A Song of Storms

Within a serene glade.
It is warm and quite pleasant. The expense of the mystical forest takes pause here as it opens up into a tranquil, aged glade of light and colour. At its heart is a long tableau of white marble, gleaming in the light with its mirror-polished surface. The joyful song of birds lends the area a serene atmosphere, their colourful feathers dancing among the blossoming flowers carpeting the small hill. Four pillars of sand flow onto a bed-sized slab of white marble which rises from the ground, surrounded by a nimbus of domotheon energies. Resting peacefully in repose upon the healing mound, the cocooned figure of the Goddess Li-varili is kept vigil by the gentle light of twinkling domothean crystals. Muginn, the ghost-feathered magpie perches here with a mischievous glint in his eye. Wreathed in aurulent ivy, a pristine healing mound gleams invitingly. Flickering like a ghostly light, a will-o-wisp floats through the air. Veldrin D'Cente with a Blank face is here, shrouded. She wields a twisted staff in her left hand and a midnight black tear stained violin in her right hand.

Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say to Veldrin, "So how have you beens? Rocky?"

Veldrin D'Cente says, "We have continued along the eternal cycle."
Veldrin shrugs helplessly.

You nod your head slowly in understanding.

A pert little nose takes in a delicate whiff of Veldrin's surroundings.

Veldrin D'Cente says, "How have you been?"
Veldrin tilts her head while gazing at you, her crystal body flickering curious shades of light green.

Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "Mm, tired. Doing chores, checking on peoples I cares about..."

You sigh quietly, frills drooping as your tail sags.

Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "Not everyone is so goodly at handling rains."

Veldrin creases her brow in a frown.
Veldrin D'Cente says, "Aye..many are taking it rather harshly."

Leaning back to stare up at the sky, you say, "My dad misses the sun. They're like... a sunsflower, you know? So bright and happy. But am worried they might wilt or somethings."

Veldrin sucks thoughtfully on her teeth.

Muginn ruffles his feathers, stirring up puffs of fog.

The morning sky churns with storm-grey clouds, their bellies lit up by the sun's radiance.

Veldrin D'Cente says, "Can you create illusions?"

You nod your head at Veldrin.
You sigh quietly, frills drooping as your tail sags.
Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "But it isn't the sames, you know? They have a manse sun, but that isn't enough eithers."

You have emoted: Cheliyi leans forward, drawing her knees up to her chest. Her chin rests atop them, gaze lingering on the Divine cocoon.

The magnolia flowers that blossom before a cocoon of light bearing the Goddess Li-varili unfurl with a dewy beauty, soothing in their mild and calming fragrance. They drape about the Goddess as if left in offering, even as they bind Her in place.

Veldrin sucks thoughtfully on her teeth.

The Mantle of Starlight flows gently against your form, twinkling stars shifting across its surface as the starry infinity continues its eternal motion.

Veldrin D'Cente says, "Dreams! could put them to sleep and then fill their dreams with happy memories of the sun...and just not wake them up till the sun comes back."
Veldrin nods her head sagely.

A wry smile spreads across your face.
Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "... could work, for one dreams I guess."
Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "But, dad has a job to do."

Veldrin creases her brow in a frown.

Gurashi, The Heart's Friend has entered the realm of Lusternia.

Your frills twitch as you detect an errant sound.

Veldrin D'Cente says, "Hrm.."

Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you murmur, "Ah, they woke ups..."

A pert little nose takes in a delicate whiff of Veldrin's surroundings.

Veldrin D'Cente says, "What do they do?"

Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "Are a guild leader persons!"
Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "And... well, do not think they would want to sleep through the whole thing. They are the kind of person who cares and wants to make sure they can be able to help."

Veldrin D'Cente says, "They sound nice."

You nod your head emphatically.
Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "Is Gurashi, yes. Did I mention that befores?"
With a slight laugh, you say, "Are the definition of nice, even if they don't believe when peoples says that."

Veldrin D'Cente says, "Possibly, there have been many many new voices in the last few weaves..Gruashi is a very good one."
A pert little nose takes in a delicate whiff of Veldrin's surroundings.
Veldrin sways back and forth.
Veldrin tilts her head back for a moment, her form shifting slowly through the spectrum of colours.

You nod your head slowly in understanding.
Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "New friends in your heads? Mm, my siblings have been the same voices for decades, centuries, am sure. Must be confusing to have ice-breakers and newly meetings all the times."

Veldrin D'Cente says, "Just all you voices coming to the cocoon."
The corners of Veldrin's mouth turn up as she grins mischievously.

Comprehension flashes across your face.
You give a trillingly melodic laugh, your frills resonating with joy.
Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "Oh, that makes sense."
You giggle happily.

Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "Even if you and my Mister Dad squint at eachother weirdly, am glad to meet you, Miss Veldrin."

Veldrin D'Cente says, "Ah..Tridemon?"

You nod your head emphatically.
Sagely, you say, "Mister Dad."
Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "He -was- Mister Tridemon, but now he's Mister Dad."

Veldrin D'Cente says, "Aye..centuries of conflict with them makes us a bit leery of them."

A wry smile spreads across your face.
Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "Well, you two -did- fight over the oceans for centuries, yes."

Veldrin D'Cente says, "Mostly the Cay."

Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "Honestly, must have lots of patience."
Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "Have tried the Cay... maybe once? Never agains, though."
You chuckle softly, your frilled tail flicking idly with amusement.

Veldrin D'Cente says, "Did it more times then we can remember.."

You nod your head slowly in understanding.
You stretch languidly.

Veldrin snaps her fingers, releasing sparkling motes of coloured light.
                            *      *      *
                             *     *     *
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                               *   *   *
                              -----------
                             |   POOF!   |
                              -----------
                               *   *   *
                              *    *    *
                             *     *     *
                            *      *      *

You have emoted: Cheliyi flops onto her back, pulling out a wistful weeping willow lyre.
You giggle happily.

The corners of Veldrin's mouth turn up as she grins mischievously.

Veldrin D'Cente says, "We'll refrain from fire works so as not to wake anyone.."
Veldrin hums innocently to herself.

You nod your head sagely.
Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "Bright lights hurt my eyes, anyways."

You have emoted: Cheliyi begins quietly plucking at a wistful weeping willow lyre, the cascading notes not unlike the pitter-patter of rain.

Veldrin turns her attention towards you as her ears perk up in interest.
Veldrin takes their violin and lightly taps along the body, mimicking the patter of the rain as well.

You have emoted: Cheliyi's frills flare with surprise, though she seems more delighted than anything. The careful cadence continues, the mugwump making a face of concentration as she tests out new notes without accidentally creating dissonance.

You tilt your head curiously at Veldrin.

Veldrin listens carefully to the notes you play, plucking lightly at the strings to produceing the simple harmonic note to each as close as they can.

You smile brightly at Veldrin, your frills puffing with joy.

You have emoted: Though the specific patterns and rhythms of the song stay simple, Cheliyi's playing slowly seems to rise in urgency, the strengthening of rain into a storm. Intermittently, she forcefully strums two strings an octave apart, sparks of lightning in the otherwise continuous rumbling of notes.
You grin mischievously at Veldrin.

Veldrin tucks the violin under her chin as she begins to draw it across the strings, striking up a fluttering harmony on the high strings to the melody of the rain light a bird dancing upon the wind of the storm, rolling down low with each rumbling strike of lightning only to resume their fight once more.

Veldrin D'Cente thinks to herself: The countless voices grow quiter and seem to listen to the intertwining music as the rumble settles to a quite murrmer.

You think to yourself: **you may not be able to play fancy rhythms, but you can play fasters, can't you?**.

You have emoted: Cheliyi grins wider, her dull gaze brightening with delight. Her fingers pluck a descending series of arpeggios, lowering below the surface of the storm, beneath the waves. The once pitter-patter and rumbling of notes are slowly muted, chaotic but almost playful as inbetween, she strums ascending notes in thirds. Each note seems to chase after the other, perhaps dolphins leaping after eachother in the storming waves.

As the two musicians play along, a low fog begins to seep from the ground. Within its swirling depths, small shapes begin to emerge. Roiling storm and surging waves curl into focus, and a pod of dolphins dances through the chaos with utter glee.

Veldrin smiles slightly as the high notes take a suddenly drop to the low strings, drawing across two strings at once twith a trill to introduce a deeper melody, much like a ship crashing into a wave before leading the song though the surging waves as the dolphins play.

You have emoted: Cheliyi visibly stifles a giggle, strumming down the entirety of the lyre as the ascending notes finally reach their peak, a dolphin's high-pitched laughter. She plucks fiercely at two bottom notes, repeating one after the other. She then plucks at the same two notes an octave higher, something large and hungry emerging from the depths. It finally seems to surface as she strums a dissonant, high pitched chord, the cheerful dolphins scared away by massive predator.

A ship bursts through the waves, trailing behind it an unnatural wake that temporarly churns and calms the waters. But soon enough, a large fin appears behind the seacraft, revealing an abnormally large tiger shark than bites the boat clean in half, causing the dolphin pod to scatter.

Veldrin continues to play the melody, the ship crashing on either unable to sense the danger in the storms or uncaring, they leave the last note on a slightly disotent trill as the boat sinks, offering the melody up to you to take over as the ship sinks.

You have emoted: Cheliyi lets the note hang in the air for a moment, staring down at the misty apparitions. An eye in the storm. Then, she continues just as quickly, strumming chord after chord as the massive shark writhes in the chaotic waters of the sea. However, the beast is no match for the wrath of waters, the notes growing more sparse as it tires out. Slowly, softly, there is a descending scale, the shark finding nothing of worth and swimming down into the deep.

The ocean predator sinks beneath the misty waves, though the perspective follows the tired shark in its descent. Mist rises around both fate-touched, schools of fish and coral passing by in the blink of an eye, followed by tiny squid, grumbling seahorses, and silent manta rays that glide across the air in elegant darkness.

Veldrin's ears twitch slightly as the follow the shark's melody for a bit with the harmony of the howling winds softly above, letting the winds die as the shark dives, pausing her bows sway as the shark explores on, beyond reach of storm or tossing sea.

You have emoted: Cheliyi's melody finally descends into the calm of the deep, each note hanging in the air like giant squid drifting in the waters. Each note holds a long pause, creating a distance that implies the great vast emptiness of the waters that await the plunging shark. The tired shark finally finds its alcove, settling on the sand to rest. There is quiet, in the storm. The song almost turns to a lullaby, calm and comforting, though ready at any moment to open to the great unknown.

The giant shark finally finds its place of rest, a great cave of coral both old and new, steadily growing over time. It settles to rest on a bed of misty sand, comforted by the safety surrounding it, even if just for a small time.

You think to yourself: **weariness, settling into you arms and fingers, playing the lyre makes your fingertips sting...**.

A disarming sense of peace emanates from this sacred place as a cocoon of light bearing the Goddess Li-varili rests in repose, as if the Lady of the Lagoons rests outside of time and space itself.

Veldrin shifts to simply match the lullaby, letting it carry on for a time calm and comforting before they let their part trail off as they let the shark slumber, a soft smile on their lips as they untuck the violin from their chin but remain with ears perked in your direction to hear how the song ends.

You have emoted: Cheliyi offers a small smile in return, before glancing back down to the lyre. Slowly, it becomes clear that the lullaby was the very same pitter-patter played at the beginning of the song, the mugwump plucking along the original notes. The circle complete, the sounds of rain and the oceanic depths fade as she strums one last time.

As quietly as it came, the fog sinks back into the earth, leaving nothing but dewy drops on the grass and leaves.
Your eye immediately notices the flaws in what is obviously an illusion.

You have emoted: Cheliyi grins again and flexes her fingers, visibly wincing.
You look at a well-preserved healing mound hopefully.

Veldrin smiles as the lullaby blends back into the pitter-patter, nodding approvingly as they tap along the violin's body before cutting back to silence at the last strum.

Veldrin tilts her head back for a moment, her form shifting slowly through the spectrum of colours.

Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you murmur, "I hope it sounded oceany, for Her."

Rubbing at her sore fingers, you say, "Have been sitting in the waters for months, trying to find sounds. Since She misses Her daughter so muchly."

You think to yourself: **a hint of pride, and you didn't even break a string like you did practicing, before**.

A disarming sense of peace emanates from this sacred place as a cocoon of light bearing the Goddess Li-varili rests in repose, as if the Lady of the Lagoons rests outside of time and space itself.

Veldrin D'Cente says, "We are sure likely any sound would be welcome in her state...a lot of her rage was from being forgotten..at least she is not now and is very much remembered by many."

You nod your head at Veldrin.

Veldrin D'Cente says, "The Violins of Magnagoria have always been a balm when we feel alone and forgotten..sometimes we will start, just to hear others join in for a short time before we all go back to what ever it is we do.."
Veldrin D'Cente says, "Or we will join in when another starts to let them know they are not alone.."

Her expression softening, you say, "Oh... that sounds really sweet, yes."
Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "You are a -really- good violins players, by the bys."

Veldrin gives a trillingly melodic laugh.

You have emoted: Cheliyi laughs quietly. "I just pluck at strings. Is hard! Hurts my hand. But you gotta like... pull them with that hair stuff, yes."

Veldrin D'Cente says, "Thank you, we've been playing for a few centuries now..you are quite good your self.."

You have emoted: Cheliyi blushes faintly. "Ah, Dad taught me some things. And I learned most of my stuffs from my siblings. Am better at singing, I guess, than lyre. Could only play scales and chords. Practice exercises into music, yes. Am just lucky the concept was able to works."

Veldrin removes some of the broken strands from the violin bow's Hair and replaces them with some of their own, careful to not distirbe the many bells woven into her hair before restringing the bow and putting it away.
You blink.

Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "Ohhhhhhhh it's -your- hair. Makes sense! Then it is extra-you playing, yes."

You nod your head sagely.

Veldrin gives a trillingly melodic laugh.

Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "My lyre was a gift from a friends. Supposed to look like from when I was a tree person, still."

Veldrin D'Cente says, "We found our hair works for a bow..as a changeling we can always grow more so solved what to keep repacing it with."

You nod your head slowly in understanding.

Veldrin D'Cente says, "Ah, our violin was a gift as well.."
Veldrin D'Cente says, "Would you like to see it?"

You nod your head emphatically.
Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "Then I can show my lyre, yes."

Veldrin ceases to wield a midnight black tear stained violin in her right hand.
Veldrin gives a midnight black tear stained violin to you.

You blink.
Cradling the violin as if it were a newborn child, you say, "Aaaaa wait I thought you meants-."
You fret over everything that might go wrong.

---> look violin

Made from the wood of a moonhart tree and stained a dark, inky black,
this violin is slightly longer than normal. The body of the violin is
shaped with sweeping curves that taper to sharp points where they meet
near the middle. The fingerboard is made of bone that has also been
stained black, though not as dark as the wood. The strings of the violin
are a muted silver colour, accenting the fingerboard. The head of the
violin curves gracefully back towards the body, then away from it again,
making an S-shape. The tuning pegs are made of dark mahogany wood, and
each has been carefully carved into the shape of a miniature hand in a
reaching position. The chinrest is also made of mahogany wood, and the
finish on the wood around the chinrest is marred and weathered, as if
that area has been exposed to saltwater often.

Veldrin gives a trillingly melodic laugh.

Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "Ahh..... but it is so pretty..."
You have emoted: Cheliyi gently traces the fingerboard, looking absolutely awed.

Veldrin D'Cente says, "It is reinforced as well, strong enough to smash people over the head with now.."
The corners of Veldrin's mouth turn up as she grins mischievously.

You grin mischievously at Veldrin.
With a laugh, you say, "Please do not bonk me!"
Gingerly, you give a midnight black tear stained violin to Veldrin D'Cente.

Veldrin D'Cente says, "We can't! you have the violin."
Veldrin snickers softly to herself.

A wry smile spreads across your face.

Veldrin begins to wield a midnight black tear stained violin in her right hand.

---> look lyre

Artfully carved from pale sweetgum wood, a pair of weeping willows and
their intertwined roots forms the traditional shape of this lyre. Black
and white tint staining gives the illusion of bark, shadow and light,
adding dimension to the gently drooping branches of the trees. Small
sugar flowers glitter amongst the roots and branches in whimsical
adornment, fashioned from soft blue chalcedony, gentle citrine and rose
quartz. Thick and roving roots serve as the hollow sound-chest, with the
trunks of the willows becoming solid as they curve away from the
resonant base. As if caught in a breeze and halted in time, a delicate
crossbar of willow branches twines together from the sister trees in a
wistful display, bearing ten rose gold strings upon pastel gemstone
blossom pegs. Affixed to the roots, an arrangement of fallen blooms
secures the golden strings to the tailpiece in a reflection of the
branches above. A gentle candied perfume wafts from the carefully
polished and waxed wood, sweet with a wisp of vanilla warmth.

Veldrin ceases to wield a midnight black tear stained violin in her right hand.

You give a wistful weeping willow lyre to Veldrin D'Cente.

Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "Is technically made from items in Lord Crumkane's realm, yes. They have a swamp of chocolate there!"

Veldrin closes her eyes and gently traces along the lyre, the crystal shell pulling away from her hands as she examines it closely.

In a conspiratorial whisper, you say, "Have been tempted to try and eat it, befores."
You hide a grin behind your hand.

Veldrin D'Cente says, "It is very pretty..and likely very tastey."

You giggle happily.

Veldrin gives a wistful weeping willow lyre to you.

You ponder a wistful weeping willow lyre thoughtfully, looking it up and down.
Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "... mmm no, will not eat it. But, is tempting."
You giggle happily.
You pat a wistful weeping willow lyre in a friendly manner.

Birds fill your ears with serenades of happiness and love.

You stretch languidly.

Veldrin D'Cente says, "Hunger is a great blessing! if you learn to temper it."
Veldrin nods her head sagely.

You nod your head sagely.

Like a gentle ripple in a crystalline pool, you say, "Used to be hungry for... well. Some not so good things. Am not, anymore. And I am glad. Now I just want to eat sweets."
You giggle happily.

Veldrin gazes at you as her body suddenly lights up with a cheerful, citrine yellow glow.

Veldrin D'Cente says, "We are glad as well then."
Veldrin nods her head sagely.

You smile brightly at Veldrin, your frills puffing with joy.