They met no one as they traveled. The Migration led them steadily north for two days. The debate amongst the Guildmasters grew with every passing hour. The argument had flared to mutinous proportions when they reached a prosperous Gathering at the junction of three Migrations. The caravan creaked to a halt, windblown sand spilling from [...]
Chapter 10: Separate Ways “Not all of the Desert Tribes have fared well under the leadership of the Tribe of Prophets. Desert dwellers that trade with outside merchants are often outcast or shunned by other tribes. Long term relationships between merchants and desert traders are very rare, as Plains merchants return to find previous trade [...]
After a late breakfast, Fronek and Devon took stock of the farmhouse and its surroundings. Part of the roof had collapsed. Most of the building was a total loss. But the hearth in the large central room was still sound. The chimney above it had held up a section of the roof when the rest [...]
Chapter 9: The Winding of the Way “The Doormaker Council is seen by some as a suppresser of knowledge. But the Council was the first to preserve knowledge in written form for later generations. Without Council support the Guild schools would not exist. If the Council restricts access to the more powerful teachings of the [...]
He knew it was a short drop into a drift of blown sand. But he fell through a darkness that the sun never lifted. He landed nimbly enough, letting his knees absorb the impact and then rolling forward to dispel the energy of his fall. He came to a stop and looked up. The crevasse [...]
By dawn, Tor and his followers stood at the lip of a small crevasse. It was dark and forbidding. Tor noted that each of the Hand displayed their edginess differently. What fears did they see in the shadows? Surya eyed the dark opening with suspicion. She held her shardspear in a double hand grip. Drez [...]
Fronek stirred the coals with the charred end of a stick. He added a handful of bark peels and small twigs. Within moments, he had coaxed a single tongue of flame from the bed of the previous night’s fire. Others quickly followed as he fed larger branches into the pile. The fragrant wood smoke perfumed [...]
Chapter 8: Dark Mysteries “The raw energy of the elemental plane influences the physical plane in myriad ways. All cultures are touched by that power. Guardian Village’s notoriously variable weather responds to the complex ebb and flow of air, earth, and water energies in that region. We believe the mystics of the desert tribes read [...]
Devon had nearly given up hope of finding Fronek before morning when he smelled wood smoke. It drifted to him through the still night air from somewhere to the northwest, but was faint. So its source was either a fair distance away, or small. Like the campfire of a lone traveler. He searched in vain [...]
Tor and his recently proven defenders trekked tirelessly across the open desert. The sun had set and the moon had not yet risen. The early evening stars lit their way across the dunescape, as it rolled from horizon to the horizon like a vision of windswept seas frozen in time. They had salvaged several days’ [...]
