Sigil: T.C.o.D - [Walk-In][Modern Fantasy: Cycle 32][O/A]

[Betty Beelzeboop]

Market Ward: In front of the Nine Swords <<<

Lovi's phone cut out just after 'nine', but that was all she needed. Replacing the dead thing in her pocket, she pulled out her pipe and took her sweet time on the walk to the infamous pub that had somehow managed to survive the various aches and quakes that shook the city to its very core. Still standing, still triumphant, it was the easiest place to find in all of the Market district.

Hell, it was the easiest place to find in all of Sigil. After all, no traveler seemed to pass through without making their bed (and subsequently laying in it) at the ancient inn. Lovi had found that to be true of herself a few times over.

Once she'd found a cozy spot under a lamp post just in front of the place, she settled in and put a match to the bowl of her pipe. After waving it out and dropping the burnt remnants to the ground, she hugged her coat tight around her. The weather was starting to get just a little cooler, and it reminded her too much of a home long gone.

[Tres Ecstuffuan]

The Nine Swords Tavern

Tres had overestimated Sigil's capacity for the strange. I mean this was the place were things that people considered strange in Gaia-Prime were common place, but an eight legged horse made of crystal that played in the amber light ward coupled with Tres's own star status drew a crowd. Lovi would notice a slew of people moving with the slow trot of the eight legged massive beast. Sitting upon the massive beast and reaching out with his left crystalline hand to allow THE MILLIONS to get a chance at touching the legendary ISSHOUKEN. They loved him and the massive group of people made it easy to hide the fact that Tres needed a shower.

"Please my brothers and sisters, I need to be alone with my friend. There is an urgent matter to discuss.", Tres lied to get them to go away. He loved the attention but he knew Lovi wouldn't enjoy it. Once the people had finally dispersed Tres mentally commanded his mount to trot slowly towards Lovi. Tres crossed his arms in front of his powerful unclothed chest and held a smug grin on his face. Tres hadn't seen Lovi in a while, all she had known was that he was working on 'something'. Apparently this was one of the fruits of his labors.

"Hop on.", he said, expecting such a magnificent creation to pierce through Lovi's typical disinterest.

[Kalmuli]

arrow Ladies Ward--The Mother of Loss

The Mother had touched few others since the first couple she came across. Others were fathers, children, the elderly...It didn't matter to her. All who she touched would know loss and grief. As she reached closer to the Ladies Ward, she paused only to see a screaming man come toward her from behind her. Raising her hand up, she touched him making him drop in mid run. "All...Will know loss...Foolish child..."She said as she moved on until she reached the gates of the Ladies Ward. Lifting her veil, she merely just had to lower her lashes and nod her head, the guards letting her pass through. At last in the Ladies Ward, she needed to find a palace to set up...'camp' as they would say.

Somewhere couples gathered in droves and a place in public. She drifted into a greener area of the Ladies Ward, walking along the path as she looked for a place to settle down. There was a fountain in the middle, couples walking with ice cream or with their pampered pets. She would sit down on the edge, looking about. A crude young man with dapper-slicked hair approached her first. She would look at him behind the veil.

"Hey M'lady...What's a lonely widow like yourself doing on a good day like this huh? Looking to find yourself a better man than Daddy Big bucks?"He teased her. The Mother simply looked at him, offering her hand.

"I am here...to show you your future. I'm like a fortune teller...Let me show you what your future could be like..."She said, the young man smugly looking at her but also trying to get a good look at her face under the veil. She would shy her face away when he tried to lift the veil. "Without showing my face...I can show you...That your choices will make you wealthy and happy...or poor and miserable. Some future advice would show you the right path, should it not?"

With that drawing the young man in, more joined in. The woman in black would show them...and they would know the fear of their actions against those they had wronged before. They stood terrified and in awe of what she showed them, ensnared in a dark oracle's mist that slipped around the area of the fountain like a fog, making those caught in it pause first in joy and then cry in horror.

[Lian Feaorne]

Trexasle

“Who did this?”

arrow Ladies Ward--Lian's Manor

Lian moved from one pair of arms to another. She looked up at Terrance, bringing an arm to sling over his shoulder, gripping his dreads. Someone else had something like it...who...Lian struggled to gather any memory of who and looked up at Terrance with an exhausted and petrified look. "Terrance...Ter...I can't...I can't remember...I...What was I doing? I...Can't remember..."She said, her hand trembling as she gripped his shirt, her eyes watering as her other hand pressed to the knife wound. Lian started to sob, her mind having a hard time trying to gather any sort of information about who did it but was drawing up blanks. When she tried to remember the events leading up to the stabbing, she could remember only flickering things like when her eyes glanced away for just a moment at a reflection or a cup on a table. In her memory, she would be talking to someone but no one would be there.

"I remember you...I know Julia...I know Trinity...But who...Who else is there?! I can't remember anything...It hurts so much Terry...What happened to me?"She sobbed. Gwendolyn had taken not only her fears, but her memories attached to those fears. Lian had been afraid of much, and every fear had memories tied to it weather it was afraid of losing someone but also, memories of her childhood when something scared her badly or the arguments with her friends. She couldn't even remember feeling heartbreak.

Julia came in, expecting to see some dead corpse in the hallway almost but found Lian in Terrance's arms, bleeding and sobbing. She moved over, Julia moving Lian's head off of Terrance's shoulders just to look at her and examine her. "This is not good...Get her to the infirmary down the hall. I need to go get something ready, consider this a red alert."She said to Terrance as she turned and rushed off into the manor, searching out what she needed.

[Betty Beelzeboop]

Tresondros Ecstuffuan

The Nine Swords Tavern


"Hop on.", he said, expecting such a magnificent creation to pierce through Lovi's typical disinterest.

Lovi was, admittedly, somewhat surprised by the great and peculiar beast her friend had clearly manifested of his own will came trotting up the street with a peculiar growth on its- oh wait, that was Tres. While she couldn't quite hide the look of awe on her face at the sheer audacity of the bizarre mount, she recovered quickly enough with a drag of her pipe and a quick adjustment to her collar. She didn't want to look as though she had been impressed, after all. That ego was far too inflated for it to have done any real good.

This was the part of most fairytales and fantasy fiction where the scantily clad femme fatale took a hand up on the hero's steed to ride off into the sunset..or something. Instead Lovi cocked her head to one side as she observed the construct curiously.

"Only one head?" she joked about the creatively imagined beast, "And it doesn't even breath fire.." She shook her head as though she were disappointed it, but she smirked all the same. She turned her pipe upside down and tapped it against the lamp post to shake free whatever loose ash had clotted within. Once back in her coat pocket, she accepted the offer of a ride and heaved herself onto the crystal horse.

"Ugh!" she covered her nose almost immediately, "Why do you reek?"

[Kalmuli]

arrow The Market Ward--The Adolescent of New Changes

As it began to spread, the madness that had over taken the people was starting to spread them out across the Market Ward. People ran screaming, trying to avoid being touched or screaming because they were chasing someone. It was hard to find someone who was normal in the much but one line white-haired young woman stood, flipping through pages of the book. "Malry Blithesmith...Afraid of making commitments. Garfunkle Turndsti...Afraid of venturing outside his home...Wow today was a bad day for him. First day coming out of his home...A small child bumps into him already infected and now...Tsk...he's infected too. This is all too easy. Something is bound to go wrong..."The Adolescent scoffed, closing the book and looking upwards at the sky. Drifting through the mad crowd, they seem to stop for a moment, look at her and then continue on their way doing what they needed to do in trying to relieve the fear that would never end. She drifted through, book under her arm.

There was another place she had heard about that was popular with the people...Quite the dangerous place for her to wander into. Oh wait! Gwendolyn had wanted her to do it. The Adolescent tsked and moved along. Something shone in the distance that caught her attention, and it caught the attention of the maddened crowd.

"Its new, its new! How it shines, I want that new thing but I want to keep my life simple! I must have it!"Some babbled, foaming at the mouth as they started running in Tres, Lovi and the magical crystal steed they were riding on. "KILL IT BEFORE IT TAINTS US ALL!"

[Fierach]

Gwendolyn Feaorne

arrow Ladies Ward--The Mother of Loss

Against a peaceful, scenic background, the shrieks were hard not to notice.

Neither was the mist of shadow.

James caught the scent of a dark and rather perverse sort of magic, the hint of something very wrong in the world.

Undead was his first thought, but he seriously doubted it as he stood up, looking for the source. There were hardly any undead in the Ladies Ward. Not even the truly powerful Liches, those preferring to to lord it over the less sunny and less conspicious parts of Sigil. Demon was his second, but, hardly anybody ever really made trouble in the Ladies Ward. Not in public anyway. James imagined the upper class in Sigil played what he called the "Eternal Game", with most blood being shed behind closed doors and through diplomacy accompanied by the illusion of fancy parties and grand celebrations.

There. A crowd stood about near the cloud of darkness, many screaming or shaking in horror. James Eredas approached boldly, eyes narrowed and suspicious of what was going on. Through the parting and wavering crowd, James could make out a woman, clad in black and veiled who was at the centre of it all and seemingly unaffected.

Yes... this was the source of that dark feeling.

"Who are you?" The daemonslayer demanded to know. To the woman, James was a handsome, oriental man, looking like he was in his mid to late 20s. Long black bangs shaded his eyes, hidden further behind crimson shades. He was dressed in a set of magnificently-crafted armor, a mix of chain and metal and fabric, ornately detailed, while only two weapons were immediately obvious, a gorgeous nodachi that lay upon his right shoulder in one hand, and another, shorter sword sheathed across the small of his back. He was obviously also somebody of considerable strength, as evidenced by the intense aura he possessed, James didn't even try to hide it.

[Kalmuli]

arrow Ladies Ward--Park--The Mother of Loss

The Mother sat listening to the scream of those around her. Some died of shock, collapsing where they were and soon enough, there would only be the few and the cruel standing who simply just didn't care. She would take care of them later. The Mother would sit, just observing...until one brave soul willingly walked up to her...but he was the first to ask her who she was. The Mother rose slowly, but did not remove her veil. "I am loss, grief and anger incarnate...I am what you are afraid to lose...What you miss the most and what inflames you with an anger you cannot control...You may call me "The Mother of Loss"..."She spoke, eloquently and politely but with a spite that held much pain. The mist the came from under her black gown spread apart to create a path for him to come through or, in this case, for the Mother to rise from the fountain and slowly glide in his direction, the hem of her skirt dancing over the body of a woman in tacky furs and jewelry. The Lady herself wore only the veil, gown and a broach with a single red stone.

"And who are you? Are you hear to see what fortunes will lie your path in the future?"She said, gesturing to the bodies around the fountain. "These people witnessed the path of destruction their choices make...but you are the first to ask 'Who are you'...That's quite polite."

Fierarch

[Fierach]

Gwendolyn Feaorne

arrow Ladies Ward--Park--The Mother of Loss

"I see" James replied oddly, his voice gaining a certain edge to it. As the woman came closer, he could feel his anger rising. James was no stranger to that emotion. Visions began to swim in his head, memories of Akimee, of Griff, of battles past. As the woman spoke, James fought down the feelings of loss, of grief... but he embraced the anger.

The Mother of Loss might notice that he wasn't quite responding to her charms as she might've liked. The daemonslayer had long since accepted his fate and buried his dead friends. There was nothing left to lose but his life and he feared not death, not with creatures like the one before him roaming the world. Anybody could get angry, but people like James had been on the Path of Dou, could channel rage and hatred into something more finely honed then any blade. In no uncertain terms, the daemonslayer then informed the "Mother of Loss" that her tricks had no effect on somebody who had mastered themselves, and that she was in some serious trouble.

"You show people the destruction their choices lead to? I am the path of destruction, and your parlor tricks are laughable."

James swept his brilliant nodachi, Amaterasu, before them one-handed, the sun-kissed weapon bursting into flames as he charged it with his energy, easily scattering away the black mist.

"Prepare to die" he stated coldly.

[Kalmuli]

arrow Ladies Ward--The Mother of Loss

"You feel anger...but that is not my doing. No...I have not used any of my tricks on you other than getting closer to see who and what you are and that is all. What you feel is such an anger that I am familiar with...An acceptance of your frustrations and fury from what has happened to you."The Mother spoke, bringing her hands up and gliding back a few steps. It was true that she had used none of her powers. In truth, compared to her sisters, she was a symbol of control over such anguish...but selectively, like the crowd she had brought to their knees so easily, she could crush. She could choose to bring an end to the happiness sought by others with just a simple truth or revelation...if she chose.

The other two were chaos that only children could cause without control.

"I am sorry for your losses and your anger...but I am not here to fight. Merely, I am here to do what is right...what should have been done long ago to the people in this area. The Master who made me, made me only for this..."The Mother said, taking a part of her skirt to do a slight curtsey. "But...If you truly mean to end my life...Let me make it easier for you."She said as she brought her hand up to the veil, moving it away. Her eyes were black and down her face were rivers of red tears that seem to never stop flowing with Lian's face. It coated her cheeks and dripped onto her exposed bosom. She brought her hand to her heart, right where the broach with the red gem was. "There are two ways you can kill or save me...One is this broach...I can give it to you if you want to kill me. The other, is to help me end this...This...horrible suffering by answering my question to save the life of another...Be warned..."

The woman moved her hand away from the broach slowly. "What action you choose effects another...one who does not deserve more suffering like this. I am her loss, grief and anger in body and in form. If you save me, you save her...if you kill me, you force her to lose something truly valuable...more than magic, riches and all the gold in Gaia...Her memories..."She said as she looked at him, hoping to touch on any good side of him. Gwendolyn may have made her for an evil purpose...but she understood loss and grief more than anyone. Across the Ladies Ward in Lian's Manor, she could already feel the grief of the memories she no longer had so long as The Mother walked freely. "Please...What I do is bad...but don't let it affect someone else because I was told what to do...Please...Help me and the minds of those taken and the lives taken from them will be returned...I swear it."

Fierach

[Fierach]

Gwendolyn Feaorne

arrow Ladies Ward--The Mother of Loss

James narrowed his eyes behind his shades, but he relaxed, if only slightly, weighing his choices.

"Alright" he said finally. "Either outcome is acceptable to me. Suffering does not concern me, it is the trials and how we overcome and endure them that shapes us and makes us who we are. Ask your question witch, and tell me who your master is and how I may find him"

[Tres Ecstuffuan]

The Egotist

Tresondros Ecstuffuan

What were his prospective employers expecting him to do? He didn't have enough information to know, but he could still wonder.

The Ladies Ward

The place James was transported too was a place very different from the rest of Sigil. The most notable aspect of the ladies ward was the almost overbearing sense of opulence. While the utter lack of uniformity that characterized Sigil still remained, the glamour of it all was absolutely saturated. The flora that decorated the immaculate and elephantine properties were vibrant with colors that had no name and were clearly alien to this world. Gone were the rugged craftsmen that clawed out a meager living in the guildhall ward, here were men whom had never known want or dissapointment. Sigil and gaia like it was a place where often things that were worked for were taken away in a single violent instance of chaos, but not here...money bought security and confidence came with it.

James would stand upon a massive mountain of a cross between a mansion and a castle. Its construction seemed to be a tribute to the power of steel, as it seemed to be the primary material in its construction. It was a structure that leaked of masculine dominance and bravado. Once James walked through the gate he would be stopped by a guard and asked;

"Will you submit to a search? All of your weapons must be left here at the gate?"

However, before James could answer the sound of screams could be heard echoing from a park in another part of the ward. The guardsmen would demand that his men close the gate shut while he sent out a group of five to investigate.

"Please remain here sir while we see what is going on."

[editing]

[Tres Ecstuffuan]

Gwendolyn Feaorne

arrow Ladies Ward--The Mother of Loss

With that drawing the young man in, more joined in. The woman in black would show them...and they would know the fear of their actions against those they had wronged before. They stood terrified and in awe of what she showed them, ensnared in a dark oracle's mist that slipped around the area of the fountain like a fog, making those caught in it pause first in joy and then cry in horror.

The Ladies Ward

Drawn by the sound of screams an armed contingent of Goldfields personal security forces who's task was to make sure the merchant families domicile was secure, found the mist that spread out from a central fountain near one of the entrances to the wards. Those who were close to the fountain seemed to be swept up in some sort of mania.

From behind James a group of 7 armed men approached. They were humanoid but because of their riot team like helmets there races or species were not identifiable. They were armed with enchanted armor, and melee weapons stabbed to their backs. However in there arms they carried rifles which were designed to not shoot bullets cast spells which could far more appropriately fit the situation. They moved in a delta formation.

"What's going on here?", the one at the head of the formation shouted.

[Tres Ecstuffuan]

Lady Gilaen

Tresondros Ecstuffuan

The Nine Swords Tavern

"Only one head?" she joked about the creatively imagined beast, "And it doesn't even breath fire.." She shook her head as though she were disappointed it, but she smirked all the same. She turned her pipe upside down and tapped it against the lamp post to shake free whatever loose ash had clotted within. Once back in her coat pocket, she accepted the offer of a ride and heaved herself onto the crystal horse.

"Ugh!" she covered her nose almost immediately, "Why do you reek?"

The Nine Swords > The Market Ward

"Well I was wondering if you had a place where I could take a shower. After splitting up the spoils from defeating KB, I spent my share on preparations for the future.", she knew of what he was referring to. It wasn't like Tres had Lian to throw him money any more and Tres was pretty broke as it is. "Didn't have enough left to by a place. Not one with running water anyway.", Tres finished as they sped off towards the Market Ward.