The dragonborn were the first arrivals, but the first one he bothers to take more than a passing notice of is Straia; the rest are annoyances, mere children with their dreams of power, but the bay-and-white magician is closer to Brennen – both in terms of power, and in age. He “hears” her offer, it trickles seductively into his head with visions of his beloved Tundra, but his loyalty to the North here in this time holds fast. She has not established a life here like he has; she is newly returned to Beqanna. Her memories of how it used to be are not dimmed with time like Brennen’s.
He knows when @[Beryl] launches herself at Straia, but he has no energy or concentration to spare her more than a thought, a tendril of regret that she is likely to be hurt taking on the magician. Brennen has not been unaware of her silent vigil, and he would protect her if he could.
And then there is another magician. One older than Brennen, older than Straia, and when she adds her power to Straia’s, he knows his time is limited. Their temptations are not enough to sway him, not yet, but despite the power flowing in from the ocean around him, he is rapidly dwindling to his last reserves – his own life force. The barrier flickers, letting them in in ones and twos, but each new arrival has to fight against the magic trying to keep them out with every move they make as it pushes back against them.
He cannot see the chaos with his eyes, but he can “see” it in his mind. He can see that they are young (so young!) and they are wild – half of them are not even fighting in any meaningful way, simply destruction for destruction’s sake. With the exception of a very small few, none of those for whom he is killing himself have come.
Brennen can see @[Straia] intervening to prevent the injury of children, hears @[Anaxarete] tempt him again with memories of lands long lost, and he waivers mentally. There was a time when he would have given anything to have his Tundra back; or even to reside in the familiar Waterfalls instead. There is no magic left, just the trickle of power he can draw continuously from the ocean. If he continues, he will kill himself. And Brennen would do it, too; he is fatally loyal. But two three things happen at once: at the edge of his awareness, he comes to understand that @[Leilan] is not coming to fight his own fight; @[lilliana]’s foreign power floods into him; and his own last dregs of life are reached.
The fury at Leilan’s defection breaks any ties he might still have to the North. Brennen lets go of all of his magic – his ties to Nerine, to Icicle Isle, to Taiga; his individual links to each and every one of its people; his barrier. The trickle of backlash power from letting go of it all is enough to keep him alive, and he embraces the power of Lilli’s healing; it patches up the torn-up places inside of him, leaving him exhausted but whole.
The ice around him cracks and starts to float away or melt, and Brennen is revealed once more standing belly-deep in the freezing winter ocean, his physical condition deteriorated to mere skin and bones but his amber eyes bright with anger. He has enough reserves left to calmly walk out of the water and over to Straia and Ana, striding through the chaos unscathed as if none of it is there. Whatever ice was still clinging to him is melted by the time he reaches them, but when he opens his mouth, his unused voice is gone within the parched desert of his throat. So is his control, burned away by the sheer amount of power he has used, so when he speaks telepathically instead, it bleeds all over into whoever happens to be paying attention, instead of speaking directly to the other magicians. ‘Whatever loyalty I had to this place means nothing when its own leaders do not show up to defend it, instead going to wreak havoc elsewhere,’ he sends to them, fatigue and disgust and ire fighting for control of the tone of his mind-voice. ‘I would welcome a return to a Beqanna where people stood for something. I would help you build it…after I sleep for about a month. I’m sure you can find me when you’re done here.’
He offers them his partnership, and then he simply vanishes. He wasn’t kidding about needing the sleep, so he’ll have to talk about his place in a New-Old-Beqanna….later.
td;lr: Brennen almost kills himself to keep the barrier up, which flickers and admits people but would also push back against them every time it comes back on-line, leaving them having to constantly fight against them. But right before he literally kills himself he realizes Leilan isn't coming and breaks ties with the North, using Lilliana's offering to keep himself alive and taking down all of his magic. Then he aligns himself with Ana & Straia and leaves.
He knows when @[Beryl] launches herself at Straia, but he has no energy or concentration to spare her more than a thought, a tendril of regret that she is likely to be hurt taking on the magician. Brennen has not been unaware of her silent vigil, and he would protect her if he could.
And then there is another magician. One older than Brennen, older than Straia, and when she adds her power to Straia’s, he knows his time is limited. Their temptations are not enough to sway him, not yet, but despite the power flowing in from the ocean around him, he is rapidly dwindling to his last reserves – his own life force. The barrier flickers, letting them in in ones and twos, but each new arrival has to fight against the magic trying to keep them out with every move they make as it pushes back against them.
He cannot see the chaos with his eyes, but he can “see” it in his mind. He can see that they are young (so young!) and they are wild – half of them are not even fighting in any meaningful way, simply destruction for destruction’s sake. With the exception of a very small few, none of those for whom he is killing himself have come.
Brennen can see @[Straia] intervening to prevent the injury of children, hears @[Anaxarete] tempt him again with memories of lands long lost, and he waivers mentally. There was a time when he would have given anything to have his Tundra back; or even to reside in the familiar Waterfalls instead. There is no magic left, just the trickle of power he can draw continuously from the ocean. If he continues, he will kill himself. And Brennen would do it, too; he is fatally loyal. But two three things happen at once: at the edge of his awareness, he comes to understand that @[Leilan] is not coming to fight his own fight; @[lilliana]’s foreign power floods into him; and his own last dregs of life are reached.
The fury at Leilan’s defection breaks any ties he might still have to the North. Brennen lets go of all of his magic – his ties to Nerine, to Icicle Isle, to Taiga; his individual links to each and every one of its people; his barrier. The trickle of backlash power from letting go of it all is enough to keep him alive, and he embraces the power of Lilli’s healing; it patches up the torn-up places inside of him, leaving him exhausted but whole.
The ice around him cracks and starts to float away or melt, and Brennen is revealed once more standing belly-deep in the freezing winter ocean, his physical condition deteriorated to mere skin and bones but his amber eyes bright with anger. He has enough reserves left to calmly walk out of the water and over to Straia and Ana, striding through the chaos unscathed as if none of it is there. Whatever ice was still clinging to him is melted by the time he reaches them, but when he opens his mouth, his unused voice is gone within the parched desert of his throat. So is his control, burned away by the sheer amount of power he has used, so when he speaks telepathically instead, it bleeds all over into whoever happens to be paying attention, instead of speaking directly to the other magicians. ‘Whatever loyalty I had to this place means nothing when its own leaders do not show up to defend it, instead going to wreak havoc elsewhere,’ he sends to them, fatigue and disgust and ire fighting for control of the tone of his mind-voice. ‘I would welcome a return to a Beqanna where people stood for something. I would help you build it…after I sleep for about a month. I’m sure you can find me when you’re done here.’
He offers them his partnership, and then he simply vanishes. He wasn’t kidding about needing the sleep, so he’ll have to talk about his place in a New-Old-Beqanna….later.
td;lr: Brennen almost kills himself to keep the barrier up, which flickers and admits people but would also push back against them every time it comes back on-line, leaving them having to constantly fight against them. But right before he literally kills himself he realizes Leilan isn't coming and breaks ties with the North, using Lilliana's offering to keep himself alive and taking down all of his magic. Then he aligns himself with Ana & Straia and leaves.