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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nephis" data-source="post: 9399818" data-attributes="member: 20459">ARUNNY thoughtfully drinks her qahveh, thinking through their journey and arrival to this place, to these two very different men, the Scrivener as verbose as the halveh they have been served, the Priest as laconic as the bitter taste of her drink. That flavor holds her firmly in the here and now, allowing her reflections to be simply that: reflections. That way she can examine the dreams of the past week with a clear-mind, the symbols of which vibrate against various conversations she has had along the way. Glancing across the table to Ibhea now, as he listens almost impatiently to Xin Mae's rather theatrical exclamations of almost prideful terror, Arunny is struck once again by the shadow replicant that mirrored his face. Unlike the two reflecting Qamra and Xin Mae--the ones that were so clearly Other--she can still see the disturbing resemblance that shade had to her friend and fellow follower of the Radiant Sun. In her most recent dreams, she has been visited by images of Omthala's Son, the so-called Dark Sun. At times she understood clearly these were indeed portents of Delban or at least echoes of his past. However, there were dreams where "Delban" stood for something ... or someone ... else. Ibhea, perhaps? Several mornings she awoke with a sense of certainty slipping through the fogs of sleep: Delban or Ibhea? Priest or God? The dream of the vulture feasting on the mammalian heart: she remembers waking suddenly with a certainty that the heart was Delban's. Then--after breaking their fast--her certainty shifted: it was surely Ibhea. The cloud? Another reflection: Nerull's influence in both the past and the present. Yes, she grows more certain that they must travel to the past. A seed was planted by His fell influence and must be rooted out. Can Ibhea be convinced to travel back there with her? There is only one way to tell: she must tell him her other dream, the one about the Time Henge, and about Maba sending her visions to return to Itirilmish in its past glory. * * *The soft and plaintive cry from her forearm asks for her to scratch the healing scar upon it. Those demon vultures attempting to slow their passage here were most certainly sent by the Reaper so that they would not arrive in time to save poor and beleaguered Xin Mae. Vultures, like the larger one feeding on the heart, undoubtedly connected. And the Scrivener is not the only one in danger: other portents sent in dreams along their journey--hers and Qamra's--became clear in shared conversations with Omthalan authorities in various villages where they broke that journey. Carefully listening to the confirmation of her suspicions--that Ibhea is no longer welcomed by the "proper" church due to his embracing of a dangerous heresy, Arunny held her silence about her own heresy, her embracing of the True Faith, that of the Triune of Light. She is glad to have done so, for these conversations had much to reveal, including a plot to assassinate her friend and fellow priest of the Light, by those who only theoretically share their beliefs. Is her reading between the lines of vague rumors and threats correct? Have they attempted to raise a revenant as assassin? Have they made any further attempt? If this is true, how can they possibly justify such actions? This is further confirmation to Maba's Piercing Eye that her present path is the correct one, confirmation that her dreams are True.In these dreams, these men--and few women--expelled a being that at times revealed himself as Delban, others as Ibhea--thus cementing her growing belief (and understanding) that the two are intricately connected. Confusingly, these people often shared faces with those she trusted--albeit obviously false reflections of her trusted ones--not only the faces of Xin Mae and Qamra, but those of her father and beloved Ahaan as well. Never of her mother. But now, given what she just saw in their recent skirmish with Nerull's fell Nightwalker, she understands that not only were they portents of this battle but also of the corruption within the church of Omthala itself. The Tree revisited her in these dreams as well, giving still more puzzles to solve, tangles to unravel. Was the Tree an ancient and sacred object? Something being devoured from within by rot? Or was it in fact something like that treacherous object in a tale told her long ago, a beautiful and hollow gift with something treacherous within? Something placed there by Nerull himself? Something dangerous. They must travel back there, but they must be wary of traps and subterfuge. That much is obvious.As Ibhea rants about the Legion of Ruth, Arunny studies again the skull at his waist. Enemy or ally? Friend or foe? The eyes of the skull seem to glow and stare at her when the priest tells of Gan's sacrifice at the hand of the bladelings. Arunny's eyes widen in horror at her sudden understanding of just to whom the skull once belonged. At least Ibhea's strange but gentle caresses of the object are--slightly--easier to understand, but still! The priest's description of the object he seeks--the Monocle of Flame--causes her suddenly be assaulted by the strong and pungent odor of burning flesh and tainted corruption. Struggling to hide her intensely negative reaction to his revelation, she swallows any cry of dismay. Nevertheless, she recognizes this object for what it is: treachery! This "treasure" is from Nerull, not Delban. Does Ibhea misunderstand? Surely Ibhea recognizes that the Fire and Light within Delban is not a raging inferno: it is the cold fire of Starlight. The Darkness of the Sun allows the Light of the Star to be visible: this is the understanding that Maba has sent her. Omthala the Searing Sun, Maba the Piercing Moonlight, and Delban the Starlight Revealed. If she is Omthala's Searing Voice and Maba's Piercing Eye, then he is Delban's Umbral Flame of Revelation. But, no: Ibhea clearly does not understand: he does not yet believe, although his words say otherwise.Arunny cannot not allow passage of that fell object into the present. It must remain--destroyed--in the past, or Delban and Ibhea will both be lost.[HR][/HR]Arunny's new Minor Quest: Stop the retrieval of Nerull's Monocle of Flame and destroy it if possible.</blockquote>

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