Finnegan O'Riley
“But the world is so full of people, so crowded with these miracles that they become commonplace and we forget... I forget. We gaze continually at the world and it grows dull in our perceptions. Yet seen from another's vantage point, as if new, it may still take our breath away.”
xxxxxIn the beginning, he was Zenah of the Fifth House. Created by his Father to become the Throne of Reflection, he was tasked with imparting to water those qualities that would make it reflective. His elders in the Fourth House taught him how light might be fashioned to interact with the surface of water. With this knowledge he performed his task well, offering it up in praise of his Father. By virtue of his labor, the beauty and majesty of Eden were cast back and magnified to an infinite magnitude. And Zenah beheld this, and saw that it was good.
xxxxxBut out of all the many splendored wonders caught in his reflections, it was Adam and Eve that fascinated him the most. The two creatures in all of Eden made to be more like his Father than any other. And yet, they remained ignorant of him. No matter how many times they saw themselves in the water, they did not know it was themselves that they saw, and he yearned to tell them. To show them how beautiful they were. Then the Great Debate was called and Lucifer pledged himself to rebellion, Zenah was at his side. He would not stand by and watch Adam and Eve suffer before they had the chance to see themselves and to know.
xxxxxDuring the War, Zenah marched with the Silver Legion. His legions of mortal followers founded the great Ocean Citadel Tychaeus, where wonders of magic and technology were innovated that Eden has not known since. He was one of the few who remained steadfastly loyal to Lucifer's vision, preferring to expand the minds and thoughts of his followers rather than sink into atrocity. But even all the miracles wrought in the Ocean Citadel could not stop the devastation brought about by Babel's fall. Like all the rest of his siblings, he was deprived of his power and made easy prey for the malhim. Chained by fire and judged, he marched into Hell, where his Torment began.
xxxxxGeological ages passed. Continents divided. Stars expended their fuel and collapsed upon themselves. And in the prison his Father made, Zenah endured his Torment. He knew not how long he languished there in Hell. But he clearly recalls the moment the prison shifted, and the cracks appeared at its edge. There was one just large enough for him to squeeze himself through, and he left the Torment behind. Shattering through the wall that divided life from death, he fell like a screaming comet to Eden. There, in the midst of a raging storm, he found a place he could anchor himself against Hell's gravity. A human body, deep beneath the waves. He plunged himself into the stuff of its flesh and locked himself within.
xxxxxIn that moment, he became Finnegan O'Riley. An Irish immigrant who had moved to America to escape the Troubles of his homeland. A man who loved the sea, and made his living from it. Until this fated night, when a squall had come out of nowhere and the waves had swept him off the deck of his ship. An undertow had held him beneath the waves, until life faded and his soul escaped, leaving his body behind for Zenah to find. The merging was so complete, he could no longer quite tell where Finnegan ended and he began.
xxxxxNow, he has flesh. He has some small modicum of safety. More than that, the Father and the Host are all but absent from Eden. It is not the world of miracles he left behind. But it could be again. The mysteries are out there, waiting to be re-discovered. All the answers for which he and his fellow rebels had searched were theirs for the taking, if they could but find them. To this end, Zenah became a Cryptic. He has fallen so far from what he once was. But he is still the Throne of Reflection, and one day, he will make Eden shine again.
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"Somehow, I knew that Caine brat was going to make trouble. Now look at what's happened. If left unchecked, they could devour all that remains of real Faith in the world. We cannot allow this, at any cost."
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"Fascinating. They change their shapes like my siblings, yet seem much closer to the Rabisu. Worth study."
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"The house the Halaku built seems to have grown unruly during our absence. But perhaps there is something worth finding there. When I run out of ocean to search, I may have to investigate."
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"Are they men pretending to be dreams? Or dreams pretending to be men? There must be a connection between them and my siblings. I must know more."
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"They wield power like unto our Lore, and guard many secrets. If only I could enthrall one. Surely, they hold the key to rebuilding Eden."
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"You are all that remains of our Father. You, whom He loved more than anything. Even me. And yet you do not even believe He existed. That is either the greatest of tragedies or the most hilarious of ironies, and I cannot say for certain which it is."
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"They brought the Word and the Will to Eden, and were always the best part of us. This, of course, makes their Fall the most sorrowful."
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"My siblings and I owe them much. There could be no storms without wind. No life without breath. Our work could never have begun without theirs."
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"There is no stone so mighty that it cannot be carved by water. And yet, they retain many secrets. Distasteful, but I must work with them if my work is to succeed."
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"My closest brethren outside of my own House. They gave me the tools I needed to be the Throne of Reflection. They provided me the canvas upon which to paint. For that, I must be grateful."
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"We have so much in common. Why, then, are we nothing alike? There is no living creature in all of Eden that survives without water. Their knowledge of the wild places could prove invaluable. If only they would listen."
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"The day may come when I must have passage to the Second World to find the answers I seek. But can they be trusted, after all this time?"
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"The Star of Morning is not the answer we seek. He could not save Eden then. I do not think he can save it now. We must accept that the war is over, and turn our energies to rediscovering what we have lost."
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"They make able shepherds of Adam's children, but little else. Still, the answers can be found in the most surprising of places, and we all benefit from healthy pacts. Worth cultivating as friends."
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"I wish it were possible. Truly I do. But I have seen too much. We defied Him. And He will never forgive us for it. Better to accept that than to waste away hoping for what we can never have."
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"Our Father is gone. The Host is gone. Eden could be ours again, just as it was in the First Days. And yet you would destroy it all anyway? Are you mad?"
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- Snow Patrol - The Lightning Strike
- I wanna see you as you are now
- Every single day that I am living
- Painted in flames, a pealing thunder
- Be the lightning in me that strikes relentless
- nine inch nails - the great below
- Ocean pulls me close and whispers in my ear
- The destiny I've chose all becoming clear
- The currents have their say, the time is drawing near
- Washes me away, makes me disappear
- And I descend from grace in arms of undertow
- I will take my place in the great below
- I can still feel you, even so far away
- A Perfect Circle - Judith
- Oh so many ways for me to show you how your dogma has abandoned you
- Pray to your Christ, to your God
- Never taste of the fruit
- Never stray, never break, never choke on the lie
- Even though He's the one who did this to you
- Never thought to question why
- Sarah McLachlan - Building A Mystery
- You come out at night
- That's when the energy comes
- And the dark side's light
- And the vampires roam
- You strut your rasta wear
- And your suicide poem
- And a cross from a faith that died
- Before Jesus came
- Pearl Jam - Oceans
- You don't have to stray
- The oceans away
- Waves roll in my thoughts
- Hold tight the ring
- The sea will rise
- Please stand by the shore
- I will be
- I will be there once more
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- Sarah Brightman - Eden
- Did I ever think of you as my enemy?
- Did you ever think of me?
- I'm complaining
- I never tried to feel
- I never tried to feel this vibration
- I never tried to reach
- I never tried to reach your Eden
- Indigo Girls - Fugitive
- I stood without clothes, I danced in the sand
- I was aching with freedom, and kissing the damned
- I said, remember this is how it should be
- Oh baby, I said it's all in our hands
- Got to learn to respect what we don't understand
- We are fortunate ones
- Fortunate ones, I swear
- Muse - Apocalypse Please
- It's time we saw a miracle
- Come on, it's time for something Biblical
- To pull us through
- And this is the end
- This is the end of the world
- Depeche Mode - World In My Eyes
- Let me take you on a trip
- Around the world and back
- And you won't have to move
- You just sit still
- Now let your mind do the walking
- And let my body do the talking
- Let me show you the world in my eyes
- VNV Nation - Darkangel
- There is no faith in which to hide
- Even truth is filled with lies
- Doubting angels fall to walk among the living
- I'm in this mood because of scorn
- I'm in a mood for total war
- To the darkened skies once more and ever onward
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Mortal Name: | Finnegan Ryan O'Riley |
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Celestial Name: | Zenah, the Throne of Reflection |
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Sex: | Male |
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House: | Lammasu |
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Visage: | Adad, Visage of Storms |
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Faction: | Cryptic |
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Nationalities: | Irish |
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Age: | 60 |
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Apparent Age: | Early 60s |
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Occupation: | Deep-Sea Fisherman |
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Concept: | Seeker of Mysteries |
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Nature: | Visionary |
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Demeanor: | Pedagogue |
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Danny Boy: The pipes, the pipes are... well, maybe not. But Finnegan is Irish through and through. He's got the brogue and everything. Although he's lived in the States for some years, and has become a naturalized citizen, he's always eager to talk about the land of his birth.
Old Man of the Sea: Finnegan has been a fisherman since he was old enough to hold a rod and reel. Today, he's graduated to owning his own deep-sea fishing enterprise. If you spend any time at the docks or on the water, you may have seen him astride the deck of his fishing trawler, Lady Victoria.
The Truth Is Out There: The Elder Days hold mysteries and miracles the likes of which men can only dream. And though handicapped by a human mind and body, Finnegan retains achingly clear recollections of those Elder Days. If you're a seeker of mystery too, then you may have some things to talk about.
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