After being pulled from Willow Lake by Khyron's spell, Dorian spent many days in disoriented confusion. Nightmares tormented her sporadic sleep, her non-sleeping hours where plagued by illusions.
Out of necessity, Dorian spent most of each of those times in the company of the Apostles' healer, questions constantly running through her confused mind. "What was it?" "How?" Then once the healers spells took more affect, "Why?"
Only one answer to each of the questions made any sense. Keldon. 'They' are once again looking for Keldon.'
"My lakes pollution, it has to be from those who seek what should not be found. Now is not the time," runs constantly through Dorian's mind. "Perhaps the one that bears the Crimson flag. She might be the one. I need to find her."
With that thought playing round and round in her head, Dorian sets out in search, knowing Sune will guide her.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query label:Keldon. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query label:Keldon. Sort by date Show all posts
Current Character Description - Keldon
It is Keldon, Known Throughout the Realms as The All-Around Nice Guy.
He's got His Honey Blonde Hair Slicked Back and Tied in a Tail that hangs to about Waist Length. Worn About His Body are the Garments and Weapons of the Orders of Sune. A great Chaotic Order of the Realm, But Then His Kindness is Found to be Chaotic in this Realm, also.
The Weapons of Destruction He Wears is Uncannilly Offset by the Kind Smile He Flashes to Those Who Stumble Upon Him.
Everyone Knows That for Keldons Help, All That is Required is a Request.
He's got His Honey Blonde Hair Slicked Back and Tied in a Tail that hangs to about Waist Length. Worn About His Body are the Garments and Weapons of the Orders of Sune. A great Chaotic Order of the Realm, But Then His Kindness is Found to be Chaotic in this Realm, also.
The Weapons of Destruction He Wears is Uncannilly Offset by the Kind Smile He Flashes to Those Who Stumble Upon Him.
Everyone Knows That for Keldons Help, All That is Required is a Request.
Fate
Emalia stood in her room - jaw dropped, tears in her eyes, and her tome on the ground - still in the haphazard position it was when Melchior threw it to the ground. He, too, was upset with her choice. He, too, looked upon her as a dealer in death. It set Emalia's resolve once and for all.
Earlier, she had been ready to run away. Again, she would find a new town, a new place, new people and thus not break any vows to anyone. As luck would have it, she stopped into the Prancing Stallion for a bit of water and ran smack into a drunken Grobnak.
She remembered Elbryan's words and was about to go, but she ended up talking to Grobnak anyway. As he found out her plans for leaving and why, he agreed quickly to withdraw his spies from her. She felt so much better, knowing that all it took was a simple request for her to keep her other family from enduring any worries. 'See,' she told herself, 'he's not as bad as they all make him out to be.'
Emalia had almost decided not to take her journey, when Grobnak made a suggestion... to seek out the Temple of Light. The name rang within her soul like a bell - perhaps here would be her clarity. She would seek out not only this place, but a man called 'Keldon', and see if her fate could finally be determined and her questions answered.
Leaving Grobnak at the compound, she went into Westbridge to collect her provisions and ended up in the map shop, hopeful that maybe there would be some sort of direction to this place... and so she stumbled on Melchior... and ended up here, by herself, with his words flailing her skin to shreds like a strand of barbed wire:
"You sentence us all to death!"
Earlier, she had been ready to run away. Again, she would find a new town, a new place, new people and thus not break any vows to anyone. As luck would have it, she stopped into the Prancing Stallion for a bit of water and ran smack into a drunken Grobnak.
She remembered Elbryan's words and was about to go, but she ended up talking to Grobnak anyway. As he found out her plans for leaving and why, he agreed quickly to withdraw his spies from her. She felt so much better, knowing that all it took was a simple request for her to keep her other family from enduring any worries. 'See,' she told herself, 'he's not as bad as they all make him out to be.'
Emalia had almost decided not to take her journey, when Grobnak made a suggestion... to seek out the Temple of Light. The name rang within her soul like a bell - perhaps here would be her clarity. She would seek out not only this place, but a man called 'Keldon', and see if her fate could finally be determined and her questions answered.
Leaving Grobnak at the compound, she went into Westbridge to collect her provisions and ended up in the map shop, hopeful that maybe there would be some sort of direction to this place... and so she stumbled on Melchior... and ended up here, by herself, with his words flailing her skin to shreds like a strand of barbed wire:
"You sentence us all to death!"
Tinge of Doubt
Fate. It had to be, nothing short of it, really. Emalia had heard no voices this day, but as she got off of the horse-drawn cart in Port Llast, rubbing her back end no less, she ran into a lady she had spoken with many times before in Market Square of Westbridge. There really was no confusing her, the green eye and hazel looked over Emalia's shocked face, seeming to gather in an instant that Emalia was doing something she "shouldn't." A few brief apologies passed before Emalia was clued in to the fact that she had done the right thing: "Emalia, I've no idea why we have come to meet on this path, but I have been looking to speak with you."
Emalia and Dorian seated themselves at an oak table in the Alliance Arms Inn.
It hadn't changed since the first time she had been there to buy lemonade for Hellstrom, nor the more recent time before she had gone to Waterdeep. Now, however, she had company at the oaken table.
Emalia downed her two glasses of lemonade, and in short order, found out that Dorian was a member of the Sunites. "What magic fate! That's wonderful!" Emalia straightened, her face gleaming. "Then you can tell me where to find this, Keldon fellow."
"No. I cannot tell you."
"Isn't he Sunite as well?" Emalia asked, slumping in her seat.
"He surely is that and one most cherished."
"I just needed to ask him something."
"If you do not mind, what are you wanting to ask him?"
Emalia spent a few moments getting to what her desire was, directions. She was on a journey to the Temple of Light to find her path in life. She had been told Keldon knew how to get there. Once there, she assumed easily that the Priests would aid her in discovering herself. It was only when Dorian mentioned, "One of those..." that Emalia became confused. "Many," Dorian said, "seek Keldon and the place he resides, most for the wrong reason." And it was with this that Emalia sat wondering what the wrong reason could possibly be. She found herself wondering why, exactly, it had been suggested so easily for her to take this, as her journey to self discovery.
Looking over at Dorian, Emalia found herself wondering about Grobnak. Before she could delve into her own thoughts on the matter with any scrutiny, Dorian began scratching at the ground by her foot and looking rather pained.
Emalia saw the woman shiver and moved to help, but something in her own mind held her back. She was on the verge of an explanation from Dorian, but it would have to wait. "Suffice it to say, Keldon can be contacted," Dorian said through her pains. Emalia watched her, confused and worried.
"Keep safe, be sure to do that."
"I shall do my best."
Dorian parted from Emalia's company, barely able to recite her spell to vanish. Emalia stood in the middle of the inn for a long moment. The urge to continue was overwhelming and so she again headed out on the mountainous road with thoughts circling her. "One of those..." "Wrong reason..." She didn't know in the least what it could mean, but hearing it come from the mouth of someone like Dorian, who had helped her before, was unsettling. Almost as much so as the orcs that seemed to be growing in number the farther north she traveled.
Emalia and Dorian seated themselves at an oak table in the Alliance Arms Inn.
It hadn't changed since the first time she had been there to buy lemonade for Hellstrom, nor the more recent time before she had gone to Waterdeep. Now, however, she had company at the oaken table.
Emalia downed her two glasses of lemonade, and in short order, found out that Dorian was a member of the Sunites. "What magic fate! That's wonderful!" Emalia straightened, her face gleaming. "Then you can tell me where to find this, Keldon fellow."
"No. I cannot tell you."
"Isn't he Sunite as well?" Emalia asked, slumping in her seat.
"He surely is that and one most cherished."
"I just needed to ask him something."
"If you do not mind, what are you wanting to ask him?"
Emalia spent a few moments getting to what her desire was, directions. She was on a journey to the Temple of Light to find her path in life. She had been told Keldon knew how to get there. Once there, she assumed easily that the Priests would aid her in discovering herself. It was only when Dorian mentioned, "One of those..." that Emalia became confused. "Many," Dorian said, "seek Keldon and the place he resides, most for the wrong reason." And it was with this that Emalia sat wondering what the wrong reason could possibly be. She found herself wondering why, exactly, it had been suggested so easily for her to take this, as her journey to self discovery.
Looking over at Dorian, Emalia found herself wondering about Grobnak. Before she could delve into her own thoughts on the matter with any scrutiny, Dorian began scratching at the ground by her foot and looking rather pained.
Emalia saw the woman shiver and moved to help, but something in her own mind held her back. She was on the verge of an explanation from Dorian, but it would have to wait. "Suffice it to say, Keldon can be contacted," Dorian said through her pains. Emalia watched her, confused and worried.
"Keep safe, be sure to do that."
"I shall do my best."
Dorian parted from Emalia's company, barely able to recite her spell to vanish. Emalia stood in the middle of the inn for a long moment. The urge to continue was overwhelming and so she again headed out on the mountainous road with thoughts circling her. "One of those..." "Wrong reason..." She didn't know in the least what it could mean, but hearing it come from the mouth of someone like Dorian, who had helped her before, was unsettling. Almost as much so as the orcs that seemed to be growing in number the farther north she traveled.
Treacherous Divination [WARNING: Graphic Content]
Some time had passed since Grobnak's encounter with Auril, and he'd felt remiss in his duties to The Apprentice as he'd ordered everyone to gather their things and put the search for the missing Sunite on hold. They'd had some intriguing findings, but no real leads as to Keldon's whereabouts. The encounter with the frigid goddess still plagued his thoughts, the words of her warning still echoing in his mind: You shall be betrayed. By who, and when? It seemed so long ago that it had happened.
He had performed the strongest divination spells that he knew, yet they yielded nothing of what was to come, save that the traitors would be from the church of Talos. That made no sense to him. Destroyers fighting against the Church? They were the strongest supporters of the Jenovese: they of all people sought the fall of the RoK the most. Still, it rang in his thoughts, and the Voice had remained strangely silent until tonight.
"Sseek yyourr counssell, Apposstlle. Thhe watterss of Rrebirthh, aand thhe bllood of tthe pplannet hholld thhe aansswerss youu sseek." The sinuous message from a thousand souls speaking at once rang from within his mind; images flashing in quick succession before his eyes. The divination ritual had been lain bare before him, yet another work of great magick given to him as a reward for his Faith. Quickly, Grobnak fell to his knees to offer praise to The Apprentice for this vision, and to ask for the Elder God's favor on the ritual to come. He would lay there, kneeling in prayer for hours to come, seeking the wisdom of the gods, and the power to do what needed to be done.
As Grobnak prayed, other Chosen of The Apprentice gathered together in the Haon'Dor forest, outside of a hamlet in the Elven Village. For hours they waited, listening to the soft gurgles of an elven infant, and occasionally the high-pitched whine as the child cried. There was no doubt as they waited: the child's life would be sacrificed for the greater good. There was no room for traitors in the Church. They, too, had heard The Voice. They knew what was needed. The child would not be forgotten by The Apprentice. When The Rebirth came, the child would once again be granted a chance at life. When that chance came, the child would be grateful for the fact that his doom didn't lie hanging over his head. Consoling themselves with this knowledge, the Chosen waited, patiently studying the residents of the village.
Others still gathered within the Jihad Compound, hearing the instructions of The Voice, preparing the ceremony for their Talosian leader. Silently at first, they lit the incense within the Chamber of Vows, then began chanting the arcane words called for in the ceremony. Three men left the room in three directions, still chanting the quiet dirge, only to return moments later. One bore an empty tub of silver; the other two plain chalices filled with fluid.
Night fell quickly on the infant's hamlet, and the Chosen acted quickly. Garbed in clothing enchanted to keep their movements silent and invisible, they crept upon the small home, their cracked and scarred faces shining dully in the moonlight. In one deft motion, the leader of the troupe dispelled the protective enchantments protecting the entrance, and snuck within. Another man, straggling behind the others, made silent gestures in the air, manipulating the Weave to prevent any noise from escaping the small home. The struggle was brief, and within only moments the elfin child had been procured. Again, the Chosen consoled themselves with the necessity of the task before them. After the Rebirth, this child would learn to be grateful.
After rising to his feet once more, Grobnak donned his priestly vestments and ventured out into the Chamber of Vows. All was prepared, as it always was when The Voice spoke these days. In some ways Grobnak missed the days when he had only The Voice for company, and others thought him mad. Still, solitude and prayer were privileges he had grown accustomed to, and he had no desire to give either of them up. Stepping heavily into the Chamber, Grobnak inhaled the Vapors, clearing his mind of all thought but that of his Faith, and his desire to see The Rebirth. Stepping before the small silver tub, he uttered the words that would begin the ceremony, "Vitalus donae, judas divinus torael!"
Their voices now threadbare whispers, the Chosen who had begun the chant hours ago stepped forward, the litany still fresh upon their lips. Another Chosen entered the Chamber from the south, the elfin child wailing as he cradled it in his arms before lowering it into the tub laying at the center of the room. Two others also stepped forward, dabbing viscous brown and black fluids on the child's limbs and forehead in the shape of arcanic runes before dumping the contents of their chalices entirely into the tub. The changes in the child were visible as his limbs blackened and the skin cracked in red welts wherever the fluid touched.
The chalice bearers left the room as the other Chosen continued their husky chant. Grobnak began the invocation as they came and went, several times over to empty their cups into the tub. Soon, the infant's screams were silenced as it was submerged and began to die. At the culmination of the ritual, as the child's heart beat its last, Grobnak looked down upon the pool, tears of self-loathing in his demonic eyes, to view those who would betray the nation of Jenova. There, flickering in the brown and black waves above the child's face, were the images of Violent and Wermidon bowing before Talos himself. Grobnak reeled in shock despite his mental preparations for the worst. A fellow Council member and leader of Talos' church! He could never have been prepared for such a devastating blow.
As if sensing Grobnak's presence through the passage of time, his deity seemed to smile at him through the images. Indeed, Grobnak almost felt as though, at the back of his mind, he heard a voice whispering of purging the weak among the Destroyers, though he wasn't certain. The images held before him, as each of the Chosen stepped forward to get their own look at the traitors. Then the images moved forward in time, granting their audience a vision of Wermidon taking a journey, another of Violent seeking him out, and still others of those who had Fallen from Salvation.
Sensing the fading power of the ritual, Grobnak turned a fleeting thought to Emalia and her whereabouts - and whether or not she, a Guardian, could really believe The Truth without betraying the Jenovese to the pressures of her old life. The images flickered and swirled, showing a hazy outline of the young girl on a ship headed toward what appeared to be the sun, accompanied by two others.
A final image appeared before the scene ended; an image of a rose-colored building surrounded by clergy garbed in similarly colored clothing. A Temple of Lathander. Was this the journey she had intended to make? Her image had been unclear. From this, Grobnak knew that any betrayal in Emalia's heart was not yet certain.
Yet she was being attended to by strangers. Grobnak frowned in thought. Action had to be taken.
The Chosen who had spent the past few hours performing and preparing the ritual were already dissembling. They also knew that steps had to be taken against this new threat, and were preparing to do so. Turning to one of his attendants, Grobnak whispered an order to her in a fervent hiss, "A contingent is to be sent to the Forest of Destruction at once! Send only those who follow both the Storm Lord and the RoK. More eyes are needed there."
Passing a small, rectangular ornament to the blistered woman, he continued, "See to it using my seal, Child. You must also return to my chambers within the hour for a message, to be delivered to Nephesh Vishara. His aid is needed in another matter." Grobnak thought of the small halfling slave he'd bought at the Westbridge Pawnshop a two years ago, and what had become of the mute Lathanderite. To think that Emalia was headed toward the very temple he'd sent the boy to only a year ago... . To give him such a boon, surely even Tymora was smiling upon him today.
He had performed the strongest divination spells that he knew, yet they yielded nothing of what was to come, save that the traitors would be from the church of Talos. That made no sense to him. Destroyers fighting against the Church? They were the strongest supporters of the Jenovese: they of all people sought the fall of the RoK the most. Still, it rang in his thoughts, and the Voice had remained strangely silent until tonight.
"Sseek yyourr counssell, Apposstlle. Thhe watterss of Rrebirthh, aand thhe bllood of tthe pplannet hholld thhe aansswerss youu sseek." The sinuous message from a thousand souls speaking at once rang from within his mind; images flashing in quick succession before his eyes. The divination ritual had been lain bare before him, yet another work of great magick given to him as a reward for his Faith. Quickly, Grobnak fell to his knees to offer praise to The Apprentice for this vision, and to ask for the Elder God's favor on the ritual to come. He would lay there, kneeling in prayer for hours to come, seeking the wisdom of the gods, and the power to do what needed to be done.
As Grobnak prayed, other Chosen of The Apprentice gathered together in the Haon'Dor forest, outside of a hamlet in the Elven Village. For hours they waited, listening to the soft gurgles of an elven infant, and occasionally the high-pitched whine as the child cried. There was no doubt as they waited: the child's life would be sacrificed for the greater good. There was no room for traitors in the Church. They, too, had heard The Voice. They knew what was needed. The child would not be forgotten by The Apprentice. When The Rebirth came, the child would once again be granted a chance at life. When that chance came, the child would be grateful for the fact that his doom didn't lie hanging over his head. Consoling themselves with this knowledge, the Chosen waited, patiently studying the residents of the village.
Others still gathered within the Jihad Compound, hearing the instructions of The Voice, preparing the ceremony for their Talosian leader. Silently at first, they lit the incense within the Chamber of Vows, then began chanting the arcane words called for in the ceremony. Three men left the room in three directions, still chanting the quiet dirge, only to return moments later. One bore an empty tub of silver; the other two plain chalices filled with fluid.
Night fell quickly on the infant's hamlet, and the Chosen acted quickly. Garbed in clothing enchanted to keep their movements silent and invisible, they crept upon the small home, their cracked and scarred faces shining dully in the moonlight. In one deft motion, the leader of the troupe dispelled the protective enchantments protecting the entrance, and snuck within. Another man, straggling behind the others, made silent gestures in the air, manipulating the Weave to prevent any noise from escaping the small home. The struggle was brief, and within only moments the elfin child had been procured. Again, the Chosen consoled themselves with the necessity of the task before them. After the Rebirth, this child would learn to be grateful.
After rising to his feet once more, Grobnak donned his priestly vestments and ventured out into the Chamber of Vows. All was prepared, as it always was when The Voice spoke these days. In some ways Grobnak missed the days when he had only The Voice for company, and others thought him mad. Still, solitude and prayer were privileges he had grown accustomed to, and he had no desire to give either of them up. Stepping heavily into the Chamber, Grobnak inhaled the Vapors, clearing his mind of all thought but that of his Faith, and his desire to see The Rebirth. Stepping before the small silver tub, he uttered the words that would begin the ceremony, "Vitalus donae, judas divinus torael!"
Their voices now threadbare whispers, the Chosen who had begun the chant hours ago stepped forward, the litany still fresh upon their lips. Another Chosen entered the Chamber from the south, the elfin child wailing as he cradled it in his arms before lowering it into the tub laying at the center of the room. Two others also stepped forward, dabbing viscous brown and black fluids on the child's limbs and forehead in the shape of arcanic runes before dumping the contents of their chalices entirely into the tub. The changes in the child were visible as his limbs blackened and the skin cracked in red welts wherever the fluid touched.
The chalice bearers left the room as the other Chosen continued their husky chant. Grobnak began the invocation as they came and went, several times over to empty their cups into the tub. Soon, the infant's screams were silenced as it was submerged and began to die. At the culmination of the ritual, as the child's heart beat its last, Grobnak looked down upon the pool, tears of self-loathing in his demonic eyes, to view those who would betray the nation of Jenova. There, flickering in the brown and black waves above the child's face, were the images of Violent and Wermidon bowing before Talos himself. Grobnak reeled in shock despite his mental preparations for the worst. A fellow Council member and leader of Talos' church! He could never have been prepared for such a devastating blow.
As if sensing Grobnak's presence through the passage of time, his deity seemed to smile at him through the images. Indeed, Grobnak almost felt as though, at the back of his mind, he heard a voice whispering of purging the weak among the Destroyers, though he wasn't certain. The images held before him, as each of the Chosen stepped forward to get their own look at the traitors. Then the images moved forward in time, granting their audience a vision of Wermidon taking a journey, another of Violent seeking him out, and still others of those who had Fallen from Salvation.
Sensing the fading power of the ritual, Grobnak turned a fleeting thought to Emalia and her whereabouts - and whether or not she, a Guardian, could really believe The Truth without betraying the Jenovese to the pressures of her old life. The images flickered and swirled, showing a hazy outline of the young girl on a ship headed toward what appeared to be the sun, accompanied by two others.
A final image appeared before the scene ended; an image of a rose-colored building surrounded by clergy garbed in similarly colored clothing. A Temple of Lathander. Was this the journey she had intended to make? Her image had been unclear. From this, Grobnak knew that any betrayal in Emalia's heart was not yet certain.
Yet she was being attended to by strangers. Grobnak frowned in thought. Action had to be taken.
The Chosen who had spent the past few hours performing and preparing the ritual were already dissembling. They also knew that steps had to be taken against this new threat, and were preparing to do so. Turning to one of his attendants, Grobnak whispered an order to her in a fervent hiss, "A contingent is to be sent to the Forest of Destruction at once! Send only those who follow both the Storm Lord and the RoK. More eyes are needed there."
Passing a small, rectangular ornament to the blistered woman, he continued, "See to it using my seal, Child. You must also return to my chambers within the hour for a message, to be delivered to Nephesh Vishara. His aid is needed in another matter." Grobnak thought of the small halfling slave he'd bought at the Westbridge Pawnshop a two years ago, and what had become of the mute Lathanderite. To think that Emalia was headed toward the very temple he'd sent the boy to only a year ago... . To give him such a boon, surely even Tymora was smiling upon him today.
Things to Consider
Emalia found herself walking briskly to the Jihad compound. She carried her pack with her and thought about Colin the whole way. At least now she was able to leave the house claiming the need for alone time. The last argument they had was over the ridiculous Vectorian invasion and the danger she had been putting herself in. Then, like an idiot, she had attempted to use what her father had taught her, telling Colin to swing his sword so she could encase herself in her power. When Thasmudyan had done it, he easily deflected her blow. When she had Colin swing at her... she ended up with a cut and an angry red welt the width of his broadsword. Luckily, he had turned the blade flat. Luckily, she was a healer. But the incident had served to knock her down a peg. She was shaken now about her ability to protect herself and her child, and so, after finding Grobnak's office empty the first time, she decided to go back - renewed in her conviction that the answer was action. "Enter."
The hissing voice from beyond unnerved her a bit, but Emalia opened the large oak door with confidence. "Greetings, Child," Grobnak said after removing the spectacles from his black eyes.
"Hello Grobnak. I have to speak with you."
"If this is regarding the matter with the fellow you were with last time, I have offered my apologies." Indeed, that was the whole reason Emalia had avoided Grobnak. After his attempt on Colin's life, Emalia felt unsure about Grobnak's motives, and uncomfortable about the two of them ever meeting again.
"No, it is not in regards to Colin. It's in regard to the Vectorian invasion. Something must be done."
"The Pax Faerunis, who would save the people of the Realms lies back and does nothing while Kefka runs over their people. Yes? This is the hypocrisy I spoke to you of once before."
"Kefka must be stopped."
"We are already in the midst of negotiating with Kefka, in the hopes of alleviating the taxes he levies."
It was a relief for Emalia to hear this, though it left her wondering the extent of the things she didn't know. The Jihad was negotiating with Kefka and she had no idea. Still, it was nice to know that the group she also considered family was making moves to stop the invasion. Still, her thoughts drifted to the people of the realms. "It's terrible. The people need to unite, but no one has made move to do so."
"And you think that the Jihad can unite them? We must operate in shadow, Child. The world at large believes us to be evil..."
"Well we must show them we are not. If we show the people we are not evil, more may join with us," Emalia claimed. It was a stretch, she knew it was.
"All that we do is shadowed by questions because of our beliefs. Our motives will never be thought of as 'pure'."
"Then why will we not operate openly and do something? If we get Kefka out of here, who could say otherwise? People couldn't possibly question our motives."
"And if we succeed, Child? What then? Will the Pax regain control and then attempt to remove us, as well? Or will another tyrant stand in Kefka's place?"
When Emalia heard Grobnak's chortling laughter at her suggestion that the Paxian's might look at them differently, possibly ally with them, she felt a bit crushed. Grobnak admitted he was willing to try, but as Emalia found out, his trying was different from hers. Her thoughts went to what Epson had said about Kefka, and as a last ditch effort, she threw it out to Grobnak. "Kefka has threatened unborn even! I won't let my child be taken if I refuse his taxes."
At last, a reaction. Grobnak's black eyes turned to her, and in them, Emalia thought she sensed shock. "Your child?"
"Mine, and Colin's"
It was not the reaction Emalia had hoped for, but it did spark a discussion about the events that had transpired between Colin and Grobnak. It then evolved into the reasons for Emalia's even coming back to see him. I'm almost ashamed to admit I came here to ask about assassinating Kefka."
"That task would be far too difficult for us to accomplish, I'm afraid," Grobnak hissed. "The lunatic is well protected."
Emalia knew immediately what an assassination of Kefka would look like to the rest of the realms. It would only serve to reinforce the idea of the Jihad as murderers, and if the Guardians only knew one of their own was thinking of assassination... it was something she didn't really want to dwell upon. Still, Grobnak continued. "We have attempted to make contact with Kefka. He has not responded as yet."
Emalia nodded, hoping that Kefka would reply. If so, she wouldn't have to flee in order to save her family. The subject then went to Nephesh, with Grobnak's asking how their journey had gone. "Did you find the answers you sought?"
"I was only told to seek out the Balefire Mountains...And that after much travel and peril." Emalia's head was bowed, but when she looked up, she was a bit taken aback. Grobnak's normally deep green skin was paled, his mouth was pulled into a frown. "Do you know where they are?" Emalia asked.
Grobnak merely nodded, and Emalia's heart lept into her chest. Suddenly, Kefka and the Vectorians didn't matter. Her search for herself was nearer now than ever it had been before.
"You do?"
"I do, I was born there."
Of all the incredible coincidences, Emalia was utterly unprepared for this one. She inhaled a gasp, her eyes wide with excitement. "Then, you can tell me how to go... I mean, how to get there."
"I have not been there since my youth, I'm afraid."
"Mountains do not move so quickly. Can... can you draw me a map or give me a bit of guidance?"
Indeed, Grobnak pulled out a piece of yellowed parchment. Upon it was a map, and gingerly, Grobnak placed upon it a red "X". "You must seek out the ruins of my village. It is a frozen wasteland filled with orcs and barbarians, and other... creatures."
"What should I do when I get there?" Emalia asked with a heightened voice.
"I can't tell you that. I don't know the exact location of the Temple you seek."
Emalia nodded, looking at the "X" again while Grobnak spoke, "Is it any wonder that I, of all people, would be called to serve The Apprentice, when I am the last of my people? And born of these very mountains..."
"You are the last?"
Grobnak nodded as he handed the scroll case to Emalia. She slipped it into her pack, almost wishing she could set off immediately. That soon changed, however. "Child, you have come closer to solving a great riddle than any other since before the Sunite left."
Emalia stopped, turning her puzzled eyes onto Grobnak's face. "... What... riddle?" The question ignored, Grobnak pulled out the ritualistic dagger at his side and indicated his request for Emalia to kneel. Slowly, she did, but her mind was reeling. Riddle?
Grobnak spoke in a voice of officiation, "It would be better for you to throw yourself upon this dagger than for you to betray your family. Do you still believe in this oath?"
Suddenly, all of Emalia's conviction left her. She was there, kneeling on the ground, a dagger to her throat at the question of loyalty. 'What Riddle?!?" her mind screamed. Her face suddenly flushed, her breathing quickened, she swallowed, and her mouth hung open. 'What Riddle!!!?' Emalia's heart pounded in her chest, the rushing blood rising to her ears like the movement of waves upon the sea. "I... I don't know that I can say that right now..."
Grobnak looked upon her, his face clearly angry. Emalia bowed her head, cowed by the look of anger upon the face above hers. "I'm sorry..." she whispered.
"The map, if you will."
Emalia's head jerked up suddenly. "But..."
"We will not send someone out in search of the Temple who is not certain where her loyalties lie. There is too much at stake."
Again, the question of the riddle resurfaced. First riddle, now 'we will not send someone out, too much at stake. "Wait, I undertook this journey to find myself. Am I to understand I was sent for other reasons now?"
"Did I not suggest that you might find your answers at the temple? It was the journey that was important, Child. Not the destination."
"Yet you mention a riddle. What is the riddle. Tell me."
"The location of the Temple."
Emalia stared at Grobnak, shaken inside as he spoke the next words, "I did not lie to you, Child, if that is what you believe." Indeed, she did think that very thing. She reached into her pack and held toward Grobnak the oaken case containing his map. "All this talk of loyalty and betrayal," she whispered. "I thought you were trying to help me. Now I don't know what to think."
"We are trying to help."
"Are you?"
Emalia let the case be taken from her hand. She watched Grobnak slowly set it upon his desk and he calmly spoke, "The Temple of Light holds the power to destroy the RoK and leave it for another generation, or to resurrect The Apprentice and bring about the Rebirth. Would you leave it in the hands of someone uncertain where her loyalties lie, if she was also a member of an organization who would undo what we are working for?"
Emalia's whole world dropped onto her like a giant sack of bricks. She had been completely naive, completely blind, and completely foolish. She thought of Dorian in Luskan and how worried she was about Emalia asking after Keldon, now... it all became clear. She had been used. This, however, she couldn't even voice. Her body was numb, her stomach clenched with the threat of losing its contents. Grobnak went on, "I suggested the Temple of Light because you did not know where you were going, and because you needed to take a journey. It was your idea. I only gave you a very small hint at a direction. I never imagined that you would come close to finding it. I only imagined you would come close to finding the answers you sought."
"Why, did I not know this then?" Emalia asked, leaning heavily now upon the cherrywood desk.
"It should be in the book I gave you, Child."
The book, the damnable book. The one she sifted through only lightly, the one she thumbed through and never bothered to *truly* read. She set the volume on the desk - too weak even to hold it. "What am I to do? If I find this place... I have betrayed one family for the other. To not go, I have betrayed this family in favor of the other... Am I not first a Guardian? Or... or..."
"We are prisoners first to the world, second by the choices we make, Child. Oft because the world thrusts these choices upon us."
"I don't know what to do..."
"You will find the Temple, and you will be the savior of a generation, or of a world."
Emalia's stomach again revolted. Suddenly, her trip meant nothing. Her aim had been predestined, and the weight of the knowledge threatened to destroy her. "Then... I cannot remain with my Guardian family... if I go forth... I... I will have to l...leave them..."
"No, the Guardians would also want you to seek out the Temple. But for their own aims."
"Is that not what you seek?"
"Both the Guardians and the Jihad seek to stop the RoK and save the world. We just don't agree about how to do it. The Guardians are still young. They have not seen the generations and the destruction the RoK has caused when it has been stopped once but not forever. They do not understand Ao's treachery. I truly wish they did, Child. Sadly, it is the nature of time that those who have seen the past grow fewer as time passes, and new peoples take the stage and overrule those of us who have come before."
"It seems my only choices are to refuse and bring anger to both families... or go... and let them each fight for themselves... I will not choose sides... no." Emalia stood staring at Grobnak, her face red. "Do you want me to go, or do you fear my loyalties or lack thereof?"
"You will go whether I wish it or not, Child. That is your destiny"
Emalia had never been so disgusted with the word 'destiny' as she was at that very moment in time. The thought of having no choice, at least that she felt was of her own to make, sent her into reels of irritation and self-loathing. No matter what, death would be arriving in the realms, it only seemed that now she would be the one bringing it. She thought of her child, a poor child doomed to a world where the fate was bringing down the RoK early and possibly coming back, or having the RoK most likely fall altogether. She wanted to cry, but her soul seemed frozen.
Grobnak then spoke of a plane where she could go, where time flowed differently, where she could have her child, and be spared. This, however, only sent Emalia into a deeper chasm. Leave all she knew to spare her child? It was unacceptable.
She had made up her mind then to go to Jayden. He always knew what to do, it seemed, but this idea was thwarted soon after she mentioned it. Grobnak had a point, "There will come a time when you must choose, Child. I will not force it upon you, but I suspect that they will. As before, they will force this choice upon you, as they always do. I am sorry."
Oddly, it made some sort of sense. "Perhaps... you are right..." she whispered. "We are prisoners first to the world, And second to the choices that we make."
Emalia walked out, her steps sluggish upon the ground. Her boots caught on what felt like every branch and limb, every leaf seemed to hold her back. She truly did want to cry, but she couldn't. She felt more alone now - with a child in her, a loving companion, and two families - than she had ever felt in her entire life in the forests of Haon'Dor. Inside, her heart trembled... she was alone and the only thing it seemed that was ready to guide her way... was destiny.
The hissing voice from beyond unnerved her a bit, but Emalia opened the large oak door with confidence. "Greetings, Child," Grobnak said after removing the spectacles from his black eyes.
"Hello Grobnak. I have to speak with you."
"If this is regarding the matter with the fellow you were with last time, I have offered my apologies." Indeed, that was the whole reason Emalia had avoided Grobnak. After his attempt on Colin's life, Emalia felt unsure about Grobnak's motives, and uncomfortable about the two of them ever meeting again.
"No, it is not in regards to Colin. It's in regard to the Vectorian invasion. Something must be done."
"The Pax Faerunis, who would save the people of the Realms lies back and does nothing while Kefka runs over their people. Yes? This is the hypocrisy I spoke to you of once before."
"Kefka must be stopped."
"We are already in the midst of negotiating with Kefka, in the hopes of alleviating the taxes he levies."
It was a relief for Emalia to hear this, though it left her wondering the extent of the things she didn't know. The Jihad was negotiating with Kefka and she had no idea. Still, it was nice to know that the group she also considered family was making moves to stop the invasion. Still, her thoughts drifted to the people of the realms. "It's terrible. The people need to unite, but no one has made move to do so."
"And you think that the Jihad can unite them? We must operate in shadow, Child. The world at large believes us to be evil..."
"Well we must show them we are not. If we show the people we are not evil, more may join with us," Emalia claimed. It was a stretch, she knew it was.
"All that we do is shadowed by questions because of our beliefs. Our motives will never be thought of as 'pure'."
"Then why will we not operate openly and do something? If we get Kefka out of here, who could say otherwise? People couldn't possibly question our motives."
"And if we succeed, Child? What then? Will the Pax regain control and then attempt to remove us, as well? Or will another tyrant stand in Kefka's place?"
When Emalia heard Grobnak's chortling laughter at her suggestion that the Paxian's might look at them differently, possibly ally with them, she felt a bit crushed. Grobnak admitted he was willing to try, but as Emalia found out, his trying was different from hers. Her thoughts went to what Epson had said about Kefka, and as a last ditch effort, she threw it out to Grobnak. "Kefka has threatened unborn even! I won't let my child be taken if I refuse his taxes."
At last, a reaction. Grobnak's black eyes turned to her, and in them, Emalia thought she sensed shock. "Your child?"
"Mine, and Colin's"
It was not the reaction Emalia had hoped for, but it did spark a discussion about the events that had transpired between Colin and Grobnak. It then evolved into the reasons for Emalia's even coming back to see him. I'm almost ashamed to admit I came here to ask about assassinating Kefka."
"That task would be far too difficult for us to accomplish, I'm afraid," Grobnak hissed. "The lunatic is well protected."
Emalia knew immediately what an assassination of Kefka would look like to the rest of the realms. It would only serve to reinforce the idea of the Jihad as murderers, and if the Guardians only knew one of their own was thinking of assassination... it was something she didn't really want to dwell upon. Still, Grobnak continued. "We have attempted to make contact with Kefka. He has not responded as yet."
Emalia nodded, hoping that Kefka would reply. If so, she wouldn't have to flee in order to save her family. The subject then went to Nephesh, with Grobnak's asking how their journey had gone. "Did you find the answers you sought?"
"I was only told to seek out the Balefire Mountains...And that after much travel and peril." Emalia's head was bowed, but when she looked up, she was a bit taken aback. Grobnak's normally deep green skin was paled, his mouth was pulled into a frown. "Do you know where they are?" Emalia asked.
Grobnak merely nodded, and Emalia's heart lept into her chest. Suddenly, Kefka and the Vectorians didn't matter. Her search for herself was nearer now than ever it had been before.
"You do?"
"I do, I was born there."
Of all the incredible coincidences, Emalia was utterly unprepared for this one. She inhaled a gasp, her eyes wide with excitement. "Then, you can tell me how to go... I mean, how to get there."
"I have not been there since my youth, I'm afraid."
"Mountains do not move so quickly. Can... can you draw me a map or give me a bit of guidance?"
Indeed, Grobnak pulled out a piece of yellowed parchment. Upon it was a map, and gingerly, Grobnak placed upon it a red "X". "You must seek out the ruins of my village. It is a frozen wasteland filled with orcs and barbarians, and other... creatures."
"What should I do when I get there?" Emalia asked with a heightened voice.
"I can't tell you that. I don't know the exact location of the Temple you seek."
Emalia nodded, looking at the "X" again while Grobnak spoke, "Is it any wonder that I, of all people, would be called to serve The Apprentice, when I am the last of my people? And born of these very mountains..."
"You are the last?"
Grobnak nodded as he handed the scroll case to Emalia. She slipped it into her pack, almost wishing she could set off immediately. That soon changed, however. "Child, you have come closer to solving a great riddle than any other since before the Sunite left."
Emalia stopped, turning her puzzled eyes onto Grobnak's face. "... What... riddle?" The question ignored, Grobnak pulled out the ritualistic dagger at his side and indicated his request for Emalia to kneel. Slowly, she did, but her mind was reeling. Riddle?
Grobnak spoke in a voice of officiation, "It would be better for you to throw yourself upon this dagger than for you to betray your family. Do you still believe in this oath?"
Suddenly, all of Emalia's conviction left her. She was there, kneeling on the ground, a dagger to her throat at the question of loyalty. 'What Riddle?!?" her mind screamed. Her face suddenly flushed, her breathing quickened, she swallowed, and her mouth hung open. 'What Riddle!!!?' Emalia's heart pounded in her chest, the rushing blood rising to her ears like the movement of waves upon the sea. "I... I don't know that I can say that right now..."
Grobnak looked upon her, his face clearly angry. Emalia bowed her head, cowed by the look of anger upon the face above hers. "I'm sorry..." she whispered.
"The map, if you will."
Emalia's head jerked up suddenly. "But..."
"We will not send someone out in search of the Temple who is not certain where her loyalties lie. There is too much at stake."
Again, the question of the riddle resurfaced. First riddle, now 'we will not send someone out, too much at stake. "Wait, I undertook this journey to find myself. Am I to understand I was sent for other reasons now?"
"Did I not suggest that you might find your answers at the temple? It was the journey that was important, Child. Not the destination."
"Yet you mention a riddle. What is the riddle. Tell me."
"The location of the Temple."
Emalia stared at Grobnak, shaken inside as he spoke the next words, "I did not lie to you, Child, if that is what you believe." Indeed, she did think that very thing. She reached into her pack and held toward Grobnak the oaken case containing his map. "All this talk of loyalty and betrayal," she whispered. "I thought you were trying to help me. Now I don't know what to think."
"We are trying to help."
"Are you?"
Emalia let the case be taken from her hand. She watched Grobnak slowly set it upon his desk and he calmly spoke, "The Temple of Light holds the power to destroy the RoK and leave it for another generation, or to resurrect The Apprentice and bring about the Rebirth. Would you leave it in the hands of someone uncertain where her loyalties lie, if she was also a member of an organization who would undo what we are working for?"
Emalia's whole world dropped onto her like a giant sack of bricks. She had been completely naive, completely blind, and completely foolish. She thought of Dorian in Luskan and how worried she was about Emalia asking after Keldon, now... it all became clear. She had been used. This, however, she couldn't even voice. Her body was numb, her stomach clenched with the threat of losing its contents. Grobnak went on, "I suggested the Temple of Light because you did not know where you were going, and because you needed to take a journey. It was your idea. I only gave you a very small hint at a direction. I never imagined that you would come close to finding it. I only imagined you would come close to finding the answers you sought."
"Why, did I not know this then?" Emalia asked, leaning heavily now upon the cherrywood desk.
"It should be in the book I gave you, Child."
The book, the damnable book. The one she sifted through only lightly, the one she thumbed through and never bothered to *truly* read. She set the volume on the desk - too weak even to hold it. "What am I to do? If I find this place... I have betrayed one family for the other. To not go, I have betrayed this family in favor of the other... Am I not first a Guardian? Or... or..."
"We are prisoners first to the world, second by the choices we make, Child. Oft because the world thrusts these choices upon us."
"I don't know what to do..."
"You will find the Temple, and you will be the savior of a generation, or of a world."
Emalia's stomach again revolted. Suddenly, her trip meant nothing. Her aim had been predestined, and the weight of the knowledge threatened to destroy her. "Then... I cannot remain with my Guardian family... if I go forth... I... I will have to l...leave them..."
"No, the Guardians would also want you to seek out the Temple. But for their own aims."
"Is that not what you seek?"
"Both the Guardians and the Jihad seek to stop the RoK and save the world. We just don't agree about how to do it. The Guardians are still young. They have not seen the generations and the destruction the RoK has caused when it has been stopped once but not forever. They do not understand Ao's treachery. I truly wish they did, Child. Sadly, it is the nature of time that those who have seen the past grow fewer as time passes, and new peoples take the stage and overrule those of us who have come before."
"It seems my only choices are to refuse and bring anger to both families... or go... and let them each fight for themselves... I will not choose sides... no." Emalia stood staring at Grobnak, her face red. "Do you want me to go, or do you fear my loyalties or lack thereof?"
"You will go whether I wish it or not, Child. That is your destiny"
Emalia had never been so disgusted with the word 'destiny' as she was at that very moment in time. The thought of having no choice, at least that she felt was of her own to make, sent her into reels of irritation and self-loathing. No matter what, death would be arriving in the realms, it only seemed that now she would be the one bringing it. She thought of her child, a poor child doomed to a world where the fate was bringing down the RoK early and possibly coming back, or having the RoK most likely fall altogether. She wanted to cry, but her soul seemed frozen.
Grobnak then spoke of a plane where she could go, where time flowed differently, where she could have her child, and be spared. This, however, only sent Emalia into a deeper chasm. Leave all she knew to spare her child? It was unacceptable.
She had made up her mind then to go to Jayden. He always knew what to do, it seemed, but this idea was thwarted soon after she mentioned it. Grobnak had a point, "There will come a time when you must choose, Child. I will not force it upon you, but I suspect that they will. As before, they will force this choice upon you, as they always do. I am sorry."
Oddly, it made some sort of sense. "Perhaps... you are right..." she whispered. "We are prisoners first to the world, And second to the choices that we make."
Emalia walked out, her steps sluggish upon the ground. Her boots caught on what felt like every branch and limb, every leaf seemed to hold her back. She truly did want to cry, but she couldn't. She felt more alone now - with a child in her, a loving companion, and two families - than she had ever felt in her entire life in the forests of Haon'Dor. Inside, her heart trembled... she was alone and the only thing it seemed that was ready to guide her way... was destiny.
I'm Worried About You
Dorian sits on the banks of Willow Lake watching the birds flit. As she sits she contemplates what she has heard. Slowly the waters of the lake expand, crest the banks and then reach toward the tree and the esper that sits beneath it. Silently, slowly, the waters grab the esper and pull her into their depths. As that happens Dorian calls out to Keldon . . . "Keep hidden. Don't trust them . . .Keep safe!"
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