jasonpauldegraaf,May 17 2010 wrote: *Below is a letter sent to the Civic Festhall from the Hall of Records sent in the same package as a curiously colored stone*
To: NavaÂ’il McEwan, The Society of Sensation, Civic Festhall, Sigil Main
From: Amycus Thorne, Hall of Records Cartographer and Clerk
Miss NavaÂ’il McEwan
Greetings from the Hall of Records!
It has come to my attention that youÂ’ve recently begun a competition of sorts to record unique and uncommon sensations on a sensory stone for the enjoyment of your faction.Â
Delighted to hear of the generous reward, I acquired a sensory stone in hope to capture a unique feeling or experience for the members of the Sensates. Though I had no initial ideas in mind regarding what I would attempt to record, I quickly found myself in an extraordinarily peculiar position and was fortunate enough to record the experience on the sensory stone hereby enclosed.Â
It began like this: On a typical charting expedition to the Plane of Ice, I found myself in combat with a large, unruly Frost Giant Mage named Jarl. Not used to the intensity of his arcane powers, he quickly held me to the ground with an evocation, followed by many more spells thereafter. Before I knew it, the unthinkable had dawned on me: I was about to die.Â
Not ever having experienced death, I was somewhat uncertain what was about to happen. Darkness fell over me, and I soon transitioned out of this plane. Then, in the distance, I saw a brilliant, white light. It grew closer and larger, and though it was brighter than any sun IÂ’ve seen, it did not blind me and was enticingly pleasant to look at. Remembering the sensory stone I had in my map satchel, I quickly reached in my bag and activated it. Words fail to describe what followed, though I will do as best I can to put my experience into words. In what seemed like an eternity and an instant at the same time, I was soon surrounded by beings of pure light. Their presence, as you soon will feel, was nothing like IÂ’ve ever felt before: Acceptance, love, belonging, joy, laughter, power, fierceness and warmth enveloped me like a holy fog, soaking me through. I knew instinctively and immediately that they were for me, knew me, and were (though somewhat paradoxically) there to judge the life IÂ’ve lived.Â
Their glory, that flowing gold and white brilliance surrounding them, was like nothing IÂ’ve ever known, and even now words fail me as I attempt to communicate my experience. Not only did it satisfy every soul-longing in my heart, it curiously had other characteristics as well. For instance, a taste came over my tongue of sweet rain, perfectly ripe fruit, and a million embraces as they moved smoothly around me. Their words were like kisses over my body as they spoke, and their voices were thunderstorms and gentleness at the same time. I quickly found myself on my knees, unable to stand in the holiness of their presence. Their weight of glory weighed on my like a strong hand, and IÂ’ve never known such perfect love and heavy fear at the same time, for they were good and terrible beings at the same time. I was undone! Living colors came off of them that IÂ’ve never seen before, carrying with them lightness, laughter and encouragement. The largest of these beings approached me. My skin shone now with some of his glory, covering me with what looked like golden dust and diamond oil. Â
“Are you worthy to be in our presence, mortal?” One of them asked, the words reverberating through me like tidal wave of sound, compassion and strength. Without knowing why, I immediately fell down. Low and on my face, I could barely muster the initiative to speak. The being asked the same question again, and I remained silent, my palms and forehead to the ground under me, which had the appearance of sapphires and silver, and felt softer than the gentlest touch and solid as metal. Still overwhelmed he asked me a third time, to which I finally replied, “Only You know! Only You know!”Â
In front of me appeared my life, from start to finish. In seconds my story played out before me in precise detail. All who were there saw and knew, and I was humbled all the more as my shortcomings and failures were exposed. Curiously enough, none of the beings of light seemed at all impressed at what you and I would consider the accomplishments in my lifetime. For whatever reason, they were solely interested in how I interacted with people, what my intentions were, how I treated others, how I reacted to them and, ultimately, if I truly cared for the people who were put into my life. The scene vanished as quickly as it came.Â
“Look at me, mortal,” he spoke, his voice a thousand rainstorms and the coolest breezes. His appearance was like crystals and jasper, his feet a holy fire of burning bronze, and his eyes, deeper than a hundred seas, held my soul in the most beautiful and terrible captivity. “Your time has not come. You shall return.”
Instantly I found myself in the mortuary, grasping my map satchel and gasping for breath. A Dustman helped me to my feet, and, when I recovered, soon found my way back to the Hall of Records.Â
Enclosed in the sensory stone of my experience. For those daring enough to activate it, be prepared for the power and brilliance of the heavens, and all the love, awesomeness and holy fear that comes with facing beings of pure goodness, might, honor, strength and love. May it be to you the ultimate sensational experience.
I pray this finds you well. Sincerely,
Amycus Thorne, Cartographer, Hall of Records
Naya'il duly recieves the letter from Amycus Thorne and is rather impressed when she unlocks and taps into briefly the memories within. She touches the stone but does not let herself be tempted at this point to delve into the full sensations and experience that the memory contained within promise. She decided to savour that one later for its full effect...perhaps take it somewhere private, away from the Festhall. Though baring similarities to afew of her own, the depth of the sensation and experience she felt might be contained in this sensory stone was worthy of more time and study.
She sends a note in return to Mister Thorne.