As the music faded, the applause grew. Vorhes took his bows, but noticed that the high priest Hugo was applauding only half-heartedly. As the banquet began he leaned over, "Didn't you like the song Hugo?"
Hugo started, "What? Oh, no, I liked the song. I liked it so much that I've discovered the answer to a problem."
"What problem?
"If we are to do Feroze honor we need a project that people can get behind, something tremendous that will capture people's imagination." Hugo shook his head, "The high council has been debating what it should be, but now I know. We need a _Pantheon_."
Vorhes blinked in puzzlement, "and what is a _pantheon_."
"It's a . . . building? . . . well, a place, where all the gods are honored. A place to bring together all forms of worship, and all knowledge about the dreaming and the gods. A place where no god is excluded."
"That's . . . ambitious."
Hugo sensed the young espiri's doubts. "But well worth doing my friend. You'll see."
The storm had blown for three days, with the fishing boat fleeing northwest for the entire time. Two days sailing south had brought the boat back to the coast, but nowhere the captain recognized. As the boat beat its way eastward, not a settement had been seen, and now he was faced with what was obivously a river. Should he sail up it or continue to the east? Which would allow him to make some needed repairs more quickly?
"What do you think Washo?"
"It's gotta be the Prren, Cap'n. I've heard stories about monsters in the Delta, better to head t'wards the east and home."
The captain had also heard about tales about monsters, but he also knew that the same sorts of tales had been told generations ago of areas that were thriving Free City settlements today. He also knew what the west coast of Junder was like, with hidden rocks just waiting to rip a ship's bottom out. He shook his head.
"No. I think the monsters will give us better odds than the west Junder shoals. Set sail upriver."
The main channel proved to be much easier to navigate than the captain had expected. Though the spring flood had certainly raised the main channel, the captain thought that even in high summer it wouldn't be difficult to navigate. The fish were plentiful, and even dolphins gathered 'round, hopfully bringing their luck.
"The main problem," the captain thought, "is that the high water has submerged the sandbars and beaches leaving us no place to beach the boat."
"Cap'n! Dolphin's act'n strange-like."
Moving toward the bow the captain saw what the lookout meant. Time after time a dolphin would stick its head out of the water, chirp, and then swim off toward a side channel. Not any channel, though, the captain realized, a particular channel. There was a bit of a scramble as his bellowed commands caught the small crew by surprize, but it wasn't long before the fishing boat was headed up that same channel.
As the dolphins proceeded to guide the boat up the channel, the crew had a chance to look at them more closely and wonder at what they found. Some of them were wearing harnesses of some sort of fiber, but the thing that really amazed was the nature of their forefins. The crew saw the overlarge fins fold out into something remarkable like arms. Though a couple of crewmen argued that this was a sign of evil and that they should sail as far away as possible, the majority of the crew agreed that dolphins, even dolphins with arms, were good luck, and they wouldn't come to harm by following them. Those few who had earlier fed the dolphins from the fish the boat had caught preened themselves and said that without their actions the dolphins wouldn't be leading the boat anywhere.
It wasn't long before the captain noticed an overlarge hill pushing its way out of the delta. He wasn't surprized when the dolphins led them to it, but he was surprized by grassy clearing set into its side. Nearby trees provided a perfect place to set winches and boat was quickly emptied and winched into the clearing for repairs.
By the time repairs were finished, the crew had explored the hill thoroughly. Fish, greens, and spring roots were abundant, and brambles would grow berries in their season. The water around the hill flowed fresh, clean, and clear. The fresh-water dolphins were helpful and some of the crew even thought they talked! The captain had climbed to the top of the hill and seen that the delta was dotted with others like it. Floods would be a problem, and swamp air likely carried disease in summer, but the captain would suggest an expedition out here in the summer. The home village was getting crowded.
Heading home, well repaired, the captain thanked the river dolphins by dropping a mid-size net and a number of fishing lines to them. Perhaps they could use them. "And if they couldn't," he thought chuckling, "they're just a sacrifice to the Lord of the Sea."
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