The EQ Alternaverse ((PART 2))

I'm baaaaaaack!

Okay, so here's a VERY rough snippet of the next installment of the Green War. Sorry for the preponderance of humans, but we gotta get through that storyline eventually

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Korik’s carriage rolled into Djaar Bosmer to fanfare. Angrif Djun stood outside the keep to welcome his dearest councillor, a grimace of a smile on his face. “Welcome Korik,” he announced grandly. “My old friend.”

The boy Djun spread his arms wide to embrace him, but Korik chose to kneel. The crowd approved of the gesture, and their cheers drowned out whatever else was murmured between the men as Angrif raised him to his feet and clapped him hard on the back.

“You did not need to come all this way, Korik,” he said loudly, when the cheers had died down. “I know how trying such a journey must have been, for a man of your age.”

And in Korik’s ear, he whispered: “Go home old man, if you know what’s good for you.”

“My Djun, my place is ever at your side,” Korik replied cheerfully. “I am yours to command.”

And under his breath: “You’ll not be rid of me so easily, boy.”

“Shall I resort to a dagger?”

“You’ve had a blade marked for me since you were old enough to scheme. But I’m not ready to yield yet.”

“I have archers on the roof aimed at you.”

Korik caught the boy in a second embrace. “And I have a knife up my sleeve. You said you’re a man now, so stop acting the child.”

Rowb watched the whole exchange with a blank face. If only they’d stop lovemaking and just kill each other, he thought grimly. It would solve all my problems. But Korik and Angrif continued their strained smiles and their whispered threats, and it seemed neither of them had the stones to draw blood.

At length Djun and former Regent entered the keep to the renewed cheers of the crowd. As soon as the doors closed behind them, Angrif and Korik’s guards formed a defensive circle around their respective magnates.

“Rowb, have you found proper lodgings for our old friend?” Angrif asked.

“Will the old kitchens suit, Dominance?”

“The outbuildings? Excellent. Convey our guest to his new estate and make sure no one goes in or out
without my say-so.”

“Planning to starve me to death, Angrif? You should know I’ve suborned a man in your service. And if I disappear, he will castrate you.”

“I should cut you down right here!”

“Even you aren’t fool enough to try.”

“Take him, Rowb! Then fetch him back for diner. Since we’re such good friends, Korik, you’ll dine with me, in public.”

“You think I’d willingly eat food from your table?”

“I suppose that depends… on how hungry you get.”

Rowb stepped forward. “If you’ll come with me, my Lord Regent–”

“Don’t call him that!” Angrif snapped.

“My Lord Korik,” he amended quickly.

Angrif’s bodyguard reformed to surround Korik and his men. Cocooned in a double ring of rival guardsmen, the old regent summoned a game smile. “Lead on, saddle-chief.”

Rowb led the way through the keep, into the central courtyard, through the decorative gardens, all the way to the far northeast corner, where an old set of brick buildings nestled against an overgrown vegetable patch. The old windows had been boarded up, and every door but one was securely locked from the outside. His men were already on guard at the single entrance. Korik’s carriage had broken three axles in its haste to reach Djaar Bosmer, but Rowb’s spy network had been faster still. He had had ample time to prepare a suitable prison for his Djun’s former guardian.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” Rowb murmured now, as he showed Korik into the hastily converted kitchens. “He would have had to come to you eventually. If you’d held at the Citadel, you could have forced him into a siege.” And I could have spirited my family to safely long enough the first shots were fired, he added inwardly.

“I’m tired, saddlechief. Show me to my bed. You men,” he indicated the dozen men of his honor guard. “I want three men on that door at all times. Another three at the well – there IS a well in here, yes?”

Rowb nodded. “A small waterpump. In what used to be the meat kitchen. The well itself is underneath  the outbuilding. The barracks draws from the same source.”

“Well then, at least the boy is somewhat less likely to poison us.”

They left the guardsmen behind in the vestibule, and Rowb showed Korik the converted wine cellar that was now his bedroom. A simple straw mattress was set on a stone slab and piled with threadbare horse blankets.

“Charming. I see Angrif remains as… subtle as ever,” Korik sighed. He motioned Rowb closer and whispered: “Why the kitchens?”

“The well. The stones around the waterpump are loose. Should the need arise , you can escape down the well. I can show you.”

“And will the need arise?”

“Can’t say. He’s… changeable.”

Korik huffed with amusement. “More than usual, you mean?”

“He doesn’t trust me like he used to.”

“But he doesn’t suspect…?”

“If he did, I’d be dead already.”

Korik nodded. “I feared this day would come. I thought with time I could make him understand… but he’s always been a mad dog, hasn’t he? Not a scrap of gratitude for all I’m done for him. Not a whit of perspective! Ah well. I was a fool to let him come here. I let him slip the leash once… but now he’s proved to me he needs to be muzzled. Fine. We’ll do it the hard way. How much warning can you give me?”

“A day… perhaps less.”

Korik sighed. “That’ll have to serve. You’ll be rewarded for this, Rowb. There is an estate in Hightown with your name on it.”

“Sire,” Rowb clicked his heels and bowed his head.

Rowb, you fool, he told himself as he left Korik under guard. There’s no way out of this trap. I’m a dead man breathing.

His head was still pounding. The night before, he’d gone to a tavern in the seedy merchant quarter, to drink away his worries. He’d drank away his sense instead, and had found himself in the back alley, puking his guts out. He might have found himself facedown in his own vomit, had not another patron had caught his arm and hauled him back upright.

“M’thanks…” Rowb had mumbled, but the man put his lips to Rowb’s ear and whispered the words he had been dreading.

“The moons have risen round and bright.”

Rowb stared at the man. He wore a hunter’s hood up over his head, and it shaded his face from view. But Rowb still felt his piercing gaze. A chill ran down his spine, cutting through the haze of drink.
“N-no clouds will dim their steady light,” Rowb replied, shivering.

“Three days,” the man said. “You know what to do.”

“My family…” Rowb began.

“We’ll get them out too. In three days.”

“Now! Please. Every moment under the Djun’s gaze…”  

“Three days,” the man repeated. “High noon. Will you be ready?”

Rowb nodded shakily. “I… I can be.”

“Good hunting, brother.”

Three days, Rowb reflected, as he returned to the central keep and his impatient master. Only two, now.  Two more days and it’ll all be over. One way or another.

Two days was an eternity for a man facing death. Or life.

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And discuss!

heck yeah! i'm loving the human sideplot tbh, especially gifa and shuna.

And it's finally up!

http://janesenese.com/swiftverse/gambit2.html

Very nice! I'm loving the intrigue, and Rowb's family is a good touch.

Good timing on my part! I just checked back for the first time in awhile.

I was so glad when it as Shuna, not Angrif at the end. And Town didn't attack her or something stupid.

Always exciting to read new entries on here, I read this one as soon as it came out. I've never been a big fan of the human storyline, but it reads really great and I like it. I love Rowb's family dynamic, it's almost elf-like in "arrangement" and very unconventional. A product of how they 'culturally' rubbed off on him maybe? I really enjoy how it reads and I also like the intricacies of human culture and how it clashes with elfin culture. Angrif is a dickhead across the board but is a very believable one here. Love seeing Gifa's arc - Wildhunt was always my favorite "human" storyline in EQ and I thought it was tragically mistreated. Gifa's character was wasted. I like seeing her resurrected and more focused.

i read this forever ago, but i never got the chance to comment cause moving sucks!...and somehow you do not adjust until like a freakin half a year passes, i swear...*facepalm*

i feel vindicated. did i theory Rowb was shacking up with the male earlier in the thread? cause i'm pretty sure i did! i for one am rather enjoying following the human thread, though damnit i wanna see a grown Bluestar already!! XD and i do hope Gifa becomes Djun!

so...hm...i wonder who it was that spoke to Rowb...? Bluestar perhaps, or Cheipar? definitely gotta be an elf i think cause of the piercing gaze!...or maybe it was Khorbasi...but i am glad he finally just got over and found himself a nice lad! so sweet he calls him Lifemate.<3

but he's been working with Shuna...perhaps they rebonded when he took Gifa to meet her? and now Shuna can fufill her debt to Drub, and give her Korik. oh dear, what is she gonna do to him...?

and we need more chapters on the Evertree War! i'm so curious about what is going on with them, and Naga. i was rereading those chapters, the Schism and such..we got such a brief glimpse of the Green Way elves living at the Evertree!

Vaeri!!!! I've moved recently too, girl, so I get what you're saying.... ugh, such upheaval, right?!

I've also been rereading so much of Alternaverse lately and trying to be patient for the next installment, it's been soooooo looooong!
I can't remember if you called the theory about Rowb, but it wouldn't surprise me since you've been able to predict a lot I'm thinking maybe it was Khorbasi who spoke to Rowb... maybe an elf would seem too short or something, but I don't know how tall those other two are so I am not sure.

Definitely need some more stuff about Naga and the Evertree War, agreed! Wingthing, where've you been?! You must supply us some more Alterna-crack, please!

Zadzi!!!!! Lol. Ugh indeed. It seems like you never have enough time or money after the move. Why is this?? I feel a bit guilty i haven't been around but i did miss you guys and our speculations!

I'll have to dig to see if i said anything..but a tall elf is possible. Rayek and Swift got taller. I can't remember if Lehrigen popped up or if we know what happened to him..

Yeah more Alterna-crack, hehe! Write something that'll spark my creativity and get me drawing again!..or better yet, just write about Vaeri and the Red Snakes, hahaha!

Welcome back, Vaeri and Zadzi!
I hope you'll find the Alterna-crack you long for. ^^

Thanks Embala!^^ We would but it seems our dealer has disappeared...XD

Hey speculation topic! How do you guys think Melati would of been had she Recognized Yosha when they went climbing, instead of him dying?

Maybe she'd have been more..mild. less intense. Easier to relax.

Hmmm....I would say yeah, a lot less uptight. I'm super curious as to what's going on with her in general and eager to see how she's handling the Naga thing, because it seems she's not handling it well at all lol. If Yosha and Melati recognized early on, Naga wouldn't probably be the same soul at all... maybe no war with the tree... possibly no crazy suicidal Pool joining with the tree... who knows, if he'd seen his daughter recognize and things be normal, he wouldn't have gone down the crazy road either. Just died and moved on or something.

I just thought of something: If Timmain was all about being memory and made to remember, wouldn't it be cool if she got mind wiped and forgot all her memories ? Like what if Melati just mind wiped her, or the whole tree at this point

Huh...a remade Timmain would be interesting. Like Beast.

Also what happened to wingthing's site?? Some of the stories aren't working! Anyone else?

EDIT: okay now the whole site isn't working! Whhhy....?

It wasn't working for me last night, but it's working today from what I've seen so far. Hmmmm....

Edit: Wait, it's not working again! What the heck?!
It's working on my phone but not on my laptop. I wonder why.

It's not working on my phone....Wingthing, SOS! Save Our Stories!! Haha.

But seriously, what the heck?

Maybe they didn't update the site and the lease on it ran out or something?? I hope everything's ok with her :/  
My phone is still letting me access the pages with no problem, but when I go to look on my computer it just isn't loading at all. No idea.

Indeed. Haven't heard from her in forever... it's still not showing up on my phone. It just takes me to a tmobile search page about what i tried to click, with an error message.

Hey all. The site is back online. Just ran into a few snafus around my domain and hosting. Everything should be working again now.

Zadzi wrote:

I just thought of something: If Timmain was all about being memory and made to remember, wouldn't it be cool if she got mind wiped and forgot all her memories ? Like what if Melati just mind wiped her, or the whole tree at this point  

Heheheh.... that's certainly would be a good way to fix the problem! (unfortunately there are *probably* enough do-gooders who would argue that mindwiping on that scale would be mass cultural genocide. Damn UN elfin rights guidelines. They never let Rayek or Melati have any fun)

That's not to say Mel won't consider doing it anyway.

I won't promise anything concrete before the new year - but the next installment of the Green War will be pushing Mel (and others) to their breaking points.

Yay!!! I'm so glad you're still around, Wingthing, we were all getting to be like yappy nervous chihuahuas over here !
So glad to see everything back up ... I reread it a lot, enjoy it oh so much. I'm on pins and needles and excited for whatever more you're going to give us. Very intrigued to see what's going to happen with this Green War... it's gonna be a doozy by the looks of it ....!

Glad things are okay Wingthing! Seriously missed you and Sungirl! Also speak for yourself zadzi! Lol...i'm more like that annoying cat who just incessantly meows at high pitches...XDD

Indeed it's a relief! Been using An Archive Of Our Own to read the stories! And i would love to start off the new year with a juicy new segment!^^

Also happy thanksgiving to those who celebrate it!

Happy Thanksgiving, Vaeri!!!!

Yeah, I prefer cats to chihuahuas any day lol

The first new fic of 2019 will be up soon. Here's a preview:

Aurek had had this dream before. The bewildering walk through the hallways of the Great Egg, the repetitive etchings in the walls – wolf skulls and ribcages and dead trees – all of it was sickeningly familiar. Once again, he made his way to Seventh Shell, to find it littered with a briar patch of obsidian thorns. Once again, he had to fight a growing lassitude as he struggled to the glowing starstone center of Eighth Shell.

Each time he reached the core of the Egg, he discovered a different horror: the shackle of Blue-Mountain-That-Was; the death-light of Howling Rock, or the corruption it spawned in concert with Kahvi.

This time he found Timmain.

She was sitting on a starstone stool, staring at an image she had conjured out of the ambient magic. Glowing filaments of light wove together as she moved her long fingers. Like a weaver at a loom, she braided the colors together into a tapestry of a blinding whiteness.

“Timmain…” Aurek’s mouth moved, but no sound escaped.

Her fingers stilled. The threads began to snarl and snag. The strip of white light tore, letting broken threads of red and blue escape. As Timmain lost her momentum, the remaining threads of light tangled into a glowing knot. Only one purplish-blue string remained, stretched taut by the weight of the failed tapestry beneath it.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “But it cannot be helped.”

Aurek wanted to ask why, but he could not find his voice. His legs had become pillars of stone. It took all his strength to stagger forward, dragging his feet across the starstone floor.

“Countless threads in the Multitude, countless outcomes, none better than the other. But only one will lead to our survival here, on this World of Two Moons. I have looked to past and future alike… but witnessing is no longer enough. It is time to act.”

Aurek willed all his strength into a single world. “What…?”

She looked over her shoulder, and her green eyes were filled with sorrow. “Know that I take no pleasure in this, my great-grandson. If a gentler path existed, I would have chosen it. But the threads do not lie. Out of countless outcomes, there is but one certainty.”

He raised his arm, trying to reach for her.

She turned back to the snarl of light, and the one frail string supporting it. Aurek saw it begin to stretch, to fray, and he felt a grinding pain deep in his chest, as if his life’s thread was tearing along with it.

“This is how it ends,” Timmain pronounced sadly. “For you.”