[HQ Ignorance] Scene 166 : The Breaking of the Fellowship

[Lev Lafayette]

Azhur sighed in realisation that there was no way that Harajallenburg
could move into the land of Charg, whilst the Syndics Ban remained in
force. Kalen, the spirit of the machine, debated the issue with
Guillaume-Rotterex, the wizard that looked like a bipedal rubble runner
who was still debating the possibility of using one of his risky
teleportation magics to by-pass the Ban entirely. Kalen kept claiming
that there was not enough data to calculate a probability of success,
or failure for that matter, or even some wild random effect and was
opposed to such risky behaviour. The King-elect made his way down to
Harajallenburg's courtyard and prepare his loyal followers and the
bunny-warhorse.

He looked around with some concern. He was expecting to lead a sizeable
force against The Kingdom of War with an artifact of a castle. But that
seemed to be coming apart. The Seeker was there, carrying Talor's
klanth-like flail, and with a typical inscrutable expression. "We will
go into the Unknown and the Unseen. Ignorance and Invisibility!" There
was a hint of a grin on the dragonnewt's face, as if the philosopher
was rather enjoying the prospect of encountering nothingness.

The Fourth was there too, with the trollkin matriarch, Isonash. It
seemed that they were having their first domestic dispute. Although he
carried Talor's greatsword and was prepared to continue, Isonash was
shaking her head furiously. She wanted The Fourth to stay with the
trollkin clan in Harajallenburg. "Nothing comes out of the Ban. The Ban
is the great devourer, and uz has seen it! If you go into The Ban you
will be destroyed." Would The Fourth stay or go? Azhur listened into
the conversation with some interest, for The Fourth was the bearer of a
weapon of Talor, and the stories said that without all of Talor's
weapons the wolf at the door of Sog City would consume all within. 

Janeena of the Old Ways was there, as always had been. How many times
in this Quest had they depended on her healing?! She, who knew order
and protection from Chaos more than any present, was always serious and
circumspect. Today however, she seemed especially troubled. Azhur
inquired what could possibily be wrong, apart from the usual troubles
faced by the Fellowship, and her face grew grave. "I was taught the
magics, through my people of the Cold Mountain Clan, of how to sense
whether The Ban is about to recede. The feeling I have today is
different, very different. It is like there is a great bubble within
the Ban. Either it will grow and burst, spreading across all of
Glorantha, or it will burst and dissipitate. I do not know which way it
will turn."

Azhur pondered his response when he noticed Karala The Shaman, who
carried Talor's axe, known for its ability to destructively and
creatively transform things. She was in deep conversation with the God-
learner Rikku, and the words she spoke amazed him. Rikku had brought
his bunny-pony along, and despite the many errors of his ways, it was
clear that he was prepared to see this through to the end. 

But Azhur was amazed at what Karala was saying however. She was saying
that she had communed with the axe for many nights now, and she was
beginning to understand the power of the Fellowship. 

"You have always hidden your hands, Rikku", she said, running her hands
over his gloves. "You have hidden the burnt and disfigured hands,
damaged by your brother, and you have never been able to remove the
damage because of your brother's magics in making changes in this world
permanent. Rikku, you should be the axe-bearer, because you are the one
who can make this biggest changes, especially to yourself. But, you
have to want these changes, want them more than anything else in the
world."

"These hands prevent you from being who you could be. You carry in
those hands not just the disfigurement, but the bitterness, the hatred,
your sense of inferiority, and therefore your malice. Your hands offend
you. Remove the gloves, let me chop them off, and cast them from you.
Then you can become the bearer of Talor's Axe"



-- 
Lev Lafayette <lev at mimesisrpg.com>