Skara Braens

Part 24

Part 23 Vote Tally

Option A: 0
Option B: 1
Option C: 0

Onward!

The warmth of the golden light pulls at you and you bank, turning east.  Clouds, fluffy and light, pass over you like cool, damp thistle seeds that had taken flight.  You drop lower as you approach the gold light, your keen eagle eyes scanning the landscape beneath you.  The island you are approaching is a strange shape, looking not unlike a poorly drawn dog with its nose in the air.

There, near the centre of the island, stood two megaliths.  Both were roughly hewn and vaguely square and both had a fairly large circular hole carved into its lower third.  There, between the two stones, a golden light flashes.  You circle above the stones and cry out, the strange whistle of an eagle before coming down to land on one of the stones.  You preen before turning your attention to the light.

Golden rays emanated in bright throbs from a something standing between the two stones, but try though you might, even your keen eagle eyes cannot make out that object.  A gasp turns your head and you find three people, dressed in pale furs.  One carried a bowl, the other two had satchels at their sides.

All three lowered themselves slowly to their knees, then further still, prostrating themselves before the two stones; before you.

Twittering in confusion, you cock your head first one way, then another.

"Hello, friend," someone says.

You turn your head and find two women in woven cloaks trimmed in white fur.  One woman holds out her arm.  You spread your wings and glide, landing on her forearm.

"Why are you here?  What message have you brought us?"

You twitter, trying to tell the woman that you weren't actually an eagle.  At least, you didn't think you were.  Were you?  There was something nagging at the back of your mind, but you cannot remember much except the thrill of flight; the sense of power you had when you were up in the air.

"Well, Eagle of the Stones," the woman said, carefully petting your breast.  "You come at a time of great need.  Our young warriors will return home with news of your sighting.  May the hope of your portend give our fighters the courage they need to face this plague of undeath we now suffer."

Plague of undeath.  

The words strike your mind like a bolt of lightning as you recall Drust, hoping the military could save him from the growing army of undead.  The strange cave with the arched openings called The Altar followed that memory, and the panic of almost drowning closes your throat a moment.

Plague of undeath.

There are so many questions you want to ask of the woman.  What caused this plague? Why would you need warriors to combat it? But though you tried to articulate these questions, all that emerged was a series of whistles and twittering noises.

Frustrated, you take wing, circling overhead.  The golden light between the two stones flared, spreading pleasant warmth over you, pulling at you.  But you are not ready to leave.  You have questions. So many questions. 

You are given no choice.  With a shrill scream, you are pulled into the centre of the light.

You eyes snap open.  You stare up at the pale blue sky.  Frowning, you blink, then sit up.  You are in the hollow where once sat three vials of liquids.  The vials are gone, but the eagle feather remains.

"Found them!" Gordon's voice rings in the air.  You turn to find him jogging down to you.  He grins as he comes to a stop by you.

"How are you feeling?" he asks you.

You stare mutely at him.  Raising his brows, he tilts his head with an expectant expression.

"It's happened before," you say.

"Sorry?"

"This... whatever is happening here.  It's happened before.  They called it the Plague of Undeath."

"It wasn't real, stranger.   You were drugged."

"No, you don't understand.  There were two women dressed in white.  They spook of a Plague of Undeath.  It's happened before."

"Alright, calm down.  Calm down.  Take a breath.  Coming out of a trip can be very disorienting.  We've got the jeep just up the slope.  Come on.  We'll take you back."

Gordon helps you to stand and you both slowly make your way up the slope.  Once there you stop.

"It's morning," you note.

"Yes."

"You left me outside all night?  With the undead?"

Gordon smiled.  "You weren't in any danger."

"You had no idea where I was!"

"We had an idea.  There aren't any of the undead around here."

"How do you know?"

"Get in the car.  We'll talk it over once we get back behind walls."

Too annoyed to argue, you march angrily to the car and get in, slamming the door as hard as you can.  Gordon, looking more amused than anything, climbs into the drivers seat and before long, you're off.

You arrive to a quiet village.  It seems your adventures over the night were of little interest to anyone except you and Siona.  You are ushered into the hut that had become your home and told to wait.  For a while, you pace.  Then, still feeling drained from the night's adventures, you lie down for a nap.

A cool cloth being laid on you head wakes you.  It is dark out now, and a warm fire burns cheerily in the central hearth.  Siona is sitting beside you on the bed, holding a cool cloth to your forehead.  You scowl at her.

"Good evening," she says softly.  "You have a fever.  Not surprising, really.  You were out all night."

"Yes," you reply dryly.  "Alone."

"You were in no danger."

"Sure."

Siona smiles softly.  "We know what we're doing, stranger."

"Except you don't really.  That's why you were waiting around for someone else."

To this Siona had no response.  She pressed her lips together for a moment, before turning to another topic.  "So, have you a name?" she asked.

Your scowl deepens.  "Aren't you supposed to name me?"

"I am here to interpret your questing.  Otherwise I would have given you a simple name like Sean or Sophie. In your visions, you may have been addressed directly.  A voice spoke to you directly and called you a name.  Do you remember anything like that, stranger?"

"A woman in white robes called me 'eagle of the stones.'  But that's because I was in the body of an eagle, and I had landed on a stone."

Siona smiles.  "Then that is your name, stranger.  Iolaire de na Clachan.  Eagle of the Stones."

"A little clunky, don't you think?"

"We shall call you Iolaire to keep it simple, I think."

You grunt.

What do you say next?

a) "Is there food?"
b) "There were these two stones..."
c) "It's happened before."

Time to decide, Adventurers! Voting ends Thursday, 12th January 2017 at midnight!  Good luck!