[Ravok Quest] Executions (Quest Participants Only)

[Verilian]

And though the sun may shine black, a new dawn will soon rise... Havoc in Ravoc Act 1: The Rising Dawn - Executions Nydryn, Gural & Jin Timestamp: Spring 24, 511 AV Location:Nitrozian Plaza A cool breeze flowed through the streets of the Nitrozian Plaza where a large crowd was beginning to gather under the warmth of the afternoon sun. It was a beautiful day, and what better way to top it off than with a public display of power by the Black Sun? Those lucky enough to be in, passing through, or even within sight of the plaza were ushered toward it's center where a large stage had been erected right outside the offices of the NHC, but this was no ordinary stage. If the contingent of guards, the pair of Ebonstrye paladins, and the lone Acolyte standing center stage didn't make that plain enough, the hangman noose behind him and the five prisoners chained nearby made it clear this was not going to be a cheery demonstration. Onlookers were being pushed closer and closer to the stage as guards filled the plaza with civilians, determined to cram as many witnesses into the area as possible. Of the five prisoners four were human and two of those were women. The fifth prisoner, and third in line, was a rather imposing looking Akalak who was kept in place not only by the large iron chains around his wrists and ankles, but also by the two armed guards standing behind him ready to end his life if he made an unbidden move. The Acolyte, marked not only by his manner of dress but by the pale white eye that was the mark of the Chaon, paced back and forth as the crowd was gathered. When the crowd finally grew large enough to satisfy him the Acolyte raised his hand. As silence settled over the plaza he spoke in a deep authoritative voice. "Citizens of Ravok! I give you five traitors to your God!" The crowd roared, some cheering and others perhaps not though it was impossible to discern one way or the other. The acolyte continued to speak, lecturing about loyalty and how Rhysol offers safety and peace that no other god in the dangerous world that was Mizahar could provide, the usual stuff one hears from a good priest of Rhysol. The lecture went on for some time, giving the onlookers time to get a good look at the traitors who, according to the acolyte, had attacked a patrol outside the city. The prisoners all appeared to have recently been in a fight, though some looked worse than others, and one could only guess at what had happened to them between the time they were caught until the time they were brought on stage.

[Gural]

OOCI am glad I got to be a part of this, and would like to thank everyone who contributed. Hope i did good. The horizon was slowly declining as Gural drew closer to the plaza. What was once known as the only actual clearing in the city was now filled with people, and even while the crowd was already at least two dozen men too big, the guards still didn’t stop to ‘insist’ on more people melding with the mob. The Akalak was not short, but he was still not the highest face in the crowd so he pushed through people carelessly. Whenever someone seemed displeased about being pushed away momentarily, Gural would shoot them with a bone chilling glance as his right hand gripped around the hilt of the lakan that was now being hidden clumsily beneath the woolen cloak. The subtle display of power was enough to keep everyone at bay; they were here for the show and would probably do everything in their power not to ruin it. The man had previously heard something about traitors to Rhysol, but it was only when he was in the first row that he had soaked in what was about to happen. Anger filled him as he gazed on the relatively small stage that housed the prisoners. He could still hear noise mixed with the acolyte’s voice in the background, but he blurred them out. He blurred them all out, everyone but Corak. The prisoners looked exhausted at best, half dead already at worst. There were five of them, and one of them was what caused the ruckus in his head to set off. An Akalak was chained up rather well and it looked as if the guards were paranoid enough to not only cuff his wrists and ankles, but also give him his own two man sentry. “I know you are angry, but rushing out there and getting killed will do nothing well neither for us nor them. You are usually the reasonable one, so listen to it now… listen to me!” Corak pleaded awkwardly. “What do you know? You care for nothing but yourself!” Gural replied on the edge of losing his temper. “He is a son of Wysar and Akajia, our brother, how the hell do you think I feel?! Don’t you think I already thought of every single option to stop this? Truly, we are stuck in the same body for so many years and you don’t even know me!” Corak roared fiercely. Indeed, Corak had hit the spot that stopped the overflowing anger shortly. He knew all too well that Gural’s mind could never be changed by petty arguments. He needed to be reasoned with at a level he would take seriously. “So, what do I.. what do we do?” “I know I would rather kill that Akalak stranger myself while he had a weapon in his hand, than let him be cuffed and hanged by these vermin. Nevertheless, the body is yours now and so is the decision, I was merely here to warn you; don’t be stupid!” Gural’s body started to shake with anger and frustration as he resorted to the most pathetic solution he could think off, asking Corak for advice: “If I gave you the body, what would you do?” the voice was calm, even if they both knew that the rest of the demeanor wasn’t. “I won’t lie to you, I did so enough times for you to know when I’m lying; if you surrender control to me, I will do everything for the sake of survival… even if it means stranding a fellow Akalak” the cerulean gave his reply carelessly, like he was deciding what to have for lunch and no lives were hanging by a thread. “I’m sorry, but that is simply not good enough!” Gural shrieked. “You couldn’t… you wouldn’t!” In his head, he could still hear the twin talking him out of what he was about to do, and for the first time he wished Azeran was here. He looked up to his brother most of the time, even while he would never give him the pleasure of admitting it. Furthermore, there was a strong belief in him that when the two of them were fighting side by side; nothing was impossible. Stepping one step further than where he was currently standing, he let out a gruff shout: “Stop this nonsense!” and even while common was not his forte, he still knew he had spoken loudly enough for everyone to hear him. “Where I come from, it is considered a sin to even lay a hand on women, even less so murder them!” he kept shouting, motioning his head towards the females as he had mentioned them. It was evident that he was yelling at the acolyte as he continued: “You and your cerulest god have no right to execute a creation of Wysar out of a mere whim!” looking at the captured Akalak, he added: “I would rather kill him myself than let you and your horde of jakri hang him like an animal!” “Great, just great!” Corak murmured somewhere in his head. Gural could not help but smile a bit at his counterpart, who came off as someone who knew this would happen well in advance. Pulling out his lakan from under the robe, he pointed it up at the priest of Rhysol, demanding yet again: “I..” he stopped for a moment searching the human word for it: “Swear, on Wysar and the whole of Ukalas, if you do not stop this mockery; in this life or the next, I will punish you all!” what little control he had over his emotions was being thrown down the drain as he could feel surprise for Corak not trying to take over the body. “You really chose the worst possible moment to grow a pair!” was all Gural got in response to his actions.

[Nydryn]

Having grown up in the beautiful city, Ny had seen the executions of traitors before, so the events of the day were not new. Of course when she was younger, her parents were very protective and did not allow her to watch, but Ny still snuck out. It wasn’t as though she liked seeing people die… well that could have been an underlying purpose for her attendance, but it was where she could practice her pickpocketing skills. Now, being a woman she did not have to sneak out to see the social event. Coming to think of it, she realized that one of the reasons she liked going when she was a child was because it had been forbidden. It had just so happened that she was passing the plaza today, and the sight of the crowd gathered brought back a few unwanted childhood memories. Ny was determined to forget completely about her childhood and her family, and focus on herself. Recently, she had found ways of making other people pay for her own selfishness, and it was so much easier. Manipulating people, seducing them and even murdering them became common events. She had never felt this way outside of Ravok, and it could be possible that the reason she had started thinking like this was because Rhysol had more influence on her in the beautiful city. Now, as Ny skirted around the edge of the plaza, sticking to the shadows, her eyes traveled up to look at the people about to be executed. Her dark attire helped her blend with the darkness, her azure pools making sure that most people were not noticing her as she moved. The only reason that those people about to be executed were up there was because instead of keeping their hatred of Rhysol to themselves, they were stupid enough to get caught in the act. As she scanned the crowd for any familiar faces, an Akalak man spoke up, his voice ringing across the clearing. It was obvious the man was not a follower of Rhysol, for his words spoke poorly of both the evil god and his followers. Ny’s golden hair moved as she shook her head at the man’s stupidity. Who in their right mind would contradict the execution of traitors while surrounded by followers of Rhysol? What made it so important that the man speak up right then, and not keep those thoughts to himself? A wave of something passed over the woman, and without completely realizing it, she started to make her way to the Akalak man. She did not push people out of the way, instead her small, slim body was able to navigate through the sea of people. As soon as he was finished speaking she was beside him in the crowd. “What are you doing?” she hissed, keeping her voice low so none of the Ebonstryfe could hear her. “Threatening the followers of Rhysol at an execution?” She did not want to offend the angry man much more for he could lash out at her and seriously injure her. If the man did respond negatively to her… common sense then Ny was ready to bolt at any second. She was not used to helping people especially since her personality change. Perhaps she should just let him get caught and possibly executed today… the reason she decided to talk to him was unknown to her. It could have just been the angelic side of her coming back. No! She would not return to who she was before. Ny had been used by many people and beaten by others. It would never happen again, she wouldn’t let it. If she was nice to this man, even giving him some advice then what would stop her from helping out the next person in trouble, and suffering for it? Her harsh whisper reached his ears once again, “Damn fool, what are you going to say next to make the Stryfe hate you even more?”

[Jin]

Jin saw the crowd come in waves. Like the sea, water licked around the execution center. Only to pile up as if a flood came with no warning to the guards and Acolyte, with the Acolyte probably finding what was manifesting warming inside. According to Jin, countless of sea molecules were trampling over one another, creating a sound that was wide, back and forth, all in a constant repetitive splash!

Returning to life was still at its beginning stages for Jin, as he still never met or learned about his Ethaefal counterpart, and never knew of his past life before his first death. Such knowledge may forever not come to his grasp from the looks of it unless a person stayed with him all day and night. And because part of his nature as a Choctawe was to live not trusting anyone but those who took care of him back--the only ones he knew who took care of him were back in Syliras--he knew not to test himself and try trusting someone out and about out of random, in the vast seas, in the vast lands of Mizahar.

A guard look to the crowd in the perspective near the Acolyte, and could not believe what side he was on. It wasn't his fault, and for sure he had no idea how he got in their premises, waking up over the cold ground with his body half naked, mind half intoxicated. A guard thought he knew him and his drunkard ways, and told him to place on his gear. And this had been only a month back. He asked the guard what he was talking about, and was picked up from the ground by the arm, and was given something to wear in the armory. And so he joined Rhysol's side without consent, cladding himself in armor to blend in, without a single agenda to be there, part of this strange event.

He looked out in the crowd, and saw the face of a Choctawe. The man, Mi'hen--now named Morris--looked at Jin in his gear, and smiled. Lifting his spear by an inch up, to greet a fellow kindred from the deserts. Jin, sadly, paid no mind to him, for he didn't notice the gesture, or find him similar in features. Both looked as though they came straight from the desert, however, with Jin lacking almost all his past life's memories, and to have died many centuries ago, he wouldn't find any recognition of him, even if his mind wasn't as zoned to what's happening in this event. The bridge the two would have walked on had to be located in separate areas, almost nations apart.

Silently looking at the prisoners, he could do nothing but wonder why they were executed in the first place. He learned what execution and other verbal and nonverbal actions meant from his family in Syliras, however never understood why people went so far as to getting rid of another human life for their own gains and whatnot. It hardly made any sense to his naivety...to common sense.

[Verilian]

The Acolyte on stage turned as Gural shouted at him, the two pale orbs that were his eyes regarding the Akalak curiously. His face showed no anger at the Akalaks words but rather mild amusement. The prisoner however looked up rather startled to hear an Akalak accented voice coming from the crowd, but when he realized what was being said his face turned sour. In Tukant he shouted at Gural, "Be silent, brother. I am not worth saving!" If he had intended on that being just between the two of them he apparently failed. The Acolyte laughed and agreed with the prisoner, "You should listen to him, Akalak. He is worthless to you and your people." The Acolyte turned to the prisoner and ordered him to stand. When he did not the Acolyte nodded to the guards who yanked the prisoners chains, pulling him to his feet. The Acolyte placed a hand on the imprisoned Akalak's chest gripping the thin wool robes all the prisoners had been dressed in, worthless garments used over and over for executions until they were no longer recognizable as clothing. He turned his head, looking back at Gural. Two guards moved up behind Gural on either side, pushing Nydryn out of the way. One of them whispered, "Try anything and you're dead, Akalak." "Allow me to show you exactly why he is so worthless!" A cruel smile on his face, the Acolyte tore off the Akalak prisoner's robe, revealing the scarred body beneath. The prisoner's head sunk in shame as many in the audience gasped, and many more laughed pointing at the disfigured remains of what was left of the Akalak's manhood. His body was covered in the scars of battle, several fresh wounds among then. Any warrior who had seen his fair share of battles would recognize many of the wounds to be from swords, arrows, or other common weapons. The wounds around the aforementioned area, however, were not only old but of an entire different nature that only a few would recognize. Claw marks of the Zith. "You see. He is of no use to your people any longer! Not that it really matters, your gods have no authority here and your customs do not matter. This is RHYSOL'S city, and all of you would do well to remember that!" The Acolyte's voice rose to a roar with his last statement, and cheers rose from all around, but the Acolyte quickly silenced the crowd with a raised hand. "However.. I am feeling generous today. Bring forward the Akalak and the women!" More guards stepped up, pushing the women forward next to the Akalak prisoner. "Your choice, stranger. Who dies? Your worthless brother, or the women? Choose, or all of you will die." The cruel smile did not leave the Acolyte's face for a moment, and all waited in silent anticipation to see what Gural would do, while the three prisoners were positioned on the gallows. oocJin, you can be one of the guards who stepped up behind Gural if you want. Gural, the ball is on your park right now. If you have any questions, feel free to pm me.

[Gural]

Gural flinched slightly as he heard some words in Tukant. Even while they weren’t encouraging his actions, it was still pleasant to hear something so familiar out there in the unknown north that was Ravok. The acolyte was not afraid of him, and why should he be? He was but one man with one little lakan against all the guards on the square, and if worse came to worst, there was a reasonable doubt that the acolyte could always call upon the mindless masses to uphold the will of Rhysol. Many would still flee, but there was not even a single doubt in the weary mind that the number of fanatics with fighting spirit would still be great; too great. “Keep your mind in the moment, you cerulest!” even while Corak was serious, Gural could not help but feel funny. In all the years they shared the container, never once had he been the one that was getting the whole discipline lecture. The mangled body of the captured Akalak did nothing but irritate Gural further. The choice he was presented with was even more maddening. As he could hear people laughing in the back he turned towards the crowd, wanting to voice some words of protest, but all he could manage was muttering under his breath in Tukant. The two guards behind him seemed clueless, yet they still looked like they would be able to disrupt his movements if he tried anything rash. Cold sweat ran down the man’s face as he could not pick. On one side there was a warrior of his own kind, and on the other there were two lives. Simple math dictated the obvious solution, but that hardly mattered to the Akalak; he was never any good at math anyway. “The man has lived a life, fought battles, and he lost. It is time for us to ease his passing into Ukalas! Pick him, kill him! If he dies, Riverfall could be richer by two Nakivak. Do you have any idea how much of a service that would be to the city and the race as a whole?” Corak questioned slowly, suggestively. “We do not own the women, nor are we fit to judge the fate of our brother!” was all Gural could say, as he was indeed still without a solution. “He can’t have children, he is worthless!” “We don’t have children either, Corak! Unless you have been keeping secrets from me?” “We don’t indeed, but that…” “There are no buts and no ifs here, it is an impossible decision. I can’t decide who is worth more; two women or one warrior. By that logic, we are worth even less than him. Do you want to say we should give our souls in exchange for theirs?” “No, but… wait! That is actually a good idea… more or less” Corak exclaimed before reverting to his regular tone: “Get close to the acolyte and kill the bastard! That should cause enough ruckus in the plaza for us to get away!” and there the idea ended. “Us?” “Well the two of us would make it for sure, for others I can’t promise anything; still I bet it’s better than no plan that you brought with you?” “I don’t want to die, Corak. I don’t think I am ready for this!” fear, so much of it coursed through the body and mind. “Neither am I! Stick to the plan and we will tell this story to our grandchildren one day” the voice was not cold anymore, it even seemed friendly for a moment. “Now get off your ass and speak already, before the scumbag has a chance to withdraw his ‘mercy’!” “Thank you, for everything!” he murmured, and before Corak had the chance to reply with something distasteful, he yelled out: “Hang me!” Stopping there, he reattached his lakan to the waist and yelled again: “Execute me, and let them go!” raising his hands out to the acolyte, Gural gestured they should cuff him. “If we don’t make it out of this, I just wanted you to know that even while you are a stuck up idiot with no sense of humor and a serious lack of people skills, we still had a fun run!” “I…” “Oh, just shut up!”

[Verilian]

The Acolyte was quiet, waiting patiently while Gural debated with his other half. He did not rush Gural, understanding that his other half was likely calling him a fool. And when Gural finally chose and voices decision the Acolyte did not even seem surprised by the choice. The acolyte regarded Gural curiously for a moment before finally nodding his head. "Seize him." On that command the two guards behind Gural grabbed his arms, shoving him forward and pushing him up on stage. The Acolyte turned back to the crowd while the guards dealt with Gural. "This noble Akalak has offered his life in exchange for the three prisoners. Such an unexpected twist, Rhysol is surely proud!" The guards had no more cuffs or shackles, so they tied Gural with simple ropes. "But is one Akalak's life truly worth three traitors?" One of the guards grabbed Gural's lakan, eying it greedily. "You won't be needing this anymore," the guard muttered as he attached it to his belt. The acolyte continued his speech, "Or do we need to find a way to make his sacrifice more valuable?" The acolyte called up a pair of civilians onto the stage, placed a coin in each of their hands then whispered something. The civilians nodded and took off across the crowd while the acolyte gave whispered orders to a few more people who immediately began work up on stage. While they waited for everything to get ready the acolyte began to preach again, and Gural was shoved to his knees next to the Akalak prisoner. For a while the prisoner was quiet and did not say a word, but once it seemed they would be waiting for a while he did speak, just loud enough for Gural to hear. Not that the guards would have understood anyway, he was speaking Tukant, but most likely he did it so that the acolyte would not overhear. "You are a fool. Do you really think he is going to let us go after he kills you? A promise from that man means nothing. Now you have only complicated things." The Akalak did not look at Gural when he spoke, and if his gaze was followed Gural could just make out a small glint of steel upon a rooftop across the crowd. The glimmer was there for only a moment before it was concealed, almost as if whoever was hiding had revealed themselves on purpose, but Gural did not have time to ask any questions. The two civilian's had returned, and they were leading a horse of all things. Two ropes had been tied to the wooden beam that was meant for hanging, and a rope was tied to the horse. "Alright, bring up the prisoner." As Gural was forced to his feet and brought to the center of the stage the Akalak caught his eye and whispered, "Be strong, brother. And be ready." The two guards tied a rope to each of Gural's wrists, and the rope attached to the horse they tied around his legs. He could still stand, but his legs were tied together so if he moved too much he would lose his balance. The acolyte stepped up before him, a smug look on his face. "You can still back out of this, you know. You don't have to die for them. Rhysol offers you forgiveness for interfering. You have only to serve Him." The acolyte did not wait for an answer, but instead turned back to the crowd. "Let it be known that this is what happens to those who betray Rhysol! This is what happens to people who bring chaos to our peaceful city!" The acolyte turned to Gural once more. "Any last words, my blue friend?" OOCAll of this is, of course, assuming that Gural doesn't put up a fight. If you want to fight back against any of this let me know and I can edit.

[Gural]

OOCI am sorry that took more than expected. As Gural was grabbed by the guards, he remained calm. And he stayed like that, until one of the silly humans reached for the lakan. It was a weapon his grandfather used, it was a family heirloom; and he of all people got it. There was no way he could give it up so easily, especially now, when he could use it to slid the acolyte’s throat. Still, the most he could without rebelling against his own decision was look at the fool that was sure enough that he will die, and remember his face. “I’ll kill you for sure” he spoke slowly and in Tukant. Then, Gural finally got to see that the plan he and Corak had wasn’t flawless. The body was pushed onto its knees next to the other Akalak, as the acolyte continued to speak. He eyed the prisoners once more, stopping at his kin. Even when the other man spoke, he didn’t look at Gural. Usually such actions would be disrespectful among the blue men, but all it did now was awaken curiosity. And then he saw it, that brief glimmer of steel, it brought back so much hope into his eyes. Still remaining quiet he nodded briefly before he was forced to his feet. As the horse was coming, Gural might have been unsure what was going to happen; but when he got a glimpse of the ropes, he too knew what was going on. When they finally tied his hands and feet, he was asked if he had anything to say, and there was really only one thing. “If I don’t die, you will!” it wasn’t Gural who yelled, it was Corak. Still, it wasn’t like the lighter side gave any resistance to this takeover. A gaze was cast onto the acolyte, one last time before he started looking at the ground, getting ready for what was about to follow.

[Verilian]

Gural's wrists were bound to the ropes dangling above him. "Today we witness the power that is our protector!" The ropes were tight and uncomfortable around his wrists. "Today we witness what happens to those who betray Rhysol and the glorious city of Ravok!" To his left Gural spotted the man who had taken his lakan, or possibly a different man, for he was now wearing an executioner's mask. It would be his job to finish Gural off if the pain of torture did not. "Today we bear witness to what happens to fools who choose traitors over their god!" Gural's feet were bound to the rope attached to the horse. "Now.. Let it begin!" Someone smacked the horse's rump and it lurched forward at a slow trot. Gural's feet were pulled from beneath him and as the rope was pulled taut he was lifted off the ground. Gural felt his body strain as the horse reached the end of it's slack and whinnied in surprise. But it was urged on. Step by step Gural could feel his limbs strain. The pain was excruciating but it had only just begun. Before his limits were ever reached the horse was bid to stop, leaving Gural suspended in the air as he struggled to keep his joints from popping. A few more steps and he would likely dislocate something. His respite was short lived however, as the Acolyte approached him. "Tell me, Akalak, is it still worth it?" The Acolyte held out a hand and in it was placed Gural's lakan. "Do you believe Wysar will save you, will look proudly upon you as you give up your life here in this city where only Rhysol see's your actions?" Using Gural's lakan the acolyte cut open his shirt, tossing the garment aside. "Do you believe Akajia hides in the shadows of Rhysol's streets with some secret plan to free you?" The tip of the lakan poked into his navel, just enough to draw blood. "Only Rhysol can hear your prayers in this city. Only Rhysol can save you from this fate." The blade was pressed in deeper and twisted. Unknown to Gural things were happening on the rooftops surrounding the plaza and end the crowd. People were taking up positions. An archer was testing the wind, checking the fletching on his arrows, making sure his shot would be true. Hooded members of the crowd were slowly moving into place behind guards, fingers hovering inches above their daggers. A wizard was drawing upon his internal energies, preparing a powerful spell. As all this went on the pain continued. The horse was moved forward half a step, putting more strain on Gural's already strained arms and legs. The Acolyte was slowly twisting the blade in his navel, Gural's own lakan inflicting such pain upon him. The Acolyte leaned forward, his lips nearly touching Gural's ear, and whispered. "The pain can end, you know." A millimeter deeper and another twist. "I offer you a new option, Akalak. Forsake your Mother and Father. Swear allegiance to Rhysol and the Black Sun, and not only will you live but I will let all the prisoners go. Nobody has to die today, Akalak."

[Gural]

OOCI am sorry for being away for so long, do message me if you wish to abandon this thread. Accursed sentiment pride was. And because of it he was suspended mid air without any real hope of ending his agony. The acolyte was smart, he knew just how torture could numb the mind and dull the senses. What he was likely unaware of is that all he could ever hope to accomplish with such an act was enrage both souls. The Akalak society could not feel caged… they wouldn’t allow it. The human was well versed in torture, no surprise; he must have been schooled by his years of service in the Ebonstryfe. Stretching made the pain so unbearable that he couldn’t even think straight, so when the acolyte dug Gural’s lakan into the skin he could barely feel anything. His joints felt like they were long dislocated, his mind got weary and there was no longer a Gural and a Corak; there was only rage. The Akalak groaned slowly, gasping for air, unable to take a deep breath. “Human… are you so afraid that even now you hide behind your god? Are you so scared? We find peace in our faith, our race doesn’t ask protection… our race doesn’t need protection”. He stopped when the horse was pushed a bit further, letting out screams that still sounded enraged. The small glimmer of hope still hanged above his fate, if only he could buy some more time. And then the opportunity was presented to him, much swifter than one could ever hope. Was it really worth the effort, and was there really someone on that roof or was that his imagination giving him false hopes? “If I renounce my gods, I want two things. First I want to kill all of the prisoners. Second, I never want to see your ugly face again.” Whispers were all he could muster right now as his eyes slowly closed. Was he losing consciousness? “Do you accept?”