The Summit Road Campaign Thread

Khova nods slowly. "I remember that...it was back during the first split, when the original sixty seven rebels fled Dal Quor. Nirdaya was friends with several of the rebels before the split. There was some kind of ambush...I don't know, quite frankly, I didn't pay much attention to that stuff at the time. It was before I committed my own betrayal."

Druhdaar's great bear spirit shape makes a sound halways between a roar and a yawn. Its massive head swiveled slowly as it had quietly listened to all his friends' informations filling the Mindscape. Finally it speaks out:

" I also had a dream about the past, concerning Nirdaya. He had captured Vakri into a black gem, after Vakri reached out to him as a friend. There was also something else: Taratai freed Vakri during that dream, or at least she took the prison-gem away from Nirdaya."

The bear seems to reflect on something, its form flickering with a green halo.

" I would... We - the Human Soul and The Bear Soul - would tend to agree with young Taran here: he has proven to have a very convoluted mind, yet an incredibly sharp one. Our suspicions also fall on Shen. Why would this... Tariiq have mentioned him, otherwise ? Also, I say we share all of our respective dreams a little more in detail: it would seem we've all had different ones, and some of them concern our killer, while yet others concern Nirdaya's past and his relationship to Vakri and the other rebel Quoris. Maybe there is a crucial piece of information we are missing here, and it's right in front of us ?"

The bear seems content to have said its piece and sits on its haunches, slowly scratching its back against an invisible tree trunk.

Hearing herself specifically called out brings a slightly amused smirk to Akuma's face before she shakes her head, crossing her arms as the shadows begin caressing their way up along her arms. "Seems he didn't really like being told off. Regardless, we discussed the illogical ideas he was following. I tried to persuade him against his "god" and I'm glad to see there is a seed of doubt. I even offered just myself. He wasn't... entirely correct... when he said I wasn't the self sacrificing type. But it seems we all offended his "god" when we stole the altavar from him. Pety if you ask me. It won't hurt to question any suspsects. I'm sure after my encounter, there should be a bit of... hostility, that may peak through a facade. What Taran has, while it may not be the strongest due to potential unknown factors, is our best plan, and very well thought out. It's worth a shot, and we do not have much time to continue our wild goose chase."

Taran fidgets in place, "I-I st-started the caulk th-this morning." he supplies, "R-Really it is j-just th-thick s-soap m-mush th-that I-I w-w-won't pr-press, but it sh-should d-d-do th-the job. I-In a-addition to Soravai, w-w-we c-c-could in-invite T-Tashana, as s-s-support for Es-Esteemed Khova. Sh-She is a p-powerful psy-psychic an-and un-understands E-Elan, as-as w-w-well as being innocent, sh-she m-might have an in-insight that w-w-would be helpful."

Khova nods. "I could ask her to come." She frowns. "And I know Nirdaya...he is arrogant, and certainly has a pettily vicious streak, but I wouldn't have thought he would go to these lengths just because I got away. In the past, when elan have escaped, it hasn't caused quite such an...extreme measure." She sighs. "I'm sorry, you were sharing your dreams, and I'm interrupting. Go ahead."

 Taran nods towards Khova, "I-I've al-already shared m-m-mine. W-We were in one of th-the mountain f-forests. He app-appeared, t-t-told me who h-he was, and offered t-to l-let us sacrifice our-ourselves. Th-Then he w-w-would go b-back to h-h-hunting d-dissenters. He s-s-said th-that m-myself, an-and m-my 'f-feathered friends', wh-which I as-assume are K-Kaori and Akuma, would b-be k-kept alive. I-I assume N-Nirdaya w-wants them b-b-because of th-their c-c-connections to the Quori. An-And that w-w-was ess-essentially it. "

"My dream was... very similar." Kaori says softly. "We were in a tree and he offered to let us sacrifice ourselves... He said... If I don't turn myself in... He'll kill Arthem..."

Caelius quivers, "He told me the same thing. He asked me if we would all turn ourselves over and I told him that we would not. He offered me a deal to tell him my best guess of how you would respond to his offer today and no one would die tonight. I took it. He finished by threatening Arthem." Caelius looks to the group, "I can't loose him again."

Vishal shares his memory in detail. 

(All dialogue in this sequence is in Quori)
Vishal is tossed into a strange, new memory of Vakri's tonight. He finds himself in Vakri's original quori form, flying towards a mortal's dream. This particular dream seems to be from some sort of holy person, as it is set in a cathedral. Vakri passes through a stained glass window with a simple exertion of power, landing on the upper gallery of the cathedral. The mortal, fully in his dream, prays at the altar below while Vakri looks around the gallery, mildly curious about these strange mortal creations for worshipping gods. However, he finds little to interest him, besides a rack of weapons near the stairs, which he examines briefly before discarding them from his attention.
As he turns away from the rack, his old friend Nirdaya passes through the dream cathedral's roof, landing lightly on the upper galley beside him. A moment later, Nirdaya's amorphous form is replaced by that of a humanoid, one of the round-eared humans from the Material Plane who accepted the quori into their bloodlines, with dark red hair and golden eyes set against his coppery skin. With a twinge of reluctance, Vakri follows suit, choosing one of the silver-haired humans from the devout country they conquered (he thought perhaps it was called Pyrine?). "Nirdaya," he says seriously. "Have you thought on my words?"
"Yes," Nirdaya replies, his tone just as grave. "You make some good points, Vakri. The Devourer's methods are...unorthodox, I agree. But are they not necessary? We fight for our very survival, against the turning of the cycle."
Vakri shakes his head. "Nirdaya, it is a cycle for a reason. It *must* turn. We are warriors. We know that a part of life is death. Surely we will not let fear rob us of living as we are meant to?"
Nirdaya sighs. "And the others agree with you on this? Shana, Hareth, Kashtai, Khad...Taratai?"
"Yes," Vakri replies firmly. "We are united. Nirdaya, Taratai believes that with careful planning, we can unseat the Devourer. With Taratai in that seat, we could abandon these foolish meddlings on the Plane Material, return to our purpose here. We are crafters of nightmares, Nirdaya, not leaders of these fleeting mortals. Let us nightmares stay in Dal Quor where we belong. Dreams will always exist, while these Material creatures...they pass out of existence almost before they begin." Pride and determination flows through him. He knows he can convince his friend of this. They are nightmares, what place do they have forcing themselves into mortal shells?
Nirdaya sighs. "I was worried you would say that. It's clear there's no convincing you otherwise."
Suspicion lances through Vakri. his fiery blue aura intensifying. "Nirdaya...tell me you didn't."
"I had no choice!" Nirdaya shouted. "Vakri, this is madness! I will mourn you, my friend, but you must be returned to *il-Lashtavar* to be reborn, you and all the rebels, before you see us destroyed!" Darkness begins to close in around the windows of the cathedral, heralding the arrival of tsucora and tsoreva soldiers.
Vakri shakes his head, fury buzzing through him. "You betrayed me."
"No, Vakri," Nirdaya says grimly. "It was you who did the betraying. You and all your fellow traitors"
Vakri channels his anger into a single lance of blue fire, the dream-flames punching a hole in the wall of the cathedral, and through the ranks of the lesser quori beyond. As he flies through the new hole in the cathedral, he just catches Nirdaya's parting words. "And I will see you all reborn...if it is the last thing I do."

Taran would flicker briefly at the mention of "Pyrine", but otherwise nod along with Visha's story.

" Hum."  the bear-spirit ponders, having stopped its back-rubbing, " This is most unconventional. On one hand, we have flashbacks of old Quori history about the first rebels..."  here, the bear bows respectfully towards Vishal/Vakri " ...and on the other side this mysterious entity tracking dissidents and offering us a suicidal way out. Not much to work on, here... Unless..."  the great beast flaps its jowls in the stillness of the mindscape, a somewhat incongruous reflex in this psychic dimension, " ...unless we manage to fake our own demise, mayhaps ? I am at a loss on how we would do this, however both this Tariiq fiend and its master Nirdaya seem overly sure of their own dominance. They can be tricked, I am certain of it !"

It scratches at one ear with a long, curved claw, then yawns thoughtfully.

“I can you all appear dead but it only lasts an hour.” Vishal says with a shrug as he adds, “But let’s not stretch my resources to thin. And I like the truth idea. I can make them tell the truth. Well.....make as in if they resist my spell I know they’re trying to hide something.”

Kaori moves to Vishal's side, reaching up to grab his hand and squeeze it gently. She whispers softly to him. "H-Hey, Vishal? Wh-When we finish here, can I ask you a question... a-about my new sword? Before we go back?"

Vishal looks down and replies, "Yeah...of course you can." 

She gently tugs on Vishal's hand, pulling him a little bit away from the others before stopping and willing her sword to appear in her hand.

"When I got the sword it was just a normal sword, but in the middle of the night I woke up to find it glowing. There was this on it..." She points one of her talons at a small symbol at the base of the blade. "I was told that it's an ancient symbol of Taratai Kalashtar. I... I think it might be a sign, but... I don't know. I wanted to get a second opinion."

She focuses on the sword and it begins to glow with a faint silver light.

"I think I was chosen by something... good, this time?" She taps the tip of her beak. "I don't know what to make of it... Do you have any ideas, as a Kalashtar yourself?" She pauses for a moment. "That... wasn't offensive, was it?"

"No, no, no it's not offensive." Vishal replies with a smile, "Here. Let me look at it more closely." 

"Here you are." She hands over the sword, wringing her hands nervously as he inspects it.

Religion: 8

Vishal:

Vishal chuckles as he takes a look, "Well Kaori. Looks like you have been chosen by someone by someone very special. This means that somehow you've been chosen by Taratai. You've been chosen to be a defender of the Light. Something that...well this hasn't happened in as long as I can remember since...well Taratai is dead."