RE: Sublime Showdown (Round 1: Faerie)
06-30-2013, 04:34 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-13-2013, 09:25 PM by !?.)
Every star in the sky is a deity, sheltered by their merciful ruler, the moon. The sun is the devil-god which rises in the morning to rudely sweep it’s brethren from the heavenly sphere…
…the Mother Serpent sleeps in the pit of a hollow mountain, wrapped and knotted about herself in patterns mere mortals cannot comprehend, her mighty scales triumphantly blanketed in the down of the birds which she preys upon…
…there is only one God, and in seven days He made the world. He created the first man, the first woman, and on the seventh day He rested…
…if you go east to the city of Otavorsegan and best the Heretic King With Three Heads in single combat, he will grant you his Tearstone, which can be used to hold the Coveted Darkness. A strong +15 armor and long-range combat capabilities are recommended for this quest…
The Heart of Faerie pulsed and shook with excitement, the warm red light she emanated growing in brilliance and intensity. Seven new minds, bursting with unknown mythos, appearing in her great land, just as the worlds she relied upon to create were fading from her reach—it was perfection. She would find these Travelers. She would seek them out, take their minds, take their souls; reach through them and drag their worlds closer to her. Faerie would explode with the infinite possibilities their new thoughts would bring. Faerie would be immortal.
***
Cliff and Snake had been walking for quite some time under the unnervingly uniform stars when they reached the city. Still discussing the nature of their competitors, they were both relieved when the claustrophobia of trees which seemed to move inward and the overlarge spiders which had thrice jumped out at them and the cooing, illusory voices which fell from the branches receded and gave way to azure spires and crowded cobblestone walks.
The noise of street performers and vendors was disorienting, and the faces of passersby more so, but Cliff suspected that in his armor he would blend right into the blue-tinted crepuscule. Naturally the moment he attempted to slip into the crowd unnoticed, Snake’s eyes began to burn with a light that Cliff had never seen before. The color was off as well, now a tarnished golden-brown rather than the usual citrine. Cliff tried to keep moving through the crowd as though that was a normal occurrence.
Oddly enough, it worked. As he kept his pace steady and his wits about him, nobody thought twice about it, leaving the two Familiars to walk and talk in peace.
No, I don’t know what’s happening. But I have an idea.
Well?
It’s as if… the magic just feels different. It’s not the same magic we know.
I feel like I know what you mean.
Do you?
Well, everything here is different. These people… they’re all angles and pointed edges, like the Numeds, but they’re all marked. Like… remember the man in Neo-Ras who covered himself in paint to mock my people?
I do, but Amna is long gone here. And they don’t appear to be mocking anyone.
Exactly. The people, the buildings, everything here is different. It might not be farfetched to say that the magic here is different as well.
There are gaps in your logic, my friend, but it’s the only explanation we have for now. In the meantime, let’s focus on finding our opponents.
And with that, the subject of their discussion shifted back to the nature of their competitors. They spent several minutes walking aimlessly and wondering who to find first until they Cliff felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned, quickly, to find himself facing an androgynous, humanoid figure made entirely of wood and other plant-matter, it’s face no more than a fiery light showing through gaps in a cage of knotted vines. Taking stock of his surroundings, Cliff noted that the area he was in was considerably less crowded than the street he’d arrived on.
Attempting to meet the being’s eerie gaze, Cliff inquired as to its intentions.
“You are not of this world. The Heart of Faerie wishes to study you in greater detail.”
…the Mother Serpent sleeps in the pit of a hollow mountain, wrapped and knotted about herself in patterns mere mortals cannot comprehend, her mighty scales triumphantly blanketed in the down of the birds which she preys upon…
…there is only one God, and in seven days He made the world. He created the first man, the first woman, and on the seventh day He rested…
…if you go east to the city of Otavorsegan and best the Heretic King With Three Heads in single combat, he will grant you his Tearstone, which can be used to hold the Coveted Darkness. A strong +15 armor and long-range combat capabilities are recommended for this quest…
The Heart of Faerie pulsed and shook with excitement, the warm red light she emanated growing in brilliance and intensity. Seven new minds, bursting with unknown mythos, appearing in her great land, just as the worlds she relied upon to create were fading from her reach—it was perfection. She would find these Travelers. She would seek them out, take their minds, take their souls; reach through them and drag their worlds closer to her. Faerie would explode with the infinite possibilities their new thoughts would bring. Faerie would be immortal.
***
Cliff and Snake had been walking for quite some time under the unnervingly uniform stars when they reached the city. Still discussing the nature of their competitors, they were both relieved when the claustrophobia of trees which seemed to move inward and the overlarge spiders which had thrice jumped out at them and the cooing, illusory voices which fell from the branches receded and gave way to azure spires and crowded cobblestone walks.
The noise of street performers and vendors was disorienting, and the faces of passersby more so, but Cliff suspected that in his armor he would blend right into the blue-tinted crepuscule. Naturally the moment he attempted to slip into the crowd unnoticed, Snake’s eyes began to burn with a light that Cliff had never seen before. The color was off as well, now a tarnished golden-brown rather than the usual citrine. Cliff tried to keep moving through the crowd as though that was a normal occurrence.
Oddly enough, it worked. As he kept his pace steady and his wits about him, nobody thought twice about it, leaving the two Familiars to walk and talk in peace.
No, I don’t know what’s happening. But I have an idea.
Well?
It’s as if… the magic just feels different. It’s not the same magic we know.
I feel like I know what you mean.
Do you?
Well, everything here is different. These people… they’re all angles and pointed edges, like the Numeds, but they’re all marked. Like… remember the man in Neo-Ras who covered himself in paint to mock my people?
I do, but Amna is long gone here. And they don’t appear to be mocking anyone.
Exactly. The people, the buildings, everything here is different. It might not be farfetched to say that the magic here is different as well.
There are gaps in your logic, my friend, but it’s the only explanation we have for now. In the meantime, let’s focus on finding our opponents.
And with that, the subject of their discussion shifted back to the nature of their competitors. They spent several minutes walking aimlessly and wondering who to find first until they Cliff felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned, quickly, to find himself facing an androgynous, humanoid figure made entirely of wood and other plant-matter, it’s face no more than a fiery light showing through gaps in a cage of knotted vines. Taking stock of his surroundings, Cliff noted that the area he was in was considerably less crowded than the street he’d arrived on.
Attempting to meet the being’s eerie gaze, Cliff inquired as to its intentions.
“You are not of this world. The Heart of Faerie wishes to study you in greater detail.”