The Life of R'lyeh

T.L.O.R.- Chapter 4

The life of R'lyeh- Chapter 4

Temple/Seaside- Year 14

"It's been a long night," said the High Priestess, "Nia, bond with Kara so we can understand your viewpoint, then we'll lay it all out. Everyone relax and refocus."

V got his thoughts (and a tankard of Stonehead) together while the Dragons did their thing. It was good to be with family, he mused, looking at the Tree of Life on the wall behind the Council. All the families, clans, branches and roots. Constantly evolving. Immortal. Where do we fit, he wondered, we being himself, Nia, and all The Changlings- Cthulhu's Remnant and the Marsh family, as well as the children of liaisons between Elves, Fairies, Humans and the like. And the CoHabs- people who voluntarily shared their being with an entity from the Multiverse- they were a big help in rescuing those who hadn't volunteered. Which leads us back to tonight.

Kara took her seat as Nia returned [thumbs up]. After a moment the High Priestess raised her hand for silence.

"Vincent, go ahead, anything you think we should know."

He relayed Nyarlathotep's message verbatim. Dead silence.

Direct contact with The Messenger was extremely rare, so any statement was an opportunity to look into the plans of the G.O.O. They suspected the Old Ones didn't make plans, but the Overlords did, so any information was useful. Still, an uneasy silence wore on until the High Priestess felt compelled to speak.

"He's never been this open before, assuming we can believe any of it."

"I find it interesting that He mentions The Changelings when speaking of His travels." said Cassandra. "My advisors tell me they are spoken of often in the outlying communities, and with favor."

"I agree." said Taran. "The influence of The Changelings has grown through the years. People are often hesitant to interact with us, while they are accepted by all. They carry information, requests for aid or counsel, and news between the towns. The Overlords suspected there were problems; now they know. On one side, Sacrificers, Cthulhu, the Lloigor, the human predators, and the followers of Azathoth. On the other, all our families, the Wiccans, the Pagans, the Reformed Druids, some of the Intentionals..."

"Lord, if I may interrupt?" V said. Taran nodded. He recounted the message from Col. Sargon. "You see where he mentions 'seek, and ye shall find'? I'd like to hear Nia's findings. It's the most current assessment we have."

"Very well." Kara said after a moment. "Follow along everyone, and I'll narrate her impressions. She's spent the past weeks on a scouting mission following a fairly direct route from here to Sedona, Arizona, which took her near the capitols and major population centers of 8 former states."

[one finger] [binoculars]

The vision they were sharing was Nia's view of her journey. "As you see, the cities without Stadiums are largely deserted- most people chose to leave when the local factions attempted to control access to essential goods. She found that the smaller, out of the way towns are doing fairly well. Education continues in most, and some form of law and order. Previously they ignored the lure of Endless Plenty, but they're stockpiling now. Some report contact with roving bands of searchers led by "military types"- that's their description."

Now the images showed her passing over a heavily wooded stretch of land as [3, 2, 1] his vision zeroed in on a dwelling below... It was the cabin they'd seen during the Bonding on his night of initiation. He tapped his finger twice on the tabletop- got it- as Kara continued her narration: