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Many of Duniya knew of the Divine Order. They all had varying thoughts of the religious body, but most held some measure of respect for them whether it was for their devotion to the Pantheon or for their willingness to cope with the unreliable Duniya gods. The Divine Order did not typically involve itself in the everyday affairs of its residents, but something about the uniqueness of the existence of the Tabula Rasa had intrigued the gods.

The Order contained the gods' messengers, and so, the Divine Order learned that they must interfere with these 'Tabula Rasa'--blank slates born out of Rasa. The particular reasons for the gods' interference was unknown, but no matter if Locke particularly agreed to it or not, the new manifests were to be brought to the Divine Order--specifically, Shakuni--immediately upon manifestation.

Shakuni herself was a deeply devout priestess of the Order. It was said that the gods had touched her themselves, and therefore she held a deep connection and affinity to the affairs of the gods. Shakuni was a leader in the Order and perhaps the most important messenger of them all. To be called to bring the Tabula Rasa to the gods meant that the Tabula Rasa held some deep significance. The certain significance was, as of currently, unknown, but one did not question the gods' wishes.

Locke recently told her of five new manifestations. As directed by Shakuni, and therefore the gods, they were brought to her temple as soon as possible. "Adara, Cheshire, Damaris, Ophelia, and Reginald," quietly whispered she, glancing over the names as soon as she had got the message. They could not be long; in matters of the gods, one did not delay.

Shakuni kneeled in front of the altar of the gods' and meditated to become one with the gods' wishes, all the while listening for any new entries to the sacred temple.

(( The gods have spoken through their faithful servant! They have decreed that all new manifestations are to be brought to the attention of the Divine Order and brought to Shakuni, their faithful messenger, as soon as possible.

This PRP thread is reserved for the manifestation Ophelia. ))

Hearing steps approach, Shakuni began to emerge out of her meditative state. In a short few moments, she stood and bowed to the altar before turning around to watch the new Tabula approach. She made short observations of her behavior as she approached, noting that this one seemed particularly smug in her blank state. Perhaps she would find roots in hatred.

The priestess stepped forward, ready to confront this haughty creature. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply before opening them once again. "You are Ophelia, am I correct?" Hopefully, this haughty Tabula would cooperate. She had a sinking feeling that Ophelia was going to be quite a troublesome Tabula, even from the start. Nevertheless, Shakuni had work to do.

After waiting momentarily for confirmation of what she already knew, she beckoned to the youthful manifestation. "Come with me, Ophelia." Shakuni started back inside the temple.

Shakuni would simply ignore the manifestation's wish to be elsewhere. The gods' wants took precedence over the Tabula's impatient, haughty behavior. She took in another deep breath before stopping in front of what appeared to be an empty, stone fountain. Then, her attention was turned back to the sickeningly sweet Ophelia.

"I wish nothing of you personally. The Gods of the Pantheon have taken great interest in creatures such as yourself. I am simply here to fulfill their deep curiosity." The devout woman bowed her head and whispered a word of prayer before looking back to Ophelia. "What they wish, I shall grant. Do you have any further questions before we begin?" Even if Ophelia was faking the behavior, Shakuni did not care as long as she fulfilled the will of her gods.

Humbling Ophelia had made the task that much simpler for the messenger of the gods. Shakuni nodded. "Excellent. I request that you move closer to the fountain." She gestured to it, before moving out of the way.

Though she had moved, Shakuni did not go too far away. The priestess knelt down on the cold ground of the temple, closing her eyes. Once again, she was entering a meditative state. In this state, she could better communicate the will of her gods. Her hands clasped and pressed to her chest, Shakuni began to quietly chant words of prayer to herself.

Becoming a vessel for the gods made Shakuni float only slightly off the ground and made her eyes roll back. If her trance was not freakish enough, the daytime seemed to suddenly end. It was replaced with total darkness. From the darkness came a few speckles of light that beckoned to Ophelia to venture towards them.

"Ophelia," Shakuni's voice echoed in this state, "choose your path."



(( There is a black light between the blue and green lights. ))

As Ophelia approached the black light, an avatar appeared behind the tranced Shakuni. The avatar was dark as night, and even approaching it could chill to the core. It appeared as a tall man in a simple masculine toga. Shakuni gasped hoarsely in her trance, before becoming enveloped in the dark light. The gods would speak through her.

"Ophelia," Shakuni's voice was unnaturally deep, "you have chosen the path of Bhayanaka. Chilling fear shall be at your fingertips if you learn to walk this path. An," she chuckled sardonically, "interesting path for a haughty creature as yourself. I'm most certain it'll serve you well."

The avatar behind Shakuni watched Ophelia closely, raising its brow in nonchalance. The Tabula intrigued him as they intrigued all the gods, but she would have to prove herself worthy first.

The woman appeared to lust for the power to rid the world of imperfection. Of course, for a haughty woman, anything that was imperfect was anything besides herself. The avatar acknowledged this, and decided she was worth a pindrop of his attention. If anything, she could provide a momentary amusement.

The avatar turned his attention to Shakuni before looking back to Ophelia. Shakuni's echoing, deep voice spoke his words. "I see that you have an interest in such terrifying emotion. Well enough. I, as the avatar of Tartarus, may grant you what your mind desires. What do you lust for, Ophelia?"

The black light danced and flared as she stared at it, growing stronger the more she longed for it.

The woman wished to find order. The avatar nodded, taking a moment to consider what she had said. Then, he turned his attention back to Ophelia. "To rid the world of imperfection is a lofty goal for such a mortal," spoke Shakuni. "However, I shall give you the ability to... begin on such a mission."

The black light flared brighter before suddenly forming into a key. The key was made of onyx, fashioned into a celtic knot design on the top. When Ophelia took it, a new black light flared in the place where the key had previously been. "The power is yours, Ophelia."

Key of the Impurities

You strive for a world of perfection, so that the world may become as perfected as you.

Gain 1 XP: Whenever you create order in an imperfect situation.

Gain 4 XP: Whenever you inspire enough fear in others for them to follow your perfected will.

Gain 5 XP: Whenever you rid a fellow mortal of their "imperfections."

Buyoff: Letting an imperfection sustain itself.

Shakuni vaguely chuckled, representing the avatar's very slight amusement. This Tabula may prove herself an interesting follower of the path of fear. "I have simply granted what you wish. Follow the path of fear and inspire the fear in others to become as perfect as you, Ophelia." With that, the dark avatar simply vanished. The glow vanished from around Shakuni as she floated back down to the ground.

Slowly, the lights began to disappear, included the beloved black light. However, what remained was the key Ophelia ever-so-tightly clutched, an empty fountain, and Shakuni, who was slowly coming out of her trance. Once again, the room was lit.