Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

Mistral Woods was a peaceful place, filled with the melodic singing of birds and the distant calls of forest dwelling beasts. A warm gentle breeze drifted through the canopy sending the leaves whispering as they brushed against one another. The sound of cascading water murmured in the distance where a tributary of the Zynyz River meandered its way through the woodland before ending at a brief waterfall. The water pooled beneath this cascade in a shallow pond with smooth pebbles coating the bottom. At the end of this glistening body of water rested the yawning mouth of a cavern.

Ever the wandering travelers, Arlo and Vega were visiting the forest to-trial, their footsteps crunching lightly as they moved through the woodland. Indigo and fuchsia hued stormflowers were in bloom and dotted the base of trees and the edge of the gurgling creek.

Arlo and Vega had been through a great deal in the past, suffering, hurt and guilt between the two of them. Vega had been shattered, quite literally. Death had come to her, before being brushed away like a troublesome cobweb. She had been remade by fire like a broken sword that had been reforged, but fractures would always remain in her core, in her heart of hearts. Arlo himself had searched for his father, to no avail. What does that do to a child, what does it do to the man to have never known your parent? It was the sort of pain that left scars on the soul, little imperfections that stalked one forever through life. The pair bore their wounds well, leaning on each other for support when needed.

Scars are a funny thing, they are a constant reminder of the damage we have suffered, of the wounds we have borne, but they are also a part of who we are. Would Arlo be the same man if he had always known his father from birth? Would Vega be the same woman if she had never died? Scars are the marks left on our souls as we make our way through life. What if on a whim you could simply erase them?

Suddenly a cold icy wind began to blow from the mouth of the cavern, tugging at Vega and Arlo’s clothes like a crying child looking for comfort. The birds ceased in their singing and the melodic gurgling of the water became dissonant and almost uncomfortable to hear.

There in the mouth of the cavern stood a little girl, appearing out of nowhere. Her eyes were nearly obscured by a matted cascade of hair; although a pair of hopeful deep green eyes could still be seen peering at Vega and Arlo. She wore a tattered brown linen dress and her feet were bare. Along her arms and legs were scrapes, cuts and bruises that were only half healed. The girl seemed to stare at the couple for a few trills before a tall feminine silhouette appeared in the darkness behind the child. Even in the poor lighting the woman appeared almost inhumanly tall, with perfectly sculpted features and gray stone-like skin. The woman reached for the girl and gently pulled her back toward the depths of the cave. The pair vanished as they both walked into the cavern together; the distant sound of a child softly weeping seeming to follow in their wake.

The mouth of Creeksong Cavern yawned open before the pair. What had once seemed like a lovely and benign place had soured in mere trills. Shadows seemed to ooze from the entrance of the cave, although if Vega and Arlo looked carefully they could detect multiple gleaming, glittering surfaces within.

As the couple moved across the stream and into the cave the, discordant aura that had fallen over the glade vanished. Birds began singing again and the chipper gurgling of the streamed resumed. There in the entrance of the cavern stormflowers were seen growing right at the edge of the cave opening, but no further. It seemed that the only life inside the caves was mycological, as a myriad of softly glowing, luminescent mushrooms and lichens could been seen draped along the walls. Their radiant colors were rich, sporting hues of lavender, cobalt and emerald. The fungi provided a seemingly otherworldly source of light that cast the cavern into a perpetual state of twilight.

Perhaps more impressive than the luminescent life forms was the crystalline interior of the cavern. Mirror-like crystals with a metallic sheen reflected Arlo and Vega’s reflections in perfect clarity. The crystals were thin and wide, also appearing quite breakable. Perhaps if enough pressure was applied a piece, it could be broken off quite easily.

Even if the crystals provided a wonderfully sharp mirror image, the images reflected in them were somewhat different than the couple appeared in real life. Vega’s reflection held more wrinkles and freckles than before, with dark fatigued circles lining the space beneath her eyes along with her lips appearing thin and pale. If she managed to see her legs in one of these crystals they would seem shrunken and atrophied, as if they had never healed correctly. Her hair seemed thinner in the reflection, with a few streaks of gray running through the tarnished red locks. All in all her robust strength seemed leached away in those reflections. Arlo did not escape these effects in his own reflection. If he gazed into one of the mirror crystals his face would seem sunken, with wrinkles gathering in the corner of his eyes and deeply lining his forehead. He appeared almost shrunken and feeble, like a man much older than his years would suggest.

Regardless of how they saw themselves, if either of them looked at each other’s reflection then they would see a perfect version of their partner. Vega upon looking at Arlo in the mirror crystals would see a youthful, robust man without a single blemish or wrinkle. Likewise Arlo would see Vega with perfect unblemished ivory skin, bright glittering eyes framed in rich lashes and a posture and strength she had not possessed since before her legs had been shattered.

The crystals continued forward into the cavern until the path was divided into two tunnels. Both tunnels were lined in mirror crystals but they had grown to enormous size, providing a full length image in their reflection.

To the Right the crystals reflected a perfected image of the viewer. This path seemed to draw them in, to gaze upon their attractive reflection. To the Left the mirror crystals reflected the imperfect reflection. This path was darker and seemed to hold to the discordant aura that had first descended upon Arlo and Vega outside.

It was almost as if they were being herded toward the right, like cattle.

The floor beneath the couple’s feet was nearly pristine, bearing only passing hints that animals had passed through long ago. There was no evidence of the woman or child they had seen earlier. Moving into the left passage Arlo and Vega were surrounded on both sides by the tall mirror crystals. Their reflections bore the weathered and pockmarked illusions that they had seen earlier. They could both see these clearly. An eerie luminescence composed of a finely diffused purple light seemed to cling to the crystals. The corridor was narrow, forcing them to look at their reflections even if they focused straight ahead toward their destination

In that strange place a silken voice emerged within Arlo’s mind, ringing as true and clear as a bell.

“Poor fatherless boy.”

It was a woman’s voice, rich yet deeply feminine and perfect in every way. Comfort and safety exuded from the Voice. The crystals seemed to pulse with light as she spoke. All the while Vega would hear none of this.

“Is that why you chase lost children?” The Voice was amused, laughing musically at him. “So you can protect them, save them from that same loneliness that aches in your heart?”

Her voice was soft yet taunting, wrapping around Arlo like a comfortable cashmere blanket. It would be easy to simply let go and allow the woman's voice to suffuse his consciousness. To relax and let her soothe away his pain like a balm. “That feeling never leaves you does it? Not even for a trill. Always sitting at the back of your mind…What if your father cared so little for you that he simply left…abandoning you?”

She let out a breathy chuckle. “What a terrible feeling to carry for such a very long time.”

The Voice vanished from Arlo’s mind, leaving behind a palatable emptiness.

At the same moment that the Voice spoke to Arlo, the same beautiful voice rang out in Vega’s mind. Arlo could in no way detect what was said to Vega,in the same way that she was ignorant of the words the voice had shared with him.

“The shattered girl.” The words were said with derision, as if somehow this strange disembodied voice disapproved of Vega. The woman’s tone lacked the comforting appeal that Arlo had experienced, instead seeming to inspect Vega with a critical eye.

“My, my…you are full of cracks.” The disembodied voice purred, the crystals thrumming with radiance as she spoke.
“Touched by death as well…you are something of a mess…”The exquisite female voice continued, chuckling lightly to herself as if she was reading a particularly entertaining book.

“Tell me, does he ever notice the cracks in your façade, and do you ever worry that one day you may not be able to put yourself back together again? What would he do then, if you were so utterly broken and useless…?” Disdain dripped from the Voice’s words before she went silent, leaving Vega to her thoughts.

Looking in the mirror again, Vega’s visage would appear cracked and shattered like the skin of a porcelain doll that had been smashed against the floor.

If they made it through the corridor of mirrors the pair would arrive in a massive stone chamber where a crystal clear pool of water rested. The water was deep enough that it could only be crossed by swimming. Although perfectly clear the same eerie luminesce clung to it that had cloaked the mirror crystals. The path continued on the other side into another narrow crevice that led deeper into the cavern. The distant cries of a child echoed in that direction.

It seemed that the pair was inseparable, choosing to cross the crystal clear lake together. The water was pleasantly warm it seemed, this was possibly because of its location underground, sheltered from the brisk Ashan weather outside. The water truly was crystal clear, the strange luminescence clinging to it allowed them to see straight to the stone bottom. Light rippled on the ceiling of the massive chamber as they moved, the water becoming disturbed by their swimming. It was all rather beautiful, almost perfect even. This entire cavern seemed strangely perfect, with glittering mirror polished crystals, a complete lack of dust and filth along with the gleaming absolutely transparent water. Arlo and Vega stuck out like sore thumbs in this place, both bearing scars and imperfections that had laid marks upon their very souls.

As they swam the pair would begin to see items littering the bottom of the lake beneath them. Hundreds of mirrors of all shapes and sizes lay discarded. Assorted hand mirrors and massive mirrors like those seen in a dressing rooms were in piles along the lake bed. Some were simple, framed only in wood, while others were far more ornate. Many were shattered but some were still mostly intact. A particularly beautiful hand mirror edged in silver etched with beautiful patterns lay just beneath the pair, along with a simple wooden framed hand mirror. The mirrors were dark, seeming untouched by the strange luminescence that permeated everything else in the cavern. Vega and Arlo could continue across the lake, or choose to investigate them. They seemed mundane enough, and it appeared that someone had been dumping them in the lake for quite some time. Perhaps they had been unhappy with their reflection.

Once reaching the other side of the lake the pair would find a corridor that led deeper into the caverns. After a short walk through the tunnel they would find themselves face to face with a child, but not the one they had been searching for. It was an older boy, perhaps fifteen or sixteen, with lean, perfectly symmetrical features. His ivory skin was flawless and smooth, pairing well with his silky white -blonde locks that curled delicately around his ears. The teenager’s eyes were a strange color of crystalline blue, almost pale indigo in appearance. He wore a crisp white tunic that as belted at the waist along with a pair of black trousers that were perfectly pressed. He was perfect in every way, although his eyes seemed vacant…maybe even dead in appearance. There was no spark there, no glimmer of life or passion.

“She waits for you.” He uttered in a soft chiming voice, not quite making eye contact with either of them. Without waiting for a reply he turned and continued down the tunnel, oblivious to whether or not they were following behind.