The Ghost/The Details of Gods and Fairies
Previous Entry: Under the Sign of Mercury
And miles to go before we sleep
Following along a well used caravan track the Circle and their Sidereal associate come upon a section where the track diverges and goes two ways. The one running the way they wish to go is disused and desolate, but the other would take them mile upon mile out of their way. They decide to follow the disused track, feeling that any group of bandits would be no match for their skills. After some further miles they come to realize that they have unwittingly wandered into a shadowland, which is very bad because they have been traveling at night to spare their water resources and now have no easy way out. Pushing on still further they discover that the grass to either side of the road is filled with bones, gnawed clean of flesh, and some of them are even the bones of larger prey such as elephants.
Some wish to turn back, but Artisan Faust advises that they should confront whatever danger lies ahead and eliminate it in the cause of protecting mortal travelers from the dangers of the shadow land.
Soon they come upon the core of the problem. It seems some of the Tri-Kahn's troops have had a major battle with a group of bandits, and didn't come out but tied. Both sides have now devolved into a huge pack of hungry ghosts which attack anything that comes near and have even now brought down an elephant. Knowing that they cannot face the 30-40 hungry ghosts ahead by themselves the Solars begin a ritual to burrow through the border of the shadowland back into creation. Soon however some of the hungry ghosts take note of the scent of fresh meat and come looking for the Solars. Not long thereafter River get's the first chance to use her Orichalcum Long Powerbow and drops the five ghosts that approach, buying time for Cat to complete the ritual and allow them all to escape.
A village in Crisis
Traveling along the border of the shadowland through the rough scrub and hardpan of the dessert the group at last come to a small village. This cluster of adobe houses nestles around a large marble temple but everyone is afraid of them and hides in their dwelling places. Only one woman dares to open her house to them, one Harmonious Flower by name who greets them as "The Shining ones whom I have awaited."
