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"Barbarian, you are in MY domain, and you have proven a poor house guest. I have made the bounty of the realm of Fruit and Flowers available to you, and you have terrified my denizens and attacked our structures. I have offered you a path to take this rage you have and sharpen it, a path you don't deserve, and failed to earn. Were I to come into your house, scare your children, kick over your furniture, would you be as accommodating as I?"

"You speak of slaughtering men compelled against their will to attack as a righteous and deserved kill. You claim the right to depose gods, but deny the right of the gods to judge mortals. You absolve yourself of wrongdoing merely by stating so. Your self righteousness and single minded rage will one day be the stuff of legends."

"And no, Storm, I did not intend to change your nature. You assume far too much. You stand in a domain where force and strength mean next to nothing, and yet you try to push your way through, you make demands of me, who you know nothing of!"

"What can be learned in this place is special, storm. And you have already passed up an opportunity to learn of it."

"I would see you become great and powerful, but first you must summon the strength to participate in that which you do not understand. If this path were "obvious" to musclebound unthinking warriors such as yourself, there would be no need to visit the lords of the fey to find it. Whether you seek knowledge here, now or eventually, take one lesson from here, storm. Everything is not as it appears. You have already lost greatly due to this assumption, and your murders are due to precisely this. You killed people who would never attack you, if they had the choice, but they didn't, they were forced to. You saw a luminous cat ask you to play, and you assumed that this was childsplay, and to do it was weak."

"Quite the opposite is true in fact, dear goliath, it takes real strength to choose to do the soft. To choose to do the "childish" as you called it. You are too weak to do it. You proved this. And the strength you have sought and attained? This is weakness. Perhaps your muscles are strong, perhaps your will is strong, your rage, your blade, your training, all mighty. But CHOOSING battle to the exclusion of all else IS WEAK. It's easy. You lack this strength, you've proven it to me just in the few hours you've been here. You are unsympathetic, far more than I had feared."

"Not everyone is chosen to come here. You are the seventh since the dawn of time, since the realms were carved from formlessness. Only the Seventh, Storm. Of the other Six, all have betrayed themselves and left in a rage, all have come back, and all have mastered themselves and developed real, inner strength, and shaken the stars from the sky. Your decision to 'make your own way by your own merit', even when it is granted you without your knowledge, such as your divinity, is disappointing, to say the least. There is little time left, but you are now so blind as to demand that I spell out something that can only be felt."

"The Manifold Path of Channeled Inner Rage is clearly beyond your reach, for the time being. Perhaps another time. Perhaps you will, like those that came before you, return and seek mastery of your rage, channel it, sharpen it, and defy other warriors to so much as raise a hand against you, even while you flay them alive. With the fey and the spirits of the world as your ally, you would be great. But you haven't earned that yet, you have only offended and destroyed."

"Enough of this. You will not hear the lesson with your heart, and you will not learn it by any other means. Our contention is therefore settled."

::Her demeanor calms noticeably, she seems to accept you more.::

"Forgive my insistence, Storm, I had hoped you were....the right one. You aren't, or maybe you aren't right now."

"I have one last thing I would ask of you. Remain here until dark tomorrow. Flare will want to express his apology, and the portal is difficult to open quickly. As I said before, you are no prisoner here, and should you desire to return, alone or not, your mark, the mark Rrerrin made on you so long ago, can be used, along with that beautiful rage of yours, to force open the door from the other side. My home is available to you and your allies, such is the way our kind."

"The portal will reopen in the first hour of dark tomorrow. Until then, you are free to roam my lands as you choose, partake of the bounty that grows here, and coexist with us for a time. Should you require something from me, I will be in my tree."

::And with that, she gets up to leave, unless Imoak has further rebuttals for her.::

His anger beginning to roll, and boil beneath the surface Imoak took several deep breathes to try, and cool down. "Nothing, absolutely nothing you are saying, makes any sense. You say I am mindless, yet I have held an intelligible conversation with you over these matters. You claim you don't wish to change my nature, yet the only way you can give me what you have to offer, is if I change who, and what I have become. You claim I am self-righteous, and act as though you are my better. You accuse me, judge my acts, and tell me I am unworthy... yet you seem to be incapable of actually understanding my reason, or purpose."

"You have given me no cause to stay here, in fact you have done the opposite. You waste precious time, while the world outside this place falls to ruin. It is not I who have failed. Now, I will wait here as you ask, but only because it is the quickest path out. I don't believe further discussion is necessary."

Imoak sat at the foot of the portal, and watched the nymph go. He would be more than happy to leave this wretched land, and he hoped to never see it again. Nothing made sense. He wanted to return to a world that did. The goliath laid back to wait.

::Imoak is left alone, for the time being, at the center of the plane. The night sky continues to play, as do the night creatures, who come up out of the tunnels seeking food and frivolity.::

::Several of the floating lights eventually gravitate towards Imoak, illuminating him with a cool, peaceful glow.::

::A great luminous stag slowly trots up to Imoak, curious and investigating, but regal in it's appearance.::

Imoak watches the stag approach. He sits quietly, pondering how strange it is to be immortal. As the stag draws near he speaks, "So, do you talk too, or have you just come to stare?"

Liquidprism wrote:Imoak watches the stag approach. He sits quietly, pondering how strange it is to be immortal. As the stag draws near he speaks, "So, do you talk too, or have you just come to stare?"

::The stag regards Imoak oddly::

"Of course I speak, but I wasn't sure if YOU did. Who are you?"

"My name is Imoak Stormdrinker Khanthalkali. Who are you?"

"Oh that's quite a name! People call me Foring, or they did when I was in the world. Here we don't really rely on names as much, more like ideas. I'm looking for water and food tonight, what are you doing?"

::The old stag speaks slowly, but due to personality rather than some feeble aging process.::

"Im sitting here till the dryad opens this portal so I can leave this world, and return to my own.", Imoak stretches his great body under the stars, and adjusts himself into a more comfortable position.

"I see. You are interesting to me then. I have not been in the world for many years. I was the Elusive Prey, and hunters spent their whole lives chasing me, as that was my role. One day, a great hunter, whose pursuit was an honor to evade for so long, finally killed me, and my spirit came here. He became the leader of his people, for a time, and led them into bounty and peace for all his days. It was the fulfillment of my mortal existence to be this hunters ultimate prey. This all happened in the early days, before the great elves slew themselves and meddled in fundamental magics. I know not what has happened in the world since then, but I have enjoyed the others who came before you."

"I seek a watering hole and, as you seem not to have any pressing engagements, would you care to walk with me, and tell me of your world?"

"Erm...", Imoak began, put off by the odd request, "...I suppose that would be alright, I am something of a tracker myself. I was a hunter, and scout for my tribe back in the world I come from. I also can tell you what I know of the world, though my view would be biased." Imoak stood to follow the stag.

::The stag chuckles, and starts heading towards a distant grove::

"Ha ha, perhaps you misunderstand my request. I suppose in the celestial court, absolute truth might be desirable. No, I would care to hear about YOUR world, the world you live in, as it matters and means to you. We fey often care little for the factual happenings, though some care more than others, we care about the meanings, which vary from person to person. So please, tell me of the world of Imoak Stormdrinker Kanthkali, and ponder not over the absolute facts, as they mean as little to me as they do to you."

Imoak imparts to the stag the stories of his adventures, "Originally me, and several of my tribe were sent abroad to deal with several political issues, which were of import to my people. It wasn't until we got back to these shores that the story really begins to unfold.

See, the world as come under attack several of the current gods. They have altered the weather, so every land is affected by hardship. Thus we came upon a city, which had been so affected. This city, unable to pay its debts came under siege, and was waylaid by its former allies. Myself and my party were caught in the battle and forced underground.

There we stumbled upon a vast catacomb of old ruins, and civilizations. One such civilization attacked us as intruders, and was subsequently vanquished by our power. We also learned that we had come under the scrutiny of several gods, and had a larger fate in store for us. This was the first time we met Rrerrin formally as well.

We continued our journey, and eventually stumbled upon a magical fortress, of which I will only give vague details, as its nature must be kept secret. We used this to escape the underground, into strange lands.

Here we met oracles, a dragon, and kolbolds. We also met the deposed king of a city called Arturia. The oracles showed us more of our fates. The dragon affixed her fate to mine through carnal acts, and the kobolds despite my misgivings were taken as allies. The king gave us direction, in that his description of his former city was so that we felt compelled to journey there.

Upon arrival we found a city governed by wicked factions, bent on their own success, at the cost of all else. We fought any battles here to rid the city of these rulers. Here I also learned that city dwellers as a rule are insane. My theory is that its the walls. Anyway, here we also found an underground, and followed it to a great tome full of the unliving. We vanquished the ilk, and there chief.

Upon returning we found ourselves draw by great forces to travel beyond this world to that plane in the sky they call the moon. There we challenged the gods themselves, and discovered some of their secrets. Several of my group also managed to rebuild a temple to the moon goddess. It was here that Radius grew angry at us, and tried to stop us. He was unable to do to the intervention of yet more gods. Thus he turned his ire upon the world.

We returned, and saw what he was doing. We defied him, because he was wrong. Once challenged he came before us. His intention was our deaths I think, but some of his peers did not wish this so they intervened, and saved us, at the cost of Radius' life.

After all this, the town still fought, and challenged at least my own actions. I decided to leave, and go where I would be more welcome. Before I did this however, I was able to reforge the legacy of my blade. Once the blade of the goddess Sabian, it is now truly mine, and mine alone. Also, I made a pact of sorts with Rrerrin to watch over some of his children, which I did as the city came under siege.

However, as I said I ended up leaving that wretched city, and its mad people. I had planned a journey, but was interrupted to come here. Thus, I found myself in these lands. Here I found the Nymph who claims to rule, and she told me she could teach me. As it turns out she is not as wise as she claims, and she is unable to understand my nature. We are of separate minds on certain issues, and I am now resolved to leave this place as soon as she opens the portal out.

So there it is, the story of my adventures, oh stag. Now what say you to that?"

Liquidprism wrote:Imoak imparts to the stag the stories of his adventures, "Originally me, and several of my tribe were sent abroad to deal with several political issues, which were of import to my people. It wasn't until we got back to these shores that the story really begins to unfold.

See, the world as come under attack several of the current gods. They have altered the weather, so every land is affected by hardship. Thus we came upon a city, which had been so affected. This city, unable to pay its debts came under siege, and was waylaid by its former allies. Myself and my party were caught in the battle and forced underground.

There we stumbled upon a vast catacomb of old ruins, and civilizations. One such civilization attacked us as intruders, and was subsequently vanquished by our power. We also learned that we had come under the scrutiny of several gods, and had a larger fate in store for us. This was the first time we met Rrerrin formally as well.

We continued our journey, and eventually stumbled upon a magical fortress, of which I will only give vague details, as its nature must be kept secret. We used this to escape the underground, into strange lands.

Here we met oracles, a dragon, and kolbolds. We also met the deposed king of a city called Arturia. The oracles showed us more of our fates. The dragon affixed her fate to mine through carnal acts, and the kobolds despite my misgivings were taken as allies. The king gave us direction, in that his description of his former city was so that we felt compelled to journey there.

Upon arrival we found a city governed by wicked factions, bent on their own success, at the cost of all else. We fought any battles here to rid the city of these rulers. Here I also learned that city dwellers as a rule are insane. My theory is that its the walls. Anyway, here we also found an underground, and followed it to a great tome full of the unliving. We vanquished the ilk, and there chief.

Upon returning we found ourselves draw by great forces to travel beyond this world to that plane in the sky they call the moon. There we challenged the gods themselves, and discovered some of their secrets. Several of my group also managed to rebuild a temple to the moon goddess. It was here that Radius grew angry at us, and tried to stop us. He was unable to do to the intervention of yet more gods. Thus he turned his ire upon the world.

We returned, and saw what he was doing. We defied him, because he was wrong. Once challenged he came before us. His intention was our deaths I think, but some of his peers did not wish this so they intervened, and saved us, at the cost of Radius' life.

After all this, the town still fought, and challenged at least my own actions. I decided to leave, and go where I would be more welcome. Before I did this however, I was able to reforge the legacy of my blade. Once the blade of the goddess Sabian, it is now truly mine, and mine alone. Also, I made a pact of sorts with Rrerrin to watch over some of his children, which I did as the city came under siege.

However, as I said I ended up leaving that wretched city, and its mad people. I had planned a journey, but was interrupted to come here. Thus, I found myself in these lands. Here I found the Nymph who claims to rule, and she told me she could teach me. As it turns out she is not as wise as she claims, and she is unable to understand my nature. We are of separate minds on certain issues, and I am now resolved to leave this place as soon as she opens the portal out.

So there it is, the story of my adventures, oh stag. Now what say you to that?"

::The stag had led you to a grove, within which is a crystal clear pond, from which he drank and, having slaked his thirst, listened intently to the rest of your tale.::

"Yours is a great story, but it seems unfinished. Tell me, what happened next?"

Imoak blinked, "Uhm, thats it. That brings us up to the present, where I met a stag spirit asked me to tell him a story, while he drank some water."

Liquidprism wrote:Imoak blinked, "Uhm, thats it. That brings us up to the present, where I met a stag spirit asked me to tell him a story, while he drank some water."

"That's odd. I thought we discussed not worrying about the facts. After a story like that, I'm quite surprised that you are so uncertain of your course of action that you can't tell me what happens next. Truly odd."