{"id":31889,"date":"2023-02-24T11:56:43","date_gmt":"2023-02-24T16:56:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/?p=31889"},"modified":"2023-02-24T11:56:43","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T16:56:43","slug":"devaniel-the-newest-champion-of-the-void","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/devaniel-the-newest-champion-of-the-void\/","title":{"rendered":"Devaniel – The Newest Champion of the Void"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bonus Scene<\/strong>
\nDevaniel – The Newest Champion of the Void<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

While he had left the cold, dark dungeon behind, he was faced with something else entirely upon reaching the other side of Nyrshia\u2019s portal.\u00a0 Devaniel felt the hair on his arms stand on end, for the Void was otherworldly indeed.\u00a0 At first, the purple mist that poured through the place had him frozen in his tracks, the elven druid unsure which way to go.\u00a0 But as he grew familiar with his surroundings, he realized that he was in a tunnel of some sort, the walls looking almost cavernous.<\/p>\n

There was only one way to go, so he proceeded forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not too late to turn back,\u201d he heard, and when he spun about, he saw Nyrshia, the Keeper of the Void, there before him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that what the tapestry says I will do?\u201d Devaniel wondered.<\/p>\n

The mistress of time hummed, tilting her head as she considered his question.\u00a0 \u201cThere are still frays along the edges.\u00a0 Malegath\u2019s dungeon threw many things into disarray once it harnessed the power of the Void.\u00a0 I\u2019m not certain of myself right now, and I\u2019m wondering if the Void, as fickle as it is, is any better off than I.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will remain here, as I intended then,\u201d Devaniel insisted.\u00a0 \u201cIf the Void, or you, determine that I am to return to my own reality at some point in the future, so be it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re allowing the flow of time to take you, even if it cascades into other worlds,\u201d Nyrshia surmised. \u00a0\u201cYou may have been destined to find your way here, though I\u2019m sure our time in the Living Dungeon may have had some impact on that.\u201d\u00a0 She proceeded past him then, waving the elf on.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing we will have to ascertain is whether or not anything changed while I was gone.\u00a0 Time is not linear, and it may seem as though nothing could have changed, but a score of adventurers, heroes displaced by time and space, may have caused unexpected consequences. \u00a0Some of them may need to be adjusted, though others may have caused a break in the timeline that the Void deems necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Devaniel arched an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest.\u00a0 \u201cIs it possible that there is such a break that leaves me behind in my grove, even while another version of me has come here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s possible,\u201d Nyrshia replied.\u00a0 \u201cDo I detect a hint of regret in your voice?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNot regret, no.\u00a0 Perhaps a bit of worry that it won\u2019t thrive without my presence.\u00a0 But maybe it needed a change as well.\u00a0 Perhaps we both will find new ways forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Together, the pair made their way through the tunnels of the Void, until they reached a large antechamber with a collection of passageways that led in a multitude of directions.\u00a0 The mist grew thick there, but not so thick that they didn\u2019t see a face that was familiar to Nyrshia.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistress,\u201d the being, an othradel like Farroush, said with an accompanying bow.\u00a0 He noticed the other arrival, but paid him little heed, for he saw the subtle bumps and bruises that Nyrshia obtained in the Living Dungeon. \u00a0\u201cWere you\u2026gone long?\u201d he wondered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat depends on which entity you ask,\u201d the Keeper of the Void responded.\u00a0 \u201cIf you wanted to know what the Void believes, it was just a blink of an eye.\u00a0 But where we just were?\u00a0 There, it felt like a lifetime\u2014a stop in the past before I was ripped back into my present.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I see you were not the only one who experienced that,\u201d the othradel said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Devaniel,\u201d the elf said, extending his hand.\u00a0 \u201cLady Nyrshia and I fought on the same side, and I began feeling a new appreciation for the Void.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a time, the othradel simply stood there, judging the stranger as best he could.\u00a0 As weary and battered as Nyrshia looked, he wanted to make sure he understood the mettle of the fellow.\u00a0 Finally, though, he returned the gesture.\u00a0 \u201cI am Vedas, one of the lady\u2019s most trusted champions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you seen anything change in the Voidstream?\u201d Nyrshia asked then.\u00a0 \u201cWhile it was only a wink in the span of time, I fear there were some tears at the edges of the tapestry, and it needs to be mended.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vedas hummed and furrowed his brow.\u00a0 \u201cI did not see anything definitive, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut?\u201d the Keeper of the Void repeated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I would not know for sure.\u00a0 But one look might be all it took for you to confirm my suspicion.\u201d<\/p>\n

He spun about then, leading them away from that chamber through another pair of tunnels.\u00a0 Devaniel wondered if he would ever be able to acclimate to the labyrinthine structure of the place.<\/p>\n

Before long, they drew to another wide antechamber, the mist seeming to subside just enough for the elf to see the floating orbs that populated the room.\u00a0 Images flickered in each of the orbs, though no focus seemed to fix on any particular one.<\/p>\n

\u201cWinks in the span of time,\u201d Devaniel muttered as he drew close to one.<\/p>\n

\u201cCareful,\u201d Nyrshia instructed. \u00a0\u201cThe last person who was seduced by one of the Void orbs took the steps that led to the Living Dungeon gaining enough power to capture you and the others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you,\u201d Devaniel challenged, almost playfully.<\/p>\n

Nyrshia slowly spun on her heel, sending the elf a glance that had him feeling as though his legs would give way beneath him at once.\u00a0 But a bit of her humanity seemed to shine through, and she tilted her head just enough for Devaniel to notice the sardonic notes of her powerful stare.\u00a0 \u201cI am no stronger than the Void, certainly.\u00a0 And when its pull beckoned me to the Living Dungeon, I was helpless but to obey.\u00a0 You will be too if it is willed as such.\u201d<\/p>\n

The elf hummed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I have no desire to ever find myself in the dungeon again, but I\u2019ll do what I can to help the Void\u2014and you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour first steps will be to acclimate to it,\u201d Nyrshia said.\u00a0 She looked at Vedas, who grabbed hold of one of the orbs.\u00a0 \u201cMy champion here has no doubt noticed that the orbs look as though they\u2019ve grown.\u00a0 It\u2019s subtle, but it is present.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat could that mean?\u201d Devaniel wondered.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsider what you\u2019re seeing here, and tell me,\u201d Nyrshia said.<\/p>\n

Devaniel took hold of the orb that Vedas held toward him, looking at the flashing images before him.\u00a0 Every so often, one of the images would slow, and during that time, the elf saw that it was not just static pictures within the orb, but a lived life for whoever he could see there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are people\u2019s stories,\u201d he mused.\u00a0 \u201cAnd that means that\u2026if the orb has grown, there are more stories present here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly my theory,\u201d Vedas said, excited that someone else agreed with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems that the Void may already be making corrections of its own,\u201d Nyrshia said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not only continued the timelines for those who were taken by the dungeon, but it\u2019s made new ones for those who were able to escape.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNew branches on a growing tree,\u201d Devaniel surmised.<\/p>\n

Vedas lifted his hand.\u00a0 \u201cWe like to use a river metaphor here,\u201d he said in jest.<\/p>\n

The elf took the joke in kind, but he was distracted by the orb, intrigued by the idea that he could see a thousand lives and more within a single sphere.\u00a0 Most of the people represented in the Void orb were strangers to him, individuals he would likely never meet.\u00a0 But it did briefly slow on a familiar face.<\/p>\n

\u201cOssa,\u201d Devaniel muttered.\u00a0 He and Nyrshia both grew interested, looking at what the orb showed to them.<\/p>\n

The dwarven clandaughter flipped through an old tome by lantern light, down in some musty basement while an elderly robed dwarf walked about with other stacks of books behind her. \u00a0He dropped a set of those books when Ossa exclaimed, excited, and pointed to the tome.\u00a0 None of it was audible, but it didn\u2019t need to be, for the view that was shown within the orb shifted, until it showed the contents of the book.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that a picture of the dungeon?\u201d Devaniel wondered.<\/p>\n

Nyrshia nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWith dwarven runes as an accompanying text.\u00a0 I can\u2019t make out much, but I do see it mention the Living Dungeon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s trying to keep people from ever finding their way there again,\u201d the elf surmised.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot quite,\u201d Vedas said, narrowing his eyes and drawing closer.\u00a0 \u201cWarning people away from it would be easy enough.\u00a0 Those runes there, and on the other page\u2014\u201d He hesitated for a moment, because the image shifted away from Ossa, and began fluttering through other lives.\u00a0 The othradel pushed the sphere away, working as best he could to concentrate once more.\u00a0 \u201cIt wasn\u2019t telling how to avoid the dungeon.\u00a0 It was working out patterns on how and where the entrance would appear.\u00a0 Sort of reminds me of someone we know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nyrshia chortled, and Vedas noticed the atypical mannerism, tilting his head in curiosity.<\/p>\n

But before he could ask her about it, Devaniel was already sure he understood why Ossa was so excited in the image they saw.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe isn\u2019t trying to keep others from going there,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s trying to go back.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bonus Scene Devaniel – The Newest Champion of the Void     While he had left the cold, dark dungeon behind, he was faced with something else entirely upon reaching the other side of Nyrshia\u2019s portal.\u00a0 Devaniel felt the hair on his arms stand on end, for the Void was otherworldly indeed.\u00a0 At first, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Devaniel-Panel-1.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1UVey-8il","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31889"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31889"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31891,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31889\/revisions\/31891"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}