The Sorrow of Death

[Pegasus]

90th Zida, 718

It was dark.

Soon, in very few trials it would be Cylus and then, it would be darker and all the time. Darkness, of course, always meant more death, more people to ferry more souls to judge. Darkness was where Xiur's power was weakest, where despair resided and isolation held court, reining over the lonely. And there were so very many of them. Such differences between them all, these mortal souls, such great chasms which caused wars and conflict and always, always, led to death.

And yet, in death, they were so very much the same.

Death was the great leveller, of course, harbinger of equality at its most beautiful - and most final.

Usually.

The Immortal of Death frowned at that thought. Usually final. Not always and, in this instance there was something which was calling to him. The Corridor he walked down was long, his footsteps echoing as he walked. Next to him, his sisters stepping in jagged unison, the echo of their footfalls a melody made from disparate parts, like a mingling of two sounds which would be entirely unpleasant to the ears if it wasn't so very beautiful.

There was something not right, something not balanced and he ~ they ~ could feel it. These corridors that his daughter had led mortals down in his brother's game were well walked by Death's feet and he knew each tile in this endless corridor of dreams. Every door led to another dreamer or another dream. Some led to Domains, others to places unknown or unknowable, perhaps. It was all just symbolism, he was sure.

His reverie was broken when they arrived at The Door. It was the one they needed, he knew. He was, after all, the Opener of the Ways. Or it was one of the things that he was. So, with a grim smile directed at his sisters he opened The Door and there, they saw them.

The Mortals.

OOC Welcome!

Welcome to this thread! This is part of our Immortal Focus for this Cycle and I really hope you enjoy it. PCs in this thread are:
Ari'sora,
Tristan
Siorey
Throughout the thread there is no posting order.
Please don't control any NPCs exept your own.
More than anything, I want you to have fun here. There are risks to this thread, there are rewards to be gained. Play your pcs, go with the story and enjoy it!
There are two types of objective.
--"Must Do" - which mean you have to do these. NOT doing them will incur negative consequences for your pc which might be more far reaching than this thread. You have been warned.
--"Can Do" - these are optional. Do them, or don't - up to you.

Any questions - ask!

I will post again about this time on Monday October 8th

Must Do Objectives

1. This is the intro post only from me. I need to get you all in one place first. Your post should end with your PC being in the Knight's Rest Inn, in the garden. Thank you.
2. For this round, you must choose ONE of the following. Please note - only one of each of these is available, so if another player has chosen one, you may not.
   • A Ladle
   • A Dish
   • A Seive
   • A Ramekin
   Please also make sure to list all NPCs with you - and be aware that there is risk to them, too. Thanks.

Can Do Objective

None this round.

[Rei'sari]

Ari'sora loved the public library. It was quickly becoming one of her favorite places in the entire world. If books were the windows to the world, then the library was a place of endless wonder where a seemingly infinite number of windows could be found. Mi'zuri was currently browsing through the fiction section, but Ari'sora had come in search of knowledge. Specifically knowledge about linguistics, the study of languages. It was her hope that studying linguistics would make it easier for her to learn new languages in general. To that purpose, she was browsing the shelves in search of promising books on the subject. Her search paid off when she found a book about the study of linguistics that was geared towards beginners like herself. Prize in hand, she headed to one of the empty tables and began to read.

There are three core aspects of linguistics; syntax, phonetics, and semantics. This book will describe each aspect in turn so that the beginner linguist might understand the core concepts of this field of study. Syntax is the set of rules, principles, and processes that govern the structure of sentences in a given language. This includes word order. The term syntax is also used to refer to the study of these principles and processes. Phonetics is the branch of linguistics that deals with the sounds of speech. Included in this is their production, combination, description, and representation by written symbols. The linguist who specializes in this branch of linguistics is called a phonetician. Semantics is the branch of linguistics and logic concerned with meaning. There are a number of branches within this branch of study. They include the following; formal semantics, lexical semantics, and conceptual semantics. Formal semantics studies the logical aspects of meaning; this includes sense, reference, implication, and logical form. Lexical semantics studies word meanings and word relations. Conceptual semantics studies the cognitive structure of meaning.

"Aren't you done reading that yet, Ari'sora? I'm hungry!"

Ari'sora paused in her reading to look at her sister. How long had they been here, anyway? It was impossible to be certain; Ari'sora tended to lose all sense of time when she got really caught up in what she was reading...which was most of the time. But if her sister's plaintive tone was any indication, then they had been here for several breaks at the least.

"I guess I can be." Ari'sora said reluctantly, her eyes lingering on the book longingly.

But she was hungry too, so she gave in readily enough. She and Mi'zuri made their way to a cozy little inn called the Knight's Rest Inn & Tavern. The tavern had a welcoming air about it, making it a popular place to eat. And the food was both good, and easily affordable, which helped to add to its charm. Once inside, the two sisters looked for an empty table. But there were none, so they made their way into the garden to wait until one was available.

Off Topic

Ari'sora is here with her sister Mi'zuri, and I will take the
Ramekin please.

"Speech"

[Tristan Venora]

“Daddy, why is it so dark?” Ayla asked Tristan as they walked through the snowy streets of Scalvoris towards the Knight’s Rest Inn hand in hand, bundled up in warm winter coats. Tristan stopped for a moment and looked at his daughter who appeared to be between three and four arcs of age even though she had only been born the arc before and furrowed his brow. At times like these, he really wished that he had paid more attention at school rather than doodling in his books all the time and dreaming of becoming a famous artist.

“I think that it has something to do with one of the moons blocking the sun”, he finally replied, sounding a little unsure. “But don’t worry, it will come back in Ashan, and until then I will protect you from the darkness. You have nothing to fear from it. Look!” he said and pointed at the lights that could be seen ahead. “We’re almost there. What do you want to eat to-trial? Chicken? Or something sweet? Their cake is pretty good”, he told the little girl who looked up at him and beamed at him.

Soon, they were sitting at an empty table, and Ayla pretended to peruse the menu, just like her daddy, even though she couldn’t read yet. A moment later, the little Mortalborn was looking out of the window and pointing excitedly though. “Look, daddy! A kitty! It looks just like Mistral! Can we go and pet it, please?” she asked. Tristan turned around. A cat, black, just like his own cat, Mistral (who was not an ordinary housecat, but a former inhabitant of the Misty Miasma), was walking through the snow, holding its fluffy tail high.

“Sure, we can take a look!” he said to her because it would take a while for their food to arrive. “We won’t be able to talk to it though because your daddy has forgotten to bring his cat-speak potion”, he admitted somewhat sadly and led the little girl into the garden where she immediately went for the cat who looked at her from out of bright yellow eyes for a moment before it jumped onto a wall and finally disappeared.

“It’s gone”, Ayla observed and sighed.

The two of them were just about to turn around and walk back inside when the Door opened …

Off Topic

Tristan has brought his daughter, Ayla.

I'll take the dish.

[Siorey]

♆ 90th Zida, 718 ♆

♆ Mood: Calm - Relaxed
♆ Thoughts: That hit me harder than I thought
♆ Current Theme: Master of Tides

♆ I was getting quite use to the Scalvorin nights, the weather wasnt to far off from what I was use to. Being born on the sea, and growing up with the cold cycle on the water I was use to how brisk it could got. This night was a good one, a day off and I was enjoying some much needed me time. I had been out walking the streets like I normally did, finding both the walk, and the tranquility of being alone in the city streets to be calming to my unorthodox mind. Sitting on a bench, I pulled out a small flask that had my favorite ale in it. Taking a swig I looked to the sky, admiring the darkness, a night sky devoid stars or lights of any kind. It was both ominous and beautiful only to be complimented by the lit lanterns of the Scalv streets. I would find myself spending the next break or so, sitting on that bench, humming my mother's song. By the time I had sung it six times, and my flask was empty, I realized the ale had hit me far faster then I expected. Deciding I'd never make it to the sloop, I entered the Knight's Rest Inn, as it was close. I paid for a room, and as it was being prepped, made my way out into the garden. It was something of beauty, covered in the snow that had fallen, and even as intoxicated as I was, I could still appreciate its beauty. Finding a place to myself I sat, looking to the others that were present. "Guess I'm not the only one looking for place to a rest tonight" I said to myself with a drunken giggle, doing my damn best to sober up.♆

"Speech"

Off Topic

I would like the ladle please

[Pegasus]

90th Zida, 718

There they were. The three of them. He and his sisters stepped through and as they did, the man with long dark hair and the two pretty young women with him were sitting at a table in the garden, and had been there all along as far as anyone else was concerned. The garden area was fairly full, even though it was freezing cold - there was a large awning and a lot of metal barrels filled with hanging mesh baskets which had hot coal fires in them. The area was surprisingly warm and comfortable, if a little smoky in places.

Ari'sora and her sister, Tristan and his daughter - they were both in the garden for specific moments, and they caught sight of each other - strangers in an Inn, not likely to speak, not likely to communicate in more than polite head-nods or smiles of appreciation at the beautiful little girl that was Ayla Venora.

Consequence Unlocked: Brought Your Plus One! You brought an NPC with you. Good thing? Bad thing? Who knows!!


And then, stumbled in a drunk - not able to make it back to his sloop, he'd come into the Knight's Rest with the intention of sobering up - maybe he felt like fresh air would help. The trio who were already sitting there looked at the five mortals who had just come in and then one of the twins, the one with a more severe expression glanced at her brother and rolled her eyes. She didn't seem impressed. Not in the slightest.


Consequence Unlocked: Turned Up Drunk! You turned up drunk. Oh dear!


But Ari'sora, her sister, Tristan, his daughter and Siorey almost certaintly didn't notice that. Because just then, one of the customers - a young woman sitting with what one could presume to be a husband and children and eating suddenly started to choke. The husband jumped up and the children started screaming. The youngest child, maybe the age Ayla appeared to be, maybe younger, jumped up too and started to move, but he stumbled and fell, tripping his father who, in the rush to get to his wife, also fell forward and he knocked over one of the fires. In so doing, he hit his head on the table next to him and he fell, unconscious to the floor.

Hot coals spewed out and the awning started to burn. There was chaos and screaming in the matter of moments.

And in it there were three people, sitting at a table and looking, calm and collected, straight at the three mortals and their companions.

OOC Stuffies

Throughout the thread there is no posting order.
Please don't control any NPCs exept your own.
More than anything, I want you to have fun here. There are risks to this thread, there are rewards to be gained. Play your pcs, go with the story and enjoy it!
There are two types of objective.
--"Must Do" - which mean you have to do these. NOT doing them will incur negative consequences for your pc which might be more far reaching than this thread. You have been warned.
--"Can Do" - these are optional. Do them, or don't - up to you.

Any questions - ask!

I will post again about this time on Monday October 15th

Choices & Consequences

Round Number	Ari'sora	Tristan	Siorey
ONE	Ramekin	Dish	Ladle

Must Do Objectives

1. You must interact/ respond to either the choking woman, the fallen man, the child or the burning awning. You may only respond to one of them (although you can see them all).
2. For this round, you must choose ONE of the five senses (sight, touch etc). Just like before - only one of each is available. Thank you.

Can Do Objective

• Write your post in less than 600 words (according to the post word count) to unlock a reward at the end.

[Tristan Venora]

“Look, daddy, that lady over there has wings!” Ayla exclaimed excitedly and pointed at Ari’sora. Tristan turned around and smiled at the young mixed blood for a moment before he took his daughter’s hand in his. He was just about to walk back inside with her – in his opinion sitting outside in the middle of winter wouldn’t be a good idea, despite the fires – when a woman suddenly started to choke. He was just about to rush over to her and help her when the next accident took place. Her husband jumped up, tripped, fell, knocked over one of the fires and lost consciousness, and then everybody started to scream.

Apart from Tristan. Screaming wasn’t particularly helpful in his opinion, so he decided to take charge instead and make sure that the people around him actually did something useful. In a case of emergency people often just stood there and looked on stupidly rather than helping, unless you told them exactly what to do, so that was the course of action that he decided on.

“Stay right here, sweetie”, he told Ayla as he let go of her little hand and quickly took his coat off in order to hit the flames with as much strength as he could muster up, hopefully putting the fire out before it could spread and, possibly, cause a major catastrophe.

As he did that, he briefly turned to Ari’sora, and told her in no uncertain terms, “Grab the woman and hit her on the back! We need to dislodge the blockage somehow, and we need to do it now!” He wasn’t sure if it would work – he was not a doctor, he was just the cousin of one – but something had to be done, at least until more qualified help arrived because letting that woman die was absolutely unacceptable!

“And you”, he turned to Siorey once he had made sure that somebody was taking care of the poor woman. “Grab the man and drag him away from the fire! And someone get a doctor – and water. We need lots of water in case this here doesn’t work! And the rest of you, move so that you don’t get in the way, and shut up, for the Immortals’ sake!” he exclaimed, all the while trying to smother the flames with his coat and fervently hoping that people would listen to him and not just stand there and make everything worse – and that Ayla would do as he had told her and stay away from the fire.

Off Topic

Touch.

[Rei'sari]

“Look, daddy, that lady over there has wings!”

Ari'sora looked up at the little girl's comment, and smiled at her. She spread her wings slightly so the child could get a better look at them. Then she folded them tightly against her back once more, and waved at the girl before she turned back to her sister.

"You really do like kids, don't you?" Mi'zuri asked.

Ari'sora nodded. When Mi'zuri gestured, clearly waiting for an explanation, she continued.

"Kids are...special. They don't judge people the same way that adults do. They question everything, and they observe, but they don't blame people for things that they can't help."

The way my mother hated me for existing because I reminded her of my father and what he did to her.

"And...everything is new to a child. The world is a magical place of wonder and discovery, and everything in it is an adventure just waiting to happen. It's fun to try and see the world the way they do."

"I think that you don't really have to try to see the world the way a child does." Mi'zuri said softly.

It was true, in a way. After being held in Ren'zar's house and garden for all of her life, the world was still a very new place for her as well. Some trials, she saw it as a place of wonder and discovery, much the same way a child would. But others...other trials, she was terrified of meeting another Ren'zar. Or another person like her mother who would hate her and want to hurt her for things beyond her control. On those trials, it took all the courage she had simply to set foot out of their house in Beacon.

Ari'sora was jolted from her thoughts by the sound of someone making gagging noises nearby. She looked around and saw a woman who appeared to be choking. Her children were screaming in fright, and the man who was with her jumped up, maybe to see if he could help. So did the youngest child. But that only made matters worse because it caused the man to trip over the boy, and knock over one of the fires. In the process, he hit his head, and was unconscious when he hit the ground. Ari'sora's eyes widened in horror as she saw the firs begin to spread. Fire and feathers did not mix. The heat alone would be enough to cause her feathers to catch fire themselves if she got too close. So attempting to put the fire out simply wasn't an option for her.

Ari'sora's first instinct was to go to the child, and make certain that he was safe. She was no doctor, and the bits and pieces she had read over the arcs weren't useful to her now. But the man who was with the young girl who seemed to like her wings was taking charge, and he had other ideas. As he fought the fire, he told her to hit the woman on the back to dislodge the blockage that was choking her.

That sounded vaguely familiar, and seemed to match something she half remembered reading about, so she switched her plans, and ran over to the woman to try doing just that.

Off Topic

I'll take sight, please.

[Siorey]

90th Zida, 718
Current Theme: Master of Tides

I was content, sitting off to the side, minding my business, Slowly sobering myself up after drinking myself silly breaks before. But it seemed the fates had other ways to get me sober, much more dangerous ways. First, a woman chokes, then her husband trips over one of their little ones and knocks himself like an idiot, and because of that, now part of the awning is on fire. If that didn't sober me up quick I don't know what would have. It seemed this guy with his little one was taking charge, which was fine by me, as he gave me a relatively easy job. Stumbling to my damn feet I rushed over to the unconscious male and pulled him from danger, which I probably now have a hernia cause he was heavy, like unnecessarily heavy. I check his pulse, just to make sure the head injury wasn't fatal, my heart racing as the events were unfolding, a let out a sigh of relief when I could feel the pulsation of blood coming from the man. Looking over to the kids a gave them a thumbs up to let them know their dad was ok and then turned my attention onto the blaze that was growing.

Rushing over to the male, who was doing his best to quell the fire, I stepped in. By that time the inn keepers had brought out buckets of water and I found the timing all too perfect.

"There is no time to wait on the water, I got this."

I said, placing my hands over the buckets of water linging the snow covered ground.

"Alright boon, don't fail me now"

I whispered, feeling the energy flow from the pit of my gut into my hands. The water began to swirl and flow around me, till the immediate area around me was like a mini pound of some sort. I knew I couldn't hold it for too much longer, and with a groaning grunting, I hurled the wall of water at the awning to douse the flames. I could see some embers still glowing, and began hurling snow, surprised and defininately sober from the power I just used to keep the blaze in check.

"Speech"

Off Topic

I'll claim smell please

[Pegasus]

90th Zida, 718

There is such a lot to be said for the joy of a child. Ayla Venora had such a lot of joy in her that her delight at Ari'sora's wings was honest and heartfelt. However, she was also a child who knew when to do as she was told. So, Tristan told her to stay there, and there was where she remained. She watched as her Daddy took charge and the little mortalborn girl smiled at the man who was, somehow, standing beside her. "Hello Ayla," he said and smiled at her. "I'm your uncle." Ayla looked up at him and smiled, nodded. "I know you," she said, thinking about where that might be from and the man with her simply smiled. "That's my Daddy. He's very brave," she said and the man looked at Tristan as he took charge. "He is very brave, yes. Ayla, I have something to tell you," he said, and lowered his head to whisper to the young girl.

Tristan was, indeed, taking charge and he did so quite expertly. To Ari'sora, he gave charge of the choking woman and to Siorey, he was clear with his orders, too - to take care of the man. He had been clear and directive and, perhaps because of that, or perhaps because his suggestion made sense, they followed what he said. Tristan turned and started putting out the fire, a task which he dealt with quickly and efficiently. All in all, his actions probably saved the three unusual folks there gathered a lot of work that trial, though as of that moment no one knew who they were.

Ari'sora, meanwhile, ran up to the woman in question and started thumping her back. The first thump wasn't hard enough but, on the second, the woman bent forward and - something - shot out of her mouth. At which point, the woman started to cough and heave in great gulps of air. Meanwhile, Siorey first of all pulled the unconscious man and then he summoned a wave, using his boon from U'frek.

Really - they were all very successful in what they were doing.

Which led, perhaps, to some unforeseen situations.

They might all be really pleased and quite delighted to see that Tristan had started to really get a grip on the fires, Siorey had pulled the man back and out of the way and Ari'sora had saved the woman who was choking. As Vri bent to speak to Ayla Venora and Pier and Pre stood to walk towards their brother, all seemed to be just how the Immortals had planned it.

But mortals are strange, fickle, wonderful things and nowhere was that more true than in this moment.

Because in this moment, a fifteen foot wave was hurled. Fifteen foot of solid water crashed over them and there, unexpectedly, Siorey absolutely drenched all the mortals present.

And all the Immortals.

"DADDY!" Ayla Venora turned to her father, as though it was his fault and, a personal affront to her. "Daddy, this is VRI!"

The Immortal of Death, Love, Sorrow and Remembrance turned to look at Tristan. Water dripped from the end of his sodden nose. He looked up and a slight, rather ironic smile to the three mortals. "Charmed," he said, with an almost old-fashioned, courtly sort of bow. "My sisters. Pier and Pre," the two, equally sodden women looked at the mortals gathered and one looked almost amused, while the other was the very opposite of such.

"He's the Immortal of Death!" Piped up the little girl.

OOC Stuffies

Throughout the thread there is no posting order.
Please don't control any NPCs exept your own.
More than anything, I want you to have fun here. There are risks to this thread, there are rewards to be gained. Play your pcs, go with the story and enjoy it!
There are two types of objective.
--"Must Do" - which mean you have to do these. NOT doing them will incur negative consequences for your pc which might be more far reaching than this thread. You have been warned.
--"Can Do" - these are optional. Do them, or don't - up to you.

Any questions - ask!

I will post again about this time on Tuesday November 20th - sincere apologies for the delays.

Choices & Consequences

Round Number	Ari'sora	Tristan	Siorey
ONE	Ramekin	Dish	Ladle
TWO	Sight	Touch	Smell

Must Do Objectives

None.

Can Do Objective

• You have a chance here to interact with an Immortal or two - albeit somewhat drenched.

[Tristan Venora]

Tristan was unaware of the conversation between his daughter and Vri. He was completely focused on trying to prevent a major catastrophe. His heart was beating very quickly as he tried to extinguish the fire and simultaneously keep the people around him from just standing there, looking on and being useless. Time seemed to be moving faster and nearly grind to a halt at the same time, as impossible as that seemed – until somebody dumped a whole lot of water on him and everybody else that was gathered in the garden at least.

For a moment the young duke simply stood there, completely dumbfounded because he didn’t know what exactly had happened, and then he wiped the water from his face and looked at Ayla, just as she looked at him. “Vri?” he repeated, as if he had never heard the name before, and then he turned to face the man that stood next to his daughter, and his eyes widened. Tristan Venora had met a lot of Immortals, some of them good and some of them evil, but he had never really gotten used to being in their presence.

For a moment he just stared at Vri, absolutely in awe, and then he remembered his good manners again and inclined his head in a sign of deep respect, as his grandmother had taught him to and introduced himself, “Tristan Venora, but it’s likely that you already know that.” His lips curved into a smile for the hint of a trill before the expression on his face grew serious again. “I hope that my daughter didn’t bother you, sir, ladies”, he said and put an arm around the little girl, smiling at her as he did so. Even though her mother had tried to ruin his life, he loved her more than anything else in the world.

“I’m sorry for what just happened”, he apologized, referring to the fact that the three Immortals were completely sodden, even though it wasn’t really his fault, but Siorey’s. “It’s an honor to meet you three. Under normal circumstances I would probably ask you a lot of questions, but I don’t think you’d appreciate that right now. Would you be interested in a couple of hot drinks though, provided that they still serve anything after the fire?” he asked, thinking that the three were probably cold.

“I can arrange for some dry clothes as well”, he offered. He didn’t know if Immortals could catch a cold if they walked around in wet clothes, but they were probably quite uncomfortable.