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Realms of Enlightenment: The Grey Companions (final update posted 02.14.10)
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<blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 4958567" data-attributes="member: 2323"><p><strong>[PLAIN][Realms #490] The Gate of Duality[/PLAIN]</strong></p><p></p><p>That final thought rang in Morier's ears. Until now it had seemed a sometimes overwhelming but nonetheless straightforward task; they had to reunite Dridana's heart and body to stop Aphyx and restore order on the Material. But now that they stood at the doorstep of that goal, a single, simple statement seemed to kick away at its very foundation. Everything does indeed die, and it suddenly seemed absurd that he was about to tamper with that progression. Who was he, after all? How could a lone Eldritch Warrior and a handful of his companions presume to tamper with the path the Gods had laid out?</p><p></p><p>"It is true everything dies, but we need to do this to save our world," Maleko said, answering the albino's unspoken question. Del half-bowed diplomatically.</p><p></p><p>"Yes. Thank you for your counsel, but we choose to continue nonetheless," the half-elf said, sounding to Morier's ears like words he had heard Ledare say in the past. "For us, that is the intended progression."</p><p></p><p>"We do not seek to thwart the Gods' will but to execute it," Ayremac said with certainty. "For it is Umba herself who has set me on this path." Ixin nodded at his side and then half-turned to glance at the brooding Morier.</p><p></p><p>The eldritch warrior steeled himself and forced the uncertainty from his mind. Now was not the time to let doubt creep in. Perhaps these were the thoughts and questions that he would confront in the "Cavern of the Self" the Threnody had spoken about, but right now the faces of Huzair, Karak, Shamalin and others urged him on. He had questioned his survival at each step of this process, and somehow he stood here having persevered. This may be the end of the road, but if so someone or something would have to force him to stop, he was not about to bow out gracefully.</p><p></p><p>"We appreciate your sentiment," Morier said, "but there seems no other way to stop the current plague of evil sweeping across the Material Plane from which we came. We have been charged with a task, and we intend to walk the path laid before us in effort to complete it. If it is not meant to be, surely the Fates will intervene."</p><p></p><p>Without answer the six Threnodies looked at one another and nodded.</p><p></p><p>"So be it," they said in chorus. Then they stood and gesturing expansively with their hands began to sing a rising note that went on impossibly long and grew impossibly high until it seemed to pass nearly beyond the limits of their hearing. At that point, the air before the group began to shimmer and vibrate in concert with the ever-rising note of song until at last it seemed to grow solid, becoming almost at once a circular reflective pane in which the assembled travelers beheld themselves. For a moment, Morier thought he saw behind them the shadowy ghosts of those who had gone before: Ledare, Huzair, Feln, Karak, others... But when he looked more closely, they were gone, a trick of the light and nothing more.</p><p></p><p>"Behold, the Gate of Duality," one of the Threnodies said and for the first time, they realized that the Buommans had stopped singing.</p><p></p><p>"Passing through it will take you to the Cavern of the Self," said a second.</p><p></p><p>"There you will find the path to the Guardian," said a third.</p><p></p><p>"Beyond the Guardian lay the God Isles," explained the fourth.</p><p></p><p>"For we Buommans the journey is one of reflection leading to unity," said the fifth.</p><p></p><p>For you..." the last began, her voice trailing off. "The path is uncertain."</p><p></p><p>The group all nodded, expecting nothing less.</p><p></p><p>"Thank you," Morier said, and taking a deep breath, he stepped forward toward himself, hand outstretched. He touched the mirrored Gate, his fingertips touching the fingertips of his double and then he pressed forward and his arm disappeared into his double's arm, his shoulder into his double's, his face into his face, and then he was gone.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And through.</p><p></p><p>Morier stepped out into a mirrored tunnel that stretched off into the distance as far as he could see. It was irregularly shaped, but at the same time, intricately worked looking as if every single surface and outcropping had been polished flat into a tiny mirror in which the albino saw reflections of himself staring back. But each reflection was different and imperfect: here he was as an infant, his face bruised and bleeding from some forgotten beating, here his visage was twisted in rage, spittle flying from his lips in mute fury, here he laughed in mirth, here he slept fitfully. Everywhere he looked he saw himself looking back, but none of them showed him the reflection he expected to see, but rather a frozen reflection of his own past.</p><p></p><p>He peered closer, at a nearby surface seeing an image of himself surrounded by darkness and swirling snow. He touched it and...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Cold instantly slapped at his exposed flesh and the eldritch warrior shivered violently, his legs buried up to his knees in snow. The cold light of two Sunrods glittered at either end of a small windbreak made of piled snow. In the lee of the shelter, Ledare and Feln were shivering. Neither was dressed for the weather, and the half-ogre was nearly naked. He was saying something barely audible above the wind.</p><p></p><p>"What?" Morier gaped, looking around. But there was little to be seen apart from darkness and swirling snow. A massive standing stone loomed several feet away. "What?"</p><p></p><p>"I said: it may be possible to move back through the dolmen, warm up, and start this test again," the half-ogre slurred, his lips blue with cold and white with frostbite.</p><p></p><p>"Morier, are you alright?" Ledare asked, her brows knit with confusion. Even that small effort seemed to take a great deal out of her. "You seem disoriented."</p><p></p><p>"What?" Morier sputtered again.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jon Potter, post: 4958567, member: 2323"] [b][PLAIN][Realms #490] The Gate of Duality[/PLAIN][/b] That final thought rang in Morier's ears. Until now it had seemed a sometimes overwhelming but nonetheless straightforward task; they had to reunite Dridana's heart and body to stop Aphyx and restore order on the Material. But now that they stood at the doorstep of that goal, a single, simple statement seemed to kick away at its very foundation. Everything does indeed die, and it suddenly seemed absurd that he was about to tamper with that progression. Who was he, after all? How could a lone Eldritch Warrior and a handful of his companions presume to tamper with the path the Gods had laid out? "It is true everything dies, but we need to do this to save our world," Maleko said, answering the albino's unspoken question. Del half-bowed diplomatically. "Yes. Thank you for your counsel, but we choose to continue nonetheless," the half-elf said, sounding to Morier's ears like words he had heard Ledare say in the past. "For us, that is the intended progression." "We do not seek to thwart the Gods' will but to execute it," Ayremac said with certainty. "For it is Umba herself who has set me on this path." Ixin nodded at his side and then half-turned to glance at the brooding Morier. The eldritch warrior steeled himself and forced the uncertainty from his mind. Now was not the time to let doubt creep in. Perhaps these were the thoughts and questions that he would confront in the "Cavern of the Self" the Threnody had spoken about, but right now the faces of Huzair, Karak, Shamalin and others urged him on. He had questioned his survival at each step of this process, and somehow he stood here having persevered. This may be the end of the road, but if so someone or something would have to force him to stop, he was not about to bow out gracefully. "We appreciate your sentiment," Morier said, "but there seems no other way to stop the current plague of evil sweeping across the Material Plane from which we came. We have been charged with a task, and we intend to walk the path laid before us in effort to complete it. If it is not meant to be, surely the Fates will intervene." Without answer the six Threnodies looked at one another and nodded. "So be it," they said in chorus. Then they stood and gesturing expansively with their hands began to sing a rising note that went on impossibly long and grew impossibly high until it seemed to pass nearly beyond the limits of their hearing. At that point, the air before the group began to shimmer and vibrate in concert with the ever-rising note of song until at last it seemed to grow solid, becoming almost at once a circular reflective pane in which the assembled travelers beheld themselves. For a moment, Morier thought he saw behind them the shadowy ghosts of those who had gone before: Ledare, Huzair, Feln, Karak, others... But when he looked more closely, they were gone, a trick of the light and nothing more. "Behold, the Gate of Duality," one of the Threnodies said and for the first time, they realized that the Buommans had stopped singing. "Passing through it will take you to the Cavern of the Self," said a second. "There you will find the path to the Guardian," said a third. "Beyond the Guardian lay the God Isles," explained the fourth. "For we Buommans the journey is one of reflection leading to unity," said the fifth. For you..." the last began, her voice trailing off. "The path is uncertain." The group all nodded, expecting nothing less. "Thank you," Morier said, and taking a deep breath, he stepped forward toward himself, hand outstretched. He touched the mirrored Gate, his fingertips touching the fingertips of his double and then he pressed forward and his arm disappeared into his double's arm, his shoulder into his double's, his face into his face, and then he was gone. And through. Morier stepped out into a mirrored tunnel that stretched off into the distance as far as he could see. It was irregularly shaped, but at the same time, intricately worked looking as if every single surface and outcropping had been polished flat into a tiny mirror in which the albino saw reflections of himself staring back. But each reflection was different and imperfect: here he was as an infant, his face bruised and bleeding from some forgotten beating, here his visage was twisted in rage, spittle flying from his lips in mute fury, here he laughed in mirth, here he slept fitfully. Everywhere he looked he saw himself looking back, but none of them showed him the reflection he expected to see, but rather a frozen reflection of his own past. He peered closer, at a nearby surface seeing an image of himself surrounded by darkness and swirling snow. He touched it and... Cold instantly slapped at his exposed flesh and the eldritch warrior shivered violently, his legs buried up to his knees in snow. The cold light of two Sunrods glittered at either end of a small windbreak made of piled snow. In the lee of the shelter, Ledare and Feln were shivering. Neither was dressed for the weather, and the half-ogre was nearly naked. He was saying something barely audible above the wind. "What?" Morier gaped, looking around. But there was little to be seen apart from darkness and swirling snow. A massive standing stone loomed several feet away. "What?" "I said: it may be possible to move back through the dolmen, warm up, and start this test again," the half-ogre slurred, his lips blue with cold and white with frostbite. "Morier, are you alright?" Ledare asked, her brows knit with confusion. Even that small effort seemed to take a great deal out of her. "You seem disoriented." "What?" Morier sputtered again. [/QUOTE]
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