Memories from the Horned Helm

Everiine

Well, I didn't expect to experience nostalgic tears tonight, but that's what happens! Thank you SO MUCH to whoever put this together and gave me a hint to go find it. Really, I cried .

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Something dances about your mind, and you have an urge to go to the Serenguard Lodge, where a helm rests with memories. Will you place any of your own?

Everiine blinks, looks to the sky, and shakes his head.

You think to yourself: What was that?

For reasons he doesn't understand, Everiine steps out of Ladrennbenn Camp, heading for a place that still, all these years later, gnaws at his heart.

Travel travel travel travel travel...

Outside the Serenguard Lodge. (road).
Superimposed over this location, an ethereal forest reaches up to the sky. It is uncomfortably cold. No longer the imposing building with high walls and a steepled roof, the Serenguard Lodge is a pile of still-smouldering lumber and scorched stone. Ash covers the path toward its great mantled doors, and the thin whispers of smoke overwhelm the otherwise fragrant scents of the forest. The vegetation in the area feels saturated with life, covered in misted dewdrops, ready to burst forth into vibrancy at any moment. Birds sing more melodically, and creatures dance amidst the foliage, suffused with power and grace.
You see exits leading east (open door) and west.

Everiine takes a deep breath, then lets it out.

In the charred ruins of the Lodge.
Superimposed over this location, an ethereal forest reaches up to the sky. Scorched earth and burnt timber is all that remains of the Serenguard Lodge, the once mighty structure a mere pile of smoking wood. Where wall stood now is the cindered and blackened presence of nearby trees, and the floor has been exposed to ash-covered soil. The air is choked with plumes of thick black smoke, which merges into the distant canopy to cloak the place in shadow and soot. Small trails meander through the devastation where animals, large and small, attempted to flee for safety. The vegetation in the area feels saturated with life, covered in misted dewdrops, ready to burst forth into vibrancy at any moment. Birds sing more melodically, and creatures dance amidst the foliage, suffused with power and grace. A painting of a vibrant spirit has been thrown on the ground here. A blackened, horned helm of formerly silvery hue rests here, affixed to the ground.
You see a single exit leading west (open door).
An antlered, fire-blackened helm nearby catches your eye.

probe helm
Crafted from pure silver, this helm would have once entirely encased the head. Though flat at the back of the neck, the helm sweeps downwards starting at the jaw, coming to a point under the chin. Where the eyes and cheeks would've been, the helm has been charred, leaving large, irregular holes. Just above the eyes, the phases of the moon encircle the top of the helm still, each one engraved save for the full and new. A gaping opening of outlined black is all that is left in the back for the new moon, and in the front, the inset disc of full moonstone is half melted, frozen in a dripping moment. Nothing remains of quilt or leather that may have lined the helm's inside. Someone has, however, affixed newly  carved antlers atop the burned helm, giving it an antlered appearance.
You sense that you might SALUTE or TRIBALSALUTE this helm to see memorial visions of the Serenguard guild that was. You may also USE the helm to leave your own memories, or see those others have left.

Everiine glances down when his foot bumps against something metallic. "It... it can't be..." mutters, kneeling down to get a closer look. He runs his fingers over the blackened helm. "How... what..."

tribalsalute helm
You slam your fist against your body, paying respect to an antlered, fire-blackened helm. Flickers of flame rise up before you and all around you, crackling with echoes of the past as the lodge of the Lost Tribe burns once more before your eyes, guarded by images of Serenguard past.

Here's all the visions I was able to get:

<<< The Serenguard Lodge burns, the thick black smoke rising silhouetted against the bright flames. Warriors drench the beams and walls with buckets of water, and druids and wiccans call for rain from the skies, to no avail. Time appears to pass in fast forward, and the inferno rises and falls, until nothing remains but charred logs and piles of ashes. A warrior drops to a kneel before the destroyed Lodge, bowing his antler-helmed head in sorrow. >>>

Everiine stumbles back and falls, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow.

Shaking, Everiine reaches out for the helm again.

<<< Fragrant smoke rises from the fire burning here, at the banks of Moon River, as two Serenguard begin their rites. Only shadows hide their nudity, from the tall trees that stretch upward to escape the smoke's rising plumes. Their things have been set aside, in neat piles next to their weapons. "Here," says the older one--an aslaran of rich, dark brown fur--who presses the bowl of pungent tea into the other's hands. "Drink this and breathe." The other, elfen with shimmering hair, nods and sips, their chest heaving and lungs struggling to take in the smoke. They sit in silence, still, as almost imperceptibly, their consciousnesses flash elsewhere. The quest begins. >>>

<<< Thick mists writhe and then clear, showing a long path looking eastwards with the beginnings of an imposing building being built within the forest. A group of centaurs slowly haul stone blocks in from the west. Large winches and ropes surround the foundation, being used to lift the blocks in place. Mists swirl and writhe and clear once more... The path remains the same, but the Lodge is now complete: an imposing building, with high walls and steepled roof. A tall, somber centaur approaches an elfen, passing over a pair of staves, one topped with an orb of glowing moonlight, and the other topped by silvery antlers with hundreds of points. >>>

<<< The door bursts open amidst the burning Serenguard Lodge. Kota Truehoof, newest among the Serenguard, struggles in combat with Master Eurytus. Flames crackle and pop as the two centaur wrestle with one another, until finally, Kota stabs a knife into the body of the old tutor. Blood gushes forth from Eurytus's chest and mouth as he utters, "St...stop him..," and then he falls to the ground, eyes glazed in death. The young centaur Kota, limned in dark shadows of possession, drops to the ground amidst a slick pool of Eurytus's blood. The Serenguard witnesses surround both of them, primal cries of horror falling from their lips. The flames rise, obscuring everything. >>>

<<< Two Serenguard face one another. Under the emerald trees, the younger one recites the timeless words spoken in oath: "I... am a warrior in the ranks of the Serenguard. I am a Watcher beneath the light of Mother Moon and a Guardian before the gaze of Brother White Hart. My duties are to those of the Serenwilde, the physical form and spiritual being. I serve the ideals for which the Serenwilde survives." The forest stands silent, expectant at her words. "I shall adhere to and uphold the Sacred Leaves of the Serenwilde commune. I shall act with sense of honour and respect, that I may never bring shame upon my commune or my tribe. I shall tone my body and my mind, ever seeking improvement in the way of the Warrior, such that I will always be prepared to defend my charge. I shall ever seek to aide my compatriots and allies in traveling their paths." She takes a breath before she ends with, "I am Seren. For as long as I walk within the Basin of Life, I shall be bound by this oath. Should I break my word, there shall be no respite, no safe haven from the retribution of my bretheren... Feidhmigh Ar Son Serenguard!" >>>

<<< The Serenguard Lodge burns, the thick black smoke rising silhouetted against the bright flames. Warriors drench the beams and walls with buckets of water, and druids and wiccans call for rain from the skies, to no avail. Time appears to pass in fast forward, and the inferno rises and falls, until nothing remains but charred logs and piles of ashes. A warrior drops to a kneel before the destroyed Lodge, bowing his antler-helmed head in sorrow. >>>

And here's the memory I added:

An elfen Serenguard bathes in the Moon River after a challenging ordeal. Downstream, his two companions do the same, washing the remains of a mighty beast from their bodies and discussing the harrowing fight. The elfen reflects silently on his experience, replaying the battle over and over in his head. His fellow Serenguard join him, and one of the elders smiles at him. "Three Masks of Wolverine," he says simply, declaring his opinion on the success of the quest.

Tears run down the old bird's face. So many memories, so many experiences, all brought back by the sight of the ancient helm, the helm that once sat on the head of the Protector of the People and Warden of the Moonhart. Everiine wipes his cheeks and sits in the ashes and ruins. Yet, though his later memories of the Lost Tribe are marred by sorrow, they are far outnumbered by the centuries of faithful service he gave, and the combined millenia of service rendered by Serenguard throughout the generations. And so he smiles, a soft, emotional smile, and puts his fist to his chest. "Feidmigh ar son Serenguard," he whispers.

As you sit, the land about you glows with bright vibrancy, left as a trail by the spirit of Seralem that had deposited the helm here. The memories flash through your mind once more, and you come away with the knowledge that even those that perished now rest among the Host of the ancestral dead, empowering the Verdant Land with their continued strength.

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Damn--it's such a small thing, but the memories are SO well written. Reminds me of why I keep coming back. Things mean something here, and the impact we as players make never goes away.