The Journal of Shinkuu: The Voided One

[Shinkuu]

(Written by Shinkuu's hand this journal seems odd for her to say the least)

Time... It never ends... It never halts... It marches forward without you or with you. It never leaves your body behind but it can flow past your heart and Soul...

Soul... It is always there... It does not care... It sees only light... It feels no blight... It moves you as a puppet until the day it cuts the strings... It cares not for your body or Mind...

Mind... Darkness... Logic... Cold... There is nothing that cannot be defined. There is no right or wrong. There is no victory or failure... In the Mind there are only variables and outcomes as predictable as the rising on the Sun. You choose to act upon one variable and face its outcome but to what end? Who pulls your strings? What use is a Mind flooded with Emotion from the Heart?


Where has Zarla gone?... Where has Mintshade gone? I feel them in the Darkness... All is Darkness... The world grows so dark that even light cannot escape... Zarla's body burned to ash, her Soul alone lives in the world of Men... I feel it calling to me... What does it want?

It speaks to me in the Darkness... It tells me that it is a useless creature... It tells me that it is a Soul made to make another happy for a time... One who died of pain and loss because of decisions the Soul's Mind made... What is the purpose of Life? What is the purpose of Existing? It feels remorse... It feels pain... So much pain. Why does it persist? Why must it be gifted? Why must it forever live when it has nothing to live for? Leave ME! LEAVE ME!

(the ink on the last letters is pressed hard into the page before it seems to continue a bit more as normal)

Zarla is in deep trouble... But are we all not in the same trouble? I feel darkness.... I can TASTE the Darkness... Why do so many fall to it? Why do so many ask it to **** their soul? Why do they welcome the Blight? What fools are they? What worthless losers are they? I should kill everyone! Slaughter every living Soul. Devour every living thing... I should become the harbinger of the Void... I should give in to my Dark Master once and for all!

Bring the Oblivion to the World. Bring Nothingness to All. Bring about Annihilation to end all those who live and who could become host to the Blight. Who needs these weak souls who cannot fight against that which is consuming their world? Who NEEDS these pathetic creatures who bow and scrape at the feet of any master who comes there way? I WILL GIVE THEM A MASTER. They can bow before ANNIHILATION!

When all is Naught. When Time has Ceased. When Soul is no more. When the endless chatter of Minds is gone... Then... Only then... Will this world be pure enough to be saved... May my blade sever the very Heart of Istara... May I be the Doom of both Light and Darkness.... Who needs them? Who needs such distinction? All will be perfected in Nothing...

[Shinkuu]

(Written in Shinkuu's hand this bit seems a bit lighter as if she pressed a little more gently)

I have done evil... I hurt my mate Shadina... I almost killed Zarla's soul when she came to show me a truth... I threatened even to devour Mintshade and every other...

I... I have made up to Shadina... She is ok now and no longer injured... I have apologized to Zarla... Fool still looks up to me... I should look up to her. She has a strong heart and despite her sorrow she tries SO hard... She is stronger than I am. She does not even have a mate and yet she struggles on...

Mintshade is worse than he has been in a long time. He is struggling with emotion and has an odd new ... cloak about him made of darkness. It seems to like me for some reason. I hope we can help him... Daemanor wants me to save Minty but I cannot... I do not know how to fix what is happening to him... However, Zarla seems to be giving me a hint.

I have always thought that the only way to repair the void in my soul was to suck back what was taking from me by the Litch... Now I am not so sure... Shadina's love for me heals my Soul... Zarla was trying to tell me this. It seems some things are far more powerful than even the Void and that is one of them...

Now Dae asks me to kill Cynny's mate. She wants ME to kill a mate? I hate them... I hate them because they are pathetic Blighted losers... I hate all Blighted. They are just food for me. However... Now I am conflicted... Kill a mate? They love eachother? I do not want to try to hurt love... I really do not... Maybe I should find a way to lock them into the Plane of Blight instead. I have NO idea how to do that but... I think I would rather do that... Killing Love?... No.

[Shinkuu]

(This journal has Shinkuu's dark stylings all about it)

I have studied and worked long days in order to achieve one of the greatest powers a Biped can have... That struggle has been repaid as I now possess the power of Multicast. It is a strange art by which you defy time itself and set up a chain reaction in the ethereal to make your energies fire off in rapid succession any spell that is fed into it. With this power and the perfection of Perfect Spell, which creates a conduit between me and the target(s) ensuring perfect aim, I have grown considerably in power.

With this new ability realized I forged myself a new more terrible Blade. I have called it Blood Blade and forged it in the vile blood of both enemy and myself. It is toxic and evil and represents well my bitter vicious side. I am not playing around anymore. When I draw my blade it is to kill. I will not allow anyone to stand in my path. If they dare come between me and the Oblivion of the Aegis then they will be torn apart in my wake. To tangle with me is to fight a Hungry Hurricane of Emptiness. I am tired of giving second chances and playing "Nice" to fools who do not deserve it.

My position as a Reaver is quite solidly assured and I wear the mantel with all its trappings. Annihilation to the Blighted whomever and wherever they be! May I pass over all who suffer it like a great Black Curtain of Nothingness leaving only bare Earth in my wake. May they never know mercy or forgiveness. My mate will plant the seeds of life behind me and in this way Istaria will grow strong again.

[Shinkuu]

Nihil... A master so dark that most do not know its name and even I know not if it has any form. A calling so silent that it is a deafening. A pull so strong even the Blight cannot resist its attraction. Forever, unrelenting, hungry, unsatisfied, it pulls on everything that exists.

I have studied my... Cursed... Gift for quite some time and have realized long since that I have NOT been Gifted with Eternal Life by Istara but instead have been made too lacking in Spirit to move to the Spirit Realm. When death finds me it is a battle for my Soul against Nihil. My soul moves towards the Spiritual Plane and Nihil sucks me back trying to destroy me and when the struggle is over I generally come back into being... Though it can have odd... Side effects depending on my method of demise and other factors it seems... It is not as perfect or forgiving as the Real Gift.

However, I have begun to studying my Dark Master more thoroughly. If I am to be stuck with this Hole in my Soul then I shall learn to master it to the Utmost. I have studied through our absolutely intensive libraries in the Scions Guild in regards to this. It took a lot of looking but I have come upon some... Fun... Revelations in my research.

One thing I have found is a way to create Runic... Devices... A Focus point that can enhance magics or do other things. These are far too large to carry and complex to do with any speed. Instead I have placed them upon my home and that of the Sslik House Zarla uses. She worries that the Demon Azu or her otherplaner forces could attempt an attack on her or saved friends there... Well... I must say... I HOPE they do...

Both Houses have been rigged quite deliciously to allow me to fully utilize my Spiritual energies to the fullest. They are attuned to me and will not readily function for others but if I can stand on or in the structures I can wield Soul Devouring power unlike anything I could dream of alone or anywhere else. I believe I could devour an Ancient Dragon if I could lure them close enough to my Plot... It is tempting to try but... I do not attack the Living without great cause... It is against my Mate's desires and so mine as well... So sadly it is as of yet untested on anything of that sort of energy though the Spirit Dragon I lured there went down remarkably fast.

However... There is one even better trick up my sleeve... Finding ways to open portals to the Void is easy... It is closing them that is the hard part. Sooo... I have worked in a little extra Death Trap... I will not explain its triggers but suffice to say, once it is opened that Portal will be all but inescapable Oblivion for whomever is anywhere near the structures... Rather or not it can be sealed once opened is something I will need to work on further but... For now the fact that it can open is good enough for my needs.

I have seen this Azu that Zarla hates so much... I am not sure I really care one way or another about her. She strikes me as part of the Problem and I will kill her if she gets in my way in the slightest without a hint of remorse but I am not greatly motivated to hunt her. Her... Friend... Selarth on the other hand is DELICIOUS and I WILL eat him. That will be a very filling and pleasant meal! I can hardly wait and am horrified that my last attempt ended with him Recalling... How is such a thing even able to Recall? Well who know what the Aegis can do but I have NEVER had an Aegis run away from me before. So very disappointing to have lost out on such a big mouth watering meal as him. I just take heart that I am fairly certain no one will kill him before I get the chance to eat him so it is just a matter of patience. I do hope Zarla will not hate me if I snuff Azu in the process... It may become necessary.

[Shinkuu]

Recently I had a fight with some odd voided creature that I encountered and attempted to devour. It was some sort of a Wraith and I wanted to eat it BADLY. I tried very hard and hurt it horribly so. Mintshade came and helped me fight it towards the end and helped me to close the Void within I had opened to devour it. It, sadly, got away but...

Ever since then I have felt... a Tad bit Testy. I cannot put my finger on it but I feel angry lately. I want feel like ripping apart the Souls I see around me and being snotty and obnoxious to those around me. I rarely feel this much emotion at all but somehow absorbing that extra negative energy has left me in foul mood. I really need to try to shake this before I do something stupid and get hunted down like Azu seems to be. I do not WANT to hurt anyone who does not deserve it but I feel like it these days.

I talked with a Dragon I know who is very good with Runes about a way to shut the Death Trap I have fashioned in case I need to open it. He seemed rather knowledgeable and was able to show me some good runes for it. I almost bit the hand that fed because he was arrogant and believed himself superior because he was a Dragon. I would show HIM who was superior... But Loki has been a great help and stayed my tongue before I ruined a beneficial situation. I would be in worlds of trouble many times if not for him. Yulgrin was wise to saddle me with Loki.

I checked and double checked these runes and found a few errors but after correcting them from our libraries I was able to create a proper closing mechanism in the nearby cliff face. If it does what I believe it should then the tear in reality should open, suck everything on my plot and nearby into it, and then be closed in a very brief moment. Needless to say, I do NOT want to BE there when it happens. I will warn Zarla of how it works to keep them safe but it is not trigger-able on accident.

I then came back to the clearing to find Mint is a similar state of battle with that same voided wraith monster I am rather sure. Azu and Selarth, my prey, was there. I was SO tempted to devour him while he was preoccupied or PUSH Azu into Mint's open and hungry void but... Mint was in trouble and I had to help my friend first. I am NOT an honorable person per se but I also DO care about my friends.

I watched Azu OPEN A PORTAL to somewhere and feed Mintshade Blighted energies and Souls. It looked like Blighted Hatchlings and other Dragons. Aegis Spirits like you may find in Draak or the like. For a moment I was sure I was watching her do as Zarla warned and opening a Portal to the Plane of Blight but the other side did not taste right. She was opening up somewhere in our plane and pulling the Aegis to the Portal. One with such sway over the Aegis however is VERY suspect. Why she was helping Mintshade is beyond me. She claimed she did it for him but I find that VERY hard to believe. She was likely just trying to close his Void before it ate him and possibly went out of control and destroyed her and everything else. I honestly do not trust her after seeing that display.

Either way, I used my new knowledge of sealing the Void to help to close Mint's out of control hole but I saw the Void thing ripping him up as this happened. It was tearing at his spirit and once it got free I struck at it with an Evisceration of Life that seemed to really shock its already VERY injured form and before it escaped I triple perfect cast my Spirit Bolt that Zarla recently forged for me... The Results were... Satisfying. It was hammered into Oblivion and is now quite gone as far as I could sense. If it were still in existence at ALL I would have sensed it and it did NOT teleport.

I took Mintshade back to my Home and used the Runes to help me make some major repairs on his soul there. I healed up much of the damage done to him though I am not sure how this will effect his life experiences held in those damaged fragments that the creature sent into Mint's void. I also worked hard to make his Void more directly linked to his Soul so he could control it with greater accuracy and so that it would be somewhat shrunken. Sadly, I cannot do the same for myself as I cannot edit my own Soul and still move and be awake. Besides... My hole is... Darker... I am not sure it would be wise to try to do the same as it may make me even more dangerous and less controlled.

Some probably view me as a threat and some may view me as unstoppable. I like them to view me as Unstoppable or All Powerful... They would be so surprised though if they knew the truth... So surprised.

[Shinkuu]

I have spoken with Zarla a fair bit recently. For some reason she feels I should try to... Claim a more heroic appearance rather than the Monstrous persona I now hold. I am uncertain as to the worthiness of this particular change.

I have long since desired to make others believe me a monster so that they would leave me alone. She believes that these others should help me and that I should help them. I do not want the help of the big Lizards nor do they wish mine. I am too dangerous to fight along side them and they are too dangerous to have walking in the same space as me. Most dragons are naught but crude killing machines unfit for civilization from what I have seen. Yet Zarla wishes me to treat them as people... Like BIPEDS? They are reckless, ruthless, instinctive, unrefined, monstrous, clumsy, arrogant, careless, self centered, self serving, lawless, lazy beasts... Now I should treat them as people? Perhaps if they begin acting like people I shall treat them like such.

Despite my annoyance at all of Zarla's sudden demands upon my efforts and time Loki... Seems to think this would be a good idea... I am not good at being "Nice" nor do I sugar coat my observations but... Loki claims he will help me and I know he has the ability... I... I wish I could consult Yulgrin on such matters... The Tall One may have always seemed a bit odd to me but... I think he was wise in some important ways and I think he knew very well about matters of law and honor like these... I suppose I shall have to swallow hard, grit my teeth, and ask Fyrenan about these matters and see if she too holds her mate's wisdom.

I will... Make an ATTEMPT... At being... At least... Polite... I suppose... to Dragons... However, Zarla fails to realize that while her Gift is rather perfect mine is not. A Death by one of these beasts for me will be far less enjoyable or easy than it is for her. So I have more to lose by lowering my guard around these uncivilized drooling monsters. Why must she get me involved? I only want to eat one blighted dragon... Besides him I would rather let the Dragons kill themselves off or whatever they wish to do and leave me out of it. They seem real good at killing their future generations or making Blight Beasts of them. I am sure left to their own devices the Dragons would die out rather soon but Zarla wants me to help save them...

I loathe any responsibility for Dragon Kind but... Zarla makes one argument I... Cannot bring myself to ignore... She says she fights and does what she does for the Hatchlings... I cannot really turn a blind eye to Hatchlings... They may be dangerous and too big for my own good but... They are children and... What little is left of my cold bitter heart... Is hurt when I see children suffer the way those poor... Li*** (The ink gets blotted here as if she has to force herself to write something else) Dragons have to go through... I... I do NOT want to have to kill Hatchlings because others drive them into the arms of the Aegis... So... I guess... For their sake alone... I will try to behave myself and... Do whatever I can to help... I suppose...

However, this shall be extremely hard as my experience teaches me that many Dragons are stubborn and ignorant. For their years and size they seem blind to the world and war around them. They blather on about giving second chances to those who Blight their young and kill them. I... Would never forgive someone for killing my Kitten. Such would earn them the slowest, most tormented death I could conceive of. What it tells me is that they do not value life. They do not value the life of their young or their own life at all. They are terrified of change even if it is good change. Loki... Give me all your wisdom and strength my Spirit friend... I shall need it and far far more I fear. Why me?

[Shinkuu]

I have been a member of the mighty Clan Demonthene for a fair time now. It is not the same as my Guild. The Guild is the Scions of Istaria a group of good hearted people who try to serve as beacons of hope and guides for those of this world.

The Clan is a family and a group that adheres to older values and traditions. I joined them so long ago because I needed a way to stabilize myself against the ever growing pull of Nihil in my mind. With the Void so eager to claim me and make me its servant I have always needed a voice of wisdom to pull me away from it. I thought a family like the Clan would help me to have such a grounding and it has but not for the reasons many would suspect. I was linked to Loki the Twisted, an Ancient Half Giant spirit I have wrote about in past journals. His wisdom was initially to help me overcome my awkwardness in dealing with others and he has saved my fur in this regard many a time but he has become increasingly the guardian of my Soul. He keeps me from slipping into the grip of the Void and has done quite a good job.

I often sought the council of the Half-Giant Yulgrin the Clan Pater, or Father. However, he has been so intensely busy of late that seeing him has become difficult. It is a shame he is working so hard but his mate Fyrenan who is the Mater, or Mother, has been available. I am not sure all of why, perhaps because she is a fellow Saris Dame, but I have always had a rocky relationship with Fyrenan. It is not that I hate her or any such... However, we often rub each other the wrong way when we are in each others' presence too long. It may well be the old problem with us Saris in all truth. The Queen of the castle does not like having other Queens in her midst. I even gave up a position as Councilor to the Scions because she holds a higher rank there and I did not want to make our already frayed relationship worse by attaining such recognition.

However, knowing full well I may be making a mistake I decided to talk to her anyway. To be Honest, Loki was not sure about this idea. He told me that while he trusted Fyrenan and had nothing bad to say of her that he had come to know me rather well and could see that our personalities may clash rather than resolve in a constructive manner. I decided to go for it anyway and the results were rather mixed.

Fyrenan seems to wish to pull from me some realization that I simply cannot have. She talks of me as an Automaton but she cannot see the truth. Yes, I am very focused and show very little emotion. I am focused because I was reborn to fight the Aegis and nothing else. My past life was the life of a Smith from what little I know of it. That life was for enjoying, this Life is for killing. I was reborn a dark and terrifying creature with a primal hunger for the Blight. The fact that I have found Love with Shadina is but a miraculous coincidence that I am likely not deserving. I suspect she wished me to discuss this aspect of myself but I do not wish to. I prefer to keep Shadina a bit silent so my enemies do not seek her out. She is not helpless by any stretch but I would rather not deflect my foes her way.

For me... Showing emotion while away from Shadina is... Hard... and Dangerous. My usual emotion is either nothing at all or anger. I often feel the deep heavy murderous rage filling my Soul. All the frustration, all the delay of satisfaction, all the hunger just builds up inside of me like a fire storm of hatred. I am quite certain Fyrenan does not wish to see THAT side of me. She should be thankful for my Cold... Dead... Demeanor.

She wishes me to ask for help to be helpful which makes no sense. One is a pest to ask for help not helpful. I rarely need help with anything and most things I may need help with I can figure out on my own or with Shadina. I do not need to bother others for MY needs. I also loathe depending on others who I know will not always be there. I would rather be strong enough to stand by myself or with Shadina and none else. There is no honor in doing otherwise and it is a mark against a True Saris Warrior to NEED to be hand-held by others. That is NOT our way. Our way is one of solitude and individual pride and strength. You would think a Cat like Fyrenan would understand that but apparently her upbringing was far from traditional.

There is only one thing I need help with and she almost tricked me into asking for it... Perhaps I would have asked for it in time but because of her deception I was guarded and refused to. I am... NOT... Good with people... Loki, praise him, tries very hard to help me with this but I am a challenge he finds most frustrating at times. I am very used to being alone in dark disturbing places for days on end awaiting my prey. I am a weapon, a predator, a killer, not a politician or merchant. I say what I observe with blunt and cruel honesty. I take no heed of the feelings or concerns of others, for they are unimportant to me. Besides my Love Shadina, few move my heart at all. If they help me defeat the Aegis they are friend, if they side with the Aegis or get in my way they are Enemy and if they do Neither they are inconsequential and may as well not exist. That is how I perceive most everyone I encounter with a few exceptions. I know that this is a bad way of viewing the world when I am FORCED to interact with others but it is how I was rebuilt to think after my demise.

It is... VERY HARD... For me to break through my rather strict training and habit to... be more open with others. My training as a Reaver did nothing but teach me to fight Alone without need for others and to interact with others very limitedly. I was taught that ones like me are often frightening to others and sometimes denounced as Evil and so I should just ignore and stay away from other people. I should be the Strength and Power that kills the Aegis in silence and darkness away from the view of others. A dark Hero of sorts who is called Monster by all others. I suppose... I took that lesson too far and actually encourage others to view me as a Monster in order to keep them away from me. I do not want stories written about me. I do not want songs sung about me. I want to disappear from the minds of everyone when I pass. I do NOT fight for Glory or Praise. I fight to KILL, to DEVOUR, to DESTROY the Aegis and that is all.

My training becomes very obvious when it comes to touching... I often retaliate very strongly to anyone who touches me without authorization. I often give the warning that my Trainer from Kirasanct gave me "It is unwise to touch a Reaver." and enforce this with a nasty Soul Rip that is hard to forget even if not deadly. It is an Insult to touch one such as me without my permission. It is a way of saying you have the power to just enforce your presence upon me. You had best be able to back that claim up if you dare touch me or I will do as I was taught to do. My trainer told me NEVER to accept a dishonor. I lost that luxury when I became a Reaver. We do not bow to anyone nor do we take insult from anyone without challenge. Maybe it is because he was a Fiend and they have suffered much bigotry and discrimination as it was but that was his teachings.

Fyrenan wants me to help others and that is something I am more comfortable with in most cases. My abilities in this regard are limited. Unlike my Mate who can make them Potions, Armors, Clothing, Scrolls, and is a good Builder, I really have little to offer. My Mate can even enhance them with potent magics and heal them while I have comparatively little to nothing I can do for them. I can forge fine weapons and good tools for others and happily do so when asked. I ... CAN... make a very limited amount of jewelry for others but I find making it extremely frustrating due to the odd rules each piece seems to have in regards to what magical enhancement it shall accept and getting together the various materials needed is much more of a headache than the other crafts. I can also kill things rather well in most cases but I hardly ever hear anyone aside from Dragons doing their Rite of Passage request this of anyone let alone me. The skill for battle seems to be something rarely shared. Perhaps because one learns less the more others do for you... Maybe because the strength of the enemy that they are fighting is far too low or too high for others to help with...

I do not fight well WITH others anyway. I have little to contribute to them. It is very hard for me to save them if they are going to die. If the enemy focuses on ME then we are safe but if they focus on my friends then there is nothing I can do. I am a Reaver... We do NOT kill fast like Mages... We slowly drain our foes into Oblivion over time. I cannot simply annihilate that which attempts to kill them and I cannot heal them at all. We are built for personal survival and nothing more. This is why my mate is ideal for me as she can heal me and make me even more of a terror on the battle field while otherwise staying out of the way as much as possible. She hides in the shadows sending the rage of the heavens down upon our foes and enhancing me while I suck their Souls into Oblivion before their eyes.

I think Fyrenan wants me to act more... Jovial and care free but that is something she will never see. I have... a VERY... hard time feeling genuine happiness. It must be fought for to obtain. It is not something I can just "experience" whenever I wish like others. I cannot be care free for I have far too many concerns. There is a deadly serious War under way and I... Care... Too much for most Istarians... Especially the youth to allow it to be lost... It fills my every waking thought only pushed away by Shadina... I live for little else than to be Istara's weapon against the Blight.

Then there is Ias the Dragoness... By now it is obvious how much I loooove dragons... The fact is... I used to like them quite a bit... However, as time went on they proved to me that they are not to be trusted. That they are monsters that rival or exceed the Aegis. As I learned of Dragons who kept Bipeds as Slaves, who tormented, blighted, killed, and... ATE... Their own young... More and more I realized what sort of creatures they were. I... Pity... Zarla and Tsume and perhaps this is why I forgive them their Species. I would hate to have grown up in a Sslik family only to have to realize that I was something as dark and horrid as a Dragon in truth. Horrible Monsters... I know it is not true of all of them but those who sit idly by and allow the rest of their kind to do such things are just as guilty as those who do them. Zarla refuses to put blame on those but I do not. I know that inaction and tolerance for such vile behavior allows and encourages it and shows a total lack of values in the person who allows it. They are every bit to blame as those who commit the dire and gut wrenching acts. Perhaps they are even worse for it seems to me they enjoy watching the suffering but do not have the Spine to make it happen themselves.

Anyway, I got off topic there... Ias does not like my friend Mintshade and seems to abhor him being Dae's mate... I find that most annoying. She does not know how Dae or he feels and summarily dismisses those feelings because she does not like the idea of Bipeds and Dragons being mated and feels he somehow stole Dae from Demonwing. The first part shows a bigotry and a sense of superiority that I find common among Dragons and rage inspiring. The second part shows a total disrespect for Dae. It is to say that Dae has no will of her own and cannot make a decision. Obviously Mintshade Stole Dae away because she is a drooling idiot who could not have chosen to be with him of her own will. Such arrogance and foolishness there.

However, Ias is in the Clan and wishes to have some sort of a relationship as a friend with me... Pretty gutsy considering she denounces one of my friends... I do NOT make friends easily. I fear friends may suffer from associating themselves with me and as a Saris I am naturally distrusting of others. Usually others only want to be friends with you because they WANT something from you. Once they have it they will leave a dagger in your back as a parting gift. So naturally I am very cautious as to whom I call Friend. Trust is something you EARN with me, not something I give you off the shelf. Mintshade has earned my Trust and my Friendship... Ias has not proven to me that she is worthy of either and if anything I am a bit distrusting of her. I suspect she would bite me in half at the first moment it became convenient for her to do so. She claims she will not and that she will stand by me because of the Clan... and Loki wishes to side with her on this... But with what I see in her I cannot Trust her until she proves that she is not the bigoted creature I see her as.

Ias wants to fight along side me... I consider that a bad idea in every way. She is a Dragon and I do NOT fight along side Dragons. They are too big and too dangerous. It is not their fault really... They are like a bomb on the battle field. You cannot be anywhere near them and expect to be safe. They blast spells everywhere and they are so huge just moving around with sweeping tails and flailing limbs makes them a bull in a finery shop. They are like a Berserker holding a Battle Axe in one hand an a Maul in the other. They are a wonderful distraction and a devastating storm of chaotic destruction but you do NOT want to be anywhere near that when you are my size. I also would find it very hard to avoid hitting her with my attacks and that could be VERY bad for her. As I have learned to fight alone or with just Shadina, another quiet patient hunter, the idea of fighting along side such a cart wreck in motion is nothing but dreadful. I also cannot help but wonder if she may, either out of indifference or malice, take the opportunity to "accidentally" kill me.

If she wants me to move in ahead of her and destroy key targets or soften up a target for her and then she moves in behind and unleashes her storm of insanity then I can agree to this... If she wants me to sweep in behind her and suck the Soul out of those who somehow survived her then that is acceptable. However, fighting side by side with her is anything but.

I suppose what Fyrenan really does not understand about me is the simple truth that she views the Clan as a Family but I do not understand the concept of Family very well. I was Reborn alone and cold. If I ever had a family in my previous life I can never know of them. The memories of that life are gone except the very end of it. I do not remember parents, siblings, lovers, children, any family I had or experiences I had with them are gone. She wishes me to accept Ias as my Sister but the word Sister is meaningless to me. It really is just a label that denotes one as part of a blood line in my mind. I see in Tsume and Zarla that it SHOULD have other meaning but I do not understand that meaning or feel it... Fyrenan would have me perhaps treat her as a Mother Figure but that is something I am equally ill equipped for. I... MAY... break down... and ask her for help in this matter... If only because... I DO feel honestly a bit of... Shame in not upholding my duty to the Clan by having this profound lack of understanding and feeling... I KNOW Fyrenan wants to help me in this regard but... She does not realize that being Direct with me is always best... I... Guess... I will ask her about it...

[Shinkuu]

I... would like this journal entry to be about the fact that I believe I succeeded in learning what it means to be a Family and that I have patched up my relationship with Fyrenan quite a bit... However, what I want it to be about seems irrelevant.

I will start with events last to first to keep what is still in my mind clear. The last thing I encountered was Zarla coming home to get to sleep... That is generally rather normal but tonight her Soul felt very different. It was not the normal vibrant fiery monster I am used to... Instead it was cool and subdued as if she had been badly drained but when I looked into her eyes I could see that was not it either. I... Have seen some very bad things fighting the Aegis... The look on her face though was enough to make me feel bad... I hardly feel anything and I could FEEL the pain in her. It was a hole deeper and darker than the one in my soul.

She did not talk to me about it. She was not up to speaking... She was frustrated, tired, and crying silent tears. Suddenly I find myself... In such shock that I have to admit I reevaluate my thoughts on Dragons. To see that level of emotional despair in one is impossible to ignore... I am sure if I told Zarla that because of whatever is causing her this pain I have decided to throw away my prejudice and treat Dragons like people she would not find it a worthy reason for her to suffer. I have seen Zarla sad before but this time was different and I have no idea what her problem is but I am... Concerned... for her. If I had not seen Tsume come home I would have been... afraid her Sister had fallen somehow.

So... My Dragoness friend who lately has been a pain in my tail and a fountain of exuberance and optimism is now destroyed. My Saris curiosity will not leave me alone until I find out how this feat of heart obliteration came about but... I must admit a certain... Guilt in even attempting to find out about it as undoubtedly this is not something she wishes to talk about.

Next on my list however is that I ran into Fyrenan having a real odd... problem of her own. She walked into the pond and sank into it. Not what I would do but I saw no reason to believe there was a problem. She stayed under a disturbing amount of time and I was getting about ready to intervene when she surfaced. However, she did not move so I decided to check her when she launched quite a fire ball into the air.

At that point I figured I would just stay out of whatever this was. She then got out and sank to her knees crying about being lonely and needing cool and help. Well I am not THAT heartless... So I threw some Ice Water on her... That seemed to bring her to a bit and she wanted me to put her into the ocean. Yeah... while she was glassing sand! Zarla could have picked her up and carried her over but my fur is flammable last I checked... So I iced my armor and shield and essentially shield tackled her into the Ocean. It was harsh but apparently it worked.

When she got out she revealed that she has some very strange... Issues of her own... Which I still do not fully comprehend. I think it has to do with her Soul honestly. All this fire was brought about by her loneliness. So... I... Left her in the water there. Yes, I left but only because I intended to hug her and doing it in my armor seemed rough and impersonal.

There was a good chance I was going to be burned alive but I decided to take the chance... I figured if I died trying to console Fyrenan it would be at least one of my most heroic and worthwhile deaths... So whatever... I would chance it. She did not incinerate me however and actually felt normal when she came into my arms. Poor thing is horribly lonely because her mate Yulgrin has been gone on Clan Business for a long time and she is not used to being alone.

I held her for some time and she cried on my shoulder... This is NOT the situation I like to be in but... My heart is not THAT dead and I could not let her be lonely. It was that... Feeling that I could not let her be lonely and that I too missed Yulgrin that actually made me understand, I think, what Family is all about... I told her that the Clan was her Family and she had no reason to feel alone because we would be there for her anytime she needed us. ... I ... actually felt rather good about all that. Odd... I rarely feel good about things...

Shadina came and helped me cuddle Fyrenan, that was super good. Always easier for me to feel alive with Shadina around. Though holding Fyrenan was good in general. She is a lovely Dame and... well... snuggling with fellow Saris just... Is pleasant.

Me and Fyrenan spoke a fair bit... Much more than normal... She may... eventually... Break some of the barriers the Void has put up in me... Maybe... Probably not like Shadina but... Maybe she can at least open a few doors... I guess I do not mind entirely though... Some part of me does not like it at all.

I also spoke with the Imperial Magistrates about changing my official Last Name to Night to reflect that I am the mate of Shadina Night and after some talking and some coin it was done. Akagan was more of a label considering when I was reborn no one knew what my family name was supposed to be... This is far superior and I am... proud to have the Night name.

So... To recap I... Understand Family better... May be making progress at being nicer to my... Clan mates... Have changed my opinion of Dragons rather drastically... I suppose for the better... and made my claim of mate with Shadina more official. So... Victory... Right? Except now Fyrenan is lonely and Zarla looks like someone just told her that her mother, sister, and only child had died... Somehow my desire to celebrate my success seems lacking at the moment.

[Shinkuu]

I have... Finally tested the runes on my home. Now I have to rebuild part of them which is a royal pain in the tail but I am making good progress. However, the fact that it worked is quite... Acceptable.

Drysten came to pay a visit for some reason. The Drake foolishly seemed to think that for some reason what I was preparing for on top of my home was something benign that he could share in. He seemed thoroughly ignorant of the danger he was in... He asked me if I was hostile and I lied to him enticing him to come within range which he did. I guess if you will believe one person's lies you will believe it from anyone.

I would think, that he would realize that I know he takes Bipeds as Slaves and holds them against their will for Azu. I guess he either assumes me too stupid to realize that because I am a Biped or figures that somehow I would not be offended. Well... I proved either quite wrong to my ... approval.

I sucked off a large portion of his soul and before the coward got away I manged to sink some vicious blight into his body. His soul was... tolerable... to drink in. If the Blight takes full hold his Soul will be much easier to devour and will taste a lot better. I do hope he either died or has become a full Aegis so that I can kill him with greater ease.

I will track him down to determine the truth of the situation. I will not make a monster and not kill it before it can hurt someone else. He seemed to only barely manage to fly off. Just a bit more power in my attack and it would have been... Rather Appropriately Done.

[Shinkuu]

For once I must write to exude some of my anger before it turns into actions everyone everywhere may regret. Shadina suggested that I do this journal so I will.


Zarla and Tsume do work for me on my plot. They gathered tons of Silver and Gems for me. They gathered Steel for Shadina working tirelessly so we could improve our craft. I have them fetch me components for my crafting. Does that make them slaves?

Zarla and Tsume are not my slaves because they can leave any time they desire. I do not even pay them with anything but Room and Board and occasionally hoard I collect. However, I ask them to help me respectably. I treat them as fellow people sharing this world and this fight. That is how it should be and that is why they are NOT my slaves.

Akrion comes and tells me that he looked over Azu's slave camp and says that supposedly they may leave when they wish and are given luxury and payments. Where can they spend that money? Who outside of her slave camp would even respect someone who was the property of a Dragon? I know I would look down upon them. He also says he desires peaceful outcomes. So he is biased in his view of the situation very willing to believe whatever Azu tells him. He probably has no idea she is also capable of Sorcerer like magics and could easily show him only the brain washed of her Slaves. He is completely inept to make such a call. For all I am aware she could easily also brain wash him.

When Drysten, who is the Guard of these Slaves tells Zarla that they are not allowed to leave and that if they are too disobedient he deals with them and that he cannot take them to safety if they desire it nor will he ask them if they would desire it... It seems more credible to me than some old Lizard making the call based on one predictable Visit. I would much rather have Mintshade be the judge. He can tell me if anything has come to mess with their minds and get to the truth. I would NOT suggest myself because I am far too biased in the other direction and could NOT ascertain mental damages.

Zarla notices my rage... I keep it hidden to stop it from lashing out at all around me... I work it into my weapons to store it there when needed but it seethes and boils under the surface... The enslavement of my people is something I cannot tolerate. The Aegis take us as slaves in the worst way and I fear Azu does just the same while keeping them alive. Saris are born to be free and roam as we please. Slavery is not an option I will accept and any Dragon who dares call me a Pet or a Slave will taste my Blade and Soul Crushing Magics. I will NOT be insulted by such attitudes. They will LEARN first hand that ones like me are Deadly and to be taken VERY seriously even if it kills them.

I will keep trying to suppress my deep seated anger.... For the moment anyway... But it will not stay locked up forever... In time if this is not sorted out I will obliterate everything there and let Oblivion sort them out... I have already tracked down a number of various Biped Slave Traders and one Dragon... The Dragon was an Adult but seemed to me to be a bit ostracized from the rest of their society... I killed him in his sleep... There was a small handful of Humans, a pair of Elves, and one Satyr of all the unbelievable people who seemed to be engaged in the practice. They died on their feet... Slowly... Horribly... That helped my anger a bit. I have had Shadina make sure the Slaves were put back into good health and then sent them to Tazoon to let the Empire get them back on their feet though many will need therapy both to get over the damage being captive causes to the mind and to... in many cases... erase seeing what I did to their owners.

The Aegis are my prey... but cross my path as one who acts like them or one who is worse and be ready to suffer a similar fate. Dark vile souls taste as good if not better than ones creating Blight and surrounded by it.

[Shinkuu]

I have not written a journal entry in some time so I guess I may as well put something down...

I have been working on my skills as a physical fighter and painstakingly making some progress. Slowly after much hunting of creatures I am sickeningly familiar with and even some I am not I have been clawing my way to new understanding. I need to get trophy items to give to the Trophy Hunters but they only want certain things... In exchange for them they give me some small Coin but they also often tell me stories about hunts they have been on and while some fools ignore these stories the truth is they often reveal VERY important information if you can assimilate it. From listening to their stories I have gained a lot more understanding of various fighting strategies and how they can fail at times.

I have also been Smithing like a mad woman... I have been getting orders for weapons from all over and have made over Twenty of them for my guild mates. I would complain but I rather like making weapons... I understand them rather well and I know just how to make them a bit alive... It is also a bit of an odd honor to me to get to forge the Arsenal that a whole GROUP of Scions will carry into Battle Against the Aegis... I like to think that every time they slash, crush, shoot, and otherwise maim the Aegis with those weapons it is like I am smacking them around in Proxy. I very much like that idea... I can sleep well thinking about Aegis getting hacked to bits by those Huge Axes I made... Getting their Skulls Crushed by the Hammers, Cudgels, and Staves I made... Getting their bodies cut in half by the Huge Swords I made... Filled with Holes from the Spears and Bolts from the Crossbows... Very very nice.

I have been comforting Mint a fair bit lately and hear from Zarla that he is a hero. I did his hair today... He could look like a Lady if he wanted to... Most men would be ashamed of that but I think he actually finds it funny. I tried to give him a good look but he just cannot look into a mirror without his odd Eyes effecting him... That is too bad, he would be fun to read the expressions of... I guess I will have to groom him seems how he cannot see himself. I would write more about that encounter but I do not want to ruin surprises that someone who juuuuust might get their hands on this journal will otherwise have.

[Shinkuu]

My skill in making weapons has grown from all the requests of late... More life is breathed into each creation... They speak to me sometimes in a language only I can understand... They desire things... My latest creation is Shadow Rupture a large and deadly Bastard Blade for my Warrior Training... It is hateful... It hates life... It hates undead... It hates everything and everyone except for me and Nihil... It expresses itself more than most of my creations and is very wicked. I may have to destroy that one when I am done with it... I do not know who I could trust it not to kill or who I can trust not to give in to its desires for annihilation...

I met a lovely young Saris Dame... She was black with Mint colored eyes... She is not like Shadina exactly or even me... She is a Tree or House Cat... She has the small muzzle of a kitty who eats Rodents and Birds... Not the jaws made for crushing skulls like mine and my lovely mate's. She is black though which indicates good breeding and a robust body. She is likely of the Clouded Leopard Tribe based on her general size. That would make her a close relative of what me and Shadina are... or were...

Her name is Tsavii and I made her some bows including one that was a small tribute to my friend Mintshade... We had some fun hunting together and such and I think she will be a good friend in combat and other things... FINALLY... Another Saris I can RELATE to besides my trainers and Shadina... Seems like with us Dames we either HATE eachother or really like eachother... Not much leeway with us...

I have not seen Fyrenan around lately, speaking of fellow Dames I like, which is a bit sad... I hope that means she is off with Yulgrin right now... Does that means now I hold the weight of the Clan on my shoulders? I have not seen the Dragon either... Great... Such responsibility... Maybe she is testing me?

I am feeling... Um... Upbeat lately... The world seems to have more color... I feel... happy more than angry or hollow. It is... a nice change... I fear I am getting soft or sentimental but... What can I say? What can I write down here? I am feeling the desire to socialize and not just kill things all day... I have my friends Tsavii, Zarla, Tsume, Awdz, Mintshade, Guildies, and my mate Shadina... We are all hanging out and getting along and... Things just seem... Dare I say?... Hopeful of late...

Take that Nihil! I will not bow down before you... I guess Akrion would love to see this side of me... Maybe he will yet...

[Shinkuu]

(The text looks a bit fun and loose yet... This IS Shinkuu's journal and her writing)

FUN! Oh yeaaah! It was really fun. Mintshade threw a cool Tea Party for Shadina, Tsavii, Iseia, and Me to give thanks to Shadina for saving his hands. I think he should give up his whole vengeance junk and throw parties! He is a good host! We had Minty Nightshade Catnip Tea with Cane Juice and he had squirrels play Lyres for us. ... Seriously! They played good music at his command.







(Yes, His eyes ARE supposed to be covered by that Shadowy mask. His Robes were making it appear.)

After we drank a good bit of that craaaazy fun tea we all got up and danced to his good music even Iseia tried her best but me and Shadina stole the show with our twirling beauty. I had cast the magical attack spells on us to make our hands ripple with the forces of magic to add to the beautiful light show deep at night. Even from a distance it must have been a wonderful sight to behold.






We danced all into the Night and talked about silly things before Mint took us down to the beach where we watched a cool display of fireworks he had prepared for us. We all had a WONDERFUL time and then got to sleep. Tsavii passed out on the beach the goof ball and Mint had to carry her to bed in our guest room. It was a fun evening had by all. I feel really good after the get together with friends and my love... I wish Yulgrin and Fyrenan were around to join us for this... Too bad Awdz missed it as well she would have LOVED to join and brought Klava.

Well I am still feeling a bit funny from all that super potent fresh Nip I drank... I think I better just cool off with my mate for awhile and stop writing in this silly thing but I just HAD to pen this... Would NOT want to forget it... These are the sorts of memories I fear I lost when that Lich took that part of my Soul...

[Shinkuu]

I have gotten rid of Shadow Rupture... I no longer require that Blade's assistance in my training and instead I have forged a replacement. I took my time and crafted something while focusing on my dark inner hole. The results are quite impressive if I do say so... The Blade is a large Two-Handed blade black as night with a bit of a glossy look... The blade is perfect... It is unmarred by a single flaw and its featureless surface is very eye catching. It is like a large black emptiness that wants to devour your mind and never let go.


The Blade exhibits a very subtle and quiet personality while enhancing my own abilities.
I have found while wielding this blade I can make a small area go black and lose all sound and slip in and out of shadows as if they were a curtain. It is quite empowering and rather deadly in a subtle but eternally hungry sort of way. I have found those who look at it too long though begin to lose their mind in its vast expanse of empty despair. I dub this blade Emptiness... It is a bit of a joke really... I call it that because it is big and heavy so it is a Crushing Emptiness. Something I feel Mint has felt a lot lately and that I know I have felt.

Speaking of Mint... He got very low on his energy and almost attacked Talika... I am... unbelievably relieved Zarla did not splat my friend for daring to look at her Hatchie wrong... I know Zarla has STRONG maternal instincts! Thank you Zarla for having the understanding to not take offense at a starving Elf's desperate attempt to feed...

I want to help steer Mint onto a better path... I have managed to become the Lady and Master of my Void... I want him to do the same with his. I want to help him to be... At least mildly happy and not so on the edge of that deep and bottomless pit...

He may not always know it... but there are Red eyes living in the Shadows watching him as he does what he will. The emptiness of Darkness is never empty when you are friends with Shinkuu, the Black Saris.

[Shinkuu]

Plage's Background Music


I have not bothered to write anything for awhile but I have also been rather busy and a fair bit preoccupied with events of late...

Plage... He comes... The dark monster that haunts my only dream... or nightmare... A tall figured wrapped in a cloak like tattered shadows incarnated into fabric... His skeletal half-giant form a terrifying sight to behold... He oozes a power of Blight unlike any other of the Aegis Generals... His eyeless sockets hold orbs of seething flame and his forehead has stamped into the pale bone a crystal the color of blood... His power is immense... a Master of Spirit and Blight to a horrible excess.

Plage's first accomplishment was learning to KILL the Gifted... Me and those who defended me back when I was but a Smith were the first victims of his... Experiment to end the life of his foes by destroying their very Soul. With me it had failed as he had taken but a part of me, leaving me unable to enter the Spirit Realm but able to re-manifest... I used to think I was the product of Istara seeking revenge... Now I realize I am the product of the Void within me looking for what was taken... I am a Revenant... A creature of Death and Vengeance but not blight.

Plage's newest feat is the ability to shift the essence of someone's soul from one of light and life to one of Blight... It corrupts your soul from the inside out and makes you into a true Aegis feeding off of the Rot of the world and only able to exist within it... He is truly a disturbing Lich... With this new power he is more dangerous than any Aegis I am aware of and capable of turning the Gifted AGAINST us... As if we need help with that... It seems plenty of them voluntarily join the Aegis...

Despite Plage's glorious contributions to the Aegis he is plagued, ironically, by ME... I am his one big mistake and my ability to destroy the Aegis and suck their incarnating energies away has become a serious thorn in his side... So he has come... Looking to wipe me out once and for all... He has found me... and Promises to return with his armies... I feel Jambi may fall to ruin if he comes with that army... He has been delayed for some time it seems but that just makes me feel that he will come with a MASSIVE army when he does come... I have one chance... One chance to kill him... If I can lure him near my homes... I may have enough power with the runes there to take his Soul... If not... Then all shall die before Plage, the Dark Lich.

Mintshade made the grievous error of attacking Plage... Plage nearly destroyed him for making that mistake... Plage unleashed the Void within Mintshade allowing it to consume him freely... If I had not been working on the magics to subdue the Nothingness within and without I would not have been able to save him but thankfully I arrived just in time... He was becoming a full agent of the Void... It would not have taken long before we lost him entirely... However, it did show me what he had in mind for me...


I have been busy of late... Working long hard hours creating runes all along the peaks of Moyo Lake... Not only will this make the place a fortress against the Blight but it will also in time allow us to shift the Lake Basin into the alternate dimensional reality that was created through our previous efforts... When the world here ends...

I... Hate seeing Zarla these days... Her black hide is like the emptiness within me... She is a crestfallen warrioress who's dreams have passed her by and who's hope has been snuffed out. She currently resides in the lake area and rarely leaves for any reason... She protects her family and that location as the last thing she can do... She tries to raise her Daughters and enjoy the family she has...

Zarla... She was one with such ambition when I first met her as a Hatchie... I never expected her to end this way... Once she was the Queen of the Sslik, with dreams of burning the Blight away, Killing the Aegis once and for all, and then later being the savior and protector of Hatchlings while bringing Bipeds and Dragons together... Now... Now she is just the guardian of Moyo Lake and protector of her family... All those other dreams are gone... dead to her... All the hope she once had for this world of ours is crushed and swept away. The Death of Hope... It is the most horrid thing to ever behold... I have seen it now... and I cannot unsee it...

[Shinkuu]

Mintshade made me angry when he denied me the Soul of one of his foolish half sisters when she DARED to disobey my warning... I felt honest Rage at his audacity to keep me from my Prey...

Then he told me that Tsavii got apprehended by his Father and was being held captive to be killed as a way of luring him out... This all seems far too familiar... Once again I am being caught between two sides of something and once again both sides may be a horrible mess that all but deserve each other...

I am not the gentle type that lightly smooths things over... I am a killer... A Spirit of Revenge and Rage... Mint tells me to help save his Saris woman without killing his Half Siblings... He dares to tell ME not to kill THEM. He may be brave but he is pushing his luck. The Elf girl's Soul is MINE. It may take time but I WILL devour her... I will also not be told how to do what I do. If I must get involved to save those who should not be drug into this then I will do things MY way. If I deem it is required to slaughter them all then that is what will HAPPEN.

I do not take prisoners and I give NO quarter. I learned that lesson when I dealt with the insane Saris and her Tracker Satyr... Never again will I make that sort of foolish error.

We did manage to save Tsavii and just by chance not attacking Mint's siblings was the best choice at the time... I did suck away some of his Father's soul before I left though... It was delicious... Which tells me that he really is an arrogant JERK. Only the vile and evil taste GOOD to me... He will survive it though... that is... If Plage did not kill him. I felt the Lich move in on them and tug a bit on the Elf Girl's soul...

Only time will tell what will happen but Zarla reports a rather intense Army... However, it seems to me the protective Barriers Awdz designed to ward off the Blight have indeed stopped Plage from invading Jambi.

[Shinkuu]

Behold the power of the emptiness within. Behold the endless hunger of that which does not exist. Behold the terrible cry of those lost in Oblivion's embrace. Let the sound of the Void sing you to sleep with its never there melody. Call out with toneless voice into the darkness where no one can hear your words. Scream at the top of your lungs into the endless Night and fall to your knees in vein.

I have been working on learning the ultimate control over that beast which dwells within my Revenant form. I am getting closer and closer to stealing away more than a little bit of energy for myself. If I could kill Plage and plug the Void within I might be able to take the full of someone's Spiritual Essence to empower myself instead of feeding that empty Nihil in me. I am starting to steal more energy away from my Void before it can gulp it down and empower myself with it. It feels... GREAT...

Give me your Soul, Lend me your Force, Lend me your Power! Give me your Hopes and Dreams! Give me your LIFE! You are not using it anyway...

I have been slaying the Living now. The Endless hordes of the Aegis are a fun distraction and I have taken out a small splinter group of Plage's army. I bet that made him very angry... But the Living are far more interesting to slay... They beg for mercy from a beast far more terrifying than any Aegis... They scream in horror at the loss of their Souls... So satisfying and many are easily as dark and corrupt as any Aegis.

I took down a slaver camp I was tipped off to. So delicious... So wonderful... Souls so Dark that the Aegis could not compare to the flavor. I am no hero to those I rescued to them I was a terrible nightmare creature that was born of darkness and shadow and consumed their masters with an untold fury and relentlessness.

I found a rather wicked Shaman who was seriously dabbling with the Blight and trying to learn to summon a great beast of that affinity. Loki told me he was going to end up Summoning Plage... He was corrupting the flesh of the innocent in his dark experiments... Once again... Such a lovely flavor... It yet lingers for me like a sweet aftertaste...

[Shinkuu]

Some would call much of what I have done recently Necromancy... I understand that is outlawed by the Empire... But the Empire is a joke and I laugh hardily at them if they wish to try to enforce their law upon ME. They are powerless bureaucrats that have hardly any following and next to no military assets. Compared to them the Aegis Hordes are unending and immense... It is any wonder the Aegis do not simply make a unified push and annihilate all of civilization considering they out number the defenders several hundred to one.

My first attempt at Necromancy came in the form of ripping part of my own soul away and imbuing it into Weapons... It was just anger and other moods at first... Then I managed to imbue some of the Nothingness inside into a blade... That had rather striking results...

I proceeded then to bring back Zarla and Tsume's Parents... In this case only as Spirits to talk with them and I did not keep them here. They have been safely returned to the realm of the Spirit... That was VERY difficult but the willingness of the subject seems to have made it easier... Hmm... I am considering the raising of an Undead Army of my own to be quite honest... To bring back the souls of all those who perished to the Aegis to fight for me... I would be giving them the Gift ... the Black Terrible Gift... It would not be the same but the idea is so very similar... Maybe I would even learn to control the Aegis's own binding spells and turn the Undead against them... Sounds Delicious.... DELICIOUS...

My latest attempts however are even more odd... I have been grabbing old Weapons off the battle field and having the Dragon Sisters scour the land for them... It seems that with some work I am able to restore them to their former glory... That... However... Is just the beginning of the process. To reassemble them and polish them up is the easy part... After that I focus on the Spirit that often lingers with well used and very favored weapons and begin channeling it... I pull the Spirit of the former wielder from the Spirit Plane and fuse them into their old weapon to give it greater and more enhanced power... This has met with... Interesting results...

For the weapons I have attempted this with for others the effect was weak and simply left the weapon superior to others.... But for my own weapons I seem to have had a greater effect. I crafted a large blade that used to belong to a Half-Giant Warrior who was quite Berserk and Mad... It seethes with his Spiritual Energies and craves destruction... It loves SMASHING and CLEAVING Souls more than anything and loves being witness to atrocity... A Dangerous weapon to be sure and the whispers that once drove its wielder insane now come from the blade itself... Disturbing...

I also managed to forge a very fine blade that used to belong to a proud Saris Warrior... He however was not so proud when he died... He watched as the Undead murdered his Dame and his Kittens right in front of his eyes while he was helpless in a binding spell... The Aegis then left to revel in the horror they caused him and returned to their Deadlands... He grabbed this blade and went after them but he was no match for their army... He was one against THOUSANDS of the undead and while he killed many he failed to avenge his Family's tortured screams of pain and terror... The Blade oozes horrible despair and emptiness... It could crush a good mood and rip apart love at a single touch and it is so dark and hollow that I fear it wants to devour my own Void as it has one that is deeper and more perfectly without substance... It will undoubtedly make my abilities much stronger but I must be VERY careful about that blade... It is extremely dangerous and could easily consume me if I am not very watchful...

[Shinkuu]

I encountered Plage again. Me and my mate saved Zarla from another attack on his behalf. He had used a soul anchor to hold her down and had his Draco Lich Zurricht shred her wings. It was a tough battle and Plage proved his power. He was able to predict and evade several rather unexpected attacks made against him. He halted my Evisceration of Life as if it were child's play. Plage is NOT to be underestimated at any cost.

However, I am not to be underestimated either. Plage attempted to rip apart the edges of my soul near the hole he put there so long ago. His goal was simple, widen the gap and let my own void devour me. It was a good plan and if I had not known about the attack I would have likely suffered for it. However, he made the error of doing this to my friend Mintshade already. Thus, with time to prepare a defense I worked with my mate to develop a special barrier in my shield that could stop his Spiritual attack. Combined with my Soul Armor and Spirit Wards it was rather effective at stopping his attack to his great dismay.

In the end he attempted to shred Zarla's soul but my mate had healed her wounds and while she seemed out of it she was quite aware. The result, I must admit, was rather humorous. She gave him a standing side kick that sent him flying over his minions and gave us a perfect moment to escape. I wish his boney face had enough flesh for expressions. I would love to have seen that expression...

I have been training VERY hard to ensure that I have the skill to dominate Plage when the time is right. I have begun using a new blade I recreated with the soul of its former user still in tact. I have learned a great deal about the use of my Spiritual magics and am ready for just about anything.

I even entertained a few duels to test my mettle. First was against Mintshade... He has grown rather powerful but despite his potency and the nature of his odd form he was unable to best me in two of our three matches. Defeating the Black Saris, the Soul Reaver, The Voided One is not so easy. I can still keep his pale scrawny rear in-line and that is a good thing because someone needs to... My next was against Ssurge Zapscale. That was an odd opponent. Ssurge sees things differently than most do. It was able to find some of the weak points in my armor to deliver some vicious Blunt Trauma with the Maul I made for it. However... When all was said and done Ssurge failed to best me even once. Chaos Warriors it seems are a bit unpredictable but some Energy magic does not best Hammering the Soul directly. A large and deadly Maul cannot best a tower shield and sharp longsword as it phases ethereal and slices right into the essence.

I gave my lovely mate Shadina a lovely heart shaped red box that I helped to construct and tied a lovely ribbon on... I put two chocolate mice in it along with a honey glazed cooked deer heart. I was afraid she may not really like it but apparently the mice arranged in a heart around the heart was pleasing to her. In the end she seemed to rather enjoy the gift. I am happy I could make Love Day good for my ... love.

I had an unexpected visit the other day however... It seems my ... Necromancy... Had not gone unnoticed by the Empire entirely. There was an official who wanted to ask me some questions about some of my more recent studies and inquires at the Library in Bristugo. What a bother he was... In the end however, I managed to frighten him off. Before we were done his flesh faded from pink to ghostly white and if my nose does not lie he soiled his pants. Fool... Do not bother a Reaver and expect to walk freely without incident.

Feel the Power of Spirit. Feel the POWER of the Reaver. None shall dare to oppose me. None shall dare to stand in my path. All who do shall find themselves falling into Oblivion's waiting arms.

[Shinkuu]

I have been lax in my updating of this journal which has lead me to having much to write; to my dismay.

Niveus came to me with the ill news that some sort of dark Demonic creature was draining the life essence of his Wife Dimmae... I must admit here that I am not sure about this Dragoness. Niv would insist that he is her problem but based on all that I have heard of her and this incident I am rather of the believe that she has a desire to be destroyed. She seems to have a worse-than-death-wish firmly implanted. I pity Niv to have that as a mate but that is his choice... I just hope it works out for him and I will have to strive to keep her away from Plage.

I helped Niv to track his wife's essence down and me and Shadina entered the Shadow realm to go fight this monster. The Shadow realm I travel in is quite odd. It is a plane that rests just between light and darkness where time moves differently. Traveling in it makes me seem to move faster and outside of reality almost as if teleporting or recalling. However, it is not that fast and is not nearly as secure. It also requires some thick shadows for me to slip into the fold of near-nothingness there.

We got to this monster and took him on... Niv distracted him after some talk so that we could engage him. He was quite a tall winged bean pole of a freak. He did look a tiny bit like Niv but much more progressed and Dimmae's unconscious form was there chained to him. Once he was distracted Shadina rooted him to keep him from flying away and I tugged at Niv's void with a Soul Link and linked the other end to the Demon. He was a voided creature and I have learned, most painfully, that adding more negative energy to a creature like us tends to end poorly. He attempted to leech energy out of Dimmae through the chain in order to save himself so I used an Evisceration of Life to Rend the connection between them there. Niveus then sucked Dimmae's essence out of the monster and her body and collected it into the staff I designed to allow him to be reborn.

Once that was done the Demon was going critical and we began getting gone fast. I had to tackle and carry Niv which was hard because his robes were trying to leak back into the Demon. Shadina created a dome of roots around the demon which may well have saved us all. It bought JUST enough time to escape the darkness of the Shadow Realm before that Demon imploded. When he did he took a 30 foot sphere out of the old grove Niveus used to go with his mate... It is essentially gone now and looks most disturbing...

After that I did my best to stabilize Niv along with Shadina and Nataliea. We took him up into my guest room and Nataliea stood vigil over him while he slept to make sure he would be ok. She was very concerned and seemed eager to help even if she was tired.

Dimmae's body was destroyed utterly in the fight but honestly... It was a human body and I cannot see an issue. It was a perversion of the Khutite form and realistically not the body her soul would return to anyway. Zarla will require Niv to provide mental images of his Dragoness mate so she can craft a new Statue for her soul to animated when it has recovered. That will put her back in proper order... I think I will suggest some STRONG wards against Blight and Spirit be implanted into this time bomb of a Dragoness.

I met up with Niv much later in the Clearing where he seemed to be suffering... Apparently my ATTEMPT to seamlessly move his void without hurting him failed... It only served to amplify his changes a bit... I think it was a result of feedback from the Demon. Soo... I set to work stitching his soul up with my own Ethereal energy. It was a ticky and painful procedure but it seemed to work. My patch job may not be as painless or as beautiful as Shadina's but it was effective. Saphire, a large ancient Dragoness, lent us some Aegis Dragon Souls to empower Niv's recovery and this helped immensely.

Saphire is an interesting case... Lunus and stubborn but mostly misguided... She hates all bipeds for the actions of a few but I can sense that under the facade she is not so bitter or unyielding... She is like me in a way... She seeks revenge and lets that desire consume her. However, where I have learned to love again she is still in the cold and fearful of trust. She is firmly in Nihil's grip rather she has a void within or not. I hope perhaps my example can help her out of utter darkness and give her some light to reach for...

I met a Saris... Or what took the form of one but was distinctly not. She spoke of some things that enraged Saphire and irked me as well. She mentioned Dragon Torture devices in the Empire's possession to supposedly punish criminal dragons. I, of course, had trouble believing this as the Empire is about the most worthless organization I have ever known. If it once had power it has since lost it. They rely on the Gifted for everything and their troops only BARELY hold down the front while towns are left virtually lawless and unguarded by them. Have you been to Tazoon lately? Maybe by the time this Journal sees the light of day it will not be as hollow as I am inside...

I investigated this rumor thoroughly as I traveled about the Imperial cities and looked for such devices... The closest thing to Imperial torture machines I found were some crafting devices that a busy Dragon claimed were torture devices... Of course they were not being serious they were just suffering from crafting insanity as we all do from time to time. I also did some head counts and was thoroughly unimpressed with the Empire's power of arms. Besides the few Gifted their military strength is an utter joke and I still wonder what the Aegis are waiting for.

In my search I did turn up SOMETHING however... I found a small camp of Bipeds who indeed HAD a machine designed to torment Dragons... Small Dragons... It was crudely designed and not Gnomian thankfully. Apparently they thought of themselves as some sort of Special Supremacist group who to the benefit of all Non-Dragons would track down and kill any Hatchies they could find... To my... Sincere relief... I did NOT find that they had been successful just yet but they were going to be very shortly... However... That will not be a problem. Me and my mate gave their machine a thorough testing... Seems they were more than willing to demonstrate its proper use... Weeelll ok... Maybe they were unwilling but that failed to stop me. After devouring their souls Shadina used the forces of nature to utterly dismantle the machine and make their bodies into plant food. No need for the Aegis to be reanimating vile creatures like them.

I did further research to see if this group had any friends that were just as bad... Thankfully, I did not turn up much other than that there was another few among the Gifted 'Peds looking to destroy them. So I guess I did their job for them and ended a nightmare JUST before it began... Good... I do not need a new Selarth or Azu formed because some idiots Tormented them and they managed to barely escape...