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| The Traveler Returns; OTA | |
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| Topic Started: Oct 30 2009, 12:14 AM (89 Views) | |
| Rialt Erydinan | Oct 30 2009, 12:14 AM Post #1 |
Asha'man al'N'dore al'Mordero
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(Note - this is my first post over a year I believe. I would like this to be OTA, as I can think of a hundred ways to respond to any character of any rank, of any person. I posted here so that anyone can respond.) The traveler moved slowly, but with patient and marked steps. He had been down this path many times before…but it had been years. His hood was drawn down over his ageless face, and he stooped down with an invisible weight settled into his shoulders. It was not one worn without great effort. He pulled loosely at the bridle, the clack of his horses worn hooves ringing on the streets around him. There was no grand reception to usher his return to Tar Valon, no reverential faces staring into a powerful and assertive gaze. This man, while not a shade of his past, would not be recognized by many. Looking up to the sky the tip of the two towers were obscured by a low lying mist and for a brief moment the traveler hesitated. Did he want to return to a place so marked by deceit and betrayal, of sweeping defeats and uncertainties? His mare whinnied in a sort of prophetic response, and he moved forward. Was the Black Tower not his home of many years? Did he not rightfully hold place here, regardless of his sudden departure so long ago? He would not be erred. Too long he had spent a prisoner in his own mind, a slave to the will of others. Too long had he felt the taint of the dark lord upon his soul. He yearned for redemption which no monastery nor monk could give to him. No, he would have to earn his right to hold place amongst the powerful once more. He had had it. Once. Now he would walk again below the white and black, he would heal the sick and infirm, and perhaps he would reclaim his honor. In attacking the shadow, he would claim his redemption in the eyes of the creator. How much like the fabled White Cloaks his state of mind had become, and had it not been for the gift of saidin, he might have tried to find shelter amongst their remnants. He smiled vaguely. Perhaps his name had been written in the logs of the dead. Would there have been a cement slab to mark his passing? Let those who would call him a dark friend speak their piece and be done with it. Did any remain who remembered his unwilling betrayal? If suicide had only been an option. Had he any master that desired his death he would have willingly destroyed himself at their bidding. There was no such luck in the world, not for him. His fate was another. Every moment he thought he had discovered his destiny, the wheel would spin again, and he would be lost to it. He approached the grand archways that led into the inner gardens of the Black Tower and stopped. Two men flanked either side of the entrance, a glowing reminder that the Towers had recently been involved in a war. There had been no guards before. They wore the black and sword of the Tower but did not yet have the ageless face that would come in time. “What is your business with the Tower old man?” Old man...he straightened his back and spoke softly, “I wish to see the M’Hael.” The young men exchanged a quick glance and eyed him suspiciously. The war was over, true, but hatred still held place in the hearts of the Tower’s enemies. “Why don’t you tell me what you have to speak to him about and we will decide if he has time for you.” Their eyes searched his person un-bashfully. This man before them was caked in dirt and his boots in mud. His clothes were in patches and all were a sad gray of their former color. If he had a copper piece to his name, his appearance did nothing to inspire that wealth. At best, he was a farmer discontent at losing his crop in the name of war. Why else would this traveler not respond? Seizing the male half of the source, the Dedicated wove a flow of air around the man’s hood and pushed it back to reveal his face. Marred by a scar running from his eye to his jaw, the traveler revealed no emotion on his ageless face. “You may enter.” They spoke in suddenly shaky tones. Drawing his hood over his face once more, the traveler proceeded inside the gates and made his way to the stable so that his horse might find rest. Satisfied that his mare was well taken care of he made his way up the winding stairs of the Black Tower. Things were looking eerily familiar as he climbed his way upwards. He received mixed responses. Some would stare at him openly, others would sneer and move on, and still others paid him no mind. He preferred the company of the latter for the time being. He wondered if meeting with the M’Hael was too much…perhaps his return should be a quiet one. Perhaps he should meet with one of the Shen…but then he did not know who the sitter, nor the head of his Shen was. Walking down the corridor he paused before two enormous shifting doors. It was now that he could either run…or pursue his course. He drew back his hand to knock and the door opened, admitting him into what felt like an alternate reality. “May I help you with something?” a perplexed looking man asked of him. A secretary perhaps? Was this the Mahdi? He drew back his hood and met the gaze of the astonished Asha’man before him. “I would like to speak with the M’Hael for a brief moment, if time permits.” “What shall I say is the reason?” “I would like to speak to Reor Rahidram about my services to the Tower.” “And who shall I say you are?” “His predecessor” the traveler responded calmly “Rialt Erydinan.” Edited by Rialt Erydinan, Oct 30 2009, 12:21 AM.
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 Former M'hael Biography ~ Age of Legends Healing ~ Currently conceiving something altogether memorizing and maniacal | |
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| Sarecer | Oct 30 2009, 08:46 PM Post #2 |
Rei al'Aman Val
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Sarecer stood at the window of his office looking out over the city of Tar Valon. A light mist filled the sky but it was not the sky he was looking at. Off in the distance he could see soldiers performing their morning duties. Checking horses, sharpening swords and polishing armor. They were tiny, like ants but he could make them out though he knew if he grasped the source he would be able to see them much clearer. The war had been brutal and the world was still getting used to the piece. Legions had not been disbanded right away they were needed to hold the piece. Brigands and their like were a danger now, they fed off of the chaos that could happen when a war was finished. The soldiers were also needed to quell any uprisings should the peoples of the world not accept Roberts Kingdom. Sarecer could almost see himself quietly aiding the rebel cause. To many times has the Westlands been claimed by one man or woman, and every time the kingdom fell and more people died. Turning away from the window with a sigh Sarecer walked slowly towards his desk. Looking down at the parchment laying there, a report on the whereabouts of a particularly nasty general somewhere in the Hills of Kintara. He would send three Asha’man into those hills to flush out the man and any soldiers he had with him. If all went well there would be no blood shed needed, but he knew there would be. There always was when they caught up to them. No one wished to face Tar Valons justice. Turning around Sarecer moved to the rack where he kept his black coat and put it on, buttoning it slowly. Looking it over he decided that it would do and with one last adjustment to his pins he left his office. Only pausing to set his wards in place before he moved deeper into the Black Tower. Sarecer turned a corner and came to a set of stairs. With out hesitation he started up them. First one flight then another and another and did not stop until he reached the level he needed. Entering the long hall he looked down in time to see a tall hooded man go through the door into the outer chambers of the M’Heals offices. The man moved with a slight air of confidence, but Sarecer saw hesitation when he opened the door. Curious Sarecer moved a little faster wanting to know who this stranger was and why he had deemed himself worthy of an audience with the most powerful man in the world. Moving through the doors Sarecer was just in time to hear the man speak. “And who shall I say you are?” The man behind the desk asked not yet noticing the new arrival. “His Predecessor” the tall hooded man replied, “Rialt Erydinan.” Sarecer recognized the voice right away but took a moment to let his surprise pass before he made a move to speak. “So you return,” He says calmly moving closer to the man, “You have been gone a long time Rialt. There is a lot you must explain.” |
 Talents: Spinning Earthfire, Blossom of Fire, Foretelling (sporadic) | |
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| Salima Tyhar | Oct 31 2009, 12:13 AM Post #3 |
Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah
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Salima's waist-length hair swirled around as she rounded the corridor, as the air rushed past her. Golden streaks of light played around it like so much toys, throwing flashes of random illumination on the walls nearby. Today, she was simply contemplating the ruins of the war. It was now about a year after the war, and much had changed. For one, the lowering of strength standards due to the massive loss of Aes Sedai and Asha'man. She had not objected to the change. The Towers were weak and a lot of people would have to be enrolled to make sure that the Towers could be restored to their former glory. Salima smiled. All was going well so far. There had been a massive influx of novices into the Tower, and many more would be able to be raised Aes Sedai, to be proper Aes Sedai. The standards of Aes Sedai, and not in strength, had dropped gradually ever since the formations of the Twin Towers, back towards the times where Aes Sedai meddled in politicking and such things. Salima had been Mistress of Novices once, and though she would never be again, she would ensure within all her power that the Aes Sedai raised, would become proper Aes Sedai, with the world and the Tower at their foremost thoughts. Salima's thought darkened however, when she remembered the seige of Tar Valon. Lives had been lost, sisters dear to her had fallen beneath arrows, more due to lack of preperation than anything, to overconfidence and a sense of overwhelming invunerability. The war had opened the eyes or many sisters and brothers, and had smashed that thinking to pieces. Those that had learnt it fast enough anyway. Those that hadn't, mostly died before the War was over. Nicola Treehill, a legend from the Third Age, who had been one of those who had fallen during the war. Salima's eyes hurt. She had liked Nicola, and had become friends with her. But what was done was done, and nothing could change the past. The only thing their actions could change was the future. She thus almost ran into a hooded man going into the M'Hael's office. Her curiousity was aroused. She knew that step, that gait, that person. It was one of the old ones, one of those old enough to have lived to the Age of the Dragon. Turning, she looked around the corner, and saw the person lower his hood. Her eyes blinked. She must be imagining. It was Rialt. One of the oldest members of the Tower, younger than her, but not by much. She herself was old. Very old, though her hair was still golden and her face ageless. This man however, had been the M'Hael not too long ago before he had disappeared out of all knowledge into the Borderlands. What in the name of the light was he doing back here? “I would like to speak to Reor Rahidram about my services to the Tower.” “And who shall I say you are?” “His predecessor” the traveler responded calmly “Rialt Erydinan.” So it really was Rialt. Then another voice spoke, and Salima felt the age of the years press down upon her. Sarecer. Older even than her, and she was one of the, if not the, oldest sister living in the Tower. Stepping into the room, she smiled at them, her golden hair suddenly looking at though it was streaked with white as she stepped into their vision. "What a coincidence. Three of the oldest people in the Tower are here in this very room." |
 Cloud Dancing, Wave Dancing, Listening to the Wind Strength: 76, Air: 10, Water: 10, Spirit: 8, Earth: 5, Fire: 5 The Power of the Wind and the Wave is as great as that as the Hurricane | |
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| Rialt Erydinan | Nov 2 2009, 10:46 PM Post #4 |
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Asha'man al'N'dore al'Mordero
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The Mahdi seemed to be of a rather squeamish demeanor to Rialt. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it but he knew that he disliked the man immediately. He welcomed the sensation with open arms, dislike was not nearly as strong as hate, and hate not nearly as intoxicating an emotion as blind obsession. That was the nature of Rialt’s existence for last few years. He could name off a litany of emotions that had led him to his current predicament. Hubris was his downfall, the pride of an age. It was his pride that made Rialt refrain from exposing Edeleas as a Darkfriend, not his compassion. Compassion was something that he denied, stamped from his soul and actions forever. So he had allowed his pride to rule his actions, and then his Warder Kiren was murdered. Sending him into a catatonic shock, Rialt resigned as M’Hael of the Black Tower, and Edeleas’ revelation to Rialt, his plea to save him from the Dark Lord was dismissed while Rialt dealt with the gaping chasm left in his life when Kiren’s thread had been stamped out. He had spent a year hunting down the man who had had her murdered. When he found him, he thanked the Light that he had had the good sense to un-swear upon the oath rod. But he had been a fool. Had he remained under its influence, unable to lie… he would have been unable to murder with the True Source because he would not have been able to lie about it. None of his imprisonment would have followed if he had not been able to lie. Edeleas never would have been able to compulse him, and his obsession with the man would never have begun. And more than anything else, Rialt never would have murdered. He never would have needed redemption. His mind was a prison for years after he managed to free himself of Edeleas’ tight grip. He condemned himself for the actions he committed in trying to please the man who held reign over his will. He had murdered many that he had previously ruled… If the tower knew, his life would be forfeit. The only one who could commute his sentence was the M’Hael. But that was not the reason he had come to the Black Tower again, he did not need the forgiveness of men, but the forgiveness of the Creator. He would reclaim that first, but he needed access to the oath rod once more. The lies of his past, would not become the lies in his future. Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Rialt’s gaze turned back to the Mahdi. He had picked up a tendency to phase out reality. How long he had been staring blankly at the wall he didn’t know, but turning his eyes back to the man before him he seized his dislike for him and hung onto it dearly. If the M’Hael was not in, perhaps there were others who could assist him in attaining the rod. He didn’t trust the Master of Soldiers, that was Edeleas’ old position for many years. He would never trust an office once associated with forsaken, regardless of who held the title. Could he ask the mistress of novices? He did not know. “Stop waving at me, I see you.” “The M’Hael is not in today. Perhaps you can make an appointment with him at a later..” Rialt waved him off and turned at the sound of a voice. “So you return,” a familiar face spoke, “You have been gone a long time Rialt. There is a lot you must explain.” What was his name? Names, dates, occurrences…his memory had been completely altered when he had reclaimed control over his mind. It didn’t matter.. Before he could muster a response another voice chimed in, "What a coincidence. Three of the oldest people in the Tower are here in this very room." He had no earthly idea who this woman was, but he did know she was Aes Sedai. The demeanor in which she held herself spoke to that fact quite easily. The one fact that Rialt was instantly forced to recognize was the woman’s intense beauty. He was instantly attracted to her, but knew better than to pursue her just yet. There were things more important than getting his jollies off. Especially with a woman versed in the Power. He had gone through that once before, and it had not ended well. He put the thought in the back of his mind, where it could nag him ceaselessly. “I owe little explanation to you” Rialt retorted. Perhaps in time he would offer one up, but not yet. Yet he did not want to make enemies of these two. A shaky alliance was better than solitary confinement, a great fear he held upon his return to the tower. It was quite possible for him to become shunned after his departure from the ranks of the elite. He cared little for power and intrigue and cared even less for manipulation. But he would do what he needed to in order to gain his redemption, and he would employ the efforts of his peers to get there. Ignoring the chattering Mahdi, he turned his back on the man and walked forward to meet with this Asha’man and Aes Sedai. “Forgive my memory, what are your names?” Rialt asked. The Mahdi moved forward, “You should learn your place now Asha’man. You are no longer M’Hael. Show your allegiance or remove yourself from my office.” Rialt smiled at him, his features suddenly improved and the long scar upon his face almost vanishing. “You are not my sovereign and never will be. If I cannot speak with Reor today, I will do so in the future.” He moved into the hallway, shutting the door behind his two temporary companions. “I have not come back to regain my former position, tho I imagine after all this time, it would probably serve better than that incompetent fool in there.” If he could not attain the oath rod through the M’Hael, he would do so in another way. “I would like to make a proposal to either of you. Can you tell me how impossible it would be to get into storage for angreal? You both seem to have an air of independence about you, I would be grateful for the chance to work with you in attaining the Oath Rod. Do this, and perhaps you will get your explanation.” It was an ultimatum, defiantly. And for the Aes Sedai…perhaps a challenge. But if they managed to do this, Rialt would have gained allies… Something he imagined he was in short supply of these days. Then again, perhaps he would add their names to his alarmingly broad list of enemies. He was taking great risk, yes, but it was something he needed to do. Could he trust them enough to tell them why he needed the rod in the first place? What would they do if they realized he was no longer bound by its law…that he had been capable of lying for quite some time, even while he had been M’Hael. Re-swearing the oath was the first step to salvation, and he would have it. If he would be able to tell no lies, he would be free of ever having to murder needlessly again. Edited by Rialt Erydinan, Nov 2 2009, 11:04 PM.
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Former M'hael Biography ~ Age of Legends Healing ~ Currently conceiving something altogether memorizing and maniacal | |
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| Salima Tyhar | Nov 7 2009, 11:07 AM Post #5 |
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Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah
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(OOC: I assumed that Rialt no longer had the ageless look because he is no longer bound by the Oath. Is this all right?) Salima wasn't surprised that Rialt had forgotten her name, but was when he also demonstrated his inability to recognize Sarecer. Sarecer was a legend among the towers, much more so than she herself was, even after her role in the defeat of the Forsaken Trav. Salima studied Rialt's face. He truly had forgotten both of them, and had no idea who was who. Her long hair swayed as she leaned forward, and studied him intensely. Something had changed since she had last seen Rialt. He seemed older, more aged, and there was something wrong with his face especially. He was missing the ageless look. "You should learn your place now Asha’man. You are no longer M’Hael. Show your allegiance or remove yourself from my office." the Mahdi said, before Salima could say anything in her shock. She could only think of one reason why he would be missing the ageless look. Looking around at the Mahdi, she realized that he had not seen anything out of the ordinary. Looking back at Reor with a burning intensity, she studied him more completely this time, studying his face again such that she would not be mistaken about her guesswork He had forsworn his oaths on the oath rod. "I would like to make a proposal to either of you. Can you tell me how impossible it would be to get into storage for angreal? You both seem to have an air of independence about you, I would be grateful for the chance to work with you in attaining the Oath Rod. Do this, and perhaps you will get your explanation." Salima frowned, her expressionless face taking on a mask of ice as, out of earshot from anybody, she pulled Sarecer and Rialt into a corner, then turned and glared at Rialt with great suspicion and some anger embedded into it. "Why," she said, her voice an intense hiss that had cowed many Novices and Accepted into submission, "And how and when have you removed the Oath from yourself? You dare show yourself now? You have forsaken your right to be Asha'man. Or did you not realize that forswearing the Oath would leave a mark on your face? It is no longer ageless!" "We are not going to help you in any way until you give us a reason to trust you." |
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Cloud Dancing, Wave Dancing, Listening to the Wind Strength: 76, Air: 10, Water: 10, Spirit: 8, Earth: 5, Fire: 5 The Power of the Wind and the Wave is as great as that as the Hurricane | |
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| Rialt Erydinan | Nov 7 2009, 04:44 PM Post #6 |
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Asha'man al'N'dore al'Mordero
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He was starting doubt that he had made the right decision in coming back to the tower. But he would not be dissuaded by his paranoia at this point. Better to swallow his pride and move forward than dwell on the dredges of his wayward past. But that’s all anyone was interested in these days anyway. Where have you been? What have you been doing? All questions that were irrelevant. Salima..? Was that her name? She had no idea the box she would be opening with her litany of questions and accusations. "And how and when have you removed the Oath from yourself? You dare show yourself now? You have forsaken your right to be Asha'man. Or did you not realize that forswearing the Oath would leave a mark on your face? It is no longer ageless!" Rialt looked down the hallway, most were out of earshot, but he would not answer her without protection first. Grabbing hold of saidin he wove a tight ward around them. “Are you mad?” Rialt hissed at her. “Pay me enough respect to say your words in private, regardless of my absence my service to the Towers has earned me that courtesy, at the very least.” He paused before continuing eyeing both of them. Perhaps you can overpower them… He stamped the thought from his mind. Every now and again, his old train of thought would sometimes creep upon him. He used it to further harden his resolve to gain salvation. He cared little that he appeared to be an older man, agelessness was merely a mask for something far more insidious. It was only a tool used by clever tacticians of old to make sure the population remained in awe of those who could control the power. A useful side-effect, an in-consequential fact. He needed to check his tone of voice, this was slowly devolving into a rather unsavory situation. What could he possibly tell them now tho, that would not garner him immediate imprisonment for his actions. He had unsworn the oaths to lie about a Darkfriend. A darkfriend in a considerably powerful position, with great influence over the wills of the youngest recruits to the black tower. What he had done in protecting Edeleas, had been his downfall. He deserved to rot in iron far below the reach of sunlight in the dungeons of Tar Valon, deserved a swift death. He would never tell a soul the horrors he had done while he had been held under the influence of forsaken. To have your own will thwarted against you, your own subconscious mind attuned to the thing you had spent your life trying to defeat. He shivered. Let them think what they will. He was no longer that man, and would not die on principle alone. HE had not done those things, it was not his WILL that had done them. It was a shade, masquerading around inside his mind, controlling his actions. Focus Rialt. Luckily for him, he had a plan to explain himself, with no other person ever to be the wiser. They would receive an answer yes, but it would not be the truth. The last lie he would ever employ. With considerably less anger stinging his voice he continued, “I understand your hesitance, had anyone approached me with such a request I would be on my guard…Had it come from a lesser man, I would embrace that. Surely you do not think my unswearing of the oath has marred my intentions toward the tower? I was M’Hael. I left out of love for the towers, I left because I knew I could no longer fulfill my office. Imagine a part of your mind being ripped from you uncontrollably, and forever being damned to suffer the gaping chasm. I unswore my oath to track down the man who murdered my bondmate, and I found him. I refuse to allow the necessity of a lie to prevent me from discovering all the information I could from him. If you disagree with my actions, I do not want your help. I have returned to take my place amongst my brothers once more, to champion the cause of the Light once more, with all the gifts I have been granted. I cannot do this, if I do not reswear the oath. If you believe our world would be a better place with me in irons awaiting a trial, then do not help me, and move along your path Aes Sedai, I do not wish it.” Surely she would see the necessity of attaining the oath rod in private, his return better served with silence than announcements. His eyes rang true, at the very least, he wanted to do the right thing for the first time in years. The striking beauty would not hold him back…and neither would the silent Asha’man. Edited by Rialt Erydinan, Nov 8 2009, 04:30 AM.
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Former M'hael Biography ~ Age of Legends Healing ~ Currently conceiving something altogether memorizing and maniacal | |
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| Sapphira Calren | Nov 7 2009, 09:21 PM Post #7 |
High Queen & Chancellor
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((Siuan and Leanne lost their agelessness immediately. It was such a big change that no one recognized them.)) |
 Unweaving, Healing, Warding | |
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| Rialt Erydinan | Nov 8 2009, 04:30 AM Post #8 |
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Asha'man al'N'dore al'Mordero
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thank god you know the books, cuz i feel ive totally forgotten them sometimes lol we'll just go with the assumption that he looks totally different. 
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Former M'hael Biography ~ Age of Legends Healing ~ Currently conceiving something altogether memorizing and maniacal | |
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1:50 PM Nov 23
