An almost sinister gleam comes to Alis' eyes at the mention of shoes, and she chuckles darkly, as the sun passes behind a cloud. "Shoes you say? Oh... I might have a little something in store... oooh yeees!"
Maniacal laughter ensues and in the next moment, you were witness to a profusion of footwear the likes of which only God had seen!
"I...I had a vision...about my Father, Sash. He wanted to know why I am not able to 'Stand up and Be strong'."
Sasha blinks, confused. "Uh..."
"I will explain at another time, Sash. It is a long story, and 'Lis should know of this vision once she awakes."
"Sounds like all of us are having crazy dreams tonight. I had one where my mom, grand mom, and great grand mom and all our cousins were sitting around in dainty dresses sipping tea and talking about the cost of cotton in Loxphari."
"Hold me, Sash...."
"Aww, it'll be ok, El," she leans forward and give the teary-eyed succubus a kiss on the cheek before wrapping her arms around her, stroking her hair. "It'll be ok..."
Time: 4:30md (afternoon, 4:30pm)
For the better part of three hours you are able to hike before the weather turns wet again. Thankfully, by that point the gaping chasm where the rope bridge had collapsed was well behind you. Not that it mattered any more of course, when Ieana has asked, "Will we need to come this way again?" Priyya inexplicably and urgently replied in the affirmative yet would offer no further explanation.
Perhaps not requiring any, in less time than it would take for Alis to change into a new outfit, Ieana cast a series of spells and formed a simple yet sturdy bridge, wide enough for a carriage to traverse, by commanding the stone on either side of the 50-foot gorge to come together in an arching, buttressed span complete with curbs and hand rails!
"Not as elegant as elven craftsmanship nor refined as dwarven, but it's solid and it's done!"
By half past four in the afternoon, you are already quite soaking wet when you come to the split in the trail where you could either turn north to make the trek back to Aycenia's grove, or to continue south to the now-abandoned village.
Alis and Sasha exchange a silent glance as the princess tips her head towards the clouds.
"Oh, it'll be raining like this until after dark, 'Lis. Did you want to head back to the pretty tree lady's place, or to the lighthouse? Takes about as long either way..."
[ REAVER'S SHIV: Map | Position (029 - Crossroads) | Overland Rules ]
"Somehow I don't see us getting much work on the lighthouse done in this weather. What about the rest of you?"
Lureene squints her eyes against the steadily worsening rain. She is starting to look rather waterlogged, what with her blouse and pants dripping wet, not to mention her wings. Rivulets of rainwater are shaken loose as she attempts futily to shake the water off of her wings.
Yeah, 'Lis I think we should just head back to Aycenia's grove. I just wanted to be sure that lighthouse didn't wash away or something."
"I'm surprised it hasn't already," Priyya mutters absent-mindedly, her eyes seemingly nearly black now in contrast to her inexplicably white eyebrows.
Shrugging shoulders heavy with water-logged robes, she continues, "I'm sure our friends at least be happy to see for supper."
After a moment, she adds, "Well in time for supper that is."
Darvesch mentally notes Priyya's change, saying nothing on the subject. "Let's just get to the grove. The lighthouse can be dealt with later." He glances again where his waraxe used to hang from his belt and lets out a sigh.
Time: 0:30et (eventide, 6:30)
Darkshoal: Post-First Quarter
"Well, well, we were wonderin' when you guys would be gettin' back."
Aerys' tone is much more spirited than it has been for the past few days. Unlike the shapeshifting vampiress Mal encountered in the cells of the scriptorium, Ms. Mavato's neck is decidely not broken.
"Wondering? Psha! I wanted to start a betting pool but Jask doesn't gamble, the dryad doesn't understand the concept, and Ms. Blue Eyes just thumped me one!"
The gnome's eyes narrow when he catches sight of Ieana. He points a small finger in her direction and calls out his observations. "No scales, no shackles, no scars. I have to hand it to you, your highness, your diplomatic skills are uncanny, to say the least. Fancy talking the clouds out of this latest storm?"
Sense Motive Checks:
Lureene is tired...REALLY tired. She is soaked to the bone and wants nothing more to soak her bones in a hot soaking bath. As Gelik's voice echoes across the grove, she resists the urge to send a lightning bolt downrange. Instead she calls out to Gelik and the others in a ragged tired voice, "Gelik, Ieana is no longer our enemy. It is a long story but suffice it to say she was not herself when she arranged for us to be shipwrecked here."
Gelik and Lureene's words crease Aerys' forehead. The name 'Ieana' turning her from Priyya and Sasha, and her lips curl in rage.
"The HELL is she doin' here?!"
Before Aerys can even take a step towards the wizardess, Alis is already in her path, hands on the taller woman's shoulder.
"Take it easy 'Rys, El's right. Ieana was under some kind of mind-control. The one who was pulling the strings is gone now!"
Priyya takes a deep breath and steps forward, face made all the more serious by her more wizened appearance.
"There were far larger forces at work here, than we can comprehend." She puts her hand on Alis's shoulder and nods that it's ok. "Aerys, all of you, know this. If I sensed even an ounce of wickedness in that woman, I would have removed her head myself."
"Truth be told," she meets Aerys' smoldering eyes with her own intense gaze, "without Ieana's insight, the rest of us would not be here right now. You don't have to like her, but she's not your enemy — she never was."
Aycenia emerges from the heart of the great banyan tree with a confused and concerned expression upon her delicate face. "I don't understand. The evil in the ground and trapped in the surf is gone. Why are your voices raised in contention? This is a happy occasion, is it not?"
Lureene glances over at the beautiful dryad, and knows in her head indeed this should be a happy occasion. Sheakatri was destroyed along with her vile temple to Charelle, and the Soul Crown was lost, hopefully never to be discovered again.
So why was she so unhappy? Down in her heart, she knew the answer: What her Father had told her in her vision had troubled her greatly. When he had questioned her resolve, 'What burdens keep you from rising up', she had no answer. Not to mention the revelation Charelle may have known her Father....
"Yes, Aycenia, it was a great victory but there are still some issues that need to be resolved."
"MIGHT I SUGGEST..."
Looking up at the raised yet measured voice, you find the tall, thin form of Jask standing near the entrance to the heart of Aycenia's sacred tree. Now having your attention, he continues in a more restrained tone, "Might I suggest that if any issues yet remain, their resolution can wait until everyone is rested, minds calm and collected?"
Judging by the way he is pointedly looking at each of you in turn, you can only assume that Aycenia must have helped to cure him of his blindness.
"Lovely Aycenia has been gracious and kind to help us though what she asks of us has yet to see a resolution. Do not bring strife into her home. I sense no burden of misdeeds from this new woman, this Ee-yah-na. If Highness and Surya-ka-Vahaak, vouched for even a mad dog I would believe them. Actions have proven their judgment and resolve to me, to us all."
Aerys relaxes a bit, before Sasha comes up and gives her a big hug, heedless of the fact that the sail wasn't actually soaked yet.
As she does so, Mal speaks up. "Short of it is this: a demoness called Charelle had some plan for this "Soul Crown" that Ieana had found. Damn crown was possessed by a spirit though, and when Alis got it off Ieana's head, the snake priestess in it took over Alis until she dropped it. I'm guessing damn near anyone that touched it would have been crazed..."
"Yarzoth... that's what it– she called herself. She about dominated me at one point too, tried to make me attack Hellhammer. She wasn't playing around."
Mal's eyes narrow and he tests the air, a look of interest on his face.
"A demon? So there was a demon beneath our roots?"
"Vampires actually," Ieana chimes in. "We uncovered a temple as ancient as any ruins I have ever unearthed. An enclave of vampiresses serving the demon patron of depravity and vampirism was concealed below the ridge near the lagoon by Red Mountain. It was quite fascinating, the Tide Stones were actually an ancient mechanism used to–"
Priyya gives a short laugh at the professor's earnest enthusiasm, clearly not upset by the fact that Aerys wanted to turn her into paste with her fists.
"What the professor is getting at," Priyya interrupts, a look of amusement on her face, "is that Charelle impersonated the god that the priestess trapped in the crown worshipped. She then manipulated that vile creature, compelling them to come here as swiftly and secretly as possible. The high priestess we fought in the temple was actually Charelle's proxy — a willing vessel for her power."
She turns to look at Alis. "It seems that her plan was to transfer her own soul into the Soul Crown, then use it to dominate someone else. Saaay, someone with power such as a king or princess."
Even as Mal moves closer to the tree, led by his nose, Gelik choke at what he hears. "Charelle?! I'm no theologian, but she's bad news! You mean she not only tricked Ieana er– Yarzoth into coming here, but she snared our fearless princess as well? That's some impressive efficiency!"
"Actually," Alis says with some chagrin, "that's the ironic thing. It seems that the locket Lureene received back in Valehaven has a powerful non-detection effect on it. Charelle's proxy was as surprised to see that I had walked right into her sanctum as I was that it was there!"
She looks to Priyya and takes her hand. "You know, everything that's happened... us meeting, your visions, Lureene's dreams, Darvesch getting stuck here... none of this has been chance."
Gelik frowns and gets out of Mal's way. "It would strain belief in coincidence, wouldn't it?"
The short fellow pats Aerys on the back, reaching as high as he can so as not to catch an elbow. "Looks like Lady Luck was playing a round of Chess against her old disciple — Charelle I mean. Everyone knows their story, right? Well, I hate to think that some of us have simply been pawns in all of this, but that's life I suppose."
A twinkle comes to his eye and he adds, "Lyria certainly knows how to stack and advantage in her favor though, he he, no betting against her, eh princess?"
Sense Motive Checks:
Lureene walks over to the Princess and the warrior-priestess, and notes with some surprise the white eyebrows Priyya now sports.
What happened to her?
Her hand reflexively grips her locket as she questions softly, "'Lis, what do you mean by that? Was it your...goddess who manipulated these events? Just to counter her old servant?"
Alis gives her friend a long, tired look and nods her head thoughtfully. "It certainly looks that way, doesn't it. Although, Priyya came along of her own free choice following the path that Alcarienne desired for her. So if it was Súmalya's doing, she certainly didn't act alone..."
"HA!" Priyya claps the two blondes on the back, nearly knocking Lureene over. "Being favored by the gods is a double-edged sword, it cuts both ways. You didn't think royalty got their 'divine right' with no strings attached did you Lureene?"
"As for my own goddess," her tone becomes more serious, and she traces her now white eyebrows with her fingers, clearly privy to the fact that you've all been staring, "Alíta visited me again last night. I would prefer to discuss the details in greater privacy, but suffice it to say that my hair and eyebrows aren't the only change she's affected on me. I am Surya-ka-Vahaak no longer, now Surya-ka-Caravaah — shepherdess of the Sun instead of bearer of it."
Alis squeezes Lureene's hand, perhaps pained by the implications of her question, but not flinching from Priyya's direct answer. At the news of the warrior-priestess' change though, she nods knowingly.
"I had a vision also, well a prophecy to be more precise. I take it that this change means our paths no longer coincide? I was walking alone..."
In the rain, even Priyya cannot make out the hint of tears in Alis' eyes. Her own trail after Malendraenas before returning. "Your conclusion would be accurate. I am to put to good use all the tools of inspiration and compassion that have been demonstrated to me by a certain muse, and use those new found skills to redeem this island from its troubled history."
Sensing the sadness in princess, she pulls her into a powerful embrace, one hand holding Alis' rain-soaked head against her shoulder. In a tongue that none of the rest of you understand, she whispers something in Alis ear that elicits both a muffled laugh, and a tight hug in return.
Once Alis has finished their private conversation with Priyya, Lureene approaches her and softly replies, "You had a vision 'Lis. As did I. I saw...I saw my father once again...on the lightning struck tower!"
Aerys sighs and runs her fingers thru her short, black hair.
A queer look crosses Aerys face as she notes, Priyya's gaze and seeks Mal skulking about. "Yo, 'Dre! What in the blazes are you gettin' after?"
Even as Sasha puts a hand on the slightly shorter half-elf's shoulder, having heard what Aerys muttered, Mal's stand up straight, eyes wide like a child caught with their hand in a cookie jar.
"That smell," he says, "don't tell me you haven't gotten a whiff! Something smells... delicious!"
Jask turns around to peer inside. "Heaven be praised!"
Theme: Service
More than a bit alarmed at what could be going on inside her home, Aycenia slips past and gasps in surprise. "Oh! Oh my... What are these?"
Alis, Lureene, Priyya, and Darvesch are unable to see past the taller people crowded before them, however as everyone makes their way inside, the sight of a finely wrought banquet table, heavily laden with a sumptuous feast greets your eyes. There are chairs and service enough for everyone, and more than a few heads turn towards Alis.
Alis is poleaxed. "Don't look at me, all the furniture I purchased is with Her Lady's Grace and the naval convoy... Ieana, Jask, Aycenia... none of you did this?"
Jask shakes his head. "Astra has recently seen fit to provide me with the ability to create simple fare. This is a feast!"
Aycenia picks up a crystal wine glass and raps a fingernail against it, marveling at the tone it produces. She blinks at Alis' question. "I do not know what this is, but the sound is pretty!"
"That tone..." Ieana casts a spell and assays the scene inside the dryad's banyan tree, "Yes, I knew it! That's Elysian Crystal, among the purest in all of the many planes of existence. Oh, but no, I had no hand in this, it appears that powerful conjuration magic was employed, magic that not only surpasses my own capabilities, but of a more divine nature as well."
"OOH!" King Tut leaps from Alis' shoulders into the branches and swings overhead until he's hanging from his tail over a bowl of luscious fruit. Clearly excited, he pries free a ripe banana before situating himself on a sturdy bough and helping himself.
Alis quickly casts spell of her own even though she already knows that she will find no taint or poison. With a sigh of contentment, she smiles and looks at the pearl and ruby prayer beads she found herself holding.
Only you know how to turn any situation into a celebration, Lady...
With a smile, Alis allows Darvesch to pull out a chair for her before having a seat with the rest of you. "I think this is a certain goddess' way of showing her appreciation, let's not let it go to waste..."
In a quiet tone, virtually all of you overhear the princess whisper, "My Lady, thank you for showing me a purpose where I could find none. Please show favor and kindness to those who would stand with me, and send your lillends to shield them from calamity with their wings."
"BAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Sasha bursts out laughing and slaps Gelik on the back so hard that he's nearly knocked from his chair. "STACKED! I get it! Hahahah..."
"Are you daft, woman?!" Gelik sputters. "That was three minutes ago!"
Alis simply smirks and looks down the long table at her friends and (she hoped) allies. "So Lureene, Priyya," she says quietly, ignoring the raucous noise further in even as Aycenia's face flushes when she tastes the ambrosia nectar wine Ieana proffers to her in a glass, "[smaller]it sounds like we girls have a lot to talk about tonight, don't we?"
She smiles and pats their hands, "Later though, let's just enjoy ourselves while we can..."
Mal leans back in his chair, giving a groan of satisfaction.
Don't think I could move if I wanted to. Glad that damn headache's gone though...
"So Alis," the big hunter says, picking his teeth, "what's our plan at this point?"
Lureene takes part in the feast with gusto, eating far more than she had anticipated. She feels a sense of renewal and her self-doubts are washed away by the delicious ambrosia wine. While she have not been suffering any afflictions, the food was still as tasty and delicious as any food she had eaten back at Countess Corrina’s manor, when she had seen the Princess Alexis off.
I wonder how she is faring now.
She notes with happiness even Grak has enjoyed the delicious food. She could not remember the last time he had chosen to eat anything, for being an outsider such sustenance was not required.
Alis simply smirks and looks down the long table at her friends and (she hoped) allies. "So Lureene, Priyya," she says quietly, ignoring the raucous noise further in even as Aycenia's face flushes when she tastes the ambrosia nectar wine Ieana proffers to her in a glass, "it sounds like we girls have a lot to talk about tonight, don't we?"
She smiles and pats their hands, "Later though, let's just enjoy ourselves while we can..."
When Alis responds to her, she nods quietly, ”Yes, ‘Lis, I would prefer to talk about it in private though.”
Alis nods slightly at Lureene's preference. "I figured you might. Oh!"
She leans closer and cups a hand around Lureene's right ear as she whispers something to her.
Before Lureene can react, Alis wraps her arms around her curvy friend and squeezes her tight.
[spoiler="Rolls"]Perception Checks (+5 DC distracted)
Lureene returns the hug tightly, and the Princess can feel the tears running down her face.
Maybe it's just the wine, maybe it's her own linger thoughts, but she enjoys Lureene's embrace for more than a few heartbeats before nodding.
Giving her one last squeeze and a kiss on the cheek, Alis returns to her seat. "Hopefully my sister and her company won't have any tombs full of horrors predating antiquity waiting for them. I wouldn't worry though, El. I'm the expert at attracting trouble, not 'Sis. As for your question, Mal."
"Hmm..."
Alis sips deeply from her wineglass before leaning forward, elbows on the table, fingers knit to support her chin. "Well, yesterday was the earliest by which the convoy would have expected us to make Port Eldarion, about a week from now being the latest. Yes, The White Pearl's speed put us ahead of schedule by almost a week."
She shifts, resting her chin on the heel of her right palm while she runs her finger around the mouth of her glass, evoking a dulcet tone from the fine crystal. "Sooo, it should be another week, perhaps two, before they catch up — likely after the full moon."
"Provided they find a way to deal with the Scyllan," Ieana points out.
Darvesch sits back in the darkest shade, enjoying the food that was provided. He sits in contemplation of his dream he had when the others had theirs as well. "I'm not half the warrior my father was, and I didn't take up the craft of my grandfather. Why did my path lead here? To be so different from that of my own family.."