Gwern stood looking up at the rock through a haze of water vapour and mini rainbows. Bulging out of the steeped, wooded hillside the stone was splattered by twenty or thirty streams which were cascading down it's sides, disappearing into culverts and reappearing at random. The almost alien rock seemed to be squeezing all the available liquid out of the surrounding hill sides. The raven, still ever present, pecked the ground near by.
Assessing the most promising route he made his way to the nearest outcrop of relatively dry rock, stripped and bundled his stuff together again and started up towards the northern aspect naked. The raven seemed to act like a guide, hopping and flapping up ahead to show him the route. After climbing waterfalls and near vertiginous brooks and streams for twenty minutes he was only half way up he paused for breath. The raven apparently impatient for him to move on cawed. He scrambled on searching for handholds on the slick rock.
Eventually the climb leveled out and he followed the main course of the stream. Ahead he could see smoke rising from a small group of homestead buildings and thought it better to get dressed. He had not managed to keep his clothes totally dry and squelched as he approached the dwellings. He held his hands out in the universal sign that he carried no weapons.
The circular buildings were constructed with a dry stone wall and a reed roof. Although several fires were burning he had yet to see any people. The raven had taken purchase on the largest of these huts and again seemed to be calling him to follow. Gwern approached the hut and the Raven hopped down and swooped into the doorway.
It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the low light levels in the smokey interior. The raven had found himself a perch on large chair that dominated the room. Gwern rotated slowly around arms still spread to ascertain there was nobody in the shelter. When he returned to the chair, to his surprize, the raven was gone and a dark robed man with a gaunt face was sitting on it.
"Welcome Gwern of Orm" he said in a deep resonating voice.
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