Hollow: The Cavalry
Re: Hollow: The Cavalry
((<3 Khorvis, even if ic he's sounding like a big fat meanie))
Re: Hollow: The Cavalry
((I think this is the most I've ever written about how my priestess feels about anything.))
When Lilliana laid eyes on Xaraphyne her attitude changed. Lilliana could accept her own impending death. She could accept the loss of her roll within the Grim's ranks even though it was something that she had given her love and her life in it's entirety to. She could accept the loss of any dreams she had shared with the white haired Wordbearer of the Grim with the resolute strength of one who understands that some things just do not come to be . Death comes to all, and it had come once before. This would be no different, except she doubted there would be a return for her. Her bond to this world and avatar was tenuous enough as it was. Darrethy was right in his statement to Khorvis that Lilliana's connection to this world was similar to that of a forsaken, her soul now a mere tattered shred from the strong fabric it had once been.
Once Lilliana saw Xaraphyne, she pulled a firm, determined look down across her face. Her resignation, to which Lilliana had perceived as strict realism completely diminished, cast out as a piece of garbage. Lilliana could accept many things, but once she saw her niece....no...once she saw her sister, the battered and physically broken priestess found that the one thing that she could not accept was the loss of Xaraphyne.
It as shocking, to say to least, for Lilliana to lay eyes on Xaraphyne here. The small priestess had been left to rot before. It was six years ago when her child was murdered, and she quickly followed behind him, cursed and crushed to nearly nothing. Her mother had tricked the self proclaimed Sandfury King, Warneshi, into eating her soul for 'safe keeping'. This ploy had not worked, in fact it backfired. Warneshi left her soul to disintegrate within the souleater version of the torturous nether, and Bloodshine and the Grim.....left the priestess to her fate.
This brought real, harsh meaning to the term "out of sight out of mind".
Even after the Grim had defeated the demon, Slys'thok, and freed Warneshi of his wretched curse, the priestess remained forgotten even by those closest to her. There were no rescue attempts. Lilliana remembered, as she stagnated in her slow decomposition with the souleater, praying that her mate, Zurzuru would at least come to her rescue. But even him, the father of her dead child, failed to come to her aid. Weakness in any forms was not tolerated in the world that Lilliana came from. She believed that she had faltered and failed. Grew to accept it. Of course now it made sense for her to resign herself that she was forced to fight this battle alone, until she was either released.....or as was much more probable, killed in a most horrid manner. But now, the fact that Xaraphyne had come after Lilliana - when the priestess had been so sure that she was to be left here to this horrid and perious fate that would be joined with Cobrak's - well, this touched the priestess deeply. Perhaps more so than any other had touched the priestesses' heart. She may be a Grim, but she still had feelings.
Even before the huntresses' miracle arrival, to Lilliana the troll Xaraphyne was the only "non-Grim" that the priestess would give her life for. Xaraphyne was the only "non-Grim" that Lilliana would never betray. The Grim were Lilliana's family, and to them she had pledged her love and her life. But Xaraphyne was Lilliana's family by blood. The daughter of Warneshi's deceased brother, Worneshi, and Ukorz Sandscalp's grandchild, as well as Bloodshine's grandchild in a sense of biological considerations. As Lilliana had followed Warneshi Sandscalp in utter loyalty, so she would with Xaraphyne.
She wished she could communicate privately with Xaraphyne somehow. She couldn't of course, for the power that was imbedded within Morinth's lair kept Lilliana under wraps as much as the chains that restrained her body could keep her from physically moving. All the priestess could do is say "Hey Xara, yo", with a weakened, yet persistently coy grin. Her mouth and throat were so dry from lack of water and constant screaming that it came out as "Rrrrey ara, yao", but she figured Xaraphyne could figure out what she was saying.
It hurt when Xaraphyne picked her up, and Lilliana tried to accommodate her as much as she could. She found though that she just did not have the strength. Lilliana had endurance, but that endurance never extended to the physical realm of things. Her frame was small, slender, not at all like her thickly built and large parents. When Xaraphyne was forced to drop her, she hit the ground heavily. After Lupa cried out and dropped her, and a Morinith or the Morinith (Lilliana could never tell at this point) began to kick her repeatedly in the ribs, she felt two of them crack, but she could do little to fight against it. She had received enough healing from Lupa to get up to her hands and knees, but what that resulted in was getting kicked in the jaw, which merely knocked her back down. As it did, she heard Xaraphyne's words of resistance, saw the strength in the huntress.
When Cobrak was brought in, Lilliana's heart sank. He was so broken, at least physically. Even as Lilliana continued to get beaten like an old dog, it was more torture to see Cobrak like that. This is what Morinth wanted, and now there were two trolls who cared about the orc hunter here, at the mercy of the sadistic human who had gone completely mad with hate and hurt. Morinth had always made it clear to her that she held a dark grudge against Cobrak.
It was clear that Morinith and Cobrak had shared something in the past, ages ago....and although Lilliana was not one who could judge, considering her mother was partnered with a gnome and she herself had been raised by that particular gnome, an odd family dynamic if there ever was one.....she was not pleased to know of Cobrak's interesting history. Lilliana's awareness of this also meant that she would never, ever repeat such a thing. Even if she had the desire to, communication was never a strong point of Lilliana's, either a deliberate fault or an unconscious one, the priestess rarely gave up information. Morinith had accused Lilliana of sharing the same thing the wicked human had once shared with the orc hunter. Lilliana never agreed or denied this, much to Morinth's frustration. Lilliana wouldn't give Morinith the satisfaction of knowing the truth, whatever it may be - either to give affirmation to the righteousness of her torture, or to force the human into second guessing her mistake. To be honest, Lilliana didn't think that knowing one way or the other would make a difference. This human creature was completely mad, hateful. Whatever she did was 'right' in her eyes.
The verbal bantering suddenly ceased. Lilliana was no longer being kicked. She found that the entire world stopped when the Morinth's banded together with their fierce and fearful psychic scream. Lilliana giggled (although this didn't sound like a giggle, she ended up spitting up blood in place of it, but the intent to giggle was there) even though poor Xaraphyne had ended up on the floor.
When Lilliana laid eyes on Xaraphyne her attitude changed. Lilliana could accept her own impending death. She could accept the loss of her roll within the Grim's ranks even though it was something that she had given her love and her life in it's entirety to. She could accept the loss of any dreams she had shared with the white haired Wordbearer of the Grim with the resolute strength of one who understands that some things just do not come to be . Death comes to all, and it had come once before. This would be no different, except she doubted there would be a return for her. Her bond to this world and avatar was tenuous enough as it was. Darrethy was right in his statement to Khorvis that Lilliana's connection to this world was similar to that of a forsaken, her soul now a mere tattered shred from the strong fabric it had once been.
Once Lilliana saw Xaraphyne, she pulled a firm, determined look down across her face. Her resignation, to which Lilliana had perceived as strict realism completely diminished, cast out as a piece of garbage. Lilliana could accept many things, but once she saw her niece....no...once she saw her sister, the battered and physically broken priestess found that the one thing that she could not accept was the loss of Xaraphyne.
It as shocking, to say to least, for Lilliana to lay eyes on Xaraphyne here. The small priestess had been left to rot before. It was six years ago when her child was murdered, and she quickly followed behind him, cursed and crushed to nearly nothing. Her mother had tricked the self proclaimed Sandfury King, Warneshi, into eating her soul for 'safe keeping'. This ploy had not worked, in fact it backfired. Warneshi left her soul to disintegrate within the souleater version of the torturous nether, and Bloodshine and the Grim.....left the priestess to her fate.
This brought real, harsh meaning to the term "out of sight out of mind".
Even after the Grim had defeated the demon, Slys'thok, and freed Warneshi of his wretched curse, the priestess remained forgotten even by those closest to her. There were no rescue attempts. Lilliana remembered, as she stagnated in her slow decomposition with the souleater, praying that her mate, Zurzuru would at least come to her rescue. But even him, the father of her dead child, failed to come to her aid. Weakness in any forms was not tolerated in the world that Lilliana came from. She believed that she had faltered and failed. Grew to accept it. Of course now it made sense for her to resign herself that she was forced to fight this battle alone, until she was either released.....or as was much more probable, killed in a most horrid manner. But now, the fact that Xaraphyne had come after Lilliana - when the priestess had been so sure that she was to be left here to this horrid and perious fate that would be joined with Cobrak's - well, this touched the priestess deeply. Perhaps more so than any other had touched the priestesses' heart. She may be a Grim, but she still had feelings.
Even before the huntresses' miracle arrival, to Lilliana the troll Xaraphyne was the only "non-Grim" that the priestess would give her life for. Xaraphyne was the only "non-Grim" that Lilliana would never betray. The Grim were Lilliana's family, and to them she had pledged her love and her life. But Xaraphyne was Lilliana's family by blood. The daughter of Warneshi's deceased brother, Worneshi, and Ukorz Sandscalp's grandchild, as well as Bloodshine's grandchild in a sense of biological considerations. As Lilliana had followed Warneshi Sandscalp in utter loyalty, so she would with Xaraphyne.
She wished she could communicate privately with Xaraphyne somehow. She couldn't of course, for the power that was imbedded within Morinth's lair kept Lilliana under wraps as much as the chains that restrained her body could keep her from physically moving. All the priestess could do is say "Hey Xara, yo", with a weakened, yet persistently coy grin. Her mouth and throat were so dry from lack of water and constant screaming that it came out as "Rrrrey ara, yao", but she figured Xaraphyne could figure out what she was saying.
It hurt when Xaraphyne picked her up, and Lilliana tried to accommodate her as much as she could. She found though that she just did not have the strength. Lilliana had endurance, but that endurance never extended to the physical realm of things. Her frame was small, slender, not at all like her thickly built and large parents. When Xaraphyne was forced to drop her, she hit the ground heavily. After Lupa cried out and dropped her, and a Morinith or the Morinith (Lilliana could never tell at this point) began to kick her repeatedly in the ribs, she felt two of them crack, but she could do little to fight against it. She had received enough healing from Lupa to get up to her hands and knees, but what that resulted in was getting kicked in the jaw, which merely knocked her back down. As it did, she heard Xaraphyne's words of resistance, saw the strength in the huntress.
When Cobrak was brought in, Lilliana's heart sank. He was so broken, at least physically. Even as Lilliana continued to get beaten like an old dog, it was more torture to see Cobrak like that. This is what Morinth wanted, and now there were two trolls who cared about the orc hunter here, at the mercy of the sadistic human who had gone completely mad with hate and hurt. Morinth had always made it clear to her that she held a dark grudge against Cobrak.
It was clear that Morinith and Cobrak had shared something in the past, ages ago....and although Lilliana was not one who could judge, considering her mother was partnered with a gnome and she herself had been raised by that particular gnome, an odd family dynamic if there ever was one.....she was not pleased to know of Cobrak's interesting history. Lilliana's awareness of this also meant that she would never, ever repeat such a thing. Even if she had the desire to, communication was never a strong point of Lilliana's, either a deliberate fault or an unconscious one, the priestess rarely gave up information. Morinith had accused Lilliana of sharing the same thing the wicked human had once shared with the orc hunter. Lilliana never agreed or denied this, much to Morinth's frustration. Lilliana wouldn't give Morinith the satisfaction of knowing the truth, whatever it may be - either to give affirmation to the righteousness of her torture, or to force the human into second guessing her mistake. To be honest, Lilliana didn't think that knowing one way or the other would make a difference. This human creature was completely mad, hateful. Whatever she did was 'right' in her eyes.
The verbal bantering suddenly ceased. Lilliana was no longer being kicked. She found that the entire world stopped when the Morinth's banded together with their fierce and fearful psychic scream. Lilliana giggled (although this didn't sound like a giggle, she ended up spitting up blood in place of it, but the intent to giggle was there) even though poor Xaraphyne had ended up on the floor.
Re: Hollow: The Cavalry
Leyu'jin grit his teeth as he sat in the silence of his room, deep within the Grim bastion. He had kept his emotions absolutely hidden from the rest of his guildmates, for so long now, but here in the privacy of his quarters he could barely restrain himself from screaming with rage. The stress and sorrow had taken its toll, though he kept his face as a mask of steel in public. His dirty nails dug into the palms of his hands until they bled, dripping viscous fluid slowly down his wrists and congealing on the floor. The wounds regenerated quickly, so whenever he left his room no one had any inkling of his emotional strain, but the rage burned like an oil fire regardless.
It wasn't that he was in love with Lilliana. Ley had had no eye for women for almost the entirety of his adult life, and except for a Witherbark girl he'd flirted with as a boy, no woman had held any place in his heart until now. The troll knew he was damaged goods; the emotional disruption of his father's absence in Ley's life, the accusations about his father, a Skymane ambassador, having consorted with a Vilebranch noble, being called a traitor to the tribe, his aunt's cruelty and viciousness towards the young Leyu'jin, all of this had made him surround his emotions with thick, nigh-impregnable walls. A mask of cheerfulness, politeness, kindness, even anger when it suited him, all feigned, assumed like actors' roles as was appropriate to the situation. No, Leyu'jin didn't love Lilliana Bloodshine; how could he? How could he love anyone?
It was just... at heart, Leyu'jin was an idealist. If there was anything he loved, it was the Horde. The Horde had adopted him, had raised him, had given him a place of safety and belonging. It had saved his people, once, way back when Thrall and Orgrim had liberated Hammerfall, and the warriors of his tribe who had been imprisoned within. Ley owed the Horde everything, and more than that, he recognized the greatness it represented; a coming together of myriad races, from all walks of life, carrying mighty burdens of their own, and yet this dysfunctional family offered a space for everyone, no matter how sinful or disgraced their past. The Horde offered its people a future, no matter how “monstrous” they might appear to hooman eyes, and for that Leyu'jin Zeysoga would sacrifice his mind, body and soul in its preservation.
It was in Lilliana that he had found a soulmate and a companion, a woman who understood what the Horde meant, and was willing, and able, to give her all in its defense. More than that. Leyu'jin didn't hate the Alliance, not in any personal way at any rate. They were denizens of Azeroth as any other, and if their past history hadn't sundered forever any possibility of reconciliation, he would not have begrudged a single one of them a hand in friendship. By ol' Papa Legba's peg leg, he was close friends with the Sin'dorei, after all. Leyu'jin forgave easily, as he knew himself what it was like to never be forgiven. And in Bloodshine, he found someone who was the same, who actually thought, who considered, who didn't let her emotions and hate blind her to the realities that existed between Horde and Alliance.
They both followed the Mandate because they knew that too many grievances existed between the two peoples for peaceful coexistence to ever be possible. If the Horde submitted, now, those same zealots who surely existed among the Alliance, like the Grim but mirrored on the other side, would put them all to the blade and torch. Varian Wrynn might've modulated his hatred for the Horde over the years, but with burnt bridges like Jaina Proudmoore by his side (Leyu'jin personally regretted the loss of a former ally of Thrall, and sympathizer to the Horde), how could he resist the call amongst his people for the annihilation of these “monsters”, these “inhuman beasts”?
At best, in the least awful scenario, the Horde would be rounded up and put into internment camps again, forever to be slaves to those who called themselves civilized. No, peace was impossible with the Alliance, regardless of how laudable Sanctuary's goals were. Only their annihilation in turn would at last secure peace for his adopted people. For his family. And Lilliana, of all his brothas an' sistahs in the Grim, understood that without rancor towards the pinkskins, or because of ideology. With her he felt at peace, even happy, because he was with someone who understood.
And now she had been taken, imprisoned, jailed, by a crude monster, a real one, regardless of what the Alliance called the Horde, a heartless cruel destructive hateful entity that threatened everyone, including, amusingly, the Alliance. That Lilliana had been captured at all almost beggared his belief; she was a strong woman, stronger than he, he knew, in mental fortitude and magical prowess. Though he defeated her regularly in their duels, he was aware that she toyed with him, letting him think that he had the upper hand, and that if she needed to she could in a moment's notice break him. Also, the Lilly he knew would rather go to her death than be kidnapped alive; as Grim one could not allow one's self to be used against the guild, to have any possibility of playing a part in undermining the Mandate. No, that Lilliana Bloodshine had been captured alive had shocked him, dismayed him, despaired him, and finally, enraged him. This Morinth must be no simple mortal. And as he bit his lip to the quick to prevent himself from letting out a bellow of rage, of giving voice to his madness, one thought resounded like the deep peals of a great church bell within the depths of his mind.
Ah will kill joo, Morinth. An' ah will git Lilliana back.
It wasn't that he was in love with Lilliana. Ley had had no eye for women for almost the entirety of his adult life, and except for a Witherbark girl he'd flirted with as a boy, no woman had held any place in his heart until now. The troll knew he was damaged goods; the emotional disruption of his father's absence in Ley's life, the accusations about his father, a Skymane ambassador, having consorted with a Vilebranch noble, being called a traitor to the tribe, his aunt's cruelty and viciousness towards the young Leyu'jin, all of this had made him surround his emotions with thick, nigh-impregnable walls. A mask of cheerfulness, politeness, kindness, even anger when it suited him, all feigned, assumed like actors' roles as was appropriate to the situation. No, Leyu'jin didn't love Lilliana Bloodshine; how could he? How could he love anyone?
It was just... at heart, Leyu'jin was an idealist. If there was anything he loved, it was the Horde. The Horde had adopted him, had raised him, had given him a place of safety and belonging. It had saved his people, once, way back when Thrall and Orgrim had liberated Hammerfall, and the warriors of his tribe who had been imprisoned within. Ley owed the Horde everything, and more than that, he recognized the greatness it represented; a coming together of myriad races, from all walks of life, carrying mighty burdens of their own, and yet this dysfunctional family offered a space for everyone, no matter how sinful or disgraced their past. The Horde offered its people a future, no matter how “monstrous” they might appear to hooman eyes, and for that Leyu'jin Zeysoga would sacrifice his mind, body and soul in its preservation.
It was in Lilliana that he had found a soulmate and a companion, a woman who understood what the Horde meant, and was willing, and able, to give her all in its defense. More than that. Leyu'jin didn't hate the Alliance, not in any personal way at any rate. They were denizens of Azeroth as any other, and if their past history hadn't sundered forever any possibility of reconciliation, he would not have begrudged a single one of them a hand in friendship. By ol' Papa Legba's peg leg, he was close friends with the Sin'dorei, after all. Leyu'jin forgave easily, as he knew himself what it was like to never be forgiven. And in Bloodshine, he found someone who was the same, who actually thought, who considered, who didn't let her emotions and hate blind her to the realities that existed between Horde and Alliance.
They both followed the Mandate because they knew that too many grievances existed between the two peoples for peaceful coexistence to ever be possible. If the Horde submitted, now, those same zealots who surely existed among the Alliance, like the Grim but mirrored on the other side, would put them all to the blade and torch. Varian Wrynn might've modulated his hatred for the Horde over the years, but with burnt bridges like Jaina Proudmoore by his side (Leyu'jin personally regretted the loss of a former ally of Thrall, and sympathizer to the Horde), how could he resist the call amongst his people for the annihilation of these “monsters”, these “inhuman beasts”?
At best, in the least awful scenario, the Horde would be rounded up and put into internment camps again, forever to be slaves to those who called themselves civilized. No, peace was impossible with the Alliance, regardless of how laudable Sanctuary's goals were. Only their annihilation in turn would at last secure peace for his adopted people. For his family. And Lilliana, of all his brothas an' sistahs in the Grim, understood that without rancor towards the pinkskins, or because of ideology. With her he felt at peace, even happy, because he was with someone who understood.
And now she had been taken, imprisoned, jailed, by a crude monster, a real one, regardless of what the Alliance called the Horde, a heartless cruel destructive hateful entity that threatened everyone, including, amusingly, the Alliance. That Lilliana had been captured at all almost beggared his belief; she was a strong woman, stronger than he, he knew, in mental fortitude and magical prowess. Though he defeated her regularly in their duels, he was aware that she toyed with him, letting him think that he had the upper hand, and that if she needed to she could in a moment's notice break him. Also, the Lilly he knew would rather go to her death than be kidnapped alive; as Grim one could not allow one's self to be used against the guild, to have any possibility of playing a part in undermining the Mandate. No, that Lilliana Bloodshine had been captured alive had shocked him, dismayed him, despaired him, and finally, enraged him. This Morinth must be no simple mortal. And as he bit his lip to the quick to prevent himself from letting out a bellow of rage, of giving voice to his madness, one thought resounded like the deep peals of a great church bell within the depths of his mind.
Ah will kill joo, Morinth. An' ah will git Lilliana back.