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.You are savani, are you not?Startled at the presence of an alien thought in his mind, Owyn shook his head.Unsure if he could simply think his reply, or speak it aloud, he decided speech would keep him focused.‘I am not familiar with the term savani, so I don’t know if I’m one or not.With whom am I communicating?’Gorath looked at Owyn with surprise on his face.Before Owyn could say anything to him, the voice returned to his mind.I am Sutakami, Mother of the Thousand Mysteries, once a goddess of Timirianya.You have awakened me.What do you desire?‘I’m not sure what you are asking me,’ said Owyn.‘Are you an oracle?’No.I may only tell you that which is already known, although I dimly sense things that may come to be.I sense you are new to this world.Perhaps you would wish to know of the creatures who inhabit it.An image filled Owyn’s mind before he could speak.The race was proud in appearance, like magnificent birds with arms instead of wings.Beaks were small and looked as if they could articulate speech.These are the Timirian.They were poets and scholars, and warriors of great skill.They were on the verge of spanning the stars when the Valheru came.They were obliterated.Then another figure came into his mind, a shadowy creature of impressive aspect, the very features causing Owyn to flinch.Although a huge set of wings dominated the figure, it was the eyes of the creature, cold icy orbs of blue, that held Owyn’s attention.These are the ancient servants of Rlynn Skrr, the last High Priest of Dhatsavan, our Father of Gods, before the Great Destruction.Creatures of magic, they now wander free of fetter, so flee if you see one, for they may be killed only by a magic designed to drain their energy into the soil.Now they wander the ancient ruins of the temple of Dhatsavan.The voice faded and grew distant.I must rest.I am needed elsewhere.‘Wait!’ Owyn put his head down, as if tired.‘I need to ask more.’Gorath asked, ‘What is it?’‘These pillars, they’re.ancient gods of this world.I was speaking with this one, a goddess named Sutakami.’‘Perhaps if you touch another?’ asked Gorath.Owyn nodded.He moved to the second pillar and touched it.‘I wonder what this place was originally,’ Owyn asked.You stand in the ruins of the Temple of Karzeen-Maak, once the high temple of the seven gods of Timirianya.Once, these columns were but symbols of the gods, crafted by the savani artisans who were the servants of Dhatsavan.Now they are the vessels within which we have taken refuge.‘What could drive a god into refuge?’ Owyn wondered.The Valheru, came the instant reply.They extinguished life as we knew it on this world, leaving behind little.Only when Dhatsavan showed us that our struggles were futile did we create a plan to rob the Valheru of power, driving them from our world.They fled lest they be trapped here, leaving only a few of their servants behind.‘What did you do?’ asked Owyn.Of the Seven Who Ruled, only six of us survived the Great Destruction.Two have faded so far from the world they can no longer give voice to their thoughts; they are now but sentient forces of nature.Only Dhatsavan will remain, waiting for the time of the Awakening.He shall call us when the need has come.We shall not speak again, savani.’Owyn looked at Gorath.‘The Valheru caused this desolation.’Gorath said, ‘They were a power matched by few.Our legends tell of them spanning the stars on the backs of dragons.Only the gods were greater.’Owyn looked around as the sun began to set.‘Apparently not all the gods.These pillars are what is left of the seven most important gods of this world.One is dead.Two of them are mute, two I’ve already spoken to.’‘Pug’s note said to not touch the centremost.’‘So that leaves one more with whom to speak.Perhaps I can find out what happened to Pug from it.’Owyn touched the next pillar, but was greeted only by a faint sensation; nothing of coherent thought.‘This must be one of those who has faded to mindlessness.’He walked past the centremost of the seven, heeding Pug’s warning, and went to the next pillar.He touched it and found it lifeless.Not even the faint sensation he had noticed on the last one remained.He moved on to the next one.Touching the pillar, still warm from the afternoon sun, he wondered who the Valheru had left behind.The Panath-Tiandn.They are creatures from another world, trained to act as artisans of magic.They have limited intelligence, but they are clever, and dangerous.They created artifacts for the Valheru.‘Did they capture Pug?’No, though they thought to, but I prevented it.‘Who are you?’We seven were the gods of this world, and I, savani, was once Dhatsavan, Lord of the Gates.But when the Valheru brought their wars of desolation, we chose these forms rather than risk the final death.‘I don’t know the significance of much of what you say,’ said Owyn.‘I have heard legends of the Valheru on my home world - ‘What you know is unimportant, said the voice in Owyn’s mind.What we were is lost in time, but there is time for you to save your people from our fate.‘Our world?’ said Owyn.‘The Valheru have been dead on my world for ages.They can’t pose any threat to us.’A feeling of disinterest washed over Owyn, as if what he was saying was of no consequence to this being.The one you know as Pug of Stardock will tell you more when the time comes for you and your companion to make your choices.For now, you must bring to this place the Cup of Rlynn Skrr.Do this and we will free Pug from his captivity.‘What do gods need of mortals to fetch and carry for them?’ demanded Owyn.A sense of amusement came over Owyn as the voice replied, You are wise to question, young savani, but it is for me alone to know the truth.Seek the cup in the far caves on the southeast corner of the island.You will have to kill the Panath-Tiandn who has it.Bring it to me or else perish in the desolation of Timirianya.The choice is yours.I warn you, do not attempt to use the cup.Pug has already learned the harsh lesson of trying to utilize its power without my guidance.Go.Owyn said, ‘We must fetch a magic item from the far side of this island.And it seems we must battle some creatures of the Valheru to do so.’Gorath said, ‘It’s been a long day.Let us return to that tent down the way and rest.A little food and sleep will help prepare us.’Following Gorath, Owyn hoped that was true.It had taken half a day to find the corner of the island where the frozen god had told Owyn they’d find the cup.Now they rested on a ridge above what looked to be a village, or at least a collection of huts in front of a large cave.They had been watching for half an hour or more and seen no sign of movement.‘Well,’ said Owyn.‘Maybe they’re deserted.’‘No,’ said Gorath.He pointed to a pile of firewood.Then he pointed out a set of covered urns.‘Water, I think.’ Then he pointed to what could only be scraps of food thrown into a trench near the edge of the village.‘There may not be many of these creatures left on this world, but this area is not abandoned.’‘Well, maybe they’ve all gone off somewhere.’‘Or maybe they sleep during the heat of the day and they’re all inside?’ suggested Gorath.He stood up.‘We won’t know until we go down and see what is there.’Owyn followed the dark elf down the hillside and when Gorath reached the first tent, Owyn said, ‘The cup is in that cave
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