Darkoor

[theForgottenSoul]

"Come to us Lord Kuppor, Come to us."

 

Yish heard them now in his wake.

 

He didn't exactly know, who, or what, the voices were, but he certainly did know where he knew them from. They were from---wait no, he didn't know who they were, or even who Lord Kuppor was. Maybe it was him--- no wait, what was his last name again?

 

Yish felt as dizzy from the last few hours as a child would have from the tilt-a-whirl fifty times in a row, so dizzy, he fell right into the water.

[MDRud216]

The sound of the explosion was still ringing in his ears as Ackon stopped, still within the trees. Many of his companions had simply collapsed at the water's edge, or were stiing, exhausted anyway. He waited a moment, observing, before he emerged into their chosen camp.

 

He arranged several logs on the ground, with various kindling- unsure of how long they would be staying here. His thumb sparked the ancient lighter (ancient style, i mean) and brought the perfect, swaying flame to the dry leaves in his gloved hand. Ackon lit them and pressed them beneath his kindling, eventually the fire was up and he had a place to warm his hands in the chilly night air.

 

If he saw another rabbit he would be down to two bullets and one delicious meal.

[Shadow of the Fallen]

OOC: I would like to make note that this was a time to flesh out your character. Its odd how in combat, even when you're not directly in controll of the action, you can post good solid posts--yet when I give you control, I get two paragraphs and your character falls asleep. Meh, what am I to do? Progress, and we'll see what happens next time.

 

By the way, Peregrine has been telling me that I haven't been clear enough on certain details, in some respects, he's right. First off, the forest itself is of mythical rarity. People who live in the cities dream of one day seeing trees, much less the massive ones that now stand before you. Think of newyork in Feb. when the sky is grey ALL THE TIME, destroy most of the buildings, remove all the nice landscaping, add rats, and you've got something close to what your character would be used to (see my post on technology in the other thread for more details on related issues).

 

What you have before you is incredibly magnificent to your character's eyes. The beauty they have never seen the likes of. The water is cleaner than anything they've ever tasted, much less bathed in, and the concept of warm fire would be thought of, to them, as a barrel with flaming newspapers in it. What I expected was something from you, that reflected at least the fact that you've been sitting in filth for a month, and you may have wanted to take time to have a bath unlike any you would have ever had before.

 

Also, while you didn't have to have your character say anything to anyone else, there was opportunity here to reflect, to have your charcter think about your past and their future. To bring out the character traits that you want them to have in the way their thoughts work. Thrin is a good example, at least the older posts in the first RP thread. Take a look at them if you get the chance. Other people have had some great things happen with their characters too, you should take a look for inspiration. Another good place to look for these sorts of things would be in a fantasy novel. Doesn't have to be a new one, books you've read might be easier to look at for examples, since you already know what sections to look in. Be creative! Thats what this time was for.

 

I saw a lot of it wasted.

 

So without further hesitation, your time is up. My time has once again begun.

 

IC:

For those of the group that had yet to fall asleep, they felt a sudden twitch of pain against their temple before slipping to the ground. They had all passed out before their heads rested against the earth. There was no time to think about it. Even Peregrine, from his vantage point, had been disabled. His vision tunneled before he knew what was happening, and he was dragged over to where the rest of the men lay on the cool earth.

 

When next the group had awoken, they each found themselves lying on something soft and comfortable. Without opening their eyes, they rolled over lazily and pressed their faces into something soft, like a cloud, but they didn't know what it was. For the first time in months, they hadn't felt so good, but all they wanted to do was sleep some more...

 

"Master, sir, please wake up.." came a soft female voice, and you felt a gentle hand shake your shoulder. "Sir, please, the grandmaster will be expecting you soon. You mustn't be late for the grandmaster." There was urgency in the woman's voice, behind a giggle as she shook you a little harder. Soon, she had jostled you enough awake for you to open your eyes. Brightness flooded in through an open window, cascading on to a floor made of some kind of speckled white stone (OOC: Marble).

 

In the middle of that stone, centered in front of the window from the edge of what you were on, was an emblem in the same type of stone, but it was black instead of white. It was surprisingly familiar, but you couldn't remember from where... It was comrpised of an outer circle, with an off center oval that ran from one side to the other and surrounded by squiggly lines. In the middle of the oval was a large round circle, filled in completly with the black stone, around that, lining the inside edge of the oval like teeth line a mouth, were triangles that projected inward, towards the circle... Where had you seen it before?

 

It was too familiar to you, something you had forgotten that was always a part of your life...

 

Thats right! The symbol tattooed on your right hand. You had seen it somewhere else recently... Some time in haste. But this time, recollection did not come to you. Oh well, it wasn't that important, you supposed.

 

"Please sir, get dressed," the woman said, noticing your eyes open. You didn't have a chance to get a good look at her before she moved to the corner of the room. "I'll be back soon with your breakfast, please be decent before I arrive again!" she said quickly, and then, not waiting for a response, she was gone.

 

You propped yourself up on your elbows and rubbed the sleep from your eyes. Noticing then that you were lying in something you had not seen for--ever actually. You had never seen this place, or this "bed", before, but somehow it all seemed so familiar. As though you had been out of place for the whole of your life, and now you were... home.

 

You stood up, realising then that the entire room was made out of the white stone, even the bed, though the other funiture was made from a dark wood. There was a desk and a dresser, each with large drawers that rolled out instead of slid. They had bright brass handles and looked brand new. The desk had sheets of white paper on it, and several pens arrayed out for writing.

 

Next to it was something that resembled a T.V. that you had once seen a man with, but it sat up on a small platform and was thin. The screen depressed and spread colors around as you touched it, the mans screen had been hard glass, not this new substance. Something about the colors told you that you shouldn't push the screen like that again, and you contented yourself to looking around the desk more. In a long drawer over a space where a chair sat, there was a plastic apparatus with a bunch of buttons on it. The plastic was black, and each of the buttons had a white letter, number, or symbol printed on it. Pushing one of the buttons produced no result.

 

Inside a cabinet, next to the space for the chair, there was a tall, rectagular object made out of metal. It was about eight inches wide, with a large button on the front, and several square pannels, each with a tiny button underneath it. Curiosity promted you to push the button on the strange object, but the logical part of your mind told you not to touch anything in this room, because it likely came with a heavy price. (OOC: If you have yet to identify the object, its a computer, and you dont know how to work it.)

 

In a quest for clothing now, you turned towards the dresser, but on the way, you caught a glimpse of yourself in a full-length mirrior. What you saw was startling. Your skin was completly healed, no longer having a yellowish tint, but being lively and pink. Your hair looked as though it had been smoothed with oils, and your muscles looked a bit more toned then they had before you went to prison. You were only wearing a pair of long pajama pants, so it was easy to tell about something a bit more disturbing. Your right hand looked different.

 

Not the hand itself, but the tattoo. It looked as if vines had started to sprout from the mouth-eye. They were twisting across your flesh, running partway down your fingers and your forarm. It seemed as though they had grown, like the symbol was alive and was now trying to take over your body with its influence. What could have done this? You began to look at the room with a bit more suspicion, your brain taking control of the situation instead of foolish, half sleeping whims.

 

Where were you? How did you get there? Why were you brought there? What's the connection to the tattoo? Questions barraged your mind in a vicious volley. Can I trust these people? Who was the woman that was just in here? Did she say breakfast? You spun around slowly looking for answers, all you found were more questions.

 

Why are there no doors in this room?!

 

It ws true, there was no doors whatsoever, only the window, and the woman that was just in there left in the opposite direction. There was no grating of stone, and no crease in the stone besides, that would give away the use of a secret passage. Unbidden, your body moved to the window to peer out in the sunlight. The image that lay before you was both alien to your mind, wonderous, and fearful.

 

You must have been up ten stories, peering out over a vast estate set within a section of the woods. You could barely see over the tops of some of the trees here, despite the high vantage point, but it was easy to tell you were deep into the forest. Below you was an open courtyard to the massive building you were currently in, paved with what was likely the same stone that your room, and the rest of the building, had been constructed from. Other buildings rose out of the ground around a cicular plaza, in which people were buzzing around busily. It was like a grand city, seemingly carved out of the same peice of massive stone. Nothing had seams, yet everything was detailed to a pristine, almost inhuman detail. Technology, you assumed had created this... But how?

 

Your mind made a mental note that the emblem, the mouth-eye, was drawn in black stone on the face of the plaza below. The size of it, you guessed, would be about a city block. People had been moving around to different little objects, carts maybe, where they were doing something you couldn't tell from this height. You also noticed that at the corners of your peripherals, people seemed to *pop* out of existance.

 

A sudden voice from behind you made your heart leap. "Master, I brought your breakfast. I hope you like sausage and eggs. I'll be back in ten minutes to take you to the grandmaster's hall. Be ready by then!"

 

When you spun upon the voice, the woman was already gone. How you could only imagine. On the dresser, two things caught your eye. A plate of fresh, steaming hot food, the likes of which you had never seen before (both the type of food, and the fact that it's FRESH). A heaping pile of eggs covered with melted cheese took up a whole section of the large platter, acompanied by a heavy mound of thick, meaty sausage links and half a dozen strips of bacon. There was also a bowl of something that looked like soup, and a thick loaf of warm bread. Next to the platter was a set of clothes. On top of those were your weapons, polished and tuned. Blades had been sharpened, guns had been cleaned, but lay unloaded. The ammunition was beside them.

 

For the moment, your stomach was pleading for the bountiful food, thinking it well deserved after a long month of next to nothing. You hadn't eaten the previous day, nor the day before... In fact, it was hard to remember the last time you had eaten. Within moments you had already made a sizable dent into the food, somehow knowing without knowing that it was genuinly good for you. There would be no poison, no sudden death, no unstoppable wave of bowel movements in the middle of the night, only the food in your stomach. The first bite was bliss.

 

As you ate, you thought about your surroundings some more. The grandure was stunning to the point of detatchment, and you saw everything around you with interest without really bothering to wonder at it. Who was the Grandmaster? you mulled over a bite of the bread, dipped in the spicy soup, What does he want with me? Nothing made sense now, this woman talked to you as if she knew you, she woke you up for this meeting like one of those people that the Clans had... What were they again? Mamers? Nimids? Maids! Thats it, they were Maids! She must be one of them, but then that means that this is a clan... Which means the Grandmaster must be the leader... But why would he want me? Why did I have the tattoo of their symbol?!

 

After you had eaten, you examined the clothes. They looked nothing like what you usually wore. A black silk shirt with strange markings on it, and a pair of dark pants. There was also a pair of sturdy boots on the floor next to the mirrior, and a brown, eveloping cloak hanging over it. Once you had the cloak on, you realised it had the same symbol, the mouth-eye, drawn on the back in black.

 

You took a good look at yourself in the mirrior. The man staring back was unrecognizable except for the face. The clothes fit perfectly however, and they were insanely comfortable. They fit you like a glove. There was little time for admiration of your own figure, though, as the lady abruptly tapped you on the shoulder, catching you off gaurd a second time. "Oh, sorry. Its time to go, do you have everything?"

 

-------

 

You reached for your weapons and took her hand as she had said to do a moment ago. Equiped and finally ready to leave, you followed her to the corner of the room, where the walls met. More like you were draged to the corner, and then suddenly there wasn't a corner before you anymore, only a grand room larger then any you could have possibly imagined before.

 

Beside you now, you noticed, were the other men that had left with you the day you escaped the prison. They were all arrayed in the same atire. You were standing on a thick white carpet at the entranceway to a circular room, that somewhat reminded you of the courtyard you saw from the room. Before you, a rather plump old man sat, dressed in white, upon a throne of the black stone. Everything else in the room was white, save for the same emblem that was everywhere on the carpet, the open maw eating an eye... Or was it an eye that looked like an open maw? Either way, you knew that you bore the same symbol on your right forarm, and you had some questions to ask.

 

For instance, how did you get here? Nothing made sense, one minute your out in the forest, sleeping away your miseries, and the next you wake up in a white room, surrounded by all this! What was the meaning of this?! Why were you here?! Someone seriously needed to explain themselves, might as well be the Grandmaster!

 

You were urged across the carpet towards the king by an invisible hand behind you. Each step was taken cautiously, one after another. Men stared at you with purpose and intent from either side of the carpeted walkway, each dressed in black, simmilarly to you, but not bearing robes. The all stood up striaght and tall, as though this was thier element, where they had the most influence. It would be hard to disprove the matter.

 

Standing before the Grandmaster, you locked eyes with him for a moment. What the hell is this?! Your mind screamed, burning for answers. The Grandmaster responded to the unspoken question without in an unexpected way. He smiled.

 

"Welcome home!" He rumbled, his eyes turning into slits with the broad grin he gave you, the corners of his eyes crinkling up like folded cloth. The entire room roared in echo, sound building in the round room. White hair and a beard framed bushy eyebrows that overshadowed deep grey eyes and at one time angular features. His clothes were simpler than the others in the room, not bearing marks or symbols. His shirt was longsleeved, and he wore gloves on his hands... As you suddely noticed everyone else did as well. His next words brought a sort of release.

 

"I'm sure you have questions," he began after the cheering had quieted a bit, "go ahead and ask, but remember, I have only the right answers for the right questions..."

 

 

OOC: Yes, it seems like something just happened, but you dont know what or why... Maybe you should ask about that! :laugh2: Go ahead, ask the NPC anything you like, say whatever you will, but stay in character. If you are extremly confused, dont worry, you are exactly where you need to be.

 

Just ask questions. Thats all you have to do. But remember, if I can take a whole paragraph to talk about a pair of pants and in the same thing make a nice long post that encompases about 10-20 seconds of gametime, there should not be a problem with writing something at least half decent. (Yes, I did this in ANP)

 

Also note, you can ask him whatever the hell you want, but you cannot determine his responses.

 

If you wish to initiate combat, from now until I say so, it applies as boss combat. You will type your action, and I will determin the response. No called shots. You cant say, "stabs towards the neck" but you can say "swung high" which means you could hit anywhere in the upper body region. You must leave the consequences of your actions open ended, but the action is yours to decide.

 

There is opportunity for roleplay here, there is opportunity for many things, use it wisely... And dont all speak at once!

 

As always, further questions can be directed to me via AIM or PM.

[Peregrine]

Somewhat dazed by the change in his dream, Ryan had followed along with his host's demands. Everything was too strange, too far from reality, for him to even think of doing more than sit and watch this new story. But the man's arrogant smile was too much, and put too much stress on his fragile sanity.

 

The pistol was in his hands and aiming almost without a thought. If rational thought was possible at the time, he would've thanked his paranoia for slipping it into his pocket even in such a safe and welcoming place. But there wasn't, not until the Grandmaster's head and his pistol sights lined up. At point blank range, missing wasn't even an option, one slight finger movement and the "Grandmaster" would be erased from the universe.

 

His host's cooperation and honesty assured, Ryan finally turned his attention to interrogation. "I have a few questions" he replied, almost too politely but with no question about what would happen if the Grandmaster refused to answer. "And since I don't think either of us have anywhere more important to be, I think you'd like to explain in absolute detail. Who are you? Why are you so interested in us? And why is there even an "us" to refer to? I can live with being a pawn, as long as the game makes sense!" Only with the last words did the frustration and confusion overwhelming his mind become apparent.

[Shadow of the Fallen]

The huge man only regarded Ryan with passive interest as the gun was pointed at his head. There were no gasps from the crowd, no rush of gaurds to protect their leader, no one made any move whatsoever to stop him. They didn't even blink twice. When Ryan had finished stating his question, the man before him only laughed, a deep rumbling laugh that filled the hall. No one else moved besides this man, now caught up in his hysteria.

 

Any move Ryan would have made against the man or the crowed dissapated as he realised he was no longer holding a gun. It simply winked out of existance before him. If he had wished for time to so much as change his disposition about the subject, it was lost in the strains of time. He saw a white flash at the corner of his eye, a blink that only took an instant of time. There was no way to react, no way to counter, no way to block. There was only searing pain.

 

Ryan was flung away from the Grandmaster with frightening speed, a heavy blow landed to his stomach. The man atop the black throne continued to laugh as if it were all a hearty joke. Silence echoed him.

 

A thousand eyes of the assembled followed Ryans cloaked form as he tore through the air, tumbling backward until he hit the floor audibly. He rolled three or four times, until he hit the solid marble wall behind where he had been standing when he appeared in the room. He was still concious, but injured to say the least. It would be a moment before he could stand again.

 

Abruptly, the Grandmaster stopped his laughing. All eyes turned back to him once more, with a few passing glances at the members of the group still standing. The Grandmaster's epression had changed from one of joy, to one of fury, anger, and outrage. "Child!" He bellowed, his words like thunder, "the game cannot make sense until you see the truth of it! This is no dream you insolent pup, if so, wake up and spare yourself the continuation of it!"

 

There was a very long pause while the Grandmaster's disposition improved. He looked away from Ryan and glanced on the others with a slight smile. As if from the air, a glass of water appeared before him, which he drank in one massive gulp before the glass suddendly dissapeared again. Just like everything else, what kind of technology could do this?

 

The thought was interrupted when the Grandmaster spoke again, though this time to the rest of the party instead of the rogue still lying against the wall in a heap. "I am Addmiatus d'Rothan Ederyniaus, Grandmaster of the Ederyn Clan. Whose Great Hall you are now standing in, surrounded by the bulk of its members. You arrived here more than a week ago, though I doubt you remember it, so I apologize for not first introducing myself. You see, it feels to me as if we've already been introduced, again, I am sorry."

 

"As for why you are here. Did you not leave with Ariana with the purpose of arriving here?"

[theForgottenSoul]

Yish saw Ryan fly across the room with great impact as if he was a metor crashing down upon to the earth.

 

 

"Well Grandmaster, its seems some of the people in our little group here are impolite."

 

Yish drew his sword and layed it down at the Grandmasters, feet. Not wanting to anger the powerful man in anyway, shape, or form. Yish could see that this man had the abilitiy to do pretty much as he wished, and didn't wish to piss him off.

 

"I only wish for understanding, understanding in E-N-G-L-I-S-H what in the world powers you posses. Also I wish to understand what this tatto on my arm is, why my dreams have begun to act more and more real, and finally where did Ariana come from.

 

Yish believed that his sense of respect would be repayed as he also added...

 

"I would also like to thank you for your hospitialtiy towards the rest of us."

 

Yish started to back away but then had another thought.

 

"Oh and if i could get a pack or two of smokes, it would be great..."

[Keeper of Lives]

The bath he had taken back in the woods was amazing, he had felt the dried blood, the dirt, and the urine, purged from his skin. His stench was gone and he had felt like a god, save for the torture that still reverberated though his soul. This however, paled in comparision to what he was involved with now. He felt wonderful! His hair was oiled down, it was nothing he had the luxury to do. Khevbik noticed he had bathed again, he could smell a faint fregrance emitting from his body, now this was clean!

 

Being the silky clean substance it was, the black attire was unlike anything he had worn before. The smooth, light nature was quite new to Khevbik, he liked this very much. The first bite of the food was rapture, he knew the Clans had good food, but he didn't expect it to be this wonderful. He never knew the Clans could be so .... generous to an 'infidel' such as he, there had to be a catch.

 

------

 

Khevbik looked over at the rest of the escapees. Some looked nervous in the counsel of the Clan members, this however wasn't out of the ordinary, who wouldn't be in front of the Clan members, their social status is said to be next to that of the Emperor's. He wasn't fazed by their presence, Khevbik had on numerous accounts associated with Clan members for work. He had not seen a Grandmaster this close though, only once from afar; he couldnt imagine a Grandmaster of all people to speak with an outcast, much less a group of them. The plot thickends.

 

Here he was now, before the counsel of the Grandmaster. Any rude or foolish acts could cost him his life, though maybe not that extreme, the man who had a gun, a Gun! in the face of the Grandmaster was only thrown about, nothing bloody and still alive. Khevbik stared into the eyes of the man in front of him for a moment, then voluntarily performed a deep bow. In some Clans it was custom to bow to anyone when greeting, this Clan may have a different greeting system, but he didn't take any chances.

 

"I am Khevbik Klavmur, I am honored to be in your presence Grandmaster.", he wasn't really honored, he only said what the man wanted to hear. "I have associated with quite a few Clans, unfortunately it seems I have not had pleasure of meeting with the Ederyn Clan, I must apologize.", Khevbik said with a tone of formality.

 

"It would seem that you were expecting Ariana to be here with us, and she is not, I could only come to the conclusion she is either dead or in capture. The epicenter of the exploision must have been the prison where Ariana was, and if she were to be in the prision at the time, it is highly likely ....", the reality hit him, he knew with clearity, that he could not deny it no longer, "that she is probably dead. I'm sorry if this bears sorrow to you, but it is most likely the case."

 

Deep down, Khevbik hurt, he would mourn for Ariana, but not now, now he would have his questions answered.

 

There was a long pause before he spoke again. "If you were expecting Ariana to be here with us, then this would mean you had sent her, but what I would like to know is, why have you summond us here? What importance have we to you?"

[Shadow of the Fallen]

The Grandmaster seemed as though he was about to answer Yish's questions, until he asked for cigarettes. Then, with a dismissive wave, he shrugged them away and spoke in a tone that showed his abhorence at the idea, "smoking is not permitted here, I suggest you rectify that habit." For a moment, there was a dark glare that passed between the two men, before Addmaitus turned his gaze a different way, towards the seemingly wiser man that was beginning to bow.

 

He waited politely for the man to finish his speech, before answering him. "Truth be told, you don't really care about being here. You just want to know why you're here to begin with." He smiled about some private joke, giving you a long look before gesturing to his left. The crowd seperated, revealing a woman in a white robe simmilar to yours, with the same design on the back. Her face was concealed, shielded by a veil as she made her way up to the Grandmaster's side.

 

"Boys, I would like you to meet someone you may not remember, and likely have not remembered for a very long time. After this, I will explain to you the cause of all this mess." Addmaitus had a broad grin spread across his features as he heaved his great bulk up from the chair and stood next to the woman, lifting the veil slowly.

 

Ariana stood before you, arrayed in the white silken glory of the robe. However that struck you--amazing, incredible, or extremly obvious--what the man said next couldn't have been more impacting.

 

With a light in his eye, the large man introduced the two parties, "Meet your sister, and your clan."

 

-------

 

When the minds of the escapees registered coherent thought once more, Ryan finally being able to force himself into a sitting position. Sister?... Gods, how could that be?!... CLAN?! The thought was indigestable, how could a man who had been an outcast all his life suddenly find himself in a position he might have at one time only dreamed of? How could all of these surroundings belong, in a manner of speaking, to him? This place of white stone and clean people, and fine things, was his home? And not only that, but what of the others that surrounded him?

 

Brothers, cousins, uncles, grandfathers, men and women that were all, in some way or another, related to him. These men who had been trapped in that dungeon with him were his own flesh and blood? Perhaps there was some resemblance, maybe in the angle of the jaw, but how could it possibly be so? It just didn't make sense. More like it didn't register.

 

Then what of the group's past? At one point, they have no recollection of where they where, who they where, or where they had come from. Nor why they had come. It was as if something had tapped into their memories and took a hacksaw to them, lopping off a vital section. It was chilling to think that not only the entirety of their family, but perhaps also their fathers and mothers might be in the room, staring on gleefully. It was hard to find distinction among all the joyous faces that appeared out of the gloom when the Grandmaster had broke the news.

 

Then how was the Grandmaster related to them? Grandfather? Great-grandfather would be closer, he was rather old looking. The grandmaster caught your eye in a stern glare at that which made you think that he could somehow read your thoughts. He was still smiling, but he looked like the keeper of the deadgates himself at the same time. The glare darkened still, and his smile began to fade, making you wonder if it might be a good time to ponder something else.

 

As if to give you a head start on that thought, the grandmaster gave you something very troublesome to ponder, "As you know, Darkoor is a world besieged by what many know as 'The Fall'. It was indeed a fall, but I think they, and you, have it a little misplaced. You see, it was not the fall of a world."

 

"It was the fall of a man."

 

"Long ago," his story began, "before this age of strife, the land was controled by many kingdoms. Clans they called themselves. The lords and ladies of these kingdoms were greedy, inspite of the rather content populace, and they constantly found reason to strike wars with other clans in order to gain wealth and power. Today, it is the same, as I'm sure you already know. But it is much bigger then that.

 

"Back to the point. At length, the lords of these ancient clans developed powerful weapons of destructions, tanks that flew and could destroy cities with a single bomb, deadly robots, knives that rent people from this world and put them in another... Peices of them anyway. With every new weapon, there came more war, and with every war, there came hundreds of new weapons. The world was collapsing in on itself around the clans. The masses became tense; the world was dangerously close to the brink of oblivion. The difference was the edge of a knife."

 

"The gods, seeing the plight of the humans they had created, could not simply avoid action. Their world would otherwise be destroyed. So they did the only thing, we assume, they thought would fic the problem. They invested a small group of people with their powers, made them champions for their cause. These new men and women, said to have the "gift", were sent to alter the fate of the planet. Under the directions of the gods, these brave people with the ability to manipulate their surroundings with their spirit, restored the order and balance that has kept us alive for so long."

 

"The world soon changed after the clans were abolished. The "gift" soon became known as "magic" after the imaginary forces that men of the time had dreamed up. As the small group of people began to settle down into more normal lives, they had children. Eventually, it was realised that the children also had the gift, and after about a century, the gift had become relativly more common. Men and women with the gift, who proclaimed themselves different things based on their ideals, soon rose to positions of power."

 

"Many specializations were found in people with the gift. Some could only use it to heal, some to kill, some to build things, some to undo things. And yet more people remained neutral in everything, not having any particular specialization of magic. Millenia passed, and the gift spread, and with it came more variations to the gift. Life was good and pleasant. You may have remember learning at some point that the world was a great place to be in the time just before The Fall. It might have even stayed that way, had certain events not fallen into place, but they did."

 

"In the end, it was the calm before the storm."

 

"A man, named Aardukan Dathol, rose to power in a place called Karr'du. It is the country that stood where the black citadel is now. Just like the ancient clans, just like the corrupted ones today, he was greedy and had a tremendous lust for power."

 

"By this time, magic and man-made technology coexisted in symbiosis, each feeding off the other. As we understood more about magic, we could imbue weapons, armor, buildings, vehicles, and all manner of objects with powers to do things that would aid us in everyday life. Very few people remained in the world that had no magic, and despite the good in the world, they became outcasts to society, just as you have been."

 

"Using that technology, the coexistance of magic and technology, Aardukan created an immense weapon of destruction. Its purpose was specifically to destroy those with the gift. Those remaining, a mere 16,000 or so people of the previous billions, ran into secrecy and hiding. So began the age of strife."

 

"Aardukan has an amazing love of blood and gore. He slaughtered countless numbers of lives simply because he wished it so. Through his power over magic, and over this weapon, he has forced the whole of man into submission."

 

"Thus, you now know the story of the world. Maybe that has answered a few questions, maybe it hasn't, but I feel we have little time left to discuss such matters here," Addmaitus said quickly, "I fear an evil presence is growing near... If you have a terribly important question, ask it quickly, and then I will show you where you must go."

 

OOC: This is OOC knowledge, the room is growing colder.

[MDRud216]

ooc: amazing, into the looking glass comes to mind along with several others... Now, lets see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

 

Ackon witnessed the events unfold before him, and all manner of responses from his companions. Ryan had pointed a weapon at the almost godly figure before them and disappeared from view as he flew backwards.

The others tried more respectful aproaches, but Ackon chose a more natural one immediately after Ryan's brief flight; he simply reached into beneath his cloak to draw out his weapon. Glanced at it for a moment and let it fall to the stone floor, cringing before the harsh sound of the impact.

 

Ackon made eye contact with the Grandmaster almost before the subsequent impacts of it clanging around ceased. A short, forgiving stare marked the beggining of his speech and Ackon listened intently before fading into a state of unawarness as the thoughts, implications and yet more questions overpowered his mind. Eventually it completely cleared them, substituting it for something else enitirely.

 

Where are my clothes? ...whatever, I'll get them later. I'll have to make due with this fancy stuff for now---images of his prison flashed through his mind with a brevity as of the passing shockwave that eminated from its destruction a week earlier, sparking wholly new, unpleasant thoughts. I was encased in a layer of... "filth" is far to mellow of a word... Whatever shock, or brain malfunction had denied me of bathing in crystal clear water? Then the feeling of his arm breaking through a moist layer of decaying flesh and ribcage of his long dead room mate. he cringed, forcing the world to come back to him.

 

Ackon looked around, taking in what seemed to be his...family, puncuating it all with a few steps backward and sitting down, he put his hands on his forehead and exhaled deeply: not knowing what to think and not bothering to make any further guesses.

[Keeper of Lives]

Ariana .... his sister, and alive .. how could this be? He could understand her being alive, but his sister? It didn't add up, yet somehow it made sense. The symbol on the hand, the slight physical similarities, yes, this was quite real. It made Khevbik sick to think he acually had fantasies about this woman who turned out to be his sister. At the same time though, he didn't feel the same intimate connection that two sibling might feel, it wasn't that bad. He could still try to get with her. Khevbik wondered if she felt the same way about him, somehow he didnt think this to be so, she had known he was her brother long before him. No, she wouldnt feel the same way.

 

His head was spinning, the whole chunk of his life missing in his mind was somehow connected to this Clan? Khevbik felt renewed, this knowledge messaged his empty, ever-questioning heart, whilst stabbing it at the same time. Where had this part of his life gone? Why couldnt he remember his earlier years of life? Khevbik knew that he may find the answers to these questions soon enough.

 

There was a slight jolt in his spine, it was gone as fast as it came, it was unlike anything he had felt before. The feeling disipated from his body and mind as quickly as it had appeared.

 

Another question came to his mind: Magic. Khevbik knew this revelation had to be true. This would finnaly explain the inhuman speed Ariana possesed, the explosion, the disapearing gun and how the fool was thrown. Those events were not done by some hokey technology, it was magic. Why hadn't he seen this amongst the outcasts? Did he possess the same power as Ariana and the Grandmaster??

 

In that moment, Khevbik forgot the feeling of what fear was, the feeling that had haunted him for years and of recent.

 

He had to ask before he woke up from this sick dream and missed his chance. "Grandmaster, if what you say is true .. then why have I,.... we, been living as outcasts for so long? Why can none of us remember our pasts and how come I have not seen other outcasts with this ... magic? Do we possess magic like you and Ariana as well, I find this question hard to believe, but I must ask. I'm sorry that I burden you with all of my questions, but please, I must know!"