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Centaurlands

Author: Shalindra Darkmoon
Date: unknown
The Centaurlands

Pandross and Lyossa


Written by Shalindra Darkmoon
For trial under aspect of To


Disclaimer

It would be arrogance to assume one knows all there is to know of any story. Situations and perception change over time and the stories we know twist and turn along with them. This work, to date, is all the information I have been able to gather. By no means should it be thought of as the end all, be all to the Centaurlands. It is only with direct observation and active work within these lands that we may learn more.

As this situation progresses, more information will be added to these pages as an addendum.


(OOC information: This writing contains plot information for the Centaurlands plot run by Anne Fiedler and Void plot run by Steven Matulewicz. This information is to be considered completely in character.)



Far to the north lies the Centaurlands. This area has been kept in relative seclusion from the rest of the Realms by distance. Currently, these lands are in grave danger of being over-run by Lyossa and her undead armies. It is my belief that Lyossa�s master, Pandross, will not allow her to stop there and that they very well may turn their sight to the rest of the Realms.

If Lyossa and Pandross are not stopped, the centaurs will become extinct and these lands forever ruined. The only thing that will be left of them is an undead army, marching towards another goal.

Terrain wise, the Centaurlands are not much different from the rest of the known Realms. Due to its location in the far north, winters tend to be quite a bit harsher. In the northern region, there is a mountain range. A large wood known as the Blood Forest forms the bottom border. In the center are the pasturelands.

The current situation of Blood Forest is not good. With the wood sprites missing, the Woods has fallen into disarray. Rotting wood and flesh is everywhere and the very air carries with it the stench of slaughter and decay, ripe with carrion-scent.

The natural inhabitants consist of centaurs, werewolves, skinners, wood sprites and imps. Humans are unknown in the Centaurlands, except as outsiders. Natural predators include chimeras and dragons.

Centaurs

Centaurs are a human-horse hybrid. The lower body is that of a horse, while the very bottom of the neck tapers to a human torso instead of a horse head. The horse potion is much smaller than that of a normal horse, so over-all; they are the approximate height of a human. Their approximate life=span is estimated to be around 40 years. Sadly, due to the circumstances of their homelands, and the creatures contained within, many centaurs do not reach old age.

Home life for a centaur is not much different than those among the known Realms. They live in family groups, divided by houses. Each house has a section of land they normally reside in. These house lands are shown on the map included in this writing.

Female centaurs never lose the ability to become pregnant, and many of them do so every other year for the entirety of their lives. Gestation is approximately one year long.

In addition to the common tongue, centaurs speak their own language.

They come in a variety of colors and body builds, just as normal horses do. It is commonly believed that their color dictates their personality and temperament.

White: Spiritual leaders, white centaurs are pure.
Black: Black centaurs are dark in spirit, but not necessarily evil.
Grey: Noble in bearing, the grays are the political leaders of the centaurs.
Red: Sorrel centaurs are believed to be flighty.
Brown: The browns, or �brownies�, are all thought to be pranksters.
Multi: Often thought to be crazed due to the mixing of colors.
Magic is unknown along the centaurs. Ever since they turned from the worship of Thestra to Equis, they have lost all their magic practitioners. They can learn magic, but since all of their spellcasters are long gone, there is no one to teach. This lack of magic has been a great hindrance in the current war and has become a great blow to morale.

Werewolves

The northern werewolf was fully detailed in an earlier writing. It is included in the back of this work.

Skinners

The hunters and trappers of the Centaurlands, no race is outside of the skinner view of prey. They are formed half of flesh and half of shadow. They often wear black hooded cloaks, to even further hide their features.

These creatures do not often have names. Instead, they have numbers and no concept of �birth�.

They can be bargained with.

Wood Sprites

The sprites are tiny fae creatures that normally keep the Blood Woods clean of debris. They work with the werewolves and help keep the imp population down. Ever since Lyossa has claimed power, the wood sprites have been disturbingly absent from the woods. This, combined with the werewolves� move to Tarngire or being swept into Lyossa�s armies, has allowed the imp population to achieve as before unheard of numbers.

Imps

Imps are detailed later in this work.

Deities
There are two gods within the Centaurlands, Equis and Thestra.

Equis
A deity believed to be the god of all hoofed kind, Equis is specifically the deity of horses and centaurs. Among the centaurs, he is referred to as the one true god. Not only is he a power to be reckoned with, he is viewed by the centaurs as a kindly shepherd. He is said to reside in the hearts of all centaurs as a divine thread that leads you through life.

Pandross brought the worship of Equis to the centaurs, during his first life.

Thestra
A deity of life and magic, Thestra quite simply is the magic of the Centaurlands. Centaurs and werewolves alike once worshipped Thestra, but then the centaurs turned to Equis. The rift this caused between the two races has never been repaired.

Thestra is a quadruple goddess, having the forms of the Child, the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone. Sometimes, all four appear at once, holding conversation with each other.

She is strangely absent at this time. When I was visiting these lands, I heard Her voice. She is trapped within the nothing, She said. If we can release Her from She is, that might be enough to help bring these lands into balance at the best or be able to help stem the tide of Lyossa�s army at the very least.

Current Threats
There are many threats within the Centaurlands, but they can be grouped together easily.

Pandross
Pandross appears only as a male in black robes and hood. His face is completely shrouded in shadow, and the only parts of him visible are his hands and arms. Quite obviously a powerful necromancer, he created the Bandersnatch in ancient times and is currently a puppet of Wrake, the Child of Void.

Spoken of as �the Voice of the New Way� by centaur tales, he was the first evangelist of Equis in life. Not much is referenced of him, save for his obsession with his pet Bandersnatch, until his death. It is believed he was stoned to death due to his connection to necromancy. His original race was never recorded, for it was felt that his message was far more important.

It certainly bears some looking into, that perhaps Pandross brought the worship of Equis to intentionally turn the centaurs away from Thestra and thereby away from magic. Such action tells of a plan that would take generations to accomplish.

Pandross is one of the Cursed, a race of creatures that transform into the leaders of nations. Once they do so, they begin to destroy that nation from the inside out.

How Pandross was brought back to power is currently unknown, but Lyossa was behind it. A ritual was done to banish Pandross in the spring of 1003, but something went wrong. By some reports, he disintegrated at the end of the ritual, by others he was seen to merely vanish. However it happened, he is back to finish his task.

It is known that Pandross is seeking a way to return to physical form. To this end, he has created a doppelganger. If his current one does not work and he remains undefeated, he may be likely to try this tactic again.

Divinatory magic has shown that physical force alone cannot defeat him. Beat against him with your fists all you want, he cannot be stopped that way. Divination shows that four stone tablets, in a ruined temple, may have something to do with this. The tablets glow in red, yellow, blue and green. Perhaps they are elemental in nature.

Lyossa
A white furred centauress with dark hair; Lyossa is the creature behind all the troubles within the Centaurlands. She is quite mad, seeing herself as the spiritual savior of the centaurs. Perhaps the saddest thing is that she doesn�t realize she�s insane and thinks that she is still a rational, spiritual leader.

In order to understand Lyossa, it would help to know her background. She was a foundling child, raised by the Divine Order of Equis. In the fullness of time, she became the High Priestess, yet there was much talk about how she ascended to the position. Her predecessor sickened and died under mysterious circumstances. No one could prove anything beyond that. There were no signs of foul play and nothing set in stone to connect Lyossa to the deed. When it was all over, she was firmly in the High Priestess� position with a mate of high birth, High Lord Gardel of the House of Cubris. Gardel and Lyossa are the parents of the current High Lord, Gendar, and his sister, Nightmare.

Lyossa conceived seventeen times, yet only two survived. The mental impact of this low success rate must have been terrible for her.

She was finally dishonored from her position of High Priestess when her madness became apparent to everyone. The reason is quite simple; no one enjoys having a spiritual leader who cannot make accurate decisions.

At this time, it would appear that Lyossa is taking orders from Pandross. From what I have been able to gather, she agreed to the deal Pandross made. She believes crushing the centaurs is necessary to save them, and that their Undeath is merely temporary.

Perhaps worst of all is her feeding habit. Whether or not mortal food satiates her, I do not know, but she has taken to devouring souls, much in the same way as the Bandersnatch does. She particularly enjoys that of pregnant females, as if the souls of the unborn are an extra-special treat for her.

The Unholy Bandersnatch
Created by Pandross, the Bandersnatch is an awful creature, a massive beast, covered in hair with large tusks and clawed hands. It has a gaping maw, layered in sharp teeth and dripping some kind of ichor. It devours everything in its path, and rips apart every village it comes across. Those that stand against it die and the beast consumes their flesh and soul. The best defense against it is to run, although it can be held at bay by a protection from enchanted beings spell.

If there is any way to kill the Unholy Bandersnatch, it is unknown at the time. I believe that it may be working with Pandross at this time, or at least marginally obeying him.

Wraiths
Having had no combat against these foes, it can only be assumed that these are similar to the wraiths used by Wrake. They appeared as black shrouds, floating in mid-air.

Berserk Werewolves
These werewolves are very dangerous indeed to encounter. Crazed and diseased, their minds lost within a fog of nothingness, these poor souls will mutilate their own bodies, pulling the fur and skin off their own faces. Their bodies have strange lumps, as if there were diseased growths underneath the skin. They obey Lyossa�s every command, which is unusual in itself. The northern werewolves and the centaurs have been at odds for generations, so under normal circumstances, the northern werewolves are far more likely to rip a centaur apart than listen to them.

Dangerous foes, normal weapons will not work on them. In fact, the only weapon guaranteed to work is silver. Once killed, casting cure disease brings them out of the berserk state. This could be attempted without killing them, but the crazed are not likely to sit still. They do regenerate, so they will get back up after being cured. They may be willing to fight alongside us if rescued this way, but take care they do no slip back into that fog. In order to fully cure them, they must be removed from the Centaurlands.

Any form of shape-shifter should be warned prior to going into the Centaurlands. If they transform and do not find a way to protect their soul from influence, may very well find themselves trapped within the fog.

Undead Centaurs
As Lyossa�s army advances, the centaurs that fall are brought into her service as undead. The adults are used as soldiers; the majority of them are archers. The children are used to march ahead of the army, allowing any who would oppose Lyossa to see what she does.

This is what has had the greatest impact upon centaur morale. Being unused to seeing the undead, the centaurs are having a difficult time seeing their families and loved ones in such a state. This is causing them to falter and run, rather than fight back. If they cannot fight, they cannot win.

The undead centaurs are not extremely powerful creations. Any weapon used will affect them.

Imps
Out of all the creatures living in the Centaurlands, the Imps are the least of anyone�s worries. Lyossa uses them as �shock troops�, sending them into fight first in order to gauge the measure of her enemies.

Small creatures, they resemble tiny humanoid figures with leathery wings. Their gait is an interesting mix of walking and hopping. Not the toughest of creatures either, any weapon will cut through their hide. They love nothing better than hurling insults and crude jokes; indeed, their primary weapon is throwing poisoned fruitcake. They do not fight one on one however, and when encountering them, expect greater numbers than your own. They will flee to get reinforcements if their numbers are depleted.

The Connection with the Void

The Great Child and the Dire Mother
Pandross has a direct tie to Wrake. He is one of the Black Zodiac, in the third position, known as the Great Child and the Dire Mother. Pandross is the Great Child and Lyossa the Dire Mother. They are the representation of the Corruption of Society and Family.

Whether or not Lyossa is in actuality the Dire Mother or this is simply a title attributed to her remains to be seen.

This position of the Black Zodiac tells the story of a mother who fattened and bloated her own son, presumably to take care of her enemies. Upon seeing the evil she�d created and the depths of her own actions, she killed them both.

Now knowing this, we can safely assume that not only does Pandross have his own formidable powers, but access to those of the Black Zodiac and a void creature designed to keep both in check. It is unclear at this time what his final plans are concerning any lands beyond the Centaurlands� borders.
Excerpt taken from �Of Wolves and Kin� concerning the Northern Werewolves

Northern Werewolf

Numbering about two hundred and fifty, they came from the Centaurlands to Tarngire after the initial meeting of centaurs and denizens of our lands late in August of 1002. The centaurs, displeased with the slaughter of their own perpetrated by us, blamed the werewolves and drove them out of their forests. To be fair to the centaurs, apparently a pack of werewolves named the Twin Moons played a malicious prank on our people, instigating the fight. Having heard of Tarngire�s policy concerning werewolves, they traveled far south, resettling in these lands. In fact, in their dialect of lupine, Tarngire also means �place of harmony�. Both phrases mean the same thing.

They are the favored children of Thestra, one of the goddesses of the Centaurlands. Thestra is the land and the magic of their home, and they take their guardianship of Her very seriously. She had dictated to them to keep out all intruders from the Blood Forest. This eventually caused friction between themselves and the centaurs, especially when the centaurs turned from the worship of Thestra to that of Equis. The two races do not get along at all after so many years of bloodshed.

Thestra created the northern werewolves. Before She created them, She was loved by two males, Solis and Lae�un. Solis was the more outspoken of the two males, so Thestra thought he loved Her best. She was going to chose him over Lae�un. But Lae�un finally spoke to Her, quietly telling Her how much he loved Her. She realized that Lae�un was the one She wanted. Her decision drove Solis into a fury, and the two males did battle. During the fight, Thestra was one injured by Solis, who ran away from his mistake. She became the land and to this day, Lae�un (the moon) chases Solis (the sun) to gain revenge. To spite Solis, She created the plants and animals, but it was the animals She loved best, Her wolves, that She created for Lae�un, to show him how much She loved him. Since then, the werewolves have been the favored of Thestra.

Northern werewolves are born as wolves; able to shift not only into human form but also the hybrid form. They are born as cubs, and grow into their shifting as they mature. There is generally a large central den out of which several packs operate from. Raising the cubs is a communal job, and everyone looks after the little ones.

Five Elders lead them, former alphas from the various packs granted the position by right of age or wisdom. These Elders are their repositories of knowledge, and there is nothing they do not know concerning their people. Granted, access to the Elders is very limited. It is not recommended you try to pay them a visit unless your need is urgent. Contact a pack alpha first, they will bring your concerns to the Elders, and then a meeting may be arranged. Bring a gift of fresh meat, and do not bring any silver weapons into their presence. It is an insult to them, insinuating you mean to bring harm to them. If you need to speak to an Elder, seek out Cirwin. The youngest of the Elders, he is the most helpful. Addressed properly, they are gracious hosts and more than willing to work with other species so long as there is a valid reason for them to do so.

Crossing them or betraying them in anyway would be a very bad mistake.

Appearance and temperament is as varied as the packs themselves. In wolf form, it is impossible to tell them apart from a normal wolf. Their human form tends to be normal sized. Their hybrid form, however, gains a great deal of mass and is much larger than any shifter discussed so far. Each pack tends to be made of individuals closely related, either by blood or personality. Packs are numbered anywhere from five to ten individuals, each one led by an alpha. Each one serves a purpose or has a special quirk that is exclusive to that pack. Here are a few samples.

Oak�s Hollow: Large and bulky, members of Oak�s Hollow are the strongmen of their kind. In wolf form, they easily out-mass a grugach or Yarra Draug shifter.

Ravenwing: Each one of these werewolves is jet black in color and highly secretive.

The Whisperers: Always there, but never seen or heard, the Whisperers make Ravenwing look outgoing and social. Having had an opportunity to meet an individual of this pack, their fur is mottled in color and can change to match their surroundings. They have a strict form of pack mentality, and tend to think as �we� instead of �I�. Do not seek out individual members of this pack for it may cause pack disunity, but if you are lucky enough, one may choose to speak with you personally.

Split Tree: One of the former guardians of Blood Forest, the Split Tree pack would try to warn or scare off invaders before resorting to violence.

Twin Moons: Pranksters and jokesters all, the Twin Moons were responsible for initiating the attack on the centaurs made by us last year. Given that, they are excellent at what they do, having once led a drow patrol of Lloth-worshippers off a cliff in the summer of 1003.

Southern Wren: Contact with this pack is definitely not recommended! They are deliberately cruel to non-werewolves.

Since the problems in the Centaurlands has arisen, the northern werewolves have decided to stay in Tarngire, in the northwestern section known as the Shadowwilds. They have been staunch allies in the recent troubles with the drow and are more than willing to assist anyone fighting the drow. It would appear that in their desire to enslave the elves of these lands, the drow are also willing to enslave the wolves. This has caused the northern werewolves to firmly ally themselves with the elves.
















Missives Concerning the Centaurlands

7/22/03
Second and Third Dream Combo:
It began again, suddenly, to have a sensation of falling, and could not stop myself. Things rushed by me, time and space didn't seem to matter any more. This sensation was very familiar. When things began to slow down, my eyes finally focused on a landscape. The color was faded from everything. I could see a vacant field, but it was all gray � An odd breeze wafted through the grass, carrying echoes of what once was. Was this the future? Why had it not changed? It still felt like the Centaurlands, but it was all totally wrong. So wrong. There was a sickly-sweet scent of decay that assaulted my nostrils. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw a woman. She was dressed in a long tunic that billowed in the odd breeze. Turning to face her I saw more. There was a child with her, a pregnant mother and a wise old woman. Their eyes were dim as if they were mourning. They seemed to cling to each other to keep from drifting away. "They didn't listen. We are alone. This should not be."
I felt myself slipping away the images drifting from me and answers to questions I might have had just out of reach.
Now I can see a woman, a centaur with white fur. Her again? What is it she is doing? There is a smell. A stench of rotting flesh and the moans of undead. She is being surrounded but she doesn't seem at all afraid. They are lining up behind her like an army. She is looking off into the distance to where everything is lush and green. There is the laughter again.
The falling sensation happened once again as my vision shifted.
There rushed a sound like roaring thunder and a voice that boomed, "YOU FAILED!" The room is too dark to see much of anything but the voice seems to command everyone�s attention. "I have not tolerance for failure,
but you are the key. You will have one more chance, except this or be destroyed..."
Everything shifted once more as my ears were ringing. I felt as though I were underground again, with a forest nearby. Have I been here before? It was an odd combination of smells. There was a pair of glowing eyes that seemed to be fixed upon me. Sharp teeth dripped ichor from a gaping maw. It felt like someone else was there, with this beast, but every time I tried to focus on them, my eyes slid away. This time I caught a glimpse of something...a hand: a shadowy hand. The beings seemed to be standing at the edge of a pit that seemed to be swirling and blacker then the darkness about me. The pit smells of death and sounded of weeping. Tortured souls. The pit seemed bigger than last time and the sounds of shrieking is intertwined with the sounds of panicked whinnying.
"How shall I proceed?"
"Crush them."
Looking down, my hands where covered in blood.
Darkness claimed me again, and I welcomed it this time. As my consciousness pulled away, I could just barely make out the voice of a young child, calling out. "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY????"
Then I awoke �

August 9th, 52,022 Y.D. Friday.
In preparations to travel to the lands of Nightmare�s birth, I cast my Dreaming and passed through the ebon veil. I was greeted by a feeling of running, but somehow in four-time � I didn�t dwell on it overmuch as the Dream shifted. I could see a huge shape, obscured by mist and shadow. As my perception came closer, I could see that is was hairy, with large tusks and clawed hands. It was ferocious, ripping into being after being. I could see that only some of them were Centaurs that this beast was rending. I witnessed a village try to retaliate � only to be destroyed utterly by this thing, which I later found was called �the Unholy Bandersnatch.�
One man came forward through the carnage. One Centaur � clad in gleaming white plate mail armor, with a mid-length, glowing blade. He confronted the beast, unflinching, steady. He stabbed the sword into the hulk � his aim true. It pierced the heart of the thing, but the thing just laughed at him. A horrid, wet laugh. It pulled the sword from its own chest, the hero�s hand still gripping the handle, and snapped the blade. It then proceeded to devour the hero, sucking the very marrow from his body�
And I awoke in a cold sweat.

11/16/03
Kyomi ... I am struck by my own ineptitude with my spells, sometimes. I think that I am reaching too far, too fast. Either that, or its some force trying to keep one from seeing the information I was trying to see. I am still trying to keep a nosebleed from dripping onto the parchment.
I remembered something ... or rather, realized something ... going into this all. The language that was being spoken around Guilliam's body was a dialect of Equine, the Centaur's language. I do not know by it did not occur to me Sunday, perhaps it was how it was spoken.... low, guttural, with no lyrical quality to it that Equine usually exhibits.
At any rate ... my first question -- in the form of a Vision -- was "Let me see and feel where Guilliam's original body and soul are."
I saw something that felt ... like it was in the past. Guilliam was himself ... just barely Elven, I think ... walking with Faelinn. The image shifted and he was alone and walking. It was a forested area, in the daytime. I am sorry that I cannot be more specific than that. Then everything froze, replaced by an inky blackness. I was overcome with an incredible pressure as if a blow was struck across my mind. When I came to, I had the bloody nose that I am still attending to.
The second Vision that I cast was ... "Let me see anything else we need to do to fix Guilliam..."
There was a staccato of images ... it was as if I'd opened a floodgate in my mind. I could see and feel an army marching toward me -- Blood everywhere -- Death in droves -- decay ... undead feelings ... People were screaming. Everything shifted majorly again -- and I saw a pair of hands ... they were familiar looking ... but I know I've not seen them in Dreams or Visions. The hands turned slowly as my focus shifted, and I saw Lyossa -- Nightmare's mother -- beyond those hands. Everything went dark again. I saw a great temple. Darkness. The unholy Bandersnatch of the Centaurlands. Blackness. The same temple from a moment ago, in ruin. The wreckage shuddered and froze, fading into one last sequence ... There are four stone tablets ... glowing, swirling through the air, flashing in yellow, red, green and blue, swirling and shining brighter, coming together. In a flash, the vision was gone, replaced by my bedchamber.
I'm still feeling dirty ... used ... as though I'll never be able to clean myself ... maybe my SOUL enough to feel right again. Feelings of queasiness still plague me ... maybe I reached too far....
-Metron

11/17/03
Greetings, as Kyomi asked in her missive to me, I tried to narrow down the search for Guilliam ... I asked the following question:
"Is Pandross, himself, holding Guilliam?"
The vision began with seeing those hands again. The same ones as the first series of Visions ... As they came more into focus, they looked healthier, more ... alive, in a way. These were the same hands that Lyossa was bowing to, there's no denying it. I could see more of the person ... as though through their eyes, I could make out the forearms as well as the hands this time. I could feel myself drifting in, fading in and out when something stopped me and seemed to knock me back. When I came to, I felt the nausea once more ... and it felt as though someone had been strangling me. When I checked in the mirror, I could see long, thing red marks around my throat.
I felt that I was progressing even though I was just attacked through the Vision, so I decided that I would try once more ... I had a hunch ...
My next question was, "Show me the entire bare arms of the person I was just seeing in my previous vision."
The blackness came but I could not pierce through it this time. Something screamed "NOOOOO!" at me and shoved me back, hard. When I came to this time, my nose was bleeding once more, with a vengeance. I was also startled to find black and blue bruises and red marks all over my chest, as though some sort of energy was shot through me. They ache was like nothing I've felt ... since Indra was pulling his influence away back before I left Mythguard ...
I think that whoever this person is that I am seeing the hands of, that he is the one holding Guilliam. I think he may also be Pandross, in corporeal form once more. It would seem to be true, since I was asking about Pandross the first time. I believe that there may be some distinguishing marks on him even if I cannot see his face that could give us clues as to who he is. So far, the arms are bare. I do not know if they will continue to be so, if I continue to try seeing this as the months progress ...
-Metron

12/16/03
I have been working over several nights on the questions that you both had about the Centaurlands. The first thing I did was attempt to use Fortune Tells to find the safest -- and separately, the fastest -- way to get to Guilliam (in case the safe way is not the fast way, or vice versa). I am still decoding the images from these two and will need at least a couple more days to sort them out.
The next thing I did was go straight to Visions, my first question being "What are Pandross' weaknesses?"
There was darkness and silence at first, then a voice came to me as if from far away ... in time as well as place. It was Thestra, I think, saying, "Look to the past to find your answers..." and then her voice faded away.
The next thing I asked was "How do we defeat Pandross?"
I couldn't put together what I was seeing at first ... it seemed like a pugilistic arena was below me, with an opponent in opposite end of the octagonal-shaped area, ropes were strung around it. The person on one side was a large man, muscular, beautiful in the face, he had a cleft chin and blonde hair parted just so. He was grinning quiet a bit. Seemed ... maybe too sure of himself. The man in the other corner had dusky skin, a hood and cloak, and a black mask on with a white question mark emblazoned into it. A bell rang and they left their corners -- and started kicking the shyte out of each other. No matter what the blonde wonder did, he couldn't keep the question-marked man down for long, most of the time he didn't even effect him. Nothing keeps him down -- nothing! There was a shudder and the view doubled, and then doubled again, four versions of the same fight going on, and they were all happening the same way. Nothing worked -- nothing with fists at any rate. Maybe something else would have. The fighting grows weary and tiresome, as neither party wants to give up -- as the images faded, they were still fighting.
The next night, I continued... I asked, "What is Pandross?" -- something that I had been wondering.
I could hear strange music as I faded into the Vision, sort of sing-songy, but out of a strange organ or piano. It was very odd. My view settled upon a monkey, it looked slightly unreal as I noticed strings trailing from his limbs into the ebon sky. He was playing with a puppet that looked an awfully lot like Lyossa. The puppet-Lyossa is a very badly put together hand puppet. I could not see the other end of the strings attached to the monkey.
I then asked, "Where did Pandross come from?"
The response was very similar to one on the first night -- things went black and the same voice answered, "Look to the past to find your answers..." If Thestra could sound annoyed through an time-displaced echo ... she was accomplishing it very well.
Since things had been going fairly decent and I had not been attacked yet through the course of divining, I continued the next night. My first question was, "How did Pandross rise to power?"
A spotlight turned on in my eyes, then moved away as I blinked in frustration -- as my view cleared, the hand-puppet of Lyossa was on the monkey's hand still, waving a badly-stitched arm/hand at me.
And lastly for this line of questioning: "Why are there Wraiths in the Centaurlands?"
I could see the marionette-monkey again, this time the light was focussing upon the strings as they went higher and higher into the black sky. The light seemed red this time, though ...
For now, I'd like to hear what you two think about these. I have my own opinions, but would like to hear others as well. Thank you.
-Metron

Created by Iacob of Ivory (David Kapell) at 10-06-05 01:58 PM
Last Modified by Faelinn Shadowmoon (Leanne Micciche) at 04-05-08 09:10 AM