The Cards Shall Follow (Solo)

[Blythe]

Spring 3, 511 AV Blythe was walking along the sandy shore of a beach. She didn't recognize it as part of her home, but still, it seemed so familiar to her. Like she had once walked upon it, many moons ago, and although her eyes had forgotten the sight, her heart and her mind had not. She was wearing a long white dress, that tumbled into a pool of cotton fabric around her bare feet. The edges were lined with a pale lace. The lace had a sort of curling pattern- a border, that surrounded a series of lilies. The edges of her dress dragged along in the darkening sand, which sank slowly into the spaces between the woman's toes. "Why does it always seem to be raining?" Blythe mattered as she continued to walk along the beach. She tilted her face upwards, and looked up at the rapidly darkening sky. Thick grey clouds swirled ominously above her head, signaling that the rain wasn't just about to disappear simply because she wanted it to. Blythe pressed her palms into the space just over her heart as the pale droplets pummeled her flesh. The dress was dampening, becoming transparent. It clung to her skin as each droplet of water drizzled down the sides of her body. Blythe shivered as her hands grew to be a shade of white, similar to her dress, and then a pale purple that matched her eyes. "And why does the rain always seem to invite so much cold, and so much sorrow into one's heart?" Blythe wondered, as she tilted her head back down, so that she may peer at her feet, the darkening sand before her. She could just make out the sound of the crashing waves, it was being drowned out by the sound of the rain against her skin. The sound of her teeth chattering. The Konti continued to walk along the beach, hoping that she would find some sort of shelter from the rain. Although she looked up from her feet from time to time, up to the cliffs that lined the sea, and out onto the horizon, she saw nothing but sand and sea for miles and miles. Blythe held her hands closer, "rain always seems to darken one's outlook. Their sight. If only it would clear..." her voice trailed off, swept away by a sudden breeze. Blythe's lips were turning purple, like her lavender colored-eyes. "But how could a beach go on for so long without so much as a small hut in sight? A starfish? A seagull? Even in this weather, it seems so very dark, so very dead," she whispered. Blythe stared at her feet as she continued to walk. She didn't expect an answer, for there was no one around to reply. Nor did she have any sort of idea as to what the answer could be herself. She sighed heavily, and when she looked up again, she noticed something up ahead, something that had not been there a moment before. "How did that get there?" Blythe wondered as she stepped closer and closer to whatever it was. When she had gone several paces, she could hear the clap of thunder off in the distance. She could see a circle of dark rain clouds swirling ominously around a large white pillar. A flash appeared in the darkening sky- a single burst of bright light, and a jagged silver line that seemed to glow. It inched closer and closer to the white pillar, and then struck it. "Lightning?" Blythe whispered, as she found herself inching closer to the pillar, as opposed to away from it, as she knew she should. Lightning could be dangerous after all. As the Konti approached the white pillar, she realized that it was a tower constructed of pure white stones. Each stacked one upon the other, until they formed a large circular mass that stretched upwards and to the heavens. The base of the structure seemed to dig into the ground, as though the earth had attempted to claim it at one point, but given up when it realized just how much it would have to consume before it had it all. Even through the dampening effect of the rain on her senses, Blythe could just make out the scent of smoke on her nostrils. Startled, and slightly confused, Blythe looked up at the tower that now stood no more than sixty feet in front of her. At the top of the structure were several arched windows. The insides were glowing a pale orange color, and from the tops of each, Blythe could make out a spiral of dark grey smoke. "The lightning must have ignited the building," Blythe thought as she stared up at it. It seemed strange to her, that the building should manage to remain on fire, even with the storm, and occasional bolt of lightning headed in its direction. "Surely the rain should manage to put out the flame," she whispered, as she stared hopelessly up at the building. The flames seemed to be winding their way down as a large cracking noise reached her ears. A moment later, she noticed a split through the center of the building, a crack in the rock, trickling its way downwards like a river, or perhaps the roots of a tree. "It's going to come tumbling down," Blythe whispered, as she stared in awe. The tower seemed like such a majestic building, it was a pity, to have to watch it go. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!" Startled, Blythe's muscles tensed, was that screaming? The Konti's eyes grew wide, as a figure jumped out of the highest window in the tower. The figure was clothed in a long green gown, that reminded Blythe of the green grass, and leaves on the trees. Her hair was long and black. It flew up wildly around her as she fell from the tower. "Did she think she could save herself?" Blythe whispered as the pale-skinned figure hit the ground with a loud thud, sending a splash of beige-colored grains of sand into the air. They landed a few seconds later with a strange wooshing noise, as the sand cradled the deceased woman in its loving embrace. Blythe stared at the fallen woman in horror. Her bottom lip was trembling. She didn't even notice when the orb the woman had been holding as she fell rolled across the sand to her feet. The orb that was the world as Blythe knew it: a depiction of present-day Mizahar.

[Blythe]

Blythe found herself incapable of turning away from the sight of the woman for a long time. The tower was slowly being engulfed by flames, as the pale rain continued to pummel the white stone, causing it to glisten each time a bolt of lightning flashed overhead. She was silent for a long time, how could so many catastrophes take place so rapidly, and all in one place? Blythe wondered. The Konti shivered once more, and it was then that she looked down at her feet and noticed the orb. The orb was not a very large object- it had no more than a six inch diameter. "Now what could that be?" Blythe whispered as she allowed her body to crumble. When her knees had pressed into the dirt, she rested her shivering frame on the sides of her feet. Slowly, she extended her hands to the worldly orb. Blythe delicately wrapped her hands around it as the rain poured off the sides. Blythe pulled the orb a little closer to her. It felt strangely cool to her, yet oddly welcoming, as though this were what she was supposed to do all along. As if the orb wanted her to discover its many secrets. Blythe gently turned the orb over and over in her hands. It was a mixture of the blues that were all oceans, the yellows and browns that were all beaches, and the greens that was each inch of grass, and lively tree. It was the world as she knew it. "How very interesting," she whispered, as the colors began to swirl together, and the orb seemed to glow. The orb was starting to grow very hot, and within seconds, it had burned Blythe's hands. Blythe gasped as she dropped the orb into the sand. The colors it possessed were changing- there was a bright yellow now, a bright red, a bright orange, very much so like the roaring flames of a fire, or perhaps the sun itself. "THE WORLD IS CHANGING," a loud, booming, rather masculine voice explained. Blythe looked around wildly, there seemed to be no one around, so how could she had heard such a thing? Blythe wondered. Especially when the voice seemed to be coming from right next to her. "EACH DAY, THE WORLD IS CHANGING. EACH DAY, SOMEONE DIES, AND SOMEONE NEW ARRIVES. EACH DAY, SOMEONE FINDS THEIR PATH, AND BEGINS TO WALK UPON IT. EACH DAY, SOMEONE FALLS OFF THEIR PATH, AND SOMEONE IS SENT TO RETRIEVE THEM; GUIDE THEM BACK." Not knowing what else to do, Blythe simply nodded as she listened in silence. Of course, she had several questions, such as where the voice was coming from, and how it knew of such things. But Blythe kept her questions to herself; she could always ask the voice later, whenever it had finished speaking. "YOUR WORLD IS CHANGING BLYTHE," the voice continued. "IT HAS STAYED THE SAME FOR QUITE SOME TIME. IT HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THE RIGHT MOMENT TO CHANGE. TO LEAD YOU DOWN ANOTHER, WINDING PATH." Blythe gulped, a new path? "IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO GROW BLYTHE. TO FINALLY MATURE AND AGE." There was a slight pause. "IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO MOVE ON; FOR YOUR ENTIRE WORLD TO CHANGE. IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO DECIDE YOU FATE." Another long drawn out pause ensued. "BUT THAT IS SOMETHING ONLY YOU CAN CREATE, ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE. WHENEVER THE TIME PROVES RIGHT." Blythe nodded. --------------------------------------------------------------- Blythe awoke suddenly from her dream with a start. She could hear rain pounding on the roof of her cottage, and she could feel a sticky sweat covering her entire body. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her breath had caught in her throat. "What a strange dream," she whispered into the largely silent room, before leaning back and closing her eyes once more. She still had several more hours in which she could sleep. OOCIn the second paragraph, Blythe is kneeling.

[Mercury]

Blythe Skill(s) Observation + 2 XP Investigation +1 XP Lore(s) Long Walks on the Beach Dream Rain Understanding the World is always Changing Visited by a Guiding Dream Tarot Messages within a Dream Major Arcana (in Dreamland) Method to my Madness: Observation for observing . Investigation for investigating the orb and the tower and the woman and what not. And lots of lores cuz you earned them. I don't have much experience with tarot cards and symbols, so if I missed anything that you think you deserve please PM me!