Azzim could almost see what Texrex was talking about but how could such a thing be done? And could it be made permanent? Their mission wouldn't be complete if they left the crustations to the mercy of the traders.
We can do our best to seal it as we go, but ultimately if we intercept the flow of reinforcements farther down the chain there shouldn't be further problems here. And in the end the real solution is getting rid of the 'lake' entirely, Terexaltherin points out.
That reminds him to make sure to observe the lake from here before they leave, looking for hints of how to free the planes in it and destroy it.
Azzim could almost see what Texrex was talking about but how could such a thing be done? And could it be made permanent? Their mission wouldn't be complete if they left the crustations to the mercy of the traders.
Staring at the lake until their heads ache or looking up at the churning sky, Azzim and Terex research the Black Lake feverishly over a period of less than an hour... The structure is bizarre and somewhat disheartening... With all the worlds trapped in this planar froth, a permanent seal seems impossible. Azzim does find a mechanism that could last a least a week but still nothing permanent (anything you can do, the Traders could undo eventually)... no real solution... except, possibly destroying the Dark Traders' access point at the bottom of the entire "structure" (as Terex hopes) - though whether that would send these planes back into the multiverse or destroy them entirely is uncertain.
The Sarmidal, meantime, have pulled-in a wide variety of weaponry, making for it's lack of usefulness with it's bulk and variety. They also are attempting to recruit a force of crustaceans to join the Black Lake descent they expect but it's challenging given their strange communication approach...
Terexaltherin regrets the delay, but they need a final solution to the lake, and wouldn't want to miss one just because they hadn't checked.
They might even need the observations here to do something once they reached the 'bottom', even though they couldn't do anything from this plane.
The little dragon 'speaks' to all the assembled beings. Well, we'd better not give them any more time to prepare. Who all is coming with us? We'll do the best to seal this area off before we leave, but it will only be a temporary measure if we can't take out the source.
::Wild beholders couldn't keep away!:: Arlo nearly roared into the hivemind. ::The Traders have had this coming for decades!!::
Over the link Azzim added, ::I'd go as far to say they've had it coming for Aeons. Strange ones at that. I regret we don't have a more informed battle plan, but sometimes you just have to wing it...::
So, after as much delays as you think you can afford, the party and your allies (Sarmidal and a few crustacean volunteers) gather at the shore of the Black Lake and begin carefully concentrating...
... with the combined magical talents present, you organize the swirling structure of the surface of the lake to create a form like a rough and treacherous spiraling staircase of brown-black polished agate. You descend circularly for nearly a quarter mile, maintaining a strong mental control over the image. At this point, you will a powerful barrier into existence around the crustaceans' world/demiplane.
...at approximately your subjective half mile level, you sense the next Dark Trade group coming up this dimensional line and abandon the staircase metaphor to avoid the group. As you slide around them, you sense they are stopped by the barrier above you. And now, your experience returns to what you previously experienced coming to the world of the crustaceans; the whirl of dimensional flux, now darker and more tending to suck life from you. But at same time, your familiarity with the dimensional flux is much greater, supplemented by your greater experience of the Lake, with Terex research with the Traders documents and with the knowledge of Sarmidal, thus you descend close to what you sense as the bottom demiplane...
... But getting close, you realize this final plane is also surrounded by security barrier, almost certainly willed into place by the Trader. This barrier has the form of a vast red-gray iron wall set with strange battlements, gargoyles and other monstrous guardians but actually having a number of small and large doors set into it. And while getting through in your present ethereal forms will be a challenge, you're thinking seeing through may be simpler...
This final plane seems overall, bombed out, a remnant plane with little or atmosphere and strong radiation. Despite this, small and medium sized creatures, some like the iridescent butterflies or jellyfish, others like butterfly-winged succubi, flit about the dead, rocky surface while colored clouds of noxious gas somehow move from place to place rather than dissipating. The sky has the Black Lake's patterns but it's color are now black and iridescent.
Still, the largest single feature within the visible area of the plane is the fallen, mountain-like body of an impossibly large humanoid, maybe 3000' tall. Their flesh appears dead and putrefying, an intensely glowing diamond is set in their 200' high forehead and they are wearing vast robes embroided with a strange red, gold and green pattern.
Moreover in the mouth of this figure you see an iron door through which a group of Trader troops seem to have recently existed. This door may lead finally to Dys, the Traders' own city...
If you ask them, the Sarmidal are capable of supplying space suits for themselves and those of you who breath...
However, the jewel on their forehead likely powers the entire Black Lake and destroying it could the effect, though shaping the result of the destruction may be challenging.
Terexaltherin contributes images of impassable stone to the barrier, thinking of ancient mountains unassailable by any mortal force. Hidden in it are camoflagued lairs with noble, fierce dragons ready to come to its defence.
Terexaltherin shifts his conception of their surroundings around a bit until he can 'see' through the Dark Traders' barrier. He shares the images he sees with the others.
Well, that looks as unpleasant as anticipated, he states. We'll need something to help us survive the area... maybe you Sarmidal could provide...? Thank you.
Okay... I think the corpse is a dead demigod, which is probably the catastrophe that spawned the lake. The big jewel is probably sustaining it, so it's probably where we want to strike, and also where Dark Trader resistance will be strongest.
Now, to break through the barrier. Iron walls, hm? Well I know something that would find those a tasty snack. Let's see if I can...
The little dragon trails off as he concentrates on the images he wants to summon.
Giant winged rust monsters appear as close to the wall as he can manage.
Cover them while they make us an opening! he asks of the others as they 'dive' towards the wall.
The Sarmidal focus their summoning power and pull quite a few space and environmental suits, some of which are useless but there are enough usable suits for the entire party...
Terex mentally and magically shapes the flowing formlessness of Black Lake into insect-winged rust monsters who approach the wall, flying close to the thickest (and least guarded) parts of the wall, digging tunnels into walls to seemingly infest them in the fashion of fast-acting termites...
You feel it, The linked minds of the collective, As Gift awakens.
Its skims your memories to get up to speed, as more and more of her sub minds link into her.
::"Sorry about that, I was drained after that last one. all better now. So A undead demigod, interesting."::
She scans the wall to seek its weaknesses.
Arlo quietly prays to Moradin, spiritually preparing himself for the fight to come.
Azzim watched Terex's insects assail the wall and he considers how he might help them assail an iron wall. Ants and formic acid came to mind, but how to modify Terex's design? Adding large internal venom sacs and acid sprays on their rear ends ought to do the trick and through sheer will power he attempted to make it happen.
This was draining to say the least but through the mental equivalent of gritted teeth he responded to the sudden chatter on the hive mind, ::Oh hi Gift! It'll soon be time to go hunting!::
Hopefully just dead and being used as a power source, not undead, Terexaltherin replies to Gift. Glad you're up, this is going to be rough. The faster and harder we can hit them the better. I wouldn't put it past them to *make* the thing undead to fight us if they get the chance.
So, Azzim adds to qualities of Terex' creatures and burrow fully through the conceptual protections of this bottom plane... and putting on the vacuum suits supplied by the Sarmidal, the party descends to the surface of the plane, situating yourselves behind a low rise about 400' from huge fallen body and 600' from what seems to be a huge Dark Trader fortress. On the further side of this is a flattened where tanks, cavalry and other zombie soldiers are being mustered ()...
As your group of about fifteen, (including crustacean artillery gunners) organizes itself behind the very little hill, one of the floating human-headed butterfly creatures float down from the sky towards you and you feel a slight tug on your life forces, seemingly just matter of curiosity, like a lick, as the black-eyed creature gives a toothy grin and hovers 40' away (apparently the range of it's powers).
Looking closely, you can see the titanic corpse is not yet animate though the god's spirit seems to flit restlessly around it and weird entities infect the flesh (binds such an entity to undeath would be a difficult and time-consuming enterprise but it's dangerous now..). But brighly glowing gem is the most striking thing - it seems to project the Black Lake pattern out of itself into the sky, seemingly being the primary focus of that.
The Dark Trader "fortress" door gives some indications it directly to Dys (with the Ziggurat itself solid ), not a place you'd want to be except perhaps to set the "bomb" Bethia gave Gift earlier...
Quick, anyone have something for a negative energy barrier? We could blast this creature, but there's no doubt more and looking like we're not tasty will prevent more problems than just killing them, Terexaltherin asks the group.
So, how do we want to approach this? The two objectives we need to take are the gem and the gate. Much as I hate to split our efforts, we may need to hit them simultaneously. If we don't take the gate we may get drowned in reinforcements, and I don't want to see what the Dark Traders can do if we give them time with that gem. Let's see... our gunners could focus artillery fire around the gate, while the rest of us split into two strike groups and head for our objectives. Anyone have a better idea? If not, who's in which group?
Azzim looked upon the scene with a sense of dread, the level of malice involved in the construction of all this was staggering. The traders actively planned and took part in deicide amongst a galaxy of other crimes.
::We really want death ward here, but regrettably that's something I never quite got the hang of, best I can do is flood the area with positive energy although I can only speculate how effective that might be.:: replied Azzim, ::As for splitting up, that's something I'd generally like to avoid. This planar area can be altered to a degree with sufficient willpower, perhaps we can think of something that might delay their access buying us time?::
Azzim reaches out to see if he can manipulate the Black Lake by will power here. He realizes that the lake here is concentrated in the glow in the game in sunken figures' skull ... He does manage to gain psychic hold on that ... but as he does so, he also feels the dead-but-vastly-powerful spirit of the creature reaching through his contact to influence him. It fails but he gets a taste of it's will - it seeks final oblivion, not survival. Azzim feels he could cause the beam to take one action but such would alert the entity and the Dark Trader camp.
Meanwhile, the butterfly-creature takes an exploratory "bite", tossing a moonlight web at Terex
The Sarmidal send that could summon a large number of human-sized wind-up automatons while Bella mentions she can drop boulders or build walls
Azzim shares his findings over the hive mind, ::I tested the waters so to speak with imposing my will on the area. I think I could briefly take control but that'd likely alert everyone. Oh and I felt that undead things mind, it was horrible, it's in so much pain. It wants it all to end, perhaps we could offer it a way and turn it against the traders?::
Hey you, stop that! Terexaltherin 'shouts' at the creature. He telekinetically hurls a rock at it, not wanting to use a flashier attack that would draw attention.
Anyone have a quiet way to get rid of this thing? We don't want to draw attention. Now, that does sound like an idea Azzim. If we can let it know we're planning to release it, it'll probably work with us. But we don't know how tight of control the Dark Traders have so we'd better be careful. Anyone have a good way to help us be stealthy while we approach? Even a simple Hide from Undead would help some. It would be helpful if we could get closer and take a better look at things.
The butterfly thing moves a short ways away from Terex, hovering and curious about the others (you can guess it's failure to drain strength discouraged it, momentarily...).
Meanwhile, as Azzim considers, the spirit of Jalanwick calls further to him, asking for some holy relic to sunk into him, ending his torment (and you can feel his hope to also end the relic...), adding urgency to his request... (You could guess the Arlo sword might destroy the gem... whether it would swallow the sword itself is uncertain).
Azzim shares his findings over the hive mind, ::I tested the waters so to speak with imposing my will on the area. I think I could briefly take control but that'd likely alert everyone. Oh and I felt that undead things mind, it was horrible, it's in so much pain. It wants it all to end, perhaps we could offer it a way and turn it against the traders?::
::"If you get close to that things mind it will consume you. I will deal with it!! its mind and pain, all you need to is keep them off me"::
She once more enters her psicysral, and She sends with pour clarity, her mental defences full up she follows the same root to its mind. But she seeks to pull it into her mind scape.
She waits for it her minds palaces black beach.
"Come I will give you a moment of respite form the pain, let us talk about what you want being"
She is uses Correspond/Mindlink, Thieving/Dream Travel on it to free it for a short while form its bonds. Then she pulls it into her mind scape. and memory-modification to see this space. Its in pain it wants to end it, but she wants to give it a moment of rest bite, a frozen moment in time to converse with it. Offering Psychic Reformation. Her mind block is up, and her hive mind closed off v Hex, who is not effected my mind effects should it try to get to the others.
Meanwhile, as Azzim considers, the spirit of Jalanwick calls further to him, asking for some holy relic to sunk into him, ending his torment (and you can feel his hope to also end the relic...), adding urgency to his request... (You could guess the Arlo sword might destroy the gem... whether it would swallow the sword itself is uncertain).
Arlo looks down at his trusty magical sword. Built by Moradin himself.
Surely, such a magnificent weapon could withstand such a treatment. The dwarf prayed to himself. I gotta have faith..::Point me to that gem. The Arlosword will take care of it!::
Can we please take care of this life-draining pest before we make a valiant charge? It'll be easier if we're not getting our strength sucked out of us, Terexaltherin complains.
He decides to try to stun the creature, figuring that might drive it off for good once it recovers.
Okay, so, it seems like we need to focus on getting to the gem. We don't want to fire the artillery on it, because while it's unlikely its breakable by ordinary weapons it seems like too big a risk. Maybe you <it's clear he's referring to the crustaceans> can be overwatch and fire on any Dark Traders who show their faces anywhere other than right next to the gem? And you Sarmidal can come with us and pull out counters to any unusual creatures or defenses that try to stop us on the way. It'd still be nice to get some invisibility or hide from undead effect so we're not just charging in the open to get there.
::I could try the mass invisibility again, although that won't help against anything with lifesense...:: offered Azzim over the hive mind.
Lifesense is generally limited range, so it'll at least keep the weaker minions from seeing us as we approach. They'll probably have one or two of them with True Seeing but that's better than all of them.
So Gift takes the dead god's spirit to a prestine black beach...
Spreading over the area offered, Jalanwick demonstrates the subtle and seductive corruption it has spread over the eons, moving from plane to plane in the vast lawful-evil multiversal quandrant, using a variety of deceptively simple mind-virus abilities that turn love, caring and solidarity into power and exploitation (And you can see the way it reached closer to the zone of light in a scheme to reach Kalthinia - a scheme that was somehow either poorly planned or sabotaged to result in The Black Lake but not a vast expansion of its power in the multiverse). The picture it paints of the full expansion of its power has a terrifying beauty to it and it takes Gift's superhuman willpower to avoid absorbing the vision. And hitting this unbreakable wall, the creature sighs, a sigh that vibrates the entire mindscape and for brief seconds lets go of all hate and lust before subsiding back into the gem holding its remaining spirit...
You sense the gem has softened... ready to be shattered... Arlo can feel the Arlo Sword eager to attack...
Meanwhile, Azzim hides the Crusteans and Sarmidal as they take up positions ready to strike at the assembled troops of the Dark Trades...
Finally Terex paralyzes the strange local creature, which floats further away...
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Here minds meet across the wall of wills, For a moment she was pulled in, the vastness of this mind, the ability to be across multiple planes, the vast web of it influence and its works. There was no need for words, there minds linked, she saw subtle and seductive corruption it had spread over the eons, moving from plane to plane in the vast lawful-evil multiversal quandrant, its us of a variety of deceptively simple mind-virus and abilities to turn love, caring and solidarity into power and exploitation. She could see the way it reached closer to the zone of light in its schemes to reach Kalthinia - a scheme that was somehow either poorly planned or sabotaged to result in The Black Lake but not a vast expansion of its power in the multiverse. The picture painted ofits full expansion was powerfull and terrifyingly beautiful. And she recorded it all.
Arr the temptation was there to use it to gain her own much desired godhood. But then the thought passed as fast as it had come. Her will held and her minds said as one. There is no short cut to Godhodd, She could not cheat herself out of the journey. So she gave him and mental smiled and It gave a mental sigh such a sigh that the mindscape shook. Understanding and recognition. It know it was at the end of its godhood and she know she was at the start of hers.
::"I well remember you Jalanwick and all that you did. Its time."::
And its will broke, in a brief few seconds it let go of all the hate and lust that had driven it. ALL his works and deeds, all of it, things others could not comprehend, things from the realms of gods. She thanked him for letting her bear witness to his passing. And he her, putting an end to this not-life.
She was now alone on the black sand, she sent to the others.
::"I have... meet with Jalanwick, he is ready to pass, shatter the Gem please Dad and end this."::
This message carries just raw near devine will power, the kind you needed when bering witness to dying god. She was the Daughter of a half-god after all.
The dwarf paladin feels the tendrils of Destiny wrap around him and The Arlosword once more.
Terexaltherin tries to figure out if they'll have time after destroying the gem to investigate the Dark Trader fortress here.
Crustacean gunners! Range... about 600', ten degrees west, fire! the little dragon directs, trying to help them aim at the 'mustering ground' area since that's likely where any forces that will try to intercept Arlo will come from.
For his own part Terexaltherin flits towards the fortress, thinking that any important papers or artifacts the Dark Traders might have brought with them would likely be there. He stays low and tries to be unobserved even by those who might penetrate Azzim's invisibility spell.
She reaches out her mind and links to her fathers.
And the world shifts for him.
Arlo Brighthammer, feeling his Godling heritage, quick and carefully clambers up the body of Jalanwick, the fallen god. As he crests the vast bulk, the Arlo sword shines with bright yellow-white brilliance of the sun, channeling the power of Moradin while the gem casts a bright light that somehow seems drab and lifeless. The Zombie soldiers moan and shield their eyes as Arlo appears, momentarily unable to act... and thus the dwarf advances unopposed. Meanwhile... two, apparently Dark Traders, emerge from Ziggurat (but are unable to act, still orienting themselves). The crustaceans and Sarmidal are poised act as well...
The body has the stiff-jello texture of a rotting corpse but Arlo is still able to close the distance to the gem in less than 30 seconds and raise the blazing sword...
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The Arlo Sword descends on the glowing, faceted gem, which simultaneously shatters and implodes as the shine of the Arlo sword brightens hugely and then dims to the strength of a torch (it feels tired but intact, if swords can feel...). As the beam ceases projecting into the sky, Black Lake pattern in the sky quick dissipates into a gray murk that seems natural somehow given the qualities of the local landscape and fauna... Everyone, even the zombie mob, is momentarily stunned by the sensation of planes receding within the indescribably large multiverse while the door in the Ziggurat seems to spatter like paint and then fade.
You recover to see the two Dark Traders clawing at where the door had been in the Ziggurat while the Zombies begin returning to high alert. Everyone is eyeing Arlo...
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Arlo waves the tired Arlosword with a few swings. Feeling the evil gazes upon him, almost as if all the planes everywhere was watching him, the dwarf paladin of Moradin shrugs his tired shoulders, raises his mithril shield before him, and readies himself in a heroic pose for a counter attack.
With a line delivery any bardic actor would give their left apendage for, Arlo Brighthammer addresses The Dark Traders.
"Žemėia sends it's regards."
Azzim was probably in shock, but he managed to send an enthusiastic message over the hive mind ::Good stuff Arlo! I think it's time to get out of here? Unless you want to fight the traders and the zombies?::"
Then Gift is next to her father, posting in. A Elf looking girl engulfed in blue flames of force. Like a little blue star, Her waves of force go around him like A greater shield. The being of power gone for a moment as she sends to her father the half-God.
::"You did good Dad, you did good."::
And all her love and respect where in those words. She had grown up with him at his lowest, and now here is was, in front of the whole multiverse showing it just who is was. She could not be more proud of him.
::"Mum is going to be soooo Pissed she missed this"::
She chuckles imagining how her mother will react when they told her.
No reason to stay here if we can get out, but we need to get everyone to their homes! Terexaltherin 'says', flying rapidly towards the group. Riding the unraveling Lake might get us to *one*, but it's risky... it still might be our best bet, though! I'm guessing we've already lost any opportunity we had to find their connection to Dys. Now let's see... should we try for the crustaceans' world? The Sarmidal might be able to help us get back to their own plane from there.
Unless someone says otherwise, the little dragon tries to focus his knowledge and his will on taking the group back to the crustaceans' plane.
::Maybe you're right, Terex:: Arol admitted over the hive mind. ::But if The dark Traders attack, I'll hold them off until you are free!
::"Im with dad"::
As Gift walks her form shimmers and shifts, See seems at times less substation as if Fazing into raw power mode and out again. As if she is testing something.
::"He shows me dad, he showed me what a god really is, he was evil yes but like me you and me, he was at his core a being of law. The dark ones are not. So we understood each other. He tried to tempt me with evil but well, I have mums stubborn streak so no chance, So in the end he showed me what it meant to be... Ascend.. yes to gain a higher state of being. If anyone knows what I that is, its you, because of your Demi-good-ness. I know how now as well, and I know how to start the process and I intend too. Not with evil but with knowledge of what and who I am."::
::"Thanks dad, I know you would understand.":;
And Gift hugs her dad.
Arlo, standing atop the now fully dead body of Jalanwick is the only visible member of the (extended) party until the Bella and crustaceans launch a huge against the zombies. At that point, one Trader aims a pale gray ray at Arlo while the other Trader grabs the first and both vanish.
At that points, the Sarmidal send the telepathic message that their fellows in the Sarmidal plane are summoning all Sarmidal back there and the entire party can be included ... With quick agreement, the entire group finds itself hurdling through space back to the plane of Sarmidal.
Return to that plane is friendly but disorienting. After debate, celebration, mourning and general chaos, the strange parrot-headed humanoids explain that the Black Lake intensified their chaotic nature and that they normally can communicate more coherently and have more control over their powers... They offer to send the crustaceans to their plane and the party to where they were before entering now vanished Black Lake...
Thank you to all of you, Terexaltherin says to both Sarmidal and crustacean. I'm glad we were able to defeat the Dark Ones together, and I hope you can now enjoy peace.
Turning his attention entirely to the Sarmidal he continues, I wish I had time to get to know you without the warping of the Black Lake, but we did leave an ally where we came from, and it would be best for us to return and let her know we're okay, not to mention clean up the loose ends we left behind.
Then he projects his thoughts solely to his companions. We need to go back, let Emoree know we're okay, let the amphibian town know they don't have to worry about more Dark Traders coming through, and make sure the business we set up in Kalthinia is doing fine without us. Then we can head back to Sigil.
Arlo's body gets shot to the ground by the familiar sting of the disintegration spell. The dwarf paladin lets out a curse in Dwarven as he lays in the ground, checking his body for wholeness.
"Dad! Are you alright?" GIFT asks, offering to help Arlo off the blasted ground.
"I think..so" Arlo groaned as he accept the hand up. The dwarf looks up where the Dark Traders were.
"Cheap shot bastards! I'd expect nothing more from those undead freaks!!"
As Terex explains his planned return, Arlo casts lay on hands on him several times to repair the damage done by the Dark Trader spell.
"That all sounds acceptable to me." Arlo examines his signature sword, looking for any major damage; physical of otherwise.
"Thank you to all of you. I'm glad we were able to defeat the Dark Ones together, and I hope you can now enjoy peace."
Azzim felt a good deal of satisfaction as he echoed, "Glad to have helped. I feel we've set the Trader's plans back a pace here!"
When Terex mentioned Emoree, Azim nodded. They shouldn't leave without saying or at least passing on the mental equivalent of thank you and goodbye!
So the party returns to the previous site of the Black Lake in the world of Gofthonan - it is now a dried-up and darkened lake bed and there is no sign of Emoree. Your time in the Lake seems a strange, oily dream. While you experienced only several hours of intense activity, it appears several weeks have passed here - a short, dense layer of dark-blue grass has even grown in the dry bed. The Spider Mech, however is still in it's hiding place and you begin a trip back.
Retracing your steps, you encounter Emoree bounding towards you as you reach the border of the Transplanar Research Institute on your second day back. She reports that radiation in the entire area has significantly diminished and allowed more life in the patch work of societies that make up the Interdict zone.
For now, this has brought peace though she is worried that eventually there will a larger struggle for control of the area now that barriers to entering are diminishing... She expresses her desire to join Terex in Sigil.
You pass through the Amphibian's territory and they are hard at work planting the land that now detects as uncontaminated and mention no Starling bearers have been seen for a week or more.
Finally, you return to Kalthinia where you businesses are doing fine after a month and a half - the city is booming as the explorers report a dramatic decline in radiation and the rush to explore the Interdict Zone gains steam. Prince Gameyal sends his regards but it too busy to greet you personally though he sends several business prospectuses. You are able to transport Emoree with a reduce animal spell and some diplomacy and so you arrive in Sigil in the manner of ordinary multiplanar investors, at the public Port Of Sigil rather than The Organization's gate.
But it's easy to make your way back to The Spire and make contact. There, Bella and Emoree are introduced to Arjunara who is currently in charge of the planar machinery. As usual, the organization takes any samples you have of local flora, fauna and magic phenomena and each of you (include Lyra and family) is offered a vacation on a demi-plane of your choice while you create your with the debriefing to follow in a few more days.
Gift could now talk to her mother who came to be with her husband Arlo and have a nice brake. Lyra needed to rap up the business they had set up and sold it to a local business woman.
Gift took what she had learned from dead god and worked in her self.
She could no shift form at will making her self look like others.
She had fun shifting to be a copy of her mother as they wanted around town as seemly twins. But Never before her dad.