Fates worse than death

It's Ceriday, Aestry 2 05:03:50 1018.

SUMMARY: Seeking news of her father, Yelrona comes to understand that there are fates even worse than death.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=-<* A15: Alexandrian Mountain Road *>-=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

SUMMARY: Yelrona is introduced to an Earth Elemental, and consults with the Temple of Vardama in the hopes of learning about necromantic activity in Alexandros and perhaps a clue to what brought her father here. She learns both more and less than she'd hoped.

Yes, there really is a giant, humanoid earth elemental standing over this area. It's occupying much of the road.

Standing outside of the temple, and in the shadow of a rather gigantic earth elemental sitting on the road, there is a cloaked figure leaning right up against it. Currently, she seems to be watching the road......

Standing 5' tall, this dark skinned woman has white blonde hair that goes down to her shoulders. She has large blue eyes, and a tiara on her forehead, with a couple of crystals in it. She has pointed ears and an angular face as well as full lips. The lower part of her face is usually covered by a cloth mask, and her head is usually covered by her cloak.

She has a slender, yet toned, and full body. Her body is covered by a breastplate with the sign of Vardama etched onto the gauntlets, and her body is covered by a dark cloak. At her left hip is a Khopesh, and the front of her right thigh is a pistol. At her lower legs are a pair of charcoal grey leather boots.

Yelrona was at the Temple of Tarien when someone mentioned the earth elemental up the road. It being the Temple of Tarien, she assumed this was some sort of joke... "Why did the Earth Elemental cross the road?" "To get to the other side!" or something... but enough people insisted in its reality that she decided to go check it out herself. And sure enough, there it was, blocking the road, with a dark-skinned elf leaning against it. Feeling at the same time curious and ridiculous, she approaches the elf. "Good afternoon! Ah... is he yours?", she asks, pointing to the elemental. It occurs to her that she wasn't sure the giant creature was a 'he', though she figures she'd have noticed if he was, so probably not. She certainly wasn't going to check now.

Arisha says, "It doesn't have a gender, no." She says standing up and walking her way over. "This has been here for a couple of months now." She says walking closer. "And it's not mine.""

Yelrona nods. "Probably for the best. The gender thing, I mean," she clarifies. "Or, well, probably that it's not yours, too. I mean, you'd have to buy a bigger house, I guess?" She scratches her head, puzzled, then continues "OK, I give up. Why _did_ the earth elemental cross the road? Or more to the point, I guess, why did it _stop_? Or did it? I mean, I knew they were slow, but this is kind of ridiculous."

Arisha says, "You could ask it, but I don't think it'll answer you." She says softly as she looks at it. "You just wanted to see the earth elemental?""

"Well, yeah, pretty much. I mean, I never have before! Just read about them." She looks at the being skeptically. "How do we know it isn't just the world's most impractical statue?"

Arisha says, "Because a few druids actually talked to it a few months ago. It's the real deal. It even moved.""

Yelrona nods. "That's convincing. Hm." She knocks on the creature's thigh. "Hello? Anybody in there? Come out, come out, whatever you are!!!" She repeats the sentiment in Sylvan, Sildanyari, Mynsandraal, Goblin, and even (after a bit of hesitation) Celestial, albeing more politely in the latter. She even beats out a rhythm on the thing that is a traditional request for identification in Handspeech. She shrugs at the not-unexpected lack of response.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. So... who summoned it?"

Arisha says, "it was there long before I came here." Suddenly there's.....tapping that can be heard from nearby.....metallic tapping. "I was in meditation at the time.""

Yelrona listens carefully to the tapping, trying to discern more about its source or pattern. "Do you hear that?"

Arisha blinks at Yelrona. "if you mean the tapping, that's me. I was thinking." She then shrugs. "Surprised, with Heth around, that there aren't more undead uprisings."

Verna exits the temple and descends the long stairs to the trail on the mountain. All without paying little mind to the potentially treacherous footing and instead focused on the comparatively large open floating opened before her. Her ears are not so distracted, however, as to not notice the variety of tongues, touches, and taps upon the earth elemental. "Do not disturb the elemental, please," comes her voice from a hood still pointed at the book. "I have no desire to arrange the hymnals again after the temple slides down the mountainside due to someone causing the elemental to flinch..."

With slight stature less than human but more than Lucht, initial assessments of this figure are often dismissive. Grey robes and cloak seem volumous though they are not large, and obscure most detailed features. Only the cloak, hem of robes, and, occassionally, black boot tips are visible. The only visible adornment is a gilded triangular pendant bearing the image of a scale.

"Oh... my apologies, ma'am," Yelrona replies diplomatically. "I was just wondering what it's _doing_ here. Or do elementals visit Alexandros often? I'm sure one of the descriptions would have mentioned it. And yes, I meant the tapping," she confirmed. Her attention is drawn more fully to Arisha with her comment about undead. "How many undead uprisings have there been?"

Arisha says, "Quite a few, I believe....and I've missed them all." She says softly before looking to Verna. "Greetings, Mourner. and the tapping was me." She says holding up her left arm.....which is completely metallic and onyx in color. "I was thinking, which....I tend to tap my fingers against my palm...""

Verna's hood bobs in return. "Greetings. We do not know for certain why the elemental is here, though eveidence suggests it entirely accidental." She frowns, more, though it may or may not be visible. "The souls and remains of the dead are abused far too often. There are too many lost and coerced to easily count."

Yelrona scowles irritably. "Well, shouldn't someone banish the thing then? Having undead just standing around like this..." She trails off, not sure exactly what to say. "Give it a proper burial, or something?"

Arisha says, "Like she said, some have been tricked, others embrace undeath willingly. That is why we are here. Undeath is a blight, and draws the ire of our lady. So we make them re-embrace death." She then looks to Verna. "The lady is not cold, nor is she emotionless. She wishes for all to have a peaceful passing when their spirit leaves their body. That is when she is the most compassionate. It is when some try to avoid her grasp, that she becomes cross, and nasty. And that is where the Hunters, Absolution and Mourners come in." She then lowers her head....and yelrona will notice that Arisha's hair is white....and her skin darker than a normal elf's. "I am Arisha, Hunter of the dead.""

"I am Verna, Mourner and Sage... Banish? Banish which?" She is confused by Yelrona's question. "The elemental is not undead, but an embodiment of a primal force of reality. Heth may have acquired enough souls and power to nearly rival the gods. He could well be immune to most known magic."

Arisha's title reminds Rona of a mental note she'd made a few days earlier. "Well met, both of you. I am Yelrona, late of Yles Namvadin, and I'm afraid I have only a layman's knowledge of necromancy... but I've been told that yours is the temple to visit if I seek instruction on the topic. Which I do, in a sense... I'm hoping to find some trace of an elf who may have travelled through here about thirty years ago, investigating rumors of necromancy. Avourel was his name." It is a relief to be talking to fellow elves, who experience time as she does, rather than humans for whom a thirty-year gap is long. "Would you happen to keep any records of such a visit? Or remember the man himself? He had -- _has_," she corrects herself, "skin and hair not unlike my own, though taller, and amber eyes..." She knows it's hopeless, but she has to ask.

Arisha says, "So a Llyranesi named Avourel." *tickticktick ticktick tickticktick ticktick* Yup, she's thinking. "I wasn't here that long ago." She says as she takes a deep breath. "Perhaps Mourner Kerbasy has an idea." She then looks to Verna. "unless you know?""

"I was a child, and far from here, at that time," Verna offers. "What manner of necromancy was practiced? The specialty can draw some notice, as fewer practice it than others, but unless he chose to defile the dead en masse, he may have received no notoriety. If he did, I expect that he already received our Mistress' Judgement and serves punishment for his blasphemies."

"Yes," Rona replies excitedly to Arisha, her hopes rising despite her. "From Yles Namvadin, in the Mythwood. An, ah, investigator of necromantic artifacts." She really doesn't want to mention the Acquisitioners if she doesn't have to. She tries not to look too disappointed when Arisha turns up empty, then looks eagerly to Verna... then tries not to look disappointed again. Fortunately, she's pretty good at concealing her true feelings. "I'm afraid I don't know," she explains apologetically, then adds in a horrified tone "No, no, he wasn't... he was trying to..." She stops, seeming for a moment on the edge of tears. "He was one of Eluna's servants," she bites the words out, "who sought to retrieve necromantic artifacts from the hands of those would use them for ill, and hide them away from the world. Not... not what you said. Anyway. Necromantic specialties?" The more academic topic seems to help her find her bearings. "I had thought necromancy itself was a specialty. What are the specialties you refer to?"

Arisha nods quietly. "He was one of the aquisitioners, Verna. It makes more sense now. However, necromancy is a magical specialization. it is much like magic, a tool. One that has dangerous consequences if one strays from a strong moral standard."

"Is," Rona corrects, though her heart isn't in it... not least because the Dark Elf was only repeating the words she herself had used. And now that the topic has come up out in the world, rather than merely in the privacy of her mind where she can pretend that it hadn't, she is forced to consider the fact that death is far from the worst fate that can befall an elf. "What... consequences?"

Arisha says, "Corruption is the main one. With the magic of life force, some tend to think they are gods, and can beat death. Vardama, the grey lady, IS death. So, yeah...part of the consequences.""