"Okay, that should-" Gyr said, and flinched when the sudden appearance of a shadowy something popped into their supposedly safe haven provided by Malus.  Even their brightest minds couldn't pierce the veil of such a terrible mystery (despite his serpent's cunning).  "Rude!" he exclaimed, worried that all the new enemies might be setting up for something big.  Willa's interaction with them heartened him, though, and he considered how they're actually acting (despite their lack of any real expressions).  He stroked his mane in thought.  "Ah, they are but pets, perhaps to impede us in some way."  The Ulh breathed, and decided to focus his efforts on who just attacked Brinor.

"Alright, Mr. Rude, that's enough cheek outta you."  He banged the butt of his staff to the stopped goo-floor to send a tangle of roots through them, popping up nearby in a vicious field of hissing vines.  "That one," he commanded, pointing at Mr. Rude, and the arboreal snakes surged out to sink their thorn-fangs into the spectre's very essence, thicker tendrils whipping around him to drag the intruder into a nest of biting and constricting.

Gyr knew better than to rest on his laurels and skedaddled on out of there to rejoin the rest of the party (but not before petting the nearby shadow thingy).

No Action
Insight 18 vs. Shadow thingies

Standard Action
Arboreal Rebuff (Thorn Whip)
Range 10
Target: Shadowy Spectre
Attack: 23 vs. Fort
Damage: 7 dmg
Effect: Pull 4 (W25 to S21)

ACTION POINT!

Standard Action
Vine Serpents
Range 10
Burst 1 on S21
Attack: 22 vs. Fort
Damage: 17 dmg
Effect: Restrain (can't move, -2 to attacks, grants combat adv.; save ends)
Any creature within the zone that leaves or attacks a creature outside it takes 10 damage.

Minor Action
Sustain Earth Roots
Shift Guardian Splinter3 -> O8

Move Action
Walk S18 -> Z21

Ruuk's hiss at the shadowy figure echoed in the strange ethereal world they were in. He hefted his sword, blade coming within an inch of one of the smaller creatures before Willa had stopped him. Glad to have less to fight, he twisted, sliding around and between them to swing at the shadowed creature, trying to figure out what it could be.
Not that it mattered much; it had struck Brinor with the intent to stop him, so nothing would stop HIM from trying to hit it back.


Minor: A Rock and a Hard Place (stance)
Move: X24|Y25->T21|U22
Standard: Intuitive Strike (11+2 [Combat Advantage]) 24 vs Will of Shadowy Specter
Damage/Effect: 15 Slashing+ next ally who attacks the target and has combat advantage against it gains a +2 power bonus to the attack roll.

He caught the Specter in the shoulder, attempting to keep in place even further. "Hit it, now!"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:28, Fri 01 Sept 2023.

As he would later describe it, Brinor gasped; eyes that were clenched snapped open.
Gone was the Umbrean Pool, the Fragment of the Red Moon, and even the shadowy figure he had  seen a moment before.

Now, he stood on a black sandy beach, the setting sun casting orange and pink highlights across a twilight sky, clouds slowly sailing across the heavens. Boulders were scattered here and there, half-sunk in the sand.

As his gaze came lower, he could see among the waves and the sand red shards, and a young kaetyma child desperately trying to pull those same shards free of the lapping tides. As Brinor watched, he tripped over his feet with a cry, tears running down his face as he stood again. The youngster continued trying to fight the ocean for ownership of further shards.

Brinor's heart sank; whatever was going on, that child needed help. He slowly approached, calling out. "Do you need help?

Far from comforting the child, the youngster whirled on Brinor and, looking him up and down, took a poor combat stance, legs prepared to leap or run. "N-no, stay away! You're going to kill me!

Brinor froze, eyebrow ridges raising sharply. He had no such plan; he didn't even have his weapons out. Instead of continuing to march forward, he curled his legs under as best he could, laying on the sand. "... Why do you say that, child?"

The kaetyma, crying even harder now, bared his teeth at Brinor. "I saw it in a vision! You came, I was bathed in light... and then I vanished and I couldn't feel anything anymore! I don't wanna be sent away!"

Brinor's eyes grew sad; this child, the Fragment if he had his guess, was afraid of a misunderstood vision. "I'm... sorry that what you saw scared you. I did not come with any intent to cause harm, but relieve it. I came to heal you."

The child's eyes shifted from outright anger to confusion, staring at him for a moment before also looking out to sea.

Brinor turned to look as well, noticing ghostly, translucent figures floating over the ocean. Members of every known race, creed, and society were gathered, watching Brinor and the Fragment.Insight 18+5 While he couldn't exactly determine who they were, he could at least tell what they were.

These gathered figures were souls, watching the interaction without malice; with his divine senses, he could even feel that they would help him, if asked.

Brinor sighed, looking to the child again. He mulled several ideas, several options to make sure that his goal here was successful before slowly raising his hands. "I'm going to show you that the light I carry is not meant to harm here, okay? I'm pulling out my weapon, so please watch..."

Souls and Fragment all watched as he drew his falchion, laying it across his other hand... before gritting his teeth and slicing into his palm. He let out a soft grunt, huffing softly and lowering his hand so the Fragment could see. Then, his other hand aglow with divine power, he brought his hands together, letting the Fragment see that his wound was being closed due to proximity to his hand.

"Please, let me heal you. I only want to help you take your pain away. This... can't be comfortable." With hands outstretched, Brinor looked around; several shards had washed away as they spoke, the Fragment squaring its shoulders as the tears still flowed. A silver leaf blew in on a nonexistant breeze, making Brinor look off into the distance.

Across the water, on a secluded island, stood a silver tree - the same one he'd seen in his dreams before. The Tree of Possibility had arrived; to what end, he wasn't sure.

"... Fine. It's not like I had a choice, really..." Brinor's head shifted forward again, watching as the Fragment slowly walked up to him, putting a hand on his own. A sudden roar rent the quiet, making Brinor pull the Fragment in close to protect him... only to realize it was his Patron, Ryukhan. The recently-birthed Dragon God.

"Ah. Don't worry; he is my patron, the receptacle of all worship of dragons." As he looked down to the child in front of him, he noticed the Fragment's other hand now rested in his as well. "And you always have a choice, even if sometimes the 'other choice' is so unpleasant or scary that it still doesn't feel like it.

As he gently held both of the smaller kaetyma's hands in his own comparatively bigger ones, Amare stepped out from behind a boulder, looking at Brinor. He opened his mouth, his words coming to Brinor as though whispered into his ear. "Sometimes, all it takes is a single act of kindness to heal the world."

Brinor spared only a moment's confusion, before shaking his head. He had a task to accomplish, and he would do that before pondering anything Amare had to say about it. He tried to recall what he knew about souls; when they left the body that had housed them, there was a brief moment of power, and some casters could tap into that to empower a spell. Religion Lore - 4+6 Now while he wasn't a typical caster himself, and he hadn't heard of anyone doing specifically what he was considering, he though he could be the first.

"O' gathered souls. If you desire to see this Fragment healed like I, please; grant me the power you hold, and let us see him relieved of his worry and strife!"

As he spoke, the world went white again...
This message was last edited by the player at 22:58, Fri 01 Sept 2023.

With a graceful slide, Drex follows the Shadow Specter into the vines. As he does he brings his axe down onto his enemy. Before stepping out of the specter's reach.

Standard Action: Angelic Alacrity
Effect: Before the attack, you shift 4 (From U24 to S22)
Target: Shadow Specter.
Attack: 28 vs. AC.
Hit: 23.

Move Action: Shift from S22 to S23
Taking 10 damage for leaving the zone

    As Willa's mind raced to sing—sing anything—she was drawn back by a memory of a song she had once heard, it had been so peaceful and serene that she had curled up on the spot.  She had first heard it on the night she made her pact with an unseen friend, a being that shared its vast magical power with her.  Recalling the great grimoire of otherworldly magic she had discovered: a large, beautiful book that seemed impossible for anyone to open. Yet it opened with ease.  And in her hands it felt weightless.

  The pages had whispered a long, beautiful melody to her, a song sung by both human and inhuman voices.  And precisely in the middle of the entire book, was their symbol, it resembled something between a star and an eye.  The centre of the symbol was empty, but it was surrounded by an intricate design that looked like tangled roots or vines.

  Speculations about this ancient symbol filled the pages.  The writer of the grimoire suggested it represented the "oldest of the star gods."  But Willa felt differently.  Deep within, she had known it was even more ancient—older than the stars, older than the very foundations of the world.  In that moment, an image flashed in her mind, or perhaps a memory: a massive storm swirling around a circle of pure darkness. And from that darkness, a voice had asked if she wanted to be friends...

  In the present.  The song Willa had begun to sing was particularly loud in the realm of this drawn-out moment.  For Willa alone though, the song came alive as she was joined by the eerie chorus. "Friend!" a deep, sonorous below reverberated from the world around Willa "I can see you are busy, so I imagine this isn't a social call?" despite the deepness of the sound Willa was not effected by it.  "What do you need?"

  Feeling like she'd suddenly fallen into a dream Willa turned over towards Moonchild, who stood looking at her, his bright, green eyes all that could be seen through the small visor of his helmet.  "Moonchild need's help!" she yelled.  And realized too quickly that everything was strangely far to loud here even her own voice.  Which made her ears ring.
  Willa reeled as for an instant she felt as if she was in two places at once.  One being dragged back through the motions, the moments of the not-so-long-ago then running through them again like a puppet unaware of its strings.  Returning again to the now and the peculiar feeling of multiplicity vanished as fast as it had come onto her.  "Very well, but the question is do you really want these creatures, these distant cousins of yours to be saved?" that which was both named and not asked of her.

  Though surprised by the question, Willa did not even pause when she said "Yes!" and the Other replied with what sounded like a smile "Good!  This magic requires a toll and that spectre should suffice.  I myself would like only a souvenir though so I shall extend an offer to the conjured sprites.  Hopefully they would like to join me."  The drawn out moment fell away, for Willa, as time resumed.

  Still standing tall on Brinor's flanks Phelan fire's his crossbow at the dark apparition and hears a satisfying, if muted 'thud.'  He then reloads his crossbow muttering to himself "Come on Brinor."

Standard: Magic Weapon
Target: Shadowy Spectre
Attack: 23 vs AC
Hit: 9 damage.
Minor: Reload

  Moonchild strafes to his right, tossing his javelin true.  The ghost letting out an unearthly shriek as it was struck.

Moonchild moves from M11 to K13 and attacks Shadowy Spectre with Javelin Toss and hits dealing 16 damage.

[Players turn ends and the Other's turn starts.]

  The air thundered as a voice uttered a single impossible word in a tongue no throat had ever uttered.  The world bent and warped around it for the brief instant it was announced.  Phelan and Willa both knew by the signs the language but had never heard it spoken before.  It was Evanescence itself.  The language of the Reaches, the impossible realm of chaos and imagination.  It was said that lone words were as entire libraries unto themselves.
  Shadows stirred beneath your feet and darkness enveloped the area.  Then light returned, only for darkness to return an instant later.

  Light returned a second time for a moment before darkness claimed the chamber again.  Finally the light came back a third time but this time the spectre and the sprites were gone.  Phelan broke sudden silence by asking "Willa who did you say our patron was?"
  The stone at the heart of the chamber suddenly shone like the sun.

  The ceiling split open into a swirling expanse of luminous clouds.  A distant roar followed.  The greyness of the hastened moment slipped away though the guardians of ooze made no move to attack.  Instead they stood back unable to re-enter the pool as a suede-like surface of star-speckled blackness covered the Gathering entirely.  Shadows of oily smoke issuing from the peculiar surface.
  Despite this new surfaces rigidity the entire chamber shook like an earthquake as something landed behind the brilliant stone.  The sheer size of the creature was outright impossible.  It dwarfed everything around it as a giant might dwarf and ant.  Or a man might contrast in scale to a speck of dust.  Yet somehow the creature fit within the far side of the chamber, and the adventurers could wrap their awareness around it.  The creature was a dragon so white it's scales shone.  Black horns rose from its majestic head like thunderheads and its eyes crackled with sparks and lighting.  It folded its vast wings against its back.  Reared its head up slightly then drew down and breathed a towering pillar of blinding white fire at the stone.  A wave of fire swept outwards and caught everyone in its blast, though the flame was not hot, only warm, and it danced across the surface of your skin without causing any harm.  Though you could feel pain and weariness leave your body.

Hail Ryukhan:The party receives 710 (460 from the Combat Encounter, and 250 for accomplishing a Major Quest) experience points. Furthermore the party receives 4 Fame, and 4 Fortune tokens.

[You are all healed to full and have any lingering conditions removed by the Divine Dragon Fire of Ryukhan.]

  Realizing what was happen Phelan acted as fast as his shock allowed.  Almost fumbling it, he drew the silver disc of the teleportation engine from his pockets and threw it into the towering pillar of flame.

  Pediments released his grip on Willa's helm, and like an arrow fired from a bow, flew in after it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:34, Mon 18 Sept 2023.

Brinor's eyes cleared, looking up at the great dragon standing over them.
"... Ryukhan...! You're... really here."
His eyes closed again as the breath washed over him and the party.

Willa was gobsmacked by the great god-dragon's appearance.  Stunned, until she was jerked out of the awestruck state by Pedi flying away.  Scared her new friend might unwittingly be heading into danger, she made a desperate attempt to catch them. "Pedi no!"

OOC:
Melee Basic Attack:  Catch Pedi: 11 to hit vs AC
14:49, Today: Willa rolled 11 using 1d20+5.  Basic melee - Catching Pedi.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:51, Tue 19 Sept 2023.

    Pediments vanished into the brilliance as quickly as the teleportation engine had.  The blazing pillar vanished a moment later with no trace of either Pediments or the Teleportation Engine.  Ryukhan stood there, motionless, his eyes glazed over.

  The radiant stone was suddenly surrounded by a ring of luminous creatures of all sizes and shapes.  They danced in circles around the stone, going one way and then another.  Rising from the gathering, not a trace of umbrean was upon its surface.  The huge stone was nowhere near fully withdrawn from the pool before it and the dancing beings vanished in a burst of sparks.  The floor shifted as the great mass of umbreans below collapsed into the void the stone had left, lowering the level of the pool by at least a foot, if not more, and sending the adventurers scrambling to get onto solid ground before whatever magic kept them from making contact with the umbreans faded.

  As they scrambled towards solid ground, the draconic god broke his stillness with a tremendous roar as he arched his great neck overhead. He lowered his head, a great white crown now upon it, and stretched himself in a surprisingly animal-like gesture.

  Behind Drex, Phelan, Brinor, and Willa, ghostly doorways blinked into existence.  Each appeared to be an elaborately carved edifice, more than large enough to accommodate each of them, with miniature versions of themselves engaged in various activities and in countless poses.  They spiralled up along the posts of the doorframe, growing smaller and smaller until they were little more than specks at the top.  The door itself was unique to each of the four adventurers. For Drex, the door was a high relief of the Aurelian Pantheon gathered around an amphitheatre.  For Phelan, the door was a bas-relief of an upside-down tree speckled with inscribed nodes and connected to each other with different canals; Phelan recognized the symbol as a representation of the Tree of Life.  Brinor's door was a high relief of the first sacrifice, the warrior of the tale fighting off the foolish priest who had attempted to sacrifice the warrior's own mother. Willa's door was a bas-relief of unfamiliar constellations overlaid with the images they were intended to conjure; at the centre of the relief was a circle of three suns and three black suns making up the points of a unicursal hexagram, which itself divided the text of a short poem named "All's Well, Witch Ends Well."

  "Farewell, daughter." A familiar whisper issued from the gap of Willa's doorway. The doors were consumed by brilliant white flames and, in barely an instant, were gone.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:09, Fri 22 Sept 2023.

    The dragon god Ryukhan looked strangely uncomfortable for a moment then met your gazes as he exclaimed briefly "THINGS HAVE CHANGED!" with his thunderous voice.  The chamber shook from his voice and, clearly noticing this, he lowered his voice to a far more reasonable tone with a clearing of his throat.
  "Your gods little one." he indicated Willa with a black-as-pitch toe claw, large enough to dwarf a castle, and sharp enough to make the air hum as it moved.  "Their handiwork in these affairs are clear to me now." the gigantic head shook itself atop the impossible height of the serpentine neck.  "And yet, embodied as I am, I can not guess at their purpose though I shall demand an audience and pry the truth from them if I have to!" the dragon god rumbled.  Flame and lightening licking at the edges of his mouth. "No."

  Moonchild had spoken with a voice no louder than his usual tone but it carried like the crack of whip.  "That would not be wise god of dragons.  You are mighty, and you are vast.  But you are also young and you are furious.  You must exercise cunning if you are to have what you desire." the black armoured man stood resolute before the dragon god.  A sense of doom hung about the air.  Ryukhan bent his neck to bring his head what seemed like miles closer to Moonchild.
  "Forgiving your impudence for the time being what inspires you to give a god council?" he asked.  "Aeons of regret." Moonchild's voice cracked a little, he took a step forward.  "Look into my heart. You'll see my life extends far longer than most.  I raged impotently in a cage of my own making, due to the shame of not acting as I should have.  I loathed myself for that failure that when someone forced me out of my stupor, I couldn't bear to be the fool who hadn't acted.  So I pretended to be someone else just to escape my self-loathing, to dream of being someone other than that fool.  Even then, I couldn't escape the truth when confronted with the monument to my failure. I retreated into myself until these brave selfless people..."  He looked around at the party, meeting as many eyes as he could.  "... Risked themselves to pull me back to reality and lift me out of my own malaise. To them, it didn't matter that I'd failed before, only that I tried again and kept trying. Knowing my suffering, I refuse to stand idly by now and let someone throw their life away!"

  Moonchild gathered himself, taking a step forward and pointing at the newly-born god.  "You are a god!  You do not have the luxury of being selfish with your decisions!  Countless supplicants have prayed to you, dreamed of you, and now you have been brought into reality by the actions of other gods. Regardless of how it all happened, you now exist in the fullness of your power and all those who prayed to you have a fully formed god who is the embodiment of their hopes and dreams!  Your power, your very being isn't just your own, but representative of all those who took part in your coming!  You had better live up to all of that effort if you're worth even half what it took to bring you here!  Which precludes you from throwing away your life for the sake of your own pride!"

  In the fleeting instant that followed there was the expectation of dragon fire or the crash claws.  But neither came.  Instead Ryukhan burst out laughing.
  After a moment he spoke again more sombrely.  "You humble me little one.  A man in my dreams said if I did not check my temper I would be humbled by one such as you.  I think I shall compose myself in the desolation beyond this city of ghosts.  I shall wait there for further council before I act too rashly.  I shall behave as hatching should and respect the wisdom of his elders." Ryukhan said as he leapt skyward.  Vanishing like a ghost through the ceiling of the chamber.

  After the dragon god had left Moonchild fell backwards and sighed with relief.  "I'm so glad that worked."

    Willa's friend spoke from somewhere far above but also right beside you.  "Shall I release them now?" the Other asked Willa.  Phelan stiffened and looked at Willa before turning his eyes to look over at Moonchild.  "You said you had a plan?"

  Moonchild let out a strained chuckle.  "Not my plan, his plan.  Which would be you." Moonchild raised his nearest arm to point haphazardly at Willa.  "You're it, you've got...why don't you just talk to them-uh Amare?  I, I need some rest, please."
  There followed a telepathic sound like a sigh and a chuckle at the same time.  "That makes two of us Moon." there was a brief pause as the mental voice gathered itself.  It was remarkably weak.  "What I was about to say to you Willa was, you have the means, and the opportunity now to do the most good possible in this situation.  Tell the umbreans the truth about who they are, and where they come from.  That's all you have to do." Amare sent.

There was more than a moment of hesitation and confusion before Willa acted.  Girding herself, she looked around the edge of the room, but apparently couldn't find what she was looking for.  Despite this, she still made her way to the edge of the umbrean pool.

Now on solid ground, Willa turned to look up at the centre of the ceiling.  There was nothing there, although it did look oddly empty. A series of fixtures implied that there may have once been a housing or cradle for something.  Something very large and very heavy.  It made Willa sad, but it did not stop her apparently presenting herself to whatever it was, or its phantom at least.  After introducing herself, she diminished.  Melting away into a gloopy mess that slipped into and merged with the umbrean pool, leaving only her belongings behind.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)

Within the pool of accumulated minds, so willful, so strong, Willa worried she might be lost beneath the overwhelming presence of the so called Restorationists, but she pushed forward regardless.  Determined to do all she could to save them.  She opened her mind, hoping that they would at least entertain her intrusion for a time, before tearing her apart.  What she found was a completely different experience to the one in the Weyr.  She had expected it to feel strange.  Stranger even than her first 'swim,' but the independence of each Restorationist was so strong, it felt more like swimming through a pool of balls than a soup of collective consciousness.

They both accepted and rejected their Umbrean nature.  They knew what they were, but refused to accept it.  As such, they were closed off.  Like people in an apartment building.  Together, but separate.  As such, they recoiled from her approach.  Rejected her openness.  Reviled her maleability.

It both helped and hurt Willa.  She knew this was wrong.  Unnatural.  Felt it deep within her.  Yet it also helped to keep her, her.  She wasn't at risk of losing herself within the greater and more numerous consciousnesses.

Cautiously, she called out to them.

"Um, Willa is.  Sorry for introoshun.  Know is stranger here.  But hoping is okay.  Hoping can be friends?  Am here to help.  Listen please.  Here to help to understand.  Willa umbrean is.  Willa want to explain what means.  Umbreans are special, wonderful, ancient!  Not many people knows this.  Thinking umbreans nasty, vermin things.  But is not so.  Umbreans so strong.  So special.  Umbreans even save world!  Save from lich Phaizon!  Umbreans make many great magics.  Many great inventions, but umbreans only can do because umbreans unique.  Because of what umbreans being.

"Umbreans is, is, is like comm-you-knitty ehm-bodied!  Sorry, big words.

"How say?  Uh, Umbreans live.  Umbreans die.  Like most.  But death not like most.  From old umbreans, new umbreans born.  Not just bodies, but minds also!  Minds of old umbreans and others-not-umbreans.  To make new.  Is like, uh, big melting pot.  Big psychic melting pot!
 All stirred together, all to make new.

"Each Umbrean, special, unique, but also not.  Is product of all minds.  Not just one life, but many. All together, all strong.  like pieces of puzzle!  Cannot see whole from just one piece.  Cannot be whole.  One piece pretty maybe.  Unique and special for sure, but is in-come-pleat.  Is tiny part of big picture!  See one piece, see little flower.  She all pieces, see fields upon fields of flowers!  And more.  Trees, animals, sky, sun, clouds, moon, stars...

"This be umbreans.  Umbreans be puzzles.  Willa is umbrean.  Willa is puzzle.  You also. You also umbreans.  You also puzzles, but seeing only one part.

"Willa understands what were.  Formers mighty and magnificent, but formers not you.  Formers gone.  As Willa's four-bears already gone.  Gone to wherever fore-bears go.  At gods, to new other selves, to nothings?  Willa not know.  Are big things.  Big things beyond Willa.  But Willa know are dead.  Long time.  So long time...Is sad.  But is good too.  Is life.  You remember, you feel four-bears, but four-bears not you.  Just a bit.  Like they just bit of you.  Need open eyes.  Open minds.  Be bigger.  Feel bigger.  Know are more.  See whole puzzle picture.  See countless four-bears making you, you.

"Is difficult.  Even Willa not see all four-bears.  Come claiming to have answers, but not have herself.  Silly Willa.  But is not about knowing!  Is about feeling.  Willa not know four-bears, but feels each and everyone a part of her.  You too, if just to try.  Try and realise true.

"But Umbreans not just Comm-you-Knitty.  Is also ehm-body-mint of Family also.

"Can see for selves.  Open minds.  Look Willa.  See bigger.  See all of Willa is.  See memories, see others.  See orphanage.  See children.  See all minds.  Innocent, young, hopeful, dreams.  See many minds make Willa.  See each within Willa and Willa within each, but not being.  Willa is Willa.  Children are children.  Not just small part of.  Now see Willa is.  Willa is kin.  Willa is family!  We are family.  And Willa loves family.  Willa loves you!  All umbreans family.  All umbreans meant be close.  After alls, Ooze is thicker than water!"  Willa allows herself a little giggle, before becoming less earnest and more sombre.

"Willa understand is scary. Willa only experience self not so long ago.  Willa born alone.  Is singleton.  Is strange for umbreans.  Normally form from group.  But Willa prior umbrean alone-died.  Long journey to find others.  To learn true.  But is good thing!  Is sooo good thing.  Not change who Willa is, but still make better!  Like, like growing up!  Still Willa, but now Willa plus!  No, Willa plus plus!  Not let fear stop to happen.  Are cowards?  No!  Willa know are heroes!  Champions!  Mighty and more.  Show Willa is right.  Prove to self is so.  Do not be afraid.  Try!

Please...

Diplomacy: 26
13:35, Today: Willa rolled 26 using 1d20+8.  Diplomacy - Umbrean Understanding.

---

    Willa had entered the pool this time, not without some trepidation, she was sure she would not loose herself.  But there was a nagging doubt within her.  The fear of failure.  But she had to act now or else her worst fears would almost certainly be realized.  Amare's words had given her the necessary glimmer of faith, and she had seized it wholeheartedly.

  Like before it was as if she was stepping into a crowd.  Still it was strange thing to be noticed but to not be paid much mind.  In her minds eye she experienced the collective inner world of umbreans as a small city.  It reminded her a fair deal of Galdion.  And she was making her way towards the town square where the crowds were a buzz with talk.  She made a spot of herself and began to speak.

  She could sense the confusion in the Gathering.  A peculiar sense of lose and uncertainty.  Both Willa and Gyr and noticed the sudden disappearance of the psychic noise which had upset their minds so after, the fragment of the Old Moon had vanished.  Willa though saw here how much control the entity within the stone had exercised over these umbreans.  They weren't especially weak willed, but they were just like her when she'd woken up for the first time in the back alleys of Galdion. They felt more familiar to her than the umbreans in the weyr had.  How many of these umbreans had been born like she had been?  Out in the wilderness they had found each other and come together here.  All of them with a dream of going home, seeing their friends, their families.  That desire had made them easy for to manipulate them.

  At first the umbreans didn't pay her words much attention at first.  But something resonated quickly and before long she found herself at the center of the entire square.  Silence fell an only her words echoed throughout the Gathering.

  As words and memories were shared some umbreans broke down in weeping.  Some grew angry and started to shout but where quieted down by others.  A few would try to deny it but the truth of her words and her own experiences were plain enough to see.

  They had much to think about.  And there was of course the matter of the adventurers and the Dragon King - who had stopped rampaging across the city when Ryukhan had appeared she learned from the other umbreans.  Willa and her companions were free to go of course.  The umbreans here and their machines would make no effort to stop the adventurers.  They might contact Willa again to talk about things.  Given it was nearly three centuries on from the world they had known.  There was at first some resentment about what the other umbreans had done to contain them but that simmered down a fair deal when they realized what steep price the weyr-bound umbreans had paid for their time magic.

  Once Willa returned to the group Drex could not help but point out that Willa now had some company.  A sliver of black crystal, less than an inch long and barely thicker than a lock of hair floated about four inches above her head.

Willa could barely contain herself whilst she was reforming amongst her gear and was even more sloppy than usual as she rushed over to the group, whilst still pulling herself together.  With a mighty, barely formed grin she shouted:

"Is fine!  Up-here umbreans accepting what are!  Maybe even being friends of down-there umbreans."  Her speech consisted of additional slurps, splats and farting noises as she rushed to bring the good news to her friends, until she'd finished forming her face.

"Oh!" Willa exclaimed upon seeing her new floating accessory, as pointed out by Drex.  She had an inkling of an idea as to what it might be, or perhaps it was just wishful thinking, so reached out to poke it with one of her fingers.  "Hello!" she said, assuming it already knew who she was.

    The small sliver of crystal remained where it was.  When it did not react to her friendly attempt at communication Phelan, who had raised an eyebrow at the crystal when Drex pointed it out, frowned and dug out his tools for inspecting machinery.  He gave the stone a quick examination and said to Willa, and the group at large "You'd think I'd get used to this by now, but what you have there is another case of natural magic manifesting something wondrous.  The stone is barely magical but there are some traces of psionics there too.  Its weak but it appears to function as an enhancement to your intuition and should allow you to be more resistant to the sort of mind-effecting spells and powers we've been subject to here." he put away his eyepiece apparatus.

  Moonchild began to stir as he figured he should try getting up.  Two doorways had formed on opposite walls of the chamber leading out.  Though there was still the means by which the adventurer's had entered if they wished to use the labyrinth to traverse the city.  Though that hardly seemed necessary given they were in no present danger from the locals.

Ruuk moved over too Moonchild, gently grasping his arm and tugging him to a stand. "You talked down a god and much besides. Would it be easier to rest if I carried you?"

At the same time, Brinor stared up after Ryukhan, grinning widely.

The silence permeated a bone-chilling tranquility.  Where once the voice of millions pained reverberated until it was all that existed, only a distant nothingness remained.  Gyr studied where the Old Moon Chunk stood, unmoved by the pomp of godhood and mortal belligerence (impressive though it was), and simply... listened to the void.  Much like the moon itself, adrift in a natural absence of anything else for ages.  He also thought about Malus.

He turned to address everyone else and smiled.  "That went swimmingly," he said, not to anyone in specific.  "We'll see what we can do about putting Amare right, and maybe stop by Xoraxanto along the way, let him know we don't need a distraction anymore."  Gyr scratched a cheek.  "Hope he hasn't destroyed too much..." and added under his breath, "or my moonlichen cultures."

Gyr approached Moonchild, a telepathic tendril patting his shoulder.  "Well said, chum."

Gyr will convene with Moonchild about traversing the lunar surface at the first available, and comfortable opportunity.

    The adventurers quickly discovered that the old Narayan transports were still functioning.  They also learned that Xoraxanto had halted his rampage after Ryukhan had flown out from the terrace.  Ryukhan was now waiting outside the pyramid, situated on the moon's peculiar desert.  The former dragon king had attempted to capture him but noticed the dragon god far too late.  Now, he floated motionlessly at the edge of the crystal pyramid, the side closest to Ryukhan.

  From their vantage point atop a Narayan sky barge, the adventurers initially struggled to discern the damage Xoraxanto had inflicted.  At first glance, the destruction resembled the careless path of an intoxicated giant.  However, the more astute and observant members of the party soon grasped that this chaotic appearance was deliberate.  Xoraxanto had targeted minor architectural elements, damaging only the smaller parts of buildings.  The repairs would be swift, but the visual impact was significant, and that was the intent.  The city was abuzz over the massive black orb's activities.  Although the Gathering had received reassurances, many citizens remained in a panic.

  Yrdi and Kylin were atop the orb, and Phelan steered the barge to bring them within earshot for a brief exchange.  Kylin was relieved to learn that the situation with the Gathering had been resolved. Her relief was so profound that she fell onto her bottom, giggling.  Yrdi, on the other hand, remained unimpressed.  He was deeply concerned for his master, who had been silent ever since spotting Ryukhan, the adventurers were informed.

  After some persuasion, Yrdi stayed on the orb, but Kylin joined the adventurers on the barge as they descended to the ground.  A hasty discussion revealed that Gyr intended to return to the weyr to send a message through a ritual.  During his visit, he would also retrieve Amare's body.  "I'll go with you," Phelan announced.  His tone implied an open invitation for other party members to accompany them, while the rest addressed the ongoing situation between Xoraxanto and Ryukhan.

  After some deliberation between the adventurers, Drex and Ruuk decided to join Gyr and Phelan on their journey back to the weyr.  Kylin volunteered to be their guide and would see them off at the teleportation circle before returning to join Willa and her group.  Kylin also mentioned she'd need to speak to her own superiors to learn what was happening in their realm, as she hadn't had a chance to converse with them since she'd last contacted them, before Xoraxanto began his performance.

  Once the barge had departed, the adventurers present shifted their focus to Xoraxanto's orb and the dragon god outside.  Ryukhan noticed them and beckoned them over, leading the party to question where the gates were.  Remembering Gyr and Phelan's warnings that the moon's surface was lethal without shelter or protection for more than a few moments, Willa queried the Citadel's "helper". She discovered that a Pass Wall spell was active, allowing those who wished to cross the glass wall to do so, and that for an hour or so, those who ventured outside would be shielded from the harshness of the lunar desert.

  Armed with this information, the party took a breath and stepped through the glass wall.  The sensation was akin to diving into a warm pool.  Once through, the atmosphere felt as though it enveloped you like a dense blanket.  The air was slightly stuffy, and sounds became both muted and distant, with your heartbeat echoing as if it was ringing directly in your ears.

  For a moment, you surveyed your companions. The environment around you appeared more starkly lit, with pronounced shadows and intensified light. Then your ears adjusted, the air grew cooler, and a gentle breeze wafted by.

  "Welcome! I can see you've succeeded in your other task."  The god's voice resounded, reminiscent more of distant thunder than the piercing clap it had been earlier.  He no longer appeared as colossal as he once did. Ryukhan measured around three hundred feet in length but stood only about one hundred feet tall, thanks to his elongated, towering neck.

  Elsewhere...

  The teleportation circles weren't challenging to locate, but while their fundamental design was familiar, their aesthetic differed.  The towers housing the circles sat on the city's outskirts, and there were plenty.  Constructed from stone instead of bluish crystal, they appeared more mundane than their weyr counterparts and were roughly half the size.  No intricate murals adorned these circles, only an aged depiction of the weyr's walls and the scenery beyond.  While the mountains looked recognisable, their exact shapes had transformed significantly since these were painted before the Narayan cataclysm.

  Kylin bid you farewell, attending to her personal matters.  As Phelan activated the circle, the familiar, albeit ancient magic, served as an odd comfort in their current predicament.  For a brief instant, they experienced the unusual sensation of existing in two places simultaneously, then found themselves in a familiar tower, situated in a corner of the weyr below.  Having kept approximate track of time according to the isles, they estimated their arrival shortly after mid-morning.  A sentry nearby greeted them and announced their return.  It wouldn't be long before someone came to guide them, and likely, not much longer after that, the Umbreans would grow curious about the party's success or failure.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:08, Thu 02 Nov 2023.

Brinor looked over the landscape, eyes consistently drawn to Ryukhan. He was pleased to see his guiding deity in full form. As he approached, he bowed. "Greetings, Ryukhan. I'm pleased to be able to put a form to the figure I'd been hearing all this time..."
He looked around at all the surface-destruction, then frowned. "I see you... but I don't see our friend Xoraxanto. He. Did come out of the... no, he didn't..."
He turned to look back at the pyramid, frowning. "I was going to ask if you wouldn't mind blessing him with a normal form again, but it's hard to gauge his response when he's not here... Perhaps I'll go look for him."
He reared on his hind legs, turning to trot back inside to find the dragonsphere unless someone stopped him.

    Ryukhan frowned at first, then looked over at the great dark sphere just within the wall of the great glass pyramid of the citadel. "Come forth, Xoraxanto, once Dragon King.  The walls shall make a way for you; you have my word," Ryukhan said. With only a moment's hesitation, the huge black orb floated forward tentatively, and the glass wall of the pyramid parted around Xoraxanto's bulk like water breaking against a limb.  He quickly passed through then.  Something that large moving so swiftly was unsettling, but he stopped beside Brinor and his companions.

  "I am honoured, Your Eminence.  May I say, you look remarkably familiar?  Like a dream upon waking, but far more splendid!"  Xoraxanto said.

  "You speak two truths, Xoraxanto.  You have indeed seen me before, and you've seen another who wears something approximating my guise to guide you both,"  Ryukhan looked down at Brinor as well. He quirked a smile.  "It is merely a deception of chance, the echoes of dreams.  The other is far older than I, so it is really I who am the counterfeit,"  he chuckled.

  Ryukhan looked Xoraxanto over intently.  "This one would have you restored to your original form, do you desire such a thing?" Ryukhan gestured towards Brinor with one great paw as he asked his question of Xoraxanto.

  "Absolutely!" Xoraxanto replied immediately.  "Though I would like to keep the treasure which has been imbued into this form,"  Xoraxanto added.  To which Ryukhan chuckled and replied, "I would expect no less!"  While the dragons spoke, Willa felt uneasy, like something terrible was looming nearby, unseen, waiting to pounce.  She could even feel a sort of...resonance from her rod, its presence tugging at her mystical awareness like a puppy pulling at his master's trousers.

  "I am able to restore you, Xoraxanto, though I'm afraid doing so would bring the ancient evil which laid waste to your kind from across the stars right here, and its strength far outstrips my own,"  Ryukhan sighed deeply.

  But that gave Willa an idea.  She knew someone who could help, someone who owed them a favor.  Someone older and more powerful than the stars themselves...


  Elsewhere...

  Phelan met with the escort and found Gyr a ritual workspace where he would not be disturbed.  They would wait for him to finish before they went together to fetch Amare.  While the party made its way to the ritual site, their escort relayed some recent events to them.

  Talks were ongoing with the Umbreans of the weyrs and the Narayan factions.  Tensions were high outside the walls between the Eldest encampment and the Youngest delegation.  The party's former guide had found employment with the Umbreans to bring them up to speed on recent events in the area and the kingdom at large, for a generous fee, of course.

  But that paled in comparison to the more startling events unfolding at that very moment overhead.  The Umbrean pointed up at the sky.  A thin white line curved over the sky just to the north, from east to west, looking like it arose and fell beyond the horizon.  From what the escort had been told, the "arch" had appeared suddenly, followed by meteor showers.  Hundreds, maybe thousands, of stars were falling from the sky. The shower of brilliant meteors had only subsided a few minutes before the adventurers arrived.

The last of the Old Moon's telepathic assault faded in Gyr's mind, and the awe of standing before a reborn dragon god king settled, as well.  Next, he had to worry about the teleportation circles.  Thrilled though he was that they were operational, purportedly, it still gave him some minor motion sickness (that he did well to hide).

He and Phelan set up the workshop for a quick ritual... and he cleared his psychic throat.  "So, I suppose we should have that talk about 'keeping secrets', seeing as how I am now reporting to Malus," he said, and moved some stones around for better druidic channeling.  "You're right, I shouldn't have kept it for as long as I did, especially considering whom it came from and its sensitivity.  In my defense," he amiably amended, "the adventurer's guild said nothing about relocating an entire population of mind-controlled Umbreans and their abandoned city.  I'll admit, the Old Moon was a surprise, but I signed up as a guide, not a diplomat, and it makes me wonder how much the guild knows about what just transpired or what your party's intents were.  Gods know, this'll be a political tidal wave, once it gets out.  If it came as a surprise for all involved, then it sounds like we all had little to prepare with about the intrigue of this adventure."  He chuckled over a shoulder.  "It all turned out for the best, at least.  So, I've got two-dozen words to say to Malus, Phelan.  Is there anything you want included?  I could send more than one message, if you like."

Gyr prepped a message, maybe two, and went through several iterations to get all the important info within twenty-five words before attaining a satisfactory product (perhaps Phelan helped him with it, smart guy that he is).  Quite pleased, the Ulh readied his wind chimes to start the ritual... and then chanced to look up and saw the meteor shower... he sighed and got out another sheet of paper to start again.

Gyr rolled 32 [nat20] on Nature, for Animal Messenger.

Despite her thoughts, Willa didn't immediately step forward to make them known.  She was in a decidedly uncomfortable situation.  All this felt much too big for her.  She didn't like being part of big things.  Big things were meant for big people and she was anything but.  Better to stick to the small things.  Help a person here.  Help a person there.  All safe and understandable.  Not trying to foresee the multitude of the ramifications that might arise, good and bad, from inviting world a destroying something-or-other to your home, so that an orb could return to being an ancient dragon king again!

There was also the fact that she was about to make a suggestion that left a 'sour' feeling in her mouth.  Her Patron had been so helpful to her up to this point and always at their own discretion.  It just felt wrong to ask something of someone who had freely given so selfishly.  The word 'audacious' came to mind.

Still, step forward she eventually did.  The orb and Ydri had been helpful.  Perhaps even instrumental in saving the lunar umbreans.  Who knows how much trouble she and her friends had been spared by their distraction?  Then there was Brinor.  He might not have been her Iron Jubei, but he had proven himself just as much.  Without him the lunar umbreans could not have been saved at all!  And both her, and his now lost in space or time, or both, predecessor wanted this.  It was the least she could do.  And she wasn't even doing that much, just making a suggestion.  She didn't even know if it was a good one!  It might be stupid.  She'd had plenty of stupid ideas before.

"Uh," her little voice meekly squeeked.  Perhaps too quite for anyone to care, or at least deign to listen to, in all their giant bigness.  "Maybe Oracle can to help?  Is big power.  Willa not comfortable asking.  Not even knowing how.  Maybe new Dragon-God-Rye-you-Can can, uh, am-bass-e-door being?  Or maybe want ask other Far God?  I..if able..."

    Willa's words did not go unnoticed by the god before her.  He was about to speak when a loud but distant trumpet call rang out from somewhere far above.  A moment later, like lightning, a great winged being landed abruptly beside the adventurers.  The figure was vaguely in the shape of a man, far too tall and thin, which gave it a spindly and delicate appearance.  Several large holes took up space across its body and went straight through it.  The largest was located where the chest would have been.  The second largest would have been the stomach, the third the face, and the fourth where the loins would have been.

  Floating a few feet above its head was an inverted, black pyramid.  The wings were long bands of deep-red cloth which wrapped around the beings body.  The ends of each band of cloth was an arrow of gold set with a teardrop shaped diamond.  What little of its skin of the creature was visible was a pale grey.  Only the hole in its face was uncovered and showed a brilliant blue flesh around the edges of the hole inside the head.  Otherwise it's head was featureless save for the human-like ears, and the lack of any hair.

  It's bare, six-toed, feet touched the ground but did not appear to disturb it.  Its hands were six-fingered with the extra digit being something like another thumb, and in its right hand it held a small, curved horn of black ivory.

  "Fear not, for I am an angle of the Gods Willa.  I am Harkin, and I am the herald for another.  I am the gatekeeper and shall now usher forth one greater than I." the angel announced clearly, and each of the adventurers understood it as though it had spoken to them in their own tongues.  The angel turned its back to the party, raised its trumpet and blew three deep, resonant notes into the air of the bleak landscape.

  Three, progressively deeper, and longer tones replied.  A brilliant beam of light appeared not too far away from the herald and widened to permit the entrance of two equally luminous beings.  Though they looked no greater than children.  As they parted from the portal their luminosity descended to a degree where their features became distinct.  Each was about three inches shy of being three feet tall.  Though each walked nearly a full foot off the ground.

  Their proportions were very child like with their heads appearing far too large for their bodies.  Much like the herald their feet and hands were bare, though unlike the herald their hands and feet appeared almost human-like.  Both wore a matching dress of long, black pantaloons.  At first it looked like they also wore a skirt but this was an illusion created by the odd, knee-length coat they wore.  The coat lay over a loose, layered shirt which ended in a tight, high collar about their necks.  The coat itself was layered, much like the shirt beneath it, and grew rather thick about the shoulders though neither the coat or the shirt looked bulky.  Both were white.

  Their head resembled the bulb of some exotic flower.  It was split from where about the spot where one would expected the nose to about the exact opposite spot on the back of the head.  From this cleft rose a fan of deep-blue flames.  The two beings walked upon the air as if their feet were bound to some otherworldly landscape.  Each held the other's opposite hand and it was only a few moments before they had reached Willa.

  "Feat not Willa for I am Aion, the first of the angels, the architect of paradise, and the mouth of the Gods." the two beings spoke in unison, one with the voice of a girl and the other with the voice of a boy.  Like the other angel their speech was clear and familiar.  "The Gods know of your plight but can only act upon your wish Willa, and your permission oh Ryukhan." the angel spoke first to Willa before turning their gaze upon the might dragon god.

  Ryukhan's brow briefly furrowed and he nodded.  "As much turns upon this question Willa I would tell you to forget about the lofty affairs of the Gods and consider only that which lies before you in your domain of concern.  Do you desire for the Gods to aid Ryukhan and restore Xoraxanto to his true nature?"

  At that moment Amare's telepathic voice whispered in Willa's mind "Willa, if you want what is best for Xoraxanto then I would recommend you ask for Xoraxanto to be reborn.  Remade rather than restored.  I know it seems to be a slight difference but it is a significant one." is voice urged hurriedly.

  Elsewhere...

  Phelan paused for a moment, clearly deep in thought.  The moment dragged onto to the point where Gyr had to repeat himself.  Startling the narayan slightly who had gotten himself lost in thought. "Request that Malus contact me.  There is simply too much to discuss through a magical missive." he said, then added "Oh and we're still going to have that talk, my mind is too focused on the task at hand right now for that, we still have to lug Amare back to the moon.  And.  Not to neglect the significant problem of finding this hollow, or hidden edifice which we have to traverse to find a golden lake or sea that can restore him."

  The ritual was performed masterfully with a wild, black house cat, showing up to receive your message.  There was something oddly familiar about the cat which Phelan could not place.  Until it spoke, after it had cleaned one of its ears.  "That's interesting!  You should be glad I was hanging around to overhear how your intrepid escapade played out."  It took Phelan a moment to recognize the voice, it was much more feminine and deeper compared to what it had been but it was Morrey's voice.

  The cat winked at Phelan.  "See you around kid!" and broke off into a run from the seated position she had been in only a moment before.

  Standing outside the workshop, Drex saw the cat running past him and heard it giggling.  A peculiarly bubbly noise before the feline disappeared around a corner a moment later.

  Once they finished up with the ritual the three adventurers made their way to collect Amare from the large storage area where he had been kept.  Only to find the guards missing.  Inside a curious situation was playing out.  A humanoid, about five and half feet tall, dressed all in black clothing.  Was leaping towards Amare's statue only to suddenly be caught in mid air and to leap backward upon the path they had taken until they landed back on the ground some five feet away from where they had been before.
  Phelan recognized the effect at a glance.  It was the odd time reversal effect which the umbreans had accidentally discovered around Amare in his present state.

  Two eyes, so dark brown as to be almost black wiped around to glare at the intruders through the only gap in the fabric which was wrapped around their head.  Dark skin suggested that the person in particular was at least human.  But otherwise it was difficult to identify anything else.  They said a single word that the adventurers did not recognize then pulled three small balls from a belt you had not even realized was there until they had withdrawn something from it.  The dark stranger dropped one ball and threw the other two at the party.

  Black smoke erupted from each ball and the overpowering smell of mint made your eyes tear up.

Willa, ever happy to listen to Amare and also thankful to have some guidance, repeated what he said.  But not before shyly making her usual welcome, of course.

"Hi!  Willa is. Be friends?"

After a moment of letting her offer settle, made genuinely and equally to both both Harkin and Aion, she spoke again:

"Ama, uh, Willa think would be good to...re-born Xor-ax-an-to." The little oozeling took particular care to pronounce the name correctly.  She was prone to mistakes when she spoke fast and thought that any mistakes here might be bad.  "So is to be remade.  Not...restored?"

Gyr regarded the narayah patiently.  "I'm sure that'll be a fun conversation I have with myself, and then will repeat to you," he quips.  "Ask him about the falling stars, it should be easier that way instead of putting it in the message."  As requested, the missive is altered only enough to "Talk with Phelan" as the Ulh does his best to combine a few other words via synonyms to keep it under the 25 limit.

He grunted at the cat and its capricious greeting.  "I'm pretty sure that was Morrey," Gyr thought aloud, "which makes sense, but I can't for the life of me wonder why she came herself instead of some other simpler creature.  It's possible that Malus already knows some of what's up."

With the workshop cleaned up, Gyr kept to himself on their way to Amare, aside from idle chitchat about what he might've known about a restorative golden sea on the moon.  "Not to cause alarm, but the guards are missing," he noticed, and already had his staff out (just in case).  He followed whoever went in first (if not himself) and had his stones at the ready.  The dark-cloaked suspect alerted him, but though the battlewise druid was ready to fight, the assailant's speed was not to be matched.  The stones whipped up a wind to blow away the smoke covering his escape.  "Where did he go?"

(Using Wind Wall as a narrative utility.)

    Aion walked forward and knelt before Willa, still a little taller than her but the angel was able to reach out and took each of her hands in theirs.  "Yes Willa, we are your friends." the angel nodded their heads and so did the much larger angel, Harkin.  "The Scion of the All-Father gives you wise council.  There are times when it is best to start a new rather than to try and reclaim what has been taken."  Aion's hands were soft and warm.

  Moonchild looked up at the gargantuan, black orb of Xoraxanto and asks, his voice puzzled "You've no problems with this Xoraxanto?" his eyes searching he continued "Isn't this just dying with extra steps?"

  There was a pause and Ryukhan looked about to speak when Xoraxanto's voice spoke from the air "Moonchild." the voice was calm and level yet the orbs content looked everything but calm.  The smoky blackness looked like a thunderhead.  "This orb is a prison.  It was made from my own body." he let that linger for a moment before he continued.
  "When the queens defeated me I immediately enchanted and transformed.  For my crime of usurping their natural authority I was beaten, and broken.  I was tortured in every way my captors could devise." Xoraxanto's projected voice faltered almost imperceptibly.  "Eventually they grew bored of my dying carcass.  They could not let me die because there was every chance that another would try to resurrect me, either to make use of me or to give me reign.  So they devised my prison to be an immortal and invincible one.  When I was transformed from flesh to stone it had been delicately engineered so as to be as exquisitely painful as possible.  Barely does even the shadow of a memory exist of when I had not been tormented or in pain." his voice had started to rise but he appeared to have noticed himself and stopped for a moment before he finished.
  "Death was a wish I'd imagined only in my dreams." there was silence for a long moment which Moonchild broke.  "I.  I am sorry.  Its because I sympathise that I." the figure in black armour looked defeated  "I.  I had to say something.  I would not be able to live with myself if I stood by and did nothing when someone who suffered like I-er-you have, rushed headlong into the jaws of death just as you have regained your freedom."

  After a moment Xoraxanto replied "I thank you for your concern Moonchild.  I can see there is some kindship between us.  So I would ask something angel, about my...rebirth.  I would wish to be reborn in the care of these adventurers, if they would be so kind as to be my parents?"

  Elsewhere...

  Phelan quickly pushed his snout into one of the magical pockets of his cloak as Gyr's spell dissipated the smoke around them.  Phelan knew he'd not learn much if he just held is breath and waited for the scent bomb to pass so he took in what he could even though the smell burned his nose.  What the overpowering smell of mint was meant to erase was still there, for now.  The intruder, working assumption was a thief, who had tried to steal Amare?  Hmmm too little to go on beyond that, he thought.  But the smell told him a few things.  The thief was a human woman, and a young one at that, an imperial too.  He had enough of her scent that he'd be able to recognize her should he run into her again.  Without the scent bombs next time.  His eyes watered.

 The umbreans were not doing so well however.  Their whole escort had collapsed.  From a cursory inspection they were at least still alive but they were fast asleep.  Unfortunately trying to detect what alchemical substance might have done the deed was next to impossible due to the overpower stench of the scent bomb.

  No other trace of the intruder remained.  Not even the sound of running feet.  There was only one way out of the chamber so the thief must have passed by the adventurers only a moment ago.  She was preternaturally fast and who knew what other tricks she might have...

  Fortunately Amare's statue appeared no different than it had the last time you'd seen it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:03, Sun 24 Dec 2023.