Sapphire:Sessions:20180127
While sleeping, Shawna is given to know that the final bloodstone is 150 miles away. The bloodstone she holds has gained power, but is not a threat to her. The final bloodstone, though, is at least twice as powerful.
Chalker dreams of another consciousness with jumbled feelings of pain, power, exhilaration, eagerness, and the urge to be doing things again. He realizes these impressions are from the magic emerald he had bought from Harmon Brandt.
In the morning Chalker writes in the journey book to Rory asking for the crystal coordinates to a gate in Westerpine. This would put the group within a a reasonable distance of the final bloodstone. However, when Shawna plugs in the crystals in the Ridell gate, the gate does not function. The final bloodstone has somehow suppressed the gate connection. She closes her hand and disintegrates the bloodstone she holds, since she no longer needs to to trace the final one. Chalker obtains new coordinates from Rory which will move the group 50 miles.
The gate opens into a bedroom with attached bathroom. Lying on the bed is the desiccated corpse of a man clad in leathers. Splashes of dried blood are everywhere. Using his penetrating vision, Chalker determines that the man had died from a sword thrust to the heart. However, the corpse's heart, liver, and kidneys are not as decayed as the rest of the organs. In the bathroom there is dried dirt in the washbasin and dirty towels bearing the crest of Vetruvian, Grand Duke of Ordin. Chalker's emerald is vibrating with agitation/excitement. Shawna reports that a gatemaster had repeatedly forced open the gate without the use of crystals, and had done so three times in the past four weeks, most recently about a week ago. This gatemaster is human with some orcish blood.
Chalker looks through the floor, walls, and ceiling. In the ceiling over the bed is a cavity containing a 7' diameter hollow stone sphere. A crack in the sphere aligns with a crack in the ceiling. Shawna says the sphere is magical.
Chalker writes to Trace, who comes and creates a pluggable tunnel to the surface. This emerges into a bright, sunny winter's day in a pasture at the edge of the small town of Windhollow. The group walks to Windhollow and buys horses and supplies. Shawna speaks with some elven rangers who report minor bandit activity in the area.
After riding 25 miles, the group spends the night at a "way station", a cluster of huts intended as shelter for travelers. Again Chalker dreams of the emerald. He asks, "What's your purpose?" There is a mental gasp of astonishment, and a juvenile voice babbles, "It's a wizard!" ("A lucky person," replies Chalker.) The emerald's purpose is "to help, to do what needs to be done!" It urges Chalker, "Link with me and become one with my aura!" "What do you get out of the bonding? "Fulfill my purpose! Learn stuff!" "Have you ever harmed the person you bonded with?" "Not intentionally! Not lately!" "What are you called?" "What do you want to call me?" "What were you called before?" The emerald gives a few names including 'Esmeralda' and eventually admits its first name was "Emmy, you know, for emerald." "Who was your first master?" Reflexively the emerald replies "Can't talk about it," then immediately does a 180 and says "Shelly Avar created me."
Chalker has heard legends of the Avar clan dating back to the beginning of the previous age; they were pivotal in the creation of several ancient kingdoms. Avar was known as 'elf-friend' at the time the elves were helping the humans emerge from the Dark Ages. The clan was blessed by Cor and granted extended lifespans.
The group rides to a small, pleasant city called Rosemill, named for its prize roses (there is even one plot of bushes in full bloom even though it is winter) and its impressive watermill. Ahn-Lee is the first to spot a man dressed in leathers and wearing a shortsword, who glances over at Chalker and does a double-take. Chalker in turn recognizes the man as Ty Pinton, who he had last seen in another part of the world almost five months ago.