Editing Feyjin

Feyjin was taken in by her local temple at the age of 2 - her parents not well-off enough to care for her and brother, opting to keep the eldest of the two. Since then she had grown up taking care of the ill and sending off the dead, coming to respect the cycle of life and death. Her life at the temple was good for a good until about the age of 15. After a new Council of Eldars arrived to replace the old beloved leaders of the temple - things quickly turned south. She had discovered that her brother, Foremir, had volunteered for an experimental procedure under the new Eldars to fix his heart - and had died under their knives. It had awoken a sense of dread in her and not three months later, she was forced to flee at the age of 16, running from under the same knife of the Eldars - who decided that worshippers are made, not earned. Taking refuge within the wilderness, her body bleeding out and buffered against cold she had an unlikely encounter with Xarzith-Dian, the Frozen Dawn, starlight dragon of the Astral Court - a cold, possessive, unforgiving being made of Primordial Ice and Light. As she lay hiding, dying of her wounds, the dragon offered a deal: "For your life restored, I will bind myself to you. You will contain my heart to replace yours - your lifespan and power will reach bounds unseen for your kind. As payment - your oaths to others will be binding, as your words will become law when the time is right. You will be the key to restore the Astral Court, the Heiress to my power and seat when my time comes to pass on. You will see to the end of the Great Shepard, the Shadow-Stalker, Att-Annalo - who has stolen my home. Should you perish - so will I, and vice versa. My mark will house our agreement, seared in flesh and forever binding. You will be Dragon-Hearted, Heir and Salvation to the Astral Court - Commander of the Endless Stars."  

Feyjin had discovered that the Shepherds of the Lost, the new Eldars of her past Temple, were a covert branch of the Servants of Att-Annalo thanks to Reylendor's assistance and a brutal truth spoken by Att-Annalo through him. Scared of retaliation but filled with determination they put their heads together to compare notes and various rituals they have taken from their former places of worship. With three days of religiously pouring over notes and manuscripts, recalling personal accounts and experimentation, Feyjin and the Mouth along with other members of the Tail has created a ritual to silence Att-Annalo inside Reylendor's mind. She had encountered Hugo 2.0 as she was working, and agreed that Hugo would be permitted to test a theory of his under her careful watch should she be able to convinvce Reylendor to go through with the tests. Reylendor was hesitant in the beginning - fearing that things could go terribly, but Feyjin persuaded him that if it did go right - he would finally have peace of mind.   

On the day of the experiment, two members of the Mouth - Ehlori and Aedion, volunteered to hold up a Circle of Protection to let Feyjin work inside while keeping the others safe. Amira the Goliath and Watcher the Rabbit kept an eye on things. Once Reylendor and Feyjin entered the circle - Feyjin began reciting the Prayer of Communication, her body contorting as she brought Att-Annalo forth from Reylendor. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her body sweat and contorted profusely as Att-Annalo was brought into sight within its vessel - looking amused. When Feyjin finished, she had to warn Hugo to stay out of the Circle - neither of them knew what the entity was capable of in this state. The entity crooned in Deep Speech, stating its vessel feared destruction. Hugo then steps forward to the edge of the circle, donning his crow mask and almost becoming foreign to Feyjin - his demeanor giving the essence of cruelty and malice incarnate. In that moment Feyjin realized that she was now between two powerhouses - each with the ability to destroy this room and everyone in it.   

''Att-Annalo tilts it’s head, it’s face a mask of pure neutrality. It speaks in a voice low enough to rumble the room, something sinister lurking beneath the words uttered in Deep Speech.'' “You call me here, yet I think you have little idea for. This vessel fears destruction, but I have no desire for such trivial things.” ''It looks at Hugo and speaks in common in a tone that almost perfectly mimics Reylendor'', “Silent and I have an accord. You should only fear me as much as you fear them.”   

''The vessel of Att-Annalo's eyes narrow at the threat.''   

''Att-Annalo appears to have grown bored, uninterested in the Warlock.'' “No, I don’t particularly care.”   

''Suddenly, the effects of the circle appear to grow dull. Att-Annalo tilts its head again''. “Do you have ears, Hugo Clarion? I am no parasite. When I take control, I service my own means, which have naught to do with the destruction of anything. I have no interest in wanton death. You have called me here to ask that I continue as I am?”

''Without warning, Att-Annalo lets go and Reylendor comes back to the surface, his eyes turning their normal green again. He stumbles forward, tripping out of the circle and landing on his knees with a painful crunch.''

”No your not allowed to leave yet! “ ''Hugo presents a symbol of Att-Annalo to keep the being present.'' “Feyjin we are running out of time!”

''In Primordial Hugo begins to recite a variation of the prayer which is to serve to pull forth and bind the entity, aiding Feyjin's command. It takes a moment for the spells to settle, the eyes of Reylendor and Att-Annalo flickering as they fight for control. But eventually, it is successful in holding the Elder God's entity within the vessel. Hugo mutters in Primordial'' “As you are bound to this vessel you are at our command - otherwise your sanctuary of life shall serve as a prison of flesh. To flee is to submit. Bow and you shall live to walk the plane once again in the vessel that is Reylendor.”

''Reylendor’s eyes fade again as Att-Annalo takes control once more.'' “You call again? I believed we were done.”

Hugo, failing against the strain of Att-Annalo's presence, mutters to the halfling. “ Its all up to you Feyjin.” ''Hugo then removes the mask, his face covered in sweat, before he passes out.''

''Att-Annalo stares at Hugo’s fallen body with a rather unimpressed expression. It sighs in a way that mimics Reylendor.'' “Such… dramatics? And for what? To threaten to burn down anything and everything in the way of his own ambition. How very… un-amusing.” ''It looks to Feyjin.'' “Now, perhaps we can finally speak. That is what you want, is it not?”  

''Feyjin's nose starts to bleed from the constant exposure of Att-Annalo's presence.''

”I find myself rather tired of many who claim to be my worshippers. Perhaps you possess greater insight than others? So…” ''Att-Annalo shifts. Reylendor’s body twists and bends, bones and muscles collapsing in on themselves. His form distorts and shrivers into a husk before expanding and taking on new, shorter limbs. He looks almost identical to Feyjin’s deceased older brother: if Feyjin’s brother had eyes with pupils that split and reformed every other second.'' “…What do you wish to ask of me?” ''His voice is distorted, like multiple people speaking at once. One voice among the many, a faint dying sound, is just like her brother’s.''

''Apparently having had his fill of just watching, Watcher the rabbit leaps off of Feyjin’s desk. He staggers under Att-Annalo’s presence, but keeps going—and hops onto Feyjin’s shoulder. It whispers to Feyjin, and though it’s words are in Sylvan, they can somehow be understood.'' “Light that harbors the dark. Fated twining of souls. Reach against the strain. To know inner sorrow Is to triumph in life.”  

''The heady scent of caramelized carrots fills the room, though the only creature affected by it… is Att-Annalo. It loses concentration over its transformation and morphs back into Reylendor. Reylendor’s eyes flicker between dull and vibrant and Att-Annalo stumbles back, stepping back into the circle and trying to keep its will from being crushed under the smell of carrots. Watcher stands as tall as a rabbit can on Feyjin’s shoulder. It speaks to Feyjin again, in a Sylvan that is somehow comprehensible.'' “Reylendor told me you had the strength of a Druid’s heart, and I think it so. It’s heart, however, is in pieces.” ''Watcher calls out,'' “Reylendor! It’s time for you to wake up and help!” ''At that moment, Reylendor’s eyes shift to their normal shade for just a moment so he can nod at Feyjin with fierce determination.''

''Feyjin takes this opportunity to finish what she came for, deciding with a heavy heart that answers can wait.'' "Has been for years. Still is." ''She moves quickly, finishing the final ritual.'' "I find that a heart shatters like glass when it's light is ripped away." ''The ritual forces Feyjin to her knees, ears and nose bleeding from the sheer force and adamantine-will that she puts behind her magic, shaking the entire PotP in a shockwave. There are tears streaming down her face, knowing that she will have to go unknowing of her brother's status within the collective of Att-Annalo, potentially never being able to ever free her brother from it's clutches. Her eyes turn to a amber-gold, hair floating on a phantom wind.'' "You will answer to me one day, Slaughterer of the Lost. I will tear you from your throne and show you what happens to fools who take from those who are dragon-hearted. And if you ever take from me again, Att-Annalo, I will shred worlds apart to hunt you down and devour you whole. For though I am a mortal scorned, I will call upon a Frozen Dawn to cast the deepest shadows into the cleansing light of time primordial. You have been warned, Shadow-Stalker - for you are not the only one who is striving to walk into this plane." ''She then completes the final prayer, the deepest cold, wind, and light of a thousand frozen stars flooding the room as she seals him away - collapsing on the ground as the room shrouds in darkness.''

''Att-Annalo crumples to the ground. Reylendor’s body remains unmoving for several moments. Watcher bounds over and thumps on Reylendor’s stomach, making him jolt awake with a cough. He looks around the room, unsure of anything that’s happened, when it all abruptly comes flowing back to him. Every moment of the ritual plays out in his mind, making him clutch his head. Try as though he might, he can’t tune any of it out. Att-Annalo’s voice isn’t lurking in the background whispering anymore. Instead of a sinister chorus of whispers, he hears his own voice echoing inside his head… and what it says is both deeply troubling and oddly relieving. The fear of what lurks inside his skull steadily drains, being replaced by calm sense of knowing. He knows that his own will hasn’t triumphed over this piece of Att-Annalo’s. No. Instead… they’ve become one. As Att-Annalo did earlier, Reylendor stands, dusts himself off, and casts Spare the Dying on all the unconscious, one by one. A faintly purple, yet radiant light descends on the bodies of Feyjin, Hugo, and the other Mouth members. Watcher looks between Reylendor and Feyjin, and though he has the face of a rabbit, he appears faintly proud.''  

”I assume he told you about some hearts being trickier to find than others? If my heart has truly been hidden away, it happened when my soul merged with Att-Annalo’s. My guess is that you’ll have to venture into my own soul scape to find it.”

Reylendor nodded, ”I’m certain. If there’s anything I can do to even begin reversing a fraction of the damage Att-Annalo’s done, then I have to do it. Besides, I would trust no one more than my fellow Protectors to enter my soul.”