we have calcium in our bones, iron in our veins,
carbon in our souls, and nitrogen in our brains.
93 percent stardust, with souls made of flames,
we are all just stars with people names.
- nikita gill
For a few days, little birdies whispered in the shadows of the lost relic of the time god having been found. She would only admit to herself that she did not search the new lands as determined as others, but that did not mean she wasn't ambitious to find it first. The witchy woman was just a little more.. frugal with her time and how she spent it. She had searched the citadel at the top of the Peak, twice.. sort of, as well as the desert sands of the court of Day. Nothing. The mare was baffled that she came back empty-handed. If only she had access to her gift.. damn the gods.
She snorted, cursing to no one in particular. Thankfully, she was alone. Blissfully, utterly alone; basking in the silence like the joys of sunbathing. The rosy dame cantered, hooves beating the soft spring soil until she was at the base of the mountain in the heart of the land. Rays of sunshine dipped below the horizon, staining the sky a pallet of watery reds and pinks and purples. The little birds murmured that tall hedges had grown seemingly overnight in the southern reaches of the neutral grounds. A maze. And the most sought-out object that had everyone in a fuss was found by no one other than a shaman. Someone mysterious and yet powerful whom lurked in the Caves. So many whispers, that Nimue did not know how to make sense of it all. Until she stopped, suddenly in awe.
A feat in it's own right, the dame shuddered to stop, hooves digging deep into the ground for leverage. High above her, much higher than her, steep brambles reached towards the darkening sky. Thorny hedges, thick and green, and a path opening up several meters ahead of her. Oh. So the little birdies spoke the truth. A magical maze, a relic once found. A shaman shrouded in mist and secrecy. She blinked once. Twice. And with a determined snort, she trotted forward through the skinny path. Let the games begin.
As you enter the maze, the world around you seem to dampen and grow darker, the tall hedges casting shadows from every direction as they seem to lean in towards you. The air cools the further you venture in, crystals of ice covering a few delicate leaves on the hedges, the ground hardened under hoof. Each breath of air you take is cold, and small puffs of frost are emitted with every exhale. From somewhere up ahead comes a high pitched cackle, disembodied in the mist.
Rounding the next corner will show a lone figure standing there, his skin as pale and thin as stone, tangled locks obscuring a good portion of his face. Across his body is draped the skin of some animal you don’t recognize, covering frail shoulders.
”Is it the relic of almighty Tempus you seek, Nimue?” he asks, his voice youthful despite his aged appearance, carrying a lilt you cannot place into any of the Courts. You do not know how he knows your name, for he is a figure you have never seen before, and you can only wonder what more he knows about you. ”You will have to follow me to find it.” And with that, he turns and takes off further into the maze, ever leading you northwards. His speed belies his age, for he is constantly just ahead of you, sometimes disappearing into the dim but never venturing far. As he disappears around the next corner, you become aware of another creature lurking somewhere behind you, one of the many beasts to have make the maze its home.
@Nimue you’ve found the Shaman! However he is not one to stay and chat, and has already taken off into the brambles. It is up to you to hunt him down or not, but be warned: the maze contains many hidden dangers and beasts lurking within it that you might just get caught up in!
Feel free to write in your own obstacles or beasts, or tag the Random Events account if you would like one given to you! You have until Wednesday, July 19th to get your next reply in, at which point the Shaman will again respond.
Happy writing!
To tag this account: @*'Random Events' without the asterisk.
Please be advised, tagging the Random Event account does not guarantee a response!
07-09-2017, 02:14 PM - This post was last modified: 07-09-2017, 02:23 PM by Random Events
we have calcium in our bones, iron in our veins,
carbon in our souls, and nitrogen in our brains.
93 percent stardust, with souls made of flames,
we are all just stars with people names.
- nikita gill
Towering brambles intertwined and reached to the heavens of night above her. Nimue still pushed forward, just small enough to fit through the skinny trail that had opened up like a mouth to the mysterious maze. Thorns jutted out of the thick hedges, catching at her sides in many delicate scratches on her dappled sides. She stopped, the trail abruptly ending and forcing her to choose her next path.
The air dropped several degrees, a chill shivering across her body. Puffs of mist billowed out from her mouth. Frost grew rapidly on the brambles. She shuddered, stepping back. A cackle rang out against the silence of the maze, the only sound save for her thundering heart. Her gaze fell upon a creature from a child's nightmare, all skin and bone and wraith-like on the path to her right. Surely he could not have been there a moment before. His age was undefined, something the witch could only guess might have been far older than this world entirely. Nausea builded in her rolling stomach. Instead of quivering, the rosy dam rose her chin to the ancient shaman. She would not bow to his theatrics, having seen horrors of other worlds.
Suddenly, he bolted, mocking her with his presumed age. He was speedy, rounding a corner that she did not know was there quickly. Nimue broke into a short-strided canter, determined to keep pace. When she was certain she was going to catch him around another bend, another corner, she discovered that she had lost him entirely. Her hooves sank into a puddle of icy water. Quirking her head, Nimue investigated and saw that the widened path ahead of her was completely underwater. The stars did not reflect in the inky pool. Dipping another hoof in, she looked more closely with her good eye. Although her hoof hit the sloped ground, she could not see it beneath the water line. The water ran the length for several meters, gradually leveling out again in the distance. An easy swim, depending on if the water was only standing or... well, she had no way of guessing how deep it could possibly go. Instead of waiting around, however, Nimue carefully stepped forward. Surely enough, the ground below her sloped away quickly, and suddenly she was paddling. She was surprised the water wasn't frozen, her teeth chattering as cold robbed her of breath. Quickly she swam, breathing through her nostrils as the water reached her cheeks, unbeknownst to what swirled dangerously in the fathoms below her.
The water swells underneath you occasionally, rolling waves up and over your body and pushing its current against your forward movement. You swim in silence for several meters, until a disturbance off to your right prompts you to look.
A small creature appears from the water and begins to swim alongside you for a minute. It chatters to itself in some foreign language, it's body pale and its eyes large as they look upon you. Tentatively it reaches a tiny, scaled paw towards you, fingers webbed and slimy, stretching out to your side. Before it can make contact, another pops its head from the waves, then more and more follow suit until they surround you, rows upon rows of tiny sharp-toothed beasts bobbing in the pool. They watch you, as if in anticipation.
As soon as the first places its palm against your shoulder the water erupts, the creatures jumping in and out of the depths. Their voices rise in pitch until they reach a nearly unbearable volume, baring their pointed teeth at you.
we have calcium in our bones, iron in our veins,
carbon in our souls, and nitrogen in our brains.
93 percent stardust, with souls made of flames,
we are all just stars with people names.
- nikita gill
The blood that usually ran hot and wild through her veins slowed, frosting over with shards of ice throughout her entire body. Inhaling oxygen became a needy chore - a necessary one, though her lungs cracked and heaved as if made of frozen glass. The water surged upwards over her small body, the mare's legs pumping tiredly to keep her head afloat. From where she began, the stretch of water hiding in the maze seemed like a short swim, however now.. she quickly realized how wrong she was. Through the smoke and mirrors and illusions of the shaman's mysterious maze, the realization that she now was in the heart of a small pond or lake dawned on her.
The cords of the mare's muscles burned in the icy water, her breath puffing in thick clouds in front of her as she panted. She was at least halfway across the depths before the deep black of the surface broke far in front of her. In a blink a little creature bobbed above the water, diving into the fathoms before surfacing again, swimming parallel to her. From the corner of her good eye, the little thing looked harmless and even cute as it chattered and muttered to itself in some language she did not care to guess. Nimue turned her head to look for only a moment's breath -- damn her curiosity -- before she choked. The thing peered at her with large pupil-less ebony eyes.. although it was not it's gaze that had the witch gasping. As it reached towards her with a slimy, webbed paw, all of her focus laid on the wicked smile of rows upon rows of tiny sharp incisors.. teeth as white as it's pale body; the same ivory of freshly picked bones from the crows.
Her stomach rolled, and she coughed, head dipping below the water line. Surging upwards, one by one, more pale bodies appeared around her. Encasing her in a predatory cage as she struggled through the cold waves. Silently they watched her, the air vibrating with their hunger. Gulping, Nimue pushed forward, only a few meters away from the water's edge now. Her shoulder tensed suddenly, a hair's breadth from one of the creature's touching her with a wickedly sharp paw... before SLAM. The water surged in a rush of pale bodies around her, the rise and scream of their chatter in a language she could not understand. Her ears rang as she pumped her legs harder and harder, their slimy bodies rolling across her back and under her stomach, and around her limbs. Scratching and biting with the sting and bite of the cold and the heat of their knife-like mouths on her delicate body. Her head dipped below the water completely with the weight of them all, icy water filling her lungs instead of oxygen, slowly choking her as she fell beneath the waves.
She did not give up. It was not in her nature to do so. In all over her wanderings and watching of the world, Nimue refused to fall into the clutches of these mere creatures. Pulling upwards in a last surge of strength, she broke the surface with a determined scream. Almost there.. only a meter now.. their chatters rising to an unbearable volume as she bared her teeth in anger. Her hoof struck the sloped ground, and with a relieved sigh she threw herself onto the shores. Heaving, hot breath rushing through her nostrils, Nimue looked back at the inky waves behind her. Slowly, the creatures dipped into the deep, until one stopped and turned to look at her with those eyes. It smiled wickedly at her, it's mouth ringed in red. With a curse, she spat at it, her mouth tasting of copper and bile. "Damn you." She could swear the thing's grin only grew larger before it dove, disappearing at last. Her legs shaking, the rosy mare stood, taking her time. With a slow inhale and exhale, she shook her head, her rage broiling white hot and her words rolling out in flames: "Come out you bastard! Show me your face and tell me the truth of this maze."
The Shaman comes, bidden by your call. The hedges part and his pale figure strides proudly out from between them, a smile playing at the corners of his blacked lips. He seems delighted at your demands, for you have taken part in this game he has constructed and tailored.
"The truth? I thought you would already know it,” the Shaman says in his lilting voice, walking past you and stepping into the water. The dark surface remains still, no sign of the pale creatures rising to attack. “You came here for the relic. But do you think it would be given up easily? It it were, it would be for anyone's taking." He lowers his muzzle to the water, a long pause taken as he takes in a single long draught, his throat moving with every swallow. Beads of black water drop from his lips as he stares at his own reflection in the depths. "You’ve defended yourself from my children. You’ve stood after being knocked down. Now, all you have left is to answer my riddle. Get it right, and what once was lost may again be found—get it wrong, and I will leave you here to face the Maze once again, without my guidance.
Answer me this:
“This thing repeats, no man ever yet did see,
it never was but is always to be.
From Orien’s first breath to Caligo’s great dark,
Birthed from nothing and returning thenceforth.
It leaves behind a single sign:
the passing of the sun across the sky.”
You may write your character interacting with the Shaman, but please pm your response to the Random Events account! Title the pm as “RIDDLE—Character Name.” You have until Sunday, August 6th to get your answer pm sent! Your IC may be made during that time or after the winner is selected. If multiple correct answers are received, a dice roll may be used to decide who the winner is.
Happy writing!
To tag this account: @*'Random Events' without the asterisk.
Please be advised, tagging the Random Event account does not guarantee a response!
we have calcium in our bones, iron in our veins,
carbon in our souls, and nitrogen in our brains.
93 percent stardust, with souls made of flames,
we are all just stars with people names.
- nikita gill
Nimue's frustration was as cold as the inky black water she had emerged from — frosting over and equal with the shards of ice in her veins. Her chest heaved as she stilled her racing heart, her demands hanging heavily with expectation in the night air. Vile curses formed on her lips, and as she was about to breathe them into speech, the towering brambles began to shiver and shift. A new path opened like the yawning mouth of a tired serpent, a creature shrouded in mist emerging forth. Silently, the Shaman appeared once more, his hooves uttering no sounds as he strolled towards her. A wicked smile pulled his thin ebony lips apart, the witch glaring at him with a gaze as sharp as steel daggers. She sneered in his presence, tired of his wayward games.
For once, the witch child did not insult the him. Instead, she merely watched with her good eye — her right blue-violet orb never flinching from him, determined to keep her gaze fixated on the manipulative beast. Her fury was practically a tangible thing, flooding in thick waves off of her. So much so, she had half a thought the frail shaman would falter because of it.. but then again, the mare was already tricked once by his appearance.
Nimue tensed as he spoke, moving past her and stepping into the obsidian pool without so much as hesitating. She blew air through her nostrils in a scoff. His children. And he was mocking her. The sage had travelled from her court and beyond in search of a relic no one even knew was real, stepping headlong into the maze from no where, just to answer a measly riddle. The so-called shaman was toying with her, and possibly many others, who knew.. and she had played right into his manipulating hands.
"A riddle?" she inquired aloud, her disbelief and disgust visible and as chilly as her heart. The rosy mare locked her jaw, shaking her wild mane. "Fine. I will answer your riddle, claim what I came here for, and be done with you nasty beast."
She swore that he smiled that bony, haunting grin at her as she again played her hand in the chessboard that was the maze. Nimue shut her eyes, focusing on his words as they replayed in her mind.
This thing repeats, no man ever yet did see,
it never was but is always to be.
Something that repeated, but could not be seen. Something that never was, but is always to be? She mentally turned over the words, her knowledge of things past and present from her existence long before she was mortal aiding her. Something eternal then, that maybe would never cease..
From Orien’s first breath to Calligo’s great dark,
Birthed from nothing and returning thenceforth.
The gods.. the sons and daughters that ruled their skies. The breath of dawn, to the slumber of night.
It leaves behind a single sign..
Nimue inhaled deeply, the pieces of the puzzle falling together with a final, satisfying click. Of course.. she knew.
..the passing of the sun across the sky.
The answer formed in her mouth, sweet and lovely, as the witch blinked open her eyes to peer at the Shaman with a pompous grin of her own. She stood defiantly, proud. Tilting her head and her gaze smug as she was glad to give him a taste of his own medicine.. a taste of the one who was a witch.
The Shaman's thin lips began to peel back to reveal crooked teeth, seeming to know your answer before you even uttered it.
"A sharp mind never ages,” he says simply in response; but there is no doubt as to whether or not your answer is correct, for the bony man is already pushing back the heavy pelt across his back, revealing layers upon layers of various aged cloths from which he summons a small, iridescent item.
It glitters and shines as if it contains its own light source, a diamond the size--and roughly shape of--a draft horse's hoofprint. Thick white veins interlock it sparsely, appearing to pulse with light. As the Shaman passes the gem towards you, the pulsing slows and speeds up in a flash before mellowing out in time to what you realize to be your own heartbeat.
"This relic came from Tempus himself, made by the first step he took upon our world. During that time magic ran rampant and unchecked, and part of his powers was infused into what you now hold.
"Guard it jealously--I'm sure there are many who would live to get their own hooves upon it.”
No other explanation is given. The Shaman stomps his hoof and the hedge nearest to you melts into oblivion, leaving behind a long tunnel appearing to lead directly south. Brilliant light glitters at the end of it, a mere sliver from this distance but there is no doubt in your mind that it is sunlight. "Follow this path and no harm will befall you on your way out; but deviate and my monsters may try to retake back what they have been protecting so fiercely,” the Shaman warns. And with that, he turns, and begins to walk away.
The mist thickens across his legs and back, shielding him from view. And when it finally clears he is gone; you are alone once more, prize now in hand.
Nimue has won the dice roll! (That was done a while ago now sry!)
As a prize, Nimue has been sent the item: Tempus' Relic. This item will give you your choice of either Immortality or Magic. To redeem this item, you will need to post in the Restricted Items Redemption updates page using this post as proof. Should you choose to redeem the Magic item, you will need to fill out your character's Specialty page with a time-related magic ladder and await staff approval.
As a note, this item is transferable but is unable to be duplicated! But be warned: you will only reap the benefits of the Relic so long as your character carries it on their person. Any time this item is transferred it must be done ICly, and staff will need to be notified. The old owner will lose its benefits and the new owner will get their choice between the two options!
Congratulations, and happy writing!
To tag this account: @*'Random Events' without the asterisk.
Please be advised, tagging the Random Event account does not guarantee a response!
