Episode 12 | Lithosynthesis

Raka:   Almost there.

Lyn:     Yea ok, I heard the windshell turn on.

Raka:   … Are you still mad at me?

Lyn:     Nah… Not really. Malaki gave me some of those jerky stripes he made this morning. I guess I was just hangry.

Malaki:  I told you, she is cranky without food.

Lyn:     That, and I’m not really into that kind of drama.

Raka:   Ah…

Lyn:     Look, I… I know I’m not a smartass like you. I guess I… kinda knew you thought of me that way, your behavior made it pretty much clear. Guess it was more the way Ferryce pointed it out that got to me.

Ferryce:  (chuckcles)

Raka:   Fiyar’ta!

Lyn:     Oh shit!

Ferryce:  I am as blunt as a flintstone.

Lyn:     Have you been with us the whole time?

Ferryce:  Of course.

Lyn:     Stalker…

Ferryce:  I am in Raka’s gemstone, did you forget that?

Lyn:     I thought Raka would have to summon you when we needed you!

Ferryce:  Raka, you need to better educate this human.

Lyn:     Yea, Raka!

Raka:   To be fair, I wasn’t sure…

Malaki:  I… didn’t know it would follow us like this.

Raka:   If you had, I’m sure you wouldn’t have said those things about them earlier, hm?

Malaki:  If YOU had known your monohorn would be inhabited by a Væron, I’m sure you would’ve polished it for it.

Lyn:     Touché.

Raka:   Polish my- Is that a thing you Skur do with your horns, you polish them?

Lyn:     So… how’s it in that “monohorn”?

Raka:   It’s a gem, not a horn…

Ferryce:  Oh, it’s quite comfortable. I enjoy the view, Raka is quite tall. And it’s been long since I had the chance to see anything outside of my grove.

Lyn:     Aren’t you getting motion sick? I know I would be, if I were in your place. Always made me puke when I played first person games.

Ferryce:  I can tolerate it. But I don’t perceive the world the same way you do.

Raka:   On another note… Does anyone have any thought of how we could deal with the Fynar?

Malaki:  I thought of something.

Raka:   You-

Malaki:  The Vær feed on… o-o-on sun warmth. The clouds prevent that, but with my-my-my äthwar I could-

Raka:   No chance, runt. You’ve had your fair share of throwing around runes haphazardly today.

Lyn:     Oh come on, you made so much progress earlier! Don’t throw that to the wind!

Malaki:  I want to move on! Th-this… fa… thk- this THING has kept us long enough! We-we waste a DAY on one Vær. It will take a long time to FIX the hole!

Ferryce:  That’s what I said earlier…

Raka:   Fine! Let’s hurry this along. Ferryce, do you have any suggestions how we could deal with the Fynar?

Ferryce:  You won’t like my suggestion.

Raka:   I’m willing to try anything a Væron suggests.

Ferryce:  Is it just a matter of who gives you the advice then? The quality of the suggestion does not matter to you?

Raka:   Tsk, that’s not it, I-

Ferryce:  When you set the terms for Malaki’s tether, you gave him an out if he can prove to you that he can be trusted. Yet you condemn him to inactivity.

Lyn:     Yea.

Ferryce:  One cannot prove ones trustworthiness with ones hands tied to their backs.

Raka:   What are you getting at?

Ferryce:  The Fynar depend on weather conditions. What better element to influence the weather than wind?

Raka:   You suggest I let him free up the sky?

Malaki:  Th-that-THAT’s exactly what I tried to suggest!

Raka:   Was it?

Malaki:  Yes!

Ferryce:  Yes.

Raka:   Then Ferryce is just more convincing than you.

Lyn:     Isn’t that a rather short-term solution though?

Ferryce:  Very good, little human. Yes, that approach won’t last long. A gust of air and it will be overcast again.

Raka:   Is there anything we can do to change the conditions permanently?

Ferryce:  There is. But it is not something to temper with lightly.

Raka:   What do you mean?

Ferryce:  Tell me, great patcher, have you ever mended a hole in your attire?

Raka:   No, I haven’t.

Lyn:     Oh- I’ve fixed holes in my clothes before.

Malaki:  Humans… Humans don’t FIX things! Humans SCRAP things! They leave their broken things everywhere! All over Skaudr’s horn…

Lyn:     Is that how you got your pants then? Because they look trashy.

Ferryce:  How DID a human learn to mend fabric?

Lyn:     Well, I’ve been in a situation where I couldn’t afford to throw stuff away. So I had to learn to repair it instead.

Ferryce:  Then why not enlighten this great Patcher how it’s done.

Lyn:     Okay fine. You just pull a thread through the fabric on one side of the hole, then through the other side and pull. Rinse and repeat until the hole is closed.

Ferryce:  Excellent. Yes, that is how it is done.

Malaki:  So we fix the hole the same way. Pull a thread through the aetherfrays and bring the thread to the other side of Skaudrs horn.

Ferryce:  Very good. See, patcher, this “uneducated” lot seem to know your job better than you do.

Raka:   I don’t see how any of this will help the Fynar.

Ferryce:  Oh, you are dense today. The aetherweb is a surge, a wave, like ebb and flow. It comes, it goes. In the past few decades, these surges on the wind and water weaves have caused the climate on the Skundr to grow colder. As a result, the Fynar have been getting less nourishment every year. They starve. Just like the Skur, to make this a little more relatable to you, Malaki.
Are you writing this down, Raka? This is important!
The Skur used to be able to sustain themselves, when the land was more fertile. They fed on the large Koshoryce herds, which used to live here. But as the climate changed, they became scarce. They are almost extinct now. And without the Koshoryce, the Skur starve. Just like the Fynar.

Lyn:     How does the aetherweb play into that change?

Ferryce:  It is the fabric of this world, human. It is the grid, the… yes, “wireframe” if you want to think of it that way. But it is not unchangable. It shifts. It is like fabric in the truest sense. Folding, unfolding, fraying, tangling, slipping. Without a seam, it rips.

Lyn:     I’m not sure I’m getting that analogy…

Raka:   Hmm. So if I patch this tangleweave that way instead of the normal way, that would fix the surges of the web in place, stabilize the weather on the Skundr and the situation of the Fynar would normalize?

Ferryce:  Yes. Not only the Fynar, but all who live on the Skundr would benefit of this.

Malaki:  Warmer climate means more food for prey. More food for Skurka. They wouldn’t need to raid the Kyrjir settlements anymore.

Lyn:     Kinda sounds like you’re already on board with this.

Malaki:  I…

Raka:   I would prefer not to temper with the weather. Can’t I patch this tangleweave the regular way?

Lyn:     Yea, I was wondering about that- What IS the regular way?

Ferryce:  Oh, you mean by asking other Væron to do the dirty work FOR you?

Raka:    The normal way would involve asking Vaeron near the holes to connect the frays back together in exchange for favors and oaths. Like the one I made with Ferryce.

Ferryce:  But this Tangleweave is too big to fix with your regular methods.

Raka:   But by the sound of it, this tangleweave is quite large.
Ferryce: Yes.

Raka:   Larger than any I had seen before.

Ferryce:  We have great power, but it’s not unlimited. The distances we’d have to pull those frays are too great, even if all of us consented to work together. Yet that would not change the weather conditions.

Raka:   Hmm… But patching the hole the way you suggested would result in warmer climate on the Skundr.

Ferryce:  Yes.

Raka:   Who knows what else it might affect…

Lyn:     Oh yea… climate change can have a pretty wide reach. We had that many decades ago on earth.

Ferryce:  The climate on the Skundr has always affected the whole of Zäa, and will continue to do so, regardless of your intervention. Warmer or colder, it does not matter, the rest of Zäa will follow suite. What matters is how well mortals adapt and deal with the repercussions. Skur have adapted well enough that they managed to survive. The Koshoryce have not. That is the way of nature. Those who are not willing or too slow to change will fall victim to change itself.

Raka:   What is your assessment on this situation as Væron?

Ferryce:  Ah. Good question, Raka. Change is a pendulum. It swings back and forth between two extremes. Fynar are nature Vær, and they should not need to make this radical a decision. In my opinion, the Skundr weather has reached its extreme and is ready to swing back the other way. Any further and the overall temperature in Zäa will drop significantly.

Lyn:     Ooh, okay.

Raka:   I see. There it is. Thank the Fiyar’ta it’s still here. That’s the Fynar in the stone serpent, Ferryce.

Ferryce:  Repugnant.

Lyn:     Wait, so are you disgusted by that or do you want to help them? The way you spoke of them earlier, it sounded like you felt sorry for them.

Ferryce:  I do. As person, I feel sorry necessity drove them to such extreme measures. As Væron, I am disgusted that they would take up something a petty as a mortal’s body. Vær are not meant to have physical bodies. The physical world is for mortals, not for Vær. Any kind of Vær that goes against that simple principle is an abominations. Disgraceful, despicable.

Lyn:     Have you ever tried having a body?

Ferryce:  Oh the fourteen forbid, no. I would rather return myself to the weave than do that. I really despise inhabiting anything physical. Even Raka’s gem I only reluctantly inhabit. But my curiosity far exceeds my disapproval. Ah, but I seem to remember having heard of a Væron that tried to attain a mortals body…

Raka:   Um… what?

Lyn:     Well, take it from someone that has a body – I don’t really recommend it. Heaving it from place to place is a chore, and breathing is a nuisance. But- hey, food is great. You should try it out for food, if nothing else. You might enjoy it. Oh, buffets, chicken wings…

Ferryce:  That is an experience I can do without.

Lyn:     No really, Malaki is a great cook! He just made beef jerkey, you should-

Raka:   At any rate, it looks like they’ve snapped quite a few vines already. We better get on this immediately. With the overcast sky it’s hard to tell but I think the sun is almost setting.

Malaki:  Yes.

Raka:   We should clear up the sky before that happens so they can get a few rays of sunlight.

Lyn:     You got a plan?

Raka:   We will do what Ferryce suggested. Malaki, I will free your tether, and I want you to-

Ferryce:  No, no, no. ASK, Raka. Don’t COMMAND.

Raka:   I…

Ferryce:  No wonder he isn’t getting the hang of that concept! This is NOT how you treat your companions, Raka. This is how you treat your subordinates, your house-maids and household. Didn’t you abjure your inheritance as mistress?

Raka:   I… of course I did! I have no interest in leading a household!

Ferryce:  Then why do you treat your companions this way?

Lyn:     Daaaang, I’m starting to like this guy. Can we keep him?

Ferryce:  Don’t worry, little human. You’re not in danger of being rid of me anytime soon. Well?

Raka:   Malaki…

Malaki:  Yes…

Raka:   If I free up your äthwar, will you… help me with this? Can you clear up the sky?

Malaki:  I suggested that earlier.

Raka:   I know. I apologize for… ignoring your suggestion earlier.

Malaki:  I will do anything to get my äthwar back. And if my wind-runes can help change the conditions for Skurka, I will help.

Raka:   Good. Alright… what about you, Lyn?

Lyn:     Me? What could I possibly do that Malaki or Ferryce can’t?

Raka:   I need you to be my eyes, you have to see the weave for me.

Lyn:     The weave? Wouldn’t Mal be better for that job?

Malaki:  I can’t see the weave. I can only see Runes and Vær.

Lyn:     Oh, right… Forgot about that. Yea, okay sure. What’d you have in mind?

Raka:   I plan to shoot an arrow with a thread-rune through the weave. Like you said, pull a thread through the fabric. But I need you to tell me where to aim.

Lyn:     Okay, sure. I think I can do that. But… I don’t know where left and right is…

Ferryce:  A good plan.

Raka:   Are you ready for your wind runes, white-eye?

Malaki:  I AM the wind.

Raka:   Not this again… Þamratu, malakiri wyv!

Malaki:  Yes! YES!
Poĥaïr! (levitate)
Senahæ! (ascend)
Fuïn! (updraft)

Raka:   What are you doing?!

Lyn:     He can fly! He’s an angel! Aaaah~

Raka:   Malaki, get back down here!

Lyn:     Rise, Malaki, rise~

Ferryce:  Put some trust in him…

Raka:   Trust him?! He just flew off to ditch us!

Malaki:  Wyv, senahïa!

Raka:   He’s…

Ferryce:  Breaking the clouds apart, yes.

Malaki:  Yen ṽodyia!

Raka:   Fiyar’ta- Why did he need to FLY there, he could’ve just done it from here!

Lyn:     For special effects, maybe? I mean it worked. Looked special. I mean, can you fly?

Raka:   Fiyar’ta…

Ferryce:  You’ve kept him on a short leash for 5 days. Didn’t you notice how excited he was to get his runes back? It is part of who he is, after all.

Lyn:     Yea, he probably just needs to stretch his invisible wings.

Raka:   Oh don’t support his whole “I am the wind” crap. He is a Skur, not an Eshävær. There’s no part of him that is the wind.

Ferryce:  If you say so, Raka.

Lyn:     Unless he eats beans. But really, it looked like part of his body dissolved and flowed away like water. It pretty much DOES look like he’s part of the wind when he does that.

Raka:   He is using too many runes again!

Lyn:     But at least it’s starting to clear up. Look, you were right, it’s almost sunset. Daaang, and the rays are falling directly on the stone serpent!

Ferryce:  The Fynar sing their appreciation.

Lyn:     Yay! Music! Now they can finally photosynthesize again! Or… Stone… synthesize? What’s latin for stone?

Raka:   Great. At least that worked out.

Lyn:     So pretty. I wish I could take a picture of that…

Raka:   You can draw pictures later.

Lyn:     “Draw”.

Raka:   Do you see the weave?

Lyn:     I’m not sure… Is that what looks like the northern lights?

Raka:   I’m… not sure what that is…

Ferryce:  You’re looking at the right thing.

Lyn:     Oh, so you can see it too? Wouldn’t it make more sense if you direct her? With you sitting on her forehead and that…

Ferryce:  That’s not part of our Oathbond. I pledged my knowledge, not my sight.

Raka:   Garædari ensuri, mærïn
La’eson moþyena, pafyrinrir
Tiveo vinelar iæ’lyrwyn’mæ
Tiveo genturil entïa hwylia’mæ
Iærduhgaræ ker’gonrifæ:
Garïe (Weave)

Lyn:     What did you do?

Raka:   Attached a thread-rune to this arrow.

Lyn:     Can you even shoot it that high?

Raka:   We’ll have to find out.

Ferryce:  A word of advice, human.

Lyn:     Uh, sure?

Ferryce:  Let her aim for a part where all the different colored weaves overlap. That way you make sure all the weaves get tied together. The point where the arrow pierced the weave will repel clouds. That will give the Fynar a permanent window through which they can get sunshine.

Lyn:     But the layers are all moving, none of them are- Yea ok, sure, let’s do the first playthrough on nightmare mode. I can do that. Oh- Malaki!

Raka:   Runt!

Lyn:     You came back!

Malaki:  Yes. You had doubts.

Lyn:     Not me, but-

Raka:   Who told you you could just fly off?

Malaki:  You told me to clear up the sky. I did.

Raka:   You COULD’VE done that from here, there was no need for you to fly up there!

Malaki:  Wind loses force if it has to blow long distances upwards!

Ferryce:  That is correct.

Malaki:  It was easier this way!

Lyn:     Checks out for me.

Raka:   Can you two just stop falling on my back?

Ferryce:  But it’s so entertaining.

Lyn:     What they said. Can’t argue with that.

Raka:   Let’s just move on, the clouds are moving back together already.

Lyn:     Gee. Partypooper.

Raka:   Where do I aim?

Lyn:     Let me stand behind you, so I know where you’re looking.

Raka:   Sure.

Lyn:     By the way… How many tries we got for this?

Raka:   Preferably just one.

Lyn:     You only got one shot, do not miss your chance to blow!~ Gee, way to lift the pressure, Raka! Alright, let’s lose ourselves in the music! The layers are all moving but I think they’ll align… There!

Raka:   I can’t see where you’re pointing, get on my other side!

Lyn:     Dangit- okay, there! Come on, fire! Shoot! Do something!

Raka:   Calm down!

Lyn:     The layers are moving out of alignment!

Raka:   Fine!

Ferryce:  Way off. Not even close.

Lyn:     You had ONE job, Raka! One!

Raka:   Ferryce!

Ferryce:  Yes.

Raka:   You either help me with the aim, or you don’t, but don’t give me remarks like that AFTER I shot!

Lyn:     Ooooh, the shots have been fired!

Ferryce:  Oh, excuse me. I thought you couldn’t see the web, it was my mistake that I wanted to inform you about the things you couldn’t see.

Lyn:     Go fetch, Malaki!

Malaki:  Yes!

Raka:   No, don’t-

Malaki:  Yen ṽodyia! (blow away)

Raka:   Fiyar’ta…

Lyn:     Huh, I didn’t think he’d actually do it.

Raka:   Why do you give him commands like that?!

Lyn:     What’s the big deal? He seems happy to help.

Raka:   He’s not supposed to be using wind runes, I’m supposed to hold his tether-

Lyn:     Hey, why don’t we just let him pull the thread through the weave? He can just fly to the point where they overlap and poke the arrow through, can’t he?

Raka:   That won’t work…

Ferryce:  Not without äthwar to all four elements.

Raka:   Look, when he comes back, let’s just try this with a little more focus. We don’t need to rush things. If the layers move out of alignment, we’ll wait for the next opportunity.

Lyn:     Alright… Sorry. I… got a little nervous when you said we only had one chance. And then all the layers have to be aligned, and that just happened, and… I didn’t want to mess it up.

Raka:   I didn’t mean to put pressure on you.

Lyn:     It’s alright, really… I’m used to… Well, I should be used to working under pressure.

Malaki:  Here’s your arrow.

Lyn:     Oh, good boy Malaki! Good boy, Mal! Mal, Mal, Mal, Mal, Mal! Oh come on, you like it, don’t you?

Malaki:  No, I-

Raka:   Pafyrinrir! Lynar! Þamrïa Malakiri wyv!

Malaki:  I-I-I didn’t do anything!

Ferryce:  That was not necessary…

Raka:   You ditched us!

Malaki:  I came back!

Lyn:     Raka, you really have a problem…

Raka:   You knew I was only going to temporarily free your äthwar!

Ferryce:  And I knew your bickering was going to be like this, but how can you stand this a full day, human?!

Lyn:     Well… they have their moments. It helps thinking of them as two Chihuahas barking at each other. In the end, they’re all just threats but no real danger.

Malaki:  Like sharp claws…

Raka:   Ready, Lyn?

Lyn:     Not much more than before, but sure…

Raka:   Remember, we don’t have to rush it.

Lyn:     Alright… It’s all chaos…

Ferryce:  There is order in all chaos, human. That is the way of nature. The weave is no exception. Watch the layers, learn their flow. Predict where they will overlap.

Lyn:     I’m trying to… But… Right now its all just a wild kaleidoscope of colors…

Raka:   Take your time.

Lyn:     There’s pink… and green… and blue… Yea, I think I can see where that one’s going… And the white one is moving almost the opposite direction with a slight tilt… The blue one is… Oh it rotates. Okay… alright. I think I can tell where they will overlap.

Raka:   Great. Show me.

Lyn:     Wait for it… Hmm, wait for it. They’re still tilting… rotating… three… two… There!

Ferryce:  Hm. Close. Not enough momentum.

Malaki:  That bow is not strong enough.

Lyn:     So it just needs some more force? Let me try to-

Raka:   Don’t be too hard on yourself, we can try again…

Lyn:     You’re not coming back down here without-

Raka:   Lyn? Is everything alright?

Malaki:  You don’t sound good.

Ferryce:  She seized the arrow.

Raka:   Are you… Steering the rune? Oh Fiyar’ta. I forgot we wanted to test that.

Lyn:     Shut up please! Need- to- focus-

Ferryce:  You’ll have plenty of opportunity to test that skill.

Raka:   Were you aware she could do that?

Ferryce:  I’m aware of most things that are tied in with the Aetherweb.

Raka:   Can she actually continue steering the arrow even if it’s losing speed?

Lyn:     I’m through- What do I do with the arrow now?!

Malaki:  No need to hold on.

Lyn:     Ah, alright. Puh. That was almost as straining as keeping that rock afloat. And it’s just an arrow.

Raka:   Well done.

Lyn:     Really? I get a praise from the great Raka? Sensei finally noticed me! But how will we get the glyphirune back now?

Malaki:  It drops from the sky on its own. Like that.

Lyn:     Oh. Yea, gravity. I forgot about that.

Raka:   Ferryce, will this suffice?

Ferryce:  Yes. Hold on to that arrow. It is your threaded needle. Take it to other edges of the tangleweave and repeat this procedure.

Raka:   Alright.

Malaki:  Be sure you remember which arrow had the rune on it.

Raka:   I might not be able to see runes but I’m not dumb. I can feel runes I made myself.

Lyn:     Will we actually have to go back and forth from one end of the mountain to the other, the way you would actually patch a hole?

Ferryce:  That would be the best course of action, yes. Other Væron might consent to pull the string through the edges for you. That way you don’t need to continuously go through the Aetherfrays.

Lyn:     Wouldn’t that just mean involving Væron again? I thought the main reason to do it this way was to avoid involving other Væron.

Ferryce:  The main reason was that this will stabilize the weather, and because no Væron will be able to fix this large a tangleweave on their own. Not the way Raka would usually “patch” them. It is simply too big. But there is no shame in asking for a Væron’s support regardless. As much fun as the tangleweave is, it causes just as much problems to us as to us as it does to you mortals.

Raka:   I think we’ll go with that. Thanks, Ferryce.
Ferryce: You’re welcome, Raka.

Lyn:     So what will the Stone Fingers do now?

Ferryce:  Feast, I assume. And then break their formation and settle, once they realize there is no need to relocate anymore.

Raka:   Seems this issue is resolved-

Yosha:  Aww, did you hear how awkward Raka got in some parts there? So cute!

Auril:  No, no, no… this is wrong. They shouldn’t be tempering with the weather like this!

Yosha:  Akasar, isn’t your Rontar from the Desert?

Auril:  What’s that got to do with anything?

Yosha:  Shouldn’t you be more enthusiastic that Raka wants to stop the cold weather form the Skundr causing the overall climate in Zäa to drop?

Auril:  My personal feelings have nothing to do with this-

Yosha:  Surely?

Auril:  If there’s one key-rule all magic apprentices have to learn before beginning their education, it is never to temper with the weather!

Yosha:  Even if it was suggested by a Væron?

Auril:  I… don’t really know. They have great importance to all manner of magic users, but have almost no credence to inventors of magic technology. I’m uncertain how much value to give to their words.

Yosha:  I think maybe we should leave it to Raka to decide whether to believe in what the Væron suggested or not. I mean, she has more experience with them than either of us.

Auril:  I suppose you are right.

Yosha:  And also, we heard Lyn use that odd magic again! Aren’t you excited for that?

Auril:  Of course, I- Err, I will probably need to relisten to this recording to really analyze what she did there. I was a little preoccupied with the whole… weather issue.

Yosha:  And this is the fourth recording we listened to today.

Auril:  No, don’t yawn…

Yosha:  You’re probably tired and well saturated with thoughts. I’m sorry.

Auril:  You’re probably right.

Yosha:  Should we wrap this up for today?

Auril:  Sure, let’s do that.

Yosha:  Oh, hold on, the sphere ran out of ink-

Auril:  That’s fine…

Yosha:  Wait, is this… is this one of those pens that turns speech into writing? Uhh. A scriber.

Auril:  With disabled enchantments, yes.

Yosha:  You could’ve used that to transcribe the recordings, couldn’t you?

Auril:  I tried. They can’t distinguish between multiple speakers and don’t do well with punctuation in conversations. The scripts would be a jumble and needed heavy editing. Scribers make much more sense if you dictate letters, thesis’s or journals.

Yosha:  Ah, right, right. I understand. Well, I ask because I don’t think I’ve ever used one before…

Auril:  That’s why you’re such a quick sc- quick writer, I almost called you a scriber. Cuz you’re better than one.

Yosha:  Thank you.

Auril:  Some of my richer students ONLY use scribers on their homework, and they don’t even bother correcting the papers they hand in.

Yosha:  That’s so lazy!

Auril:  They are soooo slow to write things down in class.

Yosha:  Oh no, that sounds awful.

Auril:  Oh it is, I tell you…

Yosha:  Ah. There we go, alright, the Pen’s ready.

Auril:  Okay. Date of recording same as the previous ones. Vocal enchantments were woven by Kessi Riliniki, Eyþór Viðarsson, Carollyn Monterola, Ester Ellis, Hem Brewster and Travis Vengroff. Music-Shells provided by Fuimadane. Audio-Enhancements by Sarah Buchynski of Polarity Audio Works. Written and Produced by Kessi Riliniki.