"Amirah Froststorm"
"Amirah Froststorm"
"Amirah Froststorm"
She chanted her name like a mantra even as the cold water embraced and swallowed her. It didn't take long till she hit the bottom of the murky water and began sinking into the silt and ooze. She was the speed, the wind, the hurricane, but with her hands and legs shackled, she was powerless to do anything but struggle and sink into the muck. She had already tried to scream and let the water drown her, but that damn necklace was keeping her alive. All she could do was keep calm and try to retain any sense of self she had left.
"Amirah Froststorm"
"Amirah Frosts.."
"Amirah F.."
Bits and pieces of her life flashed before her as the darkness embraced her. Her carefree young life in the wilderness of Arborea. The attentions of a score of handsome Eladrin suitors. The wisdom of her father teaching her the sword and the bow. The tense feelings of her first victorious battle against demons. Her first love when she met the handsome hero Kelvan. Her joy at being accepted in his band. The warm glow she felt whenever he gently teased her by calling her 'Firestorm'. She felt them slip away and she desperately tried to clutch them before they completely faded.
Despite slowly losing her memories, she oddly retained a detached knowledge of everything. Her decades of hunting demons and then being an Arborean Huntsman taught her that the River Styx was draining her sense of self, her sense of being Amirah. Obero….Ober….the Tulani noble threw her in the murky waters of the dark river to erase not only her memory, but everyone else's memory of her. Soon it would have been if she had not existed, all her friends and comrades would forget about her, all her deeds would go unnoticed, her name a simple overlooked footnote in the history of Arborea.
As the bright spots of her life dimmed in her mind, the ugly hurtful ones bubbled up to the surface. The first time she witnessed the horrors of demons invading her home. The sacrifice of her father while he defended Arborea against them. The spurned feeling when she realized Kelvan saw her no more as a comrade in battle. The despair when he was ripped apart by Vilehorn. Even these snippets of the dark times were valuable to her. She clawed at them and tried to drag them back to her before they too faded.
She knew that nothing could survive long in the dark river unprotected. The amulet that….Tulan..Tul…that Eladrin placed on her neck would prolong her suffering, but in the end she would be a mindless husk stuck for eternity in the mud of the Styx. Her warband would replace her. Her only friend Fiaw…Fi….the snake woman would forget about her. Even the Court of Stars would regard her simply as an empty name that served without any notable distinction. All her past heroics would be blown away like leaves in the wind.
"Amira…."
"Amir…."
"Am…"
Her light was almost extinguished now. She couldn't even remember her name now. The agonies of a lifetime of regrets were painfully revealed to her, now that her soul was stripped bare. She wanted to have known her father better before he died. There were so many words unsaid between them. Kelv..Kel….the hero she never confessed her feelings to. The emptiness of never knowing truly if he felt the same about her. Fia…Fia…she always joked that the snake woman had left her, but that wasn't the case. It was the other way around. The snake woman continued her life while she was still lost in revenge. The realization of the loneliness of her existence, knowing she never really opened her heart to anyone.
"….."
"….."
"….."
There was nothing left now. Not only had the memory of her own life vanished but she could feel her existence vanish from the thoughts of others as well. The Court of Stars would replace her, another name to an endless list of forgotten soldiers. Her friend the snakewoman wouldn't be able to remember her name , face, or the time they shared. She could even feel the hatred of the Eladrin that put her here fade. His wrath for her fulfilled like a brief hunger would be satisfied with a piece of toast in the morning.
Her body seemed to have hit bottom and stopped sinking in the muck. All was gone now. Her personal thoughts were blank save for one small flame that still illuminated the darkness of her stolen memories. A kiss. A handsome white skinned stranger staring into her eyes. His eyes were cold, but they were alive with life. A single moment of passion decades ago, that felt more true and honest than anything else. She couldn't remember the man's name, but she did recall warning him to never meet again. It was another regret, but she embraced it none the less. It was the last thing she held onto in her murky tomb.
"Wait…you can't remember a thing?" asked Reinhardt with a growing annoyance in his voice. They were a fair distance away from the auction, but the faux tiefling could already feel eyes on his back. His little show of power was a bit over the top, and he knew it would hurt his business. People were more apt to doing business with a weak tiefling than a creature that could freeze and shatter a demodand's arm. It was bad enough that he used his power to cow the auctioneer and the other bidders to purchase the Lillend, but it was even worse now that she seemed to have forgotten everything she was recently babbling about.
"It hurts to talk more and more, my memory slipping away," croaked the Lillend named Fiawa. Reinhardt noted that her voice was getting progressively worse. "I sound like toad," she added sadly.
"Frog taste guud. Toad taste bettah . Bragi like winged snake elf's voice," said the troll earnestly. Despite his good intentions, Fiawa seemed to sink even deeper into despair.
Reinhardt noted even in her haggard state she was quite the beauty. She had exceptionally fine traits , even for one of her comely species. Not that he was moved by her appearance, but he had a good eye for humanoid flesh and judged her as if he would if he were buying or selling one of his stench kows. High full breasts, lean but not overly muscular stomach, jewel like scales, long multi colored feathers, and a fair fresh face that was framed by incredibly curly shoulder length blond hair. He disliked the hassle of selling slaves, but he figured he would get a high price for her if he cut out her tongue and then sold her back. Not here in Trevvan though, he was pretty sure he burned the bridges here with the local slave market when he rescued this pixish looking Lillend.
Reinhardt stopped as he examined her features. "Wait. I know you. You were that little rainbow winged creature in Ribcracker chasm. A courre Azata I believe. I didn't think your people changed physically when you move up in ranks like we….errr ummm I mean devils are capable of."
Fiawa nodded but was cautious to speak. He then spotted Reinhardt's journal at his side and pointed at it excitedly. Reinhardt was hesitant to give her his journal, not only was it an expensive minor magical item that could hold volumes like a bag of holding, but it held his collected personal and more importantly private thoughts within. Fiawa pointed at it again and Reinhardt finally relented. He flipped his journal to the middle though well away from his own notes, and handed it to her with a quill.
She scribbled in the journal quickly and showed it to him. "I was there when Vilehorn died. I saw you slay him with my comrade whom I now can't remember."
Reinhardt was impressed with her penmanship and considered keeping her as a scribe. After all he did pay for her. "Ami..Amir...err…Amirah was her name. Write that down," he said as he found it hard to remember her name.
Fiawa did as she was told."It is remarkable you still remember her name." Reinhardt noted that a lot of her confidence returned when she didn't have to use her gulping frog voice, and she looked even more beautiful because of it. He would definitely consider chopping her tongue off if he was looking to resell her.
"I was the Archivist of Arborea, and several items were stolen recently stolen," Fiawa began to write then paused. Reinhardt saw that she had to physically go back and examine the name she had just written before she could continue. "Amirah and I set after the thieves and tracked them to Trevvan. We were then ambushed by a fallen Tulani noble named Oberon and his Cambions in the slums. I was out cold most of the time, but I awoke when they forced fed me the Hezrou tadpole that stole my voice. My companion was then kicked into the river Styx, which is the reason it's so hard to remember anything about him. "
Reinhardt frowned.
Hezrou tadpoles were considered delicacies in the lower planes. Reinhardt had a few in the cart to impress rich clients, but he considered their flesh too rich and salty for regular meals. He heard that celestial creatures reacted violently to them, but didn't know they could strip their voices away. He filed that little bit of new information away just in case a situation like that would arise in the future.
The river Styx he was well informed on. Growing up in Stygia, centuries of the warfare in the Bloodwars, specifically on the river bound Field of Nettles, and his fame in naval raids against the Abyss made him an expert on the subject. The river was an ancient thorough fare that ferried the souls of the dead to their respective afterlifes. It runs through the upper levels of all the lower planes and had many tributaries that reached into darker more dangerous areas like Reinhardt's native Stygia. It's waters were lethal and they did indeed drain the memories of all who came into contact with them. Certain creatures were immune to this effect, but most were either vicious predators or mad and insane.
He had also heard of this Oberon character. The chant was that he was ousted from the Court of Stars due to cowardice, but the dark was even more sinister. The fallen Tulani was known to be seeking alliances with darker powers to restore his position and wealth. He was mostly unsuccessfully, but there were rumors he was being courted by Grazzt himself, the ebon lord of the Abyss.
"I have to go back to Arborea to warn them. I don't know what Oberon is doing, but he's up to no good I'm sure. As for," Fiawa paused as she examined the name again before continuing to write, " Amirah. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. I'm sure you know that short term exposure to the Styx is deadly, long term is death."
Reinhardt was speechless. He didn't mind returning this creature back to her realm, he was sure he could get a reward or something for her, but the thought of abandoning Amirah now was too much for him to bear. He had searched sixty years for her, and then to find her a day too late, it was too much to bear. "I'll return you to your people after I recover what's left of her. I need you to point out where they threw her in the water."
Fiawa looked shocked at his command. She started to write something down as if in protest then considered it and scratched it out. "I apologize. I don't know what history you shared or what she meant to you, but I understand. She came to Trevvan to help me, so I guess she was a friend. She probably meant a lot to me , but somehow I've forgotten while you still remember," she wrote and gave Reinhardt a sad nod.
After making sure Tragi didn't do anything stupid with his cart, like attempting to eat it, it didn't take long for Reinhardt to rent a raft. While Fiawa was unconscious for most of her imprisonment, her direction sense was good enough to find the place where she was awaken and her voice destroyed. Reinhardt guessed that she was a scout for the Arborean Huntsmen at one point, and she did her job well.
"Here it is. I recognize that patch of death trees," wrote the Lillend as she looked blankly around at the swamp. Reinhardt noted that she attempted to look sad or distraught, but couldn't summon a genuine emotion. It was hard to care for someone you didn't even know or have trouble remembering.
Reinhardt on the other hand felt shattered inside. He was still tearing himself inside for being a day late. He didn't realize Ami..Amirah meant so much to him till now, and thought that his search was over a long time ago. After all they only met for a few minutes. Fought side by side and shared one kiss. It was stupid actually. While he never kissed, say Yamon the Narzugon, he had fought with him for centuries before his death at the hands of Vilehorn's horde. He had no real feelings for him other than the occasional moment of nostalgia. Perhaps it wasn't the Assimar, but the concept of the Assimar that appealed to him so much. He was a greater devil and she was a minor plane touched outsider. Two opposites that shared a moment that they could never share again. Baatorian poetry was filled with similar 'forbidden fruit' themes, and maybe he was caught up in it. But…the more Reinhardt thought about that the less he agreed. The Baatorian tales always ended in tragedy, or comedy from the Baatezu view of things, and his moment with Amirah was something …different for lack of a better word. Ella the human paladin noted that Reinhardt was strange to begin with, and said he even changed when they parted ways. Could that one moment of time, that one kiss actually transform him like some type of beast from a fairy tale? He didn't feel any different after their encounter. He even got a promotion in the brutal and competitive hierarchy of the great Pit after their meeting. If anything the brief time they shared propelled him to more violence as he was in the thick of things of the 'Great Reckoning'. Yet somehow, Reinhardt knew things had indeed changed. Maybe he wasn't reformed or redeemed or any of that other evangelical Celestial blabber, but he certainly did things different. His violence was tempered in battle when he showed mercy to his foes, his compassion was evident when he released the slaves he caught, and he even gained a sense of humor. He always used to bite the heads of his foes, but he rarely did that now. He certainly joked about it or considered it, but the instances where he actually did was getting less frequent. He wasn't sure what that meant, but at least he lost some weight. Even the situation he found himself in now was something he would never consider in the past. Besides retrieving the remains of Fiawa's forgotten friend, he was actually considering releasing her. He could imagine a Reyzenhart not so long ago that would have tortured the Lillend for such a suggestion.
Reinhardt's frozen heart sank as he stared into the dark waters. He saw a dim outline of his own reflection and wondered if this is what he wanted. He was an Ice Devil, not some pathetic tiefling wannabe that pined for a girl he didn't even know. He had been a general in hell, and he should have been raising an army in an attempt to restore his position. Instead he was mourning inside for someone that would soon vanish from his memory. As he stared at the dim outline and accepted the fact that she was now gone, he realized that meeting Amirah was the best thing that ever happened to him, regardless of how short it was, and such a shining moment could indeed change one forever.
"Errr…is everything alright?" asked Fiawa in her horrid gulping voice. "You've been looking at that water for a few minutes now. You look troubled."
Reinhardt composed himself and fetched a grappling hook attached to a long chain. "It'll take a bit before I find her," he mumbled.
When he led the Thorn Legion, there were times that overzealous or overcrowded devils would fall off their war barges. If they were quick they could snag the body with a chain, like one would search for salvage. Depending on the duration of their comrades' dip underwater, the devils would celebrate by dividing the dead victims loot, or laugh at their partially mind wiped victim. Reinhardt guessed it would probably take several hours of trial and error before he drudged up Amirah's corpse, but he was determined not to leave till he had some proof of her demise.
After the third unsuccessful attempt, Bragi decided to take things into his own hands. "Dis take too long. Bragi find what youse lookin fer," declared the troll as he jumped into the water.
Reinhardt and Fiawa both shielded themselves from the splash as Bragi crashed into the dark waters.
"You idiot!" shouted Reinhardt expecting to see an unconscious troll sinking into the water.
"Bragi find body for master…Bragi….." the troll stopped mid-sentence as a dumber than normal look froze on his face.
Reinhardt paused and his heart jumped. The River Styx should have instantly wiped the trolls mind, but he was able to survive a few seconds unaffected. While one could argue Bragi was too thick headed to be affected immediately by the dark forgetful waters, it was more likely that the river was probably diluted here as it mixed with the brackish swamp water. If the water was diluted than that meant that Ami..Am…..what's her face …might not be fully absorbed yet. The more he thought about it the more it made sense, if she was truly gone, than he wouldn't have even remembered her.
Reinhardt wrapped the hook and chain around his waist, even as Fiawa was lassoing the slowly sinking form of the troll. "Give me a hand, " she croaked as she attempted to drag Bragi out.
Reinhardt ignored her. He intoned a brief spell and encased himself in a light coat of ice. Before it fully covered him he took a deep breath and dove into the water. The ice had to be thin enough to shield him but not so thick as to hamper his movements. The water of course would leak through the joints, but he hoped his robe would stop the flow before he was lost himself. It was a foolish and rash gamble, but at that point Reinhardt didn't care anymore. If he was wrong and to be forgotten as well, so be it.
"….."
"….."
"….."
She laid in the mud like a cold statue. She stopped struggling a while ago since her bonds made escape futile. With a detached apathy, she didn't know why she was there, or who put her there, but she did get a sense that she didn't belong there. She knew this was all wrong. She should be racing like the wind not wallowing underwater in the mud.
Her own mind was lost, and it seemed that those closest to her had forgotten as well. Even her sole remaining shred of existence that stubbornly refused to be extinguished was fading. The memory was from a kiss shared a lifetime ago. She didn't know why she kissed, or whom she kissed, but she did remember intense icy blue eyes. The memory comforted her.
She guessed the kiss must have meant a lot for whomever she shared it with to hold onto it so dearly. She wondered if she shared it with the great love of her life, or perhaps a forbidden but passionate lover. It was an interesting thought that warmed her last moments. To know that you were once loved was good enough for her as her mind drew blank. She knew that the amulet placed on her would keep her from truly dying but that meant little to a blank slate. Life without emotion or passion wasn't life at all.
She laid in the mud. No knowledge of the past. No care for the present. No hope for the future. Just a helpless prisoner in the sediment of the Styx. She guessed she had been there for maybe a day or two, but it didn't matter, she would be there for eternity. She felt no despair at the thought, and accepted it blankly.
She felt something grab her, first by the hand and then more forcefully by her hair. She half wondered if it was one of the rare denizens of the Styx that had found her and was about to end her, but instead she felt herself rising to the surface steadily.
It seemed impossible but she broke the surface of the darkwater, with a man covered in ice resembling some sort of frozen elemental , supporting her. A hunched red giant covered in lumps and a winged elf with a snake's torso were towing them with a chain, dragging them towards their barge.
"Are you crazy? You could have gotten yourself killed! " shouted the snake woman with a monstrous gulping voice.
"Durrr….Bragi….Durrr…Bragi….." babbled the giant as he gave a final mighty pull, which sent the ice covered man and her flying out of the water, crashing into the deck of the barge.
The ice fell off the man, revealing a well groomed tiefling with white skin and piercing blue eyes. She was still bound by the shackles, as he quickly threw off his robes. He then placed her head gently on his lap. "Are you ok Amirah? Can you remember anything? " he asked , his voice choking.
The woman looked at him blankly. Was that her name? More importantly, who was her rescuer? "Who ..are ….you? " she asked in an expressionless tone. The man seemed momentarily confused before he lowered his head in defeat.
