[Ialari's Retreat] The Reunion

Ialari decides to return to the place where she'd first established her Dominion in hopes of reuniting with a long deceased friend.

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role playing forums. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

While Sylira is by far the most civilized region of Mizahar, countless surprises and encounters await the traveler in its rural wilderness. Called the Wildlands, Syliran's wilderness is comprised of gradual rolling hills in the south that become deep wilderness in the north. Ruins abound throughout the wildlands, and only the well-marked roads are safe.

[Ialari's Retreat] The Reunion

Postby Ialari Pythone on January 16th, 2021, 6:46 am

Image
5th Day of Winter, 520 AV

Relaxing in the shallow pool of water near the center of her Dominion, Ialari reveled in the cool water as it helped to sooth the wounds she’d suffered during the otherworldly attack from the tear in the Ukalas that, thanks to her normal bad luck, opened in her Dominion several days prior. The bruising was getting better although her twisted ankle was taking a bit longer. As she soaked in the water, her thoughts strangely drifted to one of the last times she’d felt so sore. It was years ago during her journey toward finding Dominion. Of course, back then she couldn’t imagine what was in store for her when she tracked down the broken soul of the mad wizard, Amir Berliotz, former Master of the Seven Robes. That encounter started it all. By using her body to reforge his shattered soul, Berliotz became coherent enough to share with her the knowledge he’d scavenged regarding Dominion. Though spiritually repaired, Berliotz was still a ghost and a rather insane one at that. After sharing his knowledge with her, he watched as the god, Izurdin presented Ialari with all of the secrets of the lost magic. If not for the help of her friend Shalla, Ialari would have never escaped that first encounter with Berliotz and would not have gone on to eventually defeat him. She never would have discovered the Tree of Death and learned that it was the key to her learning why her own soul had been shattered.

“Shalla…” Ialari whispered to herself as she thought of her old friend.

They had met in Sahova following Ialari’s saving of the island’s nuit from the Priestess of Sagallius, the Citadel’s former Supervisor Golem, Drainira. The meeting had not been pleasant to start. As a guest of Sahova, Ialari had fallen in with Master Quio, a nuit of terrible brutality and ambition. He sought to weed out any remaining nuit who may have something to do with Drainira’s coup. He used Ialari to torture the rebel nuit and glean any information from them that she could. He also used her to rid him of potential enemies even if they had nothing to do with the coup. Shalla was one of those enemies. Like most everyone else on the island, Shalla was a nuit though had once been human centuries ago. She’d allied with Archmage Mashaen, a political rival of Quio. During Ialari’s interrogation of Shalla, the nuit revealed what she believed to be the existence of a long lost, powerful magic. She offered to trade the knowledge if Ialari would spare her.

Agreeing, Ialari freed Shalla and the two set out for the city of Nyka, the last known whereabouts of the mad wizard, Berliotz. Shalla saved Ialari’s life but lost her own in the process. Shalla became a ghost. Following her success at defeating Berliotz, Ialari delivered him to Dira. In exchange for her success, Dira marked her and presented her with the Tree of Death. For her own role in defeating the wizard, Shalla was granted extended time on Mizahar, safe from being hunted by Dira’s faithful. Shalla and Ialari returned to Sahova where the isur remained for a time before realizing that her status as one of the living comingling with the undead would likely not turn out well for her in the end. So, she left Sahova while Shalla remained as Ialari’s eyes and ears in the Citadel.

It was a few years later that Ialari learned that Shalla had left Sahova for the eastern shore of Syliras. Things in Sahova were getting to heated and Qiao was beginning to suspect that Shalla was still around and hadn’t been killed like Ialari had told him. She went in search of The Retreat, the spot where Ialari had anchored her Dominion upon its creation.

Ialari hadn’t been to The Retreat in quite some time. She’d left it under the protection of a Zith of all things, Va’al. She’d been potential prey for him and his hunting party. After a terrible fight and no small amount of pain to herself, Ialari killed the hunting party save for Va’al. Instead of killing him, she castrated him and nearly killed him. Before she was about to bring down the final blow, she noticed a strange mark on the creature and later learned it to be a mark of Nikali, Goddess of Slaves. Seeing it as a sign, she nursed the zith back to health before he pledged his loyalty to her. She tasked him to watch over The Retreat in her absence. When she’d received word of Shalla’s journey there, she informed Va’al and tried to explain who would eventually be coming. He had trouble understanding at first but after an exhaustive effort to get him to realize the reality of it all, he finally got it…at least in part. Ialari hoped that Shalla would be able to fill in the gaps.

That had been a few years ago now and Ialari had lost track of time so often that she cursed herself for not having returned to The Retreat sooner. She was now planning her return to Syka but her thoughts having drifted to Shalla, she decided to delay the return to the tropical paradise a bit longer.

With a groan of pain, she stood, stretched and made her way out of the pool. She then proceeded to gather a few items and get ready to leave her Dominion. Donning her robes, strapping on her dagger as well as Stormslinger, she packed a few more odds and ends into her pack. When she was ready, she walked with a bit of a limp to the nearby wall of the great cavern that housed her Dominion. She ran her hand over the cool stone where the shape of a door had been etched upon the surface. Tracing an invisible pattern in the center of the door, she willed it to open. The stone rippled and faded, revealing a completely different place.

From her side of the door, Ialari could see at least three structures. They were covered in plantlife to the point that only their general shape gave any indication that they were actually artificial. They were relatively small and looked more like the remains of structures rather than anything remotely close to whole buildings; perhaps leftover walls or something similar. There was even a broken, overgrown in most places, road of sorts that Ialari could barely make out stretching out nearby. They were all located in a clearing and she could hear the sounds of the ocean not far off. There was a small firepit just yard or two away in front of the doorway. From her vantage point, she couldn’t see much else other than the surrounding forest. Wasting no more time, she stepped through the door, leaving the great cavern of her Dominion and stepping into the forest clearing.

Ialari was immediately surrounded by the sounds of the coastal forest. Seagulls, with their annoying cries, pierced the air while other birds threw in their own variety of songs. The smell of the ocean, although still some distance away, tickled the air as she took several deep breaths. She looked around for Va’al but could not find him. It was daytime so he was likely off somewhere sleeping. Then she heard a familiar voice.

“Ialari?” A femine voice asked with a bit of surprise and hesitation.

Ialari turned to see a figure flicker into existence but a few feet away. It was a woman with neatly kept black hair held in a tail. She had dark eyes and pale skin. She was of average human height although still taller than Ialari and was dressed in a simple grey robe. Her form flickered a few times and there was something a little off, noticeable only to a trained eye. Ialari of course recognized the woman immediately.

“Shalla, it’s been too long.” Ialari said with a bit of an apologetic tone.

The two women, one living, one dead, moved to embrace each other.

Word Count - 1,342
Image
Remade In My Dominion!

Character Sheet

Granted Flashback Threads between 510 and 512 by Tarot.
User avatar
Ialari Pythone
I'm Poison.
 
Posts: 619
Words: 923994
Joined roleplay: August 13th, 2009, 3:26 am
Race: Isur
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Medals: 7
Mizahar Grader (1) Trailblazer (2)
Overlored (1) Riverfall Seasonal Challenge (1)
2013 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1) 2012 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

[Ialari's Retreat] The Reunion

Postby Ialari Pythone on January 18th, 2021, 2:24 am

Image
As the two embraced, Ialari felt a tickling chill course through her body. The air around Shalla was cool with a slight smell of lavender; the smell of flowers she used when she was a nuit to hide the smell of decay. Releasing the embrace, Ialari took a step back as Shalla's form grew a bit more transparent. Thin trails of white smoke slowly began to swirl around her.

With a crooked smile, Shalla said, "Too long? Well, it has been awhile. A few years though haven't felt like a long time to me for...well, a long time. Yet, it is good to see you again."

Ialari glanced around at The Retreat. "I'm happy you found this place. I told Va'al about your coming here. That was not an easy conversation."

Shalla began to casually walk around the area while Ialari joined her. The ghost chuckled at the mention of Va'al. "That is indeed a unique friend you have there. Your descriptions of this place made it a bit easier to find but your guard dog proved to be more of a surprise than I expected."

The sun was still high in the sky as the two walked around The Retreat and toward the nearby pond where Ialari used to visit for a bath and a bit of relaxation. They stopped at the edge of the pond while Shalla spoke of her first encounter with Va'al.

"I first arrived shortly after sunset. I recognized the remains of the old shipwreck you'd told me about so it was only a short time after that I found the ruins. Almost immediately I was attacked. A large, winged creature dove at me from the trees. The look on his face when he passed right through me...it was a precious moment." Shalla chuckled lightly at the recollection.

Ialari knelt down to pick up a small stone then stood and tossed it into the pond. "I can imagine. He's experienced a lot since the first time he and I met but he never saw a ghost before."

Shalla mirrored Ialari's actions by kneeling down to pick up a stone. She materialized for a moment in order to pick it up before standing and tossing it into the pond. "He tried a few more times before I called out his name and introduced myself, unsure at the time if he would be expecting me or not. When I spoke my name, he calmed down enough for us to exchange a few pleasantries...or at least what I assumed were pleasantries to him. He proceeded to try and give me a dead rabbit he had hanging from a rope tied around his waist. It took me a couple of seasons to get him to understand that I didn't eat. I think he still has some difficulty though fully grasping the concept. Otherwise, he and I have been getting along well enough since. He sleeps during the day and goes off hunting when he wakes. After he's finished his normal bloody meals, he sometimes bathes. After a bell or two of scouting the area, he returns to The Retreat. He seems to enjoy the stories I tell him and his grasp of the common language has grown quite a bit. I've even taught him some middle common as well. Pretty smart for a hairy brute."

Ialari smiled at hearing how well Va'al and Shalla had been getting along. Her smile quickly faded though as she turned to her friend and said, "Shalla, I can't apologize enough for not coming sooner. I know it is but a step through a door but..." Ialari looked down for a moment before looking back up.

"So much has happened. I don't even know where to start." Ialari lowered her head again. It was not an easy thing for Ialari to feel regret but Shalla had saved her life and helped her in acquiring Dominion. In return, Ialari felt she'd abandoned Shalla.

Shalla's semi-transparent face, flickered as she placed a cold hand against Ialari's shoulder. "I can see on your face the burden you carry. If you will allow me, I would like to try and see what you've seen."

Ialari gave Shalla a knowing look. The ghost was speaking of possession. Ialari knew Shalla to be a rather competent Spiritist while the isur was barely starting out. Ialari's prior experiences with possession though had taught her that some transfer of memories was possible.

Ialari trembled a bit at the thought of being possessed. While her limited experiences with it were not all bad, the first one had been nothing short of spiritual rape. While she knew Shalla would never do such a thing, even if she were capable, Ialari couldn't help but feel uneasy about the idea.

Sensing Ialari's apprehension, Shalla gave her a reassuring smile. "I know. You don't have to. I just thought if you wanted to share the past several years with me, this would be easier than trying to call up bad memories on your own."

Ialari nodded. "No, it's fine. You're right. I don't even know if I could put it all into words. Go ahead."

Shalla nodded in return and took a step forward, passing into Ialari.

Word Count - 870
Image
Remade In My Dominion!

Character Sheet

Granted Flashback Threads between 510 and 512 by Tarot.
User avatar
Ialari Pythone
I'm Poison.
 
Posts: 619
Words: 923994
Joined roleplay: August 13th, 2009, 3:26 am
Race: Isur
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Medals: 7
Mizahar Grader (1) Trailblazer (2)
Overlored (1) Riverfall Seasonal Challenge (1)
2013 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1) 2012 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

[Ialari's Retreat] The Reunion

Postby Ialari Pythone on January 18th, 2021, 3:55 am

Image
As Shalla stepped into Ialari, her spectral form disappearing into the isur's flesh, Ialari felt the familiar feeling of an invading presence in her own mind. Her first instinct was to fight back but her experience with similar mental struggles helped her battle to gain control over that urge.

Ialari could hear Shalla's soothing voice, "Ialari, stay calm. Relax and let me in."

Ialari closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing. She pictured in her mind the sacred anvil at the heart of Izurdin's temple in the center of Sultros. She imagined herself sitting cross-legged while hovering near it. As she had done many times before when trying to gain clarity and control of mind, she pictured herself slowly moving around the anvil. As she moved around the anvil, she focused on every angle, curve, glyph and symbol on its polished surface. As she did, the urge to expel Shalla from her mind and body became less and less pressing.

Her breathing becoming more ordered and steadier, Ialari was able to focus on clearing her mind. As she did, she could feel something else filling it up. Shalla. She felt cold and if her eyes were open, she would see her own breath. It felt like she was slowly sinking into a bath of ice water. Uncomfortable at first, it soon became number.

"Well done, Ialari. Now just continue to relax. I'm going to go for a little trip through your memories. I don't have quite the control needed to go too far so it will be just a moderate hike, simply put." Shalla kept her voice as calming as possible as she began to take in what memories Ialari had close to the surface.

As Ialari allowed the numbing feeling to comfort her as she gave up control to Shalla. As Shalla accepted the control, the numbness gradually turned to a feeling akin to taking a midday nap. She was not fully asleep but not truly awake.

Shalla accepted the memories into her own mind as they came to her. She saw from Ialari's perspective, her friend's exploration of the nearby coastline and of her discovery of the shipwreck and its ghostly captain. She saw Ialari's battle with the undead creature that once claimed what would one day become The Retreat, the anchor for Ialari's Dominion. As the memories continued coming to her, Shalla saw the work Ialari did to prepare The Retreat. She saw the battle with Va'al and his hunting party. Then there was the time Ialari had spent in Syka, the Verusk and the World Gate. Finally, there was the experiences within Ialari's Dominion. The battles, the discoveries as well as the Tree of Death. While it was all so much to take in, it was the image of Amir Berliotz that caused Shalla to almost immediately expel herself from Ialari. While Ialari's memories of the echo of the mad wizard revealed that it was not what she initially thought, its existence caused her a bit of unease. She would have to speak with Ialari more about it later.

Along with the memories, Shalla got impressions of the feelings associated with them. She noted that on a few occasions, Ialari wished to see her again however the threats posed by Sahova kept her from it. Although there were so many holes in Ialari's memories, thoughts and feelings, Shalla was able to see a picture of a woman who was desperately trying to put herself back together; to understand her place in a world that she didn't fully feel a part of.

For the two of them, the entire possession took but a few moments while for Shalla, years worth of scattered memories, partial thoughts and fractured feelings were experienced. When Shalla felt she’d seen as much as she was going to be able to, she slowly let go of her control while Ialari felt as though she was waking up from her short nap. Shalla took a step backward and slipped out from Ialari’s flesh. The cold, numbing feeling Ialari had felt at first quickly faded as she awoke. With the possession over, Ialari and Shalla stood face to face once more.

”Are you alright? Shalla asked.

Wiping her hand over her face, Ialari took a deep breath before replying, ”Yeah. That was not like any of the other times I’ve been in that kind of situation.”

Shalla nodded. ”That is what it’s supposed to be like when both participants are willing and open to the experience. However, it can still get rather intense if both begin sharing the deepest parts of one another. I would imagine it would be like a rather passionate night of exploratory sex. Unfortunately, its been centuries since I experienced such a thing so my comparison may be a little off.”

Ialari unsuccessfully held back a chuckle. ”Let’s get back to The Retreat. I imagine that after this, we have a few things to talk about.”

With a knowing smile, Shalla walked with Ialari back to The Retreat.

Word Count - 839
Image
Remade In My Dominion!

Character Sheet

Granted Flashback Threads between 510 and 512 by Tarot.
User avatar
Ialari Pythone
I'm Poison.
 
Posts: 619
Words: 923994
Joined roleplay: August 13th, 2009, 3:26 am
Race: Isur
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Medals: 7
Mizahar Grader (1) Trailblazer (2)
Overlored (1) Riverfall Seasonal Challenge (1)
2013 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1) 2012 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests