Description
This arial is tired. Very tired. Not necessarily fatigued in the physical
sense, though, but probably more than that. His eyes don't seem to be fully
open; surely they must be bigger than that. His wings flutter lazily behind
his back, as though waiting for some kind of action. His lazy eyes seem to
often gaze off into the distance, as though he's looking at something
particularly interesting in the distance. That, or he may just be idling
again, entertaining one of his thoughts. The feathers covering the back of
his head struggle to grow and reach for the skies, hopelessly trying to pass
off as hair. Consequently, though his age isn't very discernable from outside
appearances alone (taking into account that looks belie truth), this arial
does look somewhat old indeed.
Role
Over The Threshold
Added Mon Jul 9 19:22:49 2007 at level 51:
The voice became weary alright, though more for him than for it. It went from
idle chatter to outright pestering him with criticism of his attitude and
behavior. It was particularly infuriating, especially if the voice was his
own. It became an annoyance that he cannot avoid or ignore. In one instance,
the voice attacked his laid-back manner and accused him of having no purpose
in life. Strangely enough, it seemed to have lost its calm and did not hold
back in the insult. He found that he had no reply to what the voice said, and
ever since then, it hadn't reappeared in his head.
Recently, sleep had been less and less invigorating for him. Every time he
woke up he would feel more lethargic than when he went to sleep. It was very
disconcerting, to say the least. More and more of the same thing day after
day. Perhaps the voice was right. Maybe he really was a purposeless man. (Was
the voice in his dream even if it was absent when he was awake? He didn't
know)
He was nearing his threshold. He didn't think he can take anymore of the
same, boring life he's been leading. If it still goes on, a real change would
be needed very soon. (He always said that a change is in order, but it never
really is. Maybe this time it'll be different)
The Big Change of Nothing
Added Sat Mar 3 19:44:08 2007 at level 51:
Time passed, but things never change. Sure, they promoted him to Provincial
because there was no one else to take the spot, Provosts come and go,
Outlanders and all sorts of assorted folks visit the Spire from time to time
and cause trouble, someone decided to call him an Elder (apparently the
requisite for being old is to grow mushrooms on his guild wall by leaning
against it for too long) but all in all, everything remained the same. He had
given up his dreams of glory, not because they prove too difficult, but
because he found that laziness is the deadliest enemy of all. It didn't kill
him, but it sure did convince him that sitting around in his guild is much
more fun and engaging. If he was promoted to Provincial for doing that, he
doesn't see any reason for changing anything. Getting coins for doing nothing
and chasing people down with guards at his feet are enough for him.
Recently, some god named Marmaanth resurfaced and took lordship over the
Spire. Now, normally he wouldn't care, because all gods are the same anyway:
they claim to be mighty and all, but so far no one had smited him yet.
However, this one apparently endorses using the laws as he sees fit to obtain
personal gains. It almost seemed too much of a coincidence. He had thought of
speaking to him, but what would he talk about or ask for? He doesn't want to
follow any god; if he had to follow someone, it would be himself. Although a
conversation about deceiving the organization they have bound themselves to
would be very interesting, he doubted that Marmaanth would like it, being a
god for the Spire and all. But he is all about using the law for his own
good, so that in itself is contradictory. Whatever the case, a meeting would
prove very interesting.
Then again, he's much too lazy to do anything.
An Effortless Entertainment
Added Sat May 5 18:59:26 2007 at level 51:
Recently he'd been hearing voices. Initially, he thought that it was a voice
from the skies, but he began to notice that whenever this voice appeared, no
one else was around. Then he realized that the voice is coming from inside
his head. Normally that would mean that he's beginning to become senile, or
even insane, but what's most important is that things are finally interesting
once again.
The voice in his head seemed to be just making idle chatter with him, both
before and after he realized that it is a fabrication of his imagination
(strangely enough, knowing that fact didn't change things one bit). Sometimes
it became painfully obvious that the voice seemed to be urging him to
actively take action instead of sitting to the side and watching things pass
by. This is weird; he never did fancy anything that required too much effort
on his part, and if the voice is part of him, then why is he trying to
convince himself otherwise?
Still, talking to himself is infinitely more entertaining than talking to no
one at all. Maybe it'll even turn into something more interesting if the
voice becomes weary. That would be nice.
An Unsurprising Lack of Changes
Added Thu Oct 19 20:31:33 2006 at level 51:
Things certainly aren't going as well as he wanted it to be. Anyone that he
wanted to convince himself as an antagonist by rationalizing very hard turns
out to fail to stand up to the expectations. Linolaques didn't prove to be
that annoying himself; mostly all talk, and not much action at all. To be
expected, really, from a Justiciar. Spenner was fun for a while, but he was
gone before anymore trouble can be stirred up. Without anyone to be the
villain in his life, it really is quite boring to be the hero.
Yet he still did not want to stir up trouble by himself. That is not his
style, no. He works best when he has someone else to bounce things from, and
by himself he couldn't bounce anything round, let alone edged. Even that one
time he failed to remember to bow to Linolaques instead of just nodding. How
he forgot he didn't know, but maybe it's all a sign of him losing his
passion. If he couldn't even remember to continue bowing as a sign of
deceiving the recipient, there really isn't that much else to do.
He simply must find something else to occupy his time. This period of
idleness has gone on for far too long.
An Impasse, sort of
Added Tue Sep 12 02:31:49 2006 at level 51:
This frustrated him. Not only did his intents to sow some distrust in the
Spire fail to take root, Gistle is gone as well. It almost seems as though
the most excitement he'll get in the future is sitting around in town waiting
for Outlanders to attack, after which he'll attempt to defeat them in battle
only to have them escape once again. No one is around for him to secretly be
in cahoots as well; sure, there might be others, but none had the discretion
and smoothness of that old, decrepit transmuter. Must he really rely on less
sneaky methods to quell his boredom? No, that's not his style. He'd rather
plan out something overly involved, and then somehow execute it without
anyone ever knowing he was pulling the strings. How, he didn't know.
A Minor Setback, somewhat
Added Sun Sep 3 02:53:50 2006 at level 51:
He didn't see Kiamae around for many months now, and it is vexing him to the
point where he doubts he can articulate his plot clearly anymore. Still,
there isn't a much better alternative as to occupy his idle times, so he
figured he'd go ahead with his little plan the next time he saw the Provost
around. In the meantime, he thought he'd found something to quell his boredom
as well; back to his old methods of provoking and slipping past
confrontrations with incessant talking. The commitments he made to the Law
had long been overdue, and now it is simply another way for him to find
things to do. It was quite interesting, actually, to work with those he'd
fought in the past and remain at amicable terms with those he'd help kill.
Who knows, it might even turn into a full-time job.
An Interesting Intermission, at last
Added Wed Aug 23 21:08:52 2006 at level 51:
He figured he could pull it off, even if he wasn't sure what effect it would
have. Surely it couldn't be that hard to exploit Kiamae's natural animosity
towards Nysrogh, especially with his former stint as Provost and seeming ease
of re-entry into the Spire after lazily dismissing it as not being worthy of
his time. With a few choice words slipped carefully into his argument, he had
no doubt that something would at least happen to quell his boredom, even for
a while.
Hopefully it won't be just for a while, though.
A Flimsy Resolution
Added Sat Jul 15 01:29:10 2006 at level 42:
He didn't really notice it as it creeped up slowly upon him, but eventually
he began to feel it. Prior to his so-called turning point, he always had a
goal: to flaunt his newly obtained powers and annoy others with them. Now,
though, daily life seemed to almost be...boring. Being on-duty never seemed
to gave him the same sense of purpose as provoking others do, and without
that feeling, there is nothing to inspire him to go around keeping up the
law.
On hindsight, he realized that joining a cause without having that cause in
the first place is a bad idea, and now he wonders if there is yet another way
out of this.
A Turning Point
Added Mon Jul 3 17:52:08 2006 at level 37:
He didn't know what came over him in his sleep, but it was definitely not
pleasant. Just before his slumber, he had a horrendous case of...split
personality, one could say. It was most probably driven on by his overbearing
sense of guilt over using the Tribunal for his own gains, and spiraled him
into deeper and deeper trouble. The combination of utter powerlessness and
unsettling feeling almost caused him to foil his whole disguise.
He had a talk with Kiamae, an elder magistrate that he happened to have been
conversing with for some time now. At first he just dismissed her as yet
another slave to the law, but perhaps it was the graceful way of arguing that
elves possess or the virtuous ramblings of the paladin that convinced him to
let down that act he was playing, even if only for a little bit. And their
latest encounter added the subjects of other magistrates going over their
jurisdictions and the Tribunal being seen as an easy outlet of power to the
mix, which proved to be a deadly combination. Surely he had been guilty of
both these matters at least once in the past, and he began to subconsciously
unravel his thoughts to Kiamae, almost to the point of confessing his
actions. It took much of his will to stop himself, and so the secret remained
a secret, at least for the time being.
The exchange struck him quite considerably, and his position with the
Tribunal changed. He no longer dared see it as a quick source of power, but
something that he had bound himself to and cannot escape. Perhaps it was time
that he stood by his deal and become one of the many hands of Justice. He
wondered if it was too late; sure, Kiamae herself said that she initially
joined the Tribunal to serve the light that she is embodied by, much like
him. But what he was trying to achieve was a sin much graver: power to
misuse. Is there redemption, too, even for him?
A Call for Reconsideration
Added Fri Jun 30 23:52:06 2006 at level 37:
He was puzzled. Bewildered, even. However much he does to exploit the power
that being a Tribunal gives him, (surrounding himself with guards, ignoring,
for the most part, the fact that the Scales are in the Outlanders' hands) he
still finds himself needing more. How else does it explain that he and
another Tribunal are unable to ward off Rektath while in their advantageous
terrain; in the middle of town and surrounded with guards? It was somewhat
sad, really. He pulled out all the stops, all the otherwise (some may call)
non-honorable manuevers that he knew, yet was still unable to finish him off.
He doubt he could have even survived, which is why it didn't turn out to be
such a good thing when Rektath didn't give up the chase. In the end, he was
forced to hide behind the Tribunal captain and into the Spire, where he knew
Rektath couldn't risk attempting to enter. (Of course, he made sure that no
one saw him do it. It would mean even more trouble if his misuse of the Spire
for his own personal gain had been exposed.)
Sure, Rektath deserved it. He had provoked and taunted him for the longest
time, smiling and waving at his face while under the protection of the town.
(Yet another example of his exploiting the Tribunal) He figured the duergar
would finally snap and allow himself to be warranted, which he did.
Unfortunately enough, he still couldn't stop him, even when wanted and under
the backing of the Spire. Which did raise another question: he loved
demeaning others with his artificial jolly front in a world which seems to be
full of brooding, blood-thirsty, axe-wielding killers. It, again, gave him a
sense of power that satisfied him in certain ways. He realized that he hasn't
made many trustworthy friends, and probably even less if he wasn't displaying
his fake persona most of the time. That became a real threat, especially when
the Tribunal fails to grant him the power needed to protect himself, as
aforementioned. It struck him, the fact that power is fleeting, and power is
temporary.
A Change of Circumstances
Added Mon Jun 26 21:10:17 2006 at level 36:
He realized that power is a subjective matter. There was never any doubt that
he would be able to join the Spire sooner or later, and he proved that by
becoming one of their ranks. Yet almost always he would find himself in the
losing side of the battle, outnumbered and outskilled by civilization-haters.
He himself had no problems with them; if he could exploit them for power as
well, he'd do it in a heartbeat. That was probably also why he spoke to Aeria
that way; the Outlander wondered why he'd raise arms against them and seek a
fight that he didn't belong in.
Perhaps it was the combination of the circumstances, the irony and the humor
that prompted him to launch into a tirade of how, in the end, the only people
we serve is ourselves. He wondered if perhaps that was a bad, hasty decision;
surely revealing your ideals to your would-be enemies couldn't be good. But
it sure did vindicate his dissatisfaction in his not being able to find power
in what he thought would grant him that. It almost sickens him that what he
thought as truth would deceive him so much. Perhaps something drastic is in
order...
The Solution
Added Thu Jun 15 21:36:55 2006 at level 32:
He wondered why he didn't realize it so much earlier. Of course, what else
justifies the use and misuse of power more than the need to uphold the law?
In the name of the law, others are hunted down relentlessly. In the name of
the very law, men and women so willingly take arms and fight. In the name of
that same law, there are no questions asked about who decides what is right
and wrong. Such a wealth of power to be tapped into and easily exploited by
him!
A flawless plan indeed. It is only in everyone's nature to commit crimes and
break the rules so violently enforced. Even the most law-abiding being cannot
ever admit to never have over-stepped the law before. He only has to find his
way into the Spire, and slowly wait. Wait for someone to give in to his inner
desires and attempt to exceed society. Then he would mercilessly brand him a
criminal and use his new-found powers to exert his will over him. Yes, that
same power that gives him so much control, so much...unparalleled might that
needs no justification. After all, there is no reason to distrust the law
that claims to always be right, is there?
The Revelation
Added Sat May 20 01:58:03 2006 at level 23:
Being the target of an attack was never an enjoyable experience. But an
experience nonetheless. And every experience brings about some learning, or
even an epiphany, a revelation. That was what he felt. The necromancer's name
he would not forget: Selthia, an agent of the Empire. As much as he tried to
avoid conflict in any sort, the necromancer eventually caught up with him
through the towering woods and infallible summons, and managed to put him to
forced sleep. But even without that spell, he would have been powerless
anyway. The massive forces of the undead that the necromancer commands wound
him deeply in no time at all, and he was unsure if he could have escaped even
without being slept.
Almost ironically, the black necromancer only casted the sleep spell to get a
good look at him. Apparently he was so focused on escaping that the former
hadn't been able to examine him. The sheer power that he controlled over him
was overwhelming; he could not help but imagine just how much the necromancer
could have done to him if he had so desired. A sort of respect arose. A
respect not to the necromancer, but the power that he holds. Raw, uncorrupted
power that brings about so many possibilities, so many scenarios. He didn't
converse with the necromancer after the incident; what he wanted to say to
him did not have to be voiced out.
What, then, could possibly grant him such power of equal magnitude? He was
certain that in order to accomplish this, he has to bond with others with the
false pretense of sharing their views. Only then can he tap into the power
that they hold, and somehow use it for his own.