"She's probably fine. Nonexistent in our chronal stream, but unharmed. In all likelihood, she won't notice so much as a blink of an eye has passed between when she was erased and when she returns, even if it isn't until the destruction of the multiverse." Maddie muses, seemingly attempting to be reassuring.
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The captain looks solemly at Borgol, "You must be tired. It is late. How about you all get some rest, and we shall set sail back to Magnimar in the morning."
Before she can finish her thoughts, Maga quickly interupts, "No! We must set sail immediately and make haste!" But even that idea is quickly shut down by Sursha, show rears her shoulders back, a rather impressive site to behold.
"This is my ship. And you, are a wanted criminal. Yes indeed, we know all about your escapades, mister Sorsh. I am only taking kindly to your presence aboard my vessel because you are in presence of these heroes. Consider yourself lucky you are in already in chains, or at the bottom of the ocean." She pauses, and glares at Viralane, "The two of you will share in each other's company inside the brig, under close supervision. Do i make myself clear?"
The silence to follow is almost deafening.
"Great." The captain continues, "In that case, mister Eddie, prepare the deck, we have an early morning."
...
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Not sure if the Captain dismissing Alustria altogether is a troubling sign, you take your emotion to bed with you. Safe in a familiar place, you find that the cool air of the night, and the soft rocking of the boat is enough to help guide you all to sleep. As you slumber, your exhausted bodies find the simple retreat of dreams to be more than welcoming, as you let your minds wander.
Each of you find yourselves standing in a pleasant green meadow. Before you, stretches a vast ocean. You turn around, only to come across an ominous forest towering behind you. The ancient tree's start to encroach, grow larger and large casting more shadows over the ocean. You feel the imminent danger, as you turn back to the ocean, in search for a way out.
A complicated-looking scepter appears in the air before you. You see it hanging in the air, and you notice it is pointing out to sea toward a distant city on the ocean’s far horizon. You feel compelled to reach for the scepter.
Remy looks around at the strange surroundings. She knows not how she got here, or where her friends have gone, but she shies away from the trees. Seeing the scepter, she can't help but reach out to grasp it...
Maddie reaches out towards the scepter, trying to grab it. When that fails, she tries to set off towards the city it's pointing at.
The captain not remembering Alustria strikes a cord with Fergus. He remembers how people remember his kin, Cordwin, as a villain. Aye, Tis better not to be remembered at all then to be remembered as a villain? This question weighs heavy on his mind as he turns in for the night. When he sees the scepter he once again remembers Cordwin who was known for his curiosity. Cordwin would definitely want to examine the scepter so maybe that is why Fergus finds himself reaching for it!
Borgol looks around, trying to make out what the scepter may be indicating, then whispering a quick prayer for guidance... before reaching out for the thing...
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You reach for the scepter, it's long metallic features glisten in whatever remaining light exists between you and the peering darkness behind you. As you grab hold, suddenly, the scepter warps and twists back on itself, distorting into an infinity symbol before it suddenly snaps and flies apart into glowing fragments. The fragments rise above you, causing the green meadow, the dark forest behind you, and the ocean to distort as well. Fragments of reality both separate and fuse before you, before an enormous flash of white light covers the scene.
As you come to, you are standing atop a magnificent white bridge, You realise you stand on the Irespan, looking over all of Magnimar. You also note, that the rest of your group, is there beside you.
Remy is baffled by what she has seen. She looks around at her friends. ”What’s happening? Flik? Maddie?”
Borgol looks around, incredulous, before responding to Remy, "This must be a dream... My anxieties and fears... mixing with trying to figure out the best places to take you."
"It's time." Maddie speaks, with a voice similar enough to recognize but with much more surety and maturity. Her body likewise isn't what you're used to. Instead, it's a woman in her 20s, bedecked in archmage regalia and her eyes literally glowing, "Literally. I know this place, it's where my lessons were. Well, not here, but where we were before. Some of them, anyway." she looks out above the Irespan, "But this... this is time breaking. Someone has meddled with time, and now two or more realities are trying to fit together, where there's only space enough for one. This keeps up, and people vanishing from memory altogether will be but the least of our problems." Her gaze peers into the depths, probing for something unknown.
"Have you ever had a dream like this? I think realities are bumping together, pushing against each other." Flik nods at what Maddie says. "Dangerous to meddle with time. There are so many stories about it going wrong!"
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As you all stand on the bridge, and immerse yourselves in this shared blend of dreams and reality, the image of Magnimar starts to blur. You try to focus on the city, but the colors melt into a blend of hallucinogenic colors, as if your own memories of this place seem to be corrupting at the seems.
Finally, as you look onto your companions, they start to twist and transform into hideous monsters. As they change, they fall onto all fours, now entirely different afterimages of their former selves. These strangers begin to clamber down the sides of the Irespan, and emerge as a piling carved with monstrous reptilian figures. Then you notice it, the shadow looming over you. This heavy monstrous post, holding up something huge, and ancient. As you look up to focus on what this thing might be, you are met with another flash of blinding white light which bring you back to reality...
"Someone has been meddling with m- the Scepter of Ages. It's an artefact beyond time itself, and holds all the might of time within it. If it's being messed with, things could be very bad" Maddie says, but if it's in the dream or real life it's impossible to say.
Remy shudders as she awakens. The image of her friends transforming into monsters has left her shaken, but fortunately it seems it was just a dream—at least, for now.
”The Scepter... Do you think that’s what Alaznist has been doing? We should inform the Sihedron Council when we reach Magnimar. Maybe they will know what we can do to fight against it.”
Flik gives Maddie a shrewd look, but keeps an suppositions to himself.
It's rude to pry into a friend's personal business. I'm sure Maddie will relate more to us...in due time, hehe.
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You wake, and find yourselves back in your quarters on Tyalee's Whim. The next few days of the journey across the Varisian Gulf are uneventful, a welcome change of pace from your harrowing ordeals beneath Hollow Mountain. Soon you find yourselves sailing past the risen island of Xin and pulling up to the busy docks of Magnimar once more.
As you dock, Captain Sursha waves you off once again, "All the best with the Council! Remind them to send their gratitude with a large bag of silver!" The Captain is happy to be back in town, and you know she will be busy preparing the ship for her next big voyage.
Viralane and Maga help you all take your new large collection of ancient tomes of scholarly articles off the ship, and right as you come off, the diva sighs, as if having done more manual labor than she intended. "Phew, these were heavy. So where to now? The inn, for a drink? Do you guys have a place to crash? Please, i would offer you to come stay with the Peacocks but i doubt they would be very happy to see me again..." She nods, "You mentioned you needed to go speak with the council? Perhaps i can accompany you."
The city is bustling with life, and it is more busy than you had left it. People around you seem to be in more of a rush. Maga looks around nervously, "Yes, the council. I will accompany you as well, as promised. Then, we shall decide what to do with the runestone."
When you finally arrive at Heidmarch Maonr, you're eagerly welcomed and ushered into the council room where Sheila Heidmarch waits for you, along with Koriah Azmeren and a dark-haired woman with pointed ears and goatlike horns.
"Welcome back," Sheila says, as she sips on a cup of red wine. There is a large plate of fresh fruit, vibrant and colourful, on a small table beside her, and she waves her hand in gesture in case you are hungry. "I'm glad that you all survived the perils of Hollow Mountain. I assume Kelhuud was helpful? Good good, so what did you learn?"
Only after Remy's stomach starts to rumble loudly does she realize that she's starving, having not had a decent meal in many days. She eagerly digs into the offered fruit, having enough decorum at least to use a napkin and not suck the juice off of her fingers.
"Kelhuud was quite helpful, thank you. Not only did we close the portal to Roderic's Cove, we also learned quite a bit about Alaznist's plans." The monk fills the council in on the details of their adventures beneath Hollow Mountain, leaving room for the others to interject.
"...so that's the long and short of it. It seems that Alaznist may be using the Scepter of Ages to alter history. That may be why Alustria and Audrahni vanished without a trace. We also need your help to confirm Maga's story about this plague in the city and verify whether or not the abyssal runestone will actually help put an end to it."
Since waking up, Maddie has spent most of her time staring off into seemingly empty space, muttering to herself and watching projections that only she can seem to see, looking deep into the timeline with all her skill, trying to determine what damage might be happening. She responds with usually monosyllabic answers if asked something directly, but hasn't spoken unprompted all day.
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"The Scepter of Ages." She says plainly, as she places her cup of wine down, making the sort of reaction as if she had already drank too much. "I am sorry to hear about the friends that you lost along the way, although, i only remember the snow-elf Audrahni accompanying you from Roderic Cove. Perhaps, this is more serious than we had thought."
She nods along to Maddie's explanations, having full well the knowledge and arcane mastery to understand exactly what the young wizard is talking about.
Sheila's gaze eventually falls upon Maga, who is standing jittering behind the group. "We've heard rumors about a strange new affliction that’s been striking vagrants in Underbridge - a sinister sickness that turns ordinary people into monsters. We cannot rule out the possibility that this might be part of Azlanist's schemes. I think putting a stop to that should be your first priority now."
"Oh, and to add to your list of problems, Sheila says with a passing tone, "The weapon which you left in our possession was stolen." The countess gives a quick glace to Viralane. "Whoever did this left a peacock feather in it's place. A parting gift I assume. But i already suspect that you know who is behind this."
"One more thing. When we first arrived on the island, we were visited by Runelord Sorshen. The real one. She told us to seek her out in Korvosa. She might prove to be an ally against Alaznist, if she can be trusted."
Borgol looks at the fruit, at first a little skeptically, before taking one, At least I won't need a waterskin to wash it down...
He waits while Remy tells the tale of the mountain, trying to focus on the matter at hand rather than on the storyteller, nodding for emphasis as she leans into some of the more dramatic parts.
Finally, he shrugs, "I don't understand all this, but I can't help wonder, after the way Remy appeared, and everything we've heard -- is it that someone is changing our past, or is this world a mirror of the one we were in earlier? A carnival mirror, at that. Because it seems like the issue with Audrahni and Alustria came about when we went through that portal."
His head snaps up at Shiela's last statement, "Stolen? After all the assurances that it was better left with you than lost with us? That's.... disturbing."
He follows her gaze to Viralane, then shakes his head, "Honestly, I don't think it was her, as she was trying far too hard to get what we carry now. That said, though, she did have a bunch of new friends that I suddenly feel the need to know more about...."
"A bit of both, really." Maddie explains, "It's kinda like punching a mirror and having it break. It's still the same mirror, but also not. If we're inside of a shard when there's a break, it reflects something new, but if we're not in any of the shards or right on the edge, we end up going between an unchanged shard and a changed one. It's a biiit trickier than that, obviously, because...." she trails off in an attempted explanation of why timelines breaking isn't really like a mirror, or a river, or any number of other metaphors that just leaves you more confused afterwards.
"A broken mirror, but each piece still remembers the other pieces, and some times they reflect each other." Flik merely adds to the confusion. "And sometime one shard becomes another, or merges with it, or tries to become part of the whole again!"
Borgol holds up a hand, "Was more just musing about whether or not there's a portal back to a place where they still exist, or if we need to fix damage to.... reality itself," he trails off, clearly uncomfortable with the thought and the impossibility of the task, and involuntarily steps closer to Remy as if to ensure that she won't simply vanish.
Sensing Borgol’s discomfort, Remy gives him a reassuring smile and laced her fingers through his.
Fergus sighs, I don't even know if my cousin is the hero I always thought he was or the villain everyone seems to think he is.
Borgol claps a hand on Fergus' shoulder, "I can't speak to that, Fergus - even before the past started being rewritten around us. But I can certainly speak to the heroism of his cousin."
Remy smiles. ”Indeed. There are none as brave and stalwart as Fergus Ironbeard!”
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He follows her gaze to Viralane, then shakes his head, "Honestly, I don't think it was her, as she was trying far too hard to get what we carry now. That said, though, she did have a bunch of new friends that I suddenly feel the need to know more about...."
Viralane has a smirk across her face, "I am not surprised. The Order of the Peacock have known how to get into the Council's vault for a long time now, there just wasn't anything worth stealing. Hida must have assumed that because you did not have the weapon with you during our brief encounter down in the library, that you would have left it here, in the vault." She pauses, "The weapon will always make it's way back to it's rightful owner."
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Fergus sighs, I don't even know if my cousin is the hero I always thought he was or the villain everyone seems to think he is.
Sheila looks at Fergus, "Well, as far as i am away, Cordwin Ironbeard was once a hero. But even hero's can be corrupted by darkness, especially when they are dealing with ancient artifacts from an age of wonders." She looks about hte room, "Maybe there is some truth to it - time manipulation is a dangerous game, we must tread carefully. Who knows, maybe Old Thassilon will rise again." She says jokingly, not realizing the weight of her words.
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At this point, the young teifling woman steps forward. You have felt her gaze upon you throughout the meeting, epscially Remy, at whom she has been staring quite intently now since the monk mentioned a certain doppelganger.
"One more thing. When we first arrived on the island, we were visited by Runelord Sorshen. The real one. She told us to seek her out in Korvosa. She might prove to be an ally against Alaznist, if she can be trusted."
"The real Sorshen?" The horned woman leans forward, "And you're sure she's the real deal, not just somebody pretending to be her? And why, is it, that you share such a resemble with her? Please, don't be cagey with the details."
"Excuse me, where are my manners." Shiela interjects, "This is Ayavah. A talented local artist, she often comes to me when the Pathfinder's procure certain objects which she then transforms into, well, something special." The woman smiles warmly, and crosses her legs, "Her recent erotic depictions of succubi were quite stunning, if i do say so myself. This morning, she came to me claiming to have dire news 'for the council's heroes.' At first, we thought she meant the Sihedron Heroes, but when she clarified she was seeking you out, I was quite intrigued."
Ayavah nods. "I'm not just an artist, but a sorcerer whose gift of magic comes from something more than study. I am destined for greater things. I receive visions now and then, and a few days ago, I saw all of you. But there was something odd about it, there were two Sorshens, facing off, standing side by side before a vast, churning portal. The vision was maddeningly vague, but I'm certain it represents something in the future, and if you are not present before this portal, wherever it may be, something dire will befall Varisia. For I caught a glimpse of something beyond the portal... an elephantine behemoth thundering through reality towards this world." The tiefling suppresses a shudder.
Remy turns to regard Ayavah. "The short version of the story is that I died and was brought back to life in a clone body meant for Runelord Sorshen. I can't say for sure if the Sorshen who visited us was the real deal, but she certainly seemed to be. If your vision is true, then it would seem we are destined to join forces with Sorshen. So we should seek her out once we deal with the troubles here in Magnimar."
She turns back to Sheila. "Is there any more business we need to discuss?"
Borgol shakes his head, "You realize, Viralane, that the reason we don't trust you is plain on your face and tone of voice? If you truly wanted our help, truly were repentant, you'd have less pride, and no smirk, when talking about your 'Order of Peacock'.... And I'm thinking we need to have a long chat about this order, now."
He blinks... "Two.... So, then, we will have to deal with Sorshen, as we do Azlanist.... she'll probably strike the moment Azlanist seems weak enough that she can deal with all of us." The Vindicator sighs, "I have to admit, this whole mess seems so far beyond what we can handle... I'm jut a pit-fighter from Kaer Maga... and yet, your vision implies that we need to be there. By the Stag, I hope we can hold against all this..."
"All of us have come from humble beginnings," Remy says to Borgol. "As did many of the Sihedron Heroes, from what I can recall. But we have grown stronger together as a team, and I know we will grow stronger yet. We will stop Alaznist, and Sorshen if necessary, and any other runelords that dare to stand in our way."
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She turns back to Sheila. "Is there any more business we need to discuss?"
"Indeed. I believe there is still alot to be done. Please let me know if you need any further assistance from the Council, we are at your disposal."
Maga looking even more desperate now than he has the entire journey here, he turns to Remy. "Now do you trust me? Will you share with me the power of the runestone, to stop the curse spreading through the Ubderbridge?"
Remy nods. "Yes. We will help you stop the curse. But I am still loathe to simply hand over an artifact of the runestone's power. We will go together. That will be our first order of business once we have rested and recovered from our recent ordeals."
The monk turns to the party at large. "It has been a very trying several days. We all need to be at our peak, physically and mentally, before we face the challenges to come. Let's take a couple days of downtime to get back in peak fighting condition. We'll meet back here when we're ready to proceed. Sound good?"
As the group begins to disperse, she touches Borgol's arm. "I don't know how much time we'll have, but I want to make the most of it. I have some...things I need to do, but I'll meet you at the inn tonight. Make some fun plans for us, okay?" She gives him a kiss on the cheek before heading off into the city...
***
"Really? You don't think it's too much, do you? I don't want to come across as tawdry..."
***
"There's literal magic woven into it? Well, I don't see how it would stay on without it! But it does look good.."
***
"I've never had it professionally styled. You can do something nice with it?"
***
That evening, Remy does not keep Borgol waiting. Right on time, the door to the inn opens and the monk nervously steps through. She is clothed in a dazzling strapless red dress that glitters and gleams in the firelight. Its neckline dips low across her chest, and it is almost completely backless, exposing much of her flawless skin. The dress clings tightly to her curves and ends a mid-thigh, leaving her long legs bare. She balances on a pair of black heels.
Remy's dark hair is done up in a stylish updo, a few tasteful strands falling across her forehead. Her face is accentuated with red lipstick, dark eyeshadow, and a bit more makeup. She wears a necklace engraved with the design of a dragon, as well as matching dragon-shaped bracers around her wrists and golden hoop earrings.
The monk gives Borgol a shy smile and wave. "Hi," she says, then with a nervous giggle, she gives the warrior a little spin so he can see the whole outfit she is wearing. "How do I look?"
Borgol chuckles at Maga's question, "Believe you, yes. Trust... I'm sorry, Maga, but we've been burned a few too many times to go that far just yet. I'm more that a little wary of all of these afflictions popping up that apparently need a Runestone to fix." He jerks his head in Viralane's direction at that, then adds more gently, "That being said, we will go to the Underbridge and do what we can to fix this... I gave you my word, and I give it again."
He then sighs and adds, "But not tonight, or tomorrow. We need a bit of time to recover and rest, as Remy suggested."
As Remy leaves, he nods, "Will do. Though I think a bathhouse might be my first stop."
Despite his claim, Borgol's first stop isn't a bathhouse, rather, it's a shoppe in the Bridgeward region of town... one that Liandra had threatened to drag him to many times when he was younger. It's too bad she's not here, it would be helpful to get a woman's opinion on things... Oh! He smiles at the female clerk, and laughs at himself, "I, uh, need a fine outfit... and your eye for fit and style, and sense of taste, too."
***
Later, at the bathhouse, he nods to the attendant, "Yes, the perfumed oils, please... And if you've someone who can do something with my hair..."
Borgol tries not to stare at the sight of Remy, though her appearance gives him a reason to stop pulling at the white sleeves poking out of the jade brocade jacket -- which isn't uncomfortable, but unfamiliar. Speak, fool--, his brain chides, and he remembers himself, and dimly the manners that Leandra beat into him, and bows, causing the single braid of his hair to slide forward, over his shoulder and into the ruffles of his shirt. He straightens, and his hair behaves, sliding back over his shoulder and he smiles, "Stunning. As always."
He looks down at his own outfit, more modest, and the result of an hour-long compromise, because he was not wearing hose, regardless of how in fashion it might be in Westcrown or Absalom or wherever, and forcing the poor girl to find him something in natural - or nearly-natural tones. He shrugs, "I... well.... thought that I needed to find an outfit that still let me be myself, I guess," he says almost apologetically, as if suddenly ashamed of the red-brown breeches that cost more than his first longsword, let alone the knee-high deep green boots.
He steps forward anyway, and bows again, taking Remy's hand and giving it a gentle kiss before straightening, "There's an illusionist's display tonight at Serpent's Run... but, seeing you, I think that wasting that dress in the seats of the hippodrome would be criminal... and, besides, I can't imagine they could conjure anything even half as beautiful."
”Oh, no, no, your outfit looks great, too!” Remy says quickly. ”Is mine too much? I might have gotten a bit carried away... But, uh, I’ve never really dressed up like this before, so... feminine. I wanted to look good. For you.”
She blushes at Borgol’s compliments and the kiss on the hand. It’s a simple gesture, but one that further reinforces Remy’s role as a woman tonight. It still feels a bit strange having a man treat her like this but something about it also feels right. ”Wherever you want to go. I’m sure I’ll enjoy myself as long as I’m with you.”
Borgol pauses a moment, then laughs at himself, "I'm trying to figure out how to tell you that you've more than succeeded, that you're about three and half leagues past 'looking good'.... while at the same time making clear that you somehow, effortlessly, manage far more than 'looking good' every day." He shrugs, "Somehow, both of those are true - that you're probably the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, even when elbow-deep in grime and in the middle of battle.... and that when you do this... somehow, you manage to go past that, eclipsing..." He stops and shakes his head, "By the Stag, I sound like an idiot. I should have commissioned a bard to write something worthy of you."
He sighs, then says, "But, I promised you a dinner, views, a walk, and I believe at least a few pubs, as well. And I didn't only spend the afternoon trying on breeches, I did actually make plans. Plus, if I've a fork in my mouth, I won't be able to keep saying things that make me sound a fool." He holds out his hand, ready to loop an arm around Remy's and lead her out into the night.
Remy laughs and offers her arm to Borgol. ”But you surely realize your foolish utterances are endearing? Lead on! Let us make this night one to remember.”
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Remy turns to regard Ayavah. "The short version of the story is that I died and was brought back to life in a clone body meant for Runelord Sorshen. I can't say for sure if the Sorshen who visited us was the real deal, but she certainly seemed to be. If your vision is true, then it would seem we are destined to join forces with Sorshen. So we should seek her out once we deal with the troubles here in Magnimar."
Avayah nods agreeably, "Indeed, you are the spitting image of the Runelord. And I understand, the past is often difficult to talk about." She pauses for a moment, thinking about her words carefully before continuing, "But i feel that just like this other Sorshen, both of you want the same thing. To set things right." The tiefling reaches into her dress and pulls forth a medallion inscribed with an oddly familiar symbol, a moon with midnight-blue lips and a seven-pointed crown. "This is the symbol of my faith. I belong to the Cult of the Redeemer Queen. We worship Nocticula, but not as the demon lord that most think her to be. The cult has long believed that she has long been on the cusp of transcending her nature and rising as a nonevil goddess of artists, midnight, and outcasts, an event that, should signs and portents from clerics in the cult be accurate, may be in the process of unfolding at this very moment."
"Nocticula herself wants you to ally with Sorshen. Like the Redeemer Queen, Sorshen is working to abandon her past and rebuild herself into something new, something greater, and something unhindered by clichéd obsessions and physical gratifications. I feel like you know what i am talking about..."
...
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The monk turns to the party at large. "It has been a very trying several days. We all need to be at our peak, physically and mentally, before we face the challenges to come. Let's take a couple days of downtime to get back in peak fighting condition. We'll meet back here when we're ready to proceed. Sound good?"
Maga shakes his head, "There is no time!" But the alchemist quickly lowers his head, his body weak from the past ordeals of the Mountain. "But i understand the need to rest." He turns to Sheila and Flik, "If it is not too much to ask, but are we able to use your magical archives to study the contents of the library we brought back with us? Maybe there is something inside the books which might aid in our mission to stop the plague. If you were to leave the runestone here, under close supervision of your other companions, we might be able to study it's magic further."
Viralane nods at this idea, also putting herself forward to remain and do research.
Sheina shrugs, "Our archive is at your disposal, of course, but you will be under constant supervision by the Council. I will also ask some of our officers to stop by, and share with you any intelligence they have scouted about this plague. Maybe they could help shed some more light on what is happening in Magnimar."
...
Ie, Borgol and Remy are going on a date, whats the rest of the party wish to do? We will roleplay everything out at the same time, it will be a fun little encounter. :)
Maddie literally jumps at the opportunity to see the Sihedron Archives, and happily occupies herself with a pile of books.
Fergus is heartened to hear the kind words of his friends and that strengthens his resolve quite a bit.
Fergus will research with Maddie to find how this version of Cordwin differs from his version of him.
Fergus will seek out a temple of Angradd or if failing to find one, a temple of Torag to make sure that the young Paladin is still on the correct path, lest he be corrupted as his kin Cordwin was (according to the council)...
Borgol shakes his head and chuckles, "I was going to be offended, but it's probably a good thing that you think so."
The Vindicator takes a moment to shift the ruffled collar, tugs his jacket down, then takes the offered arm. "Hopefully nothing too untoward happens on our walk, all I've got is a dagger, and I can't imagine there's a world where you can fight in that."
He leads Remy out into the city, keeping to the Capital District, allowing for a nice sunset walk through the gardens. "I've always admired these, " he admits, "Though mostly from afar. Leandra didn't want me involved in anything, and so she set me up in the Marches... usually working with the folks from the Churches. All of this, the Summit, wasn't just higher ground, it was above my station."
He chuckles, and then says, "But the gardens, for a budding ranger, were a refuge. A place to practice what I'd been learning. A place to actually just sit and admire the beauty in the open air, so different than Kaer Maga, where I may have well been living the life of a dwarf for the amount I got to see the sun."
He suddenly smiles and starts moving forward a little faster, excitedly, "Ahh, there it is," he says finally as he stops before a well-trimmed bush with dark green leaves. "Magnimar - places like this one - are where I was able to heal and put myself together. Taking bits from Leandra, taking bits from the church, taking bits from Ol' Thierry, who's probably still mad that I never quite took to the bow the way I should have. When you look at the relics, the Bridge, all of it, it's easy to see how this is a magical town... "
He smiles again, as the sky starts to change colours, pinks and oranges radiating from the horizon. "But, at the same time, as much as it is part of me, it's not home. Even if I could probably afford to live up here now, it's still not my place. Oh, it can be fun to visit, certainly, and even more so to share it with someone... no, not someone, to share it with you."
He smiles and quickly looks from side to side, making sure he's not being watched, then quickly snaps forward, pulling a dark crimson flower that had just opened from the bush and offering it to Remy. "They only bloom in the dawn and twilight, but when they do, they catch the light as if they were able to glow on their own."
He chuckles again and says, "I'm sure there's a romantic analogy there, about us meeting in darkness, you bringing light and beauty, but I'd rather not murder it... and besides," he places his hand on Remy's cheek, "I can think of better things to do than talk...", he finishes as he leans in
The monk is pulled out of her reverie when Borgol offers her the flower. "Oh!" she says, blushing as accepts the gift and breathes deeply of its scent. "It's lovely."
Her heart beats faster as he touches her cheek and leans in. Remy closes her eyes and meets his lips with her own.
Their first few kisses had been mostly sweet, chaste affairs. But here, in the garden, with the glow of twilight painting the scene in brilliant hues, Remy allows more passion to come through. She presses her toned body against Borgol's, running her hands through his hair as she hungrily seeks the tastes of his lips. She thrills to the touch of his strong hands on her exposed back.
"You're right. Talking is overrated," she says in a brief moment between kisses.
Flik might be tired, but there's a whole archive to explore!
He spends much of the day trying to keep up with Maddie--trundling along behind her weighed down with a armload of books.
"Oh, look at this binding! A first printing of the Colingari!?"
"Maddie, I found some more: Temporal Incanfibula! A Nexian text, I believe."