N/S War '10, Diemos & MinervaIt was June 19th, 1010 M.R.Last time I was seen as a 'human'. Funny that. Anyway. The day was hot and sunny; I ended up traveling North completely bewildered about where and whence I was. I'm sure you'll want a little back-story to not end up confused, but don't blame me if you're rolling your eyes at the end. I was on a mission for a friend with a capital 'F': to go to 'the other Realms' and deliver a note to a Sir Diemos of Folkestone. Given that I had only heard stories about this 'other Realms' (and mostly believed it to be nonsense), I still dutifully went out (damn L&O), all the way to the Green & Gold unclaimed lands near Periden. I searched high and low for signs or clues on how to get to this place. Hindsight being what it is, I probably should have brought another person or two with me. I'm direct when it comes to these things, I don't think first about 'how to go about it', I just do. Farmers and other commoners had no information for me. I then began walking the actual tourney fields and was trounced by an animated 'knight in armor'. That's the best way I can describe it. The being was made of shadows and magic. The only things it spoke were This knight was taken down by a spirit wolf, who called itself Cheveyo. After asking what I was doing there, it did not attempt to dissuade me from my course. Given that I hadn't died in that encounter, I still was determined to follow-through with what was asked of me (crazy as it was). Cheveyo then assisted me in 'crossing to the other side'. ...and that place was very bleak. I was in the tower of Banecroft, where I figured since every one around was dead, they wouldn't mind me using their sacred shield that was on the wall (apparently the only thing still standing). A Find the Path over the course of a day led me to the remains of Nadina that used to be near a lake. The lake itself was dried out, gone, and Nadina had little else in way of means of defensible support. This is where I found Sir Diemos. He took the shield (after I gave it) and smashed it, relating that smashing the shield was all it was good for. More chatter led to him telling me this information: "...Abyss says that a conjunction is coming, an aligning of elements here and in your time, that will allow him to pull some of you forward. He says this may help us sway against the forces of Maxwell, but I'm not sure about that. I've never seen the kinds of things this Mad One has at his disposal. So much destruction and corruption." Sir Diemos mentioned that morale was low, and that many people who had no hope had become Quelipoth ... ((Kell-ih-pawth)). Here in our world, we'd call them 'Hollows'. At any rate, when these people have no will to do anything, their will is taken over and filled in by other things. What those are, I know not. He also mentioned that all Seers who wished to look into this situation should have a protection for their soul, lest they go blind and crazy. Having already been blinded on a regular basis, and being accused of madness, this didn't bother me in the slightest. He went on to add that Saren and Tiara Moonstone were the only two Seers left. Since I had no such protection I disregarded the warning, having already cast Seer spells and feeling no ill effects. He also mentioned here that no one could feel their gods, that they were all silent. And thus I made an active effort right then and there in Nadina to change that. It was the season of Diskordia at the time, so I made a ritual circle in record time and consecrated that area to Diskordia. Strangely, I think it actually worked, but Diemos and I didn't stick around to see what else could be done with it. We ran, as a large monster came after us. Sheltered in a cave for quite some time, Diemos and I attempted to survive off food rations and got to know one another (and talked much of Quazar). It turns out time flows much faster there: it's 1025 M.R. Magic had been dying out recently, but it was ten years ago (1015) that their Seers all went nuts. Like wicked nuts. Especially Shane of Val'Dara. Holy shit... Anyway, I attempted to use my spells, find out the history of the place, and then one particular assault knocked rocks very hard onto me. I remember 'waking up' as a spirit back in the Realms, with my Diskordia saying that she had heard me, and that I had to find Quazar or someone close to her and deliver a message of sorts. The closest person I found without their soul protected was this extremely tall fellow, undead (made possession a hell of a lot easier) named Valas. I delivered the message that evening after the battle on the field (and Quazar was recovered enough). Once done, I wondered what would become of my body, and decided to Second Chance it. Back to that bleak world, Diemos and Cheveyo both confirmed that the other me, 'Aberes' had died in that time early on. Since they still knew her as Aberes, I wouldn't be surprised if she passed away from the Dark Carnival/Wrake incident of being in a ring; I didn't go out of my way to check. The large monster didn't give up the assault, however, and soon an armless drake (my first one I had ever seen) came gunning for us. It began to beat the crap out of Cheveyo first before Diemos stepped in. I took a chance that Diskordia had heard me (and the fact that she might be thrilled in this world to realize she still had a descendant) to in some wacky way to swing the battle in Diemos's favor. It was then the drake rammed its spiky tail straight through my chest and killed me. Thank gods, technically, for Second Chance. ...in fact, I think this is the first time it screwed me over. I was sent, alive, with that damn tail sticking right through, into THAT world's Faerielands. I was chased out into our world's Faerie Plane, and fought (and lost) against a group of powerful magicians (that definitely were not fae). I was literally blasted to the Achorian Desert. ...that's how I physically met Lord Valas Baneshot. ----- Making my way to Folkestone was a trial. I looked blown up, ragged, beat to hell. I'm sure there are pictures somewhere. I don't know who won, or how people were fighting. I remember Dame Rune's cool hands on my brow, I remember the lake. Faelinn was there, Indana... I think Tara. A lot of women-folk. Strangely, Valas showed up here, too. I attempted to relate what I had experienced, what I had seen, and kept failing (at the time). Rune was very supportive in the entire matter. Magus Faelinn placed a Protect the Soul on me and ordered me as her apprentice to never set foot willingly in that other Realm again. I was more than happy to oblige, but respected that other Diemos enough to contact others after the gathering, and to send them in my stead should our Realms ever cross over into theirs to help once more. Sir Adara and a few others joined Eagle's Rook. Sir Vawn Coupant of Eagle's Rook and the Seelie side of the True Court was knighted a Knight of the Eternal Flame after receiving a Fireball favor from Sir Duncan (the first he ever gave out). I remember somebody speaking before me, me saying some true words about Vawn, getting mocked by whoever spoke after me real quick, and then it was over. I tried to get some sleep (and failed). Soon, I was pulled into a quest (when all I wanted was the sweet release of Panther's Inn) that had been a long time coming: Almost a year ago, Quazar was given a ritual on how to summon Dionin if needs be. I had it, and I gave her that ritual (I can write about it now), even supplying the pixie bones (which I had bought from Sir Airavarri). When she was stuck with the Cursed Amulet in some unknown lands (while a whole bunch of us were needed to help get Chan and Gideon to the Champion), she had infinite cosmic power and was frightened (given her demonic ties at the time) of what she could and WOULD do with it. She used the ritual while Magnus HeavyHammer was off creating Dionin Magnusson (another story for another time), and Dionin said he would move it to one person she named. Quazar named Rio, as she was helping the Champion, and was denied. She then named Rel, who was also helping the Champion (it needs to be stated that this was due to favors, not because they were willingly enjoying it), and thus Rel was left in a tower. That tower (going back further) was there in the distance, on every horizon line whenever we would switch planes or areas in the Realms during the tournament of The Lion and The Dragon. Sir Aelias won Dragon, Sir Cain the Lion, and it was revealed that Gideon was the Crown Prince of Coventry (beating out Porrunn of Fairhaven). Further back, the real Lion and Dragon had a war about who could follow after a magical king, who was better. In the end, Lion gathered up its people, and Dragon gathered up theirs, and they left the weak, the wounded, the undecided in the middle of No Man's Land with this Tower, and they got cursed, twisted, all in different ways. Why am I telling all of you this? I'm getting there. Rel, locked in this tower, had a siren song with the amulet on, and all the Twisted began journeying to him, wishing to make him their King. Rel was lost to us for some time, doing gods knows what with the power (the adventurers beat the Champion, by the way), when somehow Ged's petition and argument to the gods was heard, and Rel was abruptly returned to us at Feast of Leviathan '10. ...sort of. He looked a bit like Randal. Anyway. In doing this, quite a few of us had to agree (without knowing ahead of time to what) to help out Ged, Janus, and Indana with their ousting Rel. That would be myself & Quinn, Cimone & Valarie, Tara & Demetria, and Rel himself. These ten of us were then told that we had a limited time to find a strong leader and a home for all those Twisted, or we would share in their curse and become Twisted ourselves. ----- That night, along with Magus Cecil, Magus Malaki, and a whole mess of other people, we nine went forth (Rel was visiting Rekees in the west, I think Cecil was asked to go by proxy for him) and figured out what each Twisted's deal was. Eventually, through fast thinking on everyone's part: they all ended up following me as their leader and now they all live and work in Wendmor alongside the small village already being built there. I pay most for their work, but quite a few are content to have homes or barns or a place to bake. Both groups get along well. While all this craziness was going on, there was a woman there asking people a question very quietly, like: "If you were not who you were, if you were someone else, who would you be?" And many people had answers for her. Soon after, she was stolen off by some cultist in a dragon mask, hopping through a portal. I learned too late (much, much too late, like Just a Myth) that she was Minerva. In our Realms, Minerva is the goddess of Dreams. She is daughter of Antioch, and she and Strathmore had a son... The Champion. Ah, see? All comes full circle. At any rate, Cecil Mage'd his way through to save her, and then things get fuzzy for me after that. I remember a lot of pain. I remember knocking Indana and Tara out to save them from the searing pain. I remember calling 'Apprentice!' to see if bravado would help in a Seer situation and getting the crap kicked out of me for it. I remember that the word 'white' was freaking everyone the hell out in the area, and I left with my squire and the Harkon, wondering how the hell we were going to ever get Minerva back. I ended up being ill and had to retire early Sunday: I heard that Magnus, using an enchanted wand, sacrifice a large part of his soul to cut all demonic ties away from Quazar forever. I haven't seen much of Quazar, my Friend, since then... and I began to prepare to go to Feast of Blackwood. All the while, really horrible things going through my mind, attacking my Seer spells and myself. Come to find out later it was Mind Assassins, sent by Maxwell/The Mad One from the other Realms, in order to take me down from the inside out. Luna stopped that right quick... but that's a story for another time. By Diskordia's beard, just how much ink did I use on this one? |
Created by Janna Oakfellow-Pushee at 11-29-10 06:28 PM
Last Modified by Janna Oakfellow-Pushee at 11-29-10 06:34 PM