Mirrors (Episode 1)

"What do you think, bright boy?" Idz spits out. "Of course there's historical references to the Champion Eternal. Every...well, almost anyone with half a brain has heard some of the tales. Saviors of realms. Destroyers of worlds. Heralds of Armageddon. Yadda yadda..."

Kris

Not by the rising of the sun, for there is none to shine through the ironwork latticed shutters across the richly appointed bedchamber. No beams of inspiration push through the curtains framing that same large bay window. The muted light enters to part the shadows within the guest rooms of the Octagon Tower, to reveal the lavish interior and play across the large bed centered upon one wall. It is clothed in burgundy, with silk sheets of black.

It is to this that Kris awakens refreshed after her jaunt from the portal of the Great Eye to the castle proper yestereve. The familiar feel of Blue's body nuzzled at her feet is reassurance that nothing untoward has befallen her as she's slept.

Kris rises and carefully climbs out of the bed, so as not to awaken her little friend. She moves about the room, checking out the features and the details of it all, while looking for a means of giving the chamber a bit more light.

The young woman is still amazed that she has been chosen to come here and possibly become a champion in her own right. All her life, she has been overlooked by those in power in the realm she grew up in or even worse, suppressed by them. Until meeting Killian and joining him as his traveling companion, her life had been nothing more than a series of frustrations. Who was this Lord Orb, that he could not only see the potential in her she had herself almost given up on, but wished to acknowledge it in such a grand manner?

Kris finds candelabras on several of the round tables about the room and can easily light them as needed.

Knock Knock

As she is lightly candles and checking out the features of the room, there comes a light but audible knock at the large wooden door which leads out into the rest of the tower.

A female voice follows. "Lady Amani. Breakfast will be served in the guest dining room in one hour. Ready yourself."

Blue's ears perk up at the knock and he opens his eyes slowly. He looks about quickly for find where Kris is and makes a single sound at the mention of breakfast, which Kris has long determined means the little blue monkey is hungry.

After lighting some candles, Kris digs through her pack and moves over to sit in one of the two chairs at the window. She opens her personal grooming kit and pulls out the small steel mirror and brush.

"I want to make myself presentable, Blue." She brushes the tangles from her hair and glances into the mirror. "I wonder if weapons are acceptable at the breakfast table?" She chuckles. "I guess we will find out, huh Blue?" She continues to address the small blue monkey perching in her lap as she makes ready.

Finally prepared for her introductions to the Lord of the castle and others who may be about, Kris adjusts the hang of her sword's sheath at her hip and goes to the door leading into the rest of the castle. "No turning back now..." She opens the door.

Scene 2: Faces

Near an hour passes...


The door opens into the room easily enough and as Tajuri steps into the breach created she finds herself looking across a roughly sixty-by-sixty foot and directly into the eyes of the person whose image she saw briefly in the mirror during her summoning dream.



The door opens into the room easily enough and as Leh'veia steps into the breach created she finds herself looking across a roughly sixty-by-sixty foot room and directly into the eyes of the person whose image she saw briefly in the mirror during her summoning dream.

The door opens into the room easily enough and as Lucian steps into the breach created he finds himself looking across a roughly sixty-by-sixty foot room and directly into the eyes of the person whose image he saw briefly in the mirror during his summoning dream.



The door opens into the room easily enough and as Kris steps into the breach created she finds herself looking across a roughly sixty-by-sixty foot room and directly into the eyes of the person whose image she saw briefly in the mirror during her summoning dream.

The door opens into the room easily enough and as Keltos steps into the breach created he finds himself looking across a roughly sixty-by-sixty foot room and directly into the eyes of the person whose image he saw briefly in the mirror during his summoning dream.



The door opens into the room easily enough and as Natrix steps into the breach created she finds herself looking across a roughly sixty-by-sixty foot room and directly into the eyes of the person whose image she saw briefly in the mirror during her summoning dream.

The door opens into the room easily enough and as Radu steps into the breach created he finds himself looking across a roughly sixty-by-sixty foot room and directly into the eyes of the person whose image he saw briefly in the mirror during his summoning dream.



The door opens into the room easily enough and as Killian steps into the breach created he finds himself looking across a roughly sixty-by-sixty foot room and directly into the eyes of the person whose image he saw briefly in the mirror during his summoning dream.

Tajuri does a double-take and steps into the larger chamber, drawing Jael along with her. She turns conspiratorially and confides in her lover, "That Tiefling female in front of us..she's the one I saw in the dream."

Lucian isn't quite sure how to feel about this, and takes a moment to reasonably convince himself she is real. "Well, that's par for the course, I suppose. See, Useless? I'm not as crazy as I thought." A relief, but a small one. His friend may follow him wherever he goes, but that didn't mean he failed to share his opinion about it. It was always good to over estimate one's own insanity though. He gave a nod to the woman across from him, and took a quick head count. Were these allies, or people he had to overcome?

Radu's eyes narrow as he's drawn into the room and finds himself amongst others. "You," he says, raising an accusatory finger at the creature across from him, "I saw you in the mirror, in my vision." He looks then to the others gathered. "All of you, have you been drawn to this City as I have? Through dreams, whispers, and promises?"

The large muscular and bald Fire Goliath raises a brow, as the dark-haired Dhampir points at him. He rolls his shoulders and steps confidently into the area. He stops and crosses his arms when the same pale fellow addresses everyone.

He nods. "Aye. You have the right of it stranger. Strange dreams—that you were in and voices—not yours."

Stepping out of the room in the wake of the giantkin, strides a tall voluptuous female creature, near-Human in appearance. She leaves very little to the imagination with her revealing choice of garments.

"Killemall, Warlord of Chaos, stands before you. Why would he have need of the praise as a Champion? This is the question that needs answering here." She announces clearly with a presentational hand gesture toward the large male she accompanies.

Taj peers over the railing and into the circular stairwell, then takes a quick moment to familiarize herself with each of the strangers entering the landing, before she speaks. "Why not we all take the Lord Orb's invitation as a potentially pleasurable avenue of choice for now and keep our suspicions and theories of dark intent at bay until it has merit, shall we? In the mean time, if we are to share a repast together, let us be civil at least. The answers will soon come I would expect."

She gives a polite, but brief, bow to the Tiefling from her dream. "Tajuri Shadowmoon, I am."

Kris enters the room and move a few steps toward the young man and his pseudodragon. She holds one hand up, palm facing outward, in a kind of short wave, before her thoughts are cut short by the verbal exchanges of some of the others. She looks over at Killian and Shar in quiet consideration.

The little blue monkey perching on her shoulder, reaches about her slender neck and gives Kris a hug.

Radu nods solemnly. "I am Radu Hove, Lord of the Shadowmere," he says with a thin smile. "I accept your premise, Lady Shadowmoon. It appears we have all been brought to this place." He looks around again, "Us eight. All, I assume, with the promise of power, or a curiosity for those that intrude upon our minds."

Radu similarly walks forward to the stairwell to look up and down it.

Lucian listened to the dialogue around him, but moved towards the familiar woman. She was the most interesting to him currently, appearing in his dream as she did. And she had a monkey friend. When he was close enough he spoke to her.

"I assume, from the others, I was in a dream of yours as you were in mine? My name is Lucian Falken, and my friend is Useless." He tapped Useless's foot on his shoulder as he introduced him. "No fancy title I'm afraid."

From behind his mask Keltos catches the eye of woman across the room. Hands steepled he gives a slight almost imperceptible bow of recognition. He then slowly and methodically inspects the others gathered around as well as his new surroundings but does not otherwise move from his spot.

The brown-skinned woman with a staff, returns the cybermonk's almost imperceptible bow of recognition; mirroring his action.

The Tiefling courtesan saunters across the floor. Her ample curves moving to the rhythm of her stride. She stops just shy of the other side the entrance to the stairs and, putting both hands on her hips, stretches her torso against the barely concealing fabrics over her prominent breasts, and sighs deeply. "Leh'veia. I only need one name, the rest speaks for itself."