10th of Ashan, Arc 718
The scent of ash and sulfur was strong as Sephira made her up the side of the Faldrass volcano. As she walked she gazed at the freshly forged mark on her hand, the shape of a shield clearly defined on her skin. There were only stories about this sort of thing, of Immortals walking the land with their followers who they marked to lay claim to them.
Ethelynda
The name had been placed in her mind the moment that shield bearing woman had touched her hand. Even if Sephira despised the thought of being manipulated by some Immortal, she could appreciate the words the woman had said to her.
“I hope you keep fighting, for the right reasons. So that none may be chained, so that none are unprotected, so that none are cast aside”
Sephira could believe in something like that, an ideal, not a person or an Immortal. She would protect those that could not protect themselves, not because she was morally superior, but because she had the strength and will to do so.
Elias’s old home emerged as she made it to the wide precipice that it rested on. The narrow entrance of the cavern was streaked with burn marks from that terrible night. The mage paused before the entrance to the cave , the darkness within making her stomach knot up. The old man had lived here all alone, simply because he was so afraid of endangering others because of his past. His encounter with Sephira had been a coincidence, and it had drastically changed both their fates.
Her steps crunched lightly as she stepped inside, leaving subtle footprints in the volcanic sand at her feet. The interior of the cave was dimly lit by the light from the entrance. Sephira knelt down once inside where a battered chest rested on the ground. She moved with a strange sense of familiarity. Once this place had been like a second home to her, now it was nothing but a distant memory.
It seemed that no one had been here since Elias’s body had been moved. His things remained as they had been, albeit with evidence of fire and ash clinging to the items. She opened the chest and removed a worn set of flint and steel before moving to the crudely cut fire pit in the corner of the chamber. Long ago Elias had seen that ventilation was dug through to the outside so he could enjoy a warm fire. The old man had valued the few luxuries he owned. Reaching down the mage picked up a torn piece of dirty fabric from the ground and set it among the half burned logs in the hearth. Sephira was no expert at field craft so it took many failed attempted before she managed to light the fire with the flint and steel, but eventually a small blaze crackled in the cave.
Light illuminated the walls and memories came spilling back into her mind. A small shelf of books was crammed against the wall near the bed, several tomes rested there. A couple of them had been damaged beyond repair after the attack, but several of them had survived.
Perhaps there was some clue within them, a hint or anything in this cave that would tell her more about her late master’s past and why he had been attacked. Only time and a little investigative work could reveal those answers.
Ethelynda
The name had been placed in her mind the moment that shield bearing woman had touched her hand. Even if Sephira despised the thought of being manipulated by some Immortal, she could appreciate the words the woman had said to her.
“I hope you keep fighting, for the right reasons. So that none may be chained, so that none are unprotected, so that none are cast aside”
Sephira could believe in something like that, an ideal, not a person or an Immortal. She would protect those that could not protect themselves, not because she was morally superior, but because she had the strength and will to do so.
Elias’s old home emerged as she made it to the wide precipice that it rested on. The narrow entrance of the cavern was streaked with burn marks from that terrible night. The mage paused before the entrance to the cave , the darkness within making her stomach knot up. The old man had lived here all alone, simply because he was so afraid of endangering others because of his past. His encounter with Sephira had been a coincidence, and it had drastically changed both their fates.
Her steps crunched lightly as she stepped inside, leaving subtle footprints in the volcanic sand at her feet. The interior of the cave was dimly lit by the light from the entrance. Sephira knelt down once inside where a battered chest rested on the ground. She moved with a strange sense of familiarity. Once this place had been like a second home to her, now it was nothing but a distant memory.
It seemed that no one had been here since Elias’s body had been moved. His things remained as they had been, albeit with evidence of fire and ash clinging to the items. She opened the chest and removed a worn set of flint and steel before moving to the crudely cut fire pit in the corner of the chamber. Long ago Elias had seen that ventilation was dug through to the outside so he could enjoy a warm fire. The old man had valued the few luxuries he owned. Reaching down the mage picked up a torn piece of dirty fabric from the ground and set it among the half burned logs in the hearth. Sephira was no expert at field craft so it took many failed attempted before she managed to light the fire with the flint and steel, but eventually a small blaze crackled in the cave.
Light illuminated the walls and memories came spilling back into her mind. A small shelf of books was crammed against the wall near the bed, several tomes rested there. A couple of them had been damaged beyond repair after the attack, but several of them had survived.
Perhaps there was some clue within them, a hint or anything in this cave that would tell her more about her late master’s past and why he had been attacked. Only time and a little investigative work could reveal those answers.
Dialogue|Thoughts