6]=4 [1d6]=4 [1d6]=4 [1d6]=4

Nutesh stands among you, silent, his attention elsewhere.

[VVhite-Crow]

"Nomads of yore, stand me by", Farouk murmurs while hastily coating his hands with sand.
Pushing Bassam into a trod behind Mekertu and towards the group, Farouk looks out for Nutesh, standing idle away from the rest. His head tilted backwards and no sign of emotion on his face. Is his mind with the smoke winged bird again or is he the cause of this cacophony of whispers!?

I'm playing into Farouks belief to keep Nutsh safe and from causing any magical mishaps.

Either way, he doesn't want Nutesh to be out there alone. Farouk veers off towards the solitary silhouette in the dark and calls his name. While striding through the sand Mekertus words come to his mind and with shaking hands he tries to loosen his simple utility knife from his belt.

[hidetzugu]

I failed to state an outcome for a failed roll, I apologize. Since I didn't state one, I am going to play it conservatively and Urkazzar simply hems and haws until the result of the Orienteering roll. I am sure that won't cause you any immediate problems, not knowing something that might have been important.

"It would be good for us to know," Finnithir coaxes, "For your sake."

"I won't know," demurs Urkazzar, "The others agreed with my uncle, and they usually know best."

He peers out into the desert, then stops midstride, cocks his head and cups his ear. There is silence save for the humming of singing dunes. Suddenly, he turns, "We must circle up! Now!"

As he speaks, Lilly hears the sound of whispers, indistinct susurrations, voices in a distant mine shaft.

Ahead of Lilly's group, Mekertu, midconversation with Farouk, draws a sword, as you hear a rush of "Turn, Farouk! Draw whatever weapon you have! Gods below, Bassam, hurry!"

Nutesh, who has been listening to the voices for a moment, wondering, suddenly hears a roar of shouting whispers, cacophonous, incensed, raving. (Perhaps you would like to send Carrock to see what can be seen? If so, Ob 1 Perception test, but your body is left behind in the midst of whatever is coming)

As Mekertu shouts and Lilly's group dashes to come together with the rest, Sabit turns to Suen-Magir with an unnatural calm. "There is a sign of death in the skies tonight, little brother. A propitious sign for a church such as ours."

Lilly draws her sword as springs to action, yelling at the cultists - "Close in! Surround the mages! Weapons out! Take position over there, between those rocks" - (hopefully) pointing at a draw between two boulders that provide some amount of cover.

This keys into the 'Never let them shoot from a distance' Instinct.
My Intent here is to force a melee in an advantageous position. My Task I guess is to identify such position, which probably falls under Tactics (because Lilly loves rolling Unskilled).

Additionally I can see the Cult hesitating to follow my lead so I'd be happy to roll Unskilled Command to push them. That would generally have their Hesitation as the Ob, so you could come up with an artificial number for by how much they fail an imaginary Steel test (alternatively, I could roll a Versus Test against Sabit to see if they wait for her orders).

AAANNNDDDD, not to screw us over here BUT, assuming responding fast is an issue, I think you could decide "shit hits the fan in X heartbeats" and call for a Steel Test to see how much preparation can we actually consider (though in Lilly's case I'm leaning on Instincts to partially mitigate having to think about it).

"Anyone wanna tell me what's coming?! Nunesh?" - She notices Nunesh is not all there again - "Farouk! Drag Nutesh over if you have too!"

She turn to Finnithir - "You and Urkazzar, behind me at all times! I'm not breaking my word tonight!"
(Leaning on my 'Always defend Finnithir' Instinct to not lose track of these two)

She starts patting at her pockets - "For now I need to hear what's going on but if this turns bad..." - She gives a meaningful look at the Elf - "I trust you to make that call"

Surely Finnithir has in the past gotten them out of trouble before by singing everyone into a daze.
I'm patting myself here for ear-plugging wax (taking advantage of the 'Always be on the lookout for useful stuff' Instinct), though I don't think we should roll Scavenging to know if I have it until singing actually happens (if at all)

[hidetzugu]

[Eric.D]

...not to screw us over here BUT, assuming responding fast is an issue, I think you could decide "shit hits the fan in X heartbeats" and call for a Steel Test to see how much preparation can we actually consider...

This is a good idea. Alright everyone, time for a Steel test! +1 Ob because this is spooky as all get out, and the people who seem to know what's going on are all freaked out.

Lilly draws her sword as springs to action, yelling at the cultists - "Close in! Surround the mages! Weapons out! Take position over there, between those rocks" - (hopefully) pointing at a draw between two boulders that provide some amount of cover.

This keys into the 'Never let them shoot from a distance' Instinct.
My Intent here is to force a melee in an advantageous position. My Task I guess is to identify such position, which probably falls under Tactics (because Lilly loves rolling Unskilled).

Additionally I can see the Cult hesitating to follow my lead so I'd be happy to roll Unskilled Command to push them. That would generally have their Hesitation as the Ob, so you could come up with an artificial number for by how much they fail an imaginary Steel test (alternatively, I could roll a Versus Test against Sabit to see if they wait for her orders).

If you hesitate, you will only be able to choose one of these. If you do not, then both are on the table.

"Anyone wanna tell me what's coming?! Nunesh?" - She notices Nunesh is not all there again - "Farouk! Drag Nutesh over if you have too!"

"It's a demon," Urkazzar mews, stumbling back, drawing a long knife from under his robes. "Yes," shouts Mekertu, his sword glinting in the starlight, voice cracking in fear, "The voices in the night herald demons. Shouts herald powerful demons. Gods above and below, protect us!"

Farouk, are you intending to drag Nutesh back to the group, or simply stand by him? If you want to drag him, I would say it's probably a Power test, Ob 4, though you could lobby for something else if you feel it appropriate. If you do not drag him, you will both start the encounter outside of the group. If you fail, same result.

Nutesh stands among you, silent, his attention elsewhere.

Carrock jumps up into the sky at your command, your sight kaleidoscoping in brilliant color as you adjust once again to his incredible range of vision. He flaps, catching the cool night air under his wings and soaring high, peering toward the ground, scanning for threats. Immediately your eye is drawn to a flurry of movement, just over the next dune, a sliding of sand and dust down a far dune, shadowed in the dark of the night. Strange, but not threatening.

Until the sliding comes to the base of the dune, where it rises from the sand in the shape of an enormous jackal, a sculpture of sand woven together by cords of shadow, taller than Bassam. Its head moves about, collapsing in on itself and reforming in a new direction as the shadows bind it back together, its ear cocked toward your group for an eternally long heartbeat before the sand collapses upon itself back into an onslaught of sand and shadow that climbs up the dune between you at supernatural speed.

[hidetzugu]

This is a good idea. Alright everyone, time for a Steel test! +1 Ob because this is spooky as all get out, and the people who seem to know what's going on are all freaked out.

You're welcome guys!
B5 Steel (+1D from 'in a group of friends/allies') at Ob 7

Failed!
~~~~~~

Lilly draws her sword as springs to action, yelling at the cultists - "Close in! Surround the mages! Weapons out! Take position over there, between those rocks" - (hopefully) pointing at a draw between two boulders that provide some amount of cover.

This keys into the 'Never let them shoot from a distance' Instinct.
My Intent here is to force a melee in an advantageous position. My Task I guess is to identify such position, which probably falls under Tactics (because Lilly loves rolling Unskilled).

Additionally I can see the Cult hesitating to follow my lead so I'd be happy to roll Unskilled Command to push them. That would generally have their Hesitation as the Ob, so you could come up with an artificial number for by how much they fail an imaginary Steel test (alternatively, I could roll a Versus Test against Sabit to see if they wait for her orders).

If you hesitate, you will only be able to choose one of these. If you do not, then both are on the table.

I have to go with the Instinct reaction... good luck Cultists!

I need an Ob (remember I have no dim light penalty), but I'll assume I'm rolling Tactics and pre-roll:

Being Learned Tactics (B5 Perception):

Half a Success = 0

Lilly flounders around looking for the comfort of a wall to cover her flanks, unaccustomed to fighting in wide open spaces, cursing under her breath - "Sand, sand just useless sand everywhere, no value, no cover, not even the decency of staying out my armour."

[VVhite-Crow]

This is a good idea. Alright everyone, time for a Steel test! +1 Ob because this is spooky as all get out, and the people who seem to know what's going on are all freaked out.

Steel test against Ob7 (Hesitation 6 + Ob1)
Steel B3 + 1D for being in a group [_4d6s4]=(5, 6, 6, 6)=4=4
Steel 4D open ended[_4d6s4]=(2, 2, 5, 1)=1=1
5 successes!
When the booming voices grow louder and Mekertu draws his khopesh, Farouk instinctively ducks and covers his ears. After a few surprisingly short heartbeats the commotion around him pushes away the mind numbing fear, that took hold of Farouk, and he starts moving again.

"Nomads of yore, stand me by", Farouk murmurs while hastily coating his hands with sand.
Pushing Bassam into a trod behind Mekertu and towards the group, Farouk looks out for Nutesh, standing idle away from the rest. His head tilted backwards and no sign of emotion on his face. Is his mind with the smoke winged bird again or is he the cause of this cacophony of whispers!?

I'm playing into Farouks belief to keep Nutsh safe and from causing any magical mishaps.

Either way, he doesn't want Nutesh to be out there alone. Farouk veers off towards the solitary silhouette in the dark and calls his name. While striding through the sand Mekertus words come to his mind and with shaking hands he tries to loosen his simple utility knife from his belt.

When he finally reaches Nutesh, Farouk grabs his shoulders and shakes him. "Nutesh! What are you doing? Move! We need to get to the others, now!"
His intent is to get Nutesh back into his body, so they can close up with the group. I could see Nuteshs Always in the way trait to be relevant here?! He is in the way of forming a functional formation. .
If Nutesh doesn't react until Farouk hears Lilly's shouted commands coming through the whispers, he wraps his arms around Nuteshs chest and starts recklessly (is this enough for a brawling fork?) dragging him towards where he believes Lilly's voice is coming from.

[Marullus]

Nutesh's eyes roll forward and focus as he calls out, "Do not attack first!" He realizes he is being dragged by Farouk and struggles against it to stand on his own feet.

(I like "always in the way" of his own rescue, and volunteer to be seperated if it counts! Not sure if this should compound with the "instinct causes me trouble" moment of using the bird in the first place. I think it is a different consequence?)

"Yes, it is a jackal of smoke and sand, but it doesn't look threatening... perhaps it is a sending from a wizard to speak to us."

Steel 6, Hesitation 6... does he skip the +1 Ob for fear of the unknown, since he knows?
Steel Test [1d6]=3[1d6]=3[1d6]=6[1d6]=2[1d6]=4[1d6]=3
...not that it matters!

Note that his untrained Gifted arts fire randomly when he fails a steel test!
Magic! [2d6]=11
...I know I need to look at p. 251 of the Codex but can't do that until I get home...

[VVhite-Crow]

...I know I need to look at p. 251 of the Codex but can't do that until I get home...

It's lawbreaker.

There are strict celestial laws that
govern the presence of otherworldly
creatures in the mortal realm. When
a Spirit-Natured creature crosses
over, he is bending those very laws—
warping the natural order of things.
Thus the creatures are accompanied
by all manner of bizarre phenomena
as the mortal fabric reacts to their
presence: Birds sing backward,
windows crack in strange patterns,
clocks cease to tick, water fails
to boil, strange smells rise from
nowhere, noises and knocks are
heard in the dark and so on.
The effects of Lawbreaker extend to
the limits of the Presence for black
shade Will and 10x Presence for gray
shade Will.

Shall I still do a Strength test?

[Enoch]

Steel, Ob 8: [1d6]=5,[1d6]=5,[1d6]=1,[1d6]=3
Hesitating for 6 actions.

Suen stares, wide-eyed, out into the desert night. He makes no move to hide or avoid what's coming.

[Eric.D]

As Farouk draws near to Nutesh, the sand around him begins to run, water in a river, and you sink knee-high into it as you grab Nutesh and pull him up. Bassam grunts despairingly and tries desperately to move through the sand.

High on the dune, barely visible in the dark of the night, an enormous creature rises like smoke from some unearthly fire, as large as an elephant, staring down.

It lifts a leg and flows down the side of the dune in a blur of reforming limbs, just as the group forms up raggedly, unprepared, left open on every side as Lilly desperately scans for something, anything to be used for defense. Mekertu prays in a rough, angry voice, and Urkazzar watches with a strange sort of detachment as the creature approaches. Finnithir begins a song raggedly, tones full of venom and terror, but his voice breaks as the creature approaches with lightning speed.

Sabit, realizing that Suen-Magir is not coming, runs and snatches at his arm, "Suen! Do something!"

The creature is upon Farouk and Nutesh in a heartbeat. It pulls up just shy of the running sand, looking down and sniffing. Bassam keens in terror and struggles mightily against the running sandwater, causing the creature to look up and circle around between the larger group and the stragglers. Bassam recoils with even greater energy, trying to turn away and escape.

The voices swarm around like sand in a whirlwind, shouts and whispers, indecipherable, terror and sorrow as deep as a canyon. The voices are so loud for Nutesh that he can no longer hear anything else. The whispers resound like shouts, the shouts like thunder, drowning out the world as your uncontrollable magic drowns Bassam.

Nutesh, you may make a Foreign Languages check in this moment, Ob 3, to make sense of what you hear.

The rest of you, your Hesitation passes as the creature circles around the running sand, ignoring the larger group.

[VVhite-Crow]

The voices swarm around like sand in a whirlwind, shouts and whispers, indecipherable, terror and sorrow as deep as a canyon. The voices are so loud for Nutesh that he can no longer hear anything else. The whispers resound like shouts, the shouts like thunder, drowning out the world as your uncontrollable magic drowns Bassam.

For the future I want to clarify that Farouk doesn't ride Bassam by default. Bassam has a saddle but during most of the time his carrying capacity is occupied by supplies and gear. I think it's fair to say that in this particular situation Farouk was not mounted when he shook Nutesh .
When Nuteshs body starts responding to Farouks rescue attempt, Farouk makes sure that his companion can stand on his own feet again, and let's go of him, just as the jackal appears on the dune above, and the sands starts dragging on their ankles.
Little surprising, Farouk is overwhelmed by the situation of a demon jackal rushing down the dune, the whispers surrounding the beast and the now flowing sands, but Bassams desperate screams are something remotely familiar, he can work with. He pulls in the massive head of the camel and presses the forehead against his chest, covering the wide dark eyes with his robes. With the calmest tone he can muster he talks to Bassam: "Hush, old boy. Don't fight the sand. I'm with you and we'll get out of this together, but you need to calm down." With his free hand he reaches for the gear, attached to Bassams back, and loses the knots that hold the armour he got from Akhom. The intent is to prevent Bassam from sinking deeper into the sand. On the one hand by freeing Bassam from weight and on the other hand by keeping him from moving too much.

[hidetzugu]

The rest of you, your Hesitation passes as the creature circles around the running sand, ignoring the larger group.

Lilly gulps as the jackal spirit flanks her - "That's a big pup... " - the fear in Finnithir's song steadies her resolve. She twists the blade in her hand, glancing at the glow of it's sharp edge. - "Right... Steel works on those right? " - she asks Mekertu while advancing on the creature...

[Marullus]

alright... beginner luck!! Rolling b4 plus a fork for Read... up to the GM if others apply (is it a language of the grave? Of clacking bones? The speech of magic itself that he dabbled with in Philosophy?) Or if there's help from Ku-Aya (unsure her skills)?
Foreign Language [1d6]=6[1d6]=4[1d6]=2[1d6]=2[1d6]=5 in case of FoRK [1d6]=2[1d6]=4
Three successes... (four if two more FoRKs apply)
Spend a Fate
Reroll 6s... [1d6]=6[1d6]=1[1d6]=5
Another 6! Then a 1.
Oh! I almost forgot the Gifted thing! Spend a Persona to add his Will dice.
Will dice [1d6]=6[1d6]=1[1d6]=3[1d6]=2
...and that 6...
Reroll 6 [1d6]=2[1d6]=3[1d6]=4[1d6]=6
...nothing.

So, that's five successes. Could be 6 if two of his skills FoRk, but I don't see how.

Now I triggered a Forte test, also Ob 6?
Forte [1d6]=2[1d6]=2[1d6]=4[1d6]=2
One success!
...I don't remember what that means, so let me know how bad that goes.

Nutesh stands before the beast, his own feet walking upon the sandwater, making it seem just that much more unnatural. Deafened by the voices, he reaches for his magic to speak with magic...

[Eric.D]

Farouk, make an Animal Husbandry check to soothe Bassam and get him to respond. Ob 4. On a failure, you are unable to do so and must decide how to handle that.

As Farouk attempts to calm Bassam, Nutesh reaches out, grabbing onto his magic, attempting to communicate with this creature. Your mind runs steadily, down paths well trodden over years in hell, or wherever you were imprisoned. But the fear, the sickening rush of adrenaline, overwhelms your thoughts, and you find yourself straying off, into a place where the magic runs deeper and death runs colder. Your energy washes away like sand before a flood, and a freezing, shooting pain erupts in your arm. As your vision blurs, you see Ku-Aya standing over you, her features empyrean and beautiful despite death. There is a small part of you that is reassured that even in death you will find her.

Lilly gulps as the jackal spirit flanks her - "That's a big pup... " - the fear in Finnithir's song steadies her resolve. She twists the blade in her hand, glancing at the glow of it's sharp edge. - "Right... Steel works on those right? " - she asks Mekertu while advancing on the creature...

"No," he whispers hoarsely, so quietly it's barely audible, "The Muraji have secret weapons that work on them. We pray to She Who Knows the Signs to protect us."

A thousand thoughts flood your mind. Perhaps he's right and you're doomed. Perhaps nobody has ever tried. Where is this She Who Knows the Signs when she might be useful?

As your mind runs, the air tremors suddenly, a cadaverine scent filling your nostrils until you feel like retching. Nutesh cries out in pain and is silent as Farouk desperately attempts to hold onto him and keep Bassam above the sands.

Steel, Ob 8: [1d6]=5,[1d6]=5,[1d6]=1,[1d6]=3
Hesitating for 6 actions.

Suen stares, wide-eyed, out into the desert night. He makes no move to hide or avoid what's coming.

Sabit, her composure breaking, smacks Suen-Magir, hard. "That's enough! Help us, now! Make a weapon that can hurt this thing, or drive it off. Anything!" Suen-Magir's hesitation is now over.

[VVhite-Crow]

I added an advantage die for Farouk being well known to Bassam. Not that I believed in success, but I don't want anyone to say I didn't gave it all. So, here we go:

BL Animal Husbandry Ob4; Will B4 + 1D Advantage [_5d4s4]=(4, 4, 4, 3, 2)=3=3
Above average but far from enough.
"Bassam. Listen..." Farouk whispers while holding Bassams head tight to his chest. At first it seems that the hastily spoken soothing words reach the animal, but as the nightmarish creature closes in, the hind legs of the tramp animal start to kick again, in an attempt to flee the unnaturally flowing sands. The hot gusts of breath, that Farouk can feel on his skin, fill the cold desert night with little clouds and quickly become shorter and stronger. "BASSAM! YOU NEED TO ST..." Farouks pleading cries drown in a sea of whispers and Bassams desperate howls while the stench of rotting flesh rolls over the scene. Bassam yanks his head from his friends embrace and starts fighting the sand even more fierce than before. Flaring nostrils, wild beating hooves and glistening wide eyes, desperately asking for help. I hope I'm not the only one in agony In a last effort Farouk cuts the harness with all its cargo, to take more weight off of Bassam, just as Nuteshs cry of pain cuts through the darkness, followed by a dull thud as he plummets heads first into the sand. With a tormented look Farouk turns from Bassam to Nutesh and wades to the motionless body, only barely avoiding the flying hooves.
Keeping an eye on the now circling demon, he takes hold of Nutesh again, trying to keep them both above the surface.

Farouk will probably try to drag Nutesh towards the others, but I'll wait until we know what Suen makes out of this mess of a situation. *fingers crossed*

[hidetzugu]

Farouk, make an Animal Husbandry check to soothe Bassam and get him to respond. Ob 4. On a failure, you are unable to do so and must decide how to handle that.

As Farouk attempts to calm Bassam, Nutesh reaches out, grabbing onto his magic, attempting to communicate with this creature. Your mind runs steadily, down paths well trodden over years in hell, or wherever you were imprisoned. But the fear, the sickening rush of adrenaline, overwhelms your thoughts, and you find yourself straying off, into a place where the magic runs deeper and death runs colder. Your energy washes away like sand before a flood, and a freezing, shooting pain erupts in your arm. As your vision blurs, you see Ku-Aya standing over you, her features empyrean and beautiful despite death. There is a small part of you that is reassured that even in death you will find her.

Lilly gulps as the jackal spirit flanks her - "That's a big pup... " - the fear in Finnithir's song steadies her resolve. She twists the blade in her hand, glancing at the glow of it's sharp edge. - "Right... Steel works on those right? " - she asks Mekertu while advancing on the creature...

"No," he whispers hoarsely, so quietly it's barely audible, "The Muraji have secret weapons that work on them. We pray to She Who Knows the Signs to protect us."

A thousand thoughts flood your mind. Perhaps he's right and you're doomed. Perhaps nobody has ever tried. Where is this She Who Knows the Signs when she might be useful?

As your mind runs, the air tremors suddenly, a cadaverine scent filling your nostrils until you feel like retching. Nutesh cries out in pain and is silent as Farouk desperately attempts to hold onto him and keep Bassam above the sands.

Steel, Ob 8: [1d6]=5,[1d6]=5,[1d6]=1,[1d6]=3
Hesitating for 6 actions.

Suen stares, wide-eyed, out into the desert night. He makes no move to hide or avoid what's coming.

Sabit, her composure breaking, smacks Suen-Magir, hard. "That's enough! Help us, now! Make a weapon that can hurt this thing, or drive it off. Anything!" Suen-Magir's hesitation is now over.

"Well, we brought our own Muraji for a reason! Time to earn your keep Suen! Whatever you're gonna do, do it now! I personally vote for turning my sword into righteous flame!" - Lilly closes in to attack the Jackal.
Intent: To drive the creature away.

Lilly will attack regardless of what Suen pulls of. The intended spirit of my 'Never let them shoot from a distance' Instinct is to force her to close into melee. I'll eventually get around to reword that. (Though I still hope you guys consider this action for Artha if it goes wrong)

@Suen I know flaming swords are outside Suen's expertise, but Lilly doesn't! Maybe you can find a nice Trait to give me! Or just Evoke/Hinder the creature directly. I have a Belief about relying on your magic so Lilly is willing to go gung ho with complete confidence you have her back.

[Enoch]

Suen, clearly shaken, raises his hands palm-first toward the Jackal and begins chanting in the tongue of the Cult and the ancient tomes. Shadowy chains erupt from his palms, lashing around the creature's head.

The shadowy chains wrap around the jackal's muzzle as it snaps and snarls. Suen pauses a moment, turning his palms toward his face with a stunned expression. "It worked."

(FoRKing in Cult Doctrine, as this is a binding ritual known to them.) Sorcery B4 + 1D FoRK; 5D vs. Ob 3 for +2 Ob to their fighting skill (I assume they'll use something like Savage Attack), +1 Ob for Single Target, +1 Ob for Conflict duration: Ob 5. Adding in his only point of Persona.

Sorcery: [1d6]=6, [1d6]=5, [1d6]=3, [1d6]=2, [1d6]=1, [1d6]=6, [1d6]=1, [1d6]=6
Wow, that went well! Sorcery is open-ended, so I'll re-roll those 6's:
Sorcery: [1d6]=6, [1d6]=4, [1d6]=3
Sorcery: [1d6]=5
7 successes vs. Ob 5, and a Difficult test!

EDIT: I counted a 4 as a success, which drops it to 6 successes, but still a successful test.

[Eric.D]

"I will not be outdone by alghuraba ," Mekertu curses as Lilly runs forward. He closes his eyes, and rushes after her as Suen-Magir begins to chant. Left behind, Urkazzar sits down, cross legged, and begins to pray in a low, droning tone, the sound of sand blowing across the dunes.

As the chains smash into the Jackal, they fall into the sand, sinking, passing through it. Finally, the magic takes hold, catching something deep inside that holds tight.

The creature doesn't turn toward Suen-Magir. It waves upon itself until it faces toward him, ignoring Lilly as she rushes in. With an ascending shriek of anger, it rushes over toward the party, leaving Nutesh, Farouk and Bassam behind.

Lilly, you have Help from Mekertu for any action you want to take in the moment. In a moment, Finnithir will begin a new song, which might help in this situation!

[Eric.D]

Nutesh:


You will stand, have stood, are standing, at the gates of the Black Citadel, where Algash once ruled over the dead. The Citadel wavers before you, ancient and ruined, new and unyielding, tall and imposing, jumbled rocks fallen in a heap and scattered across dimensions. Time, space, these are things of the material world. Once, if such a thing were true—perhaps where—Algash forced them onto this place and the Citadel was firm as the world which you came from, but nevernow.

Ku-Aya is here, waiting, from somewhen that has not yet happened and has already passed. In this when she is full in her vitality, not a shade, but a presence, a power that animates the very fabric of now and here. Her warm gaze distracts from pain, somewhere in the back of your mind, and you fall into it as a child into his mother's arms. The Citadel, all times and forms of it, are awash in pastel, softness. Her eyes surround you, envelop you. Her voice hums, distant birdsong on distant wind. She speaks, and it is clarion.

"The Jackal is a spirit. It seeks you and the desert man, because you can hear it."

The Jackal rears up in the Citadel, black and pastel, and shattered apart, scatters, a thousand thousand tiny jackals, small as mice, spreading out like a putrid wave across the whens and wheres.

"It is perhaps right to say it is many spirits. But there is only one mind, the rest are its slaves, and they act together."

The jackals wave past your feet, and with them came a thousand thousand tiny voices. They will climb up and over you, across whatever part of you is now or then or yet to come. Your ears fill with tiny sobs, cries of loneliness and desperation, and they swarmed through you and over you and in you and—Ku Aya is there. Only her. She is right in front of you. She is right now.

"It isn't an enemy. You must tell them. They will not believe. I cannot keep you. You must make them understand, or it will kill them." There will be strain in her voice.