>>6074282“You're not trying hard enough!” Kalthos hisses, “Calamity is the force that runs contrary to the Natural Order, not unlike human will itself. Without Calamity, we would be no different to those puppets – merely acting out the roles written for us. Are you a man, or a puppet?”
“I am a man!”
“Then break your strings!” the old man urges, his voice trembling with exultation, “Write your own destiny!”
There are no words to describe the sensation of what happens next. It's like sinking your teeth into a cloud, ripping and tearing at the intangible barrier. Muscle and sinew ache as you shred the barrier apart, drawing upon the corrosive power that lies at the bottom of that deep, dark place within yourself. One moment the barrier is there, and then you're stumbling forwards through empty space.
“Yes!” Kalthos crows, “That's it, lad, that's it!”
Opening your eyes, you realise that he's right. Though by all rights you lack the means to pass through the seal, you've somehow managed to pierce it.
[Calamity can now be added to attunement levels in order to open seals. For example, Insight attunement 2 and Calamity attunement 2 will give an effective Insight attunement level of 4.]
While your mind still whirls with questions, you set them aside for now as you look around the newly unsealed room. It's a dead end as well, although it's not empty. A simple podium stands in the middle of the room, while a hole in the ceiling allows a beam of impossible moonlight to pour down and bath the podium in silver light. Something sparkles in the moonlight, and you cautiously pick it up. Cool to the touch, it almost looks like a shard of malformed glass.
“What is this?” you ask, holding up the shard, “How did it get here?”
“Flotsam and jetsam,” Kalthos answers with a shrug, “All manner of strange things wash up in the Demesne's hidden places. Sometimes garbage, sometimes useful trinkets. If you're anything like your father, I expect that you'll want to gather up as many of them as you can.”
“I'm not anything like-” you automatically reply, only to bite back the rest of your words. Here you are, walking in your father's footsteps and taking counsel from his teacher. Maybe you're more alike than you'd prefer to admit.
>I'm going to pause things here for today. I'm sorry for the shorter run, but I'm feeling pretty wiped out – I'd prefer to take some extra time to plan ahead and pick up next Saturday>Thanks for reading today, and I'll be back in action soon 