Confusion Now Hath Made His Masterpiece

Tel'aran'rhiod and Portal Worlds
Post Reply
User avatar
Matty
"The Path of Daggers"
Posts: 964
Joined: December 16th, 2015, 8:19 pm
PC: Murdock Mather, Keeper of the Archives
SC: Nathaniel Carridus, Asha'man (Blue)
TC: Maever Donovan, Asha'man (Yellow)
Location: Plain of Lances, UK

Confusion Now Hath Made His Masterpiece

Post by Matty » December 5th, 2017, 1:26 pm

Asha'man Nate Carridus The strongest force in the world was not Saidin, or Saidar, or even the will of the Creator. It was the force of habit, and Nate learned first hand just how easy it was to get into the habit of things, whether he wanted to or not.

Which was a silly thought, because of course he wanted to get used to the Black Tower. It was his home now, he was happy there, what was there to question?

He had a small room in the same house as his brother – he wasn’t trusted enough by anyone to be allowed to live alone – but it was comfortable, and Nate was content. The bed wasn’t exactly roomy but it did the job, and best of all, Nate knew that no matter how irritable Reuben might feel at any given time, he was safe and alone in his room and would not be interrupted. It was his sanctuary.

He was on his bed doing some aggressive sit-ups, trying to remove that irritation that was clouding his mind. He didn’t know why he was irate, he just was, and he also knew it was wrong. So exercise was his way to snuff it out.

“Sweet dreams brother!” Reuben called from the other side of the door.

“Sure,” Nate grunted in response, keeping his count. Dreams? Nate was never one to dream, so what did that even mean to him? Nate grew tired, he fell asleep, and when he woke he was rested and hopefully less confused. That was how it had always been, perhaps minus the confusion. He couldn’t recall any of his dreams, just fleeting sensations that fled when he opened his eyes.

Things were different recently though. Apparently Reuben heard Nate grumbling in his sleep, or shifting around. Nate had no recollection of such, but it made sense to add to his general sense of confusion. Why not add some erratic behaviour to it? Maybe it would settle down, when he was truly used to his circumstances.

Eventually Nate did finish his exercise and head to bed, though it was a while before he fell asleep.

-

Nate was no expert on the World of Dreams. He knew a bit of theory in passing but it always seemed like something that was relevant to someone else, so he just shrugged it off. If someone were to tell him he was in Ter’aran’rhiod, his response would have been “bless you”. Perhaps Nate had dreams like this all the time and wasn’t aware of them, and maybe there was a bit of fate thrown in there as well, as the man found himself in what had to be a dream. Because there was no way Nate had seen a Tower like this before.

It was a Tower much like the Grey, but instead of being that familiar sight, it was instead as black as shadow, ominous and overbearing. It was unnaturally tall and cast a shadow over what felt like the whole countryside. Nate got a better look at the surroundings and realised the Tower was sitting in the middle of Mayene, clearly thrown on top of it with no regard for the houses below it.

“What in the…” Nate squinted at the Tower, floating closer through curiosity with no real interest in the how of it all. It just was. The Asha’man made a face as the shadowy blackness of the building rippled in the sunset, and he found himself at the main doors with, again, no real interest in how he went from A to B. Now he was back on solid ground, he looked up at the Tower ascending to the clouds in the sky. “Tall,” he commented eloquently, and he reached for his hammer that was hanging on his back. It was soon in his hands, as if he could knock the building over with it.

“You’re happy at the Black Tower.” Was that Reuben’s voice filling the air, or was it just in his head? Nate shook his head and put a hand out to the black wall just in front of him, convinced that the Tower, and his brother, were one and the same. And in this strange world, for a liberating moment he didn’t like either of them.
Image
------ Murdock -------------- Nathaniel --------------- Maever -------

User avatar
Craig
Librarian
Posts: 2613
Joined: November 20th, 2015, 10:29 am
PC: Ravak t'Sha'hal Darrow
SC: Elia Darrow
TC: Zarayne
QC: Farah Kattan
Location: Scotland

Re: Confusion Now Hath Made His Masterpiece

Post by Craig » December 12th, 2017, 10:10 am

Zarayne
It was in an Aes Sedai's nature to have secrets, even those new to the shawl and in possession of so few. Zarayne had never held many secrets but one had remained untouched throughout her life in white. Her lineage was well-known - the daughter of a Gaidin and a runaway Accepted. Even after almost twenty years, the Grey Tower would seek out her mother if they knew where she was. It was that secret that Zarayne kept, but that didn't mean mother and daughter didn't see one another.

Tel'aran'rhiod was the only place they could meet, and it was a natural place for them. They were both Dreamwalkers, which was another secret Zarayne kept from the Tower. The Indigos had marked her as a channeller without a Talent, but once she had begun to walk the World of Dreams, Zarayne recognised a certain degree of innate skill that was different from her other pursuits with the One Power. Under her mother's tutelage, her ability to move and control Tel'aran'rhiod was growing.

In her chambers, Zarayne blew out the candle on her bedside cabinet, cloaking the room in utter darkness. She settled down onto the ground, pulling a thin sheet over herself. Tonight she would again practice her Dreamwalking but in a different place. There was the World of Dreams that everyone shared, but then each dreamer also had their own world. It could be dangerous, but not in the same way that Tel'aran'rhiod was. In another's dream, she could become a puppet to their fantasies, but at least she would face no permanent harm.
- - - The sensation in the endless sea of black was surreal. Zarayne knew she was here, but she was without form. Nothing accompanied the commands in her mind to raise her arms or wriggle her feet. Instead she moved simply by willing it so.

The sea of black began to gain colour. Lights, dim and flickering like distant stars, began to appear. She sailed or drifted towards them, which revealed more and more stars. Like saidar, they all appeared to be made of light, yet each light resonated its own sensation and colour. Despite her gift or her Talent, discerning any meaning was impossible.

These are all dreams, she thought within her formless mind. Without any guidance, she didn't know which star to move towards. She had been told that some dreams could pull you in, but Zarayne didn't feel that. It required strong emotions for that to occur, and Zarayne couldn't think of anyone that would think that way about her.

Without direction or guidance, but with a curiosity to explore, Zarayne made her way towards one of the countless stars.
- - - The field of stars faded only to be replaced by something as dark. A huge tower stood before Zarayne - a Zarayne that had arms and legs, thankfully. She gazed up, interested in its form and curious who had designed it. Was this a building from someone's memory, or was this a construct that existed only here?

She took a moment to focus on herself. Any moment she could become some mannequin or puppet for another's self-interest, but for now she was in possession of herself. Her appearance changed to resemble the day's attire: a dark yellow, almost brownish woollen dress, with her hair hung loose around her shoulders.

Zarayne returned to focus on the black tower. Looking towards the base, Zarayne now spotted a figure standing there. Something about his stance and the hammer in his head triggered a sense of recognition but nothing more. She willed herself towards him as if this was Tel'aran'rhiod, and shortly the man and the tower were close. Stopping a few yards short of the man, she took in a deep breath - potentially her last of her own volition, and spoke. "Hello?"
Image Image Image Image
Craig's Tracker ❖ Librarian
Elan wrote:Of course, the problems with observing a chain of command arise when the one in command decides to do something unspeakably idiotic, like taking off on his own for no discernible reason in the middle of enemy territory.

Post Reply
meble kuchenne na wymiar cennik

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests