Revelation of Nature

Revelation of Nature

The Black Forest Wills A Dream Previous Shadows of Trees Next Homecoming

Characters
Magallan Santalla Typhon Oakcup Baby Rockhorn Rockhorn ??? ??? (Black Mark)
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4 5

“

Typhon teaches Magallan the wisdom of the hunter, and the laws of Sami's Eternal Hunt. They encounter a rockhorn that has been gravely wounded by a demon, and the accompanying shaman apprentice ends its suffering, but it can no longer nourish nature.

”

<Background black>
[A faint call of an animal can be heard.]
???	Hiss— Huff—
<Background 1>
Magallan	Hiss—
Santalla	You can take off the breather, Magallan. There are no spores here.
Magallan	Oh, okay. Whew... hah... I've never been so scared of mushrooms in my life.
Typhon	I warned you, Maggy: Don't touch anything, don't touch anything, and don't touch anything. Now you know why.
Magallan	M-My—
Typhon	The empty box you gave me? I put the mushrooms inside and sealed it. Here.
Magallan	Th-Thanks. *pant*—*pant*— I didn't expect the spore density to be so high, or that it could paralyze the respiratory system.
Typhon	It's a carnivorous mushroom. Where do you think its food comes from?
Magallan	Ugh... So how come you aren't affected at all?
Typhon	We hunters have ways to deal with them. If I died in one of those mushroom swamps, I'd never live it down.
Santalla	(Sami) Typhon, the sacrifice.
[Santalla goes ahead.]
Typhon	(Sami) Sacrifice... are we there? (Takes a deep breath) You're right.
[Typhon follows her.]
Magallan	Where are you going? Wait for me!
[Magallan runs to the others.]
Magallan	And what do you by "sacrifice"? Me?
[Magallan walks next to Typhon.]
Typhon	Of course not, you birdbrain. This is the heart of Sami, the First Forest.
Santalla	Where we come from, and where we go.
Typhon	Prepare some food as tribute to Sami, and we can enter.
Magallan	Would bad things happen if we don't?
Typhon	Who knows? Do you want to find out?
Magallan	Er, never mind. Is hardtack okay?
Typhon	No idea.
Santalla	Crush it and spread it on the ground.
Magallan	A-Alright.
Santalla	(Sami) Great land, we ask your leave to pass over you. (Sami) We offer you this sacrifice, that you may watch over us, and protect us from bloodshed, from being hunted.
???	(Sami) Sami says it's okay, ladies.
[A young male Elafia appears.]
???	(Sami) It will eat well thanks to your generosity.
Santalla	Isn't that a little... casual? Young shaman. ...Apprentice shaman.
???	This isn't really a formal occasion, after all. Sami wouldn't mind the presence of a child of the Santalla Tree. ...Oh? A shaman, a hunter, and an outlander? That's a rare sight. I don't suppose you're here just for the experience?
Santalla	We're in a hurry to head south, and don't have time to go around the First Land.
???	I see. My teacher often takes this shortcut too. Not this time, though. He left me here alone to "experience the Samivilinn." I've been here for days, wandering the woods without a sliver of revelation to be found. You should know what I mean, child of the tree.
Santalla	Please, call me Santalla.
???	Very well, Santalla. Can you tell me what our teachers expect us to bring back from here?
Santalla	I do not know, oak-child. I have only been here to witness. This is not where my trial was.
???	Is that so? What a shame.
Santalla	We have a long road ahead of us. Let's hurry.
???	Hmm... Wait! I'll come with you. I know the trees with the best shade, the cleanest streams, and the safest animal trails. I can be your guide! There's no one more qualified! Let me come with you, Santalla. I'm so bored here I could turn into a tree. What do you think, great shaman? And what about you, hunter? Or our outlander friend?
Magallan	I guess I don't mind...
???	We're all agreed, then? Let's go, then! Welcome to the First Forest!
Typhon	......
Santalla	Hmph... One more question, oak-child.
???	Hm? What is it?
Santalla	What should we call you?
???	Me? Hm... My Sami name might be a little hard to remember... My teacher calls me Oakcup, so you can too.
Typhon	......
Magallan	May I ask how you got that name?
Oakcup	Because he always grabs my horn and tries to drink from it when he's drunk.
Magallan	Oh...
<Background 2>
[After walking through the forest for a while, Magallan runs to Typhon.]
Magallan	Hey, are we being watched? Like, by a deity...?
Typhon	Big predators. One on the tree, one behind Simone in the bushes, and one behind that tree to the left.
Magallan	Oh, is that all? After all the weird stuff we've encountered, dealing with carnivorous wildlife seems almost quaint. Should I be ready for a fight then?
Typhon	No need. They're not hungry enough to risk attacking. So stop worrying about their dinner and start worrying about ours—!
[Suddenly, out of nowhere, a tuskbeast attacks both of them, but Typhon quickly shoots it with an arrow.]
Magallan	Huh? Look out!
[Santalla comes to their aid.]
Santalla	Need help?
Typhon	No thanks, I'm done.
A tuskbeast lies prone on the ground, glaring at Typhon. A gaping wound stretches from its cheek all the way to its foreleg.
Typhon	I guess one of them was hungry enough. Terrible choice of prey, though. Go. Your meat tastes terrible anyway.
The tuskbeast does not seem willing to leave. It crouches down in the shadows, ready to attack again.
Bang!
A loud bang rings out in the air before it, sending it scampering into the distance and leaving behind only a scattered trail of blood.
[The tuskbeast disappears in the forest.]
Magallan	Did you just shoot something with your finger, Typhon?
Typhon	Yeah, for scaring away big guys like these.
Magallan	A roll of leaves?
Typhon	You wrap up air with leaves until it forms a ball.
[Magallan takes out her notebook.]
Magallan	(Takes notes) But how do you wrap air with leaves?
Typhon	Don't ask. I've tried to teach others, but no one's ever been able to learn it.
[An animal can be heard growling.]
Magallan	—!
Typhon	Easy, it's just an unlucky hornbeast that got its neck bitten in half. Maybe by the one that attacked us, maybe by another.
Magallan	Hm.
Oakcup	Looks like our outlander friend has grown accustomed to the ways of this land.
Typhon	A few more weeks of this, and she'll be a fully-fledged Sami.
Magallan	Ahaha...
Oakcup	An outlander who understands Sami. How nice. I remember working as a guide for some Columbian tourists while on a pilgrimage. They started screaming when they saw some carnivores doing their carnivoring. Apparently, they thought it was too bloody and uncivilized. Not that I'd call myself civilized, but didn't they pay good money to come here and see the "untamed wilderness"? One of them even tried to stop the beasts, and nearly ended up as their next meal. Their clothes were dignified enough, but certainly not the people wearing them.
Magallan	You have quite a mastery of Columbian.
Oakcup	(Ursine) Not just Columbian! I just can't keep my mouth shut. Guess I'm a natural-born chatterbox. And I suppose my teacher was a weird old man for teaching me all that.
Magallan	(Broken Sami) Know.. a bit... ah, yes, true.
Oakcup	The folks back home hate it when I just strike up a conversation with southerners. One time, there was a regular Ursus caravan that passed through the tribal market, and...
[Santalla starts walking slower.]
Santalla	(When was the last time I returned?) (The breath of the wild continues to echo through this place...) (Does Amma still watch over this forest?) (Something isn't right.) (The influence of Amma lingers... but it's not alone.) (The Black Mark of Ursus...)
[Magallan runs to Santalla.]
Magallan	What is it, Simone?
Santalla	Nothing. Has our guide found somewhere we can spend the night?
Magallan	Yup, inside that tree up ahead. Cup says it's hollow, with enough room for the four of us. I've never seen a hollow tree before.
Santalla	Then now's your chance.
<Background black>
[The wind can be heard blowing.]
<Background 3>
[Magallan runs to the hollow tree.]
Magallan	Wow, we could easily fit another person or two in here!
Oakcup	It's the largest tree house around. Could hold close to a dozen.
Magallan	Where's Typhon?
Oakcup	The hunter? She went looking for musbeast fruit stashes. She wanted something extra for dinner.
Santalla	You should rest. I'll set up some protection.
Oakcup	Is that really necessary? The tree's already been blessed, and there are even talismans hanging off of it.
Santalla	......
[Santalla walks away.]
Oakcup	She's so serious.
Magallan	That's how Simone is. I'd have frozen to death three, maybe four times by now if she weren't here to help.
Oakcup	Simone? Hm... Simone... Santalla... I think I've heard that name.
Magallan	Is she someone famous in Sami?
Oakcup	Oh... No, not at all. I must be remembering wrong. I have a hard time keeping track of anything I haven't seen for myself on my pilgrimage. So maybe I'm mixing her up with someone else.
Magallan	Mm.
[Magallan takes out her notebook.]
Magallan	(Opens notebook) You seem to know a lot, Cup. Mind if I ask a few questions?
Oakcup	Shoot.
Magallan	I picked up two pieces of bark from a tree. And they had symbols on them. I want to know what they mean.
Oakcup	It's a code that Sami uses to communicate with us. They could be messages about the past, the future, or about nature. The same symbols can also mean very different things, depending on who is receiving them and when. May I have a look?
Magallan	I have them right here.
Oakcup	This is... the old tree's bark... "Snowpriest"... "Delight"... Looks like a message from a clan tree to its shaman. You can have them back.
[Magallan takes notes.]
Magallan	Mm-hm. What's the difference between a "Snowpriest" and "shaman"?
Oakcup	Think of a Snowpriest as the head shaman or a greater shaman. He may not be the oldest, but he's certainly the highest in status, the most powerful, and the local leader. Incidentally, my teacher is a Snowpriest.
Magallan	Will... you become one too?
Oakcup	Nah, it's such a pain taking care of the tribe and solving all their problems. Leave that to someone who wants the job.
Magallan	So... are you a shaman now?
Oakcup	Nope, just an apprentice. I have no idea what Sami wants, or even what it wants from me. Which is why my teacher made me come here to feel the Samivilinn.
Magallan	And have you felt it?
Oakcup	Nope. Leaves fall, rivers flow. It's all the same. I don't feel anything unusual. I have plenty of complaints for him the next time I see him.
[Santalla returns.]
Magallan	You're back, Simone!
Santalla	Mhm.
Oakcup	Let me have a look.
[Oakcup goes to the protection symbols Santalla made.]
Oakcup	Wow. You can really do that with ground frost? By the way, I heard that the one who serves the old tree can control the wind and snow, making them dance at her fingertips.
Santalla	The old tree takes no servants, nor does it need one like me.
Oakcup	Well, if you don't want to talk, I'm not going to press the matter.
Magallan	Old tree... Is there a difference between the clan trees?
Oakcup	There's only one tree that can be called old in Sami. It represents the Past, and often appears with the heralds of the Present and the Future. The three are separate but one, transcending Sami.
Magallan	The Past...
Oakcup	By your outfit, I thought you were an explorer.
Magallan	I am.
Oakcup	You seem more like— What's the word? A folklorist?
Magallan	As an explorer, it's always good to learn more about an unfamiliar place.
Oakcup	I'll bring you some Sami books if we ever meet again, explorer.
Magallan	That'd be great! On the other hand, there's only so much I can carry in extreme environments... Maybe the equivalent of two volumes of the "Encyclopedia Columbiana." It's about this long, this wide, and this thick... hardcover.
Oakcup	Yeah, not sure why you thought that'd help me at all. Just give me your luggage and let me feel the weight.
Magallan	Oh, it's all bundled up to be carried on my back. One second. There.
[Magallan takes off her backpack.]
Magallan	It's all on the ground.
Oakcup	Hm. Good, looks like you can fit it.
Magallan	Huh?
Oakcup	That's about the same weight as two Sami books.
Magallan	Oh. Er... what sort of books?
Oakcup	Legends, tribal history, that sort of thing. But a full tribal history takes up enough wooden tablets to fill an entire tree house, so I'll spare you that.
Magallan	I-I thought the paper books I saw in the Cyclops's cave were Sami books...
[Typhon comes in.]
Typhon	Maggy!
Magallan	Oh, welcome back.
Typhon	Do you have any more of those flare sticks?
Magallan	Yeah, why?
Typhon	I tried one when I was picking the fruits, and it worked even better than the leaf ball.
Magallan	You mean you ran into a tuskbeast?
Typhon	Why wouldn't I? I was walking alone in the forest and they're hungry. Anyway, do you have any?
Magallan	Half a bundle. How many do you need?
Typhon	Give me two for now. And here, fruit from a musbeast stash. I've washed them with water.
Magallan	Thanks!
Typhon	Let's eat together and get to bed early. I don't want to wake up and find the door blocked by a bunch of hungry beasts.
Santalla	I'll take the night watch.
Typhon	You already stayed up the other night. It should be my turn.
Santalla	It's safer here, and I won't be up all night. Consider it a chance for me to relax.
Typhon	Alright... if you say so. (Whisper) Be careful. There are demons in the forest.
Santalla	I know.
Magallan	Let's make a campfire, Simone.
Typhon	Absolutely not! Do you want to draw the attention of every predator in the forest?!
Magallan	A-A lamp, then?
Oakcup	Not much difference between a lamp and a fire, light-wise. If you can't sleep, then try this. A dreamcatcher. Helps you pass the night in peace, with no dreams of becoming prey.
Magallan	Thank you. I'll be going to bed, then. Good night.
[Magallan goes to sleep.]
<Background black>
As Oakcup promised, Magallan was not troubled by nightmares that night. Instead, she dreamed another dream. In it, she is still in the forest at night. But she is not alone. She is a creature like Emperor.
Beside her, a massive white hornbeast slumbers in the dream of another. It was serene and beautiful. Magallan could not help but reach out to caress It. But It is so dignified and solemn that her hand stops in mid-air. She decides to lay down next to It and dream together with It. A dream within a dream. ......
<Background black>
[The wind blows silently.]
<Background 2>
[Someone can be heard walking.]
In it, a dark shadow shambles towards the tree hole where the group is sleeping. Behind it is a trail of darkness and filth. Black snow falls from the sky, burning away Santalla's frost and creating a gap. The shadow walks towards the gap, leaving its vile trail on the ground. Suddenly, a hornbeast catches its attention. The hornbeast leaps and disappears. By the time the shadow turns around, the gap is filled with frost again. It gazes upon the frost, and shambles towards where the hornbeast disappeared.
[It walks away.]
......
<Background black>
The hornbeast is still by Magallan when she wakes up. But Its horn had begun to melt. Then Its body, then the forest. Magallan sits upon the snow, snowflakes falling on her beak. For some reason, she feels regret. She never sees the hornbeast's eyes, until the dream vanishes.
<Background 3>
[Magallan hastily sits up.]
Magallan	Oh! ......
[Typhon approaches Magallan.]
Typhon	You're up early today.
Magallan	I just happened to wake up...
Perhaps that was not the entire story. Her sleeping bag is wet near the pocket. She remembers pulling the pocket's zipper shut before sleeping, but it is open now, as if something fell out. There was nothing missing though— Except a little Sami souvenir.
Magallan	Typhon...
Typhon	What's the matter? Got out the wrong side of bed?
Magallan	Does Amma's Affection disappear?
Typhon	Mother has to take care of so many. She can't stay by your side forever. Did the Affection I gave you melt?
Magallan	Yeah...
Typhon	Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe she took care of a big problem for us, without us even realizing.
Magallan	If possible, I'd have liked to keep it with me.
Typhon	Well, we can always find another. It's not that hard.
Magallan	Oh, okay!
<Background black>
[Fowlbeasts can be heard chirping.]
<Background 4>
Magallan	That's... the beast that attacked us the other day.
Typhon	Hasn't been dead for long. Looks like it was rammed to death by a large herbivore.
Magallan	Self-defense, to avoid being eaten?
Typhon	No, it came for revenge while the predator was weakened. Maybe it lost a friend or family when it was little, and sought vengeance once it grew up.
Magallan	Animals, seeking revenge...
[Oakcup approaches them.]
Oakcup	The hunter kills its prey, and the offspring takes revenge. Humans do that, and so do animals. We're not as different from them as you "civilized" folk believe. But that aside... hunter, shaman, over here. We have a bigger problem.
<Background fades out and in>
Typhon	Simone... this rockhorn...
Santalla	Yes, a demon did this. Take the foal away, oak-child. Don't let it lick the mother's blood.
Oakcup	Gotcha. (Imitates a rockhorn cry)
The foal hears the call and staggers away from its mother and towards Oakcup.
Baby Rockhorn	(Sobbing cry)
Oakcup	It's scared. Don't worry, I'm here. (Licks the baby rockhorn's forehead)
Magallan	(Picks up her camera)
[Magallan takes a photo.]
<Background flashes.>
Click—
Magallan looks at the photo. With her own eyes, she can clearly see the rockhorn bleeding blood as black as ink. But the blood doesn't appear in the photo at all.
Santalla	It wasn't caused directly by a demon, just a corrupted creature, some kind of beast. It won't be turned. Can you save it, oak-child?
Oakcup	One second. Watch over the baby for a bit, Magallan. (Imitates a rockhorn cry)
[Oakcup walks towards Magallan.]
Oakcup leads the foal to Magallan, then heads towards the injured rockhorn.
Magallan	H-Hello?
Magallan stretches out her hand, and the foal happily rubs its head against her palm.
Magallan	Hehe...
Oakcup	(Low cry)
Rockhorn	(Pained cry)
Oakcup	Not good... We might've had a chance if we'd arrived earlier, but now... All we can do is ease its pain. Stand aside, hunter. Don't let the foal see.
Typhon	Hmm...
Oakcup	(Long call)
[The rockhorn cries out.]
Rockhorn	(Stifled moan)
Oakcup	No need to be afraid. It won't hurt.
Santalla	......
Oakcup	(Waves staff)
<Background black>
Oakcup	Sleep now. Roam free in dream.
Rockhorn	......
Oakcup	Over hills, over swamp♪ (Puts down staff and takes out dagger) Rest in Amma's woods, for she watches over you♪ No more pain, no more suffering♪ With the souls of all life—
[Oakcup stabs the rockhorn with the dagger.]
Oakcup	(Pierces the rockhorn's throat with the dagger)
[Blood drips out of the wound.]
Oakcup	Roam free on Sami's back♪
<Background 4>
Oakcup	...... Rest now, soul of the land... Oo... (imitates rockhorn mother's cry)
Magallan	Oh...
Hearing the call, the foal hurries to Oakcup's side.
Oakcup	(Low cry) (High-pitched call)
[Oakcup pulls out the dagger.]
Oakcup	Fear not. Your mother is with you. With her blood... her tears...
[Oakcup points with the dagger at the rockhorn's corpse.]
Oakcup	(Draws the bloodied dagger across the mother rockhorn's eye) Her horn.
[Oakcup moves the dagger around.]
Oakcup	(Criss-crosses with the dagger) Stopping at your...?
The foal lightly kicks Oakcup's knee with its hoof.
Oakcup	(Hoof.)
[Oakcup points the dagger at the baby rockhorn's hoof.]
Oakcup	(Draws a mark on the hoof with the dagger) Go, friend. Your life has just begun.
The foal continues to circle Oakcup, seemingly seeing him as its new family.
Oakcup	Well... I suppose that works. Only until we take care of your mother, though.
The foal does not answer, only rubbing itself against Oakcup.
Santalla	What's the plan?
Oakcup	This is more than an apprentice can handle. (Sharp whistle) Screw training. I'll let my teacher take care of it. That way will take you out of the forest towards a nearby marshfolk village. They'll give you a warm welcome. I'll stay here with the kid and stop the rockhorn's bleeding until my teacher arrives. I can't let it become food for scavengers.
Santalla	Say hello to the Canopy Sage for me.
Oakcup	Oh, so you knew—
Santalla	Tell him that this is connected to the Black Mark of Ursus.
Oakcup	Black Mark of Ursus? Alright, I'll pass it on. Nothing good ever comes of Ursus being involved.
Typhon	Do you have enough rations?
Oakcup	I'm not about to become the first apprentice shaman to starve to death in the forest.
Magallan	Here, take this.
Oakcup	A flashlight? I can see well enough in the dark, but it might be useful to the old man. Thanks. Farewell, friends. May Sami keep you safe.
<Background 5>
Magallan	Finally, out of the woods! Hey, I think I'm getting a signal.
Typhon	The marshfolk trade with you guys a lot, so they've got some of your metal things set up.
Magallan	What will Cup do with the rockhorn's carcass?
Typhon	Cleanse the corrupted soil and blood, clean the wound, then leave it.
Magallan	Shouldn't it be buried?
Typhon	No point. Scavengers would just dig it out.
Magallan	Is it the same with people?
Typhon	More or less. Like Oakcup said, here in Sami there's not much difference between humans and beasts. Hunt and be hunted. Eat and be eaten. The best we can do is show our prey a bit of kindness and make sure they're dead before we eat them. That's the law of nature, the will of the north, the Samivilinn.
Magallan	......
Typhon	If you want to change that, there's only one way.
Magallan	What's that?
Typhon	Become Sami itself. Become the All-Father. Of course, that's just a legend. No one's ever seen it happen, haha.
Magallan	Stop messing with me...
[Santalla walks away from the others. Suddenly, her communicator gets a signal.]
???	"Checking status of Black Mark. Liebafowl is about to trade with those upon water."
Santalla	......
<Background black>
[A faint call of an animal can be heard.]
<Background 1>
Another carcass, another victim. The hunter steps over the hunted, with no intention to feed. This was not to satiate hunger, nor for revenge, but pure and simple killing. It is a hornbeast, a corrupted one, with an empty hole on its abdomen, but it is still "alive."
[The hornbeast lets out a call.]
Its blood, tears, and saliva are all black as ink. The hunter roams the animal trail, looking for a new victim. There is a figure swaying at the same frequency, not far away. It is clearly human. Its unique and rhythmic breathing can be heard clearly, even without approaching.
[The human is walking through the forest.]
Hiss... huff...