A phospherescent lounge. (Lair) [Abyss] (v49794)
A small earthen table sits within the center of the seating area. Jarva Ruek is here, casually inspecting beneath his fingernails. A circular seating area occupies the center of the room. Dripping black ichor, a heaping skeleton of bone creates a construct from the earth here. A wrought-iron drink cart is here, an elegant glass decanter atop it.  A small sign indicates that LIBRARY CATALOG will list the materials in this library.
Exits: northeast.
Shrines: Iosyne.

Jarva Ruek mutters something underneath his breath, glaring at no one in particular.

You have emoted: Lin glances up at Jarva Ruek, back down again. She shifts restlessly on the bench, always looking ready to spring off at a moment's notice.

Jarva Ruek says, "Problem?"

You have emoted: "What did you say, before," Lin asks, keeping her head down.

Jarva Ruek says, "'bout what."

You have emoted: Lin surges from the bench, her fists clenched tightly, a line of tightly-strained muscle running down the length of her exposed throat. "WHAT DID YOU SAY!!!"

Jarva Ruek cracks his knuckles methodically, giving you a meaningful look.

You have emoted: "***hole, all of you-- ***holes," Lin leaves the room, snarling, smashing her knuckles repeatedly into the walls as she goes, leaving a stream of barely-coherent, muttered expletives in her wake.

You stand up and stretch your arms out wide.

A warm-walled tunnel. (Lair) [Abyss] (v49523)
Exits: northeast, southwest.

The center of a complex network of tunnels. (Lair) [Abyss] (v49699)
A yawning maw emerges from the center of the pit to hang open and motionless. A smooth onyx dais occupies the center of the pit.
Exits: northeast, southwest, northwest, southeast.

A warm-walled tunnel. (Lair) [Abyss] (v49877)
Exits: east, southwest.

Overlooking a bowl-shaped pit. (Lair) [Abyss] (v49878)
Rimming the chamber is a crowd of shadowy forms, erratic and vaguely humanoid in outline.
Exits: west.

"Lin is really the ***hole."

You have emoted: Lin winces as she overhears talking, roaming around the pit like a starved lioness, keeping her head low. She answers, but under her breath, voice catching as she mumbles who-knows-what in Djeri. She continually punches the walls each time she draws near them, her tail slashing at the air angrily.

You have emoted: "Lin too, everyone, everything..." Lin throws a punch, the hardened plating of her knuckles loosening dust and dirt from the walls. "Nothing worth anything, everyone dead or asleep; She's asleep, how can She be asleep..."

The maddening whispers of the shadow-people surrounding you infiltrate your mind from all sides, like a true crowd of onlookers seeming to discuss your every move.

Rimming the chamber, plastered against the earthen walls, is a crowd of humanoid shadows. Each one is slender, tall, and moves erratically by the ushering of the trickling torchlight. No matter which way you orient yourself, you are always at the center of their attention.

"Nothing so worthless as a worthless tool."

"Haven't the slightest idea what to do."

"Destruction is imminent. She will."

"Wouldn't she turn herself inside out."

You have emoted: Lin begins to pant raggedly, working a trench into the floor as she paces back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. The shadows eventually draw her ire, and she slashes at them with claws like miniature shotel blades, hissing at nothing but air. Blood drips slowly from the breaches punctured into her knuckles. "THERE'S NOTHING TO DO!" she screams, sweeping the place with her eyes, "SHE ISN'T THERE!"

You exclaim, "Sh- SHUT UP!"

Your exclamation silences the voices, which may have not even been speaking truly at all. Their twitching, impossible forms shift in synchronized movement, arms reaching out towards you, inviting embrace.

You have emoted: Lin backsteps, nearly stumbling, her tail snapping in the other direction to correct her balance. She throws her arms up, a gesture that could be either a challenge or an attempt at shelter. "No, no, I'm- I'm losing it, this isn't good--" Motionless, she gulps aloud, never taking her eyes off the audience.

The crowd becomes still, waiting on you.

Iosyne echoes in your head, "Embrace the shadows, little demon. You have nowhere else to go."

You have emoted: Hahh. Hahh. Lin pants, amber eyes going pale, like sunlight through tree sap. "I- I waited seven days, seven nights, in Her court, I- I waited so long..." She takes a step, and then another, putting less and less distance between herself and the outstretched shadows. Her voice choked with anger, she asks, "What do I do? Is there really nowhere to go?" Another step, and now, she can touch back, reaching out, clawtips meeting so many dark, translucent fingers.

"Join with us. Embrace us."

You have emoted: Lin doesn't hesitate a moment longer, taking the last few steps into the depths of the shadowy figures, her arms spread wide, inviting them to her openly, surrendering her trust.

You remember Emelle staring at you, wondering what in the world you were.

You step closer to one of the slender, twitchy shadows rimming the pit, reaching out with both hands to intersect the incorporeal form. Continuing to move forward, you merge with the shadows completely, its inky form matching yours in every dimension. Your surroundings warp into zigzagging lines, pulling away to reveal another place entirely.

Beyond the void. (Lair) [Abyss] (v50373)
The mind struggles to comprehend what comprises the physical space surrounding you. Beyond the void of shadow, you appear to be trapped somehow in negative space, the violent energy of the surroundings pressuring your body in from all sides and threatening to tear it apart from within. The color spectrum itself is reversed, black appearing as white and every other visible color following suit. A shadowy figure lingers in the area, its shape in constant flux. A giant simulacrum of the Malevolent stalks the grounds in rage, her four arms equipped with wickedly-curved obsidian scimitars. The monstrous half-woman, half-spider form of Iosyne, the Malevolent is here.
Exits: northeast, southeast, southwest, northwest, out.

She is an Immortal of massive proportions, a half-woman, half-spider monstrosity of terrifying shape. The sharp, angular features of Her face are hardened into a cruel countenance, Her sightless gaze naught but narrowed white orbs lacking their pupil. A haze of creeping shadows partially swathes Her form, surrounding Her like a heavy fog, and partially melding with the wild mane of crimson-streaked black hair cascading from Her shoulders. Whipcord muscles beneath sleek ebony skin suit Her monstrous form well; where Her humanoid waist ends, an arachnid thorax begins and continues into a bulbous black abdomen splattered with red blots. Eight segmented, spindly legs carry this body aptly and swiftly, dexterous appendages capable of moving in any direction with frightening speed.
She is wearing:
a black-inked tattoo of a pair of crossed fists
a molded plate chestpiece

You have emoted: Lin gapes up at Iosyne stupidly, her eyes gone wide and blue in this strange, antichromatic place. Her every breath is stolen from her as if exhausted, the blood beginning to dry and encrust her fingers.

Waving her four obsidian scimitars in front of her menacingly, a giant simulacrum of the Malevolent enters the area.

You can see the following 3 objects:
"creature260126"         a humanoid shadow creature.
"simulacrum34723"        a simulacrum of the Malevolent.
"simulacrum43158"        a simulacrum of the Malevolent.

The terrible form of the simulacrum is impossibly tall, nearly thirteen feet in height and shaped like a strongly-built athletic woman. Her glowing ebony skin holds a constant sheen of moisture upon it, barely clad in an ornamental covering of crimson silks and gold-plated armaments and bangles. Upon her head is a conically-shaped, massive headgear, framing her scowling face on three sides. She walks barefoot, and her four arms are each equipped with a wickedly-curved obsidian scimitar.
A simulacrum of the Malevolent is about equal in strength.
Weight: 460 pounds
        208.65 kilograms

A simulacrum of the Malevolent stomps out to the southwest.

Iosyne is the only thing in this space not warped into negative space, Her coloration and physical presence as real and tangible as ever. She stands before you with the familiar sneer on Her features and offers you only a nod of welcome.

Iosyne, the Malevolent says, "I informed you not too very long ago that I had plans for you, and designs to utilize your connection with My Sister to ultimately harm Her."

You have emoted: Lin regains her composure by bits and pieces, and even then, only when she catches sight of the she-beasts loping about the place. She's beyond conventional sanity by this point, filled with frustration and confusion, asking, "You know where She is!?"

Iosyne's brow creases into an expression of mild annoyance. "No," is Her clipped answer. "Not somewhere where you would understand, at least."

You have emoted: Remembering herself, Lin drops onto one knee, bowing her head low before Iosyne's terrifying figure, continuing to hiss every breath through her teeth, tail dropped still on the floor. "I did not mean to interrupt."

Iosyne takes one step forward, closer to the simulacrum stalking the grounds nearby, Her other seven legs following suit in a delicate and nimble walk which stands at odds with Her violent method. She reaches out with one hand and closes Her fist around the simulacrum's neck, wrenching it forcefully to a lower height. "Do you understand the significance of this place?" She addresses you.

The simulacrum ceases her machinations, holding still in the grasp of the Goddess.

You have emoted: "No," Lin answers swiftly, wincing, sensing violent movement just out of the corners of her eyes. "It is... loud to the eyes. This is Your place? The way I have a Haven?" Her head jerks up, grimacing at Iosyne, and shivering to see such a massive beast being made to submit.

"You are beyond the void," Iosyne explains succinctly, Her words clipped and Her voice scratchy. "It is a space opposite of what is reality. Chaos. What happens here is where the marriage of your physical body and otherwise can be rent apart."

Iosyne releases the simulacrum, who straightens up to her full height but continues to remain still. "These simulacrums are My doubles. Effects of My shadow on the plane."

Iosyne, the Malevolent says, "They are Me, and yet they are not Me."

You have emoted: "They're beautiful," Lin answers, her voice ragged but soft, sincerity in that tone. She shifts down to the other knee and comes to rest on the floor, hands clasped loosely on her thighs.

Minding your tone is so difficult, you want nothing more than to tear something apart right now.

Iosyne turns Her massive body to orient Herself to you, raising one of Her hands. As if bidden, a wisp of shadow departs from your form, forming shapes immediately as it draws away - something akin to your being, but decidedly not you. "You have one within yourself. Already it tries to escape you."

Iosyne lowers Her hand, and the shadow retreats back into your form.

You have emoted: Lin shouts, angrily, tumbling backward onto her ass, warding away the bizarre sight with a swinging arm. "Wh- what!" When the shadow returns, though, she stays still, watching, curious, prodding at her chest as if to coax it back out.

Iosyne steps closer to you, moving in slow strides of Her arachnid legs. "This is My plan for you, little demon. My Sister cannot be found by normal means. Waiting for Her in your body - with all of its limitations and ties to the prime material plane - will be a waste of your and My time."

You have emoted: Lin's mouthparts separate, her lips twisting in the sickly, hopeful beginnings of a smile. She readjusts her position, lifting herself from the haphazard sprawl back into her courtesan's kneel, attentive and trembling with anxiousness. "What are You telling me? Are You going to make me... like You?"

Iosyne's lips curl into the barest semblance of amusement.

Iosyne, the Malevolent says, "Don't be foolish."

Her eyes flitting to the simulacrum, Iosyne, the Malevolent says, "Like her."

You have emoted: Lin's eyes follow, with notably less enthusiasm, but a worried sort of interest. She rises slowly to her feet, gazing at the massive, four-armed thing, reaching out into the air at 'her'. "I--" Nothing else is said, the tiny word giving way to a choked swallowing sound.

"This is what you want, is it not?" Iosyne inquires, Her tone shifting to a fabricated sweetness. "You will hunt for Her beyond the veil of reality, where She surely exists within Her dream world."

You have emoted: Lin walks toward the simulacrum, still reaching out, practically ignoring Iosyne. She wants to touch, to understand the bizarre being she sees. "I- I do, yes, yes! But... can She be killed this way? Is this a sharp enough blade?"

"You cannot kill a Goddess," Iosyne answers sharply, as if annoyed at the ridiculousness of the suggestion. "But you can help Me find Her, which is more than I can do Myself. You know Her realm, and you know Her ways."

Iosyne, the Malevolent says, "And if I know anything about Her... She still loves, and wants, you."

You have emoted: Lin grazes the shadowbeing with her clawtips, her breath shooting from her throat in a single, percussive gust. Her hair bristles and her tail swishes defiantly as she turns away from the simulacrum, glaring at Iosyne, fists clenched into bloodstained balls. "She wants back a FAVORITE TOY! I am YOURS!"

Iosyne is near enough to reach out with one of Her hands to caress your shoulder, a gesture that definitely lacks warmth or is intended to soothe - merely to placate. "Of course you are Mine. I would not waste time on you if you were not Mine. But you are also an attractive lure to Her."

You have emoted: Lin shudders, trying visibly not to turn away from the touch, her sight always zipping to the horrible sight of spider's legs and sharp carapace. It is a mixture of disgust and a strange, undecided affection. "She used my love and trust to betray me. I... would be all too happy to do the same."

"Then still yourself...." Iosyne's touch moves from your shoulder down, nearer to the center of your chest. "This will be more painful than necessary, otherwise."

You have emoted: "Will I... w- will I be me?" Lin asks, softly, still looking into Iosyne's eyes, her breasts rising and falling sharply, the only part of her that doesn't remain statue still.

Iosyne, the Malevolent says, "You will be you, as much as a doppelganger is you."

Iosyne, the Malevolent says, "She will still be yours. Unique."

You have emoted: "I was hoping you would say 'no'," Lin admits, shutting her eyes. With an exertion of will, she calms her hoarse breathing, as ready as she can possibly be, unknowing of what might be in store.

Will this be a life of mad joy? A killing rampage through other worlds? Will you know what you're doing? Is this goodbye, then? Will you see Keshena? Could you exist in this world again?

Iosyne's hand hovers over your heart, and Her fingers curl into a loose fist. As like before, a shadowy double begins to lift itself from your form, as if your very outline were duplicating itself.

You feel your body split, as if your soul were being absolved from your body. There is pain, but perhaps it only exists in your head. Everything feels as though you are being severed into two parts - a numb, physical shell, and a twitching mass of dark energy.

You have emoted: Lin can't help but emit a throaty whimpering noise, her body going rigid, her face cleared of anything but concentration as she swims in thought and anticipation. She makes no resistance and no quarrel, appearing like a demon-woman asleep on her feet, if not for the visible trembling of her limbs.

Your second skin, if it can even be called that, stretches further and further away from your physical body until it finally snaps away, separating from your body into its own simulacrum. It is a bizarre, nearly black thing with too many arms and mismatching eyes, but you clearly recognize it as yours.

And in the next moment, you are suddenly viewing your leftover body, as it slumps over onto the ground.

Iosyne drops the motionless living body of Lin.

Beyond the void. (Lair) [Abyss] (v50373)
The mind struggles to comprehend what comprises the physical space surrounding you. Beyond the void of shadow, you appear to be trapped somehow in negative space, the violent energy of the surroundings pressuring your body in from all sides and threatening to tear it apart from within. The color spectrum itself is reversed, black appearing as white and every other visible color following suit. A shadowy figure lingers in the area, its shape in constant flux. A giant simulacrum of the Malevolent stalks the grounds in rage, her four arms equipped with wickedly-curved obsidian scimitars. Motionless, but still alive, the body of Lin is here. The monstrous half-woman, half-spider form of Iosyne, the Malevolent is here.
Exits: northeast, southeast, southwest, northwest, out.

You can see the following 3 objects:
"creature260126"         a humanoid shadow creature.
"simulacrum34723"        a simulacrum of the Malevolent.
"body260140"             the motionless living body of Lin.

The body:
She is a dexterous Azudim, built around the same design as a human, though the similarities stop almost immediately. She is armored naturally, the way one would speak of a horkval, clad in jagged, organic bone plates that conform to the contours of her body. Beneath the bone, her flesh is an oily jet black, and looks strangely vulnerable. She is made muscularly, but her mass is packed in her calves, hips and shoulders: the build of a sprinter. A thick tail, a bit longer than she is tall, extends from the base of her spine, revealing glimpses of the shape of bone beneath when it moves. The heavy appendage is capped with a rigid, off-white spear, made filthy with ichor and blood. Facial features are striking and alien, the otherwise human shape of Lin's face blunted by a huge crest that swoops from her brow to the end of her nose, the effect like a slitted bone helmet. From beneath the protrusions, her eyes are cold and sharp, the irises a pale amber color. Her mouth is not visible by default, but when she speaks, glimpses of ochre-colored lips and sharp teeth can be seen beneath the armorlike layers of her face. A mass of black hair thrusts back from her head, gathered into a ponytail, worn long enough that it brushes her calves. From the dark mane sprouds a pair of curling ram's horns, sheathed in dark metal, which appear capable of goring someone bloodily.
The motionless living body of Lin looks weak and feeble.
Weight: 790 pounds
        358.34 kilograms

You have emoted: Lin opens her eyes - though only one appears, blinking vapidly, gazing with little comprehension at Iosyne. She shakes her head carefully, trying to clear her senses, her focus sharpening.

Iosyne moves over to the motionless, but still living body of Lin, Her spider body hovering over it protectively. Two of Her arachnid legs prop it up delicately, beginning to slowly turn it over and over as She wraps it with Her white spider silk.

You have emoted: Lin utters a loud and wondering noise, like a horn of war from her throat. She steps toward Iosyne, but does not dare interrupt her work. She can't stop staring at the body, so small and distant, and so achingly familiar.

You can see the following 3 objects:
"creature260126"         a humanoid shadow creature.
"simulacrum34723"        a simulacrum of the Malevolent.
"cocoon164625"           a large cocoon.

Something large is encased within this cocoon, but entirely impossible to discern from the outside.
Weight: 790 pounds
        358.34 kilograms

Looking at myself:
She is a dexterous Azudim, mountainous and bizarre, well over ten feet high, possibly almost fifteen. Her skin is such a dark shade of bronze as to be nearly black, light playing over it like a spider's carapace, well-toned with muscle. Her only item of clothing is a threadbare green cloak, shredded as if by use, draped over two pairs of arms. The quartet of appendages nearly reach her knees, the flesh fading to a pale white near her hands, fingers tipped with deathly claws. Her face is beautiful but cruel, with one eye of amber that smolders, mismatching its twin, an eye of depthless black. The massive creature's hair, the color of a raven's wings, flows freely to her thighs, kept in check by a loose thong of leather, and from its depths, a pair of long horns thrusts defiantly at the sky. Longer than she is tall, a ropy tail aids her balance, tipped with a scorpion-like barb.
She is wearing:
warped and twisted filigree horn ornamentations
a jade green cloak of the Emperor
a shadowy, blackened mark on her forehead

Iosyne finishes Her work with impressive speed, wrapping the giant Azudim form completely into a casing of white spider's silk. "Do not be alarmed," She informs you. "You will be well-preserved and no harm will come to this form."

The ground shudders and splits open into a narrow chasm, out of which emerges a viscous, huge tentacle. With surprising speed, it lashes out and coils around a large cocoon, dragging it back down into the the depths of the chasm.

You have emoted: Lin tries to talk, and surprises herself with the deep, but almost sultry tone of her voice. "Tear it apart if you want," she says slowly, "If this is how I will spend my days... I am content." Still, she clenches her jaw with worry, watching the cocoon vanish.

Iosyne turns to gaze upon your form, deeply contemplative of something unspoken. "You will hunt now, for Her."

You have emoted: Lin beats two fists against her breast in an economy of motion, her muscles veritably writhing. "As You wish. Thank You for this."

You are transported by the power of the Divine.

Beyond a shift in reality. () [chaos] (v50333)
A rift in reality exists here, a pocket of space beyond the prime material plane and existing in negative space. The violent energy of the surroundings pressures your body in from all sides and threatens to tear it apart from within. The color spectrum itself is reversed, black appearing as white and every other visible color following suit. The Nightmare's Court wavers into view here, and traces of its physical counterpart are visible as if you were standing there itself. The raised dais is most prominent, surrounded by a choking tangle of moss, vines, stone, and metal.  Exits:

You have no idea where you are.
Your environment conforms to that of Chaos.
You are in the Prime Material Plane.

You think you might be happy.