The house near the forest

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She thanked Jinn and sniffed the bottle that was handed to her before taking a quick swig and then a long pull. “Oooh that’s nice”.

She then listened to Jinn’s tale. “Damn, you don’t laze about on your vacations.” She took another bite from the apple as sheprocessed what he said and then froze for a moment and started to look annoyed. “Wait, a week? You were only gone here for a week? What were you doing for the rest of the time then?”
 
"Get a glass will you, there's more than enough to go around." Jinn says while he takes the bottle back and sets it on the ground.

"I think it was about a week. I'm not totally sure how long we were actually in the nightmare plane for. But yes i was back here pretty quickly, as that plane brought up some things... visions i guess, So my time in New Acarthia was cut short. I went back to Turom Falls, I decided it was time to face what ever that held for me."

He pauses, and takes another drink from his tankard. "I needed to return home, to face what had happened."
 
Cato steps out the door and hears his friends talking. He sits on the bench while enjoying the lunch and mead he brought from the Ogres Head.

Wow Jinn you went home. Good for you. I hope that went well.

Hello Rohnan.

Calan to answer your question I needed to check what rituals I have and reagents. I couldn't remember if I had the one I need. Unfortunately I don't so I'll have to try another method....

Sorry to interrupt.
 
"It did. I know all the worry I had was personal, but i wasn't ready to cross through the gates until that moment. It was nice to see the parents again, and the old home. I miss being there at times, life is alot simpler in the falls. I ended up spending at least a month or two there, just living."

Jinn puffs on his pipe again, the smoke slowly rising into the air. "I also returned to the far north to check up on the grand kids. Everyone is doing very well. It took me so long because I decided to walk everywhere, I needed to clear my head. I can't do that taking The Sanctums network of protals everywhere, sometimes you just need the fresh air and open sky. I used to walk everywhere, before I ended up with this lot anyway."
 
At the mention of the nightmare plane Calans ears perk up.
“the same plane we went to?”
 
She entered the house to grab a cup and came bac out again, taking a moment go re-settle down. “I thought about heading back home to the falls for a bit. I know that it’s only been maybe a bit longer than a year or so since I’ve been home, but most of that feels like a dream belonging to someone else” she poured some of the drink into her glass and looked at it instead of anyone else as she spoke. “Part of me is slightly convinced that the place isn’t real, that I made it up to get through tough times. But then,” she looked at Calan, “plans changed, and I felt wrong to just leave unexpectedly without notice.” She took a drink. “How is it there? Is it still ....” She struggled to find the right word, “safe?”
 
“Listen, I’m sorry, it’s not that I planned to disappear. Though it’s completely understandable given my history that people would make assumptions.” He savers a sip of the mead. “I was looking forward to the trip, I figured it was our best bet to finding a lead on Jinn.”
Calan gave a warm smile to Rohnan feeling some familiarity in her words now.
“I would agree though anything I recall from pre forgotten shard does feel like a dream. It’s part of why I wanted to go on that trip, to see if my family even really exists, or if it’s some muddled memory that belongs to someone else.”
 
“There you go! You’ve finally said it’s only been two months.” Rohnan glared at Calan.

“And Jinn, for future reference,” Rohnan start to pull things out of her pouch looking for something, “this isn’t how you tell people that you’re not going to be back for a few months” she pulled out the wilfully unsatisfactory note that accompanied the banners home months ago and handed it over.
 
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Jinn shakes his head. "No this was it the same as the nightmare realm we went to. This plane was able to actually absorb the entire city we were in for a few days before we even noticed. It had a few denizens that were fighting for control of the entire plane. It was a scary place for some, but nothing close to what we experienced in the realm of nightmares here."

As Rohnan walks back out if the house Jinn passes her to bottle to fill her cup.

"I can assure you that Turom Falls exists, and has existed for a very long time. I think returning could be good for you, maybe once you've gotten the extra stuff rattling around in your noggin a bit more figured out. I feel like there is more going on in there that you want us to know about, but that is your prerogative. I wish I knew more about you before all of that happened, I'd be able to tell you about surviving family and all that. But like I said to Calan, you were only on the lux for maybe a month before you and him went through the mists. The other problem with that is that you've seem to forgotten that sylvanborn are prone to leaving without notice at random times. Granted you've only know me for under a year, but I have never been tied down to one place. I've only lived this life for a handful of years, before I took up a sword I wandered for over a century. It's in my nature to leave, but I with always come back. As for Calan, oh if you only knew the man behind the mask before the magics swept through this land."

Jinn chuckles and points at Calan. "You on the other hand, I wouldn't go to the falls without someone who has actually been there before. Given that you've only been sylvanborn for maybe a year the guards won't know who you are."

Jinn takes a slow sip of his mead and leans back in his chair. "Well it is nice that you were going to look for me, makes a guy feel special."

He takes the note that Rohnan passes him and gives it a once over. He sits forward and let's out a huge laugh.

"Oh Balthazar, I should have assumed this would be what you send. These are my exact words I said to him when he offered to send the banners through the mists. Sadly he was the only choice I had, it was a strange time in New Acarthia. Many of the friendly faces I knew were not there. I must apologize, next time I will write the note myself. I just had alot going through my mind at that moment."

Jinn picks up the bottle, refilling his tankard. After a few moments hooks over at his housemates.

"Now that you two are at the point where you will admit that there are memories you have that aren't yours, and that you can't separate some from your own, I may have a solution for you."
 
“To me, the problem isn’t that people left, it was the not knowing. Not knowing if you” she pointed at Jinn “were ever coming back, or if you” she pointed at Calan “were even alive after disappearing so suddenly.” She sighed. “We started this whole clan thing to have each other’s back. But we can’t do that if we are disappearing off every other month. I can’t depend on either of you then.”

“Look I don’t know what it is that you had to deal with, I really don’t know enough about you too... actually, now that I think about it, you were gone for longer than I’ve known you. But I hope that you were able to sort some of it out. But I also hope that you know that if you came back here and asked, we would have had your back.”

At the mention on how to deal with the memories, Rohnan laughed “How do you think you can fix our memories issues?”
 
Jinn sighs. "I am back for good. I had to return to the falls for personal reasons, but that has been delt with. I promise you, unless it is under extreme duress I will let you know where I am going, and when I plan on returning. I realize I have become accustomed to answering to only myself, but if we are to have each other backs then I can not continue living that way."

Jinn leans back in his chair and takes a hard drink from his tankard, draining it. He wipes his mouth and refills it. His expression darkens as he pauses for a moment.

"Years ago, before I had even used a staff let alone a sword, I acted as somewhat of a guide for Turom Falls. I would take out the newest group of destined sylvanborn to show them life outside the falls for the first time. I would spend a few months with them and show them the small towns and villages they could find friends at while they learned about the outside world. About 8 years ago now I was out with a group and we were attacked by a necromancer. I was the only survivor."

Jinn pauses again, the hand holding his pipe trembling slightly.

"That was the day I became the Jinn you all know. For 8 years I let the Falls believe I had died with the others, blaming myself for what had happened. But after... things... happened in New Acarthia, I knew it was time to let go of that. I realized it wasn't my fault, but I also realized that 8 years have gone by and I am no closer to retribution today then I was 8 years ago."

He exhales slowly, wiping a tear from his cheek.

"It was there that I realized that given my position in the sanctum I might be able to find a clue somewhere that can lead me to my revenge. But that trip could only be done alone, however when the time comes I will ask for help ending that creature."

Jinn takes a moment and his expression softens and lightens up. His smile returns to his face.

"As for you two, luckily my late wife was the shaman of her tribe. She has dealt with things like this before. It will take me a few days at least to gather the proper ingredients, and the results can be rather... revealing..."
 
Rohnan listened to his tale, the idea of Jinn with a staff was almost comical, thinking of how well using two swords suited him. The rest of the story was heartbreaking. “I’m sorry Jinn I didn’t know.” She bit her lip as she tried to find something to say. The idea that something could happen that would make him leave and not come home for years. She wanted to go comfort him but felt that he would just push her away.

He wouldn’t have to ask for help dealing with this necromancer. Even without knowing the details she would be willing to help. She knew that her expression had probably turned hard and she blinked away the moisture that had started to build up in her eyes.

The sudden change in demeanour was enough to let her know to drop the subject for now. “Never trust a Tari-Nor who hesitates at the word ‘revealing’” she said to Calan, then turned back to Jinn “Your wife had experience with people losing the majority of their memories and then taking on thousands of new ones to honor those who were trapped in a time locked shard for thousands of years and died when we released it just so we could return home?”
 
Jinn you know I have your back to defeat this creature. I can't imagine how it must have felt dealing with that.

I remember when you first joined us and it's amazing to see how far you've come. Your leadership is so needed here as we continue the fight for the land.


Calan and Rohnan I haven't known you as long but if I can help you let me know.

Cato takes another drink of mead and leans back on the bench a little tipsy.....
 
"No one here knew, I've only spoken of that incident once before. Our deeds were being weighed by a dragon or something, i think only morrigan, evo, and mar were there. I may have threatened them to never speak of it again, as I do."

Jinn sits forward again and cracks his neck. "Well, not that exact problem. But it did help with problems of the mind, memories that don't belong, voices that may be creeping in from the darkness, it can help those who feel lost within their own minds."
 
Calan listens, trying hard not to think of his own past. He had the sudden urge to smoke a pipe. There was something about Jinns Presence at the moment that must have triggered it.

Calan squintedlooking at Rohnans shoulder.“well looks like you and jinn are sharing a wavelength, when and where did you get that done? I haven't been able to find a place to do anything like that in weeks.”
 
"I have a friend in the falls that did this for me. It took the better part of a day, and a few bottles of mead, but it was worth it."

Jinn looks Calan over "It would be fitting if you got one yourself."
 
“it would.” Calan takes a drink from his glass.
“I don’t like this quiet.” He pauses “makes my chest hurt.”
 
"It is strangely quiet around these parts. I have to imagine there were more than a few people gone over the winter, doing whatever it is that they do. There will come a time when you enjoy the quiet Calan, now that you have so much longer to live."
 
Rohnan thought back for a moment. “I got mine back..... just after you disappeared?” She shrugged as she looked at the raven skull she had tattooed onto her shoulder. “Some place in the city that I stumbled into one night after someone recommended that I go there. It turned out really well. I can probably point the place out to you if you are interested.”

“and yes it’s quiet, but knowing the lux it won’t stay this way for long. Apparently we’re missing an entire country right off the shard. I get the feeling that this will somehow be our problem before too long.”
 
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Jinn rolls his eyes. "Of course it will, right after we are done saving the entire shard by vanquishing the greater fae lords of the dark reaches, destroy the dragon mage al'zoon, and crush the vampire guy..." Jinn rubs his temples "We can hop right onto locating and fixing parts of the shard disappearing... We can all get some fishing poles and reel it right back where it belongs."
 
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