Post by Nikja on Oct 10, 2020 10:28:35 GMT
While on occasion children are left at the doorsteps of the various temples throughout Faerun, few ever find themselves at Raven's Crest, a remote and highly secretive cloister that lies a couple of days' travel from Raven Rock on the Spine of the World. Fewer still arrive there seemingly of their own accord. In this way Nikja is unique- as far as she is aware, the first person with any knowledge of her existence was the temple's High Warden Lieve'Tel, then still a Priestess.
From what she was told, in the middle of a particularly dark and vicious blizzard, the High Warden spotted her as a child, no older than 5 or 6, staggering through the mountain pass towards the temple steps. This may not have drawn her attention quite so much were the girl not also as naked as a newborn, the snow spitting and evaporating from her body as if it were hitting a hot oiled pan. Suddenly overcome by a sense this was not the child's time, Lieve'tel rushed down to rescue her in one of her robes. The heat left the child's body as she collapsed unconscious into her arms, and so was swiftly brought inside.
After a little investigation, it became apparent to the Trust of Winter's sisters that no-one anywhere near the temple had any knowledge of this strange Tiefling girl's origin, and after a heated debate, it was finally settled that the child was to be inducted to the Trust as a fledge-sister, with Lieve'Tel as her sponsor.
In her time as a fledge-sister, Nikja never left Raven's Crest, and though a sharp student, the large age gap between her and the other fledge-sisters left her with few friends. After several years of tutelage, she was eventually left in the technically named 'care' of Sister Minmyn, the custodian of Raven's Crest.
Her role under Sister Minmyn amounted almost entirely to basic housework, and however hard she tried, her efforts were never good enough for her taskmaster. Regardless, Nikja continued at the work with enthusiasm, despite several clumsy accidents, and a couple of strange events that happened around her along the way.
These accidents paled in comparison to what happened one fateful day, however, when Nikja was once again clearing the ice buildup from the main-chamber's mirrored walls. From the corner of her eye, she saw a shadowed figure move up the stairway into the communion chamber, which was expressly off limits for anyone but the High Wardens. Knowing how Minmyn would react if she found out she'd let an outsider through, she gave chase, and as she turned the corner, she saw the figure slip through into the communion chamber itself.
For the first time running through the chamber's familiar dark doors, she was stopped for a quick second, briefly overwhelmed by the chamber she'd only been able told of before that day. As that second passed, however, her attention was turned to the communion pool, as the figure disappeared beneath its surface. Again overwhelmed, now with sheer panic, Nikja ran to the pool's edge, trying to find the figure in its crimson black waters.
In the midst of a breakdown as to how she could have let this happen, Nikja fretfully circled the pool, trying to find a better vantage point, and knowing full well that her mere presence in the communion chamber was already enough to merit excommunication. Though after a minute, with her search in the pool's depths still fruitless, Nikja resignedly turned back to the door to call for help. As she did, however, her vision was filled by a vast, dark, faceless raven flying from the buttresses toward her. Before she even had time to cry out, it flew right through her, and took all the heat from her body with it. Nikja passed out.
As consciousness began to arrive back with Nikja, she opened her eyes, only to be greeted with the same dark when they were shut. She tried to stand, but could find no surface. An ancient and dominating, yet delicate, and innocent voice suddenly penetrated through Nikja's skull.
"Time to leave the nest, fate-weaver." Then, in an instant, she could feel herself falling, faster and faster, and as she thought she would hit the ground, she instead shot through it, and out of the communion pool, finally reuniting with the floor about 30 feet from the pool, and covered in its ice-cold gore.
Naturally when Nikja was found moments later, she was immediately dragged to the High Warden's offices. After they took her statement, she was sat in the antechamber, still caked in blood, and just told to wait. Nikja's imagination was doing backflips, not only considering the vast array of tortures they were likely to give her for her violation, but also as to what that strange few minutes could possibly have meant. Who was the figure? Was it the same person who spoke to her in the vision? Why would it call her fate-weaver...? Then, finally, the door of Lieve'tel's office opened, as the High Warden walked towards her alone.
"I'm sure you have a lot of questions." She spoke, surprisingly calm, if not clearly a little unnerved. "Quite frankly my dear, so do we. You should never have even been able-" She stopped herself. "Regardless, I'm sure you're keen to find out what your future holds. In case it isn't clear- your time at Raven's Crest has come to a close. We're sending you to Kantas, a region that lies far from our temple. You will be our emissary there. That's all I can say for now, but we have reason to believe that's where your destiny may lie. Is that clear?" Nikja nodded her head. "And Nikja, dear... try not to think too much about tonight. Leave that to me for now."
From what she was told, in the middle of a particularly dark and vicious blizzard, the High Warden spotted her as a child, no older than 5 or 6, staggering through the mountain pass towards the temple steps. This may not have drawn her attention quite so much were the girl not also as naked as a newborn, the snow spitting and evaporating from her body as if it were hitting a hot oiled pan. Suddenly overcome by a sense this was not the child's time, Lieve'tel rushed down to rescue her in one of her robes. The heat left the child's body as she collapsed unconscious into her arms, and so was swiftly brought inside.
After a little investigation, it became apparent to the Trust of Winter's sisters that no-one anywhere near the temple had any knowledge of this strange Tiefling girl's origin, and after a heated debate, it was finally settled that the child was to be inducted to the Trust as a fledge-sister, with Lieve'Tel as her sponsor.
In her time as a fledge-sister, Nikja never left Raven's Crest, and though a sharp student, the large age gap between her and the other fledge-sisters left her with few friends. After several years of tutelage, she was eventually left in the technically named 'care' of Sister Minmyn, the custodian of Raven's Crest.
Her role under Sister Minmyn amounted almost entirely to basic housework, and however hard she tried, her efforts were never good enough for her taskmaster. Regardless, Nikja continued at the work with enthusiasm, despite several clumsy accidents, and a couple of strange events that happened around her along the way.
These accidents paled in comparison to what happened one fateful day, however, when Nikja was once again clearing the ice buildup from the main-chamber's mirrored walls. From the corner of her eye, she saw a shadowed figure move up the stairway into the communion chamber, which was expressly off limits for anyone but the High Wardens. Knowing how Minmyn would react if she found out she'd let an outsider through, she gave chase, and as she turned the corner, she saw the figure slip through into the communion chamber itself.
For the first time running through the chamber's familiar dark doors, she was stopped for a quick second, briefly overwhelmed by the chamber she'd only been able told of before that day. As that second passed, however, her attention was turned to the communion pool, as the figure disappeared beneath its surface. Again overwhelmed, now with sheer panic, Nikja ran to the pool's edge, trying to find the figure in its crimson black waters.
In the midst of a breakdown as to how she could have let this happen, Nikja fretfully circled the pool, trying to find a better vantage point, and knowing full well that her mere presence in the communion chamber was already enough to merit excommunication. Though after a minute, with her search in the pool's depths still fruitless, Nikja resignedly turned back to the door to call for help. As she did, however, her vision was filled by a vast, dark, faceless raven flying from the buttresses toward her. Before she even had time to cry out, it flew right through her, and took all the heat from her body with it. Nikja passed out.
As consciousness began to arrive back with Nikja, she opened her eyes, only to be greeted with the same dark when they were shut. She tried to stand, but could find no surface. An ancient and dominating, yet delicate, and innocent voice suddenly penetrated through Nikja's skull.
"Time to leave the nest, fate-weaver." Then, in an instant, she could feel herself falling, faster and faster, and as she thought she would hit the ground, she instead shot through it, and out of the communion pool, finally reuniting with the floor about 30 feet from the pool, and covered in its ice-cold gore.
Naturally when Nikja was found moments later, she was immediately dragged to the High Warden's offices. After they took her statement, she was sat in the antechamber, still caked in blood, and just told to wait. Nikja's imagination was doing backflips, not only considering the vast array of tortures they were likely to give her for her violation, but also as to what that strange few minutes could possibly have meant. Who was the figure? Was it the same person who spoke to her in the vision? Why would it call her fate-weaver...? Then, finally, the door of Lieve'tel's office opened, as the High Warden walked towards her alone.
"I'm sure you have a lot of questions." She spoke, surprisingly calm, if not clearly a little unnerved. "Quite frankly my dear, so do we. You should never have even been able-" She stopped herself. "Regardless, I'm sure you're keen to find out what your future holds. In case it isn't clear- your time at Raven's Crest has come to a close. We're sending you to Kantas, a region that lies far from our temple. You will be our emissary there. That's all I can say for now, but we have reason to believe that's where your destiny may lie. Is that clear?" Nikja nodded her head. "And Nikja, dear... try not to think too much about tonight. Leave that to me for now."