Multifaceted [Closed]

[Hilana Chenzira]

60 Glade, Year 123

[Closed - Rickter, Æros, Paragon]

It had been a busy few days. That Hilana had brought a Re'hyaean senator to stay in their guest house while the derby was on meant that her father absolutely could not go off on her entering the races. It had worked out well, because inasmuch as Lebaoth wanted to, he couldn't. He could not upbraid his youngest because her friend was around, and looking as unsupportive as berating her for entering a very important race on the camel that she had bred, raised, and trained for every single day of his life was not a good look.

But Hilana and Æros had gone into town in the afternoon, the girl dressed in her more casual attire than the expensive outfits she was expected to wear here, and gotten a wooden rowboat from the docks. It was very similar to the wooden rowboat she had found herself in to meet the Founders a few seasons prior, and if it was good enough for that, it would do for this. Even if the official excuse was that she just wanted to explore the harbour and take him to see the Colossi, after all... except they hadn't stopped there. Hilana was hardly a sailor, but she was an Elementalist, and as such, with her loaded rucksack and the horned Fae in tow, they had gone out to cross the water. The Sceptre of Avaerys protected the whole of the kingdom, but once they hit the borders, they would see the great darkness. Æros had said he wanted to see it for himself, and so Hilana went north. They would find the Eclipse that way; considering it was the most direct route to the limitations of the reclusive desert Kingdom.

Short work was made of the water with the help of Elementalism. Illumite had been procured and packed in preparation for the great darkness when they got to it. It was better to have something than nothing, especially since Hilana was using aether to get them to where they needed to go. And after a while, find it they did. She glanced at her friend, and with a nod, pushed them from the everlasting light that had protected their homeland for two seasons now into the wall of darkness. It felt much cooler, just like it had when they had gone to Ecith, and now the Illumite was needed - because the boat, no matter what they did with aether... was not working. But when she got it from her loaded backpack, she straightened on the seat and paused. "Do you see that?" she asked Æros, looking on at the frozen-looking icy crystal tree. And with that, Hilana shifted the boat, and sent them towards the crystalline tree.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And fortune belonged to the adventurous. Audentes fortuna iuvat, or so they would say in Vastian. To her surprise, the boat ran aground, and Hilana looked over the side, grabbing an oar to poke at the ground and test it to make sure that they were not about to step onto something that wasn't existing except in her head. It seemed solid enough, and the girl shouldered her rucksack, gathering her skirts and testing the ground with one foot, and then the other. It seemed safe enough, at least, and her illumite pendant hung beside the other one gifted to her from the High Sentinel. Her long ebon hair had been woven into a braid and it hung down her back, reaching past her hips and to her posterior, and her short, sleeveless blouse did not completely cover her midriff as per her usual style. Today, however, it at least matched the full tiered skirts, both of them light blue and white with silver decorative stitching. If she had known that they might actually find something, she might have at least worn her riding clothes...

As she looked towards the tree, she thought she saw a familiar shape that she remembered from a dream. "Rick?" Hilana spoke up, tilting her head, not about to get too far from the safety of the boat in case her mind was playing tricks on her.

[Rickter]

Multifaceted

Glade 60, 123rd Year, A.o.S.

Since his arrival in Pantheon earlier this season, Rickter had much to think about in the days that followed after. He found it difficult to determine his presence as a necessary thing off and on, as being the new 'Lord of Frost' might possibly be connected to the lingering winter around Kalzasi. He already dreaded the idea of that being the case, yet, often found himself staring at the Eclipse in puzzlement from the events it transpired.

He'd prepared for it otherwise, at a point where he felt at a distance with himself. The fact he'd lost control of his own powers once, and in turn fractured what remained of his little family. Rickter had reasons to mend what he felt broken, however, and wasn't intent on dwelling over his shortcomings in the late Wither of Ash. He had a lot to accomplish in the days ahead, but the first piece of the puzzle, and the one he hadn't paid enough attention to before... seemed noticeable to ponder about as he walked the cliffs of the Cloudhaven District.

The frozen tree. A crystalline structure which he actually recalled being born a time before the Eclipse, now shone like a beacon deep within the peaks of Astralar itself. How he failed to notice it before, well, he left to his own devices for now. The sight of the tree actually seemed easier to spot from the distance he stood at, before he realized a nudge in his spirit grounded him where he was once more. He'd felt a faint sense of calling, as well as whispers in the night. What that omen might've entailed he wasn't sure, but the wolf knew the sense of dread when he felt it.

And he felt it in his gut.

"Rick?" He didn't realize the shift he actually felt occurred when his gaze focused on his environment, unaware that he either might've strayed too close to the dark, or rather simply welcomed it during his moment of self-loathing earlier. But the voice did say his name in a context rather familiar, one he didn't quite plan to hear in person at the current time. Yet when he turned around he found he had been standing near the dock, where a sunkissed woman garbed in her exotic clothes had arrived.

"No way..." He about denied himself when he realized just who exactly he'd stared at, until he realized, Hilana had indeed arrived with the support of a companion. "You're really here?"

Though here was a good a guess as to really where they were. To his knowledge, Rickter was still back in Kalzasi before he saw the dark shroud wane around him. And while he could still see the black orb which hung within the starlit sky, and of course the crystal tree that loomed on the peaks overhead. Dressed in only his fur vest and leather pants, the wolf looked a little dumbfounded to actually see the woman he'd dreamt with in early Cinderfall. Though stranger things had continued to happen with, if not around, Rickter wherever he may go. Therefore, it was not a stretch to assume that their paths crossed, be it through Vicis' intricate design or a mere whim of destiny on their behalf.

Let's see what you're up to, Weaver of Fate. He humored with a slight raise of his eyebrow, surprised but pleasantly so to see the lady who had recognized him.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Hilana"

"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."

[Aeros]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

► Show Spoiler

- - -

- - -

When at first he was asked about going along with this, Æros was surprised, though flattered she had actually come to him about traveling northward alongside her to the camel derby. The official excuse was something quite a bit different, but it mattered not. Secondarily, his presence served as another benefit, too, because he could shield his friend from her father’s ire regarding her interest in the aforementioned derby. Culturally, he somewhat understood where her father was coming from in terms of his protestations to her hobbies, but at the same time, he should’ve learned by now that he was not going to change her. By now, it should have been patently clear that she was not one to be molded, controlled, the like, so the fact that he still tried was almost baffling to the senator. It defied all logic. Nonetheless, Lebaoth did hold his tongue in the presence of his social better. He wasn’t a fool in that respect.

Further, the Eclipse was an altogether eldritch phenomenon that had stoked a great curiosity within horned half-Fæ, and while there was ample risk in venturing out into the void of the wider world especially by boat, he figured that if the two of them stayed near enough to edge of the light provided by the Sceptre of Aværys, they’d be able to retreat if absolutely necessary. And for their benefit, they’d brought along dragonshards to ensure that Hilana would always be able to pilot the boat, seeing as she was intending to do so with magic. Sailors they were not and Æros did not consider rowing to exactly be reliable in a pinch.

Though he, too, now had Elementalism, his was, by comparison, remarkably weak; she did the lion’s share of the work, but if for no other reason than to better himself, he did try and help, weaving his own æther along with hers to augment the current around them. Beyond that, he kept his Sembler’s eyes open, hoping that if something were to go after either of them, he’d see a trace of it in one way or another. And lastly, if anything approached with an at all audible Symphony, he’d certainly hear it.

To both of their surprise, once they’d sailed out into the darkness, a strange, icy tree appeared in the distance. The Sceptre had concealed this from view prior, but it was certainly a beautiful sight. His focus was pulled when he heard his friend speak.

“Yes– what do you make of it?” He inquired in response, his own æther unaffected by the shift into darkness due to the Lunicite embedded into the gauntlet he wore.

There would be nothing in line with protests from Æros when she did shift the direction of their boat towards the tree. In fact, if she hadn’t, he likely would’ve asked that they did. Prior to the world being enveloped in darkness, he’d never seen such a thing before. It had to be related, no?And yet what was distance? It had appeared far away, but in no time at all, their boat ran aground. Briefly bewildered, there was a pause before he stood; he ended up rising and stepping out shortly after Hilana did.

Æros himself was dressed in more precious metals than clothing, this time mostly white gold, as was typical for him. In this case, that would mean a white silken tunic, stopping a few inches above his knees. He was always one to prefer to cover less of his starry skin.

To see another figure in this really rather alien location was also a surprise, but what was more surprising was that Hilana appeared to recognize what was, to him, a total stranger. She sounded surprised herself, too– Æros could only wonder what was happening. He looked back and forth between them for a moment before saying anything. The stranger was obviously not Solunarian, and that only added to his befuddlement.

“I’m sorry– but how do you two know one another?” His tone reflected exactly how he felt– utterly flummoxed.

“...and further, do you know anything about, ah…this? Where exactly is here?” When he said ‘this,’ he gestured all around them.

This ‘Rick’ might be just as lost as they are, but it was at least worth a shot to ask.

- - -

'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Aegis]

And so, the three arrived at the island beneath the great crystalline tree of the North. It was massive and beautiful, and looked to have been carved, possibly by the greatest sculptor of any generation. Every branch carried a million facets, every angle seemed to be both moving and yet perfectly still. Through it, millions of colors could be seen, changing based on the angle it was looked upon, and many of these were colors none of them could have ever seen before, and possibly had never been seen by any living mortal, or slightly less mortal. And looking up at it, it seemed to stretch endlessly in the sky. When looking at it from a distance, it certainly seemed to have a peak, but from here, one simply could not be certain.

Well, unless they were to go up and take a look.

However, in the moments following their arrival, all three, the God of Winter included, would feel a severe chill run through all of them. Their breaths didn't just fog, but fog that solidified, fell to the ground and shattered. The temperature was dropping fiendishly fast in the presence of this great, frozen tree. The water all around the island cracked and roared loudly as it froze, the ice crushing the boat that had brought them here, as well as any belongings that may have been left there. The soil beneath their feet had spiderwebs of frozen cracks splintering out in all directions. One reached a shard of the shattered boat, and the wood froze through and began to grow crystalline structures all out from it.

Ahead of the group, at the base of the tree, an opening slowly carved itself, revealing nothing but darkness within. No noise could be heard from within it, no attempts at gleaning information from it would reveal anything. But it was in reach for those of an appropriate athleticism. The chilled ground was coming in quick, racing, closing in from the water's edge. Exposed skin would start to feel hot before feeling nothing at all in moments. Metal held the cold more readily, and so it spread faster and harsher from all points of metal among the group. Breaths taken in would burn the lungs and throat and eyes opened would begin to dim.

A voice could be heard within all three that was present.

"Welcome back, Winter."

[Hilana Chenzira]

It was him! Hilana hurried up to the much taller man, expecting Æros to come along with her as she did so, her step light with her sandals and skirts. “I am here,” she beamed up at him. “Rick, this is Dominus Æros. Dominus, this is Rickter. We met in Ash in a dream.” She explained, and once she was close enough, she threw her arms around the man to hug him. She was a passionate little thing, and her friendliness seasons ago still stood since they had last parted ways.

He was definitely real.

‘Dominus’ at least indicated that he was of a social superior to her, though Hilana didn’t seem to be a slave or indentured in any way. Perhaps it was just one of the titles that was local to where she and the Fae were from. But immediately, Hilana felt that cold, saw the way her breath froze up, and felt how frigid everything had become in that moment. For a child of the desert who had crossed burning sands under the height of the sun in the heat of Searing, this was not a good feeling. Considering she was largely bare in the shoulders, arms, and abdomen, not to mention the fact that she wore sandals, it took very little for her to get uncomfortable in that cold. In that numbing nothingness... She could feel her eyes water up and everything freezing further.

When her vision blurred, it wasn’t with her eyes that she sensed the boat crack, splinter, and shatter, but her ears. And that sound seemed so much louder with the way the cold brought clarity from the air. She breathed, her hands curling into fists, and focused on her Cardinal Rune of Elementalism, and she sought to warm up the immediate temperature around the three of them with warmth in the air from fire. She wasn’t attempting to bring it to her own comfort level, but Hilana was aiming to warm up a small enough sphere around them just enough to make it all stop burning. That was all the girl needed.

‘Welcome back, Winter’? The girl puzzled. Æros was half-Fae, and his father was from the Winter Court, so maybe that was it? But he’d never been here before, and she knew she hadn’t, so she glanced up at Rickter.

[Rickter]

Multifaceted

Glade 60, 123rd Year, A.o.S.

From the looks of things the other two were just as lost as he were, if not entirely unsure as to the destination they had reached in turn. Her companion inquired on the nature of their meeting, since Rickter and Hilana already knew one another, and sure enough the wolf recognized a similar accent from the horned companion that accompanied her. Truthfully he wasn't sure what to make of the pair now, since they actually were present and he hadn't noticeably fallen into a dream. The scent of the south, as he'd deemed from their first encounter, still hung heavy all over Hilana even before she drew close; but it was the new scents coming from the other individual that piqued his curiosity. There were tones of coffee and geranium beneath the suede aroma which clung to him, along with the earthen scents that were familiar to Hilana once Rickter noticed her scent in close proximity.

"A pleasure." He stated plainly after the cheerful lady shared introductions between them, already keen to share her and Rickter's encounter with Æros once he'd asked. "I'm not entirely sure, myself." He then added just before he felt arms encroach around him, leading the wolf to clench as he suddenly feared for the girl in turn. However even in his moment of surprise, nothing terrifying nor outstanding took place beyond the warmth of her embrace. Thus Rickter found himself able to relax a moment after, if not also give her a brief hug with a smile in turn. It had been some time since they did meet, and since then he'd grown nervous with physical contact. Not that he feared those who touched him, rather, he feared for their safety after what transpired in the Onishio attack.

Yet the bitterness of cold soon made its presence known to them all, included the newly appointed King of Frost, when his very skin felt the kiss of frost upon his exposed flesh. The hairs on his arms caught particles of ice now, and the pale skin beneath immediately covered with goosebumps in reaction to the cold. Rickter had not felt this cold since his initiation into Elementalism, when it first settled into his soul, and he sweated water profusely as a result of the threshold sickness. The wolf's eyes nearly watered from the reminder of the cold's sting, as he perhaps protectively held Hilana closer than before once he felt such cold settling in. Spiderwebs of frost rimed their way across the ground until the vessel the pair arrived on began to snap, crack, and even so much as pop into fragments of frozen wood.

Above them the ice tree loomed overhead showing a brilliance of different colors through it's branches, the limbs and leaves far more animated than when he first stepped foot within the peaks of Astralar. Was this... really the same tree?

"Welcome back, Winter."

Those words were a sound he felt deep within his core, which it seemed he was not alone in that regard, for Hilana looked from her companion Dominus to him in turn. So it seemed the that He, the Frost King, was due to return to this place in the beginning. Had Vicis deemed it so from the moment he created the tree on his own? There was only one way to find out, as the base of the tree opened for them, revealing a black entrance which venerated a sense of eerie in the wolf's spine. That sinking feeling in his gut was no small warning for Rickter, nonetheless, they had only one way to go if they wanted to find shelter from the cold. Sensing the shift of aether in the air he felt the bite of winter lessen, but only a little, as he looked down at the brown-eyed lass he thought to protect. If she was using Deference to stave off the cold, then perhaps his own powers would suit better in aiding the task?

It was a combination of Elementalism and Negation, but when both of those runes shone visibly bright on the exposed areas of his flesh, the wolf radiated his own body heat to dampen the cold further; while a fluorescent ward like the northern lights briefly flourished into a dome around them. Whether or not that would stave off the cold itself, Rickter knew his Negation would serve more than one purpose in the task ahead, the question that remained though was whether or not these two could be kept safe in his presence. He'd find out sooner or later... "I'm sorry if the cold here bothers you... I've yet to fully understand how these powers work. Regardless..." His eyes shifted from Hilana to Æros, and then with a firm press of his eyebrows, his gaze shifted to the tree with a determinable look in them.

"We need to get moving, if we're to survive these extreme conditions." It never occurred to him once that he'd be tested against his own element, after hardly ever feeling cold at all once he grew familiar with water and eventually ice. But as the new King of Frost, it seemed he had so much more to learn than he originally realized. Thus with a gentle nudge he ushered for Hilana to move, and motioned his head forward for Æros to follow along.

The base of the tree waited for them yet.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Hilana"

"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."

[Aeros]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

► Show Spoiler

- - -

- - -

Despite the altogether astounding nature of this, Æros was enraptured with the situation they’d now found themselves in. For the first time in a long time, he felt alive, thrilled; life, for him, had felt so very…mundane. This, however? This was anything but.

The tree before him was crystalline, multifaceted; the coruscant surfaces it possessed reflected and refracted any light that passed through in kaleidoscopic color. He loved it; like a diamond in the night sky, this aberration was. The entire scene gleamed in phosphorescence; bewitching in nature, it was. And yet…the starry senator’s intuition told him he now stood on a rather perilous precipice.

Æros watched and said nothing at the rather friendly way that Hilana and the stranger greeted one another; if this person really was some sort of friend, this behavior from her was not surprising whatsoever; Hilana was always a warm, affectionate person. It was, however, slightly disappointing that the man did not appear to recognize where they were. Ah, well– it didn't hurt to have asked.

While the two of them got reacquainted, Æros took advantage of the moment to get a better idea of who exactly this stranger was. From the moment he'd stepped off the little boat, he'd heard the man's Symphony; the song was melancholic in nature. This man held a lot of guilt, but he also felt the innate draw of protection towards Hilana, and to an extent, Æros himself– though this was likely only due to his proximity to the former. Now, however, was not the time to delve into the more rugged man's emotional complexities.

Further, his eyes became gilded, golden irises now bordered with luminous white-gold limbal rings, a sign of his Semblance. With this magic, he was always cautious when glancing at strangers and, it would appear, that this was to his benefit; the stranger's Aura was incandescent, radiantly effulgent. And yet, careful to not peer too deep, Æros skimmed the surface and saw that this man was not only a mage, but a brilliant one at that– he bore eight Cardinal runes, one of which the senator did not even recognize.

Knowing one mustn't stare too long at the sun lest one gone blind, the curious half-elf cut his magic. His impression of Rick had immediately shifted to something of a fascination; the brightness of his Aura hearkened back to what he'd been told in school, too– that only the divine were that vibrant. Just who was this man? When this was over, Æros sincerely hoped that the two of them would establish at least something of a positive rapport– he, for the moment, was quite charmed by the other.

Pulling himself from his thoughts, the horned half-Fæ’s lips parted to speak, yet before any words came out, something, someone else, spoke instead.

“Welcome back, Winter.”

Æros didn’t quite get it, but the rapid temperature drop quickly gave him a clue and was yet another pernicious portent for what may lie ahead. Winter Court by blood, he was further fortified for colder climates than most, especially his Solunarian brethren…but he was not dressed for the cold, and the metal he donned certainly did not help. He had bands and trinkets wrapped ‘round all four limbs, his neck, his fingers, piercings in his ears, his face; all of these places beneath the metal chilled quite a bit quicker and began to sting.

He did try to mitigate this on his own, almost immediately, attempting to invoke Influence over the elemental spirits around him, if any present, as well as weaving æther to create small flames in his palms. This would have been taxing, normally, but he eased his casting using the Lunicite in his gauntlet as both a catalyst and amplifier. For now, his æther was not much stressed.

Although once he felt the relief of the spellwork provided by the far superior Elementalists, the plurality of which he was relieved by, he relaxed, stopping his own casting to conserve his energy and rely on theirs. The other man's Negation was also a very welcome sight.

To Hilana's words, "...I am only of Winter by blood, and even then, that blood is split in twain– it is not I that is being referred to…I…I don't think?" He looked towards Rickter. Æros sounded concerned, and his Common was not the most polished; he spoke slower, tripping at certain syllables.

Embarrassing as this was, this was the result of one who'd never bothered with putting much effort into the vocalization of Common. To read? To write? He could do well, but…speaking was a different beast.

But now they were on borrowed time. The biting frost was not showing any signs of waning and, though his two companions were more than competent, nobody can cast forever. So when the other man indicated they proceed, Æros would readily follow along.

Into the tree the trio would go.

- - -

'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Aegis]

As the master Elementalist worked her magic, the air around them warmed rapidly and significantly. And when the Lord of Frost joined in with his own runes, the magic of the area grew and grew. Even when the third mage, not quite their equal in this, found his magic flourishing now as three energies mingled and grew. The sphere of warmth around them grew and grew, the chilled air turning away from it. The frost cracks racing through the ground toward them came to a complete and sudden stop as the radius. And they began to retreat, leaving the ground damp in their wake. However, Aeros would notice that despite having reached out to find elemental spirits in the vicinity, he could detect none.

Absolutely none, big or small.

The sphere of warmth stayed with them as they moved to the dark entrance at the base of the tree. As they went, there light hisses as droplets fell from the tree, reaching the sphere of warmth, following through, partially evaporating. But their trek to the entrance was unhindered. As they went, they'd be able to see that the freezing around the area continue to grow more fiercely, but not passing the bounds set by the Elementalists.

There was no strange feeling, no fanfare, no feeling at all when they entered the dark entrance. They'd find themselves in a small chamber, a bit darker in the immediate proximity. The floor was stone, polished smooth, not by hand to a discerning eye. Perhaps through natural erosion, but it had a fluid seeming surface, despite being solid as stone often is. Around them, the walls, formed a rough hewn circle, approximately twenty meters in diameter.

And dead center of it was a pure black, crystalline monolith, a few meters round, ten meters high. And following the eyeline upwards revealed that the inside of the tree was an impossibly beautiful sight. It was a million billion colors shining, stuck and frozen in swirls, in whirls, in gaseous forms and flames of impossible brilliance, locked in place. An iridescent drop fell from the immobile heavens above, splattering on the hard stone.

As eyes fell upon the onyx obelisk, words began to scrawl themselves into it, a messy style of handwriting, legible, but only barely so. And it was written in dozens of languages, so that all whose eyes lay upon it would understand what was written there. If there was a linguist in the group, they could spend multiple lifetimes trying to decipher the dead and lost languages.

'Upon my stone, a hand be placed
To the Void, intent given free
A realm of the lost and erased,
A gate opened for three

But Void is for forgotten and lost
Discarded, hidden and scrapped
Entry comes with a severe cost
Beware, ahead lies an eternity trapped

To enter, give as the gods have given,
Pay not in blood, not in tears, or empty hope,
Turn back now, so as not to be riven,
Give that which without one cannot cope

For as those that came before,
Gave everything they had
And so much terribly more
With a heart ironclad

Or turn back now, no blood spilled
Go home to your those you love
A destiny left unfulfilled
Or transcend the mortal and stand above'

!	Message from: Aegis
	This is your official point of no return. To continue is to accept fully the risks and consequences and rewards associated with a global plot of this magnitude. To turn away now is to walk away freely. Make your choice in your next post.

[Hilana Chenzira]

She felt the way Rick had stiffened up when she had flung her arms around him and hugged him, and looked up at him. Something had changed from Ash. Or perhaps a hug in a dream was very different from a hug in the waking world. Still, she just leaned into his hug and looked up at him, beaming. “It is good to see you again. You have been well?” With the horrible cold, they did not have a ton of time to catch up right then, as much as Hilana would have loved to. But hopefully, they would find some time later. She’d thought often of the Wolf she had met in the Land of Nod.

“It is fine,” the girl sought to reassure Rickter when he apologized to her for the chill. “We are fine. A small temperature adjustment and it is no problem,” she smiled up at him. She seemed rather delighted at the way he added his own Crafts to hers, with the way his Runes glowed. Some part of her wondered with his words and the way the voice had emanated, if he was Winter. She wasn’t about to try to Semble him, though she did have to wonder if she had unknowingly befriended another God. But if he was, he wasn’t one that aroused the attention or animosity of His Divine Radiance and Her Argent Luminescence, considering they hadn’t bothered to address the matter. Or maybe it was a new situation, Hilana couldn’t know.

All the same, she was in agreement that they were going to have to move. They could cast for a while, but how soon until the opportunity to move forward would be lost? They could not afford to linger here, and when Rickter gently nudged her forward, Hilana came right along with him quite readily. There was really no other way back, considering their little boat was gone and done for. Her eyes roamed the inside of the tree, peering at the monolith when they got closer. Her head tilted as she thought about the other monolith that she had encountered earlier in the season, and she wondered if this was perhaps more of the same. Would it take them somewhere if activated? Her eyes trailed upwards, and they just about popped out as she stared at the ceiling in wonder. “Oh, glories,” she breathed. Some part of her wanted to Semble it, but she had not forgotten Princess Cithaera’s warning in Ash about looking into entities that were not meant to be looked at in such a manner. This might be one of them, but the Monolith might be safe enough to look at. When she blinked next, the irises of her eyes took on the kaleidoscopic sign of Semblance and she tried to have a look at the aura of the monolith itself to see what details the young woman might be able to discover about it. She was only a novice, and the Vastiana was not about to try to push to the point of giving herself a headache over it.

As she read the words, she realized that like the first monolith she had utilized with Vigilia Qaevyx, this one also went somewhere. And that somewhere, was the Void. ‘All shadow bears darkness, but not all darkness is shadow,’ the words of her paedagoga echoed between her ears, and Hilana read the verse before her yet again. There was a riddle embedded in it. “Give as the gods have given,” she echoed. She knew the legends and stories of her people: Deus Avaerys had given Himself for Solus and the firstborn Re’hyaean sons that had perished in Sorokyn at the hands of the Caelian king. Domina Varvara had sacrificed Herself to save Her twin brother. But it didn’t want blood spilled, nor tears, nor empty hope. But it seemed that it would be a very good chance for the fact they may not come out of this alive. If they did, they would surely be changed. In what way? There was no way of knowing. Commitment. That was what the Gods gave. Commitment. They were bound to their spheres of influence, and they committed to them.

Or she could back out, somehow, and hope that it would take her home. As soon as it crossed the Vastiana’s mind, she knew that was not an option. A destiny left unfulfilled? They were here for a reason, this tree was here for a reason, and this monolith was here for a reason. Sometimes, the only way out was through. “Venture belongs to the adventurous,” Hilana raised a hand, and without hesitation, pressed it to the Monolith. “I stand committed.”

[Rickter]

Multifaceted

Glade 60, 123rd Year, A.o.S.

Though it had only been the briefest of moments before the cold threatened them, the inquiry from Hilana as to his health led Rickter to at least nod gently. He had been fairing better in recent months, but that was only due to his efforts spent trying to improve things. Little did he anticipate that to breach the heart of the problem, he would've had to set his sights on the Eclipse itself and the landmarks that stood out because of it.

Needless to say, he felt that he did have a role to play, here, where the crystal tree welcomed them into an unknown location. Truth be told this had been far different from when he'd last left the structure, focusing on his own devices before the Eclipse ever began really. But there was no denying the connection he felt to it now, and the welcome which had been venerated at their arrival in turn. Æros shared his insight on the statement with Hilana, which proved somewhat informative to Rickter, as he too shared some apparent connection to Winter. Though, the wolf doubted it was anything similar to what flowed in his own veins now.

It was interesting to try and grasp at the words the horned man spoke regardless, as it was obvious he wasn't used to speaking the Common Tongue frequently. "I've a feeling this is connected to me in some way." Not that he wanted to admit it outright when they approached the dark entrance at the base of the tree. "Upon my return to Kalzasi I made something... like this." It became obvious what he was referring to when they finally entered, and within the darkened round room the colors of the tree loomed overhead. "Except this isn't at all what I left upon creating it."

Colors upon colors seemed frozen in a dance throughout the stem of the tree above, while a shimmering drop fell to splat on the smooth stone beneath their feet. He certainly did not remember creating the tree over a monolith at the time, and though it's obsidian color looked a marvel to behold, something deep in his gut remained unsettled at the sight of it. He noted Hilana's adventurism and spirit which nearly led him to smile a bit, but, he couldn't help but feel the looming sense of danger in where they were at now.

"Tread carefully..." He might've murmured for the pair he accompanied, as the writings which manifested on the obelisk became clear. What baffled him were the many languages that were noticeable, even the Synskrit which he could read upon initial evaluation. An instruction? Or perhaps riddle? The mention of the Void unsettled him even further, for he knew little about it save for his connection to the Void. Though the wolf hardly dared to rely on such power, he could not deny that darkness was in fact an underlying part of his being.

"Dark shall be thy wrath, just as Light shall be thy savior."

He looked down at his left forearm in thought at that moment, considering the situation before the movements of another prompted him to react. Hilana, rather brazenly, shared her commitment by reaching out to place a hand on the obelisk. The wolf briefly stared aghast for a moment at the sheer audacity of the lady, clearly boggled but not before a quiet sigh of exasperation parted from his lips. Fortune did favor the bold after all...

"In the face of the unknown," he shared as he too approached to press a hand on the monolith, "I too stand ready to commit this." Whatever this was at the very least, since clearly there was no stopping the girl from braving the unknown. Despite his own gut telling him the greater dangers that might've been at risk, he could not let allow the spirit of adventure in the young girl to be dampened after all. Therefore, with a bit of a fatherly look down upon her, the wolf shifted his gaze toward the horned half-Fae in turn. "What say you, Dominus?"

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter"

"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."