Legend of Ransera

“So it would appear.” The elder Vigilia conceded as her pale eyes regarded the map.

“Given the state of the plane at present, I would be disinclined to approach an unknown variable. Lacking context, it is safest to assume this is a byproduct of the Void’s incursion into the realm.” With that warning bade, she would continue to follow along the course Hilana trod.

There was energy here that felt as though it straddled the line between spirit and lifeform. They would feel such energy approaching them, indeed coming from the direction of that clouded area- perhaps fleeing it.

By and by, they would reach the tree line and muddy boots would fall on solid ground. Trudging gave way to trekking, as they entered a forest peppered with little glowing flowers that cast long shadows inhabited by bird and bat-like beings, skittering insects and furry woodland critters with dark grey fur and glowing blue eyes that turned invisible to the natural when they turned askance of the observer.

Qævyx continued to grant Hilana the leave to lead, seeing no immediate need to divert their course for safety’s sake. They were still some distance from that foreboding fog depicted on the eldritch map.

The tree that Hilana chose to lean against seemed safe enough, and proved to be so in sooth when she placed her weight against its dark bark. As the Vastiana settled herself, the Re'hyæan Sentinel climbed a taller tree to seek a higher vantage from which to view their surroundings.

There was a palpable and a visible shift in the air around Hilana as she extended ætheric energy. Glowing things receded, and darker things drew nearer. The luminescent plants, spirits and insects seemed to take a form... they became the borders of a silhouette. The form was vaguely humanoid, but amorphous and ever shifting. It was a frame without a picture. There was nothing to look at between the faint light of its borders, and yet that nothingness was where the æther was drawn... and it was from there that the whisper would be heard:

"Child of the Desert, yours is a land that pays respect to Shadow. Where we are fewer, we might be more precious. Under the bone bleaching blaze of a desert sun, we might offer succour to the weary traveller. We might stave off murderous thirst long enough to see it slaked. Your forebears built a whole city under the blanket of our cool comfort... and you named that city for us: The Umbrium. The City of Shadow." There was a pause,

"This artefact behind which you often hide is infused with our essence. Have you come to return it to the shadowy shores from whence it derived?" The penumbra shifted, producing an appendage that seemed to reach toward the mask, but halting before making contact.

The penumbral appendage recoiled at Hilana's response and drifted back toward the greater mass.

"If it is She who lent it, then we leave it to Her to enlighten you as to its origins. We are the means, not the method." The whispers were legion, albeit quiet and gently. They were the cool comfort of clouds passing over a Searing sun and blanketing all beneath them in shade.

"Besieged?" The entity repeated, its tone indecipherable as it was voiceless breath. "Do you think the Void's visitors are any less welcome than you? Both are alien, uninvited guests in our realm. Both are disruptors. Both we blithely brook. Neutral, are we, to the affairs of Earth and Abyss. Should either you or they render greater ripples to truly disturb the balance of this plane, then we shall respond. Until then, we remain impassive." The entity, bordered by light like a solar eclipse, withdrew slightly farther away from Hilana.

"As long as light and darkness share space, we are hale. Darkness and Light are reconciled. Your woes are another matter altogether. Have you come because you think us victims of the Void or allies thereof? That Voidspawn have plied shadows like portals to strike at you speaks only more to our neutrality. Attune with us, if you will. Arm and armour yourself with our boons and we will permit it, unless you aggrieve us. We have always walked with you... silent steps behind you, easily forgotten. Remember that we reflect you wherever light shines. Look to the edge where you end and we begin, and you will find what it is you seek..."

It seemed as though light was gathering behind Hilana, now, and casting a shadow of her own form that stretched far into the dark woods beyond.

With gratitude expressed and no further questions posed, the penumbral figure sunk down and merged into Hilana’s own shadow. For a moment her own shadow felt like an entity unto itself- somewhat familiar, somewhat alien. And then the alien bit receded as whatever she’d been speaking with withdrew to another part of its realm. Then it was just Hilana and her shadow, communing.

Hilana’s shadow did not communicate as explicitly as the entity had, once she found that thin common ground where they met and could interact. It projected sensations, if not clear, complicated notions. It didn’t project images or words into her mind. It was merely open to her attention, and she would know it always had been. She simply hadn’t thought to pursue that endeavour until now.

Now that she sought it out, it was able to share some of its observations- neutral, as the entity had suggested. It seemed to feel a kinship with the Mask of Midnight’s Mother. As it was quiet and easily forgotten, so was the mask. Perhaps the mask was even exploiting that trait of shadows to ply its power. Shadows were not invisible, they were merely unremarkable… ubiquitous and easily overlooked as a normal adornment of any landscape. They could be frightening when unexpected, but in most environments they were simply neglected.

The shadow seemed to brook no offence at how the Voidspawn had used its kin to teleport. That was unusual and not unwelcome acknowledgment, much like that which Hilana now proffered.

As Hilana went about her meditations, she would not be distracted by Qævyx, who was content to keep quiet watch- holding vigil or standing sentinel, as it were.