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Shards of Autumn
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written by Lendren Starfall

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Being the true story of the terrible aftermath of Lord Raezon's betrayal and
Lady Viravain's possession, and the heroic efforts that saved the Basin of Life
against Kethuru.

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the second of three parts of the play cycle
-- Gloriana's Second Fall --

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Cast

Bricriu, the Poison Tongue: a citizen of Magnagora
Daevos Feyranti: Warlord of Magnagora
Estarra, the Eternal: Elder Goddess, the Creatrix
Fain, of the Red Masque: an Elder God of the First Circle
Gregori Mes'ard: Seneschal of the Collective of Serenwilde
Isune, the Wings of Compassion: Elder Goddess of the Fourth Circle
Lisaera, the Ethereal Maiden: Elder Goddess of the Sixth Circle
Nejii Talnara: a member of the Serenwilde Commune
Rhysus Saros: Prince of New Celest
Viravain, Lady of the Summer Song: Elder God of the Seventh Circle

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Production Notes

In order to minimize the size of cast required to produce this play, the
following roles may be combined:

- Gregori and Estarra
- Nejii and Fain
- Bricriu and Lisaera
- Rhysus and Isune

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Dedication

Thanks are due to Jasper, Nejii, and many others who helped the playwright with
research and preparation of this play.

Produced in association with the Seeds of Change Repertory Company.

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Act I Scene I - The skies above Avechna's Peak
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CAST: Estarra, Viravain, Lisaera

SCENE: A1S1

Swirling colours fill the skies above Avechna's Peak, looking like gashes and
tears in the flesh of the indigo sky. Pale red flickers cast shadows on the
empty air, leaping from the flames that engulf the forest once called Gloriana.

ENTER Estarra (silent)

ENTER Viravain (silent)

Circling one another in the rended sky, two Elder Goddesses stare each other
down. Wreathed in shining coruscant energies, Estarra, the Eternal bears a
countenance of vigilance as She gazes upon the threat against which She has
prepared for centuries, in the shape and form of Viravain, erstwhile Lady of
the Summer Song, now little more than a vessel for the dread Kethuru.

Viravain, to Estarra: "Seek to destroy me if You dare, Creatrix! You may bear
the power of Dynara and even of Yudhe's son, but if you bring such creative
forces to bear against a Herald of Magnora, the Basin of Life will be unmade!
You are powerless to stop me, you sniveling bitch!"

Estarra, to Viravain: (circling warily) "Even with the Seal of Nature destroyed
by Viravain, you cannot be free, Kethuru. Eight Seals still hold you at a
fraction of your strength."

Viravain: (triumphantly extending a tentacle across the sky) "Enough, it will
be enough! I will destroy the other Seals and then there will finally be a
reckoning for my long imprisonment, for my endless hunger!"

Estarra and Viravain collide a flurry of blows, each of them being sundered and
reforming from the pieces as the energies of the conflict rend the sky itself,
causing even the colours of light to change shape.

Estarra pulls back in a guarded stance, holding back Viravain's continued
assault of tentacles and orbs of blackness, but not returning any blows.

Estarra: "Mortals, we must find the shards of the shattered Seal of Nature!"

Viravain: (mockingly) "Find? Did you lose them, then? Oh, my, what's this
I've chanced upon?"

Viravain holds up the twelve glowing shards and then quickly devours them all.

Estarra: "Noooooo! We will find a way to stop you, Kethuru. Elder Gods to me!
Mortals, seek a means to recover the shards of the Seal of Nature! All other
conflicts must fall aside for this threat to existence itself!"

Viravain: (with a wicked laugh) "The Creatrix needs mortals to save Her.
Shards to seek shards. I shall devour You last, so You might enjoy watching
all You made be devoured one by one, and then shall You know at the last the
truth of Yudhe's making."

Viravain: tosses blinding waves of darkness down from the sky, covering the
Basin of Life in waves of unmaking, shuddering seizures of death shaking
mortals from their shattered bodies by the score.

ENTER Lisaera swoops into the sky, trailed by the other Elder Gods: Hajamin,
Fain, Terentia, Lacostian, and Isune, moving as one, old rivalries and
betrayals set aside. Only Raezon is absent.

Viravain: (cackling) "Come, Elder Gods, sate my hunger! I have not devoured
one of Your ilk in longer than memory! Come, wretches, You have eluded my maw
too long!"

The skies fill with the sundering energies of battle, the very firmament
melting from the powers exchanged, widening the rents in the now-pitch body of
the night until awareness itself falls into one of the gaps in reality and is
lost.

EXEUNT

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Interlude - Falling
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Falling flame-hued shards of power,
Lost, bereft of hope and life.
Ravenous the maw of fate,
Snarls at large and small alike.

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Act I Scene II - The Aetherplex Chamber
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CAST: Gregori, Daevos, Rhysus, Nejii

SCENE: A1S2

(Serenwilde): Gregori says, "I will be meeting with the leaders of the cities
at the Aetherplex Chamber to discuss what we're going to do. Do not
interfere."

The curving, shuddering energies of the sky resolve as reflections on the
surface of the Aetherplex Chamber, gradually fading as the battle in the skies
retreats from the vibrational energies of Avechna's Peak.

ENTER Daevos arrives from the ether.

ENTER Gregori arrives from the ether.

Gregori inclines his head respectfully to Daevos.

ENTER Rhysus arrives from the ether.

Daevos: (gruffly) "Right, looks like we have to work together."

Rhysus: (peering suspiciously at Daevos) "If it is absolutely necessary."

Gregori: "First we have to figure out what we're working together to do.
Anyone have any ideas on where to start?"

Daevos, to Gregori: "Maybe you should start by asking your Summer Court.
They're the ones responsible for this."

Gregori curls up his nose and grimaces awfully.

Rhysus: "Their absence does seem notable and conspicuous at this time, in
fact."

Gregori: "This is, to them, a tragedy they were unable to prevent, despite
working harder to do so than anyone. They are understandably despondent and
have withdrawn from nearly everything."

Daevos: "Fine time for that, instead of cleaning up their mess."

Gregori: (glaring icily at Daevos) "I think it might be best we not dwell on
the question of blame right now. How is Lord Raezon faring, by the way?"

Rhysus: (testily interrupting) "I have received reports from my city of unusual
phenomena reported on the Astral Plane, but I am unable to ascertain their
relevancy to our current dilemma."

Daevos stares forward, implacable and unreadable.

Gregori: "What sort of unusual things?"

Rhysus: "The energy nodes seem to be filling with energy at an unprecedented
rate, and the creatures which by linking to the nodes are summoned appear to be
both more puissant and more aggressive."

Gregori: "As if there is some greater energy behind them."

Daevos: "Astral is Kethuru's prison. Kethuru is more free, one less Seal, thus
stronger."

Rhysus: (stroking his chin thoughtfully) "Perhaps."

Gregori: "Or perhaps when Kethuru devoured the shards of the Seal, they were
carried to where his body, or whatever it is, is still imprisoned."

Daevos grunts noncommittally.

Rhysus: "Perhaps it would be an auspicious avenue of inquiry to send a team to
investigate more closely."

Gregori: (nodding) "We will send hunters."

Daevos: (sourly) "Fine. Can't hurt."

Rhysus: "Do we have any other ideas to investigate?"

(pause)

Rhysus: "All right, we'll need to keep in communication as-- Pardon me, there
seems to be something... Viravain is killing the Supernals!"

Daevos smirks.

Gregori: "She moves to stop us from stopping Her. Umm, him. Whatever."

Rhysus: (in growing alarm, barely concealed behind his cool exterior) "Excuse
me, I must look to this matter."

A cone of sparkling light rises up around Rhysus and whisks him away.

EXIT Rhysus (silent)

Gregori: "She will probably come for your Demon Lords next."

Daevos: (with an indifferent shrug) "We'll stop Her."

A cone of sparkling light rises up around Daevos and whisks him away.

EXIT Daevos (silent)

(Serenwilde): Gregori says, "Be wary, Serenwilde. Viravain has attacked the
Supernals and may come for other targets to distract us from our efforts.
Protect the Great Spirits and the Serenwilde."

A cone of sparkling light rises up around Gregori and whisks him away.

EXIT Gregori (silent)

(Serenwilde): Gregori says, "We will need strong hunters to join a team to
investigate things on the Astral Plane. Maybe a way to find the shards."

(Serenwilde): Nejii says, "She's here, at White Hart."

A loud crack cuts off a strangled yelp of agony, leaving behind a profoundly
empty silence.

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Interlude - The Season Of Slaughter
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As nights grow long and chill is in the air,
The lambs are called unknowing to the slaughter.
Sacrifice is noble even when unwilling,
But noble blood spilled feels as thin as water.

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Act II Scene I - White Hart Grove
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CAST: Gregori, Nejii

SCENE: A2S1

A faint white illumination shines upon a grove in the deepest part of the
forest, somehow revealing an absence that is not evident in the profusion of
flora, a gap more felt than seen.

(pause)

ENTER Gregori walks in slowly, with hesitant steps, as if walking on shards of
glass.

Gregori draws in a sharp breath.

Gregori walks around slowly, in a sort of daze, for a long while.

(pause)

ENTER Nejii steps carefully into the grove, his steps silent.

Nejii frowns thoughtfully.

Nejii, to Gregori: "Why is White Hart not yet returned from the dead?"

Gregori frowns, his countenance dark.

Nejii: "I heard that the Supernals and the Demon Lords were restored within a
few days of Viravain's rampage."

Gregori: "It is easier to raise those half-formed than a Great Spirit. We
cannot raise White Hart until Mother Moon shines brightest, otherwise Gwylifar
would have done it almost right away."

Nejii furrows his brow.

Nejii: "Why does it need to wait for the full moon?"

Gregori: "Chuchip cannot complete the rite until then."

Nejii: (with a distant expression in his eyes) "You don't suppose we could--"

Gregori: (abruptly) "Not again, no."

Nejii nods his head emphatically.

Nejii: "Well, the full moon is soon enough anyway."

Gregori: "It will be another turning before we can get the Flame of Glinshari
lit again."

Nejii: "Dark days. How goes the team on the Astral Plane?"

Gregori: (sucking on his teeth) "They've been trying to drain a node
completely, but they fill so fast, and the creatures are so powerful, that
they've only managed to get one of the spheres so full that no one can even
venture onto the plane without being slaughtered."

Shamarah has been slain by the might of a stainless steel goat.

Visaeris has been slain by the might of a stainless steel goat.

Veonira has been slain by the might of a stainless steel goat.

Galvadore has been slain by the might of a stainless steel goat.

Daevos has been slain by the might of a stainless steel goat.

Murphy has been slain by the might of a stainless steel goat.

Nejii smirks.

Gregori: "Like that."

Gregori grins mischievously.

(pause)

Nejii: "So what next?"

Gregori shrugs helplessly.

Gregori: "I guess we keep trying."

Nejii: "The world falling apart around us, Kethuru on the loose, and all we can
do is wait."

Gregori: "It's going to get worse before it gets better."

Nejii: "If it gets better."

Gregori: "It will at least get different."

(pause)

Gregori: "Well, better go get ready for the ritual. Seen that darned
shamrock?"

The swelling light of Mother Moon adds a silver tinge to the light suffusing
the grove, filling it with both an ever-deeper yawning emptiness, and a
glimmer, a trick of the light, filling the gap.

EXEUNT

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Interlude - The Lesson Of Autumn
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Bare grey boughs, empty, hollow
Speak of leaves, sundered, absent;
Taken for granted, summer,
In fall's chill, famine heartfelt.

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Act II Scene II - A pan of iron filings
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CAST: Daevos, Gregori, Bricriu, Rhysus, Viravain, Fain

SCENE: A2S2

A rusty creaking sound gradually swells into audibility, bringing with it
glimmers of corroded light gleaming off of a nightmare of twisted metal, like
an ancient ruins of some great machine that crashed to the ground.

ENTER Bricriu leads a large group in from the west, including Gregori, Daevos,
Rhysus, and representatives of their nations.

ENTER Daevos (silent)

ENTER Gregori (silent)

ENTER Rhysus (silent)

A stainless steel goat clatters in from the east.

Bricriu: (cuttingly) "I thought you said your gods got rid of them."

Rearing back its head, a stainless steel goat breathes a column of scalding
steam into Daevos's face.

Rhysus, to Bricriu: "I said, actually, that Lord Hajamin and Lady Terentia were
clearing the bulk of them, but it still falls to us to drain the node, which is
why we are here. A few encounters with these beastly things are inevitable."

The goat exchanges blows with the other members of the group, spilling blood
and spatters of rust. The clamor of battle seems to be echoed in larger form
nearby, as the crunch of crushed steel goats wends its way from nearby places.

Gregori: "Let's argue after we kill this damned goat, okay?"

A flurry of blows from the delegation of mortals finally bring the goat to a
crumpled heap of steel.

Terentia, the Even Bladed yells, "The sphere is clear for now. Proceed,
quickly!"

Rhysus: (tilting his head to the side) "Perhaps most of us should leave before
we link. Shamarah suggested using an illusory manse to hide most of us while
only one person links, to reduce the number of creatures spawned, and there was
also the idea of creating rifts to the Cosmic Plane."

Daevos lays his hands upon a power node. The air around him sparkles and fills
with a thrumming buzz.

Rhysus: (wryly) "Or we could just link while everyone is here to bring as many
goats as possible, and repeat the mistake we just had corrected for us at great
cost."

Bricriu stares at Rhysus with wholly unvarnished disgust.

Daevos: "This is no job for the weak."

Rhysus: "No, apparently, it's a job for the addle-brained."

Gregori rolls his eyes at the others as he takes a ready stance.

Tendrils of astral light from a power node reach out and wrap around Daevos.

Dark astral currents flow together and congeal into a stainless steel goat.

A stainless steel goat rears up on its hind legs and brings its metallic hooves
down upon Bricriu, knocking her to the ground.

The mortals turn to the goat and bring a host of weapons and attacks to bear,
but the goat struggles to fight back, doing much damage before it falls.

Tendrils of astral light from a power node reach out and wrap around Daevos.

More stainless steel goats rush in from all sides, showering the mortals in
scalding steam and steely blows.

Rhysus has been slain by the might of a stainless steel goat.

EXIT Rhysus (silent)

Blood pools and drips through the rusty, jagged edges of the landscape, slowly
trickling below piles of slain goats, occasionally joined by a fallen mortal.

Tendrils of astral light from a power node reach out and wrap around Daevos.

Only a handful of mortals, battered and bludgeoned almost beyond the ability of
their potions and salves to heal, hold fast against the onslaught of stainless
steel goats, the air filled with coruscating fire, peppers of thorns, sprays of
blood, crackling energies, words of power, the crunch of bones splintering,
howls of agony, and always the ponderous, inexorable movement of steel.

With a sputter, a power node goes suddenly dark. A glowing shard from the Seal
of Nature falls from a power node.

Gregori: "Ah hah!"

Bricriu suddenly scoops up a glowing shard from the Seal of Nature.

A howl of frustration fills the air, causing the spheres to shift and writhe.

Viravain shouts, "Give that back, you sniveling worms, or I will take it from
your smoldering ashes!"

ENTER Viravain suddenly appears in the sky, looming menacingly.

Bricriu, to Daevos: "What now?"

Viravain waves a hand at Bricriu, knocking her to the ground.

Daevos: "Head home, fast."

Bricriu blanches, an expression of panic on her face.

Bricriu: "Too late... it's gone."

Gregori swears colourfully.

Viravain: "Looking for this, fools?"

Viravain holds up a glowing shard from the Seal of Nature.

ENTER Fain (silent)

Arriving amid a cloud of scarlet mist, Fain strides toward Viravain, His
flaming scimitar and flail at the ready.

Fain, to Viravain: "Naughty, naughty Viravain. Give the mortals back their
shard."

Viravain, to Fain: "Ha! Has the last of the First Circle come to challenge me
now?"

Fain, to Viravain: "Challenges are between equals, and I am clearly your
superior."

Viravain sends a tentacle of inky shadow at Fain's head, but Fain ducks aside,
hacking it with His scimitar.

Fain rolls alongside Viravain and snatches a glowing shard from the Seal of
Nature away from Her.

Viravain screams in rage, causing the sky to roar with forks of black
lightning, and engulfs Fain in a boiling cloud of eyes and mouths.

Fain screams in agony as He slowly dissolves, causing the writhing
agglomeration of mouths that is all that remains of Viravain's tortured body to
also begin melting and falling apart, giving off great gouts of steam.

A glowing shard from the Seal of Nature falls away from the steaming struggle
and clatters to the ground.

Viravain: "NO!"

Bricriu suddenly scoops up a glowing shard from the Seal of Nature.

Viravain splinters into tattered remains, dropping Fain's hissing body as Hers
begins to reform.

EXIT Fain fades into the swirling astral winds.

Gregori, to Bricriu: "Quick, go!"

Bricriu snaps her attention to Gregori, shaking off her daze, then nods curtly.
She spreads her arms wide, and the air between her hands begins to warp and
twist.

Viravain: "Meddling Elder God!" Come back here so I can finish consuming Your
essence!"

Viravain screams in rage again, causing convulsions of black lightning in the
sky, but there is no sign of Fain.

Amazingly, Bricriu seems to become two dimensional and then elongates to a
strand of bright light, before finally collapsing to a tiny star and
disappearing from sight, trailed by the other mortals.

EXIT Bricriu (silent)

EXIT Gregori (silent)

EXIT Daevos (silent)

Viravain: "NO!!!"

Viravain turns Her eye this way and that, then with a colourful volley of
obscenities that reshape the air into agonized, bleeding sores behind them,
lurches higher into the sky.

Viravain: "The mortals will pay for this. It is time to give them better uses
for their time."

EXIT Viravain leers wickedly and flies off into the convulsing astral skies.

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Interlude - Insurmountable
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Too large too long too dangerous
Too hard too much too difficult!
Through drive through guts through unity
To face, to best the tumult.

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Act III Scene I - Stewartsville Fishmonger
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CAST: Gregori, Rhysus, Daevos, Viravain, Fain, Lisaera

SCENE: A3S1

A salty tang fills the air, as the rising sun casts low, reddish light on the
piers of a seaside village. The villagers stir and go about their business, as
if it were any other day, though it soon becomes clear their cheerful bluster is
put on to hide anxiety over the events of the day.

ENTER Rhysus walks onto the pier from the ocean, as if the salty waves were
firm as bedrock.

Rhysus nods amiably, if stiffly, to the fishmonger as he passes.

ENTER Gregori steps in from farther up the street and bows to Rhysus.

Rhysus returns the bow, a little more shallowly.

Gregori: (looking around furtively) "How many do your people have now?"

Rhysus: "Three, and yours?"

Gregori: "Three also."

Gregori jerks slightly as the air fills with sparkling motes of bright light.

Rhysus: (twitching nervously) "Did She find us?"

Gregori: (shaking his head) "No, it's just Daevos. Calm down."

Rhysus: "We've been fortunate to thus far avoid Her notice."

Gregori: "I don't know. No one's heard any sign of Her since the confrontation
on Capricorn."

Among the sparkling motes of light, a translucent figure appears in the air and
then quickly solidifies as Daevos comes into view.

ENTER Daevos (silent)

Rhysus: "Still, considering what is at stake if She interferes again, and how
little hope we have of stopping Her if She does, the risk is too great. We
must continue to meet in random places and avoid speaking Her name."

Gregori nods to Rhysus.

Rhysus, to Daevos: "How many do your... people have?"

Daevos: "Four."

COSTUME ViravainInnocent

ENTER Viravain skips in from the southeast, looking like a young village girl
in a rosy pink dress, eyes wide as She gazes at everything as if seeing it for
the first time.

Rhysus tenses, eyes darting from the girlish goddess to the other mortals.

Viravain: (in a sweet, childish voice) "Hello there! I wonder if you can help
Me. I think I was sick, but I feel much better now, only I'm not sure where I
am. I can't remember anything. Can you help?"

Gregori eyes Viravain warily.

Daevos, to Viravain: "You were sick?"

Viravain: "I think so, but I don't really remember. There was something icky,
and I was hungry, and then it was dark but I felt kind of sick, like that
feeling you get in your tummy when you are riding on a swing and it moves way
too far and you're so high you can barely see the ground and then it stops and
you're just hanging in the air for a moment and your tummy feels like it's
floating. You know what that's like?"

Viravain smiles sweetly.

Rhysus, to Viravain: "Then what?"

Viravain: "Then there was some yelling which I didn't like because it's always
better when people are nice and get along with one another and don't say mean
things or try to hurt each other. There was a big man with a red face and he
was very angry, and then I think I started to wake up because everything
melted, and it took so long to melt, but when it finally finished melting I was
awake. I've been wandering around since then trying to figure out where I am."

Gregori, to Viravain: "You're in a village called Stewartsville right now."

Viravain claps her hands merrily.

Viravain: "That sounds nice. Stewartsville. I wonder who Stewart was. Do you
think they have anything broken here? I have this feeling, maybe it's just a
dream, that I broke something and I just need to find the parts so I can fix it
and then everything will be better. Maybe it was something here in
Stewartsville."

Rhysus strokes his chin thoughtfully.

Daevos: "What do You think You broke?"

Viravain: "I don't know. Something important, made of stone maybe. A tea cup?
I like tea. Do you like tea? If I can just find the parts I am sure I can fix
the tea cup and then we can have some tea. Do they have tea in Stewartsville?
And maybe some scones. I like scones too, especially the little crumbly ones
with those little red fruits in them, what are those called? Saucer! Maybe it
was a saucer, not a tea cup. Yes, that sounds right, more flat and kind of
roundish."

Rhysus, to Gregori: "It can't be that simple, can it?"

Daevos, to Rhysus: "Of course not."

Viravain: "And perhaps they have sandwiches, those little ones with the crusts
cut off, maybe with some salad from those noisy things that you see in villages
sometimes, what are they called? The meat from them, cooked with some butter."

Viravain drools and licks Her lips.

Gregori peers suspiciously at Viravain.

Viravain: "Or just the things themselves, chickens, that's what they are,
roasted until the skin is all crispy and juicy, and then you pop them into your
mouth one after the other. By the stars, I am so hungry!"

Viravain looks around, fixing Her eye on the fishmonger for a moment, who edges
farther up the pier.

Viravain laughs uneasily.

Viravain: "But that's not important! We can have a nice little snack after I
find the shards of the... of whatever I broke, and then once that's out of the
way there'll be plenty of time for... for... for eating."

Viravain frowns, looking confused and uncertain.

Rhysus furrows his brow uncertainly, glancing at his companions with a question
in his countenance.

Gregori shakes his head at Rhysus.

Daevos, to Viravain: "Sure You don't want a snack first?"

Viravain twitches slightly, Her shape rippling for a moment before, with an act
of will, She stills herself and puts on a smile that seems forced.

Viravain, to Daevos: (stiffly) "No, it's definitely more important to fix the
broken thing first. Can you help Me find the shards? It's very important."

Daevos shakes his head at Rhysus and Gregori.

Gregori, to Viravain: "You won't fool us so easily, Kethuru."

Viravain snarls and howls, Her figure bursting in a profusion of tentacles and
gaping maws.

COSTUME Viravain

Viravain: (in a voice full of rage) "Filthy damned mortals! I will devour
every last one of you!"

Rhysus mutters and traces a cobalt blue pentagram in the air that remains
hovering before him.

Viravain: (with a more contained anger) "Let us see how these denizens that
call on you for aid will fare against Me!"

Viravain casts Her arms wide, tossing to either side a shower of tentacles
which fly free from Her body, each one landing wetly to the ground for a moment
before picking up and scurrying through the village.

A chorus of cries rises from the village of Stewartsville.

Tentacles begin to pursue villagers, who run screaming and gibbering in blank
terror from these abominations.

Daevos shrugs.

Daevos searches the air in front of him, then tugs upon an invisible strand of
force.

Viravain flies up into the air over Stewartsville, cackling.

A mass of slithering tentacles makes a sudden gesture at Rhysus and a bolt of
black energy shoots out from the tip of its tentacle and shatters Rhysus's
magical shield of protection.

Shouts rise up from the village of Stewartsville, as the villagers throw off
their previous allegiances, consumed with terror.

Gregori recites the Ode of Ellindel to a passing village woman, who only
shrieks something about the end of the world before continuing to run down the
pier, flapping her arms in a blind panic.

EXIT Daevos turns translucent and then vanishes, leaving behind a cloud of
sparkling motes of light.

A mass of slithering tentacles lashes out at Rhysus, coating him with bruises
and burning slime.

Rhysus searches the air in front of him, then tugs upon an invisible strand of
force.

(Serenwilde): Gregori says, "Viravain has filled Stewartsville with tentacles
and the villagers have revolted and refuse to be influenced. Form up to fight
off the tentacles."

Viravain laughs maniacally, tossing gibbering mounds of eyeballs into the
distance.

Shouts rise up from the village of Delport, as the villagers throw off their
previous allegiances, consumed with terror.

Gregori searches the air in front of him, then tugs upon an invisible strand of
force.

Viravain hangs in the air, hands flying this way and that, casting clouds of
giant dismembered tongues through the firmament.

Shouts rise up from the village of Estelbar, as the villagers throw off their
previous allegiances, consumed with terror.

EXIT Rhysus turns translucent and then vanishes, leaving behind a cloud of
sparkling motes of light.

Shouts rise up from the village of Dairuchi, as the villagers throw off their
previous allegiances, consumed with terror.

EXIT Gregori turns translucent and then vanishes, leaving behind a cloud of
sparkling motes of light.

Shouts rise up from the village of Acknor, as the villagers throw off their
previous allegiances, consumed with terror.

Viravain cackles, turning in the sky, directing Her gaze to the northwest.

ENTER Lisaera flies up from the Serenwilde forest and hangs in the air,
distantly visible in the path of Viravain's gaze.

ENTER Fain coalesces in the air over Avechna's Teeth, looking pale and drawn,
almost translucent, yet grinning with as malevolent and confident a leer as
ever.

Viravain hisses at Fain.

Terentia takes to the sky over the Grey Moors, bringing Her mighty sword up in
a warding gesture towards Viravain.

Lisaera: "Come no farther, Kethuru. You shall not take these mortals."

Lisaera gestures towards Rockholm to the north, causing a shimmering
opalescence of silver and green to flow through the stone, enclosing the
village in a faint ripple of energy.

Viravain snarls, tossing a bolt of black energy at the shimmer, which shudders
and repulses it.

Fain waves a hand negligently in the direction of Angkrag, encasing it in a
deep crimson glow, as if the stone were seeping congealed blood.

Viravain howls in frustration, turning to stare icily at Fain.

Viravain, to Fain: "I devoured You too quickly last time. Next time You will
not escape so readily, sniveling bastard."

Fain yawns impertinently at Viravain.

Terentia casts a shining sphere of steely energy around Southgard, then swoops
after it, disappearing into the stone.

Fain, to Viravain: "Is this really the best you can do, the greatest of the
Soulless? Harass villagers indiscriminately?"

Viravain unleashes a stream of profanities which bend the air before Her.

Lisaera, to Viravain: "And while You waste Your time on such things, the
mortals cut down Your pathetic eyeballs even while they drain Your energy
nodes."

Fain, to Viravain: "We are prepared to discuss terms of Your surrender at this
time."

EXIT Viravain writhes in a seething mass of tentacles and rage before vanishing
into multiple directions at once, leaving behind nothing but an inarticulate
howl of frustration.

Lisaera quirks an eyebrow.

Fain: "Or we can discuss them at a later time."

EXIT Fain grins with wry self-amusement as He descends towards Magnagora.

EXIT Lisaera gazes down on the Basin of Life with a moment of concern and
compassion before resuming Her steely determination as She glides along a
moonbeam into the Serenwilde Forest.

The wailing of villagers gradually diminishes, dwindling as the tentacles and
tongues are cut down one by one, or in some cases, as the villagers themselves
are decimated.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Interlude - Hunger
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Bounty is the harvest's ripeness,
Ravenous, the soulless, eager.
Plenty is the gift of autumn,
But ne'er enough to sate the hunger.

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Act III Scene II - Centre of the Necropolis
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CAST: Daevos, Bricriu, Viravain, Lisaera, Estarra, Isune, Fain

SCENE: A3S2

ENTER Bricriu saunters haughtily into the Necropolis, acknowledging the subdued
greetings of those present with a grandiose gesture.

Bricriu: "The Warlord is on his way with the last shard."

A ragged cheer erupts, punctuated with a few slogans about the might of the
Engine, heartfelt but subdued amongst the weary crowd.

Bricriu: "A few outsiders are coming to observe."

A chorus of groans and mumblings is quickly stifled as members of Serenwilde
and New Celest filter in, the exchange of wary and resentful glances the only
sign of the many mutual antipathies.

ENTER Lisaera enters through a glowing, vibrating portal, trailed by a number
of Serens.

The Megalith of Doom suddenly flares with pulsating energy as Daevos steps
through.

ENTER Daevos (silent)

Daevos gives a glowing shard from the Seal of Nature to Bricriu.

Bricriu considers the glowing shard and then fits it carefully into an
assemblage of other shards. The final shard pulls itself into place as if
drawn there, and the Seal hums and shimmers with green fire as it fuses into a
whole.

(pause)

Bricriu looks at the Seal of Nature, stroking her chin thoughtfully.

Bricriu: "Now what?"

Daevos: (with a shrug) "Put into the Megalith."

A few people in the gathered crowd raise a hand or begin to speak, but before
they can, Bricriu puts the Seal of Nature into the Megalith.

The Megalith of Doom rumbles and absorbs the Seal of Nature.

There is a collective gasp, followed by a pained silence.

(pause)

Bricriu, to Daevos: "Are you sure that was a good idea? The Megalith usually
devours whatever we put into it."

Daevos: "Hmmm."

Lisaera: (looking somewhat flabbergasted) "I don't think the Megalith can
absorb something like a Great Seal so readily. It has probably returned to the
astral nodes, through the Megalith's projection into the sphere of Capricorn."

All present groan wearily.

Lisaera: "Go quickly, before the node gains too much strength from the Seal."

EXIT Bricriu places her hands on the Megalith of Doom and disappears in a
fountain of pulsating energy.

EXIT Daevos places her hands on the Megalith of Doom and disappears in a
fountain of pulsating energy.

As dozens of others transverse through the Megalith or teleport to other points
to converge on the Astral Plane, leaving those remaining behind to shake their
head in wonder.

ENTER Viravain appears in the air over the Basin of Life, pulsing with
protruding tentacles and shimmering with waves of anger.

Viravain: "What is this latest pathetic attempt? You know you cannot defeat
me!"

The forms of the Elder Gods rise into the sky above Avechna's Peak, circling
around the summit in a defensive formation.

ENTER Isune (silent)

ENTER Fain (silent)

The Megalith of Doom suddenly flares with pulsating energy as Daevos steps
through.

Lisaera, to Daevos: "Do you have it?"

Daevos nods.

Lisaera waves a hand, causing the Seal of Nature to rise out of the pack Daevos
wears and into the air, then follows it along a moonbeam into the sky above
Avechna's Peak.

Viravain swoops towards the circle of the Elder Gods, waves of foulness
cascading off Her form.

ENTER Estarra ascends smoothly into the heavens, the air around Her swirling
with Divine energy as Her eyes begin to emanate pure white power.

Estarra, to Viravain: "You will be bound again, Kethuru, imprisoned where you
belong!"

Viravain, to Estarra: "Silence, bitch! You cannot stop me!"

The Seal of Nature finds its place in the center of the circle of Elder Gods,
who cast streams of multi-coloured light and energy into it, flowing from Their
hands and causing it to glow a vibrant emerald.

Viravain hurtles wave after wave of black energy at the Elder Gods, each one
effortlessly deflected by the very shape of Their defensive formation, hardly
distracting Them from Their rhythmic chanting in an unknown language.

Reality itself begins to twist and undulate around the Seal of Nature, as its
emerald glow intensifies, the runes etched into its surface now clearly visible
from the ground as they pulse with verdant lambency.

Arcs of green lightning crash against Avechna's Peak with thunderous rumbling,
as the statue of Avechna begins to flex its hands, movement captured in the
strobing flashes of viridian.

The booming voice of Avechna, the Avenger fills the air. "My ancient enemy is
returned, but the power is not enough to sever his link! He has too firmly
entrenched himself!"

Viravain: "Yes, pathetic Avechna, you are ever too weak!"

Viravain laughs cruelly, filling the atmosphere with waves of foulness, then
turns her onslaught of dark energy and writhing tentacles to focus it on
Estarra.

Estarra rises to meet Viravain, bringing Her pure white aura of power to bear
as the two grapple in the air, lances of Divine energy lashing out in all
directions, threatening to unravel the essence of creation.

The Elder Gods chant faster, pouring even more energy into the Seal as They
grow wan and pale with the effort, causing the Seal of Nature to glow with
incredible brightness, filling the sky with its glow.

Viravain continues to grapple with Estarra, smothering Her with a multitude of
vicious tentacles, which are met with waves of pure energy causing the sky
itself to vibrate with echoes of the Great Song of Creation. The pure white
energy radiating from Estarra shrivel tentacles by the hundreds, though leaving
enough to keep the two beings locked together.

Estarra: "Elders, hurry! This battle will itself destroy Lusternia if it goes
on too long!"

Lisaera: (gesturing frantically as green light pours from Her extended hand
into the Seal of Nature) "We cannot do anything more! The Seal will not fill!"

Fain: (raggedly) "I am spent."

Isune: "I have nothing more left to give!"

The other Elder Gods agree, Their chanting unbroken and The flows of colourful
energy from Their hands pouring into the Seal but failing to make it glow any
brighter.

Viravain: (with a voice full of ominous overtones) "Fools! Did you think I
would wait idly while you planned my downfall? It is time for the final
consequence of Your failure!"

Estarra lashes out against Viravain with another burst of bright white energy,
which sputters slightly and is soon overcome in another wave of inky-black
tentacles.

Isune: (suddenly gliding out of the circle towards the Seal of Nature, trailing
golden motes of light) "I know what I must do!"

Lisaera, to Isune: "No, Isune! Do not!"

The Elder Gods shout out simultaneously in a cacophony of desperation, almost
drowned out by the terrible energies of the struggle between Viravain and the
rapidly faltering Estarra, filling the sky with echoes of thunderous cries and
agonized screeches.

EXIT Isune touches the Seal of Nature and then, as time slows almost to a stop,
seems to collapse into nothing, taking with Her all sound leaving behind an
empty silence filling the sky, interrupted only by the flickering of one final
golden mote of light which erupts into light, filling the sky momentarily and
then flowing into the Seal of Nature.

(pause)

Avechna, the Avenger surges up from the mountaintop, taking the
brightly-glowing Seal of Nature and raising it high into the heavens, where its
light brushes Viravain aside from Estarra as if She were no more than a pesky
insect, Her body thrashing in the air as the shadows begin to fall away from
it.

Viravain: "NO! I CANNOT BE BOUND AGAIN! I CANNOT!!!"

Estarra catches Viravain's form as it slumps and falls, now frail and visibly
empty.

Fain: "Isune! No..."

Avechna, the Avenger swoops to the mountain, resonating, "The Seals have been
restored!"

Estarra: "At the cost of an Elder Goddess, whose essence is now trapped behind
the Seals."

Viravain stirs slightly in Estarra's arms, looking around in bewilderment and
confusion.

Viravain: (in the tiny, weary voice of a little girl lost in a strange, scary
place) "Did... did it work? My Glomdoring, is it restored?"

EXIT Estarra disappears with the twitching body of Viravain.

Lisaera: "Never forget the sacrifice made here today. Isune has chosen Her
fate to allow all of you to live free of the terror of Kethuru. Herald the Day
of Compassion."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Scenes and Props
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Interlude

The stage is bare and dark, except for the balcony perched in the tree behind
the stage, which is illuminated with a shining silver glow to draw attention to
the musician perched there.

A1S1: The skies above Avechna's Peak

Striations of colourful energy and whorls of darkness fill the air like scars
across pale purplish skin, as if the sky itself has been clawed by a host of
creatures both large and small. There is no sign of stars or Mother Moon, even
though the indigos and violets of the sky are dark enough for the evening stars
to be shining. The jagged edges of Avechna's Peak thrusts its way into the
vault of night, a faint glow rising from its summit.

A1S2: The Aetherplex Chamber

The spherical chamber is formed from a hollow geode comprised of dozens of
precious gemstones. Large jagged formations of rubies, sapphires, diamonds and
emeralds line the walls and ceiling. The floor has been cut and polished to a
brilliant shine, revealing concentric circles of brilliant colours. Upon close
examination of the glassy floor, shimmering reflections briefly glide across
its smooth surface of wondrous mansions and abodes. A current of electricity
continuously runs throughout this mineral wonder, causing tiny sparks to
erratically blossom up and down the crystalline formations.

A2S1: White Hart Grove

Climbing up through the thick foliage of the rocky slope to the north provides
entry into this serene area. There is a primeval stillness that holds this tiny
copse at the very centre of this ancient forest with a perpetual hush. Age and
time blanket the land with a heaviness, a weighty pall that might bring on a
natural reverence in the most open of hearts. Emerald grass keeps to the
perfect height, each blade almost clipped in its neatness while blanketing the
clearing, small flowers of the sun's captured gold stud the soft carpet with
light. So large are the ringing framework of thickly boled oaks that two men
reaching round could not hold them tight, although the brambles and thorns that
cluster between them manage to create an impenetrable wall. A tiny breeze flits
in the air, a serenity matched by the beams of light from above. The leaves
rustle reverently, animals visible but silent as they move through the plants,
and even the birds that flit overhead sing their sweetest.

PROP: Totem

Carved from an ancient moonhart tree, the living tree glows with a silver aura
and the air itself sparkles with motes of emerald light. The carvings are
intricate renditions of faces of the spirits of nature, save two sections seem
to be left purposefully blank. Depending on the angle or perhaps the play of
shadows and light, some of the wooden faces look thoughtful and sentient,
tracking the movement of those who tread the forest it protects.

A2S2: A pan of iron filings

An enormous iron pan juts out from the floating island of metal and is filled
with iron filings, like a beach of black sand. The filings and the pan itself
are rusting, filling the air with the tangy metallic scent of corrosion.
Crackling with energy, a crystalline power node pushes up from the ground here.

PROP: Node

Raw power from the astral plane has condensed into large crystals that have
melded together, forming a glittering crystalline pillar. Each multifaceted
crystal glows with a pulsating rainbow of colours. Energy crackles and sparks
from this node of pure power.

PROP: Goat

The huge goat is made from a gleaming blue steel, extremely heavy and menacing.
Its legs are jointed metal constructs, as its hinged jaws. Sharp metal teeth are
able to rip apart iron bars, which it endlessly chews at, a trickle of oily
saliva dribbling from its mouth. The eyes glow red and steam hisses out from
its nostrils. The metal beast is quite noisy, humming with some hellish power
and emitting cranking and creaking metallic sounds.

A3S1: Stewartsville Fishmonger

The salty tang of preserved fish flavours the very air near this fishmonger's
area. Cries of seagulls overhead continually echo being drawn to the tasty
morsels spied below. Several grass bundles are tied up with orders ready to go
and a wide variety of different sea life lies strewn across the counter. In an
interesting display, several carved pieces of driftwood have been shaped into
fantastic designs resembling sea life and also lie on the counter for sale.

PROP: Salty

From Salty Duncan's aquiline nose, high forehead and square jaw, he may have
once been an attractive man. But age has caught up to old Salty, his back is
bent, his finger gnarled with arthritis, liver spots covering his skin, and
wrinkles etched onto his weatherworn face. A stringy muscular physique is
barely discernable underneath his flabby skin. He is wears black cotton pants,
a white cotton shirt, and a pair of thick sandals. Most of his teeth are
missing and he chews on a sprig of hemp. His blue eyes are slightly cloudy and
he mumbles constantly to himself.

A3S2: Centre of the Necropolis

It is difficult to detect any features of the room, due to the powerful field
of energy that is put out by the Megalith of Doom, absorbing all but the
darkest of colours and dominating everything else in the room. The architecture
of the room is designed to accommodate the Megalith of Doom with a high dome
that forms the entire ceiling. A circular series of steps descends three tiers
down to the indentation in the centre of the room where the Megalith stands.
Four archways lead out of the room to the other areas of the Necropolis, where
candles and other illumination can barely be detected through the powerful
force of the Megalith.

PROP: Megalith

The Megalith of Doom is a massive rock that fairly vibrates with pent up power.
Like festering wounds, cracks cut deep into the rock itself, bleeding a thick
viscous oil that coats its roughly hewn surface. The oily substance swirls with
dark, miasmic colours that cause putrid fumes to rise up into the air, turning
the atmosphere dingy and foul. Bright colours bleed and cannot survive around
the Megalith, for it is the nexus of pure taint and its magnetic power sucks in
all life and clarity around it.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Costumes
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Bricriu: She is a fiendish master viscanti and is wreathed in a dark aura of
spectral light and shadows. Diminutive in height and almost painfully slender,
she makes for a rather haunting figure. Save for pale scars ritualistically
carved on her cheeks, her skin is utterly dark and free of blemishes. Almond
shaped eyes dramaticised by red eyeshadow glance about with a detached sense of
curiosity, glinting like twin mirrors which reflect all, but reveal nothing.
Occasionally a wry smile graces her lips, apparently painted to match her eyes,
revealing tiny, perfectly white fangs. Long hair coalesces about her form in a
ghostly fashion, the silken white locks falling past her knees. With a few
locks braided with a black ribbon, the rest pulled up and intricately twisted
with silver chains and glass beads, every movement results in faint, musical
tinkling. Arching from her shoulderblades are shockingly crimson wings with
black plumage, the crest of each pierced several times with studs and hoops,
which similarly adorn her delicately pointed ears. Tattooed upon the back of
each hand is a silver and gold pentagram, the mark of an enchanter. She is
wearing inky-black greatrobes peppered with blood.

Daevos: He is a fiendish brood viscanti titan and almost like a wall, his
ominous figure stands tall, looming high above average for his race. Swathing
him like a cloak, shadows cling to his body, hiding his features from casual
observation. Occasionally, a flicker of light will reveal faint hints of his
face, highlighting the lines of his jaw. High upon his brow glows a runic
symbol that pulses with a foreboding crimson hue, its meaning unknown. Piercing
through the shadows are mismatched eyes that glow with an unnatural
luminescence, one the colour of fresh-spilled blood, the other the glowing
yellow of molten gold. Flowing over his shoulders is long silver hair, strands
of it intertwined with blue tendrils. It falls forward around his face and
draws attention to his strong visage. Parting his hair are the pointed,
battle-notched tips of his ears. Gracing his temples are twisted, blackened
horns, a ring of crafted silver encircling each, the tips sharpened into
vicious points. He is wearing a massive suit of full plate armour, a bright
crimson battle cape, a midnight dragon greathelm, and a canvas backpack.

Estarra: She is a radiant immortal and appears as a statuesque woman of a stern
and imposing demeanor. Though her face is free of lines and her hair is as white
as bleached bone, her very aura bespeaks of an ancient entity. Most remarkable
are her eyes, for they change colour with every passing mood, sometimes
twinkling sapphire blue and other times as black as pitch. Power flows around
her in great eddies and currents. She is wearing nothing but shifting shafts of
light and shadows.

Fain: He is a radiant undead immortal and His burning eyes are filled with an
unflinching hatred and ruthlessness toward all manner of life. His features are
deeply shrouded with unending darkness, exuding an aura of pure suffering to all
those who fall beneath His gaze. He is wearing agonizing tarnished greaves, a
blackened breastplate of dragon bone, a lengthy black cloak and hood spattered
with wicked red runes, a pair of acid etched gauntlets, a pair of vile spiked
plate boots, and a cruel crimson mask covered in black ritualistic markings.

Gregori: He is a graceful high elfen and stands about 6 feet tall, his long
black hair draped thickly over his shoulders. His skin is a pale shade of
green, smooth, with dark tribal tattoos covering his muscular body and face.
Deep green eyes carry a quiet calm yet hold a spark of mischief that his
sternest expression cannot hide. He is wearing a wide-banded soul mate ring, a
pair of bracers of midnight blue, traced with silver scrollwork, primal
greatrobes adorned for war, and a black velvet backpack.

Isune: She is a radiant immortal and exudes an aura which weighs upon and
ripples throughout the air in palpable waves around Her. Blazing with a fierce
luminosity, Her eyes glow sharply from within and cast flickering shadows
across the silver-tipped ring of feathers surrounding them. Her figure is slim
and lithe, Her facial features strong and hawklike, and Her skin a pale ivory
that holds a pearlescent quality. An elegant crest sweeps back from Her head,
leading into a cascade of rounded, icy feathers tipped in platinum and
decorated with metal and gem beads. Translucent and metallic feathers also mark
the two pairs of long, narrow wings which spread from Her back, shining over
with iridescent patterns and rainbows of colour. One pair of wings stays almost
permanently folded against Her shoulders, while the second pair sweeps elegantly
from Her back. The trailing feathers of Her wings and crest float and whip as
though caught in an invisible wind, accompanied by colourful sparks of light
which dance around Her form. She is wearing a shimmering cloak resembling
folded wings, a paint-splattered artist's apron, a crystalline rose of pure
diamond, and an amethyst studded golden link bracelet.

Nejii: He is a bouncing furrikin and of slightly below-average height for one
of his kind, standing just under three feet. Bearing a strong resemblance to a
fox, the fur that covers his body is deep black save for a white
crescent-shaped patch on his face and the white tip of his bushy tail. His dark
brown eyes gaze out from under a tuft of wayward fur on his brow, and a ragged
cut marks one of his pointed ears. He is wearing a ring of silver vines
grasping a sapphire crescent moon, a soft, crystal blue leather pack, a starry
robe of midnight blue, and a delicate iris.

Lisaera: She is a radiant immortal and is tall, standing at almost seven feet,
with a willowy figure. Her long, raven hair spills down Her back, stirring
continuously in the ethereal breeze surrounding Her and contrasting starkly
with Her pale skin. Her face is smooth and ageless, with a knowing half-smile
often playing across Her features. Cool blue eyes gaze steadily at Her
surroundings, filled with a wisdom and depth unknown to any mortal. Possessing
sweeping cheekbones and sharply pointed ears, She could almost be mistaken for
an elfen were it not for the aura of power and strange wind that whips around
Her, rising and falling in ferocity. Glitteringly intensely, Her eyes make it
clear that She is as changeable and dangerous as the storm, as knowing as the
earth. She is wearing fluidic armour of swirling ethereal magic, a floor-length
traveller's cloak of deepest blue, a silver ethereal pendant, a misted emerald
brooch, and a torc of shimmering silver.

Rhysus: He is a noble imperial merian and has a lithe frame some six and a half
feet in height. His skin, a dark cobalt in hue, is remarkably smooth, though
wind beaten in places. Tendrils of wavy white hair curl down past his
shoulders, accentuating the sharp features of his face and standing in contrast
to the dark tone of his skin. Eyes of gray-green sparkle with an inner light,
and his brow is pinched as though in constant thought. Thin gill slits run
across both sides of his neck, generally covered by his hair, though
occasionally they can be seen to flutter as the air runs over them. He is
wearing gleaming robes of shining white, a golden signet ring, and polished
black boots.

Viravain: She is a radiant immortal and is almost completely wreathed in
shadows, Her small, girlish body seeming barely able to contain something
larger, something sinister. Occasionally, protrusions in the outline of Her
shape take the appearance of tentacles, dark and oily. Deformations in Her
tender skin disturbingly open and close, sometimes shifting, and once in a
while, one of these gaps will widen into a mouth, causing Her features to
adjust abruptly to match it. Her eyes are bright red and glow with a haunting
power. She is wearing a dusky rose dress.

ViravainInnocent: She is a radiant Immortal and yet somehow still appears as a
helpless young girl, Her dimples deep and Her face petite. Pale white hair
curls over Her shoulders, tied up on either side into tails by a pair of tiny
red roses which seem to grow there on their own. Striking pale blue eyes are
deep set within Her youthful face, darting from place to place with the
unfocused excitement of youth. Her figure is slight and willowy, and Her arms
are slender, ending in sylphlike fingers. Though She has the stature of an
immortal, enhanced by a flickering of divine fire, She seems hardly larger than
a child. She is wearing a light dress the color of pink roses and delicate red
sandals.

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