Private Pilgrimage for the Gift

[Efret Farr]

Shielding not her own but Nirrah's eyes with a palm, Efret surveyed the valley extending over the ledge of the cliff she had rode up to. It was beautiful up here. Between the landscape above and below, the locals could not have picked a more scenic path for their yearly pilgrimage, but Efret of course knew that more than views went into establishing something so sacred.

She pet the convor before taking the reins to the mount she had been loaned and turned it around. With a click of her tongue and synchronized caresses along its flanks with the side of her boots, they rejoined the group traversing the grassy highland. As she neared the back of the short procession where the two Jedi guests had been asked to ride, she glanced up at the monolithic statues of sage women the others were currently passing in front of.

"Wow," she commented, exaggerating the flail of one hand and pointing up as if the other knight had somehow not noticed. She looked over at him as her mount fell in line parallel to his. "How do you think those were made?" She was going to ask one of the living sages later, but for now, she wanted to know Cassius' professional opinion.

Outfit + equipment; lapel translation clip (currently switched on); lightsaber (green blade color)
Cassius Droma​

 

[Cassius Droma]

As always, his curious green eyes were scanning everything they could. While he saw the beauty of this place, his mind was wondering if this path had a greater purpose, if it was established for a specific reason. It could have been just the most convenient way, the most direct path at the time, or maybe it was because of some sort of resource, as most ancient rituals and traditions were driven by back then. Or perhaps… it was to connect with their ancestors. After all, this place had not seen any major geological shifts for millennia, so this was no doubt the same view the ancient ones had all those years ago.

He quirked an eyebrow when Efret asked him his opinion about the large monoliths they were passing under. Pulling down the scarf that had been covering the lower half of his face, he turned to face her more head-on as his mount rhythmically trotted along. “Hard work and dedication, no doubt,” he said. “They could have taken decades, if not over a hundred years to construct. What I’m curious about is… were they built where they are because it’s on the path, or does the path lead through here because of where they already are?”

Efret Farr

 

[Efret Farr]

"I don't know," Efret admitted to what was probably a rhetorical question. "Maybe we should ask once we get to the ritual site."

It didn't take much longer to get there: a clearing bounded on one edge by a line of birch trees. One of the sages, a man named Isarch, dismounted first and indicated a tree where they could tether their own mounts. One he had secured his, he approached the Jedi.

"These trees are sacred to us," he began in this planet's native language, "especially during this ritual."

Efret had learned the language in just a few days after arriving at the village they had journeyed from, as she often did. When she read the sage's lips, it was with the knowledge that the mouth movements of this language meant formed different pronunciations than Basic did. Thus, she was able to translate for Cassius, which in turn was interpreted for him by the feminine voice of her lapel unit. She turned to Cassius. "These are sacred to them, especially during this ritual."

Isarch put a hand on the white and black striped bark. As he continued to speak, his face was turned towards the tree. Efret took a step closer and leaned forward to keep sight of the sage's lips. "All who come here to receive the Gift eat of the bark before entering the cave. You both already have It, but we invite you to try the bark." He looked back at her and smiled, taking her nearest hand and placing it on the bark. Once there, he guided on of her fingers over the smooth surface until her fingernail caught against a place where a strip was beginning to peel away.

In any other case, she would have been horrified. Touching the hands of a Deaf person was akin to suddenly kissing them, but she had learned to suspend many of her personal ideas of social etiquette when in the field. Plus, she was too interested in what Isarch was sharing to register the offense.

She peeled the section of bark away slowly. The strip grew longer and longer until it finally broke from the tree.

She turned back to Cassius. "People who come to feel the Force eat this," she repeated, holding the bark between the sides of two fingers. "They want us to try it anyway." She shrugged. "All of the sages, I guess." She put one jagged side of the papery bark into her mouth, bared her teeth, and ripped it approximately in half for her fellow knight.

After just a few chews, the slight sweet mushroom flavor was released from the wood.

Cassius Droma​

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius stayed quiet, pensive, as the sage led them over to the tree. He listened to Efret’s translator as he secured his mount with a complex knot that could still be easily untied if the need arose.

It was pretty typical of a society like this to place an importance upon nature, especially one so attuned to the Force. Even as the sage spoke before Efret translated, he had the feeling these trees were somehow involved in the ritual. Still, his eyebrows rose for a moment in surprise when Efret said that they eat the bark in order to feel the Force.

Taking the bark between his thumb and index finger, he gave the sage a brief smile and bowed his head slightly - hopefully a universal sign of respect. “I really hope this isn’t hallucinogenic,” Cassius spoke, keeping the same expression while looking over to Efret. After seeing her bite… Cassius reluctantly followed suit.

If jerky could be made out of wood… it would be this, he figured. He chewed, having to work his jaw quite a bit.

Efret Farr

 

[Efret Farr]

"Me too," Efret admitted, signing freely as she chewed and the sage walked back to the others. "If this whole ritual is a collective hallucination of the Force...that would explain the failures the sages have been reporting."

It would also be something else. A let down wasn't a good fit, at least not for Efret; still, the idea made her feel a little dispirited. Plenty of cultures used hallucinogens in sacred rituals, but none she had yet encountered used them in a manner that potentially led to the death of participants by convincing them that they were capable of the impossible: moving a large boulder from the mouth of the ritual cave without any physical tools. She hoped that such wasn't the case.

"So, let's hope not. For everyone's sake."

With that, Efret began to tie the climbing rope slung over her shoulder that she would share with Cassius as they repelled after the two sages and ritual participant.

Cassius Droma​

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius peered down the deep dark hole that they would no doubt descend into soon enough. He made sure to keep aware of his vital signs, using an acute awareness powered by the Force to make sure his pulse and breathing were steady. His vision didn’t blur, there was no ringing in his ears… he seemed to be okay for the time being.

“If this were the cause of their problems… the ritual would have proven to be problematic far sooner,” Cassius observed. “It has to be something else.” This was something that they have been doing for centuries, if not millennia. There was a variable that had been changed… they just didn’t know what it was yet.

He did a quick check of his gear. Climbing gear, rations, emergency med kits, his lightsaber. There was a large glow-torch as well, since he didn’t feel the need to use his lightsaber for mundane tasks as simple as casting light. “Ready?” Cassius asked. “I feel like one of us should stay up here… but that might be considered a little rude.”

Efret Farr