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[i]It took several moments, emotions washing over her heart, changing as quickly as ice melted in flames but eventually she was able to steel herself against the truth; Arete had left this world and in her absence, Elowen had been given life once more. She gave a simple nod to the man and he exchanged with her a look of pity before urging her towards the house. As she turned, the man returned to his fields, though more slowly and thoughtfully than before. In her walk to the farm house, she had time enough to think, to reason that if Arete was gone - there were only two ways that it was possible. Either she had left of her own volition or [/i]somehow[i] she was no longer and if Elowen was being honest with herself, she could not reason why a being of virtue, of goodness and purity, would ever leave this world without her warmth. The question then became, how could you undo a goddess? She had never thought such a thing could be possible and yet her mark was no longer connected to Arete.

Gently, Elowen pushed the old wooden door open, her eyes gazing upon a humble house. There was nothing more than a staircase leading up, an open kitchen, and a living room that took up the rest of the floor. It was lined with simple things, such as wooden chairs, table, and even a worn cloth relaxing sofa in front of a unlit fireplace. The smell of mutton pie wafted through the air, eventually finding Elowen's nose and causing her stomach to growl softly, making the Starsword realize how hungry she actually was. Suddenly, her eyes met that of a middle-aged woman, her hair a mix of gray and black, newly formed wrinkles, and yet a gentle face.[/i] [b]"Oh my! Haha, you scared my deary..."[/b] [i]she said at first before wandering over and examining the young woman.[/i] [b]"Did Jeremy send you in? You look exhausted. Come, sit on down, hun."[/b] [i]She quickly and calmly lead Elowen by the small of her back to the dining table and urged her to sit before going back to the kitchen. It seemed her timing had been perfect as only moments later, the wife returned with a pie and three glasses of milk. Expertly, she cut a slice of the pie and sat it onto a plate for Elowen before smiling.[/i] [b]"Go ahead, dear.. I'm just going to call in Jeremy."[/b]

[i]She looked down at the plate and then watched as the woman went to the door, doing as she promised, yelling out her husband's name to return for a mid-noon snack. Elowen had been surprised by the sheer amount of good will they both showed, but wasn't sure if it was virtue they held or just simple foolishness - but she supposed she didn't look like much of a threat, walking around in only a short blue dress, no shoes or weapon to speak of. At that, she decided to dig into the slice of pie, just thankful she had run into such kindness. Not too long and the couple were sitting at the table with her, both starting their snacks as well, though with Elowen's blessing this was more the entire day's meal for her.[/i]

[b]"So.. what brings you here?"[/b] [i]the husband finally asked, unsure how to really approach the problem at hand. Elowen had finished her slice by now, gulping down the last of her milk before letting out a soft sigh.

Looking up at the pair, she could see a curiosity and worry in their wizened eyes.[/i] [b][color=00d2ff]"I'm not sure.."[/color][/b] [i]she began,[/i] [b][color=00d2ff]"but please, if you would, tell me - why does the world seem so cold?[/color][/b] Elowen thought it best to avoid the subject of her resurrection, but it was obvious the world had grown colder and she suspected the god's absence was the source of it.

[b]"We're not sure.. just one day, stars started goin' out and then everything started getting hard and cold. Jeremy told me that he's been having trouble with the crops too, but no one seems to know why."[/b] [i]This time, the wife replied, to which her husband only nodded sadly, sliding some pie into his mouth.

This was certainly very disturbing news that chilled even Elowen's bones to the core. Not only had Arete apparently been undone somehow, but it was not beyond imagining to think that the others gods had met the same fate - perhaps even all of them. However what sort of being could challenge all the deities and win? Elowen could only reason that it had caught them off-guard in their realms, like an assassin hiding in the shadows, and struck when it knew it could win - whatever [b]it[/b] was. However then, why was she brought back from the dead? Surely, she could not defeat what had felled the gods, could she? Even if there were others, were the gods just desperate or mad, to think mortals could stand up to something that could snuff stars out?

A thought flashed in her mind then and she quickly stood up, giving the married couple a particular look, one that caused them to pause. With determined flaming in her eyes, she straightened her back and spoke.[/i] [b][color=00d2ff]"Please, I need a pair of shoes and any blade you can spare - even a dagger."[/color][/b] [i]It was not long before the couple was bidding her farewell, sending her off with a pair of sturdy sandals and a trust-worthy dagger (for what else would farm hands have?). Elowen's eyes gazed into the distance and took a few moments to gain her bearings. She had been all over the land in her previous life and hoped dearly that even twenty-thousand years of absence did not change the location of temples and Bastions of Light, even if they had grown cold. One advantage she had at the moment at least, even if her rune was still waking from slumber, the magic it did provide was already mastered. She knew it's basic abilities like she knew how to breathe and within a single instant, she was gone.[/i]
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[i]Novissah's temple stood before her as she materialized into view once more. In her younger years, she could only ever 'blink' short distances and for only so long, but her mastery had given her access to true teleportation, letting her travel anywhere she had been once before or at least had an idea of the location. So here she stood, examining the old temple of the Omniscient. Elowen needed to know not only what had happened but more importantly of why she was alive again. Surely there were only two explanations; either the gods had gone mad with fear and resurrected her (and probably others) as a last ditch effort or there was a specific reason why she had returned, a game plan, a last hope, for without aid of something greater than she was, how could she hope to hold off a creature that killed gods? To her, there was no choice but to try and find this secret weapon, whether it be a ritual or artifact of some kind, to hope that there was some chance in her safeguarding the world against whatever evil snuffed the stars out. What better place to learn such things then the libraries of Novissah...[/i]