Sunday, August 16, 2009

Desert Trek - The Missing Weeks ( III )

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[181] Nymaya: Desert Trek - The Missing Weeks III
Wed Aug 12 18:31:10 2009
To: New_Thalos All ( RP )
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There was terrible agony for a long time. She might have screamed.
Perhaps she never stopped once it started but it wasn't a memory she was
intended to maintain.

Dreams rarely were.

She came awake slowly, as if from a great distance, drawing back the heavy
layers of gray that had overlain her sight. She never remembered the desert
fever, never knew who her benefactor was or how long she had been
unconscious. She simply understood that she was alive.

It was enough for now.

She was weak, exhausted, as she pushed herself up from a cot to discover
that she was in the back of a moving wagon. The jostling was enough to
prevent her from rising, even to glance out of the flaps but as she sat
there, her head bowed into her hands, she caught snippets of talk from
outside.

"..what was a Wali...so far from..city?"

"...caught in a storm, so..said."

"..miracle she survived.."

It took her some time but with an effort to push past the fog of exhaustion,
she began to remember. The storm that had trapped her in the abandoned
ruins, forced her out after weathering it for days. The mountains in the
distance...Linot's voice..a dream.

Cold suddenly, even in the exceedingly dry heat, she lay back down upon the
cot and covered herself with her white and gold trimmed cloak which had been
tucked around her previously.

She had a lot of questions, though her desire for the answers was yet
lacking.

"We're almost to the Jewel, lads."

Desert Trek - The Missing Weeks ( II )

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[180] Nymaya: Desert Trek - The Missing Weeks II
Wed Aug 12 18:12:24 2009
To: New_Thalos All ( RP )
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A great rift split the grove in two with an incomprehensible violence and
from it wafted the sickening scent of damnation. Sulfur burned the senses,
blood threaded through it and the heat of some invisible flame licked
agonizingly along her flesh.

"A part of me believes that I deserve such a fate.."

...No part of you ever deserved this...was their punishment not
enough...

The weight of her decisions returned along with the sorrow of the figure, so
heavy that it would have bowed her shoulders, but the shadow that rose up
from the fracture in the ground surrounded her. She couldn't breathe for
the stranglehold as it grasped her throat, her heart and then, her soul.

"..not...Fatale.."

It was a gasp, little more than a breath that managed to contain partial
words.

...No, not Fatale. You embraced Necrucifer...

There was a kind of horrible resignation to the voice that was now coupled
with an acute anguish. She felt herself drawn closer to the great chasm in
the ground and knew, without a doubt, that the inexorable strength in the
shadow was going to pull her in there.

...You cannot have been meant for this path, Nymaya...

"..on it..now"

The sigh that followed was palpable as it rushed through her, around her,
following her as she willingly fell.

cont.

Desert Trek - The Missing Weeks ( I )

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[176] Nymaya: Desert Trek - The Missing Weeks I
Wed Aug 12 03:45:38 2009
To: New_Thalos All ( RP )
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The grove with the little pool was still and as untouched by time as it
always seemed to be. The sun was a shadow of itself, its light made misty
and dappled as it filtered through the still tree that gave its shade to the
occupants who stood below it. A gentle, warm fall of rain accompanied the
serene moment, dripping through the leafy boughs overhead.

There was no peace for her in this place. At least...not at first.

...Nymaya...

She wanted to turn away. So very badly did she want to turn away from this
but she knew it wouldn't do any good.

...You are mortal. We make mistakes...

The voice was so distant, the image of her conscience so faint and shadowy.
It drew sorrow up from the depth of her soul - for all that had passed and
all that never would.

...Accept this...and find peace...

It was the answer to her question. It seemed common sense but in the voice
of Linot - her murdered friend - it was merely a gentle revelation. Spoken
with a rueful smile, as if they were bantering at each other as usual.

She saw herself again; the lost, embittered Songkeeper...seeking the only
soul in the grove who she trusted to speak without judgment. Who would care
unconditionally even as she lectured you in wise, poetic tones about mortal
nature.

Then, a piece of one of the last memories she had had with Linot, returned
all at once.

"I am..bound by an oath."

And it began again...

"I understand this oath. It has been written upon my heart and soul."

The ghostly figure was closer now, her faded green eyes visible as they
stared beyond the feeble walls that had tried to contain these remembered
moments.

"..I have failed to teach the King the full importance of the Kyorl, this
oath and what they should mean to him and this kingdom."

How she wished the words hadn't ever been true. She had failed. Oh yes, but
not as anyone had accused her. She swallowed hard and in a small voice,
asked the apparition to stop. The ghostly form of Linot just smiled sadly.

...You were free...

"I did not want this..did not foresee...how it would tear me apart."

...Hind sight, my friend...

The tone was gently amused.

...But all is not lost. You have always had the answers...

And with that, a sweeping sense of peace finally stole through her. She had
time to close her eyes, to lift her face into the warm rain and glory in the
feel of the sun before the ground shuddered beneath her feet. She opened
her eyes to find that Linot was gone. The sense of warmth and peace
evaporated as darkness converged over the sky.

...Embrace Fatale's whispers, and the gods may grant you pain
everlasting...

Those last words whispered, haunted and empty, through the thickening
darkness and the meaning in them was not lost on her.

cont.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Desert Trek - III

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[152] Nymaya: Desert Trek - III
Sat Aug 8 01:34:00 2009
To: New_Thalos All ( RP )
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Time lost any meaning to her; the seconds, minutes and hours blending
into each other until they were indistinguishable.

She was no longer fleeing the storm that raged unchecked throughout too vast
a stretch of desert. She was running from things she had never been able to
escape. It didn't matter that she had silently vowed to change this about
herself, to face these things that caused her such torment. This wasn't the
way she wanted to meet her unspoken pain.

...They are not indefinite. Even the best of shelters become worn by the
storms...

The whispered words couldn't be ignored, though by all rights the enraged
howl of the wind should have rendered them beyond hearing. She was weaving
and stumbling dangerously now, her eyes sightless. She never noticed the
flattening of the land, nor the hardening of the ground beneath her feet.
She simply moved because to stop was to die and she had not yet found an
answer that would allow her to give up so easily.

To lie down in the desert and die when she still had the ability to live was
just as ignominious as it would have been to walk meekly to the Shalonosts to
give up her life, even though it had been forfeited by others with little
attempt to discover the truth or lie of her innocence. Liluye had been
right about her...

...Watch for those things which bring you peace, and return to them when
needed...

But what was it that would bring her peace? What was she supposed to watch
for? She realized she had asked the question aloud even as her knees struck
a hard surface. The immediate pain brought her back briefly, made her
realize that she had been foolishly talking with the deceased; the only
elven woman who put the true lie to Nymaya's existence.

...But you do need rest, even if sleep is but a temporary escape...

She couldn't afford even a temporary escape right now and sleep had
certainly never been it anyway. Some primal need drew her painstakingly up
from the ground, to stumble forward a bit farther, but it was with a
suddenness that caught her completely off guard that blackness stole through
her consciousness and she fell back to the ground - unaware of the mountains
or the shadow that loomed over her.

...Rest, Songkeeper...

cont.

Desert Trek - II

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[150] Nymaya: Desert Trek - II
Fri Aug 7 05:03:50 2009
To: New_Thalos All ( RP )
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She was back there again, the accusations leaving her stunned. She
hadn't known what to respond with, had let herself be bullied even as she
desperately tried to understand why.

Why her pleas had gone unheard.

She shook her head suddenly, frantic to escape the past. It didn't matter
anymore! The roar of the wind returned along with the stinging sand,
scraping raw any part of her flesh that was not covered. She welcomed the
pain even as she forced her aching muscles to press against the terrible
weight of the storm again. The dune seemed to come apart beneath her though
and she was tumbled back down into the fast filling crevace between the
towering dunes.

Weary and sick of the battle, she resolved to travel as best she could along
the sides of the dunes until she could find a lowering. At least down here,
she was a little more protected from the wind.

...everyone should have a refuge...

Her eyes were watering, her vision already blurry and indistinct with a
combination of severe exhaustion and fine sand grains. The voice stopped
her in her tracks though and left her grasping for reality again. Linot.

...mine lessen by the day...

She did not want this memory. By the Gods, she did not want it! Grabing at
her head, she pushed harder against the wind, driving herself with careless
abandon. It succeeded in distracting her but she knew she was suffering
from dehydration. She was also clearly suffering from sleep deprivation and
was quite aware that it might lead to hallucinations. Sadly, the simple
knowing was not enough to escape what was coming.

-cont-

Desert Trek - I

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[149] Nymaya: Desert Trek - I
Fri Aug 7 04:54:33 2009
To: New_Thalos All ( Rp )
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Her trek into the desert hadn't been intended to last more than a week
but the factors that often decided the course of her life had never been
easy to navigate or chart. And in this instance, she hadn't been entirely
prepared to handle the storm that had arisen upon her.

She'd clearly traveled too far from her intended destination and so, when
the giant wall of sand had descended upon her, she had barely managed to
work her exhausted way to the ruins spied in the distance. Most of the
buildings had been decimated but one had managed to withstand the awesome
force of the desert and offered four walls and a roof. It was in this place

that she weathered the blasting sands and the unending howl of the wind, so
loud that it aided her in the repression of the memories she had come out
here to work her way through.

Many days passed in this way. She hadn't thought a desert storm capable of
such extended violence but there was never any lax in the wind or the
driving sand that kept her prisoner. The drifts built up dangerously around
the window and the arched doorway before they began to pour into her
shelter, driving her back further into the dark room. It soon became
apparent that if she did not brave the dangerous weather, she might find
herself buried.

Trapped on either side with the threat of death, she resolutely wrapped
herself in her desert garb and decided to take her chances with the storm.
It was better to face death head on rather than hide in the dark, waiting
for it. The thought struck her as ironic, being that she had been accused
of doing such a thing when she'd taken the proffered sanctuary of Verminasia
over the death that had waited out in the wilds - where she had been

expected to remain in the wake of her banishment.

Old anger managed to burn alongside the drive to survive as she forced
herself into the very teeth of the wind and sand. All sense of direction
had been erased. There was no sun and little visibility during the day and
even less during the night while the storm raged, leaving her blinded and
wandering. Thirty-six hours or more had passed without a change in the
weather since she'd left shelter, leaving her on the ragged edge of
exhaustion as she forced herself past endurance. She'd begun to notice a
growing darkness on the horizon that she felt fairly certain was a low range
of mountains. It meant she was severely off course but if she could make
the mountains, her chances of survival would increase.

It was strange to be faced with death in this way, though it had previously
never failed to cross her mind. It brought forth unique and pertinent
questions that any mortal being might ask themselves. It made her wonder at
the reasons that were driving her even then to grasp at survival.

She stopped abruptly then, almost knee deep in the lee of a dune that she
had been scaling. Her lungs were burning, her muscles and limbs drawn
almost to their limit, her mind a strangely calm fog in the midst of the
roaring wind and unmerciful sands. A memory of survival triggered by her
inner question.

So long ago, she had taken the King of Shalonesti's offer of life because
death at the hands of Shalonesti for a crime she had never committed would
have been ignominious. She had given up the Song in the hopes that her
sincerity and pleas of innocence would be heeded. And in the end, she had
been lured to Verminasia when all hope had been dashed by the Matriarch and
the Queen.

It happened to be but one instance during which, she had managed to survive
against the odds.


-cont-

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Aftermath (Kwars)

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[259] Nymaya: Aftermath ( Kwars )
Tue Apr 7 11:04:47 2009
To: New_Thalos ( Imm Cayenna RP Kwars ) Fastia Baruch all
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She reflected that wars seemed to rise and fall with a surreal sensation.

The waiting, be it a day or month, feels unending and upon the fall of the
first strike all the time that passed no longer matters for what the moment
brings.

Even cloistered in the palace, the rumble of the war reached her. The
shudder of the wall, the yells beyond it as the New Thalosian forces met
with Bakali steel - it was a frustrating position she found herself within,
though its importance was not lessened in the least.

She found herself matching gazes with the archers as she walked amongst
their numbers, trying to memorize what she saw in their eyes, what their
names were and what their faces looked like. It was important that she
remember..

She was remembering, those moments and much more, as she stood to the side of the Temple's entrance. The Bakali had taken far more casualties than New Thalos but even now, days after it had all passed, the wounded were still being tended to. There were still blood stains in the sand though she knew the desert would care for itself and the ground was still littered outside the southern gate.

The very literal rumblings of what delved there still would probably be a
constant reminder for quite some time before they figured out how to
dislodge the giant worm.

She glanced into the darkened entrance of the Temple where the soft murmur
of the Masjid could be heard alongside the quiet, pained moans of wounded
soldiers. She was no healer, so she remained outside, and though the worst
had not come to pass she had made a point of viewing the horrors that had
befallen the troops, unwilling to stand back unscathed while others had
sacrificed for the kingdom she now called home.

She was not ungrateful and she gave aid where ever she was useful. There
were plenty of things that needed doing now. The work served to keep her
more busy then usual and each night she returned to her quarters, she fell
to an exhausted and blessedly dreamless sleep.