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JWaldman

4/9 The Light of Dawn

JWaldman
Apr 9th, 2019
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  1. (Mind's Waters - https://i.gyazo.com/3b4bfc935b57b5e23f573c00bb208ec4.png )
  2.  
  3. Artaghh says, "See ya Vedran an' Josie."
  4. Josephine Dusk says, "See ya."
  5. Artaghh says, "We're headin'ta the cliffs fer trainin'."
  6. Vedran Ivanovich says, "Begone."
  7. Josephine Dusk says, "Have fun."
  8. Chroma hoists up the fishman by the neck.
  9. (Chroma Zanders)
  10. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  11.  
  12. Chaaca shrugs as he lays on the ground.
  13. (Chaaca Khan)
  14. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  15. Chaaca Khan says, "Ahp"
  16. Josephine Dusk says, "If you break something, remember.."
  17. Josephine Dusk says, "I don't care."
  18. Artaghh asks, "Is tha'.....did Josie jus' have a nicer goodbye than Vedran?"
  19. Artaghh says, "An' there it is."
  20. Vedran Ivanovich whispers something.
  21. Josephine Dusk says, "Ahaha."
  22. Theodore grips Chaaca by the fucking legs and drags along side the face.
  23. (Theodore)
  24. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  25.  
  26. Josephine Dusk whispers something.
  27. Artaghh exclaims, "Bahahahah!"
  28. Vedran Ivanovich says, "Aye.. It's one of those days."
  29. Vedran Ivanovich says, "Fall off a cliff."
  30. Artaghh says, "That's part of the trainin' Vedran."
  31. Artaghh says, "Silly."
  32. Freya Vishkar says, "If we find anyone up there that we can safely kill."
  33. Freya Vishkar says, "I or Theo call dibs."
  34. Artaghh says, "Alright."
  35. Chroma drops fish.
  36. (Chroma Zanders)
  37. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  38.  
  39. Artaghh says, "So, trainin'."
  40. Chaaca plops down on the ground.
  41. (Chaaca Khan)
  42. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  43.  
  44. Chaaca Khan says, "RIght, right. I'll go do something useful."
  45. Chaaca slaps the tree.
  46. (Chaaca Khan)
  47. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  48.  
  49. Artaghh says, "Theo, Freya, ye' will be doin' boulder squats o'er the edge, followed by meditation"
  50. Chaaca Khan says, "Kay, we have some fire."
  51. Artaghh says, "Ten tons this time."
  52. Artaghh says, "If ye' slip, ye' fall wit' ten tons'a stone on yer back off'ta cliff."
  53. Artaghh says, "I'm nae cleanin' it up."
  54. Freya Vishkar says, "I can fly."
  55. Theodore says, "..."
  56. Artaghh says, "Try flyin' wit' ten tons'a stone on yer back."
  57. Artaghh says, "It'll be really funny."
  58. Chaaca Khan says, "You make a fair point."
  59. Theodore says, "I mean, I did it..........."
  60. Freya Vishkar asks, "Boulder squats, right?"
  61. Artaghh says, "Aye."
  62. Artaghh says, "One legged."
  63. Freya Vishkar says, "Theo! Lets find some rocks."
  64. Freya Vishkar says, "Or that amount of weight in tree-trunks, I don't know."
  65. Freya walks to the mountainside, unsheathing her Nyeshk greatsword and slamming it against the mountain, repeatedly carving at the cliffside until a massive boulder was able to be pulled-out, weight approximately ten-tons.
  66. (Freya Vishkar)
  67. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  68.  
  69. Chroma Zanders says, "Theo."
  70. Chroma Zanders says, "Here."
  71. Freya Vishkar asks, "How many squats per leg?"
  72. Chaaca Khan says, "Think he said ten thousand."
  73. Chroma Zanders says, "Mhm."
  74. Freya Vishkar says, "Sweet Azrael..."
  75. Chaaca Khan says, "Have fun."
  76.  
  77. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  78.  
  79. Chaaca Khan says, "No trout about it, you guys tottally kick bass."
  80. Chaaca Khan says, "I'm prepared to be thrown off the mountain."
  81. Chaaca Khan says, "No fear."
  82. Chroma Zanders says, ". . . . ."
  83. With a silent prayer to her god and a sigh, she grabs the boulder by the bottom and -heaves- it over her shoulders. The moment it steadies, her legs buckles, and she nearly loses her balance.
  84.  
  85. She drops to a knee, even with her impressive strength this weight is an incredible strain on her body. A second-wind follows a flare of her Rieka, the emerald green of her energies bleeding through some of the boulder; the natural ores conducting her Rieka.
  86.  
  87. With a grunt, she manages to regain her footing, and a journey of a few feet began. Every step was like her joints and muscles getting shredded by thousands of tiny needles, the lactic acid already building from the weight.
  88.  
  89. Step... Step... Step...
  90.  
  91. One foot after the other, she walked. Constricting bindings of her Rieka pinned the boulder to her back. Only a few feet from the cliff's edge, and she already felt drained. But with a heavy grunt, and another herculean step, she reaches the cliff's edge.
  92.  
  93. And this was just the warm-up.
  94. (Freya Vishkar)
  95. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  96.  
  97. Training.
  98.  
  99. Theodore carved his blade into the mountain and moved it to form a perfect sphere. Theodore then pulled the sphere out of the Mountain and strapped it on to his shoulders and turned around to walk over to the cliff. Upon coming to the cliff, Theodore goes to the very tip of the cliff and lifts his right leg up. The Oscuri then closes his eyes and goes down just once.
  100.  
  101. His left leg was bent at the knee before he pushed himself up to do one successful squat. Sweat was already pouring down his person before Theodore continued to do more again. As tiring as it was, Theodore continued to do these squats while utilizing one green-stardust wing to keep himself afloat. Even though Theodore was technically cheating, it did assist him in doing these strenuous squats upon a deadly cliff.
  102. (Theodore)
  103. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  104.  
  105. Chaaca Khan says, "Right, right. If you guys want I can dolphinitely scale back on the fish puns."
  106. Chaaca Khan says, "I'm having way too much fun with this."
  107. Chaaca Khan says, "Oh right. Congradulations on the kid, Artie."
  108. Chaaca Khan says, "I just heard about that."
  109. Artaghh says, "Because Chaac."
  110. Artaghh says, "Yer our fire keeper."
  111. Chaaca Khan asks, "What?"
  112. Artaghh says, "Yes."
  113. Chaaca Khan says, "I'm fucking confused."
  114. Artaghh says, "Ye' are."
  115. Chaaca Khan says, "..."
  116. Chaaca Khan asks, "How's the kid?"
  117. Artaghh says, "I think he's alive..."
  118. Chaaca Khan asks, "You think?"
  119. Artaghh says, "Well, he is Oscuri."
  120. Chaaca Khan asks, "I mean, considering who his parents are?"
  121. Chaaca Khan says, "I'm sure he'll be fine."
  122. Artaghh says, "Yer nae wrong..."
  123. Chroma Zanders says, "You. Will. Owe. Me."
  124. Chaaca Khan says, "Yea, I'm pretty sure I have nothing to add with this whole energy training thing... So I'll just be uhh dicking around by the fire or something."
  125. Chaaca Khan says, "... Wait no."
  126. Chaaca Khan says, "I hate fire."
  127. Chaaca Khan says, "Fuuuuuuuck."
  128. One bent knee before a push upward; the boulder puts pressure.
  129.  
  130. Theodore felt every single bone in his body scream for agony. The bones themselves were already braking due to the ten-ton weight that was bringing him down. Theodore could already sense that failure was imminent, and to constantly hold on to this would result in unoptimized failure that will then result in his demise. However, with all this adrenaline that was coming up to him, Theodore pushed further to keep this one-legged squat up.
  131.  
  132. Even with sweat coming down his forehead, Theodore could only close his eyes and remain steady in movement. Even though he stayed in movement, the weight of the boulder was starting to bare fruit as he started to bend down further. The weight and the intensity was proving to show that it was far too much for him to handle, and he could feel himself falling over. However, it happened.
  133.  
  134. Rieka certified around Theodore's person before he felt a new found strength in him. He pushed the boulder to go up to stick to his footing and letting out a sigh of excitement and a second wind.
  135. (Theodore)
  136. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  137.  
  138. Easing a bit after dropping off the money as he could feel the Oscuri's palms itching a bit. The interesting bombs that were dropped upon him by the Paladin of Chaos herself had finally worked their way into his forefront as he took a seat in the snow to begin his deliberations.
  139.  
  140. Chroma truly needed to take a step back, and allow his mind to settle down after such vapid storms that gnawed against his psyche. The torrents through him through great loops as he took a retrospection.
  141.  
  142. Floating into the air his body would shine a teal casing over his person. Clenching his eyes, he'd let all tension fade into the cool mountain breeze as he dabbled on what moves will be for the best for the future of Dawn as a whole.
  143.  
  144. A feeling of ease lingered though as he mulled over the intrepid seas of the weylines warping within his soul.
  145.  
  146. Somehow Josephine was the voice of reason, despite all leading to the contrary of the past surrounding her. He felt that so long as he could depend on his other Paladins... that maybe they could get Dawn to prosper despite tough decisions ahead.
  147. (Chroma Zanders)
  148. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  149.  
  150. Ser Artaghh would shake his head with amusement at the nonsensical antics of the youths, barking out in hearty, wholesome laughters as he sat upon the edge of the frozen cliffside looking down upon distant Dawn. It was a beautiful view, perhaps one of the best in all of Agartha, but the bald paladin could not enjoy it entirely in peace. His progress in his energy training had reached a plateau, his mind remained unexpanded. The burnt swordsman was.....at a loss. He'd tried it all, meditated on all varieties of trauma, and yet his pulsating energy remained as dense as it had been since he'd first made his breakthrough over ten years back.
  151.  
  152. But there was one option.
  153.  
  154. The weathered paladin would glance with a grimace into a particular, long ignored seam of his green twill cloak, a depository for a fell artifact he'd done his best to ignore. Done his best to forget. But without it, he had no chance of advancing. He needed the Mind's Eye, the cursed amulet of the Swuisarme King's high cultist, the eldritch pendant that whispered of dark truths and evil. Ser Artaghh had believed that it was a pointless trinket, but he knew that in truth this was but a defense his mind had raised to stop him from delving deeper. He feared the dark, and what would come with it, but the swordsman had faith in his resolve.
  155.  
  156. With a deep breathe, the knight would place the amulet around his neck, sighing deeply as he felt the sickly, oily sensation crawl upon his back. Yes, he remembered this.
  157. (Artaghh)
  158. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  159.  
  160. Down.
  161.  
  162. The first squat nearly threw her off the mountain, her right leg extended out in front of her as her left pistol-squatted down. She quickly rose back up, but the burning pain in her leg was strong enough to force her to take a momentary break.
  163.  
  164. Was this all the strength she had? A single squat enough for her to give in and stop? No, she needed to keep going. Her Rieka flared higher, another prayer to Azrael escaped her lips, and she descended yet again.
  165.  
  166. Down.
  167.  
  168. A second squat with the opposite leg, a little more under control and slightly quicker than the first. The pain was building; Lactic acid screamed at her legs to stop this, but she kept pushing.
  169.  
  170. Down.
  171.  
  172. She breathed, and forced more Rieka out in response to her pain. Another squat, and then another. The searing taint of Azrael lessened the burn, it told her to keep moving and it kept her balance. Momentarily, her wings would manifest to keep her balance, but the intervals between squats lowered. She was picking up speed.
  173.  
  174. Down.
  175.  
  176. The corners of her sight blurred, the onset of one of Azrael's visions. It came upon her much quicker than in meditation; a response to the trauma she was both experiencing now and from her past.
  177.  
  178. She could no longer feel the weight of the boulder on her back; her body was simply repeating the motions from earlier. But her sight was no longer the snow-covered valley above...
  179.  
  180. ...It was the courtroom.
  181.  
  182. She was surrounded by a faceless crowd, anyone she recognize had no features to them, simply empty mannequins. In the center of it all, she stood, unable to move. Her mother was against a table, blood dripping from her back as exposed flesh was severed in an x-shaped wound.
  183.  
  184. Down.
  185.  
  186. A whip cracked at Franziska, spraying blood on the table and exposinggore. The faint bit of white bone chipped at the attack.
  187.  
  188. Down.
  189.  
  190. The wounds began to grow green with Rieka, her mother sobbing at the assault. Her pride broken, and her spirit eviscerated. It was painful to watch, but her body did not obey her. She was as paralyzed as she was back then.
  191.  
  192. Down.
  193.  
  194. She wanted it to end. This was not a vision of a glorious battle, it was torture. Her father continued to attack her mother, and she was powerless to do anything.
  195.  
  196. She cried out, both in her vision and in reality. A horrible, ear-piercing scream. The Rieka that had build-up in her body flooded, the rock, causing it to fill with emerald light before shattering. The shards of rock cascaded down the mountainside, and she was forced on her back, breathing heavily and emitting Rieka from her eyes.
  197. (Freya Vishkar)
  198. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  199.  
  200. Ser Artaghh would close his eyes as he took a long, chilly breathe from the gusting mountain summit before steadily levitating as he crossed his legs with experienced, nearly reflexive movement from his long hours spent upon this frozen summit above Dawn, perhaps above all the worldly concerns of Agartha. If it was here he was to endure the whispers of the Mind's Waters, then this was the ideal place to bare it.
  201.  
  202. As his outsides senses dulled and began to fade into a meditative trance, the experienced paladin entered his inner mindscape before too long, blackness pervading his senses as his mind was put to determined focus against the foul whispers of the eldritch amulet. His face instinctively grimaced from the immediate mental pressure and strain, the occult whispers taunting his human psyche with a foul, other-dimensional flaunt. It would not be an easy next few hours to come for him, his was a struggle to retain his sanity to pursue the next level of energy magic through one, final exercise.
  203. (Artaghh)
  204. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  205.  
  206. Chaaca just paced around in circles, he had nothing to add to any of this, but he was also too lazy to actually walk back to Dawn. So here he was, just walking around in circles ontop of a mountain.
  207. (Chaaca Khan)
  208. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  209.  
  210. Time dissolved into a measurement of how far he'd gone.
  211.  
  212. Fading into a sense of coherent consensus. The Paladin would weigh in on the status of Dawn should things persist as they had. Franziska had been subjected to lashings, and public humiliation.. but it was evident that these things had done pretty much nothing in order to change her for the better. The woman didn't seem to want to change her image, to grow out of the rut she'd placed her family in, or even change the way she viewed things even now.
  213.  
  214. Pain was a temporary slight of error--this fact Dawn knew far too well, but it was nearly sparked and risked in a very fragile time for all but a single family's squabblings with the vampires.
  215.  
  216. Not only did it not matter, or even serve to enrich them with victory....but overall it meant doom should they all funnel into a fool's war to blanket the Vishkars. In unison of thought though...it wasdecided that this pretty much could not be.
  217.  
  218. Shaking free from the deep well of spiritual overcast that loomed upon his mind, he could feel his consciousness wandering down upon a field of wonder separate from his body. The plane was endless and without many features but it helped his soul become defined and stronger in the willpower it would require to pursue fruitful change.
  219.  
  220. It felt like no matter what revelations, and how far he went, the more familiar, and coherent his scattered mentality remained, drawing closer and closer until he was sure of himself, as his physical body came into view.
  221.  
  222. Closure.
  223.  
  224. Just as he'd recommended Josie find the common ground with Sors, he too needed to find a peace with what had to be done, so that the light of Azrael would prevail. Were they right to do this..? Or would this end up being their greatest mistake? His path was set, now it was time to finally meet the end of the road.
  225. (Chroma Zanders)
  226. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  227. Ser Artaghh was relentlessly bombarded by the inhuman, sticky whispers of the foul, eldritch power that inhabited the Mind's waters, his spirit degraded and befouled by it's monstrous, occultic whispers. The previous holder of its dark burden was the cult leader of that inbred, Sirenian fishing hamlet where the hunt for the Swuisarme King had begun....so many long, long years ago. It was a truly evil thing, a trinket disposed of to his brother for years and forgotten about as such things deserve to be for any honest man.
  228.  
  229. But a great war was brewing, times were changing, and no doubt the host of monsters will march with Ser Artaghh, Knight of the Green Hill in tow. He was getting old, thirty eight and counting. And his wounds weren't going anywhere anytime soon. The mithril plating that wrought him half together from the burns in the siege of Crafthold by the rogue undead legion was a permanent reminder of his choice to face the flames of Alastor Vishkar's owjn alchemic flames charred half his body into a foul, occultic mess. And one could not forget the agonizing surgery of Lord Sors Ultovex where most of his torso's blackened muscle was torn and ripped away with brutality by the known sadist and close paladin friend.
  230. (Artaghh)
  231. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  232. Freya was leaned against the tree, panting heavily and frantically looking around at the two meditating. She hadn't fully escaped the vision that Azrael bombarded her with; the image of Alastor brutalizing her mother with the scourge over, and over again.
  233.  
  234. It was maddening. Her Rieka was burning into the tree behind her, staining it the same emerald green as her body. She was panicking, the first true realization of the horrors her father had done to her, and her family.
  235.  
  236. She desperately looked at Chaaca, the only one who was conscious. Trying to mouth words, but the only sounds being choked and haggard cries.
  237. (Freya Vishkar)
  238. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  239.  
  240. Chaaca was clearly too busy walking around in circles to help Freya.
  241. (Chaaca Khan)
  242. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  243.  
  244. Freya Vishkar says, "ight bro imma head out"
  245. Chaaca was minding his own business walking around in circles, clearly out of everyone here he was the most productive... Probably. Either way he was enjoying his time out in the cold mountain surrounded by his... Sleeping friends. The Sirenian sighed as he glanced at each of them, Chroma seemed to be lost in meditation, and Artaghh seemed to be in an intense amount of pain. He squinted at his mentor, the hell was he doing that was causing him to be in such an incredible amount of pain? Eh, he'd ask him later.
  246.  
  247. It was then that Chaaca laid his eyes onto Freya. He blinked, was she dying? He shook his head as he tried to clear his head. I mean, there was no way she was dying right? She was just meditating… Right? He rested his eyes on her again. Oh boy, she was dying, wasn't she?
  248.  
  249. The Knight quickly rushed to his friends side, as his entire body erupted in a brilliant light. Upon closer inspection, Chaaca immediately came to the realization that she wasn't dying. Her body was just in an incredible amount of pain from the intense workout she had gone through, but there was more to it then just that. The poor girl seemed to be having a panic attack.
  250.  
  251. Right, he'd do his best to sort both of these out at the same time... Probably. Either way he'd give it a solid go. He'd motion for the little ball of sound magic that constantly floated around him to float around Freya. He gave the little orb a simple task, play some music that will calm the poor girl.
  252.  
  253. The grey ball's color shifted to blue, as it hovered around Freya. The ball quickly gets to work replicating the sound of a piano, as a calming tune begins to flow out from it. As orb that he'd yet to name played it's song, a strange calm overtook the area, as the melodic tune did it's best to soothe everyone.
  254.  
  255. Chaaca wasn't done yet, he'd gently set his hands down onto Freya, as he got to work using his holy magic to dull some of Freya's pain. The aura of blazing light spread across to the girl as a simple protection spell was cast over her. It was at this moment that Chaaca felt an incredible amount of physical pain shoot through his body.
  256.  
  257. Right, he'd forgotten that the spell causes him to share her pain... Oh well he'd be fine, as long as he kept his friend safe. With the pain coursing through his body, the Sirenian closed his eyes, as the mighty tree Yggdrasil came to his aide to help him dull her pain...
  258.  
  259. This'll help... Right?
  260. (Chaaca Khan)
  261. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  262.  
  263. Distant, harmonic, the sound of his former squire Ser Chaacha Khan's melodizing synthesized piano rung lightly against Ser Artaghh's entranced consciousness, washing against the whispers and giving his psyche a brief amount of relief even as his mind continued its struggle against the other worldly, foul ramblings of darkness that emanated in grim perpetuity from the Mind's Waters. The veins on his brow slowly began to be subdued as his mental strain was relieved, if only to the slightest bit. It was enough for the bald paladin to regather his resolve, and for positive thoughts to flow once more through his mind.
  264.  
  265. As the process continued, the surging mana shroud of Artaghh's overdrive flowed against the gusting, frozen winds of the cliffside plateau where the paladin had spent so many evenings in meditation. The energy would seem to wax and wane as the raw power manifested by Artaghh's energy mastery seeked to push it further by densifying his mana. Ohtli had given him more than a few tips on how best to be in tune with the spirits, and this cold night above the wintry peaks of outer Dawn, the burnt swordsman's mana burned bright.
  266.  
  267. (Artaghh)
  268. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  269.  
  270. The scene continued to play out, over and over. A broken Franziska publicly humiliated by her monster of a father. A whip that cracked, rending flesh and chipping bone. Her limbs were pinned; the stress of the workout forcing them limp.
  271.  
  272. It was maddening. Nothing but faceless masses condemning her mother to shame. It just repeated.
  273.  
  274. Over
  275.  
  276. and over.
  277.  
  278. From within the crowd, there was a small light. A faint tune of Piano that broke through the vision. A way out, if some kind. She tried to move her legs, and with enough of a twitch she fell to the floor. Slowly, she crawled away from the hideous scene and towards the gentle piano.
  279.  
  280. Once she reached it, the courtroom was gone, and Chaaca's face was staring at him. Her Rieka had burnt an imprint into the bark of the tree holding her up, and soon sputtered out. Her Rieka was far fainter than usual; a sign of exhaustion.
  281.  
  282. Slowly, she spat out, shaking and visibly afraid.
  283.  
  284. "Take... me home."
  285. (Freya Vishkar)
  286. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  287. Nearly coming up to his body now, finally at peace with current events in order to leave this pleasant stroll, there'd be a dark cloud looming within the plane he walked. He'd see the deep violent and menacing aura where Artaghh was...it seeped further within not only his garments, but also into this created manifestation of the ethereal world's musings.
  288.  
  289. A calling...old, yet familiar. Forgotten yet etched...
  290.  
  291. The allure drew him in though, a repulsion of the world around drew his spirit into the attraction that was this amulet. Having seen him gifted it from his brother Allende before the man departed off to the mainland, he'd never really stopped to question how the amulet could call out and forth to the Swuisarme King for their cultist rituals. A lure to the mythical, and long slain behemoth for it's mealtime.
  292.  
  293. The echoes of voices seemed to know Chroma.....having had a hand in the final, finishing blow on the maritime monarch in a great cleave at it's throat the sounds warped into gnarly taunts and curses upon his entire spiritual being.
  294.  
  295. He would fight to keep his form from dissipating from the sheer magnitude of pressure it exerted; Each step towards it now was another battle with flashes from the nearly ancient bit never forgotten titanic mission wracked his mind.
  296.  
  297. He saw Artaghh being slammed down and having it's poison stabbed into his lungs, and his brother being crushed by that same smog slashing against his throat.
  298.  
  299. The red haired warrior was nearing the depths of his tolerance, wracking his spirit as he felt his form withering and choking out. The evil that surrounded this item would finally have it revenge on Ser Zanders, if not for the introduction of a soothing hymn....the music of Chaaca's raining in from seemingly nowhere came to him when he felt himself fading away.
  300.  
  301. Steeled by this, his form embossed, and began glowing in contention. His body became a glowing tower of mystical raw energy, each pained step was a defiance, regicide against the long deposed king.
  302.  
  303. His hand would reach out in the Spirit Realm and grab the amulet to muffle it's control, and influence before---he opened his eyes, taking a deep breath as he felt relief was over him.
  304.  
  305. Giving a surprised look to the Sirenian, and noticing Freya's condition, he'd bury down what he'd tread in his mind regarding her mother, and even Dawn or the amulet...for right now, she needed him.
  306. (Chroma Zanders)
  307. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  308. Chaaca nodded to Freya as the radiant aura of light dissipated around him. Right, taking her home was probably a good idea. The sirenian carefully got down onto his knees, as he carefully picked Freya up. His little orb continued to float around Freya as it played it's simple tune, which hopefully helped.
  309.  
  310. "Right, let's get you home Freya."
  311.  
  312. With that he slowly returned to his feet, he glanced at Chroma and Artaghh before taking off for Dawn.
  313.  
  314.  
  315. (Chaaca Khan)
  316. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  317.  
  318. Chroma Zanders asks, "F-freya!?"
  319. Ser Artaghh would continue his meditations well into the night, long after companions and and niece had left for home. The whispers of the Mind's waters pressed on, torturing his psyche as his shroud of pulsating energy fluxuated in a perpetual, shifting coil of raw mana. Yet, the blue appeared to grow just a bit bluer over time. The paladin was empowered by those that came before him, the five generations of turnip farmers that led a commoner named Artaghh to the highest echelons of military rank in Dawn. He was tough as metal, and half made of mithril too, there was no deed he could not accomplish if he did put his stubborn mind to it. That was the way of the Fomorian Giant
  320.  
  321. The death of Priscilla had snuffed out the vengeance in Ser Artaghh's heart, the dull desire to hunt down vampire's to attain power by the simple truth that they were thoroughly fallible in battle without any help of the burnt swordsman's own. Yet, something quite new had reinforced the paladin's morale. His partner Amelie had revealed that after thirty eight years, Artaghh had a son of his own blood. A noble born Oscuri to House Vishkar bearing the beloved nickname of Artaghh's recruiter and late oldest friend Ser Fethi. Young Feth Vishkar would grow up to be the greatest knight Dawn had ever seen if Artaghh and Amelie had anything to say about it, and the stirring of the youth still brought a fresh warmth to the new father's heart.
  322.  
  323.  
  324. (Artaghh)
  325. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  326.  
  327. The energy around the paladin would pulsate as Ser Artaghh stiffened his resolve, the warm sight of Amelie upon his shoulder and Feth in her arms engraved into his mind as a pillar of stability. They were his family now, and it was his duty to be strong enough to protect them from danger. Ipos still wanted dead Vishkars, and Alastor's gambit against the vampires would eventually bring danger upon this house. The shimmering blue would deepen like the waters of the great ocean over time, a rich blue that was as dense as it was intense in its shimmer. The spirits of all those that touched upon Artaghh, that relied upon his strength as he relied upon theres stood before him in the black depths of his internal mindscape.
  328.  
  329. Vedran, Chroma, Sirocco, Chaaca, Allende, Ohtli, Josie, Sors, Shizuko, young Eztli, Jessi, Alastor in his own strange way. His family, Amelie and young Feth. Young Teddy and bright Loretta. His new squire, a sassy Oscuri girl that reminded him of his own youngwife so many years ago. The fallen, Fethi, Annie, Siegmeyer, Avo. All had given him strength at some point, and their wisps of energy had been engraved upon his own, empowering warmth by their shared laughter and mirth. With his friends and family, Ser Artaghh would become strong enough to protect his people from danger, no matter how many boundaries mentally and physically he must cross.
  330.  
  331. He would be the light of Dawn, the heart that might one day bring the warmth of sunlight to this city.
  332. (Artaghh)
  333. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  334.  
  335. As dawn broke upon the cliffs and the dim glints of the morning light peaked through the clouds, the paladin would finally stir from his meditative trance, the cursed amulet upon his neck weightless in its burden. Ser Artaghh had been changed by this night upon the cliff. He entered a confused, aging man, and left a father prepared to do anything for his family. As the dull, silvery sabatons of the knight crunched upon the padded snow of the cliff's high altitude plains, Ser Artaghh would stare out into the distant city of Dawn with a confident smile on his scarred face.
  336.  
  337. If he could quit drinking and smoking with only a bit of Dylerun's threats, he could do anything he set his mind to. Such was the power of the Mystic Arts.
  338. (Artaghh)
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