OOM: Ashlands, 1st week of Midyear, 3E 428

[moonandstar]

Garyn met with a rather interesting reception from the garrison at Fort Buckmoth, having apparently arrived not five minutes after the news that he had caught corprus in an assault on the Sixth House base and assuredly been killed. It took some amount of explaining to sort out how and why the message was only half-true. A crowd had gathered as he told as much of the tale as he could - and his men seemed to regard him now like a ghost or a miracle worker.

But they'd be left to their second-in-command for the time being. Garyn had more important duties, along with the perfectly plausible cover story of an inspection of his new stronghold in Bal Isra. Which, as it happens, he would need to do anyway. The men saw him off, saluting as though he were the Emperor himself. He felt as though perhaps he should feel less at ease with such displays of praise and admiration. But he wasn't.

He made good time to Bal Isra, intending only to stay briefly. The Hetman had a few things he wanted to sort out, however. As he'd been told, House Redoran had already started work on the place before the death of Banden Indarys. It was handsome, if austere, on the crest of a ridge topped by a row of tall basaltic columns that formed the rear wall, with a shorter wall in the Dunmer style being constructed around it. They needed more clay to finish the unfilled portions of the wall, as well as the second crab husk for the smith and trader. They also needed to send for women to convince more workers to stay.

Fortunately, this didn't take any further trips on his part. In his dealings in Ald'ruhn and Ald Velothi, he happened to know where these things could be found. He told Hetman Guls where to send his men to get what was needed. From there, he was on his way to his true destination.

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There was a different look to the Urshilaku as he entered their camp again. He was known to them, a Clanfriend, so the usual ritual hostilities were dispensed with. He did make sure to show the obligatory courtesies before entering the Wise Woman's hut, of course.

Nibani Maesa sat down on the floor of the yurt, leaning forward and deep in thought as she took in all he told her about the Lost Prophecies. But she did not appear surprised. Her voice is deliberate, thoughtful but not lost in thought.

"So these are the Lost Prophecies, hmm? You will tell me these things, over and over, until I have them by heart. And then you will tell me what these priests say, what they see in these words. And then, you must leave me. Hunt. Sleep. Train. Feed. Learn the land. I must bring these things into me, and place them before my ancestors, and listen to them, and to the skies and stars of my dreams. And then, when the moons have come and gone, return, and I will give you my judgement.”

Garyn knew better than to question a wise woman. And even if he didn't, he could surely stand to wait a day among these people. And so he went, joining the day's kagouti hunt. A productive one it was - he had even earned himself a nod of acknowledgement for landing the killing blow on a bull.

At dawn he returned, and Nibani Maesa remained, seeming not to have even moved since Garyn left.

“The ancestors and stars have given me clear signs. The lost prophecies leave no doubt — the Incarnate shall be an outlander. You, blessed by Azura, must lift the seven curses of Dagoth Ur. Prophecy has shown the seven steps of the Nerevarine’s path, and I have been chosen as your guide for each step on that path. I will read the signs, and show you the way. It is time for you to walk the path of the Seven Visions, and pass the Seven Trials of the Seven Visions.

“You are born on a certain day to uncertain parents. So you have passed the first trial. My dreams show me that you also fulfill the second trial, that ‘neither blight nor age can harm him/The Curse-of-Flesh before him flies’. I have read the signs, but I cannot understand. Can you explain this to me?”

At this, Garyn told the whole story of how he had caught corprus disease in Ilunibi, and survived the wizard's cure that had killed all others who received it.

“That you have overcome the Curse-of-Flesh is strange enough, but that it should protect you from blight and age is past belief. Yet the signs of my dreams are clear. You have passed the second trial. But the third trial is unfulfilled. The mystery of the third trial is not my secret to share. Go to Sul-Matuul, the guardian of our cult, and he shall tell you of the third trial. When you have fulfilled the third trial, return to me for guidance on your next steps on the path of the Nerevarine.”

Garyn bowed his head. "I shall not fail to heed your wisdom, muthsera."

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At this point the whole camp was abuzz and murmuring. Every eye of the Urshilaku was on Garyn as he left the wise woman's yurt. The Ashkhan was standing in front of his yurt, waiting for him. Then he turned and slipped back inside, the invitation already clearly offered without words. Garyn followed.

Sul-Matuul's face was stern as always.

“You wish to know about the Third Trial, and I shall tell you.”

Garyn merely nodded.

“You have entered the path of the Nerevarine. This is a hard thing to believe. But Nibani Maesa has spoken to me at length of this, and I have had time to consider. Therefore I shall keep my own counsel, and set before you my own test. I do not dispute with the wise women, but their ways are not the ways of the warrior. Many before have tried the path of the Nerevarine, but all have failed the warrior’s test. All too many times, a hope has risen and died before it. I myself have seen this. You must have strength, courage, and cunning. These things I would test."

A younger Garyn - not even MUCH younger - would have been frustrated at these words. Now, however, his face showed only determination and confidence.

“Nearby lies Kogoruhn, the ancient halls of the forgotten house, House Dagoth. In recent time, creatures of the blight have come to dwell there. I myself went there, with some brave hunters, and came back again, but it was a bad place, and I am not ashamed to say I was afraid, for myself and my men. If you would have from me the secret of the Third Trial, the ‘caverns dark’ where Azura’s eye sees, you will first bring to me three tokens from dark Kogoruhn.

“The first token is corprus weepings from a corprus beast, to show that you are proof against the disease’s corruption. The second token is a cup with the mark of House Dagoth, for I have myself seen such cups there, and will know you have seen with your eyes what I have seen with mine. The third token is the Shadow Shield, which lies on the Tomb of Dagoth Morin, in the lava tunnels deep beneath ruined Kogoruhn. Bring these things to me, and then I will tell you the secret of the Third Test.”

Garyn stood with his hand by his scabbard. "You need but tell me the way."

Comments

[moonandstar]

Garyn shakes his head and grunts.

"Don't think we'll find it. It looks like the only way out is through."

He takes a deep breath facing away from the stagnant water.

"Let's hope it's short enough to hold our breaths."

[last_kallig]

"That, I can help with." She fishes in the pockets of her armor and pulls out two rebreathers.

"Never know when you're going to suddenly need your own supply of breathable air for a few hours."

[moonandstar]

"The idea that we might need these for hours is a terrifying thought."

He secures his rebreather and, after mustering the courage, dives into the stagnant water.

[last_kallig]

Ibani secures hers and dives after him.

UGH, this water is foul and she's perceiving her environment more with the Force than any of the standard physical senses.

Still, it could be worse. It could, for instance, be pure blood with the addition of monsters in it. (Yes, the Sith Academy on Korriban has one of those in the basement, for ritual purposes.)

[moonandstar]

And, if nothing else, they only need to go around one bend before the water is low enough to surface.

Garyn shakes himself vigorously like a dog as he emerges.

[last_kallig]

Ibani reaches out with the Force to 'squeeze' most of the water and particulates she's picked up in the water off of her person once they are back on 'dry' ground.

"I think I can get most of the mess off of you, if you want?" she offers.

[moonandstar]

"Ugh, please do."

[last_kallig]

Ibani employs her little trick with the Force on Garyn's behalf. It probably feels a bit weird being squeegeed by an invisible force, but it works!

"Another useful little trick I'm not sure any of my so called peers know how to do."

[moonandstar]

"You never run out of surprises, love," Garyn says, smiling.

One shared moment of brightness in this awful place.

In the meantime, they can return to their usual trick of remaining cloaked. Another winding sewer passage like the one they had just swam away from stands before them. Yet at the end of this one, the wall has been smashed in and tunneled through, leading to a dark rock-hewn passage.

[last_kallig]

"I try," she replies, a smile clear in her voice.

"Well, at least we might not have to swim BACK out," she mutters. They certainly seem to have tunneled quite a ways down..."

[moonandstar]

Garyn answers mentally as they tiptoe past an Ash Zombie.

"Perhaps. I have a feeling we may not wish to see exactly WHERE the other entrance is."

[last_kallig]

A bad feeling? she asks in his mind. Garyn might not be Force sensitive, but that doesn't mean she intends to ignore his 'gut feelings' about the situation.

[moonandstar]

"Perhaps. That and a little deduction. Dagoth Ur's central fortress is in Red Mountain. How do you suppose he keeps THIS fortress manned?"

[last_kallig]

Ah, good point, Ibani replies. For Force sake, how many ash zombies are in this place, anyway?! They skirt their way around yet another specimen.

Easier to move them underground than overland.

[moonandstar]

Another downside is that I suspect this will be quite a long tunnel indeed.

They continue to creep along it. The heat in the tunnel builds, as the glow of red candles is replaced by that of small pools of lava. Naturally, they will be steering well clear of those.

[last_kallig]

Ridiculous dramatics, building near lava her mental voice grumbles. Unless you're USING the lava for power generation or smelting or something.

Garyn is quite right about the tunnel being quite long.

[moonandstar]

I suppose it's hard to avoid, working underground in country such as this.

They round another bend in the passage before yet another straightaway. This is an arduous journey indeed.

But soon, Ibani will begin to sense a presence, getting closer - not just from their own advancement, but because it is coming toward them.

[last_kallig]

Trouble coming right for us her mental voice warns. She draws her lightsabers but doesn't ignite them quite yet. She wants to keep the benefits of stealth for her and Garyn for as long as she can.

[moonandstar]

They won't have them for long. Just as it had when they reached Dagoth Gares, the bubble of invisibility that surrounded them fades away like a shimmering haze. Around the corner, at the end of the passageway, strides something that looks not entirely unlike a Dunmer. But he is entirely too tall, and far too muscular. His braided beard and headpiece appear as something out of a ritual long forgotten by all men and mer.

He regards them with neither a smile nor a grimace. And then speaks:

"He said you would come to us. And he was right. Have you come to submit? Or come to die?"

Garyn holds his guard, not flinching in spite of the fear he feels in his heart. "You presume much, to think I would tell you why I've come."

The great Ash Vampire seems almost to shrug at his response. "Lord Dagoth says you will join us or die. I thought you might just leave us alone, and go about your own affairs. But Lord Dagoth says it is not your way, to leave a thing well enough alone. Perhaps. I cannot remember you at all. But I do my Lord's bidding. I have always done his bidding. So go to him and submit. The door to Red Mountain lies behind me. You will be given power and place. And, perhaps, peace and forgiveness. Do as you like."

[last_kallig]

Ibani does not bother with words once the Ash Vampire has said his piece. She ignites both lightsabers with a snap-hiss sound. Her first impulse is to immediately hit the creature with Force Lightning, but something she feels in the Force causes her to stay her attack for the moment.

The Khyber sings defiance against the Darkness, violet plasma battling the red light that haunts this place.

[moonandstar]

The ancient creature chuckles darkly at the sight. "Your companion appears to have answered for you, Lord Nerevar."

"She appreciates the courtesy of House Dagoth less than I do. And hates you in a way that I do not. I know your Lord's ways now. He would not refuse a challenge from Nerevar, nor any champion he would send at him. You would not dare refuse it yourself."

The Ash Vampire holds his clawed hands in front of him in a guarded stance.

"You speak truly, Lord Nerevar. Very well. Though I know not her name, I shall afford her an honorable death from the hands of Dagoth Uthol. As she is the challenger, I shall afford her the courtesy of the first blow."

[last_kallig]

"I am Ibani Kallig," she replies. "Not that that name will mean anything to you."

"A duel it is, then. And I shall take that first blow since you have been so kind to offer it," she drawls. She intends to KILL Dagoth Uthol with that first blow, if she can.

She moves, too hard and too fast for a human. She lets the Force guide her blows to where the creature is most vulnerable, to read where he will be and not where he is.

[moonandstar]

Dagoth Uthol is a sturdy, powerful creature indeed. He is sustained by divine madness, by the twisted dreams of mythopoeia that fuel his Lord, and helped him endure for millennia. It will take more than one blow even from Ibani.

But it is clear from the way that he growls and stumbles that this saber blow to the neck is more powerful than he had expected. The sinews that quickly form and reattach his head to his neck still leave a deep and visible seam. Ibani will be able to tell that he won't be able to keep this trick up forever if she strikes quickly and repeatedly enough.

In the meantime, Dagoth Uthol roars and fires plumes of pure red malice from his colossal hands. A normal human might see their stomach burst open if this spell were to connect.

[last_kallig]

Ibani throws up a Force Shield a mere moment before the spell connects and she responds to his attack with many attacks of her own. Force enhanced speed and two lightsabers mean a LOT of blows coming very quickly for vulnerable places.

Her training on Korriban made a powerful weapon of her and her interest in SURVIVAL has lead her to hone those skills even further. Her passion burns true, hot as a star, feeding her more power.

[moonandstar]

Dagoth Uthol is one of the oldest things ever to crawl from a womb. It says a lot that Ibani is likely the fiercest foe he has ever faced. But he's not out of tricks yet. Even as he tenuously absorbs vicious saber blows that easily break the guard of his powerful claws, he knows that she needs energy.

So that's exactly what his next burst of magick will target - the energy with which she strikes. A wave of bloody purple extends from his hands, trying to sap her speed and stamina.