Forums » General Roleplay » Sandy travels (open)

''Which could explain the other statue you said was here?''

"Right." Hassan replied. "The other statue of the sand lion is actually in the temple. Although to be fair, we built the temple around the statue. I don't think anyone's thought to look for the rune on this statue..."

Murat brightened. "Maybe it'll tell us something if we can find one?"

Hassan shrugged. "Worth a try."

''Where is this temple?'' Cass asked, perking up at the thought.

"Just on the other side of the city," said Murat. "We'll have to pass through the bazaar, but that shouldn't take long."

Hassan snorted. "Except that you forget we're bringing a sand lioness with us. She'll stop traffic for blocks."

''I'll deal with it.'' She replied, giggling.

Murat led the way, taking the lesser known paths before those began to clog up with people turning to stare at Cass. They were forced at last to take the main roads, which of course meant more people and more crowding.

"Keep an eye to your stuff," he murmured to Hassan.

"Pfft, its the camels they need to watch out for anyway," Hassan said. "Better than guards, they are. Oh good, the bazaar is coming up."

The crowds they hit now were just pedestrian trafficon their way to and from the bazaar. Ahead of them was the bazaar, packed with people shopping and shouting for wares and negotiating prices. Murat cringed. "I hate this part. Let's just get through this as fast as possible."

Cass followed close, her rune lighting up occasionly to cause a thing wave of sand to blow through softly.

Murat noticed that where the sand went, people backed away, giving them space. "Keep it up, Cass, this is helping."

Hassan nodded and then they were through the crowded bazaar. "There's the temple. Right over there." Sure enough a large structure rose out of of the sand, a temple with two statues of sand lions on the outside. "Inside," said Hassan, "is the actual statue--these are just imitations--same as the one on the outside of the city." The imitations did not have the rune on them, that the real sand lion statues did.

Cass headed to the temple, the rune diming until it was nearly hidden in her sandy colored hide.

Already the temple priest and priestess were coming out to see about the commotion and stopped short when they saw Cass. They bowed before her and then to Murat and Hassan. "Welcome to our temple," the priest began humbly. "What can we do for you, oh blessed winged one?"

''Can I see the sand lion statue inside? I'm a sand lioness, and we need to see if theres something on the statue. We won't damage it, dear priest of this city.'' Cass replied back, light blue eyes gazing out calmly.

The priest nodded, surprised. "Of course. It has not been touched since the day of its origin." He led the way into the temple. At the very center on a pedestal, that lifted it a few feet into the air stood the statue of a winged lion with its smallish wings drawn against its back. It looked peaceful, content, serene.

The priest bowed to the statue when they arrived. "You are welcome to look, but please, do not touch."

Murat half-bowed to the priest. "Thank you very much."

Cass walked over to it carefully. ''This appears to be a male sand lion, by the small wings. Males had small ones while females were larger. He looks mid-aged, but I don't see a rune on him..'' Cass aaid after walking arounf the statue. ''Sand lions turned to statue if they died, so he could have known his death was close...Right Murat and Hassan?''

Murat nodded, and Hassan seemed dumbfounded. "I don't see any kind of rune, you're right."

"But don't all sand lions have runes on them?" Murat asked. "Or is it just the leaders? Do you need the rune to control sand?"

The Priest stood listening to them from a distance, his brow furrowed. A rune? Had there been anything on the statue since he had begun his priesthood? Nay, before that?

She stared at the statue, squinting. Before lightly brushing away a dark spot on it to reveal a pure crystal rune for water. ''........It's a watery sand lion!''

"What...a water rune? A sand lion who can control water?" Murat guessed, feeling out of his element.

Hassan crossed his arms and peered closer. "It might explain the oasis that has yet to dry up in spite of the frequent sand storms."

''It's indeed a sand lion that must have controlled water. I've never seen one before, but I jad jeard legends that several existed at one time. I bet this was who was with the founder.''

The Priest nodded. "Indeed, that is exactly it. Legend has that this sand lion was the first to protect and form our city of Madeena--named after the very founder. Little is known about the founding, only that it became the most habitable area for miles around."

Murat turned to look at the Priest and then back to Cassandra. "Are there no more then who have the water rune?"

''I don't think so. Unless they went deep into hiding in fear of being killed.''

"Wouldn't they be found by the formation of oases?" Hassan inquired. "If we follow a trail of oases, we could find them. If there are any left."

Murat shrugged and looked at the priest, who also shrugged. "Worth a try, I suppose," said Murat. "We were lucky enough to have this sand lion here, but with two...I fear an omen might be starting. One of water, another of sand..."