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Post by lighthawk on Jul 30, 2007 16:42:27 GMT -5
It all began the night the star fell from the infinite sky, bringing with it the unnamed terrors that sleep in the darkness above...
A terrible screaming roar had awoken the tribe, a sound that shook the bones and drove men and women in panic from their wooden huts to gaze in alarm at the ball of flame that streaked from the sky, lighting up the village as if the sun had risen in the middle of the night. It passed over head with a crack of thunder and in seconds had crossed the great expanse of the Deep forest and with a terrible force, smote the top of the Spineback mountain, breaking the tip off and continuing on to the other side of the mountain range.
The real trouble began three days later...
The hunts began to fail, hunters returning empty handed, or injured, or not at all. The few kills that were brought back were scrawny and had an odd taste. Bushes and trees that should have been ripe with berries and fruit started to wither. Tools new and old broke, huts collapsed or became infected with bugs, stored food spoiled or was over run with vermin. A bad omen had settled over the village, and their guardian spirits seemed unable to protect them. Within a month, a fourth of the village was dead, and half of those that remained were sick or injured to the point of helplessness. It seemed that they were doomed to die.
Then the village shaman found their last hope...
Gathering together what able bodied men and women remained, the shaman explained that the doom that had fallen on their village was the wrath of evil spirits brought to earth by the falling star. These spirits of the world above brought with them bad luck and ill fortune, and a malice against all things living. They could not be driven away by the strength of the guardian totems alone. Only by finding, and destroying, the fallen star, the source of the evil one's power, could the spirits be banished. And thus, with the blessing of the protective totems, he called out the names of those that had been selected for this, greatest of all hunts...
Night was just beginning to fall, and towering flames rose from the central cooking fire. A circle of nervous villagers stood around the fire, all eyes on the disfigured form of the shaman. He had told them of the doom that befallen, and spoken of their only hope. A handless stump of an arm rose out of the thick fur cloak that hid most of his body. It reached for the sky, and a shudder ran through the watching crowd as he spoke words none of them knew, for they were words of power that only the shaman dared to utter. As he spoke, it seemed that they could almost see the hand the shaman had cut from his wrist, sacrificing that part of himself to the spirit world, so that he could interact with the place where the spirits dwelt. The spectral hand clenched into a tight fist, and the shaman's arm shook as if he was trying to pull something away that was being held tight. He yanked, and he cried out. " The Hawk shall go on the hunt! She shall take Aiyana to be her vessel!" His faced turned towards the woman he had just named, and his eye blazed at her, while the empty socket that had held his other eye seemed to draw her into it. The eye, like his hand, had been sacrificed, so that he could see into the spirit world, and in that moment, Aiyana felt she caught a glimpse of that unfathomable place in his missing eye. His handless arm rose again, and again he struggled and pulled and cried out, " The Coyote shall go on the hunt! He will take Vinanti to be his vessel!" Again, the scarred face turned to regard the woman he had named, and she too felt the awesome might of his gaze, and the endless void of his empty socket. " The Deer shall go on the hunt! He will take Coda to be his vessel!" " The Dragonfly shall go on the hunt! She will take Krenaian to be her vessel!" The other half of the chosen were also subjected to the shaman's powerful gaze as he called out their names.
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Post by Rekona on Jul 30, 2007 19:03:56 GMT -5
Vinanti's black eyes had remained downcast, long lashes shading them from the intensity of the fire at the communal center. The scent of burning wood seemed to sear her insides in the way a ginger root tea incinerates the illness in the throat. There was nothing new in the kindling nor the fuel, she knew that. The Shaman's mantra added that scent. The healer was filled with pity for those that were to be chosen, banished from their home towards an unknown evil.
As the intensity of the ceremony heightened, Vinanti felt her body resonating with the power summoned down to their circle. Her head fell back with a gasp. The spirit world was not familiar territory for the tanned woman, but the earth cried out its song to the shaman's call and that was something she had learned to listen to. It hummed, speaking of its pain and pleading to the old, scarred man for his help, for the help of her tribe. It was so sad, so desperate, the song of nature. The trees reached out their hands in prayer and the flowers bowed their heads in reverence of the spirits they desired mercy from.
Suddenly her blood ran cold, stopping right where they sat in her veins. Her guardian summoned her gaze toward her leader and gaze she did, right into the hallow darkness of his skull that held all the wisdom of her people. Vinanti didn't hear her name being called, her very heart was pulled into the open, tossed into the strong scented fire. She felt exposed and humbled, her fears and doubts hovering in the air, reflected in her wide eyes and spoken in whispered words from her still lips. The woman knelt, bowing her head in respect, rocks piercing the tender flesh of her knees and elbows, her forehead too pressed into the harsh, barren ground.
"My body, mind, and soul I give to your service." She spoke at a hushed murmur.
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Rogue Girl
Novice
Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all.
Posts: 40
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Post by Rogue Girl on Jul 30, 2007 20:12:35 GMT -5
Aiyana felt a small shudder run down her body as the Shaman announced her name, his eye-less gaze revealing a small glimpse of her purpose. A small smile twitched at the corner of her mouth as she clenched her fist purposefully, only listening half-heartedly as he called the other names.
"Makya... They will soon pay... guide me in the destruction of the evil that killed." Aiyana thought, picturing her husband in her mind as she stared into the fire, any fear in the task that lay before them was overshadowed by her overwhelming desire to destroy the evil that plagued them.
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Post by Caelen on Jul 31, 2007 0:06:55 GMT -5
Seeing the spectral hand and eye of the shaman clearly, Krenaian nodded towards him as his name was called. He had expected nothing less. Being one of that last of those chosen by the dragonfly, he knew his spirit sight would be useful on this hunt. He came closer to the fire, and knelt down on one knee. Bowing as low as his raised knee, he spoke words of power that few besides the shaman knew. He had called on the sight of the dragonfly to aid him in this hunt, the most important of all for the village. "If, by my life or death, I can right the wrongs of that foul light, I will do so gladly." He stood, and handed the shaman a pendant. The pendant was that of a shaman-to-be. The message was clear. The shaman was to choose a second pupil to teach, though the dragonfly would have aided Krenaian in accomplishing spiritual feats without the need for such sacrifice as the shaman had done.
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Post by Rosy on Jul 31, 2007 14:53:08 GMT -5
Coda looked up, shocked, as her name was called. For a second, she thought there had to be a mistake; apparently the tribe members did too. She could hear them whispering about how she didn't belong, about how she wasn't really part of the tribe. It hurt, expecially since the rumor going around about how she might be the cause of star; that the gods were punishing the village for saving someone who was supposed to die fourteen years ago.
Instead of being flamboyant about being chosen, Coda stuck with a respectful bow, not wanting anyone to think that she had actually thought she was going to be chosen. But the bow didn't do much. The snickers reached her ears in seconds.
They were suddenly silenced by the actions of Krenaian; such a bold move to make in front of the village. Coda was moved. For someone to risk their place in the village, she found him to be very brave.
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Post by lighthawk on Jul 31, 2007 16:28:26 GMT -5
The shaman grunted at Krenaian, but he slipped the pendant under his cloak. With a jerk of his head, he indicated that Krenaian should follow as he moved away from the fire. The shaman's normal hand waved towards each of the other chosen to do the same. The fire light dwindled as he lead them out of the village, and the darkness crept up around them, held back weakly by the small torch the shaman had grabbed on his way out. The path he lead them on was one that was seldom traveled by any but the shaman. It lead to the Spirit Cave, a place of great power and danger. The cave was not far, yet it was a more isolated and seemingly distant location from the village then any other in the land. The path lead through a thick gathering of trees, which hid the gaping maw of the cave until they were practically inside of it. Thick jagged rocks hung from above and jutted up from below. It looked like nothing so much as a giant, gaping mouth of stone. Few but the shaman ever went in, none spoke of what they had seen inside, and no one asked them for details; the white, shaken looks of those few who came back from the cave was enough to kill curiosity. The shaman stopped at the mouth of the cave, peering inside. It was completely black, as if a wall of darkness stopped the light of the torch from entering. He turned to look at the four chosen hunters. " Leave everything, you can bring nothing but yourself before the spirits," he commanded in a calm voice that none-the-less carried a force of will behind it that would stand for no questioning. Following his own order, he planted the torch into the earth before the cave, and shrugged off his cloak and loincloth before entering. " The right hand wall will guide you through the darkness, if your courage holds. Do not let go of the wall, no matter what you may hear. Dark spirits may try to trick you with sounds, and if you wander off into the cave, you will be lucky to make it out again." With that, he placed his hand against the rock, and vanished into the blackness.
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Post by Rekona on Jul 31, 2007 18:08:57 GMT -5
Frowning, Vinanti set her sets of herbs delicately on the floor near the shaman's torch. She disliked parting with such blessed things, but if it was necessary, so be it. Reaching up, she unfastened the decorative clip in her hair, the ebony locks tumbling over her face when finally freed from their prison. She glanced over at the others. An esteemed warrior, a widow, a foreigner, and a healer. The spirits knew more than mere mortal flesh, but the woman felt they may have been mistaken. Her face flushed suddenly. In such a sacred place, it was not her right to doubt. Instead she stripped herself of her soft leather and fur clothing, laying them with care next to her medicines. Holding her head high, she set her hand, splayed fingers, against the cold, moist stone. She prayed silently for strength of will and body then entered the portal to the mysteries of the spirits.
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Post by Rosy on Jul 31, 2007 20:14:16 GMT -5
Coda stared into the darkness, unsure of what to do. With a sigh, she took off her pendant and placed it near the wall where she would find it again. Turning away from the others who remained, she took off her clothing, folding it carefully and putting it into a neat pile. She knelt briefly, saying a quick prayer to her totem and then slipped her hair from her bun. With a deep breath, she walked into the dark, both hands gripping the wall in fear.
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Post by Caelen on Aug 1, 2007 1:12:43 GMT -5
Krenaian did not hesitate to leave his belongings at the mouth of the cave. He had come here only once before, but the shaman had explained what must be done to enter before. Calling on his spirit guide, he placed his hand on the wall of the cave and stepped into the blackness. Soon he could see the shadows of dark spirits moving within the cave, though he never caught more than a glimpse.
Seeing the form of a person before him, Krenaian called out softly to see if it was a trick of his eyes or if in fact it was Vinanti or Coda before him. "I am Krenaian. What name does the form before me go by?"
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Post by lighthawk on Aug 1, 2007 7:21:45 GMT -5
The darkness in the cave was utter and complete, so black that it stole away all sense of the world. Only the smooth, cold wall allowed for some sort of connection, kept the sense of nothingness from being overwhelming. As they shuffled slowly along the wall, shapes even darker than the impossible blackness seemed to creep along at the edges of vision. They could almost be seen, but never if anyone tried to. Krenaian's call fell into the cave with a muffled tone, it did not echo back. Minutes or hours or perhaps days later, a sense of light ahead could be seen. It glowed not with the dancing light of fire, but a steady, unwavioring light. The arch of a small passage could be seen, just high enough for a person to walk through with their head bowed low.
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Rogue Girl
Novice
Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all.
Posts: 40
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Post by Rogue Girl on Aug 1, 2007 22:24:24 GMT -5
Aiyana dragged her hand on the wall, clinging onto it now as if it were life itself as she walked with the others through the cave. Her eyes were locked on the light before them as she continued on, offering up no resistance to the tug of her fate. Aiyana had accepted her fate to fight these forces long ago and had already chosen to give herself entirely to it.
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Post by Caelen on Aug 2, 2007 0:38:27 GMT -5
Krenaian watched the humanoid shadow move away from the wall. He hoped that it really was just a spirit, for he could not afford to allow himself to be taken into the darkness. He would also regret not saving the figure if it turned out to be one of the group. As he went further, he saw the light at the apparent end of the tunnel. Reaching the archway leading to the light, he paused.
Closing his eyes, he brought to mind a memory of his past. The carefree life of his childhood was barely left in his mind, but it was still there. "I will not forget you..." he muttered, then stepped into the light.
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Post by Rosy on Aug 2, 2007 22:46:49 GMT -5
A breeze passed through the cave, though from where Coda had no idea. She shivered and was tempted to remove her hand from the wall to provide more heat before she remembered what the shaman had said. With a sigh, she continued forward, inching delicately closer and closer to where ever it was they were going. Coda wasn't sure why she was picked by the shaman, and it bothered her. Lately, all of her thoughts revolved around it. The others were obvious choices; Vinanti was a healer, Aiyana was a woman with a vengence, and Krenaian... Coda smiled thinking of him. He had always struck her as a kinder person, one who didn't really care too much about social status. She would never admit it out loud, but she had always had a slight crush on him. It wasn't just the fact she liked his looks, he was a very intellegant person in Coda's opinion, but the looks really did boost his rating. She floated back into reality as she saw the light grow closer. Her eyes ached as they adjusted to the sudden change of lighting. Shielding her eyes with her free hand, she slowly approached the light. She took a deep breath, and walked in. ((Yeah, sorry if you don't want him to have a crush, GG! I was just trying to flesh out my post a bit ))
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Post by lighthawk on Aug 3, 2007 7:21:17 GMT -5
The cave became a small, domed room glowing by a light that seemed to have no source. It was dim, but after the darkness of the cave before, it might as well have been the sun by comparison. Four round, flat stones a foot across sat in a neat row on the floor. Each one had a small leather bag sitting on it, the symbol of one of the four chosen's totem on each. The shaman ordered them to kneel before the stone with their totem. " These bags, hold gifts from your totems inside. These are powerful tools, the like of which have rarely ever been given to mortals. It is a true sign of the seriousness of our plight, that the spirits give you such blessings."
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Post by Caelen on Aug 3, 2007 11:35:06 GMT -5
((It's no problem at all ^^ who knows...I might even play a heterosexual character this time XD ))
Krenaian knelt in front of the dragonfly totem. He watched as the others knelt before their respective totems. Then, bowing his head to his totem, he allowed his spirit guide to move his hands towards the bag. He considered it to be rude to simply take the bag, so he waited for the dragonfly herself to close his hands around it. He thanked the dragonfly for the gift, then peered into the bag, wondering what could be inside it.
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