What Secrets Does the Keep Keep? [Nya/Tarot]

[Tarot]

The old woman gave a tired smile. "Thank you for your answers. In hearing you, my good lord, I am reminded of my own cautious philosophy. And you, young lady, are so much like Aruin, always in awe of the wind and its caresses. It is only fitting that you carry his mark. We... we always pick up from where others left off, and keep moving forward till it's time to pass the token to those who come after us. It is like that for all of us, and for our enemies too. But what a terrible legacy did they choose for themselves." Agethia paused, half reflective and half exhausted. The shadows outside were growing long, and this eventful day was slowly drawing to a close. Kiphos cleared his voice and filled the silence. "You must be tired," he suggested, "I do not begin to understand how you defeated that monster, but it must not have been easy. Tomorrow I shall accompany you to the Bloodsink, or in a few days' time should you need more time to recuperate. You have my word as comrades in arms. At any rate, it is unwise for all of us to remain in the same place for too long. We make a perfect target for the Seven Robes and their leader. And if they can indeed bait a Relic with such ease, then who knows what else they might have up their sleeve." The old wizard Konrad nodded thoughtfully. "Aye, they've wanted this place for quite a few years now. It's like they want to seize all the symbols of pre-Valterrian magics. But this keep is just a museum, we've got some trinkets for sure, but nothing to conquer the world with. It's just... as if they wanted to unearth a buried dream and make it theirs. This is the first time they've come at us so heavy-handed, though. It almost feels like..." his voice went low, "... an experiment. What a creepy lot." Silence fell once more upon the room, and everyone looked really pale and tired. The night would welcome those who needed her rejuvenating embrace, for tomorrow the fight would begin anew. OOCIf there's nothing else, I think I can wrap this up and award XPs?

[Abashai]

Abashai turned to Nya, the question at hand drawing the Kelvic from her stalking back to the conversation. Shai knew she had never left the discussion, keeping a keen ear as she lingered at the edges of the room. His bondmate's fatigued features lightened somewhat as a slight grin graced her face, the smile that arose when Nya spoke of things close to her, things familiar. As the Stormwarden spoke, her tone confident, Abashai could sense the intimacy of her experiences with Zulrav and his winds. Watching her swirl the hem of the robe around her hand, almost lovingly relaying her impression of her lord, the Benshiran found a truth unfold. Nya belonged to Zulrav. She was favored by a divine being, marked and chosen for a special relationship. Zulrav and Nya's connection was an even more intimate than his own communion with Yahal. The realization put his own place in perspective. He loved Nya and could call her his own, she had given herself to him as a bondmate and wife. But now he could plainly see, he, as a mortal man, would always come after her divine master and his plans. Abashai did not sulk, but rather embraced the epiphany. How could one be jealous of a god? Yahal had all but shown him that his own purpose was not to be centered around the Kelvic woman. Nya and Shai were earthly instruments in the hands of unearthly beings. Just as he and Nya were used in unison to destroy the Relic, the two of them were fit together like interlocking tools. The human and forest cat were bound together in so many ways, and their union served to benefit the divine, while supporting each other to fulfill their destiny. Abashai conceded himself to the higher purpose, bound by previous existence to play his part in the Storm God's scheme. Things had suddenly become much, much larger than either he or Nya, and the greatest honor he could offer the Holy One was to submit himself and serve until the end. Abashai's gaze lingered on Nya for a moment after her last word faded, before turning back to the others. The foreboding talk of their enemies disquieted Abashai, now understanding what the Seven Robes were capable of, and it cast an urgency over the matter. He turned towards Kiphos. "Our horses and supplies are not far from here. We will take our leave and rest tonight at our camp and return in the morning. Then we can prepare to leave for Bloodsink. I will want to know all you can tell us about the previous ventures to the cave and what you have already encountered before we arrive there." The Benshiran's weary gaze fell back to Nya, and testing the new life bond they shared, mentally asked if she was ready to leave.

[Nya Winters]

Nya nodded, smiling in her oversized robe and feeling like a child within it. "Yes. Those are wise words, Wizard. Even Zulrav is nothing without his winds. We are only parts of a greater whole. We do what we can and rather than hope it is enough, which sometimes is the human thinking, we make sure it is enough which is more the forest cat thinking. I am here because I want to be, as I'm sure Aruin was too. Maybe I will get the chance to pass his mark on to others when it is time for me to rest as well. It was an honor Zulrav gifted him with, though I did not see it at the time. Perhaps through his marks, pieces of us can not so easily be forgotten." Nya said thoughtfully, then leaned a little against Abashai, listening to the rest of the conversation without comment.

The moment Shai laid out his plans for the next day, Nya's agreement filled his awareness with the added thought of food. Along with being tired, his bondmate was hungry. Her perpetual hunger had eased off considerably with the turning of the season though it had resumed full force with her pregnancy. It would probably ease off again but not until she'd regained strength lost during her death. And knowing her, she'd bring down a deer, feast on it a bit, then curl up and sleep around the corpse using it as a pillow, only to wake up several times during the night and eat a bit more. In fact, she was already thinking about it even as Abashai made plans and finalized the activities for the next day.

In fact, she was so much enthralled with the idea that Shai could already taste warm fresh deer blood in his mouth and feel a still warm deer corpse as a pillow under his.. no her... cheek. It was obvious Nya was paying no attention whatsoever to the rest of the conversation. She'd simply follow him docilely out, already stretching her nose out to see if she could catch wind of something fresh to eat.

[Tarot]

Nya Winters +3 Hunting +3 Meditation +2 Investigation +2 Stealth +1 Interrogation +1 Wilderness survival Lore of dying Lore of Dira [partial] Lore of absolute faith Lore of past life as Lugzia Lore of Tallshade Keep Abashai +3 Hunting +3 Interrogation +2 Investigation +2 Weapon: Dagger +1 Wilderness survival Lore of killing one's beloved Lore of Dira [partial] Lore of being Yahal's hand Lore of past life as Ardrem Lore of Tallshade Keep Other Storyteller Secrets updated Abashai now ages twice as fast, and will probably start to notice within a few seasons Deepened bond will get easier and less confusing with practice; its range will also increase Matilda's suvai has turned a shiny black with vermillion highlights Comments: I really loved this thread, and the way you two handled Nya's death was incredibly well written. Next thread forthcoming.