Best Of

5/1/2022 at 22:52
Anonymous
Everyone
The Ballad of Lady Silverain

This record comes to the Grand Aetolian Library by way of Beau Greva, who purports to have heard the ballad sung in his tavern by a traveling bard. Owing to our care for strict historical veracity, we will present a summary of the events beneath.

-

It was Arios, spring of five-hundred and two
in the Astral Realm, 'pon the sphere of blue
when a rebel decried Omei, the Queen-
spoke against the Mercurial Inasea:

an Astral Lady, mirrormask'd
by ocean, sky, and wind damask'd
who years ago had first been wrought
by a lover's memory, now forgot

unto the Seer's Wood she went
by a spiteful Noble duly vexed
and found a mothling by the main:
the Tamer, Rihrin Silverain.

The Tamer hunted, night and day
one could scarce conceive a more dangerous name
than hers - she knew the Mercurial well
and something was wrong! The woman could tell.

When she asked the cause for such dismay
the Mercurial answered without delay.
The rebel Rahimah was to blame,
who claimed Sapphire for her domain.

A lesser Noble, yes, 'twas true;
but still enough to make Inasea blue.
Rihrin stood - up her peryton flew.
"Tell me," she said, "What I can do."

The Mercurial tasked her with this quest:
slay Rahimah at her request
and doubly, too, 'twould make for a test...
the Imago watched as Rihrin left

from the Seer's Wood, across to Blue
on the edge of the Astral Realm, subdued
in Inasea's citadel, near the top
stood a sapphirine ballroom, free from flaw

whose crystal windows unveiled the skies
hanging o'er blue: pure celestial night-
one point amongst that starry throng
rung out with the self-same sapphire song

reflected in the environs round
thus shaped for dance and wrought for sound
so they would prove ideal to curb
the Astral sphere where Rahimah lurked

and so far had evaded Inasea
necessitating, thus, her plea
to Rihrin, whom she gave a chain
with silver, stars and night inlaid

bidding Rihrin to shift it with her mind
as a telepath might upon the Prime
but upon the Astral Realm, it seemed
that will won out 'cross everything

the silver chain flew fast as light
dividing like unto a vine
from the singular trunk of Rihrin's hands:
now a countless sum ran across the span

in body, mind, united, strong-
a well-trained monk who had hunted long
she coiled the chain about the sphere-
she felt it thrum, go taut, cohere.

Still, Rahimah didn't give so fast
she struck the chains, fought to her last
even kindling fire from the heart
of her sapphirine world to remain apart

in the end, with Inasea's aid
the sphere was secured by Ms. Silverain
who climbed up through the void and spoke:
"I assume you are the False Sapphire?" echoed.

False Sapphire stood 'mongst the wreck of her sphere:
perfect, symmetrical, burnt, austere
made alien by her recent vaunts:
unmoving, fixed, now she was caught.

"I am she you are come to replace," said the Dame
"I have glimpsed you from afar, Silverain."

"I come as a friend to Inasea,"
said Rihrin-
her peryton stretched his wings.

"I believe in the Princess; the Empress, too.
Ones," said Rihrin, "Of which I hear you...
have no trust in." She pointed her hand-
"Ones whom you should. This, I cannot fathom."

So Silverain challenged her to a bout
answered Rahimah: "You could strike me down.
I won't deny it, but by your mercy,
I'll explain myself."
Rihrin let her proceed.

"When I first gained form, gazing on the Prime
I saw Enorian, bright, sublime
committed to work and sacrifice;
inspiring the mask that's mine."

And Rahimah was still not done.
"I longed for liberation once,
but in Golgotha's place, instead
I'm left with your capricious Empress!"

Rihrin listened on, arms crossed
silent, pensive, in her thoughts:
Chaos and Astral are both like this.
Life's unforgiving. That's all there is.

Then Rin spoke aloud:
"Enorian's weak.
What you've been shown is just a dream.
There's excess, blood- indulgence, too.
That's all life is.
...I can offer you:

a mercy. I can end your existence,
freeing you from war's persistence
so you might see what lies beyond it.
...this is all that you'll receive, I promise."

When Rahimah heard this, she hissed
not serpentine, but with timidness
her fingertips tremoring at her sides
as atop her sphere, the Merciful cried.

"I wish you well into the beyond,"
spoke Rihrin: "May you find peace."
Her stance grew long.
The menacing Scorpion graced her limbs
with one combination-
she ended it.

"I forgive you," was the last she spoke
before swift Silverain left her smote
and carried her body down the chain-
to the ballroom in Inasea's domain.

One task was left before brave Rin
to achieve her Astral Ladyship:
to feast upon those false remains
and obtain nobility from the maid-

and she proved to scarcely hesitate
blue blood streamed down her chin and face
and bite by bite she devoured she
who had once been Sapphire: dead, now free.

Becoming in that sacrifice
came quick upon Rin - 'midst mind's eye
she saw sublimity: sapphirine light
and awoke to deeper dreams, third sight

ennobled her to the Astral Realm
and thus was Sapphire conquered, quelled
she was the very first of her kind:
an Astral Lady, burning bright.

---

In Arios of the year 502, Inasea the Mercurial ventured forth from the Astral Realm to seek out Rihrin Silverain in the Seer's Wood. Though they were friendly and eager to reunite, graver matters were at hand: specifically, a rebellion upon Blue that had hindered the Mercurial's attempts to maintain order. Leading Rihrin to the Blue Sphere and offering her a chain of quicksilver, Inasea tasked her with catching the rebellious sapphire sphere and killing its Lady.

As a mighty huntress and trained telepath, manipulating the chain proved easy for Rihrin, and soon, she had caught the sapphire sphere and secured it in the sky above Blue, hanging at the end of her chain. She climbed up, bridging the long distance between Inasea's citadel and Blue's outer atmosphere by leaps and bounds. It wasn't long before she had reached the sapphire sphere and climbed up.

Its Lady was a rebellious Noble known as Rahimah the Merciful, who had been inspired by visions of Enorian to seek a more peaceful image of the Astral Realm. Moreover, she disliked the Goddess Omei, believing Her too capricious, and little better than the prior Emperor of Chaos. Rihrin, however, disagreed vehemently, referring to the city as "weak", and chastising Rahimah for believing in nothing more than dreams. The short meeting concluded with a brief, one-sided battle, in which Rihrin swiftly killed Rahimah - the sole mercy afforded the Lady in her final moments.

Upon descending the sphere and, at Inasea's urging, devouring the essence of her opponent's body, Rihrin became the first adventurer to become an Astral Noble, achieving a perfection of ascension heretofore unseen across the realm and formal recognition from the Chromatic Court. She is now properly styled the Lady of Sapphire, or Lady Silverain.

Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 25th of Arios, in the year 502 MA.

4/30/2022 at 3:20
Anonymous
Everyone
The Carnifex Games

While the rest of Sapience struggled with questions of belief in wake of the Revelation, the Carnifex found they had far more pressing topics to figure out: Who was the most Carnifex of all the Carnifex?

During a balmy spring evening, the Carnifex were alerted to a commotion within the Shadow Keep nestled far up into the Tarea mountains. As many arrived to investigate, they were met by a stinking drunk herd of Carnifex trainees - all of them Minotaur - headed by their well-known leader, Big Bastherd. The herd, having just completed a competition of prowess amongst themselves, invited the remainder of the Carnifex to pit themselves against one another in these games of skill, claiming that many Minotaur children were taught such things at a very young age.

The gravity of these games were not lost on any of the contenders, with the competition proving hot and fierce, some even going so far as to try and cheat their way into victory. The attempt was quickly stomped short, however, with little animosity held for the offender. Besides, if you aren't trying to gain advantage any way you know how, are you even a Carnifex?

One by one, a champion was crowned for each game; Desidora Kegwall-Aquila asserting her dominance over her peers in the game of Bullrush, and the Kennelmaster Yettave Arcan finding glory in the competition of Headsman, with the Commander of the Shadow Keep, Mjoll Seirath, proving herself and her iron liver in the final game of Bullhorn.

Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 15th of Arios, in the year 502 MA.