Dawn Valerian

Kai · Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 12:12 am Post subject: Dawn Valerian

Name: Dawn Valerian

Species: Mazoku (If this is unfamiliar, her background explains it. It's a bit of an obscure reference.)

Gender: Female

Evil/Good: Evil

Age: 22

Mature Adult at Age: 18

Appearance: http://mysidia.org/rpgww/index.php?title=Image:Lost_and_Found.jpg

A girl of slight build, Dawn was fair-skinned and the natural color of her hair was a pale ash-blonde. However, upon the start of her magical education, she allowed herself a rare flash of whimsy and dyed it green. She wears black slacks and a black long-sleeve button-up shirt. Perhaps as she gets used to the idea that she can manifest however she wants, she'll start wearing more interesting things.

Beyond her physical appearance, creatures used to dealing with ordinary humanoids will notice some differences in Dawn's form. First and foremost is that she doesn't smell like a person. In fact, she has no smell. Not like people who bathe regularly have no body odour, but she'd smell like NOTHING and, what's more, doesn't carry the scent of anything she touches. I mean, half the reason a dog sniffs you is to see where you've been. If you smell like you haven't touched or been near anything as long as you've existed? Something's wrong.

Personality:

Despite her tendency toward incredible sadism, Dawn is able to control herself. While she was human, she prided herself on her social skills, on her ability to charm those around her and hide her true intentions and loyalties. As a result, she could accurately be called a "people person" even now. Dawn has always preferred to use her persuasive abilities to her telepathy, which she views as a last resort. In her mind, it has always been more sporting to prevaricate than to coerce.

She has difficulty controlling her sadistic urges, as she is still new to her mazoku nature. However, it is very important to her that her instincts not overpower her goals, and will as a result bear some discomfort for the sake of a larger purpose.

Her distant and overly-courteous demeanor is not an entirely honest portrayal of her personality. Dawn does have emotions, and now more than ever is forced to pay heed to their demands.

Abilities:

Dawn no longer possesses a "default" physical form. Her corporeal manifestation is purely a gathering of her power into some semblance of her self-image. This means that her clothing is as much a part of her as her skin. This lends her an ability to change her form, provided her current manifestation is roughly the same size as the one she's used to.

Her manifested form is solid and opaque. She is, for all intents and purposes, right where she seems to be. Her ability to manifest is not perfect yet, as it requires some amount of effort on her part. If severely startled, her concentration has been known to break, causing her to accidentally disperse very briefly. This is a problem she's... getting better with, though it still happens now and again.

She can be damaged by physical weapons, but such damage can generally be repaired by dispersing her form and allowing time for her essence to regenerate. Dark magic is generally useless against her, though unlike many powerful demons, she does not benefit from being its target.

She remains a formidable telepath, specializing in mental coercion and warping the perceptions of those around her. These abilities have a strong range limitation, and while she could communicate telepathically with a willing target over some distance, she could not control the actions or perceptions of a creature to whom she was not actually near.

Her mazoku powers include very short-range teleportation, usable by dispersing her essence and re-manifesting someplace else, as well as an ability to strengthen herself by feeding on the anguish of others.

The following ability is one that Dawn has not discovered yet, being rather new to her current nature. But, for the sake of letting other players know what she can do, I'll note it here.

She can act as a source of magical energy for her allies, and if they call on her to feed their magic, they can consume the negative emotions of their enemies for a short time as she does. This can be used to heal from injuries or to increase their physical capabilities. They cannot feed dark magic with Dawn's energy. She simply wouldn't have enough to spare.

Disadvantages:

Dawn is extremely vulnerable to holy magic, suffering about twice the injury from it as a normal creature. She cannot be healed by anything but her own natural regeneration, and there is no way to speed the process. She also lacks direct offensive ability, and so must rely heavily on persuading or enslaving those who possess useful abilities. Part of the reason she tries so hard to get along in day-to-day socialization is that she has great difficulty with direct combat.

Family:

One surviving family member, her sister Eve Valerian.

History:

History before her death is linked to save space: http://mysidia.org/rpgww/index.php?title=Dawn_Valerian

After her death:

After her last attempt to resurrect her master and subsequent death, Dawn was reclaimed by the god of hate for a short period of re-education. She needed to re-center, she needed to know suffering as only Nikumu can cause it. His first target was her naïve ignorance of her own feelings for the master she had served in life.

Turning on Dawn a tactic she'd used in his service before, Nikumu created a hallucinatory afterlife in which he claimed to have wrested Elaith from the hands of the god of death and reunited her with him as a reward for her service. After a short period of imagined fulfillment in which she realized the true nature of her devotion to her master, Nikumu pulled it away from her.

Stealing this lie from her was only the beginning. Dawn's existence was filled with pain, violation, and betrayal, all wearing the face of her beloved master. Not wishing to lose such a valuable servant, Nikumu chose not to permanently destroy her or to exile her to a corner of the plane of hate. No, being the pragmatic deity that he is, Nikumu saw fit to rebuild her shattered mind and reshape her form for his own purposes.

He recreated her as a mazoku, a variety of demon that feeds on the negative emotions of others. This girl who had been so dedicated to her self-control and so distanced from her own emotion would now be unable to avoid her physical need for the fear and pain of others. Deeply uncomfortable in the presence of happiness or love, Dawn was twisted into a demon addicted to the suffering of others.

Anything else we need to know about you:

Her pain is constant, her anger unrelenting. She doesn't hope for better anymore, does not believe for a moment that her pain will ease, and in fact she lives to see that no one escapes it.

Because of Dawn's experiences with her master, she is disgusted by the innocent and naïve affection mortals can have for one another. It is a special treat for her to separate lovers, torturing one to death and leaving the other to find the remains before finally finishing the job.

A few lines IC (In Character) of your character entering the Forest:

He didn't need to control her anymore. He didn't need to push her, didn't need to coerce her.

She would do as he willed no matter what happened, because to cause suffering was in her nature. There was no other way for her to live.

And so he had released her. He wouldn't revive her again, and she belonged to him no longer. Presumably, it was a clean slate. But a clean slate never came cheap from the god of hate. The price was heavy. She paid for her freedom with what humanity had survived all the evil she had released upon her world, and only now did she realize how important that humanity had been to her. Her integrity and control had been her pride, had been the only thing between her and the world.

Now they were gone, and now she was in this place.

When Dawn entered the shade of the trees, she searched for signs of familiar life. Humans, elves, plants, birds... birds. There was a bird. A white feathered owl was sitting on a low branch, turning its head slowly to watch her. She could barely sense what it was feeling; it was just an animal. But it was watching her, its eyes wide and dark... empty and passive like her own.

Very suddenly she wanted to kill it, to sever the connection between them that hung in the air. She needed to get control of herself.

It watched as she folded her arms around herself, still staring into its eyes. The owl's head tilted drunkenly to one side as Dawn knelt to the ground to take up a handful of pebbles. She held them, squeezing her hand tightly and pressing the rocks into what passed for her flesh now.

Drawing her arm back, she flung her pebbles at the bird. Alarmed, it finally spread its wings and lifted itself to safety. Dawn could still have killed it, could have tortured it until its primitive and simple mind cried out to hers for mercy. She pondered this as the owl disappeared.

She could always kill it. Dawn didn't need to prove the efficacy of her new power. She didn't need to prove that its death was in her reach.

To prove she was in control, Dawn needed to prove she could let the bird go.

She stood alone again and studied her surroundings. This place stank. It stank of innocence. Of naïve creatures sheltered in their treetops and burrows from those who would do them harm. Of pathetic and ineffectual evil, their territory segregated from the rest and given the bare base of a mountain to rule. She could sense their resentment and hostility as they wandered through the wood.

If nothing else, she could find a place with them. Or better yet, with them and for them, she could make a place. It didn’t matter. She was tired of lying. No matter how her journey ended... it didn't matter.

It didn't matter who fought or won. As long as someone lost.

(This is mainly my way of seeing how Ye Olde Evile PCs interact around here. I've only seen a couple, and think it could be groovy. Anyway! To those who end up reading this sheet, I've based Dawn's power level on some existing PCs, both good and evil. She shouldn't be too overpowered, but let me know if there's a problem and I'll rectify it posthaste!)

(Edit: Noted some limitations to her abilities, and elaborated a bit on her manifestation. I have no doubt that further revision will be requested, and I'll do my best to get to those things during *gulp* finals week.)

Griatch · Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 6:29 am Post subject:

OOC I'm not a mod of the edge, so I'll leave that judgement up to them. The sheet looks Ok too me though. I hope you don't mind RP:ing with me again. Smile

----------------

As the woman made her way through the closest woods, there was a rhustle in the undergrowth and within moments a massive creature crashed out in the path of Dawn. The large domed form was immediately recogniced as that of a brown bear. It charged past Dawn with the swagging run so specific of the large predator. It seemed to take no notice of the woman as it shot past her, heading towards a dense thicket on the other side of the path.

That was when the shadow came. For a moment the world became dark, then the world filled with the rush of air, growing from a breeze to a thundering storm. And then the canopy above shattered and something came down from above. The world was a screeching inferno of moving air. The bear howled in a way no bear should ever have to howl -- in raw fear, as the massive shadow descended upon it like a hawk striking its prey.

The ground shuddered, as the thing struck down on the bear. It was impossibly large, a looming form, long and tall and wide and terrible. A massive claw pinned the panicking bear to the ground.

A voice spoke. It was a voice sounding like an iron chain dragged over flagstones. It held no emotion whatsoever, a dusty, calm voice.

"Can you speak?" the voice asked the bear with unnatural calm. The bear just wimpered, this was a normal animal, it would never speak no matter how many times it was asked. And in a flash of teeth a maw came down and split the bear in two, fast and effectively. The parts where tossed into the air and consumed almost whole.

Folding its wings, which where still half-buried in the forest canopy above, the creature svung around, taking in Dawn. It was a dragon, and its long jaws formed an eternally locked smile without and warmth in it. The ground shook as it shifted its weight. Parts of the bear hung in long strands from its pointy chin.

"Can you speak?" the dragon asked her calmly.

---------
OOC: I usually don't bring in Ebb to the Edge, but I think it could be interesting, especially with her mental abilities. Not sure he'll stay very long though, we'll see. Image of Ebb (face), In flight

Kai · Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 3:15 pm Post subject:

The animal rushed past Dawn in a whirlwind of terror that send tremors through her body and a thrill through her mind. No base animal emotion would ever be as satisfying as what could be drawn out of a sentient creatures, but just the same... Dawn was surprised she hadn't felt the bear coming.

But that sound... that scream... no human could have produced such a noise, and the novelty alone made up for the disappointing weakness of the bear's mind.

She watched the creature hunting the bear with some amusement. No wonder it had so terrified an animal that ought to fear nothing in its own woods. Dawn had not forgotten her previous experiences with hostile dragons and more surprising than the thin edge of fear creeping into her mind was the intense pleasure she derived from it.

Even my own fear, then. Is there nothing I cannot enjoy? Only affection,love. And something tells me that I'll have few exposures to such unpleasant sensations as long as this creature is nearby.

Dawn was grateful, in a shallow sort of way. Not only had this dragon effectively fed them both by so thoroughly frightening his prey before consuming it, but the presence of a monster so terrifying ensured that no mortal creature nearby could feel anything but fear.

While all manner of hidden life in the area shuddered in visceral terror, hoping desperately not to be next... Dawn smiled. This area had just become much more hospitable. Ironic, considering the only addition had been a dragon on the hunt, its mouth covered in the warm bloody remains of its last kill.

"Yes," she said, her voice quiet and slow. She carefully enunciated each word, choosing to allow her statement to carry itself to Ebb without the aid of undignified shouting. "I can speak. And I do believe I owe you some thanks."

Her smile faded as she studied the dragon. It was difficult to discern its intentions. At the very least, she could sense no overt hostility from it. To be more precise, she could sense very little of interest. Nothing to match the most recent meal Ebb's prey had given her.

(Excellent art Griatch, as always. That's quite some set of teeth Ebb has there. His parents should have gotten him braces. Or maybe he could just wear a retainer when he sleeps....)

Griatch · Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 3:53 pm Post subject:

The dragon carefully folded its wings in a complicated three-stage maneuver. Ebb couldn't take off vertically, for that he was too massive. But this species of dragon had long, strong legs, it was built like a monsterous leopard. It was a land predator first and foremost. Along the length of the almost skeletal head, the armour plates of the beast shifted and writhed as if it was a mosaic moving jaggedly across its features. Someone knowledgeble in draconic lore would know the armour itself was a part of the beast's fine-tuned snesory apparatus.

Ebb hadn't eaten for a long time, not since the war. He needed to feed, and the bear-animal was easy prey. But he needed more, much more. The old dragon took in the appearance of the small female creature. He heard her words without emotion. If she could speak he couldn't eat her, such was his vow to the guardians of the forest. Ebb didn't feel any regret over this. That was just the way things were.

Yet this green-haired humanoid showed an interestingly calm composture. She didn't run. This led the dragon to think she either knew he couldn't eat her, that she was panicking and couldn't move -- or that she didn't feel threatened by the presence of Deep Forest's currently largest predator. All three possibilities interested him.

"Ebb is not interested in your thanks, green-haired-female" the the dragon said tonelessly. Its dead voice didn't come from its mouth. Ebb's massive throat and tongue couldn't pronounce human languages. Rather, the wide headplate at the base of its skull vibrated in a strange cacaphony building the metalliic voice of the beast. The sheer force of the vibrations moved the air between them.

"You do not flee, as prey should. This foolish behaviour ... interests me. Explain it to Ebb."

Kai · Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 5:57 pm Post subject:

"The answer to that question is simpler than you might think," she began, her voice barely above a polite social whisper. "I am not your prey."

Further than that, she and Ebb had... in a way... just shared a meal. There was no real need to share that aspect of her nature with this creature, however. It might place her in some danger to let Ebb know she'd taken personal fulfillment from a kill he clearly had claimed for himself. Dawn had no way of discerning just how blindly territorial this creature would be.

It was possible it was interest alone saving Dawn from the jaws of this beast. Despite the fact that she would fit quite neatly in his mouth without much of a fuss, something told her that even were he to try and consume some part of her, he'd have little success and derive little satisfaction from a creature composed not of flesh, but of twisted and collected anguish.

It would be fair to say that Ebb was not the only one attempting to size up the other party. It was important to Dawn to always evaluate who had the advantage in a negotiation or conversation of any kind. Despite the fact that this dragon would probably be unable to consume a creature without flesh, she was doubtful of her ability to harm him either. His size was a clue to that, as well as the confidence and detached curiosity he directed at her.

A stalemate. No advantage on either side... just yet.

"If I interest you, it is fair to say that the... sentiment..." she let slip a wry smile. "...is mutual. If I do not run as prey should, perhaps it is because you do not pursue me... as a hunter should."

Griatch · Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 7:23 pm Post subject:

The armour plates of the dragon's head shifted and moved as the dragon's massive head slowly hovered downward and closer to Dawn. It smelled of bone. Dry bone, mixed with the fresh reek of bear blood. The dragon had but one eye. On its blind side, the heavy eyelid was closed and a telltale dried thick black stain splattered the side of the head. At closer range it could be seen the armour was battered and rough. Ebb was an old dragon, and his armour told a tale of a thousand strikes. Still a fair bit away and above Dawn, the dragon angled its grinning head to the side, angling the one good eye down at the smaller entity. Parts of its armour alligned and directed at her like a grotesque puzzle of detecting surfaces.

It was interesting to Ebb to hear no thumping heart in her chest. As his eye shifted through the spectrum he could see almost straight through her, the heat of her body almost like an even sheet around her, rather than placed in veins, organs and muscles. She was like a compact form shaped like a human woman.

Most interesting. As one part of his brain analyzed this information, another was pondering the woman's reply. It was an interesting reply as well, a logical dilemma as to what came first, the hunter or the prey. To Ebb it however not a dilemma at all. Ebb said: "If Ebb do not hunt you ... as a hunter should ... Ebb will loose my prey and will have to look elsewhere. If you do not flee ... as a prey should ... you will be dead. There is no comparison. The folly is on the part of the prey that do not know to run, not on the hunter that chooses not to follow. "

The Greater Grey -- for that was the kind of dragon that this was -- pulled back. There was no threat in its voice when it talked about death, no triumph when it retorted her words. The voice was ever toneless, like a dead thing.

"As it turns out, you are not my prey however, in this Ebb gives you right." The dragon's black eye stared down on the woman. "You are more interesting than that, green-hair-without-heartbeat. "

Kai · Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2006 8:25 pm Post subject:

"Green-hair-without-heartbeat?" Under Ebb's close and rather bizarre inspection, Dawn tilted her head and returned the gaze of Ebb's good eye. A cursory telepathic scan revealed that the dragon seemed to be immune to her talents. Her only clues to his intent were apparently going to be his words, his manner.

Nothing wrong with that. It was almost a pleasant surprise, or at least a not-unwelcome challenge. One of many challenges the great creature promised to bring with him.

He can tell that I have no heartbeat? I suppose he is right. I presumably have little reason to depend on physical organs. Just the same... How is he inspecting me? It is possible that he may know at least as much about my form as I do myself. Fascinating.

"Hm. Green-hair-without-heartbeat. Perhaps, as it would simplify things for us both, it might be best for you to call me by my name. I once was known as Dawn Valerian, a name that I will carry again if necessary." She bowed her head courteously. "At the very least, it is shorter than the alternative."

"If I interest you so much... is your interest unusual? What precisely do you find so unique about me, about my nature?" She gazed at him steadily, her green eyes widening as she began to take in the sheer size of him. What did he know?

If he can discern something of my essential nature, it places me at a distinct disadvantage. He clearly has talents and methods of observation that I do not, whereas my usual... extraordinary means... are clearly not adequate in this case, Dawn thought.

Perhaps I can learn what powers of abilities he is using to evaluate me. Given that, I can think of ways to counter it, or perhaps learn to factor in such observations into future situations. Particular modes of observation lead to particular points of view, and particular points of view are flawed, easily manipulated. If only I knew what this "Ebb" is capable of.

Griatch · Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:48 am Post subject:

"Ebb cares not of what you call yourself." Ebb said curtly. "Dawn Valerian means nothing to me, creature. The name is inprecise, irrelevant to Ebb."

At the tip of the dragon's elongated chin were three holes, placed in an upturned triangle; each wide as a human arm. A long gust of unignited gas swept past Dawn from the holes. Since the dragon didn't use air to talk, this was the first time Ebb actually exhaled.

"Ebb has had many names in my life" the dragon said indifferently. "Ebb has been called a monster. A lord of mists. A god of whispers. Many other names. None of which is more true than the other. Each of which is equally pointless as is the name Ebb itself."

It was novel to Ebb to have this creature so calmly responding to him. It was a rare treat. It reminded him of the tree-child that called herself Willow.

"The behaviour of the younger races interests Ebb" chimed the voice of the dragon as it casually shifted its weight."Your ... drives ... are different. You risk death at my claws, yet you do not run. Maybe its because you have no muscles to rip, no heart to stop, no sustenance to feed my bones. Maybe it's something else. This Ebb seeks to know."

Kai · Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 3:01 pm Post subject:

Dawn smiled, her lips parting slightly as her jaw dropped open in surprise at Ebb's initial tone.

His breath blew past her, a strand of hair slipping from her shoulder to hang behind her back. There was a time when such a minor detail of her own form would have captivated Dawn, holding her hostage with wonder at the perfection of her physical form. Her skin felt like skin, or so she presumed. Her hair seemed composed of the same tiny strands as it always had. It moved like she remembered it doing while she was alive. The real wonder was that it simply was not there. Her manifested body behaved as she remembered, but everything had changed, hadn't it?

She mustn't get distracted. There were more pressing concerns at hand, more interesting problems to solve. She was being addressed... rather discourteously. How long had it been since any creature had addressed her that way? Certainly not since she was with her mortal family, years ago. There were a few key differences between then and now, and Dawn was not blind to them. The foremost on her mind was that once her family had outlived their usefulness, Dawn had seen to it that they paid for their... tendency to underestimate her. Dawn still had no indication that such measures would be effective or wise here.

For now, she settled to be amused by the sheer novelty of it. At the very least she'd gotten a reaction out of Ebb and the potential to frustrate the dragon had presented itself. It was an opportunity Dawn had difficulty resisting, as it was often the best nourishment she could get without betraying herself completely.

"Call me whatever you wish, then. I would suggest that you stop trying to understand the drives of so-called 'younger races' by examining me. I was human once, it is true. But I will never be human again and I think that you will find... my... drives to be of a different order entirely."

Griatch · Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 3:36 pm Post subject:

"Rare it is, for young ones to know its own drives" the dragon responded. "For creatures so driven by their own ... " -- the dragon seemed to search for the word -- "... sentiments, few are the ones that have managed to explain those sentiments to me."

The Grey turned its eternally smiling head, halting halfways in the movement when the blind eye were about to face Dawn. It was clear the dragon was yet not fully accustomed to having but one eye. The blind side made a gruesome image, splattered as it was with dark stains all down over the side of that skeletal grin. Turning its head back, the black pool that was the dragon's healthy eye stared down at Dawn, seeing through and beyond her. The headplate of the dragon seemed to move as with a thousand snakes as the armour plates on it alligned. Coincidentally, the headplate was also the hearing apparatus of the beast.

"So tell Ebb of those ... drives you have, green-hair-with-no-heartbeat. Ebb shall listen, and with interest."

Kai · Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 11:47 pm Post subject:

Dawn's smile faded and she gazed up at the dragon for a few long, silent moments.

"My sentiments and drives... as you term them... are no more your business than yours are mine. It is no concern of mine how interested you are in them or why I have aroused your curiosity. I told you that if you want to learn about the younger races around you, the mortal creatures living and dying in these woods, that I can be of no aid to you."

Despite her tone, Dawn found herself amused at a vague temptation to converse with this... Ebb. The brief time since her death spent in the hands of the god of hate had... felt like much longer than it was. A friendly conversation was no longer possible for her, and in fact was likely to cause her physical pain. The best she could hope for was indifferent conversation, and Dawn estimated that she was likely to get little else from Ebb. Stimulating without being painful, engaging without being dangerous. If she was careful.

I suppose it would do little harm to discuss my nature briefly with this dragon, and may in fact serve to alleviate these repulsive feelings creeping around in me. Loneliness is... a crawling horror in my mind that I cannot escape and... can no longer suppress as I once did. It is a difficult choice. Do I disclose these facts about myself and risk indulging these emotions and thereby encourage their presence? Or do I keep my own counsel? Remain silent?

Perhaps it was best, Dawn thought, to refuse her own inclinations. No good could come of it. She had no sense of his alliances or motivations. He could not be trusted with information that might later fall into the hands of those who would oppose her goals.

"You have discerned that I am no mortal. As you say, I have no heartbeat, and as a result I have no reason to position myself in this world as a mortal does. What more must you know before you are content? What more could possibly have any relevance?"

She smirked, the expression bordering on a sneer. "I hardly think that you are concerned for my ability to manage myself and my 'drives.' I sense no compassion in you, nor affection. You have no reason to inquire so deeply about the nature of another creature."

Griatch · Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 2:16 am Post subject:

If Ebb noticed Dawns defiant tone, he showed no reaction to it. "Many are the ways to live in this world. You have no heartbeat, yet you live, for without life you couldn't answer my question. This is what matters. No more. No less. "

The dragon's massive head hovered downward, closer to her. The vibration from its headplate at this distance would have caused resonance in he chest had she had a chest to resonate in. "You are correct. Ebb has no ... compassion, nor ... affection for you, creature." the dragon chimed flatly. Such notions are useless to me, something created for the younger races only. The time of my kind is passing. This is the world of the young ones now, a world of the illusions that are called emotions."

At this distance, the faint clicking of the armour as individual plates moved and adjusted could be heard. The dragpn continued: "Ebb will never be content, for it is not in my nature to be. You are also correct in that you have little true relevance to me. You are only a small part of Ebb's observations of the younger races. You are not the most interesting specimen I have seen."
The dragon's voice was not condecending or even arrogant. It was stating facts as it saw it. It was quite possible that if Ebb was insulting Dawn, he didn't understand that he was. "I can see, unusually clearly, what is and what is not inside you, so I need not open you to examine the details. The only real use you are to me is what drives your life forward. This is what interests Ebb. This I will learn."

Kai · Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 3:40 pm Post subject:

Dawn sighed, an odd expression for a demon without lungs. Whether her body needed the air or not, she took it in and released it as she would have done before. There was simply no gesture more eloquent for her opinion on Ebb's judgement.

"You call emotions illusions, and in so doing you betray the narrow scope of your perspective. I thought once as you do, that they were a disturbance of mind capable of affecting only the weak of will. I know better now. Emotions are for me the air that others breathe, the light of the sun, the rest of the night, the meat you devoured and the satisfaction you seek for your curiosity. They are everything, and I can no longer ignore them."

He is determined to learn more about me. He is curious and uncompromisingly so. And yet he refuses to admit the possibility of an emotional response on his own part. Naive. Blind. Ignorant.

"I once thought as you did, that my own drives were separate from emotion. That they were determined by logic, necessity, and certain ethical rules by which I regulated my behavior and responses. I was wrong. I misjudged myself, and I misjudged the drives you find so intriguing. Many of the illusions I clung to... loyalty, integrity, ambition... I seem to have no further need of them. Separated from the sentiments of my humanity, I can see them for what they were."

The demon looked up at the shifting, plated visage of her temporary acquaintance. Beneath that foreign face seemed to be mind not unlike hers was. Her uncompromising loyalty had been nothing more than love. Her iron integrity was little different from the honor of the esteemed heroes who killed her master and sent her life spiralling into chaos.

Dawn had not known the true nature of her humanity until it was gone, seemingly beyond retrieval. And now this... this creature with its hollow voice and bloodied face seemed to be committing her old errors. It was a difficult choice. Should she allow him to continue this way? She owed him no explanation. She owed him no enlightenment, no insights of any kind.

But his ignorance... was it not a form of innocence? To be so separated from the similarities between oneself and others is to be innocent of ones own motives, sentiments, drives. Perhaps it was only a rationalization, but it was an irresistible one.

"I do not have to feed on your mind to sense something of its nature. Without sentiments, you would have no interest in me, or in this world that you claim is passing you by. Even if you only learn in order to survive, a will to endure despite opposition is not without its emotional roots. Without emotion, you would have little to use as criteria for what is significant to you and what is not. I care not why you deceive yourself, but for a creature who sees itself as free of the influence of its own sentiment, you certainly behave differently."

Griatch · Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 6:41 pm Post subject:

The dragon pulled back, pondering this develpment. Human philosophers sometimes said that "talking with a Grey was like playing chess on an invisible board without knowing the rules". To Ebb, every other creature was a potential enemy, and this green-haired one was no exception. Ebb had not survived for as long as he had by jumping to conclusions. He had seen what the water-magii-with-staff (the one calling herself Arcania) could do, and that one had not been any bigger than this creature. He had no reason to kill her -- he couldn't eat her and she currently didn't act aggressively against him. But that didn't mean she couldn't one day do just that. And Ebb was one who planned ahead.

In this, the dragon and Dawn really were more similar than either of them would think. Both of them were trying to discern the weaknesses of the other. Physical weaknesses were one thing. Ebb knew well the anatomy of most things in this forest that would dare oppose him, and if he didn't, he usually opened them up to learn. Many of the first Balraa soldiers of the Hivemind had suffered this fate. Muscles and blood -- even a blob such as this creature now standing before him -- this the old dragon could comprehend without much trouble.

But what drove those muscles -- the emotions and feelings leading to the motives and drives of the younger races -- those things he had no true comprehension of. Ebb simply lacked empathy -- the capability to guess the emotional state of another. His race was from a time when such things not yet existed, to him such notions meant nothing.

Ebb was no fool. He had long ago realized he had a handicap in dealing with the younger races. And in his normal incompassionate way he tried to work around it.

He had no empaty, but his powers of clinical observation were formidable.

Ebb, being what he was, couldn't even rely upon casual observation as could Dawn, however. What she had just discerned about him (or thought she'd discerned about him) by just listening carefully, required much more effort for the dragon. From centuries of experimenting, Ebb had learned he had to probe young ones with his words, until he stumbled onto what mattered to them -- this linked to their "drives". Then he analyzed what came out. The variety of responses throughout the years had told him that the problem was a complex one, and still he couldn't find much of a pattern to the motives driving different individuals. Some responded to physical threats, others to mentions of their mates. Others again seemed compelled by unspecified notions of "good" and "evil", or of blindly obeying the commands of their leader. It made litle sense, yet Ebb continued to observe so he could one day gain advantage from it.

So once he managed to provoke a response out of this green-haired one, it seemed to respond the strongest on the notion of emotion itself. Or rather on its own relation to emotion; disagreeing with Ebb's comment about emotions being pointless. Interesting. Ebb decided to test her a little bit more by offering her more of his views of the world. If this would provoke her further or not he was not capable of predicting.

Ebb noted Dawns mention of "feeding on his mind". This was an interesting relevation into the capabilities of this one. Ebb stored that information away for later.

"You are correct in that Ebb has motive" the dragon responded calmly. "The motive of my life is to continue living. For this goal I seek information and perform actions that will serve that purpose, now and in the future. What differs the Grey from the younger races is that we understand -- really understand -- that there is no other purpose, no other meaning to our lives than this. " The dragon silenced, seeking the words to describe those strange concepts. "The younger races seem to have to rely on notions of 'good' and 'evil', of 'love' and 'hate' and 'loyalty' in order to motivate their existance. Maybe this is required for their functioning. To Ebb these are meaningless concepts."

Silencing, the dragon angled its head, taking in the creature before him, awaiting her answer with open senses.

Kai · Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 10:23 pm Post subject:

This will take some explaining; I can see that much. No matter. There is time. My goals wait, and will always be ready for my attention later. For now, this creature poses no threat and in fact is providing an interesting diversion from... a complicated problem. I may yet stay a while longer.

"My own nature makes it much more difficult for me to live apart from emotion as you can. My existence is motivated by sentiments of my own, but my relationship to the creatures around me does not seem to be dissimilar to yours. They are prey. Yet... there is one key difference."

"I have been human. I have experienced things you have not. However I explain them to you, it will be as a creature who no longer takes part in the normal drift and flow of life. I feed on it, live near it as a predator upon the emotions of those I've left behind. Bear this in mind when you ask me to share my understanding of the instincts of my... former brothers and sisters."

"Emotion may be a meaningless concept to you, dragon. But to mortal creatures, it is a reason for being. To you it may be enough to continue existing, but a mortal would say that your instinct to continue living is of the same order as their... feelings. It is something that you feel and obey because it is in your nature to do so."

She craned her head back to look up at Ebb. "Perhaps they have difficulty explaining themselves to you because they have not questioned their own sentiments any more deeply than you seem to question your own. They simply... are. It is not in a mortal's nature to be anything other than what it is."

"When I was mortal, it was my choice to swear myself to the service of another. You could say that it was neither a matter of common belief nor a matter of mutual advantage. I would perhaps have told you then that it was not a matter of emotion. He and I were where we were because of who we were. He had goals... and I had him."

"I gave my life for him three times. Three. I have been delivered from death into the hands of the darkest god my world will ever know, and you wonder why I did not fear you?" She chuckled, the noise falling on dry, dead air. "Fear, like many other sentiments," she smirked as the word, Ebb's term, passed her lips. "...has taken on a new meaning for me. The history of my mortal life was written in blood. But now... for me... Suffering is life."

"Do not ask me to explain what you dismiss as pointless until you understand that simple fact. Suffering is my life. I motivate my existence not as you do or even as mortals do, but by the pursuit of suffering. My perspective is not so limited as yours, but my own drives color my perceptions. I cannot help but admit to myself the existence and even the necessity of emotion, but until you can explain to me the root of your desire to exist, I cannot explain to you the root of a desire for love or vengeance, for honor or integrity, for the root of a living creature's desire to sacrifice itself for nothing more than... sentiment."

"All I can say is that we do what we do because of our nature, because of who we are. You included. If we were to do otherwise, we would simply not be ourselves."

Griatch · Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 6:51 pm Post subject:

"A strange way to exist it is, to live by suffering" the dragon said. "But maybe you are better suited to this world, if the concept of emotion is of such actual use to you . Many you have to feed upon then, for the young ones owns this world now. My kind is fading from it, and soon we will be no more."

Ebb said this without any hint of remorse or bitterness. The dragon was merely stating facts. The Old World, the world when creatures such as him and the Hivemind were the rulers, where no more. It was a dead era, now long past, and soon to be forgotten. As he had once explained to the maddened Hivemind -- this was as it should be. What mattered it to them if anyone remembered them? Such things had no meaning. He would welcome oblivion when that time came. Until then he lived.

It interested the dragon to find someone who actually lived as a predator on the emotion of others. The concept of emotions themselves being able to supply sustenance was strange to him. The dragon moved slightly, shifting its body. So large was the beast that it needed to move regularly, in order to let air move over it and cool it.

"You say you were once human, yet is no more. This Ebb believes to be true. Maybe you are older than you seem, for many of your words have merit. It is true that all we do is done because of our nature. What we were and what we are are the sole reason for what we do. Ebb knows this. I am dragon. No more no less. This is what I was and this is what I will be."

Ebb's voice -- still appearing from his headplate without his mouth moving -- rumbled in rythmical waves, now and then shifting up and down in the register in a rather unpleasant way. It didn't seem the variations had anything to do with what was actually said.

"... but for someone of such interesting insight, you still rely on the most foolish notion of all. You rely upon what Ebb believes is called hope, green-hair. You speak of a ... "root" for Ebb's aim to exist, as if you could not understand the world without such a root. You seek purpose where there is none.
One thing Ebb has learned about the younger races. And that is that they have an insatiable need to find meaning and reason to this world. Maybe this is why the younger races so rely on their ... emotions, their gods, their ... principles, their valour and and their pride, yes even on this ... suffering. Because otherwise they would have to face this fact that they seem to fear the most -- that there is no meaning to this world. Never was, never will be. There is only existance. All else are mere illusions."

Griatch · Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 8:30 pm Post subject:

OOC: Kai has left UV, so edge-mods, please archive this thread.