Shallows/EotWFirstOmen
The End of the World | Introduction | Characters | House Rules | Missions | Player Notes | Disposition of the Sidereal Shards | Storyteller notes
Rosebush
Originally Posted by voidstate
Around him the sound of his companions' conversation faded away as Carodin concentrated on the gem of omens. Beneath the dark surface, clouds of essence swam into life and Carodin's flesh crawled as he felt the weave tighten around the crystal hearthstone.
{Gem of Omens give me sight beyong sight!}
As Carodin gazed off into space, willing the Omen to come, his eye caught sight of the rose bush that Zageezer was investigating. It was beautiful in its construction and amazing in the pure joy of form and life it had to offer. The Blossom was of course the highest point, almost seperate from the rest of the rose itself. Yet it was lovely at first glance...
...yet looking closer, Carodin could see that some of the petals had grown disused or were shut out of the warmpth of the sun and not they were being touched with fungus or preparing to fall off. Then there at the center Carodin saw a single black spot of rot. It was not depressing in its own right, but he could see where several more spots could emerge, and that would claim the heart of the flower...
... Below in the brambles and thorns the growth seemed to have started properly, but untended, it had grown wild and now sections of the bush prepared to push and threaten other sections. Yet the growth continued, if only it could be pruned and corrected and made whole...
...then he saw the roots and could almost imagine the dark rich earth they sank into. There were tears in the ground. Tears that could be patched and made whole if anyone noticed, but clearly no one had. And below, in the darkness, Carodin thought he saw Ants preparing to swarm out and rip the rosebush apart...
...then he blinked and caught himself. Suyus rosebush was fine, what had he been thinking?
What it Means
I was quite pleased with this one. Suyu's garden was the setting, and I had already mentioned Sessus Negezzer (THE SLUG) was looking at the roses, so I decided to tie that in.
The Blossom represents Yu-Shan. The falling petals representing the areas being unused and falling into the hands of the disenfranchised. The rot actually represents the 5 pillars that are going to rise up and drop the Pleasure dome into the Mouth of Oblivion.
The brambles represent creation and the wars about to be waged there.
The roots represent the underworld which will make itself known in time.
