SkieBorne
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- Posted: Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:25:18 +0000
.:: ||{...What Ails Thee...}|| ::.
The Ancients were arrayed around him in a circle, and within that one rank of druids sitting at the compass points and with yet that the strongest druids on Kaltyrianr’s council accompanied the Arch Druid himself. At the center, sitting on the heart wood with a sleeveless tunic and knee-length breeches sat Glyph with his eyes closed.
They’d settled on such an arrangement so as to lessen the strain on any one individual and to pool resources to sound the depths of Teldrassil – this time fully and properly. Glyph would be their focus and their direction. He’d discovered the power of a focused communion in his education at the hands of the Ancients… such a gathering would be sure to effect positive change over the coming days. Or weeks. No one was quite sure how long it would take or what, exactly, was wrong. All Forest knew was there was a tangle of mana that was killing the tree and its forests.
Inhaling deeply, Glyph relaxed his shoulders and slowed his breathing, letting his own power wash over the limited area he could currently manage. When he had found the limit, he spoke quietly, “Begin when you are ready.”
Around him, the creak of Ancients’ arms heralded the summoning of druidic magic as before and the green lines of life magic arched through the massive treants before striking out from each of the creatures like the spokes of a wheel. Again the lines of light converged on Glyph. He grunted and grit his teeth as he pulled the raw energy around and used it to buffer his own power, fighting the desire to fall into trance and drift on the greenness of the spells.
Heartbeats drew into minutes as he acclimatized himself to the surge of power, shoulders already tensed. When he lifted a hand the secondary circle of druids cast their magics in emerald and amethyst lines of power that arched around and converged as well on Glyph. He could feel the doubt in a few of the druids, and the fear that they’d inadvertently burn their so-called savior out before they accomplished anything.
Huffing, he caught the powers and the threads of belief that linked the druids to himself more easily then the raw strength of the Ancient’s focused talents. A halo of spellight had settled around Forest then, scintillating with colours of the forest – deep emeralds, flashes of neon greens, red, brow… the slice of blue and p***k of death hues. At length, the tumult suddenly burst outward in a nova of light as the spells aligned and Glyph let go.
It was like being slingshot out. The power they’d raised pulled his awareness out of his body and submersed it in the energies of the tree, setting everything in an almost dream-like quality and he wondered if this was something like the sleeping Illisia had mentioned. Dizzied and dazzled by the flashes of light and colour and thrum of life unbridled around him, Glyph spent precious moments reorienting himself – moments he was aware would drain and exhaust those present. He would not deny he felt good, stronger and bolstered by the threads of prayer and belief even know he could feel through the communal connection those in the Heart Chamber shared.
When finally he felt comfortable, he let his success whisper across the lines of power and followed their focus of attention down. At first he didn’t see or sense anything but then… a choking sensation ripped through him and rippled up to shock those he was connected to. Jerking, his body covered in sweat and a look of intense concentration upon his face, Glyph probed the choked parts and found dead spots… scars left unhealed in both tissue and mana that unbalanced the entirety of the tree. It was not one simple injury but a myriad of problems entangled and snared in each other. Teldrassil had weathered the storms like a lightning rod, sheltering those who depended on it while suffering incredible, mostly invisible damage. And it was damage what wouldn’t respond to the druidic arts for some reason, were set too deeply into the essence of the tree to be reached.
He realized then that the druids would have watched their World Tree die had he and Illisia not come. The tree had slipped into a near coma and was fast slipping away.
His revelation sparked and echoed along his connection, disrupting the flow as the first of the druids began to quake with the effort. Glyph’s own body was pale and shuddering as the network began to break down, their query answered fully. Those wounds would take his touch to mend and the mana could be guided. Once the cycle of energy was restored, the druids’ effort should start to make a difference and ease the strain on him. This, and a plan for the future, was passed among the connected minds and agreement quickly attained.
When he woke, the chamber was awash in soft green light and it took a moment for him to realize he was the source, still buzzing and crackling with the residual energies the Ancients had not been able to guide away. Around him, a score of druids were passed out and more then a few Ancients had taken a knee to rest. His legs and arms felt as rubber and he dared not rise. “H-How long?” He queried to the room at large.
“The better part of a day, sir.” One of the still-conscious druids answered, her voice husky from strain.
“Oh…” He felt faint then and moved to get up against his better judgement. The world spun crazily and suddenly went black as he passed into unconsciousness as well.
Someone along the edge gave a nervous laugh, “If he ends up like that each time… this is going to take a while. “
“Shush.” Another chastised the speaker, “That was more information then we’d gathered in months. I believe even if you don’t.”
By then the honour guard had started to cart the sleepers back up and into prepared areas. Glyph was treated like the other druids, presided over by Kaltyrian and deposited into the care of Illisia.