TARVA    V

Settling in with Taizu


Chapter 2:  Character Growth



587, Fireseek 28:    

      While Tarva is staring around, trying to get her bearings, Taizu strides confidently into the building they're in front of.  Well, ok, this really must be his sister's Inn.  Tarva reaches down to grab the chest (it has hinged handles on both sides), lugs it up -- it's heavier than she was expecting -- and follows Taizu inside.  He's talking to the barkeep in familiar terms.   The barkeep in turn is smiling, but shaking his head no.  As Tarva comes up, he turns behind the counter and pulls a key out of a pigeonhole.  "Upstairs, second left," he says, while looking a question at Tarva.  Taizu introduces them, then herds her towards the stairs.  As they go, he explains that his sister isn't here just now, but is in town, so they'll see her later.  And the barkeep knows that he, Tiazu, is family, so there's no problem with their getting a room.  And until they decide what they want to do, staying here just seems easier, yes?  Sure, fine: right now Tarva mostly wants to get inside their room and put this chest down.  She's thinking that it's just as well that Taizu didn't try to carry it.

    Taizu puts the key he's holding into a door lock, twists it, and opens the door. Going in first, he crosses the room to open the shutters and let some light in.  "Where do we want this?" asks Tarva at the doorway.  Taizu glances around, then points to a small nook formed between a wardrobe and one corner of the room.  "How about there.  It won't be in plain sight that way."  "Sounds good," Tarva replies, lugs the chest over, puts it down, then shoves it into place with her foot.

    She then shrugs off her backpack, which Taizu has likewise done, and stretches to loosen her back muscles.  "What next?" she asks.  Taizu is rummaging through his pack, finding paper, pen, and ink.  "I'm going to leave a note for Morain," he says, "and then I think we should be off to the college."  He's scribbling as he talks; recaps the ink, waves the paper to dry it.  Tarva is beginning to divest herself of items that she's been wearing as almost a second skin for the previous three-fourths of a year: armor, spell pouch belt, bows.  There isn't, of course, any motion to take off her weapon belt, with Heart's Reach and her dagger on it.  Taizu is looking somewhat longingly at his fancy new bow, as he also changes back into garb more appropriate for city walking.  "No archery practice in the hallways," Tarva intones in her best imitation of one of the college's more pedantic deans.  As she had intended, this breaks Taizu up.

    Downstairs, Taizu leaves his note with the barkeep, and then they're outside and wandering through Greyhawk: almost, she could pretend that the entire last year hadn't happened.  But, putting one hand on HR's hilt, and the other into Taizu's, she smiles to herself at how much of the last year she would be devastated to lose.  It's the last day of winter, the sky is a clear blue, there's just enough of a brisk wind to keep the outdoors from being comfortable to stand around, but by walking they're keeping pleasantly warm.

     At the Bardic College they of course have no trouble getting in.  Most everyone recognizes Taizu, and several even remember who Tarva is.  When she comments on this, Taizu just laughs at her.  "Your voice, your skin color, you think any Bard is going to forget you?  Stop fishing for compliments: you'll be getting plenty, once we take up performing again."  They find Suzi easily enough, and get dragged off to her room, where she wants to hear everything.  "That'll take weeks," Taizu tries to deflect the question, "and what I want to know is --"  "Here's the important points," Tarva interrupts.  "We're alive and moderately wealthy; I've decided I don't want to go back to Feyland; Heart's Reach is all better; and," hugging Taizu's arm, "we're engaged."  Shrieks, hugs, and demands for more details.  Taizu has absolutely zero chance of breaking in, and tolerantly resigns himself to waiting before asking his own questions.  With only an occasional, "I did not." or "That's not what hap...", he patiently waits for these two close friends to run this so important topic into the ground.  

    Finally, Tarva changes the subject.  "Suzi, do you remember my 'Nursery Tales' about Heart's Reach being able to talk before I came to this world?"  "Yes?" answers Suzi doubtfully.  "Heart's Reach, allow me to reintroduce you to our friend Suzi, who taught me so much about singing.  Suzi, this is Heart's Reach, the best sword in any world."  Taizu can tell that Tarva is enjoying this.  "Greeting, Mistress Suzi.  I have enjoyed listening to your singing, both solo and with Tarva.  I hope now to have many more opportunities for each of those."  Suzi is staring in open-mouthed surprise.  Tarva is grinning impishly.  "I did tell you," she mutters mock-innocently.  Suzi turns her questioning gaze onto Taizu.  "It's quite a shock, isn't it," he says.  Then, smugly, "Of course, I believed her all along."  "Pig," responds Suzi, but without any heat.  Then she is looking at Tarva again.  "I'm sorry I didn't believe you, but it just seemed too fantastic," she says.  "Heart's Reach, I apologize for ever doubting that you could be a ... a ... a what?" she asks Tarva.  "A person," replies Tarva; and "Such skepticism is completely understandable," notes HR, "we should have plenty of time now to get to know each other better."

    "Suzi," says Tarva, in a serious tone of voice, "this is important.  Now that HR is talking again, and, um, doing other things, there's a grave danger that unscrupulous people who find out about him might try to steal him.  Of course, HR would kill anyone who separated us, but we'd prefer to avoid the problem to begin with, as much as we can.  So please, don't talk about him, or to him, except when we're alone.  Will you do that for us?"  "Of course," Suzi responds immediately.  "How could you doubt?"  "We weren't doubting," Taizu breaks in, "we just know that this is new to you, and wanted to share with you immediately our concern about keeping HR's abilities quiet.  We would never suspect you of being a gossip.  Now," with a wink, "what's been happening here while I was gone?"

    The talk turns to, um, gossip about mutual acquaintances and college officials.  Taizu finds out that while the college has a full component of students, it is for some reason short on instructors just now.  Suzi is positive that if Taizu wants a teaching position, he can have one.  Taizu easily recognizes the tiny hint of hesitancy in her voice, and assures Suzi that he and Tarva are planning to stay in Greyhawk for the foreseeable future, "and then some."  They then proceed to fill her in on some of their plans: investing their loot into building a recital hall and earning their livings with concerts for those high in Greyhawk's society (which Suzi easily interprets to mean 'wealthy').  And also their intent to have friends from the college providing some of the entertainments.  This and other topics keep the three of them talking well past dinner, which they eat in the common room, causing, it seems to Tarva, every other person in the college to stop by and chat for a bit with Taizu.  Well, she'd known that he was popular here.  And getting him back to where he could play his music, with his fellow musicians, was looking more and more like a goal she was going to fulfill.

    As a consequence, they get back to the Jade Warrior and Harp quite late.  Morain is still up, although clearly having to struggle to be so.  She drags Taizu into a long hug; Tarva is introduced to her, which earns Tarva a handshake and appraisal; and then Taizu drops the engagement surprise: jolting Morain awake and earning Trava a warm hug.  The three stay up for a while, talking about TnT's short and long term plans, but she is clearly fading fast.  So with promises to spend a long time tomorrow on catching up, they leave her and go up to their room.  Taizu gives Tarva the first shot at the washroom, down the hall: some habits of keeping watch over their 'camp' simply aren't going to go away, not without their putting some real effort into changing their habits.  When Tarva comes back, Taizu takes his turn.

    Barely has Taizu left, than there is suddenly another presence in the room with Tarva.  Drawing HR is instinctive, as she whirls to confront what- or who- -ever is attacking.  What she sees is a stunningly beautiful golden-skinned male, who would otherwise seem human, except for his folded wings.  He doesn't have any weapons in his hands, and after he has Tarva's attention (and perhaps after he's sure she isn't lunging at him immediately) he performs an elaborate bow.  Straightening up again, and pointedly ignoring the sword aimed at him, he says, "Tarva Melody Streamside, I, Mandarla of the Astral Devas, have come to invite you to return with me to the Celestial Plane, and there to learn about your Celestial heritage.  Elakiel, whom you met with the Circle of Eight, alerted us to your presence.  We are always delighted to find another of our lost daughters."

    Tarva is understandably confused.  "But I'm not part Celestial," she says, "I'm part Sidhe."  It seems silly to be holding a sword on a Celestial, so she sheaths HR as she continues her explanation.  "My great-great-grandfather -- my father's father's mother's father -- was the full Sidhe Andren, son of  Aretas [*]  and Gunila [*].   It is from him that I have inherited some Sidhe characteristics, such as my Faith Healing and my skin color.  I'm sorry that Elakiel didn't ask me, and that you've been inconvenienced by this mistake."  But Mandarla is shaking his head "no".  "Tarva Melody Streamside, there is no mistake.  You have indeed inherited some aspects and abilities from your Sidhe ancestor.  But your mother was a Ghaele Celestial, and you are yourself half-Celestial.  Who your mother was, why she was sent to your world of Albion, to your country of Cynaria, what she did there, these are things I have not been told.  But if you would learn of them, and if you would learn to use your latent Celestial-inherited abilities, you are invited to return with me to the Celestial Plane, where you can be instructed in these matters."

[*] After twenty years of Tarva's Fey [**] family tree not having these two names filled in, I think it is safe to assume that I won't be creating any contradictions by inventing these names for myself.

[**] "Sidhe" in Oerth (meaning: under AD&D); but still "Fey" in the Albion-related original.

    Well, this is a golden-skin of a different color.  Is he saying that Laicy was a Celestial?  That doesn't ...  that can't be right.  But what is he saying?  She plays the conversation back, inside her head.  He's not really saying much of anything: only that she will be told answers to all her sudden questions if she does accompany him.  What a powerful bait that hook is: it would be difficult to come up with one better tailored to get her attention.  "But.  But we just got back here.  I can't leave Taizu.  I ...  Would I come back here?  How long would I be gone?"  To herself, Tarva sounds confused and dithering, but Mandarla is nodding his head, as if he expected exactly those questions.  

    "We do not need to depart immediately," he begins, and is answering a question Tarva hadn't even thought to ask.  "Soon, Tarva Melody Streamside, but there is time for your lifemate to return, and for you to explain your going to him.  After your stay with us, you would be returned to here -- that is, to the city of Greyhawk.  No one would expect someone with your history to willingly stay safely within the confines of our Plane, when you could be out combating Evil -- completely aside from the attraction of returning to your lifemate's side.  There is no exacting schedule established for your stay with us, but I would estimate that your return would be about a quarter of a year from now, by this world's calendar."

    "I'm ...  Oh, please just call me 'Tarva'; the rest is just too long.  I'm flattered by your offer, and I do want to learn anything about my family that I don't already know.  But Taizu is my family now: I'm not going to go with you unless it is alright with him that I do so.  So we do need to wait for him to get back.  Would you like to sit down?  I'm afraid the only place to sit is the bed.  I think we have some wine, if you'd like some."  Mandarla smiles at her and flexes his wings slightly.  "I think I'll be more comfortable standing," he says.  "And thank you for your offer of wine, Tarva, but perhaps another time would be better."

    And so they wait, Tarva sitting on the bed such that she'll be seen immediately by Taizu when he comes back in.  Which, after a reasonable while, he does.  "Taizu," Tarva preempts at his entrance, "we have a visitor."  When Taizu can see the Celestial, she continues, "This is Mandarla, an Astral Deva.  He claims that he's here because my mother was a full Celestial Ghaele.  And he's invited me to go with him and spend upwards of three months on the Celestial Plane, learning about that side of my family.  But," and here a plaintive note creeps into her voice, "we just got back.  And I don't want to be gone from you for so long."

    Taizu performs a formal bow to the Celestial, then closes the door.  "Celestial Mandarla, be welcome in this our humble, if temporary home."  Tarva realizes that he is speaking in his most formal Elvish, and employing all his best behavior around nobility, while speaking to the Celestial.   They must be more important than she'd thought.  Ouch: and here she'd been treating him like just any random courier.  As Taizu continued with polite pleasantries with Mandarla, she thought really hard on what she, herself, knew about Celestials.  She'd first hear of them -- she was quite sure of this -- after being gated into this world.  Half an hour ago she would have readily sworn that Albion no more had Celestials in it, than Oerth had Elves who lived forever.  And yet Mandarla had claimed that a Celestial, her mother, had been in Cynaria.  

    When she came out of her reverie, Mandarla was repeating, for Taizu's benefit, the offer, and the details about it, that he had proposed to Tarva.  Taizu seemed to be taking it all very seriously.  "'Celestial-inherited abilities'?" he repeats.  "What kinds of abilities would those be?"   "I cannot tell, just by looking at her.  But back home we will have ways of finding out, and then of helping her to realize their potential.  But, in general, in all likelihood she would gain some innate magical abilities, and some better defenses against magical attacks.  Possibly some improvements in her abilities and her skills.  More details than those I cannot give you."

    "Heart's Reach, what do you --" Taizu starts to say, but is stopped by the surprised look on Tarva's face.  "Tarva, you're not thinking: Mandarla is a Celestial, for Corellon's sake.  He's not going to reveal HR's secret to anyone; and he undoubtedly already knows about HR's sentience, if Elakiel has been reporting to the Celestial Plane."  Then something must have clicked for him, because Taizu moves rapidly to the bed and kneels beside it, taking both of Tarva's hands in his.  "Dearheart, that was stupid of me.  This has been an incredible shock to you.  Finding out that your mother kept secrets from you; having your identity within your family suddenly turned upside-down; of course you need some time to think it through.  But don't worry: we'll face this together, all three of us."  

    "He's right, Tarva," says HR.  "You're not alone.  I'm with you, always."  Then it is like a too tightly wound spring lets go inside of Tarva, and she slumps into Taizu's arms.  "I love you," she mutters, "I love you both."  

    Taizu rises and turns to sit on the bed, cradling Tarva while he faces the Celestial.  But when he speaks it is to finish his interrupted thought.  "HR, what do you think of the idea of Tarva being better protected, having better defenses?"  "I think that would be an excellent improvement, a highly desirable outcome."  "An outcome worth the two of you spending a few months away from me?"  "If you are willing to allow that," responds HR, "as I am quite sure she will not agree otherwise."  "You two are ganging up on me," Tarva puts in as her two coppers worth.

    "Love," continues Taizu, "I know you well enough to know that you need to find out about your family.  And it may not seem very important to you just now, but you're also going to want to explore your Celestial side -- just the way you told me about experimenting with your Sidhe abilities.  I'll miss you, every day, but I think you should go.  And you'll have HR with you.  Yes, I know: it's been less than a month since you gave this to me," touching the willow tree pen on his shirt, "and that was on the first anniversary of our meeting.  So three months seems frightfully long compared to the time we've known each other.  But we're in this with each other for the long haul: hundreds of years now.  What's a mere quarter year compared to that?"

    Tarva uncurls herself somewhat from Taizu's protective arms and looks at Mandarla again.  "It has to be soon, yes?"  "Yes: very soon," he replies.  Tarva stands, and when Taizu does also engages in a long hug and kiss with him.  Then she moves to gather up her possessions, thinking in passing that it was just as well she hadn't had time to unpack yet.  "I love you," she tells Taizu; and then, "I'm ready," to Mandarla.  Taizu is saying, "I love you," back to her as Mandarla reaches out, takes her hand, and the two of them disappear.


587, Readying 1: 

    After a more sleepless than usual night, Taizu goes downstairs to find Morain.  His face must not have been as composed as he had told it to be, because her first words were, "Taizu.  What's wrong?  And where's Tarva?"   So he explained about the Celestial's visit, and Tarva's leaving.  "That's hard," Morain responded, while bringing him the tea she'd been brewing while he spoke.  "And that rather drastically changes all your plans.  Have you thought of what you're going to do, now, while you're waiting for her?  You know, of course, that you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to."

    Taizu gives himself a mental shake.  Morain is right.  Not that she's saying it explicitly, but it's time for him to stop moping.  Yes he'd put on a glad-for-her face last night -- because otherwise Tarva would never have gone.  But now he needed to turn that calculated decision into a real belief:  it absolutely was the best thing for Tarva, for her to go off to the Celestials.  So now he needed to get on with his own life, without her for a very few months.  But he can get started on some of their plans: like hunting out a reasonable site for their recital hall.  

    "I'll stay here for a few days," he answers Morain, "but then I'll probably move back into the college.  If I'm going to be teaching there, that's obviously the best place for me to live.  And of course that'll free up your room for renting out again.  And Father asked me to look up someone named Enstad Holme."  "Oh, I know him," Morain replies, "Father introduced him, and he uses the Jade as a maildrop.  So you can leave a message for him here, and he'll get it fairly soon."  Leaning closer, she continues, "I've always carefully not tried to learn too much about what he's doing.  Since Father vouched for him, I'm sure it's all for the Good.  He's human, attractive enough when he's talking with you, but really you'd never pick him out to begin with. And he always seems to have plenty of money."

    Taizu writes a note for him, leaves it with Morain and goes back to the college.  There he first finds Suzi and relates to her what had happened with Tarva overnight (and then sitting through her overly astute analysis of how he's reacting to this).  He then hunts down Dean Adelsteen and discusses with him the possibility and details of his taking up a teaching position.  The agreement they come to is satisfactory to both parties.  Taizu explains that he does have to resolve one commitment set by his Father, before he can officially accept, but that he hopes to have that resolved in just a day or two.


587, Readying 2: 

    There is a return note, from Enstad Holme, waiting for Taizu when he comes downstairs in the morning.  It asks Taizu to meet him at the Golden Phoenix: a casino, and much higher class than the ordinary gambling halls of the city.  He's sitting at a gaming table alone, shuffling cards and laying out hands.  He recognizes Taizu (well, aside from the family resemblance, just how many 6' tall elves are going to be in Greyhawk at the same time?) and waves him over.  Invites -- which is pretty clearly a directive -- Taizu to sit and play.  For money.

    While they're engaged in that seemingly innocent activity, Holme is asking Taizu about himself.  What are you doing?  Do you have any ambitions for personal growth?  Do you want to help the Knights of Luna (he knows that Taizu doesn't want to actually join the Knights)?  

     He, Enstad Holme, has a talent for finding, recognizing, identifying potential hotspots before they actually turn into centers of trouble.  Taizu's Father employs him for just that purpose.  For which he needs agents: both for investigating, and also for clearing out smaller trouble spots before they become large enough to require calling on the Knights of Luna's overstretched resources.  Would Taizu be interested in joining in this work?

    "Wait before you give an answer," he says.  Holme states that he has a pretty shrewd idea of what Taizu's current abilities are.  And as a Bard, Taizu definitely already has a start on many of the attributes which one of Holme's agents is going to need.  But in other, and important, ways, Taizu is woefully inexperienced in the techniques and tactics that will be required.  So he wants Taizu to listen carefully to the following offer.  He will arrange with some acquaintances of his to have Taizu trained as a ShadowDancer.  Of necessity, the concentration needed to learn those skills will require that Taizu set aside for awhile his advancement as a Bard; but the skill sets are complimentary -- and absolutely crucial if Taizu is to work for Holme without getting himself killed right off the bat (which would undoubtedly upset Taizu's Father; plus, Holme confides with an overly-dramatic shudder, he wouldn't enjoy being the focus of a certain golden-skinned warrior's anger, either).

      These acquaintances of his do not live nearby: for various reasons they prefer a desert environment.  He can give Taizu a small amount of time to think over the offer -- offers, really -- but there is a caravan leaving in two days which will be passing near the group.  If Taizu hasn't said "yes" in time to be aboard that caravan, then Holme will assume Taizu's answer is "no".

    When he's sure that Taizu doesn't have any immediate questions, Holme announces, "that's four and seven you owe me," clearly indicating that the interview is over.  Taizu pays up, gets up, and says, "I'll think over what you've told me; and get back to you with a timely answer."  Then takes his leave.

    Next Taizu goes to visit the Temple of Pelor.  Mostly, he finds that the people there are not interested in answering his questions.  He can't help thinking that, this once, Tarva would have an easier time extracting information than he's having.  Eventually, however, his persistence does result in a higher cleric meeting with him, and even willing to actually talk.  Radient Elsa tells him that Ahb had arrived there a couple of weeks ago, mysteriously, had written up a report of her travels which was not going to be shared with Taizu, and had left again four days earlier.  So even if he and Tarva had gone to the Temple first thing after arriving, they would have missed her.  Because Elsa recognizes Taizu from Ahb's report, she's willing to stretch a point and tell Taizu that Ahb is now in training to become a Radient Servant.  And there is no particular reason to expect that she'd come back to Greyhawk after that training.  None the less, Taizu leaves a note for her, mentioning both Morain and Suzi as contacts who will know where Taizu and Tarva can be found.

    "Are you interested in the whereabouts of any of the rest of your party?" the cleric surprises Taizu by asking.  Of course he says yes.  And is told that they have no knowledge about Arvee, Darred, or Glendon, but the Ranger Rowan arrived with Ahb.  She stayed as long as Ahb did, helping with the writing of the report, but after Ahb left, so did she.  

    'The report they presented us has quite a few unusual points," Elsa says.  "Would you care to write one for us also, so that we could have a second, and somewhat independent viewpoint?"  Taizu responds that he's a bit too busy just now, but when he has time he'll be delighted to help the Temple out in that manner.  There are two points, however that he'd like to emphasize immediately.  One is that while the site they'd been exploring and cleaning up might not be an attempt to revive the Temple of Elemental Evil, it was none the less a festering sore of Evil, and needed to be dealt with.  The second is, well, ... to start with:  he hoped that Tarva Streamside was still well thought of, here at this temple?  

    "She certainly is," the cleric replies.  "Ever since we recognized her name in Ahb's report, we've been hoping that she also would arrive here.  Do you know where she is?"  Taizu looks straight into her eyes.  "Two nights ago, as soon as we had arrived in Greyhawk, an Astral Deva appeared to her and invited her to visit the Celestial Plane."  Elsa is noticeably taken aback: this is not something she was expecting.  "Oh," she manages.  "He, the Celestial," Taizu continues, "predicted that Tarva would be gone for about three months."  "Well.  That's very interesting."  

    Now that he's shocked the cleric into giving him her full attention, Taizu pulls the conversation around to what he wants to discuss.  "The second point," he resumes, "is that I suspect this report has several mentions throughout it concerning the sword Tarva is carrying.  And I further suspect that most of those mentionings are among the 'unusual points' you are interested in.  Without my reading Ahb's version, I can tell you that most likely everything she wrote is either true; or, if not, the inaccuracy is an understatement of what happened.  That is a truly remarkable sword."  He pauses here, and almost against her will, Elsa gives him a nod to indicate that his surmises are correct.  "Then the real second point is that it is very important that stories about that sword not start circulating indiscriminately.  Oh, it is obvious that youall are being careful with access to Ahb's report.  But, really, really, it would be an extremely good idea if those parts of Ahb's report were not only ignored, but actually hushed up, until Tarva herself can come here and talk to youall about them.  As you  value her as a loyal supporter of your Church and your God, you should give this request serious consideration."

    "What you say is very interesting," Elsa replies.  It is obvious to Taizu that the cleric feels her, or perhaps the Temple's, toes have been stepped on, and isn't pleased.  "I will, as you desire, bring your request before my superiors.  And now, as you're too busy at present to provide us with a full report, I will stop taking up your valuable time."   And she stands up.  Taizu does also, and instead of reacting to her briskness as if it were (which he certainly recognizes that it is) rudeness, he sweeps her an elegant and respectful bow.  "Thank you," he says.  "I am sure that once you hear Tarva's story, you'll be certain that patience was a wise decision."

    Outside the temple again, Taizu suddenly realizes that he's come to a decision, without consciously realizing it.  Perhaps it was triggered by what happened in the temple, but that hardly matters.  He's going to accept Holme's offer.  

    The first step is to go back to the College.  He finds Dean Adelsteen and explains that his Father's business is going to require Taizu to leave town again, almost immediately, for a few months.  He apologizes to the Dean for coming so close to joining the faculty and then backing out.  (And wisely makes no promises about the future.)  Then he hunts up Suzi and tells her about this latest and newest whirlwind change of plans.  While they're in her room, he writes a long note for Suzi to give Tarva, if Tarva should get back before he does.

    Then it's back to the Jade Warrior and Harp.  Where he explains everything to Morain.  And writes another copy of the note to Tarva.  Plus another letter for his father.  'Morain, do you have somewhere safe to stash a small chest?  Oh, and can you help me move it?: it's rather heavy."  When they get the chest down and into her office, she shows him a priest's hole and they move the chest inside it.  Taizu gives her the key to the chest, and asks her to let Tarva know about it, should Tarva return first.



587, Readying 3: 

    Once again Taizu, this time carrying all his travel gear, finds Holme at the Golden Phoenix.  Again he's sitting at a gaming table by himself, and again he engages Taizu in a game while they talk.  "So, did you just up and decide to become a Bard one day?" Holme asks Taizu, seemingly out of the blue.  "No, it was a long slow process before I decided that was what I was -- what I needed to become."  "And when you showed up at Bard School, they just let you in, along with everyone else who thought they could carry a tune, right?"  "No, of course not.  There were various tests and proofs each applicant had to pass and provide, even to get into the school."  "Sort of a screening process, yes?"  "Yes, exactly."  "So it isn't going to surprise you to find out that this Shadowdancer School I'm acquainted with also has a screening process: and that they're not going to take just anyone; even anyone that comes with my recommendation."

     "I hadn't really given it any thought," Taizu replies.  He does that now, for the next couple of hands (which does not improve his playing).  "So: your vetting of me merely earns me the right to be given the entrance exams?"  "Right."  "It seems like a rather long trek, to take this caravan out into the desert, just to find out whether or not I'll be staying there."  "That would be true; if it were.  But since it's not, it isn't.  Which is to say, they're waiting to give you the exam at the house they maintain here in Greyhawk.  It's in High Corner, go north from the community fountain to the second crossstreet, then find the house with green gables and a very worn wyvern design burnt into the front door.  And you'd best hurry as otherwise you'll be late.  Two and five."  "Huh?"  Even for Taizu, this last had all come rather faster than he could assimilate it.  "What you owe me."

    Taizu dug out three gp, said, "Thanks for the lesson," and left.  Trying to not look like he was hurrying even when he got out on the street.  Of course, with his height, if he used his full stride he could move very fast without seeming to be trying to run anywhere.

    When he arrives in the neighborhood, finding the right building is not particularly hard.  Taizu knocks on the door and it is opened by a young lady. "Yes?"  "I've come to be tested," Taizu responds.  He figures that if he has the correct house, that sentence will explain everything.  And if he doesn't have the right house, no amount of explanation will help.  "Come in," the woman replies.  Then, "I'm Arlene.  You may leave your belongings there," pointing to an alcove next to the front door.  "I promise you they'll be safe and unmolested."  After he has left his bow, bundled armor, and pack -- and pointedly not his longsword -- she smiles as if amused and ushers him to some stairs and down into a basement.  At the foot of the stairs they go through a door into a very short passage terminated by a second door.  "At the far end of the next room is a three foot high pillar with several gems on top of it.  Bring me back the ruby," Arlene says.  She opens the second door, Taizu steps through, and she closes it behind him, plunging the room into total darkness.  Not even his elvish eyes can make out anything.  He had had a glimpse, dimly, of the room before the door closed.  Turning he follows the left hand wall to the first corner and turns.  There's a thunk and immediately afterwards he's hit by a stone for 3.  "Faster, damnit!" someone yells out, and then he's hit again for 1.  Trusting his reflexes, he does a double move, and manages to catch himself just before the corner and turn with it.  As he moves to where he expects the pillar to be, he is is pulling his light stone out of its bag and holding it so only the smallest beam of light can escape.  At the pillar, two of the gems appear red.  As he's looking closer, he's hit again for 2.  He picks up the ruby, is hit for 3, shoves the light stone back in a pocket and doubletimes straight for the door.  When he gets there and opens it, Arlene is waiting with her palm out.  As he drops the ruby into her palm she's frowning and saying, "That took you a long time."  

    She gestures, and they go back upstairs again.  She takes him into a kitchen and starts making some tea.  "One of our five year olds would have done a better job than you did.  It's obvious that you haven't been earning a living by quietly robbing houses, castles, ruins, whatever.  So I guess you've been just plain lucky.  We don't like depending upon lucky; you never know when it's going to help the other side instead."  She hands him a cup of tea.  "You're noisy, clumsy, slow, unobservant: a disaster waiting to happen."

    Arlene takes her own teacup and sits opposite him.  "Still, you're game, unargumentative, and have some rudiments of self-discipline.  So perhaps we can do something to fix the other problems."  She takes a sip, watching him over the rim of her cup.  "If you're still interested, that is."  "Oh, yes," Taizu answers her, "I'm quite interested."  "Well, good.  And you're ready to leave, yes?:  That's what all that junk you brought with you is meant to indicate?"  "Yes."  "And, just to be sure: nobody is going to be coming to look for you?  We're not going to have your golden girlfriend accusing us of kidnapping you, are we?"  "I seriously doubt it: she's already left town, herself."

    For the first time since Taizu arrived, Arlene looks less than composed and in complete control.  "Has she?  And just how did she manage that?"  Taizu is thinking quickly.  "You mean how did she slip away without Holme's people - your people - seeing her go?"  Arlene nods.  Taizu smiles, "That would be telling."  He knows he's taking a risk by possibly antagonizing the people in this house; but on the other hand he's not going to be giving Tarva's secrets away to anyone who doesn't deserve them.  To his surprised delight, Arlene's reaction is to lean back and give a full-throated happy laugh.  "Perhaps we should be training her, not you," she jokes; and it clearly is meant as a shared joke.  "Oh," he replies in kind, "she's much too flamboyant to ever hide her candle; as I assume you're going to teach me to do."  "Well, not me personally," Arlene replies distractedly.  Taizu is fairly sure she's trying to make 'flamboyant' and 'got out of town unseen' fit together, and having a very hard time doing so.

    "The caravan leaves in the morning, just as soon as the city gates open."  Clearly Arlene is dropping the puzzle in preference for dealing with more immediate concerns.  "You'll stay here tonight, eat dinner with us and meet everyone else.  Questions?"  "Are you sure the caravan is going to accept me, showing up at the last minute like that?  Shouldn't I be talking to the leaders today?"  "Well," and she's laughing at him again, "since it's our caravan, I think we can guarantee you a place.  And the leaders will be here for dinner, so you can meet them then."  Well, that explained why this caravan just happened to be traveling near the group's desert home.   "Anything else?" Arlene continues.  "Do you mind if I cast a little healing magic, to take the sting out of some bruises I recently acquired?"  "Taizu, I predict that you're going to hurt a lot worse while you're with us; but I also predict that we're all going to get along fine.  Let's get your stuff and I'll show you to your room.  Then you can cast spells to your heart's content."
   



        To Tarva, it seemed like she had just taken a single step with Mandarla, and suddenly they were, well, elsewhere.  On the Celestial Plane, she presumed.  They were standing on a grassy field, but the grass was barely covering the bottoms of her boots, and looked to be equally trimmed everywhere.  In the near distance were small copses of magnificent trees, all straight and tall and bearing majestic sets of leaves.  Spotted here and there around the expansive grounds were buildings, some in white marble, some in other colors, but all blending harmoniously in with the natural beauty around them.  Over everything there was cast a beautiful golden light.  As Tarva pirouetted, she saw in one direction foothills, and then mountains, and behind them an impossibly tall single mountain that climbed up higher than she could see.  With all else, this was still the most striking single feature here.  "What is that mountain called?" she asked Mandarla, "and how high does it go?"  "That is Mount Celestia, and it doesn't have a high."  As Tarva turns to him with an expression of non-comprehension, he elucidates: "the climbing of Mount Celestia is the activity and goal of all the souls which come to reside on the Celestial Plane.  How high one goes depends on how attuned one's soul is to the Harmony and Perfection of  Our Plane.  But no matter what height one can attain, there is always an infinite further height of the mountain waiting."

     Tarva looks doubtful.  "I don't think I'd get very high," she says.  "But nor are you a pure soul, yet, so you won't be asking yourself to make the ascent.  And much as we will welcome you when that day does arrive, we will hope that it is still some ways off.  For this visit, everything you need or want will be available on this lowest of the Mounting Heavens.  Come now, there are people waiting to meet you."  And he begins striding towards one of the nearby buildings.  (Although from the way his wings are tugging at him, Tarva feels sure that he'd much rather be flying there.)

     As they get closer -- Mandarla has slowed down when he noticed that Tarva was having to scurry to keep up with him -- she sees that there are three people in front of the building.  One of them is easily half-again as tall as the other two, and all three have wings.  As Mandarla and she come up to them, she realizes that both the others are about as tall as Taizu, putting the third one at around 9'.  Ok, she thinks to herself, let Taizu guide you: if he thinks these people deserve respect, then so should you.  Accordingly, when they get close, she drops her bags and sinks into an elaborate curtsy.  

    "Tarva Melody Streamside, arise and be welcome," says the tall one in a deep melodious base voice.  Tarva can't help thinking how he would sound in one of Brother Callum's elaborate choir pieces.  She stands up and looks at him: silvery skin, blindingly white wings, and brilliant topaz eyes.  "My name is Elsdon, and I am a Solar.  In particular, I am the personal assistant to St. Cynis."  Tarva is stunned.  A Solar -- a personal assistant to a God (and most Solars had that or a similar position) -- was wasting his time on her?  Then she catches up to which God he works with.  St. Cynis is not only an Albion God, he's the patron God of her home country of Cynaria.  What is going on here?

    "Please," continues Elsdon, "let us all take a seat while we meet each other."  He waves an arm at a short depression they are next to, then moves towards it himself.  Before she can do anything, Elsdon's two companions -- which Tarva now recognizes as being Avorals -- grab her bags up.  One nods solemnly  at her, but the other one winks.  When Tarva moves to the slope, she finds that there are natural-seeming, but very comfortable, seats sculpted into it.  The one Elsdon takes, and the one he gestures her into, put their heads nearly level with each other.  Mandarla and the two Avorals select seats that complete a circle.

    "And now, Tarva Melody Streamside," (Tarva is completely uninterested in attempting to ask Elsdon to use 'just Tarva'), "there are many things that I need to convey to you.  First, to discharge a promise to a fellow Solon -- and at his God's request -- I am asked to tell you that Dioncecht has nothing but respect for your loyalty to him, but that He wants you to understand that He is also Pelor.  And that your continued insistence that you can only respect, but not worship Pelor, is based on a petty detail which in no way rises to the importance of a 'difference'.  Do you understand what He is telling you?"  "Yes, My Lord, I believe I do."  "Very well then: that's all that needs to be said about that.

    "Mandarla," with a glance in that direction, "as I understand it, successfully enticed you here by hinting you would learn more about your family if you came."  "Yes, My Lord."  "And that is the principal reason I am here: it is my story, and thus my place to tell it to you.  It is, however, a trifle complex; so I trust you will allow me to come at it obliquely, and in a way I believe will provide you with a full understanding."  "Of course, My Lord."

    "Your brothers Bret and Callum, you'll recall, were in a circle marriage with their wives Morgan and Rachel."  It's not asked as a question, but clearly Solar Elsdon wants some feedback from her, so Tarva nods.  "And you yourself spent quite a while not only in  Tiran, but in a House of Pleasure there."  Again Tarva nods.  But she's thinking, "where can this be leading?"  "So when I bring up a menage a trois, you're going to understand what I'm talking about.  "Yes, of course," Tarva replies.

     Elsdon is studying her face, clearly seeing the puzzlement written on it.  "Children," he continues, "so seldom believe that their parents were ever anything except serious, bread-earning, house-keeping, fun-denying tyrants.  Despite the very real evidence of their own existence, they frequently even doubt that anyone as old as their parents are could possibly be involved in non-mundane things like love.  Or sex."

     He shifts in his hillside chair, and somehow Tarva knows that this signals a change in subject.  Why didn't he finish whatever he was trying to say?, she wonders.  When he said 'obliquely', he wasn't exaggerating at all.  "In my position as assistant to St. Cynis, I have naturally been very concerned, worried, dismayed over the events that have transpired in Cynaria recently.  It was partially my duty to prevent such monsterous Evils from occurring.  And I am now engaged in the struggle to regain our country from those Evils.  You, I know, have encountered both a small part of the Evil, and also a small part of one attempt to create a solution to it."  "You mean Lady Gillian's quest?  I'm afraid that didn't turn out very well."  "None the less, Good has come out of it; and Cynaria will benefit, eventually.  However, that is no longer your story.

     "Early on, well before you were born, when rumors of Evil awakening in Cynaria first reached me, I dispatched agents to investigate.  Celestials who could disguise themselves and appear as humans moved into Cynaria and integrated themselves into its communities: using those as bases for tracking down rumors and searching for causes or feelings of discontent.  Or worse.  One of my agents, the Ghaele Triona, established herself in Bard.  She made many friends there, as Celestials, even in disguise, are not very good at hiding their friendliness, helpfulness, compassion.  And they, we, are completely unskilled at dodging friendship when it is returned.

    "As frequently happens with Celestials who are assigned to a world in the Material Plane, Triona fell in love.  With your parents.  Both of them.  And it was a love that was reciprocated.  Again by both of them.  Triona, and your father Terrance, and your mother Laicy, all loved each other very much.  And she shared their house, and their bed, as frequently as they could.  For a variety of reasons -- and most particularly because Triona was beginning to believe that the rumors of Evil had substance behind them -- the three of them were very secretive about this arrangement.  Triona, in her reports to me, was sure that nobody else, not even your older siblings, knew about it."

    He pauses; but if he's expecting any reply from Tarva, then he's waiting in vain.  She is completely stunned.  Despite all the broad hints he had deployed before dropping this emotional Fireball, she had not seen it coming.  His comment about children's willful blindness about their parents was dead on in her case -- although, a small part of her struggled to protest, perhaps that would not have been so true, if she hadn't been left an orphan at age 12.  
     
    Now Elsdon starts to continue, "When Triona realized she was pregnant, she --"   But he stops short in response to Tarva's now completely frozen posture.  Oh: she only thought that Elsdon had gotten to his surprise.  She's at least bright enough to finally see where this is going.  And human enough to reject it.  "Laicy was my mother--" she starts forcefully.

    "Laicy Streamside was indeed your mother.  And she loved you as deeply as any of her other children.  But she did not give birth to you."   Elsdon leans forward, and his face and posture are conveying nothing besides compassion and concern.  "Tarva Melody Streamside, we can stop here, if you so wish. You can continue to keep your beliefs about your family.  None of us here wishes to cause you pain.  And none of your family would forgive us if we did that needlessly."

    Tarva finds that both her hands are holding onto HR's hilt, as if searching for some comfort there.   She's vaguely aware that tears are leaking out of her eyes and running down her cheeks.  But it's as if her self were slightly removed from her body: watching its reactions instead of feeling them.  Some coolly analytical part of her diagnoses: "I must be in shock."  And it is only after she hears herself say, "No: I want to hear everything." that she realizes that she shares that opinion, and is glad that whatever part of herself which could, did speak up.

    Elsdon is still looking at her with concern; and suddenly one of the Avorals has scrambled up and flown away.  Tarva hardly notices.  "Very well, then," says Elsdon.  "When Triona realized she was pregnant, she immediately went to talk with Terrance and Laicy.  Between the three of them, they came up with the plan they then followed.  Laicy let it be known that she was pregnant, and over the next several months faked her figure to match.  Not too soon after Laicy first made this announcement, but before she herself began to show, Triona publicly moved away from Bard.  When you were born, she had you conveyed immediately to Laicy, who pretended to have the shortest, easiest birthing ever.

    "Triona's reports to me stated that she had traveled through Bard only twice afterwards - both times as if she just happened to be passing nearby and had stopped to say hello to old friends.  But that it was too hard for her: to see you and not be able treat you as her daughter.  She and Terrance and Laicy had planned to tell you everything when you were of age.  But then all of you disappeared.  And as far as Triona could find out, you had died with your parents.  In fact, it was only when Elakiel reported that an unknown Celestial child was visiting Mordenkainen's Keep, that we began looking for you, or for whom you might be, again.  Luckily, you kept your name.  Otherwise, your dodging through Feyland and skipping around to so many different Material Plane worlds would have made you almost impossible to backtrack."

    He stops again, but not impatiently.  He's letting her have time to sort things out in her mind.  And it seems to be helping: she no longer feels that earlier detachment.  "I can deal with this;" she thinks,  "I can accept this; I can live with this."  Suddenly Mandarla is draping a warm blanket around her.  She hadn't even noticed him getting up, or that the Avoral had returned with it.  It is so strange that on such a perfect day she should feel so cold; but the blanket is very welcome, and helpful.  When she's gotten herself a bit better under control, she raises her face to look at Elsdon's.  "So my m...mother loved me?"

    "Child, she loved you very much.  All three of your parents did.  Celestials may fall in love with mortals all too frequently, but they never fall in love with inappropriate mortals.  In every report I received, Triona included everything she had heard from Laicy and Terrance about you.  It may have been at a distance, and you could never have known it then, but you were a center to her world."

    "Is she here?  Will I get to meet her soon?"

    "Oh."  Tarva's head jerks back to look at Elsdon's on that sound.  If ever a Solar could be discomforted, then Elsdon was now.  "Triona stayed in Cynaria.  It was her task.  Which I had assigned her; so if you feel the need to blame anyone, you should blame me.  After the Goblin King led his forces in from Umar, she did everything she could to protect native Cynarians and smuggle them out to the unconquered parts of the country.  Basically, she was working underground as a member of the Resistance, and mostly keeping her true identity a secret.  She was still doing all that when the Black Queen attacked.  The Black Queen's atrocities, the use of Demons to possess army leaders and turn their troops against the cities, castles, and populace they should have been protecting -- those required a direct confrontation.  Triona destroyed many Demons before she was trapped into confronting forces far beyond her ability to contend with.  You can be proud of your mother, Tarva Melody Streamside, for few indeed in all of Albion's history have had the opportunity to save as many people as she has, or risen to the challenge as gloriously as she did.  And I think she would be proud of you, also, and the way that you have been fighting Evil.

    That must have been some sort of trigger, because Tarva's tears turn into sobs.  She tries to curl up inside the blanket, but Mandarla is still beside her, and now he's holding her.  Not that she has much choice in the matter, but she lets herself go and just sobs into his shoulder for what seems a very long time.  "This is silly," she thinks, "ten minutes ago I didn't know this woman even existed, and now I'm mourning her."  But she knew it wasn't ridiculous at all.  Finally her sobbing runs down, and she turns to face Elsdon again.  One of the Avoral hands her a tankard of what looks like water, but when she sips it she finds that it is sparkley and somehow exactly what her abused throat needs.

    With the sobs now completely under control, and only a little sniffling to contend with, she waits for whatever else the Solar may have.  "Do not be ashamed of your grief," he tells her, "for only the truly Evil never grieve."  The impish part of her thinks, "Well, that's more like the pompous triteness I'd have expected from a Solar, before today."

    "Tarva Melody Streamside," and Elsdon is now speaking in very formal tones, "I have related to you that part of your family history as is known to the Celestials.  Do you have any further questions for me at this time?"   Tarva shakes her head, 'no', and managed a whispered, "No, My Lord," as well.   "Then I will take my leave of you, for I have many duties pressing on me."  Then, much less formally, "Be welcome, daughter, in this reunion with the rest of your family."   His wings unfurl and raise, and on their downsweep he is suddenly gone.  A moment later, when Tarva looks around, she realizes the two Avorals have also left.

    Mandarla is still here, and she gives him a heartfelt, "Thank you," without specifying exactly what for.  "That was all quite a surprise," he replies, "quite a shock."  He gives her a friendly smile.  "Allow me to repeat Solar Elsdon's sentiments: welcome home, Tarva; even if it is to a home you didn't know you had."
   
    She smiles back.  "What's next?"  "If you're ready," he says, standing up and grabbing both of her packs, "we'll get you set up in your rooms for this visit.  Then tomorrow we'll start teaching you about the other gifts your mother gave you, whatever they might be."  Still clutching the blanket around her, she stands up also.  "That sounds fine," she says, and he leads off towards the building.


    Spending three or so weeks with a small caravan is hardly a new experience for Taizu.  He was well versed in the usual duties: taking care of the draft animals, setting up and striking camp, guard duty, cooking.  And of course he took the opportunity to provide such entertainments as were reasonable.  By the time they reached the desert camp, he was no longer being treated as a stranger and outsider.  Oh, nobody was telling him any family secrets.  And all of his attempts, both through subtle hints and outright questions, to find out just what he would be experiencing during this training, had been met with polite but absolute rebuffs.   He had learned that the core family was named D'Alembert, that they had no hesitancy to break into apparently spontaneous performance art whenever they were stopped near enough people to make it worthwhile, that they claimed to not be Gypsies yet dressed and acted every bit as flamboyantly as the  Romney he knew, and that their preference for desert locales seemed at least to stem from paranoia about those same dense clusters of people from whom they earned a living.

    Leaving the chores of unpacking the wagons and settling in to the others, Arlene immediately takes Taizu off to meet a pair of men.  Taizu thinks of them as 'instructors' to himself.  Arlene introduces them as Stetson and Lyndon, then proceeds to give them a detailed critique of Taizu's running in her basement test.  "Could be better," says Stetson.  Taizu can't tell if he's grumbling or not.  "Yeah, but it could also be a lot worse," Arlene retorts.  Lyndon speaks directly to Taizu, "Tell us about the trainings you've had.  All the trainings: we'll figure out for ourselves which ones are relevant."

     So Taizu carefully itemizes just that: all the trainings he's ever undertaken.  A long list of weapons that he could handle at least competently. ("Meaning you likely won't hit yourself," interrupts Stetson, "but fighting beside you might be dangerous.")  (Taizu, recalling a certain Frost sword, tries not to react visually to this.)  Donning, doffing, fighting in, and simple repairs for light and medium armor; plus in-combat use of bucklers, small shields, and large shields..   A large number of skills, with major emphasis on Listen, Move Silently,  Perform, and Search; and minor emphasis on Balance, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather Information, Hide, Open Lock, Spot, Tumble, and Languages.  ("Hmmmph," goes Stetson; and "Not hopeless," says Lyndon at the same time.)

    The various Bardic Song abilities: Countersong, Fascinate, Inspire Courage, Inspire Competence, Suggestion, and Inspire Greatness.  ("Well, maybe," says Stetson.  "I can think of some uses," responds Lyndon, with a gleam in his eye."  "Not silent ones, you can't," retorts Stetson.)  A list of all his Bardic Magic Spells.  ("Don't say it," Stetson interjects as Lyndon starts to speak.)

    Training to improve his reaction time, so he can respond more quickly to attacks and other events.  And a number of  archery-related trainings: better aiming at close range; accurate firing into melee, and shooting more rapidly than usual.  ("Ouch," says Stetson; and even Lyndon says, "That's not so good.")

    Stetson and Lyndon glance at each other, then Lyndon turns to Taizu and starts talking.  "Here's the thing, Taizu.  You could have done a lot better in preparing for becoming a Shadowdancer.  Oh, undoubtedly you could also have done horribly worse -- but the thing is that most likely Arlene would have then turned you down.  I think Stetson would tell you that you're just about as close to the edge of being unsuitable as you could be, and still be worth our time.  I don't think it's quite that bad: in particular you seem to have shown some sense in picking your skills.  And notice that even Stetson isn't saying that you're hopeless.

    "The biggest problem is that you've concentrated a lot of your fighting efforts on archery-related training, but Shadowdancing is heavily centered on physical movement.  As things stand, your body simply isn't capable of learning the movements and reflexes we need to teach it.  That's not an insurmountable problem: we can change your body so that it will be responsive to our training.  But it is going to add a degree of time, pain, and other discomfort to the process -- if you still agree to go through with it, of course."

    "Um, before I agree, can you tell me just what you're proposing to do to me?  Or to my body; but mostly we're pretty much connected," Taizu tries nervously to joke.  "Basically, we're going to kinda erase some of the training you've had, and sorta pour the training we want you to have had in, in its place.  Effectively, you're going to lose a lot of your archery skills, and become much better at infighting: avoiding a foe's attacks, especially if you're trying to move past him, and getting much better at hurting foes who are trying to move past you.  And functionally, we're going to drug you, subject you to near-hallucinations as a technique to cleanse your mind of the training we want to remove, and then use some specialized magic to insert the new training instead.  It will be very uncomfortable.  What you said about your mind and body being connected: I know you were joking, but for a lot of this you're not going to feel connected to your body at all.  And you won't like it a bit, I can promise you that.   It's also going to feel like the process is going on for months or years, as disoriented as you're going to be.  But it really only takes about a week.  You'll need several days to recover from that, and then it's about three months to get you started as a Shadowdancer."

    "So, what do you say, music boy," Stetson breaks in.  "Are you ready to cut and run?"

    "No," responds Taizu.  "Let's do it."

    Stetson breaks into an unexpected - to Taizu anyway - smile.  "Good for you. I think you're going to make it.  Lyndon, why don't you escort our victim here to his tent.  Arlene, if you'll bring his stuff from the wagon, but put it in my tent, not his: we don't want him thrashing around and breaking his fiddle --"  "It's a flute," interrupts Arlene " -- whatever.  And I'll go prepare the gunk."  Looking at Taizu again, "On top of everything else, it smells like a dead skunk and tastes even worse; and no matter how much of an iron stomach you usually have, you're also going to be sick as a dog."  "What fun," mutters Taizu through a crooked grin.

    Taizu never told anyone, not even Tarva, about that next week.  Not that he remembered very much in the way of relatable details, but what he did recall he wanted to never revisit or share with anyone.  He came out of it with a fine sense of what Hell must be like.  And from the condition of his throat, he much have spent much of the week screaming.  Which would be another reason, besides the stench, for why "his" tent was so far removed from the rest of the camp.  But once they were sure that he had mentally returned to them, Lyndon and Stetson carried him, by way of a sand bath, to a tent in the camp proper, where he found his flute and other possessions, all in fine shape.  Taizu was astonished at how weak he was, and had no problem obeying his instructions to take it easy and just recover for the next several days.

     But once he did feel fit again, his Shadowdancing training began, just to prove to him that he had previously had no idea what "fit" really meant.


    For Tarva, "training" seemed to mostly consist of sitting in meditation until something clicked, and some other part of her mind suddenly opened up to present her with an ability that had, she was told, been latently potential inside her all this time.  Oh, there were also physical changes.  And actually she looked forward to those, just because they were at least somewhat more familiar: closer to the kinds of training she had been undertaking since she was back in Tiran.  But at one point Mandarla -- who was always her guide and mentor, even though there were special teachers for most of the abilities she was 'learning' -- suggested to her that she look upon those meditations as if they were similar to the Bardic abilities she'd been learning.  That insight helped her a lot.

    As Mandarla had told her before she left Greyhawk, exactly which Celestial skills she had inherited from her mother Triona was not something which could be predicted in advance.  There were a huge number of potentially possibly enhancements, and she had to be tested for each one individually, to see if it was latently waiting inside her.  Individually, any of the improvements her Celestial heritage was giving her would have been impressive and a pleasant and delightful surprise.  Taken together, the total sum of them was nearly unbelievable.  
   
    Her Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence all increased by a factor of roughly one-fourth; and her Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma by about one-fifth.  Her ability to withstand poison, dodge spells, and ward off attempts at mind control all improved by over one-half.  The golden hue of her skin took on a new characteristic, and now both acted as another layer of armor, but also would absorb much of the damage that weapons which did strike her could do.  Beyond that, the amount of damage her body could tolerate also increased by nearly one-half.

    Attacks against her using electricity or attempts to turn her to stone (like a basilisk's stare) simply did not affect her any more.  At all.  And many other magical attacks could be shrugged off as if they hadn't been made (although that was dependent to a great extent on how powerful the magic-wielder was, and not, she was encouraged to understand, a protection she could count on).

    Her abilities to Concentrate, Hide, Jump, Listen, Sense Motive, and use Spellcraft all increased noticeably.  Her ability to Spot increased unbelievably.  Along with that last, her reflexes improved to where she was very likely to be the first person to respond to any attack or other event.  And also related, she was sure, was the ease with which she was taught to Track.

    The most enjoyable "improvement", in its way of being imparted to her, was almost mundane compared to everything else.  After a day busy with whatever learning -- or attempt at learning -- she had been doing towards one of her new abilities, she was allowed to relax for an hour or two in a library.  Every day when she went in, she blessed Taizu all over again for making her learn how to read.  With Mandarla's general guidelines to the librarians, she was always directed to specific tomes and scrolls that were all fascinating, at just the right level of understanding for her to grasp their contents easily, and covered - by the time she had finished her other training - effectively every subject on which she might someday need to pull out some knowledge.
   
        She also learned, again by comparatively mundane means, two new languages.  And since she had set herself a goal of learning as many languages as she could, this also was almost normal, compared to the rest of it.  Even if the languages were Draconic and Infernal -- not ones she would have had much luck at finding instructors for, back on Oerth.  (Although in Greyhawk, one never knows what one might be able to find.)

      When her teachers told her that she'd be one of the half-Celestials who don't age, she tried to tell them that they'd gotten confused with the benefit Heart's Reach was providing her with.  But they insisted that no, they hadn't: that she could unlock her own innate ability to stay young.  So (with some light-hearted grumbling on Tarva's part), she asked HR to stop his anti-aging for a while.  When her teachers said they still detected aging control in her, she set herself to learning how to turn it on.  As she explained to HR: that way he could leave off spending his energy on her that way, and use it for himself.  

     Absolutely the most thrilling single ability was when her directed meditations unlocked an ability to use Dark Vision.  That frustration, during previous adventures, was now put to rest forever.  And without having to spend money on goggles, which could then get lost, she thinks to herself in a very self-satisfied way.

    Another surprise was that, in addition to her Sidhe-inherited Faith Healing, she also has a separate Celestial-inherited Laying On Of Hands.  Her instructors tell her that it had been pretty much a toss-up: which of the two was going to have manifested itself, when she kept her friend Lydia from bleeding to death back in Tiran.  In strength and flexibility of application, this new Laying On Of Hands was noticeably superior to the Faith Healing; but Tarva cared very little about such comparisons.  She was simply delighted to have any additional healing available to her, ready at her fingertips.

    To Tarva's way of looking at things, the most bizarre new ability -- if something so uncontrolled could be called such -- that she was instructed into bringing forth was something that Mandarla called an Aura of Menace.  It wasn't like a spell: it either was in effect or it wasn't; and pretty much it choose (if such an intangible essence could be said to have choices) for itself when to be active.  Actually, the instructor said that it would always be in effect whenever Tarva was in a fight, and also whenever she was sufficiently angry.  As an 'Aura', it would affect anyone nearby who Tarva was thinking hostile thoughts at: from anyone not on her side in a melee, to (and surely the instructor didn't pick this example innocently) any husband on the other side of a domestic disagreement.  The affected people would find their ability to do anything -- fight, pick locks, cook dinner, whatever -- just a little bit poorer than usual.  Unless and until they managed to land a blow on Tarva.  This is all just bizarre, thinks Tarva; but she keeps the thought to herself.  It's sorta like a spell, only it doesn't have to be cast, and doesn't seem to have any limit on how often it comes into play.

     Even more spell-like, because they sorta were spells, were the spell-like abilities for which she had found how to open the appropriate channels in her mind.  She could now cast Aid, or Blur, or Detect Evil, or Magic Missile, just by concentrating, and without having to worry about burning up spell slots as she did so.  That was kinda impressive.  Of course, the idea of standing back and just casting Magic Missile over and over might seem like a good idea in a naive sort of way; but just to begin with she doubted that HR would be very happy with that approach.  Also, on second thought, doing that would make it quite difficult for her to switch over to defending a companion, if that should be necessary.  That evening, Tarva talked these thoughts over with Heart's Reach (whom she tried to spend time with every day, outside of the weapons practice that she insisted on continuing -- and that she gathered Mandarla would have insisted on himself, if she hadn't already done so).  HR pointed out to her that there were several monsters, and magically assisted people, who could phase out of the Material Plane; but that while such foes would be safe from HR while they were phased, they would still be susceptible to attacks with Magic Missiles, and therefore Tarva should remember that as a tactic, should the need ever come up.

    [With this incredible influx of new abilities, and with the time Tarva needed to spend: first to gain them and then to learn how to use them, Tarva hardly noticed, and certainly didn't mind, that at the same time she was not advancing as either a Bard or a Fighter; and wasn't improving her particular skills, especially Perform and Healing.  Wisely, she decided that those could wait for when she was back on Oerth, and for a time when she wasn't being presented with this opportunity to learn otherwise totally unavailable new abilities.]


    When Taizu's Shadowdancing instruction had progressed to the limits that he could obtain at this time, and he was preparing to head back to Greyhawk, he spent a moment taking stock of the the recent changes he had gone through.

    During the Hell Week, he had lost Improved Initiative, Precise Shot, and Rapid Shot; and in their place gained Dodge, Mobility, and Combat Reflexes.  Actually, he hadn't exactly lost Precise Shot: it was a technique he wanted with sufficient desire that he had made the effort to learn it again from scratch -- despite Stetson's claimed disgust at his wasting time on distance weapons.

    He was a bit stronger, and had felt the cause of that in his muscles every single day.  And no matter why the D'Alembert family choose to live in a desert, he would much have preferred somewhere with a civilized very hot water tub to soak his bruises and aches away every night.  His Will was noticeably more focused.  And his body's ability to absorb damage was also greater than when he'd arrived (which, he thought, just meant that he could collect more bruises on any given day).

    But if Arlene tried to subject him to her basement test now, he'd pass it with flying colors.  Or, rather, with a complete absence of being noticed at all.  So far he'd barely begun to learn the abilities inherent in the Shadowdancer discipline; but even so he could now become completely unnoticeable in any shadow, and in fact just by being near a shadow.  His ability to evade a magical attack was so much greater now that frequently he escaped receiving any damage at all.  Never again would he need to pull a lightstone to find his way in a pitch dark room: one of the most surprising and impressive disciplines was the acquisition of Dark Vision (he still wasn't sure how that was instilled, but he wasn't about to complain about it).  And while he might have lost some of the speed with which he first responded to an attack or event, he would never find himself helpless in the face of an ambush or other surprise assault.

    Lyndon, and especially Stetson (whose dry and wicked humor Taizu had come to appreciate and enjoy early into his stay), insisted that Taizu pay attention to Skills more important to his new learning.  Accordingly Taizu became better at Balance, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Innuendo, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket, Spot, Use Rope, and especially Tumble.

    As Holme had warned him at the very start, his Bardic progression was completely on hold for now.  He hadn't even increased his Perform ability at all.  But that could all wait for a time when he wasn't being presented with this opportunity to learn otherwise unavailable new abilities.