On the spiraling balcony within the Deep Blue Cathedral.
A salubrious warmth envelops your surroundings as ivory ribbons of light flare
in and out of existence, flowing in from a healing shrine of Eventru nearby.
This location is flooded with shallow, crystal clear water. The seamless white
marble rises on a very shallow grade as it spirals around the inner walls of the
rising a step up to the next tier. Over the balcony railing the central chamber
itself can be seen, with all pews facing the speaking platform in the centre of
the floor. As the white marble balcony winds upwards past countless coloured
glass windows, it becomes narrower and narrower, while retaining the same length
of each tier. After several revolutions around the room, it ends in a sharp
narrow point near the ceiling where the railing merges with the wall. The huge
domed ceiling is also a stone mosaic, much like the podium, but on a massively
larger scale. Some of the more recognisable constellations can readily be seen
in the artwork. A young priest of the Holy Supernals, clad in white robes, tends
to the cathedral grounds. Edathic zi'Prouep is here, frightened and worried.
Torili is here, his face set with a look of both sadness and determination.
Ecclesiar Alban L'Eternae is here. He wields a holy symbol of the light in his
left hand.
You see a single exit leading down.

A sudden chill falls around you as the unpleasant feeling of someone lurking
nearby overcomes you.

Ecclesiar Alban L'Eternae says, "Lord Methrenton does teach that we should slay
the tainted so that it may not spread, but he also doesn't advocate senseless
killing, we are supposed to use words first. Although rare, a Viscanti walking
the path of the Light has happened."

You crease your brow in a frown.

You ask, "Did you feel that?"

You say, "Okay, moving on."

Alban nods his head emphatically.

You say, "Now we're at history!"

You say, "What is the Taint? Where did it come from and who was involved in
releasing it? What long lasting damage did it do this world that persists
today?"

Icy fingers push your hair back in mock affection as an empty voice whispers in
your ear, "Is what you teach them really true? Is what you've been told even
true?"


Ecclesiar Alban L'Eternae says, "The Taint was a result of the actions of our
ancestors, namely Emperor Landantine. It came from the Astral Plane, whenever
Project Cosmic Hope traveled there and released it. The lasting damage is the
scar of Magnagora."

Ecclesiar Alban L'Eternae says, "Also the way that Glomdoring was changed,
although today it has fallen into something else."

An icy breath brushes your cheek as a soft voice whispers, "Or are you the one
telling lies...?"

Aison adjusts her robes over her form.

You glance askance.

You say, "That is correct."

You say, "The Taint is simply the effluence of Kethuru."

A dull pain blossoms in the back of your head as a hollow voice pierces your
thoughts, "You will ignore then? Taking after your lord, perhaps? Pretend it is
not there... and maybe it will go away...?"

Aison rubs the back of her head, wincing, looking around.

You ask, "Pretend what will go away?"

Alban looks about himself suspiciously.

Ecclesiar Alban L'Eternae says, "Come again?"

Looking around, you ask, "You don't hear that?"

A dull chuckles echoes throughout the cathedral as the voice whispers, "You at
least respond then."

A salubrious warmth washes across you, cascading down your skin in a torrent of
comfort and divine presence. A golden light lingers on the edge of your vision,
and you know the Crown of the Exalted shelters you.

Alban peers about himself unscrupulously.

You shiver violently.

Ecclesiar Alban L'Eternae says, "There is some weirdness."

You ask, "Father?"

An icy hand pats your shoulder consolingly as the voice echoes, "Perhaps you are
going insane... Perhaps the Light has forsaken you... Perhaps your lord has
forsaken you..."

Aison jumps aside, wiping her shoulders frantically.

Ecclesiar Alban L'Eternae says, "Are you okay?"

Eyes wide, you say, "I'm not forsaken!"

Ecclesiar Alban L'Eternae says, "There is no one here but the two of us, Torili,
and our Angels."



The voice closes in upon you, the whisper in your thoughts once more, "Oh? You
are not?"

A soft, warm voice lingers resonates deep within your soul, each word long and
soothing, "We are always with you, Aison. Hold the glory of Ourselves within
you, hold the Light within your heart, and no shadow shall ever be cast upon you
- no matter how dark the night may seem."

You say, "I've not been abandoned, not by the Light..."

Ecclesiar Alban L'Eternae says, "Should I call for someone else?"

Ecclesiar Alban L'Eternae says, "The Light would never abdandon you."

Alban peers about himself unscrupulously.

Aison groans and passes a hand over her face, muttering.

You moan, "Who are you?"

Numbing coldness washes away the warming light as an icy voice echoes in your
thoughts, "Perhaps you have sinned... The half-formed are fickle and hateful
creatures, as is your lord. Do you think they would not abandon you for the
smallest mistake? What is it you have done child... do you see anyone here to
save you now?"

You give a horrified gasp.

You whine, "I have done nothing wrong... I'm mortal, and mortals make mistakes.
We're naive..."

You shiver violently.

Aison pulls her robes closer around her, backing up slightly.

The voice pushes deeper into your thoughts, "Poor child... bereft of any warmth
or light from the powerless half-formed, and a foolish lord..."

A swirl of golden light lingers on the edge of your vision as a warm voice
resonates deep within your soul, each word long and soothing, "Do not let the
lies of the twisted night darken your vision, Aison. There is little they can
truly do, so long as you know that the Light stands strong. Even within the
deepest of midnight skies, a single star shall burn away the darkness, left
behind to guide you home."

You nod your head emphatically.

You stammer, "The Light does stand st-t-trong, in every-y-yone w-w-who
beli-i-ieves..."

You shiver violently.

The voice stabs deep into your mind, whispering hatefully, "Using you for their
own misguided goals..? Poor child..."

You snarl, "They aren't misguided!!"

A tendril of shadow swirls around you, wrapping itself around your neck, "No?
You will wait for when your mortal spirit finally falters? For when they cast
you aside for your weakness, rather than strengthening you?"
You crease your brow in a frown.

A swirl of golden light lingers on the edge of your vision as a warm voice
resonates deep within your soul, each word long and soothing, "Deny the
whisperer of lies, Hand, and His shadowed words, as empty as the darkness they
are born from, shall fade."

You nod your head slowly in understanding.

You say, "The Light does not cast one aside as those of the mound of dirt to the
east do. They honour those who have fallen and they remember the valour and
strength of those who've fought."

The icy voice pulls back from you slightly, whispering once more in that soft
voice, "So why follow them? What is it they and Eventru have truly accomplished?
What if it is lies they fill your head with?"

You say, "The Taint are the ones who cover the beautiful earth, destroying
whatever lies in their path, attempting to convince that an undead earth is a
stronger one. A decaying earth is more worthwhile, that a rotting copse has more
potential than the living soil and green leaves."

Nocht appears out of thin air.

Nocht, the Silent whispers, "Then it is a good thing that it I do not represent
the Taint."



Torili, Instructor of Light frowns at Nocht.

Aison looks at Nocht in surprise, before frowning.

Nocht, the Silent whispers, "Your faith is admirable, little child, but oh...
when they abandon you..."

You whisper, "They will not."


The ghost of a smile passes fleetingly across Nocht's lips.


He is a radiant immortal and alternately imposing and unassuming as He lingers
in the shadows, bringing the fabric of darkness to life with His very presence.
The stark ebony of His skin is unblemished and smooth, from the aristocratic
contours of His face to the slender, musician's hands. Long white spills down
His back, surrounded with an effervescent glimmer like starlight. The only
colour in His stoic countenance, His eyes are a clear, ethereal blue, each pupil
rimmed in a golden starburst which makes His silent, thoughtful gaze appear to
pierce to the very soul. He is wearing divine garments of black silk, a symbol
of the Night, and a cloak woven from pure shadow.



Nocht, the Silent whispers, "We will see how long your "Exalted" lord stays with
you then. I never recall him being very good at finishing what he started."

Nocht inclines His head politely to those around Him.

The surrounding shadows wane, falling back in despondent melancholy as Nocht,
the Silent fades seamlessly into the aether.

You shiver violently.

A brilliant streak of golden light races across the skies of the Basin of Life,
burning downwards into the Glomdoring Forest, striking into the shadows and the
trees. Soon a pyre of flickering flames and fire-painted smoke rise up from the
shadowed eaves of the forest.

You stare implacably about yourself.

The soft, hollow voice of Nocht, the Silent resounds within your mind as His
words echo through the aether, "So violently opposed to your little ones hearing
the truth, Fool?"

The aether ripples as the rapturous voice of Eventru, Crown of the Exalted
booms, "Dare not tread within a temple of the Light again, you impudent child.
Most especially to whisper your deceit and lies to one of such faith."

The faintest echo of a voice linger in your ears, growing quiet by the second,
"He may call them lies all he wishes, but it was not just lies that caused what
I saw in you, child.... Oh, far from it."

For all intents and purposes, in the 'old days' of when the Elder Wars were written, Eventru was of the 1st circle, whereas Nocht was of the 6th circle.

A salubrious warmth washes across you, cascading down your skin in a torrent of comfort and divine presence. A golden light lingers on the edge of your vision, and you know the Crown of the Exalted shelters you.

In my defense, I could only see about 10% of the other worldly stuff that was happening, the rest was just Aison acting crazy. >.>

Was still fun though, especially when Eventru finally did something and I realized it wasn't just Aison being crazy.

God, that's freaking awesome.... All I ever get is a red flash, and mocking laughter