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t h e . w a y w a r d - e v e n t
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On the surface,
an Elysium of unsurpassed splendor. Beneath, something sinister lurks...
Nikodemus "That would make two of us. Though I suspect we're not much alike." Elijah Robert Marks Elijah pulls out the envelope that Lady Amara gave him earlier. "Remember Lady Amara? She found me in here earlier... I don't think you were here at the time. She gave me this letter." You see that the envelope has 'TO ELIJAH ROBERT MARKS' written clearly on the front. "It's something of a mystery. She claims she was given this when she was embraced, and was told not to open it, just to give it to me. Thing is, she was embraced 31 years ago. I would have been three years old at the time. Go ahead and open it, I can't read it. I can read Greek and Hebrew, and this isn't either one of them." Elijah continues searching through the books. "I was hoping one of these books might either be written in a similar language -- it'd give me something to start with, anyway." ooc/ I don't expect any resolution to the letter -- not anytime soon, anyway /ooc "Ok, and this is a bit more relevant... I was going through a few books and I believe I have come upon a drawing of our friend, the Tall Man. I don't believe you've actually seen him, Niko, but take a look at this." Elijah points out a drawing of a thin robed figure on a page with some writing underneath. "He's not dressed the same, but I think that's him. Or a cousin. I can't make head nor tail of the text, though. Again, not Hebrew or Greek." ------------------ Vash I would go over, if I was sure I could get back before the sun came up... if it even will come up, this has proven to be a very strange place... Nikodemus Elijah Robert Marks Something occurs to him, and Elijah looks like he feels pretty stupid. He mutters 'idiot' under his breath. "Gwynhala, what exactly were you and Voracia doing out there, anyway? Did you find something?" ------------------ Nikodemus "This book in particular seems to be a book of cosmology." Niko takes down the book. "Interesting...it covers both the High, Middle and Low Umbra." Niko studies the book a bit, then looks up a bit embarassed. "Err, cat's out of the bag isn't it?" Stormcaller (To self) "Well now thats different. Of us all I didn't expect him to help her so quickly and in that way. Well we learn something new every day." David looks over to the group gathered around Elijah "Now that you mention it I just noticed that my watch has also stopped working. I wonder if time in this place is slower or faster then in the outside world, if it is indeed different that is. Then we have to wonder where this particular window goes. Is it even a place on Earth as we know it or is it somewhere or even somewhen else." "Not that any of that is close to as important as the mystery of the Hall itself that we have been working on but if we can figure those smaller mysteries out they may help us to figure out the greater mystery." David begins to look through the books on the shelves "Wow, this ones in Aramaic. I didn't think there were any real books in Aramaic, and heres one in Sanskrit. Again, how did this place get a book in Sanskrit. Too bad I can't read a word of either language." ------------------ Vash Yeah, we learn that I'm not the only womanizer here, huh? *Vash steps back inside and trips on the window again. He stands up frowning* Vile window... ahem, Does anyone have any idea what we should do next? Elijah Robert Marks ------------------ Krouser "I've no intrest in anglo women. Just because I'm a little quicker with sympathy does not make me a womanizer." *he closes Amber's comperativly smaller hand, the one holding the headband, in one of his.* "Keep it, Moasi. The pattern suits you." *he lets her hand go, and walks over to where Elijah and Niko are surveying books. He picks up a scroll, written in an unfamilier script, and unrolls it partialy. His finger quickly point out several words, as he speaks aloud, clearly translating.* "Bear, ant, eagle, wind, fox, weasel." *he unrolls it further.* "This thing is a navajo spirit index. The library here seems to dwell on an extensive theme. If this place is part of the spirit realm, it would explain quite a bit. Normally, the spirits don't have this much influence over me, but when Nilichii started howling, he damn near took over." Nikodemus "Hmmm...to listen to you talk, I'd think you were Garou, not Kindred. Gangrel makes sense though." Voracia GWYNHALA
The woman shudders, the type of spasm attributed by many an 'old wife' as a sign of someone walking over your grave. At the sign of the cross, her head bows, and she shivers once again. "Ingemisco tamquam reus, Preces meae non sunt dignae, And those in the room hear the tonations of Latin whispered behind the background of their native tongue: (I groan, like the sinner that
I am My prayers are unworhty,
As the penultimate of weapons, the Faith wracks the beholder with numinous oblivion. Voracia stands frozen in rictus of agony--but stands nonetheless, as though this is a trial borne by no means for the first time. DAVID
Released, she stumbles slowly forth from the edge of madness, tottering preacariously on the much shallower edge of the windowseat. The guiding hand of Element Wind reaches in to steady her, requesting her presence on the narrow ledge once more. GWYNHALA
Audible whisper: "Kyrie eleison, (Lord have mercy upon us. She regards the room, head tilting up to gaze through lowered lids, chaotic fright-masque of crimson streaking perfect cheeks back to the hairline from Wind's brush dipped into her palette. In the emberglow of the room, the dull red-orange hue of molten rock escaping blacked crust, they coterie regard eachother. Vash exchanges with Elijah:
"The choice is clear." No effects. A simple whisper. Eyes find her staring over her shoulder to the beckoning mystery. "So it has come to this..." That laughter subdued. "...check." Krouser "Wind, actually. What made you think it was Coyote?" Nikodemus "Or am I mixing up my totemic representations?" Krouser *lets his face settle into a somewhat amused expression.* "Coyote is a trickster, a wildcard. A theif, and a knave. He is usually shunned by the rest of the spirits, but he is also the Koe-tgh-ayi, it's an obscure shamen's term meaning 'arbiter of destiny.' He's in charge of distributing the more terrestrial positions in the Dine spirit pantheon. Typicaly he hands them to normal humans, but tribal history sugests that Garou, and sometimes mages, have held Dine offices." Nikodemus "Ah, I see. Well, to be honest, my eyes tend to glaze over when Morgan and the rest started talking about totemic relationships and the like." Elijah Robert Marks Elijah throws the book across the room, anger flitting across his face. "Voracia, what do you know about this place? Do you know anything about it? Are you a resident, or simply a visitor like the rest of us? Do the banners in the hall of doors represent you and your family? Do you know who the tall man is? You seem to know something... "This place... the longer I'm in this place the more it opresses me! It's as if the Great Hall itself were alive, and digesting me. Maybe that's what's going on... maybe it pretends to offer a haven and then slowly destroys its guests by feeding on our minds and souls. It does seem as if we're all going mad. One minute Gwynhala and Voracia are on a ledge, the next minute Gwynhala almost kills himself because his faith is incompatible with his current existence, and the next minute we're catting about this place as if it were a mystery novel we'd read the night before!" Elijah begins to hit his forehead rhythmically. "Why can't I think? What's going on. I have to think. I have to think. I have to think." ------------------ Krouser *looks to Elijah* "Calm down, Eli. It's starting to look liked Amara was telling the truth." *puts down the scroll, and reaches into his pocket for a pinch of sand. He rubs it between his fingers, then lightly slaps the hand across Elijah's face.* "Wake up, dreamer." *follows it with a short phrase in Navajo* ooc/ said navajo is to exentric a phrase for a 250 word vocabulary to express. /ooc Nikodemus "Ok, let me tell you somethings I have learned about the spirit world, or The Umbra. "There are three...layers...to the Umbra. "Low - The Shadowlands, the land of the dead. "Middle - The Spirit lands. This is where the Garou call their own. "High - The Idea realms. The insubstantial become substantial. "Each of these are separated into realms. For example, in the Middle Umbra, there is a realm called The Battleground. Immense wars, bloodshed, etc. "Now, I have been told, for example, that in the Upper reaches of the High Umbra, there are realms devoted to the color Blue...or the idea of sharpness. "How does this apply? I'm not entirely sure. Maybe it helps though." Voracia A deep breath. "You want to know about me? But I've told you so much already--aren't you bored yet?" She turns to look upon him--where she stands, beyond the line of light from the fire, her eyes cast only glints of the precious treasure within--and as such, only offer a disconcerting image of minute stars, slowly orbiting a dark void... "Ask. But we haven't much time, I fear." Elijah Robert Marks A stunned silence follows. Then, suddenly, the rage leaves his face, and lucidity returns. He lets go of Krouser's wrist immediately, looking troubled. "Sorry. That was uncalled for, on my part." Elijah turns to Voracia. "How are you connected with this place? When I first arrived it seemed to me as though you were the hostess, welcoming and entertaining guests. It doesn't seem like that anymore, but you seem to know something the rest of us don't. What, pray tell, might that be?" ------------------ Stormcaller "What you just said about this place devouring or emotions and souls reminded me of a story I once heard." "In this story I was told about creatures called wraths or wraiths or something like that. Anyway, the important thing I got from the story is that somehow these creatures feed on emotion. I wonder if somehow this Hall could be related to one of those creatures or if something else is going on. Of course this is just a hypothesis that occured to me and it could be totally off base. Like you said Elijah, this place is affecting my thinking too." ------------------ Nikodemus "I am unable to speak intelligently on that subject, which is irritating. "Unfortunately, I think we've just about hit on my limits. I've only been in three Umbral realms, and this doesn't look like any of them." Krouser "mention not the dead by name, lest ye call them too you. Keep in mind, I'm the one that'll hear them first." *winces, as though someone just screamed in his ear.* "Too late, never mind." *raises one hand to cover his ear.*
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