[The Mourners Rest]

Ialari makes a trip from The Sanctuary to Riverfall in hopes of speaking with an old friend.

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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]

[The Mourners Rest]

Postby Ialari Pythone on February 28th, 2016, 8:56 am

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In one of the few ventures taking her outside of The Sanctuary, Ialari made the two-mile journey south to Riverfall. She could have borrowed a horse to make the trip quicker but she chose instead to walk. Bundled up in heavier cloths and a thick fur cloak, she walked the road to the city with a single-mindedness having developed over the course of many days, perhaps even longer. With winter well underway, the cold kept the road rather quiet which left Ialari content with her thoughts. Those thoughts were focused on what she would say once she reached her destination within the city. She didn’t expect any real response to her words but there were things that needed said; things that she needed to get off her chest.

When she arrived in Riverfall and entered the city, Ialari followed the directions she’d gotten back in The Sanctuary. It wasn’t all that hard to find the gray cottage surrounded by now snow covered grass garden. The stacked stone, windowless walls were just as were described. The set of grass doors that welcomed her were closed. She had left late in the day which was now, in the middle of winter, quickly turning to night. There was no sign that anyone was around but it was said that the facility was usually open to all. It had no need to be closed to the public considering its purpose. The Mourner’s Rest, it was called; a place for funerals and preparation of the dead. It was also the symbolic house of one of Ialari’s patron deities, Dira, Goddess of Death.

As she approached the doors, she felt what very few others felt when approaching such a place. For Ialari, the divine bond she shared with Dira through the mark of the sickle on her palm provided her with a sense of comfort. That comfort was now beginning to lay down upon her like a funeral shroud as she pushed open the doors. Inside, Ialari stepped into a unique setting with a ceiling open to the sky. The entire place was pretty dark with the onset of night but it did not bother Ialari for she saw just fine. If anything she felt as though she could see even better in a place so devoted to the dead. Where the oppressive feeling of tragedy and loss would normally leave normal people feeling loss and sadness, Ialari felt peace and serenity.

The areas normally devoted to the preparation of the dead were currently empty which left the main portion of the facility bare and quiet. Stone columns supported the bit of ceiling that was present and amazingly, though the ceiling was open in a large spot to the sky, no snow dare touched the stone floor beneath it. Ialari wasn’t there for sight-seeing however and cared nothing if the place was filled or empty. She could feel death in the air and by extension, the presence of the one she was there to speak with. In past conversations with the goddess, they were all one-sided with Ialari speaking and hoping that Dira was listening. However, in the past, Ialari didn’t usually have the opportunity to be so close to death as there weren’t exactly a great supply of cemeteries in the wilds of Syliras.
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Ialari Pythone
I'm Poison.
 
Posts: 619
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Joined roleplay: August 13th, 2009, 3:26 am
Race: Isur
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[The Mourners Rest]

Postby Ialari Pythone on February 28th, 2016, 8:59 am

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So much had happened since Ialari last spoke aloud to Dira at any length. There was the discovery of her shattered soul and the realization that if she were to ever be able to reforge herself, she would need to learn what was to be alive. Without knowing life, it would be impossible to know the right path toward bringing the pieces of her soul back together. Then there was the creation of the doorway to Riverfall followed by the discovery of the strange power of her blood; a power that allowed her to create living, breathing snakes from inanimate objects. There was the attack on her Dominion by a pair of grotesque, otherworldly hound-like creatures. It all left her with so much on her mind that she had to share with someone who, even if they didn’t answer, would understand more than any other being Ialari knew.

“If you’re out there, good evening to you, milady." Ialari said in isur as she stopped in the center of the open ceiling and looked up at the clear early night sky. She then started to slowly walk around the interior perimeter of the main area of the stone building. She spoke aloud as if she were walking alongside someone else. “I know it’s been a long time since I last spoke to you. A lot has happened.” Ialari gently traced her fingers across the stone of the walls as she walked. “I believe I’ve figured out at least some of the meaning of the tree. I know what the bodies represent that hang from it and I know why they look like me. I’ve also learned of the connection between the tree and my Dominion. When we last spoke in person, I could not reach the tree. I’ve come a long way since that day. Through no small amount of time and effort, I’ve grown my Dominion and earned the right to finally reach it.”

Ialari took a deep breath of cool air before continuing to talk as she paced around the building. “I’ve come to Riverfall as it was the only place I remember being a place, other than the Kingdom, where I may be able to spend any length of time among others. I think I understand needing to find the right path to model in order to reclaim my soul. What I still don’t understand is why…why was it shattered to begin with? There are fifty bodies on that tree, all of them with my face and a piece of my soul.” Ialari stopped walking for a moment and looked down at the sickle marked on the palm of her hand. “Even though I have one of fifty-one pieces of a soul, I can still use it to impart upon my creations. How powerful is a fully formed soul that, with merely a fraction of it, one can still perform such a task? What or who was I?” She continued to pace after releasing a deep sigh.
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Remade In My Dominion!

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Granted Flashback Threads between 510 and 512 by Tarot.
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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)

[The Mourners Rest]

Postby Ialari Pythone on February 28th, 2016, 9:02 am

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“I know; questions will only bring about more questions until I go through the right steps to get the initial answers. Anyway, I’m sure you are well aware of all of those things that happened and I’ll play the gambler and bet that you know the answer to my biggest question. I’ll continue to work toward getting that answer.” Ialari’s thoughts moved to her new winter children, those of the serpentine-inclination. “I’ve recently discovered a somewhat related occurrence upon arriving here in Riverfall. It seems that somehow my blood has acquired the ability to create living snakes from non-living objects. These snakes appear to be bonded to me in a way similar to that of the items I impart upon. This would mean that they too are somehow linked to my soul. I wish I knew whether the manifestation of this power in the form of snakes is random or intentionally tied to my affinity with the creatures. It doesn’t feel like your work or even that of Izurdin.”

Ialari pulled the hood of her cloak back to free her face and allow the winter chill brush her skin. It was oddly refreshing. “I’ve had a lot of time and reason to ponder the meaning of what it is to have a soul. The unique birth of these snakes and their existence baring an extension of my own fragmented soul, have brought my thoughts of such things to the forefront as of late. If my soul was split, whatever the reason, Amir Berliotz somehow recognized that. When I first encountered him back in Nyka, at the bottom of the Aperture, he knew that I was broken. What I don’t know is why did he think I would be able to reforge his? Was it because I still lived with but a fraction of mine? Was it because if I could somehow have it within myself to live in such a state, perhaps I had the strength to fix him? I succeeded, sort of. We both know what he became afterward. So now, not only am I still able to extend my fractured soul into items, I can extend it into living beings in the form of snakes and I appear to have the ability to reforge souls which hopefully includes my own.” Ialari stopped walking again and looked once more at the sickle mark on her hand. She recalled the Goddess words spoken so long ago when Ialari first created a Dominion. As she recalled the words, they gave Ialari pause.
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Remade In My Dominion!

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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)

[The Mourners Rest]

Postby Ialari Pythone on February 28th, 2016, 9:05 am

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For so long she had thought Dira might have all the answers but the Goddess’ own words, words that Ialari was just now remembering told of a story that could be quite different.

"Countless possibilities converge here as one; here you live, here you are still unborn, here you have died countless times. No contradiction at all." Dira had gestured towards the tree. "You may encounter things even I cannot dream of, and all real, but it always goes both ways. These things beyond my dreams will encounter you. If I think about it in such terms, I almost feel bad for mankind." Dira had smiled thinly.

Perhaps Dira didn’t know about the true nature of the tree afterall. By her own admission, Ialari may encounter things that were beyond even the dreams of the Goddess of Death herself. As impossible as living with a fractured soul sounded to Ialari, perhaps in the Ukalas it was not impossible at all. What if she did reforge her broken soul? Would she discover something about herself then that even Dira hadn’t seen? Could the uncertainty of it be why Dira had first sided against Ialari being given Dominion.

Ialari then remembered more of what Dira had said that day.

“I will admit I had set my eyes on you from before, like your shade friend said. I was not certain you would be the one to seek the forbidden magic, but I had my hopes which turned out to be well founded. Even though your father helped you, you indeed surpassed my expectations. Of course, the real challenge for you begins now. You now possess a power literally no-one else in this world can claim for the time being. That alone is enough to make the history books…”

Dira had been watching her but for what? Why would the Goddess of Death be keeping an eye on an isur with little magical knowledge. What sort of expectations did she have?

Again, Ialari’s questions only brought more questions. Dira had been watching her for some time and had some sort of expectations for her. Despite that, she also knew that Ialari may encounter things that were even beyond the Goddess’ understanding. Maybe Dira was watching to see if Ialari would prove worthy of Dominion as a stepping point for wanting to see what happened after. Ialari’s head was starting to hurt with all the attempts at understanding the minds of the divine.

“Ok, I get it, stop with the questions. I’ll understand in time. As the Father teaches, patience is divine. So anyway, thank you for listening, Milady.” Ialari brought the palm of her hand baring Dira’s mark to her chest and then laid it upon the stone floor in the center of the building as a symbol of respect for the dead.
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)

[The Mourners Rest]

Postby Ialari Pythone on January 20th, 2018, 11:36 pm

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Thread Grade

Philosophy 4
Lore: Visiting The Mourner’s Rest in Riverfall
Lore: Feeling comfort in the presence of death thanks to Dira’s mark
Lore: Communing with Dira
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)


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