Meeting with Nexus

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Where did the Arcadian King have to roam, anyway? The forests where his chimerical creations had spilled forth, was a first choice. After all, what exactly did he have to fear? As the trio walked through untamed forests, they would find entire trees that had been eaten and corrupted in some way from a purple and black bile that leaked across them.

And far away in a clearing, sitting upon a stump as if he either expected them- Or didn't fear a thing in the world-

Sat Nexus- With one hand holding on to his scythe. The weapon was flipped upside down, handle pointing into the sky as the blade curved about the ground below.

"....." He looks up from the spot where he sat- And the old and weary face of the king is on clear display. He looks unamused.
(Nexus Averant)
Moving through the forest, Whisper would grimace from beneath his bandages. The wilds in this area had been sundered truly by some magic that was still beyond his comprehension. It still appeared somewhat familiar, however. The Faerla combed a bandaged hand through his hair and took note of the lacking creatures around the area. It was clear that something, what it was, had been consuming the land.

"Uncanny... It reminds me of the Fel." He regarded as his fuschia-hued eyes befell unto Nexus. The Arcadian King was lounging upon a nearby tree without a fear in the world. The Whisper understood such a thing, however. All the talk of this Nexus figure made him out to be beyond even the High Faerla should the contest come.

The unamused expression of Nexus is duly noted. "Your grace." The raspy voice of the burn victim exudes before a bow is made. "I've heard many tales and stories of you, your power, and the armies you command. This is the first time I have looked upon you myself, however." He regarded before gesturing to the elder Scions. They, most of all, had business with the King of the Void.
(Whispers)
So this was Nexus, he had heard much of him and his fantastic weapon. He heard rumor of how he would take down numbers of people with a single swing.  The trees were consumed with a corruption or some form of bile purple and black in color.

Sindarin found his gaze stuck on the scythe for a long moment before turning his attention to Nexus himself. He would be the only one he had witnessed with such a weapon. He had seen staffs, tomes, wands, and various blades but never a scythe specially not one touched by the void as this one was and perhaps it was even forged in the void for all he knew.

"Fascinating." is all he would say to begin with.

"Your grace."

He would bow, not introducing himself yet because he knew Nexus likely did not care for his name. He had spent so long pursuing the void and only being sent backwards but there were voices and dark beings whispering into his mind that there was one related to the void that he must find to further his progress, was this the one they were referring too? He kept silent for now still taking in the mans appearance and letting the others speak their parts.
(Sindarin Signus)
He had only heard rumors of the man who called himself the Arcandian king although through Rothraim's networks he'd sought high and low for the man with the Scythe eventually such rumors lead him to where his whereabouts might lay and as the Scion of a curious nature he moved right along to that destination.

Along side him his only trusted companions, however as time went on they grew apart it was obvious there studies have not. They refocused their efforts away from Syllthas clan and instead into the perplexity that was the void.

As they approached the tree oozing with some sort of magical substance his eyes would soon flicker in the distance at the older man carrying the Scythe. "Sure he fits the description." A glance towards Whispers who had told him of him once prior.

Rothraim would position himself towards the man eyeing his companions wondering if they'd speak up but he would let his words be heard first. "The Arcadian King I presume? We have no ill will towards you Your Grace, in fact it is the opposite that has strode us to invade  this dwelling of yours." he had known little about the battles he fought against the other factions only that he was capable of harnessing the power of the void,

That curiosity brought Rothraim to where he was now. "Of course that being said we do not expect you to put down your vendetta against Sarea for our desires. in such we've come to help you in whatever mission you have left here." Flames and wrath was the only thing the Aracandian king brought to those who visited him. Rothraim expected nothing different yet he still risked his head to come here and seek an audience.

He turned his head to the others as he listened to their words respectful yet it seemed he'd have to do the bulk of the lip service. "While i can't speak directly of the desires of my companions i can tell you I share no love for those of Sarea, They are the ones who stole so much from me, Shunned me at every point in my life, and and eventually stole my freedom. IF it is your wish to have your Kingdom restored, I put myself forward to help you in that aim. As I have nothing grander to do with my life than to help an envoy of the Endless, and the void." His voice cracked a little showing some hesitation in the fact that he knew Nexus was powerful, yet he also had nothing further to gain from hiding in the shadows.
(Rothraim Vykanos)
Returning Bonus: [+700 EXP x 10!]
EXP Gain: [(942*100%)+700=1642]
'Your grace.'

He tilts his head to the side, staring back at all the others there for a time before he shook his head side to side. There is but a single moment of confusion on his expression before it changed to something more telling of the phantom lord that he was.

"Only one other Sarean has called me such things." He'd close his eyes and exhale deeply, laughing as he snapped his fingers. The land below them shook and trembled- Vibrations felt throughout the forest as the sound of dozens of titanic insectoids crawling underneath the ground were now audible.

".. However, Arcadian King is the only title I'll permit you use. Speak plainly and respectfully." He commanded at once, now letting the Void Crawlers below the surface settle down. ".. It was never a vendetta against Sarea. It was always a vengeance for the lives of my people. The Spirits took away all that I once loved." He'd narrow his eyes for a time.

"... Envoy? Of the Void? Do you know anything of who I am? Of the denizens of the Void? Nothing on Rhyst right now comes from the Void. This? All of it is borrowed power." He'd raise an open palm, causing the black and purple magic around them to glow with a pulsating and sickening light.

Perhaps it was time for a history lesson.
(Nexus Averant)
Found himself a little confused, he was beginning to wonder who Nexus was in detail now after the words he just heard. Was he even tied to the void and wasnt this borrowed power from the void as well? He really knew little to nothing regarding the man or his history but he held his tongue for the time being.

He wanted to be aware and have the knowledge of these things so he knew better how to approach Nexus to learn how he obtained the power he had.

Dark beings appeared to Sindarin and told him to seek one connected to the void out and he had yet to really share this with anyone. He had thought it to be Nexus forsure but now he was beginning to weigh his thoughts.

He hoped Nexus would fill them in on his history or how he became as he was..

"Arcadian King, IF I may?" he cleared his throat before continuing.

"Your response has me wondering much about you, I do not like being told things from various sources but here you are in the flesh. Is it possible to learn what brought you to this point and how you obtained such power?"
(Sindarin Signus)
Whisper listened intently to the words offered by the Arcadian King. He never once chose to interject as the man spoke. After all, there were very few opportunities like these to learn from. Both of his bandaged arms are brought up and he crosses them while taking in the information. The Void was a very odd and mysterious plane to say the least, and to hear what Nexus had to say was surprising.

"I presume the other Sarean may have been Grayson. Perhaps I'm wrong too, but it's just a guess." The Faerla adds on while hearing Sindarin's words to him.  It seemed like a dangerous question if what he had heard about Nexus was true. A power hungry man that could never be sated. He was direct and ruthless in his approach. Just how much of that was exactly true?

"Borrowed power, like an enchantment? Mmmf. I needn't be so focused on the magical wonders of the void. They are hardly controllable." He has a short laugh to himself, but it quickly turns into hacking. The damaged larynx was yet to recover properly. He cleared his throat just after trying to get the pain to subside some.

"It sounds like our information isn't...well, informative at all. Arcadian King, would you be so kind as to enlighten us? I have not heard a single time of the ruthlessness of the Spirits.  I have met many of them though. Whimsy, the Elk, Eris, and others still. How are they to blame for what you have lost? Forgive my ignorance, I am not from Sarea and know next to nothing about its people."
(Whispers)
As the insectoid monsters came upon them and the ground began to rummble Rothraim would look in awe, A twisted fear and thrill rushed inside him although he wouldn't be foolish enough to reach for his weapon. "Are these the void crawlers I've heard so much about? Magnificent..." Rothraim said somewhat entrusted to see one up close, but just as fast as they were summoned they were banished.

Although Rothraim now had a lingering suspicion they were still close by, close enough to attack in fact. He gulped "Arcadian King it is then." He said

Rothraim listened to his words and complied after all there wasn't any resistance to referring to the man in any way he wanted to be addressed.  "Honestly no, What we know is very little in fact, Through the research of myself and the other Scion's at most the knowledge we've gathered of the void, and your people is small. And I myself am very ignorant of the inner workings of the void." He'd admit planely although it was rather interesting to hear of the downfall of his people.

Had they all been as strong as he was? Or perhaps because of their downfall he became what he was now. "The spirits are at fault...I cannot fathom the history you have witnessed, or the pain you've endured to get yourself to this point in which you could borrow such powers."He never expected to share such a commonality with him  Rothraim pressed his lips together as a finger soon wrapped around his chin as he was lost in a bit of thought.

Although his attention was redrafted with when the Arcadian king summoned a sickening light that caught Rothraim's attention all the more. Rothraim snaps his fingers summoning the Tome he had hid away prior, The arcane rune upon it that allowed it to be summoned in this moment.

Offering the very same book to the Arcadian King he had spoken upon Earlier. The other Scion's would know well of its origins and how they labored to get it from the Keeper of knowledge and yet here was an opportunity for its secrets to be further revealed. "I truly am ignorant of many things, Especially including you but it is not my desire to be that way, Much wisdom is lost or suppressed due to the influence of the Factions and the Spirits they surrender to."
(Rothraim Vykanos)
Daily Bonus: [+2000 EXP!]Returning Bonus: [+700 EXP x 9!]
EXP Gain: [(906*100%)+2700=3606]
Sindarin Signus says, "I for one am not to fond of most the spirits ive encountered. The way they get so easily tamed by passive words sickens me."
This spell costs 10 Spell Points and requires Missile Flurry.
"The Arcadians were Sareans like yourself, one-thousand years past." He speaks aloud, his true age now given to those that stood around him. He would lift up from the stump now, seemingly agitated for one reason or another. Picking that scythe up from the ground he would pick it up with one hand and put it on his back as if it weighed no more than a common stone on the road.

"... It was we who settled upon this isle before the changes hit it in full. There was once no mountains, no volcano. No teeming valleys. But all forest and greenery. That was the Sarea I once knew."

"We, like your kind, faced the threat of the Convergence. We were unaware until the last moment. For it was one thousand years ago that the Feywild and Void made their arrival and took Sarea by force. The Void swiftly overtook the isle, commanding respect and taking no prisoners except slaves." He'd narrow his eyes in on those around him.

"It was I who ruled over Arcadia. I who believed the Spirits of the isle wished to see us win over the Void and live through the day. I trusted the Spirits- But they never had faith in our victory." He turned around for a moment, staring across the forests at the mountains to the far north.

"... The Spirits needed to cleanse the isle. They used their natural and ancient magic to split open the earth below them and created Caldera from nothing. It's instant eruption would cleanse Arcadia and the Void in laval floes the likes of which we could never survive." He took a step towards them and stared back at each of them, his eyes narrowed.

"... I survived by means of miracle. I was buried below the molten rock and found myself locked away with Crystalline Crawlers, the same that roam this island. Only there was one other entity below the earth with us. The buried masses of void energy. For every Demon that was burned alive, it held ten times the magical energy of your average Sarean.

I was wrought with grief. And I saw only red. In my time below the Caldera, I drank deep of that eldritch magic. I turned myself into a monster to wreak havoc upon the Spirit that did this.

Velin the White Elk." He shook his head side to side.

"Listen well, young seekers of power. Rhyst is within your very blood. From the moment you were born, you were bound to this plane. When the Void and the Faewild march upon Sarean soil, they will not spare you nor commend you for turning on your allies. You will be ripped to shreds the moment you drop your guard and attempt integration.

The Void will use you. It will enslave each of you. The Demons will work you like useless animals and when you can no longer keep up with the infinite demands of their slavery- They will kill you like cattle."

Nexus proceeded to get immensely close to them - Standing there with a righteous, cold fury as if he were the reaper himself.

"... And so do you know what I did? I drank of the Void, but I do not let it lord over me. If you wish to capture power that isn't yours, then you must rule over it. Not the inverse.

Do you understand?"
(Nexus Averant)
Nexus Averant says, "The Void- The Faewild- They are but tools for Rhystian use."
Nexus Averant says, "Just as they would use you."
He drank of the void? This was something he needed to learn to do, how does one drink of the void?

He was now interested fully as he listened to what Nexus had to say.

He spoke truth though, the power from the void would be meaningless unless one became the master over it rather then being mastered by it. He wanted the chance to try for himself.

"I understand, quite the life you have had leading up to this point, id say you handled it quite well. How does one drink of the Void. This has been my life's pursuit thus far and any information I will take."

He would spare the king the reasons of why he needed such a power but hoped he would bestow the knowledge on him regardless.
(Sindarin Signus)
There was depth to each expression he made during his tale, Rothraim could not but hear the cracking of glass in his mind, the very heart and soul of the Arcadian king had already been shattered, his life overturned to revenge, and the blood of foul magics he drank was not of boon but of spite.

Rothraim remained silent for the most part as he consumed this story within his mind,  The White Elk lead them down disaster or in fact caused the disaster to occur, and it would do the self same to those that worshiped it now, Although he would hold no love for the Arlandrians if that were the case.

It would mean chaos for any and all on this island regardless of their affiliation."So both the Void, The Feywild, and even the Rhyst bound spirits see mortal life as nothing more than a tool they can discard at anytime." This was the gist of it all Rothraim could process, He had known very often that the planar forces were the cause of such catastrophes yet accessing them would only cause disaster a plenty.

He continued to remain lost in thought until the Arcadians final question arose, he stood closer to them now, the very image of a reaper, as a chill ran down Rothraim's spine it brought an smile to the young mans face.

"Mh...I have lossed many clans during my short lifetime, and yet I doubt i would ever survive such a calamity you have endured. You gained power not out of servitude but of spite for your enemies to accomplish your vengeance. Like a true King you relinquish your humanity in order to destroy the forces that saw you laid low." Rothraim could not but honor such a man, he had no true understanding of the void yet knowing of its true intentions it did bring him some pause to know of the demons within.

"It is as you say Arcadian King, the desire of myself is to rule over this power, of the demons that come from the void, It is NOT to worship such beings, instead to devour the knowledge they hold and make use of it to build a kingdom of our own. As you say. We should be the ones to rule over the void. To crush them and their powers to be used for our own desires." Rothraim never gave into the concept of worshiping or belonging to any such faith. Truly he was a man of desire, the only thing he coveted was power.

"That being said I now understand you and your mission a lot more. Forgive me for my assumption earlier.. But my proposition from earlier stands, Should you require allies, I offer myself in your station. Clan Syllthas is no more in truth, and we as Scions have served no purpose, as of yet, I can think of no better journey than destroying this spirit alongside you." Rothraim would listen to his comrades now to understand more of how they felt regarding the situation and the story they heard.



(Rothraim Vykanos)
Returning Bonus: [+700 EXP x 8!]
EXP Gain: [(1000*100%)+700=1700]
Whisper found himself stunned from the tale presented to him. There was far more to the tale than he was made privy to, and it seemed to be for good reason. What Nexus had spoke of in regards to the actions of the spirits was quite damning. The Faerla uncrossed his arms and rubbed the bottom of his chin then.

"So dominating over them is the way, not being used by them. Giving them any quarter will have them use us." He spoke the words in that same raspy tone. "I had began to wonder about that, so then it is true. That each of them seek nothing less than to enslave us, or destroy us all outright." He spoke the words and nodded his head with some understanding.

It made sense then, the things that had happened to Grayson. He often wondered what the situation was with the interjection of one of the spirits. Grayson was simply trying to allow himself to be used by these creatures and would ultimately only become a source of destruction for everyone.

"Interesting." He turned his focused on the Arcadian King with an interest in his mind. "What of the Fel? Can it to be dominated in a similar manner? We have encountered it, and its abilities before. I've heard that you drank of the void now, but I dare not know if the results would be the same with the Fel.

Either way though, you have enlightened me greatly. I know far more now than I did before. It will... Take some understanding to figure out what the spirits are planning now. Knowing that they cannot be trusted with our survival."
(Whispers)
Sindarin Signus says, "It is not no more, its simply being refined"
Sindarin Signus says, "We kind of undid ourselves, it will be a good thing."
"And so you all begin to see the bigger picture. Complete domination of the forces that seek to lay you low is the only true path for Rhystians who yearn for more to accomplish their dreams." He took a step back now, content that he did not have to use the scythe to remove them in full.

All it took was the words of the Arcadian King, who had seen it all and lived through it, to tell his tale. He walked back to that stump behind him and sat down once more, bringing his scythe upwards to rub upon the blade and clean it for use later.

"Wishing to drink of the black draught - Pursuit of the Void's energies. I know not. For all that was buried beneath Caldera has all but been used. The only place left on Sarea for you to obtain such dreams - I would have to kill you if any of you entered my home."

He spoke vaguely of Arcadia.

"... And so I implore you- To make the most of the Convergence. Use it for your own means, use the strife that is sewn to greater ends. Have no mercy in the vicious pursuit of your ideals. Perhaps then, will you know what it means to truly be Rhystian." He would close his eyes now, leaning forward with both of his hands pressed to his knees.

"I know little of the Fel. I spoke to a Witch who granted me the means to dominate the Spirits in question. I am not the one to speak of in such manners."

He looked up at one last moment, shaking his head. "Joining your cause with mine is to invoke your own death. It will follow you just as it has chased after me. And none of you are fast enough to outpace it. I speak strictly for your protection."

The ground below them began to rumble, shifting and churning as Void Crawlers below the surface began to tunnel and dig viciously.

".. Leave me now, seekers of strength. I have no further answers for you and yours." He rose a hand in the air, as if it were a goodbye gesture.
(Nexus Averant)
Sindarin did not care to know what it meant to be Rhystian nor did he have any intention of giving up on his pursuits despite what was being told to him. He did have some key insights however regarding the convergence and how they should treat it.

He now knew that the knowledge they sought to be in what Nexus called home. It was a lead for him to be sure but this also begging the question of which being he was being directed to tied to the void if not Nexus?

He would uncover the answers soon enough, he said nothing but gave a bow as they would soon make their leave. He would do whatever it took even if it meant invading the home of Nexus. The power was out there and he would find a way to it with or without help.
(Sindarin Signus)
Whisper heard the words spoken again and heeded the information that Nexus had to offer. Once again, the notion towards the Fel had been explained. This time certain pieces of the puzzle had simply been outright completed. Whisper had heard what he needed in regards to that. So he gave another bow to the Arcadian King.

"I thank you for the audience, and for hearing out our inquiries. It has been most enlightening. " He expressed to him.
(Whispers)
You have leveled up!
You are now level 64.
You've attained a new rank: B!
Rothraim had the answers he had asked for although in the most part he was rejected more so out of necessity. Despite what the king had said Rothraim had already been inspired by the words he spoke of.

The bigger picture indeed was that the forces of the void and the convergence was not the only threat in fact all unfortunate forces were what caused this to come about. "I see, we will not burden you with our questions any longer. For what its worth Arcadian King, I hope you are to accomplish your goal and claim the White Elks head, For it will be one less enemy to contend with our new objective."
Rothraim spoke and yet as they were dismissed Rothraim felt inspired to what exactly that objective would be as he saw the King rouse the voidlings underneath the Earth.

It was their time to depart, and there was nothing more to say in this matter Rothraim had learned much of their own position and how to obtain it. The next step however was one he was all the more curious about. He'd have to learn more of what his fellow Scions felt and move accordingly.

As he began to make his way outside of the forest.
(Rothraim Vykanos)
Returning Bonus: [+700 EXP x 7!]
EXP Gain: [(559*100%)+700=1259]