The Search for Pa Lakhti

[OOC-sorry it's short. most all Zulera can do is listen here.]

Zulera Joanna Tallarico

Zulera listened to the story, suddenly remembering a similar tale told by the Earth Kingdom which was significantly different. she figured both sides had bias in and of themselves as it was, but a repository of knowledge was a repository of knowledge... and knowledge... was power. "sounds like we've got ourselves an adventure then." she nodded approvingly, "but clearly if we're seeking out a repository of knowledge, you must be going with a clear intent of what you're seeking. If you're willing to sate the curiosity of an avatar... what is this knowledge?"

Mood: Curious Condition: Well

Link:

"..." Kano seriously considered the issue of telling her. He wasn't sure he wanted her to know about it. Strange as it seemed, their little jaunt about the world as travelling companions all those months ago had somehow come and gone without the various weaknesses of the Aowaka Clan being revealed to Zulera. That said, he wasn't entirely sure he could trust her not to abuse the knowledge. Zai was one thing. He'd stumbled upon it of his own accord. And on top of that, he hardly ever opened his mouth. No great threat there. That, at least, had turned out for the best.

Finally, he decided that there wasn't much point in keeping it a secret from her. Who was she going to sell the information to? General Yu? The Fire Nation? She'd be more likely to sell it to Dood Brenger. All the other enemies of the Aowaka Clan were far too well hidden for flighty Zulera to bother finding. Plus... those organizations already knew about it.

"I'm hoping I'll be able to find the secret to removing my family's weakness to Chi-blocking." he said finally, staring down into the fire.

"If I knew the secret, I wouldn't have to drag my ass across the harshest desert in the world to find the information." Kano said, shaking his head slightly. He was more upset about his own ignorance than her relatively pointless question. He had always been irked by the fact that despite all his research, all he'd ever come across was rumor and conjecture about what he was looking for...

He stood up with a sigh and paced around, his hands on his hips.

"All I know is legend." he said. "I've been trying to triangulate the location of the city for upwards of six years. I've used rumors, historical accounts, and legends to piece it all together. But no one's been that far across the Si Wong in a thousand years. If it's still there... or if it ever was... there's no account of it in the records anywhere."

"No, Zul," Kano said, shaking his head. "I don't know any of it. I don't even know if it exists. All I have is a vague location and the knowledge that if there's anywhere in the world that the information could have been, it would have been the archives at Pa Lahkti. That's all."

He listened to what she had to say on the city and laughed wryly.

"Oh, the city exists." Kano said, shaking his head slightly. "This isn't some far-off legend hidden in the annals of time. Aowaka lived there. Our family has relics from the city. He founded the clan there and built the first clan hall in front of the palace. The clan hall in the Northern Water Tribe is an almost exact replica, with a few additions over the years. No, it's there." he nodded, looking east across the desert. "It's there, hiding. All we have to do is find it. That's the hard part."

Kano smiled wryly.

"The question isn't the existence of the city." he said. "It's out there somewhere. The question is whether the information I'm looking for will be there. Who knows what's happened since the city was abandoned? The archives could have burned, been flooded, been ransacked... Or they could have just been invented by a bunch of scholars who wanted to believe that finding Pa Lahkti could be the answer to all their hopes. Who knows what we'll find there?"

He listened to the question about their travel plans and turned back toward the fire.

"Can't travel in the Si Wong at night." he said, walking slowly back toward Zulera. "Not on the ground, anyway. Gets cold enough to freeze water on occasion. We'll rest here tonight and get back on the road tomorrow morning."

"Right." Kano nodded. "Well. I'm going to get some sleep."

He walked over to a spot near the rocks where his equipment was gathered and settled down, pulling a blanket over himself. He drifted off fairly quickly and had a dream that was strange. It was mainly just one about staring at strange carvings in a random desert rock...

The next morning, he awoke early and began preparing the eel-hound for the day's journey. He secured all their supplies and fed the beast. It was only when he was pulling on his cloak that he looked around and found he couldn't see Zulera anywhere...

"Zul?" he said slowly, looking around.

(OOC: Sorry for the god-moddish stuff.)

"Uh... y..es." Kano said slowly, watching her as she returned to the camp. "What were you do--?"

He began, confused. He was halfway through the question before he decided that he'd rather not know. The things that Zulera got herself into... It was enough to curb just about anyone's curiosity. It was probably just a tale of her flashing some sandbender anyway...

"Never mind." he said, shaking his head as he climbed up into the saddle of the eel-hound, looking around. "We better hit the sand if we're going to get any real travel done. We don't want to be caught out in the middle of the dunes when the sun starts to go down and there's only a few settlements between here and the Crag."

He'd bought a map back at the Oasis. The Crag was a large stone formation in the far eastern wild of the dunes. Everything east of it was a blank expanse. No one, not even the sandbenders who made their homes in this wasteland dared to pass it. Legend told of everything from ancient curses to unstoppable sand-beasts beyond...

"Right." Kano nodded.

The journey through the desert was not an easy one. The heat was incredible. It wasn't so hard to bear, but it still seared any skin which dared to show itself. The dunes seemed to go on forever, unending, unchanging. The terrain knew no variation. That, certainly, was one of the many dangers of this place...

Whatever the dangers, Kano's determination overcame his uncertainty and fear. He kept his eyes locked upon the horizon as the eel-hound charged forward. The sun rose and fell twice. each night, they made camp and lit a fire to stay warm. Each day, they used the cover of cloaks to protect themselves from the punishing rays of the sun as they went on. And then, as the second day drew to a close, a figure appeared on the horizon in the distance... It was the Crag.

"There!" Kano said, pointing. "We're almost there!"

They rode a ways into the night before reaching the massive stone structure jutting out of the sand, the summit of some great mountain under the dunes. They found cover and set camp, settling down for the night. They would search for the clues hidden in the rock in the morning...

"This is the Crag." Kano said as the velvet sky hung overhead and the dull moon bathed the stone at the entrance to their place of respite. "According to legend, it stands half way across the dunes from the Great Barrier. Supposedly, this... place hides the map to the city. It's going to take some serious searching to find it..."

He looked around at the cave. It was massive from what he could see. The crag could barely have fit in Gaoling. It was positively monolithic in scale. What was more, it was hardly accessible. There were many different levels to it from the outside, yet no discernible way to ascend. It figured. This wasn't going to be easy...

"It's going to be hard to scale the outside of the Crag." Kano said, considering carefully. "But we can't both bother with that. There are also caves leading underground..."

He thought through their options carefully. It wasn't going to be a simple thing, finding what they were looking for in this vast complex of a mountain. And even after they did, who knew what challenge it would tell of? They would have to be quick, yet thorough and stop at nothing to find what they were trying to...

"We'll have to split up. One of us should take the outside and one, the underground." he said, pointing at this last bit toward the entrance to the underground cave system. "Otherwise, we'll be searching forever. If you're willing, I'd like you to take the outside. You'll be able to fly up over the formation one way or other and move between the levels of the outside far more easily than I. A firebender could make their way in the underground with a bit more ease than a waterbender, but I can fashion a torch and... Well, there's a better chance for moisture underground out here..."