Dare to Carve (Evalin)

[Traverse]

Dare to Carve
7th of Winter, 513 A.V.

There were only a few glow stones every now and then to light one's way as the descended through the lower and more unused tunnels of Zinrah. Marrow had no real directions to reach it or signs save a couple Myrian skulls, damaged in some way or another as to be fairly unusable in the trade lying outside the entrance to the tunnel.

Down a narrow winding path lay the shop, lit here and there with waxen candles, usually affixed to skulls or set in torches set against the wall. Even this light burned low, however, casting garrish shadows upon the innards of Marrow which at first just seemed like piles of bones stacked up from wall to wall with narrow paths in betwixt them.

Lindyls sat coiled in Dhani form, handling an extremely large femur that seemed to be being fashioned into a club, a leather handle affixed to the bottom, and grooves having been carved into the bone. The Constrictor was a forest green in snake form, putrescent green and yellow patterns sliding down his back in a strange splotched fashion.

He was a patient serpent, and had been spending a few long days on this particular project, tail twitching slightly every now and then as yellow eyes focused upon his task.

But a rattling of bones made one large hand clutching the metal scraping tool jerk back from his work, head snapping up and gazing into the shadows, tongue flicking outward to get a sense of the new arrival.

[Evalin]

It was odd, it was strange, it was something... new. A path she had never walked before, a tunnel yet unexplored. An adventure, a new chapter that had yet to be written. It was all of these things, and to Evalin it could be either grand or simply horrid. The nuit walked with one hand on the wall of the tunnel, eyes not yet used to the dim glow of the stones around as she trudged through mysterious passageways and interlocking caverns. Her child body was not fit for such work, exploring caves such as this, yet still she knew she must. How else was she to escape as the wind if she could not even find her way?

About her shoulders fell her cloak, her clothing worn and used for tasks such as this. Boots on her feet crunched on the loose rocks, yet still they managed to slip at every other press of heel to stone. Eva's free hand grasped her staff, that object most precious to her, and from her neck hung the icy gem that was the sealed form of her Familiar.

Wonder I if ever we shall stroll free and find ourselves not lost within the chime. Evalin wondered within her mind, talking to no one but herself really.

Many an explorer wishes the same, yet if it were so never would one find anything new.

Evalin almost smiled, New is many things. Interesting perhaps, enlightening maybe, but most often it is a danger to the well being of the explorer.

The pathway began to narrow, closing in the further and further they went. Bones, pearly white in the dim glow caught Evalin's attention. As one who spent many a day wondering of her own stolen body, bones were not a sight that would set her on edge. In a way it was as if she were coming home, the fingers of the dead spreading wide to accepted in their cold embrace. A cavern formed from the path, a cavern filled with bones of many animals, creatures and species. Some Evalin recognized, most she did not. First the Immortal's eyes fell on the massive skull that seemed to draw all attention to it, a masterful piece of workmanship clearly of a master, yet Evalin could see it as nothing more than art for she did not know its importance. Secondly her eyes fell on the dhani curled about his work, somehow beautiful despite his monstrous appearance.

What be this...?

Something new. The Irylid said in a wry tone.

For the moment Evalin's attention was far too enraptured at the sights around her to give even a second thought to the Familiar's attitude. In her distracted state she rattled the bones that littered the floor, drawing attention to herself and thus she paused, still as a prey animal in the sights of its predator. Pushing back her hood, Evalin wrapped both hands around her staff, leaning her full weight upon it as she looked around the room, her voice casual and soft, "Oh what wonders can one cavern hold? Tell me, where do I find myself now honored Dhani. I pray that you will forgive my ignorance." She bowed her head slightly in respect.

[Traverse]

He sensed death, a most potent form of it as the girl's form approached. Lindyls was more comfortable with death than most, especially on a level that demanded artistic engagement, but this girl...she was not what the constrictor would call a piece of art.

Slitted yellow eyes stared directly into Eva;in's red ones, holding her gaze and peering into her being, sizing her up as he did her bones. He blinked once, a thin membrane sliding over his eyes before glancing back down at the femur thoughtfully.

"You find yourssself in Marrow, dead child, home of bonesss and the power I put into them."

It would not be the first time that someone had accidentally wandered into Lindyls's workshop, but he sensed something different about this encounter, it was weighted with promise. He set his work down and slithered behind a tall row of bones, reappearing with something clutched in his fist. The rasping of scales along bone echoed throughout the strangely furnished shop as the Constrictor slid forward and lay himself upon the ground, gazing at Evalin. He moved with a certain level of patience the immortal could understand, his project could wait another day, and this thing before him could too if he chose to let her. But snakes had a curiosity like cats sometimes, and Dhani were a long enough lived race to enjoy something as new as a Nuit in Zinrah.

"Step forward, if you would, I would like to see what the bones have to say about you."

[Evalin]

Evalin could feel an itch at the joint of her missing middle finger on her right hand at the mention of the locations name. Upon hearing it Evalin once more looked around the space, eyes alert and filled with more interest than before.

"The Marrow..." Evalin whispered softly. A finger came up to absently stroke the icy gem that hung around her neck, "Then this is where the ring came from...?" She blinked and brought her attention back to the Dhani before her, "Then you are the one, the person who brings out the power within the remains of the dead? Then allow me to offer my respect to you once more for your noble craft." and she inclined her head once more respectfully, though this time it was genuine. Evalin held a fascination with this art, and deep within her she found herself wishing to know more about it.

As he slithered before him Evalin found herself once more in awe of the sheer size of the Dhani Constrictor. He dwarfed Evalin, who in comparison must look as small as a child. Still, old as she was Evalin simply leaned on her staff, wrapping both hands around the wood to watch curiously as carried something within his fist. Her eyes lighted on this something, though she did not question it. To do so would be rude, for from what she could tell, or 'feel' from this man he more than deserved her patience to set up his grand display. Whatever that might be.

When it was requested of her Evalin would step forward, both hands still on her staff though now she leaned it against her shoulder as she looked up at the hulking snake. A small smile creeped on her lips, turning up the corners ever so slightly, "Hope I that they speak fondly of me. The Gods know I share more in common with them than I do any of the living."

[Traverse]

A slow blink heralded what might have been approval on the Constrictor's part, or smply acknowledgement of Evalin's words. He lay his body carefully among his wares, some carved others not, so as to lower himself a bit closer to Evalin's height, a thick neck still gazing down at her.

The clenched fist lazily dumped its contents upon the ground, a soft clattering of ivory pieces tumbling to the ground and rolling in front of Evalin's feet.

There were 13 bone sections, all from different varying pieces of creatures. Many were finger bones, but some seemed to come from small animal ribs, and one slightly concave piece looked like a section of skull. 7 were flipped so their back showed, a series of intricately carved circles, while 6 showed carved images.

A serpent, a tree, a tower, a shadowed figure, a length of chain, and a hammer.

Lindyls tapped the upturned bones thoughtfully with curved claws, taking his time with them. "You are old, dead child, though not ass old ass ssome I have known. You have come here desspite the dangerss, gained the trusst of one that will keep you ssafe and hidden...for now." If Lindyls had a brow it would be furrowed, he was no fortune teller, but the power imbued within his bones did not require a master of telling to use them. He pulled two bones, the chain, the shadowed figure, and then the tower together, corners of his mouth twitching neither up nor down.

"The bones are not kind, but if you have found this tunnel, it is not kindness you seek." He looked up at Evalin. "Not all resspect the power of Malediction, do you know anything of the craft?"

[Evalin]

This person, this Dhani whom Evalin had only just met, he saw her more clearly than Aka who claimed to be her 'Mistress'. It was at once startling, and on the other hand deeply impressive to the Nuit. Absently Evalin twisted her hands around her staff, eyes locked on the bones scattered before her with interest. They were a truly unique item, one that the Immortal would have gladly given another finger or even a hand to acquire.

Be mindful of those who know more than they should... said Tsenrika in his cold mono toned voice.

Of this I know well my dear Tsenrika, yet there be far greater enemies to me than one Dhani Maledictor. Whats more, perhaps in this creature I may find an ally as well.

Shifting her gaze up to the Dhani's Evalin said slowly, "Kindness is a word that I know not. It is a luxury of the living, and of no concern to me." Her eyes fell on the bones once more and she crouched to obtain a better look, "I know of this craft from my time spent on Sahova, Isle of the Undead. There I knew a Master who simply wished to be called Vick. From bones and dead flesh he would make items that would twist the world in strange and fascinating ways, but I admit that his craft was not as beautiful to look at as yours." Evalin reached a hand forward, as if to touch one of the bone pieces, but then she stopped. Out of respect Evalin restrained herself, wrapping that hand around her staff once more as she stood, "Was it you that crafted the ring for the Dhani sorceress who is known as Aka...?"

[Traverse]

He nodded. This meant much, a being who left Sahova meant they knew more than a little of magic, though it seemed that this one knew magic that was not malediction. Eyelids blinked slowly seeing the Nuit's curiosity at his wares. Slowly his hand scooped up the bones and deposited them in a velvet pouch that disappeared on a long flat table, one of the only empty surfaces in the shop.

At the mention of Aka, Lindyls grimaced. "The one whose aura isss hot and impatient, yesss. If I had a bit more time with the ring I would have charged her...a good deal more." There was a twinge of bitterness there but Lindyls had experience more than a century of bad luck and good, it was the trade off of Malediction vs. Magecrafting. Certain things simply couldn't be controlled when it came to the powers that he etched into the bones.

A silence passed between the two old creatures then, and Lindyls rose up. He didn't know what the Nuit was doing in Zinrah, but unlike others, he didn't seem too offput by Evalin's upsetting aura. A strange being, but clever, perhaps as clever as a Dhani with the wisdom of time not normally given to humans.

"Come dead child, tell me your story, liesss or truth it mattersss not, and I will tell you of the power of bonesss in return." Evalin could no longer see the Constrictor's face for he had begun to slither into the back corners of Marrow, but it sounded as if there was a smile lingering in his words.

[Evalin]

Evalin noted the way the Dhani's face twisted at the mention of the girl's name, and she smiled in turn, "It seems you and I may share a common mindset, in at least this one area..." She did not say anymore, for while she may have wished to speak her mind, just this once, she knew better than to risk the ears of others in a place like this. Thus she held her silence, following the Dhani with her eyes as he rose and slithered away.

"My story...?" Evalin said, slightly surprised. It was not often that someone asked so directly about the Immortal's past, or how she had come to where she was at that moment. When they did it was always the Immortal's natural reaction to craft and conjure fantasies and false tales of grandeur, and even then she could feel the lies leaking to the tip of her tongue about to be uttered. Then she stopped herself, gritting her teeth and frowning slightly as she contemplated...

It is unwise, that which you plan to do. Of course Tsenrika picked up on it. He could feel inside her heart that burning need to, for once, give the truth... at least in part. We know not this man or his motives. All could be lost if he so chose to turn against us.

Be that ever so, Evalin replied, having made up her mind, Yet he is the first to know of what I am and to not shudder and turn away in fear. For his bravery, or foolishness perhaps, I shall give him the great honor of my respect and let him hear my story for what it is. At least one in this world should know it other than I.

It took several ticks for Evalin to finally speak, and when she did it was soft, each word carefully weighed out before it was spoken, "Very well... I know not whether it should cause you to feel honored or discussed, but let it be known that you, and you alone, will know that which I am about to speak. Forgive old habits, but as I wish these things not to leak out to the wrong ears, I would ask if you might honor me as well with your own discretion on the matter of who... and what I am." A pause as Evalin collected her thoughts, and with a rustle of cloak she began, "While I am old by mortal standings, I am yet young by the standards of the Immortals. Yet still I have come to be known by many names and to have work many faces as the centuries passed by. From the city in Chaos I was born, and there the Man Cloaked in Darkness created me, though I doubt he ever imagined what I would become." The nuit smiled, a sad smile yet somehow triumphant, "Though care I not for what he thinks any longer, for a foolish man was he who twisted a poor child's heart to his own whims... In City by the Sea whose ships number the dozens, in that University of Zeltiva I was known as The Professor who wields the Staff of Zeltani. She who could open gates to other worlds with but a thought."

As she talked Evalin would turn, walking to one of the rows of bones and looking them over with an appraising eye, "In the city where reality bent and Illusions ruled all, I was named the Fractured Mirror, for there I found an image of myself I cared not to look upon, and there I found the illusion of what I wanted was not the reality at all." She absently touched the gem about her neck, "Far to the north where the ice and snow are ever present I was the Ice Maiden Eternal, for long past I was from the age when I could find love or comfort in the arms of another... There my heart was frozen over forever. Within the great treas of Taldera, within the place known as the Spires I became the White Fox, the monster that carried off young children who disobeyed their elders and strayed into the woods after dark. A terrible time that was, for the vessel I resided in was not one I so freely chosen." She chuckled looking back in the direction of the Dhani, "In the city without laws, on the edge of the shore nearest the Isle of the Dead I took the name of 'Witchling Child' who carried off children in the night and were never heard from again, and to my own people of Sahova I was the Unwieldy Torch, the Flame that could not be tempered."

Evalin found herself being wrapped up in her own words, memories floating to the surface of her mind with each and every whisper and spoken phrase, "In the city of the Knights known as Syliras I was known simply as the Fall of House Teldera, and should I wish the list would go on and on to the point of becoming such a bore as it is of little concern to the me I am now."

Evalin extended her hands out to either side, "I might be known by many titles in many places, but there are some that I carry with me wherever I might go. They were gifted to my by my creator as he cursed and praised me in the single breath. I am the Darkness Between the Stars, and the All consuming Flame. I am the Sorceress of Flame and Shadow, the Contractor. I am the Immortal Witch Evalin, she who shall Defy Fate and sever his hands to free the world from his cruelty." Her hands wrapped around her staff once more, leaning on it as she continued, "Now I go by the name of Katherine, slave doll of the child sorceress Aka. I am the caged Beast who bides her times as she gathers her power once more in the shadows. Perhaps some might say I have fallen far... yet for one such as I it is merely an acceptable loss. In time all of this," she waved a hand indicating everything around her, "will be lost to time, turned to dust yet I shall remain. I am content to wait for as long as I must... Time is of little concern to me."

Falling silent the Nuit looked back over her shoulder, as if expecting someone to be there, but of course there was no one. She turned her eyes back to the Dhani then, "I have found myself, for a short time, lost and without purpose. A dark time for me to be sure, yet here in Zinrah I have begun to find that reason to exist once more. Each day, every tick that passes, my purpose is solidified, yet still I am not yet satisfied with that which I am." Blinking slowly Evalin nodded to the Dhani, "I saw your work first hand in the ring the girl now owns. It took from me a finger when I tried to wear it, quite the annoyance I assure you." She smiled in a good humored way, "Tell me how do you do it... How can you bring such power from bone and the remains of the dead? That ring gave to the girl the power of an element I had never seen before even on Sahova. It raises many curious questions, and makes this one wonder just what else might be possible with this art you possess." There was genuine interest in the Nuit's voice, for she was truly curious about Malediction as an art form. The more she saw, the more she wished to learn.

[Traverse]

Lindyls listened carefully, surprised by how earnest the Nuit seemed to be in her dealings. She mentioned feeling lost, and the Dhani could not help but think to himself that perhaps she was a bit still...

Nevertheless he took it all in, giving no acknowledgement of his listening as he wove his way through the back of his shop, slits turning to the barest of lines as she mentioned the ring he made eating through the Nuit's finger. Now that was odd even for a maledicted object. He stored this thought away for reflection on later, and turned to Evalin only when he was sure her story was finished.

"Malediction is oft sscorned in Falyndar becausse of itss ssstain upon Caiyha'ssss domain, becaussse othersss fear itsss unpredictability. I sssee that as itsss greatessst power. It teaches even the most powerful magesss that nothing isss certain, not even for a masster sssuch ass I." One giant hand swept bones off of another smaller table, clearing it with much clatter. Lindyls pulled up a stool fashioned out of bones and topped with strips of leather to cushion the behind, and placed it before Evalin.

Gently, two scaled fingers placed the remnants of some beast upon the table in front of Evalin. The small skull, thin legs, ribs, and even the bits of tail and spine that could be strung together shifted around the table. Next to them he placed a fine patterned pelt, a small pile of whiskers, and a set of claws. "Thisss isss the body of an ocelot. They are nimble creaturesss, that hide high up in the canopy away from mosst danger. Their visssion is ousstounding, their ability to sneak and pounce with sssuch ssmall bodiesss equally ssso. To make an object from thisss beassst you musst firsst determine what issss you want, the piece you ssselect will determine what is doesss. Now tell me what you would make of thiss creature."

[Evalin]

"That which is not understood is often feared and resented." Evalin could appreciate the way those of the living saw the art of Malediction. In a way it was very similar to how she was treated as well. This man however, he did not treat her as so many others did. Perhaps it was because, in a way, Evalin was not unlike this art her practiced. Not necessarily powerful, but complicated, unpredictable and misunderstood.

Mind the sentiments. Those feelings of connections are but illusions founded in a heart that is confused... Be as the ice. Cold, and unfeeling.

The cold voice of Tsenrika advised her just as it always did. That one thing in her eternity which would never change, was always with her. It wanted her to be static, unmoving, and most often Evalin found she wished for the same of herself. For now, however, the Nuit ignored the warnings. For once she chose understanding and possibly a connection over solitude. How ironic that it would be over bones that this undead creature would find some common ground with another being.

Stepping toward the table, Evalin ran a finger over the bones presented before her. She graced her touch over the pelt, lingering on the claws while she considered what was before her. At some length she looked up at the Dhani, "Must it be with only one piece? Before mine eyes I see the possibilities as multiple as the stars which hang in the midnight sky." Looking back at the pile of bones Evalin carefully lifted the skull, holding it before her eyes, "If this creature is said to have truly special abilities in sight, then perhaps an item crafted of this skull could be used. If you carve it and hang it about a leather strip it might be fashioned into a pendant which one might hang round the neck, or tie into a staff or fashion into a thing of art." Setting the skull aside Evalin ran her fingers over the claws, "These claws are on which the creature travels so silent, and perhaps they could be fashioned into a bracelet, or arm band, or even necklace along with the ribs to draw on the creatures ability to move so carefully as to remain silent when traversing through dense forest." Her hand then carefully felt the pelt, and she smiled, "This might be fitted to form a new pair of shoes, or woven into a cloak, both of which perhaps can be used to a similar effect of the claws and ribs. Perhaps to give the wearer a greater sense of balance in high places, muffle their steps in the jungle." Looking over the bones Evalin nodded, "If I were to craft from what is presented, I would not make a single item. I would craft a series of them, all of which shall work with one another to give to the wearer some favorable traits of this creature. If all the parts are from the same beast, then the items will more easily be used in unison as they are already used to working in tandem when they were yet living."

Stepping back, Evalin continued to look over the items, "In truth more possibilities come with each passing tick that I could never speak them all. Perhaps instead of what might be, I would ask what is it that one wishes to obtain from what is laid before me?" She looked up at the Dhani, her voice sincerely curious.