• Closed • Get Out of My Dreams

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Woe
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Re: Get Out of My Dreams


"Remarkable."

He said of Sybil's ability to strain an accomplished empath. Presuming the skill of the empath was something above that of a fledgling, such as himself. "How did you cultivate such resilience? An Immortal mark?" A Mortalborn? No, the dreamer wasn't a Mortalborn. Woe thought he would sense something different about them. Unless they hadn't discovered their Immortal heritage. But then the point of their ability wouldn't derive from the Divine source.

"Yes, let's go outside. I know a place we can talk..." So saying, Woe went to the hook on the door and threw his cloak over the rest of the clothes he'd been putting on while they spoke. Once he was ready and prepared for the chill, he waved for Sybil to take the first step out of the door. Should they not take it, he would go.

Sywenna wasn't anywhere to be seen, perhaps had sneaked around to go back to bed, waiting for Woe to stop talking to his imaginary friends and dream-walking visitors, as he tended to.

It would come clear to Sybil that they weren't in a house, but a bustling Inn. It was the Golden Flask Inn, in the heart of one of Ne'haer's bustling commercial centers. They had to walk down a couple of short flights of stairs, before getting to the common room, and from there, out the door.

"Welcome to Ne'haer." Woe said to Sybil, as they walked into a mixed scene of Marble and wooden structures, and canals in between. The city had impressed Woe when he first saw it, and he'd seen the walls of Yaralon. It wasn't necessarily the scale of Ne'haer that would impress or even the materials used in its construction. It was a more thorough infrastructure, balanced to support a large population of people.

A population that was now threatened by unnatural famine.

Woe took Sybil, if they followed, all the way down toward the south of the city. His favorite place to relax in Ne'haer, and be alone with his thoughts. It was at Lochgrass Gardens.

As the seasons turned to winter, the blossoms that blossomed in autumn were chilled by the winter air, encasing them in ice after the freezing rain. He was told that during Cylus it was most beautiful, having many specimens that glowed in the moonlight, reflecting enough light that lanterns weren't necessary.

"Right," Woe said, once they arrived. He shivered in the chilly air, "I still haven't gotten used to the cold of true winter... I was living in Yaralon for quite some time before coming to the west."

"It's not as bad as Rynmere winters but... I hear this is the worst winter Ne'haer has seen in generations. Entire crops lost to frost, the lake frozen over..."

"Is there anything you'd like to know, about this place, about me? I suppose I should reward your bold curiosity for having entered a strange place, through a strange person's dream."
word count: 514
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Sybil Malach
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Re: Get Out of My Dreams

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VI
44th of Zi'Da 719

Woe held something back from that list. Sybil's eyes traced along his features, as they considered him. How strange, that his tongue would catch right when one would usually give one or more alongside it. Their eyes slowly blink. He did seem entertained enough from that notion that it gave Sybil some level of peace, internally. They didn't have to lie, and this would at least spare them one more assassination attempt through Empathy. Or... However else these kinds of people use such magic.

It was abilities like these that cemented their innate distrust of mages. Why trust something that can change your emotions at will? It's like a man who refuses to sheathe his crossbow when in town, always keeping it loaded.

"Mm? Maybe in time I'll tell you. I'm not too good at stories, personally. Let's just say... Events can help shape how resilient one's mind can be, at the cost of scars." But at the agreement, Sybil gave a slow nod of the head.

Following Woe outside, they blinked rapidly at seeing the various people scattered about the tavern. Some were speaking in a tongue not understood by them, but regardless, they stood out like a sore thumb. Sybil was as pale as they come, having very little exposure to the sun, what with living in a literal cliff-city and seasons being measured by the length of night in their homeland. Their eyes traced along the tavern, as they diligently followed the person more familiar with this strange land.

But outside... Was a city of stone and wood. But not the stone that they were used to. Ornate stone, like the kind used in the richer Prisms of Viden.

They were taken by the novelty of it all, at first. It was an open air city, something they weren't used to in the slightest. Walking the streets was much like Viden, but... There wasn't a roof over their head, and the light from the sky shone down freely, rather than having to be artificial sources, such as magic or torches. Life could just... Flourish, in its cancerous, cicada-like struggle to survive. The amount of dirt and animals, however... Was the biggest culture shock. Just a glance down at their boots, and they could truly see how scuffed they were getting.

They do indeed follow Woe, taking the trek as a means of taking in the sights around, even if it's a bit of an overstimulating mess, they hang in there, mentally, at the drastic change all around. They're able to swallow the immediate discomfort-- It would be easy to simply return home. Perhaps this was the only thing that made this quite a bit easier. They had, after all, branded their bedroom.

Eyes glancing to the side as the two reach the Gardens.

Sybil runs their fingertips along a nearby trellis, Branding it, a dim twilight glow in the shape of a handprint visible for just a moment.

"... Rynmere's winters are bad?" Sybil idly asks Woe, as they turn their attention back onto him. In truth, they didn't really know what the rest of Idalos considered 'bad weather'. Right now... They could probably ditch their clothes all together, compared to the cold that they're used to.

As the two walked the gardens, the question of... Well, questions arose. And Sybil, being the type of creature they are, was very frank in this one approach, "You're hiding something, yet are asking me for teaching. Why?"

Though it was delivered with confidence, it was a genuine shot in the dark. They knew that something was being held back, yes, but had zero insight on whether or not it was something major.
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word count: 635
"No mass graves."

-Vri 720, scolding Sybil for disposing of necromancers.

NPCs: Karlsson, Margaret
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Woe
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Re: Get Out of My Dreams



He nodded at their dismissal of his question. It was their right to withhold, and he wasn't going to press the point against one as stoic and resistant to persuasion as them. Their reticence was intriguing if nothing else. And far from dissuading him from wanting to discover the intricacies of their tangle, his spark thrilled to the idea of a challenge. It was all he could do to suppress the will of his spark. He trusted this stoic's words, as outlandish as they seemed. If such a mind could resist, without the aid of magic, marks or any other power that existed, then perhaps pursuing magic had been a folly?

He thought he detected a hint of discomfort, or perhaps it was the shock of being outdoors during the cold when one had come out of a warm tavern. But the way they walked, as if they'd never seen a proper city street before as if they had been caged for much of their life. It was an interesting thing to behold, Woe had to admit. Admittedly, Ne'haer's architecture and layout could be garish and meandering, compared to the order of Etzos, or the single-story mud-flats of Yaralon, constantly being torn down to be rebuilt.

"Rynmere has harsh winters, being farther north of here. Zi'da and Cylus and even Ashan are often plagued by snow and ice storms. Sometimes burying entire houses and quarters of the city." Woe nodded, "I take it you've never been there."

Finally, they came to the crux of the matter, his asking for teaching in exchange for... well nothing really. Woe turned his gaze downward, abashedly as if admonished. "I apologize, but you already know a few things about me, but I know nothing of you. I suppose it's a large ask, I didn't realize it was no small thing... If you don't wish to, you need not. And hiding?"

Here Woe attempted a perplexed face. "Of course, there are things you still are unaware of with me having been with me for only oh, a dozen bits? I haven't lied to you, though. Not yet."

"Perhaps a trade, with what information I've given you as a gratuity? You can tell me a little of yourself, after I tell you something about myself, that you're not aware of." Woe held his breath at this point, slightly nervous. The stoic across from him had a formidable presence, it couldn't be denied. Woe believed their claims, that they were capable of resisting adept empaths. They'd piqued his curiosity, and he couldn't let it go until he learned more about them.

"Perhaps little by little? We can meet whenever you like. I'll be in Ne'haer for a week still, as afterward I will have business in Treth and be traveling." Woe smiled thinly, "That's not privileged information, by the way. I'll tell you a small secret if you tell me your name. We can begin small if you like, like little pieces of information as you wish. We'll just be two strangers, getting to know each other?"


word count: 533
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Sybil Malach
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Re: Get Out of My Dreams

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VII
44th of Zi'Da 719

"I know better than to think that there's only lying in deception. I do hope we can build a relationship on the foundation of trust." A small smile crept up Sybil's lips. In all honesty, that was as far as they knew. They lacked the context to even make direct assertions about the motives of Woe's deception. All they knew, was that the man was special, in some regard. They felt the power that he asserted in the dream. It was distinctly different than the likes of the Empathy they experienced, but as well, wholly separate from the likes of Dreamwalking. Perhaps it was a blend of both?

Whatever the case, their eyes took in the scenery. The warmth started to grip them as they began to sweat beneath their robes. Perhaps it was time to return, before they started getting sticky from the change of climate.

They were refraining from telling information to him as well, though they were poor at hiding it. All they could do was tell the truth, but vaguely. Avoiding the events of the Call, and instead just saying the effects. It was something dizzying, and came unnaturally to the dreamer. It was far easier to just be open and frank about these things. But Sybil had the placement of mind to understand that there was a difference between the world of Viden, and the rest of Idalos. They were a stranger in a strange land, not yet understanding of the dangers of the warmer lands.

"I'm Sybil Malach." They offered.

They were being genuine. Perhaps to a fault. Giving out one's full name was something that could be tracked in tax records, or in national censuses. But Sybil was so far down south, that they didn't mind being brutally honest with their identity. Their culture encouraged it, as well as the distance between here and there. It wasn't like the man could just show up on their doorstep overnight. Though... Perhaps when he got more involved with dreams, that would become a true risk. Though, they had the advantage of time and dedication. Perhaps it wasn't a risk at all?

"What secret, then, did you wish to tell me?" They offer in response, eyes glancing over the man's general form. They distantly appreciated him, with only the distant thought of that he should eat more, "I will arrive to this place when I feel that your presence is near it. We can, perhaps, have this sort of... Buddings, of a friendship, as you so offered."

It was clear, that they would not be staying forever here. That movement would be transitory.
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word count: 452
"No mass graves."

-Vri 720, scolding Sybil for disposing of necromancers.

NPCs: Karlsson, Margaret
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Woe
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Re: Get Out of My Dreams


The torturer wasn't sure if the other was willing to share information, so the exchange was a gambit. He felt he had a lot he could learn from this person, and in turn share information. Even if he never got trained as a dreamwalker, he could very well use them as a contact, an intelligence asset. They could be quite useful.

Sybil Malach... Wasn't a name that Woe believed he'd heard before, or anything like it. But then he traveled in different circles so far.

A name wasn't all that much, given Woe's small circle of contacts. THere was precious little that the torturer could divine from that alone, but it was a start. He felt confident that the dreamer was being honest. Still it was a reference, a point of contact. Something concrete that he could write down if he needed to.

Woe truthfully wished to tell few secrets. He'd already formed multiple dependencies on individuals, ranging from Magpie to Sywena. It had become a bad habit for the Webspinner. Yet he was aware he'd have to make a compromise here. It was a small concession, truth told, and one that was devoid of specifics, yet it may reveal which side Woe fell on when it came to Anti-Immortal sentiment. "I bear the mark of an Immortal." He said, breathing a sigh. It was a difficult admission, yet he hoped he didn't need to share exactly which Immortal. At least not yet.

There was still the option of erasing Sybil and his memory of each other, but that was a bridge that could be crossed later if it were necessary. Right now he wanted allies.

"Very well, I will return here most likely... well if you can sense my presence nearby, then it'll suffice not to tell you?" Could dreamers tell when someone passed by locations they'd been to? What was the limit of their power? These were questions that could wait for another day, however. "There are always unfriendly ears about, you know?"
word count: 346
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Sybil Malach
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Re: Get Out of My Dreams

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VIII
44th of Zi'Da 719

A thin smile crossed their lips.

They wouldn't know, is the key. It was easy to read on their face that they simply wouldn't be able to tell, their expression giving it away as though an expression could convey a rolling of the shoulders without doing as such. In truth, they would likely just be around the location. A foreign land was something that they couldn't deny the allure to. But at this point, it was hard to understand just where the dreams would take them. It would be possible that they might not be around, given the general allure of other places as well. It was a crapshoot.

"We'll meet around, I'm sure. I won't be able to sense you, but I'm certain that I'll linger around this place for more than a little while." They make the admission. Sybil was terrible at lying, so of course they just opt for the truth. At the end of the day, it's just something that'd be likely moreso than anything else. Their eyes half lid, as they turn their gaze from Woe, to pay attention to the gardens that surround the two. Sadly, however, Sybil simply doesn't see the beauty in it, outside of the exotic fact that plants could grow in the outside are like this.

Their eyes did linger on Woe, however, as they consider the words that left the man's mouth. Marked? Much like Wald was changed to suit some hunting god. That would make him an agent of sorts.

Sybil's head slowly tilts, as they take a step back. Their body flickers as they begin to pass into Emea, partially, "Though, I fear our time is running short. I should return to my homeland. Perhaps in some other time, we will meet. And we will speak more of this... Topic, of roaming the dreams."

And with that, Sybil's once corporeal body passed between the fibers of the waking world, slipping through into the world of dreams, leaving nothing physical behind.
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word count: 353
"No mass graves."

-Vri 720, scolding Sybil for disposing of necromancers.

NPCs: Karlsson, Margaret
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Doran
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Re: Get Out of My Dreams

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Woe:

Knowledge:
Deception: x5
Intelligence: x4
Meditation: x2
Persuasion: x1
Psychology: x1

Loot: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: -
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 15

Sybil:

Knowledge:
Meditation x 5
Meditation: Using one's connection to emea for comfort
Meditation: Nature is something that can link one to comfort
Meditation: Clarity is antithesis to chaos
Meditation: Nature is innately chaotic
Meditation: Ne'haer is different to Viden when it comes to clearing one's mind
Psychology x 5
Psychology: Seeing through Woe's lies
Psychology: Omission of information is still deception
Psychology: Technical lies are somewhat flimsy
Psychology: Never show what you know about a deception
Psychology: Immortal-marked individuals seem to hide something
Sociology x 3
Sociology: Location: Ne'haer
Sociology: Viden is unique due to its innate lack of constant sky
Sociology: The effect of available vegetation on a populace

Loot: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: -
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 15

- - -
Comments: Haha! I found Sywenna’s reaction to Sybil appearing in the room quite amusing. I thought she’d be jealous or something like that, but instead she just went to see what’s for breakfast and told Woe to scream if he was dying. That was great!

I liked that Sybil didn’t really know what they had just done and that they were somewhat confused. I found what they said about dreams quite interesting and enlightening.

Great job, the two of you, and enjoy your rewards!
word count: 243

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