Completed Marked And Charged

[Kelski]

50th of Fall, 519 A.V.

Kelski needed some time away. The Jewelcrafting was wearing at her and so too was the stress of getting the Guild up and running. She was starting to get messages and job offers fairly frequently and they simply didn’t have the resources to answer them all. It was the same explanation she gave everyone. They were newly started, and while there was a demand, there wasn’t enough resources to take every job. But she took the important ones, especially the situations that meant life and death for people who no one else would hurt.

Her relationship with Dessarian was also something new. Kelski was deeply satisfied by it, but she was also unhappy with the fact that she was growing so dependent upon him. It was a scenario she wasn’t used too – having someone in her life she could count on. And that was oddly new. She wanted his opinions, needed his company, and craved his body. His happiness was something she put even before her own, and she thought about him often, tapping the bond to determine which direction he was in or how he was feeling if Dess was close enough.

The Kelski – prebond – would have curled a lip at such behavior and thought it weak. The Kelski – postbond – shifted her hips uncomfortably and thought about how best to seduce her bondmate the fastest next time the two of them were alone. The truth was he was a beautiful male, intelligent and thoughtful, and though she could tell the wealth of his upbringing had left him a bit soft, he was getting better as time passed and the threat of survival was more and more rearing its ugly head in their lives.

Kelski stood up from her work bench and pulled off her apron. She slipped on some soft low boots and changed out of her work tunic which was stained with oils from her lapwheel and polish from the buffer and put something cleaner and more functional for outside her workshop. Dressed in a tunic, leather leggings, and shouldering her pack, the Kelvic decided it was time to go work on her headspace. She pulled the Starfire Key from the chain around her neck, lifted it up, and mimicked unlocking a door. Light blazed forth as an outline of a door appeared complete with handle, which allowed her to swing it open, and step through.

The scene was beautiful to her. It was the twilight of a mountain peak, winds whipping around not obnoxiously but in the normal way winds did on peaks. There was a circle of standing stones roughly 30-feet in diameter although an invisible barrier prevented Kelski from leaving a 10-foot by 10-foot space. The space was positioned so that she could step to the edge of the mountaintop, lean over a bit but never fall. There is a firepit within the space, 3 feet in diameter and lined neatly with masterfully cut stones.

There was an elaborate carving that encircled the outside of the stones lining the pit yet no matter how hard Kelski tried to see what it is, the carving blurs every time making it impossible to make out. Inside the pit was a bundle of fresh firewood. If lit, the wood burns with a soft silver flame. The flame goes out when Kelski leaves the space through the doorway but each time she returns the wood is ready to be lit again. The flames from the fire are cool or warm depending on Kelski’s desire.

And she loved it. The moment she stepped through the door, closed it behind her, and the flames burst into life.

[Kelski]

Kelski approached reverently, knelt down before the flames, and studied the boxes beyond them. She’d packed the space – Xhyvas had called a Dominion – with supplies in case of emergency. There was a chest of warm clothing, food, and medical supplies that rested on the far side in case she ever got trapped out in the wilderness alone again. She studied the silver flames then whispered quietly. “Leth, as always, I thank you for this space.” She said thoughtfully and closed her eyes.

Meditation wasn’t her forte. But she was learning to settle into it. Gilthas preached it regularly to her, and claimed her Kelvic nature made such mind space hard for her to achieve. Secretly, Kelski used that echo of his words to drive her to get better at it. She wanted to prove him wrong. So she settled with her legs crossed, her back straight and concentrated on her breathing. She tried to empty her mind of thought and travel inwards. It took a while, for her predator brain kept wanting to open her eyes, scan the horizon, and note differences in her environment. However, her environment was steady, steadfast, and something magical that she did not need to scan. So she worked on calming that urge, tempering it down, until her inner vision filled with a starfield.

It was a starfield like she’d never seen before. Colors illuminated the world, swirls like she’d never seen before filled her vision. Stars sprinkled everywhere; except they weren’t actually stars. She thought they were at first, but then upon using her inner vision like she’d use her outer eagle’s vision, she saw they were glittering cords of tangled wire… almost like spider silk drifting in the darkness. It was a beautiful sight, lovely beyond belief, and something so outside of her normal perception. She gazed around, wondering what she was viewing, when she noticed that she too had a silver cord drifting off from her stretching far off into the distance. She reached down to touch it, but it was insubstantial to her and her hand passed right through it.

“Do you like what you see?” A voice said softly, masculine, and somehow oozing with power.

Kelski’s eyes snapped open and she surveyed the mountain top once more. The fire and its firepit of silver flame was gone. In its place sat a man, dark of skin – not black or dark brown – but dark blue and handsome. His skin shimmered with what looked like stars or mica, though it was hard to tell for he was locked on her with his eyes. His eyes held her own prisoner and she was lost in them a moment before she found the words to see.

“It is incredibly beautiful, like nothing I’ve ever seen. But I don’t know what I’m looking at.” She whispered, her words stammering out because the man’s presence was so strong. She took a breath and another one, then closed and opened her eyes again, making sure she was actually seeing what she was seeing and that this wasn’t part of the meditation. It wasn’t. The man was as real as they came, as real as something could be in a magical bubble of reality beyond the reach of the real world.

“You were looking at the Chavena. You live on the Mortal Realm, and the Gods live in the Divine Realm. But the Chavena links the two of them and is full of the Chavi of everything living, including people. Those silver threads you saw were the chavi of people – their written history – filling the space between the mortal realm and the divine. Only my kind – my blessed marked kind – can access the Chavi and read them. Touching them makes them real and you can walk the history of those that came before you.” He said softly, watching the Kelvic.

[Kelski]

Kelski still didn’t know who he was. As beautiful as he was, he could be anyone and anyone could be someone extremely dangerous. “I am loyal to the Nightmother, Akajia. I am one of her Nighstalkers.” Kelski said softly, a hint of challenge in her words. She suspected this man was a God but she wasn’t sure… and she certainly didn’t want to show weakness in front of him. But she didn’t want to show disrespect either. “May I know who you are?” She asked, as polite and reverent as she could.

“Your loyalty is noted. Akajia and I are old friends and I have struck a bargain with her. She is protective of her kind, but I am in need of a mage who has your skillset. She owes me a favor and what I offer you would be of benefit to her, so we are in agreement. I am Nysel, the God of Dreams, and I want to Mark you as one of my own. I want you because I have lost many of my followers since the Valterrian and have made very few since. My mark will give you access to the chavi and you will be able to walk them and know the history of those you meet. I am a busy man, but I have the interest to locate old abandoned Dominions and catalog them… both where they are and any information they hold. You have abilities most of my Dreamwalkers don’t have… plus skills as a mage that will help you survive seeking out, connecting too, and cataloging these lost spaces.” He said softly, then paused, letting Kelski take in what he was saying.

“What does Akajia have to do with this?” Kelski asked quietly. She did not know this divine figure. She did not understand his motivations. But she was loyal to the Night Mother and had proved her faith over and over again. This was no exception.

“Akajia seeks the answer to some question she will reveal to none of us. She has Nightstalkers all over the world. They continue to search for her. But none of them, and I do mean none, have ever sought out the lost Dominions of dead mages that have gone wild and looked there as well. I can give you the toolset to be able to do this, which would be a great benefit to your Mistress. You would, however, have to learn to trust me and give your loyalty to me as well as to Akajia. I expect my marked to be loyal. There is no question about it. But I will not ask anything of you that will be beyond what your duties are as one of Akajia’s marked. I know Xhyvas and Semele have horses in this race as well. I will not be dissuaded when an asset presents itself.” He said firmly, not unkindly but in a way that left Kelski not doubting the seriousness of the situation.

What confused her was that she was unused to Gods asking things of mortals. In all the stories and in her experience, The Gods demanded and didn’t treat mortals as equals they asked favors of. It made her suspicious and she looked thoughtfully at him. “Why are you asking and not just demanding this of me? It seems contrary to your kind.” She said thoughtfully. And then, because his demeanor had emboldened her, she asked one more question. “If I do this, what benefit will it give me?” She said softly, as humbly as she could knowing the question itself was arrogant.

He smiled. “I am the child of two gods. I am not old like the others are and I have grown up among mortals with mortal friends. I have learned that willing followers and friends make better tools than unwilling bullied followers do. I like to know those with my mark and be comfortable with them instead of constantly having to watch my back among them manifested where us Gods are the most vulnerable. And as for what it will do for you… you will have access to the chavi – like I have explained – with my mark. But beyond that, I have a gift for you… something that will help you do your job. And I have a set of scrolls to give to you that will write themselves as you do your duty, granting you the knowledge and ability to learn Dominion as you do so.” He said softly, not elaborating on what he meant, but making her choose almost blindly.

[Kelski]

Kelski nodded, thoughtful, not having missed the vague parts aka the ‘gift’ he alluded too but didn’t define. She wanted to like him. He had a likable mannerism. But nature and demeanor were two different things among the Gods and a simple façade wasn’t to be trusted among the Divine, at least not in the stories and tales she’d heard. Of course, she’d never heard of Nysel himself, but that wasn’t astonishing in the least. She didn’t know of most of the Pantheon. It was something she probably needed to study up on next time she got the opportunity to go to Zeltiva. Surely the great library would have a tome or two on the Gods.

“How am I to catalog these things?” She asked carefully, not certain what he would mean by that.

“When you discover them, then I will have discovered them. You will be doing the legwork. My mark will grant me the knowledge to you and your locations and thus the locations of the lost Dominions. So, by just visiting the spaces, you will be cataloging them.” He said softly. Then he seemed to consider something else. “Kelski, you must know that some of these Dominions are older than time, lost for a long time, gone wild and who knows what left within them. Depending on the mood of the domineering mage, things could survive in them indefinitely. They will be an adventure for you to scout out and catalog. They will teach you a great deal and you will have all the knowledge they contain at your feet. But make no mistake, they will be incredibly dangerous. Who knows what remains in them? Who knows what magic you will encounter? This could be a task that will take you a lifetime or more… multiple lifetimes.” Nysel said softly, thoughtfully, his soft blue eyes sincere.

Kelski nodded. It was a lot to think about and she got the impression she had no time to give it decent thought. Studying Nysel, Kelski reflected on all he’d said and she slowly nodded. It wasn’t for the knowledge of Dominion. It wasn’t for the mysterious gift that would help her do the task he set for her. It was because of Akajia. Kelski owed her more than words and if the Goddess had never had this opportunity to search out lost Dominions like this…. then she’d take it and assist the Night Mother who’s regard had ensured her very survival.

“Will you swear to me this is at Akajia’s consent and to her benefit? On your word?” She said softly, noting that Nysel flinched slightly and then smiled.

“I’ve seen her Nightstalkers loyal, over and over, and I often wonder what she does to inspire such things. I hope someday you will have such loyalty in me as well. But yes, Kelskanisha K'etir, I swear on my honor and on my position as The God of Dreams. This is at her consent as well. If you will accept this task, rise and strip. I would have you stand before me in only your skin to receive your mark and gift.” He said softly and waited.

Kelski nodded, rose, and then carefully removed the clothing she’d dressed in to come meditate. Standing before the man nude did not bother her in the least. Nysel rose as she did, and when she turned to him completely bare and ready, he walked to her side, closing the distance with a step. In his hand a glowing stylized eagle lay on parchment. “This is the Alizarin’s Regalia. It is a gift the Alizarin Team often granted their finest Kelvics after they were crafted.” He touched her shoulder and moved around behind her. Kelski tensed but did not move.

Nysel ran his hand down the line of her spine and traced her buttock where an ugly brand of the Sun’s Birth Gang resided. A blacksmith trying to prove a point had held her down and branded her in a moment of betrayal trying to make a sale of a branding iron. It had hurt tremendously and she’d worn it with shame ever since that day.

[Kelski]

Nysel cupped his hand over the brand and then fitted the Alizarin Regalia over the small patch of skin. The Regalia sank in, smoothed out the brand, and covered it completely. Where an angry stylized sun had resided etched in her skin by heat, now resided an incredibly smooth stylized bird of prey that looked more like a tattoo than anything else. Kelski felt a flash of heat from it, then nothing more as Nysel passed back in front of her, taking his hands off her.

“What does it do? You said it would help me search?” She asked suddenly, curious and wondering if it gave her the ability to see the Dominions or maybe sense them. Her guess couldn’t be further from what he revealed though.

“No, it is not that. A Kelvic’s worst enemy is time. You are born, grow up fast, then age even faster and die. This will halt your aging completely. This will grant you time to do your duty to me and to Akajia because what we ask of you is not something that can be accomplished quickly. Research and the knowledge of who these people are or where these things lie in the chavi is difficult to come by. And you will find some with doorways damaged and entrances blocked. So you will have to move on and come back to them as your skill in the discipline grows.” He said gently, then seemed to study her body anew.

“You are bonded, mated, and with one of those Damazars. It is likely he will put children in you if he hasn’t already. Any male would. Have them. Raise them. Teach them what you’ve learned and they will help in your duty. Then have more. Have as many as you can throughout your very long life. Then look over them through their lifetimes and make sure they teach their children. You will age no more after today. What age you are today, you will be a thousand years from now unless someone kills you. It is a gift… but one you will need. This is no easy task.” Nysel said gently, then reached out and touched her left shoulder. A mark appeared then, raised above her skin, and she looked at it as it glimmered with divinity. It was a skeleton key, fanciful, though its bow where one gripped was not the normal round or ornate scrolling. Instead, the bow was a stylized eye. Kelski reached up and rubbed it, flooded with the knowledge of how to step in and out of the chavi and how to walk a chavi so long as she had a key.

Her eyes glimmered as she turned and nodded to Nyself. “I will do this. I promise. And I understand it is an honor… a huge one.” She said, even though her belly was filled with fear. She always knew she’d have a short life. Eagles lived maybe forty years and humans lived twice that. She had always known she’d grow old and die long before Dessarian did. But now… now the thought of living past him and even past any children she might have scared her.

Nysel broke her out of her thoughts. He had one more thing for her. He handed her a very plain but secure scroll case. It was made of thick leather and when she popped the end off of it, she could see finally rolled parchment inside.

“Remember, the Azure Dominion Scrolls will write themselves.” He said gently. “The more you explore, observe, and learn, the more the scrolls will record upon themselves. And then later, when you’ve questions or concerns, the information will appear on them for your study. The more you explore, the faster you will learn of them. Lost dominions are hard to find. It might take you years to find the first one. But once you do, one often leads to another which leads to another on down the line. Be safe, Sea Eagle. I will be around if you need help. Akajia will too.” And with those words, Nyself left Kelski standing there, in her own private dominion. The fire appeared again, crackling with its silver fire, and her pile of clothing lay neatly folded where she’d been sitting before meditating.

She sat down abruptly, stunned, with the scroll case heavy in her lap. She wasn’t sure how she was going to tell Dess about this… or if she should. It was something that couldn’t wait though, because he’d notice sooner or later that a God had frozen her in the prime youth of her life and she wasn’t getting any younger. It was definitely a stunner and so too was the task the God had set before her. Kelski sighed, dressed, then exited the mountain stronghold. She tucked the starfire key back into her clothing and stood once more in her workshop. She glanced around, took a deep breath, and decided to take things one day at a time. She’d have to investigate Chavi first and what they meant and how they worked. It was just one more thing – another burden – and Kelski knew she couldn’t do it alone.

Total Thread Count: 3562

[Kelski]

G R A D E S

Kelski

Meditation +1, Psychology +2, Logic +3, Dominion +1, Rhetoric +2,

Meditation: Using a Dominion as a meditation place, Nysel: Appearance and Mannerism, Nysel: Friend of Akajia, Nysel: God of Dreams, Chavi: Appearance, Mannerism, and how to access them, Chavena: Appearance, Location, and how to Access it, Dominions: Can become old and abandoned, Kelski: Charged by Nysel and Akajia to seek out, locate, and catalog old Dominions, Akajia: Wants Kelski To Learn Dominion to Search Them Out as her Nighstalker, Nysel: Demands Loyalty, Nysel: First God To Ask Her To Accept His Mark, Nysel: Child of Two Gods, Young In The Pantheon, Believes In Another Way, Dominion Scrolls: Scrolls that will write themselves as Kelski observes new dominions she discovers, Dominions: Lost Dominions can be incredibly old, wild, and full of things lost to time, Dominions: Incredibly Dangerous, Alizarin’s Regalia: Stops Her Aging, Alizarin’s Regalia: Gifted To Her By Nysel, Alizarin’s Regalia: Created by the Alizarin Team For Their finest Kelvics, Kelski: Will Not Age Now Due To The Alizari’s Regalia, Nysel: Charged Her With Having A Family, Nysel: His Mark Is A Skeleton Key With An Eye As A Handle, Azure Dominion Scrolls: Will Write Themselves as she explores, Azure Dominion Scrolls: Information Will Appear On Them Aa Kelski Studies Them And Needs The Info

Awards: Mark of Nysel, The Azure Dominion Scrolls

PM me with questions or concerns.