Even with your speed, it still takes over an hour to find a clearing amidst the hedge. In this clearing, you see crude, amateurishly-sewn banners fluttering weakly in the breeze. A little ways ahead, you see an adorable little house painted in garish reds and yellows. From the branches overhead, you hear a high-pitched voice that appears to be in the middle of an argument with someone. "Begone! Begone and mewl at my heels no longer, you stupid ... mewling ... heeling-thing! I have greater destinies than to play your nursemaid!"
Given the number of fey here, Iris wasn't inclined to take things at face value. She did, however, approach - calmly and openly, as tended to be her way. The morning light didn't try to hide itself when it arrived. That said, the voice did appear to be speaking in common instead of Sylvan... hm. "Is there a problem here?" she asked as she walked up.
"Huh?" There's a brief *pop* of displaced air, and a sharply-dressed rabbit appears in front of you. "Oh, hi there! Sorry about that, I didn't hear you come in. Never mind me; just attending to some business, but that's not important. Who are you? Know any good stories? Anything exciting and full of adventure's best, but I'm partial to anything, really." He pauses for a split second to catch his breath - giving you time to interject if you so desire.
"I do know some stories... and songs to go along with them." Iris answered, looking him in the eyes. "Of course, I only perform when I feel like it... like, say, when I just want to or when someone makes it worth my while with a fair trade." Fey in general tended to be pretty big on deals and agreements, and focusing on that tended to be the best way to get their attention.
The rabbit's ears perked up. "Trade? What do you want? If your story's good enough, I'll even give up this wonderful house. It's amazing! Follows you around so you never have to worry about finding your way home. And it never gets lost, so no matter where you go, it'll always be nearby."
Iris smiled slightly. "Ah, but I already have a home." she answered. That was true in two senses - there was a place in Nirvana she considered her true residence, as well as within the hearts of every person who believed in her. For deities, this wasn't really a metaphor. "So it seems that's an offer unlikely to go through... but I could trade a lesser song for help reaching two mortals I'd like to find."
The rabbit looked disappointed for a moment before perking back up. "Well, it was worth a shot. You're a clever one! I can help you find who you're looking for. I know every inch of these briars!"
"I'm sure you can help. What matters is if you can succeed... and whether or not you will help me." the goddess of the dawn said, a twinkle in her eye as she evaluated the fey's words. "But if so, then by all means, lead the way."
"All right, then. Story first, then tell me who you want to find."
At that, Iris chuckled a little. Truthfully, speaking to mortals (or immortals) wasn't really a burden to her. She wasn't a goddess of song and stories, but she did occasionally invoke them to help people figure out new paths... and in a rather direct way, she was doing that here as well.
"[i]Hark, now, to the tale I sing - a tale of the court of moonlight, visited but rarely by mortal man...[i]"
And as for the people she wanted to find, well... that was obvious. The two mortals she'd followed here, of course.
The rabbit claps his hands when your song finishes. "I haven't heard that one before, and that doesn't happen very often! I liked it. Very heroic, and the lords and ladies were nice. ... What were we doing? ... Oh, that's right, you were looking for some mortals. They're not in my Briars, so Zassrion probably has them. My necklace can help you find them." He hands you a tiny shoe carved from green feldspar hanging on a chain. As you move, it gives an almost-imperceptible pull, but it's much too faint to determine a particular direction. "Where are you headed? I can come with you, or at least I would if THIS THING WOULD STOP FOLLOWING ME!!!" The last bit is addressed to the cottage, which seems to have crept slightly closer to the rabbit. A moment later, though, he composes himself. "Anyway ... you seem nice enough. If you need to get somewhere, I can tell the Briars to make your walk easier. Nobody likes being pricked by thorns."
Iris calmly took the necklace. "I'd appreciate that." she said - although one way or another, she tended to get where she wanted to be. There were perks of having domain over travel. "You are, of course, welcome to come along with me. Who knows? Perhaps you'll see something that will make for a fine story in its own right."
The rabbit bounded off in excitement. "Yay! Let's go!" A second later, he *blinked* back to you. "Wait, where are we going?"
"The Smith's Caldera will do, I think." Iris answered calmly. "I'm fond of places where things are changed from their base to something new... and a high vantage point may give us a nice view. What's the point of living in a fantastic realm unless you occasionally take a look and appreciate it, hm?"
"Oh, in that case, you've been going the wrong way! That's northeast, silly mortal." The rabbit chuckles merrily as he leads you back the way you came, past the Midnight Circus and towards a towering volcano. Interestingly, he keeps pace with you easily, and even appears to be traveling slowly so you can keep up . The small cottage follows at a respectable distance - much to the rabbit's frustration.
After a couple hours of travel, you abruptly reach the foot of a lone, steep volcano. Pipes of copper and stone run through it at bizarre angles, as though they were buttresses struggling to hold the mountain upright. A large stairway cuts up one side, leading to a stout, blocky structure near the peak. "Here it is," the rabbit exclaims. He starts to hop toward the volcano but stops suddenly and *blinks* back into the briars. "The ground feels weird. I'm going to stay in my thicket. Good luck!"
Iris waved at the rabbit. "Fare well." she said, heading towards the stairway. So these fey mostly preferred to stay in their home territories, hm? Well, nature-aligned spirits often did, and it wasn't strange enough to bother her. For now, most of her attention was on getting where she wanted to be... and one way or another, she planned to.
As you approach the volcano stairs, the air rings with the sound of turning gears, clanking machinery, and pounding hammers. As soon as you reach the first step, though, you begin to hear gruff shouts - directed at you.
"Go away, you weasely gemless fish-catching water-drinkin' slimeball!"
"Scram, you dim-witted thick-skulled elf-child!"
"Yeah, yer not wanted here, you blabbering repugnant jelly-boned rust bucket!"
From high up above, you begin to hear a rumbling.
What delightful terms they'd chosen to use. "Are you sure?" she called to the speakers. "'Gemless' might be a bit much, since I happen to have a rather rare variant of quartz on me, and I might be willing to part with some if you can make it worth my while... but if you're not as good as your reputation below suggests, I suppose you wouldn't be able to do much with it anyway."
There's a long pause, before one of them responds. "And what would a feckless puddle of rat pee like yourself be doin' with a rare gemstone, eh?" Despite its choice of words, the voice sounds more curious than hostile. The ominous rumbling from above has slowed - which is probably a good thing.
"Carrying it until I find something to do with it, of course." she answered calmly. A moment later, she dug into her bag (a normal one, not the dimensional bag Sorathel was holding the lantern in) and held up one of the pieces of Sunlight Quartz. "Of course, it's a bit hard to talk when I'm standing out here, so I'd appreciate it if you could invite me inside and we can.. discuss a trade in more detail."
"Well then come on up and show it to us!" the voice shouts.
That was good enough as an invitation for her... and Iris began heading up the stairs again, quite willing to show the gem to them once she arrived. (This was one of the areas she had to be careful in... as the not-so-metaphorical existence representing the very concept of the dawn, she generally went where she wanted, when she wanted. The morning didn't hold off on coming just because others wanted to sleep in. On the other hand, she was also a goddess of good... and getting permission to visit someone else's home was usually the right thing to do.)
An outdoor work area stands near the top of the stairs, complete with anvils, water troughs, worktables, and bubbling pools of magma. There's also a trio of Azers, who look expectantly at you. "Well? Where's this quartz, eh?"
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Iris calmly held up the piece of Sunlight Quartz she'd picked up outside. "More specifically, it's a type of luminescent quartz that glows for about half a day when exposed to light for an hour." she explained as she met the Azers. "Gems do tend to look nice when properly set into something, but it takes rather more talent to maximize both the aesthetics and the function of the more... unusual... effects, don't you think? And I have more than just the one, of course."
---
For Sorathel's part, the angel was quite firm in noting that Iris had expressed the intent to take the lantern to Absalom herself as added security. The team was certainly permitted to view the Lantern, even to perform limited tests under Iris or Sorathel's supervision... but they were not releasing it entirely to the Society until they'd actually arrived at their headquarters in Absalom and could hand it over in person.
(If anybody had a problem with that, Sorathel would also be noting that the Society was literally being given an extremely powerful item without even the request for a valuable service to be done on Iris' behalf, and both the escorts and the head of the Lodge would certainly be recognized for cooperating with an outsider to safely and properly deliver a gift. The greed to want something faster when it was already being given to them for free could only be seen as a sign of untrustworthiness, which might lead to... reconsideration... of the gift.)
"Sunlight quartz, eh? That's only found in a few locations on your world. I wouldn't mind turning it into something fancy. A nice pendant, perhaps? How much do ya have?"
"I'm willing to part with several pieces." Iris answered, carefully avoiding giving away too much information at this stage of the bargaining process. She did, however, take out two more pieces as proof she had them. "All about this size and in good condition for being worked, of course. At this point, though, I think the more important question is what you'd be willing to exchange for them. See, I'm looking for a couple of mortals, and I have reason to believe they're with Mr. Zassrion. I'm... appreciative, shall we say... of things that will help me return them to their homes."
The azers huddle up and whisper amongst themselves for a minute before turning back to you. "Don't know any Zassrion, but we'll take ya to speak with the Ticktock Man."
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The Pathfinders are perfectly agreeable to Iris' (via Sorathel acting as proxy) terms. The protections they've erected will last for a while but do have finite durations, so sooner is - of course - better. Will Miss Iris be here soon?
"By all means, then, lead the way." Iris said courteously. "And as a show of good faith..." she gave the apparent leader of the Azers one of the pieces of Sunlight Quartz. If they felt she really was able to offer them something of value, they were more likely to act in a... positive way.
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Iris would return whenever she got back - and here, Sorathel was careful to note that her mistress was quite independent and acted on her own schedule. If she wasn't present, it was because she was doing something she judged as even more important. The angel also noted that her mistress was quite interested in seeing the lantern safely protected, and so she would be back as soon as she was able.
The azers lead you inside, where you find a bar. It's almost empty, with only the cyclops bartender and a table of a half-dozen drunk azers present. As you enter, the bartender scowls and points at a sign. "Giants only. Get lost." "Shut your piehole, Voricose! She's with us!" interject your guides, and the cyclops huffily begins furiously repolishing the glassware.
As you pass through the bar, you begin to hear angry shouts and loud pounding from the next room. Entering, a large workshop with a massive sinkhole taking up the southeastern half of the room. Below, you see a blazing hot chamber that's mostly filled with an enormous stone statue, whose head pokes through into the room you're standing in. The source of the noise is instantly apparent: an enraged fire giant is attempting to break down the double doors to the north in the midst of a howling profanity-laced tirade about "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!!" The azers blanche. "S!+%, we're screwed! Ongaur's back!" Overhearing, the giant turns and roars at you. He's clearly itching for a fight.
"I understand you're upset about something, but I clearly had nothing to do with it." Iris said, facing the creature that was much bigger than her current body. "Whatever your grievances, though, taking things out on me won't help to resolve them. Why don't we try and talk this out instead? You can always try to smash the door later."
The giant promptly launches into a lengthy tirade that isn't entirely articulate. From what you can make out, his friend Smith got turned to stone by a 'little person like you,' and he's decided to dedicate his life to stomping out those responsible for this shocking act of racism. There's no middle ground here; either you're a staunch ally who wholeheartedly supports him, or you're a 'typical product of your species' who's deserving of death for your constant intentional microaggressions.
Was Smith their name or their job...? Still, mortals in general weren't always very clear when they were talking, and she was naturally inclined to shine light on murky things anyway. "I can understand you being upset at someone hurting your friend - I'd be upset, too." she said. "However, rather than attacking others, I think your friend might prefer if you looked for a way to turn them back to flesh. Most spells like the one you're describing are reversible."
The giant huffed at you. "Then fix him, or I'll smash you."
In response to the giant's words, Iris casually warped across the chamber, staying well out of the giant's reach as she continued walking at a pace likely to be much faster than his. "You're entirely capable of arranging for that yourself." she said calmly. "You admire your strenth, yes? Well, no matter how thick your arms grow, there are some problems that might along cannot solve. If you wish to be truly powerful, you need to be able to solve problems like this... unless you're trying to say someone half your size can accomplish things but you can't? It might make you feel better for a moment, but nobody out there is going to think you smashing me makes you worthy of respect. Sooner or later, threats and force fail, and you'll be supplanted... but having the respect and support of others will endure."
The giant chases you around the chamber for a few minutes before getting tired and sitting down. Folding his arms and pouting, he huffs, "You're too fast. Like that dumb talking bunny. It's not fair."
"Life usually isn't." Iris pointed out. "If you can't change the situation, change yourself or the way you look at things. Whatever situation you're in, though, you can always change something for the better." ...What? Providing guidance to mortals was kind of a thing among deities. "In this case, I'd suggest redefining what you consider to be a victory... and using that as a stepping stone to help your friend. If you get good enough at it, you might even learn to set things up so results are pretty much always in your favor... and winning is nice, isn't it?"
"I just want Smith to not be a rock anymore. He didn't mean to break things."
"When you have a goal, the next step is finding out the best way to pursue it. How far you go from there is up to you. If you want the world to be better, then don't just demand others act - do things for yourself." Iris answered calmly. The teachings of her faith were that light came to those in need... but they shouldn't rely on it to do everything for them. The whole purpose of the dawn was to bring the light, but from there it needed to maintain itself. To put it another way, people should learn to better themselves and move on with their lives.
Based on his expression, you've certainly given the giant something to think about. On the other side of the door he'd been pounding on, you find a mammoth chamber filled with man-sized gears, pendulums, and screws amid puffs of steam. The incredibly-complicated mechanisms are being worked by a halfling-sized metal man who spins around as you enter and assumes a defensive stance. "Tell Marzalee she'll never take me alive!"
"Tell her yourself." Iris answered promptly. "I'm not here to get involved in any of your personal conflicts. I'm looking to get to Zassrion, and I was informed that you might be able to help. If you can, I'd be willing to trade a few pieces of high-quality sunlight quartz that you can fashion into something worthy of your skill."
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The metal man calms down somewhat, although he still keeps a safe distance from you. "You're not an assassin, then? And you're looking for Zassrion? That's interesting.... What do you want with the Patchwork Lord?"
"I would like to bring two mortals home, and I heard they may have ended up with him." Iris explained calmly. "I am no assassin - self-defense is one thing, but specifically murdering others just for pay is... distasteful to me." It wasn't like she would never, ever approve of it no matter what - she was flexible in her methods, and sometimes assassination was the best way of starting a revolution that would bring the light - but it wasn't to be done without serious care and consideration. Certainly not as a preferred tactic. "To accomplish my goal, I am willing to make fair trades - something reasonably valuable for you, in exchange for what is helpful to me."
"I see. In that case, I might be willing to trade for my token. Let's say ... six of Marzalee's grubs. Yes, I think that will do nicely. And before you object, she has plenty. She'll never notice if a few go missing."