They Who Guide
People watched her nervously as she worked, but she didn't let that bother her. Her movement was swift, but methodical as always. Getting the calabash out, quick check on the quality of the contents, filling it in the pipe, attaching the mask. Securing everything else again, all tiny bags and satchels and boxes neatly packed up and re-attached to her clothing in the right spot. After all, you never know who might become bold and try out some of that magic stuff.
She was ready now, just in time for the paste to have reacted sufficiently with the pipe, as a quick sniff told her.
She turned and adressed the group. "I will withdraw to the tent now. Settle down for the night here and get some rest. We will continue tomorrow." Most nodded, but one of the younger guys protested. "I'm not sleeping until you at least tell us which way to go!"
She looked at him dryly. "That's fine with me. The night sky should make an entertaining watch while you wait for me to be ready tomorrow." She turned and disappeared into the tent, ignoring his protests. She didn't have time to argue if she wanted the ritual to succeed.
They Who Guide are intimately attuned to the flow of magic and can typically sense traveling groups and Places That Are nearby without much effort, though it is hard to do amongst the chatter of a traveling group. For that reason, guides usually bring their own tent, crafted for ease of assembling if you are on your own, to have a place to withdraw to and plot their environment. Traveling with an easy group, there will be relatively stable tendrils of magic linking a guide to places and groups nearby, their strength and color helping them discern distance and attitude. In such a setting guiding is mostly the decision whoch of those tendrils to follow. Often enough, though, the groups are not easy. Tensions exist, some people are more eager to get to their destination than others, and some simply like to stir up trouble to impress another of the travelers. In such groups, the wilds around them are constantly swirling and shifting, as emotions are fighting for domination. It is unpredictable who will determine what lies around the next corner, and that's when a guide's work truly begins. For at its core, a guide is not actually guiding people as much as they are managing emotions and brokering compromise, all under the perception threshold of the travelers. How fast a group reaches their destination often depends on how hard it is to align the group and their expectations. To support this, much of a guide's work depends on illusion and make-believe. It won't do to tell one to just start believing they will be there tomorrow, but staging an elaborate ritual culminating in a little show effect will make them believe the prediction with a quickness. However, not all rituals in a guide's arsenal are based on showmanship. Sometimes the fog around a group is so murky, an extended meditation session is needed for a guide to rise above the mists and get an idea of their magical surroundings. Sometimes it's a naturall occurence that clouds the minds, but there's also predators - human and wild alike - that may try to hide their signature. Or maybe there are Places That Are nearby, but they do not want to be visited. For these sessions, a guide's tent is invaluable, as it has been enchanted to drown out the incessant chatter and induce fear in anyone approaching it that wasn't a guide.
They Who Guide are intimately attuned to the flow of magic and can typically sense traveling groups and Places That Are nearby without much effort, though it is hard to do amongst the chatter of a traveling group. For that reason, guides usually bring their own tent, crafted for ease of assembling if you are on your own, to have a place to withdraw to and plot their environment. Traveling with an easy group, there will be relatively stable tendrils of magic linking a guide to places and groups nearby, their strength and color helping them discern distance and attitude. In such a setting guiding is mostly the decision whoch of those tendrils to follow. Often enough, though, the groups are not easy. Tensions exist, some people are more eager to get to their destination than others, and some simply like to stir up trouble to impress another of the travelers. In such groups, the wilds around them are constantly swirling and shifting, as emotions are fighting for domination. It is unpredictable who will determine what lies around the next corner, and that's when a guide's work truly begins. For at its core, a guide is not actually guiding people as much as they are managing emotions and brokering compromise, all under the perception threshold of the travelers. How fast a group reaches their destination often depends on how hard it is to align the group and their expectations. To support this, much of a guide's work depends on illusion and make-believe. It won't do to tell one to just start believing they will be there tomorrow, but staging an elaborate ritual culminating in a little show effect will make them believe the prediction with a quickness. However, not all rituals in a guide's arsenal are based on showmanship. Sometimes the fog around a group is so murky, an extended meditation session is needed for a guide to rise above the mists and get an idea of their magical surroundings. Sometimes it's a naturall occurence that clouds the minds, but there's also predators - human and wild alike - that may try to hide their signature. Or maybe there are Places That Are nearby, but they do not want to be visited. For these sessions, a guide's tent is invaluable, as it has been enchanted to drown out the incessant chatter and induce fear in anyone approaching it that wasn't a guide.
by Imoen Kim via Microsoft Bing Creator
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