Log Date: 12/20/99 Log Cast: Calmwind, Malene, Wayfound, Winnowill, Summit, Kaer Log Intro: A small group of refugees from the doomed Willowholt have been given shelter in Blue Mountain, and among them are Wayfound and Calmwind, some of the youngest elves in the Holt. Young Wayfound has been close to Calmwind for as long as she can remember, as he is one of the few individuals in the tribe who seems to actively encourage her to not only use her mind, but to converse freely with him as well. The trauma of their Holt's destruction and the ongoing efforts to find several of their tribesmates have brought the two of them even closer together than they've been before, and now Wayfound has been spending practically all of her time in Calmwind's company, exploring Blue Mountain -- for she's been given permission by her fathers to do so, as long as she is accompanied by a member of the tribe. Wayfound and Calmwind have already been introduced to the mysteries of the Egg, an object which has deeply interested the uncannily intelligent youngster. One thing Wayfound has not yet done, however, is hold an in-depth conversation with the Lord of Blue Mountain... Winnowill. ---------- You move north, into the main hall. Main Hall The room rises up round, walls idle in their shape, with little regard to gravity, and fluid stone columns drip from the ceiling to floor, curving and twisting into deep blue shadows. The massive room is dim, lit only at the far side, where rises the skeleton of a great bird, hovering protectively over the throne of Blue Mountain's Lord. Deep, wide stairs rise up to greet the throne, stopping many feet below, leaving no evident manner of ascending the seat. From time to time, elves flit in and out, through hallways and through narrow, ribboned holes in the walls, high above the floor. Contents: Malene Jasmael Winnowill Obvious exits: Into The Air Northeastern Hall Western Hall Southern Hall Calmwind seems to fade into view from the depths of the cavern. Calmwind has arrived. Malene is being unobtrusive, wandering the perimeter of the room quietly inspecting, she notices new arrivals quickly, but is not quick to make greetings. Winnowill is, of course, upon the Throne. Wayfound, daughter of Rillwhisper, has been given leave to explore Blue Mountain as long as she is in the company of one of her tribe. Her chosen companion today is, as is usually the case with her, Calmwind; the two young elves wander into the Hall and as they do, the little elf-girl's sharp ambergreen gaze courses over everything she sees. "It is most curious," she can be heard discoursing to her companion as she does, "how much space the Gliders have at their disposal, yet there appear to be so few of them. I must wonder whether it is because they fly--" She cuts off, however, as she notices that this new room they're exploring is not exactly empty. Malene smiles slightly, ah barbarian outsider children. how quaint. Calmwind keeps his pace to that of the much smaller elfchild and then drifts to a halt to look around the room, taking in the people already there. Malene brushes a hand across the smooth stone expanse of a column ** We have as much space as we require. Were the space unnecessary, we would not have shaped it so. ** Winnowill smiles slightly to Wayfound and her companion. They are an odd-looking pair, to be sure: Calmwind towers over Wayfound but nearly two feet, but despite their obvious age difference... not to mention Calmwind's height that suggests that this particular barbarian outsider but not be entirely Wolfrider in blood for all that his clothing is unmistakably Wolfrider in design... the she-cub's eyes are full of an intelligence that rivals and perhaps even surpasses that in her companion. As she hears Malene's sending, Wayfound turns in that direction, her head cocked thoughtfully sideways, and gravely inquires, "What is your basis for determining the amount of space required for your tribe? Is it a function of your ability to fly, the amount of rock to have at your disposal for shaping, the number of objects you possess, or perhaps some other factor I have not yet considered?" Winnowill seems amused and listens to the exchange. Calmwind looks amused at Wayfound's query, but steps closer to her, his movements betraying a faint uneasiness in the presence he's entered. He crosses his arms, half behind Rillwhisper's daughter, and studies Winnowill for a moment. Malene smiles patiently ** Nothing so complicated, child. Merely, when more space was needed we shaped it, for whatever reason. ** Malene um... wanders off in a particularily annoying way. Winnowill leans over "Come here, child..." Wayfound's lip juts out momentarily as the Glider she had been addressing seems to simply decide right then and there to take her leave. "How very vexing," she mutters in peevish tones to her rangy companion, scuffing a leather-clad toe along the stone floor in a cublike gesture that contradicts the intelligence in her eyes. About to expound to Calmwind upon the apparent common tendency between Willowholters and Gliders to up and leave her each time she attempts to have a decent conversation, she is then interrupted by the silken call of Winnowill's voice. Wayfound swivels her head in that direction, casts a glance up to Calmwind, and then strides on young fearless feet nearer to the Lord upon her throne. "I hope," she pipes, "that our presence in this room does not go against the rules of your tribe. Is it acceptable for us to be here?" Winnowill's thin lips curve into a smile. "You are our guests and are therefore welcomed in all public places." She guestures for one of her companions to lift you to the throne as well if you seem so inclined. "Tell me, child, have you seen the Egg? It holds a record of every guesture which formed this Mountain and much besides." Calmwind pads after Wayfound, still watching Winnowill intently. He blinks at the Lord when she mentions what the Egg holds, and his lips move to shape a question before he stops himself and drops his gaze to study the throne. Wayfound is familiar enough with the idea of floating -- she's certainly been floated this way and that by her appropriately gifted tribesmates before. She can be seen to incline her head in formal leave as one of the Gliders flanking the throne floats forward to move her, and she doesn't so much as blink as she is comfortably lifted and glided and set down within easy conversational range of the Mountain's Lord. "Calmwind and I have been introduced to it, yes," she replies. "I am gratified that you mention it, for I have a great number of questions regarding the meanings of the symbols as well as the state of its shaper. Perhaps you would be so kind as to speak to my questions?" Winnowill inclines her head in a gracious nod. "Often, with the Egg as with many forms of expression, interpretation of the symbols reveals more about those who view them than the original intent of the creator. Would you not agree?" Calmwind raises his gaze to look at Winnowill again, crouched at the base of her throne. Then he tucks his legs under himself and sends, ** I stopped seeing the sumbols, ** a volunteering of information. Winnowill smiles slightly ** And what did you see in their place? ** Wayfound is small enough that she can perch easily upon the arm of the great throne, and thereupon she does indeed perch. Any other cub might be swinging her feet against the intricately shaped stone, but not this one. She sits with straight-backed dignity, crossing her legs beneath her as soon as she achieves a suitable balance, and affixing her attention with unchildlike intensity upon Winnowill. "From what I have been able to observe in the creation of music and the telling of stories, yes, I would. However, that would appear to contradict the stated purpose of your Egg. If it serves as a record of your tribal knowledge, to leave it open to interpretation invites confusion amongst your children, or newcomers to the tribe." She stops, however, as Calmwind sends, her mouth opening and then closing, and then she murmurs, "That is one of my many questions. Do elaborate, Calmwind." Calmwind looks embarassed as he attracts the attention of both Winnowill and Wayfound. Too many intelligent stares on him at once! But valiantly, he tries to explain. ** I dreamt. While awake. Wayfound and I talked about this some. I saw images of Gliders, and dancing stone, and I heard a rhythm. ** It seems clear the young drummer often hears rhythms. Winnowill inclines her head to Calmwind, and then turns to Wayfound to explain ** What we see is often what we expect to see... or what we are capable of interpreting. For example, there is a fact: a wolf and rider once hunted a treehorn and felled it. For that fact there are many points of view, although the fact itself remains immutable. The wolf perceives a hunt in whatever way a wolf perceives things. An elf might perceive a hunt as many things: providing food for a tribe, energy and joy with the success of the goal. The tree-horn's perception of the event would be entirely different, of course. In this even there is no 'good' or 'evil', merely a fact. How that fact is interpreted, as an enjoyable even with pleasant consequences or as an ultimately doomed quest to survive, is entirely in whose perceptions you feel empathy with as you experience the knowledge of the fact.** She smiles ** So, what one elf might record as a carefully planned execution of what is best for a majority of his people might appear to another as a pleasant unfolding of random events, or to another as a crass manipulation. It all depends upon the perspective. ** The she-cub's brows knit together as she listens to this -- but in concentration, and then understanding, rather than confusion. She bobs her pale tousled head a single firm time, then pipes, "I see. Certainly any given incident can be perceived differently, depending on who tells the story. This leads me to conclude that your Egg must therefore be described as your tribal knowledge from its shaper's point of view, which does make a kind of sense as it can then be said to be similar to our Howls, at least in function..." She trails off thoughtfully, and then looks up again to continue, "I am also most intrigued by what Calmwind has described, as I experienced no such dreaming. Could the shaper have sent to him?" Winnowill turns to Calmwind ** I can seek within your mind for the answer to that, if /you/ desire to know as well. Egg is capable of sending, but he usually is completely unaware of those around him. He has chosen to devote his entire being to the creation of the great Egg. It is more likely, in my opinion, that the symbols prompted a waking dream within your own mind than that his touched yours. Still, I can unravel it if you choose to open your mind and memory to Me. ** Calmwind moves one shoulder up and down and tilts his head to the side. ** How can one have a waking dream? I know, I know it was a dream, but I did not sleep first. And how can Egg record what happens if he is unaware of what is around him? ** He looks what Wayfound for a moment. Wayfound, at Winnowill's offer, sits up a little straighter and peers with an even sharper gaze at the ancient healer. That isn't suspicion in her eyes, not exactly -- rather, simply, an extremely focused awareness. She meets Calmwind's gaze evenly, a glimmer of appreciation in her eyes for the questions he's uttered; it would seem that there is a deep level of sympathy between these two young elves. "Moreover," she appends, one eyebrow quirked in another decidedly unchildlike expression, "how can stone symbols invoke a state of dreaming within an elf? Certainly I have understood dreamberries and various forms of mushrooms to carry out that purpose, but stone symbols cannot be eaten." Summit seems to come in from one of the many surrounding halls, to the northeast, maybe. Summit has arrived. Winnowill chuckles softly ** Dreamberries and mushrooms promote a certain part of the brain to function in a given way. The same effect may be induced in other ways as well, since it is all, once again, a matter of interpretation of the stimulus. ** Summit wanders in, despite various warnings from many of the Willowholters, alone. He pauses by the entrance from the northern hall, youthful gaze staring at those present. Those present appear to be Winnowill and a few of her attendants.... and Calmwind, at the base of her throne, and Wayfound perched upon its arm. The latter of the Willowholters quirks her other brow, maintaining, "Ah, but dreamberries and mushrooms must be eaten in order for their effects to be felt. Are you therefore suggesting that simply _viewing_ the Egg can induce waking dreams? Is this a function of Egg's magic, or of the symbols he shapes?" Curiosity sparks in the girl's eyes, and she leans slightly forwawrd as if this might assist her in convincing Winnowill to part with the answers she desires. "Unless there is magic involved, it would seem hasty to conclude that Calmwind dreamed simply because he _looked_ at the Egg." Winnowill smiles and touches Wayfound's forehead with one very long finger. ** Ah, but child, the reason that the mushrooms and dreamberries cause the reaction they do has far less to do with the substances within them than with the minds which are so altered. They are merely means to tap into a type of consciousness which always exists within the elfin mind, it is just submerged because waking dreaming is inconvenient when one is trying to do simple things like hunt or walk. We use these triggers to remove the walls we place in our minds so that the waking dreams are kept at bay and conscious thought controls our normal activities. ** Winnowill sends openly ** There are many ways to remove these walls. Pondering the Egg is one of them. ** Wayfound blows out a gusty sigh, and although she doesn't _quite_ roll her eyes, still there is a measure of impatience visible in her youthful eyes. "I _understand_ that," she points out, trying to maintain politeness as she is aware that this lofty personage is responsible for a good number of her tribe, including her fathers, being warm and safe and dry. "But you have not yet answered my question, Lord Winnowill. Clearly, Calmwind achieved a state of dreaming during his viewing of the symbols, but what I would like to know is _how_, particularly since I experienced no such thing. You appear to be implying that the symbols themselves are magical, if it is unlikely that Egg sent. Am I understanding you correctly?" She's apparently unfazed by shifting from speaking of 'the shaper' to speaking of 'Egg', though she makes a small face at the use of that word for both creator and creation. As she speaks, too, that piercing, ambergreen gaze of hers locks upon the graceful fingertip that brushes her brow. _That_ does make her almost appear cublike, especially when she petulantly requests, "If you are about to ruffle my hair, I would like to request that you reconsider." Winnowill laughs softly. "I intended no such thing." She switches to sending ** To clarify my interpretation of the event: The symbols were the trigger to the waking dream, but it was because Calmwind placed himself in a frame of mind to accept that trigger. You were not in the same frame of mind, so the symbols did not have that effect on you. Once again, it is a question of perspective. ** Kaer seems to fade into view from the depths of the cavern. Kaer has arrived. "Ah," says Wayfound in sagacious tones, still eying Winnowill's fingers somewhat askance, but as long as the much older elf doesn't appear to be ruffling her hair she'll suffer the contact. "A difference between the thoughts of myself and Calmwind _would_ be a logical conclusion." She glances down at her companion, sharing with him another of those mutually interested glances to which the two of them appear to be prone, but she does _not_ actually ask him to elaborate further upon what he'd been thinking. A bit of reticence showing itself in this long-winded child, perhaps? Winnowill lowers her hand, seeming rather amused by the child's intelligence. Undaunted, Wayfound returns her attention to the Mountain Lord upon whose throne arm she's currently perched. "I am also," she pronounces, "most intrigued about the physical state of Egg's shaper. Thus far I have been able to acquire vexingly little information as to why he appears to be frozen within his chair, and indeed, bears a striking resemblance to the rock he shapes. Was this state accomplished by magic?" Up along the stairs, a tall shape moves... Kaer climbs up alongside the steps, nimbly jumping from rock to rock out of an apparent sense of boredom with the more conventional methods of travel inside the Mountain. Upon reaching the edge of the great hall, he stops and listens carefully, his gray eyes peering in to see who might be about ahead. Winnowill chuckles softly "Partly by magic, and partly by his own will and choice." Winnowill says "Tell me, child, what would be some of the inconvenience of living in a waking dreamstate?" A pair of newcomers to the Mountain, there at the base of and upon the arm of Winnowill's throne. The smaller of the two, an elf who surely can't be more than ten or eleven years old, appears to be holding forth at great length with the Glider Lord. And Wayfound unhesitantly replies, "The most obvious inconvenience would be a possible failure to tell what is dream from what is real. I am given to understand that this very problem was suffered by my mother's father, who was eaten by a bear." Winnowill nods "Besides bears, then, what other dangers can you think of might befall those who cannot tell dream from reality?" Kaer grins at the familiar voice of the Lord of Blue Mountain, stepping into the hall as softly as a cat. He ambles across the stone floor easily, in no hurry to interrupt the conversation in progress. "Any number of dangers present themselves as possibilities," Wayfound says wisely. "Assuming that one was free to move about while in a state of dreaming, one could fall out of a tree or into a hole. One could wind up mistaking one's wolf-friend for a tree-horn and spear it, or perhaps even a bear about to attack -- and I expect it would be most disheartening to discover that one had slain one's own wolf-friend upon waking up, but I digress. I can foresee myriad problems resulting from attempting to hold conversations with elves who are not there, or speaking nonsense to elves that are." Winnowill nods. "For these reasons and many others, it is logical, is it not, for one who desires a life of waking dreaming to be immobile while so doing?" "Why waste what life you have by dreaming it away?" asks Kaer with some amusement, not really expecting an answer. He covers the last hundred yards to the throne. The child's ambergreen eyes flash an inquiring, sharply curious glance in the direction of Kaer, and her eyebrows quirk up over those enormous eyes as she notes his presence. But he does not, apparently, deter her from returning a musing glance to Winnowill. After a moment, she states firmly, "Although I cannot personally see the appeal of such a decision, I suppose that if an elf desired such a state and could use it in a fashion deemed useful by the tribe, it would make most sense to place the elf in a safe location to ensure that he or she would not be harmed." Kaer Placid gray eyes peer thoughtfully out upon the world through a long mane of sandy-brown hair tied back with a strip of leather. A single gold earring twinkles in his left ear and a few thin braids hang down to rest on his shoulders, tied with dried plant fibers. Brown with the glow of the southern sun, this tall lithe elf wears only a thin leather vest and loincloth along with soft hide leggings strung up the sides with tight leather strips and soft desert boots. There's a large tooth hanging around his neck. There are claws tied to his right side, as well as a knife. He is holding a coiled lariat loosely in his left hand. Relaxed and confident, his motion is as graceful as a large cat... there is no hesitation in his eyes. There is quiet maturity in his bearing, a touch of leadership and natural dominance. Carrying: claws Winnowill chuckles softly to Kaer, and turns to Wayfound. There is a note of long-remembered sadness to her send ** And so it was, when Aurek... and the others decided that they no longer had desire or use for their bodies, preferring entirely mental and magical exploration of the world around them. We ... /I/ gave them what safety I could, and I care for their poor, ignored bodies while their minds are off in worlds of their own making. ** She shakes her head sadly ** And for this, some deem me evil. Should I then /force/ them to live in this physical world? It is not, after all, what we elves are suited for. These bodies are merely garments which we have forgotten how to remove. Is that, then, what it means to be elf? Or is it to explore this physical being...? ** Her mind has obviously wandered from the question at hand. Wander though Winnowill's comments might, it seems that little Wayfound has absolutely no problem keeping up with her. The child shifts position on the arm of the Lord's throne, propping her little hands behind her, but all the while staring intently at the far older, far taller elf. Her eyebrows arch up again as she remarks evenly, "Although I am aware of a great deal of discontent regarding you and your past actions, I can in fairness observe that I have heard no particular complaints regarding the immobility of... Aurek, did you say his name was? I presume you are referring to Egg." Another quirk of those little brows, as she notes this new name for the shaper of the Great Egg. "In fact, I was unaware of his existence until my arrival in this place. And there are more like him, here?" Kaer turns a somersault, ending up in a sitting position on the floor. It appears that highly philosophical debates such as this, he leaves to his glider brethren. He spends his time watching Wayfound and Winnowill, looking into their faces as they speak. Winnowill nods briefly, expression holding no judgement. "The one who was here earlier, Malene, was one such as that. She served the function of Door, guarding our Mountain from intruders. She was a rockshaper without peer, when she decided that her body no longer had a use for her. She desired only to be one with the rock. And so it was until Cutter and his little band of wolfriders came in and showed to us how fragile our world really was by smashing it to pieces. Here is a story I am sure you have not heard from this perspective. One of the wolfriders... Strongbow, he was called ... forced his will upon poor Malene, dragging her from her comfortable place with the rocks she loved and breaking the slender tie which she held with reality through Me. She found herself unable to live in the dreamworld or in this one, and became damaged in her mind. She is, as you can clearly see, awake now, and as mobile as ever, but she has become convinced... falsely, I assure you, that I somehow tricked her with my evil ways into becoming a living statue. Tell me, child, what possible use would a healer have for one who no longer desired her body? A healer lives completely for the physical." Winnowill . o O ( Of course, by granting her wish, she placed her powers at My disposal, which had its use at the time.) Wayfound's eyebrows claim up even further. "Actually," she says straightfacedly, "I am aware of the Wolfrider to whom you refer, but I will make a note of your information for future reference. Unfortunately, I am not a healer, so I can only make guesses at your questions. Nevertheless I should think that much would depend upon the relationship between the healer and an individual who had rejected her body as you describe." She pauses, then, glancing back at Kaer with apparent appreciation, although she doesn't exactly smile. "Hello," she appends. "You appear to be very agile." Winnowill gives Kaer an approving look "Evidence of the pleasures to be had by participating in physical existance..." "Oh," pipes the child, without batting an eye. "Am I to conclude that you are lovemates, or perhaps lifemates?" Wayfound swings a curious gaze from Kaer to Winnowill and back again. "Thank you," Kaer responds lightly, in a good mood. He laughs in his soft voice, still somewhat hesitantly after long disuse, "No, no... we're distant relatives, one might say." Winnowill chuckles softly, regarding the child. She lets Kaer's response serve for hers as well. Calmwind has remained quiet -- perhaps the discourse between Winnowill and Wayfound has sent him back into his own musings, now that the topic has wandered? Whatever his thoughts, he keeps his own counsel as Kaer approaches the others. As for Wayfound, she bobs her head wisely as she slips down off the arm of the throne, landing lightly upon her young feet and heading for her tribesmate. "I see. I am Wayfound of the Willowholt, daughter of Rillwhisper Wolfbringer, Trollkiller, and Woodhawk, blood daughter of Lonehowl Wolfbrother. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. However, my Fire-father is sending to me, so if you will both excuse me, I should return to him and Fur-father. Calmwind, if you would come with me...?" The child returns to the taller Willowholter, and the oddly matched pair take the opportunity to withdraw. Wayfound's last words, even as she vanishes off into the corridors, are, "I thank you for the conversation, Lord Winnowill! Perhaps we can do it again." [End log.]