Set me free (Urs, Ricky)

[Lyra]

For a time Lyra wondered if she had been mistaken. Again she sent out the wave of compulsion, and again, and again. Twisting weaves of music to pull and tug at the minds of any that might be near. Frustration built, followed closely by a bottomless pit of despair that was quickly quashed down by sheer will. Just as she began to resign herself to another decade, or century, of imprisonment she felt the world rock as something knocked into her prison. Once more she pressed her influence out, tasting at the air and catching a mere flash of motion, bodies, and the impression of sound. She strained, swelled against the wards that bound her and pressed with all her might, yet the ward was not yet weak enough to break from the inside.

Patience... she thought, stilling her raging mind. A small tendril of herself slipped free, winding and seeking. The bodies still moved, living, fighting. It was a muted sense that Lyra had of the outside world, like blurry images painted in greyscale. She felt at something large, animalistic. The air hummed with magic, and blood was spilled. She waited, slipping her influence between the bodies, calling out to those that drew close, pulling them, luring them gently now.

Eventually the bodies stopped moving with such energy, and Lyra felt herself lifted once more. Tamping down on the excitement that welled inside of her soul Lyra slipped more of herself into the world. She felt at the one holding her, a man. Like the gentle caress of a lover she spun her web around him, tuning his rhythm and singing a song of longing. This close there could be see faint traces of black smoke which now spun slowly over the man's shoulders and head. From the smoke came the whispers. Soft, nearly inaudible words in a now ancient language.

Open the gate. Lyra crooned in her mind, touching upon the melody of the one that held her. She pressed down on the suspicion, the doubt. She muted the worries and fears. She let the steady beat of excitement build, pushing through the melody as it was joined by a sharp tune of aching desire that vibrated the soul.

Set me free...

[Urs Wardell]

Urs carried the artifact in his arms. The copper orb felt warm and alive to his touch. He traced the intricate pictographs traced over its surface. He knew that with his Sight, it would be bright with magic.

He knew that the feelings he had while holding this precious thing, weren't real. He'd understood that much.

That didn't mean he wouldn't do as told. He wasn't sure what was inside this artifact, but there was one way to find out.

Urs smiled as he closed his eyes. He let these feelings guide him, let that orb's magic guide his fingers. He felt pulled towards something. A lever? Some kind of contraption, was it, this orb?

He pulled on something while his other hand shifted another gear. The artifact clicked and something inside whirled.

Urs watched as the orb fell apart, piece by piece.

[Lyra]

The sound of turning gears came to an abrupt halt, and lines appeared across the surface of the orb that had not been there before. From the forming cracks, a thin trickle of black began to filter out, flowing slowly between Urs' fingers. Another part clicked into place and the cracks widened, a few of the pieces beginning to crumble and fall away as the warding glyphs were broken. Inside there was a dull blue glow, shimmering faintly while something black roiled within it. As the last piece clicked in place and the container crumbled completely hair-thin cracks began to appear along the surface of the translucent orb that now hovered in the air over Urs' palm. Lines began to trace themselves out in white across this surface, flaring to life as if in a vain attempt to suppress what was inside. Then, with one final pulse, the runes faded and the blue orb shattered.

Black smoke billowed out from the epicenter, an explosion that blotted out the sky and eclipsed everything in darkness. Lyra almost laughed in excitement as she stretched, extending herself as far as she could without losing control. It was enough to completely engulf the clearing, and the people inside of it. She was filled with power, and where her influence touched the air became heavy and thick with aether. The effect was similar to being in the heart of an aether forge, but several times denser as this was the collective power of one who was once feared as a force of nature. The whispers began, softly at first before growing to a near maddening pitch as Lyrielle unfolded herself, reaching out to pluck at the minds of those present. Her presence was like a pressure on the soul, and as the seconds ticked by the whispers took on an edge of familiarity to each person. They were in an old language, and an ancient one, but the meaning behind them was could be felt if not consciously understood. Free yourself, unbind what shackles you, give in to the basest desire of your heart. Give over to your darkest desire.

The smoke swirled in a slow-motion, winding between each person present. Lyrielle simply... existed for a time, basking in the glory of freedom once more. Her attention turned toward the one who released her, and she condensed herself in around the man. Long fingered hands formed from the fog, caressing shoulders and hair as she spun around him, gold eyes flashing as they became visible to him. From the eyes the smoke continued to condense, forming the face of a pale elven woman with white hair. She smiled, not a kind smile, but rather an amused one.

She moved close to his ear, whispering just over the voices that surrounded him. The words were an ancient tongue as well, but it was clear what her meaning was, "Well done little human. I will not forget this." She withdrew then, her form flowing back into the smoke and disappearing.

The rest of the group would not have seen this, but now Lyrielle turned her attention on the rest. With a half-thought, she pulled back on her influence, thinning the flowing smoke enough that the group could see one another once more. They were encased in a dome of fog which moved in a slow circle. Several lines of blue still lanced through the smoke, from the artifact on the ground, but the light was steadily fading. She took her time then, moving around each person in turn, touching them with soft caresses and golden eyes that were there and gone in a moment as soon as they looked at her. She tasted their songs, her interest growing.

Ricky would be able to smell the scent of the ancient world on Lyrielle. Overripe fruit and that smell that appears before lightning strikes. Dense, suffused with power. Her hands traveled up his neck, ghostly and ethereal as she brushed black nails against his cheeks, over his temples, and through his hair before evaporating into smoke. Then her attention was on Telion, and Lyrielle smiled in her very soul. The smoke condensed, growing thicker as it wrapped this woman, flowing over her shoulders and twining into her hair. Lyrielle materialized slowly, one arm wrapped around Telion from behind with long-nailed fingers lightly touching the woman's cheek. Goldeyes appeared from the black fog, staring over Telion's shoulder at the group, lingering on Ricky as she half materialized. Elven with long ears, pale skin, and golden eyes that shown with power. Her hands partially showed, and what could be seen of her body was misty and incompletely, like it was made of smoke or ash.

"Et'falla, be'fior." Her voice was low, and when she spoke the whispers quieted to a low hum. The words were ancient vallenor and roughly translated to 'I acknowledge you, little ones.' She smiled then, showing teeth through black-tinted lips, "Sacum, a'mori." Bow, or die.

These last words were suffused with power and rang out, commanding, sending an intense urge and desire to fall to a knee.

[Rickter]

It was an unusually odd sensation for Rickter to discover now that they'd drawn closer, with the orb now in Urs' own possession, Cizein had resigned to making sure that the overgrown lizard was completely dead. The Slayer obviously wasn't taking any chances, even with a painfully drawn-out decapitation for the poor lifeless creature. Yet the air didn't resonate with any real sense of relief afterward, instead, something else felt as though it stirred within the very space around them. For Rickter it was easiest to describe it as an inclination, or perhaps even innate thought that was prompting one to do something. Though he hadn't an idea what exactly, much less why this feeling lingered so heavily until he noticed for certain that one thing went amiss.

"What's that?..." He remarked lowly as his gaze shifted from his companion Telion, who was on her own feet again but still somewhat drained, to the lanky individual that tampered with the artifact in his possession. Small flashes were seen from certain pieces of the object, and sure enough, as he continued to tinker around, the orb began to disassemble and reveal more of its inner core to the world.

"I don't think-" What Telion meant to finish with saying was that tampering with such an object was a good idea, and in regards to that Rickter would've strongly agreed with the implication. For as Urs solved every mechanism that kept the device locked, the orb itself finally released whatever the hell was inside, allowing it all to come surging out from within at just a moment's notice. With an abrupt pulse from the blue orb that hovered out from its container, thick black smoke poured out to envelope the entire group in... a storm? Whatever was certain was beyond Rickter at this point, as he quickly stood between him and his companion, with his arm thrown out to once more materialize his bastard sword.

The wolf still felt a radiant rush of pain briefly channel through his arm, as the blade came to manifest into his clutch, but it was nothing the warrior couldn't shrug off with a light growl or so. Something lurked within the smokescreen they were caught in now though, something he didn't want to drop his guard down to so easily, and yet when he saw the movements it made he was completely surprised in turn. Whispers filled the very air around him and he felt certain he wasn't alone in that regard, as it looked as though some kind of spectral woman materialized herself from within the smoke. She lingered oh so close to Urs to whisper to him, before nearly dissipating entirely and manifesting once more near him in turn.

Quickly he clutched the hilt of his sword firmly with one hand, about ready to pounce as golden eyes seemed to watch him inquisitively; almost with a sense of delightful amusement even. He thought to move and just as soon as she did, the smokey woman dissipated before reappearing as close to him as she was with Urs. He felt... hands. Immediately his body grew rigid as he realized she was touching him, with the very air filled with an unusual aroma he didn't quite understand. An entity made up entirely of smoke from the looks of it, likely a demoness or malevolent spirit of some kind, and yet she overtly smelt of extremely ripened fruit. There was an unusual tanginess that tickled his very nostrils, mixed with a hint of a static charge one could feel, as though energy fluidly encompassed every sense of direction around him. Rickter didn't understand at all, the being all the more complex the more it lingered onto him.

Yet it was when she moved onto Telion next he actually began to panic a bit, for the bard quickly tried to keep a face to whatever the thing was. Only to find that this entity prodded at her next, drawing even closer as to shroud the bard with the plumage of her corporeal form. As Rickter watched he started to reach out to Telion, his eyes filled with immediate concern for his companion, for how could he protect her from something he almost couldn't see. Yet seeing her would too come to pass. The ghostly woman that terrorized them in her wake somewhat materialized once more, lingering shoulder to shoulder with Telion and an arm wrapped around her, as though they were both fast friends all of a sudden... only they weren't. Telion was nearly petrified as she twisted out to get away from whatever this thing was, pulling to stand a foot past Rickter's side with her staff held closely, while the wolf himself glared at the mysterious woman almost with a snarl in mind.

And then she spoke.

"Et'falla, be'fior. Sacum, a'mori." Echoed the words from her near shadowy lips as her golden eyes were upon the lot, narrowed specifically on the three closest to her as Diamond and Cizein stood close as back up. What those whispers she declared meant, however, almost held no literal meaning to the wolf or the bard in question. More than anything they imposed something, something that Rickter noticed as largely influential to his very own whims. Just now he felt the inclination to kneel, and even bow down to whatever this unusual entity was. Did it want to be worshipped? By him?

"Why do I?..." Rickter's eyes switched off from the smokey ghost to Telion, his determined gaze nearly plagued with concern as he could see it happening to her too. Telion was reluctantly giving into whatever influenced her, enough to where she had begun to hold the staff away from herself, so that she might drop it if she didn't continue to resist. Admittedly he found himself wanting to let go of his weapon, and right then and there the wolf growled heavily at the smokey woman, a bit of questioning with himself done before he clutched the weapon in both hands. He swore to himself that, no matter what, he would not drop his blade without a valid reason. As far as he knew this thing wanted to dominate them, to liberate the group of their own personal freedom, so that it could experience whatever damnable gratification it desired before their demise.

"Fuck off!" He barked towards the entity, sparking an astonished reaction from Telion as she stiffened once more. "I worship no one, Akuma!" While his words were certainly bitter, Rickter hadn't the slightest idea as to whether this thing was even remotely mortal, let alone close to human enough to actually understand his meaning. One could've assumed by the fact she spoke that she might, however, the wolf wasn't prone to taking a chance when it likely risked the life of his own companion.

[Urs Wardell]

The artifact cracked open as the last gear turned and shattered. Night bled into the sky.

Smoke billowed out and above the small group. The smoke swelled, impossibly so - there was little to do but watch as it ate away at the space around the small exploring party. It stank of magic. Urs' eyes opened wide, his own magic spilling out to meet that which had filled the clearing. It was violently purple, incredibly dense with Aether. Power arched and crackled in shocking displays of light. Urs smiled, obscured by the swirling black spell-thing. This was something he'd hoped to find - something strong.

And then the whispers started. Easy things for his magic to spear, unraveling for information. Hints of enchantment and sorcery, tinged with a delicious sound that demanded his attention. It quickly became too much - even with his own knowledge, knowing what she was doing, did nothing to spare him. Hands dragged uncomfortably across his clothes, nails scratching at bare skin where it could be found. Eyes, gold and clear and sharp, blinked into existence, staring at those trapped inside the smokescreen.

The creature condensed, briefly, as an elven woman with stark white hair. She spoke over the cascade of sweet words, in an old language he didn't know - and yet, he understood perfectly.

Perhaps, this wasn't lost, yet.

He watched as she broke into an inky smoke, holding the woman hostage. Her words echoed and Urs stumbled to the ground. Diamond reached to catch him - but she stumbled as well, tumbling into the deep ravine below them. The strange creature demanded his attention, his magic, and he was unable to see if Diamond still lived.

[Lyra]

For a long moment Lyrielle did nothing, and said nothing. She continued to smile though, even as Telion pulled from her grasp. She let her go without complaint, goldeyes fixated on Ricky. Tilting her head Lyrielle shifted in the air, almost lounging back in the air as she tapped her cheek with one long black nail.

"The human tongue." The words were soft, heavily accented, and almost sounded like a song as she spoke, "Such a... simple language."

She examined Ricky curiously, but her eyes flicked over his shoulder to the other two that stood just behind. They had not knelt either. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and with a thrum of power, she shattered their Symphonies. Both shuddered, and again Lyrielle sent the wave of compulsion, their eyes rolling slightly upward as they knelt without resistance.

"Very well Be'fior... Stand as you wish, for now." Her eyes drifted over to Telion. Once more her form broke apart, reforming between Ricky and Telion. This time, however, Lyrielle pressed the sharp point of a nail into her neck, hard enough that a thin trickle of blood began to flow. With a thought, Lyrielle suppressed Telion's rhythms, slowing and overlapping them with her own so that her thoughts became sluggish. With a breath a line of black smoke flew from Lyrielle's lips, flowing into Telion's mouth and nose and disappearing inside.

If Ricky made a threatening move toward them Lyrielle would tisk lightly, pressing a second finger and drawing a new line of red.

"Tell me... I have been trapped for quite some time. What age is it?"

Telion would still be responsive, but her words would come slowly, like from a drunk. Her eyes unfocused as if she couldn't see what was happening around her.

[Rickter]

Rickter stood firm where he was when the entity spoke out once more, remarking upon the common tongue itself before her eyes seemed to visibly appraise him. Her eyes however overlooked him, as if passing, to fall onto the other four that quickly became three... once a scream briefly filled the chasm of the slopes below them. Had one of their own fallen off the edge? Even now he didn't dare to look back, and yet, when he did Rickter's eyes counted only the slayer, the bard, and the mage in his midst. Cizein looked utterly terrified by what had greeted them now, his face stricken with horror as he was clearly aware that he'd knelt without intent. Telion who also struggled seemed to then become the object of this creature's attention, focusing on her when the smokey figure disappeared and rematerialized between her and Rickter. Immediately the wolf's eyes widened a bit, for he could not predict the foe that had appeared before him.

And now he was forced to deal with a situation that grew all the more tiresome, for the moment she appeared between them the creature brought both down onto their knees. Now with the entity largely fixed on her, she placed a long pointed nail into the skin of Telion's lower neck, enough so that Rickter could visibly see the trace of blood drawn from her when she did so. Immediately the wolf thought to lash out, hoping to scare off this creature before it sank any more of its slender fingers into the poor girl... yet...

Telion's sudden desire to resist earlier had not only been quelled, but completely suppressed, to a point where she no longer seemed to be responsive even. The wolf hadn't quite seen the smoke that trailed into her lips when it happened, but like a lifeless doll, Telion seemed completely unaware of everything going on around her, as though she had suddenly fallen into a sleeping trance induced by the creature. Almost quickly he growled and even though his hand tightened on the hilt of his weapon, the next step he made proved all the more reason not to attempt a rescue. Rather quickly when she noticed the hint of aggression, the smoke-walker threatened the bard's life with another sharp nail to the throat. And Telion still simply remained there, unphased or even unbothered by the action entirely.

Something's not right, He'd noticed immediately as he bit his lower lip, the girl's under a spell of some sort... It was just his luck then, the creature before him had a hostage now, and unless he played along her life was in very real danger. He cursed the entity that cornered him, still growling lowly as he lowered his weapon to the side, his hand still clutched at the hilt as he still remained in a defensive stance at the smoke-walker. She wanted to know what the current age was, remarking upon the fact she'd been trapped for quite some time. It was almost as curious of a question as it was concerning, since the wolf hadn't any idea what exactly she meant initially. But then it dawned on him. What this creature was, what she had to be, was something or someone that was part of the old world.

A remnant from an era long gone no doubt, one that had just returned from the memory of time itself. "R...Rickter..." The surprises kept coming for the wolf, for while Telion looked to be affixed in a trance, she seemed to be almost responsive enough to reach out to him in turn. Was she aware of what was going on? He had to get her out of there regardless, even if that meant providing a few answers to the entity in turn.

"It's currently the season of Ash, the one hundred twentieth year in the Age of Steel." He reluctantly came to admit as he still clutched his weapon tightly, hopeful he might at least get a chance to strike at or cut down this enigma. Whatever monster she might actually be, he knew better than to test her for now, given the current situation at hand that is. But if he could find a way to free Telion in turn, then maybe he could dispatch the threat as well if he needed to. The problem was that he didn't know anything about this threat, much less how he could deter it from harming the bard any further.

"If all you're seeking is answers, then let her go, then I'll tell you anything it is you want to know." He started as Rickter figured that'd be just as good of a proposal as any other he could make, since ideally, he wanted the creature to free his partner from her grasp.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Dialogue" Monologue "Telion"

[Urs Wardell]

Everything felt thick. Like a blanket wrapped around his senses, dulled. Urs knew what'd he done - overreached. There was a limit, even for him, even for his talents. His magic, cast out like a net, a living thing made to catch and collect and inform, became slow. The spell stilled and shriveled, dying, his own energy escaping him too quickly to realize he was tired.

His breath turned into a sigh, a moan, as he collapsed onto his knees. The ground cracked sharp under his weight. Urs still felt the pressure of the strange thing's power, the smoke of her spell, the foreign desire nestled in his own heart. Even now, exhausted, he could feel the difference between what he wanted and her suggestions.

It didn't change the fact that she was enough of a force to strong-arm him into the ground. Knowing didn't stop him from kneeling, the part of him that screamed no drowned by the careful prodding, the spell pushing, the sweet, sharp demand of yes.

He wondered why - this very old thing still together, despite how many decades in a gilded cage? He'd sensed her time, the heaviness of time, the width of her age, of everything.

"Not...," he tried, his lips sloppy, his tongue stuck, "It won't...not for long," The words tumbled, uncomfortable, the daze of his magic coloring his own perceptions, but he remembered the Truth he'd seen. She was losing something important. Something she needed. He blinked his eyes, trying to stay awake.

[Goule]

Your Review

Lyra's release Now I know why Rickter has such bad feels about her. A shame, since he went through all that trouble to release her. Even if accidentally.

Lyra and Urs are free to PM me with their lore requests if they have any.

Rickter
Lore
Skill
Ecology: Hairy Toads Within The Earth Territory
Navigation: Treading The Earth Territory of The Warrens
Tracking: Utilizing Your Rathari Nose To Follow Trails
Bodybuilding: Trudging Through High Water In Chainmail
Resistance: Tolerating Mildly Cold Temperatures Within A Body of Water
Climbing: Scaling Cliffside Formations
Bodybuilding: Hoisting Yourself Up While Drenched
Bodybuilding: Hoisting Yourself Up While Armored
Detection: Remaining Alert When A Comrade Has Been Ambushed
Negation: Knowing What You Intend To Negate Helps
Reaving: The Painful Sensation of a Chip In Your Weapons

General
The Warrens: Second Deep
The Warrens: Earth Territory
The Warrens: Second Deep Territories Overlap
Ancient Artifact: Released Something Dark
Ancient Artifact: A Prison For Something
Ancient Artifact: Broke Apart After It's Seal Released

Loot Ancient Prison Fragments
Injuries All would have healed by this point.

Rickter
Lore
Deception: Deflecting With a Question
Deception: Hiding the Truth
Deception: Leading Answers
Deception: Pretending to Know the Answer
Deception: Faking Fear
Deception: Pretending Confidence

Medicine: Identifying the Body
Medicine: Identifying the Dead
Medicine: Identifying Fatal injuries
Medicine: Identifying Magical injuries
Medicine: The Decomposition Process

Points 8, for everyone. 5 magic EXP for everyone, as well.