There is an End

"Velentham?" Gilean asked, his face alarmed.  "No.  Sanria.  We haven't heard  anything from my cousin for so long now... let's not disrupt that."
"Then I'll seek him out," Sanria answered.
"Oh, Sanria, no.  Look, ok, I can see. I just don't know how to get him to go  along with it."
"Let him know I'll see him if he will agree to listen."

Sanria knew what it could mean, she knew that if Velentham were given the opportunity, he could wipe out her memories of this world and keep her with him. Still, she knew  that with  Thasmudyan powerless, no matter how frustrated it made her, he couldn't stand up to Maya. At least if she could convince Velentham to  help Maya get home,  she could bring  Lyvinnia to a safe place to be raised with her sister and father - whether she was there or not.

With Gilean's promise secured and the  future secured from unexpected births, Sanria set off to Ror's home. When she found him absent, she went up into the room that had been Nioma's and to keep busy, she dismantled the crib.  It did not take long for Ror to appear.

She did not share with him any of the reasons for her leaving him - the reasons that were Orn, Colin, Thasmudyan, Velentham, and the danger that would be soon facing her.  She merely admitted she was weak in matters of love and watched as  he retracted his affections.  She knew she had hurt  him, but their parting had to be done, more than anything, for his own benefit.  Better that he hurt over a short relationship than get entrenched in something deeper and be ruined for women that might come along later.

Sanria left the tree and appeared in the Keeper's castle. She quickly went to her office after leaving Nioma  once again within Enmach's capable arms.  She would tell  Orn she had left Ror.  She would tell him she was now alone.  She would tell him about Velentham.  And she would  try to simply bury herself in the things she had been  neglecting until the time came for her to uphold her end of the bargain to free Lyvinnia. It may cost her everything, but she would ensure that, no matter what, she would do something right.

Meditation

Sunshine streamed in through skylights. Ror was sitting at the edge of a brook amidst leafy green plants. Cross-legged and with his eyes closed, the elf was meditating.

A bar. Phil's. Conversational tatters.

"...I am not the only one apparently..."

- "...No... no, you are not...."

- "...a file on me, probably from the TriPower..."

"... back from life?"

- "...It cuts me off...I have no memories....Something keeps sending me back...."

The bracelet. So peculiar.

- "...awareness... must persist after death."

The image of Thasmudyan flickered in and out of existence, his mouth moving, but what was he saying?

- "Ever since I can remember.... hazy..."


The image flickered again.

- "...a daughter of mine is in danger..."

Sanria's voice, "Thasmudyan doesn't want you raising his daughter."

"Rrrrrorrrrr-rrr."

The voice changed, and had an edge to it, an edge that wanted to kill.

"Thasmudyan's other lover...Concieved Nioma the day Lyvinnia was concieved."

A tavern. Ror saw himself sipping from tea.

"Lloth still awaits you after death?"

Two voices.

- "... A lot to do with it. Almost everything...I betrayed her... Before this guise..."

Market Square. Ror was talking to Rahvin and Maezura.

"And there you have it, Master Surion. In a nutshell, we seek to prolong death as long as possible..."

The world twisted away again.

- "...To learn the lifestram I presume. My daughter.... Able to tap right in."

Thasmudyan.

- "It's ...complicated, yes."

"I'll ask no more."

- "Thanks for that."

The angry yelling.

"...better stay the HELL AWAY from LYVINNIA!'

It was sinister.

"...Closer than anyone...To perminant death...Real death, everlasting death..."

Ror's eyes opened. Meditation was over. Placing his hand in support on the grass in front of him, he swore under his own breath,

"Shit."

Contemplation lost in Misery

The merciless assault assailed her senses as it always did when she was summoned. The sounds nearby drowned out into a dull mumble as the  sounds from her destination became a roar in her ears. The air before  her began to distort and flicker and new surroundings began to form in  the place of the old. Then came the sadness, She felt him, he who cared  for her, as he cried out in his soul, make a desperate last grab to hold  her to him as he always did, then he was gone, only the memory of his  melancholy expression as Lyvinnia was left to sit in the darkness of the  small wooden cupboard in her mothers chambers.

She didn't pray for her father to come and find her, Her mother had  spent every waking hour informing Lyvinnia that he didn't want her. He  wanted his other family. The only thing Lyvinnia even had of him was his  name, as a bastard she wasnt allowed her mothers. She pondered  sometimes why she even had these thoughts, understood what she did,  When she could barely put her feet together and walk. The small girl  looked down to the already mottled black legs and wondered when she  would learn to walk, It certainly would make her mother less angry.

Her mothers voice came to her like nails on a chalkboard as she heard  her approach, quickly the small girl curled into a ball in the darkest  corner and feigned sleeping, with luck she would just go away.

A Strange Place

The air was stagnant, stifling, drops of condensation began to form, beading like small drops of rain. Lyvinnia was hot, tired, her muscles ached from the past three days of relentless abuse she had recieved from her mother when the door unlocked and swang ajar, Lyvinnia had been granted her five hours of freedom.

Crawling to the now open door, Lyvinnia peeked out of the small gap and as expected, unless she was there to torture the small girl, Her mother was nowhere in sight.

Crawling out into the large room and across the floor Lyvinnia looked for the magical gate that her mother would sometimes leave for her so she could get to the temple. There would be no visit with the healer today. Crawling over to the large fire place, Lyvinnia sat on the ostentacious carpet, content simply to enjoy her time out of the cupboard.

Closing her eyes she laid back, taking the room in, its assortment of  shapes, colours and sounds, as would any six week old baby, When the  walls in the room began to flicker an irridescent blue. Lyvinnia was in  awe, the colours swirled and came together in a variation of different  hues and shades,  melting in to one another, she seemed drawn to it yet  feared to explore it, she had never seen anything so wonderful, felt  anything so calm, yet melovent, was she dreaming?

The specticle was more then her curiosity could withstand and before she knew it the small girl was crawling toward the tear in the fabric that  seemed to form into creation the closer she got to it, within moments,  Lyvinnia had entered a whole new realm.

Into the Blue

Sanria listened to Gilean and the other priest, Bertrand, talking while Nioma and Lyvinnia played.  The two girls seemed delighted with one another, but on seeing them, the moment they touched, with a blue glow that spread like starlight, Sanria snatched Nioma into the air.  It sent Lyvinnia into tears while  Nioma thrashed about in Sanria's arms. She'd never seen anything like it, but she couldn't risk a toddler vanishing to a place she didn't know, and it certainly seemed that they were on the verge of taking off.

She allowed Nioma  back to the ground, Sanria's eyes cautiously watching, and listened as Bertrand told them how abusive Maya truly was.  Why she felt that this was any of her obligation, she didn't know. But before she had considered any other way, she had  Bertrand promise to ask Maya if she could have the little girl.  "I've asked for the girl," Bertrand said.  "Maya always summons  her, I've even left with the child once. The child is a puppet to that order,  I wouldn't hold out on being granted the child."
"Sanria's home does have  special protections on it I helped to place there,"  Gilean replied.  "The child would be safe, if she is in danger  ...so long as  she didn't leave the house."
"Then take her, before the lass is dead."
"She'll kill her?" Sanria asked with alarm.

In that moment, she felt a great many things.  One, in particular, was anger. Thasmudyan  should be doing this, this was  his mistake.  He should  be here, fighting for his  daughter, not trying to make a life with her and Nioma.  He should be solving this...

Lyvinnia vanished in a swirl of gray smoke, summoned, Bertrand reminded them, by Maya.  Not long after, Maya walked into the temple, setting Sanria's stomach to ice.  "Your  bastards growing too  it seems," Maya  said.  "Your idiot  husband still playing happy father?"
"As a matter of fact, Colin and I are no longer together."
"So you've  allowed the  mooch back into your heart then, your home... or are  you on to someone entirely new now?" Sanria did not miss a beat.  There would be no way she would let Maya know about Ror.  "No.  No one new."
"So you have then, he is with you."  Maya stared at Sanria, her eyes cunning, searching.
"Not entirely.  No. After all, he is prone to vanishing which isn't conducive  to any sort of relationship. I am, for all intents and purposes, a free agent  at the moment."
"He's always done that to you though hasn't he dear.... yet here you sit with  the oil of his loins."

The distaste  Sanria felt for the woman before her was sickening and intense. She could not, however, let any of her inner feelings show through.  It was a damning exercise, as when she requested Lyvinnia, Maya brought the girl forth from nowhere, grinding her  boot into the girl.  "What is it worth to you, to  save this piece of rothe dropping Sanria?" "What do you wish?" Sanria asked, keeping herself from stepping forward. "Come to me with an offer, if its soon, We will negotiate...  or you can send  your man to fight for his pathetic mess.  I doubt it though."

Both Maya and Lyvinnia vanished and Sanria let out her pent up breath. She was furious.  She watched a parent abuse  their child before her eyes and did nothing, but she knew if she had made a move, the girl would have suffered even more. Only when Bertrand had explained who Maya was, how she was stuck in the world, how they  would need the help of a wizard if a bargain was going to be getting Maya back home, did it strike Sanria. A name she hadn't thought about in ages came back to her.  "Gilean... what about Velentham..."

Current Character Description - Lyvinnia Haverland

The young girl before you keeps her head bowed low, as if in humiliation. Her hair sweeping her face is a dirty white, like strands of a burnt brown litter the pure white abundence. Her skin is dark, not quite the ebony of drow, but nor the white of man or elf. Her ears pointed, peak out from her parting hair. When her eyes can finally be glimpsed, two twin orbs of the most azure blue stare out from under not quite slanted, and not quite rounded eyes.

Art of Lyvinnia Haverland

Lyvinnia Haverland

Pressing Matters

Sanria sat in her office, staring out over the castle grounds to the north from the large window. From there she could see Star Mountain and the various trails that  wound up its side and through it.  Beyond was the ice cream parlor where, the day before, she had met with Orn and Ror. The moment when her only concerns were wishing Orn liked Ror better than he did. Now, in the span of a day, things had gone from relatively under control, to outright insane.  But, what was new?

She had gone back  to the cavern, slinking into the place in what she hoped was silence, but Thasmudyan had  found her.  They sat and talked for quite a while, and she was informed that having Ror help raise Nioma while Thasmudyan was there made  him quite upset.  He  wanted a chance  to be in Nioma's life... and hers.  They spent time arguing, discussing, and...

And things  that sent her packing to the castle in haste.  Things that sent her to visit with Colin.  She spent the evening talking to him, discussing the past and Emalia, their  children, Orn and Leandra, the fact that Colin was  going to be a grandfather and already was one.  They spent time reminiscing and discussing, and...

And when Orn walked  in to deliver his father a plate full of food in the morning and saw his mother and father together, Sanria had a hell of a time telling him it meant nothing.  But she knew, then, as did Orn, that she could no longer be with Ror. She could barely stand her own self, her own weaknesses, but there was nothing more to be said.  She had guaranteed herself a life alone.

She rose from her desk and had Enmach bring Nioma to her. She would ensure that there were no accidents. She would stop by the temple of Lathander and meet with Gilean.  No more children.  Then... she would stop by the tree and talk to Ror. She would have to end things... she couldn't drag  another man through what she had already done to three others.  At least she'd stop things before they went any further.

Sanria appeared at the temple and walked in to see not only Gilean, but another priest with a small girl at the hem of his robes.  It was here that she and her daughter stumbled across the other side of her conversation with Thasmudyan. In front of her was Maya's daughter and Nioma's half-sister, Lyvinnia.  Things had suddenly become far, far more complex.

Straight Flush

"Do you still wish to persist, beggar?"  Velentham stood, fully revealed in his celestial form.  His wings bared, his silver eyes glowing, and his long sword at his side.  "I gave my word, didn't I?" Thasmudyan said, and he rose, casting a shield about himself. 

It was humorous, watching the pitiful man believe himself a worth foe, but it would only take a moment more.  From the corner of his eye, Velentham  watched Sanria growing more frantic.  Only a moment more.  "Stop!  Thasmudyan,  please!!!  Velentham, please don't do this...  Think of Lyvinnia!  Please!!"
"Lyvinnia..." and the beggar turned toward Sanria.

Velentham began to chant the words of the same spell, this time intending fully release the power through the shield and into the very heart of the beggar.  "You've got the damned things off now get back here!!!" Sanria  screamed.  And Velentham let the ball of energy fly. 

The next sequence unfolded better than Velentham could have anticipated.  The beggar's shield was barely enough to keep him from obliteration, but enough to get the man to charge.  And when the beggar charged, Sanria fled the ward to stop him.  Velentham vaulted himself into the air, gliding with ease over Thasmudyan's charge, and scooped Sanria into his arms.

Unadulterated and unbridled joy swept over Velentham's mind as he squeezed Sanria to him, overpowering her attempts to free herself.  He grinned at Thasmudyan.  "Good trade, beggar.  And I thank you." 
"Sanria!!"
"Have a good life."

With a single word, Velentham vanished with his prize in tow.  Victory was his, and there would be nothing to take it away from him again.

A Strange Place (II)

Reality seemed to twist and warp around her, time seemed to speed up and slow down all at once and a harmonious weightlessness seemed to fill her heart, she crawled onwards, the shimmery walls surrounding her, opening up before her with every step allowing her to continue onward, the luminous glow of the place stung her eyes, but she feared to close them incase the beautiful place vanished.

"Hello little one"
"Hello little one" came the echo. Lyvinnia looked around her, trying to seek out the person who spoke to her, but could see no one.
"Don't fear little one, you are welcome here"
"Welcome here"
"Who are you?" Lyvinnia asked in her thoughts, as she could not yet speak them aloud "Where are you?"
"Ah the little one has no voice"
"no voice"
"We are the guardians of the lifestream, little one"
"Guardians, little one"
Lyvinnia smiled, her little eyes shining as blue as the walls around her. " I like it here, its nice"
"We're glad little one, but its time to go"
"Time to go"
"I don't want to go! I want to stay here!" Lyvinnia's thoughts cried out pleadingly.
"We'll see you again little one, You've found your way now, You'll do it again."
The air shimmered and the walls began to blacken, the luminous essence of the life stream began to resemble rock, the light became almost pitch, when Lyvinnia opened her eyes she was looking up at  Maya Do'Urden, Her mother.

Contemplation lost in Misery

The young infant child sat beside the old man who tended the ill in the temple, he was stroking her hair as he often did in attempt to soothe  her. She would not shed tears, for in her torment there was no escape.  She hurt physically, for since the day of her birth she had been passed  back and forth to the sadistic individuals that shared her mothers  desires, Her body aged before it grew, at six weeks she resembled a  two year old, her mind twisted and mutilated for their sick  experiments, it was bad enough the drow blood aged inside her before  her human half, She wanted to die, There would be no peace in that  for her however.

So she sat with him, the man that had shown her the only kindness she  had ever known since she was born, He wanted to take her away, Hide  her away, keep her safe, but it would not be lasting, Her mother would  come for her, Her mother wanted her to suffer...

She could read his thoughts, some small feeling of communication for  her since her words had yet to come together, she didn't know how or  why she could, only that she could, it was a swirling haze of irradescent  beauty, in that haze she heard the song of his heart. He loved her as  his own, He's heart bled in sadness for the little child not  understanding why she suffered at her mothers hands so, Lyvinnia  knew though, she heard it in her mother..

She was a bastard, a reminder of betrayal. She would suffer more yet.

Silver Eyes

She had tried.  Sanria had tried to keep herself behind the ward, in the safety  that Gilean had given  her, but part of her still cared for Thasmudyan.  He had come to warn her, a gesture most befitting  his care and kindness.  He told her that he had chosen against helping Velentham, and Sanria felt her heart soften. It was no mere feat to  go against the  coaxing that Celestials were capable of using.  Then Velentham had shown up.

Sanria wasn't prepared for the sight, Velentham looked much  more gaunt than he had looked  before.  His hair was  a mess, his eyes glowing with a madness, and the only other time she  had seen the same look  of desperation on his face was when he had taken her away and forced himself upon her.  She thought after that he would  have left her alone.  She thought after  Velentham's fight with Colin so many years ago, he had forgotten  her.  His appearance, the face  lined with hatred and desperation, proved otherwise.  He had driven himself crazy.

So she tried.  She tried to remind Thasmudyan of his obligations.  Lyvinnia was still  needing her father.  And her  calling out ended in disaster.  She caused  the hesitation on  Thasmudyan's behalf, and Velentham had lashed out.  All else was automatic.  The ward forgotten in the hopes that if she got between the men the fight would end.  Instead, Thasmudyan rushed forward, Velentham leapt over, and she was crushed in a vice-like grip with no hope of getting free.

It was not long after that  Velentham's magic kept them suspended together in a bubble over  a  landscape boiling with fire and flame.  He uttered a few words,  and  Sanria found herself  unable to speak.  Silence.  Her  eyes watered as the Celestial turned his gaze on her, his eyes burning silver, his gaunt face tight with a  smile.  "Don't  cry, my love," he  cooed, wiping her face with his free hand. "Soon this will all be but a distant memory and your pain will melt away."

Sanria  felt the  familiar tickle at the  back of her mind and she knew in that instant that Velentham  was already at work  on her mind.  The idea of escaping flashed in her mind, and the silver eyes narrowed for only a moment.  "You will burn, love.  And I can't have that."  Tears rolled down her cheeks, kept liquid only  by the bubble that  surrounded them.  Velentham pulled her close, kissing her mouth. Though she tried to pull back, she couldn't fight the grip that held  her close.  She could cast no spell.  The stale cigarette smell in his hair was nearly all she could take, and he finally pulled back.  With a smile, Velentham drifted their bubble closer to the fiery surface below, and Sanria knew she was utterly beyond help.

Personal Hell, Public Chaos

She had been married for less than twenty-four hours and already it seemed everyone that  she didn't want to know, knew.  She sat with Matinus on the edge  of his bed, tucking him in.  She had ensured the boy  had a bath and  his hair was combed, and he  looked at her with his lilac-colored eyes and gave a drawn out yawn.  "I'm glad you're  here," he said simply.  It was a small act of gratitude in her day that made her feel emotional.  Chaos was too easy a word to describe what Sanria had walked into.

She'd gotten into a shouting match with Thasmudyan, though she'd anticipated his anger in a way.  Left without his powers, fresh from saving Lyvinnia from Maya, he had admitted he felt betrayed and angry.  She could only  say she felt fear.  Thasmudyan had left her before, disappeared on her before, even slept with Maya while he was supposed to be with her.  Yes, she  loved Gilean, but the speed with  which she'd acted on their  marriage was  predicated by the fear of being with Thasmudyan.  After all those years of  wanting nothing  more, she couldn't handle the idea of being back together  with the one who had held her heart for so long.

She gave him some of Nioma's clothes to take back for Lyvinnia and confronted the  second irate person - Leandra.  Her  daughter was utterly furious, and accused Sanria of not only ruining her life, but Colin's as well.  The rancor that poured from  Leandra's mouth  shocked Sanria and made her feel  small.  The ultimate insult was when Leandra insisted that, no matter what Sanria felt, she had an obligation to  be with Colin.  It was so final, so snappish, Sanria was stunned  into silence.  "You don't need to worry, I'm leaving this place.  The farther  away I can get  so I'm not reminded that I'm *your* daughter, the better."

Matinus had salvaged the night. She had made at least one person outside of Gilean happy.  She stood up and blew him a kiss goodnight.  When he sleepily returned it, Sanria could barely keep herself from crying.