Blood of the Dragon IV

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark looks up to make sure that Taalia is distracted and then reaches out and takes Teisa's hand. "I think you'll find that I'm quite warm enough for the two of us," he says with a smile.

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[Prehysterical]

Wendy pulls out a few different items and starts going over the intricacies of constructing them. Most of it goes right over Vaex's head, though, and it seems like he's going to need a little proper training to really understand how they're made.
Vaex's eyes start to gloss over as he loses his hold on the conversation. "Er... I think we'll have to hold off on that for now. Shouldn't we get going, Princess? It wouldn't look good if you kept the Council waiting after rounding them all up."

[Diachronos]

Teisa gives him a curious look. "How are you going to keep me warm enough?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taalia and Vaex continue on to the war room. Inside, Gathard and Tharas are continuing their debate, while Khamer is busy looking over various maps and a shrunken-down Rhaegos is lying in the corner, seemingly asleep.

"Thank you all for coming here. What can you tell me of the situation in Nightveil after the attack?"

Gathard points to a map of the city that Khamer had spread out in the center of the table. "Most of the cultists are either captured, dead, or on the run. It took a couple of days to reestablish order, but since then we've been busy with reconstruction and rooting out the few pockets of resistance left."

Taalia nods, and leans over the map. "Have they made any attempts to attack us again?"

Tharas speaks up. "Not yet, but it's only a matter of time. Their raid was successful enough that they're sure to be bold enough to try a followup strike."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark winces. Well, he couldn't always be a perfect charmer. "My internal temperature is a lot higher than most humans. As long as the two of us maintain physical contact, I can share heat with you. You may be a plant, but you're also a creature. You can absorb heat through contact with warm surfaces, right? It's not the sun, but it's definitely enough to keep you from wilting."

[Prehysterical]

Vaex adds his own opinion. "Tharas is right. With the Queen missing, they will be looking to seek advantage. Defenses must be prepared.

Sitting back on our heels, however, would be a mistake. We want to be the ones setting the terms of engagement, not them. Gathard, have you had any ideas about that? You know this city much better than I do."

[Diachronos]

"Well... I guess we could try it."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gathard frowns beneath his helmet and points to a few spots on the map. "We've fortified these points, where they broke in before. Our head engineers have also ensured that there won't be any more infiltrators coming through the tombs. I'm hesitant to launch a full counteroffensive until we've had a chance to properly fortify our defenses against further attack."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark leads Teisa outside, along with Qari. Stark as a native of the Tundra doesn't even notice the temperature. He keeps Teisa's hand in his as they head out towards the edge of the city. "The snow is actually quite pretty, even if it does bury all the plants. Oh, and now that we're in a better position we can make proper introductions. Qari is my...voluntary servant, I suppose you could say. I rescued her from a den of violence and...other, even less pleasant activities. Teisa is a native of the Keledran Forest. She is the last champion of the prophecy, and has the ability to commune with plants as though they shared a language."

He gives Qari a subtle nod, indicating she should try and talk to Teisa a bit. He wants the two of them to get along, in case he decides to have Qari explore her adventurous side for his viewing pleasure.

[Prehysterical]

"Where do we suspect that they are mustering? Small strike teams targeting the necromancers would accomplish more than sending in whole battalions of soldiers."

[Diachronos]

Teisa shivers as they walk out into the cold. Qari bows to Teisa after the introductions. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mistress Teisa."

"L-likewise. Gods, this cold is unbearable! How do you put up with the weather here, Stark?!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gathard points to the glaciers to the northeast of the city. "We've tracked their movements to this area. The glaciers in this area are fill of caverns, and the region is little more than ice and snow that far north."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark chuckles. "I put up with it the same way I put up with everything else. I start a fire. Of course, I'm certain you wouldn't appreciate that."

He shifts his body, letting go of her hand and instead wrapping his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him so that she can share more of his body heat. "Qari, are you warm enough in the robe?" he asks, looking over at her.

When they reach the edge of town Stark begins to softly scoop some of the snow away and examine the plants in the area, a little bit at a time, looking for any signs of infection.

[Prehysterical]

Looking at the map in consideration, Vaex continues, "If the region is full of hidey-holes and tunnels, our best choices are either flooding the tunnels with fire or acid... or sending in infiltration teams to plant explosives and collapse these glacial tunnels like the engineers have done below the city."

[Diachronos]

Teisa leans against him to help take in his warmth. Qari nods in response to his question. "Between it and being next to you, I'm more than warm enough, Master."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Collapsing the glaciers could have dire consequences on the coastal villages. That's not a risk we can take." Taalia crosses her arms and considers their options. "We'll have to send a force in to clear them out. Most likely they'll have some kind of animation rituals set up in here as well, so we'll have to get rid of those."

[Prehysterical]

"We'll likely need at least a few clerics to deal with the undead while strikers go after the mages themselves. With them entrenched so, killing the cultists quiet and clean isn't an option. Unless..." Vaex looks at Gathard significantly. "Just how far are these glaciers from the city?"

[Diachronos]

"If you travel by foot, it will take at least a day, assuming that the snow and ice hasn't built up."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark nods. "Qari, please tell the fair alraune a story while I search for signs of infection."

Figuring that Teisa didn't want to dig around in the snow, he gently hands her to the ifrit to keep her warm and listens to their conversation while he diligently looks for any signs of dark aether.

[Diachronos]

Qari begins recounting a story that she said Arnen had told her while growing up, the usual sort of story that one would tell to keep a child fascinated for long periods of time.

Stark's examination of the flora reveals no signs of contamination, and from the packed condition of the snow it seems that nobody has dug down to the plants since winter came.

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark sighs in relief. Xinia was such a nice girl, he was glad she wasn't poisoning everything around her like Vale. He moves on to the animals in the area, checking for any unusual corpses.

If he finds none, then Stark will happily lead the girls to Nightraven Manor. Once inside, he will let Teisa warm up in the parlor while he requests an audience with his benefactor.

[Diachronos]

Stark finds no traces of the corruption in the animals either.

At Nightraven Manor, Teisa gladly huddles in front of the fire next to Qari while Stark waits on Mathis. The man enters after a few minutes, a weary look on his face. "Nice to see you again, Stark. I trust that you've been taking care of my daughter out there?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark smiles. "Sorry Teisa, but I need Qari to stay with me. She is a symbol of my status in this city. (Ignan) Come with me, dear. Stand quietly and look pretty, and I'll be sure to give you a reward later." He leaves Teisa by the fire and takes the ifrit into the meeting with him.

Stark nods. "In fact, I believe in this last mission Lux is the only one of us who made it out unscathed. Lord Nightraven, I have come here on behalf of Princess Taalia. I am making sure none of the noble's estates were heavily damaged or looted when the cultists invaded. Is there anything I can provide you today?"

[Diachronos]

Qari obediently stands beside him in complete silence. Mathis shakes his head in response to Stark's question. "No, the fighting was kept away from the estate so we didn't suffer much in the way of damages."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark nods. "Has Lady Katarina managed to track the cultists at all? Do we know their current movements?"

[Prehysterical]

"If you travel by foot, it will take at least a day, assuming that the snow and ice hasn't built up."
"But if we flew..." Vaex stops and looks at Forseti. "If we could strike at them, now, it would catch them completely off-guard." Turning to look at the Archmage, Vaex asks, "Tell me, Juanth Drihliri*, feel up for a flying raid on these madmen?"
Old Bones

[Diachronos]

"Yes, I have." The thickly accented voice comes from behind Stark, and when he turns he finds himself face-to-face with the imposing, uniformed figure of Katarina Nightraven. In the light, the scar running from her brow to the left corner of her mouth seems to draw her lips up into a sneer, and she regards the young archmage with a suspicious look. She gives him a curt nod in greeting. "Frostfell."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rhaegos lifts his head with a chuckle. "Of course. Gather your friends and we will fly out to confront these heathans."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark blinks and quickly tosses his robe over Qari to cover her provocative outfit. "Commander Nightraven. Sir. It is an honor to see you again." He quickly raises his hands. "Your daughter is safe, and happy. She is quite eager to return and see you, but she is tending to the wounded in the castle right now. I'll be sure to send her your way as soon as I see her."

Most suitors would be nervous or intimidated by the father of the woman. Not Stark. Lux's mother was far more terrifying, a military legend who operates effectively.

[Prehysterical]

Looking up at Taalia, Vaex asks, "Are you coming along, or do you want to stay behind and help with the reconstruction and fortification?"

[Diachronos]

Katarina narrows her eyes. "Is she safe? Or do I have to be concerned that you're dragging my daughter along on a suicide mission?" Her gaze turns to Qari. "And who is this? Is my daughter not enough for you? Is that why you have this harlot with you?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taalia shakes her head. "I'm going too. The rulers of the Veiled Tundra have always been the ones leading the charge against the country's enemies, and I don't intend to be any different."

[Prehysterical]

Vaex nods approvingly. "Well, all right then! Forseti, let's round up the troops!" Flapping his wings in excitement, Vaex dashes out of the room to find the others.

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark narrows his eyes and steps forward. "That's enough, Commander. You may have your reservations about me but I'll thank you to not insult my companions without cause. This woman is a cherished companion of mine. She is not a harlot."

He calms down. "Lux is quite alright. Her skill with healing and defensive magic has been very valuable, but I have made sure to keep her away from direct confrontation. Now then, where are the cultists? I have a lot of stress I want to let out."

[Diachronos]

Forseti runs after Vaex to start looking for the others. Lux and Tiana don't take long to find, seeing as they're still in the palace, but the others seem to have left for other parts of the city.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Mind your tone, boy. Even with your newfound power, I've still been trained to hunt mages. As for where these cultists are, I see no reason why I should share that information with you. They will be dealt with once General Gathard can spare the manpower to root them out."

[Prehysterical]

Reconvening with Taalia, Vaex asks, "Nyktox, Stark, and Teisa could be anywhere in the city. Do you think that we can make do with five- no, six of us?" Almost forgot Archmage Rhaegos. "Also, what will we do with Killian while we are gone?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark frowns. "Why wait for them to recover their strength or attack another area? My companions and I are fresh and rested, we can handle them on our own. And if it would help, we can even leave Lux with you while we go. Please, Commander, I just want to protect my homeland. ...And take revenge for my queen."

[Diachronos]

"Hmm... I'm not sure, we don't know what they have stowed away in the glaciers. I'd feel better if we had all of us there. As for Killian..." She turns to Khamer. "Uncle, there's a little girl we rescued in the forest. Would you be able to look after her until we get back?"

"Of course! You know I have a soft spot for kids."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
"... They're holed up in the glaciers to the northeast. Take care you don't overestimate your abilities while you're there."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark bows gratefully. "Thank you. I won't let you down. Also..."

He winces, preparing to dodge a thrown knife. "I hate to ask this, but we are very short on time. Commander, do you have a coat that my herbine friend can borrow? She's not from around here, so she's unused to the cold, but I don't have time to get her anything fitted right now...."

[Prehysterical]

Vaex looks up at Taalia in askance. "So we waste hours by looking for Stark and company, and Nyktox? I want them along, too, but time is precious right now."

[Diachronos]

"I know, Vaex, but we don't know what to expect here. We might need them inside."

Rhaegos yawns and stands up. "Nyktox is at the Laughing Skull. Stark and Teisa are at the Nightraven estate."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Katarina scowls and nods before leaving, returning a minute later with a heavy gray coat. "I expect it to be returned, undamaged, when you've gotten the houseplant fitted for her own clothes."

[Prehysterical]

"I know where that is! Taalia, I'll go fetch Nyktox if you get Stark. Though I can't imagine that Nyktox is going to be happy about this..." Vaex heads of the palace and down to the Laughing Skull.

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark smiles. "Very generous! Thank you so much. Well I best be off before the princess gets worried. Have a nice day."

Stark goes into the parlor and hands Teisa the coat.

"(Ignan) I'm very sorry Qari. I want you to know that I don't think of you as a whore or a harlot or anything like that. Your past is behind you, and you aren't tied to any labels."

"Teisa, this coat should keep you much warmer."

[Diachronos]

Taalia nods and the two of them split up.

Vaex finds Nyktox and his bardic companions enjoying each others' company in the tavern. Corvan is behind the bar cleaning a glass as Vaex walks in, and he waves to the kobold. "Long time no see! What can I get for you?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Teisa eagerly dons the jacket, though it's a bit of a tight squeeze considering she's larger in certain areas than Katarina. Qari doesn't seem upset by the remarks, though she does seem relieved to be out of the manor. Not long after they leave, Taalia finds them on the streets. "We're getting ready to go after the remaining cultists from the attack."

[Prehysterical]

"I'm not here to drink, I am afraid," Vaex says sincerely to the bony innkeep. He walks up to Nyktox. "Sorry to pull you away from what little relaxation you can get, but we're going on an operation and could use your help. Y'know, setting people on fire and stuff."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark dons an impressed look. "Oh? You've found out where they are already? Excellent work, Taalia. It sounds like you're cut out for this leader thing after all. Well, I promised Qari she could come with us this time. Lead the way."

[Diachronos]

Nyktox sighs and gets off the bench. After saying his farewells, he heads out with Vaex.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taalia leads them back to the palace.

Now that everyone has met up, the group gathers in the throne room of the palace. Rhaegos isn't there yet, but one of the guards tells them that he will be ready to depart shortly.

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark stands in the corner, nervous. Would he be able to reign himself in this time? Would any of his allies get hurt?

He takes a breath and looks down at his glove. No. He would keep himself in check. He was in control of his own destiny.

[Prehysterical]

Vaex pipes up, "Now, I have a suggestion for this mission. Rather than just kicking the door down and barging straight in, it might be better to let me go in first. I can sneak in, identify the leader and engage him while the rest of you come in the front. They'll be scattered and confused, which will make it harder for them to coordinate a defense."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark nods. "I can use my magic to make you invisible to the naked eye for a few minutes."

[Prehysterical]

Stark nods. "I can use my magic to make you invisible to the naked eye for a few minutes."
That mention makes Vaex's eyes go wide and he rubs his hands together wickedly, a maniac chuckle escaping from his snout. "They'll never see it coming."

[Diachronos]

"Are you sure it's a good idea to go in completely alone, Vaex? What if you get captured, or if they outnumber you?"

Nyktox nods in agreement. "I should go in with you, between the two of us we should be able to hold out long enough for the rest to attack from the front entrance." He turns to Stark. "Can you make both of us invisible?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark chuckles and bows. "I am an archmage. You'll find that my tricks don't run out so quickly. I can easily make both of you invisible, though I will state for the record that this tactic isn't very heroic. And what do you expect the rest of us to do? Sit outside and wait until we hear your screams of agony before we rush in too late to save you?"

[Prehysterical]

Vaex shakes his head in despair. "Stark, Stark, Stark... This is a situation where heroes get themselves killed. We can't have that, so why not send in the sneaky little scaly bastards instead? As for the signal... Isn't there magic that can let us communicate over long distances?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Communication magic? I've never had a use for it, so I don't keep it in this spellbook," Stark replies. "Maybe Lux knows some, but I think her parents want her to come see them for a bit. It's not like this is Void territory so it should be fine for her to sit this one out."

[Diachronos]

Lux frowns. "I don't see why I have to be the one to stay behind..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark opens his mouth to tell her that her family was the important thing and that she should take a last opportunity to see them in case she was killed by the Void, that she owed them that much after running away from them and that her power probably not only wouldn't be useful in a stealth mission, it may even be detrimental. But then he remembers Celeste, and remembers that each family has their own way of doing things. "This time will be different. I need to stop trying to control everything and focus on remaining in control of myself."

He nods slowly. "No one's saying you have to, Lux. It was just a suggestion."

[Prehysterical]

Vaex intercedes by saying, "I don't mind if you come along this time, Lux. This isn't a Tower challenge, so it's not like it's beyond your skills this time. I have no problems with it."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark shrugs. "It would seem my opinion is not the majority, so then let's drop it and get going, shall we?"

[Diachronos]

Lux finally sighs and nods. "I want to come along, but my parents need to know I'm okay. And I want to make sure they get to see me one more time in case anything goes wrong on this quest..."

Taalia nods. "Don't worry, we'll wait for you before heading to the Wastes."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark nods. "Well, if we're waiting then we're eating. Qari go upstairs and pack a bag. Taalia have they reopened the kitchens yet?"

[Prehysterical]

Once again, Lux astounds Vaex with her ability to do the opposite of what she says. The prospect of cake, however, is enough to supplicate Vaex... for now.

[Diachronos]

"I'm sorry to make you all wait. I'll try to make this as quick as I can."

After Lux heads out, Taalia leads everybody up to the dining hall. While the meal they're presented with isn't as extravagant as their previous visit had led them to expect, it still provides a very satisfying way to sate their hunger.

During dinner, Taalia brings up their assault on the glacial fortress and how they plan to launch the attack. "Should we have Vaex and Nyktox sneak in while the rest of us lead a frontal assault to keep their attention?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark looks surprised at that idea. "I think there might be a problem there. If Nyktox isn't here, who is our 'frontal assault' head going to be? Tiana doesn't wear armor and I require some modicum of personal space to cast any offensive magic."

[Prehysterical]

"I'm sorry, are we forgetting about the undead dragon that's coming with us," Vaex asks pointedly.

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark looks annoyed. "Yes. The almighty demigod who blends immortality and immense magical power, a being that may be the single strongest creature in the entire world, is going to draw aggression for us." His words drip with sarcasm. "If Rhaegos is going to fight the rest of us would just be collateral damage."

[Prehysterical]

"Well then, you can go tell your fellow archmage why he can't come. I'm sure he'll be very understanding of you doubting his magical skill, young pup." Vaex sips his hot tea loudly.

[Diachronos]

"Ugh... fine, I'll sneak in with Vaex, then."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark blinks. He shrugs. "I guess that works. Nyktox, Tiana and I can keep them busy from the front."

[Diachronos]

Teisa sighs and shakes her head. "I'll head the assault at the front of the glacier. If Nyktox isn't going to be fighting there, I'm probably the one best suited to drawing their fire."

Taalia gives her a curious look. "But... you're unarmored and-"

"I'm the Guardian, remember? Besides, I can change my form like any other druid. I just have a different repertoire than most druids would have."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark frowns and crosses his arms. "Hm. Well, she does have pretty strong healing skills. But I...wait."

Stark's face turns bright red. "How does she heal herself?" he thinks, and a mental image of Teisa grinning playfully at him as she licks her own forearm, slowly letting her tongue roll up to her wrist, plays in his mind. He shakes his head quickly and the image goes away. "I am totally fine with having Teisa lead the charge! Doesn't matter if anyone tries to attack her, because they'll have to get through my barrage of spells first!" Stark says, both a little too loudly and a little too enthusiastically.

[Diachronos]

"I will need some kind of protection from the cold though, and so will Onnath. Neither of us are used to this kind of weather."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark considers that. "Hm, I wonder if Tharas has some endure elements spells available? I bet Qari would appreciate one too."

[Diachronos]

Taalia nods. "He'll probably have some protective spells that he could grant to a few of us. If not, I'm sure Archmage Rhaegos can prepare a few for us."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark nods. "Alright, I'll go talk to him. You guys stay here and enjoy." He sits back, patting a full stomach. He has a plate (and seconds) of food before anyone else finished their first course. After exhaling and sighing in content, Stark stands up and goes upstairs, picks up Qari and heads back down to the throne room, searching for Tharas.

[Prehysterical]

As Vaex sits at the table, thoughtful while digesting, an idea strikes him. Reaching into his pack, he pulls out the sunstone that Khamer gave him so long ago. "Do you think that this would help?"

[Diachronos]

Stark finds the High Priest in the cathedral hall, looking through a few heavy and old-looking tomes. He looks up at Stark enters, an expression of slight irritation on his face. "Can I help you, young man?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taalia rubs her chin in thought. "It might. Followers of the Corpse King tend to deal with nightshades and rogue vampires, and they all have an aversion to sunlight."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark nods. "Forgive my interruption, Your Grace. Archmage Rhaegos is sending the chosen to clean up the Black Depth Initiates. I was hoping you might provide some thermal relief for our companions that are foreign. There are four of them in total."

[Diachronos]

The lich grumbles and places a sheet of parchment between the pages to mark his place. "If I'd had some advance notice I could do it in moments. I haven't prepared that sort of spell today, though, and I can't until nightfall. Although..." He motions for Stark to follow him. "I'm sure there are some scrolls in the vault that would prove useful."

[Prehysterical]

Vaex hesitates as he recalls, "But it hurts you too, right? Is there any way we can protect you from the effects?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark stands up and follows Tharas gratefully.

[Diachronos]

Taalia shakes her head. "Bright light hurts my eyes, but that's the extent of it. Aside from that it's no more harmful to me than it is to you or Stark."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tharas leads Stark into the vault at the back of the cathedral. Inside, there are small mountains of chests and coffers, no doubt filled with donations and tithes from the citizens of Nightveil. There are a few objects on display as well, mostly weapons and armor paired up with a portrait of a pale-skinned individual.


The ones in the portraits are all previous Dread Kings and Dread Queens, and the objects are most likely something that was recognized as a major possession of theirs during their reign.

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark looks around the treasury in wonder, suddenly very self conscious of his own penniless state. Why would Taalia possibly consider staying with him when he could offer her nothing?

"The people really love Serana, don't they? ...Thank you. For trying so hard to find her. I know from experience the frustration one feels when their own power isn't enough to help the people they care about."

[Prehysterical]

"So indiscriminate sunlight is a go," Vaex says with a toothy grin. "One less thing to worry about."

[Diachronos]

Tharas doesn't answer for a moment. "I have seen few rulers of these lands take such an active interest in the well-being of their subjects, and none to the extent as Her Majesty Serana. She is one of the very few I have seen in my long life that could make the title of King or Queen seem like something honorable. She even showed that compassion to me, when she held my phylactery in her grasp from the moment she was chosen to rule." He looks over his shoulder at Stark as he opens a scroll case. "I will say this, I highly doubt that Taalia will live up to the expectations created by her mother's reign any time soon. To expect such greatness of her in such a short time is akin to expecting a songbird to match a dragon in strength."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
The others nod in agreement, just before the doors to the dining hall swing open. Wendy enters, her arms laden with alchemical equipment and various flasks. "Oh good, you're all still here! I'd like to go with you to the glacier."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark nods. "I know. Believe me, I'm more than aware that Taalia needs a lot of time and experience before she could be half the ruler Serana is. But I want her to gain that experience. She can't rise if everyone is too afraid of seeing her fall a few times. But I'll be there to help her to her feet and brush her off each time that happens, because I want her to succeed. Now, about those scrolls..."

[Prehysterical]

Vaex looks up at Wendy in surprise. She keeps surprising me, today. "No offense, but... what will you be doing, exactly?"

[Diachronos]

"She is lucky to have you, then." He pulls out a few scrolls and sets them aside, then looks through a few more cases. "I'm not sure which among your group are capable of wielding divine magic, but if any of them are they should be able to use these without issue."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, I can- oops..." One of her vials falls from her arms, landing on the floor with a loud his as the acid inside begins to eat away at the stone. "Don't worry, I can fix that! Anyway, I can help with your offense at the front, and I have restorative potions that should come in handy in case any of you get injured."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark nods and picks up the scrolls. "Thank you, Your Grace. Is there anything else you can suggest? If not I'll be on my way."

[Prehysterical]

Trying not to imagine Wendy dropping a grenade in their midst, Vaex asks, "Actually, do you have anything beyond thunderstones in terms of hindering the enemy? Like something that can blind them? I imagine our primary targets will be spellcasters, so anything we can do to sabotage their efforts would be most effective."

[Diachronos]

Tharas shakes his head. "I have little else to offer for your quest other than to wish you luck. I do have a request, though... destroy any undead you find in the enemy's forces. If they are working with the Black Depth Initiates, they are either being controlled and deserve to be released back to their final rest, or traitors that deserve to be executed."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wendy nods and sets down her load of alchemical gear, separating out a few items. "Thunderstones are actually good against magic-users, since a lot of spells have precise incantations that must be spoken for the spell to work. If you're deaf, your speech is off, and it makes it difficult to say the words properly." She points to a pair of small bags. "There's also tanglefoot bags, which hinder the gestures needed for some magics, and flash powder to blind them."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark nods firmly. He takes the scrolls and heads back to the dining room. "Here, Teisa. These should help." He hands the scrolls to the alraune. "Oh, hi Wendy. Nice to see you again."

[Prehysterical]

Reaching for one of the tanglefoot bags, Vaex asks, "Mind if I take a couple of each? Taalia and I are going in first to cause as much confusion and mayhem as we can. If we can make it so their leader can't defend himself, this battle will be much shorter."

[Diachronos]

Teisa accepts the scrolls, taking a moment to read over them.

Wendy gives Stark a friendly wave before turning back to Vaex. "I don't mind at all. Oh, you might want some of these too." She sets down a few bags that look like tanglefoot bags, but the fabric of the pouch is red. "Tangleburn bags. Think of them like tanglefoot bags with a flask of alchemist's fire inside."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark watches the exchange between Wendy and Vaex with mild interest. After a moment he glances over at Tiana. He wants to say something to her, but figures she's probably still mad at him. So he turns to Taalia instead. "Have you prayed to the Keeper for guidance? ...You know if He hasn't named a new ruler yet, that probably means Serana is still alive."

[Diachronos]

"...Stark, it's okay. I've accepted that she's likely gone."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark sighs and clenches his fist. "I'm sorry. I don't want to upset you, I just thought that I could make you feel better. But you're right, acceptance is the better option than clinging to hope. ...Okay. So, are you going to be okay sneaking into the cavern with Vaex? If they catch you...well, you wouldn't be a bargaining chip for blackmail or ransom to them, you'd be killed."

[Diachronos]

"I'm the daughter of the Keeper's herald, they'd want to get the whole cult together to sacrifice me to the Corpse King. All the more reason to not get caught."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Any other woman would probably say 'all the more reason not to go', but..." Stark sighs and shakes his head, smiling. "It's a risk, but you know what you're doing so I'll be quiet and let you take it. Just know that if you do get caught, I'll bring that whole cave down if I have to to save you."

[Diachronos]

"I'll get crushed if you do that, you know." She grins. "I know what you mean, though. You don't need to worry. Vaex is going to be there with me, and we're both good at not being found if we don't want to be."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark nods. "Well, okay. Just be careful. I certainly can't stay by your side forever if you get yourself killed."

[Prehysterical]

Vaex's eyes light up like a child seeing a knight for the first time. He picks up one of the tangleburn bags and jokingly says, "I think I'm in love!"

[Diachronos]

Taalia and Wendy both blush in response to Stark and Vaex's statements. Taalia diverts her attention to the contents of her plate, and Wendy gives a nervous chuckle as she rubs the back of her head. "It's nothing, really, just something Gwynn and I cooked up while travelling to take up less space."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark smiles and finishes eating. "Alright, is everyone packed up? When Lux gets back we should head out."

[Prehysterical]

Stuffing all of his new toys into the pack, Vaex responds, "All ready here. It will be nice for us to be doing the ambushing for once!"

[Diachronos]

Everyone finishes their dinner and heads to finish packing their gear. Taalia remains behind. "Do you think it should just be me and Vaex sneaking in? Or should we bring someone who can start wrecking the place from the inside to help with the distraction?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark frowns. "If I expend too many resources on making you all invisible I won't have anything left when the fight breaks out."

[Prehysterical]

Vaex nods grudgingly in agreement with Stark's point. "As entertaining as the thought of half of us sneaking in is, we don't want Stark blowing all of his spells on making us invisible. We'll just have to put our good talents to use." Vaex grins good-naturedly. "Don't worry, Taalia, we'll do just fine."

[Diachronos]

"I can make a couple of us invisible as well. Would that help?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark shakes his head. "Save your magic. It's all you will have once you're inside and away from the group."

[Diachronos]

Taalia nods and heads to finish packing.

Everyone meets in the entrance hall of the palace after about half an hour, where Rhaegos is being fitted with a riding harness. "Are you all ready to move out for the glacier?"

"Yes, we are." Lux walks in through the palace entrance, her expression one of both frustration and anxiety.

"Did everything go alright with your parents?"

"Not exactly, but I'd rather not go into it now. Let's get going."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark nods. "We are, thank you."

Stark looks curiously at Lux when she arrives but says nothing.

[Prehysterical]

"I could always use more time, but I'll just be happy with what we have now." Vaex helps in securing the harness, trying to make sure that the harness doesn't hinder the dracolich's movement.

[Diachronos]

After Rhaegos' harness is in place, he steps outside and lowers himself to the ground so that they can climb on. After everybody is strapped to the harness, the undead dragon lifts off, his wings kicking up flurries of snow with each beat until they are almost level with the surrounding rooftops.

Their flight over the tundra is swift, with any spoken words being lost to the rush of wind. Rhaegos lands about a hundred yards from the glacier, where a cavernous entrance is partially hidden by the snow drifts and hanging icicles. "Which of you will be entering first?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark uses his magic to make Taalia and Vaex invisible. "Alright, you two. Be careful and don't do anything I-...don't do anything Lux wouldn't do."

[Prehysterical]

Vaex's grin is lost in the invisibility. "Taalia, feel for my shoulder. I'll guide us in. We don't want to lose track of each other."
Perception: [roll0]
Stealth: [roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

As Stark watches the two of them go he turns to Tiana. "(Abyssal) Teisa is going to cast a spell on you to inure you to the cold air. Alright?"

[Diachronos]

Taalia feels around until she finds Vaex's shoulder. "I'll send some kind of signal if something happens."

Stealth: [roll0]


Tiana abruptly turns away from Stark, her tail lashing angrily from side to side. After Teisa applies the spell to herself and Onnath, she uses one of the scrolls on Tiana to protect her from the cold. "Should we begin our assault now, or wait for the others to get further inside?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taalia and Vaex creep into the icy caverns of the glacier. It doesn't take long for them to find signs of the cultists' presence: numerous corpses fill the halls, some animal and some humanoid. Vaex notices that a few even bear tattoos and scars in the shape of a skull with a toothy shark-like grin - the symbol he's come to recognize as the Corpse King's emblem. The presence of black onyx dust and chips on the ground suggests that the bodies were used, or perhaps are intended for, some sort of ritual, though he's not sure what kind.

Among the corpses are a few ghouls, each preoccupied with picking the flesh from the bones of the dead, and a few small creatures that appear to be little more than animate masses of hair and half-rotten flesh molded into a vaguely humanoid shape are scampering about.

Chanting can be heard echoing down the hall, in some guttural and obscene language that Vaex only vaguely recognizes from the few times he'd overheard it being spoken in the Veiled Tundra.

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark sighs as Tiana moves away from him. Give her time...right.

"We should wait. Give them about five minutes, then we run in."

[Prehysterical]

Vaex inches the two of them past the undead before moving on. It's the cultists that are the objective, not these creatures.
I'm not even going to bother rolling for Stealth with a modifier that high.

[Diachronos]

Teisa nods and settles in to wait for the assault to begin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The pair moves deeper and deeper into the caverns, and the chanting grows louder with each step. Occasionally they pass by a group of cultists, but the fanatics are too engrossed in their work to notice the invisible kobold and dhampir.

The tunnel eventually opens into a large room, dimly lit by candles and what little light filters in through the thick sheets of ice making up the ceiling. Many ritual circles dot the floor in a bizarre design, each with a group of cultists at its ring performing some manner of rite. At the far end of the cavern is a pool of dark water, with pitch-black tendrils reaching up as if seeking out a victim to drag into the depths. On the opposite end of the pool is an ornate throne fashioned from various sea creature bones, primarily sharks, upon which sits a pale-skinned man in a dark leather coat and dark leggings. One leg is lazily draped over the arm of the throne as he watches the cultists, a bored expression on his face.

[Prehysterical]

Vaex can easily snipe at the man from here, but he doesn't want to limit Taalia's combat options for when the invisibility wears off. He makes his way around the edge of the chamber, getting closer to the man before engaging.

[Diachronos]

Taalia creeps around with him, keeping a hand on the kobold's shoulder.

As they approach, one of the cultists approaches the throne. "Great One, the city guard are sure to come looking for vengeance before long. Perhaps we should consider relocating the site of the ritual?"

The man blinks and looks at the cultist, almost looking like he'd been about to doze off. "Why should we be worried? They're probably busy crying over their dead queen and fixing their little city, they wouldn't have the time to spare for us."

[Prehysterical]

It was time to relieve the "Great One"'s boredom. Rifling through his magic pack, Vaex manages to find exactly the items he needs. Slinging his crossbow over his shoulder, he holds a tangleburn bag in one hand and a thunderstone in the other. Feeling for Taalia's hand on his shoulder, he slips a thunderstone in between in her fingers. Next, he feels around for her leg before opening and closing his hand sideways against her skin, mimicking a talking creature. Vaex then taps three fingers against her leg. On the count of three. He taps one finger against her leg. One. Two fingers. Two. As he taps the three fingers, Vaex hurls the tangleburn bag at the seated conspirator.
Ranged Touch Attack: [roll0]
[roll1] fire damage
Trying to glue him to the chair. The bag has a lot of effects, so please take a look for yourself because I don't feel like writing a novel.
The idea is for Taalia to throw her thunderstone at the guy, also. Between being glued down and deafened, he'll be pretty vulnerable.

[Diachronos]

Taalia throws the thunderstone at the floor in front of the man.

Taalia's attack with the thunderstone: [roll0]

Man's Fort save against thunderstone: [roll1]
Reflex save to avoid catching fire: [roll2]
Reflex save to avoid getting stuck: [roll3]


The man growls and moves his arms, causing the ice around his throne to rise up as a makeshift wall. The cultists in the room that aren't partaking in the rituals immediately drop what they're doing and start moving in toward Taalia and Vaex. A couple run for the tunnels, shouting that intruders had made it to the Corpse King's sanctum.


Taalia: [roll4]
"Great One": [roll5]
Cultists: [roll6]

[Prehysterical]

Vaex grits his teeth in annoyance. Rats and curses!

Well, this is the part where we start stabbing everyone. The crossbow would be no good in such close quarters. Vaex flaps toward the nearest incoming cultist, his rapier whipping out like a snake's head to strike.
Initiative: [roll0]
A: [roll1]
D: [roll2]
C: [roll3]
CD: [roll4]

[Diachronos]

Taalia draws her rapier and stabs at the cultist that Vaex had hit.

Hit/Confirm: [roll0]/[roll1]
Damage: [roll2]/[roll3]


The remaining cultists are grabbing weapons from various racks around the cavern, rapidly organizing and readying themselves for combat against the princess and the kobold. Many are casting spells of some sort, creating sheens of energy over their arms and their weapons. One of them points accusingly at the pair. "You dare to strike at our Master?!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tiana looks over at the tunnels, a worried expression on her face. (Abyssal) "Something's wrong. There's shouting coming from inside."

Nyktox cracks his knuckles and starts walking toward the cavern. "I guess that's our signal, then."

Teisa nods in agreement as Rhaegos stands up from his resting place in the snow. "I will circle around the rear of the glacier to create another front for them to deal with."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark snaps his fingers and his staff appears in his hand. "Alright Teisa, we'll follow your lead. Qari, stay with Archmage Rhaegos. His raw size will make you a much harder target to hit. Everyone else, charge!"

He rushes with the others towards the entrance, blowing a hole open in the door.

[Prehysterical]

"Well, not now that he's surrounded himself with that stupid wall. You, however..." Vaex darts for the man, rapier plunging for his gut.
A: [roll0]
D: [roll1]
C: [roll2]
CD: [roll3]

[Diachronos]

Teisa starts walking toward the cavern, and as she walks she begins to shift, growing in size and taking on the form of a mighty treant.

The group enters the glacier, with the sound of the cultists preparing for battle echoing toward them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The man evades Vaex's thrust as Taalia stabs at him with her rapier.

Attack: [roll0]/[roll1]
Damage: [roll2]/[roll3]

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark follows behind Teisa, charging into the first room looking for any signs of movement.

[Prehysterical]

After a rather piss-poor thrust on his part, Vaex decides to cheat some. Rolling around the cultist, Vaex comes up behind him and aims for the small of his back.
Acrobatics: [roll0]
A: [roll1]
D: [roll2]
C: [roll3]
CD: [roll4]
SA: [roll5]

[Diachronos]

Teisa leads the way into the tunnels, smashing aside the barriers that the cultists were trying to set up and trampling them underfoot. Nyktox and Forseti are quick to pounce on any that managed to avoid the alraune's stomping feet, ending them with a swift flurry of claws and teeth, and Tiana readily launches herself at anyone who comes from the side passages that they ignore.

Lux remains by Stark, nervously looking around. "Stark, you don't think that the Void's servants are going to be here, do you?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vaex's thrust finds its mark and slips through the cultist's ribs, causing him to cough blood for a moment before he falls to the ground. Taalia steps over the man and stands side-by-side with Vaex as the cultists close in around them. (Draconic) "So... think we can take them all?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark considers that. "While I was captive they told me they had ended all contact with the Initiates. If anyone would be here, it would most likely be Xinia. And if Xinia is here I imagine Taalia will want to kill her."

He keeps his eyes on the angry monk. Stark realizes that Tiana still hasn't forgiven him yet, but he still feels worried about her so he glances over at her every so often.

The group pushes onward looking for Taalia and Vaex.

[Prehysterical]

Vaex shrugs and replies back in the Dragon Tongue, "We don't really have to. The question is how many of them are stupid enough to stick around." His rapier tip snakes toward an oncoming cultist.
A: [roll0]
D: [roll1]
C: [roll2]
CD: [roll3]

Uh... He's dead, right?

[Diachronos]

"I guess you're right. Let's just root out whatever forces they have and be done with it, then."

As they round a turn in the cavern, Stark hears a familiar laugh echoing from the passage behind them. "Oh, look who it is. The little pyro who ruined everything at Pyretown..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The man yelps in pain before dropping to the ground after Vaex's rapier pierces through his eye socket and into his skull. Taalia stabs another through the throat. "Fair enough, then."

As the two of them ready for the wave of cultists, the ice around the throne opens and the "Great One" steps out. "Who dares to take up arms against the legions of Kuhl'Ner'Zug?!" He blinks and digs a finger into his ear, before snapping his fingers a couple of times next to it. "Brilliant, I can't hear a f***ing thing now. What kind of person does that to somebody?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark tenses up. "...By the Keeper. Nyktox! I need you to get to Taalia now! Get her as far away from here as possible! Teisa, Lux, get ready for battle!"

He raises his staff and turns around. "I've been waiting for this...'Necro'. You're going to pay for what you did to Serana. I went easy on Ralek because I felt sorry for him, and I didn't have time to teach Gavin his place. But you and me? We're going to dance, and I'm going to make sure I leave scars on your soul that no amount of dark aether will repair!"

[Prehysterical]

As the belligerent Great One walks out, Vaex looks at Taalia significantly. "Flank him," he says in Draconic before moving to engage the cult leader.
A: [roll0], +2 if Taalia flanks
D: [roll1]
C: [roll2], +2 etc.
CD: [roll3]
SA (if Taalia flanks): [roll4]

[Diachronos]

Nyktox darts further down the cavern at an impossible speed. The arcanist turns and finds... the cultist that was leading the attack on Pyretown. Her spiked chain drags along the icy cave floor, and her sickening grin is fixated on Stark as she approaches. "'Necro'? Who is 'Necro'?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taalia sidesteps around the man and thrusts her rapier at him.

Attack/Confirm: [roll0]/[roll1]
Damage: [roll2]/[roll3]


The man growls and forms a wicked-looking blade of black energy in his hand before slashing at Vaex. "Not even here for five minutes and you're already annoying me."

Hit/Confirm: [roll4]/[roll5]
Damage: [roll6]/[roll7]

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark blinks in surprise. "Ah. That's a neat trick. I'm pretty sure The Keeper wouldn't pull strings like that for me."

He slams his staff into the ground. "Where are my manners? My name is Stark Frostfell. Xinia was pretty pissed that you stole her spellbook."

[Prehysterical]

Vaex opens his mouth to retort back, before shutting it as he remembers that the man is currently deaf. Instead, he just stabs again.
A: [roll0]
D: [roll1]
C: [roll2]
CD: [roll3]
SA: [roll4]

I just realized that I forgot to use Debilitating Injury last round. If Vaex's attack hits, "Great One" suffers a -2 penalty on attack rolls (-4 against Vaex).

[Diachronos]

"Of course he wouldn't. That bony fool doesn't care about you, or the Dread Queen, or anybody else in the world." She giggles at the mention of Xinia. "That little tramp? Do you really think she used that book? No, when she came to hand off the responsibility of the ritual at Pyretown, she gave that to me as well. Her real spellbook is massive, big enough that you could probably write every spell in the world inside and still have empty pages."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taalia aims another stab at the man's back as he focuses on Vaex.

Hit/Confirm: [roll0]/[roll1]
Damage: [roll2]/[roll3]


The man snarls as Vaex's rapier finds a weak point, and his blade crackles with sinister dark energy as he strikes out at the kobold.

Spending an arcane pool point to enhance the weapon by +3 for 1 minute
Concentration check, DC 21: [roll4]
If successful, the first attack he hits with is going to do an additional [roll5] negative energy damage (plus another [roll6] on a critical hit), Will save DC 17 for half damage

Attack 1:
Hit/Confirm: [roll7]/[roll8]
Damage: [roll9]/[roll10]

Attack 2:
Hit/Confirm: [roll11]/[roll12]
Damage: [roll13]/[roll14]

Attack 3:
Hit/Confirm: [roll15]/[roll16]
Damage: [roll17]/[roll18]

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark chuckles. "Indeed, I've seen that spellbook. Still, if you're just going to be brought back to life when I kill you again, that's a little annoying. Wendy, you should go search for Vaex. You'll only be in the way here." He raises his staff. "Now then...what do you want? Because I'm fairly certain it's not 'fight with the guy who killed me before he gained the power of an archmage'. If you're here to negotiate, then I'm listening."

[Prehysterical]

The man's strike does more than part Vaex's scales. Vaex can feel his life ebbing out of the wound. All of a sudden, Vaex realizes how very deadly this particular foe is. They'd better get in here fast, or this is going to end rather poorly. Vaex keeps stabbing, hoping to win the race of blades.
A: [roll0]
D: [roll1]
C: [roll2]
CD: [roll3]
SA: [roll4]
Once again using Debilitating Injury to inflict attack penalties

[Diachronos]

Wendy nods and takes off down the cavern after Nyktox. Forseti chases after her, leaving Stark, Lux, Teisa, and Tiana to face the undead cultist.

"'What do I want', you ask? I want to serve my lord and master, the Corpse King. To think that you'd be so bold as to waltz right into His lair and disrupt the rituals we are performing in His name..." She lifts the spiked chain and stares at the group, her long tongue lapping against her fang-like teeth as she gives them a hungry look. "I think I'll offer up your souls to him... after I've picked your bones clean."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taalia takes a step back from the man before speaking an incantation and swinging her arm. A lash of dark energy shoots out at the man's neck.

Casting limp lash
Attack: [roll0] vs touch

If successful, the Great One takes a [roll1] penalty on his Strength, Dexterity, and Con, and the lash stays connected until broken or until Taalia lets go.


One of the cultists runs up to the melee and reaches out for the Great One, his hand glowing a faint white.

Vaex gets an attack of opportunity, and the Great One is no longer deafened.

The Great One's actions will be in the next post, I need to know if Limp Lash hits first

[Diachronos]

The Great One grabs at the lash coiled around his neck before turning and striking at Taalia and the lash. "You little wretch!"


Attack 1 at Taalia
Hit/Confirm: [roll0]/[roll1]
Damage: [roll2]/[roll3]

Attack 2 at the Lash
Sunder attempt: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark chuckles. "If you think your divine magic is any match for arcane magic in a straight fight then you have another thing coming."

He raises his staff. "Very well. If you seek peace I shall give it to you gladly, ghasts such as you are only a threat to everyone around you. However, before the light leaves your eyes I shall pry everything you know about Xinia from your charred lips."

Initiative: [roll0]

[Prehysterical]

A: [roll0]
D: [roll1]
C: [roll2]
CD: [roll3]
"No, I'm the little wretch," Vaex says in an attempt to regain the Great One's attention. Oh, and he stabs again.
A: [roll4]
D: [roll5]
C: [roll6]
CD: [roll7]
SA: [roll8]
Sweet, a crit! Also, Debilitating Injury renews the attack penalty.

[Diachronos]

The woman chuckles. "Good luck, little fire bug."


Cultist: [roll0]
Teisa: [roll1]
Tiana: [roll2]
Lux: [roll3]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The cultist drops from Vaex's thrust.

"We've got him where we want him, Vaex!" Taalia aims another thrust in as Vaex attacks.

Y'know what, just because: Gallant Inspiration on Vaex's turn! Vaex adds [roll4] to his crit confirmation roll!
He takes another [roll5] penalty to his Strength, Dex, and Con

Attack: [roll6]/[roll7]
Damage: [roll8]/[roll9]


"Damn right you are, you little newt. Now I can see why Martiviraurix wanted you dead so badly!" He makes a downward motion with his hand, and a section of the ceiling shoots down at the kobold.

Vaex needs to make a DC 20 Reflex save or take [roll10] damage from the pillar coming at him. If he succeeds, he avoids damage but is forced into an adjacent square (your choice)

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark feels the power welling up inside him. He hesitates. Should he try and control it? Or let it overwhelm him like last time? But this woman...she wasn't alive anymore. He was going to kill her anyway. No. There was no need to hold back here.

The black streak forms in his hair as he and Cinderhulk merge consciousnesses, and Ashe flips his staff expertly. "I'm going to take you down in one shot!"

He takes a deep breath and then blasts out with two bolts of raging black fire, before his serpent's eyes open and spews forth a stream of red flames directly at the woman.

I will use 2 charges of my staff to empower my spell for free. Spending 1 point of mythic power to cast mythic scorching ray, and 1 point of mythic power for Amazing Initiative to give me a second standard action.

For the ray, she is flat-footed, so her AC should be 10.
Ranged touch: [roll0]
Ranged touch: [roll1]

First blast: [roll2] plus half of [roll3] - This blast completely ignores fire resistance and fire immunity.
Second blast: [roll4] plus half of [roll5] - This blast ignores 4 points of fire resistance.

Using my second standard to use Flame Arc, dealing [roll6] fire damage, with a Reflex save DC 16 for half damage.

[Prehysterical]

Vaex dodges the falling debris with ease, taking a nonchalant step backward. Flapping his wings, Vaex lands on top of the fallen debris and glares down at the Great One. "Not yet, you don't...," he growls. This time, the rapier comes from above rather than below.
Vaex now has height advantage, +1 attack bonus
A: [roll0]
D: [roll1]
C: [roll2]
CD: [roll3]
SA: [roll4]

[NeoSeraphi]

Ashe's first blast goes wide, and Ashe blinks in surprise as it smashes into the ceiling, bringing down a large amount of rubble. He hears the cavern start to shudder in protest. Oh no. He had lost control of his magic on purpose. Why would he do that? To kill someone? Even if she was undead, he knew better than this! The Circle stated that magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him.

The streak leaves his hair as he feels sick to his stomach. Stark realizes that he has really let himself drift far too much into the dark. He looks down at the glove on his hand and then nods. He takes a deep breath and slams his hands together, chanting under his breath an ancient and forbidden technique which would give him the power to seal part of his soul away temporarily.

Stark is going to use his move action for the round to begin chanting. This 'ritual' will take 10 minutes to cast if he is uninterrupted. Obviously as I am not the DM I can't actually make the cavern start to collapse so feel free to ignore that as fluff if it suits you, I just thought it was a good opportunity for some character growth.

[Diachronos]

The woman shrieks and starts moving toward Stark after the spells are fired off, but Tiana runs in to intercept her with a mighty blow.


I've been DYING for a chance to do this. Pummeling Charge, spending a ki point to get another attack on Flurry of Blows. So that's... 4 total attacks, each dealing the damage of an 8th level Large monk, all being dealt as one blow.
Swift Action to use Strength blessing for +3 on attack rolls for 1 round

Attack 1:
Hit/Confirm: [roll0]/[roll1]
Damage: [roll2]/[roll3]
Attack 2:
Hit/Confirm: [roll4]/[roll5]
Damage: [roll6]/[roll7]
Attack 3:
Hit/Confirm: [roll8]/[roll9]
Damage: [roll10]/[roll11]
Attack 4:
Hit/Confirm: [roll12]/[roll13]
Damage: [roll14]/[roll15]

Using the hammerblow style strike on the first one that hits for an extra [roll16] damage

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taalia stabs at him again with her rapier.

[roll17] more damage from limp lash

Hit/Confirm: [roll18]/[roll19]
Damage: [roll20]/[roll21]


The Great One snarls and makes another downward gesture. This time, the floor begins to give out under both Vaex and Taalia.

Reflex save DC 20 to avoid falling through to the lower levels of the caverns.

Taalia's save: [roll22] plus surging for [roll23]


A familiar roar can be heard from the cavern that the two heroes had entered through, and the cultists begin forming up in front of the entrance. "Don't let them through, you worms! Don't fear them, fear what I'll do to you if you fail me!"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark does not interrupt his chant, his eyes remain closed as he keeps his palms firmly clasped together. A blue energy begins to gather around him as the Weave starts to swirl in place, orbiting him as Stark draws in power from every corner of the area around him.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I've had enough, Cinderhulk. This mission is too important for me to screw it up because you can't control yourself."

"Stop that. Did you forget, I'm in this body too! I can stop you!"

"Oh, I'm quite aware. But as long as I'm chanting this particular ritual, I can't stop until it's complete. The ritual is designed to deal with possessions, after all."

"You're insane. Do you think your precious princess will still love you after you do this?"

"I don't need her to love me if it means she will stay alive."

Stark's birthmark begins to glow and slide up his arm as Cinderhulk fights back desperately. The blue aura grows much wilder and sparks of electricity begin shooting out randomly, striking at the walls. Stark grits his teeth as he tries to remain concentrating, but his soul starts to rip itself in two.

Cinderhulk roars in his mind and Stark yells out in surprise as his staff ignites, the flames quickly burning up the mysterious blue air that surrounded him.

He staggers to his feet slowly, his eyes closed.

"...Alright. Look, you can't use that ritual. If you do, you'll be sacrificing all the power you've gained up until this point, and you can't stop the Void without it."

"Yeah, well, I can't be trusted with it either. And neither can you!"

"I get it. Please. This is...the last chance I have."

Stark frowns as he hears the soul plead. He pauses and picks up his staff. Cinderhulk senses his hesitation and quickly continues.

"Second banana. I promise. I will defer to you for now and make sure that none of my personality bleeds into you anymore. At least until this whole saving the world thing is done. In exchange, please, just don't try that ritual again. I don't think I can stop you a second time."

Stark sighs. As much trouble as Cinderhulk was, the ritual he had attempted was forbidden for a reason, and an outsider with no plane to return to would basically be wiped from existence. Not killed, just...erased. It was a terrible fate to wish on anyone. Stark had thought perhaps the sacrifice was necessary, but it seemed that Cinderhulk had gotten the message.

Already, Stark could feel his pulse slowing and his heart rate dropping. He wasn't agitated anymore, he wasn't on the edge of his seat.

Stark takes a breath and exhales, and a bit of purple smoke leaves his lips. Nodding, Stark realizes that he has managed to fight off most of the dark aether that he absorbed from Xinia before. That just left whatever surprise Vale had for him. But for now, the mark on his neck seemed mostly harmless.

Stark turns to the others. "You guys go ahead. The others probably need you by now. I will stay in the halls and make sure any reinforcements that would arrive are swiftly dealt with."

[Prehysterical]

Unfortunately, Vaex isn't quick enough to avoid falling through the floor. It would be a great inconvenience... if it wasn't for his wings. His wings allow him to glide down and negate any real damage. It is a simple matter for him to fly back up and continue being the biggest little pest in the glacier.
A: [roll0]
D: [roll1]
C: [roll2]
CD: [roll3]
SA: [roll4]

[Diachronos]

Tiana turns around after knocking the undead cultist flat on her back, immediately heading in the direction that Wendy and the dragons had gone. She pays no mind at all to Stark.

Lux isn't so dismissive. After Stark is back on his feet, he feels something hard and heavy crack him in the back of the head, and when he turns around he sees Lux standing there with her spellbook clutched in both hands; it seems she'd whacked him over the head with it. "What the hell is wrong with you, Stark?!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taalia manages to avoid the collapse of the floor, and she moves in for another thrust at their opponent.

Another [roll0] off his physical stats
Hit/Confirm: [roll1]/[roll2]
Damage: [roll3]/[roll4]


The Great One scowls and stamps his foot on the icy floor beneath his feet, and the ground lowers itself deeper into the glacier. Taalia is forced to let go of the lash before it pulls her into the pit with him. "You're no different from the rest of the Black Depths, you coward!"

The man chuckles. "Au contraire, Princess. I am very different. How many of these fools could say that they've swallowed the souls of royalty? Speaking of which, I'd love to have the matching set in my collection. Father, Mother... and now Daughter. I wonder which of the two you take after more..."

[Prehysterical]

Getting. So. Frustrated. Just. Keep. Stabbing. Vaex hounds the Great One like scale lice.
A: [roll0]
D: [roll1]
C: [roll2]
CD: [roll3]
SA: [roll4]
If flanking no longer applies, just skip the sneak attack damage and subtract 2 from the attack/crit rolls.
And THAT's a crit!

[NeoSeraphi]

The archmage rubs the back of his head. "Ow! Hey, that hurt you know!"

Frowning, as Lux gazes at him, Stark sighs. "I know, I know. That ritual is only supposed to be used as a last resort when you get possessed by a demon and feel yourself turning into an abomination. But honestly, after what I did to Celeste, I'm afraid I'm not that far off. I thought that if I sealed away my power, I could protect all of you from Cinderhulk."

[Diachronos]

Taalia leaps down after them, leveling her rapier at the man. "What... did you just say?"

Acrobatics to get down: [roll0] + [roll1]


"You heard me, 'Your Highness'. Maybe it's time I formally introduced myself. The name I've gone by in my master's service is Necro, but your people probably know me better as Kuhl'Ner'Zug the Corpse King." He gives her a wicker, fang-filled grin as he raises one hand, the ice of the caverns reaching up to grab at the dhampir's limbs.

Reflex to avoid the entanglement, DC 17: [roll2]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"And if you sealed off your power? You're the Archmage of this group, Stark, we can't succeed without your help!" She swats at him with her spellbook again. "How did you even learn that ritual anyway? They don't give out lessons on performing it to just anyone."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark sighs. "I understand that it is dangerous, but I don't want to destroy the world myself. As for where I learned it....I snuck into Angelica's office after Cinderhulk used my body to attack Serana."

[Prehysterical]

Vaex tries not to give into despair at this proclamation, so he instead does what he does best: be a complete annoyance. "You're the one who overpowered Martiviraurix? I expected more out of the old dragon." This time, Vaex's stab bleeds a little of the power granted to them.
First attack is a Surprise Strike (Necro is flat-footed, overcomes DR, +2 to attack roll)
A: [roll0]
D: [roll1]
C: [roll2]
CD: [roll3]
SA: [roll4]
Using Debilitating Injury to renew attack penalties

Regular follow-up attack
A: [roll5]
D: [roll6]
C: [roll7]
CD: [roll8]

[Diachronos]

"Was there ever a time you didn't have a death wish? Why would you do something as crazy as sneak into Angelica's office?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Agh! Get off of me you stupid lizard!" He turns and makes a wild swing at Vaex as Taalia fights to get free of the grasping ice.


Hit/Confirm: [roll0]/[roll1]
Damage: [roll2]/[roll3]


A pair of twin roars echo from above, followed by the sound of raging flames and the screams of cultists that are no doubt in flames right now. "Vaex! Taalia! Where are you guys?!"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark sighs and leans back against the wall. "I was worried about the black flames and I knew that everyone was keeping something from me, so I decided to snoop around and see if Angelica knew anything about the black fire she wasn't telling me. When I found that book I thought to myself that she had been researching the possession herself so she could kill me if it came to that. And I took that burden away from her by learning the ritual myself."

[Prehysterical]

"Down here, Young Master! Taalia needs help!" Despite his own desperate condition from suffering another sword slash, Vaex internally shudders at the thought of Taalia being captured by Necro.
Using another mythic power to perform another Surprise Strike
A: [roll0]
D: [roll1]
C: [roll2]
CD: [roll3]
SA: [roll4]
Another round of attack penalties with Debilitating Injury

Regular attack follow-up
A: [roll5]
D: [roll6]
C: [roll7]
CD: [roll8]

[Diachronos]

Lux frowns. "...Well, we can sort that out later. Taalia and Vaex are probably going to need all the help they can get if the cultists are this stirred up."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forseti dives into the hole with them as Necro staggers back from the kobold. The servant of the Void chuckles as Forseti snaps the icy bonds holding the princess. "You know why they call me 'The Puppeteer', right? It's not just because I have corpses and simple-minded fools dancing on my strings... I can make the world itself do the same thing!" His sword vanishes, and thin lines of dark energy shoot from his fingers into the ice around him. Cracks begin to appear in the walls, seeping a black mist as the cracks begin to grow. With a shout he jerks his arms inward, and a low groan can be heard amidst the loud snapping of the ice around them. "You'd be surprised how little it takes to unsettle a glacier's structure and break it free of its resting place."

Taalia, free of her bonds with Forseti's help, begins to walk toward Necro. "Aw, what's the matter, Princess? Is the little half-breed upset that her mommy and daddy are both gone now? Are you going to break down and start wailing like a scared child? That's something I'd give anything to-" He's cut off by Taalia's rapier piercing his throat. The jewel embedded in the hilt flares to life, and a golden light as intense as the sun surges up the blade into him. Necro howls in pain and jumps back, clutching at the charred flesh of his neck.

"You'd better pray the Keeper comes for you before I'm done with you, Necro. You'll get more mercy out of him than you'll receive from me."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark shakes his head. "I have to finish what I started, Lux. I need to put this woman to rest. For good. Otherwise she'll rise again."

He walks over to the cultist's corpse and begins performing her last rites.

[Prehysterical]

Time is running short as the glacier closes in, but Taalia's sword reveals their foes weakness. "Forseti, scorch his bones before the whole place comes down!" Reaching into his pack, Vaex tosses his last tangleburn bag at the man.
Ranged Touch Attack: [roll0]
Fire Damage: [roll1]
He is now suffering from the effects of a tanglefoot bag and has to make the save against catching fire.

[Diachronos]

"Stark, a few spoken rites won't do the job. We need someone who can properly consecrate the remains."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Necro ducks for cover as Forseti unleashes a torrent of flames.

Reflex save to avoid getting stuck (DC 15): [roll0]
Reflex to not catch fire from the bag (DC 20): [roll1]
Reflex vs Forseti's breath attack (DC 17): [roll2]

Forseti's breath weapon damage: [roll3]


Wendy's voice calls out from above as Taalia stalks toward their foe. "We need to get out of here, the glacier's structurally unsound!" Taalia looks up at her with narrowed eyes. "Not until this monster is destroyed."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark slams his fist into the ground. "I KNOW THAT!" he yells. "This is the second time I've had to kill someone, Lux. And it's not any easier for me. ...Alright, let's go." He picks up the ghast's body and slings it over one shoulder, then starts following after Wendy.

[Prehysterical]

Vaex's survival instinct wars with his overall strategy. However, the prospect of finally killing one of the Void's servants is too tempting to resist. "With me, Young Master!" Vaex launches himself forward relentlessly, pouring more power into his strike before launching a searing gout of acid onto Necro.
One use of mythic power for Surprise Strike. 2 uses left.
A: [roll0]
D: [roll1]
C: [roll2]
CD: [roll3]
SA: [roll4]
This time, Debilitating Injury is going to be used to Hamper him (all speeds reduced by half, cannot take 5 foot steps.

Draconic Breath
[roll5] acid damage, DC 18 Reflex for half.

[Diachronos]

The ground trembles slightly as Lux and Stark head deeper into the caves. They find Teisa and Tiana smashing their way through the cultists that are swarming into the chamber. Vaex and Wendy are standing over a hole at the far end of the room, looking down into it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reflex save: [roll0]


Necro howls as Vaex strikes him again, stepping back from the kobold and dragon before falling to the ground. "Damn you... all of you..." He goes still, and his body starts dissolving into black mist.

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark rushes over to the hole and calls down. "Vaex, you're out of time! Get Taalia and get out!"

[Prehysterical]

You're still not dead, are you, you bastard? Vaex flaps his wings and exits the hole before retrieving the silk rope from his pack and spooling it down to Taalia. He looks over to Stark. "Help me pull!"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark nods and tosses the corpse onto the ground, grabbing the rope and pulling with all the strength he has in both arms.

[Diachronos]

"I'm not leaving until I know he's dead!" Taalia starts walking over to Necro.

"Are you mad?! This place is coming down on top of us, we don't have time to waste on that! He'll be crushed here whether we leave him or not!"

Taalia looks up at them, a cold fury in her eyes. "I'm not taking that chance. He's going to pay for what he's done."

(Abyssal) "We're better off knocking her out and carrying her." Tiana leaps down into the hole and goes up to Taalia. As the princess opens her mouth to speak, the tiefling darts in and grabs her, pulling the dhampir into a headlock. The two of them struggle for a minute, but Tiana's grip wins out and Taalia gradually goes limp in her arms. After tying the rope around the princess' waist, she motions for everyone to pull her up. With everyone's combined effort the two are pulled back up, and it's a straight shot out of the caverns and into the sun.

[NeoSeraphi]

As the group leaves, Stark glances at Vaex. "Okay, I'm not saying that my vampire girlfriend going into a blood rage isn't hot and all, but care to fill me in on who exactly she wanted to kill so badly?" he asks, the cultist's dead body hanging over his shoulder.

[Prehysterical]

"The Corpse King. Necro. He's been serving as some kind of harbinger for the Void this whole time. He... said that he killed Serana. And Taalia's father." Vaex looks down at the ground as confirmation of Serana's death sinks in.

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark frowns as he walks. "So he was there...Unfortunately, I think this is Taalia's fight. Just like Ralek is mine. We should just let her be alone for a while so she can come to terms with it."

He approaches Rhaegos with the others, handing the corpse to Nyktox. "Can you take this back to Tharas? He'll know what to do. And Vaex, can I count on you to take care of Taalia for me? Qari and I have business in town."

[Diachronos]

Nyktox crosses his arms. "What makes you say that Ralek is your fight, Stark? He almost killed Vaex back at the Keladren Tower."

Teisa shakes her head and helps secure Taalia to Rhaegos' back. "Forgetting that, are you sure it's a good idea to leave Taalia alone at a time like this? You saw what she was like in there, what's to stop her from running off to track him down as soon as she wakes up."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark frowns. "Ralek...it's hard to explain. But he and I are very similar. We both have no desire to participate in this war and yet neither of us wants to take a single life if we have to. He has a sense of honor that I respect, I would seek to put him to rest in a fair, equal duel. He deserves that much, I think, after all he's been through."

He climbs up onto Rhaegos's back. "If Taalia wishes to seek Necro out, or do something equally reckless, I am the last person to try and stop her. I take unnecessary risks with everything I do. Besides, my duty may be to her, but she is not the only person I owe my favor."

[NeoSeraphi]

Once Rhaegos has returned the group to the Nightveil, Stark gazes out at the sun. Perfect, night hadn't fallen yet. And even if it was close, who cared? Certainly not him. He smiles. "Come along, Qari, your master has need of you. The rest of you, good work back there. We really fought together as a team, and that's going to be important later. Stay out of trouble while I'm gone!" He waves to the others before leading the ifrit into town.

They pass the shops, pass the bakery, pass everything until finally they reach...the place where Stark's entire life truly started. The Mage's Square.

The enormous stage is a place where Circle initiates perform feats of daring magic for the crowd to try and attract sponsors. Stark had seen Angelica herself perform here when he was only eight years old and she was only fourteen. He had been enchanted by her majestic control of flames, and had decided on that day he wanted to join the Circle himself. And only a few years later, he had stood on the stage himself, creating amazing fireworks out of thin air and drawing the intrigue of a particular noble eager to compete with Khamer.

Now the stage sits, empty, for it may be some time before the people have any money that they are free to spend on anything but repairs to their homes. Still though, that didn't mean the stage had to go unused...

Stark grins and nods to Qari, before sneaking up to the gate and melting the lock. He'd pay for a new one, for now this was going to be too good to pass up! Leaving the door to the audience's chamber open, Stark heads up to the stage and helps Qari up with him. He sets his bag down and pulls out his guitar, before grabbing his cloak from Qari and stripping it off her, leaving the girl in nothing but her collar and her provocative outfit. "Alright, when I start playing, you start dancing. Okay? Just like back at the resort. And remember, you're dancing for me, not the crowd, so even though there are lots of men whose eyes will be on you, I want you to give it your best as if you were dancing for me alone. ...But keep all your clothes on."

Once she has her commands, Stark grins and gives his guitar an experimental strum before he takes a breath and starts to warp the Weave around him, creating a vacuum through which he can project an enormously amplified sound wave. "Good evening, citizens of the Nightveil! Your beloved princess, Taalia Duskmantle, has just returned unharmed and triumphant, having driven off all the rest of the Black Depth Initiates! Your queen is avenged, and I don't know about you, but that makes me feel like celebrating! So let's PARTY!"

He slams down a power chord and immediately rushes into a song, singing loud enough to draw attention from all over the city.

"Get this night off right
And turn the bass up!
Blow my eardrums out
Just like a song should!

Get this night off right
And turn the bass up!
Yeah, I like it loud!
I like it loud!

You know I like it loud!
Can't hear a f**king sound!
My ears are ringing now!
Cause that's how we get down!

Now move your body so the rhythm can set you free!
Another round and we can drown out our hearts beating
Just like a drug I let the music set me free!
I like it loud! I like it loud!"

Stark notices a crowd starting to gather. He grins and keeps playing, but stops his singing for a bit. "Hey there, ladies and gentlemen! I'm The Volcano, and your princess has requested that I perform a little concert for you all. Admission is free, bring the missus, bring the kids, bring yourselves! Just rock out and have a good time, and don't be shy with any requests!"

He switches beats and starts singing again, giving a wink to one of the women his age in the audience.

"Proud and so glorious
Standing before of us
The swords will shine bright in the sky!

When united we come
To the land of the sun
With the heart of a dragon we ride!"

As Stark launches into a silent guitar solo while his beautiful servant dances on the other end of the stage, he snaps his fingers and a few fireworks shoot out of his hands, exploding over the setting sun, resulting in a beautiful display. Stark grins and flashes his pearly whites as he keeps singing.

"We are flying on wings in winter sky
With fire burning deep inside
We are warriors of endless time
Forever and on!

On wings of steel an ancient flight
We see the powers that unite
The gods will now send us a sign
Of battle once more!

Through the valley we ride
Full of glory we soar
Where the fights will be raging
For now and for more!

When united we come
And divided they fall
Tonight you will witness it all!

Proud and so glorious
Standing before of us
The swords will shine bright in the sky!

When united we come
To the land of the sun
With the heart of a dragon we ride!"

Stark keeps playing as he looks up at the gathering crowd. "For those of you just joining us, this is a free concert celebrating the victory by Her Majesty, Princess Taalia, over the bastards who attacked the Nightveil without provocation the other day! Even if you don't like the music, we hope you're enjoying the sense of peace and security that you feel knowing that no one else will come to the city's walls, for justice has been served!"

He launches into another song.

"Girl, I must warn you
I sense something strange in my mind
Yeah the situation is serious
Let's cure it cause we're running out of time!

It's all so beautiful
Relationships they seem from the start!
It's all so deadly
When love is not together from the heart

It's driving me out of my mind
That's why it's hard for me to find
Can't get it out of my head
Miss her kiss her love her
Wrong move you're dead

That girl is poison!
Never trust a big butt and a smile
That girl is poison!

If I were you I'd take precaution
Before I start to leave, fly girl
Cause in some portions
You'll think she's the best thing in the world

She's so fly
She'll drive you right out of your mind
Steal your heart while you're blind

Beware she's schemin'
She'll make you think you're dreamin'"

Stark grins and pants as he finishes his set, stopping to drink some water while he gets a feel for the crowd.

Perform (Sing): [roll0] plus [roll1] mythic surge, +8 if we got a Hero power from the previous encounter, +2 if Qari's dancing counts as an aid.

[Prehysterical]

Vaex wonders what business could be so urgent that Stark would leave Taalia's side while cavorting off with his pet servant girl. Crossing his arms unhappily, Vaex replies, "I will watch over her, Stark. She will not run off on my watch."

After they return to the palace and Stark heads off with Qari to the palace, Vaex marches resolutely up to Gathard. It's incredible how much self-important swagger such a little kobold can pull off. "I want this entire palace locked down right now. No one gets in or out, not even the Queen. Have I made myself clear?"

[Diachronos]

Stark's performance, coupled with Qari's dancing, have the intended effect on the people. It isn't long before they're cheering the two performers on and shouting their praise to Taalia. More and more people gather as the performance goes on, until it seems like half the city must be present.

As he stops to rest for a minute, a few people approach him backstage. They're clearly foreigners, and he recognizes a couple of them as being from Nyktox's group of friends. They waste no time asking to join in the performance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vaex can practically feel Gathard's eyes narrow behind his helmet. "For what reason? Are we to be expecting another attack soon?" He looks past Vaex and sees Teisa and Tiana moving the unconscious princess inside. "Might I ask why Her Highness has to be carried into the palace?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark grins as the group asks if they can join. "Sure! The more the merrier! Though, the amplification magic is kind of tricky when it comes to speech, you guys can play music, but I can only project my vocals, everything else would probably get muddled."

With that, he brings the group on the stage. "Alright, you guys ready for the second set?" he calls loudly, slamming down a chord on his guitar.

"This next song goes out to a pretty girl I met on the road. Vale, I know you aren't anywhere nearby, but I haven't stopped thinking about you." He starts to play a gentler tune, giving the band a chance to match his pitch before he sings.

"Honey why you callin' me so late
It's kinda hard to talk right now
Honey why you cryin' is everything okay?
I've gotta whisper cause I can't be too loud

Well, my girl's in the next room
Sometimes I wish she was you
I guess we never really moved on

It's really good to hear your voice
Sayin my name
It sound so sweet
Comin from the lips of an angel
Hearing those words
It makes me weak

And I never want to say goodbye
But girl you make it hard to be faithful
With the lips of an angel."

[Diachronos]

The crowd gets even more excited with the addition of the bards' performance, and it soon gets to the point that they'd likely be drowned out by the audience's cheering if it weren't for Stark's magic amplifying the sound.

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark keeps the concert up for about another hour and a half, before the sun really has set and it has started getting dark. He is also running out of music and spell slots, and he chuckles weakly as he brings his last song to a close. "Thank you all so much for your time! The princess is concerned for the safety and well-being of each and every one of you. If there is any among you who need assistance with recovery from the attack, please come to the palace tomorrow morning and Her Majesty will meet with you personally. You've been a great audience!"

He picks his guitar up and ends the spell, walking backstage and slumping down into a chair. "How did I do, Qari? Do you think that was good?" he asks.

Perform (Sing) to influence Qari's attitude (or lust) towards Stark: [roll0]

[Diachronos]

The audience is a bit bummed by Stark's departure, but the bards are quick to capture their attention with their own performances.

Qari nods and smiles widely at Stark. "It was beautiful, Master. It proves your dedication to Mistress Taalia." She fidgets with her outfit. "I just pray that you don't leave me behind once she is yours..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark smiles and strokes her cheek. "And your dancing was a sure sign that you care deeply about me, and about her as well. I'm glad you like it here, Qari. I'm glad that you think of the Nightveil as your home, and you are willing to do your best to help the people just like I am. Now then, let's return for the night, okay?"

He offers her his arm, and escorts her like a proper lady back to the palace.

Stark leads Qari up to his room and sighs. "Starting tonight...your master hereby forbids you from wearing clothes to his bed. Do you understand? I'm going to go see Taalia, and when I return, I expect you to be compliant and ready to rest with me." He gives her collar a firm tug and a look of total possession, the kind of look that Qari would have received right before she was used back at the resort. He closes the door and leaves her alone with her thoughts as he heads up to Taalia's room and knocks on the door.

[Diachronos]

Qari shivers at his command and the tug to her collar, though the look in her eye betrays it as a sign of excitement. She nods and sits down quietly on the bed as he leaves.

Stark finds Taalia's room, and from the sound of things the princess is awake... and not happy at all with whoever is in the room with her. "Get out of my way, Tiana! That son of a bitch is still out there, and I'm not going to let him get away with his crimes any longer!"

(Abyssal) "You're staying here, not running off and-"

"Why can't you speak a normal language for once?!"

Stark's knock is met by Teisa opening the door. The alraune had shed Lady Nightraven's jacket at some point, leaving her with her normal (lack of) attire. "Oh, good, you're hear. Maybe you can talk some sense into our princess before she tries to get her sword back again."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark sighs. "Yes, thank you Teisa. Sorry that you had to deal with this until now. Could you ask Tiana to leave with you? She won't listen to me."

He enters the room. "Taalia. It's me. Want to talk?"

[Diachronos]

The two women leave the room, and Stark finds himself alone in the room with Taalia. The princess no longer has her rapier, and from her clothing it looks like Teisa and Tiana had been trying to put her to bed. "No, Stark, I don't want to talk. I want to go back out there and finish off Necro."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark sighs. "Taalia, I know that this isn't what you want to hear. But your mother did not give you that sword so you could avenge her death. She gave you that sword so you could fulfill your duty to the world, the duty to save the world from the Void. And in order to do that, you need to stay with the rest of the group."

He sits down next to her. "Besides...I kind of promised everyone in town that you'd give an audience to anyone who needed help with the recovery tomorrow. You may think you have duties as Serana's daughter, but you have duties as a princess too. If you truly care about your people, you will put them before your desires for revenge. And if you don't...then you're not the woman I thought you were."

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[Diachronos]

Taalia buries her face in her hands with a sigh. "...So I'm just supposed to let him get away with what he's done? Is that what you're telling me?" After a minute she looks up at the ceiling. "I'm not ready for this, Stark. I want to do what's best for everyone, but I'm not sure I even know what that is... and I can't stop thinking about how close I was to avenging my parents."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark takes her hand and squeezes it. "Necro isn't the person who killed your parents, Taalia. You may think that he's responsible, but at the end of the day he only exists because of the Void. And the only way to make sure Necro doesn't regenerate just like Gavin did is to stop the Void. Once we do that, then I'll sit back and let you take as long as you want ending Necro's life. You can have your revenge, Taalia, but for now you need to focus on making sure there's a world left for Serana to return to after we resurrect her."

He smiles. "It might be a bit odd at first...seeing your mother alive again, that is. Resurrection is funny that way, her soul will return in its original human form. Of course, knowing her, she may just choose to become a vampire again as soon as she comes back."

Stark lifts Taalia's chin and gazes into her eyes. "I saw something tonight. Your people love you. They are ready to accept you just like they accepted Serana. You don't need to be scared. These people want to listen to you. They want you to lead them. I guarantee it. And if you're stressed, or if you're scared, or if you just want to take all the frustration out on something, then here." He pulls his shirt to the side and exposes his neck. "Just bite, and drink. You'll feel better."

[Diachronos]

Taalia starts leaning toward him, but stops with her lips just barely touching his neck. "I'm not sure if it's good for me to keep doing this, Stark..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark smiles. "It's okay, Taalia. I want you to. I trust you to control yourself. I trust you with my life."

[Diachronos]

Taalia kisses him on the neck. "...I heard you singing earlier. And the crowd you had around you."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark smiles. "Oh, you heard about that? Well, I thought I might be able to cheer up the crowd. I thought that maybe a concert would let the people know that their princess was behind them 100% and that they weren't alone. These people need a reason to smile, and I gave them one."

[Diachronos]

Taalia kisses him on the cheek. "Thank you. For everything."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark smiles. "You're welcome. Well, now that you've settled down, I'll let you get some rest. Good night, Princess." He kisses her cheek gently and stands up to go.

[Diachronos]

Taalia has a slightly flustered look on her face as Stark leaves, but she doesn't say anything.

Stark returns to his room to find Qari sitting up in the bed, the silk bedsheet drawn up to her chest. The outfit she'd worn was neatly folded on the dresser, and looked perfectly clean as well. "How is Mistress Taalia, Master?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark smiles as he enters. "She's feeling much better. Now then...I think after such a long day I deserve a little reward for my effort." He climbs into bed with the ifrit, stripping his shirt off and pressing his skin against hers as he climbs ontop of her and gives her a deep kiss.

[Diachronos]

Qari embraces him and eagerly returns his kiss. "I shall reward you in any way you wish, Master."

The moment is promptly interrupted, however, by a timid knock on the door.

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark frowns and sits up. "Hm. Go into the bathroom Qari, and take your clothes with you. Get dressed in there and don't come out unless I tell you to," he whispers.

Stark stands up and puts his shirt on, opening the door after Qari is inside the bathroom.

[Diachronos]

Qari immediately heads into the bathroom, grabbing her outfit with a simple cantrip.

As soon as the door open, Stark finds a pair of slender arms around his neck and a familiar pair of lips pressing against his. "I... I don't want to be alone tonight, Stark..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark looks surprised as she embraces him. "Whoa, whoa, Taalia, are you sure? I mean, you're going through a whole lot right now and I don't want you to just throw your first time away on me because you're feeling vulnerable," he whispers.

[Diachronos]

She looks into his eyes. "I've never felt more sure. Of anything."

[Prehysterical]

Vaex can practically feel Gathard's eyes narrow behind his helmet. "For what reason? Are we to be expecting another attack soon?" He looks past Vaex and sees Teisa and Tiana moving the unconscious princess inside. "Might I ask why Her Highness has to be carried into the palace?"
"Because otherwise she would be buried under tons of ice in a suicidal desire for vengeance," Vaex answers coolly. "The Corpse King might be dead, if we are lucky. In either case, Taalia is very vulnerable right now. I don't want to take any chances, not with the other Void servants out there right now.

Look, I have no rank over you. I don't even belong here. What I do know, however, is that after traveling with the Princess for weeks, there is a distinct possibility that she might want to do something foolish. It's your job to ensure that the current Queen doesn't make any rash decisions."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(An indeterminate amount of time later)
Vaex had told Nyktox to go and see his girlfriend, as there was a very good chance he would not see her for a while. Even though he had eaten earlier in the day, Vaex felt famished after all of the fighting (and the exposure to the cold). He invited Wendy to dinner with him to further discuss traps and alchemy. Eventually, Vaex's curiosity gets the better of him. Raising his face from the meat pie he gobbles at like a turkey, complete with gravy dripping off of his snout, Vaex asks, "So, what are drow like in this world? Things are so different here. Back where I'm from, everyone's afraid of them. They're demon-worshipers and make slaves of anyone they come across. How do your people treat your men? As equals, or inferiors?"

[Diachronos]

Gathard finally goes along with Vaex's request and arranges to have the palace locked down for the time being.

At dinner, Wendy goes quiet when Vaex brings up the drow. "They're... not much different here. Men are second-class citizens, other races and rival families are either killed outright or enslaved... the main deity of our race is known on the surface as the Matron of Betrayal, and She promotes stabbing each other in the back as much as the Gravekeeper promotes safeguarding the resting places of the dead and Urgan promotes earning wealth through hard work."

[Prehysterical]

Slurping gravy off of his fingers, Vaex asks, "But you and your sister are obviously not like that. Are there others like you? Or is there too much trouble fitting in on the surface?"

[Diachronos]

"There probably are, but we are considered abominations by our own kind. We fled to the surface because we thought it would be safer here, but most people just see a pair of drow women and try to kill us. Queen Serana took us in and gave us a place to stay when we fled to the north."

[Prehysterical]

"Boy, do I know how that feels." Now it's Vaex's turn to grow quiet as Serana is brought up. "A pity about Serana. She will be missed." Raising his goblet, Vaex repeats an old saying among warmbloods. "'The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen.'" He knocks back the glass in toast.

[Diachronos]

"Long live the Queen." She raises her goblet as well, setting it down soon after. "I've been trying to figure out what makes Gwyn and I so different from the other drow. I think it may be something with our heritage, but I don't know where to trace it to."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark wakes up the next day feeling refreshed and motivated, and decides to go check on Teisa first. He heads outside to look for where ever the young woman might have rooted herself up.

[Prehysterical]

Vaex shrugs after setting the goblet down and munching on a tart. "Could be some angel blood or something in you from way back. Who really knows? I will tell you, though, that sometimes individuals are just different. The dwarf that doesn't care about gold and the wood elf that hates trees are one-in-a-million, but they still exist. I would not dwell on it overmuch. You are here, in a royal castle, among people that appreciate your talents.

Have you apprenticed much under Khamer? I understand that he is the royal alchemist and it's hard to be undeath for experience." Vaex is familiar enough with the vampire that he doesn't even hesitate to drop the lord's name without a title.

[Diachronos]

Stark finds Teisa - or, rather, the closed blossom of her lower body - in the palace courtyard, with her roots buried deep into the ground. Both the flower of Teisa's body and Onnath are shifting slightly, as if in time with the steady breathing associated with one who is sleeping.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh, yes, indeed. Lord Khamer is actually the one who taught me most of what I know about alchemy. It's a little strange how readily he took me in as an apprentice, seeing as surface elves and drow have always hated each other."

[Prehysterical]

"Blood can be a very powerful unifying factor, Wendy. Even though metallics and chromatics may despise each other, they respect the other's existence at the end of the day. Besides, from what I have heard, the folk of the Tundra are slightly different than others of their respective races. Not a lot of undead running around outside the tundra, I expect."

[Diachronos]

"No, there aren't. Almost all of the undead outside of the tundra have either been turned against their will or raised as minions of necromancers."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark sighs and glances up at the sky. Was he up early, after last night of all nights? Still, it probably couldn't hurt to rouse her...

Stark steps forward and gently touches her arm. "Good morning, Teisa," he whispers softly.

[Prehysterical]

The next question that comes would be rude coming from anyone else, but is perfectly reasonable to a kobold. "So, have you had any luck finding a mate? I'm sure your exile has made it difficult to find a suitable male. Are you holding out for another drow, or are you open to males from other races?"

[Diachronos]

The flower begins to open, and a loud yawn can be heard from inside. "Stark? Is that you?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For probably the first time in his life, Vaex is able to see what a blushing drow looks like. "A-a mate? Well... I never really thought about it. I mean, they... I can't go look for another drow, and there haven't been too many guys interested in me..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark nods. "Good morning! I was just checking on you. You were asleep when I got back last night so I was concerned about your well being. Would you like to get some breakfast and talk with me for a while?"

[Prehysterical]

Vaex looks at her askance. "Really? Why do you think that? I'm sure a capable female like you could prove very attractive if you propositioned the right male." Vaex sits back in his chair and wipes at his face with a cloth. "Then again, I suppose I'm not one to talk, am I? Always so busy with this and that that I never found the time to father a clutch of eggs or even perform the proper courtships." His good mood seems to die suddenly as bad memories resurface. "It's for the better, I suppose..."

[Diachronos]

Teisa yawns again. "Food would be good. What did you want to discuss?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It's.... it's not quite as simple for humans and elves as it is for kobolds. Your kind mate almost exclusively to keep your tribes alive, we do it as a way to connect with people who are very close to us." She sets down her fork when Vaex brings up his own lack of a mate. "We can talk about something else if this is upsetting you."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark sighs and scratches the back of his head. "We need to get the other girls first, if you don't mind."

He leads Teisa into the castle and up to Lux's room, knocking on the door and informing her that they needed to talk and inviting her to breakfast. After Lux gets ready for the day and joins them, Stark picks up Qari and walks into town.

The landscape of the town seems different (and Stark's face is likely fresh in everyone's mind after the concert last night). Once he arrives at his dad's bakery, Stark calls, "Hey, Dad! Do you mind if the girls and I use one of your spare rooms to eat breakfast and have a private conversation?"

[Prehysterical]

Vaex tries to shake himself of his melancholy. "Ah, my apologies. Here I am dominating the conversation and not really letting you have a chance. Do you have any questions for me, Wendy?"

[Diachronos]

"No, I don't mind at all, Stark. Though, I did want to ask... is it something I should be worried about?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, I'm curious about how kobolds live in Golarion. Is it similar to the kobolds of the Dragonfire Crags?"

[Prehysterical]

"Not particularly. Kobolds in the Crags have the luxury of a unified state and being able to conduct business with other races without fear of prejudice. Kobolds in Golarion are a scattered lot, living in tribes here and there. We keep to ourselves, except for the occasional raid. We find out difficult to deal with outsiders, especially warmbloods. We venerate the dragons as Crag kobolds do, but more often than not we dedicate ourselves to one particular dragon. In my tribe's case, that was Forseti." If the young dragon is present, Vaex indicates the young master.

"It was unusual for us to raise a metallic, mind you, but we were happy just to have a dragon to serve. His mother came to us in her death throes, begging us to protect her child. I was the one to see her fall and hear her last words." Although the memory is sad, there is an undercurrent of awe as he recalls the majesty of speaking face-to-face with an adult wyrm for the first time.

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark shakes his head. "No problem at all Dad! We'll be in the other room. Teisa, this is my father. Dad this is Teisa." He walks past the table and grabs some bread for everyone. The group moves into the back room where Qari sits next to Stark while Teisa and Lux sit across from them.

Stark passes out the bread and lets the girls start eating before he begins. "Alright, so I needed to explain to you both that last night Taalia and I...well, we became an official couple of sorts. That said, Taalia understands that there are certain members of our group who have some feelings for me," he nods to Lux, "and she doesn't want anything like jealousy or resentment to get in the way of our mission. She also wants me to be happy. For that reason, Taalia has given the go ahead for us to be in a kind of open relationship. She doesn't mind if I date any of the other girls in the group, and she's quite relieved that Qari is more comfortable now with her own situation." He places one hand on Qari's leg for emphasis.

"This kind of thing might seem strange to everyone, so I was letting you both know ahead of time. If you see Qari and me together, I'm not cheating on Taalia, she's accepted and embraced it. And we might..." he gives Lux a look, "take advantage of that, if there were any other interested parties."

[Diachronos]

"I see... are dragons rare in Golarion?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Teisa appears mildly interested at Stark's explanation, though not in the sense that she's interested in accepting the offer. Lux, on the other hand, doesn't look very happy. "Stark, you promised that you'd go out with me before you decided anything!"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark winces. "That was absolutely my intention, Lux, and I followed it to the letter in my head. Unfortunately, my emotions couldn't be slowed by a promise. I didn't mean to fall for her, it just kind of happened. But I do still plan on taking you out. Today, if you like. You can have all my attention and I won't think about Taalia at all, it will be a real date."

He glances at Teisa. "You seem to be following along well enough. Do you have any questions? I don't want there to be anything left unclear here."

[Prehysterical]

"Yes, they are. Dragons are often hunted because they are feared or because they possess treasure or their body parts are useful. And, truth be told, some dragons make the mistake of provoking the warmbloods. But here... there are dragons that I've never even heard of! Time dragons, dragons like Master Tien Lung... The Twins seem to have a much more diverse set of children than the Mother and Father back home. Forseti will be in good company as he ages. Plenty of wyrms to give him advice and set up his own little domain. Why, we've even put an investment into the redemption of the Ixenpab Resort and will be receiving money from them for a while!"

[Diachronos]

Teisa shakes her head. "I think I understand. Your kind have different methods for courting and reproduction from mine, I just find it fascinating."

Lux crosses her arms with a pout. "Do you really mean that, or am I going to turn around to find you fooling around with Teisa or Tiana next?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"There are also the primal dragons, like magma dragons and umbral dragons. Archmage Rhaegos was an umbral dragon, actually." She stops to consider something. "Vaex, would it be alright if I took some time to examine you and Forseti? I'm interested in knowing how the kobolds and brass dragons of your world compare to the ones from Ves'Perix."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark laughs. "Teisa doesn't seem interested and Tiana is furious with me right now, so that can answer the question for you. It'll just be the two of us, Lux. Alone and focused on what matters. I've known you for years, and you deserve more than I can give you, but I will give you all that I can."

[Prehysterical]

Vaex looks at her warily. "I suppose... though I can't see how you would be considered an expert on kobold anatomy. And I cannot speak for Forseti. That is something that he will have to agree or disagree to himself."

[Diachronos]

"Alright, then, let's go." She grabs Stark's hand and starts pulling him toward the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Kobolds, no. But they're similar enough to dragons, and Lord Khamer has plenty of research materials on them in the library. I just have... something that I'm researching that I think the two of you may be able to shed some light on."

[Prehysterical]

That definitely stirs Vaex's curiosity. He stands up from his chair and walks over to Wendy. "And what might that be?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark blinks in surprise and finishes his bread quickly. "Ah, um, have a good day then ladies!" he calls to Qari and Teisa, following his friend out the door. "Bye Dad, thanks for the food! Love you!"

When they get outside Stark glances at Lux in confusion. "Hey, relax! You don't need to rush, we're not going anywhere any time soon. Taalia has to stay and watch over the restoration effort...(wonder how many of the townsfolk actually turned up to see her today?) and we've got all the members of the team together now." He looks around. "Now, let's see...where is the best place for us to go on our date? Oh, I know!"

Stark leads Lux back to the palace and concentrates his magic, scooping Lux into his arms and lifting the two of them into the air. He lands ontop of the roof of the palace and sets Lux down gently next to him. This high up, the two of them have a perfect view of the Sunveil, as well as all stretches of the Veiled Tundra. The wind rustles through Stark's hair as he sighs in relief. Stark feels as though he's aged thirty years since the second Tower, and now to have his mind back to himself, it makes him feel completely relaxed.

Stark smiles over at Lux. "Here you go. I know you, Lux. I know you love your home more than anything else. I wouldn't have done this for any of the other girls. This is our date, and that makes this our spot, okay?" He rests his hand on her shoulder and looks out to the west towards Nightraven Manor.

[Diachronos]

"...Gwyn and I are descended from some kind of dragon. We don't know what kind, or how far back it was, but I... I just need to know the truth about it."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lux settles down on the roof of the palace, breathing in deeply as she looks out over their homeland. She looks happy at the way things are turning out, but after a while the grin fades. "...Stark, can I ask you something?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark glances at her in surprise. "Yes. What is it, Lux?"

[Diachronos]

"...Are you in danger from Cinderhulk's influence? I don't just mean you losing control and making yourself a threat to the kingdom, is he a danger to you? What about Vale, or your Archmage powers?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark looks out across the sky for a long while before he answers. "Vale is not a threat to me. She doesn't want to kill me, she just wants to express her 'love' for me by stabbing me and other things like that. And the way she was acting in Keledran Forest, completely docile and smitten, makes it hard for me to believe she was ever an assassin to begin with."

Looking down at his hands, Stark continues. "Mythic magic is indeed much more potent than I thought possible. However, I foolishly attempted to unleash my full power and combine it with black fire before, which led to a total disaster. The strength of the corrupted flames of the Plane of Shadows may amplify my mythic magic, but it is not necessary. I don't think I even need black fire anymore, so as long as I choose to stop using it, and I have, I should be just fine."

He pauses. "As for Cinderhulk, yes, Lux. One day, maybe one day soon, Cinderhulk will kill me and take my body for his own. That is something none of us can change. It is a simple fact that I have come to terms with. I am going to die, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. That's why...while I'm still here..." he looks at her. "I want to give my heart to Taalia, and to you. To Qari, and to Tiana. I want to share myself with all of you so that you all don't have any regrets after I pass, and also because I care about each of you in your own way, something that none of the others have. I love Taalia for her grace, her dedication and her sense of humor, and I love you for your kindness, your generosity and your willingness to fight even when you have no power to do so."

[Diachronos]

Lux blinks and stares at him. "What? Stark, haven't you talked to anyone about this? There has to be something that can be done to stop that from happening!"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark shakes his head. "My father made a pact, Lux. To attempt to resist would defy not only Cinderhulk, but Lord Ashler as well. Besides, without Cinderhulk, I would never have lived to begin with. I don't need to try and fight for a life that isn't mine to keep. I just need to make the best of the time I have left."

[Diachronos]

"Stark..." Lux hugs him tightly. "I don't want that to happen to you. Please, there has to be a way to keep him from taking over, there has to be..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark sighs. "Alright, Lux. Just for you, I'll do a little digging, but only in our down time. The fate of the world is more important."

He brushes a lock of hair from her face before leaning in and pressing his lips against hers. He kisses her gently, stroking her cheek with his fingers.

[Diachronos]

Lux reaches up to grasp his hand as she returns the kiss. "You're right. It won't do us any good to find a way for you to get out of the pact if we can't save the world."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark nods and then clears his throat. "I should be fully clear with you though...so that you know what's going on, and I didn't want to say this in front of Teisa but I think you can handle it. Last night, Taalia and I, we made love for the first time. And then right after that Qari and I had sex. So...I'm just letting you know that, Lux. I know it will probably come as a shock to you but I don't want to hide this stuff from you."

[Diachronos]

Lux blinks and stares at him. Stark can't quite tell how she's feeling from that; she seems surprised, and upset, and jealous, but at the same time... hopeful?

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark continues. "Taalia knows that some of the other girls in the group may want to take that step with me and she has said she doesn't mind, and in order to make sure of that I had her stay in the room and watch me and Qari. No anger. So that's the situation as it is now. Are you okay?"

[Diachronos]

"I... I don't know..." She pulls her knees up to her chest. "I don't know if I'm ready to take that step with someone..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark nods. "I understand. You don't need to push yourself to do anything you're not ready for. But Lux...if and when you are ready, I promise to make it magical for both of us."

[Diachronos]

Lux smiles and leans against him. "I'll be looking forward to that."

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark spends another two hours with Lux on the roof top. The two of them discuss old memories, their team mates, their parents and their dreams. Stark gently lowers her to the ground and explains he needs to get back to "hero work", but promises to see her at dinner.

With that, he heads inside and goes to Tiana's room, knocking on the door.

[Diachronos]

The door opens, but as soon as Tiana sees who's on the other side she growls. (Abyssal) "What do you want?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Stark frowns. "(Abyssal) I wanted to tell you that I haven't forgotten what happened at the monastery. I made a terrible mistake, but I was ready to pay the price. Remember when I just sat down in the middle of that fight in the cave?"

Stark touches his forehead. "(Abyssal) The ritual I was casting would have exorcised Cinderhulk, sealed away my mythic magic, and also...removed a lot of my memories."

He looks at her. "(Abyssal) I would have ended up a shell of my former self. No memory. No emotion. Barely any of my old power. It's just like what Arnen did to you, except I was going to do it to myself. The only reason I stopped is because Lux hit me and interrupted my concentration. But I was prepared to take that step so that what happened at the monastery would never happen again. I just wanted you to know that."