Dead Men Tell The Best Tales (Zatar)

[Auldwin]

8th of Fall, 511 AV It didn't seem intentional, but Auldwin was ending up spending a great deal of time at sea. The one thing he hadn't lost was his sight and sense of hearing, and with those he could still experience something reminiscent of beauty. The water was nice, especially when you were far enough off shore so the land was barely a discoloration in the horizon. The waves rose and fell slowly, the entire sea emanating a lazy demeanor. When Auldwin remembered he would walk, but most of the time his mind wandered and he consciously forgot to move his legs in time with his motion. It wasn't like they did anything anyway, it was just an old habit from getting to and from everywhere with a pair of good old legs. Now, moving about was more a train of thought, almost like traveling through a dream though limited by the boundaries of the mortal mind in velocity. Black Rock to Endrykas, that was his normal path, although sometimes he wandered about the sea just to get away from everything for a bit. Some people tolerated Ghosts, and some didn't. Similarly Auldwin could tolerate some people, and not others. One of these days he had to get back to Syliras and check on his family, if he could remember the way. For now he just wandered on, his feet just hanging above the water line, a mantle of smoke-like fog following the movement of his body. In the distance he could see something creating a slight wake as it moved through the waters. It looked like a vessel of some type, though smaller than some he had seen in the past. From the distance he peered at it, traveling toward it, and it traveling toward him? Was there even anyone manning it? Or was it occupied by a Ghost, much like himself? Auldwin had been around long enough to know about some of the things Ghosts hung emotionally onto, places and property were one, but ships were often the other. He imagined if he had died closer to home, perhaps he too would suffer a similar fate, too conscious of what he would have in front of him to leave it, even for a short time, to pursue everything else there was in the world.

[Zatar]

Stormcatcher Zatar had been sailing downwind for several hours, letting the ship run it's course and paying little attention to where he was travelling. There were no other ships in sight and land was several hours north, for Zatar was traveling along the southern coasts of Falyandar. The coast could be seen, but only as a faint line on the horizon of the expanse of water. So there was no reason to restrict the ships tendency to follow the wind, to travel leeward so to speak. But far from doing nothing, Zatar wandered around the ship scrubbing anything that seemed unclean and replacing anything that was out of place. On the seas if anything was out of it's place, it is a hazard to the seaman. If a storm struck suddenly, it would be to his definate advantage to keep everything tidy and proper. Zatar also made sure that the ropes to his harpoons were bundled smoothly and that they hadn't frayed. If he were to loose ammunition it would be difficult to purchase more. After the ship seemed to be in good order, Zatar went below deck and layed down in his hammock. Letting the rocking motion of his boat relax his mind. He did not sleep, for only the foolish sailor slept without letting down an anchor. But he spent some time in a simple rest.

[Auldwin]

Auldwin approached cautiously, or as cautious as a Ghost could. Being a Ghost had a few very strange benefits. Moving in total silence was one of them. You didn't have any weight to create thumping steps on hard ground, and had no physical body to create friction through water. You didn't have any breath to breathe heavily or sputter up water. Auldwin just was. He was a floating, semi-translucent image of his once Human self, almost like a mirage amongst the light shining against the blue waters of the open ocean. Soon enough Auldwin was standing next to the vessel, watching as it moving serenely through the water. With a bit of inner concentration his visage evaporated from the water level and instantly reformed upon the deck. This was the 'blink' technique he had learned so long ago. Whereas before it seemed so impossible to comprehend the idea of moving with only a thought, now it seemed he had forgotten what it would have been like to actually have to move your legs. Picking up and putting those long slabs of meat and bone forward, one after another. It was still somewhat familiar, but at the same time almost inferior to this method of motion. Auldwin looked about the deck, his form twisting clockwise and back. Still no sign of life. How strange. Usually there were fisherman, or traders, or even full families. Nothing so far. Even he could generally sense another Ghost in close proximity, such as upon a ship. Nothing. Noticing a way of getting below deck Auldwin faded through the various materials that made up the boat, watching their layers as they passed through his vision until he came upon the living cabin. That's where he saw Zatar. He thought for a moment, what to do? There was a miniscule chance that the man was a Spiritist, but more than likely he was just a sailor. Slowly Auldwin began focusing upon his Soulmist until it was solid enough, following the contours of his hand, and then he began to press against Zatar's hammock, increasing the rocking motion more and more, slowly but surely. He didn't bother hiding himself, as a Ghost you accepted the little joys you could gather.

[Zatar]

Stormcatcher The gentle rocking of the boat had always been one of Zatar's favorite parts of sailing, the movement had a charm that linked with the very essence of being at sea. It was more than just movement, Zatar felt like it bound him to his ship and to the waters around him. It left him in a calm and reflective state of being. But there were things to attend to, he must check the course of his ship. But as he began to gather the will to stand an odd sensation stilled him. The sailor could have sworn that the movement of his hammock was off from the of the boat. But he quickly pushed the thought from his mind, rationalizing that it was just his imagination playing with the mind of lone sailor. So Zatar walked up the the main deck and checked on the heading of the ship. The wind was blowing steadily to a northwesterly direction. So by evening he should be able to see the shore of Falyandar clearly. Turning around to stare over the open sea Zatar blinked in astonishment as he glimpsed a short sight of blinking form of a man. "Who are you! How and why are you on my ship?"

[Auldwin]

Auldwin floated a few inches above the deck of the ship, his smoky Soulmist trailing down his blurred form like a mantle of visible vapor. It cascaded downward until it reached where his feet would have been, which were obscured by the large collecting cloud of his own essence. He took a moment to look over Zatar only to reply, "A Ghost, obviously. I use these Seas as my walkway often, so I take care to observe any other Ghosts or Ghost Hunters polluting the area. You're not a Ghost Hunter, are you?" Names seemed somehow unimportant now, especially considering all that was left of Auldwin was his Soulmist. Of course, even before Auldwin had asked the question of Zatar's Spiritual skills he already knew the answer. There was no way Zatar could have been a Spiritist, as he had no apparent tools. Spiritists were indeed fearsome, trained solely to fight and manipulate Ghosts such as Auldwin, but they needed their tools, properly prepared with magic. What a weakness to have to rely on material things. Five years ago Auldwin would never have thought about dismissing everything he once owned, but now it all seemed so trivial. "I'm also always looking for those that made me this way. Sometimes I'm simply seeking entertainment, which is difficulty to come by as a Ghost, you realize." he floated back and forth now and again, almost as if he was pacing about the boat while speaking with Zatar. Auldwin wasn't easy to define by visually looking at him. His appearance was blurred, as if looking with unfocused eyes, and the little particular features found upon normal people such as hair style or eye shape were too difficult to see clearly. "But who are you, then?"

[Zatar]

Stormcatcher Zatar had never considered the possibility that he might meet a ghost before. He had been told ancient tales of ghosts, but had always placed them in the myth category of his mind. Obviously he had been mistaken. "What is a ghost hunter if I may ask? I have never heard of one, but I have not spent much time considering ghosts in general. In fact seeing you is the only reason I have come to believe in visible spirits..." Zatar started pacing, his mind racing as he tried to rationalize how this could happen. But what could the ghost mean, shouldn't he be in the same condition as any other being, except... dead? "What do you mean excitement is hard to come by, walking over water is hardly lacking in excitement?" He leaned up against the railing as the ghost asked him about himself, thinking the question over before answering. "I am Zatar, the last surviving member of the Stormcatcher Pod. I am a servant of the great sea god Laviku. I am a sailor and a fisherman, who lives his life in a hope that someday he will get revenge."

[Auldwin]

"There are those that would destroy Ghosts. Perhaps believing this state is too unnatural to exist, but their methods are anything but...humane. Of course not all Ghosts are so amicable in dealing with the living." Auldwin took a moment to concentrate. The living seemed to do better in dealing with Ghosts when there was something more tangible to deal with. Sadly Auldwin's skill at such things was lacking, due to the difficulty in remembering exactly how he was in life. Still, he had the mental concentration to at least partly begin to gather up his Soulmist and force it into a more defined shape. The shape itself was a bit worn, almost like seeing a fraying doll or an oily painting. Interestingly though, the transparency that Auldwin had once exhibited was fading away until he appeared to be solid. If it wasn't from a strange static that traveled through his form, as well as the blurred edging he would have appeared almost Human. Sometimes his form wavered and flickered, bending unnaturally as if observing light bending through the water in a glass. Materialization was the only way to interact normally with things, and thus gaining some solid shape allowed him to sit against the side of the boat. "I was living once, you know, and there is a distinct difference. All the things you never even stop to think about except once in a while? They're all gone when you die. The feeling of getting hungry, or the relief of having something delicious to eat when you are. The warmth of the sun on your skin, or the refreshing breeze at your back while you work. The strain of your muscles, or the pleasure of a long nights sleep. All that goes away. But the emotions remain. Emotions much like revenge." Auldwin said that last sentence with more passion than he had shown previously. Ghosts were often motivated by something, whether a duty or desire they had in life. Some were focused upon some type of vengeance, and Auldwin placed his feelings there. "You had things taken from you, yes? I am much the same. I lost the very thing which made me, me. My life and everything that went with it, all gone. And taken by what? A Ghost. Still I search for this Ghost." Of course Auldwin wasn't even sure he would recognize the Ghost when he found it. There was a certain instinctual feeling Ghosts had toward one another, but he hadn't felt the same sense of dread since that day.

[Zatar]

Stormcatcher As the ghost proceeded to explain what a ghost hunter was, Zatar's mind struggled to understand how someone would kill a ghost. They didn't have much to them... in fact he doubted that if he were to touch this particular ghost that he would feel anything in particular. "How on earth could someone like me kill something like you? There's nothing for me to hit!". As an example Zatar walked forward and swung his hand straight through the flickering form of the ghost. He then watched in surprise as the being started to gain some semblance of humanity. It was a dream-like image of a human, but the fact remained that he was looking much more solid than he had been seconds before. "Wait, now how did you manage that? You're looking much more... real." While obviously this thing had at one point been human, the realization of it's almost pitiful state sobered Zatar immensely. He understood the meaning of loss, and so could at least begin to grasp what this ghost felt every day. "How were you killed? I didn't know that ghosts were able to kill the living."

[Auldwin]

"Well, as you would imagine Ghost Hunters train specifically to injure Ghosts with magic. There are ways, but it's not easy." Auldwin said, looking down slightly as that hand came through his torso, only ruffling the mist that surrounded his form slightly. Of course, things were difference once Auldwin took on a much more solid appearance. "This is Materialization. It's one of the things every Ghost understands inherently. To shape ones Soulmist into the form of their past bodily shell." Then, odd as it was, Auldwin reached forward with a finger and poked Zatar in the chest. To the man's surprise, there was actually something there! It didn't feel like the touch of a normal person however, it was more like getting a light shock in the area that Auldwin had prodded. "And it allows us to interact with things in life. It's how I can stand upon your boat, or lean against it's railing, or even touch you." What Auldwin left out was how draining it was upon the fuel of a Ghost, which essentially was it's own very being. Just as the Soulmist gave a Ghost access to strange and supernatural powers, it was also the thing burned away as they were utilized. "You didn't? Good Gods man, you've really stayed completely away from Ghosts, haven't you. Well I suppose if you've spent most of your time at Sea, that's understandable." Auldwin hunched forward slightly, almost appearing to rub his temples with his hand as if in deep thought. His jumbled mind was trying to find a place to start, "A Ghost strong enough can very well kill the living. They could cut you to ribbons, or suffocate you with just a touch. Or perhaps burn away your soul. But that's not how I was killed, you see. The way I was killed was much more sinister. Some Ghosts have yet another ability. The ability of Possession. To take control of the body of the living, and force it to do whatever the Ghost wishes. This is another way that a Ghost could interact with the living." Possession was one of the more obscure abilities in tales of Ghosts. Even storybooks had tales of Ghosts throwing knives and chairs about a room, or leaving burn-like marks upon the flesh of the living. Possession was just as deadly, as Auldwin was about to explain, "With Possession a Ghost could Possess your own mother and have her stab you in the heart while you slept. Or, they could Possess you and have you jump right from this boat and take a few deep breaths of water. When that Ghost Possessed me, it had to do very little. It simply had me walk into the wilds of this land, where I was subsequently torn apart by a Glassbeak."

[Zatar]

Stormcatcher Zatar listened carefully as the ghost talked about soulmist, materialization, and other such strange topics. As he listened Zatar tried to calm himself and think rationally through this circumstance. But his eyes kept returning to the flickering form before him, making it impossible to clear his mind. And then it touched him. Zatar flinched and shrank from his touch, and backed up a step as the ghost continued to speak. Seeming to be almost mocking of his lack of knowledge on the subject of ghosts. But it was what the ghost started speaking of afterwords that left him more frightened than before. Standing before him was a being that could take control of his body, cut him, suffocate him, and generally kill him in several cruel and unusual fashions. This was quickly going downhill. As the ghost begun discussing his own death, Zatar began seriously considering jumping into the water and swimming away from this apparition. Only his loyalty to his ship prevented his running. "Well umm that's unfortunate...I'm sorry you were troubled by your umm... kind"