Dude, where's my house?[Eridanus]

by **Ssafirsotibones** on April 6th, 2012, 9:15 pm

Bones listened to what Eri said. He had a feeling there was more to this Leth than had first been mentioned. And the name... he was not sure why, but it seemed to strike a bell in his head... He could not even understand himself why he was so interested in it.

And when more info was given... He did find it interesting... Change was certainly something he understood, his current manifestation showed that his existence was full of constant change... Both physically, and mentally... For he was certainly not the same dhani that had left Zinrah so long ago...

And reflection and thought... He was often deep in thought... Thinking of things at a deeper, philosophical level... Mulling things over and trying to understand them... Perhaps he had been aligned with this Leth all along, and not realized it?

"Less... I am not sssure... It ssseemsss... Almossst familiar... Ssough now ssat you sssay more on him... I feel like I have more in common wiss hisss domain ssan I would have believed... Perhapsss I am a worssshiper of Less, unknown to myssself? Certainly he dessservesss fursser inssspection..."

Bones thought on this for a bit, working it over in his head inwardly. Then something that Eri had said came into his mind, and he wondered what he had meant.

"I am certainly a child of Sssiku and Caiyha... Ssough I have alwaysss felt closer to Caiyha ssan to what Sssiku ssstands for... But Eri... What did you mean when you sssaid being a 'Sssuitable Agent for Change' and itsss 'Chosssen Pass.' I don't understand..."

speech :

by **Eridanus** on April 7th, 2012, 3:47 am

OOCJust a little observation... the color of your speech (blue) is a little hard to read against the black background. Can I suggest switching to a lighter color, or allowing the words in the spoilers (the translation of Bones' words) be white?

"I wouldn't say that you are an unexpected worshipper of Leth," Eridanus clarified. "I do know what you mean, for over the course of my time in Mizahar I have learned about and adopted Gods because of the alignment in values."

A prime example was Yahal, whom he adopted as his patron god to guide his actions and morality. Being world weary with social constructs that changed over time as mortals lived and died, he needed something resolute and definite, and the ideals of a stalwart divinity like Yahal was one of them.

"What you can do to discover more about the values you share with Leth's domains, is perhaps to find more information about him and perhaps to pray for guidance. I am afraid I cannot help you more in this, for Leth is as silent to me as to you ever since I Fell from the Ukalas. I have not found one who have been blessed with His gnosis, but if you do find one that person would be a much better source of information than me."

"What I meant by Suitable Agent for Change is the single conclusion that you arrived at in your introspection and reflections. If this conclusion is the motivator for causing Change in yourself, it is that Agent. The Chosen Path is the journey that you undergo during metamorphosis, the journey that you take when you undergo this Change."

The ethaefal scratched his head a little sheepishly, adding, "I apologize if my explanation seems a little jumbled. Often my thoughts jump around in my mind, and it is rare that I find a conversant partner as intellectual and philosophical as I am that my abilities in conversing such topics become a little rusty through the years."

by **Ssafirsotibones** on April 7th, 2012, 4:55 am

Bones frowned, and wracked his brain, trying to thing of how to say what he was thinking... That was often a problem for him, trying to put things into a way someone speaking common could understand... Often nuances were confused, and he had trouble getting his point across.

"No I... When I sssay unexpected worssshipper... I mean for me. I wasss worssshiping sse god, or his true domain, I sssuppossse, before I knew of him being ssat god..."

This confused tangle of syntax was likely as hard for Bones to get it out as it would be for Eri to follow. He was sure he still had not phrased that as to make it understandable... But her was not sure how to do so at this point.

"Yesss... Perhapsss I will try to learn more... But hisss gnosssisss? What doesss it do?"

Bones of course assumed that since the man had mentioned it, he would know about it. Though he was starting to wonder how someone who had supposedly lived in said gods domain for a time, seemed to know so little about him, and was connected so little to him... Though a thought then occurred to him.

"Or isss ssisss changing body, wiss sse moon ssing, isss ssat sse gnosssisss effect? Or jussst sssome kind of rubbed off power?"

The next part of what Eri said, completely went over Bones head. He tried to listen, and to understand... But her might as well have been speaking gibberish... Something about conclusions... Change... And some other stuff he could not fathom. Bones had enough trouble speaking common, without getting so convoluted. However he still attempted to sift out some meaning from it.

"Ssso... Sse idea of change I came to... By ssinking and reflecting... In realizing ssisss godsss domain... If it isss sse reassson for sse change... It becomesss sse 'Agent' of change...Ssen by ssis change I am... Walking sse 'Chosssen Pass'?"

Bones let out a long hissy curse, speaking in snake tongue, which would have no meaning for Eri likely. He turned to Eri, scratching his head with both hands, and trying to make sure he had got it right...

"Sssorry... Common... Isss not my native tongue... I sssometimesss have difficultiesss for ssat.... In ssspeaking and underssstanding... And sssometimesss I ssslip back into my native tongue."

Bones looked at him once more, waiting for his response... Hopefully he would be able to puzzle out a meaning from it.

speech :

by **Eridanus** on April 7th, 2012, 5:22 am

Eridanus let the first sentence slide as he was pretty sure Bones misunderstood him. It was of little consequence anyway and so ignoring it would not result in any misunderstandings.

"I... don't know, Bones," The ethaefal shrugged. "This body and the strange physiology of ethaefals are common amongst us Fallen. It is not a sign that Syna or Leth has deigned to bless us."

He frowned as he tried to process the dhani's broken phrases and snake-like accent, repeating the words through his mind as he made sense of it.

"Yes, that is correct. That is what I meant," He encouraged. "Yes I understand the difficulties of speaking in a language you're not fluent in," He empathized, for he encountered the same difficulty speaking in Vani to the native vantha when he was in Avanthal a few years back.

"What is your native tongue then? No offence intended, but can dhani speak to snakes?"

by **Ssafirsotibones** on April 7th, 2012, 5:50 am

Bones was a bit disappointed, in that Eri knew so little of himself. He seemed to have little idea of how he had come to be what he was, and seemed to have little hope for understanding it.

At least Bones knew what he was, and how he was made. He could not imagine living without knowing.

He was however happy when Eri agreed with him, saying he had gotten it right. He had tried to puzzle out the meaning the best he could, but had been unsure if he had been able to grasp the foreign tongue fully in such usage.

He did wonder a bit when he asked him if he spoke snake tongue. Well of course he did, every true dhani did. Being born as a snake, how else would you. But then he recalled, Eri did not know he was born as a snake. He probably thought he came to be as a human.

Perhaps a short biology lesson was in order? At least enough to explain how being a dhani worked a bit better.

"Yesss, I can ssspeak to sssnakesss. Sssnake-Tongue in fact isss sse firssst language I learned. I will explain to you why, but firssst I ssink we ssshould ssstart moving. We have been here and ssstanding ssstill far to long. We ssshould get moving, or else... Well I jussst feel like we ssshould keep moving... Ssat being ssstill isss a bad idea..."

Bones would start walking randomly along the passage, just keeping moving. Assuming Eri followed, he would glance back, and then speak to Eri, while continuing to walk.

"Dhani... Are not like humansss... We are not born asss ssisss form... We are born asss sssnakesss... Our children, are sssnakesss, running on inssstinct and hunger... While young, ssere isss little difference between ssem and a wild natural sssnake."

"But when we get old enough, and mature a bit, we gain sse ability to ssshift into our dhani form. Ssen we are more independent, and more intelligent... Ssisss isss when we often ssstart learning a new tongue..."

"And finally, when we are fully mature, and an adult, we learn to take on human form. I wasss jussst under a hundred when I learned to do ssso. Ssen we are full adult dhani, and are old enough to have children of our own. However I left home sssoon after gaining my human form..."

Bones seemed a bit lost in thought at this, and stopped his walking for a moment, looking at a flower. It reminded him of a plant back home... Bones leaned down, and carefully plucked the flower from the ground. This one was not poisonous, he was sure, however it did have a strong scent. He smiled, and tucked it behind his ear, and looked at Eri, smiling.

"Sssorry... Did you sssay sssomessing? I wasss jussst reminissscing... I have been away from home for a long time... And ssisss reminded me..."

speech :

by **Eridanus** on April 7th, 2012, 6:01 am

If Bones was disappointed on how little Eridanus knew about himself, he was as well. That was his quest; his neverending search for knowledge and the truth. Why did Leth pick him in his previous life? He had no inkling. He did not know why he was Chosen. He did not know why he Fell. He did not know why Leth ignored his pleas for over two centuries. He did not know anything.

And it frustrated him.

Bones spoke up, and with his words he helped the lost ethaefal to change the topic, to proceed to another subject and unwittingly distracting him from his melancholy. They began walking, and Eridanus nodded with interest.

The dhani were a fascinating species, to be snakes yet more. To be an animal yet more. It was tempting to draw parallels to kelvics, but he now understood that dhani were far more than mere animals. Their intelligence was already proof of it. In fact, Bones was the perfect evidence; Eridanus would be hard-pressed to find a kelvic who could keep up in a conversation such as this.

He watched Bones stop to pick a flower but his view was directed to something more interesting. Behind the hedge beside Bones' position stood a small tree. The tree was just a normal tree, but it grew flowers and leaves that were simply astonishing. They were like vantha trees, for each petal in every flower and each vein in every leaf was colored. The colors ranged the entire spectrum of the rainbow, and it made for a dazzling sight.

An image from long ago came unbidden to mind, and he strode towards the hedge, pushing aside the shrubbery to find a familiar looking clearing.

A clearing where he met a nuit alchemist experimenting with flowers and colors more than a decade ago.

"Beautiful tree, ain't it?" He whispered to Bones, awed by the beautiful sight.

OOC :

by **Ssafirsotibones** on April 13th, 2012, 2:51 am

It was probably a good thing that Eri did not mention this parallel he found between kelvics and dhani, as Bones would have been very angry and insulted. Often people accused him of being one, which was little more than insult to his intelligence, as kelvic were dumb animals taking human form.

Plus they did not shift as he did, there body altering, but shifting all at once. That was no way to truly experience the openness of your form, and see the capability held within who he was. No, only in his dhani shifting could he truly experience this.

As Bones finished picking his flower, he noticed Eri was nearing his own plant. Though it was certainly an odd one... Bones followed him along to the tree, looking it over. It was covered in odd flowers, which were in many various vibrant colors. He could not recall seeing one like it before.

"Yesss... It isss... Were did it..." But Bones stopped, as he heard a odd rustling of leaves. He knew from experience that this was often a first sign of danger... Surely they were not alone... And something was near... Best for them to be on guard, before whatever showed up did, and tried to eat or kill them. And with all of the monsters that had gotten into the city... It seemed likely that one of them might have slipped notice inside of the maze of hedges...

"Did you hear ssat? We are not alone..."

by **Eridanus** on April 15th, 2012, 12:32 pm

Bones paused in mid-speech, and Eridanus turned his head sharply towards the sudden disturbance. The rustling was not lost on him as well, and he nodded curtly to the dhani to signify his awareness.

"Maybe your huge snake form would come in handy, eh?" He muttered, gesturing for Bones to take the frontal route for he, at least, had the prowess of brute strength on his side.

The nimble ethaefal began creeping in a detour, stealthily making his way from the side in order to flank the new arrival should it really be one of the djed-augmented monsters that invaded the city. He kept his blades sheathed for they would only hinder his movement and compromise his hidden state.

OOCSorry for short post. Wasn't sure what you wanted to introduce; I'll follow your lead here.

by **Ssafirsotibones** on May 2nd, 2012, 8:22 pm

Bones nodded to Eri, his snake form likely would do better if they ran into an issue... Or some monster or something... He gave back the bit of clothing to Eri, and started his shifting. This time it might be a bit less unnerving for Eri to see him shift into his huge beast form. Now at least he would now it was not trying to eat him.

Once into his normal snake form, he let out a sigh of pleasure, which came out more as a hiss... Letting out his senses, he tasted something on the air... He could feel warm bodies nearby... So close... And then it moved...

One second it had been sitting the, the next it was racing through the air, or in this case, leaping. It had jumped clean over the hedgerow next to them, over them, and into the next hedgerow. All that could be seen were a pair of big furry white long feet. It landed with a loud bump, sending up a cloud of dirt.

But it was not the only one, and a second giant beast jumped, this one landing 10 feet in front of Bones... It was a rabbit!

I giant, furry, white rabbit. But it was far larger than any normal rabbit... Easily bigger than a man! It had an open bloody maw, with vicious fangs pointing at angles, and blood clearly ground into the fur around its mouth. Its ears perked up as it landed, and it looked at Bones and Eri with its big soulless black eyes... And let out a screeching hiss.

Bones dove at it, trying to catch it with its open mouth, only for the rabbit to leap right over him, down the row, landing a few feet from were Eri was when it had taken off. Though who knew were he would be by the time it landed...

by **Eridanus** on May 13th, 2012, 5:29 pm

The enemy came into view as Eridanus slowly crept out of his hiding spot, only to find a bunny. A huge bunny. One that looked like a predator, for some reason. Perhaps it was the wicked claws, or the hungry expression, but he could not help but feel slightly unnerved.

Fortunately, it was easier to sneak up on it for it was busy with the snake. Still, he was not sure just how good the creature's reaction time was, and so he opted to make his first sneak attack a sure one.

Summoning astral energy from his body, he began to expel res from the palm of his clawed right palm. Pushing out the djed urgently, he continued hiding while moulding the sphere of energy, the size of which slowly increasing until it was about the size of his fist. He felt a slight drain coming from his body, but he continued, increasing the size of the sphere of pure white until it was at least double the size of his fist.

Next, he directed djed to his legs to power his motor movement. Mentally grabbing the djed strands in his body, he prepared to jerk the djed to another direction when he needed to, and with that his preparations were complete.

Using his new-found strength in his legs, he leaped out, moving at a lightning face pace as he threw the ball of res towards the bunny. Simultaneously, he transmuted most of the outer layers of the res sphere into fire, igniting the rest only when he flung the fireball in a straight line.

Not stopping, he quickly directed djed back up to his arms, unsheathing both blades noisily. The bunny was bound to notice, but then again that crackling fireball created much more trouble than the swords. His speed allowed him to keep up with the fireball, lagging only a few seconds behind it.

Upon the fireball smashing into the bunny's legs, it seared the flesh, making it soft and aflame. Using that to his advantage, he finished directing his djed streams to his arms, and with several blindingly fast swings he landed several deep lacerations throughout the burned flesh, severing quite a few major tendons and muscles.

He was not done, and he quickly sheathed his blades without notice, pushing djed down to his legs as he kicked off the bunny and landed in a back flip much further behind. Tumbling as he recovered, he continued directing djed to his legs as he got the hell out of there, and turned sharply to the side into one of the hedges suddenly.

Panting, he turned around frantically, hoping that Bones managed to do some severe damage with the distraction that he provided.