Lifting the Veil (1-2)

Colin crouched beside a large tree, peering out from around the trunk at Velentham as the insane celestial tried to bait Gilean out of the warded protection of the cottage.  Gilean had reached out mentally to he and Orn then Velentham had shown up, hoping that this would be a chance to force the return of Sanria.  Orn had then arrived beside Colin before quickly transporting the two of them to the druid grove.  The quickly begged for assistance form the few druids there, and while most where reluctant to get involved, two of the younger ones had agreed to assist.

Now Colin found himself waiting for an opening while Gilean, Orn, and the two druids bent nature and magic to their will, sending animated trees and rays of light at the taunting madman.  As two of the trees converged on Velentham, Colin took his chance, rushing from cover and charging toward Velentham from the side.

Colin was met with the battered body of Kaliadra being tossed at him like a discarded ragdoll with minimal effort form Velentham.  Colin instinctively dropped his blades and did his best to catch the broken elf, falling to the ground but managing to spare Kaliadra most of the impact.  However, he was vulnerable.

Before he could even react, the celestial was inside his mind.  Colin could feel the rough tendrils battering their way through his psyche and heard words spoken as if from a distance, 'Oh... this... he doesn't remember? Cousin!  You say I'm a monster?  What do you say - a man who uses the disadvantage of another to marry his wife?'

Colin grasped the sides of his head futilely.  For all of his strength he could do nothing against this mental intrusion.  He was completely at Velentham's mercy, and again, the celestial's voice filtered into his ears, 'What do you say?  Let's let him remember, shall we?!'

'No!' But it wasn't Colin who said it. Suddenly, with a rough but precise shove, all the gaps were filled.  As simply as a switch being flipped, Colin remembered everything.  The memories came in a flood: he and Sanria on the beach, carrying Sanria in his arms to be married, years spent with her wandering dark landscapes, the birth of Orn, the birth of Leandra, struggling to be a father and husband while afflicted by instability.  It was all back, and for a moment it was glorious.

Then the new memories merged with the current memories, and it was almost too much.  Here he had been.  He was back.  He had even been with Sanria, unknowingly forming a new love for her even without the memories... but Gilean. How could his friend have taken advantage of his condition like this?  How could he have taken Sanria, Colin's wife, as his own?  No, this was all wrong.  How could he?

The crack of stiff wood against body and a howl of pain brought Colin back to the present.  He looked up to see Velentham staggering aside from Orn. Orn.  His son, who he loved dearly.

The memories would have to wait.  The questions would have to wait. The feelings would have to wait.  Right now, they needed to take care of this monster.  The rest... must come later.

Dreamless Dreaming

What is there to explain dreamless dreaming?  What darkness can compare to the darkness unseen?  Blackness that by its very emptiness doesn't exist while it exists.  Void so permanent that all who enter into its caress are lost to even the sensation of being touched.  The idea of even knowing one drifts in the inky blackness is lost in the deep folds of nothing.  Does one truly exist here?  Where, if not here, does one go that gives one inner life while the outer shell breathes?

After a long year in the confines of nowhere, deep in the vast darkness of the dreamless dreaming, Brin's eyes finally reopened and her consciousness came back online.

Absolute Bottom

Sanria leaned heavily against Velentham's chest, her body numb.  She wanted to cry, but whatever  he was doing in her mind prevented her from shedding tears. Still, the deep sorrow  pervaded her muscles, sitting there heavily, spreading apart the very fibers of her being until she felt  nothing.  There was nothing she could do.  She'd seen the look of horror on his face and hoped it would be enough  to spare her from bearing his child, but it wasn't.  When he looked at her, she'd tried to keep the horror from her own face, but simply  wasn't fast enough.  Just as suddenly as he was disgusted, he was now in family mode.  The idea that it would bond them sickened her.

There were no memories for Sanria to call upon.  Her mind was blank as he held her tightly, squeezing her as though desiring  to suffocate the life right out of her.  At least he didn't  smell like cigarettes anymore.  Now he gave off a scent of sweat - sharp and acrid.  In this  moment, she could remember nothing and felt as though all there was in the world was this room and this man.  The sensation caused her revolt, she could barely recall just the few moments past when she wanted to use the window to get out.

Sanria found herself pulled onto the bed, still cradled in the crushing embrace of Velentham's arms.  He began to chuckle, quietly at first in a way that only shook his chest, then louder, blooming into a maniacal laugh.  "What will they say when they find out, love?  What will my cousin say when he discovers we've replaced his child with mine?"

The cousin... Sanria closed  her eyes and breathed deeply, willing a memory to the fore of her mind.  Gilean's face came  in a shimmer and was abruptly wiped away.  "Don't," Velentham's  voice said, warning  and rancor  in his tone.  "I don't want  you thinking about that  man, he's no longer in your life.  Do you understand?"
"Yes," she whispered.
"Good.  We need  to get home soon.  I don't want the product of our love to be born in this hovel."
'Product of our love?' Sanria questioned.  She didn't love -

As though she'd spoken aloud, Velentham pushed her back enough to look into her eyes, his own  glowing slightly.  "You do.  And you have more reason than ever to listen to me."  He placed a hand on her stomach, his eyes never leaving her own.  "We are now bonded completely."
"We're not married," she said.  'Not bonded,' she added mentally. "I will fix that.  If it means so much, I will locate one of the mages in this town to do honors.  Then we'll be remarried in the eyes of our people." "No -"  But he cut her short with a glare.  After a moment, he forced a smile. "You need to learn the right way to think, love.  You are mine.  You belong to and with me.  You are bearing my child.  We are now a family.  Everything I do is for  you, for us.  I'll protect you, take  care of you, and ensure you have everything you desire."
"Then let me go."
"That," he said, holding her tighter, "is absolutely out of the question."

Circumstances Convergent

No.  This was wrong.  He had been so careful before, but in his gloating, in his pride, he had forgotten to be careful.  There it was, he felt its brand new spark within her- the promise of life come to fruition.  A mongrel.  A half-breed, worse than his cousin.  The thought of accidentally siring a half-Celestial was abhorrent, yet here, in his woman, was his progeny.

He felt his ire rise and a bitter taste in the back of his mouth as he cursed himself.  He let her feel the life in her - weeks before her human senses would have known - and only when he saw the mortified look on her face did his tune change.  How dare she note want his child?  She should have been elated, ready finally to devote herself to him - instead she tried to hide the look of bewildered disgust.

"You are happy, aren't you?" and he watched her struggle for words.  She had none, so he put them there...
"Yes, I'm so happy."
"My people will accept it... they must."
"Of course."
"I was careless, but there are ways.  My people will accept us."

His mind was stretching in many directions at once.  He opened the window for Sanria, keeping the protections in place, satisfying her begging for fresh air.  He watched as she sat beside it to read.  Her face was silhouetted against the bright sky beyond, and the perfection of her face brought a sudden pang of longing and protectiveness to Velentham.  He wanted her undying devotion with a fierce longing, and he would protect his mongrel child and woman with renewed effort.  She may not be perfect completely, she wasn't yet Celestial, but that would change.  He would take her life and the child in her and they would be reborn properly. 

He used magic to slam the window closed and held out his hand in a summons. "Come, that's enough reading.  You will spend your time with me now."  She looked on the verge of tears as he grasped her to his chest, holding her with a ferocity.  "It was early, too soon, but regardless, our family is on the way.  This will bond us together," he said, stroking her hair and her mind.  "We will petition the child, too, and fix the mistakes of your birth and his - but for now, be happy my love.  This is only further proof that this is right."

Velentham kissed away the saltwater that rolled down her face, tasting her tears as she leaned against him.  He reached into her with magic, peering at the spark with wonder.  This would be fixed, straightened out, and everything would be fine.  He kissed Sanria, and she didn't pull away.

Legend of Platinum

Faction name: Legend of Platinum
Faction type: Cult
Status: Defunct


Short-lived anti-Radiant Heart group that was created after members were evicted from Radiant Heart. They later joined the Vectorian Empire, dissolving the group naturally.

Old Character Description - Aneh Rhedginsa

Deep sea green eyes are  framed by a line of diamond studs that have been embedded into the skin where the  eyebrows  normally would be. The line of diamond studs  meets up with a line of shiny onyx studs that runs  along her high cheekbones. The two lines of studs merge and alternate  their pattern as they arch high  up, growing  smaller and coming to a stop at  the line of her hair. Two deep dimples near the corners  of womans mouth are marked  with diamond studs as well. Another line of onyx studs flows  from behind her ears and goes down the neck, trailing across her collar bone.

White streaks run through  black waves of hair which  fall down just to a set of thin shoulders, ending in a natural chopped kind of cut.

Aneh wears a beautiful emerald green dress. It  flows over her form, accenting her  curves in an  attractive  manner  without  exploiting them. A simple cord  ties at the back of the neck, its tails allowed to trail down her back. The skirt  of the dress allows free movement of her legs, enough to walk or run if desired.

Old Character Description - Aneh Rhedginsa

Deep sea green eyes are  framed by a line of diamond studs that have been  embedded into the skin where the  eyebrows  normally would be. The line  of diamond studs  meets up with a line of shiny onyx studs that runs  along her high cheekbones.  The two lines  or studs merge and alternate  their pattern as they arch high  up, growing  smaller and  coming to a  stop at the  waves of  black curls that  fall down around a  pair  of slender shoulders.  Streaks of  stark white are a shocking  contrast throughout  the silken  tresses that stop  midway down her back.

Two deep  dimples near the corners  of womans mouth  are marked with diamond studs as well.  Black painted lips are pierced several times both  on top and bottom,  with small silver  hoops hugging the lips. Another line of onyx studs flows  from behind her ears and goes down the neck, trailing across her collar bone.

Finger nails are rounded slightly  and painted black with shimmering crystal  like tips.  Rings of all sorts  from twisted  black wire to beautifully crafted bands of silver cover every finger to the second knuckle. An array of thin bracelets of the same variation cover both wrists for several inches.

Her armor is  made of leather, dyed a rich  black with silver accent threads, and consists of a short bustier that hugs the curves of her bosom and a short yet loose skirt  made from many straps of leather, allowing free movement that rides low on this woman's hips.

Her belly button is pierced in an odd way, with a mechanical looking black spider attached at the center, its  long legs digging slightly into the  flesh of her  flat  stomach.  The eyes  of the  spider are flawless diamonds, it's fangs made of shiny onyx.

Flat heeled traveling boots encase her slender feet, made from black leather with  straps securing  them snug  to her athletic  calves. A ragged scar mars the inside of her right thigh, starting at the knee and disappearing underneath the short skirt.