Keir stood with the other Deities in a small area of the Astral Realm, as they discussed the sudden appearance of multiple trees in their regions.
"It is too much of a coincidence," Aberfa was saying. "I have these strange dreams during the Equinox, then these trees show up and have strange dark objects embedded within them?"
Aberfa used her magic to share the image of the object that had been in her Mountains Region tree.
"Yes, that is very much how mine looked," Jagmeet agreed, the stoic Plains Deity seeming more concerned than he normally was. One by one the other Deities agreed, and Keir quietly nodded along with them. The swamp deity had other thoughts on the matter, but kept quiet.
Zahavah, who had been watching over all from a distance, appeared before them.
"I, too, have pondered this," she said, and the Deities turned to her. "But I have an idea. Not about the objects, per say, but about the trees."
So Zahavah led the other deities to see what she surmised.
Keir returned to the swamp, feeling both irritated and in the mood to have some fun (a dangerous combination for the deity to be sure).
Fortunately when he found his... minions, they were exactly where they were meant to be. With the news he bore, there was no other option.
The object was loose and mostly out, but the sapling wasn't looking too great. Keir clacked his teeth, a bit of a rattle coming from his throat as he breathed out a sigh. He saw the remains of a stick... and what was that in Gluttony's tail?
Well, it was one way to use resources, Keir supposed. He wondered momentarily if it was bones that Gluttony had found... or if the mare had eaten the creature for its bones. Both seemed likely.
"Trees exactly like this have popped up in the other regions," Keir informed. "All with objects like this. I will be taking the Dark Artifact with me."
"Dark Artifact?" Shadow questioned, with a raised eyebrow. Gluttony's stomach seemed to growl in agreement.
"It was the term the other deities decided upon. It is not like the artifacts we know, which bless us with magic. Instead, it seems to do the opposite. Take magic away," Keir explained, his attention mainly on the artifact as he pulled out the bag Zahavah had given them.
"Why does that matter for a tree?" Gluttony asked. "Trees are for eating, not stealing magic from."
"This is a special tree," Keir said, as he tucked the now bagged object away. "A sapling, born from the Sacred Dew Tree, and seemingly connected to it. The Dark Artifact was stealing magic from our very source."
The ramifications of the statement set in, and the two mares exchanged a glance.
"Your new task is to nourish this tree, help it heal and grow," Keir said as he turned to look at the mares again. "I will be taking this Artifact to the other deities for study. I will be back shortly."
With that, the Swamp Deity did what he did best, disappeared into the shadows.
Prompt: You are tasked with helping the young Sacred Dew Tree recover from the influence of the Dark Artifact
(542 Words) +3 Chimes (500 Literature= +2, Event + +1)
"It is too much of a coincidence," Aberfa was saying. "I have these strange dreams during the Equinox, then these trees show up and have strange dark objects embedded within them?"
Aberfa used her magic to share the image of the object that had been in her Mountains Region tree.
"Yes, that is very much how mine looked," Jagmeet agreed, the stoic Plains Deity seeming more concerned than he normally was. One by one the other Deities agreed, and Keir quietly nodded along with them. The swamp deity had other thoughts on the matter, but kept quiet.
Zahavah, who had been watching over all from a distance, appeared before them.
"I, too, have pondered this," she said, and the Deities turned to her. "But I have an idea. Not about the objects, per say, but about the trees."
So Zahavah led the other deities to see what she surmised.
Keir returned to the swamp, feeling both irritated and in the mood to have some fun (a dangerous combination for the deity to be sure).
Fortunately when he found his... minions, they were exactly where they were meant to be. With the news he bore, there was no other option.
The object was loose and mostly out, but the sapling wasn't looking too great. Keir clacked his teeth, a bit of a rattle coming from his throat as he breathed out a sigh. He saw the remains of a stick... and what was that in Gluttony's tail?
Well, it was one way to use resources, Keir supposed. He wondered momentarily if it was bones that Gluttony had found... or if the mare had eaten the creature for its bones. Both seemed likely.
"Trees exactly like this have popped up in the other regions," Keir informed. "All with objects like this. I will be taking the Dark Artifact with me."
"Dark Artifact?" Shadow questioned, with a raised eyebrow. Gluttony's stomach seemed to growl in agreement.
"It was the term the other deities decided upon. It is not like the artifacts we know, which bless us with magic. Instead, it seems to do the opposite. Take magic away," Keir explained, his attention mainly on the artifact as he pulled out the bag Zahavah had given them.
"Why does that matter for a tree?" Gluttony asked. "Trees are for eating, not stealing magic from."
"This is a special tree," Keir said, as he tucked the now bagged object away. "A sapling, born from the Sacred Dew Tree, and seemingly connected to it. The Dark Artifact was stealing magic from our very source."
The ramifications of the statement set in, and the two mares exchanged a glance.
"Your new task is to nourish this tree, help it heal and grow," Keir said as he turned to look at the mares again. "I will be taking this Artifact to the other deities for study. I will be back shortly."
With that, the Swamp Deity did what he did best, disappeared into the shadows.
Prompt: You are tasked with helping the young Sacred Dew Tree recover from the influence of the Dark Artifact
(542 Words) +3 Chimes (500 Literature= +2, Event + +1)
Cackling in the distance
