Chapter 2 : V-day : Corazon

[DSIGFUSS]

For two days Corazon follows the Shadow Bear through the spirit world and for two days it has ignored you. Once it was Nanook, the great bear god, now reduced to a mindless aberration, bent on killing all that is good in the spirit world… destroying everything that is connected to the humans. You watched as just this morning, Nanook chased down a Shaman and nearly killed her. She smelled so delicious to your demon senses. How you longed to tear her eyes from her skull and pop them like grapes in your mouth. Oh…. the shear pleasure of it would have been glorious. Yet it was not to be. Not since the call. Not since a demon had become Sedna’s hand. Your Shaman hunting days were over for now….. You had need of a Shaman to cross over in the real world, but not this Shaman.

Secretly you wished for the Shadow bear to catch its shamanic prey so you could stand over her as he feasted and see the look in her eye as her life left her. That thrill never got old.

Instead, you stood in the village of the Shaman’s people and watched the bitch get away. Everything was different here in this village…. The rules were different in this part of the spirit world. You couldn’t quite put your clawed finger on it, but the differences were definitely there.
The spirit world had a funny way of mimicking the real world and the Inuit gods always had some control in its design. Here, the Moon god Aningan did not show his face in the spirit world’s moon. The man in the moon they called him, but he was missing. In it’s place a snarling wolf. Still chasing the sun, however, when the wolf caught the sun goddess, he had no intention of raping her as Aningan had done so many centuries before. The wolf had hunger in his eyes and would eat the sun and swallow her whole if he could just catch her.

Now that the one Shaman had gotten away, Corazon was certain the Shadow bear would lead you to the next Shaman… your Shaman. That bitch! So you followed the Shadow Bear around the outskirts of the village and rested close when he chose to stop. It was then that you noticed some glimmer of intellect left in the great bear as a sliver of its own eye, blue as the sea, penetrated the mass of writhing shadow surrounding the poor cursed bear god. Then the beast spoke.



Why?

[Aiylithe]

"It is as the gods wish, and their whims fall not always in our favour," Corazon replied, the lust for shaman blood building deep inside her. No, if it had gone in her favour she would be listening to the sweet music of dying screams right now. The bitch had been so close! Oh, the thought of warm blood flowing over her icy skin was truly exciting: the most exquisite of pleasures. Her teeth rending flesh... the heavy metallic taste of raw, bleeding meat... just one shaman, only one...

Corazon stopped herself. As Sedna's hand, she would have to suppress her desires for now. Were there any loophole in her duties, she would exploit it to the fullest, but Sedna had been clear: Corazon must dedicate herself completely to a shaman in order to leave the spirit world, where she could help to combat the evil presence that had descended on Helluland. That was her task, given by Sedna herself... no one could resist the goddess. A dirty shaman, though... why she had been picked for such a disgusting task was beyond her comprehension.

To take her mind off her own troubles, she turned to the bear beside her, unafraid and even entertained by the struggle she saw within him. Perhaps a bit of fun was in order.

"And you, mighty Nanook? Are you not one of the gods yourself? You have more power than I, and yet you have fallen to this shadow." Corazon's voice was subtly mocking, though she was careful not to overstep her bounds. She gestured vaguely towards the bear, the sight of her claws bringing her hunger for violence surging forward again. She pushed it back with a faint snarl, determined not to give in despite all the temptation. She had no illusions that her own internal struggles were anything near as bad as the fight going on inside of the lost bear-god before her, but that didn't stop her from having a little self-pity.

[DSIGFUSS]

The little part of Nanook shook as the Shadow struggled with the bear god for complete control of its host. Dark maggots squirmed in and out of the bears thick hide and the bulk of the shadow engulfing the bear seemed to be made entirely of the disgusting creatures. Still the bear's one eye shone blue like saphires reflecting the sun when he was at rest. Corazon could see the shadow was weak when Nanook was at peace. Nannook shifted into a more comfortable position on the snowy ground and Corazon swore he saw a patch of fur, white as the clouds gain a foothold over the shadow before the black worms brought it back to the shadow. To Corazon's delight, a tear formed in Nanook's eye and turned quickly to ice as it fell to the cold.



Shaman....

[Aiylithe]

Corazon snapped to attention, looking around and sniffing the frigid air excitedly at the bear-god's utterance.

"Is there one here? Where?" She moved closer to Nanook, unheeding of the maggots that infested his once pure fur. Corazon was so thin that the carrion-eaters couldn't feed on her anyway, not that anything could really find sustenance of any sort in her icy body. Again, she calmed herself, remembering her duty. She couldn't jump to conclusions like that, anyway. There might not even be a shaman around... Nanook could have just been remembering something, for all she knew. But if there was a shaman... well, Corazon would have to wait and see... perhaps some alternate interpretation of her instructions could be found, if she looked hard enough. "What about a Shaman, Bear-god?"

She picked up the icy crystal that was Nanook's tear and examined it in the light, trying to still the rush of energy that had flooded over her. Control was vital, now.

[DSIGFUSS]

Nanook remains calm and still trying desperately to focus. He looks Corazan in the eyes and shakes a few of the maggots off his face. They land on the snow and quickly squirm back to the bulk of the shadow. Corazon is certain there are no Shaman’s about. His blood always seems to get slightly hotter when they are close and when they are really close, Corazon can’t help but drool. Nanook trying so hard to communicate, both his eyes free of the swarming shadow, speaks very slowly to Corazon.



Love… Heal…..

Another teardrop falls onto the snow, freezing instantly at Corazon’s feet and Nanook nudges it closer to the shaman hunter with his nose.

Love

[Aiylithe]

"Oh... I understand now... " Corazon picked up the other frozen tear, letting her hand brush the bear's paw. She hadn't quite decided whether to help him or not: on one hand, his pain was entertaining. On the other, he was a god, even if he had been corrupted, and she felt a little sorry for him. She put her hand back on the bear's maggoty forearm, ignoring the strange sensation.

"Nanook," she said, sighing internally at this obvious show of her own weakness, "You want love? You want me to love?" Then, ever so slowly, she slipped the first tear crystal into her mouth, still examining the second one in the strange light of the spirit world. "How can I do that? I love pain, but little else has any meaning to me." This was a blow to her pride, she felt, but Corazon knew that she mustn't pass up an opportunity to learn something new. Love was certainly something very new, and if she would need it for the task ahead, then it was best to start now.

[DSIGFUSS]

Corazon slips a tear into his mouth and is immediately infected with something strange and unfamiliar. At first, he feels invigorated, as if he had just fed on a clan of Shamans. Then the feeling of power dims, leaving a thunder of emotion in its wake. From saddened confusion to ecstatic joy, the shaman hunter is forced to sit down and deal with the overpowering nature of the tear drop’s effect. Being all too familiar with magic, Corazon recognizes the feelings for what they are, (magical in nature) but can’t help feel them. He finds himself petting the bears face and whispering encouraging thoughts into his ear. He wipes the dark maggots away like dust from a shelf. Nanook’s white fur shines through the black shadow once again and the bear seems to be enjoying the attention, growling low and moving his head closer to Corazon’s hands. Corazon is sure he would make love to the bear if it were at all possible… The maggots that fall to the snow turn quickly to dust.



Love……. Heal……….

Two more tear drops fall to the snow and turn to crystals.

ooc - Corazon, having experience with magic, is certain these teardrops have a mixed healing effect. If Corozon were injured, the tears would have healed him, just as feasting on a Shaman’s blood would heal him quickly back to full health. The heightened empathy and lusty thoughts might just be a side effect saved for him, but the healing properties of the tears are definitely potent. They are extremely powerful as they come from a god.

[Aiylithe]

Corazon was confused, and there wasn't really any other way to describe it. She loved Nanook, and she needed to help him. But there were so many maggots... she wiped them away, a tear of her own forming. He needed help, and and there was no way that she could refuse now.

She paused for a moment and picked up the two other tears from the ground. They would stay safely in her pocket, three of them in all, until she needed them. This feeling was different and unnatural, but not unpleasant.

"I do love you, Nanook." Corazon whispered to the bear, continuing to clean his fur. "And I can try to heal you... "

[DSIGFUSS]

Nanook put his paw in Carozon’s hand and growls affectionately. His face is now mostly clear of the shadowy maggots and the attention Corazon gives Nanook seems genuine to both epic creatures…. despite their tainted souls.

The bear god whispers in Corazon’s ear.



Find Sif..... Take us to Thor.... Before end.....

Then as Nanook tries to focus for one last thought, the shadows begin to overtake the great bear god once again.


Nanook strains as he tries to find the right word for Corazon. His growling now has guttural tones that resonate intensely with evil and bring a strange mixture of sadness and joy to the Shaman Hunter’s heart. As the Bear god speaks, his words sound like they were wrought from underworld. Like a cultish tongue even Corazon had not heard before. The maggots whip and wind across Nanook’s white fur, quickly enveloping all that was once beautiful in the great bear god! He stretches and strains in his attempt to fight the shadow from within. Amongst all the tongues and the cursing, Corazon hears Nanook’s voice pierce through the shadow. He speaks in the tongue of the Dorset Eskimo… Or tries to... before the shadow completely covers his mind.

Qaisss…

ooc – I’m reluctant to bond you to Laraqua’s Shaman. She’s an excellent roleplayer but she has only been posting once every two weeks or so depending on whether or not she gets access to a computer. I’m really liking your character’s link to the spirit world. Maybe you would have more fun playing by yourself for a while or joining with another Eskimo. I’m afraid that if I put you with Aglakti, then you would lose interest cuz you would hardly get a chance to post. What do you think?

[Aiylithe]

Corazon reached forward again, furiously trying to wipe the maggots away again. But, it was too late: the bear-god was once again consumed, and her own soul was falling farther and farther from that peak which had been love. It was the kind of experience that one could never forget, no matter how hard one tried. Many would consider Corazon to be tainted by hatred and evil, but she felt a different sort of taint within herself now: love... compassion... altruism.

But there was no time to dwell on that. Yet another god had charged her with a mission, and it was her duty to carry it out. This one was much less specific, of course... but it was still her job... no, no. She didn't want to do this out of any sense of duty. Even though the effects of the tear were slowly beginning to fade, she still felt a lingering affection for this corrupted god.

"I will," Corazon whispered to him, "I will find Sif and Thor... I do not know how, but I will try." If it was in the spirit realm, she would find it. This was her realm. "I won't let you die, Nanook." She reached out and lay her hand on his muzzle again. It was an awkward moment for her, in many respects, but it had felt like the right thing to do.

OOC - If it's already worked into the plot that I am to be paired with Laraqua's Shaman, I'm willing to wait a while between postings. But if there's some flexibility then pair me with whomever you think would be best. I just want to help the story along. =)

[DSIGFUSS]

As Corazon careeses the Shadow Bear, the black ethereal maggots plunging in and out of it's skin try to gain hold of Corazon's icy fleash as well. Corazon appears immune to the death maggots and they quickly give up and return to the Shadow Bear. Corazon believes it must be her immunity to magic, but a part of her wonders if Nanook willed the dark maggots away from her.

Then suddenly the Shadow Bear sniffs the air...



RRRRRPH!

He takes off on all fours pushing through the astral snow at a slow but powerful run. Corazon has no idea where he's headed. Everything changes in the Spirit World and direction has little meaning. Most creatures including Corazon wander the Spirit world purposefully but aimlessly as well.

[Aiylithe]

Corazon ran after the bear, using her long arms to scamper on all fours up snowdrifts in an attempt to keep up. Polar bears weren't fast creatures, but they were tireless in their movement and the spiritual plane seemed to have a habit of assisting those who needed to get somewhere in a hurry.

So she kept on after Nanook, wondering what had prompted him to leave so suddenly.

[DSIGFUSS]

Corazon kept pace with the Shadow Bear as the two demons raced across the snowy plains of the spirit world.

Shaman’s believed that every point in the spirit world, though constantly in flux, had its equivalent point in the kingdom of man and that connection would never change. What was once a lagoon filled with sapphires in the spirit world shall remain a lagoon filled with sapphires. That lagoon will then be connected to some place in the real world. That place may be a bog which may slowly become a desert and then as the plates of the Earth collide and separate, a mountain or an ocean.. No matter what shape the Earth takes, that place will always be connected back to the lagoon filled with sapphires. Corazon had tortured this information from many different Shamans over the centuries. In fact, Corazon learned much from her kills about the real world, but she would have to take their word for it. She had never left the spirit world and until this point in time, she had never even known how.

Soon the snowy plains were reaching to an end as a giant cliff face stood before them in the distance. As they approached Corazon could see it was a glacier of epic height and colossal width, stretching for miles in either direction. The Shadow Bear, however, did not slow down for an instant. He simply continued… neither slowing nor quickening his gate.

It wasn’t until the pair was just 20 or 30 yards off when Corazon noticed the crack in the glacier. It was 6ft across and extended over a 100 m into the air. It spilt the great glacier in two creating a narrow path just big enough for the Shadow Bear to pass. He entered without so much as a grunt or split decision. Corazon approached the opening just behind the Shadow Bear. If she didn’t act quickly, she would lose him in the ice, but something felt wrong. There was danger in the ether of the spirit world and Corazon could feel hatred and fear bubbling all around her.

[Aiylithe]

Corazon's instincts of self-preservation were screaming at her to stop, to turn around before the wall of ice swallowed her up, but her curiosity was ever stronger. The thrill of the hunt was in her now, and she was committed to following Nanook, for better or worse. She continued after the bear, hoping that she had made the right choice. Hopefully it wouldn't be impossible to turn back if she hadn't. But, either way, she would learn something, and that's what mattered.

[DSIGFUSS]

Corazon races through the long chasm carved into the ice by supernatural forces long ago. She had been here before, but that didn’t mean much. Places tended to shift in the spirit world. The last time she traveled near this glacier, she chose to scale it rather than risk passing through. The icy corridor continued as far as she could see and extended all the way to the top of the glacier. A sliver of light could be seen high above her where the crack in the glacier began. As the two demons sprinted deeper and deeper into the glacier, Corazon caught up to the Shadow Bear. He seemed completely oblivious to the danger pulsing all around them and pressed on, dripping shadowy maggots with each pounding step. Then finally Corazon could see that the corridor came to an abrupt stop just up ahead. The chasm ended suddenly and a great wall of ice stretched to the top of the glacier. At the bottom of the ice wall was a circular hole large enough for the Shadow Bear to fit through. There was a firelight flickering from within. The Shadow Bear didn’t hesitate. He squeezed himself through the hole and disappeared from sight. That feeling of immediate danger rang inside Corazon’s bones once again. She could sense movement inside the opening. The feeling of danger was worse here than before. If there was ever a time to turn back, it was now.

[Aiylithe]

Corazon came to a stop and briefly hesitated at the opening of the tunnel, nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she tried to decide what to do. She didn't want to lose sight of Nanook, but there was something about the cave...

Well, she thought, making up her mind, I'm already here. What do I really have to lose now?

And with that, she dove into the passage after the Shadow Bear, abandoning herself to whatever moved within.

[DSIGFUSS]

Corazon runs through the tunnel, bounding along the sheer icy surface with the grace of an angel; or a demon if you prefer. She can hear the Shadow Bear huffing and puffing ahead of her in the distance. He’s having slightly more difficulty negotiating the slick surface of the tunnel floor. Then out of the corner of her eye, Corazon spots a face in the ice; a black shadowy visage, screaming soundless through its cold arctic prison.

Corozon hears the Shadow Bear groan its displeasure further down the tunnel just as a black powdery hand reaches through the ice to grab at her leg.



Mroooooaaar ?!?!?!

oc – roll dodge. (1d100)

[Aiylithe]

Corazon leapt easily out of the way and turned to face her attacker. She didn't have time for this: Nanook was going somewhere important, and this foolish challenger was only making her wait longer to find out where. She would deal with this creature, if needed, but her primary goal was not to lose the trail of the bear god.

From the sound of it, Nanook was having a bit of trouble himself, and so Corazon wasn't too worried about falling behind. Everything happens as it should, she reminded herself, and for her that meant it would always turn out in her favour. Narcissism aside, on some level she realized that her luck was always subject to change, and that her morbid, egocentric fatalism was probably the only thing keeping the fear at bay. If she was meant to die here, or be left behind, then so be it. All that mattered now was that her curiosity was sated.

Corazon let the long sable claws flow from her fingertips, and heard the peculiarly sickening sound of lengthening bone as her prim white teeth erupted into fangs. With the faintest effort and a condescending toss of the head, she had transformed into a monster.

One should always be prepared... Everything happens as it should, but sometimes one has to force it.

--- --- ---

Dodge 60% (1d100=11)

[DSIGFUSS]

ooc - OK let’s discuss your demon chick…

I think you should be getting a claw /claw /bite for attacking. I’ll give you some choices.

When you choose to parry you will have to give up your bite.

Damage should be 1d4/1d4/ Plus strength bonus and 1d6 plus strength bonus.


So if you decide to forgo your parry and just attack and hit each time, then your damage would be.

1d4 +1d4 +1d4 +1d6 +1d4. (5-22 damage) pretty crazy but I want you to be a force to be reckoned with.

Your claws can be broken if your opponent critically parries you (rolls a 01-05) or you attack and miss a metal armored opponent with a roll of 01-05. They will take 1d3 days to re-grow and will be reduced in damage by one dice category.

ie 1d4 to 1d2 / 1d6 to 1d4.

If you use them while they are re-growing, your breaking % will triple for each.

ie opponent parries with a 15% or lower or you miss an armored opponent with a 15% or lower.


Your claws have magical abilities to them as well. You can hit magical creatures that you would normally not be able to hit. Also you can hit apparitions and spirits in astral form. You can also do damage to a silver astral cord. If you are not familiar with this; when a shaman or another creature not native to the astral/ spirit plane attempts to travel to the astral plane, he/she leaves behind a silver cord attatched to his/her real body. As he/she moves further away from his/her body the cord get longer. The silver cord binds them to the real world and allows them to find their way back when they want to return to the real world. If you slice the cord, they are forever trapped on the astral plane and and their body falls into a comma. (Whew!)

oc – If you need me to repeat that astral cord stuff, I’ll give it a try.


How does that sound?


*** If you like it, then roll for initiative, hit/hit/ bite or initiative hit/hit / parry

[Aiylithe]

ooc- Sounds great. ^_^ I know what you mean with the silver cord, too... IRL I'm something of an occultist, and the idea of such a connection is mentioned in a lot of different places... might be fun to cut a few. Anyways, I'm gonna whack the little bugger.
Init = 5, Dex = 18
Claw 48% (90%), Damage 6 / Claw 34% (90%), Damage 6 / Bite 61% (70%), Damage 7

--- --- ---

Corazon lashed out at the arm and its controller with all the force she had in her, her goal being to end this before it even began. That was how she liked to fight... except with a Shaman. Their deaths should always be long and painful.