Don't Steal My Sunshine

by **Prophet** on June 29th, 2018, 2:39 am

81st of Summer, 518 Av
6th Bell

Tristan woke the same as every other day. He rolled off his bed on to the dusty floor of their family’s shack and got his pants and shirt on then slipped into his belt with a curious set of knives all attached in their rightful place. He kicked his older brother, Sal, on the hip to wake him then headed into the other room to start boiling water for coffee. The two young men, Tristan a ripe fourteen and Sal almost seventeen, sat in the sounds of farts, burps and hacks as they ate tack breakfast, drank coffee and scratched away an warm night’s sleep. When all was said and done, it was nearing the seventh bell and time for work.

Each lad rose and moved to a rack behind their front door where several fishing poles, nets and buckets of tackle were all neatly arranged. They grabbed their respective tools and headed outside, the light of Syna bursting into the dingy shanty. Neither man made it very far, however. The light was different today. It wasn’t glaring or warm but rather muted and distant. Some distance from the ground, higher than either boy could reach on his own, was a weird fog that was illuminated by the sun’s rays.

Tristan raised his pole into the mist and swirled it around before drawing it down so the pair could inspect it. Buckets and nets were dropped as the cane pole tip came under closer scrutiny. It wasn’t like a normal fog. It was wet but also grainy like sand or dust and it held a smell like something sweet. Sal pinched some with his fingers and shoved them in his mouth before he could be stopped by his brother. Tristan’s eyes went wide and he was about to call his older sibling stupid for the act when the elder of the two dropped to his knees and clutched his head.

Sal clenched his teeth and tried to ball up but the scream escaped him anyhow. He collapsed on his side and clawed at the hair on his head. Voices pounded inside his brain which drown out the noise of his brother trying to communicate with him. Tristan wrestled with Sal on the shores of Lake Ravok for several chimes before Sal opened his eyes.

Light, bright and clear and cold like the icy blasts from last season, burst from his eyes for a few ticks and then were gone. The young man shot up with an intense look of fear in his eyes to see his younger brother returning the gaze though Tristan was also very confused.

“What happened?”

Sal looked Tristan in the eye and put a hand on his shoulder. “She spoke to me.”

“Who spoke to you?” the younger man asked with a hushed whisper.

“Xyna…” a soft smile spread across his face as he looked to the low-hanging cloud. “She told me how we can use fishing to make more money.”

Players :

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by **Crylon Stonecraft** on June 30th, 2018, 2:15 am

Date: 81 Summer 518
Location: The Docks
Time: 7th Bell
Involved PCs: For now just Crylon

Crylon was heading to the docks, planning to take an early morning barge to drop off some notes at the Lumber Company, when he was startled out of his trudge. It was a walk he'd made enough times this season, due to his new job, and so he didn't often pay too much attention to where he was going. Rather he'd continue on in his practiced actions, get on the barge, and head to the lakeshore to drop off his report.

Today though things didn't quite go as normal. Namely as he walked along he noticed a child dangling off the side of a building. Crylon, not the best at identifying humans with their odd aging, guessed the lad or girl was perhaps seven or eight, but he knew from experience he was likely off by several years.

The windmilling legs of the child was what had gotten his attention. They were furiously trying to pull themselves atop the building, over which was a thick cloud of various colors. Crylon knew he was dealing with a wise and aged person, for who wouldn't go climbing head first into a cloud of unknown origin?

In his hurry to yell a warning, though surely the child knew what he was going after and not stumbling upon it, Crylon's accent came to the forefront. “Child! You, on the roof! Down! Get the down! Away!”

If he, she, Crylon decided it was a he, wasn't deaf, then surely he'd heard Crylon. Which meant he was likely ignoring, not ignorant. This left Crylon with the odd position of trying to figure out how to get the child down and away from the cloud, without himself getting into it.

If it had been a few days later, and word of the cloud had spread, perhaps he would have acted differently, but as he hadn't and he saw a child in danger Crylon decided he had no choice but to stop said child from doing something foolish. No one else was around. No one else had responded to his yells. It was early, and apparently he'd unintentionally chosen a lesser traveled route.

“Petch... Petch, petch, petch...” Luckily for Crylon he'd heard such curse words enough times that even his non-fluent common usage could easily utter such simple things.

As he cursed Crylon darted his eyes around, trying to figure out how the lad had gotten onto the roof more or less. There didn't seem to be any clear method, no stairs or steps... That was when his eyes darted to the building next to the one the child hung on, the closest building and the only one situated within a short distance. It was a bit lower in terms of height, but close enough that one could jump from the one to the other. And that building had a pile of wooden crates stacked next to it, which formed a makeshift staircase to the top.

That, Crylon reasoned, was what had happened. The child had seen the cloud, climbed the crates, and tried to jump to the next building, but hadn't quite made it. “Petch....”

Crylon was no acrobat, and being an Isur was heavier than a human child, but he was also bigger and longer legged than a small human child. If the child could do it, then surely he could?

Heading for the crates, Crylon gave it a small shove with his trusty left arm. When the entire pile didn't topple from the shove, he was somewhat sure it wouldn't collapse the moment he climbed atop it. Heaving himself onto the first crate he checked the child, who was slowly inching himself higher up onto the roof. But still on the edge.

Letting out a small huff he heaved himself up onto the next one on the stack, and then the one after that which almost reached to the roof.

With an almighty tug and pull he heaved himself the last few feet onto the roof, huffing a bit at this point as he flopped and rolled over onto his back to settle as best he could for a moment on the roof. He turned to face the other roof, to find the child standing on top of it. Arms stretched out, he was walking face first into the cloud of colors.

Crylon, the roof he was on a bit lower than the one the child was on, was still below the level of the cloud so long as he crouched and didn't stand fully.

“Child! Stop! I say stop! Not safe!”

It was then the child finally turned, facing Crylon, a giant grin on his face. And then he inhaled. It was like he'd been struck a blow to the head. His body seized and began to spasm, somehow staying standing. He juddered, wheezed, coughed which let in more cloud, and then fell to the roof and laid still. Luckily the slope of the roof was gentle enough that he hadn't fallen off in the process.

“Petch...”

Crylon, while he might not like everything about the city, might not like everyone or their beliefs, wasn't going to let that stop him from helping a child. A child was innocent. A child was a wonder. A child was potential. A child wasn't prejudiced or jaded like most of the Ravokians.

The only method of traversing Crylon could think of was to hold his breath, stand up into the cloud which he was tall enough to reach on this roof, run and jump to the other roof, and getting low so as to stay clear of the cloud pull the child to safety.

Committing himself to it, Crylong took a deep breath, held it, quickly stood, and rushed towards the edge. He jumped, and as much as an Isur could he sailed through the air towards the other buildings roof.

WC: 974

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on July 3rd, 2018, 2:10 am

Date: 81 Summer 518
Location: The Docks
Time: 7th Bell
Involved PCs: For now just Crylon

Crylon jumped. Crylon felt the empty air below him. He soared upward through the air in the peak of his jump. And then like a rock dropped by a bird, he began to fall. He had gotten close to the building, but the visage in his mind of him neatly leaping across and landing on the other building did not quite make it to reality. Instead he landed on the edge of the building more or less in the exact same position he had seen the child when first laying eyes.

His stomach on the corner of the building, his legs flailing, both of his arms clutched the roof in a panicked grip.

Using his good arm, his trusty left, he found a firm grip and pulled as hard as he could. It was then Crylon realized he had no way really of getting back down from the roof other than jumping. He could have moved crates and made a ladder from this building. Or found another way up which would have allowed him back down. But it only then occurred to him the predicament he was in, left with no other choice really but to jump.

He was fairly certain he would survive, he could dangle low enough and jump the last bit to land on the ground. As an Isur he was tough, and his bones he believed could take such a drop. But he was less confident in doing so while carrying the child.

With the pull he heaved himself a few inches higher, doing his best not to lose the ground he had gained. Or lose roof, a laughing voice spoke in his own voice in his head, making fun of his own foolishness. Glancing up Crylon saw that in the time since he had landed, a wind had begun to blow, and tiny bits of the cloud were blowing downward onto him. Like grains of sand, or drops of water.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Crylon focused back on the task at hand of getting up and onto the roof. With another heave of his left, he pulled himself almost all the way up. One more heave, and he finally found himself lying on his belly firmly on the ceiling.

Taking in a deep breath and doing his best to breath downward and away from the cloud, Crylon stood up and began to walk towards the boy with the cloud floating around his head. Pressed on his body and eyes. Floating across his nose, though he refused to breath. As he walked through the cloud, Crylon could hear a whisper as if from afar. It was saying something, but so quietly he couldn't make it out.

Another whisper, as he reached the boy, this one a bit louder. It was a woman's voice. Grasping the child with both hands, his left arm grabbing at a twist of the cloth of his pants, his right gentler arm cradling his head, Crylon used his left arm mainly to drag/carry the unconscious youth across the roof to a lower spot away from the cloud.

He almost made it to the edge, was perhaps a step away, when the need to breath hit him like a stone to the chest. Another step, and he slid the child forward, letting him settle just out of reach of the fog. As he did his body by instinct sucked in a breath, turning the whisper into a scream so loud he couldn't make out what it said for the opposite reason.

His body tensed as if fire was sweeping through it, and he felt himself collapse on the edge of the roof next to the child only barley avoiding landing on him by a last twitch of his muscles before they stopped responding.

As he closed his eyes and the world went black he felt the fire sweep through him, and then dim to nothing. And then it flamed again as pure light, and he couldn't fell the roof he was lying upon. Blinding light flared. As his eyes focused through the light he held up a hand to hold some back, and noticed someone standing in the middle of it. Silhouetted by the light, an image in the form of a woman made of light dropped against an inky black as night background.

"My name is Priskil."

While he couldn't make out an expression, couldn't see anything more than an outline, he knew from her voice she was smiling, though smiling a sad smile. She also seemed to be speaking in Isur, or at least in a way that he understood as well as he did spoken Isur when he was awake.

"I am the Goddess of Radiance... Hope... And Vigilance..."

Crylon reached out his hand, to to try to clutch her hand, but as he did he was blinded again and had to return his hand to the spot in front of his eyes to see her.

"I power the stones atop the Watchtowers, giving them light and more."

As she finished speaking, the voice began to fade. Crylon could tell it was saying something else, but couldn't hear it. As the voice faded, so did the light, leaving Crylon in darkness once more.

by **Prophet** on July 6th, 2018, 1:09 am

As Crylon’s vision faded away back to present reality, something else became noticeable. There was a strange light that twinkled and resisted the cloud as is tried to obscur the soft radiance of the object. It was close but not so close as to give away a solid position or even a general shape -just a slowly pulsing light as if to say that it was alive and breathing. A roof over, maybe two, that is where the light originated. It’s gentle blue coaxed courage into him. If it had a voice, it would call his name but that was simply not true though in his uncommon state, it might feel that way. Shadows indicated a drop in the surface upon which he stood as the wind continued to blow the strange mist and fog around the Isur.

Nothing in life is free and that is especially true in Ravok. As soon as the stout man began his march towards the enticing trinket, a skittering could be heard. The hard talons of lake birds; gulls and pipers most likely, made a cadence upon the roof as a group of them landed near the light and began to peck at the thing. Wing beats and squawking swirled the cloud but also began to move the glowing object which caused its light to fade slowly. Time was running out.

by **Asterope** on July 10th, 2018, 12:49 pm

Date: 82nd/Summer/518 AV
Location: The KRI
Time: 6th bell
Involved PCs: Asterope, Syresshvassydir

Aster stared listlessly at the wall across from her. She shifted her position, chains rattling, still mindful of her shoulder though it was healing nicely; the sun had just risen recently, as she had only just taken on her divine form. She was grateful for that; no matter where she was or how far from the sun, her body and soul both still recognized Syna's presence. It was the only way she could still keep track of time.

Syna. The thought of the goddess made anger flare in Aster's chest; hurt, betrayed, confused anger. Why was she allowing this to happen? Surely she hadn't been returned to earth to be shackled and experimented on. That couldn't be her purpose. And yet...so many days later, she still sat on the cold stone floor of what she had come to learn was the Kelvic Research Institute.

The jarring, grating sound of the metal door screeching open shook Aster from her thoughts. The Eth didn't move, but glanced over out of the corner of her eye. A young woman in a white coat was entering the cell, followed closely by a similarly dressed older man. "That one will do," The man spoke, and Aster did turn her head when she saw him motion to her.

The woman strode over with brisk steps, the heels of her shoes clacking on the stone floor. Aster remained still as she was unshackled; her wrist and ankle tingled with relief. The cold, heavy metal had practically numbed her, and the rose-gold expanse of normally smooth skin was red and irritated.

Aster grimaced as the woman reached up to her neck to snap a metal collar around her throat instead; one set of shackles exchanged for another. Nerves spiked when the woman's fingers brushed the leather cord that held Navi's tooth, but she didn't even cast the necklace a glance.

A chain was attached to the collar, and Aster rose slowly to her feet; she wobbled, her legs stiff and sore, unsteady; she couldn't remember the last time she'd stood. She leaned against the wall for a moment until her legs stopped trembling. The two scientists waited, but Aster could practically feel their impatience.

"Alright, enough, let's go," The man finally said, voice irritated. The woman jerked on Aster's chain, forcing her to stumble forward, and the Eth bared her teeth in a silent snarl. She much preferred the wrist and ankle shackles; being led around on a leash with a collar pressed tight around her throat made her feel like an animal, like whatever bit of dignity and humanity (well, perhaps that wasn't quite the right word...) she had left were being stripped away from her.

Aster followed silently, though. She'd learned not to bother fighting back. It never got her anything except more pain. Still, hatred seethed quietly within her, and she glared daggers at the backs of the two scientists that walked ahead of her.

To her surprise, Aster was led outside. She flinched, squinting at the sunlight, blinking for a moment to adjust; it was pale and watery, but it was brighter than most of the light she'd been exposed to over the last many days. Asterope straightened up; she could feel energy rushing through her as she felt the pure light of Syna caress her skin. It made her feel heady and dizzy, almost euphoric; she hadn't felt so lively in what felt like forever.

Aster breathed in the fresh air deeply, but something wasn't quite right; there was a faint, distant smell that lingered. Something sweet. Glancing around, Aster finally flicked her gaze upwards, and blinked in surprise.

A thick, heavy cloud rested in the air above her. It was like a layer of fog that hadn't quite reached the ground, blocking out most of the sunlight. It swirled with muted but vivid colours, and Aster knew instantly that it must be the source of the strange scent. She felt baffled; confusion and a slight tinge of anxiety rushed through her. In Alvadas, she wouldn't have batted an eye at such a sight; but in Ravok? It was a strange thing to see indeed.

Aster's attention was drawn back to the scientist holding the chain attached to her collar when she suddenly stopped, turning to face Aster. Reaching forward, she unclipped the chain, though the metal collar still rested heavy and solid against Aster's throat, cold against her skin.

"We have a proposition for you," She spoke, folding the chain neatly over her arm. Aster narrowed her eyes, uncertain. A proposition? Why would they offer her a proposition when they could force her to do whatever they wanted?

"What kind of proposition?" Aster finally asked. Her voice was thick and hoarse from lack of use, making her grimace; speaking felt as if she was rubbing sandpaper over the inside of her mouth and throat.

"That cloud," The scientist gestured upwards. "We want to study it. But we need samples for that. If you cooperate with us and collect it for us willingly, you'll be allowed to shower and get a pair of clean clothes. A reward for good behaviour," The woman smiled, and there was something mocking beneath it.

Aster grit her teeth. She would be forced to do it either way she knew, and the thought of a shower and clean clothes was incredibly enticing; she was dying to wash all the grime off herself. Still, the thought of agreeing to do something for her captors, of becoming so submissive to them, being cooperative, a good slave, a good test subject...it made her nauseous.

"Fine," Aster spoke after a long moment, the word almost physically paining her.

"Wonderful," The woman smirked. "We have a few ladders available for your use. Of course, I doubt you would be so stupid, but I must remind you that it would be pointless to try and run right now. This area is fenced in securely and we do have guards around the perimeter; and well, you know how trigger happy they can be." She glanced pointedly to Aster's left shoulder before fishing a few small corked vials out of her pocket and handing them to the Eth.

Aster took them, flinching slightly when their fingers brushed. Behind her, she could hear voices, and the woman nodded. "Ah, wonderful. It looks like you'll have some help after all."

Aster glanced over her shoulder, her golden eyes appraising as she watched two more scientists enter the yard, leading another person in on a chain. She didn't recognize the man that was led out of the Institute. He was tall, with long dark hair and startlingly vivid green eyes. Aster wondered what he was, for if he was at the Research Institute, she doubted he was human.

The woman who held her chain nudged Aster away, motioning for her to go further into the yard. Aster strayed a few steps away after shooting a glare at the woman, though she lingered, waiting for the man to be released. They had their task, but for whatever reason the scientists wanted their cooperation, so Aster was hoping that they would be allowed to at least take their time and perhaps even socialize a little bit.

It had been too long since Aster actually had a conversation with someone; someone who wasn't another Ethaefal, especially. She was sick of seeing her kind; it was just a constant, torturous reminder. Once the man was released into the yard, Aster approached him cautiously.

"Hello," She greeted, hesitantly. Her voice was still raspier than normal, but talking was more bearable. She glanced around, anxiety tickling the back of her mind, but none of the scientists or guards seemed to care. The white-coated figures were talking amongst themselves, and as long as they weren't trying to escape, the guards didn't seem particularly interested in them.

"It's nice to see someone else," Aster admitted to the man, turning her molten amber gaze back on him, having to look up to meet his eyes. "Someone not like me," She added, her voice tinged with bitterness. "I suppose they told you the same thing as they did me; they want you to collect samples from the cloud?"

It suddenly hit Aster that she hadn't even introduced herself; circumstances were making her forget herself. Socialization was difficult after having been isolated for so long. "My name is Asterope, by the way." It was the first time in a long time she'd introduced herself with the full name she'd chosen. Aster couldn't say why she decided to; it had just come automatically.

"We should probably go grab one of those ladders. I don't think they'll appreciate us standing around too long." The hatred in Asterope's voice was evident, dripping like venom from her words, and her mouth curled into a snarl as she spoke; the expression seemed wrong on her ethereal and otherworldly beautiful features, as if hatred and anger were simply emotions that didn't belong in her.

Indeed, Aster felt uncomfortable with the sudden rush of negativity; it made her skin itch and crawl, made her feel not like herself. But it was becoming something of a survival tool, a defense mechanism, that she was learning to embrace.

by **Syresshvassydir** on July 13th, 2018, 1:47 am

Date: 82nd/Summer/518 AV
Location: The KRI
Time: 6th bell
Involved PCs: Asterope, Syresshvassydir

Chains rattled, and metal scraped against stone. The grating sound stirred Sydir from his light slumber. His scales shifted and rasped against one another as his ink-black tongue flickered into the air. Little change, he thought as he slithered his massive coils around. The tiny stone room, more akin to a tomb really, was cramped enough that he couldn’t quite change locale within while he was a serpent, but he was at least able to shift his body in place, moving and coiling through the space even as he kept his head positioned in the relative center of the cell, facing directly towards the barred metal door. The air continued to smell of sewage and mildew. And always, the fear. But today, the mighty constrictor detected a fresher current of fear through the air, just outside his door. Boots clanked against the cold stone outside his cell, drawing nearer and nearer still. Then a brief silence, broken by reverberating thuds against the thick stone walls.

Sydir felt the vibrations throughout his whole body, as there wasn’t a wall of his cell untouched by his great serpent’s scales. After nearly a season within the belly of the KRI, Sydir understood the signal well. His serpent’s body began to contract as he shifted forms, and after half a chime where there had once sat a massive python, there now kneeled Sydir’s human body naked as the day he was born. Standing and showing himself to the door, the Dhani’s piercing emerald eyes seemed to stare straight through the guards on the other side, along with an elderly human in a long white coat. Out of resigned habit, Sydir suppressed the slow-burning rage within his bosom and reached his arms through the bars, fists clenched in preparation for the shackles.

“Not today, Sydir,” came the lilting, almost too-sweet voice of the old man. “We have a proposition for you this morning.” Now Sydir was interested. Always when the researchers had come it was in preparation for a fight or some sick experiment. Never before had he been ‘propositioned.’

“Speak, then,” came his sibilant voice, raspy and thick with long months of disuse.

The old man smiled a little wider, “There is a...phenomenon, outside. We would like you to investigate and collect a sample for us. If you do as we ask, you’ll be allowed a long, warm soak, as well as a fresh meal we think you would find most enjoyable.”

Sydir kept his chiseled features expressionless as he pondered the offer, though he didn’t have to think long. He could feel his flesh drying out, even with the regular intervals of misting his cell received. A long soak would be much needed with shed coming soon upon him. The offer of a fresh meal intrigued him so much that the Dhani surprised himself with an involuntary lick of the lips as he smiled wide to reveal straight ivory teeth. “Accept. Bring Sydir to cloud, little man.”

Chuckling softly, the researcher opened the door and allowed Sydir to walk between the two armed and armored guards. There was a time when the combative Dhani would have tried his luck, but the KRI had found a way to sate his seemingly unquenchable lust for bloodshed by allowing him to fight other subjects. Why and for what purpose they did this, he wasn’t quite sure. But neither did he care. Even if his rage had burned white-hot, the prospect of a soak and a fresh kill were too much for Sydir to risk. He followed in compliance as the men led him outside into Syna’s light. But there was something...strange about it. He had not seen the light of the goddess in quite some time, but it didn’t take a genius to notice the thick and heavy cloud above him, distorting Syna’s gift to the world into colored swirls and eddies of mist.

Gesturing towards another prisoner across the yard, the old man gently pressed Sydir forward. “There, it looks like you’ll even have some assistance.” Sydir remembered a time when he would have gladly snapped this puny waste of flesh in two for touching his greatness. How far the mighty have fallen, the Dhani thought in stoic submission. Without another word, Sydir made his way towards the strange woman. Her skin was colored a light rose flecked through with gold like the morning rise of Syna in the East, with hair to match and smooth horns sprouting from her head. Sydir was quite sure he had never seen such a creature, but she hardly seemed to pose much thread, small and thin as she was compared to even his relatively weaker human form.

As Sydir approached, he fixed the woman firmly in his emerald gaze. The guards stood at ambivalent attention even while the researchers, Sydir presumed the second was the man responsible for the woman’s presence, conferred with each other in private. She was certainly not hard on the eyes, but she was just as obviously not Dhani, which rendered her a being of lesser existence. Her voice was raspy, much like Sydir’s own after week upon week of languishing captivity. At her query regarding his purpose, Sydir merely nodded in affirmative. He had neither reason nor desire to speak to this woman, although she seemed of quite the opposite disposition. As Sydir turned to make his way towards the ladders, the woman continued chatting away.

Asterope, the serpent-man thought as he gathered a large ladder in each hand, lifting them as if they were no more than a fallen twig, what a strange name. Unpleasant to the tongue. Still she chattered on and on, her distaste at captivity becoming clear through her venomous tone. Sydir looked up to ascertain the best location to set up the ladders, speaking for the first time in his deep rumble of a voice. “Am Sydir. Am Dhani. You talk too much.” He turned to fix her amber-gold eyes with his own emerald green gaze, “Where put ladder, Talker?” His voice was neither hostile nor friendly, but tinged with the cold ambivalence of a man resigned to his fate and simply wanting to see the task done. Hot soak. Fresh kill. Hot soak. Fresh kill.

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on July 19th, 2018, 1:10 am

Date: 81 Summer 518
Location: The Docks
Time: 7th Bell
Involved PCs: For now just Crylon

As Crylon became aware of his surroundings once more, he repeated the word in his mind. A name. Priskil...

It was new, and yet familiar to him, almost as if he was remembering her rather than learning of her. Of course this feeling in and of itself was odd, as Crylon was also at the same time sure he had never heard of her before. That he could recall at least.

As he shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind of the remaining fuzz, he saw an odd glimmer from afar. Not at all like the blinding light from before, more akin to a small glimmer from afar.

As he tentatively rose from where he had landed on the roof while keeping clear of the fog above, Crylon focused his eyes on the light. After blinking a few times and moving his head he realized it was real, though off in the distance a ways away. Better he supposed though than something in his mind.

For no particular reason the image of a glowing fish flopping on a roof popped into Crylon's mind, with the glow flashing out as the fish inhaled and dimming as it exhaled. Perhaps this was due to the lifelike growing and diminishing of the light as it... Breathed... Or perhaps he was still affected by the fog.

Where the light before had been bright and blinding, this was dull and gentle and blue.

Realizing he had been sitting there in the position he had just barely raised himself from for over a chime, Crylon looked about for the child. Grabbing him up Crylon moved the child so he could be held in his right arm, and then moved down to the edge of the roof. More flopping than anything with more finesse, Crylon lowered himself over the edge of the roof by his strong left and held himself there for a moment, doing his best to keep a good grip on the child with his other one arm. He trusted his left to hold his body weight better than his right, and besides he knew his right would be better for cradling a small fleshy child.

Once he was as low as he could get Crylon released, dropping the few remaining feet to collapse onto the ground below, managing to avoid landing on the child by more or less having the child land directly on top of him.

After a chime to catch his breath and further clear his mind of the fog, Crylon set the child aside and with a huff of air headed back for the roof by way of the crates. With a few more heaves he was back on the roof, his entire body aching and sore from the exertions and fog excepting his left arm. But still he pressed on mentally, unwilling to give up. Focused on the light, and on whatever it could be... Perhaps a gift from the lady Priskil who had spoken to him?

Once he got back up he could see it was not on that roof, but another over in the same direction away from where he had pulled the limp child from. Thankfully after a closer look he realized it was on a lower roof and relatively close by, not as far away and not higher as the first jump. He had almost forgotten about the fog in his rush to find the light, but as he moved so did it slowly on the wind.

Before he could jump however, or even cross the roof in his current semi-crouched position to prepare to make the jump, Crylon heard a sound and saw motion about the light.

Birds! Looking more closely he could see birds, birds attacking the source of light and trying to abscond with it. As they fought to reach the prize, the birds knocked it about slowly. Perhaps the source of the fading and growing light the source's motion and from being blocked by the birds bodies? Oddly enough to Crylon's eyes, the birds did not seem phased by the fog. Or perhaps they were simply immune after being exposed? Was he immune now, or would he suffer again if exposed again?

Not wanting to give up the light, a possible gift from Priskil whom he had only learned of, Crylon looked about for something to toss. Eyeing a loose piece of roof, a tile or slat made of wood or clay which Crylon could not ascertain in his current state of mind, he reached down with his left and with an iron grip tore it loose as a human might tear loose a page from a book.

Screaming in his native tongue Crylon began to move forward closer to the birds. “Hey! You there winged spawn of useless trash! I order you to flee! Leave me and mine alone! That is not for you!”

With a twist of his left arm Crylon tossed the piece of roof with all his might forward, the small square-ish shape sailing in the general direction of his target if not landing right among the birds or hitting any of them. However Crylon did not wait to see where it landed or if it hit a bird. Muttering a short prayer likewise in his own native tongue, Crylon charged for the edge of the roof and at the last moment jumped. “Priskil give me strength...”

His aim was to land on the roof and to cast the birds off if any were left, using his left arm mainly and swinging it about as a club. Of course along with this aim was the idea that he would land on his feet before the birds, and with much more grace than his prior flight and subsequent landing. Much more likely was that his landing would not be quite so clean even if it was not possible he would land any worse than before. Or so he hoped. Otherwise it would be a struggle to his feet before he would have the chance to begin his attack.

by **Asterope** on July 19th, 2018, 11:20 pm

Date: 82nd/Summer/518 AV
Location: The KRI
Time: 6th bell
Involved PCs: Asterope, Syresshvassydir

The man was distinctly silent despite the near barrage of words from Asterope; the Eth waited a beat, then two, and still he said nothing, merely nodding at her. A frown twisted her lips, and she let out a quiet huff. Fine then, she thought; she wouldn't talk to him if he so clearly didn't want her to.

She watched the man turn and make his way to where the ladders were, and Aster's brows raised slightly in surprise. Despite the thinness to him that bespoke a lengthy time in captivity, he lifted the ladders easily, one in each hand. Aster was sure she would have struggled to carry even one of them in both arms.

Finally, the man spoke; his words were blunt, clipped, but it was something. A name, a race. Dhani; Aster had only met one, possibly two other Dhani; she had never found out for sure...and one of the encounters had been unpleasant, to say the least. Still, while rude, he didn't seem intent on attacking her at all.

Aster flushed when he stated, quite bluntly, that she spoke to much, pressing her lips into a thin line and giving a slight toss of her head. She met his brilliant green gaze for a solid moment before glancing away. "Well, you'll excuse me if socialization has been a bit minimal," She muttered. At his question, she straightened up with a sigh, peering up to see where the cloud hung the lowest.

"Over here, then, I suppose." Aster tilted her head to beckon Sydir to follow, moving a few steps forward and to the right where the muted rainbow cloud seemed to hang just slightly lower. "What did they promise you?" She asked, idly, as the Dhani set the ladders down.

She didn't wait for a reply, knowing the possibility of Sydir ignoring her was high, and either way the ladders weren't so high that she wouldn't be able to hear him. Aster placed a foot on the bottom rung, giving it a small shake. The ladder creaked slightly, but felt steady enough, so she clambered up it carefully, glancing down to make sure her feet didn't miss any rungs.

Finally, she stood on the stop below the top of the ladder. Aster uncorked one of the vials she'd been given, holding the cork gingerly between her teeth and steadying herself with one palm flat on the very top of the ladder; with the other hand, she stretched her hand up. She was still just slightly too low...she glanced to Sydir. If he was still standing, she would call down and ask him to hold her ladder, but if he had started climbing his own she would stay quiet.

Aster reached up on her tiptoes, but while her hand seemed to enter the cloud, she couldn't tell if she was actually collecting any of it. Frowning, she very carefully placed one knee on the top of the ladder, pulling herself up to plant her other knee beside it.

Aster knelt somewhat precariously on the top of the ladder, resolutely refusing to look down as it shook slightly beneath her. She slowly extended her torso, stretching up straight, her vision was muted as she found herself within the cloud, from the top of her head to her shoulders.

Aster inhaled a breath of relief as she reached up with the vial, noticing the almost chalky texture of the cloud. Its almost sugary sweet smell invaded her nose, and she coughed slightly as the chalky texture entered her mouth; and then quite suddenly everything went black.

Panic seized Aster; had she blacked out? But she still felt conscious...in front of her, light suddenly exploded, causing her to squint and throw up a hand to shield her face. The silhouette of a man could vaguely be seen, and the prismatic light, vivid and bright, seemed to be coming from his...wings?

Aster stared in awe, squinting through the gaps in her fingers. A male voice echoed gently around her, soft but strong, and she couldn't be sure if it was in her head or not. "I am Yahal." The voice spoke, and Aster knew deep inside her it was the name of a God, though she had never personally heard it before.

"I am the God of faith and purity; of all things good." Aster had to squeeze her eyes shut, the light simply too much to bear. The voice shook through her to her very core, tingling through her skin and bones and invading her very blood, it seemed.

"Worship me through the sacrifice of selfish desire." She wasn't sure if it was a command, or simply an explanation. Regardless, Aster found herself nodding slightly, speechless; and as quickly as it had come, everything vanished all at once, leaving her in darkness once again.

Aster's eyes flew open, and she jerked up into a sitting position, gasping and coughing. She blinked hard; sunspots danced behind her eyes, and tears slipped down her cheeks as she clutched a hand to her chest. She must have fallen off the ladder; her head hurt, and her back ached something fierce, but she didn't think anything was broken.

She registered voices; a few of the scientists and perhaps guards must have come over when she fell. Aster ignored them, trying to focus on catching her breath and blinking her vision clear. Her pulse was racing, pounding loudly in her ears, and she felt numb but tingly all at once, pinpricks sparking over every square inch of her skin.

Dazed, Aster glanced around for Sydir. Had he seen what happened? Had it happened to him as well? She needed to know. "Sydir," She croaked out, demandingly, calling the Dhani's name; he would have to be relatively close for her to catch his attention, her voice hoarse as it was. She was trembling slightly, and her mouth felt as if it was full of cotton, something akin to chalk dust coating her tongue and grains gritting between her teeth.

Distantly, the words of those around her began to filter in. "The petch happened?" Said one; "Doesn't matter," snapped another. "Must have fallen...", followed by "But the flash?" and a brisk, "Still need a sample."

A rough hand caught her chin, forcing Aster to look up into the face of the older man that had been one of the two scientists that brought her into the yard. "What happened?" He demanded.

Aster blinked hard, staring up at him, and finally croaked out, "I fell." She stared into his face as she lied without even thinking about it; whatever she had experienced, it was hers, and she certainly wasn't going to tell one of her captors about it.

The man searched Asterope's face as if trying to determine whether or not she was lying before finally releasing her jaw. His grip had been tight; she could tell there would be bruises in the shapes of his fingers.

"Clumsy," He sneered down at her, but Aster didn't flinch; whether she had just imagined it or not, what she had heard and seen had left...something in her. Hope? Strength? Resolve? She couldn't place it, but it was welcome.

"Well, get back up there. If you don't get us our sample, then we don't have a deal." Aster nodded silently, and painstakingly hauled herself to her feet, wincing slightly. The small crowd around her dispersed, and Aster swung her gaze around, looking for Sydir. She had to ask him if he had experienced the same thing, to know if she was going crazy or not. Yahal. The name resonated in her mind.

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on March 5th, 2019, 12:46 am

Crylon did not so much land on the roof, as he crashed on it. He landed on his feet, more or less, but as he did the forward momentum tossed him forward, sending him landing on his hands and knees.

By now he was out of breath, the exertions and the exposure to the fog combining to exhaust and wind him quite thoroughly.

The roof tile had not hit any of the birds, but had stirred them up and made them flee. In a few moments they began to return, but even as they did Crylon was struggling to regain his footing.

Before they could move in closer and take off with the light Crylon moved forward again. If he had the breath he would have screamed, but he was in truth struggling to even let out a strong cough let alone let out a terrifying roar.

Using his arm like a club he swatted at the air, forcing the birds back again. Like his other maneuvers it was less one of finesse, and more one of instinct and brute force.

It kept the birds at bay long enough for him to reach down and pick up the object with his right hand. A necklace with what appeared to be a jewel or glass inside. It had been giving off a dull blue glow, but now this too was fading.

The stitch in his right side had grown to a red hot poker, throbbing and widening each time he took a breath.

Making his way back to the edge of the roof Crylon slowly lowered himself, after placing the necklace around his neck. Then it was simply a short drop to the ground, where Crylon's knees turned to putty. He saw more than felt as he dropped to his knees, and then his chest on the "ground" of the wooden walk.

For a moment he thought of the child, but his body would not respond as exhausted as he was. Just a few chimes, he thought to himself. Just a few, and then he would go and check on the child...

In truth when he awoke a few bells later, being prodded by a guard or some such person and told to move along, the child was gone. Crylon though did not know if they had been taken, or had simply awoken before Crylon and left. Or if it had been a dream.

At least he thought this until he noticed on the way back to his room for a good rest that their was a necklace around his neck. The one he had found which glowed. And the name echoing in the corner of his mind.

Priskil. Goddess of Radiance... Hope... And Vigilance...

by **Rohka** on August 29th, 2019, 10:27 pm

Asterope and Syresshvassydir, PM me if you come back to Miz! I'll send grades once you're set up again with an updated ledger.

Event Don't Steal My Sunshine