Ailnea
11-21-10, 04:09 AM
It was raining, today, in Dheathain. Ailnea waited nervously in the small room she occupied. The town of Dridel accepted her only because of Lorenor. He was the local celebrity, since the entire town worshipped N'jal. To hear some folks speak, he was like a second god to them. Thus when he indicated to them that if any ill should befall the quiet nun he would be thoroughly displeased, she was suddenly avoided as though she had the plague lest harm befall them for even the smallest slight. The quiet suited her though, it gave her time to prepare, and reflect.
Her people were held captive by a dark god for his own amusement. Calling himself Nightmare, none of her people, not even her fellow gods, no one could match him. Yet Ailnea was as a stranger to all of this, for it was but recently when her memories of her former lives began to return to her, and Ailnea realized her place as a goddess to her people. It was a shame her powers didn't return with her memories. But then, at least she got her true form back, when Lorenor and her visited the secret temple in the Dheathainian swamps. The real blessing was the demise of Akim. He was a grandmaster in the Aibrone order, and upon learning the truth about Ailnea, he had vowed to kill her.
It was Lorenor who prevented that, killing Akim in a duel worthy of song. It wasn't the end though, after Akim's death, her fellow god reminded her of the plight of her people, and begged her to save them. That time was now, and was what she had spent the last month preparing for.
She would have to open a gateway to a place known by many names. She knew it as The Black Sea, or as The Sea of Stars, for it was the space between worlds, the gulf beyond the farthest stars. To open it, she had to wait for the proper alignment of stars, and have the prophets cast a spell to open the proper dimensional pathway. It was hard work, but between her memories, and their genius, they managed to figure it out.
Time, it was time. Ailnea stood in the center of town next to Lorenor. He had already argued with the town over his plan to help Ailnea free her people, and won. But even still, there were looks of worry and fear on their faces. The prophets cast the spells, and waited expecting instant results.
Several seconds passed without anything, then, the ground began shaking, and bolts of energy began streaming through the ground coursing up into a central point between Ailnea and Lorenor. A great black sphere opened suddenly, and swallowed the pair, energy coursing into it, then it closed leaving a perfect five foot circle of dead ground where it had opened. Nothing would ever grow in that circle again.
…
Ailnea and Lorenor would find themselves drifting in a place where utterly nothing existed, save for each other. There was no anti-firmament, no Elder Thayne, no N'jal, no magic. All the knowledge of science from even the most advanced of civilizations was rendered meaningless, for the physical and natural laws of the universe were not in effect here. There was no up, no down, no left, no right. There was only towards and away from each other. There was no way to leave this place, nor was there anyway to locate Ailnea's people on their own. They were helpless, completely helpless.
“Welcome to my domain, son of N'jal. Allow me to thank you for returning our precious daughter home to us. I shall grant you a gift most precious, and restrain the effects of The Void from you this visit. It wouldn't do to have you dissipating into nothingness and thus ceasing to exist, it might cause problems, N'jal probably wouldn't like it very much.” Said a voice that sounded like buzzing energy imitating speech.
“Nightmare King, spare us, allow us to exist like we're used to.” Ailnea begged.
“Very well, but I shall require something in return.” the voice replied.
Around them came into being the village of Dridel, only abandoned and empty. Overhead, stars came into being, but organized in patterns unrecognizable in any patterns seen in the Althanian night sky. The village limits marked the extent of The Void, a great wall of stone barring passage beyond.
“I have granted your request. In Althanas, you will grant mine once the proper circumstances have arisen. Now tell me, Lorenor, why have you come? Have you tired of this ugly monster beside you already? It is understandable, and only right that I should allow you to discard your trash in the one place it is accepted. Indeed, it was out of pity that I swallowed her and her people into my void, for who could love or be friends with such aberrations?” Nightmare King asked.
Ailnea looked hurt by his words, and already tears began to stand in her eyes, stung by the stream of insults. If she had only known it was all only a test.
Her people were held captive by a dark god for his own amusement. Calling himself Nightmare, none of her people, not even her fellow gods, no one could match him. Yet Ailnea was as a stranger to all of this, for it was but recently when her memories of her former lives began to return to her, and Ailnea realized her place as a goddess to her people. It was a shame her powers didn't return with her memories. But then, at least she got her true form back, when Lorenor and her visited the secret temple in the Dheathainian swamps. The real blessing was the demise of Akim. He was a grandmaster in the Aibrone order, and upon learning the truth about Ailnea, he had vowed to kill her.
It was Lorenor who prevented that, killing Akim in a duel worthy of song. It wasn't the end though, after Akim's death, her fellow god reminded her of the plight of her people, and begged her to save them. That time was now, and was what she had spent the last month preparing for.
She would have to open a gateway to a place known by many names. She knew it as The Black Sea, or as The Sea of Stars, for it was the space between worlds, the gulf beyond the farthest stars. To open it, she had to wait for the proper alignment of stars, and have the prophets cast a spell to open the proper dimensional pathway. It was hard work, but between her memories, and their genius, they managed to figure it out.
Time, it was time. Ailnea stood in the center of town next to Lorenor. He had already argued with the town over his plan to help Ailnea free her people, and won. But even still, there were looks of worry and fear on their faces. The prophets cast the spells, and waited expecting instant results.
Several seconds passed without anything, then, the ground began shaking, and bolts of energy began streaming through the ground coursing up into a central point between Ailnea and Lorenor. A great black sphere opened suddenly, and swallowed the pair, energy coursing into it, then it closed leaving a perfect five foot circle of dead ground where it had opened. Nothing would ever grow in that circle again.
…
Ailnea and Lorenor would find themselves drifting in a place where utterly nothing existed, save for each other. There was no anti-firmament, no Elder Thayne, no N'jal, no magic. All the knowledge of science from even the most advanced of civilizations was rendered meaningless, for the physical and natural laws of the universe were not in effect here. There was no up, no down, no left, no right. There was only towards and away from each other. There was no way to leave this place, nor was there anyway to locate Ailnea's people on their own. They were helpless, completely helpless.
“Welcome to my domain, son of N'jal. Allow me to thank you for returning our precious daughter home to us. I shall grant you a gift most precious, and restrain the effects of The Void from you this visit. It wouldn't do to have you dissipating into nothingness and thus ceasing to exist, it might cause problems, N'jal probably wouldn't like it very much.” Said a voice that sounded like buzzing energy imitating speech.
“Nightmare King, spare us, allow us to exist like we're used to.” Ailnea begged.
“Very well, but I shall require something in return.” the voice replied.
Around them came into being the village of Dridel, only abandoned and empty. Overhead, stars came into being, but organized in patterns unrecognizable in any patterns seen in the Althanian night sky. The village limits marked the extent of The Void, a great wall of stone barring passage beyond.
“I have granted your request. In Althanas, you will grant mine once the proper circumstances have arisen. Now tell me, Lorenor, why have you come? Have you tired of this ugly monster beside you already? It is understandable, and only right that I should allow you to discard your trash in the one place it is accepted. Indeed, it was out of pity that I swallowed her and her people into my void, for who could love or be friends with such aberrations?” Nightmare King asked.
Ailnea looked hurt by his words, and already tears began to stand in her eyes, stung by the stream of insults. If she had only known it was all only a test.