A Lively Place
Dani Regan


Age: 26 | Height: 5'1 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#1
Dani
Who have you chose
to stand as your martyr?
Today had been a big day for Dani; it was the day she'd finally felt equipped to venture out and explore the remainder of Sanctuary. Up to this point, she'd come into the habit of holing herself within Oliver's manor, with the exception of the occasional accompanied walk about the outskirts. Though her thirst for adventure was unwavering, her companions had told her of the more wicked aspects of Caido, and she'd suddenly found herself hesitating at the thought of exposing herself to risks.

Now, it was time to move forward. She'd awoken with the sun and braided her hair before donning the oversized, faded-gray cloak that she'd swiped before finding herself in Caido. She pocketed pieces of jewelry that she'd come into the world  with in the event that she could trade them off for more practical items.

She roamed the dusty streets of the ruins, noting the reserved quality of the residents. Though she tried, she couldn't picture herself ever calling this community her home. The somber atmosphere gave her the impression that this was a place people went to give up.

As those thoughts passed through her mind, she was caught off guard by the distant rhythm of bright music. She followed the sound through the streets, curiosity piqued. She eventually found herself walking through the door of what appeared to be a lounge of some sort. The smells of warm food wafted in the air, and the spirited music that had led her here rang out clearly, unlike any music she'd heard before. She marveled at the colors and art that filled the space, before glancing around to survey the crowd that inhabited it.
To prove purposeful
in courses uncharted
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#2
they will shake their heads and wag their fingers
by daybreak we'll be gone
With his recently improved mood, Bastien had been in the mood to host once more. He was an entertainer at heart, always had been, and little pleased him more than throwing an event that went well. The thought player had been on near-constantly recently, playing tunes he remembered from parties in Venice (he was sure his neighbours were sick of it, but the town at large needed the joy) and he had cleaned up the entire Sanctuary in preparation for any new guests.

Lastly, he'd finally entered the kitchen again. With himself and a lot of the guild unable to actually eat due to being Ascended, Bastien had fallen out of the habit of cooking. But in the early days of the guild, it had been a good way to get people in the door and he felt like making something that would remind him of home. A cheese pie with a dashing of herbs, some creamed rice and bread, all spiced and flavoured to his particular liking, even if he could only get an idea of the taste.

If it was too spicy, he'd have to just apologise.

After leaving the window open while things cooked to draw in new members with the smell, Bastien had resumed progress on a painting he had been creating. Gold on one side, a deep blue on the other, he was working on blending the two colours with rough brush strokes and patterns. When he heard footsteps entering the Sanctuary his paintbrush paused and he turned to look at who was visiting, smiling to see a new face.

"Ah! Welcome to the Artist's Sanctuary!" Checking that his hands weren't covered in paint he held one out for shaking. "I am the host here, Bastien De Rosieres. Are you new to the Grounds?"
BASTIEN
Dani Regan


Age: 26 | Height: 5'1 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#3
Dani
Who have you chose
to stand as your martyr?
Rather than a crowd, a lone man sat painting at an easel. Nothing about the scene before her matched the conception of Caido she'd formed in her mind. Rather, it more closely resembled her prior world, and if it hadn't been for the few distinctive differences, she would have begun to worry that the past few weeks had been nothing but a delusion.

Dani forced her thoughts back into the present moment as the man introduced himself. She smiled down at the outstretched hand, and gripped it firmly in friendly greeting. "I had been wondering if handshakes were common courtesy in this world or not. My name is Dani Regan." She released Bastien's hand and circled behind him to study the painting. "I arrived quite unexpectedly a few weeks ago." Cocking her head to the side, she continued. "What are you painting?"
To prove purposeful
in courses uncharted
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#4
they will shake their heads and wag their fingers
by daybreak we'll be gone
As he let go of her hand Bastien tilted his head, considering what she had said; he'd never really thought of it, had just shook hands when he arrived and assumed all had known what he'd meant; had everyone just been playing along? "They certainly were where I came from." He settled on saying with a smile, nodding to acknowledge her name.

Another newcomer, from her words; there seemed to be a lot recently. The Voice was drawing more and more in. Bastien was always glad to see a new face, especially one in his Sanctuary, but he did wonder what they needed the new hands for. He watched her go to his painting, happy to see that some of the fresh Outlanders appreciated the better things in life. "Ah, yes. I arrived just as unexpectantly almost three years ago now." Around that long, anyway: it was growing hard to remember, as much as he would have once found that hard to believe.

"I am painting something to hang in my bedroom that will remind me of my wife, without being so painful as her portrait." He explained, turning back to the canvas and adding in a daub of gold. "She died last year...gold was her favourite colour, and deep blue is mine."
BASTIEN
Dani Regan


Age: 26 | Height: 5'1 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#5
Dani
Who have you chose
to stand as your martyr?
"I knew you weren't from Caido the moment you greeted me." Dani grinned heartily. "You're far too approachable for that." She looked on as the man continued to paint, finding the assuredness of each movement soothing. "You've made quite a place for yourself in just three years." She absently gestured to the hall. "And a good thing you did, too. A pop of color is exactly what the Hallowed Grounds needed, if you don't mind my saying." She chuckled, ensuring the lighthearted spirit of her remarks was plain.

Dani ceased her bantering upon hearing the sentiment behind the piece, and regarded the work in earnest. "Your wife must have been wonderful to be missed so sincerely." She concentrated on the canvas, thinking it looked a bit like an ocean glittering in the golden light of a midday sun. She wasn't an artist by any means, not having an eye for the abstract, but she could still feel the adoration imbued within. "Was she like us? An outlander?"

As she spoke with Bastien, Dani began to amble about the hall, absently searching the remaining canvases for signs of color. Had she possessed any artistry in her blood, she'd have pulled up a stool and joined the man herself. However, she knew better than to think that'd end in anything more than wasted materials.
To prove purposeful
in courses uncharted
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#6
they will shake their heads and wag their fingers
by daybreak we'll be gone
Bastien laughed, though he shook his head and held a hand up, having to defend the people of Sanctuary. "Things are hard here. You'll grow used to their ways in time; I did." It was certainly a far cry from the luxurious and boisterous dance halls of Venice he'd come from, though as time went on that felt more and more a distant fantasy he'd never again see. "Oh, anywhere I go, colour is soon sure to follow. I cannot help it!"

Ah, but to Rexanna, which was an all together sombre topic nowadays. "Oh, she was radiant. Queen of this place, in her life, but...those that would work against people like herself and I saw to her end." Bastien sighed, staring deep into the golden tones of the painting for a moment, allowing himself just a brief escape inwards; but he had a guest, so he swiftly turned back away. "She was an Outlander, indeed! Not from my world; we met here. What world did you come from?"

He watched her walk about, for the moment not saying anything of it. Dani would see many covered canvases, pottery pieces, tapestries, wall hangings...anything one could imagine, it existed in many colours, shapes and skill levels in the Sanctuary.
BASTIEN
Dani Regan


Age: 26 | Height: 5'1 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#7
Dani
Who have you chose
to stand as your martyr?
Dani had to keep herself from reaching out and touching the colorful objects strewn about, as though she needed reassurance that this place was real. She listened to Bastien, his affection for the Hallowed Grounds plain in both his words and tone. Though she did not subscribe to the notion that hard times must imply hardened hearts, she thought it wise not to give voice to those particular thoughts. After all, she was still a stranger to this world, as ignorant to its ways as a babe.

However, her overall opinions were only further solidified as she heard of his wife, so charmingly described, having found enemies in this world who'd have her dead. "I'm very sorry for your loss." While she wished to remain respectful, she found herself wondering at the story hidden within the man before her. "It's good to see that you've been able to return to some sense of normalcy." Though the sentiment was sincere, she hoped it implied her question well enough that she didn't need to ask in a more direct way. What evils lurked in this world that'd have its people dead?

Memories of her life before Caido surfaced with Bastien's question, and she allowed them only a moment of her attention. "My previous world existed primarily in books." She smiled. "The other aspects of it would probably be quite boring to you. No gods or curses, just hierarchies and debts. How about you?" She twirled around to look at the art that filled the large space. "If this is anything to go by, I'd say you have stories to tell."
To prove purposeful
in courses uncharted
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#8
they will shake their heads and wag their fingers
by daybreak we'll be gone
"Thank you. It grows easier with the passing of the Seasons." Though he knew Deepfrost, the first Longnight since her death, would be difficult; Bastien was trying to ignore that for the time being, but it was certainly in the back of his mind. Would they lose anyone else this year? He didn't know if he could take more weeping. "I have...it was a mistake, in a way. An attempt to do a good deed that was twisted by the Gods into something worse. I have made amends with the man that caused it to be."

Deimos had only been trying to help those caught in Longnight's dangers, after all. Bastien knew the Sword had loved Rexanna too; he had been blinded by his rage for a moment, but no longer.

Perhaps she thought her world was boring, but the sound of 'existed in books' sounded very interesting indeed to Bastien. "Whatever do you mean?" He asked, brush now completely lifted off the canvas. "That you did a lot of reading, or the world itself was constructed from books? A giant library? You must tell me more!" Already his mind was brimming with fantastical ideas, Dani walking along floating pages up into a tent made from a book binding, ready to sleep on a roll made of scrap paper.

"I come from a world called Earth...a place called Venice. It was beautiful, but as the time goes by it feels more like a dream." He smiled sadly, though the sting of homesickness had lessened over the years.
BASTIEN
Dani Regan


Age: 26 | Height: 5'1 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#9
Dani
Who have you chose
to stand as your martyr?
"People in my previous world used to claim that gods were beings of benevolence." Once more, Dani looked back to Bastien's painting. "Yet the more I learn of them, the less likely that seems." The statement could be written off as a harmless gripe, but a whisper of anxiety had rooted itself within her. She mindlessly fiddled with the collar of her cloak and scrunched her face in displeasure. "They're better off existing in books."

With that, Dani allowed the tension to dissipate and to be replaced by blasé curiosities. She giggled at the excitement Bastien found in her description of her prior world. "This is the closest I've come to living within books in a literal sense. It all feels fantastical in many ways." Dani took a seat at the canvas nearest Bastien's and swung her legs in time with the music. "My world was called Getia. I'm not being humble when I say it was a bland place. I always found more fulfillment in fantasy. You could say it runs in my blood." Though true, she knew her description was misleading and smiled at her own private joke. Oh yes, her father had once had quite the talent for spinning tales.

"Venice." Dani tasted the foreign word on her tongue, wonder bubbling within. "Even the name sounds beautiful." She paused the rhythmic swinging of her legs, her attention consumed by thoughts of yet another world. "Would you go back if you could?"
To prove purposeful
in courses uncharted
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#10
they will shake their heads and wag their fingers
by daybreak we'll be gone
"I would not say that of the Gods in this world; do not take this wrongly, I am sure they do love many people, but..." Bastien laughed wryly, waving a hand back and forth in the air. "Some of them more than the others." He could hardly apply the label of 'benevolent' to Safrin or Ludo, when he knew they would eliminate the Ascended in a heartbeat. "They are capable of amazing things though, and very useful friends, if you can get close to them."

Once, he would have loved to live in a world without faith, but now that he knew the Voice, it was harder for him to be so cut and dry about it.

It still wasn't entirely clear what the nature of her world was, but perhaps it was something that didn't translate well. Bastien bent his knees to work on the bottom edge of the painting, applying darker colours so that it would seem like a ray of light was hitting from the top. "Then..you are happy to have come here?" He asked cautiously, finding the attitude quite surprising for an Outlander.

As for his own attitude toward his home, he thought for a moment, moving his mouth to one side as he hummed it over. "No. My wife's soul stays here, so I cannot leave her. Also, I have become important to the people here, and them important to me." Something striking him, he turned to look at her: "Also, we have learnt that when we come here, we also stay home. A copy, of sorts. Two of me...I don't think Venice could handle it."
BASTIEN
Dani Regan


Age: 26 | Height: 5'1 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#11
Dani
Who have you chose
to stand as your martyr?
"If you can get close to them..?" Dani's eyes widened in surprise, letting loose an astonished laugh. "I never even considered that we might be able to personally interact with them. The alleged gods of my former world were supposed to be solitary and elusive, the only evidence of their existence coming in the form of their supposed judgements. Those who claimed to speak with them were considered spiritual powerhouses in their own right." She recalled all of this with moderate disdain, as thoughts of the church could not be had without thoughts of the people it had oppressed. "Of course, it was likely all just nonsense anyways." She waved a hand dismissively to emphasize her opinion on the matter.

"But you're saying it's different here. Have you spoken with any of these gods? Do they walk Caido the same as we do? What distinguishes them as gods?" She leaned forward in anticipation of his responses, before recalling the initial source of this topic and cringing at her own insensitivity. She leaned back once more and smiled sheepishly. "Please forgive me, you don't have to answer all of that. It's just all still so new for me."

As Dani watched the man continue his painting, she found herself relaxing as she lazily traced the strokes of his paintbrush with her eyes. Bastien was a charming man with a reassuring presence, she thought. The polarity existing between him and the Hallowed Grounds residents was comical, but the way they seemed to exist together so naturally inspired newfound optimism in Dani. She decided she'd try to lighten up on her criticisms of the place.

"I'm not sure if happy is quite the right word for it." Dani responded, sifting through her feelings carefully so as not to misjudge them. "I suppose thankful would be more accurate." She smiled, feeling assured in her self-assessment. "I didn't have much left for me in Getia, so it feels like I've been gifted a second chance to make a fulfilling life for myself. Happiness will come from what I decide to do with this opportunity."

Dani decided she held a lot of admiration for Bastien and his perspective. While Dani had been quick to move on from her problems, Bastien seemed to grow with them. If it had been her, the loss of someone she loved would have spurred her to leave and find a place that wasn't haunted by memories of the past. However, Bastien seemed content honoring those memories in his daily life. They were opposites in that respect, and she felt herself wishing she could emulate his outlook. However, she couldn't bring herself to say any of this aloud. "You're a good person." It had come to be such an overused and inane phrase, but she hoped it carried some of her sentiments anyways.

"What, so you're saying we have doppelgänegers, too?" She laughed boisterously, clutching her stomach. "Well, it's a good thing I'm this me, and not that me! The more we learn, the weirder it becomes." She wiped tears from her eyes. "None of it makes any sense at all. How did you even learn that?"
To prove purposeful
in courses uncharted
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
PITTORE - Mythical - Gremlin (Disappearance)
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#12
they will shake their heads and wag their fingers
by daybreak we'll be gone
Bastien himself had come from a world with a distant and far away God, one that he had not even believed in, and could remember how much of a shock it had been to hear that the Deities here walked among men and deigned to speak with them, could be proven to exist simply with a visit; he patiently smiled through Dani's questions and rose a hand at her apology, shaking his head. "No need to be forgiven. I know it is a lot. I will do my best with your questions."

He paused for a moment, rubbing a smudge of blue paint on his finger as he considered where to begin. "You can, indeed, meet and speak with the Gods here, and I have met three of them. The Voice, Safrin and Frey." Of course, he wasn't on great terms with two of them now, but that was irrelevant to this explanation. "They have their own realm to go to when not speaking or existing within this mortal one, but if their shrine is prayed to, and they feel like it, they will appear before you as real as another person. I found it hard to believe at first too." He remembered the first time he'd seen Safrin, how he'd checked for wires and mirrors around the room, wanting to see if it was all some kind of trick.

As for what distinguished them as Gods...Bastien smiled as he shifted his weight, having considered this many times himself. "It's hard to explain how you know they are Gods. You just do, once you meet them. You will see."

It was refreshing to find a new Outlander that wasn't utterly dejected about their new life in Caido. Most people (rightfully) felt lost and ripped from their old life before their time. Bastien was sure that Dani would need to adjust, but the way she was already coping well with it gave him some hope for her. "Indeed. There is happiness to be found here, if you look for it. It is...a harsh place, but not one without love or life." He added a thin film of gold paint over some of the dark blue side of his painting, just enough to make it shimmer in the right lights.

As for himself being a good person - well, all he could do was smile and say "Thank you."

That she found the news of her double more amusing than upsetting was good, Bastien having seen the news disturb more than a few people. "We have known for a while. I believe the information came from the Voice, but I may be mistaken."
BASTIEN


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