A lesson on Iosyne

Solaria

This is from a few months ago. Solaria asked @Ezalor to tell her about Iosyne, as per Sarita's (her sire) request. Solaria knew mentally much of what the Divine teachings were as a whole, but was told to get a more in-depth look. This is Ezalor dragging Solaria off to teach her all about his Lady. He leads me into Azdun to do this. That's where this starts off.

--- Ledge next to a waterfall --- 10:4:-2 ---
A deep gorge cuts through the stone of the hills here, plunging deep into the recesses of the mountainous terrain. On the edge of a gorge, an underground river meets its end as it cascades down the stony slopes in a rush of foaming water. The thundering noise of the waterfall masks all other sound as it crashes mercilessly upon the pool below. A huge drawbridge spans the chasm. Dripping black ichor, a heaping skeleton of bone creates a construct from the earth here. Showing two crossed fists, a tattered, bloodstained flag has been raised here. Practicing his right hook, Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs is here. Emperor Ezalor D'baen, the Bloodletter is here.
You see exits leading east and southwest.

"You may want to dismount," Ezalor says quietly as he leads you to the ledge. He stops before the massive shrine - or, more accurately, the comparatively small man standing before it.

You have emoted: Solaria tilts her head to the side for a moment before nodding, stepping down from her mare and sending it off in the distance, "As you wish, Keeper."

With acrobatic grace, you quickly hop off of a sprightly white mare.

You slap a sprightly white mare on the rump and send it cantering off towards 'A cavernous stable'.

Ezalor comes to a halt a few feet away from Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs. His blue stare finds you before he gestures his head meaningfully towards Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs. "You wanted to learn about Her. This is your first source."

You have emoted: Solaria steps in closer to Draden, a slight nervousness in her steps.

You greet Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs with a sincere smile.
Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs says, "Hey, Solaria. You come to fight?"
[*] (say) Yeah, I'm here to fight.
[*] (say) I'd like to enter the lair.
[*] (say) Let's talk about something else, actually.

You say, "Let's talk about something else, actually."
Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs says, "Yeah? What's on your mind?"
[*] (say) I'm here to learn about pain.
[*] (say) How's the family?
[*] (say) How did you come into Her service?
[*] (say) You ever get tired of standing here?
[*] (say) Who is Llazuth?
[*] (say) Who is Jarva Ruek?
[*] (say) Who is Issril Etysul?

You say, "I'm here to learn about pain."

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs says, "I guess it would make sense for you to come here an' ask me about that. Ain't many that relish it quite like I do, and maybe that's why She favors me so much."

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs steps to one side, pulling a slender white cigarette down from its hiding place tucked behind his ear, and lights it.

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs says, "It's like this. You have all these ways people find to avoid pain - alcohol, entertainment, 'adult' activities. Only all that ever really does is numb it, and it's always that much more worse when you finally feel it."

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs pauses to take a drag from his lit cigarette, pushing his eyebrows together pensively.

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs says, "It's all wrong. Pain is everywhere. It's there when you get old, and there when you die. It's in love. It's a feeling, and when you start avoiding that feeling you stop waking up... and when you stop waking up, it's all over."

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs says, "Don't avoid pain - biggest mistake you can do. Without pain, we wouldn't even have a life to live. When you stop feeling pain, you stop paying attention to that life."

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs pinches the burning end of his cigarette and tucks it back behind his ear, sending a wry smirk out at no one in particular.

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs says, "Stay with the pain, Solaria. It's how we find out who we are."

You have emoted: Solaria nods her head slowly, "Suppose that makes sense..never thought of pain quite in that way."

You say, "How did you come into Her service?"

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs sucks thoughtfully on his teeth and cocks his head to one side. "Yanno, it's a pretty good story, but I don't know you well enough yet."

You have emoted: Solaria wrinkles her nose, "Well..suppose I'll have to prove myself to you, then, Draden. Hmph."

You say, "Who is Llazuth?"

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs says, "It's a bit funny, I guess. The Spider Queen's the so-called 'High Priestess', but she don't do much in the way of preaching or whatever. More like a partner of the Goddess, of sorts. Epitomizes Her rules, has a whole Empire under her command... and she's pretty damn scary to boot. Go talk to her if you want. She might not eat your head for wasting her time."

You nod your head at Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs.
Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs says, "Hey, Solaria. You come to fight?"
[*] (say) Yeah, I'm here to fight.
[*] (say) I'd like to enter the lair.
[*] (say) Let's talk about something else, actually.

"He has a few more things to teach you about Pain," Ezalor comments idly, an eager smile gracing his lips suddenly. "You will have to fight him if you wish to continue."

You have emoted: "That's the whole reason you brought me here, isn't it?" Solaria says, glancing back towards Ezalor with a wry grin, "Suppose I best not displease you."

You say, "Yeah, I'm here to fight."

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs says, "You here to fight the Mauler? I'm warnin' ya, once we start we have to go until one of us hits the ground."
A smarmy grin overtakes Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs's features, and he puts up his fists.
[*] (say) Let's do this.
[*] (say) Let's set the difficulty first.

You say, "Let's set the difficulty first."

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs tells you, "It ain't about winning or losing here, buddy. I can understand if you need a few easy rounds first though. TELL me EASY, MEDIUM, or HARD to let me know how much you can take."

You tell Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs, "Easy."

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs tells you, "Outta shape, are ya? My grandmother could take more punishment. I'll try not to bruise your delicate features."
[*] (say) Let's do this.

You say, "Let's do this."

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs pumps his fist into the air.
Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs says, "YEAH! Let's do this, then!"
A blood haze fills your sights as the adrenaline of battle begins.

-We fight, I set it to easy like a bum-

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs drops to one knee and holds up a hand.
Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs says, "'ey! All right, all right! We're done here."

After regaining his composure, Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs springs back up to his feet. He brings his palm to his face to wipe away a mixture of sweat and blood, grinning all the while.

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs says, "How'd it feel? Good, ain't it? A man needs a fight like that sometimes."

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs tells you, "If you wanna enter Her Lair, I'll let ya now. Just say the word."

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs says, "That was child's play. Now that you're warmed up, why don't you try something a little harder?"

You greet Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs with a sincere smile.
Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs nods sagely.
Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs says, "Hey, Solaria. You come to fight?"
[*] (say) Yeah, I'm here to fight.
[*] (say) I'd like to enter the lair.
[*] (say) Let's talk about something else, actually.

Draden "the Mauler" Jibbs punches at the air as he warms up, agile boxing footwork carrying him in a slow circle around the shrine.

A resounding echo of applause fills the cavern, Ezalor's large hands booming together in a clap. "Well done. Clean yourself off if you wish," he says, tone thoughtful as he hands a soft carmine silk handkerchief to you, fangs baring in a delightful grin.

You have emoted: Solaria shakes her head slowly, handing the handkerchief back, "I actually don't mind a little blood on me." She straightens out her gown at the end, shaking off the excess blood from it, "So, what now, Your Imperial Majesty?"
Balance Used: 0.93 seconds

You give a soft carmine silk handkerchief to Ezalor.

Emperor Ezalor D'baen, the Bloodletter says, "Now we see the actual Lair."

You follow Ezalor to the ether.

A claustrophobic silk-spun tunnel. (Lair.)
A tunnel of spider's silk forms a chute-like passage, cutting through the darkness of the vast chasms beneath Azdun. The tunnel winds its way through the air, twisting like a flying serpent into depths unknown. At the very top of the chute, it continues straight upward in a cramped space too impossible to climb or fly through. The spider's silk has dried and hardened and is stronger than steel, with a slight stickiness felt upon touch. The weave of spinneret threads is dense enough that it is difficult to see beyond the organic white walls of this passage. Emperor Ezalor D'baen, the Bloodletter is here.
You see a single exit leading down.

Ezalor traces a hand lightly along the silken walls, turning to usher you to keep up. "Gathered your courage? It's spiders all the way down," he quips brightly.

You have emoted: Solaria glances about the space, reaching out to run a hand against the sticky silked wall nervously. She finally manages, "Err..aye..shall I go wander about on my own?"

You follow Ezalor to the down.

A small laugh cuts through the darkness, Ezalor's voice tinged with amusement. "Wandering off alone. Do you wish to?"

You have emoted: "I don't -wish- to.." Solaria murmurs in a low voice, crossing her arms in against her chest protectively as she still cannot keep her gaze focused on any single thing, "But..well, if I must, I must. I've dealt with worse things."
Balance Used: 0.93 seconds

You have recovered balance on all limbs.

Within the darkness of a forgotten chasm. (Lair.)
It appears as though this is the pit of a chasm that has not seen daylight for an eternity, so utterly dark as it is. A thin layer of dust hangs in the air, and the space surrounding you is without shape, as one could feel around endlessly in the darkness to no avail. Everywhere, there is the skittering sound of legs moving over surfaces, their incessant noise nearly deafening in this empty space. Emperor Ezalor D'baen, the Bloodletter is here.
You see a single exit leading up.

Emperor Ezalor D'baen, the Bloodletter says, "Spread those wings. We're in for a bit of a fall."

You follow Ezalor to the northwest.
Stumbling through darkness. (Lair.)

You follow Ezalor to the ether.
Tangled within a massive spider's nest.
Thick spiderwebs encase a cocoon, broken down the middle and emptied of its contents. A massive, bloated spider sits low to the ground here, her backside covered in hundreds of unhatched eggs. A demonic spider is towering here, surrounded by a dark violet aura.
You see a single exit leading southeast.

You can see the following 3 objects:
"cocoon66811" a bulging cocoon.
"spider121356" a massive egg-laying spider.
"spider271811" a demonic spider.

You have emoted: Solaria stretches out her wings to help stabilize her fall, settling on her feet carefully. She lands nearby to the demonic spider, quickly taking several steps back very slowly.

Ezalor settles easily on his feet, buffered by his massive, skeletal wings and the familiarity of repetition. His eyes quickly find you and, noting you obvious unease, they wrinkle with mirth. "They serve a very special purpose for us," he says; though his voice carries an air of fondness, the Bloodletter likewise keeps a distance from the massive spider. "One the Dreamer knows well."

You have emoted: Solaria steps in to stand at Ezalor's side, leaving only a few inches between Ezalor and her, "And what purpose is that?"

Ezalor gives the corpse of a suspicious Xorani patrol to a demonic spider.
A demonic spider seizes the corpse and immediately stuffs it into its maw, tearing the remains apart with its jaws and consuming it rapidly.

Raising a jewel-encrusted sacrificial dagger on high, Ezalor murmurs a prayer to Iosyne, the Malevolent, before striking downward into all his corpses. As his dagger rams home, blood sprays over him, the corpses fading into nothingness as they are sacrificed to his God.

"I'll show you after we are done here," Ezalor muses. Having fed the massive thing, he seems much more comfortable with it now, going as far as to pet one spindly leg. "It's been so long since it's gone aboveground."

You have emoted: "Do they prefer to hide down here, or this for their own safety?" Solaria says, watching Ezalor as a faint smile spreads across her features - any nervousness seeming to be clearing away.

Ezalor shrugs, hand still resting upon the thing's leg. "Can't say. I don't exactly speak to them," he says. His hand finally retracts itself as he turns; the spider stirs, falling in line behind him. "This is their home. Why they chose it to be such I cannot say."

You have emoted: Solaria nods her head, " I just wasn't sure, that's all. I missed most of anything that had to do with them." Reaching up to rub at the back of her neck, she grins sheepishly, "Except for the one time your Goddess came to spin webs in Duiran and I got eaten. Closest I'll get to anything related."

"In any case let's - " Ezalor begins before pausing abruptly, eyes finding the cocoon nestled on the ground. "This is curious."

Ezalor rushes over and launches a barrage of ineffectual blows at a bulging cocoon.

Ezalor shrugs, continuing onwards.

You have emoted: Solaria tilts her head to the side, "I'm sure it is some prey it is saving to eat later."

You follow Ezalor to the southeast.
The center of a complex network of tunnels. (Lair.) [-Iosyne-]

You follow Ezalor to the southwest.
A warm-walled tunnel. (Lair.) [-Iosyne-]

You follow Ezalor to the southwest.
A phospherescent lounge. (Lair.) [-Iosyne-]
A small earthen table sits within the center of the seating area. A circular seating area occupies the center of the room. Dripping black ichor, a heaping skeleton of bone creates a construct from the earth here. A wrought-iron drink cart is here, an elegant glass decanter atop it. Jarva Ruek is here, casually inspecting beneath his fingernails. A small sign indicates that LIBRARY CATALOG will list the materials in this library.
You see exits leading northeast and west.

Ezalor lays a hand on your shoulder as he leads you into the lounge, giving you a soft nudge towards Jarva Ruek. "The second of Her Apostles. Have a chat with him."

You have emoted: Solaria steps forward with the nudge, striding towards Jarva, "As you wish."

You greet Jarva Ruek with a sincere smile.
Jarva Ruek acknowledges you with a nod of his head.
Jarva Ruek says, "You came here to buy? Work? Chat?"
[*] (say) I'm here to learn about equality.
[*] (say) I am here to work.
[*] (say) What do you have for sale?

You say, "I'm here to learn about equality."

Jarva Ruek says, "In my line of work, equality is absolute. No one is exempt."

Jarva Ruek flashes a grin, a dark look flitting over his expression.

Scowling, Jarva Ruek says, "And before you say anything, this isn't some 'equal rights' crap I'm talking about either."

Jarva Ruek says, "It means no one has your number. Someone gets uppity with you, you knock his ass down a few pegs. If he doesn't get the message, make him bleed. He'll figure it out real quick."

Jarva Ruek casually adjusts the collar of his long coat, drawing attention to the brass knuckles covering both of his hands.

Jarva Ruek says, "It means we're all the same to Her. You really think She has time for people moaning about rank and title? Means nothing. And you better make sure it means nothing to you, either."

Jarva Ruek says, "Most of all, though, it shatters the expectation that you 'can't do something' you want to do. JUST DO IT. No excuses."

Jarva Ruek says, "Everyone bleeds, and everyone dies, Solaria. Everything else is just details."

You purse your lips, deep in thought.

You say, "Interesting.."

Jarva Ruek shakes out his arms, adjusting the fit of his brass knuckles and giving the room a meaningful look.

Ezalor smiles faintly at you, making no motion to stir from the wall against which he has settled. "Most struggle with understanding this one." His cheeks hollow for a moment as he sucks on his lips, one hand motioning at you. "You may have questions. Ask away."

You have emoted: "Truthfully, I don't really have any real questions..." Solaria says, turning around and walking towards Ezalor, "I don't think I'd suit Her, personally, but Her tenets that I've heard on are fairly straight-forward."

"Oh?" Ezalor replies, arching an eyebrow. "What does your Sire teach you of the Consanguine and their place in the world?"

You have emoted: "What do you mean?" Solaria replies, tilting her head to the side, "I mean..my Sire teaches me what I've known before, from my previous time as part of the blood. She teaches what any good, strong blooded person would."

Emperor Ezalor D'baen, the Bloodletter says, "Our place in the world compared to mortals."

You say, "Eh..depends on which generation of blooded you look at. I look at the mortals as food, ways to sustain ourselves. Sometimes, just rarely, they can be necessary allies - but most times they should not. The undead are above them, as they at least have broken away from the Rhythm."

Ezalor smiles wryly, though his eyes lack any hint of emotion. "You did not come here to talk about the Consanguine with me. I'll simply offer a bit of expanding upon Ruek's words; no 'equal rights' crap indeed. What Equality entails is that one should never grow complacent, safe in what they have accomplished. If someone gives you shit, you take the Power to knock them down a peg or too. Titles, rank, accomplishments, these mean nothing if you do not have the Power to justify them. Rank is the -result- of Power, it is not the source. Treat is as the source and you will find yourself down on your ass." He pushes off from the wall again, beckoning for you to follow him out of the lounge. "Which ties nicely with the last Apostle."

You have emoted: "Lead the way." Solaria says as she steps back in behind Ezalor.

You follow Ezalor to the northeast.
A warm-walled tunnel. (Lair.) [-Iosyne-]

You follow Ezalor to the northeast.
The center of a complex network of tunnels. (Lair.) [-Iosyne-]

You follow Ezalor to the southeast.
A warm-walled tunnel. (Lair.) [-Iosyne-]

You follow Ezalor to the southwest.
A cobwebbed chamber. (Lair.) [-Iosyne-]

You follow Ezalor to the east.
Before the sadistic throne of the General. (Lair.) [-Iosyne-]
A silent, wiry man is on his hands and knees, serving as a footrest to the throne. Dripping black ichor, a heaping skeleton of bone creates a construct from the earth here. A sharp-edged and angular onyx throne awaits the General. Despot Issril Etysul is here, scanning her surroundings with a harsh glare.
You see a single exit leading west.

Emperor Ezalor D'baen, the Bloodletter says to you, "The Despot will teach you of Her third rule."

You nod your head at Ezalor.

You can see the following 5 objects:
"footrest16566" a man serving as a footrest.
"shrine111791" a shrine of Iosyne.
"throne231674" a sadistic throne.
"Issril29026" Despot Issril Etysul.
"spider271811" a demonic spider.

You greet Despot Issril Etysul with a sincere smile.

Despot Issril Etysul says, "Who are you? Nevermind, it doesn't matter. Just don't make any trouble, or you'll answer to me."
[*] (say) I am here to learn about power.
[*] (say) I am here to obtain Her mark.
[*] (say) Something else entirely.

You say, "I am here to learn about power."

Despot Issril Etysul says, "Power is Her third rule, and many find it simple to grasp once they have a mastery of the first and second rules. I am Her authority on it."

Despot Issril Etysul draws both of her blackened scimitars, holding the deadly weapons out before her.

Despot Issril Etysul says, "Is it only through destroying ourselves can we discover our greatest power. By now, that should be crystal clear to you, Solaria. It was Draden that taught you that embracing pain is how we find out who we are. We all have to break at some point, to be free."

Despot Issril Etysul says, "Only until you are free can you grasp the second rule. You remember what Jarva said, don't you? Once you are stripped down of all of the unnecessary parts of yourself - your ego, your addictions, your submissive blandness - will you finally understand what he means."

Despot Issril Etysul tightens her grip on her scimitars, narrowing her eyes in observant silence.

Despot Issril Etysul says, "Then, and only then, will you know power. You will know that exerting power is to embrace and overwhelm the inhibitions and imperfections of man. You will know that which all men fear, because you stripped yourself of it already."

Despot Issril Etysul sheathes her weapons, her scimitars giving off a metallic ring.

Despot Issril Etysul says, "Once you have that power, it is simple. You mold the world like it were nothing more than clay within those hands. Your hands. Your greatest tool."

Despot Issril Etysul says, "Shape the future like you own it, Solaria."

You think for a moment before nodding slowly.

Ezalor nods approvingly as Despot Issril Etysul finishes, a soft sigh escaping the large vampire. "Music to my ears every time. That concludes the Lair - or, at least, the parts relevant to you." He turns to his silent arachnoid companion. "Still curious what it is this spider does?"

You have emoted: Solaria steps a bit away from Ezalor, adding space between herself and the spider, "Eh, aye. Why not? Might as well get the full tour of things here, including that creature."

Ezalor smiles wryly at you. "I did say we were taking it aboveground," he says, extracting an amulet from his pocket.

Ezalor puts on a sulfurous amulet.

Emperor Ezalor D'baen, the Bloodletter says, "Voltda."
You follow Ezalor to the ether. (lost)
Within the Death Caves. (Death Caves.)

-walk to Morgun-

You follow Ezalor to the east.
Western fringes of the Morgun Forest. (Morgun Forest.)

Emperor Ezalor D'baen, the Bloodletter says, "You came from the forests. What do you know of the Morgun?"

You say, "I know that your Goddess spun a bunch of webs closer to where Omei has a hold..otherwise, very little."

You frown and say, "Always found this place a bit too creepy to wander around. Hard for me not to think of Thera."

Ezalor claps his hands together, beaming at you. "And there you have reached right into the heart of the matter," he says, turning to the spider. "The Dreamer values this place. We...help...Her by decorating it."

Emperor Ezalor D'baen, the Bloodletter says, "Web."

A demonic spider sets to work stringing up a complex spiderweb throughout the entire area, covering nearly every surface in sticky white webbing.
Ezalor is thrown off-balance by his action.

You have emoted: Solaria grins sheepishly, watching the spider's webbing string up, "I like it. Dreamer was never really one of my favorite Divine. Too much of a pain to deal with."

Ezalor nods his head emphatically.

Emperor Ezalor D'baen, the Bloodletter says, "Well! That should be everything. Do let me know if you have any further inquiries. Back to the city then."

Ezalor puts on a sulfurous amulet.

Emperor Ezalor D'baen, the Bloodletter says, "Voltda."
You follow Ezalor to the ether. (lost)
Within the Death Caves. (Death Caves.)

-walks me back tp Bloodloch and drops me off-

You say, "Thank you for speaking with me on all of this."

Haven

Cool read. Haven will "save" @Iosyne one day!