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Library: A Lifechanging encounter
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Author: lyserge
Date:Dec 2 2011
One time long ago, rumors began to circulate about a silent and mysterious
seeker named Lyserge. As a secret member of the Brotherhood of Black Tiger,
little was known of him, but from what bits of knowledge that were passed, he
had built a reputation for traveling vast distances by foot and through
strange shadows to explore new frontiers and slay his many enemies. That he
was filled with anger and darkness was agreed. That his fists raged with
black fire and that shadows embraced him cannot be verified. Those that knew
him managed to spread the rumors of his shadowy deals and violence, of stealth
and deception. It was said that he suffered violent nightmares of death and
doom and could not stand the presence of any creature, and so roamed from land
to land in search of knowledge and gain. Far and wide he searched for new
contracts, targets to eliminate, wild foes to vanquish and exotic women to
soothe his turmoil for a time. Through the passing of moons, he wandered in
relative silence from realm to realm, sailing seas and crossing every type of
terrain imaginable. Always embraced by magical shadows, he made few friends
and trusted less, as followers of Curath seldom do.
In one of Lyserge?s most distant travels, spurred by hatred of the common
civilizations, he reached the realm known as Valinor, and his journey changed
dramatically. Inner darkness such as his was unfamiliar to the land, and
invoked memories of Melkor. But somehow, though considered unholy by most who
had encountered him in the past, in Valinor he was neither feared nor hated.
The people of Valinor were highly intelligent and sometimes even interested in
his exotic skills. The abundance of knowledge and magic in this land earned
more than just his respect, and Lyserge began to find his body was withering
as his mind was blossoming by the many years of study and enlightenment.
Slowly, he began to adopt new ways, and shed the darkness that used to always
swirl around him. At first, he studied with the Maiar, who helped him explore
the concepts of inner peace and serenity. They told him much, but in the
beginning Lyserge had only heard stories of their more powerful Ainur
counterparts. Time moved slowly, until one day, his adventurous spirit
brought him to an entirely new encounter - one with a high ranking member of
the Valar.
In a time between the waning of Telperion, and the waning of Laurelin, Lyserge
spotted Aule down by the wells. Next to Aule were piles of hammers, some
small and precise, some large and unwieldy to mortal hands. All were fiercely
crafted and shone with their own light. Aule looked directly at Lyserge,
obviously seeing straight through his shrouds of artificial invisibility that
embraced him and mumbled some words to himself in Khuzdul. Lyserge looked at
him, concealing his apprehension of the great Valar craftsman. Next to the
hammers, Aule had brought with him several metal rods, each between 10 and 100
feet long. The purpose of the rods was unknown, but Lyserge observed Aule
with some fascination and respect as Aule continued to work at his art.
The people of Valinor did not seem to mind Lyserge?s presence as other races
had, and sometimes even showed interest in his arcana. It was for this reason
that Lyserge crouched into his Tiger stance and approached Aule, prepared to
flee rapidy and evade any danger if the great smith were to become cross by
his observance. When Lyserge was about to open his mouth to ask about the
rods, Aule interrupted with a resounding chuckle, and gave one of those looks
that actually glowed. It was as if as if he had known and answered the
question already. His intentions were almost impossible for Lyserge to
discern.
All that happened next could only be remembered as if it originated in a
dream-- Lyserge continued to observe and study the movements of Aule, hoping
to learn something new. He saw the bald sturdy form of Aule step forward and
slowly raise the rods one by one. He balanced each rod horizontally in a
pattern in the air, and the light of Laurelin began to glint upon fine threads
of wire placed at different points along the rods. Soon, a strange
arrangement of various colored metal rods rose from the pile on the floor next
to Aule, and formed a climbing tower of straight rods interwoven with the
horizontal ones, yet none touching the others. All poised upon their ends in
an arc that spread around Aule, who joined the rods at the lower parts and
hefted the tower of rods from below, higher and higher. The colors and
reflections from the light were prismatic, and its shape began to contort.
The shape twisted and changed until it was finally recognizable- a huge
seven-pointed star, symbolic of the Chaos of the Ainur when they were
destroying and creating new life.
The light of the star shone with memories and dreams and as Lyserge stared
into the light, he felt his apprehension slipping away. What felt like an
eternity passed as he stared into those memories radiating from the rods, and
all of the battles and bloodshed in his past melted away from his
consciousness, and an unkown feeling of peace was seeded. Time ceased to exist
as the feeling grew within and enveloped his spirit.. The magic emanating
from the rods ceased, and Lyserge was suddenly overcome with an unexpected and
unnatural fear. Aule grabbed the largest hammer from the ground, and wielded
it firmly. Then, the Valar smith hefted the hammer in one mighty hand, and
handed it, handle facing out, towards Lyserge, and looked upon Lyserge kindly.
?Strike softly upon any of the rods.?
The features of the great Valar did not change, and he spoke no words with his
mouth, but the message was clear. He then stepped back to observe. The last
thing Lyserge remembered was wondering how he was holding the great hammer,
testing its weight carefully, unable to hear, see, or think clearly. He
looked closely at the hammer in his hands and realized for the first time how
old he really was. The radiant wood and metal of the hammer seemed to defy
being held and resist his grip by shining even brighter. He saw his hands and
the hammer in great detail, as if magnified. Each deep crease and scar
created a great landscape. He saw his life energy leaving into the hammer and
knew he was dying, but felt no sorrow, for he knew that he would never truly
die. Next he stepped forward and took a deep breath, and struck a lower rod
of the star. Lyserge adopted his healing meditative sitting position and the
once vibrant light and colors of the forest turned to grey.
When he awoke, Lyserge found himself in a deserted, run down building. The
pews and altar gave him the impression that he was in a place of worship,
probably a church. The light hurt his eyes, and he stumbled towards the door,
slowly emerging into a new world. He tried to formulate his memories, but he
could only see fleeting images that would not coalesce. He wandered the
streets struggling to remember and find his way, but the memories that formed
made him cringe in terror and he quickly began to wonder if he really wanted
those memories back. In the streets, a beggar wearing only a simple robe
approached Lyserge and said, ?Young man, as destitute as you may think you
are, you are only recovering from a long voyage. I know not of where you came
from, nor why you are here, but you do not belong on these streets. Please
let me show you a place where you can rest, think, and study.? With few other
options, and a feeling that this man was more than a simple beggar, Lyserge
agreed.
The monk named Tysab was the first to open the doors to Lyserge. Tysab said
upon seeing him, ?Stranger, I know not where you come from, but you are
shirtless and look tired and hungry and a bit confused! What say you come and
rest with us?? Lyserge hastily agreed. He learned to quiet his mind and come
to terms with the memories by taking in only the positive aspects, for there
seemed to be a great deal of wisdom hidden in those dark dreams. Soon,
Lyserge made a vow to the monks- to live simply and in balance with nature,
and to seek peace internally. The monks initiated him into their ways, and
began to train Lyserge in their arts of the peaceful warriors and a new home
was made for him amongst their ranks. It is said he meditates for days at a
time and still travels vast distances, searching for something unknown and
trying to make peace with his spirit.
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