DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
O'raion
HTML https://oraionacademy.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: The Unbroken Circle
*****************************************************
#Post#: 33681--------------------------------------------------
Darkness Falls [invite only, winter solstice]
By: Aska Date: November 19, 2012, 9:42 am
---------------------------------------------------------
The moon rose over the longest night of the year. Snow had
fallen, still and crystallized. The air, chill and frost laden,
did not move, as if in some inspired stasis. Anticipation hung
thick, vibrating along the nerves of any that came within a
distance of this. The shadow at the center roiled, making one
who watched wonder if it might be alive. And yet, most anyone
could not bring themselves to watch that abyssal portal for
long. It disturbed.
White met midnight, land and sky. The moon rose up, well
balanced in her face. The hours of dark were long, the shadows
danced and tarried deeply, even over the pure canvas of snow.
One priestess, dressed in robes the shade of the shadows that
gathered around her. For that moment in time, she appeared as
exactly what she was, an abyssal priestess, unfearing of the
chasm.
The only color or flash of light to be found on the tiny figure
was the moon silver dagger in her hand. Wickedly curved, it was
more a kris in it's makings. Within the handle, heavy stones of
onyx embellished the wrought design. A keen eye might catch the
odd etching over the blade. It was no design ever seen by the
human eye before, but this tiny priestess barely qualified as
such a thing anymore. In the etching, something black sat
within, creating a veining along the silvering of the blade.
She walked deosil over the snow, consecrating the area with her
dagger. Like a band of flexible, yet impassable thread, the
circle's power snapped into place. It would keep things welcome
in, or let them in, or keep the uninvited out. Eyes would be
blinded to all but the results of this night's work.
The cloaked woman walked forward to her altar, sliding the blade
into it's place on the very stone, hilt up. Her hands went to
hollowed places that seemed perfectly shaped for them, shallow
little cups with small holes bored into them. Those dainty hands
settled. A soft hiss and moan rent the air, and the tiny figure
stepped back, her hands held like a supplicant offering from her
palms.
She walked the circle, and the ruby droplets stained the purity
of the white. Each garnet jewel that struck the ground seemed to
resonate in sound into the night air, the clear call of bells. A
tolling it was, for Him. When once more she stepped into the
first set of her footsteps, a deeper tone split the night.
Sleeves fell back as her hands lifted to the dark sky, revealing
the icy paleness of her arms. The crimson liquid ran in rivulets
down her forearms.
Her hood fell back, revealing hair the same color of the expanse
that she seemed to offer to. Her eyes gleamed a silvered
lavender before the lashes fell closed. The wounds on her hands
closed, and the blood dried. It would not be washed away. It
would be sign, tribute and marking.
Her hands came together in echoing applause, if not appearing
somewhat macabre in fashion. As her hands came together, a wide
circle began to form of metal contraptions, eleven in all. A
closer look reveals that the contraptions are very much iron
maiden in look and style.
The priestess stood motionless in the center of this, and time
would pass. The first phase was done. She appeared to be
focusing herself.
#Post#: 33878--------------------------------------------------
Re: Darkness Falls [invite only, winter solstice]
By: Aska Date: November 23, 2012, 7:41 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Those silvered pansy eyes opened, no longer far away and focused
elsewhere. Movement had begun stirring from inside each of the
almost medieval devices. Groggy and sluggish. Elbows bumping,
banging limbs against the walls. The yelps of pain and confused
shock rang through the air, as tender and bare flesh met the
spiked walls. The whimpers of just blossoming fear were sounding
into the night. Still too disoriented to truly begin to panic,
the sounds were small and animal, human beings reduced to
confounded animals.
In a symbolic gesture, the petite priestess stripped her black
robes from her form. In Japanese symbology, black was not the
color of death, but white. She stood in pristine robes, and to
those that couldn't see truth, she may have been a beacon of
purity, of the light. But those that saw the real knew that this
woman walked as Death's angel incarnate. That she was darkness
and shadow, nothing so soothing as purity. Dainty feet stepped
over the white, white snow, barely making a mark in the field of
it in their passing as she moved once more to her altar. The
curvaceous blade came to her hand once again, the veining a
poisonous and venomous black over the blade. Now, instead of
simply looking like a tool of the little priestess, the tiny
woman held it in her hand as if it was simply an extention of
herself.
Her footsteps took her to the first of the metal cages. She
stood in front of it, looking through the very slim slats at the
person inside of it. Her slim hand lifted and a snap of her
fingers brought another platform up to the surface, revealing a
very sleepy and not all there dragon. "Time to wake, little
sister. It is time you join your onee-san, and become that which
you are meant to be." The small woman left the fire dragon to
pull herself from her drugged stupor, the ecstatic and
tranquilizing effect keeping her calmed, yet allowing her to
come awake.
"Five of you are guilty of crimes against my lord. Harboring
artifacts that you knew kept him chained, imprisoned and
fettered. Each of you had lives bound to those artifacts. And to
activate them, each of you shall be shuffled loose of the mortal
coil. Your bloodlines ended. Your crimes will be repaid, and
your sacrifice is very appreciated by I, his priestess." The
lock upon the first was unlocked, the door swinging open to
reveal an already bloodied female. Her age is young, perhaps her
very early teens. "You, a child of Space. Die for your lord's
disloyalty. The one you serve is the weaker." Blade lain upon
her neck, the girl's doe eyes wide in fear, her body stricken to
stillness, she could utter nothing but the smallest of whimpers
before the silver sank and sought her life's blood to free it.
The black of the blade sank into her veins, and the blood pumped
fast and thick. It flowed over white snow and seemed to follow a
trench toward the center of the circle, only to stop in it's
pool there. Life drained slowly from the girl's eyes, something
about the venom black slowing her last moments so that she could
feel her own flame guttering, and suffer with that pain and
knowledge. Aska watched the girl's eyes drown in the despair of
her knowledge and the fear of what lay beyond, and it pleased
her. The wicked little flash of sadism almost wanted to twist
the knife just a touch and heal her just slightly, but the
priestess curbed her darker appetites. Besides, it wouldn't do
for her little sister to see such a thing. She does lick at the
blood upon the blade as she moves to her next potential victim.
Her pause was simply to heighten atmosphere and build that fear
in the air. Fear would be an excellent welcome for her lord.
#Post#: 33880--------------------------------------------------
Re: Darkness Falls [invite only, winter solstice]
By: Homura Date: November 23, 2012, 9:06 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
As the pedestal rose, a voice reached a very sleepy dragon. Her
eye lids fluttered lightly as she roused from her state. One of
the sleeves of her robe fell back as the back of her hand rubbed
her eyes in an attempt to clear the fog. Pulling herself out of
the stupor slowly, the dragon looked around through the hazy
world. She knew the voice of her onee-san, she tried to focus
on the world. Shaking her head she tried to clear some of the
cobwebs from her mind, however the world remained fuzzy. She
looked around trying to find the priestess. "Onee-san?" her
voice was quiet and shaky.
The dragon's eyes fell on the scene in front of her. As she
watched her onee-san approach the girl in the metal device, she
felt herself drawn in. Her eyes widened slightly as she
watched, however she remained calmer than something told her
that she should have been. Watching and listening to the
priestess she couldn't pull herself from watching the scene.
She cringed slightly and a small noise escaped her lips as the
blade pierced the girl’s neck. Caught between the ecstatic and
tranquilizing effect that she was under and her heart racing,
she shook lightly but couldn't tear herself away.
#Post#: 33886--------------------------------------------------
Re: Darkness Falls [invite only, winter solstice]
By: Aska Date: November 23, 2012, 10:33 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Aska turned to look at the fire dragon, watching her become more
and more awake and aware. "Yes, little sister, I am here." Came
the soothing voice of the woman, at a very large contradiction
to the image she presented, the blade against lips, blood
coloring them after having licked the blade clean of the fluid.
She lowered the kris and came to Mura slowly. "It is okay,
little dragon. All of this is for purpose and reason. Each of
these people has committed their sins, and now they will pay for
them in their life's blood. It is only proper. You will meet Him
tonight. He whom I serve. He must be freed. No one should be
captive. Is that not right, my little sister?" Asked the
priestess, that soothing voice so believeable, so calm. Big
sister did not lie.
#Post#: 33888--------------------------------------------------
Re: Darkness Falls [invite only, winter solstice]
By: Homura Date: November 23, 2012, 11:10 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Homura rubbed her eyes again and her breathing slowed as Aska
addressed her. Confusion lingering in her eyes for a moment as
the blade remained at her Onee-san's lips. The dragon
instinctually edged closer to the priestess as she approached.
Taking in the words she nodded slowly, the tension still
palpable. It didn't feel entirely right, but Onee-san had never
steered her wrong before. "They have sinned? So they must pay
with their life, their blood?" She blinked slowly letting the
words sink in. I will get to meet him tonight?" Her eyes
widened slightly, before she nodded more adamantly. "No one
should be held captive. If he is being held against his will he
must be freed." The little dragon was quite sure of this.
Being held against ones will, being bound a captive, it made
sense to fight these, to seek freedom.
#Post#: 33889--------------------------------------------------
Re: Darkness Falls [invite only, winter solstice]
By: Aska Date: November 24, 2012, 10:21 am
---------------------------------------------------------
A not often seen smile crossed the older woman's face, and she
came closer to the little dragon. Her slender arm wrapped around
the girl's shoulders, and in rare affection, hugged the girl.
"Yes, you will meet him. He is very eager to, in fact. He knows
that you are little sister to his beloved priestess. It makes
him curious to see who might have been chosen to walk alongside
me so closely. This is why you are here right now. To watch him
rise again and walk the Earth. Not many will witness this. You
are very unique, and I do not think another will compare. So,
come. Join your older sister, trust in me. I will never hurt you
or steer you to something that is not good for you. You are my
little sister." Her hand ruffled the hair of the younger girl as
she began leading her to the altar.
"Now, each of them must pay for their sins, but there is
something that you might do for me. You sing beautifully, and I
have been teaching you to speak a very important language. Do
you remember your Latin?" Aska asked as she looked at Mura. Once
given a nod, the priestess began to lead the teen through her
necessary script. "Umbra et inane, tenebris et mortis. Fractis
catenis posuit tenebris Deum liberum." She repeated the phrase,
honey voice lifting and lilting in just such the way that the
words needed to be chanted. She acted as guide to her protégée's
tone and words, as any geisha might when her sister sings.
Once Mura was chanting properly and steadied, Aska moved once
again down the line. She saved two for the last, for entirely
opposing reasons. One, an older gentlemen, stood straight and
proud as she opened the door. Cage though it had been, there
were no sharp implements that might have cut his skin, no spikes
and other cruelties. The symbol of this respect comes full
circle as Aska bows slightly to the man, In an educated, though
quiet voice, he addresses the priestess before him. "My lady
wrote that you would come, that you would free the Dark Lord.
And when you did, I was supposed to ensure that it would happen,
and give to you the key to the door. My lady went along with the
lords only enough to ensure that she would know all of the steps
required. They trusted her enough that they allowed her to stow
away the key to his prison where she will it.
She did, in the last place any of the lords could or would look.
In a heart of shadow. The Dark Lord will be able to call the key
to him as you break the wards further. That shadowed heart will
be able to unlock the door." He bowed once more to the white
clad woman. "Now, be once more the angel of our death, and let
my blood allow his passage back. The lady had missed him. She
was never again the same when they took him away." The last
individual in his cage began screaming in a hoarse and outraged
voice. "Your lady and you, traitorous dogs, both! They trusted
you, you swine. You've damned this world!" Neither priestess nor
honored guest acknowledged the howled words of the prisoner.
Aska bowed once more before her blade found the neck of the man.
This time, to honor the thing he and his lady had done, the
death is quickened and painless. But the last death would not
be, in the least.
#Post#: 33890--------------------------------------------------
Re: Darkness Falls [invite only, winter solstice]
By: Homura Date: November 24, 2012, 11:55 am
---------------------------------------------------------
The young dragon smiled brightly as the priestess hugged her and
ruffled her hair. If the man wanted to meet her, then she would
be happy to bear witness to him rising again. It was clear from
Aska's words that this should be seen as a privilege, and she
knew that her big sister would not hurt her. She trusted her
Onee-san and followed her to the alter as she was led. When
asked about the Latin she had given the nod that Aska had looked
for. Singing the words in the way she was shown she chanted
steadily, her voice sweet but strong. "Umbra et inane, tenebris
et mortis. Fractis catenis posuit tenebris Deum liberum."
As she continued chanting she watched what was going on in front
of her with curious eyes. She watched her sister speak with the
man, show him respect. Listening to the words the man spoke,
Mura knew she didn't know much about what was transpiring.
However she could tell that the man before them deserved respect
as she watched the interaction. Hearing the other man scream in
outrage she could guess that he was not in for the same
treatment as the one Onee-san had just dealt with. The young
dragon still cringed slightly as the older man's life was ended,
but its swift painless manner made it easier to watch.
#Post#: 34066--------------------------------------------------
Re: Darkness Falls [invite only, winter solstice]
By: Aska Date: November 27, 2012, 4:22 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
The petite woman guided the lifeless body to the ground gently
and carefully. When she stood again, blood colored and heavied
the white material over her chest, causing it to stick to her
skin. She paid it no nevermind, which in itself, is a macabre
thing. It's also very symbolic. She wore the blood of the
innocent. No matter how honored such a man had been by her, his
blood still joined the others, and his life had still been
stolen by the tiny priestess.
It was like this that she approached the last individual. Her
pale skin and beautiful features were serene and calm, her lips
still stained crimson from the blood previously. Her lavender
eyes looked out at the imprisoned man, and they were cold,
emotionless things. His fingers grasped at the slats in the
contraption as he peered out, defiant and angry. Perhaps in
retaliation for that defiance, or perhaps simply to hear him
scream, she moved quick, setting her dagger to his fingers and
severing the digits from the hand closest to her. She whispered
to him in her honey voice. "Now, now. Hands inside at all times.
Your prison is just like my lord's. Cold, hollow, consuming. It
is only right that you be subject to the same circumstances."
The man's piteous screams rang in the air. "You, you will
suffer. Both here and in the place that comes next. Servant of
Time, you serve a jealous and envious lord. A being disloyal to
family, to brother, to blood. Power at any cost will be the
thing that consumes you now. Scream as long as you like. No one
will aid you. You are damned."
Though fear pumped through him, the man couldn't keep his tongue
still. "You are damned as well as I, wh*re of Kazuma. The death
he brings will stain your soul, foolish b*tch." Aska's eyes
flashed at being called names so common, but she said nothing.
Her dagger found it's way through the slats, and into the side
of the man, much as they may have done to Caesar at one time.
Then the priestess snapped her fingers. A creak from the machine
can be heard, the squeal of moving metal parts a brief sound.
Gears turning came, and then another terrified scream rent the
air. It was a slow thing, and all the time, he screamed. And
then he begged after a pain filled shriek came from him. Begged
for his life, begged to have a quick death, begged the woman to
stop this. And then the noise stopped, and the gurgling began.
Blood flowed in steady stream from the machine, and a subtle
snapping began to happen. The crunch and breaking of bones.
Aska watched and listened, and she kept him alive until the time
when it was no longer possible, because he was nothing but meat
and pulp. And the woman watched the life fade from his eyes.
Even that defiance faded in the face of so much mercilessness.
Once his soul had been loosened of the mortal coil, she stepped
away. The dagger is cleaned of blood in the snow before she
replaced it back in it's hollow in the rock. She stepped into
the center of the stone, which now colored itself garnet in the
moonlight, the blood shimmering. An ancient symbol had filled
itself with blood, and her hands struck together with a crack.
It rose five objects to the surface, and then once more, the
woman fell to meditation and focus.
#Post#: 34168--------------------------------------------------
Re: Darkness Falls [invite only, winter solstice]
By: Aska Date: November 30, 2012, 12:43 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Once more centered, the little priestess straightened up,
swapping out the bloodied white robes for her black robes once
again. She stood in the circle stained crimson with the life's
blood of 5. Her fingers snapped, and the other six chambers
began to creak and groan, much has the last had. This time, no
screaming may be heard, but blood and other liquids flow from
the metal cages, filling the rest of the sigil on the ground.
Once surrounded by the flowing ruby liquid, Aska looks down, and
makes absolutely sure that the entire sigil is well blooded.
Once satisfied, she stands straight, and turns each direction
one at a time, facing an object slowly. She begins with Space,
the object a hollowed urn etched in story. Unimportant was the
tale, just that this object had been held as favored by the Lord
of Space himself. She began a soft chant, her palms together.
One of those hands raised, and violet eyes flashed open to
silver in the moonlight as a jolt of lightning lanced through
the sky and struck the urn, shattering the thing to pieces.
"Where Space once was, so might it be restored to my lord."
Spoke the priestess softly.
Next in line was Matter, and he himself had prized water above
all else, so on the pedestal sat a small vial of water. Such a
simple thing by the looks of it, but the properties of the water
inside were known to be sacred, and dangerous to most anything
of the darkness. Which was why it was so fitting to call upon
the dark fire. She heated the vial until even that water could
do nothing but evaporate. And then she heated it further, the
black flames reflected in her eyes eerily. The vial itself
shattered in the heat. "Matter will have hold no longer, a chain
broken."
The artifact for Time was by far more elaborate, a beautiful
hourglass that the sand never ceased to flow inside of. The
symbol of time's constant passage. Because this had been the
lord that stood so very staunchly against her own, she would
need aid from another side to destroy the thing. So came the
artifact for Light. Hers was simple, yet breathtaking. A many
faceted and clear jewel that reflected any light source into
prisms of color. The tiny priestess used this as an amplifier,
the natural energy and vibration of the stone perfect for the
job. Nearly all of her power funneled through the gem, the
energy jumping straight from jewel to hourglass. Dark light and
white light coalesced into one stream and it frissioned like
electricity over the glass. At nearly the same time, both stone
and hourglass erupted in a flash, leaving behind nothing but
shattered remnants.
The fifth pedestal remained empty, purposefully so. Each object
had locked him away, his taken from him, but no magick needed be
cast upon it. That same thing had been returned to him. It now
sat on his hand as he waited in the shadows. Here, the priestess
waited, gathering her wits about her to weave another spell.
#Post#: 35109--------------------------------------------------
Re: Darkness Falls [invite only, winter solstice]
By: Aska Date: December 19, 2012, 7:40 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
The geisha priestess' voice rose in a haunting and melodic
chant. There was little mistaking this song for what it was. She
chanted a dirge, calling the dead through the quick to witness
the happenings of this ritual. They would stand in a silent and
cold curtain, encircling the stone Aska stood on. The waves of
entropy, of void, of nothingness, emanated from that noose of
decay. They faded from sight, but that blood curdling chill
still swept out from the little priestess. Her skin, already
pale in the moonlight, had taken an almost icy look to it. Her
eyes were nearly electrified in the moonlight, moving between a
glowing violet, to a black, then a mercury silver. Living,
moving shadow seemed to pass and writhe beneath the skin of the
petite woman, the darkness blowing as free as the raven hair
that the winter wind picked at.
Her chant changed, no longer the dirge it had been, but far more
entrancing, sorcerous in it's ability to call out to someone.
The winds rose, blowing strands of that midnight silk hair about
her placid face, and they traveled out from her, finding the
person she wished to hear them. Hear them and find her and this
place. Led there, and oblivious of the fact that they had been
summoned. Only knowing that they followed an angel's voice in
the winds, making ephemeral promises and offering unrealized
dreams.
*****************************************************
DIR Next Page