"[Malmydia's] skill is undeniable." - Nocht
[occured 7/24/23]

(Password correct. Welcome to Lusternia.)

QWHO
Nocht, Veldrin, Xenthos, Yinuish, Aeldra, Alysi, Azula, Esei, Exeryte, Faragan, Kennian, Machlana, Mimmin, Nikkakorra, Nirrain, Qoivhae, Tirah, Tonatiuh, Ulkhar, Cerosir, Hyirah, Kaios, Wrynn.

(Glomdoring): You say, "Hail, my Lord."

You find yourself engulfed in a swirl of scintillating lights, drawn to your Patron's Master Shrine.
The Fulcrux of Nocht.
The image of a beautiful nighttime sky has been stretched across the fulcrux. Dim stars struggle futilely to compete with the terrifying beauty of Mother Night. The ethereal image wavers on occasion, the sky rippling like water in a pond. A lonely hill covered in tall grass leads up to a single shrine. Behind the shrine stands a large blackthorn tree. The tree is taller than most of its kind, extending upwards rather than outwards. Delicate blossoms shower down from its branches, creating a flurry of white petals and filling the air with the pungent scent of wyrden foliage. A complex series of stones orbit around a stygian orb here. A rippling image of a beautiful night sky has been magically wrapped around the fulcrux here. Reverently laid before the shrine in a sheath of starlight and shadow, the Sidereal Mantle of Ailustris emanates Divine power here.
You see a single exit leading through an image of the night sky.

You drop one knee to the ground, genuflecting in sheer reverence.

Soft whispers fill the fulcrux, a hollow voice rising from them, "Good evening, My little one."

(Glomdoring): Xenthos (from the Ethereal Plane) says, "Ah, my Lord, have You heard of the squirrels who the Wyrd claimed?"

The pointed tips of your ears twitch to hear an errant sound.

Lilting in a dark, ethereal voice, you say, "Hello, my Lord."

You ponder the situation.

(Glomdoring): Laindriss says, "K'wal'ial."

Lilting in a dark, ethereal voice, you say, "...I had a few questions that have gone unanswered, my Lord, if You might humor them."

(Glomdoring): Nocht says, "I have certainly noticed our new guests, but how do they fare? We are a more challenging environment than they are used to, I am sure."

The whispers murmur with curiosity as the voice replies, "You may always ask, My little one. I know it has been some time since I spoke at length with you all."

(Glomdoring): Xenthos says, "For some time they did not fare particularly well, and seemed as if they were struggling to survive. But, over time, we were able to see that they were determined to persevere - and have become quite interesting creatures in the end, suited to survival in our Woods."

(Glomdoring): Xenthos says, "Kiyan has a cage at the Altar to the Wyrd in which he studies the little things, a few at a time."

You have emoted: Esei kneels before the shrine, settling their palms on their knees. "I asked You these questions some time ago, though I fear Your attentions were drawn away," they say. "Namely: what was it like, to Awaken Your Night? And what was it like, to behold the Wyrd for the first time?" They pause, rooting a hand around in their belt. "Ah, I also have something for You..."

You take a hemlock flower from The Guardian's Belt of Bloodstained Aspects.

You display a hemlock flower for all in the room to see:
A sturdy spine of soft green extends in a long stem, with an explosive spray of flowers blooming from its front like a captured firework. Simple and delicate, soft white petals circle around an inner cluster of yellow stamen no more than dots nearly hidden within the cluster. A faint shimmer surrounds the flower, and the scent which emerges from it is overpoweringly sterile, almost nauseatingly so.

The image of the night sky ripples as the body of Laindriss suddenly emerges from its grasp.

You incline your head politely to Laindriss.

Laindriss waves her branches in greeting.

In a hollow voice, Initiate Laindriss, the Hollow One whispers to you, "Am I allowed to be here?"

Soft whispers drift through the fulcrux, "Greetings, little one."

You nod at Laindriss.

Nervously, Initiate Laindriss, the Hollow One says, "Oh, um, greetings Lord Nocht."

With a wistful look on her face, Laindriss touches the Sidereal Mantle of Ailustris.

The air grows colder as the hollow voice fills the fulcrux, "To answer your first question, Esei... Such an experience is hard to translate into the common tongue. Perhaps you could compare it to the covens you form to commune with My Night. There is no spirit to commune with in the moment, however, just raw potential. And so you shape it, while it shapes you in return. A give and take as most things are."

Laindriss snatches back her hand nervously, and stands still, listening.

You have emoted: Esei taps their chin, nodding thoughtfully. "I see. Thank You. That description reminds me much of the Shadowbeat's teachings also."

You let loose a long breath from your lungs, exhaling slowly.

A brown furred lioness with a vibrant tail tipped with a glowing tuft crouches low on the ground.

Laindriss pats a brown furred lioness with a vibrant tail tipped with a glowing tuft in a friendly manner.
A brown furred lioness with a vibrant tail tipped with a glowing tuft stares at Laindriss, curious about her intentions.

Laindriss tells you, "I haven never met a god before, I was um curious, but now i'm not sure what to do or say."

Your soft voice reaches out to Initiate Laindriss, the Hollow One, tickling their ear, "Ah, I asked Him a few questions, tis all."

The breeze moves with the soft voice as if it were an icy breath, cutting patterns through the grass as it speaks, "And as to your second question - what I returned to only confirmed what I learned during the Elder Wars and My time in the Void. Our survival requires the ability to change, and I was very pleased to see Night was more than capable of it."

You nod.

In a hollow voice, Initiate Laindriss, the Hollow One says, "Why does our survival depend on changing?"

You tilt your head inquisitively at Laindriss.

The air grows still as the voice whispers, "Because, little one, the world as Our Mother first created it cannot rise to the threat of the Soulless. The world of Our youth was far gentler than it is now. The histories tell the story of how even We, at Our mightiest, could not meet Their threat."

"My Cousins were too slow to change. Nature can adapt to this harsh reality much faster as the Wyrd demonstrates. You mortals can adapt even faster. Your flexibility is one of your greatest strengths."

You have emoted: Esei's wings flutter softly, then droop for just a moment.

Laindriss nods slowly, considering the words. "Does it matter if you choose to change, or the change just happens to you? I'm not entirely sure what I am any more, and..if you doubt the change you have gone through, does that mean you are not worthy of it?"

Lilting in a dark, ethereal voice, you ask Laindriss, "Do you no longer feel worthy?"

In a hollow voice, Initiate Laindriss, the Hollow One says, "I have this feeling I can't shake that I'm not entirely alive anymore. When I changed I stopped breathing for a while. Like I had died."

"Apologies, little ones..."

You furrow your brow in thought.

You tilt your head and listen intently.

The whispers seem to close in as the empty voice speaks, "Not all change is fruitful or welcome, this is true... Life is a struggle, little one. The struggle does not end until you do. You cannot choose all the changes forced upon you, but how you meet them is always your choice. It is My hope that you all become ever stronger in your suffering. Perhaps you will fail. But then, My little wyrden one, your broken body will feed the forest, and in that you may yet make it stronger. After all, nothing matters but Our Glomdoring."

Lilting in a dark, ethereal voice, you murmur, "And glory be to the Glomdoring."

"I am confident, however, you will have a more interesting future than simply becoming nourishment for the Wyrd."

Laindriss seems to stand up a little straighter, a flash of purple wyrdfire in her eyes. "Nothing matters but Glomdoring."

In a hollow voice, Initiate Laindriss, the Hollow One says, "Thank you, Lord Nocht. I shall....return to the struggle of Life."

With a flourish of her arm, Laindriss bows deeply.

Laindriss stands before the image of the night sky, arms spread wide. Dark tendrils shoot forth from the apparition, wrapping around Laindriss and forcibly sucking her in.

You let loose a long breath from your lungs, exhaling slowly.

The fulcrux grows quiet as the wyrdenwood leaves, a moment of contemplation before the voice whispers once more, "You had something for Me, little one?"

You nod.

You begin to wield a hemlock flower in your right hand.

You have emoted: Esei lifts the hemlock flower up on one palm. "From the Lady Chirurgeon," they state, wings aflutter. "When I met Her, several years ago."

Tendrils of shadow briefly swirl around the hemlock as if inspecting it. "Interesting... and how did you draw the attention of dear Malmydia?"

Lilting in a dark, ethereal voice, you say, "I asked Her about You."

Quietly, you say, "She said that She would consider treating You, if You should ask. This is a token of Her sincerity."

A breeze passes through the fulcrux like a soft sigh, "It would not be the first time She has. Her skill is undeniable. I fear Our interests may be too... divergent, however, to rely on Her healing now."

You have emoted: Esei bows their head, lowering their hand along with it. "I thought as much," they say, uncharacteristically grim.

You have emoted: Esei pinches the stem between two clawed fingers, twirling the flower once, twice, staring down at it.

"I must turn My attention elsewhere for now, My little one. Be well."

Lilting in a dark, ethereal voice, you whisper, "Be well, my Lord."