Immortal Shagarh Posted January 10, 2021 Immortal Report Share Posted January 10, 2021 Krawtor, minding his own business in the Ford, was suddenly approached by a strange old man: Quote Old man says 'Where was it then?' You raise your eyebrow at Old man. Old man says 'Not to be found!' Old man says 'Who's was it?' Old man says 'He who has gone!' Old man says 'Who's is it?' Old man says 'He who is to come!' The right head of Krawtor rolls its one large eye while the left head twists its lips in a bit of a smirk. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' What crazy talk is this? You're likely get killed in our training exercises out here. Old man says 'A thenceforward into what?!' The heads on Krawtor's neck start staring at each other. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Who comin? Krawtor can't handle more like Abrogast. Eddies of natural energy fill the air around you. Wind, earth, water and fire merge before your eyes. The earth shudders as Gaia's power comes to bear, creating an elemental. An Elemental now follows you An Elemental surveys the area before layering it in rock, fashioning a sturdy seat. Old man says 'Who then...' Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Mmmm, Tongar? An old man says 'Where then...' The left head of Krawtor bites down on his lip in contemplation while the right head furrows his brow a bit. An old man begins to show signs of being very agitated, he can barely stand still... fidgeting here and there. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Old man, steel your nerves. Where is this thing you wish Krawtor to find? An old man says 'In the verse it says, from chapter nine, that he who was gone must be again, for the star prophet has ordained it' Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Krawtor don't know nothin about prophets and stars. What book you get this from? An old man says 'And the prophet in his meeting with the blind man said that he who was gone IS the true holder of the seat' The heads of Krawtor each bob up and down, nodding. An old man seems to be oblivious to your presence as he continues to rattle on, '...And then, the people of the stars cried out together, 'Where is our God?!'. An old man says 'And the prophet cried out, "Deaaaaad!".' An Elemental uncerimoniously bursts in to flame! The heads of Krawtor each let out their out frustrated groan. An Elemental fractures and detonates, only remaining by virtue of swirling winds. An old man mutters to himself under his breath, a sheen of sweat clearly noticeable on his brow. The night is about to end. An Elemental begins to melt away, revealing a feminine water sprite hiding beneath. An Elemental fractures and detonates, only remaining by virtue of swirling winds. An old man suddenly seems to revert somewhat to his senses, regarding you with eyes that are marked with long madness. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Even Gods, dead, or presumed dead, live on through our memories and the ways in which we honor them. The head on the left side of Krawtor's neck speaks, ' Oh hey, he looks a bit better now. An old man says 'It sees you, you know' An old man walks south. An old man tells you 'Sees' Krawtor surveys the area around him, looking for any hidden tracks or markings. The heads on either side of Krawtor's neck blink one after the other. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' What it want with Krawtor? An old man tells you 'It sees you, just like It saw me!' You tell an old man 'whY you Nnot ffIghHt Bahcjk?!' An old man begins to giggle to himself, the effect is most unsettling. An old man says 'There is no' A child-like voice from somewhere nearby says, 'Not once It has seen you...' Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Now who's here?! This is sacred training grounds, bah. An old man says 'Have you seen It?' Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Don't even know what I'm supposed to see! Krawtor eyes keep track of many things. A voice, somehow both high and low, disjointedly remarks, 'It still sees you...'. You drop into a combat stance. [GLADIATOR] (Gladiator) Krawtor: 'TiItannn, DoublEh our ghuahhrd aht thHe HhahhlL. sSshHaGArH stiill hhas not beenn founD and tHhere's lunnAtiizjs in thEh Graoss ffields.' Krawtor pounds his chest like a wild gorilla as he screams out his warcry, invigorating his senses. An old man says 'In It's house' An old man tells you 'At the end of all things' The child-like voice has returned, 'It dreams Its mad dreams and creates the world'. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' End...of all things? That no place to be. An old man is suddenly overtaken by a coughing fit that wracks his frail body. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Hey don't die on The old man, blood in his beard, raises his insane eyes to yours. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' End of all things...Krawtor can find it. Krawtor can find 'it' An old man speaks with some difficulty, as though his mouth is full of liquid... 'In hss hssse, at ... at ... An old man tells you '... thh end of all thingss' Another whisper in your ear 'It dreams Its mad dreams and creates the world'. <<<<I think he’s talking about Order, so I race off to Winter, kill the guard into Steel>>>> An old man suddenly seizes you by the arm. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Ack, hey! What?! With his mouth full of blood, the old man attempts to speak 'Nnn sss hsss... rt zh nnd of... ff...'. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Yes, I know! His house, end of it all...are you telling me I'm going the wrong way?! The old man lets out a pained groan, as his body starts to undulate alarmingly... First swelling, then contracting in ways the human body should not be able to move, the man tries to make eye contact with you, wetly holding onto your arm. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Only one way Krawtor know how to get beyond it all, and to the end. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Why you holdin my arm like this, where you want Krawtor go? All at once, the old man explodes! Blood and gore fly everywhere, getting in your eyes. <PK> Krawtor The Void Krawtor stares out into the nothingness with both heads. The head on the left side of Krawtor's neck speaks, ' Well, this is a bit of a mess. A familiar, yet distant, voice seems to speak from both nearby and far away 'It sees you...!'. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Well if it wants to meet, it know where to find me then! Here...in nowhere? The heads on either side of Krawtor's neck blink one after the other. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Krawtor not afraid! Like the mighty Tongar, Krawtor will charge head on! Krawtor turns a full one hundred and eighty degrees, staring out into the blackness, then turns back again. Suddenly, a whisper in the dark, 'It wants you'. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' You have me here. What is it you want from me? The sun slowly disappears in the west. The night has begun. A soft voice, speaking through tears 'It sees you...'. Krawtor stares out into the never ending distance. 'Krawtor wants to see it, too. A low, thoughtful voice in the darkness 'It wants you'. A childish voice giggles somewhere behind you, 'It wantssss you!' A hysterical voice shrieks in your ear 'IT WANTS YOU, LIKE THE OTHERS!!' Suddenly, silence... The heads of Krawtor start looking around, suspiciously. The left head looks down and to the right, the right head looks straight to the left. Ever so softly, a dull *thump* seemingly causes the impenetrable blackness to undulate all around you. Krawtor backs up slowly from the wavering walls of darkness around him. The dull, thrumming sound begins to become more rhythmic... *thump-THUMP!* - *thump-THUMP!* - *thump-THUMP!* You can feel, rather than hear, the dull vibration in your body. Krawtor pats himself down, trying to ensure he's still alive. The thudding continues, and begins to speed up... it feels like nothing so much as the heartbeat of some unfathomably huge creature. You yell 'fFooR GlorY! fOr HoOonor!! prahhiIZSse toongar!!!!' Krawtor readies himself as the sound gets louder and louder. His hand rests on the hilt of his sword as his eyes continue to dart from side to side. Suddenly, you notice the smallest pin-point of light in the vast depths of the eternal blackness. Krawtor looks at his feet and realizes he's floating, 'Whowhoawhoa! Krawtor turns to face this disruption in the darkness, squinting each eye on both his heads trying to see it clearer. As the ever-present thumping begins to speed up, the tiny pin-point starts to widen into a dim, colorless glow. From the depths of the impenetrable, living darkness, a vague shape begins to take form in the distance... Krawtor squints harder now, his grip fixed to the hilt of his sword. 'Come on...little more... The dull light suddenly begins to reflect from the reflective sides of what appears to be an enormous, jagged monolith which rises from somewhere in the depths. The night is about to end. You begin to drift closer and closer to the enormous, alien formation. Still barely lit, it seems to be made of a shiny black stone. Krawtor stares out at this strange object, scanning it up and down. Krawtor searches for any sort of markings or etchings to give him a clue as to what this is. Otherworldly runes and carvings cover the surface of the enormous monolith, constantly swirling and rearranging themselves into indistinct and undecipherable patterns. The head on the left side of Krawtor's neck speaks, ' It's... Krawtor continues to look over the monolith, watching and waiting for something. A sudden whisper in your ear, shockingly loud against the total silence, 'It wants you'. A gruff voice, the voice of a warrior, says 'It loves us'. The soft, reassuring voice of a long-forgotten friend warmly assures you, 'It wants to help you'. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Krawtor does not need help. Krawtor help self! The voice of an erstwhile lover caresses your face, 'DO not be angry... It loves you'. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Love? Love gets you killed. Krawtor follow the path of Tongar, training is what Krawtor love You see yourself on a field that you do not recognise, a field of battle. The haze of dozens of fires hangs low in the air. The heads on either side of Krawtor's neck blink one after the other. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Mmm, war. Resplendent and terrible in your magnificence, you stand victorious over the slain bodies of your enemies. Wounded, but alive, and covered in the blood of your former foes, you are indeed a terrible and frightening figure to behold. His heads swivel as Krawtor looks around in his realistic vision. 'Ahh, for those who have died, Krawtor salute you. You see the masters of the Nexus, the Savants and the Knights dead on the field as your defeated foes. The vision flickers... You see yourself on **flicker** sitting atop a throne, erected atop a hill of dozens of corpses. Men, great wa... *flicker*, women and children stare lifelessly up at you, their stunned and blackened faces at last paying you your proper deference in death. Krawtor frantically looks to and fro on the ethereal battlefield, 'What is this... The head on the left side of Krawtor's neck speaks, ' Women... Krawtor reaches out with his hand as if he could touch this vision he was seeing, 'No...' he says. 'Where is the honor...' Krawtor the Mighty, Krawtor the Conqueror... The world is yours, and you rule it as of right, taking whatever you wish when you wish it. You feel exultant and indestructible as the magnitude of your power becomes fully apparent. Surely, you are as a God! Krawtor looks on as his heads continue to sweep from side to side, caught in this vision. His face has turned grim and sour. The whisper again, 'This is what you want...' Krawtor stands tall and proud, his heads now fixed on the direction of the voice he's hearing. 'Power? Power is worthless when wielded this way. A soft, friendly voice, 'Just say that you love It' Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Power is what has brought many to their knees. Berston...Lecitus if he is not careful. Power for power's sake is not the way of Tongar. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' You have misjudged me if you think you can bribe me with such a thing as power. A male voice, someone close to you snarls, 'How could a freak like you ever manage anything like this on your own?' The head on the left side of Krawtor's neck speaks, ' Hey, watch who you're callin a freak! A female voice, disgustedly remarks, 'You are nothing, you're an abomination... disgusting! How could you ever achieve true power?' Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Krawtor, as any true warrior, finds his own path to the top of the mountain. And it's not covered in the bodies of women, or children! The voice of a child, 'I remember you when you came back to us begging to be let back into our city... pitiful! We should have put you down then and there'. Krawtor reaches out in the direction of the child's voice, 'Marak...my home. I will prove my worth! The reassuring whisper again, 'But It loves you ... it can make them eat their words'. Krawtor holds his hands up to his ears on either head, 'No. Stop this. Krawtor will dig deeper, try harder. Will never do it this way! Krawtor pounds his chest like a wild gorilla as he screams out his warcry, invigorating his senses. You yell 'for glOry! for hOnOr!! PRaise tOnNngar!!!!' The woman, 'Your very existence shames us...' The soft whisper, 'Say it!' Krawtor looks up at the vicinity of the voices, 'Krawtor loves.....the chase. Waking up every day to train, to learn. To chase perfection. To walk the path of honorable Warmasters before me, like Tongar. To master myself. The soft whisper grows more insistent and angry, 'SAY IT!' The whispering voices all around you seem to be getting... angry, if that is even possible for a disembodied voice. 'Sssss... SssSAY ItT!', a soft, pleasant voice squawks. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Krawtor bite off tongues before say these things! 'PlLLleASSe SaY It... IT LlloVEs you...', a tearful voice half demands and half pleads through its tears. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' Trickery and deceit, these lies. I see through them! As the voices become more disjointed and frantic, you notice that the monolith has disappeared into the blackness. Krawtor points his blade towards the exiting monolith, 'I see -you- !' You groan loudly. Suddenly, you feel as though the deepening darkness has turned its sentience against you... A thin, keening wail begins to grow inside your skull. Both of Krawtor's heads grimace and bite down on their lips. 'Ughh what is this!? The darkness grows thicker, more oppressive, your limbs feel as though they are dragging themselves through quicksand. Barely audible, a distant voice hisses, '...stay forever'. The shrieking wail in your head grows in intensity and volume, in the darkness colors begin to flash before your eyes. The shadows thicken, your chest tightens ... it is becoming more and more difficult to breathe. Krawtor struggles against the newfound weight on his body, barely managing to move. Suddenly... at the very edges of your consciousness, you hear what sounds like a distant roar. The bellowing, terrible roar of an enraged beast. The roar grows louder and louder, reaching an impossible volume..! Struggling and resisting, Krawtor attempts to raise his head, searching for this approaching beast. A blaze of white light suddenly blinds you, and air rushes back into your straining lungs. Fresh, Green Grass Lush, short grass grows on this part of the field. Wild flowers sprout here and there showing their bright colors to the pollinating insects nearby. The buzz of these insects is rampant. [Exits: north west] A monstrous, slavering bear towers here. Krawtor rises up to his feet, 'Sh..Shagarh, is that you? With a gruff snort, the giant bear observes, 'I told you I smelled something'. Krawtor looks at himself from limb to limb, 'Yep, all still there. Shagarh says 'Fortunately' Krawtor shakes both his heads and grimaces, 'You would not believe the journey I've just been on...There are strange forces at work, Warlord. Shagarh says 'Yes, I saw...' Shagarh says 'I was able to break Its hold on you at the last moment' Shagarh says 'Yes' Shagarh says 'There is a limit to what I can do in such situations...' Shagarh says 'If I was to forcibly break Its hold on you, you may end up incurably insane' Shagarh says '...or worse' Krawtor nods both his heads in understanding, 'What was that thing? Shagarh says 'It has no name' Shagarh says 'Mostly It is referred to simply as "It"... which is how It refers to Itself, anyway' Krawtor grimaces at the thought, 'It showed me these visions of myself, but, it wasn't me at the same time? It felt like temptation. Shagarh says 'I cannot see what It showed you, they were visions in your own mind created by Its domain' The heads of Krawtor each bob up and down, nodding. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' I understand, and it makes sense. I think often of our talk here in the Ford some time ago. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' The visions it showed me were of someone I will never be. I think once it realized I was onto this facade, it got angry. Shagarh says 'I have dealt with It before' Shagarh says 'It is an unfathomably ancient creature, but at the same time, it is like a child' Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' It possessed an unnatural strength. Ancient as you said. It was a struggle to not be overtaken by it. The heads of Krawtor each bob up and down, nodding. Both of Krawtor's heads speak in unison but out of cadence and in different registers, ' The visions it showed me only serve to reinforce what we spoke of before, those who would stray from the path of honor and be lead astray like Berston. Shagarh nods. Shagarh says 'But be wary' Shagarh says 'Now that It has shown an interest in you... there is no telling whether It will appear again' The head on the right side of Krawtor's neck speaks, ' Wary indeed! Shagarh says 'And there is no telling in what form' Shagarh says 'I must do some sniffing around, stay vigilant' Krawtor looks around himself carefully before moving. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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