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V'loshitar and The Pretenders

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Tentacle
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V'loshitar and The Pretenders

Post by Tentacle »

Underlight is a city of mystery. It is important to note that if we think of our time here as linear, we must sometimes look back to move forward.






V'loshitar entered Chasm of Soul. Having suffered within Dorsal Rift he was without coherance. Using Soul Evoke he regained coherance.

"Bah! Where ARE they? We've no time for delay now! "

As he waited at the Spiked Crossing he saw only lengthening shadows. Impatiently he waited until he laid eyes on three new arrivals. V'loshitar bowed to the dreamers. Pleasantries and salutations exchanged the dreamers. Saggitar, Brosh and Mi'raj formed a party with V'loshitar.

"You've all seen the new plane of the Dream that the madness of Ibioc and his Overscanners has created? " he asked them "The newly-opened Dorsal Rift?"

Mi'raj informed the man, "We went there in a group this morning and were able to keep our own coherence no more than perhaps half a minute." Brosh spoke then " We explored as best we could as soul spheres. Frightening. It's ... spreading rapidly still." Brosh paused then as if trying to find the correct words before continuing "The Master Dreamwrights still hold to their plans to try to close the Dorsal Rift this night. You still think them unwise?"

V'loshitar spoke, his tone acerbic to its core "Aye, that they do. And that they are. The fools! They still haven't got a clue what they're dealing with here. They underestimate the powers of Chaos the Overscanners unleashed. And their attempted remedy may prove fatal to us all!" his words ended with a crispy pause.

Saggitar was next to speak "And you still think the risks of their efforts, Wizard, are to the entire City of Underlight, the whole of the Dreamstate?"

V'loshitar shuddered visibly. When he could speak it was but a single choked and softly uttered "Yes."

This gave all of those gathered pause. The weight of what was transpiring seemed to finally weigh down on them.

V'loshitar continued "Nothing short of this calamity could induce me to proceed with this plan. This is a truly desperate measure."

Being of the noble house of the Gathering Brosh spoke, clearly emboldened "After what the Tehthu has done to my House in the past weeks, GoE already IS desperate!"

A sly smile was offered by Mi'raj "Rumors are even now spreading that GoE is destroyed to the last Dreamer, Brosh."

Brosh thought for a moment. Always one to evade the calculating Mi'raj "Aye, and those rumours are too close to true, Mi'raj! At least the other Houses have driven the Tehthu back for now, somewhere."

V'loshitar had not much time. He spoke then, pulling the attention of the group back to him"So then. You each have the approval of your respective Houses to participate in my plan?" he asked in a low conspiratorial tone.

Mi'raj speaking on behalf of the Keepers punctuated her response simply "Go!" Brosh followed suit, "Definitely. All authorized by GoE's Circle of Rulers, what's left hiding of it underground anyways." And finally, Saggitar gave his voice to the assemblage, "UoC approves, m'lord."

V'loshitar took great pains to explain to the assemblage that there was no guarantee his plan would work. -IF- his experiment worked he thought their very souls would be cast into the chaos indefinitely. V'loshitar reiterated that there were no guarantees the three would be to return. Ever. The assemblage would only be able to be brought out of the chaos through specific rituals. Rituals that relied heavily on the creativity and sincerity of the participants. The assemblage was taking a risk that there would be anyone left to perform the required rituals. V'loshitar was gambling, and he was not looking favourable at the odds before him. It was likely that all of the houses would be destroyed. He thought the attempt being planned to close Dorsal Rift to be madness.

The assemblage gave their acceptance. Each of them, in turn, spoke of their willingness to proceed both for their houses and for the city itself. Unfortunately, none of the houses would send their more powerful members or leaders to join the assemblage on their journey beyond the unknown. V'loshitar took in their words with suspicion. It could be that these three spoke the truth. Or, it could be that they were pretenders. It was too dark an idea to think on. Would these three so callously let what remained of their families linger behind? Would these three send their leadership to assist with the attempts to close Dorsal Rift knowing what they risked? He could not linger over long on his suspicions.

"When and if you three are returned to the City, then whether you fail or succeed will depend mostly on the efforts of others, not your own. My Rituals of Re-Opening for a destroyed House can only succeed if those who bring you back can gather sufficient dream power."

All three were curious. They wanted to know of what power V'loshitar spoke but he manoeuvred around their questions deftly. V'loshitar asked instead for tokens of authorization. He wanted to know if each of those standing before him had authority to open the noble houses upon their return. To begin a new age for the Keepers, Gathering, and Union of the Covenant respectively. A pregnant pause hung in the air. It was Brosh who sliced through the tension, "No sir. None of our Houses would agree to that. They say it would amount to making us, Rulers."

V'loshitar thought for a long moment, tension rippling over his fatigued form. "The experimental art, if it will work at all, will act upon all who are in the party with the evoker. If at least one of you is pure and HAS been duly authorized by his or her House, then yes. All three of you will then be borne off into the Chaos. There to be protected, I hope, from whatever calamity is about to occur." He gave no indication to the three of what this act may cost him, the evoker.

Three initiates stood before him. If he was successful that meant that at least one of them was pure of heart. Or all of them were. But more than likely he looked now upon at least two pretenders. Those who would return these initiates from the chaos could very well be surrendering a throne to a pretender. If this act was successful there was the very real possibility that one or more of those before him were lying to him to save themselves from disaster. What repercussions could this have?

Before he could press the group further; before they could swear on their honour, or offer reassurances, they all began to stumble. Brosh called out, noting there was no more time. Saggitar exclaimed, "What in the name of the Holy Covenant is happening?" The world began to come down around them. Their ears rang to the point of deafness. Their sight failed them. All manner of weakness and plague descended upon the three and V'loshitar. V'loshitar cried out, "We must proceed immediately, then, in hopes that at least one of you is pure! No ... more ... time to explain!"

Seizing upon the briefest moment of calm in the storm of elements around them V'loshitar began his rite. Summoning the last vestiges of his fortitude he began to evoke Cast Adrift, his plan now put in motion to save future generations of Underlight. Issuing his final words V'loshitar wished the three good luck and cast them adrift. With his evocation finished, his form collapsed into that of a soul sphere before being permanently extinguished. The residual energies coursing through him from evoking Cast Adrift had done what he suspected they would.

He would never dream again.


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"She spins her golden web between us and the dream." - The Matron ☼, Soulkeeper
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