I stood on the walls of Imurel
And watched my city burn.
When morning came, all that was left
Was [[ashes|act 1 title]] in my heart.
-Cerya, "The Siege of Imurel"=><=
.:act one:.
[[{ A S H E S }|act 1 start]]The taste of ash is strong in the air. [Regret]<regret| lies heavy in your soul, a round and polished stone.(click: ?regret)[
(It has been your companion for so, so long; you can hardly remember why or for what. But it still sinks down into your heart.)
]A soft and bitter grey blanket covers the floor. It is [still warm]<warm|. (click: ?warm)[The ash shifts uneasily beneath you; somehow it is filled with a sensation of //life//. ]
A small table is just visible underneath one mound of ash. On it, you see a [scrap of paper]<paper|. Hung on the walls along the corridor are several circular, flat pieces of stone, which seem [vaguely familiar]<stones|.
(click: ?paper)[(set: $scrap1 to true)
The paper is slightly charred. You can just barely make out familiar, flowing lines. For a moment, the runes are [indecipherable]<runes|...
](mouseover: ?runes)[(live: 1s)[and then they flicker into focus.
//I'm sorry.//
]]
(click: ?stones)[Each stone is inscribed with a rune. There are three pieces, each one representing a different phase: slate for [equilibrium]<equilibrium|, obsidian for [dispersal]<dispersal|, diamond-veined basalt for [intensification]<intensification|.]
(live: 10ms)[(if: $mouse1 is true)[The balance, the harmony, the perfect stability of a rock balanced on a mountaintop.](if: $mouse2 is true)[The spreading, the diaspora, the slow seeping of rainwater into the ground.](if: $mouse3 is true)[The brightning, the strengthening, the drawing together of motes of dust.]]{
(mouseover: ?equilibrium)[(set: $mouse1 to true)]
(mouseover: ?dispersal)[(set: $mouse2 to true)]
(mouseover: ?intensification)[(set: $mouse3 to true)]
(mouseout: ?equilibrium)[(set: $mouse1 to false)]
(mouseout: ?dispersal)[(set: $mouse2 to false)]
(mouseout: ?intensification)[(set: $mouse3 to false)]}=><=
. G H O S T .
a song of sorrow
[[begin|Act 1 Quote]]