Session 40 - The Doyen's Teachings

After all of us have finished with our 1 on 1 fights, True Master Xai Feng addresses us after saying "Today begins your journey in elemental enlightenment. You will be trained by Doyen/Masters and will refer to them as such"
 
A frail lady, Elder Orfarma, stands with milky eyes starts addressing the Doyen and who they are in charge of.
 
Doyen Amberclaw, a Leonin is Raskin's master. Amberclaw moves to the other side of the central pillar in the courtyard with Raskin, and puts his fist to the floor and a 7 foot tall fiery archway appears.
Doyen Silent Mist a Tabaxi teaching Kari. A watery archway appears next to the fiery one.
Doyen Pitch, an elderly human male, teaching Malaphor. A bright blue icey archway appears to the right.
Doyen Salasus, an Arakocra teaching Sif. Who doesn't create an archway but picks up Sif and flies over the mountain.
Doyen Truthheart, a minotaur in charge of teaching Austar. To the left, a purple swirling mist surrounding an Archway.
Doyen Kilhaza, a red dragonborn. True Master Xai Feng will also be assisting in training Ape. A archway covered in lightning appears.
Doyen Agrieze and Koteyn, training the elven twins. A strange archway that flickers in purple and golden light that breaks up appears.
Doyen Pendacite, a well built Dwarf teaching Nentos. A brown and greenish archway appears.
 
 
A middle aged looking man, well built in simple white vest, fabric trousers and a jade pauldron on shoulder. walking towards me called Doyen Degent, my master. I notice wrapped around his wrists are glowing broken chains. Every now and then I see 1 or 2 spectral serpents sprout from his back and disappear. Along his brow and neck purple scales.
"I am going to teach you how to control the most horrific form of suffering" and just enters the poisonous archway.
 
As I step through I'm in darkness, what looks to be a tunnel. Doyen Degent and his two disciples not in sight. Slight misted cloud of green in the air. I call out but get no response. I walk through and turn a corner into a cavern that looks like it's beneath a lake. Within the cavern are pools of water giving off a stagnant mist. I see Doyen Degent standing and looking at one.
"The poison that secretes from these pools can kill a grown man in seconds, but we're ok with these".
He asks if I've managed to turn my form, or parts of myself into a gas. He demonstrates doing it to his own arm and asks me to try. I try and do this to a finger but can't manage it. As I'm focusing, a spectral snake attacks from his back onto my finger.
Eya, Tiefling female, apprentice to Doyen Degent. Her identical twin, Aya is a lightning apprentice. Initially stand offish with me.
Harvey, a half gnome individual. Generally doesn't care about me.
 
I'll learn in time that the toxin I can give can be not just poison, but corrosive. I watch as he closes of his eyes, beads of green sweat from his forehead he flicks it at the ground and it sizzles and burns the stone. He tells me he wants to start by working on my reflexes, as 5 snakes appear from his back ready to strike me. The rest of my day consisted being in and out of consciousness.
 
We all gathered together by our residential houses before we were summoned to meet True Master Xai Feng at the top of the mountain. A shrine at the back, surrounded by all manner of graves and memorials.
He tells us it's a good time to tell us what he's been made of aware off, as well as a good time to learn how to communicate with each other. Abavar's Expanse, or what Kari calls it, Sudden Space. He tells us to close our eyes and focus on each other. I hear a voice in my head "Just focus, focus, how do I focus" and I know it's Ape's voice that I'm hearing. After a while, in the centre of this moonlit plinth, a swirling mass of colour and energy growing that each of us feel a part of us being pulled towards it. A blinking moment, we then find ourselves in Sudden Space. Kari starts to speak and we are thrusted out. True Master Xai Feng said we'll meet every evening to grow our connection.
 
He says that the basic understanding of their purpose, is that they are trying to keep tabs on Aolara to see what events might require us to step in and help as the Ninefold. Mentions the war in Murath, but also mentions something spreading and decaying in the far north in Bricor, as well as something dark occurring in Varleska.
 
Training Months
Arcanist Sishan
A few months into training, Arcanist Sishan sent me a message requesting information on Chankata, and that he's aware that I'm here. Unsure what to do, I sought out the guidance of Master Xai Feng on how to proceed, also knowing that Sishan is a powerful wizard who no doubt has ways to spy on me, similar to my Scrying spell, with Xai Feng says spells of that type are blocked from the temple.
A week after the first message from Sishan which I had ignored I managed to seek out Xai Feng for advice. He didn't seem bothered or annoyed and seems to be using this as a teaching moment.
Later that night, I sit on what Xai Feng said and reply to Sishan the next night about bare bones information like cultural differences between Chankata and Laelosia. He does ask about a week later about the population and their strength which I say I don't know much as I've been marooned at the temple.
 
Another month or so goes by and he messages again asking if we're still planning on going to Varleska as we initially said. I reply I don't know, maybe but it depends on what is in store for us after training. Sishan lets me know that King Laelos didn't go to the peace talks with Varleska at our recommendation.
Sishan mentioned he's had no contact with any of his spies in Varleska, as well as the Favoured Few being asked to go there.
 
At some point during the training I would have messaged Gadem Bask but when I do, I feel the spell fail and I manage to push through but instead of being able to talk, I just hear a loud high pitched train like tone for about 5 seconds.
I also would have messaged Etcher but I didn't get a response, as well as failing my scrying spell on him.
 
Wodric
A month into training I succeed a scrying spell on Wodric, very blurry but his form strapped to something up high, with ground about 90 feet below. I then instantly try to use Divine Intervention which I manage to get to work 6 days later. I try to scry on him after the intervention but I don't manage to get through. I do the Commune spell to find out if he's safe which I get an unsure answer. I then ask if the Divine Intervention helped or not, which I got a "yes". For the remaining months I send a message to Wodric to see if it goes through. I feel the spell connect, but I never get a response.
 
Thoda Brinejaw
I scry on my mother to see how she's doing, and she's on the docks just working, but looks well. Sadly there's no way for me to send stuff to her from Chankata.
 
Eya
During the 7 months of training, myself and Eya get quite close. Initially she's stand offish but still helps me with tasks. We end up in a relationship together. I don't hold information from her and tell about my past, as well as my current worries.
Doyen Degent doesn't approve of our relationship.
 
Doyen Gabe Degent
He never really opened up to me but I do learn he has a few titles. One is the Serpent of Devarg. Devarg, is a city in Sumara in the northern region. Gained his name through an event that happened. Essentially at a younger age, he was meddling in strange elemental magics that he shouldn't have been, he ended up killing 30 people with a horrendous poison explosion, and fled to Chankata for assistance and or sanctuary. That's just rumours and Chinese whispers. Supposedly his golden chains were placed there by Master Xai Feng as a way to help contain what he had done.
 
Malaphor
Malaphor asks me to try and scry on his family. He casts Dream on me and shows me his childhood town, his family and himself through my dreams. In the dream I also see him and another younger child getting beaten, as well as them in tubes. Unfortunately my scry spell doesn't take hold on either his mum or dad. Leading us to believe they have sadly died.
 
True Master Xai Feng
I gave the Unknown Codex to Xai Feng which he gladly takes to lock away. Says it's extremely cursed and likely from the Far Realm and of Aberrant design. I told him how we acquired it and knew it was dangerous from casting Legend Lore on it.
 
Learn of a place called Buldahr, in the Southern Province, but near the top there is talks of doors into the mountain that belonged to a Dwarven Clan that has since long been forgotten. Called the Doors of Buldahr. To get there need to go through The Night Wilds which is a no no. Stories in history books of tunnels that connect the mountain range here to the ruins of Badagat in Sansura.
 
We manage to make it through the 7 months of training. It is now Uthmix, Ape has lost his dad bod and is now rocking an 8 pack. Malaphor is looking toned. Raskin has patches of orange in his feathers. Austar not as pale as he was. Myself, I'm still as broad, but much more definition to my body now. From what we've been told, today is the last day under our respective Doyens. We've been told to travel to the peak of Wujun, the sister peak that was split in half to go to the Shrine of Acclaim.