Karigan G'ladheon

Game Received: ?????'s uniform design game, Day 419, evening
Team Played With: n/a
Memory Form: a spool of thread in your team color! stitch something and wear the item of clothing to get the memory or tie a loop around your finger and tie the other end to someone else . . . it's versatile!



When Karigan and Telagioth returned to the world above, gentle summer night air wrapped around
them. The scents of fresh forest growth mingling with that of blood and viscera clung to the back of
Karigan's throat, leaving, an acrid taste she could not swallow away.
Soldiers called out to one another through the woods, and the chirruping of crickets rose and fell in
erratic waves. The startling beauty of silvery moonstones alight in the clearing and among the trees
revealed, once again, the carnage. It was too much of a sensory assault after the dank, cold silence
of the tomb. It unbalanced her, and Telagioth placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her.
Just then, soldiers approached, carrying a body in a makeshift stretcher made of two pikes and a
blanket. An arm swung lifelessly over the side with the motion. When they passed, Karigan saw it
was Lady-Governor Penburn they bore.

( within )

Game Received: Kiriko's questions (apples2apples?) game, Day 417, evening/night
Team Played With: n/a
Memory Form: a small, decorative box. Open it to receive the memory. Eight uses: if you give Kiriko delicious food, it becomes unlimited.

Game Received: Lorelei's music game, Day 407, afternoon
Team Played With: Peridot
Memory Form: a large flake of sun-dried red dulse. Eat it to receive the memory. One or two uses depending on how big a bite you take.



Karigan had not realized she'd fallen asleep in the big chair until she
awakened to find Miss Bunchberry gently shaking her wrist. "Supper, dear
child. Letitia has outdone herself."

Karigan stretched and yawned, and nearly walked out of the room with
the crystal cupped in her hand, before she remembered it and replaced it
on Professor Berry's table of oddities. Of all the objects in the library, the
crystal seemed to be a source of light and warmth, and possessed no
twisted qualities like the telescope. The silver light extinguished as her
fingers released it. The room grew dark and uninviting without its
radiance.

( continued within )

Game Received: Appearance Change game (anondress, male), Day 398, night to Day 399, all afternoon
Team Played With: n/a
Memory Form: a small compact mirror, completely silver and reflective on the outside—the inside is filled with water that cannot be poured out, and shows a distorted reflection. Indefinitely shareable.



Karigan stepped out into the overcast morning, leading The Horse down
the alley to the main street. The stableboy watched after them wistfully,
probably hoping for another copper. He deserved it, Karigan reflected.
The Horse gleamed despite the dullness of the day. She just could not
afford to dip into her reserves for more coins, but she had made a point of
praising the boy for his fine care.

The main street was still muddy. Townsfolk walked on wooden boards
lined in front of nearly every building and storefront, but the boards didn't
help if one had to cross the street or veer off course. Women held their
long skirts high, their faces in perpetual frowns as they trudged through
the slop. Karigan grimaced herself as her foot sucked in the mud. The
shine on The Horse's coat would not last long.

( continued within )

Game Received: Bucky's Heart game, Day 394, night
Team Played With: n/a
Memory Form: spiral-shaped starburst spun sugar



Karigan leaned in a darkened doorway, sucking in painful breaths. One
hand clutched the door frame, the other closed on the wound beneath her
ribs. It was not too deep, but it bled profusely and stung painfully.

Dim light glowed in an adjacent corridor, but she had to drop the
invisibility to preserve any energy she had left. The slash to her side was
not helping matters. She looked down, and in the darkness, discerned an
even darker stain spreading across the front of her shirt. Crimson oozed
between her fingers and pattered on the floor.

( continued beneath cut )

Game Received: Mira's going to the ball game, Day 383, night
Team Played With: Ao, Lavender, Robin, Maitimo
Memory Form: a small candy apple, 1 use.



Karigan sat immobilized, and it was some moments before she realized
Clatheas had left her to wander among other tables to offer the telling of
fortunes. More people trickled into the inn. A group sat in a tight cluster at
an adjacent table. Among them was a petite, titian-haired woman. When
she spoke, her eyes afire, all others leaned in closer to listen. Karigan
strained to hear, too.

( continued beneath the cut )

Game Received: Hades' dog raising game, Day 381, late morning
Team Played With: n/a (worked as a salesman)
Memory Form: golden rings, wear to view memory. After 3 views they disappear




Three wooden arms branched from a cedar signpost planted in a grassy
island in the middle of the intersection. From the south arm hung a shingle
indicating the River Road. More shingles, carved with the names of towns
along the way, hung beneath it. If Karigan were going home, she would
take this road.

The middle arm pointed to the well-maintained Kingway which bore
east, the most direct route to Sacor City and King Zachary. Her father had
said the Kingway would one day be paved all the way from Sacor City to
Selium, increasing commerce and prosperity for all the villages situated
along it.

The third arm pointed toward an ill-kept, overgrown track. The one
shingle hanging from it bore one ominous word: North.

( continued within )

Game Received: Persona's round-robin storytelling game, Day 375, midday
Team Played With: various (groups changed)
Memory Form: a simple gemstone in your team color, a little larger than a blueberry. Endlessly shareable, although the memory begins to fade in intensity with time.



Karigan approached the grand entrance to the ballroom from a walkway
that wound through the rose gardens of the east courtyard. The cloying
scent of red and pink blossoms almost overpowered the still night.
Luminiers flickered along the walkway with a festive radiance that might
have put her in a celebratory mood if not for the choking collar of her
Green Rider uniform. Once again, Captain Mapstone had seen her into the
formal uniform, this time with the addition of a gold sash about her waist.

( ...continued within )

Game Received: Eliza's Brother's scrap book game, Day 362, sunset
Team Played With: n/a (Knight game)
Memory Form: a page of the scrapbook, memory received when the page is torn out


Karigan G'ladheon awakened to the chitter of waxwings and chickadees.
Mourning doves cooed and jays defended their territories with raucous
song and fluttering wings. Above her, the sky opened up like an expansive
dusky canopy that winked with stars. The moon hung low in the west.

Karigan groaned. She lay at the edge of a fallow farmer's field, behind a
hedgerow, and her back wasn't taking it well.

She pushed damp hair away from her brow. Everything was wet with
dew and her clothes stuck to her like a cold and clammy second skin. She
remembered aloud why she was here.

( continued within... )

Karigan received her answer later that afternoon. The day dragged along
until The Horse froze in his tracks, his ears laid flat. He sidestepped
nervously and patches of sweat darkened his neck and flanks. Torne
hauled on the reins as if he could forcibly drag The Horse down the road.
When The Horse stayed anchored to his spot, Torne cursed and threatened
him.

( more within )