[Game Thread] Graduation Day

[bernyleung]

Handsome Jack reflexively straightens out his arms as his knees buckle briefly, momentarily concerned that he might fall over. But the sudden feeling of vertigo leaves just as soon as it came on, once his real vision cleared. He stands straight again.

He looks at the leaf in his hand before looking back at the Colonel. "I just...had some sort of vision...some strange sights. As if...I was outside my body...." He stammers to get the words out, realizing also that he sounds somewhat silly doing so, especially since he of all people was seldom at a loss for words. "I wonder what it could possibly mean...." he mumbles in a low voice, more to himself than to any other.

[lcg16]

"A vision...in a garden of memories? Perhaps you've seen the memories of others then. Others long dead." Some sort of magical property, perhaps? A lot of things back home in Kassril had such magical properties, though very little dealt with Death. Still, it was one possible explanation. The knight walks up to the shaken man, and asks him, In any case, you are alright now, are you?

With that ascertained, she looks curiously at the bush, and at some of the other roses in the garden. Nothing seemed too odd about them, but she did not possess the affinity for magical talents that other Kassril did.

[bernyleung]

Handsome Jack's eyes snap to attention as he realizes Arienne is addressing him. "Yes, miss, I am fine, thank you for asking. Handsome Jack, at your service. I mean no hubris by the title, it is my name." He offers a short, respectful bow. "As for what I saw, I did see people, and one face in particular, but it is none that I recognize, nor do I know if any are living or dead."

[Tyche]

"What Jack saw was no vision of death, but one of life. His life, or the possibilities thereof."

The colonel turns in the direction of Wayland.

"Did I hear you say you found a spider?! There are no living things in this snow but the roses, and theirs is an artificial life."

Just then, Wayland gives a short cry and falls to his knees. His shoulders slump forward, and he just catches himself from pitching forward onto his face.

[bernyleung]

Fearing for his companion's health, Handsome Jack hastily takes three steps to Wayland's side, but then stops short of touching him. I doubt that the Colonel would allow anything in here to harm us. This man is probably having a vision as strong as mine. He stands close and watches, ready to lend a hand if needed.

[lcg16]

"So...he saw the future?" She asked the colonel, then turned back to Jack, part of her wishing to ask what he saw, but he looked so disoriented, as if he had woken from a dream, that there was probably no memories of it left. Sighing softly, she just smiled at him, "Worry not. Us children all know to suffer the hubris of mothers silently."

Arienne then turned swiftly, as she heard the colonel exclaim something towards...Wayland was his name, right? "What the-" Arienne watches him collapse, and turns to the colonel, "Is this similar to the petals...or is it something else, sir?" As for her own self, Arienne stays firmly in the middle of the path, refusing to even get near the rose bushes...

[Davion]

On instinct Davion quickly moves over to Wayland to make sure he was ok.

"Are you hurt? Everything OK?", he asked. He knew that as a healer it was his duty with this team to keep them not only in high physical health but mental health mattered as well. Poor morale could defeat an army as swift as any arrow.

[Ken]

"Ow!" Wayland exclaimed in a half-whisper right before his eyes rolled back into his head and his limbs went limp.

When he awoke he was on his knees and falling forward. The young man managed to catch himself with weak arms before he ate a face-full of snow. The group healer, Davion, was at his side.

"I, ugh.." The sorcerer sat back and shook the snow from his hands. "I'm fine. Thank you."

His voice was confused, and for once he actually sounded sincere. All the cockiness he possessed just moments ago was gone. It actually took Wayland a few moments to realize where he was. He noticed "Handsome Jack" was also standing close, but the blonde he had been flirting with before was keeping her distance. Huh, maybe she doesn't want me after all, he thought to himself and laughed.

"What happened? It felt like I was out for at least a few minutes..." He looked first to Davion, and then to the colonel. Wayland expected a more detailed answer from the latter.

The kneeling man was starting to regain his composure. One benefit of the brief rush of adrenalin was the increase in blood flow to his extremities. It warmed him a bit, but there was no way he could stay in this garden much longer, dressed as he was, and not start to freeze.

[Tyche]

"The future is not set, and the garden does not speak a language that is easy to understand. What he saw...what you will all see...is but an echo of what may be. Not everything that I saw here has come to pass."

The colonel turns his head back and forth and walks a half circle, surveying the garden for a moment.

"Follow. I wish to show you all something."

He walks around the central bush and down the path directly opposite the iron gates until he reaches the far edge of the garden, more than fifty meters from the center. From here, you can scarcely make out the top of the iron gate through the snowstorm. The colonel turns left down the last row and walks some paces to a large bush on his left, the inside row of the path.

"This is the bush planted for my squad."

He gestures at a medium sized bush. The plaque underneath reads:

Sinoris Squad
AC 1723-50
Agori Trelinax - Oriskaioh
Merris Ka'Shiv - Aros Gul
Bok Moojio - Solisaea
Haron De Rogilio - Kendu
Gars Ronschnak - Sansk

"Each bush belongs to a squad. A flower is added to the bush for every fallen member until the last of the original squad members is either dead or retired. Each squad has a name, which is chosen at the time that it plants its bush - at the funeral of its first member. Squads which suffer no loss earn the right to neither name nor cenotaph. Some of these bushes have over twenty roses, especially those from the time of the Shadow War."

The colonel stops speaking and crouches in the snow. He runs his hand over one name...Merris Ka'shiv...and lets out a long sigh.

"The Torchlight Society was founded just over 2,200 years ago. Each year 36 new Seekers come, the only exception being the time of the Shadow War in which enlistment was briefly doubled. There are over 15,000 roses growing in this garden."

[lcg16]

The hardy paladin follows as ordered, once she was certain Wayland was back on his feet. She takes precise strides to keep her just behind the colonel, pausing at the end to simply brush a bit of the snow that had fallen on her hair. Setting the butt of her halberd down, she peers at the bush, to study the names on its plaque. Five names.

You are the last of this squad, sir? Sinoris...A functional name. Nothing too extravagant, but definitely a good name for a squad. Her thoughts are broken as the colonel rattles off numbers. This was an ancient order indeed, with very deep traditions, traditions that always excited and inspired respect in the young knight. Putting a fist to her chest, and bowing, she gave a silent prayer to Morshka, Lord of Heroes, to grant them the rest they deserved. All fifteen thousand and more of them.

Looking around again, it only occured to Arienne just how many roses there actually were. What sort of magic was being used, to keep all of this alive? It must be fairly draining, whatever it was...

[Tyche]

"As you can all see, your squad is not yet complete. We have had a number of casualties lately. The wizard who should have gone to your squad was reassigned at the last minute, and the quiet little thief there..."

...he gestures at Maurin...

"...may shortly be reassigned, as well. You should count yourselves lucky not to be replacements, but to have your own squad from day one. But then again, new squads have their drawbacks. Occasionally, we lay rosebushes with six fresh buds."

The colonel turns to Davion and looks earnestly into his eyes.

"You never did answer me, young cleric. What do you think you'd find if you wandered off outside of the garden here?"

He points out beyond the garden's border. You seem to be at the peak of a hill, which begins sloping gently downward about 10 meters from the edge on which you are now standing.

"Why don't you go and find out?"

[Tyche]

The colonel addresses Arienne.

"Of the original squad? No. Two of the dead were replacements. Half of our original team made it through to retirement age. Iul has returned home to the Sazor, and Jeffril was your teacher at the academy...Arie."

The colonel chuckles lightly and claps Arienne on the shoulder. He is about two inches shorter than the Paladin - small for a Mon man - but solidly built and graceful on his feet, a considerably more robust person than any of the bookish wizard recruits the party remembers saw wandering the halls of the Academy.

"So are you afraid to touch anything now? Trust me...not having the garden speak to you is worse than the other way around. But do as you please. Would you like to see your father's squad's bush?"

He bends sideways at the waste and looks around Arienne at Wayland.

"Would you?"

[bernyleung]

Handsome Jack notes the various nationalities represented in each small bush. Addressing the Colonel, "Sir, is it common to place members of such diverse backgrounds together? Has that ever hindered the smooth operation of the group?"

[lcg16]

The paladin stiffened at the uncharacteristically informal gesture. Still, they were now more peers than true superiors, being all Seekers. She really should get used to not being treated so brusquely and rudely again. After all, outside these walls, she was still a fairly important noble, apart from being a respected Seeker graduate. I...I'm not afraid! Ah...I think I'd rather have my future, or my possible futures even, remain a surprise. Arienne insisted, losing he composure for a moment as she was addressed by the pet name Jeffril had adopted. She stayed firmly in the middle of the path, however, until the colonel addresses Wayland instead, asking him about his acclaimed ancestor.

At this, she steps aside, to allow them to talk properly, as for herself, she nudges the young cleric, Are you going to walk outside? I think I'll come along...It's...too stuffy here. Might be it's warmer even...

[Tyche]

"Possibly, Jack, but it is better than assembling weaker but homogenous groups. There simply aren't many people in this world worthy of calling themselves Seekers. We take the best ones we can find. Besides, you should know what a bond people form when they go through life and death together."

The colonel turns on his heels and begins walking back towards the center path.

"The bush belonging to general De Cheveaux's squad is just here," he says, indicating a smallish bush at a fork in the path. The plaque reads:

Haßk Hill Squad
AC 1718-48
Daenn Garimon - Len Mozan
Cynd Zuone - Kassril

"It has been a long time since I've seen the general. Some Seekers take pride in the size of their bushes, and Theodore did as well: he tried to keep it as small as possible. A remarkable feat - 2 men in 30 years - all things considered. Tell me, Wayland, how is your father?"