Sorry for the wait, I get busy sometimes. I'm going for a longer chapter
this time, since I have the time to go a little further with it. I also
give a nod to a really good DND romance fic. and a wedding ceremony used in
it. It's called Fated Returns and I suggest you read it. It is written by
Lady Zeia.
Note: With this section, the DM asked the hero to play alone, and the
other players got a chance to play some head games with him. We hid a
microphone in the room, and whenever he said something that might warrant a
response, the "ethereal chorus" chimed in. Of course, it didn't hurt that
it was a dark, stormy night outside with thunder and lightning. I won't
insult your intelligence by saying this story is exactly how that session
went.. Let me just say this is the dramatized version modified for story
purposes. Once again, Enjoy!
*******************************************************************
There was no movement. it was as if he had stumbled into a well painted mural. The leaves were still, and Sethor did not even hear the crickets that made their home in the forest. Even when the town burned he could hear their chirps, blending with the occasional screams coming from the village that echoed throughout his memories. He realized that this was not a memory, this was real.
Sethor breathed deeply, placing his hand on his rapier. It wasn't there. He looked down at his clothing and realized it had changed as well, becoming the fancy robes he wore for storytelling; robes he had burned years ago. Sethor shook his head, closed his eyes, mentally wishing for this to end. He wished to die.
~Only when you decide it is the right time.
Sethor stopped, where did the voices come from? The voices combined to create and almost ethereal chant that reminded Sethor of the winds on a dark night.
"He. Hello?"
Sethor stood dumbfounded, shaking his head once he realized his foolishness. He was hearing voices now, on top of the madness of dying.
~You are not dead. You have been given the chance to make a new decision.
Sethor nearly jumped out of his skin, and spun around to try and find the source of the voices. Voices were something he could live with, but ones that kept a running commentary? He wondered who was supposed to be speaking with him.
~We are arbiters. We shall judge your decisions.
Sethor decided to try and talk with the voices.
"What decisions? Why are you judging me?"
Silence.
This was ridiculous! Sethor waited for what seemed like hours despite the fact that the sun never moved. It was eerie, as if time itself were waiting for him to make the first move. Sethor became stubborn, setting his jaw squarely in place. He sat down on the ground and waited for a response.
"I'm waiting."
**********************************************************************
Sethor dug the 1,920, 304, 869 mark into the ground of the glade before he started to begin worrying. Not only had the sun not moved, but he had not felt even the slightest hunger pain. Sethor finally stood, his face a mixture of annoyance and confusion. This was not funny in the least, and he silently cursed every god he knew the name of. He carefully stepped around the marks in the ground, figuring he might as well leave something behind to mark where he had been. He started on the path towards the town, fuming about the situation. He had gone barely a mile, tracing the path he had taken so long ago, when he looked up and noticed the sun had moved in the sky..
Sethor stopped when he reached the lamppost that marked the edge of the town; something was different, something he couldn't put his hands on.
~ Keep moving.
Sethor stood still, his eyes scanning the town. For a moment it seemed different; as if the memory had been remolded into a form unfamiliar to Sethor. He shrugged and moved forward, dodging broken timbre and smoldering lumber. He was close to the town square, and he knew what was in store for him. The sun was now on the opposite horizon, daylight fading from view. Soon he would encounter his nightmare and defeat it yet again.
~ Will you?
Sethor stopped for a second. Why wouldn't he?
~ Because of what would happen if you do.
Sethor became annoyed. "And what exactly does that mean?"
The vision came quickly, hitting Sethor like a wave.
*** The sky is dark, the sun barely visible behind a haze of clouds that have width but no depth. The surrounding terrain is barren of plants, starved of color. The world is grey, grey of both emotion and palette. The vision soars over dead forests, burning plains, drained swamps both far and wide, all grey. The oceans boil, corrosive enough to melt any ship that attempts to sail them. Spirits flit about the skies, searching for souls. In some places what once was ground is now covered in blood, blood recognizable for its color despite the grey around it. Armies flow and ebb from the blood, swarming what remains of life, devouring it to renew their pact. The vision shows the hole in the sky, a swirling grey vortex from which pours souls of every description; as if the gates of Hades were swung open for every evil being to escape. Through the portal is a temple, a single large room completely covered by silver hair. A single skeleton lies in the center. It smiles.
It smiles at Sethor, and in his mind he hears two words..
"Thank you." ***
Sethor was on the ground now, watching as the shadow lifted its hand to drain away his life force. He was in tears, no longer an adult but the youth of fifteen. Blood poured from his nose, his arms and legs burned from sifting through the hot embers of the town, searching for his friends. He was unarmed, tears streaming from his face.
~ Die now and you save the world. Live and you may yet be its downfall.
Sethor understood and simply gave up. The claw of the shadow came closer, the grave and amulet visible behind the transparent talons. This was it. He would never have to watch his wife die, never have to watch as his daughter would be overcome by the grayness. He would save the world, simply by never existing.
~Are you ready for the judgement?
Sethor couldn't answer, he was afraid. He hid within his memories.
*** Sethor stood in front of a young Inestron, accepting the ring in exchange for the amulet and the news. He had intended to sell it, but eventually grew attached to it. Maybe he was afraid of forgetting?***
~The church would have found out eventually, and you would have been given a proper funeral when they came to investigate.
*** Sethor stood at an altar, his wife Maier beside him. They stared longingly into each others eyes, and whispered romantic thoughts. Inestron went through the ceremony, binding them together using a cord of rope, asking them a question each time he bound them together. They did not listen, answering that they would forever be together..***
~She would have found someone else, and would not be dead.
Dead.. So his wife was dead. Sethor fell deeper into despair.
*** Sethor held the child in his arms, watching as the unfocused green eyes opened for the very first time. He gazed at his wife, and smiled. She smiled back before fainting away again; the midwife Omra grabbing the baby back and pushing both Sethor and Inestron out of the house. ***
No response.
*** Kelia was away as Sethor played his lyre. A feeling came to him, the strings broke, he knew she was in danger. Kelia danced away the night, playing with a parentless Satyr who came to Maier for help. Kelia watched from the balcony of a forest temple, singing softly to the moon, waiting for someone to come rescue her. Kelia swung a gleaming sword, her hair wild in the sunlight as she fought against an army of blood. Kelia prayed softly at a shrine hidden deep within a temple, her tears flowing for an unknown love..***
Kelia. What of her?
~Are you ready to be judged?
Sethor watched as the Shadow placed its hand on his body, felt the life force draining from his soul. He stared through the shadow, watching the blurred amulet swing lightly in the wind. Sethor reached for the amulet, strained his arm towards it, prayed for it to come closer. He dropped his arm; it landed on a rapier he did not notice was beside him. He picked it up, and in a last ditch effort threw it at the Shadow. It passed undisturbed through the Shadow, but as it soared through the air, it struck the amulet, knocking it within Sethor's grasp. Sethor grabbed the amulet, lifted it up in front of him, feeling a renewed sense of purpose. The shadow backed off, its hands flailing in front of its face, flying backwards away from the amulet. Sethor moved forward, running as fast as he could, the amulet held in both hands in front of him. He rammed into the Shadow, which melted as soon as the amulet touched its Ethereal Form.
Sethor fell to his knee's, and fainted.
"Let the world be as I left it. My daughter will live and know love, she will know that I loved her. That is all I want."
~You will let all die for the sake of one?
"I will not let one die for the sake of all.."
And then there was silence.
There was no movement. it was as if he had stumbled into a well painted mural. The leaves were still, and Sethor did not even hear the crickets that made their home in the forest. Even when the town burned he could hear their chirps, blending with the occasional screams coming from the village that echoed throughout his memories. He realized that this was not a memory, this was real.
Sethor breathed deeply, placing his hand on his rapier. It wasn't there. He looked down at his clothing and realized it had changed as well, becoming the fancy robes he wore for storytelling; robes he had burned years ago. Sethor shook his head, closed his eyes, mentally wishing for this to end. He wished to die.
~Only when you decide it is the right time.
Sethor stopped, where did the voices come from? The voices combined to create and almost ethereal chant that reminded Sethor of the winds on a dark night.
"He. Hello?"
Sethor stood dumbfounded, shaking his head once he realized his foolishness. He was hearing voices now, on top of the madness of dying.
~You are not dead. You have been given the chance to make a new decision.
Sethor nearly jumped out of his skin, and spun around to try and find the source of the voices. Voices were something he could live with, but ones that kept a running commentary? He wondered who was supposed to be speaking with him.
~We are arbiters. We shall judge your decisions.
Sethor decided to try and talk with the voices.
"What decisions? Why are you judging me?"
Silence.
This was ridiculous! Sethor waited for what seemed like hours despite the fact that the sun never moved. It was eerie, as if time itself were waiting for him to make the first move. Sethor became stubborn, setting his jaw squarely in place. He sat down on the ground and waited for a response.
"I'm waiting."
**********************************************************************
Sethor dug the 1,920, 304, 869 mark into the ground of the glade before he started to begin worrying. Not only had the sun not moved, but he had not felt even the slightest hunger pain. Sethor finally stood, his face a mixture of annoyance and confusion. This was not funny in the least, and he silently cursed every god he knew the name of. He carefully stepped around the marks in the ground, figuring he might as well leave something behind to mark where he had been. He started on the path towards the town, fuming about the situation. He had gone barely a mile, tracing the path he had taken so long ago, when he looked up and noticed the sun had moved in the sky..
Sethor stopped when he reached the lamppost that marked the edge of the town; something was different, something he couldn't put his hands on.
~ Keep moving.
Sethor stood still, his eyes scanning the town. For a moment it seemed different; as if the memory had been remolded into a form unfamiliar to Sethor. He shrugged and moved forward, dodging broken timbre and smoldering lumber. He was close to the town square, and he knew what was in store for him. The sun was now on the opposite horizon, daylight fading from view. Soon he would encounter his nightmare and defeat it yet again.
~ Will you?
Sethor stopped for a second. Why wouldn't he?
~ Because of what would happen if you do.
Sethor became annoyed. "And what exactly does that mean?"
The vision came quickly, hitting Sethor like a wave.
*** The sky is dark, the sun barely visible behind a haze of clouds that have width but no depth. The surrounding terrain is barren of plants, starved of color. The world is grey, grey of both emotion and palette. The vision soars over dead forests, burning plains, drained swamps both far and wide, all grey. The oceans boil, corrosive enough to melt any ship that attempts to sail them. Spirits flit about the skies, searching for souls. In some places what once was ground is now covered in blood, blood recognizable for its color despite the grey around it. Armies flow and ebb from the blood, swarming what remains of life, devouring it to renew their pact. The vision shows the hole in the sky, a swirling grey vortex from which pours souls of every description; as if the gates of Hades were swung open for every evil being to escape. Through the portal is a temple, a single large room completely covered by silver hair. A single skeleton lies in the center. It smiles.
It smiles at Sethor, and in his mind he hears two words..
"Thank you." ***
Sethor was on the ground now, watching as the shadow lifted its hand to drain away his life force. He was in tears, no longer an adult but the youth of fifteen. Blood poured from his nose, his arms and legs burned from sifting through the hot embers of the town, searching for his friends. He was unarmed, tears streaming from his face.
~ Die now and you save the world. Live and you may yet be its downfall.
Sethor understood and simply gave up. The claw of the shadow came closer, the grave and amulet visible behind the transparent talons. This was it. He would never have to watch his wife die, never have to watch as his daughter would be overcome by the grayness. He would save the world, simply by never existing.
~Are you ready for the judgement?
Sethor couldn't answer, he was afraid. He hid within his memories.
*** Sethor stood in front of a young Inestron, accepting the ring in exchange for the amulet and the news. He had intended to sell it, but eventually grew attached to it. Maybe he was afraid of forgetting?***
~The church would have found out eventually, and you would have been given a proper funeral when they came to investigate.
*** Sethor stood at an altar, his wife Maier beside him. They stared longingly into each others eyes, and whispered romantic thoughts. Inestron went through the ceremony, binding them together using a cord of rope, asking them a question each time he bound them together. They did not listen, answering that they would forever be together..***
~She would have found someone else, and would not be dead.
Dead.. So his wife was dead. Sethor fell deeper into despair.
*** Sethor held the child in his arms, watching as the unfocused green eyes opened for the very first time. He gazed at his wife, and smiled. She smiled back before fainting away again; the midwife Omra grabbing the baby back and pushing both Sethor and Inestron out of the house. ***
No response.
*** Kelia was away as Sethor played his lyre. A feeling came to him, the strings broke, he knew she was in danger. Kelia danced away the night, playing with a parentless Satyr who came to Maier for help. Kelia watched from the balcony of a forest temple, singing softly to the moon, waiting for someone to come rescue her. Kelia swung a gleaming sword, her hair wild in the sunlight as she fought against an army of blood. Kelia prayed softly at a shrine hidden deep within a temple, her tears flowing for an unknown love..***
Kelia. What of her?
~Are you ready to be judged?
Sethor watched as the Shadow placed its hand on his body, felt the life force draining from his soul. He stared through the shadow, watching the blurred amulet swing lightly in the wind. Sethor reached for the amulet, strained his arm towards it, prayed for it to come closer. He dropped his arm; it landed on a rapier he did not notice was beside him. He picked it up, and in a last ditch effort threw it at the Shadow. It passed undisturbed through the Shadow, but as it soared through the air, it struck the amulet, knocking it within Sethor's grasp. Sethor grabbed the amulet, lifted it up in front of him, feeling a renewed sense of purpose. The shadow backed off, its hands flailing in front of its face, flying backwards away from the amulet. Sethor moved forward, running as fast as he could, the amulet held in both hands in front of him. He rammed into the Shadow, which melted as soon as the amulet touched its Ethereal Form.
Sethor fell to his knee's, and fainted.
"Let the world be as I left it. My daughter will live and know love, she will know that I loved her. That is all I want."
~You will let all die for the sake of one?
"I will not let one die for the sake of all.."
And then there was silence.