Private Pomegranate Seeds

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna hadn’t quite gotten her bearings yet when she suddenly felt her atoms being blown apart and put back together again somewhere else. The next thing she knew she was sitting on the ground in a wood, no worse for wear, though she felt a little bit nauseous from the ordeal.

“... No,” she replied astutely to the Nightmother’s question, clambering to her feet and dusting herself off. “And I hope I never do again.”

So they had to wait and make sure the hammer-wielding giant wasn’t following them before they could leave. Great. Lovely. As her husband would say, “Swell.” Inanna crossed her arms over her chest and tried to hide her annoyance. She understood why they had to stay for the moment, but she was very tired of this place already and wanted to go home before things got any worse.

Vytal Noctura | Xzeench | Ingrid L'lerim | Zachariel Steelblood | Westenra Mina​

 

[Xzeench]

​

The way out was all but now defined to our band of intrepid heroes. The portal conjured up by the Night-Mother has proven to be the group's salvation. Sucking each member through it, as if the portal knew exactly who to choose of them. Giving them one last glimpse of the hellscape that they were trapped in. Unfortunately, the Portal was anything but stable. A flash of visions appeared in the minds of all present. That this may not be the last chapter of the Story of the Betrayed.

What they saw would of horrified them to the core. A endless battlefield strewn with the bodies of billions of once loyal Shock Marines. Cut down by their own creator, their mother in a battle of cataclysmic proportions. They could feel the pain in the hearts of all the dead before them. The despair of their betrayal by the hands of their own Mother. The final nail in the coffin of the once proud and great ancient Catharian Hegemony made itself all to present as the final ritual that the Queen Mother commenced cleansed the world in fire... The death toll numbering in the tens of millions as all their souls were cast to the netherworld in one final war.

The vision soon ended, with a smokey vision of a pleased looking Cathar Woman who looked on, with blazing flame in her eyes at the destruction she had wrought.

What they saw today, with the Insane Primaris, and Marines. Is thusly the fate of all who had once been apart of the Queen Mother's game. Only a means to an end to create a universe of her own design. Forever now trapped in the Netherrealm, those who were caught in the scouring forevermore bound to the hellscape to walk for eternity. A tragedy of greatest proportions. The fall of the mightiest fighting force in the Galaxy, to little more than blood-crazed animals. Thus always, to those whom serve a tyrant.

As for our band of Intrepid Heroes. They were deposited back onto a unfamiliar world, in a picturesque wood. With naught but trees, and shrubbery for miles around. A familiar place to Westenra Mina and Zachariel Steelblood . The homeworld of the Hegemon herself. Cathay. However, there was a stench in the air that could be placed as rotting flesh. In the hills beyond, they could spot a city. The same City that Aravae once trod upon back in her mortal form... But... there was a distinct look among the once verdant green fields. Fields of bodies, all dead. Perhaps this was the fate of Cathay after the return of the Queen Mother.

The air was still, warm. Still in a summer's day. Only perhaps a few weeks have passed since Zachariel and Westenra's coming. Thus they witnessed the fate of their failure. More yet slain. The wait was short, fortunately enough.

​

A man sat idly upon a Tree-Stump. Old and Decrepit yet still strong in body and mind. Clad in Blue Power Armor, with a ever-growing stubble on his face. The man looked forward toward the sudden appearance of the group. Eyeing each of them. Others of his same heraldry were stuck lying dead nearby, amongst a field of white-armored bodies wielding the insignia of the Ancient Catharian Hegemony. Long since killed by what looked to be laser Weapons fire. All save for the gargantuan man who sat before them. Gray haired, and bloody. It was all too easy to recognize who that was. It was Titus, thought dead after he sought to Challenge the Queen Mother on that fateful dead. Returned home, to watch his world die a second time. He was wounded, quite heavily. A missing arm, and a gash across his midriff which severed power cabling and left him immobilized on the stump for who knows how long. He still had, gripped within his fingers, the sword that he used to Challenge the Queen Mother's power.

He was tired. Millions of years of war would do that to a man. It looked like he had given up. He and only another of his number survived the unseen battle which took place. The other, was far off worse. Wounded so badly that he scant appeared to be human. All that remained was a blackened skull, whose arms held it with still mobile hands. A victim of a plasma attack perhaps.

"And so it is then. I had feared you both to be dead."

He spoke toward Westenra and Zachariel, with grief in his voice.

"We tried to stop them. Ten of my Brothers, weren't enough to stop it. Once that realm was formed, all the bloodshed you see before you was what occurred next. They turned feral. And ripped eachother to shreds. Despite all our efforts, the Queen Mother attained her goal of godhood... But, it still warms my heart to know that you two still yet live. Maybe there is still hope."

Ingrid L'lerim Vytal Noctura Inanna Harth

(And so ends being trapped in the Netherworld, but yet we are still trapped on the Medieval era throneworld of the Hegemony. Perhaps there is a way of escape despite the circumstances -- Feel free to Teleport out! Or stay and see how much I can cause you grief!)

 

[Zachariel Steelblood]

Zachariel kept up the fire upon the Primaris, entirely ignoring the marine he'd been engaged with. And in turn, he completely ignored the rest of the group. That moment of weakness was taken advantage of by the marine, even as the portal from the Night Mother was opened. With a lunge, the marine tackled Zachariel through the portal, roaring his bloodlust into Zachariel's visor. Together they tumbled through the hellscape that was the portal, and both were subjected to the visions. Both of them recognized it all, they knew who and what this was, and it made them roar their rage even more.

Tumbling through and into the real world, Zachariel rapidly plunged his blade into the marine with him, snarling like a made beast all the while. After the tenth stab, the marine was dead, but Zachariel only stopped after the twentieth. Growling, Zachariel pushed the marine off himself. He then pushed himself to his feet with the help of his sword, plunging it into the ground to give himself support. Rising to his full height once more, Zachariel gazed about, taking everything in, and snarling once he recognized the planet they were on.

How fitting, the planet they'd escaped by blood, was the one they returned too by blood. Clenching his fist around his sword, Zachariel loosened it as his eyes focused on Titus. Nodding to him, Zachariel responded once Titus was finished.
"No one could stop her once she started. Our greatest chance was done the second she removed her greatest foes from the board." A mad cackle left Zachariel then. He bowed his head as he shook with rage and dark laughter, finding some twisted amusement in it all. "But death didn't stop us, hell didn't either. Though her mindscape is its own hell. Peace, lies, and a false utopia."

Zachariel made a pfft noise as he shook his head. With a low snarl, Zachariel sheathed his sword by his side. With nothing more to say for now, Zachariel simply brushed past the others of their group. Instead, he simply made his way several steps away from them, choosing instead to stare out towards the city. It was impossible to see what he was thinking, but the Force offered some insight. Rage was the dominant emotion controlling Zachariel, though the gen'dai did his best to control it in turn. Furthermore, true pain could be felt from him in small doses, though they were shrouded with bloodlust and promises of revenge. And lastly, half plans raced through his mind, all revolving around shedding more blood. All in all, it was clear from the Force that Zachariel was barely keeping his sanity in place.

Inanna Harth | Ingrid L'lerim | Westenra Mina | Xzeench | Vytal Noctura

 

[Inanna Harth]

The scenery changed again so that an old knight could give a speech. Inanna had had enough. Rather than explode into anger and yell at them about how none of this had anything to do with her, she turned to Ingrid and Vytal with a strained but intact measure of calm.

“Ladies, if one of you could please open up another portal or whatever to get me out of here, I really would rather not stay.”

Vytal Noctura | Xzeench | Ingrid L'lerim | Zachariel Steelblood | Westenra Mina​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud
The Red Witch, The Night Queen, Lady Stuztala, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium, Archon of the Primyn Group​

Location: Behelian Canyon, Netherworld
Equipment: The Soulsabers (hidden) | Brynja coat | Hersir Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland
Tags: Inanna Harth | Vytal Noctura | Xzeench | Zachariel Steelblood | Westenra Mina

[ Maybe I should just end it all... ] ​

It wasn’t really clear to the woman what was going on; She means these things were so weird and weird to her. Somehow, as if they didn’t fit into this world at all. During the spell, she could only partially hear what the others were talking about behind her. However, before she could finish the spell, heard Inanna's voice again. She urged them.

She actually understood the woman because who knows how much time they may have left or when the error will reappear. Since all of this apparently had an impact on Netherworld, it could probably affect the woman after a while. If she stays here; and she doesn't want to try that. Nor is it that Darth Voracitos might show up because he senses what happened here. From this she remembered she would have to visit the man sometime and talk to the deity. The only person Adrian accepted as a deity.

"Immediately, we go to Kalidan, and from there everyone can go on wherever you want."

Now realized that the Nightmother was talking about rescuing someone; but there was no time for that. Used the energies she had previously collected to create a portal, also calling on her amulet to make it all even easier. Of course, if Nightmother creates her own portal first, the red-haired woman won’t do it anymore.

"GO!" Told the others, and if everyone has gone through a portal, now in the Realspace she closes the portal after themselves, so that no one and nothing can follow them.

 

[Vytal Noctura]

Equipment: The Blood of Dathomir Armor | Nightmother's Ward | Water of Life Potions | Rings X X X X​

Vytal turned to regard Inanna Harth and a small smile graced her lips. Honesty. The Living rarely enjoyed being forced to confront the Dead -- especially the ones that could genuinely inspire terror. Not the monsters parents threatened their children with throughout the galaxy. Genuinely terrifying creatures, some of which possessing unimaginable power. And all of that held back by the Veil between worlds. A mystical construct that even Witches only understood at a conceptual level. Perhaps if any of them attained 'godhood' someday they'd uncover the Truth of existence itself. Not as easy it sounded by far.

Slowly the green eyes of the Nightmother turned toward a grayed haired male present. He seemed eager to welcome two of their number. A bit over zealous to claim the 'Queen Mother' had attained 'godhood.' What a sweet dream that was for so many. The Fanged God would forgive Vytal for not believing someone just plucked that honor out of the void through a single act of depravity. Perhaps she did not understand every nuance of the Nether, but the Witch did expect genuine godhood required surmounting numerous obstacles even in Death. Other deities couldn't be thrilled 'sharing power,' could they? Still, it would be rude to scoff openly. It might be worth learning more.

"It would seem safe to depart. I, however, am interested in hearing more of these feral souls and the Queen Mother." There no longer seemed a reason to hold Innana or Ingrid hostage to the Nether if they wished to depart. Vytal was curious, however, if the rest would be seeking to set foot on the 'Real' world. Not all of them were strictly speaking Living. Nor entirely sane. A Witch had to be certain who managed to steal their way across the Veil, and that they would not tear the Balance apart.

"And Empress," the Pale Witch turned to regard Ingrid L'lerim for a moment, "perhaps someday we might speak." Oh, no, the other woman's talents hadn't gone unnoticed. That only came from experience. She was seeking something in the Nether. Only seemed polite to see if she required any assistance in such a dangerous and delicate task.

Tag: Zachariel Steelblood | Westenra Mina | Xzeench​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Vytal had gotten invested in the savage tales of the macabre locals and wanted to stay. Ingrid turned out to be Inanna’s savior, opening up a portal to Kalidan.

“Yes! Thank you, Lady Ingrid!” Inanna exclaimed. Having had less than satisfactory experiences with the last few portals she’d gone through, however, Inanna tested the waters of this one first, sticking a finger, then a hand through and waving her arm around, then risking a peek with one eye, until finally she stepped through one foot at a time.

If it was indeed Kalidan and “Realspace” which awaited her on the other side, she wouldn’t waste any more time. Hopefully they were somewhere near civilization, because she had several calls to make, a flight home to book, and…

Her stomach rumbled. She still hadn’t eaten anything in days. Food was her top priority. On the other hand, she was short on cash—bringing your wallet to a fight with someone trying to attain godhood didn’t seem like a good idea at the time. Turning to Ingrid, she hesitated. What was she going to do, ask the Empress for a little pocket change so she could eat before she headed home? After the woman had just rescued her from the land of the dead? Well, the least she could do was be polite about it.

“Lady Ingrid, would you like to have lunch with me?”

Vytal Noctura | Xzeench | Ingrid L'lerim | Zachariel Steelblood | Westenra Mina​

OOC: Y'all can continue this however you want, but this is //exit thread for me.

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud
The Red Witch, The Night Queen, Lady Stuztala, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium, Archon of the Primyn Group​

Location: Behelian Canyon, Netherworld
Equipment: The Soulsabers (hidden) | Brynja coat | Hersir Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | G1 OmniLink | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland
Tags: Inanna Harth | Vytal Noctura | Xzeench | Zachariel Steelblood | Westenra Mina

[ Maybe I should just end it all... ] ​

It seemed to the woman that the group was going to split in two because the “chaos creatures” remained at Netherworld, Inanna wanted to go, and Nightmother also stayed to see what the end result would be. The red-haired woman felt she didn’t want to see this; she can still be informed later if comes back later. Or even from Zachariel, but it will be more expedient to research in this place. Ingrid even turned to Vytal Noctura before departure.

" It's your decision, Nightmother. I will not stop it. Conceivable; take care of yourself!"

After opening the portal, they were really in the Realspace and since nothing else came after them, Ingrid closed it after them. It was daylight, but they were still standing in the cold and knee-deep snow on the edge of a forest. Not far away stood a huge palace, and in the distance was a city.

"Miss Hoole, welcome to Grjótharður, my home. Of course, once we get there, you can also get clean clothes, you can take a bath and have lunch. I still want the doctors to check you to see if you are okay, and then you can go home right away if you want. Please follow me!"

Told the other woman; she pointed the direction with her hand for another moment, then headed for the palace.


OOC: Last post.