A Veil of Knowledge (Pre-Unveiling & GF'd)

[Lirael Galanodel]

Third Cycle of Ponutis, Winter, Era I, PF XV

The Veil. That was what they had been calling this .. miracle? Tragedy? She felt sorry, in a sort of detatched way, for those who had made their home in these lands, those who now found themselves unable to return to that home.

But that was their problem -- not hers.

As for Lirael Galanodel, she was more interested in the Veil itself. Never one to pay much attention to nature, to her surroundings, she now found herself irrevocably drawn to this phenomenon -- and what secrets it might hold.

She had, of course, heard the rumor; that this Veil was a punishment of sorts, on those who had forsaken their roots and clung too strongly to material posessions. Posessions were nice; there was no doubt in her mind about that. But to draw away from one's home, their roots, their very being because of it ...

That seemed a bit much.

And so she found herself here, to discover for herself the truth. Was it even magical? All Lirael had, of course, were rumors and half-truths, myths from so long ago that even those who spoke of them believed in them little, if at all.

But every myth had a basis of fact. What was the fact here? Time to find out . . .

White hair flowing unbound down her back, Lirael was in her usual ensemble; breeches, sturdy boots, and a white linen shirt underneath a heavy winter robe, it's many pockets holding an assortment of items. Her leather gloves she had left in one of those many pockets, and her hands themselves were drawn into the sleeves of the large garment in a rather futile attempt to keep them warm in these winter months.

She walked slowly, carefully, eyes constantly moving as she took in her surroundings. She had to admit ... It was beautiful.

[Amaranth]

Rumors... rumors circulate, changing, adapting to the times, morphing slightly with each of their travels until finally... it is hard to remember what was truth.

But one thing could not be denied -- the Veil was lovely in its mystique and in its purity. Like an untouched maiden, it blushed with the light of the rising suns as it felt the heat of the molten gold running down its spine. Like an intuitive mother, it held the forests of Silrosia in its encompassing embrace, protecting all that it knew and loved. Like a crone, bent with age and heavy with knowledge, it watched all those who tried to penetrate it with knowing eyes, with wisdom, with understanding.

Lirael could feel its many facets, just as surely as she could see the light filtering through the tree tops before exploding into rainbows of light within the shivering fog. The Veil was more than a simple layering of mist. So much more. It was everything.

As the human woman passed beneath the trees, she felt the eyes of the forest upon her, watching, waiting. No breeze stirred beneath the branches, as though the Veil itself waited with baited breath. They were one in those times -- the Veil and the forests, joined together into a singular purpose.

The people of Silrosia would remember... they would remember or they would be lost. Would Lirael become lost with them?

[Lirael Galanodel]

Lirael walked slowly, not because she was afraid of what she would step, so much, as because ... well, honestly, she wasn't sure. Because she didn't want to miss anything? No, that wasn't quite it, but neither was it because she was afraid; though she knew better than most the fury and neutrality of nature.

Wrapping her cloak more securely around her slim frame, Lirael let the fingers of her right hand trail along the edges of leaves and ferns as she walked, eyes downcast. Her steps took no particular path, and soon she found herself trailing off the path, eyes lifting up as she inspected the beauty of nature unbound to close to her.

She said nothing, made as little sound as possible as she moved. It seemed almost ... sacriligious, to disturb this place . . .

[Yre'Tsym]

A blink of the eyes was all Lirael did, a quick blind. The scenery of stillness and of the trees were gone, leaving a large cloud of darkness and of coldness, of emptiness and of vastness. All sense of direction left her. All signs of indication were gone. She was taken in by the Veil, into the heart of a forgotten place.

Was the place long forgotten, or was it forgotten only recently? It was a mystery of the veil. The veil felt as it had connected to many worlds, to many places, and recently, to Silrosia. Was it really a punishment of misdeeds, or a blessing of Nature?

These very words suddenly entered Lirael's mind, followed by another quick blink of her eyes. The cloud left, revealing the previous sceneries of stillness and of the trees. She knew, one thing had changed. The path her feet had walked away from, came back to sight, but another shocking sight was revealed to her. The trees, every single one of them seemed to be pointing towards one direction. Would it be wise to follow...?

ooc: Let me know your needs, and have fun!

[Lirael Galanodel]

Feeling as though the world had been stripped out from under her, shaken up, toppled over, been brought right-side-up, and then slid underneath her feet once again, Lirael blinked several times, hands shaking slightly as she ran her fingers through snow-white hair.

Drawing in a deep, shaky breath, she eyed the trees warily for one moment, before giving a shrug of delicate shoulders. What the hell ...

Thinking no more than that on the decision, she stepped from the path once again, finges trailing along the bark of the trees as she followed their direction.

[Yre'Tsym]

The path went on for many candlemark, leading Lirael further into the forest where the heart of the Veil could be. Silence was the only thing Lirael heard, and stillness was the only thing seen. The air lacks all tell-tale signs of water, of animals or of dead things. There was nothing that could be smelled, even by a Dorin's sensitive nose, and nothing could be tasted. Indeed, when Lirael licked her lips, it was tasteless. No taste of salt from sweat, nothing at all...

The trees continue to point towards one direction, all towards the direction Lirael was taking, but as she walked on, seemingly tireless, a warning to change her direction, to flee from the forest screamed in her head. Otherwise, the silence and the stillness remained. At this point, the moment she turned around, she would notice a bright light, telling her that she had actually walked in circles, and the entrance to the veil was just several steps ahead.

She could continue walking down the path, away from the safety of the light, but that was her final chance to escape the veil. Upon the ignoration of the escape route, the light would suddenly vanish, along with the dirt path she was walking on. It was also at this point in time, she noticed that everything seemed to grow taller by the second, and her knees were feeling wet. Lirael was sinking into a large patch of quicksand, and she was standing in the middle of it.

[Lirael Galanodel]

Lirael gasped softly, arms flailing around about her as she attempted to steady herself, gasping at anything nearby - a tree limb, a piece of wood, anything to stop her descent.

She did not kick about with her feet, did not struggle overly much in the sand; she had heard, once, that it only dragged you down farther, made your descent all the quicker.

Drawing in a deep, unsteady breath, she clenched her teeth tighty as she glanced wildly about, breath coming in short, harsh gasps and tears beginning to form in shockingly blue eyes.

[Yre'Tsym]

The sands dragged Lirael deeper into its deathly cradle as she attempted to grasp anything that could help her. It was a one sided battle, where nature was winning. There was nothing that could help her escape, and even when she attempted to relax, the sands drew her down, faster and deeper she went with every second. The fear of death could be seen on Lirael's face as tears began forming. The dragging of the sand suddenly stopped and it only reached Lirael's waist. Silence and stillness prevailed once more. The relief for Lirael, if any reached her mind, was short. For when a drop of her tears fell from her face, Lirael was immediately sucked into the sands mercilessly, and she took in her final breath and held it instinctively.

Death for Lirael... was mercifully quick... Or was it?

'If one still felt pain in the lungs from lack of oxygen, and saw memories in death, was that death?' The pain was building up in her lungs. Only her will prevented her nose from doing what she was supposed to be doing now - breathe. If she breathed, she would take in sand, soil and dirt, if not, she would surely die.

Her body continued to sink downwards... falling... falling... falling deeper into Telath's deathly cradle... Finally, Lirael broke down. She released her final breath and took in... a breath of soil filled air. It was uncomfortable, having sand going through her nose and out again from her mouth, but she had air. There was only one problem left, after she finally found out she could breath... She was actually not falling, nor could she move anywhere in any directions.

[Lirael Galanodel]

Eyes squeezed tightly shut, lest they be filled with the sand now filling her lungs in lieu of air, Ashandra gulped greedily at the air ... sand ...

This is confusing, she surmised with a slight twitch to her lips, arms pushing in a vain attempt to test the earth around her. Meeting with more than a little resistance, she frowned and pursed hier lips tightly together, fingers wriggling against the sand holding her in place, even as her legs continued to attempt to fight through the sand.

She had heard tales, once, of monsters that moved through the sands of the desert as if it were water. How she wished she could do the same, right now.

Breath beginning to even out, the white haired young woman took a moment to gather her thoughts, focusing herself inwardly before once again pushing against the earth surrounding her.

[Yre'Tsym]

Sand monsters, swimming freely in the sands was Lirael's wish, and in a place such as the Veil, one must always beware of what they wished for. As Lirael's breathing began to return to its normal pace, and as all her energies were used to focus upon pushing against the earth around her, her heart began to beat faster... faster and faster it went, oblivious to the person it was supporting. A dark and silent mist surrounded the earth, something that would ordinarily made Lirael think of the phrase 'Deja Vu'. The mist grew thicker, and the earth suddenly grew tighter around Lirael. A burning sensation started around her wasit, which extended both direction towards her head and her feet. A sensation quite unwanted, yet very comfortable and oddly satisfying.

Slowly, the mist cleared, or did it? Lirael's eyes was still able to see the dark cloud around her, at the same time, she could also see the earth surrounding her. She struggled a little, and found that she could move. She had became a sand swimmer, but for now, that was all she knew. She could only see the earth in front of her, earth, earth and more earth, yet she somehow knew, sense maybe, something was rushing towards her from four directions, thus she must make the choice of swimming upwards or downwards. Her instinct just told her to flee. She could, of course, wait around and guard against the four sided onslaught. 'What would I do' ran over and over in her mind. It's her choice. To prepare for the onslaught, to swim upwards, to swim downwards. It was all her choice, and the different choices would lead to a different kind of... danger.

ooc: Just for your next post content:
Wait in the sands, please prepare yourself.

Swim upwards, you will reach the surface as you left it. Dark and cold. You would also notice that you have grown white fur all over you, and a pair of sharp talon replaced you hands

Swim dowards, you will reach a cave, with a large pond in the middle. Its too dark to see anything else, yet you could still sense the pond. You would also notice that you have grown multi colored scales all over you, and a pair of flippers replaced your legs

[Lirael Galanodel]

Stay, or go. There really wasn't much of an option, not as her instincts kicked into overdrive and Lirael found herself nearly shaking from the force of the urge ... the urge to flee.

And that was one urge she had learned to give in to, every single time.

All that she knew was that she wanted out of here; out of this constricting earth, out of the burning sensation in her midsection, no matter how comfortable it might have become.

And so she angled herself upward, clawing her way to the surface and breathing a heavy sigh of relief as fresh air filled her lungs. Climbing carefully onto more solid ground, she lay flat on her back for a moment, attempting to gain her breath ... and her wits, once again.

It was a silly fear, to be frightened of enclosed spaces as she was, but it was very real, especially in the head of the moment.

Drawing an unsteady breath, Lirael moved to brush her pure-white hair out of her face, before pausing and staring at what should have been a perfectly normal - if a bit pale - hand. Instead, she found sharp claws - talons, really - in the place of fingers, and a sharp shriek left her lips before she could stop herself.

Not the most elegent of responses, but then again ... how did one react to finding their body changed against their will - and without their knowledge? And how did you miss something like that?

Slowing lowers her hand to the ground, she inspected the talons, and the white fur that seemed to cover her now from head to foot, sniffing experimentally at her shoulder as she took the time to glance around her surroundings, looking for any other changes; either in the actual world around her, or the way she percieved it.

[Yre'Tsym]

The surroundings of Lirael was as silent and as dark as when she had left it, but her nose found something her original form would never have noticed. The disgusting smell of rot and dead things. What could it be? There was no other signs of life excepts for the quiet trees. Were the trees alive, sentient? Treants? There was no response from the trees, only silence.

The slight confusion of Lirael had allowed something else to surface. The beast within. It roared within her head, aching to move its talon, to move its legs, to slash at some of the trees for food, and to rush to a spring located in front. Lirael could fight, and she would had fought it well, but the beast would win in the end. Lirael could see what she was doing, but she had no control over her own body. She saw her talons slashing and peeling the bark of a great tree. She felt her teeth chewing the rough wood, and her stomach satisfied as the wood were being digested. Then she felt herself running on all fours, and her surroundings changed too quickly for her original eyes to comprehend... But it was as if in slow motion for her beastly eyes.

The beast stopped in front of a puddle of gooey mud, and Lirael felt the mud going down her throat as the beast drank. The beast gave a loud satisfying purr and... Lirael found that she could once again control her body. To see what she wanted to see, feel what she wanted to feel, and do what she wanted to do. Freedom.

The surroundings had not changed much, but not far ahead, she spotted a cave and the cave smelled of fresh water. She also saw a fenced up area, about a mile to the east of the cave. The area produced no smell that Lirael understood, but the beast within had somehow told her it was the smell of seomthing the beast did not like or want to be near. It was up to Lirael though, for the beast was currently satisfied and lacked the willpower to control Lirael's body at the moment.

[Lirael Galanodel]

Lirael frowned, talons kneading against the soft earth beneath as she glanced between the two destinations for a moment. For now ... for now she would trust these instincts, wherever they might lead her.

Her progress was slow as she made her way to the cave, tripping over her own paws as her human mind got in the way of her animal instincts; walking on two legs she understood - but four? Her coordination left something to be desired.

As she neared the scent fresh water, she felt she was beginnign to get the hang of this - though it was nowhere near the agility and grace the beast had shown.

Drawing a deep, shuddering breath, Lirael kept her head low as she peered into the cave, hoping these new senses of hers would let her in on any danger that might be lurking around the corner.

[Yre'Tsym]

The cave was a bright as the forest outside. The silence was as overbearing as before, but in front of Lirael, there was a pond. In fact, there were three ponds, each with an unique look and an odd smell. The first, was filled with dark purple water, and to the beast, it smelled of evil. The second was filled with clear and clean water, but the beast had refused to drink anything from the second. The third contained some sort of black, slimy liquid, but the beast seemed to be thirsting for the black liquid. To Lirael's best knowledge, the black liquid reminded her of night-soil

Before Lirael could choose, a loud boom sounded behind her, causing her to turn around, only to see her way out closed. Almost immediately, a loud rush of wind, the first sounds she had heard in many... how many candlemarks or even brightening had past? There was no way to tell. The sound of the rush went as quickly as it came, and silence ruled once again. Facing the ponds again, Lirael could see an opening in the cave further ahead. No instinct for Lirael to consult this time, and there was no need to. Lirael somehow knew, as if knowledge entered her mind from a higher being. Exiting without drinking any of the waters would cause her body to return to her normal state, but at the same time, she would be out of the veil.

It was now all up to Lirael. To drink from either pond, a combination of two, or from all three and exit the cave, or just walk out. If she drank, no matter from which pond or whatever the combination might be, nothing obvious happen, and when she stepped out of the cave, she would fall, a long free fall that did not seem to want to end. If she just exited, she would see herself, back at the beginning, a long lonely path leading into the veil.

[Lirael Galanodel]

Lirael stood for a moment, claws kneading in the dirt beneath her, eyes darting this way and that. The fact that she could find no immediate danger did little to calm her fears, as one strange, amazing, terrifying experience after another seemed to assault her senses.

Drawing a deep breath, in what she secretly thought was a rather vain attempt to calm her nerves, she slowly approached the second pond, sniffing experimentally at the water and puzzling over the beast's reluctance to drink from the apparenly clean, pure water.

It's wish for the dirty, murky water - no more than mud, really - was equally confusing, and she glanced between the two ponds in confusion for a moment before taking a slow drink, wincing at the akwardness of it; drinking like an animal, bent over and lapping up the water instead of using her hands. She knew, though, that attempting such would be akward at best ... and besides, she had gone with it this far ... why turn back now?

Straightening once again, Lirael turned to look at the first pond with a frown, unable to shake the cold feeling that ran up her spine at the sight of the water. Evil ... odd, that she would get such a sure feeling from it. But she wasn't going to doubt it, wasn't going to fight it ... not when it was such a strong impression.

Confident, now, that she had appeased whatever powers were at play here - at least for the time being - the young woman slowly stepped through into the next room, one step at a time as she got used to these new limbs of hers.

Did she slip? Fall? Stumble over her own paws yet again? She didn't think so ... it was more like the rug was pulled out from under her, like the ground beneath simply ceased to exist.

And really, it wasn't as far fetched a notion as it might have been only a candlemark or two earlier.

Anything was possible, in the Veil.

Paws grasping out, searching rantically for some sort of wall, branch, rock ledge - anything! - to grap a hold of, Lirael choked back a sob of fear, searching frantically for something to halt her progress - or at the very least slow it down.