Chary says "Keep Fighting Whiteclaw...I will help you in just a moment!"
"Indeed. Shine on, you crazy diamond." Arianwyn calls helpfully to Whiteclaw.
The gnoll looks slightly puzzled, but nods at the encouragement.
Kia throws her third Inspiring word in Whiteclaw's direction allowing her to heal herself for a surge plus
Kia then teleports herself next to the MK, heals Whiteclaw, switches to her sword and attempts to help finish the king off.
"Had enough yet?" Kia asks the king.
Teleporting gracefully to the midst of the battle, Kia calmly restores Whiteclaw and turns her stern attention on the King. His eyelashes flutter beguilingly as her blade strikes home. Although he does not fall, his henchmen raise an anguished communal howl as though aware that an ending of some sort is imminent.
Arianwyn sits down on the throne, making himself at home and recites, "To howl at the moon the whole night through/I'd go out of my mind but for you/And I really don't care if I do..." before elegantly firing a beam of black light at the King.
The King gasps as the last shreds of the madness possessing him is blasted away by the warlock. Radiant threads unwind from his body and he stands tall, holding his orb high and burning away the devils and the ravager.
"Begone! Hold me no more! I am myself again."
Springing towards his throne, he stares down Arianwyn. "Remove yourself from my rightful seat sir, or you will become but another brick in the wall."
Arianwyn smiles and stands smoothly, "Of course, Your Highness." he says, "It is a joy to see you restored." he adds.
"What would you all? A boon is owed and shall be granted."
The King's sanity has brought him power. Already, he seems an easy match for his Queen and seems to grow stronger by the second. Taking his throne once more, he turns his orb of office thoughtfully in his hands and then holds it close to look at it.
"How came I so beguiled? This was not a natural madness."
Kia looks more approvingly at the King. "That's better".
She bows, rather more respectfully (after all, this is royalty, I suppose).
"A good question, Your Highness. I don't think I am very sure. We did fight a demon roach lord who may have had something to do with it. Otherwise, I suppose we will have to find out..."
She looks expectantly at Chary, hoping her knowledge of the court may add further information.
Tutavak continues to stand warily, not at all convinced there will be no attack.
Chary uses her best Court voice when addressing the King,
"Your Highness, I do not know from what foul source your madness arose, however there has been what seems to be more than the usual Court intrigue surrounding the Black Prince. With the help of the Queen, we were steered here to you.
As to the boon, I am just beginning to learn my way around the courts, but I do understand the importance of such a gracious gift from one such as you. As I have a long road ahead and many twists yet to come along my path, would you please reserve that for a time when I understand better what I may need?"
Chary then tells more of the intrigue with the Queen and the Prince as best as she can, combining her knowledge of the courts and the information she gathered in her recent escapades with this group.
"It is my hope that you can make some more sense of the intricate designs woven through the cloth of court life...and" with a shy demeanor, "perhaps you may be able to share some of that information so that we can offer what humble help we may."
The Moonlit King listens intently as Kia and Chary offer possible explanations, his expression serious and his gaze fixed on the orb.
"I see, I see indeed," he murmurs.
"Long has my Lady sought balance in our Courts and long has she been prevented. You have done greater service even than you know in banishing Akyishigal."
He rises and kisses Chary formally on the lips. Turning to Kia, he smiles. "I do not offer you my kiss, milady. My hand, perhaps."
"The Roachling Lord was but an opportunist, but like all his kind, he senses disruption in the greater weave. Had I not returned, an invasion must have followed - and that we would not survive. Our ways are not the stuff of battle without my leadership, but now, now we will be prepared for the blow to fall. As fall it must."
He extends his hand showing the friends the orb.
"This is a ward of balance. The least of them and the secret of it long kept. The rest are stirring, shaken by the breaking of the Pact. Look deep. Look long. The orb may offer you a path. When you have seen, we shall talk of boons, for now or in the future."
Chary cannot hide her surprise (and embarassment) at such a formal, yet personal gift from the King. At his request she gazes long into the sphere, yet doesn't seem to be able to grasp its purpose particularly well.
Turning to Kia, he smiles. "I do not offer you my kiss, milady. My hand, perhaps."[/ooc]
Kia is mostly relieved at not being kissed and offers her hand for a shake or whatever the King had in mind.
For Kia, Tutavak and Chary, the orb is filled with moonbeams, shifting and clouding their vision. Faint hints of large standing stones emerge from time to time. The stones seem familiar to Kia - surely these are the original Rune Stones of Pharoe?
Whiteclaw sees a little more. Like Kia, she recognises the stones, but more worryingly, she sees something moving around them - a fleshless horror.
Arianwyn's pact clears his vision surprisingly. Set in a bleak landscape, the stones stand together once more, guarded by something vile - a fleshless flippered horse ridden by a fleshless man. He sees more. Lumpen giants with an insane intelligence in their mismatched eyes run long fingers over the runes.
"We must face these horrors then? Of course." he says quietly.
Fomorians are an ancient and wicked fey race, native to the Underdark of the Feywild. Beneath the surface, fomorians enjoy unchallenged power, but sometimes encroach on the surface.
Hunchbacked, crook-limbed and each endowed with an evil eye, formorians might well be the master race they claim to be, but for the fact that they trust nobody - other fomorians least of all. It is said that the evil in their eye that embodies their power also drives them to paranoia and madness. They are a lazy race as well. Cyclopes worship them and build many of their exquisite palaces, weapons and magical items.
The fleshless horror is something else entirely. Its like has not been seen in many aeons. Arianwyn can hardly repress a shudder as he gazes at what must be a Nuckelavee. Giant monsters of nightmare and the stuff of childhood horror stories, the Nuckelavee can be supported but rarely in the world. Their evil is too great.
Arianwyn outlines what he has seen and what he knows.
"So," he says turning to Kia and Whiteclaw, "We must return to where this all began, but to confront a horror the likes of which we have not faced before."
He adds to Chary, "You know how dangerous the Fomorians are; with the power of these stones, the elfin peoples and their works will be reduced to ash."
To Tutavak he asks, "How are you on boats?"
To Tutavak he asks, "How are you on boats?"
"I'll be sure to let you know."
"You know your path, I think."
The King strides to the door of the tower and extends the orb, causing the door to vanish and light to leap upwards through the tower, blazing high into the dusky sky.
"My return is proclaimed. I go to join my Queen and reclaim my place at her side."
He spins abruptly to Arianwyn.
"Her amusements I forgive, but further encroachment is not permissible. A boon is owed by each of us. Mine shall be revealed at the proper time."
Stepping out of the tower, the Moonlit King calls quietly, but with force.
"By my order and for the good of the Realm, all that are imprisoned here are freed. Let the Courts rejoice and the Labyrinth open."
His hands reach out and extend, shadowlike, pushing back the maze and leaving a clear path to the now fully visible Court.
Arianwyn nods, silent for once. He seems somewhat shaken, but not by the King.
"And now we . . ." Tutavak hints.
The Moonlit King turns to the warrior and raises an eyebrow.
"You return to the Courts to be greeted with what acclaim you will. I know not where your road leads, but mayhap others will be able to assist. Recall, if you please, that I have been gone from myself these many turns."
"The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began." the warlock murmurs before walking back into the Courts.
Chary does her best to serve as an escort for the King's safe return to the Courts .
His Majesty seems much taken by Chary. Despite his strictures to Arianwyn, he makes no secret of his admiration.
"You were within my son's court and he did not seek a closer alliance? Curious indeed. Tell me, what has passed in my long absence?"
As the group move steadily towards the Courts, it becomes a royal progress as the denizens of the Labyrinth gather behind. Among them are Brightpur and Lishekki, who make their way close to the heroes, as well as Ardevallissen, at last reunited with her daughter. The pair walk together as though they intend never to be parted again.
Brightspur moves closer to his liege lord and Tutavak, eyes bright with mischief and carrying a large sack.
"The Might of Kargzant and I still have a duel to fight and I have a gift that I do believe may please him."
Lishekki walks with Kia and seems several times to be about to speak before quelling the impulse.
Arianwyn gestures distractedly for Brightspur to carry on.
Tutavak manages a polite nod to the King. He has understood nothing since entering the Tower, and little enough in the Courts. But, "Suntide," he murmurs.
He casts a wary eye at Brightspur.
"I don't like being overlooked," Brightspur remarks, apropos of nothing. "and blindness did not suit me. I have no mind to be enthralled again next time I offend - and that's bound to happen, sooner or later."
With his most charming smile, he hands the bag he is carrying to Tutavak.
"I'm nearly certain you had plans for this."
Moving alongside Arianwyn, he adds, "Of course, there are some who might say that was slightly irresponsible, but I prefer to offer what is truly wanted, if only to see the disappointment. I am a shadow fey, after all. And at the moment, I want to be much, much drunker than I am."
The warlock says "Yes, yes," without really listening, and then turns to Brightspur, "You are the Lord of Ravens again," he says quietly, "There is nothing wrong with dedication and goals, but if you focus on yourself, all the lights fade away and you become a fleeting moment in life."
Chary isn't sure what to make of this King. She speaks with him with an ease she did not expect. She feels more at ease around him than she did around the Prince, and certainly the Queen.
"No,the Prince never made any overtures of that nature...remember, Liege, that I am but a lowly exchange student. He saw me as only that. Oh don't get me wrong...he looked at me lasciviously occasionally, but I do not work in a brothel, to be bedded by just anyone. I am particular with my interests, and do not make those choices quickly...or lightly."
As she goes on to tell their tale, she begins with just the highlights and lowpoints, but soon finds that to tell Him the full tale that led to their current situation, she must reveal more of herself than she typically chooses...and she mostly doesn't mind.
The Moonlit King listens intently as Chary details what she knows of life in the Shadow Courts and as she comes to a close, he nods.
"A day of worth to both our peoples when you came here. I am beholden to you. Such are the merits of these exchanges within the realms that I must avail my son of this opportunity."
A small smile plays across His Majesty's face.
"Lady, where should he be sent, think you? I would have him learn other ways with mayhap less consideration than he has been used to."
At Arianwyn's side, Brightspur falls silent and his tone is uncommonly serious when he speaks again.
"The time is coming when all our games must end. My time in blackness showed me so much. We shall enjoy our feverish pleasures some little while longer while we may, but when we are needed, we will come to your call."
Arianwyn seems to be looking far away as he replies, "Yes. You will." he says matter-of-factly.
Tutavak accepts the sack, but does not open it before walking on. "Thank you, Brightspur," he acknowledges.
"I am honored by your sentiment, Highness." Chary is clearly uncomfortable with such praise, but appreciates it nonetheless. Also, she is wary of his question, but answers it truthfully and to the best of her ability...whether such openness gets her in trouble later, she will just have to wait and see. "I will consider the question with great care, as these exchange programs have a lasting effect on those of us who partake of them."
After some thought, she begins again, "My initial thought would tend towards sending him to my own Underdark, where he may learn humility and strength under ungentle hands, yet I also worry that he may meet too many with his own...predilections, and instead of coming back stronger, he could return twisted.
A second option may be the Githyanki. They are a strong and proud folk, yet wary of strangers. He may learn much from them, including a selflessness and better understanding of the concept of 'The Greater Good', and it could be beneficial to these Courts to have closer ties to the Githyanki."
With that said, she becomes quiet for some time...inwardly reflecting on the recent past, and how it may change her outlook on the future.
Chary
@RevDM:
Link
After reading more, apparently they are not designed as a playable race, but are in the MM and Compendium (a search for Githyanki limited to the "races" option brings up only the two races). After reading the descriptions in the Compendium, I will stick by Chary's statement, but clarify it since I didn't realize that they were essentially an evil race. She was suggesting them for their adherence to strong discipline and fighting for their race...perhaps a little like Klingons in the Star Trek universe. Also, I don't think Chary would have a problem suggesting an evil race, since she is from one herself. She is well-adjusted only because she can look for the positive attributes of most situations and peoples.
@Chary
The Moonlit King listens thoughtfully. "I shall give this thought and weigh your words. My thanks for your consideration of this matter. For now, however, we approach the Court and the formalities must be observed."
Striding ahead, he walks to the Labyrinth gate and raises his orb. At the signal, lantern dragonettes spiral down from the Queen's Tower and flock around him, bathing him in a golden glow that entirely outshines his own pallid aura. As the glow brightens, the gates swing open and the Moonlit King returns to his domain, greeted by increasing numbers of his subjects as he proceeds to the throne room to stand before his Queen. Sarastra rises and walks towards him, bowing deeply.
"My Lord is rightfully returned and I cede my place to him, as is our way."
Her voice rings around the chamber and echoes outward from the courts to all parts of the Shadow Realm.
Arianwyn's mind boggles slightly at Chary's suggestion of the githyanki but is faintly amused by the thought.
King and Queen stand face to face for a moment and something unspoken but important passes between them. Sarastra visibly diminishes in the presence of her Lord, her glow fading as his increases.
"My Lord takes the burden of our rule, as is our way. The perversion of our seasons is amended." She embraces him and moves away, but his expression stops her.
"Is the time coming, my Lord?"
He nods. "Rest and rise refreshed. Even for us, the time approaches."
The Moonlit King turns to the Court.
"We shall speak our mind in this matter when we have consulted with our advisors. For now, however, there are debts to be paid. My son,"
He turns to the Black Prince.
"Too long have you resided in our realm. We would have you learn other ways and teach ours to others. You will travel to the Astral Sea and seek the knowledge of the Githyanki. To them you will present the advantages of alliance in the times to come."
Sentence passed, he gives his attention to the heroes.
"Debts are owed among us. It is in our power to send you to any place within the mortal plane you desire. This we will do for you, but be warned; time does not pass here as it does in the mortal realms. Minutes or centuries may have passed in your absence and old alliances, nay even countries no longer exist. In gratitude for your service to this realm, I grant you a boon."
Divine Boon
Property: If a creature cannot see you, you take half damage from its attacks that hit you and no damage from its attacks that deal damage on a miss.
Power (Daily * Teleportation): Immediate Reaction. Trigger: You take damage. Effect: You teleport 4 squares, become invisible until the end of your next turn, and can make a Stealth check to hide as a free action.
Tutavak, somewhat recovered from the series of shocks even as he contemplates the prospect of a return, looks for a moment to broach an issue with the King.
"Highness, I have one more request before leaving your realm," he begins with unusual deference. "There is a matter remaining between myself and Brightspur -- a promised duel, but the season ended and circumstances intervened before it could occur. I ask leave to meet him in this duel so that I can hold my honor -- and Brightspur his."
Brightspur goes to Tutavak as the warrior makes his request and grins at him.
"Well spoken Might of Kargzant. Your Majesty, I add my voice to his."
The Moonlit King considers for a moment and gives consent.
"Intriguing. You may proceed."
Tutavak bows his head. "Thank you, Highness."
Turning to his opponent, he continues, "At your convenience."