Time took on a strangeness as you entered the Godplane. While the sun was moving normally, time only seemed to pass normally when you were actively doing something notable; more mundane tasks passed quickly as if time sped up. And as it was the Godplane, everything that happened was eternally in the Now; not past, but the stuff of myth-in-the-making…
The soft golden starlight-river that carries you upward remains while you see the world outside it transition from nighttime to dawn, with you rising all the while in amazement, looking down onto the shrinking Middle World and around the Middle Air. But these hours pass unusually quickly and soon, your magics including Mularik's bubble-sorcery finally fully dissolved, your band arrives in the gilded hall you've been looking up at for hours. You land into a glowing violet pool akin to the one in Caelaca's temple ruin, and there are the same architectural features here but far grander and intact: the dome rises above, no cracks or rents in it, and Dayzatar's soft but strong gold light diffuses in from the central hole; the dome itself is not old and worn of decoration but brightly emblazoned with living golden and aluminium designs tracing runes weaving through images of figures and events from Sky and Water myths. Around the pool there is the same ring of golden statues but glowing intensely; and the spiritual figures you saw below are now material, in the form of strange Sky and Water-type beings of wide varieties of golden or bright blue skin and hair and clothes, and with wings and/or fins. They continue jubilant song that you heard below but now far more clearly; and some blow on golden horns. The Sky-folk make gestures of greeting. The hall is decorated further with gorgeous yellow furniture, engrained with flames, that you somehow know to be Firewood from the nearby Forest constellation. Everything and everyone glows with its own soft light, except you, although you notice that all your eyes now have a different light of their own.
Mularik speaks, “Caelaca has welcomed us into Her house in the Land of the Sky and you have fulfilled the first part of our alliance on this quest. She has other names, and others have come within this fortress via other means for a similar quest. There are other fortresses, too, all within this Erkonus cluster amidst the Celestial Fields. And all of them host visitors heroquesting for the Boat Planet. Prophecy says, “When the grain blossoms, the ship can rise again.” But this is just the start of the blossoming of the grain; of the New Seeds. And already enemies have gathered to oppose that start: the fortresses are besieged by the host of the Pole-Star guardian armies of Polaris, Sky-Defender. The Sky does not want the change we seek and they will fight us every step of the way. We must wait, though, for others to come. Bide your time within the walls here, and I shall see you in the assembly hall when the call goes out to muster for battle.” He turns and leaves with his band. The archways make easy exits into the city. [Mularik departs.]
You exit, too, to explore the locale. The city-fort of Caelaca is similar in size to the ruin of Old Pasos, but with different buildings entirely. Great towers reach high everywhere, and the buildings are all ambient glowing white sky-stone; the very bones and flesh of Caelaca Herself. From any perspective you can see the fortress walls of the same stone, with staircases sweeping upwards to reach their heights. The walls and pillars are decorated with celestial motifs, especially lakes and grains; rice most prominent. Everything here is immaculate and there is gold on display beyond your wildest dreams of riches; it is as common here as dirt in the Middle World. And there are clouds of people, mainly indistinct but recognizable en masse as sky folk similar in form to those in Caelaca's temple but most of them less grand. The atmosphere is peaceful; even serene-the siege does not evidence itself within the walls. Above, the sky is a soft pale light with no hint of blue, most intense at the centre of the sky-dome, the light of Dayzatar that is the centre of wisdom of the Sky realm and the Sky of the Sky; and beyond it, the entropic Chaosium outside of existence. Oddly, the air does not stir here. Some of you don't like that.
You opted to cross the city to visit the walls and get a good view. On the way, Boamund sees an odd little hole in the ground and Shrett, curious, notices that everyone is avoiding it and even not looking at it. Bog gets even more curious and sticks his head in-he marvels at the sight of a perfect little lush green island far below, and he thinks idealized, vague thoughts of his mother and family when he was a little toddler-enlo; how nice that was, maybe he could go back there if he jumped down here? But he snaps out of this vision and withdraws. That place is weird so you stay away now.
As you climb the long, tall stairs to the walls, 13 times the height of a tall man; with 10 gates; you pass a golden winged guard who buzzes as if he speaks to you in some tongue, but he does not look at you, and you are not sure what really happened there but you pass without trouble. Atop the walls you see more guards like him; most there golden-armoured and winged with flaming weapons. The land outside is visible for many miles, wide and flat, with very thick fields of varieties of golden grains. Some roads, generally running straight, extend far away; some to distant forts. Near the gates, enemy soldiers are stationed, and you estimate their numbers at around a dozen dozens if there are similar numbers at all gates (a later revisit to another wall section supports this, and yet reveals that this number is greater than the defending forces of sky-folk). Most of the small army is footmen with flaming spears/swords, but some larger humanoid figures of golden skin/armour and wings fly amongst them, flaming swords in hand; being similar overall to the fort's guards but obviously on the enemy side.
Crossing the town to examine the Assembly Hall, Boamund sees another odd sight near that hall in an open plaza. A grey stone well sits unattended, with no bucket or apparatus for usage, and no one nears it. Inspecting, Bog sees a little world below that is perfectly square, with a point rising directly beneath the well. Ahh, now, some of you like Fraud get it-these “hidden” spaces are openings to other Ages of Glorantha, and perhaps even heroquesting portals! Best for now that you don't meddle, but they are fascinating. Boamund steps up to a path leading to a bridge across the violet moat of the Assembly Hall and one of the tall blue winged-finned guards steps in his way and shakes his head solemnly; no, it is clear you're not welcome within, not yet anyway. So you leave.
You pass through a market where you spot a grain bin, overflowing with golden rice, which people are continually taking grain from and not replacing; but they wheel it away by the cartload and yet it seems not to diminish. The grain, you find, is gorgeous golden glowing, and tasty to eat (Bog ate a mouthful; Boamund and Shrett a taste; the latter two found it wonderful but needing cooking, Bog thought it was OK but on the bland side). Many of you take some handfuls to keep. No one looks troubled.
You see a strange shadowed alleyway that the crowds avoid. Down there is an open trap door with a ladder leading wayyyyyyyy down from it; and to the right side is a big grey stone slab. Someone looks into the depths of the trap door to see the world obscured by grey clouds and oceans washing and scudding back and forth; lightning crackling through the Middle Air. It is the Storm Age there. The slab is cold to approach, and there are old grains lying about it, staining the ground. It is the only place you've seen here that is dirty. 2 sky-guards fly down with flaming swords onto the slab, call out sonorously in multiple tongues at once to “let the slab alone, as none of Caelaca wish to look upon the world of Darkness” and so you back away.
Shrett wonders if you might find a smithy to get fine gold/sa-metal armour. You see plenty of smoke from chimneys and such from a nearby wall-top, so you check one and it is a bakery or home that emits earthy aromas of cooking in its smoke. You go to ask the guards at the Assembly Hall and one points into the middle domed hall there. But then the serenity of Caelaca is broken when loud voices call out throughout the streets: “Assemble, assemble! Questers come now!” The crowds stop and look on as here and there, figures begin moving toward the fort's centre. And so you join them. The guard must have known it is time to enter; not that this is a smithy.
The central Assembly Hall is a wide ring of six huge pillars with a domed roof, echoing with the soothing sounds of harps, and with a moat of glimmering violet water ringing it as well as a central pool below the dome; as at the temple. It is Caelaca's heart to which questers now gather in the scores; to the goddess's centre. Your wounds all heal and you are dry, clean and refreshed. You join a swelling throng of over a thousand people, from many lands but most looking Western or of sailing folk; and also, curiously, a few bands of dark trolls and of Green and Brown Aldryami; keeping distances from each other.
Mularik shouts out from the middle, explaining: “The New Seeds sprout from the Heart of Seeds in Erkonus; the grain blossoms. The siege of holy Caelaca must be broken so our forces can move across the fields. We head to the destination all questers from around the world converge on: the port-city of Princess Starry Eyes at the Celestial River, which is a safe neutral ground, too. Gather your weapons. The celestial host is no meagre foe; they are determined to stop us so it will be a mighty struggle. Stay together in bands, strike hard and fast as you depart the gates, and we converge on the ridge to the north before we head west to Lorion. Stragglers and the fallen will be abandoned. We must move speedily. Conserve your power-there will be no rest once we exit Caelaca. The quest shall be long and hard.” [Mularik's band leaves with others, but shouts that he'll seen you again soon enough]
You join a band with some Uz in it; a few dozen strong. Big muscle-bound golden men open the gates on the north side for you and you rush out as a golden battle-horn sounds the signal for all bands to attack!
You are immediately confronted by over a dozen spearmen forming a shield wall. They are outnumbered but determined; and some of your band break off to go engage distant cavalry that is rushing in. The spearmen challenge: “In the name of the Keeper of Changes, Maker of Stars and Lord of the Fort, we shall prevail!” And you follow the Uz-band, letting them smash into the shield-wall first, but the shield-wall is quick to react tactically and engulfs the band in a pincer, engaging all but Bog, who slips behind Fraud. Shrett gets off a bow shot, missing, before he is engaged; and he quickly takes a bad wound to his right arm and is tripped, stunned, and in trouble. But Bog rushes to help him. One by one, the others trip and kill off their foes or disable them. The shield-wall is broken almost immediately. Ahappi is the first to rush through as the Uz furiously smash any survivors. But Ahappi is met by a golden foe that dives out of the golden sky to strike him with flaming sword-it is a Certami, an “angel” of the Sky, and he shouts a challenges, “You face High Sky Leader Arrrazzalandu, Sky Captain of this Golden Host. Foul trespasser, you shall fall!”. Ahappi does not fall, but he takes a small fiery wound before Boamund and the others rush in to aid; the Certamus is swatted down from the sky, landing with a crash. Fraud slashes deeply into the Sky Captain's head and he sinks dying, glowing golden blood puddling the golden dust of the ground. You have won! The enemy forces rout. Ahappi bitterly deals a killing blow and you loot the corpse, taking an ever-burning Firespear from him and an ever-burning Firebow. His golden armour (9pts!) is resplendent but at SIZ 20 and made for a winged man, no fit for any of you-and time is a-wasting so you leave!
Elsewhere there are horsemen of the Polestar pursuing and fighting pitched battles toward the ridge. Soon, though, the forces are shattered, seeming surprised and demoralized by the strength of opposition, and the remnants flee at the speed of light, leaving narrow glowing tracks through the fields of grain. As the battle ends, a winged soldier blows a gilded horn from the fortress walls and the bands of questers push forwards from the ridge into the fields. A chase ensues across the fields: bands of the Polaris forces come and go, raiding heroquesting bands that sally forth from all the forts of Erkonus, and hours pass as this happens.
The land is perfectly flat with long visibility, blocked only in parts by taller growths of the many grains that Erkonus, ancient home of all grasses and grains, is famed for. Other forts are visible in the distance, sending signal fires, flashing mirror signals and brightly burning coloured flag-signals. Pitched battles are seen in many directions.
A strange sight is soon visible: the sky of the sky ripples with the colours of the rainbow starting at the north and arching to the south in series of spectra from violet to red, happening twice and lingering at the end before fading. Is this good? Bad? Boamund didn't like it, but it didn't do anything to you that you could discern.
Later, from the band that accompanies you as you rush across the fields, a half dozen figures draw nearer, giving you repeated looks as they do. The figures become clearer from the blur of activity as this happens: they wear dark cloaks with thin lead plates sewn into them to cover some vital regions and bear runes of Darkness and Magic. Wisps of shadow come off their cloaks like smoke. The faces within the robes are human, men and women of Western fashion, but with tattoos and rune-carved bone woven into their hair and beards that mark them as Arkati. One speaks out in thicky accented Seshnelan, “Greetings fellow questers under Mularik's watchful gaze. We've been wondering about you. I am Golgerengi of Safelster, of the merchant family of Rengibar that plies the waters of Felster Lake, but also of Arkat Liberator. We come from the Monastery of Holut, sent by the League of Dalan to quest for powers to aid our people against the evil of Tanisor; with aid of some of my band that hail from the Ancient Beast Society and devotees of Grandfather Loon. We know your names and our stories hint at a common bond between us. I propose we engage in trading magics that might aid our quests ; as we travel together we might talk and trade thusly.” You like this idea! Fraud makes good acquaintance with them and you talk as you journey across the fields. Bog gains a Dark-Walk spell traded for Seal Wound; Ahappi a Mindlink for Fear; and Shrett, after tough bargaining with a reluctant Golgerengi, gains Evoke Shade sorcery for Phantom Sound + the obsidian Find-Magic lens. You recall tales of Arkat Liberator, defender of Ralios, and of the beast-folk (hsunchen) that have been allies of the Arkati in Ralios before: Grandfather Loon being a powerful god/spirit of their kind on Felster Lake, which explains why some of them are here questing for the Boat Planet (for freshwater gains). You become friends, and they invite you to sample their hospitality in Safelster when the quest ends. It is a rare time of pleasantry on this quest…
The journey continues, and becomes more trying. Some of the fields are afire, but it becomes apparent that this is no accident-some sky-fields burn on their own, giving off flame and heat without their own destruction. The heat and exertion becomes oppressive as the hours drag on, but none of you tire from it. Not yet.
The Sky-River is drawing near. A pulsating golden cloud in the distance closes quickly. Within it, many golden figures rush forward like a windstorm of light. Mysterious bursts of light, dark and sound assail them from afar, but this band of Sky foes is many, and from within them thunders a terrible voice. “Far from the faith you have ventured, Ahappi Pellinoresbane, and deep into Error. A fourth time I have come and as heralded now it is for thee, with judgement of death.” The voice's form glides forward as battle ensues: it is a (the?) Talanim, a giant, great flamesword-bearing golden being with the golden, flame-haired body of a six-winged horse, bearing four heads: a man, a calf, a lion, and an eagle. It is a warrior essence from Solace, and most fierce and stern of disposition indeed. And it seeks to claim Ahappi's soul in single combat! Meanwhile, more forces of Polaris square off with your band…
See you -John
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