Session 55
The burden of the world weighed heavily upon them, countless lives hanging in the balance.
These scant few souls held the power to redeem or condemn all of creation.
Yet amidst this ocean of lives to be saved, a precious few, are placed on the scales of life and death.
What is the purpose of all this, if the most precious lives are lost to the cruel machinations of fate?
A foul and cruel reality loomed over the subconscious - some lives would inevitably slip through their fingers, no matter how hard the fight. -- A Minstrel’s Verse M.R.
Orianna peered cautiously around the darkened corner, her breath quickening as her eyes beheld the eerie azure glow of lifeless eyes staring back at her. A deathly chill permeated the shadowy cavern.
“At last, the time has come,” a raspy voice intoned. “Step forth, and be judged as worthy.”
“Who are you, Identify yourself”, an ancient resolve is produced through Mack’s voice.
“I’m the winter herald Kervoite”, this creature of undead says with a deep booming voice.
Melina dashed past Orianna, her countenance resolute. This was her chance to make a difference, to succeed where she had failed before when her kin had perished. She spared a glance back at Orianna, silent communication passing between them - a plea to prove her worth, to show she could be an asset, not a hindrance, to the group. She would not be dismissed or turned away this time, not when so much was at stake. Even if it meant to pay the ultimate price, to allow those who carried her brother, a chance, a glimmer of hope, to step forward and fix the world, Melina would bow to the icy tendrils of fate’s unyielding grasp. Melina would fall.
A moment was all that was needed to gain purchase within the cavernous expanse, the sight that greeted Orianna and her companions enough to give even the stoutest heart pause.
An aura of undeath clung to the pale, blue-tinged figure that stood before them, his eyes glowing with a deep, soul-wrenching melancholy. Stark white hair contrasted sharply with the dark, unkempt facial hair that framed a face etched with ancient sorrow.
This was no mere man, but a being who commanded the very essence of the cavern, his sturdy frame radiating an unnatural power. “Weak, unworthy of the weapon,” he growled, his voice a sepulchral rumble. “A culling of your herd.”
His words dripped with disdain, his gaze sweeping over them as if they were but insignificant insects. “I’ll show her, Noite,” he muttered, almost to himself. “I will show her the winter’s night, for it embraces the failures, gives them clarity in a world frozen, void of any persecution, void of any Syn Trials, void of any house of Tradxina.”
He gestured grandly, the very shadows seeming to coalesce at his command. “Rise, embrace the night, void of the sun.”
The cavern stirred with a palpable sense of excitement, the fallen denizens eager to share the tale of their failed trials. A testament that all was not as it seemed, that the true nature of this place extended far beyond what the mortal eye could perceive.
Melina’s body twitched, a dark presence hovering over her that was not lost on the keen senses of Ember and Orianna. Even Peach, long shielded from such esoteric forces, now began to glimpse the divine essences at play. A silent battle was being waged as Melina’s body became still, the struggle against the pull of the grave.
“Dax, you disappoint me, you don the trappings of a great dark world entity, all for the benefit of your ‘friends’ !?!? - and yet I cannot help but how you have managed to fuck it all up.”
“You cursed, wretched thing. This pact we share is no mere jest, but a covenant - one you have already sealed with your lifeblood.”
The very air seemed to grow colder, the shadows deepening as the creature’s presence swelled, filling the cavern. “Do not think the implications of this lost on me. For it is your wretched life that I would claim as payment.”
“The weapon will be ours, Dax. You have failed, and now you shall reap the bitter harvest of your folly.”
Melina laid lifeless on the ground. Aydriann casted telekinesis on Kervoite and threw him up into the air. Unfortunately he couldn’t restrain him and Kervoite stayed floating in the spot where he was thrown to. Orianna saw her chance to try and talk to him. While the group kept him at bay. Orianna, along with the help of Peach, got Kervoite to see the world from a different perspective.
Orianna:
“You’re in pain. You’re hurt. You’ve been hurt. Violence has been cast upon you and I’m sorry. From the depths of my heart, I am very sorry. But I can show you a better path. People find value in many different things. Some with knowledge, some with love, some with words, and some with violence. Value because of violence can be effective but in the end, it’s not the only way. I would argue that it’s the least effective way. If you’re only showing your worth through violence, showing off your power with such brutish means, can you truly call yourself worthy of anything else? Violence only gets you violence. But words can get you knowledge, understanding, acceptance, peace, and love. God, it can get you so much love. I think you just need love, honestly. And I think you know that my words matter because they’re affecting you. You’re still listening to what I have to say. So that has to mean something, does it not? I made you hesitate. I made you reconsider. So I’m not fighting back, not until at the very least you admit that my words are winning here.” - Nyla’s speech
One filled with love and a brighter future. Kervoite saw that Orianna and the group were worthy of the weapon.
The next scene is Kervoite teleporting down to the altar where he first started the encounter, instantly freezing. Orianna was saddened by this. The group headed to the Syn tree chamber which was now open and discussed how to get the weapon, Sol, from the Syn tree.
The Syn tree, a towering and otherworldly plant unlike anything encountered before. Its gnarled, translucent limbs reach up towards the glittering stalactites above, its delicate, chiming leaves casting an ethereal glow throughout the cavern.
Hanging from the branches are the Syn fruits, spheres of pure, crystalline ice that seem to pulse with an internal power.
It’s noticed something else nestled amidst the twisted roots of the Syn tree - the faint gleam of a legendary star blade, known as Sol.
After a few failed attempts Ember is able to pull the weapon out which sets off a few chain reactions.
From the blade an Entity by the name Tavina speaks
“Yawn…no no no no why…what have you done…put me back in now please, quickly. “
Icy Intricate tendrils spread along the roots, creating an icy crystalline barrier.
Ember doesn’t put the blade down.
Tavina says, “I’m sorry for what I’m about to do. You might want to stand back.”
The weapon glows with blinding light. A blast of powerful radiation hits.
Invisible burning, burn marks appear out of nowhere.
Snow melts in some areas but the tree remains unaffected
Tavina sadly and weakly says, “I held back…I would have killed everyone. Maybe even myself I’m so weak now. Hundreds of years I laid there. In the tree… Holding back the endless winter.”
Xanthos, Edmeera and Jazouhr make an abrupt appearance as the group tries to escape what’s happening in the cave. Xanthos asks Orianna, “Do you still seek your brother and do you wish he would be saved?” Orianna says yes. Sirius hanging in the air. It seems that Edmeera has him restrained.
“Why the presence, Xanthos?” Edmeera looked towards the large humanoid winged creature wrapped in black silk bandages.
Xanthos, with wings made of swords and skulls, stood stoically.
Edmeera looked towards a being of unstable energy, with jet black hair and part of their face having an illusion of a galaxy. “He is mine by the law. Your presence isn’t needed.”
With a self-satisfied smirk, Jaz declares, “I go where the chaos takes me.”
“An exchange has been requested.”, something heavy in his tone
“Unless you intend to exchange Ember, I’d advise you to save the air for others.”, Edmeera put forth little effort in the response but came across firmly.
Xanthos, pauses briefly, “The presence of Muvara.”
Sirius struggles during this exchange. Aydriann tries to send a message to Sirius but is intercepted by Edmeera. Peach tells Edmeera to let him go but to no avail.