What? The World needs saving AGAIN? IC Thread 5

[Xihirli]

Didn't mean that. I meant that if we, meaning the people currently here, don't go then he'll get out and he'll eventually make his way to the Feywild. Then you'll have to fight him. And this isn't speculation, the ones who time traveled saw it happen- so I'm not exaggerating or anything. I'll come back right after it.
I really wouldn't be doing this if I could avoid it, I swear. Right now nothing sounds better than being with my family. But I'm doing this so that I can be with you for more then... Five years I think is the time limit.

Eris nodded.
"I understand. That's... Sad. So you'd become the goddess of childhood and innocence? Oh and, thank you Tulgither for letting Aklah stay" she was having a hard time imagining the old dragon as such.
Sirthis came back after leaving food for Aklah.
"Whenever you want, we can go- though Anaweir won't be coming before tomorrow"

"That would be the best case," Noxan said. "Nothing is certain. My old bones need rest - yes, rest for the journey." She circled around her self, nestling herself into a circle of scales and wings, closing her eyes.
Chocolate licked Sirthis's ear. "Let's paint her scales red while she sleeps," Chocolate said in Sylvan.

[Valmark]

Sirthis sat besides Noxan, petting her lightly.
"Nah... Let her be, she's been through a lot" he said, remembering how he found her vulnerable in that cave. He held up a golden coin for Chocolate to snack on.
"When I'll take you to the Fortress there will be a bigger dragon to paint, I swear" he gave goodberries to everybody.
"I'll be sleeping near Noxan tonight. Don't ask me why, I just feel like it" he said to them in Common, preparing his bedroll and armor to sleep- though he was going to finally attune to the chain Mab gave him before sleeping.
Eris nodded, snacked on her goodberry, and started walking to Aklah's room.
"We'll stay with Aklah tonight and leave tomorrow early- thanks for the hospitality again, Tulgither" she said, taking Leff's hand to go to sleep.

[Xihirli]

Chocolate ate it up, then curled around himself in Sirthis's hair.

Leff followed Eris into their room with their rapidly growing wyvern. "Remember when we could drape her between our shoulders?"

[Valmark]

"Yes... She grew VERY fast" Eris said "I'm impressed. Has it been a week already?" she went over to run her hand over Aklah's back before working on the removal of her armor.
"Wonder how she'd react to another wyvern"

[Xihirli]

"Would she recognize herself as a wyvern?" Leff asked, unstrapping her armor. "I wonder..."

[Valmark]

"Well, I hope so. We are pretty different from her after all" Eris said, unsure.
"...you think she knows my tail doesn't spew poison?" she waved it around watching Aklah's reaction.

[Xihirli]

Aklah followed the tail with her eyes, not evidently threatened by it.
"I can't tell," Leff confessed.

[Valmark]

"She probably trusts that I wouldn't do anything bad. And she's right" Eris smiled hugging Aklah by the neck- not much of a place to hug her honestly.
"We also know she doesn't need any kind of incentive for fighting, heh. Soon enough she might be ready to help out" she mused, sitting on the bed herself.

[Xihirli]

Leff sat next to Eris. "Or maybe she'll start studying with me after we get a home," she said in jest, grabbing Eris and pulling her in for a cuddle.

[Valmark]

"I wouldn't dismiss that- she looks like a smart wyvern" Eris nestled against Leff "Like you. As in smart, not that you look like a wyvern" she giggled and gave her wife a kiss.
"You know... I had a pretty disturbing dream in the future. You abandoned me to stay there" she looked at Leff "I never doubted you for a second thought"

[Xihirli]

Leff smiled. "I've gone too far to go back." She held Eris close as she fell asleep, safe with her wife.

[Valmark]

"Goodnight" Eris whispered and kissed Leff's forehead, before closing her eyes and settling for sleep.

[Xihirli]

Sirthis found himself in the ruby dome, seated across from Malyanna yet again.
"Don't worry about what's going on in Cania," she said.
"That thing's nuts, it can't do anything, really."

[Valmark]

Sirthis inclined his head.
"...do you truly believe that or are you bluffing, Maly? Good to see you though. And how come you know I was worrying about it?"

[Xihirli]

"Tren Krom sees whatever she wants," Malyanna said.
"And I know. Pelor or someone will kill it. Don't worry about it."

[Valmark]

"Before or after he comes to Toril and destroys everything or whatever it is he does?" Sirthis asked, frowning "If the gods wanted to kill Tharizdun -or could- they'd do it BEFORE he comes to break the world, no? If they don't... Then it comes to me stopping him from potentially killing my family. Well, us, not gonna do it by myself"

[Xihirli]

"They're not going to Cania," Malyanna said, with an upturned lip.
"You couldn't force them to. And maybe Asmodeus is still sworn to keep him imprisoned, there's plenty of reasons to be sure that your reality is safe."

[Valmark]

"Malyanna... I know for a fact that I have to go or Tharizdun will come here. You can believe me or not. Why are you warning me anyway?" Sirthis asked, standing up to go to Maly's side.

[Xihirli]

Malyanna's lip trembled, and she shook her head. "Good night, Sirthis."

And he awoke next to Noxan around midnight.

[Valmark]

ºWhat... Was she actually worried about me?º Sirthis thought, shaking awake ºOr is it that she has to fight against us?º he shook his head.
"I swear, that girl" he Sent to her and went back to sleep.
Pssst, if you actually explain things it's possible for me to understand. And maybe interrupt the Dream AFTER I say goodnight. Love you. Goodnight.

[Xihirli]

I love you, too.

The night passed in Tulgither's Great Hall of Conversation until Sirthis awoke to the labored breathing of the sleeping Noxan, and Eris awoke to the urgent nudging of a hungry wyvern.

[Valmark]

Sirthis looked at the curled Noxan.
º...she may be a big and powerful dragon, but she's not too different from an old woman, right? Maybe even lonelyº he reached out tentatively to pet her gently along the neck, trying to soothe her- not that you could soothe tiredness or the like. Still, he had to do something. Even if it probably wouldn't have any effect, he applied a dose of Lesser Restoration to the petting.
Eris woke up groggily.
"Uh... Didn't Sirthis leave food? Right, it has little taste" she whispered, districating herself from Leff trying to not wake her up. She stood and walked over to the pile of meat with a yawn, taking pieces of food.
"...let's see what you prefer" she sat down and started giving different kinds of flavor to those pieces- salty, sweet, sour, spicy, and so on. She could even make combinations.

[Xihirli]

Her labored breathing calmed somewhat as her throat cleared up, and she opened one eye. "Is it-"
And then Anaweir and Marû stepped out of a portal behind which was a great frozen landscape of cold running out over Sirthis.
"Sirthis," Marû said. "Welcome to Cania."

[Valmark]

Sirthis looked at the frozen landscape.
"Yeeeeeah that's not where I'd go on holiday" he noted, then retracted his hand "Sorry Noxan, you were having trouble breathing and I was trying to help. The woman, in case you don't know, is Mystra's High Priestess, Anaweir. Just thought you'd like to know. Let me go call the others" he left with Chocolate to go knock on everybody's door.
"Wake uuuup!" he said "Chocolate, if somebody's still sleeping jump on their stomach" and opened the doors that didn't open immediately.
"Come on, it's time to go" Eris said, waking up Leff with a kiss before working on her armor and equipment.

[Xihirli]

Chocolate jumped on Zenov's stomach and he rolled out of the bed as Leff strapped on her armor.
"Are you sure you want to bring Zenov?" she asked. "That whole place is a death trap, I'm not sure if he has the tools to survive."
"She speaks the truth," Marû said. "Cania's chill itself can kill those unprepared for it."

[Valmark]

"Uh... Are we prepared for it?" he asked, then turned to Zenov "Do you mind staying back? I'm sure Tulgither is going to find your stories untold before" given how special he was.
"Sirthis, can you leave another batch of food for Aklah before we go?" Eris asked.
"Yup" and Sirthis Created Food And Water in their rooms and closed the door before Aklah could sting the intruder.

[Xihirli]

Aklah bit into some food and blanched, disliking the taste.

Zenov failed to perform a cartwheel.
“Keep yourself safe out there, alright? Cania is dangerous.”

“There are ways we can mitigate the difficulties. The Resistance spell, or a source of heat, would do, but a certain physical hardiness would be of much help.
Leff nodded and gripped a flame in her free hand, warming up the area immediately around them. Noxan shrank down into the form of a silver Dragonborn with tired eyes and led the way in, immune to the cold entirely.

[Valmark]

Just in case, Sirthis put the shield away, dismissed Chocolate and light up a torch.
"Didn't think I'd ever use one again" he noted following Noxan.
"Well, I hope I'm strong enough to resist the cold" Eris said. Though she was going to stay near Leff for the time being.
"So- what's the plan?"

[Xihirli]

As the chill winds blew out Sirthis’s torch, Anaweir touched her scar and it began radiating a wispy silver bubble extending outward about fifteen feet. “Magic only works in this bubble,” she said. “And unfortunately, one around Tharizdun as well. With regards to our plan, the jailer has contingencies that can shut off Cania from the other planes even more fully. Unfortunately, the jailer was killed during Tharizdun’s escape from his cell.”

[Valmark]

"Mmm... And we can trigger them? Or resurrect him and he triggers them? Or speak with his soul so that we know how?" Sirthis asked "Last time I fought a god, there were four archfeys and a rose dragon- I'm not sure our current forces are enough for the brute force approach"

[Xihirli]

“That’s just it - we can’t seem to communicate with his soul. We think that the protocols are in his robotic servant’s memory banks, but we are unsure.” They traveled over an ice ridge to see a mountain of ice that had been blown apart. And one massive armored creature was impaled with a massive icicle, and the silver armor was half-melted. Next to it was a red-and gray just as large robot with what Sirthis could not have called a mini gun mounted on its shoulder, and in its hand an axe crackling with electricity.
The dead body was a walking armory with metal boomerangs, knives of many sizes mounted on his arm ready to be used simply by moving his arms, and clawed gauntlets ready to rake flesh off. The corpse was clearly a grizzled, dangerous warrior. And more clearly dead.”

[Valmark]

Sirthis stared.
"Are those... And you're telling me Tharizdun killed those?" Sirthis was realizing that no, Vecna was nowhere as strong as this.
"So we need to check the head of the red one? Is it that easy?"
"How fully is Cania going to close? From what we know, in six years Tharizdun is going to reach Toril- we don't know homewever if this mission failed in that timeline" Eris asked.

[Xihirli]

“He killed Draxhain. The Max construct can only respond to Draxhain. We doubt opening its head will help.” Marû frowned at the robotic creature. “Cania is supposed to select a new Draxhain from the villagers.”

[Valmark]

Sirthis turned to Marû.
"...this place has people?" he asked.
"Mmm... So, the jailer died, for some reason we can't communicate, and the robot only answers the jailer, and a new jailer should be picked from the village" Eris repeated "So we need to go to the village and find the new Draxhain, yes?"
"Tactical question- you said that magic only works within this field- if I conjure something outside of it while I personally stay inside, does it appear? Or is it negated? Sirthis asked, putting away the torch and strapping the shield back on.

[Xihirli]

“You would need to summon and keep any bound creatures inside the field,” Anaweir answered.
“That’s just it. Where the ‘people’ of Cania dwell is the best-kept secret in all the planes. Draxhai should have come to us by now. And-”
The dead body twitched.
“Can someone get this icicle out of me?” it asked in a familiar voice.

[Valmark]

Sirthis looked around, disbelieving what he just heard.
"Isn't th-""I know who that voice belongs to, yes, I'm just making sure this is not a twisted prank staged by all of you" he said "And... Zenov? That IS you, yes?" Sirthis finally asked. His voice strangely didn't sound confused. Of course it'd be Zenov. Who else?
"...Leff, take us towards him. Let's see about breaking that ice"

[Xihirli]

The group awkwardly shuffled toward Draxhain, trying to stay in the bubble as the prison guard looked at Sirthis with blank eyes. "Who's Zenov?"

[Valmark]

"WHATDOYOUMEANWH- Deeeep breath. There is a gray dragonborn on Toril that speaks with your same voice" Sirthis said, unsure on how he had been so sure it was Zenov. Logically speaking, he shouldn't have been.
"Sirthis, help me putting those bracialets to use" Eris said when they reached Draxhain, grabbing the icicle to pull it out "And Leff, unsure but I think somebody will need to heal the hole this thing is going to leave"

Eris will rage and pull! [roll0] adv. [roll1]

Let's have Sirthis partecipate too: [roll2]

Right, I'm rolling Athletics.

[Xihirli]

Leff nodded and put a hand on Eris's shoulder. "Hadrackah."
And as soon as the icicle was pulled out, Leff put her hand on the wound and white fire leapt out to heal the wounds, washing over the jailer until it stirred and stood.
"I am Draxhai. The spirit of Cania itself." The warrior addressed Max. "Max. Order seven-nine-three: Red. Code: Tharizdun."
The construct whirred to life and said in a robotic hum: "Two options."
"Speak."
"One: During battle, prisoner was shown to have a localized weave based on an item. Distract, extract, and move. Connection to weave severed, prisoner cannot leave Cania."
"Relay second option."
"Emergency annihilation. Village possesses necessary materials. Destruction of entire plane. No more prisoners. No more prison."
"Pros and cons."
"Option A: Isolate Prisoner from Weave. Pro: continued existence of prison. Con: Outside agents could return to grant prisoner new object linking it to Weave."
"Options to mitigate this con?"
"If separated from Weave, Prisoner may be weakened enough to be placed in new cell. Increased security on specific prisoner, along with action performed by present allies, could prevent another prison break."
"Chance that the weakness will occur."
"Seventy-three point two one zero four four six thr-"
"Terminate. Continue with Pros and cons of option B."
"Pro: Destruction of prisoner with eighty-seven percent certainty. Even if Prisoner survives, it will be too weak to threaten reality. Con: Destruction of prison. Nowhere to place new threats."
"Would any other prisoners survive the destruction?"
"Negative. With no Weave, their chances of destruction are certain."
"Additional variables to consider?"
"Help of allies required for Option A. Free-willed creatures. Refer to them."
Draxhai turned to Anaweir and the others. "Keeping the prison is preferable. Can you hunt down the ones who performed the prison break of the prisoner?"
"We don't know who did it," Anaweir admitted.


[roll0]+50 I think we're fine

[Valmark]

Sirthis whistled innocently.
"Somebody here may have the tiniest knowledge of who did it" he said "Though I didn't know that back then. Malyanna apparently visited Cania not long ago, and after we talked about Tharizdun she contacted me through a Dream to convince me to not come here, saying there was no risk of it breaking out and that Pelor or somebody else would kill Tharizdun or Asmodeus would keep him locked. Can't be sure, but there's a certain chance she did it or knows who did" he explained.
"Oh, uhm, everybody here knows who is she yes?"
"...Sirthis, how did she discover what were you up to?"
"No idea. She says Ashanelath sees everything. Even when there was the whole affair with Mystryl they knew when to Gate me to try and get the Spark" Sirthis shrugged.
"Mmm... This makes me think... Malyanna also kidnapped Zenov, and he talks like Draxhai... Could there be a connection?"

[Xihirli]

"I know Malyanna," Anaweir said coldly. "Sounds like it's time to move her up the list of my priorities." She sighed and leaned slightly on Marû, showing the slightest hint of her overworked exhaustion before straightening back up.

"There could be a connection," Leff agreed, though how would she know.

"Then we are agreed. We face Tharizdun, take whatever its connection to the Weave is, and once it is weakened imprison it."
"What if he isn't weakened?"
"Then I recommend you leave. Nothing has ever escaped my watch, and nothing ever shall. Even if I must destroy this prison and everything on it," Draxhai answered.

[Valmark]

"Well then le- oh wait, I remembered something else. Before the whole matter with Vecna Malyanna was searching for a way to blackmail Asmodeus into giving her something to bring the Weave into Cania- then we fought at the Tower and I never heard from her until recently" Sirthis mused "There's a good chance she succeded and used whatever Asmodeus gave her to give Tharizdun a connection to the Weave- but I might be wrong, because back then she wanted to free Zargon, not Tharizdun. Still, I thought it was worth sharing"
"...well, that could actually be good news. I don't think she could do that twice" Eris noted "Well, let's go. Oh right, Draxhain, what are our chances of taking Tharizdun's Divine Spark away? A solution is to have her consume it" she nodded to Noxan.
"If it's anything like... Uh... Another dragon did it, she'll also need Tharizdun's True Name" Sirthis added, and put a hand on Anaweir's shoulder for Lesser Restoration.
"Is this any better? Oh, Leff, take the diamond dust back- I ended up not needing it and I don't have Stoneskin prepared anyway" he gave her the dust.

[Xihirli]

Anaweir smiled. "Thank you for trying, Ssss..."
"Sirthis," Marû prompted.
"Sirthis. Yes."
"How do you know she was actually going to help Zargon?" Leff asked as she returned the diamond dust to her component pouch.

"I am imprisoning Tharizdun. If the dragon becomes Tharizdun she shall be required to remain on Cania until I receive orders from a Secundis."
"That is acceptable," Noxan said.
"True names of Prisoners are kept at the village on Max's backup drives. I shall need to swear everybody here to secrecy before leading you to it," Draxai said.
"What is involved?"
"You shall swear on something which you love," Draxhai answered. "And I will know if I hear a lie."
Anaweir didn't seem to find this unusual, and said: "I am in love with a woman named Scout. She waits for me in the Woven Arches, my goddess's land in Celestia. I swear on Scout's name that I shall not betray Cania."
Leff wanted to take Eris's hand, but one hand was strapped to her shield and the other was on fire. "Her. Eris Lelahinn, my wife. I swear on my love for my wife I shall not betray Cania."
"Nektann," Hoket said. "He is my son. I... I don't know if he's alive. But... I swear on my love for him I shall not betray Cania."
Marû seemed to struggle for a moment before settling. "Elakian. He was like a father to me. I do not know if he lives, for he was outcast from us. But on my love for him and all of his teachings, I vow that I shall not betray Cania."
"Kuritab," Noxan said. "I loved our mistress, but we fought together for far too long - as brother and sister in arms. He is gone. Even his soul has been rent asunder now. But he lives on in my will to fight on, and it is on his name that I vow not to betray Cania."
Draxai's gaze fell upon Sirthis and Eris.

[Valmark]

Sirthis thought about it, then shrugged.
"I'm getting the feeling that this might have been all planned for but still, yeah I'll swear. I swear on my love for Mab, my wife, that I'll not betray Cania" he said, truthful. He still took his own word seriously, even if his recent track record wasn't of the best.
Eris smiled at Leff.
"I swear on my love for Leflabah Lelahinn that I will never betray Cania" of course she was truthful.
"To answer your question, she came to find me in search of my staff. You remember Yarmihaddu yes? Well, that staff was tied to Zargon and while she could have lied, there was no reason to do that given how I didn't even know who Tharizdun was back then. And let's face it- before the war with Vecna I was exactly the kind of person you want to ask to help destroying the world. I like to think I've gotten somewhat better" he replied to Leff, shrugging at the end.
"Oh and Anaweir? When we win this can you do me a favor and remember who I am?"

[Xihirli]

"Huh. Well, no wonder Malyanna got to like you so much," Leff responded to that.
Draxhai led them over tundra of bitter cold, shaking Sirthis and the others to their very core.

I shall require CON saves against the bitter cold DC 19, with advantage due to the fire.
Leff: [roll0]+9
Anaweir: [roll1]+11
Noxan is immune to cold
Marû: [roll2]+8

[Valmark]

"Given how pissed she got the first time we tried to hurt her, I wouldn't bet on my chances with her after this. I'm still wondering why she didn't want me coming here" Sirthis mused as they walked.
"Say Sirthis, didn't Slither try to get you to go pick something up from Tharizdun's prison?"
"Mmm...? Oh yeah, some kind of ruby for Asmodeus. It's possible Malyanna received the same deal and used that to get into Tharizdun's prison with the item. We should check if such a ruby is still there"
CON checks!
Sirthis [roll0][roll1]
Eris [roll2][roll3]
Hoket [roll4][roll5]

[Xihirli]

Okay 19 or above halves

[roll0] cold damage accrued over like a half hour.

Leff and Anaweir seemed particularly affected by the chill in the wind as they came upon a village of metal buildings, even including a building that seemed to be all windows that had plants growing in it.
"It seems that some of you require warmth. Please remain in the greenhouse until our business is complete," Draxhai said, leading them toward the greenhouse.

[Valmark]

Eris will heal with Second Wind: [roll0]

Sirthis will heal himself for [roll1] lv3 cure wounds and those are all the Pact Magic slots expended

Leflabah can heal herself.

Marû and Anaweir too but their slots are more important then ours so Sirthis heals the former with 4 goodberries (16 hp) and the other gets [roll2] lv3 cure wounds

Hoket already halves as a white dragonborn, so he gets 4 goodberries for 16 hp.

Total: 1 pact magic slot consumed, 1 3rd level spell slot consumed, 1 1st level spell slot consumed, second wind.

Sirthis when people (including himself) got noticiable effects from the cold made sure to provide respite (besides Leflabah since it's more convinient for her to heal stuff).

"That would be helpful, yeah" Sirthis nodded, following.
"Didn't expect metal houses. Doesn't it shield badly from cold? Though I guess being bothered by cold here is pointless" Eris mused, following too.

[Xihirli]

Draxhai inclined his head and opened the greenhouse, where they saw the bodies of odd creatures. Partly machine, partly biological. Small, like... halfling warforged, three were lying dead in the greenhouse. Draxhai immediately rushed to their sides to check for vital signs while Leff hung back, her medical expertise not having prepared her for cyborgs.

[Valmark]

"This wasn't supposed to happen, am I correct?" Sirthis asked, eyeing the strange manmachines curiously- then he started checking the place for signs of scuffles. He also used Detect Magic, just in case.

Let's roll... Investigate, yeah [roll0]

Are there fresh tracks that don't look like halflings? Or whatever those things are?
And signs of a fight and/or magic (if the latter it's probably obvious who did it)
That done, he went to check the corpses- even if he knew nothing of cyborgs, if on the meaty part there were cuts or burn marks etc. He could recognize those. Or maybe if metal pieces had been wrenched apart.

[roll1] for Medicine
"Mmm... You said that the previous Draxhai was dead and that another should have been chosen from the villagers... Could it be that the reason he was delayed is because..." Eris took a deep breath "...because they died? And so he went back to the one with the armor?"

[Xihirli]

The bodies were nonmagical, and had a mix of claw marks and burns. One had smashed hands from pounding on metal.
Draxhai left the last of the bodies to turn to Max. "Max, engage protocol: survival search."
Draxhai moved for the greenhouse door. "I must search for survivors. Any of you who feel fit to join me are welcome."

[Valmark]

"Mmm... Burns?" Sirthis didn't recall Malyanna ever burning people, but he could be wrong.
"I'll come- no point idling here. If cold worried me I wouldn't live in a ice fortress- though if Anaweir doesn't come I'll be almost useless"

Eris stepped forward, conjuring her maul.
"This isn't a weapon made of magic- it won't disappear without magic, so I can help regardless. And of course, if there are survivors we need to rescue them"

[Xihirli]

Anaweir shivered openly, but nodded. "I shall go."
Marû shook his head. "You'll get yourself killed, pushing yourself like that. Stay here, take a break. We'll run for you if there's trouble."
Anaweir looked uncertain.

Draxhai accepted Eris's help with a nod. Leff shivered more openly. "I think I should remain here," she said.

[Valmark]

"Sirthis, take this" Eris gave him her old longsword "You got an armor, a shield and a sword. You can at least be a wall" she joked and then hugged Leff.
"Use the earring if you run into trouble" she gave her a kiss and then nodded to Draxhain "Ready"

"Uff, nobody's giving me a kiss. See why I needed Zenov?" Sirthis laughed, taking the sword "See Marû? I'd be in trouble if I didn't often sneak off from your lessons. Don't worry Anaweir, we won't get ourselves killed" he made a small batch of goodberries to bring out, since those didn't need magic to be sustained "There, ready. Noxan, you coming? Hoket?" though he asked the latter more for education then anything- the dragonborn didn't have meaningful ways to help in a cold area devoid of magic, or at least so he thought.

20 goodberries stocked. Actually let's male 30 gb stocked.

Oh and Sirthis can use the longsword just fine thanks to bard, no problem.

[Xihirli]

“Will the earrings reach you if you’re not in magic yourself?” Leff asked.
“They will not,” Noxan said as Hoket found a seat. “I don’t see what use I’d be,” he said. “While Noxan will still have flight and immunity to cold.”

Marû, Noxan, Eris, Sirthis, Draxhei and Max went out of the greenhouse, and Sirthis found himself weakening as all of his magic items deactivated.
Marû gasped as they came upon the village. Dozens more of the cyborgs were slaughtered, many with tools and weapons in hand. Their injuries included what looked like remains of beams to the vulnerable chinks in their living armor, and one had apparently been crushed in a giant hand. As they somberly moved past all the dwellings, more and more were shown to have been killed in this manner - a great many with those wounds in the back.
Max eventually gave a final count of the dead: “four hundred and fifty-nine.”

[Valmark]

"Flight, immunity and a bada** dragon" Sirthis added before leaving.

When they reached the corpses, Sirthis went to examine them without seemingly minding the carnage- Eris went wide-eyed though.
"How could these people all die like this...? There is no apparent attacker..."

Sirthis inclined his head.
"...Eris, you called Tharizdun madness, right?" "Yes?" "Mmm... What's the chance of them having killed each other? I can't imagine so many getting backstabbed otherwise. And some of these wounds don't look like anything people like us could do..." he looked up at Draxhain "I remember there being Illusion magic active before my spell shut down. Is that supposed to be normal? If not... These people may have been tricked into fighting each other"

[Xihirli]

Draxhain seemed fixated on something else.
“Max. Full population count of Civilized Cania on most recent count.”
“Four hundred and fifty nine.”
“Confirm.”
“Four hundred and fifty nine.”
Draxhain looked one of the cyborg villagers over carefully.
“Then who was I?”

[Valmark]

Sirthis mulled over it, and on Draxhain's voice.
"There must be a connection" he said "Draxhain, how exactly does the selection of a new Draxhain work? And is your voice always the same?"

[Xihirli]

“The villagers here each have half-souls, and this body has a half-soul that draws others in. When Draxhain dies, one of the villagers’ souls leave them and their body dissipates, it’s life force restoring Draxhain. There will always be a jailer.” Draxhain looked down at the dead.
“Or, such was the idea. And my voice? I do not recall having any other. But then, in a manner of speaking I have only been alive for less than an hour.”

[Valmark]

Sirthis took a wobbly step back, visibly scared.
"Zenov and Zekov... They are two dragonborns with half a soul. For those who have met him, Zenov's gray and without a breath because Zekov kept all the physical traits... I... Have to go to the greenhouse" he turned and run back to the other group.
"Should we go after him? He seems to have guessed something"

[Xihirli]

“If you like,” Marû answered. “I shall remain with Max to uncover the true name of Tharizdun.”

[Valmark]

"Mmm... No, if something happens you may need help" Eris said, sticking around.
Sirthis went back to the greenhouse and immediately Sent.
Please please tell me you're fine. I'll explain when I come back.
It's Sirthis. Sorry to disturb you, but I need to know wether you're alright or not.

[Xihirli]

Marû nodded, and they followed the emotionless Max and the troubled Draxhai to another metal room filled with wires and what Eris could not have called computers. Max plugged itself into one and an electric hum started up.


When Sirthis returned, Leff looked up at him. "Me and Anaweir checked the ground right outside. I think the entire village exterior is in a Mirage Arcane. I don't know a lot about the spell-"
"But I do," Anaweir cut in. "It allows complete control over a massive area to a practiced illusionist like Malyanna. Well enough to block the people here in so none could escape."

He received no answer from Zekov or Zenov.

[Valmark]

Sirthis barely showed to be registering the two's explanation.
"Would it stop Sendings? And does anybody know what hour is it currently on Toril?" he asked. After a bit he added "Oh right, can we remove it? How does it even work when magic shouldn't be working?"
Eris leaned against a wall, utterly confused.
"Is it normal that it started singing?"

[Xihirli]

“It only works within about fifteen feet of me,” Anaweir answered. “Whatever she used it for, it’s done now. The spell lasts ten days, and judging by the fact that neither Draxhai nor Max notes any difference I think she’s made the location exactly the same as it was just in case.” As to whether the spell blocked sendings, Anaweir shook her head. “No, but a Sending to anyone else in the magic-blocked area would fail, and Sending has a chance of failure if cast on a target on another plane of existence.”




Marû looked nervous at all the apparatus as the construct absorbed information, then it unplugged itself. “Data banks uncompromised. True name of escaped prisoner downloaded successfully.”

[Valmark]

Sirthis nodded, sitting down.
"...everybody dead. Killed with claws and... Rays... I think. Literally everybody. Most attacked in the back. Draxhain apparently revives by using the villager's souls because they have half souls and he does too, so when he dies somebody becomes fuel" he hugged his knees "He was wondering whose soul fueled him since the villagers all died and... Zenov and Zekov both haven't answered my Sendings. They are both dragonborns with half a soul, so... His voice is the same as Zenov's..." Sirthis added nothing else.
Eris nodded.
"Should we like, step out to let Max tell Noxan?"

[Xihirli]

Anaweir's jaw tightened and Leff put a hand on Sirthis's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sirthis. I... I know he means a lot to you."


Draxhain nodded and followed Eris to the outdoors where the dragon was waiting, comfortable in the cold but aghast at the carnage. Max then plainly stated: "Prisoner's name is Shazdu-Uzollru: Corrupted and Broken."
Noxan only offered a terse nod.

[Valmark]

"...thanks. I just... I just hope he's alright" he had nothing else to add.
"The chances of both failing are... Scarce. I hope they are asleep"
Eris frowned.
"I... Am really not clear on how True Names work at all. she said "Mystra's True Name changed to Mystryl's when she got her spark... Did Tharizdun's change after getting corrupted? Does it mean Noxan's will change to Tharizdun's? If Tharizdun's like that because he got corrupted, would Noxan end up in the same situation?" she asked, running her hands in her hair with an evidently confused expression.

[Xihirli]

"I hope so, too," Leff answered.


"Possibly," Noxan answered. "But I shall be far easier to defeat than the true Tharizdun if it comes to that." Noxan turned around. "It's not safe to be separated. Let's join the others."

[Valmark]

"Well, we need to defeat him either way if we want his Spark, no?" Eris asked, nodding and heading to the greenhouse.

[Xihirli]

"Perhaps. I will not take any unnecessary risks," Noxan promised as they returned. Anaweir filled the away team in on the Mirage Arcane while Leff kept a hand on Sirthis's shoulder.

[Valmark]

"I still don't understand... How did..." Eris frowned "That carnage- I have an hard time believing she did it. Well, alone. And most were stabbed in the back"
Sirthis sighed and stood.
"Thanks, Leflabah" he smiled at her if only briefly and turned to the group "Magic... can make people fight each other- that might be how. It wouldn't be beyond her. Though I have no idea wether the villagers are capable of inflicting such wounds" he looked at Draxhain.
"We set to go?"

[Xihirli]

"The claw marks are consistent with a summoned Barlgura," Anaweir said as she stood. "But yes, we must find Tharizdun. Have you any clue as to where it is?"
"I was dead until very recently," Draxhain answered.
"What would his next move be after breaking out of his cell?"
"His wrists and ankles are bound in Dimensional Shackles. He'll try to remove those."
"How can he do that?"
"He can't. Only one prisoner knows how, and we cut off her arms."
Anaweir started moving. "Lead us to her cell."

[Valmark]

"Barlguras are her go-to option together with a giant hand. Or that one demonic pterodictyle when you need a flying one" Sirthis added following.
"Funny how we can have trouble finding a god laughing crazily that looma gigantic in the sky. On that note" Eris turned to Anaweir "Within five years and eight months a tribe of mainly genasi will reach the Calim Desert. Me and Leff plan on dealing with them but just in case- they have a ritual, or will have, to kill various gods including Mystra using their True Name. I figured this is important to you too"

[Xihirli]

Anaweir nodded. “I am of course worried about such a thing, but I can’t promise that I’ll even be alive at the time. But I’ll be sure to keep in touch with you all over that time,” she said.

[Valmark]

Sirthis refrained from adding anything to that. Though, given that Anaweir was probably Good, he had the terrible feeling that he was going to have to protect some of the group from themselves.
Good people have a tendency to sacrifice themselves after all.
Eris nodded.
"How many prisoners are there, Draxhain? What's the chance of them getting mass freed?" she asked after a while.

[Xihirli]

“Thirty-five beings are currently imprisoned,” Max answered.
“Their prisons are specifically built for each prisoner, in addition to being physically strong. Tharizdun’s was a complex puzzle that could not possibly be solved by an insane mind. While... hers is one that is only breakable by intense physical force. Even Tharizdun would take hours to break through it, even if he were sane. A mass breakout... would take someone both powerful and ingenious.”

[Valmark]

"Or someone powerful AND someone ingenious" Eris pointed out.
"Who was it that killed you last? Tharizdun? Can you tell us how he fights? What are we to avoid specifically or try to do? Besides removing his bond to the Weave"

[Xihirli]

"We never remember the last few minutes before we die," Draxhein answered.
"Allow me to answer," Marû said. "He utilizes force damage, similar to a Warlock's Eldritch Blast or Wizard's Magic Missile. He is also immune to this form of attack. It is said that the Obyrith taught him the Word of Annihilation, which infused him with the same energy found in a Sphere of Annihilation - pockets of raw destructive force. His claws deal this force damage, and his can also project it from the stone in the center of his head - a shard of pure evil, a fragment from the Ruby that held the Obyrith when they came into our world. He can cast spells, but he lacks the intellect to hold them in reserve and the sanity to stop and rest to regain them, and we believe that we managed to get him to exhaust all of his spells on illusions crafted by Anaweir when we first faced him."
"But we're not certain," Anaweir said. "And my illusions are nothing like what they once were."
"Can Tharizdun not see through illusions?" Leff asked.
"He has Truesight," Anaweir answered. "Meaning he can see both the world as it is and the world as presented by illusions when present. The ability to tell which one is real... is something his mind did not possess at the time we faced him. In many ways we were fortunate."
"He is also a telekinetic creature, as you saw with the icicle through Draxhein. When he is threatened, he whips up a storm of whatever's on hand which moves in erratic, unpredictable patterns," Marû began again."He can regenerate fairly quickly. We came to the realization early in our battle that we would not best him by dealing damage."
"But he tends to attack whatever hit him last," Anaweir continued. "Which means we may be able to move him somewhere we can contain him."
"And build a new cell around him?"
"If you think we could contain him for that long."

[Valmark]

"Basically his mind won't be hurt by visual illusions but he can't exactly tell, and it's fragile enough, am I correct?" Sirthis added after much silence "Today's a bad day to not be carrying Hideous Laughter then. Hoket, you have it right? I'm going to assume charming is useless. How fast is it? Can wolves or flying animals outrun it?"" he asked If I turn into something fast and carry Anaweir we can outrun him and have him chase us if he goes after the last one that attacked"
"Vecna carried the Spark in one of his eyes. Do we know where Tharizdun has it? Can we take it out when he's still alive?"

[Xihirli]

"He can fly very fast... faster than a Pegasus," Marû answered. "And we do not. Most gods simply keep it inside of them, where it is safe. Usually only gods that are preparing to be killed place them elsewhere."

[Valmark]

"Mmm... I doubt Tharizdun is ready to be killed... Well, we can find a way to blow him apart"
"Maybe it's inside the Ruby. Wonder if Asmodeus wanted me to go take it from Tharizdun's forehead. Good thing I refused" Sirthis mused "I doubt even Leflabah's Steeds can outrun him. We can probably keep him in place for a lot of time using animals though, if he focuses on one at a time. Did you already try something like that Marû?"

[Xihirli]

"No - I was concentrating on Shapechange to allow myself to survive his attacks, for belief that any summons would simply be torn apart by the aura of icicles he'd made. This time, I... hm. I could empower your beasts quite a bit, yes. Summon as many as you can and I can transform them all into elephants... and if speed becomes a necessity, I could transform them into eagles at-will, then stegosauruses and back to keep them alive. Though this means that my greatest spell would go unused..." Marû looked to Eris. "With your assent, I should like to empower you with my strongest spell."

[Valmark]

"...I guess yes? I have no idea what spell it is, but I trust your judgement" Eris nodded, having drawn a blank on understanding the magic talk.

[Xihirli]

Marû muttered a word and tapped Eris on the shoulder. She felt herself... sharper, somehow. Like she knew exactly what was going to happen.

Foresight.

8 hours.

You touch a willing creature and bestow a limited ability to see into the immediate future. For the duration, the target can’t be surprised and has advantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. Additionally, other creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls against the target for the duration.

[Valmark]

Eris' eyes widened.
"This... I think this is going to be useful yes" she nodded "Thank you. I hope it won't expire before it runs out though"

[Xihirli]

"We are only two miles from... her... prison," Draxhain said. "We will be able to see it after we go over this hill here."

Marû walked next to Sirthis. "The animals will still be under your control, no matter which form I give them. I won't be able to consult you in detail before every decision. I need you to trust me to make the right calls, and I need to be able to trust you to know what to do with the new forms. Is that clear?"

[Valmark]

Sirthis nodded.
"Not like animals have many different tactics. Plus the lack of mobility given by the area of dead magic limits possible moves too"Eris gripped her maul tighter.
"Would a magical weapon be able to damage the Evil Shard? And how far does Tharizdun's magic area reach, any idea? Like Anaweir's?"

[Xihirli]

"A mile," Marû answered. "It extends a full..." he stopped as they saw the rampaging beast with an orange glowing aura. It was roughly two miles away, and beating furiously on a massive sphere of Adamantine, from which the ice had already been clawed away. He clawed another sheet of metal away, not acknowledging their presence. The orange aura, extending around the creature for a full mile, cast the area within it as a nightmarish hellscape. Surrounding it was an aura of sharp ice moving in erratic waves.
"My prisoner is before me," Draxhain said.

It's not too late to turn around, Sirthis. Wait at the edge of his magic field and I'll take you home. Please, Sirthis. Don't make me watch you die.

[Valmark]

If you can't tell me wether Zenov's alright or not you better hope we beat Tharizdun, because I need to take it out on somebody.
"Watch out, Malyanna's here somewhere" Sirthis said, eyes locked on Tharizdun.
"Though I have no guarantee she will fight or not"
"Honestly, for once I hope not. The god looks already like an handful. You think he'll ignore us until we attack him?" Eris asked and licked her lips.
"The cage is clearly still holding on. Right, how do you know that Sirthis?"
"She told me" he simply replied, putting Eris' sword away. He hadn't realized he was still holding it.

[Xihirli]

Anaweir touched her eyelids and withdrew from her component pouch some eye drops which she administered to herself. "I'll see her coming," she promised.
"It is difficult to say," Draxhai said. "Because I will be attacking it immediately." And he began jogging for the monster, with Max hot on his heels.
"Sirthis," Anaweir said. "I understand the value of a tactical retreat. I have used my greatest spell to bring you and your friends here. I could keep a stronger spell ready to get us far away if things start going wrong, or I could use it to create a spell that allows me to blast the monster for the entire battle with Mystra's silver fire."
Leff's ears perked up. Silver Fire?
"Which do you think would be wiser?"
Maru cleared his throat, and Anaweir nodded. "Also, my illusory dragon is... too weak for this situation. I will instead make someone immune to mental damage and being charmed, as I did to myself yesterday. Who here would be your choice for such a thing?"

[Valmark]

"Oh no, no retreat. Tharizdun may or may not have caused the death of my best friend. We beat him here and now" Sirthis immediately replied "As far as mental damage and charmed goes..." "The latter has no whatsoever effect on me. I know who my friends are in a fight" "Right. Is that a melee problem? If so Eris is still a good target. Otherwise one of you wizards who are usually less strong against it, though you specifically should be already resistant to the charmes. Us druids' minds are already strong"
"Can i suggest Leff? She's good at all ranges. Though I haven't had the chance to see her against mental effects"
"Fine by me. Noxan and Draxhain should be tough enough for help to be better given to others"

[Xihirli]

Anaweir nodded, placing a hand on Leff’s head and murmuring out a spell of protection. Leff nodded in thanks and Anaweir conjured a crown of seven stars of silver light that orbited around her head.
“Alright. Let’s get this clown.”

[Valmark]

Eris ran after Draxhain- Sirthis too, if a bit slower. Since Tharizdun's immune to force damage, Eris used Armor Of Agathys, not bothering with keeping magical power for her smite. Though she still had some since she was never going to spare time for Spiritual Weapon.

Sirthis did the same- though Armor Of Agathys was weaker while Spiritual Weapon was stronger. He also conjured his animals, and nodded at Marû.

Eris casts Armor Of Agathis at level 3 and positions herself... At 25 ft. From Tharizdun I guess? She got plenty of movement that way. Can she start already in rage?

Sirthis can't be farther then 60 ft. From Tharizdun or his animals will go to ****, so that much. As in, Tharizdun is fully within 50 ft. So the animals can circle him.
Also he casts Spiritual Weapon (lv.4) and Armor of Agathys (lv.2).
Plus of course Conjure Animals at lv.3
Oh and Spirit Bear to give everybody 13 temporary hp.

...Hoket gets Motëk out.

Initiatives! [roll0] Sirthis
[roll1] Hoket
[roll2] [roll3] Eris

[Xihirli]

As they came near, Leff coated herself in blue fire, shielding herself in burning cold.
Simultaneously, Noxan landed next to Eris. “Would you like to ride on my back?” She asked.
Marû nodded at Sirthis and lifted his arms. Suddenly the eight seahorses flopping on the ice grew into eight powerful, trumpeting elephants which began a trampling charge at the god.

[Valmark]

"Hell yes" Eris nodded and climbed on when Noxan let her.
"...those are clearly better then seahorses" Sirthis managed to get out.

[Xihirli]

As Draxhai charged, Tharizdun lifted his massive head and turned toward the jailer, looking for all the world like a kaiju as the shard of a ruby sphere on his head glowed and blasted out a bead of force. Draxhai grunted as part of his armor dissipated into nothing under the red glowing power, but he kept charging.
Anaweir withdrew from a pouch at her side a broom that she sat on. She flew at Tharizdun, pelting silver fire into his chest but stopping short of the wall of piercing ice. The silver fire ricocheted off of the cloudy smoke surrounding him, doing nothing.
She then surveyed him with her silvery eyes of seeing true things and shouted down: "The Weave - it's in his forehead!"
It was that moment that four Malyannas appeared in front of Draxhai, each one pointing at him. Around him, an adamantine cube manifested into reality. At first it was an illusion - and then it was not. The jailer was suddenly trapped in an adamantine box.
Then tiny explosions went off inside the box for all to hear until a tiny hole was ripped in it, causing all four Malyannas to gasp. Then one of Draxhain's blades pierced through, partially freezing the adamantine just as a buzzsaw, humming with lightning, pierced through the weakened adamantine. Before the four Malyannas' startled eyes, the jailer stepped out of her prison, then was standing right next to her when Tharizdun looked at both of them with madness. His gemstone pulsed again, and both the eladrin and the... Inevitable? were thrown from their feet and skidded through the ice, getting a bit cut up in the process as they ended lying in the ice, ninety feet away from Tharizdun. Malyanna looked up groggily - and there was only one of her.

Eris is up.

[Valmark]

"That's Malyanna!" Eris exclaimed, pointing at the eladrin that had been just pushed away "Sirthis said she has some kind of protective item- your call if we want to go after her! But I reckon if we manage to find and break Tharizdun's bond with the Weave on his forehead she'll become basically useless" she told Noxan, readying her maul.
"Ready when you are"

I trust Noxan. Readying an action to strike the hostile target Noxan brings her to: Malyanna, Tharizdun or whatever Eris can spot on Tharizdun's forehead that should be the item in question.

Hits with 23 for 22 damage
Hits with 23 for 20 damage

[Xihirli]

Marû, seeing that he was one of the only ones there who could do nothing against Tharizdun just yet, turned to Malyanna and shouted out words of blight that withered away at her body. Malyanna shook off the worst of this effect, screaming as death attempted to cling to her directly.
Leflabah moved nearer to Tharizdun and noted the icicle barrier he had erected. Seeing Noxan flying straight for his head, she lifted her hand. "Kadör Ahash!" she shouted, and she turned the icicles flying around Tharizdun's head into steam, also singing his face a bit in the process.
"We can fly. Many of our fellows cannot," Noxan said to Eris and flew them right through the opening created by Leff's fireball. "Now!" she said as her claws glowed with chilling blue fire and she began raking them into Tharizdun's face. Her jaws clamped around some of his flesh and tore it away, and the empty flesh screamed as air rushed into him as if he were a vacuum.
In the midst of all this Eris's hammer began laughing as she swung at Tharizdun's face. It laughed and cracked the gemstone around Tharizdun's head, and then it hit the ruby again. With a sharp CRACK, it dislodged itself from Tharizdun's head and fell down into the ice. Tharizdun hissed as the hole in his head where the hammer was opened into a black sphere of... anti-matter. Of unbeing. Her hammer got suddenly lighter and she noted that the head of her hammer was gone, and had stopped laughing. Like it had never been.
Tharizdun hissed as parts of his head were unmade as the sphere was inside.
"Perfect!" Anaweir shouted. "I can take control of the sphere! Can you get rid of that ruby?"
"I can eat it," Noxan said. "If you wish to keep hitting him, let me know."

Sirthis is up, then Hoket.

[Valmark]

"Sorry to rob you of that sacrifice thing you Good people like so much!" Sirthis exclaimed and sent the elephants in a konga line running over the ruby on their way to Tharizdun.
"Hoket, make sure Tharizdun focuses on Motëk and not our flyiers! Anaweir, if you could avoid undoing the Spark too it would be nice! Assuming it's not the ruby!"

Hoket directed Motëk against Tharizdun and chucked a Web Maly's way.
So...
On Tharizdun:
Elephants hit with:
16 for 22 damage
19 for 25 damage
23 for 20 damage
18 for 22 damage
Crit for 32 damage
21 for 19 damage
23 for 15 damage
20 for 17 damage
Motëk hits with:
22 for 7 damage
20 for 8 damage

On the ruby:
...194 damage and it must succeed on a CON saving throw or take 7 damage from Toll The Dead.
Tecnically also Spiritual Weapon on the ruby but I forgot it deals Force Damage

Oh and Malyanna gives me a DEX saving throw because Hoket uses Web on her, avoiding Draxhain.

[Xihirli]

The Ruby got stomped on a lot... and then... reality around it shattered like glass. The elephants were ripped apart, split to the atoms, and Tharizdun's lower half was detonated as well as the ruby stone exploded into an expanse of nothingness. Of void. The god screamed as it was unmade from the bottom up, and Noxan pulled back.

"**** that!" Anaweir yelled back. "This Spark is corrupted past its original purpose anyway!"
"Listen to the boy!" Draxhain shouted. "That thing isn't going to stop expanding. All of Cania will be consumed in a matter of hours!"
Anaweir stared, dumbfounded, at Marû. "Can you get us out of here?" The druid clenched his jaw, then shook his head.

[Valmark]

Sirthis made a rapid count.
"Malyanna- she's the only one that can take us out!" he called out to the group and looked on to where Maly should have been.
"Oh gods not her again" Eris hissed out.

[Xihirli]

The magic effects away from Anaweir dissipated as the group flew away from the shattering, where Draxhain had Malyanna under one foot. Anaweir was careful to stay further than 15 feet away from her, cutting her off from the weave.
Maly smiled at Sirthis.

"Me again," she said.

[Valmark]

Sirthis only then registered that Draxhain was stomping on Malyanna.
"Get off of her" he said "Regardless of... Anybody's personal feelings... We all need Malyanna to get out" he glared at him.
"Not that I've forgiven you for potentially killing Zenov, Malyanna. But Tharizdun's scream was satisfying enough for the moment"Eris got off of Noxan (or asked her to fly her down if they were still in air) and went over to hug Leff.
"When we do get out of here, I need to show you what that spell you used meant to me" she whispered before turning back to Malyanna.
"...am I going to have to say please?"

[Xihirli]

Malyanna looked bewildered as Draxhain stepped off of her.
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, even though you've said it twice. What happened to Zenov?"

Leff was having a bit of trouble focusing on Eris for the moment, since... well. But her wife's tone of voice got her excited despite the circumstances. "Fireball?" she asked. "I cast that one all the time."

Malyanna focused back on the questions.
"How about this, Sirthis: I take you and I home. Anaweir has to come along or I can't go at all. The rest we leave to die. Deal?" she asked.

[Valmark]

Sirthis nodded to Draxhain.
"There's a chance your actions caused Zenov's soul to be cannibalized for Draxhain here to live""Oh, I'll tell you in detail alone" Eris replied with a grin and then snapped back into focus on the matter at hand "Sirthis, not to be insensible but... Impending doom"
Sirthis nodded at Eris and pursed his lips.
"Literally only Hoket would accept. Maybe. Most of these people are Good- they won't mind a sacrifice to take you down with them, and you know I'm petty enough to let myself get killed. No, you're bringing us all back at the Calim Desert- but, before that everybody here will swear to not harm you after you take us out" he looked at the rest of them.
"I do have enough magic to take us to safety anyway after you Shift us anyway"

Persuasion!

[roll0] lucky! [roll1]

[Xihirli]

"I'm staying here," Draxhain said. "With Max. This is every creature in here's last ditch attempt to leave, and we must keep that from occurring. Further, our life is tied to Cania. We will die outside of it regardless." Draxhain nodded to Max. "Max. Protocol five four two."
"Project: Last Hurrah underway," Max said, emotionless.

Malyanna looked at Anaweir, then the others.
"First of all, blaming me for that is a stretch. I told you not to come here! If Tren Krom learns that I had a chance to kill Anaweir, Marû, and those two," she nodded to Leff and Eris, "but saved my own skin instead, there's nowhere I can hide." A sob escaped her throat.
"I can't bring them all. Do you hear me? If I bring them all, I'm dead anyway... if I get lucky!" She looked up at Sirthis and started crying.
"I told you not to come, Sirthis. I told you not to come."

[Valmark]

Sirthis took Malyanna by her shoulders.
"Then leave her. She'd sacrifice you either way. Look" he took a deep breath "If we stay here, we die. If we go away, maybe we die. There is only loss to be gained from here, while we can find a way to survive outside. Anaweir" he turned to her "Can you make sure Malyanna can't be teleported away until she gets a spell to stop those herself? Something to stop her from for example getting Gated" he turned back to Malyanna, and used his cape to dry her tears.
"We'll protect you. We've been doing a damn good job at foiling your plans, haven't we? At least I will. I think I know a pretty nice place for you to hide- which is not the Fortress, don't worry. A place that welcomes scolars. It's worth a try. Besides, Ashanelath might take you back when she realizes nothing says you can't help anymore" he insisted "Malyanna, please. You can't simply surrender yourself to death. Not now that you have somebody to love even"
"Wh- protect her!?"
"Would you turn away somebody in need?"
Eris glared at Sirthis.
"Lookatmegettingmanipulatedb- right, fine, I'll smash what tries to harm her until she can fend for herself. Draxhain, how much do you think would it take for Cania to disappear? More then eight hours? More then the time Marû or Anaweir need to recharge their magic? And... Thank you for everything you did"
"Please Malyanna. You can tease the tiefling if you take us out. And there's still me"

[Xihirli]

Anaweir looked at Max. "Before you go, can I get a pair of Dimensional shackles?" At a nod from Draxhain, Max handed Anaweir some. "Yes, I can keep her from getting Gated."
Draxhain looked at the rapidly expanding scrambling of atoms, and noted that it was accelerating. "Maybe six. It's mainly going downward, following gravity. Once it hits the core..." He motioned to Max. "It's time to move." And he led the construct away.

Malyanna put a hand on Sirthis's face.
"You don't want to love me. You could never be sure if I was on your side. You know I never pick love over power. There's... there's nothing for me out there. Just... let it end here, Sirthis? Please? I am... so tired of living with myself. Groveling to those nutcase eels for power, even convincing myself they're really wonderful so that when they check my memories for thought crimes I'm not tortured... Can't I just lie down and give up? Please? Just this once... can't it end without pain?"

[Valmark]

"You don't get to decide who I want to love or not" Sirthis said "I've already accepted the consequences of that. And... Hell no. I'm not letting you die. I have an idea- how about you stop sucking up to the aboleths and find a place to belong to? As I said, I know one. And you aren't alone" he smiled "Not anymore" and he gave her a kiss.
"I'd love to keep this kind of talk, but I really need you to help us" Sirthis told Malyanna.
"Please. Keep fighting- not for the aboleths, not for me, not for anybody but yourself. Fight for your own happy life. You're a badass wizard after all"

[Xihirli]

Malyanna took the kiss and grabbed onto Sirthis when he seemed to be pulling away.
"Okay... everyone who's coming hold hands." Noxan shrank down and Leff let out the breath she'd been holding for awhile. Malyann stood up, nodding.
"I... I'll give it a try. T... thank you, Sirthis." She let go of him with one of her hands and took Eris's with the other.
"Ready?" she asked Anaweir, who hadn't stepped closer. The wizard looked to Sirthis and Eris for confirmation.

[Valmark]

"Anaweir, I don't have the time for a formal invitation. Don't you have somebody to go back to?" Sirthis asked remembering her promise.
"Sirthis, shut up. Anaweir... Come on. No choice anyway. I'm even holding her hand" she nodded at Malyanna's.
"Oh, and slap the shackles on Maly as soon as we Shifted, to be safe. Malyanna, as close as you can to Tulgither's Great Hall Of Conversation? Otherwise the city in the Calim Desert I guess"

[Xihirli]

Anaweir took Leff's hand and Leff took Eris's, and then they were in a circle. [COLOR="#3300ff"][B]"Okay, Sirthis. Calim desert." And they vanished into inky blackness... and then Sirthis and Eris's eyes were harshly hit by sand as they were in the center of a desert, with a sandstorm raging. That continued for a moment before the sand was blocked off by a dragon spreading its wings.
"I see you're stuck in a sandstorm... nasty business, sandstorms," a familiar Brass dragon began.

[Valmark]

Sirthis smiled at Malyanna then hurriedly turned to Tulgither "Sorry if I skip plesantries- please, tell me Zenov's alright. That thought has been killing me"
"Tulgither! Wow we got a story for y- wait wait, the Shackles" she turned to Anaweir.

[Xihirli]

Tulgither's face fell. "He's not with you? He followed you in. I told him... well, he was a free-willed creature. What was I to do?"

Anaweir hurriedly shackled Malyanna by the wrist to her own wrist. The other wizard made no move to stop her. "Got it," she said.

[Valmark]

Sirthis blinked.
"...he's dead, then. He... He sacrificed himself... Maybe he didn't even know that..." he turned and hugged Malyanna, not even sobbing but directly crying into her tunic as he hid his face against her.
Eris looked at Sirthis, then lowered her gaze.
"I... I think we should all get away from the sandstorm and sit down. It has been... Tiring. Sirthis..." she looked up at him "If Zenov followed us... He was a hero"

[Xihirli]

Malyanna hadn't stopped crying yet, so she held Sirthis while they both bawled some.
"I'll sub in," Noxan told Tulgither, and grew so she could block off the sand.
Tulgither started digging downward, and soon the group was in the Grand Hall of Conversation.
"So. Who are all of your friends?" Tulgither asked. "I believe I've already seen some of them, but the... Malyanna?"
Anaweir forced a smile to Tulgither. "Long story."

Leff patted Sirthis's back. "Eris is right. And maybe he didn't know exactly what was going to happen, but he knew that you needed him when he went through that gate. And we did. We never would have found out where Tharizdun was if not for his sacrifice."
Leff shot a look at Malyanna. A sacrifice that was necessary because she massacred an entire village, most of whom were running away, she Sent to Eris. "He knew hanging out with you had a pretty good chance of leaving him dead. And he still did it... because you made him feel alive." She smiled to Sirthis. "Everybody dies. But not everybody gets to have a friend like you."

[Valmark]

Sirthis backed off, slapping his own cheeks with deep breaths.
"Thanks... Thank you. Both of you" he said after a while.
"I can't really afford to cry... Yet, can I. We... we need to take care of Malyanna, she can't stay shackled to Anaweir forever. And I need to help Hoket save his family. And there is still Vhisola and Miserix to worry about" he stated "Tulgither, Malyanna... Had a falling out with the aboleths. And even if... If everything that happened was tecnically her fault, she tried to look out for me and ultimately brought us back even if it makes her a target from Ashanelath, so we are going to protect her until she can fully protect herself" Sirthis looked at Malyanna "Until she can have a life she likes. Or until she betrays us, I guess that's her call" he shrugged, still thinking about Zenov.
"Oh, and... Eris, Leflabah... Sorry but I think that for the time being I will be heading back to the Fortress for the above mentioned reasons. And because Mab's pissed at me"

Mab, I love you. I'll be heading back starting now. Which is probably tomorrow since we're dead tired at the moment. Cania imploded more or less. And... Zenov... He died to help us. And Malyanna's probably coming too. Though I hope Gloriana will house her. Right now she isn't really welcomed by her bosses. But she saved us all.

If she truly is willing to leave the aboleths... I don't think you and I have any right to stop her from possibly redeeming herself. Though I am very insulted by not being able to kill her then.

"Well... Let's fill Tulgither in. Zenov... He had only half a soul, though only Sirthis knew. Draxhain, the jailer for all the beings on Cania, has half a soul and uses other halves to come back to life- Malyanna had killed all the villagers that were supposed to become Draxhain, so when Zenov came... Draxhain resurrected from him. We managed to track down Tharizdun and Malyanna, and we... Well, we broke this infamous shard of evil Tharizdun had and it became a giant Annihilation Sphere that has or will destroy all of Cania, prisoners included. We were spent from the fight and would have ended up dead if not for Malyanna here, who ultimately Plane Shifted us even if her boss is going to treat her... Badly, if she gets her ends on her. The Shackles... Are there for Malyanna's protection. Which makes me think..." she turned to Anaweir "If you close one of Malyanna's wrists and leave the other clasp hanging, do they work anyway? What do they do exactly?"

[Xihirli]

"We were going to go to Gloriana's palace, actually," Leff said to Sirthis. "So maybe we'll go with you part of the way. If you wife will have us..." Leff looked up at Eris. Aklah, she thought, and opened up the door to be tackled and licked by the donkey-sized wyvern.

"These shackles prevent her from being teleported or brought to another plane through a spell that draws her. Someone could still open up a portal, walk through it, and drag her, but they can't just summon her against her will. And yes, I could. I am simply shackling her to myself because I do not trust her, and the only person whose life I have a right to put in danger is my own," Anaweir answered bluntly.

Could you give me a few minutes, please? Less than one minute later, Mab appeared in front of Sirthis in a great black gown "How about we go home?" she asked him with a half-smile.
Tulgither backed up somewhat. "Ah..."

[Valmark]

"Mab!" Sirthis exclaimed and immediately hugged her, sighing happily that she's here. Somewhat. He still had a best friend that died only a little time ago.
"Yes, let's. Can we take Malyanna, Hoket, Eris, Leflabah and Aklah -a wyvern- t- riiiight" he smiled and looked at Tulgither, giving himself a semblance of seriousness.
"Tulgither, I'm happy to say that she's Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court, Air and Darkness, and my wife. Mainly the last one" he looked back at her.
"You look more beautiful then the last time I saw you"

"May I have a second? My daughter is stomping on my wife" Eris said, seemingly unfazed- with Sirthis she got used fast. And she went and tackled Aklah herself, nuzzling against the wyvern's muzzle.

"...oh, uhm, what will you do now? Anaweir? Marû? Noxan?"

[Xihirli]

Mab put a hand on her belly, which was just starting to show. "It's the pregnant glow," she explained with a smile. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Tulgither." She looked questioningly at Malyanna, who seemed to catch on and bow.
"My deepest apologies for my work under Vecna. If it makes you feel any better, every person I've been sent to help since meeting Sirthis has failed, and most of them have died horribly."
"That does make me feel a bit better. Take the shackles off of her, she may enjoy my hospitality for a day."

"I am to return to the grove," Marû said. "I am growing too old to keep at this for so long."
"And I have business in the nine hells," Anaweir said tiredly. "If Asmodeus is indeed the one who gave Malyanna the connection to the Weave she used.
"He was."
Anweir nodded. "Alright then." She unshackled herself and Malyanna, then passed the shackles to Sirthis. "Be careful with her."


Leff laughed despite herself as she got up with Eris's help, returning her attention to Mab while Aklah switched targets, wrestling with her tiefling mother.


Mab looked at Sirthis with a shocking lack of curiosity. "You've had a full week."
She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry about Zenov. We can have a funeral fit for a lord, if you think he would have wanted such a thing. And yes, the Lelahinns are always welcome. As is Hoket."

[Valmark]

"Honestly... I think he would have liked for us to smile and have fun" Sirthis rubbed his eyes trying to not cry again and smiled at Mab. Then he took Malyanna's shackles "These go back on when we get to the Fortress. Unless you can stop her from getting teleported away, Mab? And... Yeah, in hindsight, I'm really bad for business Maly" he gave out a smile "Thanks for the hospitality Tulgither. Marû, Anaweir, until next time. Remember my name" that last bit was aimed at Mystra's Priestess.

Eris was basically fighting Aklah while getting her nearer Mab.
"Sorry if she doesn't bow, Queen Mab. But uuuuh... Aklah's not as well-behaved as Helryx or others" she said apologetically.

"...Helryx's well-behaved? I think we are ready though" Noxan had said nothing, so he doubted she was coming too.
"Guess this is goodbye with you too Noxan. I'm sorry you couldn't find what you seeked back there. You're one of my favorite dragons so far"

[Xihirli]

Tulgither nodded and Mab put a hand on Sirthis's shoulder. "Yes, he would want that. And no, I can't do that." She kissed Sirthis. "Had to have one before we went. Everyone hold hands." Malyanna held Sirthis's hand, and Leff gripped hers and took hold of Aklah, who of course was all over Eris.

And with a tearing of mint leaves and some crushing of pine needles, they were suddenly in a chamber Sirthis had never seen before, a garden of flowers that were as large as a human was, being tended by pixies whose wings hummed like hummingbird wings.
"I thought you'd like the new indoor garden that Borra set up," Mab smiled to Sirthis. "Also, this room is far warmer than the rest of the fortress."

[Valmark]

Sirthis smiled at Mab.

And here I was still worried you were angry about me going to Cania.

He told her privately before getting transported.
"...yeeeees I like it" Sirthis nodded with a smile, and put a shackle on Malyanna- leaving the other hanging. Even if he didn't trust her, Sirthis was pretty sure he couldn't keep her chained to him.
He summoned his familiar.
"Chocolate, look" he gestured around "We're home. Away from the desert"

And don't think I forgot what warmth does to you.
Eris smiled at the sight.
"Reminds me of Cendr- Aklah don't eat the pixies" she eyed the wyvern sternly before she could go after anything.
"Uff... We may need to start raising animals for you"

[Xihirli]

Mab didn't Send anything, she simply played her fingers along Sirthis's back while Malyanna looked down at the shackle on her wrist as if deciding how she felt about it.
Chocolate looked excited at a flower and flapped over to it, prying it open. The pixies shooed Chocolate away, and he went back to Sirthis's shoulder. "Let's kill them," he said in Draconic to Sirthis.

"I can learn that spell Sirthis cast," Leff said. "If I can find it."
"I am certain that Aldora can find something for you," Mab promised, and Leflabah gave a slight bow in thanks.
Aklah didn't eat the pixies, but she did lick a flower curiously before looking uninterested in it.
"You're all quite tired, let's get some rooms ready for you. I'm sure Nona can set you up with your old suite and find a space in the stables for... Aklah, was it?"

[Valmark]

"How about sneaking in during the night?" Sirthis replied to Chocolate smiling up at Mab and leaving a kiss on her cheek. He turned to Malyanna then.
"Before we go, I was thinking- if you put them on yourself you can remove them whenever you want right? It's no spell of mine, but shouldn't you be able to program a Glyph Of Warding on something that could even be a tattoo to Plane Shift you back if you get summoned against your will? That way you can keep the shackles in a bag or something and when you shift back instantaneously you slap them back on until you can ward yourself again. It's the best solution I could come up in such a short time. Either that or an anti-magic field, but that looks... Bothersome. And..." he smiled and took her hand "If anything happens, just tell me, alright? No criptiness or anything. Just... Ask for help. The two Good ones there too, they are duty bound to help people in need"
Eris frowned, conflicted.
"That rooms' amazing... Leff, you think we should leave Aklah at the stables?" she asked, looking very in doubt.
"Oh- I'm sorry, Queen Mab. Yes, she's Aklah. Devourer in Primordial. Or Ignan. Leff knows the difference"

[Xihirli]

Malyanna eyed the "two Good ones" suspiciously.
"They'll find some 'greater good' or 'justice' excuse once you're not around, I'm sure. And a Glyph only affects other creatures than the caster. But..." she tapped the shackle.
"This will do for a little bit. And Gloriana is a master of the plane anyway - you mentioned she might take me?"
Chocolate gave a noncommittal huff and crawled down to Sirthis's coin purse, which he started pulling open.


"I assure you, she will be well cared for and eat plenty," Mab promised. Leff nodded. "Thank you, Queen Mab. I think we will accept."

[Valmark]

Eris frowned.
"Sorry, but I never hided behind greater good stuff, on that we agree. You're safe as long as I don't catch you eating babies" she said, glaring, fully convinced Malyanna would do it "Besides, me and Leff... We can't really attack you if you're trying to break away from the aboleths and find another way into the world.
We... weren't much different from you, once upon a time. Though I'm not going to hope you start actively pursuing evil threats as a form of redemption" she sighed.
"Thank you, Queen Mab. I echo Leff, then" she smiled at her wife, a hand resting on Aklah's head.
"Gloriana often seeks to add artists and scholars to her court. She offered Lenora to join her after I teached her music and would have even offered the same to me, but eeeeh I had already found the Queen for me" Sirthis smiled at Mab, letting Chocolate do whatever he wanted. If he filled up now then good luck feasting on the hoard later.
"And she offered the same to Leff, on virtue of her intelligence and taste for knowledge. Actually, I think she even offered the same kind of pact Sirthis has with Mab or I have with Boss, in addition to joining her Court. I think. Not required I believe, though- in case you want to avoid taking a new patron just yet"

[Xihirli]

Malyanna tilted her head to one side, studying Eris carefully. "Thank you," she said finally.
Chocolate gorged himself on Sirthis's coin purse and snacked loudly.
Aklah hummed contentedly at Eris's hand on her head and Leff looked happily at her wife and daughter. "You take her to the stable, I'll set up the room?" she requested.
"And won't you take Malyanna with you to set up her own? My husband and I have some catching up to do."

Mab then Sent to Sirthis. Though I understand fully if you simply need to cry and rest tonight. You have been through a profound loss.

Sirthis loses [roll0] gp

[Valmark]

"Yes, Queen Mab" Eris nodded, turning to Sirthis "We can talk logistics tomorrow. I may have an idea that should go well with everybody involved- though the Queen may want my head if I suggest any traveling to you anytime soon" she tried to joke, unsure wether Mab would take that well "Aaaaand we'll take our leave" she gave Leff a kiss, motioning for Aklah to follow her "I think you should follow Leff, Malyanna? Since she's going to the housekeepers. And no need- you can thank me by not making us regret it, like we did with our teachers. Leff, if she asks feel free to talk about my past before the Order- nothing exciting to hide there"

Sirthis put a hand on Malyanna's face and gave her a kiss.
"Rest well" he told her and turned to Mab.

I think I'll first cry everything I'm still holding and then take care of the family I've been neglecting. Zenov... He wouldn't want me to simply lay down and cry a river.

He looked down.
"I just wish my last words hadn't been..." he held back a sob and shook his head.
"Let's go first"

[Xihirli]

"Watch that tongue," Mab said sharply to Eris before looking back to Sirthis, looping an arm through his. Alright, we can do that.

Malyanna looked to Leff, who she hadn't warmed up to at all, and followed the Genasi toward the housekeepers' office.

[Valmark]

"I'm sorry, Queen Mab" Eris hurriedly excused herself and went away with Aklah to the stables, prehentively taking out the ziggurat for Tongues.
Sirthis giggled weakly.
"It's probably my fault" he said, then "I... Don't know my way out of here" he sighed "As if this was still the first time" still he led the two of them outside and stopped a fly to ask it to guide them to the bedroom.

[Xihirli]

The instant he was out of the flower room a bat was all over his face, coating him in wing-like love. Mab chuckled and Chocolate pulled his head out of the coin purse to look up at Alown Rissen Gauder Sad Rescher Campannin.

When Eris came to the stables, she met the standard stable hands feeding and cleaning the animals... and, tending to the one normal (looking?) horse, her devil self, who looked up at her and smiled. "So, we didn't die. And we smashed the stone right off of Tharizdun's head. I'm proud of us."

[Valmark]

"Alown!" Sirthis exclaimed and hugged the small bat with the free arm, giving her a kiss on the head. With all that happened, he hadn't thought about her and laughed weakly.
"Have you been well? This here is called Chocolate- and he's a butterdrag- ehm, faerie dragon. A new friend. Chocolate, she's Alown Rissen Gauder Sad Rescher Campannin. She's one of my oldest friends" he asked her, though he still stopped a fly to be their guide.

Eris rolled her eyes.
"I am too. Of us. As in, those that were physically there. Didn't see you do anything" she used Tongues then and stopped an attendant "May I have her slotted in a stable?" she gestured at Aklah and really hoped Devil!Eris was going to stay away from the wyvern. She didn't feel too worried anymore though, after Gloriana's promise.

[Xihirli]

Alown was busy loving Sirthis and ignored Chocolate as they came to Mab's bedroom. "Let's get you a nice bath - with attendants or without?"


"Of course, Missus Lelahinn," a spriggan said in Sylvan, opening a stall for the wyvern and having a live pig placed in as well.
The devil waved once again and vanished in a shower of sparks. Nobody else seemed to notice.

[Valmark]

Sirthis leaned against Mab as soon as they were behind closed doors.
"Without" he said, and his body started to sob almost immediately.
"My last words to him... I asked if he... If he didn't mind staying back. That's... The last thing... I told my best friend. Before he died"

"I know this is going to look like a weird question..." Eris asked the same spriggan "Did you see something like a devil made out of fire tending to the horse there? I swear it's an important question" she said while leading Aklah inside to the pig.
"All yours!"

[Xihirli]

Mab nodded and helped Sirthis out of his armor as she listened, and she had her bath attendants sent out. "So your last words to him were asking him to be safe, because you love him," she said.


The spriggan looked confused. "Ah... no," came its reply.
Aklah tackled the pig happily and injected it with her tail. The pig fell over paralyzed and Aklah started munching.

[Valmark]

Sirthis fumbled with his clothes, not wanting to have Mab do all the work.
"...yes...Yes, I think. I... I said it so lightly..." he covered his face with his hands, finally crying.
"The... Spirit of Cania... Draxhain... He spoke with Zenov's voice..." Sirthis started narrating slowly "He... Each time he died... Someone with half a soul... Sacrificed for him... Did I ever tell you Zenov was such a being?" he wasn't really focused on the answer, but Sirthis needed time before talking again.
Eris nodded at it before smiling at Aklah.
"Have fun devouring" she petted her for a bit before closing the stable and waving goodbye to go back to their old room.

[Xihirli]

Mab finished getting them both ready and guided Sirthis into the tub, where she held him close. "He loved you, you know," she said. "And... no, I didn't know that. But I think... he would have been happy, dying to help you."


Eris arrived at their old room to find Leff washing up, her armor and clothes off to one side. She looked up. "Sorry!" she said. "I should have waited for you. I was so tired and the bath looked so good."

[Valmark]

"I thought... I thougt only good people had to sacrifice themselves" Sirthis sighed and nestled against Mab, taking his time to cry until he didn't have tears anymore.
"He was my best man for a reason" he smiled.
"We really need to hang that bell. Promise?"
Eris smiled.
"Not only the bath looks good" her smile turned into a grin while she got ready for the bath.

[Xihirli]

Mab held Sirthis close and occasionally dotted his head with little kisses. "Alright. I promise."


Leff blushed. "How is Aklah?"

[Valmark]

Sirthis looked up at Mab.
"I love you" he said "And one day... One day I'll be powerful enough that anybody will be too scared to harm any of those I care about. I've already helped kill two evil gods and a solar, I'm on my way" he swore.
"Short version, she's eating a pig happily. The long one's... Gruesome" Eris shrugged and stepped into the hot water, sighing happily.
"Regarding the fireball..." Eris coiled her tail around Leff's abdomen and pulled her against herself "You use it often but you don't always turn to steam anything that stands between my hammer and a god's face" she whispered and kissed her.

[Xihirli]

Mab scratched his head lightly. "I love you," she said. "And... good luck. I've tried that already." A pained smile came to her face. "But then, combine it together..." she kissed him gently.


Leff immediately shuddered and wrapped her arms weakly around Eris. "Well, if this is what happens I'll have to try and do it more." She then remembered that particular god-face-smashing. "Sorry about the hammer, by the way."

[Valmark]

"We'll be THE power couple" Sirthis smiled and gave Mab a kiss.
"I... Feel better now, thanks to you. Tharizdun's dying scream was pretty satisfying too. Though we... Uh... Broke a plane" he shrugged "Enough with work. And with pain. My wife's here after so much time and I have enough magic left to use Water Breathing again" now his smile was more playful "Though maybe I should dismiss Chocolate lest he... Bothers us"
"You think Boss will give me a new one? I don't really know where Hyrsam lives" Eris mused then shrugged "I honestly don't care about that right now" and she gave Leff another kiss.
"I have my wife, an exciting day on my shoulders and hot water. I'm done thinking for the day"

[Xihirli]

After falling asleep, Sirthis found himself suddenly fully dressed as he stood on a wispy silver surface. Before him, a woman with jet black hair and silver eyes worked a loom. However, when the straw reached the end of the wheel, it turned not into string, but nothingness. No... not nothingness. With a closer look Sirthis saw that the thread joined a spiderweb of near-invisible thread that extended from the woman wishing it out in every direction- including right into him.
No... there was one direction it did not go. Before them, on the icy planet they were observing as it collapsed in on itself, being unmade from the inside out.

[Valmark]

Sirthis took some time before realizing what he was looking at- this was a Dream, and that was Cania. The woman though...
"Well... Sorry for that" he said nodding at the collapsing world "Destroying Cania wasn't part of the plan to fight Tharizdun. I'm Sirthis Elvaninn... And I don't think I had the pleasure to know your identity yet" he studied her, wondering if the silver eyes were related to Mystra like his. The thread told him nothing at all though.

[Xihirli]

"Actually, we met briefly," Mystra said, not looking back. "And I'm not upset."

[Valmark]

Sirthis blinked.
"Oh. I... Uh... Didn't recognize the loom. The silver eyes should have clued me" he scratched his head slightly embarassed.
"...how long does Cania still have?" he asked, looking again at the plane and thinking of Zenov.
"...no alright I really need to ask what these threads are" he added trying to touch his.

[Xihirli]

"That? It's the Weave. You normally can't see it." Mystra looked out at Cania. "Perhaps thirty more minutes. But I'm not concerned with Cania." She stopped spinning for a moment. "I am concerned with somebody who my predecessor enslaved and drove to insanity. Someone I owe a great debt to."

[Valmark]

Sirthis perked up at that, hope in his eyes.
"Zenov" he said "He... He followed us on Cania. His soul feeded Draxhain... His half of a soul, at least" he swallowed waiting for a reaction.

[Xihirli]

Mystra nodded. "Yes. His body is gone, but I can extend the weave for but a moment... and give Zenov an afterlife, rather than annihilation with the rest of Cania."

[Valmark]

Sirthis smiled wide, almost crying.
"I'd hug you if I knew what might happen to me if I tried" he said. Then he frowned.
"There isn't a problem with extending the Weave for a moment, yes?"

[Xihirli]

"There's a risk," Mystra said. "But a small one. The prisoners are fitted with dimensional shackles and immovable rods in case the Weave returns. But there is a very small risk of one escaping if I extend the weave for the split-second it will require to take Zenov's soul to a new home. Which is why I brought you here instead of simply doing it. You were his best friend. What do you think that I should do?"

[Valmark]

"I want him to have an after-life" Sirthis replied immediately "I can't accept him simply disappearing. Somewhere he can have fun and stuff and from which he could even be resurrected if he desired. If somebody escapes... Then I'll take care of them if needed" he swore.
"After we save somebody's family though. I promised Hoket I'd go to Abeir next. The wizard dragonborn you gave spells to"

Then he realized something.
"...Zenov gets such an after-life, right? When another dragonborn I know was resurrected... There wasn't a good one"

[Xihirli]

"He had no god to take him," Mystra explained. "I will give Zenov a good afterlife," she promised.

[Valmark]

Sirthis nodded.
"Please do, then. And... If you can... Tell him he'll always be my best friend" he rubbed his eyes with a sob.
"Are you sure I can't hug you, Mystra?"

[Xihirli]

Mystra shook her head. "No thank you, Sirthis. Why don't you hug him?" And she threw a piece of her silvery thread out to Cania and gave it a pull. And from the thread she pulled a familiar shape who was brought before them in a half-second.
"I've just been pulled out of someone else's body, and boy are my legs tired!"

[Valmark]

Sirthis gasped.
"I'll... Take you up... On the offer" he run and basically tackled Zenov with a hug, openly crying.
"I... I thought... I would never see you again..." he said. It didn't matter if it was going to be a short while, it was more then anything he could have asked.

[Xihirli]

"Pfft. Like 'complete annihilation' could have separated us!" Zenov said, hugging Sirthis tight. "I love you, Sirthis."

[Valmark]

"I love you... Zenov" Sirthis smiled happily "And I had Mab promise... Promise we'll hang your bell. To hear it everyday"

[Xihirli]

Zenov grinned. "See ya around, Sirthis. Come visit Mystra's afterlife all the time, okay?"
"How did you know that..." Mystra shook her head and put a hand on Zenov's shoulder. "We have to get you home."
Zenov gave Sirthis one more tight hug. "Bye, Sirthis."

[Valmark]

Sirthis clearly didn't want to let go, but complied.
"I will, as soon as I can. With magic, not dying though" he smiled at him, rubbing his eyes.
"Goodbye, Zenov. And when you tell tales about us to the other souls make sure to make me look like a hero, alright? You already are one"

[Xihirli]

Zenov smiled, crying a bit.
“Won’t be too hard. You’re my hero.” And then Sirthis woke up with Mab in his arms.

[Valmark]

Sirthis immediately started waking Mab up through kisses.
"Mystra contacted me! She got Zenov's soul out of Cania and she'll give him an after-life! An happy one!" he explained excitedly and probably too loud for somebody barely awake, as soon as he saw an eye open up "Though, I promised that if anything managed to get out of Cania in that short moment I'll take care of it. It's the least I could do... I got to say proper goodbye to Zenov"

[Xihirli]

Mab gasped a bit at Sirthis's sudden movements as she returned the kisses before really understanding what he was saying. "That's wonderful, Sirthis," she said. "Did anything get out?"

[Valmark]

"Dunno. I haven't seen any. I imagine somebody will tell me or maybe I'll ask Anaweir if Mystra told her anything" Sirthis shrugged "I've exploded the worst prisoner there was, I can deal with another one" he resumed his kisses, too lazy to get out of bed and too excited to sleep at the moment. He wasn't even sure how long was he asleep.

[Xihirli]

Mab laughed as she returned his kisses. "Alright, give me that bell."

[Valmark]

Sirthis gleed and scrambled for his stuff in a messy way, sitting up cross-legged on the bed when he got the bell Zenov gave them as a wedding gift.
"Here, love" he handed it over to Mab.

[Xihirli]

Mab took it and set it on the desk. "I'll get that set up soon," she said. "You'll be staying home, right? At least until Clephesia is born?"

[Valmark]

"Actually... Hoket's family is still in slavery on Abeir" Sirthis said, looking down "I wanted to see to that. He's been away all this time from his son and whoever else there is. Though, if it helps, my magic will be stronger then ever after this- I can contact you in dreams now" he offered smiling.
"Not like I'm leaving tomorrow though. I don't even know how to reach Abeir"

[Xihirli]

Mab frowned, but gave Sirthis a kiss on the jaw. "And after that?" she asked.

[Valmark]

"I'll do my best to stay glued to you. Literally if possible" Sirthis offered with a smile.
"Well, after Clephesia is born, I will have to stay glued to both" he noted and reached out to pull Mab into a hug "Is that alright to you?"

[Xihirli]

Mab nodded and kissed Sirthis's neck. "Just come home, right?" she extracted from him. "Promise."

[Valmark]

"I have zero intention to leave my family alone for long" Sirthis said "I promise. I know I've been away for days, but... If I think of what it feels to be away from you and think that Hoket doesn't even know if his family is alive... I really have to help him. But I'll come back as soon as I'm done, I promise" he left a kiss on her horn.

[Xihirli]

"Shall I have Aldora get our collection on Abeir ready for you?" Mab asked. "Gloriana contacted me to let me know she'll be here this evening."

[Valmark]

"Yes please- and uh, we'll have to welcome her" Sirthis said with a smile "How do you feel about that? I reckon Eris and Leflabah will leave then, they wanted to visit her. And Malyanna too"

[Xihirli]

"I'm happy to have Malyanna out of my hands," Mab began. "I know she's important to you, but she did try to kill me. Luckily she didn't guess my True Name, so couldn't have even if her plan had continued. Though that Tarrasque would have been..." Mab frowned, having gotten off-track. "I am less worried about Gloriana now, though I am, of course, cautious. Borra has been working out wonderfully, and hasn't stepped a toe out of line under constant surveillance. I'm beginning to believe that her feud with my mother truly did die with her."

[Valmark]

"That's good" Sirthis smiled and petted Mab's head "It's good to be cautious still- but trust needs to start at least, even if it carries risks. I'd keep that costant surveillance up for a while just in case. At least until you can send an ambassador of your own and make the situation balanced" he offered, kissing one of her horns again.
"Say, I meant to ask... There are no shrines or rooms dedicated to specific gods in the Fortress, correct? Is there a problem tied to any laws I should be aware of before doing something that could backfire?"

[Xihirli]

"That's correct," Mab said. "Are you going to Consecrate my fortress for Sune?"

[Valmark]

"No such grandiose thing" Sirthis said "I don't have the power to do that- unless I spend years focusing every day on it, which is a bit impractical. But with a single year of work I can make a sizable area and... Well, I'd like to do that. I'm a cleric of considerable power now. I can just build a shrine or something like that close by though" he explained.
"Oh, and money. Though that black dragon hoard I brought home should be more then enough"

[Xihirli]

"A shrine we may be able to arrange," Mab said. "Perhaps in the flower gardens?" she suggested.

[Valmark]

"Warm, Full of soft flowers without any bed in sight? I'm sure she'd love it" Sirthis said, nodding his appreciation.
"Actually, probably everybody will appreciate such a place. I was planning on making it so that no language barriers exist there- and to make so that no teleportation can go off. A heaven for anybody" though that second thing could even be used as a prison.
"Thoughts?"

[Xihirli]

"Brilliant," Mab said. "And how long will this take?"

[Valmark]

Sirthis blinked.
"Now that I think about it, it's the druidic grove takes a year. This one only takes a full day- as in, twenty four hours- to prep and then lasts until somebody comes and removes it" he explained "And covers an area of sixty feet. Though covering the whole Fortress would still be a terribly long work"

[Xihirli]

"A whole day?" Mab said. "Sounds exhausting. Not, of course, that I've never pulled an all-nighter. I don't even need to sleep, technically."

[Valmark]

"I know my throat will be hoarse by the end" Sirthis said, giving Mab a kiss.
"Heh, not needing to sleep is pointless. If I was an immortal being I'd sleep twenty hours a day like a cat" he giggled "Though, given who I married, I don't think I'd have enough hours in a day to spend in bed sleeping"

[Xihirli]

"I've no idea what you're implying," Mab said, snatching another few kisses. "I value my rest."

[Valmark]

"Of course. It's the before, after and possibly during that tricks you" Sirthis giggled "Oh, I just wanted to say... You know that piece of power you shared with me... Yeeeeah I figured out how to see through clothes. Just wanted to let you know" he smirked.

[Xihirli]

"I know. I sent you that one," Mab said. "Why do you think I let you ride my carriage?"

[Valmark]

Sirthis smiled.
"You know me so well" and gave her another kiss.
"Wanna go back to sleep? Not like Gloriana will arrive now"

[Xihirli]

Mab held him close. "Alright. Hopefully you'll have a dream as sweet as seeing Zenov again."

[Valmark]

"I'm sure I will" Sirthis smiled making space for her to lean on him "With you in my thoughts for sure" he told her settling for some more sleep.

[Xihirli]

Mab gripped Sirthis close and fell asleep with him.


Eris awoke to a kiss from Leff. "Good morning," her wife said.

[Valmark]

"Mooooorning" Eris said lazily coiling her tail around them.
"Isn't there some spell that lets people carry beds with them?" she asked, stretching and yawning.

[Xihirli]

Leff frowned. "Maybe? Today I'm hoping to learn how to make food like Sirthis did so we can keep feeding Aklah without a trail of dead animals behind us."

[Valmark]

"Oh, uhm, mine was a joke. That's good though" Eris nodded, leaving a kiss on Leff "I have the flavoring spell ready. Spell. It's more like a flick of the wrist" Eris pushed herself up before giving Leff another kiss.
"I have no idea what to do today"

[Xihirli]

Leff got up and started dressing. "I'm not sure. You've been putting yourself through a lot of stress, you could just stay in bed all day and no one would blame you. Or I guess we could work on our Sylvan."

[Valmark]

"Pfffft, as if I could do nothing while you study" Eris said, starting to get dressed "Practicing Sylvan sounds better then nothing... Even if it's terribly hard" she sighed.
"How many hours do you need for the spell?"

[Xihirli]

"Based on what I've heard about it... it will probably take me six hours," Leff confessed. "And I'm hoping Aldora will just let me use her spellcasting ink to get me that far. Seriously, I promise we're doing the dragon quest next. That way we can get you a nice magic weapon and a us bunch of gold from the hoard."

[Valmark]

"Isn't Sirthis going to Abeir next? If we could find a way to partecipate it would be perfect. When is he going again?" Eris asked donning her armor next "I need to spend an hour making another weapon my pact one. I gave my sword away so I gotta use an axe now. Pfffft, axes" she shrugged.
"Eh, we'll find a way to get you your ink. Maybe Malyanna has some, she's a wizard too isn't she?"

[Xihirli]

"You don't like axes?" Leff asked, finishing strapping on her breastplate. "But yeah, Abeir's got a lot that needs heroing." She frowned at the word she made up.


Sirthis woke up again, but this time he felt like he'd had a full night's sleep.

[Valmark]

"A sword's blade is basically all of the weapon. Axes and spears have way more useless parts with less balance. I'm not a fan- unless it's ironwood I guess" Eris noted.
"Breakfast?"
Sirthis pushed himself up lazily.
"Morning My Mueen Mab" he whispered giving her a kiss to rouse her awake.

[Xihirli]

"Oh - right. I'd almost forgotten." Leff smiled and reached out her hand to Eris. "Let's go."


Mab stirred and kissed Sirthis. "Morning, King," she hummed.

[Valmark]

Eris smiled, took Leff's hand and opened the door to go to the dining room.
"I should also check on Aklah. Hoping to not find the devil again" she shrugged- it's not like it had stayed for long anyway.
"Heh" Sirthis smiled and left a kiss on her neck "Guess I really have to be productive. What have you got to do today?" he asked, lowering a ear on where the pregnancy belly was starting to show. He had no idea if something could be heard that early though.

[Xihirli]

The dining hall was not the raucous breakfast of having no Mab around - possibly because while Mab was not present, Borra was. He was eyed by the others eating there with an mixture of either boredom or distrust. As though they'd been waiting for an excuse to hate him and had given up.


Nothing could be heard yet in Mab's belly. "I have to meet with Borra and Ha Des today, we're negotiating some lands that I seized from Titania... and that she seized from me."

[Valmark]

"I guess that's to be expected, it hasn't really been much time" Eris noted and purposefully made her way towards Borra to sit down next to him.
"If he's distrusted near him there will be more space. I notice how you're uncomfortable with eating crowded" she explained to her while walking and said hi to Borra with a simple nod. It's not like they ever talked until then after all.
"Mind if we eat here?" she asked him though she was already sitting.
"That is NOT something that sounds entertaining" Sirthis gave Mab a kiss.
"Have you talked to her again while I was away? Titania I mean"

[Xihirli]

Borra looked up at her without much comprehension, but he nodded and gestured to the empty seats near him as if to invite them to sit.


"Once in awhile. But old feuds keep coming up, so we've found it best to... let it simmer for a time."

[Valmark]

"Right" Eris took out her trusty ziggurat and used Tongues.
"Thank you" she said and took a seat smiling at Leff. She had the decency to wait for her to sit down before digging the food.
"I understand" Sirthis gave her another kiss, before finally moving to get up.
"Eventually you'll be able to exchange teleportation circle's codes, I'm sure. Speaking of which... I just got that spell last night. It's no Teleport, but if I carry the ingridients with me I can get here in a minute from everywhere in the Feywild now" he smiled at her "Can't wait until I can go on other planes and come back in the same day. Adventuring becomes much easier if you can come and go from home whenever you want"

[Xihirli]

"You are quite welcome," Borra said. "We only briefly met. I'm Borra."


"Where else can you go?" Mab asked, getting up and heading into the bath, where her regular attendants waited.

[Valmark]

"I'm Eris Lelahinn and she's Leflabah Lelahinn" Eris presented them, smiling "We left soon after the marriage, there wasn't much of a chance to speak. I understand you were the one responsible for the flower room? That's a beautiful room" she talked between food bites.
"Stelus' yard. And Baldur's Gate, but that's on Toril. I kind of wanted to see wether the library has anything regarding codes" Sirthis mused, following after her to get himself a bath too "Your sisters don't have one do they? It wouldn't be a terrible idea to put one there- though that's one spell I'd have to cast each day for a year. Not that I mind visiting that place daily" he laughed.

[Xihirli]

"Ah, thank you, but truly it's the work of the pixies. I am simply overseeing the peace dealings between the Seelie and Unseelie, to keep another war from breaking out."


"I am sure Stelus is anxious to see you," Mab said. "Are you coming in?"

[Valmark]

Eris nodded.
"Seeing people's faces, it must be going well enough" she noted, eating. She didn't really have anything else to say at the moment.
Sirthis followed into the bath with a nod.
"Stelus anxious to see me is honestly not a sentence I thought I'd hear" he chuckled sinking into the water.
"Now that I think about it, Darroch must have changed a lot. Last time I saw it only Nona and the ex-prisoners lived there"
How was your night? Still a bit before I leave my room, I'll find you right after. I was told Gloriana will come visit today.

[Xihirli]

Borra smiled. "Hm. They will come around." He took a bite of sausage.


"I'm sure it has. The bats have all moved into the feydark, for one thing," Mab said.
Alright. I was being watched the whole night, I'm sure.

[Valmark]

"Well, that's how it usually starts, doesn't it? From fear or anger to indifference or curiosity and then on until everybody can trust each other" Eris mused over it "It'll be great. Oh, did you know Gloriana will be coming today?" she figured the sylph diplomat should know about that. Then something came to her mind and she turned to Leff.
"Did you tell Gloriana that with us there is also a dragon-hating wyvern big as a mule? She came with a dragon last time, didn't she?"
"A shame, I liked them. I can totally see him filling the place with winter wolves or something like that though" Sirthis laughed "You think he could be a dog person?" he resolved to talking with Maly later, now that he made sure she was good enough.

[Xihirli]

"Yes, I received the news from Nona this morning," Borra answered.
"No, I didn't," Leff answered. "I don't think Aklah is a danger to... the purple dragon."
"Nidhiki."
"Nidhiki."


Mab shook her head. "I don't. Klokharei tried to get him a pet once. He challenged it to a duel and ate it."

[Valmark]

"My worry is more about the fact that if we leave with her then we might have to get Aklah on Nidhiki. I'm more worried about Aklah" Eris shrugged "Eh, she's a proper little baby, she'll listen if we tell her. Or I'll bite her tail if she doesn't she laughed.
"I really should be careful with what I teach her on tails or she might think it's ok to bite mine then" Eris looked at her tail slightly worried.
Sirthis blinked.
"One day I should give him a dragon. Try eating that. You know, when I can tame them by myself. Still a bit sad we ran out of that dungeon. Heh, gods are no biggie but let's run if there's one too big dragon" he chuckled "There again, blues aren't terribly pretty. What's your favorite dragon?"

Then he registered the name.
"Who's Klokharei?"

[Xihirli]

"Can your wyvern not fly?" Borra asked.
"I can't not say Helryx. She has been a life saver," Mab said, getting out of the tub to let the brownies dry her off. "Klokharei was his nurse. A bright blue nymph, you may have seen her at the spring."

The only nymph matching that description was one of the nymphs that was in the great flower but not paying attention to Sirthis when he woke up.

[Valmark]

Eris blinked.
"I'm... Not sure. She clearly flew once or twice when she was smaller but uh... We have been mostly carrying her, then she became too big to carry and we haven't moved much. She hasn't even been trained to ride yet or fought anything bigger then a kibold" she sighed "I'm a terrible mother"
"Vaguely. I remember one who didn't really consider me" Sirthis mused "And... If we are talking specific dragons, Noxan all the way. She's too cool if you think she's so old. It was the twilight silver dragon at the Hall. But as far as types go, I think black dragons are visually cooler actually- must be the horns. And the color" he decided to stay in the bath just a small bit longer, watching Mab walk while getting washed by the attendants.
Yup, that was a really good life to go back to after nearly two weeks of travel.

[Xihirli]

"Well, you have until this evening," Borra said assuringly.


Mab smiled back at him and tapped her earring. Still a man of good taste, I see. And then the brownies began dressing her while she kept up her smile.

[Valmark]

Eris stood up.
"Leff, I've found what I'm going to do today. Making sure Aklah knows how to fly and to carry people" she declared "Not that I know how, mind you. Or maybe I do... Gotta ask Sirthis for his flying animals" she said, packing some meat from the breakfast to use as treats.
I'm your husband after all.

Sirthis smiled, getting out of the water and drying himself off after thanking the attendants. He went to dress with a fresh change of clothes.
"Oh, just to be clear, when I need to come back from Abeir -not that I'll be leaving today, just thinking ahead of time- I can contact you and get picked up like yesterday? That was pretty nice of you. And showing off with my wife is always a pleasure" he blowed a kiss her way.

[Xihirli]

Leff laughed happily. "I'm sure you'll do wonderful."
Borra rose. "I wish you luck, Missus Lelahinn. Missus Lelahinn. I have to review some maps." With a tight smile, the sylph stood.


Mab looked up at him as her dress was laced on. She approached him with a smile and kissed his cheek before whispering: "No."
"I'm not a coach service."

[Valmark]

"Thank you for the talk" Eris waved Borra off.
"After you finish eating let's get you to the library and see about the ink. I can go after you are busy with your spell" she said to Leff.
Sirthis smiled, his silver eyes assuming a greener tone as he tried out Mab's gift that was clearly meant to spy inside rooms and not for what he was doing.
"Not even if I promise you a soap massage?" he whispered. Not that he wouldn't do it anyway.

[Xihirli]

Leff nodded and passed her food remains to a passing spriggan who was collecting plates. "Alright, let's go." She took Eris's hand and giggled a bit.


Mab smiled as her eyes became deeper briefly too, looking down at him. "I think I could get one out of you anyway." She gave him a kiss before crossing to her jewelry. "I'm thinking the Amulet of Proof against Detection for today," she mused, selecting a silver necklace with a blinded eye as the symbol.

[Valmark]

"Mmm? What's funny?" Eris asked leading the couple to the library.
"I might ask one out of you instead" Sirthis declared, finishing to get clothed including armor and shield. It felt a bit weird going around ready for a fight in his own home, but the memory of getting Gated to have his arm cut off was still fresh in his mind after all that time.
"It definitely looks good. Though I have no idea what it does" he offered.

[Xihirli]

"Just... you teaching a wyvern how to fly. Since you don't have wings." She smiled in apology. "But I'm sure you'll figure it out."


"Of course you think it looks good, you're looking right through it," she remarked. "It shields me from having my mind read or location tracked."

[Valmark]

"I can turn into a cloud though!" Eris declared "But yeah, I can see the fun in that. Look out of the window sometimes, I'm sure I'll get Aklah up there" she grinned, tail swishing around.
"That's what didn't add up. I would surely notice if you covered yourself with something normally" Sirthis chuckled and his eyes went back to normal.
"Mmm... If you have a diplomatic meeting couldn't that be mistaken for a sign that you have something to hide?" he asked.

[Xihirli]

"You can turn into a cloud?" Leff asked as they made it to the door into the library.


"I suppose the Karda will have to suck it up," Mab said, choosing a bracelet and motioning for the brownies to start with her make-up.

[Valmark]

Eris smiled.
"Check this out" she said, taking out from her pouch something that looked like bandages- though it made a puff of smoke and her body and items faded into mist that hovered around Leff.
"No idea if you can hear me though" she noted.
Gaseous Form!
"Spoke like a queen" Sirthis giggled and kisses the back of Mab's head to not bother the brownies at work.
"See you later love?"

[Xihirli]

Leff gasped and cautiously ran a hand through Eris's misty form. "Can you hear me?" she asked.


Mab smiled and put a hand on Sirthis's. "I'd invite you along if I didn't know you'd hate it."

[Valmark]

ºI can, but she can't. That ticklesº in reply, Eris sneaked up Leff's sleeve and went out from the other passing along her back. Once she was out Eris dismissed the spell, reappiring.
"I'm terribly slow like this though. And yes, I could hear you"
Sirthis squeezed her hand with a smile.
"After I come back from Abeir I'll come along on your business affairs to make them less boring" he said, kissing the hand. Not satisfied he also kissed Mab's neck trying to not bother the brownies.
"I should really go before any work ethic of mine flies out of the window and I spend the whole day giving you kisses"

[Xihirli]

"Ooh!" Leff said as the gas went through her tunic. "Well, that's pretty amazing. When did you learn that?"


"Though clearing my schedule for a day like that absolutely must happen now," Mab said as she waved him off.

[Valmark]

"After we came back from Tharizdun. Well, tonight more precisely. Boss must have heard and remained impressed- plus we brought Sirthis back safe and sound" Eris inclined her head "As sound as he gets anyway" and opened the door to the library in search of Aldora.
"I'll be waiting for the Kiss Day then" Sirthis said leaving the room. He stopped a fly to inquire regarding Malyanna's suite's whereabouts before heading there.
I'm out- should I head to your room or are you elsewhere? Kind of silly to ask since I'm already heading there, I know.

[Xihirli]

Aldora greeted them. "Leflabah Lelahinn, our Queen said to expect you. May I help you, Eris Lelahinn?" She asked.



I'm starting my breakfast now. Join me?

[Valmark]

"Good morning. Nah, I'm just accompanying Leff" Eris said "She needs to inscribe a spell in her book, I'll go after she starts" she let Leff talk about the spell.
Sirthis wasn't sure what that place meant, but figured he should head to the hall where breakfast was held and headed there.

[Xihirli]

"Yes, I heard." Aldora cleared her throat. "Um... you're actually... You weren't given permission to view the spellcasting selection, Missus Lelahinn. Only your wife here."


Malyanna had a section all to herself and waved at Sirthis as he entered the dining hall. A lot of flies were buzzing around her, keeping her under constant surveillance.

[Valmark]

Eris inclined her head confused.
"Which Lel- oh, of course it would be me, I'm not the wizard" she nodded turning to Leff "I'll see you later then?" she gave her a kiss.
Sirthis made his way towards Malyanna, grabbing food on the fly (as in, while passing, not food carried by flies) and taking a seat next to her.
"It's not like you could stand a bit further at least while I'm here too? I promise I'll give Malyanna a good, watchful look" he asked the flies smiling at her.

[Xihirli]

"See you later, Missus Lelahinn," Leff said, kissing Eris back.


The flies buzzed and landed a bit further away at the table, where the started slurping up leftover fruit juice.
"Are you coming with me? To Gloriana's?"

[Valmark]

Eris smiled, waving the two off and leaving the library to go to Aklah- she was first going to see if she could do it on her own before asking Sirthis to use his animals as bait.
Sirthis shook his head.
"I have to prepare for another travel. Me and Hoket are going to Abeir to find his family- after that I hope I'll enjoy leisure time at least until my daughter is born" he wondered if he could get Mab to visit her sisters for when Amete would give birth. Though they were probably close enough that he could go and come back.
If Gloriana has a teleportation circle in her home I could get there in a second though. I did tell her I would be coming, and if you're there too it's more of a reason" he smiled at Malyanna while eating.
"Though please, do Dream to me after you get there. Unfortunately I can't do that to you on my own because pure elves suck" Sirthis laughed.

[Xihirli]

Aklah was chewing on a goat leg when Eris arrived, but she spat it out and stood excitedly upon seeing her mother.


Malyanna gave an exaggerated pout. "I suppose I'll have to manage the charming myself, then."

[Valmark]

Eris smiled and entered Aklah's stable in a rush tackling the wyvern.
"Missed me?" she said, petting her under the neck "Today we take you flying"
"I'm sure you'll do fine. I reckon she likes frank people. She got along with the tiefling" Sirthis snickered "Have you ever dealt with her? Or met in general"

[Xihirli]

Aklah kept wrestling Eris, not comprehending what she said as it pinned her, then got pinned, then struggled to break free.


"No, not personally. I've been injected with some memories of her, though," Maly answered.
"You know how that works I believe."

[Valmark]

Eris released Aklah.
""Come on, follow me. Gotta teach you to challenge the skies" she said laughing, leading the wyvern with a hand on the head to the direction of the gates.
"Uuuugh... Yeah, I know. Tentacle in the ear. I still don't like that memory" Sirthis frowned "It won't happen anymore homewever. And before you say something about power, Gloriana can probably give you just as much" he said "A shame you can't stay here but... I'm happy you'll be much nearer" he took her hand to squeeze it before getting back to his food.

[Xihirli]

The wyvern followed, growling at passersby until they came to the gates.


"Nobody had the knowledge Tren Krom did. Nobody," Malyanna said. "She has a perfect memory that outlives the oldest gods and has been absorbing knowledge from others for longer than the humanoid races have existed. But..." Malyanna smiled. "I'm happy to be away."

[Valmark]

Eris nodded at the fomorians but didn't try to talk- she knew from the other time that she could push it open herself.
Once out, she led Aklah to where she could find an open enough space and took out a meaty treat.
"Ready?" she asked making sure she had the wyvern's attention on the piece of food.
Not sure if you wanted another athletics test for the gate:

[roll0][roll1] with advantage.
"I'm happy too. That you're closer though- and that you can make your own life" he leaned in and kissed Malyanna's cheek.
"Wanna check out the Fortress after this? Or have you something to do already in mind? I've got no idea what you usually did around your parts for leisure"

[Xihirli]

The wyvern stared fixated at the food in Eris's hand, lifting her tail.


"I'm, ah, not supposed to look around too much," Malyanna said. "Learning the floor plan of this place was one of the first things I wasn't supposed to do."

[Valmark]

"Well then" Eris made the motion to launch the food in the air once and twice, to let Aklah understand what she was going to do, then she flinged it in the air "Catch it!" and ran. If Aklah could fly and take it in the air, then good, otherwise she'd have to snatch it before Eris could take it once it fell down to the ground.
She really hoped wyverns could fly istintively.
"Mrhmmmm... Fine. Then how about you help me with my studying? Or..." Sirthis looked at the flies "Uh, nevermind the second option. But I could totally put make-up on you. It's been two weeks since the last time I think"

[Xihirli]

Aklah leapt into the air and flapped her wings to go for it, and snatched up the food before returning to the ground, humming in her throat.


Malyanna looked at him questioningly. "Oh. Um, alright."

[Valmark]

Eris clapped her hands happily, petting Aklah for her good job.
"You don't really need help. But we also need to see if you STAY in air" she took out two more pieces and repeated the process- homewever she threw the piece after saying "Up!" and threw the second shortly after the first in another direction to see if Aklah after eating the first would change course and fly towards the second or just drop down.
"What? You never wore make-up?" Sirthis offered Malyanna his best smile "Your room has a mirror? We're all set if so"

[Xihirli]

Aklah flew up and snatched up both snacks, then stayed in the air for a moment, looking down at Eris with confusion.


"Not recently... but yes, I do have a mirror." Malyanna stood up.
"It's just this way."

[Valmark]

Eris clapped happily.
"I'm guessing she doesn't understand why I'm not flying" Eris theorized, and jumped flailing her arms to show Aklah that she indeed could not fly. She must be looking like a crippled wyvern.
Or Aklah was realizing only now that she could stay airborne.
Sirthis stood up.
"I swear this is not a prank. Nor a way to get you in private" he assured her.