[center] [h1][color=yellow][b][u]Karamir[/u][/b][/color][/h1] & [img]https://i.imgur.com/DLGhcA0.png[/img] [/center] [hr] He stood alone in a forest, nature surrounding him on all sides. He was back on Kalgrun, he realized. How he had gotten there, he did not know. He looked down to see that his cloak and weapons were gone; he was dressed in furs. What had happened? [color=orange]"This is life. I made you so you could experience it. In order to experience it, you must survive. And in order to survive, you must be able to defend yourself."[/color] The voice was familiar. Someone he had met before. Who was it? What was his name? The stick caught him in the back of the head, but he felt no pain. He fell to his hands and knees. He remained there for a moment, and then pushed himself back up on shaky legs, brushing the dirt off. A torrent of water appeared as if from nowhere, and swept him away. The ground seemed to vanish, and all he could do was flail about, desperately searching for something - anything - to grab onto. “You escaped your birthplace with a certain vigor as ignorant as it may be and devised an insurmountable plan.” Another familiar voice, this one he recognized well enough. [color=yellow]”Diana?”[/color] he burbled. Then he felt his hand catch the edge of something, and he pulled himself up, above the water and onto a black umbrella. Yes, this he knew. It was how he had escaped from… what was that place called? And why had he escaped? His clothes had changed now. He was no longer wearing furs. Instead, he had a suit. Wait, didn’t that come later- Then suddenly his surroundings changed, and the umbrella became an obsidian platform in the midst of a forest. What platform, and what forest, he did not know. An unknown voice whispered to him to find his own basket. What did that mean? An orb lay nearby. He picked it up, looked into it, and bristled at the sight - savage, humanoid beasts devouring a child. Suddenly, he was lying on a different platform, one much larger, and made of stone. It floated in an empty void. There were pillars at the edges, a raised throne in the center, and above that, a mirror. Once more he rose to his feet, and standing before him was misshapen woman with odd sticks protruding from her eyes. [color=yellow]”Vrog?”[/color] he asked, confused. [color=blanchedalmond]“There is a power recently discovered by a child of gods. Money, energy flowing through all of Galbar, its Spheres and the gods that made them. It is made manifest through the elements of fire, water, earth and air and, should you learn to manipulate money, you can bend these elements as you will.”[/color] lectured the one Karamir believed was Vrog. Wait… this wasn’t… Now he was in a library. Karamir had never seen one before, yet somehow he knew what it was. The shelves were lined with books. He walked down an aisle, and plucked one at random. Runes appeared across the page. “Why does your existence matter?” it asked. [color=yellow]”Why does it matter?”[/color] he asked aloud, and then a sword pierced his back. Now he had his cloak and robe. A tall woman in black armour stood before him, a wicked smile on her face. [i]Laurien[/i], he somehow knew, as he fell to his knees, feeling a sense of betrayal that left him both hurt and enraged. [color=yellow]”Why?”[/color] he demanded. [color=plum]”A secret,”[/color] was all she said. He coughed blood, then Laurien flicked her wrist. Something broke inside him, and then he was falling forward… ...and upward. [hr] Karamir jolted awake, sucking in a desperate breath as he frantically looked at his surroundings. [color=ivory]”Karamir! Karamir! It’s okay! Just breath, breath! You’re safe here.”[/color] came a sweet voice. She stood in front of him, a strange being, one vaguely familiar. Her arms were just above him, almost as if she had been, at one point, holding him down. Karamir sat up, wincing as a dull pain struck his side, and a hand went for his weapon, only to find it gone, but he still wore his cloak. His shirt had been removed, someone had changed him into a pair of white pants, and he was lying in a bed. Karamir recalled what he had been doing before this, and thoughts of alarm surged through his head. He looked up at the familiar stranger. [color=yellow]”Who are you?”[/color] he demanded, eyes narrowing. [color=ivory]”I-It’s me… Arya. Don’t you remember?”[/color] Arya said, taking on a concerned look. [color=yellow]”No, I don’t,”[/color] he said, expression shifting to confusion. He felt a faint itch in the back of his head, but ignored it. [color=yellow]”How did I get here?”[/color] he asked. Arya sat down on the side of the bed and sighed. [color=ivory]”That’s… Well…”[/color] she cleared her throat, [color=ivory]”What do you remember last?”[/color] [color=yellow]”I was fighting, I was stabbed, and then I was fleeing,”[/color] he answered rather bluntly. [color=yellow]”So how did I get here?”[/color] [color=ivory]”As far as I can tell… Your cloak brought you here on a will of its own, unconscious and dying. With his Holiness Shengshi’s help, we were able to heal you, but…”[/color] she grew silent. [color=yellow]”But what?”[/color] Karamir asked, before adding. [color=yellow]”And who is Shengshi?”[/color] [color=ivory]”Shengshi is a God, just like Kalmar, do you remember him?”[/color] Arya asked, avoiding his first question. [color=yellow]”No,”[/color] Karamir answered, furrowing his brow. [color=yellow]”You say ‘remember’ like I met him before, but I never did.”[/color] [color=ivory]”Karamir… Who do you remember?”[/color] she asked. [color=yellow]”What do you mean?”[/color] His confusion seemed to deepen. [color=yellow]”Do you want my life story?”[/color] [color=ivory]”Yes.”[/color] she said simply. [color=yellow]”I was… I was…”[/color] he scrunched his eyebrows together even further. [color=yellow]”Fighting someone on a beach. Then he told me to leave. I travelled through a forest. I don’t know how long. Somehow a river washed me into the ocean, and I ended up on an umbrella in the middle of the ocean with a woman called Diana. She… did things to me. Nightmares, and tricks… there are gaps, but it went on for years… then she was taking me somewhere. After that I remember walking through a different forest, with a brown bird, and then… I met Chopstick… no, Vrog… wait… neither of those are right…”[/color] He closed his eyes and put his hands against his temples as a headache began to come on. [color=yellow]”I… I… no, none of this makes sense.”[/color] A small hand fell upon his and Arya smiled at him softly. [color=ivory]”It’s okay. Just relax, take a deep breath.”[/color] [color=yellow]”What did you do to me?”[/color] he asked, his voice half-accusatory and half-panic. [color=ivory]”Oh Karamir.”[/color] she said, a tear falling down her cheek. [color=ivory]”I didn’t do anything to you.”[/color] [color=yellow]”You said you healed me [i]but[/i],”[/color] Karamir countered. [color=yellow]”What went wrong?”[/color] [color=ivory]”Your soul was decayed.”[/color] she said, looking to the floor. [color=ivory]”It explains why your memories are gone or scrambled. I’m-I’m so sorry, Karamir.”[/color] she said, her voice breaking. [color=yellow]”Decayed?”[/color] he asked, sounding shocked. [color=yellow]”How? I…”[/color] then recollection struck him. He lowered his hands and clenched them into fists. [color=yellow]”Laurien…”[/color] he hissed through grit teeth, a cold fury in his voice. [color=ivory]”Yes… Laurien hurt you. But we are going to fix your soul, okay? A plan is already in motion. We just have to find my father and he can heal you.”[/color] Arya said. Karamir did not seem to hear her. [color=yellow]”Where is she?”[/color] he asked. [color=yellow]”And where is my weapon?”[/color] [Color=ivory]"I don't know where she is."[/color] Arya began, [color=ivory]"But I do know that you aren't leaving here in your condition. So sit down."[/color] she said in a stern voice. The latter part was because while she was talking, Karamir had tried to stand up. He grimaced as a hand fell to his scar, and then grunted in response to her words. [color=yellow]”I can walk,”[/color] he protested. [Color=ivory]"I don't doubt your ability to walk but please, don't over exert yourself."[/color] she said. With a sigh, he sat back down. His memories were in disarray, his soul was decayed, he still felt traces of pain from his old wound, and who knows what else about him had changed? He looked up at Arya. [color=yellow]”You seemed surprised that I didn’t remember you…”[/color] he recalled. [color=yellow]”How did we know each other?”[/color] [Color=ivory]"This is actually the first time we've met, physically. A long time ago we shared a dream and danced, but never again."[/color] she said with a sad smile. That answer disappointed him. [color=yellow]”So we didn’t know each other very well,”[/color] he said, eyes downcast. [color=yellow]”How much can you tell me about what I’ve forgotten?”[/color] Arya shook her head. [color=ivory]”I… I’m sorry. I don’t know a lot about you to be honest. I know that you were created by Kalmar, God of the Hunt along time ago and that you wandered Kalgrun for a time before being with… Diana for even longer. Then you were physically at the Palace of Dreams, home to K’nell, god of sleep. You must have left some point and eventually found yourself upon the Dragon’s Foot.”[/color] [color=yellow]”My earliest memory,”[/color] Karamir said, thinking back, [color=yellow]”Is of a man wearing furs and a moustache beating me with a stick for nine days, and then leaving me to fend for myself. Was that Kalmar?”[/color] he asked, a bitter edge in his voice. [color=ivory]”He… Beat you with a stick?”[/color] Arya said angrily. Karamir nodded, feeling anger rise within himself as well. [color=yellow]”That’s what I remember. I had a stick too, but how was I supposed to win against a god?”[/color] He shook his head. [color=yellow]”Doesn’t matter. Some day, after my soul is repaired, I’ll figure out how to become a god too.”[/color] Arya balled her fists before breathing out heavily. [color=ivory]”Beating a god is foolish… but becoming one? It’s never been done.”[/color] [color=yellow]”That doesn’t mean it [i]can’t[/i] be done,”[/color] Karamir pointed out. [color=yellow]”The gods we have now, didn’t they all come from somewhere?”[/color] [color=ivory]”They came from beyond the barrier, by the Architect himself, Karamir. He rules this universe. To become a god is… Basically unheard of. The effort, whatever it would be, would probably kill a mortal.”[/color] she said grimly. [color=yellow]”And how do you know that?”[/color] Karamir asked her. [color=ivory]”How do I know what?”[/color] she said crossing her arms. [color=yellow]”That it would be fatal,”[/color] Karamir said. [color=ivory]”Look at yourself. You got stabbed, then had your soul flayed, by a mortal. You seriously can’t think it would be easier than that?”[/color] [color=yellow]”I don’t expect it to be easy,”[/color] Karamir said with a slight shake of his head. Her pessimism was beginning to annoy him, and they had strayed off topic. [color=yellow]”When we met in the ‘Palace’,”[/color] he began, trying to get the discussion back on track, [color=yellow]”What did I do? What did I say?”[/color] [color=ivory]”We danced, and talked. Mostly about myself.”[/color] she said quietly. [color=yellow]”And did I say anything about myself?”[/color] Karamir asked. [color=yellow]”What I wanted, where I was going, anything I had learned?”[/color] [color=ivory]”I...I can’t remember. You may have wanted to travel the world and learn all you could.”[/color] she said solemnly. [color=yellow]”Sounds like something I’d want. Some good it did me,”[/color] he sighed. [color=yellow]”Do you know who Abanoc is?”[/color] [color=ivory]”The God of… Of… Uh.. Recording. Yeah, recording. Never met him.”[/color] she shrugged. [color=yellow]”I don’t remember meeting him either,”[/color] Karamir said, [color=yellow]”but I must have at some point. Laurien attacked me when I suggested going to him for help.”[/color] [color=ivory]”So that’s why…”[/color] she tipped her head. [color=yellow]”Do you know anything about Laurien?”[/color] he asked next. [color=yellow]”Who she is, what secret she was trying to hide, why she thought killing someone who offered to help her was the best way to hide it?”[/color] He could not hide the anger in that last question. She turned to him, her expression conveying brokenness. [color=ivory]”She’s my sister. The secret she did not want revealed, was that she stabbed Orvus and then did something with him. Where he is, no one knows. I’m… Truly sorry for what she did to you.”[/color] [color=yellow]”If you didn’t have a hand in it, you have nothing to be sorry for,”[/color] Karamir told her. [color=yellow]”As for Laurien, if she likes to stab people, I think it’s time someone returned the favour. When I’m recovered, I’ll teach her the importance of following her own advice.”[/color] She suddenly jumped and said, [color=ivory]”No! No… She’s my sister. I’ll deal with her.”[/color] Karamir frowned and gave her a skeptical look, but decided to let the topic slide for now. [color=yellow]”How long before my soul can be… repaired?”[/color] he asked instead. [color=ivory]”I wish I had more answers, instead of telling I don’t know… But that’s that. We have to find Orvus… Arryn is currently out looking for him and… The one likely place he could be… Kalmar is going, for better or for worse. The world… It’s under siege right now.”[/color] she said, crossing over to the window, and opening the curtains. The land was dark, a storm lay in the distance, pierced by balls of fire. Karamir grit his teeth and stood, walking up behind her. [color=yellow]”Is this place safe?”[/color] he asked her. [color=ivory]”Relatively… I think. The Marble Star is probably safer but you were asleep, and I did not want to move you.”[/color] Arya said, staring out at the sky. [color=yellow]”So I’m stuck here until Orvus is found, and all this,”[/color] he gestured out the window, [color=yellow]”is over.”[/color] he sighed. [color=ivory]”Have faith, Karamir. We will fix you, and we will fix all of this, and then we will find Laurien and… Punish her accordingly.”[/color] she said, her voice wavering. He reached forward and put a hand on her shoulder. [color=yellow]”I’m sorry if my words were too harsh,”[/color] he said, not truly feeling sorry but instead recognizing the need to remain on good terms with her. [color=yellow]”If there’s so much I forgot about the world, then I need someone to help me remember. Can you help with that?”[/color] he pleaded. She turned to him and smiled faintly, [color=ivory]”Of course… Come on, I’m sure you’re hungry.”[/color] she said sweetly. Karamir smiled back. It was not a genuine smile, because although the answer was pleasing, he simply couldn’t find it inside him to be happy - he only felt a hollow emptiness where the emotion should be. [color=yellow]”Where is my weapon, if you don’t mind me asking?”[/color] She pointed to a shelf on the far wall, before walking off. [color=ivory]”Come downstairs, when you’re ready. You’ll find some clothes underneath your weapon too.”[/color] she said, tilting her head, before walking down the stairs. [hr] [hider=Summary] Karamir has a bad dream, in which he relives past events, but they are scrambled, or out of order, or some details are missing. Then he wakes up, and Arya is there. She reveals what happened to him. They begin to talk a bit. It turns out Karamir has lost much of his memory, has reverted back to his old ambition of becoming a god, and has lost much of his emotional capability, all of it being due to Laurien’s soul decay. Arya tells him to wait until Orvus is found, and in the meantime Karamir asks if she can help him remember things. She says yes. Will Karamir regain his memories? Will his soul decay ever be cured? How many Nebulites groped him in his sleep? Will Zee finally write one of these summaries himself instead of forcing NF to do it? Stay tuned. [/hider] [hider=Prestige] Arya: The Learner, The Martial Dancer, The Compassionate, The Wanderer, The Teacher, The Sailor, Last of the Zhengwu, Swordmaster, Lady of the Eye +8 Prestige Starting +1 For Major Role +1 For Minor Role +1 For Jolly Collaboration = +11 Prestige Ending Karamir: The First of the Vallamir, the Wizard. Caster of Violent Wind, Rushing Water, and Mend Clothes. [b]Beginning Prestige:[/b] 17 +1 for minor role. +1 for major role. +1 for collab. [b]Ending Prestige:[/b] 20 [/hider]