Stilte made his last inspection run over the former city of Blijzon; nothing remained. Every building had been disassembled, every field burned to the ground, and every footprint swept away, leaving no trace that this had once been the sight of a thriving city. Stilte, if he looked hard enough, could still see some tell-tale signs of habitation, but these would disappear within the month.
He sighed; this had been his home for quite some time and now he was leaving it all behind. There would be no more romping in the fields to the west, no more walking quietly near the contemplation pool, no more hunting in the dense forests to the north-west. They were heading back west, perhaps to re-found BuigendRiet if it was determined that the danger had passed. That would be nice, Stilte supposed, if they settled again in a somewhat-familiar land.
Stilte still remembered how Riet had taught him about moving when he was just a boy. Riet had picked up a handful of dirt, and said, "What is this?" Stilte and the other young ones had looked at him, wondering if their hero had gone stupid. Obviously, it was a bit of dirt. "This," replied Riet to their quizzical faces, "is not simply dirt, it is the Earth itself." He moved a few feet, and scooped up another handful of dirt. "This is the same Earth; it is no different, no greater and no lesser than the other Earth. In the midsts of an ocean, there is still the Earth underneath you. Even the rocks are the Earth, though some consider them to be more useless than the fertile soil. However, they are all the same Earth. Hence why it is no great sadness to move. The Earth is always with you, no matter where you go. Yes, it can be difficult to leave the fields and forests you know behind you, but there are other fields, other forests, and all lie on the same Earth. Would you be sad to move because the stars would change? No, because the stars are always with you. So it is the same for the Earth. The Earth is one, and we are one with it."
Remembering this comforted Stilte a little. He still felt sorrow at leaving what he had come to call home. However, he knew that wherever his wife and child were, that was his true home. Wherever the Ipetian people were, that was his true home. Wherever he dared to go, that was his true home. The Earth was his home, and it had taken good care of Stilte thus far.
He sighed once more, and turned around. The migration was ready; the Ipetians were on the move.
~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~≈~
With a great shove, the second lentil fell into place. A total of six stones now sat next to the Winespring. Two supports to each lentil, so the inner ring was halfway done. Riet was pleased; things were becoming more efficient. The quarrying site had seen an increase in population, which led to more stones, ready to be shipped north for the great construction.
Riet had talked to Silis recently as well. Apparently, his construction was almost halfway done, thanks to the help of so many Ipetians. Silis was becoming quite the celebrity, and everyone wanted to be friends with him and his men. The Roshanian guards had proven very effective against infringements by the local wildlife, and the several devices they had brought along (such as the telescope) were a continued source of amazement.
It was the Roshanian luggage which brought Silis to Reit before the festival to celebrate the placing of the sixth stone. "Riet," questioned Silis, "do you remember the equipment we left behind during our escape from the giants?" Riet nodded. Silis continued, "Do you think it would be safe to go back and retrieve it?"
Riet thought about it for a moment, and said, "Yes, it should be, I led the Giants on a fruitless chase north-west of here, and so they should be long gone. I see no reason why a small group could not be sent to retrieve it. In fact, it's probably a good idea not to have random technology laying around." He chuckled. "I can spare seven Ipetians from the work at the temple. If you provide three Roshanian to show them the way, there should be no problems."
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((The Ipetians migrate out of Blijzon with a group of about 230 (125 from the city, and 35 from each of the hamlets), and the small retrieval party arrives in Zonsopgangziet.))
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Wijnfontein - Wine Fountain: C of S plains : Ipetian : Town
Zonsopgangziet - Sunrise watch: E of Wijnfontein : Ipetian : Hamlet
Steenstad - Stone Town : S of Wijnfontein : Ipetian : Hamlet
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Topic: Battle of the Gods II: an RP Thread (Read 106448 times)