Ithyssraya Vineheart the Seeker of Spiritual Symmetry, Elder Prophet of the Light

Role

Chapter 10

The most significant experience was her argument with Valarien over the
dismissal of a young scribe. Ithyssraya felt betrayed at the Cardinal's
unilateral decision and spent many days trying to reconcile her own desire for
those of the Golden Sun to have an unbreakable bond. Here too, she faced
betrayal. Valarien was Tsalhssa in the form of an elf, and bitterness gripped
Ithyssraya's heart. Dohri, Rexan, and Azorinne all reminded her of the lessons
she was quick to cite, but equally quick to forget. Their relationship remains
tenuous, and she has vowed to find a way to work together with the Cardinal in
the future.

Ithyssraya worries for Dohri's happiness in the Fortress. She dates the
azure-touched bard and healer of the wicked, Shakiniel. She also dislikes
fighting in a group versus a single wicked soul, and Ithyssraya fears that
Dohri will end up pulled between two sides of her heart. In brighter news,
Rexan continues to be a source of inspiration and joy, and Ithyssraya finds
herself drawn to him. Her feelings towards him have shifted to infatuation,
but she would never admit that openly.

Role

Chapter 9

Valarien: "I know you at your heart and in all ways you feel fragile"
Ithyssraya: "A piece of thin glass is fragile. I am an oak tree in the bog
that swallows a thousand corpses. I endure. I am not fragile, Valarien
Atar'Eiurfea."


Through dedicated effort and the company of Rexan and Dohri, Ithyssraya found
some of the pieces of herself that were left in the bog. She wrote of the
season of Winter and the ways that suffering could infect and choke out the
brightest bastion of Light. Instead of reacting to every situation with calm
and composure, she allowed some of her spirited nature - and the argumentative
side that only Tsalhssa had seen - to be leveraged against the wicked and
balanced alike. While Acolytes are to be fair of tongue and act, Ithyssraya
fights to maintain the lessons of the swamp. In a place where are all equally
likely to die to the elements, truth must be spoken clearly and without
regret.

The Godfather of Voralian City - Rexan - fell twice to the midnight dragon
while with Ithyssraya. His easygoing nature and bravery in the face of death
reminded her that Weh need not be placed on a pedestal to be appreciated and
learned from. Sometimes the cycle continued without signs in the stars, and
that is the way of the world. She found deep inspiration in Rexan, and
channeled this into poetry that spoke of his courage and the duality of his
nature as an earnest and merciful squire.

Role

Chapter 8

"I think part of me is eroding in the Fortress. Every day, little bits are
freezing in the snow" - Ithyssraya


Ithyssraya has spent many years in the Fortress of Light. Her journey took her
from scribe to Acolyte to a position of leadership. As her heart thawed to
those outside her village, she trusted a select few with the secrets of her
past. Her dear friend - Vlijerous - was none too pleased at the thought that
she could fall to the curse. In his frustration, he prayed to Azorinne for a
cure. In her panic, Ithyssraya did much of the same, hoping to reassure the
Captain.

The version of her that saw death in every shadow and creature had dulled as a
result of her time as an Acolyte. She spent long hours trying to encourage
those around her - speaking of Light and Sra. Weh was entirely neglected, and
her heart found an escape in the joys of reckless combat with the wicked.
Thoughts of Tsalhssa often entered her mind and every whisper of Morius' name
caused her heart to ache and scream out for the swamps and the connection to
Weh that she neglected. Instead of facing the pain and searching for a way to
find her sister, she redoubled her efforts to serve the Fortress. In her
heart, she knew that loving a fallen soul was not permitted. Worse still, she
knew that her connection with Tsalhssa slipped further each day. Would they
even recognize each other?

Ithyssraya drifted from her faith and ignored that too - choosing to confide
only in Vlijerous. After the incident with her incurable curse, he has been
more distant than before. Ithyssraya mourns the loss of the relationship they
had, though she would still do anything to go back to their relationship
before she spoke of her past. Her goddess found her within the home of her
people and beckoned her to the drowned altar. While there, Ithyssraya
confronted Wood-and-Bones and her memories of Martrylr. Being born under the
star of Death did not mean that she needed to be a crone in the Fortress. She
pledged to pick up the shattered pieces of herself and return to who she had
been before.

Role

Chapter 7

"If I am broken, I will claim my pound of flesh from the untainted. I will not
suffer quietly." - Tsalhssa


When Ithyssraya finally tracked down her sister ten years later, it was clear
that the curse had driven a stake between them. What was once a hole filled
with pain and confusion was now an uncrossable chasm. For old times sake,
Tsalhssa agreed to speak over tea.

Ithyssraya lead by begging. She had years to ruminate on the fact that Sra
still bloomed in the swamp flowers around the villages. Sra pounded from their
hearts, choked as they were. Each rehearsed word and example fell upon deaf
ears. Tsalhssa was unimpressed. She posed her own questions in response,

"Don't you see US in those skeletons? Will Sra matter to you then? I know your
heart, Ithyss. I know why you cry. Weh strangles your soul as it does mine."

For a long moment, Ithyssraya was overcome by Weh. She could feel the slow
progression of her muscles atrophying in the frigid cold, starting with her
scarred leg. She could see the skeleton beneath her sister's scales and was
overcome by the inevitability of it all. Sra led to Weh. Weh was the end.
There would be a point where the cycle stopped, and none of it would matter.
Despair morphed to fear, and Ithyssraya recoiled from her sister. This time,
she was the one that fled.

As she ran through the swamps, heedless of her own wellbeing, Ithyssraya saw
more Weh than Sra. Her nostrils were assailed with the fetid air that carried
the scent of a decaying alligator. She saw spiderwebs among the cypress - and
knew them to be the final resting place for a myriad of insects. When she
returned to the K'sra Village, she heard the voices of Tsalhssa and her mother
rise up in unison to plague her,

"There is no Sra without Weh."

For the first time in her life, Ithyssraya looked towards the horizon and saw
the swamp as a nexus of death and decay.
"Sra. Weh. Inseparable and entwined. Though I am broken, I will find a way to
save us both." - Ithyssraya


As Ithyssraya made her way to the new Saurian Village in the weald, others
confided in her that Tsalhssa had found her faith as a rageful shaman of
Morius. Her sister now lived somewhere near Seantryn, as far from Ysigrath as
the winds could carry her. Ithyssraya struggled greatly with her own path.
Every breath was difficult, and she found herself swaying towards the allure
of Weh, then back to Sra.

After years of turmoil, Sra won out. Though her nightmares brought her to
tears, Ithyssraya pledged herself to saving her sister. The curse would not be
allowed to claim them. If it did, Ithyssraya wished to live like her mother
did - fighting until the end. She pledged herself to the Fortress of the
Light, keeping her troubled past as a deeply guarded secret from all.

Role

Chapter 6

"Do you wonder about her last moments, Ithyss? Do you think her heart cried
out for freedom when her soul was bound the bog?" - Tsalhssa


The Elders knew. The curse of the vine-choked heart had been passed down in
their family through generations. Some of her kin had left to the Sz'weh
Village, and they were left to pursue their lives in worship of Weh. Many had
died as their mother had - overcome with malaise, despair, and a suffocating
depression that tinged the world the color of algae. The Elders explained that
their father had known of the curse and fallen in love with mother against the
wishes of his own family. He had stayed by her side through it all, promising
that he would find the spark that would give her the will to continue on.

When her mother left for the deepest reaches of the swamp without her
children, the village fell still. When her father had said his goodbyes to his
family and friends, the village began to mourn. When the couple did not
return, the collective raised the two orphan girls and prayed to the Gods and
Goddesses of Light that the curse would skip this generation.

Tsalhssa left the Elder's hut without saying a word to those who had raised
her. When they returned to their small home, Tsalhssa's anger was drawn to her
extremities as she lashed out at their home, breaking anything she could
touch. Ithyssraya sat in the corner, catatonic and cold. Beyond her, Tsalhssa
screamed about death and vengeance. Her once-joyful sister shattered into more
pieces than Ithyssraya could put back together.

As Tsahlssa began to pack her belongings for a final time, Ithyssraya spoke
up, her voice hollow and pained,

"There's still beauty here. We've still got each other."

Silence.

"Please don't leave me, Tsal."

More silence, and then a reply floated in the space between them. Her sister's
voice was overtaken by pain and heartache as she spoke,

"I'm not leaving you, Ithyss, -you're- choosing to wither away here. Sra is a
comforting lie."

Role

Chapter 5

Tsalhssa and Ithyssraya apologized to each other and focused their joint
energy on how they would confront the Elders. Forty-seven days after they had
left home, the sisters returned to the K'sra Village bathed in the midday sun.

Role

Chapter 4

Ithyssraya: "We have lived together. Are we fated to die together?"
Tsalhssa: Those questions are pointless. The real question is: when our time
comes, will we follow in their footsteps?"

With their relationship and bodies nearing the breaking point, Tsalhssa
occupied herself by straying further from their makeshift camp to hunt and
gather supplies. Ithyssraya tended to her wounds and snuck the remnants of her
dinner to the two young raccoons that remained. Days passed as Ithyssraya's
leg began to mend.

It had been nearly sixteen hours since Ithyssraya heard from Tsalhssa. After
two hours of imagining every horrid scenario possible, Ithyssraya grabbed some
crutches she had fashioned out of bullrush and whittled cypress branches. As
she managed to get to her feet, she spotted her sister running through the
swamp, screaming. The Elders had spoken of the folly of running through the
swamp since they were old enough to understand the concept. Hasty movement
would cause a complete loss of direction at best, a broken angle if you were
unlucky, or a swift death at worst.

Tsalhssa made it back to the camp, gasping for breath. She coughed and
trembled while clutching her chest, and her words came out in a panicked
wheeze, "Ithyss, I found her."

There was no questioning who Tsalhssa had found. The Elders had revealed the
fact that their parents bodies were never recovered from the swamp. This
wasn't atypical - given that many warriors of the village had died in the past
trying to recover the corpses of their loved ones.

The journey to the hollowed-out cypress tree took three agonizing nights.
Ithyssraya's leg bled constantly, but she insisted they push onward. Tsalhssa
argued it once, but then refocused her energy on finding one tree among
thousands. When they neared the roots of the tree, Tsalhssa held out her fist,
but Ithyssraya ignored her. She had waited her whole childhood for this
moment, and no one would stop her. When she peered past the weathered trunk of
the tree, Ithyssraya saw something she never expected.

She had assumed that her mother might have crawled into the tree alone and
succumbed to the same injury that killed their father. Instead, she was met
with the skeletons of her parents, arms around each other, with a pair of
rusted hunting knives at their feet. A knotted leather cord around her
mother's spine held a stone pendant with the sigil of their family. There was
no mistaking which corpses sat within the tree.

Ithyssraya collapsed against the roots of the tree and sunk into the muck.
Behind her, Tsalhssa grasped her shoulder and remained silent.

How does one come to terms with the fact that their parents died like that?
The beetles crawling over the rusted blades were etched into Ithyssraya's
memories. Visions of dying raccoons and her mother's screaming voice haunted
the long trek back to the village.

Role

Chapter 3

Bitter arguing ensued as Tsalhssa screamed about Weh and -their- survival:
"The raccoons are already dead. Do you wish us to follow them? Don't you think
about what could have killed the deer? It's still out here while you sob over
what could have been our dinner." The daylight hours passed in silence as
another broken family found shelter near the corpse of the deer.

Role

Chapter 2

Ithyssraya: "We're still alive, aren't you happy for that?"
Tsalhssa: "How close to breaking must you get to admit that we are suffering?"

The sisters had spent their youth training in two different paths. Ithyssraya
was an expert in the creation of poultices and tinctures, while Tsalhssa had
trained in hunting and the use of spears. Unlike her clumsy sister, Tsalhssa
-never- tripped in the mud.

Even after months of planning, their carefully selected supplies and
determined attitudes were no match for the wetlands. Disaster struck quickly
and often, using the ferocity of a water moccasin to chisel away at their
spirits. The sisters suffered from fungus that attacked their scaled legs,
broken weaponry, and a dwindling stock of food and water.

Ithyssraya remained upbeat and pointed out the lyrebirds and owls in the trees
to her sister, "They must be here to bless us on our journey. We would see
vultures overhead if we were truly doomed". Tsalhssa was prone to anger and
replied with a terse quip about how she couldn't spear an owl, so they were
clearly useless. As the days dragged on, the sun that hung over their heads
sapped their strength. Tsalhssa declared that they would only travel at night
and would need to further conserve their rations.

Before long, the rumbling of their stomachs drowned out the birdsong and
chirping of crickets. Each step was a hard-fought battle against the mud, and
Ithyssraya followed her sister with tears in her eyes. There were no tinctures
for despair.

When the sisters found a corpse of a dead deer, they feared the worst.
Tsalhssa checked the remaining strips of flesh that clung to the skeleton in a
vain attempt to discern what new threats awaited them. Ithyssraya was drawn to
the ribcage of the beast where small mewling sounds revealed a litter of young
raccoons. Smiling brightly into the night sky, Ithyssraya called for her
sister. Owls and vultures be damned. These raccoons were a blessed sign of
Sra. The raccoons thrived in the presence of Weh, finding a home in the
harshest of conditions. It was symbolic and strikingly beautiful.

Before Ithyssraya could move or yell out, Tsalhssa had readied her spear.
Swift jabs skewered the small raccoons to the corpse of the deer, killing them
instantly. Panicked and taken with a rush of emotion, Ithyssraya threw herself
in front of the two raccoons that her sister had yet to harm. Tsalhssa was
able to redirect her spear at the last second to avoid a mortal blow, but the
spear found a home in the muscles of Ithyssraya's thigh.

An hour later, blood seeped from the poorly bandaged wound as Ithyssraya
keened over the loss of the raccoons. Feral anger filled her broken heart, and
she demanded that Tsalhssa bury their only source of dinner.

Role

Chapter 1

(TW: Very sad roles. Mentions of suicide.)

"I will not waste time on daydreams. Predators do not hope, Ithyssraya. They
hunt." - Tsalhssa


Ithyssraya and Tsalhssa grew up within the K'sra Village of Ysigrath. While
many of their kin had already migrated to the Saurian Village in the Weald,
the sisters stayed near to the beating heart of the wetlands. They were both
taught of Sra and the value of life from a young age. Every hour spent in
their humid environs was a chance for another lesson on the bounties of their
home. Elders spoke of the symbiotic relationships between the cattails and the
juvenile bass that sought protection among the fast-growing plants. The
rangers of their village could not cast nets into the cattails, but hundreds
of bass could not thrive in such conditions. Eventually, the bass' were forced
to venture towards the deeper waters where alligators and other predators
thrived. As Ithyssraya and Tsalhssa grew older, they too were encouraged to
push their boundaries and journey farther from their village home.

While adventurers from the cities saw the swamp as a stagnant and dizzying
hellscape, the sisters found no shortage of adventure in the wilds. They would
spend hours stalking egrets only to have the birds fly away as Ithyss lost her
footing in the muddy soil. These forays were always tinged with a hint of
sadness, as their parents had died to the perils of the swamp while they were
still young.

Both Ithyss and Tsal were curious about their parents, and the village held
few answers. From the few stories they collected, their mother had been a
strange woman who struggled to fight off sickness and malaise. The Elders of
the village often whispered of a curse in their bloodline when they thought
the sisters were asleep. The mentions of this 'vine-choked heart' curse
increased in frequency as they reached adolescence. If they dared mention it
to the others of the tribe, their inquires were met hushed silence and
concerned looks. After years of seeking out answers, the sisters decided to
venture to the heart of the swamp where their parents were rumored to have
perished. They left under the light of the crescent moon - sneaking past the
huts of the Elders to venture into a den of predators.

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