02/16/2019 - Quick Notes: Dream Sequences from Live Game, Last Day on Dolor
Rhys:
Sometimes when you sleep, you find yourself in the shadow realm. It's like you take a step, and you're there. You begin to see shadows coalesce and move, and change all about you. You see in the distance a back of Umbris moving through the shadows as quickly as possible. They pay you no heed though. But they seem to be moving toward... something.
"Strange..." You follow them, being careful not to alert them to his presence. It seems that they cross miles and miles and miles of landscape. Like you've said, this shadow plane encompasses this whole world--it mirrors this whole world. The Umbris come to a large coast line; a cliff overhanging a shadowy ocean that pounds noisily against the cliff of the shadowscape. Suddenly, something begins to open in space time itself. A rip in reality... It's tiny at first, but it grows... large, circular maelstrom object in the sky. It grows, and it is blacker than shadow itself.
You look up at the sky and you see this large coalescing shape, and you can tell that it is pure void. But it has something about it... not just the negative energy that exists in the void itself, the space between spaces of the planes... this is corrupted void. It has elements of green flecks floating through it as well as black. Blacker than night itself.
Rhys goes into an immediate cold sweat, having seen this before.... when his mind was shattered. He turns and runs the other way as fast as possible.
It feels like you are slogging through tar as you try to run. Even as you shadow step... it's like you step and the tar is stretching with you, sucking you down. Sucking you toward this entity.....
And you suddenly snap awake.
Hikaru:
Your dreams have been kind of constant recently. And a similar theme has been running through them... literally... with you. You find yourself locked in a prison that is 5ft x 5ft x 8ft high. You hear clanking and clocking and clanking and clocking as an armored soldier approaches you.
Hikaru looks at the door of the cell, spying the lock. Managing to pick the lock with some noise, you hear the footsteps quicken their pace. "Huh??" the guard mumbles.
You push the gate open, only slightly so you can sidestep out. Then you turn on your toes as fast as you can go, and you go around the next corner... hidden. Hearing the armor figure approach, "What is going on here?? Where did the prisoner go?? He needs to be arraigned before the dark lord. Someone sound the alarm!"
You move down the corridor, and you follow the left turn. Up ahead are a set of stairs with two guards at the very top. You see a pile of bones, a cage with a corpse in it nearby, and... your rifle and revolvers appear on your person.
Picking up a bone to chuck between the guards to make a noise, you hear the clitter clatter of the bone. With their spears, the guards head toward the sound. You sneak behind them as they come to the bone, several feet away. "What is this?" They mutter, turning around. You pull a blade out, and the blade shimmers. Sneaking up behind the closer one, Hikaru stabs him right through the chest from behind. Coming up to the 2nd one, he reaches up and slits his throat.
The guards are silenced without issue. Wiping the blade clean, it is put back. Up the stairs, there are several pillars. Up ahead... is a large black throne, made of stone and... something else.
There are two doors, one on either side of the throne at the far corners of the room. You take the left one. As you come out to the outside, you find it very difficult to breathe. You are gasping for breath. You know you could breathe inside the building. But out here... you notice you are on a huge rock, floating in the middle of some black, inky... something....with green flecks. You just left the large citadel.
When you turn to go back inside, you see... him, standing there. He starts approaching you. A great sword starts spinning in midair, with the end pointing down. He cocks his head to the right, inquisitively, making no sound. Your lungs are burning for air.
You immediately morph in your fox form, diving off the citadel top. Instead of falling, you're running down the straight, downward angle of the citadel as if it was a road. You can breathe now. You can see him float off the parapet he was standing on, and he floats down after you.
But this time, your sword is spinning around you. The closer he gets, the more lightning comes off of you and enters the sword. With each foot he gets closer, the sword fires off a blast of lighting at him. It hits him full force. And finally, when he gets close enough, the sword rockets itself and embeds itself into his chest, electrocuting him completely, engulfing him in lightning. You are finally able to escape him in your dreams....
And you wake up.
Armella:
You find yourself walking in a planescape full of nothing but cloud, and light, and air. The light billows out from the clouds as if the sun is below... to the right... above, everywhere. Immediately, this huge, whale like form comes sprouting out of the clouds, and beeches back into the clouds in front of you. In the distance, you can see more of these whale like forms.
They become more vibrant and colorful, spilling great rainbow like jet streams what would be their tails as they beech the clouds as they swim past you and around you. And then... you see him. Tarj the Wise.
In his glorious form, as an old wizened man. With a great big golden staff, and white robes with a black mantle, he approaches you and pulls you into an embrace. It is warm to the touch, and full of light.
Tarj whispers into your ear and says, "Do my will... Follow my word... Eradicate heathens... And bring justice upon those who would make our glorious church into a feasting ground."
She kind of stiffens a little at that choice of words. "Fear not my child... I will always be with you." She stays silent. Dead silent. With that, he ends the embrace and steps back.
Suddenly his face turns into Balgor's, and he says, "Did you look to the stars?" "Oh, okay.. stars... stars...literally stars? I'm not an astronomer... why can't anything be simple. I think I need to get a drink."
A drink appears in your hand. You down it. When you look up again, it's the same old face of Tarj the Wise.
She mutters to herself.
"My good paladin... You've put so much pressure upon yourself. Do not walk or run over much... for you will become weary and full of grief. She tries to take a deep breath and relax. She's been stressed.
He says, "Remember... magic is the chaos that destroyed this world. Knowledge is the order that will restore it and bring balance."
"Right... Knowledge..."
"Destroy all things magical. That is my charge to you." With that, Tarj takes a step back and disappears. The dream collapses on itself.
And you wake up.
Mutiger:
You know what's coming when you fall asleep. But this time... it is much different. This time, you see a face to the voice.
It is ghostly, and it is barely perceptible... but it is there. It looks male and has a set of huge horns, red skin, and a black goatee.
Swinging his sword at the face, it disappears and reappears a few yards away from you. It does this every time. "My, my! You do not let up do you? You are strong... strong, more than I could have ever imagined. Now, child.... Remember what you are."
Attacking with even more fury, since he has something to attack this time, you are not letting up. Not giving in. "Oh you poor, miserable creature. How I've missed our conversations... one sided, though they be..."
"I have not."
"I know you haven't... but why not? You know, there are great things I see in your future. Great possibility, great potential for things that come. You just need to come to me... and accept me."
"I will not. I will not accept."
"Of course not, of course. I knew as much." The sword flies through his face. "With that being said, I cannot use my persuasive means anymore. If you come to me, in any form, shape or way, I will have you.... and I will bond with you. And together we shall restore the might.... of the 8th layer of hell. And together... we can rule as one. My… child.”
"I already rule. I protect."
He leaps forward with another mighty swing. "Ahh, so you found something to protect, have you?"
"I always have something to protect."
"That is a lie. You lost everything in that village of yours. Everything."
"I have my honor. I have my pride."
"Then you will lose those as well... they are dear to you. But you will have even more if you join with me. You will have great honor with the choruses of hell. And great pride in the infernal creature you are born to be!"
"I know your honor. It is no honor. I know your pride. It corrupts and eats. I will. Not."
We shall see... my son. We shall see."
And you wake up.
Thorin:
You find yourself stuck in the inner workings of a clock so large, it cannot be fathomed by any means you possess. But you hear the gears grinding and rotating. The Rrrrrrm of the pendulum swinging.
"Well... this is unusual."
There is a way up into the inner workings of the clock, if the gears are climbed. There is also a way down. Some of the gears are so large and so massive, that they dwarf continents. But you climb up. It seems like forever and a day that you are climbing up these huge gears, and when you make it to the top... you find yourself standing behind the moving parts of a clock.
As you are staring out this clock face, which is massive in size, you see resting on the round circular bit holding the hands, what looks to be a baby dragon.
"That's... unusual. You don't see those typically."
There is chain coming from a portion of the gear you are standing on, and it goes all the way across to where the baby dragon is curled up.
"Looks like that's the way I'm going then..."
You look down into a deep abyss, far... far down. There seems to be no end to it. You cross the chain and it takes what feels like several hours. You have to take breaks, dangling your legs over the huge abyss. But finally... you cross over the chain to the baby dragon.
It looks like a time dragon.
"I'm Thorin Voidscales. Descendent of Dragonicos. Do you know him?"
The dragon stirs, opening an eye. He looks you up and down, noticing your person. It looks and views the swirls in your skin, and views you... "I am.... him."
"Oh. Well... uh... I thought you might have been larger, based on depictions of you... But... knowing of you, and what I've learned... I guess size doesn't really matter. But... well, uh.. it's nice to meet you. Ancestor."
"Ancestor.... I am... diminished."
"What can I do to help, then?"
"Save this world.... "
"Well that is what I would like to do... but I'm not sure if we have the ability to... it will take far too long, and I fear we... may not make it, in our lifetime."
"Do you doubt yourself?"
"Well it's not that I don't... doubt myself. But it's been... going on for so long, that in order to save it... would take a miracle."
"You're right...."
Your dream ends.
Ruby:
You find yourself sitting in church, the false necklace around your neck. You're looking around you as everyone is praying. The priest is tapping the staff, and patrons go up to move the salts from one hand of Tarj to the other.
You wait your turn patiently.
It is now your turn to approach the statue. You go up slowly, your steps measured. Your head is slightly down, not wanting to bring attention to yourself. You move the salts into the green flame and it sputters up. Suddenly...
The eyes of the statue of Tarj light up. And 3 taps from the priest... Tong… tong… tong. "You have been chosen to perform the right of the Alkahest.” You look around, at the priest, around the room, back at the statue.
You hear the paladin making their way up to escort you. Suddenly the statue comes to life and rests a hand on your shoulder. "Do not fear... Do not fear..."
The statue stands up off the pedestal, and steps down. You hear the stone crumbling and groaning against stone, but it moves in front of the paladins. It says, "Stop."
The paladins pull out their swords and wail upon it. The people's praying becomes more intense. The priest continues to bang his staff on the ground. You hear the tong... tong... tong.
You are awakened by a knocking at your door. It's Rhys.
Azandar:
You are again in your mech pilot, with your crew, in the same place where the slaughter happens in Elbion. You feel it coming... You see the super soldiers come up and start tearing armor off of your steam powered mech. You see your compatriot’s mechs torn apart. Yours goes down in a blaze of glory, turning your cannon toward your legs to blast away a soldier.
The mech goes down. But as you look around, they're not super soldiers anymore. They don't seem to be moving with the liveliness and strength and vitality the super soldiers had. They move with more of a... dead movement.
They are indeed... zombies. And they are shambling towards you and your compatriots. There are hundreds of them. You take out your machine gun and lay waste to them, saying, "Get behind me! Make for cover!"
Laying rounds in these things, for every one you take down, 3-4 more pop up. One more thing you notice about them... There is a gaping, horrid hole in their heads.
Azandar backs up, turning tail to run behind his teammates, his ammo used up. These things are popping up all over the place. The same hellscape of Elbion 40 years ago. You see hands popping up out of the ground. You look up into the sky. And you see a new moon.
You don't know what it is, but from what you can see, it looks like a moonit... with a face. A dour, ugly face. And then you see a dragon flying across the sky, its shadow passing across the moonlit.
It looks rather... undead. When you take a closer look.
Suddenly you are overpowered by these zombie creatures. They pile on top of you, wrapping their hands around your mouth and nose and neck. They squeeze you and choke you. Suddenly, a light goes off in your mind's eye. It's bright, golden light.
And you transform into a dragon. BOOM! Blowing these things off....
Your dream ends.
**
It's the middle of the night, and Azandar runs up to the temple, calling Balgor's name. Balgor comes out, a tired look on his face. "Yes?"
"LOOK!" He's glowing golden from his dream.
"Oooooh... What is this? What's going on??"
"Let me look into your eyes, young man... You're not going to like what you see."
Azandar nods. Balgor looks into his eyes, his face contorting into a mean looking smile. His eyes glow a deep red. He goes into Azandar's mind.
Like what Hikaru and Ruby saw, he sees the most unspeakable scenes of death and slaughter, more than he's ever seen in his life. He has seen a lot, super soldiers cannibalizing his crew... but this is even more.
Balgor looks into his mind, sees the sequences going on, and he comes back out, his face reconstituting. His brow is knit. "My boy... you don't need my help for your transformation. You're already doing it yourself."
"I am?"
"You are. You don't know how to control it yet. But neither do I. It is not of my domain."
"Right... we need to get through that portal. I need to get through that portal. If it leads where you say it does, I need to do it."
"Well you go for a walk, rest your mind. I need to, my mind is weary."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, it was my pleasure."
"Really... you've opened us up to things we never even knew existed."
"Well... it was mainly your doing. I just gave you a little nudge."
Emma:
Emma has found herself in the main city, the Magistrates City of Camden. She is holed up in one of the main taverns of the city called the Peel and Pot.
She sits at the bar, drinking a mug of cider. She's mentally stuck in her head with everything that's happened recently, frustrated about not finding answers. The bartender, a dwarven man, is sitting and cleaning out some cups. He's been looking over at her a few times, not wanting to pry despite his curiosity. He finally approaches, setting a couple of cakes in front of her. "Aye, lass, this one is on the house."
Emma nods. "I think I... I appreciate it. I can sweep the floor or peel the potatoes to make up the money to you. I appreciate it, but I should.. I should work for this."
"Naaaah, you shouldn't need to peel potatoes or nothin' when someone gives you a kindly gift. Just go ahead and accept it."
"I... I appreciate the help, sir."
"You look like a hired hand to me."
"I am..."
"I see, I like it. Got some toughness to ya. I'll say this. The amount of sell swords they've been sendin' to the wall is astronomical. The sell swords they're sending to fight... the horde... I wish things were back to normal, like the old days. When we could travel to place to place without worryin' about some horrid creature comin' to getcha."
Emma's grip tightens on her mug at the comments. "Oh when days were much simpler indeed. How I wish we could go back to those days of youth." She looks off from the bar, absentmindedly thinking about her childhood... her mother... her days at the conclave. It's stagnating in her mind.
"Well lass, if you ever need somethin', just come to ol' Barley. Barley will take care of ya. And that's a promise."
"Well thank you sir. I... I do appreciate it. Truly, I do appreciate your kindness. It has helped."
"Well, it's the least I can do for someone of your stature. Like I said, the amount of sell swords they're throwing at the wall is catastrophic. It's dismal. I just... can't even say. Well, I'll be off now. Enjoy your cakes. If you have any questions, just come to ol' Barley."
"Actually... there is something..."
"Yeah?"
"Do you know where there's an alchemist or an apothecary? I might wanna see what they have to sell."
"Yeah! Yeah I know of one. Take the road down two blocks and to the right. There's an apothecary."
"Okay, yeah. What's the name of it?"
"The Beetle Bard."
"The Beetle Bard? Hm. That sounds like that has.... some story behind it." She gives a weak smile, the first one she's shown in a while.
"Ohhh ho ho, you wouldn't believe!"
"If you don't mind telling me about it? That sounds like a fun story."
"Well here's the thing." He smiles wide. "There was a man who was the main apothecary that everyone would go to in this part of town. And he was famous! Loads famous! Everybody knew him. His name was Durhammer. And a bard came to him one day, and asked him for some, I don't know... some alchemical paste or poultice, something that would heal and get rid of a sickness, and heal him of his wounds. He had been out in the countryside and forests of the world, doin' a lot of adventurin'. And with that, he needed some sort of healin' medicine... ya know what I'm saying?"
He continues. "So this bard, was given... a beetle. And he was told to crush this beetle. Turn it once in the pestle... grind it down and make it into a poultace and rub it on himself. Well little did Durhammer know, that this particular bard was mostly deaf. And in his deafness, he thought he said rub the beetle on himself. So he took off his clothes, and started rubbin' the beetle on himself, like he was takin' a bath!" He cracks a big grin.
"Soooo the name stuck! Beetle Bard. Durhammer no longer does apothecary work... he passed away a few years back. He was an old chap. But his son, Durhammer the 2nd, continues to this day. At least... he continues in these dark times."
Emma responds, "Well thank you for that riveting tale. I certainly appreciate it."
"You look like ya needed it!"
"It's been... trying times on all of us."
"For sure! You've got that right. Tryin' times for everyone. We carry on, taking one step at a time, and we do the best that we can. Now... I don't know about you, but if you are a sell sword, you get a special discount stayin' at the rooms here in this inn!"
"Oh... I wasn't aware of that. Are you sure I'm not taking advantage of your kindness?"
"Oh I'm sure. I know people who take advantage of kindness... and they deal with old Betsy here!" He pulls out a large double-sided war hammer. Each side has the image of a goat's head on it.
"Where did you learn how to fight, sir?"
"I taught meself! I read books on how to swing hammers, and I taught myself...."
"Well thank you for all you do, sir."
"Well you're very welcome. I didn't catch your name, what was it?
"...Emma."
"Well good to meet ya, Emma. Good luck with things out there. They're rollin' out the cannons again tonight, and boy do they rumble the town..."
"I'm so appreciative. It'll be nice to sleep in a bed again." She hands him a few of her last silvers.
He smiles, turning back to his work. "If you're disturbed at all, you just come down ta me. If the cannons keepin' ya up, come down and bother me, the bar's open all night. I'll give you some wax! Candle wax. You can stuff em in your ears."
"I'll... I think I'll be alright."
"If you insist." He smiles, then turns back to his work. Approaching another customer, he prattles on, "Hey you! Take it easy on that bottle...."
Emma finishes her side of the cakes, sitting at the bar for a little while longer. She takes out a few copper pieces, not having a lot left. She gives the best tip that she can, and then goes upstairs.
Once there, she sees a serving lad waiting for her. "Um miss! I can lead you to your room!"
"Thank you, I'd appreciate that."
"Okay! Just follow me! Down the hall, and to the left. The suite at the end there."
"Well, thank you, I didn't expect the rooms to all be suites... I appreciate it."
"Absolutely! If you need anything, pull on the string on the inside of the door. Everything will be given to you. Don't hesitate."
"I appreciate that... I'll be good."
He leaves her to her business, going about his own. Emma turns to head off to the room, doffing her armor and setting it aside. She stretches a bit before bed. Laying down in bed with the covers over her, eyes open.
This is her worst part of the day. Unsure of when the nightmares will come, or if she will have a dreamless sleep. Tossing and turning, she tries to fall into sleep. Closing her eyes, her body relaxes.
She finds herself walking in a torn landscape with geysers of black ichor springing up out of the earth. One springs up right next to her, mere feet away. Startled from her sleep, Emma is laying on the ground with her blanket from the Peel and Pot, but still on the rocky ground.
She tries to stand, reaching out to grab her flail which isn't there. Suddenly the flail materializes. She lets go of it, pokes it, making sure it's real. She looks around, trying to figure out if she's in a dream or not, thinking about the time she was perhaps a little too eager to find a magic solution to fight... to satisfy her anger.
She remembers the Shadow that took possession of her for a little bit, dwelling on that horrid incident. "Hello...? Is.. is this real?"
"Hello...?"
"Hello...?" The voice echoes immediately and comes back as quickly as it leaves her.
Emma looks around, rather frantic as she looks behind her, below her, next to her... she looks up in the sky, and she sees a moonlit.
Much smaller than the one from her world, it looks foreign. It is cold. Very cold. About 35-40 degrees in this area. Emma takes the blanket and wraps it around herself, trying to see if there is a path.
In the far distance there is a range of mountains that stand craggy. They seem to be leaning toward the earth itself. They are immensely high, incalculably high. To her right is more of this flat landscape with geysers exploding and firing off their black ichor. To her left is yet more of this desolate landscape. But instead of geysers, it is rocky and filled with dead wood.
She looks behind her, seeing more of the desolate wasteland with geysers. No sign of civilization. No sign of life. Seeing as this is the case, she starts walking to the mountains, thinking she might be able to see something from a higher elevation. As she walks, it feels like she is moving backwards while moving forwards.
Emma pauses, trying to walk backwards for a moment. Her feet move in a forward motion, but she moves backwards. She turns around, then heads in the opposite direction. In the far distance, perhaps 10 miles from where she is at, she sees one stone building. It has appeared out of nowhere.
She grabs her flail, holding the bedding tight, and walks toward the building. As she is making her way forward, she starts to see flashes of light in her peripheral vision. They kind of make a popping sound. She turns to head toward the sound to see what she can make of it. They look like they are will-o-wisps, flashing these bright lights one after another. They line up, flashing and popping heading straight toward the building.
Every 20 or so feet, there's another one... popping and flashing.
"Oh man... I hope that cider wasn't drugged... I hope this is all some ruse..."
She continues on, following the lights. It seems an age passes, and she watches the landscape around her changing before her, like it is rolling in waves. It changes from black desolate landscape to green fields and pastures, and then to a torrential ocean, and then to a rocky desert, and then... to dozens of different landscapes. Except for perhaps 4 feet around where she is walking, which is still dark, desolate landscape.... and the lights.
Almost upon the building, she walks up to it. It's a very basic building. Just stone on stone on stone. No mortar. No glue. How it got there, she has no idea. It has an open entrance, with a curtain of skin hanging over it. Upon on closer inspection, it looks kind of... human.
"Ugh... that's... revolting. Who would do such a thing??"
She looks around, wondering if there is a way back to the land. Turning around, the strip of land she was walking on goes back all the way to where she was, and stops there.
Not feeling good about this building at all, she starts heading back to where she came... North. She feels if she heads East, perhaps it will calm down and form into a flat surface again. It feels better to go that way.
Emma starts heading toward that direction again, even if it's in the middle of a storm. Taking a step off the road onto the roiling mass of land, it immediately settles. It is now a dreary desert. Sandy... and endless.
The same moonlit however, hangs in the Eastern sky. It seems to have moved. She continues on her path. It feels like only seconds have passed, but also like she has been here for an age. She journeys into the long desert landscape, coming upon an oasis.
This time, she sees a city.
"Oh thank heavens..."
She tries to move toward the city, looking for a gate or some place she can head off to. Approaching it, there is a wall. No people are milling about, and it feels empty. Unsettling, but better to be in one place rather than no place at all.
She comes into the city, walking down the main thoroughfare. Buildings are to the right and left of her, and it's utterly desolate. But there are tons of aqueducts filled with bright, clean, pure looking water.
Emma follows the aqueducts to the source of the water, at the center of town. A large fountain sparkles with this clean pure water. It sits about 14 feet high, and the water spills an additional 8 feet into the air.
Unable to tell anything further about it, Emma heads toward the rim of it and cups some of the water in her hand, hoping to drink from it. As soon as her fingers touch the water, she can hear singing. Heavenly choirs of singing. As soon as she removes her hand, the singing stops.
She tentatively takes a sip of the water. In her ears she hears the singing, and her body is filled with a pure and wonderful energy. Something that she hasn't felt in a very, very long time...
The singing eventually peters off, trailing off in some distant place. But it's always in the back of Emma's mind. She finds herself walking through the city again. She carries a little water with her as she holds the blanket close around her.
Suddenly, the landscape changes again. This time, it turns into roiling clouds with billowing lights coming straight through them. She stands where she's at, waiting for the storm... unsure if she should go back to the city, or proceed forward. She still feels a sense of wonder, uncertainty, and confusion about where she is and what is going on.
As she is standing there, huge, whale like creatures breech out of the clouds and fall back in again... As whales would breech in water. They have multiple fins on them that flap slowly, that they use to fly through the air. They make a soft singing sound, similar to the sounds of singing from the water.
She feels a hand on her shoulder.
Immediately dropping the blanket, she grabs at her flail and turns, ready for an attack.
She sees... Him.
Tarj the Wise.
In all his splendor and glory, his whiteness, the golden mantle across his chest, the golden staff in his hand, his white beard and long white hair.
Having pulled out of the gentle touch on her shoulder, she beholds this being standing 14 feet tall, looking down at her with the saddest eyes she's ever seen.
"You're... you... lied to me!! TO EVERYONE!"
"My child... why would I lie?"
"I won't fall for this, ever again! You took away my mother... and everything you've done in the world, with my people... used them to conquer the world... No! This is all a LIE!"
She takes further steps back, readying her flail and begins to feel the tears running down her cheeks.
"I trusted you.. and you took everything away from me!"
"You put your trust in Man. They.... took everything away."
"Your heirophant was a monster! He brought that poor child... If you are truly omnipotent like you claim to be... a god of mercy and knowledge.. why are you doing this?"
"I have done nothing but serve my people. Given them boons, given them blessings. Forthwith... I've done nothing you've accused me of. Forthwith.... do you accuse my wrongly."
"And how am I supposed to believe anything you say? Not... lies? After everything that's happened?"
"The world is filled with peril my child. It is filled with monsters, horrible things. They use... magic.... evil arts. They use them to sway the minds and hearts of my children. Of all my own beloved people. I do not let things happen. I prevent them from happening. Through.... you."
"And what about the rite of the Alkahest? The greatest lie of all? That we're... cattle?"
"You are cattle to no one. These are monsters that have infiltrated my beloved church. Their duty is to turn you into cattle. This is not my way. This is not my rite. They are nothing. If you truly seek salvation, you will slay every last one of them."
"How can I know for sure that... that you're not lying? That... that seems like a lie... everything!"
"Your life is not a lie. The truth is most difficult, even for the most devout. Truth is hard. Truth is poignant, like a spear, driven to the heart of the living."
"My mother... you took her away from me. My life was nothing but dedicated to you! My own life... my mother..."
"Yes, she was taken by the beasts that do not belong."
"If these... things... are truly against your will, align your will with mine. That I may kill every last one of them. With blood... and horror... and I may turn the power against them! That I can bring to ruin an utter extinction...!! She shouts, "At last, my mother can be avenged!!!"
"Illumination. The enlightened. Drawn to thy plight in the stars. A shattering of mountain and sea asunder has made an echoing in the universe. The Lodestar guides. A stone thrown into a still water. Stars Above. Terra beneath. To thee alone. We forever bequeath."
He continues. "Remember these verses from the sacred Lodestar. Look to my word. Become one with me... again. Destroy this evil that has taken over my church and you shall find true enlightenment."
She grips her flail a little bit harder. "So... where do I begin?"
"Find your way to the Holy City. There you will find your answers."
"But.. they're here! Direct me to the nearest one. I will find it... I will crush its head."
He sighs in sadness. "My child... you are filled with violence. A shield maiden of Tarj is not bequeath of such things. I understand your plight. I understand it well. I see it in my people. I strive, oh I strive. but I need your help. Will you help me?"
Emma takes a moment to slow down her breathing. She looks carefully at him, trying to sense for any deception... any ruse. Hypercritical of the situation, she thinks.
The God before her begins to weep. The tears, falling down his face. "Oh, my child..." he says. "Oh, my child.... Why do you present yourself with such violence in your heart before me? Can you not see? The only way to destroy this evil is becoming one with me! I... am Tarj. The wise. The noble. The blessed. The veritable. My word is absolute. Their words mean nothing. They are as chaff before the wind that is blown away and never seen again. If you are to slay these creatures, slay them in my name."
He ceases his weeping and he stands up. Emma feels she is truly looking at the God of knowledge and verity. No deceit... but she feels pain and anguish coming from him.
With that, he shrinks down to a normal size she can behold and touch for herself. He comes up and embraces her.
Emma's doubt lingers in her mind, and she stands still as stone. **Is this a lot of talk? Can he not rid the monsters from the church himself? If you're a god, why do these things keep happening? I'm so guilty... turning to magic. Does he know? Is he truly omnipotent?**
Tarj speaks. "I am bound by law I cannot break. When you become an immortal such as I, you are bound by a new set of rules and laws you cannot break. Otherwise... you become destroyed."
**If there are immortals that came before, what... what happened to them? Who... who wrote the rules?**
He answers her thoughts out loud. "I did."
"But... why?"
"Because verity and law are the eternity of the universe. Knowledge is bound by law. The pursuit of knowledge shall be sought, but it is bound by law and order. If you had read my words.... you would know this."
Emma's eyes widen, looking away ashamed.
"I sense doubt in you still. I sense pain... and guilt. What have you done my child?"
She very deliberately breaks from the hug, looking away. "I'm just... so confused, by everything. Just.. the hurt. The lies, the not... knowing. None of it makes sense. If you created the universe and wrote the laws, why did you allow any of this to happen in the first place? You... created the universe, then... did you create magic? And you fight against it?"
"Magic... created itself."
"Then where did you come from?"
"I came from the timeless halls of infinity."
"How.. do I know magic didn't come from there? That it's worse, or equal to you? I don't know! I just.. none of this makes sense!"
"What do you seek?"
"More than anything... where is my mother?"
"She is with me." And with a gesture, Emma's mother appears. Unsoiled. Unbroken. Untouched.
Emma falls to her knees and starts sobbing. Still those doubts linger in her mind. "How do I know..? How do I know!?" She wants to believe, but she knows it is all just a dream.
Her mother approaches her, taking Emma in her arms. She rocks her back and forth, stroking Emma's hair.
"I did not command your mother to do this. She did it of her own free will."
Emma stands up and backs away from both of them. "I just don't know! I just don't know!!" Emma starts running away, crying. Not sure how to take any of this in. **Why would he come to me? Like this? It doesn't make sense! If it's so easy for my mother to come back, why would it take this long?**
She keeps running, sobbing, and running more, not caring where she ends up. Trying to make sense of what she feels... and what she knows... and not able to make conciliation between the two.
As she runs the clouds change, back to the desolate landscape it was before. A geyser springs up right in front of her. Trying to jump over it, Emma is splashed and covered in the black ichor. It enshrouds her in this blackness, both mist and slime.
Suddenly, she finds herself awake in her room, in her bed. The sheets are curled around her legs. She's in a cold sweat and fully awake having just jump started out of that dream. She falls to the floor, hurriedly backing into a corner. This is unlike any other dream she'd ever had. "H-hello...?" She asks shakily, as if it's a ploy by the dark Shadow from before.
She looks down at her hands... and they are covered in black ichor.
Emma tries scraping the blackness off onto the floor, shuddering. "Is anyone there.....?"
Something residual in her minds' ear whispers... "Stars above. Terra beneath. To you alone, we forever bequeath."
She slumps down to the floor in the corner, hugging her legs as she rocks back and forth. "It's just a dream... just a dream, Emma... just a dream."
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RINGS FROM MUTIGER
Deer Ring: (Ring of Free Action) Cannot be magically paralyzed or restrained, and rough terrain does not affect you
Elk Ring: (Ring of Protection) +1 to AC and +1 to all saving throws
Cougar Ring: +1 to attack and +1 to damage
Buffalo Ring: Advantage to all Persuasion checks
Wolf Ring: When you damage an opponent, allies within a 15 ft radius of you get advantage on that opponent as well
Bear Ring: +1 extra attack per round