Twere nae long after I arrived in the realm that a devastating thing happened to me. Seems some dark lord by the name of Nagaroth planted some deadly flowers called Nightmare Tears about the pale and I had the happenstance to wander into a patch. The results..I lost my shamanic powers..and then reverted into a feral wolf. By the efforts of a certain mage adept, I regained what little of meself there were left..and then had to reface meself through a spirit walk. This mage adept..one Faulkes...dreamwalked by my side and guided me in my search, until I once again found my spirit totem and began the long path back to where I had been afore this nightmare. In order to do this, I had to trust him completely...he entered my mind..and saw what I were...all of it. If ye knows me, ye knows, I dunna let folks in. But him, I did, and would again gladly. For since then, I have given him everything else that there be of me.
Linwe and Faulkes obtain an amulet of protection from the fae at Alasse and then cross over to Tari, climbing the snowy slope to the old standing stones.
Linwe stops and stares at the ruins
'I hae a stone..that I will use. This one...there be no table left'
Linwe sighs and begins digging into her pouch for the things she will need
Faulkes nods distractedly as he is fondling another necklace that he is wearing under his shirt. "Lorelei is... far away, but she will try to reach us soon.."
Linwe retrieves a goblet from the sack she carries and places it on the stone and then places a dirk on the stone next to the goblet
Faulkes meanwhile, conjures a rug to protect them from the snow.
Four bowls are taken form the sack then, and Linwe sets them carefully at the four major elemental compass points. Linwe looks down and sees that a bowl already sits to the south
She surveys the position of the bowls and sighs
Linwe says 'I must…prepare my runes first' Faulkes nods and watches her work.
Linwe kneels behind the stone and pulls out a small canister with a stopper Pulling out the stopper, a mist of blue dust floats on the cold air. She pours some of the dusty concoction into her left hand and begins to chant in elven as she paints herself
Linwe draws the rune, Cy'nath: silence and loneliness over her heart Next she paints the rune Darath , surrender, on her forehead'
Faulkes feels as though he should be doing something, but his style of magic is mostly internal... and he has already prepared himself physically. He watches the skies with concern, hoping that Lorelei can join them before too long.
'Dabbing her finger into the woad once more she paints Sariou, the Moon on her cheek' Then Linwe draws the rune Yen'Lui, balance and chaos on her abdomen. Sighing heavily she rises and approaches Faulkes
Linwe asks 'May I...touch ye?'
Faulkes nods. "Yes, you may."
Faulkes shrugs off his cloak. Linwe holds the canister of woad in her left hand , and dipping her right two fingers into the woad, she traces a rune on Faulkes forehead
Linwe whisprs'Arhain, the rune of secrets and shadows' Then
Linwe murumurs "Hold out yer arms please."
Faulkes pushes up his sleeves and holds out his arms.
Then, on his right forearm she paints the Qaba, rune of hidden knowledge and that which will be revealed
Faulkes smiles as Lorelei lands in the circle.
On his left forearm, Linwe paints, Auyl'Isha, sorrow
Lorelei Zenfold responds to Faulkes call for aid, and lands in the middle of what appears to be some sort of ritual
Linwe looks down at the woad on her fingers. There is one more ruin to paint.
Faulkes frowns slightly: the runes of secrets and sorrow. He wonders what the fourth rune will be. Linwe gently pushes aside Faulkes shirt, so that she can touch the skin over his heart and paints the rune
Lorelei Zenfold remains silent in order to avoid disturbing, assuming Faulkes will tell her what is needed when the time is right
Linwe murmurs a word in elven, barely audible. The wood elf turns away from Faulkes and returns to the stone She rummages in the bag she brought and extracts several pouches of herb. Walking softly to the bowl at the North she scatters herbs form a pouch into the bowl'
Faulkes speaks to Lorelei in a low voice. "I will need you to... awaken me if I seem to be in distress. I've never attempted to walk in someone's trance state."
Taking a flint from her pocket, she strikes it on a rock and produces a flame and lights a piece of tinder
Lorelei Zenfold looks at Faulkes with a hint of shock
Linwe sings 'O Great Mother, to the North I look, to you who gives life and establishes balance. I bow to you now and as your child humbly ask to be reborn worthy to serve.' Linwe crosses next to the bowl to the east. Raising her hands in supplication she prays " O abandoned ones of the spirit, I petition ye now to once again hear my voice. Your silence rings louder in my ears than the noisiest of gongs. (light pot of lavender) May this smoke rise on the winds from the east and bring my prayers to ye! Then, 'Healing water of the West, that west into which one day I will return (light dried rose petals) purge my body of ill so that I may have the strength to complete this journey.'
Sighing, Linwe looks to the final bowl
Linwe sings once more 'Burning flame of the South (light juniper) purify me in this quest that I may be worthy and open my eyes to that which is hidden.'
Faulkes smiles thinly at Lorelei's look of shock, but he know that she will know what to do should the need arise.
Linwe proceeds back to the stone that she is using as an altar and once again kneels. Linwe reaches for a small bag and pours a number of round dark seeds into a bowl. She crushes them with a rock to make a fine paste and pours the powder into a goblet'
Linwe pulls out another bag and adds the ground remains of a certain toadstool to the morning glory dust'
Taking the dirk she has placed on the altar, she lifts it, and raises her right palm, staring at the suppurating wound there
Faulkes watches Linwe with concern: He hopes that she can get the drugs down without mishap.
With her left hand, Linwe slices across her palm and lets the blood run freely into the goblet
Staring at her own blood , she then uses the dirk to mix the elements together. Picking up the goblet, she raises it above her head and murmurs a prayer to the moon goddess that protects her and then quickly drinks the contents. Rising, Linwe moves to the center of the rug and sits Linwe closes her eyes and places her hands down on the ground beside her.
Faulkes takes a place next to Linwe close enough that he can place his hand on her forehead.
Linwe sighs and begins to chant in an ancient elven dialect
Faulkes motions to Lorelei to take a seat on the third cushion.
Lorelei Zenfold moves to the other seat and sits quietly
Linwe 's chants become softer as the effects of the drugs begins to work through her system. Eventually, Linwe's head drops and the chanting stops
Lorelei Zenfold reaches for Faulkes other hand, careful to retract her claws, she takes it in her own, watching carefully
Faulkes nods to Lorelei, and reaches out a hand to Linwe's forehead as she falls into her trance. He closes his eyes, and murmur a chant of his own and tries to project his consciousness in Linwe's mind.
Linwe is oblivious to the touch on her forehead, but something stirs deep inside her head...something she knows..but does not know
Faulkes has to struggle to breach Linwe's mental defenses: Not only her own strong will, but also the barrier put up by the venom of the Nightmare's Tears. This is entirely different from walking in an unconscious mind... but he feels himself slide 'between' and comes to rest in Linwe's mindspace. He tries to look at himself to see which creature he has become, and is... surprised at the choice.
Linwe feels an intrusion into her mind. At first she fights, but then remembers, she will let him in. Struggling against the drugs and the Tears, she opens her mind to Faulkes and allows him to se within her soul. Within the trance, Linwe opens her eyes to a void.''Looking around, she sees a large cat.. a leopard. one that she is not familiar with. Faulkes tries to smile reassuringly as he floats in the void, but it only comes out as a purr. He lashes his tail and spins around unexpectedly. {Linwe... it's Faulkes.}
Liwne approaches the cat, wondering at its significance. This is not what she was searching for. Were the telthor playing tricks on her? or was it the Tears?
{Faulkes?} Linwe sighs in relief. Linwe reaches up, feeling something on her face. A mask has appeared. {What?!?}
Faulkes: {This place is... strange. there is no ground. Take a hold of my hand... er... ruff.}
Linwe reaches down and wraps her hand in his fur and stares about. A door appears form nowhere in teh center of the void.
Faulkes looks up, or around as he spins, until she stops him. He is surprised at the mask at first. {What are you hiding from?}
Linwe sobs and rips the mask from her face.
Throwing it down she sees that it is the mask of a wolf
Faulkes lashes his tail. "Perhaps you feel that the wolf form you are denied is false.} She says with determination {I willna hide from this}
Linwe winces {No! It is..me...and it is gone!} Her mind flashes through a series of thoughts: chaos, confusion, raw sorrow
Linwe cries {Stop!} and places her hands to her head
Faulkes swirls around again even with his best efforts at remaining stable. His external self sways on his cushion and looks as though he might fall off it.
The maelstrom in Linwe's head settles and she gazes at the door
Lorelei Zenfold reaches with her other hand to assist Faulkes in remaining upright.
Faulkes settles as Linwe does and tries to lead her toward the door. {What is here?}
Linwe replies with a falter in her voice {I dunna know} Walking with Faulkes to the door, she tests the handle
'{It be lcoked}' Faulkes: {Perhpas we can just walk around it, but there seems to be nothing on the other side.}
[19:28] Linwe peers around the edges of the door, and ses nothing but more void A knock sounds at the door'
Linwe stares at the door once again and reaches for the handle
Faulkes growls, and the leopard growls. {ou must find a way to open the door.}
{Should I....let it in?}
Lorelei Zenfold studies Faulkes face as he lets out an inhuman growl
A knocking once again sounds at the door
Faulkes: {You have come to discover... To discover you must open the door.}
Linwe stares at the door, sets her lips in a line, and wrenches the door open.A shadow stands in the sill. A shadow oddly familiar in form. {Help me} it pleads. Weak, tired, frail and timid, unkept, the effigy of Linwe, but not Linwe
Faulkes sits on his haunches and watches to see what Linwe will do. he rubs his face with a large, lushly furred paw.
Liwne backs away in alarm Faulkes swats Linwe with the big paw.
The shadow raise s its hand, and drags forward a giant sword Linwe lurches toward the shadow, and as she touches it, the shadow becomes one with her. She gasps.
'{No..ye are not a part of me!}'
Faulkes: {Is she not?}
Linwe sobs, and then realizes the lie
She weeps into her hands, but then, pulls herself up
{We must..go on}
Faulkes stands an lashes his tail, a motion that translate into the outer world as a swaying of his rear as he sits. {Yes, We must.}
Lorelei Zenfold continues to hold Faulkes steady, while seeking her own center for balance and the energy he may need as he continues his journey
Taking a deep breath, Linwe looks through the door and takes a step. On the other side she sees a stream running off into the distance. A tumultuous roar can be heard 'The dire wolf, the feral Linwe, appears'
This wolf runs to her, and frisks and plays and licks at her face She tries to push the wolf away
{Ye be nae my wolf! Ye be wild.....unconstrained....}'
Faulkes's ears lay back and he crouches... not know whether to pounce or flee. The small wolf looks -relatively- harmless but the dire wolf, even a leopard would be to match for it. He growls. {Maybe, Maybe not. He is the fierce and scary part of you.}
Linwe stares at the frisky wolf and extends her hand. WHen the wolf reaches forward to lick it, the animal disappears into her Linwe sighs and looks at the cat
{We must travel farther}'
Faulkes wuffs. {Not so bad. Everyone should be a little bit scary, yes?}
Linwe mutters {Ye will regret saying that, I am sure}
Faulkes purrs, and the outer Faulkes purrs with a grin.
Once again Linwe looks off down the stream to a patch int eh distance, vibrant with color
{Let us go there..it seems ..pleasant}'
Linwe's eyes focus on the riot of color and she tugs at the cat's fur
Faulkes wuffs. {Never assume.} But, he pads after her swaying his tail and swiveling his ears around to catch any sounds of danger.
{It says.."Come!"}'
Arriving at the spot, a wall appears. A short circular wall. But within are magnificent pink azaleas and cosmos, swaying in some breeze she cannot feel
Faulkes: *wuff* {I don't like this. It feels familiar and bad....}
{But they be so pretty!}'
Linwe extends a hand towards the wall, with every intention to pick some flowers.
Lorelei tightens her grip on Faulkes as she feels him become tense
Faulkes growls again, deeper and more threateningly.
Faulkes: {Look before you reach. That is how you got into this mess, it it not?}
Linwe whispers {But..how could I know? No one told me!}
Linwe retracts her hand and looks again. The wall fades, and slowly, the fresh pink flowers turn to a deep and dark purple Placing her free hand to her mouth she gasps{Oh!}
Faulkes: {There was a wall. I always thought it was not high enough to keep out the determined. And the flowers in Torgan -look- evil.}A realization comes to Linwe. A memory, from the feral wolf. She had also been stung by the flowers in Torgan. Before the unseelie fae shot her
Faulkes: {What will you say to them now?}
Linwe hisses {Nay! Ye willna have me! }
Faulkes: {Find the dark place that they are hiding.}
Linwe raises her hand in a remembered gesture from before her powers had been taken
[I cast ye out of me! By the moon goddesses will, ye willna hae me!}'
I reject what ye are..and will have no part of ye!}'
Faulkes wuffs and growls and lashes his tail, crouching to pounce on the flowers if need be. But, it is a joyful readiness knowing she will use her will to expunge the evil influence.
[19:58] Lorelei looks for a sign of trouble as Faulkes growls again, but sees none, she relaxes and continues to hold him upright
[19:58] A shaft of light bears down on the flowers, and they disappear, to be replaced by her spirit totem, the silver wolf telthor that had abandoned her here days before at these stones Feral dogs rush out, surrounding the wolf.
Faulkes's playful stance immediately stiffens in reaction to the threat he perceives. For a moment the elven Faulkes loses himself to the feline mindform, and he snarls and screams, claws extended.
Linwe grabs his fur and pulls him back
{This be mine to do.}' Linwe releases his ruff and her rowan staff appears in her hand. She firmly sets her teeth and snarls at the dogs As she attacks, the dogs, disappear, one by one, until she makes her way to the wolf in the center.
Lorelei reacts instantly to Faulkes scream which sounded like the sound of a cat, and grips him tightly, extending a sharp claw to lightly pierce his wrist
The silver wolf inclines his head and grins at Linwe. {So child of mine. You have returned} Linwe kneels in front of the wolf and wraps her arms about his neck.
{I dina choose to leave!}'
The wolf looks at her with golden eyes {Oh?}
Faulkes's fur is still all on end, threat-growling deep in his throat as Linwe battles the beasts. He calms, though, when he feels a sharp pain in his front leg... a reminder that he is not, in fact, a leopard after all. Panting, he lays down on the ground to ovserve the interaction between Linwe and her totem.
Linwe looks down chagrined. {That...be an untruth. I did leave.}
The wolf nods. {But you will make it right.}
Linwe nods. A beam of light again comes down, bright silver moonlight, and the silver eye of the moon goddess can be seen above
{Return now. And do your duty. As you have pledged to do} With this, the large silver wolf vanishes and once again the void surrounds them Linwe whispers down to Faulkes {It be time to go home}
Faulkes nods and stands. Quickly he pads away back the way they has come ad the landscape begins to dissolve. He finds the Edge and the barrier an slides back out again....
Faulkes's external self drops his hand from Linwe's forehead and slumps over.
Liwne closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Slowly, she feels Faulkes retreating from her mind. When he is gone, she begins the journey back
[20:13] Lorelei catches Faulkes as his body goes completely limp in her grasp. The dragon whispers: Faulkes?
The feeling comes back to Linwe's fingers first, a tingling sensation. She wriggles them slightly and lifts her chin. He r unfocused eyes look up into the eyes of a dragon, unknown to her and she smiles
Faulkes moans. "I'm here.... I feel odd."
Linwe whispers 'I be...here' The elf reaches over to take Faulkes hand
Lorelei relaxes her grip on his arms: Did you find what you seek?
Linwe nods "Aye...I did..and I thankee for being here for Faulkes
Faulkes takes both Linwe's hand and Lorelei's; He notes a thin thread of blood on his left wrist... and smiles a little.
Lorelei nods
Faulkes: "Um... Linwe, this is Lorelei. Lorelei -- Linwe."
Lorelei : I gave him my word and my bond. He is forever under my protection
'Linwe listens to her stomach grumbling and complaing'
Linwe says 'I hope someone have some food here other than...raw deer leg' She looks up and smiles at the dragon.
Faulkes chuckles and conjures a bowl of apples.
'I hae a memory...that when I were..altered..that I mayna hae been kind to ye..and an offer of healing..and I apologize for I dina know what ye were then...except a menace with wings.I hope that we can be firends'
Lorelei : of course. I understand the ways of dark magics, and that you were not of yourself.
Linwe smiles
Faulkes has to smile a little at that.
Lorelei : I am merely a healer, and will assist all who but ask.
'Faulkes....there be things... I need say to ye also..but later'
Faulkes: "Thank you for coming, Lorelei."
Linwe watches as the dragon rises
Lorelei grins at Faulkes, I apologize for the hole in your wrist
Faulkes: "No problem."
Lorelei : well met Linwe.
Linwe waves 'Namarie'
Faulkes: "Safe skies..."
Linwe sighs and takes a deep breath of the cold air Wrapping her fingers around his she looks over 'Thankee'
Faulkes nods. "You're welcome. I empathize with your now-passed problem, and celebrate your release."
Linwe looks down 'May I speak...freely?'
Faulkes: "I just hope I didn't leave any hairballs behind. Thos feral dogs really gave me a fright."
Faulkes: "Pleas do."
Fades to black
