Etheria - Some Years Ago
Piglina, Archmage First Order, makes her way down one of the many winding hallways of the Never-Ending Palace when she hears footsteps running to catch up with her. She turns to see Bombast Bombast, Official Weather Mage of Etheria, flagging her down.
“A moment of your time, Piglina! If you don’t mind. I have a brief matter to discuss with you.”
“All matters should be discussed in front of the council. And if it’s about sending another agent to Eubric... well, I’ve had it up to here about that! We’re sending someone, and that’s that.”
“I know it! Have I not been your champion in this matter for months? We must keep an eye on those people. Heroica and their new atifact, the rise of the Cold Circles, and always… that Temple below ground. Who is to guard it if not us? We are agreed on this matter! My only question is if you are utterly sure about who we should send...”
“I trust him. His training checks out, he's got no ties to any of the more ridiculous circles yet-”
“He is but a silly boy...”
There is a puff of smoke, and both mages cough as Amarcolm, Choamancer Supreme, crosses his arms and glares at them.
“Not trying to have an impromptu meeting without the rest of the Council, are we?”
Bombast blushes. “Just a discussion between friends. Piglina and I were talking about the boy...”
“Sounds like a council matter. I don’t know why you feel we need another agent in Eubric at all. The Zeigfrieds are one of the greatest wizarding families this world has ever seen.”
“Too unruly. Too unperdictable.”
“All the better! Is not magic unruly? And if not them, Eldritch and his wife can look after the city. And in Uland we have my own two apprentices, Chauncey and Avetine can easily look after one small island. Though you know I’m never opposed to introducing more factors into the mix!”
A creaking old voice, hollow now but clearly once enormous, calls from down the Hallway.
“I thought we’d agreed to not monitor the Free Islands any more than we already have!”
The three turn and watch as Mighty Harold Iceborn, far past his prime yet still Highest Necromancer, marches steadily towards them.
“The Cold Circles have expressed a desire to look after the islands themselves!”
“Wonderful! The uzardtirn is here!”
“You’re letting your heart rule your head, Iceborn. The Cold Circles need careful monitoring themselves.”
“Oh dear. If this really is going to turn into a full out council meeting, we might as well alert the Mother.”
“What’s the point? She abstains half the time anyway. I think she’s too afraid to go near the Free Islands because that’s her brother’s domain.”
A flutter of wings draws all four pairs of eyes upward. The Mother of Hope, Guider of the Council, comes to land facing them.
She speaks in a soothing merry voice, a twinge of delight in her eye.
“As I have told you many times, Bombast, my brothers and I do not claim domains. We choose to go our separate ways, unless we must not. Though my brother on the Free Islands has been missing for some time now... that is neither here nor there. This matter has already been settled. Piglina wishes to send the novice to observe all circles on the island, and we will await his reports. Now come, there must be some matters more pressing than that. Shall we hold our conference in the Council Room, just this once?”
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Eubric Freeport - Present Day
"Eubric Freeport!" cries out a voice, preceding its speaker through a rift in time and space, and then ZAP two figures stand in a forgotten corner of the docks. Piglina dusts herself off and looks after.
"Thank you, Void Master," says Piglina. She sniffs the air. "Ah, it's been a long time since I've been home. Perhaps I will do some sight seeing. But business first, of course. I'll meet you here in exactly one day?"
The Void Master nods, and then with another ZAP he is gone. Piglina shakes her head. "I guess it's off to the Hall, then," she mumbles to herself.
Piglina makes her way down the streets until she comes to a crossroad. Now, which way was it again? Meanwhile, a darkened figure steps out of a dark corner.
"After all these years, I'd think your sense of direction would've gotten better," Althior smirks.
"There's a reason I didn't take a boat," she replies, coldly. It was evident where Althior got his mannerisms from. She walks towards the Necromancer. "You know why I'm here then. If you came all the way down here to meet me,"
"I figured the council was meeting with all of their informants in town. Me, the Eldritches..."
"You know this isn't a simple meeting Althior. I'd hoped you would recognize that," she says with a twinge of disappointment in her voice.
"There's a difference between what I'd recognized and what I'd hoped." he pauses for a few moments before continuing. "I did what you'd asked, Piglina. What the council asked me to do. I surveyed the situation in Eubric: Abraxas, the Porthiars, the Ziegfrieds, even the Mindflayer. I reported what I saw back to the council when I deemed it right to. I remained in the city until city business took me out of the city, and I continued my job there."
"Trust me, Althior, we know. I know. You did your tasks admirably, and your talent in ethereal manipulation showed itself numerous times. Not just anyone can create a physical, self-sustaining representation of ether as you did with your aura," she pauses to look around, "Where is he by the way?"
"Not important. Go on,"
"As I was saying; your completion of tasks was indeed admirable. In fact it was among the best of our informants. But your actions, well... They reflected on both of us poorly. Your immediate siding with the Wolfgang among the Violetta business had admirable motivations, but it showed myself and the council how easily corruptible you were. I had hoped you knew not to become involved in a nations politics in accordance with the policies of the council. By the time you went to Babeleth, I had hoped you had changed-"
"I have changed Piglina. Do you still see the naive boy in front of you that left Etheria oh-so many years ago? After that night; the night I died, I came back a new man. You know that,"
"Yes, in fact I do," she pauses, debating what to say next. "The council and I considered that night a happy accident,"
"Excuse me? The end of my life is a happy accident?"
"As much as it shames me to say it, Althior, yes. Your death and subsequent resurrection proved Ethereth favored unlike any of her other servants. We're not sure why, but it kept you and I from becoming insults to the council. The fact that she continued to show her will time and time again was icing on the cake for us, so to speak," she pauses, "You did realize that it is by her hand that you're here today, do you not?"
Althior remains silent. The answer he'd been searching for for years had finally presented itself. His encounter with the Oculoids, his stunning lack of torment from Abraxas; when did all of this come to be? After his "death", of course. How had he been so blind?
"It's not the cleanest method of revival, no, but it keeps you from looking like Iceborn." she continues, "Thus why you had to experience some unfortunate side effects. But it does what it has to. It proved to me and to the council that you had become the ideal soldier for our cause- Ethereth's ideal Prophet. Unfortunately, it became evident to the council and I due to your infatuation with Necromancy..." She pauses yet again, evidently trying to think of what to say, until Althior interrupts.
"You're calling for my resignation, aren't you? I have a quill right here-"
"That discussion has been tabled for a later time by the rest of the council," She says sternly.
He pauses a beat. "But you do want to have a discussion, do you not?" he replies, taken aback by Piglina's strict tone.
Piglina lets out a heavy sigh. "The rest of the council already has. We cannot have a now-famous supporter of the Wolfgang among our ranks Althior. Your job was to survey the situation, not get involved in it. You've embarrassed yourself, and-" She looks away from him. "You've embarrassed me. Luckily, you've provided us with enough information to get yourself an honorary discharge. I'm hoping this doesn't hurt your reputation in anyway, let alone mine..."
She comes closer to Althior, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I believed in you Althior, and even though our paths are parting ways, I still do. I expected better, and I still expect better things from you Althior." She steps away from him as he remains silent. "I'm sorry it had to end this way for you," She turns around, making her way down the dim street.
Before Althior can say a word, she slips out of sight. An empty look appears in the Necromancers eye; not his usual emptiness, mind you, but something new altogether. A lack of purpose, perhaps. Since he had arrived in Eubric, he had one job; one string that was holding him up, that provided support. Now that string was cut. Did he have no support, or had he finally gained freedom from whatever was holding onto him for all of these years. Perhaps this string was being cut, yes, but it allowed him to fall freely onto a new path; one that had seemed out of the question for years. Perhaps, he could set upon a path of fate. Alas, it seemed only time would tell.
He makes his way back to the hall along the same path he had taken nearly four years ago. He opened the doors with a new atmosphere about him: one of freedom, perhaps. Except this time, he did not head straight to the bar as he had most days since he had joined. This time, he makes his way to the training room for the first time in a long while. Perhaps now, it was because he was a different man.
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"Master Emorith," The Copper Fox states. "It's been a while. I wasn't expecting to ever see you again; especially after your," He contemplates the best way to say it, "personality change,"
"Nor did I," the Necromancer states. "However, some things did come to my attention recently," quite recently, in fact, but that was a discussion for another time. Before he could speak, he is interrupted.
"You wish to retrain yourself as a Prophet, do you not?" The Necromancer nods. "I had assumed so..." He circles Althior. "Your more recent endeavors allowed yourself to show a connection to the Ether flow that is not seen often,"
"I've been hearing that a lot lately," he mutters.
"Let us begin then. And hope this profession brings in better results than the previous one..."
Althior Emorith, The Dragonslayer (K-Nut)
36 years old male human Prophet of Ethereth
Level 53 *Clairvoyance* *Glossolalia* *Permanently Transcended* *Immune to Petrified, Fragile, Bound, and Slowed* *Absorbs Earth* *Immune to Ice and Darkness*
Power: 74 (53+25) (Spellpower: 84 (53+25+5))
Defense: 15 (2+5+5+3)
Health: 73/73 (5+52+15+1)
Ether: 88/88 (5+52+15+10+4+2)
Equipment: Scepter of Divine Affinity (WP:21, Has ⅙ chance to deal cursed effect on successful spells and ⅙ chance to deal blessed effect on successful healing, staff), Ethereal Cloak (SP:2, Max Ether +4; backwear), Coat Hanger (Allows wearing a second bodywear artifact regardless of the amount limit for artifacts; accessory), Robe of the Seneschal (SP:5; wearer absorbs earth-elemental damage and is immune to petrified, ice, and darkness elemental damage; suitable to clerics, mages, chi monks, necromancers and scholars; bodywear), Robes of Illumination (SP: 5, +10 Max Ether, wearer is permanently transcended, suitable to prophets; bodywear), Lieutenant's Helm (SP:3, protects from fragile; headwear), Winged Sandals (protects from bound and slowed effects, footwear), Magician's Gloves (+10 spellpower, suitable to mages; handwear)
OoC: HUGE thanks to Zepher for writing this with me.
