Welcome to this week’s edition of RP. This event happened on Thursday night. A gathering of friends at the Site of Lessons. Araatris and Kanashimi learn more about Tharion.

Wednesday 3/3/10: A Gathering at the Site

They came. Teachers. Students. Friends. Strangers. Old allies. The night began with Araatris coming back to the Site of Lessons. Fethas leaned tiredly against the pillar next to the bookcase. It seemed that she was unable or unwilling to move from her spot. They slipped into a comfortable silence.

Tharion joined them, checking upon Araatris. It was no surprise when she admitted that her Other was still troublesome. It would take time for her to adjust. Kanashimi joined soon after. Araatris finally broached a topic that she’d be thinking about. How would the binding affect her age. Kanashimi seemed interested as well and Tharion admitted that as long as she could control the demon without becoming it, then age wasn’t a factor. Araatris’ then began asking how old everyone else was. Let’s leave it at much older than her.

This spurred her to ask about Tharion’s past. How long had he been a demon hunter? How did it happen? All present listened intently to his story. Araatris was honored by the knowledge and insight he gave her, and Kanashimi seemed to be as well.

A dwarf by the name of Dyrks joined them. And old member of the Argent. She mentioned hearing rumors of the Netherbane and wanting to check them out. Kharendos also joined about the same time. Also, a night elven woman named Delinah joined, asking if the Netherbane ate babies… much to Araatris’ amusement. It was determined that they, indeed, do not eat babies.

Araatris slipped up next to Tharion and asked him about whether it was safe to have relationships in their line of… business. He did allow that demon hunters took mates. Kharendos happened to ask what they were talking about, and Tharion answered quiet honestly to Araatris’ dismay and embarrassment. She tried to explain why Kharendos might think that he was the topic because he said that, but it failed. As she gave up, Tharion patted her on the head.

Antias joined shortly mentioning that the Site was much like he remembered it. People chatted pleasantly and Araatris began to show signs of tiredness due to the felsight keeping her awake. Kharendos helped her brew a special blend of tea to help her sleep. It took effect almost immediately. She slipped away to a tree to rest while the others continued talking.

Another Araatris fiction. I really love writing this character. Even the simplest writing brings out aspects to her that I may have not known existed. For the first time since her rituals, Araatris spars with Tharion…

It was different since she had been bound. Tharion had been holding back before. He still was. The fight was more liberating now. Her lips twitched into a smile as she unsheathed her weapons. She held a dagger in her left and a curved sword in her right. Her left hand came up in a mocking salute and Tharion bowed.

Araatris didn’t run forward anymore. There was no hurry to the fight. Simply skill. There was no point in circling him. He would see her no matter what. She needed to find a way to make herself invisible to him. Natural terrain didn’t help against felsight. It would seek out the demon within her.

But perhaps… she could mask it. Use the terrain to her advantage. Araatris held back the grin she felt. It wouldn’t do to show that she had an idea. She turned her back on him and ran up the hill near the Site of Lessons. He followed and as he crested the hill behind her, Araatris spun on him. She dropped to her knee and swung her leg out in his path.

Despite a slight hesitation, Tharion avoided it. His blade swung down and she parried it with her knife. Her arm trembled with the force of the hit. She rolled to the opposing side to give herself a chance to get on her feet.

They watched each other. Against her better judgment, she thrust her sword at him as a test of his guard. Unlikely, but she hoped that it would create and an opening. Much to her dismay he side stepped to her left and grabbed her dagger hand with his free left hand. It took very little to twist the arm behind her. He placed his sword against her neck.

“Yield.”

“No.” Araatris growled.

The sword pressed more firmly against her neck, creating a thin line of red. “Yield.”

She’d been listening to her demon too much and not paying enough attention to her own openings. It was hard to balance the listening with doing. She tensed and Tharion shifted so that his arm wrapped around her shoulders and pinned her right arm to her side. He simply lifted her off the ground as he stood to his full height. “Hey!”

“Yield.”

“Owww! Watch the arm!” Araatris wiggled as her arm was pressed up slightly causing her to drop the dagger as she flailed.

“What purpose does this serve?”

“Fine!”

Silence.

“I yield, I yield!”

Tharion set her back on the ground and released her. She felt embarrassed and foolish. She wondered if any other demon hunters had ever felt quite so… silly. Her Other was even laughing. Lot of help he’d been.

Araatris sheathed her weapons and rubbed at her sore left arm. “I feel like I’m doing worse than I did to begin with.” She frowned and stared away from Tharion down at the Site of Lessons.

“You are improving.” He stepped up next to her.

A hard jerk on her arm caused it to pop. She glanced at him even though she didn’t need to and snorted with disbelief. “If you say so, I still feel like a five year old fighting an adult.”

The mask twitched, a definite grin. “I am… older.”

Araatris turned to Tharion and looked up at him as if trying to divine his age, “What, a few hundred years?”

“Several thousand.”

She gaped.

“We were immortal once. No longer now.”

Tharion did not turn towards her and the grin was long gone.

Araatris turned back towards the Site and the grin was a bit sadder. “I truly am a child. Always will be to something like that. And Kharendos?”

“Indeed.”

“And I am human.”

He turned towards her finally. “Yes, you are.” Her smile faded, and she thought about how she wouldn’t live to make as much of a difference as they ever would. “But you are also a Demon Hunter.” She glanced over at him in surprise. “It is… interesting what changes that will cause.”

Araatris smiled brightly. “I’ll just have to make the best of it, won’t I?”

“Indeed.” His hand gently patted her head.

To give Lannia and Tharion a hand, I took the time to write up a short RP piece that happened last week in Shizukera’s story.  Also, for more on the entity known as Valryssa Nightfury, please see her codex entry! I’ve posted her backstory there!

Shizukera’s Felshadow

As Shizukera slept in the small building where she made her home in Ironforge, she was spurred into action by the fearful cries of her Valryssa Nightfury—the strange demonic entity created by the Legion who (with the help of Shizukera, her mate Taldarion, and especially Tsunomi) had broken the bonds of her former masters and come to consider herself part of Shizukera’s family.

“Shizukera, help me!  The Felshadow demon!”

It was enough to make Shizukera head to Stormwind, where she followed a sickly pale image of her “sister” Valryssa through the streets of the trade district.  Valryssa rounded a corner and Shizukera followed, only to find that her sister had disappeared.  Instead, she found herself face-to face with the Felshadow demon—the same demon she had killed in Desolace.

The demon motioned to the city around them as he goaded the demon huntress.  Even with her fel sight, Shizukera noticed the city looked broken and… incomplete.  It was like looking at a landscape where someone had forgotten to paint all the scenery.  Walls of building dead-ended without connecting to other walls.  Floors fell away into gaping chasms.  Roofs, when they were whole, rested on invisible supports.  And still the demon goaded Shizukera.

“We wish the sword of your mate, Taldarion Shatterbound.”  It said, is if trying to strike up a bargain. “And you will bring it to us, or we will undo the subtle tapestry of magic which makes up your “sister’s” personality and either bring her back under our command, or destroy her completely if she will not comply.”

With little talk, Shizukera attacked, only for the demon’s image to fade away and reappear, suddenly, behind her.

“You cannot harm me in this domain, Shizukera.”

Shizukera snarled.  “Then I will hunt you down and kill you again.  I have already done it once.”

The demon laughed.  “And yet, I am still here.  You failed.  And you will fail again.  Now, bring us the sword.”

“No.  The sword belongs to Taldarion, and you already know what I will do for Valryssa.  I will kill you.  What do you want with the sword anyway?  It was Anreth and his master who wanted the sword, not you!”

Here the demon was taken aback.  That Shizukera was catching on so quickly had not been part of his plan.  “Retrieve Kal’Zaram,” he shouted, before disappearing into the mist…

Shizukera awoke to Taldarion calling her name and softly shaking her shoulder.

“Shizukera, love?  You were having a nightmare.  And your sleepwalking has begun again.”

Shizukera, worried, explained what she had seen as she thought about what the sleepwalking could mean.  In the past, Anreth, the demon she had bound when she first took the demon hunter path, had taken control of her body as she slept.  She feared what might be happening and discussed it with her mate.

“Surely this is not the Felshadow demon, then,” Taldarion assured her.  “You never left Ironforge, you just walked to the mage district and stared into the water there.  Though—your memories—voices, sounds, faces… those are Anreth’s to control.  And he has wanted my sword for his master since you first learned of him.”

“Well he won’t get it,” Shizukera exclaimed.

Taldarion postulated that Anreth was weakening, and that this was a lat attempt to do something right for the demonic master who seemed to be abandoning Anreth to his fate.  Shizukera agreed this could be possible, but wished to turn the situation to her own advantage. She knew something had to be done.  “I have to train.  I have to get stronger, so I can… get inside there with him and kick Anreth’s arse.”

Taldarion chuckled.  “Very well, then let us begin your advanced meditation.”

And so Shizukera began, learning to turn against the demon within—to stop them like the demons without.

It’s been a rather busy couple of weeks, it seems. So much so that I’ve fallen behind on the Greyseer Edition Roleplay Recaps. So this post will actually cover the previous two weeks of events. Since there are two distinct plotlines happening in parallel, I will split this post accordingly. One will cover Laktuk’s training and binding, and another will cover Fethas’s training. Lannia’s recaps have already covered the events outside of these threads.

Also, since a reasonable amount of time has passed, please forgive me if this edition has a few inconsistencies. The ol’ memory ain’t what it used to be.

Finally, this week in particular has been kept purposefully quiet for RP to allow me the chance to catch up and catch my breath. Any specific RP events that happen this week will be recapped during my next post

Tuesday 2/9/10: Meeting with Velarias

Returning once again to the remote Bloodvine Tribe satyr camp deep within Felwood, Fethas met with the demon, Xanathras, who was the one responsible for beginning her training previously. Xanathras put Fethas through a series of sparring matches before accepting her skill and introducing her to her newest instructor, Velarias Thorngrasp.

Velarias was a nigth elf. Indeed, he called himself a Nightmare Warden, a druid who wielded the darkness of the Emerald Nightmare in order to fight it. He said he was a Druid of the Thorn, and explained that Druids of the Thorn were a very rare and reclusive sect who sought unconventional means in order to augment their abilities. Some chose to adapt fel and nature magic, others chose instead to immerse themselves into the Emerald Nightmare. Verlarias was one of the latter, but was not unfamiliar with the methods of his fel-tainted brethren.

“Just as the thorn can protect and harm he who wields it, so can our methods,” he had said simply.

He introduced Fethas to a new way to wield her abilities. He showed her how to refine her control of living vines, revealing to her the method of feeding the bloodvines her own blood, which further bound them to her control. Indeed, Velarias’s forearms were wrapped with the tendrils, and he used these with great skill, lashing them out like whips, or using them to pull things towards himself.

After allowing her a brief amount of time to practice, Velarias lead Fethas away from the Bloodvine camp and deeper into the remote reaches of Felwood. After was seemed like hours, they came across another group of druids, ones Velarias confirmed as the remnants of Gamahn Ashvine’s Druids of the Flame. Velarias commented to Fethas the peculiarity of the situation. Ever since Ashvine’s death, the Druids of the Flame had scattered. Rarely were any of them found together anymore, as they believed themselves safer in hiding and isolation. To discover that they had been regrouping like this was worrisome to Thorngrasp.

“It’s because their master has returned,” Fethas responded simply.

Velarias turned to look at Fethas with shock. “How do you mean? You killed him ages ago, did you not?”

“I did,” Fethas kept her gaze on the others from her concealed position. “But he had been brought back to unlife by a demon.”

“A demon?” Velarias grumbled, but nodded his head. “Something you and your mate are hunting, I take it?”

Fethas merely nodded.

Still agitated at the news and eager to prevent the Druids of the Flame any semblance of peace, Velarais stepped open into the clearing and began the slaughter. The unexpected action gave Fethas pause, but the resulting combat forced her to reveal herself as well and join the fray. It was a short fight, with the enemy attempting to wield their flame, but utterly failing. Velarias seemed satisfied, if not a little concerned about the ease of victory.

“We were told of this place days ago,” he said as he surveyed the bodies. “The messenger was never seen, but the location was given clearly.”

“Someone wanted you to come here?”

Velarias grumbled as he nodded his head. “Yes. And now I believe I understand why. Come, we must return quickly!”

He bounded into a run, and Fethas chased after him. After winding through the corrupted paths of Felwood, they eventually made their way back to the Bloodvine camp.

It had been set ablaze.

Cursing, Velarias looked upon the flaming ruins for any survivors, but found none. He kept watch from a nearby tree, trying to see if any of the enemy still remained. He still found none.

“Well, at least they were just demons,” Fethas quipped dryly.

Velarias did not respond immediately, but when he did, his voice was grim. “Leave here, Fethas Ravenmoon. I will seek you out later, after I have … dealt with matters here.”

Silently, Fethas nodded and bounded off into the darkness.

Thursday 2/18/10: The Dreamform Monstrosity

After a few days of silence, Velarias Thorngrasp caught up with Fethas once more. He seemed more focused this time, more determined. The two immediately returned to Felwood, but avoided the burnt ruins of the satyr camp entirely. Indeed, no mention was made of the previous week’s events.

The two made their way to a barrow den, and Velarias revealed that this was where he used to sleep when the Emerald Dream was safe. Now, however, it had fallen to the warring forces of fel-corruption and the Nightmare. The druid said that the two overlapping magics weakened the veil here, and allowed easier entry into the Dream. Or rather—the Nightmare.

Removing a specially crafted artifact, Velarias and Fethas both focused their meditations before transitioning fully into the Dream realm. They were not asleep, however. No, they had transitioned wholly into the Nightmare, and now stood outside the barrow den which spewed forth a darkness akin to some goblin’s foul industrial machine. Velarias revealed to Fethas that this part of her training could prove to be familiar, but he did not elaborate.

The two descended into the tunnels of the den, the Nightmare Lashers seeming to ignore their presence as they skittered to the surface away from something below. Before long they heard a rythmic rumbling sound, as if some great beast slumbered. Curious, Fethas asked about the creature, but Velarias stayed silent until they reached the specific den in which the abomination rested.

“I destroyed that thing years ago,” Fethas stated adamantly, looking with disdain upon a creature made entirely of foliage.

Green vines formed the creature’s thick both, four legs supported it, but they did not end in toes. No, the legs tapered to sharp points—enlarged thorns shaped to look like claws. Upon the thing’s back wavered two vines with twisted blossoms upon the end. And the creatures face? It had no face, for the head of the beast sloped smoothy down to a toothy maw that hung open as the creature slept within this Nightmare. It looked as if someone had crafted a felhound from twisted nature.

Indeed, someone had.

“What you killed, Fethas Ravenmoon, was the physical incarnation of this creature.” Velarias explained. “Ashvine anchored each of his creations to the Emerald Dream when possible, and these were no exception. When you killed the body, the dreamform was freed to roam the Dream and sow destruction and havoc.”

Fethas turned to look at the Nightmare Warden doubtfully.

“I lured it here, to my own den, where I was able to subdue it. At the time I was not strong enough to kill the creature.”

“And now?” Fethas turned back to the slumbering beast, her felsight showing her the pulsating veins that ran through the monster’s body.

“Now? Now I’m more than capable.” Velarias spoke assuringly. “But I’m not the one who’s going to kill it, Fethas. You are.”

Fethas did not flinch at the admission, but simply nodded. “Show me what you learned.”

“Do you remember the artifact given to you by Xanathras?”

“The stick?”

“Yes … the stick,” Velarias bit back a comment. “Do you remember how you learned to shape it to your will?”

“Yes.”

“Good, for you will now merge the two disciplines.”

Velarias stepped towards Fethas, a length of vine hanging from his hands. Immediately the vine extended and straightened, darkening to the color of bark. The formerly smooth surface became sharp and cracked, and large thorns spiked out along its length.

“Learn to shape it. Creation of the Bloodthorn Spear can be a delicate matter. Focus and concentrate.”

Fethas did so, requiring a few attempts to force the vines now tied around her wrists to obey. Velarias watched and guided her as necessary before nodding satisfactorily.

“Defeat the creature. You will need to find its weakness, for the dreamforms are not as susceptible to injury as their physical forms are.”

Fethas turned towards the sleeping creature and advanced. However, the element of surprise was not to be hers, for the beast leaped to its claws as she drew close. It immediately charged, flailing its own whiplike tendrils and striking the walls with immense force. The demon huntress was able to dodge out of the way, but not before landing clumsily just outside of the beast’s path.

The battle between the nature abomination and the demon huntress lasted for long moments, as the creature charged her repeatedly. During one of the charges, however, Fethas was able to force the horror to tumble to its side, and it was there that she saw the thing’s point of weakness. A small glowing circle of runes was emblazoned upon the underside of the monstrosity’s stomach.

Planning her moves, she allowed the thing to regain its feet and charge her once more. Using the half-demon’s momentum against it, Fethas conjured a mass of roots from the ground which forced the monster to stumble again and go careening into the nearby wall. With the belly exposed again, Fethas leaped forward and thrust the spear into the center of the glowing runic circle.

The felhound-like creature screeched and flailed as  Fethas’s Bloodthorn Spear carved its way to the entity’s center. After only an instant, the thorns on the sides of the spear spiked outward, lengthening themselves in the blink of an eye and piercing the creature’s flesh from the inside out. All became silent as the glowing light of the runes faded to darkness.

Fethas stepped back, the Bloodthorn Spear snapping off at her wrist. Unexpectedly, she passed out.

* * *

Fethas awakened back at the Netherbane Site of Lessons with a rolled up piece of parchment next to her. It read:

Ravenmoon,

Never before have I seen someone wield the Bloodthorn Spear such as you did against Ashvine’s abomination. The capture of the entity’s soul—or rather, what amounts to the soul of such a beast—is something that only the most well-trained Druids of the Thorn can do. Your body was unused to the strain, and you lost consciousness.

I must prepare further for the next stage of your training, for this development was unexpected. I will return to you in a few days time. Until then, tell no one of what you have achieved.

-Velarias Thorngrasp

It’s been a rather busy couple of weeks, it seems. So much so that I’ve fallen behind on the Greyseer Edition Roleplay Reviews. So this post will actually cover the previous two weeks of events. Since there are two distinct plotlines happening in parallel, I will split this post accordingly. One will cover Laktuk’s training and binding, and another will cover Fethas’s training. Lannia’s recaps have already covered the events outside of these threads.

Also, since a reasonable amount of time has passed, please forgive me if this edition has a few inconsistencies. The ol’ memory ain’t what it used to be.

Finally, this week in particular has been kept purposefully quiet for RP to allow me the chance to catch up and catch my breath. Any specific RP events that happen this week will be recapped during my next post.

Monday 2/8/10: Pre-Binding Training

The evening faded into night at the Netherbane Site of Lessons as Tharion Greyseer looked over the meager collection of books. They were all that remained of his collection from his days as a scholar, salvaged from ruins long forgotten. The demon hunter willfully gave out these tomes where necessary in order to help those who could benefit from such knowledge, but he was far from careless with them.

Indeed, the mysterious priestess, Noctlis, was nearby once again. She appeared to be speaking to the Silverwing Sentinels, no doubt attempting to convert them to her controversial beliefs in the shadow aspect of Elune known to some as Umbra. Tharion wished to make certain that she had not seen fit to wander over to his shelf and remove any of his literature. The concept behind Umbra was not a new idea, nor was it one the priestess had a monopoly on. Tharion had a book or two on the subject, indeed, but nothing more than mere speculation.

The Greyseer’s thoughts changed as Laktuk strode up silently behind him. The death knight had recovered from her chaotic blinding ceremony and now sought further instruction down the path. Tharion, however, needed to discover more of what had truly happened during the ritual. The two spoke about the details, and Laktuk explained that she could almost feel another presence, as if a burning fire were encased in ice. Tharion explained what he knew to the undead half-orc woman as best as he could.

“The rituals were not crafted with an undead student in mind. There were … adjustments … required. In order for the fel energies to take hold, an anchor needed to be provided. I offered this anchor through the spirit of my former weapon, Felborne. Unbeknownst to me, however, there was an entity within that was much stronger than anticipated. Through the rituals, this demonic essence attached itself to you unexpectedly. He sought to escape his inanimate prison. This entity, this demon, believed you would be an easy vessel to overcome. It appears he was incorrect, yes?”

Laktuk, who sometimes made Tharion Greyseer appear like a bouncing gnome of emotion with her icy expressions, nodded her head in agreement. It was then that Tharion posed the question as he explained that this entity’s intrusion would complicate Laktuk’s upcoming binding.

“You have choice. You can choose to seek another demon to bind, and we will see if the chosen one is strong enough to overpower the intruder, or you can choose to lure the interloper out and bind him to your will, seeking to do what he wishes to do to you.”

Laktuk considered for a few moments. “What would you suggest, Shan’do? What would be the path of least folly?”

“A war on multiple fronts is folly, Laktuk. Were it I, the demon already bound would be used… would be taught a lesson.”

Laktuk nodded once more and accepted the answer. It was then that Tharion escorted her to nearby Satyrnaar once again in order to observe her developing abilities. It was quickly determined that she, and the demon within her, faced no challenge there. Thus, the two traveled to Outland to pay a visit to those remnants of the Illidari atop Karabor.

It was there that the sparring intensified, and Laktuk was able to truly face a few opponents who showed skill. While the surviving sin’dorei demon hunter initiates posed no threat, challenge was found with their night elven trainers who still maintained Illidan’s presence even in the face of his defeat. The Betrayer’s teachings still persisted, even after Varedis’s own destruction.

By the end of the evening, Laktuk admitted to feeling the demon’s rage much more strongly. It was then that the two returned to Shattrath, and Tharion gave Laktuk three crystals upon which to meditate.

“The green one represents the Enemy Without. This is the Burning Legion, the demons and enemies we face each day. They are our primary hunt, the beasts who die upon our blades. The red one is the Enemy Within. This represents how we see ourselves and how others choose to see us. We hunt this enemy as strongly as any other. The final one, the black crystal, is the Enemy Unseen. This is the unknown, that which can kill us the easiest, for we know not how it will strike. Outsiders fear us because they know not what we do. We fear ourselves because we know not how far we will go. Take three days, one day per crystal, and meditate upon these aspects of the hunter. As you do so, understanding will come.”

Tharion then dismissed Laktuk before making his way back to the Site of Lessons.

Monday 2/15/10: Binding Ritual

Laktuk approached Tharion once again at the Site of Lessons. Having fully meditated upon the stones she had been given, she believed herself ready to go through the altered binding ritual Tharion had prepared. The group, which consisted of Araatris, Fethas, and newcomer Kanashimi, made their way to the Site of Binding to “borrow” the power of the satyr artifact in Satyrnaar.

As the ritual commenced, the four present were pulled into the Realm of Meditation, a sliver of the Emerald Dream accessible through an abominable manipulation of fel magics, nature magics, and deep meditation. It was here that Tharion instructed Laktuk to lure out the demon that had attached itself to her during the blinding ritual.

The demon entity proved reclusive, however, avoiding direct confrontation. It wasn’t until it tried to move towards Kanashimi’s untainted dreamform that Laktuk was able to spring her trap. As this happened, Tharion executed the ritual proper and bound both the demon and Laktuk together. Now caged, the beast was finally controllable.

During the ritual, both Kharendos and Mauvanah’s sister, Delinah Silverleaf, arrived to observe. After the ritual, brief conversations were had before the group went their separate ways for the evening. Tharion reassured Laktuk that she was not on her own, and that her training will continue now that she had a permanent source of fel power locked within.