SE06 : EP05 - World of Glass Part I

There is a grim air hanging about Meridian's Gate as the weight of the passing of Mirai Murasaki is deeply felt. Most of the Meridians make there way to the memorial service for her at the Tavern. A group for them gather at a standing table, drinking in hand remembering their fallen comrade. They talk of the passing ceremony of the Kensai where the crest of Hamon was passed to a new bearer Asta Jin. Stratos was invited to join them and observe the ceremony. He speaks to the coldness he felt with the lack of mourning in their ritual. They discuss this. Then Bahar Amani's parents rise to speak and thank everyone for the output of support they have been given but her friends and family. Bahar Amani   Later her ring is placed on the ring wall of Guildhall in the ceremony of memorial. Sakura flowers appear around the round frame of the Oculus along with the other blooms that appeared after other fallen Meridians. And with in Zenith a statue appears bearing both of her names.   And as one life leaves the world new life being. The egg shower for Imogen and Javrnesh child. It's a raucous bar crawl with joy and drinking, lot and lots of drinking. Trhought he night many oaths are made to support the couple and their child, as well as Warren and Tuli with Lionel pledging to move to Horizon .  

---

A few days later the days have returned to normal around the proving grounds, with Kellasin putting the pressure on the aspirants with the loss of Mirai giving gravity to the final leg of training. The calm is broken by a thunderous sound of shattering glass.   Within the open maw of the Oculus there is a dazzling forest of angular glass pants. Alistar explains he has been investigating Gate Crystals and final found a viable one. He asks for volunteers to investigation. Cornelius is among the first seeing the opportunity. Eventually Gavin, Allory, Allie, Kayla and Merit form a party.   Soft crips crunches rise from glass they trod on the other side of the portal. As they lift their feet to look at the shattered blades of glass grass. Slowly they rise back a little, reforming their shattered forms. A dusk time light filters through semi-transparent trees. As Kayla investigates, she sees that the trees are completely like natural trees, but glass. She points to the ringed layers of on the trees in an onion skin pattern. They invested the area finding it to contain glass versions of everything a forest should contain. Some of the plants reform their original forms when brushed aside, however they can collect samples of leaves and such. While the specimens are detailed beyond the works of artisan glassblowers, beautiful but very fragile.   As they dwell amongst the glass wood, Merit uses spells to gain insight into the way thsi forest came into being. Kayla communes with them. Long ago the forest was battered with strong acidic rain until the trees adapting its internal structure to glass as a way to survive, a long, long time ago. The continue to collect samples such as berries as Cornelius builds makeshift tools. Gavin notices a small pool of silvery liquid. They test and find it to be acidic, confirming the acid rain. A few minutes later a tiny form of Kayla rises up out of the liquid. A crude but recognizable facsimile about two inches tall. it walks out from sight into the forest. Thes outs them slightly on edge.   Cornelius finishes with his tool making and hand the shovel to Allory to attempt to discovers what is under the grass. Her fist strike upset the glass ground with a small surface fissures. The second attempt has her using her foot to strike deeper, a thin flat sheer breaks off with an accompanying spray of glass shard. Merit and Kayla notic ethe two inch puddle "Kayla" is moving about and has grown to about five inches. The fan out and are able to capture the little creature in a jar. Just afterward a mysterious creature rises out of the forest bellowing at them.