Post by snowdrop on Mar 27, 2014 17:43:53 GMT -5
Gatehouse
and raised in Gatehouse, a oasis city in a land that would one day become the Arunafeltz
six hundred years ago, the settlement's
of the so called Valfreya Crescent made it a prime
"liberation:" Its people could be slaves to Mardol one thralls to Banadis the next.
16 months, two thirds of the native
casualty of the Second Holy
Wisdom Violet
fourteen years old then. She had become the human property of Wisdom
sorcerer and commanding officer of Cyr's Death Legion. Violet's inner
some of the world's foremost necrotechnicians, and their combined
matched only by their extreme depravity– In nine months
entire hosts of abominations, in varying stages of undeath.
hardly have be counted among the living herself. Her flesh was black and unfeeling, swathed in meter
cauterized by the same dark magic that sustained Violet's
was no pain, there was no cold. Indeed, there
Liberators
Gefn's Warrior Nation assaulted Gatehouse in 1316
why pray for their success? What difference would it
won the city? Only their rulers' names would change. If not for the spells that bound
altar and dash her fevered head against the floor
then that an armored wight crashed through the ceiling in a shower of terra-cotta
assassin bearing Gefn's crest struggled desperately with the
halfmoon katars locked tight against poisoned claws, but their fine mechanism
no match for the wight's brutal strength.
To live
had divested the runes that bound
her chance! Mere paces away, a fourth-floor window
the street below. The dull, iron breeze invited
leapt upon the wight's head and tore
purple blood, the same foul blood of the walking dead that now ran through her veins. It ran like oil and
hot, as evil blood was like to
struck by the enchanted flames of Gefn's weapons.
scream, though gouts of fire washed over her.
Guest room
could not comprehend at first the luxury that surrounded
Midgarts ebony tables inlaid in golden knotwork, mosaics
Aesir's feats relieved in crystal, and water.
to her than a thousand exotic baubles was the water that
carpets through the room. Never had she beheld so much water in one
her bed of linen and dipped two fingers into the stream.
as unfeeling as ever, but her eyes
this was no trick of the mind. Was this wonderous place heaven?
Valhalla, Niflheim, or somewhere else? Paper
open in the style of Amatsu's Shoji partitions. With
beneath the blankets lest she be caught defiling water
Assassin
"You're awake. Thank Freya that you live– Or that
you– No. I'm sorry, I forget myself."
covered the width of the room in three
Loose red hair, a wide scowl frozen on his face. None of
matched the concern in his voice.
"My name is Auata. Auata from Audhumbla.
Can you speak? What's
whether we could speak, but she dared not speak now. Auata repeated
in the priestly and the common dialects of Rachel, and in another language she could not
shook her head and answered in the first tongue, "Mina."
Putting his hands together, and bowed. "Mina. I'll commit your name
as I hope you'll do with mine. I'm in your debt
have rested–" Auata hesitated for a moment
realized then that this courteous man
to mask what could only be disgust–
Desire
"Ask anything you want of me and
ever truly hated? I hope you never have
what it was like to hate, and in the mirrors and in the water was reflected the face
face was sick and swollen with the flesh of undeath. Beneath
was evil flesh sewn tight by opcidium cord and lacerations. The Wisdom's
as a scream. "I want you to kill! Violet! Tear him into pieces
Violet! Kill him!" It came out as a sob
ended in silence. The air itself choked on her
To know
he searched Mina's face. What he
for, she never knew to this day, but she thought
have glimpsed some sympathy beneath the stony revulsion
and Auata repeated himself. Coldly this time, "Follow me."
Flagging in
of Gefn's great fortress. The insignia of Warrior Nation
hall, crook, and alcove. Every room was decorated as lavishly as
she had to squint at the radiance of it all. Nowhere
a man and woman bearing Gefn's colours on their shields.
as crusaders. Banadis' forces had crusaders and
the people of Gatehouse kindly. Decently, anyway.
not kill or rape without reason, and if served them as
reached instinctively for the hilt of her sword, then snarled
caught herself. She dashed off toward the great hall with a flourish
Auata," began the other crusader, but Auata silenced him with a wave of his hand.
"Peace, Enrique" he whispered. "Trust in me."
Enrique fortunately left it at that. From then on, Auata went out of his way
of sight.
Forbidden
They came at last to a spiraling staircase that descended
dark. He lit a lantern with a flick of his fingers and gestured to the undead girl,
protesting. "What's down there?"
"Go down and see," Auata said. "Take this with you and do as you will."
It was the katar that had opposed the armored Wight so many years ago.
"What... What do you
looked straight into Mina's eyes. "You will go alone. I cannot fulfill this wish of
Vengeance
necrotechnician was the only inhabitant of the
Chains covered his body from
toe, but they almost ceremonial
the eight runed spikes that impaled his torso
direction. Only his head
in welts and bruises that could match Mina's disfigurement given a few weeks of festering.
you, Auata."
"I never had the pleasure of learning your name. Of all
from Violet's head to splash against the walls.
Transcendent
just this ribbon. It is all I have left to remember him by."
Valkyrie Illusion extended her hand once more. "You are loving, Mina. But
a hero with such strong worldly attachments."
"That can't be. I became a hero to save this world
call me a hero. I pursued them because I loved
precisely why you mortals are trapped in this cycle of death. A hero fit
does what is right regardless of
time is borrowed."
Valhalla's resplendent halls were barely red ember in Mina's eye, fading fast.
"You don't have much time left. Become a hero or die."
Politics
he remembers you." But we are at war right now
all your needs as if you were a child of four.
while your dignity is still in one piece."
Theni knew that Zelkova would never accept such an
long as Jaeri was in her hands, so was
and this so-called Assassin of the Cross.
Cathedral of Dicastes
for them alone. There is a vast and unknown future waiting
Auamina. While we walk with Odin's guidiance, our love will never perish.
She was almost in tears. "Do you really mean all that?"
"I do."
It took the pagan congregation all of ten minutes to settle
Trina was laughing her head off all
said Chris! A little premature but
the young go at it these days. Your father would be
promise too! As long as I live."
They kissed and exchanged
though Chris had long viewed such anecdotes with skepticism. This was truly the
wished it would last forever.
The Dolomedes with their eight
were the last to see Auata.
perhaps. Or could he have fallen
spire of Dicastes Diel? Either way, he would retreat to Morroc's domain
they may, none of the Shadow Chasers would ever trace the frozen tears
among the snowbanks of Jontunheim.
and raised in Gatehouse, a oasis city in a land that would one day become the Arunafeltz
six hundred years ago, the settlement's
of the so called Valfreya Crescent made it a prime
"liberation:" Its people could be slaves to Mardol one thralls to Banadis the next.
16 months, two thirds of the native
casualty of the Second Holy
Wisdom Violet
fourteen years old then. She had become the human property of Wisdom
sorcerer and commanding officer of Cyr's Death Legion. Violet's inner
some of the world's foremost necrotechnicians, and their combined
matched only by their extreme depravity– In nine months
entire hosts of abominations, in varying stages of undeath.
hardly have be counted among the living herself. Her flesh was black and unfeeling, swathed in meter
cauterized by the same dark magic that sustained Violet's
was no pain, there was no cold. Indeed, there
Liberators
Gefn's Warrior Nation assaulted Gatehouse in 1316
why pray for their success? What difference would it
won the city? Only their rulers' names would change. If not for the spells that bound
altar and dash her fevered head against the floor
then that an armored wight crashed through the ceiling in a shower of terra-cotta
assassin bearing Gefn's crest struggled desperately with the
halfmoon katars locked tight against poisoned claws, but their fine mechanism
no match for the wight's brutal strength.
To live
had divested the runes that bound
her chance! Mere paces away, a fourth-floor window
the street below. The dull, iron breeze invited
leapt upon the wight's head and tore
purple blood, the same foul blood of the walking dead that now ran through her veins. It ran like oil and
hot, as evil blood was like to
struck by the enchanted flames of Gefn's weapons.
scream, though gouts of fire washed over her.
Guest room
could not comprehend at first the luxury that surrounded
Midgarts ebony tables inlaid in golden knotwork, mosaics
Aesir's feats relieved in crystal, and water.
to her than a thousand exotic baubles was the water that
carpets through the room. Never had she beheld so much water in one
her bed of linen and dipped two fingers into the stream.
as unfeeling as ever, but her eyes
this was no trick of the mind. Was this wonderous place heaven?
Valhalla, Niflheim, or somewhere else? Paper
open in the style of Amatsu's Shoji partitions. With
beneath the blankets lest she be caught defiling water
Assassin
"You're awake. Thank Freya that you live– Or that
you– No. I'm sorry, I forget myself."
covered the width of the room in three
Loose red hair, a wide scowl frozen on his face. None of
matched the concern in his voice.
"My name is Auata. Auata from Audhumbla.
Can you speak? What's
whether we could speak, but she dared not speak now. Auata repeated
in the priestly and the common dialects of Rachel, and in another language she could not
shook her head and answered in the first tongue, "Mina."
Putting his hands together, and bowed. "Mina. I'll commit your name
as I hope you'll do with mine. I'm in your debt
have rested–" Auata hesitated for a moment
realized then that this courteous man
to mask what could only be disgust–
Desire
"Ask anything you want of me and
ever truly hated? I hope you never have
what it was like to hate, and in the mirrors and in the water was reflected the face
face was sick and swollen with the flesh of undeath. Beneath
was evil flesh sewn tight by opcidium cord and lacerations. The Wisdom's
as a scream. "I want you to kill! Violet! Tear him into pieces
Violet! Kill him!" It came out as a sob
ended in silence. The air itself choked on her
To know
he searched Mina's face. What he
for, she never knew to this day, but she thought
have glimpsed some sympathy beneath the stony revulsion
and Auata repeated himself. Coldly this time, "Follow me."
Flagging in
of Gefn's great fortress. The insignia of Warrior Nation
hall, crook, and alcove. Every room was decorated as lavishly as
she had to squint at the radiance of it all. Nowhere
a man and woman bearing Gefn's colours on their shields.
as crusaders. Banadis' forces had crusaders and
the people of Gatehouse kindly. Decently, anyway.
not kill or rape without reason, and if served them as
reached instinctively for the hilt of her sword, then snarled
caught herself. She dashed off toward the great hall with a flourish
Auata," began the other crusader, but Auata silenced him with a wave of his hand.
"Peace, Enrique" he whispered. "Trust in me."
Enrique fortunately left it at that. From then on, Auata went out of his way
of sight.
Forbidden
They came at last to a spiraling staircase that descended
dark. He lit a lantern with a flick of his fingers and gestured to the undead girl,
protesting. "What's down there?"
"Go down and see," Auata said. "Take this with you and do as you will."
It was the katar that had opposed the armored Wight so many years ago.
"What... What do you
looked straight into Mina's eyes. "You will go alone. I cannot fulfill this wish of
Vengeance
necrotechnician was the only inhabitant of the
Chains covered his body from
toe, but they almost ceremonial
the eight runed spikes that impaled his torso
direction. Only his head
in welts and bruises that could match Mina's disfigurement given a few weeks of festering.
you, Auata."
"I never had the pleasure of learning your name. Of all
from Violet's head to splash against the walls.
Transcendent
just this ribbon. It is all I have left to remember him by."
Valkyrie Illusion extended her hand once more. "You are loving, Mina. But
a hero with such strong worldly attachments."
"That can't be. I became a hero to save this world
call me a hero. I pursued them because I loved
precisely why you mortals are trapped in this cycle of death. A hero fit
does what is right regardless of
time is borrowed."
Valhalla's resplendent halls were barely red ember in Mina's eye, fading fast.
"You don't have much time left. Become a hero or die."
Politics
he remembers you." But we are at war right now
all your needs as if you were a child of four.
while your dignity is still in one piece."
Theni knew that Zelkova would never accept such an
long as Jaeri was in her hands, so was
and this so-called Assassin of the Cross.
Cathedral of Dicastes
for them alone. There is a vast and unknown future waiting
Auamina. While we walk with Odin's guidiance, our love will never perish.
She was almost in tears. "Do you really mean all that?"
"I do."
It took the pagan congregation all of ten minutes to settle
Trina was laughing her head off all
said Chris! A little premature but
the young go at it these days. Your father would be
promise too! As long as I live."
They kissed and exchanged
though Chris had long viewed such anecdotes with skepticism. This was truly the
wished it would last forever.
The Dolomedes with their eight
were the last to see Auata.
perhaps. Or could he have fallen
spire of Dicastes Diel? Either way, he would retreat to Morroc's domain
they may, none of the Shadow Chasers would ever trace the frozen tears
among the snowbanks of Jontunheim.