Revealing Secrets to Anasati [Gaeden] ~ Samheen 20th ET

[Guest]

The Temple of Anasati, the goddess of Darkness and Death, is set deep within the cave rock, the entrance is a simple doorway with two sculptures tilted toward the ground are all that mark this Temple of Death.

The Doorway leads into a long hallway, well lit, with the light giving fungi. Once the long hallway is transversed, one is met with a well-scarred dark-elf with several small cloth sacks, before one is allowed to step any further all weapons are placed into these sacks.

Beyone ahead are double doors, where a light, bright to Dark Elf eyes, shines through cracks of the doors.

Much mystery surrounds this temple, for just days ago, it was in shambles, but within those passing days, the temple has seemed to reconstruct itself.

Samheen 20th Evening Tide

IC: Gaeden walked solemnly up to the Temple of Anasati. He had no more classes left and wanted to inform either Babin or Xipin of his recent accomplishments in the Magick Guild. He was particulary excited about the findings of the Heart and his own development in the art of magick. That was not the only reason why he had come to this place of worship though. To proceed with his contact, Jarek Devir, he needed information. Information about the rebuilding of the Temple of Anasati. He was not sure how to get what he wanted, but there was really only a pair of separate ways to achieve the goal. To lie or to speak the truth.

Strolling confidently up the stairs to the entrance, the magling stopped to view the statues and the ominous construction. He had only visited it once before, and at the entrance he trembled before the home of Anasati. His shaky and unsteady walk carried him quickly to the the single adhiel.

"I have nothing but my staff with me. I am here to seek guidance from either Babin or Xipin. And I have information they will appreciate. Now lead me to them," Gaeden demanded. He never expected the sentry to deny him anything. After all the male was merely another face in the crowd while he was a devouted soul of Anasati with the blessing of Babin and Xipin, and also from the House Calmcacil.

OOC: Dear Tristam. You do NOT, I repeat, do NOT need to address this thread until all my threads from before the 20th have been officially closed. Currently two. I just had a wee-bit of extra time on my hands and figured I might create this thread now. So do NOT reply just yet. I'll bump it when the time comes.

[Tristam]

The scarred adhiel stepped forward and leaned in close to examine Gaeden's face. "Yessssss." He hissed. "You have been expected." He nodded and turned away from Gaeden. "Follow." He beckoned with one hand and led Gaeden into darkness.

"Babin. Xipin. Babin. Xipin." The figured murmured to himself as they walked through the dim paths of the temple. The adhiel seemed to be trying to make up his mind.

[Guest]

The man leaned forward to study Gaeden, and the magling back away. He did not like the sight of the keeper. Gaeden nodded and followed meekly behind the man.

Xipin. Babin. Xipin. Babin.

Gaeden listened to the guide and trotted forward.

'They have been expecting you,' he repeated mutily. He did not know what it meant, but he knew there was nothing to fear in the home of Anasati. The pair of mentors, a male and a woman, would not harm him. He had done as he was instructed and now wanted to share his information, for some in retur.

[Tristam]

Their wanderings soon take them down a narrow hallway covered in tapestries along the walls. The first set depicts a full moon and as they walk down the hallway that moon is slowly eclipsed by the symbol of Anasati, the stylized face of the Goddess, until the set before the doors which shows the face only beaming down black and blood red on the world below.

The scarred man knocked hesitantly upon the door and announced, "Gaeden Calmcacil has returned, Mistress Xipin."

"Then bid him enter." An icy voice commanded.

The scarred man shivered but wasted no time in opening the door and motioning Gaeden through.

The room beyond was was small and circular without any furnishings. The walls were a riot of stone shaped carvings. They each seemed to be a set of symbols or heraldic crests. Each one had either the face of Anastasi or her symbol of the blooded dagger rising ascendant over or destroying the other symbols. A pair of doors led from this chamber.

From the one on the left came a slim woman dressed in ceremonial robes of black. She was casually cleaning a bloodstained dagger on a dark red cloth. She moved with a easy grace and posie that spoke of a noble background.

"I do hope the news you bring is better than what the last messenger gave." The dagger slid back into its sheath with a snick.

[Guest]

Gaeden entered the chamber and just watched clean her bloodstained dagger. Now he also shivered. Regaining his composure, the magling knelt to his knees to show his respect for Xipin. He lowered his head and his hair hid his face underneath a transparent cover.

"Mistress Xipin, I bring tidings from the Magick Guild," the magling rose and ran a hand through his hair. His lips trembled, but his voice was still steady. He leveled his gaze to meet her eyes and sought a sign of interest in her outer being. The eyes are windows to your very soul. Gaeden folded his arms and stood mutely for a flicker.

"I bring with me news from the Magick Guild which I have attended the last few days. I have learnt about the art of magick and a professor there, professor Vebhruil, showed me the catacombs underneath the structure and revealed a fascinating item to me. I would be grateful if you would humbly listen to me. Also I have one favour to beg of you in return," Gaeden smirked and his thin, pale lips formed a smile, but it never touched his eyes. He wanted to move around or even just ruffle his hair again, but he needed to display his strength now. Unless he showed his commitment, the woman would sacrifice him to Anasati and he was not yet ready to face the goddess of eternal darkness.

Looking around the room casually, Gaeden marveled the decoration. The pictoresces, the sculptures, the carvings. The symbols all signified Anasati, and the magling was grateful to view her immortal prescence in the small chamber.

"There are certain rumours about the re-making of the Temple surfacing in taverns and among the commoners in Gulanadar. And I have been unable to separate facts from simple frauds and lies. I will gladly surrender my knowledge of this artifact, if you would grant me the minor information concerning the re-building of the Temple. That is all I ask in return," the magling finished and waited anxiously for her response. He had no idea how Xipin would react to his proposal.

[Tristam]

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, she keeps hers shuttered and barred. There is nought in her eyes but the cool reflection of his own gaze.

Mistress Xipin moved towards Gaeden step by deliberate step until she stood before him. In a blur of movement, Gaeden felt one leg buckle as she hooked it with her foot. Her right hand closed over his shoulder and her pointed nails bug into his skin hard sending icy tendrils of pain down his back. She pressed down and Gaeden found himself once more on his knees head bowed.

"I did not bid you rise." She said simply. "Now, tell me of the artifact in the Guild." She instructed. Xipin relaxed her grip slightly and the pain receded enough for him to talk without much distraction.

[Guest]

Gaeden felt the surge of force biting into his shoulder and forced him back onto his knees, kneeling in front of the female. The staggering pain from held him down, and the magling was unable to lift his head. His chin rested improperly on his chest. He had realized physical and magickal resistance would be futile; there was only the mental strenght of Gaeden which could help him in the situation. Not really wanting to anger Xipin further, the magling was still going to refuse to answer her inquiry.

A mental yelp escaped him, but he remained mute on the outside.

I can fight this. She will not force me into submission. I have something she wants, and she must return something if she wants the information I possess.

"NO, NO! This is a two-way relationship. I confess to you what I have learned, and then you answer my question," Gaeden spoke quickly and breathed heavily. His teeth clenched he spat the words on after another. He expected the pain return and braced himself for what was coming next.

[Tristam]

"No, Gaeden. This is a one way relationship between you and Anasati." Xipin whispered silkily. "You do not bargain with the dark goddess. You appease her with prayers, with gifts, with blood." Xipin's nail pierces the flesh of his shoulder. A small dark stain forms on his robes.

"Only after you have given Her all that you have does she judge the worthiness of your gift and deign to grant you favors in return." Xipin smoothly crouched down on her feet to bring her eyes to his level and gently cupped his cheek to brining his gaze up to meet hers.

"As it is with me and the goddess, so it is with you and me." Xipin said firmly. "Now tell me what you know and trust that Anasati will provide for a useful servant or take your bargaining ways to the marketplace and bother Her no more."

[Guest]

OOC: Dang. Perhaps I pushed it just a bit too far with her. Next time will be different.

IC: It was only on a single occasion earlier during his abridged visit to Tazlure the magling had been struck with true fear. Now was the second. As he stared into the eyes of mistress Xipin, Gaeden relearnt what it meant to be inferior to another creature. He reminisced the encounter with his former mentor, and the maleficent way he had been subdued. This event was not the least bit different.

Gaeden trembled under the damnable stare of the female and forced his head downwards and into immediate capitulation. His hands shook, and his teeth clenched.

"I accept your demands, mistress Xipin. I can only hope Anasati will view the change within me and save and reedem me," the obedient adhiel admitted. He waited for the woman to release her grip on him before he would open the confession. He flinched, and his fingers caressed the wound on his back. Exhaling heavily, Gaeden remained kneeling on the biting canvas. He did not want to anger the prioress. His hands were entwined and rested between his thigs and underneath his crotch. His back was bent and his chind lay again on his chest facing the floor.

"On my first day in the Magick Guild I was led by a tutor to an artifact. The Heart. He named it the Heart. It was after I had been put to some sort of test. I walked through a maze. Ominous tunnels underneath the home of the Magick Guild. I would be unable to draw even a map of the path to the item. Finally I passed through, or I'd rather say the professor found me lost in the labyrinth. He brought me to this item, a single sphere. A bleak white stone on a pedestal. I touched its form and a wave of images washed over me. I had not shielded myself, and I believe I saw the true pictures of the past events where as the orb once had been used. Although I am not competent to even begin to guess what I really saw," Gaeden admitted. He allowed for the information to sink in with mistress Xipin before he continued.

"I saw images of armies, orcs, humans and adhiels. Then a city and a swooping dragon. And so much more. The scenes overwhelmed before the professor pushed me away from the artifact. But apart from the pictures, what terrified me the most was the screams of a thousand dying souls. The professor admitted it was an item used to test the strenght of your opponent, but it has never really been fully tested. I believe it has other traits also. As I said, the Magick Guild does not know the full use of it yet and I have been given the task to further examine the item," now a single tear ran down his face and around his mouth. It continued downwards like all liquid does and hung to his chin before it finally let go of Gaeden and fell onto the floor. It was difficult for Gaeden to orally express the visions he had had upon touching the Heart.

[Tristam]

Xipin stood there in silence for a moment digesting all he had revealed. her fingertips idly drummed on his shoulder.

"You have done well Gaeden. Quite well." Xipin praised him. "Rise, o faithful servant. You have accomplished less than is needed but more than was expected. So you cannot find the Heart on your own but have access to it. In time that will serve our needs admirably. Before you leave here, I want as much of these visions as you can remember recorded. Something of it jabs at my memory and I wish to explore this further."

"Follow me." Xipin instructed heading towards the door on the right. "While you are about your task I shall consider your request for information." The room beyond the door was simply decorated. Much like the outside the walls were carved and shaped. Here and there white stone peeked out from the black stone smothered it. The recurring symbolism was that of an eclipsed moon. The desk was a simple affair of black stone with a few chairs before it and a throne chair behind it.

She handed Gaeden a writing kit from the desk and a fresh scroll of parchment and then seated herself behind the desk watching him.

[Guest]

IC: The magling entered the second chamber. Although his development within the Magick Guild had been commended by Xipin, the response befuddled him. The intial inquiry had somehow sparked a recollection with the priestess. Gaeden was intrigued by the prospect of gaining more knowledge about the Heart, and now perhaps Xipin might aid him in his quest. The most intriguing fact was though that the inconsiderable information he fed her had triggered a latent understanding. Due to this reasoning, the magling would not deny her any of his minor apprehension of the item.

Gaeden did however ponder how Xipin had a recollection of the mental visions displayed to him during his oneness with the item. The images were indeterminable. Their time and place evasive until further investigations.

"I will not hide anything from you now," the magling stated while he accepted the writing kit and the parchment. He seated himself in the chair and placed the parchment on the hard layer. Gaeden was not proficient in the skill of penmanship, but he would perform to his best effort.

A sizable horde consisting of orcs forming and overwhelming lands inhabitated by elves and men. These beast swarmed over the countryside, killing and raging. Burning and enslaving. Then the vision was replaced by another. The sight of dragons descending on a city. Again replaced with another. These creatures nesting in what appeared to be mountainous surroundings. Watchful, protecting their eggs. A switch. A lone adhiel seated amongst stacks and stacks of compendia, unmoving and waiting. A new image. The crucifixion of an unknown animal, and the walls covered in crimson and chains. Amidst all these images were the continuous cry of a thousand dead souls.

His grammar was amiss, and the notes barely readable. Reading over the script, Gaeden attempted to finalize the note to a satisfactory level. Then he passed the piece of parchment to Xipin and waited in stillness for her to read and respond to it. He toyed with his hair during the wait, brushing it behind his ears. Shuffling his feet, he marvelled the singular items of belief on the walls.

"There were more. Many more. But these were and still are the clearest in my mind. The images and especially the voices have not retreated nor do I believe they ever will," Gaeden stated. His eyes seeking reassurance within Xipin's.

OOC: I am going to assume there is a chair for me and a hard layer to write upon here. Hope that is okay.

[Tristam]

OOC: Yes there is a chair and the writing kit is like a lap desk for writing.

"Should anything more become clear to you, record it and bring it here an once." Xipin instructed as she scanned the document for a few burns and then placed it down on the desk.

"Now as to this question of yours." Xipin began. "I do not for one moment believe this is a simple matter of curiosity for you. You were too adamant about needing the answer. Who has asked this information of you? If your needs and that of the goddess coincide, we can give you a tale to tell."

[Guest]

As Xipin revealed the vast knowledge and understanding of the situation, Gaeden resurfaced from the world inside the Heart. He had been trying to unveil more of the pictures it had surrendered to him during the quick flashes of historical, present or future occurences. For the second time, she had easily gained the upper hand of the situation. The magling trembled with anger and mumbled a single obscenity.

'Now what? A lie?' The magling pondered the other possibilities than the honest truth. So far he had not been able to turn the happenings in favour of himself and his ambitious objective. Gaeden waited and displayed an amused look. Inside he was in turmoil. It was difficult to remain seated and peaceful. He had his hand relaxing on his hips, and he ached to drywash them. An unfortunate and very revealing habit.

"I think that was not part of our deal, mistress Xipin, but when did I ever dictate a deal with you. So far you have done nothing but crush my ambitious attempts to aquire a knowledge you possess. And which I desire. Is there any use lying or will you see through my fabrication? It seems the tide has turned against me. The leverage is with you, not with me. If it ever was with me. Even in the beginning," Gaeden admitted. He lowered his head and then ascended from the chair. The writing kit fell to the ground, but the magling payed not attention to it. It skittered across the canvas, leaving a trail of black ink behind it.

"Well then, I need this information to obtain contact with a man I only recently met. I encountered a powerful ally during my first visit to the Spire Bridge Inn. I figured the followers of Anasati need aquintances among the noble in Gulanadar to rise to power, although she [Anasati] will eventually provide the path we must all take. His name is Jarek Devir. I am confident I can use him to achieve our goals and to the benefit of Anasati," Gaeden was still defiant and reluctant to surrender the truth to Xipin. He did not believe the pair had corresponding goals, but she had until now proved an obstacle to difficult to cross.

[Tristam]

Xipin regarded him cooly from across the desk. She began idly playing with a small pyramid of black crystal on her desk.

"More of the truth than I expected from you, dear Gaeden." Xipin commented. "In time I hope you will come to accept that I am not your enemy. You can trust me as you would trust the goddess." A sly smile spread across her face at that.

"We do not discourage personal ambitions here Gaeden." Xipin assured him. "Anasati's power grows when her servants gain ever higher positions in Gulanadur. I myself have several old scores to settle than I am planning out in meticulous detail." She smiled even wider as one that savors a particularly juicy morsel.

"Still, these things must be subordinate to the will of the goddess." Xipin sighed. "Yet when she is generous in victory we shall achieve our goals with a completeness we could not think possible." Xipin leaned back in her seat.

"Tell Jarek Devir this." Xipin instructed. "The popular story that the goddess herself raised this temple is both true and misleading. The rebuilding of the temple was a simple act of Stone Shaping on a truly grand scale. The goddess gave her servants unnatural strength and stamina and they worked without rest or need of sustanance for three days until the Temple stood once more whole and free from blemish."

[Guest]

Gaeden beamed falsely at the priestess. His eyes were still distant yet focused. Fidgeting his hair into a mess, he reluctantly ran his hands through it to lay it back behind his ears. Standing, he shuffled his feet and moved about. Thinking how the next encounter with Jarek Devir would play out, his attention spurned back to Xipin and her uncovering of the rebuilding of the Temple of Anasati.

Turning his back to Xipin, Gaeden walked back to his chair and calmly seated himself. He had again the female in front of him and was ready to continue the conversation.

"Well. Then I will reveal that to Jarek Devir. Perhaps he will believe me? I can not help but wonder though. Is that really the truth? You so plainly stated you are not my enemy, so will you uncloth what really happened to me? Are you my friend then and not my enemy?" Gaeden asked and a curl at the sides of his lips appeared. Now his eyes twinkled, and he leaned forward in the chair.

[Tristam]

"A touch!" Xipin chuckled at Gaeden. "Anasati does not reveal all her secrets just because the worshippers wish to know. As it is with I and the Goddess so it shall be with you and me."

"However, I will tell you that not one word of that story is a lie." Xipin rose from her chair and came around the desk. "And if you continue to serve faithfully then not only will the truth be given to you but perhaps that strength and stamina will be yours as well."

Xipin opened the door to her outer chamber. "You may go now Gaeden. Return to me when you have learned more about the Heart or its visions."

[Guest]

IC: Gaeden bowed his head and laughed mutely. He was thankful for the information she had provided him. Although the magling was appreciative; the confirmation of her withdrawal of knowledge bemused him. She implied he might even be considered for a more prominent position among the servants of Anasati, the Goddess of Darkness.

"Then I thank you, mistress Xipin. Perhaps next time you will reveal your secrets to me although you may not have said an untrue word during our entire conversation," Gaeden kept his face unmoved. He almost laughed again, but he remained calm.

Then he turned around to face the exit and walked out of the chamber. Leaving the temple of Anasati, Gaeden entered the streets outside and mingled with the commoners. He was soon just another face in the crowd and continued back. But back where? The magling did not really know what or when to expect to find Jarek Devir. It would be against his initial understanding with the adhiel, but he wanted to contact him as soon as possible. He wanted to restore the House of Calmcacil to its former glory quickly.

OOC: Thanks again for a memorable experience. It's a close then. Unless you have anything to add. I don't.

[Tristam]

You are welcome. That was fun.

Thread skilled.

Skills awarded.

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