Beneath the Surface
And so the hunt was on for Voorevon. Had kra tricked them? If so, why?
The warm rays of the azure sun refreshed the city of Hydlaa with the light of a new day, and awoke its citizens one by one. Amongst them was a blonde-haired nolthrir, stretching out on a large ulbernaut pelt upon the mountain behind Harnquist’s smithy. She had made her way up there to think, like she usually did when something troubled her. The lies and deceit were becoming too much to handle, every day the burden on her back became heavier, and yet, what could she do? Betray the one man that held her heart? Betray the one family she had been trying to take care of? Surely that was not an option…
“You cannot betray your faith, Mellas.”
Those words that Thidin whispered in her ears seemed to have continued ringing in her thoughts. A shocking realization of something she never wanted… or did she? Maybe the time had come to change… Furiously she gets up and shakes her head, the blonde locks whipping around her face. ‘Rahhh!!’ she exclaims in a frustrated growl, and with a simple swing of the hand she grabs her bag and stomps off the hill, leaving the ulbernaut fur behind for a next visitor to find.
Down and down she goes, in search of something to distract her… something to ease her mind. And surprisingly, she finds it. Deep down under the ground, inside the Laanx Dungeon, she releases all her tension and anger on the dark rogues, the ones that have recently joined their brothers in the dark depths of despair. One by one their heads roll over the green floor, splattering the stones with a rich texture of fresh blood. Time passes, and the large halls become ever more colorful. As the stench of death becomes too much, she swiftly flees the area, taking her newfound treasures with her. She knows someone who would pay well for a couple of silver falchions…
Wiping the blood off her hands and sabers she jumps up the stairs to return to fresh air. She squints her eyes at the bright light at first, but gets used to the new colors very quickly and rushes off the slope onto the lush green grass. Her road is clear, her feelings have found their peace, and yet… she saw something familiar in the glimpse of her eyes as she passed by the stone benches. Turning around to make sure, she faces the same cursed kran they had been looking for all this time…
Mellas is about to run off to Harnquist, but then, to her complete surprise, spots a familiar figure. 'Voorevon!'
Voorevon raises kra’s brow. “Mellas! I have not seen you since that time in the Stonehead... are you well?”
Mellas smiles and nods, though a bit uncertainly. 'Yes... I can't complain. How about yourself?'
The kran seems to have been relaxing in the small park. “ Well enough.” Kra replies to her question. “Did you and Mogweh... did you go to the Dark Circle caves?"
Mellas shifts her weight from leg to leg nervously, suddenly not sure how to bring forward what had been discussed in the Bronze Doors. 'Yes... we did... what do you think we found?' she asks, watching Voorevon's expression closely. Yet, the kran doesn’t show any suspicious reaction and meets her gaze. “A statue?”
Mellas nods, trying to find a way to get the truth out of her stone companion. 'Yes... but....'
Voorevon tilts kra's head to one side, "Was there a problem?"
Mellas remains quiet for a moment, but then decides to just blurt out the truth. 'Yes... it broke.'
Voorevon's eyes widen, "Oh my word!"
Mellas clasps her hands together. 'Into a zillion pieces... I picked them up,' she says softly, taking some lumium and silver sharves out of her backpack to show.
Voorevon examines the shards, "I see." Kra looks closely, "These, Mellas, they don’t seem so old,’ he says, looking up at the nolthrir again. "What do you think this means?"
Mellas frowns, if kra plays along, so will she. 'What are you saying?' Yet kra's honesty surprises her, and she examines the shards as well.
“What did you go there expecting to find?” kra asks her.
Mellas narrows her eyes. 'Not what we found, that's for sure,' she replies simply. “Giroum saw what you saw, the statue was new... a copy.”
Voorevon nods, "I see. How did your priest react?" he asks as Mellas places the shards back in her backpack. She sighs. 'He was very disappointed, and he has reason to. *Now* where do we look?'
Voorevon says: I feel you may be close to what you seek, Mellas. But, may I ask why you seek it?
Mellas tilts her head slightly to the left. 'To retrieve history, art, that which was lost. All have the right the admire the statue, don't you think?'
Voorevon nods, "You are not driven by religion then? Curiosity?"
Mellas chuckles. "Religion, nay, curiosity, yes. I very much enjoy and appreciate art, so of course I'd like to see the statue in its rightful place."
Voorevon nods, more to kraself than to the nolthrir. "Mellas, would you follow me, please?"
The kran stands up from the neatly designed stone bench, and gestures for her to follow kra. She gives kra a look, showing kra this came a bit unexpected and blinks as various thoughts go through her head. Then quickly, she nods. “Of course!”
Voorevon replied with a polite, “Thank you” and guided her out of the North Gate and into the forest, taking a left turn and bringing her to kra’s homeland. The city of Gugrontid. As they stand before the great collection of stone houses, Voorevon comes to a stop, exhausted from the long run. The nolthrir stands beside kra as kra rests, admiring the view that stuns her time and time again.
Mellas looks up at the city of Gugrontid, admiring its built. 'Where are we going, actually?'
Voorevon shakes kra`s head, "Not to Gugrontid. To the Mound of Talad.” Kra is quiet for a moment. “Mellas, tell me... you know why the first kran made the statue of Laanx, yes?”
She chuckles in response. “Yes, Giroum has researched the history together with us, in the library.”
Voorevon gets back up on his feet and nods, "Good. We are almost there."
Mellas shifts her gaze from Gugrontid to the mount of Talad and follows Voorevon quietly.
Shortly after, they find themselves on their destination… and there’s nothing there but large hills and green grass. The nolthrir looks around, partially uncomfortable with the remotely chosen location.
Voorevon eases kraself down to sit on the hill and looks from Gugrontid to the Scar of Laanx to their left, then to Mellas.
Mellas wonders whether to follow kra's example and sit down beside kra, yet she doesn’t. “Why are we here?” she asks demandingly.
Kra’s reply is more blunt than she expected. “Mellas. The Dark Circle rogues did not steal that statue. I made it, and made sure they recovered it.”
Mellas turns to look at Voorevon and cautiously takes a step back. 'We thought you did,' she replies.
Voorevon continues, “I did so to test you. You, Mogweh and your priest.”
Mellas crosses her arms. 'What would you have to test us for?'
Voorevon looks back to the city before continuing, "Are you good at keeping secrets, Mellas?"
Mellas unfolds her arms and takes a seat on the hill after all, still keeping a small distance between herself and Voorevon. 'If I didn't, I'd be dead,' she murmers darkly.
Voorevon looks at Mellas with approval, "Then perhaps you can understand. There are some truths that are best left hidden."
Mellas hugs her knees to her chest and listens. 'I suppose that can be true... but can you explain to me why you'd rather keep it hidden?'
Voorevon nods and begins his story. “The First. Konroran. Kra too had a secret. That kra regretted the scarring of Laanx caused by our creation. As you know, kra created the statue as a gift to Laanx. Aedaisti, kra`s closest comrade, kra helped Konroran keep kra`s secret and to complete the statue in secret.
Mellas listens with her pointed ears perked up to catch every detail.
Voorevon quotes Kerryk Cor`s book "Wrapping the statue carefully, Konroran set out into the Stone Labyrinths in search of Laanx."
Mellas nods, recognizing the words. 'Yes!'
“Kra carved the statue in *stone most precious*. Mellas, do you know what this is?”
Mellas thinks for a moment, remembering the previous statue they found in the Bronze Door caves, then replies, “In my opinion that would be diamonds, but I suspect lumium?”
Voorevon shakes kra`s head, "There is something far more precious to us."
Voorevon stands and turns to face Mellas, then removes kra`s chainmail pants to reveal what at first appear to be white scars on kra`s right shin and left thigh. Kra continues by undoing the laces that keep the chainmail on kra`s arms, the armour dropping away to reveal white gouges in the stony flesh of kra`s forearms.
Mellas looks closely. 'You've been scarred…?' she asks hesitantly.
Voorevon continues to take off kra`s chainmail wordlessly, and strips off his chest armour. Finally kra lifts the helmet from kra`s head, revealing a face and head tattoo on kra`s scalp above his own face...no, not a tattoo but a carving.
Mellas bites her lip as she guesses once again. 'The statue was made of... kran?'
Voorevon crouches on one knee, crossing kra`s arms and bowing kra`s head, the white gouges on his legs, forearms and crown coming together to form the perfect image of a white-skinned, red-eyed beauty.
Mellas crosses her legs underneath her and watches as Voorevon takes off all his armor. 'Oh my....' she gasps at the sight of the true statue.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r58/MellasFenixxes/shot2670.png)
Voorevon, with kra’s head still bowed, says, "Now, you see. Mellas, I am a member of a group known as The Carven.
Mellas stands up and reaches out to touch Voorevon's arms. 'That's beautiful... pure art...'
Voorevon says: We have existed since the days of Konroran and Aedaisti and have kept alive a tradition that Konroran began, and Aedaisti tried to quell.
Mellas steps back again. 'Now I completely understand what you mean by keeping the statue secret.'
Mellas smiles and takes a seat again, still admiring the designs on Voorevon's body. 'The Carven?'
Voorevon says: Aedaisti `helped` keep Konroran`s work secret because kra disagreed with it. When Konroran `wrapped` the `statue` and set out for the Stone Labyrinths kra wrapped it not in cloth, but kra`s own clothing.... When kra perished kneeling, presenting kra`s work to Laanx, Aedaisti and others were sent by Talad to recover kra`s body. Of those, one was the first Carven.
Mellas is completely stunned. 'So, this is the truth... the Carven carry it with them, at all times?'
Voorevon nods, "`There are rumours` Kerryk writes, `that some of Konroran`s earlier attempts are hidden somewhere`. Now you know this to be true, from a certain point of view. There are very few of us, but we all bear the marks. We perform the ceremony upon each other."
Mellas smiles. 'And when one body does not wake, it will be carved upon the next one, going through generations?'
Voorevon nods solemnly, "Since the beginning."
Mellas takes a deep breath, still processing the sudden turn of events. 'Who'd have thought! And you want no one to know?”
Voorevon says: There are those who would expose us, destroy us, as Aedaisti made the first Carven swear never to speak of what they saw upon Konroran`s body. If people knew, what do you think would be their reaction?
Mellas frowns. 'You fear they will put you in glass boxes in the temple, for all to see?'
Voorevon says: That is quite likely. There are those -both Talad and Laanx worshippers- who would probably kill us.
Mellas sighs and scratches her head. 'Then why did you show me?'
Voorevon says: Because I feel that you, of all I have met, would be able to understand. Our tales tell that years ago one of our number met an artist and shared our history with him. You are but the second. We have no written history, for fear of it`s discovery. Only oral tradition.
Mellas drops her hands in her lap and beams. 'Thank you, I'm really grateful to have gotten the chance to see this; it's a stunning sight. I will keep your secret.'
Voorevon says: I thank you, but...your friend Mogweh, and this lemur priest...they will stop their hunt?
Mellas leans back in the grass, her gaze on the artwork that covers Voorevon's being. 'They will have to,' she replies. 'When they have nowhere else to seek... but they do seek you. Is there anything you would like me to say?'
Voorevon nods slowly as he begins to put his armour back on.
Mellas looks a bit disappointed when the beautiful carvings are covered up again, but gives Voorevon an understanding look.
Voorevon says: It might be best....if I die. Fake my demise.
Mellas exclaims. “No!! Surely there's another way that doesn't include Dakkru's realm, you already said there are few of you.” The kran grins in response, "I will not risk Dakkru`s Realm... I simply request that you tell them I died."
Mellas raises her eyebrows, but then nods. 'Very well... I will tell them that I found your body by the mount of Talad?'
Voorevon looks at the hill beneath them and smiles, "Yes...yes. That would be best. And most kind of you. Please, Mellas: make sure this quest ends. The Carven must remain secret for now."
Mellas winks. 'I will do all in my power to make sure that they have nowhere left to search, promise,' she says, extending her hand to Voorevon.
Voorevon shakes Mellas` hand with his chainmail gauntleted one.
Mellas smiles as she thinks of the artwork hidden underneath. 'I wish you all the luck in succeeding with keeping the Carved alive and well.'
Voorevon says: There may be a time when we can reveal ourselves. When Laanx finally forgives Talad. Until then we will remain hidden, between faiths.
Mellas stands up and nods. 'It would be best, yes. Thank you for solving this mystery for me, I would never have guessed.'
Voorevon stands up with her, "I will leave the dome, for now. Before I go..."
Voorevon unstraps a sword from his back and hands it to Mellas, "Take this."
Mellas looks a bit confused as she accepts the sword. 'What's this? Don't you need it when you leave the dome?'
Voorevon shrugs, "I have other weapons...though we prefer to avoid combat, lest one of us die and kra`s body be found and examined."
Mellas swallows. 'Aye, indeed... I will guard it for you until you return.'
Voorevon smiles and nods, "You have my thanks. And that of the Carven."
Mellas wraps the platinum sword in a thick cloth before placing it safely in her backpack. 'And you have my thanks, how will I contact you when the coast is clear?'
Voorevon smiles, "I will return from time to time. It is best that you do not try to contact me though. Now..." kra looks from Mellas to the hill, "I will stay a while to commune with my lord" and looks to the Scar of Laanx, "And with The First."
Mellas makes a small bow as she descends off the hill. 'Then I will leave you in peace, Voorevon, please be safe wherever you will travel.'
Voorevon says: And you, Mellas.
Mellas waves and then turns around to leave, a satisfied and happy expression on her face. The secret has been revealed to her... yet will it remain a secret to the others too?
The nolthrir made a promise, a choice. Since the morning she hadn’t really thought about it, lingering in the joy of sweet nothingness. It felt like a moment of proof had come, a moment where she could really finalize her decision. It had been so easy… so very easy. Yet the truth tends to be written on her face, what will she really tell the others...?