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In The Cradle 4 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
The Cradle being damaged was among the possibilities Rareth had considered, though several other possibilities had also been plausible. Still, if it could be repaired, as this being was suggesting, then it was not the worst case scenario. If the consciousness of the Cradle could be healed, then it would likely cease its hostilities. That was a satisfactory outcome to the Rothians, though that did not necessarily mean the Humans would end up satisfied. Even if the Cradle was healed and the Hegemon was evaded or defeated, there was no guarantee that Outremer would be able to retain use of the Cradle afterwards. That was a possibility that needed to be prepared for, In any event, the Rahn’Saki had already made the decision that they would not allow a mass-death event to occur, if there was a way to prevent it.

“Even if you do not know where they are yourself, it may not be impossible to find them.” Rareth remarked. She crossed her arms and looked ahead at nothing in particular as she started to brainstorm aloud. “The coordinates to this place were in our own DNA. If I understood you correctly, you helped us survive and made such changes to us in the hope that we could help you communicate with the others. Perhaps we could check the genetics of other known species to see if any other beings had the same idea? Granted, that may be a long-shot. Still, if there is any other evidence of intelligent tampering with a species’ genetics, that would give us places to search. Otherwise, we do know that one of your kind’s goals is to spread life, so starting our search in places with an abundance of life could at least narrow our search area.”

If the being had any input on Rareth’s ideas, she would welcome it, but ultimately she stopped herself to avoid getting too sidetracked. Now, it was most prudent to use the time they had for important questions. Rareth did notice the hints of the changes going on outside the building as they spoke, and though she did not know the importance of them precisely, she suspected their time was not limitless. “In any case, as I said, we may well be able to help you reach the Cradle. Unfortunately, my people cannot make that decision unilaterally. Outremer is not our world. And no offense to those present, but I know some of the Human leadership to be….stubborn. Do you know of any evidence we could show them to convince them that what you say is true?” Rareth asked the being.
In The Cradle 4 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
Rareth made a note of a few revelations from what the being was sharing with her. They were synthetics, both this being and these mysterious “Hegemon”. That itself opened up more questions, but Rareth still had to choose what was the most pressing. She really did not know how much time they had to speak.

“I believe my people may have a way to move you to Outremer. Whether you mean just your mind, or this whole place.” Rareth answered. “But, I do still have questions about the Cradle. Most prominently, what we have encountered here, with you, is far from what I was expecting given what has been happening in the Cradle.” She quickly gestured to her Human associates. “The reason the Humans have allowed my people to assist them is because the Cradle has become a hostile place for them. When the Humans discovered the Cradle centuries ago, they began using it and have organized much of their planet’s administration through it. They created places within the simulation for themselves, but they never encountered any intelligent life within until recently. This intelligence has sent creatures to abduct and kill Humans within the simulation, and the reports I have seen have implied that some Human minds have been taken and incorporated into this being, or beings. Do you have any idea what might be happening? Is this something you might expect, or could something have gone wrong?”

Rareth paused just a moment as she overlayed a relevant document onto her HUD. “If it helps, I have the report of a Rothian who spoke to one of these creatures. It spoke like a child at first, claiming to have lost its ‘toys’ far away. Then it changed its voice and said it remembered little of what it was, but it did recall the Rothians.”
Meesei, in the time that she had been holding off the Daedra on her flank, had done as much damage as she could. She had become a veritable storm of lightning to control the area in front of her and spread as much damage as she could deep into their ranks. She had charged the ground itself with what seemed like pools of lightning to block off angles of approach, followed by powerful bursts of chain lightning into any Daedra brave enough to approach. She had chosen an offensive strategy as she felt that, against such numbers, keeping up such heavy pressure would help her last longer than a purely defensive approach. It was successful for as long as it lasted, though with less focus on her wards, she did take hits herself. Arrows did not break her armor, but spells that got through her ward had their effects. Enchantments could reduce, but did not eliminate the burns she received from both flame and lightning.

Meesei was surprised to see Fendros approach beside her, but she did not second-guess his decision. She knew what he could do, and she trusted him to succeed where many others would fail. With a silent nod, she backed away and allowed him to take over. He was right that the others needed help, and her power could deal with a horde like none other. Although, before she could commit to another attack, she had to back away into the middle of their formation and take just a moment to heal herself. Her burns did not show through her armor, but the wounds would get worse if she did nothing to treat them.

For Ahnasha, every moment the others gave her was valuable. The power she focused through herself rivaled that of the spell she had used to command the titan. It was exhausting, both mentally and physically. Even with potions to help, the exertion of casting such powerful spells one after another was pushing her to her limits. Still, there was no option for failure here. She had to cast her spell, and it had to work.

The dark blue tendrils of conjuration energy surrounded Ahnasha, then, once they reached a critical point, she pushed them outwards. It was a reanimation spell, but not one that targetted a single body. Rather, it was a reanimation field that spread out along the ground in every direction around her. Each body it encountered gathered the energy, which swirled around and penetrated its form to give life to the dead flesh. Ahnasha did not, and indeed could not discriminate on which bodies her magic resurrected, so everything from Skaafin to Dremora, from the smallest Spider Daedra to the largest Daedroth, and even some of the pack’s Elven and Lycan allies that had fallen within range of the spell, rose from where their corpses lay to rejoin the battle.

Ahnasha could not even count how many she had reanimated, but her pack soon found themselves with a small army of the undead fighting beside them. No longer were Janius and Kaleeth taking wounds from the opportunistic Daedra surrounding them, as the very Daedra they had been killing were now rising up from within their ranks to sow chaos among them. Leaps was frightened by the sudden resurrections of the foes he had been fighting, but Lorag stayed near and calmed him to allow Ahnasha’s thralls to take over as his frontline. And Fendros, having created a wall from his ward, was no longer fighting alone. With so many thralls to command, Ahnasha could not individually control any of them, but plenty enough of them joined in alongside him on their own.

As might have been expected, there were no words that would influence Arinette’s resolve. “Your souls belong to my lord, except yours…your life is mine!” The Breton screamed as she lunged forward with unmatched, burning hatred in her eyes. Every ounce of her willpower was devoted to slaying Sabine, to the point that she did not seem to care at all if she died in the process. In life, her zeal had been focused on serving Vile, but now, she was a spirit of vengeance towards the one she blamed for her death.

Ultimately, however, Lorag’s teachings had guided Sabine well. Particularly as Arinette had charged without regard for her own safety, Sabine was able to strike her before her sword could reach her. Arinette would have gladly traded fatal blows, but Sabine’s choice of attack quite literally froze her in place. The tip of Arinette’s blade stopped just inches short of Sabine’s throat as her legs were no longer able to carry her forward. Frost quickly spread across her skin up and down her torso, near the point of impact, while the thermal shock spread far deeper across the rest of her body. She gasped and struggled for breath, but the one thing about her that did not diminish was the fury in her eyes.

Even as her body finally started to fail, the crystal started to glow red once more as vines surged forth from the ground to try and ensnare Sabine and rend her flesh with their thorns. Using the crystal meant yet more pain and damage to Arinette’s body, but she would gladly give her last breath to spread as much pain and suffering as she could to Sabine.
In The Cradle 4 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
“Made things right…” Rareth repeated to herself as her mind was once again taken in thought. She picked up on how the being was speaking about them, and given the discoveries that had been made over the past few weeks, she felt there was little doubt as to why. “We discovered, hidden in our own DNA, coordinates to this place, this device. I feel there is no denying that your people have some connection to us, and an ancient one, at that. You spread life, you say, and I can only assume that we were among the life you spread.”

Nirann, nearby, hummed and briefly chuckled to himself. “Well, that would explain the long-standing improbability of Rothia bearing life at all.”

Rareth did not break her focus from the being. There were still many questions to be answered, though as she was currently the representative of her people, her words could well set the tone for their future relations. “I think it is fair to say, regarding my people, that we are loyal to life. We seek the…eternal preservation of ourselves, and other intelligent life. Anything that is willing to exist in harmony with us. If you are indeed peaceful, and this enemy you speak of threatens you, I believe we are obliged to help you. What is this foe, exactly? Is it another species, another civilization? If it cannot be reasoned with, then perhaps, together, we could resist it?”
In The Cradle 4 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
Rareth tried to take in as much as she could about her surroundings. Both the building and the being itself were something new and unexplained, but what it had to say seemed even more important. Both its words, and the subtext underneath, were worrisome, if they turned out to be true. Every sentence this being spoke raised a myriad of extra questions, but they could only tackle one at a time. Rareth supposed she should start with the most important first.

“Yes, I can say that it is understanding that drives me.” Rareth answered. “Your home, I suppose that refers to what the Humans call the Cradle, on their world of Outremer. It is a supercomputer, like this one, though substantially larger. My people have not been allowed access to it in the past, but because of its recent…waking, as you put it, my people have agreed to help them understand what is happening. If there is trouble coming, my people may be able to help. I would appreciate any answers you can give about it. This foe, what is it? And these devices like the Cradle, how do they relate to it?”
In The Cradle 4 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
Sleep the dream of the apples





Rareth had heeded Dr. Wetherall’s words, but there was nothing she could have done to stop what would transpire. The force, whatever it might have been, was not something she seemed equipped to resist. At least, not for the moment. All she could do while being taken inside was to observe whatever she could sense. Perhaps she could come up with some countermeasure with time, though hopefully, that would not be necessary.

In any case, Rareth’s mind was first focused on herself as she was taken into the gallery. She noted the being; it’s form and presence, but once she was on the ground and had control again, she spent the first few seconds rebooting her systems. It would likely take hours to sort through all of the logs, but for now, she had her implant run a subroutine looking for anything that stood out. Her first priority was making sure she had control over her antimatter reactor and its failsafes, though of course, she did not delay in replying to the being.

Rareth sat up and looked to the being before them. “Yes, of course. My apologies for the argument outside. I wanted to ensure our meeting would be a peaceful one, but I…do not think that will be a problem any longer. It sounds as if the matter for which you brought us here is something important, something…” He voice trailed off for just a moment as her mind was putting together the events that had brough them here. The actions of the worm back at their point of arrival, the being’s rules, and the way it was speaking now…it did all seem like it was hinting at one conclusion. “…is this regarding power?”
In The Cradle 4 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
“Perform reconnaissance only. Do not enter the building yet, nor engage in any hostilities.” Rareth said to Thebes before quickly returning her attention to the Agent. “Yes, this is the only time we have to do this. I would have brought this up earlier, had we not been attacked. We might be in a simulation, but we are still on Rothia. For as long as we are on my homeworld, you do answer to me.”

Rareth turned her head briefly to look up at the structure looming over them. “The being that brought us here has not yet shown any aggression towards us. I will lead the way, and I will take the risk, but I do expect you to stay your hand. By definition, the beings of this simulation are an uncontacted civilization within Rothian space, so it is the Rothian government which has jurisdiction over first-contact diplomacy. You said it yourself: Outremer needs help, and we have agreed to help you. So, do not trample upon our agreement and goodwill along with it. So, I ask again, is there anything the rest of us should know? You disappeared, then reappeared by seemingly impossible means. I cannot even be sure that you are the same Agent 595 that entered that cave. Your mind could have been influenced, or even replaced, by something in the simulation when you disappeared. If you could share your recording of the incident, sensor readings, the medical report from Knossos, anything that might help us understand what happened…that is all I want: transparency.”

To reinforce her point, Rareth quickly sent the Sacred Band a copy of all of her recordings and other data from their time in the caves. Everything she saw, heard, and felt, they could access.
In The Cradle 4 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
“I am not saying you should relinquish your weapon; I am saying you should not be pointing it at our host when we walk into its home.” Rareth looked down and narrowed her eyes at the Agent, then retracted her helmet specifically so she could see the expression. She was not aggressive, nor did she seem angry, per se, but everything about her tone showed that she was deadly serious. “I do not know what will happen inside this place, but it very well could decide whether we leave here alive. I want to make sure that, at the very least, there will be no surprises from the allies beside me.”

Rareth walked a short distance up the steps as well to place herself between 595 and the entrance. “I have seen you as being aggressive, so far…trigger-happy, I think you might say. But that is not even what has the most of my concern. You have acted strangely, especially in the caves. One of those insects disintegrated to ash in your hands, then you seemingly disappeared from reality itself. You appeared in another part of the cavern in an instant, with your IFF tag no longer transmitting. Yet, you showed such little concern at this. It took such convincing for you to even see a medic. Was it pride, or something else? I want there to be no surprises in there; I want us to fully understand each other. So, is there anything you have not shared that would be…relevant to this?”
In The Cradle 4 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
Frigid, snowy mountains were not locations that Rothians would often visit willingly, but it was far from Rareth’s first time out of her comfort zone. Besides which, between her suit and her implants, she did not feel the cold. Although she would not have admitted it openly, she did allow herself the briefest moment to take in the sight of this place they had came to. Its architecture was alien to her; like nothing she had seen on Rothia, or anywhere else among their colonies. Athena said it reminded her of Earth, and Rareth had no way of knowing how accurate that assessment was.

Whatever its origin, this structure clearly represented something significant in this simulation. Everything else they had experienced had either been simple animals, natural features, or the creations of primitives. This was something else entirely. Its architecture and artistry implied much more advanced origins; although, Rareth still could not be sure if its creators were the same as those who had created the simulation itself. Hopefully, such questions would be answered soon enough.

The Sacred Band approached the situation as expected of soldiers, securing the area and identifying tactically relevant information. Rareth had no objections there, but it was Agent 595’s behavior that unsettled Rareth. She ignored Thebes and started approaching herself, weapon drawn. This was not the first instance of her strange behavior that Rareth had noticed, especially after the incident in the caves, and she would not ignore it.

“Agent!” Rareth firmly declared as she stepped up just behind 595. “What are you doing? We have not come here to pick a fight. I will not have our first impression with this being to be to threaten it. You have been acting strangely for a while now; do not think I have not noticed.”
In The Cradle 4 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
From what she could see through the linked cameras, Rareth’s plan had worked perfectly. Their shots passed through the wormhole and cut straight through the creature above them. Regardless of its size, it was not as if it was armored to deal with high-powered weaponry. However, they were not fortunate enough for it to simply die alone in silence. It was only moments after its death that it came crashing down below, and took one of their cargo droids with it.

“Nirann, report! What did we lose?” Rareth asked right away.

Nirann hummed a moment and spoke in a tone as if he was grimacing along with it. “That was bot two, so…that was the transit station. Do I have permission to panic yet, or…”

“Permission denied.” Rareth retorted immediately. “As long as we have the comms mast, we can get another transit station. Just focus on here and now. Any other contacts? More threats?”

Nirann again checked the cameras of the cargo bots, along with his own body’s sensors. There were more living things in view, especially below, but nothing that seemed like it had an interest in them. “Uh, nothing that I can see. Yet.”

Rareth wasted no time, and made sure to keep the Nirann on-track. “Then keep working. When we do get a new transit station, you will need to make sure we can return through it.”
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