[IC] Lost in Dreams [Tereza]

[ericthered]

"oh, we will certainly need to help you get experience. Though if you are what we suspect, it won't take much work."

"The gift is a... gift that marks the highest families of the land. It is passed from father to son and mother to daughter. It allows the conjuring of servants by the mothers, and the walking among dreams by the sons. It is the way by which we know the quality of one's breeding, that they are a descendant of Kumal the Great. As you can dream-walk, we believe you are."

[Poonbahbah]

"What do you suspect I am Hyrim?

Would you care to relate the story of Kumal the Great?"

And we fly on! Tereza just wishes that there was more shade and less wind.

[ericthered]

"I suspect you are the result of an experiment with conjuration aimed at making a creature that can dream walk. I do not know if you are the caster or the creature though. experimentation is a risky thing."

Hyrim thinks for a bit, It turns out there is not ONE story of Kumal, there are a few dozen stories that all contradict each other at some point. He seems to have been a gem merchant, traveling by carpet far and wide until ... well, the stories differ on how he got the gift. The most common is as a gift from an angel, but genies are a popular variation. At any rate, Kumal married four women around three suns, and had a large family with each of them. He was the only man who was able to dream walk without castration, and he used to it talk to his family. He taught his wives how to use gems to conjure useful servants and give it to their sons. His family since then has grown, and currently rules most of lands around five suns, parts of a few other suns, and has many wealthy descendants on the wet side of the world (though very few rule).

[Poonbahbah]

"Ah."

With a speculative look Tereza will say, "He taught them? His wives? They weren't his first generation of offspring? I wonder if that means the gift is just a learned thing with no need to be a blood relative of the family. The same could even be true of dream walking. Though I imagine in the time since Kumal that it has been tried. Teaching people that weren't part of the family that is. And even then if it worked one might just assume that they're a distant relation. At least after enough time has passed.

Anyway, tell me when a city we spy in the distance is the one we want. Or are we not going to get there today?"

[ericthered]

"That would indicate its learned not born, but other parts of the story contradict the laws of the gift. Kumal shouldn't have been able to dream walk. Most of the time we just assume his wives were given the gift at the same time he was. Also note the story includes angels or genie, which we don't see today."

As they travel, they get to an area where the cities are more common, dots, streaks, and patches on the desert. Hyrim alters their course, staying away from the patches.

Muso is the first to point out their destination, A large... palace is just about the only way to describe it. Its not even a city: its all one building, and its apperent its well built. They've been traveling for around 6 hours.

As they approach, several winged creatures take off from the place walls, looking something like gargoyles, but less stone and less animal. They are not armed with claws but with swords or long spears.

PS. (Hyrim brought clothes for Tereza, so she isn't wearing just the old wember).

[Poonbahbah]

Looking at the huge building Tereza will admit, "That is one impressive looking place.

So who are the winged people? And before you say 'guards' I mean things like what race are they, is their culture at all different, anything I should know to keep from aggravating them because of cultural differences? That sorta thing."

OOC Then I'm sure she changed into them at the earliest opportunity. So what do they look like?

[ericthered]

Hiram: "Don't compliment me, compliment the builders. You'll get to meet them, and I have feeling you're going to want to meet all the conjured. They love to be praised. And thats an older palace as well. Over 300 years, and continuous contraction for most of it. I remember it going up. There are dozens of additions." He Frowns. "Of course, we've had to put most the builders on siege work with the army."

Muso: "The Brukit? They're conjured. They don't have a culture outside of ours. And if they were natural, they'd end up as beasts. Extremely dangerous and cunning beasts, but beasts. Supposes they ever showed their own initiative, which they don't. They're not good for much other than hurting people, breaking things, and threatening to do so. Fantastic soldiers though."

[Poonbahbah]

To Hyrim, "I will."

To Muso, "Conjured too? How many different kinds of conjured and unconjured peoples are there?"

[ericthered]

"Well, there are some very rare types of conjured folk, but almost all of them are a few kinds. There's the salakor, like me. We... kind of run things. We have a knack for that. Some argue we're repositories of knowledge, but azinar are better at that. And their heart-gems are a lot cheaper. And you always forget the little ball is a person. There are the builders of course, which look like massive men, and then the two soldier constructs: Brukit and Ramiti. Brukit you've seen. They are big, tough, and fly. There are sandstorms with more subtlety. The Ramiti are technically soldiers, but they function as assassins just as much. They have blue fur, four arms, claws, teeth, and lightning reflexes. Oh, and they're absolutely bloodthirsty. If you see one that doesn't bow its head when you make eye contact, get away from it.. Its on an assassination mission."

[Poonbahbah]

"What about non conjured folk? Any, Halflings, Dwarves, Elves, Vulcans, Klingons, Kinzin, Kilrathi, Puppeteers, Hutts, Miraluka, Centauri, Narn, or anything else for that matter?" 'Gasp,' "Huh, what a mouthful."