[The Dreaming Lady] Dare I Dream? (Chemar)

by **Sira** on November 5th, 2012, 7:04 pm

Timestamp: 40th of Fall, 512 AV

Darkness, all around her, and there was no escaping it. Sira ran, and ran, and there was no end to the darkness. Behind her the djed swirled wildly, in front of her were the stars. There was an intense heat in the air, and a sinking feeling of failure and loneliness in her heart. Sira couldn’t escape any of it, and she was trapped in the complete nothingness of the world she had found herself in. Sira screamed, but there was no sound, she fought but there was nothing to fight, and finally she fell to her knees in defeat. Sira noticed the slight glow on her hands, the mark given to her by the goddess Priskil. It seemed so faint in the all encompassing darkness, and she tried to will it to glow brighter but instead it seemed to fade away until even that light was gone.

Images flashed before her eyes, memories that she wanted so desperately to forget but always seemed to return in her sleeping mind. The most recent was filled with bloodshed, caused by her own talons. Innocent blood spilled by Sira because she couldn’t control herself. Then came the memories of the storm, and the battle with Ivak and later his lavak beneath the mountain. Sira had failed to contain the god, but with Priskil’s help she had defeated the monster beneath the mountain. Even so, that one fond memory was squashed beneath the beginning of the next, and the next, until the real dream began.

The darkness that surrounded Sira was replaced with the twinkling glow of stars, and instead of standing on a void of nothing, she was now standing on a solid disk high above the world. Sira could see the continent of Mizahar below her, so small and strange looking from so high up. She couldn’t appreciate its beauty, however, because the ground beneath her began to shake. As what happened every night in her dreams, the giant tentacles of the monster called Ravarisk, whose name she did not actually know, wrapped around the invisible dome that protected her from the cold nothingness of space. As always the dome began to crack, red ooze pouring in from the tentacles, and the ooze began to surround her. And as with every single night she heard the Ravarisk’s voice in her head.

”I was here first. I will be here last. I will make your child into something far greater.”

Sira still did not know precisely what those words meant, and it was unlikely that she ever would. What she did know was that the Ravarisk, the mysterious and horrible monster wanted her child, and that was something Sira could not accept. But in the dream the ooze always closed in, and it always took her. In the dream, no matter what actually happened, the Ravarisk always won.

”Nooooo!! I won’t let you have her!”

In the real world Sira awoke suddenly in her bed, sitting up and screaming those words. The kelvic was confused for a few ticks as the realization that it was just another nightmare slowly dawned on her. Every night she had the same dream, or similar variations of it, and while she didn’t always wake screaming, it made sleep next to impossible to enjoy. When a concerned voice spoke aloud, Sira nearly jumped with surprise.

”Sira? What’s wong?”

Sira and Addy rarely got to see each other at night anymore, and Sira was startled when Addy spoke. Usually Sira was asleep before Aidara returned home, and awake and out hunting before the healer ever rose. The healer caught her by surprise, but Sira quickly relaxed. Though they had drifted apart somewhat, Addy’s voice alone could still calm the kelvic when she was feeling bad.

”Just… just a bad dream.”

”You’ve been having those a lot, lately? ..I’ve noticed you moving around in your sleep, muttering and shaking.”

Sira was a bit surprised, she had no idea Aidara was aware of her dreams. Ever since the incident at the Inclement Weather, Sira had tried to keep such problems to herself. She didn’t want to worry the healer, but Aidara still noticed. Sira sighed, and decided she had might as well explain. Addy wasn’t going to drop it now, so there was no point resisting.

”I keep dreaming about the monster.. it’s like.. it’s like it’s still here. In my head.. and I can’t get it out.”

”You should go see Chemar at the Dreaming Lady. She knows about dreams, she can help you.”

After a while Sira agreed, she would go to the Dreaming Lady and see if Chemar could help her. Sira didn’t really have a choice, Addy would make her go anyway, and Sira really did want the nightmares to stop. She didn’t know if Chemar could help her.. but anything was worth a try. The kelvic went back to sleep that night, managing to sleep the rest of the night without another nightmare, and rose as she always did the following morning to go out and hunt. She cut the hunt short, however, and came back early so that she could go see the woman at the dreaming lady. Sira couldn’t recall if she had ever met Chemar, though she knew of her. She really did hope that the lady could help her.

Sira arrived at the Dreaming Lady a bell later, full of nerves and apprehension. Aidara really hadn’t explained to her what all would go on inside, but if it would help Sira was willing to try it. She hoped the Chemar lady wouldn’t be busy and that she could see her, Sira wouldn’t trust anyone else with her dreams. When she entered she was met by a calming shroud of warmth and moisture, and Sira’s eyes quickly scanned the dimly lit room in search of somebody to talk to. It might have been Chemar, or it might have been someone else, Sira wasn’t sure what she looked like, but she simply spoke to the first person she could find.

”Um.. I’m looking for Chemar. Aidara told me she could help me..”

Info on the Ravarisk :

by **Chemar Tisserand** on November 7th, 2012, 5:32 am

As the bolt settled into the latch with a subtle click, two sets of eyes were on the one who opened the door, one seen, and one unseen. Solas, the record keeper for the Dreaming Lady was the one to approach Sira when she spoke, leaving the other figure in the room to her quiet observation. The other figure was Chemar, lying prone on the sill along the wall that had become her resting place in between walks, though she usually sat upright, eyes open.

Solas extended her hand to welcome Sira. At the mention of the Endal Aidira, a smile turned up the corners of her mouth. "She was wise to send you here, Sira." An unnoticeable flick of her eyes went to Chemar, who nodded once as she let her feet slip to the floor silently."Do you seek a walk, or something less -"

"A walk." Chemar's quiet voice cut off the last of Solas' words before they were spoken. It was just a guess, but the slightly darkened skin beneath Sira's bright eyes, along with the sunken hollows in her cheeks were a sure sign to the dreamer that nightmares were at work with this woman. With the silent step of bare feet, she approached Sira amidst the soft chiming of the beads woven into her hair and placed the back of her cool fingers on her cheek. Her action demonstrated a familiarity that should have been uncomfortable had it not been done with such transparency that there was no need for discomfort. Sira became the focus of the dreamwalker's gold ringed gaze as Chemar took a moment to get a sense of the Endal's waking world. Like Addy, she was disarmingly beautiful, but in a wilder, unsettled way, the differences between the two woman were vast, but there was a common thread that Chemar had yet to put her finger on. The tumultuous complexion of Chemar's last year had left her with little knowledge of those around her, but it would come... knowledge always did to those who sought it in earnest."We will get to the bottom of things. I'm Chemar, it's good to meet you Sira." Her hand dropped to take Sira's grasping it gently between both of her own. She tugged on her hand to begin leading her down the hall to the dreaming chambers.

"Solas, this will be my last walk today." She lifted her chin in a nod of affirmation as Solas smiled, then turned her full attention to Sira. "The chambers are very dark, I will lead you, if that is all right. Once we are there, the mountain's air will begin to affect you, and you will sleep." A glance at Sira just to assess her mood slowed Chemar's gait just a bit. "Nothing within the dreamworld will follow you into your waking life, I assure you." A twinge of doubt colored Sira's eyes and Chemar squeezed her hand lightly."I will be there with you, every step of the way." Though her frame was thin and quite delicate, one look in Chemar's eyes would illustrate her strength to the woman placed in her charge, the gold rings glowing with fierce determination, as, without words, she offered herself as Sira's champion.

by **Sira** on November 7th, 2012, 8:32 pm

Sira was put aback by Chemar’s actions and demeanor, though not in a bad way. The woman’s straightforward approach and gentle hand on her check might have brought forth a different reaction from Sira had they been in any other situation, but instead it only served to calm the kelvic. Not completely, of course, she was still very nervous, but something about Chemar and the way she handled herself helped to put Sira at ease. When her hand was taken, Sira squeezed back and followed, albeit with some hesitation. She did have some doubts, and she had yet to even explain what was wrong. Did it not matter to this woman what she would face in Sira’s nightmares, was she so fearless? But that wasn’t the only issue.

”Nothing within the dreamworld will follow you into your waking life, I assure you.”

Whether or not that was true in the way Chemar intended it to be true, some things would follow her into the waking world. Knowledge, Chemar’s knowledge, of whatever Sira might show her. When the woman tried to lead Sira once more the kelvic held her ground. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, considering her words carefully. She wanted Chemar’s help, desperately, but there were certain things she had to say first.

”..I don’t know how this works.. exactly, but.. when you enter my mind, you might see things. Secret things.. some terrible and some.. just secret. I am not a normal Inarta. I am a wind eagle. Some of my secrets are theirs too.. so, if you see them.. they need to stay secret.”

Sira’s golden eyes locked onto Chemar’s gold rimmed ones, her expression completely serious. Chemar probably had a lot of people tell her they had secrets that they didn’t want to get out, but Sira’s secrets were bigger than most. As a wind eagle she had known long before Ivak ever escaped that he might do so at any time. As a wind eagle she was privy to knowledge that even still the Inartan people did not know everything about, and though she had no intention of purposely showing Chemar these things, there was always the risk that she might discover them anyway. At least, Sira thought there were. She had no idea how exactly a “walk” worked, but if it involved Chemar seeing into her dreams and memories, Sira had to make sure she could trust the woman. When Chemar gave her the assurances she needed, Sira finally allowed her to lead her into the dark.

The gentle glow of her gnosis on her hand stood out in stark contrast to the darkness as they walked down the hall that was supposed to be so dark Sira could barely see. The kelvic rarely noticed her hand, with so much else on her mind, and she paused next to Chemar for a moment to stare at it. It was beautiful, really, and Sira had never really taken the time to study it. Her life was usually too hectic, and she never had time to just sit back and look at her hands. After a chime or so she smiled and looked up to the Inarta, closing her fist and blocking out the light.

”Sorry, I guess that kind of messes with the atmosphere,” she said with a hint of a chuckle to her voice, trying to loosen herself up, ”I can’t really turn it off though. I guess I should have worn a glove.”

With her fist closed they were engulfed in darkness once more, save for the glowing lines along the walls, and Sira just kept her hand in the pocket of her bryda for the rest of the walk so as not to ruin the atmosphere. Once the drowsiness began to take over, however, her hand slipped free but by then she was already under the effects of the mountain and the kelvic hardly noticed a difference. Bye the time they reached the dream chambers, Sira was more than ready to lay down and go to sleep.

by **Chemar Tisserand** on November 13th, 2012, 4:55 am

Upon pain of death Chemar would not betray the secrets trusted to her beyond the waking world, and when Sira displayed reservations, the dreamwalker was quick and solid in her reassurances.

"It is not within my nature to be free with information. I enjoy no ownership of the things I learn in dreams, so I have no freedom or place in sharing them. You do not know me, but you will find my word to be my most important currency, even more so than the then gifts given to me by Nysel, for one is useless without the other." As she spoke,it was clear that Chemar was fixed in this aspect of her life, that this was her truth and she would not waver from that truth. "I hope this puts some of your reservations to rest."

The two of them began to venture down the corridor, Chemar's hand lightly grasping her client's. Just as Sira's words slipped into the walker's ears she noticed the glowing symbol on her hand, and that it had stopped Sira in her tracks.

Sorry, I guess that kind of messes with the atmosphere

Fingers clamped over the symbol, masking it's glow before Chemar could get a proper look at it. "Not at all. What is it?" She began to move them toward the chambers once more, and awaited Sira's response. She imagined that it was a gnosis mark, but would not assume until Sira offered confirmation. It was a shame that the woman had hidden it, the soft glow reminded her of the subtle veining in the mountain walls, very pleasant on her eyes. A collar revealed in a sidelong glance at Sira caused Chemar's gaze to linger; she found the collar incongruent with the kelvic's nature. Perhaps that was at least part of the reasoning behind her visit to the Dreaming Lady, Chemer knew that she would be shown the answer in due time, until then, the collar could act as a perfect key.

The arrival in the dreaming chamber made Chemar feel confident, this was her home, where she was her strongest. She ran her hands along Sira's arms as she followed her into the room, not wishing to surprise her with a sudden touch. With her hands resting on the woman's shoulders, she guided her to the pallet and then to lay upon it. As Sira reclined, Chemar cradled the back of her head, knowing how overwhelming the mountains effects could be for someone experiencing them for the first time. Sleep had already begun to take Sira, her eyelids began to flutter a bit as she struggled to keep them open. Chemar knelt at the head of the pallet and bent over Sira to whisper in her ear.

"Relax. I will be by your side. Tell my your tale, and I will help you find your freedom." Her voice carried only the short distance from Chemar's lips to Sira's ears, leaving the room oblivious to the words spoken. As the weight of long lashes pulled Sira's eyes closed, Chemar gently stroked her auburn hair, brushing it off her cheek in a graceful motion. She took a deep breath once Sira began to show signs of sleep; breath raising her chest at a deep, rhythmic pace. Chemar let her fingers stray from Sira's cheek to the collar that encircled her neck, tracing it with the tip of her index finger as the mountain's power took her consciousness.

Once she was firmly footed in the Chevena, Chemar pulled the essence of Sira into her mind and searched for the Chevi that embodied that essence. The illuminated threads brushed against the dreamer, curling around her as she searched, offering brief, yet crystalline images of the souls held inside them. The process thrilled Chemar, saturating her thoughts with the excitement of possibility and the mystery that each of those living strings held in its translucent, glowing delicacy. It took all her willpower not to spin like a dervish and gather up as many as would coil around her thin frame, but she resisted, searching for that one specific thread. The key still lay beneath her touch in the waking world and translated into a feeling, the sensation of Sira.

All at once, a vibrant orange filament writhed into a lively display, coiling around itself like an eel in a clear pool of water. It danced within the Chevena until in a flash of movement it shot out at Chemar like the crack of a whip and snapped around her leg in a quick coil of energy. The dreamer inhaled a quick gasp and held it, never having seen a Chevi that picked her out so forcefully. The strand shot up her leg and grabbed her before she could even release her breath, sending a wave of erotically charged euphoria through Chemar.

Hello Sira... She blew out a long breath as the thread traversed the whole of her body, wrapping around her until she wore it like a tightened corset. I'm ready whenever you are.

by **Sira** on November 13th, 2012, 11:32 pm

Sira nodded. She believed what the woman said, and in truth if Aidara trusted her then Sira had little doubt to begin with that Chemar would betray her secrets, but she still had to make sure. The eagles no longer had the geas protecting them, the Inarta would no longer conveniently forget anything that they shouldn't know about. Truthfully, Sira wasn't even certain what she was and wasn't allowed to share anymore, but she wanted to be safe nonetheless. Chemar's assurances assuaged her fears, and they were able to continue on.

When Chemar seemed interested in the light, Sira withdrew her hand and opened it once more, studying the glowing vortex in her hand again. The events that led up to her earning the mark might be seen in her dreams, but Sira would tell her anyway. If there was one thing she wasn't secretive about, it was her gnosis.

"This is Priskil's light," Sira whispered, and suddenly her hand began to glow with greater intensity, lighting up the tunnel and chasing away the darkness. "It was a gift, for a job well done. Maybe you'll see me get in in my dreams.. I would much rather dream about that."

The glow helped Sira, quelling any reservations she had about what she was about to do. It had that effect on people. The light drove away fear and negative emotions, inspiring courage, and if a person had evil thoughts or intentions it would do the opposite, making them uncomfortable and maybe even afraid. For the two of them, however, it would only have positive results, and both of them would feel better when looking upon it. It would not even hurt their eyes, and would only fill them with courage and good feelings. After half a chime or so Sira willed the light back to its normal soft glow, and let her hand fall. She could only maintain the bright glow for a few chimes anyway, and it would have gone out on its own soon enough.

As they walked along Sira could sense the glowing veins, feeling their radiance as if it were a tangible thing. It was another aspect of her gnosis, and if she wanted to she could strengthen the light as well, but Sira was too sleepy to try even if she wanted to. By the time they reached the dreaming chamber Sira was barely staying on two feet. She happily let Chemar guide her the rest of the way, laying down and falling asleep less than a chime later.

In her dreamscape, Sira found herself alone at first. She was in a cavern, one that she recognized, far beneath the mountain. In the center of the cavern was a lake, and the only light was the light from her hand, though Sira found that in her dream she didn't necessarily need light to see. At least not at that moment. She knew the cavern, though it wasn't the dream she needed help with. It was actually the place where she had earned her gnosis along with Tiaue'a, the city's other wind eagle kelvic that kept her identity a secret. Only Sira knew the truth, and maybe soon Chemar, though that wasn't a secret Sira was overly concerned with keeping.

The kelvic really had little idea what to do. She didn't know how the dream walking was supposed to work. It was all very strange. When Sira dreamed she usually didn't realize she was dreaming, and she rarely had any control to make her own decisions. In truth, she had expected to go straight into the nightmare, but perhaps there was something special about what they were doing that changed things. Sira wondered if the nightmare would even come, considering she was the one in control at the moment.

The euphoric feeling Chemar felt when Sira's chavi snatched her up was shared with Sira, and knocked her off her metaphysical feet. Sira had experienced connections with other dreamer's chavi before, though she did not know it when it was happening. She had shared dreams with others more than once, and always she found herself drawn to the real dreamers over the figments of her imagination. It was the same this time, though with Chemar it was far more intense and Sira had at least some understanding of what was happening.

Hello Sira... I'm ready whenever you are.

Sira heard the voice in her head, and all around her, much like what she heard when she spoke with other wind eagles or what Aidara heard when Sira spoke to her. It was strange to hear Chemar's voice that way, but it also felt good. Sira's mind was likely unlike anything Chemar had ever come into contact with. Sira was telepathic, and had other abilities as well. She had some experience with them, helping Aidara and Sairque to create mental barriers to protect them from the chains that bound them to one another. Sira had experience exploring minds that weren't her own, though in truth she had no idea how she had done any of it. Sira responded without speaking, using her own telepathic voice to speak directly into Chemar's mind.

I'm ready.. but what do I do?

Chemar didn't need to answer her. The moment Sira began to think of the memory, the nightmare, she wanted to show Chemar it began. Suddenly they were both standing on a cliff overlooking Thunder Bay. For Sira, she was reliving an experience, but Chemar had taken the place of Aidara. The memory wasn't completely accurate, as Sira had tried more than once to forget it, but it was close enough. They stood, staring out into the night in the direction of the Watch Tower, and that was when the lightning began. It wasn't like any lightning Sira had ever seen before, though, but was multi colored and not shooting down, but out and across the sky. Some of the bolts touched the mountain, some of them touched the floor of the valley, and others shot out to far places beyond where even Sira's keen eyes could see. Also, Sira was pregnant once again. That part of the memory, at least, was accurate, and very important.

This is where it all began, Sira's voice sounded in Chemar's head once more. This is where my nightmare begins...

by **Estrellir Konrath** on December 30th, 2014, 3:02 pm

SIRA

Skills
-

Lores
Nightmares: Recurring plague
Location: The Dreaming Lady
Chemar: Calming presence
Dreamwalking: Consciously sharing dreams

CHEMAR TISSERAND

Skills
*Withheld due to inactivity

Lores
*Withheld due to inactivity

COMMENTS

Another promising start! I enjoyed reading how Sira and Chemar interacted. As always, contact me with any questions or concerns! Chemar, if you ever return, feel free to PM me about your grade.

Closed [The Dreaming Lady] Dare I Dream? (Chemar)