Poking At Trauma
PieceThruWar
Not an eldritch abomination
- Location
- The Server Farm
Waiting for the females to finish dealing with their emotions, you poke about the tower. Thing and frail staffs that are twice your body length adorn several shelves, though they lack any readily detectable enchantment. The many books that are piled on tables and filling bookshelves are entirely illegible, much to your frustration. You are unsure of whether they are merely written in Quelana's original language or if all script in this land will be just as incomprehensible.
It doesn't take long for you to discover what Louise destroyed. In the uppermost room of the tower, what appears to be a personal room for meditation, several plinths have been knocked over. Judging by those that remain upright, you see that the fragments on the floor were once stone braziers. You spend a while piecing the shattered objects back together, finding that they each seem to tell a story in their carvings. One depicts serpentine figures emerging from the base and curling around the lip, another is of a great battle against dragon-like creatures, and the last one shows a knight with swords of flame being branded with a fiery circle by a bearded giant.
"Gwyn and the humans that aided us in the fight against the dragons." Quelana's voice echoes softly across the room. You turn to see her carrying your sleeping apprentice into the room. "I always adored children you know... while my siblings are all my mother's children, none of us ever went through such a phase, simply formed through the power of mother's soul and the ashen ground." Laying the girl on the cushion in the center of the room, she sits beside you. "Queleah and I were delighted when mother opened Izalith to the humans, despite Quelaag's insistence of their untrustworthy nature. My dear sister spent much of her time surrounded by swarms of the larval humans."
"Personally, I could never stand the creatures." You admit honestly, much to the woman's surprise. "They are loud, unfocused, dirty, always creating problems, and entirely too emotional."
Frowning, She asks, "If you are truly as repulsed by them as you claim, how do you rationalize the girl's presence?"
Pausing for a moment, eyeing the girl before you reply, "Louise is... special. While most of what I said is true about her as well, I cannot help but see myself in that girl. She has so much potential and the need to learn, but those people in her homeland were suffocating her. Until we met, those fools had convinced the child that she was doomed to a life as a talentless mage, unable to cast the most basic of spells... How could I let that continue?"
The woman humms and you sit in silence for a while. You can't out-wait an immortal however. "You never did explain how to use these 'souls'."
"Ah, you are correct... though I find your odd inflection of the word mildly insulting. Do you think yourself superior in knowledge even after admitting your own ignorance of the subject?" Quelana asks, more amused than angered.
Shaking your head, you respond. "Perhaps not in this regard, but the idea that every creature has a multitude of souls is rather farcical in my mind. The soul is the center of a beings very self, not some wisp of vapor to be mixed and matched at one's convenience."
"Maybe where you come from, that is true, but here? In this world, the first creatures were immortal dragons made of stone, possessed of no soul and never truly alive. Being among the original living entities, mother's teachings were quite clear in regards to the history of this world. A great ball of fire known as the First Flame appeared at some point In the grey world of before... Whether spawned from the Flame or something else, the serpents came and somehow split the Flame into four primary fragments... The Lord Souls, one of which created life by it's very presence. Though soulless and weak, these creatures had the potential to imbibe the formless essence of power that is a soul."
"Very well, I shall concede the point to you until such time that I can attempt to Soul Trap a creature and discover if they also have the type of soul that I am more familiar with." You acquiesce.
With a smug smile, the witch bows dramatically, though it is ruined by the fact that she is siting with her legs crossed. "Until then. It seems we digress once more, are we to endlessly dance around one another's words until the world goes dark?"
Scoffing, you reply, "You may have the time, but my apprentice and I have not yet discovered immortality... at least, not a form that comes without unsavory costs."
Sobering immediately, she gazes sadly at Louise. "Quite right... Forgive an old woman her games." She says, oblivious to the ridiculousness of such words with her appearance. "Most humans are unaware that there exist two methods of soul reinforcement. The first is in the manner of the Primeval Lords and their chosen subjects, directly assimilating the souls to strengthen your attributes in an uncontrolled manner. This is more convenient for several reasons, freedom from requiring a sacrificial Flame is chief among them. Second is the Undead method of using a sacrificial Flame, known also as a bonfire, or other conduit of the First Flame in order to direct the souls toward a specific intended attribute at the cost of requiring more souls with each offering to the Flame... Be warned however, that directly consuming a soul that is strong enough to retain it's form after death brings with it the nature of the consumed whereas fragmenting a powerful soul in order to use at a bonfire will cleanse it's nature, but subject it to fire's greed."
"So directly absorbing a powerful soul will allow a person's identity to be subsumed? Why would anyone choose that option?" Louise asks? Startling both of you. Just how long has she been awake?
Quelana's hands bump into yours as you both attempt to pat the girl on the head. Awkwardly, neither of you back down, she pushes your hand into the girl's hair as if she hadn't noticed and you refuse to pull away and allow the witch to win. "Of course not, little one." She says soothingly, causing Louise to scrunch up her face in annoyance... or confusion at the conflict taking place in her hair. Probably both. "By gaining their nature, I simply mean that if somebody was extremely agile, you might see a dramatic increase in your dexterity and minuscule improvement towards your other attributes."
Fed up with your antics, the girl swats at you both until you stop mussing her hair. As you are waiting for Quelana to ask her next question, Louise suddenly jumps to her feet in excitement and leans into the witch's ear to whisper something. You observe as the immortal looks confused and Louise turns dark red before whispering even quieter. For no apparent reason, Quelana pulls the blushing girl into her lap and exclaims, "But why? You're so adorable!"
"I am not adorable!" The pinkette shouts, struggling to free herself. "I'm tired of looking like a child!"
Palming your face, you interrupt. "While fascinating, I believe we have more important matters to discuss than Louise's impatience with puberty."
"Puberty?" They both repeat, causing you to sigh in annoyance. An immortal dirt witch you can understand, considering her comment of human larvae, she probably simply hasn't bothered to learn a word that never applied to her, but how can Louise not know? Come to think of it, she has not once complained of suffering from womanly issues in the time you've known her. Though useful for adventuring, you doubt it is a sign of good health.
"Nevermind." Not answering the question, you make a mental note to have the girl see a healer when you move on to the next realm, as you are not going to talk with her about such things. "You mentioned the use of souls in order to cast spells, can you explain?"
Shaking her head, the woman replies, "No... As a fire sorceress and pyromancer, I would not be a proper teacher for such a skill... I... I have not experimented in quite some time. I dare not."
"Why not? Do you really claim to have satisfied your curiosity? What are you so afraid of?" You push on, noticing her wince at your words.
Looking down as she pets your apprentice, who has reluctantly accepted the witch's attention, she says, "Please, you must understand... Mother was the greatest of us all. She was wise, caring, creative... but her caring nature was her undoing. The fire had just begun to fade, the lands began to shift and the sky was slowly darkening over the years as the three remaining Lords weakened. Mother sought guidance from the one known as Frampt, she begged for help in understanding how the First Flame came to be and the serpent told her of the ancient rites that divided the primordial sun and buried it beneath the ground. We believed him, for the serpents, they cannot lie... We learned too late, however, that they may withhold details."
You watch the woman tear up as she takes a shuddering breath and continues. "Something... something went awry. We had gathered, seven sisters and a brother around our mother... our dear, sweet mother... a key piece of the ritual was missing, the Lord Soul was an incomplete flame and attempting to divide it's nature was not... the First Flame was born of the four natures from a whole... four concepts brought into the world by fracturing the newborn sun. Though Gwyn made a new sun and Gwyndolin after him, we could not repeat the ritual on a false star nor could we remake the original without the other three Lord Souls... but we did not know until it was too late... M-mother, she was... my family... I... I need to be alone." The woman becomes increasingly distraught as her tale continues, until you are sure that she will soon be rocking back and forth as though blessed by Sheogorath.
Dumping Louise on the floor, Quelana flees into the shadows of the tower and you are in no hurry to follow as your apprentice looks toward you with worry.
Status: Hungry and Mild Dehydration.
Magicka: (550/650)
Choose 1:
[] Time to move on
[] Give the woman some time.
[] Ignore her request and follow after her.
[] write in
It doesn't take long for you to discover what Louise destroyed. In the uppermost room of the tower, what appears to be a personal room for meditation, several plinths have been knocked over. Judging by those that remain upright, you see that the fragments on the floor were once stone braziers. You spend a while piecing the shattered objects back together, finding that they each seem to tell a story in their carvings. One depicts serpentine figures emerging from the base and curling around the lip, another is of a great battle against dragon-like creatures, and the last one shows a knight with swords of flame being branded with a fiery circle by a bearded giant.
"Gwyn and the humans that aided us in the fight against the dragons." Quelana's voice echoes softly across the room. You turn to see her carrying your sleeping apprentice into the room. "I always adored children you know... while my siblings are all my mother's children, none of us ever went through such a phase, simply formed through the power of mother's soul and the ashen ground." Laying the girl on the cushion in the center of the room, she sits beside you. "Queleah and I were delighted when mother opened Izalith to the humans, despite Quelaag's insistence of their untrustworthy nature. My dear sister spent much of her time surrounded by swarms of the larval humans."
"Personally, I could never stand the creatures." You admit honestly, much to the woman's surprise. "They are loud, unfocused, dirty, always creating problems, and entirely too emotional."
Frowning, She asks, "If you are truly as repulsed by them as you claim, how do you rationalize the girl's presence?"
Pausing for a moment, eyeing the girl before you reply, "Louise is... special. While most of what I said is true about her as well, I cannot help but see myself in that girl. She has so much potential and the need to learn, but those people in her homeland were suffocating her. Until we met, those fools had convinced the child that she was doomed to a life as a talentless mage, unable to cast the most basic of spells... How could I let that continue?"
The woman humms and you sit in silence for a while. You can't out-wait an immortal however. "You never did explain how to use these 'souls'."
"Ah, you are correct... though I find your odd inflection of the word mildly insulting. Do you think yourself superior in knowledge even after admitting your own ignorance of the subject?" Quelana asks, more amused than angered.
Shaking your head, you respond. "Perhaps not in this regard, but the idea that every creature has a multitude of souls is rather farcical in my mind. The soul is the center of a beings very self, not some wisp of vapor to be mixed and matched at one's convenience."
"Maybe where you come from, that is true, but here? In this world, the first creatures were immortal dragons made of stone, possessed of no soul and never truly alive. Being among the original living entities, mother's teachings were quite clear in regards to the history of this world. A great ball of fire known as the First Flame appeared at some point In the grey world of before... Whether spawned from the Flame or something else, the serpents came and somehow split the Flame into four primary fragments... The Lord Souls, one of which created life by it's very presence. Though soulless and weak, these creatures had the potential to imbibe the formless essence of power that is a soul."
"Very well, I shall concede the point to you until such time that I can attempt to Soul Trap a creature and discover if they also have the type of soul that I am more familiar with." You acquiesce.
With a smug smile, the witch bows dramatically, though it is ruined by the fact that she is siting with her legs crossed. "Until then. It seems we digress once more, are we to endlessly dance around one another's words until the world goes dark?"
Scoffing, you reply, "You may have the time, but my apprentice and I have not yet discovered immortality... at least, not a form that comes without unsavory costs."
Sobering immediately, she gazes sadly at Louise. "Quite right... Forgive an old woman her games." She says, oblivious to the ridiculousness of such words with her appearance. "Most humans are unaware that there exist two methods of soul reinforcement. The first is in the manner of the Primeval Lords and their chosen subjects, directly assimilating the souls to strengthen your attributes in an uncontrolled manner. This is more convenient for several reasons, freedom from requiring a sacrificial Flame is chief among them. Second is the Undead method of using a sacrificial Flame, known also as a bonfire, or other conduit of the First Flame in order to direct the souls toward a specific intended attribute at the cost of requiring more souls with each offering to the Flame... Be warned however, that directly consuming a soul that is strong enough to retain it's form after death brings with it the nature of the consumed whereas fragmenting a powerful soul in order to use at a bonfire will cleanse it's nature, but subject it to fire's greed."
"So directly absorbing a powerful soul will allow a person's identity to be subsumed? Why would anyone choose that option?" Louise asks? Startling both of you. Just how long has she been awake?
Quelana's hands bump into yours as you both attempt to pat the girl on the head. Awkwardly, neither of you back down, she pushes your hand into the girl's hair as if she hadn't noticed and you refuse to pull away and allow the witch to win. "Of course not, little one." She says soothingly, causing Louise to scrunch up her face in annoyance... or confusion at the conflict taking place in her hair. Probably both. "By gaining their nature, I simply mean that if somebody was extremely agile, you might see a dramatic increase in your dexterity and minuscule improvement towards your other attributes."
Fed up with your antics, the girl swats at you both until you stop mussing her hair. As you are waiting for Quelana to ask her next question, Louise suddenly jumps to her feet in excitement and leans into the witch's ear to whisper something. You observe as the immortal looks confused and Louise turns dark red before whispering even quieter. For no apparent reason, Quelana pulls the blushing girl into her lap and exclaims, "But why? You're so adorable!"
"I am not adorable!" The pinkette shouts, struggling to free herself. "I'm tired of looking like a child!"
Palming your face, you interrupt. "While fascinating, I believe we have more important matters to discuss than Louise's impatience with puberty."
"Puberty?" They both repeat, causing you to sigh in annoyance. An immortal dirt witch you can understand, considering her comment of human larvae, she probably simply hasn't bothered to learn a word that never applied to her, but how can Louise not know? Come to think of it, she has not once complained of suffering from womanly issues in the time you've known her. Though useful for adventuring, you doubt it is a sign of good health.
"Nevermind." Not answering the question, you make a mental note to have the girl see a healer when you move on to the next realm, as you are not going to talk with her about such things. "You mentioned the use of souls in order to cast spells, can you explain?"
Shaking her head, the woman replies, "No... As a fire sorceress and pyromancer, I would not be a proper teacher for such a skill... I... I have not experimented in quite some time. I dare not."
"Why not? Do you really claim to have satisfied your curiosity? What are you so afraid of?" You push on, noticing her wince at your words.
Looking down as she pets your apprentice, who has reluctantly accepted the witch's attention, she says, "Please, you must understand... Mother was the greatest of us all. She was wise, caring, creative... but her caring nature was her undoing. The fire had just begun to fade, the lands began to shift and the sky was slowly darkening over the years as the three remaining Lords weakened. Mother sought guidance from the one known as Frampt, she begged for help in understanding how the First Flame came to be and the serpent told her of the ancient rites that divided the primordial sun and buried it beneath the ground. We believed him, for the serpents, they cannot lie... We learned too late, however, that they may withhold details."
You watch the woman tear up as she takes a shuddering breath and continues. "Something... something went awry. We had gathered, seven sisters and a brother around our mother... our dear, sweet mother... a key piece of the ritual was missing, the Lord Soul was an incomplete flame and attempting to divide it's nature was not... the First Flame was born of the four natures from a whole... four concepts brought into the world by fracturing the newborn sun. Though Gwyn made a new sun and Gwyndolin after him, we could not repeat the ritual on a false star nor could we remake the original without the other three Lord Souls... but we did not know until it was too late... M-mother, she was... my family... I... I need to be alone." The woman becomes increasingly distraught as her tale continues, until you are sure that she will soon be rocking back and forth as though blessed by Sheogorath.
Dumping Louise on the floor, Quelana flees into the shadows of the tower and you are in no hurry to follow as your apprentice looks toward you with worry.
Status: Hungry and Mild Dehydration.
Magicka: (550/650)
Choose 1:
[] Time to move on
[] Into the spider's den.
[] Through the scaffolding.
[] Straight up from the swamp.
[] Through the scaffolding.
[] Straight up from the swamp.
[] Give the woman some time.
[] write in
[] Ignore her request and follow after her.
[] write in
[] write in
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