Hinterlands, part VIII - Limbo

New cant wordsCullin - a period of time, ie.: I went to the Horned Doe to meet Sandy, and all the cullin I was there, the berk didn't show up.Sluggling - relaxingAntistat - rip-off

1st Lady of DecadreGoing to Sigil today. I don't know what to make of the "Poles". Since I have no idea of what to expect in Limbo's hinterlands, I'm a bit frightened. I'm spending several days preparing, got a bunch of scrolls; "Stabilize Chaos", " Know Path" and "Dictate" [from a Guvner friend]. I've got me a nifty magical insert too. I just open it, press a button, and it records what I say into my journal after I close the book.

1st Clerk of Decadre Finished my preparations, I'm in Xaos right now. Sodding confusing town. Off I go.

2nd Market of DecadreI've started the recording process. I'm walking along; I see figures in the distance, about 3. I'm closer now.

Mag: Hello?

Voice: [In monotone] Olleh?

Mag: Excuse me, my name is Mag Flenok. Who are you?

Ok, he's coming towards me. This guy's 2-d! Just like a Moigno. The berk's rather blobby, and not really humanoid. Stands about four feet tall, with brown fur and no appendages, except for these two bloody ugly things sticking out of his side. They look like arms and are holding his... eyes? Whoa. The ground just disappeared, I'm falling now. I can see the guy too.

[Fraternity of Order Recorder Issue # 835927.83. Routine auto-maintenance determined that two days, three hours, 14 minutes and 3 seconds elapsed until the issuee made next recorded sound.]

What in Baator? Where am I? My belongings are all here, where's the blob guy?

This site is quite tarmy. The sky is a deep shade of lavender, there are various shapes floating around, some geometrical, some I don't know what they are. They change every so often, but not in any detectable pattern. Ok, I'm getting up. I see a faint figure in the distance. I must be barmy from the stuff already, now he seems just a few footfalls away. Another step- he's disappeared. Now I'm within hearing distance

Mag: Hello?

Being: Why do you disturb the continuum?

Mag: The what?

Being: Your feeble little mind won't get it. Perhaps your father could...

Mag: You don't know anything about me, whatever you are! I'm a capable cutter; you don't insult my family and me just like that!

Being: Ashamed of your ancestry?

Mag: But I said...

Being: I heard what you said; it's what you meant.

Mag: I don't know what you are, but you're making a bad impression.

Being: Hmmmm [A gasp]

Now he's disappeared, and the terrain has changed completely. I just realized I'm hungry, I'm taking out my food, and the meat's melting in my hands, the ale getting hard in the bottle. No matter.

[Fraternity of Order recorder # 835927.83 evaluation period expired. Please register to continue using. Recorder off]

Oh, those Guvners be damned. Told me this soddin' thing would work all the cullin I'm here. I guess I'll write in the rest when I get a chance.

3rd Lady of DecadreI took the portal straight back to Sigil, and I'm sluggling at my kip. The land kept changing with every step I took. It was freaky. After a while, I decided to run, and noticed that it didn't change while I was running, and the same place stayed around for a while. I was standing on air, or something, but it looked like a bottomless pit all around, but I didn't fall. A step away was a floating wall, about 16 feet wide and 5 feet tall. It was all white. When I walked toward it, a table like thing popped up, with a paper on it. It had all the years of my life. 129 130 131 132 .......156 157, all the way to 157 of Hashkar.

I touched 146, remembering a walk with my sister, back in Astbell [Ed.- This is a town that I am detailing, with heavy halfling, elven, and Eladrin population]. It was when she met her husband, Jolin. Suddenly, I was thrust into the situation. I could see Klesna and myself walking along the beaten path near the edge of the town, giggling over our exploits. Confused, I watched as Jolin fell on his face, in his exuberance at seeing Klesna. We laughed, and went to town, leaving the surprised boy shaking his head. WHAT? I thought. That is not what happened... we helped him up, and thusly Klesna began her first conversation with him. This must be something that shows what could have happened.... Or what should have happened. Jolin was not a very good father.

I was back near the wall, and remembered 154, when I had joined the Sensates. Back in the Festhall, oblivious to all, I watched my namer self struggle to list her experiences, what she could provide the faction. Again, the reality was different. I had a few uniquely individual experiences that cemented my acceptance, and my assertion that I wanted to know what it would be like to be a Sensate. Here, I struggled, my gift of public speaking went out the proverbial window, as I heard a prime say once. I snapped out, I couldn't watch myself being rejected. Being a Sensate is one of the best things in my life, I won't be told by some antistat of the Norns' pool that it was a bad decision. Now, I gather it doesn't tell the "should have been", but the "could have been". Very strange. The creatures I saw during the first phase of my journey never showed themselves again. Then again, it is Limbo.