Quest Where Shadows Fall

[Paragon]

Timestamp: 19th of Fall, 512 AV Evening closed in on the land. Animals found safe havens and hollows in which they could sleep, and those of a nocturnal inclination began to awaken, eyes searching the rising darkness. The sun had not quite set, but the wake of its zenith brought with it a cooler air, and perhaps even the smallest of hints of the frost that was to come in force upon the flaring of the watchtowers. A relatively young Nuit, that currently took the form of a humble merchant, walked the temperate woodlands of the Wildlands. He had little fear, for he had lived a longer life already than most mortal men could hope for. But the descending sun brought its own shadows, cast from the trees and branches that shrouded the landscape. As he walked he would become aware of the shadow's strange shapes. Moving. Filtering. A kaleidoscope of darkness and light, immeasurable in scope. And these shadows were unusual, and not simply the hollow images of the trees themselves. They seemed almost alive.

[Ignotus Everto]

Syna had set on a less than satisfying day for Ignotus. A light rainstorm had put a temporary damper on his ambitions for an undead avian army, and a hatred for wasted time had driven him deeper into the Wildlands in search of something productive to do. After all, if he couldn't reanimate any pigeons, the next best thing was to find some.

Though the Nuit was not a superstitious sort, nor did most predators enjoy the idea of eating a shambling corpse, something about the woods tonight was causing his fingers to fidget uncomfortably and his stomach to curdle.

Something was wrong with the shadows. That much was clear. Djed was diverted from the wizard's belly to his fingertips, in the event that it was needed. Meanwhile, the analytical part of Ignotus' brain was trying futilely to understand what the apparitions were. Hostile spirits? Unlikely. Some camoflauged monster? Not as unlikely. Another wizard?

It wasn't impossible. Ignotus himself could give life, spit fire, bend minds, and move objects with nothing but his soul and force of will. Was it much of a stretch to think that some other wizard could manipulate shadows?

Ill luck that he should put off learning Auristics so long. It would have been most useful now. Instead, all he could do was simply search for some source of the phenomenon with his mundane senses. A slight curl came to the Nuit's upper lip, and he demanded of the shadows,
"Is someone there?!"

[Paragon]

The demand was met in surprising fashion. Silence fell upon the woodland, even the wind died. Several small animals rushed away from the clearing, and an owl went up in fearful flight. The shadows relinquished, shrinking until they had vanished completely. Ignotus stood alone in the clearing, with not a sound among his surroundings. The final dregs of sunlight began to fade, the moon becoming visible in the darkling sky. Light cloud cover obscured its pallid surface slightly. "Look to your left," a voice suddenly announced, all the more tremulous for it shattered the grip silence held on the landscape. If Ignotus did as the voice instructed, he would see a single shadow left. It came from behind a tree, and following it led one to make out a silhouette. A man, or so it appeared. "Why do you manipulate?" The voice definitely came from the silhouette. It was dark and deep, and yet playful all at the same time. The question left no option other than to answer.

[Ignotus Everto]

Ignotus' head snapped in the direction of the voice. A couple droplets of azure gel surfaced atop his skin in anticipation of a battle. Though he had to squint to see further, there was definitely a man lurking in the trees. While a man made of shadow was cause for worry, the question he asked shook Ignotus much more than his appearance. How did he know he manipulated in the first place? No one could have gone and told him; anyone he toyed with was either on his side, dead, or ignorant of their role. Mostly the latter.

Which meant that the man was spying on him. How long, Ignotus didn't know. What he could be certain of, however, was that this was no ordinary wizard. There was a danger in answering; for one, the man's voice reminded him far too much of his own. But then, would it really matter, once the man was dead? After all, there was no other fate he could have. Ignotus couldn't afford leaving people who knew he was a Hypnotist alive. Of course, that was also assuming he could overpower the man who had managed to spy on him without him having the slightest clue.

The corner of Ignotus' mouth twitched upward, and a tick later he replied wryly, "It amuses me."

[Paragon]

The shadow laughed heartily at the words, before the silhouette disappeared again. And reappeared nearby. A gust of wind would alert Ignotus to turn, where the silhouette had shifted to an opposite tree. The laugh carried across the woodland. But other shadows began to appear again, dappled and growing, near his feet. "Do not step in the shadows," the voice warned from its new position. "Even the undeath do not have immunity to them." A shadow began to pool near Ignotus' left foot, growing outward at an alarming rate. And he had to be aware of a shadow behind him that seemed to loom as well. In case he didn't believe the silhouette, a mouse came scuttling from undergrowth in disturbance and walked straight into a shadow. It's skin was shredded in an instant. Ignotus would see the bones momentarily, before they shattered into dust. "This amuses me," the shadow said, consciously repeating Ignotus' words.

[Ignotus Everto]

It took almost a full tick for Ignotus' less than stellar reflexes to process what was happening, and to jerk the Nuit's foot away moments before it was swallowed by darkness. A startled hiss escaped from the undead's lips, and he quickly righted his balance as he tried to slide away from the approaching shadows.

This was bad. This was very, very bad. The mysterious silhouette had the same idea of fun he did, if appearances were any indicator. That meant that his death was not off the table, and it would likely be slow. On the slightly cheerier side, the mystery man probably just wanted him to dance. Or die trying. Ignotus didn't want to test him. As such, the analytical part of his brain got to work trying to find a way out of his current predicament.

Shadows were, in normal circumstances, the absence of light. While the circumstances were far from normal at the moment, it could be assumed that, in the presence of a source of light, they would vanish. Therefore, Ignotus had to light up the better part of the forest.

Easy.

The droplets of Res that had already collected on Ignotus' palm rose a couple inches above it, and were soon met by many, many more that quickly coalesced into a gently rippling ball a little larger than an average fist. With little more than a thought and a splaying of the hand, the surface of the orb burst into flame, throwing a small ring of light around Ignotus. Whether or not it stopped the shadows, what came next would still be more than useful. If it didn't, he simply used foresight to compensate for his natural sluggishness. Of course, it would also slow his magic down considerably, but that was the price of not dying.

With a flick of his wrist, the wizard sent the fire bolt hurtling towards the branches of the nearest tree. The instant before it struck, Ignotus forced the Res at its core to flare out, and transmuted it into air. The results were as predictable as they were natural. A fist-sized fireball flashed yellow and became the size of a head, feeding on the fresh source of oxygen, as well as more than a few tender leaves. In a few chimes, he would hopefully have a modest inferno on his hands.

In that time, the Djed pooled in his right hand had seeped out as a thin azure gas that clung to his skin. Locating the silhouette again, Ignotus pointed at the shape of a man with a finger, the gas pulling itself into the space made by his curling thumb and digits. A faint crackling akin to static came from the Nuit, and a tick later, its source became apparent. A thin bolt of blue lightning shot at the shadow-man' heart. Not enough to kill (that would have eaten up all of his Djed, and Ignotus needed it) but sufficient to cause most mortals to lose control of their muscles for a moment. Most mortals.

[Paragon]

OOCBravo, I think you even outsmarted me with that post! The Nuit danced. Feet moved moments away from the shadow's encroaching doom. But the undead soul had a mind that whirred like clockwork, calculating possibilities with relish. Fire and air met in an inferno, exploding above the tree tops. It roared through the branches, flaring up brightly. The light killed the shadows almost immediately, the ground glowing amber with the fire's glow instead. "Very clever," the voice announced. Ignotus would faintly hear the clapping of hands. But his reimancy was readied again, a crackling bolt of electricity discharged from his finger. It flew true and straight, and the shadow did not even move. The moment it struck, that final vestige of darkness shattered. Fragments of... shadow, fluttered to the ground. "It seems your mind works in wonderful ways. Even now, the manipulator cannot be manipulated." The voice came from behind, though nothing was visible. There was a vociferous exhalation of breath, a wind that touched Ignotus and billowed through the trees. The flames were extinguished in an instant. But for now, the Nuit was safe. The shadows did not return. Footsteps approached from the west now. A figure, not a silhouette, walked slowly through the trees towards Ignotus. His stance was not an aggressive one. The man was bearded, cloth wrapped around his head. The simple appearance belied the robes of a mage beneath though. It seemed, at closer glance, the man's footsteps did not even touch the ground. Ignotus could not be sure if that was what he was seeing. "I wonder if you have heard my name before, Nuit." There was a laugh. Jovial and yet tremulous all at the same time. "The thief of Aquiras' heart. Closer of the doorways."

[Ignotus Everto]

Congratulations did little to stay Ignotus' hand. When he gave congratulations, it meant he was angry. But the shadow-creature shattered. Fell into nothing. A faint chuckle issued from the Nuit as burning orange embers fluttered to earth around him. Was that all? What sort of assassin was that?

One that was not an assassin. With little more than a breath, the entire brush fire was snuffed out. Ignotus was no longer grinning. The shadow didn't die. Lightning simply didn't present any threat to it. He would have panicked then, if it weren't for the figure's appearance. It turned out he was right; it was a wizard. Was a wizard. Amidst his accolades and laughter, his identity quickly became obvoius. A man Ignotus had only read about. A man immortalized forever in myth and allegory. "Puppeteer, slayer of Gods, greatest Djed-wielder in the world..."

The grin returned to the Hypnotist's face, and he slowly sank into a curtsey, "It truly is an honor, Sagallius."
The very embodiment of manipulation itself, former Court Mage of Alahea, appearing to him? To say Ignotus felt flattered was a massive, massive understatement. However, he also felt a little suspicious. Rising up again, he inquired quizically, "But pray, tell me... What have I done to earn the great privilege of your presence?"

[Paragon]

Sagallius smiled. His reputation preceded him. He stepped forward, until he was only an arms length from the Nuit. The wizened and yet twisted eyes of a magician looked the undead man up and down, a study of character as much as appearance. "Nobody earns my presence," the God snorted cooly, "I simply find your past of deceit and manipulation intriguing." The God's eyes narrowed, turning to the side to gaze through the trees. "And all for amusement. Very intriguing indeed." Sagallius looked lost in thought momentarily, a finger tapping against his lips. Ignotus was left to stand uncomfortably before his deity. When he finally spoke, a smile had come to his face again. "Tell me. How far would you go in your deceit? To what ends? Do you care for others lives?"

[Ignotus Everto]

Ignotus paused for a moment, suppressing the urge to swallow. While he felt far more than flattered speaking with Sagallius, it was also nerve-wracking to stand before a creature capable of turning him to ash with a thought. But he kept his smile, even when he found out he had misspoke, and he was ready with an answer for his God.

"My dear Sagallius, my immortality was paid for with an innocent girl's blood." a small smirk tugged at the Nuit's lips. "Her death was slow, and painful. Shame she was unconcious for most of it."

One would not have to be a deity to infer what Ignotus thought of others. The Hypnotist spoke of the violent murder and cannabalism of a fifteen year old girl with the same tone as another might speak of a disappointing horse race. It simply didn't faze him. Ignotus valued human lives as much as those of ants.

"But you already know this, I think, if my past has piqued your interest. As for how far I would go..." the undead shrugged and looked up at The Puppeteer, "I am not going to Sahova for the scenery. Sunberthans and Sylirans will remember me fondly, I think, and if one day I need a favor from a Knight, I will have quite the pool of former comrades to draw from. Of course, Sylir's fragment would be quite the prize as well, but right now, it is little more than a dream. Right now. "

The Nuit frowned faintly. "I confess, my magical prowess is less than I would wish it. That will be remedied in time, but the Knights are not going to give me enough. The size is also a problem. I could slip into Sahova and melt into its populace with ease, but if I tried to move the fragment, I would be killed on the spot. If I knew, say, how to absorb its power without having to drag it off the isle, then a near-hopeless venture would become quite the opposite..."

Would the deity take the hint? And if he did, would he answer, or feel threatened?