Completed [Azurite Watchtower] Night Light (Solo)

Orin finds some much needed solace

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Built into the cliffs overlooking the Suvan Sea, Riverfall resides on the edge of grasslands of Cyphrus where the Bluevein River plunges off the plain and cascades down to the inland sea below. Home of the Akalak, Riverfall is a self-supporting city populated by devoted warriors. [Riverfall Codex]

[Azurite Watchtower] Night Light (Solo)

Postby Orin Fenix on July 25th, 2016, 11:18 pm

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Evening, 2nd of Summer, 516AV

Orin tossed and turned in his meager bed. He’d taken a room at The Cora Apartments because the place had seemed reasonable in terms of the rates it charged, and Orin really didn’t need anything fancy in his life. In fact, he wasn’t much one for opulence of any kind, except where it came to his kitchen. Orin wasn’t a food snob, but he did enjoy using every ingredient he could get his hands on in creative ways. Then again, he’d spent quite a while making simple tavern fare, and would likely do so again, since the demand for fine dining was slim.

His room and his bed were fine. It was his mind that was the problem. It was circling around and around, and the only thought that Orin had was ’failure.’ Staring at the ceiling, dim in the darkness, Orin couldn’t seem to break past that one idea. It was true. While the circumstances of his departure from Syliras weren’t that positive, Orin had prayed and hoped that he’d make something out of his adventures abroad.

Then, he’d arrived in Abura and done absolutely nothing. Yes, he’d worked and tried to scrape by, but he hadn’t ventured out of his comfort zone. Partially, that was due to the enormous and unexpected backlash from severing his Kelvic bond with Sylvette. Even today, the thought of her brought tears to his eyes, although the pain had faded somewhat. Mostly, though, it was because Orin had given up. He’d felt abandoned, isolated from everyone and everything he’d ever known, and that had crushed his spirit. Even though he’d tried to have faith and to make himself get out of bed each morning, it had been tough going to do the most basic of tasks.

Eventually, he’d given up, and slunk away from Abura like a thief in the night. But it had seemed too sad to return to Syliras with nothing to show for his time away but a few mental wounds no one would be able to see or understand. So Orin had landed in Riverfall, adrift, with no goal in mind. He’d found a place to stay, was actively searching for a job, and other than that, had nothing that called to him. It was such a strange sensation for Orin. He was in a new city, a foreign city, and he didn’t have any urge to explore it.

Still, lying in bed wasn’t doing any good, and so Orin threw off his sheets and dressed quickly, still in the darkness. He pulled on his two daggers, which he almost never went without, and stepped outside, trying to keep his noise to a minimum so as not to disturb the other residents. Still, he met with mixed success with this, as his door slammed shut despite his best efforts, and he stepped on more than a few creaky areas.

Eventually, though, he was outside, and he stopped to smell the night air. It was think with the sent of the nearby ocean and the smell of night flowers that the Akalak cultivated. Two towers pierced the sky, their silhouettes visible against the sky. One, Orin couldn’t determine the purpose of, but the other was a Watchtower, one of those structures that flared at the change of a season. He’d seen the light as he sailed in, but hadn’t taken much note of it beyond a passing interest.

Now though, his feet carried him into the streets, walking at first east and then north, until he was at the foot of the tower. He didn’t really know what had compelled him to come here, besides a vague association he had of the Watchtower being like a lighthouse and guiding ships home. Orin was certainly in need of some guidance.

He walked around the base of the tower, to the cliff on the other side. The water sparkled briefly as the moon poked out from behind a cloud. Leth’s face was almost immediately covered again, and the night once again darkened. Orin sighed, sitting down at the foot of the tower.

A deeper shadow moved, and Orin instinctively placed his hand on a dagger hilt, ready to move at a moment’s notice. His fear wasn’t particularly assuaged when a big cat stalked into view, with a tawny pelt and black spots, along with huge claws and large teeth that were visible as it yawned. Orin tensed, not knowing what to do, but before he could think of a possible escape plan, the cat changed, in a familiar swarm of lights.

“Sylvette,” Orin choked out, despite knowing it couldn’t be her. She’d had the form of a common housecat, and the now naked woman was anything but that. Looking down at him, the Kelvic retrieved a nearby cloak that she must’ve stashed, and wrapped it around her. Orin figured that it was for his benefit, because Kelvic didn’t like clothes of any kind. He was shaking with remembered pain, transported back to the moment of the severing.

“No, child, I’m not Sylvette,” the woman said in accented Common, a sense of amusement permeating her words. “Although she seems to be someone close to you, and far at the same time.” The woman’s tone changed to one of kindness, as if she could sense the pain Orin was feeling. “Perhaps a lost or fallen friend.”

Orin nodded, dashing the back of his hand against his eyes to wipe away the moisture that had gathered there. “Something like that,” he whispered, knowing the woman could probably hear him. Sure enough she settled down, sitting cross-legged beside him, the cloak strategically positioned to cover her.

“I see. No, I am not this Sylvette. I am Kimbri. I came here because I sensed someone was near” The woman’s voice was low and soothing, and her eyes shone in the night, with a equal mix of warmth and warning. “What brings you to the foot of Priskil’s tower?”
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[Azurite Watchtower] Night Light (Solo)

Postby Orin Fenix on July 25th, 2016, 11:18 pm

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Startled out of his misery, Orin turned to stare at Kimbri. “What do you mean Priskil’s tower?” He’d never heard of such a thing. Of course, Orin, though he liked to think that he was a devout follower of Priskil in his own way, didn’t really know much about the Goddess beyond a vague sense that he’d like her if he met her, and that she kept him going through the darkest of times.

Kimbri laughed good-naturedly at the expression on his face. “Surely you know that all Watchtowers have been touched by Priskil.” Orin just grew more confused at that statement, and it must have shown because Kimbri sobered up and stared intently at him. “Apparently not. Maybe the knowledge is dying out along with the belief in the power of hope.” Her voice held a touch of sadness in it, as if that loss was inevitable.

Orin, for his part, was flabbergasted at this piece of information. “What do you mean, they’ve all been touched by Priskil?” Frankly, the Watchtowers had not been something most people talked about, mainly because the nearest one to Syliras had been in the middle of the Bronze Woods and not all that accessible. So people just shrugged and went on with their lives, never questioning something that had been there their entire lives.

Kimbri sighed, but it seemed directed inwardly and not towards Orin. “In olden times, Priskil blessed all Watchtowers with her gift. That’s why they flare and light up, and they help to keep the darkness of the world at bay.” Kimbri narrowed her eyes, and Orin sat up straighter, fascinated by her tale. “And I’m not talking about the night. I’m talking about those things that go bump in the night.”

Orin shivered, uncomfortable suddenly with the darkness all around. Then again, he was in the middle of Riverfall, and surely the city was secure from threats. Still, that didn’t mean he could relax his guard. He was still cursing at himself internally for letting Kimbri sneak up on him like that. Kimbri, for her part, seemed content simply to speak and let Orin listen for now. “And they flare brightest at the season change to remind us of her endless vigil.” Orin couldn’t believe that he’d gone his whole life without knowing any of this. It seemed plausible, and the woman spoke of it so confidently, that Orin felt it must be true.

Kimbri seemed to return her focus from wherever it had been and transferred it to Orin. “Again, I ask: what brings you to Priskil’s tower.” Her sense of menace had grown and Orin remembered her other form fearfully. He gulped, trying to formulate his answer.

When he finally spoke, it was barely above a whisper, still, but that was as strong as he could make it under the circumstances. “I seek…guidance.” That word felt too simple for what Orin was feeling, and he tried to articulate himself more clearly. “I try and have the faith I need to that tomorrow will be better than today.” He bowed his head, ashamed. “But I’m wavering. There’s just so much darkness inside and I can’t seem to find the light I once had. I can’t find the hope that Priskil used to provide me.” Orin felt so weak in that moment, as if he’d just admitted that he couldn’t make it on his own.

He’d been on his own for so long. Even when Sylvette was with him, he’d been responsible for taking care of her, and she had been too immature to do much for herself. So instead of feeling that he had someone who was his equal, she’d turned into just one more burden for Orin to shoulder. Certainly his childhood had ended with Orin abused and eventually orphaned, passed off from one uncaring guardian to another. He’d learned early on that he could rely on no one but himself and had that lesson reinforced numerous times. Now, though he felt he couldn’t even rely on himself anymore, and that was a terrifying though.

Kimbri placed a hand on his knee, comforting him. At that, he broke down, silent tears making streaks down his cheeks. “Priskil preserve me, I look like a baby, right now.” Embarrassment colored his cheeks at the sympathetic look Kimbri was giving him. “I’ll be fine, I promise. I just need to find my way again. On my own. And I can do it, I know I can.” Laughing sadly, Orin added, “I’ve done it before.”

Squeezing his knee, Kimbri smiled at him. “I’m sure you can. But why go it alone if there are others around willing to help you on your path?” She seemed to genuinely believe what she was saying.

Orin just looked at her, not wanting to snap at this clearly well meaning woman. He took a deep calming breath to hold off the anger that tried to surge up at her comment. Orin’s moods had been variable lately, swinging from spurts of high energy to a crushing lethargy, with not much middle ground, and he’d been getting angry a lot more often than he used to. When he felt that could at least respond civilly, he spoke. “They leave. All of them. And it’s not their fault and I don’t blame them for that. But, how could I possibly use someone else as a crutch when all of them are gone in the end.”

The Kelvic stayed silent for a long time, before answering Orin. “Do you do your best to show kindness to all?” It seemed like a strange non sequitur and Orin looked at her.

“Of course I do,” he replied, unsure of where the conversation was going.

Kimbri turned to face him more fully, her face suddenly covered in shadows. “Then why is it so hard for you to believe that others might do the same?”
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[Azurite Watchtower] Night Light (Solo)

Postby Orin Fenix on July 25th, 2016, 11:19 pm

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As that question sliced through Orin’s excuses like a knife, Kimbri’s hands glowed, lighting her up briefly and illuminating the area. More importantly, it lifted Orin out of the clouds of darkness and let him be at peace. Hope fluttered in his chest, and when the light went out as suddenly as it arrived, the hope remained, fragile but there. Orin looked at Kimbri with awe. She smiled at him, nodding her head sagely. “Just a little gift, from one believer to another.”

Orin had no idea what she’d done or how she’d done it, but it didn’t much matter. Tears sprang to his eyes again, but these were tears of gratitude. “Thank you. I don’t know what that was but, thank you.”

Kimbri waved off his thanks. “No need for that. Just promise me that you’ll bring Priskil’s light to someone else when they might need it most. Stay vigilant against darkness inside and out” Orin nodded, happy to do something he tried to do anyway. There didn’t seem to be much more to say, so Orin prepared to leave, but Kimbri grabbed his arm.

Meeting her eyes, Orin settled back down. She apparently had more to tell him. “I’d also like you to remember something. Priskil isn’t alone. She has her love by her side, and it is her love and their unbroken bond that gives her the strength to do what she does, day in and day out.” Orin pondered that for a moment. Again, the words, while counter to everything Orin had believed, had the ring of truth about them, and Orin wondered briefly why he’d never thought of it that way again.

Kimbri released him and Orin stood, straightening his back and letting his shoulders finally relax for the first time in a long time. Kimbri stood with him, the motion liquid and graceful, catlike, which Orin supposed made sense. “Kimbri, who are you, exactly? You seem important, or at least, important to me.” The Kelvic woman had come out of nowhere, and while Orin couldn’t begin to thank her, he knew nothing about her or what she could do beyond what little she’d just shown him.

Kimbri herself just shrugged at his inquiry. “I am but a humble servant of a higher power.” She gestured at the tower, and Orin’s eyes gazed on the worn but still strong stones. “I teach Priskil’s ways and, as she guards her fallen husband, I guard this relic of hers in our world. I stand watch, as it were, against terrors of both the night and the day.” Orin shot a glance at her, not surprised. He’d seen the danger in her when she hadn’t known Orin’s intentions, and while she’d sheathed her claws, so to speak, Orin imagined that she was aware of everything that was going on around them.

Kimbri’s eyes sparkled with a bit of amusement as she continued with, “I even offer words of wisdom to pilgrims and lost little lambs who cross my path.” Orin smiled at that description of himself, but it was apt enough.

He started to bow to her, but she stopped him. Surprised he looked at her as she shook her head. “No need for that. As I’ve said, and as I’ll always say, all that I need from you is to bring light to others.” The corner of her mouth quirked up in a half-smile, as some thought passed across her mind. “And perhaps a name would be nice.”

Orin laughed at that. “My apologies, I apparently have no manners.” Sticking out his hand, which Kimbri took in a firm grip, Orin finally introduced himself. “My name is Orin Fenix.” He thought of a few different ways to describe himself, before settling simply on, “I am yet another humble servant of Priskil. Or, I’d like to be.” Taking a deep steadying breath, Orin added, more firmly, “I will be.”

Kimbri’s teeth flashed in a smile. “Good. Now, I’m sure you have much to think about. And sleep comes to us all. Go, Orin.” As she melted back into the shadows she had first appeared from, she paused. “But don’t be a stranger.”

And with that remark, she was gone, as suddenly as she had come. Orin idly wondered if she had been a dream, conjured up from his imagination, but dismissed it. After all, his load felt lighter after meeting her. Looking up at the tower, Orin felt his mind settle down. “I thank you, Priskil. You have never failed me. May I never fail you when you need me.” Gazing out at the sea now, Orin continued speaking to a Goddess who probably didn’t listen, as had become his custom in his long time alone. It helped him to keep the loneliness at bay. “I think we all need a little light in the darkness now and then.” With that, Orin turned and made his way back to his new home, his restlessness cured, for now.
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[Azurite Watchtower] Night Light (Solo)

Postby Faradae on May 13th, 2017, 10:51 pm

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Orin
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E X P E R I E N C E

• Socialization +2
• Rhetoric +1


L O R E S

• Riverfall Location: Cora Apartments
• Circling thoughts and apathy are not location-bound
• Sylvette: A broken bond
• The crushing weight of isolation
• Riverfall location: The Azurite Watchtower
• Kimbri: Kelvic cheetah, follower of Priskil
• Orin: Used to dealing with emotions on his own
• The touch of Luminance: A flutter of hope
• Priskil: Faith opposes solitude


N O T E S

A beautiful thread, in my eyes. Orin's struggle sounds painfully close to a depressive episode, and as an emphatic reader, I was relieved to see some hope budding.

A remark: I know you have XP in "Prayer", but I was recently reminded that prayers should fall under "rhetoric", so that's what I awarded.

On a somewhat ironical side-note: After this thread, he can't possibly become more social :D


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