with foes ahead behind us dread

[hasapoint]

[It’s just Elle and Lloyd ‘on screen’, since Raistlin doesn’t wanna and it’s pointless with Need, but her gravelly Mindvoice still sounds:] We’ve found something important, children.

[Elle:] Ooooh boy did we find some shi-stuff. We have good news and bad news. Well, bad news and worse news, really.

[Lloyd:] Elle and I made contact with the spirits of some of the previous inhabitants. They told us that other worlds are being pulled in–or parts of them, in some cases–and that the bigger this amalgam gets, the more unstable the magic holding it together becomes. The whole thing is in danger of collapse, if things continue the way they’ve been going.

[Elle:] Any world with magic is at risk of getting dragged in and torn apart. Non-magical worlds have a chance, too.

[Need:] The Market’s living inhabitants also left us some messages. A letter describes this place as a patchwork, like the two just said, and that it’s called the Wilderlands. Now, the Trolls who used to live here were harmed by the cavern roof being breached when it crossed over and their Heartstone was already dying, so they left to find refuge in a place called Rivendell.

...By the by, the little folks with the red hats are also people. This is their home. Speaking to them is difficult, but if they’ve taken anything of yours, come to me. I think I can negotiate to get it back. They're not going to try and steal anything else if we treat them respectfully.

[Lloyd:] One more thing. [ His expression sobers. ] The spirits we were talking to have disappeared–the Heartstone’s magic was helping them stick around long enough to make contact with us. We’re going to have to make a decision on what our next move is, and soon, because I don’t think we’re going to be safe here for much longer.

[Need:] The Trolls’ mages suggested we follow them across the desert to Rivendell. Supposedly, that's a place of greater safety and more answers.

Comments

[hasapoint]

That letter's on the wordy side, but I'll recite it for everyone here and let anyone who wants to see it take a look.

[and I'm just gonna link that part of the thread and only copy-paste Please. Remember us. Even if all that you know of us is "they cared for their own, grieved those they lost, and tried to guide those that came after."

Need likes to keep secrets but sometimes you just gotta not:]

The device this fellow mentioned is with my bearer. I suppose the 'appointed time' hasn't come yet.

[rambles_on]

Rivendell? Like... The Rivendell? As in "The Last Homely House East of the Sea" Rivendell?

[Dean has no idea what to do with this.]

...Are you guys messing with us?

[hasapoint]

Have you heard of it, boy?

[unsealthecatbox]

That's...that sounds familiar to me too, but not exactly the same.

[Umineko has a thing for very obvious references, with names changed a little bit. Gotta dodge that copyright, y'all]

[steelandtemper]

Through a desert? We're not equipped for that.

[hasapoint]

It's supposedly small enough to be crossed in a day, but these Trolls are big enough it might take longer for the Chosen here.

[rambles_on]

Uhhh- yeah. Sits in a valley, home to Elrond, lasted through a bunch of sieges. Lord of the Rings stuff.

[A pause.]

I'm not going crazy here, right?

[millenyal_pink]

If we start prepping now we'll have a better chance. We may not have a choice depending on how long the Heartstone lasts.

[steelandtemper]

Night crossing. The cold will be much more manageable than the heat, especially if people keep moving.

[unsealthecatbox]

[Ange listens, her expression turning sour with every paragraph after the halfway point. Oh, this is a lot to take in at once, and she doesn't like it at all. 'Bound to a greater destiny in this world', it says. There's some predictions, given the part that describes Need and Raistlin. There's even a word about how sorry they are these 'chosen ones' have to go through this trip]

'Sorry', they say. Spare your insincere words of sympathy.

[Her fists tighten until the letter is all read. Once that's done, she grits her teeth, visibly takes a moment to calm down, and says, although it's very strained]

So this is how it'll be. 'Go save the world, best of luck', and that's it. What a load of crap.

[Truthfully this Merlin's reticence to leave any answers or information is what gets her goat right now. The writer of this letter even had to insist until he gave indications to leave it! It's completely unreasonable and, of course, it's not like she joined this willingly. She got dragged from her own problems to deal with an entire world's and that's just not fair]

[steelandtemper]

Start hitting up the springs with anything that'll hold liquid. Too much water is a self-correcting problem.

Round up any cloth and hides available. People will want to cover their faces, especially the fair-skinned.

If you can scrape some carbon off of burned wood, mix it with a little animal fat and run a line under your eyes to help with sun blindness.

[Cortana doesn't yet know she can manifest a body...but even if she did, she'd still be giving orders.]

[ahelpingpaw]

I-I have to agree. If the desert is small enough to be crossed in a day -- or a night, I guess -- there's no reason to make it harder on ourselves by going while the sun is high in the sky.

That aside, uh...we gotta travel light. Water weighs a lot, you know, so we can't take much along with us. Getting caught in the heat with too much weight on you is only gonna kill you.

[And there are a looooot of people here. They're going to need a lot of water to keep each other hydrated. It's true there aren't that many belongings to carry, other than the essentials, but hey, it's always worth keeping this in mind]

[unsealthecatbox]

If you are then we're all suffering of a mass delusion.

[We're in a fantasy story, Dean, what an adventure this will be]

[steelandtemper]

"Too much water" is a problem that fixes itself.

[That is, by people drinking it.]

[millenyal_pink]

I'll start gathering supplies and put it in a central area-- that way people can grab what they need. We should keep our non-salted food accessible for the trek, and save the salted stuff for when we have more access to water.

I'll also see what carrying stuff I can find-- bags and backpacks are going to be necessary.

[hasapoint]

Travois thoughts? We don't know if this is sand or rock. Harder to pull things through sand, but it's still easier on a body than carrying that much weight.

[ahelpingpaw]

Yeah, but, uh... [He seems to try to find the right words to say] ...getting tired too quickly is just as bad as not having much water, anyway.

[Hmmm...]

I hate to say something like this as if I'm taking it for granted, but if there's people here capable of carrying a lot of weight maybe taking advantage of that would be good. You know, asking them to carry extra water or something, so the rest of us don't accidentally carry more water than we should.

[Everybody probably will carry their own! And it's true they can't get stingy with the water and make the mistake of not carrying enough, even if they'll be in the desert only for a day or two! But as he sees it, exhaustion in the middle of the desert is just as deadly as not having enough water, so if they can have a number of capable people take that weight off everyone else's backs, they should ask for their help. It's some sort of strange balance to think about, really.

Admittedly, he's kind of assuming not everyone is a seasoned explorer or adventurer, and that includes himself -- and most of what he knows about the topic is secondhand information, really. What does he know from direct experience? Noooooot that much.]

[hasapoint]

It's always possible, but let's assume you're not.

What else can you tell me about this place? [Us.] Tell us, I mean.

[unsealthecatbox]

I gathered a bunch of leather bags from the market not that long ago. Most seem in decent condition. I'm planning to give them to Nog for inventory reasons.

[But hey, more bags is a good idea! The more, the better]

[steelandtemper]

Good idea.

Get someone up a tree near the edge of that...magical leash [she hates saying those words], see if they can tell what the terrain is. Even if the desert ends up rocky, just being able to let everyone have a good long drink at the edge before venturing in will help.

[millenyal_pink]

[Elle takes a moment to process Ange's reaction. then she speaks gently.]

The Trolls were forced here much like we were. If anything, their entrance to this world was more violent and terrifying than ours. They may not have been given the ridiculous quest we have, but that doesn't mean that it's fair to blame them for doing what little they can to help.

[She doesn't want to sound preachy, but building resentment against the people whose home they've been occupying doesn't seem right to her.]

[takenalive]

[ugh does he have to comment on anything related to that metal parasite. Alloran's voice is stiffly formal.]

I've flown reconnaissance in bird morph. It's difficult to determine much as the perimeter does include height as well, but it does appear that the forest transitions to sand hills. Rather sooner than is natural, but I suppose this... planet-stripping effect is responsible.

[steelandtemper]

[Guess who has the complete UNSC survival library in her metaphorical head?]

Rule of thumb is 4 to 6 liters per person, per day while desert hiking. Two days of water isn't an unmanageable load for most people.

[lol sorry raistlin]

I agree with you in general, though.

[hasapoint]

[Aww she's proud of you, pushing past your personal bias to contribute.]

[takenalive]

[stay out of his head, you medieval yeerk-analogue]