RP:A Riddle, Wrapped in a Mystery, Inside an Enigma

Synopsis: Finally back from her unintended trip to Gualon, Nasada reveals to Diryon all that she has learned. Together they begin putting the puzzle pieces together.

Characters: Nasada, Diryon

Location: Xalious, Mage Tower

Date: Jan. 28th, 2016

Dormitory

Nasada/// Raevyn was laying upon her very own cot, knees skyward, resting upon one another, her feet bare and resting on the edges of the makeshift bed. Trailing from the door and all the way to where she lay, muddy footprints- her boots coated well above the ankle. It seemed fresh. The necromancer's arms were folded over her chest, beneath them she held onto something that seemed to be wrapped in a large piece of leather. With head resting upon a stack of three pillow, Raevyn stared at the ceiling of the dormitory, lost seemingly in never-ending train of thought.

Diryon appears from the library, having spent some time studying a text or two while waiting to possibly catch a glimpse of Raevyn while there. She never came, however, or at least not in the hours he was there...and so, the mage's curiosity has brought him here. His steps are quiet and measured, not seeking to disturb any other occupants in the dormitory as he seeks out the troubled young woman. Soon he finds her, a quick smile finding his lips. "There you are. I was looking for you in the library, earlier..." His voice is kept to an appropriate volume for their surroundings, of course. "Are you all right?"

Nasada/// Raevyn's features lit up when Diryon appeared. Her appearance was just a bit dishevelled, hair in a bad state of bed-head, but otherwise seemed healthy enough. She smiled at the mage, truly happy to see him this evening. "Diryon!" she somewhat, kind of, exclaimed. Whisper-like. Swinging both feet onto the floor, she sat up and shook her head. "I'm fine, now. You would not believe what happened to me last night!" Well, after all that she had told him prior, maybe he would. First things first, "I'm sorry I didn't get to see you last night. How are you?" Politeness goes a long way.

Diryon grins when Raevyn seems rather pleased to see him, taking a seat on a cot just across from her own. "Oh yeah? What happened last night? I assumed something came up...I was in the library for a little while, but I didn't see you. I was in earlier, too, so I got curious and looked here." He lifts his shoulders at her question, folding his arms in his lap. "I'm fine, I suppose. Not many changes or happenings to speak of, really."

Nasada/// Raevyn's pale gaze met the mage's, relieved to hear that nothing terrible had happened recently. Last thing she wanted was for anyone around her to get hurt. "Well... You know how I had that little breakdown? And you were so kind to put me to bed-" She laughed, "Thank you by the way- well, I didn't wake up where I should have." This is where she paused and looked down at her muck ridden boots, her nose curling upward in disgust. Mental reminder, don't forget to go shopping for something new. "I woke up in a city. Gualon to be exact." She still clutched that bound items against her chest. She wasn't sure if she should show it to Diryon or not. There were far too many 'what ifs'. "How in the seven hells did I get to Gualon? I read that book. I know how far that city is from here!"

Diryon 's smile disappears when Raevyn speaks of waking up somewhere else entirely...and not somewhere nearby, either. "Gaulon?" He pauses, searching his mind for what he knows of that particular city. "I've never actually been there, but...it's the one out in the swamp, right? That's a long ways off. I doubt you sleepwalked that far, at least without someone noticing. Your legs would probably be quite sore after that much of a trek, too...so, either someone took you there...or you found yourself there by a more obscure, possibly magical route that you aren't aware of." The mage frowns, uncertain of what the answer may be. "What's that you have there?" He points out what she's holding to her chest.

Nasada/// Raevyn lists her head forward, a slight nod confirming Diryon's first question. "Mmhm. And the walk back was not pleasant." That uninteresting tale would be for another time. As he inquired about what she had been holding onto, Raevyn took a deep breath, a long exhale when she spoke. "Yeah..this. This is the reason I woke up in Gualon, I believe. I'm not completely sure, but... coincidences like this just don't happen." At least they didn't where she was from! Resting the makeshift casing in her lap, Raevyn slowly unfurled the scrap of leather to reveal what seemed to be some sort of dagger. Its hilt was carved from some kind of black bone, almost obsidian like in hue. The blade itself was the real draw to the eye. Darkness itself, that was the only way to describe it. So black that even light did not reflect off of its surface if it even had one. All around the blade light became distorted, as if being pulled into the weapon's depths. Taking the dagger by the hilt, Raevyn lifted it, "I was gifted this last night. By a very scary man. I don't think he was a man, however...." Raevyn the aimed the dagger at the nearby night stand, placing the tip just against it. Slowly the wood it was made of began to rot. She quickly pulled the weapon back as to not cause further damage- after all, she was welcome here. For now. "It gets more peculiar..."

Diryon gazes curiously as this tenebrous dagger that seems to allow no trace of light, his eyes narrowing when the wood begins to rot when the tip is placed near it. "Yeah, there's definitely something wicked about that weapon. No conventional magic was used to create or enchant it. It's a dark sort of magic...something akin to necromancy, but something that creates...death and rot rather than reanimating dead things, like most people associate with necromancy." A hand is placed to his chin, humming in deep thought. "Someone quite skilled did the job, too. No hack or novice can do that. If they tried, they'd probably end up a rotted mess themselves. Someone that knows what they're doing did that...someone old." He pauses, "Possibly someone evil."

Nasada/// Raevyn's lips parted and her jaw stiffened. "Yeah. You should have seen this person, Diryon. I sincerely almost pissed myself on the spot. The things he said... The way he said them. If this person forged the blade, then it's someone vastly powerful- and the way he carried him- or itself, vastly sinister. I think we're connected, he and I." Raevyn's brow furrowed as she thought about the best way to relay the information she had gathered. The way things connected. What it all could mean. After a few moments of thinking, she opted to bare her soul to the magi. There was just something in Diryon that was most comforting to the neophyte necromancer. Sure, they had only known one another such a short time, but she felt of all those she had come across, he was the one she trusted most. She started to consider him an actual friend- whether he felt the same or not was up in the air. "Well. This might be a little long winded, but... I need to be honest with you. There was more to that story I told you the other evening." Raevyn frowned. "You see. When I was training in those forbidden arts, I took a pseudonym. For the longest time I had dreams. Nightmares. Maybe even visions... Of places I had never been to. Of people I have never met. Of things that have, that is, I think have passed in time." The young woman began her habit of chewing on her lip as she continued. "In my dreams one name stood out most. And so, to hide what I was doing, I used this name. This name was Nasada" Should she go on? What would he think? She pushed those doubt filled thoughts out of the way- She had to tell someone. Diryon was the right someone. "When I came here one year ago and that woman found me, she asked me my name. For some reason I could not recall my real name. There was a mental block. And so I told her- Nasada." Another pause, her eyes staring down to the floor as the memories grew vivid. "They way she looked at me. Both terror and surprise. Not long after I told her my name, she offered me food and drink. She acted so kind. But I think... it wasn't kindness at all." Here, Raevyn stopped to allow Diryon to think upon her words, prepared to tell him more after she took a drink from the glass situated upon the night table she had marred with that damned dagger.

Diryon listens quietly yet intently, his eyes fixed upon Raevyn while she confides all of this to him. "Nasada?" He starts, an uncertain look creeping onto his face. Not one of fear, necessarily, but that inexplicable look someone's face shifts to when they realize something is far more complicated than previously thought. "I've heard that name. He's far before my time here, of course, but apparently he was an old demon. He has been gone for many years now...supposedly." The mage sucks in a breath and promptly exhales it. "It's possible those memories and visions are actually his...but I think you probably realize that. It could all be tied into that stone you found. Maybe it contained his essence...or his soul. Again, I don't know the specifics. Dark magic is outside of my realm of knowledge, I only know some basic concepts. Either way..." A pause, "...He's somehow tied to you, now. Or at least, that's really how it sounds."

Nasada/// Raevyn stared at Diryon. Eyes wide. It might have even come off as a little creepy. "You too?!" she asked, half in surprise, half somewhat expecting this. It definitely confirmed her worst fears. " It's all starting to come together, I think. You see, while that woman and I were eating, something was channelled through her. Something I would soon come to know as Gheneroc. A dragon. Gheneroc offered me food, shelter, and to act as my new mentor. He told me he would give me power if I submit my will to him. I didn't know what else to do. I figured he would help me. So a allowed him to etch me with his mark. I think, had I note spoken that name, he wouldn't ever have bothered with me. Why would he?" Pulling down the collar of her shirt, she would reveal an ebon inked tattoo upon her neck, its shape that of linked chains. "Gheneroc has been very hospitable thus far. The other night when I told you I had good and bad news- I never got to tell you the good news. But now, I don't think it's so good." Here she would neglect to actually speak of what that particular news happened to be. It wasn't important. "When I met Artia and she took me home, she too asked my name. I was beginning to remember then. First I spoke my pseudonym. And she too gave me a very strange and peculiar look. She then went on about historical texts and demons as well. After that I decided it best to just use my real name. It felt safer." Staring into the blackened abyss that made the dagger's blade, Raevyn took to recalling the things that the creature had said to her the night before. "This....thing. It was there that night Gheneroc marked me. I remember now. When he approached me last night, he told me that I was stronger than Gheneroc. That I could kill him without steel or magic. I... shrugged it off. I still do. I can't even carry two books without feeling tired." Finally she once more focused on Diryon, looking over his features carefully. "This being told me that I fell into the trap of a someone lesser than I. I think he was referring to the dragon. When he asked me my name, of course I told him Raevyn. But this angered him.... so.." She paused one last time as she thought about how that thing reacted when she spoke that cursed name. "I said Nasada. He looked so pleased. It was beyond scary. That when he gave me this... this thing." she revealed, looking over the dagger with both fear and wonder. "And when he turned to leave, he said- 'You will understand why when you understand your name. Until then, treasure it -use it. Let it help you.' -What is that supposed to mean?"

Diryon , once more, seems genuinely puzzled. "I don't know, honestly. If I knew more about this...Nasada, I could try and piece together what he's talking about. This...figure you keep seeing." His eyes find hers again, "What does he look like? Can you tell anything about him? Or is he shrouded...like a phantom of some sort? Does he just vanish when he leaves?" His mind fast at work, the mage's gaze goes to the floor for a moment. "Whoever or whatever he is, he's someone that knew Nasada...or maybe even more than that. Maybe it's like...a reflection of his being, if that makes sense. It probably doesn't. I'm not sure it even makes sense to me." Now his eyes turn back to Raevyn, a quick smile appearing. "There's something tying you two together, and I think it has to do with that stone. If we can find out exactly what happened to Nasada in his days in this realm, it would go a long way toward figuring out how you two are tied together. If you want to solve this mystery, I'll try and help you in any way I can."

Nasada/// Raevyn begins to re-wrap that seemingly unholy dagger when she thinks she hears someone in the hallway. While Diryon was very calm, not everyone may share his cool, collected disposition. Soon, Raevyn could feel goosebumps crawling over her skin as she thought about the strange being from last evening. "The one that seemed to be waiting for me. The one that I think I was destined to cross paths with- perhaps my very reason for being in Gualon, is both like an old man and a young one. He walks decrepit, with a gnarled cane in aide. His skin.... what I could see under the veil of black, had words carved into it. I can't recall what they said, however. He spoke cryptically, often hissing as he spoke. Something about him seemed quite off. I could feel the evil radiating off of him." Her breath trembled then as she thought of that most prominent feature. "His face, Diryon. It was perfect. Compared to the rest of him, his face was youthful and perfect. It... looked like a mask. A very real, human face mask." The thought disturbed her more than she thought. When the magi spoke of helping the young woman in any way he could, she practically leapt of the bed to give him a hug. At least, that's how it played out in her head. He already probably thought she was crazy. She didn't need to make it more apparent. Then, she smiled in turn- Soft. Appreciative. She almost cried! "Thank you, Diryon. I'm so glad that we crossed paths. You've been so much help already."

Diryon nods firmly when she describes this mysterious figure, crossing his robed arms up against his chest. "Yeah, we have to figure out who he is, too, and how he's connected to Nasada. He knows quite a bit about you, too, or he can somehow...feel that kind of link Nasada has to you. Either way, he's bad news. He wouldn't care about you if this link wasn't there." The mage is caught off guard when she practically leaps at him, uncrossing his arms quickly to catch her. "Oof!" He chuckles, sharing the embrace. "I'm glad we did, too. No worries, we'll get to the bottom of this. It won't be easy, and chances are it'll be dangerous, too...but it'll be worth it."

Nasada/// Raevyn seemed to be in better spirits. At least things were starting to come together. Did she somehow absorb some of Nasada's memories? Traces of his essence? Or was it something more sinister? Answers. So many answers she needed. A little embarrassed, Raevyn pulled back and fidgeted with her clothes, an awkward cough before she started into her own train of thought. "If this...Nasada is as well known as he seems, then there should be some sort of history on him. I think tomorrow I will begin looking through that book some more. Maybe it might hold clues as to where we can start to look." Turning then away from Diryon, Raevyn took that leather-bound dagger and thought it best to hide it for the night. She bent over, the leather of her pants creaking uncomfortably. She would stuff the thing just under the cot, laying it flat enough so that she could at least sleep atop the thing without being uncomfortable. "Perhaps tomorrow, we can meet in um, Kelay? There's a restaurant there. They have good food. We can discuss more over a meal." Once the item was secure, she turned then and smiled at the mage, removing her cloak while she waited for his answer.

Diryon chuckles once more as it seems Raevyn is a touch embarrassed, though his small fit of laughter quickly dies out. "I know there are more questions than answers right now, but that's to be expected. We have an idea of what happened and we know more than we did, so it's a good start. We'll look through that book, and maybe we can even venture up to Vailkrin to that dark library to see if there's something on him there, too." At the offer to meet Raevyn in Kelay, Diryon smiles with a nod. "Sure, we can do that. About what time, maybe?"

Nasada/// Raevyn plopped down upon her cot, both feet swinging up so that she was laying on her side. The adequate blanket was pulled up to her waist- it was a bit chilly in there. Vailkrin! She completely forgot! All of the excitement in the last couple of days, she seemed to have blocked it out. After all, Vailkrin is where she first entered this land, wasn't it? "Right. That's probably the best place to look." she stated with a smile. She admired his ability to quickly think things out. To his later question, she thought for a moment. "Hrm. Good question. Sometime after dusk? Maybe a little later? After that incident last night, I barely got a wink of sleep. I can see myself not wanting to wake up too early tomorrow." she laughed.

Diryon tips his head when he finds that time easily agreeable. "Sure thing, I'll be there." He hops from his seat on the opposite cot, laughing softly at her words. "I can understand that, definitely. Get your rest. In fact, maybe I'll stick around on this cot tonight to make sure you don't wake up in Gaulon or somewhere else on the other side of the world again." He sits back down now, smiling. "Sound like a good idea?"

Nasada/// Raevyn could feel her eyelids getting heavy as she lay there looked to Diryon. It had been a really long day full of fear and adventure. And walking. A lot of walking. She forsake social politeness and yawned, tjis time pulling those covered up to the shoulder. She was beat and she knew she would pass out any time. "Terrific idea, Diryon." Truthfully, this put her at ease more than she cared to explain to him. A smile offered, eyes closing, she said, "Good night, Diryon. Thank you..." before making an attempt to get a little shut-eye.