video; dated to about an hour after everyone returns

[brightdawn]

[Koltira just doesn't know what happened. One minute he was sitting down, taking a break, peeling an apple--and then, suddenly, abruptly, he was here. He had not even heard someone mutter a spell, though he could see Merriel practicing on the lawns just beyond the temple's terrace. Perhaps something had gone astray. Something had definitely gone awry.

He's in some kind of woods, that much is clear, but he has no sense of them as he does in Quel'thalas. The trees feel foreign, damaged, sick. The dark sky roils with clouds, and the wind is a sharp, cold bite on his neck. He takes a few steps in one direction, then a few in another, and then he finally notices the other Koltira's tablet--blinking and murmuring on the ground. Koltira picks it up, presses some buttons.

The video eventually clicks on. The face it shows the network is familiar, but still markedly different than what anyone might remember of Koltira Deathweaver. His skin is healthy, sanguine tone; fair and free of cracks. An easy smile (albeit somewhat bemused) marks his handsome features, and while his eyes are still blue, they lack the cold fire of undeath. This is the blue of summer morning, warm and inviting.

His armor is something else, too. The video shows part of it--it's polished plate, pale blue and worked with ornate gold filigree. He has a broadsword strapped to his back, and the jeweled hilt mimics a stylized set of phoenix wings. A far cry from the dreadplate, from the ominous Byfrost.

When he speaks, his voice is friendly and smooth, lacking any of the guttural scratch it suffered from in undeath. Because, of course, this is Koltira before all of that.]

I have to say, this is the strangest scrying device I've ever seen. If it even is that; I suppose I could very well be talking to myself. But it does seem like something is transmitting.

[he shrugs. Well, anyway.]

If anyone can hear me on this, could you let me know? My name is Koltira, by the way. I'm usually guarding the temple An'owyn, but I think my friend Merriel may have tried a teleportation spell on me and gotten it a bit wrong.

[He beams, winningly.]

I'm sure it will all sort itself out eventually! But, in the meantime, I need to find my way out of these dreadful woods. Any help would be most appreciated.

[ooc: PRETEND HIS EYES ARE BLUE in these icons ...

ALSO LIZ TOLD ME TO POST THIS. SO I DID.]

Comments

video

[healplz]

[ what is.. what..... he spends some time just watching this, starts to speak a few times, and pauses. but! third time is the charm, and he finally manages: ]

...Koltira?

[ look at that he is just a fount of wit and quick reactions ]

[brightdawn]

[heey, this thing does work! He grins broadly at this new face. A human, eh? Well, they're all right.]

Bal'a dash, malanore. You've the right of my name. It may sound unusual to human ears, but I've always been rather fond of it.

[healplz]

[ well, if there was every any remaining need for the "do you remember me?" after that post, this response definitely does away with it. ]

No, forgive me, I... [ omg wat do. He rub a hand over his face, but forces a smile when he drops it again. ] I am Ashraf Salib, as it is apparent you will not remember that.

[brightdawn]

[bewildered.]

Should I? I haven't been to many human kingdoms. It's a full-time job to look after the temple, unfortunately!

[moralperil]

[And there's this guy, who never understands the wider implications of such things.]

Hi Koltira! You look different.

Like, not --

[Wait wait wait WAIT. At least Mahdi's smart enough not to say 'not dead.']

Um, how are you feeling?

[brightdawn]

[Confusion reigns. Perhaps this human mistakes him for someone else? He just shrugs it off, still smiling, though his tone is obviously puzzled.]

I'm so sorry, but I don't believe we've met before.

[moralperil]

Oh. [That's a lot of smiling. One can almost hear the soft clicks of gears moving into place.] I guess we haven't.

I'm Mahdi! Are you doing okay? Did someone explain to you what this place is?

text

[slingshots]

cool ears

[brightdawn]

[He squints at the text. Eh? Seems like a compliment, though ... ]

Ah--thanks! We all have them back home. Kind of a race-wide thing.

[slingshots]

yeah we got ears too
mostly

not usually that long, tho

[Video]

[hornedomen]

[Well, it was possible that there was another elf named Koltira. No, that could not be the case. He knew those eyes.]

Koltira! What happened to you?

[brightdawn]

[He closes one eye. What a curious little -- human? Maybe, maybe not. Those horns ...]

Nothing more than the usual, I hope! Spellcasting is a tricky business, you know; I really can't fault Merriel for her mistake. Though I do hope she fixes it soon ...

[hornedomen]

Merriel? Is she the one that ended the curse?

[text]

[stonefaith]

[ Oh.

Sober, it doesn't take him very long to puzzle things together, take what little he knows of the Initiative's capabilities and come to a logical conclusion. Bariyan's been here a while. He's seen people come and go -- and, less often, come back again. Sometimes different.

This early on, he assumes that's what happened.

It doesn't take him long to reach that conclusion. It takes him longer to come to terms with it.

Also, he has to fix that 'sober' thing first. ]

hello, koltira.

Have you found your way out yet?

[brightdawn]

[Cheerfully.] Not quite yet! I know the forests of Quel'thalas like my own hand, but there's a different character here entirely. Still, if I know one thing about trees, it's that they do eventually end.

[stonefaith]

keep heading eastwards if you're looking for the city proper. one of the cities. There's another if you head northeast. only ruins if you go in just about any other direction.

video

[latkje]

A temple guard, huh?

[brightdawn]

[More humans! There must be a human settlement nearby.]

That's correct. An'owyn plays an important role in keeping the main city safe. It's well-shielded, but we try to stay vigilant, nevertheless.

[latkje]

I've a feeling it means something a bit different, where I'm from.

video

[theguideless]

[..............,.,,



stare long enough, things out-of-focus fix themselves. right?]

video

[brightdawn]

[noPE.

Koltira looks back at this curious child, his smile as warm as ever.]

Bal'a dash, young one.

[theguideless]

[B

UT...


a frownier frown, and a kind-of squintier squint. you are not Koltira because you would have made a rly sad face and shut off the feed.]

...What happened?

Video

[totallytrustworthy]

Jesus Christ--

[Hello bbTira, meet bbChloe, and she's currently staring at those eyes-- those ears-- that everything]

Quite a makeup job someone's done on you.

[brightdawn]

[Listen, lady, his name is neither Jesus nor Christ!!]

Pardon me? I wear no makeup, my lady.

[totallytrustworthy]

....ha, that's funny. You can't really be serious, can you? What with the ears and eyes and-- I mean, you're not really a--

[Are you?]