Private Tales In the Listless Night

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
Though she cared for all her congregation, Raëlta approached Ánië not as a religious leader, but a close companion. It was rather odd for her to be absent during a celebration of such scale, and the moment Raëlta had noticed her missing, she had begun to worry. Ánië had been a valued friend of many years. She was a pillar of support on which Raëlta could rely upon. Even in times where she withheld her concerns, Ánië’s presence was always a calming reassurance. Were it not for her friendship and her support, the dark times would have felt far darker.

Of course. Raëlta did not need to guess the context of Ánië’s absence to determine that something was amiss. With the song resumed and the Shoraes connecting them both, it was clear to sense that something was bothering her friend. As ever, she was there to provide comfort and an ear.

Ánië was wearing an initially sorrowful expression that melted away as she turned to face her, replaced by a soft smile. Raëlta remained still with a comforting smile of her own, as Ánië appeared about to speak.

Raëlta had considered herself ready to listen to her friend, but nothing could prepare her for what she heard from her. Stunned at the revelation, the priestess remained silent for a moment to process it.

“What?…You know? You knew?” She asked. Raëlta was astonished to hear that the reason for the dark times had been. Having spent so many years in search of answers, to have one dumped before her was an utter shock. Within an instant, all the worry she’d formerly held resurfaced. Curious as the priestess was to hear the discovery, she was even more curious about why Ánië could know it, and when she’d learned it.

“…When did you discover it?” Raëlta asked, approaching the railing with her eyes widened as she awaited her answer.

Ánië Táralóm
 
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Her eyes once more became downcast and she said with an outward breath, "I have known it for so long now..."

And in her voice came the weight of a great burden, and through the Shoraes a trembling from her, like the rippling of a single drop upon waters as still as glass. There was grief in her for having hidden away such a truth, but without the strength of their unity in the collective she felt it to be... her burden to bear. And even now, she was hesitant to unveil that which the deepest, darkest and tallest walls in her mind hid away. But, to Raëlta perhaps, this truth could be known and then together they could decide how best to use this information.

But it was a tale that was far too difficult to tell...

She turned to Raëlta, lifting her eyes to her, saying, "join with me, and I will show you what is in my mind."

Though they were all joined through the collective, through this there was also a deeper connection that could be achieved, one which was far more vivid and in many cases far more intimate. It joined their individual minds far more closely, allowing each other to traverse through the subconsciousness of one another. It was considered an almost dangerous practice for those unlearned, but for the likes of them it was not such a worry.

 
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“....How? Why?” Raëlta asked, broken that such a secret could be kept for so long. For all these years, she had been so despondent in her search for knowledge Ánië claimed to have been holding the entire time. To learn that the answer had been so close to her stunned the priestess, and she looked out blankly beyond the railing as she processed what she'd learned.

It was no act of malice, that much was clear. The sensed grief was undeniable. It implied regret, but gave no explanation. The fear, confusion, and distrust could be felt from the priestess – it was such a chaotic surge of emotion, jumping from one to the next and back again as she attempted to make sense of it.

"join with me, and I will show you what is in my mind." She spoke.

Ánië surely must have had a reason, but Raëlta couldn't imagine any anything that could justify such a grave secret. But there must be more, Raëlta simply had to know.

In utter shock, she looked to her friend with a look of shock. She moved as if to speak, but swallowed with a downward gaze before speaking.

“....Let us join. I must know, Ánië. There must be good cause?” Raëlta replied, giving a slow nod as she took a moment to prepare for the process, before joining minds with her friend.

Whatver might be revealed, matters seemed to be much more complicated than Raëlta had hoped.

Ánië Táralóm
 
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She could sense the worry and doubt from Raëlta as easily as she could feel the breeze against her face, but Ánië was quite confident that, soon enough, her friend would understand.

“....Let us join. I must know, Ánië. There must be good cause?”
​
She nodded, and the two of them stepped away from the balcony. They moved across the plateau and into an large and ornate alcove, one of many that was dug into the rising mountainside. There, the din of the nearby and out of sight waterfall dimmed the sounds of the surround. There, they knelt across from one another, and remained quietly for a moment.

A deep breath, eye closed. And then eyes open, locked with one another's.

Ánië reached with her hand, placing it gently upon the side of the Raëlta's neck, and wrapping her fingers around to rest against the protrusions of her vertebrae and bringing her thumb to rest just behind her ear. The priestess would, in turn, do the same. And then, there were no words, there was no instruction needed for either of them. All that was needed was the quieting of their minds, the stilling of their emotion, and the willingness to let go.

Their breath fell into sync. The world around them slowly seemed to fade away...eyes slowly closing... and then falling peacefully...


Ánië's eyes opened. She stood in the midst of a tall and wide room of stone, grass and vine, circling around her. She looked up. High above there was only blackness, but a light came from there with no discernable point. Rising high around them were great stone walls, with moss and vines of many sorts with vibrant flowers and even the wriggling of life grew all across it. There was a breeze, though it had no business being there. She looked across from her. Set into the wall that surrounded her were many doors, all large and ornate, though of them all there was one that was even grander than the others, but from this door she turned away and instead faced one directly opposed to it.

Raëlta would find herself here also, and once she'd taken a moment to gather her bearings - which was a natural part of entering another's mind - she'd see and hear just as Ánië did. And though they remained on the cusp, only barely reaching into the depths of Ánië's mind, there would come a great comfort and a great understanding - not in any particular thing as of yet, but in that if nothing else, Ánië only ever meant well.

After a time, it seemed as though they had both grounded themselves enough in the experience to interact, and so as she approached the door wherein her secrets were kept, she said, "the things I have seen are terrible, Raëlta... you will not like what I have to show you," she stopped as she drew near, "...are you sure?"

 
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The trip to the mountainside was tense, and Raëlta remained obsessed over what it was she had not known. Even without knowing, the priestess was aware that all she thought she knew was irrevocably wrong. Restoration of the song had been what she entirely been most preoccupied with, and clues had been right in front of her the entire time. Ánië had kept them secret from her, and that she'd do such a thing had been a complete shock, going against the trust she had in her friend.

Raëlta mentally rifled through the reasons why, but as the two travelled she began to focus and give it less and less mind. Willpower enabled it, and the joining of minds required it. The answer could be most anything, and it was pointless to worry without it. Raëlta could not prepare for what was about to be unveiled, and could only respond to it. This she knew, and this she maintained in her mind as she knelt across from Ánië. With her mind stilled, the world surrounding them faded to give way to something else entirely.

She found herself surrounded by walls and by doors in a room of stone dotted by lush green. A wind blew strangely, and before the priestess even knew it she moved to a door she felt drawn towards. And all throughout was a serene calmness. In it, she could see the genuine intent Ánië carried, yet still Raëlta wondered why. It was the reason that she had to know, yet here she took in the calmnless to prepare herself. Ánië assisted, with her words of caution.

"The things I have seen are terrible, Raëlta... you will not like what I have to show you...are you sure?"
She said.

“I am... I am sure Ánië. Whether I like it or not, the truth is something I must see.” Raëlta replied. She could not speak words more true.

Ánië Táralóm
 
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And so the door became open, splitting with a blinding light down its center and then slowly swinging inward. As they approached, what lay within appeared as nothing but white light, encompassing as they approached the opening of the doorway, which seemed to grow larger as they drew near. And then suddenly as they passed through the precipice, everything changed. The doorway was gone, and the bright light was lost as colours began to appear and take shape, and Ánië's memory developed into an image quite clear in some details, yet somewhat vague in others.


She sat amongst her peers at the round table in the Conclave's chamber. There they had convened to speak of their progress against the curse that had plagued Aeraesar...

... sudden confusion, and rippling through the Shoraes...

... panic. The city, it was attacked - an attack which no one now recalled, but it was a terrible assault nonetheless. Demons of terrific sort, and even their own fallen kin, waged against them by some terrible malevolence...

... they fell back. Within the Temple, behind her great gates, they made their stand.

There was terror, confusion and frustration. They'd been caught so woefully off-guard...

Thunder pounded against them, great and powerful, unrelenting and evil. Again, and again.

And then they were made open, and he showed himself.

And he was not alone, by his side came to demon Lina, and together with their monstrous horde they overwhelmed the Aerai long enough for Arkhivom to reach past their number, and touch the Shorai itself.

Then all she could feel, all that there was left, the only thing that seemed to exist... was hate.


She pulled away from the memory, and the two of them found each other again in that lush and open chamber, dwelling in the midst of listless, twinkling lights. Raëlta would find herself standing there as if she were in her own conscious body, with each of their subconscious minds having become now quite linked with one another. She'd find herself able to traverse through this place on her own whim, and if she willed it, free to venture through different doorways into Ánië's mind so long as they weren't barred.

Ánië looked to her, seeing even more clearly the colours of her aura in this state, saying, "you don't remember that evening, do you? No one does... but I do... and there is more..."

 
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The scene remained serene for a moment, and then doors opened before her to reveal a dazzling and inviting white light behind it. Raëlta found herself moving towards it, but the light suddenly vanished as she passed through. The calmness she had felt vanished in an instant, turning to apprehension as her surroundings took new form.

She next found herself within the conclave, seated at the round table. Raëlta felt a sense of dread that hardly seemed reflected by any of the others at first, but matters quickly descended into chaos once the attack on the temple had begun. The event was catastrophic, yet Raëlta could not recall any of it. She could not remember the battle, nor of Arkhivom himself, but the might with which they assaulted the temple was clear. Raëlta could tell how this ended, as he had clearly successful in his goal of corrupting the Shorai. Knowing this hardly made it any easier to witness. Shortly and inevitably after, Arkhivom reached the Shorai and touched it with his corruption. Once he had, aspects of the felt reality began to evaporate bit by bit, until only malice and hate remained.

The scene she’d experienced then faded, and the priestess found herself back in the alcove stunned by what she’d just witnessed. Raëlta remained in a silent state of shock, without a sound to express herself. It was a tense moment before the words escaped her trembling lips.

“No…not a moment of it.” She confessed in response. She had just observed the very reason for her long worry after countless years of suffering it. Knowing why was far from a comfort. More details remained unknown, and now Raëlta had even more questions that required answers. Through the connection shared with Ánië, she could sense the priestess’s anxiety. She had been right in that this knowledge brought no comfort, and was hardly wisdom that brought happiness.

But it was truth, and Raëlta had to know.

“What more? …What else?” She asked with tension to her tone.

Ánië Táralóm
 
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“No…not a moment of it.” She confessed in response.​

Ánië knew this all too well. She knew that there was not a one that would have any recollection of that night, or what came after. She'd even feigned that she suffered from the same plight, for so long now, and for a time she had. But she had been spared their collective ignorance, perhaps so that she could usher her people through what was to come. As the Shoraes had returned and as it once again grew in strength, the memories too would return. For now it was barred and hidden by the corruption of the dark one, but that darkness could persist for only so long now with their liberation.

She knew it would come, but she did not know how it would be received. She only knew how she had dealt with the reality when it had come, and she feared it would be the same for her kin.

"Come, then, and I will show you what I know... and why."

And then in a moment, without the sight but the sound of one snapping of their fingers, everything shifted and changed. The ground they stood on moved for them, through what seemed like an endless garden of vinery and arches, until they settled before yet another great door. This one split open as the one had before, but within this one there was no light - only darkness. And Ánië stepped through, beckoning with the wave of her hand for Raëlta to follow. Entering in, the darkness encroached, and abounded. It was everywhere, but it was silent and cold. There was no living essence in these thoughts, only loneliness and decay.

Empty.

And then, watching as a bird perched on a branch overhead, a scene began to take shape.

Ánië, robed in blackness, alone in the midst of twisted shadows. And then a light took her, and she fell to the ground motionless. The twisted shadows about her dispersed. And then she woke, alone, and unknowing of where she was, or even who. On to her meeting with what she later knew to be a Fae, who helped and guided her away from the darkness of her home. Parting from them, knowing not who they were until a much later time, she left from there and traveled through the Falwood, rekindling memory as she went.

To Fal'Addas she went, and then there in the shadow of Fal'Addareth she was told of a way to find herself. And so she left the ancestral city, and in the depths of the forest to a sacred place. And there, she was made whole once again, with great fear and regret. Nothing was barred from her, and her memory under the spell of the dark one was made whole.

Foul rituals for darkened powers.

The twisted sacrifice of blood - and life. ​

And each of them, such stalwart and benevolent adversaries of the darkness - reveling in it.

And then everything vanished and Ánië hid the memory once again within the depths of her mind, barring it beneath lock and key. The archway vanished, and the serenity of their original surround was once again around them, with warmth and comfort.

"There is no recompense for the evils that have been done to us Raelta... there is no way to speak of what we have been made to do... how I have not gone mad yet is a mystery to me, or perhaps I already have."

The surround began to dissipate, vanishing as the light around them took prominence in their vision, and their minds drifted slowly apart...


As her consciousness began to return, she felt a single tear slide down her cheek.

 
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Raëlta was speechless and in shock of it all. She remained stunned and silent, but nodded her head with affirmation that she was ready for what terrible visions were waiting. The ground beneath her feet began to stir, and the priestess shifted her stance anxiously.

Her surroundings twisted and contorted until they settled into the form of a door that stood before her, akin to the first she had seen. When the doors parted however, there was no brilliant light. The doors revealed only darkness beyond them, yet it did not deter Ánië from passing beyond. Stilling her anxiety with resolve, Raëlta followed her in with careful steps.

Raëlta could make out nothing until the sight of a bird upon a branch caught her attention. In the shadows stood Ánië, clad in darkness before light finally broke through and struck her down. Raëlta witnessed the sudden event with concern, until the cause was revealed.

It was the act of the Fae, and it had not been malicious. Rather, it was fortunate Ánië could be delivered from it. But the Priestess wondered why, and to what end. The faerie seemed benevolent, but Raëlta was a touch suspect of anything supernatural. Which, by her convention was defined as anything that was neither holy nor controlled.

The visions moved to Fal Addas, though Raëlta sensed an uncertain haziness to them. Ánië seemed unrecognizable through the fog that clouded the priestess' view. Were Raëlta not following Ánië, she might not have recognized her, and it was not for a lack of focus. She was seeing things as Ánië had, and as clearly as they were recalled. It was apparant that Ánië could not recognize herself at this time.

Before Fal'Addareth, the murkiness dispersed and Raëlta could see clearly again. And further, the priestess could sense the shock of the sudden return of Ánië's memories. She visibly winced as this part played out, but her attention remained on what was revealed to her. These were not answers she wanted to know. They were answers she needed to know.

There was a ritual of blood and sacrifice.

Horror struck the priestess. In the times they could not remember, this was what they'd been doing – acting as vassals for foul powers carrying the will of the wicked.

She had spent her time as an agent against all she held dear.

Raëlta had no words for what she'd just witnessed. She stared silently at the ground as Ánië spoke. It took a moment of reflection for the priestess to gather herself enough to give a response. Despite the pain and grief, she had a position to uphold, and a congregation to lead. But how could she even break this to them? How could she guide them though this?

Raëlta now understood the cause for Ánië's silence. She had no further inclination to ask why she'd not been informed, when she now knew the answer.

The priestess began to wonder how she might tell them. And then, if she should.

"How I have not gone mad yet is a mystery to me, or perhaps I already have." Ánië concluded.

“Or perhaps we all shall.” Raëlta morosely replied.

Ánië Táralóm
 
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She took in a deep breath, centering her mind and releasing her tension. She was strong, and her people too, were strong. That was what held the madness at bay - and she had to have faith that they all could do this. She had to have faith that together, this strength would be made stronger, not weaker.

"No," she replied, almost whispering. Around her, her perception of reality once again took shape, and she was again centered into herself as Raëlta would find herself to be. Though there was sorrow in her voice, there remained her resolve, "no we mustn't lose hope now."

It felt almost hypocritical of her to say, for she also struggled with the despair of what she and what Raëlta now also knew. To know that they had been instruments of evil, blinded to their very own actions and yet responsible for them all the same - or so one would inevitable feel - it was a terrible revelation. Ánië had even denied it herself for far longer than she admittedly should have. Once she had learned of it, something in her knew.

But if she had been able to overcome this trial, then she needed to have faith that in these moments Raëlta would also, and in the time to come the others would as well. But she knew now that she could not display such dismay - now she needed to be the leader she was placed there to be.

She reached forward and placed her hand gently on the priestess' shoulder, saying, "if there is anything I have learned from these past days, seeing our people rejoicing in our unity, it is that so long as we remain united in our path, we can overcome anything. Look around us, Raëlta, all of Aeraesar lies in ruin, and yet we persist.

We will persist through this as well."

 
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The revelation was dreadful. She had solemnly sworn to lead in even the darkest times, but even in her wildest worries, Raëlta could never have imagined a scenario as horrible as this. That the darkness had claimed their will and memory was known, but the dark acts they'd been forced to commit was mortifying to discover. Such was a pain that all would share, and anticipation of the collective grief made Raëlta reel in distress.

"if there is anything I have learned from these past days, seeing our people rejoicing in our unity, it is that so long as we remain united in our path, we can overcome anything. Look around us, Raëlta, all of Aeraesar lies in ruin, and yet we persist.

We will persist through this as well." Ánië affirmed.

Still silent, the priestess strode away for a moment, her mind racing with all that this new knowledge carried, and the heartfelt assurance of her dear friend. Ánië was right, they would persevere.

It would not be easy, but it would be done.

The weight of the responsibility of guiding them through this would rest upon her shoulders, and Raëlta knew it required a mind that was much less disturbed than hers was With her graze upon the ground, the priestess focused her mind in needed mediation to detach herself from these new woes. It was not upon her to lead all down the easiest path. It was upon her to lead them down the best path.

Raëlta straightened her posture after a moment, having steeled her mind from the distraction of sorrows. They others must know. The path ahead would be painful, and the way forward would be difficult but they would see it through. Ignorance would only leave them vulnerable to a repeat of what they'd suffered, and the price of temporary bliss was far from worth it.

“I now understand why you waited so long. And why you showed me first.” Raëlta said. They would now have to navigate the task of bringing this knowledge to all, while they were still rejoicing at the victory they'd just celebrated.

“And I've no doubt of that. I can hear the proof of our perseverance beyond these walls. But it is difficult to bear such news during times intended to be so bright.” She continued with a heavy sigh. Fixated on the task of forging her way forward, her tone was now more stoic and collected, though fret remained clear on her face as she returned a nod and a look of affirmation to Ánië.

“We’ve long needed a cause for celebration. Perhaps the priests and leaders ought to be notified…but I suppose we could wait a day or two before we reveal this dreadful truth to the rest.” Raëlta concluded, mulling over the dilemma between the deceit of omission, and the brutality of the truth.

It was undeniable that difficult times lay before them now. While the way ahead seemed no less daunting than it had before, Raëlta remained determined to see it through.

Ánië Táralóm
 
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Ánië watched with care as her friend moved away, closing her mind in quiet and private contemplation. Ánië invited the rising walls around Raëlta's presence, and gave berth for them to retain her, but her presence remained near and still, a ready comfort. She had known that unveiling this news would cause such grief, but she could trust none other than the Priestess of the Order to be a light in these darkest times.

“I now understand why you waited so long. And why you showed me first.”
​
She nodded, and moved back on toward the balcony, gesturing for Raëlta to follow as she spoke.

“And I've no doubt of that...
...Perhaps the priests and leaders ought to be notified…but I suppose we could wait a day or two before we reveal this dreadful truth to the rest.”​

Ánië shared a solemn look with Raëlta, and nodded as she spoke. Then she turned her eyes outward again, and down upon all of their once most glorious city.

"The Conclave will do all it can, Raëlta, but ultimately the collective is going to be looking to its faith - even questioning it," she paused, taking in a breath, "I must admit, even I have to ask what transgression we must have committed."

 
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"The Conclave will do all it can, Raëlta, but ultimately the collective is going to be looking to its faith - even questioning it," Spoke Ánië.

“A task unlike any other...” Raëlta replied. Determined as she was, she still held great worry over what the outcome might be. It would now be upon her to provide guidance though a horror she hadn't ever conceived of in even her greatest fears. No one could be prepared for the terror that had been unveiled to her. It had been but a vague glimpse into the horrors that they had all involuntarily committed.

"I must admit, even I have to ask what transgression we must have committed." Ánië added. Contemplating the dreadful possibilities furthered the priestess's anxiety. She was well aware that she was among those lost in the darkness of those times, one of many committing these unknown and foul acts.

“I can't deny the thought of it is horrifies me. All of us, I'm sure...” Spoke Raëlta. “And of shaken faith, much more so...” She added. They had just celebrated the return of the great song and way of life, and now these terrible relevations threatened to shatter what hope they'd regained.

She'd not hesitate to lead them, but she'd no misgivings over the difficulty that was to come. That they all had one other was a gift they needed to preserve.

Ánië Táralóm
 
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