Nehama had stayed silent for the most part, but then after some reflection, glances to her companions and states " Why do we not just ask the boy who left it? Isn't that where it came from? Who is the boy? If you feel it safe enough to try on, then I would wager it is safe enough for all of us to try. Maybe one of us will activate it. Instead of just Iym." She was grasping a bit at straws, since as far as she knew, curses could be attach to anything, or anyone. It makes sense it could be attached to a time.
"Agreed! We can ask that boy." Henris looks around. "Erm, does anyone know where he is?"
"Agreed! We can ask that boy." Henris looks around. "Erm, does anyone know where he is?"
"Yes," Iym said, removing the kiira with some reluctance. "We should ask the boy, then."
Henris looks around the library for the boy.
The boy is gone. There is no one in the room but the travelers.
"And he's gone - so is Raurniel. Can we go any higher in the tower, or should we head back downstairs and see if the timeline has advanced?"
Pero listens as his allies debate the proper way forward, he is at a loss for words as to what to do next just like his allies are, "Perhaps a search for the boy is the next nest move, it seems that we've little else to proceed with. Maybe moving the Kiira will make something happen that we can react to. Of course that may also not be for the best but standing here is not helping".
sorry for being absent for so long. i needed to hide under a rock because.. reasons.
The isntant the Kiira is moved from the room, the tower begins to shake , as though it shattering from at its very foundations.
sorry for being absent for so long. i needed to hide under a rock because.. reasons.
The isntant the Kiira is moved from the room, the tower begins to shake , as though it shattering from at its very foundations.
"That's fascinating, but not well for us. Let's take it back at once."
"Agreed. Let's get the kiira back into the library."
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"Well now what then? Track a ghostly child through an ancient keep outside of time? Ugh, none of this makes any sense!"
The frustration in her voice was evident.
Once the Kiira is returned to the library, the shaking stops, although the library looks decidedly more decayed. It's as though time has sped up considerably without the kiira's presence.
Nehama frowns. If the kiira's movement is what is causing decay... " Perhaps we should move it out completely. Would the loop not have to close?"
May as well try at this point, I think.
The travelers step out from the library, kiira in hand, and the fortress begins shaking in earnest. As they walk further away from the library, the shaking grows, and things begin to crumble. The floors, walls, ceiling, everything begins to slowly crack and fade away into nothing leaving behind a faint gray void that wasn't so much seen as experienced.
As they leave, the sounds of combat fill the hall. The commander stands, sword drawn, fighting another knight dressed in midnight black. A knight in armor exactly like the Dark Knight's.
Henris stops in his tracks, staring at the Black Knight, his mind going a a mile a minute. Raurniel fighting the Dark Knight...wait. Could the Dark Knight have been the traitor who caused the fall of Miyertiar?
He looks at the others, unsure of what to do. Part of him wants to charge forward and help Raurniel fight the Dark Knight. The other part very much wanted to run away as fast as he could.
Nivian moves forward and tries to shoot the black knight in the face, still angry about the fire and all the people that she watched die.
Her emotion gets the better of her though, and she almost shoots herself in the foot instead.
She takes a few breaths and tries to focus for another try.
Nehama also steps into the fight and fires an arrow at the black knight as well, hoping to connect
Knowing the threat the Dark Knight poses Pero also decides to draw his bow and shoot, a sword to sword confrontation with the Knight would not bode well for Pero, at least not yet...
Ranged Attack -
Longbow Damage -
Taking a cue from Pero, Nehama, and Nivian, Henris pulls out his longbow and looses an arrow at the apparent Dark Knight.
His arrow flies far wide as he tries to avoid hitting Raurniel.
The travelers fire arrows at the Dark Knight facing off against Raurniel. Unfortunately, most of their arrows clatter against the stones of the dissolving castle. All save Nehama's. The Seldarine have blessed her bow with their sight and her aim is true. The shaft cuts through the air like a falcon on the wing, and finds purchase within a kink in the knight's armor.
The knight pauses in his battle and turns to face the travelers. He levels his sword at the travelers, completely ignoring Raurniel. This is a gave mistake as the commander lands a blow against the dark knight, completely knocking his helmet off. Only to reveal a woman who could be Raurniel's twin in every way.
Nivian shoots again.
Nehama sees that her fellow travelers are helping, and she also shoots again
Not seeing any other options at the moment, Sarrissa followed the others' lead. She drew her bow and nocked an arrow with a deep breath. Slowly, she exhaled and released her grip on the bow string.
Henris stares at the woman - identical to Raurniel in every way, his mind processing quickly. The Dark Knight is Raurniel's sister - the one she mentioned. Is the kiira tied to the Dark Knight in some way? Is she the one who betrayed Miyertiar and brought it down from within? If we kill her today, does that break the curse and stop the Dark Knight? Or does it result in Raurniel becoming the Dark Knight, and seeking revenge on us for killing her sister?
Henris begins telling a story his father had told him about a band of heroes who took down a fearsome warlord who sought to slaughter the village they had chosen to defend, hoping it would inspire his allies.
Pero draws and lets fly once more
Ranged Attack -
Longbow Damage -
and once more his aim is off the mark. He frowns at his second miss.
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Raurniel continues her battle with her eternal foe admist a rain of arrows from the travelers' bows. They clatter off the stones and dark armor of Ruarniel's twin, as she raises her sword for a final strike. The woman's blade freezes as Henris begins his song. Then, she turns to face him once more. Her visage is cold and cruel, grim. She is walking death. Her armored feet crunch the pulverizing stones beneath her, yet they make no sound. The silence of her approach is deafening. Even then booming of the collapsing fortress is hushed compared to her muted tread.
For her part, Raurniel stares in dumbfounded shock. "What? This.. this has never happened before! I don't understand!" She stands, holding her sword aloft and charges her twin with a mighty roar. At the same moment, the travelers hear the Boy's voice clear as a lark's call in each of their ears. "Betrayal of trust, Betrayal of self. Truth is Light, and Faith Restored." The kiira begins to glow white hot, almost painfully so. Its light seems to pull and tear at the darkness surrounding Ruarniel's twin. "Knowledge is a Fortress. Knowledge is a Home."
Henris has no idea what's happening - he was well and clearly out of his element. He wasn't stupid, but he wasn't the smartest person in the room, either. Still, it appeared that the story had some effect on the fight, if only as a distraction for the Dark Knight. Since it seemed to have some effect, Henris kept singing, even as he put his bow away and drew out his sword and shield in case she came for him - although he probably wouldn't last too long if she did. As he did so, he racked his brain, trying to think if the Boy's words could mean something.
Sarrissa's eyes widened in thought. She quickly slung her bow as her hands danced around each other, summoning every fragment of light to her that she could find. Like a child making a snow ball, she packed it all together and released it into the air. Slowly the glowing orb hovered higher and higher above, basking the immediate area in a soft glow.
Fool girl! Shoot the fiend again!" the familiar voice in her head echoed.
Nivian wonders if they are even siblings, or if they are actually part of one another. She also notes the affect of Henris's song, so she decides to help.
She starts singing, strengthening the melody that Henris is singing, but also adding depth and richness to the song, emphasizing the power of good and its ability to triumph over evil, not solely through battle, but by learning a new way of doing things and realizing that we need to change.
Pero listens to the words but continues to act.
Longbow Attack -
Longbow Damage -
Iym regarded the kiira blazing in his hands with undisguised delight. He took it up in his hand and began to inch toward the darkness, bright stone held forward.
Nehama knew she was not the best fighter, but she would fire her bow again, before stepping forward to place her body between the dark knight and her companions.
She drops her bow after firing, and draws her sword as she moves. She then calls out " Even as Sehanine enjoys the moonlight. there is still light!" Before trying to stand guard for the bards and their music
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Sienna's light flares to life, momentarily dazzling the dark-armored woman. She raises her arm to protect her eyes from its harsh glare, even as arrows rain down around her. Nivian and Henris' voices join in song, somehow rising above the din of combat and shattering the bizarre silence of the fortress.
The distraction is enough that Ruarniel's twin doesn't see the kiira burning in Iiym's hand. The scholar lifts the treasure high, and its light pulls at the darkness of the knight's armor. Raurniel's twin fades beneath the glare of the kiira's light. It... eats at her and she begins to flake away, same as the tower around her.
It lasts but moments and then she's gone, like dust blown in the wind, along with the rest of the fortress.
Raurniel stands and smiles, saluting the travelers with her sword before sheathing it. "Thank you, travelers. For the first time, in many years, I can rest. This.. moment has been my nightmare, my final end before I died and awoke the next day to relive this torment anew. You broke the cycle and the curse. And, now, I can return to the Seldarine. Thank you." She smiles and laughs as she, too, fades away.
The travelers stand, once more in the ruined tower they slept in days ago. The kiira glowing softly in Iiym's hand.
Only then does Henris remember the boy's words... Knowledge, Fortress, Home. Evereska. They must journey to the libraries of Evereska. Only there will they find answers they seek.
Pero blinks at looks about once more at the ruined Tower, "That was... something else. Well done everyone. Perhaps now we should get some actual rest and then head back to Evereska yes? I think we should take a circular route in case the Dark Knight still seeks us. I get the sense we've not seen the last of her. Though I do hope I am wrong".
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Nehama says a prayer for the lost, and takes time to find any scraps and bury some of them, giving last rites to them, even as they surely had different deities. After that she turns back to the group, and dusting her hands on her pant legs, states "We may have Pero, I am unsure. What I am sure of however, is that was about the last link to our past, and I think we all missed something. That said, if you need healing come see me, I shall do what I can to ease your wounds before we rest."
She looked strained, but called on Sehanine as she let out a few burst of channeled energy to heal her companions.
Iym smiled when it all faded. He'd been right. Now...the kiira was awake. It could contain anything! Without two breaths' hesitation, he put it on his brow again.
If you go straight for the Halfway Inn (from which you ran its burned out ruins with a horde of zombies and a Dark Knight hot on your heels), it'll take you about 2 days to get to Evereska.
If you skirt to the south, it'll take about 10 days. But, you'll have to walk the lands between Anauroch and the Evereska Mountains.
if you skirt to the south, it'll take about 5 days. BUT, you'll pass near the Halfway Inn, the Graycloak Hills, AND Anauroch. So, it's shorter, but you'll definitely be getting close to some dangerous places.
Evereska is pretty tight about who gets in. Half-elves are allowed (although this entry is often begrudgingly and with harassment from less enlightened guards), but non-elves receive even more scrutiny than half-elves. Elves have a fondness for fey, so entry IS possible, but it's definitely going to take some convincing.
Henris blinked a couple of times, then said, "Yes, we have to go to Evereska. The boy's last words...Knowledge, Fortress, Home...all point there. The libraries will have the answers we need - perhaps even more information about the kiira Iym now wears on his head. We can also learn more of Aredhel, Raurniel's sister, who was dressed in the exact same armor of the Dark Knight. Could she have become the Dark Knight? And if so, does she remember us?"
After trying to puzzle out which way to go, she finally gives up and would let another led, as from her idea going to the Halfway Inn would take the longest, even if she felt that wasnt right.
" Henris, I think the Dark Knight may perhaps be either someone else, or was completely destroyed. Or I could be wrong and we end up murdered in our sleep. I say we make the fastest path possible to safety, which would be in Evereska."
Pero turns to Iym, "Has the Kiira shared of its secrets with you my friend?
I agree Nehama, we absolutely should make haste to Evereska and its Libraries".
We are agreed as to where to go. The question is how. If we go straight in it is a 2 day journey, but as we all remember, we fled because an army was chasing us. If we didn't kill the dark knight in the past, then she'll still be waiting for us. If we *don't* go straight in, we could either go around the 10 day route with more difficult terrain, or the 5 day route which takes us closer to places we know were dangerous. Needless to say, no route is hazard-free.
And then, of course, when we arrive, not all of us will be welcome, since we are not all elves. Not our biggest challenge or one that we need confront today, but something to think about for when we do arrive. What sort of argument can we make for keeping the party together... or are you willing to leave us behind?
"Time...is different now. We're dealing with things that I don't think any of us have ever imagined before. We should be safe, not rush ahead. We also need time to think, to study the kiira. The long way seems a good choice to me."
"And I won't leave any of you. You are as brave as any I've seen. I will walk with you, stand with you, and die with you if need be, all of you."
Pero turns to Iym, "Has the Kiira shared of its secrets with you my friend?
I agree Nehama, we absolutely should make haste to Evereska and its Libraries".
The kiira remains frustratingly silent to Iym's probings. Even its glow is fading.