Harvest 14, 6106 RTR (Sep 07, 2008) After 'sleeping' for over a hundred days, Envoy awakes on Abaddon to find that much has changed.
(Planet Abaddon) (Envoy) (Space) (Spheres of Magic)
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    A Maze of Twisty Little Vine-Choked Passages, All Alike
    The surroundings can be best described as green – very green. Vines twist and warp, multi-colored fungus grows in clusters, luminescent mossy patches cling to the "walls," and small gaps in the twisty vine ceilings let light through that might very well be sunlight.

Several vine-choked passageways converge upon a large, tall chamber, the ceiling of which blossoms with gigantic flowers that glow faintly from within. In the center of the chamber, vines and flowers twist together, forming what might look like a tower made entirely of plants.

"It'S up ahead," comes a hissing voice. "I can See the lightS are brighter!"

"At laSt," comes another voice, dwelling long on the "S" sound. "We Should be upon the reSting plaCe of the dead Seed."

"Excuse me," comes another voice, in another language, and without the drawn-out hissing noises. "I see you've stopped. I … oh! The lights! And according to my readings … yes, I think we've found it at last! And if I understand correctly, that should mean we find her as well, correct? Ah … right, right. I'll … just follow your lead, of course."

Blades hack at twisting shrubbery, and some of the vines rattle and draw back in animated fashion from the wounds. A low rumble sounds beneath the ground, as more move into place. "We are cloSe! The barrierS react! They Still react to thoSe mageS – curSe them. Fire team!" There's a snap and a click, and then a whoosh of gas, followed by the roar of flame, and the crackle of burning plants. More rattles, and more scraping, as animated vines retreat from the flame.

Somewhere in the darkness, an entity awakes, groggy, from a peculiar dream about puppets. There's a faint glow from above – from a crown of crystals. It's very close and cramped in here.

"Ugghh," the figure groans, and tries to disentangle its limbs from the all-encompassing vines and vegetation. "Did they bury me in the Sanctuary?" Envoy mutters dryly, taking a moment to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth.

The tower of plants shudders and convulses, and begins to unwrap itself from around Envoy. The sound is less muffled, and she's able to take in the glow of the chamber, as her eyes adjust more quickly than human ones would. A dust-like, flaky material sloughs off of her skin, pulled away by the retreating vines. She can hear a low chanting … and then as the vines pull back further, she can see a surprised team of snakes lowering a smoking device she can assume is some sort of mechanical flamethrower that they might have been tempted to try to cut through the tower of plants that had encompassed her.

"Master Bannai," Assistant Chapessi says, then stating the obvious, "It is her! She lives!"

Envoy gets to her feet a bit shakily. "Mmm, yes. How long was I dead?" she asks, then thinks perhaps she should have phrased the question differently. "Is the Seed okay? Did you happen to bring any water?"

A human male dressed in black, with a long black cloak, and squarish spectacles, clasps a string of beads, and keeps praying fervently, mostly ignored by the anthropomorphic snakes. Another human – the inventor, Mr. Thorndike (the Third), stands nearby, mouth agape in wonder. At last, he comes to his senses. "Water! She was asking for water!" He switches to "pidgin-Imperial" to convey the request.

An Imperial trooper puts down his fuel tank, and slithers over to Envoy, unscrewing the cap of his canteen. He offers it with a low bow of his head and a flick of his tongue.

"Imperial, right," Envoy says with a nod, and drinks deeply. Hissing just wouldn't be practical with a dry mouth. "Thank you," she manages after draining the canteen. Now if only her brain didn't still feel so dry. "I think I might have a 'hangover'," she says in Standard, since she doesn't think the Imperials would understand the reference.

Master Bannai slithers over next, and the trooper only barely manages to scamper out of the way rather than being roughly shoved. The snake snaps a rod-like device that illuminates, as he examines Envoy's eyes, and then he "sniffs" at her with his tongue, and examines a few other things in somewhat doctorly fashion. He withdraws, satisfied. "She iS indeed alive," he says. "She iS not a plant-puppet."

Envoy blinks three times, shedding a few scales from her eyelids. "Puppet? What… is this still Research Chamber Number 317?" she asks.

"It waS," Master Bannai says, with a flick of his tongue, though he seems amused in Naga-ish fashion, rather than annoyed. "It waS deStroyed by the awakening of the Seed. But it iS no matter. All the ReSearch chamberS are aS good aS SucceSSful now. I SuppoSe you have been aSleep for all thiS time. Then, perhapS I Should bring you up to Speed while my aSSiStantS attend to you… "

Serpent-men (and women) slither in and out of the chamber, calling out. Soon, the chamber is nearly full of an assortment of reptilian people, plus the odd human, some of them taking measurements with odd devices, a few chanting prayers off to the side (and, by the looks of them – serpent-folk and humans – not necessarily to the same deity), and the rest tending to Envoy or standing at the ready. She is brought new, regal robes, and folding screens are set up to give her some semblance of privacy as lady serpents tend to her. Master Bannai, meanwhile, narrates something of what has happened in the interim.

"Some time, you Spent in a tranCe," Master Bannai starts off, "and then, the Seed awakened." As he explains further, this simple phrase would appear to be quite the understatement. The Seed didn't merely "awake." More like, it erupted, in an explosion of foliage – either originating from the research chamber itself, or bursting out of the earth in an increasing outward radius. Bizarre foliage appeared, most of it of varieties already present in the dangerous canals of Abaddon, though some of it considerably mutated from those original forms. The result was disastrous to the Life Dome, and sent the Empire Center into chaos. It would have been a prime time for the Imperials' rivals to strike against them, if they were so inclined … but when other forces came to test the Imperial borders and to investigate, they were stunned by the growing jungle "oasis" in the middle of the rust-colored desert.

For several days, the outward expansion continued, unchecked, but at last it stopped, and the serpent-folk extracted themselves from the vine-choked ruins of their domed city … only to discover that a new "life dome" of sorts had emerged, sheltered by giant, translucent, leafy canopies and supported by great tree trunks. Those who had come to find an opportunity to take a chunk out of the Imperial domain either decided to beat a hasty retreat (supposing that the Imperials had PLANNED this, and had developed some sort of scary new technology), or else opted to lend assistance … no doubt with self-interest in mind, and a hope to find out how they might better themselves with this new development.

Over the course of the time thereafter, many bizarre things occurred. There were the vines that would ensnare prey and swallow them up – though, thankfully, these animated plants would only swallow, not chew, and were best adapted for prey that didn't have access to mechanical weaponry and tools. Even more bizarre were the "pod people," plants that would prick victims with needle-covered vines, and then grow plant-based simulacra to match their appearance (but with only the crudest aping of their behavior). An invasion of these "plant-snakes" ended up causing quite the panic, though it was not all that difficult to sort out the "pretenders" and to apprehend and/or eliminate them. It's still not entirely clear why this happened, or what purpose such an adaptation might really serve. Other plants exhibited bioluminescense, or had an annoying habit of exploding with bursts of pollen or shrapnel-like pods – so exploring of the deep interior has been left to the domain of well-armed-and-armored Imperial forces.

Eventually, representatives of Caroban came calling, and by the description, it would seem that these representatives shared some sort of kinship with the likes of Ra Shrikendune. They had reason to believe that an Exile known as "Envoy" might be here, and engaging in behavior that they disapproved of for some reason or another – whether in violation of their "guild" rules, or maybe they were just in a bad mood. In any case, the Imperials were in little mood to entertain them, and if Envoy had indeed been responsible for all this, they weren't about to hand her over to these strangers. Depending on how this played out, they would prefer to reward – or punish – her themselves.

"ReSt aSSured," Master Bannai interjects here. "It haS played out well indeed. You are a heroine of the Empire. There were difficultieS, but we have overcome."

As for the presence of the chanting men and serpents, it would seem that the mages of Caroban have seen their powers increase, particularly within the realms of Life and Earth, even on Abaddon. It was said, by a visitor, that the magic potential of certain schools has been increasing – stabilizing near, or even slightly above the level to be found at the sky island level on Sinai. It was also discovered, by Imperial spies keen to counteract the power of what might potentially be a new rival, that "holy men" had a certain efficacy in their prayers at thwarting the efforts of mages (as demonstrated in an incident involving some "exiles" from Sinai who were being pursued by agents of Caroban, who took shelter at a monastery – yet the mages' scrying efforts turned up nothing). It would seem that the powers of Abaddon have caught on, and "holy men" have come to be in high demand for shielding secrets from scrying eyes.

Feeling more alive now after eating her fill (and hearing it as well), Envoy asks, "Has there been any sign of the original Seed itself? The one I saw within Sutaranakh was very large, but still a sphere in shape."

"Judging by our current elevation," Master Bannai says, as the screens are finally withdrawn, and Envoy – freshly bathed and adorned in a new set of golden robes (with white trim) – is no more hidden away from sight, "the Seed muSt be in a chamber directly below uS at thiS point." He shakes his head. "I thought perhapS theSe paSSageS would take uS directly there … but it SeemS you are above the Seed, not beSide it."

The Aeolun looks down at the 'tower', and closes her eyes. She then begins to sing a cantrip; a variation of the plant communion one to try and find the 'root' of the vegetation.

The luminescent blossoms in the chamber brighten and dim in rhythm with the Exile's song. Envoy can sense that Master Bannai's assertion is more-or-less correct, though she gathers that his calculations may not have taken all into account: The Seed has actually buried itself deep into the ground from its original position – and has displaced a considerable amount of earth in the process, as it has grown to great size.

"It's gone to ground; literally," Envoy reports. "It's sprouted, certainly. I do not think it will be of much use in powering your technology unless you can draw power from the vines or flowers." Which also means I can't grow a small one for Leviathan. Maybe one of the Sea Raiders' pearls would work instead, she thinks to herself.

At this, Master Bannai looks definitely downcast. "Ah. I See." But then, he gazes up at the glowing, pulsing blossoms lining the ceiling, and flicks his tongue thoughtfully. "PerhapS that may warrant further reSearch… "

Envoy eyes the flowers as well. "Flowers produce seeds. You just have to fertilize them," she points out.

Master Bannai nods, drawing back his mouth in a wide, snakish attempt at a smile. "True enough." He then returns his attention to Envoy. "You muSt be … hmm … I do not know what you muSt be. ExhauSted, I waS about to Say, but perhapS not the right aSSumption, for you have been Sleeping for So long, yeS?"

"I suppose it was sleep," Envoy notes. "And yes, I am still waking up. I wonder though… do you know if there are any veins of Sifras crystal running below here?"

"Yes," Master Bannai says, "there haS been much intereSt in Such thingS, even more So with the coming of the mageS from Sinai. The entertainer there," and here he gestures to Mr. Thorndike the Third, "haS many deviCeS that have been uSeful in finding Such odditieS."

Mr. Thorndike bows at mention of his name, but the expression on his face suggests that his command of the Imperial tongue is, as yet, still woefully limited – and he probably hasn't the foggiest idea under what circumstances his name was invoked.

"Hmmm," Envoy muses. "The Seed went deep underground. It may have rooted itself to a crystal vein. I'm going to see if the synchronization codes I learned on Behemoth have any effect," she warns, then starts singing various sequences at the nearest glowing blossom, to see if it reacts.

As Envoy starts, the blossoms definitely seem to respond to her, at least in terms of changing hue and brightness and shifting around in position a little in time with her song … but it's not evident that they actually do anything of note in response.

"Well, that… didn't seem to be very indicative of anything," the Aeolun reports, and tries getting close enough to touch a blossom. "Please let me know if your instruments notice any changes," she requests, and then tries singing to the flower again while touching it.

Mr. Thorndike watches the indicators on his devices intently, as needles bounce and spin.

As Envoy sings, she explores the ways in which the flowers react. As she reaches a particular harmonic, focused on a blossom, it glows with greater intensity, and the air begins to smell of crackling ozone. Then, she tries a different tactic, singing to one blossom, then another, in sequence, and watches as the glowing-and-fading patterns of one blossom are carried across the room in a pattern not entirely unlike a ripple in a shallow pool. There is some sort of correspondence going on here, and definitely a potential power source – or maybe even a future control room or communications center, depending upon how these links are exploited.

Mr. Thorndike, meanwhile, struggles to translate his observations of the readings on his devices into Imperial-pidgin for the benefit of Master Bannai. Unfortunately for him, all of the other humans present appear to be holy men whose purpose is just to keep chanting in the hopes of warding off mage scryers. In light of all the seemingly magical goings-on, they chant more fervently, as if supposing that they'll have a harder time keeping this place from the prying eyes of Caroban.

"I'm sure your researchers will find a way to tap into this," Envoy tells Bannai after her experiments. She notices the shamans, and asks in a quieter voice, "Are there still mages from Sinai on Abaddon that you know of? I'd think they'd assume I was dead by now. Well, the unimaginative ones would anyway."

"They may aSSume," Master Bannai says, "but we cannot aSSume that they do. In any caSe, now that their 'magic' SeemS to function at an appreCiable level in our world, the mageS are Searching for a plaCe for themSelveS here … and, it SeemS they wiSh to aSSert their guild'S authority here aS well, leSt thiS plaCe become a haven for 'hedge-wiZardS.'" He flicks his tongue in distaste, though it's not immediately clear just what thing he has mentioned that has earned it.

"Well, you could start your own Guild first, I suppose," Envoy suggests. "There is no magical tradition here on Abaddon, after all. You could make Mages who emigrate join your Guild instead."

The snake forms a wide smile, for show. "It haS been propoSed by our leaderS. Our fear, however, iS that where magic iS conCerned, the mageS of Caroban have greater knowledge of how to uSe it. We do not wiSh to anger them … not too much, not too Soon. We muSt learn more about their limitationS. We allow them to be on Abaddon, and for them to do their reSearch, with our bleSSing – and our obServation – but we will not Submit ourSelveS to them. And you cannot remain dead forever, I am Sure. We Shall have to come to an arrangement. If Caroban bringS harm to you, they bring harm to the one who haS awakened the Seed for uS. ThiS would be … diSpleaSing."

"It isn't as if I can go around planting new Life Domes though," Envoy notes. "I will have to prepare a report to the High Council on Caroban of what I've discovered, and why magic is now returning to Abaddon. And another for the Temple of Rephidim, and for my fa-" Envoy stops abruptly. With how long she's been unconscious, she has no way of knowing if Barabbas is still alive or not. The thought of having lost any more time with him, or that he died in captivity because of her, fills her with a feeling of emptiness. "I should probably go to New Zion and try to open up communications with the powers-that-be on Sinai, in other words."

The serpent-man nods. "We Shall provide whatever tranSportation you require," he hisses. "But if time allowS, it would pleaSe uS greatly to have a banquet in your honor. ThiS iS a time for Celebration." He turns and eyes the glowing blossoms. "And, I SuSpect, it may herald many more cauSeS for CelebrationS yet."

"Of course," Envoy concedes. "I'm sorry for the initial inconvenience of all… this," she adds, sweeping a hand at the vegetation run amok. "I don't suppose you managed to recover any of my belongings? I hope the Mages didn't make off with them."

"ASSiStant ChapeSSi," Master Bannai hisses, indicating the smaller serpent (who head-bobs in acknowledgement), "retrieved many artifactS of yourS. It waS aS if the Seed eXpelled all of it – Save for you, yourSelf." At this, Assistant Chapessi digs into a large pack of items that must have been brought along in the hopes that they might provide some sort of key to locating Envoy, or the Seed. Immediately recognizable is a crystal box, with small Sifran artifacts inside.

"Transportation," Mr. Thorndike says, repeating the Imperial word awkwardly, and then translating it into English. He grins broadly, as if catching a secret joke.

"Thank goodness!" Envoy says with relief at the sight of the box. "Those artifacts could be the key to saving the world," she notes. Then adds, "Well, several worlds I suppose, if the Engines are standardized… "

Chapessi head-bobs. "An appariTion Showed me the way," the serpent hisses. "It Showed me theSe thingS and bid me to guard them, and to bring otherS and return to find you. It Showed me the way to eScape … and then I awoke, but the thingS were Still there, juSt aS I had dreamed."

"You saw Morpheus?" Envoy asks the assistant. "Black, with bat-wings and a feline face, and eyes that seem to change size?"

Chapessi head-bobs rapidly. "I have not Seen Such a people as thiS one muSt come from! I thought it … forgive me for Such fooliShness, but maybe a demon or an angel or a Spirit?" The term "apparition," in Imperial, incidentally, though it can be used to refer to that which is a "ghost," is a decidedly neutral term that could just as easily refer to an illusion of technological origin.

"I cannot remember all that he Said," Chapessi admits, "but he Said that they had touched the … " The snake pauses with an odd expression that seems to be a serpentine equivalent of a thoughtful frown. "They had touched power, through the Seed. It iS the beSt I can make of it. The wordS, I underStood them, but they were not in Imperial. It iS … perpleXing."

"He's a bit of a … " and here Envoy has to resort to Standard, "God. Well, not really a God sort of god, but a very powerful entity that fits the description as used on Sinai."

The snake makes a humorous rapid tongue-flick. "I think he Said Such a word, though to Say I Should not call him that – even though I waS not about to."

"The Seeds may have been early Sifras experiments," Envoy says. "If such is the case, there may be more here in the Primus system yet to be discovered. Wouldn't that be something?" she asks with a grin.

As Envoy has a chance to retrieve her articles, she finds them all intact – but the Sifran artifacts look somewhat different. For one thing, there are faint traces of light emitting from them – so faint that it could be taken for just a reflection – as they seem to respond, ever so slightly, to the pulsing of the blossoms within the chamber.

Mr. Thorndike clears his throat, standing over to the side, as he makes a beckoning gesture – though he seems to be trying to be nonchalant about it.

"These are supposed to be dead… oh," Envoy says, noticing the human. She goes over to him and whispers, "How have you been doing, Mr. Thorndike?"

"Doing quite fine," the human says. "It's been rather frustrating, though, being less than able to communicate properly. Would you believe that I've done rather well for myself – at least, in terms of what passes for the local currency, and what conveniences can be purchased with it – as what amounts to an entertainer? Yes, the dazzling lights and whirring noises of my machine when it doesn't actually do anything … it seems that some of the well-to-do serpent-people have decided that it's all well and good just to watch while they nibble on small squirmy creatures, even if the machine doesn't actually do much of anything useful."

"It comes from another universe," Envoy points out. "I'm sure people would like to see it even it didn't make lights and noises. I thought you would have relocated to New Zion to be with the other humans by now. I apologize for leaving you 'stranded' as it were."

"Well, honestly," he admits, "I've had some opportunity to make some contacts, through the monks. But, you see, the irony is that I'm not really stranded at all. The machine works, after all. Not quite like I wish it would – but it works."

At this news, Envoy's ears perk straight up. "You said it could travel through space and time, Mr. Thorndike. Which of these functions has returned?"

Mr. Thorndike makes a nervous half-grin, half-grimace, as he drums the tips of his fingers together, looking about, nodding to anyone who looks his direction. "I have been able to hire bearers to take the device back to the place where we first arrived in this place – Abaddon. It would seem that this is the key: there are only certain places where it can work properly – conduits to the aether, I suppose. And from that place, I have journeyed to several other locations … but it would seem that I have failed to break the barrier of time, except in one instance. And that … I cannot be completely certain of."

"Other locations," Envoy repeats. "On Abaddon, or to other worlds? Are the places all… chaotic?"

"Chaotic! Yes, yes," he says, nodding, and then he shudders. "Perhaps you recall how I feared that when we came here, I had transported us to Hell itself? I was quite wrong. Hell is another place entirely – but judging from the stars, perhaps not all that far from here after all. But I digress. After some analysis of the readings, I suppose that many of the locations that I reached were within this very same star system. I plotted a model of this star system, with the help of the Imperial astronomers – and that took quite the effort, really, to explain what I was after – and it seems that the only way back to my world is through a conduit that passes through the world known as 'Behemoth.' Except, when I went back to my world … it was mine, but different. No one recognized me. It was a world in which I had never existed. And when I went back another time, after introducing myself and impressing the locals with the spectacle my machine caused … no one remembered me from my prior visit, either. But, honestly, there wasn't a familiar face to be seen either time. I suppose I cannot be absolutely certain it was my own world, but perhaps some sort of doppleganger … an alternate version of it."

"A new generation of it," Envoy whispers, eyes wide. "That means the Engines recreate similar universes each time. But to know that the same conduit exists… that is unexpected. Traveling between Forbidden Zones without first going through Behemoth is remarkable though! If you can control which you go to… well, you'd still be in a Forbidden Zone. And I suspect a few of those are under water if Ashtoreth has any… "

"Well … it is funny you should mention going through Behemoth again," Mr. Thorndike muses. "If I work a route that uses the conduit through Behemoth, I have been able to deliberately revisit some of the locales I have visited before. But if I do not … then it seems to be entirely happenstance, where I end up. But there must not be an infinite number of possibilities, for I have ended up in the same place twice." He pauses, frowning. "Well, I have ended up in a similar place, twice. I cannot with absolute certainty claim that it is the same place, in light of my experiences attempting to visit my home world."

"Was it a place where the landscape seemed to change around you?" Envoy asks.

"It looked as if the sky were airless outside, and everything was in flux," he says. "My pressure gauge was being rather indecisive. I dared not set foot outside the craft."

"But the real joke of it is, I haven't been able to interest the Imperials in it at all," he adds, shrugging. "The simple fellows I hired on to help me cart the craft back out to the so-called 'Forbidden Zone' – well, they were apparently content to just set up camp and wait for my return, and seemed to think nothing that I had vanished in a flash – and then returned later from thin air. And apparently they haven't bothered to tell anyone, and I haven't been able to get anyone to follow me out there – doubtless they think it would just be another light show. I suppose with some effort, I could get someone to translate, but I fear they would think it was a case of the boy crying wolf."

"Ah, you are fortunate for their silence, Mr. Thorndike," Envoy notes. "Trade between the inhabited – or colonized – worlds is done through Gateway towers that allow large amounts of material to be traded, but are limited in how many times per day they can be used. You posses a way to travel between worlds that is fairly unrestricted, if limited to small amounts of mass. But you use a machine, and machines can be duplicated, can't they?"

"Quite so," Mr. Thorndike says, with a nod. "And though certain materials are hard to come by here … well, I happen to have a way to reach worlds where those resources can be purchased at a more reasonable price … er, that is, if I have the proper currency on hand. It took a bit of bartering, but I managed to acquire enough spare materials during my visit to the world that wasn't quite my own – hmm, a cumbersome appellation, that – to keep my device going for a while longer."

"I would like very much to travel with you again, Mr. Thorndike," Envoy says. If he can reach Behemoth through the Forbidden Zones, then maybe I can hear the Engine Song and do so as well, she thinks, feeling a little tingle of excitement. She can't very well use the Gateway itself without either a very good disguise or Legion escort at the moment, given her reputation.

Mr. Thorndike brightens at this. "Well, I would be happy to oblige! Perhaps after whatever honorifics are taken care of that the Empire demands, I could arrange for a test-run. You seem to be rather knowledgeable about these worlds – at the very least, you might be able to save me considerable time by at least telling me what world I've landed on." He grins widely. "It is so good to see you again! For the longest time – well, I think even these serpent-folk were worried about you."

"Well, this is the least traumatic 'death' I've had so far," Envoy notes. "That in itself is something to celebrate, I suppose!" She then realizes something, and excuses herself to close her crystal box. My alien rainforest seed is in there, she thinks. The box must have protected it from the burst of Earth magic. But at least now I know I might be able to find that place again – or at least something nearly indistinguishable from it.

---

GMed by Greywolf

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