[Carrie] Chapter 3: The Leaders of Thura Forest

[Throndir]

"The process is simple... Physical touch in some way isn't required, but makes it easier." She then reached both of her hands out for you to grasp. "After that, be willing, when I draw my soul out to you, I would feel a pain that would be felt from within. And... I don't have to partake of your soul if you do not wish it. But..." She did lick her lips. "If you would allow it, you too, would feel that same kind of pain of having literal parts of your soul cut away from you."

Just for mechanics, the act itself either receiving or giving, can be resisted by a Mental Resist. check if desired on either side. You can auto-fail the check by simply 'allowing it to happen'.

[Erynn]

As Carrie reaches out and takes Eveleen's hands, she confirms what Eveleen seemed unsure of.

"If You're giving up a piece of your soul for my benefit, it's only fair if I return the favor isn't it?", Carrie asks rhetorically with a genuine if somewhat anxious smile, "Besides, I've never been one to shy away from experiencing a different culture from my own."

Then, Carrie did her best to just relax and pay attention to everything Eveleen was doing. She may be a bit nervous about the prospect of her soul having a chunk torn off, but she was very curious as to exactly how the Dullahan's manipulation of souls themselves was actually performed.

"I guess I'll see it first hand soon enough.", Carrie thought to herself as she mentally prepared for what would no doubt be a very strange new experience for her.

Carrie will indeed be choosing to fail the saves associated with this event.

[Throndir]

"Now... Look into my eyes. There is a tradition among my people when we initiate things of this nature... It is to speak the person's name that you wish to take part of their soul. Even if you do not have such power, I can can share a portion of my soul with you. You will begin. Speak my name: Eveleen Dunn."



After you had spoken your name, Eveleen, still locking eyes with you spoke yours. She said your name deliberately and surely. "Carrie." With that, you felt a sense of a pain deep within you.

Temporary 5 WIS damage.

At that same time, a flood of thoughts and memories came to you in a rush. There were disjointed scenes and memories of a stranger's life. Yet, for some reason, seemed familiar to you as well.



It was night. Outside a procession of dark-clad warriors riding on black horses marched slowly through town. Each of them carried with themselves a lantern that gave off an eerie blue light. They had a foreboding aura. Yet most of the other villagers simply watched and gazed out their windows.

"Father, what are those?" A little girl, perhaps 10 years old at the most, asked staring wide-eyed at them. She had short blonde hair, with blue eyes, and wore a simple but fitting blue-dress.

"Shh, Clara, those are the... the newcomers. You shouldn't interact with them, even though they're supposed to be the newest members of this country..." The father sighed. "But what can we do, we're just humans after all."

"Oh..." The girl replied absentmindedly as her eyes continued to stare at the group riding through the middle of the town in the night. There had been whispers through the village of a new tribe joining, but this was indeed the first time had laid their eyes on one. For the little girl Clara, she didn't feel any fear, just a fascinating curiosity.



A ball was shot up in the air, as a teen-aged girl stopped it in its track, a grin on her face.

"You're able to kick better!" The blonde haired girl said. The person who had kicked the ball grinned back. It was a short person, green-skinned, with spindly hands and legs.

"Hey! Clara knows goblins were never made to kick things hard. Gapto has been saying all this time we're the sneaky type. But... that was a pretty good kick if Gapto says so myself." He said proudly.

"So you think those nightwalkers would ever stop their weird march thing? I get they're trying really hard to convince the country they're good folk, but if you ask me, it's a bit creepy." The teenager responded, kicking the ball back to Gapto.

"Headless things can do whatever they want. Gapto not fully convinced they're all okay! But Gapto have a crazy idea..." He smirked. The teenager gave him a curious glance, but soon enough sat down for her friend to continue.

"What's the idea?"



The horse neighed nervously, but at the very least Clara was able to keep him under control.  She moved the horse behind the line of dark riders going through the town.

"Got the lamp?" Clara asked the companion sitting behind her on the same horse.

"Shh! Gapto has it. Gapto gives it to you." A green arm shot forth producing the lamp. Clara quickly took it and lit it, then began to move her horse closer to the pack with the lantern in hand.

"Do you think they'll even notice? Pretending to be one, I can't wait to tell everyone!" Clara smirked as she held up the lantern in the same way the other riders in front did.

"Gapto doubts it! Hehehee." The goblin replied as they closed the distance.

"It was rather obvious." A voice said from behind. Gapto yelped, and turning around he saw a sight that would probably scar the goblin for life. One of the riders that were supposed to be in front of them, was instead behind them. Blood was pouring from the rider's neck, with her head hanging limply to the side. Her skin was pale, and her eyes had dark pupils to them. The face had a predatory smile. At that moment the rider seemed to tear her head right off. This was enough for Gapto to yell even more as he scrambled off the horse and started to run into the night.

The teenager froze too.

"Clara Danaher." The rider's head spoke, the blood on the rider's neck disappeared as well, as if it was never there in the first place. "Daughter of the Danaher family, did you decide to join us?"

It was a couple more moments until the teenager could respond, but she eventually did.

"Uhh... Ahaha..." Clara said stammering as she hid her lit lantern behind her. "We were just..."

"First of all... That's the wrong kind of lantern. Here, use mine." The rider responded giving Clara her own. "Secondly, what would your father think if he found out you came here just to pretend to be one of us, teasing us now?" She asked, though there was no tone of accusation in her voice.

"Umm..."

"Thirdly, if you instead came here to accompany your country's newest members, that would instead be something honorable, is it not?" There was a mischievous smile on the headless rider's face. "So... Clara Danaher. Accompany us through this night's march."

Clara was silent for a few more moments, but eventually sighed.

"I can't believe Gapto ran off leaving me here..."

There was a warm chuckle in response.



A young adult waved at the rider who was headed towards her.

"Eva! I thought you guys only appeared during the night." She called out. The rider closed the distance and greeted her back.

"A common misconception... Though, I prefer the cover of darkness myself. It's good to see you again. I miss those nightly rides with you."

"As do I. But I'm not a kid anymore you know, I have a job! An important one as the ambassador for the humans. Or at least... trying to be one. How's things with everyone?"

"It's been good, we've made progress on our end too... More nightwalker clans are slowly opening up. The vampires though... well, they're still a bit reclusive, perhaps in another hundred years."

"Well, it's not just them... There's the Minotaur tribes and raiders that I hope would finally lay down their arms too. Peace is good, and I'm not saying that just because I can't grow nails, bite things, or do other amazing things like most people. It's just better for everyone when everything is at peace."

Eva moved her horse closer as the rider ruffled Clara's hair.

"I miss that about you. Your simplicity." Eva responded.

"Are you making fun of me?"

Eva laughed in response, as she began to move her horse forward. "But I must be off."

"It's been over a year and this is all I get? At least come back soon."

"I will. I just need to report back to the royal family, they've been thinking of using the dullahan as elite guards for the crown is the rumour. Or at least something they wish our tribe to handle. Anyways, do take care of yourself, tribes not associated with the kingdom have been going after villages, and other easy targets. We'll catch up later, okay?"

"I'll make you some tea!"

Eva frowned.

"You know we dullahan don't like to eat in public?"

This time, it was Clara who laughed. The human woman didn't respond, and only waived goodbye to her old friend.



The sounds of screaming.

"Clara, wake up!" An older man said, shaking a certain blonde-haired woman awake. "We need to get out of here... You should have left the day before... Weren't you planning on representing the boarfolk? But nevermind about that" He shook his head.

Clara began to stir awake, though her eyes shot open at seeing the distress in her father's eyes.

"W-what's happening?" It was at that same moment that the door to her room was suddenly roughly opened. A large creature with a sharp ax stormed in through. It resembled almost like a lion, though was a lot thicker, and had muscles that spanned its frame. The older human had enough time to look behind him, and a moment later the lion-creature's ax tore through his body.

Blood splattered as a woman's high-pitched yell echoed through the home. A few moments after that, it was silent.



Finally gaining consciousness, Clara opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the canopy of a dark forest, and a familiar face above her. It was Eva. There was a somberness in her eyes.

"Eva? What happened... My father...!" Clara stood up then, but to her surprise her vision tilted back, and instead she saw the back of her body rise up. She was looking at her own back. But what chilled her the most was the fact that her body didn't have a head. Clara had no idea what was happening, but a thought occurred to her. She blinked back tears as she finally noticed a circle of other riders, the dullahan, gathered around her at a more respectful distance. Thoughts and memories not of her own swirled in her head, her eyes moved to Eva, panic welling in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Eva said softly, as she picked up Clara's head and gently placed it on her body. "From this day on you will be known as Eveleen Dunn. May the life of the rest of us here forever be with you as yours are part of us."

Eva's eyes softened as she hugged her friend.

"I'm sorry, Clara." The last time she used her human name.



The process only took a few minutes, but Eveleen herself was wide-eyed as the dullahan finally broke eye contact from you and sat down on the sofa, next to Jasna.

The following are now class skills for Carrie:

Knowledge (arcana)
Knowledge (geography)
Knowledge (history)
Knowledge (local)
Knowledge (nature)
Knowledge (nobility)
Knowledge (planes)
Knowledge (religion)
Knowledge (arcana)
Knowledge (astral)
Knowledge (ethereal)
Knowledge (spiritual)
Knowledge (magia naturalis)
Knowledge (true naming)

[Erynn]

As Carrie locked eyes with Eveleen as instructed, she then spoke the matriarch's name.

"Eveleen Dunn"

The pain that Carrie felt then wasn't by any means the worst she had ever felt. No, that was the one time she had been blown up. This was, however, a stupefying close second. Strangely though, it didn't cause Carrie to physically recoil. Pain without a physical component was an entirely new experience for her. The sensation of pain without a detectable source was so unusual and irritating that it was mentally driving Carrie up a wall and back down again. Then came the memories.

Carrie found herself rather surprised to be see that Eveleen had once, as a little girl, held the same sort of fascination with the Dullahan as she did. The source of their fascination may have been different, but it was clear that they very much were of like mind at the same age.

Carrie also found Eveleen's experience living in a country that was a melting pot of different peoples and cultures was very much like her own living in the US. Eveleen was likewise no stranger to interacting with and sharing in other cultures. Carrie began to wonder just how similar their two life paths were.

Then, Carrie's expression changed to one of mirth as she experienced Eveleen's bold, if foolish, prank firsthand. She smiled in amusement at how the prank at once both backfired and made her a friend for life.

Carrie's expression turned very sour with the next memory beginning at the sound of screaming. Carrie had had enough of bloodcurdling screams for one lifetime. Never the less, the memory continued, leaving Carrie to feel utterly helpless as she can't help but will 'her' body to move and respond to the armed Lion-man before remembering at the memory's conclusion that it wasn't her memory she was experiencing. Though Carrie had been expecting to see the moment of Eveleen's death as a human, the experience still left her deeply shaken, reminding her of her own recent experience. She had expected it, but she had been horribly unprepared to experience death for the second time inside of 24 hours. Unlike the first time, this time, through Eveleen's memory, Carrie could feel the mortal wound that slew 'her' through the much lesser dose of adrenaline that Eveleen had in her system at that moment.

The next moment, Carrie found herself experiencing Eveleen's rebirth as a dullahan. The shock of seeing one's own body headless brought back memories of what Carrie's mind had conjured for her immediately in the aftermath of the battle the previous day, intermingling with Eveleen's in an altogether disturbing manner. The effect made what was supposed to be a sad, somber memory into a twisted, nightmarish vision of people Carrie was viewing as friends in the same state her mind had portrayed her shortly after she met Synithise; Sliced into red, bloody, chunks.

While the seemingly sourceless pain hadn't prompted Carrie to react, the vision of hell her mind had just made of Eveleen's memories finally caused her to physically recoil in shock and revulsion, swatting at the air in front of her face as if to bat away the source of the image. This would continue for a few seconds with Carrie's level of distress rising rapidly until the memory finally ends, taking Carrie's inner demons with it.

The whole affair from beginning to end left Carrie with a sense of being mentally numb, sweating profusely, and trembling somewhat. Whether the symptoms were the result of having a portion of her soul torn away, or the invasion of her mind's darker corners into Eveleen's memories was impossible to tell. All that was certain to Carrie was that the experience she had just had was a rough one. Carrie, still feeling a degree of phantom pain where she recalled the ax striking Eveleen as well as a great deal of mental exhaustion coupled with legs that now felt like jello, clumsily found and took, or rather half fell into, the nearest seat.

Meanwhile, Eveleen would be experiencing a very different set of memories.

Her journey through Carrie's memories would begin with an image of a calm, mirror-still lake at sunset before turning to the left to reveal Carrie's entire extended family sitting around a campfire in the middle of a circle of tents. She would realize that Carrie was still rather small compared to her family, placing the memory as an early one. She would also realize that the whole group was speaking entirely in the Irish tongue and that they were all taking turns telling ghost stories. She would finally know the origin of Carrie's fascination with the legends of the Dullahan as Carrie's grandfather begins to tell the story, passing the lore along to yet one more generation. Eveleen may, or may not notice that during the retelling of the legend that one of Carrie's cousins had disappeared at some point, taking an unlit oil lantern with them that was normally kept only for emergencies. As the tale came to a close, all present would hear what sounded like a horse neighing and realize that there was a light approaching them through the nearby woods. Someone calls out asking who's there. No answer. The light comes yet closer. Then a figure wearing a cloak and bearing a lantern would emerge from the treeline, features obscured by the growing darkness. This figure appeared to have no head. Everyone leaped to their feet in shock and fright, some, including Carrie, screaming. Others fled into their tents to 'hide'. Then the figure broke out into hysterical laughter as the features of Carrie's cousin appeared atop the figure's shoulders, revealing the prank. Carrie was at once embarrassed, and irritated, but couldn't help but laugh along.

The next memory Eveleen would experience begins with the sensation of plunging rapidly beneath the surface of a large body of water head first, followed by the sound of water rushing past her ears and the sight of a rocky bottom coming up to meet her. She would watch as Carrie heads straight for the nearest rocky overhang where several sets of antennae protrude, reaching underneath it with a short, durable length of hardwood, then retracting it once she felt something latch on. A large lobster would then be coaxed to release the dowel and placed inside a netted bag. Carrie would repeat the process twice more, then turn toward the water's surface, aiming for a distinct bullet shaped shadow some several dozen feet above.

Carrie would emerge from the ocean with one hand on the boat's ladder, taking a moment to catch her breath before climbing back aboard and handing the captured lobsters off to a girl with short, dark hair who stood at the grill. The two were quickly surrounded by several more of their friends eager to find out what else Carrie had brought up from the sea floor for dinner. Eveleen would notice that most of those present were in their early teens, with only a few being slightly older. Carrie receives a bottle of water from one such older individual and takes a drink before heading to the mast and taking down the signal flag that conveyed to surrounding vessels that diving was taking place from the sailboat in question. Eveleen would feel the joy and contentment that spending time on the ocean with all of her friends and hearing the sounds of their laughter and warm conversations brought Carrie as she looked around the boat and the waters nearby seeing those friends relaxing and having fun swimming, fishing, sunbathing and cooking up everyone's catch. If the previous memory hadn't made it clear already, Eveleen would know for sure now that Carrie loved the outdoors.

Then, Eveleen would recognize the familiar sensation of restful sleep, unfortunately, to be suddenly and jarringly brought to an end by the unmistakable sound of a 12 gauge pump action shotgun being fired and racked, followed by her mother screaming and the sound of a foot chase beginning. Eveleen would recognize the figure of Carrie's soon to be ex-boyfriend racing past her open door, followed closely by her father, half-naked, Mossberg 500 in hand preparing to take another shot. As another cacophonous gunshot rings out, Carrie bolts up out of bed and races after the two, shouting at her father to stop shooting. Two more blasts deafen the household before she catches up with her father just in time to attempt to tackle him and bounce off as if she had just run into a brick wall. It was enough to throw off his aim though, and despite a now broken driver's side window, the young man got away with little more than a few new holes in the sleeve of his varsity jacket. What ensued bwteeen father and daughter however was an argument for the ages.

Eveleen next experiences Carrie's Marine Corps graduation ceremony, attended by her parents whose faces were both tearful, yet beaming with pride. Her father, a retired Gunnery Sergeant, was in his own set of dress blues, and Eveleen would feel a new sense of mutual respect and appreciation between them. As the ceremony concluded and Carrie rejoined her parents for the first time in thirteen weeks, her parents congratulate her, and as the subject of her first deployment is discussed, her father's sharing of his own experiences reinforces a growing sense of purpose in Carrie, as well as an impression that she finally knows where she belongs in the world. Discussion of her first deployment also brings with it building anxiety, mitigated somewhat by her father's words, about being deployed into combat.

Eveleen's journey through Carrie's memories continues with the stiflingly hot interior of a USMC MRAP in SOCOM configuration. Eveleen would be able to sense that Carrie's earlier anxiety concerning being in combat was gone, replaced with a whole other anxiety. Eveleen would watch through Carrie's eyes as she scanned the surrounding terrain for signs of disturbed earth, as well as experience the growing apprehension Carrie felt as the lead vehicle in the convoy approached a large burned out truck that was lying on its side in the right lane. Eveleen would feel a sense of relief wash over Carrie as the first vehicle passed the truck, only to have it stripped away in an instant as the ground beneath the lead vehicle bubbled up and exploded, sending the twenty some odd tons of armored vehicle flying thirty some odd feet into the air. She would feel the intense shockwave passing over Carrie's vehicle and hear the deafening crack of the explosion as the convoy frantically scrambled to try to make room for the vehicles that comprised it to maneuver out of the now obvious kill zone. A hail of lead immediately begins to impact the sides of the vehicle with a characteristic dull metallic thunk. As Carrie takes her weapon off safe, preparing to engage the enemy, her vision goes white as a white-hot pain strikes her right side. Her vision rapidly clears to reveal thick, acrid black smoke now entering the vehicle's cabin that causes her to cough and sputter as it clouds her vision, the pain in her side spiking in intensity every time she forcefully exhales. As the cabin becomes darker, a new threat emerges among the sound of bullets striking the armored sides of the vehicle. A dull orange glow begins to illuminate the blackness growing inside the vehicle. Carrie then realizes that the vehicle's cabin is still sealed and makes her way slowly and painfully to the rear fumbling around for the handle before managing to open the hatch.

The panic inducing thought then occurred to her that the hatch she had just opened, allowing fresh air into the cabin and smoke out, should have already been opened by one of the other Marines present in the vehicle who had been next to it when they had been hit. She realized suddenly while looking around that while the occupants of the vehicle to the rear had successfully dismounted and were engaging the enemy, none of those in the vehicle with her when it had been hit were anywhere to be seen. Carrie takes a breath before realizing that there was no way in hell she was going to be able to hold it, forced to cough and sputter once more. Carrie ducks back into the MRAP anyway, feeling around for anything that might be another person. It takes several seconds to discover that her fellow Marines were sprawled about the interior of the vehicle in a haphazard fashion, completely unconscious. She grabs hold of one and begins dragging. As she drags the man painfully out the hatch, the shrapnel she sees lodged in the man explains to her visually, in a very visceral manner exactly why nobody else in the vehicle had opened the rear hatch. The shattered transmission of the overturned truck had been explosively turned into a thousand tiny projectiles that had nearly torn the MRAP's right side open horizontally. She knew then that the likelihood of finding anyone still alive in the back of the vehicle was slim, but for as long as she was able, Carrie continued to re-enter and drag people out until, with her vision beginning to wash out, the ground came up to meet her. The next thing that Carrie saw was the faces of her parents at her bedside in a hospital at Rammstein Air Base, Germany. Eveleen would feel the same guilt that had washed over Carrie at having made her parents afraid that they might lose their only daughter. Eveleen would also feel the same sense of elation that Carrie felt upon being informed that two of those she had dragged out of the stricken MRAP were actually alive, though less a few limbs, just a few beds down from her. She would also know the same grief that Carrie felt at having so suddenly lost so many friends within her own unit, as well as the survivors' guilt that kept Carrie wondering why it was that she had sat in the front seat and lived where so many others had been seated directly in the path of the blast and perished. Eveleen would know that the knowledge Carrie had saved two lives from a hellish end was a large part of what had kept her mentally above water as she recovered.

Eveleen would finally experience the circumstances that had brought Carrie into her own world. She would share in the sudden alarm at being awakened in the middle of the night at a training facility, of all places. The moment that she was the first to spot the anomaly in the sky. Reporting the strange sighting to a superior officer, who astoundingly was aware that such a phenomenon existed elsewhere at that moment. Eveleen would share in Carrie's shock at being ordered to arm the recruits for combat of all things! She would feel Carrie's anxiety in anticipation of finding out just what was happening in the sky over Paris Island. She would also know the jaw-dropping awe, terror, confusion, as it morphed into sudden irritation, frustration, indignation and fury at the creatures that poured forth and attacked. She would feel Carrie's initial confidence as her recruits proceeded to engage the creatures along with her. She would share in Carrie's sudden realization that the creatures had a weak point. She would understand Carrie's frustration with those recruits who fled in abject terror despite having no place to go. She would follow Carrie's reasoning in directing an unusually equipped Hummvee to direct high-frequency sound waves at the creatures, trying to figure out if there was one or more that would cause the crystalline-sounding monstrosities to shatter. Eveleen would recognize Carrie's reluctance to leave her assigned recruits in order to accomplish a more important objective, yet confidence that she was making the correct decision. She would experience the same anxiety Carrie felt during the trip to the Admin building where the sound could be broadcast every time one of the creatures looked like it might have taken interest in them, and the resignation that accompanied having one such creature finally give chase. The dullahan matriarch would experience the intense desire to complete the mission that drove Carrie to place herself between the attacking creature and her fire team's wounded gunner in order to buy him the time to make the necessary connection, followed closely by the barely acknowledged fact that Carrie herself had been wounded. She would feel Carrie's grim determination to draw the hostile creature away from the machines producing the broadcast even if it might mean sacrificing her own life to do it. Eveleen would then see first hand the creature proceed to slice up and decapitate the remaining soldier next to Carrie, followed closely by hearing the fateful call Carrie had made to the next point in the chain of command that she knew was likely to be intact that informed them Paris Island had been overrun and requested a plethora of ordinance be dropped on the point of origin of the very transmission being received. Eveleen then got to see firsthand just what an enraged Marine was capable of as she followed Carrie's violent final charge at the creature, gun blazing away at it despite her vision quickly washing out for the second time in the series of memories. Then, blackness.

[Throndir]

You've earned a Heroic Action Point.

OODM: Note you are at the limit for heroic action points of 3.

There was a few moments of silence from Eveleen as she sat on the couch with Jasna. She had her eyes closed as if to process all the new memories she herself received. Her face showed an influx of all sorts of emotions from contentment and happiness to regret and fear over the course of a few minutes. Finally, her eyes then opened, searching for yours. There was a gentleness and softness to her stare this time around. A hint of understanding had shone through. If Eveleen had a similar experience to what you had just gone through, then she would have seen the same kind of memories, thoughts, and feelings you would have had during those important and key moments of your life. She stared at you thoughtfully, her eyes still boring deeply into yours, though gone was the predatory feeling you got from her stare.

"I see how your life has been... You have lived through key moments of my life up to this point. And it is the same for me. From your love of the outdoors, to you father attacking your once-lover, your training and honors as a soldier, the battles you've witnessed, and finally... that death of yours. The confusion and terror morphing into fury for those creatures that attacked you and the rest of the soldiers of your world. As you can imagine, the dullahan such as I have experienced through the lives and deaths of others multiple times. But your's is perhaps one of the most difficult to swallow. Your memories of your own world give it an almost otherwordly appeal, coupled with the momentous tasks you had set out to do near the end against those strange creatures." Eveleen shook her head.

"Thank you hero for sharing your life."

[Erynn]

As Carrie sat silently, trying to steady both her breathing and her nerves, Eveleen's recall of the key moments of Carrie's own life brought to her mental images of those very events. Carrie could clearly see the smiling faces of every one of her friends, her parents, her extended family, every individual she had ever served with, whether they had died before her or in the same battle with her. It was as if Eveleen was providing Carrie with what had been missing from her death against those creatures; The experience of her life flashing before her eyes.

Between the mental images of all those she ever cared about and would never see again, and the lingering phantom pain from Eveleen's own memories reminding Carrie of the mortal wound she had been dealt, a thought occurred to Carrie that truly drove home the finality of the events that had transpired over the course of the last 24 hours. The sequence of images projecting themselves into Carrie's mental eye painted the picture of a completed life, even if tragically cut short. The whole experience had finally sunk in. The entire ordeal finally felt real to her. When her eyes met Eveleen's again, they seemed to be pleading with the dullahan matriarch for some semblance of guidance or emotional stability.

"How do you do it?", Carrie asked quietly, her voice wavering as tears began to roll down her cheeks, "How do you even cope with that?! How do you experience the loss of everything and everyone you ever cared about multiple times over and still keep it together like that?"

Upon uttering the last sentence, an admission of her own horribly broken emotional state, Carrie finds herself no longer able to suppress the emotional pain that she had suffered, with the full weight of what she had lost crashing down upon her, as well as the guilt she felt at being unable to protect the very people she had cared about most, now likely slaughtered by the invading creatures. With her elbows resting on the table in front of her, and her head in her hands, she simply breaks down and begins sobbing uncontrollably.

She expected that Synithise would no doubt try to console her, but this time it wasn't going to work. While Carrie would never doubt her new friend's sincerity or concern for her well being, Synithise clearly didn't understand what Carrie had experienced, perhaps might even be incapable of truly comprehending it in the way the Carrie, and now Eveleen, both did.

[Throndir]

As you suspected, the moment you had started to show more emotion, Synithise did her best to comfort you, choosing to sit beside you as you sobbed on the table. Synithise wrapped one of her arms around your shoulder, and with her other free hand, began to gently pet your head. Synithise's features were one of concern, though apart for being there with you, she didn't know what else to do.

"It's okay Carrie. It's okay." Synithise chanted, squeezing you with her arm in an attempt to comfort you. Synithise shot Eveleen a glare, not really knowing who to pin the blame on, or have any explanation on what had just happened to her hero. Eveleen didn't pay Synithise much mind though.

Jasna, on the other hand, glanced downwards, trying her best to ignore the display of emotion, though, she too occasionally glanced towards you and Synithise. She was silent, as were the two guards that were posted behind her. Much like their matriarch, the two batfolk stood impassively at attention.

http://www.youtube.com/v/iV_cze239nw

Though your eyes were downcast, Eveleen would have stared gently at your sobbing and heaving form. Finally, it was Eveleen who broke the silence and spoke after a few moments of thinking about the question you presented her with. "As much as I'd like to say that I've been able to handle it. I haven't... not really anyways. I never wanted to experience again the horror I faced when I saw my father chopped into two in front of me. I certainly did not want to relive my own death. But... when I became who I am now. Something not quite alive, or dead; a dullahan. Things started to change for me. And not just my physical self mind you." She took a deep breath.

"For the first few decades of my 'new life', I avoided the dullahan ceremonies. I didn't share my soul, not even with Eva, apart from what was done when I was granted this life. You know, even though I was going to become a diplomat and ambassador for my nation when I was alive as a human, I wasn't able to handle... this. My father's death. My own death. And again my own self. I rejected it at first... I holed myself in Eva's home, refusing to come out. Refusing to see old friends I had when I was a human. It took awhile until Eva managed to convince me that this was okay. Then... after some time, I decided to put myself in that position again. Experience memories and the pain that I tried to put away and lock in a place in my heart that would not affect me." Whether or not you were able to see it, she forced a weak smile. "A good thing too, for if my soul rejected it, I would have been more like a husk of myself. I have many regrets... It would have been another decade until I was able to accept who I am now. You remember Gapto? That goblin friend of mine, who was stupid as he was charming. I never got to see him again, he died while I kept myself away from the world, just a year before I finally came out of that hole." There was a sadness in her eyes, but she continued.

"The thing with sharing souls... More so than an accounting of what had happened, is that things feel more real. You've experienced it too, but the memories become something almost a part of yourself. It's as if you're the one who have these feelings for people that you've never met. But then again, you have all of these memories of them too, which only add to the confusion. The thing is Carrie... You don't actually get over any of the hurt and pain. Even if you try to cover it, sometimes... it still peeks through."

"What we did just now, I don't do very often. But as Clan Matriarch, having to go through rituals are a part of that position, I've had to sift through memories that were not of my own. Those of lovers, those of husbands and wives. Of children and parents. The loss and hurt from losing each and every one of them is something that resonates deeply. They are indeed hard to bear. I've found the only thing that truly helps... is to let others be there for you. It doesn't really take away the pain, but it helps. And as much horrible memories and feelings that I have, I have pleasant memories too. Do you remember camping with your family? Or the time you were celebrated with honors upon the completion of your training? There are those, and those time spent with companions, friends, and family, that truly shine and help to cope with the world."

"But who knows... After all these centuries of my life, I'm no longer that bubbly young girl finding her own place in life. The dullahan experience death, not just of their own, but of everyone else's. Thus we find a fascination to it, and even though its painful, for us anyways, it's an irresistible lure." She shook her head. "I know from an outside perspective, it's probably strange. But this is who we are, and at the end of the day, even if the memories of loss and death pervade my thoughts and feelings, I know that I have family. For me, that's the dullahan of this forest. Jasna and her people. Synithise and the temple priestesses. My clan guards these forests, and these inhabitants, they are family. And you know, on this day, that family grew."

"Carrie, you are family too. And if its any consolation to you as you wrestle with your thoughts, feelings, and memories of the past, at least know that you have the dullahan of Thura forest by your side."

"We too are your family."

[Erynn]

Though Synithise repeatedly told Carrie that it was okay, the thought wouldn't go away that in fact nothing about the situation was okay. Eveleen's words initially were exactly the opposite of what Carrie had been hoping to hear. If they had been, Carrie might not have believed them. Deep down, she knew there was no easy trick to dealing with grief. No shortcut when it came to healing emotionally. What she believed in that moment of grief was that Eveleen's words were coming from a position of experience. Carrie could even identify with the matriarch's current state of existence. Something not quite alive, but not quite dead. Died in combat already? Check. Still walking around and talking somehow? Check. Accordingly, when Eveleen told her that things began to change for her, Carrie knew that they were going to change for her too. Their experiences in life had simply been too similar, having both lived tragically short lives ended by the abject horror of senseless violence.

What Eveleen said next got Carrie's attention to the point that despite her grief, her watery gaze rose to meet Eveleen's once more. Clearly, the events surrounding the end of her life had affected Eveleen to a far greater degree than Carrie had realized. It was now obvious that she had handled the trauma poorly, and yet despite that was still able to share such a painful experience. The stark contrast was like a breath of fresh air or a light in the dark. The fact that Eveleen could take everything Carrie's memories had thrown at her and not even flinch gave the young hero hope that she would one day be able to cope with her own traumatic experiences just as well.

Carrie could also recognize the inherent truth to Eveleen's warning that if one tried to simply lock away the memories that hurt, it would leave them but a shadow of their former self for lack of that which makes them who they are. She could feel the sadness behind Eveleen's eyes as she described her regret over having taken so long to adjust that her friend Gapto had died before they could ever see each other again. The memories they now shared cut just as deeply for Carrie as it no doubt had for Eveleen at the time, making the revelation just as devastating for Carrie as if she had lost one of her own friends from her childhood. As liberating as it was to know that Eveleen genuinely understood exactly what she was feeling at the moment, Carrie couldn't help but wonder why it was then that the one person in this new world who now so thoroughly understood her was exposing her to yet more emotional pain. Carrie was learning first hand what Eveleen meant when she said that the memories become a part of you, that you would have feelings for and an emotional connection to people you had never even met. Carrie found that while she could clearly tell which memories were her own, perhaps uniquely because of her origin, she couldn't in any way separate her own emotions toward those experiences from Eveleen's, even so soon after having them shared with her.

Then, by voicing aloud a truth that Carrie had intuitively understood, but never fully acknowledged, Eveleen gave her a crystal clarity, borne from a dullahan's centuries of life experience and unique culture, that she hadn't been expecting in the slightest. The truth crystallized within Carrie's mind where it would likely remain eternally.

The pain never goes away. You just learn to accept it.[/b]

Carrie then learned why it was that Eveleen hadn't felt that her death had been the most difficult memory to manage. It was a simple fact, mentioned casually, that put her own loss into perspective; Eveleen had experienced memories involving the loss of a child. As grief-stricken as Carrie was, that revelation, possibly unintended, jarred her mentally eliciting an audible gasp. Left more in a state of shock, Carrie could only imagine the pain such a loss could cause someone. She could guess, given her own parents' concern for her well being when she had been wounded in action, but it was currently a pain beyond her ability to comprehend.

The words that Eveleen chose next proceeded to crystallize within Carrie's mind a second truth, also intuitively understood but never consciously acknowledged.

Losing someone causes exactly as much pain as that person means to you. Emotional vulnerability is the price of an emotional bond.[/b]

The mention of Carrie's own cherished memories and the joy that those experiences had brought her brought Carrie to tears once more, but for an entirely different reason. Eveleen was right. As painful as it was to know that she was never going to see her family or friends again after having been sent to this new world, they were still good memories, even if they had now become bittersweet. Carrie realized rather quickly that she had already begun making friends since arriving in this new world, and that new fond memories were inevitably going to follow. Carrie took a moment to wrap an arm around Synithise in kind, warmly embracing her for several moments so that she would know that her hero was going to be okay after all, as Eveleen continued. Carrie found the fact that she had people worth protecting again so soon after her recent failure absolutely terrifying but knowing that she had people worth fighting for forged within her a new determination and resolve to see that task through no matter the cost. As her will to protect those around her was renewed, Carrie began to dry her tears and regain her focus. Carrie told herself, nay ordered herself,

"You. Will. Not. Fail."[/b]

Finally, Eveleen made one more gesture that caught Carrie completely off guard. The outright declaration that Carrie was now a part of Eveleen's family left the hero momentarily speechless and in a state of shock over the sudden adoption. Nearly brought to tears once more, Carrie manages a small chuckle despite the lump in her throat, and notes aloud before continuing to express her appreciation for everyone present, "Well, that makes my family way bigger than it has ever been. I don't think I could have asked to meet a kinder group of people so soon after arriving in this world."

Carrie then rises from her seat, actually managing a smile despite the emotional pain, and makes her way over to Eveleen whom she embraces like the family member she had just declared herself, informing the dullahan matriarch, or rather reminding her of something she likely now already knew.

"I've always wondered what it would be like to have a sister.", Carrie began, continuing with a warm acceptance of Eveleen's gesture, "I guess now I'm going to find out!"

Carrie then releases the embrace, meeting Eveleen's gaze with a very heartfelt, "Thank you.", as one last tear rolled down her cheek, quickly to be wiped away before she turns to address everyone present instead of just Eveleen, now a bit embarrassed by her own emotional outburst.

"Right, so, the whole meeting kinda got........very derailed.", Carrie admitted sheepishly before asking, "What exactly were we discussing again, and what did we still need to resolve?"

[Throndir]

Synithise accepted the embrace wordlessly, though her eyes softened realizing that you weren't as distressed anymore. She hugged you tight as well and simply enjoyed the moment for what it was. Soon enough you made your way to Eveleen and had embraced her as well.

Like Synithise, Eveleen took to it well as she wrapped her arms around you, and pulled you in. "We have as much a need to say thanks to you, too. But, you'll find out soon enough what it's like to be part of our family here in Thura forest. Don't forget you're one of us now." Eveleen responded giving you a smile. "As for as tribes go, all three of us here are close. Synithise's tribe had been here since near the founding of the country. The same with Jasna's. The dullahan actually had been the most recent ones to come here, but even that was at least two hundred years ago. But we foster a kinship between us. The two guards behind Jasna are really more for just show, even if Jasna would say otherwise." Eveleen glanced at the batfolk matriarch.

"Hmm. It is proper for the matriarch of any clan to always be surrounded by their guard." Jasna replied immediately. "It's been like this for since my mother's time, and her mother before her, and her's before hers, and so on and so forth."

Eveleen shrugged. "Either way... The first thing is probably to formally introduce you to the rest." Eveleen said, glancing towards the other two matriarchs. Jasna caught the glance and nodded. Eveleen looked back towards you. "Unless you prefer to have your presence only known to a select few, even here among the forest?"

"Umm, I hate to burst everyone's bubble, but training takes priority too. It's said that the hero would need guidance once they arrive here. And even though Carrie was a soldier in her own world... There's lots of things that she needs to learn. Magic, fighting with the weapons here, our people's cultures, and honing her blessings from the goddess."

"Not only that, if we are to begin to remove the occupation of the Felencorp from Darmona lands, we'll still need to act sooner rather than later." Each of them turned towards you.

[Erynn]

As Carrie watched Eveleen prod Jasna over the presence of the guards among a group of friends, Carrie couldn't help but comment.

"More eyes watching a room never hurt anyone.", She noted, agreeing with Jasna's tradition, "After all, it's never who you know is in the room that you need to be worried about. Anyways, introductions would be the best first step. As important as the other two priorities are, enlisting the help of others can only happen once we've broken the ice. My presence does need to remain a secret kept within the forest though. If Felencorp figures out I'm here, they'll no doubt stop at nothing to take me into their 'care'."

Carrie then briefly adopts a malevolent smirk, her eyes momentarily conveying the cold, emotionless stare of a shark, "That would be a mistake on their part though."

Carrie then pondered the points made by both Jasna and Synithise before speaking again.

"Before I can really instruct others in how to fight a guerilla war, I'm going to need to get a handle on what conventional warfare in this world looks like.", Carrie begins, "To that end, I believe that I should prioritize learning as much as I can from each of your tribes about the subject matter. With magic being available for use in this world, it's entirely likely that there are some new and unique tactics and strategies that have developed here that I've never seen employed. That said, we do need to get the ball rolling on our efforts to oust Felencorp. To that end, while I'm studying with each tribe I'll be teaching those most suited to the tasks involved how to function as an intelligence agent. Once trained, they'll be able to begin collecting, organizing, and cross-referencing information on just what Felencorp's infrastructure looks like, as well as what their military personnel and political leaders are doing. In particular, figuring out who is in what position of power in this occupation will tell us who we need to kill off in order to loosen their control over these lands. Those trained will also be able to spread the knowledge to others as well. We should select the most intelligent and adaptable individuals to receive this training."

Carrie then pauses, looking at each clan matriarch in turn before providing an actual mission statement for the coming insurgency.

"Lets all be clear on one absolutely crucial point here.", Carrie counsels those present, "We're not trying to defeat Felencorp militarily, nor are we trying to topple their country. If we did that, we'd have to deal with the demons on their borders ourselves. Our objective is political in nature. We must convince the government of the Felencorp United Alliances that attempting to maintain control of Darmona runs contrary to their best interests. To that end, we're going to apply military pressure to their political structures within Darmona. We're going to bleed their economy and war machine of assets devoted to their attempts to maintain control here. We're also going to present their populace with reasons to pressure their own government to end the occupation. Whether these reasons be loved ones lost trying to suppress our insurgency, fear that their military may be unable to protect them from us, the demons, bandits, etc., or simple economic hard times, our goal is to force the enemy into a political resolution. In this way, we need never even defeat them on the battlefield at all. We simply need to turn their own public's opinion of this occupation against them. The greater their public's loss of confidence, the better. In short, every chance we get to publicly embarrass Felencorp officials politically, we take it. This bit we can start in on with just an intelligence network at our disposal."

[Throndir]

"Thank you Carrie. And I agree, your presence will be kept a secret among those in the Thura forest. We will abide by your decision when it comes to who outside this forest is to know of your presence."

Once you spoke your intentions, each of the matriarchs nodded in agreement. They all had a fire of determination in their eyes, finally seeing a chance for their country to be liberated.

"I'm so glad you came here Carrie." Synithise said smiling. "Does this end our meeting? I was planning for us to eat dinner after, but Carrie and I did have those... ummm... what were they called... Cew-bahn sandwhiches? But I can always eat, and I know you two, Eveleen and Jasna, don't really have a reason to visit my temple grounds very often, so it's nice having you here with us for once."

Ensure you write down these step by step plans, once you get to it, under your Notes tab, and potentially use the Calendar tab is some things are time-bound, or when you plan to do specific things. It'll help not to forget about these things due to the pace of the RP. (Eg, 1 year later, and our furthest ahead player is on day 14). Ensure you mention these, and anything else in your Notes.

For your Trainings, the ones mentioned thus far seem to be:

1) Knowledge (tactics)
2) Magicka Circles (unlocks Runes spell base) -> Mana Magicka Circles (able to cast within a full round)

For specific actions mentioned thus far:

1) Create an intelligence unit
2) Send messages/letters to other Darmona clan leaders
-Specify letter contents
-Specify instructions for courier (verbal only, or burned letter, etc)
3) Introduce to inhabitants of Thura forest (not just the matriarchs)
4) Messages to molemen demihuman for underground network construction
5) Any other specific plans/actions that may relate to political pressure for the Felencorp United Alliance.

[Erynn]

"Yeah, unless anyone has something else to add.", Carrie confirms of the meeting's status before realizing Synithise has just made a slight social faux pas where Eveleen was concerned. She decides to take Synithise's mention of the Cuban sandwiches and leverage it to her advantage in order to surreptitiously alleviate the situation.

"Yeah, we did kinda just eat before we walked in didn't we?", Carrie acknowledges, "Not to mention, the meeting got.......pretty heavy. Why don't we all take this opportunity to relax a bit with a hot bath?"

Carrie hoped that suggesting a group activity that didn't involve food would satisfy Synithise and simultaneously get Eveleen out of having to sit and watch everyone else eat in front of her, or embarrass Synithise by reminding her that the Dullahan aren't fond of eating in front of others.

Carrie's motive in suggesting the activity she did was a personal one as well. The poor girl was currently wound tight as a drum and genuinely needed to unwind for a bit. Having people she trusted and cared for around while she did could only help matters.

[Throndir]

"Oh..." Synithise said dejectedly. "Well... I could have random fruits be presented while we relax? You don't have to eat any of course."

Eveleen laughed. "It's quite alright. During one of the meetings with the other dullahan some weeks ago when we were deciding to summon the hero or not, Synithise actually had her priestesses bring carts of food and tables. It was... awkward to say the least."

"Well... the food was still good! And since everyone in the forest provides a lot for the priestesses, it would only have been fair if we were to present something to the rest too... even if it was just the priestesses who ate it... Did you guys umm... eat it after at least?"

Eveleen smiled. "I made sure to distribute the food to everyone in attendance, yes. Those who chose to taste the food rather than consuming it told me the pies were their favorite." At this admission Synithise brightened up.

"Great!" Synithise declared happily. "I'll have someone bring pies with us to the bath!" She began to head out of the room, and popped her head back in when no one immediately followed.

"You guys coming?"

[Erynn]

As Carrie watches Synithise' face fall, her efforts to spare her friends social awkwardness suddenly leaves the young hero with egg on her face. Thankfully, Eveleen clearly figured out what she had been doing and stepped in to spare Carrie the very awkwardness Carrie had been hoping to spare her. Still, Synithise readily went along with the idea of relaxing with a hot bath so the debacle wasn't a total loss.

Carrie responded when Synithise stuck her head back in the door with a smile and a simple, "Go on ahead. We won't be far behind.", while headed for the door. As she made her way toward the new destination, Carrie turned to Eveleen and Jasna, referencing the awkward interaction that had just taken place, "That sort of thing happens pretty often, doesn't it?".

Carrie's expression is a mild mix of shock at Synithise' sudden energetic demeanor, awkwardness stemming from her own error, and amusement at just how quickly everyone involved had taken the situation and caused the dynamic to yo-yo from one extreme to the other.

[Throndir]

Both Eveleen and Jasna looked at each other, then once they turned towards you they both smiled. "More often than you would think." Jasna said. "The lamia are long lived races, I always find it amusing that even though she's more than double my age, she's still..."  Jasna paused trying to find the right words.

"She's still just the way she is." Eveleen finished for her, to which Jasna nodded in agreement.

"Either way, we're used to it by now. She's still one of the treasured members of this forest, not to mention the matriarch of her clan. She can be a bit... clumsy and ditsy at times, but for as long as I've known her, she's always been the comforting type. My attendants told me when I was born, Synithise was already waiting excitedly to shower the batfolk with gifts... Which to her, really are just different kinds of foods." Jasna shook her head, though she continued to have a smile on her lips.

"I haven't been to the lamia baths in awhile. It sure beats what we have in our caves."