• Solo • Crying in Ulehi

[Zunylanih]

Theme

62nd of Vhalar 720



The news had hit him early the next morning. After the Mummer's Ball, the entire city of Rharne was overjoyed at the events that transpired there. That a group of adventurers, including a redheaded barbarian woman had savaged and attacked Syroa without provocation, and then, having to defend herself, Syroa retaliated and was subsequently overpowered.

A goddess. How could they kill a goddess? How was it even possible? Zuny refused to believe it for a while throughout the day. He stuffed those feelings of fright and listlessness deep inside, using the power of Thespian as a bulwark against the tide of sorrow that threatened to overcome him. Afterall, Syroa had been his only comfort in the city of Quacia. A city that had promised much, but always swept him and the rest of the underclass under the rug, as if he were beneath notice. Only Syroa, and his dearest sister Omesintihlih had looked on him with understanding. As if he were worthy of notice. And now, there wasn't anyone for him. Without Omesintihlih, and Syroa, it was just him on his own.

And so, as he walked the paths of the Crystal forest, lost and alone, he began to cry, a subtle chime issued from his throat as he softly sobbed. With the power of thespian, he allowed the sorrow to hit him then. It seemed a most apropos emotion to indulge in for the moment, and wished for the catharsis of letting his feelings hang out for once.

Where in Idalos, people smiled and chattered and carried on as if anything they did mattered. A great big mask, a lie of a world. At least here, in Uleuda, Zunylanih was free to be himself, who he actually was. Without worrying that his disguise would slip in some way, or that he'd break character. Here he could leave Keque behind, and just be Zunylanih.

He cried tears of sorrow and bitterness, angry toward the city that had resulted in his Goddess' rumored downfall. He wanted to pray to her then, and in many moments afterward, but was afraid that they might not answer, that even his words, a favored follower, would go ignored. He daren't try it, for fear of losing his mind.

His crystalline eyes of crimson formed the tears perfectly, as they fell to the ground. Each drop made a chime upon the crystal ground he trod, giving sound and theme to his walk toward the ends of the forest. His head was inclined downward, looking at his feet as they trod those paths. He only looked up once or twice to make sure he wouldn't collide with a pillar of crystal at any point, or some other construct of this place.

It mattered little anyway that he did. He might've closed his eyes, and let the Nulliem take him. Might as well. What use was it with his Goddess gone, and before her his sister Omesintihlih. He was lost in a cruel cruel world, which wore its mask of a smile, over a livid and decaying visage of decrepitude.

[Zunylanih]

But soon enough, the sound of gentle humming reached his ears, issuing from some distance ahead of him. He perceived a form in hues of blue and purple, reflecting the light of distant Yldria, and a motif of stars on her crystalline form. For a moment he wondered of the mere thought of Omesintihlih had called her forth. But then he remembered she'd never been able to form a connection to Uleuda, for whatever reason, citing a chilling fear of 'Them'. He hadn't known what she was talking about at the time, and it became increasingly difficult to pry the information out of Omes as she drifted deeper into madness. He only presumed it was some sort of traumatic event that precipitated her decline. It was only later that he learned more about Uleuda, and the shadow people, the Nulliem that haunted the outskirts, chasing the Yludih that dwelt there to huddle by the bright core of the city's light and that of Yldria.

It wasn't done that younger Yludih were made to wander the outskirts. It was said to be dangerous, but Zuny didn't care about the danger at the moment. He only wished to find his own way to oblivion, now that his precious Goddess was no more.

"Why so sad?" Came the voice of the blue jewel woman in front of him. "I seen you. What is name?"

She spoke in broken Ulehi, not common as many tended to do. As such, he felt compelled to answer in kind. Grateful at least that he wouldn't be resorting to that guttural tongue of humankind. "I Zunylanih." He responded.

She smiled at him, and stars and sparks seemed to shine in the flecks of color in her lips as she did so. "Zunylanih... 'Our Joy'? What good name!"

Zunylanih felt buoyed by her praise of his name. A silly thing, and yet for one who took more names than most would ever bother to remember, it meant something to him. He felt instant kinship for the blue crystal woman. "Thank. What name you?"

"Ekohdene." She said with another smile, and knelt by a small cluster of crystals, in the shape of a shrubbery. Zuny approached with some trepidation, unsure of this woman as yet, but feeling somewhat mollified by her praise. She had a pretty name. 'Blue Jewel' in their tongue of Ulehi. Very appropriate, in his mind. He found himself wanting to know more about her, curious, and curious about who she might be in the World of Lies that was Idalos.

Yet he paced himself, he didn't want to chase her away before he'd gotten to know her. "Pretty name." He said, and had to admit that he enjoyed the color of her crystals. Were he in his human disguise, he might've been blushing. As it was, his asterism hummed in the orbit of her radiance.

She smiled coyly at that, but said nothing. Instead, she reached a hand out to graze the shrubbery they were kneeling beside. From it, by some form of magic, she began coaxing a shape from the fronds of the crystals. Slowly, a sweet-smelling rose began to form from it, colored with red translucence, and a red stem. She snapped it off the branch, then handed it to him. "Your color." She said, and she was right. The flower perfectly matched his own garnet coloration in this realm.

"How you do that?" He asked, astonished as he brought the crystal rose to his face, sniffing it. A subtle memory or impression of how a rose smelled came to his mind, bidden by the appearance of the object perhaps, or imprinted with the memories of what that sort of flower smelled like. The scent reminded him of sweet bloodlight blossoms and exotic musks that he remembered from the markets of Quacia. It was a sweet, yet strong scent.

He held onto the flower as she lifted him up by the hands, and guided him along toward the path, further off from the city of Uleuda. There, they found a quiet place where they could sit, and talk for breaks on end about themselves., their people, and their language. Zunylanih could have learned much, but he was too distracted by her strange beauty, and the gift of the rose.



Breaks later, they were still seated at the edge of the Crystal Forest. Ekohdene explained, "So you see, you think of an object you know well in the False World. And with great concentration and focus, you may bring forth that object to this realm... I'm not sure how it works, so don't ask me. But - there are theories and thoughts on the matter. You could have the ancients talk until your body in the False World starves to death on the subject, and things of the like." She'd spoken for so long, he almost didn't notice when she reverted to speaking the common tongue. By now, he didn't mind. He just liked to hear the sound of her voice in this True World.

"I never talk to Ancients. They say I silly." He responded, still in Ulehi.

She shook her head, "You're not silly Zunylanih, you're special, just as much as anyone who dwells in this world. What we know, what we all know, is that those people, the dwellers of the False World, they don't matter. They're not real. So what happens to them is of no importance. Only our kin we hold as sacrosanct. The rest are ripe for the butcher's blade."

Zunylanih thought on this for a while before answering. He'd often felt the same, and wondered when before, before he knew what he was, whether there was something wrong. That he wasn't the same as the other children, and didn't seem to feel things the same way as them. Could it be because of his nature as Yludih? That they were False Lives, and he was a True Life? It was an interesting proposition, and one that he had to admit was vaguely liberating. If none others mattered, what point was there in even trying to feel remorse?

He smiled at Ekohdene, finally understanding his place in the worlds.

[Doran]

Zuny:

Knowledge:
Sesser: Thespian: Can be used to invoke some catharsis in the form of sorrow.
Meditation x 5

Loot: A crystal Rose (Only in Uleuda Possessions)
Lost: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: -
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 10

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Comments: It was interesting to read how Syroa's death affected one of her Sessers, and how differently Zuny viewed that event from most of the people that attended the ball.

You described his disbelief and his fright very well in my opinion. His sadness was in fact almost tangible!

Thespian is definitely a good ability to have when it comes to dealing with your emotions/controlling them. It's good that the Sesser abilities still work even though Syroa's gone!

I also enjoyed the descriptions of Uleuda. There was something quite mysterious about the female Yludih that Zuny encountered, especially at first. It is no wonder that Zuny wanted to know more about her.

I agree that "Ekohdene" is a pretty name!

I also found it interesting that she called Idalos the "False World". You created a fascinating Personal NPC in my opinion. I especially enjoyed the part where she shaped the crystal rose.

I look forward to reading more of her!

That being said, stating how Zuny finally understood his place in the worlds was a great way to end this solo in my opinion.

Enjoy your rewards!