Antagonist’s Anarchy: Derived from Dianthus

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

Chapter III: Mists of Twilight


'Mistrust has taken hold. Chaos, doubt and anarchy reign. The people of this world shall soon tremble, for even now, the pieces for the final conflict are being nudged into play. It shall only be a matter of time before the world knows His name again.'


"The Whispers of Fate shall fall silent, and the seers shall see no more. The sages shall know no wisdom, and the prophets shall speak no more. In that time, shall arise many cults; many priesthoods, and many priestesses shall answer the call: to be brides of the Master. These women shall be crossed, and many who cross their paths shall suffer. They shall know no lord, no master save one; any who dare tempt their wrath shall suffer their full fury. Yet, these ‘brides of the Master’ shall remain unknown to all until the end. The weak shall reveal themselves, while the strong remain masked. Who amongst you shall know their power and despair?

The Master shall choose only one of them; the rest shall fall away. In this time, many others shall arise and the Bloodfire shall burn more strongly. The fever shall take hold."

So sayth
Azaroth, Sage of Adura

~ from the Scriptures of Starfell Sorcery, The Prophecy for His Return

~~~

A brief summary of the events preceding so far:

Talryr lies in smouldering ashes… the town in utter ruins. The group had passed, leaving its mark. Having treked from the river, and before that, the tower, from where they first met at the bridge, the next step in their journey was to be taken… ~~~

The rabbits roamed. Six of them danced around the ring of lotus flowers the size of shrubs. A wicker basket lay in the centre of the ring. As though manipulated by some puppet-master, the six sleeping figures awoke in unison. Honey, flowers and sugary sweet scents filled their scenes. Above them flames leapt within the heavens; flickering like candlelight in what those who had journeyed to the far south would recognise as the ‘southern lights’. Below them rolled fluffy clouds; clouds that looked for all the world as though they were spun from sugar into ‘cotton candy’; a sweet that did not exist within the Lords of Vision’s realm, yet seemed to grow in abundance on trees here. On the ground grew flowers; some the size of trees. From them hung pods in loosely curved oval shapes that glowed in the soft morning light. Dotted with bubbles, every so often one of them burst and from it seeped a syrupy honey with the most alluring aroma. Scattered around grew crystal formations. These minerals seemed as sapphires, or topaz in their natural, uncut form. Tiny people, no larger than two hand-spans darted around, carried by butterfly wings that protruded from their back. They stared at the group, giggled and disappeared; only to reappear seconds later. A feeling of perpetual calm, and flowing peace swept over them like the soft breeze that swirled around, toying with the trees, the flowers and the little people. The dull light of the world allowed for no shadows. Everything was pink. Everything.

~~~

As one, each of the party discovered something had changed, perhaps seeing these changes on the others before realising them themselves. Replacing his feet, Ydalon sported a pair of rabbit paws. From Isokla’s back, a pair of delicate, semi-translucent wings unfolded; wings that seemed veined with spider’s web. Nivram felt his breeches ripping as a fluffy bunny tail spilled forth, while Telyrn’s nose became that of a hare’s, and Jason? Jason’s hair turned to fur. There was no sun. The world was pink, and without shadow. Sugar gliders roamed the skies. The wicker basket jumped; attaching itself to Jason. Overflowing with bonbons, flowers, cotton candy and crystallises sugar, it would not leave Jason’s arm. Alone, out of all of them, the basket had chosen Jason, for better or for worse…
~~~

Far away, set upon the highest of cliffs, a large dot on the eastern horizon stood out. Even at this distance, the group instinctively knew what it was: the figure a mage. This dot was a statue; a monument of some mad dark mage. Yet, for all its humanoid appearance, its head was that of a giant bunny. An indiscernible inscription lay at its base.

---

XP gained from Chapter 1: Seven Character Points each
XP gained from Chapter 2: Seven Character Points each
This means your total XP gained will be Fourteen Character Points

---
OOC: Its all yours.

As before, new players are still always welcome, so if anyone wishes to join, don’t feel discouraged and just drop me or one of the others a line.

[Ivelliis]

Telryn

Telryn's nose twitched. Blinking once and twice before sneezing, again, then once more.

"Where are we?" He asked, gazing at his surroundings. The colours, the flowers, the pink

He could smell...everything. The pollen from the flowers burnt his nostrils, the sweet scent of sugar was everywhere. Reaching up to itch it, he realised. Nearly falling over in shock he grabbed his "nose", like a hare's nose. Twitching with the scents around him, and a look of pure terror on his face.

"What's happened to me?"

Glancing at his comrades, he hastily realised the error in what he had just said.

"To us."

[DrowArchmage]

Jason looked at the others and carefully felt himself for changes. He'd seen some pretty weird stuff, but this was down right crazy.

What the hells happend to us? What magic is this? his eyes widend in horror as his vanity kicked in. Oh great, i'll never find love looking like this. he sighed and plopped on the ground.

[dplax]

Nivram

In this place that should have instilled a perfect feeling of calm and serenity inside of his mind, of the six, there was one who felt utterly foul. He knew not how much time had passed, he knew not where he was. But he knew that the headache and the horribly feelings of withdrawal that hit him in waves would not lessen unless he got his hands on alcohol. No pink fluffy bunnies, no feelings of cuteness, not even the comic sight of a fearful magician with a rabbit head could make him feel any better. He needed his liquor and he knew it.

And to make matters worse there was this tail. A ridiculous looking white fluffy stub. It looked revolting. Nivram hadn't been in such a foul mood for a long time and for once it showed on his face. Had any of those here known him better, they'd have recognised the signs of an impeding nervous break in Nivram. He sure saw them himself. A slight twitch in a finger, his blurry vision, although that might have come from the lack of booze, the prickling sensation at the tip of his hair.

He let the feelings flow over him, knowing that resisting them would only make him feel more miserable. Everyone needed to let some pressure, some tension out of himself. For Nivram the time was now.

While Telryn whined about the oh so cruel destiny the fates had dropped him into, not knowing that what he was living in was heaven compared to the living nightmare that Nivram had been in for years, Nivram's mind churned on. Typical of men to care only about the present, not giving heed to the grievances of the past. Knowingly, Nivram was pushing himself into one of the wildest outburst that he had ever produced. He simply did not care. No one cared if he was suffering. It was time for him to share his pain with others.

With a sudden violence that even surprised himself, Nivram lifted a bare foot and slammed it down on a small outcropping of dark blue crystal. Blood sprayed from the sole of his own foot, but he did not care. He did not feel the pain. His vision a red haze, he picked up the small, almost unnaturally sharp crystal shard. He held it in his hands, his knuckles white from the pressure he applied to it. Blood trickled down the shard as the cold crystal cut into his hand. He did not even notice.

He was about to jump at Telryn, when he heard Jason talk. He had not even noticed the bandit before. How the hell did he end up with the group again? From a distant mist, which seemed millions of years away a vague memory of a destroyed town and of a young boy letting the bandit roam free surfaced. How did the outlaw find them? Was he behind this rabbity madness?

The shard held even tighter in his hand, blood trickling freely down his forearm Nivram stepped behind Jason as the latter plopped down to the ground. The crystal shard was pressed against Jason's neck before he had the chance to react.

"Love?" Nivram hissed through his teeth. "A carrot they dangle in front of your eyes so that you follow blindly in the hopes of getting it. Wake up from your dream, you scum. You should never have been released from that cellar after all the suffering you have caused. Do you realise what the common peasant or farmer thinks of your type? Do you realise all the hurt that you cause to others?" The normally peaceful expression was gone from Nivram's eyes and an inferno of emotions blazed inside them. "Well I don't care whether you realise or not. I'd have preferred to have you meet your end by the law so as not to push myself into even more self-hate and self-guilt. But it seems that you are either very lucky or have uncanny abilities and evade them too often."

Blood trickled down Jason's neck, but to his own surprise it was not his own blood, but that of Nivram, from where he clutched the crystal shard.

"Those who care about the sufferings of others are very rare. Much more often you meet scum like you who do not lessen the pain of others, but add on a load to it. You know, it is time for me to share my own pain and suffering. It won't help me in the least, but it'll give you one glimpse into what you did during your life before you die. I dearly wish I could leave you alive, and miserable with thoughts similar to mine that don't leave you until you die, but unfortunately such magic is beyond me. I can however make you feel fear that you have never felt before. You already know that I just have to press a little harder and you'll be dead. I won't rush it though. That'd be too easy on you. You're not afraid enough yet."

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

"Nivram, no!" Isokla snapped at him aghast. Covering her pretty mouth with her slender hand, she whispered, "Please, violence is not the answer... you're bleeding... put the crystal down... you're hurting. This isn't right... please Nivram, don't do this. You'll... you'll regret it if you murder him in cold blood. We can have him put on trial, even by the group, but please... not like this. You're not a murderer, are you? You heal people, not hurt them..."

She looked down and her palest blue eyes flooded with tears, "Ni-Nivram, no... this isn't right." the girl whispered. "One of you," she snapped suddenly, looking at Telryn, "Stop this!"


If the girl had noticed her wings; she was not fazed by them, nor the appearance of the others. Perhaps it was simply the shock of seeing Nivram trying to kill Jason...

[Legolas]

Ydalon

Once more back in his rags, the sugary world had frosted a smile on the youth's face. Wide blue eyes roamed about in wonder, and the itch up his nose suggested that pretty ponies were not far off, likely grazing pinkly on cotton plants in the sourceless light. He felt... buoyant.

There were voices raised behind him, but Ydalon had no thought for the wonder and shock of others, so occupied was he with his own. This amazing, strange place. So like a young girl's dream in many of the ways he'd imagined it. Safe, bountiful, painfully fluorescent and alive. Don't ask questions now. It's perfect.

OOC: Would that be a dark blue crystal or a dark pink one?

[DrowArchmage]

Jason's eyes widend slightly, he didnt know what had caused the sudden meltdown in this guys crazy head, but he really didnt want to find out what. He resisted the urge to step back, knowing that it may cause Nivram to rush foreward and run him through the throat. He carefully obseved the situation at hand. The girl with the tears was, even with wings, pretty. He turned his palms outward as a gesture of peace. He was afraid to speak for two reasons, it may provoke him, and it may hurt. The pain he may be able to live with, but if he was stabbed through the throat....well that wouldnt be pretty.

The look in his eyes went from tough to wary, then when he thought for a moment, a tear. Not many, just one. Nivrams words had hit a nerve. He used to be a soldier, this bandit, this wasnt the real him. He wasnt like this before. Maybe Nivram would let him defend himself with his story......maybe, hopefully the girl with the wings was as merciful as she looked....or maybe not.

[dplax]

Nivram

Voices drifted in the haze of madness. A word here, a word there. Only fragments of what Isokla said...fragments that Nivram himself agreed with reached his mind and were comprehended by his thoughts devoted to blind rage.

"violence is...right...Nivram...you'll...murder him in cold blood...we can have him...you're...a murderer...hurt them..."

Nivram flashed a smile towards Isokla. The perfect smile that only a madman could produce, with his own blood smeared across his cheeks. The crystal shard pressed harder against Jason's neck, while Nivram's blue eyes, an unnatural expression dancing in them stared unblinking at the bandit underneath him.

Jason's blood finally started flowing from a shallow cut, mingling with the blood coursing from Nivram's own hand. The two red fluids merged on the rogue's neck and dripped slowly to the fluffy, soft, pink grass.

Had he been a casual outside observer and not fully caught up by the events, Nivram would have been quite surprised at the thoughts rushing through Jason's head. He expected fear not repentance. But he did not know Jason's thoughts. And in his current state, probably wouldn't have cared even if he knew.

The crystal shard bit even deeper into Nivram's hand as his grip tightened on it. More downward pressure was applied, but still not enough to sever any important blood vessels. Not yet.

Still, pink, soft and fluffy bunny land had never seen such violence before.

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

“Nivram, no!” Isokla screamed, her voice taking a frantic – one might almost say ‘hysterical’ pitch – “Stop it! Don’t just stand there!” She all but shrieked as her tone rose higher; almost enough to shatter glass…

Nivram had not stopped; no one had moved, so the girl crossed the distance between them faster than mortally possible. Wings were useful for something. With her back blocking the other’s line of vision, she seized Nivram’s elbow, as her hands wrung his forearm and her fingers gripped his skin so tightly it was white. No one saw the slight but sharp shove forwards just before she retracted Nivram’s arm – or desperately tried to.

A swift, slash across the jugular.

“NO!” the girl screeched, “Someone! Help us! Restrain –” tears were pouring down her palest blue eyes.

Inwardly, she smiled. Nivram was turning out just fine.


Everything was still pink.

[dplax]

OOC: Warning, post might be a bit borderline on the PG-13 rating.

Spoiler for post:

Nivram

A mad glaze in his eyes. The smile is gone, replaced by an expression of pure hate. "Stupid bitch," he hisses among his teeth, elbowing Isokla with his madness-strengthened force in the stomach, sending her stumbling backwards. Whether he realises that his hand was guided, whether he realises that it wasn't only him who delivered the killing blow, no one can know.

Covered with blood the crystal shard is slippery amongst his fingers, and he strengthens his grip on it. The hard material cuts into his hand, his fingers, severing arteries, veins, muscle ligaments. The hand lifts and slams down into Jason's chest. Lift, descend, lift descend. After mere seconds Jason's chest is awash with blood...but still the glistening crystal shard lifts and descends. Bones, not only Jason's, crunch and snap. The hand holding the crude weapon lifts again, but the muscles cannot hold the crystal anymore. It tumbles to the ground, one of Nivram's fingers still stuck to its bloody surface. The raised hand is clearly missing a finger and two more are also almost completely severed. Still the bloody stump slams against Jason's chest, not realising that its weapon is gone.

His vision clouds. His senses become distant. Loss of blood, exhaustion are all catching up with him. He lifts his hand, but it does not descend to make another blow. Nivram's whole body shakes violently, and then suddenly he falls completely still, and almost as if in slow motion falls to the side, his eyes staring blankly in front of him.

OOC: censored version:

Nivram

A mad glaze in his eyes. The smile is gone, replaced by an expression of pure hate. "Stupid girl," he hisses among his teeth, elbowing Isokla with his madness-strengthened force in the stomach, sending her stumbling backwards. Whether he realises that his hand was guided, whether he realises that it wasn't only him who delivered the killing blow, no one can know.

Covered with blood the crystal shard is slippery amongst his fingers, and he strengthens his grip on it. The hard material cuts into his hand and his fingers. The hand lifts and slams down into Jason's chest. Lift, descend, lift descend. The hand holding the crude weapon lifts again, but the muscles cannot hold the crystal anymore. It tumbles to the ground. The raised hand is clearly missing several fingers.

His vision clouds. His senses become distant. Loss of blood, exhaustion are all catching up with him. He lifts his hand, but it does not descend to make another blow. Nivram's whole body shakes violently, and then suddenly he falls completely still, and almost as if in slow motion falls to the side, his eyes staring blankly in front of him.