Ouside, Renlo sets to work saving the boy's life, first stitching up the wound, then bandaging it with the strips of blanket. "That should help keep him from dying. He should still be under the supervision of a healer for a few days, though, once they aren't busy."
Standing, he wipes his hands with one of the remaining blanket strips, then turns and looks Jair directly in the eyes. "Listen well, boy. You may imagine yourself a warrior, but you're not - not even close. A true warrior only uses his weapon when he must, and never for a petty feud over a woman. Do you have any living family?"
Jair stares off at his sword, and after renlo speaks, his face seems to contort, to go from absolute shock and horror to confusion, and an agony overcomes him. Blood begins to flow from his nose, his eyes blink, and red stained tears stream from his eyes over his cheeks. Simliar to Keln, Jair's ears flush red as blood dribbles out. he squints his eyes closed, opens his mouth, and screams in agony
He continues to bend backwards, his arms sticking out at weird angles, audible snaps as bones break within his body. His shriek of pain increases in volume only to be suddenly cut off as a large glob of blood vomits from his mouth, coating his face, matting his hair back. He still stands, arched back, further back, his legs bowed to give him a stance, up onto his tip toes, and to fully standing his weight upon a single digit until he looses his balance and falls back, cracking his skull upon the hard dirt road. his body stays locked in that tight stance as more blood vomits out of his open mouth, gurgling, gasping, chest heaving in pure agony.
Blood and Ashes, what the hell is happening to him. We should go, now. This place is a charnel house."
He began panic rising in his voice a bit. He was here to get rich and make a name for himself, not catch some wasting disease and die with strange dreams in his head.
'By the light, the same thing is happening to Jail.' Seeing the Youngman begins to bleed and contort Simliar to Keln, Elek turns and begins banging on the door.
Suddenly very grateful that the men were left outside, Cor’ellis blinks at the girl’s direct speech. ”Well… y-yes. That do be a… ah… common occurrence when men and women… do that.” She smiled, trying to disguise her discomfort with speaking so plainly about such things. ’Fortune stab that man,’ she thought to herself, ’did he set this in motion by deflowering this poor ignorant girl?’
”I suppose there do be no one to speak of such things with since your mother do be gone.” The girl seemed to lack the understanding that what she said was strange, so Cor’ellis said nothing to unsettle her. ”You did say you helped Bataar, by removing his pain? Do you help others this way? Your young friends outside, or the Innkeeper, perhaps?”
Renlo took a couple of involuntary steps backwards as Jair suddenly began contorting and apparently emptying himself of all of his blood. Shock and horror were plain on his face, as even in Trolloc camps he'd never witnessed anything like that.
"Peace! What horror has befallen this town? I agree, Marik - we must leave as soon as we can, before we catch whatever this is."
'What's wrong?' Elek points at Jair as the fallen boys body stays locked in the peculiar form as more blood vomits out of his open mouth, gurgling, gasping, chest heaving in pure agony. "I think the same thing that happened to the father is happening to the boyfriend!?"
No. not their pain. just friendships. I saw that some men and women inside Thorn had liked each other, similar to how Jair and Mikel liked me. So i helped them like each other again. Sharrah says in the same monotone voice. Oh, Jair. she says, lacking emotion.
jair squirms weakly upon the ground, his body trembling from the violent cramps affecting his muscles.
Cor'ellis was growing increasingly concerned about young Sharra as she noticed her complete lack of concern. She saw Tenora run to help the boy, but she felt sure now that she was closing in on the source of the mystery even if she was still unsure of the solution. She walked as they talked to the far corner of the house, hoping the distance from those who were sick might help. "I see. And did you remove anything from yourself, dear one? It do seem as though these... little changes you did make to help your friends and neighbors, they do be causing them to act strangely. Do you think you could put things back to the way they did be before?"
Tenora rushes to Jair's side, kneels down and channels...only to find that she is too late. Jair gives a final shudder, his body twitching worse than a fish out of water, and grows still. A low bloodly gurgle escapes his mouth, his final breath released. His hands fall limply to his side, relaxed now in death. Blood flows freely from his mouth, pooling upon the dirt, staining it dark.
'What the?' Realizing the shortsword was gone, Elek rushes over to his cousin, "Tenora, is Jair dead? un, when his body went limp the short sword I took from him, well, it just disappeared..." He looks at his cousin, clearly shaken. "By the light, have you ever heard of anything like that? A weapon somehow attached to someone's life?"
Korin's look of horror and disgust quickly resolves into hard lines and narrowed gaze. "I think we need to entertain the possibility that the Shadow has found a way to worm past whatever unconventional defenses this town may have had. At any rate, Fal Dara should probably be informed of events here."
She hoped the terrible feeling she had was mistaken, but she needed to be sure, one way or another. She reached out to embrace the source, watching Sharrah for any reaction as she concealed her weaving to sense Shadowspawn again.
"Agreed, Korin. There must be someone we can dispatch as a messenger to report these events. Tenora, have you ever heard of a weapon vanishing upon its wielder's death?"
"I do no understand it myself. But the connections did lead us to you, my dear. Some people do be fighting and harming each other, like your young men outside. One man was killed at the Inn earlier, and the Innkeeper did attack Baatar. They do no wish to do these things, but they do be no in their right minds. And now your father do be ill, maybe Jair outside too. These are the people you have changed, yes? I know you did no mean to cause harm, but these changes do seem to have violent consequences. Like a side-effect. I do only be able to guess that if you undo what you have done, it may set things right again. Could you try?"
the only time i had was to influence these people was when i went to sleep. Sharrah says, looking back towards where her father laid in his room.
'She's just as stunned as we are!' Looking at his cousins shocked face, he turns to Korin, "Yes, we may need to warn the authorities," Giving Renlo a sickly grin. "Maybe Bataar would be willing to go, kill two birds with one stone." Nearing Jair, Elek can see that the boy is certainly dead. Bending over he scoops the lifeless husk up in his arms. "But I'm tired of all of this!"
He turns and carries the body to the door. Not bothering to knock nor waiting for anyone to come, he barges into the house carrying the body into the room where the women are speaking and unceremoniously drops the corpse in front of the girl Sharrah. "He's dead, had an attack like your father."Looking squarely at Sharrah, "This boy claimed to love you, even hurt that other one because he was here with you." he looks from Sharrah to Anna then Dawn. 'Now he's killed by the light knows what."
He turns to Cor'ellis, giving what may be described as an apologetic look, "When he died, his sword disappeared, I had it in my hand and it... just... was gone." He shakes his head, his voice getting softer. "Blood and ashes, I've never seen such a... this is a bloody mess."
As Sharrah speaks, you see her begin to transform. Before there was a sickly young lady. But now, her body seems to gain a healthy amount of weight, her palor grows more hale, and yet her face seems to subtly change. A slight elongation around the eyes and eyebrow, a sharpness to her cheeks, her jawline growing more pronounced. Whats worse though is her teeth. Before they were dull, flat, a subdued whiteness to them. Now, they seem to have grown sharp, brighter white.
Cor'ellis was shocked by the revelation of Jair's body and bewildered by the sudden change in Sharrah. "Oath? What oath be this? Why?"
As Sharrah speaks, you see her begin to transform. Before there was a sickly young lady. But now, her body seems to gain a healthy amount of weight, her palor grows more hale, and yet her face seems to subtly change. A slight elongation around the eyes and eyebrow, a sharpness to her cheeks, her jawline growing more pronounced. Whats worse though is her teeth. Before they were dull, flat, a subdued whiteness to them. Now, they seem to have grown sharp, brighter white.
'Blood and ashes, this day is just getting worse! Stepping back from the girl and the blood soaked corpse at her feet, Elek unconsciously lays his hand on his sword as he looks from the changeling girl to the Illianer, 'Oath? What about her face totally changing shape!'. but he holds his tongue as Cor'ellis presses the questions.
sharrah looks at cor'ellis. Why, to love someone. Jair always felt unwanted, under-appreciated. His mother wouldnt care for him beyond the neccessity. His own sisters would mock him. Yet, he was the youngest. couldnt do much at his young age, so he would cower, shirk from danger. When i met with him, he swore to always love me and i would love him. As a boon to help him have courage, the sword appeared to him. It was physical manifestation of his oath to me and to himself. Something must have scared him beyond all hope to make him break his oath.
Sharrah looks at Elek, her eyes, angular even now, pierces into his. Mmmm...controlled anger, yet your fear tastes...poignant.
'An oath to love? I wonder what she considers love, she slept with Bataar for the lights sake, I wonder if that was Jair's idea of love...' Realizing he had grasped his sword handle, Elek releases it and places his hands behind his back, 'Something scared him beyond all hope?' Looking to Cor'ellis briefly, then back to the girl. 'Fear tastes poignant? Didn't she say something about how her fathers emotions tasted as well...Is this really a teenage girl?'
Raising an eyebrow, "Tastes poignant?" He looks from Sharrah to her friend Dawn, then the mother Anna, looking for any surprise from them, then back to the girl. "So you taste emotions, do you also feed on them?"
Beginning to put together the pieces and finding herself sickened by the conclusions she was drawing, Cor'ellis's eyes welled with tears. "He did swear to you... in a dream. Did he even know what he did? Why bind his life? He did be a child, Sharrah, as you do be still. These do be grown men, trained in arms, hardened soldiers some. Of course he did fear them!" She covered her mouth to stifle a sob as she met Elek's eyes.
"Tell me you found something that did bring this change in you, girl. Some relic that you did touch or held in your hand. There do always be a way back to the Light, Sharrah, please!" She pleaded with her to turn back now from her course. "Let me help you, before it do be too late."
"Light what is going on in this town? In that house?"
He muttered still outside looking over the wounded fellow and well the dead fellow on the ground. He wasnt sure the rights used but he knelt beside the dead youth and straightened him up, making sure his eyes were closed, cleaning his face with a peice of cloth and glancing torwards the house.
"Light what is going on in this town? In that house?"
He muttered still outside looking over the wounded fellow and well the dead fellow on the ground. He wasnt sure the rights used but he knelt beside the dead youth and straightened him up, making sure his eyes were closed, cleaning his face with a peice of cloth and glancing torwards the house.
Renlo eyed the house with trepdiation, gripping the hilt of his longsword. He glanced at Tenora Sedai, still out here, and waited to see if they would enter the house.
"Only one way to find out, it seems." Korin growls, a scowl plastered on his face. He enters the house.
The Light? a diametric of the Dark. One of the absolutes in these lands. Yet there, between your Light and your Dark, is that thin veil of gray. Not wholly of the Light, yet not of the Dark either. Both influencing the other in totality, a center point of max strength and weakness from the opposites. It is there that the possibilities form, the Wheel continues to spin, Weaving new skeins, clipping threads. You see in absolutes, of the Light or of the Dark. Yet there, at that thinning, neither exists, or rather, the potential for them to exist, exists.
a change? a relic? perhaps you mean a ter'angreal?Sharrah says in a slight mocking tone. Her lips, narrow strips across her face, a faint hue of red upon them, open and close as she looks upon Elek and Cor'ellis.
She turns and walks through the narrow entry into the kitchen. SHe turns and faces everyone. Squatting low, she places a hand upon the lower door jamb on either side, and stands up, trailing her hands towards the top, bringing them together on the upper mantle. As her hands move, the door frame, brown and faded changes to a darker red hue, twisting slightly within the frame.
Oaths are formed from emotion, from the central emotion of an individual. A resolution to perform said task no matter how difficult, no matter who gets in the way, no matter the cost, the Oath is all. Acceptance of an Oath is not for the faint of heart, nor the weak willed. Step through, and swear an Oath. The stronger the Oath, the stronger the emotional connection.
Cor'ellis began to suspect that she was no longer talking to the girl, Sharrah, but instead to some entity speaking through her. She had stopped her sobs and still held the one power. Truly, she was fearful to let it go with these strange changes that somehow did not rely on the source.
"Who do you be? What claim do you have on this girl? What compact do be in place here?" She drew closer to the strange twisted doorway and reached out to lay her hand upon it, hoping to understand it's nature. She did not understand it, but often she was able to sense the purpose of an object that used the one power.
This feat does not protect the PC from those ter'angreal that are activated by touch, or any other actions the pc may take in approaching, moving, or channeling around the ter'angreal.
Identify ter'angreal will identify an angreal, but not allow the pc to know its rating. A sa'angreal will be identified as an angreal.
Korin steps into the room in time to hear the creature's obviously insane utterance. His scowl deepens as his hand rests lightly on his sword hilt, though he does not draw... yet.
By the light! I knew it. Wait, what is she...
"Lady Cor'ellis, I do not think touching that... thing would be wise. I rather suspect that is exactly how this illness spreads."
'I wonder how many shades of grey this girl thinks there is.... we know the wheel turns, but what does that have to do with this.' Looking from the girl, back to Cor'ellis, 'She did not answer my question about feeding on emotions, I wonder if I struck too close to home.'
Watching the girl move across the room touching the doorframe his eyes widen watching it change. 'So that ter'angreal is built into the house. So it may have effected the girl and it's been going on under the locals noses!' As the girl talks about oaths, he turns toward the two local women, and lifting his hand questioningly points to the doorway.
From the corner of his eye Elek notices Korin move into the room. As Cor'ellis, speaking to the girl and moves forward to touch the doorway, Elek moves back to be near his companion. After Korin speak Elek whispers to the swordsman. "I think we've found what we were looking for."
"Indeed." Korin answers simply. His eyes remain on Cor'ellis and the "girl."
"So you want us to step through that and swear an oath? To whom? To what end?"
As the others entered, Renlo sighed and followed, hand still near the hilt of his sword. He was glad to see he wasn't the only one nervous about it as he joined Elek and Korin. "I don't like this. We should leave, and soon, I think."
you hand gently touches the strange, red door frame, and a slight surge of something enters your mind, a sense of knowledge imparted from the item being touched. Its as if you recalled a distant memory, something forgotten but now remembered as if it occurred just moments ago.
The twisted doorframe, red bound with ancient and otherworldly woods, bends and twists within your mind as you attempt to make sense of it's composition and makeup. It slips and slides, defying your attempt at totality, yet one strand holds true. Treaties, ancient beyond even the fabled Age of Legends bind this device from this world and into another, allowing those who pass the threshold to return unmolested.
Claim? What claim do i have upon young Sharrah? why nothing more than her essence, as gifted by her mother upon her birth. A child of your world, yet born on another. Her thoughts, her desires, her emotions are claimed as our own, yet she needs others to emote for her to maintain. Her father at first sustained her, yet the Oath of a father to always love and care for a child did break. The lack of a mother, lost to her, failed to sustain young Sharrah. The love of others, both to herself and amongst others, allowed her growth and self-preservation. She did loose her maidenhood to Bataar, and with it awakened greater realms of emotional victuals. Rekindling ancient love triangles was excellence in action. The passion, the desires, the wanton lust! Followed with rage, anger, the absolute maddening of seeing red! So much flavor!
Sharrah looks at Korin. An Oath is sworn to oneself. To an ideal that one shall uphold, no matter what. A resolution imprinted upon the mind and soul. An Oath holds great power. Even Greater reward. It enables someone to overcome obstacles, to foretell signs, to outmaneuver an opponent.
"Alleged power and reward, but with a particularly nasty side effect, including the destruction and ending the lives of those who swear it, along with those around them, as we have seen evidenced. Emotions are incredibly fickle things, fleeting and momentary. Hardly the sort of thing to resolve oaths upon. You speak of light and dark, and grey. Even were it not black, then this scheme of yours is a particularly dark shade of grey. How many gullible and desperate have you preyed upon, enticing to ruin with promises of power and reward?"
Catching movement by the door, Elek notes Renlo entering, hearing the woodsman, he nods "I couldn't agree more."
Turning back to the girl, 'The girls essence? gifted by her mother? Her emotions are claimed by our own.... what are they?' Looking from the 'not quite just a girl' toward the door, 'I hope Tenora joins us soon.' Focusing again on the girls monologue, 'Lost her...Bataar, he opened this can of worms, we really should send him back to Fal Dara.'
Raising an eyebrow as the quiet Korin debates the greyness of the situations, Elek shakes his head, speaking aloud as much to himself as anyone. "So what does this door frame have to do with keeping the Darkone's minions away from the town?"
He then looks to Sharrah, "If your not the girl what are you and how do we release her. Her mother had no right to 'gift' her to anyone or anything. It's no different than slavery."
The lesser emotions are fleeting and fickle. Prime emotions, happiness, sadness, fear, and anger, all are long lasting, pure. The rest are just offshoots of these Primes. An Oath based off of one of the Primes lasts a lifetime. Jair, for example Sharrah says pointing at the dead body dribbling blood onto the floor, wanted to be free of fear, to be not considered cowardly. He became physically sick at the mere mention of fighting. He stepped through the doorway, and swore an Oath, renouncing fear for bravery. Yet he couldnt hold to his Oath. So he was bequeathed ashan'har to harden his resolve. Unfortunately for him, he gave into fear, thus destroying the Oath. There is some backlash, depending upon the gravity of the oath given.
To answer your question, good sir, allow me to ask you, how many have died because of your actions? Your choices? You choose to stay in bed late? Woke up earlier? Had Lunch at one Inn versus another inn? Drank another ale? Slept with one lady instead of a whore? Killed one soldier, but not another? Choices, large and small, have consequences. The Oath is both a choice, and has it's own consequences. The greater the Oath, the greater the consequence of breaking it. There have been some over the years that have visited this doorway, making Oaths and living.
Case in point, as your friend the guardian here has pointed out, what of the dark one's spawn? Someone is always willing to give....something to ensure survival.
'Prime emotions? interesting that love and hate were not mentioned. I wonder if this thing considers honor an emotion.' Wrapped in the 'girls' monologue Elek momentarily gives her his undivided attention. 'Curious about Jair, I wonder if threatening to destroy the sword caused the fear. ..Curious ideas about random events.' Raising an eyebrow when she refers to him as a guardian, 'Someone is always willing to give something?
Trying to understand all he's heard, he shakes his head. "Duty dictates oaths be made carefully and kept. The oaths I would make would require no doorway or the threat of failure or the promise of success to fulfill them or die trying."
He looks to the other two local woman. "Speaking of oaths, I don't believe any oaths were made when we decided to try and find the cause of the nightmares, but we have found it." He gestures towards the doorway and the child the other side. "But we have succeeded and solved your riddle, what you do with it is up to you." He shakes his head, "I'm sorry if our wayward acquaintance Bataar has been part of the cause of this." He looks toward his companions "I'm willing to leave him hear to help deal with the results of his actions."
He returns his gaze to the possesses child, choosing his words carefully, and asks, "Is there any way you would give up your claim on the girl without it killing her? I would see her free if possible but not dead."
Cor'ellis sighed and moved away from the doorframe. She slumped into a seat, utterly defeated. "Then we do no be able to help these people. If they do compact with these beings of their own free will, then honor do demand we stand aside. No matter that it do harm and kill some of them." She looked down at Jair's body with grief, almost as if she saw someone else in his pale, waxen face.
the girl stands still...unnaturally still.
A weave woven, a thread strung through, the Wheel always turns. Yes, there is a way. The girl purrs softly.
he looks from Sharrah to Anna then Dawn. 'Now he's killed by the light knows what."
Raising an eyebrow, "Tastes poignant?" He looks from Sharrah to her friend Dawn, then the mother Anna, looking for any surprise from them, then back to the girl. "So you taste emotions, do you also feed on them?"
As the girl talks about oaths, he turns toward the two local women, and lifting his hand questioningly points to the doorway.
He looks to the other two local woman. "Speaking of oaths, I don't believe any oaths were made when we decided to try and find the cause of the nightmares, but we have found it."
Moving a step closer to the girl and the creature inside her, "By the light, name it. Let us hear if the cost to save this child is too great to pay."
His eyes not once leaving the creature, Korin awaits its response.
Sharrah looks at everyone in the room before finally settling her eyes upon Elek.
Fair exchange. Oath for an Oath. Balance to be maintained. Pledge to carry this spirit with you and beyond, and we shall leave this vessel.
'Oath for an Oath? Carry the spirit with you. That's leaves a lot of information we don't know.' Raising an eyebrow "My concern is if whoever makes this oath will still have control of themselves, it seems this girl clearly does not."
Looking toward the others he lifts a hand, in a questioning manner. He then turns back to the creature. "Can you tell us more about the nature of this spirit."
He gestures towards the doorway, "Is the spirit's tied to this place and that thing." He shrugs, "It sounds like the girl was volunteered by her mother. Can we volunteer someone? Our acquaintance Bataar has caused a lot of trouble, I think you two may get along perfectly."