Discipline of the Gatewatch (for Skulls612)

[KathyKane]

Nissa the Elf faced out over the valley and all the destruction. Jace and Gideon had gone down into it to make sure the dead remained so, and the living were retrieved or saved if they could be. She shuddered at the magnitude of Emrakul's power, the Eldrazi titan who had laid waste to her beloved home Zendikar and now, though impounded by her and her fellow Planeswalkers in the moon had laid waste to the plane of Innistrad as well.

The battle had been terrible, werewolf, undead, elf, and humoculous all twisted by the Titan's power had raged over the land as the few living and sane had joined forces with the Gatewatch, and fought them back so the Eldrazi could be sealed in its new lunar prison. The fight would have been lost without Liliana's help, the necromancer's power was great, and it was due to her army of undead that Nissa and her friends had stood a chance.

A cold wind blew through the air and chilled Nissa who was still dressed in the silk and thread robes she'd worn on the far more humid Zendikar. They were the greens and browns of the tropical land she knew, and they left her lower legs and midriff bared to the much colder climes of Innistrad. She sighed and leaned on her staff. Guilt wracked her soul. Emrakul was a liar, and a powerful Eldrazi, and had deceived her. And no amount of good she'd done as a member of Gatewatch would deny the fact, she'd let the Eldrazi slip loose their prison in the first place.

Glum faced, she walked over to the remaining two members of their fraternity, the fiery haired alchemist Chandra, and the seemingly reformed Necromancer herself, Liliana.

[Skull612]

Liliana Vess found herself in a foul mood, resting amongst the cobblestone and destruction that might once have been someone's home. Now, it was naught but charred relics of whomever had lived here before. At least the smell of death and decay hanging in the air brought some form of comfort, of familiarity. Emrakul. The dark-haired necromancer scowled just thinking the name. Her anger wasn't entirely directed at the Eldrazi titan itself, nor the destruction it cause. Not even the voices of her Chain Veil or the damned Raven Man. No, her thoughts were of her own failure, of the power she'd wielded against the abominable Eldrazi, so close to the power she once had. But even with all that power she'd been pushed back. This fact absolutely infuriated her.

She looked down with a sour expression, eyeing the chain veil as it rested against her thigh. As if she needed to see it to feel it's presence. Every time she used it, the pain was greater, and this was certainly no different, especially with how deeply she'd drawn. Her anger was a great distraction from this pain. This really hadn't gone to plan at all. She was supposed to come in, to 'save the day'. Then they all would have left, and Liliana would make 'friends' with Cloakboy's merry band of youngling planeswalkers. Her own Gatewatch. Under a veiled promise she'd help them out, and when the time came, they'd return the favor in helping her slay her demons. But no. Jace always had to play the hero, he had to stop the ancient and all powerful Titan capable of destroying all it bloody came across.

Well, if there was one silver lining, at least part of her plan had succeeded. Though cautious at first, here she was, a sworn-in member to the Gatewatch. It had been quite amusing to watch Jace try and hide his giddiness at the idea. Now she was in the company of the headstrong young pyromancer named Chandra, a veritable expert at things, if the subject matter was burning them. Reckless, inelegant, loud, these were all words Liliana could use to describe the fiery-haired young woman, though her company wasn't unpleasant. At least she had more personality than that walking beefslab named Gideon that Jace had picked up somewhere.

Her annoyance was partially replaced with a sense of curiosity when the quiet elf girl made her presence known. Better put on the charm, getting closer to them all would only help her efforts in the future. The elf appeared distressed over some matter, none Liliana would have the slightest care about, but best to feign interest when trying to make friends right? "Well, this is a surprise, Nissa isn't it? From what I gathered you preferred keeping to yourself. Oh dear, why the long face? We've won, you should be celebrating like Chandra here." Celebrating? Even if they won, Liliana sure as hell didn't feel victorious. After playing friends with the children here, the Necromancer fully intended to go off somewhere and work off some of this aggravation plaguing her.

[KathyKane]

Chandra looked out over Innistrad's blighted horizon and whooped another vitcory cry to the sky, when that didn't feel like enough she ignited two fireballs and sent them rocketing into the sky to explode in a colorful conflagration."WOO! YES! We did it girls! The plane is safe!"

Nissa had walked up leaning on her staff she looked tired Liliana on the other hand looked...helpful? Did that witch KNOW how to be helpful? Chandra hadn't liked the idea of her coming on board with the gatewatch, she'd been most Planeswalker's enemies for so long, but her undead soldiers had been a key part of the victory, and Chandra had to admit there was a fun side to her. She was pretty, devious, creative. There was a lot in that combo Chandra liked. She turned from celebration to see Liliana speaking almost encouraging words to Nissa and decided to see what the problem was.

"Nissa? Are you hurt?" Chandra was wearing her usual red doublet over her chain-mail body suit, a amazingly light but protective and attraactive invention from her home plane of Kaladesh, that hugged her voluptuous form. Her hair was the normal firey red, not literally in flames as it was when she unleashed her power, and her goggles set atop her forehead in their usual spot, she considered pulling them on and scanning their elf companion for curses but Nissa waved her concern away and shook her head. "No my friend I am merely remorseful. I've caused so much destruction, my pride and arrogance will sung about for years to come. I was a fool..."

Chandra ran her gauntlet through her tangled hair to try and come up with the words that might reassure the pretty elf. She could only imagine how she felt, it was true the Eldrazi were horrid monsters and cleaver enough to fool even a wise elf like Nissa, but Chandra couldn't imagine being the cause of all the chaos they'd battled. "Y-you didn't mean to..."
"The Hells I didn't!" Nissa snapped "I released a world destroyer thinking I could control it, I've doomed villages, cities...oh I've been so wrong." The elf dropped to her knees and began sobbing into her hands, Chandra looked from her to Liliana obviously unsure of what to say...

[Skull612]

Liliana did her very best to put on a face that pretended to care about the elfs woes, she really did. Pah, these goody two-shoes and their guilt, what a joke. To a woman like Liliana the notion was practically unheard of, she did as she pleased and damn the consequences if it affected anyone else. Though this was the first she'd heard of Nissa being the cause. That was enough to irk the Necromancer enough to speak up. "You caused those...things to be released?" Chandra was looking at her like she would have the magic answer the elf needed to make her feel better, but Liliana's thinking couldn't be further from that. "Then it's all your fault what happened here!" She snapped at the elf, knowing full well the girl already felt as much. She felt her irritation grom more as the girl sobbed into her palms, sinking to the ground. As if a few tears would make up for all she'd done.

She scowled, where was a zombie she could take her frustrations out on right now? How she'd love to dig her heel into ones flesh and see watch it writhe beneath her, yes taking out her aggression on a zombie would make her feel better. They should be punished anyway, for their lackluster performance in the battle! Punished...hold on a second. A brilliantly malicious idea was forming in the Necromancers sadistic head. So, Nissa was holding on to quite a bit of guilt was she? Well, well, maybe she could turn this pity party of hers into a way to work out her aggravations, and make it look like she was helping in the process!

She turned back towards the pyromancer and the elf, crossing her arms. Then she started to speak, her words like honey from her lips. "You were wrong, but you were also tricked. I'm sure you wouldn't have wished any of what has happened to the people here on this plane, but the fact of the matter is that it happened nonetheless. You were naive Nissa, and just look at what it has caused! Your home faced similar did it not?" How easy it was with these do-gooder types. Just pour on the guilt and they'd likely do anything to make up for it. The guilt Nissa felt was no small matter either. She smirked inwardly, now for the kicker. "But you know, it's not too late to atone. You feel so bad for all the people you're actions have hurt? Prove it. Let everyone remaining here on Innistrad witness it, and accept punishment. It's the only way if you really want to be able to look at yourself straight again."

"Chandra and I can even help you with it, isn't that right Chandra? You want to help Nissa feel better don't you?" She had no doubts, the pyromancer would probably be unsure at first, but laced with the promise of helping the elf there's no way she wouldn't have accepted. Now just a matter of waiting for Nissa's reply. Liliana was already conceiving multiple methods of punishing the poor dear, each vision helping her forget her anger bit by bit. Who cares about Emrakul, the titan was gone and done with. Now she could have a lovely little elf to play with.

[KathyKane]

Nissa looked up at Lilianna in confusion, if not a little disgust. "Atone? How? How could I begin? A thousand years spent in one of Avacyn's chapels as a nun wouldn't begin to atone, I would do anything if I could make up for the damage I'd even take my own life it would reverse these actions!" Nissa spoke with conviction she was honor-bound and eleven, little could stay her hand or convince her of something she didn't feel.

Chandra knew a thing or two about loss and guilt, and she hated to see the pretty elf say such things. She shook her and put a encouraging hand back on Nissa's shoulder, "Now now Nissa, Lilli isn't saying you kill yourself or anything, she wants to help, we both do, you know I'd do anything I could to help you." Nissa sobbed and rubbed at the tears in her eyes, ignoring Chandra's encouragement. "What do you know of Atonement Liliana of the Veil? Exactly what are you suggesting?"