"So..." Kari says taking in the room again. "We can put our pieces in the middle basin, Terri. So they can be purified by the..." she points out the outer basins in turn, "milk of the womb, the milk of the mother, the wine of life and the oil of the end." She carefully lets the stick slide into the clear liquid in the center when Terri is ready.
She goes to the blood basin, both hands on the outer edge. Her shoulder tense. She turns back to the group, an abashed look on her face, "Does anyone have something we can use to move the liquids? I kinda assumed we'd be able to move the basins and... they are all once pieces so nope."
Seeing Kari take a quick rest to catch her breath, Brian moves up to her.
"Pardon me, Kari. If you don't mind, I want to try something." He waits for her consent, and places his hand on her shoulder. He concentrates a moment.
Kari feels a rush of energy, relieving her fatigue.
Terri slides the scepter head into the clear liquid as well. She looks through her gear.
"Nothing useful for hauling liquid," she says. "Cupped hands in a pinch?"
She turns to Charlie. "Can you do that trick with the scepter on liquid?"
She gestures from the nearest side basin to the central basin, just in case it wasn't obvious.
Working on it.
Must remember all metaphors are literal too.
"I... don't know." Charlie's eyes light up. "I'm going to try. Please, stand back. If you're in the first six rows, you might get wet."
Charlie puts a hand to his forehead, momentarily surprising himself when he touches horn, and holds one hand out in the universal "I'm doing telekinesis" pose.
Unfortunately, Charlie's levitation ability does not extend to liquids, likely for some complex physics related reason. Or, simply, the basins are enchanted to prevent something like that to be used on the liquid inside.
With a quick search, however, it's not hard to find several items that could serve as vessels in a pinch - a rock that's concave enough in the middle, a piece of what used to be a skull, and a rusted piece of metal that can be folded enough to carry something inside it.
Yes, especially in Ardeyn. I am both jealous and terrified that you've encountered a fallen star; I've never had the fortune/misfortune. If you get the opportunity, I'd be curious to know how she left her post.
Seeing Kari take a quick rest to catch her breath, Brian moves up to her.
Kari feels a rush of energy, relieving her fatigue.
"Thank you, Brian." She grins, "Neat trick."
"I... don't know." Charlie's eyes light up. "I'm going to try. Please, stand back. If you're in the first six rows, you might get wet."
Charlie puts a hand to his forehead, momentarily surprising himself when he touches horn, and holds one hand out in the universal "I'm doing telekinesis" pose.
Kari does as requested. After a long, quiet, time, "Thanks for trying, Charlie."
"Nothing useful for hauling liquid," she says. "Cupped hands in a pinch?"
Kari nods. "I mean there is stuff we could use, but..." she shrugs, "worried about transfer of how other things would affect it, which is also an issue with hands."
"Hmm." Kari pulls out the little clay pot that used to hold the dermal cypher, using her skirt to clean it. She holds it out, "I think we have to pour all the liquids at the same time, so one person can use this and we can scrounge or use hands, I guess."
She shrugs, "I'll take whichever liquid people want to touch least."
"I need to take wine," Charlie says. "Rough guess...Terri, you should take blood. Brian, milk I think, since you're a healer, right? Leaves Kari on oil." He shrugs. "I don't know how perfect that is, but I know I need to take wine because it's the only one of these liquids that brings dreams."
"Life for Terri and death for me?" Kari asks, confirming. She smacks her head, "I meant to say blood of the womb, not milk, sorry about that."
She grins at Terri, "You have done a great job keeping us alive."
"S&~~, good point. I don't know. Pick the liquid that has some kind of symbolic import to what you are." He shakes his head. "Sorry, I don't know you all well enough. I was thinking, healer gets milk, fighter gets blood..." He walks over to the wine and waits for everyone to pick their poison.
The four of you stand at your respective basins, ready to fill containers with magically preserved liquids that should have gone rancid who knows how long ago.
The central basin gleams slightly in the light of the torches, waiting for... whatever you'd like to put in there.
Terri is standing by the container of blood with her bit of skull. "I'm second, right?" She waits for Brian to start with the milk.
If I can ask politely, I may. Priority is accomplishing the task the qephilim set and returning safe.
I have many inappropriate questions for another time. Thank you.
"S%&*, good point. I don't know. Pick the liquid that has some kind of symbolic import to what you are." He shakes his head. "Sorry, I don't know you all well enough. I was thinking, healer gets milk, fighter gets blood..." He walks over to the wine and waits for everyone to pick their poison.
"I said I'd take what was left." Kari says lightly, "Life is precious to a good fighter."
Terri is standing by the container of blood with her bit of skull. "I'm second, right?" She waits for Brian to start with the milk.
"No. Blood was harvested first. I do think we pour it all at the same time though."
Kari will siphon the oil of death after everyone else has gotten life, growth and maturity.
"Ah. I didn't remember."
Terri dips her skull chip into the blood and carefully walks it over to the central basin.
She is humming something with a steady rhythm.
"As a former priest, I could make an argument for any of the liquids being symbolic for me," comments Brian. "Milk is as good as any for me."
Brian dips his rock with a hollow space into the milk, and prepares to pour when everyone else is ready.
As soon as the scepter pieces are placed in the middle basin with clear liquid, you notice that the inky darkness on the scepter crown doesn't wash away.
At the same time, you pour your liquids out over the scepter pieces. The basin glows with a light that hurts to look at directly, and you hear a gasp in the distance.
The light fades, revealing a scepter, in one piece, clean and shiny-new in the still, clear liquid. All traces of blood, milk, wine, and oil have vanished.
Even further away than the qephilim, you hear a roar of rage. Like a creature who's just discovered it was duped out of an item gifted in trade.
Or maybe it was your imagination.
Charlie picks up the scepter to take to the qephilim.
Your hands turn black from the tips of your fingers to your wrist.
The qephilim is running down a hallway towards you as you all walk out of the basin chamber to bring her the scepter.
"My scepter!" She cries, holding her hands out. "Reunite us, let me heal this place and return to the heavens, where I belong!"
Charlie looks at his hands in horror and tosses the scepter to the qephilim. Almost throws it right at her.
Kari continues with the group but her attention is behind them towards the point in the crypt with the entrance to the undercrypt. "I totally imagined that scream of rage, right? I mean it's been well past five minutes."
The qephilim deftly catches the scepter, clutching it to her chest. She looks no different, but she's carrying herself very differently now, and looks at you all. Really looks.
"I cannot thank you enough for your help. I've been in a fog for days... I could not have fixed this on my own," she holds the scepter up. "Thank you."
She turns to leave, then pauses. "You should leave the crypt first, that I may seal it behind you."
Charlie is only too happy to leave.
"Definitely do not want to be locked in here." Kari confirms.
As the group moves with qephilim, she continues to keep attention on the depths of the crypt, but.... "I thought your species didn't come here anymore?"
1 Intellect for effort
Terri doesn't hurry, but also doesn't dawdle. She pulls out her mirror and fiddles with it a bit as the group is leaving.
Terri is trying to get that screen cap of the qephilim and Kari, and maybe Brian's eyes. The cat, sadly, gone.
Terri probably needs to play with her tablet/mirror more to actually use it in such a fashion, but I wanted to let you know the thought here.
The qephilim looks down at Kari, eyes unfathomable.
"My species," she emphasizes the word with distaste, "doesn't. We were slaughtered, and what remained of us fled. I did not come here by choice, I belong in the heavens."
With the intent behind it, you're able to capture reflections in the mirror. They're awkwardly framed and off center, but have the crystal clarity of a reflection in what you're capturing.
The qephilim escorts your group from the rear, seemingly unconcerned about anything popping out to attack. As she passes various crypts and rooms, she waves her scepter, which has no visible effect.
You ascend the stairs, back into the fresh air of the Ardeyn night. Four moons are at various points in the sky, so you could ostensibly find your way back to the village without torches, if you were feeling brave.
Once she ensures your group is out of the crypt, the qephilim turns her back to you and walks around the entrance of the crypt, waving the scepter. This time you do see the effect - stones rise from the ground, fitting themselves back into the seal that once closed the crypt off from the outside. Moments later, it's as though the stone was never broken by her fall from the heavens.
She turns to you.
"You stand before an ancient qephilim, fallen from her place of watch, far above this planet." She looks around, making eye contact with any of you who'll lock eyes with her. "You did me a service, and for that, I thank you. But that you did not even ask my name..." she shakes her head. "Humans have always been the same."
Kari meets her eyes, bowing her head only afterwards. "I apologize for my rudeness," a shrug, "I often make the wrong choice when it really matters but your story was important to me."
She shakes her head, "Being torn from where you want to be can not be fair." Kari meets her eyes again, "My name is Kari, what's yours?"
"You stand before an ancient qephilim, fallen from her place of watch, far above this planet." She looks around, making eye contact with any of you who'll lock eyes with her. "You did me a service, and for that, I thank you. But that you did not even ask my name..." she shakes her head. "Humans have always been the same."
"You never asked our names," Charlie says. "Looks like we're more alike than you think."
Kari continues with the group but her attention is behind them towards the point in the crypt with the entrance to the undercrypt. "I totally imagined that scream of rage, right? I mean it's been well past five minutes."
Brian chuckles. "No, I heard it too."
"You stand before an ancient qephilim, fallen from her place of watch, far above this planet." She looks around, making eye contact with any of you who'll lock eyes with her. "You did me a service, and for that, I thank you. But that you did not even ask my name..." she shakes her head. "Humans have always been the same."
"As Kari says, we meant no disrespect. But you were in obvious distress, and it seemed more urgent to help than to pepper you with questions."
"I am Teremiel, Guide of the East and Watcher of Roads."
She looks to Charlie specifically, ignoring other comments and questions.
"I am nothing like you. You were born, grasping for power that was never yours, loving and living for a few beautiful moments before death takes you. I will watch the world turn, again and again, alone. My name is writ on the pages of history, my name guides the lost back home." She tilts her head. "My name will live on. So tell me, will yours?"
"I've been told that it will," Charlie says with evident surprise. "I don't know that I believe it yet."
She shrugs slightly, then turns to Brian and Kari.
"Thank you for your name, Kari, and your group's help. I was in need, lost, like a child in the dark."
She slides her scepter into the hilt on her waist.
"If you find yourselves on the roads of Ardeyn again, if you yourselves are ever lost... ask for me. I will show you the way home."
With that, a mythlight comes to life behind her head, much brighter than Baruchiel's, covering the qephilim with a light too bright to look upon. And then, she's gone, and there's one additional, and very bright, star in the eastern sky.
Kari watches the ascension, blinking against the bright light but trying to watch again too soon. She watches the star until she hears the wrong-wolf noises they heard before entering the crypt. Her shoulders sag, a tired smile, "Terri, do you think we're better off making a make-shift camp or stumbling back to the village..."
"Do you think we could just translate back to the Estate then to the village in the morning?"
"That was not at all what I expected," Terri says.
Terri looks around at the group. "I would be fine walking back to the village, but I would hate to run into wolves in the dark."
"Do you think we could just translate back to the Estate then to the village in the morning?"
"I think it might take longer to do by translation than sleeping and walking," Terri says, "depending on how tired we all are."
Terri shows no signs of being tired.
Terri looks around at the group. "I would be fine walking back to the village, but I would hate to run into wolves in the dark."
"Upside," Kari says with a forced lightness, "It would mean less demon mutant wolves to attack the people who live here later."
She leaves the rest for a Paradox to chime in on.
Terri puts her hands out and weighs imaginary options between them.
"Let's head back to the village," Charlie says. "I know if I were them, I'd want to know I was safe."
Your walk down the hill is uneventful - you hear not-wolves howling in the distance, but none close the distance to investigate you. Moonlight filters through the trees with the path cuts through thicker parts of the forest.
You reach the village just as the sun is starting to make an appearance on the horizon - four moons are still visible in the sky, and all but the brightest stars have faded away.
There are still several people sitting around the central plaza, deep in conversation, and it's clear from their demeanor and the tired looks on their faces that these people aren't up early - they didn't sleep at all.
Kari stumbles up to the group of people. In a break in their conversation, "Hello. Do any of you know if Meera is normally an early riser?"
One of the women, an elf, looks up at Kari blearily.
"Whossat?" She slurs.
"Meera. The lady who..." her companion, a young human, waves his hand around at the village, "does all this."
"I don't think she ever sleeps, to be honest," the third, an elf man who seems the most lucid of the bunch, responds to Kari.
"I wonder if they have coffee here," Terri asks Kari, then realizes she's being a touch rude.
"Do you have coffee?" she asks the elf man. "Or are you just naturally a late person?"
He blinks.
"I did just finish mine, else I'd offer to share some with you, my apologies," he turns his mug upside down.
"I don't, ah... that is to say, elves don't sleep much. I drink it for the taste." He gestures to the inn; the largest building next to the plaza. "They're likely preparing breakfast now, and should have coffee for anyone who wants it."
He gives Terri a more appraising look. "Or, if you'd like... I'd be happy to buy you some?"
Terri freezes briefly, then smiles apologetically, and shakes her head. "We have to get off to Meera's," she says. "Long night ourselves."
Kari nods, bumping Terri's should as she moves. "Thank you all for the help."
She walks almost drunkenly away and to the house that Meera pointed out the day before. She stumbles up onto the porch, boots heavy, and knocks delicately. Honestly the boot stamps were likely louder.
On the way there, she asks Terri, as if her mind is only now catching up to the conversation, "Did you ask about coffee?"
"Yes, they had some at the Inn. I don't really need it right now, but you look like you could use some."
Terri glances back to the table of awake (and awake-ish) revelers, and adds, "First time I've been on this end of the buy you coffee offer."
"Coffee would be really nice," Kari nods, "I need a punchlist for the next mission and a bigger bag. Thermos of coffee, flashlight." She yawns, "I always hate the equipment buying part of tabletop, but this is real and" she yawns again.
Kari blinks, "How are you feeling about being on the other side?" She asks carefully, mostly, except for the volume control being off due to exhaustion.
"A Thermos for water or coffee, and a second Thermos for any future liquid-bearing needs," Terri agrees.
Kari blinks, "How are you feeling about being on the other side?"
"I have a lot of processing to do," Terri says. "Sleep will help, and I caught myself before I said anything truly terrible."
"So far." Terri stifles a laugh, which comes out as a giggle. A disgusted expression crosses her face briefly. "Ugh, I'm a giggler"
Kari makes a visible effort to stifle her laughter at Terri's giggle complaint, but it doesn't work. "It wasn't a high pitched giggle," is really the only comfort Kari can offer.
Her slow processing shows, as she circles back mentally, "What could you have said that would have been terrible?" The conversation does seem to be keeping Kari walking with less of a drunken sailor swagger.
Terri's expression is flat. "I almost made a comment about how much I was looking forward to crawling into a nice warm bed."
Terri catches herself from looking back at the table again. "Where did Meera say she kept her key?"
Terri crouches down and starts to look for the key, then adds, as an afterthought, "Once upon a time, I used to have a knack for saying the worst thing possible, but I have mostly worked through it by learning when to keep my mouth shut."
She looks away from her search and up at Kari, "Mostly."
"He might have taken that as the invitation it wasn't." Kari agrees, "But I'd rather have a hot bath than a warm bed, can't sleep when I'm so...ick."
She shrugs, "I like it when you feel that you can talk," she snorts, "You've done far better than me with the talking thing this whole adventure." She grins, "So have Charlie and Brian, too."
"I should probably practice the skill of keeping my thoughts to myself."