Aldith wanders over to look at the potion. She wrinkles her nose at the toenail floating inside. "I'm fine with keeping this as part of a group pot," she says.

Nexus, hearing the suggestions for the gold to be a sort of pot for the group, didn't disagree with the notion. Nor did she hide away the effects of what her identify discovered, showing her tome to the others once the spell finished, flipping it around so they could read, in common, what the potion did.

"This seems geared toward the more melee focused fighters in our group, so while it is in the pot, think they should have first dibs on when to use it. I'll admit, I'm somewhat relieved I don't need to drink something with a toenail in it..."

After a few more hours of travel, the sun hangs low in the western sky. You all agree to set up camp for the evening and find a good spot that suits your large group. Some of you set up tents, while the rest of you prepare rations or hunt for food in the wastes. Eventually you all find yourselves back in camp, sitting around a fire as the summer night sets in. 

Nexus, when the group eventually comes to settle in for the evening, can't help but be a bit curious as to the rest of her group.

"So--I don't think I asked, but, I am curious where everyone is from. Not that you have to share if you don't want to, but I've grown up in Jigow, so those unfamiliar faces might have quite the interesting stories to tell."

Mornin stays silent at Nexus' question, hoping no one asks him specifically. If they do, he gives vague answers hoping to seem like he doesn't understand directions very well.

"Well, I came to Jigow from Rosohna, which is where I'm from, technically, I guess --" Shayone stops and shakes her head. "I'm on my third life now, and the last two I lived in Rosohna, and was an Echo Knight. This time --" she gestures down at herself "-- I can barely hold a sword, and I only just recently managed to bulk up enough to manage a shield at the same time. I was born in Igrathad, this time, so that's where the immediate family is."

Mornin's brow visibly furrows in confusion at Shayone's words, unsure if he should ask for a moment. "Third life? What mean?"

"I'm consecuted," Shayone says, with the same simplicity that people say 'I'm an elf,' or 'it's raining.' "I know it's less common to see that among ...goblinkin, but I used to be drow."

Nexus seems very interested in what Shayone says, but more in a curiousity level than the religious aspects of that. "Oh---that's quite neat! Do you miss being a drow, sometimes? ...Wait, is that rude to ask? I'm not entirely sure how the process works, if I'm being quite honest."

While she asks this, Nexus is in the midst of cleaning her clothes with prestidigation, making sure to tidy herself up. Doing the same for anyone else that asked. 

Kalhala smiles at Nexus's squimishness to the vial of potion.  "I will be happy to drink this if needed!  Would love to have some extra strength!"

As they all gather around the fire and Shayone starts to open up, he looks at her with genuine interest.  "What is a consecuted?  I'm sorry I have never heard of such a thing.  Three lives?  That's incredible.  Will you have more?"

Ayo is currently watching the horizon with Dermot and Maggie, having their own discussion. Irvan and Galsariad sit by the fire with all of you.

"I'm from Rosohna as well - quite different from this remote wasteland. You and I must have moved in different circles, Shayone. It must have been quite the shock, waking up in a hobgoblin body after so long as a drow," Galsariad says. "Are you part of a particular Den, Shayone, or just one of the lucky folk unconnected to that exclusive society that can boast that they are consecuted?"

"Yeah, no kidding... from what I hear it's a pretty disorienting experience. I believe Den Hythenos has quite a few goblinoid members."  Irvan adds. "Anyway, I was born among the Dolorav nomads of the Iothia Moor, but as soon as I came of age I left them and lived in Asarius for a while. That was before meeting Ayo and joining her company."

"It's a path to enlightenment through the Luxon," Shayone explains. "By binding yourself to the will of the Luxon, when you are reborn you have the opportunity to recall your past life, or lives, to learn from them and so become closer to being one with the Luxon. It requires great faith, although --" she nods at Galsariad "-- it can also be politically motivated. To prevent tactical or political knowledge from being lost, or to motivate peaceful relations when one never knows if their kin will be reborn into the hold of a former enemy." She looks down at her rations and busies herself with them for a moment before looking up again. "I must admit, I'm still fuzzy on many aspects of my previous lives -- I was in Rosohna working on reattuning to them -- but I feel like this anamnesis -- the remembering process," she explains for Kalhala's benefit "-- is more of a struggle this time around. I don't know if it's because of how different this body is, or if it's the magic." She twists her hand in a cupping motion, producing a shower of subtle red and purple sparks. "That's new. I know I'm supposing to be learning from new experiences, but I'd rather have my skill with a blade back."

Galsariad hums. "Interesting... So you didn't have this arcane power in your previous lives? How peculiar. I wonder what could possibly cause your anamnesis to dull, make you forget your skill with a blade and instead grant you the ability to wield magic..."

Shayone shrugs, a little uncomfortable. "Supposedly I just need more time -- there's a lot to remember. But I think I need more practice." She grins. "So I decided to get some. And here I am."

Kalhala listens to Shay's story, enraptured with the process.  He wonders who else he knows that might have had previous lives?  "I've lived in Jigow my entire life.  I grew up in awe of the Aurora Watch and as soon as I was old enough, I joined." He looks away a little abashed, "But as soon as I started becoming a blood hunter several years later, they released me, so here I am."

"I haven't heard much about blood hunters," Shayone admits, "but it does sound like it could be a conflict of interest, in the eyes of the Aurora Watch. Dedication to the cause is key."

Nexus listens to the groups conversation, their little back-and-forth, with rapt attention. Particularly when Shayone delves further into the process, or what she knows of it. And the loss of skill with a blade despite the process typically making it quite easy to maintain things like that through one's various lives. 

"I'm curious, now---Elsewhere, outside the influence of the beacons, children are born normally and they get their own spirits, their own selves. Are those born within the light of the beacon...empty? Just vessels? The concept of being reborn, retaining your memories and self is fascinating, don't get me wrong! But....I'm just curious about the other aspects of it, too."

Nexus pauses for a moment, removing from a bag on her hip what looks to be some plain white sheets of paper. The sort someone might sketch with, right hand snapping it's fingers together to seemingly conjure up a quill from nowhere in particular, which she began working to draw out little doodles while they spoke now. 

Mornin surprises himself when he pipes up in response to Nexus' question. "Probably not empty, just, without a mind. Able to move and act and, on some level, think. But no personality, yet."

"That sounds dangerously close to Empire propaganda," Shayone says with a grin, but still a warning that such questions would be unwelcome in some circles. "No one is born without a soul. Just sometimes, you're born with a soul that has a little more experience. I don't know how it works, just that it does, and we believe that it is a gift of the Luxon to help us towards enlightenment."

"And it's not as if the moment I was born I remembered several hundred years of being a warrior. I was just Shayone, from Oshinik-Ka, until a few years ago. Fully a person. Now I'm Shayone of Den Daev’yana, with two tutors who are more absent than they should be."

Nexus timidly chuckles, happy that Shayone seemed to be good-natured about her inquisition nature even if it was also a warning not to be so open about it in -that- regard. 

"I see, I see--Well! At the very least, that does give me some inspiration for drawing. Thank you for the enlightenment, Shayone."