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Jul 17, 2016 13:50:51 GMT
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Mach2
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August 2015
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Post by Mach2 on Aug 17, 2015 19:16:01 GMT
Tonight, Anima had been unable to resign herself to wandering the catacombs. Wandering the streets of Etirath under the moonlight was scarcely better, but at least it was a change. The kingdom slept. This was a land where people worked hard, and slept hard. Many were in far too deep a slumber for her to wake them. Not that she hadn't tried. The restless spirit had moved silently from home to home, causing as much of a disturbance as she could. Doors creaked open. Windows slammed shut. An ethereal breeze danced through the curtains. A handful of times, someone had actually awoken. When they did, Anima had screamed at them, begging to be heard.
But the living were deaf to the screams of a ghost.
Eventually, frustrated, she had retired to the castle courtyard. The living slept stubbornly tonight. Invisible to any who may have been watching, Anima drifted silently down the path, towards the fountain. At night, the moonlight refracted off of the water. It was quite beautiful. Not to mention, the closest she would ever come to seeing true daylight. Bored and melancholy, Anima hovered above the water's surface. She extended a hand down, pushing at the water. Before her eyes, her translucent fingers sank below its rippling surface. She scowled. She had seen the living touch water before. Their hands displaced it, disrupted it, all without any effort or thought. Hers merely passed through, unless...
A noise escaped her, somewhere between a hiss and a scream of anger. At the same time, Anima's hand raked across the water's surface, clawing at it violently. With enough emotion, she could touch it. All that anger and frustration, and she felt the fountain's water against her fingers. Droplets of water splashed up, flying through the air and scattering across the edge of the fountain.
Anima regarded the stone where the drops had fallen, some small part of her satisfied.
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theboss2236
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August 2015
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Post by theboss2236 on Aug 17, 2015 19:47:43 GMT
Another night with the moon high in the sky, another time of boredom for the shadow master. Sleep was something of a foreign concept to him, the dark was when he felt invigorated, yet the list was when everyone was up and about. After years of being in a place where sleep wasn't needed, he almost felt wrong when he was supposed to be sleeping. Every now and then he would take naps, or pass out. And of course he slept when ever he got a serious injury, which was frequent. But for the time, Henry was wide awake.
He laid in the grass near the fountain, his eyes locked onto the sky above. While Darkness had his head rested on Henrys chest in his hound form. It was a calm night inside the courtyard. Until Darkness's head shot straight up and started staring at the air. It looked as though hr was following someone, but there was no one there. Suddenly a few baby drops of water exploded from the fountain, and darkness shot out from his spot, stepping over Henry and bounding over to the spot where the ghost sat. He got right in front of her, his body aimed downwards with his head tilted up straight at hers. His tail wagged back and forth and his black tongue fell out the side of his mouth as he panted with excitement. Henry stood up and began to walk over to Darkness with a confused look on his face. "What the hell...?"
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Isengrim
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Aug 15, 2015 14:18:57 GMT
August 2015
isengrim
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Post by Isengrim on Aug 18, 2015 0:18:35 GMT
When a man has lived a troubled life, such as the life Gyasi has lived, nightmares of past events robbing them of sleep were no rare occurrence. During these times, he would often wander away from the Inn and walk the streets of Etirath. More often than not, he would end up here, in the Royal Gardens. While a man such as him, who's sight has been taken from him, could not fully enjoy the visual beauty the Gardens had to offer, the sound of the rushing water of the fountain, and leaves rustling in the late night breeze, offered just as much peace and tranquility to his restless mind.
He had already taken to a bench where he sat still as a statue, perhaps waiting for sleep to take him right there. He had his eyes closed, but woke with a start when he heard the sound of disturbed water. He turned his head towards the sound of the noise to see three figures standing by the fountain. While it was odd enough for anyone to be awake at this hour, what really piqued his interest was the nature of the visitors themselves. There were three among them. His eyes, while blind to light, picked up the thermal signatures from the bodies of the visitors. One glowed a deep orange and yellow with some tinges of green. A human by the looks of it. Thin, and young. His chest seemed to glow slightly brighter than normal, signalling some degree of quickened heartbeat. He was nervous? Or startled?
Him aside, the other two figures were the most surprising. The one closest to him seemed to be a dog of some sort, standing in front of a woman. Both their bodies, unlike the human's were cold, as shown by the frigid blues and violets. They were colder than the air around them, and their bodies did not seem as solid as a typical dog or woman. They seemed to haze out at the edges, particularly the woman, who's body seemed to try to rebel against her to some degree, and relinquish the form it held. They were both not of this world. Spirits. It seemed. He had seen it once before. At one of the slave compounds where he had destroyed, there were several Nwaati Tribesman. They had performed the rite of passing on the deceased tribesman, calling upon their spirits. Those spirits appeared just like the woman, only much more solid, as if they were being held firmly in place by the duration of the spell. Her form seemed much less stable.
He continued to watch the encounter from a distance. The dog, tail wagging, seemed less aggressive than it did playful, and the boy bewildered. So it seemed, that should the ghost avoid any aggresivity, the entire ordeal would pass without disturbing his stay much.
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Jul 17, 2016 13:50:51 GMT
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Mach2
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August 2015
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Post by Mach2 on Aug 18, 2015 10:10:49 GMT
No sooner had Anima managed to splash the water of the fountain onto the stones than she heard a noise.
Looking up, the spirit saw that she was not alone in the courtyard. There was another. Or rather, two others, with the Nwaati man going unnoticed just yet. A short distance away, lying on the grass, she could see the shape of a young man. But her attention was on the other form. The shadowy silhouette of a black dog had bounded across the courtyard, running right up to the fountain's edge. Anima stared at it...and it stared back.
Never, in her decade of existence, had Anima felt this deeply shocked. The dog was looking at her. It was a strange creature, looking to be comprised of shadows even darker than the surrounding night. And it stared at her with such focus, it had to be looking at her. That was the way that the living looked at one another.
"What the hell?"
She had been so entranced by the dog, she had failed to notice the young man walking towards her. She looked up, meeting his gaze...but his eyes looked right through her. Just like everyone else's. He couldn't see her, but the dog could. Excitement surged through her once again. Ordinarily, if Anima managed to get even the slightest reaction from someone in the realm of the living, she resorted to the most extreme measures to gain further attention. Screaming. Yelling. Throwing. Anything to make herself known. But right now, she was doing nothing, and the dog was staring directly at her, tail wagging excitedly back and forth.
She didn't know how to respond.
If Anima's form outside of the catacombs would have allowed it, her expression would be an incredulous stare. But as it was, her form was featureless, unreadable. Slowly, she extended a hand, reaching towards the dog. Instead of her usual yelling and screaming, she opted for a much quieter, far more hesitant, "Hello?"
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August 2015
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Post by theboss2236 on Aug 18, 2015 14:50:27 GMT
"Hello?" The simple sound uttered from the spirit would cause the dog to hop back on his legs, jumping around excitedly. To him it was another friend, already the closest possible. Henry hadn't told him that this being was an enemy, so she must be friends right? Darkness saw a hand, and his doggy instinct overtook him and he did what he always did, rubbed his face all over it. Because dog. She didn't feel normal, she felt cold. It was a comforting cold though, reminded him of the home he was born from. It was also cold there. The best cold. Darkness turned his ruby red eyes to Henry, then back to the woman, he attempted to lick her face. Because dog.
Henry smiled a little as he watched his pup, all until the point where he started nuzzling the air. Henry knew he did that whenever meeting someone new, it was sorts his instinct. But why would he be doing it here, with no one around? Was something wrong with him? Henry sat down on the fountain side, and just watched his dog. He hoped to understand what was going on.
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Aug 15, 2015 14:18:57 GMT
August 2015
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Post by Isengrim on Aug 20, 2015 0:00:14 GMT
Gyasi watched from his bench as the encounter took place. As the dog creature continued to excitedly nudge at the female spirit, the female spirit seemed frozen in place. From the distance, he could see as her hazy form seemed to stagnate for a moment, the wispy whitish blue haze that surrounded the blue form that represented her body in his unique sight seemed to flow straight upwards, like a peaceful candle flame, rather than agitated smoke. Thats when the most peculiar thing happened. In humans, It was common to see their heat patterns shift and change with the flow of blood in response to their emotions and state of mind. In the spirit, the patterns of frigidity seemed to reflect that. He recognized the patterns, a mix of fear, and bewilderment. The wispy form extended an arm out towards the dog, and the dog reacted by jumping and hopping excitedly. Perhaps she had said something, but it was much to quiet for him to hear at this distance.
The boy who accompanied the dog like creature walked over to the two and took a seat beside the woman. Though he acknowledged the dog, he acted as if the woman was not even there. The dog started nuzzling the woman's hand, and the boy's reaction seemed to give another clue of the situation at hand. His chest seemed to grow warmer, as though feeling endearment, but then the red glow gave to a deep yellow, the red spreading to his legs and arms, as well as his head, particularly his eyes and ears. His body preparing for the fight or flight response. He noticed something was off, but his lack of motion proved he was unsure of what.
Gyasi chuckled inwardly. And decided now was as good a time as any to step in. He quietly made his way to the three. "A being of the other plane will always recognize it's kin." He said to the boy. He held his palms up, signalling his intent was not malicious. "I am not an enemy."
He stopped a few feet away from them, then nodded his greeting to the boy, glanced down at the dog, and then turned to face the spirit woman. "Sanueb seh'con, arones utiripse." He said, bowing his head in respect, in the way of the Nwaati priests when performing the rites of passing.
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Jul 17, 2016 13:50:51 GMT
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Mach2
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August 2015
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Post by Mach2 on Aug 20, 2015 0:37:18 GMT
Anima had just barely extended her hand before the shadowy dog shoved his muzzle up against it. The creature's face, to Anima, was like the water - there, but also not. She knew it was as a result of her own form. Beyond the catacombs, she was half-present at best, wisps of her being constantly floating away and reforming. But the fact that she could feel the dog at all, effortlessly, was amazing. Seemingly unsatisfied by merely nuzzling her hand, the dog jumped up to lick Anima's face.
She laughed in delight, an eerie sound that seemed to linger in the air, echoing in the castle courtyard. Her happiness was so real, so spontaneous, that the sound of her laughter would likely have been heard by even the most mundane inhabitants of the mortal plane. She ran her hands along the dog's back and sides, petting his half-tangible form.
"A being of the other plane will always recognize it's kin."
She looked up, having been so enraptured by the spirit animal before her that she hadn't noticed the approach of the dog's owner, and another. It was the other who had spoken, a man whose form was almost entirely obscured by a hooded cloak. He had faced her. Not the dog next to her, he had faced her. Anima's head tilted sideways in a combination of confusion and intrigue, one hand still resting atop the dog's back. Could he see her, too?
He was speaking again, addressing her in a language she could not understand a word of.
Anima withdrew her hand from the dog and stood upright, her toes hovering an inch or two above the surface of the water in the fountain. "I have no idea what the hell that means," she said, almost more to herself than to anyone present before her. After all, it still seemed unlikely that they could hear her. If this man insisted on addressing her in a language she couldn't understand, she would answer him with words he would be unable to hear.
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August 2015
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Post by theboss2236 on Aug 22, 2015 3:31:45 GMT
"A being of the other plane will always recognize it's kin."
Henry turned his head, surprised by the mans sudden appearence. Or maybe he had been here the whole time? Henry has always horrible as spotting those who sneak up on him when he wasnt on gaurd. Never could really 'sense' others.
After the greeting and telling him he wasnt going to hurt him, he seemed to have some sort of gunk in his throat
"Sanueb seh'con, arones utiripse."
Henry tilted his head slighty, and responded with the first thing that came to his head. "Bless you."
He then began to register what the man had said earlier.
"Wait... What do you mean recognize their kin?"
Suddenly there was a laugh that echoed out. Near him it sounded like it came from right next to him, but it was... Fadded like it was also far away.
Darkness felt happy. He eyed the woman up and dowb, confused as to why she felt different. But in the end it didn't matter. He was being pet, so why should he be upset? He turned His head towards Henry. Then Darkness pulled himself up and began to curl up into a ball next to the ghost woman. He gave a big doggy sigh (you know what im talking about) and closed his red eyes.
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Aug 15, 2015 14:18:57 GMT
August 2015
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Post by Isengrim on Aug 22, 2015 19:30:51 GMT
"Yes, his kin. They may not be the same, but they are similar. They seem to exist on the same plane. She is what my people call utiripse, a spirit." He explained calmly, turning his attention to the boy as he spoke. It was clear that spirits were not such an integral part of the society in Etirath as it was in the Nwaati culture. "She may experience some difficulty communicating with us, but it is not impossible." He turned back to the spirit woman. "I am only sorry I am not able to help you. I am a hunter, not a shaman. The fact that I can see you with relative ease is the best I can offer in hopes of communicating with you." He said, genuine lament in his voice. To become a wandering spirit is one of the worst nightmares of Nwaati Culture. Your ancestors refusing or being unable to accept you into the afterlife, and being forced to wander the earth, unheard, and unseen, is a fate no Nwaati man would force upon his worst enemy. So to see a young woman suffering such a fate honestly did bring some degree of pity. Only a full fledged shaman, or similar practitioner of the arts of death could perform the ritual needed to liberate the spirit from the world, which Gyasi was not.
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Jul 17, 2016 13:50:51 GMT
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Mach2
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August 2015
mach2
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Post by Mach2 on Aug 23, 2015 16:56:06 GMT
Despite Anima's initial irritation with the cloaked man, he did seem to know what he was talking about. When he resorted to speaking a language she understood, at least. He called her 'utirepse', a word she had never yet heard. But its meaning, spirit, was accurate to what she was. Meanwhile, the other man remained entirely oblivious to her presence.
The Nwaati man turned, facing Anima head-on. It was...almost unsettling. How long had it been since the last time someone had addressed her so directly? Had it ever happened before? She could recall no instance yet. "I am only sorry I am not able to help you," he said to her. "I am a hunter, not a shaman. The fact that I can see you with relative ease is the best I can offer in hopes of communicating with you."
He could see her. That was, as far as Anima was concerned, good enough for her. She glanced down, seeing the shadowy dog curling up beside her at the edge of the fountain. There was a human being who could see her. There was an animal that she could feel, as real and substantial as the physical world that she had to struggle so hard to make contact with. Today was a day of breakthroughs. Anima raised a hand, her fingers wispy and intangible, looking as though a sudden breeze might blow her out of existence, and reached out suddenly towards the Nwaati tribesman.
Her fingertips reached for his face, and, assuming he did not recoil away, would graze against his eyes. To an outsider, it would have looked like a violent gesture. But in Anima's mind, it was simply another attempt at communication. She could not harm him, her fingers would pass right through, and it was therefore not violent. "Thank you," she said, putting as much effort and focus as she could into the two words. Thanking him for being able to see her. Maybe he would hear her, too.
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August 2015
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Post by theboss2236 on Sept 12, 2015 1:14:59 GMT
Darkness lifted his head as the woman rose. He dropped down and let his tongue fall out as he walked around her legs. Before stopping and tilting his head as she reached his hand out at the man.
Henry was amazed to learn there might be a ghosty ghost with them. He turned to where darkness was running around in and tilted his head slightly. Mocking his own hound. "What is she doing?"
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