#Shaman's crossing

[theplentynet]

Selected photos from the John Howe art exhibition at the Tampere Hall in Finland (July 6th to August 18th 2024)

* Detail of Icefyre and the Stone Dragon (Fool’s Fate)

* Detail of Buckkeep and the Witted Stallion (The Golden Fool)

* FitzChivalry Farseer (Fantasy Art Workshop)

* Verity’s Tower (Assassin’s Apprentice UK 20th anniversary endpapers)

* The Perilous Wood (UK hc Shaman’s Crossing)

* Buckkeep coast (Subterranean Press Assassin’s Apprentice)

[smonkledonkle]

First of all, I think Spink is such a fantastic name, and I will not be hearing bad of my boy Spinrek Kester.

Second of all, WHY'D THEY DO HIM DIRTY LIKE THAT?? NO ONE WARNED ME-

My boy... spink...

Third of all, I'm like 5 chapters into the second book (Forest Mage) and I am in so much pain reading this someone tell me it gets better. Robin Hobb is good at what she does but damn I am SO uncomfortable rn. ITS INFESTING MY DREAMS,, THERES NO ESCAPE.

Tell me it gets better this hurts.

[wizardnaturalist]

one hundred and fifty pages into shaman's crossing and you are JUST NOW telling me this boy is WHITE??

[smalltownfae]

So, I started reading Soldier Son for the 4th time. I hope I can make it until the end now.

I can’t help compare Sil to Molly when one of her distinctive features is wearing bright skirts. Plus, she is clearly the love interest that is older than the mc and they met as kids and had a friendly interaction.

So far, this book focuses a lot on gender norms and I keep wondering if part of it is a defense of Molly since so many fans seem to unfairly hate her. Nevare’s father was just saying it was Sil’s fault that she was almost raped because she wore bright skirts and showed her bare arms and that is not too far of fans that put the blame on Molly for stuff not under her control.

[dameracrystmon]

Special Cross stitch Commission waist up Warcraft Grypha, female wildhammer dwarf❤️💙

Character by Maazakala Basic art by SvensPronfest

Share and Like=Thank you💜

[the-circulatory-system]

Original layout by @strawberry-selfships

[wildwood-faun]

shamanism fair today 👀

[parksandwreckmysoul]

I made an art timelapse video! Asakura Hana | SHAMAN KING FLOWERS 🌸 twitter | instagram

[wondereads]

September 2024 Monthly Wrap-Up

Reviews under the cut

Foster by Claire Keegan (★★★★☆)

This is an incredibly short read, but I highly recommend it if you're someone who enjoys family dynamics and a simple but evocative story. While I personally enjoy longer works, I still loved the writing of this novella. So much was said with very few words, and I was thoroughly attached to the characters by the end. It's an open ending, but it has more than enough room for hope in my opinion.

Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb (★★★☆☆)

A bit unfortunate that this should be my first Hobb book, as it seems to be considered her weakest series, and I can see why. This book has an incredibly interesting beginning and end and an absolute drag of a middle. I found the politics surrounding Gernia's expansion (and its mirroring of frontier America) and the conflicting magic systems, both suppressed by the primary religion, so intriguing, but most of this book is dedicated to the main character's time at a military academy. It was highly detailed—perhaps more than it should have been. While this book had its strong points, if you're looking for an engaging military fantasy series, I recommend Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce or The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang instead.

Neon Gods by Katee Robert (★★☆☆☆)

I'm being a bit lenient with my rating because I can see the appeal of this to some people, but this book had way too much nothing for my taste. After hitting the 40% mark, most of this story is just the main characters being willfully ignorant to the other person's feelings and insisting they can't stay together because it would be selfish. I won't lie, I skimmed the latter half of this book. I was also quite distracted by worldbuilding questions (the names in particular throw me off), which never really get answered. Perhaps not the best choice of book for a hard fantasy nut like me.

The Flower of the Family by Elizabeth Prentiss (★★☆☆☆)

There is a reason this book has fallen out of favor everywhere but Christian homeschooling circles. This is one of the earliest "girls' books" in the US, so of course there are standards for femininity that don't align with today, but the way Lucy, the main character, is treated is just abhorrent. She is a free babysitting service for her family of ten children, so much so that she is so ill that going to stay with her extended family, away from the hoard of kids that can't do a thing without her, is the only way to improve her health. I doubt anyone will be raring to read this, so I have no guilt in saying that the book ends with one of her brothers and her mother dying, thus leaving her to care for her siblings until they are all grown up, after which she is married to a nameless man with all of one sentence dedicated to it. This poor girl.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche (no rating)

This is definitely outside my usual sphere, but it was assigned for my thesis (don't ask why, it'll take forever to explain). It was...a trip. That's really all I can say about it.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs (★★★★☆)

This is a bit of a tough read; Harriet Jacobs' fictional representative, Linda, does not suffer what many would deem the worst of American slavery, but she does not hesitate to explain how severely dehumanized she was. Reading this in conjunction with other children's book of the time (Flower of the Family, Little Women), truly reveals how differently Black and white girls experienced childhood, something that still echoes today, even if it's less extreme. While it's not the most dramatic or easy read, I absolutely recommend this book, especially if you're looking to expand your reading on Black experiences throughout American history.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (★★★★☆)

I read the author's preferred text of this novel, but it still has the hallmarks of being written when Shannon was much younger. While the writing has likely improved, the premise is quite similar to a lot of 2010s YA dystopias. Despite being a dystopia, this book is a fantasy novel, taking place slightly in the future but after history was altered around the turn of the 20th century. I quite liked the main character, and I find the worldbuilding and magic system intriguing, though the romance was lackluster in my opinion. I really want to find out what is happening between the Rephaim and the Emim (it is certainly not just what Paige was told), so I'll definitely be continuing this series in the future.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (★★★☆☆.5)

This was a vaguely interesting book. I think it had the potential to be better, but it's so quick-paced that it misses out on a lot of opportunities for worldbuilding, such as actually explaining how the political system of the vampire world works. Throughout a lot of this book, it honestly felt like Mead did not want to be writing about vampires. The mythology is so different that it feels more akin to fairies or perhaps an entirely new being. The relationship between Rose and Lissa is great, though I cannot believe they aren't each other's love interests with the way they act together, and the romance itself was decent. Yes, there is a crazy age gap, but as a Tamora Pierce stan I don't think I can judge. Overall, this was just a standard YA paranormal novel.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (★★★★☆)

This was my first time reading Little Women, and I did enjoy myself for the most part. I loved the complexity of the March sisters, both as individual characters and their relationships with one another, even though Jo is much stronger than me and I never would have forgiven Amy. This book is restrained by the time it was written in, but I think Alcott did a pretty decent job giving each of the sisters a happy ending (yes, even Beth, her ending is portrayed as peaceful and a welcome release) while still maintaining their personalities, even if they're a bit more subdued than when they were younger. There is debate over whether Jo underwent a character assassination, but I think Alcott did her best to give her a happy ending when a generally approved ending was antithetical to her character.

Currently Reading

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Abike-Iyimide

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

October TBR

Babel by R. F. Kuang (rr, thesis)

The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang (rr, thesis)

The Dragon Republic by R. F. Kuang (thesis)

The Burning God by R. F. Kuang (thesis)

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (rr, thesis, book club)

Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko (book club)

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (book club)

Shadow Rider by Christine Feehan (book club)

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (class)

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (class)

Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush by Virginia Hamilton (class)

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Anonymous (class)

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers #323: The Crossing Line Part 5: ONE WORLD'S NOT ENOUGH FOR ALL OF US

September, 1990

GROUND ZERO! Guest starring ALPHA FLIGHT

Aw geez.

Alpha Flight is looking pretty chipper considering Canada is exploding behind them.

Plus, the Avengers have mutated into giant disembodied heads.

I guess the People's Protectorate don't get to be giant disembodied heads.

Last time in Avengers:

THE AVENGERS NUKED CANADA.

Well, more specifically, Peace Corpse nuked Canada by setting up a fail-safe that went off when the Avengers punched the two ringleaders in the face and disconnecting them from the missiles.

But Captain America has been bungling this entire The Crossing Line incident. Spent more time fighting their Russian counterparts instead of the terrorists who hijacked a nuclear submarine. And then he played hardball during a hostage crisis and got Stingray shot in the head. And then the thing with the failsafe.

Dammit, Cap, you got Canada nuked!

So... What's the book about now? Giant disembodied atomic heads?

Okay. So.

The Avengers didn't get blown up.

Can you imagine?

Captain America, Red Guardian, Vision, Vostok, and Peace Corpse minus the two main dudes are floating in a mysterious, speckled void. The cheetah dimension, perhaps.

Weirdly, Vostok's sensors read the cheetah as biologically active.

That's unsettling.

Fantasma telepathically contacts Cap and reveals that she, Sersi, and a whole bunch of civilians are in a fire dimension. Sersi is having to strain her powers to not only shield the group from the fire but also to keep the temperature within her shield bearable.

Because. Heat. It goes to where there's less of it.

Also, Sersi and Fantasma are the only woman of their respective groups and they've been forced together by circumstance and so they've decided to spend the time being catty.

Weird flex, writer Fabian Nicieza.

When Sersi tells Fantasma to ask Cap, telepathically, whether there's any way he can get them out of the fire dimension:

Fantasma: "Calm yourself, Eternal!"

Sersi: "Don't talk to me that way, you haggling witch!"

These two have barely contributed to the plot and now this.

Fantasma manages to contact Shaman who knows what's going on because he fucking did it. He did the thing that's going on.

When Cap et al fucked up so bad that they nuked Canada, Shaman turned his mystic pouch inside-out.

And apparently his mystic pouch was just packed with dimensional planes.

Then he pulled the pouch inside-inside-out, slurping up all those dimensional planes and also the explosion and also a chunk of Canada.

He's just kind of floating over a hole where the town was.

Annnnd. He can't... quite... just put everything back. So easily.

He needs the peeps inside to draw the various dimensional planes together, for reasons. And quickly because the mystic pouch warranty didn't cover this and it may just break.

What the hell is this plot? We started off with a airport paperback Cold War thriller with a hijacked submarine and now everyone got sucked into a pocket dimension.

Meanwhile, in the cheetah dimension, thin air starts shooting lasers at people.

Vision can just intangible but he notes that he still feels it passing through him, which means those lasers are packing a lot of power.

Cap tells Sersi and Fantasma that he doesn't know how long he can hold out in the cheetah, laser dimension.

Sersi: "Wouldn't the colloquial response be 'welcome to the club'...?"

Fantasma taps into Sersi's mighty psychic powers (even apologizing for how it's going to hurt like hell) to search the pouchaverse for more of the missing peeps.

And she finds another group, in a dimension of water.

Quasar and Crimson Dynamo float above the waves. Crimson Dynamo's armor is running low on power. And Quasar is having to focus on keeping the place lit up so they can see if anybody starts drowning.

Because, yeah, dimension of pure water doesn't have any light.

Puck, Perun, Diamond Lil, and Box sans his armor are treading water. Also, Tyrak and Orka are here. They're just vibing.

Fantasma projects an image of herself to team water world. She fills them in on the mystic pouch stuff and that they need to find a dimensional nexus that connects the planes.

Tyrak has some opinions to share about that.

Tyrak: "Why should we Atlanteans believe you? We can survive here -- we will wait until this nuclear squall clears and then we --" Perun: "Look around, you scale-infested oxygen-deprived lobotomzied minnow! The skies are black, the water purple! We are not on Earth! I will gladly fight you til eternity's end, Tyrak, but if you ever want to see your home again -- you land -- your loved ones -- we will have to work together! Do you understand cretin?!" Tyrak: "What must we do, woman?"

Hah, Perun is fun.

That string of insults was something else.

Meanwhile, in the energy dimension, Vostok finds the Box armor. He's able to use his synthezoid powers to interface with the systems to maneuver it.

Meanwhile, the rest of everyone, in the desert dimension.

Guardian is leading a huge pack of civilians, U-Man, and Stingray. And nobody is doing well. U-Man is dehydrating fast. STingray has a concussion, and the civilians are getting exhausted from marching through the desert.

Fantasma psychically projects to Guardian and tells her she needs to get everyone to the desert plane's nexus so she can reunite with everyone. And Guardian passes the info along to everyone else that they now have a concrete destination.

Guardian: "The Russian woman -- Fantasma -- she told me we have a chance of finding the others and a way out of here. But we have to go back. I'll fly ahead, you lead the others." Stingray: "The fact that I'm operating with a major concussion doesn't matter to you?' Guardian: "No. Just do it."

Ha.

But this has been such a trying day for Stingray. He didn't even want to be here and all he's gotten is grief.

Back in the energy dimension, Vostok turned the Box armor and maybe some other parts, I dunno, into a neat looking spaceship.

Team energy dimension is feeling worn down. They've been traveling in the direction Sersi told them for almost two days.

But when Sersi contacts them again, she tells them it's barely been five minutes on her side. So I guess time is flowing differently in different parts of the mystic pouch pocket dimension.

In order to get the energy and fire dimensions to touch, Shaman has to compress the energies of the pouch. "Both physically and spiritually."

Which means he's gotta scrunch the pouch in his hands.

Yes, really.

Sersi has to open a gap in her force field to let the tether from the Box Ship in. She warns everyone to get back but the nearest people still get badly burned by the heat that comes pouring in even that small hole.

As badly strained as Sersi is, she can't pull the ship through the vortex by herself. She asks Vision to help her.

Vision: "To do so would require I solidify my form. To solidify my form would subject me to the potentially terminal ravages of this environment." Sersi: "I know what I ask of you, Avenger! It is no less than we have all had to give!" Vision: "I am well aware of that and am acting accordingly."

And he do. He suffers from cosmetic damage to his synthetic skin but they get the ship through. Vostok warns that he won't be able to maintain this construct much longer in this heat but Sersi tells him that won't be a problem for much longer.

So the heroes get everyone aboard the Box Ship and next travel through the portal to the water dimension.

Vostok reshapes the ship again to be more of an open boat so they can fit more people on board.

It was an entire town that got slurped up in this mess.

As he helps people out of the water, Captain America marvels. But doesn't Captain Marvels.

Captain America: "Even Tyrak is helping! Our differences -- the angers we just recently had -- all put aside for the sake of survival."

I feel like that's the thesis of this story.

Peace Corpse thought the only way to bring the world together and Fix Everything was to spark another world war. Because Peace Corpse is dumb.

But by having three different superhero teams and a squad of named Atlanteans all having to work together to survive this madness, the comic says 'maybe there is a better way than Peace Corpse's stupid dumb idea.'

Although, uniting the world for survival is what leads to Ozymandias Watchmen and his giant octopus psychic alien scheme so bear in mind that no idea should be taken to extremes.

New problem though. Vostok is worn out, I guess, and Box pilot Madison Jeffries says he can't fly the Box armor with so many people.

He can turn the armor into a flying chair, a la Metron's Mobius chair, with a tether that everyone can hang onto.

But there will be no protection from the void.

Captain America: "Sersi -- can you provide a protective sheath -- similar to the field you recently erected -- around each of us individually?" Sersi: "And still telepathically scan for Guardian's nexus? I believe I can, Captain. Just be certain my funeral is a lavish one upon your return to Earth."

I love that Sersi sass.

'I'll die for your cause but my funeral better kick ass.'

And with new Eternal lore, she'd pop right back up so she could personally make sure they don't half-ass the event.

The amazing chair and its trailing tail finds Guardian's group and all the people in the bag of holding are finally together.

So Shaman can finally start letting some people out. But first he has to put some land for them to stand on. And then Guardian insists that the civilians be rescued first.

Oof.

That first group of civilians released is almost immediately skeletonized by the radiation. Including an on-panel child death, geez.

When Shaman slurped up the land, the people, and the nuclear explosion, that meant he slurped up the radiation too. And it's apparently not a problem inside the bag for whatever mystical reasons or because of different laws of physics.

But back on planet Earth, that much radiation kills people dead. And Shaman can't sift the radiation out from all the people. That'd be crazy.

Since that's not bonkers enough, a giant, naked and conjoined Prokvitch and Strokov show up, promising to help everyone return to Earth.

Captain America: "Why do you want to help us? If you return us to Earth now, not only will the radiation kill us, it will also poison the planet!" Combine: "Yes... we know."

I suspect that these dudes that planned to start a nuclear war on purpose are, in fact, assholes.

Also, remember when this was an airport paperback political thriller plot? Now we've got enormous conjoined dudes with cosmic swooshes covering their junk.

What a weird situation.

Anyway, more tales of The Avengers Crew

This time starring John Jameson, aka the former Man-Wolf.

Fun fact: Werewolf just means manwolf so Man-Wolf is just a werewolf. But specifically a space werewolf tied to a hunk of shiny mineral.

John is enjoying his life as the Avengers' pilot, enjoying an automated ride on the secret Avengers subway that goes from the Subbasement to the sub bay.

But when he arrives back at the Subbasement, he is shocked - horrified, even! - to find the moon-stone that turned him into the werewolf Man-Wolf!

So, obviously, he picks it up in disbelief and it jumps on his throat and turns him into Man-Wolf again. And he gets the zoomies.

Man-Wolf zooms through the Subbasement and mauls each member of the Avengers Support Crew that have gotten these little back-up stories.

Jarvis. Michael O'Brien. Fabian Stankowicz. Peggy Carter.

I thought that two of those people were already dead but whatever. They get to be mauled. We're not leaving people out.

And then a voice sounds out through the Subbasement, commanding the Avengers Crew.

Voice: "Arise, Jameson... Carter... O'Brien... Stankowicz... Jarvis... Scurry out of your cubby-holes... Come out to the courtyard! Ah! Like dutiful little zombies they come! Hear me, you five! Now that I've tricked you into revealing each darkest secrets... Your guiltiest fears, you are in my power forevermore!"

The back-up plot thickens. Next time, apparently, we'll learn what the heck is going on.

And next week, we're doing another Avengers post. So you don't even have to wait two weeks. Ain't that grand?

Follow @essential-avengers. Like and reblog. Comment. Hit the bell icon. Send me money. Pledge your fealty to the Wasp. All hail the glow cloud.

[qan-t]

[ode-to-fury]

Robin Hobb just manages to pull me in with her stupid main characters every time

[sakuranoumi]

Fandom: Shaman King Flowers Characters: Hana, Alumi, and Yohane Word Count: 999 Summary: A moment away in the countryside to simply relax

Hana grumbles as they sit on the train. The sprawling metropolis of Tokyo is melting away to a peaceful countryside as they move further and further away from the heart of the country.

“The city is stuffy,” Alumi replies, reading his mind.

That's incorrect. Hana knows what reishi is. Reishi is what his mom had and why everyone does what she says. She's scary and cool and Hana wishes she'd come back home . Reishi is also what Uncle God had. It's why he's still moody and insists on surrounding himself with cats. Alumi doesn't have it. She's what keeps his onis at bay no thanks to Uncle God .

He doesn't say anything more. He knows Alumi is no stranger to the city. Los Angeles is just as crowded, just as busy, and just as hectic. He knows what she's really missing. She misses the quiet of her life. She misses her people. All because that stupid jerk Yosuke had to take everything from her. All because he wasn’t strong enough to stop him.

“Do not punch a hole in the seat cushion,” Alumi warns, watching the way his fingers tremble and tighten into a fist.

“What do you think, Yohane,” Hana settles for, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat. He's not pouting. He never pouts.

“The city,” Yohane states, “only because my life got better after coming to it.”

“Yeah, it turned out great for you that you're too weak to kill me.”

“You still lost Amidamaru,” Alumi points out, “to his sister who gave him to Yosuke.”

“Whatever. Amidamaru was my dad's anyway. He just liked to boss me around. Didn't let me have any fun. My new partner is going to be way cooler.”

He doesn't see Alumi mouth the word liar. He doesn't look at either of them as he stares out the window. Not having a spirit partner is a problem and one that he needs to fix. It's just finding the right one is so hard, and before this he didn't really have any motivation. There was no Shaman Fight. There was no Flowers of Maize. Just a boring everyday life for Hana.

Their stop is announced and they disembark in a quaint town. A floral fragrance hits them immediately as Alumi inhales a deep breath, arms thrown out as she spins, slowly taking it all in. Next to him Yohane sneezes.

“Allergies too? Hana asks, incredulous. He swears. Yohane has to be the most frail person he's ever met. His broken arm still hasn’t healed.

“We didn't get out much,” Yohane shrugs.

“Come on, come on, come on,” Alumi chants, grabbing both of their wrists and dragging them further from town and towards a field.

“Shouldn't we get Sniffles—“ Hana is cut off as Alumi yanks harder and any attempt to steer her towards town and civilization is ruined.

“You're a shaman. It's time to commune with nature.”

“I'll be fine,” Yohane adds, after another sneeze, “It's nothing”

His puffy eyes later tonight aren't going to be nothing, but Hana isn't stupid. He does know a losing battle when he sees it. He just doesn't always choose to surrender. Especially if the person on the other side is that slimy worm Yosuke.

Alumi pulls them to a field where the grass is hidden completely by flower petals.

“We could never do this in the desert,” Alumi chirps before turning solemn, “And the plains were ruined long ago.”

She doesn't spare a moment to tell either boy her plan. She gives them no warning until they are mercilessly tugged to the ground as petals fly up from the force before floating back down.

Yohane's nose crinkles as one lands on it before a sneeze sends it back into the air.

“Ow,” Hana grumbles because he's not about to admit how nice this really is or that Alumi was right.

“See, it was worth it. A chance to get away from everything. A chance to be three teenagers without a care in the world.”

That's exactly the opposite of what Hana wants, but maybe he can admit that this is good for Yohane. Yohane has no friends. He has no social skills. He's not going to get any of these experiences unless Hana puts aside his wants to show Yohane what “normal” life is like.

“You're sitting next to him when he sneezes the whole way home,” Hana settles for.

“Really, guys, I'm fine,” Yohane insists as another sneeze betrays him.

“We could have spared five minutes to get him something,” Hana argues.

“And miss this?” Alumi asks, pointing up to the sky.

Hana had lost all track of time. It's later than he thought. The sun is starting to set, bathing everything in soft pinks and oranges. The field really does feel alive and magical as he stretches his hand up. If he tries hard enough it's like he can grab that next world and enter into it. Maybe that's where they're waiting for him.

He lets his hand fall back down to the earth. It's stupid and childish. Hana knows the world only consists of this one and the next. There's no cheat into the Great Spirits. This isn't Mu. If his parents were in the Great Spirits then Uncle God would have let him see them by now. Uncle God could summon him and send him anywhere for a time before depositing him back in this boring, lonely world.

“You're thinking about your wish for when we win,” Alumi whispers.

“Yeah,” Hana agrees.

He thinks about it every day. No matter how tough he is. No matter how fine he pretends to be. No matter how good Tamao and Ryu are to him. He's always thinking about the life he didn't get. The life he's chasing.

He's not looking for adventure.

He's looking for home.

[paranoidarkeolog]

The Enarei, singular Enaree, were Scythian androgynous/effeminate priests and shamanistic soothsayers who played an important role in the Scythian religion.

Rituals

The Anarya used cannabis in their rituals, including both those of a communal and those of a funerary or psychopompic nature, thus being among the earliest spiritual practitioners to have used cannabis to achieve altered states of consciousness, implying that that an ancient connection existed between gender non-conforming spiritual practitioners and the use of mind-altering substances..[5]

The Anarya participated in Scythian funeral rituals, which included shamanic practises, and after the burial of the deceased, they would ritually cleanse themselves with the vapour of cannabis, which is attested archaeologically in Saka tombs from Siberia, which contained tripods, braziers, pelts, and charcoal containing remains of cannabis leaves and fruits, with one of the Pazyryk burials containing a pot, inside of which were cannabis fruits, as well as a copper censer used to burn cannabis.[5]

Divination

The Anarya also acted as seers and performed a particular form of divination which used the inner bark of the linden tree, unlike the methods of traditional Scythian soothsayers which used willow withies.[6] The method of divination of the Anarya consisted of cutting the inner linden bark into three pieces, and plaiting and unplaiting these pieces around their fingers to obtain answers.[7][5]

The Anarya were especially consulted when the king of the Scythians was ill,[8][5] which was itself believed by the Scythians to be caused by a false oath being sworn upon the king's hearth.[6] Once the Anarya had identified the suspect who had sworn the false oath, the said suspect would claim to be innocent. If the Anarya maintained the accusation, six more soothsayers were consulted, and if they upheld the original accusation, the suspect was executed by being beheaded. If the additional soothsayers declared the suspect was innocent, the process of consulting more soothsayers was repeated, and if the larger number of soothsayers still declared the suspect to be innocent, the initial accusers were executed by being put into a wagon filled with brushwood which was set on fire, and their sons were all killed.[9]

[joywindsong]

The Half Blood Mage Pt 2

The Backstory

Traditionally in night elf society, men are guided to the teachings of Cenarius while women are expected to follow the light of Elune. 

Vionira Moonwalker was one of the exceptions. Vionira showed a strong bond with nature early on in life. Born in Hyjal, she is relatively young compared to her peers. The Cenarion Circle was also hesitant about welcoming her into their ranks. After the Third War things were starting to change within the Cenarion Circle. Gender became less of an issue, as well as race. The tauren, who once followed Cenarius’ teachings but strayed away towards elemental magic, were in the process of reconnecting to druid teachings. This of course did not come without concerns.

The tauren were allied with the Horde. Even if they shared the same values in the teachings of Cenarius, they were standing by the same orcs who laid waste to sections of the sacred forests of Ashenvale during the third war. 

Vionira, like many of the Kal’dorei, was residing in Moonglade after the fallout of the war. Though she had years of experience as a druid, she was still treated as a novice and expected to attend training seminars far below her capabilities. One of the trainers was a Highmountain named Ualke. 

Ualke was a mysterious character. He resided with the Bloodhoof sharing his wisdom. Much of his teachings focused not on druidism purely, but the connection of mortals to the greater powers on Azeroth. Expertise that spanned across both druidism and shamanism made him a valuable resource in reintroducing the teachings of Cenarius to the tauren, aswell as reviving the practice of shamanism among the orcs and trolls of the Horde. Ualke regularly traveled to Moonglade with his tauren druid pupils, but he proposed to take it one step further. “Some of my students in shamanism are struggling to truly connect to the elements. It also seems that there is hesitation in my pupils in Moonglade to fully accept tauren druids. It would seem mutually beneficial to bring some of the orcs and trolls under my guidance to come to a haven of nature and allow everyone to co-exist.” Ualke would propose to the leadership in the Cenarion Circle. Reluctantly, Ualke was granted permission and the next time he came to Moonglade he brought along about a dozen students. A few druids, but mostly shaman. Some tauren, but several orcs and trolls as well. They were welcomed to the city of Nighthaven but of course stood out very clearly. Ualke had mostly brown fur with a gray mane and gray patches forming. His eyes became white as he grew old, his exact age unknown but his presence was that of a tauren in his physical prime, especially with antlers towering on top of his large frame. Mail shoulders over his ceremonial robes filled out his massive frame even more as his deep but raspy voice projected over the students before him in the forest of Moonglade. Students dressed in basic ceremonial robes sitting in the grass.

His parting words as he ended his lesson:

“Your connection to the forces of nature on Azeroth will only grow stronger if you accept your brothers and sisters regardless of race. Do not allow arbitrary political divisions in the world to make you bigoted. Elves were once trolls. Tauren were the first children of Cenarius. The orcs are our new brothers and sisters in Azeroth, and may not be the last. They breathe with the elements and the Earthmother, Elune, the same as us all. I ask that you not simply go your separate ways as I dismiss you. Please, intermingle. Understand each other. Strengthen your connection to the world around you. That is a greater lesson than I can bestow onto any of you.”

Vionira stood up and scanned around. She was a tall and toned elf with bobbed green hair, light purple skin that skewed almost pink, and dark purple markings that went down across her light blue eyes. She looked across the crowd and saw most of the students mingling within their own races or factions. So much for what their teacher asked of them. 

Across the way she noticed a tall troll with green skin and a shaved head. His tusks protruded from his face and he leaned back against a tree not speaking to anyone. Vionira took the opportunity to approach. “Hello. What is your name?” Vionira asked as intimately as she could. The troll looked down at her, he had a bit of height on her despite both being tall. “What it be to you? Old bull be preachin’ tales. Da’ elements be communin’ jus’ fine. No need’ta be friendly wit’ elves.” He dismissed.

“Well. What he said is true. Elves were once trolls, so in a way we’re kin.” Vionira lectured to the scoffing shaman. 

“Why ya’ tryin’ so hard? Ain't’ya elves be hatin’ us Horde?” “Well. I’m a druid first. I’ve also been a druid longer than anyone else in this group, and Ualke is the only instructor who actually says anything interesting. Your warchief also helped us greatly in defeating Archimonde at Hyjal. So, maybe some of you are alright.” Vionira says to the troll who blows air out of his nose. “Our Warchief do be great mon. Saved me from bein’ sacrificed by fish.” The troll chuckles. “Vionira Moonwalker, by the way.” Vionira smirks.

“Omaroku.” He tells her reluctantly. “When do you leave?” She asked. “I believe we be headin’ out at sunrise tomorrow.” Omaroku responded. “Any plans between now and then?” Vionira curiously asked. “Nope.” He answered. “Well, how would you like me to show you around?” Omaroku looked around and sighed. “Ain’ got nothin’ better to do.”

The pair split off from the group and start walking towards Nighthaven. “So’ya been a druid longest of everyone?” Omaroku questions the elf. “Of the novices. I’ve been a druid much longer than I’ve been in the Cenarion Circle. Traditionally women in our society are warriors or priestesses or sentinels. The men tend to be the druids but now it’s opening up more.” Vionira explains.

“Shamanism be new to me. I was jus’ a headhunter out on the isles I came from. Joinin’ the Horde bring new opportunities. Learnin’ ta’harness elements seem to offer more.” Omaroku explains. “You hunted heads?” she responds. “Eh, somethin’ like that. So ya’ be powerful?” 

“I would be more powerful if I got the chance to train at my level. But I’m stuck here for now. Until I can go out into the world and start really testing myself.” Vionira vents. “If ya powerful, show me.” The shaman challenges. “Excuse me?” Vionira is caught off guard. “Lemme see how great a druid’ya be, Vionira.” The troll crosses his arms. “Alright. Let’s go this way then.”

Vionira leads Omaroku off the trail and into a clearing in the woods a bit into the hills. Out of sight of the trail or the village. Vionira stands a few feet away with her hands out as Omaroku stands still in front of her. 

“Stay still and don’t struggle.” Omaroku raises an eyebrow at the elf's instructions as vines rise from the ground, entangling him. 

“What ya’be doin!” Omaroku hollers. “They only last a moment.” Vionira pants as the vines retreat from the thrashing limbs of the troll. “Dem’ vines got thorns!” Omaroku raises his forearm covered in scratches to the elf’s face. “Oh, sorry. Hold on.” Vionira’s hands glow and she casts a spell on Omaroku causing his wounds to quickly heal. “Hmm. Be an’interesting trick but what can’ya really be doin’ in battle?” The troll asks. “I don’t know how I’d demonstrate that. This is a peaceful haven for nature and beasts alike.” Vionira says, wiping sweat from her forehead.

“Ain’t tryna spar?” The troll teases. “I’m not sure you’d survive. Don’t wanna cause a war.” The druid retorts. “Ya’seem sure. Ain’t even seen me fight. Might surprise ya’.” Vionira laughs at the implication and Omaroku changes the subject. “Do be similar to elemental magic tho. Maybe the old bull be onto somethin’.” 

“Perhaps. Maybe that means you shouldn’t be so closed off to me just because I’m an elf.” Vionira says sitting down leaning against a tree root. “Ay, who be sayin’ I jus’ be closed off to elves. I ain’ one to go sharin’ everyting wit’ everyone.” Omaroku defends himself as Vionira motions for him to come sit with her. The troll obliges sitting a few feet away to keep his distance.

“Well, I personally hope that if you and your people are living in Kalimdor we can have peace. At least co-exist. For the good of Azeroth.” The night elf tries to explain to the troll who squares his shoulders away from her. “I jus’ want my people to survive. We been displaced enough in my life. The Horde offerin’ us a home when nobody else will. Same wit’ the tauren. All dis’ nature stuff, it be a means to an end.” Omaroku confesses. “A means to an end?” Vionira asking for elaboration. “I got a new home, new people, new nation. I ain’t strong enough to defend, but it be worth defendin’. I ain’t got the spirit of a berserker, ain’t got the patience of a priest, ain’t got the smarts to be a mage, and I ain’t so good wit’ tamin’ beasts. Elements be the only ting I feel I can understand enough to achieve the power I need ta’earn my keep.” Omaroku tells her. “I see.” Vionira scoots a bit closer. “I thought you were gonna say you just want to be strong, but it’s honorable that you have a purpose behind that. In a way you could connect that to all of Azeroth like Ualke says.” Vionira leans against the troll and points up generally at the trees. “I want to protect all of this, and coincidentally the nature I want to protect helps me in that purpose. Maybe the answer to harnessing the full power of the elements is to see how they allow your home to stand strong?” Vionira notices the feeling of warmth of her body touching his and sits back on her own. “Ya’know.” Omaroku chuckles “I was a bit inspired seein’ Thrall come in and fry dem fish up ta’help us. I guess the elements gave’im power to build us all up.” 

Omaroku looks over at Vionira and their eyes meet. 

He hasn’t looked directly at her so openly until now. Vionira looks away. The troll notices how smooth and soft her skin is and how delicate the features of her face are. His eyes wander down inspecting the shape of her body and Vionira peeks back over at him. “Excuse me. What do you think you’re looking at?” She scolds. “Ah, sorry.” Omaroku blushes looking forward. “Never seen’an elf up close before. At least not one not tryna kill me.” “Oh.” Vionira blushes looking at the toned muscular body of the troll. His face is much… cleaner than she would have expected. Her eyes are drawn to the long curved tusks coming from his mouth. “I’m sorry if this is strange but… could I touch them?” Vionira asks pointing to the corner of her mouth. Omaroku looks at her confused. “Uh. Sure.” He leans his face towards her. Vionira runs her fingers across his tusks. They look like they’d be more coarse but they’re smooth to the touch. As he leans forward her face gets closer to his, for a moment they gaze into each other's eyes. Vionira moves closer, angling her face between his tusks. Omaroku puts his hand on her cheek as she gets closer, gently and naturally guiding her face. Their lips touch.