Day 252 (230th)

Day 252 (230th):
The knock at the door roused us swiftly. Sarah opened the door to Janesh, Narisha, and Liam. We informed them it would be but a moment to get ready. With Anna's efficiency, our gear was handy and our clothes ready for us. I wore a cloak just to keep my sisters focused on the task at hand. We were met in the stables by a dozen royal guards. The separate King's Guard and Queen's Guard were slowly merging into one unit. There was still some tension between them, but it was fading. We all mounted up and headed into the pre-dawn snow. Bo and Set took off before and above us. Dawn made small scouting flights, reporting back what lay ahead.
A bit after sunrise, we saw Bo and Set dive very fast, to the point we were afraid they were injured. Seeing through Set's eyes, I understood their dives. Below them, they had found a group of rabbits and a man trying, in vain, to get them back into the cage that lay open. His cart, filled with similar cages but full of rabbits, was missing a wheel and sat at an angle. The others were uneasy about stopping to help, but we assured them little time would be lost. By the time we reached them, Set and Bo had the rabbits corralled between them, leaving the cage as the only "safe" place for them to go. The man was fearful of these two creatures and did not know how to proceed. We seven got out of the saddle and got his rabbits back in the cage. All accounted for, we turned our attention to the cart. The wheel, according to Callie, had simple slid off, nothing was broken. The wheel, itself, lay intact next to the cart. Our guards and others didn't know how we were going to lift a full cart high enough to get the wheel back on. We seven smiled. We all bent and touched to snow. We asked the snow to lift the cart. A wave formed and picked up the cart high enough that the wheel was easily replaced. The metal band that kept the wheel on was missing. We dug in our packs and found some utensils. Set heated them until they were soft. We shaped them around the axle where they made a make-shift band. Callie reported that it would hold for the short trip to Crialas Pagoue. The man was delighted. He had no money, even though we refused any payment, but two of his rabbits had died when the cage fell and wanted us to have them. Set chomped on one while Bo and Dawn divided the other between them. We made sure he was on his way before getting back to our trip. The rest of our party was glad it had not taken too long to aid the rabbit man.
Half-way between dawn and mid-day, we entered the outer area of Givia. Only outpost-like buildings marked the upper area. Dozens of cave entrances dotted the landscape. Gardon stood near the opening of one particularly large entrance. Lisa pulled out the scroll and cast the spell. Through her, we could understand them, just as Tymara had done for the Brimgrove elves.
"Greetings, everyone. You made good time, we are pleased. Stabling for your horses is this way."
He led us to a part of the entrance that looked like it saw little use. Anna relayed that the Givagar have no mounts of their own and, since the corruption reached them, have had no regular visitors or tradesmen. Now that Dawn was bigger, she could no longer ride Alice's shoulder. Set, however, was large enough to give her someplace to stand. Bo rode in his usual spot, slung around Lisa's neck and shoulders.
Gardon and Lisa took the lead as we all headed deeper into the cave. Our elf companions were growing tense as we got further from the surface. We arrived at a set of doors with two Givagars posted in front of them. This was the first part of the ritual. Lisa stepped ahead of us, bowed slightly, then addressed the guards.
"Givagar warriors, we seek entrance to the heart of Givia, to converse with the Kaiser Daerao (KAY-zer djar-JA) on important matters."
The two guards looked at each other. In unison, they replied, "Do you seek to harm the Kaiser Daerao?"
"No, good warriors, we seek peace," she replied.
The Givagar made twin bows and opened the massive doors. The rainbow that poured out was beautiful and nearly overwhelming. The physical gems and marvels were sights to behold, but the flood of emotions and power made all of us nearly collapse. Will alone kept us on our feet as we followed Gardon and Lisa through this magnificent tunnel and into Givia's heart.
The cavern was massive. In the center, a pillar rose, like a giant cave formation. A companion pillar descended from the roof, giving the cavern a wheel-like appearance. Below us, a city shown. It alone nearly dwarfed Crialas Pagoue and we knew this was only a portion of Givia. Down huge steps, we entered the city. Following the instructions precisely, we kept our eyes and heads forward, no looking around. It was considered rude and undisciplined. With our perceptions, however, we could have told them things about their city that they did not know.
The bottom pillar in the center of the massive cavern had doors and windows carved into it. At the main doors, two more Givagar stood, blocking the entrance. Once again, Lisa stepped forward.
"Givagar warriors, we seek entrance to the soul of Givia to converse with the Ras'eileir Kaiseraa (RAS-el-er kay-SER-ya) on important matters."
These guards, like the first, asked if we sought harm. Again, Lisa told them no. They bowed and opened the doors. We walked into a space so white, it was nearly blinding. A few hundred paces from the doors was a single black door. No one stood guard. Save for us, the area was empty. We marched to that door. Lisa knocked a very controlled three times. After the echo died, a panel slid on the door to reveal a Givagar face. Lisa bowed.
"Givagar Proctector, we see the Oior Eidolon (OIY-or e-DOE-lawn) of Givia to make peace."
The Givagar did not speak nor move. He stared at Lisa and us for, what felt like, forever. The panel snapped shut. Just when we though we had fouled up, the black door opened.
"They await you in the Ancestors' Hall. Leave your guards at the outer doors. They will be taken there to wait for you."
We told the guards to go with the Givagar back to the outer doors. They wanted to protest, but went anyway. We stood at the black door until the guards left. We were allowed, single file, through the door. The Protector examined each of us as we passed him. He had Set open his mouth before he was allowed inside. The door closed with a loud thud.
I don't know if the white room made it hard to see, but this place was dark. I sensed two people enter from another way. A male and female took a position in the center of the room. Even in the darkness, we homed in on their position. We let the elves know which way to look. When the couple was in place, lights burst to fully illuminate the room. Although, outwardly, they showed no emotion, I felt their pleasure in seeing us facing the right way. The male spoke first.
"I am the Kaiser Daerao, the heart of Givia. This is the Ras'eileir Kaiseraa, the soul of Givia. Together, we are the Oior Eidolon, the spirit of Givia. Who speaks for this group?"
Lisa bowed nearly in half, "I speak for us. I am Lisa of Talst, descendant of the elf Tree Singer, and guardian of the Power Sword Gluttony."
"Rise, Guardian, and well met. You have passed."
We wanted to jump and cheer, but kept our composure.
The female spoke, "Let us retire to a comfortable place so we may talk at our leisure."
They led the way out the entrance they had used and took up to a parlor of sorts. Backless padded benches of various sizes were stacked against one wall. As they went to their usual seats, we each found a bench suitable for us. We gathered around them. Informal introductions were made and they told us to call him Handan and her Celna. Set got my attention and asked about the mouth inspection.
"Why did your Protector look inside Set's mouth? He would like to know," I asked.
They chuckled before answering, "I suppose I would want that answer, too, if my mouth had been checked. We were doing several things: checking age, breath weapon, damage capability by the teeth, and memorizing the tooth placement. This was in case you failed and tried to send him with another party."
Set accepted the answer with smoke puffs conveying his lack of agitation. Once that was solved, we set about the business of the gateway. The Givagars had the writings of both the stone race and the gargoyles from their times as monitors of the gate. Neither race had taken part in the original construction. They had both arrived in the area later, after Crialas had become a town.
"To build it, you will need living stones," Handan informed us, "These are similar to stone seeds, but they will not produce sentient stone people. Mostly, they are parts that have broken off, but retain the life force inside them. We keep some of various types, usually to heal their wounds if too large a chunk has been removed from them. Our ancestors, and the ones who live around here, are much smaller than the 'normal' stone races. The tallest in barely fifteen feet in height. So, anything too big can be a serious wound."
We arranged for them to send a cleric with "a load" of living stones to Crialas Pagoue in a few days. After they arrived, we would gather everyone together to build the gate. Our elves were glad a definite date had been set for the rebuild. We chatted a little more and had a snack, then decided we had to head back.
Having passed their test, we were able to look at their city as we left. We found our guards at the outer doors, very agitated and anxious. The Givagar at these doors handed us a key, saying that presenting it meant no repeat of the ritual. Lisa strung it on the necklace holding her ancestor's crest. We retrieved our horses, who had been well fed, and proceeded back to Crialas Pagoue.
It was well past mid-day and we knew we would be entering the city in darkness. Bo and Set, once again, made most of the trip on the wing. Dawn took up her scouting to insure a safe trip. We informed the guards of our activities they had missed. Some were still suspicious of the Givagar, but did not voice them.
We were within sight of Crialas Pagoue as the sun was setting. An odd noise to the side of the road took our focus off of the city. A female halfling lay in the snow, barely visible behind a small mound. We went to her and saw she was injured. Sarah ran to her side to assess her injuries. The elves looked between her, the city, and the setting sun. A few spoke of delays and annoying sidetracks. Fortunately, she was not severely wounded. A small bit of magic had her healthy and whole in minutes. As Sarah was one of the lightest, the halfling rode with her into Crialas Pagaoue. The guards watched her intently as she told of being kicked to the side of the road by "heartless elves" racing back to the city. Their horses had pushed her over and one's tail sent her flying into the snow bank. We dropped her off at a nice inn and proceeded to the castle.
Inside the stables, the Royal Guards quickly unsaddled their horses and parted company with us. Janesh, Narisha, and Liam walked with us to the royal apartments. The Crowns and Orania greeted us warmly. Dinner was waiting on us and was served as soon as we sat down.
We told them our encounter with the Givagar and the boon we expected from them. Neither had thought of the actual building materials for the gate. They were also glad a date was now, somewhat, set for its construction. A bit of calculation meant the new gate would be built before the first day of the new year.
Orania had news as well. While showing her successor around the Chalice room, this young elf cut her hand. As they were leaving to tend it, the girl bumped the old Chalice. Grabbing it so it would not fall, she pressed her bleeding hand to it. As with our swords and the Elvador Crown, the girl and Song Weaver connected. She, Loris, can now hear Song Weaver and share his knowledge with the rest of Crialas. I said not a word, but Orania looked at me and told us Fate had opened his previously closed and quiet world. I just smiled. Sarvicnal called a messenger to go to both the Clerics' Guild and the Builders' Guild to begin construction of a temple for Fate as soon as possible.
"Fate has given us much and needs a place to be honored," Sarvicnal explained, "I do not want such a Glory insulted."
I almost told him that Fate required no temples nor special places, but kept it to myself. The messenger bowed and raced out. Another was summoned to tell the Founders' families to make their choices as to their representative. This one also bowed and raced out.
We talked a bit more about Givia and the Givagar before we parted and went to our room. Bo, having flown so much today, lay like a discarded scarf across Lisa's bed. Dawn and Set were also exhausted and barely moved when we shifted them to get into our beds. It took magic to get Set's large bulk to move enough for me to have room to sleep. At the rate he was growing, it wouldn't be too long before he would need a bed of his own.