[Game Thread] Chapter Seven: Bloodlines

[Makenshi]

"Broadly speaking? Our origins and our mission. We're also incapable of interfering in certain events, principally those relating to Zera. You'll get a more thorough and potentially even satisfying explanation later on, especially if Many Faces has his way."

Arte lets out a soft snort at Mrith's introduction, his attention otherwise back on the fire. "I've been accused of many things in my life. Being charming isn't one of them. Talking of which, if you have no need of me then I had best ensure my sister does not cause any trouble." A quick glance towards her doesn't reveal anything untoward - she's merely talking with the same group of Children as before, drinking and eating. Either he was just trying to extract himself from the conversation or he knew something everyone else didn't about Sublime.

~MTWC

[Xian]

Adam & Sublime Originally Posted by Sublime "Boyfriend?" Sublime frowns in confusion, glancing towards Arte and Mrith before snorting. "While we did spend nine months intimately wrapped around one another I can assure that even I'm not so depraved as to f*ck my own twin. Besides, she's not his type either. I'm not even sure my brother knows what sex is. His interests lie elsewhere." "Whoever said anything about sex? I just said boyfriend.... must your mind always be in the gutter, milady?" Adam said in feigned shock at the new revelation. So that was Sublime's twin brother... interesting in that they seemed nothing alike at all. "So twin brother, eh? Don't see the resemblance... but anyway so is he dark and mysterious like the rest of you new gods that started showing up?" Adam noted the arrival somebody in flash of thunder and lightning... "Another new god friend of yours? I am guessing whoever they are, it looks like they wanted to make sure no one knew that they were here."

[dalarangreen]

Brood nodded her head politely as Arte invited her to the conversation.

"Brood, First-Born Tal'gos," Brood responds simply. She takes a closer look at M'rith in the firelight. It was not hard to imagine that this human-born was in fact a dragon: her hair, her adornments--both seemed to shine and glow like the scales of a dragon. "You have a fine appearance as well," Brood says awkwardly, trying to return the compliment.

"...Being perceptive seems to be a trait that the Unknown Gods seem to share," Brood notes, as Arte attempts to withdraw himself from the conversation, "I am hear to speak with M'rith Jenn'la Rudaa. Though about what is as much a mystery to me as are you Unknown Gods." She eyes Arte quizzically, as if to ask if he knows anything about the task that Many Faces requested of her. Somehow she doubted it. The Unknown Gods seemed as secretive amongst themselves as they were with others...

[Blue]

"Why, thank you."

That she had come to speak with her for no clear reason was peculiar, and the thought was clear on her face. She was visibly amused.
"Well, you just have. I hope you weren't hoping I'd be able to tell you what you are supposed to talk to me about, though! Here for a story, perhaps? Or perhaps you have one for me?"

She looks at her with hungry eyes, her traits suddenly sharper. Eyes commonly seen on the hunter. One eye suddenly growing a bit more... thin. Slitted. Like a lizard's or a cat's. The other eye about halfway there.

[Makenshi]

 

Sublime gives Adam a disappointed look when he asks about her brother. "How boring. If you're going to ask such stupid questions then I'm going to have to find my entertainment elsewhere."

She offhandly corrects his assumption about the lightning. "We've already revealed all of us," she smirked before adding, "or don't you trust us?"

 

Originally Posted by Brood

"I am hear to speak with M'rith Jenn'la Rudaa. Though about what is as much a mystery to me as are you Unknown Gods."

That comment seems to attract Arte's attention. "Hmm. In that case I'd have to guess that one of us is the reason, most likely one of the Children among us." He tilts his head to the side, in thought. "With you...hmmm...I'd further guess either Shadow or Faces. Most likely the latter if you don't even know what you're trying to do."

 

Who and Where? Brood: Taking with Arte and Mrith, by the central bonfire. Mrith: Talking with Arte and Brood, by the central bonfire. King Vulcar of Halva, Vulcar's fiancéePrincess Celes of Shali, Cypher is the eldest of the Sword's three Children but also the least seen. This is because she is a Face in the Dark (see classes thread), meaning she has spent most of her time infiltrating Fiendish churches and cults. In her case, she infiltrated the Church of Deimos in Sharak and even spent a time as King Kaeyin's religious advisor. At some point during this she become pregnant with and bore a twin daughter and son of Kaeyin (although neither he nor anyone else was aware of them) who have been raised by the Children in the Dark when she is not around. As a Face in the Dark she is highly skilled at divine magic, stealth and subterfuge. Being a Godling she is also among the most powerful of mortals although not quite a full-fledged God.Cypher of the Firstborn In'ira and her twin toddlers, Ismael and Miya: Inside one of the tents, where the babies/toddlers/younger children mostly seem to be. Most often shortened simply to Bane, he is the middle-child of the three but also the tallest and bears a striking resemblance to his grandfather, Vulcar Halva I, the man who founded Halva and the First Halvan Empire. Bane's Gift is for understanding magic items, which are somewhat of a speciality of his and generally what he spends most of his time doing outside of freeing slaves, striking out against the Fiends or otherwise performing his duties. He is an Eye in the Dark (see the classes thread), meaning he is skilled at stealth and arcane magic. Being a Godling he is also among the most powerful of mortals although not quite a full-fledged God.Balor-Bane of the Firstborn In'ira, A tall grey-skinned Drow-touched man wearing goggles, a tattered wide-brimmed hat and a long overcoat filled with various bits and pieces. He has mostly only shown up in order to use some sort of device to strip Gula, Ira and Superbia of their divinity before they were killed, however he has fought a little as well. Tinker has displayed skill with a pistol, the use of various magical items (most notably the one that appears to drain divinity) and the occasional use of high level arcane magic.Tinker: Talking animatedly amongst themselves within one of the cluster of Children about magic items. Min is the youngest, most reckless and most immature of the three, having only passed her Swordright in the past few years. Unlike her siblings, she has embraced her psionic heritage and uses it in combination with the sublime way, having had a lot of training in both from various other Children. Min is a powerful Wilder and a highly skilled Swordsage, as well as having learnt how to further manipulate psionics by being an Elocator. Being a Godling she is also among the most powerful of mortals although not quite a full-fledged God.Min of the Firstborn In'ira and her sword-brothers, Toy and Geld: Mingling with other Children. One of the original investigators and without doubt the most high profile of them even before the investigations were revealed to the world at large during Chapter Five. He has made a name for himself for shouting at or otherwise picking fights with powerful and/or influential people, including a few Gods, most often by trying to call them out on their behaviour. As well as having fostered a close working relationship (if not friendship) with the King and his soon-to-be Queen, Morgan is also a childhood friend of Kala (one of the newest Gods in Aheka), a former pupil of Esiard Emlyn and, as has been revealed recently, not only currently in a relationship with Minloth Zilira but also responsible for freeing her from the binding that had been placed on her to serve the Halvan royal family for almost a thousand years. Despite this recent prestige he still maintains a network of friends and allies from all walks of life throughout Halva.Archmage Morgan Wainwraith, Kala was a deaf-mute Seer long thought to be the reincarnation of Airis, partly because she was innately talented at using divine magic with little to no training from a startlingly young age. It has recently emerged that she is in fact the daughter of Airis and Malvain, broken free by Malvain and entrusted into the care of her half-brother Malhas (see Other) who stunted her natural gift in order to better hide her. Her true power was unlocked by Fisali and she has since steadily grew in strength and power, with her political influence, especially to the worshippers of her parents, likewise growing and growing. Since becoming a Demi-Goddess, Kala has displayed powerful divine magic, with a particular knack for using glpyh and symbol spells as well as healing magic. She has even proven capable of resurrecting the dead, however it appears to tax her in some way.Kala, Malhas is a son of Malvain born around a century ago or more (exactly when is unknown), although he has never been very widely known, even among his father's own followers. His most notable act was masquerading as his father in order to provoke an alliance of Deities (good and evil) to fight and slay Malvain. Malhas has recently claimed he did so because Malvain was planning some sort of world-spanning war which, given the separate machinations of Zera to do likewise, could very well have been a catastrophe. Malhas has recently emerged as being the one responsible for hiding Kala's true power, as well as keeping an eye on her by masquerading as a worshipper of Airis by the name of Kahlas. He has been helping her out since, although the two do not always see eye to eye. Malhas is a highly skilled and varied user of both arcane and divine magic although he full abilities and limits have never really been tested.Malhas and a Drow Demi-Goddess who was thought dead. Most notably, she is both the ultimate female ancestor of the Halvan dynasty/had been bound to serve them into recently by powerful magic and the mother of Coiya Halva, the second ever King of Halva and better known now as the Sword in the DarkMinloth Zilira: Yet to arrive, but expected to arrive together. Didina Reid is a beautiful young Tiefling woman, most notable because of her large horns which she habitual decorates with jewellery. Although she was born to the former High Council member (but still influential Council member) Alleron Lyrason her father not only disinherited her due to her obvious Tiefling nature - claiming that she was not his daughter - but has repeatedly hired people to try and kill or otherwise deal with her. Didina has survived against these attacks in part due to having forged her own network of allies/friends and in part through her natural psionic talents. Eventually, this gained the King's attention and he not only named her a Lady but also took lands and wealth from her father in recompense, all in order to recruit the Mindbender and Thrallherd to aid in investigating the attempt on his life. Despite being a powerful Telepath, Didina dislikes fighting which has only intensified recently with the death (and revival) of her closest friend, Misa Serokai (see below). She has stressed that she was hired to investigate, not to fight, so it unclear how much she intends to continue to help with current events, especially with their original task having been completed once they confirmed it was Zera behind the assassination attempt. As a Telepath, Mindbender and Thrallherd Didina is highly skilled at using Telepathy powers and mind-effecting powers in general. Didina revealed that she had contacts/friends in the Church of Inanna much earlier in the story, however it has recently emerged that not only did she have some sort of contact with the Cult of Acedia but had some form of interaction with Acedia herself that she avoided talking about. It is because of this that she did not join the rest of the party in confronting Acedia and later getting involved in the battle between several Archgates and several of the Unknown Gods.Lady Didina Reid and Misa Serokai is a generally scruffy-looking young Arian woman, however as the daughter of the long-serving Arian ambassador to Halva she was born and raised in Halva. She was brought into the investigation in part because of her close friendship with Didina Reid but also because of her own minor seer abilities. Namely, that having been born blind she has greatly refined the Serokai's natural precognition to allow her to experience the world through what she describes as some form of 'touchsight', more feeling it than seeing it, as well as sometimes getting vague premonitions of danger. This form of 'sight' even allowed her to recognise the incredibly powerful mage known as Shade, who ordinarily can not be recognised unless he wants to be due to some sort of magical amnesia effect that he constantly emits. Misa was not only killed, but reduced to dust during the most recent Fiendish incursion upon Aheka however the newly ascended Demi-Goddess Kala was able to not only restore her but cure her blindness in the process - something that Misa has refused in the past as her people believe it is a distraction from the true sight she has mastered and fears her abilities will fade as a result. She stayed behind with Didina when the party left to confront Acedia and her forces.Lady Misa Serokai: Yet to arrive but expected to do so together. Archgates Mirik Orn, Selene Jual, Sei'Theofan Rudaa, Shara Segali, Sei'Raeth Segali, an Alainn: Mingling amongst the Children. Anorde and Celi: Yet to arrive (will arrive with Ashen Black). A (literally) ethereal looking woman with blonde hair, one green eye and one blue eye that appears to float/fly about, passing through most physical objects and attacks (which is likely where the name comes from). Has a very unusual appearance (pale skin, wings, clothing that appears to have melded into her skin). Like her siblings and unlike all the other Unknown Gods, she has outright admitted to/claimed to be a daughter of Airis and Zera, which has earned suspicion from many (most importantly Jester of the Demon's Moon). Other than her incorporeality she has mostly displayed powerful divine magic, potentially even reviving the recently slain (Revivify) and using various high-level healing/restoration spells to aid others.Airiel the Unbound: In one of the larger buildings, helping tend to injured Children rather than joining the festivities (so far anyway). The most striking of the 'Un' siblings because of his uncanny resemblance to his father, Zera, save for the blond hair and blue-green eyes of his mother (Airis). Fortunately for him, Zera's face isn't widely known outside of the Sei and high-ranking military types. Fought with and killed Gula by taking an immense beating and then somehow 'transferring' his injuries onto Gula once Gula tried to use a God-killing poison on him. As Gula was dying Tinker (see below) used an unknown artifact to steal and store his divinity. He has displayed powerful psionics, in particular having repeatedly absorbed injuries from those around him to heal them and transferring both these and his own injuries onto Fiends. Against both Gula and Jester (see the linked to Chapter) he has displayed not only an incredibly resilience (i.e. taking lots of damage) but an incredible ability to rapidly heal himself when he chooses not to transfer his injuries. He has also displayed another former of magic using an unknown tongue, mostly by simply calling out a single word/short phrase, however exactly what it is is unknown.Airin the Undying: Using his psionics (in particular telekinesis) to help the last of the rebuilding/fixing going on. Like her sister, Airza's appearance is highly unusual as she not only has stone-like and bronze-coloured (actually bronze, not just tanned) skin with patches of incandescent scales on it but also pitch-black cracks running all across her body forming strange symbols all over her body. Her having one blue eye and one green eye doesn't register nearly as much as it normally would as result. She was mostly active in the Fiendish Planes before helping to defend her brother from Jester (see the end of the current Chapter). Unlike her more magical siblings, Airza has shown simple but brutally effective overwhelming force when she has fought, mostly using her fists and/or an oversized bastard sword, as well as an ability to not only rapidly heal herself but simply shrug off most forms of damage in the first place. In the unlikely event that a Binder meets her, they may recognise that her appearance and certain other abilities are a result of Binding magic.Airza, the Unbroken: Mingling with the Children. At first glance, Arte doesn't look very remarkable, and unlike his sister, Sublime, has shown a tendency to hang back and strike from afar rather than get into the thick of fighting. He also tended to kill almost exclusively with practical, quick bouts of magic, rather than toying and humiliating his opponents as his sister did. Most notably, the two of them killed Superbia, with Arte countering any of her attempts at magic and even seemingly to re-direct her attempts to teleport away while Sublime killed her in (otherwise) single combat. Has displayed a large variety of both arcane and divine magic, even sometimes combining the two, but has mostly worked with his sister, Sublime to compliment her focus on fighting. Like her, he hasn't really shown much in the way of 'support', with even his divine magic being used for almost exclusively offensive purposes.Arte: Staring contemplatively at the large bonfire, while occasionally talking to Brood and Mirth. Boss' appearance is by far the most intimidating of the Unknown Gods. Not only does he bear an uncanny resemblance to Deimos (same hair colour/general build, but different eyes and a skull mask that covers the top of his face rather than the bottom of it) but his entire body is covered in writhing, living spiked chains that he not only fights with but uses to move around on. He has almost exclusively shown up in Phare in the recent fighting, specifically their capitol Feid, helping to fight the Fiends, albeit in an incredibly brutal fashion and usually while cheerily singing inappropriate songs in the process. For those who who have been/were recently victims of particularly nasty people (especially those using a position of power to avoid paying for their crimes) he may have revealed himself as much as a few years before the current events, coming out of no-where to either kill the person in question or confer some sort of compulsion-laden mark on them to force them to 'atone' (with the compulsion often being rather sadistic in nature). All such targets of his have been nasty pieces of work and he tends to arrive and leave in an abrupt fashion. Apart from using the spiked chains wrapped around his entire body like combat tentacles and brutally ripping things into pieces he has also shown a smattering of sorcerous magic (albeit, not very high level), some powerful invocations and a knack for striking at weak points.Boss: Using his chains to help with the building/repair work. Lady is the most visible (literally) of the Unknown Gods, mostly because her appearances tend to be heralded by her exuding waves of blinding light from her body. What makes her obvious affinity for light more unusual is that she is a dusky/grey skinned Drowtouched, wearing mostly white with some grey and black. She first emerged as Deimos and the Fiends attacked the Drow underground but subsequently moved across Aheka turning up in various places to help out. Each time usually using not only her light powers but mass telepathy to announce her presence, threaten the fiends or rally the people. Along with her (seemingly innate) light-based powers, she has also displayed powerful offensive psionics and sorcery, as well as occasionally fighting with a sword.Lady/Sulion: Using her psionics/magic (mostly telekinesis) to help the rebuilding/repair work. Faces, as he has generally introduced himself recently, is an incredibly skilled shapeshifter that has only recently been revealed as being 'Mask' (see People of Aheka). His 'default'/diplomatic form is a young man with dark hair wearing a mask with a simplistic stylised grinning face on it. Although he joins the other Unknown Gods in confronting Jester in the most recent Chapter his other antics are otherwise unknown. It seems likely he has masqueraded as others to either use the chaos to spy or sneak up people. Even his 'Mask' persona seems to be just another persona, as he acts much more reserved and unassuming in his 'grinning face' guise. Like the other self-confessed Children in the Dark among the Unknown Gods he is not only unknown to them but the Family he claims to belong to (the Harlequins) is similarly completely unknown. Other than his shapeshifting he hasn't really displayed any real skills as Many Faces except for being very good at pretending to be someone else, however as Mask his using a variety of skills/magic led people to believe he is a Chameleon (i.e. capable of using a wide variety of abilities/magic depending on the situation). Given the revelation of his true power this may have been an inaccurate assumption.Many Faces: ??? Rapture is an unusually tall elf-touched woman (6ft+) wearing the traditional mismatched armour of the Children in the Dark who carries a halberd with magical runes and markings carved into it like a staff would have. Like the other self-confessed Children in the Dark among the Unknown Gods she is not only unknown to them but the Family she claims to belong to (the Dervishes) is similarly completely unknown. She has displayed not only great skill with using her halberd in battle, but also appears to use it as a focus/aid to both high-level offensive arcane and divine magic.Rapture: Mingling with the Children. After the Lady in the Light, Shadow has been the most noticeable/seen of the Unknown Gods, mostly as a result of engaging in a very public fight with Invidia in Feid. That she has been fighting by using some sort of shapeshifting 'shadow' that surrounds her and tends to take on large monstrous forms with great fluidity certainly helped make her noticeable. She also revealed herself to the Children before the current events, specifically Teaches Humility (a former PC who you can find in the Lords and Ladies thread). Like the other self-confessed Children in the Dark among the Unknown Gods she is not only unknown to them but the Family she claims to belong to (the Avengers) is similarly completely unknown. She has mostly relied on immense physical prowess to fight, combined with the fluid shapeshifting, reach and natural attacks of her 'shadow beast armour/suit thing', but using the occasional bit of arcane magic (usually to banish Fiends from a distance).Shadow: Using her 'shadow form' to help the rebuilding/repair work, mostly with tentacles/brute strength. Except perhaps for Many Faces, Snark is the most unassuming of the Unknown Gods. He wears the typical mis-matched armour of the Children in the Dark and, unsurprisingly predominantly fights with a sword, but if anything he's a little shorter than average and definitely shorter than most of the other Unknown Gods. Most notably, he seems to only speak by quoting sayings, bits of scripture or even parroting what other people say around him (often mockingly). He has generally accompanied Lady, both among the Drow and on the surface, but occasionally split up from her to deal with threats by himself. Like the other self-confessed Children in the Dark among the Unknown Gods he is not only unknown to them but the Family he claims to belong to (the Silencers) is similarly completely unknown. He has shown himself to not only be a skilled swordsman but a practitioner of the Sublime Way, including some supernatural uses of it (mostly Devoted Spirit manoeuvrers/stances). He has also displayed minor magical abilities, great skill at stealth and a keen eye for weak spots.Snark: Mingling with the Children. Sublime is by far the most talkative of the Unknown Gods, although this mostly takes the form of boasting, mocking and generally being an annoyance in any way she can while fighting. True to her boasting, she is a strikingly beautful woman with long dark hair, pale skin and clothing that while cut to allow her freedom of movement is obviously ornate, high quality and designed to also show off her physique. Although she predominantly fights with a sword it has the ability to rapidly change shape to suit how/who she is fighting, mostly taking the form of various melee weapons but sometimes pairs of them or even a metallic bow that creates its own entirely metallic arrows to fire. She most notably killed Superbia in (mostly) single combat (her brother countered Superbia's magic and attempts to flee, otherwise not engaging her) but also swathes of other demons. Even against Superbia Sublime maintained her cocky arrogance, constantly belittling and mocking the Goddess as they fought and claiming that she was disappointed with how weak Superbia was before beheading her and using her decapitated head as a make-shift flail against her own forces. She appears to fight for the thrill of fighting and/or to prove herself superior as far as has been observed. She has almost exclusively fought physically, bar some supernatural uses of the Sublime Way, and mostly at melee, but of particular note is not only her use of archery but that she somehow appears to be able to use the Sublime Way with it. Her skill, particularly with the Sublime Way, is quite frankly equal parts terrifying, awe-inspiring and unequalled as far as most people will have ever seen, making her boast of being 'Perfection Personified' more understandable (but still very arrogant).Sublime: At the centre of a large group of singing/dancing/chatting Children along with the three heads of the slain Sins (which are on poles nearby) and joining in with all three. The oldest of the Hybrids, having been created when a Succubus stabbed the Paladin of Trinity, Nero Ardin, sixteen years ago without knowing the true nature of the dagger. He appears as a dark-haired, pale-skinned and plainly dressed Shalian man, making him much more unassuming in appearance compared to the two other Hybrids. Like with all of the Hybrids, those who meet his gaze feel like it almost pulls them in, with their pupils appearing like starry voids. Nehrahk has spent the past sixteen years secretly converting his own army of Fiends (and Fiend-blooded creatures) from the various Fiendish planes, using his influence over Fiends to try and turn them into a force for good. All of these Fiends have his mark (a series of smaller and smaller equilateral triangles within one another at different angles) somewhere obvious on their body (usually the forehead). He has been operating out of his own demi-plane attached to the Plane of Shadows and is known to a few in the Children of the Dark, but was otherwise unknown until now. Although obviously attempting to be a force for good Nehrahk has made it clear that his intention is to protect Aheka from Fiends - not to get involved in internal Ahekan affairs - so he is not to be counted on to fight Zera. He has displayed the ability to both make and 'unmake' matter on a variety of scales, from creating clothes to entire demi-planes and not just disintegrating objects/beings but, according to his own description, unravelling their very presence in reality (making it impossible to restore/revive them).Nehrahk: Unknown if he will appear. The newest of the Hybrids but has quickly become the most well known as he moved across Aheka during the recent troubles slaying swathes of Fiends with little effort while also holding off/repelling Fiendish Deities as well. He has auburn hair, tanned skin and golden eyes that resemble rolling, whirling liquid fire. Like with all of the Hybrids, those who meet his gaze feel like it almost pulls them in, with their pupils appearing like starry voids. He was created when Lekan Alyyryk of the Kashyyn, a Tyyrykan who had been helping the PCs to investigate the assassination and then Zera in general, elected to sacrifice himself in part because of a prior meeting with the Oracle having convinced him that doing so was for the benefit of Aheka as a whole, even if - by his own personal beliefs - it would not only destroy his soul but prevent the eventual reincarnation that his people believe in. Lekan came to the PCs attentions because his identical brother was used to try and assassinate the King - by Zera as it eventually turned out - however it emerged that it was due to Zera's mental manipulations. It was also discovered that the Blue Woman was in fact originally Lekan's sister - with the three of them being triplets - and is being controlled/manipulated by Zera. His brother and sister had both been trying to infiltrate Zera's operations before they were discovered and Zera twisted them to his own ends. Still being 'newborn', the full extent of Lekkar's powers are unknown, however he retains Lekan Alyyryk's psionic abilities (albeit, greatly amplified) as well as possessing an affinity for innate fire magic. In particular, he appears to use it to move around, either appearing in a blaze of fire from out of no-where or sometimes literally exploding from out of Fiends during the recent troubles. Just as Nehrahk has an affinity for manipulating Fiends and the Blue Woman has an affinity for Trolls, Lekkar's influence seems to revolve around Seers and, more broadly, humans to a degree as he has shown some sort of empathic sense towards humanoids as a whole - such as being able to tell that the Drow were being enslaved and slaughtered after looking at a single Drow.Lekkar Alyyryk: Unknown if he will appear. Coiya/the Sword in the Dark: Not arrived yet. Dancer, Keeper of the Blackbone: Not arrived yet. Breaker, Keeper of the Firstborn: Not arrived yet. Mercy, Keeper of the Last-Breath: Not arrived yet. Wit, Keeper of the Oldblood: Not arrived yet. Strider, Keeper of the True-Dawn: Not arrived yet. Ruin, Keeper of the Wildsoul: Not arrived yet. Future, Keeper of the Young-Blades: Not arrived yet. L'arabiel: Just arrived? Name: Location. If there's anyone else from the People thread (or for the vets, that you've met before) that you're keeping an eye on/want to meet then let me know and I'll add them here if they're expected to attend and update when they arrive.

~MTWC

[dalarangreen]

Arte's comment hits the mark so exactly, that Brood can do little more for the moment than be startled. Sighing, she replies, "Very astute. But I am sure you all have a lot of practice inferring each other's actions, don't you?"

It made sense. With so much secrecy, even between the Unknown Gods, it was likely that this kind of guesswork was common place.

The curiosity growing on M'rith's face was becoming more and more apparent. Brood was tempted briefly to show M'rith the coin, but hesitated. She knew hardly anything about the dragon-kin. Brood decided against it, at least for now. But why had she felt compelled to do so? Perhaps she had felt slightly intimidated, even if unconsciously, by M'rith's piercing gaze.

"Ah... I figured, as Arte said, that you would be just as much in the dark as myself. But perhaps we can trade stories in either case. My friend told me that you are one of Morgan Wainraith's associates. I am sure that has offered you many a tale to share."

[Blue]

"Your friend?"
She was a bit suspicious now, but couldn't see how it could backfire. And besides, a story was promised.
"An 'associate' I may be, but he did not share much in terms of tales. If you are after his tales, he would be the one you'd need to talk to. I have stories of my sister's time while they worked together for Vulcar the second, king of Halva, and many more from before that time. I have a few of my own experiences since I began involving myself. But none from Wainraith's point of view."

She turned, facing away from the fire and swept the floor before sitting down, and smiled at her.
"If you have a specific topic in mind, state it and begin your tale. I will then answer your tale with one of my own."
Mrith's attention was complete. Waiting.

[Makenshi]

Originally Posted by Brood

"Very astute. But I am sure you all have a lot of practice inferring each other's actions, don't you?"

"To be expected. Most of us grew up together, more or less. The guess itself wasn't anything special though. Chances were only the Children among us would approach you and of them Faces is the one most likely to give you such vague directions."

With no objection about his leaving made, Art picked up his staff and stood up. "If you'll excuse me." He gave them a slight, polite nod of the head before leaving as he'd said, walking in the direction of his sister and tapping his staff along the ground as he went.

~MTWC

[dalarangreen]

Originally Posted by Mrith

"Your friend?"

"Min," Brood responded simply. She could see the skepticism on M'rith's face, and though she knew that dropping her friend's name probably wouldn't do much to alleviate her doubt. Still, who knows? Perhaps the Freeborn had met the Godling sometime during the Fiendish Invasion.

Brood acknowledges Arte's graceful exit with an inclination of her head, before responding to Mrith's challenge.

Originally Posted by Mrith

"If you have a specific topic in mind, state it and begin your tale. I will then answer your tale with one of my own."

What should she say? What tale could she share with this dragon-kin? Brood didn't even know where to begin. This was one of the reasons she avoided social gatherings: she never knew how to engage in conversations...

However, M'rith seemed dead set on hearing something from Brood, regardless of its quality or length.

"...What makes people choose paths in life that conflict with their values?" Brood began. She wasn't really sure where she was headed, but she forged ahead anyways. Perhaps it was because of M'rith's attentive gaze, "I guess I don't understand, or perhaps have never understood. Or maybe I'm strong-willed, but I don't think so..."

Brood continued rambling, "I guess my confusion began during my Swordsright many years ago. I haven't thought about it too much with everything that has happened of late but..."

As she continued to speak she became more lost in her memory, and she began to relive the events of her Swordright, Brood tells an abbreviated, but detailed account of her Swordright below, more or less.laying it out in words.

 

Brood's Swordright Brood's Swordright: Most Children's Swordrights are pivotal and life-changing events. In that respect, Brood's experience was no different. However, unlike most Swordrights, Brood's Swordright was part of one of the largest raids ever arranged. Critical information had been provided to Breaker about how to defeat one of Invidia's favored fiends, Thuktal, who held a large number of slaves. Thuktal had acquired a large number of slaves mostly to prove his worth and demonstrate how strong and powerful he was. It turned out that Thuktal's power was being bolstered by three magical artifacts he had stowed in different parts of his domain. Should these artifacts be destroyed, Thuktal would be revealed to be a much lesser Fiend than he made himself out to be. There were three parts to the mission: 1.) To destroy the 3 artifacts, 2.) To free as many slaves as possible, and 3.) to defeat Thuktal, should the chance seem portent. Knowing that the scale for this particular raid was greater than most, Breaker arranged several groups from different families in the First-born clan to participate in the raid. Four swordright's groups were charged with freeing specific slave encampments which were likely to see the least danger, while adults and veteran raiders from the In'ira, Tal'gos, and a few other families provided distraction, destroyed the artifacts, and attempted to strike at Thuktal. Brood's group consisted of five people: two from the Tal'gos family and three from the In'ira family. Brood, Violet, Later renamed Fallen LeafLeif, Velhan, and Peg. Peg was an adult, having already completed his swordright, and was assigned to lead the group as a security measure. Velhan was the only other person that Brood knew in the group. A fellow member of the Tal'gos family, Velhan and Brood had been classmates, training partners, and friends. Velhan was smart and good with a sword, in Brood's opinion, though Brood had never allowed Velhan to best her in a match. Velhan seemed to take it in stride, smiling at Brood and standing up after each match, even though Brood sometimes saw him clench his fists tightly (in frustration, she supposed). Calamity struck Brood's group from the outset. Thuktal just so happened to be visiting the encampment that her group had been assigned to liberate. Thuktal did this from time to time, visiting his slaves and forcing them to do the most pitiful, disgusting, and demeaning acts to appease his pride. None of the group were strong enough to take on Thuktal in his weakened form, much less before the three artifacts were destroyed. Thus This is one of the key moments which has reinforced Brood's belief that slavery must end in all planes.they were forced to sit and watch in the shadows while Thuktal tortured several slaves before their very eyes. This was too much for Velhan. Revealing himself before the Fiend, Velhan charged Thuktal in a desperate attempt to get him to stop. Thuktal was startled but soon laughed at the Child's foolishness and quickly paralyzed Velhan in his footsteps. Brood will never forget what happened next. The child now frozen in place, Thuktal began to taunt Velhan for his own powerlessness. "Always bested by your female-friend, fool?" Thuktal said, "Too weak to cause her to sweat even once. You envy her strength, don't you, boy? Hahahahaha! You want the power to defeat me. You want the power to defeat her. It is one and the same!" From the shadows, Brood had a clear view the scene. Brood knew that Thuktal was referring to her, reading Velhan's mind and twisting the truth. But she could hardly believe the expression she saw etched across Velhan's face: did he truly hate and envy her strength so? "Very, well boy, I'll give you power. The power to reveal those foolish friends of yours who must be hiding in the shadows somewhere. All you have to do..." the fiend began to smile, "Is beg for it." Thuktal released Velhan from his paralysis and Brood was stunned as she saw Velhan drop to his knees in prostration before the fiend. Thuktal laughed uproariously and Velhan began to glow a vibrant shade of green. Several things happened at once. Peg, realizing that Velhan's loss of will before Thuktal could jeopardize the whole operation, leaped from the safety of the shadows in an attempt to prevent stop Velhan's transformation. From somewhere in the distance, a loud crash could be heard, signifying the beginning of the Children's main distraction group attacking Thuktal's stronghold. Violet gasped aloud in horror at Velhan's continuing transformation. Without hesitation, Brood grabbed Violet and darted from their revealed hiding place, throwing Violet ahead of her and tumbling into the shadow of a nearby tree. Leif did not react quickly enough and was struck by an explosion of nearby debris, dislodged by a flick of Thuktal's wrist. Leif's ankle twisted and he cried out in pain. "Well, it seems as though I have more important things to take care of. Minion," Thuktal addressed Velhan, "Show me that you are slightly less pathetic now than you were before." And with that, Thuktal vanished leaving the rest of the group behind. Velhan stood up and when he turned to face Peg, his eyes had turned a deep green. Peg and Velhan began to cross blades while Violet and Brood hid amongst the shadows. "We have to help him!" Violet whispered to Brood. It was unclear to Brood who Violet was referring to: Peg, the immobilized Leif, or Velhan--an imprecision which greatly worried Brood. Brood took a deep breath and steeled herself. In hushed tones, she told Violet to go silently and finish their task. To free the captive slaves. Brood would do something about the situation here. Violet nodded and left Brood's side. Brood watched as Peg was pushed back by the corrupted Velhan. Velhan had indeed grown more powerful and Peg was unable to find a disabling blow. Unfortunately, Velhan was under no such restrictions and quickly found a life-ending blow on Peg. Upon slaying Peg with no remorse, Velhan searched the darkness calling out for Brood to reveal herself. He knew she was there in the darkness! Unable to draw Brood out with his taunts, he eventually strode over to the disabled Leif. Panicked eyes shown on Leif's face. Velhan threatened to lop off Leif's head then and there unless she revealed herself. Brood clenched her teeth tightly and waited. And waited. The opportunity to strike had not shown itself. Finally, growing too impatient, Velhan raised his blade and began his downward swing towards Leif's head. In a burst of speed, Brood shoved her sword deep into Velhan's backside just as Velhan's own blade passed through Leif's head, severing his skull from his body. Velhan shouted in pain and anger. Turning around, with the sword still embedded in his body he fell to one knee, glaring up at Brood with unmistakable unleashed hatred. Velhan gasped for breath, attempting to sputter out words, but could say nothing intelligible. Then, before Brood could react, Velhan fled with fiendish stamina and strength. Brood could not bring herself to follow him, though she certainly could have caught up. Instead, she herself dropped to the ground and began to cry, the image of Leif's recently removed head staring blankly upward engraved in her mind's eye. A few minutes later, Violet returned, and with her Sword-sister's help, escaped into the World between Worlds and the rendezvous point. For the next few days, Brood was completely silent and was often seen looking into the deep darkness of the Shadow Plane. It was Aunt Humility who eventually approached her. For a long time they did not speak. Then, Aunt Humility stood up and wrapped around a tattered and old grey-black scarf around her neck. "This belonged to my Sword-brother Smiles..." Aunt Humility then revealed a story about her Sword-brothers that Brood had never heard from her Grandpa Quip. The story was Humility's own painful experience of being the betrayer of her sword-siblings. Though others may have heard the story before, Humility had shared this story with very few individuals, certainly never in as much detail as she currently shared with Brood. When Aunt Humility had finished her story, she left the scarf with Brood, together with all of its unanswered questions. How was it possible that Aunt Humility, Brood's idol had done something so horrible? Had it been Brood's fault that Leif had died? Was it possible for Velhan to be saved? At what cost? To this day, Brood wears this scarf. It reminds her of the deep unanswered questions of her life, of the importance of remembering who you are and what you have done, and to continue to move forward in life with determination.

When Brood had finished her tale, she let silence unfold as she stared into the fire. She had relived this experience in her mind's eye many times before, but rarely, if ever, had she shared it aloud with another person. Not even her best friend Violet, though Violet did not need the tale recounted.

Unsure of what to say next, still somewhat lost in her own reminiscence, Brood takes several deep breaths, feeling the wind pass softly across her cheek. Listening to the echos of her past.

[Xian]

Adam & Sublime Originally Posted by Sublime Sublime gives Adam a disappointed look when he asks about her brother. "How boring. If you're going to ask such stupid questions then I'm going to have to find my entertainment elsewhere." "The mind absolutely reels at the possibilities..." Adam says with beaming grin at the mention of Sublime seeking other forms of entertainment. "In fact I am thinking of a couple right now..." Originally Posted by Sublime "We've already revealed all of us," she smirked before adding, "or don't you trust us?" "Of course, I trust you..." Adam says with a mock guffaw that was a mirror of Sublime's earlier sound. "But given that you never actually told me how many of you there actually were, how would I know all of you were revealed? Anyway, if it is not one of your entourage, I have a pretty good idea who that might be... L'arabiel always did like making an entrance." "So I see your brother coming this way, is he going to give me the "talk" about how I should not take advantage of his sister or what?" Adam noted as he took another bite of the spicy plate of food offered by the Children and watched her brother coming towards them. Adam slipped a glass of the drink to Sublime. "Lady's honor and such...not that I would ever think of doing something... maybe."

[Makenshi]

Sublime shorts again. "It's far more likely that he intends to give me a 'talk'. I may be the elder of the two of us, marginally at least, but he was practically born a fussy old man." She sniggers, pointing at the staff he is tapping against the ground as he walks. "Look, he even has a walking stick." Her metal bracers begin to peel off of her forearms as if they were made of some sort of liquid. They quickly combined, forming a surprisingly good imitation of her brother's own staff, albeit it was still obviously metallic despite the texture looking right for wood.

Arte arrived just in time to see and hear Sublime imitating an old woman with the staff, hunching over and squinting as if she couldn't see properly. "Arte, Arte, is that you, dearie?" She even added in an 'old woman' voice too. "You'll have to come a little bit closer child, my eyes aren't what they used to be."

Her twin takes it in his stride with a reserved tone and expression. "I'm the child? Somehow I doubt that." His eyes glance towards Adam for a moment before returning to his sister. "Faces is up to something."

Sublime seems a little put out by her brother's nonchalant response, returning her shifting metal to her forearms. "The sky is blue." She snorts at Arte's frosty expression. "What? We are playing the 'state the most blindingly obvious thing you can think of' game, aren't we?"

Arte sighs, leaning on his staff. "Honestly, I don't know why I try sometimes."

~MTWC

[Xian]

Adam & Sublime Originally Posted by Sublime "It's far more likely that he intends to give me a 'talk'. I may be the elder of the two of us, marginally at least, but he was practically born a fussy old man." She sniggers, pointing at the staff he is tapping against the ground as he walks. "Look, he even has a walking stick." "Well, you know the cosmos always finds a way to achieve equilibrium..." Adam noted with a smile at Sublime semi-derisive descriptor of her brother. Still despite her almost childish ruminations, her brother, Arte, did not seem like the fun-loving type and walked as if he did have walking stick up his butt. "Look not many people would take a stick up Main Street for the sake of cosmic balance on account of their sister... perhaps you should cut him some slack." Originally Posted by Sublime and Arte "Arte, Arte, is that you, dearie?" She even added in an 'old woman' voice too. "You'll have to come a little bit closer child, my eyes aren't what they used to be." Her twin takes it in his stride with a reserved tone and expression. "I'm the child? Somehow I doubt that." "And the defense rests, your honor..." Adam announced dramatically even as Arte only spared him a glance. Sublime was right about one thing... Arte was kind of a buzz kill. "I am Adam, by the way, pleasure to meet you as well. I am getting another drink... want one? This Children's brand brew is top notch and it looks like you could use a cold one." Originally Posted by Sublime and Arte "The sky is blue." She snorts at Arte's frosty expression. "What? We are playing the 'state the most blindingly obvious thing you can think of' game, aren't we?" Arte sighs, leaning on his staff. "Honestly, I don't know why I try sometimes." "I know that the universe is likely to implode at any moment now, but your sister has a point." Adam says to Arte as he re-filled on the rather tasty beverage that the Children had been brewing... he was going to have to get the recipe. "When has Faces not been scheming... but I suppose that your point is that you have a hunch that Faces is about to do something especially momentous, so want to let us in on the details or is this one of those G-14 classified, Gods' ear only, kind of information?"

[Blue]

Mrith nodded as Brood finished.
"A story bout a lack of determination bringing about much regret and grief. When hesitation thrives, the choices in life narrows down and what remains can be all you've got. Despite one's values. Thank you for the tale.
In exchange, here is a tale where determination and steadfast action brought similar grief; what one knows must be done does not always compliment one's ideals, but to stray true to oneself, sometimes you have no choice but to betray a part of you held dearly in favor of another.
In most of us, so the inner child perishes to let another take his place, and one no longer recognizes oneself."


She paused for a moment, drew a few short lines on the ground with fingers whose pointed nails were already blackened at the tips.
"For such a personal story, here is one of mine. It may be called 'The Hiltless Blade and Gilded Arrow'.
Druids know that to stay in one form overmuch, one risks losing sense of the human they are for the beast the incarnate. The human inside screams its need to survive and claims the body back before long. Powerful druids have the mental and experience required to maintain the transformation for longer period of time. Now; There is a powerful druid in the Circle of Storms who became more than mere beast, and powerful though she may be, the human inside quailed before the dragon she had become, and what remained was new, and terrifying.

"O' Melsyndra of the Yesterwind. A child you were not allowed to be, a woman you could not remain and so you would expect the same of your own children! Nevh, born without the blood of Crone, discarded, later to become the tool you needed for your ambitions. Mrith Jenn'la, Yoweth, Ryna Nuade... all born with the blood of Crone, testaments of your power and raised as the jewels of your legacy.
A dynasty to shake the Spires and give a new breath of life to the dying Rudaa for thousands upon thousands of years.
And what is to be expected when such blood is aligned to sit on a throne of stone when in their heart, true, only freedom has a voice?
As the Rudaa know, violence, like lightning, can be blind and strike without purpose, oblivious to the devastation it causes.
And so it was in these children. All this rage had to find a shape, and to much horror, it did" she breathed out and fire crisped the soft ground, charring the lines she had traced "and many stories this one line holds."

"Nevh, blessedly abandoned, then adopted back into the fold, grieved the loss of brother, parents, friend, husband and child. What little love remained was saved for the people of the land, and so elected to betray herself at every turn by fear of betraying anyone else.
Mrith, who grieved for no one, desired nothing but to betray everyone but herself so that she may be free...

"But freedom priceless was bargained nonetheless. For vanity, luxury, station, and a purpose in life, one with true meaning.
And for both of them, power came aplenty, tamed to serve dutifully. Because they were Rudaa, and the people of the storm exists to protect the weak, because they came from the blood of Crone which dedicated itself to that very task."

She put her hands on the ground, turned the palms upward and then raised them level with her shoulders, humming a short melody.
"End of prologue. Nothing of the more interesting bits, but it is needed to make sense of the rest. Already you may see the shape of your chosen theme. Ours is a story of living against what we wished for ourselves, doing things we would have preferred not to, contrary to our nature yet an important part of what we are. Because duty demands it, and when duty is not carried out, people suffer. I for one tried to reject my duty, but it ended poorly for all involved. You could say many payed the price of my rebellion, my hesitation. Nevh, however, submitted herself to it fully, and for her efforts, the pain was mostly hers to bear. She was meant to be the warrior, serving with might, and I the ruler, serving in golden chains, I suppose."
She flicked a ghostly tail and sneered, looking at the ground. "But I can fight too, and war has come to us, Brood, and the stronger we are, the more there is to protect."

[Makenshi]

Adam Arte glances back at Adam, giving him a slight nod in recognition before returning his attention to his sister. It wasn't exactly a friendly greeting, but at least it was an acknowledgement. "No, thank you. It's not to my taste." Sublime rolls her eyes, which her brother ignores. Originally Posted by Adam "When has Faces not been scheming... but I suppose that your point is that you have a hunch that Faces is about to do something especially momentous, so want to let us in on the details or is this one of those G-14 classified, Gods' ear only, kind of information?" Arte's resulting expression can only be described as that of a parent when asked a stupid question by a child, except perhaps with a little more contempt than would be appropriate. He even outright ignores the question, or at least directs his response to his sister. "He's set Brood on a collision course with Wainraith." Sublime doesn't seem concerned or surprised by her brother's actions or attitude. "Brood? An odd choice, but then Lady got the spider mage involved, so not the oddest." "Nallaul." Arte corrects. Sublime waves her hand dismissively. "Whatever his name is. Honestly, you should stop worrying so much about what the others are doing. Whatever will be, will be." Arte sighs, bringing a hand to his forehead in exasperation. "I...never mind. Perhaps Rapture or one of the triplets will share in my concern. At least they haven't interfered." ~MTWC

[Acathala]

Nallaul arrived fashionably late. Dressed in silks of red and black, ioun stones whizzing around his head. Speaking of his head, his hair had been recently cut and groomed by a doyenne of the Halvan Hairdressers. Nallaul cut quite the figure, with his Leonine features and over all handsomeness. There were two clear objectives for him. Find out if Xul'olin still drew breath, and get laid. It had been a rough time for him.
He spies Tinker and makes his way over to him. "Tinker! How is my favourite gadgeteer?"