[Tasneemia City] A False Start

[Naian the Evergreen]

Brothers Lauiel and Haidy had taken the red-eye Hazelwood to Tasneemia direct flight and arrived in the early morning. Tasneemia City, with its warm coastal breeze, was still waking itself up. Just a few hours ago, the bazaars and lounges of the city were full of revelers, both local and tourist, enjoying the evening. Although the antarctic winds now blew across the southern demesnes, Tas Neemia's kept warm year-round. If you couldn't afford a trip to the tropical Overseas demesnes, you wintered in Tas City.

Under their cloaks, the Jaiesican priests took in the sights of the debauchery of Tas City. "Isn't this our new capital, now that the Hazel Woods have been given to Tas Neemia?" asked Lauiel with disgust.

"Yes, technically. Kinda ... amoral isn't it? Your kind of town."

"Shut up, those were my journeyman days. We also go a little stir crazy after being raised in the Glade for our youth, with only knotholes to provide relief."

"Gross."

"Whatever Haidy, that's why you'll never have any saplings."

"No, gross."

Lauiel shrugged, "Well Naian is probably at the palace by now right? Let's go."

***

At the gates to Serribagh Palace the priests were stopped by the guards.

"Ah yes, please let us in. We're here to take the Raja away!"

***

The two priests woke up a few hours later, heads splitting, shackled to the cool stony walls of a dungeon.

"Good job, Lauiel. Don't tell a guard we're going to take the raja away next time. We gave Naian some soil, he should be able to hear us if we treespeak to him. Naian, this is Brother Haidy and Lauiel, we've been erroneously placed in your dungeon. We only wanted to speak with you about some important matters transpiring in the Sacred Glade.

Hello? Oh, you're in my thoughts, I haven't treespoke in awhile Haidy, sorry. I thought I heard some other person's thoughts... I remember having a disturbing dream about some knotholes...

Haidy smacked Lauiel, "you degenerate, your unconscious perversions have poisoned his mind!" Yes, well, please forgive Lauiel, I believe the bludgeon to our heads loosened his brain more than usual. Please, there's much to discuss... Jaies Timberpine has Blossomed as an oak.

I see. I'll send someone for you now.

***

After a shower and fresh change of clothes, a long explanation from the captain of the guard about proper entry procedures, and the priests were finally in a room with Naian, filling him in on the particularities of what transpired a few days ago in the Glade.

"You can't be serious about me becoming Arch Druid. I'm not qualified," protested Naian.

"Well who is, really. I mean half of druidism is reading the spells properly. In fact, I remember --- ouch! Get your elbow out of my side Haidy."

"Shut UP, for once you oaf. Naian, druidism is more than reading spells, otherwise anyone could be a druid. You have the blood of the trees in your veins, you can treespeak, you can do a few incantations. But to truly become a master of the druidic ways, of hazkisi, you need to be sympathetic to the spirits, feel the life and story of each ancestor so that you can choose the correct incantation that will yield the best results. We can teach you the techniques that will get you towards the path of arch druid. But, *sigh* yes much of what you need can be learned over the years to come. It's really more of a ceremonial and political title, it has little bearing on your druidic talents."

"Oh... oh I see. So you can make me a mediocre druid in a few days' time before I get back to the Sacred Glade, where I'll speak with the tree spirit of my dead mentor who will proclaim me the leader and guide of my entire people... and entire people who I only met a few years ago after the trees themselves dumped generations of prophecy in my head causing me to black out."

"Yes! You are destined for greatness!"

***

Lauiel and Haidy again woke up to another splitting pain in their heads, shackled to the walls of the dungeon.

"He's kind of mean, isn't he?," offered Lauiel.

"Yes, he is. Overwhelmed, but still mean."

"How can he lead us if he knocks us out and locks us in a dungeon. I don't think the rest of our people will like being put in a dungeon... I don't even know where we'd build a dungeon in the Glade--"

Haidy smacked Lauiel again, "Idiot! Scrape up some of this mold from the walls, we need to be more assertive next time."