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[Rusty]

::The austere structure where worship of the ghost goddess has resumed stands in the Fields of Graves, protected on one side by the tremendous city walls, and on the others by walls of magical or manual construction. A number of faithful, or lost, have accumulated here and work diligently to keep up with the death toll from the Storm of Blades.::

[Rusty]

::Among the newcomers since the confrontation with Radius, is a reclusive figure, clothed in black and grey tattered shrouds from head to toe, who, upon arrival, took up residence slumped against a long ruined statue, and hasn't really moved since then. The "sickly creature" as the other denizens of the temple have taken to calling it, will feed itself from time to time and take water from it's bags, but doesn't initiate contact with the other, and seems repulsive and frightening enough to prevent the citizenry from initiating interactions themselves. However, the former Vuunian Arcane students have each brought the Sickly Creature water and food each day. They have discussed that it may be someone with a disease that cannot be cured, or who is afflicted in some way, and has come to die and be laid to rest, and this hypothesis has taken hold with the others, who seem to believe it to be true, and given this generally accepted theory, a grave has been prepared in the hallowed ground.::

[Amseriah]

OOC: this will occur after my stuff in the Arcanopteryx.

Saubwa enters the Temple to Lelune to speak with his companions when he notices the reclusive figure standing off to the side. Seeing that everyone save the students are actively avoiding the person, he decides to try to figure out what he/she was doing here.

"Excuse me, but may I help you? Are you ill? Do you wish for me to find a priestess?"

[Rusty]

OOC: this will occur after my stuff in the Arcanopteryx.

Saubwa enters the Temple to Lelune to speak with his companions when he notices the reclusive figure standing off to the side. Seeing that everyone save the students are actively avoiding the person, he decides to try to figure out what he/she was doing here.

"Excuse me, but may I help you? Are you ill? Do you wish for me to find a priestess?"

::The figure shifts unnaturally and addresses you in six rasping shifting voices::

"I am here to seek the seeker, and I have returned from far away to see my old friend who has returned from the grave, and whose rituals are now observed in this place. Much seems to have changed in the world. Are you the seeker of darkness and mutability? Do you know of the return of the moon?"

[Amseriah]

::A look of confusion is quickly replaced with one of realization as Saubwa gets an idea of what the strange person is talking about::

"I am indeed the seeker of darkness and mutability, why do you seek the seeker? If your friend is who I believe he is, he has entered into a state of true death since last you spoke with him. There was no foul play, before you ask, his death was by his own hand. I do know some about the return of the Moon, although I believe the the High Priestess of this, Her temple, knows more than I. As you said, much has changed recently. I read about a person who explored beyond the far reaches of known reality, and built a keep in a plane that would make it deadly for the living to visit and expore. Are you that person, or do you know of him?"

::Throughout the conversation, Saubwa studies the figure, intrigued by what it said and curious as to what or whom it is, he searches for a clue in it's appearance::

[Rusty]

"I know not of whom you speak. I have left no texts. I left the formed world when the moon goddess was slain, and have returned upon learning of her yet living faith. I have sensed a mind like mine from far away, and have come to find it. Is it in fact you? Do you seek Outer Darkness? You ask my name, but I have long since forgotten it. The others here call me The Sickly One, so you may call me One, as I am not Sick."

::The being shifts again, stretching a little, indicating a size perhaps larger than expected.::

[Amseriah]

One...ok. I am called Saubwa, and I am seeking the Outer Darkness. How is it that you sensed a kindred mind? How were you able to cross into the Outer Darkness and how were you able to survive for so long there? Also what was you intent upon finding the kindred mind?"

[Rusty]

::One settles further against his chosen statue.::

"We resonate together, you and I. Your dissonance with form has resonance. My intentions? I wish to share with you a path, nothing more. How did I survive? What makes you think I did? In outer darkness you will find that many of your assumptions about existence are proven false. And as to how I got out there? I believe the first of us to exit form and embrace formlessness was a being of epic power, and I believe this because a path was made for others to follow, I was not the first, and I will not be the last. I will tell you as it was told me."

::One sings to you in his six voices, creating a beautiful and terrible harmony, with lyrics suggestive of darkest heresy.::

Shun the light, find the shadow,
Darker than night, hard to follow,
Highest height and deepest depth,
Beyond life and without death.

Order fails and chaos follows,
Righteous death and vile hallows,
Sparkling void and ghostly home,
Without direction freely roam.

Shun the light and find the shadow,
Darkness where no one can follow,
Sacred structures on one side,
Horrid portals gods must hide.

Heartthrob, mission, friends, and quest,
Virtues, Vices, worst and best,
Form, function, wake and rest,
Abandon these and seek the rest.

Shun the light and travel shadow,
One small road that none will follow,
Believing right will lead you wrong,
Find the door, embrace the throng.

A sphere, a void, and several moons,
Arcane circle marked with runes,
Ablutions of the tired star,
Lead you through the gate, the scar.

::One seems reflective of the confusing, and perhaps trite, lyrics. He shifts again uneasily, and adjusts his hood, revealing a tentacled hand for the briefest of moments, bearing witness to the truth of his song.::

[Amseriah]

::Saubwa reflects on One while he sings and has a slight moment of doubt regarding this course of action. The creature standing before him now could not be regarded in any way as what he might have once been. It seemed as though his mind were unwell. He didn't know what was beyond the formed world, and what he had read about, it seemed extremely dangerous. That was what he was looking for though, something that could be used to combat the gods. He might be able to keep his mind intact, he was very used to the mutability of form afterall. Perhaps he could learn to balance the 2 states, the formed and the unformed.::

"I do wish to be shown this path that you speak of...there is one last thing that I must do here before I begin the quest though. In the mean time, I would ask you to tell me what it is like out there, what happened to you while you were not in this place?"

::Saubwa knew that his companions would try to talk him out of this course of action, he knew that it was rash and irrational, but he couldn't shake the idea that The gods might not have authority over beings who are not of their world any longer. So after the fall of House Vuun, he would sneak away and follow One. He obviously didn't know how long this journey would take, but he knew that he needecdto follow it.::

[Rusty]

"Seeker, I am not here to guide you, such an act would be reckless. If you truly want this, you will find it yourself."

::One sighs in six tones::

"If you seek the formless, truly wish to possess it, I may be able to help you. Before I could do such an act, reveal the secrets of the Outer Path, I would need to be certain of your intentions. I would have to observe you a time and study your ways, otherwise I might betray a secret to the gods, who would smite the path and hide it further. Do you understand?"

[Amseriah]

::Saubwa thinks about what such a discovery could mean to a person who devoutly followed the gods. The Formless were ages old enemies of the Creators whom the gods stole their power from. He had no idea if the Formless were more powerful than the current gods, but if a tear in this plane existed, that lead to the Outer Darkness then that could be a way to enter the land of the formed and infiltrate or attack it. To reveal such an imperfection could be devastating to both followers of this Path, and to the plans of the Formless. No the more that he thought about it, the more he grew convinced that this was an avenue that he needed to explore.::

"Yes I understand, I believe that you will find that no love is lost between me and the gods who would forsake all of the world for the sake of their bickering."

[rydi]

::Dala watches the exchange from the door, wearing the aspect of night, leaning against the frame with a serene grace.::

"This is an interesting path for you, druid of the cities. I will not stop you, we must all become what we will. But I would caution you to tread carefully.

And you creature, I know of the moon. If you wish to hear of her, I will gladly tell what I know. I am her friend in the world of the living."

[Rusty]

::Dala watches the exchange from the door, wearing the aspect of night, leaning against the frame with a serene grace.::

"This is an interesting path for you, druid of the cities. I will not stop you, we must all become what we will. But I would caution you to tread carefully.

And you creature, I know of the moon. If you wish to hear of her, I will gladly tell what I know. I am her friend in the world of the living."

::One regards Dala, and speaks softly in his six voices::

"I would indeed hear the tale of the return of the moon, I was once her devoted follower, and when she was struck from the sky, in my grief and rage, I rebuked the formed world and all it's complexities for Outer Darkness, and have returned for a brief time to learn of her fate."

::His voice takes on tones of lamentation::

"Would that all Formed Things could understand the fallacy of death, our beloved goddess would not have been so unjustly damaged. Her grace showed us a world in darkness illuminated softly, and to strike that down, in the paradigm of life and death, was a tragedy the likes of which I have not seen elsewhere. Please, sing me the song of how the moon returned."

[arete]

::Rachnar floats into the temple looking for Dala. He turns to the cloaked figures:: She is busy cleaning up bodies it might be a bit before she can get to us. Till then if you require private quaters we have resting areas over here.

[Amseriah]

::Dala watches the exchange from the door, wearing the aspect of night, leaning against the frame with a serene grace.::

"This is an interesting path for you, druid of the cities. I will not stop you, we must all become what we will. But I would caution you to tread carefully.

And you creature, I know of the moon. If you wish to hear of her, I will gladly tell what I know. I am her friend in the world of the living."

"I know that this path is very dangerous, and that it seems almost antithetical to my duties. I vowed to protect the people of this world, and unfortunately we have to protect it from the gods who should be watching out for us. Their petty and very mortal dispute is destroying that which they reign over. They need to have this conflict resolved, or they need to be removed. I have very little hope for diplomacy, or else the other gods would have tried and succeeded. I have already began down a very vile and unsavory path...one that may have damned my soul. Killing the gods would be one of the most vile and evil acts imaginable. If it needs to happen then it should be by me, so that you all are absolved from guilt. If this path will give me the ability to do so then I will travel down it. I appreciate your concern, Lady of Light and Dark. I just hope that by sacrificing all that I am, I can save all that I care about."