Time to Breathe (15/12) - Jaezred
Dec 20, 2021 17:01:28 GMT
Anthony, Wixspartan, and 2 more like this
Post by Jaezred Vandree on Dec 20, 2021 17:01:28 GMT
Jaezred returned to his suite at the Four Fair Winds past midnight. The jubilation of Sorrel Darkfire’s successful exorcism had the adventurers dancing late into the night. But not him. He sat stunned on a nearby rock, reeling at what he’d just witnessed.
His thoughts were still racing as he shut the door behind him, but they came to an immediate halt when he got the distinct feeling that someone was watching him. Someone unseen, not within the room, but rather somewhere far — impossibly far — away.
A feeling of lethargy swept over him and he stumbled a little, his hand finding the edge of a dresser to prevent a fall. His vision blurred, and the last thought that came to his mind before the room faded from view was: Fuck, not again.
Colours spun and shifted before his eyes into a hazy blur. He blinked, and after a second, the world gradually came into focus. There was the night sky filling his field of vision and the tawny grass underneath his feet, and in front of him, a few people moving to and fro in random, sporadic dances, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight and accompanied by the wild rhythm of a hand drum.
This was familiar to him. It was a scene that happened just a couple of hours ago: Sorrel’s exorcism, playing out before his eyes again.
The moonlight gave a pale sheen to the thin layer of frost blanketing the grass as the adventurers danced to complete the sacred ritual. Silvia skipping and twirling around with her eyes shut, Sterling Pann’s mechanical bird hopping about on the ground and flapping its metallic wings with the halfling artificer controlling it just a few feet away, Gerhard trying his best, and Sarin Aleannder, the honoured guest whom Aurelia asked Jaezred to show around town, swaying from side to side as he drummed to lead the ceremony. The young, drow priest was dressed in nothing but a poncho (and he made sure it was known that it was a begrudging decision), his waist-length silvery-white hair, tied into a loose ponytail, swung around his graceful, willowy body. His face — which had a sort of picture-perfect beauty that would have enticed Jaezred more if they were closer in age and he wasn’t already taken — was oddly serene in spite of the furious but disciplined, rhythmic beating of his hand drum.
In the centre of the dancing prayer circle was the hooded form of Sorrel Darkfire, seated on the ground and staring at her companions in wide-eyed wonder. Her gaze briefly met Jaezred’s, who was standing outside the circle with wand in hand, watching the ceremony in dead silence. He knew what was going to happen next: the goddess would appear, dance with the others, caress his cheek playfully, then exorcise the malicious spirit from Sorrel, and banish it away. The adventurers would celebrate and dance some more whilst Jaezred sat down in complete shock.
And right on cue, she arrived. Eilistraee, the Dark Maiden, the Daughter of Lolth, shimmered into view in the moonlight, dancing as she came. From studying the looks on everyone else’s faces, he could tell only him and Sorrel could see her in that moment. Her long, white hair gently curled and billowed around her naked form as she danced amongst the mortals and approached him. As before, she reached out a hand to him and stroked his gaping face with a wink, but this time, it was slightly different. For a moment, the divine apparition shone with a bright, white light, and a second Eilistraee split out of the goddess’s body, stepping to stand beside Jaezred as the original one danced away towards Sorrel.
He stood still, transfixed, unable to draw his eyes away from Eilistraee as she pulled the Hunger Spirit out of the troubled ranger’s throat, whilst being acutely aware of the figure next to him. Part of him screamed to thrash against the restraints that had been placed on his body, to fight for control. Another part of him soothed the former, in a gentle tone that sounded almost like Imryll in her kinder moments, to just go with it. Even so, he could not help but feel the comforting radiance of her presence washing over him with her being so close. They stood together and watched the ceremony play out — this strange priest performing the ritual, his companions dancing wildly with an unseen goddess, and finally, the ravenous spirit slowly being pulled out of the cursed one’s body in the brilliant moonlight. Liberated from the plaguing darkness to live a life in the light of freedom.
A gentle hand rested on Jaezred’s shoulder to steady him, distilling a wave of serenity through his body. He blinked again, and the colours blurred once more. Time walked backwards, and the scene started again from the beginning with the hand remaining on his shoulder. The priest began his drumming, the dancers began to move, it was all the same…except there was no Sorrel in the centre of the circle. In her place was him, another Lord Jaezred Vandree, bent and cowering under the weight of an enormous, bloated, black spider clinging onto his back, whispering maledictions into his ear.
A lump formed in his throat. But he was still unable to move or speak.
Eilistraee reappeared again and danced towards his other self. The other Jaezred looked up at her, his darkened visage bathed in moonlight as he did. The goddess addressed this other version of himself rather than that which clung to him, and he listened, gazing into her divine luminescence. Then he began to stand, slowly, and the vicious spider’s grip slipped from his back. It screamed and clawed at him with its thin legs as it slowly fell off of him, and finally scurried off into the darkness, not driven off but left behind.
Jaezred watched himself stand tall in the silver light, taller than he actually was, as the dancers whirled around him and the light of the moon swelled into a blinding white that filled his vision.
He blinked, and this time he was back in his room at the Winds. No more grass and frost, no more adventurers capering about, no other version of himself, no shadowy spectres of demonic spiders, no divine aspects by his side. The lethargy faded and Jaezred found himself alone.
He decided then and there that he’s finishing that bottle of whisky tonight.
He arrived in the Mountain Palace the next night, striding into Imryll’s chambers with a bouquet of flowers and a box from Paradise Frost, whilst she was lounging on a sofa and reading a book. He looked straight at her.
“You cunning witch. I don’t believe that you didn’t have that planned.”
The spring eladrin cocked a brow and closed her book shut. “Planned what, exactly? In any case, I must say, I could get used to you being upset if it meant more surprises,” she replied, her eyes on the flowers and the patisserie box.
“Sarin Aleannder,” he said as he went to kiss her and sit down. “He said you and Margotin put him up to it. And Sorrel Darkfire said you sent him to Daring to help her, too. And I’m not upset. Not at you, at least.”
She chuckled at the mention of Sarin. “Oh no? So who are you upset with?”
“Aleannder and that goddess of his.” Jaezred put the box down on the sofa, in the space between where they each sat, and opened it to reveal the fey queen cake, alongside two forks wrapped in a napkin. “Filling my head with their nonsense… Dancing naked in the moonlight? What bollocks.”
“Oh I don’t know… A bit of naked moonlight dancing sounds quite entertaining to me!”
He raised a brow at her. “You know I always enjoy seeing you naked, but we don’t have to go outside for it. You certainly won’t be seeing me doing that.”
She laughed as she looked down at the cake and took one fork. “Well, that certainly is a shame. You being naked might make up for your terrible dancing, at least a bit… Ooh, I see this now comes with biscuit on!”
“Your one good idea, it seems.”
“I think you’ll find I have many a good idea, my love, if only you would be more receptive to such things. For instance, was I not the one who arranged to have the dear Miss Darkfire alleviated of that bothersome curse? She really might have hurt someone had that been left unchecked…”
“Right, and you put him up to being all nice and warm to me and got me involved in her exorcism so I would dance naked under the moon and open my mind or whatever it was you intended.”
“No, actually. Though that does sound like a good idea.”
“I didn’t partake, for the record!”
“Shame. You do have the legs for a moonlit dance…” She giggled. He blushed. “I merely sent him to you since you are our local expert on the filthy little township. Who else would we ask to show him around and make sure he comes back in one piece?”
“I’ll show you who’s filthy later…” he muttered. “Well, your little stunt resulted in an apparition and another vision, so I hope you’re happy.”
“Oh, really now? Are you suggesting I control the whims of the gods now? I know I can be quite persuasive, but if I knew I could reach that far, I would absolutely be taking more advantage of that. But do tell, my dear, what happened this time? And, for the record… I am quite happy, yes! I have cake!” she said as she took a delighted bite.
“Why do I put up with you? Your ego is large enough to keep you company…”
“Because it would surely be a dull and boring existence without me, dear! But come on! Tell me what happened!”
Jaezred rolled his eyes at her for what must be the two hundredth time in their relationship (lovingly, as always) before recounting what he saw during the exorcism and the vision that came after; it was the second one he’d received from Eilistraee, and his fourth divine vision overall.
“Hmmm. Much less traumatic than the others you’ve described,” Imryll remarked. “Are you sure you weren’t just taken in the moment?”
“I don’t like it,” he said, the blush on his face growing furious. “This temptation… This blasphemy… How dare she…”
She gave him a curious look. “Well… What do you suppose it means?”
“Is it not obvious? She’s telling me that she can rid me of…of…”
His voice faltered. He looked down on his left arm, which his right hand had unconsciously gripped. Imryll fell quiet for a moment.
“Well… Despite what these two seem to want with you, what do you want?” she asked. “Of course, don’t feel you have to say anything you fear might earn you scorn, my dear. But just consider it for a moment.”
“What does it matter what I want? I have a duty to fulfil.”
“A great deal, I would suggest. You are allowed to want and desire, to reach and to aspire for things, my dear. As I said before, you are already more than you once were. And duty is a fickle thing. Most who believe they have duty are offered nothing in return from those they are duty-bound to.”
“She gives me power. Is that not a reward?”
That felt more like a question directed at himself. And he knew the answer to that.
“Well, that depends… Is that really what you want?”
Jaezred withdrew into himself, then looked up at Imryll in a sorrowful gaze and said quietly, “I want you. I want to be with you.”
She smiled affectionately at her lover and leaned over to kiss him on the forehead. “You have me.”
That put a small smile on his lips. He sighed and leaned his back head against the sofa, thinking back to Sarin’s invitation to him to visit The Moon and Web Tavern, where he was told he could find even more Eilistraeeans. “I agreed to come visit his ridiculous tavern-come-temple, because I thought that’s what you would want. But now, I don’t know… Even he can’t help me with that golden arrow.”
“I swear, it’s like you don’t listen to me… I said you should do what you want!” she scolded him with a slight frown. “I only want you to think for yourself instead of just doing what you think someone else wants you to do, be that me or horrifying spider goddesses.”
The sorcerer furrowed his brow a little as he realised he’d just done it again. Was it really that hard for him to put his own wants and needs above a woman’s?
“As for that golden arrow,” Imryll continued, “I suppose only time will tell, unfortunately. This last one did not have one, by the sound of it. Still, you never know, you might enjoy the temple/tavern.”
“What an absurd notion,” he muttered. “But fine. I’ll go, if only to laugh at it. Although…”
Jaezred’s eyes met hers again, a mix of pain and pleading in them. How he hated needing emotional support. “…Will you please come with me?” he asked in a strained voice.
“Well, I was planning to relax, maybe take a nap, or interrogate someone for a couple hours, but…I guess I can make some space in my calendar for you.”
“How very kind of your ladyship. I think it a mercy to the palace to deprive it of your irritating presence even for just a bit. Where is this place anyway?”
“A fair ways down. I don’t know exactly where but I know of a cute, little kobold selling jewellery in the Granite down there that could point us in the right direction… Shall we?”
She offered a hand to him and his eyes widened. “What, now?!”
“You’d rather wait?”
He hesitated. Was he ready for this? “I don’t know. I just… Everything seems to be moving so bloody quickly all of a sudden,” he said.
“Well, it’s up to you, dear. I can wait another day or two for you to buy me a necklace.” She winked at Jaezred before going for another piece of the cake.
He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “No. Fine. Better to rip it off quickly.”
“Excellent!”
His eyes were still shut when he felt a pair of lips smooching his forehead, and then there was a familiar lurch, the feeling of his body being moved across a vast space that had been folded and unfolded again in the blink of an eye. The temperature dropped a little, the air pressure changed, and the sound of a crackling fire was gone. He heard a gasp, followed by a raspy voice saying, “Ah, the Lady. You sooner than expect.”
Jaezred opened his eyes…
(To be continued in Entr'acte 12.)
Co-written with the inimitable Anthony.
His thoughts were still racing as he shut the door behind him, but they came to an immediate halt when he got the distinct feeling that someone was watching him. Someone unseen, not within the room, but rather somewhere far — impossibly far — away.
A feeling of lethargy swept over him and he stumbled a little, his hand finding the edge of a dresser to prevent a fall. His vision blurred, and the last thought that came to his mind before the room faded from view was: Fuck, not again.
Colours spun and shifted before his eyes into a hazy blur. He blinked, and after a second, the world gradually came into focus. There was the night sky filling his field of vision and the tawny grass underneath his feet, and in front of him, a few people moving to and fro in random, sporadic dances, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight and accompanied by the wild rhythm of a hand drum.
This was familiar to him. It was a scene that happened just a couple of hours ago: Sorrel’s exorcism, playing out before his eyes again.
The moonlight gave a pale sheen to the thin layer of frost blanketing the grass as the adventurers danced to complete the sacred ritual. Silvia skipping and twirling around with her eyes shut, Sterling Pann’s mechanical bird hopping about on the ground and flapping its metallic wings with the halfling artificer controlling it just a few feet away, Gerhard trying his best, and Sarin Aleannder, the honoured guest whom Aurelia asked Jaezred to show around town, swaying from side to side as he drummed to lead the ceremony. The young, drow priest was dressed in nothing but a poncho (and he made sure it was known that it was a begrudging decision), his waist-length silvery-white hair, tied into a loose ponytail, swung around his graceful, willowy body. His face — which had a sort of picture-perfect beauty that would have enticed Jaezred more if they were closer in age and he wasn’t already taken — was oddly serene in spite of the furious but disciplined, rhythmic beating of his hand drum.
In the centre of the dancing prayer circle was the hooded form of Sorrel Darkfire, seated on the ground and staring at her companions in wide-eyed wonder. Her gaze briefly met Jaezred’s, who was standing outside the circle with wand in hand, watching the ceremony in dead silence. He knew what was going to happen next: the goddess would appear, dance with the others, caress his cheek playfully, then exorcise the malicious spirit from Sorrel, and banish it away. The adventurers would celebrate and dance some more whilst Jaezred sat down in complete shock.
And right on cue, she arrived. Eilistraee, the Dark Maiden, the Daughter of Lolth, shimmered into view in the moonlight, dancing as she came. From studying the looks on everyone else’s faces, he could tell only him and Sorrel could see her in that moment. Her long, white hair gently curled and billowed around her naked form as she danced amongst the mortals and approached him. As before, she reached out a hand to him and stroked his gaping face with a wink, but this time, it was slightly different. For a moment, the divine apparition shone with a bright, white light, and a second Eilistraee split out of the goddess’s body, stepping to stand beside Jaezred as the original one danced away towards Sorrel.
He stood still, transfixed, unable to draw his eyes away from Eilistraee as she pulled the Hunger Spirit out of the troubled ranger’s throat, whilst being acutely aware of the figure next to him. Part of him screamed to thrash against the restraints that had been placed on his body, to fight for control. Another part of him soothed the former, in a gentle tone that sounded almost like Imryll in her kinder moments, to just go with it. Even so, he could not help but feel the comforting radiance of her presence washing over him with her being so close. They stood together and watched the ceremony play out — this strange priest performing the ritual, his companions dancing wildly with an unseen goddess, and finally, the ravenous spirit slowly being pulled out of the cursed one’s body in the brilliant moonlight. Liberated from the plaguing darkness to live a life in the light of freedom.
A gentle hand rested on Jaezred’s shoulder to steady him, distilling a wave of serenity through his body. He blinked again, and the colours blurred once more. Time walked backwards, and the scene started again from the beginning with the hand remaining on his shoulder. The priest began his drumming, the dancers began to move, it was all the same…except there was no Sorrel in the centre of the circle. In her place was him, another Lord Jaezred Vandree, bent and cowering under the weight of an enormous, bloated, black spider clinging onto his back, whispering maledictions into his ear.
A lump formed in his throat. But he was still unable to move or speak.
Eilistraee reappeared again and danced towards his other self. The other Jaezred looked up at her, his darkened visage bathed in moonlight as he did. The goddess addressed this other version of himself rather than that which clung to him, and he listened, gazing into her divine luminescence. Then he began to stand, slowly, and the vicious spider’s grip slipped from his back. It screamed and clawed at him with its thin legs as it slowly fell off of him, and finally scurried off into the darkness, not driven off but left behind.
Jaezred watched himself stand tall in the silver light, taller than he actually was, as the dancers whirled around him and the light of the moon swelled into a blinding white that filled his vision.
He blinked, and this time he was back in his room at the Winds. No more grass and frost, no more adventurers capering about, no other version of himself, no shadowy spectres of demonic spiders, no divine aspects by his side. The lethargy faded and Jaezred found himself alone.
He decided then and there that he’s finishing that bottle of whisky tonight.
He arrived in the Mountain Palace the next night, striding into Imryll’s chambers with a bouquet of flowers and a box from Paradise Frost, whilst she was lounging on a sofa and reading a book. He looked straight at her.
“You cunning witch. I don’t believe that you didn’t have that planned.”
The spring eladrin cocked a brow and closed her book shut. “Planned what, exactly? In any case, I must say, I could get used to you being upset if it meant more surprises,” she replied, her eyes on the flowers and the patisserie box.
“Sarin Aleannder,” he said as he went to kiss her and sit down. “He said you and Margotin put him up to it. And Sorrel Darkfire said you sent him to Daring to help her, too. And I’m not upset. Not at you, at least.”
She chuckled at the mention of Sarin. “Oh no? So who are you upset with?”
“Aleannder and that goddess of his.” Jaezred put the box down on the sofa, in the space between where they each sat, and opened it to reveal the fey queen cake, alongside two forks wrapped in a napkin. “Filling my head with their nonsense… Dancing naked in the moonlight? What bollocks.”
“Oh I don’t know… A bit of naked moonlight dancing sounds quite entertaining to me!”
He raised a brow at her. “You know I always enjoy seeing you naked, but we don’t have to go outside for it. You certainly won’t be seeing me doing that.”
She laughed as she looked down at the cake and took one fork. “Well, that certainly is a shame. You being naked might make up for your terrible dancing, at least a bit… Ooh, I see this now comes with biscuit on!”
“Your one good idea, it seems.”
“I think you’ll find I have many a good idea, my love, if only you would be more receptive to such things. For instance, was I not the one who arranged to have the dear Miss Darkfire alleviated of that bothersome curse? She really might have hurt someone had that been left unchecked…”
“Right, and you put him up to being all nice and warm to me and got me involved in her exorcism so I would dance naked under the moon and open my mind or whatever it was you intended.”
“No, actually. Though that does sound like a good idea.”
“I didn’t partake, for the record!”
“Shame. You do have the legs for a moonlit dance…” She giggled. He blushed. “I merely sent him to you since you are our local expert on the filthy little township. Who else would we ask to show him around and make sure he comes back in one piece?”
“I’ll show you who’s filthy later…” he muttered. “Well, your little stunt resulted in an apparition and another vision, so I hope you’re happy.”
“Oh, really now? Are you suggesting I control the whims of the gods now? I know I can be quite persuasive, but if I knew I could reach that far, I would absolutely be taking more advantage of that. But do tell, my dear, what happened this time? And, for the record… I am quite happy, yes! I have cake!” she said as she took a delighted bite.
“Why do I put up with you? Your ego is large enough to keep you company…”
“Because it would surely be a dull and boring existence without me, dear! But come on! Tell me what happened!”
Jaezred rolled his eyes at her for what must be the two hundredth time in their relationship (lovingly, as always) before recounting what he saw during the exorcism and the vision that came after; it was the second one he’d received from Eilistraee, and his fourth divine vision overall.
“Hmmm. Much less traumatic than the others you’ve described,” Imryll remarked. “Are you sure you weren’t just taken in the moment?”
“I don’t like it,” he said, the blush on his face growing furious. “This temptation… This blasphemy… How dare she…”
She gave him a curious look. “Well… What do you suppose it means?”
“Is it not obvious? She’s telling me that she can rid me of…of…”
His voice faltered. He looked down on his left arm, which his right hand had unconsciously gripped. Imryll fell quiet for a moment.
“Well… Despite what these two seem to want with you, what do you want?” she asked. “Of course, don’t feel you have to say anything you fear might earn you scorn, my dear. But just consider it for a moment.”
“What does it matter what I want? I have a duty to fulfil.”
“A great deal, I would suggest. You are allowed to want and desire, to reach and to aspire for things, my dear. As I said before, you are already more than you once were. And duty is a fickle thing. Most who believe they have duty are offered nothing in return from those they are duty-bound to.”
“She gives me power. Is that not a reward?”
That felt more like a question directed at himself. And he knew the answer to that.
“Well, that depends… Is that really what you want?”
Jaezred withdrew into himself, then looked up at Imryll in a sorrowful gaze and said quietly, “I want you. I want to be with you.”
She smiled affectionately at her lover and leaned over to kiss him on the forehead. “You have me.”
That put a small smile on his lips. He sighed and leaned his back head against the sofa, thinking back to Sarin’s invitation to him to visit The Moon and Web Tavern, where he was told he could find even more Eilistraeeans. “I agreed to come visit his ridiculous tavern-come-temple, because I thought that’s what you would want. But now, I don’t know… Even he can’t help me with that golden arrow.”
“I swear, it’s like you don’t listen to me… I said you should do what you want!” she scolded him with a slight frown. “I only want you to think for yourself instead of just doing what you think someone else wants you to do, be that me or horrifying spider goddesses.”
The sorcerer furrowed his brow a little as he realised he’d just done it again. Was it really that hard for him to put his own wants and needs above a woman’s?
“As for that golden arrow,” Imryll continued, “I suppose only time will tell, unfortunately. This last one did not have one, by the sound of it. Still, you never know, you might enjoy the temple/tavern.”
“What an absurd notion,” he muttered. “But fine. I’ll go, if only to laugh at it. Although…”
Jaezred’s eyes met hers again, a mix of pain and pleading in them. How he hated needing emotional support. “…Will you please come with me?” he asked in a strained voice.
“Well, I was planning to relax, maybe take a nap, or interrogate someone for a couple hours, but…I guess I can make some space in my calendar for you.”
“How very kind of your ladyship. I think it a mercy to the palace to deprive it of your irritating presence even for just a bit. Where is this place anyway?”
“A fair ways down. I don’t know exactly where but I know of a cute, little kobold selling jewellery in the Granite down there that could point us in the right direction… Shall we?”
She offered a hand to him and his eyes widened. “What, now?!”
“You’d rather wait?”
He hesitated. Was he ready for this? “I don’t know. I just… Everything seems to be moving so bloody quickly all of a sudden,” he said.
“Well, it’s up to you, dear. I can wait another day or two for you to buy me a necklace.” She winked at Jaezred before going for another piece of the cake.
He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “No. Fine. Better to rip it off quickly.”
“Excellent!”
His eyes were still shut when he felt a pair of lips smooching his forehead, and then there was a familiar lurch, the feeling of his body being moved across a vast space that had been folded and unfolded again in the blink of an eye. The temperature dropped a little, the air pressure changed, and the sound of a crackling fire was gone. He heard a gasp, followed by a raspy voice saying, “Ah, the Lady. You sooner than expect.”
Jaezred opened his eyes…
(To be continued in Entr'acte 12.)
Co-written with the inimitable Anthony.
