" I mean, no. Explain it to the sheriff. Or, better yet, explain it to the women you kidnapped for sexual slavery! Maybe they'll agree that your information is worth you being set free to try something like this again."
"You are dangerously close to a long fall into a cold drink."
She whistles and Olympus lets out a proud screech, then he begins flapping his wings hard while banking out and away from the coastline. They rise several hundred feet in altitude.
"I've decided I don't like you. I told you to not deny your plan to enslave those girls. Sandpoint has enough problems with stone giants and Mokmurian and Jorgenfist to worry about some petty slaver who can't be bothered to actually hire some girls to do his whoring."
"You know," she says with a note of finality, "you have two choices. You give me that name, or you see if you can fly."
There is a moment of silence in response to his taunt.
Rilee closes her eyes against the wind, and tears begin to stream across her cheeks. "Well, you're wrong, Jubrayl. For the kidnapping and attempted enslavement of three innocent lives, I sentence you to death."
She reaches out and touches Olympus on the side of his head, coaxing him to release his prey.
Rilee chokes back a sob as the scream reverberates in her core. A pit of bile rises in her stomach as she tries to counter her growing regret with her spite for the man. She urges Olympus climb into a large bank of clouds heavy with rain.
A current of electricity runs through her and she hears the peal of thunder echo in her head. She lets the tumult of emotions seize her and she screams into the swirling wind.
"That's who I am," she whispers as she guides Olympus past a large cumulus cloud illuminated by the crescent moon. She reaches out and a static shock jolts from her hands into the cloud. "I am the storm incarnate, the tempest made flesh. I am the storm born."
She guides her roc home to Sandpoint.
"You have a twin!? Wow. Kind of a big reveal. And she's like Mory? Creepy..."
Eugeni absorbs the info for a second, then responds to her request. "Sure, hon. We can go to Magnimar. Let's just make sure the others know we're leaving first. You have a horse or are we walking?"
Setsuna nods and smiles as she thinks about her twin.
"I suppose Sabrina is also slightly more social... and now that I've gotten to know him better, I would say that Mory is more grounded than her. Sabrina can be a bit... weird, and that's coming from a weirdo herself."
Setsuna looks toward where she thinks the stables are and signs.
"I don't own a horse. When we went to Hook Mountain, I was borrowing one from town. I have no idea if the poor thing is still alive, so... I'm not picky about how we travel."
Setsuna informs the others that Eugeni's and her plans.
Morythine is suitably awestruck by Setsuna’s transformation in the Rusty Dragon, but subsequently disappointed that the tavern’s mutation into an abattoir dissipates so rapidly. Nonetheless, and perhaps spurred on by the new declaration of friendship with Setsuna, he makes the point of giving an encouraging thumbs up whenever they make eye contact, mainly in the hope that the half-elf might spontaneously turn other areas of Sandpoint into exhibitions of grotesquery and viscera.
On determining the note is indeed in Xamaroth’s hand, Morythine remarks “This doesn’t tell as much at all. If Setsuna’s divinations can’t locate them, could it be possible that Xamaroth used his spells to escape town. He might even have taken Ameiko back to his own world.”
When Eugeni and Setsuna declare their intention to head to Magnimar, Morythine is happy to ensure that three’s a crowd.
I don't own a horse.
“I’ve got a horse. You can ride with me if you want. I think I’ll follow your advice and get a wand to heal myself with. I’d also love to meet your sister, if she’s like me. Is she pretty as well?”
When Mory calls her pretty, Setsuna blushes slightly.
"...That would be nice, Mory. As for your question, we are identical twins; if you find me pretty, then chances are that you'll probably find Sabrina attractive as well," Setsuna explains as she begins to remember times long past. "When we were little, Mom was always getting us mixed up. Dad was barely better. Sabrina eventually adopted different looks to avoid that issue."
"Sound like a plan," Eugeni says. Cocky McBlockerson!
Whenever the others are ready, he says his goodbyes to Rilee and Zoli then sets off to Magnimar at a jog.
"Oh, you're going to Magnimar? I was thinking of acquiring a set of eyes of the eagle. Magic items, not literal eagle eyes. That would be gross, and wouldn't be very useful without the bird that goes with them. Anyway, I saw them in a shop last time I was there, and resisted the impulse to buy them. Or if they have anything better, you could pick that up."
She hands Eugeni a pile of coins in order to fund the purchase.
"Setsuna speaking. Giants defeated. What happened? Where are you? ...Did Xam hurt you?"
She repeats the process with Shalelu.
"Setsuna speaking. Are you well? Working on fix. Found one. Will not fail. Difficult to secure, though. Expect within two months."
"Setsuna speaking. Found your note. What the hell, Xam?"
The next couple of days sees Rilee working and using her powers of nature to help Sandpoint recover. Each day, she would wild shape into an eagle and soar to the farmland regions to perform a few castings of plant growth, enriching the land so that the crops will produce a greater bounty over the next year.
She also casts bountiful banquet several times each day, enabling her to fill the bellies of sixty Sandpoint citizens with a magnificent spread of roasted game, berries, tubers, wild mushrooms and sweet nectar.
Each time she creates the feast, she lets the mayor select the villagers who need the repast the most -- be it the families of those who fell during the attack, those who have lost homes, or those putting in the labor of rebuilding. She doesn't join the villagers, instead watching from a distance at the men, women and children as they partake. She rejects praise or thanks rather vehemently, and will retreat should anyone call attention to her actions during the stone giant attack.
The town is grateful for the aid provided by Rilee's kindnesses. The banquet is primarily attended by the families of the fallen as well as those now homeless. The mayor doesn't have to dictate who receives the charity, as most all of Sandpoint is willing to work together to help their neighbors in times of need such as this.
"Oh, you're going to Magnimar? I was thinking of acquiring a set of eyes of the eagle. Magic items, not literal eagle eyes. That would be gross, and wouldn't be very useful without the bird that goes with them. Anyway, I saw them in a shop last time I was there, and resisted the impulse to buy them. Or if they have anything better, you could pick that up."
She hands Eugeni a pile of coins in order to fund the purchase.
"Sure Rilee, no problem."
As she processes the replies, Setsuna's eye starts to twitch, and the Oracle's mouth begins to foam dark mist.
Her screams of profanity can probably be heard from Sandpoint.
She immediately locates Eugeni and Mory.
"I contacted Ameiko. Xam kidnapped her during the chaos. They're probably on his homeworld. I think that he... gave her to some people to save his own hide."
The Next Day...
After waking up, Setsuna quickly sends an Extended Paragon Surge-Sending to Xam.
"Then why did you kidnap Ameiko? To save your own hide? Who did you give her to?"
"Sure Rilee, no problem.""Oh, you're going to Magnimar? I was thinking of acquiring a set of eyes of the eagle. Magic items, not literal eagle eyes. That would be gross, and wouldn't be very useful without the bird that goes with them. Anyway, I saw them in a shop last time I was there, and resisted the impulse to buy them. Or if they have anything better, you could pick that up."
She hands Eugeni a pile of coins in order to fund the purchase.
She gives Eugeni a distant smile. "Thank you. Have fun in the big city. I'll keep an eye on things here," she says with an odd note in her voice.
As she processes the replies, Setsuna's eye starts to twitch, and the Oracle's mouth begins to foam dark mist.
Her screams of profanity can probably be heard from Sandpoint.
She immediately locates Eugeni and Mory.
"I contacted Ameiko. Xam kidnapped her during the chaos. They're probably on his homeworld. I think that he... gave her to some people to save his own hide."
The Next Day...
After waking up, Setsuna quickly sends an Extended Paragon Surge-Sending to Xam.
** spoiler omitted **
"Welll.....toad f~$!. That slick willied bastard alwayts was half too clever. Sounds like they're well out of our grip for now, hon. Bury that rage with the rest, we're needed by a lot more people than just Ameiko. 'Sides, she can handle herself pretty well can't she? We'll help her just as soon as we're able."
A tearful Setsuna looks at Eugeni and instinctively hugs him.
"...Someone used mind control magic on her before she finished her message. Eugeni, I don't think... she's... ever..."
It seems that the stress of the last couple of days has finally become too much for the poor Oracle to handle; she starts to sob.
A tearful Setsuna looks at Eugeni and instinctively hugs him.
"...Someone used mind control magic on her before she finished her message. Eugeni, I don't think... she's... ever..."
It seems that the stress of the last couple of days has finally become too much for the poor Oracle to handle; she starts to sob.
Eugeni holds her tight, half escorting-half carrying her back to their inn. He takes her to her room, and holds her gently, rocking back and forth on the bed. He hums the only comforting thing he knows, a simple melody his mother used to hum to him when he was little. It was the only comfort he had when he was a dog. Now he hoped it would comfort this poor girl whom he'd been through so much with.
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Zoli feels a bit relieved about Eugeni and Setsuna going to Magnimar. I think, maybe, a little break will do me good too.
She decides maybe it's time to get to know her "mom" a bit better, and invites Rilee to go poking around some more in the catacombs, and then down in the tunnels under Thistletop as well. She goes both to keep looking for clues about Xamarath and Ameiko's departure...and because Zoli finds comfort in her old love of exploring Thassilonian ruins. "There must be some corner down here we breezed through when we first discovered this."
As they go through the ruins, she explains to Rilee what happened when they were first down there: How Baern sacrificed his life to save them in an epic battle with Nualia, Father Zantus' missing daughter who turned out to be a mad cleric of Lamashtu. How a reckless bear-riding berserker had joined them briefly...and how in his recklessness caused their companion Kala to die to a massive barghest. How she'd grown to depend on Eugeni and Morythine.
When she gets to the room that used to have the illusory image of the Thassilonian ruler, she notes it's not playing any more. She stares at the statue and then declares: "I couldn't place it last time but I knew he looked familiar. That's Karzoug, the ancient Thassilonian Runelord of Greed. And...and looking back now that's kind of weird. You know, how Xanesha and her sister--and all those Skinsaw cultists--were talking about harvesting greed. I wonder if there's some connection?
"I wonder if Xamarath learned something down here...or got in over his head with something...?"
Seeing that the image is no longer playing, Zoli tries dropping a coin in the slot to activate it.
Rilee explores the catacombs this time in her aasimar form. When exploring Thistletop, she alternates between her usual form and wild shaped into a wolf or hunting cat with a keen nose. Throughout their explorations, she is somewhat distant, but attentive to Zoli's stories of her and her companions' earlier fights.
"Yes, greed. That seems to be a recurring theme," she says almost absentmindedly.
When Zoli conjectures about Xamarath's fate, Rilee shakes her head vehemently. "No, he's fine. He's somewhere else, but seems fine. I managed to scry on him the next morning after-- after we saved Koya and the other women."
"Oh!" Zoli lights up. "What? Where? With Ameiko? What did you learn?!?"
Rilee shrugs. "Not much, really. He's safe. With his own people. Ameiko's blocked, though. Magically, or maybe behind lead."
At some point, Setsuna calms down enough to Extended Paragon Surge-Sending Zoli a message.
"Xam kidnapped Ameiko. Took her to his world. Gave her to some... people. Coward refuses to say more."
Zoli cocks her head. "So...he's back in Thay? On some other star? Your scrying can reach that far? Can you talk to him?"
Shaking her head sadly, "No, I don't know any way to send a message through. That's probably the job of wizards, or something."
Zoli nods glumly and shakes her head. Wizards like Xamarath...
As they walk back, she says, "Rilee, I'm sorry I freaked so hard when I found out you are...or were...sort of...my mother.
"Really I should be glad to have a chance to get to know you. Learn how you remember papa. When we get back home, can I show you those plays we were talking about? I...I bet he'd be happy to know you read them."
Rilee blinks hard and looks at Zoli strangely, almost as if realizing for the first time that the halfling had been her daughter in a past life.
Then she shakes her head vehemently. "No! That's-- you're fine! There's nothing to apologize for, certainly not for that!"
She rubs her face and paces back and forth for a moment. "I'd been afraid you'd blame me. For not coming back into your life earlier. For dying in the first place. For leaving your father and you alone."
She gets a haunted look on her face, and she stares at her hands. "I'm not your mother anymore. I can do things she never could. Never would."
She looks back at Zoli directly. "Maybe it's best we pretend that was never said? That Ryllibelle and Tanitus are finally reunited?"
Zoli's draw drops open and she just blinks, and then blinks again. "Ummmm," she hazards.
"I mean, huh? That's...that's still possible? I...
"I don't really know what to say. I mean, thank you--and you know you don't have to do this just because you and Eugeni are, um, boinking now, right? But...uh...that's weird to think about. I guess I'll...think about it?"
She takes a breath and then gives the halfelf a quick squeeze. "Have a good trip. I'll see you in about a week. OK, bye!" Then she ducks out, feeling a bit dizzy at the thought of Setsu's suggestion.
I've...I want to see papa again so badly--even just to have that same damn argument again; him telling me to leave behind my dreams of exploration and adventure--but what does that even mean now? Where is he? Does HE want to return?
. . .
Zoli walks along quietly for a minute, taking all that Rilee said in. "I know you're not my mother. Not really...but your soul was in her body. You hold onto some of her memories...I guess I kind of like that, in a way."
After another long pause she continues, "Ummm, by the way, Setsu offered to resurrect papa. Not yet--she doesn't know how yet--but she thinks she might be getting close.
"I don't really even know where to begin thinking about that. Is he already in Nirvana? Would he even want to come back? Can we ask him somehow? I...of course I'd like to have him here still, to have him back...but what does that even mean for him?
"You know so much about the Wheel...but he's probably not 'riding the wheel', right? He's probably in Nirvana, or else in the Boneyard, getting ready to be sent there...I'd think? Right?"
As she talks, she fidgets anxiously with her lucky Thassilonian medalion.
Rilee stops abruptly in their walk, stunned. A storm of emotions cross her face as she considers Tanitus returning to life. A spark courses through her hair and a tang of ozone rises off her. She turns away from Zoli and walks off the path for a moment, keeping her back to the halfling.
When she turns back around, her eyes are red and her cheeks are wet. "Zoli, I don't know those things. The Wheel just... is. I don't think there's any judgment, it's just the cycle of life and death and rebirth. The dead become the soil from which new life grows."
Rilee returns to the path and sits, drawing her knees up to her chest. "I know even less about the Boneyard. I don't know about the judgments, and the punishments or the rewards, or any of that. So I don't know what it's like in the Boneyard, if it's pleasant, or if it hurts. I never go there. Shalelu went. She said she saw her mother," she says, looking up sharply.
Near anguish crosses Rilee's features as she whispers, "but he won't see me."
In the Past...
Upon hearing that Zoli thinks her offer is just a way to make up for stabbing her in the back, the Oracle winces slightly.
"Zoli, I'm making this offer for you. I just... want you to be happy, sweetie. There is no other ulterior motive from my end. Besides the chance that your father is content with the afterlife, there are no strings attached. Take some time to think about it, okay? It is a major decision to make. And if you decline, then I will completely respect your choice."
(In hindsight, given recent events, there might be a hint of an element of trying to make amends with Zoli, but then again, the Oracle has been thinking about this offer since the middle of Hook Mountain, so... who knows at this point?)
Zoli does her best to wrap her arms around Rilee as the druid sits there hugging her own knees. She feels a spark arc to her medallion, shocking her momentarily, but she just squeezes her reincarnated companion tighter.
She tries to think of things to say, and eventually rejects them all in favor of just holding on.
. . .
Zoli nods, but doesn't stop walking away. "Uh huh it's--it's very generous. Sorry, I just--I've got even more to think about. See you in a week!"
There's a long silence between them. Then Rilee returns the embrace and begins to speak softly.
"I had been male for several lifetimes, to the point that I had forgotten I could even be a woman. I had a quiet life as an elf, then a violent one as a dwarf. I was a field marshal or something like that. What followed was even more violence as an orc in Belkzen. That brutal life ended and an even worse one began as a goblin. It was mercifully short, but harsh and grasping.
"When I awoke as a halfling girl, it was... confusing. But so incredibly peaceful. The Butterhills were wonderful taking me in. They brought me back from a rather wild state, and of course introduced me to your father.
"He fascinated me. His desire to entertain, to learn, and then share the tales he discovered was so magnificent in its earnestness. And so far removed from my years and years of bloodshed. As soon as I realized he was serious, I just loved him for that." She looks a bit sheepish. "It did take me a while to figure that out, though."
After a pause where she stares off into space, she continues. "I never told him. He knew I was found after a goblin raid nearly amnesiac and clearly traumatized, but he never asked about my life before Dunner found me."
She takes a deep breath and stands up. "So if you want to take Setsuna up on her offer, this will come up. Twenty-four years is a long time. I'm young again. He'll be old, and changed from when I knew him and loved him so dearly. I'm living a life of violence again, and I can't-- I can't--" her voice breaks and she chokes back a sob.
"I can't go back. But you can have your real father again. So do what your heart wants, and we'll figure out the rest, somehow."
Zoli suddenly starts to giggle. She tries to stop herself, explaining, "I'm sorry--I know this is tearing you up; it’s crazy for me too, but--" she loses a few words to snorting and giggling"--Dunner? No WAY! I think maybe I saw you stop to say hello to him in Magnimar after I met with him, but I just figured it was a Cleric-Druid kind of thing, or maybe just being curious."
She shakes her head and snorts. "You--do I call Ryllibelle 'you'? I don't know if I'll ever get over how confusing this all is!--anyway, Youlibelle were raised by Dunner Butterhill, Cleric of Chaldira? And he introduced you to papa?" Zoli shakes her head, finally getting the better of her fits of laughter.
”It’s just...well I think Chaldira has a splendid sense of humor.
“And I know you’re not going back to being Papa’s wife...even if I--”Zoli shakes her head and says vehemently”--even if we agree to Setsuna doing it. It really is just her weird, endearing way of trying to do good...even if it seems to always stir the pot!”
Rilee looks at Zoli first with confusion, then a smile slowly grows on her face. Before long, she is laughing right along with the halfling's infectious giggles.
"That's a good way of putting it. 'Stirring the pot.' She is my great-granddaughter, you know."
She smiles at Zoli's reaction, if this was news to her.
"Maybe the Wheel has a sense of humor as well."
"Welll.....toad f$%~. That slick willied bastard alwayts was half too clever.
“Xamaroth always seemed like a good guy to me. I think we’re jumping to a lot of conclusions based on scanty evidence. Sadly it doesn’t look like there’s a lot we can do in any event.”
When Setsuna’s recovered from her latest explosion of blubbing, Morythine asks her “Do you know where I can get a wand to heal myself in Magnimar? And when do we get to meet your sister?”
"You should be able to buy them anywhere," the Oracle says with a sigh. "As for blaming Xam, I explicitly heard Ameiko beg me for help and tell me that Xam handed her over to some group of people. She was clearly put under some mind control spell halfway through the message. That is not 'scanty evidence' by any logic, Mory. Xam is a backstabbing, kidnapping coward who threw his fiance to the dogs to save his own hide. Sabrina would..."
Speaking of the devil, Setsuna pauses midway through her rant and then says something random in curt Elven.
"...That was Mom. She and Sabrina are heading over right now."
Zoli rolls her eyes when Rilee claims Setsuna is her great-granddaughter. "Hehehehehehe, of course she is! Are you related to everyone? How many lives have you had anyway? Were you around for Earthfall? The fall of the Azlanti and Thassilonian empires? Did you fly in the Shory's flying cities or study with Old Mage Jetembe in the Magaambya? Can you remember all the way back to your first life, or do they all just fade into the mists?"
As they walk back to town, Zoli has a bit more of a spring in her step. Time spent poking around the Thassilonian ruins under Thistletop again did her good (despite not learning more about her missing friends)...and even more so, getting back on more solid ground with Rilee: the most relaxed she'd felt with the druid since her rebirth and the shocking revelation that they were--sort of--related.
Zoli's emine familiar Grettela scampers out of her pack, up onto her shoulder, and then down into the nook of her arm. Zoli is happily content to walk in silence beside the multilived enigma that is Rilee, scratching behind Grettela's ears as the snowy ermine purrs and chirps.
Just as they pass the Old Light and the city's north wall comes into view her pleasant reverie is interrupted by Setsuna's voice in her head.
"Xam kidnapped Ameiko. Took her to his world. Gave her to some... people. Coward refuses to say more."
"What? Say more! That must be some mistake. Come back fast please, so we can talk. Should either pursue them or head to Jorgenfist quickly." She feels the connection end just before she can ask, "...How quickly can you be back?"
Shaken anew, the swashbuckaeologist turns back to Rilee and relays the message word for word. "I don't know if we're going to hear from her again today. I don't really know how often she can cast that spell.
"How about you? Can you scry anymore, for either of them? Maybe find more clues? Did Xamarath really take them back to his world? I wasn't even sure he knew how to do that! He claimed he could but then he always preferred a blustery air of Great Power and I never really knew which parts were for show and which were legit."
Rilee spends most of the rest of the journey back from Thistletop shaking her head no at the myriad questions about her past lives. The truth was, she couldn't remember much more beyond faint images and hazy sensations the further back she went. She felt that she probably would have remembered if she had lived through Earthfall, or had met some of the great personages of legend. Then again, her memory was so spotty that it was entirely possible her lives went that far back.
Her trips down the hazy paths of memory came to an abrupt halt when Zoli received Setsuna's sending.
"I can't do a scrying today, but I can cast more in the morning, though since I can't hear, or communicate, I'm not sure what I'll be able to do. I could keep trying to scry on Ameiko, too."
She thinks on what she saw him doing, but it was brief, and appeared fairly mundane and benign. She puzzled over the fact that a trusted comrade could have betrayed them so.
Then a sick idea comes to her and her face grows ashen and she starts taking deep breaths as if the air were being sucked out of her lungs. "Oh. Oh, oh no, Zoli. I may have made a terrible mistake," she says as her knees go weak. She meanders in the direction of a large rock and sits down, putting her head in her hands.
"I-- I found Jubrayl. I caught up to him. He paid a boat to smuggle him out of Sandpoint. He tried to bargain for his life. Said he knew of someone worse than him. He had evidence. He said he'd give me his name if I let him go with the promise we'd never bother him or his businesses again."
She looks up at Zoli, clearly terrified. "What if he was talking about Xamarath?"
"You should be able to buy them anywhere," the Oracle says with a sigh. "As for blaming Xam, I explicitly heard Ameiko beg me for help and tell me that Xam handed her over to some group of people. She was clearly put under some mind control spell halfway through the message. That is not 'scanty evidence' by any logic, Mory. Xam is a backstabbing, kidnapping coward who threw his fiance to the dogs to save his own hide. Sabrina would..."
Speaking of the devil, Setsuna pauses midway through her rant and then says something random in curt Elven.
"...That was Mom. She and Sabrina are heading over right now."
"Right now!? I haven't bathed. I'm not ready to meet your mother yet, I look like s$*&!" Eugeni enters a minor panic at the prospect of meeting his girl's ma so soon. He takes out his pony tail, and shakes out his long hair, frantically combing his fingers through the dusty tangles.