Rilee's summoned earth elemental rises out of the ground and makes a sweeping slam that carries from one into another of the demonic women.
Setsuna casts Blessing of Fervor on the party and then moves to hide.
Should anyone try to attack Zoli, Lion gives her a guiding squeek, helping her to avoid getting hit.
Meanwhile, Zoli stands ready to parry
The demon Zoli wounded is clearly enraged, and they all simultaneously work some magic, their clawed hands glowing with dark energy. Then, as if one creature, they leap to attack. Some of them remain on the ground, while others unfurl their leathery wings and fly above their identical counterparts. Zoli manages to parry one claw, but three more manage to make contact, each one sapping large portions of both Zoli and Lion's life, and those that connected seem bolstered by the effect!
__________
"Hang on, Zoli!" Rilee shouts. "This will certainly make a mess," the druid mutters as she casts a potent spell.
Instantly, the floor cracks and the ground shakes as massive tendrils thrust upward -- ancient, hoary roots deep underground and stirred to life through the druid's spell. The tendrils unerringly go after the creatures with evil auras, grabbing them and squeezing tightly.
Meanwhile, the lumbering elemental keeps slamming into one of the demons touching the ground.
Zoli gasps--and Lion Eeeps--as they both feel their life force being sucked out of them. In response she continues to swing, attempting to make short work of the demons...
___________________
Should anyone try to attack Zoli, Lion gives her a guiding squeek, helping her to avoid getting hit.
Meanwhile, Zoli stands ready to parry
[ooc]Thanks! BTW, I used BoF for +1 attack (not AC) this round, so my touch AC is 30 vs the first 3 attacks vs her and 28 for any others.
Seeing that Zoli wasn't as injured as she thought, Setsuna takes no actions for the round.
Seeing the tentacles wrap up all the demons, Eugeni elects to conserve his resources for now and hovers over to the side of the door. The demons continue to lash out with their magic, trying to end the halfling near them, but fail to connect with the nimble warrior.
__________
Rilee keeps her eyes fixed on the demons, watching for signs of them escaping or pulling some trick to avoid their fate. Otherwise, she is content to let the tentacles squeeze and her summoned earth elemental pound them into oblivion.
Seeing no need to act, Setsuna again conserves her spells.
The elemental finishes one demon off, while Zoli cuts down two more and wounds a third. The demonesses attempt to weave some magic in a desperate bid to survive, but lose the spells! The tentacles, Zoli, and elemental make short work of the remaining ones. All of the felled demons, when slain, fall apart into shards of ice.
This long room contains only the remains of three plain items of furniture—a large bed strewn with silk ropes, a writing desk, and a freestanding armoire. All of which have been smashed and demolished by the tentacles. In comparison to the furnishings elsewhere in this wing, these were notably less extravagant.
__________
For some reason, the group hears Setsuna abruptly gag as if sick to her stomach. However, given that she never really eats or drinks (because Magic Ring), she only dry heaves insteading of actually vomiting.
"...Someone else might have to investigate that room. I suddenly feel extremely nauseous," the Oracle says after she casts Delay Poison on herself.
"Okay, Setsu. If you'd like for me to see if you're ill, you'll have to become visible," Rilee instructs as she steps into the room and surveys the remains of the furniture.
Setsuna break her invisibility and slumps against a nearby wall. After taking a few seconds to put a canteen on the ground, she says to Rilee, "That's the magic wine that sharpens the mind and senses. It might help you. All I know is that I'm not poisoned."
Rilee crosses over to where Setsuna is leaning. "Not poisoned, but are you drunk?" she says as she sniffs the liquid in the canteen. "This isn't the cause of your ailment?"
If she makes sure it is benign, Rilee takes a drink, then looks over Setsu.
"Unlikely. I only took a sip. You don't need to drink much to get the benefits."
After checking the Oracle over, Rilee sits back on her haunches, holding her hands in hers. "Well, you're fine," she pronounces, a smile growing on her face. She turns it into a reassuring one. "This is only a temporary ailment."
The druid gets a little fidgety, looking around at the others, then back to Setsuna. "You know, I think I saw a type of bark that you could chew to help with the nausea just outside the entrance. Come on."
She stands and draws Setsu to her feet. She somewhat hurriedly guides her great-granddaughter outside.
Once they're alone, Rilee squeezes her tight in a full-body hug, hopping up and down on her toes.
"Setsu!" she whispers excitedly. "You're pregnant!"
Without further comment, Setsuna uses her wings to steady herself and follows Rilee.
Setsuna.exe has stopped working.
After Setsuna ceases to be paralyzed from sheer disbelief, the Oracle seems very... conflicted.
"...I have very mixed feelings about this news, Rilee. Putting aside the question if I'm ready for a child, Eugeni is most likely the father," she reasons quietly. "And after his reincarnation, he lost most of his feelings toward me. Talk about awkward. Still, we should let him know; I promised not to lie to him anymore."
Rilee pulls back from the embrace, biting her lip in worry. She comforts the Oracle, brushing her hair back from her face and touching her cheek.
"He's so different," she agrees. "But even if you don't get much emotional support from him, you'll have all you need and more from Zoli and me. I promise you that."
She smiles again and gives Setsu another full squeeze. "I should totally find a man and join you. Pregnancy's no fun alone. But when you're waddling around together with a friend, you share so much. Solsta Vinder and me -- well, Ryllibelle me -- had some great times supporting each other through the puking and the mucus and the cravings. What do you say?"
Setsuna.exe has stopped working.
After Setsuna ceases to be paralyzed from sheer disbelief (again), the flustered Oracle tries to hide her blush.
"I... honestly don't know how to respond to that offer."
Setsuna chuckles anxiously and sheepishly looks to the side.
"That reminds me. I need to take you to meet Shion. I've been so caught up in the recent nonsense that I only now just remembered to tell you about her. Uh... Right! You have no idea who she is! Shion is my new little sister and your new great-granddaughter. Mom told me about her... a week ago? Needless to say, her arrival caught everyone by surprise!"
Setsuna laughs nervously.
"...We should probably get back to the others."
She pauses.
"I apologize for being so mean to you lately, Rilee. And thank you for being so supportive. I understand that the last few weeks have been rather... trying between us two, but I really appreciate your kindness."
Rilee separates from the embrace and takes a few steps back, rubbing her own belly wistfully. "Okay. Though believe me that I'm serious. And I'd love to meet Shion.
"Setsu, every stream is going to have a few rapids here and there. That's the same with relationships. We're connected, in such a way that a few harsh words are not going to do anything to divert our course, just like a few stones in a riverbed. And as time passes, their sharp edges will be smoothed by the rushing waters."
She takes Setsu by the hand and starts to lead her back inside the Runeforge. "I won't tell anyone; I'll let you share this news. Whenever you feel like it -- whether it be now, or after this whole quest thing we're working on. Unless you start to show." She punctuates that last statement with a giggle and a pat on Setsu's belly.
Setsuna and Rilee return soon enough. The former still seems rather shocked.
"Uh... Rilee and I investigated, and there's nothing in those other two rooms."
Setsuna pauses for a long moment before sighing.
"Eh, might as well just say it. According to Rilee's assessment, I'm pregnant, and I believe her. Eugeni, you're most likely the father."
Eugeni cocks his head. He doesn't move for a good several seconds, hints of expressions twitching past the corners of his eyes. "That...is unexpected. Would you like to speak about this privately, Setsuna?"
Setsuna nods at Eugeni's proposal, "I would."
The Oracle leads her friend to a secluded corner of the library.
"...Do you want to say something first?" she offers sincerely.
"I believe such things are primarily the demense of the mother. However, I never thought I would be provided such an opportunity. Hideousness has so long been my lot that I feared to walk life's path all alone. To have a child...."
A solitary tear squeaks its way from the corner of the arcanist's eye. Eugeni waits for Setsuna to say something.
At Eugeni's sorrow, Setsuna finds herself tearing up as well.
"This whole situation is very complicated. To be honest, I have mixed feelings right now. We're not exactly in an ideal position to raise a baby. Personally speaking, I'm not sure I'm ready to be raising a child.
"First thing's first I suppose. I guess... I want to know what you want, Eugeni. How involved do you want to be? Unless I'm mistaken, you don't... feeling emotion as strongly as you once did, right? That's something we should consider. If you want, I'm more than willing to primarily raise the child. I have a lot of living family who will help me raise them. Sabrina tends to... forget it, but in many regards, our grandparents, aunts, and uncles all raised us just as much as Mom and Dad did. Rilee is also very keen about being there for me. I'll have plenty of support. That said, I'd love for you to have a... noticeable presence in the baby's life."
"As for... us, I remember what you told me, and I don't think it'd be wise if we forced ourselves back together. I mean, I'm not opposed to the idea, but unless something has changed, you just don't seem interested in romance. That's fine. I understand."
As Setsuna and Eugeni step aside to have their private conversation, Rilee takes Zoli over to their own corner. Leaning down to whisper in her ear, she excitedly conveys, "This is an exciting time for Setsu. Scary, sure, for a first-time mother. We should be as supporting as possible."
Then she takes a step back and looks at her halfling daughter seriously. "How do you feel? I know there was... something between you and Eugeni."
At Eugeni's sorrow, Setsuna finds herself tearing up as well.
"This whole situation is very complicated. To be honest, I have mixed feelings right now. We're not exactly in an ideal position to raise a baby. Personally speaking, I'm not sure I'm ready to be raising a child.
"First thing's first I suppose. I guess... I want to know what you want, Eugeni. How involved do you want to be? Unless I'm mistaken, you don't... feeling emotion as strongly as you once did, right? That's something we should consider. If you want, I'm more than willing to primarily raise the child. I have a lot of living family who will help me raise them. Sabrina tends to... forget it, but in many regards, our grandparents, aunts, and uncles all raised us just as much as Mom and Dad did. Rilee is also very keen about being there for me. I'll have plenty of support. That said, I'd love for you to have a... noticeable presence in the baby's life."
"As for... us, I remember what you told me, and I don't think it'd be wise if we forced ourselves back together. I mean, I'm not opposed to the idea, but unless something has changed, you just don't seem interested in romance. That's fine. I understand."
One of Eugeni's hands wipes away his tear, and he composes himself. He thinks again for a few moments, still as a frog waiting for a fly.
"It is true that I am less emotional in this body than in my previous orcish one. However, I still have feelings. They just seem less imperative most of the time. If you are going to attempt to birth the child, and succeed, then I would like to be as involved in its life as I can be. One's father is very important. My own tată was terrible. I'd want our child to have the best father possible, even if that father is an aberrant monster. I am also concerned that it will be quite difficult to bring a pregnancy to term and protect our child while also fighting a war against ancient and powerful evil. In fact, I find this worries me more than anything..."
"I still feel a very strong urge to protect my own." Eugeni floats slowly over to Setsuna, and reaches out with two of his hands, resting them lightly on her shoulders. With his third hand he reaches up and tenderly strokes her cheek. "Are you as frightened as I am, Setsu?"
"I should be fine until the second trimester. It's not like I regularly wade into combat like Zoli. I've certainly been thinking about such possibilities, but I suppose that issue settled itself."
She pauses as Eugeni approaches her.
"Yeah. Terrified."
Eugeni hesitates and then the hand stroking Setsuna's cheek drifts slowly down to her belly. His four fingers splay there gently, and he smiles slightly. "Hello, little one. Your mother and I will try our utmost to assure your safe arrival on this plane."
After a tender moment, he looks back up at Setsuna. "As for our romance, I'll leave that up to you. I'm certain I'd still find sex enjoyable. That being said, I don't blame you if you find my new body unattractive, or for that matter if you feel I could not offer you sufficient emotional support the way I am now."
Setsuna also smiles at Eugeni's words toward their child.
"...I'll need to think about it. Truth be told, my thoughts about your appearance are... complicated. I don't find you repulsive. However... I understand that it makes me incredibly shallow or selfish, but... I... don't think that it would truthful for me to say that I am physically attracted to you like before."
She wonders if she should have kept that fact quiet, but... the Oracle promised not to lie to Eugeni anymore, and she intends to keep it. Setsuna contemplates saying more, but she knows that him is also smart enough to recall that she frequently complimented his old handsome appearance.
Setsuna shudders and finds her eyes starting to water. It almost seems like admitting what she just said was literally painful. She finds herself envying her sister's uncanny ability to never judge someone by their looks.
After taking a few minutes to compose herself, Setsuna continues.
"As for emotional support, based on what you said before, I just don't want us going through the motions. Only being together for the child. That isn't healthy. I still love you for you, but as you said, it might not be mutual. I don't want to force anything."
"Oh! Well, of course I still love you. Did I say something to make you think I did not? I just love you..." Eugeni pauses again. Less passionately sounds terrible. You don't want to turn her off. B@&+!!#s! Pause is getting too long. Just say something honest, you fool!
"...more logically? I still find you very attractive, admirable and strong, which is what drew me to you to begin with. Now that you carry my child, that feeling seems significantly stronger. I will admit, you hiding your past from me stung initially. But, I have forgiven you and I think I have successfully moved on. It seems your intention was never to hurt me or the others."
Looking into the oracle's eyes with a mischievous grin that hints at Oldgeni, he continues, "If my appearance is an issue, there are plenty of magics that I could use to change it during our lovemaking. I could look like either of the old mes, or just about anything else you fancy for that matter."
"You said it yourself: 'I feel very little now. I don't love you. I don't hate you. I am willing to forgive you...'" Setsuna quotes with a frown. "And then you mentioned something about emotional dullness."
However, her expression softens when she hears Eugeni's reasoning for his change of mind.
"...Granted, it has been some time. After some soul searching, it is perfectly reasonable for you to have changed your mind."
When Eugeni says that he has forgiven her, Setsuna pauses... and starts crying.
And blushing.
"Okay. Let's give our relationship a second chance. I... think everything will work out."
Zoli's eyes go wide when she hears the news. She's about to leap onto Setsu with a tackle-hug when Riley catches her eyes.
"Oh yeah, I guess she better get to talk about it with Eugeni first."
As Setsuna and Eugeni step aside to have their private conversation, Rilee takes Zoli over to their own corner. Leaning down to whisper in her ear, she excitedly conveys, "This is an exciting time for Setsu. Scary, sure, for a first-time mother. We should be as supporting as possible."
Then she takes a step back and looks at her halfling daughter seriously. "How do you feel? I know there was...something between you and Eugeni."
Zoli shakes her head. I'm...it was a major head f#*@ to think Eugeni and I were going along, just taking it slow...and then to have him realize he was more into Setsu. You know I was bummed. Now though...the Eugeni I like-liked is dead, literally, right? The one that's alive is pretty freaky, but I love him and Setsuna both. It's crazy to think they're making some cute little aberrant baby."
She glances over at the parents-to-be. While she can't make more than a word hear and there of what they're saying...she sees them start to cry and breaks into tears herself. "They're--we're all going to be able to do it, right? Get the the bottom of all this weirdness and make things safe for Thisstle and Eutsuna and all the kids of Sandpoint?"
"Now that you mention it, I guess I may have said that. Though I might have seemed calm at the time, I suspect I was in shock, or something akin to it. As time has passed I feel a bit more like my old self. It is hard to explain exactly. I think my orc body's humours made my emotions so volatile. Now I'm so much more intelligent that when I do have feelings it seems so easy to recognize them as just that; when before they were like an imperative. Does that make sense?"
After Setsuna answers, Eugeni smiles at her again. "Right now I am experiencing emotional content I would describe as...pleasant."
Zoli shakes her head. I'm...it was a major head f~%~ to think Eugeni and I were going along, just taking it slow...and then to have him realize he was more into Setsu. You know I was bummed. Now though...the Eugeni I like-liked is dead, literally, right? The one that's alive is pretty freaky, but I love him and Setsuna both. It's crazy to think they're making some cute little aberrant baby."She glances over at the parents-to-be. While she can't make more than a word hear and there of what they're saying...she sees them start to cry and breaks into tears herself. "They're--we're all going to be able to do it, right? Get the the bottom of all this weirdness and make things safe for Thisstle and Eutsuna and all the kids of Sandpoint?"
Rilee puts a comforting hand on Zoli. "Well, I'm hopeful the child is half-elven, or even half-orc, rather than aberrant. I'd be surprised if they... mated in his current incarnation." Again, Rilee's face grows tight as she regards the new Eugeni.
She looks down and smiles at the halfling. "We can only try, and put our faith in the powers that are guiding us through this quest. Certainly, these reminders are good that there are more lives at stake than we know, and the work we do benefits so many more than we'll ever fully comprehend."
Zoli nods and grins up at Rilee...and then occupies herself petting Lion and waiting to give Setsuna that pounce-hug she can't wait to give.
A baby! A real live human-elf-orc-aberation-whatever baby!!
The group makes their way down the 150' hall into the wing marked with the Thassilonian rune for Lust. Strangely enough, Rilee and Setsuna feel at ease here . The lighting fades to near darkness, save for faint torch light in the distance.
As the hall comes to an end, it opens into a grand cathedral that can be called nothing less than opulent. The floor is covered in polished red and white tiles. Thick pillars carved into the likenesses of the same beautiful nude woman with long flowing hair circle the room and support a ninety-foot-high domed ceiling, where a gargantuan mural depicts men and women engaged in all manner of carnal acts. Numerous plain ten-foot-by-ten-foot cubes line the outer ring of the cathedral, while at its center stands a pavilion of opaque silk sheets. Near the walls of the cathedral stand several delicate-looking cages, their sides more decorative than practical. Some of them contain what appear to be long-dead bodies, although one body in a cage in the chamber’s northern corner seems to be clinging to life.
"Weell well well. Sisters! It would appear we have guests!" a sultry voice calls out, a set of black wings unfurling from near a pillar and taking to the air. A minuscule moment later, three more forms take to the air. Each holds a ranseur, though they do not appear to be making any movements of aggression beyond simply circling above. They resemble strikingly beautiful human women, save for the horns on their brows, their fangs, their taloned feet, and their batlike wings. Each wears little more than a few pieces of jewelry and flimsy garments.
"Finally!" another says, "It's been years since we've had proper guests. And look at 'em! Just look at 'em Voivod!"
One nods, licking her lips. "I see, Zevashala. Look at that...that...delicious looking thing!" she says, pointing at Eugeni. "What exactly are you, darling? Three arms! Oh, the fun we could have with that! You have more of anything else hiding under there?"
Another speaks up, "The blonde one is really sexy. Look at those t!!~. And that ass!"
"You said it, Eryalla, but I call dibs on the little one! I bet she could squeeze into all the right places!" the fourth says.
"Shut it, Eryalla and Lelyrin! You know Mistress gets first pick!" Zevashala says. "So tell us, you sexy little minxes, you here to show us how well you can lick and f+%~, or you just gonna stand there and be teases?"
That night, Rilee meditated on the upcoming day ahead. They were going to forge ahead into the wing that embodied Lust, the likes of which were hinted within the notes she had perused earlier that day in the library. She had to admit to some level of... was it confusion? The more she learned about her myriad lives, the more she realized that her tendency to forget her earlier lives had been a coping mechanism. Rather than trying to relive her previous life, with each rebirth she had wholly committed to her new state of being which included race and gender. Her life as the druid Riley Tobias had given her a new power to better perceive the Wheel, which she carried to Rilee. While her power had grown -- which had served her friends, the people of Varisia, and the Wheel itself well -- there had been a cost. And that was the person of Rilee the Stormborn had far too much of Riley.
Riley was male. Rilee is female. And she wasn't sure that she'd really come to terms with all that implied.
So the next day, when she stepped into the great hall dedicated to Lust, Rilee gulps at the brazen leers and enticing propositions by the voluptuous figures that appeared.
She glances down at her chest and resists an urge to gauge if her rear end was actually as sexy as Eryalla said. She forces away the heat that threatens to rise in her cheeks.. and other places.
She reminds herself that she had really expected nothing less. She smiles, knowing that her colored cheeks would be noticed by the creatures, and brings a finger to her mouth. "You have a Mistress? Can we meet her? Is her name Delvahine?"
"Of course we have a Mistress!" Voivod says. "You wishing to submit to her? To let her show you the limits of real desire?"
"Ever had your nipples sucked until they bleed?" Eryalla asks as she caresses her own bosom. "It sounds painful, but it feels amazing!"
Zevashala holds up a claw, "How do you know Mistresses name?"
Rilee strikes a confident, sexy pose as she holds out her staff of heaven and earth at her side, mentally thanking Shorafa for her lessons in femininity.
"No, I haven't. But I do know the sensation of providing life-giving milk to my newborn child. It, too, can be painful, but it is beyond amazing."
She keeps her smile on her face, but it loses all humor or sensuality. "I know your Mistress's name because we have much to discuss with her, if she hasn't lost her mind to this debauchery."
Eugeni ignores the come ones, studying the creatures, he recalls what he knows about them.