Log View
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| Tepet Makara | Another night in the Hundred Kingdoms and somewhere near the satrapy of Greyfalls, there is a field of tall grass littered with the remains of soldiers and warmachines. The remains are possibly a century old and the armies that once fought here belonged to the many petty nations of the Hundred Kingdoms. The Hundred Kingdoms ebb and flows on which is the dominant power here, which means that not all nations here survive turmoil for some fell and forgotten by history such as the armies that once belonged to such powers.
The cries of raitons break the dread silence for they are alerted by someone here. A hooded man wearing some sort of lamellar armor gleaming with "black jade" enters the field alone and stands still. Only muttering some unknown words once he is in the center |
| Amilar Ereyo | From the north, a lone light glints in the darkness. At first, it's little more than a tiny speck on the horizon, but it approaches fast - extremely fast, in fact. No horse could hope to reach that kind of speed, let alone maintain it. The sounds of whipping winds accompany the light source. It seems to be following an old, overgrown road, fallen into disuse after it sustained heavy damage in some disaster - maybe in the aftermath of the battle.
As the entity draws closer, shapes emerge, lit by the soft warm glow of a lantern: A small dust devil, deftly navigating through the remnants of the broken road. On its spinning top, it bears a lone rider, sitting cross-legged with said lantern in one hand and what appears to be a map in the other. When she spots the first signs of a long-disintegrated war machine, Ereyo slows her stormwind mount down to something more in par with a trotting horse. The map disappears into her satchel, and out comes a spyglass. She gives the nightly battlefield a good, long sweep through the lens. Who knows... there might still be ghosts here, hunting for the living. |
| Tepet Makara | Even if the hooded man in armor wasn't even trying to hide, it seems the lack of light has made it difficult for him to spot even in an open field. It seems that the man brought some other things, for there seems to be various belongings such as a necklace with engravings written in what seems to be Dragontongue. It seems the man was standing here for an hour, still chanting those words but suddenly, a dark portal opens up above the armored man.
Then something crawls out of the portal between the land of the living and the dead. A spectral figure bearing the ruined armor of a Realm legionnaire appears. It's body is torn by weapons while there is still an axe in his shoulder and its once human features now warped into something monstrous. It seems the man is familiar with the ghost but surprised by what he has become. "Who binds me back to Creation....you....I know you. You're that cadet back in the North campaign" |
| Amilar Ereyo | A few seconds ago, at the edge of the field, the sorcerer-engineer grinds her teeth in frustration. "Just what I deserve for trying to survey this place in darkness. We should find a place to camp for the night, then come back once the sun is up", she mutters to her dust devil, who, predictably, doesn't offer any response.
Just as Ereyo is about to lower the spyglass, something catches here eye. She quickly swivels her viewing instrument towards the dark rift between worlds, and her eyes widen at the sight of the ghostly figure that emerges. Softly swearing to herself, she closes the hood of her lantern, then jumps off the twister, almost vanishing among the tall grass. Better than presenting an easy target, at least. Instead of dismissing the dust devil, the Dragon-Blooded lets it hover nearby and tries to approach the scene as silently as possible - easier said than done, with her noisy artifical leg. Hopefull the cover of darkness is going to work in her favor... and if not, she could at least hide behind one of the broken war machines. With one hand on the hilt of her daiklave, she draws closer... |
| Tepet Makara | Even if the figure was wearing a hood, there is sadness in the man's expression. "Rovo Beyar, my old talonlord. I thought I'll never see you after your death in Futile Blood....but I shouldn't have disturbed your slumber although I doubt the ghosts of the Underworld even rest. To see you in this state....I'm sorry we were never able to get your body a proper burial, it was lost in the battle" No matter how much he talks to it, the hungry ghost of his dead comrade is bestial and erratic.
"I hunger....hunger for blood. I am glad to be in Creation again to savor the taste of flesh. Please let me find food to savor" Despite his ravenous hunger for human blood, he is binded by his master's spell. Unable to act without his command. "I knew I shouldn't have done this summoning...and who goes there" He snarls at someone behind one of the broken warmachines Meanwhile the hungry ghost is awaiting his master's command whether they should be after the uninvited guest |
| Amilar Ereyo | Ereyo immediately freezes as she hears the necromancer's snarl - but too late. Granted, she probably never was that stealthy to begin with. She's breathing too fast, so she leans against the wreckage to calm her nerves a bit, bracing for what she knows she will have to do next.
Slowly, the lone figure emerges from behind the overgrown remnants of what might once have been a ballista. First her head, then the rest of her body - although she is careful to not step further away from her cover, ready to duck behind it, should a projectile or spell fly in her direction. As she comes into view, she adjusts the lantern hood to let the flame's light spill out again into the darkness uninhibited. "You realize your folly, then?", she says to the hooded figure with only a slight tremor in her voice. "My name is Amilar Ereyo, of Lookshy. Do the sensible thing and destroy this bloodthirsty thing yourself, or I will." There's a tinge of sadness in her words, hinting that she must have overheard the conversation, or at least its most relevant parts. |
| Tepet Makara | The hooded figure says with an amused tone. "You Lookshyans here truly think they have full authority here in the Scavenger Lands and the Hundred Kingdoms. The Realm is bad enough" He commands his ghost to stand down for now despite it's desire to devour. "Tell my name or I will banish you myself" The man whispers to the ghost as it nods for it heed his bindings. "Do not worry, my old friend obeys my every word here like how a sorcerer binds demons."
Seeing as revealing his identity may put him at risk, he resorts to desperate measures if this situation escalates further. "If you are still insistent with enforcing your authority here, you should be more worried about me than the specter of my old comrade. So what's it going to be scion of Lookshy's gentes?" |
| Amilar Ereyo | The Air Aspect's eyes narrow, gaze flitting between the ominous necromancer and his enslaved ghost. Small streaks of lightning flash in her darkened irises. "We ~are~ the River Province's sworn protectors", she responds with a bit more heat then necessary. A distant rumble, like thunder from an approaching storm, accompanies her words. Realizing that this might not be the best approach at diplomacy, Ereyo quickly follows up with a second attempt, forcing out calmer words.
"I didn't come here for a fight. Did you? From the looks of it, you wanted to talk to an old friend of yours. If that man whose lower soul you summoned really fought at the battle of Futile Blood, wasn't he of the Realm himself? It wasn't the Seventh Legion who tried to invade this region again and again. Stand down, and I will, too... unless you want to feel the wrath of a Dragon." |
| Tepet Makara | "The wrath of a dragon? Haha, well you will see a much more primal wrath that comes out of an Immaculate boogeyman story if you dare cross me. He grins as he says those vague words while keeping his hood from falling off his head. "Yes, I am talking to an old friend of mine I summoned back to Creation. He's my old talonlord during the campaign but sadly he was killed by the sun-anathema's soldiers. We were never able to get his corpse much less bury him. I admit, I regretted seeing him as a cannibalistic spirit but I do want to give him Lethe's peace"
He sighs but continues speaking in hopes they will be left alone. "I am no servant of the Mask Of Winters or whatever Deathlords lurk in Creation. I never used necromancy against the innocence. Sure it is dark, but it depends on the user like if a blade is used for defense or murder" |
| Amilar Ereyo | Ereyo presses her lips together as the necromancer mocks her, even daring to threaten her in the same breath, but she doesn't rise to the bait. Instead, she lifts her lantern. Its light falls on the hideous ghost and reflects off the man's lamellar, failing to penetrate the hood's shadow enough to reveal his face. Several moments pass in silence while the Dragon eyes him up and down.
"Fine", she huffs eventually. "I believe you... against my better judgement. Your surprise as you summoned him seemed genuine enough. I have my reservations about your dark arts... though the same holds true for certain sorcerous spells." After a quick look at the ghost's face, she addresses the summoner again: "Go ahead, then. Do what you have to do. But I'm going to stay." |
| Tepet Makara | "I'm glad we came to an understanding. Although I may have binded him, giving a soul a chance to pass on to the cycle is a hard task. Even if his corporeal form is killed, he will only be banished back to the Underworld which will continue his miserable existence. For now I bind him in this box. Hungry ghosts usually reside in their corpses but a vessel connected to them will do" He nods to the prince of the Earth as they thankfully came to a mutual understanding. It seems the other belongings the necromancer brought seems to be a box covered in joss paper, possibly a memorabilia to the deceased man that became the hungry ghost.
"Thank the gods I was only summoning a ghost. Not surprised if you will react badly to corpses arising from the ground. There are other much more vile spells and hexes when it comes to necromancy." Then he speaks in vagueries as if he is hinting something. "Although I survived the battle that killed my friend, I was like him once. I was desperate to survive in the cold North and my fellow survivors died thanks to the unforgiving chill. The proud soldier that I once was died, only something ravenous possessed his corpse and reborn as something else" |
| Amilar Ereyo | Unsurprisingly, all this talk about hungry ghosts, corpses rising from the grave and fallen soldiers in a great battle against anathema does little to soften the distrustful frown on Ereyo's face. She bites her lip, takes a long, hard look at the box, then lowers the lantern.
"Are you implying that ghost-summoning is a pleasant detour from your usual endeavors of disturbing the dead in their well-earned rest?" The Dragon wrinkles her nose in disgust, then follows up with a second question after a hesitant pause: "And what do you mean... you died and were reborn as something else? What are you, exactly?" |
| Tepet Makara | "I didn't try all the spells but there is bound to be worse out there." The man underneath his hood gives an amused and almost predatory grin despite his seemingly human teeth. "You should know what I am. Don't Immaculate monks warn children of men possessed by demons and ogres that prowl in the depths of the woods?" The necromancer does not directly tell what he is, as he is still enigmatic out of amusement.
"A demon took interest in me. I hear they have many shapes across Creation. She took the shape of a dragon similar to the Immaculate ones, possibly to mock my old self. I almost died of starvation and the chilling despair of the Northern winds. I felt I was watched by something, but I saw a deer and I wanted to kill it to survive another day. It was fast, as even my training as a soldier didn't help for my spear missed. I was overcame with a feral rage and I tackled the deer. This is when the demon cursed me, for she turned me into a terrible beast as once I awakened from my state, the deer was dead, covered in claw marks and bite wounds with venom still remaining. This was no work of a man but a monster. The silver dragon demon then looked at me, as I was turned into something I despised thanks to the Immaculate teachings. You should know what I am" |
| Amilar Ereyo | At first, Ereyo listens to his tale with that same deep scowl, distrust and disapproval radiating from every single corner of her face. She might not have expected such a long-winded, detailed response. As Makara's recounting continues and becomes more and more visceral, the Dragon-Blooded's expression begins to shift:
Eyes widen in disbelief, denial even. The frown on her face falls away, replaced by deep, growing concern, until finally, the color drains from her skin. In the flickering light of her lantern, Makara can see the deep shadows carved by pure, abject terror. "No", Ereyo whispers hoarsely, breathlessly, as if an invisible hand was tightening around her windpipe. "No...", she repeats. This time, the desperation in her voice is unmistakable. Judging by her expression, she should be running now - wanting to get away from the hooded figure, as fast and as far as she possibly can. But she doesn't move a single inch. Her body remains rigid, frozen, only her hair and loose folds of her clothing moving in the increasingly erratic and angry breeze of her agitated Essence. The lantern shudders in her hand. "Please", she whispers. The wind carries the words towards Makara, just loud enough for him to hear if he strains his ears. "Please, don't be ~them~... don't be ~them~..." It doesn't sound like she's actually addressing him. Maybe she isn't even entirely here right now. |
| Tepet Makara | "Sadly we can never choose what we are despite stories telling we made deals with demons willingly to become this. Some children wish that the essence of the dragons was strong enough that they become princes of the earth like in the fables. I was one of those children even if such a wish never came to fruition, but I accepted my role as a mortal for it is what the Perfected Hierarchy ordained for me and lived my life as a soldier for the Realm....but the fickle mistress above had other plans for she granted my wish with a monkey's paw" He points to the glowing moon above, the Silver Mistress. There is a sign of sorrow from his eyes.
"Call us whatever you like, demons, ogres, silver devils or simply....Anathema" The final word confirms his true nature as one of the accursed anathema especially that of the moon above. However the necromancer is baffled yet pitied her reaction. "Why are you scared? Aren't you supposed to be a scion of the Immaculate Dragons? Did one of my kind cause you great sorrow? I have no intentions to fight you anyway, unless you plan to" His words don't seem to be taunts, but rather genuine concern. |
| Amilar Ereyo | Something he said manages to break Ereyo from her stupor, although it's impossible to tell which part of his speech deserves the credit. The Dragon's eyes are still wide with terror, but now her irises darken to such a dark shade of purple that they appear obsidian in the night, and she starts breathing too fast.
Suddenly, she raises both arms in front of her face in a rapid motion, as if to shield herself from something. The lantern falls and clatters to the ground - thankfully, the thick grass to her feet manages to soften its fall, and the glass remains intact. "NO!", Ereyo screams. "Run! Run for cover! It's going to overload...!" She certainly isn't talking about the lantern, which now releases a glowing will'o'wisp, not larger than a hen's egg, which was apparently hidden inside the mundane flame. The magical ember swiftly darts after the Air Aspect as she turns, stumbling, and - flees. She runs as fast as her legs can carry her. The artificial limb isn't exactly built for speed augmentation, but fear drives her into an astonishing sprint. Ereyo is headed straight for the dust devil, still hovering where she left it. |
| Tepet Makara | "Even if I don't intend to meet you again for I may gain the attention of your Wyld Hunt, not surprised if we will meet each other again even if unintentional" Seeing as the scion of Lookshy flees in her dust devil, it's better for him to flee as well for he does not want to alert more dragonblooded to his presence especially those with the zealotry akin to House Ledaal.
Suddenly, with a flash of silver moonlight, the hooded man transfigures into a chimeric beast that is the mix of what seems to be a lizard and a pterodactyl, he grabs the vessel carrying the ghost of his old friend and flies into the night |