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[Rusty]

::This demiplane is about ten miles across, and is largely rolling hills of sweet smelling grass, punctuated by various clumps of fruit bearing trees and myriads of flowers. Various herbs and spices, many of unfamiliar nature, lend a sweet aroma to the entire plane, and grow amongst the soft grasses. Light enters the plane from above, a rose-white orb sheds light for half the day, then fades to a dim light, revealing what appears to be the terrestrial night sky, at first, but upon observation is a spectrum of zodiac creatures who move, run, dance, and generally rejoice throughout the night, until the rose-pink orb illuminates the plane once again. Throughout the plane are old stone looking structures, at first appearing to be ruins, but upon closer examination are in fact structures designed without conventional form, stairs lead to a parapet but nowhere else, an archway extends into a tree bough, a room is wide but only a couple feet high, and so on. In the center of the plane is a raised dais, where two pillars connected by an archway wreathed in ivy stands, and where a portal to this plane can manifest.::

::In the largest grove of trees, some two hundred feet "north" of the center, is a very large tree that has naturally grown to contain rooms and windows, spiral stairs, and is large enough that, were it not a tree, it would be a large three story house. A humanoid figure or two are spotted darting in and out of this grove.::

::Throughout the plane are animals, a few of most types, but their coloration is vibrant, their fur is occasionally sparsely feathered, and they are luminous by day or night. They wear divine markings of some kind in their patterns as well, and are heard to speak to one another in deep, resonating voices, speaking an uncommon language.::

::To the "west" of the dais is a cluster of hills, each with carved stone doors leading down into them, and from there into the underportions of the plane. A few earthen animals, vibrant and wild in colorations, can be spotted darting into these tunnels.::

::To the "southeast" of the dais is a tall spire, made of the same stonework, atop which is a parapet and several objects, though it is several miles away and the nature of those items is indiscernable from the dais.::

::A distant cluster of simple stone buildings is visible to the "northeast"::

::Upon entering the plane, one's senses are nearly overwhelmed with the smell of sweet spices and herbs, fresh grass, the song of fey birds, and the brilliant vibrance of everything in the plane.::

[Planar Traits]
Normal Gravity (below 10 feet altitude from centerline, above that light gravity)
Normal Time
Mild Positive Energy
Magic Suppression: Summoning, Teleportation (except via central portal), Evocation
Magic Enhancement: Illusion, Conjuration (Healing), Divination
Limited size, but overlap (traveling in a straight line will eventually lead you back to where you started, but a shimmering horizon is visible at all times, which shifts as you move to reveal the wrapping of the plane. A vertical limit exists as well in both directions)

[Rusty]

::Imoak Stormdrinker, anticipating trouble, darts through the portal into the demiplane. With his passage the portal closes, and the cats on the otherside patiently await his return. Imoak registers one of his cats, the one that was consumed in the conjuration of the portal, manifesting near him, then scampering off to chase butterflies. A clean, refreshing breeze filled with flowerpetals and spice blows past him, rustling his clothes.::

[Liquidprism]

(OOC: Imoak... doesn't have hair. He's a goliath.)

[Liquidprism]

Imoak looked around, and saw a peaceful land of magical things... he found himself at a loss as to why the cats would want him here. He watched the cat sprit scamper off into the underbrush, and sighed. He growled under his breath, and started walking toward the tree house. Maybe someone there could give him some answers.

[Rusty]

::The short journey to the great tree led Imoak through several hills. A large stag, luminous white with a row of multicolored glowing feathers down it's back, stopped grazing and regarded him as he passed. The sound of laughter caught Imoak's ears as he approached the grove and, steeling himself against traps or an ambush, he carefully made his way between the trees. Several of the trees opened eyes and looked at him, but made no move, allowing him to pass.::

::Arriving at the great tree, Imoak came upon a scene of childish frivolity. A Nymph and a Dryad wearing nothing but wreaths of flowers chased each other around the tree, laughing excitedly. Neither one seemed to notice Imoak at first.::

[Liquidprism]

"Ahem", Imoak coughed, the closest to an 'excuse me' he would ever come. "Do either of you know what I'm suppose to be doing here. There were these cats you see, and they sort of directed me here. I don't actually know where here is though."

[Rusty]

::The nymph, distracted by your statement, loses pace with the dryad, who melds with a nearby tree. The nymph snaps her head back, and realizing the dryad is hidden, stops running, and approaches you.::

"You...you must be the Goliath, is that right? Rrerrin entrusted you with a protective mission, that over the smallest and weakest of his kind. Is that right? Do you bear his mark? Are you the storm?"

[Liquidprism]

Imaok shrugged at the query, "I guess that's me. I bear the mark of the Duneshadow...", Imoak pulled his cloak, and turned so as to reveal his marking, "and Rrerrin did indeed ask me to watch over some cats. So what's all this about anyway? Where am I?"

[Rusty]

::She gives a look of recognition when she sees your mark, which in this place is luminous and florescent.::

"It IS you then. Welcome to the Realm of Fruit and Flowers, this is a Fey place. Rrerrin believed that you were not entirely of the material place, but we shall see about that."

"Those that are entrusted to your care chose to let you enter this place, at a tremendous sacrifice to one of their number. They wish to see you become more like them, you terrify them with your rage, perhaps you did something that would lead them to feel this way?"

"I have something to show you, Storm, if you'll come with me. There is something in this place that your followers wish you to learn, if you are able. Please, come with me."

::She heads to the edge of the clearing and waits for you to either follow or respond otherwise.::

[Liquidprism]

Imoak shrugs and follows the creature, mildly interested in what she had to show him. As he walked he spoke, "My rage is my power. Scary as it may be, it makes me what I am. I have grown these past few years, and become mighty. I am on a quest to thwart the gods, passion and violence are the tools I have chosen to succeed at this. If you're going to try and change that you won't succeed."

[Rusty]

::The nymph leads you through the grove and over several hills towards the collection of stone buildings. She replies as she walks.::

"While I care not for the rigors of law, and this place is free of such rigid restrictions, I am a being of nature. Would I seek to turn the storm into a clear sky? I think not. I think what is here to be shown you will add lightning to your thunder. I believe there is much you can learn here."

::You arrive at the place she is leading you to. There are several stone huts, one of which she leads you into. Inside is what appears to be a shrine of some kind, with a set of armor, weapons of various types, and an urn. She opens the urn, revealing ashes, and a leather band. She regards the ashes with reverence, sets down the lid, folds her hands, and waits a few moments before continuing.::

"There have been a few before you who were not entirely of the material, other warriors who found their way here by one way or another. This was one of them. Like you, he carried a heavy burden. He was not a storm, like you, rather, he was a tide. His fury was like a tsunami smashing against rocks, which could barely stand up against his force. All his foes fell beneath his blade, one after another. He too sought to defy the heavens, though in a different way. His tribe, now extinct, was enslaved by devils and dragged to hell. He alone survived. This fueled his rage, and he defied the powers of hell to free them. Merely mortal, his dedication and single-minded purpose led him into hell itself, through all nine layers, down into the depths, and to the pens where his tribesmen were held. His victory was hard won, and his people returned to a semblance of the life they knew before, though many of them died in the rescue."

::She stops for a moment out of reverence.::

"He lived with his tribe for many years as their leader, but over time, his hard nature and unyielding rage led the tribe into great troubles. A group of marauders, none of them his equal in battle, burned the village in the night after his refusal to yield to them. After several events like this, due to his stalwart nature and refusal to yield to any threat, his inability to understand the weaker side of things, he was exiled. He wanted his people to become tough, to fight every day, but this did not lead to their survival. He led them to the brink of death before they rid themselves of him. He refused to let the sick, wounded, and weary stop work for a day. He had no sympathy for pregnant mothers, who he insisted carry the same load as others. His hardness to suffering CAUSED suffering. His tribe exiled him, and rejected his vigilance, and was again enslaved."

"He finally felt again. He left with his head hanging low, his spirits dashed, his life's mission proven in vain. HIS people, those he had fought for, he had nearly slain himself, and his failure to FEEL for them caused them to reject him. Like you, Storm, Tide use violence and passion to fight his war, and he won, as I believe you will as well. Tide came to me on accident, as you have. He paid respects to a Fey Wolf, who opened the gate for him. He came here and we taught him about something stronger than any technique he had learned, something he used that made his rage all the more terrible. He visited me often, each time learning more and more. Eventually, he found his tribesmen, and with his new understandings, the teachings he learned here, he slew their captors with greater speed and ferocity than even HE knew he had, and this time, when he led his tribe to safety, they did not reject him, for he had learned of a far more powerful force than violence, rage, and stamina, he had learned to be something much more than a raging tide, he had learned softness. He had learned to be a soothing placid sea, and by doing so, his tsunami was all the more terrible."

"We seek not to quench your fury, Storm, but to add balance to it. There is someone here who wishes very much to show you something, and perhaps, if you can see it, then you can learn something from Tide himself. He left this (she points to the strap in his ashes) for whomever would take on the mantle he left behind, for the warrior who can learn softness admixed with hardness. You see in this room his weapons, he was a master of each of them. But you also saw my house, grown from a tree. Tide, in his time here, studied, not martial technique, but horticulture. He learned how to grow plants. Why? Did it teach him something he could use in battle? Some strength against his enemies? No. It taught him to be a good gardener. To master softness, peace inside, and this in turn gave him the true strength to lead his people, and in made his rage all the more terrible."

"One of your followers gave up their mortal existence, he paid the toll to bring you here. He wishes to teach you something, you will find him among the stones to the "south". You are, however, no prisoner. While I have the power to keep you here indefinitely, I will not. What can be learned here is something you must want. The cat's name is Flare, and he has something to teach you. I will wait by the portal with two choices for you, but keep in mind, they cannot be unmade. Please, seek out Flare, he has given up his mortal coil for this one chance to show you something. Go, learn it, then find me at the portal and I will send you on your way, if you so wish, or grant you the power to return."

::She waits for your response, seemingly both eager and reservedly cautious.::

[Liquidprism]

Imoak listened to the creature as she spoke. He saw the articles, which once belonged to this other warrior. Apart of him felt regret that he would never be able to meet such a mighty being in battle. So few adversaries gave him pause, or granted him the wisdom that comes from conflict. He never felt challenged, or the thrill of knowing possible defeat. Everything he was he had earned, and now this strange place wanted to give him some sort of gift. He was unsure how to feel.

She spoke of finding a balance, but Imoak saw no reason for this. He was strong due to his extremes, temperance could only dampen the edge of his blade. He looked inside himself, and saw that his very design was that of a single purpose, to attack. He wasn’t leader, or poet, or a healer. He had no use for moderation. He was a weapon, and his joy came in pitting himself against other blades.

The goliath could see the wisdom the creature was trying to impart. She spoke of this other warrior’s folly in life, his weakness as it were. It was a rousing story, and it’s telling was worthy of a great fire, and many listeners. However, Imoak recognized that the weaknesses of that other, his counterpart in another age, were not his own. Still he perhaps had weaknesses, though he had yet to have them proven to him.

Perhaps Dala had started to rub off on him, her words having always been a source of temperance to his own violence, as he could almost hear her now. Even in her absence a part of her his sister was with him. Imoak grew curious as her voice told him to explore the path a little further, before simply turning away. Though he was ready to reject the notions of this strange creature before him, he decided he would go talk to the cat.

He mulled all this over before finally speaking, “Well, it seems that if I’m gonna be here awhile, I may as well look at what it is you’re offering. I’m not gonna lie. I can’t say that your way is gonna be right for me, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt, and listen for a while longer. I will go talk with this Flare as you call him, and see what he has to say. After that I will make a decision.”

Imoak turned to leave, but paused before taking off, “You claimed to be able to keep me in this place indefinitely… it would be interesting if you did. I would almost like to test myself against such action. However, I won’t contest it for the moment, I can’t get to held up in a place so far removed from all the action.” He left it at that, and left with a smile on his face to go find the feline Flare.

[Rusty]

::At your challenge to attempt to keep you here, the Nymph makes a wry smile, but says nothing.::

::You find the luminous cat preening itself in a rock in the sun. Immediately beyond the rock, is a large example of the strange structures that pervade this place, it has long arches that connect to each other, and in places don't, tall shelves with nothing underneath, and it arches through a nearby tree, passing between the branches. Flare looks up at you when you get here, showing a look of excitement and recognition.::

"Imoak! Are you here to play with me?"

[Liquidprism]

The barbarian looks down at the small creature, "You're Flare I take it?" he asks gruffly, "I suppose it depends on what you mean by 'play'."

[Rusty]

::Taking his response to be a yes, Flare springs up, excited.::

"Catch me if you can!!!"

::The cat darts up the structure behind him, whose purpose is suddenly clear; these stone buildings are, quite simply, play structures for woodland creatures, though they would clearly support the weight of most beings. The cat darts up an arch and leaps onto the far shelf, then stops and looks back at Imoak, eyes wild with excitement.::