Over a Year Ago

The Architect · Post by **The Architect** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 12:57 pm

“Build me a city,” the whisper sang softly in her ear.

It rained softly when she arrived at the small glade in the forest, rained as it had most of the day. The moon, but three-quarters full at this time of the month, was hidden behind a thin layer of clouds. Except for the lightest of breezes the wind was still, leaving the moist undisturbed to cover the mossy ground in a layer of wetness. It was not at all a night ideal for worship of the drow goddess of song, dance and moonlight.

The high priestess Shir’le E. Illios however did not need ideal conditions to spend in reverie of her deity. In fact, on many an occasion the weather had been worse than this; dancing in the middle of a downpour with lightning streaking through the heavens, during the cold winter with snow coming up to her knees, or in the dark, confined spaces of the Underdark with miles of rock between her and the moon. No, this mild drizzle paled compared to those.

She shed her clothes, dropping them next to a tree at the edge of the clearing, and extended her arms to let the water cover her naked, obsidian black skin and soak her long, white hair. It made her feel cool and refreshed, and she smiled up at the clouds as glistening streams started to pour down her gentle face, slim shoulder, pert breasts and down her hips and rear to cascade finally from her shapely legs into the dark ground. Then she started to move.

Moving one leg forward she dipped low to the ground, at the same time bringing her arms down, crossing them at her chest to swirl them up high above her head. Her body turned, back towards the glade, and her other leg extended sideways before her body completed the circle, her arms swept wide to one side. Turning her head, flailing her hair behind her, causing droplets of water to rain from her wet tresses, she dipped again, moving sideways and slowly picking up speed.

More and more she moved, her feet dancing in a pattern whose intricacy was only matched by the snake-like swirling of her arms above, besides and around her. And as she danced her head was tilted to the sky, towards the moon she knew to be there. And with each step and dip and leap and turn she felt the deep love and acceptance of Eilistraee fill her being.

Though she had done this countless of thousands of times before the feeling never stopped to amaze her, each time seeming better than the last. And she cried of joy, letting the salt of her tears mingle with the gentle rain.

Then the whisper came: “Build me a city.”

The sudden sensation of such direct and intimate contact with her goddess, hearing the soft sound of her voice echo through her soul, took her off-guard. Her balance lost she tipped over her own feet and fell on her rear. She had never fallen while dancing, not when the Aunaroch winds had conspired to try and tip her over, not when the tides of the Sea of Swords had slammed repeatedly against her legs. But the overwhelming presence of her goddess had tripped her now and she sat on the wet ground as a result, laughing.

She stared up at the sky. The rain had abated some and she could see a corner of the moon peak past the clouds. And even though she did no longer feel the presence of Eilistraee as she had when the voice sang in her ear the image of the moon above reminded Shir’le of a sniggering child hiding just around a corner after having played a prank. She would have to have a word with the priests of Erevan Ilesere. Perhaps they could convince their elven god of mischief and pranks not to spend as much time with her goddess. Not that she wanted her to change, not really.

Grinning and still looking at the moon she stood up, wiping her rear with her hands more out of reflex than any practical purpose. Closing her eyes she stood motionless, listening intently. Not for the voice to return, though she deeply hoped that it would, but to pick up on the rhythm of nature around her once again. She heard the mist of water brush against her skin, small rivulets dripping from her limbs and hair. She heard the faint wisp of a breeze move between the leaves of the trees surrounding the glade, stirring more droplets to fall from them on the moss. She heard the distant cries of nightly predators and prey in their own nocturnal dance. And then there it was again and she started to move once more.

The dance was very similar to the first, except that it was more inviting; her arms more often extended forwards, her movements seemed designed to stay clear of a second dancer and any eventual onlooker might have easily imagined two feminine bodies whirling, leaping, spinning across the clearing. Her goddess had let her presence known earlier and in this way the high priestess invited her to join in this joyous dance, even though she was uncertain her whimsical deity still remained.

It took mere moment for that uncertainty to be dispelled as suddenly her presence returned. Shir’le was ready this time and had braced herself, but there was no need as the presence was lighter, gentler, and more careful. It was as if the goddess took care this time not to startle her priestess and came in a lot slower. She remained silent this time, though Shir’le thought she caught the fading traces of a merry giggle and she smiled the wider for it. Thus priestess and goddess danced in the light of the now fully exposed moon.

Shir’le was overcome with joy for feeling her goddess surround her, fill her with such deep and unending impressions of love and hope. Only a few times before had she had direct contact with the Dark Maiden, and in all those instances it had been her seeking out the deity in need of answers or some other favor. This was the first time Eilistraee had sought out [i:2r7xlw27]her[/i:2r7xlw27] and though the sensations were the same as in those other cases the experience felt different. Freer and, in a sense, more acknowledged; the goddess wanted something from [i:2r7xlw27]her[/i:2r7xlw27] this time, even if it was just this simple, intimate dance. And Shir’le would gladly give whatever she had no matter what the goddess required of her. So she danced and danced and danced as she never had before.

After what seemed like an eternity that was still far too short Eilistraee slowed the dance and spoke again. A whisper still, like the first time, but less sudden. It seemed as if each word slowly built up in strength before reaching the actual content of the sounds: “Build me a city.”

The high priestess knew that had she tried to speak her words would be marred by her short breath, her chest still heaving strongly from the exhausting dance. Luckily there was no need for her to say anything as her goddess had more to say, the deity’s lyrical whispers as calm as the reflection of the moon on a sheltered pond: “Build me a place for your siblings, my sons and daughters, to call home; a safe place in preparation for the future, a free city. Do this, my child, and I will make you my agent, my voice across the planes.”

Nearly freezing in place Shir’le just barely managed to keep the slow dance with her goddess going. It took a while for the meaning of the message to sink in, which Eilistraee thankfully granted. The Lady Silverhair wanted her, Shir’le, to build a city for those drow who returned to the light and a way of peace and harmony. A place… in preparation? Did that mean that the time of the prophecy was near or was it just a way for her goddess to test the waters? Or perhaps preparation for something thousands of years in the future; time is relative for divine beings. Either way it would be a monumental undertaking. And in return Eilistraee would make her one of her divine agents? A reward didn’t matter of course, but to have such confidence and trust placed in her by her goddess was… mind-blowing.

She got a sense of waiting from the divine presence dancing with her through the moist air and perhaps a tad of… impatience? Eilistraee was waiting on her to answer the unasked question. The drow woman smiled widely and whirled around the invisible presence, prolonging saying the words. Perhaps this was her way to get back for the prank played on her earlier, but she kept dancing in silence with the decision clearly made. Kept dancing until she started to fear that Eilistraee might tackle her and wrestle the answer from her. It’s never wise to test a deity’s patience too long.

Of course there could only be one answer and she knew that the Dark Maiden knew it too. But it still had to be said: “I will, my Lady, with all that is in my power.”

If the high priestess thought that Eilistraee’s presence felt loving before then she was in for a shock, as such feelings of love, caring an acceptance—and now trust as well—enveloped her that it nearly knocked her off her feet a second time. But she managed to change her footing just in time and incorporated these new sensations into the rhythm of their dance together; a dance which slowly started picking up in speed and intensity again.

The dance between goddess and priestess lasted for hours after that, a celebration of joy, freedom and love, of all things good in the world. And while onlookers might have only seen one physical being the movements were born of a very real relationship, the kind only a deity and one of her most faithful servants could share. Even when after these many hours Eilistraee quietly slipped away Shir’le danced on with enough passion for them both. It was only when the sun peaked over the treetops that she fell exhausted to the ground, a single thought in her mind: “I’m going to need help.”

Post by **Shir'le E. Illios** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 12:58 pm

Love -x-x-x-

Shir'le

Post by **Shir'le E. Illios** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 6:34 pm

In case people are wondering, this is directly related to the [url=viewtopic.php?t=406:8a6jinkv]news post[/url:8a6jinkv] I just made.

As you might have guessed by now The Architect was really me (sorry about causing all those headaches

). I’ll post the solutions to the riddles later, but taken altogether what I’ve been hinting at all this time is the NWN2 server I’m working on (and would certainly like some help with).

Anyway, the news post explains my plans and such quite well. I’ll follow up on this post at some point (after I’ve got a healthy portion of playing NWN2 in) sometime later with an explanation of the codes and such.

And no, the server has nothing to do with codes or puzzles or such; I just thought it would be a nice way to drop some cryptic clues while working on the server designs.

Love -x-x-x-

Shir'le

Rooky · Post by **Rooky** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 7:22 pm

*throws sharp object at High Priestess*
I stayed up all night pondering about a friggin' riddle!!!

Post by **Shir'le E. Illios** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 11:04 am

[i:20mx7h9e]<dodges the sharp object and then gives Rooky a big hug>[/i:20mx7h9e] I'm truly sorry, hon. It was supposed to be fun and a bit mysterious; not frustrating.

Love -x-x-x-

Shir'le

Rooky · Post by **Rooky** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 5:09 pm

*growl* If you weren't the High Priestess, I'd bite you...

...

How about a crossword puzzle next time?

Tyrmer · Post by **Tyrmer** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 6:04 pm

Lol was I the only one who guessed? It was on MSN though so don't go looking for it on the forums.

Unen_Stealthfoot · Post by **Unen_Stealthfoot** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 9:16 pm

[color=darkred:gq5jqw94]The truth briefly flitted across my mind, but I dismissed it, thinking that our high priestess would be kinder than that.

[/color:gq5jqw94]

Post by **Shir'le E. Illios** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 9:58 pm

Bah. You people really know how to make someone feel guilty.

Love -x-x-x-

Shir'le

CrankyOzzie · Post by **CrankyOzzie** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 9:47 am

I knew who it was all along too. You see, Shir'le is really me!
But, in fact, I'm really rooky, who also happens to be Bhaern, who's masquerading as Velve who's really Nedylene in disguise, who is actually The Architect.

Post by **Shir'le E. Illios** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 10:45 am

In short, we're all just really one person with a massive multiple-personality disorder.

Love -x-x-x-

Shir'le

Rooky · Post by **Rooky** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 5:32 pm

We are all Tyrmer...

CrankyOzzie · Post by **CrankyOzzie** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 12:20 am

[quote="Rooky":2aggnz2e]We are all Tyrmer...[/quote:2aggnz2e]

Oh noes! We're not are we?
[i:2aggnz2e]She's right, we ARE tyrmer[/i:2aggnz2e]
[b:2aggnz2e]Damnit! I wanted to be Unen![/b:2aggnz2e]
Well you're not, so get over it.

Tyrmer · Post by **Tyrmer** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 6:04 pm

*Rolls will save not to sing Beatles songs*

*Fails*

"I am he as you are me and you are me and we are altogether Goo Goo G'Joob..."

Rooky · Post by **Rooky** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 8:35 pm

Tyrmer, before you continue to sing, know that PMS has struck again...

And it struck good...