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| Details |
| Author: | Alli |
| Summary: | Atley, Almeiria, Brannagen, Gwenivene, Lena, and Shun meet up with Lorewalker Cho at his home for an afternoon of tea and stories. ~5k words |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
In the little domestic compound of Lorewalker Cho, beyond the crocolisk-infested lake, the Lorewalker himself sits peacefully by his tiger companion, waiting to greet his expected guests.
Brannagen is already there seated near one of his favorite pandaren, journal/sketchbook open. He's wearing a wide-brimmed hat that shades the pages as he sketches the area.
Atley marches into the courtyard of the Dreamer's Pavilion as the rain pitter-patters off his armor. He glances around with a small, thoughtful frown.
Lena arrives and steps into the compound with a faint smile. There is no sign that she's in any way armed, but she seems to have come through the crocolisks without a scratch.
Shun quietly makes his way up the steps.
Atley marches up and over to Lorewalker Cho and performs a short bow. "Hullo', Lorewalker."
Gwen arrives at Dreamer's Pavilion, fully attired like the locals. "Golly, I love these hats. They do a fantastic job of keeping the rain off!"
Shun grunts a greeting at everyone.
Lorewalker Cho beams. "Hello Sir Atley, and all of my Alliance friends. I am so glad to see you today! I have been hoping to have a chance for your people and mine to get to know one another better.”
"As have we," Atley says. "Ought to be some new faces here, and some old," Atley explains, giving everyone a nod.
Bran beams a crescent-eyed smile at the Lorewalker.
Gwen beams a smile at Shun, waving enthusiastically, even though he's just an arm's reach from her.
"Yes, some of you I know, and some of you I am about to meet," Lorewalker Cho says, looking over the group. "Let us settle with some tea, and you may introduce yourselves."
Atley moves to stiffly take a seat, removing his helmet once he steps inside. "You do look properly native, Gwen," he notes wryly.
Gwen grins at Atley. "Their clothes are so comfy! And they've been so kind about tailoring them for our sizes."
"Mm, yes," Lena says, smoothing the front of her own silken dress. "I love the feel of the fabrics."
"Fit the terrain, mm?" Atley grunts.
"Prospector Brannagen Stillwall!" Bran says, already settled with tea (the teacup is sitting beside his knee where he sits cross-legged). "Sort of a priest, sort of a monk, very much an explorer!"
Lorewalker nods and pours Bran a little ceramic glass of hot tea. "We pandaren tend to prefer hearth and home, but I think you and I share an enthusiasm for exploring knowledge."
"Oh fer sure!" Bran says enthusiastically. "There's lots of explorin' tha' can be done without leavin' a library."
"Just so," Lorewalker Cho smiles at Bran. "Sometimes, I even find myself venturing out into the wilderness in search of knowledge."
Shun settles down, putting his back to the wall. "Shun Kuroda."
The Lorewalker pours a cup of tea for Shun. "I see you wear a mask. You may know that masks are traditional in a number of areas of pandaren culture."
Shun nods as he takes his cup, "I have not seen too many of the local masks yet."
Atley quietly removes his gauntlets, unclasping them before clipping them to his belt.
"I'm Lena Shine," Lena says, sitting politely. "You might've met my husband, goes by Shine. I work with the fleet, off the coast."
"Ahh," Lorewalker Cho hands Lena a cup of tea. "You may have more in common with our Wandering Isle kin, who enjoy traveling through the sea on the back of Shen-zin Su."
Lena hums in quiet assent, as she raises the cup to smell the scent of the steam.
"I knew a lass from Shen-Zin Su…" Bran says wistfully, then sips his tea.
Gwen grins at Bran. "That sounded like the beginning of a poem."
"It was," Bran says, equally wistfully.
Gwen offers a proper bow (she's gotten pretty good at it). "I am Gwenivene Whittle, telemancer of the Kirin Tor. I'm very pleased to meet you."
"Oh, my, now that sounds as though you have a lot of experience seeking knowledge," Lorewalker Cho says, handing Gwen a cup of tea. "I would love to speak with you more about your Kirin Tor someday."
Gwen nods enthusiastically to Cho. "I live for knowledge! I'd love to speak with you more as well."
Bran beams at Gwen.
"I know you'd receive a royal welcome in Stormwind, Loremaster. Ironforge, the jewel of Khaz Modan, home of the dwarf lords, has a properly sized library open to the curious," Atley explains.
Lorewalker Cho turns to Atley with bright eyes. "Perhaps one day I will take you up on that! For now, so much of Pandaria's past is still shrouded in mystery, even to me. I must see to my duties here." Then Lorewalker Cho prepares another cup of tea, and offers it to the woman encased in shadows. "And who might you be, if I may ask?"
Atley inclines his head to Lorewalker Cho and looks to Almeiria as he sips his tea.
"You can ask," Almeiria says, taking the offered tea and staring into it.
Gwen leans over and whispers, "He did…", trying to be helpful.
Atley's brow knits. "This is Almeiria Fey. She is a member of Cobalt Company," he states patiently.
"Ah, a woman who values mystery," Lorewalker Cho says calmly, pouring himself a cup of tea. "I, also, love a good mystery, though I admit I mostly enjoy solving them."
Atley grunts and sips more tea.
Almeiria turns her stare onto the Lorewalker. Wow, this guy is smooth.
“On that note, let me tell you a little about what it means to be a Lorewalker. The Lorewalkers are a kind of historian for our people,” Lorewalker Cho says, sipping his tea. “Knowledge is my armor, and I carry a quill in place of a sword.”
Atley shifts his attention back to Lorewalker Cho.
[Shun]:"Why not both?"
Bran gets his journal ready, turning to a new page and getting out a different pen. He removes the cap with his teeth and replaces it on the butt end of the pen, also with his teeth. Ah so that's how he gets ink in his beard.
"No one can be a master of everything, Shun," Lorewalker Cho says mildly. "And the search for knowledge requires considerable time and study. While that often means time in a library, it is not only that. Our sworn duty is to rediscover our history. This demands a tireless search for ancient clues, and the wisdom to interpret them.”
"Have you studied in the hand-to-hand martial arts of the monks, Lorewalker?" Atley asks.
Lena sits quietly, sipping her tea, as she listens with close attention.
Bran draws little paw prints around the edges of the blank new page spread of his journal.
"Not much, my friend Atley," Lorewalker Cho says with a smile. "I do my best to make friends where I go, and if there is unavoidable danger, some of those friends have impressive skill in arms. Such as yourself!"
Atley grunts and takes another small sip.
"In any case, the search for knowledge is not the only charge for a Lorewalker," Cho says. "We also pass information along to others. For instance, when my people are embroiled in a divisive argument, they often call for a Lorewalker."
Shun grunts as well.
Atley lifts a brow.
"We listen to both sides and then tell a story that challenges their opinions," Lorewalker Cho explains.
"Oh my gosh, I love that." Gwen perks up.
Bran looks a little starry-eyed.
"Arbitrators, then," Atley says commendingly.
"How do you challenge the opinion of a liar?" Almeiria asks, leaving her tea alone for now.
Lorewalker Cho smiles at Gwen, and nods to Atley. "I am sure that is not unique to us – every race has stories that are told and retold. We enjoy them because they have simple answers that help us find the hard ones." Then he looks to Almeiria curiously. "Do you mean, do I have a way of ensuring truth in the people I advise? I suppose one might lie about their opinion, and in doing so, they will limit my ability to help them to see the truth."
"I've not found the pandaren, on the whole, ta be deceitful folk," Brannagen says. "There's nothin' fer them to lose by honesty, so they dinna bother with the trouble of a lie, mostly."
"And I bet there are some good stories to demonstrate the folly of a lie," Gwen chimes in.
"Oh aye, dwarves have those!" Bran says with a chuckle.
Lorewalker Cho nods to Bran agreeably, and then to Gwen. "Yes, indeed."
Atley grunts.
"What kinds of stories do you usually tell?" Lena asks, lowering her tea. "Maybe that'll give us a sense of how it goes."
Lorewalker Cho brightens, lowering his cup of tea. "Would you like to hear a pandaren story or two?"
"Aye!" Bran says enthusiastically.
Atley nods slowly, and glances at Bran.
Shun nods.
Gwen nearly vibrates herself out of existence. "Yes, please!"
“For an example, let me speak of the hozen and the jinyu,” Lorewalker Cho says with a gentle smile. “They have both been around since the time of the mogu, over ten thousand years ago.”
Atley knits his brow attentively.
“In fact, just the other day, I was studying a stone that told of a hozen warlord from 2500 years ago,” Lorewalker Cho smiles. “Their people are short-lived and their elders are in their twenties, but they still have a long and rich history.”
On the left-hand page, Bran sketches a hozen and a jinyu with a few deft lines, then begins to take notes.
Shun takes another sip of tea.
Lena does as well, still watching Cho carefully.
“Unfortunately, so much of hozen history involves conflict, especially with the jinyu,” Lorewalker Cho says. “There is a story I tell, for all of those who continue to find reasons to fight their enemies. It is called ‘Di Chen and the Desert’.”
Atley takes another small sip.
"Are there deserts in Pandaria?" Almeiria interrupts.
"There are…" Lorewalker Cho considers. "Perhaps nothing on the scale of what I have heard of some of your lands. But there are arid zones and sand." Lorewalker Cho looks around for more questions, and then takes a sip of tea and prepares to tell the story.
"Proud Di Chen was the finest fighter of his time," Lorewalker Cho says. "No monk could best him. He slapped arrows out of the air with ease. Mountains were slight inconveniences that could be leapt over or kicked through.”
"You are telling me one of those monkey creatures could kick through a mountain?" Almeiria asks.
Bran sketches a hozen slapping an arrow out of the air.
Lorewalker Cho looks at Almeiria with a smile. "Perhaps you have not met such a person yet."
Shun raises a brow.
"Clearly not," says Almeiria, but she leaves it at that.
"In any case, Di Chen was bored out of his mind,” Lorewalker Cho says with a chuckle. “In desperation, Di Chen asked the desert witch Lui Ka for a true challenge.”
Atley slowly shifts his gaze from Almeiria to Cho.
Gwen leans in, eyes wide. A desert witch!
"So… he fought the witch?" Lena asks.
"Not exactly. Amused by his arrogance, the witch gave him his wish: he would fight the desert itself. Each grain of sand became a fierce warrior intent on Di Chen's death," Lorewalker Cho says.
Bran laughs delightedly.
Shun furrows his brow at this.
"The battle would end only when Di Chen admitted that there were some challenges too difficult even for him," Lorewalker Cho says. “That can be difficult for many people, wouldn’t you agree?”
Bran nods, still chuckling.
"Yes, and now you will tell us you no longer have a desert because the sand 'walked away,' in the process of chasing a hozen," Almeiria says.
"Not at all. It is said that he battles on to this day," Lorewalker Cho says. "Because there are always reasons to fight. The trick is knowing when to stop."
Bran makes some notes in his neat, almost mechanized-looking dwarven script.
Shun deadpans a bit.
"But hozen only live…" Almeiria shakes her head. "This is… a metaphor of some sort."
Lena stares at Cho for a moment, and then she nods, taking a sip of her tea.
"Story characters live as long as we need 'em to," Bran says amiably.
Atley sets his jaw and slowly lowers his teacup.
"Of course," Lorewalker Cho says, smiling at Almeiria like she's a student who just made him proud. "A story does not need to be literal, and simple is better. That is why we love them. They have simple answers that help us find the hard ones."
Atley grunts.
"Real life has so many complications," Lorewalker Cho adds, "It can make it difficult to see through to the heart of things."
Almeiria sighs. "Very well, Lorewalker."
"I see the wisdom in it," Atley says with a brief nod.
Bran continues to say very little and take a lot of notes.
"One might consider the value of not doing something as much as doing it," Lena says, looking down at her tea.
Bran does not, perhaps wisely, attempt to sketch grains of sand turning into an army.
"Perhaps you will like my next story," Lorewalker Cho says, taking another sip of tea. "It has less in the way of physical impossibilities. Would you like another story?"
"Please," Bran says warmly.
Atley inclines his head. "Have you got more tea, also?" he asks, raising his cup.
"Oh, certainly," Lorewalker Cho says, raising his pot and leaning over to pour another cupful.
Atley mutters a brief 'cheers' as his tea is refilled.
Bran has been too busy sketching and writing to make much progress on his own tea.
"Just to prepare myself, is this one also fiction?" Almeiria asks.
Atley leans forward to accept it. "Fable or not, you'll listen with respect. We are guests."
Shun grunts and takes another sip.
As he settles back, he looks to Almeiria. "Is there a reason that is important? Some stories are fully true, some are based on a kernel of truth, and some are intended to illuminate truths, though they are fanciful themselves."
Gwen ponders, "So, in that sense, all stories have truth to them."
"Sometimes stories we think are myths turn out ta be darn near literal," Bran muses. "Like the Titans."
Atley grunts.
Lorewalker Cho smiles at Gwen. "Exactly." Then he turns to Bran. "The Titans — now that is a story I would like to hear more of, at some point."
"I was so sure I knew what it was all an analogy for - it's hard ta learn, sometimes, when ye already know it all." Bran chuckles and winks, then settles back in to listen.
“For the moment, let us consider fear,” Lorewalker Cho says. “Your people have encountered the saurok, have you not? They were victims of the ancient mogu empire, as we were.”
Atley grunts and nods.
Almeiria bites back a comment.
Bran nods, frowning a bit. Ugh, saurok, his expression says quietly.
“One would think we could be allies, but they have proven impossible to negotiate with,” Lorewalker Cho sighs sadly. “Let me tell my next story to illuminate my perspective. It is called ‘The Maze of Mad Emperor Ku.”
"Emperor Ku," says Lorewalker Cho, "was ruled by his fears. He believed that the mogu would return.”
Atley rests his forearms on his knees.
“Through the haze of his paranoia, he saw treachery behind every smile, a scheme behind every vow of devotion, and cunning traps in the calm prophecies of the jinyu waterspeakers,” Lorewalker Cho says.
Shun lifts his head.
Bran sketches a small jinyu, with a huge exaggerated mogu visage looming over him.
"And so, he had a maze built beneath his palace, with a safe room at the center,” Lorewalker continues, gesturing to help imagination. “The next time his fear gripped him, Ku fled for it, shut the door, and waited for the terror to subside.”
“It never did,” Lorewalker Cho says solemnly. “The maze had been so cleverly constructed that the emperor had forgotten the way out."
Bran solemnly sketches a maze at the bottom of the page.
"Search parties sometimes heard him calling," continues Lorewalker Cho. "But years passed. Occasionally, an explorer went into the maze and ran out screaming, wild with terror, for Ku's time in the dark had twisted him into something appalling to behold"
Atley furrows his brow and leans in. "A Sha?"
Bran shivers slightly as he sketches.
Almeiria is silent, almost as if she is attempting to calculate the lesson in the story.
Lorewalker Cho tilts his head, considering the sha theory. Then he holds up a finger from one paw. "Until one day, a pandaren cub named Li Tao chased his tanuki pup into the maze. He soon realized he was being followed."
"That's so spooky," Gwen shudders.
Shun tilts his head.
"Even though he was too frightened to look, little Li Tao still understood that here was someone even more frightened than he was. So he reached back…" Lorewalker reaches out his paw. "… and led poor Emperor Ku out of the maze."
Atley straightens up.
Bran blinks a couple of times, and then lowers his head to hide his expression, taking notes.
Lorewalker Cho pauses, looking around to see if anyone has interpretations for the story.
"I've got a friend like that," Bran says quietly. "Thank the Titans."
"Fear can become a trap," Atley posits.
"That it can," Lorewalker Cho says softly. Then he adds, "Fear and paranoia make monsters of our enemies. Someone has to reach out first."
Atley grunts and seems to ponder something for a moment, studying Lorewalker Cho, before he takes another sip.
"I know this story, Lorewalker," Almeiria says quietly. "They are different words, but the same story in the end."
Lorewalker Cho smiles gently at her. "I would love to hear your story as well."
Bran sketches a little pandaren cub leading a distorted jinyu-like monster by the hand. The cub has a single long, dark braid.
Lena leans a little to look curiously at Bran's sketches.
"Some other time, perhaps," Almeiria says. "The story is deeply personal, and we have only just met."
Atley shifts his gaze to briefly analyze Almeiria, this time without any obvious signs of irritation, and looks back to Lorewalker Cho.
"Ah," Lorewalker Cho says, nodding his head. "I will be happy to hear any stories any of you would like to tell, and I will not press for those you are not ready to."
“To relate to what I was speaking of before, that is why our hand is always extended to the saurok,” Lorewalker Cho says. “Though they have not taken it yet, we still fight them only as a last resort."
Bran sighs in resignation, nodding.
Gwen sighs with a soft smile. "That's really beautiful."
Atley grunts and nods slowly.
"Well, I've gone on quite a bit about the people of Pandaria," Lorewalker Cho smiles. "I fear Lorewalkers can be prone to being long-winded. Let's talk about your people! Do you have anyone much like the Lorewalkers? What things do your people value?"
Atley raises his free hand and points at Brannagen. "You might say this one is something of an Alliance Lorewalker."
Bran scoffs, coloring slightly.
Lorewalker Cho smiles at Bran. "I might have guessed, with the note-taking and the sketches. I hope that if you uncover interesting new stories here in Pandaria, you will share them with me."
"I hope it's all right if I share them with the whole Alliance," Bran says with a warm smile.
"Of course," Lorewalker Cho says. "Our stories are made to be shared."
Bran beams. "I'm no more a Lorewalker than anyone in the Explorer's League," he says, "but I've a keen interest in your people in particular, and I feel your wisdom has been hidden away from the rest o' the world too long."
"I know of the histories of my own people. Before all else, humanity was a warrior race. Fierce, stalwart. We valued honor and sacrifice," Atley says.
"Then I am pleased you are here to help share it!" Lorewalker Cho says, and then turns to Atley appreciatively. "A lineage of great warriors… you are right to be proud of your heritage. What of the dwarves? Or is that to do with the Titans?"
"The dwarves have their own noble history," Atley explains, nodding Bran on.
"Aye, I can tell ye the whole story sometime, but I dinna want to bore those who've heard it a million times over." Bran chuckles. "I'll be here, later."
"I shall look forward to it," Lorewalker Cho says with a smile.
Bran beams back at him, crescent-eyed.
Atley glances between the others assembled.
[Bran]: "I do know a short dwarven tale though that might be of interest, if folks are still upl fer listenin'. Yer jinyu one reminded me of it, a bit."
"Oh, a new story!" Lorewalker Cho says with delight, settling back to listen.
"I'd like to hear a dwarven tale," Lena nods, and glances around to the others.
Almeiria does not object.
"Just a wee one," says Bran. "So there's this miner, ye see, workin' his way through a mine… an' he is in a mood, not payin' attention - falls into a sinkhole."
Shun sets his teacup down.
"Oh dear," Lena murmurs.
"The miner," Brannagen continues, “gets to hollerin fer help. Along comes a senator, an' hears. He says, ‘I'll introduce a bill fer safer mines!’ and goes on his way.”
Lena gives a brief, quiet laugh.
[Bran]: "The miner keeps hollerin, an' along comes a priest. The priest says, 'I shall pray fer ye, my son,' an' goes on his way."
Atley scoffs with amusement.
Lorewalker Cho looks on, rapt with attention.
[Bran]: "The miner keeps hollerin, an' along comes a friend. The friend stops, an' jumps down in the hole! Miner says, 'Ye bampot, now we're both doon here!' an' his friend says, 'Aye, but I've been here afore, an' I know the way out.' "
Atley leans back a bit to contemplate that before he sips more tea.
"It's a metaphor," Bran says helpfully.
Lena looks on, her brows creasing. "Is there a way out? Or are they both just stuck there?"
Bran chuckles. "Well, that's where the story ends, but I've always assumed the friend wouldna say so if it weren't true. Like pandaren, dwarves en't much fer prevarication."
"The metaphor is that while others may help on a surface level, friends will dive in with you to get you out," Almeiria says.
"But worst case," Bran says contemplatively, "at least the miner en't alone anymore." Bran nods to Almeiria.
"Doubt there's any amongst us here that hasn't been saved by another before," Atley says, raising his tea cup.
Bran raises his as well. "Damn straight."
Lorewalker Cho nods thoughtfully. "And perhaps also, that it is good to have friends that understand your troubles."
Bran nods. "Tha' too."
Atley grunts.
"Sometimes help just means having a friend at your side while you go through something difficult," Gwen adds.
Lena raises her own teacup. "And in the worst case, a friend will try to help you, even if they don't know how."
Bran smiles warmly at her.
Shun silently contemplates this.
"That is not always a good thing, depending on the friend. It is best to know which ones are helpful in which situation, and manipulate the others accordingly," Almeiria says.
Bran sighs and goes back to taking notes.
"You don't manipulate friends. Not if you've true intentions towards 'em," Atley states.
"I can see… how you can use stories to show a number of different things," Lena says quietly. Then her lips quirk slightly at Almeiria's words, and she adds, "You might say direct them accordingly, or some such."
"Dinna teach a venomous theng ta hide its colors better, lass," Bran chuckles at Lena.
"Direct, manipulate, as long as they behave as needed," Almeiria says dismissively.
Shun grunts.
Atley scoffs with amusement and takes another sip.
Lena shrugs. "Some creatures show bright colors, but it doesn't always mean poison."
"Well, thank ye fer yer generosity in sharin' yer time and yer knowledge, Lorewalker," says Bran. "I'd best be goin', a' least fer noew. I'll be back later ta tell ye Titan thengs."
"I will look forward to it, Bran," Lorewalker Cho says with a smile. "You are welcome to my tea and brew anytime."
Bran bows deeply to the Lorewalker, gives a cheery wave to the assembled Cobalts, and snaps his book shut, tucking it away as he ambles off.
Atley gives Bran a nod in farewell.
Shun nods as well.
"How fares the Jade Forest by your reckoning, Lorewalker?" Atley asks.
Almeiria leans forward. "Oh, do tell."
"Better now," Lorewalker Cho says, his demeanor dimming slightly. "It was a terrible blow, what happened to the Jade Serpent's statue. But there has been no repeat of the hostilities, and the masons are preparing to rebuild."
"The sha are… less now, then?" Lena asks. "After what Cobalt did at the temple."
"Aye, the dwarves on their way. It'll be a special thing. These are three separate clans coming together as one. Combining their craftsmanship," Atley says.
Lena raises her eyebrows. "The three clans together. I'd have not thought that'd happen a year ago."
Atley eyes Lena and shakes his head in solidarity.
"Is there really a way to truly eradicate something like Sha?" Shun asks.
Lorewalker Cho looks troubled. "I do not have the answer to that, not yet. Emperor Shaohao was able to imprison them, but clearly they remained. And now, the impact at the Serpent's Heart is lessening, but…"
"We've certainly dealt with ancient evils escaping imprisonment before," Gwen says. "Maybe we can help here, too."
Cho nods at Gwen. "That may be one reason the mists parted when they did, that your people are needed here, in this crisis."
"Aye. I'm certain of that. Seems we've all a great deal to learn about the Sha," Atley says.
"That is one area where the Lorewalkers are trying to pierce the shroud of history," Lorewalker Cho agrees. "Perhaps if we understand the sha better, we will find a way."
"There would be a reason it was sealed and not vanquished so many years ago. That, I suspect, is where we must look," Almeiria says.
"We're in this fight with you, Lorewalker," Atley says, before he looks to Almeiria. "She's something of an expert when it comes to these matters," Atley explains to Lorewalker Cho.
Shun folds his arms over his chest.
Lorewalker Cho looks over with interest. "Is that why you swathe yourself in shadows?"
"No, I swathe myself in shadows for my own protection. I have discovered the hostilities of your saurok firsthand," Almeiria says.
"Mind your tone. They're not the Lorewalker's saurok anymore than they're yours. This place is a sanctuary," Atley says.
"Ah," Lorewalker Cho says. "A good precaution, then. They are very hostile."
"You ought to talk with those as have been in with the sha, if you haven't," Lena says to Almeiria. “The Cobalt squad folk here, and the others…"
"That'd be useful," Atley says, briefly glancing at Shun.
"I've mostly been in talking things over, not in firsthand experience," Lena adds. "They've not made it out onto the ships."
"Sha don't swim, perhaps?" Almeiria says. This might be a joke.
Shun looks to Almeiria, "Those in Blue Squad recently have had more first hand experiences."
Atley seems to receive the joke, but nods. "I warrant we'll find them in Pandaria wherever people are. Ought all to stay on guard."
Lena nods. "I won't let my guard down."
"And I hope we will share information, wherever it arises," Lorewalker Cho says in agreement.
Gwen nods firmly. "Of course we'll share information."
"I myself have yet to truly close in on a manifestation of one, but there are echoes of power wherever I go on this land," Almeiria says. "I had thought to ask our Lorewalker here for any recorded history regarding the sha."
"That'd be a fine question," Atley says, finishing off his tea, looking between the two.
"For more history regarding the sha," Lorewalker Cho says, considering. "I would recommend seeking out those of the Shado-Pan order. They have maintained vigilance against the sha and the mantid for thousands of years."
"Shado-Pan," Almeiria repeats. "Hm. A fitting name."
"There's a Shado-Pan still in Stoneplow. A village in the western Valley of the Four Winds." Atley pushes himself up and offers the tea cup back. "I'll make my way there, for now.”
"Anything beyond my knowledge, they likely hold," Cho nods. "I have heard about the recent break in the wall. It is unprecedented. So much these last few months has been, though."
Cho reaches up to accept the teacup.
"Thanks for the tea and tales, Lorewalker. Call upon the Company anytime," Atley says, bowing before he tugs his helmet on.
"I suppose I should head as well," Lena says, setting down her cup and rising to her feet. "Shine and Bun will be wondering where I am, over in Paw'don."
"I should be on my way as well," Shun nods. He bows lightly to Cho, then nods to the rest of the Cobalts.
"Unprecedented, or simply a matter of time," Almeiria says. "That is the real question. I plan to remain in this area for now, speak with some who witnessed the emergence of the Sha of Doubt firsthand. Take care, Lorewalker."
"Take care, Almeiria," Lorewalker Cho says with a smile.
"Travel safe, ladies," Atley says before he marches off.