Vastar in the Caverns of Enheduanna

A putrid underground pool (indoors).
A stone pillar rises up from the ground here, powerful runes inscribed upon its surface. Mordanyconus sits here upon a black throne, staring into the pool with his unblinking third eye. A thick stone slab stained with dried blood looms here, tainting the area with the profane worship of Babel. A small patch of blackness churns mysteriously across the floor.
You see exits leading north and southwest.
The eerie fumes of the cavern swirl disorientingly around you as you move.

You have emoted: As the cavern's mist part to allow the chamber into focus, Sybilla stands rooted still on catching a glimpse of Mordanyconus. She murmurs a word of greeting, and grows silent.

You say hesitantly in a rich, smoky voice, "Enlightened One, will you speak with me this day?"

You have acted: Sybilla draws the fabric of her stola to her thighs and takes a reverent seat at the edge of the pool.

You have acted: With a silent glance at Mordanyconus, Sybilla clutches a bottle of rum by the neck, and with a healthy swig, she cants the same amount within the stagnant waters.
Lifting the bottle to your lips, you take a long pull of the dark, syrupy liquid. The rum burns your throat as it races to your stomach, causing your eyes to water.

The smooth aftertaste of caramel lingers upon your tongue as the hot liquor settles in your stomach.

You say softly in a rich, smoky voice, "Answer me not, if it is your will. I've none others to hear of it, and shall speak lest you bid me leave."

You say simply in a rich, smoky voice, "Two of His servants have left Him."

You say in a rich, smoky voice, "Perhaps more. Aodfionn left, I know not if he was yet enlightened."

You wave your hand dismissively.

You say pensively to Mordanyconus in a rich, smoky voice, "I wonder if you ever harboured doubts."

Lifting the bottle to your lips, you take a long pull of the dark, syrupy liquid. The rum burns your throat as it races to your stomach, causing your eyes to water.

The smooth aftertaste of caramel lingers upon your tongue as the hot liquor settles in your stomach.

You have emoted: Sybilla draws her knees up to her chin, her malachite gaze unfocussed over the stagnant pond.

You say in a rich, smoky voice, "Perhaps it is such discomfort which makes the mark of a true Nihilist."

You have emoted: Sybilla frowns, and another swig of a bottle of rum is proffered to the deeps.

Mordanyconus chants rhythmically under his breath.

You have emoted: Sybilla starts at the sound, but swiftly remembers it as familiar and settles back in her lull.

A light wind ruffles the linen of your stola, swirling around you momentarily before a voice wafts out of the air. "There are always those willing to listen, Sybilla, and answer your doubts."

A single green-black tentacle breaks the surface of the pool's murky waters, swaying once slowly through the air before vanishing again without a sound.

You have emoted: A shiver runs down Sybilla's spine, and her grip grows limp on the bottle.

You say uncertainly in a rich, smoky voice, "Are they doubts that need be answered, or is that not a path to Enlightenment in itself?"

You look sceptical and say in a rich, smoky voice, "Or are the noxious fumes finally seeping to the rest of the caves?"

"The only doubts that need be answered are those you want concluded."

You have emoted: Sybilla rests a bottle of rum beside her, and passes a weary hand over her eyes, cradling her head atop her knees.

You say dourly in a rich, smoky voice, "Near sixty years old and still a wandering wastrel."

You say to Mordanyconus in a rich, smoky voice, "Should the winds truly hold such sway, in their currents?"

You musingly ask in a rich, smoky voice, "And did not the fumes show me as much, those twenty years ago?"

The winds swirl around you once more, with slightly more speed than before.

You have emoted: Despite herself, Sybilla breaks the ominous silence of the cavern with a warm, smoky laugh.

"All those who walk upon this land deserve a place to belong, a place to enjoy. There must be such a place available to you."

You look thoughtful and say in a rich, smoky voice, "There was. There have been."

"And there will be again, if you but release yourself from doubt and pursue that which you are passionate about."

You have emoted: Sybilla casts Mordanyconus a cautious glance, uncertain if the priest is privy to her own auditory hallucinations.

"This is for you, and you alone."

You say in a rich, smoky voice, "There is passion in freedom. It invigorates me, to know each choice may be as the next."

You say in a rich, smoky voice, "Yet, never before, never -here- have I felt such choices were truly my own."

"You are welcomed there. You will be tested, you will be pushed to your limits, but they will love you, and support you."

Something large and dark moves deep beneath the surface of the murky pool.

You ask in a rich, smoky voice, "Do they not love me here? And should it matter who does and does not?"

"That is an answer that only you know."

You say absently in a rich, smoky voice, "I have always favoured blue, to black..."

You say in a rich, smoky voice, "If it is contemplating endless possibility, a canopied ceiling has drawn my focus more than lumic moss."

You have emoted: Sybilla frowns, her eyes scanning the surface of the water.

Vague impressions of distended limbs and roiling tentacles churn deep within the murky darkness of the pool's stagnant waters.

You shudder violently as a chill ripples down your spine.

You say quietly in a rich, smoky voice, "I fear I'll lose myself, one Way or the Other."

"Following the Sky means finding yourself. You will not be allowed to lose that which you are, or that which you wish to be. You will be encouraged to do precisely the opposite of losing yourself."

You abruptly ask in a rich, smoky voice, "And Chaos? Has the Sky space enough to serve that cause?"

"There are no teachings within Chaos that interfere with those of Freedom. In many cases, they go hand in hand, though Freedom may frown upon the more extreme examples."

You have emoted: Sybilla furrows her brow in thought.

Mordanyconus purses his lips thoughtfully.

You say in a rich, smoky voice, "The study of Chaos is a way of striving for Freedom. We seek to leave behind the fetters of mortal expectation of what's possible, or probable, or plausible, and transcend those. Seek a sort of infinity."

The face of a beautiful woman appears briefly just below the surface of the pool's stagnant waters, long black hair streaming around her pale features.

You say in a rich, smoky voice, "The occultist's search for knowledge, in its way, is just another form of meditation of all that may be true."

"Hand in hand, to seek your place in the Infinity. In doing so, you find your Individuality. And then... you must find your Passion. Follow whatever you believe to fulfill that. Doubts are one of the worst weights on the mind."

It is now the 18th of Valnuary, 649 years after the fall of the Seleucarian Empire.

You get 1 gold sovereign from a kidskin pouch.

You ask in a rich, smoky voice, "And how does one follow, where duty, family, influence perhaps, tug elsewhere?"

You have emoted: Sybilla flips a gold sovereign between her forefingers, gazing placidly at the image of a crowned head on one side, and a winged-serpent on the other.

You ask in a rich, smoky voice, "What is the first step to individuality, when I've been contemplating namelessness since I turned thirty?"

"If duty prevents your goal, then you must weigh which you are more passionate about. If family would not support you, are they truly family? You would find another, one that desires your happiness. Influence? That comes with charisma, which comes with confidence, which will be the result of your finding what you are, who you are."

Mordanyconus purses his lips thoughtfully.

"The first step is to answer one question. What do you want?"

You have emoted: Sybilla lets her knees sink and crosses her legs, thinking for long moments.

You say softly in a rich, smoky voice, "I want to walk my own way."

You say in a rich, smoky voice, "To know, fully, what it is I do, and why and who for."

"Then do so, and find yourself."

You flip a golden sovereign up in the air and watch, mesmerised, as it spins rapidly through its arc.
 It hits the ground and you see that the tails side is facing up.

You have emoted: Sybilla allows herself a half-smile in satisfaction.

You smile and say relieved in a rich, smoky voice, "You know, I think I shall."

"Best of luck, and I hope you find happiness."

You have acted: Sybilla rises from the side of the pool, and pads lightly towards Mordanyconus, lowering her head in respect.

You say to Mordanyconus in a rich, smoky voice, "I pray I've not much disturbed your meditations, though I shan't wager you're rather used to bibbling by now."
Mordanyconus says, "There is an idol deeper within the caverns. Preface your prayers with the invocation "Lord Babel" and you will be heard by the Lord of the Iron Crown."

Mordanyconus says, "Be sure that you are able to bear the god's attention before seeking it. Our lord is not a merciful or patient deity."

Mordanyconus says, "The truly daring may seek audience with the divinity, but that is a different process altogether."

You pause a moment to gather your thoughts.

You laughingly say in a rich, smoky voice, "All these years and I never knew that."

You say in a rich, smoky voice, "Perhaps I truly am growing bolder. My thank yous, Enlightened One. There is much to think on."