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Aeromage Sanna: A Bug in the System

The Priory has been obsessed with getting knowledge out of the Astralarium. As far as my duties are concerned it’s their entire focus. And the librarians and scholars at the Astralarium are just as desperate. Their hold of pre-Joko knowledge has always teetered on a knife’s edge, one slip and the Awakened could set the place ablaze. Backup depositories in Tyria will go a long way in preserving history regardless of Joko’s actions.

Smuggling books and scrolls out of Istan is easier thanks to the waypoint system, but its limited to what one person can carry, and Tyrians blinking in and out of existence would raise alarms among the loyalists. Scholars also argue day and night as to which works take priority over others. So it’s been a slower process than anyone would like.

That has been our life for the past few months. Stuff our bags full of copies (or originals of the truly seditious works) and haul them back to Tyria and returning to the Astralarium without arousing suspicion. I have never really thought of myself as a smuggler and I thought I was going to pass out when concocting a quick story of observing local flora when loyalist asked me where I had disappeared too. But I think by now I’ve gotten used to it. Plus I admit it’s nice to be able to stop off at home while waiting for my timed window to show up.

But book running isn’t my only duty. We are still aiding the Sunspears and my healing arts do get a work out when tending to agents returning from late night raids on Palawadan. Even with all we’ve done, it was still a surprise when Sahil asked Tarnn and myself if we were willing to tag along to on a diplomatic mission to an island just north of Istan. I’m not sure why he offered, maybe he wanted to offer us a change of pace. Or maybe he wanted to make a point about asura to the people he was going to meet.

The corsair fleet gave us enough cover at night to ship out to the Sanswept Isles. In the sunrise we sighted the very familiar shape of an asuran cube city in the distance, but it wasn’t until we got closer that we could see a stomach churning red glow.

Inquest.

The Inquest had a foothold even here? I don’t even want to think of what sick experiments they’ve been conducting so far away from prying eyes. The place was gigantic, and it seemed to take forever to skirt around before we were able to make landing at a village called Atholma. It is home to charr that long ago had split from the legions in order to find a peaceful home, calling themselves the Olmakhan. And it seems like they mostly succeeded. A village on the water that lives in peace with nature with the only metal structure being old salvage that creates their council meeting area called the Iron Whale.

But you don’t live in the shadow of the Inquest without catching their attention. The Olmakhan had been targets for experimentation, kidnappings, and families being torn apart. It was awful! But after the commander (cause of course they are involved somehow) broke into the facilities things changed. The Inquest were crippled, the Olmakhan had a fighting chance, and outsiders were swarming the Sandswept Isles for the first time in who knows how long. But the Sunspear have received reports that Awakened have been spotted in the area as well. While everything else seems to be turning around they can’t ignore Joko’s presence.

The Sunspears’ mission at the isles are two-fold. The first is to assess the Awakened threat. It is already assumed Joko has the scarab plague, we don’t need it made worse with more stolen Inquest tech. And second is to gain allies among the Olmakhan. That’s where Tarnn and myself come in. The Olmakhan are naturally distrustful of asura after their experience with the Inquest, so Sahil thinks it’s important to be completely upfront and honest with the fact that the Sunspears do work with asura rather than leave it as a surprise for later.

I don’t think I’ve been so nervous to stand in front of a council and be judged since my final exam back at med school. They asked us a lot of questions, most of them directed at the Sunspears, but Tarnn and I received our fair share as well. What did we think of the Inquest? Did we share their ideology? What about other asura from Tyria? What was our relation to nature? Questions targeted at our integrity rather than our ability. I was starting to think Sahil’s invitation was more strategic than friendly considering the pleased gleam in his eye at our answers.

Amazing how a mostly open council chamber can feel so stuffy, I was so glad when the council dismissed us to discuss what we said and we finally were able to go back to the beach. It had started to rain which helped me feel more relaxed. The Sunspears were going to head out to the Inquest facility and the Olmakhan offered skimmers for the journey (we must have made quite a good impression). Tarnn was itching to check it out. He’s been practicing his scourge magic and he’d be able to place wards on fallen Inquest to prevent, or at least deter, awakening. But being surrounded by red glowing tech was the last thing my nerves needed so I was allowed to stay behind to mind the griffons.

Those featherbutts were not as excited about the rain as I was. Even bringing my jackal Cirrus out to play wasn’t enough of a distraction. It’s as if they felt being rained on was beneath their dignity, but they didn’t turn up their beaks at the fish I bought them using their feed allowance so they weren’t -that- put off.

There wasn’t any place with sufficient cover even if I was allowed to move them away from the Iron Whale, so there wasn’t much else to do for their grumbling other than snuggle up against a sea of damp fur and feathers as a show of solidarity. I must have fallen asleep cause I the next thing I remember was my raven Stratus nipping at my clothes to wake me up and a young looking charr standing there awkwardly. He introduced himself as Apprentice Dorne and asked if the Sunspears would be returning soon as the council had come to their decision already. I said I wasn’t sure when but that I’d send them message. There was no way that Tarnn was going to be in range for a mesmer telepathic nudge, but the Sunspears had been quick to adopt Tyrian communicators so I was able to radio the message that the council was ready. Dorne watched me curiously, but not distrustingly. I wonder what he thinks about all these sudden changes to his home.

We didn’t have to wait much longer before a stream of Sunspears on skimmers came through the gate. Dorne immediately ushered the humans into the Iron Whale, much to the griffons’ continued displeasure. I’m sure more than a few Sunspears are going to get a cold shoulder for not providing pettings on their return. Tarnn though was told to wait outside with me, the griffons seemed satisfied with his pettings as he told me what they had found. The Inquest were holding a more steady resistance than they had expected, but the Awakened had a foothold and the tar to prove it. But both sides were competing with the Tyrian forces who, naturally, were smashing holes through their forces. It sounded like absolute chaos.

Tarnn was just finishing up his story when Sahil practically skipped out the Iron Whale with a huge smile on his face and a still nervous looking Dorne at his heels. He proudly announced that the Olmakhan had decided to assist the Sunspear effort and “our new friend Dorne” was going to act as a liaison. That was…curious. Dorne was clearly a teenager, would be just out of the fahrar if we were doing this at the Citadel. It’s possible that he has relevant experience despite his age. Or maybe he was the only one who was at all interested in the position. A shared glance with Tarnn told me he had the same reservations. But whatever the council was thinking, Sahil was still over the moon and was already keen on getting familiar with our new ally.

We are staying in Atholma for a little longer while the Sunspears hash out their future with our new allies. So we’ll have the chance to explore the isles more and learn about the Olmakhan. And maybe, just maybe, the griffons will stop being grumpy about all this rain.

Aeromage Sanna: Returning to the Temple of Kormir

Why does it always seem that the return trip is always faster than the initial journey? We still needed to get out of the Desolation and return to the temple of Kormir with our shipment of djinn scrolls, but instead of endless stretches of sulfur rivers, our skimmers brought us to the Chantry of Shadows in what seemed like a blink of the eye.

The news of the way north hadn’t changed much, it was what was going on in Vabbi that the Order was mostly concerned about. The majority of forged and awakened forces were converging on Kodash Bazaar and the Order predicted it was only a matter of time before they clashed. But in the meantime the way north to the Bone Wall was being patrolled by a skeleton crew (I still don’t know if that was a pun or not) of awakened and also the normal wildlife. Basically if we wanted to get out, now was the time.

Sahil lead us back the way we had came, through the Sulfur Quarry and Acrid Springs until we finally made it to the clean waters of the Spillway. Even with the skimmer’s clean air aura it was nice to be able to breath normally again. We made it through the hidden gap in the Bone Wall and returned to the Riverlands. I was kinda sad to have to drop the skimmer back off at their ranch, but we had only borrowed them for the journey, they weren’t ours to keep. But we did have our new jackals the djinn had given us. At first glance they could be mistaken for basic sand elementals but just a few minutes of interaction show that jackals are so much more. The influence of Abbadon has been scrubbed clean by the care and patience of the djinn and jackals are now intelligent and loyal creatures. Now I wonder which is more dog-like, the jackal or the raptor.

Tarnn and I were able to really stretch the legs of our jackals as we raced across the sands of the riverlands, though the blinking is going to take some practice to really hone. Sahil also recovered his raptor from the skimmer stables and opted to join us back to the temple. His family is of course in the Crystal Oasis, Khalida being at the temple and their parents in Seeker’s Village just outside of Amnoon, and he was thinking of taking some time to visit his loved ones.

While we were resting at the camps in the shadow of Augury Rock, Sahil asked me if I was going to be studying weavering in earnest. I certainly want too, I’ve just been constantly on my toes since coming to the Crystal Desert, but I will never pass up an opportunity to learn more about the elements. And I will finally be able to put the sword skills I’ve been learning over the past few years to some good use. Tarnn surprised me by adding that he was thinking of talking to Kahlida about scourge magic. He wasn’t giving up his firebrand studies but apparently what happened at the Lair of the Forgotten had struck a chord with him. I never thought Tarnn would be interested in necromancy but we had also never considered that school of magic to have protective properties. How exciting! And he’s no stranger to brand new magic, he’s picked up a few tricks back when I was dabbling in mesmerism after all. I know he can do it.

It was while the three of us were talking that we felt it, and by we I mean the entire camp. Every single one of us, even that cub Flint, stopped what we were doing and looked to the southeast in silence. The horizon beyond the brand, likely Vabbi, was lit up with electrical storms and the feeling of magic around us grew heavy. It was like when we had seen Balthazar only on a much more immense scale. Did the forged and awakened meet head on like the Order of Shadows predicted? I wouldn’t think they would cause something like this but I can’t imagine what else it would be.

I have no idea how long the camp watched the storm on the horizon, it felt both long and short by the time the skies cleared and the magic subsided. The feeling was like an eclipse that had just finished. The camp was a murmur of confusion and Sahil pulled Tarnn and myself aside, whispering that we should get to the temple as soon as possible. I don’t know what he knew, he is on speaking terms with the Order of Shadows after all, but I can’t argue the need to be safe behind stone as opposed to flimsy tents. So we mounted up and headed north before anyone asked us new comers any questions. I just hope those seeking ascension will be safe, at least Augury Rock could provide some form of shelter if needed.  

Zephyr’s Trace was just how we had left it, though the villagers and visiting Tyrians were in more of a tizzy than usual. They all had felt it too but we didn’t slow down enough to talk to them until we saw the temple in the cliffs. The priests and Priory magisters came out to greet us, the former to inquire on the journey and the latter to unload their newly acquired scrolls. We were questioned about the magical energy, apparently they had not known about the storms on the horizon. But the temple had news for us, apparently that energy had something to do with the commander. Of course, it seems like if anything odd happens you can find the commander at the heart of it. Apparently they are expected in Amnoon by airship soon but the Priory is already taking all kinds of readings. I’m sure it’s very interesting but after two back-to-back courier assignments I just wanted a nap.

I woke up hours later feeling mostly refreshed. Khalida told me that Sahil had left for Seeker’s Village while I was sleeping. She seemed a little grim and asked if her brother had said or did anything odd lately. I told her about the rush to get to the temple, but that was really about it. It’s not like I know him all that well. She seemed a little grim but deflected my questions, changing the subject to saying that Tarnn had spoken with her. She is willing to take him on as a student and won’t force him to abandon his firebrand studies. I’m glad for it, honestly this firebrand discipline is pretty perfect for Tarnn but its lesson plan is geared towards humans, not asura, so no wonder he’s been getting bored easily. Khalida will be able to adapt to an asura’s quick mind without having to worry about other students getting left behind.

I found Tarnn outside making introductions between his wolf Vallar and his new jackal. They seem to be getting along but I have a feeling poor Vallar doesn’t quite understand why this wolf-thing doesn’t smell normal. My raven Stratus is adapting to the jackal thing by pretending it’s not there, I’m sure he’ll come around eventually. Since I was awake, Tarnn and I decided to practice some more with the jackals, leaping and blinking in the cliffs above the temple. It felt really nice to do something fun and relaxing for a change. We threw some name ideas around. Tarnn likes Arkose for his and I’m thinking Silica for mine. Or maybe Caeli? Cirrus? I’ll have to think about it.

We made it up to the top of the cliff above the temple and the view was incredible. You could see the entire Crystal Oasis all the way to the glittering sea. Tarnn had heard that the commander had returned to Amnoon and there was a party there for them. The whole Priory team was talking about it apparently, about the commander and the death of Balthazar and everything. I’m sure there is a huge story that we missed while running back and forth across the Crystal Desert, but I’m mostly glad to be back and maybe I’ll be able to return to caring for the refugees like I was originally assigned.

But then it happened.

The electrical storms we had seen on the horizon were suddenly above us and a great shadow with huge wings was in the air, flying south. As it passed the magic grew so thick you could almost taste it and you could see branded crystals erupting in its wake. That was Kralkatorrik, it had to be. Tarnn and I turned our jackals back towards the temple, ready to accept any direction the Priory sent us in.

It seems there would be no rest for us yet.

Aeromage Sanna: Elon Riverlands

I wish there was more we could have done for Vlast, but I doubt there was anything anyone could do. When it comes to a battle between a god and a dragon there is no room for mortals. But there is at least a nice memorial to his memory and the people can pay their respects.

But almost as soon as we had returned to the temple we were needed out in the field again. There was a djinn city deep in the Desolation that adventurers had been traveling too. While the immediate area is too dangerous for a dedicated Priory outpost, the djinn of Sand Jackal Run have agreed to trade scrolls and books with us. And that meant someone had to go and make that trade. And guess who was decided to have had the needed experience in dangerous environments to make the trip?

So even though we had just returned from one errand in the north we were almost immediately sent back out, this time to the south. At least they gave us a few days to recuperate, but it still would have been nice if someone other than Tarnn and myself were on the shortlist for special assignments.

This particular assignment was going to be tricky. Sand Jackal Run is located in the far south of the Desolation, a bone’s throw from Joko’s Palace. Obviously there is a way into the Desolation, adventurers have been breaching the Bone Wall for weeks now, but we have no idea where that entrance is and with all the books and scrolls entrusted to us the Priory doesn’t want us to poke around the wall on our own. We needed a guide.

Khalida offered to help. She didn’t know where the secret entrance to the Desolation was, but she knew someone who did: her brother Sahil. According to her he has been shepherding refugees through the Desolation and Riverlands for years. If anyone could get us to Sand Jackal Run it would be him. She could get a message to him to meet us in the Riverlands and he’d be able to lead us the rest of the way. It sounded like a good plan.

The Priory though didn’t realize that when Khalida had said “us” she had included herself. So at dawn when we were to set out we found not only two raptors laden with bags but also the librarian astride her own raptor. There was a bit of an argument with our magister as the Priory did not want to be responsible if anything happened to her. I’m not sure what she said to convince the old charr but eventually he wished us luck and stormed off.

Insurance issues aside, it was nice to have a guide for the first stretch of the journey. She knew the way to the Riverlands and she was pleasant company as well. With all the work at the temple there were only small windows of time to sit and talk with each other. She was curious about Tyrian magic, she had never seen a guardian use a bow or an elementalist purposefully overload their elements. Of course her magic was just as new to us.

Fire and sand maybe the more theatrical part of being a scourge, but from what she said the crux of it was communing with the spirits and convincing them to help you. While not every spirit Khalida has spoken with wants to join up, she says she is never in a shortage of these so called “shades”. The dead have a variety of reasons to care about the living, ranging from wanting to protect their land and descendents all the way to simply wanting to have a purpose just like they were promised under Joko. No matter their reason for volunteering, Khalida is then able to control the spirits like a commander leading their troops. It all sounds very fascinating but I don’t know if I have it in me to be a leader like that, that’s something Tarnn has more experience with.   

But it wasn’t all fireside chats, we had a long journey ahead of us. The first place we needed to get to was Destiny’s Gorge. Most of the refugees passed through there but recently the forged had cut off the passage, making the trip even more dangerous than usual. But it is doable, especially for experienced fighters.

Once you make it past the forged the gorge opens up into the last thing I expected to see. The edges of the gorge, all the way to the sky, was lined with the old homes of the Zephyrites. I had known, everyone knows, that the Zephyrites came from the Crystal Desert but I never considered that we’d run across their old settlement. The structures still seemed stable. Which was good cause refugees from the south have claimed the settlement for themselves, calling it Zephyr’s Trace. Many of them are weary from the journey and have found the gorge to be a perfectly viable place to live despite the closeness of the forged and brand, while others feel safe enough there to rest before continuing towards the temple. We exchanged some medical supplies and news with Mayor Kabir who informed us that we should have a clear path to the south, especially in the area that surrounded Augury Rock.

I believe we have all heard the stories of Augury Rock, even in Rata Sum we were taught about human heros seeking Ascension in the Crystal Desert. I never gave it much thought about it myself, but apparently quite a few people have. I think I saw more Tyrians in Skyward Reach than I did at the welcoming docks in Amnoon. So many people, many of them not even human, seeking Ascension. Even Khalida was surprised by how many newcomers there were here. Ascension had always been a thing for the “occasional kook” (her words, not mine) but the reopening of the Crystal Desert with Tyria has brought a surge of Ascension pilgrims, multiple camps worth. At the very least they were able to offer extra protection for the refugees who came this way to get to Destiny’s Gorge.

Our goal was to get from Skyward Reach to the Skimmer Ranch on the edges of the Elon River. It wasn’t as easy as cutting across the desert with the raptors, the area was rife with pools of quicksand and patrols of forged. But moving too far south would put us right in the middle of the Gladefields where Joko’s awakended kept an eye on those exiled from his kingdom. There was no one good path. While Tarnn and I were experienced fighters, we didn’t want the books we were carrying to get destroyed in the crossfire. Khalida took some convincing but we finally decided on using the Prophet’s Path and relying on the frequent sandstorms to give us cover.

Compared to Dry Top these sandstorms weren’t anything to write home about, hardly half as strong or a third as thick. But they did the trick to keep us hidden from the forged and the wild animals. And I know that Tarnn isn’t much of a fan, but it was nice being surrounded by so much sand, I really felt like I was connected to the earth element. Khalida seemed to be taking the sandstorms in stride, she’s no elementalist but she must have a special connection with sand as well.

We were crossing the rocks at Champion’s Gap when we got the first view of the Skimmer Ranch’s big blue dome. But that wasn’t what made us pull the raptors up short. Just beyond the ranch, high up on the tallest pillar, was Balthazar himself. Even at our distance we could count the horns of his helm and feel the thick magic. He looked to be fighting someone but we couldn’t make out who.

If Balthazar turned around he would have spotted us for sure, we were caught completely out in the open. The last thing we wanted was to catch the eye of an angry war god, we needed to find cover but the raptors were too anxious to cooperate under the feeling of so much magic and the ranch was too far to make a run for it. The only thing we had was sand. But sand can be a powerful asset and we had used it thus far to conceal us.

By this point I was no stranger to the idea of weaving elements, the temple of kormir was a crossroads for many people and ideas. I had only played with it a bit but never made an attempt in earnest, but I hadn’t spent my entire life studying the elements for nothing. Wind and sand are close companions, stirring them up together was the most natural thing in the world. In a moment I had called up a sandstorm to blanket us. I don’t know if it was enough to stop the eyes of a god, but at the very least we wouldn’t attract attention, sandstorms are too common to be of note.

Eventually the feeling of magic and the glow of red fire faded and the raptors relaxed under us. I dissipated the sandstorm and the pillars were clear of rogue gods and we could see the shadow of a Tyrian airship coming in. But we were too shaken to see it dock and he urged the raptors towards the shelter of the ranch.

The ranchhands ran out to meet us, bringing water and asking what we knew of that surge of magic. Khalida took the humans aside to explain, these were her people and it concerned one of her gods. We asura went to rest under the ranch’s great dome, the riverwater felt cool and refreshing after our long trip. And with us were the ranch’s skimmers.

I have never seen an animal like a skimmer up close before. They looked like manta rays that floated in midair. They were as curious about us as we were of them, the smaller ones floating close to examine us and allowing us to pet them. They felt dryer than I expected. Tarnn thinks they were evolved from sea creatures that lived in the Crystal Sea and that great surge of magic helped them survive in the new desert. One of the ranchhands gave us a quick briefing on skimmers, showing us how to ride them. Very smooth ride. And they even go over water! I never would have guessed all these different animal mounts could move in such different ways.

Khalida found us after awhile with a young man in tow who looked enough like her that I was able to guess he was her brother Sahil. I had been nervous about meeting a spellbreaker, I am so focused on magic I wasn’t sure how well we’d get along, but seems very friendly and quick to laugh. He suggested that we take a couple days to become familiar with riding a skimmer as we were going to need them where we were going.

Aeromage Sanna: Crystal Oasis

The Crystal Desert. It’s been over 250 years since Tyrians have been in regular contact with the area but with Balthazar burning his way through the desert we have no choice but to be snapping at his heels.

No one wants to be left behind on such a monumental occasion. Queen Jennah has already dispatched a diplomatic team, the commander I’ve heard is departing from Lion’s Arch, and of course the Priory can’t pack up their airships fast enough. Tarnn and I were scheduled for the first airship out of the mountain and, as much as I talked about using the trip to get some extra sleep, I was too excited to relax. Thankfully I wasn’t the only one. Many members of the Priory gathered on deck to talk about what we wanted to see and to compare our notes of what we learned from the refugees. There was no complete picture but the bits and pieces but it was enough for the trip.

It was hours later (thanks to whomever invented airships) when a golden sheen appeared on the horizon. The captain started to bark orders to prepare to dock while the magisters attempted to wrangle us into gathering our supplies, a difficult task as no one wanted to risk missing the first sights of the desert. But docking in a place without a proper airship dock takes time, not impossible as Priory airships have had to deal with less favorable conditions, but it still took long enough that by the time we were above the Amnoon harbor most of us had gathered our share of the gear and were waiting impatiently for the go-ahead to jump. I wonder what the people of Amnoon thought in seeing an expedition force suddenly leap off into the air and a thousand colors bursting from our backs as our gliders deployed. Magisters’ split off with their teams almost as soon as they touched ground but many of us, Tarnn and myself included, had been instructed to wait behind. There was still a lot of unknowns and the Priory wanted to get the lay of the land before giving us our assignments. Until then we could explore the city proper.

What can I say about Amnoon? The Free City is breathtaking. The sea provides a constant breeze to keep the heat at a comfortable level, the food is delicious, and the people are friendly and helpful. Of course it isn’t all fun and games, a recent sandstorm had displaced a significant portion of its population and the refugees from the south had gathered here. No wonder so many left for LA, there almost isn’t enough room for everyone. Hopefully the donations from the Priory and the other Tyrian airships coming in will help alleviate some of the pressure.

And there are a lot of Tyrians coming in. Most of them are associated with one of the three orders, but there are also a lot of adventurers looking to make some coin or aid the commander against Balthazar. The casino is clearly taking advantage of the newcomers, but the bounty boards have seen a lot of crowds as well. Many of the beasts sounds like they are infected with ley energy, but that’s nothing new to Tyrians and it will at least allow the cavalier’s to focus on more important things.

It was two days after we had arrived (we had slept on the airship, the Priory is not interested in making things for difficult for the city) before Tarnn and I were finally given our assignment. The Temple of Kormir further inland needed help with the refugees and they were willing to take in some Priory in exchange for medics and new books. That we had in spades. Before setting out the Priory had spent a good month making copies of important books and scrolls to use as trade and now crates were being unloaded from the airship through a series of pulleys to be packed onto short haired desert dolyaks. We also had plenty of medics in the team. As a doctor and alchemist I was going to have my hands full. Tarnn was on a special assignment too. The guardians of our team were to learn about a local discipline called the “firebrand”. Apparently it’s a specialty of the local librarians as guardians of knowledge. I can see why the Priory wants to get their hands on that magic.

Our team set out across the desert with a cavalier as our guide. I think now I should mention the raptors. The people of Amnoon don’t walk everywhere like Tyrian’s do, they ride on giant raptors. The cavalier thought it was very strange that we were going to walk over the sand with the pack dolyaks. I don’t see how it’s any different than the likes of Dry Top or the Silverwastes. I mean, do you really need a mount? Sure, maybe since they didn’t have waypoints, but as we left the city I saw a waypoint being established just outside the cavalier station, and our own dolyaks carried a waypoint just waiting to be lit up. Walking is fine. The cavalier though seemed annoyed to keep at our slower pace. We were going as fast at the pack dolyaks, no reason to be huffy!

We crossed over the Omiramba Sand Sea and through the Northern Way Station. It was easy to tell you were getting further and further away from the coast as the cool breeze weakened and the heat came on stronger. But you don’t go on Priory expeditions unless you are used to extreme weather. Personally I enjoyed the Omiramba, the sand was finer than that of Dry Top and Silverwastes and it piled into beautiful dunes. The perfect place to practice some earth magic. But that would have to come at another time. The path the cavalier led us on skirted back the Hatari Tablelands, the cliffs giving some much appreciated shade, and up to Elona Reach where we found the Village of Kweli and the Temple of Kormir.

The temple clerics and librarians greeted us in the courtyard and were quick to get us settled in. There is a the main outer temple, open to the sun and wind. But most of the temple is within the surrounding cliffs, holding the cleric’s living areas, study rooms, and the many libraries. There isn’t much room for guests and the clerics seemed embarrassed to put us in the libraries but who among us hasn’t slept in the stacks before?

Despite the long walk, there wasn’t much time for rest. We were provided with some food and water while Priest Hakim gave us a rundown of the situation and what they expected from the Priory. It was pretty basic. Be respectful to the temple, don’t get in the way of temple duties, help with the refugees, etc etc. We were then shuffled off to our respective appointments. The majority helped in unpacking the books we brought but the other medics and myself were shown the refugees.

So many are hurt. Burned, dehydrated, cut, or feverish, there was no one that didn’t need care. Thankfully there were no fatal injuries, but with the clerics overworked as they were coupled with the sheer numbers there was a risk of infection. We took over for the healers, allowing them to rest while we saw to the patients or started at the alchemy table to make medicines.

The Priory medics work in shifts with the priests and priestess which has made everything easier for everyone, especially since new refugees arrive almost every day in various states of health. The Priory supplies can only be stretched so thin and we do receive packages from the coast, but we have to make our own medicines stay ahead. That should have been an easy task, the desert is full of alchemical resources if you know where to look. But the branded and forged wander a little too close to the temple and there is still the native wildlife to contend with.   

But sometimes we would see a shadow flying overhead with gleaming yellow crystals. Glint’s first child Gleam, or Vlast as he is known here, keeping us safe. He is magnificent. Like a being made of wind and crystal. When he is in the sky the clerics round up their raptors to head out into the sand to forage. The branded and forged armies being too occupied with the dragon, leaving the native animals the only danger which are easily handled. One of the librarians, Khalida I think her name is, lent me one of her raptors in order to keep up with the foragers. A raptor is an odd creature, but friendly and responsive. I suppose I have to admit that maybe riding an animal is convenient, and it is certainly a lot faster than walking considering our short windows of opportunity.

And that’s been my life for now. I help heal the sick, gather alchemical materials, and make medicines. And there is an extensive library of new knowledge to boot. I don’t know much about Kormir, but I am feeling almost at home in her temple. I hope she doesn’t mind.

Boys and girls of every age. Wouldn’t you like to see something strange?

Happy Halloween everyone!

Aeromage Sanna: One Path Ends

I wish we had more time in Draconis Mons. The magic and flora alone are worthy of years of study and I would have liked to have communed with the druids that protect the area. But the Priory yanked us out of there almost as quickly as it assigned us. I understand we are supporting the commander and their mission but I would like to slow down a little.

The commander had lost track of Balthazar but the White Mantle members we rescued had heard Orr mentioned. It didn’t take the magisters long to pinpoint a few likely areas where Balthazar could flee to. His temple was a natural location, as was Arah. But there was also the reliquaries in Siren’s Landing. The Priory dispatched teams to each location to find out what we could, Tarnn and myself being sent with the team to Siren’s Landing.

We are not strangers to Orr in general, but I have not been to Siren’s Landing before. I had heard it was a focused area for terraforming and was showing improvements. I can’t say how much it has progressed, but compared to the rest of Orr it’s almost garden-like, if a garden had huge swathes of undead. Interestingly, the ghosts of old kings and queens of Orr are even pitching in to rejuvenate the place. Nice to have the dead be on our side for once.

The region was a lot quieter that I would have expected if a god of fire and war was stomping around. Sylvari gardeners tended to the soil and magisters on other missions were busy with their cataloging. Aside from the normal wandering risen you could almost call this place peaceful. Not even an ember burning. We were ready to call Siren’s Landing a dud until we spoke with the ghost of Queen Yasamin at Balthazar’s own reliquary.

Fanatic might be an unkind term for a former queen, but there is no other way to describe her. You should have heard the way she went on about the god of war. We decided it was best not to catch her up on current events and instead focus on what details she could give us about Balthazar and his apparent visit to his vault. There wasn’t much to go on, he only stayed briefly and the ghostly queen wasn’t permitted to accompany him. Still don’t know how anyone else in the region could have missed his presence, but I guess gods have ways of hiding themselves. But there was one interesting piece of knowledge the queen could tell u: when he left Balthazar headed east.

East. There are very few things east of Orr. Ascalon. The Crystal Desert. The Dragonbrand.

If Balthazar’s goal of seeking dragon energy are true, then he’d want to follow the Brand. The last known location of Kralkatorrik was in the Crystal Desert, though it’s possible with the death of Mordremoth and the Bloodstone explosion he might have moved on. It still gave us a region to look into as a starting point. We sent a message back to the mountain informing them of what we pieced together.  

Oddly enough, I never saw the commander at all while in Siren’s Landing. Not that I got to stay for very long but usually they are right on top of things like this. Oh well, I’m sure they’re not doing anything they will later regret, like signing themselves away into a weird cult. Haha that’d be ridiculous.

[The next section is written in different colored ink]

We were right about Balthazar but confirmation came in one of the worst possible ways. Lion’s Arch reported getting a huge influx of refugees from the Crystal Desert. The Crystal Desert! We have been out of contact with that area for centuries, and now it’s people are right here. Of course the Priory is helping the refugees, but I’m afraid that some of my colleagues are more interested in asking questions than with helping. I’ve had to, let’s say, “redirect” their actions when interacting with the refugees. Honestly, there is a time and place for interviews, and passing out blankets and food is not one of those times!

But those who have set up interview space have discovered a wealth of information. The refugees spoke of the desert and Elona, of the river and the Dragonbrand. But most worryingly they spoke of Balthazar. The god was cutting a fiery path through his followers as he looked for…something. Is Kralkatorrik hiding that well? Or is there something else out there.

Either way, Steward Gixx wants an expedition to that region as soon as possible. Looks like we’re heading to the Crystal Desert.

Path of Fire is only two weeks away and a user on Reddit is looking to celebrate by creating an album of desert based fashion. So if you have characters that are ready for the Crystal Desert, you can post a screenshot here. 

Sanna’s outfit is my submission which was inspired by Glint and her legacy. 

Aeromage Sanna: The Head of the Snake

In all the worry and focus on the Elder Dragons and the White Mantle over the past year, it was easy to forget that not all problems in the world were far away. Many of them are right on your doorstep.

The Inquest used to be a constant concern for Tarnn and myself until we moved to Divinity’s Reach. The human city isn’t perfect but it felt safer than Rata Sum. We had become used to the idea of leaving to meet danger head on, not have it come to us.

It all started as a normal day too. Of course they always do for someone, I’m sure the Itzel had expected their day to be normal before the Pact crashed in their jungle. We had planned to run some errands on Dwayna’s High Road, just some banking and trading at the Black Lion post, just normal everyday things. The Palace Gardens we normally would use as a shortcut where closed off though, some party for the nobility and the Queen, forcing us to take the long way around. It was annoying but it happened sometimes. Nothing unusual at all.

It wasn’t until Tarnn and I were at the trading post, putting some of our wares up for sale, that it happened. There was a surge of magic from the east that caused almost everyone in the building and those outside to pause in their transactions to look up. Then there was a scream as massive red boulders were seen in the sky, heading straight for the city!

But almost as soon as those boulders were seen I could feel a veil of magic go through my body and the sky took on a purple sheen. It was a mesmer shield, the biggest one I had ever seen! It covered the entire city, the boulders smashing into dust against it.

But they still managed to hit something. There was the sound like thunder and a waterfall all at once. Someone who had managed to get to the bank roof yelled down to everyone in the plaza that the Lake Doric dams had been destroyed. The entire event had happened in less than a minute.

In that moment is was easy to tell the civilians and seasoned adventurers apart. The civilians were terrified, yelling for guards, unsure of what to do or where to go. Those of us though who had any sort of battle experience were asking different questions: What needed to be defended? Where were the injured? Who was in charge?

The Seraph were quick to gain control of the situation. They assured us that Queen Jennah was protecting her subjects and everyone should return to their homes, those that wanted to volunteer needed to report to Lake Doric. Of course Tarnn and I were not going to cower in our house. We gathered our gear and headed for Lake Doric.

I have seen a lot of things in my time and I steeled myself for the fight ahead. But I wasn’t as mentally prepared as I thought I was to see the lake just…gone. All that clear cool blue, all gone, replaced with nothing. I have easily spent hundreds of hours swimming in the lake, trading with the villages, picnicking on the shore…you’d never think any of that happened with the way it looked now.

I was quickly assigned to the medic tents while Tarnn was told to defend the Seraph supply lines. There wasn’t as many casualties as originally feared, the dams were the only immediate damage and Queen Jennah’s barrier kept any bombardments from reaching the city. She must be an exceedly powerful mesmer, more than the rumors suspected. In one spell she kept us all safer than all my years under the Arcane Council.

But that didn’t mean the tents were empty. The Seraph where out there securing the area and adventurers would limp in for a quick patch job before tackling the nearest White Mantle into the mud. I was eventually requested to head out into the field, someone had found out that I was part of the Pact and had experience with the White Mantle. I wasn’t going to disobey orders, this was a war zone after all, and I had friends in the villages I desperately wanted to check on myself. But I remembered Bloodstone Fen, I remembered the red air and the jade constructs and the eyes of the cultists. I would have rathered walked through Dragon Stand alone.

I still went into the field though, my job was more important than my own reservations. I was relieved that the air had not turned red, not yet. There was still time to repel the White Mantle. The interim though was not looking good. The local economy has been completely crippled. The fishing villages can’t fish without water. Between that and the poisoned farmlands in Kessex, Kryta is going to have an increasingly difficult time feeding itself and trading with the other cities. Queensdale may be able to handle the burden, but it also may not. To make things worse, Tarnn told me that the waterway that led to Harathi managed to survive but the chokepoint is under total control of the White Mantle, there is no way to get to Lion’s Arch by water. Maybe the queen’s balloons can be repurposed for trading.

I don’t want to make it sound like the only concern is economic, but this was a blow even if the city walls are still standing. My friends, former classmates from my teaching hospital and their families, told me as much. They had a clinic where they served Lake Doric villages. They will stay as long as they can, but if all the villages are abandoned then they would have to leave as well. Sure the dam will be rebuilt but the fishers can’t wait the years needed for construction and refilling of the lake. I never realized how secure working for the Priory and Pact were, dangerous of course, but I don’t have to worry about it vanishing out from under my feet. Well, I doubt my friends did either. I offered, if it ever reached the point where they had to find a new home, to give them the names of some contacts and letters of introduction. I hope it doesn’t have to come to that.

The Seraph are focusing on getting a handle on the situation and seem to have come to a stalemate with the White Mantle. The Steel warband had volunteered soldiers and engineers to bolster their numbers and start on the dam. Charr defending and rebuilding the human capital… if you told me that just a few years ago I would have never believed it. I can’t imagine anyone being against that treaty now.

There was the question of Caudecus through all of this. I can’t tell you how many adventurers asked if we were going to move on the manor, as if being a medic volunteering for the Seraph meant I was privy to such details. And we all know by now the issue was handled by a small strikeforce. The rumors that spread after that…about Caudecus, a secret room, Lazarus being incomplete or a total fake, its hard to sort through what is real and what is not.

I can confirm the fate of Demmi Beetlestone however. I was at the Seraph camp when they brought back her body, though at the time no one knew who it was. It was only after the mortician asked for me personally that I saw the body (and yes, her guardians in the Wi family have permitted me to speak about this, they want to “squash any rumors that would do a disservice to her memory” as they put it). My experience in Bloodstone Fen was well known around the camp by this point and the mortician was afraid that Demmi might have had bloodstone poisoning in her system and her soul then would be now tied to the Bloodstone.

When you are in a field like mine, there is very little you can get used too. You can steel yourself as much as possible, try to distance yourself in order to stay focused on the task at hand, and you can get very very good at that. But seeing Demmi on that slab was just…tragic. She was young, younger than I was and yet from the stories I was being told had lived through a lot of tragedy. The whole Beetlestone family was made up of nothing but tragedy.

Thankfully the mortician’s concerns seemed to be unfounded. Demmi’s wound is consistent with a gunshot (I will keep my opinions on her care to myself, I’m sure they did their best) but even with a bloodstone bullet it happened way too fast for the bloodstone to leech into her bloodstream and cause corruption. Of course I’m not a dedicated bloodstone scholar but I believe Demmi’s spirit is safe in the Mists, away from all of this ugliness.

I don’t know what’s going to happen next. Hopefully Caudecus’ death will weaken the White Mantle and the Seraph can push them out of Lake Doric for good. But we won’t know that right away. But for the moment it appears we have the upper hand and Tarnn and I’s services are no longer needed by the Seraph. But that barrier is still in place. You can see it in the sky when the light is just right. I know some people are upset by it, but it makes me feel safe.

The Six save the Queen.

Aeromage Sanna: Rising Flames

The Priory has had its ear to ground, sometimes literally, in the past few months. Ever since the Bloodstone exploded there has been an uptick in dragon movement. 

Tarnn and I have worked under Magister Seis Burnheart, placing sensors, watching adventurers try to find them again, performing analysis, and then repeating the process all over further and further south. The whole team knew what it was we were sensing. No one wanted to say it before all the data rolled in, officially because that’s bad practice but I’ve heard from whispering that they were afraid that it was all true. That Primordus was moving. But in our research we discovered it was not towards the shattered Bloodstone but further and further south. The magic that it released must have surged through the leylines under immense pressure, traveling to the farthest reaches of Tyria and with the fire dragon following it.

The Ring of Fire Islands was the next logical place to search for evidence Primordus’ movements. Directly in line with his path and famous for its volcanoes, sounds like just the place for an Elder Dragon of Fire.

There was a snag though. Taimi somehow managed to maneuver right under Phlunt’s ears and gather a krewe loyal to her and has subsequently laid claim on Ember Bay, aka the safest airship landing zone scouted out so far. Look, Taimi is a nice kid and all, but she has made some bad calls in the past and her krewe jealously guarding the island against the Durmand Priory as one of them. I understand being wary of representatives from Rata Sum who would steal credit of your discoveries. I totally get where that is coming from. But we weren’t asking to look over the krewe’s shoulder, all we wanted was access safe area to do our own independent research. The Priory’s major mission statement is discovering ways to fight the dragons and I don’t feel like we were unreasonable!

As it was, Tarnn and I were reluctantly tolerated guests, both by virtue of knowing Taimi personally and being asura, but it was clear we weren’t welcomed to stay. We did gather two piece of very valuable information. The first is that the dragon energies seem to be merging, that we were able to see with our own eyes as the destroyers in the area looked to be infused with either death magic or plant magic. We weren’t allowed to get close to them though. “For your safety” was the excuse, though I bet the risk that we’d remove a sample for ourselves was the real reason.

The second thing we learned was that Jormag was active. Or at least more active than normal which was enough for some krewe members to speak about it plainly without realizing Priory ears were nearby. Jormag had always been awake in the north, that’s not newsworthy. Something else must have changed. And I bet my staff the icebrood are showing signs of mixed  dragon magic like the destroyers. The implications are worrisome, but it’s bad practice to make conclusions before the research is done.

We went back to the airship and shared what we found. It would take months for the Priory to scout out another safe landing zone among the islands, if another one even exists. But the news of dragon minions showing traits of the dead dragons and that Jormag might be moving made up for the disappointment. It would not be difficult to convince Steward Gixx to outfit another expedition up north, especially since our original plan of action is dead in the water.

We did not immediately fly back to the mainland. Apparently one of the explorers managed to convince the pilot, behind Magister Seis’ back, to fly by the old Mursaat fortress. “Just wanted a closer look at it” they said. From the air we could tell the fortress was not a series of ruins, but was active with jade armor and ether towers. Things like that don’t stop the Priory though and the “closer look” became trowels on the ground. You’d think it was Wintersday come early with the way the rest were carrying on. I was excited too I guess, but I had already seen Lazerus in the…do mursaat have flesh? Regardless I had already seen a live mursaat and I was more concerned that he would burst out the front doors to tell us to get off his front lawn. Tarnn might have had a less fun time that I. As part of the bodyguard contingency he had a hell of a time trying to herd the less spatially aware researchers away from danger.

We only at the fortress for a couple hours before a boat with a few members of Taimi’s krewe zoomed over to tell us we were trespassing on krewe territory. I am definitely going to writing Taimi a few strong words regarding terrain sharing. But we didn’t want a fight so we left on our airship, along with two dead jade armors, one chopped down ether tower, and ten mursaat tablets that one novice is letting Tarnn translate as an apology for being so much trouble.

The expedition ended there. I don’t know what Gixx was told but you could hear him yelling all the way down in the archives. Tarnn was allowed to continue working on the tablet translations but I wasn’t assigned to work on the mursaat artifacts. No official word on my next assignment but I was asked how well I handle the cold. As if we weren’t currently in the middle of the Shiverpeaks.

One other thing happened after we returned to the Priory. Marjory sent us a letter saying that the egg in Tarir had hatched! The dragonling’s name is Aurene (Tarnn had guessed its name would be Glisten, I guessed Glitter) and seems healthy, though we only have the Exalted’s knowledge to verify that. And then she added as a mere aside that dragon minions tried to attack the dragonling and they were stopped by Lazarus himself and he offered to help fight against the elder dragons and now she is all buddy-buddy with Lazarus to determine his trustworthiness. Also Rytlock is in jail. Then she offered Kasmeer’s greeting and then ended the letter.

I’m sorry but what? You don’t just end a friendly letter like that! What does she mean that Rytlock is in jail? Amd what is going on with Lazarus? Is he in her home with her right now? In the middle of Divinity’s Reach??? What the hell is going on?!

I think I need to go lay down.