Apex IC

[Ridai]

Katarina awakens to a rainy morning. Her senses only slowly sharpen, hearing the gentle patter of droplets on the large ornate windows, seeing the interior of her lavish bedroom, furnished with comforts beyond the imagination of most mortals, both in craftmanship and the magic inherent in some of them. The wonderfully soft bed beneath her, and the warm, soft form of Amelyn against her, sleeping peacefully in her arms. A comfortable mood to enjoy as memories of the last evening drift back into Katarina's mind.

A long and fruitful training session. It is remarkable how long they spent unified. For the Apex, it is effortless, of course, but Amelyn is only barely a woman, and having one's mind opened to the immensity of the Weave is taxing, to say the least. Most are not ready to grasp even a part of it. She knows an Apex wizard who had to condition his mind for decades upon decades. But for Katarina, it is all feel and understanding. And she watched Amelyn understand a little more yesterday. She has improved greatly, recently having reached the important benchmark that is known as the limited wish by the arcane community, and the channeling of the glory of love and magic into one holy word. So this warranted a longer training session, as Amelyn started to realize she was reaching a point where her magic started to be able to achieve nearly anything. They dove deep into the most fundamental forces of the arcane and the divine, both springing from love and magic, overwhelming in their vastness, yet beautiful in their elegance. After many hours of exploring this together, Katarina broadening Amelyn's horizon, the girl channeled the seventh grade not just effectively, but also beautifully. The memory of the girl's exhausted, but delighted and grateful smile still warms Katarina.

No one has achieved the status of an Apex at as young an age as Katarina, her innate understanding and talent having made her powerful when no teacher could. She can see much of her own talent in the prodigy in her arms, and under her guidance, Amelyn may yet lower the record further.

The young woman stirs, long black hair shifting. Blue eyes open slowly, finding Katarina's green ones, and Amelyn can't help but smile softly. She moves up just enough to kiss her mistress, but not enough to disrupt their shared morning comfort. Katarina feels magic in Amelyn's every touch, a remarkable little quirk of hers, and through it, a gentle greeting, and the sensation of feeling well-rested.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina enjoys the moment for a while and then gently pulls Amelyn into a position where her back is against Katarina's front, with her head resting on her breasts. She begins to caress her gently, slowly working her up, into her famous massage. As she does so, she speaks softly to her pupil.
Never forget that while what we do is different and better in the longer run, the way they cast magic is not wrong. Their way brings them more power more quickly, even if in the long run, they will not match us. And you have seen the immensity of the Weave, few people could see it as you have, and you have not even seen the half of it. It would drive even the strongest mind insane, as it would you were I not here to guide you and pull you back from trying to do too much, too soon...and a mind untrained to magic would not even have a chance. You are truly a special prodigy, even those in this house there are no others that could handle it. I felt from the moment I found you that you were one like me that could do things in my way.

[Ridai]

Amelyn sighs as she enjoys the attentions of her mistress, putty in Katarina's hands. As much as she desires new experiences, Amelyn never tires of anything Katarina does. At the same time, her mind is open to the Apex' words, not just hearing, but understanding, internalizing, putting into context... and making her blush with appreciation and a little pride.

"Mystra and Sune took good care of me, but the way they tried to teach me felt so... stilted and unnatural. When I met you, I felt like the way I did magic was like the rote motions of a copper whore being compared to the ministrations of Sune herself. Same result, but so boorish and forced. Now I feel like my eyes are finally opening, like my magic finally feels like a part of me. And it is all thanks to you, Katarina." Amelyn smiles, and Katarina can even feel it, her pupil finding a peace she lacked for so many years. She gladly cast away all she knew when Katarina started to teach her, and the process was hugely rewarding not just for Amelyn, but Katarina as well, who can watch her pupil grow every single day, and sees her love and gratitude in every look and gesture.

[MikelaC1]

There is never a need to apologize for doing something out of love and to bring pleasure to another. And truly, every day I see you growing in your skills is a reward to my heart, I see you doing great things in the world, inspiring people with your passion as I have....but speaking of the rest of the world, I have no doubt its out there, probably looking for us as we speak Her gestures are almost second hand, they are so nonchalant, creating yet another unseen servant. Go forth and fetch Eve to come and see us, to bring us the days news she turns to Amelyn we can wait for her here.

[Ridai]

Amelyn blushes and smiles at Katarina's praise, kissing her once more and settling in to await Eve's arrival. The slight patter of the rain outside feels all the more soothing, and almost like the weather gives them an excuse to just stay in bed and warm each other.

It does not take long before the can hear the familiar steps, the door opening for a moment to reveal Eve Sylna, half-elven secretary to the world's only freelance Apex. As always, she is dressed sharply, both mages hearing the clicks of her black heels whose straps are winding their way up her calves, with a black short skirt and a light-blueish top that is part blouse, part wrap top. Her red mane falls upon her shoulders in flowing locks. There is no hiding her generous hourglass figure, and neither does she try, her clothes accentuating her curves nicely without going overboard, also making it so very easy to draw the eye to the natural sway of her hips. She is, after all, the secretary of a mistress worshipping love itself.

Out of the entire household, Eve is perhaps best equiped to handle Katarina's legendary beauty and charisma, but even she needs to stop for a moment in front of a bed upon which lie both the Apex and her star pupil, both with beauty unlike either of them have ever been seen with before. She needs to clear her throat a little as an enticed blush appears.

"I'm sorry, mi'ladies, I seem to have misplaced my mistress and the young lady. I was unaware we had a goddess and her high priestess as our guests." Eve gives a perfect deep curtsey, along a mock-humble smile, granting both women quite the view. She chuckles as she heads to the side of the bed Katarina is on, seating herself with her magic slate in hand. "Joking aside, I see that you have your morning glow already, and what a glow it is. Fair warning, half of the estate may or may not have heard you. So I'll cut to the chase while I can still form intelligible sentences and resist the urge to tear off my clothes." She smiles to both women, lips wine-red. To her credit, her composure is most likely better than her little self-deprecating humor would suggest, but she is a good judge of people, and of herself, so better get business out of the way.

"The weather will clear up tomorrow, and lovely weather is about to follow. Remy tells me the dryads are quite enjoying the rain today, so the garden is doing particularly well. We received an invitation from Kit, our favorite local farming lass, humbly asking if you and whoever of your household you would like to bring to attend the coming harvest festival as guests of honor, as thanks for granting them ideal weather and Remy adding his natural touch and teachings. I hear the harvest will be quite bountiful this year. And the harvest maiden may have a kiss for you." Katarina knows Kit as their primary contact in terms of local produce that doesn't come from the estate's garden, owning a local farm and forest-side orchard with a quite decent reputation. Irmin, Carina, and Remy are most often in contact with her, exchanging the respective fruits of their labor (Kit also sometimes selling some of what Katarina's estate produces for them on the market, as by now there is quite a bit of demand for it and what Kit grows thanks to Remy's help) and maintaining a very friendly relationship. Kit also can't help but flirt with pretty much all members of the estate. Amelyn apparently also got to know her quite closely during a casual visit.

"As for business, there was the usual flood of requests. Most was pedestrian stuff that could easily be handled by other adventurers. Count von Vendekin beseeched me to get your aid once again, this time apparently being haunted by an evil ancient banshee. Archmagistress Tatianna once again renewed her request for you to take part in her weeklong ritual." Eve and Amelyn have a chuckle. Both mentioned people are well-known to all three of them. The Count has requested Katarina's aid often, each time being haunted or stalked by some nefarious creature, and if only she would come to his rescue and stay by his side a few days, no creature would ever dare to haunt him again. Archmagistress Tatianna, meanwhile, is a middle-aged wizard who despite her title is nowhere near the level of an Apex (though she does wield respectable arcane powers), and seems quite adamant about wanting Katarina to assist in her specially made tantric ritual of uncertain purpose. Eve is quite certain that both simply want to lock themselves in a room with the Apex for a few days, trying to lure her with riches and/or arcane knowledge.

"But we do have an interesting candidate here. Eren Quinn, leader of the Whitegate Fellowship, requested your assistance in finding the lair of Kranrakor Blackwing, an ancient draconic lich who once drained the life from a whole duchy a century ago before mysteriously disappearing without a trace. Eren says his party has recently found obscure records pointing towards the dragon-lich's lair, and they want to find out if the creature still exists, and destroy it for good if so. So far, so ordinary." For anyone else, such a thing would hardly qualify as ordinary. "However, Eren believes Kranrakor is in the possession of an ancient tome the dragon stole before his disappearance, the Shaldrin Records, concerning nexi of cosmic energies and how to possibly harness them, making it a highly sought after tome indeed. Should it be there, Eren offers the tome to you, to know it is in good hands and kept away from the evil and the overzealous. He also offers half of the dragon's hoard to you, as well as funds and magic items from the group if it turns out that there is not much treasure to be had, or if the trace happens to be a dead end. Having met Eren, I judge him true to his word, humble, and very sincere in his intentions. Making sure that the dragon is destroyed seems to be the main interest of him and his party, and they came to me first, not having told anyone else about the trace yet. He also seems to have no illusions that without your help, they likely won't be able to destroy a creature like Kranrakor Blackwing and ensure he stays dead." Eve gives a short pause. "Would you like me to invite him to the estate for an interview? If so, with or without his party?" The secretary also fans a little air to her blushing cheeks. She is doing an admirable job at keeping her composure (which speaks highly for Eve), but even hers is finite.

[MikelaC1]

Turning to Anelyn, Katarina gives a little laugh its remarkable that she is able to keep her composure, but maybe you could do a few things, a display perhaps, to see if you can crack it. In her mind, she is already making plans, of course, she and Remy at the least (and any other household members who wish to come) will attend the harvest festival; and Eren Quinn will be granted an interview for her to see personally if his intentions are true (not that she doesnt trust Eve's intuition, she already holds back 90% of the supplicants, but she likes to make the final call)...without his party.

[MikelaC1]

With another one of Irmin's wonderful creations in front of them and Katarina's full staff present, she gives thanks to all of them for coming, thanks to Irmin for the creation and then tells everyone to sit and enjoy. Of course, it takes some time to fully partake of one of Irmin's meals and she doesnt rush anyone, its not like they are under any sort of time limit or constraint, its now time to just enjoy each others company.
Once she sees that everyone is almost finished, she rises, touching her glass with a fork to create the slightest of rings, pulling everyone's attention to her.
I have two announcements for us. First of all, I, and by extension, thats all of you, have been invited to the harvest festival of Kit's village and I have graciously accepted their invitation. Of course, I would imagine that Remy will be coming as well, but the invitation does apply to all of us, so any and all of you who wish to attend are more than welcome to come.
Second, it has come to my attention that a particular adventuring party has come upon rumors of a dragon with a hoard beyond imagination and a tome of unknown origin and power, the sort of tome that interests me greatly...not that I am immune to the lure of money either. Their leader has been invited to a sit down with me so that I can give a final assessment of the sincerity of his request and his aims, the fact that he has made it past our ferocious gatekeeper and her rigorous standards speaks volumes in itself, and I will likely be soon departing on that mission, although not until after the festival.

[Ridai]

Eve warns Katarina as they head to the dining hall. "You better be ready for when the others see you." And it turns out that was not said for no reason.

Her faithful staff assembled, Katarina sees their various reactions.

Ever immaculate maid of honor Sybilla seems to have a permanent blush on her face, and can't help but cast loving, longing looks towards Katarina.

The energetic maidservant Meave has one elbow planted firmly on the table, head resting on her hand while eating with the other, just continuously looking straight at Katarina with the biggest closed smile, clearly enjoying the view.
(Sybilla: "Meave, you're staring.", Meave: "You're staring, I'm admiring.")

Chef Irmin, despite his physique, seems almost a little shy today, like today was actually a special occasion and he wished he had prepared something nicer. Nicer in this case meaning better than the usual world-class cuisine he serves up even for breakfast.

Chef's assistant Carina just can't stop smiling in a most adorable manner with rosy cheeks, glancing to Katarina and Amelyn periodically. And since the towering woman is sitting next to Amelyn, it feels like only the fact that they are having breakfast, as well as decorum are keeping her from pulling Amelyn into a hug and keeping her there.

And finally, the gardener Remy... actually is handling the situation pretty well. Upon entering, he was clearly surprised at how Katarina and Amelyn were looking, wished them a good morning, and sincerely told them they were looking remarkably beautiful today. Otherwise, he has by far the easiest time having breakfast. His relationship with the dryads most likely has something to do with that.


Everyone listens attentively during the announcement, the remark about Eve drawing a knowing chuckle, while the secretary, right on cue, takes a playfully-self-satisfied sip as if to say I do what I can. "I think I'll hold down the fort during the festival and sort out the business side of the petition. I never like procrastinating on that."

Sybilla chimes in right after. "Meave and I will prepare for our guest. And I would love to accompany you during the festival." Her voice is musical as ever, perhaps even more so today. Meave nods in agreement. "I'm so there." The maidservant still has not ceased her staring admiring. Knowing Meave, she will be up to no shortage of mischief during the festival.

"Can I prepare any potions or concoctions for you?" Carina asks, followed by Irmin's "Would you like lunch packets, or rations?" A short pause. "Oh, and I would like to come to the festival, too. Kit is working so hard to make it happen." "I will be there as well. Kit is a friend of the estate, after all, and turning down such a lady's invitation would be rather rude."
Calling Kit a lady doesn't happen too often, the woman herself being rather down to earth and "charmingly rough 'round the edges", but Irmin is known for good manners.

Finally, Remy nods. "It would be nice to catch up with Kit and the others, perhaps prepare the soil for the winter and meet the local fey as well. As for your adventure, are you hoping to find anything in particular in the tome?"

Little is asked about the adventure, but that is because it is common knowledge that everyone in the room naturally is looking forward to hear if the petitioner meets the Apex' requirements, as well as Katarina telling them all about her endeavors after the adventure.

[MikelaC1]

Finally, Remy nods. "It would be nice to catch up with Kit and the others, perhaps prepare the soil for the winter and meet the local fey as well. As for your adventure, are you hoping to find anything in particular in the tome?"

They said no one as flighty as me could become an Apex sorceress...and I proved them wrong. They said that no one who worshiped a concept instead of a goddess could become an Apex priestess...and I proved them wrong. Now they say there is nothing beyond being an Apex...and I am in the habit of proving people wrong. Even if there is nothing there on that idea, simply keeping it from people who would misuse or even unleash something they cant control is worth it

[Ridai]

The staff seems rather stunned by Katarina seeking to go beyond the Apex. Amelyn and Eve knew about Katarina's desire, but even for them, it is difficult to imagine a level beyond the very top when the top is in the realm of bending reality itself. Such a thing is simply unheard of, with the only things that might exceed an Apex' power being the gods and perhaps a few mythical creatures.

"It is reassuring to hear you are still in the habit of blazing trails," Remy answers with a smile.

"And I eagerly look forward to you going beyond perfection," Sybilla adds, Katarina being sure the princess is already trying to imagine what the Apex would be like if she got past this seemingly universal limit.

Everyone's thoughts are racing, but Meave looks like her mind is still blown, and also seems to enjoy that fact. "Can you folks even imagine what a, uh, Super Apex would be like? Now I'm imagining Katarina juggling stars!"

It is telling that no one in the room is really questioning whether going beyond the level of an Apex is even possible. No one knows, but if someone can find out, they feel Katarina may very well be the one to do it.

[MikelaC1]

But for now, its just a thought, a thought that I know you will treat as confidential...and even if there is nothing there a tome of this sort of power simply cannot be left lying around, the danger of an evil person gaining it is only outweighed by someone who doesnt know how to handle it to getting a hold of it.

[Ridai]

Everyone nods when asked to keep the secret.

"The harvest festival is in two days, and knowing adventurers as well as this estate, I'll be inviting Quinn to arrive the day after. I'll be mentally preparing for managing part of an ancient dragon hoard in the meantime. I'll no doubt need dear Irmin and Carina's help with carrying all those bags of holding," Eve comments.

"Always at your service!" Irmin cheerfully replies, Carina nodding as well.

"If this adventurer says the truth and you find a dragon hoard... could I see it? I've only heard about such things in fairy tales and the records of adventurers," Carina asks, wondering what such a thing would even look like. It is one thing to hear about gold without end, and it is another to see.

If you would like to do something in the time until the harvest festival, let me know. We can also skip to the harvest festival. Or to meeting the adventurer and I'll recap what happened at the festival. I'm open to everything.

[MikelaC1]

I do want to play it out just a bit

In that case ladies, I believe we need to do some shopping...nothing formal because its not a Royal Ball or something like that but at least new and suitable for a Harvest Festival. We dont have time for something made just for us, but there should be some off the rack stuff. Matching for you and I since we will be a couple speaking to Sybilla and something for your brand of mischief Maeve, as well as you Carina. Amelyn, you didnt say if you will be joining us or not?

[Ridai]

Sybilla practically glows at the mention of partnering with Katarina. Even if the maid of honor is a little fixated on the Apex, it is difficult not to feel a little flutter in her heart when Sybilla smiles to her. In times before the Apexes, wars would be fought over the privilege of marrying a princess like her.

"Oh, I'll be there. I have a feeling Kit would be disappointed if I stayed at home," Amelyn says.

"There probably isn't anything off the shelf in my size, but I think I have something nice for the festival. I would like to come shopping as well, though," Carina adds.

Meave's smile somehow manages to become even wider, and her "I have an idea or two" only adds to a semi-ominous feeling.

Remi and Irmin seem to be happy to let the women hash out their shopping trip. "When in doubt, I believe Carina will be most excellent at judging whether something is too much or too little," Irmin says with confidence, Remi seeming to consider it for a moment as he drinks and nodding his agreement after.

Eve meanwhile enjoys her morning brew.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina gathers the woman around, and uses a Greater Teleport to move herself and them to a local shop, that of Rhoderic, the latest designer that the Apex favors (being the last one she bought the Sune shipment from). Good morning Rohderic, I know this is terribly short notice for you, but we need outfits for all of us, for the Harvest Festival, do you think you can help us?

[Ridai]

It is a slow morning in the small city of Highlands End (named after the huge cliffside the city was built atop of), the rain drizzling upon the streets and alleys, hooded people and those armed with an umbrella heading through the city with quick steps. In one of the cozier side streets, Autumn Lane, mostly traversed on foot but with enough space for the odd carriage, especially given the clientel that frequents this part of town, there is a modest shop front set into one of the two continuous rows of buildings facing each other. The Mithral Needle is written in elegant calligraphy upon the sign atop the front door, with warm-colored decorations visible in the door, its frame, and the windows. A wide marquee extends above the entrance today, keeping the front door's surroundings dry.

Katarina and her retinue appear with a quiet sound akin to that of a breeze. The people around them are surprised, naturally, but quickly recognize the Apex and her staff. Immediately, Katarina hears the awed whispering and excitement, and if she takes a look across Autumn Lane, she sees people looking her way, some staring, some even slack-jawed, some bowing or curtseying. Needless to say, there is hardly any place where the Apex can go without drawing the attention from everyone around her, and the presence of her staff only adds to that. It is known that Katarina has picked Rohderic as her current designer of choice, no doubt leading to a sharp uptick in popularity and business, but a repeat visit and in such a capacity will only further solidify that currently, The Mithral Needle is among the places to have the best of the best clothes made.

Entering the shop, with the light ringing of a bell (and Carina having to be careful about the top of the door frame), the interior is warmly-lit and tastefully decorated, also showing a few of Rohderic's creations, showing his trademark je ne sais quoi. There is a half-elven girl, Katarina knowing her as one of Rohderic's assistants, Talia, dressed with a sleek dark sweater and matching pants and shoes, with tools of her trade on the short color-matched, many-pocketed apron covering her abdomen. When she sees the Apex, her eyes go wide with surprise and wonder, quickly setting down the folded clothes she was carrying onto the counter before curtseying deeply.

"Greetings to you, exalted Apex Sintar, and to your esteemed retinue," the girl says, doing her best to keep her voice steady with all the awe and excitement she is experiencing right now. Katarina having settled on the outskirts of Highlands End was and still is seen as a major blessing for the city, as the Apexes are few and above the station of kings and queens. Hence why a simple "lord" or "lady" is deemed insufficient for them, unless the Apex tells them they prefer to be adressed this way. Adressing them as Apex acknowledges their might, influence, and status. "With your permission, I will go fetch Rohderic." Once receiving said permission, the girl hurries away into the backrooms.

Soon, the master tailor, flanked by the half-elven girl and a human one (also dressed as an assistant) enter the room. "Katarina! I could not be happier to have you as a guest in my humble shop again!" Rohderic bows, the two assistants curtseying. Rohderic is a wiry man, with very well-kept hair and matching beard, his face showing plenty of laugh lines. Katarina can almost imagine him and Irmin talking about their passion for their respective trades and asking the other about theirs.

Listening to Katarina's request, Rohderic answers "I'd be happy to! While making all new outfits for all of you will not be possible, I am certain we have several that, with just a few quick adjustments, would be a perfect fit. Nothing in dear Carina's size, but I am confident we can create one for her before the festival." Carina responds with a grateful smile. The tall woman has been a customer at Rohderic's for some time now, after the shop was recommended by Katarina when Carina was looking for a tailor to custom-make clothes for someone her size.

"So, tell me, do you have something in mind?"

[MikelaC1]

Sybilla and myself will have to have something matching as we are going to be attending as a couple. Maeve has indicated she already has something in mind, no doubt tailored to her appetite for mischief so I will let her speak for herself and Im sure Amelyn and Carina have ideas as well. And I would like them all to be in a theme, something nature or garden inspired, as we are going to celebrate the Harvest Festival. A tall order but I am sure you can pull something together.

[Ridai]

"Think gypsy dancer. Little top, short skirt. I'll be up to no good the entire festival," Meave brazenly says while Rohderic considers.

"Hmm, I never had one of those folksy dresses more courageous girls in the countryside wear at such festivals. Perhaps a little riskier version of that. But that is just an idea, I trust in your judgment," Amelyn suggests.

"I actually don't have much of a preference. But I particularly liked how the last dress you made for me feels, so perhaps something of similar make. Other than that, I leave it up to you," Carina says.

Rohderic considers for a moment, looking at each woman while stroking the moustache part of his beard. He exchanges some words with his assistants, apparently verifying a few things.

"So I have to admit that we are working with tight requirements, but here is my suggestion would be a nature spirit theme. Autumnal in colors, with strong reds, oranges, and yellows. Katarina and Sybilla form the centerpiece, with flowing, layered garments, akin to forest queens, refined without being prude. The way the dresses move while dancing together will be quite the sight. Amelyn represents a more youthful aspect, perhaps the joy of the harvest season. Shoulder-less, decorated with autumn leaves, and a wide, short skirt. Meave represents the untamed part of nature, with bright red colors, wrapped silk as the top, layered veils around the waist. And finally, the nurturing side of nature, as represented by Carina. A full-length dress in red and orange hues, but following her curves as to not hide her beauty. We will need to magically color a few pieces, which is unnoticable to most people, but I still mention it for those with a keen eye or your magical aptitude. Given the short time frame, we sadly cannot do this any other way. Carina's dress will need to be made from the ground-up and may be a little simpler in design, but I promise we will do her justice, and that I swear by my honor as a tailor. If this sounds to your liking, my assistants Talia and Merribeth will be taking your measurements one by one in the changing room."

The assistants retrieve the base dresses for everyone but Carina that will be adjusted for each woman, and the group seems pretty pleased with the choices, but Katarina's judgment is still pending.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina studies the dresses on her retinue and then herself in the mirror. Rhoderic, as always, your skill is unmatched by any other...they are all perfect and flow together perfectly. You've got the theme down to a T.
(Im assuming these would be priced as courtier's outfits, which is 30GP each, so...) She hands him over 250 gold, overpayment for the short time frame and to make sure she can always count on him if she finds herself in a time sensitive situation.

[Ridai]

Rohderic thanks Katarina for the generous payment and her continued patronage. Her praise clearly means a lot to him, and his assistants seem humbled as well. The two assistant girls ask Katarina to join them in the changing room for measurements. This is not the first time she has been there, but Katarina still is one of the most attractive women in the entire world, so both the half-elven Talia and the human Merribeth can't help but blush and do their best not to be distracted from their work. As usual, they take more than the standard measurements, Rohderic wanting to get even small details just right. Of course, this makes it a bit harder on his assistants, who have to maintain their composure and keep their wishful thinking in check, though they can't help but praise her beauty.

After Katarina, the women of her estate are asked into the changing room one by one. First comes Sybilla, and when she exits the changing room, the assistants are blushing in much the way they did around Katarina, the princess reassuring them and thanking them for the compliments. Amelyn is next, all three leaving in good spirits, evidently having had a nice chat (and the assistants wink to the mage apprentice, alongside a blush). Then comes Meave, whose measuring apparently takes a bit longer, the assistants absoluely beet-red once Meave leaves with a grin. And lastly, both girls ask Carina to join them, also getting stools to stand upon. Naturally, due to her size and the size difference, and Carina needing an all new dress, the measuring takes a bit longer, and afterwards, it is clear the girls are by far the most comfortable around the tall woman, who embraces both of them, thanking them for their work.

"We will have the dresses ready tomorrow evening," Rohderic says. "I think you will be quite pleased with the results."

Through the shop windows and the gaps between the dividers put up behind the dresses in the windows, Katarina by now can spot a lot of people looking inside, trying to catch a glimpse of the Apex and her staff.

[MikelaC1]

Time to make a bit of an appearance and a bit of a speech. Katarina steps outside to address the masses.
Good people of Highland's End, I bid you a good morning, and once again recommend Rhoderic and The Mithral Needle as the top shop for clothing. I would also like to take the chance to invite you all to the Harvest Festival, a chance for all of us to honor the valuable work of our farmers, without whom we would all starve. The Estate of Sintar supports this Festival wholeheartedly and I hope to see as many of you there as I can.

[roll0]

[Ridai]

Katarina sees a few dozen people outside the shop. The advertisements would have been dismissed if they had come from some minor celebrity, but between Katarina being an Apex (and the one residing in this city, to boot), as well as her raw beauty and charisma, the crowd hangs onto every word, just as Katarina commands the attention of everyone around her. The Apex wanting to see and potentially interact with as many of the people she sees here at the festival as she can leaves a great many people starstruck, enthusiastically vowing to attend, and a few women seeking to enter The Mithral Needle in order to acquire a dress. Katarina can practically see the words being spread immediately.

[MikelaC1]

She only came into town to get dresses, but being able to drum up twice the interest that there would have been before the Festival makes it a win/win for Katarina. She only hopes that Kit will have enough capacity to handle the uptick in interest, but she is sure they will. With the dress issue taken care of, she gathers her group together to take their leave unless something else requires their attention.

[Ridai]

As always, there are a great many people vying for Katarina's attention, ranging from showering her with admiration, wanting to just talk to her, flirtation, seeking to ingratiate themselves, making requests such as if she could heal someone or speak to some group or what she thinks about the politics of Highlands End and if she seeks to exert more influence on them or if she would like to sponsor something or cooperate with someone etc etc. Few Apexes are as "accessible" as Katarina, and their effect on normal people can't be understated.

If Katarina decides to ignore the masses or tell them to direct their requests to Eve, the Apex and her staff return to estate without a hitch. Everyone is looking forward to the festival, especially Sybilla, whose happiness only makes her more beautiful. The staff excuse themselves after thanking Katarina for the dresses and the teleportation, returning to their work.

Meave seems to notice something. "Oh. Caught one again. I'll go deal with that, mistress. Call me if you need me," she says before simply disappearing in thin air when Katarina blinks once. The maidservant is refering to the capture circles. The estate naturally is warded against unwanted teleportation and plane shifting, but if someone manages to find a way around that, there is another hidden layer of defenses, redirecting any teleportation into a magic circle that contains the teleporter and keeps them from moving out of it or using their powers. Of course, the general teleportation wards can also be set-up to allow some kinds of teleporters through, but immediately direct them into the capture circles. Meave is aware of the estate's security and who attempts to circumvent it. She noticed that more and more female demons and devils were attempting to get into the estate, and Meave suggested to capture incoming female fiends to question them and see if there is a root cause, with Sybilla also being rather adept at making the fiends talk. Eve also reports that demonesses and female devils from time to time try to seduce her or get her to let them through to Katarina. The estate's members are warded with protection from evil as well death ward, which makes these potential threats a lot less serious. The fiendish attempts are almost a running joke at this point.

It has been a while since the last report on the teleportation situation, as the maids didn't want to annoy Katarina with constant notifications that individually do not amount to much. They would be happy to report their findings thus far, if requested, however.

There is also something similar going on when it comes to physical attempts to enter the estate, thanks to the twin dryads, who are rather adept at snatching trespassers with vines springing up from the garden, trapping them in place, plucking them out of the air, or their widespread roots entangling them underground. The dryads also seem to enact some disciplinary measures in those cases, though nothing that does real harm to the trespasser. If Katarina would like to review what should be done with trespassers, Remi and Meave aren't far.

Other than that, there is plenty Katarina could do. Amelyn is always eager to continue and deepen her training, she can discuss matters of and plans for the estate with Sybilla (or have herself get pampered by the maid of honor), she can discuss business, public relations, and plans regarding that with Eve, she can see what Irmin might be planning for the estate's meals in the coming days or weeks and perhaps make requests, she can check what Carina is working on with her alchemy (or rest in the tall woman's arms for a peaceful hour or two), or visit Remi and see how the dryads are faring and how the garden is coming along.

The rain has lessened, but is still going this morning. It is a relatively slow day, so Katarina has plenty of time.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina likes to be accessible to the masses, to her, power isnt worth anything if you cant do something with it...and holing up in your tower trying to create the next owlbear by mixing a penguin and a buffalo or trying to summon Bubulax, a two thousand years dead demon doesnt count as doing something. So, she is willing to mingle with people, shaking hands, exchanging blessings and a kind word for everyone she meets. If someone is right there and needs a small healing, she will do that. She refuses to get involved in anything political, only repeating that the mayor (or lord, or whatever) is doing a good job and if ever she finds him doing something that she objects to, she will handle it privately. (and its not said as a threat, either) Any requests for sponsorship or co-operation are referred to Eve, right now, this is just an expression of good will. There are limits of course, and after about two hours or so, she will beg her leave and depart with her entourage.
Just before Maeve departs, Katarina does request that the next time a succubus is caught, she would like to deal with her, personally. The teleport circles seem to be working each and every time, but if there has been a significant uptick in activity, she wants to see if there is an underlying cause. She doesnt want to have Highlands End become the victims of a demonic incursion just because she happened to choose it as her place to live. Other Apexs might not view their neighbourhood as something that they should be concerned with protecting, Katarina would take any sort of damage personally.
She does lay a hand on Sybilla before the maid can go about her other duties Can you come with me and choose the bedroom we are going to put Quinn up in if he needs to stay over and get it ready for him? Its a little unusual for Katarina to make a choice to assist in housework.

[Ridai]

Katarina likes to be accessible to the masses, to her, power isnt worth anything if you cant do something with it...and holing up in your tower trying to create the next owlbear by mixing a penguin and a buffalo or trying to summon Bubulax, a two thousand years dead demon doesnt count as doing something. So, she is willing to mingle with people, shaking hands, exchanging blessings and a kind word for everyone she meets. If someone is right there and needs a small healing, she will do that. She refuses to get involved in anything political, only repeating that the mayor (or lord, or whatever) is doing a good job and if ever she finds him doing something that she objects to, she will handle it privately. (and its not said as a threat, either) Any requests for sponsorship or co-operation are referred to Eve, right now, this is just an expression of good will. There are limits of course, and after about two hours or so, she will beg her leave and depart with her entourage.
Just before Maeve departs, Katarina does request that the next time a succubus is caught, she would like to deal with her, personally. The teleport circles seem to be working each and every time, but if there has been a significant uptick in activity, she wants to see if there is an underlying cause. She doesnt want to have Highlands End become the victims of a demonic incursion just because she happened to choose it as her place to live. Other Apexs might not view their neighbourhood as something that they should be concerned with protecting, Katarina would take any sort of damage personally.
She does lay a hand on Sybilla before the maid can go about her other duties Can you come with me and choose the bedroom we are going to put Quinn up in if he needs to stay over and get it ready for him? Its a little unusual for Katarina to make a choice to assist in housework.
"I can keep her in the capture circle for you to question, mistress. We've gotten pretty good at showing them there might be a different path in life," Meave gives a mischievous smirk, but something a little proud also shines through. She listens to Katarina's answer before she does a quick curtsey and disappears.

Sybilla gives a small, proper bow, picking up on the unusual behavior, but going along with it. "Of course." Sybilla retrieves what is needed to prepare the room and leads Katarina to a second floor guest room. With practised ease, the maid of honor begins to prepare the bed, not even needing to pose on purpose, the sights affecting even the Apex.

[MikelaC1]

I could spend an entire day, no, an entire week with you and it would not grow old in the least...but the world continues to move on and we have duties. Including those pesky demonic incursions. Can you come with me, you have an ability to make almost everyone, or in this case, everything talk. I would know what has gotten the demons interest in this place.

Truth be told, Katarina is truly mystified in the demonic interest. Devils would be either erinyes or brachina and she would have no interest in them, if it turns out to be one of those, she will just banish it with a particularly nasty spell, but a demon, specifically succubus or marilith would be something to investigate.

[Ridai]

Sybilla glows with joy as she hears Katarina's first words. Perhaps, to her, it is another step towards her dream coming true.

They head down into the vast basement, entering the section Meave had requested for security purposes. They pass both the physical and magical barriers put in place with the Apex' might. The maidservant could hardly be described as a magical genius, lacking the casting, but she is a walking security nightmare, knows very well how to manipulate existing magic, and has a most devious mind when she wants to. Katarina, of course, would not have much trouble escaping her own facilities, but the baffling creativity Meave put into the design so most casters will simply be their own worst enemies is quite something.

Entering the capture area, Katarina and Sybilla see the familiar magic circles, etched into adamantine and permanent force. Even if a magical null field should appear, the room and its circles were built with geomantic principles, making it hardly effortless for the prisoner to escape. The geomancy was a nifty challenge, Amelyn and Remi having worked together to devise something that fits what Meave had in mind. The circles have dividers between them to isolate the circles from each other, making use of physical and magical means to prevent prisoners from communicating with each other or divining outside of their circles. There is a lot of surveillance in this basement hall. Katarina can see that only one circle is occupied right now. On one wall is a workbench of sorts, next to a door to a chamber that Meave refers to as her toy box. The maidservant has assured Katarina that her toys (none of which are meant for torture, of course) are ultimately harmless, though the Apex is uncertain just how many things are in there, and what purposes all of them are meant to fulfill, Meave ever creating new ones or reworking old ones, at times requesting the aid of her fellow staffers, or someone in Highlands End.

Speaking of which, Meave emerges from the rectangular area surrounding the occupied capture circle. They can see through the fabric of the multiple layers of curtains that mark the edge of the area, but one can't look from the inside out.

"Ah, welcome, mistress. I see you even brought the heavy artillery," Meave happily quips, depositing a toy in a bucket near her workbench. She then gets a good look at the two, especially Sybilla... and the biggest Cheshire grin spreads on her face. "Mistress, if you make our princess any more beautiful, I'm afraid nymphs will be going blind in envy."

Sybilla, said heavy artillery that allows herself a little smile, says "Thank you, Meave," both to acknowledge the very Meave-y compliment, as well as to focus the maidservant back on-topic. "What are we working with here? Have you found anything out yet?"

Meave cleans her hands and towels them dry. "Oh, we have another succubus. A bit above the everyday fare, but not staggeringly so. Xethira is her name. Not much beyond that yet, as she kept it together pretty well and I wanted to take things slow and try some new things, soften her up a bit." The red-headed maidservant looks back and forth between Katarina and Sybilla, before ending on Katarina. "I think you haven't watched us work much recently, mistress. Would you like a demonstration of us making her sing? Honestly, I'd love to see what Sybilla could do right now."

Sybilla looks to the Apex with a smile. "If you would like me to, feel free to give me your inquiries and commands, or communicate them to me during the interrogation telepathically, and I will fulfill them to the best of my abilities."

Looking into the occupied containment area, Katarina sees a beautiful winged woman lying in the cushioned circle, wearing little more than a higher-class loincloth and a bit of jewelry at the moment, with her black hair covering her torso just enough. This succubus named Xethira seems entirely unaware of what is going on outside of the curtains, seemingly relaxing and luxuriating in a way one does when they think they are not being observed.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina studies the succubus for a moment. In her career, because of her Incantatrix nature and her Favored Soul powers, she had been called on numerous times to banish both demons and devils, including on two separate occasions the mightiest of all non-lord status, the pit fiend and the balor. But in that time, she had never banished, or even dealt with, a succubus. Of course she had researched succubi, and knew what their tricks were, charms and duplicity, but no personal experience. It seemed like such a waste as well, they were clearly beautiful enough that they could add much to power of love but they wielded lust as a weapon, one that was more than ruinous, it was literally deadly. Katarina had never loved anyone to death (although she had given old man Winkler a heart attack that required her spells to revive him) Their kisses could induce bliss (Katarina had restored one person who had gotten carried away) but that path lead to oblivion as well.

Are her powers suppressed when she is in one of those circles? Obviously, they were at least partially as she couldnt just teleport out, but if she had the power of trues seeing, what Katarina wanted to would not work. If they are, I will cover myself with invisibility and then I can whisper any questions to you that come to me. First of all however, I want you to question her as to why we have had so many demonic attempts, especially when it must be getting clear to them that they dont work.

[Ridai]

"Her magical abilities are limited to the inside of the circle, and they do not have the ability to see through invisibility, unless they have trained themselves as magicians," Sybilla explains.

Meave then adds "Whispering won't work when you are this close though." She taps her ear with a smile. "They have very good hearing. I can get some telepathic bond tags if you want?"

[MikelaC1]

Get the tags then, because I want to be in there. Im interested to hear how her answers change, or how her manner changes when I show myself. You question her first, with me just watching and then I appear and we go through the questions again. Her different answers and changed demeanor could tell us much.

[Ridai]

Meave bows and disappears for a moment, returning with two tiny tags, placing one of Katarina and hiding one on Sybilla. Once the Apex has turned herself invisible, Sybilla pulls the curtain aside for a moment to enter, just so happening to leave enough space for her mistress to enter as well. Katarina sees that even with the curtain briefly opened, she cannot see outside of the containment area with her normal senses, only her true sight allowing her to do so. The succubus rouses from her luxuriation, spotting only the maid of honor. So the questioning begins.

[Ridai]

Leaving the basement, Katarina heads up into her library, stocked with plentiful writings, treatises, theories, and musings upon the nature of magic, love, the multiverse, and many other topics. Her collection has grown since she has accepted Amelyn as her student, the girl doing a tremendous amount of research in addition to her training and building her attunement to love and magic, to the point of having her more or less dedicated reading corner with a stack of books she set aside to read soon. Eve and Carina have made a few additions as well, regarding the subjects of regional (and extraplanar) customs and politics, as well as alchemy and transmutation, respectively.

Looking through the books regarding the planes, only a small number cover the Abyss, perhaps due to Katarina relying more on hands-on knowledge and banishing fiends. An even smaller number mentions the Demon Lords, and she sees mention of various ones, but only in a very cursory, shallow manner that does not help her much. But finally, she happens upon a book she picked up some time ago, during one of her adventures. A tome that apparently was banned in many countries, called "On Temptation", because it led too many people astray, causing mages to attempt to summon demons, and mundane folk attempt rituals. The writings within lack the usual academic stance of clinical observation, or viewing fiends as vile abominations. For someone like Katarina, who is quite secure in her views and in her strength of will, not being an impressionable newbie wizard or foolish farm girl, the tome can't do any harm. Paging through the tome to see if it has anything relevant, she has to skim until the final chapter. There, she finds a page saying "On the Queen of Succubi". Turning the page, Katarina is faced with a depiction of the Demon Lord herself, drawn in meticulous detail.

Katarina finds that she is looking at the picture for some time, taking it all in. She is seeing the evil within Malcanthet plain as day, seeing that she no doubt uses lust to bring ruin... but even in what could only be an artist's pale imitation of the real thing, the Queen of Succubi is unlike any woman Katarina has ever seen. Curiosity wells up within Katarina, and she thinks back to the succubus Xethira, captured and in the process of being redeemed. Most women pale in comparison against her, and yet it seemed like she was not even close to the higher echelons of Malcanthet's court. If their ability and beauty is what determines their station, and Xethira is already this intense... what must it be like to be in the presence of her queen?

The chapter surely will contain some information, depending on what Katarina is looking for once she is done with the festival and the coming adventure, but the allure of Malcanthet's portrait stays fresh in Katarina's mind, perhaps fed by her first encounter with a succubus.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina muses, this Malcanthet is a queen and that means likely at least equal in power to one like Demo-Gorgon, and even she is an Apex, thats still slightly above her pay grade, especially alone. And forming an alliance with another Apex is always fraught with issues. Perhaps its something she should leave alone, but then again, it seems like its Malcanthet thats looking for a fight.

[Ridai]

Reflecting on the potential threat of Malcanthet, she has certainly defeated quite fierce opposition, but a Demon Lord has not been among them, leading to some unknown territory. Investigation and preparation may be in order, but also trying to see what Malcanthet's motive and goal may be. She could discuss with Amelyn, since her apprentice is the most well-read in planar matters. She could also go over Meave's reports again, including the one that just silently appeared on Katarina's armchair table, or summon Meave by simply saying her name to get a summary of her findings and perhaps discuss what she has learned about demonesses. Then again, she has been doing quite a bit today already and the weather has cleared up, having given way to warm sunshine with a few clouds, so the Apex may choose to relax instead and perhaps get a snack and/or a drink, something Carina or Meave could help her with. Or take a walk in the garden, clear her mind and think a little.

Again, just throwing some ideas out there. Feel free to also refer back to my post before Katarina went with Sybilla.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina heads out into the garden, walking between the perfectly tended flower beds and among the exotic plants, some of which the rest of the world has never seen, deep in thought (and wearing nothing, just because). After about an hour of thinking and pushing things around in her head. she finds a spot to sit and meditate for a few minutes. As this passes, she speaks softly, Maeve and a second later Anelyn. She doesnt even need to look up to know that both of them are there, and that they will wait until she speaks. Which she does, moments after they arrive.
I certainly hope that I have not attracted the attention of a demon queen, this...Malcanthet..as she called her. Maeve, have any of the others mentioned her, or is she just a one-off. And if they have, do they seem coordinated in any way. You are as good a judge of power as any person I know, does each succubus represent a step up in power, as if they were sending them, each time a step up to see where we are, or is it random. Amelyn, in your readings, have you done any sort of research on this Malcanthet, her aims, her goals, her motivations? I am not interested in battling demon lords, I may be an Apex but I am not a goddess, and they are. Is it likely that she has taken some sort of unholy interest in me, in us, or is this likely to be, like most demonic activities, random.

[Ridai]

Meave appears without any sign of her passage, while Amelyn does with a quiet momentary hum. Meave kneels, awaiting her mistress' command. It is rare for her not to give a greeting or quip, but she can tell the Apex is acting quite serious. Amelyn seats herself crosslegged, likewise waiting in silence.

Meave is the first to speak. "This was not the first one coming from Malcanthet's court, though not all succubi have come from there. And even among those from the Queen of Succubi's court, not all were sent by her command or that of one of her subordinates. Some seem to be motivated by a hunger for power, some by lust, some by curiosity. Eve's findings are similar. What bothers me is that there doesn't seem to be any real pattern to the succubi that were sent by Malcanthet. Some are a bit weaker, some a bit stronger, some happily embrace what we offer, others need to be lured out of their shells. You could chalk it up to demons' association with chaos, but you shouldn't. This has been going on for a few months, and while succubi are often high on their own perceived power and allure, and at times simply wing it, the more powerful ones aren't stupid. And if this Malcanthet is indeed their queen, she shouldn't be taken lightly."

Amelyn nods. "While demons do tend towards chaos and devils towards order, it would be wrong to characterize them as slaves to their whims or set in stone, respectively. A Demon Lord is a creature with ambition and massive power, enough to be able to control an entire layer of the Abyss, and do so for millennia or longer. I have read of Malcanthet. She has indeed claimed the title of Queen of Succubi, and has possessed it as far back as the records go. I recall mentions of a few competitors for the title, but those lost the battle long, long ago. Malcanthet, in some ways, is a dark mirror of your philosophy. She is a being of seduction, temptation, and eroticism, using lust and sex to bring ruin and destruction. Her influence, once it takes root, is hard to get rid of, as it sinks its claws into one of the most fundamental passions of humanity. This also makes her cults a lot more dangerous in the long-term than the usual death cults or demon worshippers, spreading through a society like a creeping disease. For better or worse, however, Demon Lords are not deities, merely extremely powerful. Malcanthet also does not rank as an Obyrith Lord or a Demon Prince, making her one of the less powerful Demon Lords, but she is allied with Demogorgon, who very much is a Demon Prince. As for her motivation, however, your guess is as good as mine. Maybe she sees a threat in you or you have angered her in some way, but I would expect a more fierce and dedicated response in that case. Maybe she is prodding at Apexes to idly look for weaknesses, but I kind of doubt it, as even she has little to gain from angering multiple Apexes. Or you have her curiosity and this is her way of seeing how you would react to what she does, perhaps to find a way to seduce you or make you come to her. But none of that seems to really fit." Meave also nods to this.

"What should we do, mistress? Right now, Malcanthet seems to be content to probe our defenses or simply throw the occasional succubus at us to see if it does anything, but what if she eventually ramps things up or takes a different approach?"

[MikelaC1]

What we are not going to do is let it upset us and definitely not the Festival. From what you are saying, it doesnt appear to be a concentrated attack, not yet anyway. If and when that changes, and I certainly hope it doesnt, we will deal with it. I have my own powers and not without allies that I can call on and its times like this that make Katarina glad she has maintained good relations with the family of the princess and the magic guild and the temple of Sune, despite "recruiting" some of their best people away So we are going to carry on as normal.

[Ridai]

"Understood, mistress," Amelyn and Meave acknowledge as one, with a slight bow.

"Speaking of probing defenses, I am always happy probe yours," Meave happily quips after a moment of silence. "And have mine as well," she adds, waggling her eyebrows towards Amelyn. The student gives the maidservant a look like we are kind of in the middle of a serious moment here, to which Meave replies (with the requisite cheeky grin) "What? Katarina said we should keep on keeping on as usual, and I'm not letting the twins beat me to the punch! I just know they are worshipping her curves through the lawn right now, when I could be the one doing that! So, how 'bout it?" And the maidservant suddenly appears in Amelyn's lap, wiggling her posterior for good measure. Meave never liked it when a heavy mood hangs over a situation.

Amelyn casts a look over Meave's shoulder to her mistress, wordlessly asking the Apex if she should take Meave and have her cool off a bit, another thing that is quite commonplace to do by various members of the estate.

[MikelaC1]

(move on to the dresses)

[Ridai]

The rest of the day flies by quickly. The Apex' staff is starting to get used to her new level of beauty and those of Amelyn and Sybilla as well, though their appreciation only grows. Eve joins her mistress as she retires for the night, once again proving she knows Katarina best, knowing the Apex' needs. Perhaps she can also tell Katarina is hiding something, but the secretary doesn't seem to push the issue.

The next day has absolutely perfect weather and is as pleasant as the last one in company, with Amelyn also nudging Katarina to help her train in the magic arts and experiment with the new insights she was given yesterday. From Sybilla, Katarina learns that Xethira has asked to stay at the estate for now, wanting to learn and experience.

When the evening comes around, the Apex and her staff teleport to The Mithral Needle, where they are quickly greeted by Rohderic and his two assistants Talia and Merribeth, the latter two seeming like they could use a break, but also having a sense of anticipation about them. "Welcome, Katarina. As promised, the dresses have been finished and are ready for the final adjustments."

One by one, starting with Katarina, the women put on their dresses and have the assistants make the final little changes. When everyone is dressed, Katarina gets to see the whole group theme of the autumnal nature spirit queens and their court for the first time.

The way Carina's dress, while technically being the most modest among the group, hugs, accentuates, and emphases her chest and rear seems to exert almost a draw on other people. Most women could not hope to achieve such an effect and truly make such a dress their own.

Meave is fiery passion and mischief, wearing scandalously little beneath a few veils, with colors as blazing as her hair. Katarina has little doubt that no one will be safe at the festival.

Amelyn's dress makes the girl look at the same time cute and sexy, her youthful beauty emphasized fully.

And finally, the twin dresses of Katarina and Sybilla make them look like autumn queens, one completing the other, showing a regal beauty but without the prude restraint that is so common in royal attire, unafraid to allow their skin to show and harmonize with the dress. Sybilla love and devotion do much to truly sell the image of a perfect couple, her beauty as radiant as ever beside the unsurpassed one of Katarina, the both of them drawing the adoration of the other staff and the assistants. Rohderic, professional eye and the knowledge that with more time he could have done even better aside, does seem quite pleased with the result, while Talia and Merribeth look like girls who are witnessing a lot of hard work having paid off (and being rather mesmerized by the group, especially the "royal" couple).

[MikelaC1]

The first part of the morning is spent in bed with Eve, seeing as she is not going to be a part of the Harvest Festival, she needs some TLC, as well, Katarina needs to "power up". The rest of the morning and the afternoon is divided between keeping an eye on the succubus and an eye on Amelyn. The succubus she studies to try and get to know what makes the demon tick, she knows the basics but hasnt had any sort of real interaction other than banishing them. She alternately encourages but keeps a check on Amelyn, making sure the girl spreads her wings, but doesnt try to overreach her abilities.
As the group tries on their dresses, Katarina cant help but show her appreciation Rohderic, you have truly outdone yourself, I could not have asked for anything better. My compliments to you and your assistants. She has already overpaid Rohderic, but gives each one of the assistants 10 gold as a tip. She then takes another look to admire Carina, Meave and Amelyn, before absolutely fussing over Sybilla. We are going to have to make arrangements for some stylists to come tomorrow to do our hair and nails.

[Ridai]

Waking up beside one of her staff is always a nice experience for Katarina, each one a little different. Sybilla shows her what it is like to awaken beside someone filled with pure love and devotion for her. Amelyn gives a certain comfort from how much she trusts Katarina and looks up to her. And then there is Eve. And in a way, she makes the Apex feel a little nostalgic, from before she became what she is right now, when fame and influence were no concerns and she could just enjoy herself with whoever she shared mutual attraction with. Simple, uncomplicated, and as equals. Add Eve's understanding and each morning with her could not be more effortless. A lot of things can't really be experienced anymore, now that she is an Apex, such as the thrill of being with someone more skilled than her (and perhaps more dangerous than her), but Eve keeps some of those good old memories alive.

Watching the succubus unseen, Katarina once again feels they are far and away the beings closest to being inherently connected to the concept of love, though perhaps sullied by their Abyssal nature or their dark lives. In Xethira, Katarina can see hedonistic tendencies, and when she watches Meave tend to her, much is revealed to Katarina. The succubus is a social powerhouse, far eclipsing the vast majority of humanity with absolute ease, possessing skill and raw charisma in spades, to the point where even nymphs can no longer compare. Initially, there are signs of Xethira being on guard instinctively, hiding the fact very well beneath a pleasant surface, Katarina seeing the signs of someone who uses manipulation and trickery not just for her own gain, but also self-preservation, hinting at an incredibly harsh environment, but in a different way than what one thinks when hearing the term. However, Xethira seems to remind herself she isn't in the Abyss anymore, lowering her guard. Then, the Apex sees some of the succubus' true potential in the matters of love, because most mortals would be hard-pressed to embrace the act so thoroughly, with such intensity and inherent aptitude and hunger. The observation also reveals a few surprising aspects of a succubus' physiology to the Apex. In short, the succubus is incredibly gifted in many ways, and while Xethira does not reach the level of Katarina's staff, said staff also eclipses 99.99% of the world. But she is also reminded that Meave and Sybilla assessed that Xethira is an above average succubus, but not an exceptional one. Katarina's thoughts drift back to Malcanthet, and the depiction she saw in the book. If Xethira is at this high a level, what must her queen be like, a being not subjected to the same limits as mortals?

Amelyn is making steady progress. The girl is a machine, training hard and for a long time, both the fundamentals and the new esoteric heights, coupled with an analytical mind. Going with the flow, finding the right feeling, and growing her inherent understanding are important to her, but so are thorough experimentation, testing limits, and re-evaluating what she knows. To grow as a wielder of magic is part of becoming who she wants to be. It is hardly a surprise that when Amelyn goes to sleep, she is out after just a few seconds and sleeps deeply, having spent herself thoroughly throughout the day, having powerful appetites as well as a lot of energy that can't be kept bottled up for long. Katarina set the record of being the youngest Apex ever, but if Amelyn keeps going like she does under Katarina's tutelage, that record could end up being smashed by several years.

At The Mithral Needle, Rohderic glows with satisfaction and pride, the same going for his assistants, who each thank the Apex for her generous tip while blushing deeply. They are used to working with exceptional women, but Katarina and her staff have them struggling. Each member of her staff poses for Katarina to some degree or another as they are admired, with Sybilla particularly enjoying the close attention, being given exactly what she desires, in turn only making her more beautiful.

"This Harvest Festival will be remembered for a long time," Rohderic says, to which Sybilla replies with a nod. "Thank you once more for your continued patronage. I wish I could spare more time, but we still need to finish a few last orders for tomorrow." Rohderic's assistants do display a mixture of real and mock tiredness at this, but they do evidently love their profession.

There is a giddy energy among the group, anticipating the festival, the celebration beginning in the early afternoon. Amelyn is looking forward to just enjoying herself for the day and celebrating, Meave is positively bursting with gleeful energy, and Carina yearns for everyone coming together. Sybilla, answering to Katarina's comment, says "Would you like to practice with me this evening? These dresses need to be broken in a little for their full effect, and I feel they would be perfect for the dance tomorrow." True to her nature as a true princess, Sybilla is a gifted dancer, though perhaps more of the courtly fashion rather than the performance type common in Katarina's household. Not that this is a drawback, of course. With her, their dance is elevated to that of two queens among women, effortlessly stealing the show. That and Sybilla so very much loves to dance with a partner, especially Katarina.

[MikelaC1]

Effluent praise and a generous purse are the most effective motivators, but as Katarina watches her staff try on their new dresses, she sees out of the corner of her eye the effect her 'emergency' request has had on Rhoderic and his staff. And, in turn, moving her request to the front of the line would no doubt inconvenience some of Rhoderic's other customers, and inconveniencing the people of Highland's End who opened their city to her is not something she is going to do. But she has the power to do something about it. As the staff and the tailor watch the results of their hard work, Katarina casts one of her most powerful spells, a Mass Heal to take away the condition of fatigue or exhaustion, if that indeed is the condition they are in.
Doing the rounds of some of the stylists that Katarina knows, she arranges for enough of them to come to the estate tomorrow to do the hair and make up of herself and her staff, the dresses will have a magnificent effect, and it would be a shame to ruin that by not putting a full effort out on all parts of their appearance.
When the subject of dancing comes up, Katarina is all in on that idea. A bit of magic can certainly create suitable dancing music in one of the estate's rooms and Katarina takes turns with each member of her staff (making sure that Remy and Irmin are there as well),the other members taking turns with each other as well...leading to the finale dance with Katarina and Syblila. And if the succubus happens to try and spy on what the staff are up to, she will not be chased away, nor will she be pressured into joining them.

[Ridai]

The tailors look visibly refreshed, wiping away their tiredness and making them look healthier. They aren't mages, they can't judge how powerful that spell was, but they do feel the effect. They once more thank Katarina for her generosity, and it appears one of the assistants seems to have been cured of some strain in her wrists and fingers she has been feeling.

During the dances, each member of the staff seems to have their prefered style for dancing with a partner. As she partners up with her student, their dance is lively and joyful and energetic, and Amelyn's magic weaves itself to improve the performance and create an effortless feeling (as well as a pleasant touch). Carina, due to her size, seems to prefer slower dances when her partner takes the lead, staying close and comfortable, though if her partner is up for it, things get a lot more lively, her strength allowing her to effortlessly lift her partner for certain moves, without ever creating discomfort or unease. Meave, true to her nature, is all up in her partner's grill, their dance intimate and a touch erotic, cheeky lightheartedness only barely hiding promises and lures and glimpses.

Irmin is looking rather dapper, but not to the point where he would be out of place at the festival. A gentlemanly look, and this is also reflected in his dances where he tends to lead. The chef is a tall, muscular man, yet he is surprisingly light on his feet, guiding with confidence and sureness. Katarina observes a borderline romantic style when she dances with him, feeling like he is treating her like a true lady, the experience feeling rather flattering, and it is easy to just follow his cues and have a wonderful experience. The Apex also sees that when he dances with Carina and Amelyn that he opts for a more passionate style, again taking the lead, and it seems to be quite the experience. All Irmin is missing is a rose between is teeth during the much livelier pace, Carina especially enjoying the experience since few men can guide and hold her like this.

Remy, meanwhile, at first glance looks much less formal, and next to the other staff members almost underdressed with what appears to just be a shirt and pants, yet his outfit suits the more down-to-earth nature of the people organizing the festival and his connection to nature, and when she thinks about it, Katarina finds she did not take issue with his choices. His clothes are of subtly good make and design (potentially even made by fey), and he is, as always, eminently approachable and handsome, especially for the less high-society folks (and the Apex doubts that any but the most shallow nobles would take issue). Fittingly, dancing with Remy is similarly effortless, at home with leading as well as following, knowing both entertaining folksy dances as well as more exotic ones that are clearly of fey origin, which he can teach to his partner as they are going.

And finally, Sybilla, the crown jewel in this regard. She is, in a word, immaculate, the very picture of a true lady and princess, with perfect form and grace. Katarina has often seen courtly dances as stiff and formulaic, but dancing with Sybilla, she learns that this is only because she never witnessed them being done right. There is a true grace and dignity to their dance, yet also an intimacy and connection. Their dance feels magical, like Katarina is becoming part of a fairy tale, revealing another facet of Sybilla's beauty. Time seems to simply fly by, and when their dance comes to an end, the others in the room stand and applaud. Amelyn even shows Katarina and Sybilla how they looked like to them with a quick illusionary recording, truly owning the image of two loving queens, the full colors of their autumnal dresses and the way they move creating mesmerizing silhouettes around their impeccable motions.

Their dance also to have drawn Xethira, who is applauding with the others, looking spellbound. This is also the first time she is (knowingly) face-to-face with Katarina, and it takes her a long moment to break out of drinking in the image of Katarina and Sybilla, side by side in their dresses. When she realizes she has been staring and was lost in her mind, the succubus can't help but blush, bowing deeply. "Greetings to you, Lady Sintar, and her honorable court. I am Xethira, and at your service." She clearly does not wish to leave a bad impression in front of the woman who is both so extremely powerful and who graciously let her stay in this wondrous place. Righting herself up again, she brushes back a strand of her hair, perhaps a little sheepishly.

"I... I have never seen anyone dance like this. I have danced with others, sure, but my kind and I usually instead dance... for others. And usually out of less beautiful reasons," Xethira tries to explain her staring. Katarina can tell that the succubus is intrigued, who most likely always pursued different objectives while dancing, the act a tool and weapon. From Meave's reports, Katarina knows that succubi tend to be a bit more agile than most humans, also being unusually light for their bodies voluptuous 6ft bodies, even more so when one considers the wings of her true form (shimmering through her mortal disguise for Katarina and her true sight, most likely chosen to not alert anyone she comes across).

[MikelaC1]

Thats quite a trick, you will have to show me how you did that Its not often that an apprentice can show Katarina something unexpected, and her response is one of the highest forms of praise she can give, admitting that her apprentice used magic in a way she had not thought of.
Katarina lets the succubus talk, and if she shows an interest in joining the dancing, she will let her. Otherwise, she will thank everyone for a wonderful evening and then reminding them that they have an early morning to be ready for tomorrow. She extends a hand to Sybilla then, to lead her from the dance hall to her room to retire for the night.

[Ridai]

Amelyn basks in the praise, allowing herself a little bit of pride. "I may let in on one of my secrets or two," she says jovially in a faux-mysterious voice, with a matching hand gesture.

The succubus does join in, but seems to have difficulties deciding who to ask first. Sybilla thus claims the first dance. The succubus clearly is talented, but she is not used to this... circumstance, Sybilla gently teaching and breaking down inhibitions, in the end leaving the succubus smiling and blushing in a way she is not used to yet. The demoness then humbly asks Katarina for a dance and the Apex can tell her partner is a little cautious at first, knowing full well that she is this close to one of the most powerful mortals in existence. However, the guardedness soon gives way to joy as they dance, and desire as well, Katarina able to feel Xethira's lust. The Apex knows the many inferior kinds of love, and fiends tend to have such a warped perception of it. Of course, there are still some aspects of that to the succubus, but it appears her time at the estate and the care of Sybilla and Meave already is revealing a much purer kind of love. In a strange way, Katarina feels a kinship to the succubus, and as they dance, she glimpses the wonders of the demoness' body and mind. There is mutual attraction and when their dance ends, Katarina can tell the succubus wishes she too could join the Apex in her chambers.

That Xethira controls herself and does not push the issue, recognizing that the night belongs to the Apex and her princess, speaks highly of the succubus' potential. Instead, the succubus soon is dancing with Amelyn, and no doubt will get to know the entire staff this way. Sybilla watches the scene with a warm smile before looking to Katarina, gently laying her hand atop the one Katarina offers in a most ladylike fashion, retiring together. As they stride through the candle-and-moon-lit corridors, Katarina feels like she is almost seeing a vision of Sybilla, a "what if" had she become a young queen. So unspeakably beautiful, poised, beloved by all. But she gave it all up for Katarina. Though perhaps not quite. She can still become a true princess or even a queen when she wants to, but only truly for the Apex, only ever truly revealing herself to her.

Sorry for the slow post rate. I have been feeling awfully scatterbrained lately and the weather is really starting to heat up over here with all the humid awfulness that tends to come with it.

[Ridai]

Katarina and Sybilla spend the morning together, taking a morning bath. The princess cherishes this moment they are alone, the woman she loves above all making time just for her. It is so very easy for Katarina to make her maid of honor happy, though Sybilla clearly wishes they didn't have to leave the bedroom, wanting more time with the Apex. But there are duties to fulfill.

Once cleaned up and dressed in their festival dresses, both women head to meet the stylists. They are Markovia triplets, each impeccably styled, each with a different vibrant hair color and haircut, together being among the most sought-after stylists in Highlands End. Commonly, they are known to be a little idiosyncratic, though they still leaped at the chance of styling Katarina and her staff. They evidently have already finished styling Amelyn, really accentuating the youthful style she has going for her, playing with innocence as well as her raw appeal. Carina seems to be almost done, completing her so very inviting, almost matronly look, her hair framing her face and also guiding the eye towards her curves. Meave is still in the works, and she is flirting mercilessly with the triplets, most of it in an obviously cheeky way, but some of it does promise a whole lot of things. The triplets are normally unaffected by clients, but the charm of every woman in the room is hard to resist for any but the most powerful.

As Katarina and Sybilla enter, the triplets have to stop what they are doing for a moment, only able to admire for a moment, faced with two of the most beautiful women in the whole world. It takes a moment to regain their composure, finishing their work on Carina and Meave (the latter specifically requested two braids amidst a mane of hair). Thus, all three can concentrate on the royal couple. They ask Katarina and Sybilla for any wishes and the theme they are going for, then get to work. They display utmost care, making a few inspired choices as they style both women in a similar manner to represent their unity and obvious connection, yet they give each a few elements that are only completed by the other. The look is regal and elegant, yet passionate and untamed by conventional rules. Looking into the mirror, they truly could be spirits of nature itself, two autumnal otherworldly queens accompanied by their host to bless the harvest of Highlands End.

As for Highlands End, it is a free trade city, with goods from other states passing through or being exchanged there. Most cities/states containing an Apex are usually ruled in some way by said Apex, though they sometimes choose to wield power in a more contained or indirect way, or simply advise the ruler of their chosen home. Thus when Katarina settled on the outskirts of Highlands End and turned out to be a positive force, people have started to refer to her as the Apex associated with the city, in a way that can be understood as the city now being Katarina's territory (which means that other Apexes generally do not mess with it unless they are looking for a fight). There is a city council leading the city, and the people hold Katarina in high regard. It seems Katarina has so far kept out of leadership and politics, but if she one day announced that she now becomes the city's highest authority, no one would object, due to her sheer might, her sheer charisma and beauty, and her popularity. That and it is pretty much expected that Apexes assume power, with Katarina one of the few exceptions to the rule so far.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina can well see why the Markovia triplets are so popular, their work is beyond description and her praise is both lavish and sincere. The look of two nature spirits come to bless a harvest is exactly what she was going for, even if she didnt fully realize it herself when she first accepted the invitation, but Rhoderic and the triplets made it come to life. Of course, there is the mundane business of paying, Katarina pays out double whatever the normal rate is, and then does a bit of fussing with all of her staff, not changing anything because its all perfect, just to take in the details.
I know you are all probably pretty busy with a few clients left to attend to, but I do hope you will be able to make an appearance there, you should be commended publicly for the work you have done with us.

[Ridai]

The triplets are used to quite illustrous circles and leave quite the impression with people, but the Apex is on a whole different level, effectively reversing roles. Their services do not come cheap, especially when all of them work together, but given Katarina's wealth and income, paying double hardly makes a dent in the balance. The triplets, meanwhile, smile and blush as one.

"Of course!"
"It would be a great honor!"
"You are far too kind!"

They bow with perfect unity, suggesting a connection Katarina was able to observe in their work as well. The staff praises their work as well, only making them blush deeper, feeling some earned pride (and with some of the looks they are getting, especially from Meave, desire is most likely mixed in as well). They excuse themselves to go and attend to to their other clients, Amelyn kindly taking them to one of the teleportation circles to save them the time needed to get back to their shop, as a little thank you. The triplets thank the apprentice, with slight hesitation as if they didn't want to go just yet, something Katarina can often see in guests coming to the estate.

Katarina and her staff now have a few hours until the beginning of the festival. They have been invited by Kit to come by maybe a half hour early to get them situated and let them know how the festival is going to go down. Until then, they have some time to themselves at the estate, or they could also just go to Kit's farm early.

[MikelaC1]

There are all sorts of thoughts how to spend the time running through Katarina's head, fueled even moreso by the even better (if that was even possible) appearance of her staff. Unfortunately all of those ideas would end up undoing all the work of the triplets (not to mention endangering the dresses), so they will have to be put on hold. Instead, she gets a light tea together for everyone to snack on, and just kibitz before heading out to the farm and Kit.

[Ridai]

Katarina spends a few pleasant hours with her staff, Irmin and Remy joining as well, same for Eve, who is taking a short-ish break from her work, everyone talking about everyday things and the festival. It's a peaceful moment away from worries about demon queens or the maneuvering of Apexes or coming adventures. When it is time, Eve accompanies them to the large carriage drawn by phantom steeds to see them off.

"You guys and girls have fun, I'll hold down the fort in the meantime. Try to not get too many people killed from excessive drooling and get me a souvenir," Eve says with a grin. Remy, sitting on the driver's seat, as he prefers the fresh air, leans back and towards the secretary.

"I'll get them all back home in one piece," he assures, to which she replies with an easy salute. This is not the first time Eve and Remy have this sort of interaction, the secretary deeming the gardener the (most) responsible one among the group. Katarina thinks she catches Eve glancing towards Meave and Remy nodding slightly, as if saying "Especially Meave." "Yes, including Meave."

The scenery flies by as the carriage begins to move smoothly, faster than this sort of vehicle normally moves and perhaps should move. They can literally fly, and sometimes briefly do, but Remy keeps them grounded for most of it, making for a relaxed ride. They arrive at the farm, which provides quite the idyllic scenery between the farmland itself, as well as the rolling hills and adjacent orchards and forest. Kit, young as she is for a farm owner, has put in tons of work, and it shows. They are currently "backstage" of the festival, but Katarina can spot a stage, a number of long tables with many chairs and benches, decorations, stands, and workers. Speaking of which, the people who see them all at first just stare at the sight of the Apex and her staff, usually followed by a greeting and a bow. Kit doesn't take long to get over to them, probably having spotted the carriage and the entranced people.

"Hahaha, you're gonna give people heart attacks one a these days," the farm lass jovially comments with a huge Kit grin. It is one of the few times they can see her actually wear a dress, very much matching her rural lifestyle, yet with the hemline and décolleté she is showing, it could hardly be called traditional. Kit is in her early twenties, with braided auburn hair, her usual hat, and a shapely athletic body that is no foreigner to hard work (and being rather proud of it). Naturally, the women of the estate (and Remy, who registers as feminine to some) exceed her in sheer appearance, but if one removes the frankly unfair comparison with the Apex' estate, Kit has every reason to be as confident in her looks and body as she is.

"Thanks for coming, everyone, this means a lot to me. And godsdamned you're all looking good, bloody hells! Ain't no one gonna hear my fancy speech when they're all busy oogling!" Kit laughs and hugs every member of the estate, each a little differently (and Irmin, old-fashioned as he sometimes like to be, kisses her hand). Katarina spots Kit lingering a little on Amelyn, and the feeling seems to be mutual, judging by the looks they exchange, and their body language. This is not the first time the Apex has seen this, having become quite hard to miss since Amelyn came of age.

"So! Now I got all y'all autumn royalty here, you want a quick tour of the place before it gets crowded?" Kit claps and rubs her hands together, awaiting the answer with the biggest grin of someone who is out to not just put on a festival, but to nail it.

[MikelaC1]

I am sure you will do a great job with your speech...just look inside your heart and soul and let the words come from there and as she accepts the hug from Kit, she surreptitiously casts a Moment of Prescience to be triggered when she does look inside herself.
Yes, I know MoP is supposed to be a personal spell, but this is a solo, a bit sandboxy so I am taking some liberty
And yes, we would love a tour of the place, from what I can see from here, you've done a fantastic job, although Im sure that our resident expert Remy will be able to provide the most knowledgeable critique.

[Ridai]

"Aww," Kit quips as Katarina secretly applies her buff, though she most definitely appreciates the sentiment (and whom it is coming from).

The farm lass glances to Remy as critique is brought up. "Good thing I was a smart little girl." Remy chuckles. "I don't think you have much to fear from me."

Kit leads the group around the grounds. They readied a lot of space for this festival, and a lot to do. They first tour the outer parts, having some places for people to generally meet and celebrate a little bit away from the thick of things, with plenty of food and drink ready. There are decorations distributed throughout, the theming being very clear without going overboard. They briefly stop by the orchards, which are always worth a visit, as they are kept not in a strictly utilarian way like many plantations. Here, there are only few decorations, bound to tree branches here and there, flowing in the light breeze. The orchards have a quite comfortable atmosphere to them, making for a quieter (or private, in a way) place if someone needs one during the festival. Remy comments on the little additions approvingly, Kit and the gardener talking shop, and Katarina gets the feeling there is more to these decorations than just looks, but she can't quite put her finger on it. She does know Kit is fond of old legends, from what she heard from Amelyn. Perhaps Remy knows more about this.

As they move further in, they see a denser distribution of attractions. There is space to celebrate, drink, and eat, but there are also plenty of stands and spaces where various people and businesses from Highlands End showcase their craft using what has been harvested, provide their culinary specialties to visitors, or are preparing shows, demonstrations, or games. Everyone they come by can't help but look at the ground with wonder (and perhaps desire), a lot of them bowing to the Apex and her estate. Kit comments "Ain't sure how you prefer it, but maybe let 'em stare a bit now. Gets it outta their system now, so they don't get all outta sorts during the festival when one of you lovelies comes by."

Finally, they move towards the heart of the festival, with a large stage, an open space before it, and large pavillons ready for feasts.

"And here we are. We're gonna kick things off with a greeting to the crowd, you know, talk a bit about the past year, the harvest, crack some jokes. We'll have performances here throughout the evening and night, and the space here is pretty much our dance floor. But before all that, there are the thanks for the harvest, to show we don't take things for granted. Hasn't been very popular around these parts until we brought it back. A few people take issues with it, since we dedicate it to nature and not to, say, Chauntea or Mielikki, but I'm pretty sure the Great Ladies understand. Speaking of the harvest thanks..." Kit calls over to someone tending to the last few decorations with utmost care, who comes to her side. It's a young woman, most likely having just come of age like Amelyn, with long flowing golden hair and a similar white dress. Kit puts her arm around her as she smiles to the group and curtseys deeply. It would be impossible to look and feel any sweeter with that shy smile and the light blush.

"Sophia will be this year's harvest maiden, offering the customary thanks to nature, as well as giving a bowl of milk to another as a sign of caring for one another. The one receiving the milk is someone we want to honor especially, and that someone is gonna be you, Katarina. You're in luck, 'cause our harvest maiden's gonna have a kiss for you as well, which is a lot of good fortune," Kit happily explains, Sophia blushing deeper as the kiss is mentioned, not out of discomfort, but perhaps anticipation. Clearly, this is something the girl wants to do. Katarina has met her a few times before. Sophia is Kit's little sister and the only family she has. Amelyn told Katarina that Kit had to raise and care for Sophia mostly by herself, and she can feel their tight bond. From having met, Katarina knows that Sophia is one of the sweetest people she has ever met, and that is saying something with Carina in her estate, and it would be fair to say that she has a similar soothing effect on many people. Kit is known to be quite extroverted and adventurous, whereas Sophia perhaps is a living example of the legendary archetype of the fair maiden, leading to some people being surprised that they are sisters.

"She's also been helping a lot with the decorations and organization, and I think she's done a great job." Kit uses the opportunity for some unadulterated sisterly pride, but also making Sophia squirm a bit, especially when Remy echoes her judgment. "You struck a very good balance, and captured the spirit of the harvest, so the praise is more than deserved." The staff agrees, making Sophia bow slightly. "Thank you for your kind words. I hope you will enjoy the festival, and thank you all for everything you do," she says with a smile that could melt anyone's heart (Katarina can feel a rising desire in everyone present to want to hug her, Carina especially).

[MikelaC1]

I want to thank you for this honor and would be pleased to receive it. Anyone can use any extra good fortune something like this can give She adds a little wink to Sophia and then looks around at the large stage. Clearly, something is on her mind, Katarina is a natural performer and a singing talent that any bard would envy, but she worries that if she were to give a performance, she would upstage everyone, although maybe as the closing act...but she would understand if Kit didnt want that.

[Ridai]

Sophia gives the sweetest, happiest smile in response, and excuses herself to go help with the final preparations.

Sybilla deduces Katarina's interest, and floats the idea to Kit, who grins and says that she'll go check. Katarina will know when she's up.

The Apex and her staff are guided to VIP seats, with a very good view of the stage (and well visible to the audience). Soon, city and country people start filtering into the festival grounds, being guided towards the main area... and the news of the Apex being there spreads like wildfire. Soon, the boundaries of the VIP area are crowded, with lots and lots of people just in awe of the Apex and her staff, to the point where workers of the festival need to tell people to spread out. It is a storm of attention, as the estate's members look like a real life fairy tale, with a pair of autumn queens at its core. Katarina can feel the many emotions in the masses, and already sees the formation of rumors that Sybilla may have been chosen as Katarina's main lover or wife. Sybilla would have to lie if she claimed she didn't enjoy that thought and perception, but the rumor mill is already running hot. Beyond that, Katarina can also see that there are... a lot of people. And that the Apex' presence is somewhat overpowering. Even the local nobility and other important persons in the VIP area are mostly ignored.

Kit takes the stage, and it borders on a miracle that she manages to get the attention of everyone present, her voice carrying far. Apparently it was a very good decision to imbue Kit with that spell. "Evenin', folks!" she calls out to the crowd, which somehow manages to direct their eyes to the amicable farm lass and her usual casual manner. Once things have quieted down a bit, she spreads her arms. "Welcome to Highlands End's harvest festival! Seeing so many of you having come to the first one I got to put together makes me real happy, and by the gods there are many of you, wow." She mimes being a little overwhelmed, drawing friendly laughs, breaking the ice. "Did someone promise maiden kisses to all y'all? 'Cause the one's kinda already reserved, sorry!" Someone shouts that regular ones from her would also do, to which Kit replies with putting her fists against her sides and giving the man a mock-reprimanding look for a moment, before deadpanning "Come see me after the show, honey," drawing more laughs.

To call what Kit does a speech would be too formal as she moves into the opening ceremony proper, that is just not her style, and it wouldn't fit the spirit of this year's festival anyway. Kit reaches out to the people like they are all on the same level, no matter what walk of life they are from, which in some ways is a risky move when it comes to the high society, but her charm seems to win over even them. She wants people to take it easy and just have fun, meet people, and celebrate together. Kit is sincere about wanting to celebrate and give thanks for the more than bountiful harvest, briefly mentioning that things haven't been easy for her and her sister in the past, but with a lot of hard work, the help of others, and a bit of good fortune, things are now better than ever. She thanks the people of Highlands End, followed by thanking Katarina and her staff specifically, their support meaning a lot to her and having been a big factor in having gotten where she is now. Kit also says that Katarina's presence has given the cityfolk a sense of security, knowing they are safe from the whims of outside forces (though she does not specifically mention Apexes, clearly not wanting to risk it), and her resources and wonders have injected even more life into the city.

Thus, Katarina is invited to come onto the stage to receive the harvest thanks, Sophia coming on stage with the ceremonial bowl of milk. There are loud cheers as the Apex comes to the stage, bordering on worship, needing a minute or two to die down again. She personally thanks Katarina for her help and presence, offering the thanks as a token of her gratitude, and perhaps also that of the city. After the Apex has finished drinking the milk, Sophia smiles, and gathering all her courage, softly kisses Katarina, once again leading to loud cheers. Due to her connection to Love, Katarina can feel that this was indeed Sophia's first kiss, that of an untouched maiden, and she knows there is power in that, power most do not know about, amplified by something else, something far greater. Sophia saved herself for Katarina, for this moment, to bless her with good fortune, the Apex feeling and tasting her gratitude. Katarina can see that Kit is raising her arms as she faces the crowd, as if to embrace the sun, and the entire crowd follows her example, swept up in the moment, offering thanks, praising the lifegiving sun and nature.

"Alright!" Kit shouts with excitement after the moment, answered by the cheers of the crowd. Clearly, this sort of unity has not happened in this magnitude in the past. "We got a lot of good things in store for you to explore, but don't go away just yet! We got some real talented artists just waiting to wow you any moment now, and perhaps a little surprise after the last act you wouldn't want to miss. So, without further ado, here we go, enjoy folks!" With that, Kit, Sophia, and Katarina leave the stage, making way for the first act. There are very talented bards and artists, one after another, from similarly diverse walks of life, all coming together, and sometimes even teaming up. The shows are varied and impressive, and not merely limited to song and dance, with some acrobatics and magic (of the sleight of hand variety and the actual one) also involved. Kit has to fan some air to herself once she is off stage, asking how it went, because she kind of just went for it.

When the final act is through, it is finally time for the surprise, and suspense is building among the crowd (and the artists as well, who are also looking forward to this). This is Katarina's moment to take the stage and perform as she pleases, and perhaps speak to the crowd as well.

You can pretty much freeform here with when and how you want Katarina to do stuff.

I've been pretty tired these past few days, and the weather heating up isn't helping. I tried starting this post a few times, but just couldn't focus enough to collect my thoughts.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina comes up on stage, allowing for a bit of applause, before clearing her throat. I want to thank you all for showing up, farmers and the harvest are really the first step in all life, and without them, there would no civilization, no magic, nothing that makes life worthwhile. We all owe a big thanks to Kit, Kit come on up here and take your bows.
pause for that
I also want to thank you for the warm welcome you have given me to your city. I had no idea of what to expect when I first visited Highland, but it took me only one visit to know that this was where I wanted to establish my estate, you have all made me feel so very welcome and in turn, I promise to keep you safe and let you keep your freedom, unlike other Apexes, I never will come in and lay down the law or start making rules and regulations. We can do more together than with me making all the decisions. If I have an idea, its not a command and if someone has a better idea, I will be more than willing to listen.
But enough of politics, Kit promised you a big surprise and this is it.

And with that, Katarina launches into her performance, two of her best songs and some dancing to the songs she is singing, encouraging the crowd to get up and dance as well...and then even inviting some of the previous performers to come up and join her with their instruments or singing
[roll0]

And with that, go and enjoy the rest of the festival

[Ridai]

Kit gets a big applause due to Katarina's encouragement, Kit waving to the masses.

During the Apex' performance, the crowd is hers to guide and shape. Prior to becoming an Apex, Katarina has given remarkable performances, but now, what she shows is overwhelming. Few of the people present have ever seen anything remotely like this, including the artists. No one can resist. Katarina operates in an entirely separate league, and even as the artists join the Apex, spellbound, they know that no matter how good they might become, there is no reaching an Apex. Thus everyone is united in awe, with Katarina's staff the only ones who keep their wits about them and join the festivities in their own way. As Katarina sings and dances, the entire crowd is directed by her song, as one, as they cheer and dance (Katarina noting Amelyn dancing with Kit, and Sybilla dancing with Sophia).

When the performance ends, everyone is left spellbound. For Katarina, it was a short set. For them, it was a moment one had to be there to believe, and nothing will be able to reach, unless Katarina decides to top herself.

The masses, buoyed by this magical feeling, begin to disperse, filling the festival grounds with life and activity. Sybilla is soon back at Katarina's side, and whoever sees them together is mesmerized, now perhaps more than before the performance. The rest of her staff has already started to mingle with the crowds, engaging in various activities, all of which are open to the Apex as well. She feels a strange magic in the air and in the ground and in the crowds, ever since she received Sophia's kiss, giving a pleasantly mysterious feeling to the event beneath the afternoon sun (and which will surely continue beneath the moon as well).

[MikelaC1]

Katarina mills through the crowd, keeping Sybilla by her side at all times, and making sure that everyone who meets her, meets her as well. Showing respect to her, but not to Sybilla is a sure way to have your meeting with her cut short. While she does try to meet with as many as she can, she spends the most time with the merchants and traders, sussing out their concerns and strengths, the germ of an idea beginning to form and needing to know how and what the merchants are doing to finalize it. She also talks privately with Sybilla at times...can you feel the magic, ever since I had the maiden's kiss? She knows that Sybilla is not a caster, but has a connection with things in ways that the others do not...and of course tries to analyze it as well with her own talents. If she passes close to Amelyn, she mentions it to her as well.

[Ridai]

No matter where they go, Katarina and Sybilla always stand out and are at the center of attention. Both receive a lot of praise for their whole outfit, and plenty of questions about who made the dresses and did their hair and make-up. The merchants are eager to talk to and please the Apex. Sybilla does eventually draw Katarina away from talking with more merchants, at least for a short moment, for a dance together as a dance floor is opened before the main stage.

Katarina can feel that the magic energies are of a natural kind, residing both in people and the ground beneath them, slowly accumulating. If Katarina had to guess, she would associate this sort of magic with the fey, and not with the usual illusory trickery kind. Thus, this is a very old kind of magic, far removed from the modern schools and the inherent ways in which magic can manifest.

Sybilla gives Katarina a look that could have been a bit of jealousy due to how the Apex phrased her question, but quickly realizes what her mistress means. "There is a special atmosphere to the festival, like we stepped into an ongoing tale. I am quite looking forward to nightfall, actually, and how it might add a bit of mystery to this feeling."

They meet Amelyn, the girl having finished a small set of making music with others a bit out of the way (Amelyn having a certain affection for percussion, as well as singing), and when asked, she looks around for a moment. "Well, Kit is into old rites, so could have something to do with that. You saw the decorations, right? I can ask her when I hang out with her later if you want. Or maybe you are actually what is causing this, you know? You're like a crazy nexus of magical energies, after all." Amelyn doesn't seem concerned about this effect, either because she doesn't think it is dangerous, or because she simply has more fun things to do (the apprentice also having no shortage of attention coming her way, being Katarina's only student and all).

Is there any information you are specifically looking for in terms of the merchants, as well as the magic?

[MikelaC1]

Katarina enjoys the dance and makes sure its more than just one, giving her a deep kiss at the end of it. I trust your judgement, and I can feel it as being fey associated. Its not their usual trickery either, so Im not afraid of it, yet. Lets see what happens at nightfall.

[Ridai]

Katarina and Sybilla enjoy themselves during the festival, their dances drawing a large crowd and encouraging others to dance as well. A lot of people are taken by the sheer beauty of both women and their displays of harmony and affection. Many dream of being able to find such love in their lives at some point, or to be in place of either woman. For the people, the harvest festival itself is already enjoyable, but it becomes magical through the presence of the Apex and her staff (and even when Katarina is busy, Sybilla tends to interact with the people, who walk away starstruck). And once the twilight arrives, Katarina does feel an uptick in the sense of wonder as well.

The festival is lit with magical dancing lights of various shapes and hues, music audible on the grounds. The atmosphere changes, taking on a bit more of a mysterious yet comfortable feel. With her enhanced sight, Katarina begins to see what most would miss. Disguised fey beginning to mingle, something that is perhaps surprising to the Apex, since dryads and nymphs and pixies usually stay away from crowds and "civilization". To the people, they are one of them, if beautiful and charming, dancing and chatting and luring and playing. Katarina sees shy dryads give treats to kids and talk with people in more quiet places, nymphs being adored and dancing and singing, pixies putting on little shows and playing with children and playing little good-natured pranks. The fey they do come across smile to Katarina and Sybilla, one or two even stealing a little kiss, and in the crowds, the Apex spots a hauntingly beautiful nymph, who to her true sight seems to have an inner glow, her beauty so immaculate it almost brings tears to her eyes. She smiles to the Apex and her partner at one point, indicating interest in meeting them, but they all have a whole night before them. Katarina's staff is drawing the attention of the fey as well, the staff members most likely see through the disguises in one way or another, and welcoming the otherworldly attention and curiosity. Remy is easily the one the fey are most comfortable around (and perhaps drawn to), and Katarina even sees the twin dryads being with him, who are normally notably shying away from attention, and the gardener can also be spotted amicably talking with the startlingly beautiful nymph. And both Kit and Sophia seem to draw fey attention, knowingly or not.

As the young night continues, Katarina's attunement to Love also tells her that intimacy is starting to emerge slowly among the crowds, seeing kissing couples (and strangers hooking up), a few dances becoming closer (Meave at the very forefront of that), and a few people seemingly retiring for the night, or heading to the orchards or fields.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina quietly points out the fey to Sybilla if she is not able to see them, once she knows what to look for, her association with Remy's dryads will help her spot them on her own. Their magic is probably part of what we were feeling before. They seem to be behaving themselves, which is good Fey can be very disruptive around humans when they choose to be. She allows more of the night to pass before finally saying I think someone wants to meet with us guiding Sybilla towards the nymph.

[Ridai]

Sybilla seems to have picked up on the fey presence, and the princess basks in the atmosphere of wonder it brings. "The fair folk has been very kind to me whenever I met them. Have they given you trouble in the past?" Sybilla asks. Given Sybilla herself is almost like she sprung from a fairy tale, perhaps the fey do react differently to her as well. The forest beings do seem to perceive reality differently than most mortals in some ways.

Making their way to a small pavillon, overgrown with vines, the radiant nymph awaits the couple, sitting on a padded garden bench, and gesturing the two women to one opposite of her. This close, the aura of this woman seems almost iridescent in the light of the full moon and the dancing orbs illuminating the festival.

"You can feel it too, can't you? Gifted, these sisters are, and with both of you and your companions here, well, this is a most auspicious night indeed." The nymph smiles.

[MikelaC1]

Before they arrive in the pavilion:
You have only met fey in our estate, in the wild, its different. The fey like to play pranks but some of them are quite malicious and dangerous and cause parties a lot of problems and even death. And they end up painting all fey with the same brush. On the other hand, there are evil people who hunt and abuse fey, and then the fey paint all humans with the same brush. There's more than enough blame on both sides, and its been going on since the beginning of time.
When they arrive:
There is indeed magic in the air, I felt it from the moment I received the maiden's kiss, and your people have only increased it. But you have me at a disadvantage, you know our names, but we dont know yours.
All the time, Katarina keeps Sybilla close to her, perhaps even their thighs touching. Its not that Katarina doesnt trust the fey, her dealings with Remy's have been fine....but when dealing with the fey, its best to keep your eyes open.

[Ridai]

Sybilla looks concerned by what Katarina tells her. "I have heard of the Unseelie Court, but all my encounters with the fair folk before you stepped into my life have been pleasant overall. Perhaps I was simply lucky?"

------------------

"Galaphae," the nymph says, and Katarina doesn't just hear the name, but also feels, smells, tastes it, not merely being a name, but encapsulating what this nymph embodies. The Apex, untrusting of the fickle fey nature, suspects a form of charm at first, but this may simply be the strange nature of the fey at work. Nymphs hold a significant measure of power compared to most people in the world, but this one is more powerful still. Not through careful cultivation. She just is. Sybilla seems quite fascinated with Galaphae, just as the nymph seems to have taken a liking to the two women opposite of her, but Sybilla's heart still firmly belongs to Katarina, who by now realizes the princess is holding her hand.

"There has not been a gathering like this in a long time. Your people celebrate the spring, the solstices, the harvest, but they create nothing but memories, when they used to know the true ways of celebrating with the world. Until this autumn. We felt the rites and meanings, and so many people gathered by these new greensingers. They know the dedications and signs, feel our mother Gaia in their hearts. The arrival of you and your companions, as well as young Sophia offering her first kiss to you, a powerful devotee of Love All-Embracing. We heard the call, and we arrived to join with your people as we have long, long ago. They still have much to learn and remember, but you, too, are teaching them, and so will we. In a way, consider this an opportunity given to us by young Kit and Sophia, meeting on common ground. Our people do not need to stay apart. So enjoy yourselves, see what our worlds joining can bring... and perhaps, mortals and the fey can once more be together." Listening to Galaphae is pure joy to all senses. There is a sense that the nymph is ancient, yet time does not mean as much to her as it does to the shortlived humans. Sybilla certainly seems endeared by the idea of humanity and fey becoming closer, perhaps influenced by her past encounters with the fey, including the twin dryads.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina gathers her staff together, starting with Sybilla and making sure she ends with Amelyn, still probably with Kit.
Your Festival was wonderful, and your knowledge of the ancient rites actually surprises me, I didnt think anyone still had contact with them, much less able to practice and execute them. The after-effects of it will be felt for years, both in the harvests and quite possibly in relations with the fey. Youve done your heritage proud.
After saying her goodbyes to anyone else who might be around, Katarina casts a teleport to bring her entourage back to her estate, heading off to find Eve to see if the adventurer's leader has made contact yet.

[Ridai]

The Apex collects her staff, Sybilla also making sure to get Sophia home. Reaching the barn, they find Amelyn and Kit, the student still seeming a bit sleepy, but happy, resting against Kit. The whole staff can see what happened between them and Meave doesn't even try to hide the biggest teasing grin. Amelyn seems like she doesn't really want to go yet, but at the same time she will be going home, and she loves her home, so it may be one of the best problems to have.

"Ain't got much of a heritage, but Nature's always been there for us when people haven't. This way always worked best for me. Healthy and happy land, healthy and happy people, everybody wins. Thanks to all of you for participating and making this a winner. No idea if this'll last years, but the rite got a whole lotta punch, I could feel that. Gala's pretty happy, too. Welp, guess it's time for clean-up and dealing with the puritanical sorts. As always, all of you are always welcome here," Kit looks especially to Amelyn, who smiles and blushes back. "If you're feeling up for creating a tradition, swing by once the spring rites happen next year, and after yesterday, we'll go from people coming in droves to being flooded with visitors next harvest festival." Katarina can feel Kit would like to discuss something with the Apex, but it can wait for now and she doesn't want to discuss it in front of everyone either.

Back at the estate, despite everyone feeling healthier than ever, it is clear the staff could use a bit of rest, though they return to their roles to take care of whatever chores that need doing before taking a break. Pretty much as Eve predicted, and when visiting the half-elven secretary, she is, naturally, already up, looking as sharp as ever, and taking care of a bit of paperwork (diligant as ever). Through a gap to the door to her bedroom, Katarina spots the succubus resting on Eve's bed.

"Good morning. Mister Quinn's arrival has been scheduled for tomorrow noon, and he was suitably excited and humbled by your acceptance of his request. Judging by his reaction to me, he will most likely have trouble with your beauty, but it didn't lessen his drive towards his quest. How was the festival? You have a healthy glow to you."

[MikelaC1]

I learned a few things about myself, about the fey and above all, Kit and Sophia. They are a lot more than even they suspect of themselves. And whatever rite they managed to execute, was felt all over Highland and will be felt for some time to come. I see that our succubus visitor is adapting to life here, does she have a name? Although now that I think of it, maybe we should give her a new name, to signify her new life. Shall we go discuss it with her? with a decidedly naughty wink at Eve.

Even as she speaks to Eve, her mind is composing a message to Kit.
I know that you are probably interested in pursuing an even more intimate and close relationship with Amelyn and I am sure she is interested in you as well. I have to say this to you, Amelyn is my student and not my slave and is free to pursue any relationship she wishes. However, while I have no problem with you continuing on as you are now, I would ask that you not take her away, for at least 6 more months. She is at a very important moment in her learning, about to master the most powerful spells available to mortals, and I need to be there for her. She is a prodigy and will unquestioningly master them, but it needs to go at the pace that is in her best interests, not her own opinion. She still needs a bit of guidance and thats why I ask for 6 more months...and then if she wishes to commit completely to you, I will give you both my blessings

[Ridai]

Seeing Katarina's intentions coming, Eve gets her paperwork in order as the Apex speaks. Each time Katarina looks at Eve's desk (and the correspondence area of her office), she gets another insight into everything that goes into running her estate and business smoothly. This woman could build a business empire all by herself if she wanted to.

Eve rises with her usual poise, cutting a stunning silhouette in the morning light, and offers a little head tilt and smile that tells Katarina that the Apex is on the way to a social faux-pas. Katarina knows the look, Eve having to remind the Apex every now and then how less fantastically powerful and gifted people feel about things. "Oh, I am with you, but as your secretary, I do have to tell you that wanting to rename someone, after barely having met her in person and having forgotten her name no less, is not a good look. Like most of her kind, Xethira worships her own freedom, and a name means a lot more to an outsider than a human. Also, succubi have very good hearing."


Sending the mental message to Kit, Katarina hears "Gaia's tits!" from a startled farm lass at the sudden voice in her head, along with increasingly confused "Wha-" "I-" "Wait a minute-" and other noises. After the message is through, there is a nervous chuckle, followed by "Hey now- Hello? Do, do I just talk to answer? I'm just... gonna talk, ok? Hold on." Katarina gets the sense Kit is moving somewhere else before continuing.

"First of all... gods I hope this is comin' through- anyway, first of all, no takin' away or slave business or secret marriage contracts or crap like that! Ammy's not a sack of potatoes on the market!" Katarina can almost hear the What kinda woman do you think I am? afterwards, but Kit doesn't say it, perhaps partly due to reminding herself that she is talking with an Apex. She is also clearly not comfortable with this sort of communication, having no one to really talk to. She takes a deep breath. "Listen, I just... this is all new to me, you know? Ammy's always been wonderful, but last night... things just sparked. Never felt like this and I'm havin' trouble keepin' things straight right now, 'cause I'm thinking about her all the time. It's just... gods, she's barely a woman, same age as Sophia, and I got seven years on her. I've been in her shoes and it didn't go well, so I'm feeling like... am I seducing this wonderful girl into something that won't be good for her?" Amelyn has mentioned Kit and Sophia having had a rough past, and the fear of subjecting Amelyn to what she had to go through in some shape or form, willingly or not, is troubling Kit, to say the least.

[MikelaC1]

This has gotten off on the wrong foot and thats partially on me. Im not saying that you would kidnap her or make some sort of secret marriage, Im just asking to keep it casual until her training is complete. As for whether or not you are suited for each other, let me just say that if I didnt think you were right for each other, we wouldnt even be having this conversation. And if you think you are seducing Amelyn into something not good for her. Amelyn knows her mind better than anyone I know. I remember when I met her, I was just visiting the Mystra academy to give a lecture, wasnt even supposed to meet anyone, let alone a slip of a girl barely able to cast second order spells...who walked right up to me, bold as brass, and introduced herself as my new apprentice, I thought the magister was going to implode on the spot. No one puts Amelyn in a spot she doesnt want to be in, thats for sure.

She then turns to Eve what would I do without you? Of course you are right and you've prevented me from making a fool of myself.

[Ridai]

"Yup, that sounds like Ammy alright. Taking charge is her middle name." Kit chuckles. She evidently still has to do some more figuring out and soul-searching on this matter, but she does feel a bit better about this. "Ain't gonna get in the way of her training or anything. I'm no mage, but it's easy to tell Ammy lives and breathes magic. It'd be like making her starve." A short pause. "Honestly, got a bit to work on myself as well. Feeling a bit weird since the rite, in a good way, somehow. Should probably get a better grip on all this ancient magic business, what with Ammy working super-hard on her craft and all. So, uh..." At this point, Kit seems pretty uncertain at how to actually end this kind of magical conversation. "thanks for taking the time. Talk to you later?"


Back at the estate, Eve simply responds with an easy smile. "You got that unfocused look. Do you need some time to wrap up your messaging?"

[MikelaC1]

My messaging is all done. Shall we?

[MikelaC1]

Knowing that her appointment is on deck for tomorrow and wanting to make sure she presents her usual irresistable image, Katarina and Eve spend the rest of the night with Xethira, each trying to match the other in endurance to keep up with the succubus. When morning finally comes, Katarina, as always, channels a large portion of that pent up tantric energy into both her charisma and wisdom, maxing herself out in preparation for the interview. Eve will be out to make the first greetings and arrangements, no doubt aided by Maeve who likes to greet all visitors, especially if they bring any associates (being told to come alone doesnt always work, but the staff are more than willing to distract any additional visitors, leaving Katarina one on one with the "boss"), and while she waits, she goes through her usual round of full buffing, to create the maximum effect.
She is an Apex, after all, thats why Quinn is interested in hiring her, and she needs to present the image and power he is expecting.

[Ridai]

For most people, entering the estate grounds is a big step, like trespassing on utmost holy grounds. The Apexes do not carry their title for nothing, having no equal among the mortal races apart. Fools might say that they have equals in one another, but that would imply they are mortals. And as Katarina knows, she is long beyond such trivial barriers as age.

The Sintar Estate is small, perhaps even tiny compared to the realms of other Apexes, but Quinn knows that even if he stepped into vast lands holding equally vast armies, they would all still be trivial compared to the Apex themselves, who may as well be a demigod. For one of the mundane to enter the grounds of an Apex is to realize that no matter how good they will get, even if they mastered and invented every possible technique, it would all be meaningless compared to the might of an Apex, some of whom could easily replicate everything they do with an afterthought. For those dabbling in magic like the adventuring bards, they must admit that what magic they wield is akin to an idiot child thinking themselves gifted for realizing they can crack open a nut with a rock, and will never come even close to the lofty echelons. But perhaps most tragic are true mages that step into an Apex' realm, some coming to accept they will never reach this level of mastery beyond the shadow of a doubt, some despairing at realizing the magnitude of their might, and some being blinded by lust for power and false sureness that they too are meant to be an Apex. As Quinn has truly come alone, as requested by Eve, perhaps he wanted to spare his party from this experience for as long as possible.

Eren Quinn is greeted by Sybilla di Varencia, a woman of mythical beauty who gave up her rightful throne in a heartbeat to serve Katarina Sintar as her maid of honor, her every motion and word perfection.

He sees statues of marvelous craftsmanship, immaculately gorgeous while embodying strength, only to find them moving with quicksilver smoothness, giving them a strange allure.

Eve Sylna may be most familiar of the sights, but meeting her in the flesh is a wholly different matter entirely. Some may scoff at being awed by a secretary, but those have never met this sharp-eyed woman who frequently acts as Apex Sintar's right-hand woman and for good reason.

When asked if he would like a refreshment, Quinn realizes the presence of a shorter, fire-haired woman, as if she had always been there in plain sight, only he had been too blind to see her. Even as he politely declines, she still looks up at him with a mysterious smile, her offer that perhaps she can help him with something else now stuck in his mind, even as she simply left his vision again after blinking once.

And finally, the Apex Katarina Sintar, one of the most powerful beings and most beautiful women in this world, in her full glory. Sybilla leaves them after announcing the guest's arrival, naturally asking to for her or Meave to be called if they need anything, but even the departure of a woman like the Princess of Hearts does not help much. Eve stands towards Katarina's side, as always in such matters. Quinn has been exposed to women millions would kill for, but even that experience could not prepare him for Katarina. The Apex has witnessed a great many different reactions when she displayed her full presence and inhabited her full station. Fainting is quite common. Severely embarassing themselves is as well. Hardly anyone (save for other Apexes) manages to just adress her smoothly right away. Men, women, or anything in between, it does not matter.

Quinn is clearly awe-struck, and he, too, cannot simply carry on as if nothing happened. So Eve buys the clients time, as a courtesy, by introducing them.

"Apex Sintar," Eve opting for the official title to remind the guest of an comfortably acceptable way for them to adress Katarina, and to not confuse the guests about questions of decorum. "I introduce to you Eren Quinn, leader of the Whitegate Fellowship, an esteemed adventuring group fighting to protect mankind from evils most kingdoms are ill-prepared for dealing with."

Quinn, meanwhile, copes with the situation by standing straight with eyes closed, and remaining silent for a few moments after Eve has finished, along with a deep breath or two. Finally, he opens his eyes again, and tries to keep his voice as controlled as possible, along with his composure.

"Apex Sintar, it is a tremendous honor to be invited to your estate, and I am deeply thankful that I may make my request to you in person." With this, Quinn bows, deeply, and remains in that position. "I beseech you to aid us in our quest to find the lair of Kranrakor Blackwing, and should the foul draconic lich still exist, to aid us in its absolute destruction, before the abomination rises once more to drain the lands of all life." Even after this, he does not dare to stand back up straight again, until being allowed to do so by the Apex.

[MikelaC1]

Arise Master Quinn, and be welcome in my estate. I have heard rumors of this lich, and Eve has given me the bare bones, no pun intended, of your quest. Can you fill any more details that you have, and tell me about your group, who makes it up and what professions do they follow? After that, if this seems like something I might be interested in, I will tell you the terms that I offer and then you can decide whether or not you can accept them.
After a moment, she seats herself and indicates for Eve and Quinn to do likewise.

[Ridai]

Quinn straightens back up and sits down, though obviously not sitting comfortably, as there is a lot riding on this for him. Eve seats herself with natural grace, crosses her legs, and has her magic slate at the ready to add a written record of the proceedings to her near flawless memory.

"Right. So, Kranrakor Blackwing, ancient dragon lich, and one of the worst ones I have ever heard of. The kind who can wipe out anything remotely alive in a large area, as he demonstrated about a century ago on the duchy of Wannechia. He disappeared not too long after, but we could not find any indication about Kranrakor having been destroyed. But we did find an old record in a remote monastery that was at some point mostly destroyed by the lich, as my party and I cleared the ruins of monsters. The journal described travels of a monk who found a lost valley amidst the mountain range known as the Titan's Spine, with a thick sense of dread and evil hanging over it, especially emanating from a cave entrance he found. That alone would not be enough, but the monk also described runes, even having drawn them in the journal, some of which fit those used by Kranrakor, and all of them using a draconic dialect. With some magical analysis, it appears the journal is not that much older than the destruction of the monastery, so the monk's trespassing has likely been detected at some point and brought the lich's wrath. After some additional research, including interviewing a few of the dead, we are quite sure we have found Kranrakor's lair, and we can't ignore that. At best, we might find that the lich has been long destroyed and his undead minions likewise. At worst, we find the creature itself still existing, with an army of the living dead. We do not know what will be waiting there. Careful attempts at divination have led to nothing, except for some subtle hints of magic leading such spells astray. The exact coordinates are not known to us, and blindly teleporting could get us killed immediately, whether by ending up in a mountain or by teleportation redirecting spells. We also do not want to give the lich any indication that his lair has been found, in order to give him as little time as possible to prepare."

Quinn takes a moment, perhaps organizing his thoughts about what he is going to say next, perhaps looking how Katarina reacts.
"So, the Whitegate Fellowship. We formed out of necessity because there were and are threats the vast majority of cities, let alone communities, are unable to deal with. We have been working together for six years now, and have our share of experiences with both evil dragons and liches, but also mind flayers, beholders, fiends, and powerhungry wizards and cultists. The Fellowship consists out of five members. Amrita, our shapeshifting ranger, who handles navigation, tracking, part of the scouting, and is our powerhouse in combat. She is only rarely in her human form during a quest, as she wants to remain as strong and perceptive as she can be while she has people to protect. Faldriga Evaris, our elven wizard, and perhaps our most experienced and powerful member, as she is able to cast spells of up to the sixth circle. She has also witnessed some of the atrocities committed by Kranrakor when he was active, and considers it her duty to stop him. Severin of the Seven Leagues, cleric of Selûne, who probably has seen more of the world than the rest of the Fellowship combined. He has kept us protected and healthy throughout our adventures, and is a lot more versatile than the usual priest dispensing healing and turning undead. And finally, we have Sunspark Nico, our halfling rogue. She is our primary scout, and actually our trump card against the undead and fiends, having been trained since she was a child to hunt them, hence her title. She may be a little rough around the edges at times, but she is positively fearless, her precision attacks work against the undead, and I have never seen anyone put as many knives in the air in such short a time as she does. And lastly, I serve in a warrior and guardian role, making sure foes don't break through our defensive lines, as well as pinning and beating them down. I also coordinate the group and handle outreach and such."

Katarina notes that the group's constellation, while classic, also lends itself to adapting to various situations and threats, at the very least if they roughly know what they are getting into. That most likely plays a large part in their continued success against the pretty serious threats they faced. If a wizard who can cast 6th level spells (with Amelyn already having mastered the 7th level, as both a sorceress and a favored soul) is their most powerful asset (given the potency of magic), they certainly can't simply rely on brute force to batter through all problems.

"Kranrakor's lair is likely to hold riches typical for an ancient dragon, but his lich nature and arcane pursuits will likely mean he is hoarding a lot more than the usual treasures. As I mentioned to Miss Sylna, Kranrakor at some point stole the Shaldrin Records, a one of a kind tome the spellweaving community has been looking for a century now due to the knowledge said to be contained within, with only few having managed to glimpse its contents, and even fewer being able to grasp its full scope. We offer you half of all treasures found there, as well as the Shaldrin Records, should the tome be in that lair. We also offer compensation if there is not much treasure, or if that lair is a false lead. We can't ignore this. Kranrakor is too dangerous. But we know that we can't defeat him without someone like you, Apex Sintar. Riches are nice to finance efforts to make the world a better, safer place, but above all we want to rid this world of the evil that is Kranrakor Blackwing." And with that, Quinn awaits Katarina's judgment.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina appears thoughtful during all of Quinn's explanations, its clear this group is good for most threats, but a draconic lich would likely be above their power grade. She comes to a decision quickly.
Eliminating a lich, not to mention a source of creating even more undead, is always a worthwhile endeavor. Not to mention the chance to get a look inside the Shaldrin Records. So here are my terms With a snap of her finger, a scroll appears in her hand, which she opens and lays on the table. Of course, my most skilled colleague Eve has written this with all the legals whys and wherefores, I would never want to face her in court. But let me break down the bullet points for you. Your group has five members, so any monetary treasure found will be divided into 7 lots, of which I will take 2. How you divide up your shares is up to you. Any magic that we find will be subject to picks, with the proviso that I get the first pick, ensuring I get the records. While I personally dont need a whole lot of magic items, I have associates who could use them, or I can use them to make trades with allies.
Second, and relating to the division of treasure, I will use my spells and abilities to further the mission without price, but if I have to cast a spell that costs me in a fiscal sense, such as a wish or a raise, then I will be compensated for that full amount off the top of the trove.
Third, there will be no teleporting out by members who lose their nerve, although if we as a group decide to stage a tactical retreat, thats okay. If anyone does so, rest assured I will hunt them down and deal with them.
Fourth, I take directions and orders only from you. I dont know how you make group decisions and I dont want to change your politics, especially since I am not with you long term but I dont want to hear orders being barked at me from all different sources.
And, many of my abilities are tantric powered in nature, so if there are any prudish members, they will need to keep that to themselves.

[Ridai]

Quinn leans forward to look at the document, also pointing at it as a wordless question if he can take a closer look at it. As he does so, he nods to each of Katarina's first four points. As the last comes up, Quinn takes a moment to think, scratching his forehead.

"I think there shouldn't be an issue in principle. I do not know how you usually go about your, uh, tantric powers, but in general, if some of us need some privacy, they get it. Faldriga summons a hidden extradimensional space whenever we rest, and that has a few separate rooms, even though we usually just sleep as a group in the main room while on a mission, with one of us taking over guard duties, just in case something is trying to get in or is starting to gather near the entrance." Quinn does not seem to be in the know about what exactly Katarina needs to do each day.

[MikelaC1]

Tantric is a fancy word for sex. I require an hour of sex before each day to make sure my powers are at their peak. Think you might be up to that? She says it in a totally matter of fact manner, well aware that this sometimes boggles the mind of non-Apexes, their reactions are sometimes worth a laugh.

[Ridai]

There is a bit of stunned silence, Quinn growing red, then caughing. He is considering to ask whether she is serious, but seems to decide against it, not wanting to anger the Apex. "...No. I know the word, but unless you can give me the virility of a demigod to last an hour with a goddess among women, I'm afraid... empowering you will be a group effort. I-if that is acceptable, Apex Sintar." Quinn most certainly isn't averse to being with Katarina, but he does feel more than a little out of his league and treading on eggshells in terms of what may or may not offend.

Eve gets a chuckle out of this. This may be the first time someone is being this honest in the face of this offer, and that is something the secretary can appreciate, prefering people being open about such matters.

And in the worst case, perhaps Meave can just appear when called (as she always mysteriously does) and take care of it each day.

[MikelaC1]

I am assuming that Katarina does have access to the semi-official cantrip that our games have been operating under, which will allow a man to orgasm more than once in any time period, as well she can do this.... A group effort is not an issue for me, but you might find that I have many ways of giving you vigour that you never knew you had. And giving you an erotic massage that lasts for that long just as a starting point would certainly begin to charge me up.
It seems that Quinn finds the terms acceptable, or at least hasnt walked out yet, so without further ado, Katarina takes a pen and signs her name to the contract, offering the stylus to him after she is done

[Ridai]

"If... if you say so." This topic certainly wasn't something Quinn had expected, or be part of the quest to destroy Kranrakor, and while this put him off-balance and gave him some fresh worries as the leader of the party and being responsible for the success of the quest, he signs the contract. However he may feel, ultimately, the discussed procedure is of relatively little consequence, especially in the face of forever destroying one of the most dangerous creatures in the world. He is still pretty red in the face though.

"Thank you for accepting our request, Apex Sintar." Quinn bows forward in his chair, not quite yet wanting to stand up. He looks over to Eve. "Could I please have a copy of the contract, Miss Sylna?" To which the half-elven secretary replies with an approving smile.

"Naturally. Meave, dear?" And as Katarina blinks, Meave in her maidservant uniform is suddenly in the room, surprising Quinn once again.
"You rang?" Meave cheerfully replies.
"Please fetch a copy of the contract for Master Quinn. You can find it on my desk." Eve adopting Katarina's chosen title for the adventurer.
"I'll be back before you know it." Meave casts a quick glance to Quinn, seemingly spotting something, and having her trademark ear to ear mischievous close-lipped smile, before suddenly being gone again without a trace, once again baffling Quinn.

"I know Nico can sneak up on me like a ghost, but I have never seen anyone do something like what Miss Meave just did," Quinn mentions, clearly impressed, understandably so. While naturally far less of a force compared to an Apex or high level magician, Meave possesses talents most rogues and thieves can only hope to aspire to. And that woman is a "mere" maidservant in this estate.

"Our Meave is a bundle of never-ending surprises, I can assure you," Eve says.

"To be fair, if you'd seen it before, then that probably wouldn't have been a very good rogue," Meave's voice can be heard, from right beside Quinn's ear, startling the adventurer, who then faces Meave's cheshire grin. "I can show you a bunch more tricks if you want to." And somehow, that grin manages to get wider. But before letting Quinn react, she hands him the scroll. "Here you go! Call me if you're interested!" And she is gone again.

[MikelaC1]

Again, Katarina takes the pen and signs with a flourish, handing it to Quinn afterwards. So now, its your choice, either we leave right away or you can invite your whole group to come and spend the rest of the day and night, and partake of our hospitality. Im fine with either choice as I have powered up for the day and have my full compliment of spells.

[Ridai]

"The sooner we go, the better. The rest of the Fellowship is waiting in Castle Aurorae, the closest settlement to the Titan's Spine, often used as starting point for expeditions. After going over what we have in terms of maps and knowledge of the lair's location, Faldriga will create ethereal mounts for us to traverse the Spine and look for Kranrakor. She will also provide us with protection against the elements, as the Spine is frigid even during the relatively warm spring season the area is currently in, though I would still recommend a mantle or coat with a large hood against the snowfall." Quinn briefly stops. "Would... would you be able to teleport us there, Apex?"

Eve rises, as the meeting is pretty much done, collecting the signed contract. "I wish you the best of fortunes. Sybilla and I will look after the estate in your absence, as usual. Should something come up, we will be in touch with you, and should you need anything, I am sure Meave will be able to find you in no time if you call on her."

[MikelaC1]

Teleporting is not an issue, I have the most reliable of one of those spells, although I do need a bit of a description to arrive at the right location. Maeve, can you get my blue cold weather outfit, and Eve, in addition to looking after the estate, I would like you to arrange with our local carpenter to have a small stable built on the estate. Large enough for one oversized horse...in fact, just make it big enough for two. Eve is familiar with some whims that Katarina seems to get at times, but this is something that had never been discussed. Fortunately, they have a carpenter in Highland that does all their work.
Once Maeve gets back with the outfit, she dons it, takes Quinn's hand and casts her spell.

[Ridai]

As Meave steps out of existence again, Eve nods. "Of course," the secretary answers without so much as raising an eyebrow, Meave then appearing with the outfit and helping Katarina put it on. Quinn describes Castle Aurorae, and due to Katarina's mastery, it is enough to teleport there.

The Apex and the adventurer arrive in the courtyard of said castle. The wind is chilling, and Katarina sees traces of snow, with most of it being kept off the pathways and grounds. It appears to be the morning hours in this place, with a light cover of clouds with blue gaps in it. The people seem rather used to the cold, wearing thick layers of clothing as they go about their day. The courtyard isn't exactly spacious, more functional, and Katarina spots hints of various crafts being found within the walls of the castle that would benefit adventurers and expeditions, as well as indications of trade, likely with larger settlements in warmer parts of the land.

"My friends are most likely at the inn within these walls," Quinn says after getting his bearings, a gloved hand pointing towards a door with a simple sign over it saying "World's Edge Inn", which of course is hyperboly, as while the Titan's Spine is far south, there are seas and ice beyond it. The inn is most likely quite old, before one of the Apexes surveyed the then unknown areas of the world (a fairly trivial task for them) and demystified the mountain range and it allegedly being part of the rim of the world, or the name simply refers to no inn or civilization being further south. Or it just sounds dramatic.

"Identify yourselves," they hear, three guards approaching. They don't seem as alarmed as many guards usually are when someone just appears out of thin air unannounced, likely not being a stranger to the occasional mage teleporting in, but to call them relaxed would be quite a bit off the mark. They aren't rude in demeanor, but they have to confirm who they are, and given they are this far from most cities Katarina frequents, it would be easy to see that they don't recognize Katarina on sight immediately. Katarina notes some magic runes on the guards' equipment.

"Eren Quinn, of the Whitegate Fellowship," the adventurer says, showing a small insignia the guards seem to recognize. "And this is Apex Katarina Sintar, here to graciously assist us in finding a monster's lair."

When Quinn says this, it is like everyone around them suddenly stands still, staring, with only the light wind quietly sweeping through the castle. The three guards blink, eyes going back and forth between Quinn and Katarina, confusion and a bit of alarm on their faces (not due to a threat, but one does not exactly expect to meet an Apex).

"You're kidding," escapes the guard while he is trying to process what is going on, with Quinn raising his eyebrows, tightly pursing his lips, and shaking his head.

[MikelaC1]

If Katarina's appearance isnt enough to convince the guards on its own, she could make a spectacular display, but thats not her style. Besides, she doesnt like wasting her power on such things. Words will have to suffice. It would be very foolish, not to mention dangerous, to claim to be an Apex, when you actually arent one.

[Ridai]

Katarina's presence and especially her voice do drive home that she indeed is who she has been introduced as. The guards straighten up immediately. "Sorry for the inconvenience, Apex Sintar. Just doing our job." They look to Quinn. "Move along." And before the two can do anything, the guards are already doing just that themselves, really not wanting to be the guys who are keeping an Apex out in the cold for no reason. The other people present do try to continue their day as well, but the attention still very firmly rests on the Apex. Quinn glances about, observing the reactions, with him pretty much invisible at the moment.

"Let's go find the others," he says, prefering to get a move on before people convince themselves to maybe get closer and try to get some of this wondrous woman's time. The inside of the inn is comfortably warm, with a crackling fireplace. The reactions are quite similar to the outside, as people get a closer look and word has already spread. Quinn has to ask the innkeeper twice about his friends before he manages to answer, directing them to a backroom. In it, they find a large table with maps and notes strewn about, as well as the adventurers Quinn described.

The elven wizard Faldriga Evaris, of one of the rarer kinds of elf, possessing pale skin and surprising height for an elf, and having a remarkable sharpness to her eyes.
The human cleric Severin of the Seven Leagues, a man with a warm, weathered face and grey patches in his full beard, the insignia of Selûne old, but very well cared for.
The halfling rogue Sunspark Nico, with quicksilver motions and piercing eyes, seeming like one who rarely, if ever, smiles, and is not to be crossed, there the way she seems to act around her fellow adventurers suggests a soft spot for them. Despite not looking at her, Katarina gets the feeling Nico is already aware of her.
And finally, a medium sized shadow dragon, who is revealed as the human ranger Amrita, who seems keenly aware of Katarina's arrival. Her eyes and behavior in her human form have a curious nature to them, like her mindset has shifted well outside of that of a regular human, though it doesn't make her inhuman, simply different.

As Quinn and Katarina enter, the group turns to them.
"Friends, I present to you, Apex Katarina Sintar. Apex Sintar, please meet the Whitegate Fellowship."
The reactions are varied, seen as Quinn introduces the Fellowship. Faldriga seems quite in awe, Severin's eyebrows rise and he shows a huge grin with plenty of laugh lines where his beard doesn't hide them, Nico shows a frown (though Katarina gets the feeling this is her usual expression towards strangers) and systematically examines her which eventually becomes an ever so slight nod (of approval?), while Amrita seems to regard Katarina like she is taking in her scent and is peering at more ephemeral qualities of the Apex, though she does seem to show Katarina the courtesy of changing back into her human form.

"You really did it, lad!" Severin booms, laughing and putting his arm across Quinn's shoulders, the leader warrior getting almost thrown about a bit. "Welcome, welcome, Apex Sintar, so very glad to have you with us! Heard plenty about you."

[MikelaC1]

No offense taken, good sirs, you are right to question anyone who might make such an outlandish claim. Keep up the good work
As Katarina allows herself to lead to the inn, she smiles and waves to the people, shes always wanted to be known as an "Apex of the People", not wanting to be put on a pedestal and revered/feared as the other ones are.
She smiles to the innkeeper as well, ordering a tankard of ale before heading back to join the Fellowship.
I am glad to meet you all, and look forward to working with you. Just to get a few things out of the way about the deal we have, I am not here to take half the haul, only 2/7ths of it, and my claim to the Records comes only from having first pick on the magic, meaning you will all have two picks before my second, and seeing as hes a lich, I imagine he and his minions will have more than a few trinkets on them As she talks, she makes eye contact with every member of the Fellowship, but most of her looks are at the cleric.Its not a look of challenge at all, just one of trying to get to know him. Katarina doesnt have issue with the priests of Selune, except when they try to force her into their more structured forms of worship...and as a ranking member of the clergy, Severin probably knows that to the case. Now that the details are out of the way, tell me what you have, where you think the lair is, and what the best way is to get there. Although Quinn has answered some of these questions before, she is interested to see how the group answers them, maybe there are a few things he didnt mention and even if there arent, who answers and how they answer will tell her a lot about the group's dynamics and power structure. She takes a long drink from her tankard as she waits.

[Ridai]

(Please note that not every religion is hounding Katarina to join them and religions don't consist entirely out of aggressive evangelists. Mystra and Sune would love if Katarina would join them, but the other religions don't go after her unless she suddenly has a change of heart. Selûne is a moon goddess associated with travel, fate, and lycanthropy, so she has little reason to go after Katarina)

The people Katarina passes are struck by her attention, however brief. It is a combination of not knowing how to deal with this and how it makes them feel, amounting to a battle of being taken instantly by Katarina's charisma and the fact that they are mere feet away from an Apex who could easily level the entire castle as a little morning exercise.

Nico's frown deepens as Katarina goes straight into discussing splitting up the loot after her greeting and turns away halfway through, looking at the maps. Perhaps Katarina expected a bigger reaction from the rest of the adventurers, but it doesn't seem to go beyond a neat side benefit for them, which mirrors Quinn's reaction earlier as well. They are in it to find and stop this evil, if it is there, not the money.

The request for what they have seems to confuse Faldriga, who looks over to Quinn, who wordlessly responds with an expression saying to go over it again.

"Well..." the elven wizard begins, gesturing Katarina closer. "We have reason to believe Kranrakor's lair is somewhere the Titan's Spine. We have a rough search area based on the journal we found describing stumbling upon the entrance, but no specifics." She draws a circle over an area to the south-east of the castle with her finger. "I will create a host of ethereal mounts for us to travel with to speed up the search process and largely eliminate the need to traverse the terrain."

"We'll be making good time with the mounts. A good four times faster than a fast horse, untiring, mindless, and able to simply ride through the sky. Still need to be both careful, though. Stay close together to not lose each other when the snow makes visibility pretty bad for most of us. Faldriga and I will use our share of travel protections, divinations and such, but we don't exactly know what's out there or who may be standing guard, if anyone." Severin continues on the travel portion of the mission, though he keeps a pretty conversational tone.

"Exposed in the air, but ground is too slow," Amrita says. Katarina at first tries to place what sounds like an accent, then a certain lack of education, but ultimately, it feels more like she does not feel the need to say more words and there is something unusually primal to her, which tints her voice and how it feels.

Quinn continues. "Faldriga has worked out likely mountain formations that could have valleys fitting what has been described in the journal, so we are not flying entirely blind. Amrita is our primary eyes and ears during the search with her keen senses, and Nico will be watching out for any indications of an ambush or trickery." Amrita gives a short nod, while Nico does not respond, simply rolling her shoulders. Quinn continues. "Our hope is to find the lair quickly, and once we do, we will have to enter it quickly. Nico can get us around a great many security measures, Amrita will pick up on anything closing in, and Faldriga and Severin can help hide us and watch for any magical dangers, but hiding an entire group in the lair of a draconic lich will most likely not be easy and we are expecting to be detected sooner or later, as we are dealing with a lot of unknowns. Go in, find out with Kranrakor still exists and is there, destroy him and his phylactery is so, and get out alive, ideally." And the bout of tenseness among the party indicates they are not necessarily expecting to survive in all scenarios.

Faldriga glances about at the group, and then to Katarina. "Well... those are the rough outlines of what we seek to do. We planned according to what we could realistically do, as we can't... appropiately gauge what you are capable of, Apex." And that seems to be a little hard to say for the elf.

Severin jumps in continue the sentiment. "Meaning if you have the means to make this quest go more smoothly, beyond helping us defeat the villains, if we find any, it would be greatly appreciated. After all, you know best what you can do." And while everyone has heard of the extreme power of the Apexes, it is also extremely hard to quantify for someone who isn't an Apex or close to their status, so the party also has a sense of wondering what Katarina can bring to this quest.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina looks over maps, saying nothing at first (seemingly oblivious to the fact that it allows anyone to look down her blouse). Finally, she straightens up and addresses the group. Okay, this is the way I see it. First of all, is this where we are starting from or do you have a jumping off point closer to the search area decided on. If you do, I need a good description of it, and then I can teleport us there. From there, or here, if you dont have a spot picked out, there is a spell that is called Find the Path, it doesnt have a range on it. The way I cast it, it can last for 4 hours, and if it runs out before we find the lair, I just keep casting it. I dont actually use that spell, its kind of hard to explain, but I cast another spell which duplicates it and when using the spell in that manner, there is no material cost (Miracle duplicates any lower level spell, and when used like that, the cost doesnt kick in, it only kicks when you ask for something more). We use that spell over and over until we find the entrance. Your mounts will give us speed to utilize the spell most efficiently.
Now, in the way of protections, I can supplement some of your protections. For one thing, I can cast a death ward over all of us, which will protect against the undead's nasty habit of draining life energy. I can also grant all of us immunity to one form of energy, I can give us all protection from the same type if we have any historical reference on what attacks he favors or I can switch it around, giving some of us fire, or electrical or whatever.
And dont worry about death. I dont let my companions die on adventures, or at least stay dead, it brings down my street cred.

[Ridai]

Amrita seems to simply nod in acknowledgement, like a yeah, makes sense. Severin laughs at the ludicrous disparity in power between them and Katarina and what the Apex can casually bring to bear. Nico looks almost like why am I even here. Faldriga looks like she is going to be sick. And Quinn, taking all this in, raises his eyebrows, and answers "That sounds great."

It's pretty much shellshock for the party, between just how much power Katarina brings to the table, able to just straight up find the lair, block the most horrible things with ease, grant immunities, and resurrect people, all while seeming not in the least concerned about any danger, even presenting her cleavage for good measure.

"No good landmarks, describing won't do. Too much similar terrain, easy to get lost," Amrita answers the question about teleportation while the others seem in various states of shock or disbelief or still trying to collect themselves. She inclines her head as a thought crosses her mind. "Can spell find lich or phylactery, instead of cave?" At that, Faldriga looks up like she is expecting that it can't just be that easy, right?

[MikelaC1]

Katarina easily picks up on the mood of the group, shes not about to make them all feel like 5th wheels here. In answer to your question, no, it cant find the lich or his phylactery. It finds only locations, not people or items. If I knew that forest X held a green dragon, I could find forest X, but I couldnt, for instance, use the spell saying I want to find a forest that has a green dragon in it.
And while it may sound like I have short-circuited all of you, nothing could be further from the truth. Those ethereal mounts are going to be huge time saving, and thus spell saving devices, we can cover a lot more of the path on them than we could on foot. And once we get there, lichs always have a good supply of undead minions, while I might be the one to actually battle the lich himself, Im going to be relying on you all to keep the minions off of me, lest they swarm me before I can do my thing. Apexes may be powerful, but getting dog-piled by 15 opponents is going to cramp anyone's style.
So, are we ready to go then?

[roll0]

[Ridai]

Faldriga still seems a bit shaken, but seems to take heart. Quinn regains his composure, Nico seems to accept what Katarina says (while still showing little in the way of an obvious reaction), and Severin, who didn't seem so much disheartened as just amused by the disparity of power, does manage to get his laughing fit under control and seems approving of Katarina giving a little pep talk. Amrita still seems pretty neutral about it all, as if the whole power disparity thing completely passed her by. Instead, the ranger inclines her head to the other side.

"You can find cave by only knowing it is a cave that belongs to the lich. Why can't you tell the spell to find the room that holds the phylactery or that is the lich's chambers?" Amrita still seems to consider the spell's logic.

Quinn looks at the group, then to Katarina. "I think we should be good to go. No time to waste."

With that Faldriga collects herself, and with a quick chant, the wizard imbues everyone with resistance against the temperatures. They head outside, into the courtyard, then out of the castle proper, with everyone they walk past watching them. Obviously, Katarina dominates the attention, but they also recognize the party. Outside of the castle, in the snow, Faldriga takes out a small sphere that Katarina recognizes as a magical prayer bead, which briefly increases her magical might, and she begins to summon the ethereal mounts, a process Severin informs Katarina will take about 10 minutes, so if she has any long-lasting preparations to apply, now is a good time. The group is checking their equipment one last time, now entirely unbothered by the cold. Quinn secures a long chain for quick retrieval after doing a few quick motions with them. Severin silently prays with his finger tips touching. Nico does a few motions, Katarina only seeing blurs at first, until she spots the knives at some point, both in hand and thrown. Very good speed, but still nothing compared to Meave. Amrita, meanwhile, shifts back into her medium-sized shadow dragon form, simply laying down in the snow and waiting, tail lightly moving, claw sometimes pawing at the snow.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina's regular buffs are all in place, so she doesnt have to take care of that. She does move around the party, casting an Energy Immunity on each one. She asks each time which energy form they wish to be immune to, personally taking fire. She then addesses the group. A death ward usually only lasts 20 minutes, the way I cast it lasts 40 minutes, so theres no point in casting it untill we enter the lichs lair. While there are spells that could potentially locate the phylactery, every lich I have ever come up against takes great pains to hide their item from any form of detection
With that, she is ready to go.

[Ridai]

"But not the hidden lair?" The matter continues to make little sense to Amrita, her voice coming from the maw of the shadow dragon. Nico looks like she wants to say something, but decides against it. After 10 minutes, six ghostly, vaguely equine creatures appear in the snow. It is difficult to see where exactly their contours are. Faldriga attributes one mount to each person, telling them that the mount will only allow them on it, no one else. The mounts briefly look to their specific "owners", their features obscured, but still giving the impression that this mount was not designed as a functional biological being, but rather a magical "construct" of sorts.

The group gets on their mounts like they have clearly done this before, Severin helping Faldriga onto hers and exchange a few words and a smile, shadow dragon Amrita's sleek form simply resting itself on the broader back of her mount. Katarina finds a saddle that also seems part of the creature, keeping her in place, but still allowing her to lean forward.

"Keep your body low and behind the mount's head, and pull your hood and clothes as tight as you can, unless you snow in your face and under your clothes," Quinn calls over to her, the party doing the same. "Amrita is going to take point to keep an eye out for trouble, the other mounts will follow hers. Give her a direction, and give her a hand sign to stop when it changes. No chance to talk while moving at these speeds, most of us will be pretty much blind and deaf while flying due to the snow and winds."

When everyone is ready and has secured themselves in the saddle, everyone gives a "Check". Katarina casts Find the Path (feeling a certain resistance, but her magical might simply ignores it) and points into the exact direction the spell is pointing her into, the shadow dragon's head briefly leaning against her outstretched arm to get the exact angle (the scales feeling very smooth, even through the winter clothing), and soon after, they are taking off. Ethereal mounts effectively behave like phantom steeds, reaching very high speeds at reasonable maneuverability. When they are able to fly, it also means they are moving at the maximum possible speed this spell can achieve, and Katarina immediately feels it as they ascend at a 45° angle, her saddle preventing her from sliding back, but instinctively applying pressure with her legs to the mount's flanks, grasping what appear to be grips near the neck tightly, and keeping her head out of the oncoming whipping winds. Once Amrita has guided them up high enough, the castle appearing pretty small when looking back, the mounts start to move horizontally, and thus at full speed. Mages who don't use this spell extrapolate that the mounts move at about 27 miles per hour. Only to find out that these mounts can do the equivalent of sprinting, and aren't exactly tiring animals.

Thus, the wind howls and whips past them as the six mounts race through the falling snow and freezing air at a good 109 miles per hour. Even though Katarina can fly and teleport, she is rather glad to have an Endure Elements and that the saddle and magic of the mounts keeps her where she is supposed to be, as well as still allowing her to breathe. Visibility may as well be zero, Katarina sometimes seeing glimpses of the others and the terrain below, seemingly an endless array of mountains and valleys, further made near impossible to distinguish by the blur of them whipping past. Amrita is able to fly them remarkably close to the angle Katarina pointed them at, the Apex slowly, very slowly feeling the vertical angle getting steeper, only having to stop the group twice to make a small adjustment to the horizontal angle.

The group is flying for a long time, until Katarina feels they are very close and stops the group. From high above, they are looking down into an easy to miss valley, crescent shaped and deep. Katarina's spell points at a section in the middle of the crescent, on the western wall, but the lair isn't visible from above, as there are a lot of snowy rock outcroppings obscuring the view. Amrita guides the group out of the air, onto a high-up small plateau overlooking the valley, but still out of sight.

"Sure hid it well. We've been traveling for nearly 4 hours," Severin comments, a quick calculation telling Katarina they are somewhere around 400 miles away from Castle Aurorae. The chances of someone stumbling upon this place are nearly zero.

"What's the spell telling you, Apex? Can you sense anything else?" Quinn asks. The group is noticably tense, being this close to the lair.

[MikelaC1]

If the phylactery is protected from divination, then the spell will not be able to locate it, and thus will not be able to provide a path. Same goes for the lich himself. His lair cannot be covered in the same way.

When the group arrives, in the air, at the location indicated, Katarina considers the scenario for a moment. She then gives the group a collective heart attack by simply tumbling out of the saddle, falling through the air, using her arms, legs and body as a "rudder" to guide herself on the course the spell gives. Only at the last moment does she activate her flying power along with an invisibility to land on the ground where the spell leads her to. She looks around carefully, not actually entering the lair, for any sort of guards (living or non-living) along with wards (magical) or traps. If the area is clear, she dismisses her invisibility and moves to a point where the group can see her and come down to her. If they cant traverse the distance, she will fly back up and bring anyone who cant do it, one at a time. (the "dragon" should be able to, and carry at least one or two as well). If there is something, she will deal with it (presumably, she would have initiative)

[Ridai]

Katarina, only barely hearing the party's surprised shouts, has to adjust her angle mid-flight as she whips just past the overhang, as she was not able to see the lair from above (and thus the party can't see her now). The lair is a gaping hole in the cliffside, above ground, and as soon as Katarina moves in front of the opening that seems to be more than 50 feet in diameter, she is greeted by a barrage of magic missiles, elemental orbs, fireballs, oversized arrows, and boulders. The Apex spots undead, scattered across the ceiling and walls, behind shaped rocks acting as cover, out of reach of melee defenders. Further back, she spots undead giants and foot soldiers, with any melee combatant having to cross a large distance where they are completely out in the open beneath the ranged attackers and having to ascend an incline. Katarina's invisibility seems to be entirely ignored. Thus, this is an ambush. Undead standing at the ready to maul any intruder coming by, and as they do not tire or run out of patience, that may have been what they have been doing for the last century. In short, this ambush has been designed to be as unfair as possible, to kill intruders before they can really do anything and put them at as much of a disadvantage as possible.

Unfortunately, the intruder in question is an Apex.

What would have entirely mauled most other people results in next to nothing here. Magic missiles shatter against the shield's perimeter. The orbs and arrows and boulders all simply miss. The fireballs explode, but the heat is unable to touch Katarina, unable to overcome her massive spell resistance, and even if one had gotten by, it would have shattered against her immunity. These aren't elite troops. Their number is deadly, and many would be alarmed by the number of spellcasters. A necromancer with enough resources and time can create next to anything, to a point. But this ambush is there to destroy chaff (although "chaff" in this case would include the vast majority of adventurers).

And with their ambush having amounted to nothing, the Apex' retaliation begins.

Katarina walked into the readied actions of a good three dozen undead, scattered along the ceiling and walls of the about 55ft diameter cave and further in the back (about a hundred feet from the cave's mouth) on the ground. She is currently hovering right in front of the cave, there is no ground before it, the cliffside continuing down below it.

Katarina's turn.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina has the perfect spell to wipe out masses of undead and thanks to her improved metamagic, she can cast it twice using quicken. She casts undeath to death a version of circle of death, designed to wipe out undead foes instead of living ones.

[roll0]
[roll1]

Of more concern than the undead is the fact that they were waiting for her...although given that they are undead, they may have been waiting here for years, attacking everything that came by

[Ridai]

The spells pulse through the cave, and soon after, conserved cadavers, bones, and weaponry start to rain from the ceiling and walls, creating a rather grotesque percussion. The walls and ceiling have been wiped clean of the undead, the only remaining ones being not quite a dozen ones in the back, between giants and armor-clad creatures that now start to move forward in unison, but are unable to reach Katarina.

Katarina's turn.

[MikelaC1]

Mindful of keeping her higher level spell slots and wanting to take out as many creatures as possible. Katarina lobs a maximized fireball (60 points) into the middle of the group of foes

[Ridai]

The tiny bead of fire races through the cave, before it leads to a roaring detonation, violently scattering the remains of most of the foot soldiers, leaving only the two undead giants, who survived solely by virtue of their massive stature, though some of the withered flesh and bones have been very clearly scorched or burned off altogether. At that moment, the party arrives at the cavern, two figures zipping past the Apex, and in the blink of an eye, the best way to describe it is that one undead giant is hit and smashed apart by a cannonball, while the other is riddled by a flashing rain and subsequently bursts into dust, Katarina sensing holy energies. Sunspark Nico, standing upon her mount without any indication of having trouble balancing there, is holding what looks at first like two spiky fans, but turn out to be a great many shifting knives. From the ruined remains of the other giant, meanwhile, rises a grotesque creature. It looks like a form of troll, though far less goofy looking and far more vicious and muscular, with two giant claws. However, unusually, Katarina also spots large horns, a stinger tail, foot talons, a tentacle sprouting from one shoulder, and it is unusually big. True seeing reveals the creature as Amrita. The rest of the group arrives as well, but the party now finds the cave to be devoid of hostiles.

They look around, seeing the complete carnage. Amrita and Nico are looking around for additional threats, while Faldriga looks like she is in utter awe and disbelief, Severin raises his eyebrows in surprise, and Quinn is trying to keep his reaction in check, so he can still act as a leader.

"Supremely done. I am sure they now know we are here, we need to keep moving. Finding the phylactery is the first priority, and we should do it before we are drowning in undead. Amrita, Nico, gather around if there are no more undead." Both named adventurers soon meet up with the others, the mounts simply waiting at the edge of the cave. The party gathers as Faldriga and Severin apply buffs to the party, boosting their resistances against spells and effects, granting them immunity to fear, imbuing their (natural) weaponry with undead bane (Severin retrieving a rod to do so), everyone getting an application of hide from undead, and a Girallon's blessing having Amrita's troll form sprout two more arms with giant claws. Many of the spells they cast simply can't help Katarina, as she already has much better defenses in place. Nico also retrieves a few scrolls, applying shorter buffs on herself and Amrita. Meanwhile, it is clear the party tries not to focus on just how many undead Katarina destroyed in such a short time, and how many more may still be lurking within the lair. There is tension among the group, preparing for the dive, like they are about to step out onto a battlefield. No going slow in this case, not with Kranrakor possibly still lurking within and now starting to prepare.

[MikelaC1]

Before the group moves out, Katarina applies the last buff she has for them all, casting a mass death ward. Hopefully we find them before this runs out, but I can re-apply if needed. Normally, I dont like to be in the front row, that way I can cast and not be grappled in the process. If someone else would like to lead the way, I can manage in the second row. She does look around the cave, seeing if she can find a way forward, and also checking the walls to see if there are any passages hidden by illusion or other forms of secrecy.

[Ridai]

Nico disappears from sight, Amrita and Quinn take point, Faldriga follows, Severin acts as sort of a rear guard. They follow the only way leading further in, designed to funnel any intruders. They come across fortified defensive positions, but there is simply a lot of ash. Undead who were unable to spot Nico due to the combination of her stealth and hide from undead, otherwise this would have been a slow advance. Traps have been found and disabled. They reach a gate, Nico reappearing, informing the group of undead being on the other side, and a lot of them, no way around them.

Quinn does a quick explanation for Katarina. "Generally, Amrita and I form the frontline and make sure no one gets through, Amrita more offense, I more defense. Nico takes out priority targets, Faldriga provides crowd control or artillery, Severin has a flexible role depending on what we need. If you spot especially dangerous undead, take them out, otherwise help us destroy the undead as quickly as possible."

And with that, they kick open the door. Immediately, they are greeted by a hail of large arrows and fireballs, the arrows slamming into the ground and gate, and the party only surviving the fireball splash damage due to the fire immunity granted by Katarina. Looking into the hall beyond, it is once again set up to be a straight up kill zone. Armored archers and mages on a higher level behind cover, the only way up at the other end of a large open area, guarded by tall heavily armored figures. The stairs up are still open to be shot at by the ranged units, and up top, more melee units await from an advantageous position. Quinn swears under his breath at the bad tactical situation, gesturing to Faldriga, who quickly casts a mass fly on the group, needing to move topside immediately and take the fight there in order to not be sitting ducks.

Katarina's turn.

[MikelaC1]

Cover would be a problem...for anyone else. For Katarina, its merely a reason to chose a different tactic. Aiming at the higher level, Katarina intones a maximized chain lightning, dealing 120 points to the poor sap that is its first target and then arcing around 20 times, dealing 60 points to all of the other targets up there.

[Ridai]

A giant lightning bolt arcs from Katarina's fingertips down at the gate to the ramparts above, not so much frying the undead up there as blowing them apart, eviscerating a large part of the forces above, Faldriga's fireball looking almost feeble in comparison as it destroys a few more, taking to the air. Amrita pretty much crashes into the melee forces at the top of the stairs, eviscerating several them, sending body and shredded armor parts flying. Nico's knives pick off the remaining ranged and magic undead. Quinn positions himself relatively low on the stairs with his chain, and as the melee undead at the bottom try to engage him, Katarina notes a surprising amount of reach, the chain ripping into the undead and sending them tumbling back down the stairs, preventing the unit from going up the stairs to support. Severin, meanwhile, flies up to the unit engaged by Amrita and releases a cone of holy energies (a rare alternative to standard turning), destroying the undead Amrita did not immediately crush.

And like that, only a small armored unit at the bottom of the stairs remains.

Katarina's turn.

[MikelaC1]

The fact that Quinn is in melee would be a hindrance to most casters, but Katarina already made him immune to fire so she just lobs a maximized fireball 60 points into the remaining armored unit...if it doesnt finish them, it will at least soften them up for the others.

[Ridai]

The fireball and the combined strength of the party lead to the quick destruction of the undead. There is a growing uncertainty in the party, given the escalating situations they are facing. The interiors by now are clearly crafted, becoming more elaborate as they go, until they come to another great gate, heavily ornamented. Faldriga and Nico cooperate in disarming a great many traps and countermeasures, until the door finally opens. They step inside of what appears to be grand inner chambers, with vaulted ceilings, lavish decor, rows of tall bookshelves with ancient tomes, and signs of treasure... until the room turns into an unfathomably dark shade of black, absorbing all light, and the gate slams shut behind them. Severin attemps to create a daylight spell, but it fails immediately. Katarina, with her true sight, can peer through the magical darkness, seeing Amrita snarl, clearly sensing something. And Katarina does spot something else.

Giant black shapes, quickly identified as Nightwalkers, two of them, towering over the party, accompanied by four dread wraiths (who would be powerless in a daylight spell, but are protected by the deeper darkness). Powerful vile auras flood the room, such creatures being a walking nightmare for nearly any adventuring party in existence. And Katarina does only have a few seconds to act before they will unleash hell on the party.

Katarina's turn.

(Nightwalkers on opposite sides of the party, dread wraiths further surrounding them in the air above)

[MikelaC1]

Nightwalkers. Time to bring out the big guns, and Katarina has a perfect big gun for undead. Taking a step back to get an angle to hit both nightwalkers,(and hopefully a dreadwraith or two) Katarina unleashes a spell flooding the area with pure healing energy, a bane to undead.
Mass Heal, 250 points each.

[Ridai]

The party can hear Katarina cast, but they do not know what, only feeling the surge of positive energy flowing through them and the screech of the wraiths getting annihilated, along with one of the nightwalkers. However, the other nightwalker resists, repelling her magic. The creature briefly looks to the Apex, and she can only watch as it reaches out into the party, grasps Quinn, who is surprised by the cold, hard grasp, beginning to say "Wha-" and the undead creature and the warrior simply disappear. A plane shift.

The party still struggles to find out what happened.
Nico: "Where're the monsters?! Can't see a damn thing!"
Severin: "Deeper darkness, my daylight isn't working!"
Faldriga: "I'm trying to dispel it, but it's powerful!"
Amrita: "No more monsters." A short pause. Amrita sniffs the air, then turns to Katarina. "Where is Eren?"

Mass Heal heals for 10 HP per caster level, up to a limit of 250, so Katarina heals for 200, as I don't see any caster level increases

Katarina failed to get through the second nightwalker's spell resistance and only barely managed to get through the one of the first.

[MikelaC1]

An emotion that almost no one in the estate, and certainly not the party grips Katarina at the moment. A cold rage and fury. While her comment about not losing a party member came out as a joke, it was also completely true, she views losing a party member as a personal insult to her pride and does not tolerate the loss to her credibility.
The monsters are down, but one of them has kidnapped Quinn. I'm getting rid of the darkness and working on finding him. Her voice has lost its usual musical and pleasant tone.
Her first move is get rid of the darkness with a greater dispel magic and if that doesnt work, she will invoke a dispel evil. Once that is taken care of, she will once again invoke her miracle spell to cast the most powerful location spell, one that cuts through any sort of anti-divination protection, even if the person is on another plane, discern location
(next actions dependent on results)

[Ridai]

Katarina sees Faldriga's shocked reaction, Severin gritting his teeth, cold fury in Nico's eyes, and Amrita turning very quiet at the news of Quinn having been taken. Katarina attempts a dispel at first, but has to try again to remove the darkness. While mortals are bound by hard limits, monsters are not, and the potency of the spell rivals that of Katarina's, perhaps even slightly exceeding her. The discern location reveals that Quinn is on the negative energy plane, also giving her the exact location.

[MikelaC1]

Quinn has been taken to the negative energy plane. My death ward is still in effect as are yours, and I can plane shift to him, along with whoever wants to come with me.

[Ridai]

The party decides to come with in its entirety and immediately, quickly linking hands when directed. Katarina plane shifts the whole group. Never having been to the target location, the spell dumps them miles away from where Quinn is. And while the deeper darkness already was pitch black, it was nothing compared to the negative energy plane.

It is an absolutely absence of light all around them. Oppressive darkness sapping all energy and life, Katarina's true seeing no longer aiding her because there is nothing magical obscuring her vision. What they are standing on does not truly feel material, like darkness made mostly solid, and they have a sense like down is not necessarily down. Severin's daylight is extremely dim, flickering even, struggling to remain lit as the plane itself seeks to devour it. The endure elements and death ward protects them from the worst. However, they have two quite pressing issues. One is that none of them are able to breathe in this place, the space between them simply devoid of anything. As the group gasps for breath, Amrita quickly shifts, turning into a huge air elemental, engulfing the group within her, but it is clear that she can hardly fight like this, and even if she could, this form is much weaker than her previous one.

And secondly, the negative energy plane is utterly filled with innumerable undead horrors, beginning to emerge from around them from several directions (even vertical ones), slowly appearing at the edges of the dim light they have, or even clawing its way from what may or may not be solid darkness.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina has never been on the negative energy plane, and its conditions are momentarily disconcerting. But shes not an Apex because she is just a pretty face, and has more than enough ways to deal with things. Her first instruction is to the party...
Douse the lights, the undead can only know we are here because of the light given that they were given hide from undead we turn that off, they cant see or detect us.
Before the group can even complain that they will not be able to see, Katarina is casting, this time using miracle to duplicate the cleric spell Planar Bubble, surrounding the group with a prime material like atmosphere, including light and air, allowing them to function normally once again, and allowing Amrita to get out of her air elemental form
They pick a path away from the undead who can no longer "see" them, until they are in the clear. Katarina mentally curses herself for wasting a high level spell on the Discern Location spell, given that she has the damn scroll, and so she uses one of them to get a direction. Teleporting in the plane carries its own risks, so they will have to travel it normally. If we can summon up those mounts, or some has another idea to speed our transit, I will guide us. Katarina doesnt verbalize it, but if Amrita can assume a dragon form, they could all climb aboard and ride her.

[Ridai]

(While Katarina doesn't have a direction from her current position, she still knows the location)

Severin dismisses the spell warily, and everyone huddles closely around as the planar bubble forms, which is like a shining beacon in the dark, drawing the undead to it. Nico speaks fast and low, leaving little doubts about her being dead serious. "Eren doesn't have hours or minutes. They want to kill us. Dividing us makes us easier to kill. You know where he is, and if you don't teleport us, right now, his blood is on your hands." Every muscle in the halfling's body is taut as Amrita shapes herself back into her war form.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina draws a deep breath, she knows Nico is right but she also knows that the halfling doesnt understand the dangers of teleporting on one of the outer planes. But its going to have to be done.
Gather around and link hands. Im not going to mince words here, teleporting on the outer planes is one of the riskiest things a person can do but you are right when you say we dont have the time. I am going to use a Greater Teleport which has no chance of being off target in the Prime, and I do have the exact location. Be prepared for what happens when we arrive, we will likely be under immediate attack.
With that, Katarina settles in her mind what she plans to do when she arrives, draws another deep breath as she focuses on what her Discern spell gave her, and casts her spell.....

[Ridai]

(The negative energy plane is one of the inner planes and there is no blanket teleportation hindrance/misdirection in the D&D cosmology that I am aware of, not even in the Abyss)

As Katarina goes past "not going to mince words here", Nico's patience seems to run out entirely. "It's dangerous, shut up, ******* do it!"

Katarina teleports with the group. Upon arrival, she gets the impression that they are in an enclosed space, floating in midair (held there by everyone's subjective gravity), with somewhat less oppressive darkness. There is just enough light to spot the Nightwalker, along with a variety of lesser undead near it, some of which are turning to the sudden source of light. As soon as the group arrives, Nico's blades immediately turn the nearest undead to dust, Amrita lashes out and tears apart two more, Severin turns several of the nearest, and Faldriga makes a mass of black tentacles burst from thin air, ensnaring and beginning to crush a great many of the lesser undead. Amidst the chaos, Katarina spots Quinn in the grasp of the Nightwalker, on the brink of suffocation and looking like there is barely any life left in him, not just because of his wounds.

Katarina's turn.

(The Nightwalker is the only "real" threat here, the other undead being much weaker, but quite numerous, arranged around the Nightwalker (and sometimes attacking Quinn) and between the group and the Nightwalker)

[MikelaC1]

Beat me once, shame on you. Beat me twice, shame on me The last time, the Nightwalker defeated Katarina with its spell resistance, but she has ways to level that playing field. She applies an Assay Spell Resistance to herself as a swift action and then lobs a Mass Heal at the Nightwalker, which will have the added benefit of restoring Quinn and taking out any undead in range as well, including the ones joining in tormenting him.

[Ridai]

The nature of the plane seeks to suppress the positive energy of Katarina's spell. However, the Apex' spellcraft master is too much to stop and the pack of the undead is utterly and visibly annihilated, their essence scattered into the plane. Quinn's wounds are healed, and once he is in the planar bubble, he can breathe again as well, gasping for air. Still, he looks very weak as the party tends to him. His death ward having been dispelled (most likely by the Nightwalker), the plane quickly started tearing at his life energy, in addition to the undead. Severin sprinkles diamond dust over Quinn, casting a restoration. "You'll be fine now, lad," along with a hand on his shoulder. Quinn does his best to pull himself together, but it is clear that he is quite shaken from the experience. Moreover, the Nightwalker seems to have destroyed his magical weapons and armor, the lifeblood of a non-magical warrior, needing them to even have a chance against threats like what the Fellowship is facing, dealing a heavy blow to morale.

In the distance of this "hall", Katarina also sees a strange portal.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina sees the situation with Quinn for a moment, and then looks around the room, seeing if any of the undead had any sort of weapon that they dropped when killed. Not all undead rely on claw attacks. Picking up the weapon, she uses a limited wish to mimic a greater magic weapon spell, handing the weapon which is now a +5 weapon to Quinn...under her breath she also adds a disrupting weapon spell to it, which will give him a surprise when he strikes his next undead. With his armor also destroyed, she casts a greater mage armor on him, extending it as she does for herself.

[Ridai]

Katarina finds a tarnished polearm, enchanting it, and also giving Quinn the greater mage armor. "Thank you, Apex," Quinn croaks, still recovering from the shock and near-death experience. It seems the warrior can at least continue for now, but his equipment will need to be replaced after, something that most likely won't be cheap, and if Katarina had to guess, at least some of it had personal significance.

The portal still looms in the distance. "We should... we should get a move on, before more undead come. This is some sort of an enclosed space and that portal doesn't seem like something that... that thing would just randomly jump in front of."

The group approaches the archway with its black, undulating magic field within. The field reveals little about the destination, but Faldriga looks at the inscriptions. "This bears references to Kranrakor. Perhaps what lies beyond belongs to him."

Severin strokes his bearded jawline. "Come to think of it, I didn't see any way out of that room we were in, save the gate we went through. I'm starting to think that whole lair was just a distraction. Or a trap to kill whoever tried investigating that lich. Stroke of luck we ended up here, looks like."

Nico examines the archway with Faldriga, looking for anything potentially nasty, while Amrita stands guard, looking for trouble, but also notably shielding Quinn from any sort of attack angle (indicating a close bond). Katarina once again notes that the shapechanger is perhaps the most collected of the group, and she is beginning to suspect this is due to her sheer raw power. She appears to lack magic (or at least any truly significant spells), which of course creates a large gap between her and true mages, but her shapechanging and her battle prowess combine to a point where the Apex suspects Amrita may actually be the most powerful member of the party. Apexes are widely known to be the pinnacle of magical power and the most powerful a mortal can hope to be. Very talented bards also receive some recognition, though they never even remotely approach the heights of an Apex. But while those who reach the absolute limit of physical prowess make for great stories, the rarely ever get acknowledged when one looks at the movers and shakers of the world. They can perfect their craft, and they will still be insignificant in the grand scheme of things, easily swept aside by Apexes, should a confrontation ever occur.

Quinn looks to Katarina. "I would say the portal may be our best bet. Can you tell us anything about this kind of portal, or perhaps even determine where it leads?"

[MikelaC1]

Katarina steps up to the door, casting divination on the portal, her question being “Will going through this portal hinder or aid us in our quest to find and destroy Kranrakor"

[Ridai]

Katarina burns the incense and states her question. Normally, such questions are asked to deities, but Katarina is different. She feels the currents of her spell flow through her, and as they do, she feels them like caresses and kisses on her skin and lips, among others, until can almost feel like in a lover's embrace, whispering into her ear, only for her to hear.

It will bring you closer to your goal

However, it doesn't end there, like it normally should. Somehow, Love becomes even closer, and Katarina can almost feel hands gently around her heart as if to shelter it.

Find the one who completes you. You will know her with a kiss

It sounds and feels like Love deems this of a much higher importance for Katarina, but the divination ends there.

[MikelaC1]

The portal is the answer.

She doesnt speak of the rest of the divination, as it has nothing to do with the party or the mission. As for the one that completes her, she is pretty certain that is Sybilla, but time will tell about that.

[Ridai]

The party acknowledges Katarina's insights, taking positions, with Amrita taking point. They all step through the portal, feeling the tug of teleportation magic, and emerge in what appears to be the inside of what could be described as an arcane castle. The construction and decor indicate (to Katarina's trained eye) that this building was made directly by magic and it shaping all material, instead of being limited by mundane construction methods. The floor and walls are smooth surfaces of black stone, with no visible gaps or imperfections, and the ceiling is a vastness of stars and nebulae, which also illuminate the interior. This entrance area appears devoid of guards, and Katarina notices that the pervasive negative energy feel is gone, indicating they are on a different plane. There are indications of this simply acting as a sort of storage area, the party seeing huge shelves with tons and tons of books, various objects of mundane, arcane, and divine nature, fluids and material held suspended in invisible fields, dead bodies of all sorts of creatures being array and held in stasis. The collection is huge, but also looks haphazard, and some parts were simply put onto the floor, with some scattered pages, scrolls, and negligible objects strewn about, among some dirt and dust. There are clear signs of passage, so keeping the place tidy does not seem to be a priority of the owner.

The party is quite astounded by the surroundings, though Katarina has seen a few like these, mostly in structures made by Apexes, who simply create whatever they want instead of having to wait for lengthy and costly and flawed construction. Advancing through the area, with the slowly shifting stars above, they get to a bend and an opening, standing on a ledge overlooking a vast hall, the floor what feels like several storeys below them, with a winding staircase leading down. The hall is illuminated in much the same way as the area before, but on this scale, it looks like they staring right into a vast nightsky when they look up, with several massive ornate pillars jutting out from the ground and disappearing into the "sky" above. They do not see a huge undead dragon, but they do see a vastness of gold below them, piled into hills and valleys, studded with all sorts of other treasures, to the point of not seeing the actual floor in many places. Amrita remains on guard, but the rest are clearly astonished by such a mindboggling amount of treasure. In the distance, towards the back of the hall, Katarina can see several smaller spires, glowing with arcane energies, and what may be a work area of sorts.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina makes a motion for silence. Her voice is barely audible to them...Those steps and many other spaces are likely trapped, and even if they are not, we are sitting ducks if we are on them, or moving towards that work area. Gather around and I will teleport us right there, where we might not have surprise unless we are lucky, but at least we wont be systematically cut down before we even get there. When the group forms up, she fixes that short range destination in her mind, and casts her spell

[Ridai]

The tension is felt among the group, getting ready. Katarina teleports them and they emerge midair in what appears to be the combination of a large laboratory and workshop. The arrival is not exactly subtle, as the party falls the short distance to the ground, with varying degrees of noise. Katarina can feel the ambient magic, thick and powerful and distorted, which likely affected her spell. There are magical spires channeling, collecting, converting energies. There are work tables with truly mindbending charts and diagrams and texts, next to ones where bodies are arrayed on. Scrolls and equipment are strewn about. There is a wall in mid-air that looks like an array of windows, each showing a living being in an environment, doing a wide variety of things, most of them to an extreme in one fashion or another.

And at the largest desk, upon which there are piles and piles of parchments, is a tall armchair, with a robed bearded figure sitting in it, looking middle-aged, slouching, with sunken eyes and deep lines. The noise of the party's haphazard arrival makes him look up from his work, then slowly turn in his chair to peer over his shoulder, back at the new arrivals. His brow furrows, at what could be a combination of asking himself who those people are and why they are there, annoyance at being disturbed, or the look of being overworked or frustrated, though he does not yet say anything.

While the party is getting ready (or is standing up), Katarina's true sight does see the man, but with a colossal undead dragon overlayed, which is peering back and down at them in a similar manner as the man, with dim red points where the eyes used to be.

[MikelaC1]

Part of surviving as an Apex is knowing exactly what you are going to do before you have to do it...and Katarina was ready for Kranrakor. The moment she spots him, she uses one of her time stop scrolls. She has 4 rounds to prepare and she will use them. In her first round, she casts a mass death ward on her group, just in case it had run out...and she knows Quinn's was already down. In her second round, she casts an assay spell resistance in regards to Kranrakor. Her third round is to cast moment of prescience, a bonus she will apply to breaking Kranrakor's spell resistance, if these two bonuses arent enough, she doesnt know what will be. In her last round, she uses a wish scroll, the party gets this one for free because it was her idea. Her wish...I wish that Kranrakor's will not save himself from the next spell I cast.
The moment she comes out of the time stop, she unleashes a mass heal on the area, if Kranrakor has any alliles, they're going to get slammed as well...not to mention her own group getting any benefits they may still need.

[Ridai]

Katarina stops time itself, weaves her magic, and finally unleashes her most powerful healing spell, empowered by a full-blown wish.

From the perspective of the party, they briefly hear Katarina begin to chant something, and in the very next moment, the laboratory is more or less crushed beneath a suddenly appeared dracolich whose body is blasted by radiant energies, the lich roaring in agony (and the sound causing avalances of gold), before the energy bursts outwards and turns to colossal beast to dust.

There is just utter disbelief among the party, standing there, still trying to process what happened.

"I believe we should look for the phylactery." Amrita dryly says eventually.

Welcome to the undead having no HP.

Since the SR was ignored and the guaranteed save wished away, that heal did just enough to hit Kranrakor for the entirety of his HP, as he doesn't get the tons of extra HP from constitution and his many hit dice... because he doesn't have Constitution.

Though truth be told, had he survived this, he would have just time stopped, healed himself back to full, put down a nasty crowd control spell, and maybe teleported away.

[MikelaC1]

Unfortunately, all of my powerful divination spells require that I have seen and touched the object which I have not, so the only way is to search manually. Traditionally, a lich phylactery is a box, inscribed with magical symbols and such. If you find it, do not open it, just bring it to me. My most reliable spell for this sort of thing is disintigrate, all the protections in the world are not going to stand up to that.
Having said that, Katarina goes to work in the room, trying to see if she can find it.

[Ridai]

The party is still shaken as they begin to search through the wreckage of the lab along with Katarina. Most of the magical devices were crushed by the sudden appearance of the massive undead dragon, along with the furniture, leaving some arcane crackling and sparks on the floor. Suddenly, Katarina hears someone sigh in annoyance. Turning, she sees a human man in his early thirties suddenly having appeared among the wreckage, holding a steaming mug, dressed in a simple black shirt, pants, and flipflops, like he just stepped out of his home on a slow day off. He lets his gaze sweep across the wreckage while looking somewhat irritated, but also not completely surprised. Katarina sees a cold blue light in his eyes and on parts of his skin.

As he looks at the scenery, he says "Hello, Katarina," seeming rather casual and unaffected by the Apex as he takes a sip from his mug, upon which is a glowing comic image of an otter. Katarina recognizes the man as Liam Whitedrake, also described by others as the Dweomerlord or the Shaper, due to his aptitude at manipulating magic, infusing it into objects (or beings), or affecting the world around him. People claim the inside of his floating fortress-arcology is infinite space folded in on itself, but Liam usually dismisses such talk as childish imaginations. He doesn't feel the need to impress anyone anymore, rarely shows more than minor reactions, and is perhaps the one who receives the most requests for high-end magical creations, though no one can hope to demand something like this from him.

Liam, after all, is an Apex.

"Still doing mercenary work to pass the time. Classic dragonhunting, eh?" He takes another sip, pointing to one large piece of wrecked arcane construction, and the object follows where he points, floating for him to briefly inspect. "Well, nothing that can't be fixed." And the object gets cast aside. "Anyway, welcome to one of my properties. You blew up a researcher of mine, but, well, host destruction isn't exactly lethal for this one. Getting suddenly exploded may be the most noteworthy thing he produced so far, actually." Another sip, still not seeming very concerned with it all.

The party, meanwhile, is even more confused now.

[MikelaC1]

Your researcher was not a simple dragon, but a dracolich. Last time I checked, liches cannot be trusted by humans long term, or even short term. We were simply cleaning up the problem, and once we have the phylactery and destroy it, we'll be on our way.

[Ridai]

"Yes, I am quite aware he is a dracolich. And you don't need trust when you have a true name, own the phylactery, and etched bindings into it," Liam says rather matter-of-factly, taking another sip. "Found him a few decades ago, along with his little book. Figured that a monster like him doesn't deserve to have rights, so I put him to work non-stop, disobedience being punished by destruction. Might as well have him do something useful as atonement, if you will, and he came with his own cache of resources, so no investment needed. But, of course, he is a monster, there is no atonement to be had. Maybe he will produce something useful at some point, maybe not, but he doesn't ever get to leave. Really, do you think I'd just leave a wyrm dracolich to his own devices with a pinky swear to keep him in check? Please."

[MikelaC1]

Katarina sighs inwardly, the last thing she wanted to do was take on another Apex. She's not built for those sorts of fights, and frankly doesnt want them. If she had known that fighting another Apex was a part of this deal, she wouldnt have taken it. Time to defuse the situation.

So I assume you have Kranrakor's phylactery. You want it to keep him working, we want it to destroy him, once and for all. I think we can all agree that even with having his phylactery, he is too much of danger and any manner of things could go wrong
[roll0]
Perhaps we can come to some sort of mutually agreeable accommodation here? with just a hint of suggestiveness in her tone
[roll1]

[Ridai]

Liam gives Katarina a dead stare for a moment after that last bit. Quinn opens his mouth to say something after some hesitation, but he closes it immediately when Liam does a little gesture towards him as if to say don't bother, we're getting there.

"If you want to make a deal, we can do that, we are civilized people. But spare me the platitudes. I also don't accept 'experiences' as trade commodities. So here is my suggestion: you want the phylactery and Records. I am willing to part with both of them, under favorable conditions. We are, after all, Apexes, and not exactly at odds, so I consider this a friendly trade between colleagues. A favor for the phylactery, and for the Records, I don't want anything, however you will swear to share any and all findings you or your associates glean from them. At the very least, they may provide a few interesting historical insights. As a bonus, you and your party each can take from this hoard as much as you are able to carry on your person or in your bags of holding, with some help from me to find the pieces with a better mass-to-value ratio. That should amount to a couple hundred thousand for each of you. And that is it." Liam sounds like giving away millions worth of gold pieces doesn't even begin to faze him.

"Do we have a deal?"

[MikelaC1]

Well, I cant speak for the rest of the group, I am not their leader, I'm just helping with this mission...but for myself, that sounds like an excellent deal. I really am interested in the Records, as you say, and while money can sometimes be crass, many things in the world do need it. I dont suppose you can do something for Quinns's weapons and armor, of course, this money can be used to replace them, but I think they had some sentimental value.

Oh, and before we leave, I did make a promise to two of my staff members. You see, they have never actually "seen" a dragon hoard, only read stories of them, and I would like to bring them here so they can see one. If you worried about them taking a cut as well, dont worry, they just want to see.

[Ridai]

Liam takes another sip as Katarina tells him she isn't the leader, only lacking the complementary "mhm".

When Katarina asks for Quinn's equipment to be restored, she gets a brief look like can't you do that yourself?, followed by "Can do. For another favor." Meanwhile, he points at the wreckage and an ancient tome arises from beneath, looking rather damaged from suddenly having a giant dragon on top of it. Katarina watches as it seems to reconstruct itself back to perfect condition and floats over to her.

As for having two employees visit the hoard, he only says "Sure," making a quick gesture with his free hand. "Anything else?"

[MikelaC1]

Katarina teleports back to her estate, giving everyone a quick message. Anyone who wants to see an absolutely fabulous dragon hoard, the teleport train is leaving in a few minutes. She knows Sybilla expressed a desire to see it as did Carina, and if any of the others want to come along, her teleport is pretty much unlimited. Once they gather, she will teleport them back there.

She also has a message for Quinn. I think I can use a wish to get your items back. I dont know for sure if it will cost you or not, but that cost will be less than what it would be to buy replacement items and they will have the sentimental value, so once we have taken our cuts, I will do the wish and if it costs, you can pay me.

[Ridai]

As Katarina teleports away without saying anything else, she can hear Liam in her mind. "I'll take that as a no, then," with a slightly annoyed note to it, given Katarina wanting to make Liam wait for several minutes is just grossly wasting his time. She also feels that the deal isn't just a verbal agreement, it is binding, for both sides.

As Katarina asks her staff, Sybilla and Carina do arrive quickly, the rest indicating that they are either busy or have already had the pleasure of seeing a dragon's hoard, but thanking Katarina for the offer regardless. Sybilla is radiant as ever as she arrives, easily moving to Katarina's side, with Carina taking the Apex' hand.

Quinn answers "Please do."

They teleport back after a few minutes and find Liam gone, the party already facing a pile of extraordinarily large and well-cut gems in front of them, and the pieces of the phylactery on the ground, Amrita morphing out of a gargantuan dragon form just then. Liam upheld his end of the bargain, and Katarina can feel as such.

The sudden appearance of Katarina, flanked by Sybilla and Carina, stuns most of the group, and introductions are made, followed the maid of honor and the aide marveling at a dragon's hoard rivaling or perhaps exceeding the stuff of fairy tales, Carina displaying such pure joy that it is simply melting everyone's heart, and Sybilla spending a moment with Katarina. "Had I become queen, I would have laid all the kingdom's riches and treasures at your feet and they would still be hardly a token of how much you mean to me."

With the quest pretty much done, the party displays a range of different reactions. Amrita, now back in her mortal form, seems most collected, but somewhat satisfied. Severin is in good spirits, speaking to Faldriga (who he is holding in his arms) who seems rather shaken. Quinn seems relieved that this is all over, if with a bitter note. And Nico is close to Quinn, helping him load up everyone's packs with gems, looking like she is just wanting to concentrate on her work, though quietly talking with Quinn, seeing small flashes of positive emotion on the halfling's face.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina and Sybilla examine the gems and make selections, based as much on appearance as value, there will be a few signature pieces that might make it into jewelry, the rest being taken for sale value. If the supply of gems runs out, she takes the difference in coin. Seeing as they are only allowed to take what they can carry, the division rules go out the window, Katarina also securing the Records for future study.

I am not sure what is going to happen when I cast this wish, even if there is a monetary cost to it, you can then just pick up another gem to make up the difference. Anyway...I wish that Quinn's weapons and armour were restored to him

She also turns to Nico...I was impressed with your skill with daggers, but I have a woman back at my estate, if you want, I could arrange for you to have some tutoring from her, she could take you to the next level.

[Ridai]

Katarina casts the spell, 25000 gold pieces worth of gems vanish, and Quinn's armor and weapons reform without much fanfare. Quinn is surprised, checking it, and is visibly moved as he quietly thanks the Apex.

Nico seems hesitant at first, she looks to Quinn and Amrita for a moment, than her hands, balling them and opening them, before looking back to the Apex. "Yeah, sure."

When everyone has gathered their take, they all look at the hoard, before gathering around, Quinn saying. "Seems like that's it. Thank you for your... for your help." He bows deeply, the others following suit. "Could you take us back to the castle?"

[MikelaC1]

Katarina kisses each person, in turn, on cheek (or if they seem hesitant about contact, settling for handshake) It has been an honor and pleasure to work with you. You all have the makings of heros of ballads. I look forward to hearing the stories of your fine work. Left unsaid by the way she says this and the words she used is the fact that Katarina will likely never work with them again. Its one of Katarina's few quirks, she almost never works with parties twice.
She casts the teleport, returning the group to the castle. She hands a small paper to Nico This is my version of a hall pass, present it when you arrive, and you will be given admittance. For now then, farewell And with a flourish and a theatrical "boom", the three women disappear.

Arriving back at the estate, Katarina is ready to answer any questions and hear what has happened in her absence (not that it was too long, unless time travels differently in the negative plane) but she does have some instructions for Maeve before she begins During the groups travels, I met a halfling woman, Nico, I feel she could really benefit with some tutelage, by you, if you are willing. But as much as she can benefit from adventuring skills, she has an attitude and a temper that, in my opinion, will always hold her back, keeping her from realizing her true potential. I would like you to work with her on that, nothing overt, just show her a different way, our way, and see if you can take her unpleasant edge off while still leaving the skill.

[Ridai]

As she returns, Katarina soon has her staff gather around her in one of the parlors. The way it was designed, Katarina just so happens to be illuminated by the sun, with Sybilla still being right next to her, as she has been since teleporting to the hoard, and not making any attempt to change that. Naturally, her first question is "Were you harmed during your adventure?" She disguises it quite well, but Eve once casually mentioned that Sybilla quickly starts missing Katarina when she is away, and probably gets nostalgic for when the Apex came to save her back then.

Each of the staff members ask something different when it is their turn.

Eve, seeming in a quite good mood, welcomes her mistress back and asks "Has the party upheld their side of the bargain and have they conducted themselves well?" Katarina will never work with the party again, but Eve likes to hear how things went and if the contract was honored. If the group conducted themselves well, people may hear from Eve in the future about being trustworthy business partners, which carries a lot of weight. Plus, that sort of evaluation is part of any proceedings to wrap a contract up, and anything that may follow it.

Carina is still over the moon from having stepped into a real life fairy tale for a while, so naturally, she asks "What other sights and wonders have you seen on your adventure?", already looking forward to the answer with pure joy.

Remy, ever serene, asks "How was the Titan's Spine? It's been a while since I was last there."

Irmin, too, seems quite excited to hear about Katarina's exploits. "Another victory must be celebrated! Have the adventures left you with any particular cravings?"

Meave gives a grin when told about Nico. "Ooooh, Sunspark wants me to teach her some tricks? I spotted her a few times while, you know, doing Meave things, but never talked. I feel like she's what I would have ended up as if you hadn't taken me in, but for a good cause instead of a death cult. Gruff and snappy, but mark my words, I bet she's a real cutie on the inside. I may just steal her away for a fortnight." Meave hatching a plan with glee. No one is safe anymore. "I may have peeked at the party a bit." As Meave does. "Any winners among them? Asking for a friend."

And finally, Amelyn arrives, practically glowing, like the day could not get any better and everything is right in the world. To Katarina and her connection to love, it is even more apparent. Amelyn is head over heels in love and that fact is fully on display, raw and unfiltered and intense as hell. In Katarina's eyes, it makes her apprentice so much more, the sheer power and beauty Love gives her a sight to behold (and clearly charming the rest of the staff). "Wow, that was quick! Were the lich and his minions even able to put up a fight? Did you find the Records?" She is as curious about that tome as Katarina is. Hardly a surprise, after all, being the Apex' right hand when it comes to magical matters.

[MikelaC1]

As she returns, Katarina soon has her staff gather around her in one of the parlors. The way it was designed, Katarina just so happens to be illuminated by the sun, with Sybilla still being right next to her, as she has been since teleporting to the hoard, and not making any attempt to change that. Naturally, her first question is "Were you harmed during your adventure?" She disguises it quite well, but Eve once casually mentioned that Sybilla quickly starts missing Katarina when she is away, and probably gets nostalgic for when the Apex came to save her back then.

He never laid a claw on me.

Each of the staff members ask something different when it is their turn.


Eve, seeming in a quite good mood, welcomes her mistress back and asks "Has the party upheld their side of the bargain and have they conducted themselves well?" Katarina will never work with the party again, but Eve likes to hear how things went and if the contract was honored. If the group conducted themselves well, people may hear from Eve in the future about being trustworthy business partners, which carries a lot of weight. Plus, that sort of evaluation is part of any proceedings to wrap a contract up, and anything that may follow it.

They upheld their side and conducted themselves well..other than the one little issue I discussed with Maeve.


Carina is still over the moon from having stepped into a real life fairy tale for a while, so naturally, she asks "What other sights and wonders have you seen on your adventure?", already looking forward to the answer with pure joy.

It was a pretty straightforward mission, and never much to see in a shrine of the undead


Re-my, ever serene, asks "How was the Titan's Spine? It's been a while since I was last there."

Just very cold


, too, seems quite excited to hear about Katarina's exploits. "Another victory must be celebrated! Have the adventures left you with any particular cravings?"

One of those perfectly grilled steaks of yours, along with a baked potato and a salad


gives a grin when told about Nico. "Ooooh, Sunspark wants me to teach her some tricks? I spotted her a few times while, you know, doing Meave things, but never talked. I feel like she's what I would have ended up as if you hadn't taken me in, but for a good cause instead of a death cult. Gruff and snappy, but mark my words, I bet she's a real cutie on the inside. I may just steal her away for a fortnight." Meave hatching a plan with glee. No one is safe anymore. "I may have peeked at the party a bit." As Meave does. "Any winners among them? Asking for a friend."

We really werent together long enough for any of what I know you're asking about


And finally, Amelyn arrives, practically glowing, like the day could not get any better and everything is right in the world. To Katarina and her connection to love, it is even more apparent. Amelyn is head over heels in love and that fact is fully on display, raw and unfiltered and intense as hell. In Katarina's eyes, it makes her apprentice so much more, the sheer power and beauty Love gives her a sight to behold (and clearly charming the rest of the staff). "Wow, that was quick! Were the lich and his minions even able to put up a fight? Did you find the Records?" She is as curious about that tome as Katarina is. Hardly a surprise, after all, being the Apex' right hand when it comes to magical matters.

Katarina loves to see when she is right, and in Amelyn's case, she was clearly more than right. Lichs are an especially dangerous foe and the worst part is, if they think they are in trouble, they just teleport out. I was determined to not even let him have the chance, so I went full nova on him the moment we encountered him. The only event of real interest was running into Liam, it seems the
lich was working for him...but he let us have the tome and whatever we could carry, in exchange for telling us what we find in it. Guess he just didnt have the time or inclination to research it himself.

[Ridai]

Carina seems almost disappointed that there wasn't really anything noteworthy, though Remy does add "It was daytime there, so she couldn't see the aurorae in the region," which does give Carina something to marvel about. Since it seems like Katarina isn't going to talk much about the adventure, the staff mostly excuses themselves to head back to their respective duties, except for Amelyn.

"Yeah, sounds like Whitedrake, from what I know about him. Guess he doesn't have too many hopes in regards to the Records. Hope this party didn't get too big a dose of reality when you nuked that lich. Anyway!" Amelyn rubs her hands and leans forward. "When are we gonna start studying that book?"

[MikelaC1]

I do plan to dig into it tomorrow, however I was wondering. Time does pass differently in some planes, and we were int the negative plane for some time, how long in terms of this plane's time was I gone?

[Ridai]

"Time flows normally in the inner planes. The outer planes and demiplanes is where it can get dicey. So I guess you were gone for a couple of hours."

Looking at her take, Katarina and Amelyn see the shapes of the gems did leave a good bit of air in her bag, and her other belongings were in there as well, so she didn't get as much as she could, and her pack doesn't nearly have the capacity of a bag of holding.

Regardless, Katarina brought home about two million gold pieces worth of gems.

"Gods. To think this isn't even a lot of money for some Apexes from what Eve told me. Holy hells. Guess that party can now retire wealthy as nobility, huh." For Amelyn, this is a lot of money. To distract herself from it, the young woman says "So, was this party, you know, helpful, or did you do all the heavy lifting? Kinda hard to find adventuring parties remotely on your level, most just retire at some point because Apexes handle the big threats, and some worry about drawing the ire of Apexes if they get too notable. I heard Meave and Eve talk about the Apexes still hunting for the last Lancer. No idea how they stay hidden when those looking can bend reality to their will."

[MikelaC1]

I dont think they will retire, not yet. They seem to be in it for "doing good", not so much for the money. And now they will be able to trick themselves out big time.
They did as much as they could do, but a lich was beyond them to begin with and so I knew I had to deal with him quickly and decisively. Didnt even give them a chance to get in on it.
What do you mean by the last Lancer?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At supper, Katarina has two announcements to make. First of all, I plan to sell off half of the gems. It will take a little while, Highland is a nice city, but I dont think they can come up with a million gold, so I will have to use contacts in other cities, and contract with some of the merchants here to sell and ship for me. But before that happens, I am going to open the other half to all of you. Take what you want, for you or a loved one and if you need to take some in order to pay for the gem to be mounted, thats fine. I will have the first pick and Sybilla second and then we will work from there.
The second is in regards to the stable I have arranged to be built on the grounds. You may wonder what I would want with a horse, well, I dont plan to just have any old horse. Instead, I think I would cut a dashing figure, mounted on....a pegasus.

[Ridai]

"So, you know how anything humanoid that isn't a really powerful full caster isn't a real threat to an Apex, right? They have their troops and minions, sure, but a fighter or paladin or the like won't ever be taken serious, and even stuff like bards are mostly decent agents and fun at parties. But there are some freak outliers. Lancers are one of them. Whereas most highly skilled mundanes might leap across a street or a small chasm, Lancers leap over freaking mountains. And anything they leap at is hit with such force that it is said that the best of them can annihilate wyrms in one strike. There's a story of one of them leaping from the top of mountain into the sky, and barreling down onto a castle in the valley, punching a tunnel through several storeys and impaling the evil king hiding in its center with his polearm, before leaping back out the way he came. Most never see them coming, and they are like a demigod's precision artillery. Though they were never numerous or very active in the world, that didn't stop Apexes from hunting them down and eradicating them. The public message is that the Lancers are nefarious mass murderers and they could strike at any time, anywhere, murdering innocents left and right, and thus need to be stopped. The more likely version is that in the eyes of Apexes, Lancers manage to be dangerous enough to be a threat, but they don't have the kind of importance other Apexes have, so they are fair game to eliminate. Rumor has it that the king in the story was an Apex protege who let his newfound might go to his head and threatened the Lancers' homeland, and they thus retaliated, accidentally sending a message that they can and will oppose and kill Apexes if needed. Eve heard they managed to find and kill most of them (which they like to sell as "all of them"), but at least one is still unaccounted for, and somehow, despite all the might they have, they have been unable to find them, which honestly is all sorts of baffling, as Lancers aren't exactly known for ungodly stealth or immunity to divinations. They're, ultimately, just really strong-legged people with very pointy sticks."

----------------

At supper, Katarina gets exactly what she wished for. She knows Irmin's cuisine is always more than exquisite, but she notices that somehow, even with such a relatively simple dish, he went above and beyond, which is unusual even for a gifted chef like Irmin. The first announcement creates excitement, the staff clearly having ideas about what to do with the gems for personal things they are keeping a secret for now, with the exceptions being Carina and Remy.

Carina: "You are too kind. I don't want any for myself... but perhaps I can make some adornments for our Custodians? Some gems would look so wonderful on them." Carina rarely takes for herself if offered. Sybilla and Meave do take care of the Custodians, but Carina also likes to tend to them, treating them like real people, with all the love she gives to the other members of the staff, no matter how limited or not their intellect may be.

Remy: "I have everything I need in life, and Lia and Ila are hardly impressed by 'mutilated rocks', as they would put it, so I decline the kind offer with many thanks." Remy indeed seems quite happy with where he is in life and what he has. Everyone can tell that he is living a fulfilled life, thanks to what he can do every day, and most importantly his true love for his twin dryads.


The second announcement raises eyebrows (and a dirty cackle from Meave, receiving a swift little slap to the back of the head from Sybilla). Sybilla and Carina are already in love with the idea, saying how majestic pegasi are. Amelyn seems to be busy picturing what Katarina describes, seeming to end up at a wordless expression of "Yeah, not bad". Remy seems happy about adding animals to the estate and, naturally, volunteers as the caretaker. Irmin, too, seems to look forward to this, mentioning that while no horse wanted to carry around all his mass, he always had a soft spot for caring for them (and that a pegasus would result in a nice source for fertilizer). Eve mentions she will inform the carpenter accordingly, as pegasi like to nest high, and that adding a pegasus to the public image would be quite striking. And finally, in between quiet snickering, Meave quips:

"Hey, might as well go for a sparkling unicorn pegasus!" Clearly meant in jest (as they usually go for the very best for Katarina), Amelyn getting a chuckle out of this, and Sybilla starting to reprimand Meave for not taking this seriously, only for Remy to chime in.

"We could indeed go look for a unicorn pegasus," which leads to Meave laughing out loud ("My man!") and taking Amelyn with her, Sybilla starting to look rather cross, while the rest enjoys everyone having a good time (for the most part). Remy has a pleasant expression as this all happens. "That was not a joke, you know."

Which gives the table some pause. "Whaaaaat?!" "No way!" And Carina and Sybilla being even more enamored with the whole idea now, audibly so.

Eve looks to Katarina with a smile and an amused shrug at the situation, pretty much letting her know that she feels any brand of pegasus would do, with or without the horn. Knowing her secretary, Eve is already having Katarina's back in this endeavor and is likely already making mental preparations.

[MikelaC1]

Do you happen to know the best place to look for a unicorn pegasus? Katarina was not even aware that such a creature existed, but then, thats just one of the reasons for having Remy around, you cant know everything about everything and every member of her staff has their own talents. There are probably even areas of her operation that she isnt aware of, trusting Eve in all matters of administration, and Irmin has politely but firmly made the kitchen off limits to her. (especially after the last batch of burnt chocolate chip cookies)

[Ridai]

"Unicorn pegasi are very rare, only happening if a particularly strong and pure pegasus mates with an equally noteworthy unicorn, and even then the chance is relatively low. A unicorn pegasus' chance of having offspring like itself also requires a similar bond, or mating with another unicorn pegasus. Them being as rare and remarkable as they are, they are naturally highly coveted by good champions and outsiders to aid them in their quests, and fey also have an interest in them. So they don't really have a go-to place of origin. But Ila, Mia, and I listen to nature, so we occasionally get some glimpses. There is an enchanted forest, hidden between the Moonspire mountains, where we may find one. They tend to avoid attention of civilization, much like their parents, prefer both higher altitudes and forests, and are drawn towards places inclined towards good and suffused by magical energies. Just be prepared for them being sapient, intelligent beings, much like unicorns and pegasi."

[MikelaC1]

Okay, here is what we are going to do. We will buy about 50 acres of the land that is right next to the estate, on the edge of your enchanted garden/forest. Then Remy, you, your dryads and I will turn into forested land, using magic to speed up the process, that will also suffuse the spot with magical energy, which will make her feel at home. The stable, such as it will be, will be built right at the edge of the forest, how much she ends up using it will be up to her, but it will be there for her as she wishes. We might even put a small mountain in the middle of the forest only an Apex would casually talk about placing a mountain somewhere so she has both forest and altitude as she pleases. Plus since we are the coast, she can soar out over the ocean if she needs. Once everything is built, that should only take a week or so, we make a road trip to the forest to see if we can convince one to join us. Pity that I probably wont be able to name her, Ive always been partial to Northern Dancer but you cant have everything. In the evenings of all this construction, Amelyn, you and I will research that tome. Comments, concerns, questions?

[Ridai]

(The cliff the city is located on isn't next to the ocean, it's inland. Basically the end of a large plateau)

Eve gives a professional smile. "I will make arrangements right away." And she says this like acquiring 50 acres in a day and having a high quality stable built in a week is merely a bit of light exercise. Remy, too, seems not too concerned with the coming task, and Amelyn seems excited about getting to take a look at the Shaldrin Records.

[MikelaC1]

With everyone set to their tasks, Katarina goes to look through the haul of gems, taking Sybilla along with her. Katarina knows what she is looking for right away, she seeks out 5 specific gems. She wants the largest (although hopefully relatively the same size) that she can find of a diamond (it can be a little bigger), a sapphire, an emerald, a ruby and an amethyst. Those five gems will be crafted into a tiara (with the diamond being the middle piece). She will also pick out one or two other items that interest her. She will also help Sybilla find the perfect pieces for her, trying on necklaces, tiaras and other things until she gets it just right. She will also find what she considers to be the best of the best in rings, and put it on her finger personally.
After that is done, she will inform the staff (not seeking anyone out, just whenever she meets one), that the gem trove is now open for browsing.

[Ridai]

Katarina finds quite the remarkable pieces for her planned tiara. Her take only consists almost only out of gems (since that is what Liam gathered from the hoard, true to his word), but that seems perfectly fine with Sybilla, seemingly specifically looking (with Katarina's help) for smaller gems for a secret project, but Katarina does find a diamond ring among the pile, and when she puts it on Sybilla's finger, the blush and smile she receives in return makes the Apex genuinely weak in the legs and her heart skip a beat. No one could resist such a look from Sybilla di Varencia, who would love to become Sybilla Sintar.

Once the trove is opened, the other staff members follow the invitation. From what Katarina spots or learns about, Remy does indeed not take anything. Eve only takes a few modest gems. Amelyn pretty much gets herself casting supplies (how often do you just happen across perfectly good diamonds, after all?), but there seem to be some bits that don't seem to fit in that category. Irmin picks out a few smaller sapphires, while Carina actually takes several larger gems and a bunch of smaller ones, all while blushing bashfully, like she is asking herself if this is too much (knowing her, none of these are meant for herself). Meave scores herself the biggest ruby she can get her hands on with a gleeful grin from ear to ear, Katarina practically seeing and hearing the gears in her head. Even after all this, the trove still has 250,000 gold pieces worth of gems left. Meave picking that huge ruby that is way too large to mount in jewelry meant for anything human-sized and Amelyn stocking up on casting resources probably were the biggest shares, but Katarina doesn't get the feeling like anyone felt short-changed or held back. They took what they wanted, and would like to see the rest be invested in the estate or any other of Katarina's endeavors.

[MikelaC1]

Once the gems are claimed, Katarina leaves instructions for Eve to sell off the rest of the hoard, both in Highland and with her contacts in other cities, and use the funds generated to pay for the new land and the stable and to deposit the rest in her accounts. She does have a few ideas of what she wants done with it, but she has enough on her plate right now and will have to put those on the back burner. She leaves instructions with Remy to make preparations for turning the new land into a mini forest and for Sybilla to keep the estate running along because she and Amelyn are going to sequester themselves in the preliminary study of the Records

[Ridai]

"Of course. I will let you know once the transactions are done and the land is purchased. Once you are done with the tome, I would like to lend it for a bit. It has been a while since my last deep dive into arcane lore and I have been feeling a little nostalgic." Eve, while only having modest magical talent (measured by the kind useful in adventuring) nonetheless was a brilliant Mystran student and still enjoys a bit of arcane theory.

"We will prepare seeds to plant and nourish the land," Remy answers, not sounding like creating the forest will take all that long.

Sybilla wishes them much success. The pursuit of magic is core to Katarina's devotion to that very same thing, so she has learned to accept the times where the Apex requires not to be disturbed. Amelyn says she'll let Kit know she'll be busy for a while.

------------------------

Retreating into Katarina's main study, they settle in and start to examine the Shaldrin Records. A first external examination and the way it is made and designed places it at an age around 200 years ago. Beginning to read the tome, it is clear that the contents are dense, complex, and not structured for easy digestibility or as a progression of concepts like modern arcane, divine, and psionic literature, lacking the academic progress as well as the work of the Apexes. This isn't a tome that was meant for publishing or teaching. These are indeed records of an unknown author, and one with a very deep understanding of the workings of magic, and thus due to the author assuming the knowledge of very complex and at times obscure concepts, the very intricate diagrams of arcane and geomantic matrices, the at times outdated terminology, and the winding and complicated sentence structure, the tome is most likely nigh impenetrable to most readers. Katarina, due to her insight, is able to recognize several things she never heard of formally, even if she never really moved among wizardry circles. Amelyn, meanwhile, is completely focused on the pursuit of knowledge, which in the past had contributed to her very rapid progress as a mage. When people let her, she will do nothing but eat, sleep, and learn when there is something to learn, and/or practice. She has started transcription of their findings, as well as a glossary.

During their first day of intense study, Katarina and Amelyn find that the tome contains several findings and hypotheses based on those. It begins with explorations of how magic energies of the various kinds are part of the world and its beings, how they are generated, how they migrate and are converted. Arcane casters grow by increasing their aptitude of manipulating and harnessing energies moving in the world or within themselves. Divine casters align themselves more and more with the core tenets of their deity and its portfolio, becoming better vessels for their power. The natural subsection of divine magic, as practiced most often by druids, attunes itself to the world and its all-encompassing nature, the growth of understanding making them better conduits of its inherent energies. Psionics apparently are a whole different topic unto themselves, as they draw power only from themselves, not needing any sort of external investiture or energies, with even the sorcerers only able to do what they do due to being of a magical bloodline that allows them to generate arcane energies to begin with. Psionics delve into the architecture of their very own minds and unlock hidden potential, they can train their font of energy like a muscle, or they can even tap into the collective unconsciousness of all intelligent life, the latter being a rather nebulous topic (even to this day, though there is no telling what knowledge the one known Apex society mind Auravia may possess and may not share, though almost everything about her is mysterious, but her track record of predicting the course of societies, kingdoms, and wars is nothing short of astounding, when she chooses to share information).

All this serves as a sort of preamble to the author investigating the extent of power that a being can wield. There are, of course, what the tome calls "the powers", namely deities and demigods, beings of nearly unfathomable cosmic power while also having a strong connection to the concepts of their portfolio. Beings like the Lords of Hell and the Demon Lords are adjacent to such beings, even if they rarely achieve the raw might of a deity, and thus still fall under the purview of the term "power". Then there are the outsiders, products of the outer planes and their nature and aspects, as well as the investitures of the powers in some cases, giving them immense potential, with some beings like the solars, titans, and pit fiends being known to wield might of mythical proportions. The dragons, fonts of arcane energy and the predominant source of sorcerer bloodlines, growing inherently more powerful with age, until they rival the most powerful outsiders. The vile aberrations, thought to be spawn of the barely known Far Realms, seemingly untethered by known concepts and conventions applying to most other creatures. At the end of this magical hierarchy seem to be the common races like the human, the elf, the dwarf. Utterly weak and pathetic in the grand scheme of things, yet able to harness energies in astounding ways and able to develop themselves to exceed the capabilities of common examples of their kind by far. Magic, the great equalizer, with ingenuity overcoming raw might in some cases, the common races lacking the powerful inherent forms and abilities of the more powerful races.

Yet despite how extreme magic's power can become, there does seem to be a limit. The author speaks of the theory of the spheres (nowadays known as the magic levels, Amelyn points out), each one becoming the fundament of a greater one, up until the ninth sphere that is described by the author as "near-mythical", where mortals become able to shape reality, if it aligns with their divine patron or they exhibit enough care. It is clear that ninth level casters were much rarer when the author wrote the Records, as Apexes only emerged decades ago in the public awareness, give or take, and have, to an extent, demystified the magic levels. The author does fairly accurately predict the emergence of Apexes and what effect on the world they may have (noting that the discussion of this will need to be delayed to a later date, possibly located further back in the tome), but the first thing the author seeks to explore is if a mage can grow so drastically, especially late in their career, why does that growth... stop? Why is nothing beyond the ninth sphere known and why are there no indications of anything existing beyond it? Is there a natural limit of how much a mortal can achieve? Is it only a matter of time until someone emerges to exceed this limit, just like a steady increase in magical and physical aptitude could be observed among notable individuals in the past? Or are there other limiting factors? Or is there truly nothing, save for the powers? The author thus begins his examination of this perceived threshold.

Having reached this point in the tome, the sun has already dipped beneath the horizon. Emptied plates of food and equally emptied cups are littering the desk amid Katarina's and Amelyn's notes. It appears they are roughly a third through the tome and Katarina can feel her brain being in dire need of some rest. This part of the tome was a lot of ground work, so to speak, as well as what sometimes was on the edge of rambling or random musings. Amelyn, next to her, practically devoured the knowledge, her finger tips still practically glowing from all the writing she put to parchment (ink smears too much, even if these are just temporary notes, so she just writes directly using magic, also allowing her to skip using shorthand).

"Seems like we are getting to the juicy bits, but chances are it's only gonna get more esoteric from here. Whoever wrote this definitely could have benefitted from all the knowledge Apexes brought to the table, but what this author still managed to do with some solid observation, experimentation, and a good head on their shoulders? I'd half expect one of the less benevolent Apexes making them disappear if they'd been alive and tried to do this nowadays, made a slave or silenced or something." Amelyn stretches, still seeming very much fired up about continuing. Classic Amelyn, declaring war on sleep.

There is a knock on the door, Eve entering soon after. "Mi'ladies," Eve greets them. "I am happy to report the gemstones have been sold, quite profitably I may add, and the land has been acquired at a very reasonable price, the creation of a magical forest and mountain near the city as well as further confirming you are here to stay having led to very favorable conditions. After substracting the costs for the land and doing business, we have a record net gain of 1.32 million gold for the estate. I also would like to formally request your permission to make Xethira my full-time assistant, as she certainly helped with achieving this result. We found we work quite well together, in many ways." The half-elven secretary smiles professionally, though coming from her, it also always has an alluring aspect to it.

"How goes the reading?"

[MikelaC1]

That is a lot more than I expected, you did well. Naturally, you have my permission to add any assistant you need, I trust your judgement in such things. Spread the deposits out in a few of the banks and our accounts.
So far, the book is been a lot of dry theory, speculating on the nature of "power" and where it comes from...and why there seems to be nothing beyond what we would call a ninth level spell. Is there really nothing beyond that, or it just something that hasnt been figured out yet. Thats where we are now, and the tome is about to go into examining this.

[Ridai]

"Ah, winding up to a grand theory, I see," Eve comments, almost sounding a little nostalgic.

"Yeah, sounds about right. Honestly, I always wondered how all sorts of magicians ended up with the same stratification of magic and all ending up at more or less similar levels of power. Making notes," Amelyn briefly holds up several of the papers. "maybe we can organize those once you read through the tome, make some drafts, that sort of thing."

"Cetainly," Eve answers. "Meave also appears to have already squirreled away Sunspark Nico for her brand of training, and it most likely is going well, as we have been seeing very little of Meave today. Should I tell Irmin and Carina that you are pulling an all-nighter or that you will be spending tomorrow to study?"

[MikelaC1]

I saw good potential in Nico, but it was being held back by her temper and lack of focus. Much like Maeve herself when she first joined us. I thought she would be able to do something with her.
As for us, even if I were to tell Amelyn to leave this for tomorrow, she would sneak back in here anyway and read it on her own. And I dont think either of us should be alone when we start reading about 10th level spells. That might easily be enough to unhinge even the strongest mind. Please have Irmin send us up something around midnight. And dont worry, once we get through with things, its all yours. While I promised Whitedrake I would share my findings with him, I didnt say when, or that I would give him the actual book.

[Ridai]

"Certainly. Have fun, ladies," Eve says before she leaves.

"Alright, time to get to the good stuff," Amelyn says, rubbing her hands.

-------------------

Now, the author of the Records is getting to this perceived threshold beyond the ninth sphere. All known varieties of casters end with tremendously powerful and dangerous abilities, be is reshaping the world, assuming the form of the creatures who are beyond the capabilities of the common races, causing catastrophies on areas the size of cities, entirely reforming their own and others' minds, creating portals to other planes of existence, and assuming aspects of divinity. The only thing that is left now is magic on a much grander scale. And that magic is akin to the Powers. The Powers cannot simply walk the Prime Material. They cannot simply directly interfere with life, otherwise, logically, they would be the dominant force in all aspects of the world. The author hypothesises that once a being steps into the realm of becoming a Power (such as becoming a deity), they transcend the world as mortals know it, and move beyond this threshold they will never cross again, unless they shed what makes them a Power. The deities are the most known kind, and all of them, no matter if they are minor or major deities, possess a portfolio and domains, aspects of the world they can influence. The author believes that they do not simply affect these, but that they are also tied to these, that the portfolios are like the building blocks of the multiverse, and to become a Power is to draw might from it.

The deities require worship, the source of their might, and what they are worshipped for and who they are determines what aspects of the multiverse they can draw upon and attempt to foster in order to grow their might. So the deities at the same time have tremendous freedoms, yet they are also bound by their own cult and tenets. The Demon Lords and Lords of the Nine Hells, meanwhile, are beings who instead of being empowered by worship, they have fostered so much personal power and aligned themselves so closely to their planes of origin that they can draw upon the power of the plane itself, though they can further augment their power through cults and sacrifice. The Lords are outsiders, made from the Alignments, and anything that furthers the cause of these Alignments strengthens them, which strengthens the planes associated with them, which strengthens the Lords (there is a side hypothesis that the Blood War, in addition to being engineered by angels, is at a stalemate because every time evil grows stronger, both devils and demons grow stronger, then proceeding to devour each other while trying to empower order or chaos).

The author then goes on to hypothesise about other possible ways of crossing the Threshold, apart from divinity or planar regency (though the latter also seems to require actually being a powerful outsider fitting the plane). The author believes that one can't simply become powerful enough just through themselves. There are legendary warriors, but even with all their destructive might, they remain far behind the capabilities of a caster, who can affect much grander aspects of the world. Perhaps the arcane can become part of the Weave, not merely manipulate it. Perhaps those channeling nature's might become literal forces of nature. The psionic connect to this nebulous collective unconsciousness or even understand it, should it truly exist, or gain understanding of a higher existence. The author deems all these very unlikely, but not entirely impossible. But this leaves the divine casters. The absolute vast majority worship deities. Indeed, this is hardly surprising, as ideals play a big part in this. Some worship deities as an extended form of how one may be devoted to a mortal leader, seeking to make the deity's plans come to fruition. Others may worship a deity because they are devoted to certain aspects of the world, and deities simply embody those, at times with multiple deities embodying different approaches to these aspects, such as how the sun can be seen as a benevolent lifegiver and revealer of truths, or a tyrant mercilessly burning away all beneath it, with those who manage to survive praying to be spared for another day.

But the core is belief. If one's devotion is of absolute strength and purity (not in a moral sense, but rather dedication) and aligns oneself to an aspect of the multiverse, such as what makes up what is known as a domain or portfolio, truly embracing, breathing and living it, perhaps they can in turn be invested in by this very domain or portfolio. Such things, the author surmises, would require such close alignment and so much dedication that they can hardly fathom it. One would surely require something that embodies the entirety of what they worship, and make oneself part of it, but how would one do that? How does a sun worshipper ever become this close to what it worships? If one worships one of the Alignments, would that mean that to become part of it, one must be in absolute, total alignment with its tenets in all ways, something no mortal being with all their failings could ever really accomplish? If one worships humanity, how does one become part of it more than already being a human and working towards its prosperity? What embodies War when participating or even starting and directing one clearly is not enough? The author feels that finding whatever it is that will let a worshipper take this final step seems almost unfathomable, surely different for each domain or portfolio, perhaps nebulous in nature... but if a caster like this were to achieve it, they would become a true embodiment of a fundamental force of the multiverse, a thought both awesome and terrifying to behold. Many pages are filled with speculations upon what the nature of what one would need to become one with a domain would be, but no real conclusions are found. It is simply too far removed from the author, and they state so themselves, to grasp.

And the final chapter of the tome is akin to a warning. The Powers as they are known are subjected to certain rules and checks. The author does not know if they apply to any other type of ascension. The author has seen what terrible things a caster of legendary might can already bring, toppling entire kingdoms by themselves or influencing the course of history or being like a natural catastrophe (and it is implied the author may even have experience in that regard). In a way, the author is glad that this Threshold is in place and is as difficult to cross as it is. As a caster ascending, entirely unbound, unnerves him, and they are sure the other Powers would take note, and perhaps even take action against such an ascendant. Much like how a caster of the ninth sphere manages to raise up others to their degree of mastery thanks to their knowledge and realizations, such an ascendant perhaps could throw open the gates to ascension for other casters who are held back by the Threshold. And with how irresponsible many of them are, how little they realize how much they affect the world around them already, to have them wield cosmic power... the author hopes it will never come to pass.

--------------

It is five in the morning and still dark outside, with heavy rain, when Katarina and Amelyn finish the tome and the notes. In the end, there was no clear solution or something like tenth level spells, and the tome was mostly hypotheses, but they were grounded in evidence as well as knowledge the Apex and her student are also aware of.

"So, if what the author writes is correct, there's not just a higher level of spells beyond the ninth, but more like transcending into something more altogether with ludicrous power, which may or may not be held back by this 'Threshold'?" Amelyn says, both excited and a little groggy, the lack of sleep and the intense workout of her brain starting to get to her. "Honestly, I have no idea how to even go about seeing whether this Threshold exists or if this ascendance is possible... but, I mean, finding something that is a pure form of what we worship, embracing it and making us more powerful in the process, that makes sense to me, given we worship Magic and Love. Guess now the question is what those things are and how to go about this ascension." Amelyn yawns, blearily looking at the stacks of paper containing the notes, and the even bigger mess of plates and cups and snack leftovers, leaning her head on one hand.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina has a much different reaction to the tome, unlike her student. While the research and theoretical idea of finding the "Threshold" appeals to her and certainly to Amelyn...the practical application of such a thing is less appealing. The whole point is that Katarina likes what she has become, it took her a lot of work to get there, and the thought of having to become something completely different in order to progress is frankly unappealing to her. As well, the final warning of the tome resonates with her, there are simply too many people whom she would not want to see have that sort of power. Someone dedicated to the cause of evil getting this sort of power would be able to tip the balance of the Blood War which would be a disaster. Although the thought of coming face to face with the pure force of Love and/or Magic, something she has followed all her life, that would be something.

[Ridai]

"Author's just making educated guesses from 200 years ago, could be totally wrong," Amelyn says through a long yawn. "People thought the world was flat at some point and that you could visit the gods if you made it to the edge. There've been highly respected casters in the past who came up with preposterous theories about the mortal body because they knew jack about how it actually works and based all their stuff on their made-up list of magical juices in our meatbag bodies, because that was accepted knowledge back then."

The young woman gets up and stretches, groaning. "Still like this 'why not just add more' approach for Love and Magic, though. Will look into that, you probably should, too. Not like we just suddenly become gods or something." She lets her arms fall to her sides. "I'll go snuggle up to Kit now. I'll probably be back around noon or so and clean up this mess of notes. Night, Kat." And with that, Amelyn teleports away.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina, in turn, heads off to find Sybila to snuggle up with. The tome wasnt as helpful as I thought it would be. The author says there is no such thing as a 10th level spell, and there probably could not be. His theory is that there is a Threshold, passing over which is next to impossible and would make you no longer human. And he even speculates that if one person could do it, it would lead to others doing it, others that should not have this level of power. Along with speculations on how it could be done. I did promise Eve the chance to look through it and will follow through but then it has to go Whitedrake. I dont think its worth much. If its true, I have no intention of giving up being human and what I am, it took too long and was too hard to get there.

[Ridai]

Katarina finds Sybilla in her room, and she manages a smile as Katarina joins her in bed, even as she barely manages to keep her eyes open or follow half of what the Apex says. "That's a bummer, Katarina... but can we talk about this tomorrow? It's the middle of the night..." she says, slurring her words due to still being half asleep.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina contents herself with spooning herself against Sybila, knowing she will talk (and other things) tomorrow with her...and also deal with the burgeoning forest

[Ridai]

Katarina catches up some sleep, awaking around noon. Sybilla seems to have chosen to delay her duties, kissing the Apex awake, looking as dazzling as ever, especially in the sunlight. "You have a bit of apologising to do, having talked my ear off in the middle of the night, you know?" Sybilla smiles, and proceeds to extract said apology in her own way.

---------

A bit more than an hour later, Sybilla lies in Katarina's arms. "So... was the tome a complete bust?"

[MikelaC1]

It was and it wasnt, its hard to explain, but if the theories of it are right, then its a bust. It says there is no such thing as a 10th level spell and it proposes some sort of threshold that divides an Apex and a god, and that crossing it irrevocably changes you into something no longer human. Now Amelyn, she's likely to study that, because that is what Amelyn does, but for me, its not interesting. For one thing, I cant understand why there is nothing between Apex and godhood, it seems like there is a huge gap there. But more importantly, I dont want to change from being human. I worked hard to get where I am, and I dont want to give it up. I like interacting with the world in ways that deities cannot, if I couldnt interact with you, I think I would die, I couldnt imagine that.

[Ridai]

"I would never want to be apart from you," Sybilla says with a deep blush, kissing Katarina. "Perhaps the tome is just wrong or Amelyn will find something. No need to worry about it for now. I believe Remy has finished preparations for the forest, and Carina has been busy getting prepared for the stable and tending to a unicorn pegasus. She's so excited about this, as she has always felt happy when she got to care for animals during the darker parts of her life."

[MikelaC1]

Im excited about it too. I dont know why the idea of a pegasus came to me, and I had no idea that a unicorn pegasus even existed. So lets go see what Remy needs to push this forest forward. I do have one idea for a spell that would work
Katarina gently disengages herself from Sybilla (even though it might be more pleasant to just stay there) and gets ready to go out and see her gardener.

[Ridai]

Sybilla joins Katarina as they head out into the gardens. She notices that the high fence in the direction of the newly acquired grounds has been removed, the new perimeter marked by a tall thicket of huge roots and vines, all the way to the neighboring forest. They find Remy with the twin dryads, Lia and Ila, as well as what looks like a large basket of vines holding peculiar looking seeds. Katarina is no stranger to dryads, shy as they may be. The twin share this trait, but they seem to have chosen to meet Katarina and Sybilla. The fey are exceptional for their kind, uniquely beautiful, but they also possess a certain "glow" Sybilla has always envied them for, most notable when they look to Remy, the gardener sharing this aspect as well. Judging from what few glimpses Katarina got and what she has been told, the dryads are quite demanding on Remy's time and attention, but this in addition to his many duties at the estate seems to hardly ever weigh on him. They are at peace with where they are in life and what they have together. Sybilla smiles to the dryads, and they quietly smile back.

Amelyn also steps into the scene from nowhere, looking well-rested, and in a way particularly fetching, despite clearly being dressed very casually and not having opted for any fancy extras. Katarina can't quite put her finger on what is different, but if she had to guess, Kit is already a very good influence in the apprentice' life. "Morning. Hope I'm not too late, I rarely get to help with creating forests." She smiles, also having a certain glow to her.

"Great timing. We have finished preparing the seeds. Many different trees and plants that will become strong and full of life together, of kinds rarely seen by most people. But before we begin with planting them, you have a big decision to make, namely where that mountain will live. After that has been raised out of the ground, we simply spread the seeds, give them a little running start with magic, and we'll have a forest in no time. Go about raising that mountain and helping the plants grow however you like. Nature doesn't like rigid processes, so do whatever feels right and helps you work your magic. No need to sweat the details or precision, that would only make things look unnatural." Remy has a relaxing quality to him, getting rid of nerves and indecision. There is a wide open area of grassland before Katarina, the estate gardens on one side and the dense forest between the grounds and Kit's farm on the other. Like a canvas before her, Katarina can simply decide where to put the centerpiece, the mountain, and the rest will simply come as inspiration hits them.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina gathers the group around her. This is going to involve a little twisting of magic, but then thats what I am known for...and one day, Amelyn as well. She looks to all the area in front of her, and finally focuses on the dense forest that marks the border between Kits farm and her estate. The farm is already blessed and favored by the fey and placing the mountain in proximity to that seems to make sense.
She begins to cast, Anelyn recognizing what she thinks might be a Limited Wish but quickly realizes it to be the greater cousin to that spell, a full wish. As usual, Katarina is using it to duplicate another spell, in fact the spell being Move Earth, but normally she would only use Limited Wish for it, using a Wish is overpowering the spell. As well, Move Earth doesnt really create mountains, but with the power flowing through it, Katarina is clearly hoping for a greater effect, although she can conceivably settle for a more gentle creation. She sculpts and shapes, but also lets the flow of the earth and spell shape what she is creating. As she closes in on a final product, she gestures to Remy and the dryads to release the vines and seeds into the flow, and as they do so, she flows quickly into the next spell, another Limited Wish to mimic a druid spell designed to accelerate plant growth.
For anyone else, the display is impressive enough, but for Amelyn, who has begun to scratch the surface of what Katarina and an Apex can do, it is both wonderous but also a reminder of just how far she has to go before she can refer to herself as a member of the fraternity of Apex.

[Ridai]

The other members of the estate come out to watch as well. Irmin and Carina taking a brief break from their meal preparations, Eve and Xethira (the succubus now dressed as sharply as the half-elven secretary) watching the display from the air for a better look (Katarina noting them being close together and holding hands). Meave is nowhere to be seen, but the Apex has a feeling she is around somewhere, and her intuitive understanding of Love tells her the maidservant is multitasking.

Remy and the twin dryads help guide the seeds as they are released, and before everyone's eyes rises up a majestic mountain and matching forest, grass and moss and bushes in between as well. It takes only a few minutes for the process to be done, and afterwards, they are looking at something as if it sprang straight from the stuff of fairytales. The trees are grand, looking both healthy yet ancient, the mountain fits among the green and is partially covered by it. Remy and the dryads seem quite happy with the result, the others marvel at what just unfolded and what the result is. Amelyn seems to have soaked everything up, her understanding deepening her appreciation of what Katarina did, also looking at her own fingertips as if to begin to process how one would go about doing what her mentor just did.

"Very nicely done, mistress. From a cursory look, there are no obvious signs of intentional sculpting. Lia, Ila, and I will take a little stroll through the forest to see if any further work is needed and we will apply a few touch-ups, if you will, if necessary." Remy and the dryads smile to Katarina (and as she interacts with the dryads so rarely, the fey's appreciation feels precious) and they head into the forest together. Eve and Xethira touch down lightly.

"We will be taking a little break. Wonderful work, Katarina. You are making my inner magister feel the desire to step up my studies again," Eve says.
"I have never seen anything so marvelous, mistress. I feel truly blessed, I really do," Xethira says, eyes full of wonder. Katarina can feel the good influence Eve has on the succubus, and how joyful the demoness has become, secretary and assistant soon heading into the forest, hand in hand.

Carina has perhaps the biggest reaction, seeming positively giddy, unable to keep herself from hugging Katarina and urging Irmin to explore the forest with her, the cook giving a booming laugh, happy to see his dear assistant like this (and for everyone, it feels like Carina's mood and wonder are infectuous, like the world becomes a little brighter and better because of it). Carina almost drags Irmin by the hand (which is quite the feat by the standards of most people, given Irmin being a towering man as he is, second only to Carina's height), the cook needing little in the way of encouragement, patiently listening to Carina wondering out loud what they may find.

"I really need to show this to Kit once she's done for the day. And damn. I think I can do this already, but not on this scale, and not this quick. Mind if I pick a little corner of the forest to experiment? I'll return things to how they were whenever I'm done with a session, promise." Amelyn, too, heads into the forest, most likely to take a look at Katarina's handiwork and to ponder what she just saw and can learn from it... but also because they now have a fairytale forest in their garden. It can be easy to forget that Amelyn is still only barely of age.

Only Katarina and Sybilla are left (though the mage gets the feeling she saw a little rushing motion out of the corner of the eye, pretty much Meave's way of letting her know she is there), and the former princess rests her head on the Apex' shoulder, arms around one of hers, admiring the scene. "You bring so much wonder into my life every day. I would love to see everything, too." A nice, long walk, just the two of them, in a forest that befits the majesty of Katarina and Sybilla.

[MikelaC1]

I couldnt have thought of a better idea myself. Katarina takes Sybilla by the hand and they walk into the forest. Neither of them are dressed for serious rock climbing and its never been a pastime for Katarina so they stay in the forested part, Katarina letting her senses reach out to feel the magic and love in the air. I can only imagine what its going to look like in the moonlight, but its wonderful even now...if I do say so myself

[Ridai]

As Katarina and Sybilla rest in the heart of the forest, sharing a moment together, they hear a rustling and hasty steps. Amelyn more or less bursts forth from among the trees, looking rather bewildered.

"Katarina, something just- you gotta see-" The apprentice keeps cutting herself off, mind racing, until she realizes that she has kind of stumbled and crashed into a quiet moment between lovers.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I didn't-" Amelyn tries to save herself, but she is already seeing that Sybilla is looking at her a little cross (even if she does so in a less direct way than with Meave), which makes the girl feel appropiately embarassed. Though Katarina is her mentor and Carina perhaps the one who takes care of the girl the most, everyone has been having a hand in raising Amelyn, with Sybilla instilling her not simply with courtly graces (when the girl deigns to use them), but also a certain degree of discipline. No one can make Amelyn feel chastized like Sybilla, though the maid of honor only does so when necessary and always making sure there is a lesson in it (and that it is learned).

Since Amelyn already blundered into the moment, the girl figures she may as well say what she is trying to say before quickly exiting stage left. "Something, something weird happened and I wanted to show you, so, uh, when, when you have time, come find me, please?" She glances towards Sybilla. "Uhm, no pressure, or anything! It's not urgent or dangerous, just-" And Amelyn decides to cut herself off again before she keeps going on and on and earning more piercing glares from Sybilla. The Princess seems okay with Amelyn just turning around and leaving for now, but she sighs in a somewhat defeated fashion as she feels the moment has come and gone.

"I probably should go back to my duties, I've been putting them off long enough for today," Sybilla says, not bringing it over herself to simply shut Amelyn down when the girl is clearly out of sorts and looking for her mentor.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina can keep a straight face as long as Amelyn is there, but the moment the girl is out of sight, she collapses in laughter. There are looks that can turn a person to stone, and even looks that can kill......and then there is the look of Sybilla di Varencia She chuckles again. As for your duties, let them be for today, or let the attendants do them. Today is a day for life, love, and discovering our new enchanted forest. Let us go together and see what has my precocious apprentice all in a tither.

[Ridai]

Sybilla blushes at the comment about her look, her expression almost screaming I-I don't know what you are talking about. Getting the day off, however, is appreciated, the princess sighing and finding back to a smile. "If living with Amelyn isn't preparing me for having children, I don't know what will."

The couple walks into the direction Amelyn left into, just letting themselves be guided by Love, Katarina enjoying Sybilla's closeness, the princess' arms hooked around her own. The forest has its own feel to it now, the first one dedicated to and infused with Love, with vibrant colors and fragrances, the trees and plants having a mystical quality to them, offering so many places to relax together, explore and discover, and enjoy life together. Perhaps some druids would take issue with it, but it feels like this forest is not indifferent to those who wander it, sheltering them, luring them out of their shells, caring for them. Katarina feels like the twin dryads are no small part of this, the roots of their trees reaching far, and part of them infused in this new forest. Though they at times seem distant in person, Lia and Ila have so much love to give, and do so to the people of the estate (and whoever they meet) in their own way.

Eventually, they find Amelyn in a small clearing, the young woman still looking as bewildered as before. They notice that the apprentice has practiced shaping the forest, earth and trees and moss. If Katarina had to guess, it's her creating a beautiful little hidden corner to spend time with Kit. Amelyn's love for the farm lass is so crystal clear and strong, and it influences her magic in a most pleasing way. However, what they also notice is that next to the little pond and bed of moss and the succulent fruit hanging from a tree... lies a ruby gemstone. A positively gigantic one, cut and polished, with a diameter of over two feet. Katarina intuitively tries to gauge how much such a thing would be worth, and the sum is quickly becoming quite staggering.

Amelyn is standing next to it, looking at it, then to Katarina and Sybilla, the latter looking about as baffled (though always maintaining her royal dignity, to her credit). The apprentice, lips pressed into a line, jabs both her hands towards the gemstone, even waggling them as if to further emphasize the gemstone. She then retrieves a small pouch, which is filled with gold and platinum coins, filled to the brim, which Katarina recognizes as Amelyn's "ammunition bag", filled with valuables needed as spell components. The bag, too, gets jangled, as if to underline that it is full.

"Amelyn, dear, I... I do not think I follow," Sybilla says, trying to process, but also to get Amelyn back to a point where she may collect herself enough to explain. Amelyn looks to the bag, to the gemstone, stashes the former and takes a few deep breaths.

"Okay, so, um," the girl begins. "I came here to practice a little, and I think it went pretty well. You know, shaping earth a bit, encouraging the plants to grow." She does a quick, sweeping gesture to the surrounding forest. "So I took a break, and I could feel Love more strongly in the forest, and, uh, I was feeling a little lonely, with everyone else, well, you know," A gesture towards Katarina and Sybilla, the princess "mhm"-ing with a patient nod to help the apprentice along.

"So I was thinking about Kit and how I want to make us matching rings with the gems you brought back, and a bracelet for her arm, since expensive necklaces are too uncomfortable for her when she is working." Amelyn notices she is overexplaining, and hurries herself along. "And I was starting to think about how she's just so very precious to me, and want to make a paradise for her and lay the riches of a kingdom at her feet as a little token, even if I don't think she would... she would really want or need them. A-anyway, I guess I started amusing myself with how I could gift her a colossal gem that would make all those snobby nobles sink into the ground with envy, and it would still be only a little gift... and next thing I knew, that gemstone was there. I think I was casting while I was daydreaming, so it probably didn't just, you know, fall out of the flipping sky, and I'm pretty sure Meave is still busy. So I thought 'hey, maybe you accidentally made a limited wish for a major creation', but I know the dimensions of what can come out of that on my level, and this one is a bit too big. And I can't dispel it." Amelyn's lips are pressed together again, looking at Katarina and Sybilla.

The young woman nudges the giant gemstone with her foot. "That thing is, like, real real. Here to stay. Permanent. Major creation doesn't do that, and this seems a bit above the pay grade of a limited wish." A moment passes, with the wind sweeping through the foliage, also briefly carrying the distant voices of a maidservant and a halfling from on high. "What is, what just, what. What." Katarina, being well-versed in arcane and divine magic, can certainly see what Amelyn is getting at. The only spell, short of an outright wish or miracle or something of that reality-bending potency, that could do this is true creation. Which is an 8th level spell. But Amelyn managed to achieve the 7th level of spells only days ago. And true creation also normally carries a hefty material cost, usually preventing it from being used by mages to just generate money from nothing.

Amelyn is looking to Katarina for any sort of help to explain what happened, as does Sybilla, but for slightly different reasons.

[MikelaC1]

Not that she expects it to work, but Katarina goes through the motions of attempting to dispel the gem, on the off chance thats its just that Amelyn isnt of high enough level. As she does so, she mentally summons Irmin and Carina to this place, needing their strength. When they show up, she asks them...Just see if you can move this thing,or just lift it.
At the same time, she instructs both Amelyn and Sybilla....I want you both to think of something, something simple, Amelyn, something you would like to give to Kit and Sybilla, something you would like to give to me. Make it something innocuous, like a a a small statue or such. Katarina has a few ideas floating around in her head, and these actions could lead her down one path.

[Ridai]

Katarina does not manage to dispel the gem. Until Carina and Irmin arrive, Amelyn and Sybilla try to concentrate on an item, but nothing seems to be forthcoming, try as they may, much to Sybilla's disappointment, but feeding Amelyn's curiosity.

Irmin and Carina greet them in good spirits, and are suitably surprised by the gigantic ruby, Amelyn recounting how that happened, drawing a whistle from Irmin and an "Awww, that's so sweet" from Carina. Going over to the gem, they look at the size of it, Irmin asking if it is a solid block, to which Amelyn replies with "Probably... maybe?" also shrugging and raising her hands.

A careful knock on the surface by Irmin produces a quite solid sound, with Carina doing some estimation, drawing on her alchemic and scientific knowledge. "So if this is actual ruby, which it seems to be, it is roughly a third as dense as lead, going from the findings of the wizard Apex Whitedrake that he released to the public. He wrote some of the leading works in the fields of chemistry and physics, also introducing the metric system and such." Noticing she is getting a bit off-topic, Carina hurries along. "So... a solid block of this size weighs somewhere in the vicinity of 4000 pounds."

Irmin gives a booming laugh. "It is fair to say that this is far beyond my means, even if I consider myself fairly strong. Still, let me get a good attempt in." Irmin steps up to the giant gemstone, takes a few deep breaths and tightens his large belt before he bends down, digs his fingers into the earth beneath the gem and tries to lift. Katarina has seen the man throw people around like ragdolls and whatever he throws could be describes as akin to ballista bolts, his massive biceps bulging as he strains to lift the gem, but it does not move an inch. He has a good laugh about it before brushing off his fingers. "I think this is a job for you, lass," he says to Carina, who smiles and steps up to the gem.

It is easy to forget Carina's physicality. While obviously being a little taller than Irmin (and thus making her the tallest member of the estate) and clearly having a sturdy frame, her gentle nature, utmost care in all her touches, and her beauty and curves tend to let people forget that she isn't just an unusually tall woman. She fashioned her own body until it aligned with her wishes and how she truly felt at home within her own body. And said body is by far more powerful than any normal human. So when she bends down, grasps the gem, and starts to lift, where normally there is just smooth skin and the hint of what lies underneath, the others start to see the powerful muscles beneath, yet without dminishing her beauty, rather just giving it a different, amazonian quality. Gritting her teeth and with a grunt, she lifts the ruby from the ground, able to deadlift it, and clearly straining to do so, before putting it back onto the flattened grass (and the dent in the ground), the outlines of her muscles quickly disappearing again, alos earning applause and cheers from the estate members present.

"Phew! It is difficult to hold, but that seemed to go pretty well. Oh!" Carina seems happy with the result, but seems to remember something. "This might be a good time to try my ant haul potion." She retrieves a small vial from a pouch and drinks the orange-red content. The others look with curiosity what this potion will do, only to watch Carina lift the giant gemstone over her head, and needing to strain less than before. "Oh! It's working!" Carina says with a happy smile and sets the gem down again, drawing an even more enthusiastic reaction from the little crowd, Amelyn and Sybilla looking completely amazed, while Irmin seems really, really proud of Carina.

"Carina, if you work with me to fashion that potion into a continuous item for Kit, and brew a steady supply for her crew, I swear I'll pamper you with massages whenever you want, with baths and everything, full queen treatment. Maybe I'll even get Kit to help every now and then," Amelyn says, fully meaning it. Carina blushes and smiles bashfully at the compliment, and Katarina can already see her attempting to decline the offer of a reward, but Amelyn seems quite serious about it, so the tall woman opens her mouth and closes it soon after, instead smiling and nodding, along with a big hug for the apprentice.

"Okay, so... the forest is plenty magic, but not creating things from thin air. Let me try to do what I did again." Amelyn rubs her hands, then closes her eyes, trying to concentrate. The warm expression that emerges on her face points towards thinking about Kit (Carina has to contain herself about how adorable Amelyn is to her right now), and her hands begin to move, her voice softly speaking in the chant that has become second nature to her, worshipping Magic and Love. To Katarina, it is surprising how effortless her casting seems to be, and to feel the sensuality in it. It does not take long at all for Amelyn to complete her spell, and the group watches a ring set with a fiery ruby form on top of the giant gemstone. Amelyn opens her eyes, spots the ring, which visibly surprises her. "Holy crap," is all she can say, glancing to the others, and especially Katarina, to confirm that they are seeing this too, even trying and failing to dispel it.

To Katarina, it is quite obvious. She just watched her apprentice cast a true creation, but in far less time than normal. Her apprentice, who had just begun to master the seventh level of spells days ago, seems to have intuitively breached the eighth level, and developed a talent Katarina has not heard of before. Even for her star pupil and the immense growth she showed in the past, this is surprisingly fast, to say the least.

(Actually calculated the weight of the thing based on the size and the density of rubies, or rather aluminium oxide, resulting in 4250 pounds. Carina has massive strength and counts as Large size where it is advantageous to her witout actually being Large size, hence she has just enough carrying capacity to lift the gem off the ground)

[MikelaC1]

I know of mages who can cast their spells without material components, but it is still limited to spells that dont require a costly material component. There is not a metamagic equivalent, at least that I know of, that would eliminate that base, but perhaps you have done so. But I still have one more test I would like to do.
She leads the group just out of the forest, and has Amelyn repeat her casting, this time outside of any boost that the forest can provide to her. If, at that point, she fails, then Katarina will know that her casting is somehow connected to the forest, and that the forest provides an even greater connection to the powers of Love and Magic.

[Ridai]

Carina picks up the giant gem, carrying it out of the forest as Katarina commands them to follow her, Amelyn pocketing the ring.

"What, again?" Amelyn asks, but does as she is told, this time producing a sapphire necklace. "I thought Sophia deserves something nice as well," the young woman explains. She clearly can still cast the eight level spell, and without components or the lengthy casting time, but if Katarina had to guess, there is a little less oomph behind it (not that it matters, as Katarina instructed her to create something far below the size limit of the spell). The forest does seem to amplify their magic (in ways that perhaps need to further be tested), but this ability of Amelyn seems to be her own.

"Please tell me this was the last test, this is getting difficult, you know?" Amelyn is rubbing her temple and forehead with her palm, looking like a headache is already in the making.

[MikelaC1]

No more tests, not today anyway. Katarina doesnt quite know what to make of this development. Eschew Materials should not be able to eliminate the need for a really costly material component, and as far as she knows, there is no such thing as a metamagic feat to substitute. And for once, this is a spell that is not in her repetoire, True Creation was something she never learned and cant test her own ability to replicate what Amelyn did. And she doesnt trust a wish to duplicate with such strange things going on.

[Ridai]

Perhaps sensing her mistress' confusion, Sybilla, still ever at Katarina's side, caresses her arm and smiles to her. "I am sure this is as confusing for dear Amelyn as it is for you. I cannot speak for the intricacies of Magic, but Love ever laughs in the face of expectation, convention, and boundaries, does it not? Just like how each of us has been blessed by Love in their own way. Just like you have walked a path no one else has walked before."

Amelyn, still rubbing her head, the aching feeling crooking her lips and furrowing her brow, has her gears turning as well. "I mean, I'm as confused as you are. Level 8 shouldn't have come this soon, and not like this, but... I guess things have been coming pretty easily to me for a few days now, until, well, that happened." She gestures to the giant gem. "I now know why prepared me for the previous levels like you did though. These spells kick like an angry minotaur. I think I'll just... I'll just lie down for a bit. Yeah that sounds good right now."

"We should probably get that mountain of a gem inside and stored away safely, too. Would give a dragon a heart attack, that one," Irmin comments, his beard following his telltale grin.

Right about then, Eve and Xethira leave the forest as well, hand in hand, wearing new rings, both women positively radiant, quite surprisingly so, even for Katarina. They give a quick wave to the others.

"This is a marvelous forest indeed. Is that a gem?" the secretary asks, seemingly in stride, like only Eve Sylna could in the face of such an absurd sight.

"Yeah. I accidentally made it. Long story." Amelyn just waves it off, really not wanting to elaborate right now, but it is more than enough to have Eve raise her eyebrows quite a bit, while Xethira is seemingly just trying to process the gigantic gemstone and the hows and whys. Just then they hear a satisfied "Ahhhhhhh," swiftly followed by a "Hey allWOOOOOAAAAAAAA" as Meave appears and promptly voices her opinion about the gemstone, suddenly all over it, touching it, heck, pretty much leaning, crawling, and rubbing her face on it as if to make sure this thing is actually real, all while babbling a constant stream of noises and words that are barely intelligible, sometimes probably asking the others if they are seeing this. Carina Zun, at peace with the world as she is, simply picks the gem up, with the maidservant crawling around on its top like an overexcited cat, smiles to her mistress, and carries both towards and inside the estate.

[MikelaC1]

Katarina touches the forehead of Amelyn, casting a Cure Critical Wounds (might as well use the strongest one, shes not likely to need anything else today) to remove her headache, and a Bull's Strength on Carina, even though she seems not to need it. Never a dull moment around here, it seems. Everyone get a good nights sleep and we shall see if the morning brings us any answers. She looks around for Remy and the dryads, connected as they are with the forest and nature, maybe they have some sort of insight to share.

[Ridai]

The other members of the estate head back into the mansion while Katarina returns into the woods, finding Remy not long after, the dryads apparently elsewhere, the gardener sitting on a large root, looking at the forest in a most relaxed manner.

"A good, strong forest, and one that will soon come into its own. Animal life will take a while, but will come on its own." A beat. "So, what can I help you with, mistress?"

[MikelaC1]

Soon come into its own? We have seen a development, one totally unexpected, connected to the forest. It seems like Amelyn can now cast 8th order spells. And do so without having to invoke material components. We have a ruby that she created out of nothing and would take a team of horses to pull. Any ideas as to what we are seeing here?

[Ridai]

"You appear to have a talented student, mistress," Remy answers. "But I expect this is not the answer you are looking for. I can't help you in regards to the tiers of magic as you cast them, or what abilities Amelyn has developed. You made a magic forest, and it indeed aids casters, but not to this degree. I believe figuring out what she can now do now and her limits are is your specialty. But Amelyn most likely did not just manifest greater powers from one moment to the next and out of the blue, if I had to guess. Your tutelage vastly accelerated her growth when you took her in, perhaps something else has changed that further sped up her growth recently. When in doubt, you have a highly intelligent and insightful secretary who may help you with the sleuthing and arcane theoretics involved. Eve knows you better than anyone else, perhaps she can help with Amelyn's mystery."

[MikelaC1]

Katarina goes in search of Eve.
(Assuming she finds her at a convenient time)
You happened in on that ruby after the fact, so I will fill you in. Amelyn created that ruby, out of nothing, using True Creation, which is an 8th order spell, an order she should not have access to yet, according to how long she has been training. To compound the issue, that spell has a material component commensurate with the item created, yet, Amelyn produced it for nothing. We think it might be connected in some way with the new forest, but Remy has no insights. I know of mages how have the ability to eschew material components in some cases, but that power never allows them to ignore very expensive components, nor is there a metamagic power along those lines. You know as much magical theory as I do, and have a research background from the Academy. Any ideas?

[Ridai]

Katarina finds her secretary enjoying a cup of tea in one of the lounges, where she put her favored love seat. Being the academic of the estate, Eve has a taste for more in-depth conversation, the love seat putting her close to her partner, facing each other, with a small disc in the middle to put two cups and a pot on. The Apex picks up on Xethira's fragrance on the empty seat, the succubus having been here recently.

"Congratulations, you are experiencing what it is like for the rest of us to learn about all the crazy ways in which Apexes ignore how things are supposed to work," Eve answers, as she pours a cup of tea for Katarina. "For all the magical theory in the world, most material on the final tiers of magic and what involves them is either theoretical and lacking, or by Apexes who decline to divulge all their 'trade secrets', if they release anything at all. Then you have the abilities of the individual Apexes on top, like how you cast all kinds of metamagic with no effort and manipulate spells with absolute ease, not to mention drawing as much power as you do from universal concepts instead of deities. Most Apexes divulge even less information on whatever they can do, such as that we only know that Whitedrake is extraordinarily gifted in terms of magical crafting, and that Auravia's psychic network probably spans across the planes and might give her incredible insights into the zeitgeist of populations."

Eve takes a sip, quiet for a short while, the workings of a brilliant mind being given the time it wants. "I doubt the forest is what led to this. It enhances the power of spells within it if the caster is aligned with Magic or Love, but I have not seen indications of anything beyond that yet. Additionally, if there forest was responsible, both you and I should have gotten a noticable, as well as lasting boost in magical power. I did not experience anything of the sort, but I can't speak for you. My talks in the matters of magic as well as life with Amelyn point towards her having made great strides in her advancement as a mage, especially since the harvest festival. And before you jump to conclusions, no, the harvest festival's rite did not suddenly give everyone superpowers. I checked. Professional habit."

Another sip, tracing the edge of the cup afterwards. "Moving away from the cause, on to the effect. You are familiar with how various creatures and outsiders operate under different rules than most of the humanoid races, yes? Spell-like abilities, inherent non-magical abilities, but some are able to invoke magical effects while skipping the usual limitations and requirements of spellcasting. They simply will it. The most famous example is easily the noble djinn, and their ability to grant three wishes, at no cost to them. Amelyn may be in the very fortunate position of being able to create spell effects in much the same manner, from what you are telling me. But looking at her reaction, I very much doubt she can just do it all day long. Higher spell tiers get increasingly complex and mindbending, but they generally are not extraordinarily taxing, beyond eventually exhausting your magical reservoirs at some point." The secretary empties her cup and sets it down. "I would strongly advise you to keep Amelyn's ability a secret. If she can indeed do something like this, that instantly makes her one of the most valuable people in the world. And a prime target. Much as Apexes are actively hunting and capturing noble djinn."

[MikelaC1]

I dont plan on publicizing this, I have no interest in having our estate under attack every other day. We'll just let her work out what she can and cant do on her own, I've given her enough grounding that she wont do anything crazy. Either way, I think it also proves that our forest is more than ready for its star resident, and I think I should go searching for that special pegasus.

[Ridai]

"Certainly. Remy kindly provided me with the Moonspire mountains' location and Xethira was quickly able to secure a visual." Eve retrieves her magical slate, taps on it, and shows Katarina an image of a forest nestled between several giant peaks. "Are there any further preparations you would like me to take care of or members of the estate to gather?"

[MikelaC1]

I would like the whole family to gather, to see me off, including Maeve and her new charge, Nico While Katarina doesnt expect Nico to become a member of the estate, she is interested to see if Maeve has had any success in training the young potential shadowdancer. And Im hoping I can get Remy at least to accompany me, his knack of dealing with animals might be just what I need for the first contact.

[Ridai]

"Of course. I shall gather them in the front garden. Even if the twin dryads are comfortable around us, you know how uneasy the inside of buildings without the earth beneath their feet tends to make them."

Only a few minutes later, the whole estate is gathered outside. Amelyn arrived with Carina, Katarina's spell and the chef's assistant's care evidently having helped make her feel better, though she is still looking a little under the weather. Eve and her succubus assistant Xethira are there, as are Irmin, Remy, and the twin dryads Lia and Ila. Meave seems to have recovered from having her mind blown by the giant gemstone, having brought Nico, who is dressed in comfortable, casual clothes, and Katarina can tell Meave has been very good for Nico, the halfling seeming like a great weight has been lifted from her shoulders, and the constant scowling is much lessened. She does seem a little lost among the crowd, like she has trouble dealing with people or being unused to letting people get close, but it is clear she is much less tightly wound. Naturally, Sybilla is there as well, ever glamorous, ever radiant, ever a little sad to see her beloved Apex leave, if only for a short while, but doing her best to see Katarina off. The Custodians, the beautiful animated statues Katarina crafted, are also present, and seem to have received a lot of love (presumably by Carina), their forms having been tastefully furnished with gemmed jewelry crafted for their individual shapes to have them fit perfectly and adorn them just as much. Katarina could swear their motions seem a little more fluid and graceful, and their faces more expressive recently. Perhaps Amelyn did some tinkering or some of the wondrous nature of the Apex and her household is starting to rub off on them.

"I heard you would like me to accompany you to the Moonspire forest and I am happy to do so, mistress," Remy says, stepping forward and to Katarina's side.

"I will have the carpenters begin work on the stable at the edge of the forest immediately," Eve says. Everyone wishes their mistress a safe and successful journey (unless, of course, Katarina wants one or more of them to accompany her, beyond Remy).

[MikelaC1]

Normally, Katarina goes on missions without her staff, who were not chosen for their adventuring powers, but since this mission will not likely involve a lot of heavy opposition (at least of a hostile kind, convincing the pegasus to join her will be a different matter) and so, she has decided to change. Of course, Remy will be along for his nature skills, but as well, she extends a hand to Sybilla. I would like you, my dear, to join me on this mission. It should not be overly dangerous, and having Sybilla will be a comfort to her. Also, while Sybilla has more of an effect on humanoids, having the legendary princess at her side should be worth at least some points in the estimation of what is clearly a legendary creature. She also looks to Maeve from the corner of her eye, if she wants to come along and be an unseen point guard, that would be fine, and also be good training for Nico.