"master!" cried loner.
with thantor distracted greeting loner and kramor, the fear returned. the shadow began to turn it to rage. " i have no one, no one can help me. I HAVE NO FRIENDS!"
with this exclamation, her whole body began to glow with energy. it looked as if she was about to attack, but there was hesitation, as if the old jenna was exerting control once again. with barely a whisper "my presense endangers you all. i will not allow HIM to hurt any of you. please, i can't bare it if any of you are hurt."
with that, jennabard magically flew through the forest leaving behind her friends, her family. she left no trail for any to follow.
[ 06-08-2001: Message edited by: jennabard ]
Order of the Dark Flame (Story, No Spam)
He couldn’t quite see straight. In fact he was pretty certain he would never see straight again. His once bold, even brash, stride was a bit slower and more uneasy as well. And his mind… it had once been so full of knowledge, now there were only disjointed thoughts and spells he could not remember the use for.
In his minds eye, he could still see Sigerlinn, and the look of fear in her eyes when the drow caught up with them. They knew she had helped him, and there was no saving her. His only solace was that she had not been tortured. But, ah, he had been. For weeks they had tormented him; growing curious, amused even, at the realization he would not die. And how often he had wished for just that, but the enchanted gem was leagues away deep under the earth, and his punishment for seeking immortality was as he had warned Sigerlinn it could be: pain unending. He knew not how he escaped, not that it mattered. Little mattered, in fact. He had enough sanity remaining to know he was at least a bit mad.
Cold and, as was the case more often these days, a little afraid he at last entered an inn. Perhaps he could remember just a few small bits of magic and deception to gain him enough coin to eat a hot meal and drink a tankard of ale.
[ooc: I missed you guys. I couldn’t keep away
]
In his minds eye, he could still see Sigerlinn, and the look of fear in her eyes when the drow caught up with them. They knew she had helped him, and there was no saving her. His only solace was that she had not been tortured. But, ah, he had been. For weeks they had tormented him; growing curious, amused even, at the realization he would not die. And how often he had wished for just that, but the enchanted gem was leagues away deep under the earth, and his punishment for seeking immortality was as he had warned Sigerlinn it could be: pain unending. He knew not how he escaped, not that it mattered. Little mattered, in fact. He had enough sanity remaining to know he was at least a bit mad.
Cold and, as was the case more often these days, a little afraid he at last entered an inn. Perhaps he could remember just a few small bits of magic and deception to gain him enough coin to eat a hot meal and drink a tankard of ale.
[ooc: I missed you guys. I couldn’t keep away
]Then darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time
Thantor cursed himself for not being more attentive to the situation at hand. "Everything of substance casts a shadow and consciousness is no different. An individual has at least two aspects to their consciousness. One aspect is affirmed and welcomed. The other is repressed, pushed down into a dark place, and rejected. This repressed part of consciousness, with all of its dark and unresolved emotions, is called the shadow. Often times, especially in the gifted, this repressed self begins to reassert itself and I believe this is what jennabard is struggling with. "
Noticing the alarmed look on Vivien's face, he quickly added. "The shadow is not evil. This is very important to understand. It can be very destructive, vicious, and cruel, but consider how you would act if you where similarly rejected, cast off, and imprisoned for many years. The goal of the Shadow Work is to reintegrate those parts of the shadow that have value and to release those parts that do not. It is a daunting and extremely painful task. One of my teachers compared it to a form of crucifixion, with similar perils and rewards. I have a tremendous amount of respect for jennabard's willingness to attempt this, but she endangers herself with her pride and her ignorance." He looked at Loner, a painful expression on his face. "This was some of what I tried to explain to you the last time we spoke. But I failed, and I hope you can forgive my lack of skill."
He recomposed himself. "The force that attacked jennabard is not an outcome of her Shadowpath as far as I can tell, but it may be taking advantage of it." His face became taunt. "And unlike the shadow, this force is quite evil." He turned to Georgi. "What did you discover in your scouting? It may give us a clue to who "HIM" is and where jennabard has gone."
Noticing the alarmed look on Vivien's face, he quickly added. "The shadow is not evil. This is very important to understand. It can be very destructive, vicious, and cruel, but consider how you would act if you where similarly rejected, cast off, and imprisoned for many years. The goal of the Shadow Work is to reintegrate those parts of the shadow that have value and to release those parts that do not. It is a daunting and extremely painful task. One of my teachers compared it to a form of crucifixion, with similar perils and rewards. I have a tremendous amount of respect for jennabard's willingness to attempt this, but she endangers herself with her pride and her ignorance." He looked at Loner, a painful expression on his face. "This was some of what I tried to explain to you the last time we spoke. But I failed, and I hope you can forgive my lack of skill."
He recomposed himself. "The force that attacked jennabard is not an outcome of her Shadowpath as far as I can tell, but it may be taking advantage of it." His face became taunt. "And unlike the shadow, this force is quite evil." He turned to Georgi. "What did you discover in your scouting? It may give us a clue to who "HIM" is and where jennabard has gone."
Those who will play with kitties must expect to be scratched.
Many are cold; few are frozen.
Absence is to love what wind is to fire... it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.
Many are cold; few are frozen.
Absence is to love what wind is to fire... it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.
"The pleasure is mine, Thantor," Kramor said shaking his hand. He stepped back and leaned against a tree. Listening to what was being said. Kramor, started to get an uneasy feeling, not to mention. His side was starting to hurt, he slowly sat on the ground. Trying not to make a sound, Kramor could see black spots in front of his eyes. Closing them, he tried to will out the pain. Pinching the bridge of his nose, "damn it, I should of stayed at the Keep. Well Kramor, you did it to yourself again." he thought to himself. He opened his eyes, seeing Loner looking at him. He smiled and winked, she seem different, there was fire in her eyes. She smiled back, then turned back to the others. Kramor knew he had an infection, he had been fighting it with his healing powers. But, it was starting to drain him. Kramor just felt tired, leaning his head against the tree, he closed his eyes.
Sitting sipping on some mead and enjoying a helping of stew, Waverly looked over at the pocket from which the gold came that paid for his meal. Perhaps he was not out of sorts after all... He motioned to the serving wench to come over, and as she approached he flashed her a broad smile and invited her to have a seat and share a tankard. She smiled uneasily and excused herself saying that she really needed to get back to her customers. The look that she gave him made it clear that she was frightened, and not at all flattered by the attention. No group of travelers to delight with his tales, no tavern girls to giggle at his jokes, he sat at his table quite alone with the realization that he was not going to be himself again for quite some time.
Just then a well dressed man walked over and sat across from him. “The dark flames flitted through her some time back spinning tales of your demise. Your corpse is supposed to be rotting in some long forgotten temple deep in the underdark.”
Waverly did not recognize the man, and was quite unamused at this turn of events. “Obviously, I am not he of whom you speak.”
“Well, perhaps not quite. The Waverly I know wouldn’t be sitting alone eating a modest meal. He wouldn’t wear such tattered garments or slink around like an injured wolf. Can you still disguise your face? If the Radiant Heart or the Black Flames recognize you, they are not going to be joyful over your continued life.”
Waverly thought about those perky do-gooders and that fool Anomen… and those abominable slaves! His blood began to boil. Yes he remembered them well. Hadn’t they killed him? Left him to die several more times over at the hands of the drow? He could not remember the whole story, but he knew that this was one group of strumpets that he simply must meet up with again.
Just then a well dressed man walked over and sat across from him. “The dark flames flitted through her some time back spinning tales of your demise. Your corpse is supposed to be rotting in some long forgotten temple deep in the underdark.”
Waverly did not recognize the man, and was quite unamused at this turn of events. “Obviously, I am not he of whom you speak.”
“Well, perhaps not quite. The Waverly I know wouldn’t be sitting alone eating a modest meal. He wouldn’t wear such tattered garments or slink around like an injured wolf. Can you still disguise your face? If the Radiant Heart or the Black Flames recognize you, they are not going to be joyful over your continued life.”
Waverly thought about those perky do-gooders and that fool Anomen… and those abominable slaves! His blood began to boil. Yes he remembered them well. Hadn’t they killed him? Left him to die several more times over at the hands of the drow? He could not remember the whole story, but he knew that this was one group of strumpets that he simply must meet up with again.
Then darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time
Ooc: Waverly, Rofl You know, other men would be FLIRTING with us, but you are trying to teach us a lesson?
IC:
Vivien listened quietly as the others discussed what to do after Jennabard's departure. But, at least Loner and Kramor were back, though Jennabard...
Things fall apart, the center does not hold.
What an odd thought. She shook her head again wondering how many odd thoughts she had in there.
I'll turn into a confused old mage in a tower unable to find her hat before I know it.
She stepped back a bit to rest against a tree, listening to the voices of the others rise and fall in conversation. Light shown down on her through the tree tops as she mulled over the news Thantor had shared, feeling somehow comforted that he seemed to know what was happening...
You know, other men would be FLIRTING with us, but you are trying to teach us a lesson? IC:
Vivien listened quietly as the others discussed what to do after Jennabard's departure. But, at least Loner and Kramor were back, though Jennabard...
Things fall apart, the center does not hold.
What an odd thought. She shook her head again wondering how many odd thoughts she had in there.
I'll turn into a confused old mage in a tower unable to find her hat before I know it.
She stepped back a bit to rest against a tree, listening to the voices of the others rise and fall in conversation. Light shown down on her through the tree tops as she mulled over the news Thantor had shared, feeling somehow comforted that he seemed to know what was happening...
"It's not as easy as you may think, Georgi," Thantor said softly, trying to address the caring she obviously had for him with both gentleness and honesty. "First of all, we don't know yet what is happening with him. Is he possessed, controlled by some outer agency, or merely in inner turmoil? Second, you can't just go marching around in people's minds. There are boundaries at many levels that must be negotiated and the person you are working with must trust you and give you permission to enter their consciousness. To use your words, Anomen would have to want to be brought back " He gave her a warm, sympathetic smile. "In a lot of ways, it is like going into labor, because in essence they are birthing a whole new self. When this is completed successfully, it is a most amazing experience."
He grew more serious. "But I will be honest with you and tell you that the best we can hope for is that he is possessed in some way that we can reverse or going through something like jennabard." He assessed her for a moment, then decided she could handle what he had to say. "In the worse case scenario, he will eventually descend into madness." Georgi's eyes never wavered, accepting the difficult news as she faced all painful things, head-on and without compromise. Thantor thought again about the unusual energetics he had noticed in her ki field when she returned, and wondered if there was more she could tell them. "Did you observe anything else as you watched Anomen, either in yourself or in him, that could give us any more information about this situation?"
He grew more serious. "But I will be honest with you and tell you that the best we can hope for is that he is possessed in some way that we can reverse or going through something like jennabard." He assessed her for a moment, then decided she could handle what he had to say. "In the worse case scenario, he will eventually descend into madness." Georgi's eyes never wavered, accepting the difficult news as she faced all painful things, head-on and without compromise. Thantor thought again about the unusual energetics he had noticed in her ki field when she returned, and wondered if there was more she could tell them. "Did you observe anything else as you watched Anomen, either in yourself or in him, that could give us any more information about this situation?"
Those who will play with kitties must expect to be scratched.
Many are cold; few are frozen.
Absence is to love what wind is to fire... it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.
Many are cold; few are frozen.
Absence is to love what wind is to fire... it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.
Loner stood a bit apart, lost in her own thoughts. She was concerned about Jennabard, of course; but at this moment there were other, more pressing, things on her mind...meeting her old teacher again, after all these years; and after she had run off and abandoned the Way; after...and he had greeted her as if she were his own daughter, and said the failure was his. The failure was not yours, Master, she thought.
It would take her a while to process this. She went over to Kramor and sat beside him.
It would take her a while to process this. She went over to Kramor and sat beside him.
Thantor was relieved by Georgi's report, not that he knew any more than she what this occurrence meant, but because it signaled a small lessening of suspicion. "I'm not sure what this means myself, Georgi, but I'll give it some thought. Do try not to run off into the forest again by yourself," he said rather abruptly. "I don't want to lose anyone else. Loner, I ..." as he turned to talk to her, he noticed how pale Kramor looked. He went over to investigate.
[ 06-09-2001: Message edited by: thantor3 ]
[ 06-09-2001: Message edited by: thantor3 ]
Those who will play with kitties must expect to be scratched.
Many are cold; few are frozen.
Absence is to love what wind is to fire... it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.
Many are cold; few are frozen.
Absence is to love what wind is to fire... it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.