EVENT: Marith and Darius talk about the Dragonmount eruption. Later, 
Marith tells Nontil that they will be leaving for Tar Valon.
DATE: January 25, 1999
LOGGER: Marith

Small Copse: Forest, Stedding Maotai
	The first thing noticed when entering the copse is the oddly placed well 
sitting right in the middle. The next odd thing that might be discovered are 
the tiny windows placed within several of the mounds, looking down in what 
seems to be some living area. Great Trees, beech, apple and many others, appear 
to surround the area, offering protection against the dangers of the forest.
	Smells of baking bread, vegetables and other delicious foods appear to 
perfume the air, coming from the grassy hills, as Ogier prepare their midday 
meal. High above the sky the sun floats over the copse, it's rays beaming down 
brightly. Everything seems at peace and restful as spring arrives, bringing 
with it a sense of happiness and rebirth. Mounds of flowers and grasses appear 
on top of the small hills covering them with a colorful myriad of perfumed 
wildflowers. A well, worn path leads toward the south, heading in the direction 
of what seems to be a forest clearing.
                                                      
Contents:
Darius
Nita

Nita walks in as well, coming from her home down from the hills. Bright eyes 
scan around as she hums a silent song, joyoussounding for once.

Darius walks into the clearing, glancing about with idle curiousity at the 
Ogier.

A door opens and reveals the Eldest. Marith carefully makes her way from her 
home and into the small copse, pulling a light shawl about her shoulders to 
ward off the chill spring air as she does.

Nita smiles as she comes up towards the Eldest, dropping into a curtsey. 
"Eldest. Peace be with you this day." She also smiles, giving a small wave in 
greeting to Darius.

Darius nods to Nita, and falls back a little ways from Marith, gazing up with 
fairly expectant eyes.

Marith inclines her head in an almost regal manner to Nita, a small smile 
coming to the Eldest's features, "Light bless you, Nita." Her voice rumbles 
quietly, though still loud by human standards. Her eyes then move to Darius and 
nods to him, "Master Darius."

Darius bows to Marith. "Good day, Eldest. I am wondering, may I speak with 
you?"

Marith turns her attention more fully on Darius at his question, her ears 
perking a bit in curiousity. After a few moments of regard the Eldest nods her 
head, wizzened eyes remaining on the youngman, "You may, Master Darius."

Nita's eyes twitch with pleasure at the Eldest greeting, a honor to her ears. 
Echoing the greeting to Darius, she moves on a bit, singing gently (for an 
ogier) to herself.

Darius pauses, gathering his thoughts. "Eldest... I assume you heard about what 
happened at Dragonmount a few months back."

Marith's ears twitch silently and her eyes take on a saddened forebearance, 
"Indeed, I have Master Darius. We of the Ogier are most saddened and 
disheartened to hear so many people were claimed by the liquid fires of the 
mount." Her brow furrows and her ears twitch once more, "So much so that we are 
leaving a little later this month to go aid in the repairs to the city.

Darius nods. "Perhaps I will go back with you... in any case, did you hear of 
the more... unusall event that occured during the eruption?" Never mind that 
the eruption itself was most odd, as Dragonmount had never done that before...

Marith gives Darius a rather quizzical look, "We had not heard anything other 
than the fact that it exploded,a nd that information alone just barely arrived 
before the Tuatha'an. We do not hear much about worldly events, Master Darius, 
though I mean to change that... as much as some dislike change."

Darius hrms, his voice dropping a notch in volume. He mutters to Marith, "... 
the... anicent... of... but... was clearly seen."  He pauses. "An Ogier who was 
visiting the Tower told me you have reason to suspect a second Breaking is 
coming. Could you tell me why?"

You sense Darius hrms, his voice dropping a notch in volume. "Well, in the 
smoke from the eruption, the anicent symbol of the Aes Sedai appeared. For just 
a moment, but it was clearly seen." He pauses. "An Ogier who was visiting the 
Tower told me you have reason to suspect a second Breaking is coming. Could you 
tell me why?"

Nita takes a seat under a tree, eyes closed and singing that lilting hymn of 
thanks to Nature. Her voice truly is thrilling, exhubant now after being still 
so long, only now released again.

Marith quirks a brow at Darius, "Unfortunately I can not. Perhaps he was not 
from our Stedding, for we have no reason to believe such a thing, and if it 
were true it we'd probably be acting as hasty as you humans." She gives Darius 
an apologetic look as she mentions human hasitness, something they try to avoid 
doing. "We've lost so much during the first breaking... another would most 
likely destroy our race."

Darius sighs. "Ah well. And your right. Another breaking would be a disaster."

Marith's ears twitch once more, "But you are obviously worried enough to come 
here to question things. Have there been other signs, other than the Mount 
erupting and the strange symbol, to think that this would be upon us?"

Darius rubs his chin. "Not definite signs... how well do you know the 
prophecies?"

"Myself, personally?" The Eldest shakes her head, "Not very I am afraid." She 
seems to consider the words, "There are Elders that might know them, or a some 
scholars in the stedding.)

Darius nods. "Well, there is a passage... sort of a pair of passages, actually. 
They... could refer to the Rebirth."

Marith nods her head slowly, ears twitching more furiously now, "Are there 
others in Tar Valon that share your views?"

Darius nods slightly. "Some. I don't know how many, exactly. A group of Sedai 
and students were going to the Mount itself to investigate."

The Eldest's ears stop twitching and her eyes fall upon Darius in a curious 
manner, "I don't suppose that you've heard anything discovered?"

Darius shakes his head. "I left for the stedding shortly before they were to 
leave for the mountain."

Darius doesn't sound particuarlly apologetic. Or much. "However, the records 
don't show that Dragonmount has ever erupted before. And, given the prophecies, 
it could mean that the Dragon has simply done *something*. Something important, 
something that heralds his return. Hopefully, I'm wrong."

Marith appears to frown faintly, nodding her head a bit as she, "I, as well, 
hope you are wrong, Master Darius." Her ears start to fret once more, "If you 
wish to travel back to the city with us, you are most welcome to do so."

Darius nods slowly. "Yes... I think I will do that." he says slowly.

"In the meantime, you are welcome to enjoy the Stedding and to talk to any 
Ogier you see about the topic. You'd be surprised how many of the younger ones 
take to the historical value of things." Marith responds, attempting to calm 
any nervousness that this new realization has brung about.

Darius nods again. "Thank you. I may do that." he says to himself, already lost 
in his thoughts.

Marith nods her head briefly at the man before her, then a small smile touches 
her lips, "Did you enjoy our given feast the other night, despite," briefly a 
frown comes to her features, "the unexpected unpleasantries?" She is, no doubt, 
speaking of the young man caught marring one of the great trees with 
knifemarks.

Darius nods. "It was very nice. And the Singing was trully... remarkable." He 
pauses for a bit. "I've heard of Treesinging before, but never actually seen it 
performed."

A look of pride enters Marith's eyes, then her gaze falls on Nita. "We are 
especially proud of the treesinging. It is an honor to have found the ability 
in one of our own residents. It is so far gone and nearly lost to us that any 
that we gain is always a blessing of the Creator."

Darius hrms. "Odd... the talent of Treesinging is fading out as well?"

Ears twitch slightly at Darius's words, "Treesinging has been fading since the 
Breaking, as far as I remember." Marith's ears wilt a bit, "I could be 
remembering wrong, however, but yes.. all in all it is a dwindling talent 
amongst the Ogier."

"Interesting..." Darius says aloud. "Very interesting indeed."

"Why is that interesting Master Darius?" Marith's brow knits together.

Darius blinks. "What? Well, the ability to channel has been in decline as well, 
as far as I can tell. I had thought it was perhaps due to taking out of so many 
of the male channelers from the general population. But perhaps not."

Marith ahs slightly, "We do not get involved in Aes Sedai business. However I 
can assure you, Master Darius, that male channelers have nothing to do with our 
own mysterious decline." Her eyes seem to smile slightly with amusement.

Darius nods. "Exactly. I mean... it should be similar to culling a herd of 
sheep or cattle or horses. Desirable traits becoming more common and 
pronounced, while undesirable traits begin to vanish."

Marith furrows her brow slightlyy at the other man's words, though wisely nods, 
"We've done as much with some of our livestock, but not over much. However that 
is not the case with the Treesinging. We're in no danger of channelers in the 
Stedding, nor amongst our people. Ogier can not channel. I am certain there are 
those amongst us who are quite interested to know why our old abilities are 
fading away, but each is as stumped as the next person."

Darius nods. "That's my point, don't you see. In humanity, the trait of 
channeling become 'undesirable', after a fashion, and so the ability dwindles. 
However, Treesinging is a good trait. It should be intensified."

"Your theory would work, in good concience, Master Darius, were we humans and 
not Ogier. However, we are not humans, nor close for that matter." Marith 
responds carefully.

Darius takes a deep breath. "Eldest, I'm not drawing a connection between the 
Power and Treesinging. I'm comparing the two, as they are both rare and fading 
abilities in our respective people."

AFTER SOME TIME HAS PASSED...

Small Copse: Forest, Stedding Maotai
	The first thing noticed when entering the copse is the oddly placed well 
sitting right in the middle. The next odd thing that might be discovered are 
the tiny windows placed within several of the mounds, looking down in what 
seems to be some living area. Great Trees, beech, apple and many others, appear 
to surround the area, offering protection against the dangers of the forest.
	The sky seems ablaze with a myriad of soft pastel hues, giving the sun a 
majestic farewell as it sinks below the treeline. As day changes into evening, 
several Ogier can be seen lighting lanterns along the path back to the 
clearing. Everything seems at peace and restful as spring arrives, bringing 
with it a sense of happiness and rebirth. Mounds of flowers and grasses appear 
on top of the small hills covering them with a colorful myriad of perfumed 
wildflowers. A well, worn path leads toward the south, heading in the direction 
of what seems to be a forest clearing.
                                                      
Contents:
Nontil

The door opens and there stands Eldest Marith looking to see who's knocking on 
her door.

Nontil bows slightly and smiles happily when he sees Eldest Marith. "Greetings 
Eldest Marith. I am ogier Nontil from stedding Shangti. I have heard of your 
upcoming trip to Tar Valon, and wish to accompany you."

Tufted brows raise delicately on this elderly Ogier's features. Marith nods her 
head in a somewhat regal manner, denoting her position to the younger Ogier - 
younger in comparison to herself, "Welcome to Stedding Maotai, Nontil. Your 
name sings in my ears." She greets formally, ever curious eyes regarding the 
other man, "That news has gone out so quickly surprises me but we will not turn 
away those that wish to help. You know, then, the reason why we go to Tar 
Valon?"

Nontil nods solemnly. "Yes, Eldest. I have heard of the Fire from Dragon Mount 
that caused the damage. The work in Tar Valon is among the ogier's finest, and 
I wish to restore it."

Nontil pats his pocketed chisels affectionetly.

The Eldest's lips upturn slightly into a small smile. She bows her head in a 
gracious manner, "Then your help is welcomed, Nontil, and greatly appreciated. 
I am certain that High Councillor Alderic will also be relieved to hear he has 
another wishing to aid his cause. His missive seemed quite worried."

Nontil bushy eyebrows raise at the comment. "Worried? Is the damage that 
terrible?"

Marith gives pause to Nontil's words, "Alindaer village was entirely destroyed, 
if the missive I received was complete truth." The Eldest's earts wilt 
slightly, as always, when she speaks that news, "Alindaer is one of a few 
villages found about the city, and there's literally hundreds, if not 
thousands, of people that live within the village."

Nontil's eyebrows droop as he listens to the news. "The whole village 
destroyed? Where are the people staying? Thousands of people without homes? 
Hmmm." Nontil scratches his head thoughtfully, hen pats his chisels again 
absent-mindedly. 

"I am assuming they are staying within the city somewhere, or they have 
temporary shelters. High Councillor Alderic did not go into those exact 
details." Marith responds smoothly, folding her hands before her.

Nontil's brow furrows. "Well then, when shall we be heading out? It has been 
some time since I have worked more than bowls and statues." He glances off in 
the general direction of Tar Valon. "Will many be joining us on the journey?"

"Quite a few Ogier from the stedding are going to Tar Valon. My last count was 
somewhere around the thirties. Many wish to join our cause, or simply wish to 
see the city for it's fine work, since not many from this particular Stedding 
travel anywhere except to other Stedding." The Eldest responds to Nontil, 
shifting her weight upon her feet slightly as she does so.

Nontil looks at the elder with surprise. "In the thirties? I had not expected 
near so many from such a small stedding. You must be proud that so many would 
join this cause."

Nontil looks over one of the nearby trees and pats it fondly. He seems sadend 
by what he sees. "I don't suppose that in a stedding of this size that you have 
any treesingers."

Marith quirks a brow gently at Nontil, "Maotai is not as small as you think. On 
the surface there many not be all that many here, however there's thousands of 
Ogier in each of the Stedding, and the same holds true here." There's a twinkle 
within her eyes, "You just need to look over the next mound to find an Ogier 
home."

Marith quirks a brow at Nontil, "We've two, actually. Nita and Hondar. We 
discovered them the other evening when a man had viciously carved into one of 
our trees."

Nontil starts. "Two? That's incredible! In Shangti we have only four." Nontill 
looks about the stedding with an appreciative eye. "Perhaps Maotai will hold 
even more surprises. Even with thousands of ogier, it is rare to find so many 
willing to leave at once.....And two treesingers!"He chuckles in a rumbling 
manner.

Marith nods her head slightly, "Well, this Stedding harbors change. I am 
attempting to undo a little of what Eldest Kamala did, Light rest her soul, 
when she was Eldest. She had a strict hand on people leaving, but it is my 
belief that we are too holed away from the world. There could be another 
Breaking upon us and we would not even know until it is too late."

Nontil flinches at the choice of words at the end, but seems otherwise pleased 
with what he hears. "Yes, the ogier should at least know of the world around 
them. It has been fifty years since I left stedding Shangti last to do stone 
work among the humans. Of late I have grown bored and wish to do so again."

Marith inclines her head gently, a small smile touching Marith's features, "I 
hope you enjoy the trip then, Nontil." She responds in a quiet rumble, "Do you 
plan on staying in Maotai after the trip?

Nontil studies the trees about him and remains silent for sever long moments. 
"We shall see, we shall see. Maybe it would do me good to live in a new home 
after all these years. I shall go on this trip and get to know the ogier that 
live here. Perhaps then I might choose to stay."

Marith bows her head respectfully to Nontil, "And should you not, we will honor 
that decision. As the Trees know, you are mature enough to make such decisions 
yourself."

Nontil smiles slightly and a gleam touches his eyes as he chuckles once more. 
"Yes Eldest, of all things I am old enough indeed. Sometimes I think perhaps 
too old."

Marith snorts slightly at that, though in a humorous fashion. "You are not old 
until they try to place the postiion of Eldest upon your shoulders."

Nontil smiles in a mischevious fasion. "That isn't likely to happen. My peers 
have never relied to keenly on my judgement in the past. I have a habit of 
occasionly going against what is accepted to be true.

Marith's brow quirks at that statement, "Indeed...?" She inquires lightly.

Nontil runs a thick hand over his pocketed chisels. "I used to be a very fine 
stonemason you know, but that was before I aged and the younger ogier learned 
to work the stone as well as I, with the vitality of youth.

Nontil says "When do we plan on leaving for Tar Valon?"

"A little later in the month... not far off." Marith answers, humour lines 
touching her features, "Are we that eager to go to the city?"

Nontil seems embarresed. "Well,.....Actually yes. It has been long and I wish 
to work the stone again."

Nontil stretches and yawns mightily. "Might I ask you where I could stay on my 
visit here? My journey has been a long one and I wish to sit."

Marith nods her head toward the Guest House, "There are rooms in the Guest 
House that you can use." She speaks to Nontil, hands folded before her, as she 
stands before her home.

Nontil bows deeply to Eldest Marith as he speaks. "My thanks eldest. You are 
most kind. Hopefully I shall see you again soon. Until then."

Nontil turns heavily and makes his way to the Guest House.

Nontil walks into the guest house.