Astra Among the Dunchovians

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 88298

The leader appeared to get the gist of the message, though he at first seemed taken back by the images flooding his mind. He quickly dismounted his Xethymian stallion - a breed of horse for which the Dunchovians were famous. Selectively bred over the centuries and fiercely guarded, they were the pride of the nomads.

He was a stout, bold looking man with piercing brown eyes. Garbed in his simple attire, the brown robes and scarf typical of the plains people, he looked not much different than the rest of his clan, except for the elaborate headdress which clearly marked him as a person of some import. He signaled something to the others and they seemed to visibly relax, if only slightly. None of the others dismounted.

He approached Astra tentatively, studying her with keen interest. “Aqualarian?” he ventured.

Astra smiled and gave him a simple nod.

The man returned the friendly gesture, though it was clear he was still sizing her up, uncertain if she was friend or foe. He turned to one of the mounted women, and called her by her name, “Viani.”

With amazing agility, the woman leapt from her horse and affixed herself beside the leader. She pulled back her cowl, and Astra was amazed to see long white hair spilling over her shoulders, interwoven with beads and feathers. This was not the typical style of the plains women, and so Astra assumed (rightly) that she must be a healer or magus of some sort.

Astra focused her thoughts on the leader again, this time projecting a vivid image of Themyscira, the greatest city south of the Shreken and well known for it’s cunning stonework. She conjured up the image of Maia, the great Queen of the Aqualarian nation. And of childbirth. And then of herself as a youth, proud and strong. And then of herself as she was now.

The leader’s eyes widened in apparent recognition. This process of mental projection was becoming easier! Either that or this man was brighter than the other bumpkins she had thus far encountered. He whispered something to Viani, the elderly woman with the beautiful white hair. Viani, in turn...

  1. Shook her head and frowned. “She is steingeweser,” she said with disdain.
  2. Smiled and approached the princess. She felt her cheeks, and the warmth they radiated. “She is steingeweser,” she said in a soft, friendly voice.
  3. Shook her head and shrugged, obviously clueless as to who or what Astra was.
  4. Remained stoic. Without a word, she mounted her horse and rode off, accompanied by several others, toward the south.

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12/26/2009 10:32:14 AM

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