Cai’nan looks at the belt and notes Atraxis’ tone with giving it to him. He nods solemnly to the guard captain and replies ”I’ll...try to wear it with honor, sir.”
After he fastens the belt around his waist, his body seems to grow more lean, his muscles growing and filling the skin above them significantly, to the point that his features are now very defined and cut.
”Well! That’s interesting!” he says as he looks down at his forearms.
”Don’t let it go to your head, you big doofus!” a melodious woman’s voice calls out from behind you all. Standing in the doorway is a beautiful young woman with blonde hair hanging down between her shoulders, dressed in a stylish dress. She has a smirk on her face as she leans against the doorframe.
”Beth!” Cai’nan says excitedly as he steps over and picks her up in a strong hug that lifts her off the ground.
”Don’t even think of manhandling me in such a manner,” another voice says as the girls near clone walks in, though her hair is as black as night. ”You know how I feel about those childish antiIIII” she is cut off as Cai’nan snatches her up next and begins twirling around with her in the next hug.
”Lana!” he says jovially, half chuckling as he twirls his younger sister around against her will.
”PUT ME DOWN YOU BIG OAF!” she demands as Bethania giggles at her sisters distress.
He sets her down and Lana immediately begins straightening her attire. ”So when are you headed out again?” she grumbles at her oldest brother, though she has a joking smirk on her face as she says it.
Kallie gasps as she is given a carpet of flying. She eyes it warily, not really liking the idea of her hooves leaving the ground. Sure, the boats left the ground, but that was different. Here, she'd be flying just on a scrap of cloth.
Then she looked at the flying stick Gali was on. Well, thank goodness her grandmother didn't think that was appropriate.
She gave the carpet a thorough examination with detect magic and her own expertise. Then she watched Croquelle recklessly experiment on hers.
Seems safe enough, Kallie finally surmised. With it laying on the soft grass of the interior courtyard, she places her dainty hooves on each of the four corners. Then good sense takes hold and she sits down before she activates it.
When it rises up magically and seems stable, she starts being more bold in controlling it. She doesn't fly as aggressively as Croquelle and gods forbid any loops, but she is soon zipping around on the magic square and starting to love it.
"Hi, Cai'nan's sisters," Aurealia waves to the new girls.
"You all have fun now. Momma just got paid, time to go shopping!" Aurealia grabs her coin and heads out into the crowded markets of the city at the center of the world.
"Hi, Cai'nan's sisters," Aurealia waves to the new girls.
"You all have fun now. Momma got paid, time to go shopping!" Aurealia grabs her coin and heads out into the crowded markets of the city at the center of the world.
Bethania's eyes seem to light up at the mentioning of shopping.
"Shopping?!" Cai'nan's younger sister says excitedly. She zips up next to you. "Aurealia, right? Here, let me show you all the best places to shop.
"G-Got room for one more?" nervously asks Audrahni, who just got her own gift from Gali.
"Audrahni was it?" Beth asks, getting a nod from the lanky elf. "Of course! The more, the merrier!"
The two quickly follow you into the city.
"What's up, Drahni-baby? You miss Biscuit?" Aurealia asks, taking her fellow poet by the arm. "Nothing a little retail therapy won't fix I hope?"
"Well hey, don't leave your sister in the dirt!"
Croq-on-a-carpet zooms low to the ground and follows along.
"...and who wouldn't miss Biscuit? Seriously, have ya ever met a hound with such a Good Noise??"
"...Doesn't she mean 'good nose'?" Bethania asks Audrahni.
"A-Actually, Ms. Blakros, my dog Biscuit really does have a rather pleasant... voice," Audrahni says, a smiling returning to her face. "Croquelle even taught her to sing... somewhat. She can harmonize her dog sounds well with Croq's drum."
"...That's adorable!" Beth coos.
"A-As for your question, Aurealia, yes, I miss Biscuit," Audrahni says. "There's... something else, though. I definitely don't regret coming here; I imagine Sir Roderic can rest now. However, I had been hoping to visit Magnimar again. I used to live there, actually."
Cai’nan looks into the sack of coins and sighs. ”Maybe...I should come along too. There’s...something I need to go and find.”
Cai’nan accompanies the women on their shopping trip. Inevitably, he ends up carrying several packages of things Bethania purchases for herself along the way. Eventually, he finds himself outside of a purveyor of magical artifacts, one of his father’s competitors. He pauses a moment before turning to the others and says ”I’ll be right back.”
”Cai...” Bethania calls out to him. ”You know that won’t make father happy...”
”All the more reason...” Cai’nan grumbles as he places her packages on Krodha’s pack and heads inside.
Behind the counter is a shifty eyed gnome who is looking over a gemstone with a magnifying glass. As Cai’nan walks in he looks up and says ”Hullo there! What can I do ya for?”
Cai’nan looked around somewhat nervously before asking, ”Well...I have this problem...”
”Ah! Yes yes yes! Not entirely uncommon!” the gnome says as he hops down from his stool and opens a drawer and pulls out a pouch. ”Pour some of this into your tea, and in no time at all, you’ll be performing like never before! But, just as a warning, if the effects last for more than four hours or so...ya might wanna go find a priest to maybe dispel the effect...”
Cai’nan looks at him, totally not understanding. That is, until the gnome makes a lewd gesture with his hands to indicate what he means by “performing.”
”Oh! Oh gods no! That’s not it!” Cai’nan says as he recoils a bit. ”Ya see...I’ve recently started...changing shape. Taking on animal forms.”
”Oh. So yer a druid then?” he asks.
Cai’nan sighs. ”I mean, it’s like that I guess...but not really...it’s hard to explain. Anyway...when I’m an animal...I can’t talk. And that makes things very difficult for me.”
”Mmmhmmm...I see I see...” the gnome muses. He meanders over to a drawer and begins rifling through rings. ”Lets see...protection...protection...swimming....bah, nobody ever wants the swimming rings...the climbing or jumping ones either...let me see...I know I had something...AH! HERE IT IS!” he says as he holds up a rather simple looking silver band. ”This here will do the trick. Bought it off a Pathfinder who had been doing some work down around the Shackles. Said he wasn’t headed back and didn’t need it anymore. And while yer at it, ya ought to get this vestment as well! It’s well worth the money...”
Cai’nan looks over the ring and tries it out. Once he had confirmed it would work, and learned what the vestment did, he gives the gnome the coin and thanks him for his business before heading back to the others, somewhat more relaxed than before.
Kallie lands, carefully wraps up her carpet, collects her coins, then trots out into the streets of Absalom several paces behind the others. Thankfully, the motley lot make a big enough scene in the streets that she can keep up relatively easily.
She wanders around, wide-eyed at the massive city and the throngs of people. She's so amazed that several minutes have passed before she realizes that she has no idea where the rest of the group went.
"A-As for your question, Aurealia, yes, I miss Biscuit," Audrahni says. "There's... something else, though. I definitely don't regret coming here; I imagine Sir Roderic can rest now. However, I had been hoping to visit Magnimar again. I used to live there, actually."
"Oh, don't let that make you blue, dear. I'm sure we'll visit there at some point."
Aurealia elbows her friend good-naturedly. "In the meantime, have you ever seen such a place?! This is where the Freaks did their work. I mean how many times did we read their adventures in the Chronicles?"
"Oooh, I wonder if we'll get to meet Gianluca at the coronation? Cai'nan, you must know him. Is he as dreamy as he sounds in the Chronicles?"
”He hasn’t been around much since I was little. I think he and my father had a disagreement. And I wouldn’t know about all that,” he answers with a shrug at the dreaminess inquiry.
Kallie lands, carefully wraps up her carpet, collects her coins, then trots out into the streets of Absalom several paces behind the others. Thankfully, the motley lot make a big enough scene in the streets that she can keep up relatively easily.
She wanders around, wide-eyed at the massive city and the throngs of people. She's so amazed that several minutes have passed before she realizes that she has no idea where the rest of the group went.
"It's pretty easy to get lost here, huh?" Galatea's familiar voice says. Despite being perhaps the clumsiest person you know , she is somehow riding sidesaddle on her fancy new flying broom. Speaking of which, the broomstick appears to be a replica of Claddisa's legendary one.
"Would you like to take a little tour with me?" Gali offers hopefully.
"Oh, don't let that make you blue, dear. I'm sure we'll visit there at some point."
Aurealia elbows her friend good-naturedly. "In the meantime, have you ever seen such a place?! This is where the Freaks did their work. I mean how many times did we read their adventures in the Chronicles?"
At Aurealia's words, Audrahni takes a moment to full take in the sights and wonders of Absalom. The city somehow seems even more magnificent than it does in the Chronicles. Even though the coronation is about a week away, a festive mood appears to be gradually building. Audrahni can't help but once again smile.
"I haven't," Audrahni admits quietly. "Magnimar is quite grand, but this... It feels almost surreal to be here."
Jaya smiles to herself as she examines the abjurations woven round her new ring. How like Master Silva to send a life-saving gift that's also a rather pointed lesson.
***
"I'll be heading to the old Wise district. There's a book I've been after for a while, and since we're here, I might as well save myself on the cost and risk of shipping and brokers by heading to the Arcanimirium myself."
Aurealia nods to Jaya. "I need a better weapon...Something magical. I also want to get another metamagic rod of extend, that thing has been amazingly useful. Then I was going to get some ink and copy spells from your books," Aurealia says to Jaya and Kallie. "Of course you can copy anything I have as well."
Aurealia looks around. "Wait, where did Kallie go?"
"It's pretty easy to get lost here, huh?" Galatea's familiar voice says. Despite being perhaps the clumsiest person you know , she is somehow riding sidesaddle on her fancy new flying broom. Speaking of which, the broomstick appears to be a replica of Claddisa's legendary one.
"Would you like to take a little tour with me?" Gali offers hopefully.
"Sure," Kallie says, a little wistful. "Are there any places around here that Honey liked to visit?"
"Galatea's probably arranged for more private time with her." Jaya purses her lips a moment before continuing, "I'll make sure to pick up some soothing tea and another bottle of barleywine. Just in case."
Cai’nan steps over to Jaya when she mentions Kallie and Galatea being alone. ”Perhaps, if you’d like, the two of us could do the same? Maybe have a proper date?” he asks her quietly.
Jaya grins, "Proper seems to be an entirely undefined term here," she teased. "But I'd be happy to spend some time with just you tonight once our errands are done! I know this city fairly well, but its mostly just from the Chronicles, or my correspondents, or the maps my mother encouraged me to study... I'm guessing you have some ideas of how to spend the evening that aren't so centered around landmarks." Or thoroughfares that would need to be severed or defended in an invasion...
"Sure," Kallie says, a little wistful. "Are there any places around here that Honey liked to visit?"
Galatea dismounts from her flying broom and pulls it from the air.
"Honey loved the Grand Temple of Cladissa," Gali says with a soft smile. "The one in Sandpoint is definitely impressive, but the Shrine of the Failed..."
Your aunt looks at her broomstick.
"It was our home after we left Verde Heights," Galatea says.
Kallie studies Gali's expression, tilting her head as she thinks about her long lost aunt. She shrugs. "Let's go, then."
After a few streets, she turns to Gali. "So, are you mad at Cladissa? For what happened to Honey?"
Kallie studies Gali's expression, tilting her head as she thinks about her long lost aunt.
You remember that Honey was generally very well-liked by nearly everyone who knew her; people remember her as kind, jovial, charming, and intelligent. She always did her best to be supportive of you. For example, during your early wizard training, Honey often tried to help you with your studies.
She was also the only one of your aunts who attended Cladissa's coronation. You recall the event leaving a profound impact on her. Your Aunt Sabrina might be the First Claddisan, but Honey was arguably the Second.
After a few streets, she turns to Gali. "So, are you mad at Cladissa? For what happened to Honey?"
"I'm not angry at Cladissa. Your Aunt Shiloh might be, but I have nothing against Classy," Galatea says. "To be honest, I only want to know what happened to Honey."
Feeling introspective, Kallie nods her head. "I do too. I just wish... I could have gone too, you know. I was older than her, as old as you--ish... I could have met a goddess before she became one!"
She waves off her regrets for now. "How long did you live at the cathedral?"
For the first time in days, a glimmer of excitement enters Cai’nan’s eyes. ”Absolutely! I’ll meet up with you at around, say, the eight bell? Ummmm...you’re staying at my place...so...ummm...I guess at the gate to the estate?”
Bethania gives Cai’nan a wink, but doesn’t tease him in front of Jaya, but he’s sure the teasing will come later.
He and Krodha then depart and head back to the estate.
Feeling introspective, Kallie nods her head. "I do too. I just wish... I could have gone too, you know. I was older than her, as old as you--ish... I could have met a goddess before she became one!"
She waves off her regrets for now. "How long did you live at the cathedral?"
"We moved in a few months after Cladissa... repurposed the place, so..." Galatea says. She begins counting on her fingers in Elven. Once finished, Gali concludes, "By my count, around five to six years, give or take a few months. We didn't live there the entire time, though. We were often traveling with Lady Moonblade. Honey also spent a lot of time at Verde Heights, especially after Cai'nan got lost in the Expanse."
Galatea suddenly pauses. It would seem that you and her have finally arrived at the Shrine of the Failed. While it still serves its original purpose, the Cladissans have certainly greatly expanded the complex over the last decade. The general atmosphere is both somber and peaceful.
Kallie takes in the Shrine with wide eyes and mouth slightly open. As expected, there were orb weaving spiders in the rafters and eaves of the place, but the webs themselves were utterly entrancing. Glistening, perfect spirals catching the morning light far more intricate and beautiful than the temple in Sandpoint.
She tears her eyes away from the glorious webbing, and looks at the other iconography. The large statue of Cladissa as the centerpiece was somber and peaceful, Kallie's eyes were drawn to a series of other, smaller statues set in alcoves. There was one of a plain girl with wild, frizzy hair and glasses, a catlike woman, another catlike woman with wings, and... "Is that a succubus?!? Why would that be here?" Kallie whispers to Gali. The statue was clearly demonic, though depicted as much more modestly dressed than most would expect of a lust demon.
"That's Cladissa from around the time she first met your Aunt Attica," Galatea whispers back. "Those statues make up a progression of the different appearances Cladissa had in life. From what I understand, all the Freaks changed forms over time. In fact, Sabby has her own little set of statues inside."
Galatea becomes slightly somber.
"I heard they've also built statues to Priscilla and Honey. I... left Absalom before that happened, though," Gali says.
Kallie double-takes in surprise. "Really? We should look for them!"
She moves around excitedly, her hooves clicking loudly on the flagstones. She spots a bas relief of a strange, two-headed dragon with multiple eyes first and she skids to a halt. "Look! It's Aunt Sabby!" she shouts to Gali, pointing.
Before you take off, you see Galatea break out into a wide grin.
Next to the bas relief of Attica-Sabrina, there are other, smaller ones. There's one of a finely dressed nagaji with a mohawk. You spot another version of the twin-headed dragon, albeit with a more streamlined, serpentine appearance and without the extra eyes. The third in the collection is a giant praying mantis of all things (albeit one that looks far friendlier than Achaekek). The strangest one... The most accurate description that comes to mind is a larger, mutated Cheshire who sprouted multiple tentacles and eyes. Sabrina's current form seems to draw from this one plus the other dragon.
Finally, there's a bas relief of...
"Honey always did take after the Twins," Galatea murmurs as she catches up with you. She gestures toward the mohawked, muscular half-elf. "This is what your Aunt Sabby looked like before she joined the Freaks."
"She was even weirder-looking than Cladissa," Kallie says to herself. At least her initial look was rather normal.
"I can see why they were called the Freaks." She looks over to Gali again. "Did they know? You know, the Cladissans? Did they know you were related to her herald?"
"The most accurate description that comes to mind is... that it was an open secret. Most people made the connection through your grandmother," Galatea replies.
She leads you to a small bas relief depicting two young men sitting around a campfire. Going by their style of clothing, they're Galtan. You recognize the one on the left as your maternal grandfather: Vincent Vandermoon.
"Putting aside her personal fame, Mom actually has an important place in Cladissan canon. Your grandfather was good friends with Cladissa's father, who trusted Mom with documents that ultimately proved Cladissa's birthright. Moreover, she's the mother of The Forgiven Queen. Thus, every Cladissan knows about Jeevika Kailani," Galatea says. Turning back to you, she says, "So when a bunch of half-elven sisters with the same surname joined up..."
Galatea winks.
"How about we go find Priscilla and Honey's statues?" Gali proposes. "In fact, have I ever told you about Lady Priscilla Moonblade?"
Kallie takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "If you did, I don't know how closely I was paying attention."
Cai’nan is waiting as patiently as he can at the gates to Verde Heights around half past seven bells, silently running through things to say to Jaya.
Kallie takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "If you did, I don't know how closely I was paying attention."
"Sounds like I haven't then," Galatea says. She begins leading you deeper into the Shrine of the Failed. "Priscilla was original an Iomedaean. You remember that story I told you where Sabby sneaked into the Seventh Church as a squirrel and indignantly chittered at them for not helping Cladissa?"
After saying that last part in a much lower voice, another genuine smile breaks out on Galatea's face at the thought.
"Priscilla witnessed that event. She was just a squire at the time. From what I understand, Sabrina's words actually had a profound impact on her. So much so that, shortly after Cladissa ascended, with Iomedae's blessing, Priscilla and a small contingent of her fellow paladins immediately converted. They were instrumental in helping the Cladissan faith finds its footing."
You and Galatea soon find Lady Moonblade's statue. If not for the Cladissan symbols, most people would likely mistake her for an Iomedaen paladin. Adorned in finely crafted full plate armor, Priscilla looks very regal and dignified. Similar to Galatea, you get the impression that she was tall and powerfully built. Like Jaya, it appears that Lady Moonblade often wore her hair in a bun. The expression on her face is stoic but peaceful. Like many Cladissan paladins, Priscilla is wielding a longsword.
Galatea studies the monument for several long moments, and you can see tears forming in your normally stoic aunt's moonlike eyes.
"That's her. You remember how heroic and courageous Cecil strived to be? He was following Priscilla's example," Gali says softly. After taking a moment to compose herself, she continues, "She was the one who helped me get my priorities straight."
Galatea turns to you.
"Anyway, there's plenty more to see here. For example... Oh! Remember how much you liked watching the little spiders weave their webs back in Sandpoint? Imagine that but thousandfold here. Honey and I used to watch them weave long into the night."
Kallie looks up and is once again entranced by the sight of the beautiful webs. Her tail swishes back and forth. "I guess you don't have to worry much about biting flies around here, do you?" she asks rhetorically with a lopsided smile.
"Hey," she says when an idea strikes her. "Is the alcove still here? Or is the official story that she really *did* pass the test?"
"The alcove? ...Oh! The alcove showing Cladissa's name as one of the... failed?" Galatea asks. Upon getting your confirmation, she nods. "It's still here. From what I've observed, the Cladissan church doesn't actively draw attention to it, but they don't hide it either. I know where it is too; for some reason, Shy was rather adamant that we find its location..."
Galatea promptly leads you to Cladissa's alcove...
Quaint and nestled amongst innumerable other alcoves memorializing those who have failed to pass the test, Cladissa's alcove is surprisingly unremarkable. A figure clad in dark robes kneels before the small shrine, weeping quietly.
Kallie feels a surge of empathy, and tentatively puts a hand on the woman's shoulder. Guessing that the weeping woman must have recently experienced some sort of failure, she says softly, "Hey, you don't have to cry. You know, Cladissa will make you feel better, right? That's kind of her thing, isn't it?"
The woman looks up at Kallie and shakes her head sadly. "No, child. I don't cry for myself. I cry for her." At Kallie's confused look, she continues. "Think about it: How could she fail yet still become a goddess unless she didn't want to? Now she experiences the pain and suffering of everyone who has lost or failed. Does that sound like a prize to you?"
She rises, giving the small shrine one last sympathetic look, then walks down the hall where it curves out of sight.
Kallie stares at the alcove. "Whoa."
"A heavy thought, isn't it?" Galatea remarks as she joins you. "However, I think it's important to remember something else: Cladissa is also the goddess of perseverance, resilience, and forgiveness. In fact, to the Followers of the Forgiven Queen, Cladissa is also the goddess of recovery and success."
Galatea kneels next to the alcove.
"When Cladissa first met her, Attica Kailani was a broken woman. The goofy, carefree facade everyone saw was just a ruse. At that point in her life, Atty was essentially just going through the motions," Gali explains quietly. "You see, Kallie, deep down, your Aunt Attica thought she was the biggest failure to ever grace existence."
Galatea looks at Cladissa's name intently.
"However, her time with Cladissa changed that perspective," Galatea says. "Thanks to Cladissa, Attica was finally able to forgive herself and recover. Once she learned from her failures, Atty began succeeding. I think Cladissa finds happiness in that."
"That's nice," Kallie says thoughtfully. "Didn't know that about Aunt Atty."
Feeling a little chilled by the gloomy alcove, Kallie takes a few steps back and lets Gali do whatever she wants there. When Gali's ready to head back to the main sanctuary, she falls in along side her. "Hey, do you know why Aunt Atty was called the Forgiven Queen? I thought Cladissa was the queen. At least for a while, anyway."
Galatea goes still at the question.
Kallie frowns. She didn't intend to kill the mood, but she has the blood of it all over her hands anyway. "All right. Sure."
She looks around again at the Cladissan cathedral, but decides she'd rather go someplace else. "You, uh, wanna go shopping?"
Kallie frowns. She didn't intend to kill the mood, but she has the blood of it all over her hands anyway. "All right. Sure."
She looks around again at the Cladissan cathedral, but decides she'd rather go someplace else. "You, uh, wanna go shopping?"
You see a smile quickly return to Galatea's face.
"Of course!" she replies. "How about we go visit some of Honey's old haunts? She always found the best places to shop."
"Sounds good!" Kallie says brightly.
True to her word, Bethania does indeed seem to know the best places to shop in Absalom; the selections offered are far and away the finest any of you have seen. For example, by lunchtime, Aurealia is able to secure a shiny new magical weapon. Eventually, Kallie and Galatea rejoin the main group. The two appear to have done their own shopping as well. For instance, Kallie is now sporting a fancy metamagic rod.
Eventually, with Eugeni's students being the core of the current group, you decide to visit the Arcanamirium in the Wise Quarter. As disciples of the Archmage and companions of the new First Spell Lord's daughter, you have no trouble getting inside. You soon see where William Lightstaff and Eugeni got some of the inspiration for their school. Audrahni in particular is absolutely blown away by the sheer size of the academy and the various magics on display.
"If any of you need me, I'll be catching up with Gal," Bethania says.
Aurealia buys some spell copying supplies while visiting the Arcanamirium, asking to see the school of transmutation if there is one.
Once they return to Verde Heights, she spends some time copying spells from Jaya and Kallie's books. Why haven't I taken the time for this before? Why doesn't Kallie ever scribe scrolls?
Jaya smiles warmly as Aurealia asks around, "Oh! You won't want to see their transmuters, well, I suppose you might, but what makes the Arcanimirium's so special is their focus on practical magic. Things like Arodenite sword training, or I've heard they even had a seminar on the tensile strength of different materials. If you're always using different kinds of shapeshifting and enhancements, you can't just rely on muscle memory after all."
"What kind of spellcasters train to fight with weapons? The kind that...oh wait, I do that all the time," Aurealia jokes.
"I've actually been thinking about putting a little more focus on the martial aspects of things lately. I'll never be as talented of a spellcaster as you and Kallie, but with my transmutations to help a bit, its turning out that I'm a badass warrior chick." She gives Jaya a little flex and wink.
Jaya rolls her eyes, "Why yes, almost as if I'd thought of that."
"That's the sort of thing I'm talking about though. Things are much easier to handle, the fewer unknowns you have to account for. I assume that you'll be wanting to learn spells associated with non-standard humanoid physiologies, correct? Well, having advanced knowledge of the different ways you can exert or withstand force could literally save your life - even if it would just be theoretical for now." Quickly she dispels the seriousness that her face had fallen to as she adds, "Besides - it could be fun anyways! Or I know that the transmuters here have developed a sort of 'changing room' that makes it easier to apply shapeshifting to others, even if the web of the transmutation is incredbily fragile outside of that one chamber. My mother had thought that it might be a good lead to follow in her researches, but... Well, she went another direction."