Ultraviolet Odyssey Part 10

This is the tenth part of a solo, narrative campaign within the Ultraviolet Grasslands RPG setting, created by Luka Rejec. The text is edited together based on outputs generated by Sudowrite,

Karnelia di'Orca is a tall and slender figure, with long dark hair and piercing eyes. She wears a flowing red robe adorned with intricate golden embroidery, and carries a staff topped with a blood-red crystal. A single black vertebra is visible at the base of her neck, marking her as a member of the secretive wine vampire order.

Jalosti i'Grati is a short and stocky purple-skinned young wizard, with a wild mane of hair and a bushy beard. He wears a flowing purple robe, and rides a machine horse that shimmers with shades of rust and metal. In his hand, he holds a staff of polished black wood, etched with arcane symbols.

Arcia Bodizie is a rugged and weather-beaten Safranjina, with a scar running down her cheek and a patch over one eye. She is dressed in a patchwork of scavenged clothing, with a long, flowing coat of dark blue and a bandana tied around her head. She carries a curved sword at her side, a sign of her status as an exiled pirate. A small furry mutant vole sits perched on her shoulder, giggling at anyone who pets it.

Soundtrack: 'Goodbye Gemini', Blood Ceremony.

Chapter 18 

Karnelia, Jalosti and Arcia continued on across the steppe, making good time as they rode their steeds. The Vale River below them on their left-hand side was now little more than a stream. The ridge flattened out  into a vast plain of white grass that stretched as far as the eye could see.

 

The trio noticed a strange herd of dark animals grazing some distance away. These creatures were ghost gazelles - tall, thin animals with pure black coats and long horns that curved like scythes.

 

"The ghost gazelles are said to be living spirits," explained Jalosti.

 

Karnelia nodded her head in agreement. Some post-theologians believed that the fabled gazelles were  spirits which had escaped from some other realm.

 

"Be careful," she warned. "They can be dangerous if provoked."

 

The heroes were cautious as they approached the herd of gazelles, but their presence did not seem to disturb them at all. The animals simply watched them with luminous yellow eyes, unafraid and unconcerned. After a few minutes, they turned away and continued grazing peacefully on the white grasslands.

 

In the distance, they could see the Cedar Shaded Hills and the distant South Facing Passage to the land of the behemoths. After debating possible routes, they continued west. Here, the landscape appeared even more surreal - on the horizon they could glimpse the fabled Luminous Pines, and on the plain before them were dotted great stone markers, dozens of strides wide.

 

The walked through the grazing lands of steppe ostrichians, which ran through the grasses in great flocks. These majestic birds were like nothing they had ever seen before; their long necks and curved beaks were perfect and graceful. As they passed by, the swift-birds cast curious glances at the travellers before continuing on their way.

 

Without any shelter, the trio camped on the open plain. In the morning, in the dawn light, they awoke to discover that Jalosti's mechanical horse had been set upon by biomechanical serpents - small, swift creatures of metal and flesh. Jalosti's rusting steed reared in terror and bolted away from the advancing hunter-killers. The heroes clashed swords and staves against the writhing, mass of the earth-dwelling snakes. Sweat streamed down their faces as they parried and thrust, muscles quivering with fatigue.

 

It was then that Arcia remembered ancient pirate chants her grandmother had passed down to her. It was an ancient power, a secret passed down through the generations of seafaring Safranjinas. She stood tall and proud, and called out in a voice that echoed across the plains. Her words were a powerful incantation, summoning a brilliant light from her sword which burned away the biomechanical serpents like kindling until all that remained were charred cinders on the red grass.

 

Jalosti smiled in awe as he watched Arcia's display of power. "You have a gift for the arcane," he said, admiration evident in his voice.

 

As they continued across the steppe, the adventurers noticed a new ecosystem taking shape among the grasslands - from small burrowing creatures to strange half-plant hybrids sprouting from the ground itself. With each new discovery, Jalosti marveled at the sheer diversity of life he encountered in this foreign wilderness.

 

Finally, at the edge of the white grasslands, they came across a large stone marker - smooth and slippery in appearance,rising a foot above the soil, and five hundred paces across. Far from any civilization, it appeared to have been carved out of solid rock.

 

"It must be from an ancient people," Arcia said in awe. "Look at the detail."

 

The entire surface shifted in curiously fractal serpent patterns of chocolate and amber. Arcia's compass swirled madly then pointed itself towards the stone as if beckoning them onward into this unknown land.

 

At the stone marker was a camp of scavenger outcasts, shrouded in gray hoods and robes. Their skin was translucent, with dark veins running like rivers beneath its surface. These were the further nomads - travelers who had decided to live their lives away from cities, civilizations, and even other nomads.

 

The nomads eyed the travelers warily from beneath the shadows of their hoods. They spoke in hushed voices to one another but did not approach or offer any greeting or hospitality. Karnelia stepped forward and bowed her head respectfully; she wanted to show that they meant no harm.

 

After a long pause, the strangers held up their hands in a gesture of peace, and the heroes took this as an invitation to enter the camp.

 

The camp was made up of many tents and ramshackle dwellings that had been constructed out of driftwood, animal hides and scavenged materials.

 

At close quarters, the heroes saw that the outcast further nomads' skin glowed faintly and that their veins seemed to move and swim under the surface like snakes. Their eyes were large and almond-shaped; when they blinked, their pupils reflected a bright turquoise hue back at them in the fading evening light.

 

They carried strange tools and weapons made of stone and bone; blades fashioned from ancient fossilized teeth and staffs adorned with tiny bones.

 

They were wary of strangers but curious about these adventurers who had so unexpectedly crossed into their realm.

 

Karnelia narrowed her gaze and studied the group of nomads. They were peculiar, in ways that spoke of generations of adaptation to the harsh environment of the steppe. She knew they would not easy to talk to; they were a closed-off people who had chosen to live away from civilization and instead survive out in nature. It seemed clear to her that the ornate stone marker was of some significance to the lost wanderers, likely sacred or full of great power. Whatever had created such a remarkable sight must have been more ancient and powerful than she had ever imagined possible.

 

Karnelia stepped forward again and attempted to communicate through the smattering of Sunsettish and Satrap Canto that she knew. The outcasts stared at her with wide eyes, not sure what to make of this strange dark-haired, pink-skinned girl who spoke so strangely. Karnelia sensed that they were wary of her presence and felt a sense of unease rise within her. She was unsure if they would permit her to get close enough to the stone marker to touch it or inspect its carvings more closely.

 

After several minutes, Karnelia noticed one of the outcasts - an elder man with silver hair and wrinkles running deep into his skin - walk towards the marker and trace its patterns with his fingers. He motioned to Karnelia to do likewise. Jalosti started as if he was going to shout a warning to Karnelia, but then stopped himself. Warriors of the scavenger outcasts stood by, taciturn.

 

Karnelia stepped forward and ran her fingers across the stone's mysterious patterns, feeling thrumming energy travel through her arm and into her soul - it was something ancient and powerful. Karnelia immediately felt connected to this place - as if the ages that had passed since this marker was left here had only been moments.

 

She thought of all that must have transpired in those many years: battles fought, cities raised and civilizations destroyed in the blink of an eye. The power of this stone had endured through all of it, pulsing with life - with a knowledge of days gone by and a promise of days yet to come.

 

Arcia's gaze fixed on Karnelia as she touched the amber and earth-coloured stone. Her eyes glazed over and her face settled into an expression of serenity. Minutes dragged on until finally, Karnelia's eyes fluttered and her trance broke. She spoke slowly and carefully, but with a newfound clarity, as if a veil had been removed and she had been enlightened with a truth that Arcia couldn't comprehend. "I feel the sway of the grass," she said.

 

Karnelia then walked away from the stone marker, as if in a dream, and towards a guest-tent. Her companions watched in respectful silence as she made her way to her bed and lay down to sleep.

 

That night was filled with dreams for Karnelia. She saw images of the fractal serpent patterns of the stone and the swaying white grass of the steppe, high above them the stars burning like gems against a velvet sky. She felt power radiating around her, and a sense that she was not just witnessing these visions but actually partaking in them - as though this moment was stretching out forever and she had joined some ancient tapestry of thought and memory.

 

***

 

As purple daybreak stole its way across the landscape, they bade their farewells to the scavenger outcasts.

 

With time and distance between them and the camp, Karnelia realised she had developed a deep awareness of the white grass steppe which seemed to encompass her entirely. She felt like an integral part of something greater - as if she belonged to this land and that it belonged to her too. She could feel its subtle shifting of air and earth, the living pulse of the grassland.

 

As they traveled further, a strange murmuring filled the sky. Looking up, Karnelia saw swarms of delicate mayflies performing some kind of aerial ritual, swirling and dipping in unison. Cloud of starlings were hunting them, diving into the swarm to feast. Distant mountains glistened in the early morning light, snow-capped against a deep blue sky. Karnelia could feel time slowly slipping away as she watched from horseback the beautiful spectacle unfolding before her eyes.

 

The other two adventurers looked at each other with concern.

 

"Karnelia, are you well?" Arcia asked.

 

Karnelia seemed to take a moment to register the question, but then turned to Arcia and smiled reassuringly. "I am doing fine," she said, pointing towards a distant red stone marker in the distance, "That is our next destination."

 

After another hour of travel, the trio approached the red stone marker, which jutted out from a sea of burgundy grass. Its dryland coral skeleton was an intricately wound maze, with vibrant red rock formations that seemed to glisten like bloodied bones.

 

Karnelia dismounted her steed and walked towards the stone marker. She knew that its power had been enhanced through centuries of ritualistic use. Karnelia raised her hands, placing them against the gore-coloured coral. She opened her mind and heart to receive what this new land had to offer.

 

The stone marker began to pulse and hum like a beating heart. She felt a connection to the creators of the stone, the horrifying yet beautiful sonic cult, Heart of Gold Blood. She felt the fierce power of the stone, its call to action reverberating throughout her mind and soul.

 

With deep appreciation, Karnelia knelt in front of the stone marker and bowed three times to ancient gods who had granted them this gift. "Oh Spirits divine, bring sustenance and succor."

 

Jalosti, who had been watching with awe, stepped forward to Karnelia's side.

 

"What will we do now, Karnelia?" he asked.

 

Karnelia smiled mischievously and replied, "We’re going hunting for Blood Worms."