One, two, three, four, five, seven pairs of legs, with trompy stompy feet.
A small geyser, like that spat from a fountain mermaid, arcs onto a lily pad. The little lady emerges, gliding atop the tail end of the arc! She lands seated on the lily pad, one leg crossed over the other. Her buggy eyes—one green, one blue—survey the party before her. She is like a doll, stature not half that of a nixie, beauty rivaling that of a naiad. She is a unique fey—
—a Nixite, one who natural-twenties their K.nature check might automatically know.
She fixes her tatters, smiles pleasantly, and… she speaks.
“Greetings, Mortals. I am Oshka. I live to…” She suddenly stops. A look of regret crosses her face. Yes, regret! Surely the Mortals can plainly see it—they’re mortals! They have regrets jam-packed in their short lives! Smile at them! No unpleasantries—they don’t know you got fired and no longer “serve,” she says pleasantly, very pleasantly indeed. Good save!
Those who don’t natural-one their Sense Cover-Up checks will know it wasn’t a good save.
“I love to serve.” She speaks the truth in that she yearns to be Useful. “How might I be of assistance? I could, for example, offer each of you a drink.”
The pool bubbles as the nixite raises both hands, fingers delicately waving as if to tickle the keys of an invisible piano. Globes of water rise and float within arms’ reach of each hero and her tiger. With a gentle clap of the nixite’s hands, the water globes reshape into tea cups! (Except for the tiger’s, which reshapes into a bowl with Pixite writing on it. Any hero who took Sylvan as a language can read the characters embossed on the bowl: ‘Nice Kitty.’
Elsie’s cup immediately turns to ice, falls, and shatters. This frightens the nixite so—and she tucks in her legs and braces herself for Punishment. “It was an honest mistake,” she pleads, “honest!”
"Of course the forest was dark and treacherous." He speaks, calmly, which strangely has a more threatening effect than if he was barking at the man. "It is an intrinsic quality of woods during the night. The high trees block the meager light of the moon and the few trails aren't well kept, with most of them being nothing but a game trail or an old road soon to be swallowed by nature."
He eyes the man coldly. "If I recall it correctly, the main road from Harrowguard to the Princess's realm skirts around the woods, precisely because of the fey. You say your target, in order to lose you, entered the forest and because of that you could not follow with your mission." He states.
"Yet, the forest was known to you, so your failure was in not anticipating the messenger could risk entering the forest. Regrettable, but not entirely unreasonable."
"The fate of the messenger doesn't concern me. So, when you realize you had been tricked, I believe you remembered that the core of your mission was to keep the Princess from receiving the message, so you continued along the road and reached her kingdom, correct?"
The harrier pales at the question. "No, sir. I didn't reach the kingdom. After I lost track of the messenger, I... got turned around myself. Before I knew it I was back at the start of the path."
He straightens. "I will travel now, to scout the borders of the kingdom to see if Princess Constance is marshaling forces. If those be your orders, milord."
The pale-skinned woman with a dragon made of ice hisses to her companions, "Don't drink it!"
She turns to give the cowering being an icy stare. "Faeries do not give gifts without cost. And how I know that I have no idea. End your sniveling, sprite. You will not ensnare us that easily."
She points to the strips of colorful fabric adorning the faerie. "Those did not belong to you. You--" Elise leans forward, "--have mismatched eyes." She glances back at the large blue-tinted warrior.
The faerie queen smiles like a spider inviting a fly into its parlor. "Indeed. As one ruler to another, hospitality and manners are paramount. And with our kingdoms being neighbors, it's been far too long since one of your family has paid me a visit. I look forward to hearing about your parents."
Her face and voice turn sympathetic. "But first, my poor dear. You look a mess. I would be happy to have my attendants freshen you up. New clothes, a bath, whatever your heart desires.
"How does that sound?"
Wait, those eyes...that's got to be-
"What say you?"
“You didn’t even tell me your names after I introduced myself! That’s just basic manners. Is it a short-person thing?” She leans back on the lily pad. “Yeah, probably a short thing.”
She tips back and falls off the lily pad and into the water!
…
And soon water itself rises to gradually form a woman who stands four-foot-eleven (since anything Oshka creates must fit within a 5’x5’x5’ cube)!
First the head emerges, hair cascading like a gentle waterfall. Then, the shoulders—the left covered in colorful cloth and flowers! The arms are bare but the breasts are covered as the water-woman continues to rise. She has a bare midriff, a short skirt tied at the left hip, and some strips of cloth, adorned with flowers, entwined about the forearms and lower legs.
Demurely, the water-woman sits atop a rock, one toe still in the pond. She speaks, her voice the same as when she was tiny and of flesh.
“Shall we start over? I would assume you are villains by the way you are treating me, but that cannot be.” She gestures toward the halfling with the tiger. “There is a cat owner among you; therefore, I only am interested in her self-assessment of the entire group.
“Cat Owner, be you villains, heroes, or murder hobos?—which now that I’ve said it aloud is synonymous with ‘villains.’ So is ‘lawfully neutral.’ My question stands.
“Also, might I have your name, please?”
"No, you cannot have my name," Elise says quickly. "We might be inclined to tell you our names, Oshka, if you were not trying to bait us into becoming obligated to you."
The halfling sighs. "We are heroes, Oshka. And I know of the fae trickery as well. We have every right to be on guard."
"Excuse me, Kip," the armored man interrupts. "I am Valorian, paladin of Ninavae and oathbound to save this realm and all the beings upon it. Indeed, all my companions are tasked so. If our caution can be forgiven, we seek--"
The cold witch coughs. "What have you done to the trespasser for littering on your property?"
She turns to the ice princess. “I just told you I spent three hours picking up after a slob and making this outfit—which I happen to be quite proud of. I’m not fishing for compliments, but I think I did good for a lifelong nudist trying something new. And then I rested.
“I never saw the person who made the mess. Had I… what would I have done? Maybe asked that person to please pick those back up? Or more likely, I’d have hidden myself.” She looks up at the dragon. “That could freeze my pool solid and end me, so there’s no incentive to hide from you.
“Kip, I have a lot more to fear than you do.”
The tiny nixite swims up the leg of the water woman, up the belly, and disappears under her top. The water woman walks on the pool’s surface toward the Paladin. She kneels before him at the water’s edge.
“Good Valorian… it is true I want something for myself. If you are oathbound to save the beings of this realm, then I speak to you as a being of this realm.
“I am like the discarded fabric I clothe myself in: cast aside as trash, when in truth I am gorgeous and useful. I’m not tricking you… before I elaborate, do you not have magic that can prove I speak the truth? I do not fear such magic.”
She assures the frozen one, “I am quite terrified of the dragon.”
Raiden sighs and looks to the others. "She has given all she knows, it seems. Unless she happens to know how to guide us through the woods, we should press on."
Wait, she can help us!
"...do you know the masters of these woods? The rulers of the fae?" Raiden asks after a moment of stony faced contemplation.
The one who had been silent so far, a gray-skinned elf with white hair, tests the edge of his dagger as he speaks up. "You should know, we have been told that this forest is full of dangerous creatures and evil fae. Thus far, we have found... you."
Elise is staring hard at Oshka when she says, "if she wants to come with us, I think we should let her."
Kip looks surprised. "Why? She could be--"
"She's not following the rules. That means... something." The witch meets Oshka's mismatched eyes with her own glacial blue ones, with something like a question in her expression.
"Well, with the easy trail gone, can Jade pick up her scent?" the elf asks while studying the ground.
The halfling clicks her tongue and has the tiger start sniffing around the spot where they lost the trail. After pacing around for a few moments, the tiger growls affirmatively.
Valorian looks between Elise and Oshka. "Well? You had asked about serving. Whom -- or what -- do you wish to serve?"
|
Umboriax follows silently behind the general towards his command tent and when he looks back to see if the creature is following him he finds nothing but shadowy mist swirling and dissipating where it once stood. But once inside the tent with the harrier the shadows at the edge of the room seem more full. Clinging harder against any light source present and providing a dauntingly eerie atmosphere.
General Costa might get the feeling that he and the man in front of him are not the only beings present anymore.
She answers the Paladin. “Your cause is the What, Good Paladin. I want to save the beings of this realm, like you! Fey are not evil, no more than humans are evil or elves or such, by which I mean some are evil but more are good and most do as they’re told. So if many fey are doing evil, it’s best to stop the one telling them to.
“As for the Whom, it seems I’m to serve the litterbug. You’re all awfully concerned about her.” Oshka only knows the pronoun because the gray elf said it, though in hindsight, the fabric is obviously woman’s clothing.
“Who is she?” the nixite asks as she steps out of the pool.
As for the big blue guy’s question, Oshka ponders before answering…
The faerie queen smiles like a spider inviting a fly into its parlor. "Indeed. As one ruler to another, hospitality and manners are paramount. And with our kingdoms being neighbors, it's been far too long since one of your family has paid me a visit. I look forward to hearing about your parents."
Her face and voice turn sympathetic. "But first, my poor dear. You look a mess. I would be happy to have my attendants freshen you up. New clothes, a bath, whatever your heart desires.
"How does that sound?"
Resolutely Connie refuses to dig into Constance's memories of her parents. "Your offer is most gracious, your majesty. However, I would feel ill at heart if I were to recline in splendor while my kingdom and its people are in such dire straits. No, I am afraid I can only take what your hospitality obliges you to provide, and can scarce afford to tarry beyond what appropriate rejuvenation demands."
Valorian glances at Elise who gives a slight shake of her head, but he sets his jaw. "I am not practiced in falsehoods, so I will tell you plainly. We seek to ensure the safety of Princess Constance, who is lost in these woods and we fear in great peril. Know that by aiding us in finding her, you aid the entire realm."
Oshka thinks about how she could help find the princess, knowing about what she could be encountering. The jitterhobs lurk just a few trees away from her pool, who love to send mortals into blind panic so that they run deeper into the forest and into the clutches of other creatures.
She also knows of the gumdrop witches that entice strays into their sugar-coated webs, and the Big Bad Doggie that could tear her limb from limb. Hopefully she avoided the Swamp of Improbable Dangers, but if she went around that obstacle, she would have encountered Trollfork and the Triplets Two.
Of course, the greatest faerie is Queen Millificent, but a princess would know better than to deal with her. Better she was torn apart by the Big Bad Doggie!
The queen leans forward ever so slightly. "A kingdom in dire straits? Oh no! I couldn't possibly send you on your way with mere refreshment when there's so much more that I could do." A smile grows on her face as she spins a little pouch on one finger that Connie immediately recognizes!
"The dust of the fae could see your kingdom restored and your people freed. It's so much more potent than the tiny, worthless bauble that hangs around your neck. What price are you willing to pay for your people, my dear? You have so little hope, but take heart. All is not lost."
Connie realizes that if that really is the fairy dust that Femtite owned, its magic wouldn't be a part of the rules of this fantasy world. It might give her the means to work outside the rules, or even break them.
What does she do??
“Oh! A princess you say! Then—she should not be here. There are many… oh, this will be easier with a map.”
A puddle forms between the nixite and the witch. Of course it freezes. By the time it freezes fully, the puddle is an almost perfect square, five feet long and wide and more and more water is built on top until the ice is a foot thick!
The water-woman extends her toe to the block, and the tiny nixite within swims down the leg and leaps out of the foot of the water-self. Her flesh-self skates across the ice. Steam rises wherever she goes, her trail a quarter-inch-thick river representing the trail in the fey wood, starting with “the path where the tatters were found.
“I picked them up until just shy of here—“ She twirls to create a circle an inch in diameter, marking the spot “where the jitterhobs lurk. She didn’t rest on my property likely because she ran past in blind panic. Surely the jitterhobs would to that to a princess.
“And her blind panic would take her to a fork.” She makes a sharp turn and skates a wavy road. The ice on either side bubbles from heat then refreezes to simulate the gumdrop mounds.
“This way leads to the gumdrop witches and the Big Bad Doggie. Aaaaaaaand—” She skates on the water to backtrack and create the fork’s only additional ‘prong.’ “—this way leads to the Swamp of Improbable Dangers—easily bypassed like so, except Trollfork and the Triplets Two tend to be there, always. I’m not sure what they do, or if they ever take latrine breaks or we have the same sleep schedule. I’ve never been able to take that bypass without feeling it best to turn back. They’re there every time.
“And beyond them… oh my. Queen Millificent is there!” Her wide little eyes scan the party as she twirls the one-inch circle onto the ice-water map. When her eyes meet those of the big blue warrior’s he may see that the tiny fey truly fears this queen she speaks of.
She said the ice dragon terrified her. Her eyes say Queen Millificent terrifies her more. “Let’s hope the princess chose the path to the Big Bad Doggie. It would tear her limb from limb, but the queen will do worse—so much worse!”
She skates back into the dormant water-self and swims inside her. The water woman animates again and speaks. “Shall we follow the kitty’s nose toward the fork?”
Wait, she said that it was more likely she suevived-
"If she headed to this Dog and was killed then our quest is a failure. I deem it more appropriate that she headed towards more peril and found herself still alive to be rescued. Then at least our quest continues."
Raiden plucks the fairy from the puddle map and plops her down on his shoulder, an electric buzz vibrating along his skin. "Let us forge forward! We will destroy anything that tries to stop us!"
So she lets the water-woman melt into a puddle. Globes of water carry the clothing into the air. They steam-dry instantly as all of the water is willed from them, and the clothing falls onto the ice-dragon’s tail.
Oshka says to the Big Blue Guy, “I thank you for the comfort of your shoulder.” Her hair stands on end from the electricity flowing through the warrior’s flesh. “Hopefully you’re right about the Princess’ chosen direction. Or even better—maybe she just stayed still! The meanest of the fey are adherently territorial. Maybe they’re not evil, but just grumpy because they don’t get out much. Or, at all…”
She turns to the Tall White Lady, who one moment accepts her, another suspects her, and stares hard and quizzically.
She tries to break the ice.
“I promise if you give me your name, I’m not going to keep it. I just find conversation more pleasant and less confusing when names are known.”
Too many unknowns when I can just have Caio win an impromptu wet t-shirt contest.
"You speak unkindly your majesty. While this may be a poor, mean thing -worthless in your eyes- it has been mine since... well it seems as if from my earliest memory. I could not part with it so lightly."
|
|
The shadows of the entire war camp seem to darken and stretch outward, coiling in unnatural ways to connect to one another.
Reaching deep into the shadow realm Umboriax casts his senses far into the unknown searching for motes of light. The incompetent harrier sitting in the generals tent couldn't get a job done if he was told to deliver a letter to the person standing next to him. However the great dragon of darkness Umboriax this was childs play.
He peered through the creeping darkness of the nearby lands, and then further delving towards the tiny light of the other key hidden in the forest. The shadows there flicker again and Princess Constance's shadow becomes pitch black like a deep hungry void threatening to swallow everything around it. Then it does a massive black claw reaching through and ripping her through a monochromatic void.
A faint spinechilling whisper ushered from all around her. "They stole from me... I Shall not let them steal from you."
General Costa's tent becomes dreary with an overwhelming oppressive tightness to the air, the least lit back wall turning to an oily pitch in an arch, and shortly after Princess Constance is ejected into the tent. Gently pushed out by a shadowy claw, her shredded dress now being ink blotted.
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The heroes set out, using the map provided by Oshka and the nose of the tiger to follow the princess' trail. It is not long before they reach a dark and oppressive area of the forest where unnerving whispers and cloying shadows set the champions on edge.
"The jitterhobs lurk here," Valorian declares.
"No s#+%," the Witch mutters as she forms a slender knife made of ice in her hands.
Jade makes a series of sounds in her throat and Kip tries to calm her friend. "We should run. This is bad," she says, fear working its way into her voice.
"I've been in darker spaces," Ty'leth boasts, but even his voice is thin and reedy.
"Gather round!" the knight says with a clear and resonant tone. He holds his shield aloft and a golden light shines forth, banishing the darkness and pushing the fear aside. "Ninavae's hope burns brightest when fear would reign!"
He strides forward resolutely, leading the way. Bolstered, the heroes follow. Every so often Kip calls out a slight change in direction, but eventually the oppressive fear lurking at the edges of the paladin's aura dissipates entirely.
"Whew. That was, that felt real," Elise says after catching a breath she'd been holding. "Thank you, Valorian. What was next? Gumdrops or the Big Bad Doggie?"
Elise's question is confirmed by the appearance of a clear divergence in the trail. One direction leads to colorful blobs of sugar lining the path, while the other winds into a low and fetid swamp.
Jade immediately indicates the direction of the swamp while her hackles rise. "She went that way."
"And something big followed her," Ty'leth adds, standing up from the series of tracks he'd spotted.
Valorian draws his blade. "How long ago was this? Could we be too late?"
The elf looks grim. "A few hours."
"You said something about bypassing this swamp?" the Witch asks Oshka. "Would it be faster if we went around, in case she made it through to the other side? This is Connie we're talking about, after all."
"You speak of her like you know her," Ty'leth says, frowning.
Elise gives him a long look. She shrugs. "I'm a witch."
With that idea tossed out there, the eager little nixite just does it!
She raises the water from the swamp, one five-foot-cube at a time! “Unnamed Witch, if you would kindly freeze these blocks in place, our combined powers may form a bridge to your royal friend!”
The heroes gasp as the water fae draws water upwards in columns.
"Okay," the ice witch says as she rubs her hands together causing little motes of ice to flutter around them. The temperature drops several degrees around everyone as she starts gesturing and drawing her power. "I am not going to sing that song," she mutters.
A blast of arctic air blows outward from Elise, immediately freezing the water into a glistening ice bridge several feet over the swamp's surface. Clearly spent from the effort, she laughs tiredly. "Whew. It looked so much easier in the movie. Let's go." She turns to the dragon statue with a shake of her head. "Sorry, but you're too heavy." She points to the ground, and its head drops forlornly. It starts trodding along underneath the bridge.
The newly-created path takes the heroes easily over the swamp. They make rapid progress, checking for signs of the princess below but find nothing.
On the other side of the bridge, Jade and Kip find the trail again. They feel they've made good time using the bridge, and are close behind her.
Even more so because they see the court of Queen Millificent, just in time to see a great black shadow jump out of the ground and swallow Princess Constance and vanish!
She drops to one knee in case the queen notices her—she is kneeling! While Warrior is hopefully contemplating the wisdom of fleeing, Osaka tries to get a read on the queen’s feeling right now.
✴️✴️✴️✴️✴️
…but what could an insignificant outcast possibly understand from gazing at the visage of Queen Millificent?
Broad assumption, and it feels weird to put us on this quest to only find ourselves getting the princess pulled out of our grasp this way when the Queen's here to be the antagonist...
"Is there a way your magic can find out where she's gone?" Raiden asks Elise. "Or...perhaps, this is some fae trick and our eyes are being deceived?"
Stunned silence at the Princess' abduction is replaced by a burst of chaos. The queen stares at the spot where her guest was absorbed into shadow, then looks up at the heroes at the edge of her court. With a crook of her finger, the group of champions appear before her, along with the faerie guide.
Oshka tries to get a read of her queen's emotions and utterly fails; Millificent is inscrutable though her best guess is the queen is feeling quite wrathful at the moment.
Elise shakes her head at Raiden's questions. "No idea. I don't know what that was."
"A fae trick? Is that what you think, oni-blood?" Queen Millificent asks imperiously. "That I would obliterate a guest I've offered comfort and care? Would you call my role of host into question?"
The tiger sniffs at the spot where Princess Constance stood and growls. Valorian steps forward. "Fair and wise queen, we heroes have been set upon an important task to protect the Princess from peril. Forgive us for thinking she would be in danger from you; it appears that there was a different threat this whole time. If you know where she went, and can assist us in finding her, we would be in your debt."
Elise clears her throat. "What he means is, that we would be willing to exchange or barter services for such assistance, including retribution against that which took her. After all, you would not want it known that a guest of yours could be easily snatched from your court without consequence."
The Queen's face is a study of serenity under duress. She was far from content -- her anger was radiating from her in waves, but it never touched her expression except for a smoldering behind her large and ageless eyes. She regards the heroes standing before her. "Do you covet the princess or her key? If I tell you what I know, will you give me the key once the princess is found safe?"
"We require both," Valorian says. "We cannot make such a bargain."
"Let's do this," Elise offers, "We'll bring Princess Constance back before you, so you can continue whatever discussion you were having. We're not in the position to bargain away something that's not ours. So, we'll put things back the way they were, so the Princess can choose whether to give it to us, or risk it in whatever game you were playing with her just before she was taken."
She gives the queen a cold and cruel smile. "Think on this quickly because you'll need her alive."
"Langhorn!" He calls, but before his assistant can appear, Umboriax manipulates the shadows to bring the princess directly to him. He smiles at her, looking at her appreciatively. As Langhorn appears, he addresses him without looking away from the princess. "This harrier proved himself unfitting for this role. Strip him from his position and give him the ribbon of the worsts."
As the men are gone, he addresses the princess. "Princess Constance... look at what the dragon brought me. Yes, I'm General Costa and welcome to my command tent." Caio is wearing his fullplate armor, which isn't fancy at all, just a battered suit, even if oiled and marked with blood in some places. It is clear the general cares only for performance and not for fashion.
"Me and my legion of the worst where hired to take the fair town of Harrowguard, which we succeeded with little trouble. My conquest are too many and too bloodied to count and my story I'll keep to my own... for it is not suitable for such delicate ears." He says, smiling as he comes closer. "This shadow dragon is Unboriax, a new acquaintance in fact, even if I suspect we've met before. He is remarkable silent now."
Once he is closer, he gives her an impish smile as well. "Now, the real question, Princess Connie... why did you get a boob job?" Caio asked, feeling he stayed in his role for long enough.
Oshka leaps to the floor and kneels at the Queen’s feet, pushing past her very real fear—for without her water body, she cannot even flee!
“Your Esteemed Majesty, I see before me a sofa on which two royals were engaged in conversation and at your fingertips, one of the fey woods’ greatest treasures. It is clear to me that Princess Constance and yourself were rudely interrupted, mid-parley, by one who engages in shadow magic.
“I believe the mortals’ proposal serves you well, and as the Witch asked for fey assistance, might I offer myself?”
She gently caresses the hem of her miniskirt.
“This is fabric from the princess’ gown. Trudging through the swamp behind us, an animate ice sculpture carries more of her fabrics, mended to clothe my water-self.
“With much of Princess Constance’s belongings on my person, your teleportation pool should take us to her, despite the location being unknown.” Oshka does not bother to mention the one-mile-radius margin of error, for this is known.
“And though I am but your humblest servant, Your Most-Highness, all the more reason to send me to an unknown land of unknown dangers. Should we fail, you’ll have had time to gather the wisest of fey witches to study the shadowy motes, the most ept of feyguard to repel further intrusion, and the mightiest of fey warriors to inflict vengeance.
“The only thing at risk by the mortals’ proposal is…” The timid little lady shudders at the truth of her word: “…me.”
|
|
The shadows in the tent whispered softly, forcing one to strain to hear the words.
"In a heroe's home,
My trust was broken once more,
They killed the monster."
A long pause lingered in the air as the words seemed to echo slightly around the tent, into the still deepening void around the two.
"A boy's fantasy,
My trust was broken once more,
He made the monster."
The voice sounds more harsh in it's echoes, like the speaker strains just to speak, before another stagnant silence reigns over the tent.
"My own bleeding heart,
Cast away for rage and death,
He'll see the monster."
The voice in the dark chokes through the next verse which similar to the two before echoes until there is silence once more. Then the silence is broken by a familiar voice that sounds half drowned and panicking.
"I've always been a monster, I'll forever be the monster.
I've always been a monster, I'll forever be the monster.
"
Finally the tent falls silent, and the shadows wane, whatever energy they had to speak seemed spent.
The shadows in the tent whispered softly, forcing one to strain to hear the words.
"In a hero's home,
My trust was broken once more,
They killed the monster."A long pause lingered in the air as the words seemed to echo slightly around the tent, into the still deepening void around the two.
"A boy's fantasy,
My trust was broken once more,
He made the monster."The voice sounds more harsh in it's echoes, like the speaker strains just to speak, before another stagnant silence reigns over the tent.
"My own bleeding heart,
Cast away for rage and death,
He'll see the monster."The voice in the dark chokes through the next verse which similar to the two before echoes until there is silence once more. Then the silence is broken by a familiar voice that sounds half drowned and panicking.
"I've always been a monster, I'll forever be the monster.
I've always been a monster, I'll forever be the monster.
Sigh. Okay. There's never time to play.
Princess Constance sits on the border of the deepest shadow.
"Dragon, my Dragon
Who of us is not monstrous
in our shadowed heart?
"When ill circumstance
has driven us past morals?
Dark ore to be delved.
"But shadows do not
create darkness for themselves;
unstop your spirit.
"Light is still shining,
when your heart's barriers are gone,
on unblighted ground.
"Walk free from darkness
With every step choose anew
Your own path of light."
Queen Millificent's mouth becomes a fine line as her wayward subject addresses her. “And how would mortals possibly take that route without drowning in transit?” she asks her.
"I can agree with this, if you bring the Princess back to me. The shadow that took her... I suspect it was Archmage Dusk's minion and not the wizard himself," the fae queen muses. "Destroying it will send him a lesson, and it's what you heroes love to do anyway. This is a pleasing accord to me."
She addresses Oshka. "You will guide them through the Faerie Roads. ::And if you wish to find yourself a place in my good graces again, you will bring me the princess' key:: she hears the last part in her head.
Outside the tent, battle horns are heard in the distance. A runner sticks his head in the tent, wide-eyed. "My lord! The forces guarding the north road are wiped out to the man! We've lost contact with two patrols inside the city as well! Your orders?"
He briefly reacts to the princess in the tent, but doesn't say anything.
In a less brown-nosey tone, she encourages Warrior, Witch, Hunter, Kip and Valorian, “This way, please!”
The nixite leads the way to the Faerie Road (rebuilding her fairy-self and clothing it in the tatter-skirt, as soon as she is within one hundred feet of a water source).
• • •
On the road, Oshka starts chatting away. She seems to have taken a shining to Valorian.
“I’m glad you’re having a second opinion about the fey. Are there tricksters among us? Sure! But there are those that are honest to a fault as you are! We’re really not so different—just the immortality skews us a little.
“For example, Queen Millificent may look a few decades old, but she’s several millennia old—so she’s had all that time to establish herself. And sure, there are some who wish she’d tell the gumdrop witches to take down those pesky webs, and maybe the Big Bad Doggie needs to go to Obedience School and learn to be a Big Good Doggie? But then the Queen would just be shaping the fey wood to her opinion of what it should be.
“Instead, she lets us have our place and we give each other—those great, those small, even runts like me—our space and respect is kinda mostly mutual almost. And no mortal needs to worry too much about the fey, in the sense that we won’t invade your lands. The scary stories you hear are to keep you out of ours.
“Now that said, Valorian, you’re honest and you serve Ninavae. I think most fey would like you! Not the Big Bad Doggie, but Trollfork and the Triplets Two might grant you safe passage. Anyway, I think you’re inspirational!”
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The shadows deepen once more, instead of everywhere however this time it's localized to where Constance sits. The voice beyond struggling to find the energy to speak again.
"No heart still remains,
My humanity stripped free,
I will have vengeance.
I yearn to be free from this torment."
The air seems to roil with shadowy tendrils slightly to the side of Constance. While elsewhere in and around the camp shadows stretch unusually long, like distorted fingers clawing their way across the ground. and they find the next nearest beacon of light.
"The first betrayer,
Who spoke empty promises,
She will die faithless."
Myra floats through a void bereft of sound for only a few tense moments before she hears yelling as if she were inside the creature making the noise coming from all sides. Cloying claws and tendrils of physical shadow pull at her this way and that.
"Betrayed by those I put my faith in who would not have the same for me. They stole my heart and handed it to a false god who punished me for my failure. You made the monster rise with your actions, now I seek payment for my creation. I will have my freedom, if it means I must take your sky as well."
One set of claws finally finds better purchase than the rest and Myra is cast out of the void and onto packed dirt hard.
...think my subconscious hates having nothing to do. That...tracks.
Oshka’s water-self gives the big guy a saleslady smile. “We’ll see that halberd buried in the sternest of sternums soon enough, Mr. Warrior! The Faerie Road is the fastest way to travel for the non-amphibious!
“Who is this Archmage Dusk? He sounds like an enemy. Is this enemy archmage your arch enemy?” She likes the little wordplay, but wonders if she’s onto something. Warrior did have some very violent ideas just from mentioning that name. But then he also threatened to freeze me for a year and a day, and we hadn’t even known each other long enough for me to do anything to warrant that.
So maybe ‘Some-Guy-You-Hate’ isn’t the best topic. ‘Shoes’… now that’s a good, safe, wholesome, non-killy topic.
The heroes pass through a faerie circle and a gnarled root forming an arch which leads them to a twilight path of white stones. The Road twists and turns in its ethereal realm, the colors and sounds muted so it feels like the real world is just slightly out of reach.
Valorian strides resolutely along the path. "I hope to inspire. Not everyone has the strength to weild a sword, but everyone can call upon the lady to vanquish darkness. I must admit, I have not heard of a fae that serves one of the gods, but if you were to revere Ninavae I would welcome you into her fold."
Elise trods along side the animated ice sculpture. "I haven't heard of a fae following a mortal goddess, but I don't believe it's forbidden. What do you think, Oshka?"
"Do not goad her,"Valorian says. "The path to redemption and acceptance is open to all, no matter her origin."
"I've not traveled the Fae Roads before," Ty'leth states, changing the subject. "Where will this lead us?"
The Shadow slips away from where it had been lurking in the pavilion tent.
"The forces are already mustering, sir. Where should they deploy?" the runner asks.
The second table of Heroes sheltered in am abandoned tavern. After forcing their way through the northern gate and making their way through the streets, the heroes found a place to regroup.
The shadow dragon slipped in and tried to abduct the group's cleric, yanking her away into the void.
The taunts echo in the darkness. In defiance, Myra holds aloft the symbol of her goddess and shouts against the void, "Blessed Ninavae! I call on you to see me through the darkness!"
The empty space between the fae realm and the town of Harrowguard glows with a golden light. "Dragon! You will not have me!" she calls out.
“I think… I think…? Redemption—like a second chance? And following Ninavae gets me that? Well then I’m in! Your oath is my oath, at least for today—trial balloon. I’ve never followed a mortal goddess and I should sleep on this. It’s quite a commitment, I think.
“But just today, I awoke with this feeling like my words mean nothing, and I can’t be forgiven, and when I’m sincere no one believes me and… I had these weird dreams! Visions of death, and anger, and lust… and the idea of a second chance seemed impossible.” She looks at the Witch and then at the Warrior before again facing her Paladin pal. “But here you are, talking about exactly that!
“So maybe the best way outta here is to let Ninavae be our guide!”
F%%$. Someone really hurt him. This could get bad.
Princess Constance's two-faced chiding of General Costa gives way entirely to a far more serious glare. "General, what has happened to that dragon clearly should have taken precedence over your attempts at humor. I know that your forces are apparently leaderless and in disarray, but I am afraid I have questions that need answering before your runner. I see you possess a key. Mine has been sought by forces unsavory and seems to be bound to me in an intimate manner. Is yours the same? Do you know anything of it's nature that you can safely share? I must examine it regardless. All this world's a stage, but if I'm to be a player, I would learn what I can of the rules."
The general smiles as the princess answers to his provocation, but can't happen to roll his eyes with contempt as Umboriax, and then the princess, exchange poetry.
His head spins towards the battle horns, frowning as the runner enters the tent. Instinctively the general turns to his battle map, even if he had already committed everything to his memory. When the princess piles questions upon questions and demands to be answered first, he gestures for her to hold. "Despite your recent entitlement and my consideration for your opinions, the answers to your questions are lengthy and could perfectly wait a couple minutes."
Turning to the runner, he adds. "Tell Captain Trollhorn to retreat past the river crossing and hold there. The narrow passage will buy us some time. Just hold. Should the enemy retreat as well, I do not want them to chase an inch further."
He then takes a small sphere from a pocket, which swirls as if there was mist inside. This motion might draw attention to a strange device on his belt which is completely out of place: a black and yellow walkie talkie. "Caulvor, breach the dam." The mist turns red and then the sphere cracks. He tosses it away, knowing his message was delivered successfully. Back to the runner, he adds. "Tell Lieutenant Coin to ready the trebuchets at Harrowguard and shoot once. This should remind them about their situation."
"Captain Ironbeard should be ready to reinforce Captain Trollhorn, should it be needed, but I'm mostly certain the attack on the north road is nothing but a ruse. The other Captains should hold their positions for now. Now go!" There was so much he could do while ignoring his assigned role, but leaving his men to their deaths wasn't one of them. The fact they were thieves, murderers and psychopaths' changed nothing. He'd see them to victory.
The runner gone with his immediate orders, he turns back to the princess. "As it happens, I was introduced to Umboriax less than an hour ago and up to this point he had not talked... perhaps he was sensing my utter despise of poetry."
He then shows her his key, but keeps it around his neck. "I was told this key is indeed connected to my heart, that heroes would come looking for it and that I should stop them from getting it... the fate of our real world depending on it. This was shared with me by the Oracle, who in fact exists both here and in Fabled Halcyon."
He then points to the shadows. "I believe it is safe to assume our dragon friend lost his, to terrible consequences apparently. You can examine my key, but without touching it." With this, he removes his key and holds it in front of the princess. Since this gave him a privileged view of her cleavage, he looked away... then he looked back. He was an evil general after all.
The heroes walk the faint path at a brisk pace in their pursuit of the princess while Valorian and Oshka discuss following Ninavae.
"I believe staying on this path is wisest," Kip says in response to the fae. "I've heard of these fae roads, and how you could get lost if you stray from the trail."
"Just great," Elise mutters.
"No, not great," Ty'leth replies. "You could wander for days until the things that lurk in the spaces between find you and end your existence."
Elise gives him a sardonic look. "Thank you. So, you and Kyana, huh? How long has that been going on?"
He gives her a satisfied smile. "A few weeks. We... commiserated after her sister met her end. Our mutual comforting of each other led to romance. It is hard sometimes, when the fate of the world is at stake, but finding joy in connections can give additional motivation." He looks between Elise and Raiden. "It can be very cathartic."
"Cathartic, but inappropriate when we are on a quest," Valorian interrupts. "We must be focused on our task, for I fear for the princess being in the clutches of dark wizards and their minions."
"Thank you, Captain Stalwart," Elise snipes. "Stay alert, for what? There's nothing out there."
"What is that?" Kip points off in the distance.
"I see it too. Something gold," Ty'leth says.
Valorian gasps. "It's the golden light of Ninavae! Oshka, you were right about following her!" He steps off the path and heads toward it!
Over a hundred years ago, the Badlands were their own kingdom with their own name, thought magic has stripped it from all records. But in the court of that kingdom the ruler took on a foreign mage from a land beyond the seas. That mage brought his family across with him, including the infant Dusk. Said infant grew under his father's tutelage and desired to use magic for the benefit of all. Yet as he grew he noticed the injustices that occurred in the kingdom, especially how foreigners were welcomed but were forced into indentured service and lived in squalor while the kingdom's citizens prospered from their labors.
No one knows why, but it seems that after a war, Dusk's father was executed. This pushed the young Dusk to incite a rebellion, and through a bloody civil war he created a meritocracy with mages at the top of it. He took on his current moniker and cast aside all names. Now it is a cruel place with no attempts to pretend otherwise. The shadow magics are their calling signs, and those who disobey the elite find themselves twisted by it into abominations."
Raiden looks ready to keep going, except that something else has happened here on the road. "Wait, Knight!" One massive hand grabs him by the shoulder. "Did you not hear our scout's missive? Stray from the road and you're likely to get lost! We'll lose precious time, and more importantly, likely lose each other!"
The general issues his orders and the soldiers immediately set about seeing them through. Outside the fabrics of the tent, shouts can be heard and the crash of seige weapons causes the earth to shudder.
Connie ignores the warfare for the time being and focuses on the key Caio holds out. It is a heavy iron key shaped like a wolf with a ruby in its jaws. She feels a slight rush when she lays eyes on it, like a surge of excitement.
Her own key is a stark contrast to Caio's. Hers is a delicate key with sigils etched along its opalescent surface, whereas his is weighty, of coarse and hard iron. Yet, both are linked and somehow she can tell that they each would unlock a part of the same series of locks.
Wielding the two keys together might give her enough insight to break through the barriers to at least have a chance of speaking with Quincy. If Caio's oracle was correct about the fate of the real world being at stake, then it might have some real-world connections -- locks that exist outside this realm, that if unlocked would have major ramifications.
Connie then recalls that during the battle against her father, Quincy's d20 was briefly caught in the massive power surge.
“Warrior! Please do not stop him! The light of Ninavae was used to repel jitterhobs—the shadow fey. That means the golden light you see now opposes a shadow creature—and we seek a shadow creature!
“We should exit. Now!” She looks at Warrior with urgency in her water-eyes!
"A shadow beast of the Badlands...I shall snap it apart!" Raiden says, caution evaporating in the potential for destroying one of his mortal enemies. He thunders forward with heavy steps towards the light, letting out a massive battlecry. "For victory! Let bards sing glories of this combat for ten generations!"
...I think I might have a huge blind spot when it comes to certain things?
She exits the gate, trusting the heroes will follow her (and, hopefully, charge past her).
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In the inky world between, Umboriax hisses at the defiance of the priestess. Bringing the light of her goddess here was undoubtedly powerful, and the lesser cloying shadows had a difficult time approaching. He however was far from a lesser being here, a great pitch entity in the cast off reflection of reality and he approached the burning light. The shadows coating his muzzle peeling back to reveal a bone white hide with cold dark veins just underneath the surface.
"Where was your goddess when I needed protection?"
He drove his claws into the barrier attempting to peel it apart, the digits turning that same bone white from the light, his forelimbs bleaching as the shadows recoiled up them and attempted desperately to flow back down and coat his form.
"You forget one thing about the light, little human."
Connies darts her hand back from the wolfshead key as if it had snarled Oh f@%!. F%&!!! Well. Luckily neither of us are complete idiots.
"You are wise to be cautious with that key, General. I believe yours, mine, and Umboriax's prior possession are what is required to unwork a ritual that was indeed key to the survival of our former ways of life. And an you wish not to uncage the Wolf that lends it likeness to your key, you will keep it even more closely. Now, have you heard ought of a Questgiver or a Quillmaster or a Quarrelreigner or anything similar? With respect to your soldiers, I am far from convinced that this fight is truly central to our broader difficulties."
The golden light falters as the shadow dragon rips into the barrier, but it still is bright enough to illuminate the woman's terror on her face. She lets out a desperate scream of mortal fear as the barrier shatters.
The woman falls back as the shadow looms large over her. "I haven't forgotten, bleak one! The light burns, even when you cannot see it!" She cries again and a feeble light flickers at the end of her fingertips.
"Kill me, and I go to Ninavae! You cannot win here even in this forsaken place!"
Even as the shadow engulfs the paltry light, battle cries sound from nearby! A man with a glowing shield and blazing sword, a small woman on a tiger, an elf moving silent as a shadow, and a woman followed by an ice dragon join a water spirit and an electric warrior in a charge across the darkness!
Raiden roars as he rushes forward, electricity that normally buzzed gently along his skin suddenly crackling between his horns in long arcs. His halberd also gave off this energy as he lances forward with the tip of his halberd into the shadow dragon looming over the light priestess.
Yeah, should have been more strategic than going recklessly into the fray. How the hell did we not hurt it?