The Unpaid Debt - Healing

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[103] Nymaya: The Unpaid Debt - Healing
Fri Apr 29 18:26:20 2011
To: Reklah
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New Thalos

The world through her vision was a hazy crimson and there was fire beneath her flesh even though the agony of the contractions had passed and she was left feeling surprisingly numb.

There were people around her. Two attendants, the midwife. The healthy cries of two newborns.

She had no words to relate just how relieved she felt to hear them and she let her eyes close to the exhaustion that was taking relentless hold on her. She was weak, she felt fevered but she couldn't be sure that wasn't the demon. She knew she had lost a lot of blood...

She also knew she was not going to die from it, not that death would have been any true release. Uvall would be able to find and extract his price no matter where she was.

She lost her consciousness to this last ominous thought and wandered for what felt an eternity in the hazy black and crimson of her mind.

+++

Where am I?

The heavy black around her contracted and expanded, the air hellishly hot and filled with the stench of sulfur. If her eyes were open, she couldn't tell. She was almost certain she had descended into the throat of some gigantic being.

...and then she remembered.

And on the very cusp of this moment, she began to fall.

The deep dark opened beneath her like a yawning fissure of a mouth, wickedly fanged with a tongue of flame.

Remember

A terror of the sort that can fracture a mind met her for the second time in her living existence. Better she had died than have these memories. But they swam up to meet her as she fell into Hell.

The struggle to breathe in a place the living were not meant to traverse alive returned and she grabbed at her throat, only then recalling the periapt around her wrist.

She fell and fell through a sky filled with obliterating clouds, winged monstrosities and fiery ash. Her body careened off a demon in flight and the summoning she had been trying to force past her lips nearly failed.

The darkness ate at her vision even as cooling protection erupted around her, slowing her descent, allowing her time to regain her senses - just in time to note the chaotic milling of a horrid writhing mass on the ground beneath her. They hadn't been there before...

No..!

Uvall's laughter was silken as it flowed over her like an intimate caress.

You will give me what I want

Iagothal

Nymaya sat straight up in bed, her body covered with a sheen of moisture, her breath panting from her in the lingering throes of the nightmare that had been so much more.

"Easy, Nym."

And the gentle touch of her husband followed, making her exceptionally aware of a few things then; the first, she was back in Iagothal; the second, she was in pain. The dull ache was welcome as she acceded to Reklah and lay back.

"The children?" She whispered, needing to know..

"They're both here still. Just rest and heal."

Into the Storm

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[ 98] Nymaya: Into the Storm
Tue Apr 12 02:01:10 2011
To: All New_Thalos Reklah Dar'shin Jadess ( Cayenna Necrucifer Imm RP )
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Slowly but surely, the cramping pain that had been catching at her began to rise and crest.

She knew it wouldn't be long now until her contractions began in full. There was a sense of elation there, coupled powerfully with dread. She was already exhausted. The pain and discomfort leading up to labor had kept her awake for well over a day and she hadn't even reached the difficult parts yet.

She paced and paced until standing became too much, and then with the aid of the midwife - an able elf who's calm no-nonsense mannerism in the face of the chaos of the moment was a rock she found herself clinging to - she was set to rest upon the bed against a mound of pillows.

The elven midwife, who's name escaped her though it may have been mentioned, moved away to the door and she managed to pick up on a series of orders streaming forth.

"...towels, water, prepared herbs. And see that a messenger is sent to the Dark Lord of Shadow immediately."

She wanted desperately to know if there was a problem but she couldn't form the question. Instead, she found herself gazing out the window. There was a breeze coming in off the Ishtar and the thin white silken draperies that bracketed the arched window billowed in slow, hypnotic movements. A pristine moment ensued then, one blessedly devoid of pain, and in the distance, she heard the ominous rumble of thunder.

It wasn't often the desert was blessed by rain but the next gust of wind brought with it the heady scent of moisture, even though the sky through the window appeared as azure as ever to her distant gaze. As she watched though, she began to perceive a shadow, a darkening. And then she became intensely aware that she had wrapped her hand around the stone at her throat - and that it had awakened.

Heat flooded through her and even in the dry depths of the desert, moisture beaded on her flesh. Panic ensued then but was curbed almost maliciously by the pulses of the stone. A full on contraction caught her by surprise in the process, stole her breath and curled her around a pillow she had been grasping to.

"Breathe, Nymaya."

The order was barked, lacking any room for argument. The midwife had her face in her grasp then, forcing Nymaya to look at her, and the stern expression was enough - as was the command. Her gasps were short and sharp but it shocked her past the unexpected moment and into the memory of having done this before.

Everything might have been fine from then on out, but the heat flooding her body never ceased. She knew what it meant. She knew Uvall was watching, waiting, with her as always.

A heavy, charged silence followed the overwhelming pain of that singular contraction. The midwife rose up from the bed to go to a polite knock at the door and into the space remaining, another stronger roll of thunder fell. It was nearly upon New Thalos if the darkening of the sky and the edge of the black cloud cover were any indication.

The stone had warmed in her hand, not uncomfortable enough to burn her, but so close. Waiting...

...if you want your due, Uvall...you will ensure I survive this..

And following the thought, her eyes drifted shut and blessed sleep enveloped her.

Sands of the Hourglass

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[ 97] Nymaya: Sands of the Hourglass
Mon Apr 11 04:50:55 2011
To: All New_Thalos Verminasia Abaddon - Dar'shin Reklah Jadess ( Cayenna Necrucifer Imm RP )
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The sands of the hourglass fell with a timelessness that had her spellbound.

Even the sound of the sand hitting the bottom with a soft, airy hiss had a comforting edge and at a time when pain made up the bulk of all her daily and nightly experiences, it was a welcome distraction.

She watched the falling stream of crystalline particles, lit every so often by the flame of a candle on the other side as it wavered slowly, and was reminded of New Thalos.

The city was warm and exotic. Filled with people in all walks of life. It was a place that could offer you harsh beauty, that judged you not on the merit of your past or present but for the strength you kept buried inside. It enticed the depths of your true self forward and challenged you to survive in one of Algoron's harshest environments.

The thought wasn't new, she'd had it before...at least once, out in the desert when she'd nearly died. Linot had been with her...

A spasm of pain derailed her silent contemplations. They'd been happening every so often now but hadn't drawn in close enough to make her believe she was in labor, though it was most likely the onset. She had no way to tell how long it could take now.

Even ensconced in the comfort of a well cushioned chair, with pillows and an ottoman to elevate her legs, she could not escape the twisting pain in her lower back or the sharp ache that throbbed down her right leg. Frustration pushed her up with a pained breath and she moved to lean against the mantle of the fireplace, to look upon the smoldering flame through an equally pained gaze.

..do you really intend this path..

As if she required more pain.

Her eyes closed to the soft, ghostly query and instead of answering, her hand closed on a severed lock of her own hair while the other pressed to her stomach. The children were kicking and a rising sense of dread had joined the need to be done with her pregnancy. The frustration surrounding the end of it outweighed all else though. She was exhausted, weary beyond all measure and tired of being haunted by fear of the unknown.

"Have done with this." She hissed softly and for a brief moment, was given a heavy silence.

...the price is too high...the demon's offers cannot be trusted...

Another cramping pain grasped her, as if to punctuate the ghostly words that whispered without origin, and her knuckles whitened on the mantle.

"And what of the debt?" She bit out, her tone breathy after the pain had passed. "My debt to this demon."

...you will regret...giving up your child...to a demon...

Was it her own long silent conscience rising up in the face of all the misgivings that had given rise to conflict in her, or was it truly the voice of her deceased friend? Shaking her head slowly, she turned away from the fire to look at the hourglass.

Her time had run out.

"I know, Linot." She breathed. "I know.."

Assassins Abound - Draw of the Flame

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[ 88] Nymaya: Assassins Abound - Draw of the Flame
Mon Mar 14 17:05:31 2011
To: New_Thalos Reklah all ( Imm Cayenna RP Necrucifer )
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Against the obsidian, the candle's flame was little more than a somber glow.

It weaved and danced to its own rhythm, wholly enticing, arousing a powerful sense within her that she had spent many years avoiding. But its draw was back. More insistent, more haunting than it had been in years now. So she sat before the candle's flame, surrounded by all the cold shadows of the cathedral, and let herself go to it while she watched the reflection upon the obsidian altar.

The drifting of her mind came as something of a surprise, though by the time she realized she had been caught within the subversive flow of her tainted Song, it was too late to do much more than ride along.

The pain was real. Not a dream though the moment felt like one and was as hard, if not harder, to shake off. The discord was there and for a moment, she doubted the nature of what she was feeling, hearing. Was Uvall playing with her again?

It was wholly possible. A demon's prerogatives were its own and she was a toy in its merciless grasp. She had been made to kneel before it's whims, her own will turned against her. And in this, she had to admire its insidious nature. Its power...

All of us, pawns. Father, do with Your servant what You will

She became aware then, almost as an after-thought while the whispered remnants of her Haunt laced with the unexplainable discord, that she was hearing something more. That the silence of the room was too deep, too still.

Could it be...?

Her surprise was mitigated by the rising need to act in the wake of the silken slip of silence. It was almost as if each movement was made to the beat of a heart and if she hadn't been far along in pregnancy, she might have played with it a little. But instincts rose up, merciless with the need to protect.

The wait began then, each cautionary moment inundated with a breath that wavered the flame before her. It had been a focus once and it became thus once again though it threatened distraction at the same time. She could almost believe she could see her adversary in its dance.

And then the moment was upon her.

He'd been reaching for her hair when her body turned, which set his wrist out before her like an offering. She gladly took it, used the leverage to stand and followed each motion as it came next. The would-be assassin had intended to stab her in the throat, one hand had extended to grab her head while the other remained raised with dagger prepared.

That dagger now plunged inward and everything slowed down to a crawl though it was far from that as she twisted the left wrist cruelly, causing pain to flood the assassin's gray eyes, and used her free hand to reverse the direction of the blade as she angled the man's stab toward himself instead.

The surprise that registered in those wide gray eyes was not met with any semblance of remorse when the slip of the blade parted the flesh between his ribs. He'd come here to kill her and her children by proxy and would reap the cold oblivion that had been intended for her.

The man was dying as his body slipped heavily to the granite below and in the same instance, the solid tread of her husband appeared within the doorway. His appearance made her think of a barely restrained thunderstorm, all lethal, powerful elegance wrapped within a commanding countenance itching to break free.

"This one wasn't patient enough." She spoke, still feeling the cold distance in her voice as she stepped over the body to Reklah's outstretched hand.

"Mine wasn't either." He muttered, confirming her suspicions. "They have both paid the price for their ineptitude. Their master won't be long in following once he is found."

No Stars

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[ 85] Nymaya: No Stars
Sat Mar 12 00:20:41 2011
To: New_Thalos Dar'shin Reklah Telthian ( Necrucifer Cayenna Imm RP ) all
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The stars were difficult to view, so close to the city of Verminasia, but the moons were present. The white, full but setting. The red half waning but high in a midnight sky and the black...but a crescent and low upon the horizon. Looking upon it, she was given the impression it was a lidded eye gazing down on a world that scurried about like busy mice.

Her gaze turned from it all, the red and the black reminding her vividly of demonic eyes that had looked into her soul. The sight she turned to was far more welcome though it bore its own unique cares and unrest.

Her husband lay sprawled upon their bed, deep in rest he sorely needed. His new vitality was inspiring, strengthening and against every worry she had had about him, calming. But it took its toll.

Her gaze settled on his hair. Sable, streaked with the faintest touches of gray. That was a heaviness on her heart to see but it was an aspect she had long since come to terms with. She'd known the first time he set his lips to hers that if she went down this road with him, she would lose him to the merciless grasp of time and age eventually.

Her gaze lingered, roaming slowly over the placid lines of his face, the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath the blankets. She was hyper aware of his life now, moreso perhaps because both of their souls were on the line. And...because he had died.

The flutter of life within her arose abruptly as a series of demanding kicks against her ribs, stirring her to smooth her hands over the swell of her belly in calming motions. But it was the flare of heat from the stone at her throat that eventually settled the unborn, leaving her at once disquieted and soothed.

She had hoped for a little more time before she put her mind to the demon's wants but even as she thought it, she knew it had been naive of her.

Instead, she lifted a lock of her silver hair and simply gazed down upon it. The color was not nearly as lustrous as it used to be, its shade dulled a little and understandably so perhaps. Not one age of her four centuries had been remotely easy on her, and she was hardly done yet.

The demon would have this of her then. She was not beyond sacrificing a little more.

The time was very near.

Preparing

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[ 83] Nymaya: Preparing
Mon Feb 28 13:41:55 2011
To: New_Thalos Dar'shin Reklah Telthian ( Necrucifer Imm RP Cayenna ) All
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The Kayen cathedral was a work of artistic masonry to be awed.

She'd helped in its design though that thought was far from her mind as she stood before its altar. She could feel the weight of the statue gazing at her from its nearby alcove, just as she felt the weight of the two lives growing within.

Even now, at a time when her world felt as if it were balanced on the edge of a precipice, they were kicking. They had not the cares that sat on her mind like stones, that had bowed her shoulders at times or threatened to drop her into the chasm that waited eagerly for that one misstep she had so far avoided.

She set one hand to the swell of her middle while the other braced her against the altar and in the dim light of the moons that angled in through the stained glass above, she bowed her head and prayed.

Not for life or strength, not for guidance or wisdom. She did not beg for the lives that were not hers, she did not scrape or offer herself in place of what she had fought for with every ounce of her soul.

Instead, she set herself before the altar and gave more.

She prayed to a God she worshiped with desperate tenacity. Who had given her far more than even He might have realized.

She already had strength. That she was still alive after all her trials spoke to that. She already had wisdom. She knew what her options were and she was wise enough to know that nothing was ever as it tended to appeared. Devion Himself had taught her that.

She felt her lips quirk faintly as her knees bowed to the weight of the darkness and the hand that had been cradling her middle shifted instead to wrap around the stone at her throat.

'Uvall, I have all that you've asked for.'

Her whisper, even in this place, threaded like an echo and to the pulse of hellish heat trapped within a stone, inexplicably bound to her, she felt the demon respond but only insofar as the flaring of heat through her body. Of course it would not come, especially to the unspoken thread of command she had used. She imagined it would make her pay for that err the end but she had little use for that sort of future worry.

Instead, she let the stone go and set her hand once again upon her middle. She had become aware in the days since her children had become active, that something strange had been occurring and it was directly connected to the stone. It was in the kicking, or the lack of it when the stone flared soothing pulses of heat through her. They always calmed, as they had now, and if she'd been worried before, she now had to concern herself with the understanding that Uvall was connected to the children as he was to her.

Short of removing her head, she wasn't sure what she could do about this new development. Though if she were being fair to herself, she would admit that it was a strange blessing. The more attention she received from it, the easier the pregnancy became.

Sighing into the shadows, she sat back on her heels and lifted her gaze to spend the rest of the evening watching as the moons slowly drifted from sight and true darkness settled over all.

Temptation

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[ 78] Nymaya: Temptation
Thu Feb 10 16:54:41 2011
To: New_Thalos Dar'shin Reklah Telthian ( Necrucifer Imm RP Cayenna ) All
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Music.

The palace was filled with it.

It seemed to be everywhere. Around her. In her. Flowing from her. She couldn't tell exactly, but as she wandered, she could hear nothing but it. And yet...yet she could not channel it, she could not grasp it and she couldn't escape it.

She gazed at the world around her through a fog, her thoughts a whirl, like dragonflies flitting about in a chaotic mass. She fought for her awareness for awhile but the melody was hypnotic, it was what her soul longed for each and every day she lingered - a mere remnant of the past, lost and forgotten to the warp and weft of time. That weight was increased by the insidious pull of the Vallenwood, ever at the center of who and what she had been and was no more.

In the grasping of that thought, she saw the forest through a window as she passed by. It was shadowed in the distance while all around her was almost insubstantial. It stopped her as nothing else could have, made her look at it, contemplate just how far away it was and then stare as tendrils of shadow rose above it. Sinuously did the columns rise, to join a dark cloud that grew and grew overhead. Threatening, foretelling doom it seemed to her. And then she saw the lick of flame, even so far away, eating eagerly at that closed-off realm.

Something changed then, in the sound, in the feel of the melody. Pain followed, coursing through her like a disease and abruptly, the fire she had seen in the distance was in her. Burning a tainted path through her soul.

She dropped to her knees and closed her eyes, trying for and failing to rein in the painful discord of what she was hearing, feeling.

This power, Nymaya. You make this too easy.

She hated the glee she sensed in its demonic voice. She hated more that this was a part of her she could never put to rest. Once you'd heard the Song, you could not unhear it. It was a weakness that would, eventually, take her mind if she could not learn to master what it had become in her.

But the demon had offered something to her. Something she wasn't sure she could pass up.

And abruptly, her eyes opened upon a vision of herself. The sword in her grasp gleamed and through it, she again felt the fiery rush of the Song. The haunt arose from it, from her, and she was once again whole.

She awoke almost instantly, as if a bell had pealed somewhere, and found herself gazing at a stack of books. Her hands were upon her middle, a cold sweat had beaded upon her brow and the whisper of the demon permeated the air about her.

'Prepare'

Rest and Research

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[124] Nymaya: Rest and Research
Fri Jan 7 02:39:27 2011
To: All New_Thalos Reklah Dar'shin ( Imm Cayenna RP )
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The book had a scent she recognized as ancient.

It was a strangely comforting smell and with a great deal of care for the brittle pages, she opened it. A layer of dust, caked on by the years, slid from its binding but did not deter her.

An equally ancient tale greeted her eyes, written in very old elvish. An unexpected surprise that, but she arose to the challenge as she studied the elegant cursive. She had had cause and time to become learned in not only language but in most forms of its writing as well. An old friend had given her a unique respect for such things.

Pain in that thought, but she pushed past it. With the first page deciphered, she sat back to relieve the stress on her lower back - which ached regardless - and reached for the cup of tea that sat steaming off to the side. It was bitter, with a hint of mint and honey, but the healer - Auda - had been adamant. Pregnancy amongst the elven kind was hardly ever easy and for herself, she had extra obstacles to overcome.

Her age, her chronic nightmares, the demonic presence at her throat...the stone even then pulsing against her flesh, reminding her with periodic flashes of heat that occasionally followed the rhythm of her heartbeat, that it was always with her. There was a stress there and one not at all healthy for the unborn.

She had, in fact, been ordered by the healer to rest. No stress beyond what a day brought. There was some worry that she would not handle the labor well, a fact she knew to be close to the truth. Too close, perhaps. She had not handled the labor of her last child well at all though that had been over half a century ago. She had lingered on the cusp of life and death after, weakened and fevered.

She sat staring blankly at the opened tome, her cup of tea cradled in one palm while her other hand rested atop the swell of her middle. There were tales, half fiction maybe, of demonic debt as it had played out in the past. Not a well documented sort of event because it was a very few who had ever drawn such a thing upon themselves apparently. What sat before her was one such tale, and only a page in, she already knew it had not ended well.

You paid for life if you brought it back and in her case, she had helped pull a soul from the very clutches of the under-realm - from the demons who had coveted its torment. You paid your price; life for life.

She forced the last of her bitter tea down, feeling its warmth calm her even though she was wracked with misgivings, and leaned forward over the tome to read on.

'...if there is one thing to be said of demons who come seeking a debt, it is that they vary in what they want and how they wish to achieve it. What is certain is that they will never cease their hunt. You can neither escape them in life, nor through death...'

It was the gist of a warning by whomever had written the tragic tale that had come before. It lacked critical information that might have given her a better understanding of the sort of demon she found herself confronting, but it relayed an assertion of what she had already been advised by one of Necrucifer's priests.

She could feel a frown creasing her brow, a headache just behind her eyes. There were exceptions to every rule. She herself was such a creature; destroyed by the fear and the selfish hatred of her own kind. Intended collateral damage. Broken so completely and pieced back together by those of Necrucifer and Drakkara's ilk.

This book and its message was not - could not be the end all. Closing it with care, she set it aside and drew another book from the amassed pile beside her.

Continuing: The Dark Road

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[ 98] Nymaya: Continuing: The Dark Road
Tue Dec 14 17:03:46 2010
To: All New_Thalos ( Reklah Crelius ) Dar'shin Keylan Jadess ( Cayenna Necrucifer RP Imm )
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The differing climates - from the harsh barren desert, the bitter frozen wastes to the lush green forests - were often far more comforting to be amongst, if only because each extreme offered her consolation and an escape. She'd spent many years between each; haunting the long rain-swept lands of Iagothal with its dark forests and its rocky regions, traversing the snowy plains of Icewall with all its perils, patrolling the vibrant emerald Vallenwood and now, gazing out on a desert that stretched on for countless sun-baked miles.

The desert had taken her once when she had offered it her life and somehow, she had survived. In her heart, she believed that it was simply not her time yet, though she'd come back to New Thalos bearing a weariness of the world upon her shoulders and an impending sense of dark purpose.

She'd found ways to cope, until the day she'd come face to face with azure eyes and the dark of her path had been briefly illuminated. She'd known then that she had at least one last purpose, though whether her God looked down and saw, she knew not. She'd told herself, with each step forward, that at least this was better. Better than waiting, better than grieving, than spending the rest of her life tormented by the questions that could never have been answered by any but...him.

She'd told herself - and her God - that she could do whatever was required of her.

Could she still?

She stared out over the city from her room, a hand curved protectively over the swell of her stomach - now visible about the cloth flaps of the silksteel jacket she had adopted to suit the pregnancy - and felt a small spike of doubt and a longing to lose herself in the wild again.

She was not to know peace. Her life had been destined for hardship, for warfare and a dark path, early on. She had come to accept this. Did that mean she had the right, even as their mother, to decide a similar - if not a darker - path for her children?

It was too deep a question and she knew what some people would say, and what others would say. In the end, she also knew...what her answer would be, but she shied away from that. It was enough right now that she continue, that she take each day for what it offered and do her best to care for the lives growing inside her.

If she could do nothing else, if she had nothing else, at least there was that. Time would bring about the rest. She felt her soul stir at that thought and knew, in the oldest part of herself, that Linot might have agreed.

A Soul to Take

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[107] Nymaya: ...a Soul to Take
Sat Oct 30 21:31:01 2010
To: New_Thalos Reklah Dar'shin Ursah Keylan Jadess ( Cayenna Necrucifer RP Imm )
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The sound of the rain should have been soothing.

It pattered softly against the window pane and drummed gently upon the roof top of the Kayen manor. The sky was gray and darkening, the clouds a cold roiling mass while the northern wind gusted demandingly, flinging the fallen fiery red and orange leaves of the maple outside the bedroom window. The tree itself was mostly barren around its upper branches but the lower were still holding strong, unwilling to give up entirely to the oncoming winter.

She watched the blustery weather from the relative comfort of the edge of the bed, a deep gray robe wrapped tightly about her slender form, feeling anything but soothed or comforted. Her thoughts still wandering the encounter she had had only hours ago.

'You should not have summoned me here' The rebuke had been light but saddened, as was the compassionate, pitying gaze.

She hadn't cared for either, though she remembered the elf with some fondness. The shaman had seen to the determining of her past three pregnancies and all three had been exactly as she had claimed they would be. She had confidence in the elf to either set her at ease or deepen her dread. Hope was a small grain for the former.

She shifted with the discomfort of her memory, a bare few hours past, only then becoming aware of the cold invading her desert warmed flesh. In the wake of goosebumps traversing her arms though, she slid from the edge of the bed to move closer to the fireplace and its crackling warmth. She needn't have though for even as she lifted a hand to grasp the mantle, to the right of the onyx statuette gazing out at the room through a pair of crimson jeweled eyes, the stone at her throat pulsed and warmth flooded her.

'Tell me what you want of me, enigma. Please. Is it a child?'

She couldn't contain a shiver and her hand gripped the mantle tightly. Her exhale was soft, not entirely steady, as she tentatively explored the words of the demon, her gaze lifting to look upon the statuette.

...A child? And its familiar laughter sounded again. ...No...Your child...

The tingle of magic had followed the gentle, if somewhat callused, touch of the shaman as the elf's hands hovered over Nymaya's lower abdomen, each movement punctuated by the hollow clack of the woman's bone bracelets. It was familiar, Nymaya had witnessed it before, but it was not comforting.

She watched though. In quiet anticipation - with a sense of dread - that solidified when the shaman's hands stopped and cupped first against the right side of her abdomen and then the left - just as she had correctly predicted for the last three children Nymaya had carried.

The demon - Uvall - hadn't been lying to her.

...you carry two, surely one is not much to ask...

Another shudder, followed by a strong wave of nausea, gripped her but she fought both back as she lowered her head of silver hair and gripped the mantle until her knuckles whitened. She'd paid the shaman even though the woman had left the sum and instead asked only that Nymaya seek the graces of Zandreya. She had answered with a shake of her head and dismissed the strangely garbed wild elf.

The price of her debt had been settled. Too many lives were at stake and she hadn't had the luxury of time. The only comfort to be had now was in knowing it was a creature of her Lord - and that it hadn't slated the child for death.

'By Your will, Necrucifer' She whispered to the ground before lifting her gaze again to look upon the statuette, and allowed the silence to settle.

The Struggle Within

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[118] Nymaya: The Struggle Within
Tue Oct 19 12:32:12 2010
To: All New_Thalos ( Cayenna RP Imm Necrucifer ) Jadess Keylan Dar'shin Reklah
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She lay awake.

For hours and hours now she'd lain awake. She had expected to fall asleep a long time ago. The bed and the pillows were comfortable, the satin sheets were cooling and she knew she was exhausted.

So...why was she still staring at the darkened sunset colored canopy?

This is about the time you ask yourself 'am I sleeping?

And soft malicious laughter rolled over her like a breath straight from the Abyss. Heat pulsed through her, emanating from the stone that matched her heartbeat as it sped with telltale fear. She was fairly certain that shows of courage had no real effect against it but she did her best not to express further upon her unease. It knew well its affect on her.

She felt its touch then, a cold finger caressing gently along her neck, purposely inflaming the still sore lacerations from the day previous that it had caused with the chain she wore. It took every ounce of will inside her not to squirm, not to cry out in revulsion. Instead she found herself holding her breath, her jaw and fingers clenching while a violent shudder wracked her spine.

Pain followed and she felt the drip of her blood as it fell again from her neck. The cold of its fingers trailed further down as soft whispery laughter flowed forth a second time, as it set its touch to the scorched flesh of her neck and chest beneath the lay of the bloodred stone. She tensed, expecting more pain, but was surprised when a cooling sensation spread out over the angry red burn, soothing.

She felt its amusement keenly, she no longer seemed to require anything but its presence to sense such things. It was as disturbing as it was asserting - she was bound to this thing.

You will do as you are bid

Its voice echoed again in her memory and she knew that's what she was hearing. A memory as clear now as it had been when its breath had whispered against her ear the day previous. Another shudder tore through her, bringing forth a third bout of soft baleful laughter that prickled over her flesh, as if she were bare before it.

The time is near

And to her horror, she felt the terror of her brother's words come alive within her. She knew a quickening when she felt one, she'd had three children, though they were all lost to her now. She tried to grab at her abdomen, denial speeding through her, but she felt its touch first and a paralysis of her own panic rendered her all but helpless.

Was this what it had meant? Had her brother been right?

A terrible chill sped through her but the stone pulsed, again keeping rhythm with the fear-empowered race of her heart, and heat followed.

...the time is near..

And she awoke with a pleading cry that echoed through her room, her muscles achingly tight and a cold, clammy sweat soaking her from head to foot. She became instantly aware that the presence of the demon was not, in fact, in the room with her. It had been a nightmare. She was shaking though and could not control it as she slipped from bed and knocked over the stand beside it.

Growling a virulent curse in elvish, she opted instead to huddle around herself on the edge of the bed, her hands pressing to her abdomen while she tried to convince herself that her mind was jumping to conclusions.

Marked

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[124] Nymaya: Marked
Fri Oct 8 19:01:08 2010
To: New_Thalos All RP ( Cayenna Imm Necrucifer ) Dar'shin Reklah Epistatia Liviya Keylan Jadess
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Warmth pulsed through her at odd intervals, strangely comfortable; absolutely disconcerting and it constantly brought the attention of her touch to the stone now hanging around her neck. Uvall's mark.

She'd tried to get it off already, to no avail. The constantly shifting reds within the stone itself seemed to match the dark and still painful bruising around her throat. Her voice was still raspy. She wasn't surprised, the demon could have easily crushed her windpipe if she had continued to fight it. She wondered now if it would have though. Was she more valuable to this messenger's master alive than dead? If she'd gotten any sense from the numerous intensifying nightmares, she'd have had to say it didn't matter, which was why...she had taken the stone over provoking the creature further.

She knew where fate was going to take her anyway. It seemed written in stone and she had to berate herself. No path was set down so permanently that it could not be altered by proper action.

What was the proper action here though?

She shook her head and didn't bother to follow the thought yet, her gaze shifting instead to watch the fire as it crackled softly in the fireplace across the room. Night had long since descended over New Thalos and she still found herself sitting amongst the Council Chamber, guards flanking the doors.

She was disturbed by her own reactions but she knew - she knew fear had sunk its claws into her and further, she knew it was feeding from this. One might have thought that knowing these things would make it easier to combat. She had to smile wryly, unhappily - it was wearing her down. She was plagued by the image of Dar'shin's severed throat, Reklah's dismembered body, blood flowing along the floor, the bladesong rushing through her with discordant exuberance...

Shaking her head once, almost violently, she rose abruptly from her chair and prowled closer to the fireplace. She wasn't cold, the memory of the stone heating against her flesh as it pulsed in hectic rhythm with her heart still vivid in her, but nor did she feel warm.

It was a denizen of the pit, perhaps a creature born of the Father of Darkness or one of those who dwelled in the same shadow. Who was she then to deny it? Who was she? A strange sort of hilarity, something on par with the strange sense of inevitability she had felt at the end of Tribul's mass, inundated her and she tightened her fist around the bloodred stone at her throat - as if the demon had captured just a sliver of the Abyss to set around her neck.

She had lived four centuries through trials that had torn her life apart and set her to drift alone in a world that hadn't welcomed her.

She was Nymaya Kayen and she hadn't been chosen because she was weak.

She had the strength to do whatever was necessary. She always had.

Pray the Lord..

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[139] Nymaya: Pray the Lord..
Fri Oct 1 01:45:52 2010
To: New_Thalos Dar'shin Jadess Keylan Reklah ( Crelius Cayenna ) Imm RP All
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The road was a vivid slash through the darkness, surrounded by murky black and reaching shadows.

She'd been on it for a long time. She'd managed to live it, survive it, but she could see what was coming now. It shimmered in the distance, not light but flame. Not cleansing but condemning.

She had to pay the price.

How do you get out of a deal with the devil when its the life of your loved one at stake? She'd sacrificed everything to pull Reklah out of the Abyss, she wasn't going to renege on her end of whatever bargain had been struck. She would not willingly send him back there.

She just sank her head into her hands in a vain attempt to alleviate some of the terrible throbbing. She'd gone and thrown alcohol on her problems the night previous. Enough alcohol that she'd probably made up in part for the past dry two hundred years of her life.

She didn't have the will to berate herself further though. She'd made of herself a fool, if the tiny snippets coming back to her foggy memory were correct, and then she'd been cornered by her demonic hunter the next day while attempting to make her rounds through the palace.

Small blessings though, she thought to herself when she peeked out between her fingers into the empty, cool tent. She could hear the twang of bows and the clack of quarterstaves from the distant archery range as others trained and honed their skill but no one was in the tent. Just herself, a plethora of pillows and silent shadows.

Or so she'd thought.

Frowning, she noticed light flickering around the edge of the tent's flap and with a reluctant heave upward, she pulled herself from the pillows and approached. It was the heat that made her hesitate when she reached out to pull the flap back, but only momentarily. She felt something much like dread course down her spine and then the flap was open.

Her eyes went wide with a terror too overwhelming to combat and she only had a moment to register the dirty, ashen sky with its giant monstrosities and the hellish fleshy landscape, before her wrist was grabbed by a force wielding a terrible amount of strength and she was hefted into the air.

She felt her shoulder wrenched from its socket as she grunted in pain and lifted her gaze to look on a being wrapped in infernal shadow. Its black eyes punctuated only by a single red pupil. Its laughter coursed over her flesh like thousands of cold, clammy claws, leaving her with a sense of violation. And then its grasp snapped her wrist, crushing the bones as if they'd been nothing more than fragile kindling.

She awoke screaming, covered in a sheen of cold sweat, her breath sounding like a bellows while she strove for elusive calm as phantom pain locked her muscles.

Not safe anywhere, her forlorn thought followed as she pushed herself up, heedless of the actual pain in her head, and fled the shouts of the guards heading toward where they'd heard her.

Ominous Portents

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[128] Nymaya: Ominous Portents
Mon Sep 27 17:12:07 2010
To: New_Thalos Dar'shin Jadess Keylan Reklah ( Crelius Cayenna ) Imm RP All
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She was a picture of ease while she propped her shoulder against the tower window arch, her gaze settled out beyond the palace and the kingdom through the clear glass.

She was anything but though.

The world appeared to have stopped, briefly, as the breathtaking dawn began to creep over the desert and the timeless effect drew her in. Soft powder blue and pale gray shimmered into the bright yellow and the vibrant orange of morning as the fiery edge of the sun began to crest over the horizon of dunes far out in the distance.

The stillness she encountered then, as the very world held its breath for the glorious wonder of daybreak, was welcomed. A rare peace fell upon her and she used the moment well to inhales a deep, steadying breath, which exhaled softly.

Gods..it was happening while she was awake now.

The thought slithered through her calm demeanor, instilling a thread of doubt that touched her dark blue gaze. She felt the shadow on her mind shift and fall still again, like a great black beast prowling on the edge of sight.

There had to be a way to combat this.

She was no cleric though. She did not have the powers of the devout and her beliefs, her faith in herself, had long remained an incomplete puzzle. She knew the pieces were there, she simply didn't know what it was going to take to put them all back together.

And whatever this creature was that tormented her so, it had no qualms about diving into the middle of the mess.

Uvall.

The name sparked a small fire of hatred in her. A feeling that seemed less than natural. It demanded blood, it inspired visions of falling. Of plummeting at hellish speeds into a Stygian pit of true damnation. It had to be a demon.

She didn't realize that the tension had returned. It reverberated up her neck, into her head, causing a headache to blossom out into her temples. She could see in the reflection of the window that the black veining had lingered. It was too easy to forget. More the fool she.

Her jaw muscles flexed with a moment's unleashed frustration. Stuck in the top of the Tower. A prisoner of her own mind. Unable to fight a force that was clearly insubstantial. She might have believed she had finally come unhinged if it hadn't been for the Dehgan's vision and the pool of blood that had appeared in the Bishop's room while she was being 'visited'.

'Crelius was right..' She breathed and closed her eyes as her brow touched the cool window, hearing the man's voice whisper with ominous portent a second time.

And perhaps I will show you a glimpse of true terror. For that is what you seek and that is what you will find.

'I couldn't have known.' She whispered in response, knowing even as she thought the words that he had. All along. There couldn't be regret though.

..soon

A Mirrored Moment

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[143] Nymaya: A Mirrored Moment
Thu Aug 19 04:17:02 2010
To: Reklah ( Linot ) New_Thalos All
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The liveried servant was immediately recognizable as he weaved his way through the crowded market and with a nod to one of the Wali with her, she left her post to meet the man. His crest was that of Kayen, even the horse he'd rode in on bore the same markings on its saddle. Both were dusty and smelled of the desert. The scroll she was given was plain, denoting it had not been written by the hand she had privately hoped for. The servants were keeping her updated, as she had bade them.

The man was tired from his long trek and handing him a small pouch of gold, he graciously bowed his head to her and wandered back into the milling mass of people.

She took the opportunity to move back to her post before she unrolled the scroll bit by bit and read. None of it eased her heart and when she had finished, she closed her eyes and fell to stillness for a moment. It was the most anyone would see of her inner turmoil.

It was there though and as the day progressed, she found herself driven to distraction. Three days of solid nostalgia brought on by old faces and memories of times past had left her feeling tired and old. It had happened before and it always passed before the constant ebb and flow of time but she was edgy and restless about it now. The feelings made the days pass ever
more slowly.

What she really wanted she couldn't seem to express accurately. It was all out of her hands anyway. That was often the key to her frustration and as she found herself going over the scroll sent by her servants again, she gave in to a moment of weakness.

Her fingers threaded back through her silver hair and closed into loose fists as she lowered her head. Her blue eyes slipped shut, locking out the room which had become a place far more fitting of higher station with its intricate tapestries, its rich bed and linens and its servant quarter.

You knew nothing would be the same.

The voice was familiar as it slithered down her spine and over her flesh, leaving behind an oily sensation.

Yet you quake before the very thing you asked - begged - for. How they would all shake their heads in disappointment.

The laughter was soft but malicious and inspired a vision of the Abyssal plane that filled her with agony just to remember. The screams, the horrible twisted forms, the way they had grasped at her as if trying to pull her in while dragging themselves out..

You might have left it, but it will never leave you.

A shudder coursed down her back and as she looked up, into the mirror, she was met with a familiar translucent green-eyed gaze that looked upon her with infinite sorrow.

And if it is this terrible for you...imagine what he must be going through.

The act of reaching out to the mirror, of touching its smooth surface with the tips of her fingers, woke her and with a deep sigh she brushed at the thin wet line that had made a path down the side of her face.

"I miss you" She breathed, trailing her fingers over the empty mirror one last time.

Answers

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[139] Nymaya: Answers
Tue Aug 17 03:28:34 2010
To: New_Thalos All ( rp )
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The soft resonant ring of her sword was at once comforting and painful.

It filled her with much of what she had lost even as it stripped her soul bare. There was no mercy before it, within it. She had been losing her grasp. Between the massive and unforgiving force of duty and the demand of faith - she had watched as everything slipped through her fingers like so much sand.

Why then could she not let it go? Why did she long so terribly for the very force that was eating away at her mind?

The answer was in her soul and it spurred her to lift her troubled deep blue gaze skyward. To the black moon she set her sight even though it offered no answer. That she could see it was a blessing, was its own answer even, but if it held what she was seeking - it did not give up its secret.


Too much. You ask too much.

And with a single fluid, angry movement that contained aching grace and ardent violence, she spun. Her sword completed a resonant arc through the air - stopped abruptly and then reversed its arc as she spun back to face the target and released the hilt at the height of her arm's extension.

The beautiful blade completed a circuit and a half through the air, ringing with a discordant but alluring sound before striking the target solidly. She watched it in the dark as the pommel swung back and forth. There was an ominous sense to what she had heard though there was nothing new in the discordant sound. She knew it coursed through her like a disease. Tainting what had once been pure and true. She wondered briefly, as she stood in the encompassing dark, if the chasm of silence would have been better - for there had been silence within once upon a time.

She could remember the rage it had brought on though.

"I take it there will be no lesson this morning?"

The voice drew her gaze sidelong. The anger had departed with the sword the moment its worn hilt had left her fingers, so it was that she looked upon her student with calm comport.

"Quite the opposite" She remarked and turned about, her fingers rising to gather the silver strands of her hair behind her as she moved with long strides to retrieve the weapon.

The comment drew her gaze to the horizon as she set her grasp back around the sword. Dawn was even then beginning to edge the world in hardened gray. Another sleepless night had passed her by but she was calm for the lack of terror that typically met her closed eyes.

The blade came free with a solid tug though the sound it made nearly caused her to hesitate. She turned about though, approached the middle of the grounds and beckoned her student forward with a small curve of her lips and a gesture of her sword's tip.