The pendant swung forward and attached itself to where the keystone should go, sticking to it like a strong magnet sticks to steel. With a discharge of magic, the portal activated, the hum growing steadily louder as the process completed. Through the portal's filmy surface, you could make out the fuzzy image of what looked like a forest clearing.
"Quick!" Kel calls to the party, "The portal is opening, the surface is ahead!" When the party moves forward she slips through the portal with them.
Calla waits for the others to go through the portal, then tries to grab the pendant and pull it with her as she follows them.
"YES!", Bruendor shouts in excitement. He struggles to restrain Maggie and shove her into a bag, then leaps through the portal.
Having activated the portal, the bloodlink is no longer as firmly attached to the archway as it was when Kelendra first activated it. Calla was able to grab hold and yank it off, even as she leaped through the portal.
The air twisted and warped around you, growing cold and pawing at your clothing and hair. After what seemed like minutes, but could only have been a single heartbeat, you were flung onto the ground. Looking up into the bright light that was blinding after so many weeks in the darklands, all you could see were the drawn bows of a dozen elven archers pointed at you from a few feet away.
A cold voice spoke:
"What do we have here? Did our dark cousins send us a gift?"
Bruendor blinks as he looks up, both to adjust his eyes to the sun and in astonishment at being held at bowpoint. He lessens his grip on Bloodbane, raising his hands to shield his eyes as well as show them empty.
"Hardly. I have no love of the indys, any more than you do. Where are we? We barely escaped Zirnakaynin with our lives, so any route that took us to the surface was a welcome one."
"A gift by way of Eviana," Calla says, eschewing Elven for Common. "We were doing her work there."
There comes a squirming sensation from under Lefrik's arm, and Minky clambers into view, having finally squeezed her way out of the Anklebiter-statue's backpack. The monkey looks from one creature to the next, chitters curiously, then climbs up onto the big man's shoulder and starts to groom his hair, completely disinterested in the Elves and their bows.
"Minky? hey..." A smile, then he calls out
Kel enjoys the light and the feel of the ground. She soaks in their goodness and disregards the bows pointed at her. "The surface never felt so wonderful." After a few moments she rises to a sitting position and turns to the archers as she presents her holy symbol. "Certainly one of you must recognize the symbol of Desna. If you don't mind, my companions are still badly wounded and require healing and our brave wizard was turned to stone fighting against the drow. I'll tend their wounds with the prayers I have remaining, but our little friend is past my skill to heal. Please, is there someone that can help him?"
The owner of the voice moved through the elven archers to look down at you. He was a tall elf of noble bearing, and the faintest trace of a sneer on his face. "Two half-breeds, a human, a dwarf, and a goblin statue. How pleasant. Eviana sent you, you say? That hardly seems likely, but then, so was anyone coming out of the gate this day. Tell me, why are you here?"
"Because the drow are even worse than you lot, and this was the way we could escape. We have news for Eviana that can't wait, about the continued threat from below, which we investigated because Calistria knows you're not able to do it yourself. A threat you clearly recognize or you wouldn't be stationed here to guard against it."
The sneer on Calla's face is certainly not just a faint trace.
Minky cocks her head at the Elf who has spoken, then ignores him to leap to Calla's shoulder. The monkey gamely attempts to groom her master's Half-Elf friend. Hair this luxurious must have something edible living in it!
There was a murmur of chuckles through the crowd as Calla called out the drow. The elven lord, for he had to be a lord, said "There is no need to mock us with our own myths and legends. You have entered the sovregin nation of Kyonin through a gate that has, in the past from time to time, disgorged dangerous creatures. The watch is here to ensure that darklands creatures do not invade Kyonin. But, if your intentions are friendly, then by all means lower your weapons and that sneer I see on your lovely face, and come with me. I will escort you to the city of Iadara, where you can relate your story."
"Get off me, you blasted monkey!" Calla snarls.
Minky gives Calla a quizzical look, then clambers down her arm and runs over to the Elf who was talking. The little simian looks up at the Elf and unless prevented climbs up his clothes to perch on his shoulder -- and investigate his pointed ear.
"Maybe it will help if we give names? I am Lefrik Olegson, our stoned friend is known as Anklebiter , This is Bruendor, Calla, and Calendra. Perhaps our names are mentioned on some report? "
"I am sure they are...somewhere. Let us go to the city, where I am sure your names, and purpose, will be known."
"Oh, and I am Lord Villastir, Warden of Siavenian and advisor to Queen Telandia."
The elf started as the monkey climbed onto his shoulder, but made no move to remove Minky. However, something wasn't happy about the monkey's presence, as a shrill bird call echoed through the glade and a medium-sized blue-shouldered hawk settled in on Villastir's other shoulder. The hawk gazed balefully at the monkey. The message 'MINE' couldn't have been clearer if it had been written in the sky in fifty-foot tall letters.
The monkey protocol in case of surprise raptors is simple: shriek, flee, and seek cover. A bare moment after the hawk's appearance, Minky is back on Calla's shoulder, tail wrapped loosely around her neck and chittering angrily at the hawk, with the occasional raspberry thrown in for good measure.
Kel rises to her feet and follows the elves to the city of Iadara. She takes extra precautions along the way to ensure that the statue of Anklebiter isn't broken or chipped during transport.
"OFF!" Calla snarls.
"We need the goblin back to control his damn menagerie," she complains.
Lefrik is also keeping an eye on Anklebiter's stone form.
"Tell me about it," Bruendor replies, trying to keep the Duchess contained within her leather prison.
Magpie thrashes soundlessly.
"Very well then, if you are ready to accompany me, please link hands. I will teleport us directly to Iadara. You will be allowed to keep your weapons for now, but I do ask that you sheathe them before we depart. It would be a shame for some Lightguard to get the wrong idea about your presence in the Shining City."
Villastir held out his hands, palms up, and waited for you to follow instructions.
Anklebiter moves not even a hair.
"On your honor, then" Lefrik says and will take the hand of a nearby companion.
Calla slings her bow back over her should and nods, reaching out to clasp her companions' hands.
Kel joins hands with her companions and awaits another journey. "Thank you, Lord Villastir, for your understanding and help, we truly appreciate it."
As soon as everyone had clasped hands, Lord Villastir began chanting the spell that would transport you to places unknown. He spoke the final word, and you began to feel that eerie twisting sensation of teleportation, lasting just long enough to make you uncomfortable, but not long enough to identify the source of discomfort. With an audible pop of displaced air, you stood in a new location.
The first thing you noticed was the light. After weeks in the darklands, the sunshine streaming through leaves, glancing off of windows and polished wood, and reflected by whitewashed marble buildings was intense. The buildings both sprawled and soared, several having towers a hundred feet or more into the air. The ground seemed to be paved with thousands of polished wooden tiled, glowing softly with the sunlight. Designs etched into the wood were complex and worthy of the most expensive jewelry.
Elves were everywhere, gathered in more numbers than any of you had ever seen before. Dressed in all manner of garb, in various colors, the elven people made a beautiful sight. The sight was enhanced by birds of equal colors flitting through the city with a carefree grace. The avian song seemed to form a cohesive melody, as if all of the birds were singing from the same sheet of multi-tonal, complex music.
Lord Villastir smiled at your amazed looks and said "Welcome to Iadara, the Shining City, center of the Elven Nation."
Several of the elves looked at you strangely, as if they had never seen a non-elf before. Bruendor drew more than a few lingering stares, as did the tall, muscular Lefrik. The women drew nearly as many glances, though most of the elves did not seem to linger over them like they did the others.
Villastir continued, "If you would follow me, I will take you to some quarters where you can rest and freshen up after your obviously arduous experience." He looked at your torn and bloodied clothes and armor and said, "Perhaps we can find some fresh garb for you as well?"
He led you a short walk through the amazing city and towards what was obviously a palatial residence. In there he opened a double set of doors to expose a large wing of interconnected rooms. "This building is the Envoy Residence, where visiting dignitaries are often housed. Please, make yourselves comfortable in these rooms. You will find plenty of bedchambers, and two baths of continually refilling hot water. I shall send someone with food and replacement garments shortly."
He gave you a nod, then backed out of the hallway, closing the doors behind him.
"Wait," Calla calls before he can close the door. "Our friend was turned to stone trying to save your sorry asses. We need someone to help him.
"That's more important than any damn fresh clothes!"
Bruendor raises an eyebrow at Calla's demand, but says nothing about it now. "I'll vouch for him myself," Bruendor adds. "The rest of his race can go hang, but Anklebiter has proven himself time and again a trustworthy ally. If you want a full report of your enemy's arcane capabilities, then we need him flesh and blood again."
"What my companions meant to say, is that we're very grateful for our gracious hosts and if we may further indulge in their hospitality we would request the great favor of returning our brave companion to his natural state after he suffered terribly at the hands of the drow."
"It's as Kelendra says, without him, I surely would have died. And besides, he knows much of what the good elves here will want to know in more detail than I can explain."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Lord Villastir paused on his way out the door and looked at you with curiosity. "Truly? This is your companion you carry about, and not just some odd bit of treasure picked up somewhere? Fascinating! Well, we cant have honored guests not able to appreciate their honoring, now can we? I imagine I will be able to find something that can help him out of this marble-ous predicament. It must be very hard on him, and you of course."
With a laugh at his own wit, and a promise to find magical aid for your companion, he bid you truly farewell this time.
Calla scowls and begins looking around.
"I can't say I'd mind a bath," she admits.
Lord Villastir paused on his way out the door and looked at you with curiosity. "Truly? This is your companion you carry about, and not just some odd bit of treasure picked up somewhere? Fascinating! Well, we cant have honored guests not able to appreciate their honoring, now can we? I imagine I will be able to find something that can help him out of this marble-ous predicament. It must be very hard on him, and you of course."
With a laugh at his own wit, and a promise to find magical aid for your companion, he bid you truly farewell this time.
"You'll see for yourself once he's flesh again. He is quite the wizard. Thank you for helping us restore him."
He nods once the fellow is gone and he thinks they're alone
"I am trying to be on good behavior but ..." A grumble "so far, we've been treated with a lot of condescension."
As soon as Villastir is gone, Minky blows a loud raspberry at the door he exited through. Surely it's just posturing due to his raptor companion. Yes. Surely.
The bag Bruendor is holding starts to shake as something inside of it thrashes and struggles, small teeth worrying at a fold of material.
"Oh, dammit," Bruendor says under his breath, twisting the top of the bag tighter to prevent the homunculus's escape. "I hope the healer comes quick - keeping his menagerie under control is going to be tricky."
It was nearly two hours before the promised servant arrived with a tray of fruits and vegetables, a carafe of chilled water, and a small tube of salve.
"Lord Villastir's compliments, and he asks that you please prepare yourselves to be presented to the Queen in about two hours. The salve should restore your companion to his...normal self. Fresh clothing should be along shortly."
The words were barely out of his mouth when another servant appeared, this one carrying a bundle of clothing. The clothes turned out to be belted robes of fine cloth - not silk, but something nearly as smooth while being more durable and water resistant. The clothes were in hues of yellows and browns, looking for all the world like a gathering of lilies.
Minky promptly leaps upon the tray of fruits and vegetables, upsetting the latter and abdsconding with a hairy armful of the former. She clambers up a tapestry and chows down, giving you all the kind of smug look only monkeys can.
Kel takes the salve and starts applying it to Anklebiter. "I hope our friend recovers fully from his condition, it must be terrible being trapped like that. I wonder if he is still aware of everything around him?"