the Rift


The Gauntlet [MYRDDIN]

Chernobyl Posts: 134
Outcast atk: 6 | def: 9.5 | dam: 4
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16 hh :: Nine | Tallsun HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
Psilo
#1
[Image: 50c3cfe45dfd7]

Chernobyl

Glowing light emerged from the fog of the Basin and scrawny, misted, fingers reached out along its borders as if demons lurk beyond in the darkness of everything unknown. The land possessed a dark magic that seemed to brew from the heart and expand outward, though it seemed timeless and old, if even very weak. Tiny specks of white light seemed to linger across the ground like a path that was meant to be followed, though Chernobyl avoided such dangers and continued idly toward the heart of the land. It beat with a pulsing devilry that wrapped around her own heart and cooled it with a simplistic ease that was altogether unknown to her tender senses. Cracked lips parted to breath in the pungent scent of the mire, though it turned her stomach with nausea. The slab not only assaulted her faculty but her cleft feet as well. It gathered around her heal and slicked up above her toes before suckling under her weight, destined to repeat itself eternally until her movements had paused or stopped altogether.

This strange new home welcomed her in such a queer way, Chernobyl had nothing left to do but open her blackened sightlessness to this miraculous world of wonder. She felt as if she could get lost among the dark trees, where no one would be able to find her until she felt ready. It wasn’t an awful idea anyhow… though she doubted her new plight to rise above the ashes would find success in such seclusion.

Admonishing herself for the thought, she moved on, enchanted by the sullen atmosphere of the Basin and all that it offered to a broken heart such as herself. Opening her mind to all of the possibilities, if only for a short time after such a long while, she imagined how it would feel to rise from her lowly pedestal and into the high sky of brilliance. Such a longing formed in her gut that seemed to possess her wholly into closing twin black inkwells to the world and dreaming false dreams of glory. There is no glory for you here, return to me…

It was a mere sickening whisper upon the quite breeze, but it caused her to tremble despite the new warmth of Birdsong. Her mother’s vision invaded her mind once more, adoring kisses that turned into passionate love so ill-warranted by her only child. Incestuous fantasies haunted her daily, though now the old mare was a mere temptress to the devil himself. Chernobyl assumed that the horned demon had allowed her mother’s pleading to go on long enough before he finally blessed her with a few parting words that were not so much parting any longer. The bitch had never left and still lingered within her mind, in her heart, and upon her tongue… Life for life, she knew that the haunting would persist until she had taken her last breath. Save me… she thought into the open air, but she was not graced with response, only the quiet rustling of the trees in the breeze.

Around her, the world seemed to close around her and panic set in before there was anything left to say. Her spindly legs stretched before her, unsure of where to run. After all, no amount of running would bring her solace. Instead she froze, a gaunt statuette of the dead, the only thing of any definition being the long twisted horn that sat atop her face, thorns protruding out in ominous warning. To come close could mean pain of the physical nature… though mentally, the mare was capable of infecting those just as she had been ailed by such a horrendous upbringing.

Let me be free! she screamed silently, hoping that one day she would find redemption.

But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made
As you turn, you take your heart and walk away


crushed and filled with all I found
underneath and inside, just to come around
more, give me more, give me more


pixel is by RELI<3


  • Feel free to magic on her, but no murder.

Myrddin Posts: 115
Deceased
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17 :: Old
Aud
#2
 Myrddin</style>



Myrddin was lingering near the Hot Springs, enjoying the humid air, and the way it calmed the tightness he felt in his limbs. He had taken his morning bath, but long enough ago that his pristine white coat had dried nicely. There were still wounds on his forelegs and chest, but those were in the process of healing. Perhaps they would even scar? What a pity that Myrddin was far past the age where scars could be used as tools to woo young mares. He cackled at the thought; the only organ of his which could be stimulated nowadays, was his mind, for his body had grown too old, and too useless to dwell on the pleasures of the flesh.

The stillness of the Basin was broken by the sound of frantic footfalls on the rocky terrain. Myrddin furrowed his brow, causing the wirey hair there to knit together. His large moose-like ears swivelled to catch the direction of the sound, as his milky sightless gaze stared useless out into the distance. He had created a fairly accurate mental map of the Basin and the surrounding areas, the Steppe and the Arch. As he focused on the sound, he decided it was either a mare, or a young colt, but decided on the former, due to the sound of ragged breathing. Myrddin tilted his head, carefully pondering the audible clues that he was given, to portray this new arrival on his mental map. He was almost certainly taller than she, but not by much, by the distance between each of her strides. And she was probably a Unicorn, for if she weren't, surely she would have been forcible removed by now. And although she was running, Myrddin didn't hear a pursuer.

Suddenly, she halted. Myrddin snorted, straining to hear anything which might give him an indication of what had caused her to cease to abruptly. Receiving no clues, he tossed his head impatiently, causing his long and tattered beard to jovial bounce up and down. "Who's there, then? Say something would you!" Uncertainly, he waited for a response, turning his head from side, to side, listening for the smallest sound to indicate where she was. Being blind, had become ever so tiresome. But this part of his day had been scheduled for quiet meditation; his hunt to complete his quest was not until later. He flicked his long white tail, as he waited.



Chernobyl Posts: 134
Outcast atk: 6 | def: 9.5 | dam: 4
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16 hh :: Nine | Tallsun HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
Psilo
#3
[Image: 50c3cfe45dfd7]

Chernobyl

His voice was a shock wave that erupted her eardrums and shook her core visibly as she shuttered to a halt. Her bones cracked and squealed in protest and her legs seemed to buckle before straightening at the knee. Inky eyes observed him with obvious interest as he seemed to gaze right through her and without judgment. She pondered it for a moment before glaring into the sightless eyes of the pallid titan. They were seemingly bottomless and cold, as if the snows of frost fall had colored them with ice and frozen their gaze eternally. She sympathized him, wondering what it must be like to conquer the world without image, without faces to the voices, without sources to ominous noise… She remained quiet in his presence, merely looking and trying to “see”, trying to understand him. However, obligation pulled the tender words from her dry throat. “Chernobyl, recent Basin recruit should the notion interest you.

The words were cool and reluctant, as if she were straining from the weight of the world upon her shoulders, and perhaps she was, but this was not the time to encourage curiosity from such a haggard creature. He wore scars upon his skin and they tattered the otherwise immaculate robe he wore. They were complete opposites, the two. One black and one white, one right and on wrong… She didn’t delve into further thought on the matter and simply sat idly in the rather uncomfortable silence, wondering what their discourse would bring.

In sullen unease, the mare shifted forward, testing the stallion’s range of vision or rather the lack thereof. Drawing closer, she bumped her muzzle against his neck, remaining there until he had the chance to scout her just as she had done to him. Something about the old male calmed her despite their strange meeting. He was certainly nothing like her mother, not in the least and this allowed her to lower the walls that guarded her shattered heart. His scent was earthy like the forest and clung to the inside of her nostrils until she looked away from his shoulder, wondering nervously how he might react to her bold actions.


But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made
As you turn, you take your heart and walk away


crushed and filled with all I found
underneath and inside, just to come around
more, give me more, give me more


pixel is by RELI<3


  • Feel free to magic on her, but no murder.

Myrddin Posts: 115
Deceased
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17 :: Old
Aud
#4
 Myrddin</style>


I'll tell you one thing about being blind: it's harder to gauge the passage of time. After Myr's large ears heard the mare come to a grinding halt, it felt like minutes had passed before she finally spoke, when really it had only been a few seconds. The stillness of the Basin seemed to have been turned on surround-sound in his mind all of a sudden, until it was broken by her small voice. recent Basin recruit, should that interest you. Was she sulking? Myrddin couldn't tell, but he thought he heard some self-pity in her voice. Her expression surely would have told him, if only he was able to see. Gods be damned, he couldn't wait to fulfill the damned quest that he was on, and regain some semblance of sight.

"Chernobyl.." Myrddin spoke her name, as if tasting it on his lips. "Sounds like something sweet-tasting. I am Myrddin. Or Myr, if you prefer. Haruspex of the Aurora Basin." His voice was leathery, but not un-kind sounding. He waited to hear her say something like please to meet you or, what's a Haruspex?, but instead he heard nothing; the black wall that was his visual reality gave him nothing. Suddenly, rather than hearing her voice, he felt her touch: Her muzzle pressed against his neck. He shivered pleasurably as he felt the softness of her muzzle against his ancient hide. Mentally the blob that he pictured her as was taking form. She was tall for a mare, only a few inches shorter than he was, by where her muzzle touched him. Unless she was reaching up, but the angle didn't feel right. And Unicorn, that was solidified when she said that she was a part of the Basin now.

He blew softly from his nose, gathering her scent while she was still close. She smelled of youth, of vigour and sweat. He sensed something odd about her though...the way she greeted him, her decision to place her muzzle against him. As she pulled away, his sightless gaze followed her, now that he was able to place her in his mind-map. Some trauma, most likely. He surmised that it was likely a physical trauma, with someone very close to her...That would explain her inhibition of touching a stranger in an oddly intimate way. His great mind cared little about what had happened, he was only concerned with how it would affect her, if it had made her different. Those were the types of things he found really fascinating. Just as a Phoenix rises from the ashes, what sort of creature rose in Chernobyl?

"What brings you here, youngling?" He asked ambiguously, not indicating whether he literally meant right here, or the Basin, or simply to Helovia.



Chernobyl Posts: 134
Outcast atk: 6 | def: 9.5 | dam: 4
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16 hh :: Nine | Tallsun HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
Psilo
#5
[Image: 50c3cfe45dfd7]

Chernobyl

The comfortable silence between them was something that could not be mimicked with anyone other. It seemed that while the shaded mare preferred the company of the aged stallion, she was also anxious to see their meeting end, as sullen unease crept into her heart. She was yet so unsure of everything and everyone that isolation was almost a friend of hers. Though, thoughts of such negative orient were exchanged for those of light, exuberance. She wanted to laugh at Myrddin’s response, or perhaps cry because he had spoken so illegitimately of her nature. Something sweet, she was not, and she was sure he mother had never intended such an angelic name for her either. But she smiled, knowing it was something that he would be unable to see or hear. Perhaps she could tolerate him after all. In a sense, his blindness made him all the better, thereby making it impossible to look upon the black eyes of the devil’s spawn. In this, Chernobyl found comfort and instead of running, she decided to stay, though she could not explain why.

I’m quite certain that Chernobyl has nothing to do with consumables and at that, nothing sweet.” Another smile that looked unwelcome on her dark features. It was as if a storm were constantly brewing inside and the thunder was unending- she was havoc at its best and still so very ignorant of her power.

She looked away from the milky eyes that attempted to see right through her and groped for the right response. A Haruspex; this was something entirely new to her vocabulary. She questioned what exactly he was entitled to under such a rank but was hesitant to ask. Though after a few more moments of unbidden silence, she drew from herself a breathless request. “A Haruspex… someone with knowledge I would assume, as being a warrior is clearly not your strong suit. How did you come by such a title? Or does it only come with age…?” This made her wonder, was there a way that she could acquire such a rank herself? After a time of mulling this over, she turned back to her unseeing companion, clearly distracted by ideas of ambition and success. She sought to overcome her past and she was sure that she knew how to do it, if she had help that it.

I’ve come… to forget things that are well meant to be forgotten.” Her answer had been cut and dry, as she had no desire to share her life story with the stranger. Perhaps after some time, she would color his picture for him, but it seemed so wrong now, as if she were seeking pity. And that was the last thing she wanted anyone to give her… she only wanted equality and a sense of belonging… and power.

[ooc: yuck…]


But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made
As you turn, you take your heart and walk away


crushed and filled with all I found
underneath and inside, just to come around
more, give me more, give me more


pixel is by RELI<3


  • Feel free to magic on her, but no murder.

Myrddin Posts: 115
Deceased
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17 :: Old
Aud
#6
 Myrddin</style>


I’m quite certain that Chernobyl has nothing to do with consumables and at that, nothing sweet.

Myrddin smirked with amusement, but also a tinge of annoyance. This mare reminded him of another barbed unicorn, Sorcha. She too had deflected his compliments, and yet this was not even a compliment. He was merely commenting on her name. For the life of him, he really couldn't understand why the trend with being so hostile and cold seeming, was taking over all the mares. He didn't find it to be an expression of strength, but actually quite the opposite. He found mares who were so guarded and quick to reject a compliment, actually quite cowardly and insecure seeming. Then again, without his sight, his judgement of such things could be skewed, so he neglected to comment.

A Haruspex… someone with knowledge I would assume, as being a warrior is clearly not your strong suit. How did you come by such a title? Or does it only come with age…?

At this, Myrddin laughed heartily, shaking his old head with gay amusement. Oh the assumptions of the young..."If you would think that young-one, then maybe it is best that only the very old typically hold this position. He was not insulted by her comments, as one younger than he might have been. And why was him being a warrior out of the question? Was his body not riddled with scars? Was his site not taken from him? Only a few knew how that actually came to pass; how could this mare know that it had not come as the result of a battle? In truth, Myrddin had fought and won many a battle. True, in his latter days guiding those in power more suited him, but he would not run from a battle. "Age helps insofar that I have a deeper understanding and relationship with the God's. I have seen enough of this vast world to understand the implications and images that they give me." He replied, fully answering her question, once his laughter had subsided.

I’ve come… to forget things that are well meant to be forgotten. At this, Myr's features grew stern and hard. "Nothing is meant to be forgotten, youngling." He reprimanded, his voice unyielding and his reply quick. "She who forces her mind to forget, is doomed to relive the same mistakes of her past, for all eternity." Was this was the mare had shirked his compliment? Because she had a troubled past? Don't we all? he thought coldly. Was this the trend of the mares, that he had wondered about earlier? This was the disease which they all shared, that they thought they were special in their suffering? That they are too weak to fast their past, so they necessarily close it off, becoming mute to the lessons it could teach? Flatly, Myrddin waited for the mare to reply.

[OOC: Sorry I'm so late!]



Chernobyl Posts: 134
Outcast atk: 6 | def: 9.5 | dam: 4
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16 hh :: Nine | Tallsun HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
Psilo
#7
[Image: 50c3cfe45dfd7]

Chernobyl

She was impatient, as always, seething at the bit as if there were something always pressing upon her mind. Perhaps she felt retrained, ever falling into the darkest pits of despair that clung to her heels and dragged her downwards. So what if memories haunted her, did she cry mercilessly at night? Was there one face that could claim to see her tears? Of course not. They were nonexistent, an action never carried out, something never finished. Perhaps it was why she felt incomplete. There were things she sought, things she aspired to do and had yet to begin due to the hold on her life, the pause that kept her motionless for years until new life was granted with the passing of another. Was it so wrong that she remain without grief, without respect for another that had chained her to the hells of a common slave? She didn’t believe so. In fact, she felt glorious, sprouting anew from her past like a small flower, urgent for warmth, for life.

Did it make her wrong?

Myrddin’s milky expression was unwavering, stilling her superfluous thoughts to a mere trickle as he spoke out, soothing the hurt that brewed in the wells of her heart. It seemed that it was not so easy to forgive and forget and perhaps he would know nothing of the matter, but she was still enamored by him just the same. She was brimming with curiosity, eager to learn, to grow, to prosper… She didn’t see this as a weakness and surely wouldn’t understand anyone who thought otherwise. Her gaze met his, though he wouldn’t see the determination in her eyes, the blooming hope for change. He would not understand her because she would never let him. But, that was no fault of his own, if anything, it was her choice- a decisions made to avoid sympathy and piteous extensions of word. Her matters were her own and she was dealing with them in the only way she knew how.

I find such knowledge unfathomable, as it is ever-growing, ever succeeding… But perhaps I could someday obtain it as you’ve done.” If ever a thing had interested her, this was it- a looming desire that begged for more, asked for redemption, a change of scenery. Given the chance, she would strive just the same to assume this old stallion’s role, after all… everyone lives and everyone dies, it would only be a matter of time until the position was left unfilled. How convenient would it be for her to be inducted alongside the old brute, mentoring beneath his old wisdom and learning from his flaws.

If the Gods would have it, I should repeat each mistake until they are satisfied in my suffering. Though, all banter aside, I only wonder if you would be willingly to teach me-” She pauses, lacing a pretentious gaze upon the Haruspex, clearly hopeful, even if he cannot see the emotion welling in her eyes. “-to mentor me to become as wise as you, to become a Haruspex.” Would this accomplishment fill the extravagant void in her chest, fill it with worth? She could only hope that he would agree, look upon her persistence as value, and find a diamond amongst the rough.


[ooc: I wanted to get this headed in the right direction LOL, sorry I took forever!]

But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made
As you turn, you take your heart and walk away


crushed and filled with all I found
underneath and inside, just to come around
more, give me more, give me more


pixel is by RELI<3


  • Feel free to magic on her, but no murder.

Myrddin Posts: 115
Deceased
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17 :: Old
Aud
#8
 Myrddin</style>



I find such knowledge unfathomable, as it is ever-growing, ever succeeding… But perhaps I could someday obtain it as you’ve done

In his day, the job of the young was to listen, to observe and understand their surroundings. Now, here was the youngling rambling on as if she even knew anything about the world. Well, we'll shall see..."Knowledge is not ever-growing. The world is as it is, there is a fixed truth to everything. The only thing that changes, Chernobyl, is our understanding of it." He snorted, his word not unkind towards the mare. "Wise are those who are knowledge seekers, and understand the depth of that which they do not know. Trust those who search for knowledge, but be skeptical of those who say they have found it."

His tail flicked as he finished speaking, his mind briefly flickering to thoughts of Chester, the would-be cat. He was the only inhabitant of Helovia he had met so far with his philosophical bearings in order - and yet everyone thought him mad. Surely that's where I'm headed Myr thought dismally, turning back to Chernobyl. If this was the state of the youth these days, if this sort of chatter was considered wisdom and knowledge, then his place here would be obsolete. Unless...

If the Gods would have it, I should repeat each mistake until they are satisfied in my suffering. Though, all banter aside, I only wonder if you would be willingly to teach me...to mentor me to become as wise as you, to become a Haruspex

With effort, Myrddin ignored her self-depricating quip to the God's. Had she even met any of the God's? And yet she would blindly put her life in their hands? What did she care of their satisfaction? The young... He thought with frustration. Believing in idols they had not even met! But even so, the mare had said the very words he was waiting to hear: to become a Haruspex. Myrddin would not give up an opportunity to teach. He nodded, swiftly and deftly. "Your first task, shall be to answer a riddle. This will allow me to judge your cognitive skills in areas in which you are unfamiliar - Your reasoning will be just as important as your answer. Come by tomorrow, at midday, and we shall begin."

[OOC: Hooray. I'll make a new thread, because I think we have one other disciple :P Good luck. There really will be a riddle :P]





Chernobyl Posts: 134
Outcast atk: 6 | def: 9.5 | dam: 4
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16 hh :: Nine | Tallsun HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
Psilo
#9
ooc| Thank you Aud! Myr is amazing! Made Chern look like a dummy ;P But that's why she need his help!

crushed and filled with all I found
underneath and inside, just to come around
more, give me more, give me more


pixel is by RELI<3


  • Feel free to magic on her, but no murder.


Forum Jump:


RPGfix Equi-venture