The moment Meri touched the clear stone, her vision darkened.

However, there was light around, but it did not illuminate the darkness, just define certain areas of it. The Shadow was standing before her, a tall as her and standing a shrt distance in front of her, yet infinitely large and infinitely far away.

His features, such as the could be discerned, showed relief. "I was not sure if I could contact you," he said happily. "I felt your wish reach fruition, and in what I suppose could be called my heart I have felt glad for it. A true wish, given selflessly and realised perfectly. It is harder than I thought to come back to where I was, yet be undetected by the gods. Still, no matter if they do see me. Whether bound through me or not, you mortals apparently will never cease to amaze and achieve great things. You have done so much in so short a time since we met. Yet I felt the questions in your mind. I set you on this course, in a way. Let me help you if I can, while I still can. My knowledge is yours."


So there you go, maybe that co-incidence of the moving stone is not such a co-incidence after all :) Perhaps he's been trying to contact you at key times, or the stone reacts to The Shadow, but only when the back has been ripped has the movement resulted in the drop.

Who knows.

Anyway, a hopefully quick info dump over the next day for any lingering questions. Ask away :)
This message was last edited by the player at 22:54, Sun 07 Feb 2016.

Meri peered around in surprise then looked up at the Shadow.
For a short time she didn't reply, although she seemed less in awe of the Shadow than she had shown on first sight back in the portal cavern.

"Well, for now I just can't help but wondering if the same magic that created the Beholder and changed the wizard's familiar is somehow responsible for what's happening here too.  With this Blight thing?  Do you know anything about it?"

She looked down at the clear stone for a moment, then glanced back, as if checking to see if Goodwin and the others were with her here.
"Also, do you know what spell it was that changed Goodwin into a stick?  The dryad said it was a backfiring spell cast by him, and he's not really in a position to communicate much."

She looked back at the Shadow, raising the clear stone in front of her eye and peering at the being through it.
"Also, are you the one making holes in my backpack?  That can get annoying fast" she added with a wry smirk.


OOC: Kind of like one of those situations where you have tons of questions, but when someone actually asks if you have any questions, you can't remember any of them...
This message was last edited by the player at 23:52, Sun 07 Feb 2016.

It was my evil plan all along! Except you did come up with questions, so it didn't quite work out...

Sorry, running out of time this morning, and I do want to make this reasonably quick so Nym isn't left hanging, so the last paragraph might be a little unfiltered :(

"I think you will discover the reason for the hole in your backpack soon enough," said The Shadow with what could have been a smile, "all the hole has revealed to you is that I have been attempting to communicate with you many times since we parted. I am not sure why it has been so difficult, but I am glad to finally have reached out to you."

"As to the magic of the dryad, there were two spells that were interrupted at the same time, and thus two parts to undo. The Hamadryad could undo her own counter. That is one bond. However, the magic of the being you know as Goodwin, it is bound in an artifact that has now become a part of him while he is transformed. And so, to undo the magic, the magic is now so twisted and a part of him it is tied to him making a decision. It is not something you can talk him through. I believe you are on your way to the place where that decision can be made. You possess an item that might make it easier. But ultimately, he must remember who he was and see who he is now."

"The Blight is history and magic, so sadly I know it all too well, even if I must pick apart the threads of it passing rather than having seen it first hand. What Celindara has told you is true. I could explain their exact nature, but that is not the problem. No."

For once there seemed to be odd emotions to The Shadow. Hesitation and even reluctance.

"There is something I have not told you of, for when we spoke in the portal room, as I hinted, reality was too thin for it not to be dangerous. Now we can finally speak freely, I can tell you that I was not bound alone. The gods were scared of me, it is true, and the power of mortals. But just as the gods and demons are two sides of a coin, fear and yearning, in a way I had two parts too. I was the power of magic, of mortals - a power the gods steal from you as faith. They are powerless without it. However, the demons, they do not need mortal's power except to free themselves. The demons use yearning as their tool, they yearn themselves for power and freedom, and thus there is a twin to me. It is said it was he who cast the first seed in to the Abyss that gave the demons home. He has been called a chained god, but he is more than that. He is the eye in the elemental chaos, and he is the true reason why I would not seek my escape from the portal at any cost. Why it was important to me it was a selfless mortal with a selfless wish that freed me. My shadow self, if you will, is still trapped, but that is why the portal room is dangerous. For signs and portents of His coming, not mine, I believe this may be why the last vestiges of The Blight have moved. So the short and deceptive answer would have been 'yes, there is a connection'. But the longer answer is 'no'. If you will. Indeed, it is heavy irony that the signal to if any are still alive who might be looking for the final sign that their master was freed, that sign stimied the attempt for power, and only signally that I - not He - was free."


I'll leave it there!

Meri lowered the clear stone, staring up at the Shadow in surprise.
"So...  There's another one of you still in there?  Could this one be released without the clear stone?  In fact, better yet, is there a way to permanently seal the portal?  I don't trust anyone back at Stonebridge not to go poking around in there, not to mention anyone else who might have been drawn there as we were..."


OOC: http://www.mikechurch.com/wp-c...oom-text-612x300.jpg

Pretty much :D

Sorry, rushing the post at work, I'll clean it up later!

The Shadow seemed to nod. "The problem is not the portal. The portal was merely a way that the Eladrin, under His influence - not mine - managed to tear in to the prison we were both in. The prison still exists, and so there will be a way for Him to reach out once more to create another one. Still, while you possess the clear stone, that portal cannot be used to free him. While the portal exists however, there is the potential that He could speak to another in that place. However, to speak to them they must first know his name. The few acolytes he ever had guarded that secert jealously, to keep power for themselves. Evil will always turn upon itself. So I do not believe there is a danger there. The greater danger is without being connected anymore, I know not what he does. He may have agents in the world. There may be other ways for Him to reach out that He kept secret from me, to speak to those few faithful and create another portal. Of course, in that case, I would feel that magic when it starts. I would know. Of course, I could not say this while you were in the portal room. And until now I have not been able to speak with you. But one thing about those who used The Blight - they loved knowledge and its pursuit above all else. If the Name still exists in the world, they might know it. Indeed, if the blight activated with merely the build up to the portal being open, perhaps those that lead them might have been His acolytes."


Sorry, need to leave it there! As I said, will clean it up a little, hopefully you gewt what I mean. Also, maybe you'll spot something worrying in what The Shadow just said - not jsut about evil Shadow, but something much more 'but wait... why is he saying that thing...'

"So why me?" asked Meri.  "Didn't you say you had your own acolytes?  Purple robes, or red and gold if I remember right?  I would have thought they understood the situation better than me, all I really know is how to make things...  Or make things explode!"

She spun the clear stone around in her fingers a little then looked up at the Shadow again.
"So do these acolytes of the...  other you, wear a particular colour?  Just so I might recognise them if I find any."

"We'll probably be dealing with this Blight thing anyway.  Not sure why, but I seem to be getting roped into everyone else's fights these days."
She chuckled at that.


OOC: As someone once said: "If you're gonna send someone to save the world, make sure they like it the way it is!" ;)
Think I'm missing that hint actually.  I'm too thick to get subtle stuff.  Gotta hit me over the head with it!
This message was last edited by the player at 12:42, Mon 08 Feb 2016.

OOC: Also, from the point of view of the others, is Meri just sitting there staring at the clear stone, all kind of zoned-out right now?

Here's another hint to think on while I travel home... how does The Shadow refer to having spoken to you before, and how many times it has happened? How many times does Meri think they've spoken now...

This might be happening in the blink of an eye :)

OOC: Hmm yep, didn't notice that...

"Wait a minute though" said Meri, looking back up at the Shadow.  "If this is only the second time we've spoken..."

Her expression turned noticeably suspicious.
"After I left the portal hall and returned to Stonebridge, we spoke again in a dream.  At least it looked like you..."

The Shadow gave a small laugh, or at least there was the impression of laughter in the vast nothingness. "Why you? Well, you believe the evidence of your own eyes. Many who have expanded their minds to find me with a pure heart have also, perhaps, been ones to distrust how open their minds are. More importantly, I think it human - or mortal - nature. If I find a gap to show myself to them, they may well not believe it, And yet if you come along, spinning the story, no matter how wild, they will more likely believe it because it is a second person affirming their belief. Strange how faith works, and that is why I hope someday mortals will find a way beyond it... Still, if you meet them and affirm what is happening is what they have suspected, then maybe they will find me on their own. I had hoped more might look for me, but I have felt none, strangely..."

When Meri then realised what The Shadow had said, and questioned it, there was an impression of The Shadow getting closer to her. Which was disconcerting, for he was either very close, or very large, or both, and for a moment all that her vision contained was a nothingness that might have been an eye, staring through her...

"I thought I was being so clever, and forgot who He was." The Shadow sounded as if he was actually signing. "His name. He showed it to you, somehow, in the room of the crate and books, before we met. A single strange name in a tome that crumbled a moment later, do you recall? No wonder I was unable to speak with you until now. And that means he must know everything that has occurred when we were in the portal room and spoke."

The Shadow seemed concerned. "This is important. The dream you had was no dream, and yet not me. It was Him. He is a trickster, perhaps the ultimate one. His power comes from reading the hearts of mortals, their wants. Whereas I, I suppose, can only read their minds - their needs. Luckily I can see what He has said to you, while He will not know what we have said if He speaks with you again. That is the only advantage we have, though. You ask what colour his acolytes' robes will be? The answer is now simple. They will be robes of purple, both red and gold. His own acolytes will disguise himself, and now I see why none have sought me out. They may have found him, and now are tricked." A deep sigh that carried despite the airless void. "You must beware my followers, I fear. And beware his twice as much."

The Shadow seemed to be shifting, the world of nothing shifting too. "We must not speak much longer. For all the danger I would advise you against, I fear more danger in staying and drawing his attention. Now I know we can speak, I will try to speak with you again, if you are in gravest peril. But to know it is me, I must have something from you. Something form your head, not your heart. Some detail no one could know. Ask me the question the next time we speak, to know it is me."

Note he can read your mind, so technically if you just OOC say something that might occur to Meri, he will know. Unless you are suspicious and so try to block Meri's mind, of course :)

"And if you think you may go to the place of The Blight, I can at least tell you of what you face if it is not long gone. They are lesser demon spawn, from one of the many layers of The Abyss. They are a collective, and have many names foreach part in their own langauge. There are drones, and givers, and listeners, and teachers, and pets. They are called the Thrak'i to those who know such things. They have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and a limitless dispassion for how they get it. And they will never, ever waste a reasource. Their methods may seem small or innefficient, yet they are actually the most efficient - you just need to know that time means nothing to them."

Made up for this game based on some monsters I grabbed, we'll see how much I amalgamate from the actual D&D world though.

Anyway, any passing throughts or questions? Otherwise, back to Nym with the fun news! :D

"I wondered what that word meant" remarked Meri quietly.  "Still, if he is so good at playing tricks and knows everything that happened in the portal hall, how can I be sure you are not him?"

She grinned at that.
"Probably a good thing Nym didn't read that.  It would be everywhere by now."
She sighed and shook her head.
"If there's something you think the other one, whichever one you are, wouldn't know, then I'll remember that for next time.  I have no way of knowing what knowledge you both possess, do I?"


OOC: Paranoid Mode: On!
So how does Meri know for sure THIS one isn't the Evil Shadow Twin? ;)

The Shadow nodded. "You cannot. And now you see the danger. I will not fault you for your caution, for it will be the only weapon you have against His ways. The easiest answer I can give you is this - what reason would He have to reveal His existence to you, rather than to continue to pretend to be me, and make you do what He would?"

The Shadow answered regarding knowledge. "There is nothing He and I have not shared in our imprisonment, and before when we were the chains of mortals and demons both. That is why it must be your knowledge. Children do not fear their mortality, yet have a primal fear of the dark. One is of the heart, one is of the head. Some say the heart wants what the heart wants, but intellectually you know what it is you need, that is best for you. In your head are truths and fears that your heart does not touch. If it is not something you have shared to the world, then you would at least know which of the two of us you spoke with when next you saw this face. There is nothing I can tell you he cannot guess, would not know. My assurances mean nothing, the ones you can set up are the only way to be sure."

Up to you, share something intellectual with The Shadow or don't, he's offered his logical reasons to both do it and trust him, but I don't think he would blame Meri for being cautious if she refused.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:21, Mon 08 Feb 2016.

OOC: Hmm, not too sure what would count as the kind of knowledge he's looking for.  Meri's true name maybe? :)

It would be iffy, since it had to have been known well enough once for you to have been given it as a name. Still, since it is not a name Meri seems to identify with, it might be good enough.

Alternatively we can sort of cast a curtain over it narratively, as in 'Meri says something about herself' and if it comes up, you can see if you have inspiration for what that something she revealed actually was.

OOC: Ah ok, so something specifically about Meri?
Hmm, not too sure...  I need to work on her backstory a lot more methinks.  Been just making it up on the fly so far.

Not too sure what to do here, I'm thinking Meri will be reluctant to risk doing anything to alter the situation any further.  If she was regretting becoming involved in this whole thing before, that's just been cranked up several levels now! :)

Anyways, should I go back to posting in the other thread now?  Kind of waiting till I get everything out of him here (so Meri knows just how badly screwed we both are!)
This message was last edited by the player at 22:44, Mon 08 Feb 2016.

Yeah, as I said I was happy to fudge what was said just now to let you come up with something later, but if Meri is reluctant to trust this new vision - which is possibly the correct response - then that's cool :)


The Shadow takes note of Meri's reluctance, but seems more saddened than angry. "I am dissapointed in your reluctance, but it would be better than being to trusting. If I try to contact you again, it will be because the situation is dire enough that my advice or warning will not be something to mistrust. Until then - and I hope that is not an eventuality - farewell, and once again thank you. And I am sorry you were the right ones at the right time, and have become the centre of this."

And with that, Meri's surroundings came back to sharp focus. There was n odd disconnect s the speaking around her apparently had not even been interrupted, despite the time the vision appeared to have taken in her mind.

Feel free to post in the main thread. :) And react to rat friend in the pack, don't forget!