Journey To The Heart Of The Empire

The local tavern of Astral city works with citizens to find work within the community. Citizens are offered one free drink per day and the rest can be paid with missions to the forest. Use the tavern to find friends and take on fun missions
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Koudo Zhol Omawynn
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Re: Journey To The Heart Of The Empire

Post by Koudo Zhol Omawynn »

Masur wasn't simply a 'Seeker.' Over time the term had been used by many to represent a great multitude of different things. Seekers of treasure, or fame. Seekers of God, or Light. Then there were the Seekers of Truth. Those that wanted to know how the world worked, and what their place truly was within the greater machinations of the unknowable Universe.

From Masur it was much more than a title. It, much like Sila Senpo, was his birthright. Masur meant to Seek, and Masur himself had been one of each kind of Seeker. In his current years, he was much more closer to resembling the latter than any of the former. Treasure, however, still piqued his interest from time to time, for he was still a Dragon.
"I fucking knew it...". She said as she snapped her fingers. Within seconds a tome would materialize in her hands. Thumbing rapidly through the pages she came across the geography and lore of what was written concerning the Abyss. There wasn't much save for their knowledge that it is a place saturated in fractured magic. Her gaze in the tome was serious, and when she looked back toward Masur her looks were even more serious, excited, and concerned.

She pointed the book at him that had picture of the pool of darkness. "I have. I tried to...venture there but couldn't discover what was at the pit of the blackness. There was a powerful presence there, one that prevented my...venturing.". This was getting interesting by the second. Now that he revealed having found a similar gateway what he said earlier about the Urizen was becoming more tangible. She was close to putting the picture together. Just what in the hell had she gotten into this time?
Masur trust was proven to have been well placed. Not only had this woman heard of the area, but she had visited and documented it as well. Truly, Flux was showing herself to be a reliable ally, if she decided that she wanted to help. Masur would just be happy with directions back to where he'd come, but Flux was more than welcome to come along. He believed her strength to match her intellect and drive for knowledge.

He would share more with her, in the hopes that she would have more information to proved to him as well.

"The blackness of the waters is a guise. The presence there is magical in nature, she hides using her magic to create darkened slabs of obsidian. The entire area is covered with it, masking her from me as well. Something I've rarely experienced in my Sixteen Hundred years. My sensory capabilities had been unmatched until now. She also hides the most beautiful translucent aquatic life on the Queen Mother's surface. Species thought lost since the last Astral Year. If you have the time after we murder her, an expedition would add valuable data to your library."

He held no qualms over how he phrased his murderous intent. This woman not only lured him into a trap with the promise of the knowledge he sought, but stripped his ultimate prize from him. Then tossed him aside like he was nothing but trash.

She could not know she had incited his wrath. She could not know she'd taken something that should never be touched by the hands of another. She didn't realize just how badly she'd poked the dragon.
"I assuming you actually found a way into that place...and got separated there?"
Masur nodded, "You're exactly right. We were met with no resistance, however. When we arrived, tentacles of the same magical obsidian rose from the murky depths to greet us. We were allowed to enter. Once inside, we stumbled across the central chamber immediately, where our Gate was located. We also found something very strange, that my wife insisted was older than I, a plume of flaming purple feathers.

"In my prideful stubbornness, I argued with her and that was when the Witch sprang her trap. She, and her galère, overwhelmed us when the plume touched the obsidian, erupting the entire chamber in heliotrope flames similar to yours. Before I could do anything... I was outside your the kingdom you call home, weakened within nothing by magic burning my nose and anger burning within my chest.
"

She could not risk divulging to much just yet. She could tell this was a difficult thing for him. They must be practically inseparable. The book proofed away. Flux would heave a hefty sigh before walking over to the bejeweled cauldron. Her eyes shimmered lightly She waved her hand for him to come closer."Masur". She said his name softly before her increasingly glowing mirrors became transfixed on him.
She would find that his gaze was already locked on her, and the mysterious jewel encrusted cauldron before her. The slouch in his form had vanished, and he stood with an assured confidence that made him appear even taller than the giants his people had been rumored to hail from. His Ghei, keeping his life force contained, and him as energized as possible began to fall away. As a result, his Naten began to seep from him, the tatau engraved in his arm igniting faintly with the silvery bluish shine of his birthright.
"Do you Love her?" She asked him.
Somehow, he expected this question. Why venture back for one woman, when the Queen Mother's surface was littered with any multitude of others? Any normal man may cut his loss. A lesser man still would give up hope and assume all was lost once he was oust by the ruins themselves. So why?

"Family, is the most important thing to me." There was no hesitation in, nor moment of pause before, his reply, "Odea and I have walked the Queen Mother's surface for 18 of my kind's years, that is 750 of your years. It wasn't always easy, and we certainly did not always see eye to eye. In time, she became my Eternal Pearl. The Sun to my ever growing flower. I would live, conquer death, and live again millions of times over to see her safe and happy. She's given me Gentleness, a Legacy, and a beautiful Gift, each with magnificent power of their own. When tempted by... the Foreign One and the son I've always wanted, I abandoned them to return to her, forever turning my son into a raging Tyrant who wishes only to see me dead by his hands." Masur paused there. He'd said many things, shared information that he'd never been forthcoming about with anyone. The pause was to let the weight of all that he'd shared really settle on her shoulders.

It was only after he was sure that she was ready that he continued, "My unyielding Dragon heart beats for her, and her alone. And my unbreakable spirit is only at its most powerful when she is at my side."

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Flux
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Re: Journey To The Heart Of The Empire

Post by Flux »

"Family, is the most important thing to me." There was no hesitation in, nor moment of pause before, his reply, "Odea and I have walked the Queen Mother's surface for 18 of my kind's years, that is 750 of your years. It wasn't always easy, and we certainly did not always see eye to eye. In time, she became my Eternal Pearl. The Sun to my ever growing flower. I would live, conquer death, and live again millions of times over to see her safe and happy. She's given me Gentleness, a Legacy, and a beautiful Gift, each with magnificent power of their own. When tempted by... the Foreign One and the son I've always wanted, I abandoned them to return to her, forever turning my son into a raging Tyrant who wishes only to see me dead by his hands." Masur paused there. He'd said many things, shared information that he'd never been forthcoming about with anyone. The pause was to let the weight of all that he'd shared really settle on her shoulders.
As he spoke she gently placed his hands onto the cauldron. As he contained the faces of each of the people he spoke about reflected in the pool of Source. The surmounting emotions he was releasing energetically began to ignite a gnawing sensation of longing within Flux. Her eyes reflected this. Her mind slid back to a conversation she and her mother once had when she asked her had she ever been in love. Her response was something that puzzled her until now. Until she heard his words.

*Flash Back*

The spall pitter patter of Flux's foot steps against hard wood floors. A giant book in hand as she sped to her mothers room. Dazzling azure light echoing everywhere as the might of her mothers healing magic infused into potions she was preparing for the next day."Mummy! Storytime?". The small girl no older than 6 at the time(60 in Drachiot time) eagerly awaited her mother to acknowledge her. The light died down and from over her shoulder a piercing royal blue gaze gently became one that was soft and lax. With a small cloth she wiped her forehead before turning to her child. Flux's little eyes opened wide. Every time she saw her mother she was always entranced by her beauty. She was such a hard worker yet she always made time for her daughter no matter how important the client. " Of course pussycat." She said with a smile whos warmth melted Flux's worries and cares away. She hugged her mother dropping the book at there side. With a loving embrace she wrapped her arms around her little cub. The dearest thing in this world to her, her greatest gift. But first, teeth, show em" A little shock went through her body as she jolted up. With a brazen wide grin she showed her little fangs. "Oi!, white as marble aye? Very well done kitten. My, when'd you go an become such a big girl on mommies' time hm?" Flux with a confident smirk, flicked her nose with her thumb. "I AM six years old now mum!" She chuckled shifting Flux to her right knee after hunching down to grab the book.

"And yet you still want bedtime stories" Flux blushed, embarrassed her balled her little fist up before rubbing her knuckles together. "Well...because I...I love the sound of your voice mum...I member it...even when I was in your belly. So read it again....please? Gripping her daughter waist tighter she could barely contain the joy in her face. This girl...she always managed to crack the walls of everyone around her. Lana cleared her throat and read to her baby. A simple tale of a man who wandered into a village, wounded he sought help but no one would aid him. With his last bit of he called out to anyone who could help him before collapsing in the dirt. A woman, humbled beginning were her origins and her demeanor. She took him to her home. When the man awoke he was shocked, not only by her gorgeous face, but her pleasant and warm and tough love centered spirit. The pair spent many vescrutian moons together. The man turned out to be an incredibly powerful mage a holder of one of the greatest magics known to man. He bore to the woman who he had come to love the ultimate expression of that love. A child, a darling little bundle of joy, but the mage also had a dastardly past. He had angered some very powerful forces and needed to flee. In the middle of the night he left his family behind never wanting to place them in danger. Promising to one day return. Flux's face befell with a grimace. Each time she heard this story she got sad a this part. Only this time it prompted her to ask her mom a question. "Mummy...what does it mean to love someone ?"

Lana's eyes widened, taking in a deep breath she turned her gaze from her Childs eyes and stared into the ceiling. Her own emotions beginning to churn and swarm as the embers of a once dwindled flame began to flare once more. Flux, even as a toddler could feel the surmounting emotions rise within her mothers sway. She knew her moms next words would be true, full of emotion and experience. She knew to never forget them. "It starts of as ignorance and fear...." She whispered placing the book down on the table next to them. "Most people in the world baby , are hurting and so they choose to stay alone. Afraid of the pain that can come with being betrayed, undervalued, under loved, of letting someone in....of loosing something precious...." She looked to Flux, her babes wide innocent eyes causing her magic to palpitate even further. "You wander through this life, unsure that anything or anyone is worth that risk...until you meet someone who just by a smile alone...makes you think that they are worth it." She smiled warmly her eyes filling with azure tears. Her soul beaming with brightness. "So my dear...to answer your question. To love someone means doing anything and everything in your power to protect their smile" Flux own magic began to resonate with her mothers, a trait shared amongst Drachiot woman. Whenever two experience strong emotional synergy their sways of magic catch the same wavelength amplifying the emotions and bond between them.

*Back in the Sanctum*
"My unyielding Dragon heart beats for her, and her alone. And my unbreakable spirit is only at its most powerful when she is at my side."
More than a contract, an bond soaked in eons of bonding, children given birth through it's union. Feeling of gains, of lost. Tyrannical emotional pathways created from a singular origin. How he feel about Odea. In Flux's heart now roared a blazing flame of passion that caused her magic to manifest around her. In a flagrant yet focused manner her flames began to surround her. Moving and swaying her hands around the murky almost ethereal essence that sat in the cauldron it began to morph and reflect the Obsidian Abyss."My mother once told me...that love was doing anything to protect the smiles of those you care for...." she said faintly as Vas stood on top of her head his eyes began radiating the force of her magic."Even trusting your secrets, your strength ad weaknesses to a total stranger and her cat" she smiled. Her soul was brimming , overflowing with the power of his emotions, the sway of her own, even the bond she shared with her mother. Conduits for the level of magic she now needed to preform. "I am seeking something as well Masur, I don't know if the man I seek will be a tyrant...but I know I must find something that tethers me to him...". The flames became dense, darker more controlled and focused, they wisp about like tendrils, extensions of her will...
"The blackness of the waters is a guise. The presence there is magical in nature, she hides using her magic to create darkened slabs of obsidian. The entire area is covered with it, masking her from me as well. Something I've rarely experienced in my Sixteen Hundred years. My sensory capabilities had been unmatched until now. She also hides the most beautiful translucent aquatic life on the Queen Mother's surface. Species thought lost since the last Astral Year. If you have the time after we murder her, an expedition would add valuable data to your library."
Flux began remembering what he explained before she posed her question. The moment he mentioned the Obsidian slabs it all came back to her. They were dealing with a fractured Drachiot, not just anyone the one who came force Flux's life once before. They were dealing with a "Fractured". More fuel for Flux's spell. "Her name if Viviana. Viviana of the Searing Flame. She was once a kindred sister...she is now Dead according you." With the proper channels in place it was time for the anchoring. "Fractured are...heretics who in their lust for power lost themselves to the sway...taking the life of their sister kin for power. Viviana was once a talented fire user who's flames had the trait to sear away malice. Now it has become the very bases of her power. Leading a small coven of other fractured. The obsidian, it is earth she manipulate with fire her catalyst much like mine...the power she tried to take from me, the ability came from a earthen witch she devoured....a girl I once called a friend. So you can rip her to pieces for all I care. My queen would considered it a justice. She's been tracking her for decades." The tendrils began to sway in rhythm with Flux who began to speak her incantation. "To travel beyond the blackened veil. To reach beneath the raging tides. Hollowed vessel besmirched by ebon stone. Vengeance clad in rending flames. The image of the Abyss became crystal clear. The way he entered before, the secrets of the abyss Viviana tried to veil, laid true before Flux's gaze. " A yearning to be reunited, a spark that beckons the heart. Make clear now the path to the ethereal blaze to sear away the night! Her flames began to dissolve into thread that needled together a dynamic mural of signs, symbols and ancient dialect . Despite the vast quantity of the energy supplying the flames the heat did not rise. Only asynchronized feeling that the light of magic enveloping every sentient being I this room would feel. The power of anchoring. The ability to manifest the feeling and thought of something in order to create an "font" or marker. It was a basic yet powerful art used in the amplification of general magic. When used as the foundational structure of her anthem it can be used to give Flux the ability to travel to places she's never been so long as the anchor is strong enough. With the literal melting pot of emotional stew she was able to whip up thanks to Masur's beautiful sentiments the power she had was more than adequate. Powerful enough to completely bypass the roots of Viviana's power. She could get them right there...smack dab in the middle of whenever Odea was being held. Though, considering what happened last time, an ambush was almost all but certain. Odea, Masur, and Viv aside, the other point of interest for her...was the plume of feathers he spoke of.

Open; Oval The mural of flames shifted to wispy consistency swirling eventually they became a portal sporting a visage of the domain Odea and there others were in.."Lets go an get your lady."

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Koudo Zhol Omawynn
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Re: Journey To The Heart Of The Empire

Post by Koudo Zhol Omawynn »

Flux's mother was truly wise, for she had shared a sentiment with Flux that Masur's grandfather had once shared with him. At a young age, Masur had been the reckless sort. It still kind of showed now, but it was at its peak when he was a youngling with nothing to gain, he was the son of the tribal chief, and everything to prove, to those that looked down on him simply because of who he had been related to.

It wasn't until he lost his father on the battlefield that Masur wised up. He thought to lash out recklessly. Invade enemy territory and extinguish all the life there, but Jasso was as wise as he was laudable. He told his grandson to internalize the loss, and the feeling of powerlessness. To always remember how he felt when he couldn't help his father, so that he never felt that way again.

They were powerful feelings, for Masur even more so. They galvanized him and his studies, turning him, partially, into the man that he was too. The lost of grandparents not that long after it what really drove the advice home, and caused Masur to search so hard for the family he'd never known; his mother, grandmothers and two sisters.

Flux's manifested her magic, and Masur steeled himself for the fight ahead. He clenched his fists, a couple times, Hands going numb, I need to get back. He was still severely drained, but as soon as he entered the chamber with Odea the full breadth of his might should return to him.

"Viviana's life is as good as mine." Masur was that much more certain of it, with Flux giving him the go ahead to end her cursed existence. He took a deep breath to steel those reckless emotions as well. If he focused too much on vengeance, then he might miss the opportunity to free Odea and that was the priority.

When Flux's magical symbols finally bore fruit and manifested a miniature portal, Masur couldn't help but eye it suspiciously. He trusted Flux, he'd shared information with her that only his wife knew about him, but he had always been weary of teleportation magic. The same uneasy that over took him whenever he and Odea found a working gate tried to bubble up to his throat and prevent his advance forward.
"Lets go an get your lady."
He looked at Flux, reassured in her confidence. Spying the portal again, he could see the witch recoil away from Odea, as if his wife had done something to cause it. He smiled, because that meant their connection was returning. Flux not only opened a gate back to the ruin, she opened one right to where he needed to be!

"I've learned many things in my years on the Queen Mother. She always give you what you want, you just have to be patient." Because the Queen Mother was generous that way. Vescrutia had a way of giving you exactly what you were asking for, but just not in the way you were expecting. If Flux wanted to find a love like his and Odea's, then Vescrutia would provide.

"To battle, friend. Worry not for your life, you have me." And that was the last thing he said, before charging forward, feeling the intensity of his naten building exponentially the closer the portal got him to his wife's side. The unfathomable depths of naten Flux was able to get a brief read of when they first might while like a literal drop in the ocean of power Masur wielded with Odea.

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