See in the World what you Carry in your Heart
Aurelia Murlow
the Fireheart


Age: 29 | Height: 5'7" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 21 - Int:
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#1
eyes can't shine unless there's something burning bright behind
The night had dragged past in sleepless tossing. When morning came, the call of gulls roused Aurelia from her bunk on the Ark. She mentioned to one of the crew that she was going to go for a stroll to wake herself up. So she pulled her newly-cleaned poncho over her mess of curls and wandered down to the coast. The blood stains on her clothes had been particularly stubborn, of course, but she had cleaned it enough that it only looked like discolored patches. Her pants had a few tears in them and the collar of her shirt was ripped at the hem. New clothes weren't exactly at the top of her list of priorities, and anyway these were appreciated drafts at this point.

She was curious about the wildlife that surrounded Torchline. The tropical landscape was a stark difference to the temperate, rocky wilds of her home. She knew that such places existed, of course, but she'd never visited. In her home, the tropics were where the most dangerous creatures of all would flourish. Here, she hadn't seen any wildlife she recognized. Nobody worried about giant predators or people-eating plants, which was still bugging her out by the way. Sometimes she'd catch a plant that looked particularly suspicious but, it would turn out to be... well, a plant.

Taking a stroll across the beach was something she'd never dreamed of, not in a million years. Yet there she was. The sunrise over the receded ocean was paled by the clouds that still hovered on the horizon. Soon, the sky would clear and the sun would bring forth the heat and the tide.

She realized something in her peripheral was moving. Quickly, she whirled around to face it. Blinking in surprise, she was startled to see a ray-like sea animal, out of the water and floating through the air. It glided over to a mossy tree so casually that it must have been normal for it. Hesitantly, she kept walking, keeping her eyes on the treeline. As she walked, she discovered there was a whole flock of these things. They seemed to be eating from the trees.

Aurelia didn't know whether she was in awe or creeped out. They seemed peaceful, at least. After a few moments, she relaxed and moved on from them.

She came to an abrupt stop when she saw a man further up near some rocky cliffs. Squinting her eyes, she could see that he was dressed rather well for someone exploring the coast. Suddenly he disappeared below the rocky cliffs. Startled, thinking he'd fallen, Aurelia rushed over to where she'd seen him last. She was just as surprised to find a pathway between the cliffs.

"Hello? Are you okay down there? It looked like you fell," she called, already making her way down before he could even answer.

Aurelia
Gideon Clemments
The Priest

Age: 52 | Height: 6' 1" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
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#2
He'd asked around and finally gotten the information he needed on the location of the Ascended shrines; well, at least the one in Torchline. It was a start, and while today Gideon only aimed to confirm what he'd been told and observe it, he knew he would come back later with the intent to destroy. It was a shame that such a beautiful beach, such a lush land as Torchline, had been touched by the lifeless and robotic hand of the Voice.

The Ascended always liked to tuck their shrines away in corners and caves, hiding like spiders; he was admittedly a little lost, walking about the cliffs and trying to find any hints, sliding down an incline with one hand and the side of his foot so he didn't lose his balance.

Hearing someone else coming down behind him Gideon turned, catching sight of a young woman following; immediately he knew the Gods were not fond of her, but there was not the disgust that came with an Ascended, so it was unlikely she was here to worship. "I'm fine, thanks. Not quite so old and fragile as I look." He smiled, stretching his arms. "Are you coming to see the shrine around here?" If she knew the location, even if she was Ascended, he could use the directions.
GIDEON
You claim to be virtuous, but you're a liar
And you'll feel the heat of the flames
Aurelia Murlow
the Fireheart


Age: 29 | Height: 5'7" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 21 - Int:
Played by: Catalysta Away
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Posts: 1,182 | Total: 1,724
MP: 630
#3
eyes can't shine unless there's something burning bright behind
Aurelia stopped in her tracks when she saw him and he turned around to greet her. He was older than her by a good amount of years, she could tell that much. At first, there was a hesitance from Aurelia. He was indeed alright and she didn't know him... she wasn't sure what he was doing out here, wandering around the beach in such nice clothes. He must have been looking for someone, or something. Before she could think of a way to get out of this awkward situation, he answered her with a smile.

"Sorry, shrine? Are you.. sure? Why would there be a shrine out here?" Aurelia raised an eyebrow and looked around them at the rocky walls for emphasis, before she became a little more serious, "I'm new around here, so uh.. I don't know specifically buuut, I can try to help you find it, I guess," she motioned with her hand for him to lead the way further down the path, hoping they could find a place where there was more room.

Then, it dawned on her; the clothes, his age, his search for a shrine, "are you supposed to be some kind of priest?" If he was, then this was going to be quite the chance meeting. Who better to talk to about the whim of some mysterious god than a priest?
Aurelia
Gideon Clemments
The Priest

Age: 52 | Height: 6' 1" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 4 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 17 - Endr: 17 - Luck: 16 - Int:
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#4
Her prolonged stare and the visible confusion in her voice began to confirm a suspicion that was floating in the back of Gideon's mind; it seemed likely this woman was one of the 'Outlanders', someone plucked from outside Caido by the Voice and dragged here for conniving plans. If Gideon intervened quickly enough, he could save her from that fate.

"No, no. If you don't know of it, it's best you don't see it. It's a shrine for something quite evil. I'm looking for it with the intent to destroy." He told her, looking back and forth around them as if expecting to see a horde of Ascended coming from every direction. "I'm gonna assume you haven't been here very long? A word of advice: Don't mix with the Voice or her followers."

Gideon began to walk the other way, away from where he believed the shrine to be; he could always come back later, and he didn't want to be responsible for Aurelia's discovery of the 'New God'. "I'm more than supposed to be a priest." He laughed, finding her somewhat accusatory question quite amusing. "I'm Gideon Clemments. I am the Priest in charge of the Trinity Temple, the largest Temple to the Gods in all of Caido." He held out a hand towards her. "And you are...?"
GIDEON
You claim to be virtuous, but you're a liar
And you'll feel the heat of the flames
Aurelia Murlow
the Fireheart


Age: 29 | Height: 5'7" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 21 - Int:
Played by: Catalysta Away
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Posts: 1,182 | Total: 1,724
MP: 630
#5
eyes can't shine unless there's something burning bright behind
Well, Aurelia wasn't the type of person to let another make decisions for her. So when the man indicated that it'd be better if she didn't even see the shrine, her eyebrow raised verrryy skeptically. Who could be so spiritually influenced that some altar could determine their moral standings? Aurelia could not comprehend such a thing, whether it was for good or evil. Either you were, or you weren't. Nothing could change who someone truly was at their core.

Aurelia certainly wasn't going to be swayed by something like that. She crossed her arms and wondered absently what he was looking around like that for. He walked off and she debated on whether or not she should go seek this thing out for herself.

When he held out his hand, she was still standing where he'd left her. She didn't make a move to go shake his hand, not because she didn't want to, but because she was stubborn.

"Aurelia," she replied, "I'm an Outlander, yes, and I work on The Ark. It's that great big ship on the docks, I'm sure the captain would tell you that you can't miss it."

"You know, Gideon, when you tell someone they're better off not discovering something, it only makes them want to discover that thing even more... Now, let's go see find this 'evil' shrine and, if you want, you can tell me more about why you want to destroy it so bad."

With that, she began to walk in the direction that she thought he had originally been headed. It couldn't be that much farther, after all. Why would it be?
Aurelia
Gideon Clemments
The Priest

Age: 52 | Height: 6' 1" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 4 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 17 - Endr: 17 - Luck: 16 - Int:
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#6
It was clear he'd done something to offended Aurelia, from the way she didn't follow nor take his hand. Gideon raised an eyebrow, not used to people being quite so disrespectful right away, his position as priest earning him a considerable amount of honour in Stormbreak. He nodded at her description of the Ark, rubbed his chin; to him all the boats on the dock were big and roughly the same.

As much as he really, really didn't want her to discover the Voice (or see what he was going to do when he reached the shrine), it was going to happen at some point or another. Maybe it was best that she was introduced to the world's religious divide with someone on the right side of it all.

"You got me there." He admittedly good naturedly, holding up his hands and turning to walk the way he had been. "I'm afraid I don't actually know where it is, though. The Ascended obviously won't tell me, because I represent what it is they're trying to crush - the very foundations our world is built upon."
GIDEON
You claim to be virtuous, but you're a liar
And you'll feel the heat of the flames
Aurelia Murlow
the Fireheart


Age: 29 | Height: 5'7" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 21 - Int:
Played by: Catalysta Away
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Posts: 1,182 | Total: 1,724
MP: 630
#7
eyes can't shine unless there's something burning bright behind
Aurelia paused as he agreed without much argument, taken aback by that. She expected more of an argument but, well, she wasn't going to question it. Curiosity was already moving her feet forth once again. She walked along the cliff wall as it curved to the left, her eyes scanning the sand below.

"Well, I can find it, as long as it's actually around here," she murmured with a confidence that waned as she spoke. She lifted her green gaze, darkened by the shadows, to Gideon as he went on to talk about how these 'Ascended' intended on destroying the foundations of this world. She remembered Sunjata telling her a little bit about them, and the scar on his neck he'd shown off. Gideon had snagged her attention with his strong statement, though, and she spoke promptly, "The Ascended, huh? I know a little about them, but not much. Why do they want to change things?" Then, something Sunjata had told her suddenly rang a bell in her mind, "oh, do you- you're a follower of the Old Gods, aren't you? I heard they don't like the Ascended - or was it the Abandoned?"

She knelt down suddenly, holding up her hand to signal for him to stop. She very lightly traced what could've been a print in the sand with her finger. It was loosely-placed but, there did appear to be something of a trail to follow. It did become obscured by the shadows, though. The sand didn't feel damp at all so any trails left behind would not be precise or easy to track. They could've easily been manipulated by  a stray wind funneling through the cliffs. Still, she was an expert at hunting... specifically, hunting people.

"There are tracks that lead this way," she followed the direction the trail would take them, glancing back at Gideon.
Aurelia
Gideon Clemments
The Priest

Age: 52 | Height: 6' 1" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
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#8
Aurelia's easy confidence drew a slightly skeptical look from Gideon, though it swiftly turned to a wry smile. "Then please, lead the way." He gestured ahead, perhaps a little smug disbelief in his tone; he liked to think he had a well-tuned sense of evil and good, that he would have been able to find the shrine, had it been easy to locate, from simple vile energy that it had to give out.

"Why do Ascended want to change things? Oh, if that were a simple question." He sighed, trying to think of the best way to explain a history that began hundreds of years ago and twisted and turned it's way to the present day. "Their leader, the Voice, rebelled against the Old Gods and caused a war hundreds of years ago. Long story short, she lost that war." Being trapped in the barrier was as good as defeat, in his opinion. "Now she's bitter and uses her Ascended like pawns, to corrupt and change the world into her vision of perfection - no longer human. Machine, virtual and distant."

He had not met many Ascended, but when he did he always found it disquieting; how they did not breathe, their machinery and updates working away to increase their natural abilities. "Abandoned generally are not able to choose their plight, so I have sympathy for them. It is possible for them to seek redemption with the Gods. Ascended, generally, have chosen their lot, and so are beyond hope."
GIDEON
You claim to be virtuous, but you're a liar
And you'll feel the heat of the flames
Aurelia Murlow
the Fireheart


Age: 29 | Height: 5'7" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 21 - Int:
Played by: Catalysta Away
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Posts: 1,182 | Total: 1,724
MP: 630
#9
eyes can't shine unless there's something burning bright behind
Aurelia had already figured out that this world's rules and politics would be starkly different from her own. So, when she asked, she knew that she had a complicated answer coming to her. The haul of information she was still digesting didn't deter her from seeking more, however. There was much to learn about Caido. When Gideon told her it was not a simple question, she replied with "I've got time." Otherwise, she listened intently until he had finished.

New Gods and Old Gods didn't get along, apparently. Of course, then, neither did their followers. Aurelia couldn't really understand that kind of standing. This reflected in the way her expression contorted with confusion. Even if Gods in this world were real, even if they could do terrible and incredible things with the snap of their fingers... weren't their battles best left between them?

Still, she listened to Gideon's words, which became a bit ranty in the middle. He clearly held disdain for the Ascended, with their inhuman qualities. Aurelia herself wasn't too sure how she felt about it, having never seen something like that.

"I see..." Aurelia mulled over the facts, pausing along the wall of the cave they'd entered to look over at the man that walked with her. She lifted up an elbow to lean against the wall and said, "where I come from, which is way different from here, magic was made illegal. I used to, uh," she paused, hesitating, but figured he would not be too upset by the fact. She cleared her throat and continued, "I used to be a bounty hunter for those caught breaking the law. If something like an Ascended were to suddenly exist in my world..." she shook her head, raising her eyebrows, "they'd never be accepted. I'm having a hard time getting used to the magic-users here myself. My first instinct is to.... do what I've been trained to do."

She narrowed her gaze quizzically and went on to ask, "but what I'm wondering is, how could you make a difference fighting - or whatever this is - on behalf of a God? Wouldn't anything you do be... insignificant? I mean, in comparison to what they can do. Why don't they just... I don't know, smite these 'Ascended' and be done with it, if they're so bad?"
Aurelia
Gideon Clemments
The Priest

Age: 52 | Height: 6' 1" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
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#10
Gideon let Aurelia lead the way, though he still doubted she'd actually be able to take them to the shrine. As they approached a small cave he raised an eyebrow, though he supposed it made sense; the Ascended's skin could not take the sun, so they may indeed have scurried into the dark and damp, like spiders away from the light.

To hear of her world, where those with magic were hunted, was certainly interesting. While Abandoned were not, in Gideon or the Order's opinion, as poorly seen as the Ascended, they were certainly not loved among the Gods, and in a way it was comforting to hear there were similar rules in other places; it made him more sure of the truth in their world. "I see. I'd advise against it, though the Old Gods would not begrudge you the desire, I reckon."

Her question was a reasonable one, one he'd heard many times over from younger people at the temple, and one he had an answer prepared for already. "I myself wonder why the Old Gods don't just smite the Voice. But, and this is important - I do not need to know, and neither does any mortal. Their plans and their own, and they need us to help the way we do. It is not for us to know all, only to do what is right. And I know enough to know the Voice is wrong."
GIDEON
You claim to be virtuous, but you're a liar
And you'll feel the heat of the flames
Aurelia Murlow
the Fireheart


Age: 29 | Height: 5'7" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 21 - Int:
Played by: Catalysta Away
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Posts: 1,182 | Total: 1,724
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#11
eyes can't shine unless there's something burning bright behind
Aurelia listened intently. She had her own thoughts about the Voice, which weren't dictated by faith. Gideon's faith was... intense, though. She turned back to the path ahead of them. The darkness here was shallow. The cave was still softly illuminated by sunlight that peered through scattered holes in the ceiling. The light revealed a small statue at the end of the cave, sitting neatly upon metal and stone. Aurelia glanced over at Gideon and raised her eyebrows, saying, "This must be it. So... I'm assuming shrines in this world are actually important...?"

Walking over to it, Aurelia narrowed her eyes against the dim light and bent down beside it to get a closer look. The statue was made from obsidian; she recognized the glass-like texture. It was carved into the silhouette of a woman and, in her hand, she was clutching something. Knives, perhaps, or... no. Lightning?

She straightened up and folded her arms over her chest, raising her quizzical expression up to Gideon. "I don't like the Voice anymore than you do. She took everything from me by forcing me to be here, and some doppelganger gets to live the life I sacrificed everything for. Or worse, no one is there in my place and my sisters suffer for it. I have no way of knowing, no way back home... Trust me, I would break this myself," she clenched her jaw, her fingernails digging into her skin. Then, she sighed and stifled her anger, "but what happens if it's broken? Won't the Voice be angry? If she has the power to make the ascended and bring people from other worlds here, I can only imagine what she'd to to someone that gets on her bad side."
Aurelia
Gideon Clemments
The Priest

Age: 52 | Height: 6' 1" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
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#12
Suddenly, alarmingly, the shrine revealed itself to them. For something of such evil, Gideon had almost expected it to be somehow more threatening, as if it would loom out of the darkness with a musical score; of course it didn't, and it was actually quite mundane, the small statue and humble location speaking more of a quiet place to worship than of a centre to concoct malicious plans.

Of course, that was just what the Ascended wanted him to think.

"There is another you, but that you, in her mind, fought all those battles as well." He explained distractedly as he stepped forward, a hand outstretched towards the shrine. "The Voice just needs the blueprint of your body and mind to bring herself more potential soldiers." Gideon let his hand drift across the stone of the shrine, gently but with a distinctly dark expression on his face, imagining just what he could do to it.

Laughing quietly at the idea he might fear the Voice, he shook his head. "She cannot hurt those truly devoted to the Old Gods; our fear is one of the best gifts we could give her. However, I won't destroy this just yet." While every inch of him wanted to smash the shrine to pieces, he was in the Order, and they had plans and methods, not just wanton destruction. "Thank you for helping me find it."
GIDEON
You claim to be virtuous, but you're a liar
And you'll feel the heat of the flames
Aurelia Murlow
the Fireheart


Age: 29 | Height: 5'7" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 4 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 21 - Int:
Played by: Catalysta Away
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Posts: 1,182 | Total: 1,724
MP: 630
#13
eyes can't shine unless there's something burning bright behind
Aurelia took a step back to give Gideon ample room to explore the shrine. She watched his fingers graze the sandy obsidian thoughtfully, narrowing her eyes as he did so. She wondered what he was thinking about, seeing the grimness in his expression. Then, he laughed a little at her suggestion that they might worry about what the Voice would do.

He sounded confident in his belief that he couldn't be touched by the Voice because of his devotion to the Old Gods. Aurelia found all of this a lot to wrap her head around. She shook her head in exasperation and sighed.

Then, he thanked her, and she lifted her brows up at him, "Oh, yeah. Don't worry about it but, if anyone asks, it wasn't me - or I wasn't here. I don't know if I want to get all wrapped up in this... war. Even though, I apparently already am!" She put her head in her hands, rubbing the spot between her brows stressfully. She went on, letting her hands fall back to her sides where she used them to emphasize her points with subtle waves and gestures, "Back in my home world, gods were something you just... believed in because you had nothing else. But you'd never see them, they had no real power. How can you trust in something you can't see, that there's no proof of? But here. Here, the gods are real and they're actually capable of, I don't know, smiting you if they feel like it. Or tearing you away from your entire world, literally! What am I supposed to do, how does a person choose which side to be on in something like that?" Aurelia fixed her gaze on Gideon but, she didn't show anger towards him. Rather, she held a mixed expression of confusion and frustration.

She was lost, and she wondered if he had a truly helpful answer for her. She wasn't sure what to do about this kind of situation. Before this, all she had been worried about was surviving, making it. Now, she had something much bigger to think about. "This is crazy.."
Aurelia
Gideon Clemments
The Priest

Age: 52 | Height: 6' 1" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 4 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 17 - Endr: 17 - Luck: 16 - Int:
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#14
"Don't worry. This is all already so secret it shouldn't leave my lips anyway; no part of it, not just yourself." The Order knew, and that was the end of it, at least until his plans began, and when they did, he had no problems leaving Aurelia out of it; gave him more credit for single-handedly ending the Ascended menance.

He turned away from the shrine as her frustrated confusion really showed and adopting the casual posture and smile of the true believer, explained: "It's quite simple. The Old Gods made the world around us and even ourselves, love those that work to preserve it and only punish those that do wrong. The Voice defied them, seeks to destroy our natural world by replacing it with machinery, and rips people from their worlds to this one to support her cause. Which side sounds right to you?" While it was obviously a bias account, Gideon felt it was a fair one. He had not, after all, said anything incorrect.
GIDEON
You claim to be virtuous, but you're a liar
And you'll feel the heat of the flames


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