<div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/TqFBCOC.jpg)</div><strong>Canticle of Universal Harmony</strong>(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dGaCiyvxkSE5EMRjE79p3sKxIr26NnbEOWfCmV4Q05w/edit)<br/><br/>Many times on that long, frightfully hot journey, the petite young artificer considered unfolding her backpack.  Only the two lower pouches of the sturdy leather frame actually contained supplies.  If she were to open the largest—top--pouch and unfold the jade, orichalcum, and feathersteel frame within, Canticle could reveal a magitech wonder that would allow her to travel over a hundred miles in a day, speeding across the land buoyed on pillars of gold and blue essence.<br/><br/>Canticle wasn't certain what scared her more, being seen riding the Swift Runner, or traveling along the winding mountain roads overlooking the river at such great speeds.  Either way, she continuously resisted pulling it out, 'til the young solar was half dead from heat and sunburn.  She leaned heavily on her halberd as she walked—an elegant pole arm of steel, ash, and gold.  A few weeks back, she'd gotten lost in the mountains and stumbled across the picked clean corpses of a dozen bandits who had been holed up in an old manse.  The place was inoperable, and given to arching blue flames and green lighting into the sky.  The damage was minimal, though.   Canticle had spent several weeks enjoying the shade while she restored it and reforged the rusty blades the bandits had used into this halberd.<br/><br/>It felt good to fix things.<br/><br/>Canticle had been praying to the Maidens of Destiny to turn back time and let her never decide to leave her manse and continue this journey, burned to death by the god who exalted her...<br/><br/>And then the Penitent raised into the sky before her.  A vast statue tall as a mountain with a great city in it's lap.  “I'm here,” she whispered, surging forwards at a brisk trot.  “I'm really here.”   Sticking to the shade as she approached, Canticle's hearthstone healed the sunburn, though she was still painfully thirsty from rationing herself to just a few sips a day for the last week...<br/><br/>“First thing,” she gasped, as civilization came into view.  “I'm going to drink a whole gallon of water.”<br/>