Distant thunder rolled through the dreary grey sky, echoing eerily off the rotting buildings. The fog that hung made it sound muted, muffled. As if this really were a dream Yllithia was wandering through. The silent spirits didn't help the scene at all. With feet that never touched the ground they wandered through the rubble, conversations that were never heard passed through the image of their parted lips. Lifeless eyes that watched as Yllithia walked past, but not seeing her, seeing through her. To be seen meant to be sought after. And although her holy light amplified the beacon to lost souls, she was lost even to them. These beings didn't want to see her. They were hopelessly content on living out the life they believed they still had, in the rubble they never saw, of the town that wasn't anymore.
She wasn't entirely sure what she was doing here. Peering up at the rusted gate. She was wandering towards the answers she thought. But this couldn't be it. Not the looming tower in front of her. Shadows clung to every part of it, as if there were no light at all to touch upon the dark stone. It was dead. This whole place was dead. Yet where ever Yllithia looked there would be movement imitating life. They were trapped. Angered or embittered. They were lost and couldn't be guided free of the hold this place had over them. They were stuck in time.
Time... She'd heard it before. This place, it was a hourglass tipped sideways. Things that shouldn't be, happened here. Things that were to come, were shown. Things that have already happened continued to reenact themselves. It was as if this spot was destined to continue on while never moving from where it started. The dead stayed dead, yet persisted as ethereals in her time, living in their time. If anyone were to doubt that time could both move forward and stand still, all they needed to do was visit the tower. They'd never doubt again.
But time wasn't her question. She knew of the sands of time. She knew of the great walls that crumbled as people fell away. Becoming stones, pebbles, and then nothing more than a grain. Drifting and blowing, changing the flows of rivers. She understood time. And she understood what it did to people... how it changed them. Going back wasn't an option. Not one she would wish for out loud . To change it would be to change the course of everything afterwards. All those she'd loved, she would have never seen. All those she saved... all those she didn't. No. Back was not the key. But was forward? She was led to this place by her thoughts. By her Goddess. Elune knew the answers and sought to show her. Here was the answer. All she had to do was find the hidden meaning in the pages.
Yllithia breathed out, realizing she'd been holding it for some time. Though how long was uncertain. How did you measure it around here? She warily peered about. All she could see was the destruction that time had brought. Everything was shrouded in darkness, in shadows. "Elune will light my path." She assured herself. "Elune will show me the way." And as she spoke those words the clouds parted allowing the beam of silver to make its way across the ground. It was almost as if a candle of holy light were traveling towards where Ylli should be headed, growing in size as it neared the rusted gate. And there it stopped, lighting up the path to the tower its self. Lighting the old pointed gate that kept adventurers weaker of heart from entering what would surely be their death.
"My Goddess knows best..." She breathed heavily. The thick fog stuck to her, muffled her words, folded them in on themselves so that only Yllithia heard what she was speaking. She followed the stream of pale light towards the tower, towards Medivh's old tower. Where horrors happened, and still played out. Her soft soled shoes silent on the broken path. The moonlight bathing her, causing her light skin to pale and glow. Her hair catching droplets of the silver in her purple strands. Her dark tattoos standing out around her soft glowing eyes, with light kissing her lashes when she blinked.
It was almost too perfect an entrance to be overlooked. The holy priestess, illuminated by the light of the moon. By the light of her Goddess. Following the only path that was laid clear of darkness and shadows. Silently slipping past the gaze of those lost, tormented souls around her. But it was over looked. Not even the three mortals that lived and breathed in Yllithia's time paid her any mind. Busy they were amongst themselves, chatting about lay-lines and crystals. And she stepped right past them, slipping the key into the rusted gate, pushing it open, the hinges screaming. A final look about as she entered darkness, the moon swallowed up by the foreboding night sky once again. Into shadows she stalked, for her Goddess wished it so.
But the foyer stayed silent, motionless. And the pressure of her waiting began to wear on her. It was time to move on. This wasn't what she was looking for. She needed answers, and Elune had shown her that some where in this tower is where they lay. She cautiously padded across the dirty floor towards the wide staircase. Peering towards the stables to her left as she climbed to the blue and gold lined archways. Inch by inch, step by step, she treaded up the marbled steps. Wide eyes scanning the landing that was spreading out before her vision.
And still nothing. No souls moved in this place. No one but Yllithia. Somehow she stumbled upon a frozen castle. Somehow she had found a hidden chapter, tucked away in the pages of the book that no one knew of. For her eyes only. She smiled to herself as her body relaxed. A gift this was. The entire tower at her disposal. Still. Peaceful even. Alone. This was what solitude was really like. And even though there was no warmth from another being, she felt a warmth radiating from further in the tower than she'd been before. A tugging at the back of her mind. An awareness which she was seeking.
Yllithia slowly turned her feet on the worn and dusted red carpet. The fabric scruffing the stone under it as she shifted her weight from heel to toe. She tilted her head from side to side as she stared through her surroundings. Like a doll from a music box she gazed past the room around her in her silent, slow spin, taking in everything that was immediate and also paying close attention to what wasn't. The walls were dark, the stone was cold. The room was covered in dirt and dust from the lack of use since the last days of the old wizard. Cobwebs draped across well crafted busts and once valuable paintings like veils over the eyes of the mourning, watching life unsettle the dead tower. And as if the unheard music cut off her dance, Yllithia stopped. Her eyes narrowed at another staircase to her right as she canted her head, a slight smirk pulling across her lips.
"I see." She whispered. It was all that needed to be said. She understood where she was going, the path that was revealed to her. Her smirk became a smug smile. How easy it was to see where the path laid. Smoothing down her dress she gracefully padded through the halls. Around each corner her smile grew, not even needing to stop to right her directions. It grew up each stair, through each archway, with each step she took. It grew with the pull that also grew in her. The tug that was at the back of her mind, the tug that was pulling her through the desolate keep towards the answers to the questions she never asked.
She wasn't entirely sure what she was doing here. Peering up at the rusted gate. She was wandering towards the answers she thought. But this couldn't be it. Not the looming tower in front of her. Shadows clung to every part of it, as if there were no light at all to touch upon the dark stone. It was dead. This whole place was dead. Yet where ever Yllithia looked there would be movement imitating life. They were trapped. Angered or embittered. They were lost and couldn't be guided free of the hold this place had over them. They were stuck in time.
Time... She'd heard it before. This place, it was a hourglass tipped sideways. Things that shouldn't be, happened here. Things that were to come, were shown. Things that have already happened continued to reenact themselves. It was as if this spot was destined to continue on while never moving from where it started. The dead stayed dead, yet persisted as ethereals in her time, living in their time. If anyone were to doubt that time could both move forward and stand still, all they needed to do was visit the tower. They'd never doubt again.
But time wasn't her question. She knew of the sands of time. She knew of the great walls that crumbled as people fell away. Becoming stones, pebbles, and then nothing more than a grain. Drifting and blowing, changing the flows of rivers. She understood time. And she understood what it did to people... how it changed them. Going back wasn't an option. Not one she would wish for out loud . To change it would be to change the course of everything afterwards. All those she'd loved, she would have never seen. All those she saved... all those she didn't. No. Back was not the key. But was forward? She was led to this place by her thoughts. By her Goddess. Elune knew the answers and sought to show her. Here was the answer. All she had to do was find the hidden meaning in the pages.
Yllithia breathed out, realizing she'd been holding it for some time. Though how long was uncertain. How did you measure it around here? She warily peered about. All she could see was the destruction that time had brought. Everything was shrouded in darkness, in shadows. "Elune will light my path." She assured herself. "Elune will show me the way." And as she spoke those words the clouds parted allowing the beam of silver to make its way across the ground. It was almost as if a candle of holy light were traveling towards where Ylli should be headed, growing in size as it neared the rusted gate. And there it stopped, lighting up the path to the tower its self. Lighting the old pointed gate that kept adventurers weaker of heart from entering what would surely be their death.
"My Goddess knows best..." She breathed heavily. The thick fog stuck to her, muffled her words, folded them in on themselves so that only Yllithia heard what she was speaking. She followed the stream of pale light towards the tower, towards Medivh's old tower. Where horrors happened, and still played out. Her soft soled shoes silent on the broken path. The moonlight bathing her, causing her light skin to pale and glow. Her hair catching droplets of the silver in her purple strands. Her dark tattoos standing out around her soft glowing eyes, with light kissing her lashes when she blinked.
It was almost too perfect an entrance to be overlooked. The holy priestess, illuminated by the light of the moon. By the light of her Goddess. Following the only path that was laid clear of darkness and shadows. Silently slipping past the gaze of those lost, tormented souls around her. But it was over looked. Not even the three mortals that lived and breathed in Yllithia's time paid her any mind. Busy they were amongst themselves, chatting about lay-lines and crystals. And she stepped right past them, slipping the key into the rusted gate, pushing it open, the hinges screaming. A final look about as she entered darkness, the moon swallowed up by the foreboding night sky once again. Into shadows she stalked, for her Goddess wished it so.
Yllithia caught her breath as she pushed open the heavy wooden door leading into the cobbled hallway. It wasn't the first time she'd been inside the gates of the tower, but something was different tonight. It was silent. It was as if the place was dead. Or more dead. She stood there, dim lamps lit the hall leading towards the stables, but no one was about. Usually disgruntled shadows of the past wandered to and fro. Ones Yllithia had the unpleasant experience of sealing away from this plane of existence. But there was nothing. She braced herself, ready to flee as if everything would charge at her all at once. But nothing moved. Nothing besides her shallow breath in the cold hallway, misting up to the ceiling. Even the candles didn't flicker, frozen in their ever burning phase, illuminating but never burning any lower.
To say she wasn't frightened would be lying to herself. She was terrified. The first night she had ventured through these dank halls still haunted her in her waking hours. The screams of those she helped move on... if helping is what you could call it. They weren't a part of this world, they shouldn't believe they were. And she was tasked with removing them. As if the souls were nothing more than insects. They'd cry for release when they wandered silently, she could hear the whispers and the pain. And yet when her party would deliver the final blow to their shadowed form, they'd cry to stay, screaming as if they died all over again. Time kept them frozen, they felt no pain, but they didn't know that.
But the foyer stayed silent, motionless. And the pressure of her waiting began to wear on her. It was time to move on. This wasn't what she was looking for. She needed answers, and Elune had shown her that some where in this tower is where they lay. She cautiously padded across the dirty floor towards the wide staircase. Peering towards the stables to her left as she climbed to the blue and gold lined archways. Inch by inch, step by step, she treaded up the marbled steps. Wide eyes scanning the landing that was spreading out before her vision.
And still nothing. No souls moved in this place. No one but Yllithia. Somehow she stumbled upon a frozen castle. Somehow she had found a hidden chapter, tucked away in the pages of the book that no one knew of. For her eyes only. She smiled to herself as her body relaxed. A gift this was. The entire tower at her disposal. Still. Peaceful even. Alone. This was what solitude was really like. And even though there was no warmth from another being, she felt a warmth radiating from further in the tower than she'd been before. A tugging at the back of her mind. An awareness which she was seeking.
Yllithia slowly turned her feet on the worn and dusted red carpet. The fabric scruffing the stone under it as she shifted her weight from heel to toe. She tilted her head from side to side as she stared through her surroundings. Like a doll from a music box she gazed past the room around her in her silent, slow spin, taking in everything that was immediate and also paying close attention to what wasn't. The walls were dark, the stone was cold. The room was covered in dirt and dust from the lack of use since the last days of the old wizard. Cobwebs draped across well crafted busts and once valuable paintings like veils over the eyes of the mourning, watching life unsettle the dead tower. And as if the unheard music cut off her dance, Yllithia stopped. Her eyes narrowed at another staircase to her right as she canted her head, a slight smirk pulling across her lips.
"I see." She whispered. It was all that needed to be said. She understood where she was going, the path that was revealed to her. Her smirk became a smug smile. How easy it was to see where the path laid. Smoothing down her dress she gracefully padded through the halls. Around each corner her smile grew, not even needing to stop to right her directions. It grew up each stair, through each archway, with each step she took. It grew with the pull that also grew in her. The tug that was at the back of her mind, the tug that was pulling her through the desolate keep towards the answers to the questions she never asked.
Yllithia gazed, her eyes glistened, wide, as she looked over the treasure she stumbled upon. She had heard stories, very few stories, but stories none the less on what sort of wealth Medivh had. But even this was much more than she ever believed. She opened her mouth, feeling dwarfed in the giant room, but no sound came out. It was a look of complete awe that crossed her face now as she peered up, and up some more. Noting the several levels to the room. Pillars held narrow walk ways of stone reaching up to even more walls, even more shelves. She had found the library. And possibly the largest she had ever seen. What a shame very few could set their eyes on such a collection. What a shame so many books would go unread.
The acrid smoke wafted towards her, stinging her nose and rousing her from her disbelief. She had noted the pile of burning books when she entered. It was hard to miss, about half as tall as her, and her full height in diameter. The flames hungrily licking at the damaged, ash covered pages, that, like the rest in the castle, continued to burn eternally. What a waste.. the thought passed through her head as her sad eyes watched the text burn. A deep breath and a shake of her head was the last bit of thought she put towards those ashen books she'd never get to read. There were so many more that she needed to thumb through. So many more that were waiting to have their spines creak again, waiting for their stories to unfold. And it was time for her to crack them.
The acrid smoke wafted towards her, stinging her nose and rousing her from her disbelief. She had noted the pile of burning books when she entered. It was hard to miss, about half as tall as her, and her full height in diameter. The flames hungrily licking at the damaged, ash covered pages, that, like the rest in the castle, continued to burn eternally. What a waste.. the thought passed through her head as her sad eyes watched the text burn. A deep breath and a shake of her head was the last bit of thought she put towards those ashen books she'd never get to read. There were so many more that she needed to thumb through. So many more that were waiting to have their spines creak again, waiting for their stories to unfold. And it was time for her to crack them.
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