Laue

Mark of the demon.

Not too proud of my simple post, but I didn't feel that "inspiration". Oh well. Now to make Nianxi and Manthan meet.

Mark of the demon.

"Ulrisk. My name is Ulrisk. But someone LOOKING for me terrifies me a bit, especially when they find me just like this. Well, in this case, I have found you. Witches were not welcome members of society, sometimes openly hated and hunted, and Nianxi understood his fears. "Wait, did you say House Serilya? THE House Serilya? The one helping us out? The one possessing that sword?" Ulrisk stood up with excitement, any hints of fear disappearing from his face. "Are we that easy to recognize?" Yes, they were. You didn't even need any fancy schooling to recognize one by their attire, just seeing a few before. However, it was getting dark, so Ulrisk and Nianxi moved a bit further off road, just be a bit more safe, though spending a night in orc infested territory did not seem very appealing. But neither was walking by the main road at night. Setting up a campfire which could not be seen by anyone walking by the road, the two took a few bites of dried meat Nianxi provided, discussed their family history, and what Nianxi wants from Ulrisk.

After a brief skim through, Ulrisk handed the books back with a sigh. "That's ancient elven, I'm afraid. We Witches aren't very fluent in foreign languages, especially ancient ones. I doubt there are many elves who could read it to begin with. Maybe some kind of elven nobility. I'm sorry, I really can't help you any more with this." Nianxi was waiting for the disappointment to hit her like a rock, but it didn't. All she had in herself was anger and hate, though contained at the moment. Placing the books back in the backpack, Nianxi tried to recall if she had seen any elves - she didn't. And she needed a nobleman. Meeting one somehow - if only by ridiculous luck, the only way she could move forward, that, or trial and error. And after she almost killed herself via trial, Serilya nearly killing her due to sudden blood loss, Nianxi (and Xiandra) preferred to avoid any more trial and error discoveries. After setting up her bedroll to sleep the night away, Nianxi could not fall asleep easily, and instead spent the time reflecting on her life.

The most surprising development was that the overwhelming hate Nianxi has felt since that fateful day in Velron was tamed. Sharing it with her alter ego seemed to dampen it, though not completely eliminate it. Further reflections upon the events leading up until now and internal discussions with Xiandra (Nianxi finally learned to "speak" to her without speaking out loud and looking like a lunatic) brought the horrible truth - the demonic flame that fractured her soul have literally torn apart her emotions and desires. Hatred, wrath, (blood)lust - were defining aspects of Nianxi, as sadism, pride and envy defined Xiandra. It dawned upon them that after Velron, Nianxi literally could not feel joy, hope or any positive emotion. And that dream - was it the soul trying to cure itself, to bind the fragments of the soul with the scattered emotions, making it whole again? And what was the spectre? The vision of the future, should Nianxi succumb to demonic influences? And what would happen once the soul is whole again? So many questions, and no answers.

After a restless sleep in a rather hostile forest, Nianxi the her new friend decided to hit the road to find another camp, and maybe, just maybe - an elven noble.

Mark of the demon.

I could post, but that would involve godmodding Megarandom's character, which I would prefer not to do without his permission.

Mark of the demon.

Vladimir Grimm said
It appears everyone has died :c I wanna see posts from Laue, Megarandom, Melkor, AND Parker by the time I get back on Monday >:C AND HALVTAND AS WELL.

For that, I need megarandom to post, and he doesn't even answer to my PMs.

Mark of the demon.

Bleh, I once again need Megarandom to move on.

Mark of the demon.

You guys sure have gone quiet.

Mark of the demon.

The cold evening breeze rushed over Nianxi's face, which recently started to regain color, while the sword grasped tightly in her hand turned almost pale instead. With her back to a tree, she was watched over by a mysterious man who collected her scattered belongings and watcher over her for the few hours she was unconscious. Eventually, the breeze woke her up, and as if woken from a nightmare, she quickly jumped on her feet, only to stumble and almost fall down - her full strength has certainly not returned.

"Are you OK? the man asked, sitting near another tree. "You have turned pale as snow for a moment there." Nianxi's eyes light up - this is the man she was looking for! Profiling people by their attire was a skill she was taught at an early age, and more in-depth when she was trained as a diplomat. This man certainly practiced things that are a taboo to most, but she did not care. In fact, her family regularly employed the services of "witches", protected them, and since she saw one before with a quite similar attire, it was obvious this man could have the answers she is looking for. And he, of all things, found her in her time of need. "I gotta say, this is either fate, or we're extremely lucky." Xiandra whispered in her mind, seemingly awake as well. "That was an interesting dream we had, certainly not an ordinary one." Xiandra was right, that dream felt real, and was still fresh in Nianxi's mind. But now was not the time to dwell on it. "Thank you, I am relatively fine now, though still not at my full strength. My name is Nianxi Serilya, Valkyrie and the last surviving member of House Serilya. Believe it or not, I was looking for you." Picking up her backpack and taking out some dried food and the books, she approached the man. "I have a favor to ask of you, but first, tell me your name."

Mark of the demon.

megarandom said
I'm waiting on Laue's post about Nianxi to continue on with Urisk, but I'm sure it wouldn't be to hard to get them somewhere for them to sleep.

Sorry, but between my internship, Diablo 3 and League of Legends I sometimes find myself with little time. I'll try to post soon.

And hopefully, you won't mind me adding bits of dialogue for Urisk.

Mark of the demon.

Melkor said
if the advanced tech is powered by magic then sure. I guess.

Hmm, which gives me another idea, if deities are involved. The Celestials have killed their own deity (somehow), and are using it's remains as a power source for everything they use. Bonus addition - Entropy. A dangerous and uncontrollable anomaly sometimes forming due to high concentration of said energy, like after a big battle. I would still need to figure out what Entropy would actually do.

Ideally, this would put up another contrast between Celestials and Humans/Elves/Demons - while others still have their gods, forgotten or worshipped, they have killed and exploited their own.

@Halvtand - check your PMs. I would like your opinion too.

Mark of the demon.

megarandom said
I don't think that in the setting of the story, with its medieval-esque technology, those celestials would fit very well.

But if a sword is powered by flame due to magic, or a staff shoots lightning due to magic, it's completely fine. Seriously though, that was kinda the point - they are different, completely alien to this world and everything the world knows. But after all, sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, isn't it?

But even then, this whole idea still a work in progress, though I'm currently leaning towards the current "design".