The Day The Flowers Died
By: Cloud
Thread: Iron Writer
Posted: November 08, 2002
The Day the Flowers Died
It seemed the day was greatly unlike any other in the world of Aryth that day. There had been some worry among those higher up for some weeks now as there had been fewer and fewer ships from other worlds in the past weeks. However it was of little concern to a Marabon man and his lover who were walking through the Flower Fields of Marabon. The woman laughed as the man made a joke about the Panarch. He quickly turned and kissed her. She closed her eyes as they softly fell in an embrace to the flowers. To their surprise the flowers fell beneath them, some even broke. They found this odd but were too caught up in the moment to care. However, an hour later, as they lay resting, staring up at the sky, they noticed some of the flowers withering. Panicked, they ran back to the village. They told what they had seen and a cry of woe and alarm rose among the people.
Similar events took place in Truklan. A warrior was to submerge in the River of What Might Have Been that morning. To the surprise of all, the river was not there. When reports reached Ahrak he was deeply troubled. What could this possibly mean? Without the river their society could come apart at the seams. The submergence was the mark of a warrior. Without that no new warriors could be trained properly. He furrowed his brow in anxious thought but could think of nothing. He finally sighed and sent a courier to the Glory Tower.
Upon his arrival he left the message with local courier who delivered the report to one of the High Tanes who, in turn, personally delivered the message to the Verund Cenrum after reading it himself. On the way he muttered something about the light from the source growing dimmer. He soon returned with another scroll and instructed the Courier to deliver the enclosed message to all the nations. The courier grabbed some water and food and headed out.
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A few hours later, as Queen Vyslin Rodan was seating herself for breakfast, a courier from Glory Tower came. Finding this odd, she had him sent in immediately. The robed man walked in with a scroll in his left hand. He bowed at the waist and said," Greetings your majesty. I have come bearing grave news from Glory Tower." The queen was startled. Grave news from GLORY TOWER? What could it possibly be? She cleared her throat and said," Please deliver your message."
He nodded and unrolled the scroll. He then said," Greeting Queen Vyslin Rodan of the nation Rodan. We bear you ill tidings. This morning it was discovered that the waters of the river Tyme had ceased flowing from the Source. This, combined with the matter of fewer visits from the other web worlds has led us to conclude that the mana that flows from the Source is weakening. This could very well tear our world apart. We are not yet certain if there is anything we can do. We wished to inform you so that your nation could make any arrangements you see fit. That is all." It was signed with the wax seal of the Verund Cenrum.
The Panarch of Camoore laughed and said," Well, I hope you don't expect me to do anything different. If I go out there and tell those people that they have to worry about somethingÉ Well, it would just be silly. They're better off not knowing. If the world gets torn apart it's better to go happy I say. Sorry if you think I'm uncaring but we're all gonna die someday right?" The courier nodded and left. However, after he left, Toman thought more about what the courier had said. However his thoughts were interrupted by the voice of his daughter asking," Dad, who was it?" Toman shook his head to clear and smiled saying," OhÉ no one dear, just a salesman." Lilian looked a little puzzled and said," Okay. Anyway, your lunch is getting cold." Toman nods and say's," Right, I'll be right in." Lilian nods and heads back to the dining hall. Toman watches her go and thinks," I couldn't tell her. No need to worry an 11-year old about the end of the worldÉ" He heads back to the dining hall with a final thought," But I hope it doesn't come."
Later, that afternoon, the courier was finally led to the Rein's current ruler after finding someone who wasn't to preoccupied with something else. He was led to a high tree with a rather nice looking, sphere shaped abode nestled amongst the branches near the top. The man leading him, dressed in a strange outfit made of bark and leaves, pointed to the "house" saying," Ms. Ellin lives up there." The strange man then walked off looking at different plants and leaves as he went. The courier walked around the tree and found a series of notches, cut to resemble a ladder, leading up. He climbed them to the top and was greeted by a green-eyed black haired woman wearing a green and gold outfit that gave her the appearance of a dancer, which she probably was. Based on what he knew of Reinian culture, she had probably been named leader by winning a dancing contest. She greeted him," Yes, what is it want to tell me?" She looks at him more closely," Hey, aren't you from Glory Tower?" The courier nods and she say's," Wow, we never get anyone from there out here or at least not that I know of. Of course I've only been in charge for a couple weeks soÉ" The courier clears his throat. Ellin turns her attention back towards him and sees the scroll," Oh, do you have a message?" The Courier nods. Ellin looks excited and say's," Ooo, read it read it read it!" The Courier quickly unfurls the scroll and quickly reads the message. Ellin nods thoughtfully and say's," So the world might end?" The courier nods gravely. Ellin walks closer to him saying softly," Well you knowÉ Maybe you could stay for a while then." The courier looks nervous as his eyes dart to the exit. Ellin is soon staring straight into his eyes and say's," So do you think you could stay and help me put together a "The World Might End" party?" The courier falls over but quickly gets up again saying," I'm sorry but I have to talk to other people." Ellin looks a little disappointed but say's," Well, could you tell anyone you meet on the way out about it then? Just tell them to come to Ellin's place. If they say they don't know who that is, tell them Nelli's place." The courier looks puzzled," Who is Nelli?" Ellin say's with a laugh," I am of course. Well, two weeks ago. But I got tired of the name. So I'm Ellin now." The just nods and smiles as he leaves thinking," I hope the world doesn't end again next month, who knows what would happen here then."
He briefly visits Marabon, but after seeing the dead brown flower fields and hearing what some of the people were saying he returns to Glory Tower. He learns upon returning that the Panarch of Marabon had visited earlier gloating about how mana had failed and modernization was now inevitable. He was then quickly abashed by the possibility of the worlds end and he left to tell his people. The courier nodded saying that he had talked to someone in Marabon and had saved him the trouble of seeing the Panarch. He then returned to his room and put away his traveling robe and assumed a more comfortable one. He picked up a book his parents had given him upon his leaving for Glory Tower. He flipped through it reading bits and pieces here and there. He had just finished reading" Our revels now are ended. These our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits and are melted into air, into thin air; and, like the baseless fabric of this vision, the cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, the great globe itself, yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, and, like this insubstantial pageant faded, leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff as dreams are made of, and our little is rounded up with a sleep." And thought how appropriate it seemed when suddenly there was a sound like wind and then all was darkness.
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When next he knew anything, he heard a voice in his mind, almost inaudible. Were it not for the utter lack of sound would not have heard it. It was muttering," What shall you beÉ What shall you beÉ?" The courier was puzzled by the voice and tried to speak only finding he couldn't. In fact, aside from his own thoughts and the voice he had no concept of anything. The voice continued," Erg, I just can't think. Perhaps getting rid of the other worlds was a bad idea. And now it would cause inconsistency. There would be no modernization movement without them for one thing." There was a pause that seemed eternal," But truly, such a thing of splendor next to Marabon. And when their ruler has so little faith in the mana even though it is their very existence.... I wish I could think more clearly." The courier thought about what was said," It's very strange. I wonder what this voice is. It sounds almost like an author writing a story yet he seems to be talking about my world." The voice came back," And about this guy, the courier. He should have a name I think. But he's just a random courier. Should he even be in there?" The courier was startled by these words and then felt his mind fading, as though his very being were disappearing. Then, suddenly, he was back in his room at Glory Tower with the words," Yeah, he should." fresh in his mind. He picked up the book which he had apparently dropped. He read what was written there" To be or not to be, that is the question." He gave a sort of half smile thinking," Also very appropriate."
He thought about what had happened to him through the night. In the end he was sure of two things. He at least was a created being, created by whatever that voice was. And that everyone was joined by the mana. No matter how different they seemed, mana could bring them together. He saw it, for the briefest moment he saw the one giant strand that seemed to penetrate everything at once. He saw it funneling through invisible gates to other worlds. He sighed and fell into a deep sleep as this new information played out in Vincent's dreams.
The next morning, almost a full day after the whole thing started, a new sign was put up around the Source. It simply said "Please do not throw rocks into the Source".
It seemed the day was greatly unlike any other in the world of Aryth that day. There had been some worry among those higher up for some weeks now as there had been fewer and fewer ships from other worlds in the past weeks. However it was of little concern to a Marabon man and his lover who were walking through the Flower Fields of Marabon. The woman laughed as the man made a joke about the Panarch. He quickly turned and kissed her. She closed her eyes as they softly fell in an embrace to the flowers. To their surprise the flowers fell beneath them, some even broke. They found this odd but were too caught up in the moment to care. However, an hour later, as they lay resting, staring up at the sky, they noticed some of the flowers withering. Panicked, they ran back to the village. They told what they had seen and a cry of woe and alarm rose among the people.
Similar events took place in Truklan. A warrior was to submerge in the River of What Might Have Been that morning. To the surprise of all, the river was not there. When reports reached Ahrak he was deeply troubled. What could this possibly mean? Without the river their society could come apart at the seams. The submergence was the mark of a warrior. Without that no new warriors could be trained properly. He furrowed his brow in anxious thought but could think of nothing. He finally sighed and sent a courier to the Glory Tower.
Upon his arrival he left the message with local courier who delivered the report to one of the High Tanes who, in turn, personally delivered the message to the Verund Cenrum after reading it himself. On the way he muttered something about the light from the source growing dimmer. He soon returned with another scroll and instructed the Courier to deliver the enclosed message to all the nations. The courier grabbed some water and food and headed out.
----------------------------------
A few hours later, as Queen Vyslin Rodan was seating herself for breakfast, a courier from Glory Tower came. Finding this odd, she had him sent in immediately. The robed man walked in with a scroll in his left hand. He bowed at the waist and said," Greetings your majesty. I have come bearing grave news from Glory Tower." The queen was startled. Grave news from GLORY TOWER? What could it possibly be? She cleared her throat and said," Please deliver your message."
He nodded and unrolled the scroll. He then said," Greeting Queen Vyslin Rodan of the nation Rodan. We bear you ill tidings. This morning it was discovered that the waters of the river Tyme had ceased flowing from the Source. This, combined with the matter of fewer visits from the other web worlds has led us to conclude that the mana that flows from the Source is weakening. This could very well tear our world apart. We are not yet certain if there is anything we can do. We wished to inform you so that your nation could make any arrangements you see fit. That is all." It was signed with the wax seal of the Verund Cenrum.
The Panarch of Camoore laughed and said," Well, I hope you don't expect me to do anything different. If I go out there and tell those people that they have to worry about somethingÉ Well, it would just be silly. They're better off not knowing. If the world gets torn apart it's better to go happy I say. Sorry if you think I'm uncaring but we're all gonna die someday right?" The courier nodded and left. However, after he left, Toman thought more about what the courier had said. However his thoughts were interrupted by the voice of his daughter asking," Dad, who was it?" Toman shook his head to clear and smiled saying," OhÉ no one dear, just a salesman." Lilian looked a little puzzled and said," Okay. Anyway, your lunch is getting cold." Toman nods and say's," Right, I'll be right in." Lilian nods and heads back to the dining hall. Toman watches her go and thinks," I couldn't tell her. No need to worry an 11-year old about the end of the worldÉ" He heads back to the dining hall with a final thought," But I hope it doesn't come."
Later, that afternoon, the courier was finally led to the Rein's current ruler after finding someone who wasn't to preoccupied with something else. He was led to a high tree with a rather nice looking, sphere shaped abode nestled amongst the branches near the top. The man leading him, dressed in a strange outfit made of bark and leaves, pointed to the "house" saying," Ms. Ellin lives up there." The strange man then walked off looking at different plants and leaves as he went. The courier walked around the tree and found a series of notches, cut to resemble a ladder, leading up. He climbed them to the top and was greeted by a green-eyed black haired woman wearing a green and gold outfit that gave her the appearance of a dancer, which she probably was. Based on what he knew of Reinian culture, she had probably been named leader by winning a dancing contest. She greeted him," Yes, what is it want to tell me?" She looks at him more closely," Hey, aren't you from Glory Tower?" The courier nods and she say's," Wow, we never get anyone from there out here or at least not that I know of. Of course I've only been in charge for a couple weeks soÉ" The courier clears his throat. Ellin turns her attention back towards him and sees the scroll," Oh, do you have a message?" The Courier nods. Ellin looks excited and say's," Ooo, read it read it read it!" The Courier quickly unfurls the scroll and quickly reads the message. Ellin nods thoughtfully and say's," So the world might end?" The courier nods gravely. Ellin walks closer to him saying softly," Well you knowÉ Maybe you could stay for a while then." The courier looks nervous as his eyes dart to the exit. Ellin is soon staring straight into his eyes and say's," So do you think you could stay and help me put together a "The World Might End" party?" The courier falls over but quickly gets up again saying," I'm sorry but I have to talk to other people." Ellin looks a little disappointed but say's," Well, could you tell anyone you meet on the way out about it then? Just tell them to come to Ellin's place. If they say they don't know who that is, tell them Nelli's place." The courier looks puzzled," Who is Nelli?" Ellin say's with a laugh," I am of course. Well, two weeks ago. But I got tired of the name. So I'm Ellin now." The just nods and smiles as he leaves thinking," I hope the world doesn't end again next month, who knows what would happen here then."
He briefly visits Marabon, but after seeing the dead brown flower fields and hearing what some of the people were saying he returns to Glory Tower. He learns upon returning that the Panarch of Marabon had visited earlier gloating about how mana had failed and modernization was now inevitable. He was then quickly abashed by the possibility of the worlds end and he left to tell his people. The courier nodded saying that he had talked to someone in Marabon and had saved him the trouble of seeing the Panarch. He then returned to his room and put away his traveling robe and assumed a more comfortable one. He picked up a book his parents had given him upon his leaving for Glory Tower. He flipped through it reading bits and pieces here and there. He had just finished reading" Our revels now are ended. These our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits and are melted into air, into thin air; and, like the baseless fabric of this vision, the cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, the great globe itself, yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, and, like this insubstantial pageant faded, leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff as dreams are made of, and our little is rounded up with a sleep." And thought how appropriate it seemed when suddenly there was a sound like wind and then all was darkness.
----------------------------------------------
When next he knew anything, he heard a voice in his mind, almost inaudible. Were it not for the utter lack of sound would not have heard it. It was muttering," What shall you beÉ What shall you beÉ?" The courier was puzzled by the voice and tried to speak only finding he couldn't. In fact, aside from his own thoughts and the voice he had no concept of anything. The voice continued," Erg, I just can't think. Perhaps getting rid of the other worlds was a bad idea. And now it would cause inconsistency. There would be no modernization movement without them for one thing." There was a pause that seemed eternal," But truly, such a thing of splendor next to Marabon. And when their ruler has so little faith in the mana even though it is their very existence.... I wish I could think more clearly." The courier thought about what was said," It's very strange. I wonder what this voice is. It sounds almost like an author writing a story yet he seems to be talking about my world." The voice came back," And about this guy, the courier. He should have a name I think. But he's just a random courier. Should he even be in there?" The courier was startled by these words and then felt his mind fading, as though his very being were disappearing. Then, suddenly, he was back in his room at Glory Tower with the words," Yeah, he should." fresh in his mind. He picked up the book which he had apparently dropped. He read what was written there" To be or not to be, that is the question." He gave a sort of half smile thinking," Also very appropriate."
He thought about what had happened to him through the night. In the end he was sure of two things. He at least was a created being, created by whatever that voice was. And that everyone was joined by the mana. No matter how different they seemed, mana could bring them together. He saw it, for the briefest moment he saw the one giant strand that seemed to penetrate everything at once. He saw it funneling through invisible gates to other worlds. He sighed and fell into a deep sleep as this new information played out in Vincent's dreams.
The next morning, almost a full day after the whole thing started, a new sign was put up around the Source. It simply said "Please do not throw rocks into the Source".