Cloaks, Veils, and Daggers (Closed)

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

Third Day Of Winter. Third Day Of The Veil Being In Place. Kalendryas. Era Vx (pf)
Daybreak Outside the Veil

Well, well, well.

So the sins of the fathers had finally caught up to them.

Erenthril mused quietly to himself as he paced the outer rung of the Syl’rosyian forests, his exact location caught in a crossfire between the unnatural unkempt dead trees of the Blackbarch and the more shallow, restive timber trees of the Restwood. Having stopped only briefly along the way to pick up something akin to three day’s worth of rations, hanging loosely from a leather knapsack slung over his shoulder, the Syl’rosyian Lord stared hauntingly into the recesses of shadow and pitch darkness, entirely uncertain just where his loyalties lay in the pursuit of gaining entrance.

The veil itself was hardly anything surprising to the Elf. He’d expected some catastrophe of the sort, and long unaccustomed accounts of untold ancient powers and magics had failed to disappoint of late when it came to chronicling the pages of his adventurous life. The most the allegedly impenetrable thing garnered was a mild raised eyebrow, and even then he had smirked upon his first glance upon the sheet of arcane material. Not that he’d actually bothered getting close to it yet. No…for now, Erenthril was busy contemplating whether the most proper point of penetration would be within the forest…or above it.

And given he wasn’t exactly piloting his air ship at the moment…well, it made far more sense to set out into the woods.

Woods he knew like the back of his hand, thank Phedos. Well…no. Phedos was little more than a conniving, manipulate bastard. The thought alone made Eren pause even longer, a blank expression passing over his face. The corner of his lips twitched into a feral grin; he really didn’t have a particular god at the moment, did he? Shaking his head before adjusting the silver brooch that clasped his emerald green cloak about him, the Master Elementalist began to hum a merry tune and departed into the Restwood, choosing to ignore the perils of the Blackbarch which had set him off and out of Syl’rosya to begin with.

Sure, he’d been a little Imperial of late. Helping Milo out with this. The Empire out with that. But even then, he’d gotten to spend some time with himself. Get to know himself better. Get to measure his worth against the weights of time. Crossed between Nikki, Chelseanna, and that befouling adventure off in Libertas Bay, Erenthril had perhaps done more work in a shorter amount of time than any other mentor he’d come to know. Not to forget the mayhap of rebuilding Paxia.

Walking with even strides as his slender body passed beneath the leafy boughs of crescent leaves, the Elf felt an aura of calm, peace, and ultimate tranquility lap at his body like the ebbs of a tide. He was coming home, albeit he refused to call it such, and more importantly: he was arriving as a fixer of problems. Inside, there were people he knew. People he knew that were just as frantic and panic-stricken as he was, although he did not show it. A grim smile of determination, thin as it was, plastered across his face as if he’d painted it there, Erenthril brushed back a few branches and began to set forth to the very edge of the veil itself.

He’d see what sort of tricks the forests of old had up their sleeves.

[Gossamer]

It was a luminous presence within the forest. People could see it for miles around. A shimmering sheet? No... indeed it was more like a sunrise or sunset in the distance sparkling through the trees somewhat blindingly... even in the darkness of night, like it was. When one walked towards it, one kept walking and never seemed to really reach it. The trees watched like the sentinels they were. Though the mortal realm couldn't hear it, their song had abruptly ceased at midnight when the Foglords had finally acted and answered their requests. The time was long coming, though Eren wasn't far off in his assumptions that the sins of their fathers had finally caught up with them. The only problem was, the sins of the fathers were continued in the actions of the children. It was only human nature. Only... human... nature. Yes... the trees danced, their leaves shimmering and shaking as the essence of the problem echoed through them.

Would Eren awaken and understand his elven nature?

Time would tell.

A small sparrow flickered out of the tree as Eren treaded the forest. It alighted on a branch and sung out lightheartedly. Its little breast puffed and it dodged and darted about. By the bright colors on its plumage, it was evident that it was a male... and had one of the biggest hearts ever. It moved from one big tree to another, picking the largest, the strongest to move too. Its movement had a pattern, and even as Eren watched, that pattern seemed to bring it closer to the light where he was having relatively poor luck.

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

It was all rather unusual.

He paused, clucked his tongue, and considered. Yes, unusual was most definitely the best way to phrase it. Aside from a humongous monolithic veil overshadowing his beloved childhood memoirs and nostalgic memories, it was most certainly unusual that – given he could conclude all manners of individuals attempting to get in (or out, one could predict) – it happened to be one of the least elfin members of the powermongering society of warlords and petty feuds that was actually conniving a way back into nature’s embrace. Yes…Eren definitely hadn’t taken to very many elfish rituals of late; no dancing in skimpy clothes, no black market trading, no feudalistic inner House bickering, no economic manipulating…and most certainly no tree hugging. Seemingly so, the Erenthril had acted…well, rather human if one was to compare him to the others who touted reputations or prestige. He had left Syl’rosya after finding the Blackbarch and his role in Syl’rosyian society rather ill-tasting – and who wouldn’t, really, if all one’s life was meant to do was fight the tainted perils and victimizing heathen monsters within a forest so royally screwed up by his forefather’s that even modern day arcana could not reverse its effects – he’d left so abruptly from the scene that he’d only disclosed his departure to a few choice individuals.

The majority of the petty lords and presumptuous ladies, of course, were not among those chosen.

“And to think it’s me coming back with a helping hand,” Erenthril rolled his eyes as he brushed pass a leafy tree branch and ducked beneath a strong wooden limb. Oh yes, he could see it now. All the rumors that had flared up when he left, all the slandering and backstabbing that had immediately been started no sooner than he could say popsicle. Erenthril coughed lightly into the palm of his hand and took a second to slow down, examine his surroundings. He seemed to be getting….nowhere. Feth it all to Aerternia.

Of course, in his spare time, he’d pitched out a hand to the Empire. At least those people were humane enough to acknowledge the fact they were such – there was no self-deceiving airs thrown about when it came to the more-elfier-than-thou nonsense. Scratching the back of his neck, the Master Elementalist took notice of the sparrow, though his eyes did not register the pattern immediately. Too busy thinking about Milo back in the palace, about Nikki being kidnapped, about dealing with the de Lylles in Lauryl, about poking into Ire and sabotaging the troublesome Orcs, about musing over that hauntingly frightening experience at Narim, saving all those survivors. An unsung hero, perhaps. Milo’s hidden card. Sighing lethargically, Eren blinked out of this reverie and took note of the brightly colored plumage dancing about in front of him. Almond eyes studied as the sparrow bounced from one large tree to the next, twirling ever so carefully.

One large tree to the next….

Eyebrows shooting upwards in a glance of sheer horror stricken astonishment at his dumb luck – or stupidity, was it? – the Elf immediately began to follow the sparrow. Feth it if he couldn’t get through the light. Screw arcana. If this little bird was having ten times as much luck as any of his spells or own devices might, he was more than willing to throw all pride to the wind and be done with it all.

Lord how he’d been humbled over the years.

[Gossamer]

As Eren moved, following the little sparrows pathway which indeed was graced with the beautiful notes of song, the trees around him started to change. They grew smaller, not larger as should be predicted within the forest. Their bark grew rougher, their needles darker, and the air lost its crisp fresh quality. Instead it got hotter, while not quite morning, and beneath his feet the duft and forbes turned slowly to baked clay and sand. The vegetation grew more succulent, meaning their water retention abilities stood out. The suns blazed into a dawn overhead, and the world around him changed slowly to a desert.

There was no water. None... and though he'd kept following the sparrow, who's plumage turned into bright yellow and black... that of a desert lark. Trees gave way to small mesquite and then finally to cactus. Where towering giants had grown, spiky thick fleshed cactus reached the sky, as unwelcome as the trees had been welcoming. Heat increased as dawn came and chased the nights chill away causing the blazing suns Eren had been feeling to redouble their efforts as they climbed in the sky.

The shimmering curtain of light in the distance had disappeared. In fact, nothing around him remotely looked like Silrosia or the forest surrounding it.

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

The first note of alarm came when the bark and trees themselves began to change.

The Syl’rosyian Forest was habitual for growing larger, more gargantuan the further one moved into the woodland. Here, the exact opposite was occurring. The trees were thinning. The branches slimming. More space was readily appearing between each one, and more importantly: the temperature was rising. By the time Erenthril had lost sight of the small sparrow he’d realized he was no longer where he thought he was, which meant for a very undesirable circumstance, and more importantly – the light had all but disappeared.

“Feth my life,” Eren sighed in exasperation, on a happy medium between completely aghast and horrified about what had happened – so quickly too. Had there been arcana involved in the works? His eyes slanted into small slits, narrowed and suspicious, suspecting of both himself and the environment around him. For such a drastic change of pace as this, and it was indeed drastic, Eren speculated foul play. But on whom? Had there been a teleportation, he surely would have noticed it via the small bracelet on his right wrist, and he wasn’t so completely oblivious to simply walk through dormant portals…was he?

“Gah!” he scuffed the heel of his boot against the (now) desert floor. Muttering to himself, he rolled up his sleeves and glanced around – trying to find any landmarks that might hint at recognition. He’d travelled throughout Arakmat before, the frontiers were not new to him, and he’d had the luxury of enjoying them from a bird’s eye view also. But first!

Falling into a state of calm clara, and transitioning from each point of entry in rapid succession, the Master Elementalist quickly channeled the essence of air from the elemental plane and began to shape the mana from its arcalysis into that of a large, altered cloud. Like a painter at his canvas, the Syl’rosyian began to drape it across the sky, blanketing the dawn’s increasing cerulean and siphoning out the blazing fiery orb in the sky. Effectively slipping the cloud between him and the sun, hopeful to provide ample shade and a bit cooler temperatures, Erenthril slowly let the spell begin to manifest.

And then? Another cursory glance around…this time with the use of a smaller bit of the essence he had previously channeled that he’d expeditiously crafted into the nimbus spell. A bird’s eye view of his current predicament aloft a small floating cloud of hard air surely would help get a …feel….for the situation, so to speak.

[Gossamer]

The cloud did indeed appear, though oddly the magic came sluggishly as if fighting his efforts, but the suns light didn't seem to dim any. The heat increased, burning at his exposed skin, and a thick wind began to blow sand about. It wasn't a sandstorm, it was just... uncomfortable. It scoured his skin on his arms and face, occasionally getting into his eyes unless he squinted. The light was intense... slowly darkening his pale skin to a reddish hue. As his spell went off, he strained to see through the nimbus... it was like casting through mud. His vision expanded, and all he saw from north to south, from east to west was desert. A rock outcropping with a dark streak down one side was visible to the north a good fifteen minutes brisk walk. That was it. There was no vegetation, no water, no signs of civilization.

Eren's lip cracked in the heat and combination of sun and windburn. He'd have to seek shelter soon... somehow. For there was no evidence of Silrosia, no evidence of the forest... no evidence of anything around him for what he could carefully estimate as hundreds of miles. In a way, it was terrifying. In another it was puzzling. There was a surreal quality to it, as if this wasn't happening to him, but rather a tale he was reading in a novel... or a story he was hearing someone else reciting. The rock outcropping could provide shelter... the shadow might be a cave of some sort... regardless it would be a wind break.

The lark screamed and shifted its shape into that of a desert falcon. It caught the winds and climbed skyward, shrieking its joy of the wind and mastery of the air.

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

….

There wasn’t much to be said. This was a set of unusual occurrences, and immediately Erenthril knew something was amiss. The cloud should have prevented the sunburn he’d been rather ardently hoping he could avoid, but instead, the heat scorched his skin regardless. A wind kicked up, thankfully not a sandstorm, but enough to do the desirable effects of making him rather uncomfortable. Adjusting his pants, Eren sighed and spat on the ground, almond eyes travelling as far as he could see and scanning the horizon. It was like being out in the middle of an ocean. An ocean of sand. Of sand, blistering heat, and cracked lips. He instinctively licked them, then swore beneath his breath and rubbed them anyway. Nikki would not be pleased.

Scouring around like a fool was not exactly a smart plan, but even Eren knew he needed to get out of the sun. He knew the environment was stacked against him, and he knew that the dealer held all the good cards in the deck. This was a gambit he wasn’t entirely sure he should have took, but after having chipped in the first two rounds, he might as well go all in. No sense in folding now…especially when the consequences of such seemed so…permanent.

Finding the cloud ineffective in what he’d originally intended it for, Eren began to re-shape the cloud, an apprentice technique, into something more substantial. Taking the weave of air, he mirror that of the nimbus spell – but instead wrapped it around his body. A shield of hard air. Enough to keep out the dust and sand that was cracking his lips and getting into his eyes, and perhaps save his current attire for a while at that. Scratching the back of his head, Eren threw up his hood and covered his skin from exposure. He could live with the heat…for the moment.

The cave was not far away. Regardless of whatever it was, it was indeed a wind break, and would get him out of the sun. Of course, it was most natural to suspect that since there was nothing else in this Jorel-sanctioned hellhole, the cave was probably a trap of sorts. After all, the odds were stacked against him.

But like that amateur poker player who’d mistakenly judged risk for opportunity, the Elf did what any other sane being would do – and sped off towards the shadowy dwelling.

[Gossamer]

The land sloped upwards towards the formation as Eren traveled that direction. It wasn't a tough walk, but the heat made it feel oppressive. He felt his sweat stain his clothing, and his feet drag slightly as he walked. It was just that hot... hot enough to make a silrosian elf feel extremely uncomfortable. As he walked, there was no shadows cast anywhere, no land left untouched by the suns save for the rock outcropping... and as he grew closer, he saw the cave.. it indeed was a cave... one that was filled with sand, bones, and wind-blown debris that lead deep into the structure. He could pause on the threshold once he'd found it, or start off exploring it. Down within, he could see a glow of a light... as if torches flickered. Outside the winds picked up, and sand really began to fly. It was a burning wind, tinged with smoke.... as if something was burning off in the distance.

His magic protected him from the worst of it, but he could feel an odd dragging... as if it was all he could do to keep the spell in place. His Arcana definitely wasn't functioning normally. It might be due to the intense weather, how hot he was initially feeling, or from something else altogether.

While there was a scent of musk present throughout the cave, and bones littered the floor.... it appeared empty, meaning the scent was old, faded, as if gone for a season or more... and the windblown sand had no tracks present upon it. It was comforting even as the wind rearranged the land one grain of sand at a time behind him.

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

It was shaped like an egg, he decided.

Yes, definitely an egg. With a series of holes throughout it. Almost omelette-ish, but not quite up to par.

Of course, his humor of the presently-deteriorating situation quickly faded once he arrived at the phenomenal structure; aside from the fact his arcana seemed to be on the verge of a total letdown, the place smelled absolutely horrid and was filled with skeletons and bones. Well, presumably bones that belonged to skeletons. But the real question was: were they human? Erenthril paused for climactic effects and took a quick glance around before lowering his hood warily and maintaining the shield of hard air in place about his body. Although it was perfectly plausible the individuals in question may have died from natural causes, it was equally as likely that something indeed made its home within the abominable dwelling….and given he didn’t see any sign of life outside the cliff, it was just as likely the being in question preferred delivery rather than dining afar.

Sniffing disdainfully at the burning smell that tainted the wind with its own specific odor, Eren eyed warily the sun and sand outside before turning inwards to the cave and the flickering. Arcana wasn’t working…not in the slightest, and he wasn’t about to push his limits just yet. No, he’d have to find alternatives now. The odds really were tipped against him, it seemed, and he was going to have to be resourceful.

Slipping a hand into the leather knapsack, he pulled out a small water skin and took a few sips: just enough to wet his lips and moisten his mouth a bit. It was common knowledge a person can’t think rationally when dehydrated, and given how hot the sun was…well, no reason to bother now. Still feeling the heat get to him, Erenthril slung off the knapsack and removed the cloak, lying it down on the ground and kicking a rock onto it to ensure it wouldn’t blow off anywhere. He’d come back for it later when he left the cave. Slinging the leather bag back over a shoulder now clothed in the long-sleeved linen shirt he’d adorned beneath the travelling protection, he brushed back a few errant strands of his cascading chocolate brown hair and set off towards the flickering, footsteps falling softly and silently forward as he moved onwards to inspect – taking in every detail of the cave as best he could.

[Gossamer]

The pathway to the flickering lights brought Eren down, deep down. He couldn't have possibly counted the steps he took to move forward towards the light that didn't seem to be getting any nearer. In a way it was frustrating, but it also gave him time to breathe the air of the cave, feel the solid earth about him, have his eyes adjust to the striations of the lovely patterns in the rock waving him downwards. Veins of crystal appeared, reflecting the light... and perhaps explaining why it had taken so long for him to approach the light. The crystal grew, its waves riding larger, like white foam of the ocean on dark sand. He reached a point, deep inside, where the darkness was almost alight with the glow from the veins of rock, which took up the vast majority of the sandstone he stood within.

He rounded a corner... and then another, and came face to face with the source of light. It was a glowing crystal pillar etched with runes he'd never seen. It pulsated with a light that was neither akin to the suns, nor resembling any sort of magelight or artificial light he'd ever seen. It was almost as if he was looking into the light of a... soul.

Words boomed into the chamber around him, reflecting sound off stone and seemingly filling him rather than just letting him hear them with his ears. "Avaeklsi. Wov seuvalisa abvisa ti owvi daveasnaaii?" The question... for decidedly it was a question, filled his awareness. Though the words were foreign, the meaning was somehow clear to him. Approach. Tell me of who you are. There was nothing else in the chamber which housed the pillar. There was just thick veins of the same stuff circling around him, glowing, all echoing the question. "Tell me of who you are." It was a song sung in the voice of a forgotten God or an ancient creature so far removed from the world that no one remembered its name.

If Erenthril were to turn a circle, studying the entire room before he answered, he'd find his way in gone. The walls were solid, and the air think with the musk of Telath... the rich scent of her soil.

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

Down. Down and onwards. That seemed to be the path he was destined to take, as the farther he travelled away from the entry point of the cave, the more the light from within began to surpass the light that peaked in from the outside world.

Mumbling under his breath something about creepy caves and their love-hate affair with adventures such as these, the Elf pushed aside the notion that he was plummeting into the bowels of the earth and bit down the restraint begging him to turn back. He took a few more steps down the sloping path, his steps innumerable, the veins of crystal edging and winding their serpentine way along the walls of the cave slithering before him, whispering for him to come closer. He checked himself and moved onward, until at last the light seemed so bright he felt as if the source itself would blind him.

It didn’t.

He rounded two corners and came face to face with an archaic pillar that seemed to have been living – or dormant – proof of the test of time. Foreign markings were carved into the crystal, markings the Elementalist could not decipher. He took a few steps into the small sandstone crystal-laden alcove, stepping closer to the light, confusion and intense thought slipping over his furrowed brow. Ah-hah, a challenge! So the pillar was what was causing the light…no? Almond-shaped eyes studied the weaves of crystal that twisted and winded their way down and from the pillar, reflecting the same unearthly light that the pillar emitted. How very strange…

And then it spoke to him. It spoke to him through an emphatic connection that smacked of a higher being. Erenthril let out a small groan. He’d been through this before – not exactly, of course, but similar enough – and already he was about to be dragged through the long tedious process again of conversing with unworldly powers. Phedos, Ioannes just needed to reign down from the heavens and hand him a little badge labeled ‘Divine Therapist’ and be done with it all. And yet the words themselves were not hostile, and they certainly lacked the pointedness and greed associated with the current Pantheon of Aetherians. No ‘do this now’ or ‘what the feth do you want’ tone to it. Just…whom he was.

The Syl’rosyian Elflord took a step closer, his hands shuffling awkwardly in his pockets. How does one talk to a pillar? A small grin slid over his face at the thought; though it did occur to him that he was most likely than not in a state of extreme peril. After all, this cave could collapse on him. And then where would his pretty head be? (besides a couple hundred feet beneath the earth…)

“My name is Erenthril Mael’tharias,” he introduced himself, hesitating briefly before continuing after the pause, “I was born in Syl’rosya one hundred and forty seven ordinations ago. I left…and have returned to investigate the Veil and discover why my friends and family have been locked out from the rest of the world,” he stopped uncertainly, eyeing the pillar with a scrutinizing gaze under his prudent dual-vision. If there was to be a reaction - one of those inexplicable types - well, he was hoping he’d catch the better end of a stick and realize it before it was too late.