The Council of Mythos IC III

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa Revane/Sky/Heartshield/Lightcard sits at the dinner table, thinking about all her past experiences. Her newly adopted daughter. Her future husband, who for some reason was constantly being wounded, kidnapped, and lusted after by almost every woman who came across him. Her new friend Sakura, who had just exposed her new daughter to tons of inappropriate activities. Her old friend, Fenlaen, who she left in The Forest of Perversion to drown in his own lust for all eternity, it would seem. Her frenemy, Elaina Buvelle, who had just recently used mind control to free her from other mind control, only for her to become immune to all mind control and free herself from both that mind control and the first mind control, and then come across a new kind of mind control that pierced her immunity to mind control for no reason at all, but worked similarly to the first mind control, so she came full circle on that one.

She had a wedding to plan, apparently. And The Black Sun leader was likely somewhere in this town. Finally, after weeks of hunting, she would come face to face with the man who had kidnapped Maria and sent her on this quest to begin with.

[Diachronos]

Nissa sighs as she recalls everything that had happened in the past two weeks. Nothing could be done about what was in the past, but she was finally in a position where she could locate the one behind Maria's abduction. After that, it would be time to start planning her wedding, and arranging everything for when her child is born

She finishes eating and stands up to go find Sora, patting Tiana on the head as she walks by.

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios Heartshield is currently in a meeting with Elaina Buvelle, though Nissa does find Sakura Ashmond looking a little distraught after Arios had a conversation with her about the proper ways to take care of a child. She looks up as she notices Nissa entering the room. "Oh. Hey. Come to get angry at me too?" she asks.

[Diachronos]

Nissa doesn't answer for a moment. "I'm livid over what you were doing with a girl her age, but since I'm sure Sora already gave you more than an earful and Tiana doesn't seem to be in too bad of a shape, I'm willing to let it go."

She sighs and sinks into one of the chairs, leaning back and closing her eyes. "You both seem to have a lot of fun together so I'm not going to forbid her from spending time with you, but... could you at least wait until she's older before starting her on drinking and playing strip poker?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Sakura shrugs helplessly. "If you say so, but I'm not sure what human girls like! After all, I grew up in a forest of depravity and sin. Drinking, smoking, sex and gambling was all I ever learned. My mother taught me all of it from a very young age, and of course everyone else my age was doing it too, so there were no problems. I didn't imagine that humans would be that different. Still, she is your daughter, so I'll respect your wishes," the nymph mutters.

[Diachronos]

Nissa thinks for a moment, trying to recall what she'd liked as a girl. Probably none of the things Tiana did, since Tiana had lived up to her father's expectations of what a "good daughter" would be like and she hadn't. "To be honest I'm kind of at a loss too. I know she loves rabbits and wild adventure stories, but that's all I've got."

She rubs her temples and sighs. "The gambling I can let go, as long as it doesn't get out of hand. But I don't want her drinking or smoking, and I definitely don't want her stripping."

[NeoSeraphi]

Sakura thinks for a moment. "I don't think she likes gambling so much as playing cards. And she loves playing music too, especially that flute you gave her."

The witch frowns. "Anyway, you're looking for Arios right? Elaina and Alicia are talking to him in the study."

[Diachronos]

She nods and stands up. "Your entertainment choices aside, I really do appreciate you watching her for me." Nissa gives the nymph a warm smile and heads into the study to meet up with Sora.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa heads to the study only to discover the door is locked. She hears a few voices coming from inside the room.

"Orders are orders, period. I never thought I would be the one to tell you that."

"But she seems harmless. And she said she wouldn't bother To'ko again."

"Have you forgotten who you are, sergeant? We didn't give you the name 'Black Knight' because of your mercy. Have you forgotten Sarini Gorge?"

There is a long silence, before: "It's not the right thing to do. It's not justice."

"And I suppose her long black hair has nothing to do with your change of heart?"

[Diachronos]

Nissa heads back to the living room and lets out a heavy sigh as she sinks back into the chair. "Great, now they're on Sora's case because I convinced Kay'estra to remove the vice aura instead of just killing her..."

She looks over at Sakura. "Is it really so horrible for her to be let go? Chylaix and Olivia were threatening to overtake the lands around their forests so I can understand the Council targeting them, but Kay'estra hasn't done anything hostile toward humans. She didn't even know about the vice aura affecting the city until I told her."

[NeoSeraphi]

Sakura shakes her head. "Arios is no longer with us. He is not under our authority. They aren't upset because he did not kill her earlier, they're upset because he's trying to convince them not to kill her at all."

Sakura sits next to Nissa. "Normally I'd answer yes, without question, just as adamantly as Elaina and Alicia are. But if Arios, of all people, is arguing for her to be spared, I don't know what to think." She sighs and shakes her head. "It's Sarini all over again," she mutters to herself sadly.

[Diachronos]

That was something Nissa hadn't expected to hear, especially considering the hatred he had of the fey was magnified by the sword he carried. "He is? But... why? When we left for the forest he wanted nothing more than to kill every fey we encountered." Had Kay'estra's words and willingness to make things right with To'ko changed him in some way?

She gave the nymph a curious look. "What happened with Sarini?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Sakura looks like she might cry. The air around her darkens and five chains with five red locks cross over her heart. "I'm sorry Nissa," the nymph sniffles, "but some words are just too painful to say out loud."

[Diachronos]

Nissa puts a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Sorry to bring up a bad memory. Forget I asked." How bad could Sarini Gorge be if it upset Sakura and Alicia was using it to change Sora's mind?

[NeoSeraphi]

The front door opens and Justin Titanbane steps through the doorway, pushing his light glasses up his slender nose. He walks down the hallway and crosses his arms as he looks at Nissa disapprovingly for a moment, before turning his attention to his colleague. "Where is he?" the grandmaster demands. Sakura nods to the study and Justin turns around and knocks on the door. The door opens and he walks in, and the argument resumes, a little louder than before.

[Diachronos]

Nissa returned Justin's look, and maintained it for a moment after he entered the study. "Has there ever been a time where he wasn't such a jerk?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Sakura smiles and shrugs. "As far as he's concerned, if you're not perfect then you're not good enough. And a person who can change his form continuously and at will has a very strict definition of 'perfect'." She looks at the door worriedly, and then walks over, knocks on it, and they let her in. Sounds of heated discussion ring from the door.

"Death may not be the only solution here. Compromises can be reached."

"Don't you start. There was a reason we didn't ask you to this meeting in the first place."

"Hey! Don't talk down to her like that!"

"We will obey the will of the Goddess. If you would stand in my way, then you will be cut down as well."

"Just try it!"

There is a sound of a sword being drawn. The whole room gets quiet.

"...It's ironic, isn't it? You were given that weapon to slay fey, and now you draw it with the intention of protecting one. Against your own people."

"Last time I checked, changelings were related to hags. Guess that makes you less than perfect, huh?"

"Heh. Someone needs a reality check. I am perfection in every way. And I'll prove it right now, even with that weapon of yours."

"Perfect in every way? This coming from the guy who needs glasses!"

There is a collective shout of shock and awe from the room, followed quickly by a loud noise. Nissa has to jump away from the door as Arios's body smashes through it, taking out part of the wall with it. Justin steps forward, taking his glasses off and raising his fists. "I hope she's worth dying for to you."

Arios shakes his head and stands up, putting on his helmet. "Her? I barely know her. But I'll gladly die if it means stopping my friends from killing an innocent person just because they were told to!"

"Innocent? You of all people would claim that?" Justin replies, visibly shocked by the statement. "You can smell the evil on her! You can taste the sin that surrounds her! She is a demon, and she must be slaughtered just like all the others."

Arios pushes himself to his feet. "Oh yeah. I know she's evil. But that doesn't mean," he says, his eyes shifting to Elaina, "that she isn't fit to live alongside us. Now, let's see what you've got!"

Arios charges forward and swings his blade in both hands. Justin quickly takes his usual defensive stance, ready to catch the weapon in both hands, but the second it touches him he shrieks in pain and staggers back. Arios pulls his sword back and grins. "Can't defend yourself in that form, or any form. Deep down, you're just as fey as her, and my weapon knows it!"

The changeling clenches his fist and glares at Arios angrily. "I am a servant of the Goddess of this world. I am Her high priest! You would dare mock me in the middle of a battle? I will carry out Lady Cassandra's will. I swear it! Titanbane's perfect transformation!"

Justin raises his right hand and a white sword appears out of thin air, dropping into his outstretched finger tips. The wizard's muscles bulge, his movements become faster and more precise, and his skin toughens all over. He transforms from a scrawny young adult into a battle-hardened warrior who looks even stronger than Arios. His blade shines with raw magical power, and he dashes forward. Arios swings his sword and the two clash, as the sound of steel clanging against steel echoes through the hallways.

[Diachronos]

Nissa stood back, her hands over her mouth as the two of them started fighting in the hallway. And from the look of it, they didn't intend to stop until one of them was dead.

She skirted around the fight and started toward the other Council members. "Are you really going to let them fight like this? They're going to kill each other!"

[NeoSeraphi]

Alicia, Sakura and Elaina are watching the fight intently. When Nissa exclaims that one of them might kill the other, Elaina replies with "I know, it's pretty awesome actually."

"I mean, watching these two go at it with all their strength, it's kind of insane," Sakura comments, wincing as she sees Justin stab Arios in the stomach and draw a large amount of blood.

"It's not like death means anything to us anyway. We resurrect ourselves all the time," Alicia adds, covering her face with one hand when she sees Arios slam his spiked elbow into Justin's kneecap, ripping it off.

Justin yells angrily and swings his blade, cutting Arios's left arm clean off. The Black Knight howls in pain and brings up his foot, and with a horrid crack of bone, shatters Justin's ribcage with a surprise kick.

This is not like other fights Nissa has seen. These men are keeping themselves alive purely by defensive magic. At this rate, their bodies would break apart before their endurance, or their pride.

[Diachronos]

Nissa barely keeps from vomiting at the sheer carnage of the fighting before her. "What do you mean, 'you resurrect yourselves'? Don't tell me you lot go around getting yourselves killed on a regular basis." She only half-listened to any replies that came; she was to worried about finding some way to make them stop before Sora died.

[NeoSeraphi]

The destructive, loud fighting that Nissa is watching is interrupted by the smallest of noises, a door down the hallway creaking open, and a few tiny footsteps. Nissa realizes, only too late, what just happened.

The young tiefling girl walks down the hall, rubbing her eyes as she has just woken up from her sleep. She looks up and sees Arios fighting Justin, with his bleeding severed arm laying forgotten on the floor. Tiana gasps. "D-Daddy? Hey! Get away from my father!" she yells, running at Justin hysterically.

Arios looks up in surprise. "Tiana?" he asks, but that is unfortunately the only opening The Immortal needs. He slams his fist into the the spiked full plate on Arios's chest and pierces through it, cracking through his armor with sheer force, even though his skin is being ripped off in the process. There is a loud shattering sound as Justin breaks Arios's skin and rips out his beating heart, squishing it in the palm of his hand until it bursts.

Tiana stops running and gasps in shock as her new father's blood sprays everywhere, some getting on the tiefling girl's face. Arios falls to the ground, his lifeless, one-armed corpse collapsing at his daughter's feet.

Tiana looks up at Nissa, tears rolling down her face as she screams.

Justin pants, dropping what's left of the heart and putting his glasses back on, pushing them up his face and dripping Arios's fresh blood down his cheeks as he does so. "Well then, that's been decided. Phoenix, Commander. We're going to destroy that entire forest and every creature in it."

Sakura and Alicia quickly leap to attention and follow Justin as they make for the door.

[Diachronos]

Nissa rushes to Tiana once she can get through and drops to her knees, pulling the girl into her arms and holding her close. She didn't know what to do, or what she could do. How was she going to help her daughter get over the fact that Sora had been murdered right in front of her? For that matter, how was she going to cope with this herself?

Holo and Rhys. Maybe they could bring Sora back? She had to find out, she had to find a way to bring him back. But before that...

She brought Tiana away from the body and toward the room where the argument had started, where she started trying to calm the girl down. "Shh, I know, sweetie... I'm going to find a way to bring him back, I swear. I... I swear..." It took her several seconds to realize that she'd started sobbing as well, and as the realization sank in she found herself bawling her eyes out.

[NeoSeraphi]

The two girls start crying and holding each other while Elaina looks at them in annoyance. "Damn. Sure would be nice to have my ring of three wishes right now. It's too bad that someone decided to steal it and then blow the wish to boost her low self-esteem."

She glares at Nissa. "Last time I checked, when you died Sora didn't hesitate. He immediately resurrected you. If you have time to feel sad you have time to fix things."

[Diachronos]

Nissa shoots a dirty look at Elaina, though she stops after a moment. The comment about the wish aside, she was right; her time was better spent trying to get Sora resurrected than it was sitting here mourning.

She dries her eyes and helps Tiana up. "Come on, let's get you to bed. First thing in the morning, we're going to the Queen to find someone to bring Sora back, okay?" She put an arm around the girl's shoulders and brings her back to her room. Rather than tucking her in and leaving, she crawls into bed beside the little tiefling and holds her close, gently stroking her hair and humming an old tune that her mother used to use to help her sleep.

Once Tiana is asleep, she carefully gets up and heads to start moving Sora's body out of the hallway. She brings his corpse into the room they'd shared, making sure to get his severed arm as well. Once every part of him is accounted for, she plants a kiss on the forehead of his helmet. "I promise, I will find a way to bring you back, Sora. Even if it takes me the rest of my life."

Once his body is tended to, Nissa goes into the bathroom to clean the blood off of her hands, then returns to Tiana's side.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa has a restless night. It has been quite a while since she slept without a pair of powerful arms around her. She wakes up once or twice in the night, but Tiana seems to remain peaceful.

In the morning, Elaina greets the half-elf with a smile. "Come. Let us go visit The Omnipotent."

[Diachronos]

Nissa scowls and sets to helping Tiana get ready. "No. I want nothing to do with her, or the rest of the Council. Not if they're going to slaughter everyone they think is in the way of their skewed sense of what's right."

[NeoSeraphi]

Elaina blinks. "Look, if you want Kay'estra to be spared you need to convince our Goddess. Only She can stay Justin's hand."

[Diachronos]

Nissa clenches her fists, about to tear into Elaina, but after a moment she sighs and closes her eyes. "Fine." She finishes getting Tiana ready and prepares for the journey to Cassandra's dwelling.

[NeoSeraphi]

Elaina nods and the two of them step through a portal and into the spider's parlor. Castle Mythos looks quite plain. It is far less intimidating than the last time Nissa was here. The group enters the drawing room to find the drider mystic looking at a large map of the world. Each member of The Council has a photo attached somewhere, with Orion's picture in Jazi, Sakura's in Sha'zhen, and Cassandra and Arios both in Mys'tai.

[Diachronos]

Nissa gives the photos on the map a curious look, wondering what the significance of them was. It wasn't important now, though; she was here for a reason. "I'm a little surprised you're actually willing to hear what I have to say about this."

[NeoSeraphi]

"My child, I already know what you're going to say. I know everything you think and everything you feel, and by the way, the answer to that question in the back of your mind is yes. Yes, your new hair looks ridiculous. Who ever heard of a blonde half-elf." the drider muses, not looking away from the map. "Now go on, state your case."

[Diachronos]

Nissa frowns; this was her natural color, could it really be that ridiculous.

"I take it you already know how To'ko came under the effect of Kay'estra's vice aura, so I'll skip over that. When I went to her in the forest, she refused to remove the aura when I warned that its effects on the people of To'ko would draw the attention of the Council and give you more reason to attack her. When I started to leave, she stopped me and had me show her the mark of Lamashtu on my back. After I told her that it was a succubus in Lamashtu's service that corrupted the city, she agreed to remove the aura without me having to say anything else."

Thinking back, she recalls the cursed stud piercing in Kay'estra's tongue. "She said that demons have plagued her people for hundreds of years, and there was an unholy aura coming off one of her piercings. I know little about curses or demonic corruption so I may be wrong on this, but... could it be possible that the Seven are made a threat because of the demonic taint influencing them, rather than any malice they feel over what's happened in the past?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Cassandra nods slowly. "Hmmm, if it's a curse, the curse can be broken. We should not act without all the information. I will halt The Immortal's attack."

[Diachronos]

Nissa sighed with relief and bowed to Cassandra. "Thank you, Grandmistress. I don't know if Kay'estra will become a threat in the future or not, but right now I would hate for her or her people to die when she willingly fixed a problem that someone else created."


I can't believe that worked so easily. Good thing I went back to check what exactly was said during that exchange, otherwise I might not have remembered the cursed piercing

[NeoSeraphi]

The self-proclaimed Goddess nods in agreement. "I will examine the evidence and discover the truth for Myself, but if I determine her to be of no threat, I will not needlessly risk time and resources to kill her for no reason. You have my thanks for presenting me with this information. Now, was there anything else?"

[Diachronos]

Nissa hesitates for a moment before speaking. "Justin killed Sora for trying to defend Kay'estra. Will anything be done about that, or that he did so right in front of Tiana?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Cassandra raises an eyebrow. "'Will anything be done'? I'm not certain as to what you mean. Arios was acting as an obstacle and Justin removed him and continued on to follow my orders. He acts exactly as a pawn should, even when his best friend is obstructing him. He has done nothing wrong. Now, of course, I would certainly like to see Arios revived."

[Diachronos]

"Will you provide the means to revive him?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Cassandra smirks. "If you insist, I will. However, given his...chivalrous and honorable nature, I think that were I the person to resurrect him, he would feel obligated to return to My service. If that is your wish, then I will of course not delay another second." She pauses, looking at Nissa expectantly.

[Diachronos]

Nissa frowns and shakes her head. "Forget it, I'll find another way to bring him back. He's been through enough without going back to the Council."


Sorely tempted to play Reincarnate Roulette, but that might end badly...

[NeoSeraphi]

That might be fun. Have him turn into a Small sized creature, and then he can't use his weapon and we get a few funny scenes where they're in the bedroom and Nissa is like "Er...maybe I should have sprung for the resurrection..."

Or he comes back as a bugbear. And then Nissa has to kiss that.

Cassandra smiles and shrugs her shoulders. "I figured that is what you'd say. Never mind letting the man make his own choices. You possessive stalker, you." She turns back to her map.

[Diachronos]

Nissa sighs and turns back to Elaina. "Well, now that that's taken care of, we should get back to To'ko. I need to see someone about getting what I need to bring Sora back." She put her arm around Tiana's shoulders, gently patting the girl's arm.

[NeoSeraphi]

Elaina shakes her head. "You'll have to go without me, I'm afraid. I need to stay behind and see what this means for the other members of The Seven. We're going to need to reassess our current mission and determine if reparations should be made to the families of the fey we've already hurt."

[Diachronos]

Nissa scowls, but turns and heads out of the castle with Tiana. Of course they would leave the two of them stuck on the other side of the ocean from someone who needed to be resurrected. Oh well, there had to be some way back to To'ko that wasn't going to take three days...

Suddenly she feels like a massive idiot; she's wearing a faster way back. Holding Tiana's hand firmly, she clicks her heels together, aiming for the entry hall of Elaina's manor.


[roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa clicks her heels and she and her sister teleport back to Elaina's mansion, in the exact spot Nissa was focusing on. The air is thick with the smell of her dead boyfriend and his bloody, maggot-ridden corpse. Thankfully, Nissa put him in her room, so Tiana could not see the corpse, but both of them were quite aware of its presence.

And now that Nissa had left Mys'tai without even dropping by to see her mother, she had many options available to her. The sun was high in the sky and she was ready for anything.

It's about noon at this point.

[Diachronos]

Nissa gags a little as she catches the smell of Sora's decaying body, but she promptly turns and gets herself and Tiana outside, with Ghellin trotting behind after he'd met up with them in the entry hall. "Come on, Tiana, let's head to the market. I'm going to need to get a few things." Once they're at the merchant district, Nissa starts looking around for the oils needed for a reincarnate spell, or the diamond needed for a resurrection if the oils are not available.


You know, I was actually considering having Nissa head over there, too...

[NeoSeraphi]

As The City of Fire is nowhere close to any natural terrain other than The Forest of Perversion, the demand for druid supplies is fairly low to non-existent. Nissa does however discover a diamond that would allow a cleric to cast the raise dead spell, being peddled by a dwarven miner with a glint in his eyes. He offers it to Nissa for only 7,000 gp.

Ghellin looks around nervously and tugs on Nissa's leg while she is speaking with the shopkeeper.

[Diachronos]

Nissa looks down at Ghellin, sensing his anxiety. "What is it, Ghellin?" She looks around as well, hoping to spot whatever it is that has the raptor on edge as she puts a hand on Tiana's shoulder.


[roll0]

Also, Sense Motive on the dwarf: [roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

The dwarf is eager for such a lucrative sale. Sorry, but preventing yourself from getting ripped off is what the Appraise skill is for, not the Sense Motive skill.

Nissa sees a giant three headed dog being ridden by a small dragonlike creature bounding towards her.

[Diachronos]

Nissa's eyes widen as she starts backing away from the dog, though she puts herself between it and Tiana. Then she notices the draconic creature on its back. It couldn't be... could it? But how could Dragonair and the three-headed dog from Sora's attic have gotten all the way here from Mys'tai?

"D... Dragonair?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Whoa there! Whoa boy!" the pseudodragon calls out in Draconic, yanking on the cerberus's collar. The beast stops moving just in front of Nissa, leaning down and sniffing her, and then Nissa is beset by three long tongues lapping at her face. The pseudodragon flies down and lands on Tiana's head, who happily reaches up to pet him as he talks to Nissa. "How did I get here? Oh, well, I didn't even know this, but, it turns out that when a familiar's master is so overwhelmingly powerful that he literally leaks magical energy out as he walks, the familiar can gain a lot of extra power from that. Particularly when he is able to speak the language. I don't understand it myself, but I think I can use magic on my own now. It's great! It's like I'm a real dragon! But more importantly, we're here because we heard that Master fell."

The cerberus stops licking Nissa and its six ears droop sadly.

[Diachronos]

Nissa sputters as the cerberus starts licking her, reaching up to wipe strands of dog slobber off of her face. "Well... yes, he did. I'm working on getting him brought back, though." She checked her coin purse, which was far too light to afford the diamond. With a sigh she considers her options. There were a couple of pieces of equipment she could sell off considering what she'd gotten, though it might not be enough.... maybe the queen had some sort of task that she could perform in exchange for the resurrection?

[NeoSeraphi]

Dragonair chirps happily. "I've got just what you need!" He opens his claws to reveal a small gold coin and hands it to Nissa.

[Diachronos]

Nissa raises an eyebrow and holds up the coin. The pseudodragon had a skewed sense of value, if he thought the one coin was going to be enough to afford a 7000g diamond... Unless there was something special about it?


Spellcraft? [roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

The dwarven shopkeeper explodes in surprise. "Wh-whoa! WHERE DID YOU GET THAT COIN?" he exclaims, snatching it up and examining it under his magnifying glass. "Such a perfect specimen...so well preserved! This...this is a piece of history! H-how much do you want for this? You need the diamond right? Take it! And here, I'll even throw in my finest sapphire earrings! They're perfect for a woman with such high class like yourself!" He is practically drooling.

The coin is enchanted with a sympathy curse. Anyone who sees it immediately desires it more than anything else in the world (Nissa's mind blank protects her from it though.)

[Diachronos]

Nissa is a little torn by this turn of events. It was just an ordinary gold coin aside from the magic, and she would basically be cheating him out of thousands of gold worth of jewelry....

But on the other hand, she needed that diamond to get Sora brought back, and they were nice earrings. "You drive a hard bargain... but it's a deal." She accepts the diamond and the earrings, then gives Dragonair a quick smile in thanks as they turn to leave. (Draconic) "Nice trick, my little friend."

[NeoSeraphi]

The pseudodragon laughs. "It's not my trick. Master has had that coin for a while...he traded something very special for it the first time he met Mistress Elaina."

[Diachronos]

"Why does it not surprise me that she did something like that... Did he say what it was he traded to her?" She starts leading their odd group toward the palace, hoping to meet up with the Queen or one of her priests.

[NeoSeraphi]

The dragon nods. "But of course! He traded the most valuable thing a man can give someone else...why do you think she gets away with calling him 'Sora' all the time when not even Grandmistress Sakura does not?" he replies. "Still, I don't think you'd like to hear what he gave her. It's something not even you will ever get from him."

Queen Sasha is seated on her throne. When Nissa enters, she greets the half-elf happily in Elvish.

[Diachronos]

Nissa's cheeks redden a little, though she's not sure if it's from anger or from the realization of what Dragonair probably meant.

At the palace, Nissa bows to Queen Sasha. (Elven) "I hope your day is going well, Your Majesty. Although, I wish I were here on more pleasant business... you see, my fiance, he... He fell in a battle, and I was hoping to obtain the help of one of your priests in reviving him."

[NeoSeraphi]

The Queen blinks in genuine surprise. "He fell in battle? But he was like seven feet tall and with that scary spiky armor and that giant sword and those huge muscles that make him look like he can bench press an ox!" Sasha replies, touching her finger to her chin as she thinks.
"Still, this doesn't seem like it'd be a very funny joke, so I'm guessing you're serious. Alright then. Rhys! Holo!"

She calls the two priests who appear in a path of orange and blue flame, circling around each other. Rhys smiles and kisses his wife's neck, but she blushes and hits him over the head, muttering something about not in front of other people.

[Diachronos]

Nissa turns to the priests. "I'm sorry to trouble the two of you again, but..." She presents the diamond to them. "Would you be able to resurrect someone for me?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Glancing down at the gem, the two priests exclaim. "Oh my! So gorgeous!" "A fine specimen indeed." "We can certainly use this to breathe life back into a person long dead." "And indeed, it would be our pleasure to do so." "Just one thing left to take care of."

The two priests look expectantly at Nissa. "So where is" "the body?"

[Diachronos]

"It's in Elaina Buvelle's manor. I didn't have the means to transport his body here, and I figured that toting a corpse around town wouldn't draw the best attention."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Wh-what?!" Holo exclaims, breaking their usual flowing speech pattern. "I'm not going in that crazy woman's house! She's evil! And psychotic! And she's a total whore!"

"Now, now, Holo, come on, relax, we said we'd do it didn't we?" Rhys replies, placing one hand on Holo's shoulder to calm her down.

"N-no! Her house is full of creepy people that never smile or talk normally or do anything but open doors and cook and clean...like they're dolls! That woman is on my top twenty list of Creepy People. No, scratch that. That woman is my top twenty list of Creepy People."

Rhys sighs and smiles. "I suppose it can't be helped, then. I will go and perform the miracle myself."

[Diachronos]

She nods and turns to Tiana, putting her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Tiana, can you stay here for a little bit while Rhys and I go take care of getting Sora back? I... well, I don't want you to have to see the state he's in right now. But we'll be back soon, okay?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Tiana looks up, confused. "B-but...if getting Daddy back is this easy...why didn't you bring my real Daddy back after you killed him? You...you wanted him to stay dead when he didn't need to? Even though I was all alone?" she asks.

[Diachronos]

Nissa nearly flinched when Tiana asked her that. How could she explain her actions in a way that the girl would properly understand? And in a way she was right; as horrible as Jacob Revane had been to Nissa, it wasn't fair to Tiana to leave their father dead when she was going through all of this to bring Sora back.

"...At the time, I did. He'd done horrible things to me and to my mother, and I was so angry over it that I just wanted him gone." She hugged Tiana. "But after what we've been through over the past couple weeks, I realized that I was letting my anger control me. I should have found another way to resolve my problems with Father. And that's why..." She pulled back from Tiana, looking the girl in the eyes. "I'm going to find a way to bring him back too."

[NeoSeraphi]

Tiana looks shocked. "Y-you're going to bring back my real Daddy? And if you're my Mommy then that means...you're going to break up with Sora and marry Daddy instead?" she asks, grinning. "And then the three of us can live happily ever after!" She looks very excited.

[Diachronos]

"N-no, I'm still going to be with Sora. If I married our father that would be..." She shuddered just thinking about it. "It'd be really weird."

[NeoSeraphi]

Tiana tilts her head. "Oh...but then which Daddy will be my Daddy? I can't just call them both Daddy, but Sora already said I could...and I could never call Daddy 'Jacob'..." She looks confused and worried.

[Diachronos]

Oh geez, what had she started now? "Let's not worry about that right now, Tiana. It's going to take some time for me to get what we need to bring Father back, so we can work out how things are going to be with you having two fathers later." She ruffled Tiana's hair and smiled.

[NeoSeraphi]

Sasha grins as she bows politely. "I promise, I will watch over this young girl like she was my own sister. Come along Tiana, let's play poker and drink vodka!" she exclaims in Elvish. Tiana tilts her head curiously at the fire elemental's words, not understanding a word of them, but she follows her anyway. They leave the throne room.

Rhys turns to Nissa expectantly. "Alright then. Lead the way."

[Diachronos]

Oh, you've got to be kidding me... Nissa stares after the queen as she leads Tiana away. When Rhys speaks up she shakes her head and starts leading the way back to Elaina's manor.

Along the way, she glances over at Rhys. "I envy you and Holo. Your relationship seems almost perfect compared to mine and Sora's..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Rhys laughs. "Yes, well, being siblings does that to people, you know." He turns and grins wolfishly. "You probably don't notice the physical resemblance, seeing as Holo is a sai'kalahl. Most people mistake her for a kitsune." He observes the look on Nissa's face and nods. "Disgusted? I'm sure you are. Humanoids seem to have difficulty accepting lycan traditions, particularly when it comes to our mating rituals, not that it's any of their business. Unfortunately, because natural lycanthropy is so difficult to pass down through a non-were mate, we're forced to interbreed constantly in order to keep our race alive."

Literally Sylvan for 'One Form'. With Nissa's Knowledge (Nature), she knows about this without needing a check.

More common in females than males, a sai'kalahl is a lycanthrope that is unable to change forms, and instead sits in a semi-hybrid form at all times. Generally speaking, this form is mostly humanoid but with some feral features, and the creature is able to hunt perfectly fine in this form with all of its natural weapons intact. Common lore often mistakes these creatures for other types of anthropomorphic animal hybrids like kitsunes, nagaji, and tengu.

[Diachronos]

Nissa's cheeks reddened a bit when he guessed (correctly) that she was disturbed by the incestuous nature of the pair's union. But after hearing the explanation she couldn't blame them; for all she knew, things could have been the same with the Leonis family in Jazi.

"I'm glad that you two are happy together."

[NeoSeraphi]

Rhys chuckles as he falls back into stride. "You don't need to worry about Grandmaster Heartshield either. As long as he loves you and you love him, what else is there to worry about? If you two are strong enough, you'll endure any challenge, come what may. I mean, so what if you have a few problems here and there. It's not like he beats you or you cheat on him. Every couple has some issues they need to work out, that's how they stay together. By uniting against things that would separate them."

[Diachronos]

"Well, our issues are more centered around the Council than any sort of lover's quarrel..." She sighs and rubs her temples. "I just hope that this is the last we'll have to deal with them, he's already been harmed enough by the messes they get involved in."

[NeoSeraphi]

Rhys nods knowingly. "Yes, I imagine you've had quite a bit of trouble with Grandmistress Buvelle. It's nice to see that you're still on good enough terms with her to stay in her home, what with Rydelle still living there and all." He looks genuinely impressed. "Still, you strike me as a good person, so I guess it makes sense that you would be above any petty jealousy or anger over something like that."

[Diachronos]

"Oh, don't get me started on the garbage that madwoman has put me through..." She pauses and gives him a curious look at the mention of a certain person living at the manor. "Rydelle? Who is Rydelle?" She wasn't sure if she'd ever heard the name before.

[NeoSeraphi]

Rhys blinks in surprise, and then takes a fearful step back. What was once a look of sincere respect had been replaced with a violent realization that could only be expressed by the term "Oh s***!" A dark aura forms behind the man and two chains wrap around him, locking themselves firmly around his heart with red locks. "R-Rydelle? You must have heard me wrong. I said 'Buvelle'. You know, Elaina Buvelle. She's still living in that house, and she is, as my sweet Holo put it, a whore. Not someone that would be easy to get along with. Heh."

[Diachronos]

Nissa crosses her arms and gives Rhys a hard look. "Don't think that just because I'm more at home in the wild than in a city that I'm dense enough to fall for that. Obviously Elaina Buvelle is living there, it's her house."

[NeoSeraphi]

Rhys winces and one of the locks breaks. "S-Sure, but why would you care about anyone else in that house? I don't have a reason to lie to you about someone who is connected to Elaina, do I?" he replies defensively.

[Diachronos]

"Then why is it 'surprising' that I'm on good terms with Elaina if this person is living in her house? And why would I have any reason to feel anger or jealousy toward them?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Rhys grins and relaxes a moment. He regains his composure. "Well, I don't know. Like I said, you just misheard me. After all, if there was someone else living in that house, you'd have already met them. Now then, let's go. We have a man to revive, don't we?"

[Diachronos]

Nissa frowns and starts heading toward Elaina's manor again. Maybe Sora would know who this 'Rydelle' was...

[NeoSeraphi]

The two make their way into Buvelle Manor and Rhys concentrates on the power of the diamond, slowly chanting and praying under his breath. He calls Arios's soul back to life, and then uses a number of healing spells to reattach his arm, restore his vitality and heal his lingering wounds. Arios stands up, fresh and feeling great, a new man. He looks Nissa in the eye and shakes his head solemnly. "You saved her...and you did it with a level head and a clear, concise argument. I'm so sorry honey, I shouldn't have just relied on my macho power and ego to try and prove my point. Please...forgive me. I'm so sorry to have upset you and our daughter." He steps forward and embraces her.

[Diachronos]

Nissa shakes her head and returns his embrace, tears of joy filling her eyes. "I'm happier to see you alive than I was upset to see you fall. And you don't need to apologize for trying to solve this the way that the Council's made you solve everything in the past." She presses her face into his chest for a moment before she turns to Rhys. "Thank you. I don't know what I would've done if he was gone for good."

[NeoSeraphi]

Rhys bows politely. "My pleasure. Well, you two seem like you need some time alone, so I'll return to the palace. Don't worry about your daughter, we'll take good care of her for as long as you like. I assure you, Holo is great with kids."

Meanwhile...somewhere else...

"So then, I pinned the tiger to the ground and started to skin it with my bare claws, but I was careless and got jumped from behind by a leopard. So I howled out and summoned the other members of my pack, before I drew my sole weapon, a small fruit knife, and charged into the crowd of wolves just as a sleuth of bears arrived to see what the commotion was! And we all ate very well that night," Holo explains.

Tiana's eyes sparkle. "Wooooow, you're so cool! You're almost as awesome as my mother! She once escaped a group of bandits by blowing a whistle and jumping off a cliff onto the back of a roc she had summoned! Then she killed the roc in mid air just as it was about to feed her to its babies, and used its plummeting body to smash all of its kids in the nest, as well as any eggs! Then she sold all the roc feathers to finally buy herself her first pair of pants since she left my father's home five years before!"

[Diachronos]

Nissa smiles at Rhys and nods. "We'll come by to get her in a little while." Once the priest left, she turns back to Sora. "Elaina brought me to see Cassandra earlier. She actually decided to stop Justin from killing everyone in the forest, at least for now, so hopefully you didn't go and get yourself killed for nothing."

Her smile turns to a mischievous grin. "'As long as we like', he said..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios nods. "Yes, I saw all of that. You don't lose your magic in the afterlife, after all. Well, unless your magic is connected to the natural world of the Prime, like yours. But I didn't, so I used it to scry on you and watch you while you were dealing with all of this. I couldn't just leave you alone, even though you couldn't hear me."

When she looks at him mischievously, he gives her a blank look. "Yes, well, it might be good for her to get out of the house so I'd be fine with her staying there all day, but what would we do while she's gone?"

[Diachronos]

"Well..." She starts reaching for the straps of his armor. "After everything that's happened over the past couple days, I think we both need a chance to relax and unwind. Don't you?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios grins and looks down at her. "Heh. You know, you do owe me for all that self-control I had to exercise to not enjoy you while you were in that hyper aggressive lust aura state. Maybe just a little of it is still there in you?" he asks playfully, tossing his armor onto the ground and kissing her.

[Diachronos]

She chuckles and tilts her head. "Well, you owe me for just leaving me like that. It's left me with an itch that still needs to be scratched." Her nose catches the smells in the room, which dampens the mood a little. "Then again, we might want to move to another room before we get started on that..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios does not need any more encouragement than that. He bends down and scoops his fiance up, carrying her across the hall in both arms to the room Sakura was using, and lays her down on the bed. After he closes the door, the smell is all but gone, and Nissa has much more pressing needs to attend to, both for her and for her lover.

[Diachronos]

Nissa removes her armor and pulls Sora onto the bed with her, intent on making up for lost time. By the time she's finished with him, she's curled up in his arms and too tired to move, with a pleasant smile on her face.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa is very worn out and happily satisfied after she has engaged in her amorous activity. She feels safe and content in her boyfriend's arms and as she lays next to him with a smile on her face, she feels strongly that things are going to change, and everything is going to be alright now.

Arios is sleeping, after all he had just had his arm regrown when Nissa decided to give him a workout. It has been about two hours since he was revived, and is approaching four PM in the day. It gets dark around six PM in this city.

[Diachronos]

Nissa snuggles up to him as he sleeps, one hand coming up to brush the hair from his face. From the look of the sky through the windows, it looks like it's starting to get late in the day... should she go get Tiana? Or should she stay put so she doesn't wake Sora?

After a moment she sighs and decides to wait a little longer. Sora needed his rest after having to regrow a severed limb, and she didn't want to risk waking him up.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa is able to relax in Sora's arms for a while longer, but the sun does set at six PM and it gets very dark. She imagines that if she does not go and pick up her daughter soon, the Queen will begin to get worried about her.

[Diachronos]

Nissa slowly extracts herself from Sora's arms and gets dressed, planting a quick kiss on his cheek and whispering that she'll be back soon. She then uses her boots to return to the palace.


Teleport: [roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa teleports to the castle and Rhys smiles as she arrives. "Oh good! Her Majesty was wondering when you'd show up. Let me go get Tiana for you."

He walks into the back and knocks on a door, opens it and says a few words, and then Tiana runs past him and rushes into Nissa's arms. "Mommy I missed you so much! Is Daddy okay now? High Priest Mai'Resi said he made him better."

[Diachronos]

Nissa strokes Tiana's hair and smiles. "Yes, dear, Sora's okay now. He's still recovering from it, but he should be fine by morning." She kneels and kisses her daughter on the cheek. "Did you have fun with Holo and Queen Sasha?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Tiana grins and nods. "Yep! High Priestess Mai'Resi is almost as cool as you are, Mommy! She skins wolves and lions with her bare claws, and then she mates with her brother on top of their skinless bleeding corpses under the light of the full moon! It's like something out of a fairy tale!" She blushes and smiles happily. "They're so obviously in love...I wish that someone would look at me the way the High Priest looks at her. But that's for when I'm older, right?" She smiles at Nissa.

[Diachronos]

Nissa chuckles and nods. "Yeah, you have about... 7 or 8 years, maybe, before you're ready for that kind of relationship. But when the time comes, I'm sure you'll find someone who will make you happy. And if any man breaks your heart... well, your parents are a huntress with a raptor and the greatest Abjuration mage in the world, so he'll get what's coming to him."

She stands and puts an arm around Tiana's shoulders as she heads into the room to thank Holo and Sasha for watching Tiana for her.

[NeoSeraphi]

As Nissa enters the room she immediately recoils from heat, the room must be at least 10 or 15 degrees higher in temperature than the throne room. She immediately sees why, there is a large circle of fire throughout the room that stops only at the entrance. Sitting in the center of the room is Queen Sasha, looking intently at Holo over a small game board with a partition between the player's sides.

"....C....Fourteen," Sasha says with a lot of thought.

Holo groans. "You sunk my battleship!" she exclaims, putting a piece on her board and rubbing her temples nervously.

[Diachronos]

Nissa wipes her forehead and walks into the room, smiling to the two women. "Sorry for intruding, but I just wanted to thank you both for looking after Tiana for me. I hope she didn't cause too much trouble." She gave her daughter a teasing look and ruffled her hair.

[NeoSeraphi]

Neither woman looks up from the game, it would appear a lot is riding on it. They both absent-mindedly acknowledge Nissa's statement.

[Diachronos]

Seeing that neither of them are going to draw their attention from the game, Nissa takes Tiana's hand and clicks her heels together to bring them back to the entrance hall of Elaina's manor.


Teleport: [roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa arrives back at the manor, and she sees Elaina looking crossly at her. "I'm fairly certain I told you you couldn't stay here again." she reminds Nissa.

[Diachronos]

Nissa scowls. "I'm aware. Can you fault me for coming back to retrieve my belongings and to get my fiance?" She starts heading for the room where Sora was, intending to wake him and get ready to leave so they could find an inn somewhere in town.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa is able to collect her gear and wake Arios up with no trouble. As they move to leave, the Grandmistress steps out of a room, her silver hair hanging low across the back of her black robe. "Are you really going to just leave, without saying hello?" she asks, looking sadly at Arios.

[Diachronos]

Nissa looks over to Sora, then to Elaina. Was he still going to ignore her like he had before? Or was he past that now?

"Sora, can't we put all this behind us? There's no sense in dwelling on the past..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios hesitates. "...Yeah. That's his room?" he asks, stepping past Elaina nervously. He walks in and closes the door behind him. Elaina remains in the hallway.

[Diachronos]

Nissa stares as Sora moves past Elaina into another room. She turns to the witch, a confused look on her face. "Who was Sora talking about?" Could the person in the room be this "Rydelle" that Rhys had mentioned?

[NeoSeraphi]

Elaina's face is expressionless. "He's talking to my son, Rydelle. Our son, I suppose. Seeing as Sora is his father."

[Diachronos]

Nissa's jaw drops upon hearing that. Sora already had another child? With Elaina, of all people? "I... I see..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Elaina smiles. "You look surprised. I'm sure you're wondering why you weren't made aware of this. I assume it was for the same reason Sora was going to leave without even looking at him: because my dear sweet Rydelle is his mommy's favorite enchanted doll. He can't speak, move, or think unless I give the command."

[Diachronos]

Nissa felt her chest tighten. Just when she thought Elaina couldn't be any more of a monster... "Why would you do that to your own child?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Elaina looks surprised. "My 'child'? I just told you, he's nothing more than a doll. Has been since birth. The reason is one you already know: the only reason I had the boy to begin with was to use him as a tool in my research on broken hearts. Or did you forget that? That part where I will do any horrible act to break your poor misguided knight's heart." She shakes her head.

[Diachronos]

Nissa doesn't answer, though more because she's positive that if she tried to say anything it would turn into a snarl as she drove her sword through Elaina's heart. Instead, she waits for Sora to come out, intending to leave as soon as he was ready.

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios comes out of the room looking glum and the quartet leaves. As they walk out, Tiana asks, "So is that what High Priestess Mai'Resi meant when she called the Grandmistress a...'hoar'?"

Arios is immedIately tackled to the ground by his pet cerberus the moment they set foot outside. "Pyramis! Dragonair! What are you two doing here?" he asks, petting each of the dogs' muzzles.

[Diachronos]

"Part of it, yes. But I think that's the nicest insult you could give to someone like her..."

She jumps as Sora gets knocked down by the cerberus. "Oh right, I forgot to tell you they were here. Apparently familiars can cast spells if their master's power is strong enough, so I'm guessing he used one of the spells in your books to get the two of them here. They came when Dragonair sensed that you'd... died.' She reached out to pet the massive canine.

[NeoSeraphi]

Dragonair chirps happily. "I'm glad to see you're okay, Master. We came to say hi, but of course we have guard duty to get back to. I'll let Lady Marx know you're okay, Mistress."

With that, the two creatures glow with a bright light and levitate into the air, flying off towards Mys'tai.

[Diachronos]

Nissa nods and smiles at Dragonair, waving to him as they start to leave. "What does he mean by 'guard duty', Sora? That upstairs room in your house?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios nods. "I don't know if you're aware of this, but abjuration magic is not only used to banish outsiders, but also to contain, control, and erase other powerful magic. As such, we are sometimes called on to be...'jailers', I suppose is the best term."

[Diachronos]

"...So that door is keeping something in that shouldn't be let loose? What's so dangerous that it would take a Grandmaster of Abjuration to contain?"

[NeoSeraphi]

A dark aura gathers and five black locks, cold and icy, wrap around Arios's heart. "It's odd...but now that you ask.. I really can't remember. I put a lock on that door so powerful that not even I can break it, and I haven't entered the room once since I locked it five years ago."

[Diachronos]

Nissa shrugs and shakes her head. "Don't worry about it, it's not important right now. Where should we go for the night?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Well, that depends. We could always return to Mys'tai if you feel like you're done visiting To'ko," Arios offers. "If you feel like you have more business to attend to in Rip'maj, but not in To'ko, we could go to Sol'calmi and stay with Max. If you think you want to stay here in the city, we can find an inn. We could always return to Jazi and stay with your friend Amora. Or we could crash at Sakura's place in Mullmoon for the night. Father Yassir would likely give me a room if I asked if you want to visit Sha'zhen." Arios ticks off a list of places, and it occurs to Nissa that the world really is her oyster as long as she's with him.

[Diachronos]

Nissa considers their options. The Black Sun was still active, but she didn't want to deal with them just yet. "There's still that matter with the Black Sun, but... Let's go back to Mys'tai. I want to visit with my mother and Lars, and we need to start arranging things for the wedding. Speaking of which, I need to get her, Sakura, and Queen Sasha together to plan everything... ugh, that's a get-together I'm not looking forward to..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios looks confused. "Would you prefer if I handled the wedding preparations?"

[Diachronos]

"I think we should handle it together. Queen Sasha is offering to hold the ceremony in the palace so she should be involved. I was more worried about my mother and Sakura getting together to plan the bridal shower..."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Isn't your mother used to Sakura though? She borrowed some raunchy clothes from Taalia while she was in your body after all."

[Diachronos]

"True... now that you mention it, I might get both of them calling me a prude if that's a sign of anything..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios teleports the family back to his home. It's still midday in Mys'tai, plenty of light out for Nissa to go where she likes.

[Diachronos]

Nissa gave Sora a quick kiss before addressing him and Tiana. "I'm going to visit with my mother for a bit. Did either of you want to come with me?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Tiana shakes her head. "I haven't been to my mother's grave since we left. I think I'll go pay her a visit."

Arios shakes his head. "The Council will be having that meeting about The Seven around this time. Think I'll stop by and listen in."

[Diachronos]

She nods and smiles. "Okay. Should we all meet back here, then?"

[NeoSeraphi]

The group agrees to meet back at Arios's home after it gets dark. Tiana skips off to the cemetery while Arios puts on his armor and helmet and strolls through the streets to Castle Mythos.

[Diachronos]

Nissa heads over toward Marx Manor, knocking on the door when she arrives. For a moment she wonders if Dragonair had gotten back yet, or if they'd beaten the pseudodragon back to Mys'tai.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa knocks on the door and it opens. Taalia Marx is looking just as beautiful and happy as Nissa remembers, and she brings her daughter into a happy hug when she sees her. "Oh, there you are, my little girl. I've missed you so much! How was your trip? You've been gone a whole week, I was a little worried what with how much trouble you have been getting into recently. Please, come in, come in! How's Tiana, how's Arios, how is Fenlaen?"

[Diachronos]

Nissa returns her mother's hug, smiling widely. "I haven't gotten into too much trouble. Tiana and Sora are both doing well, and Fen... I'm pretty sure he's found a girl to settle down with near To'ko, so I'm not sure he'll be travelling with us anymore." She walks into the house, glancing around to see if Lars was home. "How have you and Lars been?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Taalia smiles. "Lars is the same as always. He's working hard, and he comes home and I give him dinner and we spend time together. Though I will say that I am looking forward to his vacation, which should be coming up soon. Did you make any new friends in To'ko, dear?"

[Diachronos]

"Yes, actually. The Queen herself. Speaking of which, she's offered to let us use her palace for me and Sora's wedding."

[NeoSeraphi]

Taalia's eyes sparkle in delight. "A wedding in the palace? Oh, I'm so excited, but what on earth will I wear?" she exclaims, rushing to get her designs and look them over.

[Diachronos]

Nissa follows her mother, a little nervous about what she intended to say next. "I, um... I was actually hoping that you'd help provide the dresses for me, Tiana, and the other bridesmaids too. You're the only seamstress that I'd trust with something like this."

[NeoSeraphi]

Taalia gasps in delight. "Well, I'd love to sweetie, but that much fabric...you understand that I couldn't possibly do that for free without it affecting our household's budget...that wouldn't be fair to Lars." she says, looking sincerely regretful.

[Diachronos]

Nissa shook her head. "No, I wouldn't expect you to pay for it out of your own pocket. I'd be putting what I can toward it, and I'm sure Sora will be willing to help pay for whatever materials you need." She stepped forward and hugged her mother. "I was also hoping that you'd be the maid of honor."

[NeoSeraphi]

Taalia grins widely and hugs her. "Oh sweetie, I'd love to be your maid of honor! But...are you sure you wouldn't prefer someone closer to your age?" she asks, looking a little confused. She sits Nissa down and they start discussing patterns, fabrics, sizes and other important details. "So, other than you, me, and Tiana, who am I making dresses for?" Taalia asks.

[Diachronos]

"Right now, it's just the three of us, Grandmistress Ashmond, and Queen Sasha. Speaking of which... Sasha might need certain materials for her dress."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Certain materials? Like what?" Taalia asks, raising an eyebrow.

[Diachronos]

"Something that isn't... well, she's a fire elemental of some sort, so it needs to be flame-retardant in some way. We're actually going back to To'ko before too long, I can see what kind of fabric she would need."

[NeoSeraphi]

Taalia frowns. "Oh, you're going back so soon? I see," she answers, looking a little disappointed. "Well, since I'm going to be your maid of honor, that means I need to get started planning your bachelorette party! I already have some ideas!" she grins happily. "Oh, right. Your sister is still so young isn't she? Do you want to invite her to the party? There won't be anything inappropriate for her."

[Diachronos]

Nissa chuckles nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "Um... Actually, Sakura was wanting to get together with whoever I chose for maid of honor to plan the bachelorette party. I... I honestly don't know what she's planning for it, so I don't know whether it'll be a good idea to invite Tiana. I want to, but at the same time Sakura's a nymph so she has a somewhat skewed idea of what would be appropriate..."

Then it occurred to her that she hadn't told her mother about her decision with Tiana. "There's another thing I didn't tell you yet. I adopted Tiana, so now she sees me as her mother rather than her older sister."

[NeoSeraphi]

Taalia gasps in shock. "You adopted a little girl? But that means...I'm a grandmother now!" She grins and hugs Nissa tightly. "Oh this is wonderful, dear. I'll invite Grandmistress Ashmond over and we'll have a nice long talk about all the fun things we're going to do to you- I mean, do for you!" She grins evilly. "Just leave everything to your mom! You won't be sorry!"

[Diachronos]

Nissa gives her mother a wary luck when she sees that evil grin. "Why do I suddenly get the feeling I'm going to regret getting you two together?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa clicks her tongue impatiently. "Well, whatever we come up with, it certainly can't be any worse of an idea than having unprotected sex with a man the night after you meet him!" she chastises. "I think that perhaps Grandmistress Ashmond is having a poor influence on you. There is much more to life than pleasures of the flesh, and I will remind of you that with this party, young lady!"

[Diachronos]

Nissa lets out a defeated sigh; seems she's never going to hear the end of it from her mother about that. "Well, in any case I'm sure you two will put together a fun party. I'll swing by and let her know so you two can start planning." Planning... there was the ceremony itself, the reception, the dresses, the date... so much that still needed to be done, and that wasn't including the business with the Black Sun!

[NeoSeraphi]

"Let me know what?" Sakura asks, as she opens the front door and peeks her head in. "Hi Nissa. Hi Lady Marx. Happy to see you both again!" She smiles and enters the manor, taking a seat at the table next to Taalia. Taalia looks surprised. "Why, Grandmistress! Such a pleasure to see you, but what are you doing here?"

Sakura sighs and looks down at the table. "Grandmistress Hyperopia isn't allowing Justin or I to be part of the discussion about the rest of The Seven. We're fey, so our opinions might be biased. That said, I figured I'd swing by and see how you were doing, Nissa." she says with a heartfelt grin.

[Diachronos]

"I'm doing well, thanks." She smiles at Sakura. "As for what I needed to 'let you know' about, you said that you wanted to get together with whoever the maid of honor was going to be to sort out the bachelorette party." Nissa gestures over to her mother.

[NeoSeraphi]

Sakura's eyes shine brightly. "A party?! Eeeeeek!" She squeals happily and raises one hand. "Interposing hand!" she yells happily, and a large gloved incorporeal hand appears, snatching Nissa by her collar and literally throwing her out of the manor. Sakura locks the door behind her and sits down with Taalia, chatting animatedly about their plans.

[Diachronos]

Nissa scowls and dusts herself off. "You could've just asked me to leave, you know..." Figuring that she wasn't going to be able to get into the house any time soon, she starts heading toward the graveyard to meet up with Tiana.

[NeoSeraphi]

After Nissa stands up and shows her complete unwillingness to learn that her allies in the Council will use magic to solve any problem no matter how small, mostly because they can, she heads to the graveyard. When she arrives, about twenty minutes later, she sees Tiana on her knees, bent over in front of her mother's headstone, praying and speaking with her hand over her locket.

[Diachronos]

Nissa decides to hang back and let Tiana finish visiting her mother's grave before approaching her, though she does listen a little closer to see if she can make out what her adopted daughter is saying.


Perception: [roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa is not close enough to make out what Tiana is saying.

After another four minutes or so, the girl stands up and lays a flower that she picked on her mother's grave, and starts to head back towards Arios's home.

[Diachronos]

Nissa comes up to Tiana and puts an arm around her shoulders, smiling down at the young tiefling. "What should we do now, Tiana? Do you want to go see the rabbits again?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Tiana frowns. "Well, that's something that would be pretty nice, but we've been out of the city for a week now...any food that we left at Daddy's house will have gone bad by this point. Shouldn't you go shopping?" she asks gently.

[Diachronos]

"Good point... Let's hit the market, then." She starts heading toward the marketplace with Tiana and Ghellin in tow.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa heads into town to visit the market. As she's walking past the town square, she sees a familiar face.

"Well well well! If it isn't Nissa Revane! Almost didn't recognize you with that new hair color! You look great." A man's voice, from behind her. Nissa turns around and discovers her old traveling companion, Neroth Vandire! Neroth smiles and gives her a quick hug, saying hi to Tiana before announcing that he will be returning to Jazi in order to serve as one of King Caineghis I's official knights.

[Diachronos]

Nissa smiles at Neroth. "That's great news! I'm sure you'll do well down there. Although... what are you going to do about your estate here in Mys'tai?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Neroth smiles. "It's a nice house, to be sure, and I'm going to miss it. I'll come back to visit it for a month or so once a year, but I'm not ready to put down my sword and retire just yet. Duty before home, it seems."

[Diachronos]

"Fair enough. You don't seem like you've hit your peak yet in any case, so there's no sense in settling down yet." She continues talking with him while heading through the market, keeping an eye out for what places had what she needed. "How has the Leonis family been lately? The last time I saw any of them was when Michael was at the tournament."

[NeoSeraphi]

Neroth smiles. "Well, Amora and Michael are now...an item. It's a weird complex Sylvan thing that lycanthropes do, and I don't really get it myself, but they're dealing with it as best they can for now. Maria is upset but she's dealing by opening her own dojo to teach young men and women about honor and discipline, the way of the sword even if you're not a knight. It's a nice gesture on her part, and she's earning a decent wage doing it too." he explains.

[Diachronos]

Nissa has an idea of what Neroth was referring to, but decides not to go into detail on it just in case she's wrong. Either way, the lycanthropes in Jazi would probably be better suited to explaining it than she would. "Well, I wish you luck with your career as a knight. Oh, I almost forgot, I wanted to invite you, Amora and her family to my wedding. The date isn't set yet, but I'll be sure to send a message as soon as I can once we've planned that out."

[NeoSeraphi]

Neroth blinks in surprise. "You're getting married? To who, the guy who poisoned the first dryad's tree and trapped Fenlaen under an oak trunk?" he asks, staring at her as if she's quite mad.

[Diachronos]

"Yes, actually. He's an old friend from when I lived in Mys'tai before, and now that he's left the Council of Mythos I think he'll be a bit more even-tempered than he was before." She's quiet for a moment before speaking up. "Before, he was acting on the orders of the leader of the Council of Mythos, someone who has almost godlike powers, but now he's not being controlled by them. And deep down, I know he's the same man that I fell for ten years ago."

[NeoSeraphi]

The martial adept shakes his head. "Well, I'd be happy to come to your wedding, Nissa. I'll let the Leonis family know. Though if you're planning to have a frost giant come to the wedding you might want to have it outside somewhere."

[Diachronos]

"Oh... good point, I'll need to see if Queen Sasha will be able to hold it in a more spacious part of the castle for her sake..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Neroth smiles and waves, then heads off.

Nissa continues into the market, where she is able to purchase plenty of fresh food, some ale, and other things she may need to cook with. Her total comes out to 1 gold.

[Diachronos]

Nissa pays for the food and starts heading home. Once they get back, she starts getting everything out to prepare dinner for them all. With a smile to her daughter, she offers, "Do you want to help me in the kitchen, Tiana?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Tiana nods and heads into the kitchen, working with Nissa on her cooking.

About twenty minutes later, the front door slams and Nissa hears the sound of heavily armored steps, followed by the crunch of weight being plastered onto the couch in the living room.

[Diachronos]

Nissa finishes putting dinner in the oven, then comes out to welcome Sora home.

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios Heartshield is sitting on the couch, looking...well, about as unhappy as Nissa has seen him look pretty much every time he comes home from dealing with the Council. His helmet sits next to him on the couch as he rubs his temples and removes a flask from his armor, taking a long drink. He doesn't look up as Nissa enters the room.

[Diachronos]

Nissa moves to sit beside him, leaning against him while avoiding his armor's spikes. "I just put dinner in the oven, it should bs ready in a little while."

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios looks at his fiance with sad, heavy eyes and nods. "How is Taalia doing?"

[Diachronos]

Nissa puts an arm around his shoulders. "She's doing well. Right now she and Sakura are planning my bachelorette party."

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios nods quietly. Tiana comes in from the kitchen and carefully climbs into his lap, giving him an awkward reach hug. Arios smiles and kisses the top of his daughter's head fondly.

[Diachronos]

Nissa joins in the hug, though she finds herself wishing he wasn't wearing that spiked armor. "How would you feel about staying here for a few days before heading back to To'ko? After everything we've been through for the past couple days, we could all use a vacation, wouldn't you agree?"

[NeoSeraphi]

The family nods in agreement and Nissa can tell the idea of a few quiet days at home appeals greatly to her fiance.

[Diachronos]

Nissa curls up against him with a smile, content to sit with him and Tiana until dinner finished cooking. When it was almost time to get their meal out of the oven, she got up to start setting the table.

[NeoSeraphi]

Dinner is lively, with Arios telling a story of how he and Justin defeated a mighty kraken that was preying on merchant vessels by hiding in the cargo hold and attacking the beast from inside a ship as it sank. His way with words is remarkable and Tiana is on the edge of her seat the whole time. After dinner, Tiana plays a short recital for her parents on the flute Nissa gave her. As she finishes she looks up at Nissa hopefully, and it occurs to the half-elf that Tiana expects Nissa to fulfill the role Jacob Revane filled and support and encourage her love of fine arts.

[Diachronos]

Nissa smiles. "It was a lovely performance, Tiana. With a bit of practice you could probably outperform any bard in Rip'maj." She started considering taking up lesdons herself, so they could play music together.

[NeoSeraphi]

Tiana jumps up and down happily and hugs her mother. Then it's time for bed. Tiana goes to sleep and Nissa and Arios are alone. Arios begins taking off his armor.

[Diachronos]

Nissa lays out her clothes and armor beside the bed, turning to Sora as he took his own armor off. "It feels a little strange just being at home like this, but... I think it's something that I could get used to." She smiles at him and lays back on the bed, stretching and letting out a small yawn. "Of course, we'd probably still end up adventuring every now and then, but it'll be nice to come home and relax from time to time."

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios nods. The two of them settle down and get some sleep.

....

....
....
....
....


Nissa wakes up and yawns, reaching over to kiss her boyfriend good morning...only to find air. She opens her eyes and gasps as she leaps to her feet. Rather than her nice, warm bed where she was staying, she is now in her armor and in the middle of what looks to be some strange wilderness. Ghellin nuzzles her leg.

"Well, look who finally woke up!" Sakura exclaims. "Ready for your bachelorette party?"

Tiana looks excited, and Taalia smiles as she hoists a rifle over her shoulder inexpertly.

[Diachronos]

Nissa looks around, trying to get her bearings and figure out where they might be. After a moment she's certain that she hasn't been here before, and she turns to the two women. "What are you talking about? This is what you had in mind for a bachelorette party? Dragging me out to Ketephys knows where while I was asleep?" Although, truth be told, this wasn't the worst thing she'd ever woken up to...

[NeoSeraphi]

Taalia smiles. "Sweetheart, I know you. Your heart is in the wild. But the last few weeks you've spent all your time in the city, dealing with people and butting heads with others who were more powerful than you. What better way to blow off some steam than a simple family hunt. Simple prey, simple methods, just work together with Ghellin and bag some game. Doesn't that sound nice?" she asks.

[Diachronos]

Since the initial shock had mostly worn off, Nissa could see what their reasoning was now. And it made a lot of sense; she'd spent the past 10 years only rarely coming into town, and suddenly over the past few weeks she'd been in cities and civilization almost constantly. It explained why she'd felt so on edge, and maybe why she'd been so confrontational as well: she was like a caged animal, eager to get loose.

"That does sound like a nice change of pace. But I'm still curious... where exactly are we?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Taalia smiles. "This is The Kara'mayan Jungle, just outside of Garruk. On Lis'te, the continent north of Ash'tai."

[Diachronos]

This would be the second time she'd left Ash'tai for somewhere new. "Well, it's been a while since I've hunted anywhere new. This will be an interesting trip." Looking around, she sees that it's only the four of them as far as she can see. "Is it going to be just us?"

And then another thought occurred to her. "You... you told Sora, right? Or at least left a message for him?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Sakura laughs out loud at her exclamation. "Oh honey, the fact that you think he's even going to notice you're gone is adorable," she replies, shaking her head.

Taalia smiles. "It would be a simple matter for us to invite any of your other friends to come with us, dear. Perhaps Princess Maria or Princess Amora? Prince Micheal? Grandmistress Buvelle, or Grandmistress Volutia?" she offers.

[Diachronos]

Nissa frowns at Sakura, but decides not to say anything about it.

Turning to her mother, ready to decline, but then she gets an idea. "That actually sounds like it could be fun. Let's being Amora and Maria along, and see which group can bag more game."

[NeoSeraphi]

Sakura nods and waves her hand, and a few minutes later, Amora and Maria appear and eagerly hug the half-elf, offering her heartfelt congratulations on her special day. Amora looks less than thrilled at the prospect of a hunt, but Maria is ready and raring to go.

Taalia smiles. "Okay then. Let's split into teams of 3 then. Nissa, Tiana and I will go that way," she points, "while Sakura, Amora and Maria will go that way. Meet back here at sundown, and whoever bags the most game is the winner. And Sakura, burning down the forest is cheating."

The nymph looks sour at this, but she nods and the three girls head off on their own.

[Diachronos]

Nissa tries not to laugh as Sakura and the two Leonis sisters head off into the jungle. "I don't think you realize how much of a handicap you just gave her. I've yet to see her use any offensive magic that doesn't involve fire."

Once the others had left, Nissa starts heading into the jungle, moving quietly and looking for any sign of wildlife to go for while making sure to keep close to her mother and sister in case they need her help.


Stealth to keep quiet: [roll0]
Survival to look for tracks or other signs of passage: [roll1]
Knowledge Nature to know what kind of creatures would be found in the Kara'mayan Jungle: [roll2]

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa begins to sneak around, looking for prey. She finds some tracks on the ground and begins to follow them, signaling for Tiana and Taalia to remain quiet while she and Ghellin go to work. She finds a pack of deer and draws her bow. At the same time, Taalia raises her rifle, and Tiana begins charging a spell. Nissa counts down, 1 2 3 and all three women fire at the same time, bringing down three different bucks, which causes the rest of the group to scatter quickly.

Tiana grins and hugs Nissa tightly. "I did it! I really did it! Didn't I, Mommy? I did it!" She looks so proud of herself as her eyes gaze up to her mother expectantly.

[Diachronos]

Nissa returns Tiana's hug and smiles down at her, a look of real pride and approval in her eyes. "Yes, you did. One clean shot, too!" It was almost like she didn't need to explain the importance of getting the animal in one blow to make sure it didn't suffer. And to avoid the hassle of tracking it if it ran.

[NeoSeraphi]

Tiana squeals in glee and continues to hug her mother, while Taalia hoists her rifle onto her shoulder and looks at her daughter. "Those carcasses look heavy. What should we do with them? I don't think Tiana or I are strong enough to even carry one, and I doubt you can lug all three by yourself."

[Diachronos]

"Good question... We probably should've thought of that from the start." On one hand she felt like they'd need to bring back some sort of proof of how many they'd killed, but at the same time it was going to be too time-consuming to drag every animal back one at a time...

"We'll just take the antlers with us for now. If the scavengers don't get to them first, we'll collect them on the way back."

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa pulls out a knife and works to sever the antlers from each buck, putting them carefully in her backpack. Tiana and Taalia look ready and eager to follow her lead.

More skill checks, ho!

[Diachronos]

Once they'd collected their "trophies", Nissa starts looking for more tracks.


Stealth: [roll0]
Survival: [roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa discovers some tracks and begins following them. She's curious. These do not look like animal tracks, but they are still very similar. She reaches the edge of the jungle and discovers the entrance to a cave, where the tracks lead. Taalia and Tiana look at Nissa curiously, wondering what she wants to do.

[Diachronos]

Nissa regards the tracks for a moment, trying with no success to match them up with a creature she might recognize. After some thought she begins to enter the cavern, taking slow and careful steps to avoid alerting whatever is inside.


Stealth: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

Taalia grabs her arm as she tries to leave. "What should we do? Do you want us to follow you or stay out here?" she whispers.

[Diachronos]

Nissa considers the situation for a moment. "Follow me, but keep a little distance in case something happens."

[NeoSeraphi]

Taalia and Tiana keep their distance as Nissa enters the cavern. She finds more of the strange tracks and they lead to a crossroads inside the dimly lit cavern. Nissa can see, but not very well. If she had a light source, it'd be much easier.

[Diachronos]

Nissa grabs a pebble off the cavern floor and imbues it with light so that the four of them can see more easily.


Another Perception, if you want it: [roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa follows the tracks to a crossroad, where they move in the right direction. She heads down the pathway, slowly, doing her best to not attract any attention. She arrives at the next room with her family in tow, and she spies the creature that made the tracks.

http://archive.wizards.com/mtg/images/daily/wallpapers/WP_KhalniHydra_1280x1024.jpg

[Diachronos]

Nissa starts backing away from the hydra, motioning for her mother and sister to do the same. Hopefully they hadn't gotten close enough for it to catch their scent, she didn't want to find out how dangerous it was first-hand.

[NeoSeraphi]

The creature turns and roars, charging forward at Nissa.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
Attack: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]
Attack: [roll6]
Damage: [roll7]
Attack: [roll8]
Damage: [roll9]
Attack: [roll10]
Damage: [roll11]
Attack: [roll12]
Damage: [roll13]
Attack: [roll14]
Damage: [roll15]
Attack: [roll16]
Damage: [roll17]
Attack: [roll18]
Damage: [roll19]

(None of their attacks are silver)

[Diachronos]

Nissa lets out a pained hiss as the hydra's teeth sink into her, though she's a little surprised that out of all the beast's snapping mouths only one managed to even break the skin. She draws her sword and readies herself, though she wonders how they're going to kill something that regenerates from damage so quickly.

She glances back to make sure her mother and sister are both at a safe distance. This was just great; her curiosity was putting both of them in danger...

Turning her attention back to the hydra, she concentrates and reaches toward Ghellin to imbue his attacks with greater power, while triggering her nature bond to enhance her agility.


Swift action to use Animal Focus for Tiger and Snake, for +4 Dex and +4 attack/AC with attacks of opportunity, bringing her AC up to 20 (24 against AoOs)

Standard to cast strong jaw on Ghellin, not casting defensively so she provokes an AoO. Concentration check (if the hydra hits): [roll0], DC is 13 + any damage the hydra deals with its AoO

Ghellin's attacks (assuming it's within striking distance):
1st Talon:
Attack: [roll1]; Crit Confirm: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]; Crit Damage: [roll4]
Precise Strike: [roll5]
2nd Talon:
Attack: [roll6]; Crit Confirm: [roll7]
Damage: [roll8]; Crit Damage: [roll9]
Precise Strike: [roll10]
Bite:
Attack: [roll11]; Crit Confirm: [roll12]
Damage: [roll13]; Crit Damage: [roll14]
Precise Strike: [roll15]
1st Claw:
Attack: [roll16]; Crit Confirm: [roll17]
Damage: [roll18]; Crit Damage: [roll19]
Precise Strike: [roll20]
2nd Claw:
Attack: [roll21]; Crit Confirm: [roll22]
Damage: [roll23]; Crit Damage: [roll24]
Precise Strike: [roll25]

1st Talon:
Attack: [roll26]; Crit Confirm: [roll27]
Damage: [roll28]; Crit Damage: [roll29]
Precise Strike: [roll30]
2nd Talon:
Attack: [roll31]; Crit Confirm: [roll32]
Damage: [roll33]; Crit Damage: [roll34]
Precise Strike: [roll35]
Bite:
Attack: [roll36]; Crit Confirm: [roll37]
Damage: [roll38]; Crit Damage: [roll39]
Precise Strike: [roll40]
1st Claw:
Attack: [roll41]; Crit Confirm: [roll42]
Damage: [roll43]; Crit Damage: [roll44]
Precise Strike: [roll45]
2nd Claw:
Attack: [roll46]; Crit Confirm: [roll47]
Damage: [roll48]; Crit Damage: [roll49]
Precise Strike: [roll50]

[NeoSeraphi]

Hydra AoO
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
Attack: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]
Attack: [roll6]
Damage: [roll7]
Attack: [roll8]
Damage: [roll9]
Attack: [roll10]
Damage: [roll11]
Attack: [roll12]
Damage: [roll13]
Attack: [roll14]
Damage: [roll15]
Attack: [roll16]
Damage: [roll17]
Attack: [roll18]
Damage: [roll19]

[NeoSeraphi]

The hydra roars in pain and begins its retreat, running away from the dangerous chimera.

[Diachronos]

Nissa and Ghellin start moving after the hydra, with Nissa glancing back to her mother and sister. "Come on, we can't let it regenerate!" The pair of them charge in and start laying into the hydra.


Both charging, so +2 attack and -2 AC
Nissa:
Attack: [roll0]; Confirm: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]; Crit Damage: [roll3]
Precise Strike: [roll4]

Ghellin's attacks:
1st Talon:
Attack: [roll5]; Crit Confirm: [roll6]
Damage: [roll7]; Crit Damage: [roll8]
Precise Strike: [roll9]
2nd Talon:
Attack: [roll10]; Crit Confirm: [roll11]
Damage: [roll12]; Crit Damage: [roll13]
Precise Strike: [roll14]
Bite:
Attack: [roll15]; Crit Confirm: [roll16]
Damage: [roll17]; Crit Damage: [roll18]
Precise Strike: [roll19]
1st Claw:
Attack: [roll20]; Crit Confirm: [roll21]
Damage: [roll22]; Crit Damage: [roll23]
Precise Strike: [roll24]
2nd Claw:
Attack: [roll25]; Crit Confirm: [roll26]
Damage: [roll27]; Crit Damage: [roll28]
Precise Strike: [roll29]

[NeoSeraphi]

Tiana and Taalia run up as well, attacking the creature. The four of the group together manage to bring it down, and the hydra lets out one last screech of pain before it drops to the ground, dead.

[Diachronos]

Nissa stands over the hydra with the others, panting a little. "Well, that was an unexpected find. Too bad we can't carry it back, it would've been great to see the look on the other teams' faces."

With another quick stab to the hydra's chest to ensure it was dead, she stepped around the carcass and scanned the cavern to see if it had been guarding anything.


Percecption: [roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa finds a large structure that looks similar to a gate, glowing with magical power that seems to be divine in nature.

Spellcraft

[Diachronos]

Nissa cautiously approaches the gate, keeping her distance from it just in case something comes out. The divine magic in it makes her feel uneasy; what kind of power is behind it? And why was this thing in a hydra's lair?

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa is unsure of what the gate is for or what kinds of power it holds, but she gets the feeling that if she touches the ruby embedded in its right side, she will activate it, for better or for worse. Tiana and Taalia both look at the gate with feelings of dread.

[Diachronos]

Nissa backs away from the gate and heads toward the hydra. "Let's leave the gate be, I'll tell Sakura about it when we meet up tonight." She lays a hand on the creature's scaly hide, and for a moment she wishes they had the time to spare to skin it and haul its skin back to their starting place; that was a lot of quality leather to leave behind....

"Are you two okay to continue, or should we take a short rest?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Tiana and Taalia are both appreciative of the opportunity to take a break. They sit down and drink some water from Taalia's canteen, relaxing for a moment.

[Diachronos]

Nissa sits down with them, wondering how the others are faring with their hunt. After about ten minutes of rest, she stands up and stretches. "Well, that's 4 that we have right now. Let's see how many more we can get before the sun goes down."

[NeoSeraphi]

Taalia and Tiana nod in agreement, and they leave the hydra behind and head back into the woods. Nissa has a very successful hunting day, pulling in a total of 10 animals (and one magical beast), and she feels pretty confident about her chances for victory.

The group heads back to the meeting place with their prizes. There they find Sakura, Amora and Maria, who grin eagerly as they show off their haul. "You may be a pro hunter, but so am I! Check it out, I bagged eight bucks, in just six hours! How do you like that?" Maria exclaims.

[Diachronos]

Nissa lays out the deer antlers and other items they'd collected as proof. "Ten animals total. And a hydra."

[NeoSeraphi]

Maria and the others stare at the trophies in disbelief. "You...you cheated!" she mutters, looking very disappointed in herself.

[Diachronos]

Nissa gave Maria a skeptical look. "How did I cheat? I didn't do anything that you couldn't have done."

[NeoSeraphi]

Maria pouts and points an accusing finger at Nissa. "There are four of you and three of us! How is that fair, huh?"

Amora steps forward. "Enough, mai'tari. She beat us. It's her party anyhow, why are you being so competitive?"

Maria glowers but accepts her defeat with a few mumbled curses.

[Diachronos]

Nissa crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. "You and Amora are lycanthropes, and Sakura is one of the most powerful witches in the world. Meanwhile, my mother is a seamstress and Tiana is nine years old. I'd say that evens things up pretty fairly."

She manages a grin and shakes her head. "Besides, you weren't that far behind us, and you were actually able to bring back all of your kills."

[NeoSeraphi]

Amora narrows her eyes. "Don't lump me in with the rest of my family, Nissa. I am a practitioner of the arcane arts. I haven't taken on my animal form in years. I am no more suited to hunting game than your tiefling companion is." She looks a little upset about Nissa's choice of words, though Nissa remembers that things between her and Michael are probably still complicated.

Maria sighs and nods, and the group gets together to start eating. Maria's kills taste delicious and Nissa is able to cook them perfectly well. The girls chat about various things and Nissa, for the first time, really feels like she's back where she belongs. Out in the wild, with her thoughts, her family, her friends and her closest companion, Ghellin. No city, no buildings obstructing the stars. No loud noise, no crime, no worries. Just...peace.

[Diachronos]

Nissa closes her eyes and lets out a small sigh. "I'm sorry, Amora, I didn't mean to offend you."

The time spent with them as they cook and eat their catches is probably the best part of the day for Nissa; it's like things are how they were meant to be at the moment, without anything troubling them or looming over their heads. For probably the first time in years she feels truly at peace.

As it starts getting dark, she turns her attention to Sakura. There was still the matter of that strange gate that they'd found, and the hydra guarding it... "Sakura, we found something after we encountered the hydra, but none of us were sure of what it was."

[NeoSeraphi]

Sakura blinks and raises an eyebrow. "You found 'something'? Well, what was it?" she asks.

[Diachronos]

"It was a gate of some kind, that was radiating divine magic."

[NeoSeraphi]

Sakura blinks in surprise. "A gate that radiates divine magic, guarded by a hydra? Hm. That sounds intriguing. Maybe we should call Alicia or Justin to come check it out."

[Diachronos]

"That's probably a good idea. If it turns out the thing is dangerous, it shouldn't be left unattended for too long." After a moment of thought she stands up. "I can show you where it is so we can direct them. And I still want to collect that hydra's skin."

[NeoSeraphi]

Sakura nods, and the two of them head towards the hydra's cave alone. When Nissa gets there, she sees a cloaked figure standing over the hydra's corpse. The figure notices her approach and turns around, raising a gloved hand, and Nissa's body erupts in a sea of unholy fire.

Need a Fort save, DC 22. On failure, Nissa takes 150 damage and her remains are consumed in fire. If she succeeds, she instead takes [roll0] damage.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa screams in pain as her body is consumed by unholy fire. Her consciousness fades to darkness. Darkness, and red hot pain. That is her entire existence. She is falling, falling through the darkness. There is no sight, no sound, no taste, no smell. Just the sensation of falling. The touch of the wind against her skin as she shoots downwards. Is this...is this death?

As she falls, Nissa is suddenly overwhelmed by red light that cuts through the darkness like fire. She opens her eyes and sees a silhouette that strongly resembles the scar on her back, burning. She falls through it, and feels the pain of it. And she knows...her fate is sealed.

Nissa wakes up and recognizes where she is. She is in The Abyss. Back where Lamashtu reigns. Her father may not have successfully sacrificed her, but she was marked by the Mother of Demons, and that was enough to lose her soul.

She stands up, looking up to the sky and gasping in shock as a lightning bolt strikes her. She screams in surprise but blinks as she feels no pain. She looks down at her skin, which is clearly singed from the proximity to the lightning blast, but she is not harmed. She looks up to get a good view of her surroundings. Lamashtu's castle is a good distance away, perhaps that means that the portal she took the first time is nearby as well? There are demons everywhere but they pay her no mind. Nissa also spots what appears to be a city in the distance. Across the vast, desert landscape.

Nissa has died and gone to The Abyss, which means her type changes from Humanoid to Outsider (Demon, Evil, Chaotic, Extraplanar). She loses her elven racial traits (but not the racial ability score modifiers) and gains the traits of a demon instead: Immunity to electricity and poison, resistance to acid, cold, and fire 10, Telepathy out to 100', Darkvision 60', and Nissa no longer needs to eat or sleep.

[Diachronos]

Nissa looks down at herself to see if anything else about her has changed aside from the apparent immunity to lightning. After looking, she begins to make her way in the direction of the portal that she, Max, and Elaina had entered through when they were heading to rescue Sora.

This was a great way to end a day with her family: getting incinerated and dropped into the Abyss, where she had no idea of how to navigate and no clue of how to get home...

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa looks down at her hands and discovers they are claws, dripping with blood. She rushes forward and finds a small puddle of rainwater, so that she can gaze at her reflection.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/_/rsrc/1411583286317/images/demonbabau-jr.png

She gasps in shock and recoils from the sight, and she hears a chuckle from behind her. Turning around, she spies a creature that looks oddly human, save for a pair of pronounced demonic horns atop his head, looking at her with a bemused expression. "You must be new here," he observes, bowing. "When you come to The Abyss as a soul only, your new body is crafted based on your greatest sin. You have taken the form of a babau, a creature of wrath. You must have had someone you hated very much in your life. One person, who you took the greatest pleasure in killing, not to protect someone, or to help anyone...just because you wanted him dead."

Jacob Revane's face flashes in Nissa's mind.

[Diachronos]

The man's words send a chill down Nissa's spine. This... thing is what she had become in the depths of her soul? This is what her hatred for her father had turned her into?

She was at a loss for words. She needed a way to get back to the mortal world and get resurrected, but... who would help her there, or even believe her? And was there even any point if this was what she would become when she died anyway? It's not like there was a way to redeem her soul.... was there?

[NeoSeraphi]

The man raises a pipe to his lips. "Name's Jordan. Jordan Sky. Or at least it was, back when it mattered. Now I'm a zak'thul, a demon of sorrow. Unlike most of the other creatures here, I wasn't attached to one particular Sin or another, so I am allowed to retain most of my humanity, and my sanity. As for you, the doubt that you're feeling right now will spiral out of control if you stay down here too long. And then you'll forget your name, your purpose, your friends and families. Your Sin is all that you will remember. That's part of what that body does to you."

[Diachronos]

Nissa closed her eyes and focused for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. Somehow she knew he was right; it had taken years for her wrath to grow while she was alive, but if she was in the Abyss and trapped in a body that was built for wrath it would take far less time. Still, one thing didn't make much sense to her...

"Why tell me all of this? Do you make a habit of easing the recently-deceased into the way things are in the Abyss?"