Forests of Himar
The further north one goes from sea, the larger the trees become. While this means that is more shade from the canopies, it also makes for easier travel as there is less underbrush and the trunks are more widely spaced. The sounds of small creatures fill the green-tinged world day and night, along with the constant background of the man rivers and streams.

The hike through the forests is anything but straightforward - or straight at all. Moire and Growf keep the group following the river most of the time, but there are also sudden wide detours to avoid dangerous areas - namely Kadie territories, which the Jupani prefer to avoid. "They throw big nuts down from trees," Growf explains.

It's otherwise been a pleasant hike. The weather has been kind and it the nights were mild enough to sleep without pitching tents. The pace has also been easy (much to Hakeber's relief) as the Jupani take time to hunt along the way. Aaron has time to collect plants as they walk, for medicinal, magical or snacking purposes, and Gabriel finds it all very refreshing. There's no privacy of course, but in the wilderness it isn't much of an issue.

The third day is when everything changes. As Growf said, the journey was 'two days, then three' - the latter meaning three days of hiking into the mountains. The going is rougher now, with some rather steep climbing in spots. It helps that Tasha can fly over the worst parts and help pull others up with ropes. Gabriel and Hakeber have the most trouble here, as it's quite a workout. When they camp, however, they have a spectacular view of the top of the Red Cliffs, where rising plumes of smoke pinpoint the various mining operations. Expedition binoculars provide better detail, such as the daily Titanian battles using kludged together machines. Growf especially enjoys those, and asks for the binoculars whenever they pause to rest.

After three days in the mountains, they still find themselves in high valleys formed by the roots of the real mountains. And in one of these shadowed pockets they reach Rainbow Springs, so named for its hot springs and the constant rainbow caused by a high waterfall. The water from it turns to mist long before reaching the ground, producing the rainbow.

The Jupani village is small, home to a single tribe. It takes some time for Moire to convince her chief (who might also be her husband) to let the strangers stay until they are ready to climb higher up to the Vartan settlements.

Taking a deep deep breath of fresh mountain area, Tasha watches the hazey arc of the mist-made rainbow. As a creature of the sky, she's always been distinctly aware of the quality of the air around her. Here, beneath the waterfall and far up in to the mountains, the fresh mountain breeze is emminently soothing. She's decided the hike wasn't bad either, but all this walking isn't much easier on her -- hooves or no. Still, having ground-bound companions have helped her get used to the terrestrial life.

"I hope they have someplace we can soak our feet," Hakeber says, sitting on a rock while their stay is negotiated. "I've never walked so much in my life, I think. I hurt all the way up to my butt."

"I'll make you some muscle ointment," Aaron promises, one ear turned towards the negotiations (even though he admitted that he didn't understand Jupani).

Growf hovers nearby. He has in turn idolized Gabriel and lusted after Hakeber, in his own juvenile way. "Want drink?" he asks the group.

"Thank you, Growf, I wouldn't mind some fresh water," Gabriel says, and that's enough to send the young wolf running off. "Hmm, wattle-and-daub huts, some basic ceramics.. these folks live light."

"Not surprising," Aaron says. "The bigger settlements were near the city, and would have either gotten caught in the Boomer or hit by the canal monsters. Out here, they have to compete with the Vartans, who probably don't want their neighbors to be too well off."

Tasha pauses in her reverie to glance over and listen to the conversation, finding herself briefly surprised with Aaron's mention of competing resources. The younger, angrier her would have been faster to catch the conflict, after all. "How are you two doing? Are you sure you want to continue?"

"I'll catch my second wind soon enough," Gabriel says with a smile. "Airship travel has gotten me used to thinner air, and the exercise is probably doing me good."

"I'm not going to be outdone by a man as old as my father," Hakeber insists. "Just.. keep an eye on me. I've never been up a mountain before.."

Moire returns, with Growf on her heals carrying a waterjug. "All decided," the woman notes, and points to a hut. "You can stay in there. One more day to prepare yourselves for climb, then go up day after or go back to city. Gehnoh?"

Tasha smiles back. "I'm glad to see you looking so energetic and healthy. I think you're right." Her gaze lingers on her mate before she turns to Hakeber and nods. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Hake. Gabriel has a great deal of training, and both Aaron and I are used to travel. Don't push yourself too hard. There'll be plenty more adventures after this one."

As Moire returns she listens, then nods again. "Gehnoh. We appreciate your hospitality and willingness to let strangers such as our selves in to your community." She then inclines her head respectfully.

"I say you from sky city," Moire tells Tasha. "Not from local tribes. Vartans and Jupani no mix here in mountains."

"You're not wrong, at least not with me. I am from the sky city, but of course Abaddon is my home now," Tasha offers conversationally. "Is there any special reason why the different tribes don't mingle?"

"Vartans and Solu come down to hunt our game," the Jupani woman notes. "Not give compensation."

"I see." Tasha decides to avoid further inquery, as she knows strong two sided conflicts can be, not to mention the bias of their participants. Her thought to ask if anyone really owns the wilderness would likely be unappreciated. "Thank you for the explaination." She inclines her head again. "I think we'll settle in and rest a while. If you need me, I'll be in the cut or here, by the waterfall."

After depositing their belongings in the hut, Growf says, "Come springs? Hot! Good for tired legs."

"What do you say? I was going to see if I could fly up to the top of the falls as soak there, watching the sun set, but if you'ld rather I come along ..?" Tasha asks, looking to Gabriel.

"Hmm, icy cold waterfall versus steamy hot spring," Gabriel says, tilting his head in thought. "You could always do both of course.."

"I could," Tasha agrees, then gestures him forward before snatching his hand up. "No reason to wait then."

The springs aren't too far from the village, and separated by function: one for washing, one for cooking and one for bathing. The bathing pool has cold water from a stream mixed in to make it merely hot instead of scalding. They currently have it all to themselves too. "Oh, I need this!" Hakeber says as she soaks her legs.

At the same time, Tasha shifts until she gets the angle of her back just right, her head resting her piled scarf at the pool's edge as she lowers the rest of her body -- wings included --- in to the water. "Mmmm," she murmurs, possibily looking even more contented than earlier. "If water wasn't such a concern, I'm sure we could build some geothermal hot springs on Abaddon."

"Plenty of places for it," Gabriel agrees, relaxing next to Tasha. Aaron is the last one in. "At least we weren't put into the soup spring," he says with a nervous laugh. "I don't think they're going to give us a guide to Titan's Aerie, but I guess they know where it is.."

Tasha scootches over until she has her head laying back on Gabriel's chest rather than the her scarf, and she smiles for it. "I'm sure cooking a Abaddonian worshipper would be very ironic, too," she says with a chuckle, then goes on to say, "It shouldn't be too hard. If we get lost you three can start a fire and I'll go scout for the town, using the fire to find my way back. Or, maybe our mirrors. Personally, I think they'll see us before we see them. I wouldn't be surprised if they confronted us before we reached the town."

"If that's the case, I hope Hellas is already back there and told them to expect us," the paranoid Lapi claims, before sinking down to his chin and drooping his ears.

"If not, we can practice our diplomatic skills," Tasha insists, sounding unconcerned. "It should help that I'm also Vartan. We Vartans are a very accepting people, once you get past the gruffness. I know she probably hopes for more from me than I can give, but I didn't have any trouble getting along with Colonel Rapatia and others across two wolrds. I'm sure things will go the same way."

"Except these are Vartans that don't have any dealings with outsiders that doesn't involve sharp objects," Aaron frets. "I mean, Hellas's group obviously has some contact.. or at least she does, but the ones we really want to talk to may never have seen a hybrid.. or a Karnor or a Lapi even.."

"At lest these Jupani don't have demons," Hakeber notes. "What do you think that's about? Are there really demons in the mountains? I mean.. supernatural monsters?"

"You worry too much, Aaron. Even if there's a problem, we'll handle it. We're not some random group of adventurers that have never been off the streets of Rephidim," the red woman tries to assure her friend.

At the mention of demons, Tasha goes quiet for a moment, clearly thinking on the matter with that aura of calm that seems to have followed her ever since they left Olympia. At length, she offers, "That there are demons -- or beings that people call demons and who are both 'magical' and outside of normal organic life -- is unquestioned. The key to the mystery lies in, I think, what their real nature is. That is, the dissonance between belief and reality. They may just be misunderstood, or, well, they could be even worse. It will be interesting either way."

"They're flesh and blood, just mysterious," Aaron insists. "Vartans can be superstitious, so the K'hu'an are likely playing that against them."

"I know I am," Tasha confirms with a grin, tapping the obsidian-beaded necklace she wears, the entwined dagger and labyrs symbols clinking toegther. "And Aaron is right. The key to a good aura of mysticisim and the supernatural is mystery and acting."

"So, you don't expect to be cowed by these demons, if we meet them?" Gabriel asks. "Or should we act impressed?"

"It's impossible to know until we know more about them," Tasha reasons. "But, we may be able to pick up some clues from the tribesmen."

"We've got one day to prepare," Hakeber notes. "Is there anything we need to do besides rest up?"

"We should be prepared for anything, but I think we already handled that expectation before getting here. Aaron has his medical supplies, we have our weapons, our tools, enough food to last us for a while, and our wits. I'd say we're about as prepared as we can be," the hybrid answers. "As for being cowed, I think I've been through worse and Abaddon's faith teaches us to face challenges head-on. I'm actually excited! How about you, Hake? Are you ready?"

"If my legs don't seize up on me now that we're not climbing, yes," Hakeber claims.

"I'm sure she's excited too," Aaron claims. "She'll be meeting a whole new race the Expedition knows nothing about, after all."

"Dunno!" Aaron admits. "They could be a subrace of Zelaks for all that I could ever find out about them."

Tasha nods to that. "That's very true. We must try and be good diplomats. How we conduct ourselves will reflect on the JEF, possibily for many years to come."

"What did you think of the Zelaks, Gabriel? Are they Confederate technology run wild?" Tasha then asks.

"The Zelaks seem.. similar, but the Confederates never created anything that would respond to commands: they used insect biology as a base for their machines. The Zelaks seem different."

"Then they may have seperate origins, possibility even pre-Expedition origins. Hmm," Tasha murmurs.

"You've only seen the soldiers the hives sell," Aaron notes. "There are a variety of Zelak forms, they're just confined to their hives. But they do engage in trade, and are very acquisitive of First Ones artifacts."

"Aren't we all?" Tasha remarks with a chuckle. "Still, that could indicate a cultural connection to an earlier race, or else a scientific, religious, or historical interest that could be worth exploring some day."

"Maybe they were the pets of a long-gone First Ones civilization," Aaron suggests, and shrugs. "I'm not about to walk into a hive and ask their queen. Only a very few privileged traders are allowed contact with them."

"More than we can deal with right now, but perhaps a job for our eventual Diplomatic Corp.," Tasha agrees. "For now, we should focus on what's ahead of us tomorrow. I think I'm going to visit the falls, then go to bed earlier so I can meet the sunrise."

"Finally, a night indoors, and I'm too sore to take advantage of it," Hakeber notes. "Unless.. they must have beer here, right? You can't have civilization without beer!"

Tasha shakes her head. "These people live difficult lives, we shouldn't ask any more of them than we already have, especially when it's not a necessity."

"It's something you'll get used to as you travel. You'll become amazed by just how little you need," Tasha offers in comfort.

"I'm sure the Vartans will have beer," Gabriel says, trying to sound reassuring. "Don't stay too long up at the waterfall, Tasha. None of us can get to you quickly if there's trouble. And no looking into caves this time, alright?"

As she rises, Tasha gives her mate a nod. "I found the cave I was looking for, I don't think I need another one," she promises. Fetching her clothes, she quickly dresses herself and retrieves her sword from where she left it outside. She would have brough teh others, but she isn't certain of how safe it would be and her wings need a rest. After securing her gear, she's begins her brief walk out of town.

There's no path to the waterfall, probably since the village gets the fresh water from the streams where the mist collects and coalesces. The top is incredibly high up: hundreds of feet above the village. Tasha will definitely need to fly.

Pulling a deep breath through her nose, Tasha eyes the highest ledge and mentally calculates the distance between various ledge safe points and likely thermal columns before she breaks in to an all out sprint. Hooves thumping the ground, she angles her wings for maximum and pushes off, soaring in to the air and circling until she makes contact with one of the rising air currents from the warm, vegetation-heavy area below, and begins to rise.

The waterfall cools the surrounding air in unpredictable ways, so Tasha still has to climb with her muscles most of the way. The top of the waterfall is a stony ledge, slicked by moisture since a second waterfall feeds this one, but is nowhere near as high. The chain continues up the face of the mountain, fall after fall.

Tasha takes a moment to appreciate the majesty of it all, thinking how beautiful her home world really is. She wonders just how high the waterfalls go; is there a beautiful lake? Melting ice? A long lost mystical fountain made of gold? Her life of adventure has become addictive, replacing many of her earlier vices with a hunger to travel and know. It may then come as no surprise when she starts winging up each waterfall, looking for the place of ideal beauty that lurks in her imagination.

There isn't a fountain of gold.. but there are exposed veins of minerals where the constant flow of water has washed away the outer layers of dirt and clay. And several hops upward, there's even a cave.

Tasha pauses to gather a few mineral crystals and other shiny bits, then pauses to eye the cave as if it existed simply to test her. "I know what you're up to and I'm not falling for it," she informs the cave, but still, it's tempting. A look couldn't hurt, she reasons, stepping closer to peek inside.

There's something glittery back in there. Which is odd, given how little light gets in.

Well aware of how comical her situation is quickly becoming, Tasha finds herself glad that no one's around to see her battle with curisosity. I wouldn't be much of an explorer if I just ignored something peculiar, she insists to herself, and it is shiny, so what kind of Vartan would I be, if I left that alone? Clearly, I have to enter this cave; the pride of Vartans and explorers everywhere is at stake. And so she forages around until she gets enough tinger and dry wood to, along with some twine she brought, make a couple of torches. Light in hand, she carefully heads inside.

The cave is damp and clearly water-cut. The floor is covered in gravel, until it starts to be covered in something else: gold coins. And cut gems, jewelry and other treasure; enough to ransom a Khattan Prince. The coins are all embossed with symbol of Saturanakh, the Nagai moon-goddess.

Hokay, Tasha says, bending over to examine a coin with a mix of excitement and dubiousness. I'm the luckiest Vartan in the world, I'm halucinating, or this is some sort of incredibly expensive trap." She quickly looks up, eyes trying to focus against the darkness. If she were going to trap a Vartan, this is how she'd do it. She considers reeaching for her sword, but she doesn't want to tip her hand yet. She pretends to examine the coins while searching for other things that are out of place, something that could indicate a trap, like a net on the ceiling or a trip wire.

The coins feel heavy, but are strangely silent. It's only when she shifts her hoof that a small avalanche of coins reveals the skull of a Naga. A very large Naga, with horns.

Having seen enough dead bodies by now, Tasha doesn't jump, but her expression does -- straight from excited to grim. Unlimbering her weapon, she uses her left hand to wedge her torch in to the soft soil so she can free the hand, using it to gently tap one of the coins against the back of her sword to try and ascertain its reality. Meanwhile, she keeps her eyes on the gloom beyond her torch, on guardfor whatever may have killed the Naga.

The coin actually crumbles when tapped with the sword. "They're cursed, you know," whispers a reptilian voice in Tasha's ear - or her head.

Her many experiences with the supernatural kicking in, Tasha holds steady as the voice whispers in her ears -- or her mind. That doesn't stop her hackles from feeling like they're about to lift off her neckneck! "Who cursed them, and why? Who are you?" She asks the gloom, uncertain if she'll be heard.

"I don't know my name," the voice says. "That's part of the curse. I have to be forgiven, but nobody knows my name. Clever, isn't it? Who I was.. well, I was not a nice person. Dragons rarely are. I stole this treasure from.. someone important. I suppose. They were powerful enough to curse me, anyway. Or the treasure was already cursed. It's been a long time, and.. it's been a long time. Do you have anything to smoke?"

"I do," Tasha replies, the crumbled remains of the coin scattering from her hand as she reaches for one of her pouches. Pulling out one of several cigarillos she brought for the trip, she lights it against the torch, then holds it to the gloom. "It seems like you've suffered a long time," she whispers. She's heard of dragons, but they've always been a mythology entwined in words; so many things are called 'dragon,' always hinting at something more. Maybe, she thinks, that 'more' met its end here. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Help? No, I don't think that's why you're here," the unseen spirit says. "I do appreciate the smoke though. It's the intangible things that matter now."

"I didn't come here to help you, but that doesn't mean I don't want to now," Tasha insists. She lowers her sword, unable to hold the large blade at the ready any longer, and doubting her weapon would be of much use anyway. Returning the weapon to her back, she reaches down and pick up a handful of treasure, eying it, then she reaches for the skull. "I could create more smoke. And these coins, they're marked with iconagraphy of Saturanakh, the Nagai moon-goddess. She was popularly revered during and before the time of the Expedition. They're likely to be extremely old, and the markings suggesting a religious significance that may have played a part in your curse ... "

"Yes.. I think maybe priests were involved," the spirit notes. "They tasted a bit pious. They didn't seem concerned with the coins though, really. Just with the donut."

"Sometimes it's the things that don't stand out that matter the most," Tasha agrees as she rises. She places the smoldering cigarillo on a rock, then lights her other torch off the first. "Can you show me this 'donut'?"

"It is on a chain around my neck," the spirit claims. The 'neck' is still buried under cursed treasure, so there may be some digging involved.

Tasha wedges her second torch in to the soft ground, then draws her weapon again. Using it much like a spade, she begins digging around the skull with a determined look in her eyes. Even if this creature had been a terrible monstrocity, no one deserves to suffer like this, she thinks to herself, and can't help but feel the plight of Nora, cursed not by others, but by her unwillingness to give up. She forged a curse in to a blessing that allowed her to exist, but Tasha still long to help her. And, while the means to help her remain beyond her grap, maybe she can help this ghost. Maybe she'll be that much closer. And so she digs.

"It is a circle, with Sutaranakh embossed on one side," the spirit narrates as Tasha excavates. "She was so beautiful, I had to have it. And the hole was just the right size too." Spirits apparently have no shame anymore. After a bit of searching, Tasha finds the chain and the item in question. It's made of Expedition ceramic, she's certain. And it does look like a donut sliced along the midline, so that one surface is curved and the other flat. The front indeed shows the moon goddess coiled around the hole and hugging herself, while the back has a translucent red ring embedded in the ceramic.

Tasha's ears flick at the narration, but perversion alone won't halt her. She's hardly an innocent, after all. "Pride can lead to dangerous things," she remarks on the story as she works to unfasten the chain. "It can destroy us; even the greatest of us, no matter how invincible we might think we are." With a snap of centuries-weakened metal, Tasha frees the necklace and, after sliding the 'donut' free, holds it up to the light. "Expedition-era," she remarks of it's origin, "an storage device? This band looks like it's here to handle light-based reading or projection."

"The priests were very protective of it," the spirit notes. "I can't use it anymore, but it is the only treasure that is not cursed."

"Do you know how to activate it? There may be some clue to your plight in its nature," Tasha asks, meanwhile turning the device this way and that as she looks for any sign of its use.

There's only the embossed image on one side, and the ring on the back. No words or symbols, switches or latches. "Activate it?" the spirit asks.

"I'm sure it's some sort of device," Tasha explains. She tries peering through the hole out in to the light, then runs her thumb across the translucent red side. "It may be too old ... "

The artifact doesn't react in any way, but as far as being old - it doesn't show it. Expedition ceramic is incredibly strong and durable, after all, and as far as Tasha knows it wasn't used for trinkets, religious or otherwise.

"It might be a key," the spirit notes. "I think one of them said something like that before I bit his head off. It does not look like a key to me."

"Maybe it needs another machine to function ... " Head shaking, Tasha tries sliding it on to the appropriate finger and see if that helps. While she fusses with it, she asks, "Dragon, why tell me these things? Why did you warn me, and not simply let me try and leave with the cursed treasure? Why guide me to this one?"

"You are the first person to find me," the spirit says. "I have no reason to wish you ill. But perhaps if you remove the reason for my curse, it will weaken. Who are you, anyway?"

Prying the artifact off her finger again, Tasha tries holding the loop to the light and warmth of the fire instead. "My name is Aldara Tasha, I'm a member of the Joint Expeditionary Force from the planet Abaddon. We came here to try and locate something, though we now believe the K'hu'an have it. We camped nearby, and I came here alone to relax."

While the firelight flashes in the ring, the palm-sized artifact doesn't seem to react. "Names I do not know," the spirit says. "What did you come here seeking, Aldara Tasha?"

Lowering the ring, Tasha reaches to infasten her own necklace to place the artifact there for safekeeping. "An object known as an 'Origin Marker,' it appears as a semi-cystalline, semi-liquid polygon with a male and female Vartan, naked, upon its surface. This particular Marker is in the shape of a hexagone."

"Yes," Tasha confirms. "Like me, but with a bird head and a lion's tail. I am half-Vartan."

"You are a servant of the great dragon as they are?" the spirit asks. "The mountain shook when the dragon came, and disgorged his army of bird-men. I could not challenge such a large dragon, and fled. When I returned with my treasure, many decades had passed, and there was no sign of the great dragon - only the bird-men. I assumed they had devoured the dragon to gain its strength, and hid myself away in this lesser lair."

"The dragon you speak of was a ship, one of many ships of an even greater fleet. A fleet that once sailed between suns, in the void between worlds. I do not worship dragons, but Abaddon, God of War, Fire and the Forge, in particular his aspect as God of Strife, Fire and the Forge, for it is through Fire we build out nations and the great ships of old; through strife we grow stronger and overcome our flaws, and through the forge we build our tools and work our knowledge" Tasha answers. Finally getting the ring on to her necklace, she refastens the obsidian strand and returns it to its place under her top.

"I know not of gods," the spirit notes. "Only that their curses seem effective. Thank you for sharing your smoke."

"Their blessings are equally effective." The young woman then inclines her head to the gloom. "You're welcome. There's one more thing, before I leave."

"Names are something we are given, and give to ourselves. They reside in memory, both our own, and those of others. In this, we know each other, associating identities with words, but they are ephimeral. A god may wear a thousand faces and a million names, and still be the same god. And if our names are forgotten by others, we carry them with ourselves, giving them to those we meet, so that they might know us by that name. If we forget our names, then it is others who provide them for us, and we know ourselves by the names we are given. If there is no one to know our name, be they ourselves or another, and no one to provide us our name, then it can be said there is no association, and we are nameless, our identities tied to nothing."

Tasha looks down upon the skull, reaching to touch its forehead and say, "But Dragon, I am here. And in being here I have come to know you, and so, I name you Drakon, and to me, you are Drakon. If you accept this name, then to you, you are Drakon. And Drakon is your name. And you remember."

"I forgive you, Drakon," Tasha whispers, leaning foreward to kiss the skull upon its forehead.

There's no reply after that, but the treasure starts to decay, falling to dust and sand.

Tasha closes her eyes as she settles back, a gentle sigh escaping her lips. She sits there for a long moment, just listening to the silence until her mind tells her that she must return, that there is still work to be done. And so, the young woman rises, drawing her blade and removing what treasure she had taken for herself, laying its crumbled dust with Drakon before she covers the skull with dirt. Satisfied with her burial, she says a short prayer to Abaddon before she departs.