Kindred Hearts, Protective Spirits

Though Shy flinched the pebble made only a tiny almost melodic bloip when it hit the water, the resulting waves spreading out beautifully like a work of art. It didn't detract from the serenity of the Shrine.

And when it stilled again, as it by magic, there indeed was a vision of the creatures who were awaiting the Vessel, also looking into its surface from the opposite side. Two shimmering lights that quickly darted through the Vessel and emerged to either side of them in new forms.

What a beautiful place! And I'm so happy to meet you. I hope we can be friends

Yes, as am I. A new beginning for the both of us.

The other two, both Gargoyles, let the much, much smaller creatures get clear before they approached as well. The larger of the two simply stroked a hand down Shy's horns, adding the image of her hugging and taking care of the Vessel like a mother, while the smaller second one grinned broadly. Though he only gave an image of the pair arm-in-arm there was definitely a sense of 'us against the world' in the image.

Bond!
She Prayed for a Thousand Years Female Angel Familiar, Kiyoko, The Once- Cursed Nobleman Male Scholar Familiar, Priam, The Mothering Sort Female Shield Gargoyle, and Us Little Guys, we Stick Together Right? Male Guardian Gargoyle to Shy!

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She Prayed for a Thousand Years Female Angel Familiar, Kiyoko

Mindspeech: Italics #88d096

Another time, another place, another world. A place beset by a plague of a sort, a dark curse that infected unsuspecting people and twisted them into horrible monsters. Specially trained individuals were the only ones who could battle them, though they couldn't save the victims of this curse. Only very special people chosen by the heavens could purify those poor souls and return them to their former selves: maidens of special purity in body, mind, and spirit. One was born every several years and both monsters and heroes hunted for them for obvious reasons. But it wasn't just that these maidens could cleanse the possessed.

They also were chosen to potentially end the curse entirely though the cost was high: spend a thousand years in heaven, in isolation, praying for those of the world. By this the plague would be banished forever! But each girl when faced with the ultimate point of no return balked at paying that price. There was too much in the world that they stood to loose from family, friends, lovers, possessions, or were simply too afraid. So though they could help things for a time they never stopped it.

Then as a teenager Kiyoko found herself facing a boarding school friend, possessed by the curse. In desperation she prayed and a brilliant light surrounded her, bursting out in all directions. She fainted and when she awoke her friend was by her side, restored. Within a week she was gathering new adventurer friends - a holy warrior, a healer, a nobleman scholar, and a mercenary fighter - and traveling the nation purifying those afflicted. She was hailed as a hero, a Godsend, a blessing. Through all their adventures Kiyoko became very close to all of them as they helped her, listened to her troubles, spoke to her about their own troubles, and protected her.

Then she came to her final choice after uncovering a bitter, terrible truth: the nobleman who had been traveling with her was far older than the young adult he seemed. He was a physical host, a conduit, for the entity that was the source of the plague. Though he cared greatly for her he had no choice in the matter: he'd been seeking out the chosen maidens for centuries, befriending them then trying to persuade them to refuse to pray for a thousand years. Before their very eyes he transformed into a strange hybrid of himself and a cursed being, his voice warping and twisting as he spoke. Using ancient magic he whisked both of them to a place between the worlds where he asked her a single question: What is your choice?

With tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, Kiyoko answered him: "I will gladly pray for the world."

The Cursed Nobleman was shocked. He questioned her again and again, pointing out everything she stood to loose forever because though time would stand still for her it would not for everyone else. Everyone she knew would be dead, the world changed beyond recognition. But she stood firm. Even if she never saw them again knowing she was ensuring they would have much more peaceful lives would be worth it. The demon screamed, then vanished leaving the Nobleman behind, finally free. They barely had time to exchange a few words - his shocked that she was so willing and her asking him to pass on a few final words to the others - then he was returned to their world and she… was never seen again though stories of her legend and her heroism were told over and over for ages untold.

Now a thousand years have passed. Her debt is paid, and in thanks she's been given a new life on Teragaia. A chance to find new friends, new family, and new adventures in a new body. It's a gift she's very grateful for especially when a familiar spirit joined her.

Though physically she has changed Kiyoko's heart and personality hasn't altered a bit. She's warm and gentle and kindly to a fault. She's self-sacrificing for the greater good of those she loves and though not really a warrior she isn't afraid to do what she can when conflict erupts even if it's just carrying supplies or helping the wounded to safety. Sometimes she'll share stories about her past but it's always a bittersweet topic. Memories of the past don't stop her from cherishing the present and anticipating the future with joy. Is there any wonder why she would gravitate to Shy, who once faced down terrible creatures to help save people they'd just met but already deeply befriended even at a personal cost?

About the size of a housecat Kiyoko is a creature of pure fantasy. Mostly pristine white with shades of blue and gold for accents, her round body is covered in ultra-soft fur. She has two pairs of wings, one pair feathered and one pair that resemble flowing cloth. She has no legs to speak of though she can hover indefinitely so it's not really an issue. Her long, silky tail starts white then faces into various shades of blue. A short, ivory horn is set above a sky blue diamond between her equally blue eyes and golden eyebrows. A golden collar gleams with a celestial light, a remembrance of Kiyoko's time praying for a world and the gratitude of the heavens.

((Picture not mine - found on Pinterest))

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The Once- Cursed Nobleman Male Scholar Familiar, Priam

Mindspeech: Bold #44304e

Another time, another place, another world. A family of great wealth had one son, the heir-apparent to a name holding influence and power. But wealth, power, and prestige can only get one so many things in the world. Priam found that he was restless, filled with a longing for… something! He traveled, studied, participated in foreign courts, adventured and sampled the rarest of cuisine and everything that money could buy. Nothing appeased his desires. Then one day he suffered an accident while boating, falling into the waves and sinking so deep down that he thought for sure he would drown. But he didn't - something found him there in the deeps, a presence that not only saved his life but offered him everything he could ever ask for. All he had to do was allow the presence to come with him to the surface. It seemed like a simple thing, so ease, and he didn't want to die.

Looking back on it Priam wishes he would have drowned for what his agreement cost so many. Priam became the Host for a being that sought death and destruction, and it started by destroying Priam's entire family and the heritage they had built up to be his legacy. For the next several centuries Priam was the puppet of the being. He acted as it's silent agent as it sent it's dark energy into the world to possess and corrupt, sewing destruction. What Priam's purpose was to seek out the maidens chosen by the heavens to defeat it, befriend them, gain their confidence, then undermine their willingness to pray for a thousand years to save the world. Though he tried to resist at first he was tormented by nightmares and flashbacks to when he nearly drowned only he was susceptible to all the sensations he experienced at the time with no release of death. Eventually Priam's spirit broke and he simply went along with it, living decade after decade never aging a day and with no hope of release. Every time he found a heavenly maiden he did the being's bidding and every time he was successful.

Until he met Kiyoko. She touched his heart in a way that no other maiden had, warming it and restoring life to his hope. She was simply so good and pure that he began dared dream that maybe she would triumph. He even dared to resist when he was supposed to start hampering her progress though the nightmares didn't let him resist long. And when the final moment finally came and he revealed himself and his true purpose she didn't revile him as the others had nor tell him how much she hated him now. When they were whisked to that place between worlds there were tears in her eyes but not tears of hate. They were tears of affection and sympathy for his suffering. Then she said the words he'd hoped to hear for so long: "I will gladly pray for the world."

At last, he was free.

In their last moments she asked him to relay some sentiments and also told him that she didn't blame him. In this place she understood what transpired before to cause all this and what he'd suffered. She only asked that he be happy and perhaps occasionally think of her. Then he was returned to the normal world alone. To say that he never forgot about her would be an understatement; every day Priam thought about Kiyoko and her sacrifice, what she was doing every minute of every day and what she did for him. He perhaps out of everyone feels the depth of what she has done more keenly. In her honor he spent the remaining years of his life helping others everywhere he went.

Without the being's presence Priam aged naturally and eventually passed away, long before Kiyoko ever completed her prayers. It was the one regret he had that he never would see her again. Or so he believed. Fate or the gods or something had decided to give him a second chance at life in a new body with a familiar friend. What that life will become is now entirely up to him. But whatever it is he will do it at Kiyoko's side, determined to serve her for eternity if he can in gratitude.

Priam is quite a cultured Familiar. He has lost nothing of his nobility and carries himself with a quiet assurance and social graces that might be a bit offset from what some think when they hear Scholar Familiar. But Scholar he is, with a penchant for learning everything he can about the darker arts of magic. It might seem like a dangerous repeat of history but not so! He learns about them for the express purpose of countering such things, destroying wicked artifacts and providing valiant heroes with facts that can help them in any way. His ultimate goal is to never let such a thing as happened to him happen again to anyone. He hopes that he can help Shy better understand their Soul Magic and ensure that the potential for darkness inherent in many soul-relating magics doesn't come anywhere close to tainting the Vessel he calls his Bonded.

Priam's new form is a clear cross between a cat and a bat. He is a solid charcoal gray all over with no markings save for black lines tracing the 'fingers' of his wings. He wears gold cuffs on his wrists and around his tail as a nod to his noble heritage. As is normal for a Scholar Familiar his eyes are deep green but appear as solid orbs of color; they lack any whites or pupils. He is not blind however as his agility in the air and quick reading speed will attest to.

((Picture not mine - also found on Pinterest and with obviously different eyes and wing markings))

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The Mothering Sort Female Shield Gargoyle

Mindspeech: Color #44304e

Have you ever known someone who was just the perfect mother sort? Always taking care of those around them, having just the thing or trick for a problem, inquiring about your well-being and just in general acting like a mother? Well, Mothering Sort is exactly that kind of Gargoyle. From the time the Shield was a young one everyone around her knew it. She was always adopting lost animals and taking care of them and nurturing her friends even when they were older than she was. She pretended she was a mother and dreamed of the day she could start a family. She grew up and had a Chase… but there were no offspring. This happened several more times before she came to the terrible conclusion that she was infertile, never to bear children herself. For a time Mothering Sort was deeply depressed by this fact and wandered through the area looking for a purpose in life. Then she heard a call to come to the Shrine and saw Shy, and it all became clear: she may not be able to mother biological children but she could foster other children. And she's chosen Shy as one such Foster Child. She's happy to share them with Harper Rylan. Just don't mind her want to cuddle the Vessel or trying to offer food and other comforts every now and then.

Being five feet tall on the button Mothering Sort is just built to help carry Shy around here and there which she enjoys greatly. Her stony hide is reddish brown flecked with blue like a lander blue turquoise. Her warm eyes are golden specifically framed by lines of pea-sized blue spots and often scrunched from smiling.

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Us Little Guys, we Stick Together Right? Male Guardian Gargoyle

Mindspeech: Italics #ce6009

When you're small, and everyone around you is quite a bit bigger, even being made of stone is scarcely enough to keep you out of scrapes. It's not that Little Guys' family was mean to him, far from it. His clutch-mates just sometimes forgot he was much smaller than they were and played a little rough. There were no Guardians among them so Little Guys couldn't use their tactic of banding together against them. It also happened frequently that things would happen out of his view and he would have to pester those larger than himself to give him a boost or try to find a perch higher up and things were often placed out of his reach. Though a friendly fellow this admittedly has resulted in something of a inferiority complex when it comes to his height or the height of anyone also commonly seen as 'small' by others. See: Shy. At first glance Little Guys realized that Shy was in a similar boat to himself and instantly felt a kinship with them as a result. He's quite happy to stick up for them should someone make any short jokes (whether or not they actually do; he's a little touchy in that regard and sometimes mistakes a poor choice of words) or to help Shy when their height causes a problem. Because the little guys have to stick together, right?

Perhaps their meeting was fate. Shy is 3'4", Little Guys is 3'4". He is mottled black and white like a Zebra Jasper with bright amethyst eyes and little stub horns. His leaf-shaped nose is entirely white and he'[s often seen grinning.