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Chest Thumper is not pleased with passing through the utter darkness. Nor is he particularly pleased to be in such a small space on the other side.
Yet, he does not protest when he sees the man who is at least as large as himself.
He looks from the man to where the man is gesturing. He doesn't understand words but he does understand tone and immediately points a finger at Maka.
"Ah, are you all here now? Good. Please, take a seat anywhere you like," the horned man says. "I am Mametqul, a humble servant of Baba Yaga, like yourselves."
He gives a meaningful glance to Selena, or rather to where she's keeping the doll. "Now, would you like some refreshments? Coffee, to take the edge off the chill? Our discussion might take some time, after all."
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"Ah, are you all here now? Good. Please, take a seat anywhere you like," the horned man says. "I am Mametqul, a humble servant of Baba Yaga, like yourselves."
Quasit nods, unsurprised, and moves to sit after unslinging her pack from her shoulder. At every portal from the Hut to some new world, Baba Yaga had bound some guardian. No doubt this Mametqul and his entourage were another collection of such unfortunates.
"Now, would you like some refreshments? Coffee, to take the edge off the chill? Our discussion might take some time, after all."
Quasit's eyes widen. "Yes, some coffee would be very nice!" she says a little too quickly. She wasn't really hungry after Maka's filling breakfast, but the possibility of coffee and sweets, like she'd often have at home, stirs an ember of greed in her soul.
”I apologize for my companion’s fire. They were uncertain at first whether it was a portal or not.” Selena says as she enters, immediately shifting into her more noble mannerisms. ”Despite my current appearance, I am Selena Snoe Yelizaveta of Badelund.”
When a certain unnamed someone presents Quasit as the leader, Selena discreetly kicks that person’s foot as she adds some separation between herself and the others, moving ahead quickly and taking the best seat offered, sitting rather prim and proper, with even her clothes seeming cleaner and more proper than normal.
When offered coffee, ”Iced coffee would be most welcome, thank you. It’s been quite some time since I had any.”
Kalchine takes a seat next to Quasit. Quite close, actually, partially so that he doesn't crowd the dour looking woman nearby and partially because he likes sitting close to her and partially because it will be easier to protect and aid her if there is danger.
"We're not..." Kalchine breaks off in the middle of his denial, realizing it may not be the best idea to disagree with this man.
More importantly, in a real way, they are servants of the ancient witch.
"...opposed to having some coffee as we talk," he says, instead.
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Kalchine takes a seat next to Quasit.
"We're not......opposed to having some coffee as we talk," he says, instead.
As refreshments are prepared, Quasit leans over and murmurs to Kalchine.
"If you have a way to discreetly check for poison, it might not be a bad idea. Elvanna may have put these guys here to meet us."
"Do you have any food?" Maka asked as the refreshments were prepared.
Kalchine flicks his ears down, a negative gesture.
"I did not prepare for that, today," he confesses.
"Let me drink first. My connection with the natural world has made me resistant to some toxins."
Kalchine's ears flick up, a nod of approval. But then he frowns.
"Unless the doll needs us to be sacrificed via poison to release Baba Yaga and this is just part of her plan."
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Kalchine's ears flick up, a nod of approval. But then he frowns.
"Unless the doll needs us to be sacrificed via poison to release Baba Yaga and this is just part of her plan."
Something about this answer strikes Quasit as terribly amusing and she snorts indecorously through her nose.
”I love your optimism.” she mutters back.
"Iced coffee?" Mametqul responds to Selena's request with visible disgust. "Why would I have such an abomination here? No, honored guests, it only comes hot."
His scowling attendants spread out, filling cups with strong, black, steaming hot coffee and delivering them to each of you (though they don't press it on those of you who refuse it). Mametqul sits opposite you next to a large hookah, puffing on it occasionally, adding the smell of strongly spiced tobacco to the air. He makes no indication he heard Maka's request for food, instead starting to speak.
“Queen Bremagyr established her empire with Baba Yaga’s help over a thousand years ago. We sit now in what is left of her capital of Vashliq. The final battle of her conquest was fought on this very cliff above a vast fertile plain of fields and sprawling towns below. This was the breadbasket of her empire, and the fortress of iron and stone that she built was its crown jewel.
“Baba Yaga gave Bremagyr her empire and demanded only her fealty in return, but Bremagyr became drunk on the power of her newly won realm and believed it was by her might that it had been established. Bremagyr spurned Baba Yaga and threatened to turn the might of her empire against her if she ever returned. Instead, Baba Yaga called upon the might of the cosmos, struck Queen Bremagyr down, and wrested her capital from its very foundations to be placed here in this void within her hut. Baba Yaga captured Bremagyr’s soul and imprisoned her here in her fortress, to watch as her empire slowly decays into nothing, just as her power has.
“My role here is simple. I watch Vashliq’s destruction and observe Queen Bremagyr as she howls her rage at the void. When the time comes, my retinue and I shall depart and report on the soul-rending anguish that has occurred here—a fitting punishment that brought the queen to this end. Now, however, it seems that Baba Yaga needs to reclaim the power that she invested here to imprison Bremagyr’s soul and realm. For you to recover it, you must venture into the fortress of Vashliq, where Bremagyr still waits in her throne room. Bremagyr’s crown holds the power of Baba Yaga that you seek. Destroy Bremagyr, recover her crown, and bring it back here, and I will show you the way back to Grandmother’s Cauldron.”
You do note, with these last words, that there's no obvious portal back to where you were--the place where you emerged is just the silk wall of the tent. Fin feels like Mametqul is being honest.
Selena responds to the outburst against iced coffee with seemingly amused composure, ”Clearly you have never been to the parties in Irrisen.”
She discreetly casts detect poison, casually done and seemingly out of habit, despite not doing so with her companions, and chills her cup of coffee before drinking it (assuming no poison of course).
After the monologue, ”What can you tell us of benefit to defeating her? Powers, spells, retinue, layout, etc?” she asks in a business like tone.
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"Iced coffee?" Mametqul responds to Selena's request with visible disgust. "Why would I have such an abomination here? No, honored guests, it only comes hot."
Quasit looks down at her lap and smirks smugly. She was starting to like this guy.
His scowling attendants spread out, filling cups with strong, black, steaming hot coffee and delivering them to each of you.
As the surly woman hands her the coffee, Quasit returns the scowl with a quick flash of a smarmy sweet smile, the facial-expression-equivalent of a condescending pat on the head. "Oh, I hope I didn't put you out. I know how BUSY you must be." she says oh so sympathetically. (The 'You Slut' left unsaid.) But then she turns her attention to the coffee, pulling it to her nose for a long, sensuous sniff, followed by a sigh of contentment.
"Oh I don't care if it IS poisoned." she observes to herself, before blowing across its surface and taking a cautious slurping sip, then whimpers with approval as the flavorful liquid slides over her tongue and down her throat. She was definitely starting to like this guy.
Then she remembers she's supposed to be listening.
“...Baba Yaga gave Bremagyr her empire and demanded only her fealty in return, but Bremagyr became drunk on the power of her newly won realm and believed it was by her might that it had been established. Bremagyr spurned Baba Yaga and threatened to turn the might of her empire against her if she ever returned. Instead, Baba Yaga called upon the might of the cosmos, struck Queen Bremagyr down, and wrested her capital from its very foundations to be placed here in this void within her hut. Baba Yaga captured Bremagyr’s soul and imprisoned her here in her fortress, to watch as her empire slowly decays into nothing, just as her power has."
Quasit reflects on how Elvanna learned the lesson of Bremagyr's fate, and Baba Yaga seemingly didn't. What kind of fool invents a system to give total power to someone, let them enjoy it for a lifetime, then expect them to meekly surrender it, and does that over and over again on multiple worlds? Absolute monarchy was a reprehensible system already, but absolute monarchy in the hands of nearly-omnipotent evil witches? It sure seemed like a surefire recipe for madness and megalomania. The wonder was that it took one of these monstrous villains so long to take preemptive action to eliminate Baba Yaga.
She half-listens to the rest. Blah blah blah kill Bremagyr take her crown-- no shock there.
"So... 'struck her down and captured her soul'. Is Bremagyr a ghost? Or maybe one of those creepy dolls powered by souls that Baba Yaga seems to like?"
"**SLURRRRP**"
"Where's this fortress? Is it far?"
"What a terrible fate," Kalchine comments as he takes his cup of coffee. Those gathered may think he means Bremagyr but he's actually speaking of Mametqul. To have to spend untold years, perhaps millennia doing nothing but watch misery and decay all so that he can tell someone who doesn't care enough about it to watch herself what it looked like seems cosmically pointless.
And now, they were going to kill this queen because Baba Yaga had changed her mind and decided that ending her now was more suited to her purpose than letting her suffer.
At least ending her suffering was better than letting it continue, but Kalchine didn't feel good about being Baba Yaga's instrument of spite.
In answer, Mametqul stands and throws open the front flap of his tent.
Beyond, you can see a desolate, barren plain leading up to a crumbling mountain, with a fortress built into its side. But more terrible by far is the edge of the world, for all here--plain, mountain, and fortress--end where a slowly whirling black void extends, crumbling bits of stone slowly tumbling into the darkness from the edge of the land.
"All that remains now of Bremagyr's nation, you see before you," he says. "What remains of Bremagyr herself now, I have not seen. She has not ventured even to the walls of her fortress in many a century. Some few servants, bound to her fate in death as in life, still keep guard, but i doubt such mighty servants of Baba Yaga shall have trouble with them."
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Quasit gets up and walks a few steps to get a better look outside as the tent flap is thrown open, taking another noisy sip of coffee as she does. She takes in the surreal landscape and its oppressive bleakness. "That's some view." she says quietly.
Then she looks up at Mametqul. "Did you know Bremagyr when she ruled Vashliq? Or did you only come here after Baba Yaga's judgement fell on her?"
"I had not so much as heard of her before I was summoned to watch her doom," Mametqul replies grandly.
Selena steps out of the tent, ”Thank you for the refreshments.” Turning to Quasit, and maintaining her manner of noble snobbishness,”Quasit, get your troop moving. I don’t think we should wait around. Let us start with some reconnaissance.”
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"I'm still drinking my coffee." says Quasit shortly. "You don't have to boss people around more just because Baba Yaga is listening in. She's not going to be more impressed."
She turns back to Mametqul. "All those centuries standing watch and you've never even seen Bregamyr? You definitely drew the short straw. But at least you have all these nice ladies to keep you company. We'll give you a full report when we get back. Maybe even bring you a souvenir."
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Fin nods respectfully and bows before leaving the tent. As he waits outside, he eyes the barren plain they’ll have travel across to reach this Bregamyr. When Quasit heads out he whispers to her lightly before they set out…
”You trust this guy, Q? My senses tell me he spoke the truth…but seems like he was kissing our a….uh…trying to put a lot of sweetsap in our mouth…offering coffee, all this mighty servants of Baba Yaga bs…sounded like I was back in the court of Kyonin…never did trust words spoken like that nor the one who spoke them. Did you notice he seemed insistent that we bring the crown back to his tent before he could show us the portal back? That Baba Yaga doll has led us to every portal we’ve needed thus far…why does he think we need him to show us the way back?”
Maka gulped the last of her coffee and let out a satisfied sigh. “I haven't had a decent cup of coffee since I left Absalom.” She set the cup down, eyes going a little bored in that way they did when talk turned to business. “This Bremagyr sounds kinda dumb. Think we can trick her out of the crown?” While Maka was fine fighting yet another fortress full of enemies, her friends had almost met their end multiple times in such battles.
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”You trust this guy, Q? My senses tell me he spoke the truth…but seems like he was kissing our a….uh…trying to put a lot of sweetsap in our mouth…offering coffee, all this mighty servants of Baba Yaga bs…sounded like I was back in the court of Kyonin…never did trust words spoken like that nor the one who spoke them. Did you notice he seemed insistent that we bring the crown back to his tent before he could show us the portal back? That Baba Yaga doll has led us to every portal we’ve needed thus far…why does he think we need him to show us the way back?”
Quasit smiles and shrugs. ”I don’t know if I’d use the word ‘trust’, but I think he’s being straight with us. It kinda matches up with what the norn told us. And every time we’ve met up with one of these portal guardians, they’ve been giving us good information, probably because they’re compelled to. I think all the elaborate courtesy might just be their cultural quirk—they remind me of Qadiran merchants I’d sometimes deal with back home.”
”As for why we need him to portal us back to the norn and her pool, that’s above my pay grade. But if he tries to mess with us, we’ll deal with it. After good fresh coffee, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Kalchine sighs, "And we will likely have to kill or sneak past her guards, as well. After so long and pointless a task, the logical conclusion would be to simply give up on it, but people are surprisingly stubborn about clinging to things if they have done them for a while. The longer they've done them, the more they cling.
"And no doubt Bremagyr is at least bitter over her confinement, even if she is not undead. Unless we can find some way to convince her we can get her out or get revenge on Baba Yaga, I'm going to guess she won't be interested in discussion."
Mametqul says nothing more, simply waving you politely out of his tent.
Outside of the tent, a frigid wind blows harshly over the broken landscape. Weathered bits of stone cover much of the plain, the only remaining hints of structures beyond the fortress in the distance. They're low enough to be awkward for Fin to use as cover (though he manages), but high enough travel is awkward.
Ranging ahead, Fin can see creatures flying in the space between the tent and the fortress--large, black, and bat-like, with riders on their backs. Fin thinks he can lead the group such that they'll miss most of these aerial patrols, but it will be difficult to miss them all.
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"I can shrink Chest Thumper and transform into an earth elemental," Kalchine replies. "Though clearly it will take me longer to get there than it will you."
His ears flick a few times, rapidly then slowly and his eyebrows go up before lowering.
"Also, I can grow horns."
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Fin smirks. ”Be my guest, seems you have a thing for guys with horns, Q; first that satyr in the Maiden, now this Mametqul fella. We can always pick you up on the way back, since we have to return here any way…might make Kal jealous though,” he deadpans…
”What’s not to like? Nice manners and good coffee, plus he’s mindful of his physique. Not crazy about his harem. If he had pastries though, it might seal the deal.” Quasit return-banters.
”And for the record, that satyr cast a charm spell on me. So that doesn’t count.”
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"I can shrink Chest Thumper and transform into an earth elemental," Kalchine replies. "Though clearly it will take me longer to get there than it will you."
”What is it, a mile or two? I don’t mind waiting an hour or so for the chance to avoid giant bat patrols. Plus the earth form might help us breach the gate when you get there.” say Quasit. ”So how about it Selena? Did you prepare the teleport spell, or just the Suck Up to Baba Yaga spell?”
His ears flick a few times, rapidly then slowly and his eyebrows go up before lowering.
"Also, I can grow horns."
Quasit pats Kalchine’s rump. ”You’re horny enough, sweetie.”
"You know..." Maka said softly to Quasit. "You and Kal are pretty cute together." She bumped Quasit's shoulder playfully.
”I can spells fairly quickly if needed. I’ll use teleport if that’s what everyone wants to do, but I do think letting him stay behind as an earth elemental is better. He can always just stay under the surface if needed.” Selena speaks as she pets Winter in a rhythmic way.
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"I think it's worth the teleport spell. With this wind, it'll be hard for us to hit flying targets with arrows and bullets, and it might even be rough flying for Maka. But even more importantly, I'd rather Bremagyr didn't have any warning from her patrols that we're coming. I doubt she's alone in that castle, and she's probably got magic up the wazzoo."
"So let's do it, then we take cover for 10 or 20 minutes while Kal catches up with Thumper."
"Selena, see how the castle is built right into that rock to the west of it? Can you put us sort of southwest of the castle, so we can take cover under one the outcroppings in the rock?"
Understanding the plan, Kalchine nods but pauses to put his hands on Quasit's waist for a moment, holding her close. He presses his forehead against hers, letting their breath mingle for a few seconds, literally inhaling her essence.
"See you soon," he promises, looking from her to the others then turning to Chest Thumper.
The frost ape seems to know what's coming and starts to back away but Kalchine catches him by the finger. Then, Chest Thumper shrinks down into a tiny stone shape that could easily be mistaken for a chess piece.
The triaxian then undergoes a similar yet opposite transformation, growing notably larger but also stony in texture.
He looks around a final time before seemingly dissolving into the earth.
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"Once we're over there, by the fortress, how will we get in?" Sakitu gazes across the dry plain at the dark fortress. "Maybe there's a tower with a window that we can fly up to and enter that way. I can't tell from here."
She watches Kalchine sink into the rock then turns to the rest of the group. "I'm sure we'll figure something out when we're closer. How long will this teleport thing take?"
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Understanding the plan, Kalchine nods but pauses to put his hands on Quasit's waist for a moment, holding her close. He presses his forehead against hers, letting their breath mingle for a few seconds, literally inhaling her essence.
Quasit participates in this moment more curious than anything, wondering if this might be some sort of Triaxian thing. She mirrors his actions, trying to play along, watching in bemusement.
"See you soon," he promises.
"You betcha." she answers with cheerful confidence.
She watches Kalchine transform, still fascinated by the process, and gives him a last little wave as he disappears into the ground.
"Once we're over there, by the fortress, how will we get in?" Sakitu gazes across the dry plain at the dark fortress. "Maybe there's a tower with a window that we can fly up to and enter that way. I can't tell from here."
"Once we're up close we'll see if the gate is guarded. It's possible the gate won't even be closed. Who is Bremagyr gonna keep out when she's already trapped here in a pocket dimension? But if there *is* a closed gate, I'm hoping Kalchine can burrow under the wall and open the gate from inside for us. We'll see. I'm not too worried."
"How long will this teleport thing take?"
"I don't know." says Quasit, looking expectantly at Selena.
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Selena has apparently been lost in thought, stroking her white fox and staring off into the distance. But now suddenly she turns back to Quasit with impatience.
"Didn't I just tell you the I needed to prepare the teleport spell? That's what I've been doing, which isn't easy to do with you jabbering over my shoulder."
She scans the group imperiously, then sighs wearily. "I see Kalchine has already left. You know, it's entirely possible that this entire area could be warded against teleportation, to prevent Bremagyr from escaping, in which case we'll still be walking, but now without our healer. Unless you can summon him back with the power of love." This last phrase is spoken with sneering contempt, and a great deal of relish.
"Very well, gather around. You know the drill, everyone needs to be touching. I'll aim for the spot southwest of the castle by the rocks, but obviously I've never been there before, so this may not be entirely precise. We'll probably be out in the open when we arrive, and perhaps closer to the castle than we'd like. It can't be helped I suppose."
Selena then begins to summon the magic from the air and ground around her, collecting the motes to form a sort of shimmering ball of arcane light that grows increasingly opaque, until with a flash she says the final triggering word, shunting the party across the intervening space in a stomach-bending moment of displacement.
You appear a couple hundred feet from the walls of the fortress. From here, the high walls look to be made of massive stone blocks riveted together by thick bands of rusted, pitted iron. An ancient lava flow has buried much of the fortress, but its gatehouse is still clear.
You briefly see something poke its head out above the wall, but it withdraws before you get a good look at it.