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Reclaiming (Maiyn) - Chapter 13


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#1 Guest_arabellaesque_*

Posted 08 October 2006 - 09:08 PM

Cleansing

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Coran steadied himself on the wall, the surge of adrenaline washing over him without any warning and for no apparent reason. The thought of battle played in his mind and he could almost hear the sound of combat. He wiped the perspiration from his forehead as he shakily moved away from the support and noted his companions worried looks.

"I am fine," he said with a quick smile. "I just had an odd sensation - it is being so far underground I think." They seemed appeased by this - well, most of them. Korgan was eyeing him keenly but he was in no mood for the dwarf's interrogations. He didn't even know what it was himself, though he could hazard a guess.

Since he'd awoken from his comatose slumber he'd had brief incidents with feelings and senses that didn't have any bearing on his situation at the time. The initial pain he'd felt that night had been the most obvious one, this sudden rush being a close second. The others had been so slight that he would normally have ignored them; sometimes there was a faint hint of frustration or annoyance, occasionally there was a lust for blood. Very rarely was there anything happy or joyous, and that was what concerned him.

He was convinced now that they were being projected by Maiyn. He could sense her, as elves could feel each others emotions through their bond. But they'd never bonded. He'd never even considered it, the sudden falling for the ranger surprising him so much that he gave little thought upon how to make a commitment to her -- it had taken him long enough to work out the way to phrase his crudely worded vow. Was she so receptive to him that she was allowing him into her consciousness from even this distance, even without the bond? There was no denying the intimacy they had shared. He wondered if she could she sense him in return.

He sighed. It was unlikely. He knew he was not open enough to allow her in, and she was unlikely to even try since she would still believe him to be asleep. He tried to draw heart from the thoughts though - if it was as he expected, she was alive and well. She was also apparently doing something dangerous, but he had faith in her abilities. This encouraged him slightly, and his smile widened.

"Let us see what lies across this lake," he remarked brightly, leading the way down the narrow walkway. They could see a building in the distance, and as they got closer it became apparent that it was a temple in a serious state of disrepair. Clumps of mould grew over the walls in the moist environment and the roof showed several gaping holes. Three cowled figures stood outside, watching them as they approached. More were further back, towards the rear of the temple, but they ignored the group as they stared silently out at the pool.

"Hello," said the central figure as they got close. He was an old looking man, swathed in a black robe that covered him from head to toe. His face was riddles with pocks and boils, his eyes heavy, as if he hadn't slept for days. Coran waited to see if he was going to elaborate at all, but he just stared dourly at them. The two other figures were children, dressed in black, covered in the same marks as the adult. Neither looked as if they were about to say much either.

"'Hello'?" asked Coran. "That's it? I am a stranger in your time-lost buried city, and all you say, is.... 'hello'?"

"What would you have me say?" replied the man. "Shall I proclaim the wonder of your arrival? Shall I bemoan the length of the ages? Should my knees buckle at the very sight of you?" He sighed loudly. "I am sure it would make you feel important, but I've simply no interest in you. I think you'll find we care about very little at all."

"I see," said Coran, trying not to smile. The manner of the figure was causing him to have some very comforting memories of days gone by. "Then tell me who you are? What is this place?"

"Ah. You wish the exposition. Typical. I should really write this down so I don't have to keep repeating it. Not that we have a lot of visitors."

"...And?" encouraged Coran as the man lapsed back into silence.

"And? Oh, yes. Us. We are the guardians. We guard the temple. This is very important, because every few hundred years someone almost wanders this way."

"What is within the temple that warrants such loyal guarding?" queried Nalia.

The figure shrugged. "We have forgotten what it is we guard. We have forgotten how many generations we have been here, and we have forgotten what it is to have a purpose."

"You sound thrilled with your calling," remarked Coran amiably. "Why do you stay?"

The man regarded him with an expressionless face for several long moments. "We cannot leave," he said gloomily. "We cannot even die. We are born again in an endless recycling of our souls. We learn over and over again that we are condemned to a fate that we no longer want."

"Is... is that why you appear so diseased?" asked Aerie quietly.

"It is the decay of our mind and souls," sighed the man. "We grow to hate the power that sustains us, so we rot from the inside. There is no cure. There is no escape. There is no end."

"What power is it that binds you here?" asked Keldorn.

"The one that the temple was built for. It has been so long since we have uttered the god's name, it has been forgotten by most. What loyalty do we owe a creature that would condemn us to this?"

"We will try and release you somehow," said Coran firmly.

"Do what you will," sighed the figure. "There is no escape for us; we have accepted this. We teach it to the newly young who then teach it to the old that die and are reborn. The deal which placed us here has been followed to the letter, and we are never to be released from service, no matter how pointless the task. You will fail - you cannot help but fail. We know this. We expect no other."

"You are all doomed?" asked Coran, before he could help himself. "Ah, sorry," he said quickly, realising his words. "It's just that you remind me of a mage I know..."

"He has the right way of thinking," noted the robed man.

"Have you petitioned your lord?" asked Keldorn, his eyes running over the temple as his face wore a slight frown. "Can he do nothing to aid your predicament?"

"We cannot petition the unknown. We have not seen a sign in an age, and his name is lost now. No, nothing is directed at the temple except loathing. Take what you will. We are guardians in name only. We might as well be simple, mindless skeletons." The figure drifted away from them, signalling the end of the discussion.

Coran sighed, and looked to Keldorn. The paladin was still studying the temple, but before he could speak, they were interrupted by one of the children.

"You want to see what we made?" she asked in a small voice. There was no excitement or happiness on her face however, and her tone was level and dull. "You go inside the temple and see what we made. We can't, because it's ours. We forget. You can see it, but not fight it."

"You speak beyond your years," said Keldorn quietly. "How old are you, child?"

"I am nine in this life," she replied. "They say my soul is the oldest of us. I am tired. Go and see what we made. It's pretty... I wish I could see it." Her voice became almost wistful at the end. "Can't fight it," she reminded Coran, noticing his gaze.

"What do you mean, can't fight it?" he asked gently.

"Send our thoughts to the temple, we do. Thoughts of our wounded faith. Can you fight a wound in faith? Go away... my fun was done years ago." She turned and walked away slowly.

"But why can't you see it?" called Coran after her.

"The fanatic is always right," said the other child - a small boy. "Cannot see his hatred. It is his, but he cannot see it." He also drifted away from the group, leaving them alone as they stood at the entrance to the building. Coran moved forward, opening the door slightly and clambering inside. The others followed and found him defending himself from the attacks of a large red-scaled demon, its leathery rust-coloured wings beating down heavily as it moved around the temple with ease.

"Hate is here! Here is hate! Attack with anger and feed the hate! The hate!"

"Do not strike it!" shouted Keldorn to Coran.

"I'm finding it hard to do anything except defend myself!" pointed out Coran as he deftly dodged the swipe of one of the demon's sharp talons.

"Aerie, my dear," said the paladin quickly. "Go to it while it is distracted - apply your healing to it."

The avariel's eyes widened in fright as she looked at the creature, and she began trembling.

"Go, child, do as I say," said Keldorn kindly. "I will be by your side to protect you."

Aerie swallowed and nodded, moving over to stand behind the beast as she murmured the rite of healing upon its form. As the white glow engulfed it, it let out an almighty scream, collapsing to the ground in apparent agony. The group gathered together again quickly, preparing for any further assaults, but instead a figure shimmered and appeared at the altar at the far side of the room. Coran slowly led the others over to stand before it, and it looked at him in confusion.

"Who walks in the temple of I?" it asked faintly. "Speak of yourself... you are almost beyond the sight of I."

"I could say the same of you," remarked Coran, referring to the ghostly form the avatar had taken. "I am Coran; are you the chief resident of this temple?"

"I am I. The temple is I, though it is not safe for even I. The beast does kill my form repeatedly. You have slain it but for a small time; it comes again and again."

"Wh-what is it?" asked Aerie nervously.

"It is a fell deity, for it has more power than I can muster. My legion of followers feed it, and I am weak and fading. Such power the beast has."

"You are not worshipped here," spoke Keldorn strongly. "Those outside feel nothing but loathing."

"But they must serve," replied the avatar. "It is the letter of the agreement. They were to guard, and I would provide for their lives. This was to be for all time."

"They dinnae even remember yer name!" snorted Korgan derisively.

"There must be an end," agreed Coran. "They die and are reborn to guard against nothing - no one ever comes."

"Then it is little wonder I cannot defeat the beast. It is their hatred and pathos, and it has become an object of their worship whether they know it or not. The time has passed. I have naught here, and will not again. Even the great device has waned in power and is not so epic a danger as I once thought. I weep for my children - their hatred sustains this place, although they would intend otherwise. Had they not thought of me at all, I would have perished, and soon after so would they."

"Is that the end you envision?" asked Coran. "Death to all those who follow you?"

"Death would be welcome to them. Not the death as they have now, wherein the spirit is still bound to the earth, but true death, where they would join me in the Keep of the Eternal Sun."

"Amaunator..." whispered Nalia.

"The letter of the bargain was that I protect the great device until the end of time," continued the avatar sadly. "The creator races were very specific; I will reinterpret the words, for it is surely the end of my time. The intent of the bargain was that the device was not used again. If it is indeed the 'end of time', then my last action should be to destroy it. I have not the power to do so."

"What would give you the power?" asked Nalia.

"Faith," replied the avatar simply. "The belief and conviction of my followers is the lifeblood of a power. There must be a way to spur their faith. Open your mind - perhaps you have knowledge of use."

The avatar faded as it plunged into the thoughts of the party. Coran felt a strange sensation, as if his deepest memories and thoughts were being viewed, but it was fleeting. Within seconds the figure was back to its ghostly form.

"Yes," is said. "I see in your mind the way to release this place. You seek the great device for another, but you owe them no allegiance, and they intend to kill you."

"Well, tha's useful tae know," muttered Korgan.

"The cause is simple. Take the device and combine this part with the piece the creature already has. The assembled rod will surely destroy the beast. Use it only once, or you will perish under its power, then return it to me. Tell my people that you carry the piece I give to you so that you might deplete it. Tell them that you go to restore the components so it may be disposed of as a whole, not in part."

Coran nodded. "We will do as such."

"My people must know that I intend to destroy it when you return," the avatar continued. "They must know I intend to end their service. The simple act of brining together the two pieces will instil a small amount of faith for an instant. If they are in my presence, such an instant will allow me to destroy the artifact."

"Have you not the power to do any of this yourself?" asked Nalia.

"The energies of my followers are directed at this place, not at me. Should I try to leave, I would likely lose my form, only to reappear here years later. You must do this - their loathing sustains the cycle. They must have a moment of hope, such that I will be powered to free them.

"We will help," assured Coran.

"Take it, and plant the seed of hope," urged the avatar as he faded from existence. "They will not believe you now, but when you return they will perhaps have a spark."

Coran held out his hands to catch the shining object that dropped before him slowly. He held it firmly, and strode from the building quickly, noticing that the diseased figure had returned to the temple entrance, and was gazing at them forlornly.

"Have you enjoyed your visit? Of course, you found nothing and of course you will leave empty handed. There is..." The figure's voice faltered as Coran waved the piece of rod around as he smiled widely.

"You... you have the great device!" exclaimed the man, floating along at Coran's side as the elf made his way away from the temple. "What are you doing with that? It cannot be moved! It has not been moved in a millennium!"

"It is the will of your god that it is taken from this place and weakened," said Coran firmly.

"I do not believe you," sighed the man, slowing down and lingering behind. "Nothing has changed for us here in an age. If you have the great device, it is only because our god is weaker than we imagined."

"You will see," replied Coran, turning to look at the robed figure. "It is to be destroyed when I return."

"You will be free of your duty," added Keldorn.

"Nothing changes here," said the man dourly. "You will not return. We will not be freed. There is nothing to lend our faith to but the hate and loathing."

"You are wrong!" called out Aerie as the figure began drifting back towards the temple.

"Go," it shouted, without turning back. "It is the last we will see of you."

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The companions furtively made their way past the guards standing entrance to the cult compound. Sassar had been overjoyed when they informed him they had the first half of the rod, and had advised them to seek out a man named Tad, who they would find by the Pit of the Faithless. Coran led the way as they stalked around the walkway that encircled the darkness leading down to the depths below, quickly discovering the location of the pit and spying a solitary figure standing guard by it.

Coran wandered over to the blind man silently. "The eye is blind," he said in a quiet voice, causing the man to jump.

"You... Sassar sent you?"

Coran nodded, then realised the folly of that action. "Yes," he whispered.

"Oh, thank the gods! I am so relieved he is still alive," exclaimed Tad. "What is it you need of me?"

"He said you would know of a secret way to reach the small cave at the back of the beholders lair," explained Coran quickly. "Can you help us to find it?"

Tad nodded enthusiastically, and pointed behind him. Coran dubiously glanced over to the pit and sighed inwardly.

"There is a small pathway from the Pit of the Faithless," whispered Tad. "I don't know exactly where it is, and you will have to beware of the creatures who feast on the bodies down there."

"You want me to... go down there?" asked Coran, ensuring he had the correct idea. To his dismay, he did. "Very well - thank you for your assistance, Tad."

"Good luck, my Lord!" exclaimed the man quietly, moving away slowly as the others gathered around the elf.

Nalia was looking as horrified as Aerie was terrified. Keldorn's expression was grim, and Korgan had an expression of sheer disbelief. Coran peered down into the pit - the fall was not far at all, and they would easily manage the landing without risking serious injury, much to his relief.

"Right, we can jump in one at a time," he said quietly. "It's not deep, just be careful as you land-" He paused as Korgan disappeared from view, the dwarf's yell echoing back up from beneath them as he cursed loudly.

"He must have slipped," said Aerie, far too quickly. Coran gave her a strange look, and she looked away, avoiding eye contact completely.

"I... see," remarked Coran. "Well, we'd better all get down quickly, before the cultists come to investigate the shouting coming from their pit; I think they'd remember sacrificing an angry dwarf who wanted to... what is it he's saying? Ah yes, 'insert his axe into the nether regions of certain wingless elves', shall we say?"

Aerie flushed slightly, causing Coran to grin at her mischievously.

"BLASTED BLOODY WONDERFUL!" came Korgan's voice impatiently. "Are ye comin' down here after me, or no?"

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They managed to make their way through the hungry ghouls who had been alerted to presence of potentially fresh meat, firstly by Korgan's shouts, then by Aerie's screams as the dwarf fixed his hands around her throat while she was trying to get back to her feet on the bone-strewed ground. The passage hadn't been far from their landing place, and they soon found themselves in a maze of tunnels, desperately trying to avoid the gauths and beholders that were floating around aimlessly.

"Any idea which way we should go?" asked Coran when they reached a junction with several paths leading from it.

Keldorn closed his eyes, and prayed quickly to Torm. A few sparks briefly flew from him as he divined the presence of evil around their location, and he guided them along the routes uninhabited by the denizens of the lair.

Occasionally they'd stumble across a nesting room, usually inhabited by a solitary creature. Nalia and Aerie kept their magical protections around them while the fighters tried their best to avoid the debilitating spells being thrown around by the malevolent creatures. Aerie's healing was called upon several times to close the more serious wounds inflicted by the harming spells, but before long they'd discovered the second part of the artifact, hidden deep in one of the nests.

Coran quickly held the parts together, allowing them to meld into one. Greed, lust, hate and violence flowed through him from the assembled rod and he looked at it curiously. Apart from a few intricate symbols, it was a plain looking thing, hiding well the power it held inside.

Despair, sighted ones, for death is thy familiar!

Coran looked up to see a huge beholder floating towards them, its telepathy betraying its identity as the Unseeing Eye. Keldorn and Korgan launched into an attack as it as Coran desperately tried to work out what to do with the rod. Nalia and Aerie were murmuring quickly, having launched into spells as soon as they spotted the creature, but their magic seemed to have little effect on it.

One of the beholder's eyes fixed on Nalia, and an orange beam struck the young thief. She instantly slowed down in her actions, her chanting and hand movements becoming painfully slow. Another eye had turned to Keldorn, a purple beam from it causing the paladin to back away from the beast, running in fear to the other side of the nest in a desperate attempt to find a way away from his foe.

Korgan snarled and leapt up in the air, slashing his axe across the top of the beholder and severing one of the many eyes. The Unseeing Eye immediately latched another eye onto the dwarf, and Korgan's axe was pulled up into the air, the dwarf desperately clinging onto it as he refused to relinquish his possession.

"Aaargh!" called the dwarf as he flew across the room in the wake of his sword, colliding heavily with the wall which rendered him stunned.
Aerie had managed to get off a remove fear prayer on Keldorn, and the paladin was charging back at the beholder when Coran suddenly became enlightened. He waved the rod in the direction of the Unseeing Eye, and was knocked back as a powerful bolt shot from the tip, striking the creature with a savage force.

The beast was visibly weakened, and it dropped to the floor as it tried to gather itself. Keldorn's blow rained down upon it with a ferocious might and was followed up by the blade of his Hallowed Redeemer plunging deep into the creature's prone body.

Coran picked himself up and went over to check on Korgan as Nalia fell over, her world speeding up to normal and causing her to feel slightly disorientated. The dwarf was coming round, grunting loudly as he accepted Coran's hand to heave him up. Nalia found a necklace on the beast when she recovered, and Aerie's identification spell revealed it to provide magic protection to the wearer. Coran insisted the human girl wear it, and the young thief put it around her neck, allowing the elf to fasten it securely as she smiled shyly. Korgan just rolled his eyes and followed Coran as he led the way along the passage, the group wondering how they were going to escape from the maze.

It wasn't long before the elf noticed something amiss with one of the walls, and a quick examination revealed a hidden panel which moved aside to produce access to a flight of stairs leading up. The companions thankfully fled up them, managing to manipulate the secret door at the top, and emerging into the passageway outside the tomb where Sassar and his friends had been living.

"Time to go and see our friends in the temple," remarked Coran, a mischievous glint in his eye.

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Coran marched along the walkway, smiling broadly to the robed figure who drifted over to see them. He was wearing an expression of distress; Coran concluded that he was distressed because things were happening against how he envisaged it, and so he wasn't sure how to react at all. Just like Xan... he thought.

"You return? Why? Why have you come back here? You have brought back the great device?"

"I have said it is the will of your lord," said Coran strongly as he showed off the assembled rod. "It is depleted, and is to be destroyed."

"You lie!" cried the figure, causing the others to look around from their long stares across the pool. Slowly they began to move over as the man continued. "You must lie! There is no hope for any of us here! It has been an age since any sign of change!"

"This age is over," insisted Coran. "Is it so hard to fathom? It is simply time for the end."

"This cannot be," whispered the man. "You cannot be the herald of the change. It is not possible. I... I must see for myself. I must hear the word. We all must." He turned and swiftly entered the temple, the others flocking after him with curiosity. Coran waited until they were all inside, then entered too, striding to the front of them, his companions close behind.

"There is nothing here," sighed the cowled figure. "There is never anything here but the stench of our hate."

"Why should he come to you?" asked Keldorn sternly. "Do you bother to offer his name in tribute?"

"The name has not been spoken outside of a curse for a generation," replied the man simply. "There has been no sign, and there has been no point."

"W-we have given you the sign," said Aerie. "What will you do with it?"

"I will..." The man's voice faltered, and he looked at the figures around him. They wore expressions of hope, and he nodded to them. "Amaunator! Your people call to you! I, Agru Tindal, Sunlord of the Third House, pursuant to your Conduct of Worship, do hereby give my voice to your name. We ask... please... we call to you..." A heavy silence hung around the temple.

"Please," pleaded the man. "We have need of you."

"I hear." The avatar shimmered into existence, clearer than he had managed before, drawing on the belief from his flock. "You who have suffered, who still suffer. The time is at an end. Letter of the law states that we guard until the end of time. Our time has ended."

"Then... what is left to do?" asked the robed man.

"Nothing," replied the avatar simply. "Your task is done. You will all sit by the side of Amaunator in the Keep of the Eternal Sun. The old enemies are gone; the duty is well enough fulfilled."

The man gasped. "Praise be to the keeper of time, that he should end it for the just."

"This is the end of things," said the Avatar strongly as he began to glow with a powerful white light. Slowly the figures began to fade.
"Rest your minds in my heart. Rest."

Coran watched as they faded from existence, and the rod melted into nothingness with them. A warm glow formed inside him, and he felt content to have released the souls to their rightful destiny. He knew now how Maiyn had felt when she'd worn the deliriously happy smile under the Firewine Bridge when she'd freed the ghostly knights from their period of waiting.

He sighed slightly to himself, and nodded to the others. "Time to finish off the last few pieces," he said calmly, leading the way out.

-----------------------

They passed Sassar on their way back to the cult compound, and Coran advised him and his fellow outcasts to collect any belongings they had, promising to return for them after they had found Gaal. Swiftly, the companions marched back to the lair, easily fighting their way past the guards who recognised them as the cause of the Unseeing Eye's death. Gaal himself came to face them, but died swiftly to Keldorn's righteous fury. Nalia quickly stripped his girdle from him, mentioning a minor enchantment on it that she recognised, and Coran put it on before they left.

They were true to their word, helping Sassar and his friends to escape from the sewers, along with some of the repentant survivors Aerie had herded along from the cult - one of them was the woman they'd watched join earlier, her eyes already having been plucked from her. It was night as they led them to the Temple of Helm where Coran reported what they'd found and managed to persuade the priests to offer guidance to the ones they'd managed to save. He informed them on the name of the woman, and a priest was sent to the Temple of Lathander to seek out her husband, to inform him of her safe, though disabled, return. Gold was given in reward, to Korgan's appreciation, and the party bid High Watcher Oisig a goodnight as they left to find an inn.

Keldorn said his farewells to them as they passed the building of the Order, preparing to report to his seniors on his mission. He agreed to meet them the following morning at the Government District, where he wished to introduce them to his family. Coran gladly accepted his invitation, and he gave them directions to the closest inn before he disappeared into the knight's headquarters.

Coran smiled amiably at his tired companions and led the way to the tavern. He'd just had the slightest feeling of relief pass over him, which he was sure was related to the other odd feelings he'd been experiencing. It meant, in his heart, that Maiyn had survived her bout of excitement earlier and she was safe and well. It made him happy to have even the smallest insight into how she was, and his hope was strong that they'd find each other soon.

#2 Guest_Keldan_*

Posted 09 October 2006 - 02:14 AM

He was convinced now that they were being projected by Maiyn. He could sense her, as elves could feel each others emotions through their bond. But they'd never bonded. He'd never even considered it, the sudden falling for the ranger surprising him so much that he gave little thought upon how to make a commitment to her -- it had taken him long enough to work out the way to phrase his crudely worded vow. Was she so receptive to him that she was allowing him into her consciousness from even this distance, even without the bond? There was no denying the intimacy they had shared. He wondered if she could she sense him in return.


D'aww, the ickle elvesies have a rapport!

"'Hello'?" asked Coran. "That's it? I am a stranger in your time-lost buried city, and all you say, is.... 'hello'?"


Well, being in an underground city for who knows how long does tend to increase one's cynicism and decrease one's sense of surprise.

"What would you have me say?" replied the man. "Shall I proclaim the wonder of your arrival? Shall I bemoan the length of the ages? Should my knees buckle at the very sight of you?" He sighed loudly. "I am sure it would make you feel important, but I've simply no interest in you. I think you'll find we care about very little at all."


Ah, sarcasm. You're always there for those who need it. ... ironic, isn't it?

"Do what you will," sighed the figure. "There is no escape for us; we have accepted this. We teach it to the newly young who then teach it to the old that die and are reborn. The deal which placed us here has been followed to the letter, and we are never to be released from service, no matter how pointless the task. You will fail - you cannot help but fail. We know this. We expect no other."


Gods really are bad about creating rather open-ended contracts, aren't they?

"You are all doomed?" asked Coran, before he could help himself. "Ah, sorry," he said quickly, realising his words. "It's just that you remind me of a mage I know..."

"He has the right way of thinking," noted the robed man.


Hey, Xan, you've got a fan! And I'm a poet and I didn't even know it! :lol:

Ahem. Forgive me.

"I am nine in this life," she replied. "They say my soul is the oldest of us. I am tired. Go and see what we made. It's pretty... I wish I could see it." Her voice became almost wistful at the end. "Can't fight it," she reminded Coran, noticing his gaze.

"What do you mean, can't fight it?" he asked gently.

"Send our thoughts to the temple, we do. Thoughts of our wounded faith. Can you fight a wound in faith? Go away... my fun was done years ago." She turned and walked away slowly.


Ooh, creepy kid! Nice!

The avariel's eyes widened in fright as she looked at the creature, and she began trembling.


*waves pom-poms* Aerie, Aerie, she's our girl! If she can't do it, I'm gonna hurl!

... ehe.

"Go, child, do as I say," said Keldorn kindly. "I will be by your side to protect you."


Keldorn's so cool. :lol: *waves a little 'I <3 Keldorn in a Completely Platonic Way' flag*

"Who walks in the temple of I?" it asked faintly. "Speak of yourself... you are almost beyond the sight of I."


I thought this bit was particularly sad. :lol: Sorta reminds me of Small Gods, if you've ever read that Discworld novel.

"Amaunator..." whispered Nalia.


I always wondered why he didn't have a larger part in the game. He seems to be such an important bit in so many of the quests...

"Nothing changes here," said the man dourly. "You will not return. We will not be freed. There is nothing to lend our faith to but the hate and loathing."


You're all DOOMED™! :D

"Right, we can jump in one at a time," he said quietly. "It's not deep, just be careful as you land-" He paused as Korgan disappeared from view, the dwarf's yell echoing back up from beneath them as he cursed loudly.

"He must have slipped," said Aerie, far too quickly. Coran gave her a strange look, and she looked away, avoiding eye contact completely.


:wink:

"I... see," remarked Coran. "Well, we'd better all get down quickly, before the cultists come to investigate the shouting coming from their pit; I think they'd remember sacrificing an angry dwarf who wanted to... what is it he's saying? Ah yes, 'insert his axe into the nether regions of certain wingless elves', shall we say?"


:P

Keldorn closed his eyes, and prayed quickly to Torm. A few sparks briefly flew from him as he divined the presence of evil around their location, and he guided them along the routes uninhabited by the denizens of the lair.


*waves flag again* :lol:

The beast was visibly weakened, and it dropped to the floor as it tried to gather itself. Keldorn's blow rained down upon it with a ferocious might and was followed up by the blade of his Hallowed Redeemer plunging deep into the creature's prone body.


Woooohoooo!

Hey, I think I just channeled Larry!

"This is the end of things," said the Avatar strongly as he began to glow with a powerful white light. Slowly the figures began to fade.
"Rest your minds in my heart. Rest."


D'awww.

They passed Sassar on their way back to the cult compound, and Coran advised him and his fellow outcasts to collect any belongings they had, promising to return for them after they had found Gaal. Swiftly, the companions marched back to the lair, easily fighting their way past the guards who recognised them as the cause of the Unseeing Eye's death. Gaal himself came to face them, but died swiftly to Keldorn's righteous fury. Nalia quickly stripped his girdle from him, mentioning a minor enchantment on it that she recognised, and Coran put it on before they left.


Hopefully not a belt of gender change. :lol:

They were true to their word, helping Sassar and his friends to escape from the sewers, along with some of the repentant survivors Aerie had herded along from the cult - one of them was the woman they'd watched join earlier, her eyes already having been plucked from her. It was night as they led them to the Temple of Helm where Coran reported what they'd found and managed to persuade the priests to offer guidance to the ones they'd managed to save. He informed them on the name of the woman, and a priest was sent to the Temple of Lathander to seek out her husband, to inform him of her safe, though disabled, return. Gold was given in reward, to Korgan's appreciation, and the party bid High Watcher Oisig a goodnight as they left to find an inn.


Gosh, imagine having your wife go off one day and come home with no eyes. :D

Keldorn said his farewells to them as they passed the building of the Order, preparing to report to his seniors on his mission. He agreed to meet them the following morning at the Government District, where he wished to introduce them to his family. Coran gladly accepted his invitation, and he gave them directions to the closest inn before he disappeared into the knight's headquarters.


Does Coran get to help solve Keldorn's marriage problems? :lol: That'd be terribly ironic.

#3 Guest_arabellaesque_*

Posted 09 October 2006 - 09:09 AM

He was convinced now that they were being projected by Maiyn. He could sense her, as elves could feel each others emotions through their bond. But they'd never bonded. He'd never even considered it, the sudden falling for the ranger surprising him so much that he gave little thought upon how to make a commitment to her -- it had taken him long enough to work out the way to phrase his crudely worded vow. Was she so receptive to him that she was allowing him into her consciousness from even this distance, even without the bond? There was no denying the intimacy they had shared. He wondered if she could she sense him in return.


D'aww, the ickle elvesies have a rapport!


:shock:

"'Hello'?" asked Coran. "That's it? I am a stranger in your time-lost buried city, and all you say, is.... 'hello'?"


Well, being in an underground city for who knows how long does tend to increase one's cynicism and decrease one's sense of surprise.


Xan: Or being in a mine in Nashkel...

"What would you have me say?" replied the man. "Shall I proclaim the wonder of your arrival? Shall I bemoan the length of the ages? Should my knees buckle at the very sight of you?" He sighed loudly. "I am sure it would make you feel important, but I've simply no interest in you. I think you'll find we care about very little at all."


Ah, sarcasm. You're always there for those who need it. ... ironic, isn't it?


Diseased One: I have to take my pleasures as they come, now.

"Do what you will," sighed the figure. "There is no escape for us; we have accepted this. We teach it to the newly young who then teach it to the old that die and are reborn. The deal which placed us here has been followed to the letter, and we are never to be released from service, no matter how pointless the task. You will fail - you cannot help but fail. We know this. We expect no other."


Gods really are bad about creating rather open-ended contracts, aren't they?


Just a bit :D

"You are all doomed?" asked Coran, before he could help himself. "Ah, sorry," he said quickly, realising his words. "It's just that you remind me of a mage I know..."


"He has the right way of thinking," noted the robed man.


Hey, Xan, you've got a fan! And I'm a poet and I didn't even know it! :D


Xan: *groan*
;)

Ahem. Forgive me.


Xan: ...maybe.

"I am nine in this life," she replied. "They say my soul is the oldest of us. I am tired. Go and see what we made. It's pretty... I wish I could see it." Her voice became almost wistful at the end. "Can't fight it," she reminded Coran, noticing his gaze.


"What do you mean, can't fight it?" he asked gently.


"Send our thoughts to the temple, we do. Thoughts of our wounded faith. Can you fight a wound in faith? Go away... my fun was done years ago." She turned and walked away slowly.


Ooh, creepy kid! Nice!


Nalia: She's not creepy, she's... misunderstood... ahem.

The avariel's eyes widened in fright as she looked at the creature, and she began trembling.


*waves pom-poms* Aerie, Aerie, she's our girl! If she can't do it, I'm gonna hurl!


... ehe.


*laughs*!! :shock:

"Go, child, do as I say," said Keldorn kindly. "I will be by your side to protect you."


Keldorn's so cool. ;) *waves a little 'I <3 Keldorn in a Completely Platonic Way' flag*


Keldorn: Er, thank you... I think.
Coran: Hey now, he's old and married... surely I'm more interesting! Though... platonic love... oh, all right, Keldorn can have you!

"Who walks in the temple of I?" it asked faintly. "Speak of yourself... you are almost beyond the sight of I."


I thought this bit was particularly sad. :D Sorta reminds me of Small Gods, if you've ever read that Discworld novel.


Yep :D

"Amaunator..." whispered Nalia.


I always wondered why he didn't have a larger part in the game. He seems to be such an important bit in so many of the quests...


Yeah, for a dead god he certainly gets around a bit ;)

"Nothing changes here," said the man dourly. "You will not return. We will not be freed. There is nothing to lend our faith to but the hate and loathing."


You're all DOOMED™! :P


Teehee!!

"Right, we can jump in one at a time," he said quietly. "It's not deep, just be careful as you land-" He paused as Korgan disappeared from view, the dwarf's yell echoing back up from beneath them as he cursed loudly.


"He must have slipped," said Aerie, far too quickly. Coran gave her a strange look, and she looked away, avoiding eye contact completely.


:shock:


Aerie: Wh-what? It's really... slippery here...

"I... see," remarked Coran. "Well, we'd better all get down quickly, before the cultists come to investigate the shouting coming from their pit; I think they'd remember sacrificing an angry dwarf who wanted to... what is it he's saying? Ah yes, 'insert his axe into the nether regions of certain wingless elves', shall we say?"


:lol:


;)

Keldorn closed his eyes, and prayed quickly to Torm. A few sparks briefly flew from him as he divined the presence of evil around their location, and he guided them along the routes uninhabited by the denizens of the lair.


*waves flag again* ;)


Keldorn: I have my uses!

The beast was visibly weakened, and it dropped to the floor as it tried to gather itself. Keldorn's blow rained down upon it with a ferocious might and was followed up by the blade of his Hallowed Redeemer plunging deep into the creature's prone body.


Woooohoooo!


Hey, I think I just channeled Larry!


Larry: Woo, yeah! Hit 'em baby!

"This is the end of things," said the Avatar strongly as he began to glow with a powerful white light. Slowly the figures began to fade.
"Rest your minds in my heart. Rest."


D'awww.


*sniff*

They passed Sassar on their way back to the cult compound, and Coran advised him and his fellow outcasts to collect any belongings they had, promising to return for them after they had found Gaal. Swiftly, the companions marched back to the lair, easily fighting their way past the guards who recognised them as the cause of the Unseeing Eye's death. Gaal himself came to face them, but died swiftly to Keldorn's righteous fury. Nalia quickly stripped his girdle from him, mentioning a minor enchantment on it that she recognised, and Coran put it on before they left.


Hopefully not a belt of gender change. ;)


Coran: That would be a strange mixture of unfortunate and exciting...
Korgan: Erh... *backs away*

They were true to their word, helping Sassar and his friends to escape from the sewers, along with some of the repentant survivors Aerie had herded along from the cult - one of them was the woman they'd watched join earlier, her eyes already having been plucked from her. It was night as they led them to the Temple of Helm where Coran reported what they'd found and managed to persuade the priests to offer guidance to the ones they'd managed to save. He informed them on the name of the woman, and a priest was sent to the Temple of Lathander to seek out her husband, to inform him of her safe, though disabled, return. Gold was given in reward, to Korgan's appreciation, and the party bid High Watcher Oisig a goodnight as they left to find an inn.


Gosh, imagine having your wife go off one day and come home with no eyes. :shock:


Coran: That's nothing! Maiyn's went off one day and came back with no soul!

Keldorn said his farewells to them as they passed the building of the Order, preparing to report to his seniors on his mission. He agreed to meet them the following morning at the Government District, where he wished to introduce them to his family. Coran gladly accepted his invitation, and he gave them directions to the closest inn before he disappeared into the knight's headquarters.


Does Coran get to help solve Keldorn's marriage problems? ;) That'd be terribly ironic.


Hee! Maaaaaybeeeeee ;)

Thanks for reading and commenting :)

#4 Guest_Cel_*

Posted 09 October 2006 - 03:28 PM

Coran steadied himself on the wall, the surge of adrenaline washing over him without any warning and for no apparent reason. The thought of battle played in his mind and he could almost hear the sound of combat. He wiped the perspiration from his forehead as he shakily moved away from the support and noted his companions worried looks.


Hmm, that's odd.

Since he'd awoken from his comatose slumber he'd had brief incidents with feelings and senses that didn't have any bearing on his situation at the time. The initial pain he'd felt that night had been the most obvious one, this sudden rush being a close second. The others had been so slight that he would normally have ignored them; sometimes there was a faint hint of frustration or annoyance, occasionally there was a lust for blood. Very rarely was there anything happy or joyous, and that was what concerned him.


:lol:

He was convinced now that they were being projected by Maiyn. He could sense her, as elves could feel each others emotions through their bond. But they'd never bonded. He'd never even considered it, the sudden falling for the ranger surprising him so much that he gave little thought upon how to make a commitment to her -- it had taken him long enough to work out the way to phrase his crudely worded vow. Was she so receptive to him that she was allowing him into her consciousness from even this distance, even without the bond? There was no denying the intimacy they had shared. He wondered if she could she sense him in return.


...wow. She's fallen pretty hard!

"'Hello'?" asked Coran. "That's it? I am a stranger in your time-lost buried city, and all you say, is.... 'hello'?"


;)

"What would you have me say?" replied the man. "Shall I proclaim the wonder of your arrival? Shall I bemoan the length of the ages? Should my knees buckle at the very sight of you?" He sighed loudly. "I am sure it would make you feel important, but I've simply no interest in you. I think you'll find we care about very little at all."


If nothing else, he's maintained his sarcasm!

"You speak beyond your years," said Keldorn quietly. "How old are you, child?"

"I am nine in this life," she replied. "They say my soul is the oldest of us. I am tired. Go and see what we made. It's pretty... I wish I could see it." Her voice became almost wistful at the end. "Can't fight it," she reminded Coran, noticing his gaze.


:shock:

"Hate is here! Here is hate! Attack with anger and feed the hate! The hate!"

"Do not strike it!" shouted Keldorn to Coran.


Makes sense that Keldorn would figure it out.

"I... see," remarked Coran. "Well, we'd better all get down quickly, before the cultists come to investigate the shouting coming from their pit; I think they'd remember sacrificing an angry dwarf who wanted to... what is it he's saying? Ah yes, 'insert his axe into the nether regions of certain wingless elves', shall we say?"

Aerie flushed slightly, causing Coran to grin at her mischievously.

"BLASTED BLOODY WONDERFUL!" came Korgan's voice impatiently. "Are ye comin' down here after me, or no?"


:shock: :shock: :P

"Nothing," replied the avatar simply. "Your task is done. You will all sit by the side of Amaunator in the Keep of the Eternal Sun. The old enemies are gone; the duty is well enough fulfilled."

The man gasped. "Praise be to the keeper of time, that he should end it for the just."

"This is the end of things," said the Avatar strongly as he began to glow with a powerful white light. Slowly the figures began to fade.
"Rest your minds in my heart. Rest."


:shock: I've always loved this bit of the game.

#5 Guest_arabellaesque_*

Posted 09 October 2006 - 09:22 PM


Coran steadied himself on the wall, the surge of adrenaline washing over him without any warning and for no apparent reason. The thought of battle played in his mind and he could almost hear the sound of combat. He wiped the perspiration from his forehead as he shakily moved away from the support and noted his companions worried looks.


Hmm, that's odd.


Coran: It also strikes at the worst times.


Since he'd awoken from his comatose slumber he'd had brief incidents with feelings and senses that didn't have any bearing on his situation at the time. The initial pain he'd felt that night had been the most obvious one, this sudden rush being a close second. The others had been so slight that he would normally have ignored them; sometimes there was a faint hint of frustration or annoyance, occasionally there was a lust for blood. Very rarely was there anything happy or joyous, and that was what concerned him.


:D


She obviously feels negative emotion stronger than joyful :lol:


He was convinced now that they were being projected by Maiyn. He could sense her, as elves could feel each others emotions through their bond. But they'd never bonded. He'd never even considered it, the sudden falling for the ranger surprising him so much that he gave little thought upon how to make a commitment to her -- it had taken him long enough to work out the way to phrase his crudely worded vow. Was she so receptive to him that she was allowing him into her consciousness from even this distance, even without the bond? There was no denying the intimacy they had shared. He wondered if she could she sense him in return.


...wow. She's fallen pretty hard!


She's young and impressionable :D Well, she was -- though despite all they've gone through, she's still fairly emotionally immature and naive, I think.


"'Hello'?" asked Coran. "That's it? I am a stranger in your time-lost buried city, and all you say, is.... 'hello'?"


:D


Coran: I'm sure if it had been a lady the welcome would have been much warmer!


"What would you have me say?" replied the man. "Shall I proclaim the wonder of your arrival? Shall I bemoan the length of the ages? Should my knees buckle at the very sight of you?" He sighed loudly. "I am sure it would make you feel important, but I've simply no interest in you. I think you'll find we care about very little at all."


If nothing else, he's maintained his sarcasm!


Hasn't he? :D


"You speak beyond your years," said Keldorn quietly. "How old are you, child?"


"I am nine in this life," she replied. "They say my soul is the oldest of us. I am tired. Go and see what we made. It's pretty... I wish I could see it." Her voice became almost wistful at the end. "Can't fight it," she reminded Coran, noticing his gaze.


:shock:


I think the kids were the worst bit about that. My husband used to play BG2 and forget to take the rod back there -- I think he'd just drop it off somewhere or something, and I was all aghast at him ;)


"Hate is here! Here is hate! Attack with anger and feed the hate! The hate!"


"Do not strike it!" shouted Keldorn to Coran.


Makes sense that Keldorn would figure it out.


Yeah -- fear that wis score!


"I... see," remarked Coran. "Well, we'd better all get down quickly, before the cultists come to investigate the shouting coming from their pit; I think they'd remember sacrificing an angry dwarf who wanted to... what is it he's saying? Ah yes, 'insert his axe into the nether regions of certain wingless elves', shall we say?"


Aerie flushed slightly, causing Coran to grin at her mischievously.


"BLASTED BLOODY WONDERFUL!" came Korgan's voice impatiently. "Are ye comin' down here after me, or no?"


:shock: :shock: :P


;)


"Nothing," replied the avatar simply. "Your task is done. You will all sit by the side of Amaunator in the Keep of the Eternal Sun. The old enemies are gone; the duty is well enough fulfilled."


The man gasped. "Praise be to the keeper of time, that he should end it for the just."


"This is the end of things," said the Avatar strongly as he began to glow with a powerful white light. Slowly the figures began to fade.
"Rest your minds in my heart. Rest."


:shock: I've always loved this bit of the game.


Yeah, me too. It's quite heartwarming to know that at least some people are getting a good outcome ;)

Thanks for reading and commenting! ;)




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