You approach the Crystal Soul. You sense it is paying attention to you.
"I am Lorta-Bok."
"I am a historian."
0
hist
0
"We Vahnatai are a long-lived people. Because of our great spans of life, we tend to forget."
0
span@life
0
"I lived 524 years before I shed my physical form. A cruel accident took me. I had served as Bok for 200 years, and should have had 200 more."
0
forg
0
"Think of things you did ten, fifteen years ago, things you did when you were five. Things we did when we were a hundred seem that way to us when we are four hundred. We have much more to remember, but our memories are no better than yours."
"But my memory us strong. I record what my people have done and been. Tedious to you, priceless to us."
0
acci
0
"Bad mushrooms. I choose not to speak of it."
1
stnd
0
You approach the crystal. You hear in your mind "Come closer, humans. You are welcome here."
"I am Wilvron-Bok, a teacher of the Vahnatai people."
"In life I was exceptionally skilled in magic, even for a Bok. In this form, I choose to teach the magic I learned in life."
1
teac@magi
0
"Beings pilgrimage to see me. It is a great honor to them, and to me. In return, if they are worthy, I show them spells."
1
hono
0
"The journey is long, and not all are allowed to make it. It is also dangerous, and it honors me that souls would risk the hydras other monsters to obtain my spells."
1
spel
109
""
2
stnd
0
You approach the Crystal Soul. It scries you - you feel a magical inspection of your bodies and minds. You can only guess it finds nothing harmful - you're still living.
"Greetings, humans. I mean you no harm if you mean me no harm. I am Eos-Bok.'
"I must protect myself, as I have great importance to my people. I dispense justice.
2
prot
0
"All of us Crystal Souls had great powers in life, and those powers have increased since. Humans took us by surprise once. It will not happen again."
2
disp@just
0
"When a problem is too thorny for living Boks to deal with, they turn to me for impartial judgement. This only happens rarely, though. What happens more often is that a criminal comes to me to confess and receive my punishment."
2
conf@puni
0
"When one wants to confess privately, they may be punished by me. If the living then find of the crime, the criminal has atoned. I have thieves return goods, slanderers return the good, and murderers spend their lives trying to undo their harm."
"When one truly wants to atone, I help them do it in the best possible way. It has only failed once."
2
fail@once
0
"Just before the last resting, centuries past, a thief told me he stole a ring, felt guilty, hid it behind a stalagmite outside, and came in for atonement. I told him to return it to the owner and confess to her. He couldn't face the shame of doing so."
"He left the shrine, the caves, and the tribe. He never returned. Sad. He was young. He didn't deserve that."
3
stnd
0
There is a Crystal Soul here. You hear in your mind "Approach, and kneel." You do so.
"I am called Aichael-Bok." (Like Michael, without the 'm' sound.) "Welcome."
"I continue to ponder what I pondered for two centuries before the Resting: the nature of our beings."
3
rest
0
"We partake of the Resting too, but differently. Our minds slow down."
3
natu@bein
0
"We are not crystals with souls inside them. Our spirits, when they return from the beyond, create crystal around us from nothingness. It is strange, though - it would seem possible to create a flawed crystal."
3
flaw@crys
0
"Our spirits return from the beyond with the help of the living Vahnatai, who call us with long, elaborate rituals. However, two of the Crystal Souls brought back were flawed."
"Poor Dahris-Bok, and poor Delrin-Bok. If only they could be healed."
3
elab@ritu
0
"Secretly performed on the island on the dome."
3
dahr
0
"He could not stand our presence and demanded being moved to a crypt in the lake region. He would give advice to the living in return for tribute, but if he did not get tribute, he would become angry and hostile."
"Sad and ungraceful. But at least he helped his people, unlike Delrin."
3
delr
0
"Delrin-Bok formed with a flaw. He blamed the living for it, claiming it scattered his thinking. It was nobody's fault though. I just happened. Still, it DID scatter his thinking - he went mad, and had to be removed for all our sakes."
"The poor soul lives to the west, in the spore caverns. Avoid him - he is very deranged and very dangerous."
4
stnd
0
You stand in the presence of a Crystal Soul you returned.
"Welcome, humans! I am glad at your presence. I am Vyvnas-Bok."
"Right now, I prepare for battle."
4
prep@batt
0
"Some of our spend all our centuries in this form in the shrine, gathering and dispensing knowledge. Some of us, on the other hand, become more active."
4
acti
0
"Some of us are carried into battle. We cast our spells to fight our enemies. There are legendary tales of battles between Crystal Souls in the name of their tribes. At this point, it does not fall to me to gather information."
4
info@know
0
"I do not disparage these pursuits. They are as valuable in times of strife, sometimes more so. However, there must always be those who go out to actually fight. Soon, this is what I will do."
5
stnd
0
As you approach Jekknol-Bok, disembodied flickers of words pass through your head like ghosts.
"No."
"I will not listen."
5
list
0
"I saw them die. I saw all my people die. Die slow. The humans could not keep me from seeing. Or maybe they helped. I don't know. You are humans."
5
huma@help
0
"Humans help me. Humans hurt me. None of this is real. My people are dead."
5
peop@dead
0
"This is all a lie, all this is simply a lie, a human trick. I have my dignity. I will not let myself believe this is real. I have beat you. Now leave me. I have no more to say."
6
stnd
0
Caffren-Bok's crystal still glows with a vital energy.
"I am still Caffren-Bok, humans, how could you forget after risking so much to save me?"
"I contemplate Garzahd."
6
garz
0
"He may have been able to do the impossible - compel me to use my powers at the front of the Empire army, to fight for them. He must die. I have been working with Rentar-Ihrno towards this aim."
6
rent
0
"She and I are trying to figure out how one of his power may be slain. We are at a loss."
6
slai@loss
0
"Perhaps you humans may find a way to deal with a human magician. Should you do so, go see Rentar-Ihrno and ask about attacking him. We will give you all the help we can."
7
stnd
0
A Vahnatai child sits by the fire, looking rather forlorn and alone. Strangely, she doesn't seem threatened by your presence.
She stands and bows. "I'm Ruis."
"I'm a pilgrim to see the crystals."
7
pilg@crys
0
"They give us advice. I'm trying to find out what I should be. Some think I should be a mage, and some a Ponder."
7
mage@pond
0
She smiles broadly. "They say I'm smart! Some want me to be a mage, and some think I could be wise and think stuff! I don't know, though. That's why I'm here, so the elders can help me."
"I've been here a week, and still no luck. But I have high hopes!"
8
stnd
0
This Vahnatai warrior whips out his wave blade the moment he sees you approach. He doesn't attack, though.
"Crysa-Te, Vahnatai blademaster, and I'm sure to take a few of you with me!"
"I'm here to see the Crystals! They say we're protected from humans, but I'm not ready to try it out!"
8
huma
0
"They say you're not all bad. It's not my place to say. Just stay away!"
8
crys@prot
0
"They say there are spells for if humans attack someone here again. I believe them, but I don't trust it."
9
stnd
0
You see a young Vahnatai man, sitting by his fire reading a scroll.
"Welcome, humans. Sit by my fire a bit. I am Mentos." His friendliness is a fresh experience.
"I am a mage in training. I'm here to study from Wilvron."
9
stud@wilv
0
"He teaches spells to those lucky enough to be sent to him. I am a Pilgrim all the way from Mancuso."
9
pilg@manc
0
"Twas' a long journey. Mancuso is a small village, far to the east. I hope they're doing well without me - I'm their only mage."
9
mage
0
"One day, I'll not be called Mentos, but Mentos-Te. It is my hope." He proffers several small pieces of Vahnatai candy to you. You try one. It's pretty good.
