[Quest] a sacrifice of blood

[Random Events]

a nightmare become reality

Something pulses in the gulch today, bright and alive - the Elatus Canyon has only one true desire on this day.

Seraphina, the world seems to call.

The canyon path is narrow and uncivilized as a spritely gazelle bounds through it. Arid-dwelling plants grow in every which way, leaving minimal room for the path itself. The dirt trail snakes around ancient, withering trees, with sandstone flanks towering on either side and loose stones littering the ground. There is a beauty to it - raw and barren - even with the grainy wind and tumultuous heat as the nimble creature moves with a dedicated pace and dexterity through it.

The gazelle is no conventional creation. She is ethereal and immortal - a heavenly entity with refined excellence greater than all that surrounds her. Her twin horns are wrapped with ivy and white blooming clematis while her body seems to glow and sparkle in the pale sunlight. The creature is atypical of her kind - her color more pastel and build more delicate than her well-known sisters and brothers. The only thought on her mind is powerful and overwhelming as her cloven hooves carry her to the one known as Seraphina.

It is not by chance that Seraphina will discover the gazelle, for the lithe creature has waited with bated breath for the day she is able to bestow her gift on another worthy enough for it, for the day Solis promised. To the mare, she may appear to be nothing but a mirage at first, some sort of delusion - but the wonder and doubt will fade quickly as the creature approaches, her body defining itself as a reality in the process.

Come, the gazelle will say, her voice so magnificently enchanting that Seraphina will find it essentially futile to resist the request. The creature will answer no questions and offer no comfort as she tries to lead the mare to something greater than what she has ever previously witnessed. It is a thick crack in the wall - a splendid alcove. Should Seraphina look for the gazelle now, she will notice that the creature has all but stayed, vanished as quickly as she appeared. 

It matters not if it is curiosity, worry, determination or something else which leads the mare into the cave, for if she has made it to this point there is no turning back. At first, it is dark in the cavern, but after a moment flaming torches spark along the walls and bathe the area in a flickering orange glow that reveal a myriad of cave drawings and runes that have existed long before Seraphina was born. She will notice only one scene on the wall in particular, something peculiar and not exactly right. It is a series of runes that circle a vague depiction of a sun, a vulture, and a grey mare spilling her own blood. With the horrible whip of realization, she will know what it asks of her as she decodes the runes and grows to understand the image.

To gain what she seeks the most, Seraphina will have no choice but to bleed beyond what is natural.

At her feet, she will see a stone bowl carved with a depiction of the sun. Beside it is a sharp blade.

The choice is her’s. She knows what to do.

(Somewhere, Solis is laughing.)

---

@Seraphina alone will see the gazelle. And when the gazelle sees her, and calls to her to follow, she will be unable to resist. Through the canyon they go, following a path Seraphina undoubtedly has followed before, only this time there is something different, the expectation of something great to follow.

And in that small alcove is a scene inherently familiar to her. She knows what is being asked of her - the only question is, is she prepared to make the sacrifice? 

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This quest was written by the lovely @kealie.

Enjoy!