Kolre fluffs his feathers. "Alrighty then, you asked for it. Ingress, you start, right? I wasn't there for the first bit..."
Ingress clears his throat. "Well. I guess... we should start at the beginning, no?
"At first, there was nothing. Then, everything. The God, Mandor, sprung into being, born of the Universe herself- No? Too much? Too much. Not that far back. Boo... fine.
I was born in the sky. Atop the clouds, soaring through the air, looking down at the world below... in more ways than one, I suppose. The Temple of the Everborn Sun was... an interesting place to grow up. The followers of Leanis were a pious group, permitting none to stray from their fold. I was indoctrinated, of course. Born into the order of the sun. I... loved it. Order. Peace. I believed I was perfect, that me and my friends were right. How... how naive we were, that the world was in simple blacks and golds. There are other colors... greys. Blues. Reds. Purples. Yellows. Greens. So much life, so much love... and I knew none of it. My life was that of a cloistered acolyte, content to believe in superiority and religious perfection.
I had friends. I had a family. The Thals, long departed from the rabble of the lower mountains, dwelled in the skies. My best friends lived there too, above the rest. Balorn, a scholar of the planes. Lavis, our group's resident paladin. Dorn. That sick... avahlet. Tarahs. And Kevae... joyous, perfect, Kevae. I still miss them. Or, at least, most of them. We got in a fair bit of trouble, our little squad! Running about in our own personal paradise... it seemed like it would last forever. But, it didn't. It fell so fast... crumbling about me. My world, my life, gone in an instant.
The clouds still remain, of course. The Temple still soars. But I cannot stand there. I could, but I won't. Not again. Not after what they did.
I was... fifteen, I think? I don't remember all of the details... it was late. The sun was setting, bathing our world in a pink and orange glow... I heard shouts. Screams. I ran out, weapon in hand... and there she was. There they all were. Kevae, in chains. Balorn, in chains. Lavis... he was on the floor, bleeding from his side. So much blood... And Dorn. Standing above them, standing with the Knights, the holy men. They said... something. I... don't remember. Gods, I wish I could remember... But I ran. They chased me, but I was faster than them... I knew the land, the shortcuts, the passages. I escaped. I hid. I cried. Then I watched as my friends were dragged to the church. Brought before the voices of the gods.
They were judged. I couldn't hear the proceedings, but I saw them... in the end, they were guilty. I got that much. There was celebration, of all things. I don't know why... I wish I did. At the end, they were brought to the edge. Staring into the sky, the ground below. And then they... they...
Balorn fell first. I wasn't expecting it... why would I? I had seen such things happen before, but it was always a punishment for traitors... spies, heretics, madmen. Not my friends, not loyal citizens... but he still fell. Dorn did it himself. I can see his face... hard. Firm. Uncaring. I saw the sun in his eyes, burning with primordial hatred... Balorn hit the ground hard. He died quickly. He told me, decades later, in a sea of fire and flame.
Lavis tried to fight back, the fool. He was already hurt. It didn't take much. He was dead before he left the clouds. He came to me, in smoke and ash, crying in pain.
I had worked my way into the crowd by that point, hidden in the vestments of the clergy... Kevae was on the edge. Dorn was... on the edge. And then I was on the edge. And then we weren't.
I don't remember landing. I just remember the fall... shock in their faces as we all plummeted off the edge... fear in my heart, fear in my friend's, fear in my enemy's. The nothing.
The next they I can remember is flashes. Darkness, permeating the darkness of my eyes. A greater void. Then lights. Suns... and flames. Infernal braziers, burning with self-righteous hate. Celestial lanterns, shining in benediction... and between. The ravens. The Raven. She was so beautiful... standing there in prematerial glory, black hair stretching to infinity, filling the void. She wore a mask... white. Cracked. And she saw me... I know not how I know, but I do. And she... she smiled. Somehow, through the mask, through the void, through the endless nothing... she smiled at me.
And then I was awake. On the ground. Touching true stone for the first time. And no-one was there... no-one alive, at least. I saw Dorn... gods, I saw Dorn. But Kevae was gone, nowhere to be found. No trace. I never found her. Never heard her voice. I heard Dorn's, though. Screaming at me in righteous hatred. But I never found Kevae... Instead, I found this. This pendant... around my neck. I can't take it off... I've never tried. Never will.
I'm still not sure how I'm alive. I wandered for days... weeks, even. I don't know. I didn't eat. I was so hungry... I was in the wastes. Plateaus... mesa. There was a river that I followed. I think it kept me alive. There weren't people... it was barren. No life. The sun, once this beacon of religion and righteousness, had turned into a sickening, burning death. But I walked.
When I saw a humanoid, I was on my last legs. Probably had been for a while. But they were kind. They showed pity on me, took me to their home. A small family lived there... goblins, I think. They were so kind... they didn't have enough. I learned much that day. War raged, and the land I lived in needed soldiers. And soldiers needed food. The family had... gods, I can't even remember their names... they had given all they could. And then, when they could give no more... they were evicted. Cast into the Curan wastes.
I made a choice that night. I couldn't stay, I knew that... they wouldn't live. But they wouldn't live regardless.
Their food lasted me for two weeks.
Those weeks allowed me to escape. I made it out. They... didn't. I've seen their souls. They came to me... so many years later...
But I had survived the wastes. I had reached grassland, the hills of Crekehq. I was still hard pressed to survive... there were some close calls, what with Elementals and all that. A troll or two. I ran, mostly. Eventually, I made it to a settlement. Reving's Hill. I lived there for... two years? Three? I was a shepherd, a farmer, a merchant. I had a life there, so different from the one before. I didn't make friends. Not again. Not after last time. But I eked out a living. But, inevitably, I came close. I started to like people there, and they started to like me. And I was terrified! I left again, saying one last goodbye. I left into the hills, seeking... peace. Solace. An answer to my questions.
Reving's Hill was destroyed two years later, torn apart by a wandering Elder Tempest. Their souls came to me, same as the rest.
I walked for a day. A week. Two. Five. Weeks turned into months, months into a year. I saved a flock of sheep from death. Their shepherd had died in a landslide...I saw it happen. He confirmed it himself, years later.
The sheep kept me company, as I traveled the land. I met fellow travelers, some more than once. Many remembered me fondly. I know, for they told me so, years later.
And I found what I was looking for. A crater. Miles and miles of scorched earth. In the center, a wreckage... the skeleton of an ancient behemoth, a jewel of the sky. Ibcremis. The Fallen City.
I left the sheep behind, released into the wilderness. I don't know what happened to them. I wish I did.
And then I entered. The cracks spread from the center, vast crevasses of red rock. It took me day and three nights to find my way... time, as I realized, did not follow a set path there. And when I finally reached the city, I was greeted, not by silence, but my song. Birds. The Kenku.
I was surprised, of course. As were they. But we soon established a shared language, and we shared our stories. Their people were the last survivors of the city; the ones who had lived through the fall countless years ago. They had lost their language, their creativity, their wings. In the years that passed, however, they recovered. They were saved... by Ravens. Their wings are still broken, shattered beyond repair, but their voices are beautiful, their architecture a sight to behold. And when I told them of my dealings with the Raven herself, they were... well, awed isn't the right word. Frightened, maybe?
Feelings aside, I was taken to their church. Their temple. I told my story, and was received. I was given a home, heralded as a new follower. Welcomed with open arms, I hid in their libraries, apart from others. A recluse. I was nearly forgotten, lost to the tomes... but one remembered. He I remember. Nevwer. He was kind to me... a father in all ways but name. He ran the library where I spent my time. He helped me survive, when I should have died alone in the night. Instead, I lived with him, in the dusk. I learned much those years, hiding away in the shelves. Together, we searched out lost books, forgotten stories, disregarded histories. We were scholars, hidden in the twilight of those stacks. We were visionaries, laying out plans for vast, never seen cities of knowledge. And, in the end, we were friends, bonded by that past, that knowledge, that none others could possess.
I still remember the day I found it. We had been working long, and it was nearing six-hour. And then, there it was. At the end of the rows, atop its own pedestal. I could feel it before I saw it... an icy cold at the back of my neck, a burning in my heart, a memory in my mind. The memory of a white mask, a black void, and ravens. And there it was. The holy book, the holiest of books. The Book of Memories, from which the first Priest had read the words of his Queen. Long thought lost, the book was found. I was heralded as a hero, and I shared my joy with Nevwer.
I was pulled away. Pulled from my books, my world, my dusk. My friend. He died, years later, cold and alone in the darkness. I know, because he came to me.
But I was a priest. A savior. My name echoed throughout the city, at all endless times. I was given access to the church's resources, to further my independent studies. I was not to be disturbed. I pored over the book, what was my right... I could read it. I saw its teachings, its boons, my boons. I was the wisest of the wise, the leader of their church. Nobody said so, of course. But I knew. We all did. I was free to do what i liked...
And I did. I did good things, great things. I built schools. Farms. Explored and renovated long lost wings of the city. My life was perfect, in all ways.
And I hated it.
Sure, it was fun at first, but I got tired. Then I got bored. Then I got angry. Why did they have to ask me their questions? Why did I always have to have the answers? I didn't care about them, their plights. I didn't care about anything! I couldn't escape, of course. Not truly. I couldn't bring myself to leave this world, this paradise. I kept telling myself that it would get better, that it would stop... it didn't.
It had been that way for years when I finally snapped. I broke my vows of nonviolence. I killed... many. When my head cleared, much of my wing of the city was aflame. Most though I was dead... and I believed them. I didn't know myself. I didn't know if I was alive or dead, i didn't know my mind, and I didn't know my soul. So I ran.
Again.
Two thousand, five hundred, and seventy-two. That's how many died due to my actions. Nearly a tenth of the city's population. They wailed into my mind that day, thousands of souls screaming in pain. I can still hear them... all of their names. So many names, so many deaths, so many ways to end a life.
It's been... three years? since then. I still don't have answers, I still don't have peace. I'm still searching for a way to be forgiven. To forgive myself. I found Kolre through my journeys, a channeling of my power into a servant of the Raven Queen. I hope it means she still cares for me. You never will tell me, will you?"
"Nope!"
"Lewen."
"Yep!"
"I appreciate your help with the story."
"Yeah, you nearly missed a few things. Idiot."
"Heh." He turns back to Arty. "Was that to your liking, young one? Did you enjoy me tale? I hope not. It is not a happy story. I pray that yours will be brighter, once it begins."
Arty looks at him, a half eaten biscuit in her mouth. "That's a... I feel... I don't know what to say to that."
He gives a small, sad smile, boosted by a small, sad sigh. "Good answer. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you something happier."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Seven there shall be/In the halls of the eighth/Eights shall witness/Eight and eight and eight and eight/Blood of the father/Blood of the sun/Endless darkness/Day is done
Kolre fluffs his feathers. "Alrighty then, you asked for it. Ingress, you start, right? I wasn't there for the first bit..."
Ingress clears his throat. "Well. I guess... we should start at the beginning, no?
"At first, there was nothing. Then, everything. The God, Mandor, sprung into being, born of the Universe herself- No? Too much? Too much. Not that far back. Boo... fine.
I was born in the sky. Atop the clouds, soaring through the air, looking down at the world below... in more ways than one, I suppose. The Temple of the Everborn Sun was... an interesting place to grow up. The followers of Leanis were a pious group, permitting none to stray from their fold. I was indoctrinated, of course. Born into the order of the sun. I... loved it. Order. Peace. I believed I was perfect, that me and my friends were right. How... how naive we were, that the world was in simple blacks and golds. There are other colors... greys. Blues. Reds. Purples. Yellows. Greens. So much life, so much love... and I knew none of it. My life was that of a cloistered acolyte, content to believe in superiority and religious perfection.
I had friends. I had a family. The Thals, long departed from the rabble of the lower mountains, dwelled in the skies. My best friends lived there too, above the rest. Balorn, a scholar of the planes. Lavis, our group's resident paladin. Dorn. That sick... avahlet. Tarahs. And Kevae... joyous, perfect, Kevae. I still miss them. Or, at least, most of them. We got in a fair bit of trouble, our little squad! Running about in our own personal paradise... it seemed like it would last forever. But, it didn't. It fell so fast... crumbling about me. My world, my life, gone in an instant.
The clouds still remain, of course. The Temple still soars. But I cannot stand there. I could, but I won't. Not again. Not after what they did.
I was... fifteen, I think? I don't remember all of the details... it was late. The sun was setting, bathing our world in a pink and orange glow... I heard shouts. Screams. I ran out, weapon in hand... and there she was. There they all were. Kevae, in chains. Balorn, in chains. Lavis... he was on the floor, bleeding from his side. So much blood... And Dorn. Standing above them, standing with the Knights, the holy men. They said... something. I... don't remember. Gods, I wish I could remember... But I ran. They chased me, but I was faster than them... I knew the land, the shortcuts, the passages. I escaped. I hid. I cried. Then I watched as my friends were dragged to the church. Brought before the voices of the gods.
They were judged. I couldn't hear the proceedings, but I saw them... in the end, they were guilty. I got that much. There was celebration, of all things. I don't know why... I wish I did. At the end, they were brought to the edge. Staring into the sky, the ground below. And then they... they...
Balorn fell first. I wasn't expecting it... why would I? I had seen such things happen before, but it was always a punishment for traitors... spies, heretics, madmen. Not my friends, not loyal citizens... but he still fell. Dorn did it himself. I can see his face... hard. Firm. Uncaring. I saw the sun in his eyes, burning with primordial hatred... Balorn hit the ground hard. He died quickly. He told me, decades later, in a sea of fire and flame.
Lavis tried to fight back, the fool. He was already hurt. It didn't take much. He was dead before he left the clouds. He came to me, in smoke and ash, crying in pain.
I had worked my way into the crowd by that point, hidden in the vestments of the clergy... Kevae was on the edge. Dorn was... on the edge. And then I was on the edge. And then we weren't.
I don't remember landing. I just remember the fall... shock in their faces as we all plummeted off the edge... fear in my heart, fear in my friend's, fear in my enemy's. The nothing.
The next they I can remember is flashes. Darkness, permeating the darkness of my eyes. A greater void. Then lights. Suns... and flames. Infernal braziers, burning with self-righteous hate. Celestial lanterns, shining in benediction... and between. The ravens. The Raven. She was so beautiful... standing there in prematerial glory, black hair stretching to infinity, filling the void. She wore a mask... white. Cracked. And she saw me... I know not how I know, but I do. And she... she smiled. Somehow, through the mask, through the void, through the endless nothing... she smiled at me.
And then I was awake. On the ground. Touching true stone for the first time. And no-one was there... no-one alive, at least. I saw Dorn... gods, I saw Dorn. But Kevae was gone, nowhere to be found. No trace. I never found her. Never heard her voice. I heard Dorn's, though. Screaming at me in righteous hatred. But I never found Kevae... Instead, I found this. This pendant... around my neck. I can't take it off... I've never tried. Never will.
I'm still not sure how I'm alive. I wandered for days... weeks, even. I don't know. I didn't eat. I was so hungry... I was in the wastes. Plateaus... mesa. There was a river that I followed. I think it kept me alive. There weren't people... it was barren. No life. The sun, once this beacon of religion and righteousness, had turned into a sickening, burning death. But I walked.
When I saw a humanoid, I was on my last legs. Probably had been for a while. But they were kind. They showed pity on me, took me to their home. A small family lived there... goblins, I think. They were so kind... they didn't have enough. I learned much that day. War raged, and the land I lived in needed soldiers. And soldiers needed food. The family had... gods, I can't even remember their names... they had given all they could. And then, when they could give no more... they were evicted. Cast into the Curan wastes.
I made a choice that night. I couldn't stay, I knew that... they wouldn't live. But they wouldn't live regardless.
Their food lasted me for two weeks.
Those weeks allowed me to escape. I made it out. They... didn't. I've seen their souls. They came to me... so many years later...
But I had survived the wastes. I had reached grassland, the hills of Crekehq. I was still hard pressed to survive... there were some close calls, what with Elementals and all that. A troll or two. I ran, mostly. Eventually, I made it to a settlement. Reving's Hill. I lived there for... two years? Three? I was a shepherd, a farmer, a merchant. I had a life there, so different from the one before. I didn't make friends. Not again. Not after last time. But I eked out a living. But, inevitably, I came close. I started to like people there, and they started to like me. And I was terrified! I left again, saying one last goodbye. I left into the hills, seeking... peace. Solace. An answer to my questions.
Reving's Hill was destroyed two years later, torn apart by a wandering Elder Tempest. Their souls came to me, same as the rest.
I walked for a day. A week. Two. Five. Weeks turned into months, months into a year. I saved a flock of sheep from death. Their shepherd had died in a landslide...I saw it happen. He confirmed it himself, years later.
The sheep kept me company, as I traveled the land. I met fellow travelers, some more than once. Many remembered me fondly. I know, for they told me so, years later.
And I found what I was looking for. A crater. Miles and miles of scorched earth. In the center, a wreckage... the skeleton of an ancient behemoth, a jewel of the sky. Ibcremis. The Fallen City.
I left the sheep behind, released into the wilderness. I don't know what happened to them. I wish I did.
And then I entered. The cracks spread from the center, vast crevasses of red rock. It took me day and three nights to find my way... time, as I realized, did not follow a set path there. And when I finally reached the city, I was greeted, not by silence, but my song. Birds. The Kenku.
I was surprised, of course. As were they. But we soon established a shared language, and we shared our stories. Their people were the last survivors of the city; the ones who had lived through the fall countless years ago. They had lost their language, their creativity, their wings. In the years that passed, however, they recovered. They were saved... by Ravens. Their wings are still broken, shattered beyond repair, but their voices are beautiful, their architecture a sight to behold. And when I told them of my dealings with the Raven herself, they were... well, awed isn't the right word. Frightened, maybe?
Feelings aside, I was taken to their church. Their temple. I told my story, and was received. I was given a home, heralded as a new follower. Welcomed with open arms, I hid in their libraries, apart from others. A recluse. I was nearly forgotten, lost to the tomes... but one remembered. He I remember. Nevwer. He was kind to me... a father in all ways but name. He ran the library where I spent my time. He helped me survive, when I should have died alone in the night. Instead, I lived with him, in the dusk. I learned much those years, hiding away in the shelves. Together, we searched out lost books, forgotten stories, disregarded histories. We were scholars, hidden in the twilight of those stacks. We were visionaries, laying out plans for vast, never seen cities of knowledge. And, in the end, we were friends, bonded by that past, that knowledge, that none others could possess.
I still remember the day I found it. We had been working long, and it was nearing six-hour. And then, there it was. At the end of the rows, atop its own pedestal. I could feel it before I saw it... an icy cold at the back of my neck, a burning in my heart, a memory in my mind. The memory of a white mask, a black void, and ravens. And there it was. The holy book, the holiest of books. The Book of Memories, from which the first Priest had read the words of his Queen. Long thought lost, the book was found. I was heralded as a hero, and I shared my joy with Nevwer.
I was pulled away. Pulled from my books, my world, my dusk. My friend. He died, years later, cold and alone in the darkness. I know, because he came to me.
But I was a priest. A savior. My name echoed throughout the city, at all endless times. I was given access to the church's resources, to further my independent studies. I was not to be disturbed. I pored over the book, what was my right... I could read it. I saw its teachings, its boons, my boons. I was the wisest of the wise, the leader of their church. Nobody said so, of course. But I knew. We all did. I was free to do what i liked...
And I did. I did good things, great things. I built schools. Farms. Explored and renovated long lost wings of the city. My life was perfect, in all ways.
And I hated it.
Sure, it was fun at first, but I got tired. Then I got bored. Then I got angry. Why did they have to ask me their questions? Why did I always have to have the answers? I didn't care about them, their plights. I didn't care about anything! I couldn't escape, of course. Not truly. I couldn't bring myself to leave this world, this paradise. I kept telling myself that it would get better, that it would stop... it didn't.
It had been that way for years when I finally snapped. I broke my vows of nonviolence. I killed... many. When my head cleared, much of my wing of the city was aflame. Most though I was dead... and I believed them. I didn't know myself. I didn't know if I was alive or dead, i didn't know my mind, and I didn't know my soul. So I ran.
Again.
Two thousand, five hundred, and seventy-two. That's how many died due to my actions. Nearly a tenth of the city's population. They wailed into my mind that day, thousands of souls screaming in pain. I can still hear them... all of their names. So many names, so many deaths, so many ways to end a life.
It's been... three years? since then. I still don't have answers, I still don't have peace. I'm still searching for a way to be forgiven. To forgive myself. I found Kolre through my journeys, a channeling of my power into a servant of the Raven Queen. I hope it means she still cares for me. You never will tell me, will you?"
"Nope!"
"Lewen."
"Yep!"
"I appreciate your help with the story."
"Yeah, you nearly missed a few things. Idiot."
"Heh." He turns back to Arty. "Was that to your liking, young one? Did you enjoy me tale? I hope not. It is not a happy story. I pray that yours will be brighter, once it begins."
Arty looks at him, a half eaten biscuit in her mouth. "That's a... I feel... I don't know what to say to that."
He gives a small, sad smile, boosted by a small, sad sigh. "Good answer. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you something happier."
*Just in case you didn't know, I only started giving vague answers because I can never remember things well enough to summarize.*
*Makes sense. Idk how to write a summary that doesnt just confuse people more*
*Okay. I know some people do it just to be annoying, so I felt that was necessary.*
*I do it because I'm not very good at summarizing.*
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Circle of Hedgehogs Druid Beholder/Animated Armor Level -20 Bardof the OIADSB Cult, here are our rules.Sig.Also a sauce council member, but it's been dead for a while.
*God-Level items were being handed out like they were nothing.*
*Gravedigger? Yep. Eris doesn't do more than Very Rare, and only top hats.*
*I do uncommon and just make them look or feel really cool.*
*I do uncommon but I'm bad at making them look cool.*
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Circle of Hedgehogs Druid Beholder/Animated Armor Level -20 Bardof the OIADSB Cult, here are our rules.Sig.Also a sauce council member, but it's been dead for a while.
Kolre fluffs his feathers. "Alrighty then, you asked for it. Ingress, you start, right? I wasn't there for the first bit..."
Ingress clears his throat. "Well. I guess... we should start at the beginning, no?
"At first, there was nothing. Then, everything. The God, Mandor, sprung into being, born of the Universe herself- No? Too much? Too much. Not that far back. Boo... fine.
I was born in the sky. Atop the clouds, soaring through the air, looking down at the world below... in more ways than one, I suppose. The Temple of the Everborn Sun was... an interesting place to grow up. The followers of Leanis were a pious group, permitting none to stray from their fold. I was indoctrinated, of course. Born into the order of the sun. I... loved it. Order. Peace. I believed I was perfect, that me and my friends were right. How... how naive we were, that the world was in simple blacks and golds. There are other colors... greys. Blues. Reds. Purples. Yellows. Greens. So much life, so much love... and I knew none of it. My life was that of a cloistered acolyte, content to believe in superiority and religious perfection.
I had friends. I had a family. The Thals, long departed from the rabble of the lower mountains, dwelled in the skies. My best friends lived there too, above the rest. Balorn, a scholar of the planes. Lavis, our group's resident paladin. Dorn. That sick... avahlet. Tarahs. And Kevae... joyous, perfect, Kevae. I still miss them. Or, at least, most of them. We got in a fair bit of trouble, our little squad! Running about in our own personal paradise... it seemed like it would last forever. But, it didn't. It fell so fast... crumbling about me. My world, my life, gone in an instant.
The clouds still remain, of course. The Temple still soars. But I cannot stand there. I could, but I won't. Not again. Not after what they did.
I was... fifteen, I think? I don't remember all of the details... it was late. The sun was setting, bathing our world in a pink and orange glow... I heard shouts. Screams. I ran out, weapon in hand... and there she was. There they all were. Kevae, in chains. Balorn, in chains. Lavis... he was on the floor, bleeding from his side. So much blood... And Dorn. Standing above them, standing with the Knights, the holy men. They said... something. I... don't remember. Gods, I wish I could remember... But I ran. They chased me, but I was faster than them... I knew the land, the shortcuts, the passages. I escaped. I hid. I cried. Then I watched as my friends were dragged to the church. Brought before the voices of the gods.
They were judged. I couldn't hear the proceedings, but I saw them... in the end, they were guilty. I got that much. There was celebration, of all things. I don't know why... I wish I did. At the end, they were brought to the edge. Staring into the sky, the ground below. And then they... they...
Balorn fell first. I wasn't expecting it... why would I? I had seen such things happen before, but it was always a punishment for traitors... spies, heretics, madmen. Not my friends, not loyal citizens... but he still fell. Dorn did it himself. I can see his face... hard. Firm. Uncaring. I saw the sun in his eyes, burning with primordial hatred... Balorn hit the ground hard. He died quickly. He told me, decades later, in a sea of fire and flame.
Lavis tried to fight back, the fool. He was already hurt. It didn't take much. He was dead before he left the clouds. He came to me, in smoke and ash, crying in pain.
I had worked my way into the crowd by that point, hidden in the vestments of the clergy... Kevae was on the edge. Dorn was... on the edge. And then I was on the edge. And then we weren't.
I don't remember landing. I just remember the fall... shock in their faces as we all plummeted off the edge... fear in my heart, fear in my friend's, fear in my enemy's. The nothing.
The next they I can remember is flashes. Darkness, permeating the darkness of my eyes. A greater void. Then lights. Suns... and flames. Infernal braziers, burning with self-righteous hate. Celestial lanterns, shining in benediction... and between. The ravens. The Raven. She was so beautiful... standing there in prematerial glory, black hair stretching to infinity, filling the void. She wore a mask... white. Cracked. And she saw me... I know not how I know, but I do. And she... she smiled. Somehow, through the mask, through the void, through the endless nothing... she smiled at me.
And then I was awake. On the ground. Touching true stone for the first time. And no-one was there... no-one alive, at least. I saw Dorn... gods, I saw Dorn. But Kevae was gone, nowhere to be found. No trace. I never found her. Never heard her voice. I heard Dorn's, though. Screaming at me in righteous hatred. But I never found Kevae... Instead, I found this. This pendant... around my neck. I can't take it off... I've never tried. Never will.
I'm still not sure how I'm alive. I wandered for days... weeks, even. I don't know. I didn't eat. I was so hungry... I was in the wastes. Plateaus... mesa. There was a river that I followed. I think it kept me alive. There weren't people... it was barren. No life. The sun, once this beacon of religion and righteousness, had turned into a sickening, burning death. But I walked.
When I saw a humanoid, I was on my last legs. Probably had been for a while. But they were kind. They showed pity on me, took me to their home. A small family lived there... goblins, I think. They were so kind... they didn't have enough. I learned much that day. War raged, and the land I lived in needed soldiers. And soldiers needed food. The family had... gods, I can't even remember their names... they had given all they could. And then, when they could give no more... they were evicted. Cast into the Curan wastes.
I made a choice that night. I couldn't stay, I knew that... they wouldn't live. But they wouldn't live regardless.
Their food lasted me for two weeks.
Those weeks allowed me to escape. I made it out. They... didn't. I've seen their souls. They came to me... so many years later...
But I had survived the wastes. I had reached grassland, the hills of Crekehq. I was still hard pressed to survive... there were some close calls, what with Elementals and all that. A troll or two. I ran, mostly. Eventually, I made it to a settlement. Reving's Hill. I lived there for... two years? Three? I was a shepherd, a farmer, a merchant. I had a life there, so different from the one before. I didn't make friends. Not again. Not after last time. But I eked out a living. But, inevitably, I came close. I started to like people there, and they started to like me. And I was terrified! I left again, saying one last goodbye. I left into the hills, seeking... peace. Solace. An answer to my questions.
Reving's Hill was destroyed two years later, torn apart by a wandering Elder Tempest. Their souls came to me, same as the rest.
I walked for a day. A week. Two. Five. Weeks turned into months, months into a year. I saved a flock of sheep from death. Their shepherd had died in a landslide...I saw it happen. He confirmed it himself, years later.
The sheep kept me company, as I traveled the land. I met fellow travelers, some more than once. Many remembered me fondly. I know, for they told me so, years later.
And I found what I was looking for. A crater. Miles and miles of scorched earth. In the center, a wreckage... the skeleton of an ancient behemoth, a jewel of the sky. Ibcremis. The Fallen City.
I left the sheep behind, released into the wilderness. I don't know what happened to them. I wish I did.
And then I entered. The cracks spread from the center, vast crevasses of red rock. It took me day and three nights to find my way... time, as I realized, did not follow a set path there. And when I finally reached the city, I was greeted, not by silence, but my song. Birds. The Kenku.
I was surprised, of course. As were they. But we soon established a shared language, and we shared our stories. Their people were the last survivors of the city; the ones who had lived through the fall countless years ago. They had lost their language, their creativity, their wings. In the years that passed, however, they recovered. They were saved... by Ravens. Their wings are still broken, shattered beyond repair, but their voices are beautiful, their architecture a sight to behold. And when I told them of my dealings with the Raven herself, they were... well, awed isn't the right word. Frightened, maybe?
Feelings aside, I was taken to their church. Their temple. I told my story, and was received. I was given a home, heralded as a new follower. Welcomed with open arms, I hid in their libraries, apart from others. A recluse. I was nearly forgotten, lost to the tomes... but one remembered. He I remember. Nevwer. He was kind to me... a father in all ways but name. He ran the library where I spent my time. He helped me survive, when I should have died alone in the night. Instead, I lived with him, in the dusk. I learned much those years, hiding away in the shelves. Together, we searched out lost books, forgotten stories, disregarded histories. We were scholars, hidden in the twilight of those stacks. We were visionaries, laying out plans for vast, never seen cities of knowledge. And, in the end, we were friends, bonded by that past, that knowledge, that none others could possess.
I still remember the day I found it. We had been working long, and it was nearing six-hour. And then, there it was. At the end of the rows, atop its own pedestal. I could feel it before I saw it... an icy cold at the back of my neck, a burning in my heart, a memory in my mind. The memory of a white mask, a black void, and ravens. And there it was. The holy book, the holiest of books. The Book of Memories, from which the first Priest had read the words of his Queen. Long thought lost, the book was found. I was heralded as a hero, and I shared my joy with Nevwer.
I was pulled away. Pulled from my books, my world, my dusk. My friend. He died, years later, cold and alone in the darkness. I know, because he came to me.
But I was a priest. A savior. My name echoed throughout the city, at all endless times. I was given access to the church's resources, to further my independent studies. I was not to be disturbed. I pored over the book, what was my right... I could read it. I saw its teachings, its boons, my boons. I was the wisest of the wise, the leader of their church. Nobody said so, of course. But I knew. We all did. I was free to do what i liked...
And I did. I did good things, great things. I built schools. Farms. Explored and renovated long lost wings of the city. My life was perfect, in all ways.
And I hated it.
Sure, it was fun at first, but I got tired. Then I got bored. Then I got angry. Why did they have to ask me their questions? Why did I always have to have the answers? I didn't care about them, their plights. I didn't care about anything! I couldn't escape, of course. Not truly. I couldn't bring myself to leave this world, this paradise. I kept telling myself that it would get better, that it would stop... it didn't.
It had been that way for years when I finally snapped. I broke my vows of nonviolence. I killed... many. When my head cleared, much of my wing of the city was aflame. Most though I was dead... and I believed them. I didn't know myself. I didn't know if I was alive or dead, i didn't know my mind, and I didn't know my soul. So I ran.
Again.
Two thousand, five hundred, and seventy-two. That's how many died due to my actions. Nearly a tenth of the city's population. They wailed into my mind that day, thousands of souls screaming in pain. I can still hear them... all of their names. So many names, so many deaths, so many ways to end a life.
It's been... three years? since then. I still don't have answers, I still don't have peace. I'm still searching for a way to be forgiven. To forgive myself. I found Kolre through my journeys, a channeling of my power into a servant of the Raven Queen. I hope it means she still cares for me. You never will tell me, will you?"
"Nope!"
"Lewen."
"Yep!"
"I appreciate your help with the story."
"Yeah, you nearly missed a few things. Idiot."
"Heh." He turns back to Arty. "Was that to your liking, young one? Did you enjoy me tale? I hope not. It is not a happy story. I pray that yours will be brighter, once it begins."
Arty looks at him, a half eaten biscuit in her mouth. "That's a... I feel... I don't know what to say to that."
He gives a small, sad smile, boosted by a small, sad sigh. "Good answer. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you something happier."
"Do you feel okay? Who's the Raven Women?"
"I feel... better, honestly. Felt nice to get that off my chest. Sorry if I got a bit rambly, heh. The Raven Queen, as she is known, is a warden of the Space Between life and death, and a guide to the wayward souls who become lost there. She is merciful, and cold."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Seven there shall be/In the halls of the eighth/Eights shall witness/Eight and eight and eight and eight/Blood of the father/Blood of the sun/Endless darkness/Day is done
Kolre fluffs his feathers. "Alrighty then, you asked for it. Ingress, you start, right? I wasn't there for the first bit..."
Ingress clears his throat. "Well. I guess... we should start at the beginning, no?
"At first, there was nothing. Then, everything. The God, Mandor, sprung into being, born of the Universe herself- No? Too much? Too much. Not that far back. Boo... fine.
I was born in the sky. Atop the clouds, soaring through the air, looking down at the world below... in more ways than one, I suppose. The Temple of the Everborn Sun was... an interesting place to grow up. The followers of Leanis were a pious group, permitting none to stray from their fold. I was indoctrinated, of course. Born into the order of the sun. I... loved it. Order. Peace. I believed I was perfect, that me and my friends were right. How... how naive we were, that the world was in simple blacks and golds. There are other colors... greys. Blues. Reds. Purples. Yellows. Greens. So much life, so much love... and I knew none of it. My life was that of a cloistered acolyte, content to believe in superiority and religious perfection.
I had friends. I had a family. The Thals, long departed from the rabble of the lower mountains, dwelled in the skies. My best friends lived there too, above the rest. Balorn, a scholar of the planes. Lavis, our group's resident paladin. Dorn. That sick... avahlet. Tarahs. And Kevae... joyous, perfect, Kevae. I still miss them. Or, at least, most of them. We got in a fair bit of trouble, our little squad! Running about in our own personal paradise... it seemed like it would last forever. But, it didn't. It fell so fast... crumbling about me. My world, my life, gone in an instant.
The clouds still remain, of course. The Temple still soars. But I cannot stand there. I could, but I won't. Not again. Not after what they did.
I was... fifteen, I think? I don't remember all of the details... it was late. The sun was setting, bathing our world in a pink and orange glow... I heard shouts. Screams. I ran out, weapon in hand... and there she was. There they all were. Kevae, in chains. Balorn, in chains. Lavis... he was on the floor, bleeding from his side. So much blood... And Dorn. Standing above them, standing with the Knights, the holy men. They said... something. I... don't remember. Gods, I wish I could remember... But I ran. They chased me, but I was faster than them... I knew the land, the shortcuts, the passages. I escaped. I hid. I cried. Then I watched as my friends were dragged to the church. Brought before the voices of the gods.
They were judged. I couldn't hear the proceedings, but I saw them... in the end, they were guilty. I got that much. There was celebration, of all things. I don't know why... I wish I did. At the end, they were brought to the edge. Staring into the sky, the ground below. And then they... they...
Balorn fell first. I wasn't expecting it... why would I? I had seen such things happen before, but it was always a punishment for traitors... spies, heretics, madmen. Not my friends, not loyal citizens... but he still fell. Dorn did it himself. I can see his face... hard. Firm. Uncaring. I saw the sun in his eyes, burning with primordial hatred... Balorn hit the ground hard. He died quickly. He told me, decades later, in a sea of fire and flame.
Lavis tried to fight back, the fool. He was already hurt. It didn't take much. He was dead before he left the clouds. He came to me, in smoke and ash, crying in pain.
I had worked my way into the crowd by that point, hidden in the vestments of the clergy... Kevae was on the edge. Dorn was... on the edge. And then I was on the edge. And then we weren't.
I don't remember landing. I just remember the fall... shock in their faces as we all plummeted off the edge... fear in my heart, fear in my friend's, fear in my enemy's. The nothing.
The next they I can remember is flashes. Darkness, permeating the darkness of my eyes. A greater void. Then lights. Suns... and flames. Infernal braziers, burning with self-righteous hate. Celestial lanterns, shining in benediction... and between. The ravens. The Raven. She was so beautiful... standing there in prematerial glory, black hair stretching to infinity, filling the void. She wore a mask... white. Cracked. And she saw me... I know not how I know, but I do. And she... she smiled. Somehow, through the mask, through the void, through the endless nothing... she smiled at me.
And then I was awake. On the ground. Touching true stone for the first time. And no-one was there... no-one alive, at least. I saw Dorn... gods, I saw Dorn. But Kevae was gone, nowhere to be found. No trace. I never found her. Never heard her voice. I heard Dorn's, though. Screaming at me in righteous hatred. But I never found Kevae... Instead, I found this. This pendant... around my neck. I can't take it off... I've never tried. Never will.
I'm still not sure how I'm alive. I wandered for days... weeks, even. I don't know. I didn't eat. I was so hungry... I was in the wastes. Plateaus... mesa. There was a river that I followed. I think it kept me alive. There weren't people... it was barren. No life. The sun, once this beacon of religion and righteousness, had turned into a sickening, burning death. But I walked.
When I saw a humanoid, I was on my last legs. Probably had been for a while. But they were kind. They showed pity on me, took me to their home. A small family lived there... goblins, I think. They were so kind... they didn't have enough. I learned much that day. War raged, and the land I lived in needed soldiers. And soldiers needed food. The family had... gods, I can't even remember their names... they had given all they could. And then, when they could give no more... they were evicted. Cast into the Curan wastes.
I made a choice that night. I couldn't stay, I knew that... they wouldn't live. But they wouldn't live regardless.
Their food lasted me for two weeks.
Those weeks allowed me to escape. I made it out. They... didn't. I've seen their souls. They came to me... so many years later...
But I had survived the wastes. I had reached grassland, the hills of Crekehq. I was still hard pressed to survive... there were some close calls, what with Elementals and all that. A troll or two. I ran, mostly. Eventually, I made it to a settlement. Reving's Hill. I lived there for... two years? Three? I was a shepherd, a farmer, a merchant. I had a life there, so different from the one before. I didn't make friends. Not again. Not after last time. But I eked out a living. But, inevitably, I came close. I started to like people there, and they started to like me. And I was terrified! I left again, saying one last goodbye. I left into the hills, seeking... peace. Solace. An answer to my questions.
Reving's Hill was destroyed two years later, torn apart by a wandering Elder Tempest. Their souls came to me, same as the rest.
I walked for a day. A week. Two. Five. Weeks turned into months, months into a year. I saved a flock of sheep from death. Their shepherd had died in a landslide...I saw it happen. He confirmed it himself, years later.
The sheep kept me company, as I traveled the land. I met fellow travelers, some more than once. Many remembered me fondly. I know, for they told me so, years later.
And I found what I was looking for. A crater. Miles and miles of scorched earth. In the center, a wreckage... the skeleton of an ancient behemoth, a jewel of the sky. Ibcremis. The Fallen City.
I left the sheep behind, released into the wilderness. I don't know what happened to them. I wish I did.
And then I entered. The cracks spread from the center, vast crevasses of red rock. It took me day and three nights to find my way... time, as I realized, did not follow a set path there. And when I finally reached the city, I was greeted, not by silence, but my song. Birds. The Kenku.
I was surprised, of course. As were they. But we soon established a shared language, and we shared our stories. Their people were the last survivors of the city; the ones who had lived through the fall countless years ago. They had lost their language, their creativity, their wings. In the years that passed, however, they recovered. They were saved... by Ravens. Their wings are still broken, shattered beyond repair, but their voices are beautiful, their architecture a sight to behold. And when I told them of my dealings with the Raven herself, they were... well, awed isn't the right word. Frightened, maybe?
Feelings aside, I was taken to their church. Their temple. I told my story, and was received. I was given a home, heralded as a new follower. Welcomed with open arms, I hid in their libraries, apart from others. A recluse. I was nearly forgotten, lost to the tomes... but one remembered. He I remember. Nevwer. He was kind to me... a father in all ways but name. He ran the library where I spent my time. He helped me survive, when I should have died alone in the night. Instead, I lived with him, in the dusk. I learned much those years, hiding away in the shelves. Together, we searched out lost books, forgotten stories, disregarded histories. We were scholars, hidden in the twilight of those stacks. We were visionaries, laying out plans for vast, never seen cities of knowledge. And, in the end, we were friends, bonded by that past, that knowledge, that none others could possess.
I still remember the day I found it. We had been working long, and it was nearing six-hour. And then, there it was. At the end of the rows, atop its own pedestal. I could feel it before I saw it... an icy cold at the back of my neck, a burning in my heart, a memory in my mind. The memory of a white mask, a black void, and ravens. And there it was. The holy book, the holiest of books. The Book of Memories, from which the first Priest had read the words of his Queen. Long thought lost, the book was found. I was heralded as a hero, and I shared my joy with Nevwer.
I was pulled away. Pulled from my books, my world, my dusk. My friend. He died, years later, cold and alone in the darkness. I know, because he came to me.
But I was a priest. A savior. My name echoed throughout the city, at all endless times. I was given access to the church's resources, to further my independent studies. I was not to be disturbed. I pored over the book, what was my right... I could read it. I saw its teachings, its boons, my boons. I was the wisest of the wise, the leader of their church. Nobody said so, of course. But I knew. We all did. I was free to do what i liked...
And I did. I did good things, great things. I built schools. Farms. Explored and renovated long lost wings of the city. My life was perfect, in all ways.
And I hated it.
Sure, it was fun at first, but I got tired. Then I got bored. Then I got angry. Why did they have to ask me their questions? Why did I always have to have the answers? I didn't care about them, their plights. I didn't care about anything! I couldn't escape, of course. Not truly. I couldn't bring myself to leave this world, this paradise. I kept telling myself that it would get better, that it would stop... it didn't.
It had been that way for years when I finally snapped. I broke my vows of nonviolence. I killed... many. When my head cleared, much of my wing of the city was aflame. Most though I was dead... and I believed them. I didn't know myself. I didn't know if I was alive or dead, i didn't know my mind, and I didn't know my soul. So I ran.
Again.
Two thousand, five hundred, and seventy-two. That's how many died due to my actions. Nearly a tenth of the city's population. They wailed into my mind that day, thousands of souls screaming in pain. I can still hear them... all of their names. So many names, so many deaths, so many ways to end a life.
It's been... three years? since then. I still don't have answers, I still don't have peace. I'm still searching for a way to be forgiven. To forgive myself. I found Kolre through my journeys, a channeling of my power into a servant of the Raven Queen. I hope it means she still cares for me. You never will tell me, will you?"
"Nope!"
"Lewen."
"Yep!"
"I appreciate your help with the story."
"Yeah, you nearly missed a few things. Idiot."
"Heh." He turns back to Arty. "Was that to your liking, young one? Did you enjoy me tale? I hope not. It is not a happy story. I pray that yours will be brighter, once it begins."
Arty looks at him, a half eaten biscuit in her mouth. "That's a... I feel... I don't know what to say to that."
He gives a small, sad smile, boosted by a small, sad sigh. "Good answer. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you something happier."
"Do you feel okay? Who's the Raven Women?"
"I feel... better, honestly. Felt nice to get that off my chest. Sorry if I got a bit rambly, heh. The Raven Queen, as she is known, is a warden of the Space Between life and death, and a guide to the wayward souls who become lost there. She is merciful, and cold."
Kolre fluffs his feathers. "Alrighty then, you asked for it. Ingress, you start, right? I wasn't there for the first bit..."
Ingress clears his throat. "Well. I guess... we should start at the beginning, no?
"At first, there was nothing. Then, everything. The God, Mandor, sprung into being, born of the Universe herself- No? Too much? Too much. Not that far back. Boo... fine.
I was born in the sky. Atop the clouds, soaring through the air, looking down at the world below... in more ways than one, I suppose. The Temple of the Everborn Sun was... an interesting place to grow up. The followers of Leanis were a pious group, permitting none to stray from their fold. I was indoctrinated, of course. Born into the order of the sun. I... loved it. Order. Peace. I believed I was perfect, that me and my friends were right. How... how naive we were, that the world was in simple blacks and golds. There are other colors... greys. Blues. Reds. Purples. Yellows. Greens. So much life, so much love... and I knew none of it. My life was that of a cloistered acolyte, content to believe in superiority and religious perfection.
I had friends. I had a family. The Thals, long departed from the rabble of the lower mountains, dwelled in the skies. My best friends lived there too, above the rest. Balorn, a scholar of the planes. Lavis, our group's resident paladin. Dorn. That sick... avahlet. Tarahs. And Kevae... joyous, perfect, Kevae. I still miss them. Or, at least, most of them. We got in a fair bit of trouble, our little squad! Running about in our own personal paradise... it seemed like it would last forever. But, it didn't. It fell so fast... crumbling about me. My world, my life, gone in an instant.
The clouds still remain, of course. The Temple still soars. But I cannot stand there. I could, but I won't. Not again. Not after what they did.
I was... fifteen, I think? I don't remember all of the details... it was late. The sun was setting, bathing our world in a pink and orange glow... I heard shouts. Screams. I ran out, weapon in hand... and there she was. There they all were. Kevae, in chains. Balorn, in chains. Lavis... he was on the floor, bleeding from his side. So much blood... And Dorn. Standing above them, standing with the Knights, the holy men. They said... something. I... don't remember. Gods, I wish I could remember... But I ran. They chased me, but I was faster than them... I knew the land, the shortcuts, the passages. I escaped. I hid. I cried. Then I watched as my friends were dragged to the church. Brought before the voices of the gods.
They were judged. I couldn't hear the proceedings, but I saw them... in the end, they were guilty. I got that much. There was celebration, of all things. I don't know why... I wish I did. At the end, they were brought to the edge. Staring into the sky, the ground below. And then they... they...
Balorn fell first. I wasn't expecting it... why would I? I had seen such things happen before, but it was always a punishment for traitors... spies, heretics, madmen. Not my friends, not loyal citizens... but he still fell. Dorn did it himself. I can see his face... hard. Firm. Uncaring. I saw the sun in his eyes, burning with primordial hatred... Balorn hit the ground hard. He died quickly. He told me, decades later, in a sea of fire and flame.
Lavis tried to fight back, the fool. He was already hurt. It didn't take much. He was dead before he left the clouds. He came to me, in smoke and ash, crying in pain.
I had worked my way into the crowd by that point, hidden in the vestments of the clergy... Kevae was on the edge. Dorn was... on the edge. And then I was on the edge. And then we weren't.
I don't remember landing. I just remember the fall... shock in their faces as we all plummeted off the edge... fear in my heart, fear in my friend's, fear in my enemy's. The nothing.
The next they I can remember is flashes. Darkness, permeating the darkness of my eyes. A greater void. Then lights. Suns... and flames. Infernal braziers, burning with self-righteous hate. Celestial lanterns, shining in benediction... and between. The ravens. The Raven. She was so beautiful... standing there in prematerial glory, black hair stretching to infinity, filling the void. She wore a mask... white. Cracked. And she saw me... I know not how I know, but I do. And she... she smiled. Somehow, through the mask, through the void, through the endless nothing... she smiled at me.
And then I was awake. On the ground. Touching true stone for the first time. And no-one was there... no-one alive, at least. I saw Dorn... gods, I saw Dorn. But Kevae was gone, nowhere to be found. No trace. I never found her. Never heard her voice. I heard Dorn's, though. Screaming at me in righteous hatred. But I never found Kevae... Instead, I found this. This pendant... around my neck. I can't take it off... I've never tried. Never will.
I'm still not sure how I'm alive. I wandered for days... weeks, even. I don't know. I didn't eat. I was so hungry... I was in the wastes. Plateaus... mesa. There was a river that I followed. I think it kept me alive. There weren't people... it was barren. No life. The sun, once this beacon of religion and righteousness, had turned into a sickening, burning death. But I walked.
When I saw a humanoid, I was on my last legs. Probably had been for a while. But they were kind. They showed pity on me, took me to their home. A small family lived there... goblins, I think. They were so kind... they didn't have enough. I learned much that day. War raged, and the land I lived in needed soldiers. And soldiers needed food. The family had... gods, I can't even remember their names... they had given all they could. And then, when they could give no more... they were evicted. Cast into the Curan wastes.
I made a choice that night. I couldn't stay, I knew that... they wouldn't live. But they wouldn't live regardless.
Their food lasted me for two weeks.
Those weeks allowed me to escape. I made it out. They... didn't. I've seen their souls. They came to me... so many years later...
But I had survived the wastes. I had reached grassland, the hills of Crekehq. I was still hard pressed to survive... there were some close calls, what with Elementals and all that. A troll or two. I ran, mostly. Eventually, I made it to a settlement. Reving's Hill. I lived there for... two years? Three? I was a shepherd, a farmer, a merchant. I had a life there, so different from the one before. I didn't make friends. Not again. Not after last time. But I eked out a living. But, inevitably, I came close. I started to like people there, and they started to like me. And I was terrified! I left again, saying one last goodbye. I left into the hills, seeking... peace. Solace. An answer to my questions.
Reving's Hill was destroyed two years later, torn apart by a wandering Elder Tempest. Their souls came to me, same as the rest.
I walked for a day. A week. Two. Five. Weeks turned into months, months into a year. I saved a flock of sheep from death. Their shepherd had died in a landslide...I saw it happen. He confirmed it himself, years later.
The sheep kept me company, as I traveled the land. I met fellow travelers, some more than once. Many remembered me fondly. I know, for they told me so, years later.
And I found what I was looking for. A crater. Miles and miles of scorched earth. In the center, a wreckage... the skeleton of an ancient behemoth, a jewel of the sky. Ibcremis. The Fallen City.
I left the sheep behind, released into the wilderness. I don't know what happened to them. I wish I did.
And then I entered. The cracks spread from the center, vast crevasses of red rock. It took me day and three nights to find my way... time, as I realized, did not follow a set path there. And when I finally reached the city, I was greeted, not by silence, but my song. Birds. The Kenku.
I was surprised, of course. As were they. But we soon established a shared language, and we shared our stories. Their people were the last survivors of the city; the ones who had lived through the fall countless years ago. They had lost their language, their creativity, their wings. In the years that passed, however, they recovered. They were saved... by Ravens. Their wings are still broken, shattered beyond repair, but their voices are beautiful, their architecture a sight to behold. And when I told them of my dealings with the Raven herself, they were... well, awed isn't the right word. Frightened, maybe?
Feelings aside, I was taken to their church. Their temple. I told my story, and was received. I was given a home, heralded as a new follower. Welcomed with open arms, I hid in their libraries, apart from others. A recluse. I was nearly forgotten, lost to the tomes... but one remembered. He I remember. Nevwer. He was kind to me... a father in all ways but name. He ran the library where I spent my time. He helped me survive, when I should have died alone in the night. Instead, I lived with him, in the dusk. I learned much those years, hiding away in the shelves. Together, we searched out lost books, forgotten stories, disregarded histories. We were scholars, hidden in the twilight of those stacks. We were visionaries, laying out plans for vast, never seen cities of knowledge. And, in the end, we were friends, bonded by that past, that knowledge, that none others could possess.
I still remember the day I found it. We had been working long, and it was nearing six-hour. And then, there it was. At the end of the rows, atop its own pedestal. I could feel it before I saw it... an icy cold at the back of my neck, a burning in my heart, a memory in my mind. The memory of a white mask, a black void, and ravens. And there it was. The holy book, the holiest of books. The Book of Memories, from which the first Priest had read the words of his Queen. Long thought lost, the book was found. I was heralded as a hero, and I shared my joy with Nevwer.
I was pulled away. Pulled from my books, my world, my dusk. My friend. He died, years later, cold and alone in the darkness. I know, because he came to me.
But I was a priest. A savior. My name echoed throughout the city, at all endless times. I was given access to the church's resources, to further my independent studies. I was not to be disturbed. I pored over the book, what was my right... I could read it. I saw its teachings, its boons, my boons. I was the wisest of the wise, the leader of their church. Nobody said so, of course. But I knew. We all did. I was free to do what i liked...
And I did. I did good things, great things. I built schools. Farms. Explored and renovated long lost wings of the city. My life was perfect, in all ways.
And I hated it.
Sure, it was fun at first, but I got tired. Then I got bored. Then I got angry. Why did they have to ask me their questions? Why did I always have to have the answers? I didn't care about them, their plights. I didn't care about anything! I couldn't escape, of course. Not truly. I couldn't bring myself to leave this world, this paradise. I kept telling myself that it would get better, that it would stop... it didn't.
It had been that way for years when I finally snapped. I broke my vows of nonviolence. I killed... many. When my head cleared, much of my wing of the city was aflame. Most though I was dead... and I believed them. I didn't know myself. I didn't know if I was alive or dead, i didn't know my mind, and I didn't know my soul. So I ran.
Again.
Two thousand, five hundred, and seventy-two. That's how many died due to my actions. Nearly a tenth of the city's population. They wailed into my mind that day, thousands of souls screaming in pain. I can still hear them... all of their names. So many names, so many deaths, so many ways to end a life.
It's been... three years? since then. I still don't have answers, I still don't have peace. I'm still searching for a way to be forgiven. To forgive myself. I found Kolre through my journeys, a channeling of my power into a servant of the Raven Queen. I hope it means she still cares for me. You never will tell me, will you?"
"Nope!"
"Lewen."
"Yep!"
"I appreciate your help with the story."
"Yeah, you nearly missed a few things. Idiot."
"Heh." He turns back to Arty. "Was that to your liking, young one? Did you enjoy me tale? I hope not. It is not a happy story. I pray that yours will be brighter, once it begins."
Arty looks at him, a half eaten biscuit in her mouth. "That's a... I feel... I don't know what to say to that."
He gives a small, sad smile, boosted by a small, sad sigh. "Good answer. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you something happier."
"Do you feel okay? Who's the Raven Women?"
"I feel... better, honestly. Felt nice to get that off my chest. Sorry if I got a bit rambly, heh. The Raven Queen, as she is known, is a warden of the Space Between life and death, and a guide to the wayward souls who become lost there. She is merciful, and cold."
Why can't she just get a blanket?
He tilts his head to the side. Emotionally cold. I don't know about her physical warmth.
*Who is saying this?*
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Seven there shall be/In the halls of the eighth/Eights shall witness/Eight and eight and eight and eight/Blood of the father/Blood of the sun/Endless darkness/Day is done
Kolre fluffs his feathers. "Alrighty then, you asked for it. Ingress, you start, right? I wasn't there for the first bit..."
Ingress clears his throat. "Well. I guess... we should start at the beginning, no?
"At first, there was nothing. Then, everything. The God, Mandor, sprung into being, born of the Universe herself- No? Too much? Too much. Not that far back. Boo... fine.
I was born in the sky. Atop the clouds, soaring through the air, looking down at the world below... in more ways than one, I suppose. The Temple of the Everborn Sun was... an interesting place to grow up. The followers of Leanis were a pious group, permitting none to stray from their fold. I was indoctrinated, of course. Born into the order of the sun. I... loved it. Order. Peace. I believed I was perfect, that me and my friends were right. How... how naive we were, that the world was in simple blacks and golds. There are other colors... greys. Blues. Reds. Purples. Yellows. Greens. So much life, so much love... and I knew none of it. My life was that of a cloistered acolyte, content to believe in superiority and religious perfection.
I had friends. I had a family. The Thals, long departed from the rabble of the lower mountains, dwelled in the skies. My best friends lived there too, above the rest. Balorn, a scholar of the planes. Lavis, our group's resident paladin. Dorn. That sick... avahlet. Tarahs. And Kevae... joyous, perfect, Kevae. I still miss them. Or, at least, most of them. We got in a fair bit of trouble, our little squad! Running about in our own personal paradise... it seemed like it would last forever. But, it didn't. It fell so fast... crumbling about me. My world, my life, gone in an instant.
The clouds still remain, of course. The Temple still soars. But I cannot stand there. I could, but I won't. Not again. Not after what they did.
I was... fifteen, I think? I don't remember all of the details... it was late. The sun was setting, bathing our world in a pink and orange glow... I heard shouts. Screams. I ran out, weapon in hand... and there she was. There they all were. Kevae, in chains. Balorn, in chains. Lavis... he was on the floor, bleeding from his side. So much blood... And Dorn. Standing above them, standing with the Knights, the holy men. They said... something. I... don't remember. Gods, I wish I could remember... But I ran. They chased me, but I was faster than them... I knew the land, the shortcuts, the passages. I escaped. I hid. I cried. Then I watched as my friends were dragged to the church. Brought before the voices of the gods.
They were judged. I couldn't hear the proceedings, but I saw them... in the end, they were guilty. I got that much. There was celebration, of all things. I don't know why... I wish I did. At the end, they were brought to the edge. Staring into the sky, the ground below. And then they... they...
Balorn fell first. I wasn't expecting it... why would I? I had seen such things happen before, but it was always a punishment for traitors... spies, heretics, madmen. Not my friends, not loyal citizens... but he still fell. Dorn did it himself. I can see his face... hard. Firm. Uncaring. I saw the sun in his eyes, burning with primordial hatred... Balorn hit the ground hard. He died quickly. He told me, decades later, in a sea of fire and flame.
Lavis tried to fight back, the fool. He was already hurt. It didn't take much. He was dead before he left the clouds. He came to me, in smoke and ash, crying in pain.
I had worked my way into the crowd by that point, hidden in the vestments of the clergy... Kevae was on the edge. Dorn was... on the edge. And then I was on the edge. And then we weren't.
I don't remember landing. I just remember the fall... shock in their faces as we all plummeted off the edge... fear in my heart, fear in my friend's, fear in my enemy's. The nothing.
The next they I can remember is flashes. Darkness, permeating the darkness of my eyes. A greater void. Then lights. Suns... and flames. Infernal braziers, burning with self-righteous hate. Celestial lanterns, shining in benediction... and between. The ravens. The Raven. She was so beautiful... standing there in prematerial glory, black hair stretching to infinity, filling the void. She wore a mask... white. Cracked. And she saw me... I know not how I know, but I do. And she... she smiled. Somehow, through the mask, through the void, through the endless nothing... she smiled at me.
And then I was awake. On the ground. Touching true stone for the first time. And no-one was there... no-one alive, at least. I saw Dorn... gods, I saw Dorn. But Kevae was gone, nowhere to be found. No trace. I never found her. Never heard her voice. I heard Dorn's, though. Screaming at me in righteous hatred. But I never found Kevae... Instead, I found this. This pendant... around my neck. I can't take it off... I've never tried. Never will.
I'm still not sure how I'm alive. I wandered for days... weeks, even. I don't know. I didn't eat. I was so hungry... I was in the wastes. Plateaus... mesa. There was a river that I followed. I think it kept me alive. There weren't people... it was barren. No life. The sun, once this beacon of religion and righteousness, had turned into a sickening, burning death. But I walked.
When I saw a humanoid, I was on my last legs. Probably had been for a while. But they were kind. They showed pity on me, took me to their home. A small family lived there... goblins, I think. They were so kind... they didn't have enough. I learned much that day. War raged, and the land I lived in needed soldiers. And soldiers needed food. The family had... gods, I can't even remember their names... they had given all they could. And then, when they could give no more... they were evicted. Cast into the Curan wastes.
I made a choice that night. I couldn't stay, I knew that... they wouldn't live. But they wouldn't live regardless.
Their food lasted me for two weeks.
Those weeks allowed me to escape. I made it out. They... didn't. I've seen their souls. They came to me... so many years later...
But I had survived the wastes. I had reached grassland, the hills of Crekehq. I was still hard pressed to survive... there were some close calls, what with Elementals and all that. A troll or two. I ran, mostly. Eventually, I made it to a settlement. Reving's Hill. I lived there for... two years? Three? I was a shepherd, a farmer, a merchant. I had a life there, so different from the one before. I didn't make friends. Not again. Not after last time. But I eked out a living. But, inevitably, I came close. I started to like people there, and they started to like me. And I was terrified! I left again, saying one last goodbye. I left into the hills, seeking... peace. Solace. An answer to my questions.
Reving's Hill was destroyed two years later, torn apart by a wandering Elder Tempest. Their souls came to me, same as the rest.
I walked for a day. A week. Two. Five. Weeks turned into months, months into a year. I saved a flock of sheep from death. Their shepherd had died in a landslide...I saw it happen. He confirmed it himself, years later.
The sheep kept me company, as I traveled the land. I met fellow travelers, some more than once. Many remembered me fondly. I know, for they told me so, years later.
And I found what I was looking for. A crater. Miles and miles of scorched earth. In the center, a wreckage... the skeleton of an ancient behemoth, a jewel of the sky. Ibcremis. The Fallen City.
I left the sheep behind, released into the wilderness. I don't know what happened to them. I wish I did.
And then I entered. The cracks spread from the center, vast crevasses of red rock. It took me day and three nights to find my way... time, as I realized, did not follow a set path there. And when I finally reached the city, I was greeted, not by silence, but my song. Birds. The Kenku.
I was surprised, of course. As were they. But we soon established a shared language, and we shared our stories. Their people were the last survivors of the city; the ones who had lived through the fall countless years ago. They had lost their language, their creativity, their wings. In the years that passed, however, they recovered. They were saved... by Ravens. Their wings are still broken, shattered beyond repair, but their voices are beautiful, their architecture a sight to behold. And when I told them of my dealings with the Raven herself, they were... well, awed isn't the right word. Frightened, maybe?
Feelings aside, I was taken to their church. Their temple. I told my story, and was received. I was given a home, heralded as a new follower. Welcomed with open arms, I hid in their libraries, apart from others. A recluse. I was nearly forgotten, lost to the tomes... but one remembered. He I remember. Nevwer. He was kind to me... a father in all ways but name. He ran the library where I spent my time. He helped me survive, when I should have died alone in the night. Instead, I lived with him, in the dusk. I learned much those years, hiding away in the shelves. Together, we searched out lost books, forgotten stories, disregarded histories. We were scholars, hidden in the twilight of those stacks. We were visionaries, laying out plans for vast, never seen cities of knowledge. And, in the end, we were friends, bonded by that past, that knowledge, that none others could possess.
I still remember the day I found it. We had been working long, and it was nearing six-hour. And then, there it was. At the end of the rows, atop its own pedestal. I could feel it before I saw it... an icy cold at the back of my neck, a burning in my heart, a memory in my mind. The memory of a white mask, a black void, and ravens. And there it was. The holy book, the holiest of books. The Book of Memories, from which the first Priest had read the words of his Queen. Long thought lost, the book was found. I was heralded as a hero, and I shared my joy with Nevwer.
I was pulled away. Pulled from my books, my world, my dusk. My friend. He died, years later, cold and alone in the darkness. I know, because he came to me.
But I was a priest. A savior. My name echoed throughout the city, at all endless times. I was given access to the church's resources, to further my independent studies. I was not to be disturbed. I pored over the book, what was my right... I could read it. I saw its teachings, its boons, my boons. I was the wisest of the wise, the leader of their church. Nobody said so, of course. But I knew. We all did. I was free to do what i liked...
And I did. I did good things, great things. I built schools. Farms. Explored and renovated long lost wings of the city. My life was perfect, in all ways.
And I hated it.
Sure, it was fun at first, but I got tired. Then I got bored. Then I got angry. Why did they have to ask me their questions? Why did I always have to have the answers? I didn't care about them, their plights. I didn't care about anything! I couldn't escape, of course. Not truly. I couldn't bring myself to leave this world, this paradise. I kept telling myself that it would get better, that it would stop... it didn't.
It had been that way for years when I finally snapped. I broke my vows of nonviolence. I killed... many. When my head cleared, much of my wing of the city was aflame. Most though I was dead... and I believed them. I didn't know myself. I didn't know if I was alive or dead, i didn't know my mind, and I didn't know my soul. So I ran.
Again.
Two thousand, five hundred, and seventy-two. That's how many died due to my actions. Nearly a tenth of the city's population. They wailed into my mind that day, thousands of souls screaming in pain. I can still hear them... all of their names. So many names, so many deaths, so many ways to end a life.
It's been... three years? since then. I still don't have answers, I still don't have peace. I'm still searching for a way to be forgiven. To forgive myself. I found Kolre through my journeys, a channeling of my power into a servant of the Raven Queen. I hope it means she still cares for me. You never will tell me, will you?"
"Nope!"
"Lewen."
"Yep!"
"I appreciate your help with the story."
"Yeah, you nearly missed a few things. Idiot."
"Heh." He turns back to Arty. "Was that to your liking, young one? Did you enjoy me tale? I hope not. It is not a happy story. I pray that yours will be brighter, once it begins."
Arty looks at him, a half eaten biscuit in her mouth. "That's a... I feel... I don't know what to say to that."
He gives a small, sad smile, boosted by a small, sad sigh. "Good answer. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you something happier."
"Do you feel okay? Who's the Raven Women?"
"I feel... better, honestly. Felt nice to get that off my chest. Sorry if I got a bit rambly, heh. The Raven Queen, as she is known, is a warden of the Space Between life and death, and a guide to the wayward souls who become lost there. She is merciful, and cold."
Why can't she just get a blanket?
" Because blankets aren't always available. Maybe someone stole her blanket."
Kolre fluffs his feathers. "Alrighty then, you asked for it. Ingress, you start, right? I wasn't there for the first bit..."
Ingress clears his throat. "Well. I guess... we should start at the beginning, no?
"At first, there was nothing. Then, everything. The God, Mandor, sprung into being, born of the Universe herself- No? Too much? Too much. Not that far back. Boo... fine.
I was born in the sky. Atop the clouds, soaring through the air, looking down at the world below... in more ways than one, I suppose. The Temple of the Everborn Sun was... an interesting place to grow up. The followers of Leanis were a pious group, permitting none to stray from their fold. I was indoctrinated, of course. Born into the order of the sun. I... loved it. Order. Peace. I believed I was perfect, that me and my friends were right. How... how naive we were, that the world was in simple blacks and golds. There are other colors... greys. Blues. Reds. Purples. Yellows. Greens. So much life, so much love... and I knew none of it. My life was that of a cloistered acolyte, content to believe in superiority and religious perfection.
I had friends. I had a family. The Thals, long departed from the rabble of the lower mountains, dwelled in the skies. My best friends lived there too, above the rest. Balorn, a scholar of the planes. Lavis, our group's resident paladin. Dorn. That sick... avahlet. Tarahs. And Kevae... joyous, perfect, Kevae. I still miss them. Or, at least, most of them. We got in a fair bit of trouble, our little squad! Running about in our own personal paradise... it seemed like it would last forever. But, it didn't. It fell so fast... crumbling about me. My world, my life, gone in an instant.
The clouds still remain, of course. The Temple still soars. But I cannot stand there. I could, but I won't. Not again. Not after what they did.
I was... fifteen, I think? I don't remember all of the details... it was late. The sun was setting, bathing our world in a pink and orange glow... I heard shouts. Screams. I ran out, weapon in hand... and there she was. There they all were. Kevae, in chains. Balorn, in chains. Lavis... he was on the floor, bleeding from his side. So much blood... And Dorn. Standing above them, standing with the Knights, the holy men. They said... something. I... don't remember. Gods, I wish I could remember... But I ran. They chased me, but I was faster than them... I knew the land, the shortcuts, the passages. I escaped. I hid. I cried. Then I watched as my friends were dragged to the church. Brought before the voices of the gods.
They were judged. I couldn't hear the proceedings, but I saw them... in the end, they were guilty. I got that much. There was celebration, of all things. I don't know why... I wish I did. At the end, they were brought to the edge. Staring into the sky, the ground below. And then they... they...
Balorn fell first. I wasn't expecting it... why would I? I had seen such things happen before, but it was always a punishment for traitors... spies, heretics, madmen. Not my friends, not loyal citizens... but he still fell. Dorn did it himself. I can see his face... hard. Firm. Uncaring. I saw the sun in his eyes, burning with primordial hatred... Balorn hit the ground hard. He died quickly. He told me, decades later, in a sea of fire and flame.
Lavis tried to fight back, the fool. He was already hurt. It didn't take much. He was dead before he left the clouds. He came to me, in smoke and ash, crying in pain.
I had worked my way into the crowd by that point, hidden in the vestments of the clergy... Kevae was on the edge. Dorn was... on the edge. And then I was on the edge. And then we weren't.
I don't remember landing. I just remember the fall... shock in their faces as we all plummeted off the edge... fear in my heart, fear in my friend's, fear in my enemy's. The nothing.
The next they I can remember is flashes. Darkness, permeating the darkness of my eyes. A greater void. Then lights. Suns... and flames. Infernal braziers, burning with self-righteous hate. Celestial lanterns, shining in benediction... and between. The ravens. The Raven. She was so beautiful... standing there in prematerial glory, black hair stretching to infinity, filling the void. She wore a mask... white. Cracked. And she saw me... I know not how I know, but I do. And she... she smiled. Somehow, through the mask, through the void, through the endless nothing... she smiled at me.
And then I was awake. On the ground. Touching true stone for the first time. And no-one was there... no-one alive, at least. I saw Dorn... gods, I saw Dorn. But Kevae was gone, nowhere to be found. No trace. I never found her. Never heard her voice. I heard Dorn's, though. Screaming at me in righteous hatred. But I never found Kevae... Instead, I found this. This pendant... around my neck. I can't take it off... I've never tried. Never will.
I'm still not sure how I'm alive. I wandered for days... weeks, even. I don't know. I didn't eat. I was so hungry... I was in the wastes. Plateaus... mesa. There was a river that I followed. I think it kept me alive. There weren't people... it was barren. No life. The sun, once this beacon of religion and righteousness, had turned into a sickening, burning death. But I walked.
When I saw a humanoid, I was on my last legs. Probably had been for a while. But they were kind. They showed pity on me, took me to their home. A small family lived there... goblins, I think. They were so kind... they didn't have enough. I learned much that day. War raged, and the land I lived in needed soldiers. And soldiers needed food. The family had... gods, I can't even remember their names... they had given all they could. And then, when they could give no more... they were evicted. Cast into the Curan wastes.
I made a choice that night. I couldn't stay, I knew that... they wouldn't live. But they wouldn't live regardless.
Their food lasted me for two weeks.
Those weeks allowed me to escape. I made it out. They... didn't. I've seen their souls. They came to me... so many years later...
But I had survived the wastes. I had reached grassland, the hills of Crekehq. I was still hard pressed to survive... there were some close calls, what with Elementals and all that. A troll or two. I ran, mostly. Eventually, I made it to a settlement. Reving's Hill. I lived there for... two years? Three? I was a shepherd, a farmer, a merchant. I had a life there, so different from the one before. I didn't make friends. Not again. Not after last time. But I eked out a living. But, inevitably, I came close. I started to like people there, and they started to like me. And I was terrified! I left again, saying one last goodbye. I left into the hills, seeking... peace. Solace. An answer to my questions.
Reving's Hill was destroyed two years later, torn apart by a wandering Elder Tempest. Their souls came to me, same as the rest.
I walked for a day. A week. Two. Five. Weeks turned into months, months into a year. I saved a flock of sheep from death. Their shepherd had died in a landslide...I saw it happen. He confirmed it himself, years later.
The sheep kept me company, as I traveled the land. I met fellow travelers, some more than once. Many remembered me fondly. I know, for they told me so, years later.
And I found what I was looking for. A crater. Miles and miles of scorched earth. In the center, a wreckage... the skeleton of an ancient behemoth, a jewel of the sky. Ibcremis. The Fallen City.
I left the sheep behind, released into the wilderness. I don't know what happened to them. I wish I did.
And then I entered. The cracks spread from the center, vast crevasses of red rock. It took me day and three nights to find my way... time, as I realized, did not follow a set path there. And when I finally reached the city, I was greeted, not by silence, but my song. Birds. The Kenku.
I was surprised, of course. As were they. But we soon established a shared language, and we shared our stories. Their people were the last survivors of the city; the ones who had lived through the fall countless years ago. They had lost their language, their creativity, their wings. In the years that passed, however, they recovered. They were saved... by Ravens. Their wings are still broken, shattered beyond repair, but their voices are beautiful, their architecture a sight to behold. And when I told them of my dealings with the Raven herself, they were... well, awed isn't the right word. Frightened, maybe?
Feelings aside, I was taken to their church. Their temple. I told my story, and was received. I was given a home, heralded as a new follower. Welcomed with open arms, I hid in their libraries, apart from others. A recluse. I was nearly forgotten, lost to the tomes... but one remembered. He I remember. Nevwer. He was kind to me... a father in all ways but name. He ran the library where I spent my time. He helped me survive, when I should have died alone in the night. Instead, I lived with him, in the dusk. I learned much those years, hiding away in the shelves. Together, we searched out lost books, forgotten stories, disregarded histories. We were scholars, hidden in the twilight of those stacks. We were visionaries, laying out plans for vast, never seen cities of knowledge. And, in the end, we were friends, bonded by that past, that knowledge, that none others could possess.
I still remember the day I found it. We had been working long, and it was nearing six-hour. And then, there it was. At the end of the rows, atop its own pedestal. I could feel it before I saw it... an icy cold at the back of my neck, a burning in my heart, a memory in my mind. The memory of a white mask, a black void, and ravens. And there it was. The holy book, the holiest of books. The Book of Memories, from which the first Priest had read the words of his Queen. Long thought lost, the book was found. I was heralded as a hero, and I shared my joy with Nevwer.
I was pulled away. Pulled from my books, my world, my dusk. My friend. He died, years later, cold and alone in the darkness. I know, because he came to me.
But I was a priest. A savior. My name echoed throughout the city, at all endless times. I was given access to the church's resources, to further my independent studies. I was not to be disturbed. I pored over the book, what was my right... I could read it. I saw its teachings, its boons, my boons. I was the wisest of the wise, the leader of their church. Nobody said so, of course. But I knew. We all did. I was free to do what i liked...
And I did. I did good things, great things. I built schools. Farms. Explored and renovated long lost wings of the city. My life was perfect, in all ways.
And I hated it.
Sure, it was fun at first, but I got tired. Then I got bored. Then I got angry. Why did they have to ask me their questions? Why did I always have to have the answers? I didn't care about them, their plights. I didn't care about anything! I couldn't escape, of course. Not truly. I couldn't bring myself to leave this world, this paradise. I kept telling myself that it would get better, that it would stop... it didn't.
It had been that way for years when I finally snapped. I broke my vows of nonviolence. I killed... many. When my head cleared, much of my wing of the city was aflame. Most though I was dead... and I believed them. I didn't know myself. I didn't know if I was alive or dead, i didn't know my mind, and I didn't know my soul. So I ran.
Again.
Two thousand, five hundred, and seventy-two. That's how many died due to my actions. Nearly a tenth of the city's population. They wailed into my mind that day, thousands of souls screaming in pain. I can still hear them... all of their names. So many names, so many deaths, so many ways to end a life.
It's been... three years? since then. I still don't have answers, I still don't have peace. I'm still searching for a way to be forgiven. To forgive myself. I found Kolre through my journeys, a channeling of my power into a servant of the Raven Queen. I hope it means she still cares for me. You never will tell me, will you?"
"Nope!"
"Lewen."
"Yep!"
"I appreciate your help with the story."
"Yeah, you nearly missed a few things. Idiot."
"Heh." He turns back to Arty. "Was that to your liking, young one? Did you enjoy me tale? I hope not. It is not a happy story. I pray that yours will be brighter, once it begins."
Arty looks at him, a half eaten biscuit in her mouth. "That's a... I feel... I don't know what to say to that."
He gives a small, sad smile, boosted by a small, sad sigh. "Good answer. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you something happier."
"Do you feel okay? Who's the Raven Women?"
"I feel... better, honestly. Felt nice to get that off my chest. Sorry if I got a bit rambly, heh. The Raven Queen, as she is known, is a warden of the Space Between life and death, and a guide to the wayward souls who become lost there. She is merciful, and cold."
Why can't she just get a blanket?
He tilts his head to the side. Emotionally cold. I don't know about her physical warmth.
Kolre fluffs his feathers. "Alrighty then, you asked for it. Ingress, you start, right? I wasn't there for the first bit..."
Ingress clears his throat. "Well. I guess... we should start at the beginning, no?
"At first, there was nothing. Then, everything. The God, Mandor, sprung into being, born of the Universe herself- No? Too much? Too much. Not that far back. Boo... fine.
I was born in the sky. Atop the clouds, soaring through the air, looking down at the world below... in more ways than one, I suppose. The Temple of the Everborn Sun was... an interesting place to grow up. The followers of Leanis were a pious group, permitting none to stray from their fold. I was indoctrinated, of course. Born into the order of the sun. I... loved it. Order. Peace. I believed I was perfect, that me and my friends were right. How... how naive we were, that the world was in simple blacks and golds. There are other colors... greys. Blues. Reds. Purples. Yellows. Greens. So much life, so much love... and I knew none of it. My life was that of a cloistered acolyte, content to believe in superiority and religious perfection.
I had friends. I had a family. The Thals, long departed from the rabble of the lower mountains, dwelled in the skies. My best friends lived there too, above the rest. Balorn, a scholar of the planes. Lavis, our group's resident paladin. Dorn. That sick... avahlet. Tarahs. And Kevae... joyous, perfect, Kevae. I still miss them. Or, at least, most of them. We got in a fair bit of trouble, our little squad! Running about in our own personal paradise... it seemed like it would last forever. But, it didn't. It fell so fast... crumbling about me. My world, my life, gone in an instant.
The clouds still remain, of course. The Temple still soars. But I cannot stand there. I could, but I won't. Not again. Not after what they did.
I was... fifteen, I think? I don't remember all of the details... it was late. The sun was setting, bathing our world in a pink and orange glow... I heard shouts. Screams. I ran out, weapon in hand... and there she was. There they all were. Kevae, in chains. Balorn, in chains. Lavis... he was on the floor, bleeding from his side. So much blood... And Dorn. Standing above them, standing with the Knights, the holy men. They said... something. I... don't remember. Gods, I wish I could remember... But I ran. They chased me, but I was faster than them... I knew the land, the shortcuts, the passages. I escaped. I hid. I cried. Then I watched as my friends were dragged to the church. Brought before the voices of the gods.
They were judged. I couldn't hear the proceedings, but I saw them... in the end, they were guilty. I got that much. There was celebration, of all things. I don't know why... I wish I did. At the end, they were brought to the edge. Staring into the sky, the ground below. And then they... they...
Balorn fell first. I wasn't expecting it... why would I? I had seen such things happen before, but it was always a punishment for traitors... spies, heretics, madmen. Not my friends, not loyal citizens... but he still fell. Dorn did it himself. I can see his face... hard. Firm. Uncaring. I saw the sun in his eyes, burning with primordial hatred... Balorn hit the ground hard. He died quickly. He told me, decades later, in a sea of fire and flame.
Lavis tried to fight back, the fool. He was already hurt. It didn't take much. He was dead before he left the clouds. He came to me, in smoke and ash, crying in pain.
I had worked my way into the crowd by that point, hidden in the vestments of the clergy... Kevae was on the edge. Dorn was... on the edge. And then I was on the edge. And then we weren't.
I don't remember landing. I just remember the fall... shock in their faces as we all plummeted off the edge... fear in my heart, fear in my friend's, fear in my enemy's. The nothing.
The next they I can remember is flashes. Darkness, permeating the darkness of my eyes. A greater void. Then lights. Suns... and flames. Infernal braziers, burning with self-righteous hate. Celestial lanterns, shining in benediction... and between. The ravens. The Raven. She was so beautiful... standing there in prematerial glory, black hair stretching to infinity, filling the void. She wore a mask... white. Cracked. And she saw me... I know not how I know, but I do. And she... she smiled. Somehow, through the mask, through the void, through the endless nothing... she smiled at me.
And then I was awake. On the ground. Touching true stone for the first time. And no-one was there... no-one alive, at least. I saw Dorn... gods, I saw Dorn. But Kevae was gone, nowhere to be found. No trace. I never found her. Never heard her voice. I heard Dorn's, though. Screaming at me in righteous hatred. But I never found Kevae... Instead, I found this. This pendant... around my neck. I can't take it off... I've never tried. Never will.
I'm still not sure how I'm alive. I wandered for days... weeks, even. I don't know. I didn't eat. I was so hungry... I was in the wastes. Plateaus... mesa. There was a river that I followed. I think it kept me alive. There weren't people... it was barren. No life. The sun, once this beacon of religion and righteousness, had turned into a sickening, burning death. But I walked.
When I saw a humanoid, I was on my last legs. Probably had been for a while. But they were kind. They showed pity on me, took me to their home. A small family lived there... goblins, I think. They were so kind... they didn't have enough. I learned much that day. War raged, and the land I lived in needed soldiers. And soldiers needed food. The family had... gods, I can't even remember their names... they had given all they could. And then, when they could give no more... they were evicted. Cast into the Curan wastes.
I made a choice that night. I couldn't stay, I knew that... they wouldn't live. But they wouldn't live regardless.
Their food lasted me for two weeks.
Those weeks allowed me to escape. I made it out. They... didn't. I've seen their souls. They came to me... so many years later...
But I had survived the wastes. I had reached grassland, the hills of Crekehq. I was still hard pressed to survive... there were some close calls, what with Elementals and all that. A troll or two. I ran, mostly. Eventually, I made it to a settlement. Reving's Hill. I lived there for... two years? Three? I was a shepherd, a farmer, a merchant. I had a life there, so different from the one before. I didn't make friends. Not again. Not after last time. But I eked out a living. But, inevitably, I came close. I started to like people there, and they started to like me. And I was terrified! I left again, saying one last goodbye. I left into the hills, seeking... peace. Solace. An answer to my questions.
Reving's Hill was destroyed two years later, torn apart by a wandering Elder Tempest. Their souls came to me, same as the rest.
I walked for a day. A week. Two. Five. Weeks turned into months, months into a year. I saved a flock of sheep from death. Their shepherd had died in a landslide...I saw it happen. He confirmed it himself, years later.
The sheep kept me company, as I traveled the land. I met fellow travelers, some more than once. Many remembered me fondly. I know, for they told me so, years later.
And I found what I was looking for. A crater. Miles and miles of scorched earth. In the center, a wreckage... the skeleton of an ancient behemoth, a jewel of the sky. Ibcremis. The Fallen City.
I left the sheep behind, released into the wilderness. I don't know what happened to them. I wish I did.
And then I entered. The cracks spread from the center, vast crevasses of red rock. It took me day and three nights to find my way... time, as I realized, did not follow a set path there. And when I finally reached the city, I was greeted, not by silence, but my song. Birds. The Kenku.
I was surprised, of course. As were they. But we soon established a shared language, and we shared our stories. Their people were the last survivors of the city; the ones who had lived through the fall countless years ago. They had lost their language, their creativity, their wings. In the years that passed, however, they recovered. They were saved... by Ravens. Their wings are still broken, shattered beyond repair, but their voices are beautiful, their architecture a sight to behold. And when I told them of my dealings with the Raven herself, they were... well, awed isn't the right word. Frightened, maybe?
Feelings aside, I was taken to their church. Their temple. I told my story, and was received. I was given a home, heralded as a new follower. Welcomed with open arms, I hid in their libraries, apart from others. A recluse. I was nearly forgotten, lost to the tomes... but one remembered. He I remember. Nevwer. He was kind to me... a father in all ways but name. He ran the library where I spent my time. He helped me survive, when I should have died alone in the night. Instead, I lived with him, in the dusk. I learned much those years, hiding away in the shelves. Together, we searched out lost books, forgotten stories, disregarded histories. We were scholars, hidden in the twilight of those stacks. We were visionaries, laying out plans for vast, never seen cities of knowledge. And, in the end, we were friends, bonded by that past, that knowledge, that none others could possess.
I still remember the day I found it. We had been working long, and it was nearing six-hour. And then, there it was. At the end of the rows, atop its own pedestal. I could feel it before I saw it... an icy cold at the back of my neck, a burning in my heart, a memory in my mind. The memory of a white mask, a black void, and ravens. And there it was. The holy book, the holiest of books. The Book of Memories, from which the first Priest had read the words of his Queen. Long thought lost, the book was found. I was heralded as a hero, and I shared my joy with Nevwer.
I was pulled away. Pulled from my books, my world, my dusk. My friend. He died, years later, cold and alone in the darkness. I know, because he came to me.
But I was a priest. A savior. My name echoed throughout the city, at all endless times. I was given access to the church's resources, to further my independent studies. I was not to be disturbed. I pored over the book, what was my right... I could read it. I saw its teachings, its boons, my boons. I was the wisest of the wise, the leader of their church. Nobody said so, of course. But I knew. We all did. I was free to do what i liked...
And I did. I did good things, great things. I built schools. Farms. Explored and renovated long lost wings of the city. My life was perfect, in all ways.
And I hated it.
Sure, it was fun at first, but I got tired. Then I got bored. Then I got angry. Why did they have to ask me their questions? Why did I always have to have the answers? I didn't care about them, their plights. I didn't care about anything! I couldn't escape, of course. Not truly. I couldn't bring myself to leave this world, this paradise. I kept telling myself that it would get better, that it would stop... it didn't.
It had been that way for years when I finally snapped. I broke my vows of nonviolence. I killed... many. When my head cleared, much of my wing of the city was aflame. Most though I was dead... and I believed them. I didn't know myself. I didn't know if I was alive or dead, i didn't know my mind, and I didn't know my soul. So I ran.
Again.
Two thousand, five hundred, and seventy-two. That's how many died due to my actions. Nearly a tenth of the city's population. They wailed into my mind that day, thousands of souls screaming in pain. I can still hear them... all of their names. So many names, so many deaths, so many ways to end a life.
It's been... three years? since then. I still don't have answers, I still don't have peace. I'm still searching for a way to be forgiven. To forgive myself. I found Kolre through my journeys, a channeling of my power into a servant of the Raven Queen. I hope it means she still cares for me. You never will tell me, will you?"
"Nope!"
"Lewen."
"Yep!"
"I appreciate your help with the story."
"Yeah, you nearly missed a few things. Idiot."
"Heh." He turns back to Arty. "Was that to your liking, young one? Did you enjoy me tale? I hope not. It is not a happy story. I pray that yours will be brighter, once it begins."
Arty looks at him, a half eaten biscuit in her mouth. "That's a... I feel... I don't know what to say to that."
He gives a small, sad smile, boosted by a small, sad sigh. "Good answer. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you something happier."
"Do you feel okay? Who's the Raven Women?"
"I feel... better, honestly. Felt nice to get that off my chest. Sorry if I got a bit rambly, heh. The Raven Queen, as she is known, is a warden of the Space Between life and death, and a guide to the wayward souls who become lost there. She is merciful, and cold."
Why can't she just get a blanket?
" Because blankets aren't always available. Maybe someone stole her blanket."
"I... She doesn't need a blanket. I was talking about cold in the emotional sense, not the physical one. I'm sure she's fine, temperature-wise."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Seven there shall be/In the halls of the eighth/Eights shall witness/Eight and eight and eight and eight/Blood of the father/Blood of the sun/Endless darkness/Day is done
Kolre fluffs his feathers. "Alrighty then, you asked for it. Ingress, you start, right? I wasn't there for the first bit..."
Ingress clears his throat. "Well. I guess... we should start at the beginning, no?
"At first, there was nothing. Then, everything. The God, Mandor, sprung into being, born of the Universe herself- No? Too much? Too much. Not that far back. Boo... fine.
I was born in the sky. Atop the clouds, soaring through the air, looking down at the world below... in more ways than one, I suppose. The Temple of the Everborn Sun was... an interesting place to grow up. The followers of Leanis were a pious group, permitting none to stray from their fold. I was indoctrinated, of course. Born into the order of the sun. I... loved it. Order. Peace. I believed I was perfect, that me and my friends were right. How... how naive we were, that the world was in simple blacks and golds. There are other colors... greys. Blues. Reds. Purples. Yellows. Greens. So much life, so much love... and I knew none of it. My life was that of a cloistered acolyte, content to believe in superiority and religious perfection.
I had friends. I had a family. The Thals, long departed from the rabble of the lower mountains, dwelled in the skies. My best friends lived there too, above the rest. Balorn, a scholar of the planes. Lavis, our group's resident paladin. Dorn. That sick... avahlet. Tarahs. And Kevae... joyous, perfect, Kevae. I still miss them. Or, at least, most of them. We got in a fair bit of trouble, our little squad! Running about in our own personal paradise... it seemed like it would last forever. But, it didn't. It fell so fast... crumbling about me. My world, my life, gone in an instant.
The clouds still remain, of course. The Temple still soars. But I cannot stand there. I could, but I won't. Not again. Not after what they did.
I was... fifteen, I think? I don't remember all of the details... it was late. The sun was setting, bathing our world in a pink and orange glow... I heard shouts. Screams. I ran out, weapon in hand... and there she was. There they all were. Kevae, in chains. Balorn, in chains. Lavis... he was on the floor, bleeding from his side. So much blood... And Dorn. Standing above them, standing with the Knights, the holy men. They said... something. I... don't remember. Gods, I wish I could remember... But I ran. They chased me, but I was faster than them... I knew the land, the shortcuts, the passages. I escaped. I hid. I cried. Then I watched as my friends were dragged to the church. Brought before the voices of the gods.
They were judged. I couldn't hear the proceedings, but I saw them... in the end, they were guilty. I got that much. There was celebration, of all things. I don't know why... I wish I did. At the end, they were brought to the edge. Staring into the sky, the ground below. And then they... they...
Balorn fell first. I wasn't expecting it... why would I? I had seen such things happen before, but it was always a punishment for traitors... spies, heretics, madmen. Not my friends, not loyal citizens... but he still fell. Dorn did it himself. I can see his face... hard. Firm. Uncaring. I saw the sun in his eyes, burning with primordial hatred... Balorn hit the ground hard. He died quickly. He told me, decades later, in a sea of fire and flame.
Lavis tried to fight back, the fool. He was already hurt. It didn't take much. He was dead before he left the clouds. He came to me, in smoke and ash, crying in pain.
I had worked my way into the crowd by that point, hidden in the vestments of the clergy... Kevae was on the edge. Dorn was... on the edge. And then I was on the edge. And then we weren't.
I don't remember landing. I just remember the fall... shock in their faces as we all plummeted off the edge... fear in my heart, fear in my friend's, fear in my enemy's. The nothing.
The next they I can remember is flashes. Darkness, permeating the darkness of my eyes. A greater void. Then lights. Suns... and flames. Infernal braziers, burning with self-righteous hate. Celestial lanterns, shining in benediction... and between. The ravens. The Raven. She was so beautiful... standing there in prematerial glory, black hair stretching to infinity, filling the void. She wore a mask... white. Cracked. And she saw me... I know not how I know, but I do. And she... she smiled. Somehow, through the mask, through the void, through the endless nothing... she smiled at me.
And then I was awake. On the ground. Touching true stone for the first time. And no-one was there... no-one alive, at least. I saw Dorn... gods, I saw Dorn. But Kevae was gone, nowhere to be found. No trace. I never found her. Never heard her voice. I heard Dorn's, though. Screaming at me in righteous hatred. But I never found Kevae... Instead, I found this. This pendant... around my neck. I can't take it off... I've never tried. Never will.
I'm still not sure how I'm alive. I wandered for days... weeks, even. I don't know. I didn't eat. I was so hungry... I was in the wastes. Plateaus... mesa. There was a river that I followed. I think it kept me alive. There weren't people... it was barren. No life. The sun, once this beacon of religion and righteousness, had turned into a sickening, burning death. But I walked.
When I saw a humanoid, I was on my last legs. Probably had been for a while. But they were kind. They showed pity on me, took me to their home. A small family lived there... goblins, I think. They were so kind... they didn't have enough. I learned much that day. War raged, and the land I lived in needed soldiers. And soldiers needed food. The family had... gods, I can't even remember their names... they had given all they could. And then, when they could give no more... they were evicted. Cast into the Curan wastes.
I made a choice that night. I couldn't stay, I knew that... they wouldn't live. But they wouldn't live regardless.
Their food lasted me for two weeks.
Those weeks allowed me to escape. I made it out. They... didn't. I've seen their souls. They came to me... so many years later...
But I had survived the wastes. I had reached grassland, the hills of Crekehq. I was still hard pressed to survive... there were some close calls, what with Elementals and all that. A troll or two. I ran, mostly. Eventually, I made it to a settlement. Reving's Hill. I lived there for... two years? Three? I was a shepherd, a farmer, a merchant. I had a life there, so different from the one before. I didn't make friends. Not again. Not after last time. But I eked out a living. But, inevitably, I came close. I started to like people there, and they started to like me. And I was terrified! I left again, saying one last goodbye. I left into the hills, seeking... peace. Solace. An answer to my questions.
Reving's Hill was destroyed two years later, torn apart by a wandering Elder Tempest. Their souls came to me, same as the rest.
I walked for a day. A week. Two. Five. Weeks turned into months, months into a year. I saved a flock of sheep from death. Their shepherd had died in a landslide...I saw it happen. He confirmed it himself, years later.
The sheep kept me company, as I traveled the land. I met fellow travelers, some more than once. Many remembered me fondly. I know, for they told me so, years later.
And I found what I was looking for. A crater. Miles and miles of scorched earth. In the center, a wreckage... the skeleton of an ancient behemoth, a jewel of the sky. Ibcremis. The Fallen City.
I left the sheep behind, released into the wilderness. I don't know what happened to them. I wish I did.
And then I entered. The cracks spread from the center, vast crevasses of red rock. It took me day and three nights to find my way... time, as I realized, did not follow a set path there. And when I finally reached the city, I was greeted, not by silence, but my song. Birds. The Kenku.
I was surprised, of course. As were they. But we soon established a shared language, and we shared our stories. Their people were the last survivors of the city; the ones who had lived through the fall countless years ago. They had lost their language, their creativity, their wings. In the years that passed, however, they recovered. They were saved... by Ravens. Their wings are still broken, shattered beyond repair, but their voices are beautiful, their architecture a sight to behold. And when I told them of my dealings with the Raven herself, they were... well, awed isn't the right word. Frightened, maybe?
Feelings aside, I was taken to their church. Their temple. I told my story, and was received. I was given a home, heralded as a new follower. Welcomed with open arms, I hid in their libraries, apart from others. A recluse. I was nearly forgotten, lost to the tomes... but one remembered. He I remember. Nevwer. He was kind to me... a father in all ways but name. He ran the library where I spent my time. He helped me survive, when I should have died alone in the night. Instead, I lived with him, in the dusk. I learned much those years, hiding away in the shelves. Together, we searched out lost books, forgotten stories, disregarded histories. We were scholars, hidden in the twilight of those stacks. We were visionaries, laying out plans for vast, never seen cities of knowledge. And, in the end, we were friends, bonded by that past, that knowledge, that none others could possess.
I still remember the day I found it. We had been working long, and it was nearing six-hour. And then, there it was. At the end of the rows, atop its own pedestal. I could feel it before I saw it... an icy cold at the back of my neck, a burning in my heart, a memory in my mind. The memory of a white mask, a black void, and ravens. And there it was. The holy book, the holiest of books. The Book of Memories, from which the first Priest had read the words of his Queen. Long thought lost, the book was found. I was heralded as a hero, and I shared my joy with Nevwer.
I was pulled away. Pulled from my books, my world, my dusk. My friend. He died, years later, cold and alone in the darkness. I know, because he came to me.
But I was a priest. A savior. My name echoed throughout the city, at all endless times. I was given access to the church's resources, to further my independent studies. I was not to be disturbed. I pored over the book, what was my right... I could read it. I saw its teachings, its boons, my boons. I was the wisest of the wise, the leader of their church. Nobody said so, of course. But I knew. We all did. I was free to do what i liked...
And I did. I did good things, great things. I built schools. Farms. Explored and renovated long lost wings of the city. My life was perfect, in all ways.
And I hated it.
Sure, it was fun at first, but I got tired. Then I got bored. Then I got angry. Why did they have to ask me their questions? Why did I always have to have the answers? I didn't care about them, their plights. I didn't care about anything! I couldn't escape, of course. Not truly. I couldn't bring myself to leave this world, this paradise. I kept telling myself that it would get better, that it would stop... it didn't.
It had been that way for years when I finally snapped. I broke my vows of nonviolence. I killed... many. When my head cleared, much of my wing of the city was aflame. Most though I was dead... and I believed them. I didn't know myself. I didn't know if I was alive or dead, i didn't know my mind, and I didn't know my soul. So I ran.
Again.
Two thousand, five hundred, and seventy-two. That's how many died due to my actions. Nearly a tenth of the city's population. They wailed into my mind that day, thousands of souls screaming in pain. I can still hear them... all of their names. So many names, so many deaths, so many ways to end a life.
It's been... three years? since then. I still don't have answers, I still don't have peace. I'm still searching for a way to be forgiven. To forgive myself. I found Kolre through my journeys, a channeling of my power into a servant of the Raven Queen. I hope it means she still cares for me. You never will tell me, will you?"
"Nope!"
"Lewen."
"Yep!"
"I appreciate your help with the story."
"Yeah, you nearly missed a few things. Idiot."
"Heh." He turns back to Arty. "Was that to your liking, young one? Did you enjoy me tale? I hope not. It is not a happy story. I pray that yours will be brighter, once it begins."
Arty looks at him, a half eaten biscuit in her mouth. "That's a... I feel... I don't know what to say to that."
He gives a small, sad smile, boosted by a small, sad sigh. "Good answer. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you something happier."
"Do you feel okay? Who's the Raven Women?"
"I feel... better, honestly. Felt nice to get that off my chest. Sorry if I got a bit rambly, heh. The Raven Queen, as she is known, is a warden of the Space Between life and death, and a guide to the wayward souls who become lost there. She is merciful, and cold."
Why can't she just get a blanket?
" Because blankets aren't always available. Maybe someone stole her blanket."
So you explode their head and take your blanket back.
Kolre fluffs his feathers. "Alrighty then, you asked for it. Ingress, you start, right? I wasn't there for the first bit..."
Ingress clears his throat. "Well. I guess... we should start at the beginning, no?
"At first, there was nothing. Then, everything. The God, Mandor, sprung into being, born of the Universe herself- No? Too much? Too much. Not that far back. Boo... fine.
I was born in the sky. Atop the clouds, soaring through the air, looking down at the world below... in more ways than one, I suppose. The Temple of the Everborn Sun was... an interesting place to grow up. The followers of Leanis were a pious group, permitting none to stray from their fold. I was indoctrinated, of course. Born into the order of the sun. I... loved it. Order. Peace. I believed I was perfect, that me and my friends were right. How... how naive we were, that the world was in simple blacks and golds. There are other colors... greys. Blues. Reds. Purples. Yellows. Greens. So much life, so much love... and I knew none of it. My life was that of a cloistered acolyte, content to believe in superiority and religious perfection.
I had friends. I had a family. The Thals, long departed from the rabble of the lower mountains, dwelled in the skies. My best friends lived there too, above the rest. Balorn, a scholar of the planes. Lavis, our group's resident paladin. Dorn. That sick... avahlet. Tarahs. And Kevae... joyous, perfect, Kevae. I still miss them. Or, at least, most of them. We got in a fair bit of trouble, our little squad! Running about in our own personal paradise... it seemed like it would last forever. But, it didn't. It fell so fast... crumbling about me. My world, my life, gone in an instant.
The clouds still remain, of course. The Temple still soars. But I cannot stand there. I could, but I won't. Not again. Not after what they did.
I was... fifteen, I think? I don't remember all of the details... it was late. The sun was setting, bathing our world in a pink and orange glow... I heard shouts. Screams. I ran out, weapon in hand... and there she was. There they all were. Kevae, in chains. Balorn, in chains. Lavis... he was on the floor, bleeding from his side. So much blood... And Dorn. Standing above them, standing with the Knights, the holy men. They said... something. I... don't remember. Gods, I wish I could remember... But I ran. They chased me, but I was faster than them... I knew the land, the shortcuts, the passages. I escaped. I hid. I cried. Then I watched as my friends were dragged to the church. Brought before the voices of the gods.
They were judged. I couldn't hear the proceedings, but I saw them... in the end, they were guilty. I got that much. There was celebration, of all things. I don't know why... I wish I did. At the end, they were brought to the edge. Staring into the sky, the ground below. And then they... they...
Balorn fell first. I wasn't expecting it... why would I? I had seen such things happen before, but it was always a punishment for traitors... spies, heretics, madmen. Not my friends, not loyal citizens... but he still fell. Dorn did it himself. I can see his face... hard. Firm. Uncaring. I saw the sun in his eyes, burning with primordial hatred... Balorn hit the ground hard. He died quickly. He told me, decades later, in a sea of fire and flame.
Lavis tried to fight back, the fool. He was already hurt. It didn't take much. He was dead before he left the clouds. He came to me, in smoke and ash, crying in pain.
I had worked my way into the crowd by that point, hidden in the vestments of the clergy... Kevae was on the edge. Dorn was... on the edge. And then I was on the edge. And then we weren't.
I don't remember landing. I just remember the fall... shock in their faces as we all plummeted off the edge... fear in my heart, fear in my friend's, fear in my enemy's. The nothing.
The next they I can remember is flashes. Darkness, permeating the darkness of my eyes. A greater void. Then lights. Suns... and flames. Infernal braziers, burning with self-righteous hate. Celestial lanterns, shining in benediction... and between. The ravens. The Raven. She was so beautiful... standing there in prematerial glory, black hair stretching to infinity, filling the void. She wore a mask... white. Cracked. And she saw me... I know not how I know, but I do. And she... she smiled. Somehow, through the mask, through the void, through the endless nothing... she smiled at me.
And then I was awake. On the ground. Touching true stone for the first time. And no-one was there... no-one alive, at least. I saw Dorn... gods, I saw Dorn. But Kevae was gone, nowhere to be found. No trace. I never found her. Never heard her voice. I heard Dorn's, though. Screaming at me in righteous hatred. But I never found Kevae... Instead, I found this. This pendant... around my neck. I can't take it off... I've never tried. Never will.
I'm still not sure how I'm alive. I wandered for days... weeks, even. I don't know. I didn't eat. I was so hungry... I was in the wastes. Plateaus... mesa. There was a river that I followed. I think it kept me alive. There weren't people... it was barren. No life. The sun, once this beacon of religion and righteousness, had turned into a sickening, burning death. But I walked.
When I saw a humanoid, I was on my last legs. Probably had been for a while. But they were kind. They showed pity on me, took me to their home. A small family lived there... goblins, I think. They were so kind... they didn't have enough. I learned much that day. War raged, and the land I lived in needed soldiers. And soldiers needed food. The family had... gods, I can't even remember their names... they had given all they could. And then, when they could give no more... they were evicted. Cast into the Curan wastes.
I made a choice that night. I couldn't stay, I knew that... they wouldn't live. But they wouldn't live regardless.
Their food lasted me for two weeks.
Those weeks allowed me to escape. I made it out. They... didn't. I've seen their souls. They came to me... so many years later...
But I had survived the wastes. I had reached grassland, the hills of Crekehq. I was still hard pressed to survive... there were some close calls, what with Elementals and all that. A troll or two. I ran, mostly. Eventually, I made it to a settlement. Reving's Hill. I lived there for... two years? Three? I was a shepherd, a farmer, a merchant. I had a life there, so different from the one before. I didn't make friends. Not again. Not after last time. But I eked out a living. But, inevitably, I came close. I started to like people there, and they started to like me. And I was terrified! I left again, saying one last goodbye. I left into the hills, seeking... peace. Solace. An answer to my questions.
Reving's Hill was destroyed two years later, torn apart by a wandering Elder Tempest. Their souls came to me, same as the rest.
I walked for a day. A week. Two. Five. Weeks turned into months, months into a year. I saved a flock of sheep from death. Their shepherd had died in a landslide...I saw it happen. He confirmed it himself, years later.
The sheep kept me company, as I traveled the land. I met fellow travelers, some more than once. Many remembered me fondly. I know, for they told me so, years later.
And I found what I was looking for. A crater. Miles and miles of scorched earth. In the center, a wreckage... the skeleton of an ancient behemoth, a jewel of the sky. Ibcremis. The Fallen City.
I left the sheep behind, released into the wilderness. I don't know what happened to them. I wish I did.
And then I entered. The cracks spread from the center, vast crevasses of red rock. It took me day and three nights to find my way... time, as I realized, did not follow a set path there. And when I finally reached the city, I was greeted, not by silence, but my song. Birds. The Kenku.
I was surprised, of course. As were they. But we soon established a shared language, and we shared our stories. Their people were the last survivors of the city; the ones who had lived through the fall countless years ago. They had lost their language, their creativity, their wings. In the years that passed, however, they recovered. They were saved... by Ravens. Their wings are still broken, shattered beyond repair, but their voices are beautiful, their architecture a sight to behold. And when I told them of my dealings with the Raven herself, they were... well, awed isn't the right word. Frightened, maybe?
Feelings aside, I was taken to their church. Their temple. I told my story, and was received. I was given a home, heralded as a new follower. Welcomed with open arms, I hid in their libraries, apart from others. A recluse. I was nearly forgotten, lost to the tomes... but one remembered. He I remember. Nevwer. He was kind to me... a father in all ways but name. He ran the library where I spent my time. He helped me survive, when I should have died alone in the night. Instead, I lived with him, in the dusk. I learned much those years, hiding away in the shelves. Together, we searched out lost books, forgotten stories, disregarded histories. We were scholars, hidden in the twilight of those stacks. We were visionaries, laying out plans for vast, never seen cities of knowledge. And, in the end, we were friends, bonded by that past, that knowledge, that none others could possess.
I still remember the day I found it. We had been working long, and it was nearing six-hour. And then, there it was. At the end of the rows, atop its own pedestal. I could feel it before I saw it... an icy cold at the back of my neck, a burning in my heart, a memory in my mind. The memory of a white mask, a black void, and ravens. And there it was. The holy book, the holiest of books. The Book of Memories, from which the first Priest had read the words of his Queen. Long thought lost, the book was found. I was heralded as a hero, and I shared my joy with Nevwer.
I was pulled away. Pulled from my books, my world, my dusk. My friend. He died, years later, cold and alone in the darkness. I know, because he came to me.
But I was a priest. A savior. My name echoed throughout the city, at all endless times. I was given access to the church's resources, to further my independent studies. I was not to be disturbed. I pored over the book, what was my right... I could read it. I saw its teachings, its boons, my boons. I was the wisest of the wise, the leader of their church. Nobody said so, of course. But I knew. We all did. I was free to do what i liked...
And I did. I did good things, great things. I built schools. Farms. Explored and renovated long lost wings of the city. My life was perfect, in all ways.
And I hated it.
Sure, it was fun at first, but I got tired. Then I got bored. Then I got angry. Why did they have to ask me their questions? Why did I always have to have the answers? I didn't care about them, their plights. I didn't care about anything! I couldn't escape, of course. Not truly. I couldn't bring myself to leave this world, this paradise. I kept telling myself that it would get better, that it would stop... it didn't.
It had been that way for years when I finally snapped. I broke my vows of nonviolence. I killed... many. When my head cleared, much of my wing of the city was aflame. Most though I was dead... and I believed them. I didn't know myself. I didn't know if I was alive or dead, i didn't know my mind, and I didn't know my soul. So I ran.
Again.
Two thousand, five hundred, and seventy-two. That's how many died due to my actions. Nearly a tenth of the city's population. They wailed into my mind that day, thousands of souls screaming in pain. I can still hear them... all of their names. So many names, so many deaths, so many ways to end a life.
It's been... three years? since then. I still don't have answers, I still don't have peace. I'm still searching for a way to be forgiven. To forgive myself. I found Kolre through my journeys, a channeling of my power into a servant of the Raven Queen. I hope it means she still cares for me. You never will tell me, will you?"
"Nope!"
"Lewen."
"Yep!"
"I appreciate your help with the story."
"Yeah, you nearly missed a few things. Idiot."
"Heh." He turns back to Arty. "Was that to your liking, young one? Did you enjoy me tale? I hope not. It is not a happy story. I pray that yours will be brighter, once it begins."
Arty looks at him, a half eaten biscuit in her mouth. "That's a... I feel... I don't know what to say to that."
He gives a small, sad smile, boosted by a small, sad sigh. "Good answer. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you something happier."
"Do you feel okay? Who's the Raven Women?"
"I feel... better, honestly. Felt nice to get that off my chest. Sorry if I got a bit rambly, heh. The Raven Queen, as she is known, is a warden of the Space Between life and death, and a guide to the wayward souls who become lost there. She is merciful, and cold."
Why can't she just get a blanket?
" Because blankets aren't always available. Maybe someone stole her blanket."
"I... She doesn't need a blanket. I was talking about cold in the emotional sense, not the physical one. I'm sure she's fine, temperature-wise."
Kolre fluffs his feathers. "Alrighty then, you asked for it. Ingress, you start, right? I wasn't there for the first bit..."
Ingress clears his throat. "Well. I guess... we should start at the beginning, no?
"At first, there was nothing. Then, everything. The God, Mandor, sprung into being, born of the Universe herself- No? Too much? Too much. Not that far back. Boo... fine.
I was born in the sky. Atop the clouds, soaring through the air, looking down at the world below... in more ways than one, I suppose. The Temple of the Everborn Sun was... an interesting place to grow up. The followers of Leanis were a pious group, permitting none to stray from their fold. I was indoctrinated, of course. Born into the order of the sun. I... loved it. Order. Peace. I believed I was perfect, that me and my friends were right. How... how naive we were, that the world was in simple blacks and golds. There are other colors... greys. Blues. Reds. Purples. Yellows. Greens. So much life, so much love... and I knew none of it. My life was that of a cloistered acolyte, content to believe in superiority and religious perfection.
I had friends. I had a family. The Thals, long departed from the rabble of the lower mountains, dwelled in the skies. My best friends lived there too, above the rest. Balorn, a scholar of the planes. Lavis, our group's resident paladin. Dorn. That sick... avahlet. Tarahs. And Kevae... joyous, perfect, Kevae. I still miss them. Or, at least, most of them. We got in a fair bit of trouble, our little squad! Running about in our own personal paradise... it seemed like it would last forever. But, it didn't. It fell so fast... crumbling about me. My world, my life, gone in an instant.
The clouds still remain, of course. The Temple still soars. But I cannot stand there. I could, but I won't. Not again. Not after what they did.
I was... fifteen, I think? I don't remember all of the details... it was late. The sun was setting, bathing our world in a pink and orange glow... I heard shouts. Screams. I ran out, weapon in hand... and there she was. There they all were. Kevae, in chains. Balorn, in chains. Lavis... he was on the floor, bleeding from his side. So much blood... And Dorn. Standing above them, standing with the Knights, the holy men. They said... something. I... don't remember. Gods, I wish I could remember... But I ran. They chased me, but I was faster than them... I knew the land, the shortcuts, the passages. I escaped. I hid. I cried. Then I watched as my friends were dragged to the church. Brought before the voices of the gods.
They were judged. I couldn't hear the proceedings, but I saw them... in the end, they were guilty. I got that much. There was celebration, of all things. I don't know why... I wish I did. At the end, they were brought to the edge. Staring into the sky, the ground below. And then they... they...
Balorn fell first. I wasn't expecting it... why would I? I had seen such things happen before, but it was always a punishment for traitors... spies, heretics, madmen. Not my friends, not loyal citizens... but he still fell. Dorn did it himself. I can see his face... hard. Firm. Uncaring. I saw the sun in his eyes, burning with primordial hatred... Balorn hit the ground hard. He died quickly. He told me, decades later, in a sea of fire and flame.
Lavis tried to fight back, the fool. He was already hurt. It didn't take much. He was dead before he left the clouds. He came to me, in smoke and ash, crying in pain.
I had worked my way into the crowd by that point, hidden in the vestments of the clergy... Kevae was on the edge. Dorn was... on the edge. And then I was on the edge. And then we weren't.
I don't remember landing. I just remember the fall... shock in their faces as we all plummeted off the edge... fear in my heart, fear in my friend's, fear in my enemy's. The nothing.
The next they I can remember is flashes. Darkness, permeating the darkness of my eyes. A greater void. Then lights. Suns... and flames. Infernal braziers, burning with self-righteous hate. Celestial lanterns, shining in benediction... and between. The ravens. The Raven. She was so beautiful... standing there in prematerial glory, black hair stretching to infinity, filling the void. She wore a mask... white. Cracked. And she saw me... I know not how I know, but I do. And she... she smiled. Somehow, through the mask, through the void, through the endless nothing... she smiled at me.
And then I was awake. On the ground. Touching true stone for the first time. And no-one was there... no-one alive, at least. I saw Dorn... gods, I saw Dorn. But Kevae was gone, nowhere to be found. No trace. I never found her. Never heard her voice. I heard Dorn's, though. Screaming at me in righteous hatred. But I never found Kevae... Instead, I found this. This pendant... around my neck. I can't take it off... I've never tried. Never will.
I'm still not sure how I'm alive. I wandered for days... weeks, even. I don't know. I didn't eat. I was so hungry... I was in the wastes. Plateaus... mesa. There was a river that I followed. I think it kept me alive. There weren't people... it was barren. No life. The sun, once this beacon of religion and righteousness, had turned into a sickening, burning death. But I walked.
When I saw a humanoid, I was on my last legs. Probably had been for a while. But they were kind. They showed pity on me, took me to their home. A small family lived there... goblins, I think. They were so kind... they didn't have enough. I learned much that day. War raged, and the land I lived in needed soldiers. And soldiers needed food. The family had... gods, I can't even remember their names... they had given all they could. And then, when they could give no more... they were evicted. Cast into the Curan wastes.
I made a choice that night. I couldn't stay, I knew that... they wouldn't live. But they wouldn't live regardless.
Their food lasted me for two weeks.
Those weeks allowed me to escape. I made it out. They... didn't. I've seen their souls. They came to me... so many years later...
But I had survived the wastes. I had reached grassland, the hills of Crekehq. I was still hard pressed to survive... there were some close calls, what with Elementals and all that. A troll or two. I ran, mostly. Eventually, I made it to a settlement. Reving's Hill. I lived there for... two years? Three? I was a shepherd, a farmer, a merchant. I had a life there, so different from the one before. I didn't make friends. Not again. Not after last time. But I eked out a living. But, inevitably, I came close. I started to like people there, and they started to like me. And I was terrified! I left again, saying one last goodbye. I left into the hills, seeking... peace. Solace. An answer to my questions.
Reving's Hill was destroyed two years later, torn apart by a wandering Elder Tempest. Their souls came to me, same as the rest.
I walked for a day. A week. Two. Five. Weeks turned into months, months into a year. I saved a flock of sheep from death. Their shepherd had died in a landslide...I saw it happen. He confirmed it himself, years later.
The sheep kept me company, as I traveled the land. I met fellow travelers, some more than once. Many remembered me fondly. I know, for they told me so, years later.
And I found what I was looking for. A crater. Miles and miles of scorched earth. In the center, a wreckage... the skeleton of an ancient behemoth, a jewel of the sky. Ibcremis. The Fallen City.
I left the sheep behind, released into the wilderness. I don't know what happened to them. I wish I did.
And then I entered. The cracks spread from the center, vast crevasses of red rock. It took me day and three nights to find my way... time, as I realized, did not follow a set path there. And when I finally reached the city, I was greeted, not by silence, but my song. Birds. The Kenku.
I was surprised, of course. As were they. But we soon established a shared language, and we shared our stories. Their people were the last survivors of the city; the ones who had lived through the fall countless years ago. They had lost their language, their creativity, their wings. In the years that passed, however, they recovered. They were saved... by Ravens. Their wings are still broken, shattered beyond repair, but their voices are beautiful, their architecture a sight to behold. And when I told them of my dealings with the Raven herself, they were... well, awed isn't the right word. Frightened, maybe?
Feelings aside, I was taken to their church. Their temple. I told my story, and was received. I was given a home, heralded as a new follower. Welcomed with open arms, I hid in their libraries, apart from others. A recluse. I was nearly forgotten, lost to the tomes... but one remembered. He I remember. Nevwer. He was kind to me... a father in all ways but name. He ran the library where I spent my time. He helped me survive, when I should have died alone in the night. Instead, I lived with him, in the dusk. I learned much those years, hiding away in the shelves. Together, we searched out lost books, forgotten stories, disregarded histories. We were scholars, hidden in the twilight of those stacks. We were visionaries, laying out plans for vast, never seen cities of knowledge. And, in the end, we were friends, bonded by that past, that knowledge, that none others could possess.
I still remember the day I found it. We had been working long, and it was nearing six-hour. And then, there it was. At the end of the rows, atop its own pedestal. I could feel it before I saw it... an icy cold at the back of my neck, a burning in my heart, a memory in my mind. The memory of a white mask, a black void, and ravens. And there it was. The holy book, the holiest of books. The Book of Memories, from which the first Priest had read the words of his Queen. Long thought lost, the book was found. I was heralded as a hero, and I shared my joy with Nevwer.
I was pulled away. Pulled from my books, my world, my dusk. My friend. He died, years later, cold and alone in the darkness. I know, because he came to me.
But I was a priest. A savior. My name echoed throughout the city, at all endless times. I was given access to the church's resources, to further my independent studies. I was not to be disturbed. I pored over the book, what was my right... I could read it. I saw its teachings, its boons, my boons. I was the wisest of the wise, the leader of their church. Nobody said so, of course. But I knew. We all did. I was free to do what i liked...
And I did. I did good things, great things. I built schools. Farms. Explored and renovated long lost wings of the city. My life was perfect, in all ways.
And I hated it.
Sure, it was fun at first, but I got tired. Then I got bored. Then I got angry. Why did they have to ask me their questions? Why did I always have to have the answers? I didn't care about them, their plights. I didn't care about anything! I couldn't escape, of course. Not truly. I couldn't bring myself to leave this world, this paradise. I kept telling myself that it would get better, that it would stop... it didn't.
It had been that way for years when I finally snapped. I broke my vows of nonviolence. I killed... many. When my head cleared, much of my wing of the city was aflame. Most though I was dead... and I believed them. I didn't know myself. I didn't know if I was alive or dead, i didn't know my mind, and I didn't know my soul. So I ran.
Again.
Two thousand, five hundred, and seventy-two. That's how many died due to my actions. Nearly a tenth of the city's population. They wailed into my mind that day, thousands of souls screaming in pain. I can still hear them... all of their names. So many names, so many deaths, so many ways to end a life.
It's been... three years? since then. I still don't have answers, I still don't have peace. I'm still searching for a way to be forgiven. To forgive myself. I found Kolre through my journeys, a channeling of my power into a servant of the Raven Queen. I hope it means she still cares for me. You never will tell me, will you?"
"Nope!"
"Lewen."
"Yep!"
"I appreciate your help with the story."
"Yeah, you nearly missed a few things. Idiot."
"Heh." He turns back to Arty. "Was that to your liking, young one? Did you enjoy me tale? I hope not. It is not a happy story. I pray that yours will be brighter, once it begins."
Arty looks at him, a half eaten biscuit in her mouth. "That's a... I feel... I don't know what to say to that."
He gives a small, sad smile, boosted by a small, sad sigh. "Good answer. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you something happier."
"Do you feel okay? Who's the Raven Women?"
"I feel... better, honestly. Felt nice to get that off my chest. Sorry if I got a bit rambly, heh. The Raven Queen, as she is known, is a warden of the Space Between life and death, and a guide to the wayward souls who become lost there. She is merciful, and cold."
Why can't she just get a blanket?
" Because blankets aren't always available. Maybe someone stole her blanket."
So you explode their head and take your blanket back.
Kolre fluffs his feathers. "Alrighty then, you asked for it. Ingress, you start, right? I wasn't there for the first bit..."
Ingress clears his throat. "Well. I guess... we should start at the beginning, no?
"At first, there was nothing. Then, everything. The God, Mandor, sprung into being, born of the Universe herself- No? Too much? Too much. Not that far back. Boo... fine.
I was born in the sky. Atop the clouds, soaring through the air, looking down at the world below... in more ways than one, I suppose. The Temple of the Everborn Sun was... an interesting place to grow up. The followers of Leanis were a pious group, permitting none to stray from their fold. I was indoctrinated, of course. Born into the order of the sun. I... loved it. Order. Peace. I believed I was perfect, that me and my friends were right. How... how naive we were, that the world was in simple blacks and golds. There are other colors... greys. Blues. Reds. Purples. Yellows. Greens. So much life, so much love... and I knew none of it. My life was that of a cloistered acolyte, content to believe in superiority and religious perfection.
I had friends. I had a family. The Thals, long departed from the rabble of the lower mountains, dwelled in the skies. My best friends lived there too, above the rest. Balorn, a scholar of the planes. Lavis, our group's resident paladin. Dorn. That sick... avahlet. Tarahs. And Kevae... joyous, perfect, Kevae. I still miss them. Or, at least, most of them. We got in a fair bit of trouble, our little squad! Running about in our own personal paradise... it seemed like it would last forever. But, it didn't. It fell so fast... crumbling about me. My world, my life, gone in an instant.
The clouds still remain, of course. The Temple still soars. But I cannot stand there. I could, but I won't. Not again. Not after what they did.
I was... fifteen, I think? I don't remember all of the details... it was late. The sun was setting, bathing our world in a pink and orange glow... I heard shouts. Screams. I ran out, weapon in hand... and there she was. There they all were. Kevae, in chains. Balorn, in chains. Lavis... he was on the floor, bleeding from his side. So much blood... And Dorn. Standing above them, standing with the Knights, the holy men. They said... something. I... don't remember. Gods, I wish I could remember... But I ran. They chased me, but I was faster than them... I knew the land, the shortcuts, the passages. I escaped. I hid. I cried. Then I watched as my friends were dragged to the church. Brought before the voices of the gods.
They were judged. I couldn't hear the proceedings, but I saw them... in the end, they were guilty. I got that much. There was celebration, of all things. I don't know why... I wish I did. At the end, they were brought to the edge. Staring into the sky, the ground below. And then they... they...
Balorn fell first. I wasn't expecting it... why would I? I had seen such things happen before, but it was always a punishment for traitors... spies, heretics, madmen. Not my friends, not loyal citizens... but he still fell. Dorn did it himself. I can see his face... hard. Firm. Uncaring. I saw the sun in his eyes, burning with primordial hatred... Balorn hit the ground hard. He died quickly. He told me, decades later, in a sea of fire and flame.
Lavis tried to fight back, the fool. He was already hurt. It didn't take much. He was dead before he left the clouds. He came to me, in smoke and ash, crying in pain.
I had worked my way into the crowd by that point, hidden in the vestments of the clergy... Kevae was on the edge. Dorn was... on the edge. And then I was on the edge. And then we weren't.
I don't remember landing. I just remember the fall... shock in their faces as we all plummeted off the edge... fear in my heart, fear in my friend's, fear in my enemy's. The nothing.
The next they I can remember is flashes. Darkness, permeating the darkness of my eyes. A greater void. Then lights. Suns... and flames. Infernal braziers, burning with self-righteous hate. Celestial lanterns, shining in benediction... and between. The ravens. The Raven. She was so beautiful... standing there in prematerial glory, black hair stretching to infinity, filling the void. She wore a mask... white. Cracked. And she saw me... I know not how I know, but I do. And she... she smiled. Somehow, through the mask, through the void, through the endless nothing... she smiled at me.
And then I was awake. On the ground. Touching true stone for the first time. And no-one was there... no-one alive, at least. I saw Dorn... gods, I saw Dorn. But Kevae was gone, nowhere to be found. No trace. I never found her. Never heard her voice. I heard Dorn's, though. Screaming at me in righteous hatred. But I never found Kevae... Instead, I found this. This pendant... around my neck. I can't take it off... I've never tried. Never will.
I'm still not sure how I'm alive. I wandered for days... weeks, even. I don't know. I didn't eat. I was so hungry... I was in the wastes. Plateaus... mesa. There was a river that I followed. I think it kept me alive. There weren't people... it was barren. No life. The sun, once this beacon of religion and righteousness, had turned into a sickening, burning death. But I walked.
When I saw a humanoid, I was on my last legs. Probably had been for a while. But they were kind. They showed pity on me, took me to their home. A small family lived there... goblins, I think. They were so kind... they didn't have enough. I learned much that day. War raged, and the land I lived in needed soldiers. And soldiers needed food. The family had... gods, I can't even remember their names... they had given all they could. And then, when they could give no more... they were evicted. Cast into the Curan wastes.
I made a choice that night. I couldn't stay, I knew that... they wouldn't live. But they wouldn't live regardless.
Their food lasted me for two weeks.
Those weeks allowed me to escape. I made it out. They... didn't. I've seen their souls. They came to me... so many years later...
But I had survived the wastes. I had reached grassland, the hills of Crekehq. I was still hard pressed to survive... there were some close calls, what with Elementals and all that. A troll or two. I ran, mostly. Eventually, I made it to a settlement. Reving's Hill. I lived there for... two years? Three? I was a shepherd, a farmer, a merchant. I had a life there, so different from the one before. I didn't make friends. Not again. Not after last time. But I eked out a living. But, inevitably, I came close. I started to like people there, and they started to like me. And I was terrified! I left again, saying one last goodbye. I left into the hills, seeking... peace. Solace. An answer to my questions.
Reving's Hill was destroyed two years later, torn apart by a wandering Elder Tempest. Their souls came to me, same as the rest.
I walked for a day. A week. Two. Five. Weeks turned into months, months into a year. I saved a flock of sheep from death. Their shepherd had died in a landslide...I saw it happen. He confirmed it himself, years later.
The sheep kept me company, as I traveled the land. I met fellow travelers, some more than once. Many remembered me fondly. I know, for they told me so, years later.
And I found what I was looking for. A crater. Miles and miles of scorched earth. In the center, a wreckage... the skeleton of an ancient behemoth, a jewel of the sky. Ibcremis. The Fallen City.
I left the sheep behind, released into the wilderness. I don't know what happened to them. I wish I did.
And then I entered. The cracks spread from the center, vast crevasses of red rock. It took me day and three nights to find my way... time, as I realized, did not follow a set path there. And when I finally reached the city, I was greeted, not by silence, but my song. Birds. The Kenku.
I was surprised, of course. As were they. But we soon established a shared language, and we shared our stories. Their people were the last survivors of the city; the ones who had lived through the fall countless years ago. They had lost their language, their creativity, their wings. In the years that passed, however, they recovered. They were saved... by Ravens. Their wings are still broken, shattered beyond repair, but their voices are beautiful, their architecture a sight to behold. And when I told them of my dealings with the Raven herself, they were... well, awed isn't the right word. Frightened, maybe?
Feelings aside, I was taken to their church. Their temple. I told my story, and was received. I was given a home, heralded as a new follower. Welcomed with open arms, I hid in their libraries, apart from others. A recluse. I was nearly forgotten, lost to the tomes... but one remembered. He I remember. Nevwer. He was kind to me... a father in all ways but name. He ran the library where I spent my time. He helped me survive, when I should have died alone in the night. Instead, I lived with him, in the dusk. I learned much those years, hiding away in the shelves. Together, we searched out lost books, forgotten stories, disregarded histories. We were scholars, hidden in the twilight of those stacks. We were visionaries, laying out plans for vast, never seen cities of knowledge. And, in the end, we were friends, bonded by that past, that knowledge, that none others could possess.
I still remember the day I found it. We had been working long, and it was nearing six-hour. And then, there it was. At the end of the rows, atop its own pedestal. I could feel it before I saw it... an icy cold at the back of my neck, a burning in my heart, a memory in my mind. The memory of a white mask, a black void, and ravens. And there it was. The holy book, the holiest of books. The Book of Memories, from which the first Priest had read the words of his Queen. Long thought lost, the book was found. I was heralded as a hero, and I shared my joy with Nevwer.
I was pulled away. Pulled from my books, my world, my dusk. My friend. He died, years later, cold and alone in the darkness. I know, because he came to me.
But I was a priest. A savior. My name echoed throughout the city, at all endless times. I was given access to the church's resources, to further my independent studies. I was not to be disturbed. I pored over the book, what was my right... I could read it. I saw its teachings, its boons, my boons. I was the wisest of the wise, the leader of their church. Nobody said so, of course. But I knew. We all did. I was free to do what i liked...
And I did. I did good things, great things. I built schools. Farms. Explored and renovated long lost wings of the city. My life was perfect, in all ways.
And I hated it.
Sure, it was fun at first, but I got tired. Then I got bored. Then I got angry. Why did they have to ask me their questions? Why did I always have to have the answers? I didn't care about them, their plights. I didn't care about anything! I couldn't escape, of course. Not truly. I couldn't bring myself to leave this world, this paradise. I kept telling myself that it would get better, that it would stop... it didn't.
It had been that way for years when I finally snapped. I broke my vows of nonviolence. I killed... many. When my head cleared, much of my wing of the city was aflame. Most though I was dead... and I believed them. I didn't know myself. I didn't know if I was alive or dead, i didn't know my mind, and I didn't know my soul. So I ran.
Again.
Two thousand, five hundred, and seventy-two. That's how many died due to my actions. Nearly a tenth of the city's population. They wailed into my mind that day, thousands of souls screaming in pain. I can still hear them... all of their names. So many names, so many deaths, so many ways to end a life.
It's been... three years? since then. I still don't have answers, I still don't have peace. I'm still searching for a way to be forgiven. To forgive myself. I found Kolre through my journeys, a channeling of my power into a servant of the Raven Queen. I hope it means she still cares for me. You never will tell me, will you?"
"Nope!"
"Lewen."
"Yep!"
"I appreciate your help with the story."
"Yeah, you nearly missed a few things. Idiot."
"Heh." He turns back to Arty. "Was that to your liking, young one? Did you enjoy me tale? I hope not. It is not a happy story. I pray that yours will be brighter, once it begins."
Arty looks at him, a half eaten biscuit in her mouth. "That's a... I feel... I don't know what to say to that."
He gives a small, sad smile, boosted by a small, sad sigh. "Good answer. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you something happier."
"Do you feel okay? Who's the Raven Women?"
"I feel... better, honestly. Felt nice to get that off my chest. Sorry if I got a bit rambly, heh. The Raven Queen, as she is known, is a warden of the Space Between life and death, and a guide to the wayward souls who become lost there. She is merciful, and cold."
Why can't she just get a blanket?
" Because blankets aren't always available. Maybe someone stole her blanket."
"I... She doesn't need a blanket. I was talking about cold in the emotional sense, not the physical one. I'm sure she's fine, temperature-wise."
"Oh! Why's she so cold?"
"I... what? She's a god. A metaphysical being that feeds off of belief and worship, of course she's a little detached from humanoids."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Seven there shall be/In the halls of the eighth/Eights shall witness/Eight and eight and eight and eight/Blood of the father/Blood of the sun/Endless darkness/Day is done
*Gravedigger? Yep. Eris doesn't do more than Very Rare, and only top hats.*
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
*Okay. I know some people do it just to be annoying, so I felt that was necessary.*
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
He gives a small, sad smile, boosted by a small, sad sigh. "Good answer. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you something happier."
Seven there shall be/In the halls of the eighth/Eights shall witness/Eight and eight and eight and eight/Blood of the father/Blood of the sun/Endless darkness/Day is done
Savior/Sovereign/Saint Foresworn/Traitor/Trusted/Tortured Truthborn/Chosen/Cursed
Created by deities/Created by mortals/Created by powers unseen/Unheard of
Fate speaks of one/Fate speaks to none/Eternal shadows/Day is Done.
*I do uncommon and just make them look or feel really cool.*
Chilling kinda vibe.
"Do you feel okay? Who's the Raven Women?"
Chilling kinda vibe.
*I do it because I'm not very good at summarizing.*
The Circle of Hedgehogs Druid Beholder/Animated Armor Level -20 Bard of the OIADSB Cult, here are our rules. Sig. Also a sauce council member, but it's been dead for a while.
*I do uncommon but I'm bad at making them look cool.*
The Circle of Hedgehogs Druid Beholder/Animated Armor Level -20 Bard of the OIADSB Cult, here are our rules. Sig. Also a sauce council member, but it's been dead for a while.
"I feel... better, honestly. Felt nice to get that off my chest. Sorry if I got a bit rambly, heh. The Raven Queen, as she is known, is a warden of the Space Between life and death, and a guide to the wayward souls who become lost there. She is merciful, and cold."
Seven there shall be/In the halls of the eighth/Eights shall witness/Eight and eight and eight and eight/Blood of the father/Blood of the sun/Endless darkness/Day is done
Savior/Sovereign/Saint Foresworn/Traitor/Trusted/Tortured Truthborn/Chosen/Cursed
Created by deities/Created by mortals/Created by powers unseen/Unheard of
Fate speaks of one/Fate speaks to none/Eternal shadows/Day is Done.
*Try using fancy words that sound like they're supposed to make it sound cool. I do that sometimes.*
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
Why can't she just get a blanket?
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
He tilts his head to the side. Emotionally cold. I don't know about her physical warmth.
*Who is saying this?*
Seven there shall be/In the halls of the eighth/Eights shall witness/Eight and eight and eight and eight/Blood of the father/Blood of the sun/Endless darkness/Day is done
Savior/Sovereign/Saint Foresworn/Traitor/Trusted/Tortured Truthborn/Chosen/Cursed
Created by deities/Created by mortals/Created by powers unseen/Unheard of
Fate speaks of one/Fate speaks to none/Eternal shadows/Day is Done.
*I'm back and working on a cutscene in the background.*
Jason=stasis until tommorrow
Bloom is writing a song and testing it on her guitar
Charlie is humming to himself while making an amulet
I play a miriad of characters at the lord's rest inn
Two things are infinite: The universe, and human stupidity; and I'm not so sure about the universe.
Scifi horror is quite the trip :) Comics and a story
#FreeDND
" Because blankets aren't always available. Maybe someone stole her blanket."
Chilling kinda vibe.
*Eris.* Oh. She's just edgy, then?
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
"I... She doesn't need a blanket. I was talking about cold in the emotional sense, not the physical one. I'm sure she's fine, temperature-wise."
Seven there shall be/In the halls of the eighth/Eights shall witness/Eight and eight and eight and eight/Blood of the father/Blood of the sun/Endless darkness/Day is done
Savior/Sovereign/Saint Foresworn/Traitor/Trusted/Tortured Truthborn/Chosen/Cursed
Created by deities/Created by mortals/Created by powers unseen/Unheard of
Fate speaks of one/Fate speaks to none/Eternal shadows/Day is Done.
So you explode their head and take your blanket back.
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
"Oh! Why's she so cold?"
"Maybe she can't explode heads."
Chilling kinda vibe.
Then she stabs them, I guess.
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
"I... what? She's a god. A metaphysical being that feeds off of belief and worship, of course she's a little detached from humanoids."
Seven there shall be/In the halls of the eighth/Eights shall witness/Eight and eight and eight and eight/Blood of the father/Blood of the sun/Endless darkness/Day is done
Savior/Sovereign/Saint Foresworn/Traitor/Trusted/Tortured Truthborn/Chosen/Cursed
Created by deities/Created by mortals/Created by powers unseen/Unheard of
Fate speaks of one/Fate speaks to none/Eternal shadows/Day is Done.
Arty nods, like this is a normal thing to say, "Makes sense."
*Got to go for a couple of hours. Continue this later. *
Chilling kinda vibe.