The Lost and Found - Chapter 10

[Vardaen]

The deed is done, Sayyid's strike is as true as anyone's could be. The Imam of Zann, the God of Knowledge, does what must be done to save one soul for another. He lays Ahmed down slowly, still chanting, as he cleans the weapon and looks to Bashir for aid. Jabiir strides forward even as Bashir does. The Barbarian Askar grabs hold of the mid section of Ahmed, as Bashir holds his neck and head, and Sayyid his feet. Silent then Ka'im steps forward as well, and takes hold of Ahmed from the other side of the torso across from Jabiir. The little Maridling Nahlah is silent, floating in the air above her master's shoulder looking down at the serene face of the Farisan Ahmed.


Ghanji gulps down a lump in his throat when the deed is done. He looks up at Shamad and over at Sujata and Toranoshi and then Janak. The House Prasad Shikari offers a whispered prayer to the Deva of Mahasarpa for the soul of Ahmed and then for himself, "...and give me the strength to do as he has done if my friends need it."

OOC

I'll let everyone react to this atleast once before progressing, rather monumental moment. Well played guys.

[Bitom]

Sayyid kneels once more and takes something off of Ahmed. The men of Mahasarpa may not know why the Imam reclaims the dead man's sword, but the Zakharans have seen that blade guide two people from the edge of oblivion to a life of faith. Soon, no doubt, there will be another one to carry it, but Sayyid does not know who it will be yet.

[TetNak]

Kasib sighs, his eyes closed, and turns away from the scene. The rawun slowly walks away, down from the spiritual uprising and ceremony. Kasib has no use for any of it. His head is turned as he descend the ziggurat, hiding his face, but tears are rolling down his cheek. When he's reached the last step he sits down and stars off into the darkness of night.

[Vardaen]

OOC

Good enough I was really just waiting to see Kasib's reaction.

Kasib turns, head down, eye's closed he leaves the ritual and walks back down the ziggurat away from what is about to happen, as a result he is no witness to what happens next.

Sayyid removes the sword of The Enlightened from Ahmed and then the group of the Lions of Tomorrow (sans Kasib) carry Ahmed forward and place his body in the pillar of light.

Backpedaling, the group pauses as they watch what happens next.

The swirling pure white light grows stronger as Ahmed's body is placed within it. A single point of intently bright yellowish light begins to rise up from the corpse of the Farisan. The light seems to take on a vaguely Lion shape growing brighter and brighter the color of a lion's fur. The light rises about ten feet into the pillar and begins to swirl about, one might say dace, and Sayyid and Janak almost recognized that dance, for they've watched their companions do it in the grove of the Lost One not that long ago.

There is then a blinding flash of light that expands outward from the pillar. The power and intensity of the blast is too much for anyone's senses to endure, including the three mystics. You are all knocked backwards and down onto your backs. The flash of light causes Kasib to turn and gaze up the stairs as the jungle around him lights up like daylight.

A few moments later one by one you shake the dizziness from your heads as you gaze into the celestial face of a risen Deva! There standing on the top of the ziggurat stands Afyalupagrah the Lost One. The figure before you is twice as tall as a man. The muscular body of Ahmed has grown considerably, but still you can see that it is Ahmed that stands there, save for one very important change. Afyal is elephant headed. A great wide elephant head sits on the shoulders of Ahmed. His tusks are pure ivory capped with golden ornamentation. The face of the Deva is strangely mixed with that of Ahmed, and while the very presence of Deva is greatly overwhelming you are certain you see aspects of your friend in the eyes of the divine being.

Afyal let's out a triumphant blast from his tusk, tiling his head back up to face the sky, ear's flapping, and arms outstretched. "<Mahanagan>I am once more!" The mystics are getting up to their feet, but instantly drop to their knees and bow, heads pressed to the stone of the ziggurat. Afyal-Ahmed speaks to the assembled group, his voice is the voice of Ahmed with the hint of heavens, and the weight of true celestial enlightenment. "<Maha> Then the Falling Stars have been seen. The time of the last confrontation draws near. The end, one way or another, is on us." Afyal gazes from person to person, a momentary look of melancholy crosses his eyes when he does not see Kasib among you all.

OOC

Please check the OOC thread for some stuff I'll be posting.

Afyal

You can find all kinds of images here: Afyal

[TetNak]

Shamad covers his eyes from the light the Deva releases. When it fades, he continues to look upon Afyal, only bending to a solitary knee himself. He does not grovel to this creature, formerly Ahmed.

"<Mahanagan> Will not return the Hengeyokai, Rhotki, to us so we might fight that battle at our full strength?"

[Bitom]

Sayyid remains standing, continuing to look uncomfortable with the situation. He can understand when the God speaks, but not Shamad's response, and he remains silent, waiting to see if the promised Resurrections are to be done.

[Wayloss]

Jabiir bows to the trumpet blast of Ahmed/Afyal and straightens himself after Shamad asks for their favor, he is not crass enough to demand their own favor just yet. He waits for the Deva to answer the leader of the Harbringers.

[Trogdor]

Bashir immediately adopts the posture of the other Mystics. As a member of their order, he can do no less. He does, however, risk a look up as he feel's Afyal's gaze upon him, his friendship with Ahmed granting him a certain familiarity with the new god.

Janka remains silent, but respectful, standing beside Shamad. For a moment he looks as if he is ready to go down to one knee. But instead he takes his cure from the nobleman next to him.

[Vardaen]

*** Ziggurat of the Lost One, The Isle of Afyal, Karttika 15, 1096 Year since the founding of Mahanaga ***

*** Ziggurat of the Lost One, The Isle of Afyal, Dar 15, 592 Year since the Law of the Loregiver ***


Kasib is sitting on the steps below, and is the only one to miss the events that follow...

Afyal's voice is all encompassing, it invades your mind, and even those that do not speak his language understand his words for they ring in your head, loud and threatening to overwhelm you. The voice of a god is not a simple thing to hear.

Ahmed's voice comes through a bit more, "Yes, let the promises be kept that were made. Bring me the two." Sayyid and Jabiir grab up Rambad and move him forward, while Janak and Shamad lift up Rhokti and bring him forward as well. Both have been dead six or more days (if not for the herbs and incense of the Mystics they would truly smell bad).

The Deva that is Afyal reaches out his hands, placing them over each of the two bodies. One a monkey man, one a human from a foreign land beyond Mahasarpa, the two lay peacefully at rest. The great elephant headed Deva closes his eyes and begins to chant. The words are celestial in nature, and this time not a single one of you understands them, yet the very utterance of this language in your presence is enough to fill you with a sense of the nature of the universe. A warm moist and humid feeling begins to spread out from the Deva covering the entire top of the ziggurat.

** Someplace Else **

"Ooot, that's nice."

*BONK*

"Pay attention or this could go terribly wrong..."

A light begins to form on the finger tips of Ahmed-Afyal, and the Deva seems to strain against some unseen force, sweat beading on its forehead, and its large ears flapping faster. The shimmering lights from one hand mingles with that of the other hand, crossing back and forth among itself causing patters of light and shadow to fall on the bodies of the two.

** Someplace else **

Putting down his wine goblet, he stands, stumbling, as if drunk. "I must go back now."

She tugs at him, "No stay with me."

"I can't, let go, you'll delay me..."



The bodies of Rambad and Rhokti begin to rise up off the ground, hovering a few inches above the ground. Their flesh is outlined in a golden light that begins to move through their muscle and bone. Their bodies float higher and higher and begin to contort and ripple with power from the inside, as if something was pushing outwards against their skin trapped within their bodies. The two forms spin slightly in the air, the light mingling, their corporeal forms bump into one another, and then the golden light grows so intense that again everyone is blinded once more.


As your sight returns to you, there, kneeling on all fours are two 'men'. Rhokti and Rambad are reincarnated, their bodies changed. They still wear all the same gear they once had, and their features are still recognizable as themselves, but they clearly are different. Covered in an elephant grey coat of fur, the two have lost a bit of what was once themselves, and now exist as a little bit of each other. They both appear as monkey men, with long fingers, protruding muzzles, and a swishing tail poking out behind them.

Both seem utterly disoriented for the moment.

Behind them Afyal-Ahmed stands, shoulders sagging, obviously fatigued from the effort of such a task so soon after being reincarnated himself. The Mystics are silent, simply looking on in awe for the moment as everyone soaks in what just happened.

Roll

Reincarnation

Rambad: 38 - Hengeyokai (Monkey) -9 Vanaran

Rhokti: 22 = Vanaran


Welcome back Rambad and Rhokti as Vanaran!

Vanaran are found in the OA Book (with Errata), but are in effect monkey-men, without the shapechanging that Rhokti had. They have semiprehesile tails, elephant grey fur all over their bodies, and proturding muzzles, furred cheaked, and wide lipless mouths. Long fingers and toes, they hav, arms, legs and torsos proportioned like humans.

Bitom and I can work out details of stat changes, etc.

This is the Vanaran from the OA book.

[TetNak]

Shamad cannot tell if Rhotki is overtly different than he was. Something seems amiss, but he knows one thing from earlier, Rambad was not /this/.

Seeing that something has gone wrong, Shamad sighs, running a hand down his face as he does so. "Rhotki," he calls out finally, "How do you feel?" He takes a step forward in the direction of the reborn.