Kerala's Inquisition

The stories and lives of the Grim. ((Roleplaying Stories and In Character Interactions))
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Kerala
Posts: 157

Re: Kerala's Inquisition

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Kerala had no idea what do do from here. There was no way she could think of to turn the warlock's words into some kind of meaningful lesson. If they were angry at her for telling the truth about how the druid had settled for the Grim without looking for anything better, what would they think if she told them how the warlock was only a Grim of convenience? And that's if she kept the knowledge of his incomplete inquisition to herself as well. It wasn't a good idea to point out the weaknesses of a system she was currently stuck in. She wasn't certain exactly what the requirements were to pass this trial, but she had the feeling she was thus far failing. There was only one person, really, that could determine whether she passed or failed. Kerala went in search of paper and something to write with.

Lasher,

I hav talkd too the warloke, my third
person. He was not vare helpful, and I
nowe if I spoke his words, yoo and the
Reborne wood be angre with me.

I wood like too talk too yoo, as wel.
A forthe person. I think yoo mite teech me
wat I must hav mist from thees others.

Wil yoo talk with mee?

~Kerala
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Kerala
Posts: 157

Re: Kerala's Inquisition

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A couple days later, she received his reply.
Supplicant Kerala.

Your writing does need polishing if you do
think the grunts of the Horde will ever
take you as a Reaper.

You will be assigned to a robe-wearer for
instructions with your pen.

I will meet with you at a later time of my
choosing. The Mandate does need to be
made perfectly clear.

Bloodstar
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Kerala
Posts: 157

Re: Kerala's Inquisition

Unread post by Kerala »

Logging started on 07/02/2015 at 10:29:39.

You eye Lilliana up and down.
Lilliana is sitting rather quietly upstairs, seeming to be considering the wall as if it has much importance.
Lilliana 's gentle blue eyes turn to Kerala,
"You'll still here." She states this, it's not a comment. "Hmmm." She grins oddly at the tauren.
[Kerala]: Why do you wear a hood?
Kerala is indeed still 'here', a Grim, though she might seem a bit more tense, and definitely more quiet than the last time Lilliana saw the druid, before the first trial.
Lilliana pulls back her head, revealing a fairly bald head, although her hair is starting to grow back,
"Because, my fucking head got scalped." She swings her head back and forth, as if she still had hair before she pulls her hood back onto her head.
[Kerala]: I know. You are ashamed?
Lilliana shakes her head, "Nah, just vain." She actually smiles, getting up to her feet in a somewhat tired manner.
Lilliana moves to the top of the stairs, and eyes the supplicant three steps down.

[Kerala]: Hmm
Kerala steps aside to let Lilliana pass if she wants to.
Lilliana didn't want to move down the stairs, she wanted to take in Kerala and consider the tauren.
Cobrak starts scratching under his mask.
Lilliana hadn't noticed the silent Cobrak down below, and her attention turns away,
"Hey, Cobrak, " She offers in greeting quietly.
[Kerala]: I would not hide your baldness, if I were you.
Cobrak looks up as his hand is still hidden behind his mask, scratching vigorously. He looks up to where Lilly stands, "Oi."
Kerala has not offered to regrow the tresses, though that would be an easy thing for her to do.
Lilliana raises a brow,
"No offense to those that choose like, that way of life...but I totally look like a butch bitch without the hair." She comments with a gentle giggle.
You shrug at Lilliana. Who knows?
Kerala glances down at Cobrak.
Kerala turns to go downstairs and sit in her usual tavern seat.
Lilliana seems to catch a thought of Kerala's......and she only grins.
"You'll have to update me on your trials, I have no idea where anyone is at. I haven't even met with Khorvis since I've been home."
Cobrak mumbles to himself as he scratches all the more vigorously.
Kerala glances back up to Lilliana when the troll says that, but continues to her seat.
Cobrak mutters several curses under his breath when he ceases scratching.
Lilliana 's eyes follow Kerala disapprovingly as she walks away, figuring that little has changed in the supplicant's presentation towards authority.
Kerala has not yet, and still doesn't, consider Lilliana an authority figure.

[Kerala]: What are you scratching at, hunter?
[Cobrak]: Nuthin'.
[Kerala]: If it were nothing, you would not be itchy.
Cobrak grumbles.
[Cobrak]: Nuthin' worth talkin' bout.
[Kerala]: Did the forsaken priest give you bugs?
[Cobrak]: I don have fleas.
[Kerala]: Good. Lice?
[Cobrak]: Bloody hell! I dun 'ave any bugs!
Lilliana sits back down quietly.
Kerala eyes Cobrak warily.
Cobrak turns away from Kerala's gaze and bugs down his drink.

[Kerala]: Well... since you won't tell me what it is, you can just stay over there, away from me, just in case.
[Cobrak]: Yea yea... ...hic!
Cobrak 's belch accidentally ignites his mask, soon ripping it off and stamping out the singed fur. It revelas that the upper right portion of his head looks burnt, fissures of dim Twilight magic burning lightly across it.
You blink at Cobrak.

[Kerala]: What happened to you?
Cobrak rubs out the flame and throws back on the mask.
[Cobrak]: Grim Batol 'appened.
Kerala blinks again, but says nothing further about it.
[Cobrak]: An' you...still on yer Trials?
[Kerala]: Yes.
[Cobrak]: Hellsh yer shlow.
Cobrak chuckles weakly.
[Kerala]: The Cen was wandering.
[Cobrak]: ...Oh that blabberin' elf.
[Kerala]: And now I am waiting the high inquisitor's convenience for a talk.
[Cobrak]: Khor, eh? Well good luck ta, might wanna bring a faceguard. Tends ta shpit when he talks.
[Kerala]: She doesn't blabber.
[Cobrak]: Need a bloody translator fer half tha thing shhe says.
[Kerala]: He has one.
You laugh at Cobrak.
[Kerala]: Yes, she is very hard to make sense of.
[Cobrak]: i meant fer you...I dunno how he hacksh round 'is.
[Kerala]: Oh. Well I'm not worried about a little spittle.
[Cobrak]: Gaahh..bes' part o' fire festival...why dontehy make thish shhit year round?
Kerala thinks Cobrak picked just about the worst alcohol he could have if he wanted to not burn that mask to ashes.
[Kerala]: Because the buildings would never survive all the flaming drunks.
[Cobrak]: Wonder if I kin bribe a brewer then...git it all to meself... So tha elf an' Khor...who else ya shpeakin' at? ...hic!
[Kerala]: A warlock... orc one, um... Akorharil.
[Cobrak]: Dunno 'im...save that he hangs round Khor..
[Kerala]: I didn't learn much. Given the reactions I got to what I learned of the first two, I didn't think it would be wise to stand up there and repeat the warlock's words.
[Cobrak]: Aye? Well 'ow bout one more? Ask away, skinny britches.
Cobrak chuckles at you.
Kerala cocks her head at Cobrak.

[Kerala]: Very well. What does the mandate mean to you?
[Cobrak]: Mandate be tha Grim itself. It be law, set down ta 'elp us out...Ya ever see a fight led by Mad? Bloody clusteruck s'wut it is.
[Kerala]: Well... they -are- mad.
[Cobrak]: But a fight led by Grim...be focused, like a wolf pack....It binds us inta stream o' bloody death!
[Kerala]: How does the mandate determine that? It is 'peace through annihilation', and there are plenty of other fighting forces with that kind of coordination.
[Cobrak]: But nonna them has tha stones ta do wut needs ta be done.
[Kerala]: What needs to be done?
[Cobrak]: Annihilation. Burn tha banners, salt tha fields, an' butcher erry Alliance-supporter till none wants ta anymore.
[Kerala]: Salt the fields.....
Cobrak nods at you.
Kerala looks thoughtful.

[Cobrak]: Every threat to tha Horde gits gutted outright.
[Kerala]: Do you know how long it takes to recover land that has been salted? Or how much salt is required to actually accomplish the goal of destroying it so that the alliance, or anyone else, cannot make use of it?
[Cobrak]: Long enuff fer hume soldiersh ta shtarve ish all that matters.
[Kerala]: And say you succeed- say you successfully destroy them. You've ruin half the earth, for they control a vast majority, just as Horde do.... what do you do then?
[Cobrak]: We build it back up. No one ever said tha price o' war be a cheap one.
[Kerala]: Is that after you tell everyone that they cannot have sex for howevermany years, while the land recovers? Or do you let them create their children to starve to death?
[Cobrak]: Okay, lets hear yer side of it. We leave the fields alone, the Alliance comes back and retillsh it. Its now again a healthy supply of rations for hume sholdiers ta kill Horde. Back ta square bloody one. Or waste resources on constantly attackin' oer an' oer again?
[Kerala]: Therein lies my point. Exactly. Are you not fighting consistently over mines and valleys even now? The earth is large enough for us all to exist- for obviously we have done so for generations already. Why is it that there must be a conflict at all? There are worse threats out there than merely horde and alliance disagreeing.
[Cobrak]: Disagreein'? I've seen tha matter o' Alliance...disagreein' fore, lady.
Cobrak is nearly growling now.
[Kerala]: Yes, disagreeing. At the end of the day, they are just the same as us, whether Grim choose to believe differently or not.
[Cobrak]: Alliance are scum. Have been an' always will....they don't jus' kill...no, they enslave. I've been privvy to a victory won at their hands... An' it ain't one I'll damn well see a fellow Horde suffer.
Cobrak slides off his gun...followed by his shoulderpads.
You blink at Cobrak.
Cobrak next takes off his tabard, as well as his armor.
Kerala tenses, seeing Cobrak go for his gun, but then pauses as the orc continues.

[Cobrak]: This iz a bloody Alliance victory.
Kerala approaches.
Cobrak reveals the multitude of long-since scarred whipping injuries.
Kerala looks.

[Cobrak]: They threw me...an' me whole clan inta chains...We were pack-mules fer them. Children an' all...
[Kerala]: You would rather have died?
[Cobrak]: An' when the possibility we'd be free o' them.... Startin' purgin' the lotta us. Aye...I'd sooner be dead than a slave.
[Kerala]: Dying is easy. Why didn't you?
[Cobrak]: Becuz I swore that they'd never do it again.
[Kerala]: You hate them.
[Cobrak]: I LOATHE them.
Kerala nods.
[Kerala]: You are in the right guild, hunter.
[Cobrak]: Are you?
[Kerala]: I do not belong here, no.
Cobrak nods at you.
[Cobrak]: Do ya hafta ask anythin' else?
[Kerala]: I have no use for you. I will see what the high inquisitor has to teach me.
[Cobrak]: Aye, no more use? Feel sorry for whoevah ruts wit ya iffin ya toss them way like this.
Cobrak laughs at you.
Kerala ignores the comment about sex entirely.

[Kerala]: You have not said anything new that others have not already. You hate alliance, the mandate is a way to justify your continued hatred, and the Grim is simply a more effective tool for it than any other group you've come across, if in fact you've bothered to look further once you found them, which some have not.
[Cobrak]: I've yet to see anyone wif way ta end'em like Grim. Who else? Sanctuary? Ta be buddy-buddy wit'em? Er mebbe we shoulda been like tha Horns...off on yer own lil' tauren island, not givin' two shits.
Kerala does not react to the insult at all.
[Kerala]: No. As I said, you belong here.
[Cobrak]: An' where do YOU belong?
Kerala shrugs.
[Kerala]: I do not know. Not here. Perhaps no where.
Cobrak shrugs at you. Who knows?
[Cobrak]: I got places ta be. Ker. Good luck on yer Trials.
You wave goodbye to Cobrak. Farewell!
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Kerala
Posts: 157

Re: Kerala's Inquisition

Unread post by Kerala »

Logging started on 07/02/2015 at 15:00:06.

Kerala lands, a scruffy bird, and looks at Khorvis.
Khorvis uses his staff to prop himself up as he stands in greeting.
Kerala hops closer, and on the third hop or so shifts to her tauren form.

[Kerala]: Hello high inquisitor.
[Khorvis]: Supplicant Kerala.
Khorvis coughs into his shoulder and wipes spittle from his tusks.
[Khorvis]: You do be an unexpected passerby. And may be not too surprising, given these plains.
[Kerala]: I often fly above these grasses.
Kerala cocks her head.
[Kerala]: You look different. Better perhaps, in those clothes.
Khorvis glances callously at his work-leathers and harness.
Kerala smirks.
"How did you like our anejodi game?"
Khorvis rubs what appears to be bruised ribs and grimaces. "I do think it a fine game for young bulls and quick elves."
Kerala laughs at Khorvis.
[Kerala]: I'm surprised you were not very good at it.
[Khorvis]: You do laugh, but do not mock this orc. That stick did be weighted strangely! Aimed at my own gut it did.
Kerala smiles, suppressing another laugh.
Khorvis appears far different from the stoic warrior usually encased in black metal. It is as an entirely different beast lives beneath the mail. Older and more withered than one might expect.

[Kerala]: I did not come down to discuss stickball with you, though.
[Khorvis]: No, druidess, I did expect not.
[Kerala]: You seem..... more relaxed. I was hoping to ask you about the mandate, but I can come back some other time...?
Kerala shifts uncertainly.
[Khorvis]: There do be time enough to relax when I be a corpse for the ravens. The Mandate is always Now.
Khorvis growls the last word.
Kerala nods, expecting as much.

[Kerala]: I'm not certain what determines success for this second trial, but I don't think I'm doing well so far...
Khorvis steps out of the cool shade and into the searing sun, letting the fiery rays alight the sweat on his brow and faces Kerala's questions with calm.
[Kerala]: I'd like that to change, if you will teach me.
Khorvis considers a moment before speaking. "You do be owed an apology, Supplicant. While I do be an Irredeemable tasked with lashing the new blood into shape, you did your task with solid merit and decent pace."
Kerala blinks at Khorvis.
[Khorvis]: The Cen does have odd ideas, but you did right by learning what you could. It did be my folly to lash out like a grunt on his innocent worg.
Khorvis tugs at the empty eldritch device on his eye absently.
Kerala has no idea what to say to that, but it's obvious she's uncomfortable with this situation.
"I... you don't.... you are the superior."
[Khorvis]: Aye, I do be that in matters of the Mandate's charge. But in those of ....'honor' ... we all do be the same rank as Grim.
Khorvis stumbles over the word 'honor' as if tasting a long forgotten sweet, or some new fruit.
[Kerala]: Hmm. You say that, but sound as if you do not believe your own words. I know I do not. I have no honor left.
Kerala doesn't sound particularly regretful about it. More just stating a fact.
Khorvis tugs at his goatee stubbornly, as if scratching at some unreachable itch, but lets it go.

[Khorvis]: It do not be my task to weigh your personal honor. Your private affairs do be your own to manage, Supplicant. Ask your questions, before I do fry in this heat.
[Kerala]: You are the one who stepped out from the shade. What does the mandate mean?
Khorvis stretches out his arms with an expansive gesture. "Out of the shade. It do mean just that, Kerala. We Horde will not wilt in the shade of the Alliance. Aye, may be the great sun will burn. There is pain in the daylight. But only in it will there be some life!"
Kerala rubs her neck idly, not surprised to find that she doesn't understand words.
[Kerala]: Shade is needed too, or everything does burn.
[Khorvis]: Now you do sound like one of the Pandaren sages. You did ask what the Mandate means. It does mean clear-cutting the stranglevines of the pinkskins.
[Kerala]: So... killing alliance.
[Khorvis]: Not only the pinkskins. Iron Horde. The Scourge. All the threats that do try to stamp out our people. Centaurs.
Kerala shifts weight with that last word.
[Kerala]: In your metaphor, we are the plant trying to grow, and they are all the things that prevent it- too much shade, encroaching weeds... all that.
[Khorvis]: Aye, that do be my meta .. met ... mepathree.
Kerala smiles, for she knew a big word for once.
[Kerala]: It is the basic fight for survival... It's just that Grim see everything as an enemy. Even other horde, when they do not agree with you.
[Khorvis]: Agree? Phaw, the Mad, Huntress Xaraphyne, even Brother Fhenrir. They can all disagree with our methods all they do please. It do be when they take action against our good cause that they do become threats themselves.
Khorvis grunts and lifts his chin, firm in his convictions.
[Kerala]: Such as when they stop Grim from murdering innocents? Or try to.
Khorvis narrows his eye. The aperture of his empty device also constricts to a pinpoint, though it is sightless. "Your words do be meant to test my resolve. We all do know that Aerie Peak do be a valid target."
[Kerala]: I don't mean adults that don't know how to fight because they are stupid and think not having a weapon in hand guarantees safety when they are in proximity to true fighters. I mean children. Innocents. How are they a threat to the Grim plant? Seedlings not even sprouted.
[Khorvis]: Kerala, you do be young still, and I do think your fresh eyes do be useful to the Mandate. If I did be a great lord of Azeroth, I would build a great wall across the Great Sea to hide Kalimdor from the East. But the pinkskins would still find a way through, because it do be in their blood to settle every land. You fight the dwarves that you did just meet. I do fight the sons and daughters of dwarves I did slay in the first war.
Khorvis gestures at the Great Wall next to them.
Khorvis remains silent, his words spent.
Kerala considers that.

[Kerala]: I think... I think I understand that. You would not fight them, if you didn't have to?
[Khorvis]: There do be many things I would do if duty and mandates did not guide my blade. I would harvest the great schools of fish off the shores of Zeth'kur with my lost brother. I would sit near the fire with my father and hear stories of our ancestors in peace- I would hammer my axe into a till and farm this land to feed the children I do never have, and may be even learn of the spirits and their elemental ways.
[Kerala]: That sounds very nice. Much like I would do.
[Khorvis]: Aye. But there do be no Great Wall to hold out the pinkskins, Kerala. It do be only us.
Kerala cocks her head at Khorvis.
[Kerala]: Your explanation seems to make so much more sense than the others, besides the Cen. If I speak those words at inquisition... the second trial is passed?
Khorvis leans on his staff, his one-eyed gaze taking in all of Kerala almost uncomfortably.
[Khorvis]: The weight of your words do be judged with the conviction by which you do utter them, Supplicant. Also, your bloody penmanship.
Kerala stands there, not bothered at all by the heat, actually seeming quite comfortable in it.
[Kerala]: I have to write them?
Kerala frowns.
[Khorvis]: It do not be part of your second trial to write the words. Or any word. But you will report to the Tempest for instruction on the use of pens. I do not have hours to spend deciphering your missives, and the reading imp that the felmancers did lend me only sets aflame the damn letters!
[Kerala]: The Tempest?
[Khorvis]: Valindria. Phaw, these trials do need to teach Supplicants our History! Valindria did be the first victor of the Scalp Hunt during our campaign against the Thunder King.
Khorvis appears to be returning to his normal, blistering self.
Kerala nods, filing the name away for later.
"Valindria."
[Khorvis]: Aye. The Tempest. Now, do the questions be done?
[Kerala]: I don't understand how to convey the conviction you want. I've tried twice. If I were to tell you the warlock's words, I know for certain you will be angry with me.
[Khorvis]: Do they be your words?
Kerala snorts. "Mine would be worse. Or an attempt to lie to twist his motives to something not so... Do you know he never passed trials?"
Khorvis looks taken aback, and somewhat off balance. "The Reaper Akorharil ... he do be a noble scion of the Mandate. Do you seek to slander him?"
[Kerala]: It is never slander to speak the truth. He does not want to kill alliance, he would rather enslave them to serve, and he told me he is a Grim for mutual benefit. You help him advance his studies, and so he does what he needs to for you.
Kerala has obviously decided to see -exactly- what sort of response she'll get from what she learned of the warlock.
[Kerala]: I did not lie about the druid either.
Khorvis shivers, but entirely upon his left side, the skin of which is slightly off-color.
Kerala looks at Khorvis.

[Kerala]: What... was that?
Khorvis settles into a crosslegged sitting stance and lays his staff across his knees.
[Khorvis]: No, it do be nothing, druidess. There do be many Grim who seek advantage for themselves under the Mandate.
Kerala feels awkward being higher than Khorvis, and sits as well, equalizing them as much as their races allow.
Khorvis keeps his eyes closed as the shaking begins to pass. He practices breathing techniques specific to blademasters before battle.

[Kerala]: Very many, it seems. They flock to you like flies to the corpse. You let them kill alliance.
Kerala eyes Khorvis again, obviously not believing that it's 'nothing'.
Khorvis grunts sourly.
"War does summon all types. But there do be some words you did say. The felmancer failed his trials?"
[Kerala]: He never had to do the third. He said there was a change in leadership due an illness. I am not good with people but I would even suspect he might have caused it.
Khorvis is staring straight ahead as his eyes pop open.
Kerala looks at the distance between them again, judging whether she is far enough back in case Khorvis is angry and decides to lunge at her.
Kerala scoots back a little.

[Khorvis]: These are dire words, Kerala. Do not take my coddling of you in your first trial as some steely bond that frees your lips so loosely.
Khorvis looks clearly shaken, but is keeping a tight lid on the clipped words that he chooses.
[Kerala]: Very well. My opinions I'll keep to myself.
[Khorvis]: No. If these do be words of truth, then they do bear some looking into. May be another dog I will set on the trail.
Khorvis mutters the name Kiannis.
[Kerala]: He said he 'joined under Inquisitor Aureliya Raindawn approximately two years ago, during the march on the Thunder King. Alas, Aureliya took ill soon after, and returned to Silvermoon.' He smiled after he said it. His 'third task, as the saying goes, fell through cracks.' He called it a 'happy coincidence'.
Kerala recites from memory the warlock's phrases, even sounding somewhat like him as she says them. Tauren oratory history is not without benefits, though her penmanship might be terrible.
Khorvis struggles to comprehend the ramifications of Kerala's claims, all the while skeptical of farce and sabotage, considering the most recent attempt on his mind.

[Khorvis]: Hold your tongue and listen to my words, Supplicant.
Kerala obeys.
[Khorvis]: You will complete your second trial of Resolve at the next meeting of our Inquisition. Recite what you have learned and we will have no doubt of your ability to listen. I will tell you now, for it do be something to prepare for in advance. Your third trial do be a hunt through fel and shadows for truth. It do be likely that you will be joined by Supplicant Kiannis.
Kerala listens intently to Khorvis.
[Khorvis]: You did question when Horde brothers mutiny against our Mandate that we do cull our own? Then you might be first-hand witness and executioner.
Khorvis struggles to his feet with aid of his staff.
Kerala sighs, but nods. She stands also.

[Khorvis]: I do have questions for Reaper Akorharil concerning this mushroom.
Khorvis holds up a strange shroom, removed from a small pocket of his harness.
[Kerala]: He told me of the demon, Raziel. I asked as you told me to.
[Khorvis]: Have you seen its like before?
Kerala looks at the mushroom.
[Kerala]: It is not edible. I've seen it growing in a corner of Ashenvale forests, and the Felwood. I ... wouldn't handle it with bare skin exposed, even.
Khorvis is careful to use only his gloved hand to tuck it back into his harness.
[Kerala]: Where did you get it?
[Khorvis]: Near the corpses of the goblin crew set to demolish my beloved brewery. The same brewery that Reaper Akorharil was meant to aid in the building.
[Kerala]: They said he was one who fixed your face, and that your gem was corrupted. Are you yourself again, without it?
Kerala eyes the discolored section of Khorvis' torso.
[Khorvis]: Reaper Akorharil did aid in my recovery, though I do not remember or know of the exact part. The times were ... painful.
Khorvis looks impassive at the memory.
[Kerala]: I have healed you, inquisitor. I know the truth of the warlock's words when he said that *points to Khorvis' face* was inflicted by your own hand, and I know that *points to the demonflesh* is not yours. If a gem was corrupt, I do not think it worth the risk to keep the other part gained from that time.
[Khorvis]: The fog of war does hang too heavily here, Kerala. There do be so many unknowns and unseen regiments that I dare not commit all my troops to one battle. It will be you and Kiannis that do sniff out the truth of this tale and clear the fog. Do I be clear?
[Kerala]: You ignored the goblin death knight when he tried to give warning. Ignore me now as you wish. I will do whatever is necessary to pass the third trial.
Khorvis grunts sourly and slaps his faceguard over his head, looking entirely foolish.
[Khorvis]: Zug bloody zug! You do have your orders. Show your face at the Inquisition and repeat your understanding of our Mandate!
Khorvis whistles and calls down a flurry of wings and talons.
[Khorvis]: Mok'rah, Supplicant!
Kerala just stares at Khorvis as he leaves.
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Kerala
Posts: 157

Re: Kerala's Inquisition

Unread post by Kerala »

The ninth inquisition since Kerala had donned the Grim tabard was held in the Ghostlands.

A great white gate stood out in sharp contrast to the land around it. The thing was gaudy polished white marble and ruby red and gold. Function wrapped up in extravagance. Deadly in the guise of beauty. The druid's eyes did not miss the murder holes punctuating the inside of the passageway between those two heavy cage doors.

The bendy troll soulweaver was busy trying to erect a summoning portal when she ran up. The stag's ribs she wore expanded and shrank with breath blowing hard through her nose. She'd run all the way from Silvermoon. Though flying would have been faster, it would have been a short trip, and gotten her here soon. Too soon. She didn't need more time to think about having to stand up in front of everyone again today, to talk and say everything wrong again.

Snippets of the words she'd prepared floated in her mind, the sound of her own voice too gruff, too gravely, too tainted with Magram accent even after three years away from the desert. She shook her great antlers, a shiver that ran all the way down her spine to shake off the tension. She wondered how long the good hormones from the run would last. She shifted.

"Attune me, I will help." the druid said. They did, and she did.

The first through the portal was none other than the orc felcaster she'd interviewed. The masked warlock nodded to Khorvis, who had taken up a position in front of the great gates, and had set up the giant Grim banners. A grunt answered the nod, the inquisitor's usual greeting. He ignored her.

The orphan male elf supplicant admitted last week, nameless not just to Kerala but the entire Grim as well, was here. The huntress too, with her mechanical scorpid. And the troll inquisitor. Lilliana 's blue eyes flickered over to Xekanjo, Kerala, and Tazzuk after she arrived. She didn't say anything.

The druid Brast appeared. Kerala wasn't certain exactly how she knew it was him, but she did. She had only ever seen him as a fiery cat, but he was here now as a tauren, dressed haphazardly in bark and vines and other clothing obviously crafted himself. Kerala eyed him a long moment. He had hurt Lomani, but he had not been in control of his actions then. Thoughts of Konro overwrote those of Brast, and Kerala looked away. Down.

The empty spot at her hooves, though it had been sought by her, was somehow lonely. She'd found herself talking to him more and more. She'd finally managed to get the giant toad to not follow her and now, strangely, she missed always seeing his bumpy back down there.

Finally, everyone was gathered, it seemed.

"Now, this meeting of the Inquisition does begin." declared high inquisitor Khorvis. "This do be the Thalassian Pass. In the Second War, it did be a coveted goal of our Horde, to see it burn and the elflings beneath it crushed!" Khorvis looked wroth with warflame, but managed to quiet his incarnadine lust. "Now it do be something very different. I do think it be the greatest bastion of Horde power for when the Blue Badges do swarm to the North." Khorvis pointed over yonder. "It do be the perfect chokepoint. One way in. No way out."

"Much good it did the elves as the Scourge advanced." Akorharil said.

Khorvis snorts at Akorharil. "You do think the Alliance could make good use of any strong pass?"

Beneath the mask, the warlock's cheeks moved. A smile. "Apparently not."

"Trk'hsk. This do be the great wall, if the rest do fall. Do not forget it!" Khorvis looked purposefully at Kerala, who blinked, confused. Akorharil noticed the glance, and watched the druid with interest.

"Inquisitor Ruuki. Let us hear from your charges." Khorvis turned the meeting over to the tauren.

The troll monk was called forward. Kerala looked at the wall, figuring Khorvis must have been referencing their talk in Mulgore somehow. He'd said no wall could stop the pinkskins, but just now he'd been praising this one. She was so confused.

Then Tazzuk mentioned The Cen, and Kerala's attention was caught. He spoke to her too?

"Dough....I shoulda brought a bloody translatah foh half tha things she spouts." the troll was saying. "But...she be sayin' dat da Mandate do be a drink, which quenches us...dat each taste deir own of it, an' so, realize what best way is form dem ta serve it."

Kerala smiled, for that did sound exactly like what The Cen would say. Her eyes flicked then to Khorvis, to see his reaction to the Mandate being called a 'drink' this time instead of a 'lens'. The high inquisitor fiddled with a flask at his hip. He looked as if he would very much like to gulp from it, with the talk of quenching thirst. He left it in place. He didn't look angry at all.

Ruuki, Tazzuk's inquisitor, looked thoughtful, mulling this answer over before giving a satisfied nod. "Indeed, no two of us will have the same experience, or rather, the same taste of this drink."

"An in tastin' it, we also taste da makers o' da brew, we find deir work at play, even if what we taste be slighted diff'rent."

"Exactly." the tauren said. "You understand more of her words than you let on. Do you still feel that you can uphold the Mandate in the way the Grim you interviewed have?"

"I felt dat way when I firs' be sendin' my spear to ya base....it only got strongah aftah speakin' with dem." he answered.

Khorvis nodded at Ruuki. "Good," she told her supplicant. "I am satisfied with your Trial of Resolve. We will speak on your third Trial later."

"Taz'dingo."

Kerala listened to all of that, and blinked as the troll stepped back into his previous place. Why was it okay for him to repeat The Cen's words, as she had done, and he was praised for it? Why could the Mandate be a drink of water, and not a lens? Sure, Ruuki had not minded Kerala's repetition of The Cen's words, but Khorvis, and several of the others had. The only conclusion Kerala could come up with was the catch-all to explain everything in life: nothing was ever -fair-. Nothing was ever easy.

The bendy soulweaver was next. The happy troll managed to get on Khorvis' nerves immediately, and Kerala dearly wished he would shut his face. She really didn't need the high inquisitor to be encouraged into a fouler mood right before she was to get up and speak! The orc warlock made a flippant comment, and Khorvis' glare was heated enough it could boil kodo-poo. Silently, Kerala cursed the both of them.

Ruuki was apparently done with her supplicants, so Khorvis turned his attention to Lilliana, pointing. "The Inquisition do be so very bloody blessed to have its most absent Inquisitor back in her fold."

"None the worse for wear I hope!" Malhavik said.

Lilliana turned to look at Khorvis, and she picked up her staff. She'd been hanging on the thing like a bored child throughout her co-inquisitor's entire line of questioning. "Oh yeah, none the worse for wear." She looked rather exhausted, but....whatever.

"I like the new haircut, Chatterbox." That came from Akorharil.

"Inquisitor Bloodshine, why not show us the same rancid tongue that we did so bloody miss!" Khorvis beckoned Lilliana over. His choice of the word 'rancid' surprised Kerala. Did he know that it meant a smell foul and nasty- as from decomposition? Was he telling her she had bad breath, or trying to insult her speech? Or... maybe the orcish word was something else entirely, and not what she thought at all.

The trolless' gaze shifted to Akorharil, and she pulled off her hood, "Yeah, you like it?" She said, pulling her hood back on as she stepped over to Khorvis. The high inquisitor gave the priestess a long-suffering stinkeye. Ruuki rubbed her temple ever so slightly. Lilliana looked closely at Khorvis, and grinned at him.....she returned the look. "My turn?"

"Oh I do think your turn did spin a bladestorm right down the merry goatsucking lane to the plaguelands some month ago!"

Lilliana 's small shoulders shrugged, "Yeah, sucks, didn't it?" she actually said to Khorvis. The orc tugged at his goatee with the presence of annoyance's avatar.

"Go on with your charges, Inquisitor."

Lilliana flashed Khorvis a most brilliant grin, and she tapped the tip of one of the spikes on his shoulder pad with a finger. Then she gestured for Brast to come up in front of everyone.

Kerala shifted weight from one foot to the other, watching as the male tauren clad in bark went up to Lilliana. He butted into her with his head. It was a gesture the druid knew well, from the cat. Bunting was usually reserved for those who had a familiar and friendly relationship. It was a social and affectionate gesture. Brast twisted his face about and held his breath, preparing to do the most difficult of tasks. He slowly opened his mouth... "...Leelee."

Lilliana was of course not the strongest little troll, and Brast's headbutt sent her stumbling back into Khorvis. She laughed. "Let me speak for this one." She stated..."otherwise he'll just say 'LeeLee' the entire night.

Kerala frowned. The troll had no idea the compliment that Brast had just paid her, and instead was mocking him.

"At least he is learning to speak." commented Ruuki.

Lilliana straightened herself out a bit, and stepped back forward, "He is. Those of you that remember, Brast was always the cat, right? He only meowed to us, annoyingly so." She grinned at the tauren half naked, and barely covered with bits of bark and feathers.

"A mute Tauren who thinks he's a cat. About par for the course for this group of misfits..." Akorharil said.

Lilliana nodded in agreement with Akorharil, "What matters is the dedication to the Mandate, and showing that it can...and will always be upheld, without question. This cat returned to his roots as a proper tauren....he gave that up to protect what he believes as the mandate. Didn't you, Brast?" she asked him. Brast stomped in agreement, an enthusiastic action that spoke louder than words. Pack ALWAYS came first, it said. Lilliana chose not to accept that, and to be a bit of a brat, even though with her priestly abilities, Kerala knew that she knew exactly what that stomp had meant. "Does it? Can you say so?"

Brast removed his mask, revealing a young face. He stuck out his lips and then his tongue... "...Iaaa... mmmMMMmmm." Kerala hoped Brast could do it, and she silently cheered him on. He stomped again, this time in clear frustration. The druid motioned to Lilly, wanting her to make a sound for him to emulate.

The trolless only eyed Brast, her expression expectant. Not helpful. Condescending.

Fury bubbled up within Kerala, and she actually stepped forward before she remembered where she was. This was not Desolace. That troll was just a spoiled brat. A child, misbehaving because she could. "Yyyee..." she started to say. She was trying to help, but she was behind him. He wouldn't be able to see her mouth anyway. She stopped.

Brast had not heard her at all, it seemed. Shaelie did. He had lifted his hand to his mouth and bit down upon it. It took him a moment, but then he drew blood. He then approached the grim inquisition leaders, one by one, and smeared his blood on their feet. He knelt before them each, and they did not understand.

"You do think I want your blood?" Khorvis asked.

Kerala wanted to slap them all. How could they not see? Were they blind? It was the oldest method of communication in existence, and they willfully chose to not to understand. Then Lilliana, at least, seemed to. The priestess hissed at Khorvis. "We all communicate differently."

"Brast, you did hear my words before we did send you away. We will not take your hide back into the fold until you do prove you can still fight for the pack!" Khorvis told the tauren.

"Take care, Bloodstar. He may mark his territory." Akorharil again. Lilliana choked, and then laughed, with several others.

They assigned Brast and the new elf to a trial, working together. The two were to bring back the heart of the ogre leader in Highmaul. Before that, though, the orc had them fight each other. The younger elf was not easy for the clumsy tauren to defeat, but eventually he did. The undead elf bowed to Brast. The druid dug his thick fingers down through the cobblestones to grow a mushroom and reverse the damage he had caused, then he tipped a horn to the dead one.

Tazzuk chewed on his tobacco, "Guess da Bramm Junya ain't ready ta fight much iffin he can't beat a dim bulb like dat."

Kerala glared at him, but then a snowball came flying at his face. He dodged, letting the icy projectile smash into Xekanjo instead. Syreena had thrown it, and Kerala nodded to the little rogue. Lilliana tried a snowball herself, with similar results.

The pair of supplicants, and elf without a name and a tauren who'd lost his self, were reminded of their task again before they were dismissed. "The two of you do be charging the Ogre citadel." Khorvis said. Lilliana just looked between Brast and the elf as Khorvis repeated his orders. "I do want the heart of Imperator Mar'gok! When the deed is done, then your trials can be finished."

Kerala rubbed her face. Her fingers traced the smooth scars there. What was it with this guild and tearing the hearts out of things? Would he want to eat it too? Akorharil glanced at the druid, watching her actions intently.

Lilliana looked to Khorvis to see if he was done with her supplicants. The orc waved at her with self-absorbance. Instead of dismissing her charges, she lifted her foot, the one with Brast's blood still on it, and shook it just a bit to splatter Khorvis' boot. That would teach him, her body language said.

The high inquisitor ignored the splattering. He tapped his foot with impatience. The two supplicants just stood there, waiting. Lilliana gave no indication that she would act, now. She was waiting on Khorvis, cause like, she listened to him, yes she did.

"Do you have any more Supplicants, or did your mind wander off the edge of the Wetlands with your scalp, Inquisitor?!"

Lilliana grinned at Khorvis and rolled her eyes. She gestured for Brast to go back to where he was, even though the druid had started moving the moment the high inquisitor had had begun making the loud talking noises, assuming it to be his dismissal. Then Lilliana waved her hand at Kerala, motioning her forward. Her face adopted a bit of a sour expression as the she eyed the boney tauren.

The nameless elf stayed exactly where he was, looking at Khorvis to dismiss or command him. "Back in ranks, orphan." the high inquisitor said.

As the undead elf moved back, Kerala stepped forward. Her muscles were instantly coiled and tense, as they always felt when she had to do this. It was an animal readiness, just waiting for the decision. Fight? Or flee? She focused on Khorvis. The high inquisitor. The present alpha, and the one who had been in charge of her from the start.

Shaelie watched the druid be beckoned forward. This would be interesting.

Lilliana had the expression, not of a child, but of a mother that knew their child would simply not listen and grow the way they were supposed to. She proceeded to speak to Kerala, her tone nothing but flat and empty smoothness. "Where are you on your trials, Kerala?" She asked.

Kerala blinked, suprised Lilliana still did not know. She opened her mouth.

Lilliana noticed that the druid's gaze was not focused on her. She looked to Khorvis, and then interrupted Kerala before she had the chance to answer. "And look at me when you speak. You are not to hide behind Khorvis's skirts while you speak in front of this Inquisition." She said darkly.

Kerala turned her dark green glare onto the trolless. "The second," she answered the question that had been asked.

Lilliana stuck her hands into her pockets, and leaned back on her heels. She waited. She wasn't going to coddle, she didn't direct, she just waited for Kerala to figure out what she was supposed to do. She was quite aware that a two word answer was not sufficient, and she believed that Kerala knew that.

Kerala stood very still. She wondered if Lilliana was going to ask any other stupid questions, and when she obviously wasn't, the druid took a breath. She looked to Khorvis, but then dropped her gaze, to the stones beneath her feet. She didn't need to be interrupted during this just because the trolless felt like pitching a tantrum for not being the center of attention. She started talking, her tone even. She'd rehearsed this many times, to try and get it right.

"This trial was difficult. For me. A test of resolve- I didn't understand that, even from the beginning. Maybe it's my poor grasp of orcish. I was told this trial was testing my ears, and whatever mind I possessed. 'Learn the history and the meaning of the mandate.' It sounded simple to me... ...And yet I've stood here twice before and earned frowns and anger for repeating what I had heard. My talk with the last one, I knew, would only earn me the same. But-"

"Pikialo..." Kerala spoke the taurahe word for resolve.

Lilliana was watching Kerala, and listening. The little troll clearly was not very pleased, but still, she let the tauren speak. She was considering what the druid had to report even though she herself had not been part of the supplicant's trials for well over a month. Akorharil watched and waited as well.

Kerala took a deep breath. "Resolve is a term I didn't know in orcish- not really. Even in taurahe, it was just another word, to me. Those who have ever received a letter from me will know- I'm not good with words."

Lilliana wasn't good at communicating herself, so she kind of tilted her head as Kerala explained her own deficit. The druid still had her head down, staring at the ground. Khorvis grunted, the smell of healing herbs on his breath. The priestess waved her hand towards Khorvis, as if she was offended at the smell from his breath.

"So," Kerala was saying, "I decided to interview others, not just the three assigned. Informally, I've learned from the Shadowblade since donning this tabard. I've also spoken with a Forsaken priest, elf and orc hunters, and most recently with the high inquisitor himself." The druid looked up.

Lilliana raised a brow at that. Kerala had gone above and beyond. The trolless wore an expression that seemed to encourage the druid to continue.

"I've realized you don't care what they told me, what I heard from them in words of my own." Kerala said. Her eyes were focused on Khorvis. She was talking to him. "That's not what this trial is about, not what 'resolve' means at all- it's more than just a determination to see something done."

Lilliana seemed a bit more eager to hear what her supplicant had to say. "Oh?"

"It's coming to the decision itself. It is also a breaking apart. Like 'solve', it means to find the answer or explanation for something. So, here is what I have learned by resolving the whole of the Grim through seven or eight of you:.."

Lilliana realized she was being ignored. Kerala wasn't even looking at her. "Stop, and look at me," she repeats her earlier order, "Or shut up. And remain stuck on your second trial." There was a snicker from somewhere off to the side. Syreena. Kerala watched Khorvis mutter darkly under his breath.

Kerala did not want to stop- not now. She had practiced this, and it was time to talk. This was no moment to retreat to silence. She shifted her gaze nearer to the troll, and found a convenient focus that was not the pouty troll. A Grim banner. The red design emblazoned on it was a skull. Flanked by two daggers and with a sinuous line above it hinting at a hood, sure, but there it was. Just a bone.

"Peace through annihilation." Kerala said. It was the first time the words had ever crossed her lips. "It really is that simple."

Ruuki looked... rather surprised, and she glanced at Lilliana. She hadn't thought the druid would ever understand.

"It's the most basic struggle for survival- kill or be killed- and that is something I understand very well. I can try to prove it to you with more words, if you require me to, but- I'm not good with them... I have passed this trial. I don't expect you to believe me, but I know what it means to be Grim. I don't have to agree with you, or approve of your methods, or even like all of you- I've learned some of you don't agree with or like each other! But-" Kerala looked at Khorvis, at his one remaining eye. "I -am- Grim. I will prove it to you with the third trial."

That was it. All of it. Now Kerala stopped talking.
Last edited by Kerala on Sat Jul 11, 2015 1:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Kerala
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Re: Kerala's Inquisition

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She was the lizard with the poisoned tongue. She was motionless. She made no sound.

Shaelie looked at Kerala, her head tipping very slightly to one side. The tiniest of smiles touched her lips. Syreena grinned at the tauren supplicant.

"I have taken a liking to this Druid, Bloodstar. I see great potential within her." Akorharil declared.

"Yay, wolfie!" Xekanjo clapped excitedly for Kerala.

Malhavik commented quietly, "My, how bold".

Lilliana shook her head very slowly. She was still upset about the tauren's disobedience. "Perhaps, in part. But until you can learn the respect that comes from being in a soldier's ranks.....you aren't even going to touch that potential that Akorharil speaks of. If I have to keep on redirecting your spoiled little princess ass.....then you can save us all the time." She paused, and leaned further back on her heels, her hands deep in her pockets. "But I hear you."

Kerala considered the red-headed troll standing up there. The troll warlock off to one side was voicing his thoughts, similar to the priestess', and the druid wasn't listening at all.

"Ahm a little nervous 'bout some o' de things mentioned here. You see... Hopefully your third trial teaches you de truth o' de Mandate. Even if, fo' whateveh motive fuels your servitude, if you do not agree wit' de core o' de message, den you be in danger o' losin' heart when we be needin' you well and good."

He did not matter. Khorvis had heard. He was alpha here. Lilliana.... Lilliana was playing at one. Somehow, the priestess had the title of inquisitor- a rank she did not deserve. She stood there now beside a seasoned veteran who had lived probably double the years she had, hands in her pockets just like a child.

Kerala just stood still, unmoving as the priestess completed her tirade.

She dared to call Kerala a child? She thought Kerala was spoiled? The troll said she had no respect, and that was true. Kerala did not respect Lilliana, not at all. The priestess had never done anything to earn it, and had in fact done very much the opposite. Any esteem Kerala might have reserved for the title of Inquisitor alone had vanished for this one. This was no leader deserving to be followed.

A soldier? This was not the first time Lilliana had brought this up, and Kerala was confused. She'd been drunk the night Lilliana had said it before, but the Shu'halo people had lived for generations on nothing but oral history. The art of writing evaded her, but things spoken tended to stay burned in memory. It took her only a moment to call up the words.
You are not a soldier. You may battle well, you may be powerful....
but you don't know how to fall into the ranks. Follow orders. Nothing about you says to me....soldier.
I know where my loyalties are. I know who my family are. I know what I will do for them,
and I know what they will....and will not, do for me.
This troll should have died. The Grim would never have been able to reach their inquisitor in time if not for Kerala's interference. She had acted the soldier, had followed orders, in her own way. Kerala had made another mistake. She regretted it. She should never have gone to Grim Batol. This was no prisoner left behind to die beyond the spear wall. This was not someone she had ever made a promise to. This was Lilliana.

Zaetar lo odes. Kerala swallowed her anger. She made no sound.

Khorvis turned and grunted at Lilliana's words. "Princess? That do be a dire insult on this tauren's honor! Ha!"

"Unlike the rest of these numbskulls, she is unafraid to question and seek the truth. She does not seek simply to please." Akorharil was answering the troll felcaster next to him. Kerala glanced to him as he stooped low. The masked orc began to draw a complicated design into the cobblestones beneath him with a stick of chalk from his belt pouch. Shaelie watched, as well as a few others, but their glanced went ignored.

"No, no, no. Ahm not askin' fo' de Mandate bein' contorted into a pleasure palace, only dat de fundamental position be met wit' fierce conviction. Dat is, to boldly declare to de face o' de Alliance, our skeptics, and our own de Mandate's purpose." Akorharil continued drawing, ignoring the troll now.

Kerala looked back to Khorvis, who was staring at Lilliana. He had not seen the drawing beginning to take shape. Ruuki did, but the tauren sunwalker only looked to the other two to gauge their reactions. "No, Lilliana," Khorvis said. "I do think that while you did cuddle in the prisons of Morinth, this Supplicant did see the flame in our Mandate grow. Kerala, why do you not tell your Inquisitor of the Great Wall?" The orc turned to look at the white marble behind him, shot through with crimson like great rivulets of blood.

Malhavik's boney fingers clicked along the length of his staff as the undead warlock watched his brother felcaster complete the drawing. A summoning diagram. Lilliana had not turned with Khorvis. Her gentle blue gaze was on the orc warlock as well, and she wondered what the frack he was doing. She stepped sideways, closer to Ruuki. Shaelie scowled in confusion, shifting uncomfortably at the display of dark magic. Then her eyes flicked past him to Khorvis. The orc seemed unaware, his back still to them all.

"Obedience should be rewarded. If you refuse, then I will." Akorharil took a wicked looking dagger from his belt and drew the blade across his palm, allowing his blood to flow into the summoning diagram. "Druid. Step forward." He looked at the tauren supplicant. Malhavik let out an audible gasp.

Kerala hesitated. Khorvis was waiting for her to say something about the wall...

"Do not look to the lash for guidance! You have spilled a river of blood at his request already. Akorharil desires but a drop."

Kerala took one step toward the warlock. She opened her mouth, obeying Khorvis at the same time. She was remembering what the high inquisitor had said "If we could, we would not fight, he and I. We would build a wall to keep our safety. But it will fail... walls always fall, if there is force on the other side."

Khorvis was unaware of the actions behind him, caught up in ruminations of the second war and the Wall before him.

"Approach me, girl." Akorharil handed kerala the dagger. "One stroke across your palm." Ulrezaj raised a cautious brow. Lilliana stood watching with a smirk on her face.

No one spoke out against it, especially not Khorvis. Kerala accepted the knife and shrugged beneath the warlock's expectant gaze. What was a little blood? He wasn't asking her to kill, or to eat a heart. Kerala pricked her hand. She allowed the small wound to bleed, and tilted her palm. A drop, he'd said. She let it fall, and then healed the wound.

Shaelie looked hard at Ruuki and Lilliana, trying to gauge their reactions to this. Lilliana understood that Khorvis...of course...was totally oblivious. She didn't say a word though, and allowed Akorharil to do what it was that he was doing.

"I have seen your dedication, girl, and I have see your struggles. I have see how the....Inquisition...has treated you." Akorharil began chanting softly in a strange language, weaving unknown patterns into the air with his hands. Kerala watched curiously, her hand in her mouth. She licked it clean.

"Dis'd be gettin' wierd." Ulrezaj observed.

Lilliana then decided to step over to Khorvis. She put a hand on his shoulder, indicating for him to turn around and see what was happening.

It seemed to jar him from his thoughts. "Aye, there do always be cracks in the wall, ways for Alliance to skitter through like roaches, insects in our bloody nests." the high inquisitor said. "Kerala, what do you think of the chances of this Wal ..."

Ruuki scowled at Khorvis. "You're ignoring the fel magics going on behind you, Lasher."

Akorharil finished the summoning. "Take this creature of the elemental planes as my gift to you, girl. A reward. You are no longer the wind chaser. Instead let the wind chase you."

An ethereal spirit appeared, tiny. It had a large head, two stubby arms and a body that diminshed into nothing at the bottom. It disappeared as it moved, but when it was still, Kerala could see it clearly. The little spirit was transparent air, with only a faint blue glow to outline it's features. Giant eyes above a tiny beak face. The hint of feathers. It was wind, personified as a bird.

Khorvis turned around. "The fel is this, Supplicant?" Kerala flinched at the high inquisitor's tone, her eyes going from the beautiful spirit to him.

Syreena glanced at Khorvis. "Akorn started it."

Lilliana leaned in to whisper to Khorvis, "Apparently he's giving her a gift, and being a really nice guy."

"Akorharil be testin' to see if Kerala really be not concerned 'bout pleasin' everybody by applyin' to dis, uh, ratheh new part o' de Inquisition." Ulrezaj said. Lilliana grinned at her fellow Sandfury.

Khorvis looked back and forth between the two felmancers. A clicking noise sounded within the eldritch device on his face, but whatever was whirring inside it failed to latch. Kerala stayed very still. "You do be interrupting our Inquisition of this Supplicant, Reaper Akorharil. Get your bloody hide back in ranks!"

Akorharil watched the tauren intently. He bid the spirit to approach Kerala. Malhavik sighed. He had obviously been expecting, or hoping, for something else from the ritual entirely. The druid looked at the little air spirit that hovered at her feet, then returned her dark eyes to the high inquisitor. It was almost imperceptible, and if Akorharil had not been watching so closely, he might have missed it completely. Kerala nodded. It was a thank you.

"Now do be a good chance to woo de Supplicants preemptively ah think." Ulrezaj rolled his eyes with express sarcasm.

"Thus is the reward for obedience to the Mandate!" the orc warlock declared. Lilliana rolled her eyes. She knew about making statements and, apparently so did Akorharil. She grinned.

Syreena peered at him searchingly. "I've never seen you reward any other Supplicants."

Akorharil seemed to take the rogue's comment as a suggestion. "Shaelie Brightwing. You have been rather quiet this eve." Shaelie was peering dubiously at the minion that lingered by Kerala's feet. When Akor addressed her, she looked at him warily. "Remmanon Akorharil will reward the faithful, girl. Will you bleed for the mandate?"

Kerala was still looking at Khorvis. The orc high inquisitor crossed his arms and watched Akorharil. Syreena shifted her gaze from the warlock to the inquisitor as well with a tilt of her head.

Shaelie narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "For the Mandate, yes.." She finally spoke, for the first time tonight. "On the battlefield."

Akorharil smiled at Shaelie. "Well spoken, Elf." Shaelie folded her arms and watched the warlock step away. She kept glancing towards the Inquisitors, trying to read their reactions. Lilliana was paying attention as Akorharil continued his little... interruption. The expression on her face was not approval at all, though. The orc warlock approached the orphan elf death knight.

Kerala was no longer the object of anyone's gaze, and she cautiously took a step back. She wanted to retreat, regardless of whether or not the inquisitors were done with her. Lilliana did not look toward the druid, but her posture changed. She had not dismissed Kerala, nor had Khorvis, so that tauren better stand where she was. Kerala saw the subtle shift in Lilliana. Her motion had not gone unnoticed, and it was definitely not approved by that troll. She froze again, unwilling to bring attention back to herself.

"And you, Death Knight? A lesser nabassu from the realm of Archeron awaits your obedience. What say you? Or are you as cowardly as the girl?" Shaelie snorted derisively at Akorharil.

"I am no coward. I am ready to be commanded" came the elf's answer.

"Approach! Your blood upon the altar. Spill it!" the warlock ordered.

Khorvis spoke then. "Orphan, you do be commanded to follow the Mandate. Do as you think it demands."

The undead elf removed his gauntlets. Syreena moved then, approaching the two. "Wait your turn, Shadowblade." The elf cut his palm without flinching with a blade from his own belt, and he too received a companion. "May it serve you well, elf." The orphan thanked him.

The masked orc moved on, to the bendy deadshot soulweaver and his companion monk that liked to bathe in Alliance blood. "Troll." he said, though to which one wasn't clear. "An Abyssal Raptor from the Gaping Maw awaits your blood. What say you?"

In front of the Grim banners and closest to the great gates, Khorvis shook his head, as if clearing his mind of a fog. "I do smell an old stench that I did forget some moons ago." Syreena looked at him. Ulrejaz noticed as well, peering at the high inquisitor and Akorharil with darting eyes. The Shadowblade shifted her gaze to Ruuki. The tauren inquisitor wore a frown on her face as if none of this was sitting right with her at all, but she had done nothing to stop it.

Xekanjo and Tazzuk exchanged glances at each other and conversed secretly. Tazzuk looked at the orc warlock and frowned. Xek'anjo instead smiled. "We be good. Blood be ours! Be sheddin' only when need be."

"What is he doing to your Supplicants, Lasher?" the rogue asked.

"Shadowblades! Sieze this felmancer!" Khorvis pointed to Akorharil. Ulrezaj raised to his full height and folded his arms. Syreena vanished, sliding through the shadows to reappear in the next instead behind Akorharil. Several others stood up as well, and Kerala found herself no longer a comfortable distance away from them all. Malhavik was close on one side, Syreena and the warlock on the other.

"I am finished, Inquisitor. Stay your blades" the masked orc warlock said calmly.

"Aye. You do be finished. I do have enough of your taunting the Supplicants of our Mandate. Name your game, felmancer!"

"I play no game here. Obedience to the Mandate should be rewarded." Akorharil then cocked his mask at Khorvis. "And you, Bloodstar? Will the Lash spill his blood for the Mandate?"

Khorvis growled darkly at Akorharil. There was a fel menace to the next words. "Peace do be it's own reward, 'Reaper'."

Syreena twitched the swords pressed against Akorharil's back. "You warlocks have messed with Khorvis enough."

Shaelie finally spoke up, perhaps a bit more loudly than necessary. "Since when does spilling blood for the Mandate involve giving it to a WARLOCK?"

"It is such a small thing, Khorvis" Akorharil pressed.

Malhavik responded to the rogue, though. "We saved his life, miss Syreena."

"Per'aps dis'd be an unncessary condition. What do de purpose be?" wondered the troll warlock aloud.

Akorharil snapped at Shaelie. "Silence, girl! Not all the Grim are cowards! What says the Lash?" Shaelie moved forward, approaching Ruuki to whisper to her.

"Unwise divulgance into brazen commands do not mark courage. Instead, dey mark stupidity. Ah strongly do not recommend cuttin' yourself up, fo' any o' us."

Khorvis ripped at his feedbag, revealing scars.

Again, Kerala was forgotten, and this time the distraction was enough. The air was almost crackling with tension, and she wanted none of it. She realized with the shake of his head that Khorvis had not been entirely aware of what had been going on around him. It was true that one weakened was easier to manipulate a second time. Maybe he was again the victim to something.

But, she had intervened for him once before, and garnered attention from the commander himself for it. She had intervened for Lilliana, and look how that had turned out. She wanted none of this.

Adrenaline that had gathered unused within the druid's veins was suddenly called on to fuel the fire of need. Fight? No. FLIGHT! Kerala turned and bolted. Within a few steps, she was feathered and airborne and there were none that were able stop her, if any had even bothered to try. She was gone.

Chasing after her like a whisper lost on the wind, the summoned air spirit followed.
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Posts: 157

Re: Kerala's Inquisition

Unread post by Kerala »

Logging started on 07/08/2015 at 13:36:17.

Akorharil nods at you.
You look at Akorharil. You smile at Akorharil.

[Akorharil]: Druid. How fare you?
[Kerala]: I'm well, I think. You?
[Akorharil]: Well enough. Aiding the lash in obtaining shipyard blueprints, before he stormed off in a huff.
[Kerala]: I've noticed he tends to do that.
Akorharil shrugs at you. Who knows?
[Kerala]: I never get to ask all of the things I mean to before he is just done with me.
[Akorharil]: He is rather cranky as of late.
[Kerala]: I make him angry.
[Akorharil]: Everyone makes him angry.
[Kerala]: No.... that is not true.

[Kerala]: Thank you... by the way.'
[Akorharil]: Hm?
[Kerala]: For standing up for me Monday. And for the little spirit.
Kerala looks fondly at Pandaren Air Spirit.
[Akorharil]: You have taken enough abuse from the Inquisition, I think. The Chatterbox especially.
[Kerala]: The troll?
Kerala snorts.
Akorharil nods at you.

[Akorharil]: She is an annoyance.
[Kerala]: She calls me a child. She isn't far wrong, but I've heard a phrase that fits well I think. A kettle and a pot sharing black, or something.
[Akorharil]: She is a child herself. Unfit for the position she holds.
Kerala nods.

Kerala looks at Akorharil for a long moment.
[Kerala]: Is this little spirit a spy for you?
Akorharil smiles at you.
[Akorharil]: Do you doubt me, as the rest do? The spirit is a reward for your dedication, nothing more.
Kerala eyes the warlock, alert for the tiny nuances of body language that betray lies.
[Akorharil]: You have enough enemies within the Grim, girl. Take friends where you can find them.
[Kerala]: There is nothing to doubt. I do not know you, and so I ask.
[Akorharil]: Has the Lash assigned your third task? I am curious. Or will the Chatterbox take charge?
[Kerala]: I'm still not entirely certain I have passed the second.
Akorharil dismisses Kerala's words with a wave of his hand.
[Akorharil]: You have passed. No one fails the second Trial.

[Kerala]: Did he ever ask you about a mushroom?
[Akorharil]: Mushrooms? No, he hasn't. What is his interest in mushrooms? I am no botanist.
[Kerala]: I don't know.... he said something about a brewery.
[Akorharil]: Hmm. Perhaps he intends to brew mushroom beer, as the Dwarves do.
[Kerala]: But, it's not a fungus that can be used in food or drink. Most definitely not.
[Akorharil]: You are Druid. Surely you know more of plantlife than I.
You laugh at Akorharil.
[Kerala]: Not likely. I only know the thing is poisonous because I witnessed the effects of it. I had thought once to eat it for lunch.
[Akorharil]: Ha! The Lash prefers a drink with a punch. Have you tasted a Sulfuron Slammer?
[Kerala]: Oh! That is a terrible drink.
Kerala makes a face.
[Akorharil]: One could cure leather with it.
[Kerala]: Mmm
You eye Akorharil up and down.

[Akorharil]: Have you given any though to your life after your trials have passed? Do you still intend to leave us?
[Kerala]: I don't tend to plan very far in advance. Tomorrow is never a certain thing, is it? I don't really understand why everyone keeps asking, either.
[Akorharil]: Curiosity. Supplicant do not join with the intent to leave. You are unique.
[Kerala]: So, you want to know if I've been converted? Were my words not convincing to you?
[Akorharil]: Your words seemed to please the Inquisition. Whether or not you believe them is the question. Perhaps you merely say what the Lash wishes to hear?
[Kerala]: It might please you to know then- I am a terrible liar. You would have known if I'd tried.
[Akorharil]: Speak plainly, girl. I do not care either way. I myself find the mandate to be inflexible and ridiculous. I will not turn you in to the Inquisition for feeling the same way.
[Akorharil]: You are aware of the elf Supplicant. Brightwing?
Kerala doesn't know a Brightwing, but she knows an elf supplicant. "A hunter?"
[Akorharil]: Yes, the female hunter.
You nod at Akorharil.
[Akorharil]: a mere ten years ago the Sindorei served the Alliance. Now they serve the Horde.
[Kerala]: And Forsaken were once human. What is your point?
[Akorharil]: Had we 'annihilated' them in the second war, they would not be our allies today. My point, girl, is that yesterdays enemies can to tomorrows friends.
You nod at Akorharil.
[Akorharil]: The Mandate does not see this wisdom.
[Kerala]: The mandate is a simple concept. It is the fault of those who try to interpret it when they do it wrongly.
[Akorharil]: Have you heard the story of Cobrak Deadeye?
[Kerala]: I've met Cobrak and learned some things.
[Akorharil]: Have you learned the reason he kills alliance?
[Kerala]: Mmm... not that I recall.... He had whips marks on his back.... oh yes!
[Akorharil]: The Alliance committed atrocities upon his family in the internment camps. And now he kills them for it.
[Kerala]: I told him he belonged in the Grim.
[Akorharil]: Now. Suppose the men he has slain have wives and children. How will they then view the Horde? The same way Deadeye sees the Alliance, I suspect.
[Kerala]: That is up to them. But... yes. The alliance is the same as the horde.
[Akorharil]: So. Do the Grim truly wish peace? Or do they simply enjoy killing?
[Kerala]: The Grim is a group of people. They want many things, and from what I can see- most just want to kill.
Akorharil nods at you.
[Akorharil]: And what does the Windchaser want?
[Kerala]: I want....
Kerala thinks.
[Kerala]: I want to never be the cause of death for anyone. But that's not very realistic, is it?
[Akorharil]: You have enough blood on your hands, I suspect.
[Kerala]: What do you want?
[Akorharil]: Knowledge.

Akorharil nods at Cen.
[Cen]: Salutations!
You greet Cen warmly.
[Akorharil]: Greetings, Elf.
[Cen]: Mhm, mhm.
Cen smiles happily.
[Cen]: Do either of you wish to venture to the Fel Forge?
[Akorharil]: I could aid you, yes.
[Cen]: Or, if'n so, so be it so! The both, not only the either - of course.
[Cen]: Wonderful!
[Akorharil]: What say you, Druid?
You nod at Cen.
[Kerala]: I'll be right back
[Akorharil]: An odd girl, that one.
Khorvis growls menacingly at Akorharil.
You look at Akorharil.


[Kerala]: I heard that
[Akorharil]: Ah, Lasher. Greetings.
[Cen]: How fun! Shall we?
[Kerala]: You needn't wait until I leave to say such things.
[Akorharil]: Odd is not bad, Druid. Take it as a compliment.
[Khorvis]: Bin NA! mog g'thazag cha.
You blink at Khorvis.
Cen waves goodbye to you. Farewell!

[Akorharil]: Shall we be off?

Khorvis cheers at Cen!
Khorvis glares angrily at you.
Cen smiles.
Khorvis turns to leave.
Khorvis spits.
"The Wildfire still does hide."
Kerala has no idea what is going on.
You look at Fel Pup. You sniff Fel Pup.
Khorvis unzips his greaves and begins to shoot a powerful stream into the molten cauldrons.

[Khorvis]: Aye, drink up Iron Horde!
Cen watches, wondering if that will inspire the ire of fire.
Khorvis shakes without breaking eye contact with Akorharil, then laces up to find more traitorous scum.
Kerala eyes Khorvis, wondering what has hold of his senses this time.
Cen waves.
Kerala looks to Akorharil to lead wherever.
Kexti nods at you.
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Re: Kerala's Inquisition

Unread post by Kerala »

Logging started on 07/08/2015 at 15:52:00.

[Gazreeth]: *pauses for a moment* Thank you for this.
[Kerala]: You're fast.
[Gazreeth]: Always for things that are this important, it may be the only way to save ourself.
[Kerala]: Lomani is in the back. She is a former sister of mine. If you harm her, make no mistake- I will kill you.
Kerala said 'sister' after a slight hesitation.
[Gazreeth]: You do not need to worry about that, I am doing this to try and save people, not kill them.
Kerala nods at Gazreeth. Kerala beckons Gazreeth over.

Lomani smiles at Gazreeth.
"Hello there."
Gazreeth nods.
[Gazreeth]: We were told you could help put us together.
[Lomani]: I can certainly try. Kerala didn't go into much detail... what ails you?
Gazreeth "Another one who can not see."
[Gazreeth]: Be polite! The goblin and the death knight never merged. We can not serve Grim, the Mandate, or the Horde like this, all we can do is kill.
Kerala just shrugs at Lomani and goes to sit a post... perhaps far enough to be out of earshot, but definitely close enough to interfere if anything goes wonky.
Gazreeth
"the goblin will die with out me, and I will die without him."
Lomani cocks her head at Gazreeth, to the left.
[Gazreeth]: We can not trust corrupted, or warlocks with this.
Gazreeth looks around to see if anyone is near.
[Gazreeth]: Grim is being compromised.
Lomani listens quietly, attentive.
[Gazreeth]: We did not willingly serve Arthas.
Gazreeth "the goblin tries to deny his death, and that will get him destroyed as well as me"
Gazreeth nods at Gazreeth.
[Lomani]: Hmm. A division can be remedied, certainly.
[Gazreeth]: We both want this.
Gazreeth "yes we do."
Lomani blinks at Gazreeth, and there is a subtle change in the focus of her gaze. It's as if her pale green eyes can see -through- Gazreeth... Lomani looks at Gazreeth.
Gazreeth looks at you with a confused look.

[Lomani]: It's alright *she says soothingly* I'm just looking. Do you know why the shu'halo word for a priest or priestess is not simply the orcish 'priest' but
[Lomani]: [Taurahe] seer
[Lomani]: which means more... 'Seer'?
[Gazreeth]: No
Lomani continues to eye Gazreeth slowly, up and down, from his head down to below his belt, as she speaks softly.
Gazreeth appears uneasy, but willing to allow the seer to do her thing.
Gazreeth
"what is she doing?"
[Gazreeth]: Looking, be patient.
[Lomani]: We believe that the moon and the sun are the eyes of the Earth Mother, and it is from Her that we are blessed with the ability to See. The soul of any living thing is held to a body by seven anchors, if you will. It is these that I can see.
[Gazreeth]: *looks dissapointed* But we are dead, is there anything there at all?
[Lomani]: And these points each have a purpose. They spin and whirl like little tornados inside you. *she nods* So long as the soul is there, the chakras are active.
Gazreeth begins to seem optimistic.
Lomani smiles at Gazreeth.
Gazreeth
"We don't trust one born of the light."
[Gazreeth]: But you trust me, and I trust her.
Gazreeth "understood."
[Lomani]: I was not born of the Light, death knight. I've been called to this path, but it was not mine originally, if that eases your mind.
[Lomani]: Within us there are energies, like those a monk uses to heal. The anchors spin and draw in these engergies, like winds, if you will, to keep us balanced mentally, physically, emotionally...
[Gazreeth]: Doesn't take a seer to know we are unbalanced.
Gazreeth cackles maniacally at you.
Lomani points after a moment, to Gazreeth's head, specifically his eyes, or maybe... behind his eyes.

[Lomani]: There
Gazreeth crosses his eyes looking to the center.
[Lomani]: This should be the end to dualities, and it is not.
Over against the pole, Kerala smirks at a cross-eyed Gazreeth.
[Gazreeth]: Why would we be unbalanced if we want to be one?
Gazreeth "we did use to hate each other."
[Gazreeth]: That was a long time ago!
[Lomani]: You want that now, but it was not always so.
Gazreeth "It was last week!"
[Lomani]: At some point, there was a great trauma. You've recovered, but not back to the same. That is when there became two from one.
Lomani looks thoughtful, as if pondering how exactly to go about fixing it.
[Lomani]: Your decision to merge, you've only just come to it? Last week?
[Gazreeth]: We felt a great pain inside, and after our defeat to Gallid we realized we needed to work together, that has kept us going, but we can not continue separate, if we do not become one, we will never be complete.
Gazreeth "We know what needs to be done, I must become goblin and he must become death knight, and together we will be Gazreeth."
Lomani nods, satisfied that both are sincere.
Lomani beckons to Kerala, who looks surprised to be summoned. She obviously hadn't been expecting to be involved in whatever this was going on.
Kerala approaches warily.

[Lomani]: I have never tried this on an undead. Remember how I said the energies swirl like winds?
Gazreeth nods at Lomani.
[Lomani]: I think we can get them to flow together. You can. But first, there might be... a storm.
[Gazreeth]: We live in a storm, we are not afraid.
[Lomani]: Bold words. I believe this will be easy for you, you simply need a guide. Kerala, over here please.
Lomani points the druid to a place behind Gazreeth.
Gazreeth looks to see if Kerala has a blade in her hand, seeing that she doesn't he doesn't flinch.

[Lomani]: I'd like you to monitor him, though likely it is unneeded. Better to have you.
Lomani looks at Gazreeth.
[Lomani]: I'd like you to exhale, as much as you possibly can. Then breathe deep of the smoke from this pipe, and sit down in a position that is comfortable.
Gazreeth looks at Lomani.
[Gazreeth]: Alright...
Lomani knows Gazreeth is undead and doesn't need air, but still.
Gazreeth releases all of his breath and inhales as much as he can from the tauren pipe.
Lomani sits.

[Lomani]: Hold it inside. Do not let it out.
Gazreeth makes a weird face as he begins to get dizzy.
[Lomani]: Within you, feel the smoke. It is red, like blood. It flows through you. Nod when you can feel it.
Gazreeth nods at Lomani.
Lomani smiles.

[Lomani]: There are channel flowing within you. One central pathway, and two smaller ones to either side. Guide the smoke upwards from your heart. The way is knotted and complex. Guide it to your throat anchor.
Gazreeth fidgets and bounces a bit guiding the way he was instructed.
[Lomani]: The smoke becomes blue. This is your ability to speak, death knight. You both can, one at a time. Guide the smoke through. You will speak as one.
[Gazreeth]: We feel different, wait, I feel different. I don't hear anything any more.
Gazreeth looks a little sad, but happy at the same time.
Lomani smiles.
Gazreeth lifts his arm, opens his hand and closes it as he looks at it.

[Lomani]: Take another breath, please.
Gazreeth takes a deep breath.
[Lomani]: Hold it, and now that you know the way, guide it. Through the throat, and up further. There will be three paths. The place is there, behind your eyes. Can you feel the pressure?
Gazreeth nods at Lomani.
[Lomani]: Focus there. Push everything. You must take those three winds and merge them. They must flow as one from the eye to the crown. End the duality!
Lomani 's gaze is intent on Gazreeth, for she's not sure what will happen when Gazreeth merges those 3 winds. She's ready to help quell the 'storm' she expects, though.
Gazreeth face turns colors as he pushes, his eyes cross as merges the wind.
Gazreeth his eyes lose their glow for a moment then reenergize.
Gazreeth blinks at Lomani.
Lomani looks at Gazreeth's rainbow, assessing the flows within.
Gazreeth scans the area as if seeing for the first time
Lomani smiles.

[Lomani]: You've done it. You've healed yourself.
Gazreeth thanks Lomani.
[Lomani]: How do you feel?
[Gazreeth]: Thank you. We... I will not forget this. I feel alive, which is odd, but good.
Lomani looks up at Kerala, smiling. The druid fidgets under Lomani's gaze, but nods at Gazreeth.
[Lomani]: It is good to know that my Sister has friends like you among the Grim.
Lomani 's use of the term 'sister' was entirely a social title, as in all shu'halo are Brothers or Sisters to the seer.
Kerala frowns "He's not-" and then the druid shuts up.
[Gazreeth]: Grim is in danger, and so is your sister.
[Lomani]: How so?
[Gazreeth]: The corruption is spreading, which is another reason I needed help, now I know I am not corrupted,
[Lomani]: Corruption?
Lomani nods. She had not seen anything altering Gazreeth besides the split they had just mended.
[Gazreeth]: Something is corrupting Grim from within, it may have been this Morinth buisness, or it may be more.
[Gazreeth]: I think it's more, Grim leaders are being manipulated, or controlled by something.
[Lomani]: If I can help, just ask.
Lomani looks from Gazreeth to Kerala, but the druid's expression is flat. Kerala will most definitely -not- be involving Lomani with the Grim any more than she has already.
[Gazreeth]: I will deal with this internally, however if you need my assistance let me know.
[Lomani]: Alright.
[Lomani]: I wish you the best. May the Earth Mother watch over you and guide you when you are in need.
[Gazreeth]: I will ensure this supplicant stays safe in Grim from here on.
Kerala scowls.
[Gazreeth]: Even if she doesn't take my advice.
Gazreeth waves goodbye to you. Farewell!
Lomani smiles knowingly. Lomani glances to Kerala.

[Lomani]: It is good to see you.
Lomani waves goodbye to Gazreeth and Kerala. Farewell!
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Re: Kerala's Inquisition

Unread post by Kerala »

Logging started on 07/08/2015 at 18:44:50.

You look at Gazreeth.
Syreena peers at Gazreeth searchingly.
You look at Syreena.
Syreena nods at you.

[Syreena]: How are you feeling?
Syreena peers at you searchingly.
Kerala looks confused.
"I feel fine. Why?"
Syreena shrugs slightly. "Your blood was used in some kind of warlock ritual."
[Kerala]: A summoning. Warlocks summon things all the time. Why is it only considered odd when one does it to give a gift?
[Syreena]: Not with blood.
Syreena shrugs at you. Who knows?
[Kerala]: No? Oh.
Kerala shrugs.
[Syreena]: I don't know. Maybe it's nothing. I just...don't really trust anyone anymore.
[Gazreeth]: Not even me?
Syreena grins at Gaz.
[Kerala]: Does anyone trust you either? I have no idea what happened last night, but it looked to be a potentially large fight... because of you.
Syreena frowns at Kerala.
[Syreena]: Why does everyone always blame me? That crazy elf lunged at me!
[Kerala]: Which elf?
[Gazreeth]: What happened? I miss all the fun!
Gazreeth appears more lucid than he has as of late.
[Syreena]: Julilee.
Kerala repeats Gazreeth. "What happened?"
[Syreena]: She attacked me last night, because she didn't like my new ear.
You peer at Syreena searchingly.
[Gazreeth]: If she was so jealous she could have just gone and cut one for herself
[Syreena]: In front of lots of people. Leyujin stopped her. Cerryan drew weapons on Ley. I drew on Cerryan. Ley called all the Grims in for backup. She made the first move. I didn't do anything.
Syreena nearly pouts at being blamed when it's really not her fault. This time.
[Kerala]: Hmm. As the Grim like to say... there are no innocents.
You smirk slyly at Syreena.
Syreena frowns at Kerala.

[Gazreeth]: That's not true. There are innocents.
[Syreena]: Whatever. The crazy bitch attacked me unprovoked. I'm pretty sure that's against their code.
[Gazreeth]: Squirrels never hurt anyone.
You giggle at Gazreeth.
Syreena peers at you searchingly.

[Syreena]: What about you? Do you still believe there are innocents?
[Kerala]: Me? Of course.
[Gazreeth]: Most innocents are just future enemies.
Syreena nods at Gazreeth.
[Kerala]: You believe anyone who does not think as you do is an enemy.
[Syreena]: I liked your speech the other night, by the way.
You blink at Syreena.
[Syreena]: I was surprised Lilly didn't like it. I thought it was good.
[Kerala]: ...thank you. I practiced.
Syreena nods.
[Gazreeth]: Lilly, is not Lilly.
Kerala shrugs. "She just hates me." The druid sounds as if she's accepted that.
You look at Gazreeth.

[Kerala]: What?
[Gazreeth]: Hmmm... She was gone for a long time, with the enemy, but the enemy did not kill her, why?
[Kerala]: Information. She was tortured.
[Gazreeth]: If you do not have information after a week of torture, than you aren't getting them to break.
[Syreena]: Why a week?
[Gazreeth]: Because after a week, they would tell you anything to get the pain to stop, even if it isn't true.
Syreena shrugs. Who knows?
[Syreena]: Oh.
[Kerala]: There are some who simply enjoy causing pain. They would not be happy to have their toy last a mere seven days.
[Gazreeth]: Ah, true true, but riddle me this, why keep her alive when the rescue is under way, if it were me, my captive would be killed before the rescuers got there, so no one would know what I know.
[Syreena]: Morinth never thought we'd get her.
[Kerala]: Also, they tried that. They didn't count on me.
[Gazreeth]: She is 'gone' and yet the corruption is still here.
Syreena frowns at Gaz.
[Syreena]: Even if that's true, it doesn't matter. She's Grim.
[Kerala]: He meant the Morinth
[Syreena]: Ohh
Gazreeth nods at you.
[Syreena]: Well...
Syreena shrugs. Who knows?
[Kerala]: I do wonder though...
[Syreena]: Wonder what?
[Kerala]: People seemed surprised that the high inquisitor did not intervene with the warlock's request of me, right?
[Syreena]: Yes.
[Kerala]: And, obviously the gem replacing his eye was considered corrupt.
[Syreena]: You think the warlocks still have some kind of control over him?

Syreena nods at Ruuki.
Lilliana comes up and elbows Ruuki gently.
Syreena looks at Lilliana.
Kerala looks at Lilliana. Kerala stops what she had been saying.
Ruuki had just walked in and opened her mouth to greet the others when Lilly nudged her.
"Greetings, Grim."
Gazreeth nods.
Kerala nods to Ruuki.
Lilliana smiles between Gazreeth, Kerala, and Syreena. But her gaze remains on Syreena for a few moments.
Syreena tilts her head curiously at Lilly.

[Syreena]: What? I didn't do anything.
Ruuki looks over at Kerala, studying her slightly.
[Ruuki]: You haven't noticed any... unusual effects after that mess at the Inquisition, have you?
[Gazreeth]: I heard about that, taking of blood by a warlock was allowed?!
Lilliana doesn't answer Syreena, she leaves her to stew in whatever guilt her conscience is brewing up. She had actually been looking at her because she is rather angry about last night, and worried. She looks to Kerala, "The blood thing? And that pet?"
[Kerala]: Shadowblade asked that as well. I feel fine.
[Ruuki]: Unfortunately, it was under the guise of 'rewards.'
[Gazreeth]: When is an exchange of blood a reward?
Syreena frowns, nearly pouting, tired of getting blamed for everything.
Ruuki nods at Kerala, trusting her words.
"Good, though if you notice absolutely anything unusual, come find one of us Inquisitors."
Lilliana looks at Ruuki, "What, he wasn't being a nice guy?" She asks as if totally oblivious
Ruuki sighs, looking down at Gazreeth,
"In exchange he gave them each a little creature. To what purpose, I don't yet know."
Gazreeth sniffs Pandaren Air Spirit.
[Syreena]: A spy probably.
Gazreeth sniffs you.
Kerala tells Ruuki, not looking at Lilliana,
"I will come to you, should I suspect anything unusual." She nods.
Syreena eyes Pandaren Air Spirit up and down.

[Gazreeth]: They don't smell corrupt, but that doesn't mean it is without purpose.
Lilliana had been extremely distracted during that part of the meeting the other night....her mind was elsewhere. She really doesn't know what transpired, having left it all to Ruuki and Khorvis.
Ruuki glances at Lilliana.
"He was giving them to all, not just the Supplicants... and he simply started doing it, without bothering to seek Khorvis' approval."
[Kerala]: Perhaps he was just being nice.
Syreena looks at you. Syreena smirks slyly at you.
[Lilliana]: I noticed that, but before I had to divert my attention I kind of got Khorvis's attention to it, remember? *she had touched his shoulder to get him to turn around.*
Lilliana looks at Ruuki.

[Gazreeth]: Warlocks, especially Grim warlocks are not known for being nice.
[Ruuki]: That is my hope. But... be on your guard, alright?
Gazreeth cackles maniacally at the situation.
[Syreena]: Nobody who takes your blood is being nice to you.
[Kerala]: He didn't take it. He asked nicely.
Lilliana eyes Kerala, now she's listening.
Ruuki actually has an air of concern in her usual aloof demeanor.
Syreena stares you down.
Lilliana goes up to see the air spirit. She reaches out to pat it on it's head.

[Syreena]: He asked nicely for you to put your blood on a warlock altar.
Kerala steps in front of the spirit, blocking Lilliana.
You glare angrily at Lilliana.

[Kerala]: Leave it alone.
[Lilliana]: Ooo, you protective of it? Or you worried for my safety, warlock-loved tauren? *she grins at Kerala*
Gazreeth watches cautiously as the situation unfolds.
Syreena narrows her eyes in mild suspicion as she watches.
Kerala 's little air spirit poofs into a wisp of nothingness.
Ruuki frowns slightly, but for the moment she's right, they don't really have anything but gut feelings to go on at the moment.
Kerala looks down on Lilliana. She's not grinning.
Syreena blinks.
Lilliana sighs just faintly,
"Kerala, you really do have some issues." She comments, looking to where the spirit she was given poofed into nothingness.
Kerala 's eyes flicker down, following Lilliana's to the spirit. Seeing it gone, she steps back.


Lilliana turns quickly, like she has radar or something, and notes Shokkra stroll in with her Sanctuary tabard, "Hello." She eyes the orc, not very happily.
Shokkra looks at Lilliana.

[Shokkra]: Yeah?
Syreena nods all friendly-like to the Sanctuary orc.
[Syreena]: Hey, Shokkra.
Shokkra nods at Syreena.
Ruuki 's frown deepened more, and she crossed her arms. She shook her head.
Lilliana points, not exactly looking for a fight, but she's overly direct,
"You be nice while you are in here."
Shokkra stares Lilliana down.
Kerala watches Lilliana suspiciously with the Sanctuary.
Shokkra looks down at her tabard.
"You really have to ask?"
Syreena watches quietly, certain if something happens, she'll get blamed for it somehow.
Lilliana is right up there getting blamed with Syreena, so at least they can both be blamed together, at least, as far as Sanctuary is concerned.
Ruuki sighs.
"We'll be heading to the frontlines soon, if any of you are joining the assault come with me. Otherwise, hunt well."
[Lilliana]: Ruuki... *she steps up to her and grabs her arm* Sneak me in! *her demeanor changes, as if nothing is wrong and she's just whining*
[Syreena]: I don't know yet if I'm joining. I wait for Ley's call.
Ruuki rolls her eyes and smirks, grabbing the trolless by the shoulder. "Come come then. I'm sure Leyu'jin wouldn't mind if I hauled you in."

Kerala looks around, not unhappy to see the crowd depart.
Kerala's little air spirit coalesces again after a moment. She smiles at it.
Syreena looks at Pandaren Air Spirit.
Syreena looks at you.

[Kerala]: What?
Syreena shrugs. Who knows?
Kerala 's little pet spirit goes back to playing, blowing pieces of straw in tiny whirwinds across the floor.
Kerala frowns at what she is hearing from the guild stone.
Syreena smirks slyly at you.

[Syreena]: See? It wasn’t my fault. Even Ley says so!
[Kerala]: Right. Because the Grim always see in in the light of truth, and are never biased or hold grudges or -any-thing like that. Oh wait.
Syreena glares angrily at you.
[Gazreeth]: Now you're getting it!
[Syreena]: Don't speak bad of Leyu'jin.
[Kerala]: You'll forgive me for not believing you, because I don't believe any of you. It's not personal. I did not mention the wordbearer at all. You did.
Syreena narrows her eyes at Kerala, her hands twitching over her swords, then turns away as Ley calls her to battle.

Kerala sighs.
You look at Gazreeth.

[Kerala]: So... corruption hmm?
[Gazreeth]: Everywhere.
[Kerala]: Perhaps not so widespread as you might think, since it sounds to me as if you see it everywhere... but there is enough to be concerned. I am mostly concerned for one in particular...
Shaelie walked in. Spotting Kerala, she lifted her eyebrows at the tauren.
You look at Shaelie.
Kerala waves at Gazreeth. They'll continue later.

[Shaelie]: I'd apologize if I'm interrupting, but..
Shaelie shrugs. Who knows?
[Gazreeth]: You, young elf. I have a question.
Shaelie looked surprised, turning to Gazreeth. "Huh?"
[Gazreeth]: Who is your inquisitor, and what trial are you on?
Shaelie frowned. "Lilliana. And the second trial. But I was too busy planning her return to do it."
[Gazreeth]: How long have you been on the trial?
Gazreeth postures in a stern manner.
Shaelie gave him an approximation that was hard to determine OOC since people have dragged their feet for over a month on the rescue story. :P

[Gazreeth]: You put your trial on hold to help save you inquisitor?
Shaelie looked at Gazreeth. "I would put my trial on hold to save any Grim."
[Gazreeth]: Is this why that scope you gave Khorvis was smashed?
Shaelie 's expression turned cold, and she nodded once. "It's part of the reason."
[Gazreeth]: What is the other part?
[Kerala]: The orc smashed it.
[Shaelie]: I failed to keep it safe.
[Gazreeth]: How?
Kerala shuts up and lets Shealie speak it how she will.
Shaelie sighed heavily.
"When Khorvis gifted me with the scope, I made a personal resolution to myself to allow NOTHING to happen to it until the completion of my trials."
Gazreeth tone changes to compassion.
[Gazreeth]: It is not your fault. Who do you need to speak with for your second trial?
[Shaelie]: It's at least partially my fault. I shouldn't have let my guard down. I just didn't expect to have to guard against another Grim. Unless it was Syreena, maybe." She glanced past Gazreeth to Kerala, studying her briefly before looking back to the goblin. "Drinn. Grooda. And, perhaps Mohan."
[Gazreeth]: I have not met a Grim named Mohan, interesting.
[Shaelie]: I wanted to tell Mohan how I had taken his scope into battle, and used it to destroy our enemies.. but now I don't have it anymore.."
[Gazreeth]: The Blade would not stab a Grim in the back, in the face maybe, but she can be trusted.
Kerala blinks at Shaelie when the elf looks at her. "You expected to guard against me?"
You snort derisively at Gazreeth.
Shaelie shook her head at Gazreeth.
"No, I didn't think Syreena would attack me- just try to steal the scope. She was offended that I had it." She glanced at Kerala and shook her head. "No, sorry. Not you.. but I'm wondering if you got my note?"
[Kerala]: The first mistake- right there. You are undead, you should know bettter. 'Trust no one.' *to Shaelie* I did. I didn't really want to have to write back...
[Gazreeth]: I am more than the forsaken. I trust you Kerala.
[Shaelie]: Well... we should talk. It's important..
[Kerala]: Like I said. A mistake.
You look at Shaelie.
[Kerala]: Alright.
[Gazreeth]: Your mistake is just not knowing who to trust. Always be on guard, but know there are some of us you can trust.
Kerala smiles at Gazreeth. "I already told you- Noone."
[Kerala]: Would you like to go somewhere, elf?
[Gazreeth]: Elf, have you met with your inquisitor since her release?
Shaelie glanced around the tavern.. then eyed Gazreeth closely for a moment. There was no telling if he had succumbed to the warlocks, but nothing could be done about that regardless. Her eyes settled on Kerala. "How are you feeling?"
[Shaelie]: We can go anywhere you want.. *To Gazreeth, she shook her head.* Not yet.
[Gazreeth]: Please tell me of your dealings with her when you have them, her release is unsettling to me.
Kerala considers Shaelie for a long moment.
Shaelie nods at Gazreeth.

[Kerala]: Away from here. There are too many ears to hear our words.
[Shaelie]: Frankly, Gazreeth can come also if he wants... eventually, everyone is going to have to know about this.
Shaelie nodded in agreement with Kerala. "Lead the way."
[Kerala]: Come.
Kerala leads the way away.

[Kerala]: So. Corruption...
Shaelie followed Kerala. Once they found a good spot, she looked her over. "How do you feel? Since he took your blood?"
[Kerala]: He asked for it!
[Gazreeth]: The corruption is all around us.
[Kerala]: He didn't take anything
Shaelie sighed and nodded. "But he has it now."
Kerala has obviously said this several times already today.
[Kerala]: Perhaps. Who's to say it wasn't used up when he summoned the spirit? It was only a little bit.
[Gazreeth]: That spirit seems clean, not made by blood, it is elemental.
[Kerala]: In any case, I'm more concerned at the moment that everyone expected the high inquisitor to step in and stop it, and he did not.
Shaelie scowled at the little minion that hovered at Kerala's side. She KNEW he was listening through it. They all were. Despite Kerala's assurances otherwise. She was suspicious. "I think the warlocks of The Grim are up to something. Maybe even others. Like Darethy"
[Gazreeth]: Warlocks are not to be trusted.
Kerala rolls her eyes, but refrains from repeating that no one should be trusted.
[Gazreeth]: I have been saying Khorvis was compromised for weeks, but once Darethy shows up people listen and they find a corrupted gem in the Lasher's eye.
Shaelie looked over at Gazreeth and nodded quickly, then turned back to Kerala. "Exactly. Khorvis did nothing.. none of the Inquisitors did. I think they've been compromised.. I think the warlocks are running things.."
[Kerala]: Do you know that there is a sizable portion of demon flesh adhered to the high inquisitor's chest?
[Shaelie]: It may be others, too.. Awatu, Leyu'jin, Anaie.. all of them.."
[Gazreeth]: I refuse to believe everyone is corrupted.
Shaelie gawped at Kerala. "There is?"
You nod at Shaelie.
[Kerala]: Not saying it is a bad thing... but we should be certain.
[Shaelie]: I hope you're right, Gazreeth, but who can we trust?
[Gazreeth]: Ourselves.
[Shaelie]: I ASKED Ruuki to intervene and she did nothing!
Gazreeth cackles maniacally at the situation.
[Shaelie]: I don't know how warlock magic works.. but I'm afraid by having your blood, Kerala, maybe he can somehow control you, too...
[Gazreeth]: I think Ruuki is clean, but I do not know for how long, she could just be scared and stuck in the middle.
[Kerala]: I think we should rule out the inquisitors themselves. All of them. Starting with the highest.
[Shaelie]: Rule them out how?
Kerala hesitates.
[Gazreeth]: If Kerala starts acting like the rest of Grim then we will know something is up.
You scowl at Gazreeth. You look at Shaelie.
Shaelie turned so she could see Gazreeth also.

[Kerala]: Whenever there was a disease suspected, we'd quarantine. We could do the same here, could we not?
[Gazreeth]: The problem with this is we could quarantine the wrong people.
Shaelie pondered that. "Yes.. but we don't have that authority. Should we try to approach Awatu about this?"
[Kerala]: I am a healer now. I should be able to find any curses, if they are there. Perhaps it is simple exposure causing it... we don't know. You can't quarantine the wrong person. That is the whole point. At best, we free someone of whatever is tainting them. At worst, we waste some of their time.
[Shaelie]: It's not simple exposure. What happened last night with Akorahril was not exposure. And the others were there backing him up.. The Inquisition would NEVER agree to a quarantine on their own. Especially Khorvis."
[Kerala]: It could be *she insists* The orc showed me a mushroom some days ago.
[Gazreeth]: Or we give them reason to embrace something they would never have thought of
Shaelie squinted. "A mushroom?"
[Kerala]: Authority is only valid when people choose to make it so.
[Shaelie]: Listen, though... Khorvis had some kind of gem corrupting him. He said Greebo put it in.. he's a warlock. Darethy showed up that night. Also a warlock. He wanted to take the gem... then the thing with Akorharil last night.. and Malhavik backed him.."
Gazreeth thinks for a moment.
[Kerala]: Or it could be me, and you, and the other supplicants.... it could be anyone. Which is why we should clear the inquisitors first.
[Shaelie]: But how do you propose we do that?
[Kerala]: Honestly?
[Gazreeth]: Killing them seems to extreme. But effective...
[Shaelie]: We're not killing any Grims. That's why this is so difficult. The warlocks are up to something. But they're still Grim. I can't move against them."
[Kerala]: Grab him, drag him somewhere isolated, strip him of everything and then wait and see what happens.
[Gazreeth]: Why not see if he would come willingly? If he is uncorrupted he would, if not, then we attack.
[Kerala]: Because if he was, and if he was not the only one, then he might alert the others.
[Shaelie]: No, even if he is corrupted, we can't just attack him... I think we should go to Awatu.. at least that way we'll know if HE'S corrupt or not. If he's clear- he'll listen. But if he won't listen to us.. then the warlocks probably got to him, too...
Kerala crosses her arms.
[Gazreeth]: and if he doesn't listen to us he could warn the others.
[Shaelie]: Kerala.. you had that gem for a few minutes, at least.. were you able to learn anything from it?
Kerala shakes her head. "I didn't get a very good look at before I had to give it back. I was trying to keep it. Keep it hidden..." She frowns. She really wanted to keep the gem.
[Shaelie]: Ok, listen. We all need to agree to get on the same page.. if we go trying to attack any Grims, ESPECIALLY the high inquisitor, we're done for whether he's corrupted or not.. I think we should contact Awatu.. "
[Kerala]: And I say- if the orc is not corrupted, he will forgive us. Or even if he doesn't. I don't care, I'll take punishment.
[Gazreeth]: We are talking about overthrowing the inquisition.
[Shaelie]: Can you, as a druid, even do anything to release the curse of a warlock? I'm not questioning your abilities, I just honestly don't know how the two magics interact.
[Gazreeth]: There is no punishment we would receive that we would walk away from.
[Shaelie]: I'm not overthrowing anything!
[Gazreeth]: If you kidnap a king, do you think his court would believe you aren't trying to take over?
[Shaelie]: That's why I think this needs to be brought to Awatu. If he won't listen, THEN we could attempt force.."
[Kerala]: A curse is an unnatural thing. Nature -can- break it, if it isn't something ridiculously strong, like that one from an old-god ancient wolf.
[Shaelie]: What about the powers of many warlocks combined?
[Gazreeth]: Wouldn't it draw less attention if we took one of the warlocks?
Kerala shrugs.
[Shaelie]: Ok. I get that you two aren't onboard with approaching Awatu. But do you mind if I at least talk to him, if I don't mention your crazy plans?
[Kerala]: Only if you do it alone, and never mention me. And we are just talking, not planning anything yet.
Shaelie nodded to Kerala. "Deal. And same for you, Gazreeth. I won't mention either of you. But I at least want to know if he's still got his own mind, or not.."
Gazreeth nods at Shaelie.
[Kerala]: And how exactly will you determine that?
[Shaelie]: If he reacts like Ruuki and just brushes off my concerns, then I'll have to assume they've gotten to him. Because if I tell him what I've learned so far, he SHOULD be concerned enough to look into it."
[Gazreeth]: Ruuki is more concerned than you think.
Shaelie looked at Gazreeth. "Last night, she just stood by when all of this was going on. I asked her to do something and she just blew me off and left. Left!"
[Shaelie]: I think the warlocks are controlling their minds.
[Kerala]: That sounds more like a priest's specialty
Shaelie shrugged helplessly to Kerala. "I'll be the first to admit- I don't know a damn thing about warlocks or what they're capable of. But what I've been seeing lately.. it's clear something is very wrong."
[Kerala]: I think so too. I just don't know what, or why.
[Shaelie]: Do you know of anyone besides the three of us that definitely is not compromised?
Kerala considers.
[Shaelie]: I feel like Syreena wouldn't be one to fall to it too easily. But I also don't think she'll listen.
[Gazreeth]: Syreena, and Lup most likely.
[Kerala]: The more we assume someone is safe, the more likely it becomes that we are wrong, and miss someone.
Shaelie nodded to Kerala. "True... and yeah, I haven't seen Lupinum in weeks!"
[Gazreeth]: Sy would not allow us to harm a grim
Kerala says nothing about the priest, and her face blanks.
[Shaelie]: Lupinum would listen.. Kerala, you haven't seen him either? He was always attached to your hip.
Gazreeth laughs at Shaelie.
[Kerala]: I have not seen him recently *she says, maybe carefully*
Shaelie sighed.
"Probably drunk somewhere."
[Kerala]: Go, talk to who ever you must. We should think more on what to do
Gazreeth agrees.Gazreeth waves goodbye to everyone. Farewell!
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Lilliana
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Posts: 766

Re: Kerala's Inquisition

Unread post by Lilliana »

((Wow thanks for the write ups and sharing))
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Kerala
Posts: 157

Re: Kerala's Inquisition

Unread post by Kerala »

The tea was steaming. It's aroma was enticing, a promise of flavor that was never quite a match to the delicious scent. This particular cup was a mixture of things so that it smelled of coffee and stew and chocolate and spice bread all at once. Everything in it had been treated first with flame to roast it, and so she thought of it simply as roastaroma tea. Breathing the delicious steam alone was comforting, but when it was cool enough to sip without burning her tongue...

Kerala held the cup, inhaling deeply of the vapors and waiting patiently. She leaned back against the wall of the Brokenspear, and her knees were drawn up, supporting her forearms to keep the cup at nose-level without effort. The heat of the tea seeped through the earthenware vessel and soothed fingers that had been slightly abused in the last carving of a gem. She should have gone slower, but instead, she'd only become focused on the jewel beneath the brittle. It was so clear to her- the finished beauty that was hidden there waiting to be uncovered. A little chipping there, some polishing here... she found the huge sapphire gleaming where once a conglomerate of rock had obscured it.

Despite all that relatively mindless work and a night of insomnia to do it in, the druid supplicant was no closer to knowing what she could do to pass the third Grim trial. She had a small list of answers she had received regarding the tasks others had done.

The undead priest had returned the favor and murdered his murderess.
The hunter gave up an eye, though he was from an orc clan that routinely did so.
One warlock had assisted in the operation to save the high inquisitor's life.
The other warlock had managed to avoid a sacrifice or a service altogether.
The Cen had brought three new members to the Grim.
The rogue and the redheaded priestess both were Grim before the Trials were put in place.

Nothing seemed quite like a sacrifice to Kerala. Certainly nothing she felt like trying to emulate. A strange rogue had suggested the other night that she give up all future treasures she might earn. She knew it was so that the orc could keep them for herself, but it was one idea that had merit. Give up everything like some monkish vow of poverty? She was sure that would look like a sacrifice, and in a way, it certainly would be.

But Kerala dismissed the notion. While a true sacrifice for some, it seemed... too easy. She was sure the Grim wouldn't like it, and while it seemed the others had not made true sacrifices, it wasn't in Kerala's nature to cheat.

So, after trying and failing for a while to come up with something, it came as some surprise to hear the troll priestess in her head.

"Kerala," came the mental whisper. Then, it seemed as if maybe Lilliana realized what she was doing. She switched to a more normal method of communication over the stone. "Do you want to talk about your final trial?"

The druid sat up straight and found herself nodding, though of course Lilliana couldn't see it. "...Yes."

"Would you like to come to the Grim garrison?" the troll sounded oddly polite.

Instead of answering, Kerala immediately hearthed. She was in a calm mood, and if Lilliana actually felt like being nice and talking to her, she wanted to hear it. She had no ideas of her own, and she was ready to be done with these trials.

The priestess was waiting for her in the main building. Lilliana folded her arms and looked at Kerala, then gestured to the hall behind her. She headed up the stairs without a word. Kerala looked at the woman uncertainly. She was remembering the last time Lilliana had just wanted to talk. She followed slowly into the dim inside, alert and anxious, though something made her believe it was unnecessary. Still, she'd been wrong before.

Lilliana looked over the tauren, "Have you thought about it?" She asked, and then paused when she caught what Kerala was thinking about. She added, "No no no no, you're a Grim now, there are no white-haired trolls hidden behind me."

The druid blinked, but it didn't surprise her anymore that the troll could discern what she what thinking if she wasn't actively trying to guard against it. "I've been thinking about it, yes. But.... I haven't come up with anything."

Lilliana folded her arms, "You haven't?" It was hard to tell if she sounded disappointed, or if she expected and accepted that kind of answer.

"Well, no. Some people did things that were not sacrifices at all, some people avoided the last trial altogether, and some were Grim before it was required... I don't really know the point of it, or what I should do for it, if it seems so... trivial." Kerala shrugged.

Lilliana nodded her head very slowly, and rapped her fingers against crossed arms as she stood there. "I think that it was a sacrifice in itself... you leaving the Horns behind in order to provide a 'Supplicant' to the Grim." She said it lightly enough, as if in her mind perhaps it was no big deal...but still. Despite her careless tone, she did say it. That, Kerala was learning, gave the words meaning. The druid eyed her supposed inquisitor. "You've worked harder than most, from what I've seen, here and away, left more than most. But without the heart for it." She tilted her head. "Do you feel like you've sacrificed more than most?"

Kerala hesitated. "...No." She hadn't.

Sacrifice implied something surrendered that had been prized, for the sake of something with higher value. It could be argued, perhaps, that the Blood Law was the thing with value to her. But the sacrifices... no. Those had all been done long ago. Nothing the Grim required of her was new. Even the eating of heart meat was not a sacrifice to her. The only thing she risked then was her life, and that was not something she valued more than simple instinct demanded. She didn't -want- to die, not really. But if she did, that would pay the Debt.

Lilliana tilted her head, surprised at the answer. Her childish features scrunched up in the proper expression for surprised, at least. "You don't? I certainly think you have. You wanna know why I think that?"

The druid's green eyes regarded the troll suspiciously. She did not trust this troll, or where this might be leading. She sensed that she was being led, and though the trap was not visible, it was here somewhere. Slowly, the fuzzy head nodded.

"Because it was not in your heart." Lilliana paused. "And that's fine. Awatu wanted you here. And we'll work with that." Another pause. "I don't give a fuck of what's in your heart, in the end, as long as you follow, in every act, in every gesture...the Mandate, if you decide to stay as a Grim." Then she grinned at Kerala. "Do you want to follow through on this final trial?"

The tauren's eyes flashed with steely determination. "I will pass."

"Typically, through the first trial, and this final one...it is the Supplicant's role to figure out what to do, not the Inquisitors, although Khorvis likes to hand feed his flock." The troll giggled, and by her tone she implied a fondness that seemed to make the insult not so much of one at all. "I don't. But that's fine, I still feel like you've sacrificed more and more throughout this entire thing." She tilted her head the other way, about to say more.

It was the second time the priestess had said it, though, and that might indicate truth to the devious troll's words. "You feel I've sacrificed enough? Really?" Kerala asked. She was thoroughly confused by this entire situation, and she didn't like it at all. She was beginning to rethink the wisdom in agreeing to talk with Lilliana at all.

"I have." Lilliana nodded. "But that is not the point, at this point in time." She smiled. "You have to give more, if you want to follow the path of the Grim. You still love the Horns, right?"

Kerala's eyes narrowed. "The Horns are dead," she said automatically. The Horns of the Shu'halo were gone, dissolved with the absence of the one person who had tried to resurrect them, but not many people knew that. The druid was well aware that many still considered Kerala a former Horn, and they knew Lomani and the other healers as Horns, not as healers of the Skytotem tribe. She kept her thoughts carefully blank, but Lilliana trod on dangerous ground, here.

Lilliana nodded her head to that, "Then I want you to announce that. I want you to make it official and clear. I want you to show disposal of their memory." She paused, "It doesn't have to be thrown away, deep in your heart...I know what is in your heart, and I hope in time that that changes....I know that it can. The Grim has a way of doing that to people, in a good way. But if you think you can walk the path of a Grim, you need to truly leave that life you once lead behind you. It seems like you have, but I want you to share that with everyone. Destroy a piece of their memory at one of the Inquisitions. Burn something, I dunno. Make a statement. That part will be up to you."

Disavow yourself completely. Nothing will remain of this decision.

The druid cocked her head, her curly hair flopping. Her face directly reflected her confusion. "I've already burned the cloak I once wore with those colors. I do not understand."

"Does everyone know it?"

"...no. I suppose not." Awatu had been the only person present to witness the cloak consumed to ashes.

"In our eyes then, it doesn't matter. I suppose then, if you want it to be wretched and dramatic, I can do that, like with your other trial....." Lilliana eyed Kerala. "Aren't you tired, or do you like the misery? " Then the priestess gave a start at that, as if she had some sort of revelation. "Damn, you do!"

Kerala looked up at Lilliana again, even more confused. "What? I don't understand at all." She had been thinking of cleansing fire. "I can burn something else if you want me to. So that everyone can see."

Lilliana 's crystal blue eyes narrowed, but she focused on the trial, and let the other subject drop. "That you can. But I want you to burn something that means something to you." Her attitude changed slightly, "Something from your dead Horns, something from your heart. And I'll know if it means anything to you or not, Kerala. But I want you to use it to signify what you are leaving behind, for good, to follow the Mandate. I can't ask you to love the mandate, and if others find out that you don't love the mandate in full, well...that's your funeral...but you can at least make a display, and walk as a Grim."

Kerala froze in reaction to seeing the change in the troll, but as she continued talking, it was evident that Lilliana was not threatening her. The way she spoke was expectant so Kerala asked the question as it came to her. "What thing did you have in mind?" It was obvious that Liliana had something specific she was after, and the druid dearly wished to just have it told to her plainly.

"Kerala, I am not going to walk you by the hand through this entire process. You're challenge will be to pick the 'thing' that matters." Lilliana paused, then added, almost like an afterthought, "If you don't have anything physical, you can still destroy it. Slander and blasphemy goes a long way too, as far as destroying memories, the love in them..."

The druid looked thoughtful, considering her small gathering of possessions, but then at the comment about slander her eyes flashed again. "I won't lie."

Lilliana grinned. "We'll see. You want to do this then, and become a full Grim?" She waved her hands toward at Kerala, a dismissive gesture that shooed Kerala to go down the stairs. "Well then, get to it!"

Somewhat frustrated, but still thinking on the idea Lilliana had proposed, Kerala turned to leave.

"Oh, Kerala?" Lilliana called. She paused and waited until her supplicant turned back to look at her. "Your case is different....I will have to check to make sure that this would be enough to quiet everyone." Her eyes seemed to rake up and down, taking in all of Kerala. "You've made too much of a show, and if it wasn't for that blood thing with Awatu..." She let that sentence trail off, ambiguous. "Well, the Grim expect different from you. But, you are a Supplicant, and I don't."

Kerala wasn't in the mood to argue with the woman. "Yours is an idea I can make work. I will find a way."

Lilliana smiled at that, "We'll see if you do, Kerala." She shifted her weight, pausing from her earlier move to get Kerala out of her face, "I'll know either way. If you do decide to lie, make sure that others can't tell. Like I said, it would be your funeral." Lilliana then went on to state, "They say that Inquisitors are totally responsible for their Supplicants mistakes and their achievements....did you know that?"

"No... I did not." Kerala had a thought occur to her. "You were Konro's inquisitor, weren't you?"

"Yes." She grinned at Kerala. "And look how well that turned out for me. I got set with you." The priestess laughed, childishly.

The sound was irritating. Maybe Kerala was in the mood to argue after all. "Perhaps you are not meant to be an inquisitor." she said. It wasn't an outright challenge, but it was insubordination nonetheless.

Lilliana tilted her head, "Maybe, but that's not for you to decide now, is it?"

Vague notion coalesced to full realization of an idea. Kerala just smiled. "No. It's not."

"Just know that as you prance around with your judgment, I've been part of the Grim since it was formed, over nine years ago. Like I told you before, I know where my loyalties are. I know what I'd do for the Grim, and what they would do for me. Get to know your Grim, cause like, you so don't know me." The redhead's blue eyes looked a bit harder. Kerala did not please her, not from the first night she spoke to her in Brokenspear and told her 'You are on my bad side'. A priestess didn't easily forget things like that.

"You may lie to yourself as you wish." Kerala said. She meant Lilliana's idea that she knew what other people would do for her. It was impossible to know another person that well. In a crisis, people often did things that surprised even themselves, so how could anyone claim to know someone else at all?

Maybe the woman misunderstood, and thought Kerala was saying the lie was that Kerala knew her, for Lilliana 's eyes bulged out out of face as she nearly choked on a laugh, "Oh my gosh, Kerala! Okay, get back to whatever it is you were doing...." She giggled. "I'm a liar, I know it....that's why I'm freaking called that stupid name, Clandestine..." She moved past Kerala. "Or is it?" She grinned. Kerala just shrugged. She didn't care. "I'll see you later, Kerala. I'm going to go to Tanaan with Kargron. If you need to go there too, let me know."

"I think I'll rest." Kerala said instead. "I went to the citadel with the elf monk and the others. It was.... it was interesting." Interesting to watch Awatu. Interesting to see the others in action. Interesting to heal so many people at one time. She'd become aware of them in a way she never had before... seeing them less as individuals, and more as glowing forces of life that would dim as they became injured. It became a consuming sort of task to keep them bright. She'd never healed like that before.

Lilliana looked at the druid. "Watch over Syreena next time you go there."

Kerala blinked. "She was there. I did."

"Thank you." She grins at Kerala. "You do good at watching over people." Then off she went, looking back briefly at the tauren as she moved down the stairs.

Kerala stood there blinking, wondering again what that was all about. The troll's childish departure reminded her of the idea she'd had.

That's not for you to decide now, is it?

No... the rank of inquisitor was most likely assigned by the commander, wasn't it?

Seek me out with your questions.

Kerala sent off a note a short time later. She'd written it herself, rather than finding someone else to do it for her. It was true, she needed the practice. The mistakes were crossed out and carefully corrected.

Dere
Deer

Dear Awatu,

I wood like too talk too yoo.
I wold like to talk to yo.

I would like to talk to you.

~Kerala
She smiled when she received his reply the next day.
Supplicant,

My door is open at all times. Seek me out
when you have time to spare.

Awatu, The Commander
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Lilliana
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Re: Kerala's Inquisition

Unread post by Lilliana »

((That's a good write up! I like the initial thoughts))
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Kerala
Posts: 157

Re: Kerala's Inquisition

Unread post by Kerala »

Kerala finds Awatu and waits patiently for him to acknowledge her presence. She had some things she wanted to discuss with him, and his note did say anytime...

Awatu nods as the Supplicant enters the room, gesturing for her to sit as he finishes composing a letter of some manner. Once at a suitable stopping point, he places the parchment aside and gives his attention to Kerala. "How might I be of service?" he asks. His face bears a neutral expression but his tone indicates interest in what words she has to share.

Kerala perches on the edge of the chair, looking around as the commander finished his writing. She's never been here before, so she finds it interesting to see everything. He is done quicker than she thought he'd be, and she becomes the target of his gaze.

"You said to seek you out with my questions. I have some- about the inquisitors- the troll and the orc both." she is about to say more, but she stops there. One thing at a time. She isn't sure how long she'll get. "Why do they hold the rank they do? The orc has recently been corrupted, and I think still is being influenced, and the troll.... I don't understand why she is an inquisitor, the way she acts."

Awatu nods, acknowledging her questions. He stands and paces a moment, considering her words and how to respond. Dark green eyes watch him nervously. After a short moment, he speaks, not looking at her.

"I am aware of the recent possible 'corruption' of the High Inquisitor, and am currently investigating it. He is still himself most times, but small moments or windows see him failing to be what is usual for him. He was... 'operated' upon by the Warlocks in an effort to save his life, and now we are seeing the menace in their work. Make no mistake, this matter is receiving my utmost attention" he says, the final statement holding a dark and sinister undertone, even for Awatu.

The elf huntress had already been here, she guesses. Why else would he focus so much on the high inquisitor and the situation with him?

Awatu snaps away from the line his thoughts. Even though she is aware on some level that the dangerous emotion bleeding into his voice is not for her, when he turns to look at her she flinches. "But, you wish to know how they attained their positions? Khorvis served under Syreena when she was High Inquisitor. When she stepped down, it was logical that he be her replacement. He works with a hard hand, but it is well-guided through decades of battlefield prowess and temperance. His militaristic style and demeanor ensure him to be a formidable face for the Supplicants. He ensures that those seeking to join our ranks are... sufficiently prepared for our duties."

Awatu moves to a table, upon which sits several wooden cups and a pitcher. He gestures to it and asks "Are you thirsty? This is honeymint tea. A cold tea, but it can be served warm."

Kerala shakes her head.

"So he's still an inquisitor because he can do his job 'most times'." She says, using his words. "When there is one of those 'small moments' of failure... those are acceptable? Do you have someone watching to stop him when it suddenly becomes not acceptable? Or do you plan to deal with it afterward?" Moments like breaking a valuable scope, allowing a warlock to interrupt a meeting or maybe... giving away the Lash.

She keeps going, since he is just calmly listening to her. "He is the highest ranking person supplicants get to see during their trials, for the most part. He is the leader. What he says is final, even over the other two, and yet he may at any small moment be not his normal self, moments which are not apparent. The other two look to him for guidance, even. By all accounts, the orc warlock at the last meeting should not have be able to interrupt and do what he did, but the troll and shu'halo did not stop him."

Then Kerala cants her head. "The troll inquisitor seems an odd one to hold that rank." It is the best phrasing she can come up with on the spot to question, without directly challenging, Lilliana's leadership.

Awatu regards the druid for a moment, pondering her statements. "Valid points. Ones that will be... dealt with. There has been too much of this. Too much... incapacitation of our ranks." The Grim commander looks at the tea, then turns away from it. "So, one point at a time then, yes? Lilliana?"
Kerala nods. "Her post was chosen by Khorvis as she offered her services to the Inquisition. Her more outgoing personality is something that many members of The Grim do not possess."

"Outgoing." Kerala echoes.

"Indeed. Willing to deal with 'others' or The Mad."

Maybe that was because the troll was part Mad herself. Kerala was getting the feeling the woman was not truly evil but... well, she had never seen someone like Lilliana. "She tells me it is usually up to the supplicant to determine their own trials. Is that true?"

"Somewhat. The Inquisitors may present specific trials for completion, but it does tend to fall upon their own shoulders on what to present to us. The Inquisitors decide what will be accepted and rejected, among other things."

"Oh. That might explain things, somewhat. Most supplicants want to be here, they have idea on how to prove themselves and I... I do not."

Awatu nods. "You are an odd case. One I do not believe we have dealt with."

"You are the one that wanted a supplicant." Kerala frowns. "I'm not sure why, though."

Awatu grins, and nods. "Indeed, though I did not say it was a bad thing. It is good experience. I desired a Supplicant as I had lost one. It is truly that simple."

"But supplicants are worthless to you. They are not a valued resource.... the Grim doesn't see a supplicant as a potential member. They see them as worms. They are nothing until they prove otherwise. Why would you want that?"

Awatu glances at the maps for a brief moment, apparently something coming into his mind, before he turns back to Kerala. "Worthless? Far from it. Supplicants are the lifeblood of The Grim. We require fresh recruits to keep the... wheels turning. Supplicants are treated as they are as a form of training. They must learn their place within us. Earn our respect. They are not 'nothing', but they are not truly Grim until devotion has been achieved."

Awatu watches as Kerala stands. It is emotion that drives her to do it, but she quells it fast enough. She recalls Gallid's face, and the various comments hinting at the fate of those who failed inquisition. Awatu was not the entire Grim. He led them, but he did not control them.

"You have an inquisitor who is herself not worthy of respect. She is a child, roughly my own age if not younger, and she conducts herself as such." Awatu maintains a neutral expression, listening to the druid's words. "She has blatantly made a mockery of this whole system by giving me an impossible task. The -only- reason I am at the third trial at all is because of your high inquisitor, and he might be corrupt!" Kerala stops, suddenly aware that she might be implying that Khorvis has made a mistake by advancing her at all. She doesn't want her own inquisition to grind to a halt while the Grim sort things out.

Awatu regards the druid for a moment. "Was your task truly impossible in any form, or simply very difficult?"

"She wanted me to take a picture of the Ashran tree ancient having fallen on two alliance. The tree disintegrates to nothing when the killing blow is dealt before it can ever hit the ground."

"Odd. And was this issue presented to her? What was her response?"

Kerala thinks. "She claimed I set myself up, and asked what I was going to do about it. She was absent from the meeting when I brought it up. The high inquisitor assigned me the other task."

Awatu appears slightly confused. "Set yourself up? In what way?"

Kerala shrugs in a frustrated manner. Just thinking about Lilliana is exasperating. "I don't know. I have no idea, she never explains anything. She's just doing everything she can to make things difficult because for some reason, I think she hates me." Kerala hadn't meant to say so much, and she shuts her mouth. Too late now.

Awatu nods. "Perhaps she does. I will tell you, though, that your Inquisitors are easier to deal with than previous ones. I suspect this is due to the circumstances of your being here, and of prior relations with us."

Kerala nods, her eyes downcast. "Alright." She sits back down. What had she really expected? "Well, I just had a couple other things to ask, then."

Awatu holds up a hand, signaling for her to pause. She blinks at him, her next question stalling in her throat. "Have I settled any issues or answered any questions in regards to Lilliana? Awatu looks up in thought. "Pardon. Have I sufficiently answered your question?"

"...No." The druid says after a long moment.

Awatu nods. "Then perhaps the issues run deeper."

She says carefully, "It might just be my perception. I have not been here long. Surely she has performed her duties well, or I would think she would not hold that rank anymore." She eyes Awatu for his reaction. She really is done talking about this. She said what came to, more even, and he had done just as Khorvis did, and ignored her.

But he isn't ignoring her. Instead, he seems to understand that she isn't satisfied, just admitting defeat.

Awatu nods, though he adds "Mistakes can be made, so I will not hold Lilliana above any other individual. She simply must make due with what has been dealt to her, as any of us do. Her position means she is in in such a place that faults will become more apparent. But that will not excuse misuse of her position. I will be speaking to her, Ruuki, and Khorvis soon regarding these... issues with the Inquisition."

Somewhat awed, Kerala nods to the Grim commander. Awatu glances up, in thought, ruminating upon something for a moment. "What other questions do you have?"

Kerala takes a moment to gather her thoughts. She didn't expect to really get to this point. It is abundantly clear- this is not Lilliana who had something better to do, or Khorvis getting frustrated. He is listening. "She suggested a task for the third trial. She would like to see me publicly repeat that the Horns of Shu'halo are gone, She wants me to burn something to show it.... I've already done that. Would doing it again for all of them be an acceptable sacrifice to pass the trial?"

"Is it a sacrifice in your eyes?"

"Well I already did it. So, no." she says honestly.

Awatu nods. "Then it would not be acceptable. To me, at least. Perhaps something... deeper?" Awatu paces around, thinking.

"That is the question. I do not know what I could do to prove that I am Grim. Do you?" She doesn't bother elaborating.

Lilliana wants her to burn something of the Horns', make a show. That would be meaningless, but it is a gesture meant to show that Kerala had abandoned her old life. She could at any moment go and set fire to every single thing in her bunk without a single regret. She'd owned nothing for so long... none of it is anything that she truly values. They are just things. This trial she faces is about leaving your old life behind to be Grim... but she has already done that.

Awatu looks at Kerala, studying her. "What will you do, upon the completion of your trials?"

"I don't know yet..." Kerala adjusts her position on the edge of the bench, and her eyes glance at the door. Somewhere out there Lupinum is still missing. He had asked her the same thing many times. Her answer hasn't changed. "But... Once the trials are done, I will no longer be a supplicant. I would consider the Debt paid at that point and if I wish, I would be free to leave." Kerala stares back at Awatu as she says that part. Whether or not the commander knew of Kerala's view on the limits of the Blood Debt is a question that has also been asked a few times before. He knows now.

Awatu nods, looking down, his head tilting back and forth as he contemplated. "Then here is my suggestion: Sacrifice your future, and remain with The Grim. Embrace the Mandate, completely. Devote yourself to us, wholly." He looks at her. "That is my suggestion, but you are free to make your own choice."

Kerala eyes Awatu up and down. "Do you say that because you made the mistake of asking for a supplicant rather than a someone who wanted to be Grim?" She cocks her head with the question.

"Perhaps. Though, I also only asked for the potential that was lost. It was my hope that you would come to understand our ways and embrace them. Still, the choice is always yours. All Supplicants have such a choice. It is part of the Inquisition. The decision to remain with us, or leave us."

The way he says it... Kerala can see the process as something other than a gauntlet to suffer through. Supplicants are supposed to want to join the Grim, but the inquisition now... Collecting trophies is one thing, eating them, something else entirely.

Sacrifice the future?
Embrace the Mandate completely.

"What does the Mandate mean to you?" she asks him. She has to know.

He takes a long moment before answering. "Peace for our people, and the drive to ensure we are never oppressed, enslaved, slain, or live in fear any longer."

Kerala waits to see if the commander will say more than that.

"There will come a day when An'she rises and there is no bloodshed. No enemies to threaten the Horde. We fight those who seek to uproot us, destroy us, and claim that we do not belong in this world. 'Their world'. But this is our world, as well. All of us. But if it can not be shared, then we will take what belongs to us. And peace is what belongs to us, through any means." Awatu finishes, looking at Kerala.

Kerala blinks, but says nothing to Awatu's use of the word 'uproot', which seems to her to be just like what Khorvis said of the mandate- the Horde was the plant. Kerala thinks on that. "The mandate means different things to each person I have asked." As a whole, the goals people sought by following those three confusing words were varied, but they did seem to all be the same. They were not all butchers and savages, just.... enthusiastic, some of them. The others needed to be cut out.

Awatu nods. "What does the Mandate mean to you?"

"Simpler than you have said, but much the same. Survival."

Awatu nods. "Simple, yes. Something we all seek, one way or another."

"Answer me this, one last question. The inquisitors ask a question of new supplicants. About a farm, and the people in it. The details change with each telling..."

Awatu rolls his eyes. "Continue."

Kerala eyes the commander, but does so. "Basically Alliance live there, and they are not fighters, but they feed the ones who do fight. The question put forth is what the supplicant would do then. I would like to know your answer, and why."

"They support the ones who fight us. They are not innocent. They must be annihilated, one way or another."

"Killed." she says. It isn't phrased as a question, but it is one.

"That is one method. The easiest, to be certain."

Kerala cocks her head. "Tell me another method." Also a question. What was the alternative to the constant murder the Grim enjoyed so much? They were the biggest pots and kettles she had ever seen- they claimed they killed children to prevent them from growing up and hating the horde. They ignored that it was often the same motivation behind the alliance's continued hatred of the Horde.

Yet it isn't just children that can learn hate when someone they love is killed.

As long as one person kills another, there is the likelihood that the death results in imbalance. Someone will want revenge, someone will be hurt, someone will want blood for blood. Shu'halo had figured this out eons ago, though the knowledge of the Blood Law is largely forgotten. Horde and Alliance had to learn it now.

"Culturally annihilated. They pledge allegiance to the Horde, become part of us, and join our cause. It is unlikely, but a possibility."

Kerala smiles, and nods. It is the answer she had hoped to hear. An alternative to the killing. "Alright. That was all I wanted to talk with you about. Thank you for seeing me, I know you are very busy."

Awatu nods. "Indeed, but I make myself available for those that seek understanding. My job is more than simple paperwork and map logistics."

Kerala starts to head for the door. She pauses. Another question has occurred to her... but she'd said that was the last. She takes another step away. Maybe she can ask that one some other time.

"Is there anything else that I may be of service?" Awatu seems to sense her hesitance at leaving.

Kerala turns to look at the Grim commander. His horns are wide, but they point forward with a downward swoop before the point rise upward again. The details of his face are reminiscent of another that is starting to fade, though the name is still etched solidly in memory. She wonders if Kaya might have been able to trace her origins to a source that Awatu also shared. His fur is that dusky grey color, like stone. In the aftermath of Lilliana's tampering, the true dreams that spawned from the memories unlocked by the troll priestess often had Awatu camouflaged in the wall, or sometimes stepping right through it.

"Why did you let them beat me?"

Awatu considers her question for a moment. "A lesson. Breygrah's actions against Konro will affect others differently. Others are not Shu'halo, so they will not understand customs such as the Blood Debt. Syreena does not. Her reasons for threatening Breygrah are more personal than our customs." The druid stands there, obviously not fully understanding. "You assaulted someone dear to many of us. It was only natural that justice be dealt back unto you. As far as I am concerned, the debt was between you and me. Not between Breygrah and Syreena."

Kerala frowns, confused. It is not the first time she'd heard that what happened in the cellar was supposed to teach something... but to who? "Was the lesson for me.... or for other people?"

"Everyone. Everyone is at fault for that... fiasco. Myself included. But, I stand by my decisions and accept the responsibilities of my actions."

Kerala says "Alright." It's the same tone as when they finished talking about Lilliana, a sort of stoic acceptance.

"There are other cultures than ours. Some radically different. Not everyone will follow cultural laws." The druid wordlessly nods at Awatu, and starts to turn away again. Just like before, he asks "Does this answer your question?"

Kerala turns back halfway. She is a little bit angry, but it isn't with him, really. "I made a mistake. Yes, it does."

"What is that mistake?"

Kerala looks at Awatu, debating the wisdom of her answer. She'd already pushed her luck regarding Lilliana. It would be best not to open her mouth, but she says it anyway. "Believing the words that came from Lilliana's mouth." Falling for the trap.

Awatu nods. "We have our faults, and Lilliana can be far more sinister and dangerous than you may realize even now."

"There are many predators that are not as physically strong as the things they would prey on," the scruffy druid agrees immediately. She doesn't say anything more on the subject, just adds with finality, "I will not make that mistake a second time."

Awatu nods at her words, a faint smile upon his face. "Lesson learned."

Kerala can't help but to smile at Awatu, finding great humor in his statement. All the best lessons had been taught that way.

"Peace through annihilation," she says to him. She turns to the doorway again, this time not intending to stop.

"Peace through Annihilation." Awatu watches as she leaves. Once she is gone, he turns back to the maps.
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Kerala
Posts: 157

Re: Kerala's Inquisition

Unread post by Kerala »

Being alone was always a refreshing thing for Kerala. It wasn't that she didn't like people, really. She enjoyed watching them have fun, liked to talk to someone... but it was exhausting, being on edge all the time.

Even if she was reasonably certain she wasn't about to get stabbed in the back, such as when she was with Kex'ti or Breygrah, it took energy from her to be polite, or to try to. It took effort to communicate her thoughts, and decipher the meaning behind things others said. Wasted effort, because nothing she said ever seemed to come out right. She was too used to being silent, and not talking to anyone.

She'd been the aim of people's attention enough that she was glad to have them focusing on something else. Warlocks causing corruption, a traitor in the midst... these were things on people's minds lately among the Grim. It was better. It felt a little bit like finding a hiding place, though she was still out in the open and surrounded. A lioness crouched in the grasses of a plain... almost invisible. Invisible was good.

It likely wouldn't last long.

Being alone- that was simple. No one to worry about but herself. If there was a rainstorm in the middle of the forest like the one she'd been in yesterday, she could enjoy it. She could be a bird and zoom through the water drops to see how many she could dodge before the effort of flapping soggy wings was too much. She could shift from height and free fall forever until she plunged into a lake. She could race as the cat and see how far she could get- thunder the booming signal to start the dash, and lightning flashing the end. She could pounce on every leaf that moved under the force of a droplet hitting it, like a kitten chasing imaginary monsters. Then when she found herself next to a giant puddle after the storm had blown itself out, she could become the bear and stomp all through it, splashing. She could squish and roll in the cool gooey mud. She could do that, because she was alone. There was no one waiting for her to let her guard down to slip a knife into her, or even to glare a judgment against her silliness.

Just her.

So, it was slowly that the druid made her way back to the Grim garrison. Her hooves kicked at drifts of snow as she passed them. She hated snow so much. She was mildly surprised to find Syreena, of all people, standing next to a lava pool, blandly watching a bobber.

"You're fishing?"

The rogue looked up from the pool. "Yes. I learned how to make squid rolls. They're kinda tasty."

"I didn't think you were the type of person to sit still long enough to enjoy fishing," Kerala admitted

"I don't enjoy it. It's boring. But if I eat decent food before battle, it seems to give me an edge."

"Hmm." Kerala pondered. She never had anything to do, not having an actual occupation like Lomani did. She just collected gems and polished them, and she had no need of money to buy things. She had lots of free time, and she did enjoy fishing. "Would you like company?"

Of course, she didn't eat fish, so it was not something she usually did, and she had to explain that to the rogue when Syreena asked. Kerala suggested a better fishing spot to make the activity less boring. If they caught one of the iridescent minnows, the creature that lived in the cavern who preferred that kind of fish would come out of hiding to try and steal it. That would make things more interesting. She often saw the soft glow of it's lures at night as it hunted.

The two women moved to a spot behind the fish shack, with a couple of overturned buckets for chairs. Fire ammonites were an ugly creature, and Kerala wasn't sure they counted as a fish at all. Cylindrical, with wiggly limp arms at one end and eyes on the other. She couldn't easily see a mouth or gills. It certainly didn't look like anything that was edible, much less would be tasty when cooked.

Syreena asked if Kerala had decided what to do about the third trial. This was a tricky situation, one that Kerala was still trying to decide on. Did she accept the commander's suggestion, a true sacrifice? So far, she had not come up with anything better. She explained Lilliana's suggestion to Syreena, and why the commander wouldn't consider it an acceptable sacrifice.

They sat quietly for a moment. Kerala was concentrating on her pole. So far, she had not being able to catch the ugly squid creatures Syreena needed for her food.



"Why did you take responsibility for Brey killing Konro?" Syreena asked suddenly. Kerala looked at the undead woman and sighed. Hadn't she discussed this already? Or had it been someone else? She couldn't recall. "Just because Brey was a Horn at the time?" came the rogue's guess.

"Because I knew she wouldn't."

"So? So what if she didn't?"

Kerala blinks. Was Syreena really asking that question? Her, who had been the leader in the Breygrah retaliation squad? If Kerala had not activated the Blood Law, Breygrah would likely be dead by a Grim hand, or at the very least hated by them. Instead, Kerala became their focus for a while, and it seemed that the situation had fizzled out. No, Kerala had taken on the Debt for Konro for reasons that didn't involve Breygrah at all, though protecting the headstrong woman was a beneficial result.

"So, she killed him. That's not right." Kerala said finally.

"Why didn't you stop her?"

Kerala threw a greedy crescentfish far out back into the water. Not a squid. She frowned, both at the fish and at the question. "I tried to."

"You were her leader, couldn't you order her?"

"She told me she would call off the duel. I believed her. And then Konro... well, I failed to help him and you know how that ended." Kerala glanced sideways at Syreena.

Syreena says quietly, "We all failed to help him." Kerala glanced sideways at the rogue.

"Besides, it's not like Breygrah would have obeyed an order had I given it. You didn't stop attacking her just because your leader accepted the Blood Law."

"He never told me not to attack her."

"No, -I- did." Kerala almost shouted. "And he -should- have." Kerala spat. If the druid was the type to point figures and lay blame, Syreena was the reason why she laid comatose for a month after being beaten and carved on.

"He didn't. You're not my leader." the rogue said simply. "Doesn't matter what you told me. You're not Awatu or Ley."

Kerala realized too, that Syreena probably hadn't wanted to stop. It would have been easy to go and confirm what the druid had told her, but the little rogue chose not to. People talked when it suited them, and listened only to what they wanted to hear- especially Grim. But, Syreena was correct about one thing. "It doesn't matter now at all, you're right. It's done and over."

"Yeah."



After another pause, Syreena asked again about the trial. She wanted to know what Kerala planned to do. When the druid instead asked what she thought would be a good sacrifice, Syreena said it depended on whether or not Kerala planned to stay with the Grim. This confused her. It shouldn't matter at all, should it? The entire point of the third trial was to sacrifice something to prove that you wanted to be Grim, which meant you planned to stay, didn't it? That was the reason why Syreena believed that Kerala would never pass- she didn't want it.

"Do you?"

"Want to be Grim?" Kerala asked. The rogue nodded. "No," she answered immediately. Syreena was about to turn back to pole when the druid finished the sentence. "I am Grim."

Syreena asked instead if Kerala was going to stay. So, Kerala told her what the commander had suggested for her sacrifice. Maybe the rogue would understand what it was she had been considering, and stop asking stupid questions. She seemed to think that Kerala would try to pass through false means, and that just didn't make sense. Even after Kerala shared Awatu's words, Syreena wanted to know if Kerala did that, if it would be real.

The rogue was frustrating, and Kerala was quickly losing patience. The woman was so concerned about -her- cheating the inquisition? What about all those others who hadn't even ever had to pass trials, because they were Grim before it was necessary? What about the members who supposedly sacrificed things that they would have done anyway, like the priest with his murderer or the orc and his eyeball? And lastly, what about the fact that the high inquisitor himself was under influence? He could pass anyone he wanted through the inquisition, and once they were no longer a supplicant, they could do anything they wanted, couldn't they?

But, Syreena didn't understand at all. Why should Kerala have to sacrifice anything, when Lilliana had not, when Syreena had not. Sure, they had made sacrificed -for- the Grim. People always did things to protect what they saw value in. But to become Grim? It would be a simple thing for older members to stand up and share how they had passed the trials without having officially gone through them. It would show that everyone in the Grim was equal, at least, in that.

Syreena suggested that she take that idea to the commander in her next private chat with him. Or to Khorvis, since he was always easily approachable and open to new ideas. The woman was jealous! Why? Kerala didn't understand. Surely the rogue could ask to see Awatu or Khorvis and see them any time, if she had. It didn't make sense. Syreena also made a snide comment that while Kerala was complaining about veteran Grims not going through the same process as current supplicants, she herself had received special treatment. This was wrong! If Kerala had not been interviewed at the first meeting of the inquisition, that was Lilliana's fault, not hers, for not inviting the others to ask, and simply waving the druid back in line.

Kerala changed the subject, aggravated. "How are you catching those squid fish? I can't seem to."

"I got some bait they like, from the lava pools." The rogue held out a strange-looking bug creature. "Here, try some."

It took a moment, but then there was a tiny dip in the bobber. Kerala yanked, setting the hook, and then reeled in her prize. There on the end of the line, was a tiny squid. "Oh, that works much better!" She unhooked it, and held it out triumphantly to Syreena, shaking it to watch the tentacles flop. She dropped it in Syreena's bucket before casting again. Kerala's catch was too small to be useful in cooking, but the rogue said nothing.



"So...Still no effects from Akorn's little scene a few weeks ago?"

Kerala glance at Syreena, then traced the rogue's gaze to the air spirit, who had just materialized beside her. The cute little thing was calm. It played lots of games, and was incredibly amusing and fun to have around, but occasionally it was quiet, like now. Kerala liked to look at it when it was still like this, completely visible.

"Not that I've noticed..... Though, the high inquisitor doesn't seem to notice when he's speaking demonic, either."

Syreena nodded. "Is that what those words were yesterday?"

Kerala's turn to nod. The rogue frowned. "I found out 'anach kyree' means 'miserable insect'." She grudgingly had to admit that books might be useful after all. Stupid writing.

"We could use a warlock's help with this whole thing, but which warlock can we trust?"

Why did everyone ask her? Why did they think she would have some kind of answer? "How many do we have?"

"Warlocks?" Kerala nodded, and Syreena started ticking them off on her fingers. "Greebo, Akorn, Malhavik, Ul'Rezaj, Borghul.... Xek. And then there's Darethy."

Kerala tried to match faces to names. " I know the first three and that last one. The bendy troll is a new one. He would not have had anything to do with the high inquisitor. What about the other troll?

"Borghul?" Syreena made a face. "He's a grumpy old fart. I doubt he'd help unless there's something in it for him. Besides, I haven't seen him in a while. Darethy's the one who told us Khorvis has been corrupted..."

"No no," Kerala corrected. "I meant the troll. Ul'rezaj, did you say?"

"Oh. What about him?"

The druid thought for a moment, sifting through her memory. He had been sitting over to the left, next to Malhavik... "He is the one who spoke out against anyone giving blood. He seems not to agree with the others."

"Did he? Maybe we should talk to him then."

"Which doesn't mean he's safe," Kerala continued, "but... a better choice, I would think."

"Maybe." the rogue agreed.

Kerala cocked her head, and brought up Khorvis again. "I am slightly less concerned with who is doing the corrupting, and more worried about the high inquisitor himself. It would be better for him to be himself, don't you think?"

"Of course it would. But how can we un-corrupt him?"

Kerala resisted a snort. "We just killed an ancient old-god wolf thing, and are currently taking on some evil warlock agent of a demonic legion with an entire orc army also. I would guess one cursed person shouldn't be exceptionally difficult..." She shrugged. A thought occurred to her. "Do you know where he was building a brewery?"

"No, why?"

Kerala debated the wisdom of keeping information to herself, but decided she would want to know if Syreena had some, so she shared hers. "There is a poisonous mushroom the orc has been carrying around. He said he found it there. It's alright, I know roughly where they grow, I'll find others. I want to know more about them, is all."

Syreena looked confused. "Why is he carrying around a poisonous mushroom?"

"He said the warlock that gave me the spirit was supposed to help him build it, and the goblin crew was found dead, and the mushroom was growing near them. Since the high inquisitor is drinking slammers instead of his own brew, I'm guessing the brewery was never finished?"

"What killed the goblins? They ate the mushroom?"

"I don't know." the druid answered. "Though that would certainly do it."

"Hm." Syreena seemed to consider this new information for a long moment. "So...big deal... a goblin crew accidentally got poisoned and died. Why didn't he hire another crew? And why carry around the mushroom that killed them? That's....weird."

"You asked me why he was carrying the mushroom around. That's all I know."

Syreena frowned, confused. "But that doesn’t make any sense."

"I'm wondering if perhaps the fungus is doing something to him. Perhaps the gem in his face was unrelated." Kerala suggested.

One way to find out for sure. Just like in Desolace, when the Shaking Death was suspect. Separate and isolate. If there was no mushroom, would he still act strangely? If he was away from everyone, would he be under influence? Was he cursed? Quarantine would answer most of those questions. If it turned out that Khorvis was under outside influence, surely his disappearance would be noticed. Maybe the manipulator would come looking for him.

"Maybe what kills goblins just makes orcs act strange. There's mushrooms that can make people weird. It's usually temporary though..." Syreena was still pondering aloud. "Do you know where he keeps the mushroom on him?" The rogue narrowed her eyes slightly, plotting. At Kerala's negative answer, she frowned. "How crazy do you think he could get?"

"You mean from the mushroom? Very. This one makes people mad and see visions, before it kills them. Or... at least that's what happened to the elf I saw eat some."

"Like...tear apart another Grim levels of crazy?"

Syreena seemed to be leading somewhere with the question, and Kerala was honestly confused. "What?"



"We found Lupin outside the guild hall a few days ago. He was torn limb from limb....his head....his jaw... Everything was all torn apart." Kerala blinked at Syreena, her face blank. "Lomani put him back together. Do you think Khorvis could have done it? He seemed surprised when I told him about it, but..."

Inside, the druid's mind raced, processing Syreena's words. Torn apart? Decapitation was only two pieces, not many. This wasn't her doing. Had the scavenger animals finally gotten to the priest? If so, why had they waited? Why not try to eat the undead when she'd first attached him to the tree? That Syreena now thought that Lupinum's fate was tied into the strangeness with Khorvis was convenient. Kerala seized the opportunity presented.

"Well, orcs are much stronger than Forsaken... I guess it could be..." she said carefully. Syreena nodded slowly, still frowning. Not attentive, lost in her own mind and thoughts. "You always say the commander rips people's arms off."

"He did once, yes. But with good reason. Awatu wouldn't have done that to Lupin."

"I just meant it's possible." Syreena nodded. "You said Lomani was here?"

"She put Lupin back together and healed him. Just inside the gate. Awatu doesn't like outsiders on Grim property. Well, not here. At the guild hall in Tirisfal." Syreena explained.

"So the forsaken is alright then?"

The rogue nodded. "It seems so. He won't tell me what happened. I got the impression he was afraid or something. If it was Khorvis, that could make sense. He might be afraid of Khorvis coming after him again. I'll talk to him again. Although...." Syreena's brow scrunched and the corners of her mouth turned down in another frown. "Khorvis charged me with finding out what happened. Would he have done that if it was him? Maybe he doesn't know it was him...."

Kerala frowns. "It's possible it's unrelated. Once you start seeing shapes in the darkness, every shadow becomes dangerous. Like the gem and the mushroom. It could be they are both pieces in the puzzle, but they might not be at all."

"Yeah, still..." Syreena shrugs.

"This is frustrating. Complicated." Kerala complained. "Life was simpler in the desert."

She didn't mean just Khorvis and the mystery of what was altering his behavior. She also meant Lupinum, and the inquisition, and just about everything. What would the she of three or four years ago think of her now, in these tangled situations?

Lupinum would not have been spared, she knew. If undead could not truly die, he would be in so many tiny pieces that Kerala would be long dead and rotten before he ever managed to reconstruct. That she had stopped... what did that mean? Was she getting weak? Or was it strength to have wrangled her fury? She thought it was certainly stupid, to leave him like that. Surely it would cause trouble later. At the same time, if he was going to be left alive, he needed to know without a doubt that she wouldn't stop next time. If he ever tried that again, she would kill him. Why hadn't she just killed him? Why had she stopped? She told herself it was because she was trying to be a healer, now, because she never wanted to kill anyone else again. The alliance had died without any qualms from her mind. They were bad people, and she had the burden of a Blood Debt to pay. They died easily. Why did she not kill the priest?

She was stupid, that's why.

"Welcome to The Grim." Syreena said.

Kerala looked at the rogue. She blinked at the woman, and then burst into laughter. Through watering eyes, she nodded at the rogue. Welcome to the Grim indeed. The source of all of this, perhaps. The Grim had lured Konro away to his death, and had been why Breygrah turned away. The Grim had allowed him to die, had failed to help him when truly, it was their responsibility and not solely hers. It was the commander of the Grim who couldn't just accept a sack of jewels, who had demanded a supplicant to pay the Debt. It was all Grim. Welcome to frustrating complication.

Syreena grinned at the druid. "I think that's the first time I've heard you laugh."

Kerala sobered somewhat at that. "Well, my sense of humor is odd I guess." She shrugged at the rogue. "So the priest didn't tell you anything at all?"

He had said a lot, it turned out. He'd been asking questions he shouldn't have, digging into the past. It was the Nether that tore him apart. Kerala saw the bald-faced lie even across the days and through second-hand telling. He was as bad at it as she was, and he had never learned to play other strengths to compensate. He might as well be a mouse with whiskers twitching in the face of a hungry cat. The priest's fumbling attempt to dissemble was only drawing the jaws closer.

Syreena gave details. The priest had been torn apart viciously, but not eaten. An elf named Kiannis was investigating, and he apparently said the pieces had been dragged to that spot from somewhere else. They were patrolling for some beast who could tear strong healthy Grims limb from limb.

It was funny. She was the lioness crouched in the grasses, invisible... but not for long. They knew something was there.

"A beast." she echoed.

Syreena shrugged. "Well, I don't think it was the Nether."



"What exactly is the Nether? It's the space between worlds, right?" Kerala wondered.

"I think so? I don't know. Warlocks use it, I think." Syreena tilted her head. "Warlocks again. Maybe we should.... get rid of.... all the warlocks."

"It still may not be their fault." Kerala said carefully.

"But it might be."

"Yes, but hating them for something they didn't do is a bit extreme, and killing them is very much so."

Syreena shrugged. "What's your idea then?"

Kerala had no ideas. "All we really know, which we aren't sure of, is that the gem from the high inquisitor's face was possibly corrupt."

"And that Akorn is up to something." Syreena added, starting a list. "And that someone or something tore apart a Grim near our own guild hall." Syreena eyed Kerala for the interruption.

"No, you don't." Kerala said, about knowing Akorn was up to something. "That last one, yes." Kerala admitted, because she'd drawn a hard stare from the rogue.

"There's strange things going on. Warlocks are behind at least some of it, if it's not all related. And Vionora's back." Kerala had thought the herald was dead, but she was healing in the Deadshot's place at the time, and hadn't seen it for herself. "I attacked her, but then...Darethy and Naheal showed up and stopped me before I could finish her off."

The woman reportedly had no memory of being anyone called Vionora, and so Kerala was confused. "With Accalia gone, why did you attack her?"

Syreena blinked incredulously at the druid. "She's Accalia's assistant. She brought the curse and... I saw her manipulating Malhavik, and Lupin, and Konro. And she threw Brey on top of me once." Kerala let out a long, drawn-out sigh at the list of grievances. "She helped try to bring about the end of the world. And now that she's 'forgotten' all that, she's all forgiven."

"Well why not?" Kerala demanded. "Wouldn't you have forgiven Konro for things he did? Mistakes he made?"

Syreena frowned, thinking. "He paid for those mistakes though, didn't he? Why shouldn't she?"

"Nevermind," Kerala said instantly. She did not want to talk about the warrior's death, or the Debt because of it. He was dead.

Syreena had another question in mind, though, and after staring at the water for a moment, both their fishing poles forgotten, she asked, "Were you and Konro close?"

The druid hesitated. "...He knew me more than anyone does, I suppose. We had many things in common." Syreena nodded at that. "Why?"

"Just wondering."

"You?"

"You don't seem to have much in common with him." The rogue observed. "He was fun." She shrugged. "I didn't know him very long. And to be honest, I don't know if the person I knew was really him, or.... that thing that possessed him."

Kerala looked at Syreena. Really looked. She saw a young girl. Undead, yes, but still young, like she was. Not everyone dealt with death the same way. They certainly didn't see it as inevitable, and logically avoid relationships with others. The deaths of the people they knew, allowed to be close to them, left voids of pain that were better never there. In Syreena, she saw a little of the void with Konro's name on it.

"He was very troubled." Kerala started, trying to say something meaningful,"But fun too. Very caring." And then it happened to her too. She hadn't considered Konro a friend, had purposely not tried to cultivate a friendly relationship with him. Lomani could do that. But she'd cared, despite it all. He was so similar to her... some of the same experiences, some of the same choices. But Konro had not been able to adapt. He was stuck looking back, and that wasn't the way to do it. She'd tried to help him, and in doing so, he'd gotten too close. It hurt. "He wasn't supposed to...." she started to say. Then she stopped. "Nevermind." Zaetar lo odes. Kerala let out a long, drawn-out sigh instead.

"Wasn't supposed to what?" Syreena prompted.

"It doesn't matter," Kerala told her. "He's dead."

"Yeah."

Kerala just looked at the water, fishing forgotten as she thought about Konro, and things that happened that she couldn't change. A sound from behind, unusual, foreign, caught her attention. Her ear flicked toward the noise. Someone approaching, but not one of the normal fisherfolk.

Kerala spun in her seat to look, then did a double-take. Adrenaline surged. A boar large enough to ride was snuffling in the grass, following it's nose to a spot to munch, and it's rider was walking the rest of way toward the two women on their bucket seats.

It was Lupinum.
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Kerala
Posts: 157

Re: Kerala's Inquisition

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"Ladies."

Lupinum met Kerala's eyes. His face was blank. The priest once again wore the white robes trimmed in black. His new dark ones had seen destruction in the fiery vent of one of the volcanoes outside the garrison. These were more fitting for him.

"Hey, Lupin." Syreena greeted the priest.

"Afternoon, Shadowblade. I didn't know you fished." The undead didn't look at his sister Forsaken as he said it. Instead, he cracked his jaw hard, his eyes still on Kerala. The druid broke the stare first, her eyes roaming to assess his condition. He certainly did seem to be fine.

She shrugged at the priest as Syreena answered. "I do lots of things. How are you feeling?"

"Better. I rested all yesterday. Found some Arrowbloom that helps with the aches."

Kerala just nods to the priest, feeling as if she should say something. Remaining silent might be suspicious. "We're collecting squids. Ugly fishes."

Now was not the time or place to talk about anything that had occurred between them. He seemed to sense it too, or maybe he was doing his best to ignore her. It was a good sign that, even during his long stare at her, she didn't feel the slightest flicker of him touching her mind.

"Have you.... remembered anything yet?" Syreena promptly asked.

"Nope. Still drawing a big blank." Lupinum rolls his shoulder in a lay shrug. "Maybe I'll never remember..." Syreena tilted her head, studying him closely. Then she glanced at Kerala. "Don't let me stop you. Let's catch some squid." Then Lupinum grinned. It was a forced expression, Kerala saw. It did not extend to his eyes, did not match the tense positioning of the rest of him.

"Want my seat?" The druid asked. She got up without waiting for his answer. Syreena had moved at the same time. Suddenly everyone was standing. The tension in the air was palpable. Between Syreena and Lupinum, between him and her. Both women had just moved to give their seat to the source of it. Kerala, for one, was used to the sensation. It was the same she felt every time she stood in front of the inquisitors. Hormones swirled, and she stayed very still. Senses were on high alert. Ready.

Syreena looked back to the male. "I can sit on the ground. Don't mind me," he tried.

"Sit down, Lupin." Syreena ordered.

Lupinum looked between the two of them, obviously uncomfortable. Kerala sat down first directly on the gravel, though Syreena had gestured to her own seat. The choice had been made. Syreena returned to her bucket.

"Oh...kay..?" Lupinum sat.

"You don't have to be afraid to tell us, you know. We won't let them or it hurt you again." the Shadowblade said.

"There's nothing to tell!" Lupinum objected. It obviously was not the first time he'd said it. "I'm sure whatever it was was a one time thing, anyway."

"The Nether huh?"

"Mhm."

Kerala baited her hook quietly, not contributing to the conversation. Her mind was turning over problems. Possibilities if Lupinum decided to tell. Maybes if he continued not to. He was a terrible liar. Though he had managed, it seemed, to avoid telling the truth for four days, he would not be able to for much longer. People heard what they wanted to, but they didn't accept lies if the falsehoods were as blatantly obvious as the priest's were.

"Was this Nether in the shape of a grumpy one-eyed orc, by chance?" Syreena asked.

Kerala looked at Lupinum, waiting to see how he would answer. "Khorvis? Absolutely not." he said truthfully.

"Are you sure?"

"I think I would remember being attacked by the High inquisitor." It was the wrong thing to say. Syreena had said Lupinum claimed not to recall. The rogue noticed the discrepancy too.

"So....you don't remember who it was, but you remember who it's not." she said doubtfully. Kerala sighed at Lupinum.

"Why are you so curious? I'm fine now!" The priest tried to verbally backpedal, to redirect attention to the present. He looked out at the water, avoiding the Shadowblade's eyes.

"Because other Grims might be in danger, and not all can be stitched back together!"

Lupinum switched tactics again, and attempted to be reassuring. "I'm sure the others don't have to worry about anything." Kerala nearly dropped her face into her hands. He was SO bad at this. She had thought she was a miserable liar, with the change in her voice and that uncontrollable twitch of the tail. He was so much worse.

"How can you be sure?" Syreena pressed. She wasn't interrogating him. Her tone was mostly calm, the voice of a truly concerned friend, but she might as well have been asking on the other end of a dagger pressed to skin, for all the soothing that failed to transfer to the nervous undead man.

Lupinum swallowed and watched the ripples from Kerala's lure. "I can't." Kerala shifted her gaze to the priest. Dark green eyes bored into him, willing him to shut up. Lupinum shifted in his seat. Syreena continued to stare at him from the other side. "So... Uhm..."

"Maybe you should patrol with Kiannis." Syreena said finally. She was obviously frustrated.

The priest didn't follow. "Patrol for what?"

"In case anything jogs your memory that you haven't lost." Syreena scowled at him, and turned to leave. She was done. For now. The rogue took her bucket of squid and walked off, not quite stomping, but clearly not satisfied. Lupinum watched the water, ignoring Syreena's leaving.

Kerala watched the woman go. That one was too smart for Lupinum to be so incredibly dumb. "Hmm," she murmured. She waited to be sure the Shadowblade was really gone... then she turned a glare onto the priest beside her. Their eyes were level despite his bucket riser. "You suck at lying as bad as I do." she said immediately.

Lupinum turned his head. "I'm trying to protect you."

Well he was failing! More importantly, why had he been gone so long? "What did you do for a month? Sleep? If I had known you'd let wolves get at you I'd have done something different." she hissed.

"I was just... there. I didn't have to worry about fighting. I just sat and watched." He answered calmly now, not responding to the ire in Kerala's voice. "And was chewed on."

"Not for thirty days, you weren't." she snorted. Then she voiced the only reason she could come up with. "The elixir seemed to keep them away. I wondered if maybe... it made you sleep too." She hadn't gone back to check on him at all.

"I don't know if I did. Maybe I did..." he wondered. "I kept seeing your... what happened..." he trailed off.

Kerala frowned, recalling the entire reason they had ended up here now. "And what? You did that for a month?" she demanded angrily. "Was it entertaining?"

Lupinum rubbed his forehead, again not reacting to her emotion. "No. I wanted to call for help the first week. I was so furious with you." Kerala realized she still held the fishing pole. She abandoned the tool, laying it down. A brow lifted at the priest. If he was mad, why hadn't he acted on it? "I understand lashing out. I understand physical violence. But you had no idea I could be healed for sure. You could've killed me."

She should have. "Yes I did." she corrected. "Darethy had worse." The warlock had inflicted much worse, and by his own hand.

Lupinum misunderstood, and his glowing yellow eyes peered at the druid. "You make a habit of dismembering Forsaken?"

"No, I mean what happened to him during the confrontations over Accalia."

"Oh, right, yeah." he agreed quietly. "Even still!" Kerala just stared at him. What was the point of all this? Had he found out what he wanted to know? Would he heed her unspoken demand to never try again, or should she have truly killed this person? "Don't look at me like that. Your secrets are safe. But the Grim are not going to be happy if they find out you assaulted me."

Kerala's eyes flashed. Her secrets were safe, but not because he thought he knew them and intended to keep silent. The memory of his invasion reignited the fury she'd felt when she'd finally broken free of him. The druid stayed very still, not trusting what might happen if she moved. But her tongue was free. "You deserved it." she said. "No... what you deserve, is to be dead for real right now. But you aren't." That was important.

Lupinum let out a low growl, finally showing some emotion. "We all have a past, Druid. I wouldn't bring blade to bear against a guild brother for it. And that's hardly the attitude to take when I'm trying to save your sorry hide!"

"I didn't do that because you were curious. I did it because you RAPED me." How could he not see? Wasn't he Forsaken? How could he just ignore that his entire race had once been slaves themselves, unable to resist the force of another's will? Darethy knew. How could Lupinum have ever made the choice to do that to her? She had always answered his questions! And now... why couldn't he just leave her alone? "I don't need saving!"

"I just wanted answers... And you, on many occasions, were less than forthcoming."

"Because it's none of your business!"

"Too late for that now." he said. The words, for once, were perfect. They helped her to regain some level of control over the tumultuous inferno that blazed so hot again. He was right. It was done. "Consider me punished. But that still leaves what's going to happen to you." Lupinum jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "How do you think Syreena would react if I had told her the truth just now?"

Kerala knew exactly how the Grim would react, she was certain. "I imagine she'd be mad."

"Mad." he echoed, "Just mad?"

"No." the druid clarified. "She'd find other people to join her, and they'd come attack me. Maybe even under false pretenses in some dark cellar." Lilliana had been mad at a little bit of intimidation. This would make the Grim murderous, she knew.

"That's what I don't want."

Really? Why didn't he? What had he hoped to accomplish by forcing his mind into hers? What did he think he was saving her from? She wasn't broken. She didn't need to go find some villain from her past and visit death upon them to find peace, like he did. All she needed was to be left alone. If it was true, if he really didn't want to reveal the truth and witness the results, he needed help. He needed to learn how not to lie. The thoughts she'd been turning over and over since Syreena had shared what information she had regarding the priest and his story solidified to a conclusion.

"Tell them you got drunk." she told the priest. It wasn't false.

"They know I'm lying!" Lupinum protested. "And Lilly can look through my head if she wants to! She's a stronger priest than I am."

"So?" Kerala countered. If it came to that, she was prepared. But in the mean time... "Blame me. That's not a lie. Tell them you took the elixir I gave you, and it wasn't the right dose. Tell them you slept for a month in the woods."

"Fine, we'll tell them that. The Inquisition, the Commander, everyone. Lupinum got drunk in the woods." he said, perhaps sarcastically. "And just slept it off. For a month, being torn apart, all of it." Lupinum pinched the bridge of his nose.

The druid eyed him. "As far as the questions you mentioned... tell them you were asking about me. Tell them I got upset, and you were frustrated. That's why you drank so much. You were evasive, because you didn't want people to know."

"Not far from the truth." Lupinum chuckled. He didn't understand. It was exactly the truth.

It was often said that the best lies were based in half-truths. That was false. The best misdirections WERE the truth. The Grim thrived on lies and embellishments. Kerala didn't have that ability. She had never learned how to quell the involuntary symptoms of speaking dishonestly. She recognized the behaviors, the nonverbal cues of a liar. They kept their limbs close to the body, they scratched at their face, throat or ears, and avoided eye contact. They fidgeted. There was delay between words and the matching expressions when a person was lying. These were things she recognized in others. Purposely being untruthful... it was physiologically damning. The reason people gave off cues like that was chemical, and that could not be controlled. At least, Kerala had no interest in learning how, now that she was a healer.

Dishonesty had almost gotten her killed before. She survived well enough without lying.

If Lupinum was surprised at the completely believable tale she had spun for him -she, who was supposedly such a bad liar- he didn't question. "We'll try it. I'll try to keep this under wraps as long as I can. If anything happens, I'm on your side. Feel like I owe you that much..." Lupinum trailed off, cutting himself short. He nodded.

"You don't owe me anything, dead man. We are not friends." Kerala clarified. They weren't.

"Don't call me that." Lupinum bared his teeth. "From what I hear, you're almost full Grim now. I have a name, learn it. Your brothers and sisters have names as well."

"Fine." Green eyes watched as Lupinum stood and smoothed his robes. Her expression was unreadable. "They are not my family."

Lupinum 's face softened. "Perhaps in time..."

"Not likely," she interrupted.

The softness promptly disappeared again. "Hrmph. Fine. Watch your back, Kerala." She nodded to him. Always. "Have fun with your... squiddies..." The priest cracked a small smile before turning to leave. She didn't return the smile. She didn't encourage him. Kerala watched Lupinum pad into the snow without a word.

Then she was alone.


[Later that day, Malhavik questions her about Lupinum's disappearance.]
Last edited by Kerala on Tue Jul 28, 2015 8:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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