Written in the Stars [Plot]|Rivenway | Ronduin

[Darastrix]

Thoth ran a hand over his face and peered down at the scattered charts and notes littering the table in front of him. There were irregularities and anomalies abound, but he was having a decidedly hard time making sense of things. It didn't help that after he'd noted and written down something unusual that could be taken as a sign, the next time he looked at that star or constellation, everything was as it normally stood.

"Maybe I'm just losing my touch," the astrologer murmured to his companion as he leaned back in his chair with a sigh. Or maybe he was getting a little Touched. He doubted he'd be the first mystic to fall to Soahc's influence after delving into things hidden for so long.

[Kender Bard]

You are not touched, the murmured feminine voice whispered into his head. Although you might think you are. I'm probably not helping. I'm sorry; but I don't really have time to make this a typical vision, my star-gazer. But I will try to shed some light on what you're seeing.

The notes, the maps, began to become illuminated in pieces, bit by bit, fading and glowing, as Efil began to string together the links in the chaos.

Death. Pain. Fire. Outsiders. The signs are there, if a bit muddied. The Sun in the Moon, the Eclipse, a sign of Morilanta. They have breached the veils that separate this world from the Abyss. And now I call upon you to aid me. Find my chosen, my beloved. Give them my rings for I will need their assistance in the coming trials.

Nuo and Kaylin The names whispered with heartbreaking sorrow. The vision of the man, a picture of a man broken, in a dusty ruined keep. His features are not quite human and a small sprite perches on his shoulder. A similarly featured woman, carrying a sack of pilfered goods which she stashes in her ever-growing collection, tears in her eyes as she sits down to stare at her material goods. Acoia.

Harmony. The name was uttered with a mingling of pain and love. The red-headed girl was tumbling down into bed with her bardic lover, showering him in kisses and a look of hunger but happiness as well stealing over her. Khelek.

Priya. The pale, plain prophetess of Efil Reborn. She's seen walking along, her devoted and beloved followers trailing behind her, swapping stories and camaraderie, looking forward to the next stop where they can hear Priya speak the new truths of Efil. Ilyamen.

Scarlet. The guardswoman, coming home from a long day to be mobbed by her large, adoptive family. THe children laugh and greet her with hugs as her sneaky lover tiptoes up behind him and steals a kiss from her neck. Anarlina.

Lilith. The aged priestess, attending to her flock of Crystalanders, offering words of hope to a hard people in a hard land. Khelek.

Seafoam. The young healer giving a mild but stern lecture to a repeat patient who keeps injuring himself at his work through carelessness, soothing his wounds even as he warns him not to do it again. Talen'sul.

Ivan. The brown-haired, brown-eyed healer eagerly assists the wounded and the sick, doing his best to spread comfort and assistance wherever he may. Ronduin.

There are many, and I know it will be a daunting task for you, but I believe in you, Thoth. Please, go forth and give them my rings. I have need of them, just as I have need of you to deliver this task, while I remain occupied in the heavens, working to prepare against the coming storm.

There was the image of Efil in his mind briefly, bright but rapidly dimming, blood streaked and dripping. The image melts away, leaving a soothing sensation behind. Efil's voice whispers through his mind as the vision ends. "Thank you..."

[Darastrix]

Thoth let out a quiet gasp as the vision left him, and his companion, Iah, rose from his makeshift nest, making noises of concern. Blindly, he reached for the ibis, stroking over feathers with trembling finger as he stared down at his charts. "Efil preserve," he whispered. He wasn't the kind of mystic who sought and received visions, and the very fact that he'd just been hit with one was bad enough. Then there was what it contained. The enormity of the task was daunting; he'd never left Rivenway, and now he was being called to go from Acoia all the way to New Anarlina.

And Acoia was so near Morilanta, and it was Morilanta who had "breached the Veil...." Thoth shivered at that. He had little to lose but his life and Iah, but he didn't want to lose either. But on the other hand.... Could I join my wife when it's done? he wondered.